novelAbuy Chapter 25 Song Jiang, the clerk, requests an audience with Chao Baozheng.
Chapter 25 Song Jiang, the clerk, requests an audience with Chao Baozheng.
Sun Sheng picked up his chopsticks, but his hands trembled slightly.
He picked up a piece of roast chicken, put it in his mouth, but couldn't taste what it was.
Liu Bei looked at him and asked, "Sun Sheng, I have a question for you."
Sun Sheng quickly put down his chopsticks: "Brother, please speak."
Liu Bei's gaze remained calm as he watched him.
"Tell me, what's the most valuable thing in Yuncheng County?"
The private room was very quiet.
Faint hawking sounds drifted in from outside the window.
Sun Sheng held the chopsticks, his hand frozen in mid-air.
The most valuable thing?
His first thought was the official silver in the county government's treasury.
The second thought was of the county magistrate's seal in Shi Wenbin's hand.
But looking into Liu Bei's eyes, he knew that this important person was not asking about these things.
His men were engrossed in eating and drinking their fill of food and wine, completely oblivious to the question being asked.
Sun Sheng swallowed hard and gently put down his chopsticks.
He pondered for a moment before speaking cautiously.
"In my opinion, the most valuable thing in this city is neither gold nor silver."
Liu Bei made a gesture indicating "please continue".
"The most valuable thing is people."
Sun Sheng straightened his back unconsciously.
"They were merchants coming and going from the north and south, craftsmen from inside and outside the city, and scholars who had studied for half their lives but were still dirt poor."
"They carried money, goods, skills, and information with them."
"Whoever can see these people clearly and understand them thoroughly will be able to gain a foothold in Yuncheng County."
Wu Yong waved his fan, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
Liu Bei nodded.
"Well said."
He picked up the wine pot and poured Sun Shengman another cup.
"I invited you here today because I want to buy your eyes."
Sun Sheng's heart skipped a beat.
"What does my brother want the little one to do?"
Liu Bei pushed a cup of wine in front of him.
"I want you and your men to be my eyes and my ears from now on."
"How many grain ships, salt ships, and iron ships pass through the dock in the east of the city every day, where are they going, and whose goods are on board?"
"Which wealthy merchants from out of town have come to the city? Which inn are they staying at? What kind of business are they here to do?"
"Around Yuncheng County, there are some skilled blacksmiths, carpenters, and shipwrights who are now living in poverty."
With each statement Liu Bei made, Sun Sheng's face paled a little more.
By the time Liu Bei finished speaking, Sun Sheng's back was already soaked with cold sweat.
This is not to make him our eyes or ears.
This is to allow him to weave an invisible net throughout the entire Yuncheng County.
A net that can capture all messages and all secrets.
"Brother...this..." Sun Sheng's voice was a little dry, "This matter...I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle."
Liu Bei looked at him and said, "I know it won't be easy."
He took out a ten-tael silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"Here is your salary for this month."
Sun Sheng's eyes widened.
Ten taels of silver.
He and his dozens of men engaged in petty theft, extortion, and other illegal activities, yet they couldn't even make that much money in a month.
Liu Bei then took out another thirty taels of silver and divided it into three portions.
"This thirty taels is for your men. Make sure they have enough to eat and warm clothes, and stop them from doing those shady things."
"Tell them that from now on, they are working for me, Chao Gai."
"As long as the job is done well, the pay will only increase, not decrease."
"If you are bullied outside, just mention my name, Chao Gai. If anyone dares to touch you, Commander Lei will protect you."
Lei Heng immediately nodded: "Don't worry about me."
Sun Sheng looked at the gleaming silver on the table and listened to Liu Bei and Lei Heng's promises; his breathing became heavy.
He suddenly knelt down on the ground.
This time, Liu Bei did not stop him.
"Brother, from this day forward, my life, Sun Sheng's life, belongs to you!"
Liu Bei stood up and helped him up.
"Get up. If you're going to do something for me, then you should act like you're doing something for me. Don't kneel down all the time."
He pushed the silver in front of Sun Sheng.
"Take it."
With trembling hands, Sun Sheng stuffed the silver into his pocket.
The weight of it made him feel like he was dreaming.
Liu Bei said, "Alright, let me ask you something. I'm planning to open a rice shop near the official granary in the west of the city. Do you have any relevant information?"
Sun Sheng began to think carefully, and after a while, he said, "Brother, I received some news yesterday that is related to grain. I wonder if you would be interested?"
Tell me about it.
Sun Sheng straightened his back a bit, and his whole person showed a kind of spirit of being entrusted with an important task.
"The owner of Dexing Grain Store in the south of the city is surnamed Zhao. A few days ago, he brought back a batch of high-quality white rice from the Jianghuai region."
"I originally wanted to take advantage of the high grain prices to make a fortune."
"Unexpectedly, his good-for-nothing son lost three hundred strings of cash in one night at a casino in the city and also owed interest to loan sharks."
"Now creditors are coming to his door every day. He has no choice but to sell the newly arrived rice at 80% of its original price to pay off his debts as soon as possible."
"This hasn't spread yet. I only heard about it from a friend who lends money at the casino."
Wu Yong waved his fan and exchanged a glance with Liu Bei.
This news came at just the right time.
Liu Bei nodded.
"Well done."
He didn't offer any extra praise, but those three words carried more weight than anything else.
Sun Sheng's face turned bright red, and he was so excited that he was at a loss for what to do.
"Don't worry, brother! From now on, if there's anything unusual, I'll run myself ragged to inform you immediately!"
Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction.
As if remembering something, Sun Sheng leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Brother, there's another piece of news. Although it has nothing to do with the rice shop, and I don't know if it will be of any use, I still want you to know."
Liu Bei asked, "What news?"
Sun Sheng said, "I have a distant relative who works in the Jizhou government office. A couple of days ago, he sent someone to deliver a message saying that Yang Zhi, the supervisor whose birthday gifts were stolen, has been given a new job."
"He is now leading several hundred soldiers, going door to door in the Dongping and Jizhou prefectures to investigate local strongmen who privately maintain armies."
"I heard that two families have already been raided, and their assets have been confiscated by the government."
"I know you are a righteous man, brother, and would never do such a treasonous thing. But Yang Zhi has suffered a great loss and is now like a mad dog, biting anyone he sees. You are busy recruiting men and stockpiling grain, so it is best to be careful."
The atmosphere in the private room instantly turned cold.
The three rascals who had been eating so heartily also realized something was wrong and stopped eating.
Lei Heng held his wine glass, his brows furrowed.
Liu Bei and Wu Yong exchanged a glance.
They both saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.
Yang Zhi arrived very quickly.
Wu Yong raised his wine cup, breaking the silence.
"Come on, let's drink, let's drink."
"This news about Brother Sun Sheng is worth a drink."
He smiled and filled everyone's cups.
Lei Heng also realized what was happening and raised his cup, saying, "That's right! Let's drink! Who cares who he is? In this territory of Yuncheng County, with me, Lei Heng, here, who dares to lay a finger on Brother Chao Gai! Besides, Brother Chao Gai is a legitimate employee who gets paid every month."
They all burst into laughter.
The atmosphere warmed up again.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Sun Sheng's three men were already flushed from drinking, and their tongues were slurred.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room.
The waiter poked his head in.
"Gentlemen, this is Song Jiang, the clerk, requesting an audience with Chief Administrator Chao."