Chapter 61: The Flames of War Reignite
As soon as Xiaoyao Lang reached the stable, Murong Hanchan followed.
Xiaoyao Lang laughed, "Chan'er! What brings you here!"
Murong Hanchan smiled sweetly and said, "What? Don't you want me to stay with you?"
While feeding the horse, Xiaoyao Lang said, "Chan'er, you mustn't say such silly things again! You should know how much I love you!"
Murong Hanchan smiled and said, "Alright! Then let me ask you, why did you say earlier that Shanshui City is full of beauties, and how did you know that?"
Xiaoyao Lang's face flushed instantly, and he sat on the hay and whispered, "Linglong told me!"
Murong Hanchan sat down beside her, surprised, and asked, "What! She told you?"
Xiaoyao Lang remained silent, afraid that if she continued to ask questions, he would feel awkward. He then took her hand and whispered, "Chan'er! No matter how many beautiful women there are in the world, they are all illusions. Only you and Linglong are true goddesses of heaven, their beauty real!"
Murong Hanchan's expression changed, and she said in a clear voice, "Sweet talk, she certainly knows how to teach you that!"
Xiaoyao Lang: "Chan'er! I don't feel good hearing you say that. I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart. Can't you really understand my feelings?" After saying that, he raised his finger and poked her heart.
Murong Hanchan's face flushed slightly, and she glanced at him, whispering, "Brother Xiaoyao, you really have become a rogue!"
Xiaoyao Lang laughed and said, "Since Chan'er says such things about me, then I won't pretend to be a gentleman anymore!" After saying that, he pounced on Murong Hanchan and prepared to kiss her rosy lips.
Upon seeing this, Murong Hanchan slowly closed her eyes, and just as their lips touched, a scream rang out!
"ah!"
The two were forced apart by the shout. Xiaoyao Lang turned around and saw that it was Feng Ran who had arrived. She covered her mouth with her hand and stared at Xiaoyao Lang and Feng Ran with wide eyes.
Murong Hanchan stood up, and upon seeing Feng Ran, her face instantly turned as red as a peach. She slapped Xiaoyao Lang and said in a coquettish voice, "I'm never talking to you again!" Then she ran away.
Xiaoyao Lang was even more embarrassed. Seeing this, Feng Ran also said shyly, "Young Master Xiaoyao, I only came to see if there was any hay left in the thatched hut. I didn't see anything else! Farewell!"
Xiaoyao Lang knew that, according to custom, his actions towards Murong Hanchan were already immoral and disgraceful. Now, to make matters worse, he'd been caught in the act! Shaking his head, he returned to his room, utterly dejected.
Inside the main hall of the Zhu Family Manor, a dozen or so people were gathered, all members of the Zhu family. Seated at the head of the table was the eldest patriarch of the Zhu family—Zhu Zongshen, dressed in splendid merchant attire, and around sixty years old.
Zhu Zongshen asked sternly, "Second brother, fifth brother, why did you suffer such a crushing defeat today?"
Zhu Zijian hurriedly said, "We took four small villages in one night. Everything was going smoothly, and we even collected a lot of money. But Fifth Brother insisted on going to occupy the Yongle Gang's territory. As a result, we encountered a bunch of experts, which led to the deaths of more than a hundred archers and heavy losses."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ziqiao stood up angrily and said, "Second brother, how can you blame me for this? I didn't ask you to go."
Zhu Zongshen said shamelessly, "Alright, stop arguing. Things have come to this point, there's no point in arguing anymore."
At this moment, Zhu Zixing said, "Fifth Brother, I have to say, you shouldn't have provoked the Yongle Gang. Now that Baiyun City is in chaos, our strategy is to take the opportunity to annex smaller gangs and strongholds, strengthen our own power, and find another opportunity to deal with the Yongle Gang."
Zhu Zixing was the strategist of the Zhu family. At this time, he was twenty-five years old, the eighth child in his family. He was handsome, refined, dignified, and erudite.
The fourth brother, Zhu Ziyi, said, "Eighth brother, we have already offended the Yongle Gang. This afternoon, they attacked Wuliang Village and stole more than 30,000 jin of grain from our granary. They came and went with lightning speed!"
Zhu Zongshen sighed from his seat, "Alas! We have suffered heavy losses today!"
Zhu Zixing smiled and said, "Father, there is no need to worry. That grain is just a grain in the Zhu family's coffers. The Yongle Gang is able to attack us because Shi Jiquan is good at planning and making decisions. As long as we get rid of him, the Yongle Gang will be no threat."
Zhu Ziyi: "Eighth Brother is absolutely right, but Shi Jiquan is always accompanied by two experts who never leave his side. How easy is it to kill him?"
Zhu Zixing laughed and said, "Fourth Brother, please rest assured! You can continue your battles in all directions. As for Shi Jiquan, I already have a brilliant plan to get rid of him. I don't think he'll live more than three days!"
Zhu Ziqiao laughed and said, "Eighth Brother, what brilliant plan do you have? Why don't you tell us?"
Zhu Zixing smiled and said, "Fifth Brother! This matter cannot be explained for now; you will know in another day!"
Zhu Zijian asked, "Eighth Brother, do you need our assistance?"
Zhu Zixing said, "No need. You all just do what you need to do. Just make sure Ninth Brother delivers a letter for me tomorrow!" As he spoke, he looked at Ninth Brother Zhu Zichuan.
Old Nine, Zhu Zichuan, said, "Me?"
Zhu Zixing laughed and said, "Indeed! Even if a servant delivers a letter, there is still a fear that it will not reach its destination and will not be able to express sincerity. Among the Zhu family members, only you have not learned martial arts and your hands have not been stained with blood, so the Yongle Gang will not make things difficult for you."
Zhu Zijian said, "Eighth Brother, what if they detain Ninth Brother?"
Zhu Zixing: "Second brother, please rest assured. At this moment, Shi Jiquan has no desire to be our enemy. He also wants to strengthen his own territory. Fighting with us would only result in mutual destruction. He is well aware of this."
Zhu Zongshen laughed and said, "Alright! Since Eighth Brother has a brilliant plan, it's decided that Ninth Brother will deliver the letter. If Eighth Brother needs anything, remember to cooperate fully. It's late, so go back and rest!"
In the office of Longyang City, Yi Yun sat high on the guest throne, discussing important matters with his subordinates.
Zhao Fengtian said with a worried expression, "In just the past few days, hundreds of people have fled from Baiyun City. You must understand, the entire Xiaba Village only has seven or eight hundred residents. How am I supposed to settle them all?"
Cheng Xiangyuan said, "Shangyang Village is the same. Although it has less than a hundred inhabitants, it still gives me a headache."
Yi Yunke: "Old Zhou, what's the situation in Yuyang Village?"
Old Zhou: "This situation exists, but it's not serious. There are about twenty refugees who have fled here, and I have already settled them in."
Yi Yunke declared boldly, "If we abandon the refugee issue, they will eventually become bandits, and then we will not have peace either."
Xiao He hurriedly said, "What the city lord says is absolutely right! All those who enter my city are my people; we can take in those who are temporarily seeking refuge, but for those who are already homeless, we should unite with the villagers to build shelters and houses for them to help them get through this difficult time."
Zhao Fengtian laughed and said, "What you say makes a lot of sense, but can you feed several hundred people? Right now, even the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall are still working in the fields, but many villagers are still not enough to eat or wear. If we add several hundred more people to feed, they'll all have to go fishing this summer!"
Xiong Ba angrily said, "Then forget about it! Anyway, they are not from my Longyang City. If they become bandits, I will kill one if I catch one, and kill two if I catch two."
Gao Hu: "Brother Xiong Ba, calm down and say less!"
Yi Yunke: "Xiao He, do you have any good ideas?"
Xiao He: "It may be difficult to get along with the people from other places in a short time, so we can only divide them up for residence. There is enough wasteland on the north mountain of Shangyang Village for them. Each family will have a plot of land, and each person will receive two cakes a day. This will be considered as borrowing from Longyang City. We will stop giving them aid after three months. They will receive as much wasteland as they cultivate. We will collect the gold after three years."
Yi Yunke asked worriedly, "Can you manage two cakes a day?"
Xiao He smiled and said, "City Lord, please rest assured. Although they are fleeing for their lives, every family has some money. If they really encounter a major disaster, it's not too late to lend a helping hand."
Old Zhou sighed, "Two cakes a day for each person, over three months, that's not a small amount!"
Xiao He: "Old Zhou is overthinking it. Firstly, it's a loan from us, and secondly, they are working. As long as they have hands, with a little help from us, it won't be difficult for them to survive!"
Yi Yunke: "That's all we can do. As for the food rations for March, let's just wait and see."
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