The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 187 Died in the Line of Duty
The Duke Yansheng's Mansion is a nine-courtyard, three-way layout. The main part of the Confucius Mansion is in the middle road, which is divided into the front hall, the middle residence and the back garden. The front hall is the government office, where the Duke Yansheng handles official business; the middle residence is the inner house, where the Duke Yansheng and his family live; the last courtyard is the garden.

An old man dressed as a butler came in from the moon gate of the courtyard and stopped at the steps outside the study of Duke Yansheng.

The door of the study was open. In front of a large charcoal fire, Duke Yansheng was sitting on a recliner with a fox fur blanket covering his knees, reading a book.

Duke Yansheng felt it from the corner of his eye, but without looking up, he asked, "Have you found the person?"

The housekeeper walked in quickly and reported to Duke Yansheng: "Report to the master, the person has left the city. I have sent people to chase him, and I will definitely be able to catch him back!"

"I'm not arresting anyone." Duke Yansheng put down the book in his hand, "I'm worried that someone will attack the magistrate of Zou County."

The manager was shocked.

Duke Yansheng: "Who has read the letter?"

The housekeeper hesitated and replied, "The master was originally on duty in the second hall today, but he got drunk, so the young masters in his room took over. The news has already spread."

"Study hard, study hard, and die from studying."

Duke Yansheng sighed, "He doesn't even understand the principles of 'Misfortune comes from the mouth, too much talk leads to mistakes' and 'Less trouble is worse than more trouble'."

The butler hesitated for a moment and said, "Should we send someone to remind him?"

"Need not."

Duke Yansheng stood up and said, "Secrecy leads to success, while leaks lead to failure. A person who can't control his mouth harms others and himself." At this point, he was silent for a moment, "It's better for him to die, so as not to cause trouble for the Kong family."

Housekeeper: "Yes. Since the master suspects that there is someone in the house, should we investigate?"

Duke Yansheng stared at him gloomily.

The butler trembled all over, fell to his knees, raised his hand and slapped himself, then was about to hit again.

"Okay." Duke Yansheng flicked his sleeves and walked to the door. "The Kong family is the descendant of a saint. The children of the Kong family have listened to the teachings of the saint since childhood. Do you understand?"

The butler kowtowed quickly: "I understand, I will remember it."

Duke Yansheng: "Get up."

Butler: "Yes." He kowtowed again and then got up.

At this moment, a manager came over holding a business card on a lacquer tray.

The manager said, "My Lord, the newly appointed Shandong Provincial Education Commissioner Jia Zheng is touring the official school in Yanzhou Prefecture as scheduled. He has sent someone to deliver a student invitation in advance, saying that after settling down at the post station, he will first pay his respects to the mansion."

Protégé posts?

Duke Yansheng was startled at first, then he smiled contemptuously, and did not even take the note: "Just tell him I know, and tell him that he does not need to come to me anymore, and do more practical things for the country."

"Slow down, slow down, don't damage the tent."

Wang Daniu called a group of personal soldiers to carry beds, desks, chairs, coffee tables and other household items into the central military tent.

In the military tent, Li Hu sat on a chair covered with a tiger-skin mattress, and the low table was replaced with a writing desk.

Li Hu was writing quickly at his desk.

After finishing writing, Li Hu blew air on the ink while reading it, then folded the letter, stuffed it into the envelope and sealed it, and said to the guards waiting beside him: "Send it to Lao Taishan."

"Yes." The soldier took the letter with both hands, turned around and strode out.

Li Hu picked up Lin Ruhai's letter and read it again, then smiled. After finishing the affairs of the White Lotus Sect, it was time for him to go and pay a visit to this old Taishan.

"General, everything is packed up." Wang Daniu's voice came from the back tent.

Li Hu folded the letter, put it into his sleeve, stood up and walked towards the back tent.

As soon as he entered the back tent, Li Hu was stunned.

Wang Daniu was lying on the bed, grabbing the edges of the bed on both sides, and shaking his body vigorously.

Li Hu looked at him strangely: "What are you doing?"

Wang Daniu rolled around on the bed again, then turned over and sat up, saying seriously: "What if the bed is loose, or there are nails or something?"

Li Hu rolled his eyes at him and said, "Nonsense!" Then he was about to kick him.

Wang Daniu pretended to be scared and quickly moved aside.

The soldiers he recruited burst into laughter. Li Hu sat down and shook subconsciously.

Wang Daniu smiled and said, "It's very strong. It's okay even if we fight in bed."

Li Hu stood up, scaring Wang Daniu so much that he turned around and tried to run away.

"stop!"

Wang Daniu looked ready to die: "Kick my ass. Don't hit my head. I'm already stupid enough."

Li Hu rolled his eyes and said seriously, "It's cold at night, we can't sleep on the ground. Take people to the city to buy some planks and hay, and also buy more fat pigs and sheep."

Wang Daniu: "Yes. Then I will go now?"

Li Hu: “Get lost.” Then he kicked him on the butt.

There was a burst of laughter, and the guards surrounded him and walked out.

Li Hu smiled.

At this time, Wang Yaozu came in and reported to Li Hu: "General, the people who went to Ziyang have returned. Zhou Kui personally led the patrol battalion to Zou County."

Li Hu nodded. This old guy still has some courage.

Wang Yaozu stepped forward and lowered his voice: "It's more than seventy miles, they must have set up camp for the night halfway." As he spoke, he made a "silencing" gesture.

Li Hu was slightly stunned. Why were they all so murderous? Zhou Kui was going to die, but not like this.

Li Hu coughed and spoke: "We are government troops, not bandits. Also, this is inside the Great Wall, not outside the Great Wall. Do you understand?"

Wang Yaozu quickly replied, "Yes."

Li Hu: "Send out the people in the sentry camp in advance, and don't miss any disturbance."

Wang Yaozu: "Yes." Then he reported: "I also heard something in Ziyang. The new Shandong Education Commissioner Jia Zheng is coming to Yanzhou Prefecture to inspect the official school."

"Oh?" Li Hu's eyes flashed. Why did this hypocrite run around instead of staying in Jinan? If he ran into the remnants of the White Lotus Sect, he would have no place to cry.

Wang Yaozu hesitated for a moment and said, "Should we send someone to keep an eye on it?"

Li Hu thought about it and realized that Jia Zheng was not Lady Wang. It would be difficult to explain if he died under his nose.

"Send a team of scouts to keep watch."

Wang Yaozu replied, “Yes.”

It was getting dark again, and lights were dimly lit in the study of the county government office.

The magistrate of Zou County was wearing a tight leather jacket and was sitting by the charcoal fire in the brazier reading a book.

The door creaked open.

The Zou County Magistrate did not turn around and asked: "Why did you come back so late?"

“When I was leaving the city, I happened to meet the housekeeper of the second house of the Kong Mansion and had two more glasses of wine.”

The confidant came in carrying a food box, reeking of alcohol.

The magistrate of Zou County frowned, but said nothing and continued flipping through the book in his hand.

The confidant placed the food box next to the brazier, opened the lid, took out a bowl of lotus seed soup from the box, swallowed hard, and then said, "This is the lotus seed soup cooked by the madam, drink it while it's hot, sir." His hands kept shaking, and the soup in the bowl spilled out.

The magistrate of Zou County put down the book in his hand and frowned: "Don't drink anymore in the future."

The confidant: “Yes.”

The confidant's eyes flashed with painful struggle, but the Zou County Magistrate did not notice and took the bowl and drank.
"Bang", the bowl fell down!
Black blood flowed from the eyes, mouth and nose of the Zou County magistrate. He pointed at the confidant with his right finger, his eyes wide open!

The confidant fell to his knees and cried out at the top of his lungs, "Master, they said that if you don't die, then both the Madam and the Young Master will have to die!" He knocked his head loudly and said, "They said that the Master died in the line of duty. There was an accidental fire in the county government office's study, and the Master died heroically trying to save official documents."

With a "thump", the magistrate of Zou County fell to the ground with his chair, knocking over the brazier on the ground.

The confidant took out a small bottle, uncorked it with trembling hands, and his eyes were filled with blazing fire: "Master, I came with you." He raised the bottle and poured the liquid into his mouth.

(End of this chapter)