His tone was relaxed, his face was filled with a sincere smile, and he thought in his heart that as long as he could complete the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister, these external conditions were irrelevant.
After hearing their words, Liu Bei let go of his concerns. He said gratefully again: "Then you two have some rest early, and there is still something important to do tomorrow."
After saying that, Liu Bei gently withdrew from the room.
The next day, the sun shines on the ancient streets.
Liu Bei was dressed in a simple manner, but with seemingly calm but actually a little nervous, he came to the bridge in a high-profile manner to sell straw sandals.
His eyes looked around as if calmly, but his heart was like a deer ramming: "I must make some achievements today."
The two He Dong and He Xi brothers were silently guarding nearby like two iron towers, with sharp eyes observing the movements around them.
The vendors around were shouting, and an old man selling benches walked to Liu Bei with a staggering footsteps.
He squinted his eyes, looked suspicious, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Hey, I said, you young man, have you paid the protection fee? Otherwise, how dare you sell straw sandals here today?"
Liu Bei's face was silent, and he shook his head slowly, and said calmly: "No, I just want to find a livelihood here."
After hearing Liu Bei's answer, the old man's eyes suddenly widened, his mouth widened, and he said in surprise: "Oh, young man, don't be ignorant of the depth. Those people are not easy to mess with, so you should leave this place of trouble quickly." He rubbed his hands anxiously, his face full of worry.
Liu Bei raised his chin slightly, and there was a sense of stubbornness and fearlessness in his eyes. He said indifferently: "It doesn't matter, I, Liu Bei, are so polite, and I am just sitting upright. I rely on my own skills to make a living. Why not be afraid of others?"
The old man glanced at Liu Bei helplessly and sighed heavily. The sigh seemed to contain endless regret.
He turned around slowly, staggered back to his stall, thinking in his heart as he walked: "Did this young man suffer less last time? Why didn't he know how to adapt?"
His brows were frowning, and his eyes were filled with concerns and confusion about Liu Bei.
Liu Bei seemed to have never heard of it. He straightened his back, raised his neck, and shouted in a loud voice: "Selling straw sandals! The best straw sandals! Strong and durable!"
His face was filled with a confident look, and he thought to himself: "I, Liu Bei, can't shrink anymore, I must make a name for myself this time."
Liu Bei's high-profile hawking sound echoed in the air, like a sharp sword, finally cutting through the calm and attracting the attention of the protectors.
Several bullies were wandering not far away, and the thief's eyes were scanning the crowd, attracted by Liu Bei's voice like a magnet.
They took arrogant steps and quickly surrounded Liu Bei.
Several bullies stood in front of Liu Bei, with vicious eyes like hungry wolves. One of the bullies with a fat face gritted their teeth and said, "Hmph, why do you dare to sell shoes again? Isn't the lesson last time enough?"
Liu Bei raised his head without fear, his eyes were as sharp as a torch, and he said loudly: "It is natural for me to sell shoes. I can make money with my own hands, so why not?"
After hearing this, the bullies let out a harsh laugh, and the laughter was full of mockery.
The bully in charge stretched out his thick finger and pointed at Liu Bei's nose and shouted: "Stop talking nonsense, pay the protection fee quickly, otherwise I will continue to hit you today to let you know who is the one who decides this territory."
Liu Bei was furious, but he suppressed the anger in his heart.
His face was still calm, but there was a hint of imperceptible stubbornness in his eyes.
Several bullies showed ferocious faces, raised their fists and were about to attack Liu Bei.
Liu Bei widened his eyes and shouted in panic with anger: "You are simply lawless!"
At this critical moment, He Dong and He Xi brothers rushed over like a gust of wind.
He Dong frowned, his eyes sharp as an eagle, and he thought to himself: "How can you bullies let go of your wildness here?"
He shouted: "Stop!"
Ho Xi's face was full of coldness, his fists were clenched, his muscles were tense, and he was ready for the fight.
The bullies were startled by this sudden change. One of the bullies shouted with a stern look: "Who are you? Stop meddling in other people's business!"
He Dong smiled contemptuously and said, "We are the ones who cannot bear to see you do evil."
After saying that, he flashed and took the lead in attacking the bullies. Ho Xi followed closely, and the two and the bullies instantly formed a group.
During the fight, He Dong stared at his opponent with his eyes fixed on his mind, thinking: "These bullies are just three-legged cat kung fu."
He used both hands and feet and made a sharp move.
He Xi responded calmly, and every move and every move just rightly blocked the bully's attack. He silently muttered in his heart: "You must protect Liu Bei."
After a fierce fight, the two brothers beat several bullies to the point of running away in a mess.
Although a bully was beaten to the point of bruising and swollen face, he still shouted unwillingly: "Hmph! You will not have a good end if you offend us. Please wait for me!" The bully's face was fierce, but a hint of guilt revealed in his eyes.
At this moment, He Dong calmly reached into his arms, took out a token, then suddenly raised it to the bullies, and said loudly: "Let your dog's eyes widen and take a good look at what this is?"
The bullies' eyes focused on the token, and one of the bullies widened his eyes and looked shocked.
His mouth was wide open and he stammered: "This... this is actually the token of the Prime Minister's Mansion."
The bully was frightened and thought: "I've been kicked to the iron plate now. How could the people from the Prime Minister's Mansion be here?"
His face turned pale in an instant, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
The vendors around him heard the noise and stopped their work.
They widened their eyes, their mouths opened slightly in surprise, and their eyes were all looking here.
An old lady selling fruits covered her mouth unconsciously, her eyes full of shock. She thought to herself: "I didn't expect that these seemingly ordinary people have something to do with the Prime Minister's Mansion. This is really amazing."
The old man selling pottery next to him had the wrinkles on his face deeper because of surprise. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the glittering token of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and murmured to himself: "Who is Liu Bei from? There are people from the Prime Minister's Mansion around him to protect him."
Everyone whispered, their faces full of incredible expressions.
Suddenly, a bully was stunned for a moment and then raised his head and laughed. The laughter was full of suspicion and disdain.
He grinned and said ferociously: "This must be fake. How could it be related to the Prime Minister just like you?"
He Dong's face suddenly became gloomy when he heard this. He frowned, his eyes widened, and shouted loudly: "You idiot, open your dog's eyes and take a look."
Ho Xi was also full of cold faces on the side. He said in a cold tone: "If you don't believe it, you can go with us to see the Prime Minister now. Don't blame us for not giving you a chance at that time."
After hearing this, the bully's arrogant arrogance suddenly extinguished most of it.
His eyes kept scanning the Token and He Dong and He Xi's face, and his heart began to worry.
He thought to himself: "If this token is true, then I will cause big trouble. But if I don't verify it and feel unwilling to accept it, would I really let it go?"
Fine sweat beads gradually oozing out from his forehead, and his eyes were full of entanglement and uneasiness.
Several bullies looked at each other, after hesitating for a moment, their legs immediately became weak and they knelt down at He Dong and his brothers with a "splash".
He Dong frowned and scolded sternly: "You bastards, you dare to charge protection fees here in broad daylight. If you let me know that you have done this evil deed, you will definitely lose your head!"
Ho Xi was also serious and his eyes were full of majesty.
Liu Bei stood aside, looking at the bullies' embarrassing appearance, with a smile on his face.
When people around saw this scene, they all turned their eyes to Liu Bei, their eyes full of confusion and surprise.
A woman selling cloth whispered to the person next to her, "Who is Liu Bei? She can actually let the people from the Prime Minister's Mansion protect him."
A scholar selling fans also frowned slightly, thinking in his heart: "This person seems ordinary, but he has such a background. I believe he is not an ordinary person."
Everyone whispered to each other, guessing Liu Bei's identity, and the expression when they looked at him changed from disregard for the past to awe and curiosity.
Several bullies crawled to Liu Bei's feet tremblingly and kowtowed to Liu Bei with a "bang bang bang".
One of the bullies said with panic on his face and tears: "Mr. Liu, we have no idea about Mount Tai, and offended you. I hope you have a lot of them, so please help us plead in front of the two adults."
He said, kowtowing, and his head hit the ground and made a dull sound.
Another bully also raised his head tremblingly, his eyes full of begging, and his voice trembled: "Master Liu, we know we are wrong and we will never dare to collect protection fees again. As long as you help us this time, we can do anything."
He was very regretful, thinking about why he had provoked such a big Buddha, and at this moment he only hoped that Liu Bei could help them avoid punishment.
Liu Bei looked at the bullies who kowtowed in front of him, and his hands were behind him, narrowing his eyes slightly.
He had a lot of thoughts in his heart, a complicated expression appeared on his face, and he thought: "If I plead for them at this time, they might be grateful and reformed; but if they don't help, they deserve it."
After a while, Liu Bei slowly spoke, "Do you know your mistake?"
When several bullies heard Liu Bei ask, they responded quickly: "I know I'm wrong, I know I'm wrong, we're really obsessed with it."
Liu Bei frowned and glanced back and forth at several bullies, and his eyes seemed to see through their hearts.
He was silent for a while before he slowly said, "You should have the consequences of today's affairs. But God has the virtue of being a virtuous person, and I can plead with you to your brothers."
He Dong and He Xi frowned slightly when they heard Liu Bei say this.
He Dong said reluctantly: "They do many evil things, so just let them go easily?"
Liu Bei turned around, looked at He Dong and He Xi, and bowed slightly, "Since they have known their mistakes, it would be a good deed if they can give them a chance to correct their mistakes."
When several bullies heard Liu Bei begging for them, they kowtowed harder and kept muttering words of gratitude.
When the vendors around saw this scene, they were talking quietly.
An old man selling pastries said, "This Liu Bei is not only supported by the Prime Minister's Mansion, but also has a kind heart."
Another woman selling jewelry nodded and said, "Yes, if someone else, I wouldn't forgive these bullies easily."
Liu Bei said seriously to several bullies: "I plead for you today, but you must swear that you must reform yourself in the future and not bully others by virtue of your power. If you commit another crime, you will definitely not let go."
Several bullies were as if they were amnesty and raised their hands to swear, looking very sincere.
He Dong frowned and said angrily: "You can't be that cheap! Spit out all the protection fees you used to collect."
When several bullies heard this, their faces turned pale. They kowtowed and cried, "Sir, we lived a life of spending money before, and we have squandered all the money, and we really have nothing."
After hearing this, He Dong was even more furious. He rushed forward, kicked one of the bullies hard, and shouted angrily: "You bastards, you are still unrepentant. You have taken other people's hard-earned money for enjoyment, but you can't take it out now? I think you don't cry until you see the coffin."
The kicked bully rolled on the ground and groaned in pain.
Seeing this, the other bullies were so scared that they were trembling all over. One bully cried and begged for mercy: "Sir, we really know we are wrong. We will find a way to make up for it in the future. Please spare us this time."
He Dong's eyes were red, and the anger in his heart was difficult to calm down. He kicked several times one after another, and kept cursing: "Make up? How to make up for the damage you caused? How to make up for the losses of the people you bullied?"
Liu Bei looked around and frowned slightly. He felt a little reluctant, but he also knew that He Dong was venting his anger for those bullied.
He sighed, walked up to grab He Dong, and said, "Brother He Dong, don't be angry. Since they have no money, we will find other ways to punish them and make them pay for their actions."
He Dong heard Liu Bei's persuasion and felt it made sense, so he stopped.
At this time, a bully flashed his inspiration and said hurriedly: "Sir, there is a mine in the east. We can go there to mine to compensate, without paying any penny."
The people around him nodded, and an old man said, "There is indeed a mine, but it is not easy to mine and the environment is harsh."
Ho Xi frowned, stared at the bullies with sharp eyes, and said loudly: "Since you have brought it up yourself, then please satisfy you. But listen to me. If you dare to commit crimes during mining, be careful of your heads."
Several bullies kept kowtowing like chickens pecking at rice. One of them said: "We will never dare to make trouble. We must dig well and reform ourselves."
Their faces were full of determination, but they were a little nervous.
A bully thought to himself: "This mine is not easy to deal with, but it is better than being severely punished. You must keep it over."
Liu Bei looked at these bullies and sighed slightly, and he felt a little moved.
He said to the bullies earnestly: "This is your opportunity, don't let it down again. Mining is hard, but it can help you understand the value of labor and wash away your evil thoughts."
Several bullies seemed to have something touched in their hearts when they listened to Liu Bei's words.
After they kowtowed again, they stood up and supported each other to walk towards the mine.
When the people around him saw this scene, they were cheering.
A young man said excitedly: "It's great, these bullies have finally received the punishment they deserve, and we can do business with peace of mind in the future."
A woman looked at Liu Bei and He Dong and the two brothers He Xi with gratitude, and said, "Thanks to you, I have made this sigh for us."
Liu Bei smiled and waved his hand, saying, "This is what we should do, and I hope they can really reform themselves." He Dong and He Xi stood aside, their expressions were a little slow, but they remained vigilant.
They know that whether these bullies can really change their minds will be tested by time.
He Dong scratched his head and said in confusion: "Brother Liu Bei, you are too kind to these bullies. You should teach them a lesson so that they dare not commit crimes again." He Xi also nodded from the side.
Liu Bei just smiled, and his eyes looked at the direction of the bullies leaving, and said slowly: "Of course I know that you two brothers will leave sooner or later. If we just punish them severely, those bullies will not be able to settle the score after we leave, and then the people will be in trouble again. But dealing with them like this now will not only punish them, but also give them a sense of gratitude. They will work in the mines and experience the hardships of life, and may be able to reform themselves."
Liu Bei paused and continued, "Forgive others if you want to forgive them, and this is also for the long-term peace and stability of this place. If they can turn this gratitude into action, they may be able to do some good things for the people in the future."
He Dong and He Xi thought about what Liu Bei said.
He Dong said: "It turns out that Brother Liu Bei has considered it so long, so we brothers are a little shallow."
Ho Xi also said: "Yes, it seems that the truth is quite profound, and we still need to learn more."
Liu Bei waved his hand and said, "This is just my personal thought. We all hope that there will be more peace and less evil things in this world."
He Dong and He Xi looked at each other, He Dong scratched his head, showed a silly smile on his face, and said, "Brother Liu, now this matter has been resolved, and it's time to leave."
When Liu Bei heard this, he hurriedly stepped forward, with reluctance on his face. He grabbed He Dong's arm and said earnestly: "Two brothers, stay for a little longer. With you here, the evil forces around him dare not easily cause rash."
Chapter completed!