Volume 1: Kyoto Winds and Clouds Chapter 35: Meddling in Small Town Affairs Again

  The official's words were like a thunderclap to Zhang Butcher's heart, and he couldn't understand why someone would want him dead just because he was a small butcher. Even if he died, he couldn't let his family be affected, or the Zhang family line would be cut off! Zhang Butcher threw down his knife: "As long as you don't harm my family, I'll go with you!"

  "Hold on!" Liu Zhang wanted to recruit Zhang Butcher, and naturally couldn't let him be taken away like this. Moreover, Zhang Butcher seemed to have some trouble, which made it even better for recruitment.

  "Huh? Official business, who dares to make a fuss?" The official saw that Liu Zhang was just a young boy and his clothes were not particularly luxurious, so he didn't take him seriously. He thought that as long as he intimidated him slightly, the matter should be settled.

  "Government office?" Liu Zhang frowned and asked; "Since it's a government matter, I'll ask you, what crime has this man committed?"

  "How dare you ask about official business?" The officer sneered viciously: "Believe it or not, I'll throw you into the big prison too!"

  "Little master, you'd better leave me alone!" Zhang Tufu said: "I know you have a good heart, but the people won't fight against the officials!"

  Liu Zhang didn't bother with Zhang Tufu, but instead looked at the official and said: "According to the laws of the Great Han, when arresting a criminal, it is necessary for the government office to issue a warrant and an arrest document. Do you have one?"

  "The...” The officer was somewhat stunned, the superior called him to capture Zhang Tufu, but didn't give him any documents. In fact, Zhang Tufu was not guilty, it's just that a wealthy young master in the city was teasing a civilian girl and was seen by Zhang Tufu. Zhang Tufu being chivalrous, beat up the young master. Of course, although Zhang Tufu's methods were ruthless, he didn't cause any loss of life, only beating the young master to half disability, who lay in bed for three months before finally recovering!

  It's not a big deal to beat up a rich young master, but that rich man has some connection with the city guard. After the rich young master recovered from his injuries, he naturally wanted revenge on Zhang Tufu, so he let this official bring people to catch him. Originally, the official thought he could subdue Zhang Tufu and then beat him up severely, which would be a way to give an account to the rich young master. Who knew that he was no match for Zhang Tufu? In desperation, the official had no choice but to order his men to capture him. But what he didn't expect was that just when they were about to succeed in capturing him, Liu Zhang would suddenly appear.

  Zhang Tutu and the official thought alike, he thought that this time he would be caught at most beaten once, so he didn't want to implicate Liu Zhang. But he did not expect that without Liu Zhang, his capture this time would mean his death! Although the young master of the wealthy family had no intention of killing Zhang Tutu, the city guard could no longer tolerate him.

  Why can't Cheng You tolerate Zhang Tufu? This has to start from Zhang Tufu's character! Zhang Tufu likes to make friends with heroes, and some heroes also come to him in admiration. The heroes who can interact with Zhang Tufu are all chivalrous people. However, the late Han Dynasty was an era when powerful families and clans dominated, and it was inevitable that there were both good and bad people within a large family. The young masters of wealthy families and aristocratic families often bullied men and women!

  The common people, of course, dare to be angry but not speak out, but those Jianghu heroes do not have so many worries. Whenever they encounter those arrogant and bullying young masters, they would either teach them a lesson or cut off their limbs, and some even beheaded the evil-doers! As a result, those aristocratic families naturally wanted to report these Jianghu heroes to the authorities, but how could the authorities deal with those elusive Jianghu heroes?

  The government couldn't do anything about those martial heroes, but the wealthy families and aristocrats had to vent their anger on someone. The wealthy families and aristocrats in the city were all connected, some even having ties with larger aristocratic families. These people collectively put pressure on the City Guardian, but he couldn't solve the problem, so he shifted the blame onto Zhang Tufu's head. In the eyes of the City Guardian, if there was no Zhang Tufu, then there wouldn't be those martial heroes either. As for the oppressed commoners, they could just consider themselves unlucky!

  Originally, Lord Cheng had no way to deal with Zhang Tufu, after all, the ones who beat people and injured them were Jianghu heroes. But this time, Zhang Tufu actually took matters into his own hands and even injured Lord Cheng's relatives. What can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated? In a fit of rage, Lord Cheng ordered someone to capture Zhang Tufu, and thus the scene from earlier was played out.

  The official looked at Liu Zhang and suddenly moved out of the Great Han Code, and couldn't help but take another look at him. A child who is very familiar with the Great Han Code, how can he be an ordinary person? Unable to guess Liu Zhang's identity, the official bowed and said: "This young master, although I don't have a warrant, Zhang Tufu indeed injured someone. Now the victim has reported it to the authorities, and I must arrest Zhang Tufu!"

  "That's more like it!" Liu Zhang nodded and said: "Since it's a normal procedure, you should handle it according to the law. Why didn't you explain it to Zhang Tui and ask him to go back and assist with the case? Instead, you're risking your lives and threatening his family?"

  "This..." The official couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart, but he said: "It's not that I want to coerce him. It's just that Zhang Tufu has a close relationship with some Jianghu heroes, and I'm worried that he'll flee in fear of punishment!"

  "Hmph!" Liu Zhang coldly snorted: "The cause and result of the matter have not been clarified, where does this talk of escaping in fear of punishment come from? I think you're just seeking revenge for a personal grievance!"

  "Master, this official is a well-known good man in our county. If he wasn't forced by his superiors, he wouldn't have done such a thing!" Zhang Tufu said: "In fact, if it weren't for him protecting me, I would have been out of luck long ago!"

  "Oh? So he's still a good person?" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Zhang Tufu, since someone has accused you, you can't make things difficult for this official. Why don't you just go with him, I'll accompany you too!"

  Liu Zhang surprisingly wanted to go see the city guard, and Zhang Tufu, who knew the character of the city guard, hurriedly advised: "Young master, you don't know, our city guard is..."

  "My mind is made up, no need for further talk..." Liu Zhang pointed at the official and said: "You! Lead the way!"

  Under the leadership of Guan Cha, Zhang Tufu and Liu Zhang arrived at the county government office. Due to the frequent border incursions by Wuman, the county magistrate of Youzhou was often concurrently held by the city defense general. The city defense general was delighted to see that Zhang Tufu had been brought back by Guan Cha, but when he saw that Zhang Tufu was not wearing handcuffs, he angrily asked: "Why didn't you put shackles on the prisoner? Did you accept his bribe?"

  "I dare not!" The official hastily knelt down in front of the city guardian and said, "I am no match for Zhang Tufu, he came voluntarily..."

  "Whatever!" The city guard lord waved his hand impatiently and said: "Since you've been caught, first receive a hundred lashes and then we'll talk!"

  "What a big official power the city master has!" In fact, the city master also saw Liu Zhang and his two companions, but he just thought they were onlookers and didn't pay attention to them. Who would have expected that Liu Zhang would actually speak up!

  "Hmm?" The city guard was very surprised, he had been a city guard for many years and no one had ever dared to speak ill of him in public. However, he wasn't stupid either, someone who dared to speak to him in such a mysterious and ambiguous tone must have some backing, so the city guard smiled and said: "This young master, please, why are you speaking like this about me?"

  "The Han Code states that a suspect must not be subjected to corporal punishment without trial, nor can severe torture be used during the interrogation period unless there is conclusive evidence!" Liu Zhang smiled and asked: "I don't know which article of the Han Code allows the city guard to flog the prisoner before the trial?"

  "This... The city guard was stunned, not to mention that he didn't know if there was such a clause in the Great Han Law. Even if there was, who would follow the Great Han Law on a day like today? Severe punishment and forced confessions had already become the trend of officialdom. Whether guilty or not, it only depended on how much money you gave. As the saying goes: 'In front of the yamen, facing south, with reason but no money, don't come in!' Who would have thought that someone would mention the Great Han Law? The city guard didn't know what to do! However, Liu Zhang's sudden appearance made the city guard take a clear look at his clothes."

  There's a saying: "A dog looks down on people." Another saying goes: "Only recognizing clothes, not recognizing people." The city guard took one look at Liu Zhang's attire and thought he wasn't from a good family, forgetting his behavior just now - could an ordinary child have done that? People are like this, once they've made up their minds about something, they often overlook important things. Since the city guard had decided Liu Zhang was not from a good family, he harshly said: "How I judge cases is not something a little kid can control! If you don't retreat, I won't care if you're a child or not, and I'll punish you for disturbing the court!"

  "So I say, Lord Cheng has such great authority!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Why don't you try hitting me, how about it?"

  "Guards, take this child and Zhang Tufu into custody! Zhang Tufu is to receive 100 strokes of the cane, and this child... five strokes, but make them light..."

  "Looking for death!" Shi Ah saw the city guard wanting to hit Liu Zhang, suddenly his long sword was out of its scabbard, pointing directly at the city guard's throat; "Do you know who this young master is? One of his hairs is more precious than your life! You dare to hit him? Want to be exterminated for nine generations?"

  Cheng Shou was stunned, he didn't expect that someone would dare to be so rude in the public hall, and even seemed to have a tendency to take action. He coldly sneered: "Do you want to rebel? Even if it's the prince, you can't point your sword at an official..."

  "No! Others can't, but the young master can! Even if the young master kills you, it's just your bad luck!" Shi Ah laughed and said: "The young master is the son of Liu, the governor of Youzhou, the most favored younger brother of the Han Emperor. The sword in his hand is the 'Beheading Snake Sword' bestowed by His Majesty, with the power to behead first and report later. And the young master himself is also a meritorious official of the Youzhou Governor's Mansion! Killing you is not much harder than killing a dog!"

  Cheng Shou was stunned, he really didn't expect Liu Zhang's background to be so great. Originally, judging from Liu Zhang's attire, he thought Liu Zhang was at most a young master of a small family, but now that he heard Liu Zhang's identity, his mind couldn't turn around the corner. Suddenly, Cheng Shou shouted loudly: "You deceived me, why did the son of Governor come here?"

  "Are you kidding me? Are you worthy of it?" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "I was originally going to visit my master to learn the art, passing by this place, resting for a night, and leaving early tomorrow. I didn't expect to see someone catching Zhang Tufu on the road. After asking in detail, I only knew about your unjust case. Whether you were one day earlier or later, you wouldn't have been seen by me, but you just happened to choose today. This can only be said to be fate, or that you're unlucky!"

  "Spare my life, young master!" The city guard saw Shi Ah pull out a seal from his bosom, on which was clearly engraved the words "Governor of Youzhou Prefecture". He immediately believed Liu Zhang's identity. He knelt down and cried: "I was momentarily blinded by evil spirits, please spare my life, young master!"