SWDnovel Chapter 70 Operation
Chapter 70 Operation
Chapter 72 Operation (Part 1)
There were hardly any people left in the ware shop.
After all, the end of the year is approaching. After a year of hard work, shouldn't we take a break for ten days or half a month?
However, there were still some people left behind.
When Cao Tong opened the shop door with the candle in his hand, he was immediately startled.
"Stone, what's wrong?" Yu Yuan asked, puzzled.
"Yu She?" Cao Tong rubbed his eyes and asked.
"Of course it's me, who else could it be?" Yu Yuan was even more puzzled.
"Your gaze towards people has changed." Cao Tong stepped aside to let Yu Yuan in.
"Your eyes have changed?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just feels different from before," Cao Tong said, head down.
"You must have seen wrong." Yu Yuan turned around and closed the door, then asked, "Who else is in the shop?"
"There are only three people left," Cao Tong said: "Me, Liu Jiu, and Master Zheng."
"Lord Zheng is actually in the shop?" Yu Yuan was somewhat surprised.
"He's been living in the shop for the past two weeks and hasn't left," Cao Tong replied. "Because of him, we've been able to go out and buy some food these past few days. But the last restaurant closed today, and we don't know what to do tomorrow."
"I'll cook," Yu Yuan said matter-of-factly.
When he was with Shao Ge'er, he was basically the one who did all the cooking. Even if Shao Ge'er didn't ask, Wang Huadu would still order him around; he was used to it.
Cao Tong, however, was somewhat uncomfortable and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "How can we let Yu She cook? Liu Jiu and I will make do. There's still rice, noodles, meat, and fish in the kitchen; that should last us for a while."
Yu Yuan said "Oh," and then asked, "Is Lord Zheng already asleep?"
Cao Tong hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is this important?"
He had barely finished speaking when he smiled again and said, "You're back—I'll go report it."
"Thank you," Yu Yuan said, cupping his hands in thanks.
Cao Tong left quickly.
Yu Yuan stood by the counter, pacing back and forth.
They've been gone for almost a month, adrift at sea with no news whatsoever, and have no idea what's going on in Taicang and Liujiagang.
Are the authorities still arresting Brother Shao?
Has anyone found it strange that Zhou Ziliang hasn't shown up for so long?
Has Sun Chuan come up with some vicious trick again?
Will the Zheng family simply abandon Brother Shao?
For a fleeting moment, Yu Yuan's mind nearly exploded, and he lost all the composure he had when he first entered.
"What a hasty and disorderly manner!" A halo of light appeared ahead, and Zheng Fan walked over carrying an oil lamp.
He seemed to have just woken up from a dream. He was wearing a single layer of clothing underneath and a cotton-padded coat on top, with silk wadding stuffed between the layers for warmth. This type of coat was similar to a silk quilt.
"My lord." Yu Yuan bowed respectfully.
"Sit down," Zheng Fan said, pointing to the chair behind the counter.
"Yes," Yu Yuan replied and sat down.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly remembered what the man had brought, so he untied the bundle that was lying to the side, took out pieces of white fur that were tied together, and respectfully handed them over.
Zheng Fan didn't take it, but asked first, "Who gave it to me?"
"Brother Shao".
Zheng Fan then accepted it, laughing, "It's strangely heavy, what is it?"
"Fox armpit fur."
Zheng Fan's expression turned serious.
He knew that the customs and culture of Goryeo were different from those of Jiangnan, and therefore the products were also different. Fox fur was actually quite common among the Goryeo goods sold to the Central Plains, and it wasn't necessarily all from the Goryeo people themselves; some of it came from trade with indigenous tribes. However, armpit hair was quite rare.
"The ancients' saying 'many a little makes a mickle' probably refers to this," Zheng Fan said, gently stroking the soft, white fur.
"Yes," Yu Yuan replied. "Brother Shao said this is the most valuable item among all the goods, and he specially saved it for you to take back and make some winter clothes for your wife or children."
Zheng Fan set the fur aside and asked with amusement, "How did Little Tiger divide the spoils with you? It's not very nice of him to keep some for himself, is it?"
"Brother Shao said this is an expense for bribing officials at all levels, and we can't skimp on it," Yu Yuan replied.
"Giving me such valuable items instead of three huts, you must have made a mistake in bribing someone?" Zheng Fan asked again.
"Brother Shao said one."
Zheng Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Yu Yuan blushed, but continued, "Brother Shao said that his relationship with you is special, so he would naturally think of his own people first when he has something good. He also prepared gifts for the Third Dormitory, which are not as valuable as these, but they are plentiful."
Zheng Fan understood.
It was said to be a gift to the Third Dormitory, but it was actually a gift to the Zheng family, while the furs in front of him were a gift to him personally.
Xiao Hu has a good heart; upon receiving the goods, he immediately thought of his old friend, proving that his previous kindness had not been in vain.
"That Wang Wu from before—" Zheng Fan stood up, slowly paced a couple of steps, and said, "He's still under guard at Yantietang. He's confessed to everything and is willing to come forward and accuse Zhou Ziliang and Sun Chuan of colluding with the bandits."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yuan's face lit up with joy.
Colluding with thieves is a serious crime. Their actions specifically involve offenses such as harboring stolen goods, sending stolen goods, distributing stolen goods, providing instructions, and failing to report stolen goods.
Among these specific charges, Sun Chuan could easily be convicted of harboring thieves or their stolen goods, and according to the law, he would be guilty of the same crime as the thieves, which is clearly a capital offense for pirates.
The latter three are not as severe, usually involving exile, imprisonment, or caning. But to put it bluntly, who cares about scrutinizing the legal statutes at that point? Wouldn't it be better to just seize the opportunity to kill him and split the spoils?
"However, if it's just Wang Wu alone, I'm afraid it will be difficult to bring down Sun Chuan. The only option is to bring Zhou Ziliang to justice." Zheng Fan continued, "How did the voyage go this time? Come, tell me in detail."
Yu Yuan organized his thoughts and began to speak slowly and deliberately.
"Slap!" After a long while, Zheng Fan slammed his hand on the counter and praised in an indescribable tone, "Crisp and efficient, that's really satisfying! If it were seven or eight years earlier, I would have also taken up my sword and gone out to sea to see what it was like."
"My lord, naval battles are actually very brutal," Yu Yuan said earnestly. "If you lose, there's nowhere to escape to; you can only die, and your body will be thrown into the sea to be devoured by fish."
Zheng Fan was taken aback at first, then shook his head and laughed, saying, "I was just expressing my feelings, and you actually took it seriously."
Yu Yuan lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.
"And as you said, you had two muskets that proved incredibly effective." Zheng Fan then asked, "So, are muskets useful for guarding the house?"
Yu Yuan is now considered a "fire-wielding expert." He has not only mastered the skill of quickly loading ammunition, but he is also the one who has fired the most ammunition among Shao Shuyi's group. He has a lot of authority and is very authoritative.
He thought for a moment and said, "Squatting on the wall and firing downwards should be very effective. Or, just as the enemy climbs onto the wall, fire a shot at his body, covering his head and face; he'll be crippled if not killed."
Zheng Fan grunted and said, "After the New Year, I'll have someone go to Huzhou to buy a few."
"Why go to Huzhou to buy it?" Yu Yuan asked curiously.
"The artillerymen and craftsmen guarding Huzhou are under the jurisdiction of the Wanhu Prefecture." After uttering these twelve words, Zheng Fan continued, "Let's get back to the main business. Now that you've captured Sun Chong, things will be much easier. Putting everything else aside, it will be easy to clear Xiao Hu of those fabricated charges."
Where is Sun Chuan?
"It's hard to say." Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "It depends on what he does, but even if he doesn't die, he'll be badly injured and his vital energy will definitely be severely damaged."
"They couldn't kill him? Shouldn't collusion with traitors be punishable by association?" Yu Yuan found it hard to accept.
"I only said it's possible," Zheng Fan sighed, "Do you know where Sun Chuan's family fortune is located?"
"Liujiagang? Taicang?"
"No, on Zhenjiang Road," Zheng Fan said. "He has acquired numerous properties and shops in his hometown, and has also bought many servants; his business is quite prosperous. He also owns several properties in the provincial capital, Hangzhou Road. If Sun Chuan is arrested, who will own the properties and shops in Zhenjiang and Hangzhou?"
Yu Yuan was speechless.
"If Sun Chuan could voluntarily give up his land and house in order to escape punishment, do you think the officials of Pingjiang Road would be willing?" Zheng Fan asked again.
"That's outrageous!" Yu Yuan said angrily. "He tried to harm Brother Shao, and yet he's still getting away with it."
Zheng Fan smiled and shook his head, saying, "He's only surviving for a while. From now on, officials will keep extorting him, squeezing every last drop of profit out of him, and then arbitrarily assigning him a crime and disposing of him haphazardly."
Yu Yuan's eyes were opened. So this is how corrupt officials operate; they're even more thuggish than robbers.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Zheng Fan sat back down and said, "Come on, tell me, what does Xiao Hu plan to do with the stolen goods, and how much exactly did he steal?"
"I can't remember how much I robbed—" Yu Yuan said, blushing.
"Do you know you can't lie?" Zheng Fan laughed and scolded, "Fine, fine, I won't ask. I just want to know one thing: what does Xiao Hu plan to do with the stolen goods?"
"Brother Shao will hand over the boat he acquired. It's all stolen goods; he wouldn't dare touch it, nor would he," Yu Yuan said. "The other two boats are gone."
"That's all?" Zheng Fan asked with a half-smile.
"Hmm, that's all." Yu Yuan didn't dare to look him in the eye and said with his head down, "One boat ran aground on a sandbar and drifted away when the tide came in last night. We searched for a long time but couldn't find it. It probably sank. The other boat was never properly repaired. The strong wind broke its mast, the hull was completely destroyed, it leaked and sank. We fought desperately to salvage some valuables, but most of them were lost at sea."
""
"So there's only one boat left?"
"Yes."
Zheng Fan was speechless at first, then suddenly smiled and said, "Alright, let's say it like that for now and see what Kunshan Prefecture, the Grand Canal Administration, and the Changqiao Navy really want. Besides—"
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Zheng Fan stroked the fox fur and said, "Sun Chuan was able to find a way to spend money to avoid disaster, and Xiao Hu has given so many gifts, so there must be someone willing to speak up for him."
Yu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The first step was complete; now it was up to the officials to figure out how things would proceed.
"Oh, right!" Zheng Fan suddenly remembered something and said, "Tell Xiao Hu to be careful in the future. Although he made a fortune this time, this money is hot as a hot potato. The officials can take it without any problem, and the victims won't go against them or dare to seek revenge on the government. But it's different for Xiao Hu. Have you found out who that Taizhou pirate who asked Sun Chuan to help him dispose of the stolen goods is? Be careful that he doesn't seek revenge."
Yu Yuan bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."
In fact, Shao Shuyi had told him about this before.
There's no good way. He's not entitled to sit comfortably at home like the officials, receiving risk-free tributes. He has to fight, do what others can't, just to have even a sliver of a chance.
That's just how the world is.
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