Chapter 228: To Go or Not to Go

"Go and tell Kong Jiuying this: my brother's life is precious. The heads that have fallen so far are not enough. Send He Weiyuan's family over, and I'll let the matter with Kong Jiuying drop!" Zhao Jin said coldly.

"You…" Fu Chuchuan looked up in disbelief, then, realizing the current situation, lowered his head again in dejection.

Zhao Jin put away his long spear, glanced at the companions beside him, and declared loudly, "Everything in my hands was carved out blade by blade, spear by spear, alongside my brothers. If anyone else wants to take it, let them come with blade and spear as well!"

Everyone nodded. Wang Zhaojing, however, looked around and suddenly realized he could no longer keep pace with his companions. This made the sense of loss in his heart deepen by a few more degrees.

"Big Brother, what do we do with these few?"

"Dump them by the city gate and tie them up for the night. When the gate opens tomorrow, let them go. What kind of scum dares to call themselves envoys of two nations?"

As soon as Zhao Jin gave the order, the family retainers on that side had already hauled Fu Chuchuan and his men out.

Though those men had been dragged away, Zhao Jin did not leave. He sat down in the main hall and ordered, "Call the manager of this Tonghui Inn over here."

Before long, the manager of Tonghui Inn came hurrying over with an ingratiating smile. Seeing the smashed-in room door and courtyard gate, the manager's eye twitched, his face full of pained distress, but once he stepped inside, only a beaming smile remained.

"Master Jin…"

He had barely gotten halfway through his greeting when Zhao Jin cut him off. Zhao Jin sat there and said, "I set a rule: any outsiders arriving in the city must be reported to me. Why weren't these few men today?"

Hearing this, the manager's expression stiffened. He immediately tried to explain with a dry laugh, but Zhao Jin gave him no chance to speak and simply continued, "Did you think that because the guests you usually welcome and see off are all nobles and officials, and because your boss has plenty of pull in the city, you could get away with it?"

The manager had already seen the bloodstains on the floor. Thinking again of the men who had just been tied up and taken out, he could no longer force a smile. Zhao Jin went on, "This is the first time, so you're suspended from business for five days. If there's a second time, you won't need to keep this inn open anymore."

For a place like Tonghui Inn, a five-day suspension was no small loss. The manager wanted to explain, but after another look at the bloodstains on the floor and the cold gleam reflecting off Zhao Jin's long spear, he shut his mouth.

The manager could do the math well enough. In the first lunar month, there weren't many guests; if this kind of disruption happened during ordinary days, the loss would be enormous.

Zhao Jin and his men had charged in with overwhelming momentum, and then several men had been trussed up and dragged out. Never mind how many people had been startled along the way—the area around Tonghui Inn was a bustling spot to begin with. By now, quite a crowd of idlers had gathered in front of the door. However, no one was meddling.

Fu Chuchuan and his men were sent to the city gate and tied up. The guests of Tonghui Inn all moved to other places to stay. Zhao Jin and his brothers, however, did not leave.

The inn's main hall was quite spacious. The family retainers stood guard outside the door while Zhao Jin and his companions went inside.

"Bingfeng isn't here; I'll ask him tomorrow. What Fu Chuchuan said just now actually reminded me. I want to ask you all: are you willing to go with me to He Village?" Zhao Jin said loudly.

"To He Village?" Wang Zhaojing asked in a low voice.

Zhao Jin nodded and explained, "Inside the city, the distillery can't be expanded any further. He Village already has a distillery, so expanding there would be very convenient. Moreover, our family retainers are far too conspicuous within the city. For now, we can still keep up appearances, but if someone truly tries to make trouble by accusing us of harboring ill intentions, it'll be a hassle. Going to He Village makes everything convenient. Once we're there, with such a large enterprise, I won't be able to handle it all alone. I'll need everyone to come and help."

"I'll go. Weren't we originally going to go to Gao Village anyway? He Village is no different." Liu Yong was the first to answer.

Zhao Jin glanced at Wang Zhaojing beside him and continued, "We've all been together for so long, but everyone's still living at home. If you come out with me this time, you won't be able to come back often. Go home and discuss it with your parents."

Chen Sheng nodded and said, "I'll go back and ask my father and my grandfather. They probably won't stop me."

"Big Brother, my whole family should come along, right?" Ji Xiang said with a cheeky grin. Zhao Jin smiled and nodded. The Ji family had essentially become the logistics head steward for both the freight yard and the distillery, managing all food, clothing, shelter, and transport. They were already well-practiced at it, and going to He Village would be just right.

Shi Manqiang hesitated for a moment, then said in a muffled voice, "I'll definitely go. But my family's shop is in Xuzhou; my father won't be coming."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh. Zhao Jin shook his head and said, "I'm just asking you to come, not to move your whole household."

Shi Manqiang nodded. Anyone with a bit of sense could see what was on Shi Manqiang's mind: he was competing with Ji Xiang, comparing who contributed more to the group.

"…My provincial exam is approaching. I need to stay in the city to review my studies. Brother Zhao, and all of you, if you need my help, just send word." In the end, everyone's gaze focused on Wang Zhaojing. Young Master Wang clearly hesitated for a moment, but his reply was still very fluent.

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. Beside him, Shi Manqiang said excitedly, "When Wang Zhaojing passes the top imperial examination, we'll all get to share in the glory!"

Ji Xiang chuckled a couple of times. Liu Yong merely grinned. Chen Sheng shot Wang Zhaojing a glance, then lowered his head to stroke the hilt of his saber. Their reactions varied, but Wang Zhaojing took it all as enthusiastic support and said, beaming, "Once the provincial exam is over, I'll reunite with my brothers again."

"It's not that far away. If you get bored of studying, just come over for a walk. It's not like we'll never see each other again," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Everyone laughed perfunctorily. Zhao Jin didn't mind this. His expression turned serious, and he spoke solemnly, "Everyone, leaving Xuzhou city carries risks. You might very well lose your lives out there. You need to think it through clearly, and you need to make it clear to your families as well."

The room fell silent for a moment. Others were about to speak, but Chen Sheng coughed first. Everyone immediately held back. Chen Sheng said impatiently, "Have the life-and-death trials we brothers have faced been few? What is there that we ourselves don't understand? What is there that our families don't understand? Stop nagging us endlessly."

With Chen Sheng speaking like this, the other few all chuckled and nodded. Wang Zhaojing, however, looked somewhat ill at ease at that moment, glancing left and right without saying a word.

Zhao Jin said nothing. He simply clasped his fists solemnly and bowed deeply in salute.

The next day, Dong Bingfeng came over. His answer was no different from Chen Sheng's: he was willing to go.

The matter of Kong Jiuying sending an envoy stirred no ripples in the city. Most people had no idea such a person had ever come.

The first lunar month of the forty-fourth year of the Wanli reign in Xuzhou held no festive feeling; instead, a somber, chilling atmosphere hung heavy. On that very day, all of Cloud Mountain Temple's overt and covert agents, and every kind of informant within the city, were swept clean in one stroke. Zhao Jin's method was simple and brutal: he directly drove the people out of the city and simply confiscated their properties within the city. This was what was meant by "the calamity of a ruined family."

Yet no one raised any objection. Everyone felt it was only natural. How can one allow another to sleep soundly beside one's own bed? Even if Zhao Jin didn't say it, others had already thought of this reason for him.

Time soon reached the second month. On the second day of the second month, the idlers of Xuzhou city saw Dong Bingfeng and Liu Yong leading fifty family retainers and three large carts out of the west gate. These men were all fully armed. Seeing this scene, people buzzed with speculation for a while, thinking Zhao Jin's side was about to start another fight with someone.

It wasn't until the second and third day that word came back: these men had gone to He Village. Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. It turned out Zhao Jin had already seized that place and turned it into his own property. It had been sitting idle for so long; it was about time someone was sent to manage it.

By now, Zhao Jin's family retainers no longer trained inside the city. Every day, they set out at the crack of dawn and went to the horse farm outside the city for cavalry training.

Once daylight broke, the horse farm was filled with dust rising to the sky, men shouting and horses neighing, as noisy as a marketplace. There was no way to seal off the area, so many people from inside and outside the city went over to watch the excitement.

As soon as cavalry training began, the few bonesetter doctors in and around the city all got busy. Every day, someone would fall off a horse or get injured some other way. Fortunately, everyone wore thick padding, and the horses were all well-trained, so there were no serious injuries.

The riding instructor, Luan Song, was very strict. The family retainers dared not disobey him. Aside from shouting and cursing, Luan Song didn't really mete out physical punishment, but when the retainers saw that even Zhao Jin was barked at and lectured by this instructor, none of them dared slack off. They all trained diligently without pause.

The output of the Fragrance Drifting Distillery in the city returned to normal and was still unable to meet demand. Moreover, Sun Jia at Yutou Town had begun stockpiling large quantities. It was said that people from the canal transport network had already come to place deposits.

As for He Village, once Dong Bingfeng and Liu Yong had established a foothold there, they immediately brought over experienced managers and accountants to thoroughly sort out He Village's enterprises.

With He Weiyuan dead and the He family ruined, the distillery, the mill, and all the various shops in He Village had been thrown into chaos. Especially after Zhao Jin led his men back to the city, these businesses were essentially left to run wild. The owner was dead—what manager or clerk would still have the mind to keep working? Some of the bolder ones made off with the liquid assets. Even the timid ones had sticky fingers, and quite a lot of goods were taken.

Yet despite the chaos, the losses weren't too great. The managers and clerks of He Village's businesses were all locals from Xuzhou. Fishing in troubled waters could indeed net them some nice gains, but those gains might not be worth leaving their homes and hometowns over. Moreover, Zhao Jin's fierce reputation had spread far and wide, so no one dared go too far. After Dong Bingfeng and his men arrived, many of the timid ones returned the things they had stolen or embezzled.

As for the He Village distillery, the foremen and workers there had practically nothing worth stealing. How much liquor was produced, how much grain was prepared—there had never been much stock of either grain or liquor in the warehouse. Even if they'd wanted to take advantage, there was nothing to take. These people were actually somewhat worried: they feared that with He Weiyuan dead, the distillery would collapse and their livelihoods would be left with no foundation. When Dong Bingfeng and his men returned and announced the distillery would reopen, the craftsmen and laborers of the He Village distillery immediately regrouped. Once they received a month's wages, paid in advance by Zhao Jin, their minds were set at ease, and they simply waited for work to officially begin.