Chapter 235 Unexpected Visitor
Meanwhile, inside the Xiao residence.
Inside the dimly lit, quiet main room of the house, an oil lamp quietly lit up.
The candlelight flickered.
The old man, wearing a thick cotton coat, leaned back in his armchair, rubbing his temples as he listened to Xiao Jing's report from the shadows.
"...Mannu'er has not been found yet."
Seeing that the old man did not speak, Xiao Jing continued, "The grain in the warehouses of the major grain stores in the East Market suffered heavy losses. It is said that 100,000 shi of grain were stored there."
The old man lowered his hand, his slightly bloodshot, cloudy eyes looking at him and asking, "Ten thousand shi?"
Xiao Jing nodded from the shadows, "Only more, not less."
"However, my subordinates have discovered that those grain shops have additional warehouses, which should still contain a considerable amount of grain."
"You suspect that tonight's events were staged by these few families?"
"To be honest, my lord, I have the same suspicion."
The old man frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "That is indeed possible."
“If they’re willing to give up 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), they can raise the price of grain again tomorrow. That’s something those merchants are capable of doing.”
However, after saying that, he shook his head and said, "But the possibility is not high."
"As you just said, those barbarian slaves have been rescued."
"If it was those grain shops that did it, wouldn't it be better to just leave them with no way to prove it?"
Xiao Jing paused, then lowered his head and said, "What you say is true, my lord. I will continue to investigate."
The old man said, "Don't move for now."
"A few businessmen are not important; what matters is the people behind them."
"In the land of Shu, if a few merchants dare to play tricks against my Xiao family,"
At this point, a cold glint appeared on his face, and he said with self-deprecation, "Then this old tiger, I, have reached the end of my life."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jing stepped out of the shadows, knelt on one knee, and said with shame, "Please forgive me, Lord Marquis. It was my incompetence."
The old man waved his hand, "It's none of your business."
"In the end, it all came down to that great battle. Feng Chun and Wan Qing died, and the Dark Guards and the Punishment Hall suffered more than half their casualties..."
He recalled those past events, a hint of desolation appearing on his face, and he sighed softly:
"My Xiao family has suffered heavy losses, which has led to the current situation."
Despite this, Xiao Jing still felt a pang of self-reproach after hearing it, and remained kneeling on the ground, motionless.
The old man glanced at him, immediately discerning his thoughts, and a smile returned to his face:
"Fortunately, I am still able to hold on for a while longer, and a few old friends will help me out out of respect for me."
"Judging by the time, it will take Zhang Xuan two or three days to receive the letter and another two or three days to reply. I can use that time to see who is standing behind those grain stores."
Xiao Jing understood his meaning and bowed his head, saying, "Rest assured, my lord, I will do everything I can to find them!"
"Just do your best."
The old man chuckled and gave a word of advice, then continued, "I've been thinking a lot these past few days."
"Sometimes fate is like this, and it cannot be changed by human effort."
"Just like the last time the summer grain in the three towns was burned, it was indeed dangerous, but in the end, it was my Xiao family who benefited."
His smile widened even more as he looked old. "From this, we can see that Heaven has not forsaken the Xiao family."
Xiao Jing's expression softened upon hearing this, and he replied, "As long as you take care of your health, my lord, the manor will not fall."
"You're really good at comforting me, kid. I'm practically halfway to the grave, how can I possibly take care of myself?"
"Please forgive me, Your Excellency..."
The old man smiled, knowing he didn't mean it, and changed the subject, asking:
"How's the matter I asked you to investigate going?"
"Has the owner of Baicaotang still not shown up?"
Xiao Jing said with some helplessness, "After he spent the night with his son-in-law on the pleasure boat that night, that Mr. Chen Yu seemed to have vanished into thin air, and we still haven't been able to find out where he is."
"I have considered asking Baicaotang or the second son-in-law, but I am worried that it might backfire."
The old man hummed in agreement, pondered for a moment, and then waved his hand, saying, "Never mind, never mind."
"The situation is complicated right now, and you don't have many people under your command to begin with, so you should focus on those people for now."
After giving the order, he continued, "After Baicaotang expands, I'll have Wan'er invite that Mr. Chen."
Xiao Jing replied "Yes," bowed, and stood up to leave, but then heard the old master ask:
"Has there been any news from Jinghong?"
"Reporting to the Marquis, everything is normal on the General's side. The Wushan Trade Market will be completed in at most another month."
The old man smiled and nodded, "You can pass on a message for me, telling her not to be stingy with money, and to spend it as she sees fit."
"Since we're borrowing grain from Zhang Xuan this time, I might as well borrow some money as well, so that those short-sighted people won't make a fuss about it."
He originally didn't intend to speak, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to resort to this tactic.
But when he actually decided to risk it all, he realized that borrowing grain was the same as borrowing money.
Why not solve these problems once and for all?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jing felt quite uncomfortable.
He knew very well that his grandfather, who had spent his life in the military, was extremely competitive.
Not to mention borrowing money or food from others, even during the most difficult times for the Xiao family, the old master still had to help those veterans.
"Take care, my lord. I will write a letter to the general immediately."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
After everyone left, Old Master Xiao sat alone for a while, then blew out the oil lamp. His tall body hunched slightly as he slowly returned to his room.
Only after lying down on the bed did he finally let out a long breath, clutching his chest and coughing a few times in a suppressed manner.
"Oh God, please let me hold on for a few more years."
"Once I get there, you can do whatever you want with me..."
...
Before dawn, the sky was already dim.
As the cool autumn breeze blows, the lanterns under the eaves of Chunhe Garden and Jiaxing Garden gently turn, illuminating several busy figures.
Because Xiao Wan'er, Chen Yi, and others went out today, Xiao Die, Juan'er, and Cui'er started getting busy early.
To avoid disturbing Chen Yi and the others, they moved as quietly as possible, placing the prepared luggage on the carriage outside the garden.
Wang Lixing and Liu Si'er waited by the carriage, chatting idly from time to time.
"I heard early this morning that a big fire broke out in the East Market last night, and it has only just been extinguished."
"Besides those grain stores and warehouses, several nearby stores were also affected, especially the cloth stores."
"It is said that a warehouse storing medicinal herbs was also affected, and most of the herbs were lost."
While looking in the direction of the entrance to Jiaxingyuan and Chunheyuan, Wang Lixing asked in a low voice:
Have grain prices risen?
Liu Si'er grinned: "Is there even a need to ask? With those bastards' personalities, how could prices not rise after such a huge loss?"
"That's true..."
While they were chatting, Xiaodie, Juan'er, and Cui'er each came over carrying a few small boxes.
Liu Si'er and Wang Lixing stepped forward to take them and put them all into a carriage.
Xiaodie wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with a smile, "My son-in-law didn't bring much, just this much."
Juan'er and Cui'er, who were standing nearby, also said that they had already finished moving in.
"Thank you both for waiting here. We'll go back and serve Miss and her husband first."
Wang Lixing nodded, checked the carriage, and locked it.
"Fourth Brother, the journey is not far, but it is still outside the city. Please take good care of the place."
Liu Si'er sat in the carriage and said, "With Miss Xie and Miss Shen with us, ordinary thieves can't get close."
"I was referring to the second son-in-law."
"Don't worry, I'll stay close to him."
At this moment, Xiao Die, who had just returned, followed Xiao Wuge out of Chunhe Garden again.
Wang Lixing didn't say anything more. He patted Liu Si'er on the shoulder and then led Xiao Wuge to the training ground.
Liu Si'er watched them walk away, then turned and asked with a smile, "Miss Xiao Die, has the second son-in-law woken up?"
Xiaodie was about to head to the kitchen when she heard this and replied, "Not yet, are you looking for your son-in-law?"
Thinking of the secret letter he received yesterday, Liu Si'er smiled calmly and said, "Just asking casually."
Xiaodie, without suspecting anything, hurried to the kitchen.
In fact, Chen Yi was already dressed and sat down in the living room.
He had heard the sounds coming from outside the door, but his expression remained unchanged; his eyes were fixed on the light screen in front of him.
[Daily Intelligence - High-Grade Mystic: At 3:45 AM, Chen Yunfan is dueling with Cui Qingwu in the Listening Rain Pavilion. A small amount of good fortune may be obtained.]
Chen Yi read it twice, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"They're having a sword fight. Tsk, I'm afraid Cui Qingwu found out about my brother's hidden martial arts skills."
"I just don't know if my brother is aware of Cui Qingwu's identity. He should know, right?"
Although Chen Yi didn't have a good impression of Cui Qingwu during their previous meetings, he could still tell her attitude towards her brother Chen Yunfan.
—Those eyes could not hold anyone but Chen Yunfan.
Under these circumstances, Chen Yi found it hard to believe that his brother was truly disgusted with his fiancée, Cui Qingwu.
Or perhaps Chen Yunfan's actions weren't directed at Cui Qingwu, but rather at the Cui family?
That's certainly a possibility.
Chen Yi chuckled lightly, "It's a bit like a pair of bickering lovers, but unfortunately I won't be able to watch their fight."
He was going to accompany Xiao Wan'er to the outskirts of the city to look at the site for the Medical Academy. He might not be able to get back by noon, let alone by 7 p.m.
Thinking about these things, he turned off the light screen and looked towards the door.
As dawn broke and the stars and moon faded into the distance, only the clear chirping of fish and insects could be heard in the Spring Lotus Garden.
The scenery is quite pleasant.
Only scattered petals and leaves remain, carpeting the garden.
Chen Yi looked at it for a moment, and couldn't help but think of what happened last night.
The chessboard in my mind then appeared, and black pieces fell onto it one by one.
They appear as scattered as fallen flowers and leaves, but no matter where the black pieces are placed, there is always a shiny black piece in the center.
Those chess pieces represented none other than the Liu family of Jingzhou.
Or rather, Liu Hong.
Chen Yi casually picked up a white piece, took two steps forward, and landed next to the white piece representing Old Master Xiao.
“Yang Ye, if this Right Provincial Governor does nothing, it will be difficult to get rid of Liu Hong.”
Thinking it over, he added another white piece, "It just so happens that Li Huaigu has been harassed by Liu Hong recently, and Mr. Yue Ming is going to visit Right Envoy Yang."
Chen Yi looked at the chessboard that had finally taken shape in his mind, and a slight smile appeared on his face:
"After going around in circles, we still ended up back where we started."
He had originally intended to use Yang Ye to help the Xiao family counterbalance Liu Hong, but because Liu Hong had made concessions several times, he had not been able to find an opportunity.
Now that he has made it clear that Liu Taofang has taken action, he will not allow the Xiao family to remain in such a passive situation.
However, he also knew that Liu Hong was not easy to deal with.
Liu Hong is the Provincial Governor of Shu Prefecture, and he has the backing of the Liu family of Jing Prefecture. It is obviously impossible to deal with him in an ordinary way.
At least he couldn't be as crude as he was in eliminating Liu Wen and Xiao Dongchen.
Chen Yi made up his mind and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Liu Hong is not without flaws.
"Liu Taofang is his weakness."
"The Liu family of Jingzhou is one of them."
Chen Yi's mind drifted to images of the Five Poisons Sect, King Landu of Vaishsa Kingdom, and others, and his smile widened.
"Even if I don't get rid of Liu Hong this time, I can take this opportunity to cut off some of his henchmen."
If the plan goes smoothly, he might gain even more.
Just then, a series of jingling bell sounds came from inside.
When Chen Yi came to his senses, he saw Pei Guanli peeking out from outside the door with a funny expression on her face.
But seeing that Chen Yi's expression remained unchanged, Pei Guanli stuck out her tongue and said, "What? You didn't scare your brother-in-law."
Chen Yi couldn't help but chuckle and said, "How old are you? Why are you still acting like a child?"
Pei Guanli walked over unhappily upon hearing this, and pulled him along, saying, "I'm not a child."
"Yes, yes, you're not..."
As he spoke, Chen Yi instructed her to take good care of Xiao Wuge at the mansion.
Pei Guanli readily agreed, rambling on about how her martial arts had improved considerably recently and that she would teach Xiao Wuge palm techniques tonight.
Chen Yi thought for a moment and said, "Your Hundred Flowers Palm technique isn't quite right. Why don't you teach him some footwork first?"
The Hundred Flowers Palm requires too much flexibility, which is obviously not something a young man like Xiao Wuge, who has not yet practiced stance training, can learn.
In comparison, Xiao Wuge could learn the Meteor Butterfly Step first.
Even if the effect is not significant, it can still improve his footwork.
Pei Guanli nodded upon hearing this, "Okay, I'll listen to my brother-in-law."
Not long after.
Xiaodie returned with breakfast.
Chen Yi ate a few bites and then led them to Jiaxing Garden to meet Xiao Wan'er.
Xiao Wan'er had already finished eating by this time. Seeing him coming over, she smiled and waved.
"Brother-in-law, the things were prepared and put in the car a long time ago. Let's go."
Chen Yi looked her over, smiled, nodded, and said okay.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but although Xiao Wan'er was still wearing the same white cloak, her figure seemed to be more upright today.
Even her stunningly beautiful face was enhanced.
Xiao Wan'er was unaware of his thoughts and walked out of Jiaxing Garden with him.
As she walked, she said, "I've already had people scout out a few places beforehand; let's just go and check them out directly."
"If everything goes smoothly, we can finalize the location of the Medical Academy today."
Chen Yi hummed in response, and was about to reply when he saw a soldier leading someone in from the central courtyard.
The man was plain-looking, but tall and strong. He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and shorts and was barefoot.
Mountain people?
Before Chen Yi could think further, he heard Pei Guanli exclaim in surprise, "Brother, what brings you here?"
The newcomer ignored him completely, walked over methodically, and bowed to Xiao Wan'er, saying:
"Pei Gan of the Mountain Clan greets the young lady."
However, his movements were stiff, unlike those of people from the prefectural city who moved naturally.
Xiao Wan'er nodded slightly, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite, then turned to Pei Guanli and asked with a smile, "Is this your brother?"
Pei Guanli nodded repeatedly, walked over casually, and suddenly slapped Pei Gan on the back.
*Smack*
Pei Gan stumbled, baring his teeth as he looked at her: "Sister, this isn't the tribe's territory."
Pei Guanli didn't care about any of that and said with a smile, "Brother, you have times when you're scared too."
"Who's afraid?"
Pei Gan muttered something, then took out a letter from his pocket and presented it to Xiao Wan'er with both hands, saying:
"This is a letter that General Jinghong entrusted to me. Please keep it safe, Miss."
But as he said this, his eyes were fixed on Chen Yi, who was standing next to him, with a scrutinizing look in them.
Chen Yi noticed his expression and secretly raised an eyebrow.
As far as I can remember, Tiger Girl said that her brother was in love with Xiao Jinghong.
Indeed, there is no love without a reason, nor is there hatred without a reason.
(End of this chapter)
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