Chapter 157 Searching the Sword Shop
"Why didn't you die sooner? Huh? Why didn't you die sooner?"
A man's voice echoed from the darkness above the table.
"From childhood to adulthood, everything in the house has been yours, and all the good things have happened to you. From the rocking horse and swing when you were a child to the wealth and women in the family when you grew up, it's all yours!"
"Your parents dote on you the most, as do that good-for-nothing drunkard. They just can't stand me, this sickly old man."
"The entire family business will be inherited by you, and a virtuous wife and loving mother will be arranged for you early on. Why, why, huh? Just because you were born before me? Just because you are the eldest son?"
"Then why don't you just die sooner? Huh? Wouldn't it be better if you just died sooner? If you died sooner, none of this would have happened!"
"The most damned thing is that you insisted on leading us to be loyal dogs to the Wei family. We worked hard for more than ten years, but in the end, we still ended up doing the work for others."
"I've been back with you for over ten years, and you're a useless piece of trash who can't even cultivate Qi. You'd rather hand over the Dingjian sword to outsiders than to your own brothers. What am I, your younger brother, in your eyes? What am I? Huh?"
"Are you afraid that if I get the sword and ride on your head, it's better to let someone else have it?"
"Liu Ziwen, do you not want to give me anything? From childhood to adulthood, you've always taken everything, calling it family harmony, brotherly love, and the family never separating..."
"Hahaha, let's split it! Why not? Take everything you want, and I'll take mine too."
The man's voice in the darkness of the room abruptly stopped.
There was a moment of silence.
Suddenly, the lamps inside the room lit up one after another, making the room brightly lit.
Liu Zian sat upright at the table, fiddling with the teapot and utensils, pouring tea and water.
He moved slowly and deliberately, and said calmly:
"Brother, don't blame me. Blame yourself for losing to Ouyang Lianghan."
“If you don’t die, Ouyang Lianghan will spread this fire to the Liu family. At that time, you will be the sinner in the eyes of the Liu family’s ancestors.”
Liu Zian picked up his teacup, took a sip, looked at the Liu family mansion outside the door and the ancient Yue sword shop in the distance, and spoke softly:
"Now all of these are mine."
...
The next morning.
Liu Zian, dressed in pure white mourning clothes, walked out of the courtyard.
Several servants of the Liu family passed by not far away. He lowered his head, then looked up, his face weary and his eyes filled with sorrow.
"Good morning, Second Master." The servants bowed.
Liu Zian forced a smile on his weary face, nodded in acknowledgment, and turned to leave.
The servants turned their heads, looked at the disheveled figure of the second-in-command of the Liu family, and couldn't help but lean in and sigh:
"The second master and the master are truly brothers."
"Luckily, the Second Master was there. Otherwise, after the Master passed away, the Madam and the young master would have been left as orphans, helpless and alone. What would have happened to the family? And the Third Master was such a scoundrel..."
The sound of servants whispering could be heard intermittently from behind.
Liu Zian's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the sun, turned around, and prepared to go to the inner courtyard where his elder sister-in-law, Madam Xu, lived to check on her.
Just then.
"Second Brother!"
"Second Master! Something terrible has happened!"
Liu Zilin arrived hurriedly with Liu Fu and the others. The former looked flustered and pointed down the mountain.
"Ouyang Lianghan's men appeared out of nowhere and, early in the morning, led the county constables to force their way into the sword shop and search the sword furnace."
"They said they received a report from the public that a female fisherwoman had gone missing in Xi'an Jianpu, and they needed to come in to search for her."
Liu Zian's expression changed, and he rushed towards the sword shop at the foot of the mountain.
...
Ancient Yue Sword Shop.
A group of uninvited guests barged in today.
However, not many of the craftsmen in the sword shop dared to stand up and stop them.
The craftsmen looked at the group of constables, led by a blue-clad constable, with awe in their eyes as they searched the sword furnaces one by one.
"Please cooperate and line up by the wall when you go out."
Yan Liulang acted swiftly and decisively.
The craftsmen, who had been temporarily driven out of the sword furnace, looked at each other in bewilderment.
The public trial a few days ago was a huge affair. The entire Liu family estate was demolished, some properties were sold, some were compensated, and others were divided up.
After Liu Ziwen's death, all that remained in the hands of Liu Zian and Liu Zilin was this ancient Yue sword shop.
I thought the county magistrate was showing leniency.
Two days ago, Liu Zian also came to the sword shop to give a speech to everyone and reassure them.
But judging from this situation... could it be that the Liu Family Sword Shop is about to undergo a major upheaval?
Just as Yan Liulang led his constables to search the burning sword furnaces along the river, causing panic among the craftsmen.
Not far away on the riverbank, three figures slowly walked up from behind and followed.
"Lianghan, what is the meaning of this? You brought me here so early in the morning to watch the constables search the Liu family's sword shop."
Shen Xisheng turned his head and asked curiously.
She wasn't annoyed at all by being disturbed from her sweet dreams so early in the morning.
This Jiangnan Circuit Inspector, who came from a censorate background, wore a noble crimson official robe.
Standing next to Ouyang Rong, who was dressed in the light green official robes of a seventh-rank county magistrate, he stood out brightly on the monotonous streets of the West Bank Sword Shop, becoming the focus of the awe-inspiring gazes of the surrounding craftsmen.
Ouyang Rong had a white sandalwood dagger at his left waist, and the new longsword he had unexpectedly acquired the day before was thrown to his junior sister behind him.
Xie Lingjiang, with a cold face, held her sword and silently followed behind Ouyang Rong and Shen Xisheng.
Ouyang Rong smiled and patiently explained:
"Excuse me, Lord Shen. As I just mentioned, a family surnamed Zhang from the Longcheng County government reported to the county government these past two days that their youngest daughter, who works as a tassel maker in the Guyue Sword Shop, went missing not long ago. They asked our county government to look for her, so we came here."
"Oh, is it really that simple? Summon me here..." Shen Xisheng glanced at the smiling Ouyang Rong, "Do you have some surprise to show me?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then turned and smiled:
"It's just that Lord Shen has been staying in Longcheng for the past two days and has nothing to do, so I thought I'd invite him out to observe and see what I'm doing, which can also be considered as a way to assess my work."
"As for a surprise... I don't know either. Let's wait and see. Maybe we'll find out as we investigate?"
As Ouyang Rong spoke casually, his eyes kept glancing around the sword shop on the west bank.
In the past, he would only look at this place from the Penglang Ferry on the other side of the river, across the Butterfly Creek.
This is Ouyang Rong's first time here.
He hadn't actually paid much attention to this sword shop under the Liu family's control before.
But just as Ouyang Rong said to Xie Lingjiang a couple of days ago, there is no place outside the law in Longcheng County.
Although the family business accumulated by the Liu family of Longcheng over several generations has been almost completely destroyed by him, and the chief culprit Liu Ziwen has been beheaded, Liu Zian, Liu Zilin and others seem to be mild-mannered and even go to the Longcheng County Government Office every day to cooperate with the various orders issued by him, the county magistrate.
However, the incident of bringing Ah Qing back, and the strange longsword he recently acquired, all seem to point to this sword shop on the west bank that he has never been before.
He only believes what he sees with his own eyes.
Therefore, today, Ouyang Rong gathered his men and invited Shen Xisheng, deciding to come over in person to find out the truth.
Once the rains at the end of this plum rain season completely stop and the second phase of the Zheyi Canal resumes normal operation, he will begin preparations to leave.
Before leaving, Ouyang Rong did not want to leave any potential hidden dangers.
Moreover, the disappearance of Zhang Qian, the female worker who was involved in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, provided him with a pretext to seek justice, thus giving him a legitimate reason to come.
Then bring people in to investigate.
What if they find something?
After gathering his thoughts, Ouyang Rong nodded slightly.
Beside the young county magistrate, the thin, ramrod-straight-backed Chen Xisheng seemed to have discerned some unspoken meaning.
"If it's really that simple, then why did you choose such an early time to search?"
Ouyang Rong smiled but remained silent.
Shen Xisheng stroked his beard and turned his head, giving Ouyang Rong beside him a meaningful look.
During his two days in Longcheng County, although he was quietly handling the matters entrusted to him by his friend, he did not merely stay at his residence to rest. Instead, he personally witnessed the methods of his friend's highly skilled disciple.
It is no exaggeration to say that Ouyang Rong's ingenious operation to split up the Liu family opened his eyes to a whole new world.
However, what Shen Xisheng admired most was Ouyang Rong's restrained use of public power within the bounds of his duties.
Don't underestimate its current insignificance.
It seems superfluous to put it on a seventh-rank county magistrate, who is not a high-ranking official who holds great power and needs to be cautious in everything he does.
But wasn't it true that Master Di rose through the ranks from such a lowly official position?
Therefore, based on this alone, Shen Xisheng felt that he had already surpassed most of the young talents he had met at the Imperial Censorate in Luoyang.
A breeze begins with a ripple on the water, and a wave is formed from a gentle ripple.
The clues can be found in the details.
Shen Xisheng stroked his long beard and nodded gently, but a slight sourness appeared in his mouth as if he were thinking of his old friend.
Ouyang Rong had no idea what Shen Xisheng was thinking.
At this morning, the craftsmen and their servants from the Guyue Sword Shop arrived one after another to start work. They were all frightened by the sight of the blue-clad constables searching the sword shop and stopped to gather around.
After searching each sword furnace, Yan Liulang returned to report that most of the search had been completed and nothing unusual had been found.
Ouyang Rong listened for a while, then personally stepped forward to make arrangements and give instructions.
The core sword furnaces of the ancient Yue sword shops are all located near the river, where the wind is strong and quite cold.
Ouyang Rong tightened his sleeves a little.
While Ouyang Rong was busy, Shen Xisheng turned around and exchanged a few words with Xie Lingjiang, the daughter of his old friend. The latter replied politely, glancing occasionally at the back of her senior brother in front of her.
“My dear niece… um.”
At one point, Shen Xisheng called out again, but Xie Lingjiang did not respond. He turned around and saw that Xie Lingjiang's figure had disappeared behind him, and his expression froze.
Xie Lingjiang disappeared for only a short while before returning.
However, she had something extra in her sleeve.
"Here you go."
With his robe sleeves billowing, Xie Lingjiang stepped forward, reached into his sleeve, took out a piece of sugar-coated fried dough wrapped in his robe sleeve, and silently handed it to Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong, who was gazing into the distance, was startled and looked down.
"This is……"
Xie Lingjiang pushed the hot pancake in her small, white hands forward a little more, as a gesture.
Ouyang Rong reached out and took it, "Thank you, junior sister."
He took a bite of the hot, sweet fried dough and subconsciously asked, "By the way, aren't you eating any?"
Xie Lingjiang shook her head, continued to hold her sword with a cold face, and looked around.
Just then, she seemed to sense a gaze and turned her head to look.
It was Shen Xisheng's rather resentful gaze.
Xie Lingjiang: "..."
"Cough cough."
After silently watching for a while, Shen Xisheng couldn't help but cough, covering his mouth, and then took a few more glances at the handsome young couple in front of him.
Xie Lingjiang looked away slightly and asked softly, "Uncle Chen didn't eat this morning either?"
As he spoke, he prepared to turn around and go to the morning market at the sword shop he had just passed to buy more cakes.
Ouyang Rong realized what was happening, put down the hot pancake, broke off a small piece from his own portion, and handed the remaining large piece to Shen Xisheng, saying, "Lord Shen, please fill your stomach."
Shen Xisheng waved his hand to politely decline, and also called out to Xie Lingjiang: "It's alright, it's alright, I'm not hungry at all."
They were indeed well-fed.
Shen Xisheng glanced at his niece again. This girl is quite thoughtful; she remembers so clearly whether your senior brother ate breakfast this morning.
Just as the awkward atmosphere between the three of them eased a little,
A group of hurried figures appeared on the street in the direction of the sword shop's gate, with Liu Zian leading the way.
"Lord Shen, Magistrate, how could you two not inform me of your arrival? Hahaha."
Liu Zi'an approached with an awkward laugh, then turned and gestured in the direction of the Liu family mansion:
"Come, come, tea has been prepared in my humble abode. Please, gentlemen, come with us. Your presence is an honor to my humble abode."
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, finished the hot pancake without leaving a single bite, and did not move an inch, showing no intention of taking Shen Xisheng, Xie Lingjiang and the others with him. His casual words afterward made Liu Zian's smile freeze for a moment.
"No need to trouble you, Young Master Liu. I'm just here to find someone who's gone missing. The security situation in Longcheng County hasn't been very good lately. I wonder if you've seen this woman before..."
Ouyang Rong turned around and casually recounted how the Zhang family had reported the case to the police and how he had led people to search Zhang Qian, a female worker in Guangzhou.
Liu Zian forced a smile and shook his head, saying:
"Your Excellency, I have heard a little about the missing woman, but I have never seen her. I have been sending the managers of the sword shop to look for her for some time now, but there has been no news..."
“Your Excellency, the sword shop definitely doesn’t have it here. We’ve searched many times. Why don’t you officers look somewhere else?”
Ouyang Rong smiled and shook his head seriously: "It's better to search more thoroughly. Maybe we'll find someone. Young Master Liu won't allow it. Is there some unspeakable reason? Or is there something in the Guyue Sword Shop that he doesn't want everyone to see?"
"Haha, of course not, of course not. What can't be investigated? Magistrate Jianlu County by the river, please investigate as you see fit."
Liu Zian quickly waved his hand and said with a smile.
Ouyang Rong glanced at him, then turned and ordered Yan Liulang and the others to continue searching the remaining riverside sword furnaces.
Behind them, Liu Zian, unable to get a word in edgewise, waited helplessly with the sword shop managers, occasionally exchanging helpless glances.
A short while later, the search was completed, and Yan Liulang and the other constables returned.
The former glanced at Liu Zi'an, who was silent behind Ouyang Rong, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Reporting to Your Excellency, Lord Shen, the female worker Zhang Qian has not been found."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zian, who was behind him, breathed a sigh of relief and silently glanced at Ouyang Rong's expression.
The young magistrate nodded slightly, then suddenly turned around, intending to leave.
Liu Zian smiled and followed:
“Your Excellency, it’s normal that we haven’t found him. I’ve sent people to look for him several times before, but we still don’t know where he is… Would you two gentlemen like to come to my humble abode for a cup of hot tea…”
Ouyang Rong continued walking without stopping, leading the way towards a certain spot inside the sword shop.
"My lord, what is this...?"
Liu Zian was stunned when he saw this, but the next second, when he saw clearly the direction Ouyang Rong went, his face was first confused, and then he turned pale in an instant.
Following a story he remembered, Ouyang Rong silently walked into a nearby morning market where Xie Lingjiang had just bought sugar-coated fried dough.
Right now, it seems that because of the yamen runners, the morning market, which should have been bustling at this time, is much quieter. However, there are still a few diners who look up and up at Ouyang.
Ouyang Rong stretched out his palm to the side, and Yan Liulang silently handed him a pot of yellow wine that had been prepared beforehand.
Ouyang Rong walked forward alone and walked to a table at the back of a breakfast stall.
A soft "bang".
A wine jar landed on the table in front of an old craftsman who was silently eating noodles with his head down.
The old craftsman lowered his head and quietly ate for a while before slowly raising his head to meet Ouyang Rong's gaze, who was calmly watching him. He then turned to look at a pot of yellow wine on the table.
Ouyang Rong, who had made a special trip to the market early today, said with a smile:
“I heard Aqing mention you before, and she asked me to bring you a pot of yellow wine. I hope you will accept it.”
The old craftsman nodded silently.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
