The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 6 The Old Master on a Cloudy Day

On his way to the county government office, Zhao Ping'an sighed as he walked, "Sigh, lately there's always something strange happening, like monsters or murders. Plus, the migrants are causing trouble everywhere. How are we going to live like this?"

I've heard from the students at the county school that all the troubles in our county are due to Magistrate Lu's incompetence and ineptitude. They say it would be so much better if we could get a different magistrate.

Jiang Feng said leisurely, "Are there no monsters or murder cases in other counties? I don't think so."

And where did those migrants in our county come from?

That was because the magistrates of several nearby counties were kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the people who had their land and houses taken away suffering in their own counties, so they drove them all away...

The people had nowhere else to go, so they ended up coming here.

Such a virtuous act of kindness, so lacking in morality, even puts us compassionate monks to shame. It truly makes us feel ashamed.

Zhao Ping'an: "..."

What are you ashamed of?

Li Fugui frowned, somewhat puzzled, and said, "So, according to you, our Magistrate Lu is a good official?"

Jiang Feng smiled and said, "Lu can hardly be considered a good official by any standard, but at least he didn't go too far."

Given his reputation as an official, he was not only universally hated, but also infamous. His nickname, "The Unlucky Magistrate," had spread throughout the entire Sui Dynasty bureaucracy, and no one wanted to be associated with him. Otherwise, given his background as a member of the Lu family of Fanyang, he should have been promoted long ago.

"I never imagined that Magistrate Lu's name would be so renowned..."

Zhao Ping'an glanced at Jiang Feng and said proudly, "Actually, you're no less impressive than him. Speaking of reputation, who in our Zu'an County doesn't know the saying 'One of the Four Evils of the World'?"

The four great scourges are "water, drought, locusts, and the river," and the "river" in that name refers to you, Jiang Feng!

Although this claim is currently only circulating in a few nearby counties, you are comparable to the three great natural disasters. I believe that in time, your name will surely resound throughout the entire Sui Dynasty, far surpassing that of Magistrate Lu!

"Then I'll take your kind words. Oh, you must be tired and hungry after talking so much today. Luckily, I brought some dry rations with me..."

Jiang Feng spoke with a friendly expression, took out a flatbread and handed it to Li Fugui, then pried open Zhao Ping'an's mouth.

"Fugui, feed Young Master Zhao some cakes!"

……

After some playful fighting, the three arrived at the county government office.

A large crowd had gathered outside the government office; it seemed that someone was involved in a lawsuit.

In the main hall of the county government office, Lu Ziwang, the county magistrate, sat lazily in a chair with his arms crossed, yawning.

The bailiffs stood on both sides, and the two men who were fighting a lawsuit knelt side by side in the middle. Not far in front of them, a white-feathered black-boned chicken was tied up.

"Zhang San, a commoner, sues Li Si."

Li Si and I are neighbors. This morning, my black-boned chicken flew over the wall and into his yard. When I went to his house to ask for it back, not only did he refuse to give it back, but he also injured my leg!

I beg Your Honor to uphold justice for this humble subject!

Lu Ziwang grunted and ordered, "Men, drag Li Si away and give him twenty lashes."

Upon receiving the order, the two bailiffs immediately dragged Li Si aside and began to beat him with a board, with the sounds of torture and screams echoing one after another.

Lu Ziwang stroked his beard and asked, "Has my judgment been fair?"

Zhang San quickly bowed and thanked him, saying, "Your Excellency is wise!"

A moment later, Li Si, wailing, was dragged back and lay on the ground crying, "Sir, I am innocent! I am the plaintiff!"

This chicken was born to a hen belonging to a commoner. It went missing last year, and I never imagined it had run off to Zhang San's house. When I explained the situation to him, he not only refused to return the chicken but also verbally abused me.

"By taking the chicken back, I'm simply returning it to its rightful owner!"

Lu Ziwang suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! Men, drag Zhang San away and give him twenty lashes!"

Zhang San was so frightened that he begged for mercy, but he still couldn't stop himself from being dragged away and beaten with a cane by the two yamen runners.

Lu Ziwang asked Li Si, "Is the county's handling of cases fair?"

Li Si quickly endured the pain and flattered, "Your Excellency is wise!"

After being flogged, Zhang San was dragged back to his original spot and lay on the ground next to Li Si, groaning in pain.

Lu Ziwang stood up and strolled down to the foot of the hall, his face showing a look of exasperation at their lack of ambition, and reprimanded the two men:

"As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. You two have ruined your neighborly harmony over a mere hen. This black-boned chicken is really something else."

Someone, take this wretched hen to the kitchen, behead it, and deep-fry it!

This culprit must be fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, otherwise it won't be enough to quell the anger in the county!

Having said that, he waved his hand sternly: "Court adjourned!"

Zhang San: "..."

Li Si: "..."

They exchanged a bitter smile. Knowing full well that the county magistrate was a tyrannical and unruly official, they still came to the county office to file a complaint. Now look what happened, they each received twenty strokes of the cane, and in the end, they lost their chicken. What were they after?

As the crowd dispersed, Jiang Feng quickly arrived at the back office and caught up with Lu Ziwang, who was in high spirits.

"Magistrate Lu, wait!"

When Lu Ziwang saw Jiang Feng, he frowned and asked, "Why aren't you chanting scriptures on the mountain? What are you doing at the county office?"

Jiang Feng smiled and said, "I would appreciate it if Magistrate Lu could do me the favor of coming to see Wang Lao Er's body."

Lu Ziwang snorted coldly: "Nonsense! A murder case isn't something just anyone can interfere with!"

Jiang Feng nodded: "Understood! You want benefits, right? I've prepared everything, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Tsk, there's no need to be so blunt."

Lu Ziwang said with a smile, while extending his hand to Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng shook his head and said, "I don't have money, but I can promise to perform a free ritual for you in two years. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Lu Ziwang trembled with rage: "So you only have two years left to live, huh... Get out of here!"

Jiang Feng didn't get angry; his expression was very kind, even with a smile.

"If I remember correctly, your mother has been a widow for many years, right? I know many old men around your mother's age, and I've successfully arranged marriages for them. I'm very experienced in this area."

Lu Ziwang: "@#￥%￥#@……"

My mother is seventy years old this year!

You beast, how dare you threaten me with her?!

If it were anyone else, Lu Ziwang would have thought this man was crazy and ordered him to be dragged away and given twenty lashes. But he had encountered Jiang Feng, this living bandit…

He knew that Jiang Feng was absolutely true to his word!

If his mother really remarries, not only will he lose face, but the entire Lu family of Fanyang will also lose face...

If things go wrong, he could be exterminated from his entire clan!

Thinking of the terrible consequences, Lu Ziwang shuddered, but reluctantly put on a warm smile: "Haha, just kidding. I was just about to send someone to ask you to perform a ritual for the deceased, and you came yourself, what a coincidence! Come with me!"