Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 587 Who are you trying to outsmart, you brat?

"Is this you?"

Less than half an hour after Xia Lin and his group arrived in Yao County, they were surrounded by Master Hu's men. The leader of the group placed three portraits in front of Xia Lin and his group and questioned them sternly.

"No, of course not. Look at us, how do we look like that? We are merchants from out of town, planning to invest some money in Yao County. How did we become notorious bandits?"

"Invest money?"

The man leading the group looked Xia Lin and his companions up and down. He was certain that these were the same people, but the current situation was a bit too strange.

He was no ordinary bandit; he was a learned scholar with a wealth of knowledge, so for a moment he didn't know what to do.

"Really not?"

"No, that's not true. The three of us just arrived today. Look, we even brought a caravan with us."

Xia Lin pointed to the soldiers unloading goods behind him: "Who would bring a caravan of notorious bandits?"

The scholar frowned: "Open the box and let me see."

Xia Lin didn't waste any words. He waved his hand and had someone open the boxes. These boxes were all standard cargo boxes, mostly filled with porcelain of various shapes. The surrounding space was filled with salt or tea leaves to save space and increase the volume of cargo shipments.

After inspecting several boxes, the scholar frowned: "You're smuggling salt?!"

“It’s not smuggling! You can’t just say things like that, sir, it’s a capital offense.” Xia Lin quickly took out the documents: “Look, we are from Dongfeng Trading Company, we have salt transport documents, how can you call it smuggling?”

This was strange indeed. After looking around, the scholar was completely bewildered. It was impossible for him to have mistaken the person for someone else. Putting aside others, there were few such freaks in the world, even if the person turned into water, people would still remember him. How much more so when he was standing right in front of him alive.

They didn't even change their weapons; the horse-slaying saber was still a horse-slaying saber, and the red-tasseled spear was still a red-tasseled spear. They had already left, so what was the meaning of coming back?
But then he thought about it again, and looked back at the strong young men unloading the goods, and the scholar began to have some reservations.

He cupped his hands in greeting: "I apologize for disturbing you gentlemen. A few days ago, three notorious bandits came to this county. They committed all sorts of evil deeds, including rape and robbery. We were quite frightened at the time, and we hope you will forgive us. May I ask where you three are staying? I will definitely send someone to deliver an apology gift when you arrive."

“We’ll be staying at this Drunken Spring Pavilion.” Xia Lin pointed to the inn behind him. “You’re welcome to come anytime, sir, if you have the time.”

When the scholar left, although he worked for the government, he was essentially still Hu's man. So when he reported back, he was not reporting to the county magistrate, but to Hu the gang leader.

"Oh? You brought someone with you?" Master Hu frowned, then laughed. "Hahaha, that's the temperament of a young man. Looks like he's the young master of a family, can't stand the slightest grievance. Very well, then I'll go and meet this young master of some unknown family."

"Uncle Hu, let me tell you, he also has sales receipts for salt and iron, so his family must have some influence."

"Hahaha, you," Master Hu laughed, tilting his head back. "Don't you even know what kind of place this is? What kind of ability do you have? In this small area, whether you're a dragon or a tiger, it's useless. Lingnan Road isn't a place where just anyone can come and test their skills. When you go to their door later, tell them that I've invited them to my residence tomorrow for a chat, and let's see what they're up to and what tricks they have up their sleeves."

Meanwhile, Xu Shiji stood at the window looking outside and laughed, "Daosheng, your move is a bit audacious, but it will definitely muddy the waters of Yao County. I'm afraid they, from top to bottom, are now completely confused about what we're up to."

"What are we doing? Playing with him!" Xia Lin slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "I've already deployed my troops, now all that's left is to play with him. What else can he dare to do? I'll go up there under the guise of Dao Sheng. This county... no, this entire county, I want it all. What Guangfu can control, I'll control; what Guangfu can't control, I'll control even more. South of the Yangtze River, there's no place I can't conquer. I'm not in a hurry to act now, I want to lure out the big fish behind him. To be honest, I really don't believe that a small bandit gang dares to act so arrogantly in front of the county magistrate. There must be someone behind him."

"Of course there are people involved. They probably have the backing of many powerful families. This line of work is too lucrative, and they are not willing to let the government profit from it. Since the rebellion of the Prince of Lingnan, it has been difficult for the Guangfu government to extend its reach here, which has allowed them to take advantage of the situation."

At this moment, the second brother said impatiently, "You two are so annoying, always talking about this and that. I won't put up with him. At worst, I'll just shoot him dead. Why bother talking to him? Give me fifty axemen, and I'll go up there and kill my way from the east side of the city to the west side. I don't believe it."

"Second Brother," Xia Lin waved his hand with a smile, "Killing won't help in this kind of thing. This is Lingnan Road after all. If it really escalates to Jinling, someone will use your identity to attack the Prince. Don't think that Jinling is peaceful now. What we need to do is to silence them. Also, what about the hundreds of thousands of people on this front? You may feel good when you're killing them, but what will happen to them when you go back? If these people come back and launch a fierce counterattack, giving you a 'returning home' army, then have you done a good thing or a bad thing? These things can't be dealt with from the outside. We can only let them fester from the inside, or rather, find their root cause and prevent them from gaining any more power."

“That’s right.” Xu Shiji immediately chimed in, “These are turbulent times. While ruthless methods may bring some satisfaction, they will ultimately lead to greater trouble. You reckless fool, just listen to Daosheng’s arrangements.”

As they were talking, the scholar they had met earlier returned, bringing gifts of apology and an invitation. "Young masters, my master said he would like to host a banquet for you today and hopes you will do me the honor of attending."

Xia Lin accepted the invitation, raising her eyelids slightly: "May I ask on what occasion your master invited us?"

“Oh…” The scholar was clearly surprised that Xia Lin would ask such a question, but he was clever enough to be noticed by Master Hu. Almost instantly, his eyes darted around and he said, “My master said that he has taken a liking to the young talents of you and wants to discuss cooperation with you.”

"Okay, go tell your husband we'll definitely be there. And please thank your husband for me."

When the message arrived, Master Hu was quite surprised. Just as Xia Lin and the others had predicted, Master Hu was now completely confused. He had no idea what the other side wanted to do. The mix of truth and deception had left even this seasoned veteran bewildered. But no matter what, he decided to see the person first.

After all, Master Hu's reputation for valuing and cherishing talent is well-known.

That evening, Master Hu booked the best restaurant in the county. The huge two-story building had only one table. Master Hu sat alone at the head of the table, quietly fiddling with a purple-gold gourd handle in his hand. This purple-gold gourd was said to have been played with by Xia Daosheng of Jiangnan Dao. Master Hu could never meet such a tall person, but he always wanted to absorb some of the spiritual energy of such a person who could shake the heavens and the earth. So ever since he got his hands on this gourd, he had been playing with it every day.

Around 7 p.m., Xia Lin and his two companions arrived at the restaurant under the guidance of the scholar. They sat down in a brightly lit restaurant with a wide variety of dishes on the table, showing that Master Hu had indeed prepared everything meticulously.

"I apologize for the inconvenience caused by your long journey."

Xia Lin bowed to Master Hu and said, "Zhang Shuo from Luoyang."

Xu Shiji turned his head to look at Xia Lin and coughed: "Xu Mao from Cao County."

"Tian Shuang." The second brother was straightforward, just like his Han name.

"So you're from the North." Old Master Hu laughed. "Are the three of you from Jiangnan?"

“That’s right. The three of us fled from the north to the south and started a small business together,” Xia Lin said first. “I guess… oh, we don’t know how we should be addressed?”

"Just call me Brother Hu, we don't stand on ceremony like men of the martial world," Master Hu laughed. "But your business is quite substantial."

"Compared to the wealthy merchants of Jiangnan Road, they are nothing but a drop in the ocean. The Dugu family's caravans often number ten thousand people. I'm sure Brother Hu has seen them before."

Master Hu nodded. As a bandit, how could he not know the name of the Dugu family? Their caravans were so famous that no bandit or horseman in the world dared to touch them.

Master Hu's eyes darted around: "My useless subordinates mistook a few people for others today, so I should apologize to you first. In these chaotic times, there are always some desperate criminals roaming around. A few days ago, three villains came to the county, gathered bandits and killed many people. They have no regard for the law. The county magistrate has made a solemn vow that he will not rest until these three villains are caught."

As he spoke, his eyes kept darting over Xia Lin and the other two, carefully observing their reactions. But then, Xia Lin suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Damn it, these wicked people!" Xia Lin took a deep breath, his face flushed. "I, Zhang, have always loved to stand up for the weak. Brother Hu, these bandits must be wiped out! I understand now, it must be because this place is remote and they don't have the money to fight bandits, right?"

Hu Ye's expression clearly changed; he leaned back, trying to figure out what this Zhang guy in front of him was up to.

“My two brothers and I want to start a stable business in the county, so stability is the most important thing. Therefore, as we are newcomers, we are willing to contribute five thousand taels to support the county in suppressing bandits.”

Xia Lin finished speaking and sat down: "We heard on our way here that the two sides of this river have been controlled by two bandit groups for many years. Five thousand taels may not be enough to wipe out the bandits, Brother Hu."

Master Hu squinted at Xia Lin for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Brother Zhang is indeed a heroic young man, so righteous and hateful. But what you said is right, five thousand taels is certainly not enough."

“Brother Hu, I have an idea…” Xia Lin leaned forward: “It just depends on whether Brother Hu dares to do it.”

(End of this chapter)