33: Please give me some face!

Hearing the voice, Liu Yize turned his head to look, and seeing it was Xu Yanran, he quickly stood up to greet her.

After Xu Yanran sat down on the blanket, some people from other places who had originally intended to come and get acquainted stopped in their tracks; although the Xu Family had always been ostracized, that was only in comparison to the Four Great Families.

For ordinary wealthy Young Masters like them, the Xu Family was still an unattainable existence.

Especially recently, as the Xu Family Patriarch gradually retired, most of the Xu Family's business was slowly being handed over to Xu Yanran.

"Young Master Qin, Brother Liu, are you old acquaintances of Magistrate Long?" Xu Yanran asked with a smile.

Magistrate Long was known for being decisive and acting domineeringly, especially towards the families and gentry of Black Mountain City; few people were willing to work with him.

But due to his authority, they had no choice but to comply.

If she could use this banquet to build a good relationship with him, what did it matter if the local families were exclusive?

Their Xu Family's vision was not limited to a small Black Mountain City; one day, she would definitely return to compete with those people.

"Haha, to be honest, the Blood Flame Golden Spear in this courtyard was personally forged by me. My Brother Qin Jiang here has even received the favor of Magistrate Long, who said he could use Magistrate Long's name when entering the Inner City!"

Liu Yize stroked his chin, a hint of pride in his smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt that what he had just said seemed a little off, but he couldn't pinpoint it at the moment.

Xu Yanran was slightly surprised to hear this. "So this Blood Flame Golden Spear was forged by Brother Liu. Brother Liu's forging skills are indeed the best in Black Mountain City."

"You flatter me, it's just a bit of inherited Family craftsmanship," Liu Yize said with a smile.

Xu Yanran then turned to look at Qin Jiang, "Young Master Qin, to gain Magistrate Long's favor, if you have free time, you can often come to the west of the city."

She wondered what was so special about this Young Master Qin that he could gain the favor of Magistrate Long.

The three chatted for a while, and Xu Yanran had basically learned that Qin Jiang was just a commoner, which made her even more curious about him, and she invited him to enjoy the lantern festival on the fifteenth of next month.

Before Qin Jiang could refuse, Liu Yize already accepted on his behalf.

After Xu Yanran left, Liu Yize couldn't help but marvel, sizing up Qin Jiang from head to toe.

He suddenly realized that he had never mentioned Qin Jiang's name in front of Xu Yanran, yet she had directly addressed him as Young Master Qin when she arrived.

She must have investigated in secret!

As expected of Black Mountain City's largest grain merchant, her network of informants must have already spread throughout Black Mountain City! She managed to complete the investigation in just an hour!

And earlier, she even pretended not to know and chatted freely? Truly a merchant's daughter, her thoughts are meticulous enough!

"Miss Xu truly keeps her abilities hidden!" he exclaimed.

Qin Jiang looked at him with a puzzled expression, "What are you talking about?"

Clang~!

The sound of a gong rang out, and Long Yuesheng and the patriarchs of the four families walked out.

Long Yuesheng had a smile on his Face, but the expressions of the four patriarchs were not so good.

He walked to the Blood Flame Golden Spear in the center of the courtyard, directly picked it up, and plunged it into the ground, saying loudly, "This divine weapon is called the Blood Flame Golden Spear, it has the power to dispel evil, and it was specially commissioned by this Magistrate from the Liu Family to deal with the strange occurrences!

I believe all of you also know that strange occurrences have recently appeared in the city. Although this Magistrate has tried his best, it is difficult to quell these increasingly numerous strange occurrences with this spear alone.

Therefore, this Magistrate asks for your Face! Please support this Magistrate!"

The sound resonated, and everyone heard it clearly.

Liu Yize suddenly understood, and whispered, "No wonder the Song Family didn't come. So Lord Long plans to extort... to ask for some military funds."

Thump thump thump.

A series of light footsteps came, and an old man who looked like a steward walked in from outside the courtyard, followed by two house servants carrying a large box suspended from a wooden pole.

"Greetings, Magistrate Long. I am the steward of the Lin Manor. The Patriarch sent me to express that our Lin Family is willing to fully support Magistrate Long, and hereby donate ten thousand taels of silver to assist Magistrate Long in quelling the strange occurrences!"

As his voice fell, everyone in the courtyard was in an uproar.

They never expected that the Lin Family, the most low-key of the Four Great Families, would be so high-profile this time.

Qin Jiang couldn't help but glance sideways; ten thousand taels of silver was no small sum, equivalent to thirty million in his previous life.

"Haha! On behalf of this Magistrate, many thanks to Patriarch Lin!" Long Yuesheng laughed loudly.

Actually, this was something he and Patriarch Lin had discussed, and five thousand taels of it were his own.

He looked at Zhao Yunsheng, then his gaze swept over the patriarchs of the Li Family, Lu Family, and Liu Family respectively.

A trace of displeasure flashed in Zhao Yunsheng's eyes, then he cupped his hands slightly and said with a smile, "My Zhao Family is willing to contribute four thousand taels! To help Lord achieve success!"

Li Songzheng also cupped his fists, "My Li Family is also willing to contribute four thousand taels!"

"My Lu Family cannot compare to the Four Great Families, but we are also willing to contribute three thousand taels!"

"My Liu Family is willing to contribute three thousand taels."

After the four families contributed their money, Long Yuesheng curled his lips in disdain.

I'm fighting for my life, if something unexpected happens, and strange occurrences frequently appear, won't you yourselves be the ones to suffer in the end?

Still need to be taught a lesson! I need to find an opportunity to make them bleed properly!

Each Family should at least contribute eight thousand taels!

Looking into the courtyard, he scanned the crowd; today he had invited all the local tyrants, not even letting go of some gentry from the countryside.

Seeing this, everyone hesitated, not about whether to give or not, giving was a certainty, but how much to give was a matter of skill.

Give too little and the Magistrate would be unhappy, give too much, wouldn't that be dragging others into giving more too?

Those who could come here were all shrewd individuals, and no one wanted to offend others.

Just as everyone was hesitating, a person suddenly stood up from a position near the center, her skirt fluttering, with a hint of heroic spirit.

"Magistrate Long, the Lin Family is willing to lend its full support, and so is my Xu Family! We are willing to contribute eight thousand taels of silver! In addition, there are a thousand catties of pig iron and five carts of medicinal materials!"

Hiss~

As soon as her voice fell, everyone present was shocked. They almost all recognized this Miss Xu, who was recognized by the Xu Family elder as the future successor.

They had never expected that this woman would possess such courage!

Long Yuesheng was also startled to hear this, then burst into laughter, "Hahahaha! Good! You must be Xu Yanran, right? I've heard your name before! This Magistrate remembers you! If you have any trouble, come find me! Hahahaha!"

Xu Yanran also felt relieved upon hearing this, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly upwards.

After a breath, Long Yuesheng reined in his smile, his gaze scrutinizing the people in the courtyard.

Seeing this, everyone no longer waited and expressed their willingness to donate silver.

However, most only gave three to five hundred taels, and those who gave a thousand taels were few.

A moment later, basically everyone had expressed their intentions, and Long Yuesheng waved his hand, "This Magistrate is a crude man, everyone eat and drink well!"

In the corner, Liu Yize smiled admiringly, leaning close to Qin Jiang and whispering, "Lord Long's move is truly powerful, just by moving his mouth, fifty thousand taels of silver are in hand!"

This was fifty thousand taels! Enough to buy more than a dozen blacksmith shops!

It must be said, these local tyrants are really f*cking rich!

Qin Jiang also couldn't help but sigh, it really was the end of the Dynasty, money was not with the people, so naturally there would be chaos.

Right now, it was only because of the external threat of the Huai Country; otherwise, uprisings would have been constant in various places long ago.

It's possible there already were some, just suppressed.

After the banquet began, Qin Jiang remembered Liu Yize's earlier mention of strange occurrences, and immediately asked, "Brother Liu, were there many of those strange occurrences you just mentioned in the city?"

Liu Yize looked at Qin Jiang upon hearing this, and touched his forehead, "Not that many, actually. I also heard it from the several craftsmen in my Family; they often gather to drink, so they're quite well-informed about such news."

"I see." Qin Jiang nodded slightly.

It seems the danger of strange occurrences is indeed becoming more severe. In the past, even a Essence Spirit appearing in Dahei Mountain was a rare event.

And now, things like strange occurrences are already circulating among the common folk.

No wonder Magistrate Long is so eager for money; perhaps the power he wields at this moment is somewhat insufficient.

"Come, come, it's rare to have such good wine, let us drink this cup together, Brother!"