Chapter 284

This shop was a business of the Chamber of Commerce, so the facade was naturally high-end, with white walls and blue tiles, and even the doors and windows had exquisite wood carvings.

A plaque hung high above, inscribed with "Western Strange Artifact Workshop."

Entering the shop, a faint scent of sandalwood hit their noses.

Several large beef tallow lanterns made the shop bright.

On the black sandalwood shelves on the four walls, there were Western clocks and watches of different sizes, all sorts of things, all with exquisite craftsmanship.

Some were like small buildings, with flying eaves and corridors, meticulously detailed, with carved window patterns, and when the hands moved, it seemed as if one could hear the melodious bell sounds from the building...

Some were in the shape of horse-drawn carriages, with the carriage body inlaid with fine gold and silver threads, the wheels could turn slowly, and there was a small clock face on top, ticking away...

Besides clocks and watches, there were also several music boxes on the shelves.

These music boxes were also beautifully made, with shells made of precious wood or gold and silver intertwined, carved with flowers, animals, and figures.

One had its lid lifted, emitting a crisp sound.

The person watching the shop was an old man with a refined temperament, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a black Confucian robe, which was quite fitting.

Of course, such a shop couldn't be without strong and sturdy assistants.

"Greetings, Squire Tian."

Seeing the group from afar, the old man welcomed them.

Squire Tian looked around and smiled, "Manager Zhao, why haven't you closed the shop so late?"

The old man hurriedly cupped his hands, "The Dragon Boat Festival is here, and there are quite a few foreign merchants; some stop in Near Wuchang specifically to buy things from our Chamber of Commerce, so closing too early isn't appropriate."

Squire Tian nodded, then turned around and introduced to Li Yan with a smile, "Ten years ago, Western foreign monks came to the Shenzhou and presented self-ringing clocks to the Emperor."

"The Emperor liked that clock very much, and since then, this item has become popular in the Shenzhou, but it was controlled by the foreign monks, and the price was high; even wealthy families couldn't get one for a thousand gold."

"Since the opening of the seas, merchants found the place of origin and discovered that they had been cheated by those foreign monks quite a bit. By now, the method of making clocks has been learned by craftsmen in the capital, so it's not considered too expensive."

As he spoke, he turned around and said, "Manager Zhao, this is my honored guest; take out that batch of pocket watches and let people pick a few."

"Guests, please wait."

The old man hurried into the inner hall and brought out a black sandalwood box, which was divided into small compartments, all filled with pocket watches of various colors.

Some shells were cast in fine copper, clear enough to reflect a person, with the watch cases carved with rare birds and beasts or flowers...

Some were made of silver, with delicate and smooth shells, decorated with complex patterns, like vines entwined, continuous and unending; looking at the style, they were Western style...

Those inlaid with jewelry were the most numerous, but there were also those inlaid with white porcelain pieces, painted with landscapes or inscribed with poems by famous masters, quite having the charm of the national style.

It seems this thing was also made by craftsmen in the capital.

Sure enough, after opening the pocket watch, the instructional text inside was not Arabic numerals, but Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

Squire Tian smiled, "This batch of pocket watches is something that was just produced recently; it has already become popular in the capital, and during this Dragon Boat Festival, Ezhou will also sell them in large quantities. The price is not expensive, but it is more suitable."

Li Yan saw this and was happy, "Truly good things."

With this thing, it would be more convenient for the team to check the time when acting.

According to their individual personalities, he picked a pocket watch with a brass shell carved with a coiled dragon for Sha Sha Li Fei.

Lu San's was carved with an eagle, and Wang Wang Daoxuan's was the most special, with a small Bagua pattern on the back.

As for himself, he picked a Taiji pattern.

After all, he had to walk the martial world; if he took out those inlaid with jewelry from time to time, it would inevitably attract attention, so they were all brass shells with leather cases.

The four pocket watches cost a total of over three hundred taels.

Squire Tian naturally wouldn't let him pay, so he put it directly on his own account and led the group out the door.

Arriving on the street, Squire Tian looked to the left, hesitating.

Tian Wei knew his intention and hurriedly said, "Father, why don't we go to Second Uncle's house now?"

Squire Tian shook his head upon hearing this, "No, how can one visit someone's house in the middle of the night, and Second Brother already has an opinion of me..."

Li Yan was speechless upon seeing this.

This Squire Tian was fine in other aspects—he was righteous and had rules in doing things—but when facing his relatives, he was a bit awkward.

Clearly missing his son in his heart, but scolding him when they met.

Clearly worried about his brother, he ran over early in the morning, but when the time came, he still couldn't let go of his face.

Thinking of this, he also persuaded, "This is not a simple visit; the other party has clearly had an accident, so it's better to be early than late."

"Fine!"

Hearing this reason, Squire Tian nodded immediately, ordered his servants to lead the horses, and traveled through the left street all the way to the west of the city.

There was no curfew in Near Wuchang City, and with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the city was clearly much livelier.

In some streets, opera stages had even been set up.

In Near Wuchang City, the Chu style was popular; the characters on the stage were extremely romantic, and the commoners below cheered loudly.

Li Yan could now roughly hear that what they were singing was: "White as the snow on the mountain, bright as the moon among the clouds. Hearing you have two intentions, I come to break it off. Today we meet for wine, tomorrow morning at the riverbank..."

Unlike the majestic Qin tune, the Chu tune was much more affectionate and mournful.

Li Yan was in a good mood, riding his horse, tapping his fingers to the rhythm, while the lanterns of the teahouses and wine shops on both sides retreated.

The cool breeze blew against his face, which also had a certain flavor.

Even with the flow of people on the street, in about three sticks of incense, they crossed the city and arrived at the west of the city.

"It's in that alley ahead."

Squire Tian sighed slightly, his eyes a bit complicated.

By now, it was much quieter, and all around were deep courtyards; the only light came from the lanterns at the doors of wealthy households.

Deep in the alley, a few barks of dogs could be vaguely heard.

Arriving outside a residence, Squire Tian's face changed drastically.

The main gate of this house was tightly closed, and it had been slashed by knives and axes, and splashed with filthy things like dog blood and feces.

Not to mention the lanterns hanging at the door, even the courtyard was pitch black, as if no one lived there anymore.

"No, something happened!"

Squire Tian's face turned pale, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Yan pinched a secret formula in his hand, frowned, and sniffed, saying in a low voice, "There are still people hiding inside..."

Squire Tian suddenly realized, hurriedly dismounted, stepped forward quickly, and regardless of the filth on the door panel, knocked on the door repeatedly.

"Second Brother, open the door quickly, Big Brother is here!"

Inside the courtyard, there was a rustling sound, and then the wooden door was slowly pulled open, revealing a pale young man.

Seeing Squire Tian, the young man's eyes were complicated, and he gritted his teeth, "What are you here for?"

"Move aside!"

Squire Tian didn't want to talk nonsense, pushed the door open, and strode in.

The young man was anxious and wanted to stop him, but was blocked by Tian Wei, who shook his head, "Brother Wu, the adults' affairs must be resolved; my father ran over in a hurry when he heard Second Uncle had an accident..."

The young man bit his lip and said nothing more.

Squire Tian had already ordered his servants to light torches and hurried to the back courtyard room, smelling the pungent medicinal herbs, and his heart sank.

Sure enough, pushing open the room, he saw a woman sitting in front of the charcoal fire, with medicinal soup boiling on it.

And on the bed lay a middle-aged man, his face sallow, looking very weak, his appearance somewhat similar to Squire Tian, but thinner.

Seeing Squire Tian, he glanced coldly, "What are you here for? Here to laugh at me?"

"You!"

Squire Tian's anger surged, but he didn't flare up. Looking at the person on the bed, he thought of his brother who followed behind him when he was a child, and now he had become like this, so he couldn't help but feel sour in his heart, "Second Brother, why didn't you tell Big Brother when something happened?"

Although Tian's second brother was a bit surprised, he still sneered, "No, I can't take it."

"Besides, you weren't wrong when you said it back then; I am just a piece of mud that can't be plastered on the wall. Look, didn't it all come true as you said?"

The grievances between the Tian brothers stemmed from verbal disputes.

They came out of the village, the three brothers worked together, started from small businesses, and later met a benefactor who helped them, making their business bigger and bigger.

However, it is easy to share hardships, but difficult to share prosperity.

After the business grew, the three brothers all became a bit arrogant.

The second brother liked to gamble, the third brother was addicted to wine and women, and as for Squire Tian, he was proud and arrogant, looking down on his two brothers more and more.

Finally, because of their mistakes, a business lost a lot of money, and Squire Tian was furious, scolding the two brothers bloody.

The two were also unconvinced, and even had a fight.

!.

Since then, the three brothers separated and stopped interacting, and even when worshipping their ancestors during the Qingming Festival, they did so separately.

Seeing Squire Tian doing so well over the years, the two brothers were also not feeling good, and they worked hard to manage their own businesses.

To some extent, they were also venting their anger.

Hearing his second brother's angry words, Squire Tian was no longer angry at this time, tears streaming down his face, and he sighed to the sky, "Living in this world, fame and fortune, wine, women, wealth, and anger—who is perfect?"

"After our parents passed away, I should have fulfilled the responsibility of the eldest brother, but I looked down on you; it was all my fault. Second Brother, if you have anger in your heart, just scold me."

The second brother on the bed gritted his teeth, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn't come out, and he just burst into tears, crying out loud.

His son and wife were dumbfounded.

Tian's second brother had a stubborn temper; he was always cursing when he was sick in bed, and this was the first time the mother and son had seen him shed tears.

Tian Wei saw this and hurriedly stepped forward to persuade, "Second Uncle, don't be sad; actually, Father also misses you very much. I saw him not sleep all night last night..."

"Get lost!"

Squire Tian glared, "Adults are talking, why are you interrupting?"

After saying that, he held Tian's second brother's hand, "Second Brother, rest assured, no matter what happens, Big Brother will make the decisions for you!"

Tian Wei laughed dumbly and also hugged the young man's shoulder next to him, "Brother Wu, let's interact more in the future."

With the matter spoken, Tian's second brother also told the story.

The reason for the accident was actually very simple.

Tian's second brother was in the "Han Embroidery" business.

The so-called "Han Embroidery" actually originated from Chu Embroidery, as Qu Yuan once sighed in "Songs of Chu": Jade-covered quilt, shining with light. Cutting the wall, the gauze tent is spread...

From officials and merchants in Ezhou to famous courtesans and entertainers, everyone liked to wear Han Embroidery, so business was never a worry.

Tian's second brother's business was not as good as Squire Tian's, but he also supported hundreds of embroiderers and a dozen workshops.

At the end of last year, someone introduced him to a big customer, who only needed the goods to be sent to Xiangyang and handed over to others for sale.

Moreover, the other party would pay more than half of the deposit.

Tian's second brother naturally agreed readily to such a good thing.

Each time, the other party could settle the account smoothly.

The amount of the transaction between the two sides became larger and larger, and Tian's second brother usually took the deposit first, let the workshop rush to make it, and then earned the remaining money from the other party.

And the last time, the other party needed a large amount of goods and also said that their turnover was difficult this time, so they wouldn't pay the deposit first, and would settle the account with him after selling them.

Tian's second brother had been earning money from the other party during this period and was afraid of losing this big customer, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.

But it was precisely this time that several ships of goods were robbed on the way, and Tian's second brother could be said to have suffered heavy losses.

Not only that, the money for more than a dozen workshops hadn't been settled, and the other party even sued him in the government office on the grounds that the goods hadn't been delivered.

And the contract between the two sides had also been tampered with by the other party, saying that the deposit had been paid and he had to pay several times the compensation.

During this period, not only did those embroiderers who were owed wages come to make trouble, but the other party also hired a group of thugs to come to the door to collect debts all day long.

Tian's second brother was also sick in bed with anger.

In a hurry, he took a crooked path, but the things dug out from the tomb were deliberately suppressed in price, and he couldn't fill the hole at all...

As soon as Li Yan heard this, he understood the general idea.

This was the work of the "Bee" sect, which was a gang-type swindler, with people responsible for "pulling the line," people responsible for "acting," people responsible for "robbing the fire," with clear division of labor, and the one who oversaw the overall situation was called the "Seat Holder."

"This matter is not your fault."

Squire Tian's eyes rose with a burst of anger, "This was a trap set by the Bee sect. If there are no accidents, the person who introduced the customer to you, and those embroidery workshops, all have people involved."

"This method is very simple; the Han Embroidery obtained each time is sent directly back to the workshop, and most of the deposit will also return to their hands."

"Do it a few times, and they can make you bankrupt."

"Second Brother, rest assured, I am quite familiar with the people in the martial world here. As long as I find the 'Seat Holder' of this Bee sect, the matter can be solved."

"The government office side is also easy to talk about; I will ask someone to mediate on your behalf, delay it for a period of time, and when I find the person who set the trap, I will naturally force them to withdraw the lawsuit."

"In the end, you will lose some, but most of the family property can be recovered."

"Many thanks, Big Brother."

Tian's second brother's voice trembled, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had inquired in many ways and knew that he had been trapped, but with his own strength, he couldn't solve it.

Squire Tian smiled, "This is a small matter, you just rest and recover, leave everything to Big Brother."

"By the way, call Third Brother tomorrow too; Big Brother also wants to apologize to him. You two have a good relationship, why didn't he come?"

Tian's second brother smiled bitterly, "Third Brother is also unable to protect himself at this time."

"He was seduced by fox friends and dog companions, couldn't control his crotch, and had an affair with a good woman, and was blackmailed by others all day long, otherwise they would report it to the officials, making a big mess in the city."

"His business was also ruined, and he is probably panicking and doesn't know where to raise money..."

"This Third Brother, how could he be so confused!"

Squire Tian was furious when he heard this.

When Li Yan heard this, he frowned and shook his head, "Squire Tian, don't be anxious, something is wrong with this matter."

"Your second brother has a stubborn temper and likes to gamble. Your third brother is addicted to wine and women and can't control his crotch."

"The two things are clearly aimed at their weaknesses and have been carefully planned. And on your side, you were also cursed."

"Three brothers having accidents at the same time, don't you think it's too coincidental?"

Squire Tian was shocked, "Is it those people?"

Li Yan nodded, "Most likely."

"This?"

Squire Tian was angry, "What exactly did my Tian family do to offend them to be framed by such unscrupulous means?"

Li Yan fell into deep thought, tapping his fingers lightly.

"These people have huge power; if they were determined to frame you, your Tian family would have been wiped out long ago, but they chose to go to such lengths."

"They are not framing..."

"But forcing!"

Third update around twelve o'clock

(End of chapter)