Chapter 42: Yangzhou

"Li Battalion Commander, give the brothers a favor."

"Let us leave, and we’ll handle things on our own with Marquis Wuyang—you won’t be put in a difficult position!"

Seeing Li Mu arrive with men to block them, the spoiled rich kids still held their heads high.

Their brows brimmed with contempt, as if they were certain of their dominance over him.

"Lord Duan, it’s not that I’m not giving face—I simply cannot defy military orders!"

Besides, this place is nowhere near a village or a shop, and the market is still far off."

"If anything happens, wouldn’t that be a tragic waste?"

Li Mu shot back without mercy.

From his workplace experience, if his superiors assigned him to guard them, it proved these people were unimportant.

Noble status only scares country bumpkins; noble heirs know that high birth and real power are not the same thing.

If they truly had influence, they wouldn’t have been cast aside.

Even if they were tagging along for credit, they’d have brought more capable retainers.

Their subordinates are all rabble—proof these fellows are nouveau riche, with nothing but loud names.

According to Li Mu, several of these families were already in financial trouble, urgently needing a windfall to cover their deficits.

"Heh!"

"Li, we call you Battalion Commander out of respect—if we don’t, you’re just Little Li."

"How dare you speak to us like this? You must be itching for a beating..."

Before the young man finished speaking, a sharp crack echoed—and his head exploded with stars.

Li Mu’s sudden strike stunned them all.

In the capital, when they had disputes, Li Mu was always easygoing.

Only a few days out of the capital, and he’s grown so brazen.

The man struck, Chu Shide, was the younger brother of Imperial Consort Chu, and held the post of Deputy Commander of the Five City Military Command.

Assaulting a superior officer—especially the imperial consort’s own brother—was an act meant to shatter heaven itself.

"Take these lords back to their cabins. If anyone else causes trouble, kill them on the spot!"

Before anyone could recover, Li Mu issued another cold command.

"You dare—I am..."

"This is utterly..."

Protests had no effect; the soldiers paid them no mind.

One servant rushed forward to shield his master—only to have Wu the Big Guy sever his left arm on the spot.

Had he not dodged fast enough, the blade would have split his skull.

The bloody scene made faces already pale turn even more ghastly.

"Military orders are as firm as mountains"—to them, this had always been just a phrase from operas.

To them, it was as hollow as "Even the Son of Heaven is subject to the law"—mere empty words.

Now they were actually doing it!

Seeing this, the courage they’d mustered moments before collapsed instantly.

They were noble; they had no reason to quarrel with a bunch of brutes. If they lost their lives, it would be tragic.

From their resentful glances, it was clear they had marked Li Mu down.

Having played the villain, Li Mu sighed helplessly.

Indeed, someone dying here was no injustice.

At this point, these fools still didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.

Similar scenes kept playing out on the southbound grain barges.

Even those who least wanted to offend others still chose to strictly enforce Marquis Wuyang’s orders.

Offending a group of spoiled rich kids might bring trouble—but only trouble.

These men held no real power; even if they sought revenge later, they could only rely on connections.

Everyone moved in the same circle; over ninety percent of their connections were useless here.

Violating military orders meant losing your head.

Yangzhou City.

After a large number of salt merchants were arrested, this once-bustling city plunged into desolation.

"Big Brother, I’ve inquired.

Master Zhang is imprisoned in the prefectural jail."

"Two of the jailers under his guard once received favors from Master Zhang—they’re willing to be our inside men."

"Among the city gate guards, we also have our own people."

"If we give them a heads-up, they’ll make adjustments at the gate."

"After breaking him out, we can flee the city under cover of night!"

The sly, rat-eyed young man spoke with excitement.

They were all hired thugs raised by Zhang Fangyong, usually tasked with escorting salt shipments, occasionally handling dirty work.

Their pay was decent, but far from achieving greatness.

Many other gangs did the same work.

To rise above the competition, catch Master Zhang’s eye, and ascend to the peak of life—it was no small feat.

The opportunity had finally arrived.

Since ancient times, no merit surpasses saving one’s lord!

If they rescued Master Zhang from prison, their status would skyrocket.

"Old Liu, rescuing Master Zhang requires careful planning."

The difficulty isn’t rescuing him—it’s what comes after."

"The court hasn’t convicted Master Zhang yet—there’s still room to maneuver."

"According to information from the Prefect’s office, the Prefect and the Provincial Administration Commissioner are working to clear Master Zhang’s name."

"If we storm the jail, the charges will be entirely fabricated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

The black-clad middle-aged man shook his head.

On the surface, he was Master Zhang’s subordinate; in truth, he answered to other masters behind the scenes.

The Zhang family had risen only two generations—Zhang Fangyong had become a famed salt merchant of the Two Huai regions, far from simple as he appeared.

Without behind-the-scenes help, a newcomer salt merchant couldn’t even untangle official connections.

The situation was now complex; no one yet understood the court’s intentions, and the shadow patrons were still hesitating.

If we don’t storm the jail, all Yangzhou’s officials are our own—plenty of people will offer protection.

But if we act, everything changes.

A prisoner being rescued under one’s jurisdiction damages official evaluations and invites imperial investigation.

If someone cracks under pressure and spills secrets, trouble will be immense.

For the shadow patrons, it’s cleaner to simply kill the arrested salt merchants than risk a rescue.

They haven’t acted yet because the situation hasn’t reached that point.

"Big Brother, it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard who arrested Master Zhang."

"Many other Yangzhou salt merchants were arrested too—they clearly mean business. They won’t release anyone easily!"

The young man spoke, unwilling to give up.

If they didn’t storm the jail, all the information he’d gathered would be wasted.

As for official complications—he didn’t care at all.

Officially, Zhang Fangyong was a licensed salt merchant; in truth, he was a smuggler, and their main business was smuggling salt.

If the supply chain weren’t in Zhang Fangyong’s hands, they’d have gone solo long ago—who’d bother with a rescue?

"Don’t worry—Master Zhang has long supported many scholar-officials. Now it’s time for them to repay him."

"Once the imperial envoy arrives, these scholars will gather to plead his case."

"The court officials value reputation above all—they dare not offend the literati!"

(End of Chapter)