Chapter 109: Useless Bastard (Part 4)
After three months of sulking, Chen Juren and Li Changshou and the others finally met. If possible, Chen Juren did not want to meet Li Changshou again, as the two had said harsh words last time, mocking each other's incompetence.
When several candidates met, Chen, without even looking at Li Changshou, said to the other candidates: "Li Daoqiong sent someone to say that Huo Chong wanted to come back, and sent someone to pick up Li Daoqiong's men."
The scholars all attended the meeting to instruct Li Daoqiong. The method they came up with was to let Li Daoqiong provoke Huo Chong. Once Huo Chong couldn't help but send people to beat up Li Daoqiong's men, all the scholars would immediately jointly report Huo Chong for condoning his men to commit murder. This would have the potential to bring down Huo Chong.
Seeing that the previous plan was close to success, the people were not happy. They frowned slightly and didn't want to say anything. Some people wanted to speak but stopped, feeling torn. Li Changshou snorted coldly, "Do you want Huo Chong to come back now?"
When Mr. Chen heard this, he bit his lip subconsciously. While he was hesitating, someone said, "Now County Magistrate Dong is forcing us to do business and pay taxes all day long. We are all respectable people, how can we do business?"
Since someone finally said it, the others also stopped worrying. They all said that Huo Chong was originally a craftsman, and doing this job was suitable for Huo Chong's identity. We are all scholars, how can we be so obsessed with money!
Chen Juren listened to the Confucian rhetoric, but he knew in his heart that everyone was just talking. Everyone wants to be rich. In a small way, it is very comfortable to be a rich man. In a big way, the Juren can actually be officials. Only by being an official can they make more money. But if the Juren wants to be an official, they have to pay money to buy an official position. Before they can make a lot of money by being an official, they have to take out real money from their own pockets. Being rich is a good choice.
Listening to these people's ramblings, Li Changshou said with disgust: "If Huo Chong comes back, where will we put our faces? People live by their reputation, trees live by their skin. Magistrate Dong will leave sooner or later, so we will stick with him. If Magistrate Dong is too coercive, we will directly report him to the provincial government or even the court. He is a magistrate who forced the gentry to do business. He will definitely make him fall."
The other gentry were silent for the time being. Seeing that no one objected, Li Changshou said viciously: "Since Huo Chong is ready to go to Li Daoqiong, let's proceed according to the previous plan."
Several gentry reluctantly agreed. Soon, Li Daoqiong sent someone to tell the gentry that according to the information he had inquired, the action would take place two days later, on the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month. According to the previous agreement, the gentry each sent someone to Li Daoqiong's side. As long as Huo Chong started to beat people, the gentry's men would immediately rush over to enforce justice.
If they could catch Huo Chong's men, they would naturally send them to the authorities immediately. Even if they could not catch them, they would have to identify them and report to the authorities.
In fact, the gentry still had a regret. If they had given enough money to Magistrate Dong when he was very dissatisfied with Huo Chong, they might have been able to directly sue the official and let Magistrate Dong testify. They could have pinned the blame on Huo Chong. But in the end, they gave up this plan.
Huo Chong is an official after all, and it is the Ministry of Personnel's business to bring him down. Although Huo Chong has never used the general behind him to do anything, the general buys Liuli fire from Huo Chong every year. The two are obviously still in contact. Not to mention that the general speaks for Huo Chong, even if the general wants the provincial government to enforce the law impartially, this method will not work.
A group of gentry's men were deployed outside Li Daoqiong's house, and they saw that Li Daoqiong's house did not lock the door tightly, which was obviously intended to lure the snake out of its hole. These people were scattered everywhere, waiting slowly. They waited and waited, but nothing came. It was already evening, and Huo Chong's men did not show up at all.
Could it be that Li Daoqiong's information was wrong? These scattered people couldn't help cursing. It was very uncomfortable to wait for people in the winter. Did they have to stay up all night to wait?
The leaders of each family met each other. Except for Li Changshou's men who had to bite the bullet and choose to stay to guard because of Li Changshou's attitude, the people from other families chose to go back and rest first.
After everyone left, Li Changshou's men were all hungry. The weather in the last month of winter was really hard to endure. The sesame cakes in their arms were already cold. They couldn't stand it any longer, so they sent people to see if the nearby restaurants were open. After waiting for a long time, the brother finally ran back in a hurry before the last rays of sunset disappeared. When he saw everyone, he said, "It's still open, but the boss said it's going to close!"
"What are you talking about! Hurry up! Take turns eating, and you can have a pancake to keep warm."
Li Changshou's men split into two groups, one went to eat, and the other continued to guard. The people who stayed behind rubbed their hands in the night, looking at the dark door, and felt that there was no need to wait any longer. However, thieves usually act at night, and maybe Huo Chong would send someone to attack Li Daoqiong in the middle of the night.
Just when they were looking forward to having a good hot meal, and then some hot soup, it would be even better. The few people who stayed behind felt shadows in the dark night, and suddenly there was a flicker of fire, and some unknown fire was lit. The few people squinted their eyes because of the fire. Then someone rushed over and pushed them to the ground. The few people wanted to shout, but when they opened their mouths, they were immediately stuffed with cloth to block their mouths.
Those people said nothing, just gagged a few people, tied them up, and then took them away.
Li Changshou hadn't heard any news, and he was worried. Thinking of Huo Chong, Li Changshou felt even more distressed. The two had met, and from the first time he saw Huo Chong, Li Changshou couldn't say that he disliked this person. Huo Chong was tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. His face was clean, and there shouldn't be anything that people didn't like.
However, whenever he thought of Huo Chong, Li Changshou would think of the look in Huo Chong's eyes when he looked at him from afar. It was a clear, bright and cold look. Huo Chong was really looking at him. He had no respect for scholars, nor did he have the arrogance that poor people pretend to have because of their arrogance. Li Changshou only felt that the look was like looking at an animal, looking and observing with an emotionless attitude.
How could a craftsman look at a scholar with such eyes? Li Changshou was furious whenever he thought about it. However, there was something else in Huo Chong's eyes that made Li Changshou feel very uneasy. Getting rid of Huo Chong did have some benefits, but Li Changshou felt that getting rid of Huo Chong was a benefit.
After waiting for a long time, no one came back. Li Changshou just felt very sleepy. He was no longer in his teens or twenties, and he could still read books by lamplight at night. After thinking about it, Li Changshou told the concubine beside him, "Blow out the lamp and go to sleep."
When Li Changshou was awakened by the knock on the door, he opened his eyes and looked out. Some light from the lamp came through the window paper, but it was still dark. He got up, dressed, and walked out the door. He saw several men outside the door wearing only very few clothes, shivering. Those men who were wearing thick clothes said in panic: "Master, I don't know who tied these people to the tree in front of our door!"
