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That day, Zhao Xun, the rice shop owner in Lin'an Town, insisted on introducing a young master Qi from the capital to Yu Qianqian of Yixianglou, as if presenting a treasure.

Yu Qianqian was busy doing the accounts when she looked up and saw a man standing behind Zhao Xun.

The man was dressed in white and looked frail, but his face was abnormally pale, as if he had never seen the light of day.

At first glance, he was the kind of person who was sickly, scheming, obsessive, and ruthless, which made Yu Qianqian unconsciously frown.

"Manager Yu, this is Young Master Qi from the capital. He has a big deal involving 200,000 shi of rice," Zhao Xun said to Yu Qianqian with a beaming smile.

"This humble servant greets Young Master Qi." Yu Qianqian politely extended her hand to shake hands and exchange pleasantries.

But the moment her fingertips touched Qi Min's palm, Yu Qianqian's heart skipped a beat.

Those hands were as cold as ice, devoid of any sign of life.

Yu Qianqian looked up again and met Qi Min's eyes. His gaze didn't seem to be looking at a person, but rather at the food on the plate, or perhaps at prey.

The hairs on her body stood on end instantly, goosebumps covered her skin, and the chilling feeling made her think that this person was definitely a menace.

Moreover, Yu Qianqian always felt that this Young Master Qi was familiar, as if he were so similar to the devil in her heart.

Qi Min's lips curled slightly, but he didn't say anything and turned to leave.

As soon as they left Yixiang Tower, Zhao Xun quickly followed.

Qi Min stopped in his tracks, his tone sinister, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Go, find out everything about this woman."

"Yes, Young Master Qi. But what exactly are you investigating?"

"Investigate who she's been associating with for the past five years," Qi Min's eyes darkened, his voice extremely low, "especially the men around her. Find out who touched her, which hand they touched, which part of her flesh. Once you find out, chop off that hand and send it to me."

Zhao Xun trembled with fright, dared not ask any more questions, and quickly accepted the order.

In fact, Qi Min was not an ordinary businessman at all.

He was originally the eldest grandson of the Crown Prince Chengde of the Dayin Dynasty, a truly noble and privileged man. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and his family suffered a calamity, so he could only hide in the home of his enemy, Prince Changxin, and pretend to be a grandson.

This person is a madman at heart, and extremely ruthless.

Yu Qianqian was once Qi Min's concubine. She couldn't stand his control and desperately tried to escape. Unexpectedly, after hiding for five years, he still found her as if he could smell her.

The more Yu Qianqian thought about it, the more she felt that (Qi Min) resembled that person. However, considering that person's identity, Yu Qianqian comforted herself that she was overthinking it.

……

Although Qi Min had left, the atmosphere in Yixiang Tower was still far from peaceful.

Song's mother brought several wealthy women, including Madam Chen, to dinner, and they happened to run into Fan Changyu who was delivering goods.

Fan Changyu had just brought in several large buckets of braised meat and was about to settle the bill with Yu Qianqian.

Song's mother had sharp eyes and spotted Fan Changyu at a glance, and her jealousy immediately surfaced.

Ignoring the people around her, she started yelling sarcastically, "Oh, isn't this the eldest daughter of the Fan family? Why are you still selling meat? I thought your family had married into a higher social class and you had stopped doing this lowly work a long time ago."

Several ladies nearby covered their mouths and laughed.

Fan Changyu slammed the rag on the table, put her hands on her hips, and retorted, "Aunt Song, I don't like hearing that. I earn money by selling meat with my own skills; I don't steal or rob. But you, I heard your Song Yan got a promotion recently? You must have gotten a good price for that 'sold-in-law money'? Did you get it easy?"

The room fell silent as soon as he said that.

Song's mother's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and she pointed at Fan Changyu, unable to speak for a long time: "You...you brat, what nonsense are you spouting!"

"What nonsense did I say?" Fan Changyu rolled her eyes. "Song Yan's meager success is all thanks to your scheming and maneuvering. If I were you, I would have been hiding at home secretly enjoying myself. How could I have the face to come out and embarrass myself like this?"

Mrs. Song was trembling with anger and pulled Mrs. Chen away, saying, "I'm so angry! What an ill-mannered person!"

Fan Changyu called out from behind, "Take care! Next time you come, I'll cut you the best piece of 'face meat'!"

"..."

……

Seeing that the mysterious person did not reappear, Yu Qianqian temporarily relaxed her vigilance. After all, Yixianglou was so busy that it was always in a chaotic state.

The customer, Mr. Wu, was completely drunk, his face flushed, and he walked as if he were walking on cotton, yet he stubbornly refused to leave the counter.

"Manager Yu! Don't hide!" Young Master Wu slurred, reaching out to grab Yu Qianqian's sleeve. "You have to have a few drinks with me today! Otherwise, I'll smash up your shop!"

Yu Qianqian frowned, backing away as she whispered to the waiter, "Someone! Get this drunk out of here!"

"Let's see who dares!" Upon hearing this, Young Master Wu's temper flared up instantly.

He suddenly yanked her, causing Yu Qianqian to stumble and crash into the counter, the abacus falling to the ground with a clatter.

"Let me go!" Yu Qianqian was both shocked and angry, and struggled desperately.

But after drinking, Young Master Wu became incredibly strong. He gripped her wrist tightly with one hand and used the other to lift the wine glass on the table and pour it into her mouth.

"Drink! Drink it! Stop pretending to be so prim and proper!" The wine spilled all over Yu Qianqian's face, making her cough and almost bringing tears to her eyes.

"Young Master Wu! If you continue like this, I'll report you to the authorities!" Yu Qianqian's voice changed, her face showing shock and fear. Her usual fierceness was completely gone, leaving only panic.

"Report to the authorities? Hahaha!" Young Master Wu laughed wildly. "My father is the prefect! Go ahead and report! Let's see who arrests whom!"

He went further and further as he spoke, and his other hand began to grope Yu Qianqian inappropriately.

Yu Qianqian was so frightened that she trembled all over, her face turned pale, and she pushed him away while shrinking back, her voice trembling with tears: "Don't touch me! Get away!"

Just then, Yu Qianqian caught a glimpse of the empty wine glass on the table out of the corner of her eye. With a determined heart, she took advantage of Wu Gongzi's inattention, grabbed the wine glass, and smashed it over his head.

With a muffled thud, the wine glass shattered, and Wu Gongzi's head immediately turned red. He cried out in pain and loosened his grip.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yu Qianqian broke free, staggered back a few steps, and only managed to stand up by leaning against the wall. She was panting heavily, her face covered in tears and alcohol, looking utterly disheveled.

"Guards! Throw this madman out! Send him back to the Wu residence!" Yu Qianqian's voice trembled, but she forced herself to give the order.

Two men rushed over, grabbed the still-cursing Mr. Wu, and dragged him outside.

But this young master Wu, drunk and disgraced, suddenly broke free halfway, pulled out a dagger from his pocket, his eyes bloodshot, and lunged at Yu Qianqian's back.

"You bitch! I'm going to cripple you today!"

Hearing the noise, Yu Qianqian turned around and was so frightened that her legs went weak. She had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the blade flashed towards her.

Just at this critical moment, a dark figure suddenly flashed out from the side.

Qi Min appeared there without anyone noticing. Without even looking at the knife, he reached out and grabbed it with his bare hands, managing to catch the blade of the dagger!
"Hiss—" The blade sliced ​​through his palm, and blood flowed down between his fingers, dripping onto the ground.

Qi Min didn't even frown, his face was expressionless, as if his hands weren't his own.

With a twist of his wrist, Young Master Wu let out a miserable scream, the dagger fell to the ground, and he was kicked away by Qi Min, immediately losing consciousness.

"Take them away." Qi Min coldly ordered, his voice not loud, but no one dared to disobey.

The men then realized what was happening and quickly dragged Young Master Wu away.

Yu Qianqian was still in shock and had to hold onto the counter to steady herself.

She looked at Qi Min's bleeding hand, her lips moving slightly: "Young Master Qi, your...your hand..."

Qi Min ignored her, only looking down at his wound, then raised his head, his dark eyes staring straight at her: "Are you alright?"

Yu Qianqian felt uneasy under his gaze. Even though he was the one who saved her, she felt even more afraid than when Young Master Wu had pointed a knife at her earlier.

"I'm fine." Yu Qianqian quickly turned her face away, not daring to look at him again. "Thank you."

Qi Min didn't say anything, and turned to leave.

Yu Qianqian stood there, her heart pounding.

Her mind was in turmoil, one moment showing Young Master Wu's ferocious face, the next showing Qi Min's cold, emotionless eyes.

“No…” Yu Qianqian murmured to herself, “How could he be here? He shouldn’t be in a small place like Lin’an…” The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and her palms were covered in cold sweat.

This person feels like a ghost. He's been hiding for five years, so why is he still haunting us?

……

When He Jingyuan and his men arrived at the Jizhou granary, it was just dawn.

He was overjoyed, thinking that now that the army's food supplies were secured, the great cause of the uprising could finally be pushed forward.

"My lord, we've arrived," Zheng Wenchang reminded him from the side.

He Jingyuan rubbed his hands together and strode into the granary, muttering, "Quick, open the granary and let me see our grain reserves."

The minor official in charge of the granary held the key with trembling hands, and it took him a long time to open the lock.

With a creak, the granary door was pushed open.

He Jingyuan peeked inside, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

empty.

The huge granary was completely empty, without even a single grain of rice. Only a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the ground, as if no one had touched it for a long time.

"What's going on?" He Jingyuan's voice suddenly rose as he rushed into the granary, kicking an empty sack next to him. The sack fell to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.

"Where is the grain in the granary? Huh? Two hundred thousand shi of grain, just gone like that?" He Jingyuan turned around, grabbed the clerk by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. "Explain yourself! Where did all the grain go?"

The clerk was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Excellency, spare me! Your Excellency, spare me! It was... it was a rice merchant from the capital named Zhao Xun, and he bought all the grain."

"Bought it all?" He Jingyuan released his grip, stamping his feet in anger. "Who gave them the guts? Daring to buy up all the grain stored in Jizhou? This is military rations! It's the imperial court's reserves!"

“He…he offered three times the price,” the clerk stammered. “We…we thought…”

"What do you think? You think you can sell military rations just because you have money?" He Jingyuan roared, kicking the clerk to the ground. "Idiots! A bunch of idiots!"

He paced back and forth in the granary in a fit of rage, his chest heaving violently, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Two hundred thousand shi of grain!
That was the culmination of his six months of hard work, and now it's all gone. How is he going to explain this to Suning?
How can he explain this to the brothers who are about to join him in the rebellion?

"Zheng Wenchang!" He Jingyuan suddenly stopped and roared at his men.

"Here!" Zheng Wenchang quickly stepped forward.

"Go! Investigate!" He Jingyuan gritted his teeth, his voice filled with intense anger. "Find out Zhao Xun's background! Who is he? Who's backing him? He dares to touch my grain supplies? He's got a death wish!"

"Yes!" Zheng Wenchang didn't dare to delay and turned to run.

He Jingyuan stood in the empty granary, looking at the dust on the ground, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

He never expected that he would be tricked before the uprising even began.

He couldn't swallow this insult!
"Someone come here!"

"exist."

“Drag these idiots out of the granary and behead them, then confiscate their property and exterminate their entire families.”

"Yes!"

Not long after, Zheng Wenchang came running back, panting and looking troubled: "Sir, I found out. The person who bought the grain is a rice merchant from the capital named Zhao Xun. But this man... seems to have a powerful background."

"Hard? How hard can it be?" He Jingyuan frowned.

"I heard that the surname of the person who has a powerful backer behind him is... the surname of the State, Qi."

He Jingyuan's eyelids twitched, and his heart skipped a beat.

Surname Qi? Could he be a member of the imperial family? This is a huge problem.

……

He Jingyuan dared not delay and immediately went to Lin'an Town to report to Su Ning.

After hearing the report, Su Ning not only didn't panic, but instead sneered, "Surname Qi? Hmph, even if the Heavenly King himself came, not a single grain of rice would leave Jizhou!"

He Jingyuan asked cautiously, "Immortal, that's royalty, what if..."

"What if what?" Su Ning stood up, his eyes fierce. "He Jingyuan, haven't you seen the situation clearly? We're about to raise an army and rebel to become emperors. Do you still care about offending someone surnamed Qi? Even if he is the true Son of Heaven, if he blocks my way, he'll have to crawl on his knees!"

He paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, his tone chilling: "As the ancients said, 'An army marches on its stomach.' Right now, we are in dire need of food and clothing, and these 200,000 shi of grain are our lifeline! Anyone who dares to touch our grain is going against all our soldiers! There is no room for discussion; their families must be confiscated and their clans exterminated!"

Upon hearing this, He Jingyuan felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.

Since the boss has spoken, what's there to be afraid of?
He Jingyuan immediately ordered his officers and soldiers, "Men! Pass on my order: under the pretext of hoarding and price gouging, immediately lead troops to surround Lin'an Rice Shop! Do not let a single person escape!"

"Yes!"

The officers and soldiers rushed out like wolves and tigers.

Inside the Zhao family's rice shop, Zhao Xun was happily planning to make a fortune when, before he could even open the door, he was kicked to the ground by soldiers who rushed in.

"What are you doing! Do you know who I am? How dare you arrest me!" Zhao Xun shouted.

The leading officer sneered, "We're after you! You dare to hoard military rations? You're asking for trouble!"

That evening, a row of heads hung up at the bustling entrance of Lin'an Town.

Zhao Xun's entire family, young and old, were all killed without exception.

Blood was everywhere, scaring the people so much that they dared not go out.

……

In a luxurious mansion in Lin'an Town, Qi Min was waiting for Zhao Xun's good news.

He figured that with these 200,000 shi of grain, he could do a lot of things.

"Young Master! Something terrible has happened!" The subordinate stumbled in, his face ashen. "Manager Zhao... Manager Zhao, he..."

"What's the panic!" Qi Min frowned. "Tell me slowly."

"The entire Zhao family... was raided by He Jingyuan! Their heads are hanging in the middle of the street!"

With a "crack," the teacup in Qi Min's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

He jumped up, his eyes wide, his face filled with disbelief: "What did you say? Zhao Xun is dead?"

"Dead! The whole family is dead!" the subordinate said, trembling. "He Jingyuan said Manager Zhao was hoarding goods and speculating, so he was executed on the spot!"

Qi Min's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his lips trembled.

He never expected that He Jingyuan, that old scoundrel, would be so ruthless, not caring about the consequences at all, and really killing without hesitation!

"Madmen! They're all madmen!" Qi Min gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "That old scoundrel He Jingyuan dared to kill even one of Qi Min's men! He's utterly lawless!"

He thought of how Zhao Xun had followed him for so many years, serving him faithfully, only to end up with his head severed from his body. He felt both angry and afraid.

Qi Min knew that he was outnumbered and outmatched, and that he would definitely suffer a loss if he went head-to-head with someone.

"Pack your things," he took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, "Let's go."

"Young master, where are you going?"

"Leave Lin'an," Qi Min said, his eyes darkening as he looked at the head hanging in the distance at the bustling intersection. "I'll settle this score with He Jingyuan sooner or later!"

He knew he could only endure it for now, and wait until he had enough strength to return and avenge this blood feud.

That night, the people of Lin'an Town realized that the world was truly about to change.

...(End of this chapter)