Chapter 50

A carriage that had departed from Happy Grove sped down a narrow path and then stopped about a mile or two away from Anping Fort, no longer moving forward.

Several men got off the carriage and stood by the roadside, talking. One of them said, "There are many people in the fort, and many recognize Brother Tang Long. Only I and the young overseer will go in. The rest of you brothers wait here for a moment!"

A man with a pockmarked face looked at him with gratitude, nodding vigorously in response. A fat monk standing nearby thought for a moment and said, "Brother, go and come back quickly. If I get impatient, I'll go in to look for you!" As he spoke, he glanced sideways at a fair-faced man standing beside him.

The fair-faced man, feeling quite uncomfortable under the monk's gaze, laughed awkwardly and explained, "A few words with my father will do; I won't keep the overseer waiting long!"

It turned out that this group of people were none other than Wang Lun and his companions, who had just left Happy Grove and were heading to Anping Fort.

Wang Lun nodded slightly to Lu Zhishen and gave a few instructions to Zhang San and Li Si, then patted Shi En on the shoulder. The two of them headed straight for Shi En's main camp not far ahead. Wang Lun was not afraid that anyone around him would play any tricks. Whether this person was truly submissive or not, he did not believe that Shi En, who had been a gang leader for several years, could not see the current situation clearly.

After a brief moment of losing composure on the wine floor, Shi En quickly regained his composure. Without a word, he called his confidants to take the gold, then took the initiative, turning the remaining scene into his performance time. He first tried to build a rapport with Wang Lun very enthusiastically. Later, he asked Tang Long about his arm with deep concern. After Tang Long explained the reason, Shi En, with righteous indignation, offered to avenge him and level the Crossroads Slope. This was a stark contrast to his initial indifference to Tang Long's severed arm. If someone unfamiliar with the situation saw his current heartfelt appearance, they would think the two were inseparable friends.

Wang Lun saw that this young man, despite his youth, had a clear mind and a decisive and ruthless demeanor, along with a talent for swaying people. If Jiang Men Shen had not appeared, and Shi En had another ten years of experience, he would surely become a new Song Jiang in Mengzhou.

As the two walked, Wang Lun remained silent, and Shi En did not dare to act rashly, only leading the way politely. When they reached the gate of Anping Fort, the guard saw that the young overseer had returned and hurriedly greeted him. Shi En only responded with a long "hmm" and asked where his father was. The guard respectfully replied, "Not long ago, the prefect sent a convict from Huainan. The overseer is now in the inspection hall."

Shi En nodded slightly and invited Wang Lun to the hall. Along the way, many people came to greet Shi En. He either chatted with them, nodded slightly, waved them away, or ignored them. Regardless of his approach, those who greeted him were very respectful, with humble smiles, only retreating slowly after Shi En had walked far enough. Wang Lun observed all this and thought that the young overseer's authority in the prison camp was no less than his father's.

They soon arrived outside the inspection hall where the overseer was holding court. Wang Lun saw an old official in his forties or fifties sitting on the dais, looking down at the documents sent by the prefect. Below, seven or eight guards were holding a prisoner, waiting for his judgment.

Shi En turned to Wang Lun and said, "I apologize for the delay," then entered the hall directly, leaning down to whisper a few words to the old official. The old official looked at Wang Lun with great surprise, but Wang Lun only smiled and nodded. The old official, seeing this, withdrew his gaze and instructed the guards to wait, then went to the back hall with Shi En.

"Father, I took the initiative and agreed on your behalf. I thought the bandits from Liangshan were very difficult to deal with. A wine vat as heavy as a thousand catties at my hotel was easily moved to the middle of the road by a monk. Moreover, their fort has thousands of men. If I had not agreed, disaster would have come soon!" Shi En said hurriedly before the old official could sit down.

The old official looked at his son for a while and said, "Is it easy to deal with Grand Marshal Gao?"

Shi En shook his head and said, "Grand Marshal Gao Qiu's name is intimidating, but he is far in Tokyo, and the threat is not as urgent as the one we face now. Even if Gao Qiu could control everything, he cannot eliminate everyone who opposes him. If we offend the powerful bandit leader of Liangshan, the consequences would be severe. I have considered this several times. As the saying goes, 'When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one.' That's why I took the initiative and agreed to their request."

Seeing his father frown, Shi En continued, "Moreover, they did not come empty-handed. They just gave me a thousand taels of gold. Father, if Grand Marshal Gao wants to harm someone, he only needs to give a verbal order, saying that there will be benefits later. Gao Qiu is as far away as the sky. Would he go through all the trouble to specifically take care of you? Even if he did, a promotion would not be as practical as a thousand taels of gold!"

Hearing this, the old official's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "A thousand taels of gold? The bandits on Liangshan are indeed willing to pay a high price! If I were a scholar, this ten thousand strings of cash might not even buy me a prefecture. Well, well, in a difficult situation, we must focus on the present!"

Shi En smiled, seeing that he had convinced his father. He was about to get up when the old official called him back. "We must handle this well. We must get the gold without letting Grand Marshal Gao see through it!"

Shi En nodded and said, "This is a regular business. We won't fail. Please rest assured, Father!"

The old official laughed and muttered to himself, "Ten thousand strings, ha ha, ha ha..."

In the hall, the guards, seeing that the overseer had not come out for a long time, began to chat freely. The prisoner standing in the middle sneered, "If the ruler is not a ruler, the minister is not a minister, the official is not an official, and the clerk is not a clerk, the people will lose their sense of duty and become bandits!"

The guards, seeing that a prisoner dared to speak so boldly, were all angry. One of them shouted, "You, don't be so arrogant! Once you enter Anping Fort, you will have to lie down if you are a snake and crouch if you are a tiger. If it weren't for your skills and the respect my young overseer has for heroes, I would beat you to death and send you to the underworld to complain!"

The prisoner, hearing this, became angry and said, "Beat me, beat me! If you beat me less, you are not human!"

The guards all laughed, thinking, "Is this man crazy?" They were all ready to beat him.

Just then, Shi En and his father came out from the inner room. The old official subconsciously looked at Wang Lun outside the hall, smiling and nodding. Wang Lun, seeing that he was initially formal but now smiling warmly, knew that the matter was settled. He also nodded in return.

Shi En quickly walked over, ignoring the others in the hall, and led Wang Lun to a secluded place. He whispered, "At midnight, ten miles east of Anping Fort, there is a hill. Sir, just wait there for me!"

Wang Lun nodded and thanked him, "Thank you, young overseer!"

Shi En patted his chest and said, "We are all men of the江湖 (jianghu, meaning the world of outlaws and wanderers), and we value righteousness! My father also deeply appreciates your righteousness, which is why he is taking the risk to help. However, after you save Xu Ning, please have him change his name and hide. Don't let him expose us!"

Wang Lun laughed heartily and said, "No problem. When we return to the fort, I will ask my brother to wear an iron mask like the famous judge Di, so no one will recognize him. Don't worry, young overseer!"

Shi En, hearing this, thought to himself, "Gao Qiu is far in Tokyo, and Jizhou is not an important prefecture. I don't believe he will find out the details so easily." He nodded and was about to see Wang Lun out of the fort.

However, Wang Lun held his hand and said, "I came here today, and many people must have seen me. If everyone hears tomorrow that Teacher Xu died in prison, they might suspect that we switched him. Of course, it would be better if no one suspects, but if someone does, I suggest we use a diversion. We can plant a clue here. If you notice anything suspicious in the future, you can deliberately leak some information to make people believe that I came today only to rescue the convict from Huainan. By then, Teacher Xu will be far away, and who will find him to confront you in court? You can just say that you only released the Huainan convict. Who will investigate a minor criminal? With some preparation, you and your father will be safe as a mountain!"

Shi En, hearing this, nodded and thought, "Gao Qiu is far in Tokyo, and Jizhou is not an important prefecture. I don't believe he will find out the details so easily." He nodded and was about to see Wang Lun out of the fort.