noveltune Chapter 247 Understanding
Chapter 247 Understanding
Chapter 247 Understanding
The sun had not yet risen, and the leaden-gray clouds hung low, as if you could reach out and touch them.
The snow has stopped, and the river surface is gray and hazy, as if it has swallowed everything, leaving only some blurry outlines—withered willows, bald poplars, and half-collapsed ruins of the water station wall.
Shao Shuyi stood on the second floor and craned his neck to look at the Taiyi boat moored on the river.
The ship was still moored there, the cargo had not yet been unloaded, the tarpaulin was covered with snow, a few figures were moving around in the cabin, and wisps of smoke rose high into the air.
He then surveyed the surrounding area.
Compared to the downstream section, the river narrows considerably here, and the houses on both banks become more densely packed. Perhaps due to winter, the Qinhuai River's water level is low, revealing the dark blue-green silt on both banks, covered with a thin layer of ice. A few withered yellow reeds are stuck on the ice, swaying back and forth in the morning breeze, like a few scattered incense sticks.
The air was filled with a damp, fishy smell, the scent of river water mixed with silt and rotting aquatic plants. Underneath, there was a faint smell of cooking fires. People were already cooking on the riverbank, and bluish-white smoke rose from the low rooftops of the shacks, drifting slowly along the river surface.
Shao Shuyi was wrapped in a worn blue cotton robe. The wind blew across the river like knives, cutting his cheeks painfully. In the harsh winter of Jiangnan, the air humidity was extremely high, and the feeling was not very comfortable.
"I never imagined that the renowned ancient capital of six dynasties would be so dilapidated, far inferior to Suzhou and Liujiagang," Shao Shuyi said with a sigh, gently patting the window frame.
In his view, the south bank of the Qinhuai River was a large, chaotic shantytown and secondhand market.
The houses are scattered at different heights, with bamboo strip walls, reed mat roofs, and mud-plastered walls, layered together like a pile of cardboard boxes blown about by the wind.
Several wooden rafts, planks, and stone steps jut out crookedly from the shore, where large and small dilapidated boats are moored, and there is even an overturned sampan used as a shelter.
These boats and shacks are crammed together, with boat cables and clotheslines tangled together, hanging with pickled vegetables and dried fish, swaying gently in the morning breeze. On a sunny day, perhaps colorful clothes would also be hanging there.
From where the boats were moored on the north bank of the Qinhuai River to his location, a narrow alleyway, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, connects the two places.
The ground wasn't paved with stone slabs, but with broken bricks, tiles, and ashes, uneven and pitted, probably trampled by early risers, and covered with dirty snowmelt and swill that had flowed out from who-knows-where.
People were already up on both sides of the alley. A woman with a blue headscarf was squatting on the threshold, scrubbing a toilet. The bristle brush made a harsh "scratching" sound as it scraped against the wooden tub.
Another old man, shirtless and wearing a tattered coat, was leaning against the wall drinking a bowl of thin porridge. When he saw the stranger enter, he stared at him intently for a few moments, then casually turned his face away and continued slurping his porridge. Yesterday, they had been stared at by this man for quite a while, which almost provoked Gao Daqiang to lead his men to kill him that very night.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and a moment later, Tie Niu called out from outside, "Brother, Ah Si invites us down for breakfast."
Shao Shuyi responded, closed the window, and went downstairs.
He was in a rather dilapidated inn, at least in the downstairs area—
To the left, against the wall, was a row of shelves made of rough wooden planks, on which were sparsely placed a few items: a rough bowl, an earthenware basin, a bamboo basket, several bundles of hemp rope, and two sickles.
To the right was a dilapidated long wooden table, on which sat several oil lamps, candles, incense sticks, nails, and paint. On the floor were piles of poison for sparrows, fishing nets, and chopped firewood.
In short, it's a complete mess, containing all sorts of things, and there's no pattern whatsoever.
This is actually just a general store, a low-end one at that, catering to low-income urban residents, but this store has a hidden secret—
After Shao Shuyi and the others sat down, a wooden board on the wall behind the shelf was pulled open from the inside, revealing a square hole through which a dim light shone. A thick, muscular hand emerged from the hole, its five fingers short and thick, the calluses on the knuckles as thick as a tortoise shell. The shop assistant, A Si, quickly went to help, and soon a middle-aged man crawled out from inside.
The man was in his early forties, not very tall, but frighteningly broad. He wore a grayish-brown robe with the collar open, revealing a large patch of coarse black hair and several crisscrossing knife scars on his chest.
This man was Liu Jinbao, the owner of the general store, and a cousin of Madam Liu.
He used to be a pirate in the waters off eastern Zhejiang, commanding three ships and about a hundred men, specializing in robbing merchant ships from Fujian to Qingyuan. Later, when the authorities were pressing him, he quit his life of crime and fled to Jiangning with his savings, opening this inconspicuous general store. On the surface, he sold all sorts of odds and ends, but secretly he helped people sell stolen goods, provide directions, and gather intelligence.
Most of his old followers had scattered, but a few remained with close ties, scattered across Jiangning and Shangyuan counties, each making a living in their own way.
Liu Jinbao nodded to Shao Shuyi and the others, and sat down to drink the porridge.
No one spoke, and breakfast was eaten in silence. After the last person finished eating, Liu Jinbao had the waiter, A Si, tidy up, then looked at Shao Shuyi and asked, "Why is Mother stopping Dalang from going back to Jiangyin?"
"Perhaps they want Lin She to gain more experience," Shao Shuyi said.
"Dalang has been out for a long time, he should go home. Besides, Xu Dafeng and his gang may not be good people, they might corrupt Dalang." Liu Jinbao shook his head and said.
"Madam must have her own reasons," Shao Shuyi said. "A real man should prioritize his career."
Liu Jinbao remained noncommittal, but he didn't press the matter further, instead asking, "Why are you inquiring about Zhu Chen?"
"I have a grudge against him."
Liu Jinbao didn't believe it at all, but that wasn't the point. Out of respect for Madam Liu and for the thirty ingots of silver, he spoke up: "Zhu Chen is quite famous in Jiangning, and he's not exactly a recluse; he often goes out to meet guests. Over the years, there have been assassination attempts on him, but he's always escaped. Too few men are useless; they can't defeat his guards. Too many men—heh, how many do you have?"
"Let's start by telling him where he usually goes," Shao Shuyi said.
Liu Jinbao nodded and said, "A direct assault on the Zhu residence is not advisable. There are quite a few people and weapons inside. If the siege drags on, escape will be difficult. As for leaving..."
Liu Jinbao thought for a moment and said, "He doesn't go to restaurants, gambling dens, brothels, or pawnshops to check accounts much anymore. One reason is that there are too many shops for him to keep track of, and another is that he was assassinated before. Just like you think, they figured out where he was going on which day, and then ambushed him halfway, killing several of Zhu Chen's relatives, but he himself was unharmed."
Shao Shuyi frowned and said, "Not going out for social engagements?"
"For someone like him, social engagements are indeed unavoidable." Liu Jinbao glanced approvingly at Shao Shuyi and said, "It's nothing more than drinking, watching plays, and visiting prostitutes. Most of these involve dealing with merchants, after all, Zhu Chen is a big merchant, and these things are unavoidable. But the specific time and place of these engagements are hard to say, and he has many people with him, so he decides which route to take. Besides, it's already December, and it's unlikely that Zhu Chen will socialize with merchants until the end of January next year, so it's difficult to start from that point."
Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement, then asked, "Socializing with merchants is fine as you please, but what about associating with officials?"
"I'm not very clear about the official dealings." Liu Jinbao glanced at Shao Shuyi, then pointed to the hole, implying that as someone who secretly deals in stolen goods, how could he possibly have much information about official matters?
However, he still provided some useful information: "As far as I know, Zhu Chen either invites people to his home, to his theater or pleasure boat, or directly to the government office to discuss matters. If he goes to the government office, he travels light and simply, which gives you a chance, but you have no way of knowing exactly when; you only find out afterward."
Why travel light when visiting government offices?
"He's afraid of being seen," Liu Jinbao said. "Although he's a wealthy man on the surface, who doesn't know what kind of person he really is? Some of his money is too much for others to give away, so Zhu Chen has to do it himself. Or he has connections that he doesn't want others to touch, so he holds onto them tightly and has to do it himself. Generally speaking, in these situations, he usually goes out early in the morning or late at night when there are fewer people around, and he's usually with only three or five people. But you can't find out the exact date; it's actually quite difficult."
"Let's talk about theaters or pleasure boats," Shao Shuyi said.
"I've never been to the opera house, so I don't know," Liu Jinbao said. "The pleasure boats are moored on the Qinhuai River, and they're mostly filled with outstanding girls he's carefully cultivated to curry favor with officials. There are also hired boatmen on the boats; they're nominally boatmen, but they're actually his hired hands. They're quite capable and not easy to deal with."
Shao Shuyi nodded slightly.
Painted boats were already quite common in the Tang Dynasty, and they flourished further during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The reason for this was simply that most officials were scholars who enjoyed a bit of romance, and that banquets and visits to brothels on painted boats seemed more "high-class."
"Will Zhu Chen spend the night on the pleasure boat?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"Sometimes, sometimes not. I've only heard it from others, so it's not reliable," Liu Jinbao said. "If you want to know where Zhu Chen's pleasure boat is, I can have someone point it out to you. It's easy to find; you can see it from afar."
"What do you think of the Zhu residence?" Shao Shuyi asked again.
"The Zhu residence is very large, with many people and many doors. Even if we could break in, we might not be able to stop them." Liu Jinbao shook his head and said, "Besides, there are seven or eight dogs in the house, and martial arts masters and guards patrol day and night. It will be very difficult to succeed. Forget about it."
Shao Shuyi smiled and said, "It's always good to ask clearly, just in case."
Liu Jinbao sighed and said, "I advise you not to get involved with him. Isn't it better to be alive?"
"In our line of work, the more timid you are, the harder it is to survive," Shao Shuyi laughed. "Sometimes, if you go all out, you can actually carve out your own niche."
Liu Jinbao stared at him blankly for a moment, then said, "The younger generation is truly formidable."
"It's nothing more than trying to make a living," Shao Shuyi said.
Liu Jinbao looked at Shao Shuyi with a complicated expression and said, "Putting everything else aside, with your drive, even if you fail to ambush Zhu Chen, as long as you can escape, you might still have a chance to make a comeback. But I have to warn you, Zhu Chen is not easy to deal with; his trusted followers are quite capable fighters. In the past ten years, the government has sought his help to kill many notorious bandits, and even thieves from the Huai region have had a hard time escaping his pursuit. You should carefully consider whether you are as capable as these desperados. If not, you should stop now and go home to lie low. Zhu Chen is old after all; waiting a few years will give you a better chance."
"Thank you for the advice." Shao Shuyi stood up, bowed, and said, "I will consider it all."
Liu Jinbao knew the other person hadn't listened, but he didn't want to say anything more.
"You should leave tomorrow. My little temple can't hold all of you great gods." He shook his head and said, "I'm getting old too. Now I just want to make more money to pass on to my descendants."
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