The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 311 1 Everything is under control

Thieves are always feeling guilty, especially when they are caught doing something wrong.

Quan Feng was so frightened by Wang Fei's words that his face turned pale and his legs trembled so badly that he almost lost control of his bladder.

I had barely left the manor when Magistrate Xie, who was over a hundred miles away, received the news and sent people over.

Did they fly here? Magistrate Xie is incredibly powerful!

Quan Feng chuckled, his teeth chattering, "Brother Fei, you're joking. How could I possibly deliver a message for He Qi?"

Wang Fei said in a sinister tone, "Yes, why did you deliver the letter for He Qi? If I remember correctly, during the land reform, you aristocratic families were given priority in land allocation, and each of you got two and a half mu, which is five fen more than us. What's wrong? You're not happy being the master and want to go back to being a slave?"

Although the aristocratic clan was a collective, it was not a unified whole. There were internal conflicts and classes. The direct descendants did not engage in production but only made demands. From whom did they make demands? Naturally, from the tenant farmers in the clan and the offspring of the branches beyond the fifth degree of kinship.

After all, household chores don't just disappear out of thin air. If you don't do them, someone else will. And those who do the chores usually don't get any credit. Over time, how can those who do the chores not have any complaints?

Therefore, in order to effectively combat the aristocratic class, priority was given to these aristocratic branches who, although born into the class, only created benefits but were not entitled to enjoy them, such as Quanfeng, when the land was distributed.

Quan Feng was speechless after being rebuked, and weakly said, "I didn't want to either, but He Qi put a knife to my throat and made me go. If I dared to say no, my head would be rolled off immediately. I had no choice."

"As for why they didn't send one of their own people to deliver it, but instead had me, an outsider, deliver it, that's because of the travel permit."

When Xie Chong distributed the land, he also issued wartime management regulations as instructed by Guan Xing. During the war, people could only stay in their own land. If they wanted to travel far, they had to go to the county government to get a travel permit. Without a travel permit, they could not stay in a hotel or enter the city. It was impossible for He Qi and his gang to enter Shanyin City quietly.

Moreover, a travel permit alone is not enough; the person must be a familiar face. Shanyin is not a large city like Jianye, and only a few people come and go every day. The city guards can recognize unfamiliar faces at a glance, and then take them to the county government for a thorough investigation. Only after confirming that there is no mistake will they release the person.

Unfamiliar faces might be able to slip through, but He Qi's personal guards are all familiar faces who are used to being arrogant and domineering in Shanyin City. If the city guards recognize He Qi's personal guards, wouldn't they be in big trouble?

Therefore, He Qi had no choice but to send Quan Feng, who had both a travel permit and no bad record, so that he wouldn't be questioned, to deliver the goods.

To put it bluntly, He Qi was forced to send Quan Feng to deliver the message.

Seeing Quan Feng trembling with fear, Yu Xing quickly chimed in, "Brother Quan, right? We're all brothers, no need to be so reserved. Just be reasonable."

"First of all, you should be clear about He Qi's purpose in returning. He wants to drive the Han army out of Kuaiji and become the local tyrant of Shanyin again. If the Han army is defeated, you will have to return to the Quan family and serve as their slaves."

“Speaking of this, I truly feel sorry for you. You and Quan Cong and Quan Shangke share the same ancestor, yet they enjoy high positions, generous salaries, and wealth, while you not only serve them like cattle and horses but are also treated like dirt. Why is that?”

"It's one thing for the whole direct descendants to bully us outsiders, but isn't it a bit unreasonable for them to bully you, their blood relatives and friends? We all share the same ancestor, don't you ever complain to your ancestor during holidays?"

Quan Feng laughed awkwardly, "I am not qualified to enter the ancestral hall to worship my ancestors. My father, grandfather, and even my great-grandfather were not qualified to enter the Quan Clan Ancestral Hall after their deaths. Instead, they were enshrined in my home."

Yu Xing patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "So, why should I?"

"The direct descendants have enjoyed wealth and honor for so many years. It's time for your branch to rise to power. This is the best opportunity. Deliver the letter to Prefect Xie and help him take down He Qi and the scoundrels of the gentry. Prefect Xie will definitely give you the treatment you deserve. How about it? Do you want to consider it?"

Wang Fei chimed in, "Brother Feng, there aren't many chances in this life to defy fate. Once you miss them, they're gone forever. Don't you think about yourself? Don't you think about your son too? Do you want your son to grow up like you, unable to even enter the ancestral hall?"

"But then again, you might not have a son. Magistrate Xie already knows about He Qi's return, and it's only a matter of time before he gets his comeuppance. As He Qi's accomplice, you'll definitely suffer the consequences. You'll either be beheaded or exiled, or at worst, you'll be sent to the mountains to mine. As for your children, I won't say anything more; you can figure it out yourself. It's getting late, so you should set off as soon as possible. We're going back to sleep too. Goodbye."

Without hesitation, he grabbed Yu Xing and left decisively. Quan Feng, however, did not leave but stood there, caught in a mental struggle. Seeing the two walking further and further away and about to disappear from sight, he hurriedly called out, "Brother Fei, listen to me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Fei pulled Yu Xing back, and Quan Feng gritted his teeth and said, "You're right. I can be indifferent, but I can't let my children be slaves anymore. You tell me what to do, and I'll do whatever you say."

Yu Xing immediately made a decision: "Afei, go back and keep an eye on the manor. Tell your wife to keep an eye on He Qi's movements. I'll take Brother Quanfeng to see Prefect Xie."

The two parted ways. Yu Xing and Quan Feng traveled for a day and a half, and arrived in Shanyin City smoothly in the late afternoon. To avoid being watched by He Qi's spies, Yu Xing chose to separate from Quan Feng and enter the city separately.

Yu Xing went first and waited for Quan Feng for half an hour behind a shop near the city gate. The two of them went to the prefect's mansion one after the other. Yu Xing showed his waist token and took Quan Feng directly to Xie Chong's study.

Seeing Yu Xing return with a stranger, Xie Chong asked anxiously, "Have you found any trace of He Qi?"

Yu Xing pulled Quan Feng over and introduced them. Quan Feng then handed over the letter from He Qi that he had brought with him, a piece of white silk about a foot square, covered with small characters.

White paper is currently only circulating among the Han army and is not available in the market. Therefore, He Qi has no way to obtain white paper and can only use silk as a medium as before.

Since silk doesn't come with envelopes, there are no sealing wax or other means of security, so you don't have to worry about being discovered if you secretly read it during transit.

After reading it, Xie Chong sneered, "It was actually written to Yu Shao. The first people He Qi contacted after returning were not his own family members, but the Yu family of Yuyao. Interesting."

Although the Yu clan of Yuyao is not the largest clan in Kuaiji, it has been thriving in recent years under the leadership of its clan leader, Yu Fan, and is showing signs of becoming as powerful as the He clan of Shanyin. Yu Shao is Yu Fan's cousin and is responsible for handling the clan's daily affairs. He is equivalent to the executive deputy clan leader of the Yu clan of Yuyao and is currently in Shanyin City.

Yu Xing asked, "Prefect, what should we do now?"

Xie Chong did not answer, but looked at Quan Feng and asked patiently, "Brother Quan Feng, only you can get close to He Qi now. I need your help to monitor He Qi's every move. I wonder if you are willing?"

"By the way, the position of County Commandant of Shan County is temporarily vacant. I will recommend you for the position after this matter is settled. What do you think?"

Quan Feng was overjoyed and immediately bowed, saying, "Thank you for your promotion, Prefect. I am willing to go through fire and water for you."

The rest was simple. Xie Chong discussed the countermeasures and precautions with the two, and then asked Quan Feng to deliver a message to Yu Shao, thus infiltrating Yu Shao and He Qi's gang. Yu Xing naturally became Quan Feng's contact person.

After leaving the prefect's mansion, Quan Feng arrived at the Yu residence and successfully met Yu Shao. He then returned to the manor with Yu Shao's letter to meet He Qi. Afterward, all of He Qi's and Yu Shao's exchanges would be delivered to Xie Chong's desk as soon as possible.

What's even more ingenious is that Yu Shao, following He Qi's instructions, contacted the gentry in the city and quickly produced a list similar to an imperial edict, which the participants signed and sealed as a pledge of allegiance, so that no one would renege on their promise and betray the group halfway through.

As a result, the list was sent to Xie Chong as soon as it was completed. After Xie Chong read it, he asked Quan Feng to send it to He Qi.