Chapter Twenty-Four: A Sovereign Remedy

Taiyang County Yamen.

Liang Jin and Zhang You’s party finally arrived at the gates of the Yamen. A group of bailiffs, looking fierce and malicious, were already guarding the entrance, intimidating the common folk. As Zhang You and his group arrived, the bailiffs opened a path for them to enter, then immediately sealed it off, blocking the crowd of commoners who had followed behind.

Once inside the Yamen, Liang Jin and his companions followed Zhang You as he led the way. Finally, they reached their destination.

"Great Virtuous Teacher, you have arrived at your destination," Zhang You said, pointing toward a gate ahead.

Liang Jin took a glance and smiled faintly. "The right corner of the main hall, the southwest sector of the county office, and there are even reliefs of the *Xiezhi* on the doors. This is the county jail. Master Zhang, didn't you say you were taking me to see the Magistrate? Why have you brought me to the prison?"

Zhang You raised his hand and clapped. At the sound of his applause, a large number of constables rushed out from the shadows. They held their official blades, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent. Even on the roof, archers appeared, drawing their bows and aiming at Liang Jin and Miao Yuanzheng.

Zhang You quickly retreated, distancing himself from the two men. "I am simply inviting the two of you to spend some time in the jail reflecting on your crimes. As for whether the Magistrate will see you, that depends on when he decides to summon you for interrogation. Guards! Take these two into custody and await trial!"

A group of bailiffs immediately surrounded Liang Jin and Miao Yuanzheng, radiating hostility. It was clearly a trap. From the very beginning, Zhang You had never intended to take Liang Jin to see the Magistrate.

Miao Yuanzheng let out a cold snort. He stepped forward to shield Liang Jin, his hand reaching for the long blade on his back.

Zhang You hurriedly cautioned him, "I know you possess martial arts, but I advise you to think carefully! Even if you manage to escape, you will become a wanted fugitive of the Imperial Court, forced to live in hiding every day. We will also report this to the Six Doors. Do you truly believe you can evade their pursuit?"

Miao Yuanzheng scoffed at this. His son was everything to him. He would kill anyone who dared to stop the man capable of saving his son.

Liang Jin, however, remained calm. He tapped Miao Yuanzheng on the shoulder. "Put the blade down. We shall heed Master Zhang’s advice and stay in the jail for now."

With that, Liang Jin stepped forward and walked into the prison. Miao Yuanzheng was puzzled. Could one really expect the Yamen to show mercy or generosity at a time like this? Still, suppressing his doubts, he unstrapped his long blade and tossed it to Zhang You. "Take good care of my blade." He then followed Liang Jin into the prison.

Seeing the two men surrender so obediently, Zhang You finally let out a sigh of relief. He had finally completed the task assigned by the Magistrate. Now, as long as this sorcerer was locked away, the Taiping Sect would naturally crumble. Once the epidemic passed, they could punish him, and no one would dare to object.

After settling the remaining matters, Zhang You intended to report immediately to the Magistrate. However, on his way, he encountered Lu Tianxing and Xu Gui, who had followed them to the Yamen. The two hurried forward to salute him. "Master Zhang, we have come to collect the medicine."

Upon seeing them, Zhang You waved his hand impatiently. "I am busy today; we shall speak tomorrow." He then turned to leave. Zhang You had always looked down on Lu Tianxing and Xu Gui. One was a mere owner of a small village, the other a common merchant; under normal circumstances, they wouldn't even be granted an audience with him. It was only out of necessity to deal with the Taiping Sect that he had engaged in secret dealings with them recently. But that did not mean he viewed them as his equals. Especially now that the Taiping sorcerer was captured and the Magistrate's task was complete, these two were of no further use to him.

Lu Tianxing and Xu Gui were stunned, clearly not expecting such treatment. Xu Gui immediately grabbed Zhang You, exclaiming anxiously, "Master Zhang, my entire family is waiting for this life-saving medicine! I can wait another day, but my family cannot!"

Zhang You looked coldly at the hand gripping his sleeve and barked, "What are you doing?! Let go!"

Xu Gui had to let go, hurriedly apologizing. Zhang You then spoke coldly, "You are not the only ones waiting for medicine; the entire county is waiting! Everything must be done according to the rules."

This was unacceptable to the two men. It wasn't just Xu Gui who was anxious. Lu Tianxing was equally desperate; he had promised the villagers of Juniu Township that he would bring back the medicine, which was the only reason they had remained neutral when the government troops raided Lu Village. If he returned empty-handed, how could he face them?

Lu Tianxing immediately said, "Master Zhang, that is not what you told us before. Especially since we contributed to the capture of the sorcerer, we should be the first to receive the medicine. If you do not give us an answer today, I... I will take this to the Magistrate and ask him to judge the matter."

Lu Tianxing's words lacked conviction, but to get the medicine, he had no choice but to risk it. A cold sneer curled Zhang You's lips. "So you want the medicine? Fine, I shall have someone fetch it for you."

Zhang You summoned a bailiff and gave a few instructions. The bailiff soon returned with two carts filled with bulging sacks. "There, the medicine you wanted. One dose a day, take it back and brew it yourselves." Zhang You gestured to the two wheelbarrows.

Lu Tianxing and Xu Gui hurriedly opened the large sacks on the barrows and saw that they were indeed filled with prepared herbs. Overjoyed, they thanked him profusely: "Thank you, Master Zhang!" Having secured the medicine, they did not delay and pushed the barrows away from the Yamen in a hurry.

Zhang You watched their retreating figures with a sneer. It was medicine, yes. It was indeed the concoction prescribed by the physician hired by the Magistrate to treat the plague. But as for whether it would be effective, that went without saying. If it were truly effective, Taiyang County wouldn't have so many infected people in the first place.

Zhang You turned to the bailiff beside him and ordered, "Remember those two. Do not let them enter the Yamen again."

***

The Imperial Palace.

This round of night shifts ended surprisingly quickly. Liang Jin had expected to serve for seven full days, but after only three nights, the superiors suddenly ordered a switch to day shifts. Rumors circulated that something had happened to the Imperial Guards on night duty, but as a common soldier, Liang Jin had no way of knowing the specifics. The only change he could perceive was that many of the officers overseeing their shifts had been replaced; those removed were never seen by Liang Jin again.

Subsequently, orders were issued for all soldiers to re-register their household records and service histories. Then came the most shocking news: the Commander of the Southern Imperial Guard had been replaced! This major event inevitably stirred up much discussion among the guards. However, the concerns of the upper echelons were not for the lower ranks to ponder, and the chatter soon died down.

For ordinary soldiers, not having to work night shifts was a relief; at the very least, they didn't have to endure the cold. Today was a rare sunny day. The temperature had risen significantly, making Liang Jin’s guard duty much more bearable.

"I wonder how Zhao Bao and Su Lian have been lately?" Liang Jin hadn't seen them for a while. Especially Su Lian—he hadn't seen her since he started the night shifts. Liang Jin wasn't particularly worried about her; Su Lian was simple-minded, and fortunately, her voice carried little weight, so she was unlikely to commit any grave errors. Zhao Bao, however, was highly ambitious, which easily drew one into the vortex of power.

As if summoned by his thoughts, two figures walked toward him. It was indeed Su Lian and Zhao Bao. However... the two of them appeared somewhat different than before.