Chapter 89

Chapter 90: Anxiety

"Friend, give up and let us take you in?!" Meng Tao stopped and shouted with a smile, but to his surprise, the little thief didn't listen to his advice. He leaped forward, his feet touching the roof ridge, and his legs continuously kicking in the air as if there was an invisible path in the sky. "Is this the Lingbo Xubu?!" he thought in amazement. This was the supreme lightness skill of the martial arts world, and today he had truly seen something.

With a 'whoosh,' while Meng Tao was stunned, the thief had already jumped to the opposite roof, barely landing on the eaves. He lunged forward, did two somersaults, and the eaves collapsed, with tiles falling down in a clatter. "Damn, almost fell off. Lewis can jump over eight meters, this is less than six meters, what a difference!"

No need to ask, the readers know that this thief is Zhao Cheng. He doesn't know any high-level lightness skills like Lingbo Xubu. What he does is a modern extreme sport—parkour. This sport was created by French soldiers who participated in the Vietnam War. It enhances one's physical and mental response to emergencies through agile movements, similar to martial arts. The difference is that martial arts simulate combat and counterattacks, while parkour simulates emergency escapes. This challenging sport quickly gained the love of young people worldwide. Zhao Cheng was a fan of this sport when he was in school, and now it was mistaken for a high-level lightness skill by Meng Tao and his men.

Zhao Cheng didn't want his courage to be eroded by his current comfortable life, so he picked up his old hobby. Life is like a series of obstacles and challenges. To overcome them, one must face the fear of death and understand the importance of being alive. At the same time, one should not only accept life but also accept death, and only courage can break through fear.

He felt that his basic skills were almost back to form, so on a bright spring night, he secretly slipped out of the house and wandered through the mansion, jumping from roof to roof. At first, he just wanted to play a prank on the guards, but it gradually turned into a competition, with one chasing and the other running. Zhao Cheng treated it as a game to relieve stress!

After doing two somersaults, Zhao Cheng used the forward momentum to reduce the downward pressure. Although he knocked off a few tiles, he managed to escape the encirclement. Just as he was about to relax, he heard Meng Tao shout, "Brothers, use the hidden weapons! We must catch him today!"

Zhao Cheng realized that the guards were taking the game seriously. He quickly crouched down and flipped to the other side of the roof, hiding his figure. He heard countless hidden weapons whizzing through the air, landing with a clatter where he had just been. He glanced and saw a variety of weapons: flying knives, flying swords, gold darts, throwing arrows, iron caltrops, flying stones, plum blossom needles,如意珠, iron toads, and all sorts of other things. Basically, everything that could be thrown was thrown, except for bricks.

"This joke is too big. If I die at the hands of my own guards, it would be a real tragedy!" Zhao Cheng thought he couldn't play anymore and needed to get away quickly. "You guys are so boring. I only took a little bit from you. Is it worth taking a life? I'll give it back!" He said, untying a small package from his waist and throwing it down from the roof.

"Boom!" The guards saw a black shadow fall from the sky and instinctively stepped back. After the package landed, they gathered around to look. Zhao Cheng seized the opportunity, leaped up, and jumped down from the roof like a night bird returning to the forest. He grabbed a branch of a large tree, which bent under his weight and then sprang back up. Using the rebound, he leaped up, did several backflips in the air, and cleared the wall, disappearing into the night.

"Such excellent lightness skills!" someone in a nearby small courtyard praised.

"Yeah, not bad, he has some skill. No wonder Meng Tao and the others couldn't catch him!" another person nodded and said.

"Master, I haven't heard of such a skilled person appearing in the martial arts world?"

"Hmph, don't pretend to be confused. From his figure, it's my cheap brother-in-law. Did you secretly guide him?"

"Master, guide him? He probably wouldn't even look at me. Could you catch him?"

"Cough, let's go back inside. The baby needs to be fed!" The man coughed and pulled his wife back into the house.

Huang Jingchen 'dawdled' until two days before the Dragon Boat Festival to return from the capital. He sold everything he got from the Zuo Cang Treasury instead of transporting it back as the prince had ordered. The market was huge, with the capital's officials, rich merchants, nouveau riche, and tycoons having too much money. These items from the palace were incredibly tempting to them, and they all wanted to show them off. Their mentality was like staying in a hotel called the Royal, eating in a restaurant called the Imperial Kitchen, drinking imperial wine, and hanging up exclusive labels to feel prestigious.

The same principle applies today and in the past. These people want to buy rare treasures to show off and display their status. Rich people want to use imported spices to perfume their clothes and homes, buy expensive jewels and trinkets, and use furniture and decorations originally from the palace to feel like royalty. Improving their image with treasures and creating the aura of a noble family is worth the money, as they have plenty to spare.

The salt merchants who exchanged items for goods sold them early to free up capital, making a profit. They were much better off than those who got nothing. Huang Jingchen, following the prince's instructions, wanted to pack the items and bring them back but didn't rush to sell them. Those who didn't get anything immediately targeted him, using connections and backdoor channels to offer sky-high prices. They were just trying to one-up each other, like if you have a Mercedes, I must have a Rolls-Royce, and if you paid five dollars, I'll pay fifty to show I'm richer.

Seeing the boxes of gold and silver and hearing their pleas, Huang Jingchen 'softened his heart' and sold everything. He regretted it immediately, wondering how to explain to the prince. But the festival was approaching, and he couldn't stay out forever. So he chartered a boat and brought his earnings back home.

As soon as Huang Jingchen entered the mansion, he saw many officials wandering in the courtyard, which scared him. He thought the prince might have gotten into trouble, and the officials were there to arrest someone. But he learned that the mansion had been burglarized, and the thief had escaped even with the guards surrounding him. The head steward thought that although nothing valuable was lost, the constant disturbances were a problem. After discussing with others, they decided to report it to the authorities and let the professionals handle it. The theft at the prince's mansion was a major issue, and the local government immediately formed a special task force to solve the case. Huang Jingchen returned just in time.

After understanding the situation, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly had his items sent to the inner treasury for safekeeping. Then he went to see the prince. "Your Highness, are you alright?" Huang Jingchen asked, seeing Zhao Cheng's expression.

"Fine, the guards kept me up all night, so I didn't sleep well!" Zhao Cheng said absentmindedly. The real reason was that he was worried about the officials. He had returned in a hurry last night and hadn't covered his tracks well. He wondered if there were any forensic experts among the officials. If they traced it back to him, although no one would dare to do anything to him, it wouldn't look good for the prince to 'steal' from his own mansion.

"Oh, didn't Your Highness say to take care of the friends who left the capital? A few of them just received their orders to leave, so I stayed a few more days to see them off!" Huang Jingchen said, also worried about the prince's questions about the sales.

"Yes, how did it go? How much did you make?" Zhao Cheng asked, both of them carefully avoiding the topic.

"Your Highness's plan couldn't fail. I made this much, and I followed your instructions to convert it into gold and silver!" Huang Jingchen smiled, raising his right hand and flipping it three times to answer.

"Good, Uncle Huang, you've worked hard. However, the mansion has been unstable during your absence, causing unrest. Make sure to keep the items you brought back safe!"

"Those guards are just eating their pay for nothing. They must be punished!" Huang Jingchen quickly changed the subject, seeing the prince didn't mention it.

"It's not their fault. We have more businesses now, and many people are sent out, leaving few in the mansion!" Zhao Cheng quickly explained, not wanting the guards to be punished for this.

"Yes, Master, the mansion is short of people. Many incidents have occurred recently. Last month, a group of imperial guards from Gongzhou came to our tavern and started a conflict, injuring several of our people and damaging a lot of property. Later, some grain transport workers got drunk and caused trouble at the mansion. They were many, and our guards barely managed to control the situation. There was almost a major incident. Also, some of our customers were robbed on the road, and our delivery ships encountered pirates. We might be targeted by bandits soon!" Jianxi added, serving tea.

"The area around the capital is also unstable, with small bands of bandits causing trouble. The Left and Right Military Commands have sent troops multiple times, but with little effect!" Huang Jingchen sighed, explaining. After Cai Jing changed the salt voucher system, he ordered the restoration of the Fangtian Junshui Law, doubling the land tax and conversion fees, and doubling the purchase of silk and grain. His thirty trusted subordinates directed the Three Provinces and Six Ministries and the local authorities to enforce these policies, causing great hardship to the people and leading to widespread banditry, with many honest citizens being forced to join the rebels.

"Master, with the chaos increasing, should we ask the imperial court to send imperial guards to protect the prince? If anything happens, we will have failed the Emperor and Empress!" Jianxi suggested.

"Ah," Huang Jingchen pondered for a moment without responding. Since the prince's mansion wasn't officially established, he didn't qualify for this protection. The other princes were still in the palace and didn't need it. However, this situation was special. If they reported it, the officials at the Zhongshu would suppress the petition, and it wouldn't reach the Emperor's desk!