Unfortunately, Gu Rouqian was merely a guest this time; no matter how restless he was, he could not influence the situation.
As it stood, Zhu Ci and Yan Hefang were having a very pleasant conversation.
Yan Hefang was in a very good mood at this moment, feeling that this Acting Prefect was quite tactful; his words contained no contempt for merchants, he maintained sufficient politeness toward an elder like him.
If this Young Prefect continued to be this clever, he wouldn't mind letting this Young Master sit in the Prefect's position for a while longer.
Yan Hefang ordered the musicians and dancers to come up, the interior of the Flower-Maiden Boat was filled with sounds of decadence.
Zhu Ci sat in the seat of honor, clapping along to the beat, looking as if he were completely immersed in the music and dance.
Of course, he wasn't pretending either; the musicians and dancers who made their living on Taihu Lake truly possessed remarkable skills, such that even a vulgar man like him could distinguish between the good and the bad.
The ancient nobility certainly knew how to enjoy themselves. Of course, Zhu Yousong was not incapable of enjoying himself either, but his enjoyment was simply too vulgar.
He was born of imperial nobility, after all; how could he not have cultivated some sense of elegance?
In Wenhua Hall, whether they were playing music or dancing, everyone shared one common characteristic: they were completely naked.
Of course, the dancing girls before them were dressed very lightly, their dancing was enchanting and seductive; it was just that these dancers were charming without being vulgar, alluring without being lewd, knowing exactly when to be bold and when to be reserved.
Zhu Ci looked on with an appreciative gaze, feeling that the music and dance here possessed a certain artistic character.
Yan Hefang had been observing him, seeing him staring at the dancers, he smiled slightly, unsurprised.
What young man doesn't covet beautiful women and linger among the flowers?
He just hadn't expected that from beginning to end, Zhu Ci would maintain such clear-headedness, remaining completely unmoved even when a beauty circled around him, subtly and vaguely trying to seduce him.
Yan Hefang couldn't help but look at him with higher regard. Men being lustful was nothing special; it was the ability to control oneself that allowed one to achieve great things.
What surprised Yan Hefang the most was how composed this Young Prefect was; from beginning to end, he never once asked why he wanted to see him, acting as if they had truly just gathered together for food and drink.
Yan Hefang had originally intended to take the initiative and wait for Zhu Ci to speak first.
As the moon rose to the center of the sky, the surrounding Flower-Maiden Boats gradually grew quieter, but he, on the other hand, found himself unable to sit still.
Zhu Ci was certainly able to keep his composure. At this stage, it was the other members of the Dongting Merchant Group who should be worried; these people had been constantly fishing for information lately, they had clearly been shaken by the fate of the Liu Clan.
Since that was the case, what was there for him to worry about?
Yan Hefang ultimately found himself unable to sit still. During a break in the singing and dancing, he leaned slightly toward Zhu Ci and said, "Prefect, are you satisfied with the food, wine, performances today?"
“Satisfied, of course I am satisfied,” Zhu Ci said with a beaming smile. “The fish from Taihu Lake tastes truly excellent.”
To be honest, he was indeed quite happy with his meal today.
Although he didn't usually pay much attention to his appetite, the truth was that he simply didn't have enough money to indulge in good food or fine clothes; nevertheless, he was still very happy whenever he encountered something delicious.
Even if nothing was discussed today, or if no results could be reached, he would not feel any disappointment; in fact.. he would even prefer that no results were reached.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: It's been so long since I've eaten fish. *Cat nibbling on fish bones. jpg*
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 72
“Good, if Your Excellency likes it, then this old man's efforts were not in vain, it's just..”
Yan Hefang paused for a moment as he spoke, Zhu Ci immediately understood, knowing it was time to get to the main point.
He put down his chopsticks and turned slightly toward Yan Hefang, asking, "Old Man Yan, you may speak plainly."
Yan Hefang stroked the beard on his chin and said, "Then I shall speak plainly. I hope the Prefect does not find me presumptuous for speaking as an elder, but I feel.. the way the Prefect handled this matter was not very clean."
Zhu Ci wiped each of his fingers one by one with a silk cloth, asking as he wiped, "How was it not clean?"
Yan Hefang said with earnestness, "The Liu Clan is a prestigious and powerful family after all; how can the Prefect act so crudely?"
Zhu Ci let out a light laugh, tossed the silk cloth onto the dining table, leaned back, asked Yan Hefang with a sidelong glance, "Is Old Man Yan trying to teach me how to do things?"
In that instant, Yan Hefang didn't know why his scalp suddenly felt a bit numb.
Before he could speak, Gu Rouqian intervened from the side, saying, "The matter of the Liu Clan's insubordination is already decided; Old Man Yan need not mention it again."
Yan Hefang ignored Gu Rouqian and simply said, "The Prefect is young and has experienced little. I am merely offering a reminder; it cannot be called teaching."
“I think so too. My father and brothers have never spoken to me like that, so there is no need for Old Man Yan to overstep his bounds.” Zhu Ci took a sip of wine and continued, “Great clans.. Ha! What kind of great clan is the Liu Clan? Can they compare to the Duke of Wei's family, or the Duke of Qian's family?”
Yan Hefang's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. His family and the Liu Clan had always considered themselves part of the great aristocratic families, they were more or less on the same level. Hearing the mocking tone in Zhu Ci's voice, he found it quite difficult to endure for a moment.
“The Duke of Wei and the Duke of Qian are naturally incomparable, but aside from them, the imperial relatives possess a far deeper foundation.”
Yan Hefang had sent people to investigate long ago; the Xi Family was nothing more than a family from the mountains and fields, having been lucky enough to produce a beauty who became a concubine of the Prince of Fu and, through a stroke of luck, became the Empress.
What right does such a family have to claim they are not a great clan?
Zhu Ci did not care; in his eyes, aristocratic families were all things that deserved to be eliminated.
He glanced at Yan Hefang and said, "Since Old Man Yan has mentioned the Liu Clan, then I shall get straight to the point. As for me.. I have come here on an urgent mission, I only wish to complete the task assigned to me by the Crown Prince. I have no desire to meddle in other affairs. If you cooperate with me, everything will naturally go smoothly."
He didn't say anything more, because there was no need; anyone with eyes could see the fate that had befallen the Liu Clan.
Yan Hefang narrowed his eyes and asked, "Oh? I wonder how the Prefect expects this old man to cooperate?"
Zhu Ci smiled very cordially: "It is quite simple; you only need to do three things."
However, Yan Hefang did not find these three points simple; if they were simple, would the Liu Clan have suffered such a devastating loss of life and property?
But no matter how much he thought about it, he never expected that this young, even adolescent, Prefect before him would demand such an exorbitant amount.
Donating money and grain to the Prefectural Office was one thing, but he even wanted them to spit out some of the landholdings they had encroached upon!
To the people of this land, landholdings were practically their lifeblood; once land had entered their pockets, how could they possibly spit it back out?
Yan Hefang could tell from the Prefect's tone that there was no room for negotiation regarding this matter.
His expression suddenly turned cold as he asked, "And what if I refuse?"
Zhu Ci toyed with the fan in his hands and sighed, saying, "That is a pity then."
After he finished speaking, he stood up and said, "Very well, the Yan Family has deep roots and lush foliage, so it is only natural that Old Man Yan cannot agree immediately. In that case.. I shall take my leave. I hope Old Man Yan will give it serious consideration."
“Consider? I think there is no need to consider!”
Yan Hefang slammed the wine cup in his hand, suddenly several burly men wielding sabers and axes rushed out.
Oh boy, so he's using the whole smashing-the-cup-as-a-signal routine.
Gu Rouqian's heart raced with terror after seeing this, he immediately stood up and shouted, "Yan Hefang, are you planning to rebel?"
Yan Hefang let out a cold snort and said, "It is a disgrace to the Gu family to have such a sycophant like you; today, I shall overstep my bounds and clear the household for the Gu clan!"
Zhu Ci burst into laughter and said, "You aren't very bright, but you certainly have a long reach. Does the Gu family need your interference?"
Yan Hefang looked at Zhu Ci coldly and said, "This old man knows the Prefect has firearms, but since we are in the middle of the river, I fear that even if the Prefect wishes to use them, it would be too late; even if it were not, one would still need to think twice."
He finished speaking and gave a wave of his hand. "Charge!"
Zhu Ci simply kicked out, hooking the dining table in front of him and turning to hurl it toward Yan Hefang.
Yan Hefang immediately retreated many steps, then retainers rushed forward, raising their arms to block the food table.
Yan Hefang heard the retainer's muffled groan and suddenly felt something was wrong. This dining table was not light; how could this yellow-mouthed brat lift it as if it were effortless?
But Zhu Ci gave him no time to think; the retainer, who had only just been struck by the food table, suddenly let out a miserable scream and then slumped limply to the ground.
Yan Hefang was startled. As he looked up, he met Zhu Ci's cold, murderous gaze and the extremely sharp, blood-stained dagger in his hand.
His eyes uncontrollably glanced at the thin line of blood at the throat of the guard lying on the ground; a single strike had killed him!
This isn't right.
Yan Hefang immediately retreated and began searching for his retainers, while Zhu Ci directly snatched the curved saber from the ground that the retainer had just dropped.
Although it wasn't very easy to use, it would do.
While blocking a charging Retainer, Zhu Ci pulled Gu Rouqian, who was hiding frantically, behind him.
Gu Rouqian actually wasn't completely without combat ability, but the techniques he had practiced naturally offered him no advantage against these well-trained retainers.
Gu Rouqian hid behind Zhu Ci, filled with both shame and trepidation.
He looked at the pitch-black lake water outside, the words he had intended to use to persuade the other person not to jump into the lake were swallowed back down his throat.
In this pitch-black darkness, jumping in might truly mean death.
Zhu Ci had to deal with the attacks from those retainers while simultaneously protecting Gu Rouqian, leaving him momentarily quite flustered.
Fortunately, at this moment, Jiang Xueyan, who had come with him, Jiang Quan found an opportunity to pull the fuse and release the signal flare.
The red fireworks were highly visible in the dark night. After the signal flare was fired, Zhu Ci immediately led Gu Rouqian to a defensible corner to take cover.
Yan Hefang immediately realized that they had called for reinforcements and said immediately, "Do not hold back!"
Actually, at this point, it was no longer a question of whether to hold back or not; the main issue was that he hadn't expected this Acting Prefect to bring only three people. Including himself, there were only four in total, as it turned out, three of them were incredibly skilled.
During the previous investigation, I hadn't heard that this Acting Prefect was so ruthless!
Judging by this posture, it certainly isn't his first time killing someone.
The only way to handle this now is to cut the Gordian knot and take them out before their reinforcements arrive.
Yan Hefang was not particularly panicked at this moment. After all, he had already made arrangements; all private vessels on Taihu Lake had been cleared away, the Flower-Maiden Boats were not docking. Even if the Prefect's retainers arrived, no boats would be able to come over for the time being!
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt the boat shake, when he turned his head, he saw a group of water ghosts climbing onto the boat.
Yan Hefang was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body. He retreated repeatedly, struggling to move away from the gunwale as he stammered, "Ghosts.. ghosts.."
Zhu Ci's eyes lit up at the sight of that group of water ghosts, he pointed his scimitar, shouting, "Capture the leader! Take him down!"
Before Yan Hefang could even react, his vision went black as he was shoved into a burlap sack.
Since his own people had arrived, Zhu Ci could no longer be bothered to act. Once the scene was brought under control, he let out a long breath. "Let's go, get ashore."
As the Flower-Maiden Boat gradually approached the shore, Xia Lei stood on the bank holding a torch, leading a group of people to welcome Zhu Ci.
The first thing Zhu Ci asked after stepping ashore was, "Has Li Cheng gone there?"
Xia Lei immediately replied, "Young Master, after seeing the signal flare, Li Cheng led his men straight to the Yan Family."
Fine, then I won't go over there." He turned to look at Yan Hefang, who was being escorted down, said, "Take him back, lock him in the prison, execute him tomorrow at noon.