Chapter 231: All Done
In a house in the East City of Pingjiang City.
Old Master Zhu’s face was ashen. His son, Ninth Master Zhu, sat beside him, speaking in a hushed voice.
“…The cheapest weaver from the real estate agency costs at least a hundred taels.
“Regarding the collection of autumn silkworm cocoons, I’ve visited several places, and each one swore they weren’t involved, even when presented with evidence. Too many weaving workshops are collecting them; almost every household is doing it. What do you think, Father?”
Old Master Zhu slowly exhaled, calming the anger in his heart.
These weaving workshops are short-sighted, only seeing the petty profits right under their noses!
“Those,” Old Master Zhu took a breath and gritted his teeth, “we’ll set aside for now. The winter sea merchant gathering is the important matter! I didn’t expect that old fellow He Chengzhe to be working so hard!”
“Sea merchants have always done business with us. The He family?” Ninth Master Zhu cautiously voiced his confusion.
His father was full of rage.
Old Master Zhu’s eyes narrowed and then relaxed. After a moment of silence, he said, “In the beginning, it was the He family who connected the Silk General Store with those sea merchants.”
“Ah!” Ninth Master Zhu’s eyes widened.
“The He family runs very deep,” Old Master Zhu sighed heavily.
“Then what about us?” Ninth Master Zhu was somewhat flustered.
“Our Zhu family has been in charge of the Jiangnan Silk Guild for two generations because we had the Pang family behind us, and later we supported Minister Wang. Having support behind us also means we are not free; we are pawns in their hands,” Old Master Zhu said in a low tone.
Ninth Master Zhu’s face turned pale.
This was the truth; letters from the Capital City were directing them.
“Another letter from the Capital City?” Ninth Master Zhu’s voice was dry.
“Yes.” Old Master Zhu leaned back against the chair back, stunned for a moment, then gestured to his son, “You personally go to Changzhou City and have Shi Datou come see me, quietly.”
“Alright.” Ninth Master Zhu looked at his father, swallowed the questions in his heart, and stood up to leave.
Old Master Zhu watched his son leave, his shoulders slumped, his expression gloomy.
………………………………
Shi Datou rushed back to Changzhou City from Pingjiang City, ordered a banquet, several jars of good wine, and invited two sworn brothers.
Shi Datou motioned for his two brothers to sit down, and he drank cup after cup, downing four or five cups of wine.
“What happened?” the second brother asked, carefully observing Shi Datou.
“Didn’t Brother say he was going to see Old Master Zhu?” the third brother picked up the pot and poured wine for Shi Datou.
“Old Master Zhu has been greatly kind to me.” Shi Datou tilted his head back and finished the wine in his cup.
“What does he want us to do?” the third brother asked.
“Kill someone.” Shi Datou took the wine pot from the third brother and refilled his cup.
“Isn’t that a small matter?” the second brother relaxed and smiled.
“Which noble person is it?” the third brother asked, looking at his elder brother’s expression.
The second brother stopped smiling.
Shi Datou drank his wine in two gulps, “A little girl, and she has a bodyguard with her who is extremely skilled in Kung Fu, unmatched at the Linhai Wharf.”
“Just one? No matter how skilled one person is, it’s useless. Two fists can’t fight four hands. If we bring a few more brothers, we can beat him to death with a few clubs!” the second brother spat.
“Besides this bodyguard, she also has a maidservant, a cart driver, and four attendants, all from the Prince’s Estate outside Pingjiang City. That maidservant is the Young Lord’s maidservant,” Shi Datou continued.
The second brother’s eyes widened, and the third brother was stunned. After a moment, the third brother smiled bitterly, “Did you agree, Brother?”
Shi Datou nodded.
“Once this person is killed, we’ll have to live as fugitives from now on,” the second brother sighed.
“You two leave, I have to stay. This must be our kill; it has nothing to do with the Zhu family, and nothing to do with the silk guild.” Shi Datou threw his cup onto the table.
“Damn it!”
“Old Master Zhu has been greatly kind to me. If he wants my life, I must give it up properly,” Shi Datou interrupted the second brother. “People of the martial world have their own principles.”
………………………………
Li Xiaonan traveled from Jiaxing to Jinling in Changzhou.
The weather had turned cold. Li Xiaonan and Wan Jing huddled inside the carriage, watching A Wu, who had a padded cloak draped over his shoulders, practice his riding skills by directing the horse to do this and that, jumping and prancing.
Wang Yuting’s horse was tethered behind the cart. He sat beside the cart driver, holding a hand warmer, watching A Wu practice riding while chatting with Li Xiaonan and Wan Jing.
“By the way, I heard there’s a book called ‘The Legend of Marshal Sang,’ it sounds very interesting. Have you heard of it?” Li Xiaonan suddenly remembered and asked Wang Yuting with a smile.
‘The Legend of Marshal Sang’ was kept in the restricted areas of the villa’s library. Wan Jing had barely heard any storytelling, let alone the title ‘The Legend of Marshal Sang.’
“I’ve heard of it!” Wang Yuting’s voice rose, and he smiled, “It was the year A Wu and I eloped. In the first lunar month, a storyteller came to the county town. He first told stories in the open space near the mule and horse market for two or three days, and then he was invited to the Hongxiang Teahouse to tell stories.
“You don’t know how lively it was!
“The Hongxiang Teahouse faced the County School, and there was a large open space. The teahouse removed an entire side of its doors.
“It’s very cold in our area in the first lunar month. But even though the doors were all removed, it wasn’t cold at all inside the teahouse. The open space was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, blocking out the cold air, more effective than the doors.
Wang Yuting patted the red copper hand warmer and sighed with satisfaction.
“You don’t know how lively it was!”
“You only watched the excitement? Didn’t you listen to the story?” Li Xiaonan asked Wang Yuting.
“What are you saying! A Wu and I were so engrossed in listening to the story that we didn’t pay attention to the excitement!
“We missed the stories from those two or three days at the mule and horse market, and we also missed the first two days of stories at the Hongxiang Teahouse. When we arrived, it was just at the part where Marshal Sang angrily killed the wicked bully of the South City to eliminate harm for the people. We listened for three days, and on the fourth day, my family wouldn’t let me go out anymore.”
Wang Yuting paused, glanced at Wan Jing, and smiled, “A matchmaker came to the house, and my family told me to go on a blind date, so A Wu and I eloped.
“We only heard that part about the wicked bully of the South City, and we didn’t even finish it. I heard that the entire ‘Legend of Marshal Sang’ would take half a year to tell without stopping for a day.
“It’s really good! Marshal Sang is a young lady, incredibly powerful. A Wu admires Marshal Sang the most. She said if she had lived in Marshal Sang’s time, she would have definitely gone to join Marshal Sang, even willing to be a footstool for Marshal Sang to mount her horse!
“I would be willing too,” Wang Yuting said with longing.
“There really is such a book. When I have money, I’ll hire a storyteller who can tell ‘The Legend of Marshal Sang’ and tell it to you and A Wu from beginning to end,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
“It seems something has happened up ahead,” the cart driver said, standing up to look forward.
A Wu rushed ahead of the attendants, galloping his horse forward. After a short while, A Wu galloped back.
“Two carts of bluestone in front have hit someone. The carts have overturned, and the person is seriously injured. The cart drivers are arguing fiercely with the villagers and are about to fight. Should we wait or take a detour?” A Wu asked.
Li Xiaonan looked at the attendant who had returned behind A Wu.
The attendant bowed and said, “The person is seriously injured, and the village head has already sent someone to report to the authorities. The two carts of bluestone cannot be moved until the government has investigated. It will take at least two or three hours. It’s better to take a detour.”
“Then let’s take a detour,” Li Xiaonan nodded.
The cart driver jumped down, led the horse, and slowly turned the cart around, taking another road towards Jinling.
