Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 193

Chapter 193 Wait for Gains Without Pains

However, even if he guessed that the other party had dug a hole for him, there was still no way to retreat. The two people in front of him were not people he could afford to provoke. Therefore, Liu Chaofeng could only lower his head and say, “I wonder what the two of you want the little elder to do. As long as you can do it, the little elder will definitely not dare to decline.”

Xu Chengzong grinned and looked at Lu Zhen before taking one out of his sleeve and letting Ah Hu pass it to him. Liu Chaofeng respectfully accepted it with both hands. He swept his gaze over it and saw that there were dozens of items listed on it, all of which were antiques, treasures, jade stones, and the like.

“Are the two of you looking for these treasures?” Liu Chaofeng faintly guessed something and hurriedly asked.

“This Young Master was robbed in the capital’s courtyard and lost these things. If someone uses these to pawn your Ji Clan’s pawnshop, you know what to do, right?” Xu Chengzong curled his lips and said.

Liu Chaofeng hurriedly nodded his head, “Little old man understands. Once this really happens, we will definitely leave them behind and inform the Times and Young Master.” But in his heart, he didn’t think that with the Xu Clan’s presence in the court, which unsightly thief dared to steal from his courtyard? Even if there was, the Xu Clan’s monastery had a large number of soldiers and horses stationed there. Ordinary thieves could not even think of entering, let alone stealing things. Obviously, this matter was not as simple as he had said.

But even if he knew that the other party was hiding something, Liu Chaofeng did not dare to break it, much less refuse, because his life was already in the hands of the other party. With Xu Chengzong’s status, getting rid of a nobody like him was like squeezing an ant to death, so he could only obey orders.

Seeing him nod, Xu Chengzong smiled with satisfaction, “Ah Hu, from today onwards, you should stay here and watch. If you need anything, you can help.”

“Yes.” The strong man Ah Hu expressionlessly agreed. However, Liu Chaofeng felt a headache. With such a person by his side, he could only work hard for the other party with all his heart.

After finalizing the matter, Xu Chengzong had no intention of staying in the pawnshop anymore. He yawned and turned around to leave. When Lu Zhen saw this, he also followed. This time, he was right to ask for help from the other party.

After walking out of the pawnshop, the man who was looking at the rather embarrassed luminous pearl pawnshop straightened his waist and said to Xu Chengzong with a smile, “Young Master, how was my performance this time?”

“That’s right, no one suspects that old fox. He has steadily fallen into this Young Master’s scheme. You should take the lead. Lu Zhen, what do you think?”

“Brother Ruan is indeed capable. If I hadn’t known that he was sent by Young Master Xu, I would have thought that he was a thief.” Lu Zhen jokingly replied.

All of this was a trap. It was planned by Lu Zhen and Xu Chengzong to make the Ji Clan pawnshop obediently work for them.

The day before yesterday, when Lu Zhen felt that the stolen items might be the key clue to finding out the truth of the arson case, he began to think about where to start. Immediately after, he thought of selling the stolen goods. Those fellows probably didn’t have much appreciation. After stealing so many antiques, paintings, and treasures, they would definitely try to sell them for silver coins.

Although this case had only happened a few days ago, he should generally avoid the limelight and not rush to take action. However, according to his speculation, if it was really the work of the factory guards, then they wouldn’t have too much patience. They should be able to find a way to discount the items in a short period of time.

On this point, Yue Liqiu of the county government was very experienced and immediately gave the Ji Clan pawnshop, the most likely middleman to receive the stolen goods. However, he also mentioned that the background of this Ji Clan pawnshop was not simple. However, the county government came looking for him, and he was afraid that the other party might not be willing to buy the order.

Thus, Lu Zhen thought of finding help. As for Xu Chengzong, because of the matter with Uncle Guang Ning’s manor, Lu Zhen saw him as his greatest helper. In fact, after that incident, Lu Zhen had even specially thanked this young master and established some friendship with him.

When Lu Zhen came to ask him for help again, Young Master Xu, who was a little bored, agreed without much thought. Previously, Guang Ning Bo Fu had obviously made him feel very interesting. This time, he agreed to help Lu Zhen again. Not only that, Xu Chengzong had also come up with such a method to lure the other party into the pit first, and then ruthlessly threaten him with a slap on the face.

Actually, with Xu Chengzong’s status, there was no need for him to do this. He directly revealed his identity and was not afraid that the other party would not cooperate. However, he still decided to play this game. This was the reason why everything that had happened before had happened. Not to mention the pawnshop being defeated, he had even lost more than 500 taels of silver in vain.

At this time, Xu Chengzong smiled and took out the banknote and looked it up and down for a while before casually tossing it to Lu Zhen beside him, “This young master doesn’t like this little bit of silver. I’ll give it to you.”

“Young Master Xu, this” Lu Zhen caught it and hesitated, wanting to return it. However, as soon as he spoke, Xu Chengzong already looked over and said, “If you treat this young master as a friend, put away the banknotes. Otherwise, I will go back and tell that old fellow that what happened just now is invalid.”

‘”Eh” Lu Zhen helplessly rubbed his nose. These aristocratic families’ disciples had strange temperaments. They actually forcibly gave money, and they would lose face if they didn’t accept it. Fortunately, he was not a stubborn person. Since the other party had said so, he could only accept it with a smile, “In that case, thank you, Young Master Xu.”

“It’s a trivial matter. Who told you that you’re right for this young master’s taste? This time, you’re actually dealing with the factory guards. I admire you more and more.” Xu Chengzong smiled at him and said, “However, this young master can help you get here. I will not interfere in the investigation of the case in the future.”

“Young Master Xu is already very kind to help me get here. I will handle other matters myself.” Lu Zhen smiled and said. He did not expect the other party to get involved in this mess.

“Alright, then let’s say goodbye. If there’s anything interesting in the future, just come find me again.” Xu Chengzong waved his hand and said. Afterwards, he remembered something and frowned, “But I’m afraid there won’t be many chances. I’ve been in the capital for more than half a year, and Nanjing has urged me several times. I’m afraid you’ll have to go back by April at the latest. If you go to Nanjing in the future, you can come to the Duke’s Mansion of the Kingdom of Wei to find me.”

“Then I’ll first wish you a pleasant journey here, Young Master Xu.” Lu Zhen hurriedly cupped his hands and said.

Xu Chengzong smiled and left with his men. “Young Master, I really don’t understand. Why have you helped such a small county magistrate several times?” The companion and guard asked hesitantly when they were separated by a certain distance from Lu Zhen.

‘”Because it’s fun. What he did was interesting. It was the same in Guang Ning Manor before, but this time it was also normal. I stayed in the capital so idle, so I naturally had to get involved to watch the show.” Xu Chengzong replied casually.

However, the person beside him only smiled, and his expression was clearly one of disbelief. His Young Master looked like a playboy, but in fact, it was just an illusion. He was very smart, so how could he help such a small county magistrate like Lu Zhen for a fun reason?

Seeing his thoughts, Xu Chengzong rolled his eyes and said, “Well, I helped him because I knew that he would have a bright future. Yang Pu and Hu Ying both valued him very much. Even though he is only a county magistrate, he will definitely become an important figure in the court in a few years. There is nothing wrong with being friends with such a person.”

Of course, this reason was persuasive enough, but Xu Chengzong had only said half of it. He would not reveal another reason that was even deeper hidden.

Lu Zhen, who watched him leave, was also muttering in his heart. He couldn’t see through Young Master Xu and didn’t know what he was thinking. However, there was one thing that was certain. This person should not have any malicious intentions towards him. He could even be considered a noble person.

If you can’t figure it out, then don’t think about it. Lu Zhen quickly threw Xu Chengzong aside and began to think about what he should do next. Once he really caught those fellows, how could he find out the truth of the arson case from them and rescue the Green Bamboo Gang members …

@ @ @ @

Three days passed quickly, but what Lu Zhen hoped had not happened. Lin Lie brought more than a dozen county government servants in disguise to ambush outside the Ji Clan pawnshop for a few days. He did not see any suspicious people coming to pawn those things, as if the other party had really stolen something and hid it in his own home.

After guarding the city for three days, the servants couldn’t help but ask in front of Lin Lie, “Bandit Lin, would those thieves really be so arrogant and use their stolen goods in the capital? Would they secretly transport the goods out of the city and then find someone to take over?”

“That’s right, Bandit Lin. Moreover, the thieves are not that stupid now. The case has only just happened. They will always know how to avoid the limelight. How could they come here to sell the stolen goods at this time?”

After listening to the few people, Lin Lie was silent for a moment before he said, “This is Lord’s intention. We just have to watch. Lord has his reasons for doing things.”

After glancing at them, he continued, “Those stolen items are all very valuable. Other than the capital, only a wealthy place like Jiangnan can sell them for money. However, the freight costs will be higher. Therefore, they will definitely try to sell them in the capital.”

A few servants who didn’t know the inside story and thought that they were just ordinary thieves heard this, so they could only say yes and continue to focus on the pawnshop in front of them.

After a while, a carriage parked in front of the pawnshop attracted their attention, for a few men had suddenly descended from it. These people were all dressed in short clothes, and two of them even lifted a large wooden box. They looked rather heavy, and they were heading towards the Ji Clan pawnshop.

“Cheer up! Keep an eye on me!” Lin Lie’s eyes lit up as he placed his hand on the saber at his waist. The movements of those few people allowed him to see that they were all practitioners. Perhaps they were the people he had been waiting for!