Chapter 46: The Imperial Envoy Must Pay Too

"Get out of the way, blocking the path of the imperial envoy is a capital offense!" A bailiff, clearing the way, waved his whip to drive away these 'bandits,' moving the tree branch blocking the road. He thought they were just a group of unruly children who didn't know their place, and he was already being lenient by not whipping them.

"Clang," just as the bailiff lowered his head, he saw a flash of white light. A snowball flew out from the woods and hit his hand. "Hmph, who do you think you are, daring to touch my things? Even if it's the imperial envoy, or even the chief of the village, they can't pass without paying!" A child wearing a bamboo hat and a dagger at his waist swaggered out from the woods, clearly the leader of the bandits.

"Heh, little rabbit," the bailiff was so angry he almost burst out laughing, but before he could finish his insult, the headman covered his mouth.

"Ugh, Headman, what are you doing?" The bailiff pulled away his hand, confused.

"Idiot, have you forgotten about the magistrate's eldest son?" The headman glared at him and whispered. The bailiff immediately shut up, remembering the severe lesson they had received that day. They were now on the territory of that little guy, who might be hiding in the crowd. The bailiff's eyes scanned the area like a radar.

"Little master, I have a string of copper coins here. You can buy some candy and let us pass!" The headman took out a string of about fifty to sixty coins from his pocket and handed it to the bandit leader.

"What took you so long? You've wasted my time. You can pass now!" The bandit leader weighed the coins in his hand and impatiently waved them away. Two little bandits immediately moved the tree branch, and once the bailiffs passed, the branch was put back in place.

"Damn it, drive these little brats away and clear the path!" The captain of the imperial guard, escorting the envoy, was furious. The head of the bailiffs had actually paid the bandits to pass, and he galloped over to shout.

"He's insulting us, take him down!" Seeing the captain galloping over, the bandit leader gave the order. A rope suddenly sprang up from the snow, tripping the horse's legs. Neither the horse nor the rider expected the ambush, and the captain tumbled off.

"Bind him!" The captain, wearing heavy armor, was dazed and couldn't get up. The little bandits pounced on him, grabbing his arms and legs, and managed to tie him up.

"Tsk, tsk, this horse's leg is broken, it's useless now. We can only eat its meat. What a pity!" One of the bandits looked at the struggling horse and shook his head. The bandit leader, without a word, drew his dagger and put the horse out of its misery.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Truly, the poor and the wicked come from the same place. A few little brats dare to obstruct the imperial envoy's procession and assault the guard. Are you all dead? Arrest them and behead them!" Lord Cai, enjoying himself in his carriage, was furious at being interrupted. Seeing the bandit leader kill the horse, he roared in uncontrollable anger.

"Haha, another one who dares to insult me. Bring him to me for punishment!" The bandit leader, removing his bamboo hat, laughed and shouted.

The moment Zhao Cheng removed his hat, the bailiffs from the prefecture recognized the child as the current Second Prince, the Duke of Yingtian, who had caused a commotion at the prefecture. The bailiff clearing the way was now drenched in cold sweat, his legs trembling. He looked gratefully at the headman and quickly lowered his head, silently repeating the Daoist mantra, "You can't see me." His mind was in turmoil, remembering how the magistrate's eldest son had almost been beheaded for insulting the prince, and the magistrate had to give up hundreds of acres of land to save him. This imperial envoy would have to pay a hefty sum to escape this situation!

"Who is he?" The bound captain of the imperial guard asked a nearby bailiff, who was also terrified.

"Ah, this is the Second Prince, the Duke of Yingtian. We're going to see him, don't you recognize him?" The bailiff looked at the captain lying at his feet and thought, "You've been riding your horse while I've been walking, showing off your power. I'll scare you a bit to get some revenge. Did you charge at the prince on your horse just now?" The captain nodded and shook his head.

"Congratulations, last month, the magistrate's uncle and a few subordinates were exiled to Lingnan for this. They're still farming with the barbarians. You probably don't have the magistrate's influence or wealth, so you'll likely be beheaded. But don't worry, the executioner is my brother. I'll tell him to give you a quick death, and he won't charge extra!" The bailiff whispered, but when he looked again, the captain was already unconscious, rolling his eyes and foaming at the mouth.

Meanwhile, Cai You didn't know what was happening and ordered the imperial guards to charge. Just as they were about to catch the prince, a loud roar came from the woods, and four large men rushed out. "Who dares to touch the Duke of Yingtian? Are you tired of living?" The leader was Pan Long, his eyes glaring like a powerful floodlight, even blinding Cai You's second-degree glare. The imperial guards were even more nervous, their hands on their sword hilts.

The bailiffs from the prefecture, seeing these men, took a few steps back. The leader was like an American 'Fortress Bomb,' and no one could withstand a collision with him. The two bailiffs who had been hit by him last time spent the New Year in bed.

"Are you the Second Prince?" Cai You, blinded by the glare, quickly stopped the guards and approached, rubbing his eyes to look at the child. The child was wearing a red brocade robe, deer-skin boots, a golden belt, and a gold fish bag. His face, they say, resembles his mother, and as a close attendant to the emperor, Cai You recognized him immediately.

"Who are you?" While Cai You was examining Zhao Cheng, Zhao Cheng was also looking him up and down. This man had a face like white jade, smooth and tender skin, and a luxurious outfit, exuding a feminine aura. If it weren't for the Song Dynasty, he would have thought he had encountered 'Xiao Shenyang.'

"Oh, I am a Direct Scholar of the Military Council, a Scholar of the Longtu Pavilion, and a Reader to the Emperor, the Director of the Shangqing Treasure Record Office, and the Director of the Two Dao Record Office of the Secretariat."

"Name, you sound like a teahouse waiter reciting the menu, so verbose and feminine!" Zhao Cheng said impatiently.

"I am Cai You, styled Jüan!"

"Oh! So you're the eldest son of the Cai family. You've grown so much in a year!" Zhao Cheng nodded, feeling a chill. This was the famous instigator, the top cuckold, and the emperor's favorite actor in Song history, who not only gave his wife to the emperor but also offered his own 'flower' to the emperor.

"Ah?! That's me!" Cai You was taken aback. He mixed with the emperor every day, and Zhao Cheng didn't even call him uncle or elder brother, but called his father 'Old Cai,' treating him like a junior. But he couldn't explain, so he had to accept it.

"Little Cai, I heard someone call me a little brat just now. Was it you?" Zhao Cheng grabbed Cai You's shoulder and pulled him down to ask.

"It's all because I failed to recognize the prince!" Cai You, seeing the prince's friendly gesture, squatted down and smiled obsequiously. With so many people watching, he couldn't deny it. Besides, he was used to flirting with the emperor, so he admitted it.

"Oh, you admit it. So you mean my father is a male brat, my mother is a female brat, and I am a little brat!" Zhao Cheng patted his face. Cai You understood that the prince was pulling him down because he was too tall, not out of affection. The imperial guards couldn't help but turn away and laugh, while the bailiffs moved even further away, fearing that the prince would order them to be silenced if they saw him kneel and slap himself on the street.

"I had no such intention!" Cai You was frightened and changed from squatting to kneeling, now at the same height as the prince. He knew that while his secret affairs with the emperor were fine, admitting to intentionally insulting the prince would make the censorious officials write memorials overnight.

"Still looking? He admitted it, bind him and behead him!" Zhao Cheng quickly drew a sword from a nearby imperial guard and threw it to Xue Bao.

"Yes, Second Prince!" Pan Long pinned Cai You down, slapped off his hat, and pulled his hair to expose his white neck. Xue Bao spat on his hands, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to execute him. Everyone was stunned, thinking he would be beheaded immediately.

"Spare me, Prince! Lord Liang, save me!" Cai You's face turned green. Despite being a favorite of the emperor, a prince killing him would at most result in the loss of his title and confinement, but his head would be gone forever. He couldn't help but shout for help.

"Shut up, he's very skilled, it won't hurt at all!" Zhao Cheng searched Cai You's pockets and found a stack of banknotes. "Scholar Cai, you have so much money on you. It's useless to you now, and you can't spend it in the afterlife. I'll burn it for you as paper money!" He put the banknotes in his own pocket.

"Congratulations, Prince!" As Zhao Cheng was untying Cai You's jade belt, he thought the old man was quite calm, not coming out even after all this. But just as he was about to untie the belt, he heard Liang Shicheng's voice.

"Ah, Grandma Liang, you're here too! Why did you take so long? Even if we're old acquaintances, you still have to pay the toll!" Zhao Cheng had met Liang Shicheng a couple of times in the palace, and the wrinkles on his face were unforgettable. Seeing him come down, Zhao Cheng cursed him in his heart, "If you had held on a bit longer, that jade belt would have been mine." But he still smiled and bowed to Liang Shicheng.

"Yes, yes, I will!" Liang Shicheng, with a thin smile, took out a small silver ingot and handed it over.

"Hmm, Grandma Liang understands. Come to my place for a cup of hot tea later!" Zhao Cheng bit the silver ingot and threw it to a servant. "Zhao Ren, give him change!"