Chapter 764: Entering the Door

In this era, people took sworn brotherhood extremely seriously, and if not for this Li Yuliang, Mu Shulan would have been burned alive in Yuncheng County. After this oath, Zhao Jin already regarded Li Yuliang as his own kin.

"If anything comes up, come find me anytime — no matter what it is, I will definitely go help you." Zhao Jin's promise was very simple. Coming from anyone else, these words would sound hollow and false, but when Zhao Jin spoke them, they were a promise worth a thousand in gold. Had he said this half a month ago, Li Yuliang would not have taken it seriously, but now he accepted it with solemn gratitude.

Setting everything else aside, he had come to deliver the news only clinging to a one-in-ten-thousand hope, yet he never imagined that Zhao Jin, far away in Xuzhou, could truly mobilize a cavalry company and swagger into Shandong's Yuncheng County, snatching Mu Shulan back right out of the grasp of a colossal power like the Smelling Incense Sect. One could well imagine how many heart-stopping events had occurred along the way, yet even so, they had pulled it off — and with only a dozen or so wounded, it was said. Such a feat, such strength, was enough to shake even the worldly Li Yuliang.

On one hand, his own sister in all but blood, Mu Shulan, had found a good home. On the other, his family would surely become enemies with the Smelling Incense Sect because of her, and how they would protect themselves now rested on this Zhao Jin of Xuzhou. Though Li Yuliang was not very old, he saw things very clearly.

While Li Yuliang felt gratitude toward the Zhao Camp and Zhao Jin, he also realized that befriending this side would greatly benefit himself and his family. The Zhao Camp also thought highly of Li Yuliang. Just as Zhao Jin was setting out, a messenger to report his safety had also been dispatched toward Linqing Prefecture. The messenger carried a token from Li Yuliang's person and went to Linqing to tell Inspector Li that Li Yuliang was perfectly safe.

Inspector Li of Linqing was also a figure of some note along this thousand-li canal. In Linqing he was wealthy and powerful, controlling key points of the canal transport trade. If Cloud Mountain Trading wanted to expand its business northward, getting to know such a major figure — low in rank but heavy in authority — would be very beneficial, and they would have to deal with him sooner or later anyway. This could be considered planning ahead. As soon as the token and news reached Linqing Prefecture, the Li family, which had been worried for so long, finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Smelling Incense Sect's internal bloodbath was a storm of carnage, and he did not want his son getting mixed up in it. He had never expected that despite keeping him confined at home, the boy had still run off. This made the whole household even more anxious, terrified that Li Yuliang might lose his head and go to Yuncheng County to rescue someone. Even if he did not go to Yuncheng, bandits were swarming across the Shandong countryside — if anything unexpected happened to him on the road, that would also be a disaster.

Inspector Li had even sent people to the Smelling Incense Sect to put in a word, saying that a child was still a child, and could not be guaranteed against a moment of impulse. If the Smelling Incense Sect saw him, they were asked to please send him back. Inspector Li made promises of reward and also made threats. He might only be a ninth-rank inspector, but if he truly threw his weight around, he was not incapable of pulling strings even with the Depot Guard. The Smelling Incense Sect, however, replied that they had never laid eyes on the noble young master. Inspector Li did not believe this answer. Nearly ten days passed, and the household was shrouded in gloom, the womenfolk weeping without end. Inspector Li told the family he was still making inquiries, but in his heart he believed his son was never coming back.

So when the news arrived, Inspector Li was truly overwhelmed with gratitude. He controlled the canal transport checkpoint, so his information was far more current than others'. He naturally knew that there was a figure like Zhao Jin in Xuzhou, and news delivered by such a person was presumably no lie. He immediately spoke many words of praise and wanted to send lavish gifts. The man sent by the Zhao Camp was very adept at handling matters, simply saying that all this was only right and proper — why offer thanks? But in the future, when Cloud Mountain Trading came to Linqing Prefecture to do business, they would ask Inspector Li to look after them kindly.

Looking after business in Linqing Prefecture was a trifling matter for Inspector Li, and he immediately agreed wholeheartedly. However, these were all just verbal agreements for now, with nothing concrete yet to be done. Everyone understood in their hearts that things could only truly begin once Li Yuliang was sent back to Linqing Prefecture.

"Whether it's Cloud Mountain Trading or the Sun Family Trading Company, they'll both be watched by the Smelling Incense Sect over in Linqing Prefecture. Even with Inspector Li's protection, there will still be inconveniences of one kind or another. For this operation, the Internal Guard will follow the precedent set in Nanjing and open a distillery in Linqing Prefecture in partnership with Inspector Li. A distillery brings considerable profit and is perfectly legitimate. We can have someone from the Li family take the lead publicly, while our people work inside as employees." Back in Xuzhou, Lei Cai reported this to Zhao Jin.

Acting as an agent selling Han Well Famous Liquor, especially across the relatively northern region of Linqing Prefecture, promised clearly enormous profits. Going into partnership with Inspector Li was essentially sharing a cut of the dividends with him. No one dislikes having more money. With these dividends in hand, Inspector Li's relationship with the Zhao Camp would grow ever closer. With these dividends, the Li family would also be willing to step forward and shield the Zhao Camp from some of the Smelling Incense Sect's trouble.

Ever since returning from Nanjing, Lei Cai's voice had carried more and more weight in matters of setting up outposts and planting agents abroad — after all, he had the experience. "Big Brother, Yong and I have discussed it. This time we plan to send two of Ma Chonghao's subordinates to Linqing Prefecture. For one, they have experience working as covert agents. For another, we can also test whether Ma Chonghao is reliable or not."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin could not help but laugh. "This Ma Chonghao surrendered so thoroughly — so thoroughly that it makes people distrust him, doesn't it?"

"Big Brother is exactly right. Back then, Ma Chonghao stirred up such a huge storm, and then collapsed in a single day, with no choice but to throw in his lot with us. Yet looking at how he applies himself to his work every day, never holding anything back, and showing not the slightest bit of dejection or resentment — it really is a bit strange," Lei Cai said with a smile.

Zhao Jin was silent for a moment, then simply nodded and said, "This Ma Chonghao has ability. If he can put our minds at ease and prove truly reliable, we must put him to great use."

Lei Cai nodded solemnly in agreement. When all the brothers were in Xuzhou, many matters were discussed jointly — everyone weighed in, and Zhao Jin made the decision. Only for matters related to the Internal Guard did Zhao Jin allow the others to listen in if he chose; most of the time, Liu Yong and Lei Cai reported to Zhao Jin alone. Even Niu Jinbao usually had to wait outside. Moreover, as the Internal Guard developed, Liu Yong and Lei Cai themselves were rarely present together anymore.

With all official business concluded, Lei Cai smiled and saluted Zhao Jin, saying, "Your little brother here has to go to Linqing Prefecture to set things up, so I won't be able to drink Big Brother's wedding wine. My congratulatory gift, I'll present in advance."

"What wedding wine is there to drink? Xiaolan doesn't want any ceremony. If not for my mother's insistence, we probably wouldn't even have that one table for us brothers. Xiaolan suffered too much in Linqing Prefecture — she's overly cautious now," Zhao Jin said with a sigh.

Given Zhao Jin's status and position in Xuzhou and the surrounding region, even taking a concubine was a monumental event, one that ought to be conducted with the gravity of a major affair — let alone for someone like Mu Shulan, whose status and background were both extraordinary. Guests from all quarters needed an opportunity to send gifts and curry favor; Zhao Jin also needed to observe the propriety befitting his status and position. Moreover, having just made a move on the four counties in Shandong, he also needed a grand occasion like this to draw the local powers there to pay their respects. This was on the public affairs side. Privately, both He Cuihua and Xu Zhenzhen also hoped Zhao Jin would hold a lavish ceremony. His mother He Cuihua's thinking was simple: they could not let the ill-fated Xiaolan feel shortchanged. Xu Zhenzhen's thoughts were a bit more complex — if her husband did not hold a grand event, people around them would surely say she was a jealous wife. Why bear that unjust infamy for something that was not even true…

"Xiaolan is already a member of the Zhao family. What use is holding this ceremony or not? Whether Xiaolan lives well from now on depends on how Brother Jin treats me, and on how Sister Xu treats me. It has nothing to do with the scale of the ceremony. Besides, the Smelling Incense Sect is everywhere. If we make a big stir, it will be hard to avoid giving them an opening. If something happens then, it would actually be worse." Mu Shulan spoke with insistence, and her analysis was calm.

No matter how much was said or how detailed the analysis, Zhao Jin could understand Mu Shulan's true intent. Mu Shulan was still afraid of the Smelling Incense Sect, still worried about Xu Hongru's side. Several years had passed, but she did not clearly know what strength Zhao Jin and the Zhao Camp had truly attained. Perhaps everything that had happened in Dongchang Prefecture still kept her in fear and trembling. The operation the Mu brothers had built up so well had collapsed utterly in a single day. Although the Mu brothers had essentially kept Mu Shulan under house arrest for several years, from another perspective, that confinement had also made the girl feel that the Mu brothers' operation was like an iron barrel, giving her a certain confidence. Then, all of a sudden, everything fell apart. Such a sudden reversal was a massive shock — it was impossible for Mu Shulan not to still feel the lingering dread.

On the tenth day of the twelfth month of the forty-eighth year of Wanli, the first year of Taichang — according to news from the capital, next year would be the first year of Tianqi — Zhao Jin took Mu Shulan as his concubine. There was no grand wedding banquet; he simply invited his brothers to sit down together. Shi Manqiang and Dong Bingfeng, who were stationed away from home, could not attend and merely sent their gifts. What set this apart from an ordinary concubinage, however, was that the elders of every family were present. Zhao Jin's father, Zhao Zhentang, made a special trip back from Xiao County. The parents of Chen Sheng, Dong Bingfeng, Shi Manqiang, and Jixiang all attended. Even Wang Youshan wrote a letter of congratulations from the capital. Sun Jia of the Sun Family Trading Company, unable to return from Qingjiangpu, simply sent a lavish gift.

For the elders of each family, Mu Shulan was someone they had watched grow up since she was small, so it was only natural for them to attend this wedding. But Wang Youshan's connection was rather distant. The reason they asked him for a congratulatory letter was actually Xu Zhenzhen's idea: "Sister Mu doesn't want a grand affair, so you, husband, must make it as grand as you possibly can. If you truly treat her casually, it might not matter now, but once her mind settles after a while, she'll hold it against you…"

Although no outside guests were invited, the news of Zhao Jin taking a concubine was not kept secret. Many people seized the opportunity to send red envelopes and congratulatory gifts. Those who considered themselves important enough all tried to wrangle an invitation, but none succeeded. Since there were no outside guests — only their own brothers and elders — Mu Shulan and Zhao Jin came out together to offer toasts and greet everyone. At the gathering, as people reunited, there was another long round of sighs and emotional reflection.

At this wedding feast, Zhao Zhentang once again drank himself into a stupor. As he and He Cuihua received Mu Shulan's kowtows, he said, "All these years, you were the only worry left in my heart, Xiaolan. In the deep of night when no one was around, your mother-in-law and I would always wonder — where has Xiaolan gone? Is she doing well now? Now it's all good, now it's all good. I have no more worries!"

Watching his father Zhao Zhentang dead drunk, Zhao Jin felt a pang in his heart. That time when Ma Chonghao had led his forces north, although Zhao Zhentang had said nothing on the surface, secretly he had been worried to the extreme. After Ma Chonghao's entire force had scattered and everything was safe and sound, Zhao Zhentang again showed no outward emotion, but his back had become much more hunched, more than half his hair had turned white, and he looked every bit his age. One had to remember that after the Zhao Camp rose to power, Zhao Jin's parents had never lacked for good care and comforts, and had always been in excellent health — people in their fifties looking like they were in their forties. But this time, he had aged terribly.

It's the middle of the month, everyone's got their second monthly ticket now — throw them to Old Bai, thank you all!