Zhou Huaiqian paused, then made up his mind and wrote a few lines of words on the rice paper.
"Someone come."
After writing the letter of retirement, Zhou Huaiqian called out to the door outside the study, and soon a guard came in.
"What are your orders, General?"
"Send this letter of resignation to the palace."
The guard was stunned at first, then took two steps forward and took the envelope from Zhou Huaiqian's hand, clasping his hands together and saying, "Yes!"
When the letter of retirement was delivered to the palace, Song Wenjing was having dinner with Jiang Jingyu. A young eunuch hurried to Fengyi Palace with the envelope.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty. This is General Zhou's letter of retirement."
Song Wenjing paused while wiping the corner of Jiang Jingyu's mouth and subconsciously observed Jiang Jingyu's expression.
Jiang Jingyu was slightly surprised, but then returned to normal. She picked up the chopsticks as if nothing had happened and put some dishes into Song Wenjing's bowl.
Song Wenjing raised his eyebrows, retracted the handkerchief, and looked up at the eunuch who came to report.
Seeing this, Eunuch Su, who was standing by, hurried forward to take the letter of retirement and handed it to Song Wenjing.
Song Wenjing opened the envelope without changing his expression, glanced at it in front of Jiang Jingyu, and threw the letter aside casually.
He picked up the bowl and chopsticks again to eat with Jiang Jingyu, and his eyes were always looking at Jiang Jingyu vaguely.
Jiang Jingyu lowered her eyes and was not interested in the content of the letter at all.
She was thinking about another thing. There was still no news about the secret guard she sent to Qichi Wharf. Could something have happened in the meantime?
The secret guard that Jiang Jingyu had been talking about had been guarding the Qichi Wharf for three whole days, and finally waited for the caravan that Jiang Jingyu mentioned.
"Excuse me, who is Shopkeeper Tong?"
The secret guard boarded the merchant ship directly and grabbed a servant to ask him questions.
The servant who was grabbed by the collar turned his head away in displeasure. He wanted to scold the newcomer, but when he saw the scar on the secret guard's face that stretched from the corner of his eye to his chin, he swallowed the words back in an instant.
He smiled bitterly: "Okay, man, don't be impulsive! Manager Tong is counting the cargo in the cabin!"
The secret guard let go of the boy's collar and strode towards the cabin.
"Where is Shopkeeper Tong?"
The secret guard's voice was clearly heard by everyone in the cabin. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and when they saw the hideous scar on the secret guard's face, they gasped and unconsciously stepped back to make way for him.
The secret guard had a smooth journey and reached the inside of the cabin effortlessly.
"Who's looking for me?"
Shopkeeper Tong, who was counting the goods in the innermost area, came out after hearing the sound. He was startled when he saw the secret guard coming towards him. Just as he was about to call for help, the secret guard took out a letter from his arms.
"Are you Shopkeeper Tong? My master wants to do business with you."
Shopkeeper Tong was ashamed. Are you sure you are here to do business with him?
It was clear that they were here to silence him!!
It was not until he opened the letter and saw its contents that Shopkeeper Tong finally believed that the visitor was indeed looking for him to do business.
The secret guard who had been guarding the dock for three days and three nights was now very angry. He looked at Manager Tong expressionlessly, waiting for him to finish reading the letter.
The moment Shopkeeper Tong's eyes left the letter, the secret guard said in a deep voice, "How is it?"
Shopkeeper Tong tightened his grip on the letter, his brows showing a hint of struggle.
He knew that it was not right to suddenly go back on his word when the goods were to be delivered, but the letter said that he had to buy the goods at five times the price!
On one side is money, on the other side is conscience.
Shopkeeper Tong was a little confused for a moment.
The secret guard didn't have time to wait for him to think, and asked coldly: "Do you want to do this deal?"
"this……"
"Um?"
The long sword in the secret guard's hand was slightly unsheathed, emitting a sharp sword light.
Shopkeeper Tong quickly changed his tone: "Do it, do it, hero, put away your sword first. Can't I do this business?"
The secret guard looked at him expressionlessly: "In that case, follow the master's orders and immediately lead the merchant ship out of the imperial city!"
"Yes, yes, I'll have them turn the merchant ship around right away!"
Shopkeeper Tong agreed readily and immediately ordered the helmsman to return the same way.
Faced with five times the amount of silver, the shopkeeper finally chose to go against his conscience.
He had already made up his mind the moment he saw the letter. He pretended to be hesitant simply because he didn't want to be branded as a black-hearted businessman.
The secret guard's actions gave him a way out, allowing him to follow his heart and choose to break the agreement between him and Zhou Huaiqian.
Compared with life and conscience, the former is naturally more important.
The secret guard left the dock only after seeing the merchant ship return.
As soon as the merchant ship and the secret guards left, the people sent by Zhou Huaiqian to pick them up arrived.
The man looked at the empty lake with some confusion, muttering, "It's already the agreed time, why haven't they come yet? Did they get delayed on the road?"
Thinking of this, the servant of the general's mansion squatted at the dock waiting for the merchant ship.
However, he waited from early morning to noon, but no caravan came.
In desperation, he had to ask the workers at the dock. He learned from the workers that a caravan had just come, but for some reason returned the same way. The servant immediately had a bad premonition in his heart.
The servant didn't care about anything else and hurried back to the general's mansion to tell Zhou Huaiqian about it.
Bang--
Zhou Huaiqian slammed his fist on the table, his sinister eyes seemed to be spewing fire!
"What? Gone?!"
The servant shuddered and said with a stiff upper lip, "Yes, yes! The workers at the dock said they saw a merchant ship, but then it turned back for some unknown reason. It must be the ship the general mentioned..."
"Get out! Get out of here!"
Zhou Huaiqian was so angry that he overturned the table in front of him!
The servants and maids in the room were terrified and pushed each other out of the room.
Zhou Huaiqian was not satisfied even after overturning the table, so he stood up and started smashing things in the room!
He had thought this deal was a sure thing, and that even if he resigned from his position, he could still make a comeback with it. But who knew that damned Shopkeeper Tong would suddenly change his mind and stand him up!
Now he has lost both his wife and his army. Not only has he lost his official position, but even his business has gone bankrupt!
If this gets out, won’t people laugh their heads off?
How would Zhou Huaiqian hold his head high in the Imperial City in the future?
Zhou Huaiqian's face turned red with anger, and veins on his forehead bulged. He already had internal injuries, and his injuries were aggravated by his excessive emotions. He spat out a mouthful of blood!
He staggered and held onto the shelf beside him, raising his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Zhou Huaiqian suppressed the fishy and sweet taste in his throat. His bloodshot eyes were like ghosts. His hands, which were supporting himself on the pillar, were clenched into fists, and his knuckles creaked.
After a moment's pause, Zhou Huaiqian turned his head and looked outside the door.
"Prepare the horses!"
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