Chapter 62: Fenghua Stirs Up Trouble

That year Mu Shulan stayed at the Zhao household for a few months. After her father, Mr. Mu, returned, his bearing and manner were on par with those of a great personage. Before, the young girl's relatives around Xuzhou had only ever heard of her father alone, but after that time, many uncles and the like came by.

Zhao Jin and Mu Shulan could be considered childhood sweethearts in a sense. The two were thoroughly familiar with each other. Zhao Jin went on practicing martial arts on his own while the young girl sat to the side and talked.

"What's so scary about quarreling?" Zhao Jin asked offhandedly.

"Those uncles are like madmen. They're normally crazy and erratic, and sometimes they look like monsters," the young girl described with exaggeration.

Zhao Jin couldn't help laughing. He thought to himself that Mu Shulan was, after all, still a twelve-year-old girl.

Only bitter training could distract him from longing. Zhao Jin practiced with exceptional focus that afternoon. Because he always ended up drenched in sweat, he kept several changes of clothes there. After changing, he took Mu Shulan home. Judging by the young girl's attitude, she didn't mean to hide for just a little while, but for several days.

Mu Shulan was already accustomed to eating and staying at the Zhao household, and Zhao Jin also found it ordinary. The two headed home as usual. When they went out the door, both of them thought simultaneously of how Zhao Zhenxing used to come out and see them off. For a moment, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

The two walked one in front of the other, passing through that street lined entirely with shuttered shops. It was still desolate there, but from a distance they could see a dozen or so people standing in front of a shopfront.

Zhao Jin had an impression of that shopfront — it was the very one where he had seen a monk using a commoner woman to settle a debt. The year after he witnessed that incident, the shopkeeper had fled with his entire family one night. It was said that Cloud Mountain Temple sent people in pursuit, but no one knew if they ever caught up.

In front of that door, a dozen or so people surrounded one person. The sky was still very bright, and Zhao Jin could see clearly — the central figure was none other than the monk Runan.

Compared to a few years ago, this monk Runan had grown much more portly. The monk's robe on his body was actually made of finely embroidered blue silk. This entire getup was something even many of the gentry within the city could not match.

The dozen or so people surrounding this eminent monk were a mix of monks and laymen, all wearing ingratiating, fawning smiles on their faces. Even from a distance, one could tell they were currying favor with Runan.

Xuzhou City was neither big nor small, yet this was only the second time Zhao Jin had seen the monk Runan. He could clearly tell that this eminent monk was no longer the same as he had been back then.

"Master, your insight is brilliant! With simple renovations, this shop can be used as a storehouse. Truly turning waste into treasure, touching stone and turning it to gold!"

"Many of the shopfronts on this street lie abandoned. They can be acquired without spending much silver. Once they're all knocked through, it will be a huge expanse of space. The Master's brilliant scheme, truly a brilliant scheme!"

"Tonight, Plum Blossom Pavilion has already prepared a banquet. Though Xuzhou City is dilapidated, even merchants who come from Haizhou and Yangzhou find that place quite decent. Master, you must do us the honor!"

The crowd surrounded him, fawning. Zhao Jin was leading Mu Shulan past this spot. He had intended to stick close to the roadside and go by, but unexpectedly they startled these people's mounts, and a horse neighed several times.

Originally, Zhao Jin and his companion were walking quietly, and these people, wholly absorbed in bootlicking and flattery, hadn't noticed them. But the street was desolate, the horse neighed, and the whole group turned their heads back, just in time to see the two of them.

When strangers cross paths, a glance back is all it takes. That group glanced over and then turned their heads back, but unexpectedly, the monk Runan did not turn back around. Moreover, his eyes were shining. Everyone followed his gaze and discovered that Runan was staring at that young boy and girl — to be precise, staring at that young girl.

She was indeed a beauty, or rather, a budding beauty, though she looked quite young, only eleven or twelve years old.

Mu Shulan also sensed these people's gazes. The young girl nervously walked forward a few steps, using Zhao Jin's body to block herself a little.

Zhao Jin frowned and looked back. In broad daylight, these people wouldn't dare do anything. Besides, judging by Zhao Jin and Mu Shulan's clothing and complexion, one could tell they were children from a good family, with background and means. No one would rashly provoke people like that.

However, among that dozen or so people, someone thought he had grasped the trick and whispered to the person beside him: "Hurry to Plum Blossom Pavilion and have them arrange for a few younger ones to serve."

They soon turned into the intersection ahead. Mu Shulan was very displeased and said with a frown, "Lewd and disgusting." Both of them subconsciously quickened their pace.

"My father says those people from Cloud Mountain Temple can't be touched," the young girl said as she walked.

Even Mr. Mu knew that Cloud Mountain Temple was not to be trifled with. Over these past few years, Zhao Jin had also come to understand something of this Cloud Mountain Temple. He knew this temple was the great local tyrant of Xuzhou City, owning a full three thousand qing of farmland alone. Originally, Zhao Jin had thought one qing was merely fifteen mu, only to make a fool of himself — it turned out that under the Ming system, one qing was one hundred mu, a full three hundred thousand mu!

With farmland naturally came manpower. According to what everyone said, Cloud Mountain Temple could field five hundred monk soldiers at any time. If the personnel from its various branch temples and estate farms were counted in, they would always have three thousand able-bodied laborers.

When you did the math, the land tax collected by the Xuzhou authorities might not even match what this Cloud Mountain Temple collected. The constables and runners of the Xuzhou magistrate's yamen were fewer than the people of this Cloud Mountain Temple. Given this balance of power, Cloud Mountain Temple naturally ran rampant.

Moreover, according to what everyone said, good land around Xuzhou was scarce. Cloud Mountain Temple did not rely solely on these several hundred thousand mu of land and several thousand laborers; its other sources of income were considerable as well. With money and men, and with many officials maintaining close ties with Cloud Mountain Temple, its strength was astonishing.

He Cuihua had also been utterly exhausted these past few days. Fortunately, there were now servants at home to help, so she didn't have to toil herself. Seeing Zhao Jin and Mu Shulan arrive, she smiled and called them over to chat. The young girl was not at all reserved and cheerfully said she would be staying the night there. He Cuihua took the opportunity to grumble a bit at Zhao Jin: "After watching the execution, you didn't even think to come home and send word. I had to worry for so long and only felt at ease after sending someone to ask."

The incident a few years ago when Zhao Jin had fainted from fright had left a shadow in He Cuihua's heart. Today, ever since Zhao Jin had gone out, she had been anxious and on edge.

Now that the household had servants and the residence had many rooms, clearing out a room was simple, and it was quickly prepared. The young girl felt very much at ease staying there. However, Zhao Jin keenly sensed that the warmth between his mother and Mu Shulan was not what it used to be.

At dinnertime, Zhao Zhentang returned. Upon seeing Zhao Jin, he said nothing, merely stepping forward and patting him on the shoulder. Zhao Jin's spirits immediately lifted. He knew his father was not one to openly praise people; this pat on the shoulder already counted as commendation. It was likely his father was very satisfied with his performance at the execution ground.

As everyone sat down to eat, Zhao Zhentang took a silver ingot from his bosom and handed it to He Cuihua. Estranged though they might be, Zhao Jin's parents still treated Mu Shulan as one of their own and did not avoid many matters in front of her. The silver Zhao Zhentang received as perks for executions all came back to He Cuihua; Mu Shulan had seen this countless times.

This time, however, He Cuihua was taken aback and said in disbelief, "This must be nearly twenty taels, right? So much?"

Even Zhao Jin was startled. When Zhao Zhentang carried out an execution, aside from the small customary fee from the authorities, the victim's family and the criminal's relatives would all give money. But the most it ever came to was around three taels, and even that was only when the grievance was deep and the victim's family paid silver to have a few extra chops delivered. That time Zhao Zhentang had hacked eleven times in a row, and the criminal's agonized howls could be heard several streets away.

Yet today, Zhao Zhentang had delivered one clean, swift stroke and still managed to earn this much. That murderer shouldn't have had any kin to speak of.

"More is a bad thing? Put it away quickly," Zhao Zhentang said impatiently, then added in puzzlement: "I'm confused too. The man who gave the silver said that as soon as the execution overseer shouted, I was to cut the head right off. Isn't that exactly what I'm supposed to do normally? I really don't get it."

Recalling the calm, icy look in that condemned murderer's eyes before death, Zhao Jin's heart gave a great leap. He thought to himself that although he wasn't afraid, dwelling on this would probably give him nightmares tonight.

In this era, Xuzhou in the second month was bitterly cold. Going out for his morning run, he couldn't feel the slightest hint of spring. But Zhao Jin was already used to it. He now rose very early, because the distance he ran grew longer and longer. Zhao Jin could already feel the benefits of long-distance running — his body was becoming more and more coordinated, his movements more and more stable.

Because of his second uncle's funeral affairs, Zhao Jin had not gone for his morning run in over ten days. After just one lap, Zhao Jin felt something was off. He rose early, and there was practically no one moving about in this area. Around the time he was on his fifth lap, the gatekeepers of the surrounding wealthy households were only just coming out to sweep.

But this morning, as soon as he came out, he saw two men. Those two were in their twenties, wrapped in thick padded coats, yet they still looked half-frozen, their faces utterly haggard and their eyes bloodshot. The moment they saw Zhao Jin step outside, they hurriedly walked off into the distance.