Hidden Shadow – CH 162

Chapter One-Hundred-Sixty-Two: Zhu Scams Money

“Yes, but the third-in-command is always busy with seafaring ships and rarely shows his face in Yangzhou. I do not know much about him.” The attendant only knew the most common information; anyone in Yangzhou could probably tell him something. However, he did point out a way, “If you two gentlemen want to know, you can ask our manager. She knows everything about Yangzhou. But she’s very particular about money; she charges for information.”

Since it was information that cost money, it probably could not be easily obtained on the main road.

Buying and selling information at the docks was very common; most of the inns and restaurants here did it.

Chu Dingjiang tossed another sum of silver to the attendant, saying, “Please introduce me.”

The attendant had seen many travelers in this elegant establishment, but this was the first time he’d encountered someone so generous with their tip. He’d initially been delighted with collecting the silver, but even royalty had not been so extravagant… Thinking this, he felt the silver was burning his hand. But then he reasoned that he was about to pass this burden to his manager; if anything went wrong, someone above him would take responsibility. What did it matter to him, a mere errand boy?

“Please follow me, gentlemen,” the attendant said, his tone brightening. On the bright side, he thought the silver he’d collected in such a short time would be enough to get married.

The two men, carrying their belongings, followed the attendant to the first floor.

They passed through a long corridor and entered the inner courtyard.

The entire inner courtyard was built in the center of a small lake, with lotus flowers and drooping willows, green tiles and white walls, carved eaves and brackets—a blend of Jiangnan elegance and an indescribable grandeur.

The attendant told Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu to wait in the small pavilion by the entrance, then dashed inside. “Manager, we have a customer!” he called out. The door opened, and a woman in a light blue silk dress stood gracefully. She glanced at them, spoke a few words to the attendant, and then went back inside.

A moment later, the woman emerged, supporting a young woman in a plain dress with her hair styled in a traditional Chinese updo.

This woman was slightly plump, with a double chin, delicate eyebrows, and narrow eyes. While each feature was fairly pretty, they all seemed small on her face, making the overall appearance less appealing. Fortunately, her skin was fair and smooth, preventing her from being ugly.

An Jiu, however, thought she possessed a classical beauty, like a Tang Dynasty beauty.

The woman stepped into the pavilion, clasped her hands at her waist, and bowed slightly in greeting.

Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu stood up and returned the bow.

This woman was unassuming. An Jiu had not expected her martial arts skills to be at the eighth level.

“This humble servant is Zhu Pianxian. May I ask what business you two wish to inquire about?” Zhu Pianxian gestured for them to sit down, saying, “The prices here are fixed, but I am the sole decision-maker, and there are no bargaining parties.”

Meaning, you had to pay whatever you asked for—was that not like robbery? Zhu Pianxian appeared gentle and refined, yet her actions were surprisingly domineering, much like… the overall feel of the architecture here.

Was Zhu swindling money? An Jiu, whose expression had been serious the whole time, could not help but glance at her a few more times.

“As long as the shopkeeper’s answer satisfies us, just name your price.” Chu Dingjiang was already flush with money and did not know what to do with it.

An Jiu was also terrible at managing money; in this respect, she was just as bad as Chu Dingjiang. They were both equally extravagant spenders, and she did not see anything wrong with Chu Dingjiang’s spending habits.

Zhu Pianxian clapped her hands lightly. She suddenly smiled, revealing deep dimples that enhanced her beauty. “Since you two are so forthcoming, I, Zhu Pianxian, will certainly be forthcoming with all my knowledge.”

She tilted her head slightly and ordered, “Serve tea.”

The beautiful maid withdrew. A short while later, she returned with several young maids to serve tea and snacks, and then they all retreated to a safe distance.

“We want to know about the Feng family in Yangzhou, who run a shipping business,” Chu Dingjiang said.

“That’s easy, three hundred taels,” Zhu Pianxian quoted a price first. Sensing that they were not intimidated, she poured tea and personally served it to the two men, then began to recount the information, “The Feng family… You two have come to the right person. Others may not know, but I do. The Feng family is almost ready to change their surname.”

“Qin?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

Zhu Pianxian smiled and nodded. “Yes, in recent years, the government-run docks have seen a surge in demand, and many new shipping merchants have emerged. The Feng family can no longer monopolize the river and waterways as they once did. Now, they mainly rely on the fees collected from neighboring merchants for unloading cargo at their existing docks. That amount of money cannot support the Feng family’s large scale.”

“So the Feng family is now relying on Qin Zheng’s maritime profits to make up for it?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

“Yes,” Zhu Pianxian spoke with a smile, her smile sweet and friendly. Although they had never met before, there was no awkwardness or restraint; it was like chatting casually. “Qin Zheng is forty-four years old this year. He was originally a scholar. As far as I know, he took the preliminary examination and then the provincial examination after he came of age. I heard that he failed because his sharp words displeased the examiner. After failing the exam, his family fell into poverty. His wife was bedridden, and the family could no longer afford to support his studies, so he simply abandoned his studies and went into business.

He is quite temperamental and initially encountered setbacks everywhere, but he has a keen eye and great foresight. He was quite successful in the silk business for a while, but he is too straightforward and acts without restraint, offending many people. In the end, he was brought down by someone working in collusion with others.”

She took a sip of tea and continued, “When Qin Zheng’s business failed, his wife died, leaving him to raise his eight-year-old son alone. At that time, he was almost penniless, living in a temple. One day, he encountered an enemy and was brutally beaten in the street. His five-year-old son was also injured, his wounds worsening. Drenched in the rain, he knelt in front of a clinic, saying he had no money for medicine and would repay the debt by working like a slave for the rest of his life.

At that time, Old Master Feng happened to pass by. He knew a little about Qin Zheng’s reputation and paid for the treatment. Unfortunately, his son was too young and had a weak constitution. He could not withstand the severe injuries and high fever. He was given a dose of medicine, but before it could take effect, he died from the fever.”

An Jiu’s lips tightened into a thin line, thinking that in his despair, Qin Zheng must have regretted his cruel actions.

“In less than three months, he went from a wealthy merchant to a destitute and alone man, his family ruined,” Zhu Pianxian sighed. “However, even after his son’s death, he still kept his promise and became a servant of the Zhu family. Old Master Feng did not mistreat him; seeing his talent for business, he took him under his wing and trained him. Qin Zheng has been with the Feng family for seventeen years, truly working like a slave, never starting his own family. If Qin Zheng were an ingrate, the Feng family would be the Qin family now.”

This differed somewhat from what the attendant had said, so Chu Dingjiang asked, “Were the head and second-in-command of the Feng family both not very capable?”

“They are capable, but far inferior to Qin Zheng. Qin Zheng is extremely good at business at such a young age, without any formal training. If it were not for his poor interpersonal skills, it would not have been such a terrible fall. After experiencing the pain of losing his wife and son, his sharp edges had been somewhat smoothed out. Coupled with the guidance of Old Master Feng, in terms of business acumen, arguably no one in Yangzhou could match him.”

Zhu Pianxian spoke highly of Qin Zheng, but her evaluation of the two main members of the Feng family was rather lukewarm. “Of course, the Feng family’s survival to this day is largely due to the contributions of the eldest and second-in-commands, but the eldest is obsessed with appearances—giving out porridge one day, donating money for roads the next, casting golden statues for Buddha the day after. The second-in-command is extravagantly wasteful; if anyone puts in a good word or provokes him, he will send out thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver.”

The two brothers truly lived up to their reputation; both were extremely concerned with appearances, just in different ways.

“That’s the basic situation. I will have someone bring you both all the information about the Feng family later,” Zhu Pianxian said.

Chu Dingjiang took out a three-hundred-tael official banknote and placed it on the table, then asked, “Manager Zhu, do you know anything about places outside Yangzhou?”

Zhu Pianxian did not rush to take the money. “Knowing everything about Yangzhou is knowing everything about the Three Kingdoms. What do you two want to inquire about? If I know the answer, there’s no reason not to do business with you.”

Yangzhou’s water and land transportation was convenient, and its information network was even better than Bianjing’s. Zhu Pianxian’s statement was rather modest.

“If I want to hire assassins in Yangzhou, where should I go?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

“Assassins?” Zhu Pianxian raised her eyes. “The best assassins in the Song Dynasty are all at the Piaomiao Mountain mansion.”

“How do I contact them?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

Zhu Pianxian said, “Two thousand taels.”

“Why is it so expensive?” Chu Dingjiang was not dissatisfied, but he was puzzled that such a piece of information was more expensive than inquiring about the entire Feng family. After all, a prime minister’s annual salary was less than ten thousand taels.

Zhu Pianxian said, “The Piaomiao Mountain mansion is also the biggest information broker. If I release the way to contact them, and something happens and they find out about me, I will also have to take some risks, will I not?”