"Brother Xiaobei, this should be the place Big Black mentioned," Chen Xiaowen said, his excitement barely contained.
The others chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, let's go in and take a look quickly."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and was the first to walk in, holding a torch. The cave entrance wasn't very deep, but just inside was a turn, making it quite hidden.
He had taken only two steps forward when his foot tripped on something.
Chen Xiaobei looked down to see a bundle.
Good heavens, Big Black had mentioned a bundle too, so this matched up.
Chen Xiaobei kicked it lightly with his foot. There was a clinking sound inside, like something colliding.
Certain that there were no poisonous insects or snakes, Chen Xiaobei bent down and reached into the bundle, feeling something hard and cool.
He pulled it out and saw it was golden, almost blinding him.
"Gold," Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but exclaim.
Hearing him shout "gold," several people from outside immediately ran in. Upon seeing the golden treasure in his hand, they couldn't help but get excited.
"Great, we found it, we found it!"
Chen Xiaobei then put the torch aside and quickly opened the bundle. The sight before him still shocked him – gold, jewelry, precious stones, a huge pile of them!
How much silver would this be worth?
Beside him, Chen Xiaowen's eyes widened in astonishment. "So this is how you get rich by robbing houses!"
Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but stand up and kick the young man. "What the hell are you thinking?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
Chen Xiaobei carefully repacked the bundle and then slung it over his shoulder.
"Let me make one thing clear, I won't be sharing these treasures with any of you, and I don't want them for myself. After Zhu Meng and his men leave, these will be used to renovate the houses in the village, repair the land, and buy livestock. In short, we'll make sure everyone in our village lives a good life."
Hearing this, the village guards clapped and cheered.
Chen Xiaobo suddenly said in a refined manner, "Excellent, truly excellent. Village head Xiaobei is far-sighted. I can hardly wait."
Chen Xiaobei was a little surprised that the usually timid Chen Xiaobo would say something like this. He looked up at Chen Xiaobo. "When did you learn these phrases?"
Chen Xiaobo scratched his head sheepishly. "Teacher Huang Ying taught me. I don't know if I'm saying it right."
Alright, since Huang Ying taught him, then even if it wasn't right, it was right.
"Okay, let's head back. Remember, this matter is not to be spoken of to anyone."
The group walked back in high spirits. Not long after, they heard hurried footsteps. They saw Chen Daqiang, a village guard, running towards them.
Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei, Chen Daqiang started waving and shouting from a distance, "Brother Xiaobei, come quickly and see!"
Seeing Chen Daqiang's excited expression, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but smile and ask, "You look so happy, could it be you found a treasury?"
Chen Daqiang put on a mysterious air. "Ah, you'll know when you come."
He would go, of course. Chen Xiaobei was in a good mood today anyway, so he followed Chen Daqiang forward.
After many twists and turns, they stopped in front of a nondescript cave.
It was nondescript because there were at least fifty or a hundred such caves on Centipede Ridge.
At this moment, Chen Dayong, along with several other village guards, were discussing something, their faces filled with excitement.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Chen Dayong pointed inside. "Brother Xiaobei, you see for yourself."
Chen Xiaobei held up his torch and walked a few steps inside. Ahead was a turn, and then the passage narrowed sharply. What was once wide enough for one person to stand in now only allowed one to crawl.
Upon closer inspection, a stone door had been opened at the narrowed entrance.
If one didn't look carefully, they would think the cave was just this small and would naturally turn and leave.
Chen Dayong, following behind, explained with a smile, "When I first came in, I thought there was nothing. I was about to leave when my hand accidentally touched the roof of the cave. Hey, with a couple of creaks, a stone door opened here."
"Did you go inside?" Chen Xiaobei asked, turning his head.
"We did. Inside, there's grain and wine, and some weapons."
"It's a shame, though. We didn't find a single tael of silver."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, with these guys, it would be a surprise if they found even a single copper coin.
Grain and wine were necessities for bandits, it seemed these bandits had made long-term preparations.
It was a shame. If they hadn't killed Liu Yuanwu, they would probably still be living carefree lives.
Chen Xiaobei nodded, carefully shifting his steps to crawl inside. It was indeed a hidden world within, at least half the size of a basketball court, with a height of about ten feet.
The grain was packed in sacks, stacked on wooden crates, keeping it ventilated and dry.
The wine, in jars, was sealed with black mud. In this confined space, a faint aroma of wine could be detected.
The faint scent of wine could also kill bacteria in the air and keep insects away from the grain. Storing them together was a good choice.
This also indicated that people at that time already understood the necessary conditions for storing grain.
Then, looking at the weapons piled in the corner, there were swords, spears, sabers, and halberds of all kinds.
These were of little use to them, but they could arm the village guards.
Chen Xiaobei called everyone in and they carried the weapons out. They also brought back two jars of wine.
As they were heading back, the mountain became lively.
Hu Fan and his thousand-strong garrison had arrived.
In the past, there was no place for them in the mountain stronghold, so they had to find their own accommodation.
Seeing the busy Hu Fan, Chen Xiaobei had an idea. He sent someone to bring two jars of wine and walked towards him.
"County Magistrate Hu, long time no see."
Hu Fan, who was busy, put down his tools. "Township Head Chen, I'm ashamed. I've brought my men to compete with you for territory."
Chen Xiaobei waved his hand. "Your Excellency exaggerates."
"Alas," Hu Fan sighed heavily again.
"I didn't expect His Highness the Crown Prince to be here too. I'm afraid I'll be branded as a coward!"
He was still a scholar, after all, and was concerned about his reputation.
But wasn't living more important than a false reputation?
Besides, this was ultimately just a struggle for power at court. Nothing more.
"County Magistrate Hu, you worry too much. This morning, Mao You said you were planning to withdraw to Centipede Ridge. His Highness the Crown Prince even praised you for understanding the times and knowing when to advance or retreat."
Hearing this, Hu Fan's face lit up with surprise. "Did His Highness really say that?"
Indeed.
Chen Xiaobei nodded. "Of course. When have I ever lied?"
"By the way, take these two jars of wine."
Hu Fan, filled with joy, took them with a smile.
"Thank you, my brother. After I settle down, we'll drink together."
"Certainly, certainly. County Magistrate Hu, with the Crown Prince here, you mustn't make any mistakes."
Hu Fan clasped his hands again. "Thank you for the reminder."