Chapter 89 Mutual Exploitation
"Tell us if you have any difficulties, and we adults will definitely find a way to solve them!"
Zhu Tao didn't dare to be presumptuous and could only say that he would try to find a way.
"I was just a refugee who fled from Huainan. How did I climb to where I am today?"
I have naturally done a lot of shady things for others, and Fifth Master was one of them.
"The distribution of medicinal herbs is handled by Fifth Master's men. You need to find a way to get Fifth Master to willingly give you the herbs."
Unexpectedly, Li Dali would bring up the Fifth Imperial Uncle.
What surprised Yun Zhao even more was that her fifth uncle had so many people under his command.
Li Dali's gambling den amassed wealth for him, and he also had people specifically managing the supply of medicinal herbs.
"Who is this Fifth Master you're talking about?"
Zhu Tao thought to himself, "No matter what, I can't be more powerful than an official, can I?"
"His Highness, the Fifth Prince of Yue."
Zhu Tao: ?
"Are you one of the King of Yue's men?"
Can someone tell him, is it reasonable for a prince to run a gambling den?
"I guess so. Running a gambling den requires some connections. Otherwise, do you really think I could succeed on my own?"
With so many gambling dens operating throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, how could they not attract unwanted attention? I dare say, in the Great Zhou Dynasty...
Unless they were imperial merchants, most merchants of any significant size were backed by powerful nobles or influential figures.
Imperial merchants openly had the backing of the imperial court, while those like them were actually backed by noble families behind the scenes.
Or, like him, they would offer tributes to nobles every year and occasionally do things for them.
"I need to go back and report this to my superiors."
The Governor-General of Jiangnan is the Empress's man, but the herbal medicine merchant who is now the easiest to contact is the Fifth Prince's man.
How could Zhu Tao, a mere minor official, make such a decision?
"Perhaps you can leverage the influence of Medicine King Valley within the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Few herbal medicine merchants would dare offend Medicine King Valley; as for others, I cannot disclose that information.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Li. I will go back and ask my superiors for instructions."
Now that he knew the breakthrough point, Zhu Tao didn't linger.
He turned to look at Yun Zhao, only to see her looking up at him.
"I still need to perform acupuncture on Uncle Li, you guys go back first~ Jingchen will come to pick me up later~"
Zhu Tao glanced at the tiger nestled next to Yun Zhao. With such a big tiger by her side, she was much safer than herself!
"Alright, then I'll take my leave now! Farewell!"
After Zhu Tao left, Yun Zhao took out her needle case from the small pocket on her chest.
Li Dali took one look and realized that the needle pack looked familiar.
"This is……"
"This was given to me by my master~"
Master?
"I heard that the old Valley Master has taken a child as his apprentice."
"It's me!"
Li Dali finally recognized him.
This needle kit contains the golden needles used by the old Valley Master, which can be considered a symbol of the Valley Master's status.
The old valley master actually gave this needle case directly to Yun Zhao!
"With such intelligence as Young Master, mastering the Thirteen Needles of the Ancient Sect, becoming the new Valley Master of Medicine King Valley is just around the corner!"
"You're quite the smooth talker!"
Yun Zhao placed his hand on his wrist and took his pulse.
Have you been taking your medicine as prescribed these past two days?
"Of course, I haven't forgotten the young master's instructions for a single day!"
"I'm a little unaccustomed to your sudden politeness."
Yun Zhao opened the needle case and spoke casually, but Li Dali's heart skipped a beat.
"I was rude before, please don't take offense, young master. You saved my life, and I will always respect you from now on."
Li Dali finally understood that this little princess had a really strange temper, and he absolutely couldn't treat her like an ordinary child.
Yun Zhao placed a needle around his eye and asked casually, "How long have you been working under my Fifth Imperial Uncle?"
Li Dali's eyelids twitched. He felt that the golden needle had landed very close this time, as if the next needle was about to land on his eyeball!
It was only then that he remembered that Yun Zhao was Princess Jinglan, and her father was the Third Prince of the current dynasty, Prince Jin!
Oh no, I've run into my nemesis.
"It's been five years."
Five years later, around the time of her birth, they got in touch.
"That's been a long time."
After these words were spoken, a silence fell between the two of them.
Li Dali only breathed a sigh of relief when Yun Zhao pulled out the golden needle.
Just when he thought Yun Zhao was just asking casually, she suddenly spoke up.
"What have you done for my Fifth Imperial Uncle in these past five years?"
One sentence was enough to make Li Dali's head buzz.
"The pig-headed imperial guards said that my fifth imperial uncle wanted to kill my father, and if you continue to work for him in the future..."
So, should I give him the injection or not? Should I save him or not? I can't possibly save an ungrateful person, can I?
She was pressuring him to make a decision.
The choice is either to completely betray the Fifth Prince, or to choose not to save him.
Li Dali wasn't particularly loyal to the Fifth Prince; after all, their relationship was more of a collaboration.
But the Fifth Prince was a nobleman, while he was ultimately just a commoner.
"The gambling den is essentially a money bag for the Fifth Prince. He doesn't usually manage it, but having him behind the scenes saves him a lot of trouble."
As for the dirty work I did for him, it was all settled on the spot. That's the rule in our line of work; I can't possibly reveal all of that.
However, I can tell you that your father's matter this time should have nothing to do with the Fifth Prince.
Yun Zhao was tidying up the gold needles when he heard what he said, and his hands paused.
"You seem to know quite a bit about my Fifth Imperial Uncle."
Her demeanor was nothing like that of a five-year-old child; when she looked up at him, he had the illusion that she was being watched.
Li Dali was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Since I work under your Fifth Imperial Uncle, I should know him well enough."
The King of Yue is always cautious in his actions. How could I not investigate his sudden intention to become the behind-the-scenes owner of my Li family's gambling den?
Yun Zhao was somewhat surprised.
She initially thought this man was a lackey of her fifth uncle, but unexpectedly, it turned out he was the one using her fifth uncle.
Her eyes darkened slightly as she closed her sewing kit.
"In that case, Uncle Li, why don't you continue to work for my Fifth Imperial Uncle?"
Li Dali was startled and immediately had an absurd idea.
"You want me to be a spy?"
"I wouldn't call him a spy, since you still have to pay tribute to my Fifth Imperial Uncle. But now..."
"I'm just asking you to use this money to buy some information, but that depends on how much trust you have in your men."
While informing everyone at the Li family gambling den that they must respect her, Li Dali continued to work for the King of Yue.
She must be sure that the King of Yue does not know that he is now Yun Zhao's person.
"I naturally trust the people under my command."
Li Dali's transformation from a refugee to the owner of the Li Family Gambling House was not simply due to his smooth talk.
His men were either fellow villagers who had also fled from disaster, or people who had received his favors.
If his subordinates betrayed him, he could only accept his fate, acknowledging that he had misjudged people.
Seeing his confident demeanor, Yun Zhao composed himself.
She put the sewing kit back into the small pocket on her chest, and her innocent smile returned to her face.
"Then Zhao Zhao will leave this matter to you~"
Her change of expression was too quick, which made Li Dali even more suspicious.
Is the person in front of me really a five-year-old child?
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