Unable to bear tragic scenes or the suffering of common people, Yun Ye was very worried that he might inadvertently reveal everything. Although there was a suspicion of crocodile tears, this was precisely why he had been reluctant to take up his post for so long. Being far away made it less likely to incite hatred. Now, in the eyes of the common people, every official in Yuezhou from top to bottom was a villain. No matter what they said, the people believed they were being deceived. So when everyone learned that Marquis Yun had petitioned the court for large quantities of supplies and grain, preparing to rebuild shelters for them, countless voices of praise and gratitude arose among the people, even though the newly built houses were far from the prefectural city.

It was stated very clearly that this was a benevolent policy provided by the court for the people who had suffered this unwarranted disaster. As for those merchants, no one cared about them. Didn’t they have land in their hands? They could sell it and have money—no relief needed.

“Father, Yun Ye has abandoned the new city and done things even more ruthlessly than us. At most, we harmed others without benefiting ourselves. This fellow has done things that harm others while benefiting himself with perfect seamlessness. We also lost a full three hundred thousand strings of cash. Although we won in the matter of the new city, your son still can’t feel happy.” A hand missing two fingers gently massaged the shoulders of an old man in black robes while speaking softly in his ear.

“You haven’t won yet. Back then, your father and he stood off in the spring rain for a full two hours. He just sat on the steps watching your father sweep fallen leaves, and made many probing attempts, saying quite a few profound and inscrutable things. Little Zhe, Yun Ye has patience beyond his years. If it weren’t for the xirang matter making him frantic and desperate this time, I always feel your chances of winning aren’t great.”

The old man’s words immediately piqued the young man’s interest, and he quickly asked, “Father, could it be that the xirang matter isn’t a smokescreen released by Yun Ye? To make us shift our attention? Could it really be true?”

The old man said in a confused manner, “You also saw the government’s eight-hundred-li emergency dispatch. That document was absolutely genuine. Those who went to Songjiang came back to report that people from the Lingnan Navy built several very large tents on the island and are excavating day and night inside them. It’s just unfortunate that they keep digging up spring water and are temporarily helpless. That island is indeed growing larger every day and every hour, and continuously moving toward the sea. It seems that underneath there really is some miraculous thing carrying it along. Though slow, it hasn’t stopped for a moment.”

“Could it not be man-made? Your son has seen Li Tai do experiments. With an empty canister, as long as you pump out the air inside, even twenty-four draft horses couldn’t pull it open. Could this be a trap?”

“If someone can drag an island away, what does it matter if we’re fooled once? Stop the Yuezhou business. Yun Ye wants to build a city this year, but time-wise it’s already too late. Deal with the xirang matter first. You take Yan Ying and go to Songjiang. Be careful—don’t lose any more fingers, or you won’t even be able to strangle me to death. I also need to go where I should go…”

The conversation between father and son was always full of warmth, yet Little Zhe’s massaging hands always lingered at his father’s nape, as if given half a chance, he would unhesitatingly snap his own father’s neck.

Han Cheng and Qian Sheng swore to recover the people’s houses for them, so they went door to door negotiating with those merchants, preparing to redeem the people’s residences at low prices. This was their fault, so they were willing to bankrupt themselves to accomplish it. Han Cheng sold off all his family property, Qian Sheng even pawned his ancestral jade pendant, and Qi Dali in the capital also sold everything he could and sent money over, asking Han Cheng to focus specifically on this matter. Cuiwei Town had become completely worthless. Disheartened merchants, with the mentality of recovering whatever little they could, sold the land and houses together to Han Cheng and Qian Sheng at half-sale, half-gift prices.

Only the merchants on the west side of town paid no attention. The Four Seas Trading Company also ignored their pleas. Han Cheng, almost crying tears mixed with his words, fainted several times. Qian Sheng unhesitatingly hung a rope on a tree branch in front of the Four Seas Trading Company’s door and said with reddened eyes, “Whether you agree or not is fine. These past days, this old man’s life has been worse than death. Now I’ve finally done my utmost. Cuiwei Town has completely lost its value, yet you still stubbornly hold on and refuse to let go. That means you’re deliberately watching the people suffer calamity. This old man will commit suicide right here at your doorstep. Let’s see how you establish yourselves in the Great Tang in the future. Such unscrupulous merchants—I don’t believe your trading companies in other places will receive government protection. You’ve forced me to this.”

Having finished speaking, he unhesitatingly thrust his head into the noose and kicked over the stool beneath his feet. His suicide was decisive and clean, without the slightest hesitation or delay.

Seeing that Qian Sheng’s tongue was sticking out and he was about to breathe his last, the young manager of the Four Seas Trading Company helplessly shook his head and ordered his guards to cut the rope and rescue Qian Sheng. He said to Han Cheng, who was tying a noose beside him, “Fine, fine, take all your money and exchange it. This master can’t stay in this godforsaken place for another moment.”

Han Cheng and Qian Sheng finally won. Holding a thick stack of contracts, they embraced and cried like children. The young manager of the Four Seas Trading Company rubbed his stinging nose, preparing to leave. After all, this wasn’t a place for him to linger. He had appeared in person only to verify whether Han Cheng and Qian Sheng were putting on an act or truly repenting. Now it was proven that they were indeed atoning for their sins. However, what was that young fellow coming here for?

Di Renjie walked over with a cheerful smile and respectfully bowed to Han Cheng and Qian Sheng, saying, “Master Han, Master Qian, now you two have finally fulfilled all your promises. This is truly cause for celebration. Lord Qi can avoid going to Yinshan this time, which is entirely thanks to your efforts. Now, as long as you hand these contracts over to this junior, you can go to Chang’an without any burdens to celebrate Lord Qi’s birthday. You two have made up for your mistakes—this is undoubtedly the birthday gift Lord Qi would be most pleased with.”

As if he had seen a ghost, Han Cheng stuffed the contracts in his hands to Di Renjie and said loudly, “Return the thirty thousand strings of cash from selling houses to the people of Yuezhou! Getting back the houses is only the first step. We still need to pay the people the high price we initially promised—thirty thousand strings, not one coin less!”

“Naturally. Gentlemen, please look—there’s a large ship docked at Yuejun Tower loaded with silver and copper coins, totaling thirty-six thousand strings. Thirty thousand strings are the people’s house-selling money, and six thousand strings are compensation for your three families’ property. Master Qian, this is your ancestral jade pendant. These past days, this young man has kept it on his person day and night, fearing it might be lost.”

Qian Sheng snatched the jade pendant and fiercely wiped it twice before saying, “This jade pendant is my daughter’s dowry. What does it mean for a stinking young fellow from a wealthy family to keep it on his person all day? My daughter won’t marry a spoiled young master like you.”

With one sentence, he completely extinguished Di Renjie’s heartfelt reverence. With a darkened face, he saw the two gentlemen onto their carriage, then came before the furious manager of the Four Seas Trading Company and very politely bowed, saying, “My teacher asked this young man to inform you, sir, that construction of the new city is about to begin. Thank you for providing ample funding for the new city, for relocating all the villagers, and for recruiting sufficient labor for the new city. This young man thanks you on behalf of my teacher. After the new city is built, your generous deeds will certainly be commemorated on stone monuments.”

“How can you be certain that I’m your master’s opponent? I’m merely a manager.”

Di Renjie said with a smile, “At the final moment, a responsible leader will certainly witness with his own eyes whether what he’s doing will succeed or fail. Success brings encouragement; failure brings lessons. This is an excellent habit. This young man has looked at everyone here, and apart from you, I haven’t discovered anyone else qualified to be my teacher’s opponent.”

“Look at that man in brocade robes. Although he’s covered in valuable ornaments, just by looking at his attire you can tell this person is of humble status. You see, although he wears brocade robes, his body still naturally leans forward, and his eyes always look at the ground. This is a habit only servants have, so he’s impossible.”

“This person beside you looks strong and powerful, with imposing bearing, worthy of being called a man. But his left shoulder is high and his right shoulder low, indicating his left leg is half a section shorter. Though you can’t tell when he walks—because he used great willpower to correct his gait—as soon as he stops, the habit appears. Most importantly, he’s holding a short spear. Given his robust physique, this spear is really too short for him. So he’s merely a guard who carries weapons for others.”

“Actually, none of this matters much. The main thing is that your left hand is missing two fingers. Although you wear finger covers, upon careful observation one can still detect the clue. Your two fingers were lost when fighting with my teacher, weren’t they? Later, my teacher searched the ruins for a long time but couldn’t find those two fingers—he only found a small section of finger bone. He told me that you very likely ate your own severed fingers while under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. So this confirms that you’re the leader, and naturally I must pay my respects to you.”

The manager looked at his left hand with a pained expression on his face. The guard behind him said, “Young Master, let me cut down this youngster to vent your anger.”

Facing the burly man while backing away, Di Renjie said, “Do you know why I’ve been talking so much nonsense with you? It’s because installing an eight-ox crossbow takes a lot of time.” Having finished speaking, he rolled into a pit with a tumble.

Hearing Di Renjie’s words, the manager’s expression changed drastically. He quickly threw himself to the ground, struggling to curl his body into a small ball, because this was the best method for dealing with powerful crossbows. His four guards followed suit, pressing their bodies tightly to the ground. After waiting a while without hearing the maddening whine of an eight-ox crossbow, they looked up to discover that Di Renjie had already run to the carriage. While getting on the carriage, he was still shouting, “Don’t chase after me! There really is an eight-ox crossbow! This time, my teacher said to consider it a return favor for you sparing him once before. If you chase after me, I won’t be polite!”

One guard stayed behind to protect the young master. The other three guards were in hot pursuit of Di Renjie’s carriage, but they hadn’t run more than two steps when they discovered they seemed to be flying, their chests completely numb without any feeling. Only then did their ears hear the tremendous resonating twang of the eight-ox crossbow’s bowstring.