noveltune Chapter 003 Entering the City
Chapter 003 Entering the City
Li Shouyi was not only Zhou Lun's savior, but also his sworn brother.
Zhou Lun kept this kindness in his heart and never dared to forget it for a moment. He had originally planned to take his elder brother to Jiangnan to make a living, but who would have thought that this would happen before they even set off.
Li Shouyi was determined to save them, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
Saving lives may seem difficult, but it can also be easy at times.
Zhou Lun had been through the business world and dealt with all sorts of people. What kind of situation hadn't he seen? In his opinion, this matter wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't insignificant either. It was troublesome, but there was definitely a way to deal with it.
The reason the officials took Li Shouyi away was simply because he had stood up for everyone and said a few words. The accusation of "disrespecting the imperial decrees and inciting the people to resist the government" sounded intimidating, but it was just a pretext to scare them. The officials had lost face in front of everyone, so they used Li Shouyi to establish their authority and give these peasants a good beating.
If uttering a few complaints could land you in jail, how many law-abiding citizens are left in this world? Besides, the imperial court has suddenly increased taxes so much, and Shaanxi is currently suffering from such a severe drought. Can't people even complain a little? What kind of logic is that?
Zhou Lun had seen this kind of thing many times in his previous life. As long as you had some connections, you could ask someone to pass on a message, give some money, and you could easily turn a big problem into a small one and get the person out of trouble.
The difficulty lies in where he got the connections.
In the six months since he transmigrated, he has stayed in the village. He has only been to the county town a few times with Li Shouyi, and he knows very few people. As for money, he has only saved up a little over five hundred coins for travel expenses. That amount of money probably wouldn't even be enough to afford a decent meal in the county town.
Zhou Lun frowned deeply, his lips pressed tightly together as he pondered intently.
"Brother Lun, what should we do?" Li Shoutian couldn't hold back any longer, his voice filled with anger.
"Don't rush."
Zhou Lun steadied himself and tried to keep his tone calm: "Brother, this isn't a big deal. There's no use rushing things now. If you trust me, I'll go to the county town to inquire and see if I can find any connections to get him out."
"Lun-ge'er, can this... work out?" Clan Chief Li Shiyan leaned closer, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"Let's give it a try. Right now, we don't have any other options." Zhou Lun's mind raced, counting on his fingers: "The last few times my elder brother took me into town, I met Manager Liu of the pharmacy, Manager Qian of the general store, and Master He of Taibai Tower. I'll go ask them for advice, maybe ask someone to pass on a message... but..."
"However?" Li Shiyan's heart jumped when he heard him suddenly change the subject.
Zhou Lun paused, then sighed, "Sir, you can't just ask for favors with empty words. I only have a little over five hundred coins on hand. That's barely enough to host a decent feast in the city, let alone get my brother out of trouble!"
Li Shiyan opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back.
Zhou Lun's words made sense. But in the current situation, every household was tightening their belts to make ends meet. Today, the village head and officials had just announced the increase in taxes and the three additional levies, and everyone was worried about how to pay the taxes. Where would they find the money to bail people out?
"I have some! I've saved up some money over the past two years! Brother Lun, wait for me! I'll go get it right now!" Li Shoutian had barely finished speaking when he darted out.
"Me too! I've saved up several dozen coins!" Wang Tieniu threw down the words and ran home.
The remaining young men were not to be outdone, and one by one they turned and rushed home. A short while later, they came running back, some pulling out over seventy coins, others a dozen or so. Scrambled together, they had a total of four hundred and seventeen coins.
Adding the 522 coins that Zhou Lun had saved, the total is 939 coins.
At the current market rate, one tael of silver is worth about five hundred cash, so this amount is less than two taels of silver at most.
Li Shiyan looked at the pile of scattered copper coins and silver fragments, his eyes reddening slightly. He turned and walked aside, whispered a few words to a few elderly people in the village, and they each went back and contributed some more. With copper coins and silver fragments, the whole village managed to scrape together another five taels and three mace.
The old man stuffed all the money into Zhou Lun's hand, holding his hand tightly and refusing to let go: "Brother Lun, this is all yours. No matter what, you must bring Shouyi back."
Zhou Lun carefully pocketed the money, patted his chest, and assured him, "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely bring my brother back!"
He turned and went inside to pack his luggage. Actually, there wasn't much to pack; he just threw together a few clothes. When he came out, he saw that the sun was already setting, and he realized that if he left now, he probably wouldn't make it to the county town in time.
Just then, Wang Tieniu and Li Shoutian came looking for him, one after the other.
"Brother Lun, we'll go with you!"
Zhou Lun glanced at the two of them, thought for a moment, and did not refuse.
Li and Wang are the most common surnames in the village, and everyone is related by blood. Li Shoutian is Li Shouyi's cousin, and Wang Tieniu is Li Shouyi's cousin by seniority; they're practically family. Besides, with everyone pooling together so much money, it's not uncommon for a "cousin" of unknown origin to take it to the city. The villagers might not say anything, but they'd probably be suspicious. Having the two of them with them would at least silence the gossip.
"Alright! Go back and pack your things, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the three met at the village entrance. Li Shiyan came to see them off personally, holding Zhou Lun's hand and giving him repeated instructions, all of which boiled down to one sentence: "Bring him back."
Zhou Lun nodded vigorously, gave a shout, and the three of them hurried along the path toward the county town.
They were all young men, fast walkers, and covered more than fifty li in less than three hours. When they saw the city gate of Bao'an County, the sun was not yet at noon.
Once inside the city, Zhou Lun, familiar with the area, headed straight for Renji Pharmacy, located in the east of the city.
He knew this place very well. The last few times he went to the city to sell herbs, he was always received by Manager Liu of Renji Pharmacy. He was fair in his prices and spoke to him in a friendly manner. He was easy to talk to.
"Manager Liu!"
Behind the counter, Manager Liu was working on his abacus. Hearing the sound, he looked up and saw Zhou Lun. A smile spread across his face: "Brother Lun? What brings you here today? What good herbs have you gathered this time?"
He put down the ledger and came out from behind the counter.
"I've come to see you today not to sell you medicine, but to ask you for a favor," Zhou Lun said, bowing slightly and lowering his voice.
"What is it?" Manager Liu was taken aback, his smile fading slightly. "What is it?"
Zhou Lun stepped forward half a step and briefly recounted Li Shouyi's story.
After hearing this, Manager Liu's smile vanished completely, and his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
"Lun-ge'er, you overestimate me." He waved his hand, his voice tinged with difficulty. "How could a medicine shopkeeper like me have such abilities? Shouyi's matter not only involves the government but also has to do with the taxes recently imposed by the imperial court. How could I possibly get involved?"
"Manager Liu, I really have no other choice but to come to you for help." Zhou Lun said with a smile, his words softening. "Brother Shouyi only said a few angry words, how did that involve resisting the government? You know a lot of people in the county, and you run a pharmacy, so you must know a few people in the government. I don't expect you to be able to get in touch with the county magistrate, I just hope you can help make a connection, find someone influential to put in a good word for you, and get this matter resolved so that he can be released."
As he spoke, he extended his hand, silently slipping two pieces of silver into Manager Liu's palm: "This is just a small token, a treat for you to have some tea. Once this is settled, I, Zhou Lun, will remember your kindness for life. Please, for the sake of our past friendship, help me out..."
Manager Liu glanced down at the loose silver in his palm and paused, stunned.
The amount of silver wasn't much, but for a farmer like Zhou Lun, it was a considerable sum. He knew the two brothers' situation well; they were just ordinary farmers who would occasionally go into the mountains to collect herbs and then carry them to the shop to sell. Each trip would only earn them a few dozen coins, and it would probably take them half a year to save up that amount of silver.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately his heart softened.
Firstly, they knew each other, and secondly, Zhou Lun made it clear that he was just helping to make connections and build bridges, which wasn't a big deal.
Besides, the imperial court's tax increase this time is indeed a bit excessive. Shaanxi is already suffering from such a severe drought, and the court is still ignoring it. Not to mention the farmers in the countryside, there are many people in the city who are privately complaining about it.
As for Li Shouyi's arrest, to put it bluntly, it was just that those few officials wanted to make an example of him and establish their authority by taking down a peasant.
Manager Liu thought for a moment, clenched the silver in his hand, and sighed, "Alright, you wait here, I'll inquire about it for you first."