Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 316 Price Hike Chaos

"bass!"

Hearing the commotion outside, Sheng Changquan suddenly stood up straight and looked out warily.

"There's movement!"

Sheng Changquan looked towards the door with a serious expression.

"What's going on?"

Upon hearing the noise outside, He Hongwen immediately had a bad feeling.

"Could it be that some bad guys are coming?"

Having just heard what Uncle Wang had said during the day, He Hongwen naturally immediately connected it to that situation.

Hearing the constant commotion outside, it's likely that some bandits have boarded the ship to rob it!

Cold sweat broke out on He Hongwen's back.

"hehe!"

Upon hearing He Hongwen's mutterings, Sheng Changquan immediately turned around and glanced at him.

"Brother Hongwen, don't worry!"

Sheng Changquan immediately noticed his nervousness and unease, so he smiled and comforted him, "Brother Hongwen, didn't Uncle Wang say that during the day?"

"Their shipping company has already cleared the waterway; right now, they're just negotiating with those people!"

"They all follow the rules!"

In fact, Sheng Changquan was naturally perceptive and had already overheard some of the conversations among the crew. He learned that the voices were deliberately made by the ship's guards to warn everyone on board and make them more alert.

"Moreover, Uncle Wang and his men are seasoned veterans who are used to traveling this waterway. These things were already within their expectations, so there won't be any problems."

"Don't worry!"

After saying that, Sheng Changquan turned around and took a few steps forward, peering outside. After a while, he turned back and said, "By the way, Brother Hongwen, do you still remember what Uncle Wang said during the day?"

"Wha...what?"

He Hongwen was inevitably flustered at this moment, so he didn't hear clearly what Sheng Changquan said.

"I said!"

"Brother Hongwen, do you still remember Uncle Wang's instructions during the day, telling everyone not to go out at this time?"

Sheng Changquan waved to He Hongwen and reminded him, "I already told everyone about this after lunch."

"However, I haven't had a chance to talk to the maids in Old Madam He's room yet. I wonder if Brother Hongwen has already spoken to them about it?"

"Huh? I...I already said that!"

When He Hongwen heard Sheng Changquan ask this question, he was stunned for a moment, and then quickly nodded. His timid little appearance was just like a chick pecking at rice, cute and pitiful.

"Ah That's good!"

Sheng Changquan waved his hand with his back to He Hongwen and began to give instructions: "In that case, Brother Hongwen, you should go back to the old lady's room first."

"By the way, they can also keep an eye on the elderly women for me, so they won't be frightened."

Because they had moved to the same pleasure boat, the two elderly ladies happened to be staying in the same cabin tonight.

After all, they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. Now, Old Mrs. Sheng and Old Mrs. He were very close and willing to share a bed and sleep side by side!

Of course, Sheng Changquan's intention was not only to have He Hongwen look after the two old ladies, but also to have He Hongwen help take care of Minglan.

Because he was certain that Minglan would be in the old lady's room watching over them at that time.

But this is good too, everyone being together makes things much easier.

"Oh, okay! But... what about you?"

He Hongwen nodded blankly at first and took a few steps forward, but after a while, he came back to his senses and became worried about Sheng Changquan.

"Seventh brother, are you...are you going out?"

Seeing Sheng Changquan gazing into the distance, He Hongwen suddenly understood Sheng Changquan's plan and knew that he was going out.

"hehe!"

"Don't worry, Brother Hongwen, I won't do anything reckless!"

Sheng Changquan neither said yes nor no, but simply assured He Hongwen, "You go to the old lady's place first, I'll be there in a bit!"

"No, you can't go down..."

"Alright, Brother Hongwen, you can go now!"

Sheng Changquan didn't want to hear He Hongwen speak anymore, so he simply grabbed the other man's wrist and pushed him away forcefully.

"Brother Hongwen, the old lady and the others are getting on in years, you should go and take care of them!"

"Please don't keep them waiting any longer!"

Sheng Changquan waved to He Hongwen, signaling him to leave.

"This... ugh!"

He Hongwen had no other choice but to keep giving instructions.

"Then...Seventh Brother, you'd better be careful!"

"You must stay behind Uncle Wang and the others, and absolutely do not rush to the front..."

"..."

He Hongwen truly lived up to his reputation as a "caring older brother," pointing out many points to pay attention to.

Moreover, none of them were repeated.

"Okay, I understand, Brother Hongwen!"

Standing at the door, Sheng Changquan nodded obediently and waved to He Hongwen in the distance, as if to make a promise.

a long time.

Only after He Hongwen had used up all the words he could think of did he leave with great concern and go to the old lady's cabin.

"go!"

After seeing He Hongwen's figure gradually disappear, Sheng Changquan gave an order to the servants outside the door.

"Old Fan, let's hurry down!"

"I want to see just how good these people really are."

As he spoke, a fierce glint flashed across Sheng Changquan's face.

He turned around, changed into a black outfit, and then took a belt from under the bed and wrapped it around his waist.

"Yes, Master!"

The servant at the door, Lao Fan, immediately clasped his hands in response to Sheng Changquan's order.

Old Fan's surname is Fan, and his given name is Fan Yigong. Like Xu Changqing, he is a descendant of the Marquis of Yongyi's family.

However, unlike Xu Changqing, Fan Yigong was taught his skills not by his grandfather, but by his master.

Fan Yigong was an apprentice taken in by an old man named Fan Yong, a veteran of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. Fan Yong had essentially adopted him, allowing him to inherit Fan Yong's mantle and carry on the Fan family's legacy.

Fan Yigong had an ordinary appearance, just a common face, and would not stand out in a crowd. At the same time, he was tall and thin, and his body did not look very strong, just like an ordinary person.

However, Sheng Changquan knew the other party's background and his true strength.

Putting aside everything else, if we compare him to Xu Changqing, their martial arts skills are probably evenly matched.

However, this is just a simple martial arts competition. If it were a true life-or-death duel, Sheng Changquan would be sure that Fan Yigong would be the one to survive to the end.

Because Fan Yigong has more experience and is more ruthless!

In other words, Fan Yigong is a ruthless and cunning old fox.

On another note, Fan Yigong is quite old, eight or nine years older than Xu Changqing, and is actually Xu Changqing's senior in the martial arts school.

"go!"

The situation was urgent, so Sheng Changquan didn't say much. He just strode forward, intending to go to the second floor to check the situation.

Behind him, Fan Yigong didn't say a word, but silently followed Sheng Changquan closely.

It seems they're protecting him.

At this moment, everyone was gathered together on the second deck of the pleasure boat.

When Sheng Changquan quietly squeezed into the crowd, he discovered that the people on the boat seemed to have formed a circle, tightly surrounding one person inside.

The person standing in the middle, however, seemed completely indifferent, even looking around with an air of nonchalance, as if he were there for sightseeing rather than to do business.

"Are these bandits?"

Sheng Changquan found Xu Changqing, who had been mingling in the crowd since early morning, and asked in a low voice.

"Ah? Young Master!"

Xu Changqing was somewhat surprised when he saw Sheng Changquan.

However, he was not a "weak man" like He Hongwen. The resilient Xu Changqing quickly recovered and turned to bow to Sheng Changquan.

"Alright, let's skip these formalities!"

"Tell me who he is!"

"How is the situation now?"

Sheng Changquan waved his hand at Xu Changqing, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite.

"Young master, you guessed correctly!"

Xu Changqing gave a "simple and honest" smile, then simply clasped his hands in a fist salute to Sheng Changquan, and whispered, "He is the envoy sent by the Sickle Gang."

"They said they came specifically to collect the money!"

Xu Changqing glanced disdainfully at the surrounded Sickle Gang envoy in the arena and said contemptuously, "However, I think his skills are just so-so, he has no real ability at all!"

"I reckon he's only good at talking and has a thick skin; everything else is pretty ordinary!"

"Ah."

Sheng Changquan neither fully believed nor completely disbelieved Xu Changqing. Instead, he ignored Xu Changqing and opened his eyes to observe carefully, trying to figure out what the other party was up to.

……

"what?"

"The price of silver has gone up?"

Uncle Wang's face suddenly turned very ugly!

"Is this how your Sickle Gang operates?"

Wang Bo glared angrily at the messenger before him, his face filled with rage.

Seeing the veins throbbing in his veins despite his attempts to control himself, everyone couldn't help but worry that Uncle Wang might lose his temper and kill the guy!

"hey-hey!"

"Boss Wang, if you're angry about this, don't take it out on me!"

"The matter of money isn't something I, as a subordinate, can decide!"

The envoy grinned and made a few strange noises before saying, "This matter was decided by our chief!"

"How much to collect, and how much to collect, is all decided by those big shots. It has nothing to do with us lowly pawns!"

The envoy felt very wronged.

"Moreover, it's not just us. I've heard that all the powers along this waterway have raised their tolls."

"what?"

Uncle Wang looked shocked, somewhat unable to believe it!

"Are you telling the truth?"

"That's natural!"

The envoy was still joking, but this time his tone carried a hint of goodwill: "Boss Wang, this matter cannot be kept secret."

"I estimate that the news will spread in a while."

"Hehe, if you don't believe me, you'll find out then!"

Upon hearing the messenger's words, Wang Bo's face immediately fell.

His already aged face became even drier, and he looked like an old locust tree battered by a storm, listless and lacking vitality.

"This……"

Uncle Wang moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something.

However, when he looked up at the messenger, Wang Bo suddenly fell silent.

There was nothing they could do; the other party was just a messenger, so what use could they possibly be?

"Boss Wang!"

"Let me remind you one more time!"

The messenger from the Sickle Gang was quite easy to talk to, or rather, he knew how to get along with people.

After all, he was the first to raise fees for shipping companies.

Although this is determined by the overall market situation, if he doesn't reveal some other information, he will inevitably be hated by others.

After all, the first one is always given special treatment.

Whether it's good or bad, it's the same.

"what?"

Although he was filled with mixed feelings, Uncle Wang was, after all, a seasoned veteran who had traveled all over the country for many years. He was only in a daze for a moment before he quickly came back to his senses.

"what do you want to say?"

Uncle Wang frowned, feeling that the other person was unlucky, especially his mouth.

Uncle Wang felt that what he was about to say was probably bad news again.

"hey-hey!"

"Boss Wang, I'm only saying this because of our long-standing friendship!"

The envoy from the Sickle Gang glanced around meaningfully and said slowly, "Actually, besides this matter, you should also be careful lately."

"Be especially careful of those lone wolves!"

The envoy glanced discreetly at the third floor, wondering who lived there.

"There's been a severe drought in the north lately, and quite a few refugees have fled there!"

"There are quite a few ruthless people among these people. They all went into the Han River area and started this business."

"Moreover, these newcomers are all new to this line of work. They're just cheap lives, barely alive. There are no established rules, so their actions are probably..."

The messenger didn't finish his sentence; he simply shook his head, a hint of sadness on his face.

When Uncle Wang heard this news, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Anyway, Boss Wang, just be careful!"

Seeing Wang Bo deep in thought, the envoy quickly said this.

"By the way, Boss Wang!"

"Now, the toll on this road has increased to two taels of silver per person!"

"Please, sir, don't make things difficult for a nobody like me. Just gather up all the silver from our Sickle Gang!"

The envoy's smile faded, and he looked at Wang Bo with a pitiful expression.

It's likely that this envoy hasn't read many books, so his speech is bound to be a bit strange.

"Humph!"

Uncle Wang snorted coldly and said, "You wait!"

Having received this information in advance, Uncle Wang felt embarrassed to take advantage of the situation for free, so he simply gave the Sickle Gang the full amount of silver, which could be considered as repaying a favor.

Thank you so much, Xuanyuan, for the generous donation!

(End of this chapter)