Chapter 39: Rogue
“Li Heng! Are you going to give the border soldiers their three months of Military Pay or not?”
Upon hearing the Li Prefect’s name-called shout from below the City Wall, Prefect Li’s face turned from green to white with anger.
Looking at the crowd gathered below and above the City Wall, who had fallen silent due to her impassioned speech.
The young masters who were playing with Copper Coins, their smiles vanished, and the Copper Coins in their hands felt a little hot.
The common folk watching the spectacle, seeing their own reflections in these border soldiers, all showed sympathy.
The Yanzhou Officials were afraid that if the matter escalated and reached Chang’an, it would affect their triennial reassignment!
Don’t underestimate the Li King; although he was banished to the borderlands and became a nominal Prince, with nothing but the Border Soldiers Army, he is still an Imperial Prince.
No matter how much the Emperor scolds or punishes him, if he truly died in Yandi, the Emperor would not be able to ignore it.
Just then, the Tuntian Army, who had arrived on foot, gathered outside the City Gate in a vast throng.
They were even more timid and dared not stand like the Black Feather Army. Seeing the officials on the City Wall, they all knelt and pleaded:
“We beg you, sirs, to issue the Military Pay! Our families are starving!”
Although the Tuntian Soldiers have fields, eighty percent of the grain they harvest is confiscated as military rations, and they are also responsible for the Horse Feed for the army.
They are never idle throughout the year, and yet the higher-ups still embezzle their meager Military Pay.
Jinsui held the Imperial edict and walked step by step to the foot of the City Wall, and once again asked in a stern voice:
“Li Heng! The Military Pay for the Border Soldiers Army, are you issuing it or not?”
Prefect Li’s face was ashen. His term was ending this year, and he would be able to transfer away from Yandi.
With such an incident occurring, how could the Imperial Court promote him or even give him a lateral transfer? He would definitely be demoted!
This Li King is truly a troublesome Rogue! Getting involved with her brings no good.
He took a deep breath and said loudly:
“Lord Li, please understand that Yandi suffered a severe drought this year, and the Military Pay had to be diverted to disaster relief. It is not that this official does not wish to issue it.”
Jinsui burst into laughter, pointing at the food thrown by the young masters below the City Tower:
“You tell me there’s a disaster, but how come I see the people in this city playing with food?”
“Is this Military Pay you are using for disaster relief, or for these Young Masters to play with?”
Those Yandi young masters were displeased and shouted:
“I’m throwing my own grain and spending my own Silver! Did I use a single Copper Coin from your Imperial Court?”
“I can play with my family’s grain however I want! The Li King can’t control the officials of the Imperial Court, and now she wants to control us?”
Seeing that the Li King had successfully provoked the anger of the Yanzhou Gentry’s young masters, Li Heng was now completely panicked.
If the two sides started fighting, whether he helped one or remained neutral, it would be a mistake.
Since the Li King is not here to station in Yanzhou City, but merely to demand Military Pay, it would be best to give it to them quickly, send them back to the border soldiers, and never let them come to Yanzhou again.
Li Heng quickly said, “Coincidentally, the Imperial Court’s disaster relief Silver has arrived, and we were already planning to issue Military Pay to the Border Soldiers Army in the coming days.”
Jinsui didn’t waste any more words with him and directly said, “Then issue it now, not a single Copper Coin short. After it’s issued, this King will immediately lead my men back to the Border City.”
You are so afraid of this King entering Yanzhou City, do you think I want to enter this dilapidated city?
Li Heng gritted his teeth and said to his adjutant, “Quick, go to the Silver vault and get the Silver. Let’s send this plague away.”
Jinsui kept her word. As soon as the Silver arrived, she had Cheng Assistant Secretary count it, and immediately led her men away.
As she was leaving, she looked back at Yanzhou City and saw Li Heng’s expression was similar to Jiang Nansheng’s. She sneered inwardly, I didn’t stab you, so why the long face?
This King was merely asking for what belonged to the Border Soldiers Army, yet you look as if I’ve cut off your flesh.
Looking at the Yancheng young masters who were watching the spectacle, she sneered inwardly. Just wait, one day, I will make you all prostrate at this King’s feet!
At this moment, she completely forgot that her identity as ‘Li King’ was borrowed.
She felt a sense of heroism, as if even if she were to be King for a day, she would do something for her subordinates.
On the way back, the Black Feather Camp and the Tuntian Army were both excited. The Tuntian Army ran even faster than they had come, eager to return to the camp and distribute the Military Pay as soon as possible.
However, Jinsui was afraid of tiring them out. Once they were far from Yanzhou City, they passed a small town, and she asked Han Xing to buy food.
They ate some dry rations and rested on the spot. There was nothing in the Border City, and there were many people who came this time, making it easy to transport Supplies. So, she asked Han Xing to buy more things to take back.
Food, fabric, ironware, pots and pans, bricks and tiles, and so on.
Cheng Assistant Secretary, abandoning his previous carefree and indifferent attitude, suggested to Jinsui:
“We don’t need to buy pots, pans, bricks, and tiles; we can dig kilns and fire them ourselves, which will save a lot of Silver.”
However, we can buy more ironware, as the Imperial Court has not replenished the weapons for the Black Feather Camp for a long time.
For some reason, Jinsui always felt that when Cheng Assistant Secretary stood in front of the soldiers earlier, facing Li Heng’s arrow, he seemed to genuinely wish for death at that moment.
She smiled and asked, “What will Cheng Assistant Secretary do with the Military Pay he receives?”
Cheng Assistant Secretary laughed heartily, “Of course, I’ll stock up on fine wine! Last night, Your Highness hosted a banquet and drank all my wine.”
Jinsui smiled, “Then this King will compensate the Assistant Secretary. The wine from Yandi is too strong; let this King compensate you with some fine wine from Jiangnan.”
Cheng Assistant Secretary suddenly said with a serious expression:
“Your Highness, don’t think that everything is fine just because you got the Military Pay. If it’s not issued for three months, Prefect Li won’t assign many tasks to the Border Soldiers Army.”
“Now that the Military Pay is being reissued, tasks will likely come.”
Jinsui said boldly, “When soldiers come, we’ll block them; when water comes, we’ll dam it! Is this King afraid of him?”
Cheng Assistant Secretary suddenly chuckled, his low chuckle turning into a hearty laugh as he stroked his beard, “Fortunately, Official Wei didn’t come, or he would have cried himself to death.”
Jinsui also laughed. Wei Assistant Secretary desperately wanted to leave Yandi and return to Chang’an. Now he had placed all his hopes on the Li King.
And the Li King offended all the Yanzhou Officials as soon as he arrived. If he saw Jinsui confronting Li Heng, wouldn’t he cry himself to death?
“Does Your Highness intend to grow old and die in the Border City?” Cheng Assistant Secretary asked jokingly.
Jinsui raised her eyebrows slightly, “Not to grow old and die in the Border City, but to make the Border City my city!”
Seeing Cheng Assistant Secretary’s confused expression, Jinsui didn’t intend to say more. Before something is done, no matter how much you say, others won’t believe it.
Only when you act and achieve results will others believe, even if you say nothing.
If she told Cheng Assistant Secretary now that she planned to turn the Border City into the largest city in Yandi, a place that the people of Yanzhou would look up to.
Cheng Assistant Secretary would definitely think she had gone mad from angering Li Heng.
Yan Shiyi, who returned to the Yan Clan, eagerly shared the excitement he had witnessed with his family.
He shook his head and said, “The Li King has been Crown Prince for so many years, how can he be so shameless?
For a bit of Silver, he throws his dignity on the ground for others to trample on! His actions are like those of a Marketplace Rogue.”
“He did something like this as soon as he arrived in Yandi, who will treat him as an Imperial Prince in the future?”
Miss Yan (Yan Shierniang) said indifferently, “He was already banished to the borderlands by the Emperor, so no one treats him as an Imperial Prince anymore.”
However, Yan Jiu, upon hearing this, put down her teacup and said with great interest:
“I actually think he is a rare intelligent person. After this incident, the Border Soldiers Army will naturally be loyal to him.”
Yan Shiyi was puzzled, “What use is the loyalty of those border soldiers? He offended Prefect Li, so he won’t gain any benefits.”
A normal person should use their identity as an Imperial Prince to associate with the Yandi Gentry and treat scholars with respect.
To curry favor with high officials, at the very least, to live in Yanzhou City, which is better than eating sand in the Border Camp.
A subtle smile appeared on Yan Jiu’s lips:
“Prefect Li cannot protect his life, but a loyal army can!”
