xymnovel Chapter 189 Extinguishing the Fire
Chapter 189 Extinguishing the Fire
Chapter 189 Extinguishing the Fire
For Jiangxia City, the market days are held on the 5th and 10th of each month.
At this time, people from all around would come carrying loads on their shoulders or pushing carts, crowding the street so much that it was impossible to move.
Sure enough, the market was already bustling with activity just as dawn was breaking.
The fishmongers lined up wooden basins, and live crucian carp splashed their tails in the basins.
The pig's head on the butcher's stall was covered in blood and gore, clearly freshly slaughtered.
The pot of fried dough sticks was filled with golden foam, and the aroma mixed with the fishy smell of the Chengjiang River, creating an indescribable flavor.
Chen Shisi's salted fish shop is located in the middle of the street. It is neither too big nor too small, with two storefronts. On the table in front of the door, there is a row of salted fish: perch, mandarin fish, whitefish, and several large grass carp. They are arranged neatly, and the fish have a layer of white frost on their bodies. The salty and fishy smell can be smelled halfway down the street.
Chen Shisi's shop was not the largest in Jiangxia City, because it could not compare with the newly opened Li Ji Grain Shop owned by Madam Liu on the other side of the street, which also sold fish and salt.
But Chen Shisi's shop is the oldest in Jiangxia City because his grandfather's generation has been running a general store here.
After Chen Shisi inherited the family business, he also sold salted fish for twenty years. People within a radius of dozens of miles knew that his products were of high quality—they used enough salt, were thoroughly salted, and would not spoil even after a year.
At that moment, Chen Shisi was standing at the shop entrance, directing the only two employees to hang up a newly arrived batch of salted fish. He was in his early fifties, short and stout, with a round face that looked like a dough figurine of Maitreya Buddha, his eyes narrowing into slits when he smiled.
Business was good today; the salted fish sold out one after another, and I was counting money until my hands were sore.
Around 1:00 AM, the market became increasingly crowded.
Chen Shisi was weighing salted fish for an old customer when he suddenly heard a commotion from the other side of the street.
He looked up and saw the crowd scurrying about in a panic, running to both sides. Seven or eight people came from the other end of the street. The man at the head was short and stocky, and he took heavy steps, his boots clattering on the bluestone slabs.
Chen Shisi's eyes narrowed; it was Wang Zongsan.
The man wore a dark brown cloth robe with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing two thick forearms with bulging veins that looked like earthworms crawling on them. A ring-handled knife was tucked into his waistband, the copper band on the scabbard worn smooth and shiny.
The men following behind him all had fierce expressions. Some carried wooden sticks with one end covered in iron; others had short blades at their waists, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight; still others had swords hanging from their waists and deliberately took large strides, the clanging of swords clashing incessantly.
What could the people on the street say when they saw this? They could only avoid it if they couldn't afford to mess with them!
The vendor selling rock sugar gourds moved his carrying pole closer to the wall.
The fabric vendor quickly packed his stall inside.
A little boy was running too slowly, so his mother grabbed him and covered his mouth.
Wang Zongsan quickly arrived in front of Chen Shisi's shop and stopped.
He didn't look at Chen Shisi, but instead looked at the row of salted fish. He looked from left to right, and then from right to left, his gaze lingering on each fish as if he were inspecting something.
"Fourteen." He finally spoke, his voice not loud, but it could be heard throughout the entire street.
"Woof—Brother Woof!" Chen Shisi greeted him with a smile. "Brother's here! Come in and have a seat. I've just received a new batch of fine tea—"
"I don't drink tea," Wang Zongsan interrupted him calmly.
He looked away from the salted fish, then at Chen Shisi, and said, "Shisi, did you pickle these salted fish?"
Yes, that's right.
"Whose salt are you using? I remember you haven't come to my shop for salt for a while. I almost thought you had closed down and quit."
Chen Shisi immediately broke out in a sweat.
"This—does that even need asking? Of course, it's Brother Wang's salt. I bought too much in December, and we haven't used it all up yet. Don't worry, Brother, I'll come to your place to get the salt tomorrow, how about that?"
"Is that so?" Wang Zongsan suddenly exerted his strength and overturned Chen Shisi's stall outside.
Dozens of fish were scattered on the ground, covered in dust.
The whole street fell silent. Even the vendors selling fried dough sticks stopped flipping them in their pans; the sticks sizzled in the pan, and the smell of burning wafted over, but nobody paid any attention.
Chen Shisi's legs began to tremble.
"Brother Wang, let me explain—" Chen Shisi cried and complained, "Business has been tough lately. Everyone else is selling salted fish for less than me. I'm just a small business owner, it's really hard for me."
"Difficult? Then don't bother." Wang Zongsan kicked the other two baskets over, sending salted fish of all sizes flying in chaotic arcs and scattering all over the ground.
Chen Shisi knelt down with a thud, sobbing, "Brother Wang! Please forgive me this time! I was just confused for a moment and took someone else's salt. I'll never dare to do it again! I promise, from now on I'll only buy salt from Brother Wang, and I won't give a single penny to anyone else!"
Wang Zongsan looked down at him, his expression unchanged.
"Get up," he said.
Chen Shisi didn't dare to move.
"I'm telling you to get up."
Chen Shisi stood up shakily, his knees covered in dust and salt, his legs shaking like a leaf.
Wang Zongsan took the wooden stick from someone behind him and weighed it in his hand. The end of the stick covered with iron was heavy and gleamed in the sunlight.
"Fourteen, you've been selling salted fish for twenty years, and everyone in Jiangxia City recognizes your brand. But you've ruined mine." He slung the wooden stick over his shoulder and said, "Today, I'll make sure everyone in Jiangxia City who makes salted fish, sells pickles, and pickles duck eggs knows what happens when you mess with me."
Having said that, he raised the wooden stick high.
Just then, a man stumbled in, looking panicked: "Brother, something's happened!"
Wang Zongsan remained there.
After a moment, he took a deep breath, slowly withdrew the wooden stick, turned to look at the newcomer, and said, "You'd better give me some explanation. Otherwise, you'll be the one to cut off this hand."
The younger brother disregarded everything else and went straight to Wang Zongsan's side, whispering in his ear, "Lin, the prison warden, is in trouble. He's looking for you everywhere and has urgent business to attend to."
Lin Xuan? Wang Zongsan was taken aback.
As the chief clerk of Jiangyin Prefecture, Lin Xuan had long been in contact with documents and government orders, and was already the most powerful official that Wang Zongsan could win over. He had once tried to get in touch with Judge Ma Yuanchong, but the latter simply did not give him the opportunity.
In this world, no matter what profession you're in, you need official favors, otherwise life will be very difficult.
Recently, he noticed Cao, a salt merchant who had risen to prominence in Jiangyin Prefecture, and was preparing to go to the government to discuss whether he could be punished. The key to the government's efforts was Lin, the prefect.
Something happened to him? What happened?
Wang Zongsan was momentarily flustered. After a moment's thought, he cursed under his breath, "Damn it!" and then waved his hand, leading his men away.
The crowd parted like a tide, making way for him and closing in behind him.
The footsteps faded into the distance, and the street remained quiet for a while.
Slowly, the vendor started flipping the oil in the pan again, and the sizzling sound of oil filled the air once more.
The fabric seller carefully set up his stall again, his hands still trembling, and the fabric almost fell to the ground.
Chen Shisi was still kneeling at the shop entrance, unable to get up for a long time. The shop assistant went to help him up, but he waved his hand and slowly stood up by leaning on the door frame. He had scraped his knee, and blood was seeping out, staining his trouser leg a dark color.
He stared at the salted fish scattered all over the ground for a long time.
The fish were scattered on the ground, some belly up, some covered in mud, and some had been trampled flat.
"Boss—" the waiter looked at him with concern and said.
"Clean it up thoroughly." Chen Shisi's voice was a little hoarse. "Don't miss a single one."
He turned and went into the shop.
Wang Zongsan is so arrogant and domineering, he'll die a violent death in the streets sooner or later, I'm waiting for him.
******
Wang Zongsan and his party hurriedly crossed the Chengjiang River and met Lin Xuan in a teahouse outside Chengjiang Gate—which was just a place name and had no city walls or gates—where they often received guests.
Lin Xuan's face was ashen, and the two servants beside him also looked anxious.
"Lin Tikong, who's so blind as to mess with you?" Wang Zongsan gathered his emotions and then laughed loudly.
Lin Xuan glanced at him, not in the mood to laugh, and simply pointed to the seat opposite her.
Wang Zongsan sat down and then asked a familiar waiter to brew a pair of teas. He was not used to boiling tea and preferred to steep it with hot water.
"Stop drinking." Lin Xuan tapped the table lightly with her fingers, displeased.
Wang Zongsan was first taken aback, then his expression changed, and he asked, "Chief Inspector Lin, is something important?"
Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "It's nothing serious, I can handle it, but it's not very convenient for me to handle it if you have to come."
Upon hearing this, Wang Zongsan was overjoyed and patted his chest, saying, "Officer Lin, please rest assured, there is nothing I cannot do in Jiangyin."
Lin Xuan nodded, then hesitated.
To be honest, he didn't have much faith in Wang Zongsan. Before Zhu Ding died, all sorts of salt merchants came to curry favor with him, but he still preferred to cooperate with Zhu Ding. He reluctantly accepted money from Wang Zongsan a few times, but didn't take him too seriously.
At this moment, the scholars of the academy were indignant and went to the yamen to beat the drum and cry out for justice. Moreover, Ni Zan, a famous scholar from Wuxi, stepped forward. After learning about this, the prefect Zhang Yang ordered the bailiffs not to use violence and invited the group of scholars to the backyard of the yamen.
Lin Xuan received a tip-off and immediately left the yamen. He went home to give some instructions and then quickly sent someone to find Wang Zongsan and wait for him there.
Now that things have come to this, the die is cast and there is no other choice but to proceed.
So he took a deep breath, leaned close to Wang Zongsan's ear, and whispered, "Take some men to Dongshun, find Liu Gui's family, give them some ingots of silver, and make them change their tune. If they refuse, think of another way."
"Dong Shun? Liu Gui?" Wang Zongsan was completely confused.
Lin Xuan's face turned ugly. After struggling for a moment, he whispered something to Wang Zongsan.
Wang Zongsan's expression immediately became quite interesting.
Upon seeing this, Lin Xuan's face immediately fell.
Wang Zongsan immediately composed himself and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, Chief of Staff. They're just simple-minded men and women from the countryside. They're easy to deal with."
I'll gather my men right away and go there to settle this matter.
Lin Xuan's expression softened slightly, and he couldn't help but urge, "This matter is urgent, and we should act quickly rather than delay. Go now and don't linger. I'll send someone to guide you."
"Alright." Although Wang Zongsan was brave and fierce, he knew what was important. Upon hearing this, he immediately got up and told his men to prepare money, weapons, and carriages for departure.
Dongshun Township was not close, and the carriage bumped along the dirt road, finally arriving at its destination late at night.
"That's it," said the Lin family servant who was leading the way, pointing to a lifeless little courtyard.
"Go!" Without hesitation, Wang Zongsan personally led his men to charge forward.
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