Chapter 58: Fifty-Eight: He

Fifty-Eight: He’s Still So Enthusiastic

On the third floor of Yuanming Tower, a private room without windows.

The serving girls entered and exited quietly, daring not to disturb the silent group of wealthy merchants from afar.

The dishes were all served.

The door was firmly shut from outside.

The room fell silent.

A round table, laden with an array of delicacies.

The guests seated around the table stared at the food, yet no one moved their chopsticks first.

The serving girls assigned by the tavern to accompany them dared not serve them food, let alone utter any flattery to ease the tension.

The atmosphere gradually froze.

Until Wang Cao, the host of today’s gathering, forced a smile, stood up, and raised his cup, saying awkwardly, “Everyone, please eat—before it gets cold. Don’t waste food.”

“Right now, Longcheng has more than enough grain—why bother saving it?” Ma the Shopkeeper said coldly.

The air instantly grew solemn.

Including the embarrassed Wang Cao, all sixteen grain merchants fell silent, their faces heavy and suppressed.

These past days, their moods had swung as wildly as the grain prices.

They had assumed Jiangzhou, if not a banquet table, was at least a breakfast stall—where you could grab a bite and leave anytime.

But they never imagined this place was a meticulously laid trap, exploiting their greed!

A trap with the doors locked and the dogs unleashed!

Damn it, how could such a ruthless scheme come from an obscure, disaster-stricken county in southern Jiangnan? Could a backwater even produce such a mastermind?

It was truly excessive.

The merchants cursed inwardly.

Correct—after days of calm reflection and observing the strange trajectory of events, the grain merchants had all come to realize: if anyone still believed that smiling, honest-looking young county magistrate, they might as well stop eating here and sit at the children’s table next time.

Yet even knowing this, Wang Cao and the other grain merchants couldn’t help but taste bitterness on their tongues.

Longcheng County was a setup where timing, location, and opportunity all converged perfectly.

From the start, they had been calculated—putting on a warm, hospitable front, then acting as both host and player. How could one compete?

Especially in these southern counties, where clans held firm power and local customs were conservative, even a strong dragon struggled to overpower the local snake.

And most crucially, they themselves could leave Longcheng anytime—but their most valuable grain was locked here.

Ruthless.

This cheap brother-in-law was ruthless!

Thinking of all that had happened these past days, Wang Cao grabbed the hot towel he’d used to wipe his hands before the meal and rubbed it fiercely over his face, then tossed it to the serving Hu Ji behind him.

He should’ve been alert sooner—especially when he first landed in Longcheng and met Lady Ling Jiang at this tavern’s entrance. He should’ve realized: a young county magistrate followed by a Xie noblewoman couldn’t possibly be a simple innocent rabbit; he might even be a direct disciple favored by Uncle Xie Xun…

The short young man was filled with regret.

Ma the Shopkeeper waved his hand irritably: “All of you, get out. Don’t block the way.”

“Yes.”

The sixteen serving girls beside the guests bowed their heads and left the room.

Normally, meals came before business—but now, every second weighed down by the precarious tens of thousands of shi of grain, the merchants had no appetite left…

Wang Cao glanced at the tall Hu Ji who had just stepped back—she was his personal choice, not because he admired her exotic charm, but to support her livelihood.

The first time he met Lady Ling Jiang at Yuanming Tower, she had come to visit this tall Hu Ji, whose full name was something like “Zhi Ying.” Later, Lady Ling Jiang often visited her, and recently they’d even discussed buying her freedom…

Wang Cao had no taste for Hu customs—he found them ugly. In the northern empire, around the two capitals of Guan and Long, Hu communities were common and culture more open; but in southern circuits, powerful local clans dominated, and aesthetics favored tradition, with attitudes deeply conservative.

Moreover, Wang Cao was born into the Langya Wang clan, which prized Han clothing and customs. He guessed that if he dared bring a Hu woman home—even as a concubine—he’d lose at least one leg.

So when he heard recently that his cheap brother-in-law had bought a Hu woman—white-haired, no less—he felt profound respect, admiration flowing like a mighty river…

The door to the private room was shut again.

The suffocating atmosphere in the room eased slightly.

Wang Cao silently scanned the room.

Some grain merchants wore worried frowns.

Others looked as if life held no meaning.

A few were furious, pacing the room in agitation.

“Wang Shaokeshou chose this room with care—specifically one without windows. Afraid someone might jump out?”

Li the Shopkeeper, after days apart, looked much older; his forced smile was weary. He made a joke.

Wang Cao shrugged helplessly: “If we don’t find a way, the rooftop will be lined with people waiting to jump.”

The short young man looked tired, addressing his fellow merchants:

“The situation is clear to all of you, so I’ve invited you here to set aside past grievances and temporarily reunite. We can’t remain scattered like loose sand—otherwise, we’ll all end up flying off the roof… Any ideas? Let’s discuss them together.”

“What ideas? None!”

Ma the Shopkeeper paced the room, then turned back angrily.

This tall middle-aged merchant no longer resembled the calm man who once idly twirled his prayer beads. Now, he bore dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in two days and nights—a man at the end stage of anxiety.

His face was ashen, teeth clenched: “Find the rats who broke the agreement and secretly sold grain cheaply! Who has no discipline left to do business? Unity? Unity my ass!”

Wang Cao and the others grimaced, glancing around awkwardly, silent.

Only sixteen grain merchants attended today’s meeting—two small merchants had already dumped all their grain at low prices and fled by boat days ago; the group only learned this morning.

But those two small merchants had small boats and could turn quickly; the rest still held large stocks, especially Wang Cao, Ma the Shopkeeper, and Li the Shopkeeper, who together stored over a hundred thousand shi in the docks’ warehouses—daily storage fees and preservation costs alone were a heavy burden.

And Longcheng’s grain prices, after the “five-cash grain” shock, had plummeted to seven or eight cash per dou—so low even refugees wept in silence.

And this wasn’t the bottom—it was just the beginning.

“What’s the point of saying this now? Even if we find them, what then? Only more internal fighting…”

Wang Cao shook his head and sighed again:

“Almost everyone in Longcheng County knows we hold over two hundred thousand shi of grain. They’re all waiting for us to lower prices. Now we’re entering the plum rain season—grain will spoil if left much longer. We have little time left… Prices won’t stabilize.”

Li the Shopkeeper’s face was grim. “Then what do we do? We can’t just watch our grain rot and lose everything—go bankrupt before our ancestors!”

Wang Cao looked up seriously: “We must strike at the root. Otherwise, everything else is useless.”

Ma the Shopkeeper’s temple twitched. “Root? You’ve seen the Longcheng County Office’s attitude—every one of them’s a master of Taiji, kicking us around like a football! To hell with it—if this happened in Jinling, I’d… I’d smash it all!”

Wang Cao quickly stood up to stop Ma the Shopkeeper, who was about to kick the chair and punch the flower vase.

Everyone thought silently: You’re a “private room warrior” here—dare you do that in front of the young county magistrate and the blue-clad constables?

A round-faced young grain merchant muttered: “What if we beg the Ouyang magistrate again?”

The room fell silent; eyes exchanged unspoken glances.

Li the Shopkeeper shook his head bitterly:

“Useless. I’ve seen clearly these past days—this ‘loving-the-people’ Ouyang magistrate is pretending ignorance. This whole thing is almost certainly his doing. That Yan constable probably follows his orders, and even the official grain transport documents from Jiangzhou might be…”

The goat-bearded old merchant stopped, gazing at the feast and sighing.

The round-faced young merchant shook his head again:

“I understand. But the King of Hell is easy to meet—it’s the minor demons that are hard to deal with. Trapped here in Longcheng County, what can we do? Without powerful backing, merchants can’t fight officials… We’ve lost. Let’s go beg Ouyang magistrate, show sincerity—maybe pay a toll, or offer some ‘local specialties,’ and let us leave safely.”

Another young merchant’s face twisted in pain:

“Now we have to pay money too?… We’ve already lost so much on grain prices—everything we earned is gone, and now we’re paying extra…”

The round-faced young merchant said coldly:

“Then what do you suggest? This trap holds us because of the Longcheng County Office—that’s the root. The magistrate is the key. If we don’t bribe him, why should he move the knife from our throats? We should’ve realized this long ago—we’ve wasted so much time and lost so much grain.”

“No, no—I mean, maybe try another way… send him a few beautiful women?”

Wang Cao and several merchants shook their heads together: “Won’t work—Ouyang magistrate doesn’t care for women!”

“Then does he care for fame? Let’s weave him a ten-thousand-people umbrella and send it to the county office gate.”

Wang Cao shook his head. “He seems deeply concerned about disaster and floods—he’s always short on grain.”

Li the Shopkeeper stared. “Then we can’t possibly donate all our grain—that’s worse than selling it cheap!”

Ma the Shopkeeper’s eyes turned red; he slammed his fist on the table:

“Fine, I’ll fight him! I, Ma, won’t sell cheap! When the time comes, I won’t wait for him to burn it—I’ll burn it myself! Pure white rice—I’d rather set it ablaze than give it to these beggars!”

“Ma the Shopkeeper, calm down, calm down…”

Li the Shopkeeper and others hurried to soothe him.

One young merchant couldn’t help urging Wang Cao:

“Wang Shaokeshou, isn’t Ouyang magistrate your brother-in-law? Go plead for us—find out what he really wants. Doesn’t matter if it’s outright robbery—just leak a hint!”

“Yes! If all else fails, go ask that Xie sister—whisper sweet nothings in his ear.”

Wang Cao’s face flushed red—he didn’t know if his colleagues were mocking him or being serious… In truth, he’d often gone to seek Lady Xie Ling’s insight lately, but she always ignored him.

“Ahem… my brother-in-law… is utterly impartial—a righteous gentleman. I can’t help.”

The short young man sighed, then added: “But yesterday evening, I visited the county office and met my brother-in-law.”

Everyone fell silent, leaning in: “What did the magistrate say?”

Wang Cao nodded:

“He said… all of you are guests from afar, doing business in Longcheng—the county office will help if it can… He also said he’d heard about the recent grain prices, and told me to return for now—he’ll give us an answer in a few days.”

A few other young merchants also blinked: “We went to the magistrate two days ago—he told us the same thing: stay calm, the county office will help if it can…”

Everyone’s faces fell with disappointment.

“Help? Bullshit!” Ma the Shopkeeper’s eyes turned red, as if he’d been brutally betrayed by a lover; he gritted his teeth: “All they’re doing is dragging out time, watching grain prices crash to rock bottom—who doesn’t know what’s going on in the county office?”

The atmosphere in the private room sank back into silence; everyone stood helplessly, faces varied with emotion. Ma the Shopkeeper halted, turned, and faced them all, teeth clenched, about to speak.

At that moment, a knock suddenly came at the door, shattering the silence. Everyone turned—and a gray-clad servant slipped in, sprinting to Li the Shopkeeper’s side and whispering urgently.

Li the Shopkeeper’s expression flickered in stunned disbelief.

Wang Cao and the others asked anxiously: “What is it?”

Li the Shopkeeper’s eyes revealed an expression of utter incredulity:

“The County Magistrate Ouyang sent word—my grain, stolen by refugees outside the city, has been recovered in full… and he asks me to come collect it when I have time.”

“Recovered in full? Is that real? Those constables weren’t just fooling us, were they? Are they actually investigating?” Everyone gasped.

“It’s not just that—there’s more…” Li the Shopkeeper swallowed hard and said:

“The County Magistrate has invited all sixteen of us grain merchants to the county office’s main hall this afternoon for a meeting. He says he and the county office will deliver a resolution satisfactory to all parties regarding the problems we’ve faced.”

Everyone exchanged glances.

This County Magistrate Ouyang… why is he still so eager?