Chapter 8

"What is it?"

"I heard that the court recently issued a grace edict, granting amnesty to all, even to those involved in the disaster sixteen years ago. Is this true?"

The village head clearly paused, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes before he smiled. "Youngster, I'm not quite sure. You might want to check the entrance of the Chancellor's Mansion. If there is such an edict, there will certainly be an announcement there."

"Thank you, sir." Liang Xiao bowed again, then turned and left.

After leaving Shi Li, Liang Xiao did not go to the neighboring village to inquire about Huan Sheng's news. He dragged Tu Niu'er, running through the streets and alleys, and finally arrived at the entrance of the Chancellor's Mansion.

The Chancellor's Mansion was located in the old city, on the highest ground of Guangling, the Shugang. Originally, the Chancellor was under the dual leadership of the court and the kingdom, ranking below the king. After the Wu Chu rebellion, the king's power was suppressed and he was deprived of the right to govern the people, making the Chancellor the most powerful official in the kingdom. As a result, the Chancellor's Mansion became the most intimidating place in the hearts of the kingdom's subjects.

Even mischievous boys like Liang Xiao and Tu Niu'er dared not cause trouble at the entrance of the Chancellor's Mansion. Angering the Chancellor could result in immediate execution. Therefore, upon seeing the halberd guards and their weapons at the entrance, Liang Xiao slowed his steps, and even Tu Niu'er became somewhat restrained.

"What are you doing here?" Seeing Liang Xiao and Tu Niu'er approach, two halberd guards stepped forward, their sharp halberds pointing directly at their chests.

"Looking at the announcement." Liang Xiao quickly stopped and pointed to the place where the announcements were posted.

The guards looked at them with disdain, not lowering their halberds but pressing them closer. "Looking at the announcement? Do you even know how to read?"

"Don't look down on us." Tu Niu'er's face turned red, and he shouted, "We... " He thought for a moment, then pointed at Liang Xiao. "A Xiao has read books and knows how to read."

"Is that so?" The guard suppressed a laugh and wrote a character on the ground with his halberd. "Tell me what this character is. If you recognize it, I'll let you see the announcement. If not, get lost and cause trouble elsewhere, not here."

Tu Niu'er looked at Liang Xiao with hope. When it came to fighting, he was fearless and always charged forward. But when it came to reading, he was completely clueless, not even able to write his own name.

This couldn't be blamed on him. In an era where books were still copied by hand, literacy rates were shockingly low, and education was a privilege for only a tiny fraction of the population. Most people might go their entire lives without ever needing to write. Official education had not yet developed, and the village schools of later times were nowhere to be seen. The amount of education one could receive depended entirely on the family's conditions.

Liang Xiao knew how to read because his mother, Liang Miao, knew how to read and seemed to know quite a bit. However, the previous Liang Xiao was not much different from Tu Niu'er; he wasn't fond of reading and had been beaten by his mother many times for it. If it were the old Liang Xiao, he definitely wouldn't have recognized the character.

Fortunately, he had a soul from the 21st century and had some knowledge. He had studied Han Dynasty knowledge and read many Han bamboo slips. Even if the guard wrote a complex character, it wouldn't stop him.

Just as he was about to tell the guard the answer, the sound of hooves came from a distance. A young man in brocade, accompanied by over a dozen riders, rode a tall, snow-white horse and approached. Seeing Liang Xiao from afar, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Why aren't you dead yet?"

Liang Xiao looked up and saw that the young man was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a decent face but too much powder, making him look like a ghost. He deliberately raised his eyebrows, making them uneven, and despite his fine clothes, he exuded a sense of mischief.

The halberd guards quickly bowed and respectfully said, "Greetings, Master Hu."

Tu Niu'er, however, glared and narrowed his eyes, staring at the young man as if ready to pounce. Liang Xiao immediately understood that this young man, Hu Jun, was likely the one who had attacked him.

He regretted not checking the almanac before leaving, wondering why he had encountered this harbinger of misfortune. However, he couldn't show any signs of weakness on his face.

"Actually, I'm already dead." Liang Xiao rolled his eyes dramatically, hopping towards Hu Jun with his knees stiff, and said in a sinister tone, "I came back specially to find you."

Hu Jun, who had been looking fierce, shuddered at Liang Xiao's eerie appearance, with only the whites of his eyes showing and his legs stiff.

Liang Xiao then croaked, "Hehe, you're here too. I've been waiting for you, and it's so cold here."

His appearance was already frightening, and his sinister tone made it even more like seeing a ghost in broad daylight. Despite his mischievous nature, Hu Jun was just a teenager, and with the guilt of his actions weighing on him, he felt his scalp tingle and pulled back on the reins, stepping his horse back.

Taking advantage of Hu Jun's shock, Liang Xiao quietly tore off a piece of his sleeve, quickly balled it up, and stuffed it into the nostrils of Hu Jun's horse. The white horse, feeling uncomfortable, shook its head repeatedly, trying to dislodge the cloth but failing, becoming increasingly agitated, shaking its head and tail, and snorting frequently, moving in circles.

Hu Jun was alarmed, pulling hard on the reins to control the horse, but this only made the horse more agitated. The tighter he pulled, the more the horse spun, and Hu Jun, using all his strength, could not stay on the saddle and had to lean forward, hugging the horse's neck, screaming shrilly.

Liang Xiao looked around and saw that everyone's attention was on Hu Jun, so he secretly took out a crossbow bolt, holding it upside down with most of the shaft hidden in his sleeve, only the tip exposed. When the white horse turned its back to him, he aimed at the horse's anus and thrust hard. The horse, in pain, let out a long neigh and galloped away.

"Help! Help!" Hu Jun screamed in terror, clinging to the horse's neck, not daring to let go. His attendants, not daring to neglect their duties, immediately chased after him, and in a moment, they were out of sight.

"What a pity for such a fine horse to have such a poor rider. It's fate," Liang Xiao sighed, then smiled at the stunned halberd guard. "Master Hu has already performed the character for you. Can I see the announcement now?"

The halberd guard sized up Liang Xiao, suppressing a laugh, lowered his halberd, and nodded. "Go ahead, but finish quickly and don't cause any trouble."

Liang Xiao understood that with Hu Jun's horse spooked, Hu Jun might be injured, and the Hu family could come back for him at any moment. The longer he stayed, the more dangerous it would be. He took large strides, ran to the announcement, and quickly scanned through several announcements of varying ages.

Soon, Liang Xiao found the latest one: "Amnesty for the debts of the Wu Chu seven states."

Liang Xiao smiled inwardly. As expected.

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