Chapter 33

Hearing the voice, Liu Yize turned his head to look and, seeing it was Xu Yanran, hurriedly stood up to welcome her.

After Xu Yanran sat down on the blanket, some people elsewhere who had originally intended to come over to get acquainted stopped in their tracks; although the Xu family had always been ostracized, that was only relative to the Four Great Families.

To these ordinary wealthy scions, the Xu family remained an unattainable existence.

Especially since the head of the Xu family had recently been gradually retiring, and most of the Xu family's business was slowly being handed over to Xu Yanran.

"Young Master Qin, Young Master Liu, are you old acquaintances with the County Lieutenant?" Xu Yanran asked with a smile.

County Lieutenant Long was famous for his swift and decisive style, and his way of doing things had always been overbearing, especially toward the local families and gentry of Black Mountain City, so few people were willing to work with him.

But hindered by his power, they had no choice but to submit.

If she could use this banquet to build a good relationship with him, what did it matter if the local families were exclusionary?

The vision of their Xu family was not limited to a tiny Black Mountain City; in the days to come, she would definitely return to compete with those people again.

"Haha, to tell you the truth, this Blood Flame Golden Spear in the courtyard was forged by my own hands. My brother here, Qin Jiang, has even received the favor of the County Lieutenant, who said that when entering the Inner City, one can report the County Lieutenant's name!"

Liu Yize stroked his chin, carrying a smile with a hint of arrogance.

Just after speaking, he suddenly felt that the words he had just said seemed a bit off, but for a moment he couldn't pinpoint it.

Xu Yanran was slightly surprised upon hearing this, "So this Blood Flame Golden Spear was forged by Young Master Liu; Young Master Liu's forging skills are truly worthy of being the best in Black Mountain City."

"You flatter me, you flatter me, it's just some minor family craft," Liu Yize laughed.

Xu Yanran turned her head to look at Qin Jiang again, "Young Master Qin is able to gain the favor of the County Lieutenant; if you have leisure time, you are welcome to visit the City West often."

She did not know what exactly was so extraordinary about this Young Master Qin that he could gain the favor of that County Lieutenant.

The three chatted for a while; Xu Yanran had basically learned that Qin Jiang was just a commoner, which couldn't help but make her feel a bit more curious about him, and she invited him to enjoy the lanterns together on the fifteenth of next month.

Before Qin Jiang could refuse, Liu Yize stepped in and accepted on his behalf.

After Xu Yanran left, Liu Yize couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder, looking Qin Jiang up and down.

He suddenly realized that he had never mentioned Qin Jiang's name in front of Xu Yanran, yet when the other party arrived, she had addressed him directly as Young Master Qin.

She must have investigated him in secret! As expected of the largest grain merchant in Black Mountain City, her eyes and ears must have spread throughout every corner of Black Mountain City! She had actually finished the investigation in just a few hours!

And she had even pretended not to know and talked freely earlier? Truly a merchant's daughter, her mind was meticulous enough!

"Miss Xu is truly full of surprises!" he exclaimed.

Qin Jiang gave him a somewhat puzzled look upon hearing this; what are you talking about? Clang~!

The sound of Agong rang out, and Long Yuesheng and the heads of the four families walked out.

Long Yuesheng wore a smile, but the faces of the four family heads were not so pleasant.

He walked to the Blood Flame Golden Spear in the center of the courtyard, picked up the golden spear directly, stuck it into the ground, and said in a loud voice: "This divine weapon is named the Blood Flame Golden Spear; it has the power to break evil and was specially commissioned by this County Lieutenant to the Liu family to deal with the Weird! I think you all know that Weirds have recently appeared in the city. Although this County Lieutenant has done his best, it is difficult to wipe out these increasingly numerous Weirds with this spear alone."

"Therefore, this County Lieutenant asks you all to give me some face! Please support this County Lieutenant!"

The voice reverberated, and everyone heard it clearly.

Liu Yize suddenly realized upon hearing this and said in a low voice: "No wonder the Song family didn't come; it turns out Lord Long is planning to extort some military funds."

Tap, tap, tap.

A series of light footsteps came, and an old man looking like a steward walked in from outside the courtyard, followed by two servants carrying a wooden pole from which a huge chest was hung.

"Greetings, County Lieutenant. I am the steward of the Lin Mansion. My master sent me to express that our Lin family is willing to fully support the County Lieutenant and hereby donate ten thousand taels of silver to assist the County Lieutenant in wiping out the Weird!"

As the words fell, everyone in the courtyard was in an uproar.

They didn't expect the most low-key Lin family among the Four Great Families to be so high-profile this time.

Qin Jiang couldn't help but glance sideways; ten thousand taels of silver was not a small amount; converted, it was equivalent to thirty million in his previous life.

"Haha! Thank the Lin family head on behalf of this County Lieutenant!" Long Yuesheng laughed loudly. In fact, this was something he had discussed with the Lin family head, and five thousand taels of it was his own.

He looked at Zhao Yunsheng, and his gaze swept over the heads of the Li, Lu, and Liu families respectively.

A trace of displeasure flashed in Zhao Yunsheng's eyes, and then he bowed slightly and said with a smile: "My Zhao family is willing to contribute four thousand taels! To help you succeed!"

Seeing this, Li Songzheng also cupped his fists, "My Li family is also willing to contribute four thousand taels!"

"My Lu family cannot compare to the Four Great Families, but we are willing to contribute three thousand taels!"

"My Liu family is willing to contribute three thousand taels."

After the four families finished paying their money, Long Yuesheng curled his lips in disdain.

I'm out there fighting to the death, and if something goes wrong, Weirds will keep appearing; in the end, won't you be the ones suffering?

Still need to be taught a lesson! Must find an opportunity to make them bleed properly!

Each family must cough up at least eight thousand taels!

Looking into the courtyard, he scanned the crowd; today he had invited all the local landlords and wealthy people, and even some of the gentry in the countryside had not been spared.

Seeing this, everyone was hesitating; it wasn't a question of whether to give or not—they definitely had to give—it was just a matter of how much, which was an art in itself.

If you gave too little, the County Lieutenant wouldn't be happy; if you gave too much, wouldn't you be forcing others to give more?

Those who could come here were all shrewd people; no one wanted to offend anyone.

Just as everyone was hesitating, a person suddenly stood up near the center, her dress fluttering, looking quite dashing.

"County Lieutenant, the Lin family is willing to fully support you, and so is my Xu family! We are willing to contribute eight thousand taels of silver! Plus one thousand catties of pig iron and five carts of medicinal herbs!"

Hiss~ As soon as the words fell, everyone present was shocked; they almost all recognized this Xu woman as the future successor designated by the old man of the Xu family.

Yet they had never thought that this woman would have such courage!

Long Yuesheng was also startled upon hearing this, and then laughed loudly, "Hahaha! Good! You must be Xu Yanran, right? I've heard your name for a long time! This County Lieutenant will remember you! If you have any trouble, come find me! Hahaha!"

Xu Yanran also felt relieved upon hearing this, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

After a breath, Long Yuesheng restrained his smile, his gaze scanning the crowd in the courtyard with scrutiny.

Seeing this, the crowd no longer waited for anything and expressed their willingness to donate silver.

However, most were only three to five hundred taels, and those giving a thousand were in the minority.

A moment later, basically everyone had expressed their stance, and Long Yuesheng waved his hand, "This County Lieutenant is a rough man; everyone, eat well and drink well!"

In the corner, Liu Yize smiled with admiration, leaned close to Qin Jiang, and said in a low voice: "Lord Long's move is truly powerful; just by moving his mouth, fifty thousand taels of silver are in his hands!"

This is fifty thousand taels! Enough to buy more than a dozen blacksmith shops! Must say, these landlords and wealthy people are truly damn rich! Qin Jiang couldn't help but exclaim; it really was the end of a dynasty; money was not with the people, so of course, there would be chaos.

Right now, it was only because of the external threat of the Huai Kingdom; otherwise, there would have been constant uprisings everywhere long ago.

It's hard to say if they already existed now, just suppressed.

After the banquet started, Qin Jiang remembered the Weird matter Liu Yize had just mentioned and immediately asked: "Brother Liu, the Weird you mentioned just now, have many appeared in the city?"

Liu Yize looked at Qin Jiang upon hearing this and touched his forehead, "It's not that many, actually. I heard it from the craftsmen in my family; they often gather to drink, so they are better informed about such news."

"I see." Qin Jiang nodded slightly.

It seems the Weird crisis is indeed becoming more and more serious; in the past, even the appearance of a monster in Daheishan was a rare event.

But now, things like Weirds have already spread among the common people.

No wonder County Lieutenant Long is so desperate for money; perhaps the power he holds in his hands is already falling short.

"Come, come, come, it's rare to have such good wine; drink this cup with your brother!"

(End of chapter)