Xu Ying reported from outside the door, “First Young Miss, Merchant Wu has arrived.”

The timing of his arrival was rather convenient. A cold look passed through Hua Zhi’s eyes. They were so close by, and there was such a large deal binding them together — she did not believe Wu Zheng had only just now learned what had happened. She could understand Wu Zheng not wanting a direct confrontation with Yushun, but it was inevitable that her impression of him had taken a considerable blow.

No matter what was said, she was also a customer of Antai. Never mind protecting her personal safety — even the most superficial courtesies had been handled far too poorly.

The moment Wu Zheng entered, he apologized, “This Wu has come too late.”

Hua Zhi looked at Wu Zheng and startled slightly. He was soaked through entirely — even his hair was dripping — and he cut a rather wretched figure. “Merchant Wu, this is…”

Wu Zheng smiled bitterly. “That Cao Dahai had someone sink one of my boats. When I received word I went straight to the dock, and before the boat was even raised someone came to report that he had gotten into a conflict with the First Young Miss. Earlier I had still found it strange — that Cao Dahai, though he has long been at odds with us, had never quite reached the point of tearing all pretense aside. But now it seems…”

Knowing that he had not retreated to the sidelines to protect himself, Hua Zhi felt somewhat more at ease. Turning Wu Zheng’s words over in her mind, something stirred within her. “Someone tipped him off about the details?”

“Yes.” The way Wu Zheng ground his teeth made plain how furious he was. “Cao Dahai would never have been reckless enough to go this far unless he had learned the particulars of this deal. This Wu has already sent people to investigate — I will not tolerate anyone who feeds on the inside while reaching out to betray us!”

At that moment, Chen Er came running in from outside, face flushed, panting heavily, frantically signaling to his employer from the doorway. Wu Zheng excused himself and stepped outside, his expression none too pleasant. “What is it that cannot wait until now?”

“He’s finished! Cao Dahai is finished!”

Wu Zheng immediately looked at him, eyes blazing.

Chen Er pulled his employer a distance away and, voice low, face brimming with delight, said: “Yushun has been turned inside out — even the roof has been demolished. Cao Dahai had all four limbs broken, and on top of that his third leg was crippled. The way he’s barely breathing, who knows whether he’ll survive. It was the First Young Miss’s people who did it!”

Chen Er could not suppress his excitement, and lowered his voice further still. “Many people saw it — it was the young miss wearing the veiled hat who struck!”

Wu Zheng’s hands clenched tightly into fists, then loosened. Though he had never regarded this line of work as a soft persimmon to be squeezed, neither had he thought very highly of these women. Judging by their manner, even if they came from a noble family, they must have already fallen on hard times — otherwise, why would they let a woman go out in public to negotiate business? In their Jingzhou, a woman like that could not find a husband; she would be pointed at and gossiped about for the rest of her life.

But right now he was immensely relieved that he had kept a respectful bearing!

Wu Zheng’s mind turned swiftly. “Keep a watch on Yushun — in that lady’s name.”

Chen Er was momentarily at a loss, not understanding why his employer would borrow the First Young Miss’s name.

“Go quickly — before Li Xiang gets there.”

Chen Er understood now. His employer was seizing territory!

What more needed to be said? Chen Er turned on the spot and ran at full speed. If they swallowed Yushun, Antai Fishing Company’s position would be secure!

Wu Zheng took several deep breaths, then walked back inside and bowed deeply to Hua Zhi. “Many thanks to the First Young Miss for ridding our Shuiguang Village of a scourge.”

From Chen Er’s reaction just now and the fragment she had heard — “Cao Dahai is finished” — Hua Zhi was satisfied that Wu Zheng had indeed been drawn away by a ruse. Her attitude softened accordingly, and she gestured for Wu Zheng to sit.

“I admit I am rather curious — just what sort of background does that Cao Dahai have, that even Merchant Wu had to step aside for him?”

Wu Zheng no longer dared show the slightest contempt toward the woman before him, and at once explained: “So that the First Young Miss may know — that Cao Dahai was originally a tyrant in Zhenyang county town. Later, due to clashes of interests, he led a band of followers away from the county and withdrew to our village, where he opened that Yushun Fishing Company. Over the years, the bullying and the abuses he committed are beyond counting, stirring up Shuiguang Village until there was no peace. Though our Wu family has run an escort agency in Zhenyang since my father’s time, our ancestors were originally from this very village of Shuiguang — and so relatives and friends came to my father seeking his help in punishing the man.”

Wu Zheng gave a rueful smile. “My father is old now; how could I have agreed on his behalf? And I myself had never learned even half of my father’s skill, knowing full well that my abilities were no match for Cao Dahai’s strength in numbers. It so happened that around that time the escort agency had suffered several consecutive losses, and our escort fighters were in the thin period between the old and the new. So I simply closed the agency and came back to Shuiguang Village to open a fishing company — to have a livelihood, and also to shelter our clansmen as best I could. Not to gild my own reputation, but it is because of our fishing company that not a single person in Shuiguang Village was driven to death by Cao Dahai. Only my abilities are limited, and this is all I have been able to do.”

“Doing what lies within one’s power — having this self-awareness is what keeps one from harming others as well as oneself. Merchant Wu is a good man.”

Wu Zheng kept smiling bitterly and waving his hands, unwilling to accept the praise.

Hua Zhi took a sip of tea and asked again, “So that Cao Dahai has no particular backing to speak of — he is nothing more than a local bully?”

“More or less. Even if he has some connections, the man himself is nearly done for and his operation is destroyed; no one will come forward for him.” Still less when the one who had struck was so clearly no ordinary person — those people would not have the nerve.

Very well. Even though Hua Zhi had never taken Cao Dahai seriously, hearing Wu Zheng say this still lifted a weight from her heart. Being able to avoid trouble was always better.

“I imagine Merchant Wu has business to attend to. Let us keep to our agreement and continue our negotiations tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Wu Zheng rose and cupped his hands. “This Wu will await the First Young Miss.”

Hua Zhi stood and inclined her head slightly in return. Xu Ying stepped forward to see the guest out. Even now that some measure of their strength had been revealed, not the slightest lapse in propriety was permitted.

Truly worthy of someone who had come from the capital, Wu Zheng marveled inwardly — though he maintained the same manner as before. He too had traveled widely in his time, and he knew that being haughty before and fawning after was even more repellent to people.

“Huahua, are you just going to let him go like that? He wants to use your name for his own purposes.”

Was she supposed to knock him down as well? Hua Zhi tapped Shao Yao on the forehead and beckoned Wang Cheng over. “Guard the Sixth and go take a look with him.”

The Sixth Imperial Prince started briefly, then immediately understood what Elder Sister Hua meant, and rose on his own initiative. “Leave Wang Cheng here. I have Chen Zhen and Chen Shi with me — that is enough.”

“Take him along.”

The Sixth Imperial Prince felt both glad and useless, as though he had been a burden to Elder Sister Hua. This would not do — he needed to learn more and know more; perhaps one day he would be able to help her. When he returned, he would apply himself harder to honing his martial skills. No matter how many people stood guard around him, it could never compare to having his own ability to protect himself.

Hua Zhi walked to the window and looked down at the empty street below. All around was quiet as if they had wandered deep into the mountains.

She was not unaware of what Wu Zheng had in mind — but why should she stop him? If he truly had the ability to swallow Yushun, it could only benefit her; at the very least she need not worry about anyone tampering with her supply of goods.

From another angle, Cao Dahai’s fate was the finest possible deterrent. Even if Wu Zheng’s ambitions grew and his heart turned crooked in future, he would have to think carefully about whether he could bear the consequences.

Quite satisfactory.