Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 649

Chapter 649: Glory

Zhu Hao served under the Prince of Dingnan, guarding the border. Having fought on the frontier for many years, he easily dealt with these criminals who had long since lost their edge.

Finally, only a bearded man with a severed right arm remained. He was cornered by Zhu Hao, his legs trembling uncontrollably, pleading intermittently, “Gentlemen, please let me go! I have money, a lot of money! Whatever money others have paid you, I will repay you double!”

Blood dripped from Zhu Hao’s sword. He held the sword to the man’s neck. The sword wasn’t heavy, but the man felt as if he were being crushed under a mountain, his breathing becoming rapid.

“I’m not short of money either.” Zhu Hao brandished his sword. “If you want to live, I will give you a chance. I will ask you, what’s your relationship with Chi Jiayun?”

“Chi…Chi what?” The man shrank even further upon hearing the name Chi Jiayun, as if trying to embed himself into the wall. “You mean Governor Chi? He’s my mortal enemy. If it weren’t for his strict investigations, my casino would have already…Ouch! Brother, I’m telling the truth.”

Zhu Hao’s sword pierced the man’s shoulder blade, and warm blood immediately flowed out. He continued to exert force, little by little.

“Chi Jiayun’s a hypocrite. On the surface, he does good deeds for the country and the people, but in reality, he’s the one who embezzles the most. Not only in Yongning, but also in Jiuyi and even Dingnan, he has casinos and spies. He really has some serious skills.” Although Zhu Hao was ordered to Yongning on business, he also secretly wanted to bring down Chi Jiayun.

The man could feel the sword slowly piercing his body, the sharp weapon tearing through flesh, and he could hear the groans of bone.

He was afraid, truly afraid.

But the thought of the consequences of betraying Chi Jiayun made him even more afraid.

Suddenly, the man grabbed the sword and thrust forward with all his might, spitting out a mouthful of blood that scattered across Zhu Hao’s body.

Zhu Hao swiftly pulled out the sword, confirmed the man was dead, and turned to order, “Search the area thoroughly. Find everything. Whoever finds evidence will be rewarded with gold.”

These errand runners were loyal, but they were also desperately short of money.

Zhu Hao himself hadn’t rested, but this courtyard was only a temporary shelter. Besides the account book Shuo Feng had given him, he had nothing else of value.

But as darkness fell, Zhu Hao discovered four large chests of silver ingots under the heated kang bed in the house. It took four people to lift each chest when they were carried out of the courtyard. The carriage carried the silver ingots to the governor’s mansion.

Zhu Hao went to see Chi Jiayun. “Governor Chi,” he said sarcastically, “I’ve raided three underground gambling dens one after another. It seems your Yongning City isn’t as peaceful as you claim.” Getting down to business, he continued, “Those thugs who defied me all died by my sword. As for the four chests of silver ingots outside, I will trouble Governor Chi to count and register them. I’m tired today; I will go rest now. Please bring me two jugs of wine so I can have a good sleep; I will have plenty to do tomorrow.”

Zhu Hao had already counted all the seized money.

Entrusting the money to Chi Jiayun for safekeeping served two purposes: to annoy Chi Jiayun and to save Zhu Hao time. If Chi Jiayun dared to embezzle even a single tael of silver, Zhu Hao could immediately arrest him and send him to the capital for trial.

Chi Jiayun spent two days searching but still couldn’t find Pei Que. Instead, Zhu Hao destroyed three of his strongholds. Now Pei Que wasn’t dead, his money was gone, and Zhu Hao was left to harass him in the governor’s mansion.

The Prince of Dingnan and Pei Que were quite the pair. The Pei family was now pariahs, yet the Prince of Dingnan still sent such a capable man as Zhu Hao.

“Steward, go prepare two jugs of strong liquor. Zhu Hao wanted to drink, so send them a lot.” Drunkenness easily lead to mistakes, and since Zhu Hao himself had suggested drinking, Chi Jiayun couldn’t blame him.

When the liquor arrived at Zhu Hao’s place, he sniffed it, praised the steward several times, and then drank half a jug by himself.

Having fought on the front lines for years, Zhu Hao had a high tolerance for alcohol. Chi Jiayun sending strong liquor showed he was impatient, but he wasn’t so easily intoxicated.

The next morning, Zhu Hao went to see Chi Jiayun early.

Chi Jiayun hadn’t slept all night. He had searched every inch of Yongning City, except for a few prominent families.

Even as the Governor of Yongning, Chi Jiayun dared not rashly offend those prominent households.

When Zhu Hao arrived, he heard Chi Jiayun worrying about the matter and volunteered, “What’s so difficult about this? Even if they have many powerful backers, so what? They still have to listen to Governor Chi. However, it’s normal for Governor Chi to be troubled since he still has to serve as an official in Yongning. How about this, Governor Chi? Lend me some manpower, and I will help you with the search.”

Hearing Zhu Hao say this, Chi Jiayun’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. “How could I possibly accept this?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? I eat your food, live in your house, and you even helped me hunt down the suspects. Even if I’m slow-witted, I should still repay you.” Zhu Hao patted his chest and said, “Besides, you specifically told me about your difficulties because you want me to step in, since I’m leaving Yongning soon and I’m not afraid to be the villain. You’ve already calculated all this, so what are you dawdling for? See you at the governor’s mansion gate in a quarter of an hour.”

With that, Zhu Hao turned and left.

He was tall and had a loud voice; his words were heard even by the servants sweeping the courtyard.

Chi Jiayun’s face flushed and paled in turn, only regaining its composure when Zhu Hao reached the courtyard.

“Where does he get the nerve to do this!” Veins bulged on Chi Jiayun’s neck as he slammed his hand on the table and stood up, calling for the steward. “Give the order: no one’s allowed to follow Zhu Hao in the search! Does he really think I’m a fool? Taking my men, using my name—I will be the one who offends people in the end!”

Zhu Hao waited at the governor’s mansion gate for a quarter of an hour, but Chi Jiayun didn’t send anyone. He shook his head and sighed, “Forget it, Governor Chi’s quite the punching bag. Let’s not join the fun. Let’s go to the government office and see how the Yongning soldiers are searching the city.”

Zhu Hao rode away at full speed. The steward, hearing Zhu Hao’s words, was furious, but since the man was there openly and honestly, there was nothing they could do.

Meanwhile, at the steamed bun shop, An Zhi was open for business as usual, but she didn’t go to the front.

Holding her daughter in the backyard, around noon, Fusheng returned, drenched in sweat, saying the city gates had opened.

“Did they say why?” An Zhi asked.

“According to the soldiers guarding the city, thieves escaped outside.” Fusheng looked around carefully. “Madam, it was men the son-in-law arranged outside the city who looted and burned Governor Chi’s farm, cutting off his escape route. Governor Chi must be in a panic right now, wishing he could personally go and arrest them.”