Chapter 197 The world is for the people
"Madam, you are so righteous. I admire you. The second thing is, Lord Li, can you get on that ship?"
Li Taishou leaned back slightly and said: "As expected of a member of the academy, the prince is not as good as you. To be honest, I am better than you."
Zhao Yushu nodded, "The ship leaves Jiangning, passes through the Yangtze River and enters the sea. Whether it goes north or south, it will be impossible to escape the pursuit of the monks within three days. The governor may have a strategy. I will add icing on the cake and do my best to conceal it for the governor within three days. How about it as a reward for the two questions just now?"
Governor Li stood up and bowed solemnly: "Li, thank you, Mr. Liu!"
Zhao Yushu stood up to say goodbye. Li Taishou was quite surprised: "Sir, don't you want to ask who I belong to?"
Zhao Yushu laughed and said, "If I ask the governor, will he tell me?"
"No, but within three days at most, Mr. Liu might be able to guess."
Zhao Yushu nodded, turned and left the mansion.
Madam Li came in from the inner hall: "My husband, can he be trusted?"
"If he deliberately waited for us at the dock, we can only trust him; if he really met us by chance, I would trust him more than anyone else."
A trace of sadness flashed in Mrs. Li's eyes: "Is there really no other way?"
"I'll trade my life for at least three years. There's no better deal in the world. But, I'm sorry to make you suffer."
Mrs. Li shook her head slightly and said nothing. The two of them stood together quietly, looking at the increasingly empty courtyard as the summer breeze blew from the south.
Zhao Yushu felt heavy-hearted. From the second question, he finally confirmed that the real problem in the southeast was not the salt tax. No fourth-rank official would die for a few million taels of silver, especially when he could avoid death.
It turned out that he was being used as a gun, but it might also be true what he said to the young prince Li Jian, the academy didn't care.
The prince is finished.
Zhao Yushu sighed, returned to the Taoist temple, and told Sun Wuyang about the prefect's affairs, asking him to tell the people hiding behind to keep the prefect a secret for three days. This was just a favor. Old Zhao believed that even if he went to the prince to inform the secret now, Prefect Li and his family would still be able to leave Jiangning safely. At most there would be some twists and turns, and a few more monks from a certain faction would die.
Zhao Yushu, who knew most of the truth, suddenly felt bored. He had the feeling of saving Shen Qi in Dongdu again. No matter how much he jumped on the surface, the interests and positions behind him had already been negotiated, and he was just a pawn pushed to the surface.
In Dongdu, Senior Brother wanted to meet the local bosses in Dongdu and make himself familiar with them; in Jiangning, Senior Brother wanted to make a name for himself and intimidate the heroes of Jiangnan. Senior Brother Sun's father-in-law's position as the Salt and Iron Commissioner was a bonus, and the extra hundreds of thousands of taels of profit every year were also bonuses.
The academy really doesn’t care.
Even if the world is in chaos, rivers of blood flow, and nine out of ten houses are empty, don't you care?
Zhao Yushu suddenly felt very tired and could no longer sit still in the afternoon. He went straight to the dock where Wangjianglou's second guest was entertaining guests. He randomly asked a dock attendant and found out that it was an open-air shop specializing in barbecue.
Zhao Yushu smiled unconsciously, long-lost memories awakened, and a sense of familiarity arose in his heart.
In my previous life, after working overtime, my favorite thing was to gather two or three good friends, find a shop like this, order a bunch of sizzling grilled skewers, a pint of ice-cold beer, and a plate of salted peanuts with edamame. It was the ultimate enjoyment in the world.
Zhao Yushu sat at the greasy table, closed his eyes and recalled the beauty of his past life.
"Well, hey, sir, our shop hasn't opened yet." A fat cook wearing a greasy apron stood nervously beside Zhao Yushu, rubbing his hands. He did business with dock workers and grilled pork that the nobles disliked because of its fishy smell. If this neatly dressed young man took a bite and turned around and overturned his stall, where would he go to seek justice?
"Don't worry, boss. I'm used to eating here. I made an appointment with a friend here today. Let me borrow your precious spot to sit for a while." Zhao Yushu responded with a smile. Although the chef was still a little nervous, he didn't dare to chase him away, so he served a pot of cold tea for Zhao Yushu to drink first.
This sitting lasted for more than an hour.
Until the setting sun dyed the river red and the number of merchant ships unloading cargo gradually decreased, the second-in-command with a big beard sat down heavily opposite Zhao Yushu.
"Uncle Duan! You haven't been here for some time!" The fat cook trotted over and flatteringly served a pot of wine to the second seat.
"I'm going to run some errands. I'll double the amount I normally order and give one to my friend!"
"So you are Mr. Duan's friend. I'm sorry for being so slow just now. I'll bring you up right away!"
The second seat was the first to drink a bowl of wine: "Before I got wise, I worked here as a porter. I got paid every month, and the best thing was to have a meal here. This boss is kind and gives me two more pieces of pork than others."
Zhao Yushu smiled and said, "Does he know that you are the second in command of Wangjiang Tower now?"
"I don't know. He thought I was doing well as a bodyguard. Why do you look like you owe money? Do you think it's dirty?"
Zhao Yushu shook his head: "It's just that something happened today. Let me ask you, if you have been doing something for a long time, even risking half your life, and in the end you find that this thing is meaningless and is just a chess move made by a big shot, what would you think?"
The second seat sneered disdainfully: "Isn't this what I do every day? Don't those big shots always say that the world is a plate and all living beings are its children? You are a scholar, you should know better than me. This question is for you."
Zhao Yushu was amused: "Is there a charge for the problems after the relationship?"
The barbecue was served, a big plate, sizzling with oil, making people salivate at the sight of it.
The second seat grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation, and the grease immediately covered his beard.
"Everyone says you're smart, but I'm not stupid, and I'm not short of money. So, each of you has a question. I'll let you ask first, and it won't involve privacy. If you can't answer any of the questions, just promise me one thing."
Zhao Yushu frowned: "Why do you think I can't answer it? Can you guarantee that you can answer my question? Of course, this is not a problem."
The second seat drank another bowl of wine: "Even if you ask me what color my underwear is, I dare to tell you."
Zhao Yushu was immediately in awe, not only because of his courage, but also because he knew the color of Wangjiang Tower Master's underwear.
Just as Zhao Yushu was about to speak, the bearded man suddenly raised his hand: "Aren't you curious about my name? I know you are Zhao Yushu."
Zhao Yushu grinned, "I have no interest in your chief's name until he dies in my hands. I won't be surprised if you call me Duan Zhengchun instead of Duan Yu."
The second in command was stunned. "Who are these two? I've never heard of them. Never mind. I'll give you another one. If I really die in your hands, I won't be a nobody. Remember, my name is Duan Tiezhu!"
Phew! Zhao Yushu couldn’t hold it back.
"What are you laughing at! Tiezhu is so majestic."
"It's okay, Tiezhu. I'll start asking questions then."
Tie Zhu waved his hand impatiently: "Ask, ask quickly, I'm still waiting to ask you."
"Why didn't you send someone with higher cultivation last night? If you say you are already very strong, then don't answer."