Chapter 82: Free Body
Anyway, when the news spread throughout Yanzhou, Prefect Li became much more proactive this time. He went to the Zheng family to discuss, directly telling the head of the Zheng family:
“He’s a cripple and very mad. If you continue to make trouble like this, it will become a persistent ailment.
If he risks his life and fights with three thousand border soldiers, what will your Zheng family do?”
Without even needing to mention his name, the Zheng family members knew who was being spoken about.
To be honest, the Zheng family regretted it by the time things had escalated this far.
If they had known the Li King was so deranged and a cripple, they would have given that Chen Yunniang to him long ago.
Now they were in a situation where they couldn’t back down. A thousand house guards and tenant farmers were captured by the border city and forced to do hard labor like oxen and horses.
Zheng Yun, the temporary head of the Zheng family, said with great grief:
“Does our Zheng family want to fight with him? Sir, go and look at the foot of the city wall. He actually pushed our Zheng family’s severely injured house guards directly under the city wall.”
“It’s boldly written, one hundred taels of silver to ransom one person. If the silver isn’t paid, they’ll be thrown into the Zheng family’s ancestral tomb when they die.”
“Is this something a human would do? Now the whole city is saying that our Zheng family doesn’t value the lives of tenant farmers.”
“How could he do this? Our Zheng family has been in Yandi for a hundred years, and we’ve never encountered such a shameless person!”
Prefect Li agreed with Zheng Yun’s words. While he agreed, the Li King clearly had the demeanor of a rogue and didn’t hesitate to publicize his secret of being unable to perform sexually.
He was clearly determined: “Go ahead and make trouble if you dare! The stubborn fear the fierce, and the fierce fear those who don’t care about their lives.”
He had no attachments and was also infertile. He held three thousand border soldiers, and at worst, he could fight to the death.
But the Zheng family didn’t want to fight. They were a respectable gentry family in Yandi; would they clash a tile against a jade vase?
“I can negotiate with them on this. You name a price, and I’ll go and exchange people with him.”
“However, you should give him the sale contract for Chen Yunniang. She’s just a lowly concubine. Why would you want her back after she caused such disgrace to your family?”
Zheng Yun wanted to say, “To be buried alive with him!”
But he remembered that Li Heng was an official of the Imperial Court. While he might turn a blind eye to human sacrifice of living people, it couldn’t be openly discussed.
He suppressed his anger and said, “The Zheng family can give him Lady Chen. The Zheng family will pay for the severely injured tenant farmers to be bought back, but he must release all the Zheng family members he’s detaining, without exception.”
Li Heng arrived at the border city with Chen Yunniang’s sale contract and the Zheng family’s demands. Before finding Jinsui, he went to the Forceful Restaurant to eat a bowl of fish ball soup, adding a full four spoonfuls of chili sauce.
He ate until he was sweating profusely, then satisfyingly put down his bowl. He inadvertently saw the salt jar on the stove, which contained excellent green salt.
Li Heng asked in surprise, “The Li King is willing to give green salt to your eatery.”
The cook laughed, “This wasn’t given by the King. It was brought by our salt carrier.”
Li Heng thought of Yan Shiyi, and his eyebrows twitched. He had heard that the Yan family had fallen out with the Li King, so it seemed the rumors were unreliable.
After learning Li Heng’s intentions, Jinsui took Chen Yunniang’s sale contract, publicly gave it to Chen Yunniang, and declared that she was now a free person.
Chen Yunniang knelt on the ground, overcome with emotion and weeping profusely. Cheng Yu stood silently beside her, not trying to comfort her.
Because Cheng Yu knew that what she needed was to cry her heart out, to release years of grievances through tears.
When an infant is born, they need clear water to wash away the blood and grime; those who have just been released from prison need willow branch water to wash away the filth;
those returning home from a long journey need mugwort water to wash away the impurities. And Chen Yunniang today was washing away her past with tears, reborn.
Many women from the Tuntian Camp gathered around Chen Yunniang, rejoicing for her and shedding tears with her.
Recently, they had been making dim sum together and opening a small eatery. They were like sisters and were all happy that Chen Yunniang was no longer a slave.
Even Li Heng sighed theatrically, “Bitterness has turned to sweetness. Lady Chen is still young and has a bright future ahead of her.”
Jinsui cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, Lord Li. I owe you a favor.”
Li Heng quickly smiled and said, “Not at all, not at all. However, since the King owes this subordinate a favor, then please listen to this subordinate’s advice and make peace with the Zheng family!”
Jinsui nodded heartily, “Alright! As long as they stop practicing human sacrifice and buy back those injured soldiers, so they don’t waste medicine and food here, I promise not to retaliate against the Zheng family.”
Li Heng smiled, “That is of course. With me watching, no one in Yanzhou will dare to practice human sacrifice.”
Jinsui smiled faintly, neither mocking nor exposing, just squinting at Li Heng.
This made Li Heng’s heart pound. With such a formidable figure by his side, he truly couldn’t let the filthy deeds of the gentry go unchecked in the future.
“The Zheng family also agrees to pay for the injured soldiers, but please, Your Majesty, release the Zheng family tenant farmers you’ve detained.
It’s the season for planting autumn grain. If you keep the people, the Zheng family’s farmland will be uncultivated!”
Jinsui seized the opportunity to say, “Of course, I will release them! I am not an unreasonable person. However, the Zheng family attacked the city, causing heavy losses to my border city.”
“Sir, please look at this list. As long as the Zheng family compensates us, I will release the people.”
“Speaking of autumn plowing, I wanted to discuss with Lord Li that my border city is also short-handed.
I heard there are many refugees in the nearby deep mountains. If any refugees are willing to come down to the border city, I plan to take them in to reclaim land. I wonder if this is in compliance with regulations?”
Li Heng sneered inwardly. As far as he knew, the Li King had recently taken in many refugees to dig canals and reclaim land, and now he was pretending to inform him.
Wasn’t he just trying to use the negotiation with the Zheng family to force him to acknowledge the legal status of those refugees?
He thought for a moment and said, “If the people are within Your Majesty’s fiefdom, then it is naturally in compliance with regulations.
However, be sure they don’t wander off. If they go to another place and their status isn’t recognized, and they are captured or killed, how pitiful that would be.”
Jinsui raised an eyebrow. This meant that the border city could keep the people, but they could only be citizens of the border city; other prefecture cities would still recognize their refugee status.
Jinsui didn’t argue further with him. As the saying goes, truth lies within the range of cannon fire. So now it was, truth lies in the hands of those with the strongest fists.
Currently, I am weak, so I can only yield. When my army is strong and my horses are numerous in the future, it won’t be that you don’t recognize the status of border people, but that my border city won’t recognize you!
“Alright! Rest assured, Sir. The citizens of the border city are all good and honest people, and they won’t cause you any trouble.
Here, look at this list. Once the Zheng family compensates according to the price, this matter will be settled.”
Li Heng choked. He had brought the list with him; he had already planned for the Zheng family to compensate.
He looked at the amount and found it acceptable; it wasn’t an outrageous demand.
However, when this list reached Zheng Yun, he cursed loudly:
“As expected, all eunuchs are greedy! One hundred thousand taels, why doesn’t he just come to the Zheng family and rob us?”
Li Heng disagreed, “Indeed, you attacked the border city first. If he were to truly lodge a complaint before the Emperor, it could even be considered a rebellion by your Zheng family.”
Zheng Yun was both angry and helpless. If it were before, he could have united with friends and relatives and fought the Li King again.
But now, ever since he learned that the Li King was a eunuch, he felt they shouldn’t continue to fight him. It would be best to resolve it with money.
