The hustle and bustle in Wuzhou City seemed to have nothing to do with Bai Shoujing.
Like a rat in a gutter, he relied on his familiarity with the secret paths in the city to avoid patrolling soldiers, hiding during the day and moving out at night, moving with difficulty towards Jinyang.
Hunger, fatigue and hatred deep in his bones supported him.
He knew that perhaps only the Zhou family could help him fight against Zhao Muyun and take back the Bai family's foundation.
Because his son Bai Sheng went with Zhou Yuan, the son of the Zhou family.
Moreover, the Zhou family was the largest distributor of the imperial salt in Hedong Road. Zhao Muyun and Pei Lun's illegal salt business in Yinzhou definitely impacted the interests of the Zhou family.
Taking away someone's job is like killing their parents, which is irreconcilable. The Zhou family must hate Zhao Muyun to the core.
Bai Shoujing made up his mind and decided to find the Zhou family first.
A few days later, in Jinyang Prefecture, at the back gate of Zhou Mansion.
A beggar, emitting a foul odor and barely recognizable as a human, huddled in a corner. Despite the doorman's scolding and driving him away, he just stared at the closed door and repeated hoarsely:
"I want to see Zhou Dequan... tell him... Bai Shoujing... is not dead..."
The doorman covered his nose in disgust and was about to call the security guard to throw the crazy beggar away when Zhou Dequan and Wang Pan came angrily from the side yard.
They had just secretly met with the leader of the black-clad killers who had returned from Xinzhou in defeat. They reprimanded him for his incompetence, spending a lot of money but not being able to get even one woman, and losing more than a dozen good men. They were full of anger.
"What are you making so much noise for! Where did this filthy beggar come from? Get rid of him!" Zhou Dequan yelled irritably.
"Master...this madman...has been shouting that he wants to see you...saying...that he is Bai Shoujing..." the doorman replied tremblingly.
"Bai Shoujing?"
Zhou Dequan and Wang Pan were both stunned.
They were so familiar with this name! Didn’t he die on the grassland?
The second in command of the Bai family in Shuozhou who was said to have "sacrificed his life for the country"?
Bai Shoujing worked for the court and died on the grassland. The court praised his heroism and conferred a title on him.
This made other businesses in Jinyang envious.
Among the four classes of people, scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants, merchants had the lowest status and had no political status in any dynasty.
Now Bai Shoujing, a businessman, actually has a title, which is unprecedented.
Zhou Dequan took a few steps closer suspiciously, enduring the stench, and carefully identified the filthy face in the dim light of the lantern.
Although he has lost weight, the shadow of Bai Shoujing can still be vaguely seen between his eyebrows!
Zhou Dequan was particularly impressed by those eyes full of resentment and madness!
"Is it really you? Second Master Bai!"
Zhou Dequan took a deep breath, and then a hint of ecstasy flashed in his eyes, but it was immediately concealed.
He waved his hands violently and shouted, "Everyone, step back! No one is allowed to come near!"
He stepped forward himself and bellowed to the stunned gatekeeper and guards, "Take him in through the back corner door! Send him straight to my inner courtyard bathhouse! Prepare hot water and clothes! Quick!"
Half an hour later, Bai Shoujing, who had washed off the dirt and changed into a clean silk shirt, was taken by Zhou Dequan and Wang Pan into the most secret compartment in the study.
He wolfed down a few snacks and drank a pot of hot tea, then he gasped and grumbled as he recounted in a hoarse voice how he was detained by Zhao Muyun as a laborer in the Gobi Salt Lake, how he witnessed Zhao Muyun trading illegal salt with the Tartars, how he escaped from the chaos of Timur's attack on the Salt Lake, and how he returned to Wuzhou City and learned about the great changes in the Bai family, how Bai Ruolan married Zhao Muyun and annexed the Bai family's business. He added fuel to the fire and recounted the story with gritted teeth.
In particular, it emphasized Zhao Muyun's "heinous crimes" of "colluding with the Tartars", "killing loyal and good people" and "seizing family property".
"Brother Zhou! Brother Wang! That thief Zhao Muyun not only killed my eldest brother and caused my son to go missing, but he also stole my family's wealth! This feud is irreconcilable! I, Bai Shoujing, am now a wandering ghost. I only ask for your help to take back the Bai family and kill the thief Zhao!"
When Bai Shoujing got excited, he burst into tears and beat his chest and stamped his feet.
Zhou Dequan's face turned pale when he heard this, and Wang Pan's eyes flickered.
Zhou Dequan slammed his hand on the table, shaking the teacup. "How can this be! Zhao Muyun! What a ruthless villain! He killed my beloved son Zhou Yuan, a vengeance I will never forget day or night! Now he's bullying Brother Bai! He's taking away your family property and ruining your reputation. Heaven will not tolerate this beast if it's not eliminated!"
"Brother Wang, you and I share the same hatred for the enemy, and we must plan carefully this time to make sure that thief Zhao is killed without a burial place!"
Wang Pan twirled his beard, his eyes gleaming. "The news that Brother Bai brought is extremely important! Zhao Muyun is secretly communicating with the Tartars, a grave crime of treason! If we can get concrete evidence, it will be his death warrant! However, how to obtain evidence and how to overthrow his current base in Shuozhou still require careful planning."
As the three of them were grappling with how to use Bai Shoujing's "experience" to frame Zhao Muyun, how to contact their old friends in the court to impeach him, and even how to hire a more powerful assassin, a hurried report from the trusted butler came from outside the secret room: "Master! A distinguished guest has arrived from the capital! It's... it's Wei Xima, the Prince's Palace's Xima!"
"Master Wei Qian?"
Zhou Dequan suddenly stood up, his face instantly changing from anger to ecstasy!
Wei Qian, the groom of the Crown Prince's Mansion, is a close minister to the Crown Prince and holds an extremely high status!
Why did he suddenly come to Jinyang?
"Quick! Come in! No, I'll go and greet you myself!"
Zhou Dequan didn't care about Bai Shoujing and Wang Pan. He immediately straightened his clothes and hurried out to meet them.
A moment later, Zhou Dequan respectfully welcomed a middle-aged scholar in brocade robes and with a noble demeanor into the secret room.
The person who came was Wei Qian, the prince's groom.
He glanced at Wang Pan in the secret room and Bai Shoujing, who looked haggard but wore an ill-fitting silk shirt, and frowned slightly.
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