Chapter 22

"Get out of the way!"

Crack, crack, crack. A dozen soldiers, brandishing knives and spears, ran while shouting loudly. The pedestrians on the street hurriedly dodged, and some out-of-town vendors were so frightened that they fell over.

Qiaofu glanced at the passing soldiers and whispered, "Ke, this is the third wave. Why are there so many soldiers and constables on the road? Could it be...?"

Zhang Ke glared at Qiaofu, who immediately shut his mouth.

"Stand up straight. We have a clear conscience, what is there to be afraid of?"

Although Zhang Ke said this, his heart was also churning. As they walked north with the crowd, he heard many vendors whispering.

"Did you know, the Jin family's house caught fire yesterday?"

"Which Jin family?"

"Which one? The richest merchant in Liaodong. His villa caught fire. Didn't you see all the soldiers on the street? They are investigating the murderer!"

"Ah? Who would be so bold? They must be tired of living."

"I heard that the ox steward is missing. His reputation is not good. Maybe he stole from the master and set the house on fire... Don't talk, the soldiers are coming again!"

Zhang Ke listened to the vendors' discussions and thought that since the ox steward's body hadn't been found, they probably couldn't trace it back to him.

The long line of people gradually left the city gate, and Zhang Ke and his group also arrived at the gate.

"Stop!"

This shout scared Qiaofu. After all, they had killed and set fires last night, how could they not be afraid?

Zhang Ke pinched Qiaofu's arm hard, making him wince in pain, but he finally calmed down. At this moment, the gate officer, who was in his forties, short and stocky, walked over with his hand on his sword hilt and looked at Zhang Ke with a sneer.

"Country bumpkin, here to do business?"

"Your Excellency, that's right!"

"Boy, you're young. Why not do business properly? Why resort to such underhanded methods? Do you think I'm blind?"

Ah!

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Ke's face changed. Could it be that the authorities knew everything he had done? Leaving the city like this would be like a moth flying into the fire!

Not just Zhang Ke, but Qiaofu and Qiaogui were also terrified, their faces pale and trembling. Qiaofu, in particular, instinctively reached for his sword, ready to fight.

In a split second, Zhang Ke's mind raced. The authorities couldn't be that efficient, and if they really knew, they wouldn't let a gate officer handle it.

Zhang Ke held back the Qiao brothers and smiled.

"Your Excellency, I don't understand what you mean. We three brothers just sell fur clothes. How can this be considered underhanded? You must be joking, right?"

As he spoke, Zhang Ke took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and slipped it into the gate officer's hand.

"Your Excellency, buy some tea!"

The gate officer looked at the silver and snorted, "Boy, don't try to fool me. I'm asking you about the dozen or so kids behind you. Do you bring so many children when you do business? What can they do? Tell me the truth, are you a child trafficker? Do you dare to kidnap children in broad daylight? Are you tired of living?"

"Men!"

The gate officer shouted, and a dozen soldiers rushed over, surrounding Zhang Ke and his group.

Zhang Ke never imagined he would be mistaken for a child trafficker. This was a huge misunderstanding!

"Your Excellency, please let me explain. These children are beggars from the city. I took them in because they were pitiful. You can ask them if this is true."

The gate officer, looking suspicious, walked to the beggars and pulled the shortest one, Xiaodouzi, over.

"Boy, tell the truth. Is he the one who kidnapped you? Is he a bad guy?"

"No, Brother Zhang buys us food, takes us to bathe, and gives us new clothes and shoes." Xiaodouzi lifted his foot, showing a pair of thick-soled cotton shoes to everyone.

"I've never worn such warm shoes before. Brother Zhang is a good person!"

Erlengzi also stood up, "That's right. We begged Brother Zhang to take us. If we stayed in the city, we would freeze to death, and no one would care about us!"

The gate officer, who usually ignored the beggars, didn't look too pleased.

At this moment, the vendors behind couldn't help but speak up, "Your Excellency, we know these boys. They are beggars from the city. Now that someone is taking care of them, it's a good deed. Please let them go!"

"Humph!"

The gate officer snorted and walked to Zhang Ke.

"Boy, these days, people can barely take care of themselves, yet you have the heart to take in beggars. Your kindness is a bit excessive. Follow me to the yamen and explain yourself!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ke's palms started to sweat. The beggars were no problem, but there were other issues! If they went to the yamen, he might not be able to bluff his way out!

"Humph! Boy, are you afraid? I knew you were up to something. Come with me!"

As he shouted, the soldiers rushed over.

"Cough, cough, Commander Wang, I see these young men have a righteous look. They don't seem like bad people. Let them go!"

Someone was speaking up for him!

Zhang Ke quickly turned around and saw a wealthy-looking old man walking over, his beard flowing, his face ruddy and smooth.

Seeing this old man, the gate officer hurriedly bowed and was particularly polite.

"Ah, Doctor Zhou, what brings you here?"

"Ha ha ha, I'm going to the horse market to buy some herbs. Look at all these people, isn't it..."

The gate officer nodded quickly, "As you wish, I will follow your orders. Men, stand down and let them out of the city!"

The situation turned around, and Zhang Ke was overjoyed. He quickly drove the cart out of the city gate but didn't go far, stopping about two hundred steps away, respectfully waiting by the roadside. Soon, Doctor Zhou's carriage also came out, and Zhang Ke hurriedly stepped forward.

"Thank you, sir, for your help. I am deeply grateful!"

Zhang Ke bowed, and he heard a giggle, a voice like a silver bell, "No need to thank me!"

Why does this sound so familiar?

Zhang Ke looked up and saw a beautiful face peering out of the carriage, looking at him mischievously. It was Shen Qingyan!

"Zhang Ke, why are you in the business of trafficking children? If I hadn't met you, you would have ended up in jail."

"Miss Shen, if I were such a person, with your intelligence and kindness, your innocence and purity, you would have sent me to jail without the authorities!"

Shen Qingyan laughed, "You've become quite the talker. I'm in a good mood, and it's your first time at the horse market, so follow us."

Doctor Zhou, sitting on the carriage, also smiled, "Is this Zhang Yishi? I must thank you for escorting Miss Shen!"

"It's my duty. I should thank you, sir."

Meeting an old acquaintance, they chatted and laughed all the way. Shen Qingyan felt a sweet sensation in her heart when she saw Zhang Ke again.

"Zhang Ke, do you know why I'm in a good mood?"

Zhang Ke rolled his eyes, thinking, "Who can guess your mind?"

"Ha ha, my cousin's house was burned down, and everything was destroyed!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ke's heart skipped a beat.

"What's your cousin's name?"

"Jin Wanguan!"

Ah!

Zhang Ke stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

"What's wrong? Scared?"

"No, it's just that the name is... too rich!" Zhang Ke managed to say.

"It's too vulgar!" Shen Qingyan said bluntly, "My aunt said that when she was pregnant with my cousin, she dreamed of immense wealth, so they named him Jin Wanguan. They have no education. 'Jin Wanguan' is from Laozi, who said, 'Wealth and rank are like a heavy burden, and those who are proud of their wealth and rank invite their own downfall.' This is a warning to the rich to know when to stop and not be greedy..."

Shen Qingyan rambled on, but Zhang Ke didn't hear a word. His mind was being tortured by ten thousand horses. He had robbed Shen Qingyan's cousin of a thousand taels of silver and burned down his house. If this girl found out...

But seeing her gloating, it didn't seem like a big deal.

However, Zhang Ke didn't dare to boast, "I did it!"

After about an hour, they finally arrived at the horse market. From a distance, they could hear the bustling crowd. The three-mile-wide Tuan Mountain Fort was packed with people, like a temple fair. Shen Qingyan and Doctor Zhou went to buy herbs, bidding farewell hastily. Zhang Ke and his group reported their goods to the clerk in charge of the market and paid the tax, earning the right to sell.

"A stove costs five fen, a bolt of cloth costs three fen, and a wolf skin costs one tael." Zhang Ke calculated on his fingers. Even before selling anything, they had to pay nearly one tael in taxes. If they didn't sell, they would definitely lose money!

"Ke, look, there's a spot. Let's go over there!" Qiaofu said excitedly.

Zhang Ke looked over and saw an empty space at the entrance of the main street, where all the Mongols entering the city would pass.

This is it!

Zhang Ke led the cart over, and Qiaogui immediately started setting up, with Hu Zi and the others helping.

Suddenly, three carriages arrived, and a middle-aged man jumped down from the first one, walking over to Zhang Ke and his group.

"Friends, please move. This is our spot!"

Qiaofu immediately jumped over, "Why should we? We got here first. Are you trying to bully us?"

The middle-aged man, seeing Qiaofu's fierce look, quickly waved his hands.

"Friends, I don't want to fight. I can't beat you. But I want to tell you, I paid three taels for this spot. If you want it, you have to buy it from the official! Hee hee, I'll also remind you, you need to buy the spot a day in advance. There might not be any left now!"

He proudly waved a wooden board, which indeed had the location marked. Zhang Ke was stunned. They couldn't just take a spot someone had paid for.

"Let's go to the side." Zhang Ke had no choice but to leave.

After circling around, Zhang Ke and his group were disappointed to find that all the good spots had been sold. The three brothers and Hu Zi had to settle for a spot near the city wall, standing there dejectedly. Although it was free, no Mongols came by for a long time.

"Ke, what do we do now?" They had come with high hopes, only to be disappointed.

Zhang Ke frowned, "I don't believe that without a good spot, we can't sell good things. A good merchant needs a good mind. Follow my lead, and we'll make these fools who paid a high price cry in the toilet!"