novelraw Chapter 186 Unity of Huizhou Merchants
Chapter 186 Unity of Huizhou Merchants
Chapter 186 Unity of Huizhou Merchants
"My lady, when shall we make our move?" He Mu asked Shang Ming Shu after she woke up.
Before Shang Mingshu guessed who was behind the scheme, she did indeed intend to use force, just as Shi Qingyu had suspected. She had even sent a message hinting that He Mu had made arrangements.
She didn't have enough men with her, and the Anqing gang were local bullies, so it would be difficult to seize the goods by force. She just wanted to make a big scene and force the authorities to come out.
Once the government intervened, the disaster in Huizhou Prefecture could no longer be ignored!
“The attempt to intercept the grain was not the intention of the Anqing Gang.” Shang Mingshu calmly picked up her teacup.
The rising mist brushed against her face, blurring her beautiful features and making her seem mysterious.
"Does my wife know who is behind this?" He Mu pressed.
He now feels an intense hatred for those who disregard the lives of the disaster victims in the prefecture, wishing he could tear them to pieces.
"Shi Qingyu".
"Her?" He Mu exclaimed in astonishment, "How could she possibly possess such extraordinary abilities!"
It's important to understand that this matter involves both the government and the Anqing Gang, neither of which is easy to control, let alone the fact that both have become allies.
"It's actually not difficult." Shang Mingshu's lips curled slightly.
When Shi Qingyu first revealed clues, Shang Mingshu sent people to investigate.
The investigation ended abruptly halfway through, but she guessed that a powerful figure was cleaning up Shi Qingyu's mess, and that Shi Qingyu dared to harm her precisely because she had such a powerful backer.
The common people cannot fight against the officials, so Shang Mingshu gave up for the time being. She was certain that Shi Qingyu would not let go of any opportunity and would come knocking on her door sooner or later.
"This time, I'll make sure she's either dead or skinned alive!" Shang Mingshu stood up. "Come on, follow me out."
Accompanied by He Mu, Shang Mingshu went to the dock where the rice and grain were stranded. She did not approach it, nor did she negotiate with the Anqing Gang in her capacity as the young master of the Shang family, nor did she send anyone to deliver a message to the Anqing Gang.
Walking slowly in the drizzle, they spent half an hour at the dock. The Anqing gang members called over the person in charge. When Shang Mingshu took the initiative to negotiate, she turned and left, seemingly just to check if the rice and grain were all safe and sound.
The Anqing gang speculated whether she would go to the government office to seek help from officials, so they sent people to follow her. They discovered that Shang Mingshu went straight back to her lodgings.
While the Anqing gang was still confused, they received a reminder from Shi Qingyu, who confidently stated that Shang Mingshu had gone to the dock to investigate and would definitely take action to seize the grain that night.
The Anqing gang immediately dispatched men, waiting for Shang Mingshu to walk right into their trap.
The Anqing Gang is now internally divided and powerful. The old leader is seriously ill, and everyone below wants to rise to power. This time, Shi Qingyu came to their door only because someone made a solemn pledge, which allowed them to cooperate with him despite the opposition.
First, they wanted to establish connections with the powerful figures behind Shi Qingyu; second, Shi Qingyu had said that once the matter was settled, the grain would rightfully fall into their hands. If Shang Mingshu wanted it, she could simply pay them to buy it.
Shi Qingyu analyzed the pros and cons. Even if it delayed the flood control in Huizhou Prefecture, the imperial court would not blame them unless the court could provide evidence to prove that the grain did not belong to them. Therefore, they had made arrangements in advance and actually purchased a batch of similar rice and grain to make the charade work.
As the third watch of the night approached, the once silent docks were indeed filled with waves of people. The Anqing gang members, who had been lying in ambush, picked up their weapons to meet the enemy. They were sailors and boatmen, and were not lacking in strength. Even though many of them had been fortunate enough to train in the navy, they still could not escape the motley crew.
The people who came to intercept the grain were numerous and highly skilled. Even though they were prepared, they were quickly at a disadvantage. Just as the people who came to intercept the grain were about to board the ship, a group of people suddenly appeared from nowhere. These people were very skilled and used deadly moves at every step to stabilize the predicament of the Anqing Gang.
Amidst the deafening fighting at the docks, Shang Mingshu leisurely sipped tea three miles away.
“Madam Shang seems to have victory in her grasp.” Sitting opposite Shang Mingshu was a woman dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with heroic features and a probing gaze.
"Madam Qian, I have already stated my request." Setting down her teacup, Shang Mingshu's eyes softened, and a smile spread across her lips.
"What makes you think that my Anqing Gang would cut down our own people for you, Madam Shang?" Madam Qian sneered.
The gang had told her to hand this matter over to the Pan family. Even though she looked down on the Pan family's methods, and even though Madam Qian and the Pan family were mortal enemies, she wouldn't fight her own people for outsiders. If Shang Mingshu hadn't delivered a letter concerning the survival of the Anqing Gang, she wouldn't have appeared here.
When she arrived, Shang Mingshu made outrageous remarks, demanding that she personally hand over the grain that the Pan family had purchased under false pretenses, and also ordering her to organize the entire Anqing Gang to escort two batches of grain for the Shang family.
If she really did that, how would she gain the respect of the people in the future? What would become of the Qian family's prestige? Before her grandfather even breathed his last, the entire Qian family would be devoured alive by the Anqing Gang.
Shang Mingshu, Wei, shook her head with a light laugh: "Lady Qian, you're not doing this for me, you're saving yourself."
"Self-rescue?" Madam Qian's lips curled into a mocking smile. She abruptly stood up and turned to leave. "Madam Qian, if the situation in Huizhou Prefecture weren't so dire, given what your Anqing Gang has done to me, I wouldn't have given you a chance to breathe." Shang Mingshu picked up the teapot to refill her teacup, the sound of hot water pouring into the cup smooth and pleasant. "If you step out of this door today, the Anqing Gang will be branded as colluding with the White Lotus Sect."
"What did you say!" Madam Qian turned around abruptly, her eyes filled with surprise and hidden fear.
Shang Mingshu lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea, ignoring Qian Niangzi.
Madam Qian strode back, staring intently at Shang Mingshu: "What did you just say!"
Shang Mingshu looked at Qian Niangzi with a smile, her expression relaxed and at ease, without saying a word.
In her desperation, Madam Qian wished she could draw her sword and hold it to Shang Mingshu's neck; she clenched her fist tightly around the sword.
"What I need are people and food?" Shang Mingshu asked in a low voice.
"If you truly prove that the Pan family is colluding with the cult, I will hand over all the ill-gotten gains the Pan family has made, and the entire Anqing Gang will be at your command!" Madam Qian had a feeling that Shang Mingshu was not the kind of person who spoke without reason.
The Anqing Gang was nothing more than a folk canal transport gang that relied on the imperial court for survival. The entire country knew how much the imperial court hated the White Lotus Sect, except for ignorant young children and even women and children in remote villages.
How could I possibly have any connection with a cult?
Shang Mingshu's gaze met He Mu's at the door. She looked out the window and stood up: "It's about time. Madam Qian, come with me."
The battle at the docks ended at this time, and the magistrate, despite his illness, had to rush over as the garrison troops arrived.
"Sir, County Magistrate, this is our Anqing Gang's grain. The Shang family sent men to plunder it in the dead of night, causing heavy casualties to our Anqing Gang!" The Anqing Gang members accused, their eyes red with rage, as they looked at the piled-up corpses.
The magistrate's face was grim. The chaotic battle at the dock had not only attracted the garrison but also resulted in so many deaths. He roared, "Where are the Shang family's men?"
"The Shang family's daughter is here." A soft yet clear voice came from behind the crowd.
The guards on duty stepped aside, and Shang Mingshu led Qian Niangzi forward slowly.
"Daughter of the Shang family, how dare you act so recklessly?" the magistrate immediately rebuked.
"My lord? What has my daughter done to anger you so much?" Shang Mingshu asked innocently, her confusion evident.
"You hired people to intercept grain, disregarded the law, and treated human life like dirt! Look at all these corpses on the ground!" The magistrate wished he could tear Shang Mingshu to pieces right now.
"My lord, when did I ever hire anyone to intercept the grain?" Shang Mingshu looked blankly at the people being detained by the garrison.
"you--"
"Madam Shang." The leader, Wei Zhenfu, interrupted the county magistrate, making way for all the detainees, and pointed to a group of people, "Do you recognize these people who are intercepting grain?"
Shang Mingshu carefully examined it and firmly shook her head.
The magistrate's face changed drastically. Before he could speak, one of the men being held shouted, "Sir, we are guards of the Tao family."
As he finished speaking, a series of voices rang out.
"My lord, I am a guard of the Cheng family."
"My lord, I am a guard of the Zhu family."
"Sir, I am a guard of the Yang family."
……
It turned out that these people were all guards hired by Huizhou merchants in the county. As they got closer, the magistrate found that several of them were familiar faces. These people had no connection with Shang Mingshu at all.
Shang Mingshu smiled. She had sent Chen Che to visit the Huizhou merchants in this area in order to mobilize them to intercept the grain and lure out the people Shi Qingyu was hiding.
Shi Qingyu was kept in the inner quarters, and Shi Houqiong's nature wouldn't allow her to believe in the unity among Huizhou merchants. Therefore, Shi Qingyu couldn't imagine that other merchants far from their hometown could band together like a rope in times of crisis.
Today, their hometown, the entire Huizhou region, needs rice!