Chapter 8 Calculation
"It's the smell. Stay away from me, don't let the smell of the wine get to me." Wen Yao pulled out a dagger from his waist, and lightly scratched along the mud seal of the wine jar. Suddenly, the clear aroma of wine filled the air.
Even though she wasn't an alcoholic, she was still attracted by the smell.
Lou Chengyi folded his arms and looked at Wen Yao. The gold ring inlaid with gemstones on his arms was dazzling. He said coolly, "Try it. Is it delicious?"
Wen Yao poured a mouthful into his mouth, smacked it and savored it carefully: "The aroma is mellow and long-lasting, it tastes delicious."
"Fengyue Niang is plum wine. It requires red plums from the dead of winter and is complemented by rare treasures. It must be sealed for six years before it can be consumed." Lou Chengyi watched Wen Yao swallow the wine and suddenly smiled. His tone was grim, "Six years ago, Prince Yan was driven west. After conquering seven cities of Prince Shu, he was recalled to the capital. He brought back the Feather Guard and merged them with the original eleven guards, with Feather as the leader. Also returned were the heads of eight hundred Shu army officers and generals. They were placed in the plum forest outside the city. The stench of corpses was overwhelming, but the plum blossoms in the plum forest bloomed beautifully that year... Is the wine still good?"
Wen Yao put down the wine jar and glanced at him.
Lou Chengyi: "Are you coming out?"
"I'm not coming out." Wen Yao's smile faded, and he said disdainfully, "You talk too much."
"I talk too much? If it were someone else, I'd give a damn."
"Did you know that when the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Qin argued yesterday, the person standing in front of the Prince of Qin was the Xixi swordsman Wu Chongguang. He was once badly defeated by you, and now he recognizes you as Wen Yao." Lou Chengyi sneered, "You're still wearing a mask to hide your identity? You think Bianliang, a place of controversy under the scrutiny of the world, is a barbaric frontier? Just wait and see. In a few days, the Ten-Year Alliance Meeting will begin, and the invitation sent to the Prince of Yan's mansion will not only include the Prince of Yan's name, but also your name, Xingyi Sword Wen Yao."
"Oh, it's him." Wen Yao thought to herself, no wonder she felt the yellow-haired man across from her looked familiar yesterday: "I remember he was good at swordsmanship, and now he's actually helping the King of Qin."
She wanted to change the subject, but Lou Chengyi didn't let her.
"Listen, Prince Yan is not a kind person." Lou Chengyi's voice suddenly lowered: "If you are not restrained, you can roam freely in the vast world outside. Wen Yao, it's not too late to leave now."
Wen Yao didn't say anything, but just walked forward a few steps and lifted the curtain hanging in front of him.
She was now on the highest floor of the seven-story Qiongyu Tower. Through the carved railings, she could see the terraces below, ingeniously shaped like lotus flowers. Music and instrumental music rang out, singing and dancing filled the air, delicate petals of flowers trampled beneath the feet of barefoot beauties in colorful attire. Around the terraces sat a table filled with the rich and powerful.
Lou Chengyi stood behind her and waited for a moment, but didn't hear a response. His lips curled downwards, and he suddenly stepped forward, grabbing her wrist and pulling her aside as Wen Yao looked over at him. "Go away."
Lou Chengyi was like a mad cat, with his fur standing on end: "Give me back the wine, and leave now."
He looks like a dead person and is sick again.
Wen Yao rolled her eyes, twisted her wrist, and skillfully broke free from Lou Chengyi's restraints. She turned around and leaned over the railing to continue watching the dance: "Alright, alright, stop pulling at me. Hey, Ning'er is on stage."
Ning'er had changed her attire, her wide-sleeved dress flowing freely, and the white whip at her waist had been replaced with a flexible sword. A flash of cold light flashed, and the beauty danced with the sword like a lotus. The audience was dazzled, and the whole room cheered. The sword hummed, and Ning'er twisted her waist. The sound of the sharp blade piercing the air and the sudden, sharp cracking sound exploded in everyone's ears.
Wen Yao's gaze shifted and instantly fell to the side.
Ning'er stopped moving, put away the flowers and sword, frowned, and looked in the direction of the sound along with the others around her.
A woman dressed in the clothes of a maid from Qiongyu Tower, with her face covered with gauze, suddenly rushed out after throwing down her wine glass. She knelt at the feet of a young man, crying out in pain and banging her head violently. Soon her forehead was red and bleeding, and she looked extremely scary: "Young Master! Are you the son of the prefect? My father was Su Fangying, the salt supervisor of Pingjiang Prefecture. He was murdered and died unjustly in prison by a treacherous villain! I have no way to sue you, so please help me, please help me, young master!"
Miss Su spoke a few words in a sharp, hoarse voice, as if each word was vomited from her heart and lungs, making people tremble with fear. She threw the glass wine jug in her hand to the side, and the wine and the fragments splashed everywhere.
The prefect's son was stunned, having listened to most of the conversation without realizing it. But even though he was a dandy in Bianliang, he was no fool. As soon as he heard the words "Salt Supervisor of Pingjiang Prefecture," he knew this was a disaster. His expression suddenly changed, and he was hurriedly helped back into the crowd by a servant, looking extremely embarrassed.
The woman would never let him go. She pounced on him, her nails clutching the corner of his clothes tightly. "My brother was unwilling to accept his father's unjust death. He tried to file a lawsuit, but was brutally beaten and his body was abandoned in the wilderness, eaten by wild dogs. My mother lost her husband and son in a short time and passed away in grief. I fled all the way to Bianliang, risking my own life to fight for them. Young Master, please help me, Young Master!"
As they pushed and pulled, the blood on her forehead stained the young man's clothes. The prefectural magistrate, who had been raised in a world of luxury, looked at the hideous bloodstains on his body, his face turned pale and his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.
As soon as the key words Pingjiang Prefecture and Salt Transport came out, Wen Yao's expression changed and he felt something was wrong.
These two words had just appeared in the mouths of Zhao Xuanxu and Zhang Yun two days ago. It seemed that they were related to the Qin Wang's followers. Zhao Xuanxu had already made arrangements for this and was ready to trick the Qin Wang.
"This Miss Su..." Wen Yao muttered, and then a flash of inspiration suddenly came to him and he turned around to look at Lou Chengyi: "Lou Chengyi, it seems that someone has plotted against your Qiong Yu Tower."
Without Wen Yao saying anything, Lou Chengyi reacted quickly.
Qiongyu Tower might seem like a place to spend money, but in reality, its most valuable asset was information. It had always been the case that the people in his building were the ones who schemed against others, and it had been a long time since they had been schemed against by others.
Lou Chengyi held the railing with his hands, his face instantly darkened, and he almost left finger marks on the railing.
Although Miss Su was extremely emotional, her words were clear and articulate. The musicians, noticing the situation, pressed the strings, and the noisy hall fell completely silent, allowing everyone to hear every word she said.
Zhongli He kicked the table in front of him aside and stood up to walk over. He was a tall man, and when he reached the woman, his figure loomed over her like a dark cloud.
The prefect's son called out "Brother Zhongli" tremblingly, and was barely helped to stand up by the servants.
Zhongli He didn't reach out to help Miss Su. His eyes were cold and inquiring. "As you said, since you came to Bianliang, why didn't you go to the government office and beat the drum to complain?"
The woman's face was pale, tears streaming down her face. "Outside are people trying to capture me. I finally made it to this Qiongyu Tower. They don't dare come here to kill me, but if I get out, I'll be dead. My lord, I'm a daughter of an official, not a madwoman. I've resorted to this desperate measure because I'm desperate!"
Zhongli He frowned and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a shout from behind him: "Nonsense!"
Everyone looked over and saw a man who looked like a manager rushing over.
Ning'er threw away her soft sword, stepped down from the platform and stood aside. Wen Yao clearly saw her raise her head and glance in the direction of him and Lou Chengyi.
After scolding the woman, the steward hurried over to Ning'er, bowed, and said respectfully, "Miss Ning'er, this is someone new to our building. I thought she looked nice, so I kept her, but I didn't expect she's mentally ill and keeps talking nonsense. She came to the Yunyan Banquet and made a scene, disturbing the pleasure of the gentlemen. She deserves death! I'll take her away and punish her immediately!"
Ning'er's heart sank upon hearing this. She once again raised her eyes, leaving no trace, towards the red curtain on the seventh floor. She saw her master standing behind Miss Wen Yao, watching the farce unfold with downcast eyes. His ghostly eyes were devoid of any emotion, and a chill instantly filled her heart.
The cloud banquet is held every year, but this year they were not careful enough and might have become an excuse for others to take advantage of it.
The servant who came with the steward reached out to pull Miss Su. Just when Miss Su was about to slide to the ground in despair, Zhongli He called for a stop.
"Wait." Zhong Lihe said in a deep voice: "This general wants to take her away."
Ning'er recognized him as the eldest grandson of General Zhongli, the guardian of the nation. She secretly thought this was troublesome, but a smile crept onto her face as she spoke softly, "Sir, according to the rules of Qiongyu Tower, our girls don't stay overnight outside. Of course, if you wish to redeem her, you can take her away after paying the ransom."
Zhongli He looked at Ning'er: "Didn't you hear what she said?"
"Your Excellency, I have both my ears. I heard everything." Ning'er was not in the least bit afraid of the renowned general before her. She reached out and pulled the deed from the steward's hand, waving it in front of Zhong Lihe. Her tone turned cold, "I have both my eyes. This is her indenture. We at Qiong Yu Lou are doing business and paying taxes. If anyone can find a pretext to take our young lady away, how can we continue our business? I hope Your Excellency will forgive me."
As soon as she finished speaking, the door of Qiongyu Tower was pushed open.
A long line of officials dressed in government uniforms, all with a smile on their faces, beads of sweat on their cheeks, and bent over, walked through the group of children from wealthy families to the front.
"Major General Zhongli." The leading official, trembling, forced himself to speak. "General, this girl previously came to the government office to file a complaint. We're here today... to summon her."
The complaint had been submitted earlier, and now something unexpected had happened, leaving everyone in the room completely unaware. And yet, the government office, seven blocks away, could suddenly send down a force from the heavens! How absurd!
Zhongli He gritted his teeth and almost laughed out loud at the anger of Miss Ning'er from Qiong Yulou and the government official who was obviously up to something.
"Absolutely not." Miss Su shook her head desperately. "I never found a chance to submit my complaint. Who are you?! You, you are the ones who want to kill me!"
Wen Yao listened from above, looking thoughtful as he weighed the badges Zhao Xuanxu had given him. "The government office... the Ministry of Justice, these are considered members of the Qin Wang Party, right?"
If a person is taken away, can he still survive?
Wen Yao turned and walked to the other side of the room, opened the window, and looked down to see that a lot of soldiers had gathered outside at some point in time.
"Who is General Zhongli?" Wen Yao said slowly, "Do you think he can hold back the people from the government office?"
Lou Chengyi: "The General's Mansion is not involved in the case. He has no right to stop the prefect's men. Besides, those are not considered the prefect's men."
Sure enough, although Zhongli He thought that the excuses made by these people were ridiculous, he also understood that the person behind these people was not the prefect.
He stood in silence for a moment, then took a step aside.
Miss Su kept shaking her head, her eyes suddenly filled with despair.
"No, no, if we really let them take the person away, this girl will die once she leaves Qiong Yu Tower." Wen Yao took a deep breath, took out a mask from his arms and put it on his face.
Lou Chengyi: "What for?"
"I'll stop him, you go and report to Prince Yan's Mansion."
After saying that, Wen Yao tied the mask string and jumped down from the seventh floor without waiting for Lou Chengyi's response.
Just then, the official reached out to pull Miss Su up, and Wen Yao slapped him with his palm, and he immediately flew out and rolled on the ground.
"Who?!" Zhongli He's eyes turned fierce and he drew out the long sword at his side and pointed it at Wen Yao.
Wen Yao stood steadily on the high platform, holding the token given by Zhao Xuanxu and quickly waving it in front of everyone, and said in a low voice: "The business of Jiutai is underway, please do not disturb."
The words "Jiutai" were spoken like thunder, and everyone's already dizzy heads became even more dizzy. The official suddenly looked up, pushed away the person who was supporting him, and roared in a low voice, "Hurry up and take your people away!"
The officers and soldiers all drew their blades and rushed towards Wen Yao. A few others mixed in the crowd and rushed to Miss Su, grabbing her and running out the door.
Wen Yao thought it was ridiculous.
Can you even poach people directly? Their working style is quite flexible.
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