Chapter 781: Smiling Face to Face

Zhao Jin suddenly laughed. Everyone in the room was taken aback, all finding it strange — this was no time for laughter. Zhao Jin turned to the reporting household servant and asked, "If this man hadn't said he was from the Prince of Lu's estate, and he was this rude, would you have simply beaten him and thrown him out?"

The household servant was also stunned. He mulled it over for a moment before nodding awkwardly and saying in a muffled voice, "This humble one thought that anything involving a prince must be a matter of great importance."

"You did nothing wrong, don't panic. Just bring the man over here now," Zhao Jin said with a smile. The reporting household servant let out a breath of relief and hurriedly left.

Once the servant had gone, Zhao Jin turned to look at Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui. Both of them had their brows tightly furrowed, their expressions grave. Zhao Jin shook his head as he laughed and said, "See that? Whether it's him or you two, normally you're fearless, but the moment a feudal prince is involved, everyone shrinks back. This is exactly why I'm in no hurry."

The last sentence seemed to come out of nowhere, but Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui understood it. The two exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat embarrassed. Wang Zhaojing cleared his throat and was about to speak when the usually silent Niu Jinbao said in a muffled voice, "Master, should this humble one withdraw for a while?"

"Why would you withdraw? If there's any danger later, wouldn't that be a dereliction of duty?" Zhao Jin joked, a rare occurrence. But the room only grew quieter; everyone could sense that Zhao Jin was a bit irritable.

Before long, the Manager of the Seal and Treasures from the Prince of Lu's estate was led in. One look at this man's build made it clear he handled money and goods — a waist as thick as a small water vat, an enormous fat man with a face glistening with oil. He was dressed richly, his manner exceedingly arrogant. Upon entering the room, he did not offer a greeting first, but simply said with a cold face, "This Zhou has a personal attendant who serves closely. Many matters can only be handled with him at my side. Young Master Zhao... could you do me the convenience of letting him in?"

Zhao Jin sat where he was, Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui standing behind him, while Niu Jinbao, Sun Dalin, and Meng Zhiqi surrounded them. Hearing Manager Zhou's words, Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. The household servants behind him immediately went to make arrangements. Manager Zhou did not cup his hands in salute; he simply plopped himself down in a chair with a huff, muttering, "A backwater place like this and they put on such airs. To think they'd actually dare search someone from a prince's estate."

From start to finish, this fat manager never once thought to offer a proper greeting. Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui's brows had already furrowed. Zhao Jin, however, was all smiles. A moment later, the manager's personal attendant was also led in — a lean, capable-looking middle-aged man. Once inside, his eyes darted everywhere, finally fixing on Niu Jinbao. He stared intently for a while, then walked over behind Manager Zhou and leaned in close to whisper a few words in his ear.

Everyone could guess what was said. Manager Zhou's expression swiftly turned overbearing. He first shot a glance at Niu Jinbao, then spoke: "Zhao Jin, you do know that killing a subordinate of a prince is a capital crime, don't you?"

"It's tantamount to rebellion. I know that," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

"Harboring such a rebel makes you an accomplice to the crime, punishable by beheading, confiscation of property, even the extermination of nine clans. Are you aware of that?"

"Of course I am."

Manager Zhou spoke with aggressive intensity. Niu Jinbao's face darkened until it was nearly black, while Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui's faces showed only disdain. Only Zhao Jin kept smiling the entire time.

Finding that his aggressive bluster had little effect, Manager Zhou glanced at Niu Jinbao again and softened his tone. "Seeing how you've managed to build something in this tiny corner of Xuzhou is no small feat. With families and dependents to care for, it's even harder. This Zhou has no wish to ruin you utterly. I trust you understand the meaning behind what I've just said. The distillery and the salt market — these two businesses — hand them over!"

The conversation took a sudden turn. The distillery and the salt market were the He Family Village's two great sources of wealth, and this Manager Zhou was demanding Zhao Jin give them up outright. Zhao Jin's face still bore a smile. The people behind him had also grown calm. Watching the reactions of Zhao Jin and those behind him, Manager Zhou felt an inexplicable agitation, but he reined in his temper and said, "If you can give half the market to this Zhou, you can keep ten percent of the salt market."

"Are you finished?" Zhao Jin asked. Manager Zhou's face was full of astonishment, and the lean, capable man behind him wore an equally dumbfounded expression. For a moment, they didn't know how to answer Zhao Jin's question and simply nodded reflexively.

Zhao Jin turned his head to look at Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui, then at Niu Jinbao, Sun Dalin, and Meng Zhiqi. Niu Jinbao had by now regained his composure. Wang Zhaojing couldn't help but smile, and Ruhui shook his head with a laugh as well. Zhao Jin burst into hearty laughter.

Amid this laughter, Manager Zhou and the attendant behind him went from stunned to furious. The laughter ceased. Before Manager Zhou could speak, Zhao Jin asked with a smile, "These industries are mountains of gold and seas of silver. You demand them just like that — on what grounds?"

Manager Zhou could bear it no longer. He shot up from his seat, his entire bulk quivering with rage, and pointed at Niu Jinbao. "This villain murdered a blood relative of the Prince of Lu! That is the crime of rebellion! By sheltering such a serious criminal, you are implicated in rebellion as well! This Zhou, out of the goodness of his heart and concern for you, offered you a way to use your family fortune to secure your safety. I never imagined you'd still be so arrogant. You truly don't know the difference between life and death!"

"Since you've already accused me of rebellion, you still dared to come into a rebel's house. You've got quite the nerve yourself — don't you know the difference between life and death either?" Zhao Jin countered with a smile.

These words drained the color from Manager Zhou and his attendant's faces. They shuddered. Immediately, Manager Zhou roared, "I am the Manager of the Seal and Treasures of the Prince of Lu's estate, a proper official subordinate to a feudal prince! If you dare lay a hand on me, do you want to rebel? Do you want your property confiscated and your clan exterminated?"

At the commotion, several household servants with blades appeared outside. Zhao Jin waved his hand dismissively, and the servants nodded and withdrew. Facing Zhao Jin, Manager Zhou naturally couldn't see this scene. But Zhao Jin's waving hand did not stop — it was now a shooing gesture. The smile remained on his face, but it had turned thoroughly unamused. "So that's all you've got. I still have matters to attend to. You may leave now!"

"You—" Manager Zhou choked, then erupted in fury, pointing at Zhao Jin. "You reckless fool who doesn't know when to die! I offered you a way out and you refuse to take it! This master will go straight to the yamen and report you! When your property is confiscated and your clan wiped out, when you're kneeling at the execution ground, it'll be too late for tears! If you know what's good for you, transfer the market to me, and the farmland of this estate too, I—"

"Go on, go on. I still have matters to attend to," Zhao Jin said, waving his hand with some impatience.

"You—" Manager Zhou was so furious smoke seemed to billow from his seven orifices, his chest heaving uncontrollably. But after all, he was on someone else's turf, and when he glanced back, he saw the blade-wielding household servants eyeing him like tigers. Not to mention the burly man behind Zhao Jin, whose expression was even more hostile. A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him. Manager Zhou took two deep breaths, gritted his teeth, and pointed at Zhao Jin. "Just you wait to be hacked to pieces!"

With that, he stormed off. The middle-aged man turned his head to stare hard at Niu Jinbao a few more times before hurrying out after him.

Once they were out of the room, Zhao Jin said with a smile, "What do they rely on? Nothing more than the power and authority of the Prince of Lu's estate. They think they can ride that across the whole world, believing they alone are supreme under heaven. They see nothing, they know nothing."

"Truly worthless trash," Wang Zhaojing said contemptuously.

Ruhui, however, asked, "Master, are we just letting them go like that?"

"Since that final layer hasn't been torn through yet, what should be respected must still be respected," Zhao Jin answered curtly. Then he turned toward Niu Jinbao and said, "You handle this matter. Wait until they've left Xuzhou to make your move. If you need men, coordinate with Zhaojing. Just leave no one alive."

Niu Jinbao bowed in acknowledgment. His expression remained calm, but on closer inspection, a hint of relief could be seen.

"Master, that Shi Ping'ao is truly a skilled hand at calculating provisions and supplies. Ever since Mr. Shi reorganized the grain and fodder allocation for our household troops, things have run much more smoothly than before," Ruhui said with a smile, changing the subject.

"Give it time. Even Ma Chonghao has settled down and is applying himself to his work now. Sooner or later, this Shi Ping'ao will also be of use to us," Zhao Jin replied with a smile.

At this time, Liu Yong had gone over to the Kong Family Village, which bordered Cao County and Yutai — a convenient place to arrange certain matters. The man he had left on duty at the He Family Village was none other than Ma Chonghao.

Skill was skill. Although Ma Chonghao wasn't particularly well-liked within the Internal Guard, his ability to handle assignments far surpassed that of ordinary Internal Guard household troops, even the senior squad leaders. His martial skill was quite outstanding; despite one leg giving him some trouble, few could best him in a one-on-one fight. Add to that the ability to read people and situations honed in the official world, and his popularity within the Internal Guard grew steadily. More and more people in other units also came to think well of him.

The incident where he had led various forces to threaten Xuzhou, nearly pushing the Zhao Character Camp to the brink of disaster, was naturally still remembered by many. But that matter was gradually fading into the past. Ma Chonghao was now a proven member of the family, his identity verified. His circumstances kept improving. Not to mention his relations with colleagues — Liu Yong himself had praised Ma Chonghao in front of Zhao Jin more than once.

The manager from the Prince of Lu's estate had come swaggering in to denounce and threaten, then stormed off in a rage, heading straight from He Family Village toward Xuzhou city. This scene was naturally within Ma Chonghao's grasp. At this juncture, there wasn't much Ma Chonghao could do, but he had read Zhao Jin's intentions very clearly. He did not obstruct these men; instead, he sent someone to deliver a message to Xuzhou city.

Compared to the bustling He Family Village, Xuzhou city was quite desolate. Fortunately, the inns and such were still reasonably well-equipped. Manager Zhou only reached Xuzhou after dark and had no choice but to put up at an inn outside the city walls.

As soon as he was settled, Manager Zhou gathered his six attendants together and instructed them with a grave expression, "You've all seen how rich He Family Village is. That distillery, that salt market, that bazaar — they're all places where silver flows like a river. Once Zhao Jin is arrested and thrown in prison, all these things will be confiscated. They'll become the common property of the prince's estate. What would be left for us? Better to skim some things off the top beforehand. Just a few items, and we'll have enough to live on for a lifetime — for several lifetimes!"

Thanks to the three old friends "Qi Sanwen, Yuan Heng Lizhen, and Mu Ming" for their tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you.