CH 60.4

An Chui’s voice rang out slowly, “I want to use Lin Bozhou’s seal to forge a letter. That’s right. Lin Bozhou is very powerful and has minions all over the Great Zong. Anytime his seal is gently stamped, it will have an incredible ruling power comparable to a holy decree.”

The crowd’s eyes turned as he walked around.

“Time is short. I cannot find a second person to draw Lin Bozhou’s seal, so I must keep Meng Huan’s life, not because his life is more valuable than yours.” An Chui opened his eyes and gazed at the clansmen with a vague moistness. “Instead, I want to take Lin Bozhou’s seal to intercept the military pay shipped to Liaodong.”

When he said this, the people looked horrified, and their expressions were all shocked.

“Military pay?”

“How are you going to intercept the military pay?”

“They allocated military pay to Liaodong?”

“Yes,” An Chui responded. “Jurchen has been a dog to the Great Zong for over two hundred years, and we have been trying to break free from the shackles and their slavery. More than that, we also want to take revenge. Why can’t Jurchen conquer the Great Zong to become the ruler of this ceremonial kingdom so that all our people can enjoy fine food, soft bedding, and sheltering clothes instead of eating coarse rice cakes, wearing animal skins, and bunking in the cold wilderness, where they freeze to death like withered grass when winter comes.”

Nobody said anything and seemed to fall into the bitter cold memories.

“Jurchen has been waiting for this opportunity for decades. We offered beauty and treasures to Mao Chengchang, the general of Liaodong, every year, and my sister was offered to his bed and was abused to death. After decades of holding back, playing dog to Mao Chengchang, and following him obediently, we finally gained room to grow by degrading ourselves. Jianzhou went from an impoverished land to a strong state with plenty of soldiers and horses. And all this was out of Mao Chengchang’s control when he came out of his negligence.”

An Chui scanned from side to side, “Jianzhou is now covered with our brothers and sisters who can immediately organize a strong army to attack the Great Zong for revenge at the command. I am certain that Liaodong will be the first place where the Great Zong will collapse because Mao Chengchang has long been corrupted and is on the verge of collapsing.”

Not far away, Meng Huan’s white nose hung down without making any movement, and he even looked as if he was not listening to him seriously.

But he heard all of this clearly, and his back chilled.

“But–”

An Chui paused momentarily. “Mao Chengchang realized that Jianzhou was uncontrollable and transferred me to the capital as a hostage to threaten my father so that he wouldn’t rebel and cause trouble. Now, Mao Chengchang apparently found that even if I was in the capital, Jianzhou was no longer controllable. He asked the imperial court for military pay and tried to start playing the hero, trying to suppress us–but this is impossible.”

An Chui spoke all of this at once. “That military pay allocated to him can revive the declining soldiers and build up the armament to prolong his rotten life instead of being kicked and collapsing with a bang. But I will never let that military pay become a stumbling block to Jurijin’s hegemony, so–”

Everyone looked at him.

An Chui propped his hands on the tabletop and looked around; his expression was not arrogant and domineering but changed to a sad one. “For the future of my fellow Jurchen, I must intercept that military payroll. I must also let him live, and you must die, understood?”

His words ended, and his voice echoed in everyone’s heart.

The candle flame on the table flickered and almost extinguished. This little episode motivated everyone as if their souls had been injected, looking left and right at each other’s faces.

The interest of one and the interest of all.

Personal lives and the future of the tribe.

They seemed to have no choice.

A long time later, the furious man withdrew his scimitar and nodded. “I am willing to turn myself in. Jurchen’s future lies among you and him, not us.”

The others held back their tears. “Perhaps it is destiny, but hopefully, when the chief’s iron cavalry arrives at the capital, they can collect our bones.”

Their quarrel was over.

The bright red seal on the table marked with “Lin Bozhou” seemed to be more than a seal, but a symbol or something else.

…… So, the original shou stole the seal at that time to help An Chui intercept the military pay issued by the court to Liaodong.

Although the original shou didn’t give the money directly to the foreigners, he held it in his hands and recruited his own soldiers and horses. Still, he stole the money that should have been paid to the guards’ soldiers, causing the foreigners to take advantage of their weakness to rise and attack Liaodong.

The original shou’s face seemed to be somewhat blurred.

Meng Huan bowed his head, and because of the fever, his brain was dizzy.

His body alternated between hot and cold, and he felt like he was having a dream, unable to distinguish between real and false.

Beside him, there was a “snap.”

An Chui came over and laid out a set of brushes and paper, his narrow eyes staring at him grimly.

“Now, it’s your turn to write a farewell letter to Lin Bozhou.”

–

A day later, the capital army patrolling the city withdrew.

Two days later, the number of guards near the city gates was reduced by half, and the interrogation approach was much more perfunctory.

Inside the simple hut, only An Chui and Meng Huan, who was sitting sickly, were left. Meng Huan covered his mouth and coughed desperately. Half propping up his head, he inserted a wooden hairpin into his hair.

“Have you finished packing?” An Chui came through the door.

He and An Chui were about to leave the city, so they both changed their clothes and pretended to be the most ordinary people to get past the search at the city gate.

Meng Huan was sick and wilted and gave a distracted mumble.

After the letter that he had taken the initiative to escape was sent to Lin Bozhou, the old man came in every day to say the ban was lifted on every street and at the city gate.

Meng Huan was not quite sure what was in Lin Bozhou’s mind.

Nor was he sure that he was really willing to let himself go in the sense.