usatvline Chapter 162 Meeting
Chapter 162 Meeting
On the 20th of the eleventh lunar month, two decades had passed since Zhu Ding was killed.
As the crime scene, Dayanlou Restaurant has already reopened, demonstrating its strong public relations capabilities.
As for the gambling dens, they naturally can't open, and we don't even know what they'll do in the future.
When Ge Daji arrived at this place, he subconsciously glanced at the place he had visited many times before and sighed silently.
Zhu Ding is dead, but his spirit seems to linger and continues to haunt them.
Yang Jin, formerly known as the Ninth Bodyguard, sent him a letter. The letter contained no substantial content, only greetings and reminiscing about the past, and mentioned only one matter: In the first year of the Zhizheng era, a batch of grain awaiting transport from the Changshu Jiangyin Thousand-Household Office of the Grain Transport Bureau was stolen, worth a thousand ingots. The thieves were intercepted by the Jiangyin Prefecture government during transport, and more than ten thieves sank all the grain into the river. They resisted arrest and were killed...
After reading the letter, Ge Daji burned it, his face turning ashen.
He knew perfectly well that burning the letter was pointless, as the person could easily write another one, but he just couldn't resist doing it.
He was one of the people who shared in the spoils of that batch of grain.
Once this matter is exposed, the consequences could be severe or minor.
If the others involved in distributing the grain had some sense of justice, united against outsiders, and kept the truth from each other, the higher-ups might not have done anything to them. But if someone lost their conscience and tried to pin all the blame on him, things would get complicated, because he was just a clerk, not an official, and could easily be abandoned by others. So he came, as promised, because he had no choice but to come.
The teahouse was nearly empty and deserted.
The shopkeeper recognized him, and quickly ran over to greet him warmly. Then he served him the best tea in the shop before leaving respectfully.
This improved Ge Daji's mood, giving him a sense of the power and influence he felt as a clerk in the criminal justice department.
As evening approached, the streets gradually came alive with people coming and going, but everyone kept their heads down and hurried along, as if no one wanted to linger in the place any longer.
Ge Daji kept turning his head to look outside the door, but he never saw Yang Jin.
He felt a mix of disappointment, relief, and perhaps some frustration and unease.
More and more customers gradually entered the teahouse.
Ge Daji had no interest in looking around, except for a burly young man who entered, which caught his eye a couple of times. But that was all – the young man might not be simple, because his behavior was not what one would expect at his age, indicating that he had experienced a lot. And with so much experience, problems are bound to arise. But Ge Daji had no time to worry about that now, and just kept his head down and continued drinking his tea.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Jin's thin figure appeared at the door and strode towards him.
In an instant, Ge Daji actually breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he still gave Yang Jin a hostile look and gritted his teeth, saying, "You still dare to show your face?"
Yang Jin's expression wasn't very good either. He forced a smile and asked the shopkeeper to arrange a quiet place for them.
The shopkeeper readily complied. After arranging the place, he personally brewed a pot of tea and brought it over, along with several plates of snacks.
"My lord, what kind of relationship do we have? You wouldn't want to harm me, would you?" Yang Jin sat down and said with a wry smile, "I really don't know much about what's going on outside. Why don't you tell me?"
Ge Daji lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and after calming himself down, said, "Zhu Ding still has eight bodyguards left. Apart from you, three have already been apprehended, their property confiscated, and their entire families exiled. The seventh bodyguard, Wang Chan, died a violent death in the street; no one knows who killed him. The thirteenth bodyguard was newly promoted, right? I heard he was shot with an arrow and is lying at home, barely breathing. The remaining two are hiding; although they are alive, they are no different from the dead."
Yang Jin's face turned deathly pale, and his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. He forced a smile and said, "I'm wanted too?"
Ge Daji snorted coldly and said, "Zhu Ding's smuggling of salt was exposed. As his accountant, are you innocent? Besides, countless people suspect that Zhu Ding is hiding money in secret, and you might be the one keeping it. If they don't arrest you, who will they arrest?"
Yang Jin's face paled even more. After taking a sip of tea to cover his embarrassment, he said, "Is there really no way to turn things around?"
"You've followed Zhu Ding for many years, how can you still be so ignorant?" Ge Daji said, "This is an ironclad case, there's no way you can overturn it." Yang Jin remained silent for a long time, and finally cupped his hands to Ge Daji, saying, "Thank you for telling me, sir, I am extremely grateful."
Ge Daji wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat, and he only sighed, saying, "Is this how grateful you are to me? At this time, it's better for you to take the money and run away. As long as you don't come back, what can anyone do to you?"
Yang Jin gave a wry smile and said, "I was also caught in a situation beyond my control."
Ge Daji's eyes narrowed, as if he had realized something, and he subconsciously asked, "Who? Is it Zhao Yangui?"
Yang Jin shook his head and said, "My lord, please don't guess. I have summoned you here because it is an important matter."
Ge Daji was a clever man. Seeing that Yang Jin refused to say which side he had sided with, he understood something and asked, "What is it?"
Yang Jin pointed to a dish of salted plums on the table.
Ge Daji was silent for a moment, then asked, "Which store?"
Yang Jin stood up and whispered a few words in Ge Daji's ear.
Ge Daji frowned and looked at Yang Jin with a puzzled expression.
Yang Jin nodded and said, "They're all old folks now, and they've changed their allegiance. I hope you'll take good care of them, lest the flood washes away the Dragon King's temple and they mistakenly arrest their own family."
Ge Daji did not answer immediately.
Yang Jin had just mentioned some names, mostly rascals who used to help Zhu Ding deliver goods, or shops that sold a mix of official and smuggled salt. As low-level officials, they had their own accounts.
It's crucial to know which shop belongs to whom, and which scoundrel is working for whom. Otherwise, if they're forced to investigate smuggled salt and arrest the wrong person, they might face consequences.
These shops or ruffians would usually give a little money for tea, food, or drinks, but not much, just a few strings of cash at a time. It was considered a benefit for the lower-level clerks, but they couldn't just accept money from anyone; they needed the heads of these clerks to give them a hint.
Yang Jin understood the intricacies of the situation perfectly well, so he spoke frankly, pointing out who his people were—or more precisely, who were the people of his newly allied elder brother—and now it was up to Ge Daji to decide whether to accept the challenge.
"Whom have you sided with?" Ge Daji couldn't help but ask. "Could it be the group that attacked Zhu Ding?"
"What are you saying, sir?" Yang Jin shook his head and said, "Wasn't it Chen Xianwu who killed Zhu Ding?"
Ge Daji's face showed anger.
Yang Jin felt a pang of anxiety, worried that Ge Daji might turn hostile on the spot.
Fortunately, the other party remained rational, and after a moment, his anger gradually subsided. He then said, "My opinion alone is not enough. If Ma Yuanchong puts pressure on me, I will also be in a difficult situation."
"As usual, just let the cat out of the bag beforehand," Yang Jin said. "If we accidentally get caught, we'll figure out a way to get him out." Ge Daji had no choice but to say angrily, "That guy behind you is hiding his face, how boring. He dared to kill Zhu Ding, but he's too ashamed to show his face?" Yang Jin kept his lips tightly shut and didn't say anything.
Ge Daji withdrew his gaze from his face and said helplessly, "Alright, you don't need to be like this. I've already guessed three-tenths of it. Now, I'll just say what I mean." "Please speak, sir."
"Selling smuggled salt peacefully is much harder than fighting and killing." Ge Daji seemed to be venting his dissatisfaction, and said a lot in one breath: "I hope he knows some rules and doesn't always think of killing people when something happens, otherwise it will be difficult for everyone."
I don't necessarily want to make things difficult for anyone; sometimes there's just no other way.
With the smuggled salt trade in such a state, the salt the government receives from the salt warehouses is unsellable, so they are unwilling to purchase more. As a result, the salt quota system is impossible to implement. If the salt transport department fails to meet its tax targets, the matter will reach the central government, and ultimately it will fall on the heads of the governors and prefects. Therefore, it will be necessary to make a show of arresting some smugglers, which may inadvertently harm others.
"I understand, I understand." Yang Jin nodded repeatedly. "That person isn't unreasonable; in fact, he's very easy to talk to. If there's a chance someday, perhaps we can meet him and get to know him."
"Forget it." Ge Daji waved his hand and said, "I don't have the face to see him, and he probably doesn't even take me seriously. He's bringing up all this old, trivial stuff to scare me, what more is there to say?"
"You jest, sir. The time is not yet ripe," Yang Jin said with a forced smile.
Ge Daji sneered and said, "Then I'll be waiting."
After saying this, he stood up to leave. As he reached the door, he turned back and said, "I'm easy to talk to, but some people aren't. Tell that person to behave themselves. Don't resort to killing so easily; making too much of a fuss won't benefit anyone."
After saying that, he opened the door and left.
The number of people drinking tea and eating in the hall had decreased. The young man from before was still there, leisurely savoring his tea amidst the rising steam. Ge Daji, preoccupied with his own thoughts, only glanced at him briefly before suppressing his doubts and disappearing out the door.
A moment later, Yang Jin walked over, his gaze unconsciously glancing at the boy. Seeing that the boy didn't react, he turned and left.
Not long after he left, the boy also got up to collect his money and left unhurriedly.
Several people slowly gathered on the street and joined the boy.
Yang Jin was waiting for him at the corner ahead. After bowing, he told him everything that had just happened.
The boy nodded and said, "I won't come next time. You'll have to work hard these next few days and meet as many people as possible. Don't worry, if anything really happens, just run away; someone will be there to help you. Those constables in the city are pretty lax."
Yang Jin was still somewhat worried, but dared not say anything, looking rather pitiful.
Shao Shuyi was too lazy to pay him any attention.
What doesn't involve risk? If you want to get rich, you have to take responsibility.
The group of seven or eight people leisurely left the city. When they passed Chengjiang Post Station, Shao Shuyi asked, "When will the deliverymen from Jiangbei arrive?"