Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 131 Yue Qingfeng, Yue Qingfeng

"Zhang Zhong, Zhang Xiong..." Lu Ting listened and nodded slowly.

Thinking about those two suggestions and looking at Pei Yuan again, I really felt like the clouds were clearing and the sun was shining.

When Liu Bei met Kong Ming and Sun Quan met Lu Su, it was just like this, right?

Lu Ting looked at Captain Pei with a burning desire in his heart, he really wanted to castrate him, bring him back to the palace, and ask for advice day and night.

After Pei Yuan finished explaining things to Lu Ting, he was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something.

So he asked, "By the way, how does Eunuch Lu know Yue Qingfeng from the Huashan Sect? This guy has a great reputation in the martial arts world, and he hates dealing with the factory guards. Do you have any evidence against him?"

As expected, Lu Ting did not take Yue Qingfeng's matter seriously, and casually said, "So that's what happened. When I came back from the border town, Eunuch Xiao recommended me to the Silijian to be a eunuch first, but I didn't expect to be ostracized by Qihu. He kept shirking the responsibility and never mentioned it. I was in an awkward situation in the palace, and I could only read some secret files every day to pass the time."

When Pei Yuan heard this, he thought, isn't this fucking similar to my situation back then?
Captain Pei and Eunuch Lu felt sympathy instantly.

Then Lu Ting continued, "Later, Eunuch Xiao wanted to promote his sons and nephews. In order to give them the opportunity to make meritorious contributions, he presented the plan of 'giving first before taking' to the court. Because Eunuch Xiao had done me a favor, I asked to leave the palace and take care of this matter."

Pei Yuan finally understood after hearing this.

Why did a successful silver transport have so many twists and turns, and even lead to inexplicable backstabbing from the imperial court?

So many people were bleeding all over the ground, struggling to survive, all because of a dead eunuch who wanted to do some credit for his children and nephews.

Perhaps in Xiao Jing's eyes, even if hundreds or thousands of lives were lost, even if the southeast was in turmoil and the court was unstable, as long as his sons and nephews could get the official positions of a hundred or a thousand households, it would be worth it, right?
Pei Yuan remained silent.

Then I heard Lu Ting continue, "It was also at that time that I learned about some things in the martial arts world and unexpectedly learned a little secret."

Pei Yuan perked up, thinking that the next step would be for Lu Ting to find something to hold against Yue Qingfeng.

Then Lu Ting said, "When the Imperial Horse Guards were on a mission, a young eunuch named Yue Jinzhong got lost."

Pei Yuan’s eyes almost popped out, damn!
Old Yue! You...

"Later, when someone was traveling around the martial arts world, he saw a Huashan disciple named Yue Qingfeng who looked very similar to him, so he secretly reported it to Tang Shen, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration at the time. Tang Shen was very interested in the subsequent developments of this matter, so he concealed the relevant information."

"It was by chance that I came across the relevant files, which contained a few words left by Tang Shen."

Pei Yuan was already numb at this moment.

Yue Qingfeng, ah Yue Qingfeng.

No wonder you are so sensitive about the factory guards. You drove Cheng Leixiang away as soon as you disagreed with him. It turns out that you are afraid that if you have too much contact with the factory guards, mistakes may occur!

Okay, Pei Yuan already knows what to do.

He then said, "Yue Qingfeng is of some use to me. Please get the file in your hands as soon as possible, Eunuch Lu. If it is not necessary, please try not to disclose the information about this person to outsiders."

Lu Ting thought about it and felt that it was neither a good idea nor a bad idea. "That is an insignificant file, and the Imperial Stables do not attach much importance to the document. I will deal with this matter when I return to the palace."

Pei Yuan asked again, "How many people still know about it now? If the secret is revealed, it will be worthless."

Lu Ting thought for a moment and said, "I have a few subordinates who know."

Pei Yuan secretly felt sorry, and could only advise, "Try to restrain them from leaving the palace, and don't mention this to anyone."

Lu Ting answered cheerfully, "Okay."

Pei Yuan settled all the matters and did not stay long. With Lu Ting's reluctant gaze on his face, he headed towards Suzhou Prefecture.

On the way, no one asked much.

Cheng Leixiang and Song Chunniang were sensible, but Hou Qing and Daigu Heshang were completely unaware of what was happening.

When they were about to enter the city, Song Chunniang couldn't help but be curious. When no one was paying attention, she asked curiously, "Is that a eunuch too?"

Pei Yuan hummed.

Song Chunniang heard Pei Yuan mention something last time, and couldn't help asking, "Are we going to change the backstage?"

Pei Yuan thought about it and replied, "No."

Although Gu Dayong was a waste, he grew up with Zhu Houzhao after all.

Not long after the rebellion in Bazhou was quelled, he regained Zhu Houzhao's trust.

When Zhu Houzhao went to the border, he specifically asked Gu Dayong to guard his retreat, so that he would not be surrounded by the Oirat in Hebei like one of his predecessors.

As for Lu Ting, after enjoying the glory of being the first to quell the rebellion, he rarely appeared again.

Gu Dayong's backer cannot be given up for the time being. As for Lu Ting, it depends on whether his attitude towards Pei Yuan changes after he enters the Imperial Household Department.

If Lu Ting is unreliable, Pei Yuan will still stand firmly on Gu Dayong's side.

If Lu Ting is kind enough and can become Pei Yuan's powerful ally in the future, Pei Yuan will be willing to spend time and effort to help him stabilize the situation.

It was already dark when they entered the city. Pei Yuan was afraid of alerting the enemy, so he did not rush to find the location of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Weaving Factory.

Moreover, given the current situation, compared to meeting Eunuch Hu, the governor of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Weaving Office, the most important thing is to find a way to recruit Yue Qingfeng as soon as possible.

Pei Yuan did not expect to gain Yue Qingfeng's loyalty, nor did he think about controlling this underworld tycoon forever. As long as he could overcome the current difficulties, he would try to have a good beginning and a good end with Yue Qingfeng.

Pei Yuan and his group found an inn that looked relatively quiet and stayed there.

The monk Daigo kept his face hidden with a bamboo hat all the way, and finally he was able to take off the hat when he reached the side courtyard.

He was originally born a beggar, and had experienced the warmth and coldness of human nature and the bitterness of the world. Except for the fact that he felt a little inferior when facing Pei Yuan and others, there was nothing wrong with him.

Pei Yuan was worried that the image of Monk Daigu would easily attract attention, so he asked him to stay in the courtyard, and Monk Daigu would wait in the courtyard obediently.

Pei Yuan asked Song Chunniang to watch over the cooking in the kitchen while he took Cheng Leixiang and Hou Qing out of the inn.

First, he asked passers-by and inquired about the nearest blacksmith shop.

When we found the place, the blacksmith shop was just about to close.

When a businessman sees a customer coming to his door, he doesn't care about anything and rushes forward to greet the customer while there is still some light.

A sturdy man who looked like a blacksmith said enthusiastically, "Please come in, sir. Do you want to buy a finished product or have it made separately?"

Pei Yuan entered the blacksmith shop and looked around.

The finished products sold there are mainly general tools, farm implements, and some daily necessities. There are also some customized weird objects, such as iron racks, iron hooks, etc.

Pei Yuan picked up an iron frame and bent it with force.

Before the blacksmith could stop him, the iron frame had already deformed in Pei Yuan's hands.

The blacksmith was furious when he saw this. Just as he was about to yell, he saw Pei Yuan had already crumpled the iron frame into a ball.

The blacksmith's expression changed, and he changed his words into a wry smile, "Guest, are you here to make fun of me?"

Pei Yuan ignored him and picked up a thick iron bowl that looked like an incense burner. He placed it in his hands and squeezed it hard. The iron bowl was soon deformed by Pei Yuan's hands.

The flesh on the blacksmith's face twitched, and he quickly said in a flattering manner, "Sir, you are so strong. I am a small business with little profit, and I can't afford to be naughty."

Pei Yuan felt the strength in his hand and nodded with satisfaction.

He glanced at Cheng Leixiang first and said, "Pay me money."

Cheng Leixiang lowered his eyes and estimated the things that Pei Yuan had just destroyed, then threw out a few copper coins from his sleeve.

It's just a matter of effort.

The blacksmith was angry but dared not say anything.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan put the stuff down after testing the quality of the iron. Otherwise, even if the blacksmith knew he couldn't afford to offend them, he wouldn't give up easily.

Pei Yuan smiled and said to Cheng Leixiang, "Be generous. We still need him to do something."

Cheng Lei responded and took out a small bunch of about seventy or eighty coins from his sleeve and threw it over.

The blacksmith immediately smiled when he saw it.

"Sir, you are so kind. Please let me know if you have anything to ask."

As long as the customer is willing to pay generously, what’s wrong with him having some bad habits?
Pei Yuan pointed at the iron bowl-shaped object and said, "This one is pretty solid. What kind of iron is it made of?"

The blacksmith said, "This is cast. Your hand can bear the force. It may be due to the structure. If you really want to find good and solid iron, I have it here, but not much."

The blacksmith took two steps to the backyard and said, "Guests, please follow me."

When we arrived at the backyard, we saw two blacksmith stoves that looked like kitchens, and several strong men who looked like apprentices were busy packing up their tools.

At this time, the fire in the furnace had gone out, leaving only a dark red hot glow.

The blacksmith entered a kitchen, lifted a straw mat, pointed to several iron ingots several feet long and palm-wide, and said, "These fine irons have been forged for dozens of times. They were made in my spare time some time ago. If the guest has anything to do, we will do our best."

Pei Yuan went up and touched it, but he couldn't tell whether the iron was good or not, but he didn't have much room to be picky.

Pei Yuan said, "I want to build a larger iron cage to hold the wild beasts. The cage must be strong and made of sufficient materials. How long will it take you?"

The blacksmith listened, not caring about the rich man's quirks, and asked directly, "Then I'd like to ask the guest to give me the size."

Pei Yuan estimated it and used his hands to indicate the size.

The blacksmith picked up a hemp rope from the ground and noted its size. He estimated for a moment before saying, "It will take at least a day."

Pei Yuan frowned, "Why does it take so long?"

The blacksmith explained, "Sir, although the iron ingots don't need to be hammered out right away, it still takes time to hammer them into suitable iron bars. One day is already a rush to do it."

Pei Yuan asked, "Including the iron material and labor costs, how much silver does a cage like this cost?"

Seeing that Pei Yuan and the others were well-dressed and had some spare money to make cages for wild animals, the blacksmith immediately became interested and quoted a high price, "At least two taels of silver."

The price isn't cheap, but it's not a rip-off either.

Pei Yuan looked at Cheng Leixiang again, "Give me the money."

Cheng Leixiang reached into his sleeve, threw out a small piece of silver, and said to the shopkeeper, "It's more than enough."

Seeing Pei Yuan and the others being so generous, the blacksmith couldn't help but grin and said, "Okay, we will start making iron cages for you at dawn, and you can come to pick up the goods the day after tomorrow morning."

Pei Yuan didn't bother to be polite with him, "I want to see the thing tomorrow afternoon."

The blacksmith was in a dilemma for a moment, "This..."

Pei Yuan said, "The silver you gave me just now was just a deposit. If you can finish it tomorrow afternoon, I'll give you another two taels."

The blacksmith immediately became happy, "Okay, okay. I can borrow two guys from somewhere else to help hammer the iron bars, and then it will be much faster."

Pei Yuan finally picked up the topic after hearing this, and asked casually, "Are there many blacksmiths in Suzhou?"

The blacksmith was obviously overthinking and quickly said, "There are many blacksmiths in Suzhou City, but the best ones are the ones in my family."

Pei Yuan looked around, pulled over a wooden stool and sat down, smiling and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I've already given you the deposit, so how can I go find another company?"

The blacksmith smiled awkwardly and said, "I am telling the truth."

Pei Yuan picked up a bell and played with it, then motioned for the blacksmith to sit down as well, "If you can't find the right person, don't delay my work."

Seeing that Pei Yuan had no intention of looking for another company, the blacksmith quickly promised, "It may be difficult to find silk workers or weavers in Suzhou City, but there are more than ten blacksmith families. Each family has a few guys to help, so they will definitely not cause any trouble for you."

Pei Yuan was surprised. "It seems that you are living well. Each family has some servants."

The blacksmith refused to say more and just said, "It's OK."

Seeing that the blacksmith didn't want to talk much, Pei Yuan took the initiative to ask, "I see you have a lot of farm tools in your shop. Is this what you usually make?"

When the blacksmith heard Pei Yuan ask this, he thought there was another business to be done, and he immediately became excited. "These farm tools are slow to sell, and usually we make more money from kitchen knives, iron pots, and cooking utensils. Suzhou is prosperous, and customers occasionally come to order all kinds of strange things. Those are hard to make, but you can make a lot of money."

Pei Yuan smiled, as if he was aroused by the conversation, and asked curiously, "Then why is it difficult to find silk workers and weavers? I heard that Suzhou's embroidery is world-famous, and silk and cotton fabrics are also selling well in the north. Is there a shortage of silk workers and weavers?"

The blacksmith laughed and said, "When the guest said this, I knew he was not from Jiangnan."

It seemed that because he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him, the blacksmith had no scruples. He said, "It is precisely because Jiangnan produces cotton and linen, and has the benefits of sericulture, that the artisans in Suzhou were targeted by the court. Blacksmiths like us only have one month of corvée every year, and we can do some small business to supplement our family income during the rest of the year."

"But the silk weavers have to serve corvée for as short as three months a year, or as long as almost half a year."

"These silk weavers either made silk and spun cloth for the emperor or for the government. They had less than half of their days off throughout the year. In addition, they had to make a living by working for wealthy families. Those days were really tough."

Pei Yuan listened and didn't feel surprised at all.

Even if someone incites collusion, if the people's lives are easy, who would be willing to risk being beheaded to do such a thing?

Suzhou's silk workers and weavers were being exploited to the limit and were already in a precarious situation.

Even if there is no issue of taxes and silver, it can easily cause riots.

Now that the tax silver has been used as an inducement, perhaps someone will deliberately use this as an excuse to vent the anger of the craftsmen.

The craftsmen were able to vent their anger and also give the imperial court a taste of their own medicine. Why not do it?

(End of this chapter)