Chapter One Hundred and Four: Waylaid

Lord Lu was somewhat troubled by Yang Wenhao’s behavior.

“Young Master Yang, if you keep this up—” Lord Lu began.

“It is nothing, Lord Lu,” Yang Wenhao said with a shake of his head. “I do not believe Magistrate Chen is foolish enough to come here and demand justice for his son.”

Hearing this, Lord Lu remained half-convinced, half-suspicious, but he still invited Yang Wenhao into the main hall.

There, the two of them spoke for a long while.

Yang Wenhao also told him something of his own affairs.

Lord Lu was greatly shaken by what he heard. Once, Yang Wenhao had been but a lone man; now, he had become a great general in charge of all the defenses of Xianyang. His rank and standing far surpassed that of Lord Lu, and most important of all, he was highly favored by the emperor.

Lord Lu also asked after Yi Xiaochuan, and Yang Wenhao told him the truth.

After hearing it, Lord Lu could only shake his head and sigh. They had once been two men of equal standing, yet now they had fallen so far apart. He felt deeply sorry for it.

At first, Yang Wenhao had thought Lord Lu might bring up the matter of a marriage proposal, but he said nothing.

Perhaps he felt that, at present, the Lu family no longer matched Yang Wenhao’s standing, and that such a matter should be raised by Yang Wenhao himself.

But Yang Wenhao naturally had no intention of doing so. He still had no thought of marriage.

Though he now looked to be in his late teens, in truth he was only seventeen in his previous world.

“Lord Lu, the reason I have come this time is that I hope the Lu family will move to Xianyang and settle there together,” Yang Wenhao said.

Lord Lu hesitated.

Yang Wenhao immediately saw his concern and said, “You need not worry, Lord Lu. Before coming, I had already made all the arrangements. I bought a piece of land for the Lu family and had a residence built upon it. You need only move there.”

Just as Lord Lu was weighing the matter, Lu Zhi suddenly slipped in.

Seeing her, Lord Lu was displeased. “Lu Zhi, how can you eavesdrop on others’ conversation?”

“Father,” Lu Zhi said, “I think Young Master Yang is right. With your learning and knowledge, if you do not go to Xianyang and remain in Pei County, would that not be a waste of talent?”

Hearing this, Lord Lu thought it over and agreed that it made sense. At last, he nodded and consented.

Seeing that her father had agreed, Lu Zhi looked at Yang Wenhao and smiled faintly.

Yang Wenhao smiled back on the surface, but inwardly he could only sigh.

Once Lord Lu had agreed, Yang Wenhao had his men help pack up the household belongings.

His next stop was Dong Commandery, where he intended to find the Heavenly Star, and naturally Lord Lu would be traveling with him.

The day came when everything had almost been packed. In truth, the Lu household did not own much; though they were scholars, they had very little wealth. They were preparing to depart when a servant suddenly brought word that the magistrate of Pei County had come to call.

Lord Lu’s eyes immediately fell on Yang Wenhao. No need to guess; the magistrate had surely come because of his son.

“I will handle this,” Yang Wenhao said, rising to leave.

Lord Lu hurried after him at once, afraid Yang Wenhao might cause trouble. If anything truly went wrong, it would be difficult to deal with.

At the gate, they saw Magistrate Chen arriving with his son.

When Magistrate Chen saw Yang Wenhao, his expression was full of deference. “General Yang, Lord Lu.”

Lord Lu looked at Yang Wenhao in surprise, not expecting Magistrate Chen to be so respectful toward him.

If Magistrate Chen had known what Lord Lu was thinking, he might well have died of anger. After all, several thousand soldiers were camped outside. If he provoked Yang Wenhao and Yang Wenhao killed him, it could all be dismissed as nothing more than his own corruption and abuse of power.

In a place far from the emperor’s reach, the truth was plain: whoever had the stronger hand was the one in charge.

The might of those several thousand soldiers weighed on him so heavily that he felt stifled.

“Yesterday, this unworthy son angered General Yang,” Magistrate Chen said. “Today I have come specifically to beg General Yang’s pardon.”

When Magistrate Chen finished speaking, the young master beside him knelt to the ground. “Please forgive me, General Yang. I was blind and ignorant, which is why I behaved so rudely. I beg your pardon.”

“All right. Get lost,” Yang Wenhao said.

To order the son to get lost in front of the father was something so outrageous that even Lord Lu found it hard to believe.

The young master froze, then turned to look at his father.

Magistrate Chen gritted his teeth. “Did you not hear General Yang? Get lost. I am confining you for a year. You are not to step outside.”

“I—” The young master was unhappy and had just started to protest when his father kicked him aside. “Get back inside.”

Only then did the young master flee in utter embarrassment.

“It is my failure in teaching my son,” Magistrate Chen said, bowing to Lord Lu and General Yang. “I ask your forgiveness.”

Then Magistrate Chen noticed the Lu household was in the midst of packing and could not help asking, “Lord Lu, are you leaving?”

“Yes,” Lord Lu said with a nod.

“When do you depart?”

“Now.”

“Then allow this humble official to escort you all.”

“Father, did you see that?” Lu Zhi said proudly from within the carriage. “That magistrate and that Chen young master—so what if they are there? With Young Master Yang here, we do not need to lower our heads to anyone.”

Lord Lu shook his head. “I underestimated Young Master Yang. I never thought that in just a few short years, he would rise so high in rank and power, becoming a general of ten thousand troops.”

“Young Master Yang is a dragon among men. Was that not what you yourself said, Father?” Lu Su said from beside him.

“Yes, little sister is right,” Lu Zhi said, nodding. “Before, I thought what Father said was all exaggeration, but now I believe it.”

Lu Su added, “Father, you once even wanted to marry my sister to Liu Bang. But now Liu Bang has long since fled somewhere unknown. How could he possibly deserve my sister?”

“Little sister, do not mention him,” Lu Zhi said. “Every time you bring him up, I feel annoyed.”

Hearing this, Lord Lu let out a long sigh, not knowing what to say.

At that moment, the carriage, which had been moving steadily along, suddenly came to a halt.

Shouts erupted from all around.

Lord Lu sensed that something was amiss and said to Lu Zhi and Lu Su, “I will go down and take a look. You stay in the carriage.”

Lu Zhi and Lu Su both nodded.

Lord Lu then stepped down and discovered that the road had been surrounded by a large number of people, each armed. Without question, they were bandits.

What surprised him was that although several thousand soldiers had originally accompanied them, now there were only a few dozen burly men in plain clothes left. They did not look anything like an army.

What in the world is Young Master Yang doing? Lord Lu wondered.

At that moment, a man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a face covering stepped out from among the bandits.

“Hand over all your valuables, and we will spare your lives.”

“Liu Bang!”

Though the man in the hat and mask had concealed himself well, Lord Lu was still astonished when he recognized that build and that familiar bearing.

The masked man also looked over. When he realized it was Lord Lu, he cried out in shock, “Lord Lu!”

“So it really is Liu Bang,” Lord Lu said.

Liu Bang had never imagined he would end up robbing Lord Lu.

In that instant, his eyes flickered, and an idea came to him.