The Maple Forest Ferry was bustling with people. It was the only route from Xiangcheng to Hedong County, and also the only way for Xiangcheng residents to reach the capital. The Xiang River was the largest river in the northwest of the empire, and many illustrious figures had emerged from its banks. For example, Li Luan, the previous head of the Li family, and Luo Yao, the current general guarding Yong County in the southern border of the Sui Dynasty.
Luo Yao's ancestral home was Hedong County, and he was considered the most outstanding figure in Hedong County in the past century.
There were at least dozens of ferries at the Maple Forest Ferry. Besides official boats, many fishermen also operated them. The official boats were set up by the government at the Maple Forest Ferry; they were inexpensive and large and stable. However, because there were so many merchants and travelers crossing the ferry, relying on just one official boat was clearly insufficient.
Although the fishing boats were small, the local fishermen were skilled helmsmen. They had grown up on the banks of the Xiang River and knew its waters intimately.
However, it was clear that Madam Xi, the head of Hongxiuzhao, still distrusted the local fishermen. She ordered the caravan to stop on the bank and wait for the official boat to return from the other side. The carriages used by Hongxiuzhao were all hired in Fangu, and the drivers were actually the only six or seven remaining border residents of Fangu.
After crossing the Xiang River, there were carriage companies waiting to hire passengers on the bank. Therefore, there was no need to worry about not being able to continue the journey after crossing the river. Moreover, just a dozen or so miles away was Guanle City, the second largest city in Hedong County. Because it was adjacent to Fenglin Ferry, Guanle City had no shortage of inns and restaurants.
Because Hongxiuzhao had so many people, hiring fishing boats would require at least a dozen. Therefore, Madam Xi's insistence on waiting for the official boat to return was reasonable; after all, Hongxiuzhao was full of beautiful girls. Furthermore, Hongxiuzhao had accumulated a considerable fortune in recent years, so they had to act cautiously.
After the dozens of girls disembarked from the carriages on the bank, they immediately became the focus of everyone's attention. The fishermen had never seen so many beautiful women gathered together; each one was breathtakingly beautiful. The normally rugged men immediately became exceptionally enthusiastic, many rushing over to invite the girls onto their ferries.
The women of Hongxiuzhao were never afraid of men. Seeing the fishermen, who were almost unable to control their excitement, they showed no fear. Some even asked the fishermen about good places to go on the other side.
While waiting for the official boat, many girls ran to the pier to buy dried fruits and fresh produce. Near the pier were vendors selling fruits and pastries, which, although much more expensive, were never shortchanged. This reflected the inherent pride of the Sui Dynasty people. The higher prices were due to the difficulty of transporting goods to the shore, and naturally, business was more expensive in this location, but these vendors would never engage in the despicable act of shortchanging customers.
In the eyes of the Sui Dynasty people, prices could be openly raised, but business must be conducted cleanly.
This was the character of the people of this powerful empire. If someone did business dishonestly, not only would customers not forgive them, but even their competitors wouldn't.
Even street vendors valued their reputation so highly; the pride of the Sui Dynasty's people was evident.
After the girls from Hongxiuzhao disembarked, the ferry crossing immediately became lively. After settling the fares, the coachmen from Fangu returned; they still had two months to travel to reach their hometown. But none of them could have imagined that their families were long gone, and their homes were gone too. It must be said that these seven or eight coachmen who returned to Fangu ultimately couldn't escape their fate.
The ferry crossing became bustling, even drawing attention to the middle-aged man who had been fishing by the river for seven days, his expression perpetually calm. No one noticed that he secretly made a hand gesture behind his back.
Upon seeing this gesture, seven or eight tourists immediately walked towards the pier. Seeing them approach, many vendors near the pier subtly changed their expressions. Again, no one noticed that they moved their hidden weapons within easy reach. Behind the reeds, in the woods, a dense foliage on a large tree suddenly stirred. A man bound with branches gestured downwards, and at least fifty men in dark red flying fish robes immediately gripped their weapons.
Gao Tianbao, blind in one eye, stood on a high slope. When he saw the dilapidated carriage swaying and lurching towards the ferry, a complex smile crept onto his lips—a smile tinged with triumph, relief, and a chilling hint of bloodlust.
He removed his outer robe, revealing the flying fish robe beneath, a robe that commanded respect even in the capital.
At his waist hung two strange and rare weapons. Such weapons were seldom used even in the martial world; mastering them was difficult, but mastering them was even more so.
A curved hook.
The middle-aged man fishing also saw the dilapidated carriage and the few lone, tall horses following behind. There were no people on the horses, making the carriage look rather strange. The driver wore a large straw hat and, even in the sunny weather, a raincoat.
However, he didn't care about the oddity. If this carriage appeared at the ferry crossing, the people inside would have no chance of survival. As the Deputy Commander of the Qingya Garrison, he was confident of that.
Just then, his fishing float bobbed. He lifted his rod, and a huge koi carp leaped out of the water, struggling and splashing water in mid-air.
The middle-aged man smiled slightly and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"A fish just right, fried, stir-fried, cooked, or boiled as I please..."
...
...
"Officials on duty!"
A loud shout rang out from the reeds, followed by dozens of men in flying fish robes, swords drawn, rushing towards the scene. Before the merchants and travelers on the shore could react, these men had completely surrounded the last carriage.
From the beginning, they had no intention of assassination.
The reason they had ambushed so many men at the ferry was simply to prepare for any unforeseen events. The announcement of officials on duty was enough to send the merchants and fishermen flying. In the Sui Dynasty, the vast majority of the people held the government in high esteem and fear. Maintaining the government's authority among the people for so long was no easy feat for this century-old empire.
The Sui Dynasty also had corrupt officials, but even corrupt officials could be pragmatic. The people of the Sui Dynasty didn't even hate officials who were greedy for money; they only despised officials who were greedy for money but did nothing of substance.
So Fang Jie once said, what an idealized country this is! Living in this country, even if one is poor, it seems there's nothing to complain about.
The girls of Hongxiu Pavilion became somewhat chaotic when they saw Fang Jie's carriage surrounded. They rushed back to Aunt Xi's side, their eyes fixed on the carriage in the distance. In any case, to them, Fang Jie was still a companion. Most of them wouldn't be exposed to any secrets, so in their eyes, Fang Jie was still the landlord of Hongxiu Pavilion and the head manager of Jinyuanfang. A few days ago, Fang Jie's carriage was ambushed on the road, and Aunt Xi explained to them that it was the work of Cui Lueshang's enemies from a noble family. Therefore, they felt even more favorably disposed towards Fang Jie for his righteous intervention.
So, while they watched the commotion around the carriage, many of them cast pleading glances at Aunt Xi.
But Aunt Xi made no move. Just as the girls were starting to feel disappointed, they noticed that a middle-aged man, who looked amiable, had appeared beside Aunt Xi, carrying a large, plump koi fish. Just as the middle-aged man approached Granny Xi, the old cripple took a step forward. It was a small step, but it perfectly blocked all the angles from which the middle-aged man could strike.
"I've been thinking about what kind of gift to give you," the middle-aged man said with a smile, looking at Granny Xi. He waved the still-struggling koi in his hand and said gently, "Luckily, I'm having good luck today."
Granny Xi looked at the koi and then shook her head slightly.
The middle-aged man's expression darkened for a moment, and he casually tossed the koi to the ground. For some reason, the koi, which had been lively just moments before, died and lay motionless after hitting the ground.
He maintained his smile, but a chill crept into his tone: "Since it has lost its value and worth as a gift, it's utterly useless."
He pulled a jade token from his sleeve and held it up to Granny Xi: "I know you also possess a very powerful token, one that guarantees your Red Sleeves guild can travel freely throughout the entire Sui Dynasty without hindrance or harassment. Although my jade token carries considerable power, I certainly wouldn't dare to make things difficult for you. You and everyone in your Red Sleeves guild are unrelated to today's events; I can even arrange for an official boat to transport you and your people across the river separately."
He glanced back at Fang Jie's carriage and said, "But I must remind you, this case… even if you produce that token, it won't stop it."
"Fine."
Granny Xi uttered only one word, then turned and walked away.
The middle-aged man was startled, seemingly surprised that things had gone so smoothly. At that moment, he suddenly felt his body stiffen. His arm, still holding the jade token, seemed frozen in place; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lower it from mid-air.
For the first time in years since joining the Imperial Guard, he felt fear outside of the Commander-in-Chief. Looking at the old cripple, he saw a disdainful sneer on the latter's lips.
"If you're willing, I'll crush you right now," the old cripple said with a cold laugh.
"What I dislike most is people in the government putting on airs. A worthless token... in my eyes, it's less than a pile of shit."
After he finished speaking, the jade token in the middle-aged man's hand cracked with a snap.
The old cripple took a sip of wine, turned, and walked away.
After he had taken at least five steps, the middle-aged man regained his freedom.
The old cripple stopped and turned to look at the middle-aged man. His tone was soft but extremely serious as he said, "I find it hard to understand how an idiot like you could sit in the position of Deputy Commander. Don't you have a brain? A dance hall protected by a ninth-rank master—is it really just a dance hall? A woman who can command a ninth-rank master—is she an ordinary woman? Even without that title, do you think you can afford to offend her?"
"Everyone said 'good,' not because they dared not intervene, but because they never intended to."
After saying this, he paused, seemingly pondering something. After a while, he suddenly remembered something, then smiled and said to the middle-aged man, "You all surround that kid in the carriage and teach me a word… He said something even more idiotic than an idiot… is called a moron."
Just then, a loud curse came from the direction of the carriage that was surrounded. "You damned Heavenly Venerable, do you think cultivators are easy to bully? Let me tell you, I'm a high-ranking Daoist official on my way to the capital to proctor the Martial Arts Academy exams. If you offend me, believe me, I'll make you regret it! You dare search my car?! Are you blind?!"
The middle-aged man's expression changed as his subordinate, Gao Tianbao, rushed over, his face filled with unease and fear: "B-Sir, there were only two people in the car... The driver was that brat from the Cui family of Xiangcheng, and inside... there was only a fat Daoist."
"Weren't you watching him the whole way?!"
"Yes, we were watching him... but we didn't know when... when he disappeared..."