Chapter 5: The Petty Thief Backstabs Lin Chong, The Wise Star Frames His Brothers

At the South Mountain Inn at the foot of Liangshan, Lin Chong, Wu Song, and other heroes, upon learning that it was Zhang Yue who had killed Gao Qiu, quickly had Zhu Gui bring out good wine and food, setting up a grand feast and drinking heartily with him.

No one noticed that a man who looked like a Liangshan soldier, while everyone was celebrating, secretly left the inn, slipped into the reed swamp, rowed a small boat, and headed towards Liangshan Mountain.

This man was a spy placed by Song Jiang beside Lin Chong, named Dong Lining. He was a traitor who had forgotten his benefactor. When Lin Chong first joined Liangshan, under Wang Lun’s arrangement, Lin Chong went down the mountain to get a “name card.”

He happened to meet Dong Lining being robbed by bandits, and he was about to be killed with a knife when Lin Chong saved him. His family had been killed, so Lin Chong took the helpless Dong Lining back to the mountain.

This man was cowardly and weak, unable to even tie a chicken, and he was a villain. However, he was diligent, so Instructor Lin kept him by his side to do errands, such as serving tea and water, delivering letters, and running errands.

Dong Lining saw that Lu Junyi’s servant, Yan Qing, was a servant who was as noble as his master, ranked among the Heavenly Gang, and Song Jiang’s younger brother, Li Kui, was even more arrogant on Liangshan. He couldn’t stand the loneliness and wanted Lin Chong to get him a position.

This man, who lacked self-awareness, in the Hall of Righteousness, in front of all the heroes, used Yan Qing and Li Kui as examples and asked Song Jiang to make him a small leader.

The heroes, out of respect for Instructor Lin, didn’t laugh at him on the spot, but Song Jiang’s vicious servant, Li Kui, couldn’t stand him. He cursed:

“You donkey-and-ox-born thief! You lowly thief who serves tea and water, you dare to compare yourself to Brother Yan Qing and me, Iron Head? I’ll chop you to pieces!”

Li Kui cursed and pulled out his huge double-headed axe, swung it in the air, and walked towards Dong Lining, stealing a glance at Song Jiang.

Seeing that Song Jiang was expressionless, Li Kui recklessly swung his axe down with all his might.

Fortunately, Lin Chong was quick-witted and kicked Dong Lining away. Li Kui missed his target. To prevent Li Kui from chopping him again, Lin Chong quickly pretended to be angry and kicked Dong Lining, driving him out of the Hall of Righteousness.

He also pleaded with Song Jiang to punish him for his lax supervision. Finally, at the request of Lu Zhishen and Wu Song, Song Jiang pretended to scold Li Kui for being reckless and so on, and the matter was dropped.

But not long after, Dong Lining, under the lure of small benefits, became Song Jiang’s loyal dog. When Gao Qiu was captured by Liangshan, Lin Chong wanted to secretly unite with Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, and the three brothers of the Ruan family, who opposed the imperial pardon, to force Song Jiang to kill Gao Qiu.

It was Dong Lining who tipped off Song Jiang, allowing him to escort Gao Qiu away from Liangshan ahead of time. Now, he secretly told Song Jiang that the person who killed Gao Qiu, the god-sent savior Zhang Yue, was at the South Mountain Inn.

After learning that Lin Chong and Wu Song were also at the South Mountain Inn and were celebrating with Zhang Yue, Song Jiang couldn’t help but frown. He immediately instructed Dong Lining to go back and keep an eye on the South Mountain Inn, reporting back immediately if there was any news.

Then he had his men call for the strategist Wu Yong. Wu Yong, after hearing the whole story, smiled wickedly and immediately ordered someone to invite the talented scholar Xiao Rang.

This Xiao Rang was no ordinary person. He wore a green robe and a black cap, his spirit soaring. He could imitate the writing of Mi, Cai, Su, Huang, and others, a master calligrapher with a reputation. He wore a black gauze cap and a rhinoceros belt, white silk trousers, and dry black boots. His chest was filled with generosity, and his penmanship was like a dragon and a snake.

To put it simply, he had a superpower. As long as he had seen a person’s handwriting, no matter who it was, he could copy it perfectly, indistinguishable from the real thing.

Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and Xiao Rang immediately went into the back room. After a while, Wu Yong came out with a letter in his hand. He called for a servant, gave him the letter, whispered a few words, and the servant hurried away.

Wu Yong then called for several other servants, and whispered to them in the same way. They each went their separate ways. At this time, Xiao Rang also came out leisurely, bid farewell to Wu Yong, and left.

After a while, the servant reported that the “gentleman” had arrived. Wu Yong hurried into the back room and left Song Jiang’s residence through a side door.

Song Jiang straightened his clothes and went out to greet him. A middle-aged man with bright eyes, eight-character eyebrows, a nine-foot tall silver-like physique, and a majestic air walked towards him. It was the famous Jade Unicorn, Lu Junyi.

Lu Junyi bowed deeply to Song Jiang:

“Brother, you called me here. What’s the matter?”

Song Jiang smiled and bowed slightly in return, taking Lu Junyi’s hand and inviting him into the room.

“Grand Marshal Gao just left Liangshan and was killed by bandits. This is not good for the imperial pardon. I have sent people out to investigate, but I haven’t found any leads. Ten days have passed, and the court hasn’t sent any documents. I’m very worried. I specially invited you here, brother. Let’s play a few games of chess to calm our minds!”

Lu Junyi sighed first, then forced a smile:

“Haha, it’s rare for brother to have such a good mood. Lu will accompany you.”

As they spoke, they walked into the back room and sat down on the couch, the host and guest taking their respective positions. The chessboard was already set up on the table. The servant, after serving tea, discreetly withdrew.

Song Jiang picked up his teacup, took a small sip, placed it on the corner of the table, stroked his sleeve, spread out his palm, and said to Lu Junyi:

“You go first, Gentleman.”

Lu Junyi dared not go first. He quickly retreated slightly, saying with a trembling voice, “Brother, please go first, please go first!”

“Hehehe!” Accompanied by a series of unpredictable laughter, Song Jiang casually moved his pawn forward.

Lu Junyi couldn’t help but laugh, “Brother, you usually command troops and generals. Why are you moving a pawn today?”

Song Jiang picked up the “pawn” he had just moved with two fingers, gently threw it onto the chessboard, got up, turned around, and put his hands behind his back, “Hehehe, Gentleman, don’t you know? Sometimes, a pawn is more useful than a general!”

Lu Junyi, upon hearing this, stood up abruptly, his face showing a hint of panic, but he quickly regained his composure and said earnestly and righteously, “Please rest assured, brother. As long as we find out who attacked Grand Marshal Gao, at your command, I, Lu Junyi, will be the first to capture him!”

Song Jiang quickly covered his mouth with one hand, pretending to cough a few times. He turned around, grabbed Lu Junyi’s arm, and sat down in the front hall.

At this moment, a servant came in and said that the brothers in front had found out that the murderer of Grand Marshal Gao was currently at the South Mountain Inn!

Lu Junyi, upon hearing this, immediately stood up and volunteered to capture him.

The servant, seeing this, hesitated. Song Jiang asked, “You boy, what is it? Just say it. Gentleman is not an outsider!”

The servant smiled awkwardly at Gentleman Lu and took out a letter from his bosom, presenting it to Song Jiang.

Song Jiang got up, took the letter, opened it, and his face immediately turned dark. Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood, slumped back in his chair, and spread out his hand, dropping the letter at Lu Junyi’s feet.

Lu Junyi quickly stepped forward to help Song Jiang up, but Song Jiang struggled to sit up straight, gesturing for Lu Junyi to look at the letter.

Lu Junyi hesitated for a moment, picked up the letter, and looked at it. He smiled and said, “Brother, this is clearly someone trying to sow discord between you and Instructor Lin…”

Before Lu Junyi could finish speaking, Song Jiang slammed his hand on the table and cursed, “Lin Chong pretends to be loyal and righteous, but he is actually seeking revenge for himself, colluding with Fang La, killing a high-ranking official of the court, and disregarding the future of our brothers…”

Song Jiang cried and cursed Lin Chong. Lu Junyi could only admit that Lin Chong had colluded with Fang La’s generals to kill Gao Qiu. He immediately went down the mountain to capture Lin Chong and Zhang Yue, as Song Jiang requested!