Ravenous with hunger, Hua Zhi ate half a bowl more than usual.
While strolling in the courtyard to aid digestion, Hua Zhi revealed the inside story of the Yu family's water transport operations, concluding, "The Yu and Zeng families have been involved in water transport for over six years. If Zeng Xianglin acted deliberately, he must have been working for the Chao Li Tribe even longer than that."
"At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a member of the Chao Li Tribe himself." Gu Yanxi stopped walking and called out, "Someone!"
Wang Hai, who was nearby, quickly approached.
"Investigate the Yu family's water transport business. I want to know their usual destinations and the farthest places they’ve reached."
"Yes."
Hua Zhi watched Wang Hai depart. "Won’t this alert the enemy?"
"Zeng Xianglin’s current focus is on the Yu family and the gambling den dealings, so he’s bound to be distracted in other areas." Gu Yanxi took her hand and walked toward the sunlight. "Initially, he was indeed cautious, and his vigilance remains decent. But prolonged smooth sailing dulls one’s sharpness. What a pity."
Indeed, a pity. To orchestrate such a vast scheme behind the scenes without leaving a trace—his ability should not be underestimated. Had he walked the righteous path, he might have brought blessings to Jin Yang instead of wreaking havoc here.
Hua Zhi shaded her eyes with her hand and looked up at the sky, clean as if freshly washed, thinking how wonderful it would be if human hearts could be cleansed just as easily.
Human hearts—truly the most terrifying, yet also the most endearing, things in the world.
By the third month, the earth began to thaw, and all things revived, brimming with vitality everywhere.
In the blink of an eye, Hua Zhi had been in Jin Yang for over ten days. While winning the favor of the local women, she hadn’t neglected her duties. The mushroom trade in the city, which belonged to her, saw a twenty percent increase in shop orders within a short time.
Bao Xia pushed the door open and placed a bowl of soup in front of her young lady. "Drink it while it’s hot."
Hua Zhi set aside the account book and sipped the soup intermittently. Using a cold as an excuse, she had stayed home for two days, while Shaoyao went to that residence daily without fail.
Time seemed to drag when doing things one disliked. Though it had been less than half a month, it felt much longer.
But she truly couldn’t stay much longer. Outsiders always stood out in Jin Yang, and with frequent watchers outside the main gate, lingering too long might arouse suspicion.
Gu Yanxi pushed the door open, his clothes damp with moisture.
Hua Zhi stood up in surprise. "Is it raining?"
"Just a light drizzle."
Bao Xia hurriedly brought a towel, which Hua Zhi took to wipe Yanxi dry.
Looking down at the flustered person bustling around him, Gu Yanxi’s eyes softened, and a smile was clearly visible at the corners of his mouth. "The Peng family sent word that Zeng Xianglin has requested a private meeting with Peng Fangming."
"I thought it would take longer. What happened to make Zeng Xianglin so anxious?" Hua Zhi looked up, met Yanxi’s gaze, stood on her toes, and kissed the corner of his lips. Bao Xia, caught off guard and unable to avoid it in time, flushed bright red. Their young lady was really, really too bold!
Gu Yanxi restrained himself and kissed A Zhi’s forehead. "The Chao Li Tribe is growing impatient. To speed up closing the net here, I had someone mention the appearance of a Wise Man in the Chao Li Tribe at court. Since they’re so focused on Da Qing, they’re bound to learn of this."
"Is there really a Wise Man?"
"I wasn’t sure before. They’ve hidden it well, and the Seven Constellation Bureau hasn’t been able to confirm it despite investigating for so long. But now, I’m quite certain."Hua Zhi quickly grasped the situation. The presence or absence of a Wise Man made a world of difference for the Chao Li Tribe. The Daqing Dynasty already struggled to deal with the brute strength of the Chao Li Tribe; if these powerful warriors also gained intelligence, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"What has the Emperor done?"
"He dispatched fifty thousand troops to reinforce Shou'ai Pass and issued an edict that provisions must not be delayed. Also, the first batch of Dried Meat produced by Little Six and his team was sent to Shou'ai Pass by the Sun family's guards." Gu Yanxi pulled her to sit down, gesturing for her to continue drinking her soup.
How could Hua Zhi have any appetite? Stirring her spoon, she asked, "What about Yinshan Pass?"
Gu Yanxi didn't know how to respond. Whether to the Emperor or the court officials, Yinshan Pass was far less important than Shou'ai Pass. At the moment, they could only focus on Shou'ai Pass.
After asking, Hua Zhi realized the truth and could only smile bitterly. In Wu Yong's eyes, Yinshan Pass was his roots, the very reason for the Wu family's existence. To her, Yinshan Pass held her loved ones, and her relentless efforts were all for their eventual return. But to others, it was merely an ordinary pass for exiling criminals—a place that... didn't matter.
"I've written to my grandfather..."
"It's no use. The Duke of An has been in retirement for years; his words no longer carry weight." Hua Zhi interrupted him calmly. "When I last went to Yinshan Pass, I analyzed the situation there with Grandfather. He won't just sit back and do nothing."
"Wu Yong is always on guard, and Wu Xing has remained at Yinshan Pass without leaving. Wu Yong has already made some arrangements with his cooperation."
Hua Zhi remembered Wu Xing—he had been researching Black Powder. Yes, with such an unprecedented weapon at their disposal, Yinshan Pass wouldn't fall easily.
Seeing the guilt on Yanxi's face, Hua Zhi forced a smile. "I've told you before, don't take on responsibilities that aren't yours. You're not the one sitting on the throne. Once next month passes and I go there myself, I'll know exactly how things stand."
Gu Yanxi took her hand and kissed it. Precisely because A Zhi didn't blame him, his heart felt even heavier.
"What did Zeng Xianglin and Peng Fangming discuss?" Hua Zhi changed the subject.
"An official position. He promised Peng Fangming an official post."
"Without any conditions?"
Gu Yanxi laughed. "There's no such thing as a free feast. If he made no demands, why would Peng Fangming believe him? He said that if successful, one-tenth of the Gambling den's profits would be given up—half to him and half to Zhu Ling. Peng Fangming only agreed to half of that, and Zeng Xianglin eventually accepted."
Hua Zhi quickly pieced it together. "Zhu Ling now controls half of Jin Yang. Zeng Xianglin used him as leverage to tempt Peng Fangming, then persuaded him with their current cooperation. With such enticements, someone of Peng Fangming's age would find it hard to resist. The Peng Family was severely weakened during the previous struggle for the chief steward position, and the old master retired in anger. They're far from their former glory. Throwing out such an olive branch now, few families could refuse."
"Zeng Xianglin is very skilled at manipulating people."
Hua Zhi frowned. "After Peng Fangming buys the official position, what then? His ultimate goal is still to swallow the Peng Family and take all three-tenths of the profits for himself."
"If Zeng Xianglin had enough time to scheme gradually, I could guess his next moves. But given the current situation, it's hard to say." Gu Yanxi's eyes turned cold. "If the Chao Li Tribe truly has a Wise Man, he should know it's time for them to withdraw."
"Do you want to capture them all in one sweep?""There aren't too many people here. Whether we can capture them all isn't the main concern - what matters is whether we can locate their silver stash. I can't afford to bolster their confidence for battle. Of course, it would be ideal if we could detain every last one of them."
PS: Just one update today, still typed out on my phone. My fingers are sore from all the tapping.
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