Chapter 89: Someone Is Making Trouble

Don't worry—the life force of a deep-fried ghost is far longer than that of any traitorous minister or martial arts master.

This was Wu Chengyu's inner voice; he found it truly hard to accept the changes coming to the Southern Song.

Shi Miyuan was a powerful minister and traitorous minister of the late Southern Song; later figures like Jia Shidao and Ding Daquan were still children now.

Last year Shi Miyuan colluded with someone to secretly kill Han Tuozhou, then sent this Southern Song chancellor's head to the Jin Kingdom to seek peace.

Although he had long known the great historical trends, Wu Chengyu still found it hard to accept.

How Han Tuozhou actually was, history has no definitive conclusion, but killing his own War Faction leader just to seek peace with an enemy country—once such a thing happened, the Southern Song was equivalent to having no hope at all.

Those officials who were also of the War Faction had their spines broken from then on.

This year Shi Miyuan did two more things; one, just as Wu Jinshui said, was to rehabilitate Qin Gui, restore his title of Duke of Shen and his posthumous name Zhongxian—this alone caused an uproar throughout the court and the countryside.

By September, he would sign the most humiliating peace treaty in Song-Jin history with the Jin Kingdom, namely the Jiading Peace Treaty, with annual tribute of three hundred thousand, plus three million taels in military support fees, all shifted onto the ordinary commoners.

Next year Shi Miyuan would become Right Prime Minister and begin his more than twenty years of monopolizing power over the Song Dynasty; although the Song Dynasty was originally weak, its economic development had always been decent, but with Shi Miyuan's rule, the Southern Song economy gradually collapsed.

In short, from the first year of Jiading, the Southern Song was on the fast track to destruction.

Although Wu Chengyu never wanted to participate in politics, nor thought of changing the course of history, he asked himself he lacked this courage and state of mind, but being in the midst of the great situation, both his and the Wu Family's future would inevitably be affected.

Thinking of this, Wu Chengyu also knew he had to plan early; if there were no family, he would be much freer in the future, but now that he had ties with the family and received care from the family, he must also find a way out for the Wu Clan.

Thinking of this, he no longer had the interest to continue tasting dishes; dusk was approaching, the night market was about to begin, and as the person in charge, he could not leave before the night market ended.

Wu Chengyu had the back kitchen bring some pastries; after Great Accomplishment of the Ox-Horse Stake, his appetite had sharply decreased, so he just casually ate a little, and he still had to accompany A Ku for dinner when he returned at night.

As the night market began, the signboard at the entrance of Wumei Tower announced new dishes on the market, thirty percent off to welcome customers.

Most of the customers who came were still eating hot pot, but they also quite enjoyed the newly arrived dishes.

But tonight seemed somewhat different; Wu Chengyu's sharp five senses soon discovered some sneaky people standing in the corner outside the restaurant, occasionally looking around inside and outside the restaurant, with abnormal expressions, clearly harboring ill intentions.

He silently walked to the window, closed his eyes, and constructed a three-dimensional stereoscopic map of the area near the restaurant.

Soon, he discovered that one of them was holding a bundle in his hand, and there seemed to be many things constantly wriggling inside the bundle; judging by the sound, it was obviously rats.

This person looked around, thinking no one was paying attention, and slowly walked toward the back alley.

The next moment, Wu Chengyu raised his eyebrows; unexpectedly, someone walked out from the back kitchen of the restaurant, also being cautious and extremely nervous, and quickly walked a few steps to meet the person.

Wu Chengyu also knew this person; he was an Outer Surname Disciple of the Wu Family, named Feng Gui, who had always been doing odd jobs in the kitchen.

"See? You hold this bundle of rats for me; as long as you secretly walk into the restaurant's main hall and throw this bundle on the ground, you don't need to worry about the rest."

"After all, I rely on the Wu Family for my livelihood; is it right to do this? Can you spare me?"

"Don't forget, it was you who lost money gambling, and the things you've done. You can choose not to do it, but there are over two hundred taels of silver in total; give it to me now, or I'll take your wife and daughter away. Although they can't be sold for two hundred taels, it's enough to offset the interest."

Wu Chengyu immediately understood that someone was really causing trouble for the Wu Family.

A very old trick; it was probably a setup to make the restaurant people owe gambling debts, then force them to do dirty things. As long as this Feng Gui brought these rats into the restaurant and suddenly released them, with rats running all over the ground, Wumei Tower's reputation accumulated over many years would be ruined in an instant.

Although the trick was old, it was also very simple; but the more such a move was like this, the more effective it often was.

If it weren't for the Wu Family forcing Wu Chengyu to take over this restaurant, if it were someone else, even if they were a martial arts master, without Wu Chengyu's sharp Sense, they would inevitably let the other side succeed when caught off guard.

"This is not giving me face; I've only been here two months and you're already causing me trouble."

I just don't know which faction is behind this; it shouldn't be someone from within the Wu Family, they have no need to go around in such a big circle.

Only a few Elders know of my contributions to the Wu Family; usually I don't show off, so it shouldn't be that some people are jealous of me and come after me.

But if it's an outsider, then why? The Wu Family has considerable power in Gusu; ordinary hooligans wouldn't dare easily provoke the Wu Family."

Wu Chengyu touched his lips; now there was some black fuzz on his upper lip, initially shaking off the age of being unreliable in doing things, and he thought secretly in his heart.

After Feng Gui struggled for a while, he finally lowered his head and accepted the bundle from the other person's hand; the flesh on his face kept twitching, obviously scared to the extreme.

Seeing Feng Gui lower his head, the other person hehehe laughed, turned around wanting to leave, but how could Wu Chengyu possibly let him escape scot-free.

Just at the moment he turned around, he suddenly found his vision go dark.

This guy was short in stature, estimated to be just over 1.6 meters; Wu Chengyu leaped down from upstairs, lightly floating down behind him, without a single sound.

This guy was startled; just as he was about to cry out, Wu Chengyu reached out and lightly pressed on his body, several acupoints on his body were instantly sealed, and he could no longer make a sound.

Wu Chengyu looked up at Feng Gui; Feng Gui had just been caught in the act of doing something bad, and was already pale as a sheet.

His hands kept trembling, and the bundle he was holding seemed about to fall to the ground.

Wu Chengyu's figure flashed and he snatched the bundle from his hand; even if this thing wasn't brought into the restaurant, running out of the back alley would also be a big trouble.

He lightly turned his wrist, and an invisible force field immediately wrapped around the bundle; within this force field, multiple forces operated in a completely irregular manner, first wrapping around, then rapidly contracting and strangling.

The many rats inside the bundle let out a final mournful cry, then a large amount of blood seeped out from the bundle; those rats had all been killed by Wu Chengyu.

Feng Gui completely didn't understand Wu Chengyu's operation, but that didn't mean he didn't know what had happened.

Feng Gui was now trembling all over, almost about to faint: "Young Master Wu, I was really forced; I never thought of betraying the Wu Family."

Wu Chengyu had no mind to listen to his explanation; the Wu Family had not treated him poorly; even with a thousand reasons, he couldn't escape a single death word, but the person behind this matter also had to be dealt with.

"Come, don't be afraid; hold the package well in your arms, just like holding your own life; the ground of this back alley has also been dirtied; before you die, you must help me wipe it clean."

(Chapter End)