For fear of complications, Xiong Dianshi dared not stay in Nanjing any longer and prepared to return directly to Kunshan.

When going back, you don’t have to go through Jiangdongmen Pier, you can go directly from Furong Lake.

The reason why Xiaocangshan has been transformed from a deserted mountain with few people to a prosperous place where every inch of land is worth a lot of money is all thanks to two major transportation projects last winter.

First, a Zhuangyuan Road was built that ran through Shicheng Gate and Ganheyanqian Street, so that people going from Shicheng Gate to North City, or from Qingliang Gate to the south, no longer had to go around Xiaocang Mountain, but could go directly through Zhuangyuan Road.

The second is to dig the Yulin River, which had been dry for a hundred years, and divert the water of the Jinchuan River into Furong Pond through the Yulin River. In this way, ships can directly leave the city and enter the Yangtze River from Furong Pond, which is much more convenient than taking a boat out of the city.

Tang Youde followed Zhao Hao's instructions and widened the Hibiscus Pond into a lake, built a pier and set up a dock on the lake. Sure enough, he soon attracted ships to use this route.

It is very convenient for people to disembark and board the ship here. Xiaocang Mountain also has charming lake and mountain scenery. In less than half a year, its popularity has skyrocketed, and restaurants, brothels, teahouses and inns have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. The value has increased by more than a hundred times compared to the original?

~~

When Xiong Dianshi, Xu Bangrui and his party arrived at the private dock on the west bank of Furong Lake, they saw that in addition to Yu Jiachang, there were several other people waiting there.

Among them was Zhao Shouye, the eldest uncle of the Zhao family, whom I met last time in Kunshan.

Yu Jiachang introduced him to several other people, namely Manager Fang, Clerk Li and a young man named Jiao Hong.

Zhao Shouye had something to send to his younger brother and nephew, and Manager Fang asked him to deliver a letter to his children, as well as various freshly made sauces and seasonings from Weijixian.

The scholar named Jiao was invited by Li Zhi to teach in Kunshan, and happened to be traveling on the boat together.

As for Li Jiutian, he was just joining in the fun.

Finally, the eldest uncle of the Zhao family solemnly handed the nanmu toilet that Zhao Hao disliked to Xiong Dianshi, and asked him to pass it on to his eldest master.

Mr. Zhao's unspeakable secret depends entirely on it.

Xiong Dianshi quickly and carefully took it, held the toilet and thanked Yu Jiachang again, then waved goodbye to everyone.

The boatman then paddled, and the official ship slowly sailed away from Xiaocang Mountain.

~~

The return journey was smooth sailing, but Xiong Dianshi was worried that the night would be long and he did not allow them to stay at the shore.

As a result, we returned to Suzhou in half the time compared to the time we came here.

Arriving at Suzhou Prefecture, Xiong Dianshi, Wang Bantou and others felt much more at ease.

At least here, the "Kunshan County Government Flag" hanging on the bow finally worked. There was no need to worry about someone intercepting and harassing them.

The two were chatting at the bow when they saw Xu Bangrui coming out of the cabin.

Since boarding the ship, Xu Bangrui has been accompanying Xu Bangning in the cabin, taking care of his brother's eating, drinking, defecating and urinating. This touched Xiong Dianshi and others, who all thought he was a rare good brother.

"Master Xu finally came out for some fresh air." Xiong Dianshi greeted him with a smile.

Xu Bangrui smiled politely and asked, "Master Xiong, how long will it take us to get to Kunshan?"

"Just go around the moat and go down the Lou River and you'll get there. You'll still have time for lunch." Xiong Dianshi replied with a smile.

"I have an unreasonable request, and I hope that Lord Xiong can be flexible." Xu Bangrui bowed to him.

"What do you mean?" Xiong Dianshi asked in a deep voice.

"I would like to meet Mr. Zhao before entering the city." Xu Bangrui said softly, "Is it convenient?"

When the officials of Kunshan County left Duke Wei's mansion, they all took generous travel expenses. If they take the money but don't do the work, what's the difference between them and the Xu family?

Xiong Dianshi smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll ask Master Xu."

In fact, he also planned to ask the master how to deal with Xu Bangning.

As he spoke, he stopped a boat that was going to the West Mountain to pull stones.

The old boatman immediately nodded and bowed, smiling warmly, "Hey, isn't this the fourth master? I haven't seen you for a while."

"He's on a business trip," Xiong Dianshi answered casually, and then asked, "Who's in charge on the river now?"

"It's Deputy Inspector Hua." The old boatman replied quickly, "What a coincidence, he's on the boat at the back."

Xiong Dianshi put his hands on the awning and looked in the direction the old boatman pointed. Sure enough, he saw a patrol boat with the flag of "Kunshan Inspection Office".

Hua Qian also saw Xiong Dianshi's boat and ordered his men to stop the boat and wait for them to come over.

"Hey, Brother Xiong, you're finally back. I thought you were having a great time on the Qinhuai River." Hua Qian jumped onto their boat with a smile.

"You're still happy here and you're almost dying of misery." Xiong Dianshi rolled his eyes. If they hadn't met Yu Jiachang in the end, they would probably have been begging on the streets.

"Do you know where the young master is?" After exchanging greetings, Xiong Dianshi asked in a low voice.

"I went to Xishan." Hua Qian replied, "I just left today and I don't think I'll be back for a while."

"Thank you. See you later." Xiong Dianshi threw Hua Qian back onto the patrol boat and ordered his men to turn the boat around.

"This guy." Hua Qian looked at the official ship going away and muttered in confusion: "He didn't go back to report to the master first, but went to report to the yamen. I don't know what he was thinking."

~~

The official ship turned around and sailed for a while, entered the Xu River from the moat, and headed towards the West Mountain.

Xiong Dianshi told Xu Bangrui that he would arrive in the afternoon and invited him to have lunch together.

However, Xu Bangrui politely declined and asked someone to take the plate back to the cabin to eat with his brother.

"What a nice guy." Xiong Dianshi and Wang Bantou sighed again. "They are all born by the same father, so why is there such a big difference between them?"

After saying that, the two of them started eating.

Over there, Xu Bangrui had someone put the food on the table, and then dismissed his attendants.

The only people left in the cabin were Xu Bangning, who was tied to a chair, and the Xu Bangrui brothers who were sitting opposite him.

"Brother, it's time to eat." Xu Bangrui's voice was still gentle, without changing at all because of the absence of outsiders.

"Don't try that on me. Go ahead and torture me if you want." Xu Bangning glared at Xu Bangrui viciously.

He was in fear all the way, worried that his elder brother would take advantage of the time they were alone together to torture him and vent his hatred.

However, Xu Bangrui did not do that. He still served him delicious food and drinks, and reminisced with him about the happy times when they were young.

"How many times do you want me to say this?" Xu Bangrui blew gently on the meat porridge in the spoon, then brought it to his mouth and said, "I can't thank you enough. If you weren't so stupid, how could I have a chance to turn things around in this life?"

"Ugh..." Xu Bangning was so angry that he vomited blood and refused to eat.

"So I won't torture you, otherwise what's the difference between me and you?"

"Bah, you think you are noble!" Xu Bangning spat, feeling that every word this guy said was heart-breaking.

"Actually, I'm not noble at all, I'm just not as stupid as you. This is on a ship in Kunshan County. Even if I have to pretend, I will act like a good brother."

Xu Bangrui smiled and forced the spoon into his mouth, which burned Xu Bangning so much that he grimaced.

"After all, it is me and my son who will inherit the title of Duke in the future. We have to let others see that the Xu family is not just about scum like you."

"I am not your tool, I will expose you as a hypocrite!" Xu Bangning said loudly, and then his eldest brother stuffed him with a spoonful of boiling hot meat porridge, which almost burned him to death.

"I admit that I'm not a true gentleman, but have I ever done anything shameful?" Xu Bangrui smiled faintly, wiping his brother's blisters with a handkerchief and said:

"I will be a better Duke of Wei than my father, and you, just wait for the judgment of Master Zhao."

ps. Second update.