Chapter 275: Strange Happenings

"And please rest assured, my lord—the Second Master also said that the Mu family already has a way to deal with it, and that when the time comes, this humble one will rise along with them." Zheng Quan said with a smile, his face full of anticipation.

This Zheng Quan had already become the Xuzhou Assembly Master of the Smelling Incense Sect, presiding over a region with real power in his hands. Having tasted the benefits, he naturally looked forward to even more.

Zhao Jin could see this shift in the man, but Zheng Quan was still reliable enough for now—there was no need to correct anything. Zhao Jin's mind was also wandering a bit. Mu family's Second Uncle should already be back in Shandong. Xiaolan should be there too. How was she now? Would she miss Xuzhou?

Over on his side, Zheng Quan's expression had already turned serious. He deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Before the Second Master left, he made a point of giving this humble one a few words. He said that last year Shandong suffered a great disaster, and South Zhili north of the river had a minor one. This year Shandong is still suffering a great disaster, and signs of famine are already appearing here as well. There are already plenty of refugees everywhere now. If another disaster strikes, it'll be like pouring oil on a fire. If someone stirs things up and incites trouble, there's bound to be major chaos. When that happens, places protected by city walls might manage, but the countryside will likely face a great calamity."

Zhao Jin nodded with a grim face. Zheng Quan scratched his head, looking somewhat uncertain, and hesitantly said, "The Second Master said this right before he left—it came out of nowhere. This humble one has been mulling it over for a couple of days and keeps feeling that these words weren't necessarily meant for me. I'm afraid he was having me pass a message along..."

He spoke of South Zhili, and of the countryside—yet this Zheng Quan was inside the city, connecting with various parties. Perhaps those words really were meant for someone else.

As Zheng Quan spoke, he recalled, saying in fits and starts, "Back when word came that you, Young Master Jin, had led troops to smash the Kong family and Cloud Mountain Temple forces, the Second Master's face was full of shock. That very day happened to be when he was leaving. At parting, the Second Master said those words."

Whenever famine and chaos strike, sects with hidden agendas always become unusually active—either luring desperate commoners to join, or inciting refugees to revolt, fishing for profit in the chaos and scheming for the realm. Ever since Zhao Jin learned of the Smelling Incense Sect and these underground sects, he had heard of many such deeds by these kinds of organizations.

As a local powerholder himself, and now with the title of Bao Zheng as well, Zhao Jin had to maintain local stability whether for public duty or private interest. This reminder was certainly timely—but the fact that it came from a high-ranking member of the Smelling Incense Sect made Zhao Jin feel very strange and unsettled. And his thoughts went a layer deeper: for Mu family's Second Uncle Mu Wuzhen to give such a warning—could he know something? Could the Smelling Incense Sect be involved? Or was it merely speculation from observing the situation?

One thing Zhao Jin could be certain of, however: Mu Wuzhen had done this with goodwill. There was the past bond with Xiaolan and her father; destroying He Village was tantamount to avenging the Mu family. And if the Smelling Incense Sect wanted to maintain its presence in Xuzhou, it had to watch Zhao Jin's expression. The credibility of this information was very high.

Zhao Jin sat there deep in thought. Even as an Assembly Master, Zheng Quan was still a servant before Zhao Jin and dared not disturb him, waiting quietly. Only after a while did Zhao Jin lift his head and speak: "Is there any news of Xiaolan? Is she well?"

Zheng Quan was taken aback. He had thought Zhao Jin would delve deeper into that information—he hadn't expected him to ask about Mu Shulan instead. At this, a genuine, relaxed smile appeared on Zheng Quan's face, and he said with a laugh, "The moment the Second Master brings up the Young Miss, he sings her praises. He says that among the Mu family's younger generation, none can compare to the Young Miss. He also says that back in the day, the Old Master himself carved out a whole sphere of influence alone in Xuzhou, and now the Young Miss is so outstanding again—they've really been shortchanged..."

As he spoke, Zheng Quan grew somewhat emotional and raised a hand to wipe his eyes. But these words meant little to Zhao Jin—he still knew nothing about Mu Shulan's recent situation. He couldn't help but press further: "Where is she right now? What exactly is she doing?"

Zheng Quan paused, then shook his head and said, "The Second Master never talks about that. Even when asked, he only says what I just told you—it's as if he's hiding something."

Seeing Zheng Quan's baffled expression, Zhao Jin shook his head helplessly as well. Zheng Quan only really had the talent of a message-passer; as an Assembly Master, his scheming was somewhat lacking. But for Zhao Jin, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Talking about Mu Shulan had softened and eased the atmosphere somewhat, but the two had no more topics to continue. Zheng Quan drank a sip of the now-cold tea, stood up, and said, "This humble one's status is different now. Staying here would bring trouble to Young Master Jin. I'll head out before it gets dark and find lodging in a nearby village."

After speaking, he bowed respectfully once more, then turned to leave. He had just reached the door when Zhao Jin called him back. Zhao Jin paused, then said with a smile, "I've placed your daughter in the city. My mother is a kind-hearted person and won't mistreat her. As for your son, I'm going to keep him by my side—he'll inevitably get knocked around, bumped, and bruised. Don't hold it against me."

Zheng Quan froze for a moment, then immediately dropped to his knees. Thud, thud—he knocked his head against the floor several times. When he looked up, his face was already full of gratitude, and his voice carried a hint of a sob as he spoke.

"Young Master Jin's great kindness—even if this humble one were ground to dust, he could never repay it."

"I don't need you ground to dust. Your Smelling Incense Sect is everywhere, with countless eyes and ears—very useful for gathering information. This refugee business and the like—you must keep a close watch for me." As Zhao Jin spoke, he stepped forward and pulled Zheng Quan to his feet.

Zhao Jin fixed his gaze on Zheng Quan and continued sincerely, "I remember clearly how you and your wife went to fetch Xiaolan. I saw you several times a day, and I often dreamed of it. We are family—only family can be true-hearted."

As he spoke, Zhao Jin clapped Zheng Quan heavily on the shoulder. Tears were already streaming down Zheng Quan's face; he could only nod continuously. Zhao Jin turned to Liu Yong and said, "Tomorrow, arrange for someone to give Zheng Quan five hundred taels of silver in the city."

Liu Yong acknowledged the order. Before Zheng Quan could even voice his thanks, Zhao Jin added, "In your position, expenses are bound to be high. If there's anything that can't go through the official accounts, just tell me—I'll find a way!"

Zheng Quan, profuse in his gratitude, saw himself out. For the sake of secrecy, neither Zhao Jin nor Liu Yong went out to see him off; they had a kitchen hand who did odd jobs lead him out.

Once the door was shut, Liu Yong said with a smile, "Big Brother, the moment you said you'd keep his child by your side, Zheng Quan became utterly devoted. His sect identity can never see the light of day in this lifetime, but he still wants his own children to have a future."

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile as well. Even without Zheng Quan's status as Smelling Incense Sect Assembly Master, his children would have had a hard time finding a good path in life—because they were merely servants of the Mu family, and not even house-born ones at that. With such a status, having enough food and clothing was already considered good.

Staying by Zhao Jin's side meant not only a legitimate identity but also, with Zhao Jin's care, a decent future. At the very least, they could become law-abiding commoners with no worries about food and clothing, instead of living in fear that the whole family might be executed one day.

Moreover, anyone who had come into contact with the Zhao Character Camp could reach one conclusion: young men who joined the Zhao Character Camp developed, in just a short time, a spirit and bearing different from outsiders—a rising, vigorous quality. In the past, such a quality had only been seen in the sons of great families. Ordinary people who saw it only sensed something different, but the sharp-eyed would be shocked. Zheng Quan, capable of being a message-passer for the Smelling Incense Sect, was somewhat different from the average person. Having his child by Zhao Jin's side was a hostage arrangement, but looked at another way, the child's safety was also guaranteed, and he would receive excellent instruction.

Beyond these reasons, Zhao Jin's thoughts went even deeper. The activities of the Xuzhou Smelling Incense Sect were under the watchful eyes of the Zhao Character Camp. So much blood, so many lives—Zheng Quan, as Xuzhou Assembly Master, surely felt as if he were standing on the edge of an abyss, in constant trepidation. Although Zheng Quan and Zhao Jin had the connection through Mu Shulan, Mu Shulan was no longer in Xuzhou, making that connection vague and intangible—not something to be relied upon. But by taking Zheng Quan's children into his own household, Zhao Jin was, on one hand, holding hostages, and on the other, proving that the two sides now had an even closer bond. At this point, the old ties of affection could finally come into play.

With his children sent to Zhao Jin's side, not only would they receive good care and a secure future, but Zheng Quan himself also gained Zhao Jin's backing. Of course Zheng Quan would be moved to tears of gratitude.

"Zheng Quan is now worth our investment. Find a time to go into the city and arrange for a few trusted men to join the Smelling Incense Sect. Have Zheng Quan promote two of them to message-passer." Zhao Jin gave his final conclusion.

At dinnertime, Zhao Jin and his brothers had just sat down when they noticed Dong Bingfeng was absent. Just as they were about to ask where he'd gone, Dong Bingfeng hurried into the room and said, "Big Brother, the men on the watchtower say Little Stone Village has lit bonfires and they can vaguely make out a lot of people bustling about. I'll ride over with some men and take a look."

Zhao Jin's brow furrowed. He set down his bowl and said, "Pass the order immediately: every unit is to eat quickly. After the meal, assemble and form up. Have the manor prepare torches and lanterns."

The others nodded, wolfed down their food in a few bites, got up, and went to make arrangements. Over on his side, Chen Sheng had just strapped on his saber when a household servant came in to report: "Master, someone has come from Little Stone Village."

"Constable Zhao, honored sirs—those land-buyers told the village they have to level a patch of ground tonight. They're paying a lot in wages. Every household in the village is out there now using stone rollers to press the earth flat. Looks like they'll be at it all night..." Hearing this, Zhao Jin and his companions looked at one another in bewilderment.

In the silence, Zhao Jin smacked his forehead and said, "We've been going about this the wrong way. What's there to puzzle over? Just grab those land-buyers and interrogate them. Daxiang, you make a trip."

"Constable Zhao... those land-buyers left the silver and then left..." the man from Little Stone Village said hesitantly.

How very strange. Zhao Jin dismissed the messenger, and after a moment of contemplation, spoke: "Tonight, one veteran squad and four recruit squads are to remain on standby at all times. Bingfeng, take a few men who can ride and make a trip—take a look at Little Stone Village, then check the roads around it. Xiaoyong, send men to check on all the neighboring manors. Also, tonight, post hidden sentries on every road around He Village, ready to report back at any time. We brothers will also take turns keeping night watch."

Everyone agreed and dispersed to their tasks. Arranging the night watch for the various units usually fell to Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng, so the two of them were the last to remain.

Chen Sheng pondered for a moment, then spoke: "If there really are enemies, they probably wouldn't come from the direction of Little Stone Village anyway. And who in the Xuzhou region right now would still make an enemy of us? The only ones with the capability are the government office and the Xu family north of the Yellow River, but neither has any conflict with us. Could it be something Kong Jiuying arranged? But apart from his cavalry, nothing else of his can get through—and cavalry is useless against us."

"It may not be enemies. It looks more like someone is in a rush and can't be bothered with anything else," Zhao Jin said offhandedly.

Everything at Little Stone Village had been done far too openly, and it was a local Xuzhou trading house doing it. If there really were some scheme, it would be far too simplistic.

After saying this, Zhao Jin added, "We have few ears to gather news and few people to tip us off, so when things happen, we can only be cautious ourselves. First, we make sure we have no gaps—then others can't exploit us."

Zhao Jin went up the watchtower himself to look. Outside Little Stone Village, it was indeed brilliantly lit, looking much like the great battle at He Village that night. Through the shadows, one could vaguely make out many people busily working without pause.

As the night deepened, Dong Bingfeng returned. He reported that the village was indeed hard at work—they had even dug up the crops in the fields near the road and were pressing the ground flat with stone rollers. The group that had come that day had paid wages, paid for firewood, and said there would be extra rewards if the work was finished by tomorrow. The village had mobilized everyone, even the old, the weak, women, and children. Apart from that, all the roads were quiet, without the slightest sign of anything unusual. Over on his side, Liu Yong had also dispatched the village's own informants.

Zhao Jin and the others also noticed one more thing: people had climbed onto the rooftops in the direction of the nearby mule and horse market. Zhao Jin sent someone over to ask, and the reply came back that they rarely saw a neighboring village making such a commotion at night, so none of the proprietors dared sleep—they had all their hired hands standing guard with weapons.

They must have been terrified by that great battle that night and were making preparations in advance. Liu Yong went in personally to take a look, and only after coming back out did he go about his own tasks. The reason for asking and checking was the worry that the merchants at the mule and horse market might be colluding with outsiders.

That night, Zhao Jin slept in his outer clothes, with his armor and weapons placed right beside him. He was ready to go out and fight at any moment. He wondered what kind of person was playing these tricks, and how to make use of the resource that was Zheng Quan. In the end, his thoughts turned to Mu Shulan. He only had memories of when they parted; he had no idea how the girl was now. But then he thought, it had been less than a year since they separated—surely she hadn't changed much. Amid all this wild thinking, Zhao Jin sank into a deep sleep.

He woke at about the usual time. The window paper was already faintly lit with the gray of dawn. The night had passed without incident, and Zhao Jin had slept very well. After a simple wash and with the help of a household servant to don his armor, Zhao Jin took up his long spear and began his patrol of the compound. During his rounds, his companions also got up one after another.

Everyone felt baffled. To make such a big show right near the Zhao Character Camp without even sending word—no one in the Xuzhou region would do something so foolish.

Peace and quiet was best. According to the reports from the hidden sentries posted out, everywhere had been as calm as usual throughout the night. The able-bodied men of Little Stone Village were still busily working even now. Outside the village, a huge stretch of open ground had already been cleared—a clear sign of just how generous that group's terms had been, making the villagers willingly destroy their own crops.

"Have the Qi brothers set off for the city as early as possible. Ask Zhaojing if there's been any unusual activity inside the city. Xiaoyong, you stay here for now and send men to the nearby villages to make inquiries," Zhao Jin gave his orders.

Liu Yong controlled quite a few covert agents and informants; naturally, efficiency was highest when he personally oversaw things. He quickly agreed, but after a moment's hesitation, added, "Big Brother, Wang Zhaojing and the various uncles and elders in the city wouldn't keep anything from us if something happened."

"Of course they wouldn't hide anything. But this situation right now is just too bizarre." Zhao Jin shook his head with a wry smile.

"Shitou, today you lead some men to Little Stone Village. If those people show up again, seize them." Zhao Jin gave another order.

At noon, the nine families—whose gifts had been swallowed rather than accepted the day before—delivered the information Zhao Jin had requested. Somewhat surprisingly, Tian Family Manor was not the strongest. Their manor had over three hundred adult males, while the Liu family mine could muster nearly six hundred able-bodied men, since miners were all strong adult males. Lin Family Stockade also had over two hundred men. The others varied in descending order.

However, Liu Yong's brief conversation the day before had already revealed why Tian Ying of Tian Family Manor was the leader: Tian Ying's paternal cousin was a capable clerk in the Revenue Office of the Six Offices at the prefectural yamen. That meant they had someone on the official side.

And from this information, one could also see that Xuzhou's culture of scholarly pursuit was not strong. Counting He Village as well, among these ten places there was only a single Xiucai degree-holder—and that Xiucai was Zhou Xuezhi...

"If there's truly an emergency, the various places could muster around fifteen hundred laborers. But if we go by the standards for household troops in our own camp, at most seven hundred would be usable," Zhou Xuezhi noted as he recorded, offering his assessment at the same time.

Reports came in from all quarters, and naturally they had to inquire about conditions everywhere — nothing was out of the ordinary. The bustle over at Little Stone Village finally died down, and everyone went back to rest.

It seemed nothing had really happened. Zhao Battalion's alertness gradually relaxed, and everything returned to normal.

"…We're not short of the income from this market, but the fees still have to be collected. They need to know who's in charge of this market…" In the past, He Weiyuan hadn't let people from neighboring villages come in to do business, nor had he collected money from the market vendors — he'd just let things be. Zhao Jin changed that rule.

"…The money isn't important, but collecting it shows that we're the ones in charge here…" Hearing Zhao Jin's reasoning, everyone looked thoughtful.

"Zhou Xuezhi will handle these matters. Xiaoyong, you'll recruit twenty men from He Village and the nine households that reported their numbers, and assign them to Zhou Xuezhi to maintain order at the market and collect the fees." Zhao Jin gave his instructions. Zhou Xuezhi, seated at the very end, immediately stood up, visibly stirred.

"This task that Master Jin has entrusted to me, this student will certainly—" The usually quick-witted Zhou Xuezhi actually stammered, because he knew that receiving this assignment meant his standing within the Zhao Battalion system had risen another notch.

Before he could finish speaking, everyone turned toward the door. They had all heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Ji Xiang, leaning near the doorway, already had his hand on his saber hilt.

"This humble Qi San… Master Jin, Master Jin! A huge convoy of carts is heading our way — it stretches for miles along the road, and there are plenty of escorts too…" The matter was urgent, and Qi San shouted it out from outside the door.

The Qi brothers had been sent into the city on an errand. Judging by the timing, this Qi San had gone and come back.

All the carts in the city had been hired. The land at Little Stone Village had been bought, and the whole village was leveling the ground. And now, this huge convoy of carts was heading this way — the connections between these events snapped into place at once.

"Come in and speak. How do you know they're coming to Little Stone Village?"

"This humble one left his horse to the side and went over pretending to be a laborer, asking if they needed porters for loading and unloading. They all said no, said the people up ahead had made arrangements. This humble one went to ask those at the very front, but they ignored me and even shooed me away. As I turned to leave, though, I overheard them say that arrangements had been made here at Little Stone Village…"