Chapter 652: Meeting Yu Zhiyuan Again

As he walked and pondered, he was soon led into the main hall. Seated in the central seat of honor was Zhao Jin; to his left sat a young man with the look of a scholar, to his right stood a short fellow, and everyone else stood further down the hall.

Although he had met Zhao Jin and his companions more than once, every time Niu Jinbao saw them he was struck by how young they were. To hold such high positions at such a young age was truly rare, except among hereditary royalty and the rich and noble.

Niu Jinbao appeared rough and brash, but few details escaped his eyes. He clearly remembered that during his previous encounters with Zhao Jin and his men, they had been full of wariness. Today's meeting, however, was different. Some wore smiles, others had gentle gazes. Seeing these reactions, Niu Jinbao couldn't help but relax a little.

Zhao Jin rose from his seat, looked at Niu Jinbao, and said, "From this moment on, you will stay by my side. I entrust my safety to you."

Niu Jinbao was stunned. He hadn't expected Zhao Jin to be so direct. But at the same moment, he felt completely relieved, knowing he wouldn't be stuck in that household guard unit, bored day after day. He even felt a flicker of anticipation. The Zhao Character Camp seemed no different from any other powerful magnate's operation on the surface, yet in reality, there were many differences. If he followed along, perhaps he would see things he had never been able to see before.

After a moment of dazed surprise, Niu Jinbao knew he should say a few polite words. He clasped his fists and bowed deeply, his voice gruff and solemn: "Rest assured, Master. If anyone wishes you harm, they will have to step over my dead body first."

Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, then waved a hand to his side. A household guard walked over carrying a wooden tray. As Niu Jinbao straightened up, he saw his short axe and short knife on the tray. They had been scrubbed spotlessly clean, and even the cloth wrappings on the grips had been rewound. Zhao Jin stepped forward, took the tray, and held it before Niu Jinbao, saying, "These are your weapons."

Looking at the "brand-new" short axe and short knife, a strange thought suddenly flashed through Niu Jinbao's mind: if he just grabbed his weapons and struck, the leaders of the Zhao Character Camp would be finished.

But the thought merely flickered through his mind and vanished. When Zhao Jin had walked over carrying the weapons, Niu Jinbao had already sensed the shift in the room's atmosphere. He could see that Zhao Jin's arms were tensed. If he made a move, Zhao Jin would immediately flip the tray aside and retreat. The short fellow on the other side would instantly attack his lower body, and the young man with the scholar's look could draw his sword at any moment and thrust with deadly accuracy at his throat—because the young man had been aiming at that spot all along. As for the dark, lean man behind him, he had probably already palmed his throwing knives.

Niu Jinbao took a step back, putting himself in a position where he couldn't exert force, and bowed as he accepted the wooden tray. He knew he had to grasp this measure of propriety.

Only after he took the tray did the subtle tension in the room dissipate. Zhao Jin smiled and sat back down. Niu Jinbao did not rush to equip his weapons; he simply handed the tray to a household guard and stood behind Zhao Jin with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Xiaoyong, brief him," Zhao Jin said to Liu Yong beside him. Since Lei Cai had been stationed in Nanjing, Liu Yong now had to travel back and forth between Xuzhou and Qingjiangpu.

"... Our men went to Henan to inquire about this Niu Jinbao. Truly, there's no one who hasn't heard of him, but the tales have become wildly exaggerated. They say that Daoist temple had committed too many evils, so the Buddha sent a Vajra down to the mortal world to eradicate the wicked, and Niu Jinbao is the very incarnation of that Vajra. Although the authorities have posted his portrait for arrest, the common folk have privately carved spirit tablets to worship him. Some gentry and wealthy households have even made Vajra statues in Niu Jinbao's likeness and offer incense daily in their homes..." Liu Yong spoke with ease and fluency.

Niu Jinbao's mouth fell open, his face full of shock. He had never imagined things would turn out this way. The gazes of everyone in the room, as they looked at Niu Jinbao, now held considerably more goodwill.

"Old Niu, from now on you'll be my elder brother's guardian Vajra. You'll have to shield him from every storm and hardship!" Liu Yong said, half-joking, half-serious.

"Of course, of course. I was merely avenging my brothers. How did it... how did it become..." Niu Jinbao's reply was somewhat distracted, his voice already growing hoarse. After a couple of sentences, he lowered his head and wiped his face messily with his hand.

When Niu Jinbao had killed those men, he had never imagined he would receive incense offerings and worship from the common people. He was a devout Buddhist who chanted sutras, and hearing that people regarded him as a Vajra, combined with the relief of being accepted and acknowledged today—even for someone of Niu Jinbao's temperament, inured to storms and bloodshed, his heart was for a moment overwhelmed with emotion, beyond his control.

"Bring your weapons. Come with me to meet a guest," Zhao Jin called out, rising and walking out. Niu Jinbao hastily acknowledged and fumbled to strap his old leather belt around his body. The sheaths for his knife and axe were both on the belt, tucked behind his back. Once he had finished arranging them, he hurried after Zhao Jin. Liu Yong, lagging behind, shot a few meaningful glances. Nie Hei and two other men nodded silently and followed as well.

Zhao Jin lived frugally himself, but he could not be negligent in hosting guests, especially the guest arriving today—the second young master of the Songjiang Yu family, Yu Zhiyuan. News of him and news of Niu Jinbao had reached Qingjiangpu at almost the same time.

Whether in terms of status or mutual interests, Yu Zhiyuan was hardly significant compared to the guests and partners of the Zhao Character Camp. But that wine shop in Nanjing set the Yu family apart from everyone else.

Although the Zhao Character Camp had not explicitly told the Yu family anything, opening a wine shop right outside the office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—anyone with half a brain could vaguely guess the implications. It was a crime punishable by beheading and the confiscation of one's entire household. Moreover, while the Zhao Character Camp acted lawlessly north of the Yangtze, the Yu family had to live cautiously in the south. The risk of running this wine shop was simply too great.

The Zhao Character Camp had not held out much hope at the time. If the Yu family refused, they had other means. Unexpectedly, the Yu family agreed readily and without hesitation.

Only by sharing life and death can one forge a bond of true brotherhood. Now that both sides had undertaken such a high-risk venture together, their relationship was naturally different. Yu Zhiyuan's visit this time was taken very seriously by the Zhao Character Camp.

Under Zhou Xuezhi's arrangements, the best inn in Qingjiangpu had been vacated. The banquet was also arranged at the inn, with the chef being a renowned master cook in the employ of a certain wealthy merchant. There was no shortage of people wanting to curry favor with the Zhao Character Camp, and these resources could be easily mobilized.

Serious as they were, Zhao Jin only brought Wang Zhaojing along to meet him. By all rights, Shi Manqiang, Liu Yong, and Zhou Xuezhi should all have been involved, but Zhao Jin did not want the other party to get too deeply entangled with the Zhao Character Camp. The time for that had not yet come.

"Greetings, Brother Zhao. Greetings, Brother Wang. We took the examinations in the same year, yet we never met in the capital. What a pity," Yu Zhiyuan greeted them with a smile when they met at the inn.

He was older than both Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing, yet his forms of address differed for each, a sign of his thorough consideration.

From Wang Youshan's letters, Zhao Jin knew that this second young master Yu had also failed the examinations. Yet he showed no trace of dejection or despondency; he was thoroughly carefree. Watching the elegant and composed Yu Zhiyuan, Zhao Jin felt a touch of emotion. This man had a personality that was smooth and sociable in every way, yet such a dashing figure was stubbornly persistent about shifting grain transport to the sea. It seemed everyone had something they couldn't let go of.

Zhao Jin smiled and nodded in response. "Brother Yu, are you comfortable staying here?" Wang Zhaojing also smiled, cupped his hands in salute, and replied, "I left in a hurry and returned in a hurry. I didn't have the chance to meet you, Brother Yu."

They exchanged polite pleasantries. The fewer people who knew that Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing had gone to the capital together, the better.

"I stayed until the results were posted. Brother Wang didn't pass this time, but in three years he'll surely place high. Looking at the current situation, it probably won't even take three years," Yu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

This man certainly dared to speak. The metropolitan examination was held every three years, but under special circumstances, a special imperial examination could be granted. The "current situation" that might warrant such an exam would be the death of the Wanli Emperor and the ascension of a new ruler. To put it more bluntly, he was practically cursing the Wanli Emperor to die within three years—a statement enough to warrant the execution of one's entire clan.

He really did dare to say anything. Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads with a smile. Yu Zhiyuan had merely mentioned it in passing and was about to change the subject when Wang Zhaojing said with firm resolve, "I won't take the exams again. I've taken them this time, so I've seen what it's like. There's no need to go again."

Hearing this answer, Yu Zhiyuan was taken aback, then shook his head with a smile and said, "You and I have reached the same conclusion. What good would passing do? You can't do the things you want to do, trapped inside that cage. I won't go again either."

As they spoke, they arrived at the reception hall. The man following behind Yu Zhiyuan was the Yu family steward, whom they had met before and knew was no outsider. At this point, the steward couldn't help but sigh softly.

Everyone took their seats. The steward went out to make arrangements and to send the Yu family servants farther away. Niu Jinbao, however, followed them in and stood behind Zhao Jin with his hands clasped behind his back.

"What a fine warrior," Yu Zhiyuan remarked, truly attentive to everyone and neglecting no one.

"Uncle Hua has always wanted me to go far on the path of scholarly honors and is unwilling for me to fuss over grain transport and sand ships. This time I didn't pass, and while I feel relieved, he is deeply disappointed."

Yu Zhiyuan chatted with an air of calm detachment, perfectly playing the role of a guest. But the very next moment, he got straight to the point: "The matchlocks of the Frankish red-haired barbarians still haven't been found. I have been remiss in this task, and I must ask Brother Zhao for his generous forgiveness."

"It's no matter. As long as Brother Yu keeps an eye out for them," Zhao Jin replied. In their current cooperation, the wine shop in Nanjing was the most critical matter; the matchlocks were secondary.

"Brother Zhao may not be aware, but right now the seas off Fujian and Guangdong are a scene of fierce contention between dragons and tigers. Several major leaders have gathered thousands of ships and tens of thousands of bold men, locked in battle. The Frankish merchant ships have been dragged into it as well. If they don't lend a hand now, they won't be able to seek a living on these seas in the future. As a result, the foreign ships are unloading and loading their goods directly there and not coming our way. For the time being, we can't find a source for the matchlocks. I have already sent men to Guangdong and Fujian to search, but firearms like these are inconvenient to transport across provinces and prefectures over land. They'll have to come by sea eventually, and there's really no way to speed things up. I must ask for Brother Zhao's understanding."

Yu Zhiyuan spoke with great helplessness. He had seen Zhao Jin's interest in matchlocks with his own eyes. If he could find the kind of matchlock Zhao Jin wanted, it would certainly greatly strengthen their relationship. But they were truly difficult to find.

Thank you all for your support. We've reached the middle of the month. Everyone, please check if your second monthly ticket has come out yet.