Chapter 347
In a private room at the tavern.
Upon hearing the servant's report, the young noblemen seated in the private room all stood up.
"Brother Yi, this Qian Shipeng is merely the son of a merchant, yet he dares to put on airs with us." The speaker, a young nobleman no older than sixteen or seventeen, wore an expression of utter disdain.
Scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant! No matter how useless they were, they were still sons of officials. Who did Qian Shipeng think he was, daring to put on airs even after arriving in Suzhou Prefecture.
"Young Brother Liu speaks the truth." A young man standing beside him slung an arm around Liu Xiaowu's shoulders and continued to the young man at the head of the group, "Although Qian Shipeng is a member of the Qian family, he is merely a son born to a concubine. Moreover, the Qian family is controlled by Madam Qian. For a son born to a concubine to take over the Qian family is as likely as him sleeping soundly now; he'll have everything in his dreams."
This jibe was met with hearty laughter from the five or six young noblemen. A merchant's son born to a concubine dared to put on airs with them? They were doing this for Zhao Yi's sake; otherwise, who would pay any attention to Qian Shipeng.
"Consider it a favor to me. Whether my father can be promoted depends on this," Zhao Yi clasped his hands in greeting to the others. Though also a young nobleman, Zhao Yi was clearly much more composed than Liu Xiaowu and the others. Even at his young age, his eyes held a hint of restrained fortitude.
Hearing Zhao Yi mention Prefect Zhao, the others nodded in understanding. Just as Brother Yi had said, this was not giving face to Qian Shipeng, but showing respect to Brother Yi.
Hearing footsteps approaching outside the private room, Liu Xiaowu, who was impatient, said with a smile, "Brother Yi, I'll go receive him."
"Wait, Young Brother Liu, I'll go with you." Lin Qingda chased after him with a hearty laugh. Both of them were the youngest sons in their families, and the responsibility of carrying on the family legacy did not fall on them. With older brothers possessing both literary and martial prowess, their natures had become somewhat indulgent.
Watching them leave with laughter, Hu Yan, who stood to the side, asked in a low voice, "Second Brother, according to my inquiries, this Qian Shipeng only manages a few shops in the Qian family. This person is not worthy of being entrusted with important matters."
"Prefect Zhang will retire next year. Whether my father can be promoted depends on this. Although the Qian family are merchants, Madam Qian is related to the third branch of the Qiu family. Now that the third branch of the Qiu family has encountered trouble, Madam Qian will inevitably need to find new support, and this is my opportunity."
Zhao Yi narrowed his eyes. Compared to his father, Assistant Prefect Pang was more favored by Prefect Zhang, and his chances were greater. It was useless to try to influence the Suzhou Prefecture yamen; it might even alert them.
It was better to find a breakthrough from Prefect Zhang's hometown, Linzhou Prefecture. The Assistant Prefect of Linzhou Prefecture was Prefect Zhang's eldest son. Although the Qian family were merchants, as the saying goes, shrimp have their ways, and crabs have their paths. By using the Qian family to connect with Zhang Minxian, Zhao Yi had a clear plan. If Zhang Minxian was willing to speak well of his father to Prefect Zhang, then his father would surely be promoted.
Hu Yan nodded in understanding, a sharp glint flashing quickly in his eyes. "Lord Pang is the most cunning. Once he becomes the Prefect of Suzhou, he will definitely obstruct Uncle. In the future, there will be no place for our Zhao and Hu families to establish themselves in Suzhou Prefecture."
As their voices drew nearer, Zhao Yi gave Hu Yan a look. The two then changed their expressions, "A friend comes from afar. Young Master Qian, please."
"Haha, I dare not, I dare not. I, Qian, am merely a humble merchant." Qian Shipeng immediately cupped his hands in return. The two sides exchanged warm greetings, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for years.
With music to accompany them, rich wine, and fragrant tea, and with Zhao Yi's intention to befriend him, the atmosphere in the private room became increasingly cordial after several rounds of drinks.
"Who dares to be so bold as to lay hands on Brother Shipeng? Are they not giving me, Liu Xiaowu, face!" With a bang, Liu Xiaowu slammed his hand on the table, tossed his wine cup, and declared with great bravado, "I just returned from my maternal grandfather's house last night. Brother Shipeng, just tell me, who dares to cause trouble in the territory of Suzhou Prefecture!"
"Exactly! No matter who they are, once they are in this land of Suzhou Prefecture, a dragon must coil, and a tiger must crouch!" Echoes of agreement followed one after another. The young noblemen were all troublemakers, and they became excited, eager to immediately lead their men to confront them.
Qian Shipeng, after a few cups of wine, was now also full of passion. Thinking of the humiliation he suffered yesterday, he gritted his teeth and said, "Just a lowly girl, I don't know where she came from. However, her guard is a master. My men are all useless trash. Even ten镖师 (bodyguards) couldn't defeat one guard. It's truly a disgrace to even speak of it!"
Qian Shipeng had wanted to inquire about Zhan Feiyu from Qiu Jingyuan, to find out her background. Unfortunately, given Qiu Jingyuan's temperament, Qian Shipeng couldn't even get past the courtyard gate.
He then thought of trying to get information from the maids and servants of the Qiu family, but it was truly uncanny. Qian Shipeng had money, but these people, who were usually eager for money, were like clams this time, their mouths tightly shut. No matter how he asked, they couldn't explain clearly.
This was the first time Qian Shipeng had encountered such "loyal" servants. Even a hundred taels of silver didn't move them. However, these were all servants of the Qiu family. As the saying goes, you have to consider the owner before hitting the dog. Qian Shipeng couldn't resort to harsh methods and torture, so he had to retreat in defeat, the suppressed resentment causing him pain in his internal organs.
"Her skills suggest she might be from the martial world." Zhao Yi put down his wine cup and, looking at the hot-headed Liu Xiaowu, unceremoniously poured cold water on him, "You can't even last fifteen minutes under Brother Liu Er, and you plan to go and get beaten?"
"I..." Liu Xiaowu, whose weak spot had been exposed, puffed out his chest, wanting to retort but unable to speak. It was because his second brother was a scholar. Liu Xiaowu, considering himself to have extraordinary bones and being a good martial artist, ended up being unable to defeat someone who wielded a brush. The memory brought tears to his eyes.
The other young noblemen around them burst into laughter, some slapping the table, others slapping their thighs, and some raising their cups to drink together. No matter how Liu Xiaowu boasted, this was his Achilles' heel, and it was always hit.
Since Zhao Yi intended to befriend Qian Shipeng and connect with the Qian family through him, he smiled and asked, "As Brother Qian mentioned, if it were merely a verbal dispute, it would be one thing, but they took Brother Qian's jade pendant. This..."
Hu Yan smiled knowingly, "Yes, fighting is fighting, but this is outright robbery. Brother Qian's jade pendant is surely worth no less than a hundred taels of silver, isn't it? It would be better to report it to the yamen and seek justice through proper channels."
"That jade pendant is a rare, top-quality purple jade, symbolizing auspiciousness. I spent over two thousand taels of silver on it back then." Qian Shipeng deliberately showed off. Although they were all officials in Suzhou Prefecture, in front of him, Qian Shipeng, they were still paupers!
"Brother Yan, isn't your clansman a constable? Brother Shipeng's matter can be handed over to you." Liu Xiaowu chimed in. Since Brother Yi intended to proceed openly, acting secretly was out of the question. However, watching the show was still possible.
Hu Yan naturally accepted without hesitation, "Alright, I'll have someone go to the prefecture yamen. Have my clansman come over. Come, let's drink!"
The group raised their cups and drank again. Qian Shipeng, feeling quite proud, drank three more cups. Even before he had taken over the Qian family, these sons of officials treated him with such courtesy. He could imagine the boundless glory that awaited him once he became the head of the Qian family...
Two quarters of an hour later, taking the opportunity to change, Liu Xiaowu glanced back at the lively private room and said in a low voice, "Brother Yi, tell me the truth, this Qian Shipeng is a good-for-nothing fop. You want to help him?"
Although Liu Xiaowu and the others were also young noblemen, there were differences between them. At least they did not engage in criminal activities. Qian Shipeng was not a good person; after a few drinks, he revealed everything.
Although the purple jade was worth thousands of taels, Qian Shipeng had not spent money on it. Instead, he had forced the other party into ruin, and then gave ten taels of silver to buy a coffin. This jade pendant was then snatched by him.
Zhao Yi slung an arm around Liu Xiaowu's shoulder and did not hide anything, "No matter what, he still bears the surname Qian. When he is out, he represents the Qian family. If Qian Shipeng commits a crime, the Qian family will have to use their connections to get him out."
Liu Xiaowu was blown by the cold wind outside the window and sobered up a bit. Now he understood, and his eyes widened slightly, "Brother Yi, this is killing two birds with one stone!"
On one hand, he was doing the Qian family a favor, allowing them to downplay the incident and take Qian Shipeng away. On the other hand, this incident...