Chapter 38

"Manzhi, you said the person who injured you was holding a royal guard's badge. Did you see it clearly?"

"Dongweng, I absolutely did not see it wrong."

"Why would someone from the royal guard go to that small village?" Ding Buling couldn't figure it out.

"In that case, I'll give you a hundred strings of coins first. Go to Daoist Baiyun in Qingzhou to avoid the heat for a while."

"Alright."

Manzhi left, and Ding Buling asked his steward, "Uncle Hong, what do you think?"

"Could it be for the Xia Kingdom Sword?"

Apart from this reason, there probably wouldn't be any other reason.

"It might be, that kid ruined my big plans."

Zhu Huan had a good reputation in Yanzhou City, doing business fairly, but Ding Buling knew that Zhu Huan was actually quite cunning, or rather, smart. Therefore, he didn't want to see the Zhao and Zhu families become in-laws. With Zhu Huan's cunning and the Zhao family's wealth, once they became in-laws, it would be very disadvantageous for his own family.

Just as the monk who was supposed to draw the marriage horoscope for the two families had an accident, Ding Buling bribed Daoist Baiyun, intending to sabotage the marriage. This way, the two families would inevitably become enemies.

If it weren't for Wang Ju, Ding Buling would have almost succeeded.

But last year, Ding Buling didn't know that Wang Ju was behind all this. When the Zhu family came to Daoist Baiyun, Ding Buling preemptively gave him a large sum of money, making Daoist Baiyun go to Qingzhou. He then heard that Zhu Jun was at Wang Family Village, so he sent Manzhi to harm Zhu Jun, not to assassinate him, but to cause some trouble and use it to his advantage.

What about the great monk from Chang'an? Your son still had bad luck, and why did he have bad luck? It was because of the Zhao family's young lady.

After Manzhi's incident, he hid for a few days before returning. By then, Ding Buling had finally found out that the sudden change was entirely due to Wang Ju's advice to the Zhu family. At first, Ding Buling didn't quite believe it, but he confirmed it again and again.

The matter was ruined by a young man, and Ding Buling was seething inside.

Now the Ding family was in an awkward position. It was clear that this wasn't just a minor issue; it was either the Ding family or the Niu family.

There was much talk in the city, and his family couldn't deny it, but the Niu family might not be happy either. This could backfire, further angering the Niu family.

"Sir, I have an idea."

"What idea?"

"The swords from that small village are incredibly profitable."

"Yes." Ding Buling was also drooling. Unlike private merchants, it was a legitimate business, earning several dozen strings of coins per sword. However, the technology for those swords seemed very complex, and without it, they could only watch the Zhu family and that small village profit.

"Why don't we take out some silk and spread the word about the wealth of that village, encouraging the army from the other side of the mountain to take action? There's a good opportunity right now."

Mozang Epeng had invaded the Quye River, and the Song Dynasty closed the mutual market. The Western Xia was in trouble, with public opinion boiling. So Mozang Epeng wrote to the Governor of Hedong, Liang Shi, saying he would return the 20 li of Quye River land he had invaded, but in exchange, they should reopen the mutual market.

Reopening the mutual market would benefit the Western Xia more, but Liang Shi was angry. "You slapped us in the face and now want us to give you candy?" He didn't agree. So after the treasure case last year, Mozang Epeng sent people to cultivate new land and plunder livestock in Yanzhou, mainly affecting the Tumen area, but not Wang Family Village, which was near the Great Wall Ridge.

However, if the Ding family bribed people from the other side to suddenly invade Wang Family Village, it would be a good opportunity.

"That's not good."

"It's not to deal with that young man, but to capture those few blacksmiths."

"Good idea," Ding Buling clapped his hands.

He didn't know why the Zhu family was so foolish, producing only a small number of swords each year. But if this technology fell into his hands, even without producing too many, these sharp swords wouldn't be too expensive. Producing a thousand or so a year could still be sold, and the profit would be enormous.

"So, I'll leave this matter to you."

...

"Dongweng, is there no news in the city?" Wang Ju didn't know the unprecedented crisis was coming, so he deliberately went into the city to ask Zhu Huan.

Zhu Huan shook his head: "In Yanzhou's border area, there are all sorts of people."

He didn't say more, but Wang Ju understood. The Song Dynasty wasn't the era of knights, but there were many skilled people. Although they weren't as bold as in the Tang Dynasty, where they dared to kill officials and assassinate prime ministers, the martial spirit among the people was still strong, with many martial arts groups, such as archery clubs and staff clubs.

Skilled people were easily impulsive, like Zhang Hai and Guo Miaoshan, who rebelled in Guanzhong and Henan a few years ago, or those who broke the law. The Song Dynasty was very strict, so they had no choice but to flee to the border, either south or north.

Like Nong Zhigao, before he rebelled, his area produced gold sand, so many people wanted by the Song Dynasty fled there to avoid capture. The same was true in the Western Xia and Yanzhou, including several families in the village who were probably "of unknown origin," like Li Sangu.

The Zhu family probably also harbored similar people.

So, the hunter probably didn't catch that Daoist that day.

"Dongweng, do you have any suspects?"

"Yes, but I don't know which family." Zhu Huan frowned, mainly because Daoist Baiyun's whereabouts were unknown. Otherwise, he could have gotten information from him. Who among the families had a grudge against his own family and the Zhao family?

"Dongweng, don't worry. The other person was holding a badge and said he wanted to take the Daoist to the authorities. It must be someone from the government. Once the authorities are involved, no family will be safe."

"Did Erniu not see the words on the badge?"

"No, Dongweng, do you think that person might be a spy from Yanzhou?"

"Unlikely. I've been thinking about it on the road. That incident is definitely over. Even Cheng Gong wouldn't stir it up again now, especially since all the families donated so much money. Stirring it up would anger everyone. Or are they still looking for you?"

"If you don't show up, Cheng Gong might think you're a wise hermit."

Wang Ju laughed: "Dongweng, let me tell you a secret. Our dynasty does have hermits, though few. But why are Lin Hejing, Zhong Fang, and Chen Tuan the most famous? No other reason, they socialized with many scholars. Even Chen Tuan first strongly supported Emperor Taizu and then Emperor Taizong, which gave him such fame, and the court also liked him."

People who supported the Song Dynasty and the government were liked, but those who didn't were not really valued.

"Then why did that person appear, seemingly knowing a lot about you and my family?"

"So I can't figure it out. Maybe some of the Black Bee Bandit leaders haven't been caught yet?"

"They're not just anyone; four leaders are still missing, but would they dare stay in Yanzhou?"

Wang Ju scratched his head.

He originally thought Zhu Huan, who was well-informed in the city, might have some insights, but Zhu Huan also couldn't figure out the hunter's identity.

"Who could it be?"

"Little Sir, regardless of who it is, your village won't be a mule anymore. Even I won't touch that..." Zhu Huan was referring to private salt: "If he wants to show himself, he'll come to you. If he doesn't, there's no point in us guessing. But in my opinion, you should propose to the Li family."

PS: Thank you for the 588起点币 (Qidian coins) from Gu Yue Mo Hai and the 588起点币 (Qidian coins) from Ten Minutes of Waiting.

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