The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

The third day of September is an ordinary day. Even the weather is so ordinary. It rained slightly last night, and it was sunny again this morning. The weather is slightly cool with rising heat, which is definitely a comfortable day suitable for anything.

In the right wing of Leyi Academy, many scholars also thought so. Only half of the people came today, and many scholars took leave directly from the master, and went out with three or two friends to enjoy the chrysanthemums.

In the huge school, there were more than twenty scholars sitting sparsely. Most of the people were studying in silence. The teachers who were teaching came once in the morning, assigned some homework, and then left in a hurry, leaving the scholars alone.

This is a common occurrence and is nothing to worry about. Jiang Yuanbai, who suddenly became more playful, hugged his books and encouraged his friends to go outside to enjoy the scenery and read. Chen Heng and others didn't object. It was always good to go out and get some fresh air.

Besides, they always had a habit of saying something when they got together. Sitting in the classroom chatting will inevitably affect others. Instead of doing this, it would be more comfortable to go to a secluded place to read.

The four of them found a place where Xue Tadong usually painted, put the wooden bench on the grass, put the tea set on the brought coffee table, and hid in the shade of the tree to read, drink tea, and chat.

The topics of small talk always start from the parents' shortcomings. Yesterday was the day when the eldest sister and her eldest brother-in-law returned home. Chen Heng specially took a day off to stay at home. Jiang Yuanbai had better ask around. When I met my friend today, I couldn't help but ask about Hu Xiangheng's situation yesterday.

The son-in-law who comes back has a lot of fun. No matter whether he is reserved or nervous, he always makes some fool of himself. Teenagers who have begun to enter adolescence also have the leisure to eat melon everywhere. Jiang Yuanbai was listening enthusiastically, but his joy was broken by Xue Biao's words, You will also have this day in the future. He and Qian Dayou immediately looked sad.

Chen Heng couldn't help laughing. Seeing him laughing so wildly, Jiang Yuanbai was helpless. Who told Hengdi to be younger than him? A few people chatted and joked, and then asked Xue Biao about the meeting of the newspapers in the four prefectures.

Speaking of this, Xue Biao felt bitter. He took the money and made a lot of tea. While shaking his head, he took out some of what he had seen and heard and said,

Jiang Yuanbai listened silently, and then asked in surprise: So, Jiangnan News is determined to compete with us for the top spot?

Maybe it's because of the relationship with Jing'an Literary Society, or maybe because I am responsible for the connection between the literary society and the newspaper. Jiang Yuanbai took the initiative to bring his own perspective to Jing'an Daily and complained about his unfair treatment.

Yes. Xue Biao nodded and explained to the other two people, The newspapers in Jiangsu and Hangzhou have received a lot of help from us. They are biased towards us. But behind Jiangnan News, there is also Jinling News Shadow. When these two are put together, the momentum is not small.

Having said this, Xue Biao sighed, And when the people from Jinling News came to Yang this time, the Jinling Prefecture sent twenty officers and soldiers to escort them. Didn't you see that a group of people sat down to talk, and these people stood nearby? Gou looked at him. With his aggressive look, he obviously wanted to report the situation to Jiangnan, who would be willing to come out and talk more.

Jiang Yuanbai listened silently, and then sighed with emotion: What a shame. Aren't they afraid of the excitement of the crowd if they do this? If everyone insists on confessing their dissatisfaction, even if they get the leader, they won't be able to convince the crowd.

Qian Dayou also nodded, but looked at Chen Heng who had been silent. He pushed the thoughtful Chen Heng with his elbow, Brother Heng, what are you thinking about?

I think what they want may not be the president. Chen Heng smiled, took out a copy of Jiangnan News that was just sold this morning from his sleeve, and handed it to several friends, You guys take a look first. Contents above.”

Xue Biao was the most nervous and curious and took the newspaper immediately. Jiang Yuanbai and Qian Dayou on the side had no choice but to join in. The three people's eyes fell on the front page, which read Weak successor! Is Qiupu Street a great success? Or is it for the people?

They continued to look down, and saw the writer named West above, severely criticizing Qiupu Street. The rhetoric is simply that the things made by the refugees cannot be sold, and the big households in Yangzhou do not buy it. The government office has to use treasury money to fill the hole. This move is to put out the fire without a salary, and is simply asking for trouble.

This unknown scholar also predicted on paper that either this month or next month, the government will no longer be able to spend money to continue supporting Qiupu Street. Where will tens of thousands of workers go? This will be the biggest crisis in Yangzhou.

The content may be true or false, but the intention to overgeneralize and deliberately incite panic is definitely indispensable. This is what Xue Biao thinks. He knows the government's painstaking efforts in doing these things, and he also knows that there may have been a war at the border.

But the person who wrote the article doesn't know whether he really didn't know, or whether he maliciously concealed these things. They only make a fuss about commodity prices and things on Qiupu Street, which makes people want to scold them but have nowhere to scold them.

What do you mean by Brother Heng? Jiang Yuanbai asked his friend what he thought.

Chen Heng still wanted to understand some of the other party's methods. He picked up a few empty tea cups and set up a dragon gate array on the coffee table. You see, the people who set up the game first gathered the owners of newspapers from all over the country together. Without these people making decisions in the shop, even if someone wanted to say something fair, they would not care about Qiupu Street for the moment. thing.

But this gathering is about the position of leader. Even if you don't want to come, you have to come. Regardless of whether your family can win or not, doing some favors to the new leader will also facilitate future relationship discussions.

This move is to muddy the water, just like Jiangnan News suddenly changed to once every three days. It is all to control the right to speak in various places in a short period of time. Chen Heng raised another teacup and put it on the table, I think this is also the purpose of disrupting Jing’an Daily.”

Whether it's to win over the Wang family or to tie the Xue family's attention to the meeting leader. Chen Heng picked up the tea and poured it into the cup until the tea overflowed. It makes the Xue family have no time to get involved. Mix up their good deeds.”

Seeing such a simple and ordinary thing, there is still such an internal trade-off game. Jiang Yuanbai also took a breath of cold air and couldn't help but said: Is it worth it for our Jing'an Daily?

It's worth it. Whether it's for the short-term exclusive right to speak or the influence of Jing'an Daily.

Chen Heng nodded solemnly. As the first newspaper to take advantage of it, Yangzhou people still have great affection for Jing'an Daily. In particular, the newspaper shop also has Mr. Yuan He's signature, and it is published every five days, and the price is still cheap.

A simple little plan can suppress Jing'an Daily, no matter whether the Wang family is being courted sincerely or through false pretenses. If the Wang family agrees, then they will complete the transition from Jiangnan Daily to Jing'an Daily and get rid of Jiangnan Daily's huge investment.

As long as a date is set for completing the exchange and everything is finalized, it will be a huge profit for these people. If the Wang family disagrees in the end, these methods will be enough to cause headaches for the Xue and Wang families, and they will not be able to see their original intention for a while.

Xue Biao was shocked. He wondered why someone suddenly appeared recently and targeted the Xue family. He finally understood why his father had trouble sleeping and eating recently and insisted on seeing Chen Heng.

So my father came to see you that day?

What are they planning to do? Jiang Yuanbai also asked.

The problem between these two people can be understood to one extent. Chen Heng picked up the handle of the teapot and shook it, and said with a smile: They want to be the ones who pour the tea themselves.

What he said was mysterious, but Qian Dayou figured it out. He just uttered the word prefect and was so scared that he covered his mouth.

The bold Jiang Yuanbai shivered because of these unfinished words. Some things he thought were so far away that he could only see them in story books. Now that Hengdi said this, he realized that it was actually happening around him, and he was so close to it.

Therefore, it is said that everything in the world is prosperous. The profit here is more than just wealth? Isn't power also a kind of benefit? Even its allure is even higher.

Chen Heng sighed with emotion, the people of Yangzhou unintentionally, everyone is in the game and everyone is a pawn. This is the big web called ‘rights’, and how terrifying it is.

Then... Xue Biao opened his mouth, still waiting for Chen Heng to answer his question.

This is actually what uncle wanted to ask. Chen Heng shook the teapot before putting it down and continued, I said the Hu family is fine, but the teapot is fine.

In fact, Chen Heng still hasn't had the chance to meet Uncle Lin. He only knew that the other party had sent rice cakes to his family to appease him before the hospital examination.

Chen Heng didn't know Uncle Lin's countermeasures, but he had to stabilize the Xue family for Uncle Lin, let alone let the Xue family enter the scene so eagerly.

He had this move and confidence not only because of his personal relationship with the Lin family, but also because he held the biggest card in his hand.

Chen Heng knew it and remembered it. In the original book, the fall of the four princes and eight princes, the Emperor's departure to the west, and the great victory of His Majesty's line were recorded.

Until now, from the plaque on the academy to the promotion of the former Magistrate Wei to the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, Chen Heng still couldn't tell that the person standing behind Uncle Lin was the emperor, and Chen Heng was in vain.

It's just that until now, the other party is making the move. Uncle Lin was too quiet, too quiet.

Uncle, what are you waiting for?

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Li Bian held another banquet in Huang Mansion today, and there were more guests than last time. Not only the previous salt merchants, but also the merchants whose families were engaged in goldware, there were also rare salt merchants like Feng Zhu, as well as the owners of Jiangnan Newspaper and Jinling Newspaper, and some scholars accompanying the guests. The scene was really lively.

But the strangest thing here is not the old fox Feng Zhu who rarely shows up. It was the officer and soldier who was specially arranged to sit next to Li Bian. This Wutou's surname was Ma and his name was Yin. He was not very old, and looked to be only about eighteen or nineteen years old.

Ordinarily, such a young man should not sit on top of everyone. It's a pity that although Ma Yin's official position is low, it can't help that he has a father who is the commander of Jinling Guards.

Li Bian valued this little brother very much, and he was very conciliatory and caring in his words. He, a dragon crossing the river, really wanted to capture Lin Ruhai, a local snake. There are few people in your hands who can use your own strength. If it really depends on conspiracy, Lin Ruhai can't beat him back and just overturns the chess table. Who can he ask to reason with?

What Chen Heng said was mostly correct. But forget it, Jinling's soldiers had a reason to enter Yangzhou in the name of escort.

Once Lin Ruhai chooses to overturn the table, as long as he and Ma Yin are together, he will have a death-free gold medal attached to him.

Whether he takes the opportunity to retreat to Jinling, or leads the horse commander to come to rescue his son, he can protect himself or make a comeback.

It's really going to be bad, as long as there is one life left. When the lawsuit comes to the imperial court, and the Prime Minister comes forward, it will be very safe. Such schemes are frequent, and there is a way forward and retreat. Li Bian didn't believe that Lin Ruhai could make a comeback. He had already calculated everything and thought of everything. What could Lin Ruhai fight with herself for?

It was also because of this confidence that he dared to ask the master next to him to write the article in Jiangnan Newspaper, pointing the finger at Lin Ruhai, who claimed that he could not recover from the illness. It was officially launched, the first act of this struggle.

Most of the people in the venue saw these signs and rushed to the Huang Mansion to meet Li Bian. No matter how you look at it, Li Bian's advantage is big enough right now. I was afraid that I would burn the incense too late and make this noble man look down on me. Everyone at the table was trying their best to please him.

If the people do not fight with the officials, the situation of the merchants is similar. They can only see the corner of power, but cannot grasp the power. Strange things come and go, and it's all because of the bad start of the man surnamed Lu.

Those salt merchants who had always followed Feng Zhu's lead felt a little unhappy in their hearts when they saw Huang Wendong sitting proudly at the top. Someone came close to Feng Zhu's ear and said unwillingly: President, you let him be so proud? After we came in, he didn't even say a word to us.

That's right, that's right. Let such a person climb above our heads. Don't we all have to live by his Huang Wendong face in the future? Another companion shook his head beside him, worried about his future.

Old acquaintances like them know best how domineering the Huang family is. On weekdays, everyone also has disputes on the business road. Thanks to Feng Zhu, who often mediates, he can stabilize everyone's mood.

How could Feng Zhu not know? He looked at the feasting and feasting, feeling quite calm. He only raised his wine glass to signal everyone to calm down.

Don't worry, I'm here. I will ensure that everyone is safe and live up to your trust.

Feng Zhu has served as the leader for so many years, but his words still work. Seeing his assurance, the other salt merchants simply retreated to their positions. Their current location is at the end of the right side. This position is very embarrassing, lower than that of the jewel merchants here.

Among the salt merchants, only Huang Wendong had the highest position. The pearl merchants were gaining Li Bian's favor because of the incident on Qiupu Street. Compared with these people, the appearance and position arrangement of Feng Zhu and others, it is definitely false to say that Li Bian did not have any intention of deliberately beating.

But Feng Zhu also knew that Li Bian would definitely invite him when the banquet was over. Otherwise, why invite yourself here? You can't let yourself be a witness. Feng Zhu has no intention of drinking and reserves his energy to prepare for the final matters.

He is also a local snake in Yangzhou, and he still holds Huang Wendong's fate in his hands. Naturally, you won't be afraid that once the other party gains power, he will climb over you and dominate you in the future.

Sure enough, after the banquet was over. Feng Zhu received an invitation from Li Bian and was left in the Huang Mansion saying that he wanted to discuss some old feelings. How could Feng Zhu and Li Bian have any old friendship? The two people, who were incompatible with each other, sat together enthusiastically accompanied by Huang Wendong.

The three of them only drank tea this time, and Li Bian, who was proud of the spring breeze, spoke in general polite words. Feng Zhu also accepted the order and responded with some kind words that suited the occasion.

To put it bluntly, it's nothing more than one deliberately wooing someone and the other deliberately sending favors. Only Huang Wendong was worried about the gains and losses. He knew that Li Bian valued Feng Zhu and the power of the Feng family in Yangzhou. The Feng family's financial resources alone are far superior to their own, and they couldn't help but say a few harsh words during this period.

Li Bian was very happy to see Huang Wendong's actions. He and Feng Zhu were jealous because of their rivalry, which meant that they had a chance to win.

Li Bian was happy to watch the excitement, but Feng Zhu was annoyed. He came today with the intention of trading. Huang Wendong was so powerful and unforgiving, and Feng Zhu could sell people with peace of mind.

With this thought in his mind, Feng Zhu coughed lightly and said: My lord, I have heard something recently, which makes me feel troubled. I feel that I must report it to you in private. Otherwise, I will feel really guilty.

Oh?! Li Bian was very interested. What he lacked the most was the eyes and ears to find out the news. He immediately said happily, There is such a thing outside Feng, why not tell it earlier. We also drank a few drinks at the banquet, and we almost missed it. I will miss Yuan Feng.

If you didn't keep me here, you wouldn't be able to hear the news. Feng Zhu snorted softly in his heart, but his usual kind smile appeared on his lips.

Seeing that he didn't continue to speak, Li Bian immediately guessed what the other party meant. He looked at Huang Wendong, who was curious and nervous at the side, Brother Huang, can you borrow the valuable land for a while?

Even though Li Bian said so politely, Huang Wendong was attached to him, so how could he refuse. Now that he heard the intention of expelling the guests, the host had no choice but to stand up with a face of unwillingness and said with an embarrassed smile: Sir, I will go to the kitchen to see what people have prepared.

Huang Wendong left very angry, not only because of Li Bian's disrespect, but also because Feng Zhu didn't take a second look at him. He guessed that what Feng Zhu wanted to say must be about his own family.

Could it be that Feng Zhu knew that he sent someone to poison Xu Mazi? Impossible, the jailer who poisoned the whole family was imprisoned in his own village. Even if he was alive, he would not dare to betray himself! !

Huang Wendong, who was worried, closed the door and deliberately made the sound of leaving footsteps to tell the people in the room that he would not eavesdrop. He, Huang Wendong, naturally does not need eavesdropping methods. There are also many capable people in his mansion.

After he left, Li Bian picked up the tea cup and looked at Feng Zhu with a smile, You can talk now, Yuan Feng.

Of course. Feng Zhugong handed over his hand and thanked Li Bian for being reasonable. As you know, just last month, Huang Xiandi bribed the jailer of the government office and poisoned several prisoners.

This is a big deal, so Feng Zhu naturally doesn't need to use the phrase 'big disaster is imminent'. Sure enough, when Li Bian, who was drinking tea, heard this, he immediately coughed violently, obviously choking.

Seriously?! Li Bian was shocked. His heart felt cold at first, then shocked, and then he became furious.

Seeing Feng Zhu nodding silently, Li Bian slammed the table angrily. He was worried that these salt merchants had dirty hands and feet. Before, I asked them if they had any clues in Lin Ruhai's hands, and each one of them patted their chests and assured them.

In the end, he was a fool who deserved to be killed by a thousand cuts if he did such a thing behind his back. Li Bian suppressed his red face and asked: Where is the jailer?

The prisoner died, and the jailer also swallowed poison and died. Feng Zhu said in a cold tone. Seeing Li Bian's expression relaxed slightly, he added: But I have an informant in the government office. I heard that person say that Magistrate Lin We have rescued this man, but fearing that someone will come to murder him, we have imprisoned the jailer elsewhere.”

A hundred secrets and a sparse, a hundred secrets and a sparse. Li Bian was originally in a relaxed mood and wanted to say that Huang Wendong was clean in his work. Now he became nervous again and almost called his master to scold him heavily.

In the past few days, he has been meeting guests at Huang Mansion again and again. If Lin Ruhai finally gets the news from the jailer and puts the lawsuit on his head, wouldn't he be unable to defend himself? There is really yellow stuff on my crotch, it’s not just shit, it’s shit.

Li Bian's frightened and panicked look was noticed by Feng Zhu. The latter was also proud of himself. Huang Wendong had planned for Li Bian, but in the end, didn't he make wedding clothes for the Feng family?

As long as Huang Wendong is kicked out, the Feng family will naturally be able to offer Li Bian more favorable terms. Don't be afraid that the other party won't be moved, don't be afraid that the other party won't reuse you.

Brother Feng, is this news reliable? Li Bian was still a little unwilling to give up. He had seen deeper than Feng Zhu and knew how scary the news was.

Seeing that Master Li had changed his title, Feng Zhu also said with all his heart: Absolutely reliable. He explained the activities of Huang Wendong and Xu Mazi clearly, and added, My informant was Master Lin who acted as a meddler when he first came to Yangzhou. It has been several years since the servants sneaked into the mansion, and there is absolutely no chance that Mr. Lin will know about it.

Okay, very good, Brother Feng. Li Bian stood up excitedly, walked to Feng Zhu, and praised repeatedly: If Brother Feng helps me with the things I am doing for the Prime Minister, I will be even more powerful, and great things can be accomplished.

He walked around for a few steps, but still felt that something urgent needed to be done urgently, and immediately said to Feng Zhu: Brother Feng, there are still important things in the lower house. You and I will get together some other time.

Feng Zhu shook his robe, stood up and said, It's just right. I drank some wine today, and I'm not overly drunk. Why don't I let my younger brother serve as host and prepare a banquet at home, and then invite your Excellency to the house to have a chat.

He is much older than Li Bian. It is really incredible that he can be called his younger brother in person.

Very good, very good. Li Biangong handed over his hand and left impatiently without even taking the time to wait for Huang Wendong.

The rightful owner has already left, so Feng Zhu naturally doesn't want to stay any longer. When Huang Wendong came back, he saw that there was no one in the room, and he didn't know what happened. He immediately threw the tea cup angrily.

He immediately summoned the steward of the mansion and interrogated him about recent events in the city.

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When Li Bian returned home, he was too angry and couldn't sleep, so he called his master directly to discuss countermeasures. This master has been his helper for many years and is very knowledgeable about family matters. He knows that the master has recently received a lot of money and gifts from Huang Wendong.

After hearing that Huang Wendong had committed this major case, the master also looked sad. This matter can be big or small, the key is to see what Lin Ruhai wants to do?

If the two parties have a good relationship and the officials protect each other, Huang Wendong can use some money to settle the matter secretly. But the two parties are now at odds with each other, and it is impossible to gain any favor.

Sir, how about... The master made a gesture of dropping the knife. Li Bian's eyes lit up, but he hesitated and said, Is it necessary to do this?

The master thought about him wholeheartedly and asked directly: Sir, if Magistrate Lin captures Huang Wendong and he bites him wantonly in prison, unless it is your instigation, then our situation will be passive.

This was what Li Bian was worried about. He had accepted Huang Wendong's money and was about to insist that he had nothing to do with it and that he could keep his official position even if he got in front of the Prime Minister. If you just drop the word greedy, you will definitely have no hope of promotion in the future, and your heart will be even more anxious.

As for Huang Wendong, he takes on everything without causing any trouble to his own overall situation. Li Bian didn't dare to gamble or even think about it. It would be stupid to put his own wealth and life on other people's thoughts.

Li Bian was so anxious that the original pride in his heart had long since disappeared. One moment he thinks about the worst case scenario, and the next moment he thinks about remedies.

What he wants is more than just an academic administration! He wants to climb higher. If it is not for official position, what is his painstaking planning? Is it for the sake of the world? Is it because the prime minister has all the power?

Now that Lin Ruhai's defeat was certain, Li Bian knew that the Yangzhou government treasury would definitely be short of money, and His Majesty also wanted to prepare border army pay in Jiangnan and other places. Just wait, maybe another month at most. The memorial to impeach Lin Ruhai would fly to the imperial court like snowflakes.

He is only one step away from the fourth grade Fei Pao. How can we be burdened by Huang Wendong? How can we stop here? Li Bian, who didn't want to lose, finally changed his mind and immediately told his master: Go and ask Ma Yin to come see me and tell him that I want to give him a fortune.

Yes, sir.

The master took the order and left.

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Huang Wendong waited at home for two days before the informant came to report that the jailer who had poisoned him had been rescued by the prefect. He beat several stewards on the spot and broke things in the hall.

Idiots, they are all idiots. I know how to make money from you all day long, and I can't catch Xu Mazi. I can kill a few people and still be rescued by the government officials. How come I raise you idiots!!

Looking at the kneeling steward in the hall, Huang Wendong raised his foot and kicked several people over. Still feeling that he could not calm down his anger, he pointed at the steward who was gasping for air and said, Tell me, what else can you do now.

The chief steward had just been kicked by Huang Wendong, and now his chest was aching. When he heard the master's question, he didn't care about soothing the pain in his chest, and quickly gasped: Master, this is it. Why don't you go to Master Li and tell me directly?

Their family was so eager to surrender to Li Bian because they felt that their control was in Lin Ruhai's hands and they wanted to find a backer for themselves. Only then was he willing to serve as Li Bian's pawn. He not only followed orders and charged into battle, but also often gave him generous gifts.

If he really wanted to help me, he wouldn't have left that night. Huang Wendong said angrily, cursing Li Bian for being such a white-eyed wolf. With so much money thrown at him, when trouble comes, the other party will be able to run away cleanly.

But Huang Wendong never thought that Li Bian was his life-saving straw, but he was not Li Bian's only help. Now and then, Li Bian now has many people he can use, and Feng Zhu takes the initiative to invest. Compared with Feng Zhu, Huang Wendong has many shortcomings.

Then... the chief steward rolled his eyes and said fiercely, Then we will continue to do the same thing. Master, as long as our hands and feet are clean, no one will know what we did. Afterwards, we will give Mr. Li a gift to apologize and ask him to take care of him. , will definitely make him change his mind.

Idiot, can I not know? But I also need to know that place! Huang Wendong's eyes were red, and he looked at the servant who had gone out to inquire about the news. The latter immediately said: Master, I have already found out where the jailer lives. .”

Huang Wendong was overjoyed when he heard this, and then he breathed a long sigh of relief and pointed at the servant, You are still somewhat useful. If you succeed in this matter, I will promote you to the position of manager when you come back.

Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master. The servant immediately knelt on the ground and thanked Huang Wendong profusely for his kindness.

Later, Mr. Huang asked his servant to explain the process of inquiry. When he saw that his answers were detailed and accurate, and there were no doubts in every detail, he finally believed that the news was accurate.

Now that we know where the other party lives, the only thing left to do is to recruit some reliable people. Huang Wendong had many such people on hand. In just one night, he gathered a group of extremely vicious gangsters and hid the equipment in his house, waiting for a rainy night when it would be convenient for him to do so.

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That night, Xin Geng sat in the tent for a while, and Li Weiwei, who had escorted Xin Suzhao around several times, brought him a letter from the city. By the light in the tent, Xin Geng could clearly read the contents of the letter.

Sir. When Guard Li saw Xin Geng put away the letter, he immediately clasped his fists and obeyed the order.

However, Xin Geng raised his arm-banded hand, rubbed the beard on his chin, thought for a moment, and then ordered: Take a group of people and follow me into the city.

yes!

The 7,000 words in this chapter are to make up for yesterday. Today’s will come later.