Chapter 314: Death is Not Enough to Atone for the Crime! (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 314: Death Is Not Enough! (Please Vote for the Monthly Ticket)

Money, after all, was still two hundred thousand taels of silver.

Chen Yi would not stow such wealth away in a box to gather dust.

Flowers, he knew, had to be spent.

Counting the days, nearly half a month had passed since Yan Hai and the others had gone to Guangyuan to investigate.

It was time to take the first step in expanding Bai Caotang.

The Wu Hou Estate, which had managed to eke out a living for two centuries, was now so strained that it was hard to bear.

Not for himself, but for the sake of the leaky Xiao family, the time had come to strengthen Bai Caotang.

He would not let the Xiao family worry themselves sick over silver.

It would make them a laughingstock.

Chen Yi finished issuing his orders, drew a hundred silver tickets, each worth ten thousand taels, from his sleeve, and laid them on the table.

"Half of this—five hundred thousand taels—should cover the cost of the grain purchased just a few days ago, as well as the silver from Xue Dunyuan and the others who sold their grain, to be counted into Bai Caotang's accounts."

"The remaining five hundred thousand taels—"

Chen Yi tapped the silver tickets and looked at Wang Ji.

"This time, the incident at Xinglin Tea House reminded me of something."

"We cannot rely entirely on merchants for medicinal ingredients; we should open our own channels."

Wang Ji lowered his head. "The Master is right."

"Old Jia's side, though they say fortune has turned against them, in the end, we simply couldn't find another option."

"Facing someone like the owner of Xinglin Tea House, who monopolizes all medicinal ingredients, Bai Caotang's business must inevitably suffer."

Wang Ji looked up, glancing at the silver tickets on the table, his eyes slightly moist.

"Sir, with these funds, I'll find a way. I promise Bai Caotang will never again face shortages of medicinal ingredients."

Chen Yi gave a noncommittal nod. "Tomorrow, when you visit the Xiao household, have the younger mistress speak with the mountain people."

"The medicinal herbs from Mount Wumeng are given to others, and they will also be given to us."

"Remember, we must maintain face. Spend a little more silver, it's worth it."

Words were words.

The medicinal herbs harvested each month from Mount Wumeng were limited in quantity. Once given to Bai Caotang, they could not be given to other merchants.

Years of dealings with the mountain people had yielded this path, and now it was being taken away. They would inevitably harbor resentment.

Even if the Xiao family stepped in, the mountain people would not easily take it back, and it would inevitably cost them face and strain their old relationships.

Especially with the conservative mountain folk.

Thus, Chen Yi agreed to spend more silver—not only to preserve the mountain people's face, but also to avoid owing the Xiao family a favor, and to silence those other merchants.

A triple gain.

Not long after, as Chen Yi was about to rise and leave, he noticed Zhang Daobao and Liu Liang lingering nearby. He gave them a nod and said, "You've all worked hard. Wang Ji will give everyone some silver as a reward."

Wang Ji had just finished collecting the silver tickets when he heard this and asked, "Sir, how much is appropriate?"

"Each participant receives one hundred taels. Those who stand out get an additional hundred. Zhang Daobao, Liu Liang, and others—add three hundred more."

"Understood."

Liu Liang and Zhang Daobao bowed happily, thanking him.

Chen Yi nodded and slipped away, returning to the Xiao household.

After he left, Wang Ji muttered, rubbing his stomach, "Not being in charge of the household, I never realized how precious every bit of grain and oil is. How could there be such generous rewards?"

Liu Liang glared sideways at him. "Manager, we all risked our heads this time. A hundred or so taels made you so stingy?"

"I couldn't help it, Liu Guard Protect Not Dare."

"You wouldn't dare either."

Zhang Daobao looked at Liu's sheepish expression and Liu's unhappiness, then stepped in to smooth things over: "Brother Liu, let's go. We still have preparations to make as per the master's orders."

Liu Liang immediately stood and walked toward the exit. "Goodbye, Manager."

Zhang Daobao smiled at Wang Ji and followed Liu Liang out.

Wang Ji watched them go, then muttered, "Not your money, this and that..." before pulling out the silver tickets and counting them carefully.

He looked like a miser.

Outside Bai Caotang, Chen Yi, hearing the conversation behind him, smiled and shook his head.

Wang Ji's eyelids were too thin; otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten into such strange and improper ways while working at the Flood Saving Medicine Hall.

Even as Bai Caotang's manager, his vision had expanded somewhat, though he still had his flaws.

For instance, his stinginess toward his subordinates.

Fortunately, Wang Ji was obedient, efficient in his duties, and focused on Bai Caotang. He could manage things adequately.

Otherwise, Chen Yi would never have entrusted him with the task of expanding Bai Caotang.

"Ah, it's hard to find talented people."

Wang Ji and Ma Liang, both part-time converts, could still keep pace. Their fortunes would depend on their development.

In contrast, Liu Liang, Zhang Daobao, the disciples of Tian Shan Sect, and most importantly, Yuan Liu'er, had promising futures.

"Hurry up and grow quickly. I can't even become a mere figurehead manager. It's not proper..."

Chen Yi, as shadowy as a phantom, slipped into a side alley and vanished into the night.

Not long after, he arrived at a residence on Chuanxi Street, about to remove his disguise, when he noticed a familiar figure in the corner.

Fang Hongxie.

But this time, Fang Hongxie looked slightly agitated and serious, accompanied by several subduing officers, hurrying from west to east.

Something must have happened.

After a moment's thought, Chen Yi flicked his wrist, a faint smile on his lips, and asked, "Fang Bajou, what's got you in such a hurry?"

Fang Hongxie, hearing the voice, turned her head, her expression growing cold with surprise.

"‘Dragon and Tiger’?"

In recent days, Liu Wu's name as 'Dragon and Tiger' had echoed throughout Shu Zhou, and Fang Hongxie naturally knew all about it.

She had even personally led a group to Xinfeng Temple, bringing Du Cang's corpse back to the magistrate's office.

Seeing Liu Wu appear now, her expression became complex.

For one, Liu Wu had transformed from the "Dragon Spear" into the "Dragon Tiger," boasting power even more formidable than before.

For another, the one Liu Wu had rescued was none other than the eldest young miss of the Xiao family; even if she were not a Xiao by blood, she was intimately tied to them.

Thus, the "grudges" of yesteryear could no longer even be spoken of.

Moreover, the news of the barbarian slave's disappearance and death in the Eastern Market last time had been delivered to her by none other than Liu Wu.

Coupled with their even earlier transaction...

At this moment, Fang Hongxiu found herself at a loss as to what attitude to adopt when facing "Liu Wu."

Behind her, the constables of the Judicial Bureau exchanged glances, a ripple of unease passing through them as their postures shifted into defensive vigilance.

Chen Yi slightly raised the bamboo hat upon his head, revealing that handsome face of his, and looked at the leading Fang Hongxiu with a faint smile, asking:

"A word in private?"

Fang Hongxiu hesitated for a fleeting moment, then nodded and instructed the remaining constables to continue on their way.

Once the others had departed, she took a few steps closer and asked in a low voice, "You came looking for me intentionally; is it regarding that matter?"

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Did Constable Fang discover something?"

The day he carried Asutai away, he had indeed sent word to Fang Hongxiu, solely to cause a bit of distress for Liu Hong.

He had never truly expected the Judicial Bureau to uncover anything of use.

Hearing this, Fang Hongxiu understood that he had not caught wind of any rumors himself, and she shook her head, saying, "We found nothing at all."

Naturally disbelieving, Chen Yi said with a smile, "If it concerns the Liu family, you may leave it entirely to me. I guarantee it will not implicate anyone else."

He was currently pondering how to force Liu Hong to reveal a weakness, though he still lacked certain conditions.

Seeing that he had read her thoughts, Fang Hongxiu fell silent for a moment before detaching the sachet she always carried at her waist and handing it to him.

"I did indeed uncover some things, but... you must weigh the risks yourself." Chen Yi glanced at the sachet, then at the expression on her face, before reaching out to accept it.

"I understand."

"No matter the outcome, this matter has nothing to do with your Judicial Bureau."

For Fang Hongxiu to carry it so cautiously against her person, the contents of the sachet had to be of no small consequence.

Chen Yi could even surmise the heavy heart she had borne these past days, likely dreading that any leak would bring a fatal calamity upon her.

Fang Hongxiu gave a gentle nod, her expression easing slightly. "If you have nothing else, I shall take my leave first."

Tucking the sachet away, Chen Yi asked casually, "Seeing you all in such a rush, has some major case arisen?"

Fang Hongxiu glanced at their surroundings, and seeing no one about, she drew closer and whispered a few words.

As Chen Yi listened, the smile faded from his face. "So severe? There is a migration of disaster victims?"

Fang Hongxiu nodded and said, "Several counties suffered a natural disaster. Even though the prefectural city distributed relief grain, there are still countless starving refugees."

"News arrived two days ago that tens of thousands of victims are heading toward the prefectural city. The swiftest among them have already reached Lin Village outside the walls."

"Lin Village..."

Chen Yi looked toward the eastern city gate and asked, "What say the Provincial Administration Commission and the Prefectural Magistrate's Yamen?"

Though he had heard days ago that several counties along the lower reaches of the Chishui River had suffered floods, resulting in dismally low grain yields, the overall harvest of Shuzhou this year should have left the yamen fully capable of allocating grain.

Looking at it now, he had still underestimated the malice of the Provincial Administration Commission—or rather, of Liu Hong.

Allowing the citizens of several counties to swap their children for food, leaving the disaster victims displaced and destitute, while sealing off all news...

It was not difficult for Chen Yi to deduce that Liu Hong must have a profound motive for doing this.

Yet with time pressing, he could not immediately discern the purpose behind Liu Hong's actions.

Surely it could not be to cooperate with the Jizhou Trading Firm to keep driving up grain prices?

Fang Hongxiu spoke without reservation: "Upon learning of this, Lord Liu once ordered the Prefectural Magistrate to open the granaries and distribute grain."

"But because..."

Seeing her hesitate, Chen Yi recalled the events of two days prior, his expression shifting slightly as he said:

"Because Old Marquis Xiao and General Jinghong proposed that he stabilize grain prices?"

Fang Hongxiu nodded, saying helplessly, "The Prefectural Magistrate's meaning was that the prefectural city is of greater importance."

Chen Yi frowned inwardly. Such words might hold true for Liu Si, but coming from Liu Hong, the Provincial Governor, it was somewhat unacceptable.

Whether the prefectural city or the outlying counties, all lay within the borders of Shuzhou; how could he fail to treat them with equal measure when such a catastrophic event had occurred?

Once a problem arose with the disaster relief, there was no guarantee those victims would not incite chaos.

However, Chen Yi had already guessed Liu Hong's countermove—using the pretext of Old Marquis Xiao coming to his door to "coerce" him into stabilizing grain prices to memorialize the imperial court and "proffer a humble apology."

After a moment of contemplation.

He said in a deep voice, "This matter is of grave importance; try your best to focus on appeasement."

Fang Hongxiu nodded. "I understand."

Seeing that Chen Yi spoke no further, she cupped her hands and said, "There were many misunderstandings between you and me in the past; let us consider them all resolved."

With that, she did not wait for Chen Yi to reply, but turned and departed.

Watching her figure recede into the distance, Chen Yi turned his hand to produce the sachet.

He was well aware that the Judicial Bureau's excursion from the city was mostly for defense, to prevent anyone among the refugees from stirring up trouble.

They had no way to intervene in the matter of disaster relief.

Yet at present, the grain remaining in his hands was but a drop in the bucket for tens of thousands of victims.

If this matter could not be resolved within a short time, there was no guaranteeing that Liu Hong and his cohorts did not have further schemes waiting in reserve.

At this thought.

Chen Yi withdrew the contents of the sachet to examine them while turning to vanish into the alleyway, making his way back to the Western Market.

Since he had become aware of this matter, it was impossible for him to leave it unattended.

The sooner the better; he had to prepare some manner of response.

Before he had taken two steps, Chen Yi's stride halted abruptly at the sight of the contents written upon the several slips of paper in his hand.

He saw several clues penned upon the slips, pointing directly toward Zhao Shichang and others by Liu Hong's side:

[On the first day of the ninth month, Zeng Zhifeng used the authority of the yamen to order the Canal Gang to prepare several vessels heading south.]

[On the third day of the ninth month, the residence outside the Eastern Market was rented by Zeng Zhifeng; the man has since vanished without a trace, suspected to have been abducted by the "Dragon Spear."]

[On the fourth day of the ninth month, horse bandits from the Kingdom of Poshipo went to the Liu family's estate outside the city.]

[On the ninth day of the ninth month, several individuals of suspicious appearance entered and exited the Liu residence, one of whom is currently within the Apricot Forest Pavilion...]

After Chen Yi finished reading, his eyes narrowed slightly.

The other clues regarding Zeng Zhifeng mattered little, but that final entry concerning a person from the Apricot Forest Pavilion appearing at the Liu residence...

To speak of a suspicious appearance, Chen Yi could think of no others save for those people of the Five Poisons Sect.

His thoughts whirled rapidly.

The fates of the three branches of the Liu family in Jingzhou passed by in a flash.

Liu Jing was dead.

Liu Wen was dead.

Liu Zhaoqie had colluded with the Five Poison Sect, intending to seize control of the main branch of the Liu family in Jingzhou…

The Five Poison Sect…

“Could it be that Liu Hong is also in league with the Five Poison Sect?”

“If so, then he truly met a fitting end!”

Thinking of this, Chen Yi folded up the slips of paper and hastened his steps, darting towards the western market.

Not long after,

he found Liu Rong and Zhang Dabao. Facing their surprised gazes, he gave orders in a grave tone:

“Tonight, you two must go to the Lin family and finalize the deal for the ten thousand sacks of grain.”

Liu Rong, gripping the newly grown beard on his chin, asked in confusion: “This is so urgent, have we gotten into trouble?”

Chen Yi nodded: “It’s a matter of life and death, do as I say.”

“Furthermore, once you’ve confirmed the transaction time with Lin Zhenghong, before dawn tomorrow, go to Lin Zhou to temporarily halt the sale of grain.”

“Temporarily halt?”

Liu Rong blinked in surprise, nearly plucking the beard from his chin. “Boss, I don’t mean to refuse, but the area outside Lin Zhou is already surrounded by the townspeople.”

“If we truly refuse to sell grain, those people might manage to organize a mob.”

Chen Yi waved a hand: “It’s the refugees.”

With that many refugees, the townspeople in the city would have no heart to stay outside.

Naturally, they couldn’t possibly charge at the likes of Xue Duanyun and others.

Liu Rong looked puzzled: “Refugees? What refugees?”

“Refugees from the flood-stricken counties downstream of Chi Shui River, they’ve already arrived at Lin Zhou…”

Chen Yi finished his explanation, not forgetting to remind: “Dabao, later you can inform Lin Zhenghong to expedite the transport of the grain out of the city.”

Zhang Dabao and Liu Rong understood at once, and both nodded eagerly.

“You must safeguard those grains once you reach Lin Zhou. I have great needs for this.”

“Your servant will be careful…”

Though the supply was dwindling, it would at least last a day or two, leaving room for maneuver.

After Zhang Dabao completed the makeup for both of them, they bid farewell to Chen Yi and slipped away, concealing their features as they headed to the eastern market.

Chen Yi watched their retreating figures, then fetched pen and ink to write a few lines.

This matter is of great consequence; he must notify the Xiao family as soon as possible.

……

The eleventh hour had passed.

Chen Yi went about several errands, and only then returned to Chunhe Garden.

He changed into his regular clothes and stood by the window, gazing at the distant courtyard where several scattered lights had appeared.

“May the Patriarch come up with a solution, I hope.”

“Otherwise, with Liu Hong’s strength, those refugees staying outside the city would only grow more and more desperate…”

(Chapter Complete)