What's the difference between this and robbery

Beneath Iron Gate Pass,

Zhang Shi and Wang Ming each led a mighty army to the pass.

Upon arrival, Wang Ming reined in his horse and turned to Zhang Shi. “General Zhang Shi, are you really certain you won’t enter Iron Gate Pass with me?”

“The garrison commander surrendered to Lord Duke, after all.”

“And the intelligence he handed over was meant for Lord Duke as well.”

“Since we both serve under Lord Duke, shouldn’t we share it?”

Zhang Shi merely cast Wang Ming a cool, indifferent glance, his expression cold and stern.

“Hmph. A gentleman does not eat food offered out of pity.”

“You, Wang Ming, go ahead and enter Iron Gate Pass.”

“As for me, Zhang Shi, I’ll camp outside the city.”

“But…”

“Don’t get too pleased with yourself. Before long, I’ll show you that laughing first doesn’t count. What matters is who gets to laugh last.”

With that, Zhang Shi turned without another word and led his troops off to one side. He set up camp three miles outside Iron Gate Pass. No sooner had he ordered the men to establish camp than he hurried off to make inquiries.

“How did that order of mine turn out?” he demanded.

“Has anyone come to offer their services these past few days?”

“Among those who did, does anyone know what happened to Lu Chaosheng?”

No one answered. Clearly, there had been no good news. Zhang Shi was nearly frantic with impatience when a fine steed came galloping toward them.

Lu Shuang, dressed in a demon-suppression uniform, leaped from the saddle. Her face was alight with delight as she called out to Zhang Shi, “General Zhang Shi, look who I’ve brought you!”

“Who?”

“A clerk.”

“A clerk?”

“That’s right!” Lu Shuang said. “A clerk who worked for Lu Chaosheng!”

After a pause, she continued solemnly, “This clerk saw the notice you posted and came looking for you. As luck would have it, I ran into him on my way back, so I brought him along.”

The excitement on Zhang Shi’s face visibly intensified.

He could barely contain his smile.

He knew it! He knew it!

His plan had worked! It had absolutely worked!

The few lessons he had painstakingly distilled from his experience on the battlefield were truly useful!

He quickly asked, “Where is he?”

“Bring him in at once.”

The man had been following behind Lu Shuang. At her summons, he entered Zhang Shi’s tent. He looked every inch a scholar, though he was no longer young—probably in his mid-thirties. He wore a beard, and his face bore several marks of life’s hardships.

There was a gray, lifeless cast in his eyes as well, making it obvious that things had not been going well for him.

“This humble one greets General Zhang Shi!”

The clerk immediately fell to his knees, his respectful posture tinged with fear. “This humble one happened to see the notice posted by General Zhang Shi. Upon learning that General Zhang Shi was willing to stand up for us common folk, I gathered my courage and came here…”

Before he could finish, Zhang Shi had already helped him to his feet. He asked eagerly, “You’re Lu Chaosheng’s clerk, aren’t you?”

“Yes. This humble one has served as a clerk under General Lu for several years. I know Lord Lu’s circumstances quite well.”

“Then you must know…” Zhang Shi was about to ask directly about Lu Chaosheng’s love affair, but the words died on his lips when he noticed the distrust in the clerk’s eyes.

He immediately changed tack.

“You served under Lu Chaosheng, yet you’ve still been trapped by a love-addled fool. It seems your situation is even worse than I imagined!”

“But when it comes to fighting love-addled fools and helping people escape their troubles, this general’s resolve is utterly unshakable. To put it simply…”

“I and all love-addled fools are sworn enemies!”

“So, if you have any difficulties, tell me about them. This general will certainly help you solve them.”

The clerk was overjoyed. “Thank you, General Zhang Shi.”

“Go on.”

“Well, General Zhang Shi, this is how things stand. I’m thirty-six years old and have never married. My family has been terribly anxious about it, so they’ve tried every possible way to find me a wife. Recently, they finally found a suitable woman. She runs a cosmetics shop and is thirty-three years old. I’m quite pleased with her, and she seems quite pleased with me as well. We were just about to discuss marriage, but…”

“I can’t afford the betrothal gifts!”

At those words, Zhang Shi’s first reaction was disbelief.

He knew that a clerk’s income would not be especially high, but this man was already thirty-six. How could he still be unable to afford the betrothal gifts?

He blurted out, “How much is she asking for?”

“Two hundred and eighty-eight taels of silver.”

“H-How much?” Zhang Shi stared at him in shock. “Why doesn’t she just rob you?”

Zhang Shi knew very little about marriage customs and betrothal gifts—one could even say he knew nothing at all. Still, he had heard enough to know that under normal circumstances, for an ordinary family like this, ten or twenty taels of silver would already be considered quite generous.

But two hundred and eighty-eight taels?

What difference was there between that and robbery?

Oh, there was a difference!

After all, robbery wasn’t nearly as quick…

…