"So, He Jinhang doesn't agree to help us with the Western Front. They want to do it themselves … It's because of Wang Ren, right?"
"They didn't say they want to do it themselves. They just want seventy percent."
"That's about it. Also, we got the news from Mount Huangshan. We don't have to worry about the wood. But nine out of ten rooms are empty. There are too many refugees. Uncle Chen, you have to go and check when the wood is shipped back. We need Prime Minister Zu to give us some people. Tomorrow, Uncle Chen, you and I will go to Prime Minister Zu's place to visit him. "
"Yes … Zu Shiyuan has become the Prime Minister?"
"There are still a few days left. If nothing unexpected happens, he will become the Right Prime Minister …"
The wind blew through the spacious room of the teahouse. Some noises from the square came in through the window, covering the conversation in the room in the hustle and bustle. There were actually quite a few people on the other side of the room. The one in the lead was a nobleman between twenty-five and thirty years old. He was not dressed ostentatiously, but one could tell at a glance that his clothes were luxurious. His temperament was calm, and his voice was simple and neat.
While they were talking, a young man and two young women were sitting by the window on the other side. They didn't look serious. The two women were young and beautiful, but they were dressed too brightly. It was obvious that they were from a brothel. We had an impression of the young man sitting between them. His name was Lou Shuheng. At this moment, he was smiling frivolously. He was pointing and talking to the crowd in the square outside.
It was early August. Holy Duke Fang La's coronation was only a few days away. The festive atmosphere in the city had already been set off. On the other hand, some special cells had begun to be cleared of people. At the same time, it was also necessary to add some manpower to the newly built imperial court. Over the past few days, in the square in the east of Hangzhou, there would be a beheading show every day at noon.
The people who were killed were different from the ordinary people who were killed carelessly. In Hangzhou, most of them had different identities. Some were officials, some were from noble families, and some were great scholars. Since he wanted to establish a new dynasty, Fang La understood that he didn't have enough practical civil officials and famous supporters. After Hangzhou City was broken, most of them were killed, but some were left.
Between July and August, some people had already been persuaded to surrender, but there were also many people who were still stubborn. It was said that recently, the prison cells were filled with people lobbying every day. However, everyone had a deadline. If they couldn't make it through the deadline, they would be dragged out of the square to have their heads chopped off.
When the city of Hangzhou was breached, blood flowed like a river in the city. Lou Shuheng was originally afraid to see blood, so he hid at home. But he wouldn't do that recently. He had missed that opportunity, so he came over to watch the executions with great interest. Even though Hangzhou was now a fallen city, the people he killed were mostly rich and influential families. If he had friends, he would have enemies. Especially under Fang La's propaganda that "all laws are equal and there is no difference between superior and inferior", many people would come to watch and applaud him for killing officials and noble families every day. When row after row of heads fell and blood flowed freely, he was in the teahouse's side room having fun with the woman. He felt extremely good.
Of course, today was a little different.
Because his elder brother had invited a few stewards over to have a chat, they conveniently took up half of his room.
The eldest son of the Lou family, Lou Shuwang, came a little abruptly today. Lou Shuheng couldn't figure out what his elder brother was thinking. When they were young, the three siblings had a good relationship. But ever since Lou Shuwang failed to study and took over the family business, Lou Shuheng's feelings for his elder brother had faded. One was destined to be a businessman and manage the family business, while the other was destined to be an official. There was always a barrier between them. Of course, although Lou Shuwang was not at home most of the year, in the eyes of Lou Shuheng and Lou Shuwan, this elder brother of theirs was very powerful. In their hearts, he might be second only to their father, Lou Jinlin.
Because of his elder brother's presence, Lou Shuheng was more or less suspicious and restrained. Feeling the man beside him pretending to be relaxed and unnatural, the two beautiful women also seemed to be a little nervous. Beside the round table, Lou Shuwang gave the instructions in detail and then waved his hand gently to let the stewards leave. He stood up, walked to the window, found a chair and sat down. "Shuheng."
"Big brother!" Holding the two women, Lou Shuheng smiled brightly, pretending to be ostentatious. Lou Shuwang also smiled. "It's been a long time since I came back, but I've been too busy. It's rare for us to get together … Not bad." He looked out of the window, then looked at the two women beside Lou Shuheng.
Lou Shuheng laughed. "Haha, big brother, you know them too, right? They are Guan Xin 'er and Chen Tong. You know, one of them is from Jade Pearl House and the other is from Huaping House. The two of them have always been at loggerheads, neither giving in to the other. Look at them now, they are both obedient. Am I right … "He hugged the two women tightly. The two of them used to be the top girls of the brothel, but at this moment, they just laughed along. Lou Shuheng lowered his voice and said," But big brother, you have to say, when the two of them are together, there is a different kind of excitement. Big brother … "
Before he could finish, Lou Shuwang interrupted him gently, "Let's not talk about this. Little brother, you have seen the recent situation. The new dynasty has just been established, and there are many things waiting to be done. Money comes in one box after another, and all the stewards have been sent out. You can … you can do this, that, whatever. As long as the family is doing well, you can do anything. Little brother, you know that even my sister has been taking care of things recently. Are you going to continue like this? "
"Uh, big brother, anyway, you and father …"
"It's not that I can't. There must be a limit, you know." Lou Shuwang smiled.
"I know, but …" Lou Shuheng smiled cheekily, his hands moving unruly. Beside him, Guan Xin 'er giggled and leaned towards Lou Shuheng. She rested her head on his shoulder and said softly, "You're so annoying."
Lou Shuwang picked up the teacup in his hand and looked at it. There seemed to be no water. Lou Shuheng said, "Tong, help my big brother …" Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden roar in the room, "Get lost!" Before Lou Shuheng could react, the teacup and tea splashed onto Guan Xin 'er's face. In the next moment, Guan Xin' er's lower abdomen was kicked by Lou Shuwang, who had stood up abruptly. She screamed in pain as she was sent flying. The girl named Chen Tong stood up with her eyes wide open. Lou Shuwang had already picked up the chair beside him and was about to smash it on her head. Chen Tong raised her hand to block it, and then she was thrown out along with the chair. The floor of the room was banging loudly.
Lou Shuwang stood there with a gloomy face, "Do you understand now?"
The girl's cries and screams continued to ring out. Lou Shuheng was completely stunned. Although this brother of his had been running around for the past few years, he was not a violent person. As he was educated, he was basically still cultured and refined. He had never seen this side of his brother. At this moment, he could only answer subconsciously, "What, what …"
"In Hangzhou now, you have everything, and also have nothing." As Lou Shuwang said this, he pointed to the square outside, then turned around and walked out of the door. As he walked, he said, "You're looking at this now because you haven't seen it before. Twenty days ago, you were in this room, and there were people guarding you. You could kill anyone outside, it was very beautiful. Twenty days ago, if you stood outside and looked, those who were cut open, those who were buried alive … I've seen it before … "
He paused for a moment, "Little brother, do you know? Hangzhou is still the same now. If it was in the past, I wouldn't dare to hit people upstairs, I wouldn't dare to fight with people. Now, I know you've snatched a few women back, and some of them died. It's okay. A man can play, but he must have some restraint … In the past, when we were doing business, if we lost, our families would at most go hungry. If we lose now, we'll be the same as them. Little brother, do you know? Now there are only two steps left. One step forward, where we are now, that's heaven. One step back … Swoosh, we'll fall. "
He opened the door, and there was a guard outside. Lou Shuwang pulled out the guard's knife, but immediately put it back in. When he turned around, he pulled out a dagger and walked straight to Guan Xin 'er, who was lying on the ground, "You don't understand, I'll let you see it clearly."
Lou Shuheng was stunned, "Brother! You, you, you … What are you doing … "
Begging and screaming sounded in the room. Lou Shuwang grabbed the woman and stabbed her, then stabbed her again and again. Amidst the screams, he stabbed her eight times in a row before he let go of her. The room was stained with blood. Lou Shuwang's hands, body, and even half of his face were covered in blood. He turned his body sideways and blinked his eyes, "Do you understand? If you don't, it's okay. Just like this … "
As he spoke, he walked towards Chen Tong, who had already crawled to the corner of the wall. The woman had been hit by a chair just now. Although she had blocked it with her hands, her head was still bleeding. She could not get up now, and was crying and begging for mercy. Lou Shuheng shouted from the window, "I understand! Brother, I understand! "
Lou Shuwang had already squatted down. At this moment, he paused and stretched out his hands. Chen Tong screamed, thinking that she was going to die. The next moment, Lou Shuwang hugged her gently.
The man said softly, "It's okay, it's okay now. Don't cry … I'm sorry, I scared you."
After a while, Lou Shuwang stood up from the ground and threw away the dagger. He looked at his brother, "This is how things are now. Once you make a move, you might die. Even if you die, no one will care. If you're afraid, you can only move forward so that others can't kill us … Don't be like this anymore. Think about it, start helping out at home in a few days … I'll go wash up. "
After he finished speaking, he left the room and asked the guards to clean up the body. He went downstairs to change his clothes and wash his hands and face. His hands were trembling throughout the whole process, but he finally finished everything and went back to the room. His brother was still sitting on the chair by the window, but he could finally move his eyes. He walked over and sat on the chair on the other side. The two brothers did not speak. But his existence still comforted Lou Shuheng. After a while, Lou Shuheng finally returned to normal. In the past few days, he had seen dead people, but this time, he was just a little shocked.
There was still some time before noon, but more and more people gathered at the square. Lou Shuheng's eyes wandered aimlessly through the crowd. At a certain moment, he suddenly saw a figure. He was still shocked by Guan Xin 'er's death, but this figure was something he could not ignore. He looked at it a few more times and frowned. After a while, he looked at his elder brother, then stood up and went to the window.
Lou Shuwang followed his gaze and looked over. It was full of people. "What's wrong?"
"That, that …" Lou Shuheng frowned. "That looks like Ning Liheng … No, it's really him. How could it be, over there … He's almost gone. He and his maidservant, Xiaochan. "
As for Ning Yi, Lou Shuwang had only met him once when Ning Yi and Su Tan 'er first arrived in Hangzhou. After that, he left Hangzhou to run his business. He hurried back when Hangzhou was besieged. After the city was breached, he found out that his family had sided with Fang La, so he deliberately let himself be captured by the army. During that time, he saw many dead people. But when he recalled their first meeting, he did not even take a proper look at Ning Yi because he was his son-in-law. On his return this time, he vaguely heard someone mention that the Su family and his family were not on good terms. But he had too many things to deal with, so he naturally forgot about it. At this time, he looked at his brother and seemed to be holding a grudge.
The small conflicts in the past were basically like floating clouds now. Lou Shuwang did not care about the Su family at all. He just sat there and watched. Then, his brother began to talk incoherently about the rumors that Ning Liheng had escaped and the war in Huzhou. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.
"Are you sure it's him … Then don't think too much. There are many people. You won't be able to find him even if you go down now. But as long as you're in Hangzhou, you'll be able to find him. Ning Liheng … There are a few people here. If you want to find them, you might get something out of them. I know Lou Jingzhi, the son of Prime Minister Lou. He's recently interested in our business. You're a person who knows how to have fun. Get to know him in these few days. Go and look for him … There's a man called Xing Zheng. He has a wide network. We have two business deals to go through him. If you give him something, he can help you ask around. Also … Are you sure it's Ning Liheng? "
"I'm sure … And he has a maidservant named Xiaochan with him. She was with him just now …"
"Then there's nothing else. You should know that with your intelligence, you can do anything in Hangzhou now. If you want to do something, just do it yourself. I won't interfere … "After saying that, he thought for a while." Oh, you like that Su Tan 'er? "
Lou Shuheng was stunned. "That, that b * tch …"
He did not finish his sentence, as if he could not find the right words to describe it. When Hangzhou City was breached, he thought that she had already escaped. Now that he suddenly realized that she was still here, Lou Shuheng did not know what to do. However, there were definitely many things that he could do. Lou Shuwang looked at him for a while and nodded. "Got it …"
*****
There were already many people in the square outside. Noisy noises could be heard. Ning Yi walked through a relatively long passageway.
Although the Tyrannical Saber Camp said that he had been captured, the restrictions that the Tyrannical Saber Camp had placed on him were not many. He could go out or walk around. Of course, if he was far away, someone would have to follow him. However, he was not there to watch people behead him.
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