Chapter 379: Stalemate 02

  This was a courtyard that looked very dilapidated. Sometimes, Liu Shanhe himself would still feel strange, when he had just crossed over to this place, he thought that the courtyard built by his father Taigong was not bad at all! It was square and rectangular, with a small gatehouse. However, as he continued to temper himself in this world, his knowledge grew, and his horizons expanded, Liu Shanhe discovered that the small courtyard built by his father Taigong was actually so rustic. Now, since he had married Lv Zhi, they lived together with their parents, all living in a large courtyard, with his parents living in the upper house, while he lived in the lower house. Due to Lv Zhi's gentle nature and good management of the household, she was well-liked by her parents. Liu Shanhe often thought to himself, "Wow, this Lv Zhi is really a rare good wife!"

  Liu Shanhe arrived at the gate of his own home and instructed the two men to wait for him on either side of the gate, then he pushed open the large gate - naturally it was opened by Lü Yu.

  "Who is it?" Liu Shanhe could tell that Lu Ji's voice was filled with a tone of terror.

  "It's me, Liu Ji." Liu Shanhe said in a low voice, as if he was afraid of being heard by others. After hearing Liu Shanhe's voice, Lü Chu finally let out a long sigh of relief and hurriedly opened the door. Liu Shanhe didn't let her say anything else, and with one arm around her slender waist, they warmly hugged each other and walked towards their room.

  Entering the house, Lv Liu asked in surprise: "Ji, how did you come at this time? The lights are all out, it's almost dawn! What's going on? You quickly tell me, what's going on? What happened?"

  Liu Shanhe had actually thought it through on the road, and decided to tell Lv Wei the truth about what happened. Thinking of this, he said to Lv Wei: "Wei, I'll be honest with you, yesterday night, when there was a big rainstorm, I saw that more than half of the prisoners being escorted were escaping on the road. I thought to myself, even if we made it to Xianyang, according to Qin law, we would still be sentenced to death, just like those prisoners. So, I figured, since we're all going to die anyway, I might as well let those prisoners go."

  "What? You let all those prisoners go?" Lü Yu heard Liu Shanhe's words and felt wave after wave of unease, her apricot-like eyes wide with an incredulous expression. However, she quickly calmed down, grabbed Liu Shanhe's arm and asked: "Did all the prisoners escape? Didn't any stay behind? Did all the prisoners escape? Didn't any stay behind?"

  After listening to Lü Yu's words, Liu Shanhe couldn't help but smile. Liu Shanhe naturally understood what Lü Yu meant. Because in the past, Lü Yu often encouraged Liu Shanhe not to be content with his current situation, a man should strive for something more. Looking at her behavior, she seemed even more heroic than men, often leaving Liu Shanhe in admiration. So when he heard Lü Yu's words today, Liu Shanhe understood very clearly what was meant.

  "Heh heh, guess what, I'm going to take a trip this time, and when I left, there were more than 30 people in total. Guess how many people are still here?" Liu Shanhe deliberately teased Lü Wei.

  "There were over thirty people when we left? Ah, well, now there should be at least seven or eight people!" Lü Wei replied with wide eyes.

  "Heh heh, seven or eight people? Too few, too few! Let me tell you the truth, there are still sixteen or seventeen people left by my side now!" Liu Shanhe said mysteriously to Lü Wei.

  "Oh? Sixteen or seventeen people? Hmm, that's great! In that case, you guys are somewhat powerful now! I wonder, where do you plan to go next? If you release those prisoners, the government will definitely not let you off! Is that right?" Lü Wei said with some concern.

  "Ah, don't worry about it, okay? I've already thought of a plan. Let's just find a mountain to hide in for now and figure things out later. At least inside the mountain, it's much better than being outside! Anyway, this time I'm going against him, I'm going to defy that bastard!" Liu Shanhe said fiercely.

  He had originally thought that when he spoke those words, Lü Chu would definitely reveal a shocked expression, but unexpectedly, Lü Chu actually showed a delighted face, and with one swift motion, she grabbed onto Liu Shanhe's shoulder, almost nose-to-nose with him: "Ji, are you serious? You really want to rebel?"

  "Alas, I'm telling you, this isn't a matter of whether I want to rebel or not, it's a matter of having no choice but to rebel! Do you understand? Think about it, I couldn't possibly deliver those prisoners to the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xianyang, even if I did, it would be a death sentence for me! So, isn't this also a case of being forced into it?"

  "I understand, Ji. You can go boldly and with peace of mind. I will take care of everything at home for you. Don't worry about it. I have been waiting day and night, and finally, the day has arrived. My father said long ago that you had extraordinary ideas and would become a great and noble person, either a king or a prime minister. It seems that you still have opportunities ahead of you. Isn't this opportunity right in front of you? Ji, do you remember that old man I met not long ago in the fields who was begging for water to drink? He also said that our family's good fortune and prosperity all came from you. Go out there and make a name for yourself, and don't worry about things at home, I will take care of them." As Lü Zhi spoke, tears began to flow uncontrollably from her eyes.

  After listening to Lü Yù's words, Liu Shanhe was deeply moved. Yes, yes, in this world, only a wife would be so concerned about herself at such a critical moment, and also constantly encouraging herself. Now that he thinks about it, he really owes it to Lü Yù's frequent "teachings". Although her nagging often made him feel very annoyed, her words had indeed given him many benefits. It seems that his wife is not an ordinary woman after all. Hehe, hehe, Liu Shanhe's woman, can she be bad? Can she be bad? Thinking of this, Liu Shanhe's heart became even more joyful.

  The two of them exchanged some sweet nothings, and then Liu Shanhe glanced at the window. The bright color on the paper window seemed to have become even brighter than before. Liu Shanhe saw that it was already late, but one important thing he had come back for hadn't been done yet! Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled slyly, didn't make a sound, and abruptly swept Lü Chu up in his arms.

  Lü Cuì had been following Liu Shanhe for a long time, and with one look at his actions, she knew exactly what he wanted to do. She scolded him with a smile, using her small fists to punch his chest nonstop, while softly calling out: "What are you doing? What are you doing? Let me go, let me go!" However, despite her cries, she quickly buried her face in Liu Shanhe's chest. A familiar masculine scent enveloped her, and she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her before losing consciousness.

  Liu Shanhe suddenly threw Lv Wei onto the bed, then quickly stripped off her clothes one by one, followed by his own. At this point, Liu Shanhe really couldn't stand how many clothes there were, getting in the way of his hands and feet! Finally, Liu Shanhe threw all the clothes that hindered his movements to the ground, and in front of him, a snow-white, creamy woman's naked body appeared before his eyes. Liu Shanhe was stunned for a moment, greedily gazing at the naked body of the woman in front of him, then he couldn't control himself anymore, hastily spreading Lv Wei's legs apart, and fiercely thrusting his thing inside...

  One after another, happy and blissful moans filled the air, like a chorus of orioles singing and swallows dancing. Outside the door, the two attendants seemed to be getting impatient, one of them said: "Hey, you say, our Liu Ting has been in there for so long, why hasn't he come out yet? What is he doing inside?"

  "My god, you're so stupid! You don't even know this?! Liu Tingchang's wife is a top-notch beauty! Hehehe, our Liu Tingchang has gone out and who knows when he'll be back? At this moment, he must be getting cozy with his wife! And if I'm not mistaken, Liu Tingchang is probably struggling to control himself right now! Hmm, hmm, it's almost done, almost done!" Another one, seemingly quite knowledgeable, spoke about these matters in a clear and orderly manner, and even seemed to savor the taste. If it weren't still dark outside, the saliva in his mouth would probably be at least three feet long."

  Inside the house, Liu Shanhe and Lü Cuī's passionate scene had really reached its climax. All that could be seen was Lü Cuī gasping softly, her excitement causing her to tremble all over, while Liu Shanhe finally welcomed his most satisfying moment, feeling as if he was in heaven, his body experiencing unparalleled comfort and pleasure. Afterwards, the two of them exchanged many sweet nothings, and finally, they reluctantly hugged each other one last time. Liu Shanhe turned around, took one last look at Lü Cuī, then suddenly turned back around, facing the clear morning wind, treading on the dew in the courtyard, carrying the precious sword that had beheaded the White Snake, and strode away with his two brothers who had been waiting for him at the gate for half a day, disappearing into the morning mist.

  Liu Shanhe was about to get away with a slap on the wrist, but his family members, including Lü Zhi and his elderly parents, would suffer. According to Qin law, if one person committed a crime, their entire clan of nine generations would be implicated. Lü Zhi was well aware of this, but she had her own thoughts. She thought that no matter what, her father and the county magistrate were close friends, so he wouldn't forget about her easily. Moreover, she also thought of Xiao He and Cao Shen, who held important positions in the county government. Even if they really did commit a crime, with those two around, she wouldn't have to suffer too much.

  It should be said that Lü Yu's reasoning is still quite reasonable. Because normally, as long as the county magistrate is willing to compromise, things will naturally be settled and become minor issues. However, Lü Yu overlooked one point: the county magistrate was also harboring resentment towards Liu Shanhe because he had married Lü Yu, and this resentment extended to Lü Ze as well, who had not been obtained but had instead sparked a strong desire to possess him, as the saying goes "what can't be gotten is often the most desired". So when the county magistrate received news that Liu Shanhe had released all thirty or so prisoners who were sent to build the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, he was initially shocked. Because everyone knew that according to the laws of the Qin dynasty, building the emperor's mausoleum was a matter of utmost importance, written into the constitution itself, and since then, this project had become the most important national affair in the entire Qin kingdom. Therefore, not only releasing those prisoners but also failing to deliver them on time to the designated location would be punishable by death. And Liu Shanhe was indeed very bold, he actually dared to release all thirty or so prisoners! Ah, that guy is truly fearless, truly fearless!

  The county magistrate found Liu Shanhe's behavior somewhat incomprehensible. Yes, Chen Sheng had once said a famous quote: "How can a swallow know the ambition of a swan?" It was indeed this kind of meaning. Between people, there are often differences. Some have ideas and behaviors that are unthinkable to others, even like a fantasy. Think about it, someone like Liu Shanhe, who almost completely inherited the spirit of Liu Bang, the founder of the 400-year-old Han Dynasty, how could his thoughts be understood by an ordinary person like the county magistrate?

  However, although the county magistrate did not understand, he soon found a solution to this incident that was very beneficial for satisfying his own desires. Moreover, he felt quite confident about this strategy of his.

  "Ah, Ah, this time, I'll see if you can escape from my grasp!" The county magistrate sneered coldly. Thinking of this, the county magistrate ordered the people beside him: "Someone, bring me Lü Zhi, Liu Bang's wife! Quick!"

  With the county magistrate's order, a group of yamen runners rushed to Liu Shanhe's home. "Open up!" One of the runners kicked open the small gate of Liu Shanhe's courtyard with one foot. At this time, Lü Yu was washing clothes in the yard and saw a group of runners rushing in. She immediately understood everything, but she didn't panic. Instead, she glared at the runners and shouted: "You dare to privately enter a civilian's house in broad daylight! Is there still any king's law? Ah? You dare to privately enter a civilian's house in broad daylight! Is there still any king's law? Ah? I'll report you!"

  "Oh? Tell us to go? Alright, alright! I'm telling you, Liu Bang's wife, do you know why we've come to your house? Hehehe... One of the officers sneered, "You probably don't know yet, but your family's Liu Bang has committed a great crime! Hmph! He actually dared to release all those prisoners who went to build the mausoleum at Mount Rui! How audacious! Your family's Liu Bang has committed a great crime! Hmph! He actually dared to release all those prisoners who went to build the mausoleum at Mount Rui! How audacious! And I've come this time, on the orders of County Magistrate, to take you away for questioning!"

  "You, are you still talking about reason? Ah? Liu Bang has committed a crime, but what does it have to do with me? I'm just a woman, how can I be connected to those broken things? You can't catch me, if you have the ability, go catch Liu San! Cut!" Lü Zhi's words were exceptionally sharp.

  "Hmph, don't try to play tricks on me, we're after you! We're after you! How about it, aren't you convinced? Well, we can't help it either, who made you Liu Bang's wife, huh? Isn't that right, brothers?"

  The head of the yamen sneered and reached out to grab Lü Zhi's shoulder. Lü Zhi quickly dodged to one side and scolded, "Don't touch me! I'll go on my own!" She then slapped her own shoulder twice and put down the incense burner in her hand, saying to the yamen officers, "Alright, gentlemen, I know this isn't your idea. I'll follow you, but before I do, I need to tell my parents about it. You wouldn't refuse me that, would you?"

  Among those yamen runners, there were also some who had a good relationship with Liu Shanhe on ordinary days. Moreover, what Lv Yi said just now was indeed very reasonable. They all turned to Lv Zhi and said: "Okay, hurry up! We're still waiting to go back and settle the account! We're still waiting to go back and settle the account!"

  Lü Cuī knew that her parents-in-law were still in bed, and she didn't want to startle them. However, she thought that if she was taken away by the bailiffs without a word, they would be left unaware of what had happened and would worry about their missing daughter-in-law. Thinking this, Lü Cuī suppressed her grief and went to her parents-in-law's room, saying: "Father, Mother, I have some business to attend to at the county yamen and may need to stay there for a while. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Please take good care of yourselves!" As she spoke, despite her strength, Lü Cuī thought that this might be a farewell, and with her elderly parents-in-law having no one to care for them, tears welled up in her eyes.

  However, the old man was still very stubborn. He took one look at his daughter-in-law's behavior and knew that things wouldn't be so simple. So he struggled to get up, stumbling and staggering into the courtyard. Seeing the large group of yamen runners in the courtyard, the old man understood what had happened. He shouted at one of the officials who looked like he was in charge: "I'm asking you, officer, what's going on? What's happening? You people have come to our house, what business do you have here?"

  "Old man, I'll tell you the truth. Your family's Liu San, last night on the way to Xianyang with those prisoners, he let all the prisoners who were going to build tombs in Lishan go! We thought it was an order from County Magistrate, and we came to arrest your daughter-in-law!" The leader of the constables knew that Old Man Liu had some reputation in the neighborhood, so he spoke relatively politely.

  "What, Liu San, did he let all the prisoners go? This...this...how can this be?! I say, honorable officers, perhaps things are being exaggerated, shouldn't we wait until the truth is clear before making arrests?" As soon as Ta Gong heard that his good-for-nothing son had let the prisoners escape, he naturally knew that this was no trivial matter.

  "Old master, no need to wait any longer, everything has been made clear. We are also acting on orders, whatever words, once we arrive at the county government office, will naturally become clear! Everything has been made clear. We are also acting on orders, whatever words, once we arrive at the county government office, will naturally become clear!" The bailiff said as he gave an order to Lv Wei: "Let's go, wife of the village head!"

  Lü Zhi looked deeply at her father-in-law and mother-in-law, then turned her head and followed the bailiffs out of her familiar home. Her mother-in-law, Liu, however, was so angry that she suddenly fell to the ground without catching her breath...

  But Taigong, on the other hand, was chasing after him, but when he saw his old partner lying in the yard, he had to turn back and shout loudly at his old partner: "Old lady, old lady, old lady, old lady, wake up, wake up!" But Liu Po never woke up again.

  "Taigong was almost heartbroken, shouting loudly at the sky: 'Heavens! What kind of world is this?! Heavens! What kind of world is this?! Liu San, you scoundrel! You beast! I thought that after you married such a good wife, you had improved a lot, that you had finally grown up and could take care of yourself. I even thought you would give me grandsons and granddaughters to raise... but how could I have expected this?! How could I have expected this?! You've actually done something so disastrous! Liu San, you beast! You can't even protect your own parents, wife, or children... what kind of man are you?!"

  It seems that Old Man Liu's wailing is closely related to his frequent boasts about his "great husband goals" in front of the elderly. Anyway, on that day, Old Man Liu cried until he was dizzy and disoriented, but no matter what, his daughter-in-law was still taken away by the authorities. And as for his useless third son, who knows whether he's dead or alive...

  Sorrow, despair, indignation, devouring this old man's heart that has experienced the vicissitudes of life.