Chapter 125: Yunshan Temple's Ruhui

After a few grumbles, Butcher Li got down to business.

"... The real tough guys are all in the estates outside the city. A lot of goods heading to Shandong and Henan pass through Xuzhou, and they live off that trade. Salt and grain—those are the real big-money deals..."

"... Inside Xuzhou city, things get worse by the day. My business feeds on the blood of the poor. What can you squeeze out of them..."

"... South of the city, this is all the business there is. Other parts of the city are fat, but behind every one of those is an official or gentry family..."

Butcher Li was a local native, after all, and he rambled on at length. Zhao Jin listened very carefully, and the companions beside him also found it all fresh and new. In the past, Zhao Jin and the others had either been frogs at the bottom of a well or had taken things for granted, not very grounded in reality. Liu Yong had always worked at the lower levels of the jianghu, confined to the area within the city, so his knowledge was also very limited. Listening to Butcher Li's account today, everyone finally understood many things.

Xuzhou consisted of one prefectural seat and four counties. Publicly and privately, the truly prime areas were all outside the city. Although the opening of the Jia Canal meant the Grand Canal no longer passed through Xuzhou, cutting off the greatest source of revenue, Xuzhou still bordered the Yellow River and remained the overland hub connecting Shandong, Henan, and the Southern Metropolitan Region. Bulk goods and commodities still passed through.

But normal commercial trade was something the jianghu folk couldn't get their hands into. At most, they could collect a protection fee for safe passage. For them, the most profitable goods were salt and grain.

Salt went without saying. East of Xuzhou lay Huai'an Prefecture, home to the world-famous Lianghuai salt fields. Salt was a government monopoly, and Huai salt was sold all across the realm. A great deal of both legal government salt and illegal private salt from Huai'an Prefecture had to travel overland through Xuzhou. Naturally, there was plenty of grease to be had in this.

As for grain, that was tied to Xuzhou's granaries and the tribute grain transported on the canal. Every year, a colossal amount of grain was shipped from Jiangnan to the capital via the canal. During transport, this vast quantity of grain was siphoned off and stolen by all manner of parties. After large amounts of grain were illicitly resold, much of it also had to pass through Xuzhou territory on its way elsewhere. Whether participating in the trafficking or warehousing and stockpiling it, the profits were enormous.

But private salt and stolen tribute grain were both goods that could not see the light of day, so they were not transported in or out of the tightly guarded city of Xuzhou. All the transport and trade took place in the villages and towns outside the city walls.

"... When we city folk go outside the walls, we can't even hold our heads up. That bunch calls us 'mongrel dogs'..."

Hearing Butcher Li lament this, it turned out that the jianghu people inside Xuzhou city held the lowest status in the entire Xuzhou region, because they were the poorest.

"I'll be troubling you from now on, Brother Li. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to speak." When Zhao Jin saw his guest out, he wore a smile on his face.

What Butcher Li had recounted today was worth far more than the hundred-plus taels of silver he had brought over.

"If Young Master Jin has some free time in the next few days, would it be possible to bring some men down to the south side of the city? It would help me put on a show of strength, and let Yan Blackface's underlings know who I'm working for now." Butcher Li made the request politely, and Zhao Jin nodded in agreement.

Returning to the courtyard, he saw Chen Hong beaming as he put the silver away, saying repeatedly, "Brother Zhao was absolutely right. The expenses are covered. More than enough."

Zhao Jin smiled and walked over to his companions. "We've been thinking too small. I never imagined the world of Xuzhou was this vast."

Everyone nodded in agreement. What Butcher Li had said today gave Zhao Jin a sense of urgency. Even if he seized everything in the south of the city, it would only bring in two thousand taels of silver a year. Yet the cost of keeping and training household troops was just as substantial. That amount of money wouldn't be enough to do anything.

He was about to speak when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning to look, he saw it was Li Wu, one of the household troops, running in out of breath.

"Master, Master Chen wants you to come out and look. There are monks outside," Li Wu reported hurriedly.

Monks? Any monk who could show up here was, nine times out of ten, from Yunshan Temple. Could they be coming in broad daylight to provoke a fight? Everyone in the courtyard tensed up. Zhao Jin turned, picked up his long spear, and said, "Li Wu, go tell the craftsmen working in the courtyard not to leave this compound. After you've told them, stay here and protect Erhong."

Everyone had already picked up their weapons. Zhao Jin nodded to them and walked out of the courtyard first.

The household troops stood at attention in formation, holding staves. Chen Sheng, standing at the front of the ranks, had his hand on the hilt of his blade. They were all looking toward the intersection to the north. When Zhao Jin and the others came out, they looked in the same direction. Monks were indeed approaching, but there were only three of them, followed by two men in long robes.

"Eyes right, dress ranks! Fall out and stand at ease!" Zhao Jin turned and gave the order.

The not-very-well-drilled household troops immediately fell into chaos. By the time the three monks walked up, they had barely managed to form something resembling a proper line.

Everyone had been tense and on guard, but when the three monks arrived before them, they were all stunned.

Zhao Jin had seen quite a few monks from Yunshan Temple. They were basically all fat, burly, and vicious-looking. Apart from their shaved heads and monk's robes, they showed no trace of a man of the cloth. Runing and Runan were exactly the manner of jianghu strongmen.

But this monk before them was completely different. He was a refined, graceful, and handsome man, as if he had stepped right out of a painting. He appeared to be in his thirties, about the same height as Zhao Jin and the others, with an effortless, elegant bearing. He wore a jade-colored monk's robe and was strikingly handsome and dashing. One couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill just looking at him.

Zhao Jin's first impression of this monk was to wonder if he was related to Wang Zhaojing's family. In a martial place like Xuzhou, only a distinguished, cultured family like the Wangs could produce a person like this.

"Such a handsome face!" "Just like he came out of a painting." Some of the household troops were murmuring among themselves.

The monk swept his gaze over them and easily picked out who the central figure was. Everyone, consciously or not, was clustered around Zhao Jin. The monk smiled faintly, pressed his palms together, and bowed, saying, "This humble monk is Ruhui of Yunshan Temple. I am honored to meet Young Master Zhao."

His voice was also clear and pleasant, making one instinctively feel a sense of goodwill. Zhao Jin almost answered reflexively but caught himself at once. He merely nodded coolly and said, "That's me. What do you want?"

This monk, Ruhui, looked at Zhao Jin with a smile. When he realized that Zhao Jin was not being stubborn in a childish fit of temper but was genuinely cold, he couldn't help but show a flicker of surprise. But then he smiled again and said, "This humble monk has been entrusted by the Abbot to discuss some matters with Young Master Zhao."

"The one who trafficked Mu Shulan!"

Zhao Jin's tone was indifferent, but the meaning he conveyed was resolute. Monk Ruhui, still wearing a faint smile, merely glanced back over his shoulder.

The moment he made that gesture, Chen Sheng leaned in close to Zhao Jin and said in a low voice, "Clerk Li from the Punishment Office is here too."

Zhao Jin had spent these years focused solely on martial training and had rarely visited the yamen, so he hadn't dealt much with the people there and couldn't recognize them. Chen Sheng, because of his father's connections, had more dealings with them and naturally recognized the man.

"Xiao Jin, Xiao Sheng, don't you two recognize Uncle Li anymore?" the middle-aged man following behind Monk Ruhui said with a laugh.

The chief officials of the local government were scholars who had passed the imperial examinations, but the practical work was controlled by the hereditary clerks and runners.

It could be said that nearly all criminal cases and arrests across the entire Xuzhou territory were ultimately decided by this Clerk Li. Though his official rank was lowly, he was a major figure in the region. People of all sorts, from every walk of life, had to give him some face.

However, there was an exception. The current Prefect Tong, after completing one full term, had been forced to stay on for another, making a total of nine years. After so many years, he had become familiar with many matters, and the opportunities for the clerks of the Six Offices to exploit loopholes had greatly diminished. This Clerk Li's prestige had also waned compared to years past.

Waned as it might, Clerk Li was still a figure of importance, and everyone still had to give him face. Moreover, the Punishment Office dealt extensively with the constables, and the two had a partial subordinate relationship. Not to mention, Zhao Jin's father and Chen Sheng's father had both sought Clerk Li's help before, and Clerk Li had helped them.

In front of this man, Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng could only adopt the attitude of juniors meeting a senior. They bowed and greeted him, "Hello, Uncle Li."

Clerk Li had a prosperous, well-fed look, his face gleaming with oil, his eyes squeezed into slits. The beard on his chin was also very sparse. Hearing Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng's greeting, the smile on his face grew even more cordial.

But this Clerk Li also understood that although the two teenagers before him were polite, he could not actually put on the airs of an elder. For one thing, Chen Sheng's and Zhao Jin's fathers were no pushovers in the yamen either. For another, Zhao Jin already had over twenty lives on his hands. A god of death and fierce strongman like this was not someone he could afford to offend. Not to mention, in just a few short days, the jianghu business south of the city had already fallen into his grasp.

Thinking of this, Clerk Li suddenly felt a bit disheartened. Above him was a shrewd prefect, and below him was a young strongman like this. There was no room left for his own kind. The feeling lasted only an instant before he snapped back to attention and said, beaming, "It's already lunchtime. Let's not talk on an empty stomach. There's a place not far from here called Old Zhang's Bones, very good eating. We can talk while we eat."

Clerk Li was being so courteous, and Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng, mindful of their fathers' connections, couldn't very well refuse him coldly. Zhao Jin glanced at Chen Sheng and agreed with a smile, "We'll follow Uncle Li's arrangements."

Seeing Zhao Jin agree, Clerk Li breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that this Zhao boy was indeed the leader; the eldest Chen son deferred to him in everything.

After agreeing to this, Zhao Jin turned back and gave his orders: "Line up for lunch. After lunch, rest for the time it takes one incense stick to burn, then Lu Da and Li Wu will lead foot drills, following the routine I taught this morning."

The newly recruited household troops still lacked discipline in their drills, but the habit of answering "Yes" had already been instilled. Hearing this, they responded with a single, loud, and orderly "Yes!"

In truth, the response was still a bit ragged, but the sudden shout made Clerk Li flinch and shrink back. The refined-looking monk Ruhui, however, stood perfectly still and unmoved.

The household troops turned and marched in line toward the courtyard. The formation was still far from meeting Zhao Jin's standards, but a flash of surprise passed through Monk Ruhui's eyes.

Zhao Jin smiled at Clerk Li and said, "Uncle Li, my brothers here will all go eat together at noon. Today, lunch is my treat. I hope Uncle Li will do me the honor."

Now even Clerk Li was surprised. He hadn't expected Zhao Jin to understand social graces. Clerk Li smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need, no need. Your Uncle Li still has this bit of silver to spare."