Chapter 260 Pavilion Master, have you gone mad? (Seeking monthly votes)
The recent surge in grain prices in Shuzhou is undoubtedly good news for Chen Yi.
Or rather, as early as when he learned that the Jizhou Merchant Guild and Lin Huai'an, Liu Taofang and others were the "big spenders" who hired Mingyue Tower to burn down the summer grain in the three towns, he knew that the rise in grain prices in Shuzhou was irreversible.
Even now that Lin Huai'an is dead, the grain stores have not stopped their operations.
Even though public discontent is high now, and even though their plan to frame the Xiao family has failed, they are still trying to find various ways to raise grain prices.
All for the sake of making a fortune.
From this, Chen Yi could see the greed of those people in the Jizhou Merchant Guild.
But the greedy will surely be punished by Heaven.
If not, he wouldn't mind adding fuel to the fire and giving them a grand "funeral".
With that thought in mind, Chen Yi changed into night clothes, put on a raincoat and a bamboo hat, and left the Xiao family in the rain.
The night was dim, and the rain was torrential.
The icy rain poured down, creating a thin layer of mist around us.
Fortunately, Chen Yi's cultivation has now reached the middle stage of the fifth rank, and his five senses are extremely sharp as his true essence flows.
Even when using the Meteor Butterfly Step, he could ensure that he traveled silently while simultaneously checking the activity within a two-mile radius.
He slowed his pace and concealed his aura as he walked through the deep alley and approached the West Market before heading towards the house behind the tailor shop.
It was already late at night.
The spacious West City Street was deserted.
Only a few ornately decorated rooms had dim candlelight, casting a yellowish glow in the torrential rain.
Chen Yi looked around to make sure no one was there, then quietly slipped into the house.
Chen Yi listened intently for a moment, and after confirming that there was no sound coming from the tailor shop, he gently woke Zhang Dabao.
"big……"
Before Zhang Dabao could speak, Chen Yi covered his mouth and gestured by the candlelight under the eaves:
"Disguise yourself for me, and don't make a sound."
Zhang Dabao saw his face clearly, breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and went to get the equipment.
Chen Yi went to the window and stared at the tailor shop in front of him.
At this moment, the sound of raindrops dripping onto the bricks and tiles outside was quite noisy.
He could only faintly hear conversations coming from there.
"...Didn't they come...?"
"The tigress is really slow; she... needs to hide..."
"Luanfeng, please calm down."
"The tigress has a special status. Give her some time, and I believe she will arrive here soon."
General star.
Chen Yi recognized the voice of the person who spoke and silently pondered the situation of the White Tiger Guards.
Previously, when he learned from the wonton shop that the White Tiger Guard's Golden Banner Officer General Star wanted to see King Lando, he wanted to find out his intentions.
But plans can't keep up with changes.
Because Lü Jiunan, Ge Muxiao, and others had affairs with Liu Hong, he had no choice but to kidnap them.
For Chen Yi, this approach was perfectly justifiable.
From the perspective of the general, his move has already affected the White Tiger Guard's plans.
"I almost forgot about that."
"If Lou Yuxue tells Jiang Xing about our previous cooperation, I reckon we won't be able to get those grains."
Chen Yi looked out the window thoughtfully, pondering a solution.
He would have to think of a way to get Lou Yuxue to accomplish this.
He also needs to provide a reasonable explanation, otherwise it will inevitably affect the subsequent plans.
"money?"
"Lou Yuxue does need it, but she certainly won't take a bigger risk for money."
"Other things..."
Chen Yi's heart stirred slightly. He pulled open the sleeve of his left arm, revealing a section of yellowed paper.
—This is a secret letter that Lin Huai'an wrote to King Lando earlier, in order to sell the ironware and ore in Zhu Hao's possession to the bandits under King Lando's command.
"Perhaps Lou Yuxue would be interested."
At present, it seems pointless for Chen Yi to keep this piece of paper.
With Lin Huai'an dead and Lü Jiunan imprisoned by him, even if King Lando needed ironware, he wouldn't choose this critical juncture to make a deal.
Even if we take a step back and say...
Even if King Landu dares, the people from the Jizhou Merchant Guild and Zhu Hao will wait until the situation in Shuzhou stabilizes before choosing to take further action.
He decided to sell the information to Lou Yuxue, hoping to get her help in return.
Thinking it over, Chen Yi gestured for Zhang Dabao to disguise him while listening to the sounds coming from the tailor shop.
Then, a slight creaking sound could be heard from the other side.
The door opens and then closes.
General asked, "You've arrived?"
Lou Yuxue: "My lord, I am a step late. Please forgive me."
Cui Qingwu raised his voice slightly and snorted, "Lady Tiger, you have quite the airs. You dare to delay when Lord Jinqi summons you?"
"Likewise."
"I heard that you parted on bad terms with General Xing last time. People who don't know the situation might think that Lord Luanfeng is the Golden Banner Officer in charge of Shu Prefecture."
"Ha, a gold... Don't try to sow discord in front of me."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi's expression turned strange. Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu didn't get along?
This is truly... a headache for some generals.
And that is indeed the case.
Just as Chen Yi had guessed, General Star was indeed somewhat helpless at this moment.
The tigress is about to be promoted to the position of Golden Banner Officer, and will be on equal footing with him in the future, so he shouldn't be too harsh on her.
Luanfeng is the daughter of the Cui family in Qinghe.
His special status made even the Pavilion Master wary of him, let alone this Golden Banner Officer.
General Xing waved his hand helplessly and said, "Enough with the idle talk."
"I have summoned you here today because I have important news to tell you."
Upon hearing this, Lou Yuxue ignored Cui Qingwu and shook her raincoat, saying, "Please speak, sir."
Cui Qingwu, who was standing to the side, didn't say anything more and turned away slightly, as if she disliked the rain.
General Xing observed this and sighed inwardly, asking, "Have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate earlier?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, since Liu Zhaoxue arrived in Shuzhou, she has been running around the pharmacies of Xinglinzhai these past few days."
"Adjustments were made to the businesses that were struggling, and the renowned physician who had followed her from Jingzhou was appointed to oversee them. This had a significant impact on Shuzhou City."
Where is Liu Hong?
"He hasn't made any moves yet, but..."
Lou Yuxue glanced at Cui Qingwu and said, "It's just that the whereabouts of his two sons are a bit unusual."
Jiang Xing waved his hand, indicating that she could just speak plainly.
Upon seeing this, Lou Yuxue said, "My second son, Liu Taofang, has been staying at home without a door."
"It is said that on the day the East Market granary was burned down, he was punished by Liu Hong and ordered to stay at home."
Upon hearing this, Cui Qingwu muttered, "What kind of anomaly is this?"
Lou Yuxue ignored her, "My investigation revealed that Liu Taofang was in the East Market that night."
General Xing said thoughtfully, "You mean Liu Taofang has connections with those grain shops?"
"It's not impossible."
"The recent collusion among grain merchants to raise grain prices is related to the burning of hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain."
"I suspect that Liu Taofang might be trying to take advantage of this situation for personal gain."
Seeing that Jiang Xing nodded, Lou Yuxue continued, "Then there's the eldest, Liu Taoyao."
"According to reports from several Iron Flag officers, that man has rarely gone to the yamen these past few days, and has spent most of his time at home."
"And every night, some suspicious people would appear in his courtyard."
"After learning of this, my subordinates confirmed through Mingyue Tower's informants that they were the mysterious group of people who had recently appeared in Shuzhou."
General Xing frowned slightly.
After a moment's thought, his brow relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face as he said:
"It seems I underestimated Liu Hong's audacity; he actually dared to keep a private army."
Lou Yuxue was taken aback. "Private soldiers? Not retainers?"
General Xing shook his head: "With Liu Hong's current official position, if he wanted to recruit retainers, why would he need to be so secretive?"
"Just like Zhao Shichang, speaking out frankly is the right thing to do."
Cui Qingwu crossed his arms and said, "He's plotting a rebellion."
General Xing glanced at her and said, "It's too early to draw such a conclusion."
Then he looked at Lou Yuxue and instructed her, "Later, you will pass this message on to the Pavilion Master, explaining the advantages and disadvantages."
Lou Yuxue responded with a "yes," then hesitated for a moment before saying, "This subordinate is incompetent and has not yet found any signs of 'Liu Wu' appearing."
"Although there are some unfamiliar faces around Liu Zhaoxue, their physique and cultivation level are far inferior to 'Liu Wu'."
General Xing nodded slightly. "He just did that big thing, so it's normal for him to be hiding."
"But you just need to keep an eye on Liu Zhaoxue's movements from now on. As for Liu Wu..."
He paused, then took out a secret letter from his pocket and continued, "Received the secret letter from the Pavilion Master."
"His Majesty hopes that the two of you will work together to find a way to recruit Liu Wu to the White Tiger Guard."
Hearing the last part, Lou Yuxue looked at him in disbelief: "Liu Wu? My lord, are you sure the Pavilion Master wants me... to take him in?"
Cui Qingwu, standing to the side, was equally surprised, then said with displeasure:
"If Liu Wu poisoned me and made me a White Tiger Guard, wouldn't that be like making me slap myself in the face?"
Seeing that they didn't believe him, Jiang Xing unfolded the secret letter in his hand and showed it to them:
"This is a secret letter written in the handwriting of the Pavilion Master himself, and it did not go through the White Tiger Guard Privy Council."
Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu leaned closer to read the contents and couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.
Even though the two women didn't get along, they were still puzzled by this sudden news.
"My lord, why, why..."
Before the two could ask any questions, General Xing raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "Have you forgotten the rules of the White Tiger Guard?"
As he spoke, his expression turned cold.
"Everything must be done according to the Lord's orders. Even if he orders you to die, you must still obey!"
Lou Yuxue immediately bowed in respect.
These words were extremely harsh.
Even though she had countless doubts, she knew that she couldn't continue to investigate why the Pavilion Master had recruited Liu Wu at this moment.
In contrast, Cui Qingwu was not afraid of these things and said with a sneer, "What if Liu Wu doesn't agree?"
General Xing glanced at her and said in a cold tone, "If he doesn't agree to join the White Tiger Guard, he will become our mortal enemy."
"Just kill them!"
Lou Yuxue wanted to say that Liu Wu was a formidable enemy.
However, she had her own ulterior motives, and she swallowed the words back before she could say them.
To be fair...
Even though Liu Wu harmed her several times, he was still a decent person and not the kind of vicious and bloodthirsty evil demon.
This is also why she agreed to cooperate with Liu Wu.
only……
Lou Yuxue felt she couldn't think of a way to persuade Liu Wu to join the White Tiger Guard, and she didn't really want him to become one.
Based on her understanding of Liu Wu, who was always mysterious, it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't cause chaos in Shu Prefecture after becoming a White Tiger Guard.
I wonder why the Pavilion Master made this decision...
The same question lingered in Chen Yi's mind.
"The leader of the White Tiger Guard... he actually wants me to join the White Tiger Guard?"
"Are you crazy?"
Even though Chen Yi had dealt with the White Tiger Guards several times and had heard of the Pavilion Master, he couldn't figure out his intention in making such an arrangement.
It's impossible that he was someone Liu Zhaoxue's man, and that he wanted to use him to help Liu Zhaoxue bring down Liu Hong and the eldest branch of the Liu family in Jingzhou, right?
What scheme did that mysterious and powerful White Tiger Guard Master devise after learning that he had "killed" Lü Jiunan?
I thought it over and over again.
Chen Yi couldn't figure it out either.
"Sending Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu alone isn't enough to get me to join the White Tiger Guard."
"If the Pavilion Master himself came, I might consider it."
Of course, these were just Chen Yi's wild guesses.
Only a fool would agree to let him give up a perfectly good, leisurely life as a live-in son-in-law and run off to work for the White Tiger Guard.
Just then, he heard General Xing continue from afar: "Alright, that's all I wanted to say."
"I will soon set off for Vashj."
"After I leave, the tigress will continue as before, concealing her identity and continuing to investigate the situation at Mingyue Tower."
Lou Yuxue understood his purpose in going to Vaishsa, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.
General Xing then looked at Luan Feng and said, "You should know that there is only one Silver Flag Officer left in Shu Prefecture, the Female Tiger. There are some things that I need your help with."
Seeing his sincerity, Cui Qingwu reluctantly nodded: "Please speak freely, sir."
"Previously, Hawk and Gray Wolf were in charge of the Xiao family's affairs."
"But one of them is dead and the other escaped. The Xiao family is now missing a Silver Banner Officer to oversee things. I hope you will keep a close eye on things there during this time."
At this point, General Xing's tone became slightly more serious, "If those Iron Banner officers come looking for us, and the tigress is unable to act, I hope you can help resolve the situation."
Upon hearing this, Cui Qingwu's heart stirred slightly, "The Xiao family?"
In recent days, she has visited the Xiao family several times and had many contacts with Xiao Wan'er, but she has never contacted the Iron Flag Officer over there.
Looking back now, it was her oversight.
Given the current situation in Shu Prefecture, if the White Tiger Guard wants to do that, they will inevitably have to stir up trouble in Shu Prefecture.
Therefore, the Xiao family is an unavoidable link.
It's understandable that two silver-flag officers are in charge of the Xiao family.
Thinking of this, Cui Qingwu nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will not refuse if needed."
Lou Yuxue, who was standing to the side, didn't say anything more.
She stayed in Shuzhou longer and knew that the Hawk's mission only involved "Young Bird".
Based on her understanding of that "young bird," she wasn't worried about anything major happening to the Xiao family.
There can be no trouble at all.
Not long after.
Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu left the tailor shop one after the other.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi signaled Zhang Dabao to remain quiet, while he put on his bamboo hat and prepared to catch up with Lou Yuxue.
But before he could do anything, he heard some noises coming from the tailor shop.
It seems that the general opened the door and left.
"...After I leave, keep an eye on Yunqing Tower at the tailor shop."
"Lord Luanfeng?"
"Okay, keep an eye on her movements for me."
"However, if you make any discoveries, don't do anything unnecessary, just record them."
"Understood..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi secretly curled his lip; even within the White Tiger Guard, people were wary of each other.
No wonder Lou Yuxue agreed to cooperate with him before.
In a place where everyone has their own ulterior motives, how can we talk about sticking together for warmth?
Soon, the tailor shop fell silent.
Chen Yi waited a few more moments until a golden light suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Witness the Hidden Guard General and others receiving the secret letter. Reward: "Heavenly Flying Flower Sword Technique" [Mystic Rank], +30 Fortune.]
[Comment: The person arrived, their voice was heard, but the scene was not seen...]
Chen Yi glanced around to make sure Jiang Xing and the others had left before quietly disappearing into the rainy night and heading towards Chunyu Tower.
"Hehe, I wonder what method Lou Yuxue will use to recruit me into the White Tiger Guard."
Although he was unlikely to agree, that didn't stop him from having some fun.
Isn't that right?
(End of this chapter)
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