novelSusiti Chapter 78 The Pledge of Allegiance
Chapter 78 The Pledge of Allegiance
The meal was full of ups and downs, and when it ended, everyone left the flower hall with their own thoughts on the matter.
Back in the courtyard, after Zijuan went to the small kitchen, Xueyan finally let out a laugh that she had been holding back. "I have never, ever seen such a scene before. It's both absurd and hilarious... It really proves what Sister Zijuan said: There are many ridiculous things."
Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes at her, turned around and went into the study. She immediately noticed a box on the desk under the south window.
Xueyan saw it too, and smiled as she stepped forward: "It must be Aunt Liu who brought over the book the young lady wanted."
Sure enough, the seal on the wooden box read "Commander's Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard".
Lin Daiyu tore open the seal, opened the box, picked up a book and flipped through it. A letter fell to the ground from between the pages.
"Oh, it's a letter from Prison Warden Liu!" Xueyan exclaimed with her sharp eyes.
Lin Daiyu's eyes lit up. She put down her book, picked up the letter, tore open the seal, and read it. She was slightly taken aback at first, then smiled.
Xueyan was also stunned. Since the passing of her mistress, she had never seen the young lady smile so contentedly.
What exactly did Liu Siyu write?
Xueyan was itching with curiosity, but dared not ask, and could only stare longingly at Lin Daiyu.
Lin Daiyu glared at her irritably, then her gaze returned to the letter, which contained only three words: "I'm here for you."
These three simple words seem to say nothing at all, yet they also seem to say everything.
Lin Daiyu stared at the letter for a long time, carefully folded it, thought for a moment, and put it into a locked box.
Xueyan couldn't hold back any longer and blinked as she leaned closer: "Miss, when is Prisoner Liu coming back?"
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask!" Lin Daiyu retorted irritably.
Xueyan was taken aback: "Then, he didn't say when he'd be back?"
Lin Daiyu hummed in agreement, and Xueyan tentatively asked, "What did Prisoner Liu say?"
He said...
Lin Daiyu was about to speak when she suddenly realized what she was saying. She reached out and pinched Xueyan's cheek. "You little rascal, you're getting more and more cunning! You dare to try and trick me!"
Xueyan quickly smiled and begged for mercy.
After the mistress and servant had been bickering for a while, Xueyan sighed dejectedly, "Why hasn't Prisoner Liu returned yet?"
Lin Daiyu glanced at her sideways: "You really want to see him that much?"
Xueyan nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling: "There are so many delicious things in the capital that I haven't tried yet. When Liu Siyu comes back, he can buy me... no, he should buy lots and lots of delicious food for you, so I can taste them for you..."
"You're such a glutton!" Lin Daiyu tapped her head, then turned to look out the window, thinking to herself: What... is he doing?
......................
Liu Feng was grinning foolishly.
It might feel good to argue with someone for a moment, but it puts your safety at risk.
Liu Feng quickly tidied up his tent and, together with Zhang Laifu and the others, caught up with Li Mu and returned to Datong.
The next day, he saw craftsmen repairing the city wall with glutinous rice mortar and suddenly remembered the saying "gold and silver remain even after they turn to dust". So he borrowed three hundred men from Li Mu and went straight to the ruins of the Fan family to search for treasure.
Liu Feng, having read the novel and watched the TV series, confidently directed his three hundred soldiers to dig in all directions.
Ponds, artificial hills, dry wells, secluded corners—everywhere imaginable was left out. Even the walls were torn down, and the floor tiles were pried off.
Even Zhang Laifu thought he was obsessed with money, but the result surprised everyone!
They actually unearthed silver beneath the Fan family's Buddhist shrine! And the entire floorboards were cast in silver!
Liu Feng was so happy he couldn't stop grinning, looking at the small pieces of silver he had knocked off.
"My lord! We're rich! We're rich!"
Zhang Laifu, overjoyed like a fool, rushed over, grabbed Liu Feng, and ran towards the back garden, saying as he ran, "A brother of mine went to relieve himself outside the wall, slipped, and fell into the dry well. Guess what? There was a mechanism on the well wall..."
After descending the dry well, Zhang Laifu, holding a torch, led the way into the secret passage.
The stone door at the end of the tunnel had been pushed open, and several Imperial Guards stood guard outside, their eyes gleaming.
Liu Feng stepped inside and immediately swallowed hard. It was a cool, dry, and dark room reinforced with blue bricks and copper plates. Dozens of earthenware jars and large red wooden boxes were neatly stacked against the wall.
"My lord..." Zhang Laifu looked at Liu Feng expectantly.
Liu Feng nodded.
Zhang Laifu waved his hand dismissively: "Move the boxes!"
Several Imperial Guards rushed forward to move the boxes. The wooden boxes looked sturdy enough, but the moment they touched them, the wood crumbled like mud. "Crash—" the boxes fell apart, and the bright orange gold and gleaming silver tumbled all over the ground.
"We're rich! We're really rich this time!" Zhang Laifu's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Liu Feng frowned. This secret room was cool and dry, so how could the box have rotted like this?
"My lord, look!" A member of the Imperial Guard ran over, carrying a silver ingot.
Liu Feng took it and was stunned. Chongzhen?
The reign titles of the early Ming dynasty?
Liu Feng strode forward, lifted the lid of a ceramic jar, and found that the oil paper on the jar's mouth had long since dried and cracked, and the red clay crumbled at the slightest touch. The jar was filled with copper coins.
He reached out and scooped up a handful, spreading them out in his palm. Chongzhen Tongbao, Tianqi Tongbao, Wanli Tongbao... they were all copper coins from the Ming Dynasty.
Could this be something the Fan family buried more than a hundred years ago?
More than a hundred years ago, at the end of the Ming Dynasty... Damn, so they were a family of traitors!
Liu Feng suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a Fan family in Shengjing City. Could it be that the eldest son of the Fan family had gone to Shengjing?
Releasing a tiger back to the mountain... Bah! That little traitor is nothing more than a lapdog.
But dogs bite too!
No, I need to go back and find out how.
Liu Feng patted the money off his hands. "Move!"
After nightfall, the valuables were inventoried, and the dozens of large carts they had brought were simply not enough to hold them all, so even the warhorses had to be loaded to the brim.
Under the cover of night, the group quietly entered Datong City.
In the Datong Guard camp, Li Mu and the others stood before piles of gold and silver treasures, their eyes wide like copper bells, their breathing rapid. They had lived most of their lives and had never seen so much money.
Liu Feng changed into clean clothes and came out of the tent. He glanced at the faces of the soldiers and said, "You've all worked hard. Each of you will be rewarded with three hundred taels of silver."
The soldiers looked pleased but remained silent.
Zhang Laifu stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his knife: "If anyone leaks even half a word, I will kill their entire family."
Li Mu shouted, "Did you hear me?!"
The officers and soldiers responded in hushed tones, "Yes, sir!"
After the soldiers dispersed, Liu Feng invited Li Mu and the others into the tent, and said with a smile, "Before the battle, I made a promise to you all, but unfortunately the Tartars escaped, and we only managed to seize some spoils from the Mongols..."
The officers exchanged glances, each unable to hide their excitement.
Liu Feng changed the subject: "If you're used to a hard life and suddenly become rich, you're more likely to attract attention. Besides, the best strategy is to make a steady, long-term living for yourself, your wife, children, and the elderly."
Li Mu seemed to understand: "What you mean, sir... is to go into business together?"
Liu Feng nodded: "That's right. Most of the Shanxi merchants fled to Shengjing with the Tartars, but the trade between the court and the Mongols must continue. Of course, they won't do any illegal business; they'll just earn their hard-earned money peacefully."
Li Mu nodded, looking around, "I think it's good. What about you guys?"
Some nodded in agreement, while others hesitated.
"Since we're going to do business outside the Great Wall, we need to have our own people at each of the passes," Liu Feng said.
Upon hearing this, all the officers' eyes lit up.
"In this battle, Datong Guard suffered heavy losses, leaving many official positions vacant..."
Liu Feng gestured towards the outside of the tent with his lip. "What I mean is, let's use this money to do some networking for everyone and get promoted." He then turned to Li Mu. "I can act as a go-between in the capital. But there's one condition: you must insist that this money is spoils of war and proceeds of confiscation of property, absolutely not..."
You must not have anything to do with me. Understand?
Li Mu's gaze swept over the crowd, and he said in a deep voice, "Did you all hear what the lord just said? This matter concerns your lives and fortunes. If anyone utters even a single word of it outside... don't blame me for turning ruthless!"
The officers all stood up, pointed to the sky, and swore an oath to Liu Feng to share weal and woe and work together for wealth and honor.
A man's mouth, a liar.
Liu Feng never believed in oaths; only a pledge of allegiance counted.
So, a dozen people signed a pledge to share wealth and prosperity, and only then was the matter truly settled.
After seeing everyone off, Liu Feng tucked the oath into his pocket.
These past few days have taught him a lesson: Relying on others is unreliable; you can only rely on yourself and the power you hold in your hands. To rise smoothly and successfully in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, simply accumulating merit isn't enough; you also need to keep those eunuchs well-fed!
Just then, Zhang Laifu strode in and whispered a few words in his ear.
Liu Feng frowned. Had Prince Zhongshun gone mad?!