83: Chapter 80: Let’s try then!

83: Chapter 80: Let’s try then!

Though Lyuzhou City’s docks were quiet, the city itself was bustling.

There were many merchants who had just made a fortune, strolling around Lyuzhou to purchase goods, as well as a great number of young people who had heard about the situation in Lyuzhou and came to the city seeking work.

It was now April, and while it was time for spring plowing, those families with sufficient labor would send their extra able-bodied members to the city to find work.

After all, dock merchants were in the business of making a killing, and weren’t stingy with their labor costs.

They often hired temporary workers in order to save time and were quite generous.

Many times, if the young people were a bit lucky, they could earn in one or two months what their farmlands would bring in a year.

Especially now, with a shortage of people at the docks, and with Lyuzhou being tax-exempt, most merchants offloaded their goods here.

Those who arrived early and were willing to pay a higher price were told that the bolder young men who had arrived earlier had made several times their usual earnings in the past few days.

Once the news spread, more and more young men from the countryside flocked into the city.

What they hadn’t expected was that they would run out of work in just a few days.

This led to groups of young men idly wandering the streets, cursing and complaining, appearing as though they had been swindled.

“Brother Li, did you find any work?”

Near the Government Office, a dozen or so young men gathered, idling in Ma Erniang’s tavern.

They were all from the same village as Ma Erniang and had trickled into the city after receiving her message.

Those who had arrived early made several days’ worth of wages, but latecomers like Zhao Tiezhu, who asked the question, had only worked for one day.

Though he did make some money, he dreaded going back in such a pathetic state, fearing he would be scolded to death by his wife.

“Where is there any work?” The burly man known as Brother Li sighed and shook his head.

He found a spot to sit down, took a sip of the boiled water handed to him by Zhao Tiezhu, and gasped, “You’ve seen the situation at the docks yourself, haven’t you?

Not a soul in sight, how can there be work without ships?

It’s truly strange; just a few days ago the docks were so crowded with ships they could hardly fit any more, how did they suddenly disappear?”

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

Many of them had come because their own farmlands were not productive, hoping to make a quick buck.

But now, without work and having missed spring planting, how were they to survive the year without wages?

For a moment, the group of men wore gloomy expressions, and Ma Erniang from a distance dared not come any closer, for fear of being blamed and backstabbed by her fellow villagers.

After all, she was the one who had lured most of them here.

Amidst this heavy atmosphere, suddenly a commotion at the entrance of the Government Office, with the banging of gongs and drums, caught everyone’s attention.

“The Imperial Court is recruiting soldiers, the Imperial Court is recruiting soldiers!”

The one leading the shouts was none other than Gu Bei, whom many young men in the city recognized.

The crowd that gathered looked at him with resentment, as many had been lured here by Gu Bei and his ilk.

They hadn’t expected that he would become an official in such a short time, and some immediately suspected they had been duped.

“Recruiting soldiers?

Could it be for the navy?” Zhao Tiezhu and a few others in the tavern were taken aback, their interest piqued.

With no work available, if they could join the army…

“Lord, are you recruiting for the navy?” some people who were in the know asked.

The Jiangnan navy was prestigious and provided a comfortable life with ample perks, and conflicts were rare.

However, it was extremely difficult to get in.

The saying went, “A good man won’t become a soldier,” but these soldiers were not considered contemptible.

“Recruiting for the Mansion Soldiers!” Gu Bei said with a smile.

Mansion Soldiers?

As soon as the crowd heard this, they immediately lost interest and shook their heads.

Being a Mansion Soldier was not like being in the navy.

They were the ones who did the dirty and exhausting work and also had the responsibility of patrolling the countryside and highways to fight bandits.

It was a job that was both risky and lacked prospects.

Unless one was so starving they couldn’t survive, who would choose such a role?

The navy did indeed deal with the water bandits, but the naval forces in Jiangnan were formidable, so few water bandits dared to cause trouble.

However, the bandits in the more complex rural areas were incredibly fierce.

Just as they were shaking their heads, ready to disband, they saw Gu Bei striking the gong and drum again and shouting, “Come and see, folks, come and take a look!

The government is recruiting soldiers, ten taels of silver for monthly pay, with three meals a day, and meat in every meal!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the young and strong men who were about to disperse suddenly found themselves rooted to the spot, unable to move.

They turned around, their faces filled with excitement, like bulls gasping for air!

“Head Gu, you better not be joking!” Some of the more rational youths couldn’t help but say.

“In front of the government office, with official documents announced, how could I be joking?” Gu Bei glared at the person and said, “Take a good look, this is a notice with the official seal, stamped by the Prefectural Governor himself!”

“Is it for real?” A group of people excitedly crowded around, staring intently at the so-called notice, but most of them couldn’t read and were simply anxious!

“Don’t worry, folks, I, Gu Bei, might deceive people, but could the government’s official notice deceive you?

There are as many places as there are applicants, hurry up and sign up if you want to enlist!”

“Me me me!” A group of people suddenly went crazy and bunched up together.

Ten taels of pay, wouldn’t that be at least a hundred taels a year?

That would be more than enough to send a child to the city for schooling.

Who wouldn’t take this job?

Only a fool would refuse!

“Hey, hey, don’t push, don’t shove, line up properly.

We’re recruiting many this time, enough for everyone, no shoving!”

“Right, but let’s be clear in advance, these Mansion Soldiers are to go into the countryside to exterminate bandits, where one’s head hangs by a thread!”

“Damn it, isn’t it just exterminating bandits?

As long as the pay is good, I’ll put my life on the line for the Prefectural Governor!”

“Right, right, right!” A group of people, their faces flushed and ears crimson, chimed in agreement, exactly as Wei Gongcheng had said, promising hefty rewards to recruit soldiers!

Inside the Government Office, Zhou Haitao, watching this enthusiastic scene, had a bitter smile on his face.

He had just brought his fathers back from Baishui County when he heard from Wei Gongcheng about the recruitment.

He was almost scared to death by the generous remuneration offered; everyone was getting the same pay as the wall guard Maozi and his men.

With such terms, they would enlist thousands.

Where would the money come from?

“Old Wei, do you think the lord has gone mad?” Zhou Haitao looked at each stout youth making their marks, his face twitching with pain, and thought how he himself, a proper official, had to help out at Ma Erniang’s place whenever he wanted to eat meat.

He had read so many years of books, yet he was not as well off as these country fellows.

How was this fair?

“I also feel…” Wei Gongcheng also had a wry smile.

With such remuneration, supporting a thousand men would cost over a hundred thousand taels of silver a year.

This was simply throwing money away!

What’s more, according to Chen Qing’s tone earlier, it seemed he planned not only to recruit a thousand but as many as possible!

“Right, where’s the old lord?” The fat man frowned, “I don’t care if he can’t provide the money when the time comes.”

Wei Gongcheng frowned slightly and looked up at the sky.

The whereabouts of Chen Qing actually made him a bit uneasy.

Before leaving, he had emphatically instructed Gu Bei not to allow anyone to leave the city at night, but now it was dusk and that guy was still outside the city.

By the way, what exactly will be out there at night?

Why the urgent warning not to leave the city?

———————————————-

“It’s dusk again.”

On the Shen Family’s boat, Shen Yiyun gazed at the sky, mumbling to himself, while beside him, Chen Ying was pale-faced, held firmly by Murong Yunji, staring intently into the cabin at that pair of eyes that longed for her so desperately.

The eyes in the dark cabin shone with a hint of crimson, much like a starving beast!

Upon hearing Old Jiu of the Shen Family speak of wanting her, her first instinct was to run, but how could she possibly outrun Murong Yunji, known as the Wind King?

She was caught almost without any suspense.

“Sister-in-law, hurry up and hand her over to me!”

Inside the cabin, Old Jiu’s voice sounded impatient!

The sister-in-law looked into the cabin with a beaming smile, “It seems Old Jiu is longing for a wife.

Just look at those eyes, this woman, if she goes in, I’m afraid she’ll be devoured alive, won’t she?”

Shen Yiyun’s gaze towards Old Jiu inside the cabin was incredibly complex; he very much agreed with the sister-in-law’s words.

At this moment, Old Jiu truly wanted to devour the young girl alive, in the most literal sense.

“Old Jiu…” Shen Yiyun said in a deep voice, “What do you want this woman for?”

“I want her, I want her!” Old Jiu’s sharp claws scratched the deck, producing a chilling friction sound, his voice filled with urgency and impatience.

Chen Ying clenched her lips tightly, suddenly filled with immense regret for her recklessness.

She had just received such a great opportunity, was she really going to die here in such a humiliating way?

In her mind, at the moment of crisis, she surprisingly thought of not her master, but that always indifferent-looking, delicate scholar.

If she were to die like this, would his always unconcerned expression change at all?

After all, he had just offered such a substantial betrothal gift…..

Boom!

Suddenly, a strange sound of waves crashing against something came from the distance.

But the sound seemed off, like waves crashing against flesh, filled with many inexplicable roars.

Shen Yiyun looked up, only to discover that not far off, a cloud of black mist had formed at some unknown time.

Within the white mist, there was black mist, giving off an eerie and uncomfortable feeling, as if some ominous shadow was descending!

“A warship?”

Murong Yunji, holding onto Chen Ying, stepped forward, looking puzzledly ahead at the shadow where the vague outline of a massive warship could be discerned, and it seemed…

to be Weichi Feihong’s own ship!

What was horrifying wasn’t the warship itself, but rather the massive amount of bodies beneath it, filling the waves, lifeless!

“Ah, I’ve finally caught up!”

A familiar voice came from the bow of the ship, belonging to an unexpected person.

“Lord Chen has graced us with his presence!” Shen Yiyun hurried to the bow to greet him, “For Lord Chen to come such a distance to see us off, that’s really too kind.”

“This official hasn’t the leisure for that!” Chen Qing glanced dismissively, instead looking directly at Murong Yunji holding Chen Ying.

He couldn’t help but think to himself, this girl is really unlucky…

In the white fog where countless worlds exist, a million people might not encounter a single living soul, and although I came over here with some concern, I never expected this girl to actually be caught by the Shen family members.

The odds are even lower than winning a lottery; I should never let this girl partake in any raffle activities in the future, she clearly has terrible luck!

Shen Yiyun and Murong Yunji, on the other hand, were looking gravely at the overwhelming number of nerve-racking bodies beneath Chen Qing’s boat, which seemed alive!!

“I’m late, my lady, and you’ve been frightened,” Chen Qing said with a smile to Chen Ying, who seemed to be in a daze.

Chen Ying stared blankly at Chen Qing, momentarily overlaying the images in her mind with reality, causing an inexplicable flutter in her heart.

She never expected that the first person she would think of in a time of crisis was Chen Qing, let alone that he would be the first to arrive.

“Don’t worry, my lady,” Chen Qing said soothingly, “With your husband here, nobody can lay a finger on you!”

“Lord Chen’s words are quite forceful…”

Shen Yiyun looked at Chen Qing with a faint expression, “But isn’t that a bit too confident, Lord Chen?

Are you sure we can’t harm her?”

“I am quite sure!” Chen Qing smiled back at him, “Shall we give it a try?”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yiyun also smiled.

Chen Ying, who had been somewhat touched, suddenly felt a pang in her chest; she had heard from her master that among the twelve branches of the Shen Family, the second oldest was the most ruthless and decisive!

Indeed, in the next second, she saw Shen Yiyun’s smile fade, his face turning sinister.

“Let’s try it!”