Chapter Four - The Arrangement
1230 Words
Due to this frame-up, the king is not completely innocent either. Xiao Jie and the fat man He Wei did indeed bribe the night patrol soldier. But did they know the terrible consequences of committing treason in this royal palace? Moreover, this time they were targeting one of the heroes among those who were supposed to save the world.
Thus, right after they bribed the soldier, he rushed to report to the king. Upon hearing the news, the king was initially surprised. However, after some thought, he realized it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of that pesky statue of the former king. He decided to turn a blind eye to the matter. Furthermore, he wanted to please the heroes, and now one of them was an outcast, reportedly weak, or he wouldn't have been thrown into the Decomposer.
The king was very pleased to both curry favor with the heroes and use a legitimate reason to eliminate this undesirable. It can be said that this pretentious "trial" was rigged from the start.
——
“Evidence is conclusive. Hero Hei Jiu, do you have anything to say?”
A dignified voice came from the throne. Hei Jiu, who had no hope whatsoever, replied in a bland tone: “Nothing to say.”
“Very well, destroying the statue of the former king is a capital offense, but considering you are from another world and a guest specially invited by us, I will spare you this time. However, while your death penalty is exempt, the living penalty cannot be avoided. I hereby revoke your noble hero status and expect you to pack your belongings and leave the palace within two days, never to return.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
After saying this, he turned and left. This decisive acceptance relieved the king and made others gloat with satisfaction. Only the homeroom teacher, Wang Li, shook her head repeatedly, showing a face of disappointment that seemed to communicate “you can’t carve a rotten wood.”
——
Back in his lodging, He Tu packed up his things—just a few sets of clothes. However, when he went to retrieve the box of money under his bed, he found the lock had been pried open. He paused for a moment, opened it, and found all his savings missing. His year-long accumulation in the palace was stolen just like that. As for who did it? The situation was not difficult to guess.
“Tch, what a childish trick!”
He couldn’t help but click his tongue, then moved the wardrobe to reveal an envelope that had been stuck there for some time. He emptied its contents, revealing a total of twenty-three gold coins and four silver coins. In other words, this was all the starting capital for his new life. In this world, 1 gold coin = 100 silver coins, and 1 silver coin = 100 copper coins.
Twenty-three gold coins and four silver coins may not be much for nobles, but for an average person, it was a substantial fortune.
——
“Knock knock knock!”
After finishing packing, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in!”
Immediately, Hei Er rushed in.
“My lord, are you leaving?”
He Er had just returned from the palace and came straight to find out about the news.
“I made a scene by smashing the former king's statue, so I was given the order to leave.”
“Don't joke around! How could my lord do something only a child would do?!”
Hearing this from a twelve-year-old was truly odd, especially with his indignant expression: “In my opinion, it must be that narcissist teaming up with that fat pig to scheme against you. I could see it long ago; those two aren’t good people at all!”
“Do you know how dangerous it would be if others heard this?”
“But they really shouldn’t…”
He Er looked somewhat wronged. Ever since he entered the palace, no one had ever treated him like a person. He was a soft target that anyone could bully. Even his fellow Decomposers often regarded him as too young and treated him like an outsider, to put it bluntly, a punching bag.
Now that he had finally found a leader who treated him well, just when he thought he’d get to spend more time with him, this was happening; how could He Er bear it?
“Little He, do you miss your family?”
This sudden question caught He Er off guard, and he forced a smile:
“Yes, but what good does it do to miss them…”
“Don’t you hate your parents for selling you into the palace?”
“I don’t hate them!”
He Er's response was resolute, shaking his head:
“If it wasn’t like that back then, our whole family would have starved to death, and my sister wouldn’t have had money to see the doctor…”
“Hmm, you’re a good child!”
Hei Jiu’s normally stern face revealed a rare smile:
“Go get busy. Come back at three in the afternoon; I have something to tell you.”
“But my lord, you are…”
“Listen!” His tone grew a few degrees sharper.
“Yes, yes…”
Thus, He Er reluctantly left the room.
——
Before long, three o’clock in the afternoon arrived. He Er knocked on the door but received no response from the inside.
“My lord?”
He called twice, but there was still no answer. Finally, he tentatively pushed the door and found it wasn’t locked.
“My lord?”
He stepped in but found Hei Jiu already absent. Only two envelopes stacked on the table caught his attention, with the words “To Hei Er” written in black ink.
He hurriedly opened the letter, which contained only a note saying:
“Live well, and we shall meet again if fate allows!”
Apart from these eight words, there was nothing more.
He Er was taken aback. Upon coming back to his senses, he quickly opened the other envelope, feeling that there was something inside.
“Clink!”
A gold coin fell out of the envelope.
“Clink clink clink~”
He took all the contents out and counted them, finding exactly ten gold coins.
Exactly ten gold coins, just enough for him to buy back his freedom.
As he reveled in happiness, he discovered there seemed to be more in the envelope.
After pulling out half, his hands trembled a little, and when he completely took it out and spread it on the table, it was indeed his contract of servitude.
In other words, he was now a free man.
While pulling out the contract, he also took out a note.
He Er unfolded it, and as soon as he read the contents, tears streamed down his face:
“I don’t know if this money can cure your sister’s illness. After so many years, maybe she’s already recovered, who knows? Remember to be filial when you go back (if you’re not a scumbag). Be cautious on the road (don’t expose your wealth). You are much more mature than you appear, so you’ll be fine. By the way, the handwriting on this contract is really ugly.”
- Writer
