Chapter 501: The Pitiful Hearts of Parents Everywhere

After Li Dajin finished speaking, Zhao Jin and his companions exchanged glances again, and this time they nodded. Chen Sheng frowned and asked, "Will these local militias and the like be troublesome?"

"They're all just household guards raised by each family, not even as good as the Feng family's men!" Li Dajin answered very curtly.

Zhao Jin nodded slowly. At this moment, Liu Yong interjected, "In great houses like these, the masters' living quarters surely have secret passages and hidden walls. How are the Feng family's set up?"

Hearing this, Li Dajin couldn't help but smile. Noticing Liu Yong looking his way, he hurriedly said "Forgive me," before explaining, "This humble one was also a squad leader in the Yangzhou yamen, often dealing with all sorts of people, and I've handled quite a few cases. Though I've never been inside the Feng family's inner residence, I've either seen or learned from interrogations about other great houses. Very few of them have secret passages or hidden walls. These giant salt merchants do business with the government, and Yangzhou is a peaceful and stable place—there's no need for such setups. As for those who do have them, they're all in the same line as fences."

Seeing that Liu Yong still looked doubtful, Li Dajin continued to explain, "The Feng residence isn't far from the Baoyang River. Over there, if you dig three feet down, water seeps out. Even laying the foundations is a huge hassle, so forget about anything underground. As for hidden walls and such, those things can fool someone who doesn't know the trade, but anyone who truly understands can spot them just by walking around."

Yangzhou was the heartland of the Great Ming, a vital hub of wealth and taxes. Nearby Wolf Mountain, and Zhenjiang and Nanjing across the river, all had heavy troops stationed. Government offices and yamens were densely packed here. In such a place, there was naturally no need to worry about mounted bandits, nor would any reckless outlaws from the rivers and lakes dare to commit crimes and cause chaos here.

On the other hand, if you had high walls and deep moats, with traps and secret tunnels inside, people would instead start wondering what was wrong. The Feng family had a vast enterprise, did business with the government, and had close ties with the authorities—naturally, they wouldn't give anyone grounds for gossip.

Moreover, the Feng family kept so many private soldiers and guards that they held a vague position as the dragon's head among the outlaws and greenwood circles north of the river. With layers upon layers of protection, they had no fear of sudden incidents. Secret walls and hidden passages were truly unlikely to exist.

Li Dajin's words were very frank, even somewhat blunt. Hidden passages and secret walls couldn't fool old hands of the rivers and lakes. Those thieves who specialized in robbing great houses—if they couldn't even discover a hidden passage or secret wall, they could forget about striking it rich.

After he finished, the room fell silent for a while. Li Dajin heard Zhao Jin and his companions discussing among themselves. By this point, Li Dajin was no longer very flustered; he simply lowered his head and waited for the outcome.

"You'll need to go to Yangzhou one more time," Zhao Jin stated his conclusion in a deep voice. Although this outcome was within Li Dajin's expectations, his body still trembled when he heard it.

Li Dajin raised his head, his voice somewhat hoarse as he said, "Master Jin, this humble one heard that the Feng family has already come to sue for peace. To overturn an agreed matter—wouldn't that somewhat harm Master Jin's reputation..."

Zhao Jin narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly, saying leisurely, "What use do I have for such a good reputation?"

Li Dajin choked. Sitting to the side with a cautious expression, Ruhui cleared his throat and spoke up, "Master, the fearsome name of our Zhao Camp has already spread far and wide. This is precisely the time when people come to join us from all directions. They come, first, relying on Master Jin's mighty name, and second, out of admiration for Master Jin's sense of honor. Besides, people come to join forces and do business together, which stresses covenants and alliances. If they hear that Master made peace with the Feng family and then turned against them, it would damage Master's reputation!"

Ruhui spoke very earnestly. Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, saying gently, "I know that Mister Cao is worried about everyone, afraid that going deep into dangerous territory in Yangzhou might lead to mishaps. But, Mister Cao, do you think the Feng family will let this matter rest? Everyone, think about it as well."

When this question was asked, Ruhui was stunned. The others, after a moment's consideration, all shook their heads. Li Dajin merely lowered his head.

"Suing for peace is nothing but a stalling tactic. We've completely suppressed the Feng family, leaving them unable to catch their breath. Now they want to take a step back and gasp for air. Once they recover, they'll still try every means to send us to our deaths. In the past, they shipped salt over grandly—on what grounds should these Xuzhou boys take a cut? The salt market is a good thing—on what grounds should these Xuzhou boys control it? I'm afraid that if the Feng family made a move, those salt merchants and salt smugglers who made pacts with us wouldn't denounce them; they'd cheer and lend a hand. Don't you all agree?" Zhao Jin narrated in a deep voice.

Zhao Jin's voice turned somewhat bitter: "Back then, we were so mighty inside Xuzhou City, and it seemed everyone was sincerely convinced. And then what happened? A killing trap was waiting for us at Gao Village. We killed the men from Cloud Mountain Temple, seized the situation in the city, and even had Mister Cao sent over to sue for peace. And then what? A large force came to kill us in the night. Haven't we learned our lesson after suffering so many times?"

Everyone's expression was solemn; everyone was nodding. Ruhui sighed and said in a muffled voice, "Master, you oversee such a vast situation. Without you, there would be colossal trouble. If anything happened to you, that would also be colossal trouble. Yangzhou..."

He had only spoken half when he saw Zhao Jin's expression suddenly turn stern. Ruhui shook his head and said no more.

"This time, Xiaoyong and I will go. You don't need to," Chen Sheng suddenly spoke up.

Zhao Jin frowned and was about to speak when Chen Sheng continued, "Whether you go or I go makes no difference. But here in Xuzhou, you need to take overall command. You're called the Big Brother, so act like the Big Brother!"

"Brother Yong stays. Let me go!" Lei Cai, standing nearby, hurriedly spoke up.

Before Liu Yong could speak, Chen Sheng shook his head and refused, "Leizi, your martial skill isn't as good as Xiaoyong's. Stay in Xuzhou!"

Zhao Jin's frown turned into a wry smile. He let out a long breath and said slowly, "I won't argue with you."

"You shouldn't be arguing with me in the first place," Chen Sheng replied, then fell silent again.

Zhao Jin shook his head and turned to Ruhui beside him, saying, "Mister Cao, go make arrangements now. Have Yutou Town prepare the boats. Start by preparing twenty cargo boats. Silver and such are easy to discuss; just wait for our message."

Ruhui hurriedly stood and acknowledged the order. Before leaving, he gave Chen Sheng a solemn bow, then quickly strode out.

"Mister Cao is also thinking of the Zhao Camp, thinking of Big Brother," Wang Zhaojing said with a smile as soon as Ruhui left the room.

"He overthinks things. He wanted to speak up and have you all take the lead, but he didn't realize that we brothers would never scheme against each other like that," Zhao Jin remarked casually.

After saying this, Zhao Jin turned to Li Dajin and said, "I can see you're in a difficult position. Are you afraid to die, or unwilling to harm the bond with your old master?"

Hearing this, Li Dajin hastily knelt and said, "Master Jin, this humble one has already done things to this extent—what old bond could there still be? This humble one fought and risked life and death for their Feng family outside, and in the end, after losing one battle, they wanted to exterminate my entire family. How could this humble one still feel any gratitude toward such a despicable household?"

Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang exchanged glances, their eyes full of contempt for Li Dajin. He looked tall and sturdy, like a real man, yet he was this timid.

However, Zhao Jin and the others understood the meaning behind Li Dajin's words. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "I can't guarantee that going to Yangzhou will mean coming back alive. I'll give you a few paths to choose from. Dead or alive, your family will receive three thousand taels of silver afterward. I will send your wife and children elsewhere and guarantee them the status of law-abiding commoners, so they can live in peace and stability for the rest of their lives. My Zhao Camp has considerable means in official circles—you should know that."

Li Dajin looked up at Zhao Jin. He had fought and risked his life for the Feng family precisely so his children could study and earn scholarly honors. Now Zhao Jin was giving him the same choice. Three thousand taels of silver was enough for a family to live in wealth for a lifetime, and they could also become law-abiding commoners and pursue scholarly honors.

"Another option is that after this mission, you return and serve as a Camp Commander in the Zhao Camp, with assignments arranged for you in various places. Your family will also be settled according to the regulations of my Zhao Camp."

"Master Jin, what level of scholarly honor can you guarantee for my boys?" Li Dajin asked bluntly.

Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing exchanged a glance and said, "Passing the Xiucai exam shouldn't be a big problem. A Juren degree is beyond consideration."

The Xiucai was earned through local examinations. Xuzhou was now firmly under Zhao Jin's control; with a word from him, presumably no one would make trouble. But the Juren was a national-level examination—even someone from a pure and noble family like Wang Zhaojing approached it with trepidation. Zhao Jin had even less means to influence it.

Li Dajin, still kneeling, nodded, looking completely distracted. Liu Yong coughed, and only then did Li Dajin snap back to attention. He straightened up and began to speak, but now the earlier fear and humility were gone, replaced only by a sense of helplessness and bitterness: "Master Jin and all you masters are young, so you don't know the hardships of being a father. This humble one fought with real blades and real spears in the army and in the rivers and lakes, and has seen all kinds of things. I don't want my children to go through that again. The reason I followed the Feng family was simply that Feng Jinfa promised a Juren honor. Their family's reach extends to the heavens; with silver spread around, there's nothing they can't accomplish..."

"The Feng family truly has a long reach," Wang Zhaojing commented with a smile. He had toiled bitterly to pass his exams; although connections played a part, hearing about the Feng family's attitude of handling everything with such sweeping ease still grated on him.

Li Dajin simply pretended not to hear and continued, "With a Juren status, no one dares to bully you, whether in official circles or in private. As long as no one dies, any matter is easy to settle. A Xiucai isn't nearly as useful. An honest one is easily bullied and can't hold on to anything."

Zhao Jin and the others were all under twenty, and they didn't quite grasp the implications in Li Dajin's words; instead, they found it rather interesting. Zhao Jin asked with a smile, "What, Old Li, are you worried your own children are too honest to hold on to things?"

Li Dajin gave a dry laugh and continued, "If those two were honest, this humble one wouldn't have come to Xuzhou this time. I'd have gone straight north—there are a few places there where I could find shelter. But the crux is, the older one isn't honest, and the younger one schemes too much. They're both troublemaking little demons!"

Someone in the room couldn't help but laugh; Li Dajin's description was quite amusing. But Li Dajin's face showed no trace of humor.

"If they're only Xiucai, given their natures, I'm afraid they could only end up as Broken-Shoe Gangs

Thank you to the two book friends "User Chen Xinjian" and "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" for your tips, and thank you all for your monthly tickets and subscriptions. I only found out today that author's notes only show on the PC side, so I'll express my thanks here. Also, requesting monthly tickets, tips, and subscriptions. Thank you, everyone.