Chapter 9, Tall and Short People

The short man spoke very arrogantly, and when he was about to say more, the tall man gestured to him, indicating that he should stop talking.

The two men turned around in surprise, only to see the young man behind them. They did not panic; instead, they casually tossed the torch aside. The shorter one said with a grin, "Did you not see? The house is on fire."

Previously, he referred to the charcoal seller as "Old Man," but at this moment, when speaking to outsiders, it is naturally necessary to use a more familiar address; otherwise, it would be difficult to reason with them

Having said that, the tall man pulled his brother and turned to leave the wooden cabin

Saying this, the tall man took out a document from his bosom and placed it in front of Li Xin, which was clearly stamped with the bright red seal of the Jingzhao Prefecture

Another officer waved his hand dismissively: "This old fellow, refusing to let us carry out our duties, even coming over to shove our brother. He should have been taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture prison for questioning, but seeing his old age, I decided not to hold it against him.

This tall individual, referred to as "Second Brother," was clearly aware of some circumstances regarding Li Xin and the Pingnan Marquisate. He lowered his voice and said, "Little brother, after resting for a few days, try to leave the capital as soon as possible. I believe you can also see that there are those who do not wish for you to remain here..."

When Li Xin rushed back to the small cabin at the foot of Beishan, the original small wooden house, which was somewhat simple yet still warm, had vanished without a trace, leaving only a sea of flames.

The tall policeman extended his free left hand, grasping the hand of his brother that reached out to snatch money, and then whispered in his ear: "Brother Ge, do you want money, or do you want your life?"

Li Xin lowered his head and did not respond

Before leaving, the tall man glanced at Li Xin, hesitated for a moment, then took out a silver ingot from his bosom and handed it to Li Xin, saying in a deep voice: "Young sir, this is the official silver compensation from the Jingzhao Prefecture for you, approximately seven or eight taels. It should be no problem to exchange it for fourteen or fifteen guan of copper coins at the bank. This is the compensation from the Jingzhao Prefecture for the loss of your house."

It is important to note that the highly esteemed Prince Pingnan is not in the capital. If this young man truly offends him, should the Prince return and acknowledge this son, then with the power of the Pingnan Marquisate, it would be quite easy to eliminate both of them.

The charcoal seller's face bore numerous bruises, which were not very noticeable due to his dark skin. After being called a few times by Li Xin, the old man, curled up on the ground, reluctantly opened his eyes and glanced back at the small wooden house that was ablaze, letting out a mournful cry.

The two men, the taller one is half a head taller than Li Xin, while the shorter one is about the same height as Li Xin. However, compared to the frail Li Xin, they are much more robust. Without a doubt, Li Xin would not stand a chance against them.

The tall man let out a helpless sigh

His voice trembled, not out of fear, but out of anger

Li Xin took a few deep breaths, managed to calm himself down, and then pointed at the charcoal seller lying to the side, asking in a hoarse voice: "What is the matter with my uncle?"

He was unaware of where the bottom line was for these two individuals. This small wooden cabin is located at the foot of North Mountain, with no households within a ten-mile radius. If these two were indeed murderers or thieves, both he and the charcoal seller and his grandson could very well meet their end here

The tall second brother's status was evidently higher; upon being questioned by him, the short man shrank back a bit, quickly retracting his hand. However, he still felt somewhat unconvinced, casting a sidelong glance at the ingot of silver.

This tall individual, capable of keeping the menacing-looking short man in check, is clearly not a mere good-natured person. The reason he suddenly became much more courteous to Li Xin is that he is somewhat aware of Li Xin's background and does not dare to completely offend this young master of the Li family who has fallen into obscurity.

Li Xin stood in place, never once glancing at the ingot of official silver. He cast a deep look at the two brothers, then turned and ran to the charcoal seller's side to check on the old man's injuries

He was originally just an ordinary person who feared power; he did not intend to oppose the Pingnan Marquisate, he merely wished to survive in this world

The tall man let out a light sigh, bent down to place the silver ingot at Li Xin's feet, and said: "Little brother, the burning of the house is the decision from above, and my brother and I have no way to intervene. As for the injuries on this elder, they were accidentally inflicted by my brother; the wounds are not severe. It is cold outside, so little brother, you should quickly find a place to take shelter and spend the night before discussing further."

This tall man, seeing that Li Xin did not respond, did not continue to press for answers. Instead, he spoke calmly, saying: "For your information, young brother, we are both officials working in the Jingzhao Prefecture of the capital. As His Majesty is scheduled to come to Beishan for a hunting expedition in a few days, some colleagues have been sent to clear away certain dangers in the Beishan area. This wooden house happens to be located at the foot of Beishan, making it a suitable hiding place for assassins. After reporting to the prefect, and upon receiving his approval, we were ordered to burn down this wooden house."

Watching the two burly men depart, a surge of indignation rushed to Li Xin's head, leaving him with no outlet for his frustration. The young man took several deep breaths, turned around, and squatted in front of the old charcoal seller, his voice trembling slightly: "Old man, are you alright?"

The reason he knows Li Xin's identity is that this short individual is indeed an official from the Jingzhao Prefecture, and he is indeed a household guard of the Pingnan Marquis's residence

This ingot of silver is indeed the compensation issued by the Jingzhao Yin, but how can such compensation truly reach the hands of the aggrieved? In the eyes of the short man, this ingot of ten taels of silver is merely their "travel expenses" for this trip

At this moment, the anger in Li Xin's heart was no less than that of the blazing wooden house.

Since these two individuals are affiliated with the government, it at least indicates that they would not casually take lives

The people of the Pingnan Marquisate truly leave no room for error in their work

Outside the fence of the cabin, the charcoal seller was curled up on the ground, with some bruises on his face, clearly having had a conflict with these two individuals and having been beaten by the two strong men. The little girl was lying on her grandfather, sobbing uncontrollably

Another short individual suddenly came to a halt, looking at his companion with a face full of shock and anger

Due to low productivity, it is not easy to build each house. The crime of arson was considered very serious in ancient times; the phrase 'to kill and to set fire' indicates that arson is second only to murder.

Your share, your brother will turn back and cover it out of his own pocket for you

Li Xin's face turned red with anger as he gritted his teeth and said, "This house has an owner; you are burning it so openly in broad daylight. Aren't you afraid the authorities will come for you?"

Li Xin felt a stir in his heart, and only then did he remember that half a month ago, when those young men were "racing horses" on Victory Street, they seemed to have mentioned that His Majesty was going to hunt in the Northern Mountains, and the location of their wooden house... just happened to be in the Northern Mountains

The taller man glanced up and down at Li Xin, then asked, "You... are you Li Xin?"

He reached out to seize the silver ingot, shouting as he did so: "Second brother, you are mistaken; the lord has not issued any compensation!"

At this point, Li Xin felt somewhat more at ease.

The old man's house

Two burly men, one tall and one short, are holding torches and gesturing towards the burning wooden house

In this wooden cabin, there is still a considerable amount of stored charcoal, which makes the fire burn particularly fiercely. The surrounding area, within a distance of four to five zhang, is filled with a blazing red light, making it exceptionally warm during this winter.

Li Xin's face turned ashen as he walked up behind the two burly men holding torches, gritting his teeth and growling, "What are you... doing!"