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墨書 Inktalez
He held the large roasted goose leg in his right hand, admiring its delicious aroma, having already eaten half of it. He truly couldn't eat anymore; he had consumed most of the goose leg himself, while the butler, Afu, hadn't touched it at all. He was really stuffed! Qin Feng also heard Elder Zhang's words, which were quite interesting. The scholars around him were quiet, listening intently.
Now, the North was under the Jin Dynasty's control; they should have destroyed the Liao Dynasty, a nation with hundreds of thousands of cavalry. It seemed that shortly after the Liao Dynasty was defeated, the Jin Kingdom's army launched a major war against the Northern Song. The war ended a few years later, but the Northern Song was annihilated, and Tokyo City became a wasteland.
According to that old man's words, the Jin people had already come from the North. Could it be that the humiliating war was about to begin? He lost his appetite and, having eaten enough, tossed the remaining half of the goose leg onto the table and began to listen carefully to the discussion.
Meanwhile, he noticed that the more sensible butler Afu was still devouring his food. The dishes from Wenxiang Tower were indeed famous and among the best in Tokyo City. The chef here was much better than the old cook at his residence; this meal had been purchased with silver.
In his left hand, he held a steamed chicken leg and took big bites. The flavor was indeed crispy and delicious! With his right chopsticks, he picked up some tender meat strips that looked appetizing—glossy and delicate—and quickly swallowed them down! He then grabbed a sizable piece of braised fish; this fish had been transported from afar and tasted far better than those from the city river.
Wasn't it common for armies to invade during the Song Dynasty? They often reached the borders and at most occupied a few major cities. Then came land concessions and reparations; they would never reach this capital city of Tokyo, which had a hundred thousand elite soldiers guarding it.
While Qin Fu was eating heartily, he thought about this situation and felt reassured enough to continue feasting. However, Qin Feng began to worry. What if he had crossed over just before the Jingkang Incident? That would truly be a dead end for him!
He glanced at Afu beside him, who was still eating as if he had never tasted such delicacies before, devouring everything in sight. He said, "The current emperor of the Song Dynasty is Song Qin Emperor; his era name cannot be Jingkang!"
Qin Fu nodded with a smile and continued gnawing on his chicken leg as if nothing were amiss. But Qin Feng's heart sank; Elder Zhang's words made him feel danger looming. Memories began to surface—the Jingkang Incident was indeed a tragic event!
After Elder Zhang finished speaking, he started wiping away tears from his rough face; he must be nearing sixty years old and looked quite sorrowful! The patriotic feelings of those scholars were ignited; how could they swallow their anger when their homeland and women were being oppressed by the Jin people?
They shouted, "Elder Zhang, please continue! We are not short on money; we just want justice! We cannot let those Jin people go unpunished; we must fight them to the end!" Some became even angrier and said, "Elder Zhang, hurry up! We have already spent so much money; we absolutely cannot let those Jin people off easily!"
Seeing their furious expressions, Elder Zhang initially didn't want to continue but felt compelled by their passionate patriotism to recount those unbearable events. "Wherever the Jin people go, they seize food and beautiful women while slaughtering all men. They take away livestock as well and drive people into desperation as they march from the North. The generals of the Song Dynasty are holding their ground in defense of their cities."
He couldn't help but sigh several times as if deeply worried. Below him, everyone erupted into heated discussions, expressing their outrage at how even beautiful women from their cities were being abducted while all men were slaughtered—truly beasts worse than animals!
These were all scholars who valued integrity; naturally, they could not tolerate such filthy behavior. Some even smashed bowls and plates on their tables in an outburst of suppressed anger; others overturned their chairs in frustration.
In an instant, chaos ensued as it seemed like trouble was about to break out. Suddenly, several soldiers approached wearing black armor with red trousers and black hats on their heads. They appeared tall and stout but had a rogue demeanor about them as they walked without any formality—more like they were strolling around casually—each carrying long broadswords at their waists.
"What do you people think you're doing? Standing around here breaking things—are you planning a rebellion?" One particularly hefty man spoke up; he stood nearly six feet tall but was covered in fat. His loud voice startled everyone into silence.
Those holding bowls and plates slowly set them down; after all, breaking things would only lead to paying for damages—how could that be linked to rebellion? Some murmured that this man was Li Ba from Tokyo City; his brother-in-law was none other than Prime Minister Li Bangyan. Relying on his brother-in-law's position allowed him to act tyrannically in Tokyo City—bullying men and women alike while committing numerous wrongdoings!
His brother-in-law was a high chancellor who arranged for him to hold a second-rank high official position. Yet Li Ba remained unsatisfied and went around collecting protection fees from anyone who could pay—from wealthy merchants in Tokyo City to street performers—he demanded money from anyone regardless of age.
Because his name meant "tyrant," few dared to stand in his way.
Seeing that these people had calmed down somewhat allowed him to proceed with his own business as he slowly pushed past those blocking his path toward Elder Zhang. A few tall soldiers followed closely behind him with greedy expressions on their faces as they eyed Elder Zhang's shabby wooden basin filled with copper coins and silver scraps.
Li Ba waved his right hand dismissively; two soldiers in black armor stepped forward immediately to grab Elder Zhang—one seizing each arm so he couldn't move.
Elder Zhang looked panicked; these ruffians were back again—it felt like feeding an insatiable dog for nothing! Li Ba sneered at him again upon encountering this old man once more. If it weren't for losing five thousand taels last night, he wouldn't have bothered trying to scrape together some money now—his finances were tight enough that he couldn't even afford to go to Yanhua Tower!
Tonight he planned to gamble big at Yongle Gambling House and needed some cash for that too. It seemed like bad luck for this old man running into him three times in a row.
"Elder Zhang," he said mockingly, "you’re fabricating stories here about how the Jin are coming—it’s clearly just stirring up public unrest! Are you trying to incite rebellion? Come with me to the yamen."
"I'll tell my brothers to go easy on you—I'll leave you half your life intact so you won't die here."
Elder Zhang quickly nodded and bowed low as if before an emperor, begging for mercy. "Grandpa Li! I swear I’m just making things up! None of this is true—the Jin haven’t come! Just let me go this time; my old body can’t handle any more trouble! Take all the money below—I don’t want a single copper coin!"
Li Ba laughed as he waved his hand dismissively; one soldier picked up that wooden basin and took away all its contents.
His eyes couldn't help but glimmer with greed as he noticed there was quite a bit of money today along with some silver scraps—these scholars were indeed generous!
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