Chapter 123: Why Become a Thief?
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The convoy traveled eastward. Outside the official reception hall, there were no palace lanterns or festive awnings, nor any thunderous drums.
The place was utterly deserted—not even a single person could be seen.
“Have everyone in Haixi died?” Xu Yi exploded, gnashing his teeth as he cursed.
By custom, every county seat had an official reception hall outside its walls, responsible for welcoming newly appointed officials and seeing off those who were leaving office.
Cao Peng had heard of this custom as well.
Looking at the desolate reception hall, he could not help thinking of the scenes so often found in later tales: officials being welcomed ten miles outside the city, or escorted away from a pavilion ten miles down the road. Could those famous farewell pavilions have originated from places like this reception hall?
“Second Brother, we came here quietly and never informed Haixi County. It is only natural that no one came to welcome us. Why get angry over it? I just want to arrive early, take a hot bath, and sleep properly for once… Come now, stop picking a fight with yourself.”
Xu Yi snorted, but said nothing more.
Thus the convoy proceeded in silence until it reached Haixi’s western gate. An arrow tower rose into the clouds, and the city gate looked utterly impregnable.
Wasn’t Haixi County supposed to be dilapidated and repeatedly plagued by bandits?
Cao Peng paused.
Then he thought better of it. Perhaps it was precisely because the county had suffered repeated bandit attacks that such a formidable fortress had been built.
“Hu Ban, go and call the gatekeeper!”
Deng Ji gave the order from inside the carriage. Hu Ban acknowledged him and galloped toward the gate.
The gate was wrapped in iron and studded with bronze rivets.
Hu Ban rode up, raised the spear in his hand, and hammered on the gate.
“Haixi’s new magistrate has arrived! Open the gate at once!”
“What are you shouting about?”
After a long while, a small window opened in the arrow tower, and a hoarse voice came from within.
“By order of our superiors, the city gate remains closed after nightfall. Come back early tomorrow.”
Hu Ban was furious. He raised his spear and struck the gate again.
“Listen carefully! This is the Haixi magistrate! Magistrate Deng has arrived! Open the gate!”
There was another silence from the arrow tower.
Then the hoarse voice sounded again.
“Which Magistrate Deng?”
“Stop wasting time! The newly appointed Magistrate Deng has arrived by imperial appointment. Open the gate immediately!”
The little window in the arrow tower slammed shut.
Dian Man could not contain himself. “Those lazy curs! What arrogance!”
Xu Yi nodded. “Indeed. They know perfectly well that the magistrate has arrived, yet they still act like this. Haixi County truly needs to be put in order.”
Cao Peng said nothing. Sitting upright on his horse, he quietly observed everything.
Before long, the sound of chains came from within the city. The heavy iron gate slowly opened.
Several gate soldiers stood beside it, their clothes disheveled and their helmets and armor askew. The helmets on their heads were covered with yellow rust, and everything about them looked broken-down and shabby.
Dian Man had grown impatient. He urged his horse forward and charged through the gate.
His horse was moving too fast and nearly knocked down one of the soldiers.
“Two lazy bones! Open the gate properly!”
The soldiers were enraged by the arrogant cavalryman before them. One of them was about to retort, but the other noticed Dian Man’s brightly polished armor, his magnificent mount, and his extraordinary bearing. This was clearly no ordinary official.
He hurriedly grabbed his companion and signaled him to remain silent.
“Open the gate wider!”
At the same time, a man who looked like the gate captain stepped forward and asked, “May I inquire which of you is Magistrate Deng?”
Deng Ji stepped out of the carriage and nodded at him.
“I am Deng Ji. The imperial documents should have arrived long ago. Have you received them?”
“Ah, yes, we have. A few days ago, Governor Chen even sent someone to notify us. But since we did not know the magistrate’s itinerary, we failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive us, Magistrate.”
When a new magistrate took office, the imperial court first sent official documents to the governors of the various commanderies.
The governors would then notify the counties under their jurisdiction, allowing the outgoing officials to prepare and arrange the transfer of authority.
Haixi County, however, had gone without proper administration for a long time. The last time it had possessed a magistrate had been the previous year.
Thus Chen Deng, Governor of Guangling Commandery, had merely needed to notify the people in the county of the situation. If no one remained in the county office, the local gentry would be responsible for welcoming the new official. Generally speaking, everyone tried to handle such formalities properly, lest they provoke unnecessary trouble.
Haixi’s circumstances seemed rather unusual.
Cao Peng sat astride Night-Shining White and nodded at Deng Ji. Then he waved his hand, signaling the convoy to move.
The gate captain ordered the soldiers to clear the road and led the way. As the convoy entered the city, they saw streets sunk in darkness, presenting a bleak and desolate sight.
It was not yet the second watch, yet every large shop and small stall along both sides of the street had already closed. Only a few vendors were still tending their businesses. On such a bleak winter night, there were scarcely any pedestrians. The vendors’ stalls were equally deserted, without a single customer.
The new magistrate had arrived, yet every civil and military official in the county had vanished. The local gentry and influential families had all gone into hiding.
Haixi County certainly had a character of its own.
Knowing perfectly well that a superior official was about to arrive, it had sent only a gate captain to receive him.
What a powerful show of disobedience.
The corners of Cao Peng’s mouth lifted slightly, and he laughed coldly to himself.
The worse things were, the clearer it became that Haixi County was burdened with serious problems.
He turned to Wang Mai.
“Brother Tigerhead, what do you think of this place compared with our Zhongyang Town?”
“Damn it, it looks as if everyone is nearly dead. It cannot compare with the bustle of Zhongyang Town.”
Xu Yi reined in his horse and waited for Cao Peng.
“Afu, the people here don’t seem very pleased to see us.”
“Not ‘seem.’ They plainly aren’t. But it does not matter. Since we have come, we may as well find out what lies behind all this.”
“Oh?”
Xu Yi paused, apparently beginning to understand what Cao Peng meant.
He was reckless and blunt, perhaps even a little foolhardy. But he was still the son of a great family, and he knew something of schemes and intrigues.
“Afu, are you saying…”
Cao Peng raised a finger to his lips and made a soft shushing gesture.
You understand, I understand. There is no need to say it aloud.
Xu Yi suddenly understood. He nodded and said nothing more.
The convoy passed through an archway spanning the street. Along the main road stood a high wall that split the street into two branches, one to the left and one to the right.
The wall was badly damaged, with several sections collapsed. From outside, one could see directly into the compound beyond. It was a residence with a central hall, side rooms, and two adjoining courtyards.
Beyond the buildings, a tall gate tower could be seen indistinctly through the shadows.
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This must be the rear wall of the county office.
The party turned right, following the high wall eastward, then north, then west.
At last they reached the front of a large black-lacquered gate. Above its lintel hung a wooden plaque worn away by wind and rain. It hung crookedly, but the words “Haixi County Office” could still be made out.
The gate captain bowed.
“Magistrate Deng, this is the county office.”
This was the county office?
Deng Ji and Puyang Kai climbed down from the carriage and stood beneath the steps, looking up.
Spiderwebs covered the lintel. The ground was filthy, and there was no telling how long it had been since anyone had cleaned the place. The hitching post nearby had broken halfway off and was practically useless.
The black-lacquered gate was tightly shut. Behind it lay a silence so complete that not even a crow or sparrow could be heard.
“Call the gate!”
Deng Ji’s expression grew even darker.
Without a word, Zhou Cang charged up the steps in two strides and pounded heavily on the gate.
“Who is it? Who is it?”
The gate opened.
A short, stocky gate servant emerged. He had a hooked nose, sharp, hawklike eyes, and a tangled beard. Holding up a candle, he looked Zhou Cang up and down before immediately cursing him.
“You black brute, have you no sense? Don’t you know this office is always shut? Did someone die in your family, or did your wife run off with another man? Knock, knock, knock—what the hell are you knocking for?”
What kind of man was Zhou Cang?
Blunt, fierce, and violent.
He had once served among the Yellow Turbans and had later worked as a bandit. Only after joining Deng Ji had he moderated his temper somewhat.
But he had never endured such an insult.
He flew into a rage, seized the gate servant by the collar, and with one powerful arm lifted him off the ground. Then he slammed the man repeatedly against the gatepost beside the black gate.
“You wretched cur! Insult me again, and I’ll twist your head off!”
The gate servant cried out and begged for mercy. Only then did Zhou Cang release him.
Cao Peng did not intervene from horseback. He merely watched with cold eyes.
His gaze drifted casually around the area. At the corner of a distant street, a figure flickered into view, then vanished without a sound.
Cao Peng laughed coldly to himself.
The waters of Haixi County were deep and muddy indeed.
He dismounted and called out, “Uncle Zhou, stop wasting time with him. Let’s go inside first.”
“This is the county office! You people…”
“Have you gone blind? The newly appointed Magistrate Deng is standing right before you! Open the office at once and summon everyone to pay their respects!”
As he spoke, Zhou Cang gave the black gate a shove.
Unexpectedly, he had barely applied any force when the gate gave a thunderous groan and collapsed inward.
“This…”
“Forget it. We’ll go in and discuss it later.”
Deng Ji and Puyang Kai walked inside side by side, with Cao Peng, Dian Man, Xu Yi, and the others following closely behind.
Forty guards dismounted and took up positions outside the office gate. More than a dozen household servants purchased in Xiapi began unloading the horses and carriages and carrying in the luggage under Hu Ban’s direction.
The deserted entrance of Haixi County Office suddenly became lively. In that otherwise silent county town, the activity seemed especially noisy.
Zhou Cang and Xiahou Lan found torches and lit them.
By their light, Deng Ji surveyed the courtyard and stopped before the front courtyard of the reception hall.
The windows of the main office opposite were tightly shut. The paper covering them was torn and ragged, utterly disgraceful. The courtyard and hall were shrouded in darkness, and not a single person could be seen.
A restless irritation began to coil in Deng Ji’s heart.
He ordered Zhou Cang to bring the gate servant before him. Then, wearing a grim expression, he stared at the man without saying a word.
In the firelight, Deng Ji stood solitary and commanding, his one arm making him seem even more imposing, his gaze cold and penetrating.
The gate servant felt a sudden chill and immediately dropped to his knees.
“Who are you?”
The man stammered, “I… I am called Mai Cheng.”
“Mai Cheng, what is your position?”
“I… I am the jailer and warder of this office.”
“Why is the county office in such a state of ruin?”
“Your Excellency, this office has not been used for many years, and so…”
“Then where is the county seal?”
“Your Excellency, the seal disappeared three years ago. Since then, the officials appointed by the provincial governor and the commandery governor had no need for one.”
In other words, this county office had effectively been abandoned for the past three years.
“And the runners?”
“The runners… they disappeared long ago.”
“Bastard!” Deng Ji roared. “Are you saying that you are the only person in the entire county who has remained loyal to his duty?”
“Ah…”
“Where are the clerks? Where are the document runners? Where are the patrol soldiers?”
“Well…”
“This office has not recruited runners for two years, and there have never been any document runners. As for the patrol soldiers, there used to be some. But after the former Military Registrar Feng Chao left, they were disbanded as well. At present, I truly am the only one left to watch over this office.”
Deng Ji sneered.
“What a loyal man you are.”
He turned to Puyang Kai, who said nothing but nodded at him.
“Take him to the jail first. We will investigate what is truly going on here and decide his punishment afterward.”
“Yes, sir!”
Mai Cheng turned pale with terror.
“My lord, I’m innocent! I’m truly innocent!”
Zhou Cang strode over and slapped him across the face.
“Make another sound, and I’ll pull out your tongue.”
Facing Zhou Cang’s murderous expression, Mai Cheng swallowed hard and dared not speak again.
“Come along. Lead us to your jail.”
“And lock those bandits up as well.”
“Yes, sir!”
Cao Peng stood at the entrance of the county office. Suddenly, he turned to the gate captain.
“Do you have nothing better to do?”
“Ah?”
“Go and tell your master what happened here. And deliver one more message: Haixi is part of the Han realm.”
The gate captain’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
He glanced at Cao Peng, then abruptly turned and ran for his life.
Dian Man stared at his retreating back in astonishment.
“Afu, you mean…”
“No magistrate, no civil or military clerks, no runners, no document scribes, no patrol soldiers—and yet there are gate guards?” Cao Peng chuckled. “Third Brother, if no one paid you a salary, would you willingly do this work? There are no fools in Haixi County.”
“Then is Mai Cheng the same?”
“In any case, matters are certainly not as simple as he claims.”
Imagine a company that had already gone bankrupt, with even the owner nowhere to be found. Yet some employee continued performing his duties conscientiously. Unless he was a fool, he must have had another motive.
Cao Peng could understand this much, and Deng Ji and Puyang Kai naturally had no reason not to see it as well.
The rooms in the left wing of the front courtyard, where the patrol soldiers and office runners had once lived, were empty. Behind them was the jail, equally deserted.
The jail had clearly not been used for a long time, yet its doors remained sturdy.
“Afu, let’s inspect the main hall and the office.”
“All right.”
Cao Peng took a torch from Deng Fan and followed Deng Ji and Puyang Kai to the entrance of the main hall.
He pushed open the door. Rusted hinges creaked loudly.
Inside, dust covered the floor, and spiderwebs filled the walls. The scarlet cloth spread over the official desk had faded badly. As Cao Peng stepped forward, several black rats suddenly scurried out, startling him.
“I never imagined Haixi could have fallen into such ruin.”
Puyang Kai could not help sighing deeply.
Was this truly still Han territory?
He was about to express his thoughts when a commotion erupted in the front courtyard.
“What happened?”
Deng Ji turned and looked outside.
At that moment, Xiahou Lan hurried in.
“My lord, the leader of the bandits we captured earlier is demanding to see you. He says he has something important to report.”
“Oh?”
Deng Ji was stunned. He could not imagine what such a bandit might have to say.
“Brother-in-law, this place is simply too… Let’s speak in the side rooms. I looked around just now, and at least those rooms are still habitable.”
“That will have to do.”
Deng Ji had imagined all sorts of circumstances that might await him after arriving in Haixi.
But he had never imagined anything like this.
He could not even find a proper place to speak with someone in his own county office. Instead, he had to receive visitors in the cramped rooms where the office runners had once lived.
At the thought, Deng Ji could only laugh bitterly.
“Master Puyang, shall we go together?”
Puyang Kai smiled.
“I was about to suggest the same.”
Accompanied by Cao Peng, the two men left the main office and headed straight for the side rooms.
As soon as they entered, they saw Wang Mai and Deng Fan glaring at a young man.
The youth was dressed entirely in black and kneeling on the floor. His hair had come loose, and a dark bruise marked his forehead.
When Deng Ji and the others entered, the young man seemed extremely agitated and suddenly tried to rise. Wang Mai reacted swiftly, seizing him by the shoulder.
“Stay still, unless you want trouble!”
“I’m not a bandit!” the young man shouted.
Deng Ji sneered.
“If you were robbing travelers on the road, what else could you be?”
“I’m not a bandit! I truly am not! The real bandits in Haixi are not me. They are someone else!”
The young man shouted frantically and struggled with all his strength.
Wang Mai and Deng Fan pressed him firmly to the floor, repeatedly ordering him to calm down.
Deng Ji frowned and stared at the youth for a long while without speaking.
Cao Peng, meanwhile, had been observing him ever since he entered the room. Seeing how agitated the young man was, he stepped outside and ordered someone to draw a ladle of well water. Then he walked over and splashed it directly into the youth’s face.
The young man shuddered violently. Gasping for breath, he finally stopped struggling.
“You… are Feng Chao?”
“What?”
The youth’s face went white with shock, and he looked up at Cao Peng.
He was not the only one surprised. Deng Ji and Puyang Kai were equally perplexed.
Who was Feng Chao?
Cao Peng drew a deep breath and said solemnly, “Feng Chao, Military Registrar of Haixi County. I heard Mai Cheng say that you disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Look at your hands. Though you have changed clothes, your fingernails are neatly trimmed, and you are wearing black boots. An ordinary highway robber could never afford such things.”
“Brother-in-law, I believe he truly is not a bandit. Nor are the others who were robbing travelers. They are this county’s patrol soldiers, aren’t they?”
Feng Chao stared at Cao Peng in horror, unable to speak for a long time.
“You are not bandits. You are robbers disguised as patrol soldiers!”
Deng Ji narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.
Cao Peng smiled.
“There is no need to deny it. Proving it would be simple. I need only bring Mai Cheng here, and he will confess everything.”
Then Cao Peng suddenly remembered something.
“Two years ago, Haixi County had a magistrate named Feng Yuan. He came from Xudu and was the last official sent here by the imperial court. Unfortunately, Magistrate Feng served for only two months before bandits raided Haixi. He was killed in the chaos. He seemed to have a son who came to Haixi with him. Afterward, no one ever heard from that son again.”
Deng Ji slapped his palm.
“That’s right. Such an incident did occur.”
Cao Peng looked at the young man with a broad smile.
“Feng Chao, Military Registrar Feng. Very well—why abandon an honest official position and choose instead to become a bandit?”
Feng Chao’s cheeks twitched violently. He stared at Deng Ji, Puyang Kai, and Cao Peng, remaining silent for a long time.
The story of Haixi County was about to begin.
Several readers have said that it feels somewhat uncomfortable having Deng Ji stand at the forefront.
In truth, Cao Peng will remain the leading force behind everything that happens in Haixi County. At the same time, he will soon receive a title of nobility and gradually emerge into the open.
The story has only just begun to unfold.
Cao Peng’s true inner circle will also begin forming here.
And finally, Old Xin humbly asks everyone for your support through recommendation votes and monthly votes.