xymnovel Chapter 252 A Dark and Windy Night
Chapter 252 A Dark and Windy Night
Chapter 252 A Dark and Windy Night
On the 21st, during the day, the Kunjia boat, carrying a batch of coarse cotton cloth and medicinal herbs, traveled upstream along the Qinhuai River.
The pleasure boat was still quiet, but there were figures moving around on the first and second floors.
A middle-aged madam even stepped out of the ship, shouting at the top of her lungs towards the stone steps on the north bank, asking the people on the shore to send some things over.
The occasional boat passing by on the Qinhuai River put Shao Shuyi at ease. Even with the year-end approaching, there were still people in Jinling City struggling to make a living, making their boat seem less out of place.
When the boatman was rowing, the boatman on the large pleasure boat glanced at it but didn't say anything. This was because the boat didn't look special at all. It was probably delivering goods to some merchant in preparation for the peak spending season in late January.
After traveling a few miles upstream, the Kunjia boat came to a secluded river ahead and stopped there.
There are dense woods and reed beds near the Milky Way, and once the boat is moored there, it is completely invisible from the outside.
Shao Shuyi squatted at the bow of the boat and looked carefully. He found a few vegetable fields and a lonely grave mound on the riverbank.
The inscription on the tombstone in front of the grave was illegible, and the vegetable field was bare, clearly having been harvested long ago.
"This is it." Shao Shuyi instructed the anchormen to lower the stone anchor while looking at Bian Yuanheng and said, "Brother Wu, I'm leaving you seven men. Stay here and don't go anywhere else. If anyone gets close to spy, arrest them without further ado. Someone will come to deliver a message to you on the night of the 23rd."
As he spoke, Shao Shuyi drew a dagger and said, "The messenger will carry this dagger as a token. Upon receiving the order, immediately sail downstream and head straight for the pleasure boat."
Bian Yuanheng took the dagger, examined it carefully several times, and then returned it to Shao Shuyi, saying, "I understand."
Shao Shuyi patted him on the shoulder, then led Tie Niu and the others ashore, circled around the west side of the river, and returned to the starting point.
In the afternoon, he had seven more men from Bian Yuanheng's team board the Kunyi ship and, in the same manner, had them hide in the cabin and wait for news.
After finishing all this, he did not rest. He borrowed two mule carts from Liu Jinbao and, with seven or eight people, continued walking at a leisurely pace after crossing the Zhenhuai Bridge. It was not until evening that he finally arrived at Waguan Temple, which had been destroyed by war at some unknown time.
There were several refugees inside the temple, with their families in tow. They tried to run away when they saw them, but they were managed to subdue them.
"Search carefully." Shao Shuyi selected a few people and ordered them to search the ruins of Waguan Temple separately to see if anyone was hiding inside.
He then said to Li Fu and Cheng Ji, "You two should lie in ambush here until the night of the 23rd. When you see the Kunjia and Kunyi ships coming up on the river, go forward to the gentle slope of the riverbank, lie in the grass, and wait for Zhu Chen to come ashore."
After saying that, he pointed to the people unloading goods by the mule cart and said, "Your team of fourteen men will all stay here. I will then take Master Cheng..."
The Fu brothers, Fu Jian and Fu Yong, will stay behind and be under your command.
Li Fu nodded silently.
Shao Shuyi then beckoned to Zhao Xiaoer and said, "Xiaoer, keep the water close to the mule cart. After nightfall on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, you can decide what to do. If you can get into the water, swim over and use your hook-and-sickle spear to cut the mooring rope between the two pleasure boats. It's not a big deal if it's inconvenient; even if you cut the rope, it will only slow them down for a while."
"I understand," Zhao Xiaoer said.
Shao Shuyi smiled at him, then went to a gap in the back wall of Waguan Temple and peered through the tall grass at the painted boats on the river.
No plan is foolproof.
Just like the previous assassination attempt on Zhu Ding, he simply focused on doing his own thing well and then left everything to fate. That was all.
He had even prepared for the ambush to fail. At worst, he could run back to Jiangyin. As long as no one was captured, Zhu Chen wouldn't be able to trace him to anyone for a while. After all, he had too many enemies, and he certainly wasn't among the top of them. Let him investigate them one by one.
Even if someone is captured, so what? Let Zhu and Chen come to Jiangyin, and we'll fight face to face and decide the victor.
By the time I got back to the grocery store, it was completely dark.
After a quick dinner, Shao Shuyi gathered the fourteen members of Gao Daqiang's team to discuss in detail how to attack Shijie (where the painted boat docked) that night.
After the discussion, Shao Shuyi looked at Liu Jinbao, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
Liu Jinbao was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Don't try anything with me. It's already good enough that you're sending someone to relay messages back and forth for you; don't even think about anything else."
Shao Shuyi laughed and said, "I was hoping you would send more men to create a disturbance far from the pleasure boat to attract the officials. But seeing your attitude, I think I'll pass."
Liu Jinbao seemed to have anticipated this, saying, "It's pitch black and cold, so the officials probably won't be out patrolling. Even if they are, they're probably hiding somewhere, fast asleep. Do you really think everyone is like you, killing and setting fires everywhere instead of celebrating the New Year?"
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "I'm getting old and need to go to sleep. Don't keep me up."
Shao Shuyi smiled. This old man must have other hiding places; he wasn't afraid at all.
With that in mind, he found a place and slept fully clothed.
On the 22nd, everything seemed normal along the Qinhuai River.
There might be some activity during the day, but as soon as it gets dark, the streets become deserted, and shops close and cease operations.
Shao Shuyi, along with Tie Niu and Liang Tai, pretended to casually pass by the stone steps.
There were a few more people tonight than last time.
In a quick glance, I counted about six or seven people, all wearing black cotton-padded jackets with bulging waistbands, clearly concealing weapons. Since they were on the street, they were worried about being too conspicuous, so they all had short blades tucked into their clothes, but there must have been more weapons inside the shack.
The number of people on the two pleasure boats had also increased. They weren't necessarily all thugs, because there were many people who had gone to make arrangements. The girls had come from the old courtyard in sedan chairs, and then boarded the boats a day in advance to prepare to serve the officials in Jinling City the following night.
You know what, the madams under Zhu Chen's command are quite professional. These girls are all outstanding in appearance, and they have a very good temperament when they stand there after getting off the sedan chair, which attracts several pedestrians who were in a hurry to stop and watch.
The thugs near the shack were both angry and amused, shouting, "These girls are not for you to covet! Get out! Get out now!"
"Go home and study first, pass the imperial examination, and then come back. Maybe we can wait until next year's flower viewing banquet, and then come on a painted boat to deflower these girls."
"Get out of here! If you don't leave, I'll get physical."
The thugs shouted in unison.
Shao Shuyi, along with Tie Niu and Liang Tai, quietly left. After circling around, they returned to the general store from behind the bamboo street to rest and recuperate.
Tomorrow during the day, he plans to visit the place where the two ships are docked again. If there is enough time, he will detour around Phoenix Terrace and check on Li Fu and the others at Waguan Temple.
******
The waiting time was long and agonizing.
However, Zhu Chen was quite content.
On the evening of the 23rd, he even leisurely ate some snacks to fill his stomach before, under the protection of his entourage, he boarded a small boat at the small dock in the backyard of his residence and leisurely headed towards the painted boat.
The Qinhuai River was completely empty.
Merchant ships were few and far between; the few civilian boats that did dock at the shore were decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, creating a festive atmosphere for the New Year.
Zhu Chen was pleased to see this and said to those around him, "Twenty thousand years ago, I felt that the New Year was quite meaningless. There was no food or drink, no new clothes to wear, and no money to spend. Seeing other people celebrating the New Year in such a lively way made me feel very uncomfortable. But now that I'm older, I appreciate the New Year even more. The whole family is reunited, and it's so lively. Looking at the table full of delicacies, the courtyard full of silks and satins, and thinking about our increasingly prosperous family business, I feel very happy. Sometimes I don't know what makes me happy, but I'm just happy."
The attendants laughed upon hearing this.
The brothers Zhu Mancang and Zhu Mantun stood side by side, chuckling as they gazed at the river.
A boat was approaching from the front. Upon seeing the large "Zhu" flag in the distance, the boat panicked and hurriedly rowed towards the shore.
The people on Zhu's boat burst into laughter again.
This person fears them, and many people in Jinling City fear them. Even those high-ranking officials, who outwardly boss them around, secretly harbor many reservations.
Without realizing it, these people who were originally penniless had all arrived here.
Zhu Mao'er, who was arranging things on the grand pleasure boat, was originally just a down-on-his-luck schoolteacher, but now he has become one of the most prominent wealthy men in Nanjing.
Zhu Sanshan, who was waiting on the small painted boat, was originally a rogue, but now he has a family and a business, and a group of thugs under his command. He can stop children from crying at night in Jinling City.
Zhu He, who guards the stone steps, was fishing on the river fifteen or sixteen years ago. Now he looks presentable, has married five or six concubines, and lives a very comfortable life.
Without Brother Zhu, they wouldn't be where they are today.
Now they each have their own families and businesses, they have gold and silver in their pockets, they eat delicacies from land and sea, they live in grand mansions, and they are surrounded by beautiful women—they have no other desires, they just want this good life to continue forever.
At the end of the hour of You (5-7 PM), the small boat swayed gently as it approached the large painted barge.
The faint sounds of string and wind instruments could be heard from the boat.
Zhu Chen boarded the boat with a smile, feeling quite pleased with himself.
Half an hour later, several miles downstream from the painted boat, a canal boat slowly emerged from the reeds. After slightly turning around, it went upstream towards the location of the painted boat.
I don't know how much time passed, but another canal boat sailed out from upstream and went downstream.
Inside the grocery store, twenty fully armed men followed Shao Shuyi out in single file.
At first, they tried to conceal themselves, but after walking about a hundred steps, they became less concerned and the twenty of them went from jogging to walking briskly, rushing straight towards the stone steps.
The dark clouds in the sky gradually closed in, obscuring the shy moon.
Shao Shuyi chuckled lightly, not forgetting to encourage everyone: "Even the heavens aren't helping Zhu Chen. He's doomed tonight!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions brightened, and they felt a surge of renewed energy.
On a dark and windy night, murder and arson are the perfect occasions.