A big luxurious table was put on the deck of the boat, with more than ten beautiful maids serving around it. Three people were drinking wine and toasting each other at the table. When Zhu Yuchen and the others arrived, the three glanced at them.

Yang Ning glanced at the three, too.

He saw that the one facing him was his acquaintance, Dou Lianzhong, a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue, and he had seen the one on the left earlier, the manager of the Rising Sun Escort Agency, Ding Yitu. The one on the right was dressed in a purple brocade fur coat, with a white hat made of fox skin, about thirty years old, looking like a man from a wealthy family.

Dou Lianzhong glanced at Zhu Yuchen and the others with a sneer. When he saw Yang Ning, he was stunned, and his expression changed.

Yang Ning didn’t stare at the three at the table but saw that somebody faced the river surface by the side of the boat not far away behind the three. That person turned his back to all people and his hair was as black as ink. He didn’t wear a hat, and his face couldn’t be seen clearly, yet he looked short, and the side of the boat was parallel to his chest. He was a child about twelve or thirteen years old seemingly.

Zhu Yuchen and the others looked at one another, and he stepped forward, cupping his hands. “Excuse me? Who wants to see us?”

Dou Lianzhong sneered. “Are you Zhu Yuchen?”

“Yes, I am.” Zhu Yuchen glanced at the man dressed in a purple brocade fur coat and smiled. “Isn’t this Young Master Jiang? Long time no see. How are you?”

Yang Ning thought, “This man is Jiang Suiyun from the East Sea as expected.”

Both Zhu Yuchen and Jiang Suiyun were wealthy merchants in the Chu State, so it was logical that they knew each other.

Jiang Suiyun just smiled faintly and didn’t say anything. Obviously, he didn’t take Zhu Yuchen seriously.

Chen Mukuan couldn’t help but say, “Jiang, you are so arrogant. You told us to come. What do you mean?”

Jiang Suiyun laughed casually. “Chen Mukuan, we haven’t seen each other for many years. You haven’t changed. You are still so rash and anxious. Who told you that I asked you to come?”

“Whose idea is that if it’s not yours?” Chen Mukuan stated loudly. “What do you want? Just say it now. Zhu has boosted the beauty queen and sent most valuable gifts. We are not hurried, yet Zhu is anxious to be Shen Jiaonu’s first man. Aha…”

“I am afraid that he can’t be her first man. He will be a dead body in a coffin,” Dou Lianzhong stated in a deep voice. “You are so bold. How dare you show off your wealth in the capital city? Who is behind you?”

Zhu Yuchen frowned. “We don’t understand this young master’s words. We just support the election of the beauty queen as we like. Do we need to depend on somebody’s power?”

Dou Lianzhong’s eyes were like knives, and he said casually, “You deserve to be a member of the Zhu family, the wealthiest family in Hangzhou. You are so bold as to speak to me like this.”

Jiang Suiyun picked up the wine cup and expressed at leisure, “You must not know him. This is Young Master Dou, and his father is Lord Dou, the minister in the Ministry of Revenue.”

After hearing that, Zhu Yuchen and the others turned pale at once, as if being hit by a thunderbolt.

The Ministry Revenue was in charge of the finance, goods and taxes of the country, and Zhu Yuchen and the others were businessmen. Although they were wealthy, they were like slaves in front of the Ministry Revenue.

The rich men in other areas would come to the capital city every year mainly to see the officials in the Ministry Revenue and bribe them in secret. The officials they could find were merely low-ranking or medium-ranking in the Ministry Revenue, and they rarely had a chance to get in touch with the high-ranking officials. As for the leaders of the Ministry Revenue, even the Zhu family could hardly play up to them.

They had never thought that this man in front of them was a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue.

Chen Mukuan had been tough earlier, yet his face was ghastly pale now, and his forehead was full of cold sweat.

Zhu Yuchen forced a smile. “It turns out that…you are Master Dou. I am sorry…to show disrespect to you.” He regretted a lot and thought that if he knew earlier that Jiang Suiyun was in connection with the Dou family, he would never get involved in this mess, and he couldn’t get out of trouble.

Seeing that Zhu Yuchen and the others became soft, Dou Lianzhong glanced at Yang Ning, with complacency in his eyes. He got up and walked over slowly with his hands behind his back. He walked past them and questioned impassively, “You spent gold on one throw just now. What do you mean? Did you do that just to show off your wealth? Our country once resisted the intruders and consumed a lot of money, food and military forces, but you didn’t help the motherland. Don’t you care about the country?”

Zhu Yuchen and the others couldn’t help but think, “Jiang Suiyun also spent gold on one throw, and he started the competition first. We have never heard that the Jiang family gave something generously to the country when it was in need. Why don’t you rebuke the Jiang family?” However, how would they dare to argue with this son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue at this hour? They just lowered their heads and didn’t dare to speak.

“Yo, Yuan, you are here, too?” Dou Lianzhong walked to Yuan Rong and pretended that he had just found him. He asked with a smile, “Why are you with them?”

Yuan Rong showed a faint smile. “They came from afar and know me since long ago, so we drank together. Master Dou, it’s said that ignorance can be forgiven. I think that it’s better to let them leave. Don’t bother about it.”

“Yuan, you are wrong.” Dou Lianzhong sneered. “They came together and showed off their wealth on the Qinhuai River openly. This behavior can’t be encouraged. I will check if they have conspiracies in secret.” He looked at Qiu Fang and asked, “Who are you?”

Qiu Fang calmly cupped his hands. “I am Qiu Fang.”

Dou Lianzhong stated, “Qiu Fang? I have never heard of this name. Judging from your accent, it seems that you are not from Hangzhou.”

Jiang Suiyun laughed. “Master Dou, this is Liaodong accent. Qiu Fang…If I remember correctly, the ginseng king in Liaodong had the same family name. Qiu Fang must be related to the ginseng king.”

Dou Lianzhong seemed to have found the evidence against him and got excited, shouting, “You…are from Liaodong? So…you are from the Northern Han State.”

Qiu Fang knew that he couldn’t hide it from them, so he nodded. “The ginseng king in Liaodong was my paternal grandfather.”

“Right. There were two roots of old wild ginseng of the best quality among the gifts sent by Zhu Yuchen, so it must be you who sent them in the name of Zhu Yuchen.” Dou Lianzhong shook like a rat whose tail was trodden. He glanced at Yang Ning out of the corner of his eye and continued, “Zhu Yuchen, I think that there is something wrong with all of you. It turns out that you want to collude with the people from the Northern Han State and rise in rebellion.”

This accusation was too serious, and Zhu Yuchen and the others turned livid. He argued, “Master Dou, it’s not true. Although Qiu is from the Northern Han State, he is merely a businessman, and the people from the two countries are not forbidden to do business with each other. We are just business partners and don’t have a plan to rebel.”

“You don’t have a plan to rebel?” Dou Lianzhong sneered. “Since you don’t have the plan, why do you collude with the people from the Northern Han State? Aha. This Qiu must be a spy from the Northern Han State but under cover of his identity as a businessman. You are his adherents.” He shouted, “Guards, capture all of them.”

At this time, a long sigh was heard and then somebody asked, “Dou Lianzhong, are you tired? You jump up and down. What do you want to do?”

With that, Yang Ning stepped forward.

Dou Lianzhong turned pale yet soon raised his hand, pointing to Yang Ning. “Qi Ning, don’t be aggressive. You are their adherent, too.”

“Who are you?” Yang Ning stared at Dou Lianzhong and asked.

Dou Lianzhong was stunned. Jiang Suiyun walked over with his hands behind his back. Obviously he didn’t know Yang Ning, so he just laughed. “Didn’t you hear clearly? This is a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue.”

“He turns out to be a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue.” Yang Ning looked at Jiang Suiyun. “Who are you?”

Jiang Suiyun frowned and didn’t say anything.

In fact, Dou Lianzhong didn’t know what Yang Ning planned to do. He asked with a frown, “What tricks do you want to play again?”

Yang Ning replied, “I won’t play any tricks. You shout loudly here. The people who don’t know the truth may think that you are a leader of the Ministry of Penalty. Master Dou, of course I know that you are a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue. I want to ask you. What identity do you have besides this? Are you the minister or assistant minister in the Ministry of Penalty, or the governor of the Capital Bureau? Oh, right, are you from the Divine Marquis’ mansion? No? So what’s your official position?”

Dou Lianzhong opened his mouth but didn’t make a sound.

“And you, Jiang Suiyun, you are the first young master from the Jiang family. What’s your identity besides that?” Yang Ning stared at Jiang Suiyun, with his eyes like knives. “What’s the rank of your official position?”

Jiang Suiyun furrowed his brows. “I don’t have an official position.”

“It turns out that you are just a young master from a wealthy family.” Yang Ning laughed. “Dou Lianzhong, you are not an official. How do you qualify to shout here? Are you acting ostentatiously outside depending on your father’s identity? Fine. Let’s go to see His Majesty and ask if a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue who has no official position qualifies to tell anybody on the street to come and interrogate them?”

Dou Lianzhong felt nervous after hearing Yang Ning’s words and sneered. “I am a member of the Chu State and have found spies, so I certainly…qualify to ask. Not only me, but all people in the Chu State qualify to protect the country.”

“You said that they are traitors and spies. Fine, where is the evidence?” Yang Ning reached out his hand. “Show me the evidence. If it’s true, I will capture these guys first.”

Under Yang Ning’s stare with his eyes like blade points, Dou Lianzhong felt restless yet still responded, “He is…from the Northern Han State. Of course, he…”

“Bullshit!” Yang Ning interrupted him at once. “Are all people from the Northern Han State spies? You said that? Or others taught you? I have never heard that it is forbidden to do business between the two countries. Qiu Fang is from the Northern Han State indeed, but if all businessmen from the Northern Han State who make deals with the people in our country are spies, do you want to cut off the business relation between the two countries? Even the imperial court has never forbidden it, yet you try to change the national policies. Dou, do you know that you are guilty?”

Yang Ning’s voice was abnormally cold and stern. Dou Lianzhong was questioned and couldn’t help but move backward, with sweat on his forehead.