Chapter 46: Funeral for the Whole City

The moon rose and the sun set; the bustling marketplace, so full of traffic by day, had now fallen into complete silence.

On the deserted streets, a crowd of people dressed in black night-traveling clothes suddenly surged forth like a tide, moving stealthily to quietly and swiftly surround every location marked on the map, leaving no gaps.

Ruan Xing stood on a pavilion in the distance and raised a torch to ignite the signal smoke.

In an instant, the sounds of shouting and killing shook the heavens.

Illuminated by the firelight, Ruan Xing's fair little face was tinged with a dim, yellowish hue; she turned her head to look at the Inspector beside her, who was dressed in heavy clothing, with Liu Shouye supporting him.

"Inspector, I leave the rest to you. I have no intention of knowing the palace's secret case, and there is no need for my name to appear on the case files for even half a word of credit. I only hope that Jiangning City can return to its former state and never again be stirred by waves."

"What Gang Leader Ruan wishes for is also what I wish for. Jiangning City will remain the Jiangning City we are familiar with," the Inspector said with a smile.

Ruan Xing gave a slight nod, turned around, and descended from the pavilion.

"Lu Youqi should be close to succeeding on his end as well. I won't go over to see; as for the funeral arrangements and compensation silver for the families of the fallen gang members, you and he can discuss it later," Ruan Xing said with a small yawn, giving instructions to Hong Xi.

She already knew the outcome from the simulation; going or not going wouldn't change much.

"Gang Leader, the gang members participating in the operation haven't withdrawn yet. If we let the Patrol Security Division's Qianling Guards go over now, wouldn't that be..." Hong Xi gradually lost his voice under Ruan Xing's scrutinizing gaze, and finally said, "This subordinate spoke out of turn."

"Didn't you already know their fate long ago? It's a bit too late to be kind-hearted now," Ruan Xing said softly. "You should be clear that if you wanted them to live, you could have dismissed them to flee for their lives when I told you this afternoon. But you didn't. Were you afraid that if I found out, I would kill you?"

In every simulation, Hong Xi never chose to dismiss his subordinates. She didn't believe Hong Xi had developed loyalty to her so quickly; he simply understood his own position deeply, knowing that if he took one wrong step, he would die.

"Or are you just using these meager words to soothe your own guilty conscience? Then, when you helped Hongtou Daoren round up young boys and girls, why didn't you feel guilty?" Ruan Xing said meaningfully. "From the first moment you saw me, you haven't disobeyed a single word I've said. You know I've always wanted to kill you, but because you know how to read the situation, I haven't found a reason to. So why did you dare to say that just now? Is it because I've been more generous to you than Hongtou Daoren was, leading you to mistakenly believe I'm a good person?"

"This subordinate..." Hong Xi's body, kneeling on one knee, swayed slightly.

"Stop testing me. Just do what you are supposed to do well." Ruan Xing waved her hand, ignoring him further, and climbed into the carriage to return.

Hong Xi was someone who knew how to set boundaries for himself; he was unwilling to cross them but would test the edge of the bottom line. This might have been because Hongtou Daoren basically didn't manage affairs, focusing on his research and delegating power to him.

In the past, he made all the decisions for gang affairs himself, only seeking help from Hongtou Daoren when he truly couldn't handle them. It was nothing like now, being ordered around by Ruan Xing every day. Coupled with the reward of two bottles of Medicine Liquid for completing a task well, Hong Xi's mind had become active, daring to test and question Ruan Xing's decisions.

Unfortunately, Ruan Xing had noticed it immediately.

It wasn't a big problem; a good beating would make him a qualified tool again.

Ruan Xing didn't take it to heart. She went back to drinking tea, eating fruit, and enjoying the service of the maids. She gave Hu San a few days off, telling him to seize the time to break through to Internal Strength Great Success. Because she was very satisfied with the maid Zhang Chenghui had offered, she also rewarded Zhang Chenghui with a bottle of Medicine Liquid.

The next day, she suddenly remembered that Ruan Mu would lose her job after the Weaving Workshop was cleared out. She summoned the Housekeeper to ask, "Is there any news from Lu Youqi's branch? Has anyone been looking for me?"

"There has been no news," the Housekeeper shook his head, then added, "Today, Ruan Tao did go out once. Previously, you said that in addition to the daily supply of Medicinal Bath Medicine Liquid, an extra twenty taels of silver should be prepared for Ruan Tao to buy whatever she was missing. Ruan Tao didn't use up that portion and went out with the cash."

Ruan Tao was much softer-hearted than her; it seemed she was afraid Ruan Mu would lose her job and have no money to spend, so she went to give her the silver.

Ruan Xing nodded, "Don't worry about her. Give her another twenty taels when she returns."

The following days were as calm as water, until the latest news arrived from the Capital.

The Inspector, forcing himself up despite his illness, escorted the prisoners back to the Capital. In the great hall, he spoke with great fervor, every word dripping with blood, recounting how Sun Erlang and he had racked their brains and taken great pains to investigate the case and collect evidence, how Sun Erlang had been murdered and died of extreme anger, and how he himself had accepted the mission in a crisis, using Sun Erlang's handwritten secret order to make a decisive arrest, not hesitating to suffer serious injuries.

Speaking to the end, the Inspector knelt and sincerely requested the Emperor to give a grand and generous burial to a loyal official like Sun Erlang and to bestow titles upon his descendants, then died with a smile in the great hall.

The Emperor wept bitterly, saying he had lost two more pillars of the state. He conferred upon Sun Erlang the title of First-Rank Duke, hereditary with decreasing rank, and conferred upon the Inspector the title of Third-Rank Marquis, hereditary with decreasing rank. Both were granted a hundred gold pieces, had their epitaphs drafted, and were sent back to their hometowns for burial. Additionally, the original Left Commander of the Jiangning City Patrol Security Division, Liu Shouye, was promoted to Patrol Security Division Inspector, temporarily acting as City Lord until the end of the term.

Ruan Xing breathed a sigh of relief. This matter had finally been successfully glossed over. Without a new City Lord, and with Liu Shouye being one of her own, the Red Head Gang could continue to accumulate wealth for her steadily for the next few years. The gang's industries had already been returned by Liu Shouye and were currently managed by Wang Dongxing. After looking at this month's accounts, although there had been many twists and turns, most of the shops were not in the red. By the time things settled, they should be able to return to the glory of earning ten or twenty thousand taels a year.

That day, the Inspector's body had been sent back from the Capital. The Inspector's Mansion was draped in white banners, and Ruan Xing was invited to attend his funeral.

On the way there, she also encountered many families dressed in hemp clothes, with white cloth tied around their foreheads, supporting coffins as they left.

Wang Dongxing was sitting in the same carriage with her and remarked, "The most profitable business this month is the coffin shop. The price of an ordinary Paulownia Wood Coffin has risen by more than two qian compared to previous years, not to mention the candles and paper money. Tsk tsk... Jiangning City hasn't seen such a big scene in many years."

"Is that so?" Ruan Xing also lifted the curtain to look, "Has Jiangning City really had that many deaths?"

"How could it not? A batch died in the previous assassination case against the Inspector, a batch died catching criminals a few days ago, a batch died when you silenced them, and another batch was jailed and beheaded due to the Weaving Case. Counting it up, there are a thousand households. Jiangning City only has ten thousand households in total; one in every ten families is holding a funeral. How could it not be a lot?" Wang Dongxing counted on his fingers for her, "Fortunately, my family is fine, and as a blessing in disguise, it's become easier for me to move the household registrations for those brothers on Qianling Mountain."

They arrived at the Inspector's Mansion. After presenting the funeral gift, Ruan Xing said to Liu Shouye in a low voice, "Please accept my condolences."

Liu Shouye gave a bitter smile, "I had already prepared myself mentally, but this day is still hard to accept."

Wang Dongxing patted his shoulder, "Brother Liu, the deceased is gone, and the living must carry on. A Cheng is now a little Marquis; if you raise A Cheng well, you will have done right by your brother-in-law, and his spirit in heaven will surely be comforted. Besides, you are young and have become an Inspector; perhaps you will be transferred to the Capital in the future and rise to great heights."

"It's just an empty title, without even any real fiefdom. It only sounds good to say it out loud. I never took the imperial examination and can only hold a military post, but I never practiced martial arts. In this life, the highest I'll reach is Inspector. You don't need to overrate me." Liu Shouye shook his head, and after settling them in, he went off to receive other guests.

Wang Dongxing said to Ruan Xing, "Gang Leader, we are so familiar with Brother Liu, why don't we help him out? Let's share some Internal Strength cultivation techniques and Medicine Liquid with him. When he gets transferred to the Capital, our Red Head Gang will have a voice in official circles. Only the Qianling Guard can practice Internal Strength within the government; those without the family background can't even get in. The two of us couldn't bear the hardship of External Strength techniques when we were young, which is why we never practiced martial arts." If it were before, and Ruan Xing hadn't met Sun Erlang, she naturally wouldn't have cared, but now she couldn't do that. "No."

If she helped Liu Shouye and he was transferred to the Capital, only for his secret to be discovered, she would be assassinated by eunuchs again.

"Why?" Wang Dongxing didn't quite understand.

Ruan Xing couldn't explain it to him in detail, "Not for now."

Once she went to the Capital and reached the Innate realm or stepped into Cultivation, she wouldn't have to worry about those dead eunuchs from the imperial family. By then, helping Liu Shouye practice martial arts might even allow her to carry forward the Red Head Gang, bringing other nearby cities under her command, and she could accumulate even more wealth.

Moreover, given Liu Shouye's luck, perhaps he wouldn't even need her help. As the son of a wealthy merchant, becoming an Inspector at only sixteen, it was hard to say it wasn't related to the strong luck he possessed. In other novels, he would be the beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist.

Wang Dongxing was dejected, "Alright then."

Ruan Xing turned to ask, "How much can we collect from the industries this month?"

"Over four hundred taels." Wang Dongxing blinked and began to calculate, "The profits from the beginning of the month were already taken by the Patrol Security Division. The last half-month was affected, so the profits aren't high. However, the shops related to funeral services have seen an increase in profits, which makes up for the gap."

"Over four hundred taels..." Ruan Xing pondered for a moment, "Is that enough to maintain the gang's operations?"

"Not quite enough. A normal month's consumption is about six hundred taels."

Ruan Xing thought for a moment, "How about this: I'll leave you three thousand taels in silver notes. Manage the industries well while I'm away. I'll take all the other money in the gang."

"Ah? Where are you going?" Wang Dongxing was surprised.

"To the Capital, Huaining. I'll leave... in a few days." Ruan Xing said.

She still wanted to wait and see if Ruan Fu's relatives would come to cause trouble, and how Ruan Tao would handle it.

Wang Dongxing said worriedly, "How many people do you need to arrange? Pei Qianhu previously wanted to expand his business to Huaining City; he went several times but returned empty-handed and almost offended people. I'm afraid you'll be targeted if you go there."

"Very few people know my identity now. I'll only take Sword Lai with me; no one will recognize me."

A few days later, the Housekeeper came to report the good news to Ruan Xing, saying that Ruan Tao had reached Inner and Outer Small Success, and Hu San had reached Inner and Outer Great Success.

"That's quite fast." Ruan Xing wasn't surprised. Practicing martial arts was inherently a very expensive endeavor. If one had talent and perseverance, one might spend less money and more time—like those gang members in the branches who tempered their bones every day. They didn't have the money for daily Medicinal Baths and could only practice bitterly. Even then, it would take at least three to five years to reach External Strength Great Success. If money was no object and the Medicinal Bath Medicine Liquid was fully utilized, even without talent, one could forcibly create an Inner and Outer Small Success in a few months.

She called Hu San over, "Not bad. Your Internal Strength realm has caught up with your External Strength realm. If you cultivate both internally and externally from now on, your speed will be much faster than before. Work hard; reaching Inner and Outer Perfection as soon as possible is the goal."

"Yes, I will not fail the Young Lady's cultivation!" Hu San said solemnly.

"I will be going on a long journey very soon. While I am away, you are to handle all affairs within the gang. If there is anything you cannot figure out yourself, you may consult with Wang Dongxing and Liu Shouye. You may use the Medicine Liquid in the storehouse as you please, and you may also reward the other Guans if they perform their duties well. Use your own discretion; I won't say much more. To me, the Red Head Gang is merely a stable money bag. You must help me guard this money bag well and don't let anyone steal it." Ruan Xing patted his shoulder and instructed him with trust.

Hu San was stunned, "You are going out, and you aren't taking me?"

"Taking my Sword is enough. Your greatest duty right now is to be a good Vice Gang Leader, not to be my coachman. Besides, this time, I intend to learn how to ride a horse." Ruan Xing said in an unquestionable tone:

"Right, how is the situation with my mother that I asked you to keep an eye on? Has anyone been giving her trouble?"

Hu San composed himself and replied, "After the incident at the Weaving Workshop, there was some gossip, but after Ruan Tao returned that time, she not only brought Silver but also gave them a piece of her mind, so no one said anything else. Later, after Young Master Liu took over as acting City Lord and reopened the Household Tax Division, there were many vacancies in the Household Tax Division, so I managed to get some of our literate gang members in as minor officials. When the Weaving Workshop organized the embroiderers and weavers, they hired the Madam back, so things are peaceful on her end now."

"It's just that there is a man who claims to be the Madam's senior fellow apprentice who frequently enters and leaves the house under the pretext of helping with work. Recently, some rumors have been spreading. I have already investigated; it was the Madam's second sister-in-law and mother-in-law who spread them, saying that the Madam, a newly widowed woman, is involved with an outside man and is not observing female virtue. Since you said last time that those Ruan family members should be left for Ruan Tao to handle, I didn't touch them."

"Does my sister know about this?"

"Not yet. Ruan Tao has only returned twice in the last half month; the rest of the time she has been in her room practicing."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xing tapped the table and ordered, "Find a way to let her know about this inadvertently."

Very soon, Ruan Tao 'accidentally' overheard some gossip among the Maids in the headquarters, and with great initiative, she found the Housekeeper to inform them before heading out.

Ruan Xing followed quietly behind her and heard her berate the Ruan family members, then pull out a Dagger and slice off the tongues of several of them. She did not even spare Ruan Da and Ruan Da Sao, who were still lying in bed after being caned. Before leaving, she dropped a harsh threat:

"This is the last time. For the sake of my father, I will spare your lives. If there is a next time, I will make it so that there is only one household with the surname Ruan in Jiangning City!"

Watching this scene, Ruan Xing silently asked Hu San, "What do you think? Do you think she is soft-hearted?"

"Not at all." Hu San shook his head, "She still doesn't know you are the Gang Leader; she is just afraid that killing people will cause trouble for you."

"So that's how it is."

Ruan Xing's heart stirred, and she unconsciously revealed a smile.

Thanks to book friend 20240505085011622 for the monthly ticket~ (End of chapter)