Chapter 243 Controlling Others Without Being Controlled (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Just as Liu Lang was about to leave, he saw Chen Yi standing there with a cold expression, and he couldn't help but feel a little reluctant to part with him.
"Boss, you promised to have a knife duel with me before, when is that?"
Chen Yi paused, tilted his straw hat slightly, and asked with a smile, "Are you in such a hurry?"
Liu Lang chuckled twice, "I've only ever had two hobbies: brothels and sword fights, so..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yi waved his hand and said, "Understood."
"At 1:15 AM on the eighth day of the ninth lunar month, I will be waiting for you on the banks of the Chishui River."
Liu Lang was slightly taken aback, but then overjoyed when he realized what he meant, "Ten days later?"
"Boss, you set this date, so you can't go back on your word."
Chen Yi glanced at him and said, "I hope you can still be smiling this happily then."
He was bound to have a showdown with Liu Lang eventually, whether it was sooner or later didn't matter.
Moreover, with his current martial arts cultivation and skill level, he might not be able to defeat Liu Lang easily, but he still has a chance to win within ten moves.
Of course, this is on the premise that he uses the gun path.
He reckoned he'd need to practice with a knife for a few more days.
Liu Lang was completely unaffected by these words. He gripped the hilt of the sword with his other hand and said eagerly:
"The victor lives, the loser dies. Such is the way to attain enlightenment, how exhilarating!"
Chen Yi glared at him irritably and said, "Get lost."
It was just a friendly sparring match, how did it become a life-or-death struggle in Liu Lang's mouth?
"Okay."
Liu Lang smiled nonchalantly and darted towards the Liu family's location.
Chen Yi watched him disappear into the rain and shook his head to himself.
No wonder Liu Lang earned the nickname "Knife Maniac" while venturing into the northern desert; he must be missing a lot of common sense.
On the bright side, however, people like Liu Lang are actually quite simple-minded.
He's at least easier to get along with than Liu Hong, the Jizhou Merchant Guild, and the White Tiger Guards.
Thinking of Liu Hong and the Jizhou Merchant Guild, Chen Yi was filled with a myriad of thoughts.
Liu Hong, Ma Shuhan, annual examinations...
Liu Taofang, Jizhou Merchants, grain prices are rising...
Lin Huai'an, King Lando, heavy iron armor, refined iron...
There are also connections between the White Tiger Guard's generals and King Lando, etc.
The events that had recently occurred flashed through Chen Yi's mind like a revolving lantern, quickly forming a vast network.
It's like a chessboard with pieces scattered like stars, intricate and complex.
He could vaguely see some of the joints, as if a thread was connecting them.
However, it is extremely unrealistic and cannot be sustained throughout.
Chen Yi looked up at the dark night sky, letting the raindrops hit his face.
"We're still missing a few clues, just a few."
"I might have to stir the water."
As the art of war says: "To subdue others without being subdued by them."
It means to maneuver the enemy, rather than being maneuvered by the enemy.
Only by seizing a certain degree of initiative can we turn order into chaos, courage into cowardice, and strength into weakness.
This is roughly what it means to fish in troubled waters.
Chen Yi withdrew his gaze, slightly lowered his straw hat, and turned to head towards the Spring Rain Pavilion in the brothel alley.
"There is no one more suitable than the Hidden Guards for stirring up trouble."
A moment later.
Chen Yi quietly arrived outside Chunyu Tower and looked at the brightly decorated Qin Tower.
After the summer grain in the three towns was burned, Xiao Jinghong led his men to raid the Chunyu Tower because Mingyue Tower's Black Fang and others were hiding there.
Arrest those who should be arrested, and kill those who should be killed.
The Chunyu Restaurant, which has now reopened, retains its name, but the owner behind it has changed.
Chen Yi had no idea who it was.
Judging from tonight's intelligence, the fact that Lou Yuxue was able to arrange a meeting with the people from Vaishsa here suggests that Chunyu Tower is still under her control.
Chen Yi looked around and then walked into Chunyu Tower as if no one else was there.
He didn't care at all that his appearance was different from those self-proclaimed elegant literati and scholars.
But the brothel madam and pimp inside the door had no choice but to pay attention.
The madam stared at Chen Yi for a moment, then gave a wink to one of the pimps.
The pimp quickly stepped forward, bowed, and asked with a smile, "Sir, are you looking for pleasure or someone?"
Chen Yi didn't stop walking, took off his straw hat and tossed it to him: "Looking for people and also looking for fun."
Perhaps it was because his disguised face was unbelievably handsome that the madam and pimp breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whom are you looking for? I'll ask around for you."
Chen Yi ignored him and looked up at the upper floor—where the quiet room was located.
Behind that wall, one could hear the voice of the female tiger Lou Yuxue, as if she were giving instructions to someone.
"...Please have someone come, away from the guests downstairs."
After listening for a couple of sentences, Chen Yi turned his head to look at the fawning pimp and said, "Black Tooth."
The pimp's smile froze, and he subconsciously glanced at the madam behind him who was watching.
The madam realized what was happening, smiled sweetly, and quietly pushed the pimp away.
"Sir, you are looking for Hei Ya'er? What a coincidence! That girl has just learned to play the zither. She will serve you tonight."
He said this outwardly so as not to disturb the surrounding guests.
But after saying that, the madam lowered her voice and said, "Sir, Black Fang is dead. You've come to the wrong place."
Chen Yi smiled and said, "Then, is Miss Lou Yuxue here?"
The madam's expression changed slightly as she looked at him in surprise: "You, you..."
Before she could continue, Chen Yi pointed upstairs: "She's here. It seems she's still here."
The next moment, Lou Yuxue, dressed in a bright red dress, appeared behind the railing on the third floor.
Just.
Lou Yuxue's expression was clearly displeased, and as she lowered her head, it was as if she were asking, "Why are you here, you bastard?"
Chen Yi waved dismissively and asked, "Should I go up, or will you come down?"
"Get up here."
That's really crude and hard to hear.
Fortunately, Chen Yi didn't care about any of that. He smiled and waved goodbye to the madam, then went straight up to the third floor.
He could vaguely hear many people in the lobby downstairs asking about Lou Yuxue's identity.
Some lustful and wealthy men have even started asking the brothel madams for money.
"Would the young lady be willing to perform a dance for me tonight? I will offer fifty taels of gold."
"I'll offer one hundred taels!"
"Please forgive me, sir, but that gentleman is a master at Chunyu Pavilion who specializes in teaching young ladies to play the zither and sing. He does not entertain guests..."
A chorus of sighs and regrets followed.
Chen Yi found it amusing and teased Lou Yuxue from afar, "As expected of Miss Yuxue, a song is worth a hundred gold pieces."
Lou Yuxue glared at him fiercely, "Come in with me!"
Chen Yi smiled and followed her into the quiet room at the back.
After looking around, he said, "There have been some changes here. Heavy willow wood and ironwood have been used. It must have cost a lot of money."
Lou Yuxue ignored him.
Chen Yi didn't seem to care and continued rambling on and on.
From the layout of the quiet room to the servants wearing black iron masks, he commented on everything.
"Has Mingyue Tower returned to Shuzhou again? But where are those evil demons and heretics?"
Lou Yuxue stopped in her tracks, unable to bear it any longer, and turned around to pull him into the nearest quiet room.
The moment the door closed, she glared at Chen Yi and asked through gritted teeth, "How exactly did you find me?"
"Tonight marks the first day this place will once again be a Mingyue Tower stronghold!"
Chen Yi looked enlightened, muttering to himself, "No wonder no evil spirits have come," and then smiled and said:
"What's so difficult about finding you in Shu Prefecture? Have you forgotten about the wonton shop?"
Lou Yuxue naturally hadn't forgotten.
But it's really hard to believe that a White Tiger Guard who is best at hiding and concealing himself could be found so easily time and time again.
"Will you talk or not?"
"Want to know?"
Chen Yi walked past her and sat down in a chair, looking at her leisurely and saying, "I won't tell you."
If it weren't for the intelligence alert, he wouldn't have known where Lou Yuxue was.
Even if he said it, Lou Yuxue probably wouldn't believe it.
I'd rather not say anything.
"you!?"
Lou Yuxue glared at him angrily, but she was helpless against him.
She should have been the one taking the initiative, but she was always the one who ended up getting the short end of the stick in front of Chen Yi.
A moment later.
Lou Yuxue took a deep breath, and the dim candlelight cast her beautiful shadow on the wall, revealing her rounded and majestic figure.
Then she sat down opposite Chen Yi, her heavily made-up face regaining its composure as she asked:
"Tell me, what do you want to see me about this time?"
"Is it about time that what you and I agreed on is about to begin?"
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, surprised that she had calmed down so quickly. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"You could say that, but you could also say that."
Before Lou Yuxue could ask, Chen Yi continued to explain, "I've made some progress on that matter, but some conditions are still missing."
"I came to you this time because I want to ask you for a favor."
"explain."
"Is there any way to prepare some food for me?"
"How many?"
"At least 100,000 shi, the more the better."
Lou Yuxue's eyes widened instantly upon hearing this. "One hundred thousand shi? The more the better? Do you think I'm the Pavilion Master?"
Chen Yi smiled and shook his head, saying, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."
"If you and I want to make some money, we need to lure those people into our trap."
"Those people? Who exactly are you going to deal with?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a thought flashed through Lou Yuxue's mind, "Grain? You want to go after the grain merchants?"
"Don't tell me it's one of those companies in the East Market."
Chen Yi smiled and countered, "Why can't it be them?"
"I'm sure you've heard about the burning of the grain store warehouse in the East Market a couple of days ago. If even a few barbarian slaves dared to lay a hand on them, why can't we?"
Lou Yuxue frowned instantly and asked, "Do you know who they are?"
"Jizhou Trading Company".
"You... since you knew, why..."
Chen Yi spread his hands, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Of course it's because they're rich."
Judging from Lou Yuxue's appearance, she should know the details of the Jizhou Merchant Guild.
Even if not all of it, I know at least some of it.
That's fine.
That saved him from having to say much.
Thinking it over, Chen Yi continued, "I received information that, apart from what was burned, they still have no less than a million shi of grain."
"At the current market price, that's nearly three million taels of silver. Aren't you tempted?"
Upon hearing this number, Lou Yuxue remained unmoved, instead staring at him and saying, word by word:
"I advise you to abandon this plan; it's too dangerous!"
"What, even you, a Silver Flag Officer of the White Tiger Guard, are afraid of the Jizhou Merchant Guild?"
"I'm scared! Of course I'm scared!"
"Do you know what kind of people are in the Jizhou Merchant Guild? Do you know who stands behind them?"
Chen Yi shook his head honestly: "I don't know, and I don't care."
"All I know is that they have a lot of money and they are all bad people."
"Instead of leaving the money with them, I'd rather use it to do something more meaningful."
This statement seems reasonable, but it is actually full of loopholes.
He was merely using words to provoke Lou Yuxue, trying to find out some information about the Jizhou Merchant Guild.
Lou Yuxue was about to retort, but she suddenly realized what he meant when she saw his smiling face.
"Are you trying to trick me into telling me something?"
"Oh, you found out."
"you……"
Chen Yi waved his hand and said, "It's not entirely to trick you into telling me; I really intend to take action against them."
"Don't tell me you didn't know that the financiers who plotted to burn down the summer grain in the three towns were them."
Lou Yuxue's face hardened with embarrassment and anger. "Them?"
She really didn't know about this.
Previously, it was Black Fang who was in contact with those wealthy patrons, leading her to believe that it was some powerful family in Shu Prefecture that was hostile to the Xiao family.
Now that she learned that the beneficiary was the Jizhou Trading Company, she instantly understood many things.
Especially recently, grain prices in Shu Prefecture have risen, and the Mannuer and Vaishsa Kingdom have appeared in the East Market, etc.
Could it be that King Lando has already formed a partnership with the Jizhou Merchant Guild?
If that's the case, then it's terrible!
Chen Yi, unaware of Lou Yuxue's speculations, nodded and said, "It is indeed them."
Then a mischievous glint appeared on his face: "Miss Yuxue, for the sake of this message, aren't you going to give me something in return?"
Lou Yuxue snapped out of her reverie, looked at him thoughtfully for a long while, and then spoke:
"It's not that I can't tell you about the Jizhou Trading Company."
"Although they act in a secretive and low-key manner, many people in the Great Wei Dynasty have heard of their names."
"But because there's nothing they can find out, even if they've heard some things, they don't dare to reveal them easily."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi placed his hands on the table and leaned closer, saying, "They sound like they have powerful connections?"
This is obviously nonsense.
A group of people who can resell ironware and fine iron from the Great Wei Dynasty wouldn't dare to do so if they didn't have someone backing them up.
Lou Yuxue nodded and said, "Let me make this clear from the start: telling you this doesn't mean I agree to work with you to deal with them."
Chen Yi nodded and said with a smile, "I don't believe you can just watch the money slip away."
Lou Yuxue ignored his teasing, thought for a moment, and said thoughtfully, "The Jizhou Merchant Guild is indeed located in Jizhou, but its internal structure is not limited to Jizhou."
"It's impossible for it to be spread throughout all nine provinces and three prefectures, right?"
"They are almost identical."
“Apart from the three prefectures of Jiangnan, Guangyue, and Kyoto, they have people all over the land of Kyushu.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi asked, "Really?"
Lou Yuxue glanced at him. "You're scared now? It's not too late for you to back down."
Chen Yi didn't answer, his smile fading. "Continue."
Lou Yuxue, seeing that he was not dead, snorted, "Do you know why I am in Mingyue Tower?"
"In fact, Mingyue Tower is backed by the Jizhou Merchant Guild!"
Chen Yi was genuinely surprised.
He never imagined that the renowned Mingyue Tower was actually supported by the Jizhou Merchant Guild.
No wonder.
No wonder Black Fang is so greedy for money; his avarice is nothing like that of a江湖人 (jianghu person, someone from the underworld).
It turns out he wasn't acting like a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), but rather like a businessman.
A moment of silence.
Chen Yi suddenly laughed, "Interesting, I underestimated them."
He only thought about how the Jizhou Merchant Guild was backed by the imperial court and powerful families, but he forgot about the "jianghu" (江湖, the martial arts world).
As he spoke, he looked directly at Lou Yuxue and asked, "So your mission is to investigate Mingyue Tower or Jizhou Merchant Guild?"
Lou Yuxue glared at him. "Telling you this is already against the rules of the White Tiger Guard. And you still want to find out about my mission?"
"Alright, alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Let's continue talking about the Jizhou Merchant Guild."
"It's gone."
Chen Yi was taken aback. "That's all? For example, who are they? What are their plans and schemes in Shu Prefecture? Or what are their powerful backers?"
Lou Yuxue said, embarrassed and annoyed, "If I knew all this, why would I have hidden in Mingyue Tower..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
But Chen Yi had already realized what was going on and said with a smile, "Oh, so this is your task."
"Son of a bitch!"
(End of this chapter)
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