xymnovel Chapter 98 Angels
Chapter 98 Angels
Li Chong stopped, then gestured for Wu Dalang to stop as well: "Catch your breath and speak slowly. Where did an angel come from in our Yanggu County? Don't talk nonsense."
Xue Tao, standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle. Angels? How could angels possibly come from their remote and impoverished village?
Xue Tao glanced at Li Chong and shook his head. Surely it couldn't be because he had wiped out the mountain bandits that the emperor had issued a decree to praise him?
This is something you can't even dream of, how could it possibly happen in reality?
The angel Wu Dalang spoke of was not the winged bird-man of the West, but rather a messenger of the emperor.
In simpler terms, it's like an imperial envoy.
But I haven't heard of any major events happening nearby, so why would the imperial court send envoys here? Isn't that nonsense?
Therefore, Li Chong felt that there might be a mistake. Perhaps it was an official sent by the prefectural government to inspect the area? Or maybe it was just some high-ranking official passing by?
He told Wu Dalang to calm down before explaining in detail.
"No, no!"
Wu Dalang seemed very nervous, and after only a moment, he continued to urge, "It's an imperial envoy, and I heard that the one leading them is a high-ranking official. They're passing through Yanggu and have sent word that we should prepare to receive them. Registrar Yang has already led people out of the city to greet them, sir, you should hurry over there too."
Li Chong and Xue Tao exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming much more serious.
Judging from Wu Dalang's appearance, he doesn't seem to be lying.
"Do you really know what the imperial angels are?" Li Chong asked again, then walked towards his horse.
Having been in the Northern Song Dynasty for so many days, he had gained some understanding of the people at the grassroots level. Many of them had no understanding of the world at all and were likely to make mistakes.
For example, some older people don't even know who the reigning emperor is.
Angels are not to be treated lightly; this is a matter of great importance, and Li Chong must confirm it again and again.
Wu Dalang nodded vigorously: "I know, and Clerk Sun also told me to come and inform the magistrate. Clerk Sun said that if the county magistrate doesn't show up when welcoming the imperial envoy, he might be in trouble."
Having confirmed that Wu Dalang was telling the truth, Li Chong immediately became completely serious.
Without thinking too much, Li Chong knew it was too late to take a carriage, so even though he wasn't very good at riding horses, he still mounted one.
He shouted, "Lead the way quickly, don't delay any longer!"
After nodding to Xue Tao, Li Chong spurred his horse and, led by Wu Dalang, galloped away, with his entourage following closely behind, heading towards the county town.
Xue Tao was left standing there with a grave expression: "It really is an angel? Could something terrible be about to happen?"
After thinking for a long time without finding a result, Xue Tao shook his head and turned to look for his son.
Before things become clear, it's best not to go out and do anything. I should just stay home for now.
On the other side, Li Chong wanted to ask for clarification on the road, but the ride was too bumpy, and his riding skills were not good. Once the speed increased, he didn't have time to ask any questions.
Helpless, Li Chong had no choice but to grit his teeth, lower his body, and continue on his way.
"If I have time later, I must learn to ride a horse properly."
Having made up his mind, Li Chong endured the bumpy dirt road that felt like it was about to shake him apart and sped towards his goal.
......
"Da da da~~~"
The constant sound of horses' hooves attracted the attention of the main force.
Yang Chengde squinted and looked back, a look of disappointment on his face: "Why did he still come?"
Although Li Chong was nine-tenths disheveled and looked rather unwell, he still managed to arrive.
This prevented Yang Chengde from trying to discredit him.
What a great opportunity! News of the angel suddenly arrived, and Li Chong was not at the yamen. If he could lead the people to welcome the angel well, wouldn't that be a great achievement?
How did Li Chong manage to arrive?
However, thinking that the government offices were now full of Li Chong's men, Yang Chengde shook his head and stopped complaining.
To put it bluntly, even if Li Chong didn't show up, it's hard to say what the angels could do to him.
The Song Dynasty treated its officials with great respect, so it was impossible for them to dismiss a county magistrate simply because the official did not come out of the city to greet him.
With things having come to this, Yang Chengde forced a smile and turned to walk away.
"Whoa!"
Li Chong pulled his galloping horse back and breathed a sigh of relief; they had finally arrived at their destination.
"Your Excellency." Sun Jun jogged over to help Li Chong hold the reins.
He said in a low voice, "Fortunately, the county magistrate arrived in time. A letter just arrived, and the angel will be here soon."
Somewhat scrambling, Li Chong dismounted, staggered a moment, and then steadied himself. He quickly asked, "Why the sudden appearance of angels? What errands are they on? Have you received any news?"
"Your Excellency is mistaken. The envoy is sent on His Majesty's orders. How can we presume to know His Majesty's intentions?"
Yang Chengde spoke with an air of righteous indignation, making him seem like a paragon of integrity to anyone who didn't know him.
Li Chong thought to himself, but remained outwardly calm: "I'm just showing concern. After all, she's an angel, we can't neglect her, can we?"
"Yes, Your Excellency is right." Yang Chengde nodded slightly. "However, Your Excellency should hurry up and tidy up your appearance, otherwise it would be bad if you lost your composure and the magistrate blamed you."
After saying that, he laughed out loud.
At this moment, Li Chong didn't have time to argue with him. He had someone take the horse away and quickly checked his appearance.
Just as they had almost finished packing up, they saw dust rising in the distance and the sound of horses' hooves echoing.
Without further ado, Yang Chengde rushed to the front of the group and stood there respectfully.
Li Chong also rushed over and looked on curiously.
The first thing to appear from the smoke and dust was a group of knights, their armor gleaming, their bodies tall, and they looked majestic and imposing.
"Is this the Imperial Guard?" Li Chong looked at it curiously.
Further on was a large caravan, with carriages lavishly decorated with gold and jade, clearly worth a fortune.
The fact that they were able to carry such a conspicuous object all the way from Bianliang to Yanggu must have been due to their own resources.
Besides the cavalry leading the way, several hundred armored soldiers followed behind, who looked like real soldiers.
Although the Northern Song Dynasty's military prowess had declined, it was still one of the most powerful nations in the world. The imposing presence of its soldiers who had actually fought on the battlefield was something that the bandits Li Chong had encountered could not match.
With these people protecting them, as long as they have eyes, the bandits and highwaymen along the way will not be able to cause trouble, and the journey will naturally be smooth.
Upon seeing the welcoming procession, the lead cavalryman reined in his horse, stood still, and raised his hand to signal the convoy to stop.
Soon, the convoy slowly came to a stop in front of Li Chong and his group.
Before Li Chong could figure out how to greet him, Yang Chengde ran up first.
He trotted to the front of the convoy, knelt down, and called out, "Yang Chengde, Registrar of Yanggu County, respectfully inquires of Your Majesty's well-being!"
Since the angel represented the emperor, Yang Chengde naturally had to kneel.
However, this put Li Chong in a dilemma. If it were really Zhao Ji in person, he would kneel down, after all, a wise man knows when to yield.
But it's just an angel he's never met, should he kneel?