Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 211 Censor

The rogue and that seductive woman were certainly not husband and wife.

The former was a petty thug on Xueqian Street, known for his petty theft and bad reputation. The woman, on the other hand, was a prostitute who, having received a bribe, disregarded her reputation and started causing a scene in the street.

Among the onlookers were those who knew the two men's identities and suspected something was amiss, but they didn't say anything and just stood there with their arms crossed, watching the show.

After finishing her performance of "Jade Pot Spring," Guan Yanyan went upstairs to a private room to thank her guests, the main focus of which was Brother Shao, the top dog.

The crowd downstairs began to disperse one after another.

Zhang Qiujiao gave Guan Yanyan a reward of thirty strings of cash, but Guan Yanyan didn't appear after waiting for a long time. Just as she was getting anxious, she was pulled away by the other three people.

"Sigh, never mind, I'll come again next time." Zhang Qiujiao shook her head and followed the three of them out of the theater.

Unexpectedly, just as they reached the door, they were spotted by the hooligans and women who had been causing trouble for so long.

The rogue, filled with righteous indignation, searched the area with his eyes, then grabbed Lu Zhonghe by the collar and roared, "Wife, he's the one who slept with you? You...you...what's so good about this pretty boy? He's as skinny as a reed, is he even slightly better than me?"

The woman blushed and said coquettishly, "Husband, I don't want him anymore. I only want to be with you today."

After saying that, she looked at Lu Zhonghe, but her expression changed completely. She scratched him and said, "Damn it, you said you were going to marry me..." Lu Zhonghe was first dumbfounded, then shocked and angry, and said, "I didn't..."

The three of them started arguing, which greatly satisfied everyone's gossip, until the officials arrived.

While they were arguing, Shao Shuyi casually walked towards another small door, instructing as he went, "Find out who they are transporting goods for. I want to see who dares to compete with me in this water transport business on the canal."

Yu Yuan looked reluctant, but ultimately agreed.

In the past month, more and more people have been asking Huangtian Trading Company to transport goods. Because the Taijia and six other ships went to Jiangxi, and the Pingjia ship needs to be on standby at any time, they can only borrow the Pingyi ship to transport goods.

However, Pingyi cannot cross every river, so many businesses have to be subcontracted. Huangtian Trading Company only gets a small share, making a quick buck. Brother Shao is already preparing to return to Liujiagang to look for new ships. At this juncture, he will show no mercy to those who try to steal his business, let alone Lu Zhonghe, who has offended him.

When they arrived at the backyard of Furonglou, Han De and Ge Daji were chatting under a tree. Shao Shuyi then went up to greet them.

"Cao She, you've come at the right time," Ge Daji said with a smile. "I was just talking with General Han."

"What is it?" Shao Shuyi gestured for Tie Niu and the others to wait a moment before stepping forward to ask.

Tie Niu, Gao Daqiang, and seven or eight others, with weapons hanging from their waists, stood silently in the shadows at the base of the wall.

Han De couldn't help but take a second look.

As the saying goes, laymen watch the show, while experts see the details. As a translator and deputy commander of the Han army, Han De was deeply impressed by Cao She's group of subordinates, mainly because of their "quietness".

Many soldiers with poor discipline, even if there are only a dozen or so of them, will either stand crookedly or whisper among themselves when they stand together; it is difficult for them to be so quiet.

There's a reason why Cao Luo has gotten to where he is today.

"Does Cao She know Zhao Yangui?" Ge Daji asked with a smile.

Shao Shuyi's heart stirred, and he said, "I've long admired you, but I've never had the chance to meet you."

Ge Daji nodded and said, "As the saying goes, it's better to resolve conflicts than to create them. There's no irreconcilable feud between Cao She and Zhao Yangui, so why be so confrontational? He's self-aware and only wants to retire in Shiqiao; he won't go anywhere else. In that case, why not?"

Shao Shuyi understood. It seemed that the government didn't want him to touch Zhao Yangui and was openly trying to protect him.

It doesn't really matter. Since Zhao Yangui has restrained himself in Shiqiao Township, which is barely acceptable, why not let him off the hook for now?

Thinking of this, Shao Shuyi cupped his hands and said, "Since Lord Ge has spoken, I will naturally comply."

Ge Daji secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was genuinely worried that Shao Shuyi would disrespect him and put him in an awkward position. Now that the matter assigned by the prefect was settled, he felt completely relieved.

In high spirits, he couldn't help but say a few more words: "In April, something happened at the Lüsi Saltworks under the jurisdiction of the Lianghuai Transport Office. The Liangzhe Transport Office was greatly alarmed upon hearing the news. Coincidentally, something also happened at the Xiasha Saltworks in early May. So they requested the provincial government to mobilize troops to guard the thirty-four saltworks along the coast. As for the salt routes of the prefectures and counties, they should also be cleared up. Cao She should pay a little attention to this."

"May I ask what happened at the sand quarry?" Shao Shuyi asked in surprise.

"The red headbands have reappeared." Ge Daji sighed and said, "They landed near the sea at Xiashachang and seized a large amount of salt that the local people had illegally intercepted. The salt field patrols went to arrest them, but were defeated instead."

"Holy crap!" Shao Shuyi thought with shock and anger. "Which son of a bitch is wearing a red headband? You're pretty cunning, aren't you?"

Ge Daji, unaware of Shao Shuyi's thoughts, continued, "The red-headed woman has committed crimes for two consecutive years, enraging Hangzhou. They have ordered all prefectures and counties to rigorously investigate salt traffickers within their jurisdictions and to bring this group to justice. Cao Sheyi."

Ge Daji glanced at him and said, "If you know anything about the red headband, report it immediately. If there are any arrests, you must send righteous people to assist." "Okay." Shao Shuyi nodded.

Han De had been observing Shao Shuyi, and seeing that he readily agreed, he withdrew his gaze.

"Is the imperial court really serious this time?" Shao Shuyi asked again.

"The prefect has already ordered fifty ingots of paper to be distributed as a reward for the righteous citizens who reported the crime," Ge Daji said. "It should be similar elsewhere, especially in the prefectures and counties of Pingjiang Circuit."

Shao Shuyi said "Oh," feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

Which "hero" tricked me? It was all in the past, but now it's being brought up again. It's infuriating.

"Besides the reward, there are probably some arduous tasks involved in patrolling the countryside." Ge Daji added, "There are no patrol offices in Laichun and Taining townships, so I'll trouble you, Cao She, to investigate on your behalf."

"It's my duty," Shao Shuyi said with a smile.

Ge Daji didn't say anything more. After bowing and taking his leave, he boarded a carriage and left.

Han De stayed for a while, then asked in a low voice, "Cao She, what about those two muskets I gave you a while ago?"

"It's at home," Shao Shuyi said calmly.

Han De glanced at him suspiciously, wanting to say something, but worried that he might be used against him, so he could only say, "The day before yesterday, I went to visit the commander and met some comrades. We talked about the incident at Lüsichang. Some people said that the muskets issued by the higher-ups have been gathering dust in the warehouse and rarely used, but Wu Dalang, who looted Lüsichang, used a musket. It's really shocking."

"General Han, please continue," Shao Shuyi said, extending a hand.

Han De shook his head and said, "Even government troops rarely use firearms, which shows that very few people are familiar with them."

That's where the conversation ended abruptly.

Shao Shuyi understood somewhat.

War is the best catalyst for the development of military technology. The large-scale use of firearms in the early Ming Dynasty was undoubtedly primarily due to the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

Before the Yuan Dynasty uprisings broke out, people paid little attention to firearms; even soldiers didn't use them much, let alone civilians. Yet, there was this one person in Jiangyin Prefecture actively seeking to buy firearms. Han De couldn't help but think twice—he was also afraid that something might happen to the muskets he handled, thus implicating himself. "General Han, what are you worried about?" Shao Shuyi laughed, "I bought them to play with at home; I haven't used them yet."

"Don't use it," Han De said seriously. "This thing is too conspicuous."

Shao Shuyi pondered for a moment and then agreed.

Han De nodded and said, "In the coming months, the Han army's navy will be mobilized in large numbers to patrol the river. Hmm, they might be very strict, so don't be careless."

Having said that, he cupped his hands in farewell and took his leave.

Shao Shuyi stood quietly in the courtyard for a long time before finally waving his hand and saying, "Get in the car, let's go."

He now has two carriages, both "gifts" from Wang Zongsan. One is for his personal use, and the other is for Yu Yuan, Yang Jin, and others to use daily.

The carriage quickly left Furonglou and headed towards Yang's Grain Shop.

On the morning of June 10th, Shao Shuyi loosened the woman's limbs that were binding him, got up and went to the courtyard. He first did a few sets of squats, and then practiced archery. "Are you scared?" Liu asked softly, leaning on the second-floor railing.

"What are you afraid of?" Shao Shuyi asked after shooting the last arrow stuck in the ground.

"These past few days, people have been asking around here about where the salted fish came from," said Madam Liu.

"What kind of person?" Shao Shuyi asked.

"It looks very strange," said Madam Liu. "I dare not order someone to be tied up without your permission."

"Tell me in detail," Shao Shuyi said, wiping his sweat.

"There were four people in total, taking turns coming," Liu recalled. "It might not be just this month; they came before, but I didn't notice. They seemed to be trying to find out how much salted fish this grain shop sells in a month, and when they started selling it."

"From out of town?" Shao Shuyi seemed to understand.

If it were an official from Jiangyin, he would have known long ago, but since he hasn't heard anything yet, it's clearly not him.

"All four of them spoke with a Jiangning accent; I could tell immediately," Liu said. "Two of them had rather strong manners and didn't seem like good people. The other two had an air of officialdom about them; they must be from the bureaucracy and used to being arrogant and domineering."

"What do you mean?" Shao Shuyi asked.

"Only officials who specialize in regulating the bureaucracy would be so arrogant," said Lady Liu. "Fortunately, there is an Imperial Censor named Nan in Jiangning."

"Aren't censors supposed to be in charge of regulating officialdom? Why are they eyeing salted fish?" Shao Shuyi asked.

"I wouldn't know about that." Madam Liu yawned, her chest trembling, and added, "However, in recent years, the censors have often collaborated with the government on cases, which has long since crossed the line. You'd better be careful."

Shao Shuyi frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "I finally managed to get some salt, but I didn't expect it to be so hot."

"You rose to power too quickly, and your methods weren't gentle enough." Madam Liu tightened the thin veil around her, saying, "Those smugglers, which one of them didn't operate for years? Some even passed down their business from father to son, or were simply local tycoons. Unlike you, who went from nothing to where you are now, in just two or three years. With such a rapid rise, it's inevitable that your methods would be extreme, and isn't it strange that people would investigate?"

Shao Shuyi laughed in exasperation, saying, "Is that how you talk about your man?"

Liu scoffed and said, "I wouldn't dare be your woman, for fear of gossip."

"Alright, I understand." Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "Three days later, a batch of cotton cloth will be transported from Huangtian Port to Liujia Port. I'll go home with them."

Liu said "Oh," and then added, "I recently recruited some more people from Wenzhou."

Shao Shuyi glanced at her.

"You have too many responsibilities, I'm afraid," Madam Liu said bluntly.

"Very good." Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "Don't touch those people who are watching the grain shop yet."

After saying that, perhaps feeling a little heavy-hearted, he picked up his bow and started practicing again.