usatvline Chapter 194 Message
Chapter 194 Message
Clearly, today's meeting is not simple.
As soon as Zhu Daocun entered the room, his gaze fell on Shao Shuyi. Simply put, this man was special.
There were two male servants and four female servants inside the curtain at this moment, and Shao Shuyi was one of them.
But in Zhu Daocun's eyes, this person did not seem like a servant.
He couldn't explain why, but he just felt something was different. After carefully comparing him with the male servants in his household, he discovered some clues.
The man was tall and strong, his robes bulging, while the male servants in the house were thin and short. This might have been due to natural factors, but the main reason was whether they could get enough to eat, or even whether they could eat meat regularly.
In addition, this person's posture is also incorrect.
Zhu Daocun compared them again and finally discovered the difference.
The man in front of me had his left hand hanging down, palm facing inward, and his right hand loosely clenched into a fist, as if he were about to draw his knife at any moment.
Of course, none of the above are the biggest problems; the biggest issue is the wrong eye contact.
Just now, when the couple lifted the curtain and entered, this person actually looked at them directly. Although he quickly lowered his head, his peripheral vision kept following their movements.
Where did this habit come from?
"Who is this person?" Zhu Daocun asked, pointing at Shao Shuyi.
Madam Liu was slightly taken aback, then understood, and smiled, "What do you think of my newly recruited guards?"
Zhu Daocun remained noncommittal, but secretly thought that Liu was no good person at all, actually recruiting pirates as guards. She was truly used to being a thief and was beyond redemption.
Fei glanced at Shao Shuyi, but didn't pay much attention, and then started chatting with Liu: "The last time I saw you was before the New Year. Several months have passed, and you seem to have become a few years younger."
"If it were as you say, that would be wonderful." Madam Liu chuckled and said, "Is your Shu brocade outfit newly made? The subtle pattern is quite beautiful." "It's not Shu brocade, it's Suzhou fabric, but the craftsmanship is quite good." Madam Fei said, "And that kingfisher feather phoenix hairpin of yours..."
Throughout history, women have talked about the same things over and over again: husbands, children, clothes, jewelry, and if they have a closer relationship, they might chat about family matters, gossip, and scandals.
Zhu Daocun lost interest as he listened, only glancing casually at Liu Shi a few times. He thought to himself that this woman was indeed something special, but he should ask someone to check out the herbal medicine shops in the north next time. After all, he couldn't always be busy with official duties and sleep in the yamen or study.
Shao Shuyi was also getting drowsy listening to it.
When I was really bored, I secretly glanced at Fei a few times.
She had a typical "glutinous rice face" typical of women from the Jiangnan region—fair, delicate, and with long, slender eyebrows that drooped slightly at the ends, classic willow-leaf eyebrows. Perhaps because she was the eldest daughter in her family, she had a more spirited air about her than most women.
She has small almond-shaped eyes. When looking at someone, her gaze always falls on the other person's collar first, then slowly moves up to their facial features, and finally rests on their eyes, calmly meeting your gaze.
She was only sitting on one-third of the chair, her back straight but not stiff, clearly a habit she had developed since childhood.
When speaking to Liu, his voice was not loud, his pace was neither fast nor slow, and his pronunciation was clear but not pedantic.
Shao Shuyi offered his assessment: a very typical woman from a scholar-official family, dignified, reserved, disciplined, even boring, and perhaps somewhat stern, both towards others and herself.
Compared to Lady Liu, a vibrant and thorny wildflower, Lady Fei was like a meticulously pruned orchid, with each leaf growing where it should grow, never overstepping its bounds.
Shao Ze wasn't very interested; his little fiery sister, who had grown up crooked, was much more fun.
Just then, a small, covered boat sailed onto the Chengjiang River.
The boatman seemed to be a "brilliant" fellow, as he stood at the bow and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Salted fish! Salted fish! Two catties of salted fish for only one tael and seven mace! The salted fish from the Cao family of Huangtian, unrivaled throughout Jiangyin, for only one tael and seven mace!"
Shao Shuyi almost lost his temper. "These are my 'fanboys'? Which branch are they from?"
Recently, too many people have been recruited, and it's really unclear what's going on underneath. All I know is that people from all walks of life have been coming to join me one after another. Some even bring their own underlings. After getting his approval, they return to their respective hometowns and start selling salt under Brother Cao's name. At the end of February, they bought about 16,000 catties of Huai salt, and now half of it has been distributed.
Zhu Daocun also heard the boatman's shouts. After frowning, he decided to steer the conversation toward today's main topic.
"Does Madam Liu know this 'Huangtian Caoshe'?" Zhu Daocun asked.
Lady Liu's heart skipped a beat, and she said, "Of course I know."
She wasn't naive enough to think that Zhu Daocun and his wife had come to see her simply for a spring outing. If that were the case, Ms. Fei could have gone out alone; why bring Zhu Daocun along?
Upon hearing his answer, Zhu Daocun cut to the chase, "The salted fish you sell, you got it from him, right?"
Liu glanced at Fei, and seeing that she didn't show any particular reaction, said, "Perhaps. It was bought by someone below, I'm not very clear about the details." Zhu Daocun nodded and asked, "Do you know this person's name?"
"His surname is Cao, but his given name is unknown."
Zhu Daocun was somewhat displeased and said, "Madam, why must you be like this? Prefect Zhang was very pleased to hear of this righteous man and is eager to publicize his deeds. How can he do this without knowing his name?"
Liu looked at Fei, who nodded slightly.
"Then I'll go back and ask," Liu said immediately.
Zhu Daocun's expression wasn't very good. He gave a stiff "hmm" and didn't want to say anything more.
However, since he had come with a mission, he added after a moment, "This Cao She is extremely bloodthirsty, which is not a good thing. One must know that excessive rigidity leads to breakage. But he is still young; I've heard he's only barely twenty?"
When he said this, Zhu Daocun was looking at Liu Shi.
Madam Liu nodded and said, "Perhaps."
"Since he's so young, he can change," Zhu Daocun said. "If you can see him, you might be able to persuade him. That's enough. What kind of behavior is this, fighting and killing all day long? It's not a blessing either."
He paused, then, seeing that Lady Liu was listening attentively, said, "There is a fertile field of about two or three hundred mu at the foot of Shipai Mountain (Changshan Mountain near the border of Jiangyin and Zhangjiagang today). It originally belonged to Zhu Ding, but was later bought by Lin Xuan. If you, Cao She, are interested, you could buy this field along with your residence and settle down there. What do you think?"
Shao Shuyi's heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't that he was interested in the land and houses, but rather that he understood the government's intention to "incorporate" him.
Of course, the so-called "recruitment" did not mean giving them an official position or anything, but rather that they existed as government-designated chamber pots, helping corrupt officials in Jiangyin do dirty work and make dirty money.
As for that piece of land, it was clearly originally Zhu Ding's. After his death, his property was divided up, and Lin Xuan received this land and house. Now that Lin Xuan is in trouble, the government has put this land and house on hand over to Shao Shuyi—not as a free gift, but to make him pay for it.
Clearly, Shao Shuyi could not come up with the money.
The accounts for the 20,000 jin of Huai salt have just been collected, and Shengye Trading Company currently has about 846 ingots of Zhongtong paper money in its accounts, which is far from enough to pay for the more than 200 mu of cultivated land.
In short, Mr. Shao couldn't afford it, but
"Since the prefect has given the order, I should go back and ask him," Liu said with a smile. "I suppose Cao She, who has become famous at a young age, would also be very willing to buy land and build a house in Shipai." Zhu Daocun's expression gradually improved.
The most dangerous tiger and rhinoceros in Jiangyin Prefecture has become a god, and the salt worker surnamed Cao has since followed the same path as Zhu Ding and others. The whole prefecture can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After delivering the message, Zhu Daocun stopped talking and instead began to chat about romance and nature. His gaze would occasionally fall on Shao Shuyi, but he didn't pay much attention. The group stayed by the Chengjiang River until the afternoon, and after agreeing on a date for their next meeting, they took their leave.
"Don't be in such a hurry." Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Madam Liu turned around and said softly.
"Why should I be in such a hurry?" Shao Shuyi smiled. "Buy that land and house if you want, just put it in my name. You can do whatever you want with the rent; I don't care." Liu Shi, surprised by his clear thinking, laughed and said, "You've been thinking this all along, haven't you?"
"I don't seek land or indulge in debauchery, how can the officials of Jiangyin Prefecture feel at ease?" Shao Shuyi said. "It doesn't matter, I'll just play along with them. The important thing is to stabilize the salt route first, and then we can make money."
"What do you plan to do after you make the money?" Liu couldn't help but ask.
"Of course it's to support people," Shao Shuyi said matter-of-factly. "I'll stay here until the end of March. Once everything is on track, I'll go back to Liujiagang."
"You might as well move to Jiangyin," said Madam Liu.
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi remained silent for a moment before saying, "The time is not yet ripe."
Just as Liu was about to ask more questions, Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "No need to say more, I know what I'm doing."
In fact, he did have a slight desire to move to Jiangyin to develop his career. The reason was not complicated: Jiangyin, including Matuosha, was extremely important, as it could directly connect to Yangzhou Road in Jiangbei.
In the future, when the world is in chaos, if you want to establish a separatist regime, places like Pingjiang, Qingyuan, Songjiang, Jiaxing, Huzhou, and Hangzhou are not good places to start an uprising. You might be able to win militarily, but it's really hard to say whether the people will support you.
In short, the officials and people in these places lack "revolutionary spirit." Once it comes to a contest of attrition, the slightest lack of cooperation from the local powerful families can lead to serious problems.
But Jiangyin Prefecture is different. It connects to Jiangbei, with many people coming and going. Moreover, once Ma Tuosha is controlled, it will be much easier to attack or defend. "Go back and raise money to take over Lin Xuan's land. I need to sort out the salt route," Shao Shuyi said finally. "Now there are many newly surrendered followers, and their hearts are not yet settled. I need to keep a close eye on them."