Chapter 67

The quiet sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds. Perhaps from that day on, Zhu Lian's heart was no longer at peace. From that moment, her life was destined to be so.

As the winds and clouds rose, her laughter and tears no longer belonged to herself.

In the living room, Zhu Guina was obsequious, his mouth full of flattery. Zhao Yougong was really surprised; this was the first time he had encountered an official who was so eager to please him. He didn't know how much money Zhu Guina had spent to enter the Capital Garrison, but from this performance alone, it must have been a lot.

There's a saying: "When someone is overly attentive, they are either a villain or a thief." This saying, even after a thousand years, remains true.

Zhu Guina indeed had ulterior motives. He had heard that the Prince of Yongning was still unmarried and hadn't even engaged a fiancée. Wasn't this an opportunity?

Zhu Guina was so foolish; he only saw what was in front of him and never looked further. There were so many wealthy families in the capital, and none of them had proposed a marriage to the Prince of Chu. Why would they let Zhu Guina have this opportunity?

Zhao Yougong didn't care about Zhu Guina's schemes. All he wanted was money. "Commander Zhu, shouldn't your courtyard walls be repaired? Of course, if you don't want to repair them, you should at least compensate your neighbors. You can't just occupy the road for free, can you?"

Fu Xiang's Zhu family was wealthy, and Zhu Guina certainly didn't mind a bit of money. He nodded hurriedly, "Your Highness is right, it's my fault. I will compensate, I will compensate!"

"Good, Commander Zhu is indeed straightforward. So, let's get it done quickly. Those rough people outside are getting impatient!"

Zhao Yougong didn't specify how much money he wanted. He wanted to see just how rich the Zhu family was. Zhu Guina seemed to be prepared. He left for a moment and returned to the living room with a wooden box. Zhao Yougong didn't care much and opened the box immediately. At first glance, he was almost shocked to death. Inside were stacks of banknotes, each worth a hundred strings of cash. Although he didn't count them, the thickness indicated there were at least fifty. They were rich, really rich. A single payment of five thousand strings of cash—compared to the protection fees, it was nothing.

Would he hand over so much money? Of course not. Zhao Yougong took out more than thirty and stuffed them into his chest, then gave Zhu Guina a sinister smile, "Commander Zhu, you are indeed generous. Whoever marries into your family will be truly blessed!"

"Ha... ha..." Zhu Guina laughed awkwardly but didn't respond.

Zhao Yougong left with a swagger, leaving Zhu Guina smiling to himself. No one knew how Zhu Guina's heart was racing, leading to many ridiculous situations later on.

The first day was quite profitable. From the bailiffs to the chief clerk of Kaifeng Prefecture, everyone received a red envelope. This way, even those who had objections couldn't say much. As the saying goes, "When you take someone's hand, you can't bite it." After receiving the red envelopes, would they dare to accuse the Prince of Yongning of bullying?

For the next two days, the bailiffs of Kaifeng Prefecture became familiar with the protection fee collection. Thus, Zhao Yougong no longer went personally, leaving it to the five "diamonds" of Kaifeng Prefecture to handle.

In the current Song Dynasty's bureaucracy, there were very few truly upright and incorruptible officials. So, it couldn't be said that Little Prince Zhao had corrupted the atmosphere of Kaifeng Prefecture. It was more like these people were showing their true colors. Everyone was already thinking about how to make money. Now, with Little Prince Zhao's actions, making money became a legitimate and regulated affair. Who wouldn't be happy?

Except for the chief clerk Gong Sun Kang, everyone was quite pleased. They would receive a substantial red envelope every month. It seemed that working for the young prince had its benefits.

Today, the sun was a bit hot. Zhao Yougong was hiding under the eaves of the hall, drinking tea. Xiao San, wearing his hat tilted, was fanning him constantly. "Young Master, the earnings were a bit less yesterday!"

"How could they be less? Xiao San, did you keep any for yourself?"

"Uh... Young Master, don't scare me. I don't have the guts to do that!"

Zhao Yougong rolled his eyes, not quite believing it. There were still many households on Bian River Street and Xianyi Street that hadn't been collected from. According to his plan, the earnings should have increased daily. Why did they start to decrease on the third day?

Before Xiao San could explain, they heard a commotion of footsteps. Xie Wudi and Ma Rulong, two burly men, puffed and panted as they entered. Ma Rulong's face was tense, and Xie Wudi, with his trembling beard, was cursing.

"What happened to you two?"

Zhao Yougong asked casually, and the talkative Ma Rulong explained in detail. It turned out that today, the two had led a group to collect protection fees on Xianyi Street. The first two households went smoothly, but when they reached the Hu family, not only did they not receive any money, but they were also doused with feces by the Hu family's servants. Xie and Ma, being agile, managed to dodge, but the bailiffs behind them were drenched and vomited on the spot.

Hearing Ma Rulong's account, Zhao Yougong immediately became angry. He threw his teacup at Xiao San, straightened his hat, and started cursing, "What kind of people are the Hu family? They dare to attack my people from Kaifeng Prefecture! This is outrageous!"

"Your Highness, I've checked. The eldest son of the Hu family, Hu Yingyuan, is currently the Inspector General of the Censorate..."

"What? A mere Inspector General scared you off?" Zhao Yougong looked incredulous, but Ma Rulong was hesitant.

Little Prince Zhao might not be very capable, but with his status, he wasn't afraid of a mere Inspector General. The problem was that the bailiffs were afraid.

"Your Highness, why don't you go and take a look?"

Xie Wudi, usually a fierce man, spoke in a low, soft voice, making the other men around him shudder.

Zhao Yougong shivered and moved away from Xie Wudi. Was this guy up to no good?

"That... lead the way. I want to see how arrogant the Hu family is. Xie the Bearded, you should be ashamed of yourselves, being officials of the prefecture, you were driven away by a few servants!"

As he walked, he mocked the two "diamonds." No matter what Zhao Yougong said, Xie Wudi just smiled, though his smile was as ugly as it could be.

Zhao Yougong felt depressed. No wonder he was called Xie Wudi; his thick skin could withstand a thousand troops.

As soon as they entered Xianyi Street, they were stunned by the scene. The street was lined with people watching, some even eating sunflower seeds and snacks, as if they were watching a play.

Turning his head, he glared at Xie Wudi, who scratched his hairy face and smiled innocently, "Your Highness... when I left, there weren't so many people. You can ask Brother Ma if you don't believe me!"

Ma Rulong nodded in agreement.

Zhao Yougong was puzzled. Why did so many people gather so quickly? Ignoring the onlookers, he led his group straight to the Hu family's gate. A few bailiffs were hiding behind a tree, cursing, and the street was covered with a yellow, foul-smelling liquid.

"Hu family, don't be so arrogant! This is a decision made by the Prefect. If you dare to attack the officials again, we'll lock your whole family in prison!"

Before the cursing could continue, the gate opened, and a servant rushed out with a basin, shouting, "I'm pouring this on you, you scoundrels!"

Without looking, they knew the basin contained more feces. The bailiffs, having experience, immediately ran into the crowd. With the onlookers blocking the way, the servant couldn't do anything and could only stand there glaring.

Seeing this, Zhao Yougong was furious. These bailiffs were even less effective than street thugs. It was just a servant with a basin of feces; why not just grab it and throw it at the Hu family's gate? Pushing through the crowd, he strode forward, "You wicked servant, how dare you attack an official? Do you know what crime that is?"

"None of your business!" The servant gave Zhao Yougong a scornful look.

Zhao Yougong was puzzled. Who was the Hu family relying on to be so arrogant? Was it Liang Shicheng or Cai Jing? Was he afraid of a mere servant? He glared and threw his fan behind him, shaking his sleeves to reveal two large fists, "I am the Prince of Yongning, Zhao..."

Before he could finish, he felt a hit on his buttocks. Looking down, he saw a clump of mud on his blue brocade robe. Now Zhao Yougong was even angrier, "Who? Who threw the mud? If you have the guts, step forward!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a person came out of the Hu family's gate. Zhao Yougong's eyes nearly popped out. It was a little boy, no more than eight years old, holding a clump of mud. Facing the furious Zhao Yougong, the boy was unafraid and threw the mud again, "No matter who you are, if you dare to disturb the Hu family, I'll throw mud at you!"

The boy's voice was soft, but his eyes were fierce. Zhao Yougong dodged the mud and panted heavily. Everyone thought Little Prince Zhao was in for a loss, but unexpectedly, he lifted his robe, stood straight, and pointed his right index finger forward, saying something shocking.

"You... what's your name? If you're a man, don't run. If you have the guts, let's fight one-on-one. Whoever loses isn't a real man..."

The crowd on Xianyi Street was stunned. Looking at the young prince now, with his sharp eyes and upright posture, and his manly words, they were impressed. However, he was challenging an eight-year-old child.

Shameless, too shameless. How could there be such a shameless person in the world?

"I am a man, Hu Weixian. Hmph, are you afraid?"

The little boy, Hu Weixian, was still arrogant. This made Zhao Yougong laugh. He bent down to pick up the child for a lesson. At that moment, a pleasant scream was heard, and a woman in a green robe rushed out, grabbing Hu Weixian and dragging him into the house, scolding, "You naughty boy, do you want to make your mother die of anger?"

"Mother, that scoundrel wants to tear down our wall..."

"Still talking? Do you want me to tear you apart first?"

The sudden change disappointed the audience. They had wanted to see Little Prince Zhao challenge the eight-year-old child, but now they couldn't.

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