Chapter 245 Jiangzhou Pier
Chapter 245 Jiangzhou Pier
In late April in the south, the river waves are mighty, the mist and rain are drizzling, and the weather is hazy.
When we arrived at Yuzhang, the river was flat and broad, with white sails gathered along the coast and dozens of ships anchored in front of Jiangzhou Wharf.
The Yangtze River turns northeast here, passes through Anhui, and flows into the sea from the truly prosperous and beautiful land of the Ming Dynasty.
"Oh!"
Thick wooden boards were slowly lowered from the ship to the pier, and dock workers came forward to fix the ropes. After it was stable, people, livestock, and goods on the ship passed through in turn. As for bulk goods, there were small boats shuttling on the river to deliver them.
"We've arrived at Jiujiang Prefecture!"
The middle-aged man who looked like a scholar was carrying a package and holding a little girl of about five or six years old with two pigtails in his right hand, who was leaning on his shoulder.
The girl asked, "Daddy, can't we take the boat?"
The middle-aged scholar breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, I don't need to do that anymore. I will go to Yanping Prefecture by land and then go home."
The girl was a little disappointed: "Wan'er thought we could continue to take the boat."
The middle-aged scholar vomited all the way and his face was pale. Hearing these childish words, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He grew up by the Minjiang River, but he was born unable to swim and could lose half his life while riding a boat.
The girl asked again, "Daddy isn't going to the capital?"
The middle-aged scholar stepped onto the trestle from the wooden plank, feeling the solid ground under his feet, and said with a relieved smile: "I won't go. I have wasted half my life. There are thousands of ways in the world. What's so good about the world of fame and fortune?"
The girl was unable to understand the sorrow and frustration of adults, and her eyes were quickly attracted by the majestic white horse behind her. The white horse walked lightly and gracefully, like a human, on the plank and onto the shore.
Goods were piled up like mountains on the shore, and merchant warehouses were everywhere. Flags of various colors from escort agencies and government offices were flying around. Officials in green robes stood on high places, seemingly preaching laws or mediating disputes. A few good men deliberately gathered where there were many people.
"Where's my purse?"
"Damn thief!"
After a while, there were several cries from the crowd...
Zhang Yu, leading a white horse, wearing a straw hat covering his face and a sword at his waist, walked forward alone, hoping to find a nearby tavern to have a big meal.
We stopped and walked along the way, and stayed on the boat for more than half a week, so much so that our mouths were almost dry.
He looked around and couldn't help but sigh: "No wonder people say that the beauty of the south of the Yangtze River is different from that of the north."
Although the fate of Chi County was decided in the north thousands of years ago and hundreds of years later, the prosperous urban economy of Jiangzhou Wharf exudes a strange vitality, which seems to foreshadow something.
Jiangzhou Wharf is still five or six miles away from the provincial capital. There is a tavern on the side of the road. There are no other guests, only two men in plain clothes sitting at a wooden table, with two plates of food and a pot of wine. They have white scarves wrapped around their heads and straw sandals on their feet. They are dressed shabbily and are not tall, but they have an imposing manner that is very intimidating.
At this time, four horse-drawn carriages drove past the tavern, with two escort leaders leading the way astride large horses, surrounded by more than a dozen escorts and porters. A man in the middle was holding a large blue flag with the words "Fuwei Escort Agency" inscribed on it.
"Master Luo, when are we going to start?"
"What are you in such a hurry for? Are you missing your wife at home?"
"Why do I miss that yellow-faced woman? I miss the huge sum of money from the Fuwei Escort Agency. Their martial arts skills are so low, but they have so much money. Isn't this just courting death? Why don't we kill them first, get the money, and then go to the city to live happily..."
The man known as 'Brother Luo' was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was a talented young man in the Qingcheng Sect. Together with three other outstanding disciples, he was quite famous in the martial arts world and was known as the 'Four Beauties of Qingcheng, heroes and great men'.
He took up the character "杰", Luo Renjie.
"Hao Laosan, you are out of your mind! Are we here to rob the silver? You know the consequences of ruining Master's plan."
Luo Renjie naturally coveted the wealth of Fuwei Escort Agency. Although it was only a Nanchang branch, the daily income and expenditure were really enviable. He also knew that his master Yu Canghai had a deep and tyrannical character and would never show mercy to disciples who disobeyed his orders.
Hao Lao San smiled and said, "Brother Luo, you know, I dare not break the rules of the temple master, I just said it casually."
Luo Renjie said coldly, "Humph! Fuwei Escort Agency has ten branches and its business is spread all over the country. If we don't take action, it's fine. But if we do, we will uproot them all and avenge the grudge of our forefather."
Hao Laosan chuckled a few times. He was not interested in the Qingcheng Sect's trivial past. He just wanted to take this opportunity to make some money.
The two waited for another hour, and seeing that it was getting dark, there would be no new ships docking today.
Luo Renjie frowned and said, "Master said in the letter that he has already left Sichuan. According to the timetable, he should arrive in the next few days."
Hao Lao San smiled and said, "If it's not today, then it will be tomorrow. Brother Luo, don't even think about trying to please the abbot. Just think about where to stay for tonight. Jiangzhou Wharf is a place where we spend a lot of money. We have almost spent all the money we brought with us."
Although the Qingcheng Sect is a big sect in Shu, as a rising star and a family of monks, it does not have much property. Yu Canghai is a stingy person and is not generous to his disciples. The two of them have been practicing in the mountains for a long time, and suddenly saw the splendor and prosperity of Jiangnan. They lost their discretion when it came to spending money. In addition, they prided themselves on their status as disciples of a famous sect, and refused to compromise on food and clothing. Now they are penniless.
Luo Renjie was also worried about this, and thought to himself, why not do as Hao Laosan said and go to the Fuwei Escort Agency to borrow some money?
I have been keeping an eye on this branch in Nanchang for more than two months and have already figured out all the details.
With their martial arts skills, it would not be difficult for them to get some silver from the escort agency.
But they were afraid of unexpected complications. In case they were captured, the Fuwei Escort Agency would not dare to do anything to the Qingcheng Sect disciples. They would not even say a harsh word. They would have to prepare generous gifts and send them off respectfully.
He couldn't imagine the wrath he would face because he had ruined his master's decades-long plan just because of his selfish desires.
Just when they were in a dilemma, Hao Laosan suddenly pushed him gently.
"What are you doing?"
"Brother, what do you think?"
Luo Renjie looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a man and a horse passing by the door. The man was holding a wine gourd in his hand and drinking as he walked, while the horse was carrying a heavy bag on his back.
"What a big horse!"
"This drunkard must have a lot of money on him. If he keeps drinking like this, he will soon lose his way. Let's quietly follow him and find a deserted place to borrow some money from him. This will not only help you and me solve our urgent needs, but also avoid disobeying the order of the temple master. What do you think?"
Luo Renjie was still a little hesitant. After all, he was a disciple of a big sect, and he was worried that doing such a robbery would ruin his reputation.
"Do it more cleanly. Who would know it was us who did it?"
Hao Laosan joined the sect halfway through and did not have so many concerns. He used to make a living by cheating people in Langzhong, and later joined the Qingcheng Sect. He originally thought he could live a good life, but in the end he still lived a hard life.
This time when he came to Jiangnan, his evil intentions soon came back.
"Brother Luo, we are out of money now."
"If the temple master arrives tomorrow, what should I give him to welcome him?"
Hao Laosan drank the wine in his glass, sighed, and secretly looked at Luo Renjie. Seeing his face change color, he knew that he had hit the nail on the head.
Luo Renjie climbed onto the hilt of the sword with his right hand and made up his mind.
"Then... let's do this!"
(End of this chapter)