Chapter 32 Chapter 32 [VIP]
Chapter 32
Song Yunzhi put away his sword and walked out from behind the pillar on the side of the bed.
Lu Daozhong's neck was twisted stiffly, and he glanced nervously to the side. He vaguely saw a slender figure in his peripheral vision. He was about to look again, but the next moment the only lamp in the room was extinguished by his sword.
The house was plunged into darkness. The night light in the corridor was separated by a door, and the light that came in through the lattice window was so weak that one could not even see the color of the clothes the person was wearing.
The man walked over to the official hat chair in front of his desk and sat down, then asked, "Where did the King of the Lu family go tonight?"
Lu Daozhong was guessing his identity. He said he was a man of Dali Cheng Wang Zhao. He could call Wang Zhao by his name and could evade the Lu family guards and lurk in his study quietly. This man's identity was definitely not ordinary.
He quickly thought of what Wang Zhao said, the people above.
Lu Daozhong was nervous and excited. The Lu family was different from the other three families. They dealt in cloth, silk, and spices, which were inseparable from trade. He had been to Kyoto, Chang'an and other places, and his heart was no longer settled in Yangzhou alone.
He had to expand the Lu family's territory.
The fastest way to get rid of the Pu family and leave Yangzhou is to get the support of the court.
The year before the imperial court planned to send representatives to Yangzhou, he began avoiding the Pu family and attempting to contact the court. The emperor of the new dynasty was adept at warfare, and the world had been at peace for four or five years. While the Pu family was powerful, they couldn't defeat them. As long as he managed to avoid offending either side, even if a fierce battle ensued, what would it have to do with him?
Maybe you can even reap some benefits before the war breaks out.
He observed the newcomer from the darkness. Although his eyes could not see clearly, his senses were very sensitive. The newcomer had an extraordinary aura. The Lu family king was more and more certain that this person was of a higher official position than Wang Zhao. He confirmed, "Is it Lord Wang's order that you come here?"
"Don't test me." The other party saw through his thoughts and said, "I ask you a question, and you answer it."
Lu Daozhong was no fool, so he smiled and said, "What if someone else, under the guise of Lord Wang, steals information they shouldn't have..."
The other party handed him a badge.
Lu Daozhong took it and touched it. He recognized it as the token of the Yangzhou governor, and he was completely relieved. He whispered to him about his whereabouts tonight: "Tonight, the Pu family summoned the three major families."
Song Yunzhi listened.
"With the fall of the Cui family, only three of the four great families remain. The only ones going to the appointment tonight are me and the Qian family's Seventh Lady." Lu Daozhong said, "We're being met by the Pu family's branch in Yangzhou, the Third Lady of the Third House. Not long ago, the Cui and Qian families clashed, and the Cui family fell, but the Qian family didn't suffer either. The eldest lady is gone, and the Seventh Lady went berserk at sea, blowing up all ten of the Cui family's ships. The eldest son happened to be in the strait when it happened, and out of concern, he's also come to Yangzhou."
Afraid that he didn't know the relationship, Lu Daozhong and Wang Dong explained, "In their early years, the eldest son of the Pu family and Miss Qian had a love affair. They were childhood sweethearts and had a deep affection for each other. However, the four major families did not easily intermarry, and the Pu family felt that Miss Qian was not worthy and refused to agree, forcibly separating the couple..."
"No need to say that." A voice interrupted from the darkness.
Lu Daozhong was stunned and quickly shut up. But after thinking for a while, he found that he couldn't avoid it, so he said with a stiff upper lip: "Today, the eldest son of the Pu family is also here."
After a long pause, seeing that the person opposite didn't say anything to stop him, 7 continued, "After the Cui family collapsed, Cui Wanzhong didn't take over the tea business. Today, the Third Madam called the two families over. Firstly, she wanted to give us a warning, and secondly, she was considering who should be the right person to hand over the business to."
"Before the eldest son of the Pu family came, the Third Madam was very dissatisfied with the Seventh Madam of the Qian family, but the situation changed after the eldest son came."
He had thought the Lu family was the most suitable, but who knew that both the salt permits and tea were snatched away by Qian Tong? Lu Daozhong felt a bit personal, "It's because I'm incompetent. If I could get the Pu family's tea business, I could help the court and help you find evidence of smuggling sooner. It's a pity that the eldest son, like a calf, gave the tea business to the Qian family..."
Unexpectedly, the person sitting in the dark asked in a cold voice, "Didn't she exchange it for the account book?"
Lu Daozhong's heart skipped a beat. How did he know the account book?
In order to avoid offending both sides, he had originally intended to keep the account book a secret. However, since the court already knew about it, he dared not conceal it any longer. He said, "Seventh Lady does have an account book. It was originally in the hands of the Duan family's young prince in the deep mountain village. But not long ago, Seventh Lady and her martial artist son-in-law stole the account book, intending to use it as a threat to take over the Pu family's tea business."
What is blackmail?
It's just a bargaining chip.
It was the first time that Song Yunzhi met the King of the Lu family. He felt that this person spoke in a disgusting and dishonest way.
Half a point.
Having obtained what he wanted, he did not delay any longer. Before leaving, he warned his subordinates to take care of their own affairs. If they committed any crime, the court would forgive them.
Lu Daozhong felt a chill down his spine at this inexplicable warning. Only when the man left through the back window did he come to his senses. The tension he had previously felt relaxed in an instant, and he could no longer stand and collapsed to the ground.
I washed myself white and was covered in cold sweat.
Lu Daozhong did not sleep all night, and on the next morning, he received news that someone from the gambling house came to report, "Master, the little Lan family..."
Weren’t the people from the Lan family taken back to Kyoto?
"Lan Yizhi." The gambling house clerk whispered, "Half a month ago, the second son of the Pu family booked a private room in our gambling house and imprisoned Lan Yizhi there. Last night, a warrior came and rescued him. Many people saw it..."
Why did the second son of the Park family imprison him?
Lu Daozhong didn't understand.
But no matter what his purpose was, the person was found in his Lu family gambling house. Thinking of what the adult said last night, Lu Daozhong hurried to the prefectural government to meet Wang Zhao and clear himself of the grievances.
——
Qian Tong goes to bed late and gets up late.
When I woke up, I saw the quiet sunshine in the yard, the sound of birdsong, and a peaceful and quiet feeling in my ears. I was a little surprised, so I called Fu Yin in and asked, "Didn't my son-in-law come this morning?"
Fu Yin shook her head, "Didn't my wife ask my son-in-law to have a good rest last night?"
strangeness.
Shouldn't he have rushed in early in the morning and asked her coldly why 777 lied to him? Why was she so quiet today?
Seeing her lost in thought, Fu Yin asked, "Should I go and call my uncle?"
Qian Tongdao said no, she got up and went to find clothes, and she went over there by herself.
There was less rain this spring, and July 7 was a sunny day. In addition, Qian Tong had a good sleep last night, so she was in a good mood and walked briskly to find her seventh uncle.
When she came over, Song Yunzhi was sitting in the house drinking tea. He saw the figure stepping over the threshold out of the corner of his eye, and he deliberately looked up at the sun outside.
It's noon.
I slept soundly.
Qian Tong smiled at the young man who was drinking tea inside and greeted him, "Good morning, Yunzhen. Did you get enough rest last night?"
Song Yunzhi was too lazy to respond to her.
Qian Tong was used to his aloofness. He walked over to his side and took a look at the cake of tea placed on the wooden table. It was the most valuable Jian tea at the time. His eyes lit up and he asked him, "How does it taste?"
A few days ago, she bought some tea from Young Prince Duan and asked Ah Jin to bring a few of the best varieties to her son-in-law for him to taste. She herself hadn't had the chance to try any yet, but today was the perfect time. Without waiting for his invitation, she plopped down on the futon opposite him and pointed to another round white porcelain cup beside him, saying expectantly, "Give me one, too."
Song Yunzhi poured her a cup.
Qian Tong put it to his nose and sniffed it. "It smells really good. It's worth risking our lives to get it."
It was not her who risked her life. Song Yunzhi stopped drinking and sat there, looking at her with his dark eyes, waiting for her next performance.
He had woken up but hadn't had any water yet. Qian Tong was thirsty, so he drank it all in one gulp. He pushed the empty cup in front of him and tapped his fingers on the wooden table, "Another cup."
Master Song poured tea for her in silence.
She stared at the tea flowing in front of her and chatted with him, "When Young Prince Duan gave us the tea, he said that this time the money and goods were paid, and in the future, we will repay kindness and repay grievances."
"Tsk..." She laughed, her face arrogant and conceited, "Does he think I'm afraid of him?"
Song Yunzhi had seen women with arrogance, even princes and nobles, but none of them had the contempt and confidence she now possessed. But 7 had an innocent face, and that expression only accentuated her cunning. She looked like a thorny flower, beckoning you forward, but the moment you reached out to pick it, she would stab you with a sword, leaving you dead without a trace of your consciousness.
She looked up and said to him mysteriously, "I have found a great supporter now."
Song Yunzhi knew that she couldn't bear it any longer. If he didn't go find her, she would definitely come to him and make up for the whole cause and effect of the whole thing.
He listened to her explanation.
"There's no need to look for the person who stole my account last night. They've already come looking for me." Qian Tong asked him, "Guess who it is."
Song Yunzhi chuckled, "Who?"
She leaned closer to him and whispered, "The Park family came this morning and said that after the Cui family's property was raided, there was no one to take over the teahouse, so they want to give the business to me." Her eyes were filled with excitement, and she winked at him, "This time, our family is really going to get rich."
Qian Tong looked into his eyes, waiting for the change in his eyes. Whether it was surprise or anger, she could understand. But after waiting for a long time, all she got was his bland congratulations, "Congratulations."
I accompanied Young Master Song to drink tea for an hour, and changed the water in the teapot twice. Young Master Song sat there opposite me, and his expression did not change at all.
Qian Tong secretly marveled at his good health.
But she couldn't help it and went to the toilet. She pretended to be calm and walked out of Song Yunzhi's room, but her steps were extremely hurried. It turned out that if she told too many lies, she couldn't deceive anyone anymore.
She suddenly felt confused as to whether the Lu family had rebelled or not.
She drank too much tea and was really anxious. After coming out, she hurriedly asked Fu Yin: "Where's Lan Yizi? Did you send him away?"
Fu Yin nodded, "Last night my wife said she wanted to send him back. This morning, Ah Yin sent him to the prefectural government. He should be taken to the dock by now."
Qian Tong hurriedly said, "Hurry up and find out which route the man took, then stop him and stop him."
Fu Yin was stunned and thought to herself, why didn’t you tell me earlier?
Young Master Lan was filled with mixed feelings last night. In the first half of the night, he was happy that his wife had saved him. In the second half of the night, he heard that his wife was going to send him to the government, and he shed a liter of tears.
Fu Yin quickly sent people out to the various docks leading to Kyoto.
——
Lan Yizi was waiting for the official ship at the port.
Because the Lan family's case was not concluded and the Lan family had not been convicted, the officials were only responsible for escorting him back to Kyoto and did not put him in shackles. Moreover, considering his frail appearance at the time, if he were shackled, he would probably not even be able to walk.
The official who was in charge of picking him up from the official ship had also sent him off last time. At that time, the entire Lan family was crying, and only this young master was busy comforting them one by one. This time, he was alone, and why was he in tears, looking like he was dying? I couldn't help but ask, "Didn't he get on the ship? Why is he still in Yangzhou? Why is he crying like this? Did he try to escape and get caught?"
The escorting officer wasn't quite sure either. "He came to the government office this morning and said Wang Dong wanted to return to Kyoto. He didn't say a word other than that. He just kept crying. Anyway, he's back. Let's send him back to Kyoto for trial..."
The two of them were talking, and they didn't try to avoid each other, so the wind blew everything into Lan Yizi's ears.
He clenched his fists so tightly that the bones turned white.
When he was trapped in the dark room, he wanted to escape, but now that he had escaped, there was no room for filth where the sunlight shone. That disaster became a humiliation that he would never be able to raise his head in his life. He stared blankly at the vast ocean in front of him, and suddenly he had an urge to dive in.
Once the thought comes, it cannot be stopped.
He raised his feet and walked towards the fault on the side, taking one step, two steps...
"Young Master Lan!" A familiar voice suddenly called him from behind. He turned around and saw a man walking towards him from the opposite stone steps.
The sea breeze blew her skirt to one side, revealing her slender figure. She kept brushing the messy hair on her forehead, and soon walked in front of the two officials. She took out some silver from her purse and stuffed it into the hands of the two men. She said something, and then waved to him.
Lan Yizi didn't expect to see Qian Qi Niang again. Seeing her waving at him, he walked towards her involuntarily.
The wind was so strong that the hair hit her face painfully. Seeing others approaching, she cut to the chase and said, "I can help you temporarily avoid punishment. Are you willing?"
Lan Yizi was stunned.
Qian Tong saw the tears on his face. "You're such a grown man, why are you crying? Isn't the Lan family still here? Besides, even if you return to Kyoto, your crime isn't punishable by death. Besides, your Lan family has strong connections. At most, some of your property will be confiscated, and your father will lose his job and spend some time in prison. Then the matter will be over. What's there to worry about?"
She took out a silk handkerchief and gave it to him, "Wipe your tears, don't let others laugh at you."
When the prefectural governor was in power, Young Master Lan was surrounded by young ladies who tried to cheer him up and praise him for his abilities. It was the first time he had ever heard a young lady scold him.
Lan Yizi was not angry at all. His heart suddenly ached. Before tears came out, he reached out to take her handkerchief, turned his back and wiped it clean.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Miss Qi."
"There are three things you shouldn't laugh at: poverty, stupidity, or cowardice." Qian Tong said, "But you can't allow yourself to be bullied. If you go back like this, you'll probably never forget the humiliation you suffered today. Evildoers deserve retribution."
Lan Yizi's face froze, and his ears flushed red. He said in despair, "You, know everything?"
Seeing him so ashamed and angry, Qian Tong hurriedly shook his head, "I don't know, I only know that you were tied up in the Lu family gambling house."
Lan Yizi breathed a sigh of relief.
Qian Tong said, "Come back with me and let's report to the authorities."
Lan Yi was stunned.
Qian Tong said, "We have to sue Mr. Lu for personal revenge and kidnap you. We have to vent our anger somewhere."
Lan Yizi wanted to refuse.
Qian Tong continued, "The reason your Lan family fell is because your parents were corrupt and broke the law. The court punished them to give justice to the world. Now we are the ones being bullied, and the court will certainly give us justice. Young Master Lan was born into a family of officials and has read countless books. Don't you understand that when you are bullied, silence is the worst solution?"
Qian Tong asked him about it and said, "You've become like this anyway, what are you afraid of?"
"I..." Lan Yizi didn't know how he followed her. When he came to his senses, he was already on the carriage heading to the prefectural government.
As for being willing, there is no way he would be willing.
Before the Lan family fell, he was a young master who was held in high esteem by everyone. But once the Lan family fell, these people took revenge on him and kidnapped him from the ship, locked him in a house, and insulted him.
He hates.
I hate the Lu family, and I hate that disgusting guy even more.
If he had passed away quietly, who would have known about his darkest time? No one would have known about it for the rest of his life, and he would have been the only one to live in humiliation.
If he is not afraid of death, what is he afraid of?
The carriage soon arrived at the prefectural government, and the young lady suddenly said to him, "Remember, don't give out Second Young Master Park. Insist that it was the Lu family, and let the Lu family go find Second Young Master Park themselves."
Lan Yizi suddenly looked at her with despair on his face, "You really know everything."
Qian Tong glanced at the beginning and coughed lightly, "These are not important."
"It's important!" Lan Yizi almost cried, "You can, you can..."
"I won't look down on you." Qian Tong interrupted him, looking into his eyes without a trace of disdain, and said seriously: "What's your fault? It's not you who's dirty, it's the other person."
She said, "As long as you don't betray the Second Young Master, no one will know what you've been through. The Second Young Master of the Pu family has already married the Duke of the County, so the news won't leak out."
——
After watching Young Master Lan enter the prefectural government, Qian Tong returned to the Qian family. The next morning, he knocked on Song Yunzhi's door and asked, "Yunzhen, are you up yet?"
There was no response from inside.
She leaned against her door and called out to the people inside, "Now that we have the tea, it's time to get the teahouse up and running. Come with me to the government office, and let's buy the teahouses that were sealed off by the Cui family."
To build a new teahouse, firstly, money was needed, and the Qian family’s warehouse had no room to store the money. Secondly, there was not enough time. The fastest way was to buy the Cui family’s teahouse from the prefectural government and change the name to the Qian family’s.
She continued to shout towards the door: "The last time I went to the government office, I almost couldn't get out. Can you come with me?"
"Are you afraid?"
A clear voice came from behind her. Qian Tong was startled and turned around to look at Master Song, who was already dressed. He came back from somewhere and was covered in morning dew.
He handed her a piece of sweet cake, as if reminding her of something, and said sarcastically, "It's not cold, it's still soft."
Qian Tong suddenly realized that it had been a month and it was time to give him the antidote for Jin Chan.
She reached for her neck and slowly pulled out a thin red string. At the end of the string was a small shell. She pressed it and pulled out a brown pill, giving it to him. "Here, take this and you'll be fine."
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