Chapter 91: The First Encounter with the Jinyiwei

Such a ruthless matter, Chen Xie himself definitely couldn't handle it. He only heard about it from Yuzhu, and at the time, he didn't pay much attention, just telling Wen Bajin to handle it as he saw fit. He didn't expect it to turn out this way, and only then did Chen Xie realize that this was the Ming Dynasty. The modern legal system had no place here.

Since he had decided to become a black-hearted capitalist and a tyrannical landlord in Ming society, he had to put aside his modern mindset. Changing a society wasn't something that could be done with a feverish brain. The most pressing issue for people in the Ming Dynasty wasn't human rights or the rule of law, but ensuring they had enough to eat and didn't starve to death on the roadside, only to be picked clean by stray dogs.

"Alright, talking about such depressing things early in the morning ruins my appetite. Let's stop here!" Chen Xie said indifferently, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spat out the tea leaves. "Who bought this tea? It's all tea leaves!"

Yuzhu's face changed, and she lowered her head without a word. Chen Xie didn't look at her but said to Wen Bajin, "Go and get busy. Remember to take a few pounds of meat buns from the kitchen for the road." Seeing the situation, Wen Bajin thanked his lord and hurried to the front yard. Just as he left the courtyard gate, he saw Yuhan standing there, looking at him coldly and saying, "Your men have already gone to the kitchen. Come with me to the warehouse to get some New Year's goods."

There were too many open and hidden conflicts in the Chen family compound, and Wen Bajin didn't dare to stay long. He went to the warehouse, pushed a wheelbarrow of New Year's goods, and fled in a panic. After leaving the village entrance for about a mile, he stopped. His subordinates followed, and Wen Bajin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then opened the wheelbarrow to check the New Year's goods, and tears and snot streamed down his face.

He didn't care about losing face, knelt down in the direction of the Zhang family, and bowed three times before getting up and saying to his subordinates, "You all saw that. Work hard for the lord, and you won't be treated badly."

A cardboard box of glass bottles containing blended liquor from a small distillery, a box of sausages, a box of canned cigarettes, and a box of canned luncheon meat. In modern society, these New Year's goods would cost less than 2,000 yuan, but they had bought Wen Bajin's loyalty cheaply. He was still proud of it, thinking that the lords in Dengzhou could enjoy good wine, meat, and cigarettes, and now he could too. "This is the benefit of following the right person. You have to know who you're selling your life to." His four subordinates agreed, nodding in unison.

Chen Xie held a meat bun in one hand and a stainless steel thermos in the other, slowly walked out of the gate, and strolled eastward to the fields. After Yuzhu saw Chen Xie leave, she rushed to the front yard without a word, ignoring Yuhan's mocking laughter, and kicked open a room's door. She shouted at the person inside, "Come out here!"

A middle-aged man, disheveled and embarrassed, came out and looked at Yuzhu timidly, saying, "Big girl, what's going on?"

"What's going on? Do you lack food or clothes here? You have no shame, but I do." She rushed into the room, pulled out a woman by her hair, threw her to the ground, and started beating her with a broom, scolding, "You have such dirty hands, you have such dirty hands." The woman didn't dare to argue, just crouched on the ground, hugging her head. The middle-aged man also lowered his head, only looking at her with pleading eyes.

A small head appeared at the door, timidly calling, "Sister, I want to eat a meat bun."

"If it weren't for your mother, I would have thrown you and that woman out of the village today." With that, Yuzhu picked up the little boy and turned to leave. Yuhan stood far away, huffed a few times, and didn't intend to watch further. The others didn't dare to look either, having long fled.

Chen Xie spent the whole morning busy in the greenhouse. This winter, there was no rain or snow, and sunny days followed one after another. For ordinary people, this was a matter of life and death. For Chen Xie, this season's greenhouse vegetables were a good harvest. The tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse were growing well and could be harvested before the end of the year. Entering another greenhouse, Chen Xie's mood improved even more. Strawberries, he could enjoy fresh strawberries during the New Year.

Seeing the villagers working in the greenhouse, all with joyful faces, Chen Xie didn't know whether to be happy or worried! The groundwater in the Jiaodong Peninsula wasn't deep; digging down about seven to eight meters would yield water. The problem was that few landlords did this except for him. The farmland in Zhangjia Village didn't lack water, but it was hard to say about other places.

Judging by this, next spring, they would need to plant a large area of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and forget about millet. Another important matter was to hold a meeting with his partners to make them understand that without a stable environment, there could be no talk of industrial and commercial development. They needed to abandon the idea of raising grain prices during natural disasters. Now, eight out of ten major families in Dengzhou had connections with Chen Xie, so stabilizing grain prices in the region wasn't a big problem. However, he needed to prevent outsiders from buying grain at low prices and disrupting his carefully planned situation.

Sitting on the field ridge, smoking and drinking tea, he chatted with a few old farmers. This was the best time for the lord to be approachable, and people kept coming over for a cigarette. Soon, over a dozen old farmers surrounded Chen Xie, and a box of cigarettes was quickly finished.

"Lord, in ten days, the vegetables in the field will be ready. What should we do?" Zhang Zisheng, the oldest among the Zhangs, asked cautiously. Although the Zhang family temple was still in the village and the old grandfather's courtyard was empty, the smart villagers knew who the real master of the village was.

Chen Xie smiled and said, "This has already been arranged. Someone will come to the field to collect the vegetables. For the cucumbers grown by Old Zhang Zisheng, 2 coins per pound, and we'll take as much as he has." Zhang Zisheng had planted half an acre, and he couldn't figure out how many pounds of cucumbers he would harvest.

Seeing this, Chen Xie said, "These are high-yield seeds. With good care, half an acre can yield 5,000 pounds. This year, we didn't let everyone plant more to avoid the vegetables not being sold far away and going to waste."

At this moment, Yuzhu came with a food box, holding an oiled paper umbrella, walking gracefully. Chen Xie saw her clearly and stood up, saying, "Lunch is here, I won't chat with you anymore."

The crowd dispersed, not daring to disrupt the hierarchy. Chen Xie was an exception; if it were another lord, they would have huffed and puffed!

Seeing the sliced cucumbers, Chen Xie was delighted. These cucumbers that hadn't fully grown were being wasted. However, the villagers wouldn't think this way. What if they hadn't grown well? Eating a cucumber was a sign of respect.

Chen Xie's joy made Yuzhu feel at ease. While serving Chen Xie with a bowl of mixed sauce noodles, she whispered, "Lord, why don't we drive them out? I can take care of the little one."

"I know you won't let them off easily, but since it's like this, let it be. I'm not a petty person. Let him continue with the purchasing job; there shouldn't be another time." Chen Xie said this, and Yuzhu's eyes couldn't help but turn red. The scheming Lord Chen smiled and whispered in her ear, "Yuhan's relatives are here, tonight..."

"Lord, she will be seventeen after the New Year," Yuzhu said, blushing and speaking softly. Chen Xie laughed and said, "I wouldn't dare to harm you. The main wife hasn't entered the door yet. If you have a child first, it won't be a good thing."

Yuzhu's face turned pale, and she nodded in agreement. Chen Xie continued, "Even if the main wife enters, I won't treat you badly." Yuzhu smiled and said, "Your servant trusts the lord." Chen Xie put down his chopsticks, looked around to see no one, and skillfully slipped his hand into her collar, feeling and saying, "Not bad, a bit bigger."

On the 25th of the twelfth month, the Chunxiang Building was booked again. In Dengzhou City, the Chunxiang Building was often booked for events, and it seemed only the United Merchant Association could afford it.

Today was a bit different. The booking wasn't made by the United Merchant Association but by a group of partners. They pooled their money to book the venue, not just to indulge a certain Lord Chen, but to discuss plans for the next year's prosperity.

As soon as Chen Xie got off the carriage, he was surrounded by a group of people, who greeted him with many words. As soon as he entered, Yingniang approached the crowd and said, "Gentlemen, please give me a moment. I need to borrow Doctor Chen for half an hour."

Surprisingly, no one objected. They laughed and winked, each more lecherous than the last. Chen Xie indeed had something to discuss with everyone today; otherwise, he would have avoided Yingniang, who was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

Yingniang didn't care about the crowd's teasing, tightly holding Chen Xie's arm like a koala. She whispered in his ear, "Be careful, it's the Jinyiwei."

Jinyiwei? Flying fish robes, spring knives. A terrifying presence, worth a good look.

Entering Yingniang's room, a man stood inside, not in the expected posture of a seated, electrifying gaze. He was just an ordinary middle-aged man, without the flying fish robe or spring knife, and his face was pale, but his demeanor was normal.

"Yuan Zhong greets the doctor!" He even greeted first. Was this the Jinyiwei, whose name alone could make people have nightmares? Chen Xie bowed in return, "Greetings! May I ask what you need?"

Yuan Zhong said, "I dare not. I am just a hundred-household officer in the Jinyiwei. How can I dare to teach the doctor? This time, I came to seek your help." Chen Xie was a bit confused, looking at Yingniang, who smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. It's the end of the year, and Hundred-household Yuan is thinking about his subordinates, so he came to seek your help."

Oh, a freeloader! Chen Xie understood, but he was really curious about Yingniang's identity.

Otherwise, why would Yingniang be the one to introduce him, and why wouldn't Yuan Zhong seek help from her? This woman didn't seem scared at all! Chen Xie wasn't afraid either, just curious. When he looked at Yingniang, her face turned red.

---

The page flip begins with an ad.

The page flip ends with an ad.