It doesn't matter what the lord is.

With money in hand, Lid naturally spent it lavishly.

To Lid's surprise, the girl raised her hand to block him and said righteously:

"You don't need so much, sir. A few dozen copper coins will be enough. I usually fish on this river, so I don't need so much money. But you are alone outside, and you need to spend money on various things, so it's better to save money."

As she spoke, the girl stretched out her hand, showing her white teeth, and said with a smile:

"My name is Wan Tang, you can just call me Xiao Tang. You might as well buy some clothes and book a hotel first, and then come to cruise the river. We have all kinds of cruise ships and pleasure boats here at night, with bright lights on, which is very beautiful."

Li De reached out and shook hands with Wan Tang. He could feel that her hands were slightly rough, and it was obvious that she was a girl who worked on a boat in the wind and rain. However, Li De did not dislike her because Wan Tang had a beautiful smile and a cheerful personality, and it was not tiring to get along with her.

Reed paid the boat fare and went ashore with Wan Tang.

Wan Tang took 25 copper coins from Li De, and immediately turned into a professional guide. He gestured for a long time, one piece of clothing on the left and one piece on the right, and finally picked two moderately priced ones. Then he introduced the inns here to Li De, which inn was cheap, which inn was leaking, which inn had a noisy downstairs renovation, and which inn was occupied by nobles... Finally, he helped Li De book an inn that was slightly more expensive but had a great view.

Before leaving, Lid asked casually:

"Speaking of which, has Nanchu had any fun recently?"

Wan Tang put one hand on his lips, tilted his head and thought for a while, then replied:

"I'm not sure what's interesting... But there was a big incident recently, the 'Bloody Clothes Case' that happened a while ago."

18. The Blood-stained Robe

"The bloody clothes case?"

Out of curiosity, Lid asked. However, Wan Tang looked up at the moon and stars that had already appeared, and said to Lid with some embarrassment:

"The blood-stained shirt case is very complicated to explain. If you are free tomorrow, you can come to Lingxia River to find me. I will tell you the details then. It is too late today. I have to go back, otherwise my brothers and sisters will worry again."

Li De did not stop him and watched Wan Tang leave.

To be honest, Li De himself had no interest in this case that sounded a bit confusing. The purpose of his trip was to meet the prince of Nanchu, Xiao Hei, and the prince of Xiqin, Xiao Bai. Xiao Hei sent him an invitation letter, inviting him to come and have a good chat about the future development of the organization [Potian].

The organization was originally established to have enough power to resist foreign invasions when necessary. Now that Qingyun and Garberd have passed away, Xiaohei and Xiaobai probably have a sense of urgency. Therefore, after Lid took over Yunyang, they immediately sent a message of congratulations to Lid and invited him to come to Nanchu for a chat. Lid's main purpose of coming this time was to see the situation in Nanchu and confirm whether Xiaohei and Xiaobai were reliable.

The blood-stained clothes case seemed to be a very hot topic at this time. When Reed went downstairs to eat, he could hear people discussing it at the next table.

There were still a few days left before the appointment with Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai, and Lid, who had nothing to do, leaned his head and listened to a few words. In fact, he had no choice. The old man at the next table drank a little too much, and his speech was slurred. His voice was so loud that it was estimated that people on the second floor could hear it clearly:

"That torn robe and bloody clothes can't be fake... General Jiang Yuesheng suffered a great injustice. Who dares to suppress such a thing? Who has the ability to suppress such a thing? Just wait and see. It won't be long before this matter reaches the ears of the Lord of Nanchu and spreads to all parts of Nanchu!"

The bold elder brother slammed the wooden wine glass on the table and said:

"This time we must kill a lot of people!"

The man sitting opposite him was obviously drunk as well, and answered in a daze:

"Alright, alright... Look, apart from making a big fuss, has anyone ever taken care of this matter for so long? Jiang Yuesheng has been retired for 20 years. Who still remembers his heroic deeds of fighting to the death in his torn robes? The old ones have been replaced by new ones a long time ago... This matter won't get out of hand. It's useless no matter who comes..."

Although the bold brother drank a lot, he became even more angry after hearing this. He slapped the table with his thick palm, and pulled the arm of the confused brother opposite him, saying:

"Who doesn't remember? Who doesn't remember? No one cares about this matter, so we'll go to the lord's mansion today! I'll see who dares to stop it!"

The confused old man said lazily:

"No... I won't go... Anyone who wants to offend others can do it... Jiang Yuesheng, who still remembers Jiang Yuesheng? Do you, do you remember?"

The confused brother pointed at Reed from a distance, and the bold brother immediately turned his gaze over.

Reed shook his head calmly.

The bold old man let go of his hand and shouted loudly:

"You don't know Jiang Yuesheng? Don't you know Jiang Yuesheng, who defeated 200,000 enemies and captured 30 cities in Nanchu?!"

Reed shook his head. From what he had heard before, he knew that the person in question had retired from the army twenty years ago, and Reed was not even born twenty years ago.

The bold old man gasped for breath for a long time, then suddenly sat down on a chair and started crying:

"That bloody robe cannot be fake..."

This was the sentence he repeated most often when he was drunk.

Lid finished the food and drinks he ordered, and went back upstairs to his room. This was the bad thing about Nanchu. Everyone was too open in discussing things. There were completely different groups of people sitting at different tables in the hall, and everyone was talking about completely different things and making completely different comments. It felt a little noisy, so Lid chose to go back to his room early to enjoy the night view.

Wan Tang did not lie to Li De. The river at night was indeed interesting. There were all kinds of cruise ships moored on the calm water. Of course, there were some industries that Li De really wanted to learn about, but unfortunately, he was exhausted from the long journey today and could not muster the energy to appreciate the charm of the girls in Nanchu. He could only say that he would definitely do it next time.

After a long sleep, Li De got up and went downstairs to have breakfast. He found that the two old men he met yesterday were gone. The shopkeeper was paying for Li De's breakfast and said in a surprised tone:

"Hey... It's a good thing you slipped away early last night. If you were caught by those two, you might have been forced to drink again. The blood-stained shirt case... More and more people are discussing it recently, and you're the only one who doesn't seem to be very curious."

Lid took the number plate handed over by the shopkeeper and asked:

"You've been talking about this lately? When did this happen?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and said:

"I don't know either. This topic suddenly blew up like a gust of wind. You asked me, and I want to ask others too! Isn't it strange that everyone has different opinions on such a small matter? Some say that Jiang Yuesheng was wrongly imprisoned, while others say that he deserved it. Each side was in tears when they talked about it. One side said that this was a huge injustice, while the other side said that Jiang Yuesheng bullied the people and made their lives miserable. All kinds of opinions were blown everywhere like the wind, and I don't know which one is true and which one is false."

Reed nodded thoughtfully, then yawned and went to the table with his number tag to wait for breakfast.

In Nanchu, the sun rises very early, and the singing of the fishing girls on the lake can be heard very early. The lyrics are in the dialect of Nanchu, which Lide doesn't quite understand, but the singing is soft and beautiful, which shows that the singer has a solid basic skill. Lide quite likes this water village environment, but the weather here is too humid, and there are too many mosquitoes. After just drinking two bowls of hot porridge, he was sweating all over again, and had to go to the bathhouse to take a shower.

After packing up, Li De went to the riverside to find Wan Tang again. It was not to find out about the bloody clothes case, but mainly because Wan Tang left too early yesterday and he didn't have time to ask her about Nan Chu's tertiary industry.

When she saw Wan Tang, she was happily chewing a half-crunched lotus root. Her jet-black hair was wet and stuck to her face, reflecting the bright light in the sun. After recognizing Li De, she threw the remaining small piece of lotus root into the water, rowed over, looked Li De up and down, and praised:

"Look, I told you, you look much more handsome after you changed your clothes."

Lid patted his chest and replied:

"It's mainly because I'm good-looking. People nickname me a clothes hanger. From men's clothes to women's clothes, everything looks good on me."

Wan Tang also laughed, picked up the half bag of lotus roots on the boat, and asked:

"Sir, are you here to inquire about the blood-stained clothes case? Wait a moment, I will be back after I sell this half bag of lotus roots."

Lid waved his hand, took out all the change left from yesterday's shopping, handed it over, and said:

"That's perfect. It's good to keep the wealth within the family. This is my first time in Nanchu, and I want to try the delicious food here."

19. Old Things, Old Life

Li De and Wan Tang sat together on the edge of the boat and munched on the crispy lotus root.

Li De told Wan Tang that selling lotus roots was much more profitable than other businesses because there were many holes on the lotus roots and half a pound of lotus roots was filled with air. Wan Tang was shocked when he heard this, and then he was extremely upset and ashamed, saying that he had never thought of this before and would just sell a pound of lotus roots as half a pound in the future.

After a while, she reacted by herself. She was so angry that she picked up half of the lotus root and hit Lid's head lightly.

But soon, the two continued to sit together and eat the crispy lotus root.

After a while, Li De asked her if she wanted to eat lotus root. Wan Tang answered without hesitation:

"I will definitely eat lotus root."

Then he reacted, picked up the other half of the crispy lotus root and hit Lid's head lightly, saying angrily:

"You are ugly."

After the fight, the two of them still sat together and ate crispy lotus root.

After a while, Lid spoke for the third time and said:

"you……"

Wan Tang was already showing a cautious look. Li De reluctantly threw away the remaining lotus root in his hand and continued to ask:

"Tell me about the bloody clothes case."

Wan Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief, stretched out his hand to Li De, and said angrily:

"Sir, do you know that storytellers out there always ask for a lucky number before they start to tell their stories?"

Lid then took out another gold coin from his pocket. Wan Tang didn't even look at it and said coldly:

"Too much, no take."

Lide exchanged another silver coin, but Wan Tang still refused to accept it. In the end, he only took a copper coin from Lide as payment, and then slowly said:

"The Blood-stained Shirt Case, as the name suggests, started with a blood-stained shirt. But you are an outsider, so you probably don't know General Jiang Yuesheng, so this matter has to be pushed back."

Wan Tang coughed lightly and continued:

"My lord, do you know that there is a saying in the world that no one can be more powerful than Lingwu in military affairs, no one can be more powerful than Yunhai in business, no one can be more powerful than the royal family in government, no one can be more powerful than Xiqin in politics, and no one can be more noble than Nanchu. The nobles of Nanchu are famous in the world. Many people say that Nanchu is not the Nanchu of the Nanchu lord, but the Nanchu ruled by many Nanchu nobles and the Nanchu lord. Therefore, Nanchu once had a period of weakness, especially after the great defeat on the battlefield decades ago. The attitudes of various nobles were very inconsistent, and the situation had reached a precarious level."

Lid nodded, rolled up the lotus leaf to make a cup, and asked:

"It was Jiang Yuesheng who stood up at that time?"

Wan Tang hummed and began to tell the story from the past:

"My father was once a soldier under the general, so he told me some of it. He said that back then, one faction of nobles advocated war, while another advocated peace. The peace faction controlled the food and grass, so the front line had soldiers but no capital to continue the battle. In the end, General Jiang Yuesheng stood up, ignored the military orders from the rear and chose to go to war. He led the soldiers to win a battle that was almost miraculous, and the whole situation was eased."

Lid smiled and said:

"Then he can be considered a meritorious official of Nan Chu."

Wan Tang puffed up her cheeks, but soon opened her mouth to exhale, and said softly:

"What's the point of being a meritorious official? Twenty years ago, the general retired from the army. It was said that the retirement ceremony was extremely grand, but after returning home, he still lived like a dog. How can you get away with offending those nobles? Nanchu is a place where heroes are born in large numbers. After twenty years, who still remembers Jiang Yuesheng's original achievements? It was only because of this case that everything was dug up."

Lid asked again:

"What exactly is the blood-stained clothes case?"

Wan Tang put the half-eaten lotus root aside, looking a little sad:

"I just heard about it. It is said that the general killed someone and was reported to the government by the other party. He was thrown into death row without any trial. The general's eldest son went to the government to plead for mercy, but was almost beaten to death. He is still lying in bed and unable to walk. Now the general's wife brought her granddaughter, took the battle robe that the Lord of Nanchu gave to the general, wrote a blood letter and went to the Lord's Mansion to appeal for justice. It is said that she also held a knife and put it on her chest. If anyone dared to stop her, she would die. So no one has dared to step forward to stop her. I don't know when this blood letter will reach the Lord's hands..."

Lid took the lotus root from the bag and found that it was all eaten, so he washed his hands in the water and said:

"Do you suspect that those nobles were taking revenge on Jiang Yuesheng?"

Wan Tang nodded, but soon she stood up again, splashing her bare feet in the water, and said:

"Of course. Everyone in the world knows that Nanchu and Xiqin are going to fight. But in fact, there is no consensus within Nanchu on whether to fight or not. In the final analysis, Nanchu and Xiqin are just grudges over a girl, and many nobles privately advocate peace. These people are the same group as decades ago. When they resurface, they will naturally start with the general..."

Lied clasped his hands and said:

"You know so much."

Wan Tang did not seem happy because of Li De's praise, but just said calmly:

"I don't understand this. My father told me this when he was still alive. He said that the power of the nobles in Southern Chu was too great. Although the peace faction seemed to be suppressed, it had not lost its foundation and would rise again sooner or later. But the general was old and could no longer fight with them, so he could only retire and return home. Sooner or later, the general who gave up power would die tragically in prison... in a way that no one wanted to see the most."

Lid tapped the edge of the boat lightly, nodded, and changed the subject:

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Are you interested in being my guide again today? This is my first time in Nanchu. I've had a good night's sleep and am planning to go out for a walk. Is there anything fun here?"

Wan Tang quickly adjusted her mood, showing her white teeth and smiling:

"Yes. I know everyone on this river. You've found the right person. I won't charge you any money today. Just consider it a gift for the lotus roots you bought."

Li De did not refuse. When Wan Tang took him to the snack street, he bought two portions of food at a time and asked Wan Tang to eat with him. Nan Chu's lotus seed and osmanthus soup was still very delicious. Being able to eat the sweet and cold osmanthus soup in this season made Li De feel much happier.

While enjoying the meal, the vendor with his arms folded said to Wan Tang:

"Will you still have lotus seeds for sale tomorrow? I've reserved them all."

While eating the lotus seed and osmanthus soup that Li De had invited her to eat, Wan Tang replied:

"Yes. But why did you buy so much, uncle?"

The vendor smiled and said:

"General Jiang Yuesheng's wife went to the Lord's Mansion to complain about her grievances. She will pass by us soon. I want to make more osmanthus soup. When there are many people watching, I will definitely make a small profit."

20. One old and one young

On the third day of arriving in Nanchu, Lid had basically figured out the ecological status of Nanchu.

He did not go to the big city where aristocrats lived in great numbers, but he had already gotten a rough idea of ​​the scenery of South Chu from the town on the outskirts of the city. The soil here was very fertile, and the large number of hilly terraces and lush water systems brought a rich life to the people. The habit of planting mulberry trees, raising silkworms, and hand-weaving had entered thousands of households. In fact, the taxes in South Chu were not low, but most people could still live well, thanks to the unique geographical environment of South Chu itself.

Therefore, Nanchu is different from the royal family. Although there are many privileged classes, Nanchu does not bother to exploit the people for money. They only need to collect taxes normally and do foreign trade to make a lot of money. Another difference is that the nobles of Nanchu can keep their own army. Although this power will be temporarily withdrawn during foreign wars, considering that these armies are under their control most of the time, the nobles of Nanchu will basically do their best to train the soldiers under their command.

After observing for a few days, Reed could feel the cultural differences between here and the outside world, but over hundreds of years, Nanchu had developed this system to a very high level, which was not something that outsiders could comment on casually.

For example, the nobles of Southern Chu were divided into different levels. Those who were closer to the lords by blood were first-class nobles, those who were slightly more distant were second-class nobles; the wealthy families who had been passed down from generation to generation were third-class nobles, and the newly emerging wealthy merchants were fourth-class nobles. Among them, the first-class nobles were rarely seen by the people, and they rarely had friction with the people because the difference in their ranks was too great. It was difficult for the people to imagine the life of the first-class nobles, and the first-class nobles also lived in the metropolis that the ordinary people could see but not touch. The two sides had nothing to do with each other.

Below the first-class nobles, the second- and third-class nobles often intermarry. These nobles have experienced generations of inheritance and are mostly well-educated. The fourth-class nobles have close contacts with the people, but because of their unstable foundation, they rarely bully men and women. After all, in South Chu, it is extremely disgusting to extend the butcher's knife to the weak. Many departments have the power to report things on rumors. Once the matter is exposed, the newly rising fourth-class nobles may be immediately deprived of their noble rights, which is very fatal in South Chu.