18: Salt and Iron Bureau, Zhao Zhongyang

Xu Sanyan wandered around Taian City alone, listening to the chaotic news and familiarizing himself with the city's layout, slowly getting to know this ancient city.

As dusk approached, Xu Sanyan returned to the Wu Residence, which could now also be called the Xu Residence.

There were only three maids in the large residence; one was responsible for cooking, and two were responsible for taking care of Wu Jue's son. Usually, no one lived in the residence, so they didn't keep many servants or maids.

Speaking of which, Xu Sanyan hadn't met Wu Peng yet, but he wasn't interested in meeting him either.

“Fourth Master, have you eaten? Shall I ask Xiao He to bring it to you?” The Chieftain's Wife saw him and hurried to greet him.

“I've eaten.” Xu Sanyan had just bought something to eat casually by the roadside.

“How much silver has Wu Jue accumulated over the years?” Xu Sanyan asked.

The Chieftain's Wife's heart sank, then she pretended to be natural and said, “There's about two hundred thousand taels in cash. A lot was spent on buying the residence and other things.”

This silver could be said to be her reliance for the rest of her life, but if Xu Sanyan wanted it, she wouldn't dare refuse.

She knew very well the cruelty and ruthlessness of these bandits; once he was displeased, he wouldn't care if she had slept with him or not.

Xu Sanyan nodded to himself, turned, and returned to his room, “I'm tired, let's sleep.”

The Chieftain's Wife lowered her eyes, “This concubine will serve you…”

…

Two days later.

Xu Sanyan was stretching in the courtyard. Big Yellow Tooth walked over and bowed slightly, saying, “Fourth Master.”

“Speak.” Xu Sanyan said softly.

“Yes, the Ginseng Society's Gang Leader is named Shen Xing. His exact Realm is unclear, but it's speculated to be Inner Qi Perfection. The Ginseng Society has about seven to eight hundred Disciples, most of whom are ordinary people who make a living by collecting herbs in the mountains. The six pharmacies in the city are all controlled by the Ginseng Society.”

“Where did you get this information?”

“This one paid money to get it from a Ginseng Society Disciple.”

Xu Sanyan nodded, “Go call Wang Laizi here.”

“Alright.”

At noon, Big Yellow Tooth led Wang Laizi into the residence. Wang Laizi looked at the spacious residence and couldn't help but marvel, 'This new Deputy Gang Leader is so rich.'

“Greetings, Gang Leader.” Wang Laizi very sensibly omitted the word “Deputy.”

“Tell me.” Xu Sanyan sat at the head seat in the main hall.

“Yes, your subordinate has found out that the Yelang Society is backed by Lord Zhao of the Salt and Iron Bureau. As for the origin of the goods, they should have come from Lord Zhao. The Yelang Society is only responsible for fencing stolen goods.”

Xu Sanyan understood in his heart and spoke again, “How strong is this Yelang Society?”

Wang Laizi smiled confidently, “They're pretty good, but it depends on who you compare them to. If you compare them to us, they're far inferior.”

“How strong is the Yelang Society's Gang Leader?”

Wang Laizi hesitated, “Not very clear, he should also be a master of the Inner Qi Realm.”

Xu Sanyan had a rough idea, “Alright, gather the brothers, as many as you can. Each person gets one hundred taels of silver. Wait for me in the west of the city tonight.”

Wang Laizi was excited. One hundred taels! He couldn't earn that in a month, so he loudly agreed, “Yes, Gang Leader.”

Xu Sanyan changed into clean clothes and walked towards the Guanshan Saber Society headquarters with Big Yellow Tooth.

…

Late at night, at Lord Zhao's residence in the Salt and Iron Bureau.

Zhao Zhongyang was sleeping with two concubines in his arms.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Bang, bang, bang.”

The sudden sound startled Zhao Zhongyang, and he immediately said irritably, “Don't you know I'm busy? Knocking on the door in the middle of the night, if it's nothing important, I'll skin you alive!”

He thought it was a servant at home reporting something.

“Heh heh… Lord Zhao is in good spirits.” Xu Sanyan's voice sounded from outside the door.

He deliberately waited for Zhao Zhongyang to finish before knocking. There weren't many bandits as polite as he was.

“Who?”

Zhao Zhongyang was startled. This wasn't the voice of his servant.

Xu Sanyan pushed the door open and entered on his own. This Zhao Zhongyang had no martial arts, and although there were a few Martial Artists protecting the residence, they were only at the Refining Essence Realm and couldn't detect him at all.

“Just a small matter, Lord Zhao, please continue with your business, and we can talk after you're done.” Xu Sanyan unceremoniously sat in a chair and poured himself a cup of tea.

Zhao Zhongyang looked at Xu Sanyan's expression and quickly regained his composure. First, the fact that this person could arrive here silently proved that his strength far surpassed that of the guards in the residence.

And he hadn't killed him immediately, which showed he wasn't here for revenge; he must have something to discuss.

“Heh heh, please wait a moment, my friend, let me put on some clothes.”

Zhao Zhongyang didn't panic after figuring it out. To climb to his position, even without martial arts, he was by no means a simple good-for-nothing.

“No hurry.” Xu Sanyan twirled the teacup but didn't drink.

Zhao Zhongyang waved his hand towards the two concubines behind him, “You two go out first.”

“Yes.”

The two women casually threw on outer garments, covering their chests, and ran out. Xu Sanyan looked up and glanced. They were not as well-rounded as the Chieftain's Wife.

Zhao Zhongyang put on his clothes and walked over with a smile, showing no trace of his previous anger, “My friend, what urgent matter brings you here late at night?”

Xu Sanyan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, “I heard that the Yelang Society has some connection with Lord Zhao?”

Zhao Zhongyang understood immediately upon hearing this, “Heh heh, it's just a cooperative relationship.”

“How many shares does Lord Zhao give the Yelang Society?” Xu Sanyan asked directly.

Zhao Zhongyang's eyes flickered, “Is this brave man here to discuss business?”

“Yes.” Xu Sanyan nodded.

Zhao Zhongyang nodded slightly, “But what about the Yelang Society?”

Xu Sanyan smiled lightly, “Lord Zhao needn't worry. After tonight, there will be no Yelang Society.”

Zhao Zhongyang was startled. These were a bunch of killers, but his face remained expressionless, “This official and the Yelang Society have always had a four-six split. This official takes six shares.”

Zhao Zhongyang deliberately referred to himself as “this official” to remind Xu Sanyan that he was an official, and killing an official was equivalent to rebellion.

Xu Sanyan hadn't planned to kill him. If the Yelang Society was destroyed, the government wouldn't interfere much, considering it merely Jianghu strife. But killing an official would be vastly different; it would cause all officials to feel insecure and they would definitely spare no effort to eradicate them.

For officials, this precedent could not be set.

Xu Sanyan smiled, “From now on, our Guanshan Saber Society will cooperate with Your Excellency, and we only ask for thirty percent!”

Zhao Zhongyang's eyes flickered slightly. So these people were from the Guanshan Saber Society. He had naturally heard of the four major gangs in the city.

“Heh heh, do you know how much silver that one-tenth profit is?” Zhao Zhongyang said with a smile.

Xu Sanyan shook his head, “The amount doesn't matter. I have one more condition, of course, this condition is just a small effort for Lord Zhao.”

“Oh?”

Zhao Zhongyang raised an eyebrow slightly, “Tell me.”

“Every month, I want three precious herbs.” This was Xu Sanyan's true purpose.

Zhao Zhongyang shook his head slightly, “Impossible. The Ginseng Society has a fixed number of precious herbs each month. At most, I can give you one.”

“Two! I'll give up half a percent of the profit.”

“Alright, deal.” Zhao Zhongyang picked up his teacup, and they both drank it down.

For Zhao Zhongyang, who he cooperated with was not important; what was important was being able to get more money.

Xu Sanyan was about to get up when he suddenly thought of something and turned his head to ask, “Lord, do you know the relationship between the County Lieutenant and the Secretary?”

Zhao Zhongyang's expression flickered, and he chuckled lightly, “In officialdom, there are no particularly good relationships, nor particularly bad ones. Everything depends on how you act.”

Xu Sanyan nodded faintly, “Then I won't disturb Your Excellency's good dream. Tomorrow, I will send someone to find Your Excellency. Then, you can tell him how to arrange things.”

Xu Sanyan gently pressed his palm on the table and turned to leave.

After he had gone far, Zhao Zhongyang was still frowning in thought. Then, with a “crash,” the entire tabletop broke, and the tea set on it shattered on the floor.

“Heh heh, not old, but full of schemes.”

Zhao Zhongyang shook his head and laughed, but there was no smile in his eyes. He naturally knew the intention of this action; it was nothing more than a warning to him.