Taiheiki

Chapter 88 Planning
After hearing what Qian Wen said, everyone's faces turned pale. As people from Yuzhang, they knew that Qian Wen was not trying to scare them, and that their hometown was indeed like this. They just didn't expect that Yuzhang County was really so big, so they were so happy when they heard someone say that they were not far from Yuzhang, and they even thought of running away.

"I thought Wei Cong was being kind when he didn't shackle us and just let us paddle. It turns out he knew all along that we couldn't escape!"

"Yeah, I thought that guy was a fool, but now it seems that we are the fools!"

"So what? Just row him for the rest of his life?"

The sailors chatted dejectedly, feeling hopeless about their future. Qian Wen coughed, "Actually, you don't have to be too hopeless. In my opinion, even if Wei Cong doesn't have good intentions, he's at least not harsh on his subordinates. Look at his men; they're doing pretty well!"

"That's true!"

"Yes, I've seen the clothes and shoes those soldiers wear. They're all very thick and top-quality!"

"Yes, even if the rice we eat is not the new rice of the year, it must be two or three years old. It's not like when we were in Jingnan, where we ate seven or eight years old rice all year round, and a lot of it was rotten!"

"Yes, there's fish soup and new dishes to go with every meal, and meat every six or seven days! With such a life, no wonder those soldiers are willing to die for him!"

"We actually eat pretty well. Although we don't have meat, we have enough rice every day, and fish soup and other things are not lacking. If the higher-ups had treated us like this in Jingnan, we wouldn't have had to deal with such troubles later!"

"Enough fish soup and rice? Are you dreaming? Let us eat this, you are the captain's biological son? If you eat rice and fish soup, how can he feed his concubines and fine horses?"

"Wei Cong is also a lieutenant, how can he succeed?"

"There's a huge difference between a lieutenant and a lieutenant. Have you ever heard of the Jiangyi General?"

"I think I've heard of him. He's a famous robber! What does this have to do with him?"

"Hey, you better watch your words. What big bandit? He's a general! Do you understand? Or you can call him a great hero or a hero! Otherwise, if those soldiers hear you, you'll definitely get a beating!"

"What? Could it be that Wei Cong is the General in Crimson Clothes?"

"Hehe, you can't believe it, can you? Before he joined the army, he was already a famous tycoon in Jingchu. From Jingnan in the south to Nanyang in the north, from Bashu in the west to Yuzhang in the east, everyone had to give him some respect wherever he went. Just imagine how much money he earns every year just from mediating conflicts. The soldiers under his command are all his followers who have followed him for many years, desperate and evil young men, so naturally they are extraordinary. Look at their clothes and armor? Aren't they all crimson? And those sails? Are they brocade? That was the symbol of the Crimson-robed General. Anyone on the river saw this brocade boat and crimson clothes, and they knew he was coming!"

"If such a thing actually happened, then our loss wasn't unfair! But how did you know..."

Seeing his companions' attention gradually shift away from him, Qian Wen left silently. He was certain that the guy boasting to the others was Wei Cong's spy hidden among the prisoners. As for why he knew? Because he was also one.

"My dear!" In a secluded corner, Qian Wen bowed to Huang Ping. He was in awe of this man who looked a little dissolute.

"How are things? How are things today?"

"Fortunately, a few people felt they were getting close to Yuzhang and wanted to escape. I told them how big Yuzhang County was and that running away would only make things worse, so I dissuaded them from that idea!"

"Very good!" Huang Ping laughed: "You did a great job. Here, take this!" He took out a small bag from his sleeve and handed it over, but Qian Wen did not reach out to take it.

Huang Ping laughed and said, "It's only two hundred coins. Use it to buy some wine!"

"No! I can't take it!" Qian Wen shook his head.

"Why?" Huang Ping laughed. He had experienced a lot and understood human nature. "What's the matter? Do you think this money was earned by betraying your brothers? It goes against your conscience, so you don't want it?"

Qian Wen remained silent, obviously agreeing.

"Hahaha!" Huang Ping laughed. "Qian Wen, you really are—how should I put it? Let me ask you, are you telling the truth today?"

"It's the truth!"

"Isn't that good for them?"

"Yes, but—"

"You think you said these things at my behest, and that you're harming them?" Huang Ping laughed. "Then let me ask you, if I asked you to poison their food, how much would you be willing to do it for?"

Qian Wen looked stunned.

"You wouldn't do it no matter how much money you're offered, right? You're not that kind of person, so I won't let you do something like betraying your brothers. I'm paying you just to make sure you take care of your friends and don't let them do anything stupid like that!"

Qian Wen looked at Huang Ping, his face full of doubt. Huang Ping smiled and said, "Do you think I'm being so kind? I want you to row well and do your job well, and not do anything stupid that would force the captain to use military law against you, which would be bad for everyone. Compared to this, spending a little money is nothing. He has plenty of money."

"You should know that we rebelled just to get home!" Qian Wen whispered. "Yes, I know, and the captain knows too! But he doesn't care!" Huang Ping laughed, "Do you want to know what he said?"

"How to say?"

"The captain said this: From the moment you raised the flag of rebellion, it was impossible to go back. Even if you escaped from me and returned safely home after going through untold hardships to see your parents, wife, and children, you could not return to your previous life. A guard could tie you up and send you to the county government office, where you would be subjected to endless hard labor. Even if you could escape to the mountains, what would happen? Would your parents, wife, and children follow you? There are no fields, no houses, no food, no medicine in the mountains. You also have to guard against wild beasts, barbarians, and people who hunt you. How can you survive? So as long as you don't be stupid and don't deceive yourself, you will understand that fleeing back home is the stupidest choice!"

"Then, what should we do?" Unconsciously, Qian Wen's face was already covered with tears. The deepest part of the heart of this man as strong as steel had been touched.

"How would I know?" Huang Ping laughed. He stuffed the purse into Qian Wen's hand and whispered in his ear, "But I can tell you one thing. The captain is now a fugitive, just like you!"

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Chaisang, Nie Mansion.

Zhou undressed, stepped into the tub, and the warm water covered her shoulders. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the tub wall, moaning in comfort. In the candlelight, her skin was as white as the finest mutton-fat jade, her swell of breasts faintly visible beneath the water, and her thick, long hair, loose and floating on the surface.

"Madam, you are so beautiful!" The maid who was styling Zhou's hair laughed and said, "Not to mention married women, even if you count unmarried girls, there is no one in the whole Chaisang who can compare to you!"

Zhou's lips curled up slightly, but she didn't say anything. Another maid who was trimming her nails laughed and said, "What kind of beautiful women can there be in a place like Chaisang? It's just lakes and forests, and the women are all so unsophisticated. It's rare to even see a woman with a clear face. How can she compare with Madam!"

"Yes!" The maidservant who combed her hair laughed, "But I heard that Lujiang is sending some people here. Finally, there are some people who know how to serve people. Madam has suffered so much in the past few years!"

"Lujiang sent someone?" Zhou's eyes suddenly opened and she shouted, "Where did you hear that?"

The maid combing her hair was startled. She answered cautiously, "Yes, I heard it from Xiao Cui, who serves Jiu Langjun. She said Jiu Langjun said that Lujiang would send people to Chaisang in a few days!"

"Zhou Ping, that bastard!" Zhou suddenly understood: "He's messing around behind my back again. Hurry, change my clothes!"

"Yes!" The maid knew she had said the wrong thing, and hurriedly dried Zhou's body, changed her clothes, and combed her hair. Then Zhou hurried to the back hall and saw Zhou Ping talking to several stewards. Zhou suppressed her anger and waved to the stewards: "You guys leave first, I have something to say to Jiulang!"

"Yes!" The stewards responded and retreated. Zhou Ping said angrily, "Sister, what are you doing? I was just in the middle of my sentence!"

"Laojiu, let me ask you what you have been doing behind my back these days?" Zhou asked.

"Why would I do that?" Zhou Ping was puzzled. "What else could I do? Manage the family business?"

"Take care of the family business?" Zhou asked. "Then why did you transfer people from Lujiang? Aren't there enough people here for you to handle? Besides, everyone in this family has their own responsibilities. Why do you need to take care of it?"

"Sister, what you said is not right!" Zhou Ping laughed and said, "Isn't it because you are a woman and many things are inconvenient for you to handle, so I stepped forward to do it for you? As for the people coming from Lujiang, I don't have the final say. You should know this!"

"The Nie family's affairs are already under the care of their respective families. Why would you interfere? Not to mention you doing it for them! Also, I'm the head of the family here after all. Sending anyone here without my consent is not allowed, even if it's from Lujiang's mother family!"

"Hahaha!" Zhou Ping laughed. "Sister, you have such a bad memory. You've become the head of the family in just a few days? Have you forgotten how you begged that old drunkard Zhou Xian to bring help to your family? You still want to be the head of the family? Without me and my two hundred men, could you have defeated that little bastard Nie Sheng? I'm afraid that guy surnamed Wei has already become your lover, and this family business has long been in the Wei family's hands!"

"You——" Zhou's face flushed with anger, her towering chest kept heaving, and she was speechless for a while.

"What do you mean by 'I'?" Zhou Ping sneered. "Sister, don't forget. The reason I asked you to marry that dead bastard Nie Zheng was so I could leverage the Nie family's power to expand our family business into Yuzhang. You knew this before you got married. Now that Nie Zheng is dead, the plan has changed. Let's make the Nie family a branch of our Lujiang Zhou family. We'll take it over first, and then make plans for the next step. In other words, I'm the one who calls the shots here. If you cooperate honestly, I can still let you and those two bastards live in peace. Otherwise, I'll let my family find someone else to marry you off to."

"You dare—" Zhou was furious. Before she could continue scolding, Zhou Ping stepped forward and grabbed her collar: "Don't you dare? Don't you understand? Your family asked you to marry Nie Zheng because they wanted to use you to control him. Now he's dead, and the Nie family is under my control. You're useless here. But you're still young and beautiful. If you get married again, there should still be many people willing to marry you. It can be considered as contributing to the family!"

Zhou felt her collar tightening. Of course, Zhou Ping's words terrified her most. She had always been a proud woman: beautiful, noble, wealthy, with a brave and devoted husband and two adorable children. But now her husband was dead, and her beauty and wealth had become the cause of her own misfortune. The family that should have supported her had become her enemy. She suddenly realized how weak she was, powerless to resist, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Zhou Ping regarded Zhou's behavior as weakness and fear. He proudly released his right hand, and looked at Zhou again with the same eyes as a man coveting a beautiful woman, and said with a smile: "Actually, sister, you don't have to be afraid. You are so beautiful, you should still be able to find a good new husband. But you have to choose carefully this time, and don't find a short-lived guy like Nie Zheng! If that happens, I will have to work hard again!" At this point, he couldn't help laughing and walked away.

"I've remembered your words! Zhou Ping, you bastard, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Looking at Zhou Ping's departing back, Zhou was filled with anger and resentment, and she didn't notice at all that her beautiful lips had been bitten by his teeth and were bleeding bright red.

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The Bai family estate nestled against a hillside, facing the lake, and their possessions stretched as far as the eye could see. As a prominent family in Chaisang, their lineage is said to date back to the Spring and Autumn Period, when Bai Gongsheng (surname Mi, clan Xiong, and given the name Sheng) was the grandson of King Ping of Chu and son of Crown Prince Xiong Jian of Chu. He fled to the State of Wu with Wu Zixu and was later recalled by Chu and appointed Magistrate of Bai County (east of present-day Xi County, Henan Province), hence the name Bai Gong. Nie Zheng's first wife was a member of the Bai family, and upon Wei Cong's arrival in Chaisang, his first act was to take Nie Sheng to visit his mother's family.

"My name is Wei Cong, and I'm here to meet Mr. Bai!" The moment Wei Cong laid eyes on Bai Qi, he understood why Nie Sheng had chosen to become his adoptive father instead of his uncle. The current head of the Bai family must have been suffering from gout; his finger joints were swollen and deformed, and he walked with a limp. He didn't look like he could protect his nephew from the elements and regain the family fortune.

(End of this chapter)