Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
âItâs so damn hot.â Master Tian felt extremely frustrated. âItâs all Tian Zhongâs fault. Isnât it just some corn seedlings?! When the seeds of the Fenggu Food
Bank come, I can have as many as I want! Heâs f*cking causing trouble for me.â
Master Tian wiped his sweat with a sweat towel and instructed Steward Tian,
âGo to the government office and send an invitation to Lord Zhou. Iâll invite him to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant for a banquet.â
âYes, Master.â Manager Tian heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that. He bowed and left.
Zhou Jia received the invitation from the Tian family and threw it aside. Mr. Qian said to Zhou Jia, âMaster, Tian Kunâs second brother, Tian Peng, is working in the Censorate. Arenât you planning to go?â
âIâm not going. So what if Tian Peng is working in the Censorate? I didnât do anything illegal. Tian Kun invited me because of the family Ruyi sent to the government office. The Tian family colluded with the grain industry against the interests of the people. I donât have the patience to deal with such a family.â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Mr. Qian nodded. âThatâs true. Iâll go back to him now.â
When Manager Tian heard the reply, he felt that Zhou Jia was too disrespectful to Master Tian. He returned to the Tian family unhappily and told Master Tian that Zhou Jia said that he was not free. When Master Tian heard this, his face darkened and he waved his hand. âGo! Go! I understand.â
Master Tian leaned back in his rocking chair and thought to himself, Since you donât know how to appreciate my kindness, Iâll get you out of Yunzhou. He got up and went to the study to write a letter. He handed it to the servant. âSend the letter to the Fenggu Food Bank and ask Shopkeeper Luo to help take it to the capital to hand it to Second Master. Do you understand?â
The servant bowed and agreed. âI understand, Master.â
When it was time to meet Chu Feng, Zhou Jia left the government office in advance and went to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. Shopkeeper Xu of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant politely welcomed Zhou Jia in. Chu Feng welcomed Zhou Jia at the staircase. The two of them went upstairs to a private room and sat on the ground.
The shop assistant brought melons, iced watermelons, peaches, melons, and a few shortbreads.
Chu Feng smiled and poured Zhou Jia a cup of tea. âBrother Jiahe, the watermelons have just arrived. Bring a basket back for Madam and Young Master later. Why arenât you going back to accompany Madam today? Why are you treating me to tea?â
Zhou Jia looked at Chu Feng and smiled. âBrother Qingshan, Iâll get straight to the point. My wifeâ¦â
Zhou Jia told Chu Feng what Ruyi had found out. When he saw Chu Feng sitting there in shock and anger, he knew that Chu Feng did not know the situation at the grain shop.
Chu Feng was so angry that his face turned green. He thought about the rules set by the bank. The shopkeeper who made a big mistake would first be punished with the loss of his assets and swept out of the house. Then, he would be punished with ten years of hard labor. Fortunately, Madam Li and Lord
Zhou were kind. Otherwise, his life would be over.
Chu Feng stood up and bowed excitedly to Zhou Jia. âIâm lucky to have met you and Madam in my three lifetimes. I thank Madam for sending someone to investigate and thank you for telling me the truth.â
When Zhou Jia heard Chu Feng speak so excitedly that he was blessed in three lifetimes, he knew that this matter should have a huge impact on Chu Feng. He smiled and helped Chu Feng up. âBrother Qingshan, weâre both working for His Majesty. We should help each other. You donât have to be so polite. Iâm just a little curious how they deceived you?â
Chu Feng looked at Zhou Jia and smiled bitterly. âBrother Jia, the shopkeeper at the grain shop hired an old shopkeeper who had been hired by the bank for many years. The Head Shopkeeper and I also trust him very much. The grain shop stipulates that all sales of rice seeds have to be recorded. After the rice seeds were sold last year and this year, I even checked the account book before the spring plowing. I saw that it clearly recorded which village and which villagers bought the rice seeds. I thought that those rice seeds had really been sold to the villagers. Itâs my negligence to be kept in the dark by them for two years. Wait a moment. Iâll give instructions.â
Zhou Jia raised his hand and said with a smile, âBrother Qingshan, letâs not stand on ceremony. Itâs more important for you to deal with serious matters first. Iâll go out of the city to accompany Madam as soon as possible.â
Chu Feng cupped his hands. âAlright, letâs gather after I find out the truth.â
Chu Feng sent Zhou Jia off and returned to a guest room in the backyard of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. He clapped his hands and an ordinary-looking man walked out. Chu Feng looked at him and said, âYunyi, please check which families Shopkeeper Luo from the grain shop is close to. Which families did he sell the rice seeds to last year and this year? Check what those families did.
Find out why he colluded with them?â
Yun Yi nodded when he heard that. Without a word, he turned around and walked out.
âShopkeeper, what happened? You actually used Yun Yi.â Shopkeeper Xu walked in and asked.
Chu Feng told Shopkeeper Xu about Shopkeeper Luo forging a sales record and selling the rice seeds to big families. âHe actually did such a thing. We trusted him so much.â
Shopkeeper Xuâs eyes widened. âNo way! Such an honest and loyal person would actually do such a bold thing?â
Chu Feng said, âWhen honest people do bad things, they catch people off guard.â
Shopkeeper Xu thought for a moment and recalled something. âShopkeeper, I heard that Luo Xing in Shopkeeper Luoâs family gambled quite fiercely. Do you think Luo Xing lost a large sum of money? Thatâs why Shopkeeper Luo colluded with the big families to forge the sales records!â
Shopkeeper Chu looked at Shopkeeper Xu in surprise. âLuo Xing is actually addicted to gambling? When did this happen?â
Shopkeeper Xu recalled, âI heard him mention it two years ago. At that time, he was so angry that he locked Luo Xing up and beat him up. However, Shopkeeper Luoâs mother doted on his grandson very much. When she saw him hit Luo Xing, she sought death. I havenât heard him mention it since, but someone who came to the restaurant mentioned that Luo Xing played quite a big game in the casino.â
When Chu Feng heard this, he said, âThatâs most likely the reason. I was wondering why such an honest and loyal person would change so easily. In my opinion, someone deliberately tempted Luo Xing to become addicted to gambling.â
Shopkeeper Xu felt the same. âYes! Thatâs a possibility. Weâll know when Yun Yi comes back.â
Chu Feng sighed. âSigh! Go ahead! I have to report to the Head Shopkeeper that my carelessness caused Shopkeeper Luo to sell rice seeds.â
When Zhou Jia returned to the manor, he saw that the people from the inner and outer courtyards were all looking at the classroom in the west wing with smiles.
Zhou Jia looked into the classroom curiously. When Auntie Xue, Old Zou, and the others saw Zhou Jia return, they hurriedly went forward to greet him. âMaster, youâre back!â
Li Yu turned around and saw Zhou Jia return. She smiled at him. âCome and take a look at Yangyang and Seven Pounds.â
âLet me take a look.â Zhou Jia smiled and walked to Li Yuâs side. He saw Yangyang and Seven Pounds standing in the front row. Shui Sheng, Sister Yan, and the other children were neat and tidy in the classroom. They respectfully bowed to Mr. Lu and Mr. Liu..
Comments(0)
Join the discussion — sign in to leave a comment
Sign In to CommentNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!