xymnovel Chapter 9 Investigation
Chapter 9 Investigation
Li Zhuangren was a good person. Around noon, he took a pancake from the kitchen, handed it to Shao Shuyi, and said, "Eat this first."
His voice was as hoarse as ever, and as rough as flying wood shavings.
Shao Shuyi found a pile of wood, sat down, and ate a pancake.
His mood had calmed down considerably. At least there were no officials or soldiers inside Zheng's boatyard, so he was safe for the time being—but only temporarily.
People came and went in the boat shop, and every now and then someone would cast a glance at him. Some who had met him a few times even made a joke, saying they would introduce him to someone as a son-in-law.
Shao Shuyi smiled bitterly, but at the same time a glimmer of hope ignited within him. He just didn't know if anyone would be interested in him—being a lowly son-in-law seemed better than selling himself into slavery.
"Actually, it's a good place to go," Li Zhuangyi said in a low voice as he sat down.
Shao Shuyi turned to look at him and listened quietly.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to go to a poor family. You need to have some savings," Li Zhuang continued. "At least enough to make a living. Be honest, carry on their family line, and do odd jobs. After ten years, you can return to your clan."
"What does 'returning to one's roots' mean?" Shao Shuyi asked.
Li Zhuang gave him a strange look and said, "Of course, it's about getting a divorce and going home."
Shao Shuyi found this intriguing and asked, "They actually want to return to their ancestral home? Doesn't that mean they're already husband and wife? Can't they spend their whole lives together?"
"That's called a son-in-law supporting his wife in her old age, it's different," Li Zhuang said. "Actually, you're right. Returning to the family is a big disadvantage because you can't take anything with you."
"Leave with nothing!" These four words flashed through Shao Shuyi's mind.
It seems this son-in-law is a bit of a sham. At least farmhands get paid, but you've worked yourself to the bone for ten years and not only haven't received a penny, but you also can't get a share of the family property or any compensation when you leave.
But he doesn't have many choices now, does he? He should be secretly happy that someone is willing to take him in as a son-in-law.
Li Zhuang glanced at Shao Shuyi with his cloudy eyes, and seeing that he didn't react, he put the matter aside and instead asked, "Where have you been these past few days?"
"Find some work in the city," Shao Shuyi asked.
"It must be hard to find, right?" Li Zhuang asked.
After asking the question, without waiting for Shao Shuyi's reply, he continued, "It seems there was a war somewhere last year, and the imperial court was pressing for taxes, so the market was much more depressed. Business was tough, and consequently, there were fewer people to hire."
"A war?" Shao Shuyi exclaimed in surprise.
Did a peasant uprising break out at the end of the Yuan Dynasty? That shouldn't be the case.
However, he quickly realized that just as a series of geological disasters may precede a major earthquake, there will certainly be local peasant uprisings confined to a corner before a large-scale uprising breaks out. The number of such uprisings will not be small, but the scale will not be large, and the overall situation will be one of ups and downs.
At this stage, the Yuan court still had the ability to suppress the rebellion if it gritted its teeth. However, as the situation deteriorated, it eventually became unmanageable, leading to the downfall of the entire Yuan Dynasty.
After figuring this out, he felt a little relieved, but also a bit disappointed that he couldn't quite put his finger on—it was probably related to what had just happened to him. He was really conflicted right now.
Li Zhuang didn't have Shao Shuyi's advantage of standing on historical high ground and looking down on the earth. He could only make judgments based on unreliable information he had heard and his life experience of half a lifetime. Therefore, at this moment, he only said, "There's no need to worry too much; things should calm down soon. But with such a bad year, it won't be easy for you to find work in a wealthy household or shop."
Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement.
He really wasn't in the mood to think about any of that right now. He just wanted to find a place to stay as soon as possible and have food to eat. Everything else could wait; survival was his top priority.
Just as Li Zhuang was about to say something more, he saw three people approaching from a distance and immediately gave them a meaningful look.
Shao Shuyi looked up and saw Zheng Song walking side by side with an old man with a striking goatee, talking in hushed tones. Behind them was a burly middle-aged man with a scar between his eyebrows, looking quite intimidating.
Li Zhuang tugged at Shao Shuyi and pulled him forward to bow.
The three stopped. Zheng Song didn't look at Shao Shuyi, but instead looked around at the several riverboats under construction before finally turning his gaze away.
"Master Li, is it possible to complete the project before July?" Zheng Song's gaze lingered on Shao Shuyi for only a moment before he quickly fixed it on Li Zhuang and asked.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult." Li Zhuang pondered for a moment and then honestly replied, "It might be around mid-August."
Zheng Song frowned.
He disliked things that were out of his control because they could create variables and ruin the whole plan. But he also knew very well that shipbuilding was no simple task. The fact that it was delayed by more than a month was already quite remarkable, given the shortage of money, materials, and labor. Furthermore, the ships that were built were to be "purchased" by the imperial court and used on the canal, which was unprofitable and even clearly a loss-making venture. So, a delay was not a big deal.
"Hurry up." He nodded.
"Yes," Li Zhuang bowed again and said respectfully.
Zheng Song finally focused his gaze on Shao Shuyi and said, "I've seen you before. Once at Haiyuncang, twice at Yicang, and this is the third time, isn't it?"
"Yes," Shao Shuyi replied, bowing in return.
"Judging from your appearance, you must have been on the run all night?" Zheng Song took a few steps closer, looked you over carefully, and asked expressionlessly.
"Yes." Shao Shuyi had nothing to hide and answered directly.
"Were they being chased by the Crossroads?" Zheng Song asked.
Shao Shuyi was taken aback, not quite understanding.
"The 'Ten Thousand Household Garrison at the Crossroads of Pingjiang'," the scarred man who had come with Zheng Song said. "Dadu Garrison is one of the ten thousand-household garrisons under the jurisdiction of the Crossroads Army. You don't even know that?"
Shao Shuyi suddenly realized that this was the superior organization of the Dadu Institute that he had guessed.
It sounds like the Yuan army in Pingjiang Road was this so-called "Crossroads Army," which had ten thousand-household units under its command, one of which was the Dadu unit stationed in Taicang. And if I'm not mistaken, the first batch of soldiers in this thousand-household unit probably came from Dadu, it's just unknown which generation it is now, anyway, military households in the Yuan Dynasty were hereditary.
"Alright, Sixth Brother, say no more." Zheng Song stopped the scarred man, looked at Shao Shuyi, and asked, "Have you run out of options?"
"Yes." Shao Shuyi's face flushed slightly.
Zheng Song stared at him for a long time, then suddenly asked, "In June of the twenty-third year of Zhiyuan, Chancellor Antong and others reported that it was agreed to collect horses from the cities of Han territories, with those possessing horses receiving two-thirds of the spoils, resulting in 102,000 horses. How many horses were there in the cities of Han territories at that time?"
While asking the questions, he kept his eyes fixed on Shao Shuyi, as if observing his subtle movements.
"153,000 horses." Shao Shuyi almost didn't react, and answered instinctively.
Zheng Song turned around and looked at the goatee-bearded old man who had come with him.
The old man pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Indeed, it was 153,000. However, at that time, two-thirds were taken from the Hui, Uyghur, and wealthy households who were not soldiers, while the Han people were all confiscated for their horses. So, in reality—"
"That's enough." Zheng Song waved his hand and continued, "After the ban on killing animals was lifted on the fifteenth of last month, the transport commissioner went to the sheep and horse market to buy sheep, spending 85 ingots of Zhongtong paper money. The broker fee was 3 out of 100. How much broker fee should the transport commissioner pay?"
After a moment's thought, Shao Shuyi replied, "One hundred and twenty-seven strings of cash and five hundred coins."
Zheng Song then looked at the old man.
Perhaps this was a last-minute question, and the answer was not known beforehand. The old man hesitated for a moment, muttering to himself, "One tael and three fen, ten taels and three qian, one hundred taels should be three taels. Eighty-five ingots of paper money is four thousand... four thousand two hundred and fifty taels, the money should be one hundred and twenty... one hundred and twenty-six... one hundred and twenty-six taels and five qian... oh, no, one hundred and twenty-seven taels and five qian."
Listening to the old man's entire calculation process, Shao Shuyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.
When he calculated, he simply multiplied 42.5 by 3 in his mind and quickly came up with the answer. It wasn't that difficult, was it? However, perhaps the old man could calculate faster when he had tools, but mental arithmetic was a bit challenging for him.
Zheng Song hadn't actually figured it out, but he was observant. Seeing that the two of them gave the same amount, he understood.
At this moment, his gaze was no longer reserved; when he looked at Shao Shuyi, it was quite scrutinizing, even somewhat suspicious.
"Has the young man been to school?" he asked softly.
"I've been reading it for a few days," Shao Shuyi replied without changing his expression.
"You live near Haiyuncang, right? Who did you study with?" Zheng Song pressed.
"Master Yu," Shao Shuyi replied.
Zheng Song looked at Li Zhuang.
Li Zhuang hesitated for a moment, then said, "There was indeed a Master Yu in Dong Erdu, who passed away last year. I heard that he had the demeanor of an ancient benevolent man and was willing to study under him. The children in Zhangjing and the other two dungeons all benefited from his kindness, and even my good-for-nothing son went to study there for a few days, but unfortunately he had no talent and couldn't learn anything."
Zheng Song nodded slightly.
Shao Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief. Master Yu was a real person, and it was also true that the original owner of this body had gone to school for a few days, but he didn't learn anything and gave up halfway, returning home to help herd sheep.
"Can you write?" Zheng Song asked.
"meeting."
Do you have any family?
"Both parents are deceased. I had an older sister who married in Jiangyin Prefecture many years ago, but I haven't heard from her for many years. I also had a younger sister who died of illness last year."
"What about the religious faction?"
"Perhaps the previous generation had some in Jiangyin, but I'm not too sure."
Zheng Song remained expressionless and did not speak.
Just as Shao Shuyi was feeling uneasy, he suddenly smiled and said, "Why should I help you escape? According to the rules, fugitives like you should be handed over to the authorities."
This statement seemed nonsensical, but Shao Shuyi understood it.
There is no hatred without a cause, nor is there love without a reason. If you are desperate, it's a favor if someone helps you, and it's their right not to. To put it bluntly, what do you have that makes them want to help you? What can you offer them?
At that moment, he seemed to understand something. A wave of sorrow washed over him, but a resolute look appeared on his face. He said, "I still have one life left. I can sell it to you, sir."
Zheng Song put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and said, "There are plenty of people in this world willing to risk their lives; they're worthless."
"There aren't many people who are literate and willing to risk their lives," Shao Shuyi said. "The Zheng family might have some, but their lives are worth more than mine. Wouldn't it be a waste to squander them?"
Zheng Song withdrew his gaze and made a soft "hmm".
"Thirteenth Brother, if this man is arrested and imprisoned, he'll have no one to take care of him and probably won't even be able to get a bowl of stale rice. He'll surely die," the scarred man suddenly said. "My niece Ning has just recovered from a serious illness, and the Third Temple is currently having monks pray for her. At this critical juncture, let's help if we can."
Zheng Song's expression shifted slightly.
Shao Shuyi held his breath and waited patiently.
After some time, Zheng Song said, "We'll be back here in three days. Come early and come with me to Liujiagang."
Having said that, he turned and left.
The old man stroked his beard, glanced at Shao Shuyi with pity in his eyes, and then turned and left.
The scarred man chuckled softly and whispered, "Don't die."
Zheng Song turned around and glanced at him.
The scarred man chuckled and quickened his pace to slip away.
Li Zhuang looked at Shao Shuyi with a joyful gaze, perhaps tinged with a hint of complexity.
Shao Shuyi felt completely drained, as if his energy and spirit had been completely exhausted just a moment ago.
He turned his head and gave Li Zhuang a forced smile.