Chapter 239 The Conspiracy Revealed
Chapter 239 The Conspiracy Revealed
The next morning, the cloth shop reopened and hung a new plaque, 'Xi Hai Cloth Shop'.
Next to the cloth shop, Zhang Huan sat on wooden benches with two of his men, acting as guards. On the first day, he personally served as a guard for the cloth shop.
Zhang Huan's face was all smiles. He used two hundred strings of cash to get a one-acre house in Daixianfang, which was a great bargain. Although it was a bit troublesome to take over the house, it was a piece of cake for him. He took twenty of his men and threw the skinny and wretched man out, and threw all the furniture and belongings onto the street, scaring the guy away.
Dozens of Chen family members came to cause trouble, but they found out that the other party was the Dali Temple Tiqi, so causing trouble turned into reasoning. Zhang Huan took out the legal house deed and deed tax bill, and dozens of Chen family members had to leave sadly, completely losing the opportunity to divide the property.
On the first day of opening, business was average. We sold about twenty pieces of cloth, which was only half of the usual business. But this was not important. The important thing was that no one dared to cause trouble.
Zhang Huan did not leave with his men until the store closed in the afternoon.
Xiao Xia was not worried that Shangqing Trading Company or the Martial Arts School would come to cause trouble, as he believed they would not dare to come again. What Xiao Xia was worried about was that the families of the five people who were killed or seriously injured would come to cause trouble.
Generally, they come during the first three days of opening. If they don’t come during the first three days, they generally won’t come again later, which means that they have been appeased by the martial arts school.
The next day, the troublemakers still did not come, but Yu Xiaoyan did come. He came to apologize to Xiao Xia. His father refused to help, and the Yu family did not want to offend the prince because of this matter.
In the tavern, Yu Xiaoyan apologized, "It's not that I don't want to help, this matter is a bit complicated, I believe you know that my father really doesn't dare to act rashly."
Xiao Xia nodded and said, "I should be the one to apologize for this matter. I thought it was only related to the Yun family, but I didn't expect it to involve the prince and almost implicate your father."
"No! No! My father is always cautious in doing things. He will not do anything until he has made sure everything is clear. You don't have to worry. He won't be implicated."
After a pause, Yu Xiaoyan continued, "My father asked me to remind you that it's been a few days since you hurt someone, but the prince didn't react at all. This is a bit abnormal and not in line with his character. You have to be careful, he may be preparing a follow-up move."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "He is waiting for my father to come back. The army will return victoriously in the next two days. I guess he will start a rebellion soon."
Yu Xiaoyan sighed and said, "The prince is very petty and vindictive. If he ascends the throne, everyone's life will be very difficult."
Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry. Even cats and dogs hold grudges, let alone humans. It's normal. In fact, I also hold grudges, but I can't say that I will take revenge for every grievance. I would say that I distinguish between gratitude and resentment."
Yu Xiaoyan shook his head quickly, "You are different from him. You are happy to repay kindness and revenge. He is not like that. He only takes revenge and never repays kindness. No matter how loyal you are to him or how good you are to him, he will not remember it. But if you offend him in the slightest, he will kill you."
Xiao Xia nodded, "These past two years are a special period. Tell your father to be extra careful. I will not visit your grandfather, lest anyone feel uncomfortable."
Old Master Yu wanted to invite Xiao Xia to dinner, but Yu Xiaoyan's father objected. Yu Xiaoyan was caught in the middle and was embarrassed. Unexpectedly, Xiao Xia was so tactful and took the initiative to help him solve his problem.
Yu Xiaoyan sighed, "Thank you for your understanding, brother. Also, my father asked me to tell you that you should recruit a few warriors and let them do the beatings. This way you will have room to shirk responsibility. If you do it yourself, it will be easy for others to catch you!"
"I understand. Thank you for your reminder!"
..........
Yu Xiaoyan said goodbye and left. Xiao Xia sat alone in the restaurant drinking. In fact, he felt that he was a little weak and needed to recruit some warriors, not only to work for him but also to protect the company.
Xiao Xia felt a little regretful. He should not have left all of his twenty men in Hexi. He should have brought some of them back. However, it was not too late to save the situation now. His men were only on secondment to Hexi. Their military status was still the imperial guards, under the jurisdiction of Prince Jin's Mansion.
Xiao Xia immediately decided to write a letter to Xu Min and Cao Taiyue, asking them to immediately arrange for some of their men to return and then recruit a group of warriors.
Xiao Xia then went to the new trading company, but Ma Yue and Liu Wenjing were not there. They had been busy these past two days handing over stores to the Da Zhou Trading Company and recruiting accountants.
And there was a big surprise. His aunt gave him another 10% share. This share was of extremely high value. Several shops were among the top three in Chang'an, including the Dazhou Jewelry Shop, the Wencui Restaurant in Pingkangfang, a share of the Xiao Family Wharf in Jiangdu, and even half of the Dazhou Counter Shop.
There were only a few newly recruited accountants checking the accounts in the new company. Xiao Xia did not disturb them and turned away.
…………The Wenshan Restaurant in Pingkangfang is the property of Han King Yang Liang, and is also one of the top ten restaurants in Chang'an. Since his comeback, Yang Liang has often come here to drink tea and secretly meet with some officials.
In a suite on the third floor of Wenshan Restaurant, King Han was drinking tea and listening to a secret report from Wannian County Magistrate Zhao Chu.
The Jingzhao Prefecture and the county government in Chang'an have always been considered the prince's base. Except for the Jingzhao Yin who was appointed by the emperor, other officials were basically appointed or recommended by the prince.
Of course, it also includes the county magistrates of Wannian County and Chang'an County. The county magistrate of Wannian County, Zhao Chu, is the one that everyone has always believed to be from the prince's faction, but no one could have imagined that Zhao Chu had already been secretly wooed and bribed by the King of Han.
"Are you sure? Is he holding the emperor's gold medal?" asked King Han Yang Liang.
"I didn't see it with my own eyes, but the county lieutenant Wang Shengzhi did. It was a gold plate engraved with nine dragons and with the words 'As if I were here in person' on it. Wang Shengzhi was terrified."
Yang Liang paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He knew of course that the gold medal was real. He had seen it with his own eyes in his father's imperial study, but his father had never given it to him. He did not expect that his father would actually give the gold medal to Xiao Xia.
Yang Liang felt jealous and asked again, "Does the prince know?"
"At present, only I and Wang Shengzhi know about it. I told him not to tell anyone. I guess the Crown Prince doesn't know either. If he knew, he wouldn't dare to convict Xiao Xia."
Yang Liang sneered. The real show was about to begin. The idiot prince didn't even know that Xiao Xia had the emperor's golden medal, and he still wanted to mess with him. Let's see how he will end up.
"This secret must be kept. Don't tell anyone else, especially the prince."
Zhao Chu said with embarrassment: "But the prince forces us to detain Xiao Xia every day. We dare not touch him. How can we explain to the prince?"
Yang Liang smiled and said, "It's very simple. Xiao Xia has a title and an official position. According to regulations, he must be detained after approval from the Ministry of Justice. You should follow the rules and apply to the Ministry of Justice. As long as you stick to the principles, the prince will have no choice but to urge the Ministry of Justice to approve it."
"I understand. I will go back and submit the application right away!"
"Go ahead! Keep it a secret."
"I understand the humble position!"
Zhao Chu left in a hurry. Yang Liang was very proud in his heart. This was an opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the prince. He wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers.
Two days later at noon, the city of Chang'an suddenly became lively as the army that had gone on the expedition to Tuyuhun returned triumphantly.
Emperor Yang Jian led all the civil and military officials to the Mingde Gate to welcome the triumphant soldiers. Yang Jian praised his second son Yang Guang and more than a dozen generals, and then held a grand entry ceremony.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to warmly welcome the triumphant army.
Xiao Xia ranked second in the merit book, but he did not have the opportunity to enjoy the highlight and glory of this moment.
Yang Guang is worthy of being a representative of model workers in history. He arrived at the Prince of Jin's Mansion early the next morning.
Yang Guang was worried, he knew a lot of complicated things were waiting for him.
Yang Guang was busy handling official business at his desk when his chief aide Zhang Chou Taiyi said to him, "There is a big case recently that may involve San Lang. The Ministry of Justice has been suppressing it, and the crown prince has sent people to urge him several times."
(End of this chapter)