Chapter 917 - 762: Old Feelings

March in Jinling, spring rain comes and goes, green bricks breed green moss.

Thirty-two led Zhang Xia, Xiao Man, the little monk, and Zhang Zheng to the Ten-mile Qinhuai. The shops on the street had already taken down their doors early on, with stalls selling fried sugar cakes and steamed buns, a dazzling array.

Zhang Xia smiled and asked Xiao Man, "What do you want to eat?"

Xiao Man thought for a moment, "I want to eat everything..."

Zhang Xia responded, "Then let’s buy some of everything."

A moment later, Xiao Man was carrying food wrapped in palm leaves and whispered to the little monk, "Did you notice how Sister Axia’s steps are lighter now? Tsk, tsk, the gentleman is impressive, he’s already managed to cheer Sister Axia up even before they’ve met..."

The little monk shoved a piece of sugar cake into his mouth and mumbled, "Benefactor Zhang Xia and Benefactor Chen Ji will never quarrel, they think so alike. Even when apart, they seem to always meet again, united in kindness, considerate to each other, seldom angry, and misunderstandings are resolved with just a glance. That is good karma."

Xiao Man curiously asked, "If this is good karma, then what is bad karma?"

The little monk choked on the sugar cake and couldn’t speak. Xiao Man pinched his side, "Talk!"

The little monk swallowed the sugar cake, grimacing, "It’s bad karma between me and Benefactor Xiao Man!"

While walking, a crowd rushed toward them from Tongji Gate.

They stood under the eaves of the street to avoid the crowd, and Thirty-two chuckled, "They’re all coming from the villages on ferries, using my lamp’s boats."

Xiao Man asked curiously, "Lamp’s boats?"

Thirty-two explained, "My lamp has about thirty ferries outside Jinling City. It’s twenty cents for a ferry ride. When they board, they receive a bamboo token. After selling their vegetables, when they want to go home, as they exit Tongji Gate, there are thirty ferries with Qing flags waiting outside. The villagers can board any boat if they have a token; once full, the boat departs. Don’t look down on a ride costing only twenty cents, but by year’s end, the profits from this surpass those of selling grain and oil."

Zhang Xia casually asked, "Is this your landlord’s idea?"

Thirty-two shook his head, "The landlord generally doesn’t meddle in Jinling’s affairs. Each industry’s business is managed by the general. Initially, the landlord would visit once a year with an accountant to settle accounts and plan for the following year. Later, finding no issues in Jinling, he came once every three years."

He didn’t mention who the strategist general was, and Zhang Xia didn’t ask.

Under the eaves, Thirty-two kept his hands in his sleeves, smiling as he watched the passing crowd, "In Guyuan, after 1 AM, the night is quiet until 9 AM when it livens up. But in Jinling City, there’s never a break. Daytime belongs to the commoners, nighttime to the scholars and merchants, everyone has their own way of living and things to do."

Thirty-two cheerfully said, "The suburban farmers carry spring bamboo shoots, shepherd’s purse, Malan greens, and fragrant toon into the narrow alleys with white walls. Sellers of cooked meat, candies, and pastries head to the Confucius Temple, and next to the temple’s Imperial Examination Hall are over twenty thousand study rooms where scholars and scholars prepare for exams and are most generous with spending... Jinling City is much livelier than Guyuan. Recently, San Shichi even said he wanted to return, truly not knowing how fortunate he is."

After the farmers passed, they continued on their way.

After about ten minutes, they arrived by the Qinhuai River, where taverns and teahouses lined the banks with wooden buildings, and the sound of washing clothes echoed endlessly below the stone steps.

Thirty-two waited on the embankment for a moment as a black canopy boat slowly rowed over.

Thirty-two softly said to Zhang Xia, "Lady, this is our own boat, and the boatman is one of us, don’t worry."

Zhang Xia descended the stone steps to the riverside, and once the boat was stable, she sat inside the cabin, watching the boatman push the bamboo pole southward.

The black canopy boat suddenly stopped under Wende Bridge, staying in the shadows under the bridge without knowing who it was waiting for. Zhang Xia closed her eyes to rest, muttering the Cloud Covering Scripture under her breath.

After an hour, a facing black canopy boat approached, also stopping under the bridge, and someone from the other boat asked through the bamboo canopy, "Where do you come from, sir?"

Zhang Xia answered, "From Kunlun Mountain."

The other side asked again, "Did you see a white crane fly by?"

Zhang Xia replied, "Only saw colorful clouds."

There was commotion on the neighboring black canopy boat, and someone crossed over to climb into the cabin, surprisingly the scholar Huang Que who had failed the Imperial Examination.

Zhang Xia scrutinized Huang Que, whom she’d last seen wearing a Daoist robe, looking scholarly and polite.

Now he had changed into short fighting attire, clean with cloth strips wrapped around his wrists and ankles, hiding a dagger in his arms, appearing like a mountain bandit from the Green Forest.

Huang Que looked alert inside the boat, scanning the faces of Thirty-two, Xiao Man, the little monk, and Zhang Zheng, and also glanced cautiously at the boatman at the stern.

Zhang Xia calmly said, "He’s one of us."

Huang Que relaxed his body, cupping his fist towards Zhang Xia: "Mountain Master, my condolences."

Zhang Xia hesitated: "..."

She had left the Imperial Capital over twenty days ago, had long since stopped wearing mourning clothes, and hadn’t heard anyone say condolences for a while.

Zhang Xia switched the topic: "Chen Ji is no longer here, Brother Pao has also gone to Guyuan. Does the agreement still count?"

Huang Que leaned against the bamboo canopy, taking out three strings of Buddhist Treasure from his bosom: "Before Brother Pao left for Guyuan, he specially had the White Paper Fan relay a message to me. I take three, the host takes seven, and it remains the same regardless of who the host is. I, Huang, do not dare promise anything else, but I do have a reputation... Here is last year’s profit share of sixteen thousand taels of silver, Mountain Master, please accept it."

Zhang Xia accepted the Buddhist Treasure: "Boss Huang keeps his word, showing steadfast loyalty, where others may have swindled this silver and denied it."

Huang Que smiled calmly: "Without the landlord, I, Huang, would still be just a failed little son of a salt vendor; without Brother Pao’s initial capital, and those six hundred Meihua Ferry Crossing ruffians, I couldn’t have gathered such a following. Rest assured, Mountain Master, I am well aware."

But Zhang Xia tossed the Buddhist Treasure back to Huang Que: "Keep it for now."

Huang Que looked at the Buddhist Treasure in his hand, his thoughts diverted: "Does the Mountain Master think this silver comes from improper channels? I first collected scattered Buddhist Treasure from others, then exchanged it into round numbers at the temple, no need to worry about being investigated... Moreover, even if I am captured by the court, I will never disclose half a word about anyone else."

Zhang Xia shook her head: "With the many men under your command needing money for their upkeep, there’s no rush for dividends."

Huang Que hesitated: "Didn’t the Mountain Master have someone call me to Jinling to discuss money? Then it must be for something more important."

Zhang Xia saw Huang Que’s body tense up again, and she spoke softly: "The court has long been troubled by the salt merchants’ gang register, the salt permit piled up in the hands of the Eight Great Merchants, becoming their private property. Even the Salt Transport Envoy has to rely on them to collect salt taxes. With Jiangnan gentry backing the Eight Great Merchants, we cannot openly tear open a breach, but private salt can."

Huang Que was puzzled: "What does the Mountain Master want me to do?"

Zhang Xia confidently replied: "Just continue smuggling private salt as before, but I want you to smuggle it throughout all of Jiangnan, not just one area. I want the Eight Great Merchants’ salt industry to decline by thirty percent, and private salt to infiltrate every street and alley."

Huang Que was silent for a moment: "The entire Jiangnan the Mountain Master speaks of, does it include Yangzhou, Suzhou, Jinling, and nearby wealthy counties?"

Zhang Xia nodded: "It includes them."

Huang Que shook his head: "Too risky... What is the Mountain Master intending? If it’s for business, it’s better to avoid wealthy places, steady streams are the proper way. If it’s for some grand plan of the court, we common people might not have the capability."

Zhang Xia gazed at Huang Que in front of her. In this world, no one remains eternally loyal to anyone. Huang Que originally attached himself to Chen Ji for profit. Now, when it comes to matters of life and death, he has his own stance and can only be tied by interests.

She spoke gently: "Allowing private salt vendors into wealthy areas is because I need the Eight Great Merchants willing to sit down and calmly negotiate with the court. Besides, I also need private salt vendors to penetrate all of Jiangnan, and there are even more important tasks for them. If this is accomplished, the day I leave Jiangnan, you take seven, and the host takes three."

Huang Que’s expression shifted, but he still hesitated: "I dared to come to Jinling today, already risking being beheaded. If there are court spies under my command, I could lose my life at any moment..."

Zhang Xia sat under the black canopy, her expression hidden in the shadows: "If you get caught, I will ensure your safety."

Huang Que’s pupils contracted.

The promise was so heavy, so heavy that he didn’t know how this Second Miss Zhang dared to promise to protect him, a big salt smuggler.

Just then, the sound of hooves came from above the Wende Bridge, several people were riding horses over the bridge, the sound of hooves was crisp.

The boat under the black canopy fell silent, only hearing a man laughing and saying: "The Imperial Capital and Jinling are quite different. The shops in the Imperial Capital are large and grand, the lintels are high, the signboards are big. When people walk on the streets, they talk about worldly affairs, always mentioning Officials or Ministries, surely they have a relative working in a government office."

"Jinling’s silk shops, velvet flower shops, tin workshops, pawnshops, are crowded one next to another. People talk about business, knowing by heart the prices from all over, opportunities are everywhere... Second Miss Qi, today we’ll find a place to settle in Jinling, tomorrow we’ll head to Suzhou together."

On the bridge, a woman spoke softly: "I’ll do whatever Your Highness decides."

Another woman spoke: "Brother-in-law, why don’t we stay in Jinling a few more days, I haven’t yet visited the Confucius Temple, nor seen the night view of the Ten-mile Qinhuai."

The man laughed and said: "We’ll go tonight."

The previous woman lowered her voice and scolded angrily: "Zhaoning, do not call His Highness casually. You promised that once we left the Imperial Capital, you’d listen to me."

Qi Zhaoning whispered: "I know..."

Huang Que was stunned in the boat, his fingers tightly clutching the edge, momentarily at a loss.

...

Yesterday I forgot to post that there was another Chapter in the morning