Chapter 196 - 196. Giving You a Big Gift
The soldier who went to report returned and ordered people to search the two of them. Ji Shuisheng raised his hands calmly and let them search.
When he came, he had already expected to be searched, so he had placed the Luan saber in a safe place.
The soldiers searched but did not find any weapons. They were still worried and ordered people to tie them up with ropes.
Ji Shuisheng let them be. The rope could not tie him up anyway. When they tied the rope, Ji Shuisheng used Qigong to thicken his body. He only relaxed after they were done. The rope was not tight anymore. He could break free with a bit of strength.
Wan Yuxiang was terrified. When he was searched, he wanted to run, but the enemy soldiers surrounded them. If he dared to run, he would immediately be torn into pieces.
Helplessly, he could only obediently let them tie him up. It was better to fall into the hands of these people than into that female devil’s hands. At least he could die a quick death.
Ji Shuisheng and Wan Yuxiang were brought into the tent. An Guangxing placed his hands on the tea table and looked at them coldly. The young and successful An Guangxing had a domineering look in his eyes.
When An Guangxing saw Ji Shuisheng, he felt like he had seen this man somewhere before. He looked at Wan Yuxiang, whose face was covered by a bamboo hat, and asked Ji Shuisheng,
“Did you say that he was the one who gave me a big credit?”
” Yes, this lowly one admires the General’s prestige. Only you are not afraid of the nobles of the Wan clan and can eliminate evil for the people.”
Ji Shuisheng nodded at An Guangxing first, looking like he admired and even praised him.
“You … Have I seen you before?”
An Guangxing suddenly felt that the word ‘general’ sounded familiar. He recognized Ji Shuisheng’s face immediately.
Ji Shuisheng smiled and replied,
“Yes, General even bought beef from me!”
“Oh, it’s you. Someone untie him and take a seat.”
Hearing Ji Shuisheng’s words, An Guangxing suddenly understood. That day was the most awe-inspiring of his life since he was twenty. He loved hearing people call him General. So many commoners shouted General at him, and his vanity was greatly satisfied.
The man in front of him was the one who took the lead in shouting ‘general.’ The beef they sold was simply unforgettable. He still missed the taste!
Seeing that he had made the right bet, the soldier who reported the news quickly untied Ji Shuisheng and brought a chair over. He was also very polite to Ji Shuisheng.
“Young Master, please take a seat.”
Ji Shuisheng thanked him and sat down. He immediately cupped his fists at An Guangxing.
“Thank you, General. The situation is urgent, so I’ll make it short.”
“Speak!”
Seeing how anxious Ji Shuisheng was, An Guangxing wanted to know his significant contribution, so he let him continue.
“General, please send away the irrelevant people. What I say cannot be known to a second person.”
Ji Shuisheng had a solemn expression. A deputy general hurriedly said to An Guangxing,
“Commander, be careful of traps.”
“It’s fine. You guys can leave.”
A Guangxing had always been young and frivolous. He didn’t think that a country bumpkin could hurt him. He waved his hand casually and drove everyone away.
An Guangxing ordered Ji Shuisheng,
“Tell me!”
“General, this person is Prime Minister Wan’s illegitimate son, Wan Yuxiang. These are the accounts between Prime Minister Wan and the officials of the various prefectures. This lowly one has obtained important evidence of their corruption. Please take a look.”
Ji Shuisheng stood up and handed the account book to An Guangxing with both hands.
“How did you get it?”
Although An Guangxing was young and frivolous, he was still shrewd to be able to sit in the position of commander at such a young age. He did not believe it easily and stared into Ji Shuisheng’s eyes.
“These people took my sister away. When I went to save my sister, I caught this man surnamed Wan. After torturing him, he admitted that he was Minister Wan’s illegitimate son and handed this account book to me.”
Ji Shuisheng had already considered an excuse when he came, so how could his question stump him?
“Oh!”
An Guangxing nodded and casually flipped through the account book. He couldn’t understand how this proved that Prime Minister Wan was corrupt.
“General, this Jin Guo 58 is the 580,000 taels of silver County Magistrate Guo of Jincheng gave them.”
Ji Shuisheng saw that he did not understand the code words in the account book, so he came over to help him explain.
“Oh, I understand now.”
A Guangxing’s eyes lit up. He understood everything after Ji Shuisheng reminded him to look through the accounts. This account book was too important. From it, he could discover which officials were secretly in contact with Wan Shengchang.
The Great Xia Kingdom prohibited officials from having private money transactions to prevent corruption and cliques.
The amount of money embezzled here was tens of millions of taels of silver, more than three times the national treasury.
The emperor would be overjoyed when he saw this. This was an excellent opportunity to topple the Wan family. He could contribute significantly and let the An family hold their heads high.
” One more thing, General. I discovered that the Yongwang Grain Store in Luo City belongs to the Wan Family. They are secretly selling food for disaster relief. They had just delivered a batch of food for disaster relief when we came. We might be able to catch them red-handed if we go now.”
Ji Shuisheng saw the smugness in An Guangxing’s eyes and gave him another big gift.
“Haha, haha, the heavens are helping me.”
An Guangxing looked at Ji Shuisheng, who had brought him a significant gift in high spirits. When An Guangxing heard Ji Shuisheng’s words, he slammed the table excitedly and stood up. He smiled proudly as if he could see himself being praised by the emperor and promoted to general.
“What reward do you want?”
Ji Shuisheng bowed deeply.
“I only want a chance to live.”
“What do you mean?”
An Guangxing raised his eyebrows and asked Ji Shuisheng. No rewards?
“There are officers and soldiers arresting people everywhere on the road. I want to go to the north to do some small business, but I’m afraid of losing my life in the chaos of war. Please give me a life-saving document.”
Ji Shuisheng did not talk about escaping from famine but about doing business. He wanted a customs clearance document so that he could travel safely.
Hearing Ji Shuisheng’s words, An Guangxing understood. Along the way, soldiers were arresting and killing people. He was afraid of being treated as a rebellious refugee. An Guangxing took out a token with the word ‘An’ written on it and handed it to Ji Shuisheng.
“This is a small matter. Take this token with you. If you meet any soldiers, you can take it out to prove you are my man.”
“Thank you, General. With you, the Great Xia Kingdom will prosper.”
An Guangxing was highly pleased with himself. He liked to tip people when he was happy. Moreover, Ji Shuisheng had given him two significant gifts, so it was reasonable to reward him. Ji Shuisheng took the waist token and flattered An Guangxing again.
“Men, take out five hundred taels of silver and reward this brother.”
“Thank you, General.”
Ji Shuisheng cupped his fists and thanked him. This trip was good. He had even earned money after completing the task.
“Men, enter the city.”
After An Guangxing rewarded Ji Shuisheng, he ordered his subordinates to gather their troops.
The fawning smile on Ji Shuisheng’s face disappeared after he left the camp. He turned around and looked coldly at the high-spirited An Guangxing. ‘I’ll only have a chance if you guys fight each other.’
Seeing An Guangxing lead his troops into the city, Ji Shuisheng ensured that no one followed him before entering the forest, where he hid the Luan saber. In the end, he found that the Luan saber had disappeared..