Chapter 50 You're on the Stage, I'm on the Stage

After saying that, Jiang Jiu sat back in his seat angrily.

When Xiao Yimo heard that his own money was being deducted, he was extremely unhappy.

"Xiao Jiu, you can't do this. I'm doing this for your own good. Xiao Yu is an excellent doctor. If someone is injured, she can bring them back to life. If she is injured, who will heal her?"

It was a rare occasion for Lu Yunyang to see Xiao Yimo and Jiang Jiu quarreling, and his gossipy eyes lit up again and again.

"Why are you guys arguing?"

Xiao Yimo looked aggrieved: "Jiang Jiu thinks I'm wasting money by hiring a killer."

Lu Yunyang's eyes narrowed: "Why do you want to hire a killer? Who do you want to kill? Or is there danger tonight?"

Xiao Yimo shrugged: "It's better to be prepared. Besides, the No. 1 assassin organization in Jianghu is so cheap, it would be a waste not to invite them..."

"Cheap? Is the killer organization Cang Jiu very cheap?" Lu Yunyang said while glancing at the guard Lu Ming behind him with a sinister look.

Xiao Yimo nodded sincerely: "Of course, other assassins would charge five gold coins to protect a person for a day, which is five hundred taels of silver. But Cang Jiu only charges one hundred taels, and he is a top assassin, so he can protect a person for a month..."

Lu Yunyang was stunned, and he touched his nose in disbelief: "The price is too low? Are other people asking for such a high price?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Ming with a gloomy look.

Lu Ming looked at the sky and the earth with a guilty conscience, but he didn't dare to look at him.

Speaking of the number one killer organization in Jianghu, Xiao Yimo was full of admiration and could not stop praising it.

"Not only is it cheap, but it's also easy to use... For example, when Xiao Jiu was 4 years old, she returned to her hometown to pay respects to her parents, and I hired a eagle killer to protect her along the way."

"Sure enough, they encountered robbers on the road. There were many robbers and few assassins. They were outnumbered and suffered serious injuries. Who knew that in order to protect their reputation, they sent out several assassins and killed all the robbers in one go..."

"We only paid fifty taels... Hey, you decide whether to count it or not..."

Lu Yunyang rubbed his face speechlessly...

Boom boom boom, the gongs and drums sound, and the performance begins.

There was singing and dancing on the stage, and the play offstage also began.

Jiang Baisong, the head of the Jiang family, was craning his neck to watch with great interest when Gu Chengyan came in carrying a jug of wine.

"Master Jiang, are you all right?"

Gu Chengyan was from the Ninth Prince's Mansion, so Jiang Baisong immediately stood up and flatteringly gave the main seat to him.

"Mr. Gu, how are you? How is the prince? Did the prince eat the thousand-year-old ginseng I sent him two days ago? If it works well, I have two hundred-year-old ginsengs."

Gu Chengyan had a professional smile on his face, polite yet distant.

"The prince is in good health, and your ginseng is also good, but the prince didn't eat it. You know, the prince is weak, and it's not good for him to take too many tonics. The weak body cannot be replenished."

What I mean is, what does it matter if you have a thousand-year-old ginseng? The Ninth Prince is a royal relative, he wouldn't need that little thing from you, so why are you showing off here?

Jiang Bosong smiled and said, "Yes, yes, the prince has no shortage of good things. We heard that the prince was ill, so we sent some to show our appreciation."

Gu Chengyan raised the corners of his lips, smiled contemptuously, took a sip of tea, and said nothing more.

Jiang Baisong, who was very worldly-wise, naturally knew his intention. It must be that the Ninth Prince had some instructions, otherwise, why would Gu Chengyan come to him for such a good reason?

If it was just for a thousand-year-old ginseng, the Ninth Prince would not come to thank him.

The old man's face was full of smiles. He continued to pour tea to Gu Chengyan with a flattering smile.

"Mr. Gu, what instructions do you have for the prince this time?"

Gu Chengyan pondered for a moment, a trace of annoyance on his face: "It's because Prefect Xing wanted to collect last year's taxes, which made the people resentful, and someone reported it to the prince."

"You know, the prince has always been sympathetic to the people and can't bear to see them suffer. But if the taxes from the court are not collected in full, the prince will have a hard time explaining himself..."

Jiang Baisong understood his intention, which was to make the Chamber of Commerce pay more taxes.

He immediately looked miserable: "Master Gu, you know, our Chamber of Commerce is not easy either. Moreover, the people suffered from the disaster last year, and the prince exempted the people from taxes. The rest was given by our Chamber of Commerce."

"Now that the imperial court wants to collect taxes from the people, it's not appropriate for the prince to interfere..."

Last year, the people living in and around Suzhou suffered from a disaster. The King of Qi asked the court for permission to delay the payment of taxes. The court agreed, and Prefect Xing also acted in accordance with the court's instructions.

However, the Chamber of Commerce did not pay a penny less in taxes, and the Prince Qi's Palace even collected a little more. The reason last year was that they were afraid that they would not be able to collect taxes from the people this year, so they were prepared.

Who would have thought that now taxes would be increased again and their chamber of commerce couldn't bear it.

"Mr. Gu knows the people in our Chamber of Commerce. They are all small businesses with small profits and quick turnover. The high-profit industries are all in Yiyeguzhou. They... are not easy to take."

Yiye Pianzhou's business is doing well and the profits are high, mainly because of its monopoly technology.

Gu Chengyan smiled coldly: "After all... we are all members of the Chamber of Commerce. You are the president of the Chamber of Commerce. What else can't you do..."

After saying this, Gu Chengyan stood up to leave. He had brought the message home, but he didn't care whether the Jiang family was willing to carry it out or how it was carried out. He only looked at the result.

When he stood up, he suddenly asked.

"Has the owner of the small boat not been found yet?"

Jiang Bosong was a little confused by this sudden question: "No, if I find it, I will definitely know..."

Gu Chengyan didn't say anything more and kept everything to the point.

After he left, Jiang Bosong quickly ordered his men: "Go and find out the whereabouts of the boat."

Although the private room on the second floor was expensive, Cheng Jiarui and Jiang Bosong were not short of money.

They were not very far apart, but they came from one from the left and one from the right, and they did not come together, so they did not meet.

Just because the masters don’t meet each other doesn’t mean they don’t know each other.

The subordinates also know each other.

Cheng Jiarui also invited a few old acquaintances to have a drink and have fun together.

"That girl in red looks unfamiliar. I heard she's from a small place..."

"It seems so. Miss Nichang is the top star of Huamanlou in Xiang County. Now she has come to Sucheng. Compared with Miss Luyao, she lacks a bit of charm. However, the girl in red seems to be quite special..."

"If you like, why don't you ask her to come up and dance for you?"

Cheng Jiarui winked at his servants, who hurried to call for help.

Chu Yu had no performance for the next two dances, and waited on the side. When she heard someone wanted to see her, she snorted coldly, "Didn't they say that a one-on-one meeting would cost extra?"

Mother Song smiled and said, "Of course, please follow me, young lady."

Chu Yu quietly took off the ornaments on her hands, even the bracelets, and put on the ring given by Jiang Jiu.

Mother Song led Chuyu upstairs, introducing her as they walked.

"Miss, the one who invited you is Cheng Da, the shopkeeper of Yiyepianzhou. He is a very kind person, generous, and respectful to girls. He has never looked down on us women."

"He is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. He has been looking for the owner of the small boat even though he has been missing for so many years. He is a legend in Suzhou."

Chu Yu said nothing, but just touched the ring on her thumb and walked slowly.