Chapter 61 Notification

Chapter 61 Notification

Chapter 61 Notification
Zhu Shencui, wearing a gray cotton robe and holding his jujube wood stick in his hand, walked towards Wangjia Village along the familiar path.

The snow had stopped in the past few days, but the accumulated snow from the previous winter had not yet melted. The official road was still easy to walk on, but the small road was not. Under the heavy snow, even the path was not clear. Fortunately, Zhu Shenzhu often went to Wangjia Village and followed his memory. It took him some time to arrive safely.

As they approached Wangjia Village, they could see the village in the distance. Zhu Shenzui, who was slightly out of breath, couldn't help but smile. He quickened his pace and continued to move forward until he reached the intersection outside the village.

"Sixth Master, why are you here?" Wang Hong, who was hiding in the dark, suddenly ran out with a look of surprise.

Seeing Wang Hong's face turning blue from the cold, and icicles on his eyebrows from his breath, Zhu Shenzui greeted him with a smile.

"Are you guarding the village entrance today? Are you cold?"

"It's not cold. I'm used to it. Someone will come to replace me in half an hour. I'll be fine then if I go back and warm myself by the fire." Wang Hong said happily, stamping his feet. Ever since Zhu Shenzhui took Wangjia Village to trade salt, he set a rule for Wangjia Village that no matter what time it is, there must be someone guarding the village entrance, day or night.

The people of Wangjia Village did not agree with this rule at first, but it has continued under the forced implementation of Zhu Shenzhui and the support of his uncle Wang Rong. Just like the last time I came to Wangjia Village, the person guarding it was Wang Chuer, and today it is Wang Hong.

Seeing the big picture from the small, some things cannot be taken lightly, not only because Zhu Shenzhui and Wangjiacun are working together to sell salt, which is a life-threatening business, and the consequences of negligence are very serious. In addition, Zhu Shenzhui also intends to integrate the children of Wangjiacun and use this method to train and cultivate his own team.

The effect of the implementation in the past few years has been good. The whole Wangjia Village looks ordinary from the outside, but in fact it is no different from a military camp. In fact, because of the implementation, Wangjia Village is more difficult for outsiders to approach than ordinary military camps. Once something happens, outsiders will be discovered by the secret sentries before they enter the village.

Let Wang Hong continue to guard and pay attention to the situation outside the village, Zhu Shenzhui went straight into the village along the road.

Because it was still cold, most of the villagers were staying at home, and it looked very deserted. Zhu Shenzhui quickly arrived at his uncle's house, raised his hand and knocked on the door twice, and the door opened from the inside after a while.

"Sixth Master!" Li You, who opened the door, saw that it was Zhu Shenzhui and shouted in surprise. Then he turned around and shouted inside: "Master! Master! Sixth Master is here!"

It looked like Li You was now living with Wang Jinwu's family. Wang Jinwu had told him about this when he went to Pingyang to find him a few years ago. Wang Jinwu accepted Li You as his apprentice. It seemed that Wang Jinwu was really good to his apprentice. He directly brought Li You to live in his home. Li You looked stronger and taller than when he was in Yangtou Mountain.

Hearing the sound, Wang Rong and Wang Jinwu came out of the house and were very happy to see Zhu Shencui coming. Wang Rong hurriedly invited Zhu Shencui to come in and warm himself by the fire. The snow had not melted yet, so Zhu Shencui's feet were covered with snow and mud.

"Sixth brother, why did you come today? I've been thinking these days that you would come next month." Wang Jinwu said to Zhu Shenzhui with a smile, and said that it was good for him to come earlier, as it was just right for him to stay in Wangjia Village for a few more days. They didn't get to spar last time, so this time he must have a good sparring match. Wang Jinwu was not idle all winter, and he not only taught his apprentices at home, but also practiced his own boxing and kicking.

"Get out of here, you little brat. Didn't you see your cousin just arrived? How can you treat a guest like this? Why don't you go and make a pot of tea?" Wang Rong cursed with a smile, and kicked Wang Jinwu in the butt.

Wang Jinwu dodged it and muttered to himself, "Zhu Shenzhui is not a stranger, so how can his cousin be considered a guest?"

Besides, the exchange was agreed upon last time, so how could it be his fault? He could complain, but he didn't dare to speak loudly. He knew his father's hot temper. If he really beat him, he would be very cruel. It would be fine before, but now he has accepted an apprentice. If the apprentice saw him being beaten by his father, how could he save his dignity as a master?
After sending Wang Jinwu away, Wang Rong pulled Zhu Shenzhui into the house. There was a fire burning in the house, which was much warmer than outside.

He took off his thick cotton robe, then his boots that were covered in snow and mud, then got on the kang, and sat opposite Wang Rong and talked.

"Uncle, this is a New Year's gift for you. It's a little late, please don't blame me." He handed the New Year's gift to Wang Rong. These were snacks he bought from the best pastry shop in Pingyang Prefecture. Although the Lantern Festival has passed, Zhu Shenzhui still follows the rules. As long as it is within the first month of the year, it is still considered the middle of the year. It's just that this gift is indeed a little later than normal.

Wang Rong didn't care at all and accepted it with a smile. He put the gift aside and asked Zhu Shenzhui about the situation at home. Zhu Shenzhui said that everything was fine at home and that he had a peaceful New Year, so his uncle could rest assured.

As they were talking, Wang Jinwu and Li You brought tea up, and they were planning to sit aside and chat for a few minutes. However, Wang Rong did not indulge him, and gave the New Year gift brought by Zhu Shenzhu to Wang Jinwu, and asked him to take Li You to his room to rest.

Wang Jinwu understood immediately that his father and cousin had something to say in private. He responded and took Li You out. After they left and the door was closed, Zhu Shenzhui subconsciously looked in the direction of the door and then asked about Li You's situation. "This child has a good character. Although he is young, he is very sensible. I agreed to let Jinwu take him as a disciple. He moved in two months ago. He can be regarded as a companion to Jinwu. The family will be more lively with more people." Wang Rong said with a smile.

Zhu Shenzhui nodded. Although his uncle looked insignificant, he was actually a very experienced man. Otherwise, he would not have managed the entire Wangjia Village like an iron barrel. This was not because he was the eldest son of the Wang family and had the status of a centurion, but more because of Wang Rong's own ability.

In other words, if Wang Rong was an ordinary person, he would not have hit it off with Zhu Shenzhui and started the salt business with Wangjia Village. If he was just an ordinary old military household, how could he have such courage? Zhu Shenzhui always admired Wang Rong's vision. Since Wang Rong said that Li You was good, he must be reliable.

"By the way, why did you come so early this time?" Zhu Shenzhui poured himself some hot tea. Wang Rong took over and asked. Zhu Shenzhui did come earlier this year. He should have come next month, but why did he come here before the end of the first month of the year?

"I came early because I had something urgent to do." Zhu Shenzhui did not hide anything from his uncle. He drank a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat and said, "I originally planned to come next month, but something happened in Pingyang Prefecture, so I came early."

"Something happened? What happened? Is it serious?" Wang Rong asked nervously.

"Haha, it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing, uncle, don't be nervous." Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile.

Wang Rong touched his chest and said accusingly, "You are so breathless when you say that. It really scared me! What's the matter?"

"Do you remember asking Xia Dong to go to Jiezhou to inquire about the remaining salt last time?"

"Of course I remember. Didn't they say that the remaining salt in Jiezhou was seized by Liu Jiaquan of Pingyang Prefecture? What's going on? Is what you want to say related to this?"

Zhu Shenzhui nodded and said, "The key to the problem of the surplus salt in Jiezhou lies with the Liu family. I told Xia Dong about it last time. I was planning to go to Jiezhou again after the New Year to find a way, but now there is no need, because this problem is no longer a problem."

"What do you mean?" Wang Rong was puzzled.

After drinking the tea in the cup, Zhu Shenzhui put down the cup and laughed: "It's very simple, because the Liu family is finished. There will be no Liu family in Pingyang Prefecture anymore."

"What did you say? The Liu family is finished? This...what's going on?" Wang Rong was stunned, and his eyes widened instantly. He was well aware of the Pingyang Liu family. This was a well-known big merchant in Pingyang Prefecture. How could it be finished all of a sudden? Wang Chuer hadn't heard him mention it before when he came back from Pingyang City. How long had it been? How could the Liu family be finished?

"It's a long story, and I only know the details in general." Zhu Shenzhui smiled and pointed upwards: "To put it simply, the Liu family has offended someone. Some time ago, the Liu family was involved in a murder lawsuit, and then there was a commotion within the Liu family. After all this, someone took a fancy to the Liu family's assets and secretly made efforts behind the scenes. Although the Liu family is rich and powerful, it is just a merchant family after all. You know a thing or two about the officialdom. Without a reliable background, how can the Liu family withstand such a toss?"

"If the Liu family were just an ordinary family, it would be fine. But the richer they are, the worse it would be if nothing bad happened. The head of the Liu family, Liu Shancheng, committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment, and so did the Liu family's butler, Lin Zhenzong. The second and third branches of the Liu family have not benefited from anything either. The huge Liu family is now in name only."

"The Liu family has been completely ruined, and most of their assets are gone. Naturally, they can no longer take care of the salt road in Jiezhou. Don't you think this is a good thing?"

Wang Rong was stunned by the news. How could he have imagined that the great Liu family would be defeated in this way? Before, he was worried about the salt road in Lizhou just like Zhu Shencui. He planned to wait until spring to discuss with Zhu Shencui how to deal with this matter.

But they didn't expect that the Liu family would be gone after such a short time. Once the Liu family was gone, the problems in Jiezhou were solved, which was indeed great news for them.

For a moment, Wang Rong was a little excited again. The Liu family was in trouble! They were in trouble! But the strange thing was that the Liu family was gone at this time. Could it be that God had opened his eyes? Even God was helping them?
Thinking of this, and looking at his nephew who was always smiling, an idea suddenly came to Wang Rong's mind.

(End of this chapter)