Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 71 Inquiry

As Jiang Xun stepped out of the Misty Rain Pavilion, a night breeze blew, and he finally snapped out of his daze from the negotiation he had just witnessed.

He turned to look at Li Che and couldn't help but ask, "Why did those grain merchants agree so readily? Was it because of the two managers you arranged beforehand, or because their children could enter the academy?"

Li Che smiled and said, "These are just icing on the cake; they won't impress them."

He paused, then glanced at Jiang Xun, as if testing him.

"Do you know why they've been refusing to sell their grain?"

Jiang Xun thought for a moment, and the images of those shopkeepers at the banquet, caught in his mind—they clearly wanted to talk, but dared not; they were clearly interested, but stubbornly refused to open their mouths.

A thought suddenly struck him: "Is someone preventing them from selling?"

"Not bad." Li Che nodded, his gaze fixed on the depths of the night. "I pressed them hard, and they finally let slip that someone in the capital had spoken to me, and that this grain cannot be sold to me."

Jiang Xun frowned: "You mean those aristocratic families?"

Li Che didn't respond, but simply said, "At times like these, whoever has grain in their hands will make a fortune."

Jiang Xun was taken aback, then understood, and a surge of anger rose within him: "Just to get rich, you're just watching so many people starve to death?"

Li Che didn't respond. Gazing at the dimly lit streets in the distance, he said calmly, "There are people like this in every dynasty."

Jiang Xun remained silent.

The night breeze rustled the wine flags along the street.

He suddenly recalled the expressions on those people's faces when they finally nodded—not with relief, but as if they had made some kind of decision.

"Then why did they agree later?" he asked.

"On the one hand, I got hold of their weaknesses."

"That's exactly what I was going to ask. How did you get your hands on those ledgers?"

"When my father led his army to pacify Jiangnan, he left some of his men here. I'm not completely unaware of everything. Besides, Zheng Xiao hasn't been idle these past few days either."

Jiang Xun nodded. Although Li Che didn't explain in detail, he roughly understood.

"On the other hand?"

Li Che withdrew his gaze, a complex smile appearing on his lips: "On the other hand, I gave away the Qi Prince's salt, iron, and tea businesses—these profitable trades. What they lost money selling grain, they can make back from here."

He paused, took a deep breath, and added a chill to his tone, "And from now on, they won't have to put up with those people in the capital anymore. The more they extend their reach, the bolder they become."

Jiang Xun was taken aback.

He didn't understand business, let alone these intricacies, but he could sense the weight in Li Che's words.

He turned to look at the young man beside him—in the moonlight, his face was more somber than usual, and something was weighing on his brow.

"Let's go." Li Che stepped forward. "The matter of the grain has been settled. It can be loaded onto the ship tomorrow."

Jiang Xun nodded and followed.

What he didn't know was that there was one more thing Li Che hadn't said in his previous statement.

The right to sell salt, iron, and tea was explicitly prohibited from being granted privately by the imperial court.

By giving up these three businesses today, Li Che has committed a grave taboo against the imperial court.

From this day forward, the Qi Prince's Mansion and those grain merchants were now in the same boat, with no way out.

But so what?

As long as this batch of grain can be transported to Haiyou, as long as the disaster victims outside the city can overcome this crisis.

He didn't turn around and strode into the night.

…………

When Li Che and his companions returned to the inn, it was already quite late at night.

The innkeeper was yawning against the counter when he saw them come in. He quickly put on a smile and asked if they wanted some late-night snacks.

Li Che waved his hand, and the shopkeeper tactfully withdrew.

The backyard was quiet. The shadow of the osmanthus tree swayed in the moonlight. The sweet fragrance in the air was even stronger than during the day, mixed with the coolness of the night dew, which calmed people's hearts.

Suddenly, with a creak, a door opened from the inside, and a delicate head peeked out—it was Li Tang.

Hearing the noise, she saw that it was her brother and Jiang Xun returning, and hurried to greet them, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight: "You're back."

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Li Che asked.

Li Tang blinked: "I was worried because you weren't back."

He paused, then pressed on, "Did everything go smoothly?"

"Everything is settled." Li Che nodded, his brows furrowed with weariness, but a glimmer of light shone in his eyes.

He patted his sister on the shoulder, "It's late, you should both get some rest."

After saying that, he walked straight to the innermost room.

Jiang Xun was about to return to his room when someone suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait a minute," Li Tang said in a very low voice.

"What's wrong?"

Li Tang didn't say anything, but just gestured towards the courtyard gate with her lips.

Jiang Xun followed her gaze and saw a person standing at the courtyard gate, peeking in furtively.

The figure in the moonlight looked somewhat familiar, with a sleazy appearance—it was the thug he had beaten up in the alley a couple of days ago.

"Oh." Jiang Xun chuckled and strode over. "Looking for me?"

When the man saw him approaching, he instinctively took a half-step back, then stopped, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and bowed and scraped, saying, "Master Bai—"

"What should I call you, brother?" Jiang Xun looked him up and down.

"I am Sun Jin," the man said hurriedly, bowing even lower. "Master Hu sent me to deliver something to Brother Bai."

Jiang Xun raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.

Sun Jin took out a folded piece of silk from his pocket and respectfully handed it over with both hands. His devout manner was completely different from his fierce and menacing appearance in the alley just two days ago.

Jiang Xun took the silk paper, glanced at it in the moonlight, and didn't open it in a hurry.

"What did the second-in-command say?"

Sun Jin scratched his head: "The second-in-command said he remembered everything Brother Bai instructed him to do. This is the result of monitoring that place these past few days; he'd like Brother Bai to take a look. He also said—"

He paused, looked around, and lowered his voice.

"The Golden Feather Guards have also come to Qiantang. The second-in-command said that these people are not to be trifled with, and the entire Green Wolf Gang has retreated, not daring to make any rash moves. We can no longer keep an eye on that place. Please forgive us, Brother Bai."

Jiang Xun felt a chill run down his spine.

Golden Feather Guard.

These three words felt like a needle piercing his heart. He thought of his master, the Master Thief.

Jiang Xun took a deep breath and suppressed his surging emotions.

"Thank Brother Hu for me." He took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and tossed it to Sun Jin, "Take this and have some tea."

Sun Jin hurriedly accepted the silver, his smile finally becoming more genuine: "Master Bai, you're too kind, too kind. I'll be going now, please continue with your work."

He turned to leave, but Jiang Xun called him back.

I'm sorry for hitting you a couple of days ago.

Sun Jin was taken aback for a moment, then grinned: "No fight, no friendship. If you ever need my help, Master Bai, just let me know."

After saying that, he ran away in a flash.

Jiang Xun watched his figure disappear into the alley before turning around and walking back.

Li Tang was still standing under the osmanthus tree, the moonlight making her face appear white.

"The Blue Wolf Gang?" she asked.

"Hmm." Jiang Xun walked over. "The one from a couple of days ago, the one I beat up."

Li Tang couldn't help but laugh: "No wonder he looked familiar. What's he doing here?"

Jiang Xun did not answer, but unfolded the silk paper in his hand.

Under the moonlight, some winding lines were drawn on the silk paper, marking several locations.

Although the lines are rough, you can tell it's a layout of a house—the gate, the yard, and the house are all clearly marked.

Li Tang leaned over to take a look, and the two almost bumped heads together.

The fragrance wafting from her was not the scent of cosmetics, but rather the fresh scent of soapberry.

"This is the Meng family's residence," Li Tang said confidently after looking around for a while.