Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Du He grew up in Jingzhao Prefecture. People like him from Guanzhong rarely visited places like Luoyang, Taiyuan County and Yangzhou.

Although he passed through Luoyang last year while accompanying the army to conquer Goguryeo, he stayed in the camp with the army due to time constraints.

Now that I finally have some free time, of course I want to travel around Luoyang.

Pei Xingjian was quite familiar with Luoyang, he said immediately.

"Sir Du, I am willing to be your guide."

Du He asked curiously, "Shou Yue, have you been to Luoyang before?"

Although Du He and Pei Xingjian had known each other for several years, their friendship was only a casual acquaintance and they knew nothing about each other's past lives.

In the past two years, Pei Xingjian was promoted by himself. Due to the difference in their status, Pei Xingjian would not talk about his past.

Pei Xingjian clasped his fists and replied, "Minister Du, when I was young, I often came to Luoyang with my clansmen, so I am somewhat familiar with this."

Du He nodded and said, "In that case, let's change into regular robes before setting off."

Both of them are now wearing official robes, and they will definitely attract everyone's attention when walking on the street.

Especially since Du He was wearing a bright dark purple official robe, the knowledgeable scholars and common people in Luoyang would definitely recognize his official rank.

...

Half an hour later.

Two young men with noble looks, each holding a paper fan, appeared on the streets of Luoyang City, protected by more than a dozen strong men.

The streets are lined with shops of all sizes, with merchants and travelers coming and going in an endless stream, and one can also hear the delicate voices of brothel girls soliciting customers.

"Don't leave, gentlemen. Come in and play!"

"We have a new performance at Rouge House today, and there are free drinks!"

"Sir, come in quickly!"

In several brothels along the busy streets, a group of women stood on the attic corridors on the second floor soliciting customers.

When they saw the noble Du He and Pei Xingjian, they knew that they were from wealthy families.

If they could invite these two people in for some drinking and fun, perhaps the money they could earn from entertaining them would be more than what they had earned from months of hard work.

Du He glanced at the rouge and powder in the attic, and he sighed as he waved his paper fan.

"As expected of Luoyang, the Eastern Capital. Although it is not as prosperous as Chang'an and other places, it is far superior to ordinary prefectures and counties."

"It's just that the girls in the brothels here are not as pretty as those in the Baihua Tower in Chang'an."

As soon as Du He finished speaking, several dissatisfied voices suddenly came from behind him.

"Who are you?"

"How dare a barbarian from the interior comment on the women of Luoyang?"

"It is said that the people in Guanzhong are just like the barbarians on the grasslands, ignorant of etiquette and unable to distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Today I heard that the rumor is indeed true."

"It's so chilly in the spring breeze, and yet you're still pretending to be so cool with your folding fan. It looks so disgusting!"

Hearing the sarcastic voice coming from behind them, Du He and Pei Xingjian turned around and looked.

They saw four middle-aged men in light green and dark blue official robes, with their arms folded across their chests and looking at them defiantly.

Behind the four of them, there were more than ten county soldiers holding swords.

When the people around saw these four officials, they quickly left the place as if they were avoiding the plague god.

Even the little kids who loved to play pranks fled into the streets and alleys.

When Du Wu, Zhang Shizheng, Feng Shijin and others heard that these four petty officials dared to ridicule their master, they all scolded them angrily.

"Be bold!"

"How dare you disrespect the master!"

"Apologize to the master immediately and I will spare your life!"

Du He also wanted to see who these four people were, so he waved his hand slightly to stop Du Wu, Zhang Shizheng and others.

When the four people on the other side saw Du He's action, they thought that Du He was afraid. They judged that Du He was just an ordinary kid from a wealthy family.

If he were the son of a meritorious minister, he would definitely not tolerate their ridicule.

So the four of them swaggered five steps towards Du He and Pei Xingjian and started to lecture them in a pretentious manner.

"You are a foreigner, so remember this and don't point fingers at the girls in Luoyang City."

"And your guards are too arrogant. They dared to insult the imperial officials. I will put them in jail!"

Smelling the strong smell of alcohol emanating from these four people and hearing their arrogant words, Du He burst out laughing.

He is really showing off his skills in front of Guan Gong and even acting arrogantly in front of the Minister of Works.

Du He smiled and said, "What positions do you hold? How can you have the power to detain civilians at will?"

"Besides, my guards didn't say anything disrespectful. I think it's better to forget it, right?"

When the four heard Du He's words of surrender, they burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"You don't even know our names, no wonder you dare to speak so arrogantly to us!"

The people of Luoyang City who had been hiding far away saw these four lawless officials bullying outsiders, and they all expressed regret.

"These outsiders are so confused! Can't they even recognize the official robes of King Cao and King Cheng?"

"Now that I have provoked King Cao and King Cheng, not only will I have to suffer physical pain, but I will also have to pay a large sum of money as compensation!"

"If I don't pay you one or two thousand strings of cash this time, I'm afraid this matter won't be resolved!"

It is not difficult to hear from the words of these people that these four people often do such things.

They actively stir up conflicts, lure these unsuspecting outsiders into committing crimes against them, and then detain the outsiders and demand compensation.

In the past, these four people always pretended to be ordinary people and played the role of pigs to eat tigers. Unexpectedly, even though they were wearing official robes today, some people still fell into his trap.

A faint sneer appeared on Du He's lips, and then he pretended to be panicked and said.

"Who the hell are you?"

Although these four people have not introduced themselves yet, Du He has already guessed that they must be Zhang Liang's adopted sons, otherwise they would not be so arrogant.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a big nose, who said with a grin.

"Listen carefully, you barbarians from the interior of the country!"

"I am Cao Mengbiao, the military officer of Luozhou. This is Cheng Su, the military officer of Hucao. The one next to me is Zhang Shuai, the county magistrate of Luoyang. The other one is Huang Tieshi, the county lieutenant of Luoyang!"

"If you follow us now, you can avoid physical pain!"

When Du He saw that a group of small fry dared to be so arrogant, he finally understood why Zhang Liang was so troubled.

Moreover, these four people control the military and financial power of Luoyang City, yet they dare to do such a thing. It can be seen that they are so arrogant that they have no scruples.

A moment of silence.

Du He said softly, "If I want to solve this privately, what do you think I should do?"

"After all, this princess is new here and I accidentally bumped into you. I hope the four adults will show some mercy!"

When the leading military officer Cao Mengbiao saw Du He's cooperation, he immediately stepped forward and spoke in a loud and low voice.

"Give me 5000 strings of cash as compensation, and the matter will be over!"

Hey!

It's really a lion's mouth.

Du He said coldly: "You are really courageous!"

"I don't know if you are a repeat offender or if you didn't check the almanac before going out today, but you actually blackmailed me!"