Qinghe County and Cangzhou Prefecture

The servants in the manor knew nothing of the theft; the maids and servants had no idea what he was talking about. They only saw him brandishing his claws, drawing a knife, and running towards them, scattering in terror as they fled, shouting, "Prefect Yun Li has killed Commander Wu! Help!"

Yun Lishou staggered forward, shouting as he ran, "Don't go! I'm ordered to kill the traitors!"

The servants didn't care about any of that; they just scattered and ran away, afraid that if they were too slow, they would end up like Commander Wu.

Wu Song entered the room, where the Eight Treasures Box and the Night-Shining Pearl were placed on the table. Wu Song shook his head and sighed, "How many lives have been lost for these two treasures?" He picked up the treasures and prepared to leave.

Yun Lishou suddenly appeared in the room, brandishing a knife and menacingly saying, "Put down the treasure."

Wu Song smiled. Although things had gone slightly wrong, there were no major oversights overall.

Seeing that Wu Song ignored him, Yun Lishou raised his knife and charged at Wu Song.

Wu Song jumped onto the table, turned around, and delivered a beautiful spinning kick to Yun Lishou's chest. Yun Lishou lay on the ground struggling when Wu Song picked up his knife and slashed at his neck.

Originally, Wu Song felt that whether or not to kill Yun Lishou was not important, since Wu Qianhu had already been killed by Yun Lishou. However, when Yun Lishou blocked Wu Song's way, Wu Song realized that if Yun Lishou did not die, he would probably be exposed by him, since Yun Lishou knew him. Remembering what Song Jiang had said, that mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself, Wu Song did not hold back and ended Yun Lishou's sinful life.

Everything had settled down. Yun Lishou stared unwillingly at the doorway, the direction Wu Song had left in, but he was too weak to get up anymore.

Soldiers and yamen runners rushed into the room, where two corpses lay. The sky outside the roof was blue with white clouds, but they could no longer see them.

The county magistrate, his face ashen, looked at the mess before him, and was furious.

The death of a military officer is not something that can be easily resolved, especially since it is still uncertain whether Commander Wu was the one who instructed the thief to steal the treasure.

The leading soldier was also furious and roared, "Who killed the commander?"

At this moment, a servant came over and whispered, "Xiuzhu, Wu Cheng, Wu An, and I all saw with our own eyes that it was Yun Lishou, the military advisor, who stabbed the commander to death with a single blow."

The leading soldier shouted, "Who killed that beast Yun Lishou?"

The servants looked at each other, completely bewildered.

One of them spoke up: "We heard someone shouting and ran over, but we didn't think we recognized the person."

"Yes, yes, yes, it seems I haven't seen that person before," another person chimed in.

I was so shocked by the news of Wu Qianhu’s death that I didn’t even notice that I had never seen that person before at the Wu residence!

Everyone was puzzled.

Suddenly a voice rang out, "How lively! It seems I've arrived just in time."

The magistrate frowned and turned around, saying, "Sir Song, weren't you trapped by Commander Wu? How did you manage to escape? And why are you only arriving now? Isn't it a bit too late?"

When Song Jiang appeared, the county magistrate knew that he had been tricked by Song Jiang again. All the talk about being trapped by Commander Wu was bullshit. He had just deliberately called him to be a henchman!

Song Jiang laughed, "Just in time! How could I be late? If it weren't for your intervention, sir, how could I have escaped unscathed!"

Seeing Song Jiang's smile, the magistrate was furious and said impatiently, "Enough with the idle talk. Clerk Song claims that Commander Wu ordered the theft of the imperial treasure. Do you have any evidence?"

At this moment, a servant came out and said, "I secretly saw Military Advisor Yun and Master go to the back garden to bury something. I dared not show myself, so I kept it in my heart."

Another maid came out and said, "When Military Advisor Yun entered, he did seem to be carrying something in his arms, but we don't know what it was."

Another servant added, "Yes, I happened to run into the two of them when I was passing through the back garden."

The magistrate was dumbfounded. It was as if these three had planned it all along. As soon as he asked the question, they couldn't wait to come out and testify against Commander Wu!

The leading officer could no longer contain himself and shouted, "How dare you! The commander has just died and you dare to be so insolent. Who gave you the right to speak!" With that, he drew his sword and slashed at one of the men on the head.

No sooner said than done, Yang Zhi was faster, drawing his sword swiftly. The soldiers could only parry with their own swords, but Yang Zhi's sword was a treasure. When the two swords clashed, the soldiers' swords broke in two. The swords continued to fly swiftly toward the soldiers' necks, and the leading soldier could only close his eyes and await his death.

The soldier felt a chill on his neck. He opened his eyes and saw that the knife was just touching his neck, but had not actually cut him.

He breathed a sigh of relief after narrowly escaping death.

Song Jiang coldly replied, "With the county magistrate here, how dare you speak? If you dare to be insolent again, you won't be so lucky next time."

The leading officer and soldier, having narrowly escaped death, dared not utter another word.

The group arrived at the back garden, where the magistrate asked, "Where is the object buried?"

The servant looked left and right and spotted a spot where the soil had been turned over. He immediately pointed it out and said, "There it is."

The magistrate waved his hand, and several constables immediately began digging. Before long, they unearthed the luminous pearl and the eight-treasure box.

The magistrate took the treasure and examined it carefully. Although it was covered in dirt, it could not conceal the treasure's magnificence and value.

The magistrate walked up to Song Jiang and whispered, "Could you speak with me for a moment, clerk?"

Song Jiang nodded and smiled, "Congratulations on your remarkable achievement, sir."

The two men gestured for everyone to leave, and the magistrate said mockingly, "The clerk certainly has some good tricks up his sleeve."

Song Jiang shook his head and said, "I don't understand what you're saying."

The magistrate squinted at Song Jiang and said, "Wasn't this eight-treasure box and luminous pearl hidden here by the clerk's men?"

Song Jiang shook his head and said, "Song Jiang has never been to the Wu residence before, and he didn't even know that there was a back garden here."

The magistrate sighed and said, "Let's not beat around the bush. If you hadn't told those servants to say that, I believe they wouldn't have dared to be so presumptuous and take the initiative to be the first to speak out."

Song Jiang laughed and said, "The process is not important, but you should know that the person who ordered the theft has been confirmed to be Commander Wu. The servants just wanted to live."

The magistrate shook his head and said, "Whether you live or not is not up to you or me. If Commander Wu dares to steal the imperial treasure, I will definitely report it to the court truthfully. He will be punished by having his family's property confiscated and his entire clan exterminated."

Song Jiang sighed and said, "I've heard that Commander Wu has a daughter, Wu Yueniang, and a son-in-law, Ximen Qing. I wonder how you intend to deal with them, sir. If you want to implicate them, they won't be able to escape."

The magistrate thought for a moment and said, "That's a matter for Yanggu County. I can only report the facts."

Song Jiang laughed and said, "So, how does Your Excellency intend to deal with these servants? They are completely unaware of the situation."

The magistrate hesitated for a moment before replying, "Put them in jail first!"

Song Jiang continued, shaking his head, "Wu Qianhu and Yun Lishou had a conflict. In a fit of rage, Yun Lishou killed Wu Qianhu, locked the gates of the mansion, burned all the servants to death, and planned to escape. However, you arrived in time with your men, executed Yun Lishou on the spot, and then retrieved the imperial seal. What do you think of this process, sir?"

The magistrate stared wide-eyed at Song Jiang and asked, "Where did I get so many corpses?"

Song Jiang smiled without saying a word. Suddenly, a voice came from afar, "Sir, someone has come to report to the authorities that a fire broke out at an abandoned grain depot outside the city, and it is said that dozens of people have died in the fire."

The magistrate plopped down on the ground and looked at Song Jiang, saying, "Song Jiang is truly ruthless."

Song Jiang innocently replied, "This has nothing to do with me. It was Commander Wu who sent people to silence me."

The magistrate said, "If Clerk Song wants to deceive everyone, he must let me know the process first, otherwise how can I cooperate?"

Song Jiang had already prepared a story: Commander Wu ordered a thief with a capital of ninety thousand to steal the treasure, using the thief's mother and sister as hostages. The dozens of men were the ones guarding the mother and daughter. After the thief handed over the treasure, Commander Wu betrayed him, first having his men kill the thief, then having his soldiers kill the dozens of men, setting fire to the bodies to destroy the evidence. In this way, everything would disappear without a trace, and no one would know that he was the mastermind.

The magistrate was speechless after hearing this, and only after a long while did he ask, "Would Commander Wu have such audacity to dare to steal the imperial treasure?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Does it matter? My task is simply to retrieve the treasure and return it to Jizhou Prefecture. As for the rest, it's none of my concern. Perhaps there's someone behind Commander Wu, but that's beyond our understanding. So, isn't it just right for this matter to end with Commander Wu?"

The magistrate nodded and said, "Indeed, it's a pity about the mother and her two children who were thieves!"

Song Jiang paused for a moment and then said, "These dozens of people are innocent, but I can't save everyone in the end."

The magistrate finally asked, "If Clerk Song wants to save these servants, how does he plan to settle them?"

Song Jiang said, "I have a place to go, but I need the magistrate's help."

The magistrate laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll appeal to the imperial court?"

Song Jiang also laughed and said, "If something happens to me, you won't escape either, sir."

The county magistrate sighed and said, "It is truly a loss for Qinghe County that a talent like Clerk Song is not here."

Song Jiang said softly, "With so many treasures in Commander Wu's residence, I wonder if you have any ideas, sir?"

The magistrate stared at Song Jiang without saying a word. Song Jiang laughed and said, "If someone comes to confiscate your property, I'm afraid you won't get any benefit. The copy of Yan Zhenqing's Luling Collection in the main hall is an authentic work."

The magistrate hesitated for a moment before asking, "What do you want?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Gold and silver jewelry, but as for other antiques and paintings, I won't take a single one."

The magistrate said with a half-smile, "You have quite the appetite, sir, but can you really handle so much gold and silver?"

Song Jiang said, "Antique paintings and calligraphy are much more valuable than gold and silver jewelry. It would be a pity to burn them in a fire."

The two looked at each other and smiled, without saying another word.

The two men walked out of the garden, and the magistrate shouted, "Take down these government troops. If they resist, kill them without mercy."

The officers and soldiers drew their knives, ready to resist.

Song Jiang said calmly, "Commander Wu ordered the theft of the imperial treasures, a heinous crime, and has now been executed. Are you planning a rebellion?"

"Put down your knives," the leading officer ordered. Some immediately dropped their knives, while others hesitated before finally throwing them to the ground.

The magistrate slowly said, "The matter of Commander Wu stealing the treasure has been investigated and is unrelated to you. He should have been arrested and interrogated, but he has already been killed, so this matter ends here. Considering your merits in suppressing bandits, I will also report this to the imperial court, and this matter has nothing to do with you. However, you were too presumptuous at the beginning, daring to offend this official. Now, everyone come with me to the county office, and each of you will receive twenty strokes of the cane."

The magistrate left with his constables and soldiers, leaving the remaining dozens of servants at a loss, fearing they would suffer the same fate as Commander Wu!

One of the witnesses recalled what Song Jiang had said when he first entered Wu's mansion: "If you want to live, do as I say. Otherwise, none of you will escape the court's punishment. You will all die. But if anyone dares to betray me, I will make her suffer worse than death."

Song Jiang wouldn't dare say he was a good person, but he would never kill innocent people. Besides, these servants were quick and efficient, and taking care of the elderly in Liangshan was a good option.

After Song Jiang finished speaking, Yang Zhi swung his sword at a rock, splitting it in two, leaving the others dumbfounded.

Wu Song took the treasure but did not leave the mansion. Instead, he took advantage of the chaos to go to the back garden and buried the treasure!

Song Jiang looked at his servants and said, "Let's set off late at night and think things through carefully! Who knows when we'll be back in Qinghe County."

Some people whispered, "What about my parents and sisters?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "When we get there, write down the address, and someone will pick them up and reunite them with you."

At Wu Song's home, Wu Da was packing Wu Song's belongings, saying, "When you get there, don't fight with people easily anymore. Be reasonable in all matters."

A tear rolled down Wu Song's cheek, and Wu Da laughed, "I'll be back in a few months."

Wu Song stepped forward and hugged Wu Da, who in turn hugged Wu Song back and whispered, "Brother, take care on your journey."

Wu Song released Wu Da, picked up the bundle, opened the door, and said, "Brother, get some rest."

Wu Da said happily, "Tomorrow, Master Zhang wants me to deliver steamed buns early in the morning, so it's okay to work a little harder today."

Wu Song didn't try to dissuade him any further, only saying, "Wait for me to come back," before disappearing into the night. Mi Sheng also disappeared at the same time. He had been secretly protecting Wu Da, and now that everything was over, it was time for him to go and meet up with Song Jiang.

On the banks of a river outside Qinghe County, Song Jiang gave Ruan Xiaoer a big hug!

After a long time apart, Ruan Xiaoer was very excited, but business was of the essence. Looking at the money, food, and one or two hundred men in front of him, Ruan Xiaoer had a sincere admiration for Song Jiang!

He had been waiting for two days. If Song Jiang hadn't told him before leaving Liangshan that he would only wait for Song Jiang for three days at most when he arrived in Qinghe, and that he should return to Liangshan first if he didn't see him, he probably would have been unable to contain himself and would have gone to look for Song Jiang directly!

Enough of the small talk. This time, a total of forty boats were dispatched. Except for Song Jiang, who was still heading to Erxian Mountain, most of the people boarded the boats!

Of course, Bian Xiang, Mi Sheng, Wu Song, Yang Zhi, Shi Qian and Jiao Ting still planned to continue with Song Jiang, while Jiu Wan and her two children would return to Liangshan first!

Song Jiang originally wanted Zhu Tong to take the imperial seal back to Yuncheng to report, but Zhu Tong refused. After discussing it, Zhu Tong decided to go back and report to Shi Wenbin that Song Jiang had found the imperial seal, but still needed to investigate the person behind it and could not return for the time being. He also brought back one item from the imperial seal!

The boats moved slowly forward in the night. Although there were many boats, they still couldn't accommodate all the dozens of horses that the farmhands had brought. Song Jiang had no choice but to entrust the magistrate of Qinghe County to take care of them for the time being, and he would come back to pick them up next time!

"Brother, I also plan to leave for Bianliang!" Although Hao Siwen was reluctant, he had made a promise to his sworn brother Guan Sheng after all!

Song Jiang knew that Hao Siwen had followed him all the way and had formed a deep bond with him, but parting was for a better reunion next time!

He took out one hundred taels of silver and gave it to Hao Siwen, saying, "Don't refuse. We're brothers. Next time we meet, be sure to bring Brother Guan Sheng along!"

Knowing Song Jiang's character, Hao Siwen accepted the silver, bowed, and the two said goodbye. Hao Siwen then turned and disappeared.

Gongsun Sheng then spoke up, "Clerk, we should continue our journey to Erxian Mountain!"

Looking at Gongsun Sheng, who had been virtually invisible in Yunmeng Mountain and Qinghe County, Song Jiang nodded and said, "To get to Jizhou, we need to pass through Cangzhou. I'd like to visit Master Chai in Cangzhou first!"