The Slender Waist-Chapter 21 - 17: Even Thieves Have Their Code

The Wang Dian of the eastern city’s great slope was a wealthy household that could be counted on in Andu County.

On the day the Beiyong Army entered the city, Wang Dian was scared witless and did not hesitate to present his tributes. Grain, cloth, land, and jewels, he pulled together a full ten or more carts, which showed his sincerity.

Since Jin Country had taken over the Yellow River basin, unlike Qi Country, which relied on the powerful clans, it still granted some privileges and favorable treatment to the large clan families.

This was the way for a wealthy household to survive. Having paid tribute and assured the safety of his family members, only then did Wang Dian somewhat ease his mind.

"Speaking of the registry of nobles, my great-grandfather and the Wang Family of Taiyuan originally came from the same branch, a distinguished family of the present era, nobler than the Chen Family of Yingchuan, not to mention the Feng Family of Xuzhou. But since the establishment of the Qi Dynasty over twenty years ago, we have been rejected by our main branch, and the Imperial Court was unwilling to make use of us... Instead, that old dog Feng Jingteng, by marrying a widow from the Chen Family of Yingchuan and climbing up to the Xiao Family of Lanling, has risen up through influence..."

"Lord Wang is truly underutilizing his talent. Fortunately, regardless of which dynasty changes or who is in power, they all need to win over the large clans. Once the situation stabilizes, Lord Wang could find a reliable person to recommend him, and see if he could assume the post of governor..."

In the middle of the night, the Wang Family residence was brightly lit, and Wang Dian knelt at a huali wood desk, engaged in idle talk with his guest, listing Feng Jingteng’s petty actions, when suddenly, a commotion erupted from the outer courtyard.

"Bandits are here... Master, it’s dreadful, the bandits have come..."

A steward stumbled up to the eaves, panicking beyond reason.

"Bandits, bandits have tied up the young master and want the master to come out to talk..."

Wang Dian’s mind overheated, and he nearly fainted.

Wang Chao was his legitimate son, the apple of his eye.

Since the Beiyong Army had entered the city, some of Andu’s original soldiers had deserted and turned bandit, hiding among the populace. To feed and warm themselves, it was inevitable they would become marauders, but wealthy households all had their own guards, and ordinary bandits would not dare to intrude.

Wang Dian could not believe that someone would dare target the Wang Family.

"The Beiyong Army respects me to some extent; which band of bandits would be so audacious?"

In the courtyard, a group of about twenty bandits, dressed in black and with their faces covered in black scarves, brandished gleaming broadswords at the neck of Wang Chao.

The eldest son of the royal residence was disheveled, with bare legs under a flimsy robe, crying out for his father to save him, while another woman, equally disheveled, was Wang Dian’s beloved concubine from the Shan Family. She hung her head low, trembling all over.

The sight made Wang Dian feel a bit dizzy.

"The audacity of you all! Release my son immediately..."

"Lord Wang." A low voice came from behind the masked bandits.

Wang Dian looked over.

The person was also masked in black, slender in build and much slighter than the other bandits, yet unexpectedly, this was the bandit leader.

"Today, I was able to easily capture your son, thanks to Lord Wang’s favored concubine. If not for their unspeakable deeds at night, which drew away the guards, I wouldn’t have succeeded so smoothly."

When Wang Dian saw that situation earlier, he had a bad premonition.

But family scandals cannot be publicized, he could not ask about it.

Now that it was spoken of in front of the family guards and servants, his face flushed red with shame, a surge of revulsion rose up, and he felt ready to collapse.

The bandit leader kicked the prostrate Wang Chao, his eyes and voice cold.

"Father and son sharing a concubine, destroying all moral principles. Once a person becomes vile, they lose all value. If Lord Wang is unwilling to pay the ransom, I will not force the issue. Give up one-third of your stored grain, and I will help you ’clean the house’ by killing this scourge for you. But if your affection for him runs deep, the price will be different—yes, at least half of your stored grain."

"Beast!" Wang Dian spat at his son, taking the opportunity to look around.

There were roughly twenty bandits, while his estate had thirty to forty household guards. Furthermore, the Beiyong Army would patrol at night, so the bandits would not dare to kill so brazenly—

"What is Lord Wang pondering?" The bandit leader spoke again, "A desperate villain stops at nothing. Lord Wang, my patience is limited."

With that, the bandit leader commanded in a cold, stern voice, "Bring them over."

Two dirty, barely recognizable men were dragged forward by the bandits. Under their tattered clothes, the scars were clear, as if they had been severely beaten and tortured.

"These are two illegitimate sons of the Xu Family from the southern city, unlucky to fall into my hands. Their father, with more than a dozen sons, refused to give up grain for their ransom..."

Without emotion, the bandit leader finished introducing the identities of the newcomers, then in a measured tone said:

"There’s no use keeping these worthless people. Chop them up! Open Lord Wang’s eyes—"

The black-clad bandits did not respond. Like emotionless wooden figures, without waiting for the words to settle, two three-foot-long swords thrust down fiercely.

"Ah—ah!"

The screams tore through the night, the two had fallen to the ground, their eyes wide open.

The dark-hued blood flowed out from their bodies, gruesome and horrifying, clearly dead.

Wang Dian’s face paled, and Lady Wang, upon hearing the news and arriving at the scene, let out a mournful cry and collapsed on the spot, begging Wang Dian to save their son...

"Fine, fine, I’ll pay the ransom, pay..."

Wang Dian had not expected the bandits to truly dare kill.

The eldest son may be unworthy, but he was still the legitimate heir; his life was still of value.

"Open the granary, and let these strong men help themselves..."

No sooner did a servant answer than the bandit leader laughed.

"Keep the grain in the warehouse for Lord Wang to deal with emergencies; I’m not greedy," he said.

Following that, his dark eyes twinkled with cunning humor, "My apologies for not being clear. The stored grain I want refers to the hidden stores in Lord Wang’s cellar."

Wang Dian was so shocked that his face became contorted.

In times of chaos, which major household hadn’t stockpiled grain in advance?

Beneath the Wang Family’s large mansion, a three-layered cellar was built as secure as a fortress. Before the war, Wang Dian had stockpiled gold, silver, jewels, colorful fabrics, and food underground. The amount of grain stored there could sustain his entire family for twenty years...

But how had wind of this leaked, allowing the bandits to learn of it?

"Do not fear, Lord Wang." The bandit leader’s voice was more pleasant than before, sounding rather soothing, "I’ve read the classics and am not unreasonable. There’s a code even among thieves, I never force the impossible. Or I could simply do as the Governor did and set fire to your residence..."

"Take it... take it..." Wang Dian’s legs gave way, and he sat on the ground, weeping bitterly along with Lady Wang.

—

The river bandits came prepared, and the small boats transporting grain were moored on the river behind the estate.

Fortunately, the bandit leader kept his word. He said he would take only half, and he truly took only half.

Wang Dian, upon seeing this, felt a trace of relief at having encountered righteous bandits.

Giving up half the stored grain in exchange for the lives of the entire family was worth it.

"There’s no need for the lord to see us off. Your young master will return to the residence by himself tomorrow afternoon."

The bandit leader bowed to Wang Dian with great poise, then with a wave of his hand, ordered his men to carry out Wang’s eldest son, who was nearly fainting. He considerately cleaned up the bodies and bloodstains, then politely took away five live pigs, two oxen, several jars of pickled meat, and various kinds of provisions from the Wang Family before contentedly departing.

"Phew! I almost suffocated."

Once they reached the middle of the river, those two "corpses" rolled up and started to move around, massaging their arms, feigning their deaths.

One of them was especially eager, blinking as he sought praise.

"Miss, did I perform well?"

Without revealing his face, the bandit leader’s eyes showed a hint of amusement.

"Very well. You’ll be rewarded when we return."

Laughter erupted among the band of river bandits.

The two "corpses" were none other than Chang Da and Alou.

The injuries on their bodies were real, courtesy of Chunyu Yan. However, the blood they shed was fake, crafted by Feng Yun’s own hands; blood capsules that would burst as soon as they were stabbed, convincing enough to frighten anyone.

Alou grinned from ear to ear, proud to have pulled off a significant feat without just freeloading.

"Though injured, I was able to contribute significantly, which is quite incredible."

"Thanks to the lady’s clever strategy," Xing Bing glanced at him.

Shi’er Niang was bold and resourceful, acquiring so much grain without losing a single soldier and even earned the reputation of a ’righteous bandit’—he was very impressed...

And so were the rest of Meiling’s followers.

They were all exhilarated.

"From now on, we will live by this means."

"Right! With Shi’er Niang, we won’t fear going hungry."

"There are several more wealthy families in Andu County with grain stores..."

Banditry and thievery were the norm in times of war and turmoil. With people struggling to survive, all pretense of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and decency became empty talk when they couldn’t fill their stomachs.

The band of Meiling followers were discussing eagerly, full of enthusiasm.

After they had their fun, Feng Yun calmly poured cold water on their excitement.

"Just this once, there will be no second time."

"Huh? Why is that?" The Meiling followers were puzzled.

The night breeze blew gently over the river.

Gazing at the rippling waters beneath the night sky, Feng Yun said coolly, "Constantly walking the night road will lead you to encounter ghosts. If we make a living this way, not only will we not achieve a peaceful and happy life, but whether we can even preserve our lives is another matter..."

Their faces immediately fell.

"We do not fear death!"

"Indeed. It’s better to die satiated than to starve to death."

Feng Yun looked at them, their spirits buoyed by the bravado that the grain had provided, and she smiled. Then a trace of coldness crept into her eyes.

"If I knew about Wang Dian hiding grain, do you really think Pei Jue wouldn’t know either?"

Everyone exchanged looks, quite surprised.

It was not strange for the Wang Family, a wealthy household, to have surplus grain. What was bizarre was how the lady knew about the concealed cellar.

Feng Yun smiled faintly.

Of course, she couldn’t tell others that Pei Jue, the one who had robbed the Wang Family of their grain in her previous life, was the very person who had personally led men to ransack Wang Dian’s cellar.

When the Army of Northern Yong was in dire need of food, the city’s wealthy and powerful families were all thoroughly plundered, and Wang Dian was no exception; the three-story cellar brimming with grain had caused a sensation in Andu County, spreading like wildfire...

Essentially, she had preempted General Pei’s business.

Sitting in the boat and looking up at the dark sky, Feng Yun was expressionless. "In the future, you all will start your own families, marry, and have children. Once you acquire a bad reputation, how will your descendants lift their heads and live honorable lives?"

"Remember! What happened tonight stays buried in your stomachs. Whoever dares to spill even half a word..."

She glanced at Alou, "will end up like the corpses on the boat."

Alou blinked and let out a low chuckle.

All the Meiling followers laughed happily.

"The lady is wise. With the lady guiding us, we won’t have to worry about hungry stomachs again."

"Yes! With the lady here, and General Pei’s protection, who would we fear in the future..."

Feng Yun curled her lip slightly.

If General Pei knew that she robbed the grain before he could, who knows what he would feel—still protecting her?

However, by leaving half of the grain for Pei Jue, she had shown kindness.

"Xing Bing," Feng Yun looked as the small boat entered the river canal, and quietly instructed, "We’ll circle back from Huayuejian."