Chapter 20

In the end, the matter could not be avoided. Xiao Letian became the last pretext for Lian Er's attack. This excuse was so justified; he was an official while Xiao Letian was a bandit. Even if he was shot to death with arrows, Lord Lian Er would not get into any trouble at all.

Fu Qing's forehead was drenched in sweat. He never thought that Lian Er would not give him even the slightest face, and for Hu Niu, he was now completely at odds with the Fucha family.

"Lian Er! Do you want to end this in a complete breakup?" Lord Qing San had no courtesy this time, his murderous eyes fixed on the old coffin.

"Hehe... hehehe... a complete breakup? I'm not afraid of you. You dare to snatch my woman, and I will die with you!" Lian Er had gone completely mad. His eyes had lost all reason, and his infatuation had made him disregard everything.

Led by Luo Huo, ten musketeers, seeing that these soldiers and constables dared to surround Mr. Xiao, all took out their muskets in a fit of anger. The lit fuses glowed dark red, and the muzzles all pointed outward, protecting the black carriage behind them.

"Whoever dares to step forward, I will shoot. Disrespecting Mr. Xiao is the same as disrespecting my own father. If it comes to the worst, we will all die together..."

With a loud bang, the onlookers on the long street all retreated. No one expected the situation to escalate to this point, to the brink of killing.

Lord Lian Er was almost driven mad. Everything that happened today exceeded his imagination. First, he never thought that Fan Lian would have the courage to split the family. Second, he never expected that Fu Qing would be so deeply involved, openly opposing him and showing no consideration for the ties of the Eight Banners.

What he never expected was that these ten peasants, who looked like farmhands, would actually dare to point their muskets at his head. Was this a rebellion? Did they want to kill officials and rebel?

County Magistrate Liu had long seen that something was wrong. He never thought that a few caravan workers would dare to point their guns at officials. In the Qing Dynasty, killing officials was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations.

"Are you all mad? You are all good citizens of the caravan, how dare you be disrespectful to the local officials? Have you forgotten loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness? Don't you think about your families? This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations..." As County Magistrate Liu spoke, he lost his confidence because he saw that these workers showed no fear of him at all.

Before he could finish, the curtain of the black carriage was suddenly pulled open, and a young man with a fair complexion stepped out. His pitch-black eyes stared intently at County Magistrate Liu and Lord Lian Er, his face full of disdain.

"What are you all doing? Are you ready to draw swords and fight? Put away your weapons. I want to see who dares to harm me. An official? So what if you're an official? I'm not afraid of officials in this life..." As he spoke, Xiao Letian glanced around the corners and rooftops of the walls.

"What are you looking at? Put away your weapons. Do I need you to step in for this little matter?" Xiao Letian was nominally scolding the ten musketeers, but everyone knew that in the corners of countless civilian houses on both sides of the long street, there were hidden figures, some of whom had already prepared their weapons, ready to act at any moment.

Xiao Letian calmed the ten musketeers and the elite guards of the Heavenly Kingdom, temporarily suppressing the conflict. Then he looked at the soldiers and constables with their weapons drawn, and said with disdain.

"I heard you want to arrest me? Want to kill me? I'm right here. I want to see who dares to touch a single hair on my head?" Xiao Letian, now in a tough stance, jumped off the carriage and threw his melon-shaped hat on the ground, revealing his classic side part, which he had paid 80 RMB to get cut.

"See that? I don't have a braid, and I'm a second-rate foreigner who has returned from overseas..." As he spoke, Xiao Letian even took out a silver cross from his clothes. "And I'm a Christian, a legitimate convert developed by American Pastor Lewis. The American ambassador, Hu Ruo Han, is my friend. My status is protected by the Treaty of Beijing and the Treaty of Tianjin. I want to see who dares to touch me?"

Xiao Letian looked at the dense crowd in the distance and shouted loudly, "Fellow countrymen of Yixian County, listen up. My name is Xiao Letian, a lone traveler returned from overseas, a Christian protected by the American church. The laws of the Qing Dynasty do not apply to me... Did you hear that? My name is Xiao Letian, a second-rate foreigner..."

This shout was so loud that everyone on the long street heard it clearly. Some of the curious onlookers even echoed, "Fellow countrymen of Yixian County, you heard it. His name is Xiao Letian, a second-rate foreigner... Hahaha..." The crowd burst into laughter.

Xiao Letian was also amused. This was exactly the effect he wanted. Then he turned to the stunned County Magistrate Liu and said coldly, "Are you County Magistrate Liu? As an official in Yixian County, which is so close to Beijing, I don't think you could be unaware of the events four years ago when the Anglo-French allied forces invaded Beijing, right? You forgot the Xilin Incident..."

County Magistrate Liu sucked in a cold breath. One of the main reasons for the Anglo-French allied forces to declare war on the Qing Dynasty four years ago was the Xilin Incident. At that time, County Magistrate Zhang Mingfeng of Xilin killed a Christian and a French priest, giving the Anglo-French allied forces a pretext for war. Was this tragedy going to be replayed in Yixian County? Was there going to be a Yixian Incident?

"I... I..." County Magistrate Liu stammered for a long time without saying anything. Finally, he asked, "Just because you say you're a Christian, you are? Do you have any evidence?"

At this point, even Lord Qing San shook his head. "County Magistrate Liu, when Pastor Liu accepted Brother Xiao as a Christian, over a hundred people in the caravan saw it, and I was right there. Do you think it's fake?"

County Magistrate Liu fainted on the spot. Leaning on Wang Hu, he whispered, "I'm dizzy, help me sit down..." Before he could sit down, Wang Hu heard County Magistrate Liu mutter, "The water is too murky, we can't play this game..." Wang Hu understood and quickly supported the magistrate, retreating step by step.

Xiao Letian had already grasped the pulse of the Qing Dynasty. These officials were cruel and harsh to the people, but once they encountered foreigners, they became spineless. The two Opium Wars had already shattered their courage, especially the fire at the Summer Palace four years ago, which had completely torn the face of the Manchu royal family, let alone these subordinates.

"Lian Er, right? You were shouting to beat and kill me. I'm standing here, let you beat me, let you kill me. Come on, I want to see how you're going to move me?" As he spoke, Xiao Letian walked directly to Lian Er, almost pressing his forehead against his. "Move! Move, damn it! Choose any weapon you like, even a musket to my head, I don't care... If you don't dare to move today, you're a bastard's son..."

"You..." Lian Er's face turned red like a boiled shrimp, his eyes almost bulging out. He was almost fainting with anger. He really wanted to order his men to cut this white-faced man to pieces, but when he saw the silver cross, he deflated like a punctured balloon, unable to say a word.

Xiao Letian appeared arrogant on the surface, but he was crying inside. He never thought that what ultimately saved him was the unequal treaties of the powers. After the Second Opium War, foreigners gained the right to preach and trade inland, and local officials had no authority to try Christian converts for crimes.

It was this unreasonable treaty that became Xiao Letian's protective umbrella, a great irony.

The situation had escalated to this point, and Lian Er was completely stuck, unable to move forward or back. At this moment, Xiao Letian leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Lian Er, I've already revealed my identity to over ten thousand people in Yixian County. In less than an hour, the whole city will know me. I'm afraid of you plotting against me behind my back..."

"Now, the whole city knows my identity and that I have a grudge against you. Before I leave Yixian County, you'd better be my bodyguard. I can't fall when I walk, choke when I drink, or choke when I eat. If anything happens to me, the blame will fall on you... At that time, do you think the emperor will risk a conflict with the foreigners to protect you?"

"Ahh..." Lian Er let out a strange cry, rolled his eyes, and fell straight back. He was already sixty years old, and being cursed, insulted, and threatened by Xiao Letian, combined with his fear of foreigners, his blood pressure soared, and he fainted on the spot.

"Steward..." The soldiers quickly caught the old man, all looking at Xiao Letian in fear. Finally, Lord Qing San showed some mercy, waving them away, and the farce ended.

Xiao Letian picked up Lian Er's whip from the ground and saw that it was adorned with a piece of white jade. "Luxurious, really damn luxurious... Luo Huo, this whip is yours now..."

Xiao Letian patted Luo Huo's shoulder and said earnestly, "Keep this whip well. Remember, someone once whipped you with it. This humiliation you must remember for a lifetime..."

The caravan finally set off, but Xiao Letian did not go with them. He stayed in Yixian County to clean up, as he still had a lot to do.

County Magistrate Liu was secretly carried back to the county office by Wang Hu and his men. As soon as he entered the inner hall, before he could catch his breath, the steward rushed in, "My lord, County Magistrate... It's bad, Xiao Letian has come to see you, he wants to meet you..."

"Ah? No, no... Tell him I'm sick..."

"How is this? You looked fine at noon, but now you're sick? I have to visit you even more... The lone traveler from overseas, Xiao Letian, is coming in..." As he spoke, Xiao Letian strode into the inner hall, followed by two strong men, the injured Xiao Hexin and Wang Huaiyuan.

Wang Hu and his constables formed a circle but did not dare to intercept. They had already guessed the identities of the two men behind him, but the situation was different from last night. With foreign support, even if the other party was a bandit, they did not dare to act rashly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, County Magistrate Liu is really not hospitable. No hot tea, just a bunch of constables surrounding us. Do you really think we are irredeemable criminals?" Xiao Letian walked into the inner hall and sat down in the main seat without waiting for County Magistrate Liu to invite him, as if it were his right.

"County Magistrate Liu, please sit. Constable Wang Hu, stay, the rest, please leave... Steward, bring tea, bring your master's best tea!"

That was it, Xiao Letian had taken over the nest. County Magistrate Liu was almost driven to death. Just as this indecisive magistrate was about to lose his temper, Xiao Letian's words stopped him.

"There are no outsiders in the room, County Magistrate Liu, you don't need to worry about face. Today, I have come to offer you a great fortune. Are you interested?"