Chapter 748 Punishing the Bully

His tone was relaxed, with a sincere smile on his face, thinking that as long as he could complete the task assigned by the prime minister, these external conditions were irrelevant.

After listening to their words, Liu Bei's worries were slightly relieved. He said again with gratitude: "The two of you should rest early, there are important things to do tomorrow."

After that, Liu Bei quietly left the house.

The next day, the sun shone on the ancient streets.

Liu Bei was dressed simply, but he walked with a seemingly steady but actually nervous pace, and came to the bridge to sell straw sandals in a high-profile manner.

He looked around calmly, but his heart was beating like a deer: "I must make a name for myself today."

The brothers Ho Tung and Ho Si were like two iron towers, silently guarding nearby, observing the movements around with sharp eyes.

The vendors around were shouting, and an old man selling benches staggered to Liu Bei.

He narrowed his eyes, looked suspicious, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Hey, young man, did you pay protection fees? Otherwise, how dare you sell straw sandals here today?"

Liu Bei remained calm, shook his head slowly, and said calmly: "No, I just want to find a living here."

After hearing Liu Bei's answer, the old man's eyes suddenly widened, his mouth opened wide, and he said in surprise: "Oh, young man, don't be ignorant of your depth. Those people are not easy to mess with. You'd better leave this place quickly." He rubbed his hands anxiously while speaking, his face full of worry.

Liu Bei raised his chin slightly, his eyes revealed a stubborn and fearless look, he said nonchalantly: "It doesn't matter, I Liu Bei is upright and upright, and I make a living by my own skills, so why should I be afraid of others."

The old man looked at Liu Bei helplessly and sighed heavily, and the sigh seemed to contain endless regrets.

He slowly turned around and staggered back to his stall, thinking to himself as he walked: "This young man, didn't he suffer enough last time? Why can't he adapt?"

His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were full of worry and confusion about Liu Bei.

Liu Bei seemed not to hear, he straightened his spine, raised his neck, and shouted in a loud voice: "Selling straw sandals! The best straw sandals! Strong and durable!"

His face was full of confidence, and he thought to himself: "I, Liu Bei, can't be timid anymore, I must make a name for myself this time."

Liu Bei's high-profile hawking voice echoed in the air, like a sharp sword, finally breaking the calm and attracting the attention of the protection fee collectors.

A few bullies were wandering not far away, their thief eyes scanned the crowd, and were attracted by Liu Bei's voice like a magnet.

They walked arrogantly and quickly surrounded Liu Bei.

Several bullies stood in front of Liu Bei, their fierce eyes were like hungry wolves. One of the bullies with a face full of flesh gnashed his teeth and said, "Humph, how dare you come to sell shoes again? Isn't the lesson last time enough?"

Liu Bei raised his head fearlessly, his eyes were like torches, and he said in a resounding voice, "It is natural for me to sell shoes. Why not make money with my own hands?"

After hearing this, the bullies burst into a shrill and wild laugh, which was full of ridicule.

The leading bully stretched out his thick fingers, pointed at Liu Bei's nose and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense, pay the protection fee quickly, otherwise I will continue to beat you today to let you know who is in charge of this territory."

Liu Bei was furious, but he suppressed his anger.

His face remained calm, but there was a trace of stubbornness in his eyes.

Several bullies looked ferocious and raised their fists to attack Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's eyes widened, and he shouted in panic and anger: "You are simply lawless!"

At this critical moment, the brothers He Dong and He Xi rushed over like a gust of wind.

He Dong frowned, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and he thought to himself: "How can you bullies run wild here?"

He shouted: "Stop!"

He Xi's face was full of coldness, his fists were clenched, his muscles were tense, and he was ready to fight.

The bullies were frightened by this sudden change. One of the bullies shouted in a cowardly manner: "Who are you? Mind your own business!"

He Dong smiled contemptuously and said: "We are people who can't stand you doing evil."

After that, he flashed and attacked the bullies first. He Xi followed closely behind, and the two of them instantly fought with the bullies.

During the fight, He Dong stared at his opponent, thinking: "These bullies are just mediocre."

He used his hands and feet to attack fiercely.

He Xi responded calmly, blocking the bullies' attacks with every move and style. He silently said in his heart: "I must protect Liu Bei."

After a fierce fight, the two brothers beat several bullies and made them run away in a mess.

Although a bully was beaten black and blue, he still shouted unwillingly: "Humph! You will not end well if you offend us, wait for me!" The bully's face was fierce, but there was a trace of guilt in his eyes.

At this time, He Dong reached into his arms calmly, took out a token, and then suddenly held it in front of the bullies, saying loudly: "Open your dog eyes and take a good look at what this is?"

The bullies focused their eyes on the token, and one of them widened his eyes and looked shocked.

His mouth opened wide and he stammered: "This...this is actually the token of the Prime Minister's Palace."

The bully was filled with fear, thinking: "This is a big deal. Why are the people from the Prime Minister's Palace here?"

His face instantly turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

When the surrounding vendors heard the commotion, they stopped what they were doing.

Their eyes widened, their mouths opened slightly in surprise, and they all looked this way.

A fruit seller unconsciously covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes full of shock. She thought to herself: "I didn't expect these seemingly ordinary people to have anything to do with the Prime Minister's Mansion. This is really incredible." ”

The wrinkles on the face of the old man selling pottery became deeper due to surprise. He squinted his eyes slightly, looked at the gleaming prime minister's palace token, and murmured to himself: "What is the origin of Liu Bei? There is actually someone beside him." People from the Prime Minister’s Mansion are protecting him.”

Everyone started whispering, with incredible expressions on their faces.

Suddenly, a bully was stunned for a moment and then threw his head back and laughed. The laughter was full of doubt and disdain.

He grinned and said ferociously: "This must be a lie. How can an ordinary person like you have anything to do with the Prime Minister?"

When He Dong heard this, his face instantly darkened. He frowned, his eyes widened angrily, and he shouted loudly: "You idiot, open your dog eyes and take a good look."

He Xi also had a stern face on the side, and he said in a cold tone: "If you don't believe it, you can come with us to see the Prime Minister now. Don't blame us for not giving you a chance."

When the bully heard this, most of his arrogance was extinguished.

His eyes kept glancing back and forth between the token and the faces of He Dong and He Xi, and he began to feel worried.

He secretly thought: "If this token is real, then I will be in big trouble. But if I don't verify it and feel unwilling, can I really just let it go?"

Beads of sweat gradually formed on his forehead, and his eyes were filled with confusion and anxiety.

The bullies looked at each other in confusion. After hesitating for a moment, their legs immediately softened and they knelt down to the He Dong brothers with a "plop".

He Dong frowned and reprimanded sternly: "You bastards, you dare to force protection money here in broad daylight. If you let me know that you have done this evil again, I will kill your heads!"

He Xi also had a serious face next to him, and his eyes were full of majesty.

Liu Bei stood aside, looking at the embarrassment of the bullies, with a smile on his face.

When the people around him saw this scene, they all turned their eyes to Liu Bei, their eyes full of doubts and surprise.

A woman selling cloth whispered to the people next to her: "Who is this Liu Bei? How can he be protected by people from the Prime Minister's Palace?"

A scholar selling fans also frowned slightly, thinking to himself: "This person seems ordinary, but with such a background, he must be no ordinary person."

Everyone was whispering to each other, speculating on Liu Bei's identity, and the expressions they looked at him changed from the previous indifference to awe and curiosity.

Several bullies tremblingly crawled to Liu Bei's feet and kowtowed to Liu Bei with "bang bang bang".

One of the bullies had a face full of fear and said with tears streaming down his face: "Master Liu, we have offended you because we are ignorant. I hope that you, sir, can help us beg for mercy in front of these two adults."

As he spoke, he kowtowed, his head hitting the ground with a dull sound.

The other bully also raised his head tremblingly, with pleading eyes and a trembling voice: "Master Liu, we know we were wrong and we will never dare to collect protection money again. As long as you help us this time, let us do it." Anything goes.”

He felt regretful in his heart, thinking about how he had offended such a giant Buddha. At this moment, he only hoped that Liu Bei could help them avoid punishment.

Liu Bei looked at the bullies who were kowtowing in front of him, with his hands behind his back and his eyes slightly narrowed.

He had a lot of thoughts in his mind, and there was a complicated look on his face, thinking: "If I help them plead for mercy now, they may be grateful and change their ways; but if I don't help, they deserve what they deserve."

After a while, Liu Bei slowly said: "Do you know your mistake?"

When the bullies heard Liu Bei's question, they responded quickly: "I know it's wrong, I know it's wrong. We are really confused."

Liu Bei frowned and glanced back and forth at the bullies, as if he could see through their hearts.

He was silent for a while, and then slowly said: "You should have to bear the consequences of what happened today. But God is kind to you, so I can intercede with the two brothers on your behalf."

He Dong and He Xi frowned slightly when they heard what Liu Bei said.

He Dong said reluctantly: "They have done many evil things, so you can let them go so easily?"

Liu Bei turned around, looked at He Dong and He Xi, slightly cupped his hands and said: "Since they already know their mistakes, it would be a good deed if you can give them a chance to change."

When the bullies heard Liu Bei's plea for them, they kowtowed even harder and kept murmuring words of gratitude.

When the surrounding vendors saw this scene, they were all talking quietly.

An old man selling cakes said: "This Liu Bei is not only supported by people from the Prime Minister's Palace, but he is also kind-hearted."

Another woman selling jewelry also nodded and said, "Yes, if it were anyone else, they wouldn't forgive these bullies so easily."

Liu Bei said seriously to several bullies: "Today I plead for mercy for you, but you must swear that you will change your ways in the future and never bully others again. If you do it again, you will not be leniently punished."

Several bullies raised their hands and swore as if they had been granted amnesty. They looked very sincere.

He Dong frowned and said angrily: "I can't let you get off easy like this! Spit out all the protection fees you collected before."

When the bullies heard this, their faces instantly turned pale. They kowtowed and cried, "Sir, we used to live a life of luxury and debauchery, and we have squandered all the money. It is really gone."

After He Dong heard this, he became even more furious. He rushed forward, kicked one of the bullies hard, and shouted angrily: "You bastards, you have done so many evil things and still don't know how to repent. You took other people's hard-earned money." You used it for enjoyment, but now you can’t take it out? I don’t think you will shed tears until you see the coffin.”

The kicked bully rolled on the ground, groaning in pain.

When the other bullies saw this, they were trembling with fear. One bully cried and begged for mercy: "Sir, we really know that we were wrong. We will find ways to make up for it in the future. Please forgive us this time."

He Dong's eyes were red, and the anger in his heart could not be calmed down. He kicked a few more times and kept cursing: "Make up for it? How do you make up for the damage you caused? How do you make up for the losses of the people who were bullied by you?"

Liu Bei looked on and frowned slightly. He couldn't bear it, but he also knew that He Dong was venting his anger for those who were bullied.

He sighed, stepped forward and grabbed Ho Tung, and said, "Brother Ho Tung, don't get so angry. Since they have no money anymore, let's find other ways to punish them and make them pay for their actions." cost."

He Dong heard Liu Bei's persuasion and felt that it made sense, so he stopped.

At this time, a bully had an idea and hurriedly said: "Sir, there is a mine in the east. We can go there to dig for compensation without taking any reward."

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."

He Xi frowned, stared at the bullies sharply, and said loudly: "Since you brought it up yourself, I will satisfy you. But listen to me, if you dare to commit adultery during the mining period, you will be punished." Watch your heads."

Several bullies kept kowtowing like chickens pecking at rice. One of them said: "We will never dare to cause trouble. We must dig hard and change our past."

Their faces were full of determination, but their hearts were a little uneasy.

A bully thought to himself: "This mine is not easy to deal with, but it is better than being severely punished. You must get through it."

Liu Bei looked at these bullies and sighed slightly, feeling a little emotional in his heart.

He said to the bullies sincerely: "This is your opportunity, don't let it go. Although mining is hard, it can help you understand the value of labor and wash away your evil thoughts."

When the bullies listened to Liu Bei's words, something seemed to be touched in their hearts.

After they kowtowed again, they stood up, supported each other and walked towards the mine.

The people around him cheered when they saw this scene.

A young man said excitedly: "Great, these bullies finally got the punishment they deserve. We can do business with peace of mind in the future."

A woman looked at Liu Bei and the brothers He Dong and He Xi gratefully and said, "Thank you for taking this step for us."

Liu Bei smiled and waved his hands and said, "This is what we should do. I hope they can really change their ways." He Dong and He Xi stood aside, their expressions softened slightly, but they still remained vigilant.

They know that whether these bullies can really change their minds remains to be tested by time.

He Dong scratched his head and said with some confusion: "Brother Liu Bei, you are too kind to these bullies. You should teach them a lesson so that they will not dare to do it again." He Xi also nodded in agreement.

Liu Bei just smiled, looked at the direction where the bullies were leaving, and said slowly: "Of course I know that you two brothers will leave sooner or later. If we just punish them severely, there is no guarantee that those bullies will not stop after we leave. After the fall, the people will be in trouble again, but the way they are dealt with now not only gives them punishment, but also makes them feel grateful. They will understand the hardship of life and maybe they can really change their ways. ”

Liu Bei paused, and then continued: "You have to be merciful and merciful, 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 were thoughtful after listening to Liu Bei's words.

He Dong said: "It turns out that Brother Liu Bei has such long-term thinking, but we brothers are a bit shallow."

He Xi also said: "Yes, it seems that there is a profound truth in it, 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 in this world."

He Dong and He Xi looked at each other. He Dong scratched his head, with a silly smile on his face, and said: "Brother Liu, now that this matter has been resolved, we should go back and recover. It's time to leave."

When Liu Bei heard this, he hurriedly stepped forward, with a look of reluctance on his face. He grabbed He Dong's arm and said sincerely: "Brothers, please stay a little longer. With you here, the evil forces around us will be defeated." I don’t dare to make mistakes easily.”

He Dong gently broke away from Liu Bei's hand and said helplessly: "Brother Liu, we really can't stay any longer. We have military orders." (End of Chapter)