Chapter 333 Much Easier Than Palace Intrigue
In Suzhou Prefecture, Narcissus was unaware of the thunderous fury that was brewing a thousand miles away.
While Zhao Heng's act of stopping her carriage in the street was infuriating, it also made her realize more clearly that in this bustling world, without the protection of power, beauty and talent could actually bring disaster.
But she did not panic or back down because of this.
She devoted more of her energy to in-depth investigations into usury.
Through Lin Niangzi, she secretly contacted seven or eight other women who had similar experiences.
Some of the husbands were craftsmen who had to borrow money because they were injured and missed work.
Some were small-scale peddlers who were struggling to make ends meet.
Some were peasant women, trying to raise money for their sons' wedding dowries...
The shops that received the loans had different names, but when traced back to their origins, most of them were related to Jinyun Manor or other businesses owned by the Zhao family.
Shui Xian instructed Lin Niangzi to secretly invite these people to the back room of Tingyun, where she would personally question them.
She asked extremely detailed questions, and the deeper she went, the colder and more disheartened Narcissus became.
She discovered that behind these loan sharking shops, there was a finely woven network.
A clerk in charge of the household registration office in Suzhou Prefecture had shares in several shops and received dividends. A distant relative of one of the prefect's favorite concubines was the apparent owner of one of these shops.
They exploited the fact that ordinary people were illiterate and desperately needed money, setting up ingenious traps.
The amount involved in each case may not be large enough to drive someone to their death immediately, but it's like being slowly cut with a dull knife, gradually draining the blood and sweat of the victim's family.
Local officials either turn a blind eye to this, considering it a private lending dispute, or they are too deeply involved and are happy to see it happen.
This is clearly a parasitic network that exploits ordinary people and colludes with some local officials, gentry, and merchants to form a bloodsucking network of interests!
It silently erodes the foundation of people's livelihood, while the emperors in the imperial court only see the illusion of tax revenue entering the treasury on schedule and the prosperity and stability of the market.
Just when Narcissus's investigation hit a bottleneck and lacked more conclusive internal evidence, an unexpected but powerful helping hand arrived.
Tuoba led her grassland caravan south to purchase silk and tea for the following year, and arrived in Suzhou Prefecture just in time.
Upon hearing that Narcissus was there, she immediately sent someone to inquire and found Tingyun.
It is a joy to see an old friend again.
Tuoba remained as carefree and unrestrained as ever, dressed in riding attire suitable for horseback riding, his eyes bright as stars.
When she saw that Narcissus was safe and sound, and even looked more composed than when she was in the palace, she was overjoyed and hugged her tightly.
"Good! Excellent! This is how you should be!"
Tuoba patted Shuixian on the back and laughed loudly.
The two sat down to drink tea in the backyard of Tingyun.
Shui Xian did not hide anything from Tuoba and briefly explained Zhao Heng's entanglement and the loan sharking matter that was being investigated.
Upon hearing this, Tuoba's eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the stone table.
"You bastard! This lowlife dares to bully you? You wait, I'll take some men to smash his shop and break his legs!"
Shui Xian quickly pulled her back: "Tuoba, don't be impulsive."
“Using force can only relieve anger temporarily, but it cannot eliminate the root cause. Behind this is a network that involves local officials. If one Zhao Heng is dealt with, there will be another Zhang Heng or Li Heng.”
Tuoba frowned: "Then what should we do? Should we just let him be arrogant? Let him continue to harm the people?"
Narcissus shook her head, her eyes calm: "I already have a plan, but I need your help."
"you say!"
Tuoba did not hesitate.
Narcissus lowered her voice: "Two things..."
The more she spoke, the brighter Tuoba's eyes became, and he nodded repeatedly...
......
A few days later, on his way home from the restaurant, Zhao Heng was "politely" invited into a private room at another restaurant by several exceptionally tall and burly men with curved swords at their waists.
During the meal, the men from the grasslands were extremely hospitable, taking turns toasting the guests.
After a few rounds of drinks, a man with a hideous scar on his face, seemingly drunk, rolled up his sleeve to show Zhao Heng several deep, old scars on his arm that revealed the bone. He then slurred about how the grasslands dealt with those merchants who cheated tribes and broke their promises.
"Tie them to the back of a horse and drag them for three or five miles. It's the least of their worries if they end up as wolves. They might even skin them, stuff them with grass, and hang them on the tribe's flagpole to dry."
"Hahaha, Young Master Zhao, you must have found this amusing!"
Zhao Heng was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and he sobered up considerably, covered in cold sweat.
At the same time, Tuoba's caravan placed a huge order with Jinyun Manor for 500 bolts of top-quality Suzhou embroidery on extremely favorable terms.
The Zhao family was overjoyed and treated Tuoba as an honored guest.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to inspect the samples and discuss the patterns, Tuoba's clever attendants indeed became familiar with the accountant and old manager of Jinyun Manor. Over drinks, they extracted a lot of information about cash flow and related business dealings. Although it was fragmented, it was extremely valuable.
Meanwhile, in the capital city, thousands of miles away, the efficiency of the secret guards was astonishing.
Within days, a detailed secret report detailing numerous crimes committed by the Zhao family and their associates was placed on Emperor Zhaoheng's desk.
Forced buying and selling, selling inferior goods as superior ones, bribing officials... every single case has irrefutable evidence.
The accounts and letters detailing the Suzhou prefect's acceptance of lavish gifts from the Zhao family in exchange for protecting their illegal businesses were also prominently featured.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at the secret report without any expression on his face. He simply picked up his vermilion brush and wrote a few words at the end.
"Strictly punish according to the law, and severely punish accordingly."
"I want Zhao Heng to know what it means to have trouble come from his mouth."
The imperial edict was written in vermilion ink, its blood-red hue conveying a chilling intent to kill.
In Suzhou Prefecture, Zhao Heng became much more obedient after being intimidated by the Tuoba clan. However, his greed and fear intertwined, which prompted him to intensify his pressure on debtors such as Lin Niangzi in an attempt to quickly recover funds.
They even began secretly transferring some assets to guard against unforeseen circumstances.
Shui Xian obtained some of the accounting clues from Tuoba.
Although incomplete, it corroborates the victim case files she compiled, clearly outlining the operational model of Jinyunzhuang and its affiliated shops that exploited others through usury.
A comprehensive report on the local usury exploitation model and its collusion with local officials and gentry gradually took shape in Narcissus's writing.
She knew that this alone might not be enough to shake the deeply entrenched interest groups.
But she also knew that some things had to be done by someone.
She carefully copied the report and put it in an envelope.
It's time to take the next step.
Outside the window, spring is approaching in Suzhou Prefecture; the river is beginning to thaw, and willow branches are sprouting new buds.
But Narcissus knew that beneath the veil of this thriving Jiangnan, the frozen darkness had only just begun to emerge.
——
The next day, Tingyun opened the door as usual, but Shuixian's expression held a touch more melancholy than usual.
In particular, Shen Xiucai appeared even more melancholy when he stepped in.
She sighed to Shen, a scholar who often visited her, saying that she was facing some difficulties at home and that she was afraid the shop would not be able to sustain itself for long.
Scholar Shen inquired with concern, but Narcissus only shook her head and remained silent.
Somehow, the news reached Zhao Heng's ears.
Zhao Heng was still shaken from being "invited" to drink by Tuoba's clansmen a few days earlier.
Hearing that the "Fairy Maiden" seemed to be softening and that the shop was struggling to survive, his restless heart began to stir again.
He thought that perhaps it was the incident of stopping the car in the street that day that made this seemingly aloof widow see the reality.
How difficult it must be for a helpless woman with a child in to survive in this world!
They were just putting on a brave face before.
He decided to test the waters again.
This time, he didn't bring any wicked servants, but only a clever young servant to accompany him. He changed into a slightly more elegant silk robe, waved a fan, and stepped into Tingyun once again.
Shui Xian was behind the counter, head down, tidying up accounts. Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw it was him. Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but she quickly lowered her eyes again and continued fiddling with the abacus, saying only, "Young Master Zhao."
His tone was less cold and harsh than last time.
Noticing this, Zhao Heng was secretly pleased. He moved closer to the counter, gazing at her gracefully lowered neck, and softened his voice.
"My lady, you've lost weight in just a few days."
"What difficulties have you encountered? We've known each other for a while now. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Narcissus stopped using the abacus, raised her head, and looked at him calmly. Her eyes no longer held the sharpness of before, but rather a deep weariness.
"Young Master Zhao is joking."
She sighed softly, "What difficulties could a woman like me possibly have? It's just that business is tough and making a living is difficult."
"Oh, what a statement."
Zhao Heng followed up, "Who in Suzhou doesn't know that your Tingyun Shop, Fairy Lady, is elegant and refined, attracting... well, refined people."
"But elegance can't put food on the table... Look at this shop, these goods, the investment must have been considerable, right? It'll probably be difficult to recoup the costs."
He paused, then lowered his voice, "How about... we consider my previous suggestion? My household is currently lacking someone to manage the household affairs and oversee the embroidery samples. With your talent, beauty, and character, you are certainly capable of the task. As for your daughter, I can treat her as my own and will certainly not mistreat her."
Narcissus remained silent for a moment, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the ledger. A struggle flashed in her eyes, which eventually turned into a barely audible sigh.
"Young Master Zhao's offer is kind, but I... need to consider it carefully. However, I've been quite exhausted lately, and there are many trivial matters to attend to at the shop. Could you spare some time?"
They didn't refuse outright!
Zhao Heng was overjoyed, but he tried his best to maintain his composure: "Of course, of course! Fairy Lady, please take your time to consider. I will be waiting for your good news at any time."
He left with what he considered a dashing smile, bought two more embroidery pieces, and then departed satisfied.
As he stepped out of the shop, he could no longer hide the smug smile on his face.
In his view, this seemingly aloof fairy was already his for the taking; he was just saving face and needed a way to back down.
He needed to add fuel to the fire and help her come to her senses as soon as possible.
Little did he know that behind the counter, as Narcissus watched his departing figure, there was no trace of weariness or struggle left in her eyes.
All that remained was a chilling mockery.
Some things are much easier than palace intrigue...
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