A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 354 Did they kill the order?
Faced with Song Xuan's questioning, Lin Kun quickly said that he was willing to pay the money.

He made a momentary lapse in judgment.

I never expected the people below to mess things up.

In any case, Lin Kun accepted Song Xuan's accusations and admitted defeat, pushing all the blame onto others.

We'll discuss this with his wife before figuring out how to retaliate.

In short, Lin Kun simply didn't dare to confront Song Xuan directly and escalate the conflict.

This young master in front of me is no ordinary person when he gets angry.

Lin Kun was hunched over, his face completely innocent.

Manager Qian immediately retaliated against Lin Kun's false accusations.

Looking across the entire Fanlou district, who dares to make any decisions without going through you, Lin Kun?

You were aware of all these things and instructed me to do them with Zeng Wen.

Song Xuan remained silent, simply sitting there watching the two tear each other apart.

The Qian family has all left Tokyo, so they are no longer afraid of retaliation from the Lin family.

At this point, they were quite unscrupulous in revealing information.

Lin Kun's expression grew increasingly grim.

Although he was afraid of Song Xuan, how dare Qian Licheng, that dog-like thing, speak loudly to him?

He doesn't want his life?
Song Xuan remained expressionless. Who could believe such nonsense?
He only found out when the notices outside had all been changed.

They were just waiting for Qian Gansan to start taking stock of the accounts.

Qian Gan's eyes lit up; this was the first time he had ever seen Fanlou's account books.

He knew, of course, that this wasn't the whole picture, but being able to see Fanlou's revenue records for the past three years was still extremely exciting.

There was no other way; before Song Xuan arrived in the capital, the most talked-about topic among the people was Fanlou.

Many people feel that spending money at Fanlou once is enough to make their life worthwhile.

Since a young man arrived in Tokyo and achieved the highest academic achievement at the youngest age, Song Xuan's popularity has remained high.

Liu Sanbian was very famous in Tokyo for writing lyrics.

However, Song Xuan was like a rising tide that pushed the old aside; he was incredibly domineering and completely overshadowed Liu Sanbian.

Even when performing in the entertainment district, they would start by singing Song Xuan's "Shuidiao Getou" to attract more people.

Now that Song Xuan has targeted Fanlou, and his competitors are flooding him with Douyin (TikTok) ads, he will be followed by others whenever he goes out with his men.

Everyone is talking about when Song Xuan will seal off Fanlou.

Tokyo may not have much else, but it has plenty of idlers.

Therefore, there were quite a few people keeping an eye on Fanlou and the county government office. In Dongjing City, firsthand information could also be exchanged for money.

There are quite a few idlers standing outside now, even if they wouldn't dare to step in on ordinary days.

But with the "Standing Tai Sui" backing them up today, some bold people have dared to come in and watch the show.

The people at Fanlou had no intention of stopping them.

Everyone knows that Manager Qian has "betrayed" them; who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause!

"Your Excellency, the accounts for this year have been reconciled. Fanlou's revenue exceeded 789,000 strings and 365 cash, and 2,367 strings and 11 cash should be paid."

"Fanlou's previously reported turnover was only 400,000 strings of cash, and that was for a year."

Hearing Qian Gansan's offer, Lin Kun didn't care. Even if it was for three years, the supplementary payment would only be five thousand guan, which he could accept.

"I am willing to make up the difference."

Lin Kun quickly said, "It's all because the people below didn't know the situation and didn't report the accounts to you truthfully. I can guarantee that."

"you shut up."

Song Xuan immediately told him to shut up: "Qian Gansan."

"My subordinate is here."

"Tell that man surnamed Lin how the Song Dynasty should deal with tax evasion among merchants."

Qian Gansan coughed:
"According to the laws of the Great Song Dynasty, those who evade taxes of less than ten strings of cash shall be punished with forty strokes of the cane, and shall also be fined double the amount of the tax owed."

“Anyone with more than one hundred strings of cash will be sentenced to a year of penal servitude and have one-third of their property confiscated.”

Lin Kun trembled slightly as he stared at Qian Gansan in disbelief.

"You haven't mentioned repeat offenders yet."

With Song Xuan's reminder, Qian Gansan was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat.

He had never handled a case like this before, so he didn't remember.

In Qian Gansan's memory, there were also two other price ranges: 10-50 and 50-100.

"My lord, I don't remember clearly."

"Confiscate all family property, exile for two thousand miles, and tattoo their names on their backs."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's verdict, Lin Kun staggered and collapsed to the ground.

He truly hadn't expected the laws of the Song Dynasty to be so harsh.

Song Xuan stood up and looked at Lin Kun:

"Come with us."

"I do not go."

Lin Kun was still thinking about discussing with his wife how to deal with Song Xuan after he got back.

But he then realized that Song Xuan had come to Fanlou today to arrest someone.

The purpose is clear.

On the contrary, it was I who dismissed the man surnamed Qian yesterday and directly pushed him to Song Xuan.

Otherwise, why would Song Xuan have brought him here to find the real account book of Fanlou?
Song Xuan clicked his tongue twice:

“Since he is not cooperating, there is no need to copy the account books. Take them all back to the county office as evidence and make copies.”

"Yes."

At Song Xuan's command, someone immediately locked up Lin Kun.

A large group of yamen runners began moving the account books, directly requisitioning Fanlou's private carriages.

All the workers in Fanlou, whether they were forced to work there or not, were looking at Song Xuan.

Song Xuan looked around at everyone and comforted them:
"It's none of your business. Keep playing the music and dancing."

"Lin Kun has repeatedly resisted taxes and will surely be punished. From now on, Fanlou will need to find a law-abiding manager. Besides, Fanlou still needs you to keep busy."

After saying this, Song Xuan left with his men.

The people in Fanlou looked at each other, unsure how much truth Song Xuan had to have.

From Liu Congde's brutal beating to Song Xuan's arrest, it all seems like Liu Congde was dissatisfied with his share of the profits and wanted to monopolize Fanlou.

The bold idlers saw this and immediately ran out to find their chosen benefactors, deliver the message, and make a fortune.

The constables from Kaifeng County arrived in a flurry and left laden with spoils.

Zeng Wen, the newly promoted manager, was completely at a loss.

He never expected that Song Xuan would take away the most vocal person in Fanlou.

After all, Lin Kun was just Madam Lin's mouthpiece.

What he said.

That's equivalent to what Madam Lin said.

Is Song Xuan truly unafraid of Madam Lin, who serves the Empress Dowager?
Su Qingrou took advantage of the chaos to return to her room, only to find Cang Lin there.

Cang Lin took a sip from the cup:
"what happened?"

"When did your godfather arrive?"

Cang Lin had planned to enjoy himself at Fanlou while it was less crowded, but he never expected that Song Xuan would lead his men to surround Fanlou.

Out of caution, Canglin hid.

"I came early."

Su Qingrou then recounted the whole story she knew.

Cang Lin, holding his teacup, was momentarily speechless.

He didn't quite understand Song Xuan's actions.

Why not just get the money? Why did they have to arrest the person and embarrass Madam Lin?

Isn't this heading towards a fight to the death?

Is he really not afraid of the Empress Dowager's anger?

Cang Lin mostly couldn't understand Song Xuan's actions.

He knew that Fanlou had done a lot of things behind the scenes.

However, Song Xuan only investigated the obvious matters, which Cang Lin felt was impossible for Song Xuan to be so simple, which puzzled him.

"Does Song Xuan have feelings for you?"

Hearing Cang Lin's question, Su Qingrou gently shook her head:
"So that my godfather knows that he has only come once in all this time, and that was at the invitation of Zhang Shizhong. He was indifferent to me."

Cang Lin was aware of this.

Song Xuan took away a lot of Snowflake wine and put it on the Privy Council's account, distributing it to his subordinates during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This matter spread like wildfire, making the officials and yamen runners in Xiangfu County and Kaifeng Prefecture extremely envious.

Also, they should teach their children, regardless of gender, so that girls who can read and do arithmetic will be more likely to get married!

Look at those officials, they always think of their subordinates when something good happens.

Not to mention the rumors that Song Xuan personally tutored his son Guo En, who died while on official business, and brought him to live in the county government office.

The grandfather and grandson were well-off.

Cang Lin felt that the price he paid for raising assassins was quite high.

However, he discovered that although Song Xuan did not raise any assassins, Cang Lin felt that Song Xuan was unaware that he had raised a large group of assassins.

In fact, Cang Lin understood the principle behind this; using money to win people over was the most basic tactic.

But when it comes to matters, many people understand the principles, yet they are just unwilling to spend their money.

The shopkeeper knows everything and understands everything, but he just doesn't want to.

After all, what is it if not to give away a bunch of poor people a lot of money?
Some leaders even believe that giving a little is appreciated, but giving too much is resented, so they cannot give it.

After all, they haven't even been promoted yet, but they're already fantasizing that they've been given a promotion. Wouldn't that mean they've lost a lot of benefits?

The fact that the top scholar Song was indifferent to her actually made Su Qingrou feel a sense of frustration.

She had never been neglected by a man before.

Which customer who comes to Fanlou wouldn't fawn over her?

Even so, there are certain requirements for meeting them.

Or they might ask for drinks and singing, in which case the price won't be low.

"Was it because Cao Liyong was present that day that Song Xuan couldn't act recklessly in front of his father-in-law?"

"this?"

Su Qingrou didn't think it was her fault, so she nodded slightly.
"Perhaps."

She also had her own pride. Although she came from Wuyou Cave, few people knew her true identity.

"I think so too. What father-in-law takes his son-in-law to a brothel?"

Cang Lin had come to agree with Su Qingrou's idea.

After all, a woman who could become the most beautiful courtesan at Fanlou was one in ten thousand, a fact that speaks volumes about the fierce competition in the capital city of Tokyo.

However, Cang Lin also forgot that a top scholar like Song Xuan, who achieved the highest honors in all three categories, was a rare sight even after many years.

"Get as close to Song Xuan as possible, and try to find out what kind of tricks he's up to."

Cang Lin stood up, put his hands behind his back, and watched the people from Kaifeng County leave through the crack in the window.

“I don’t believe there are any good officials in the world. Song Xuan must have some unknown purpose in doing things this way.”

Others may not know, but Cang Lin heard about the Imperial City Guard's investigation into Liao spies on his way here. He then stormed into the Daxiangguo Temple and took away many account books.

Not only the Daxiangguo Temple, but also other temples had people from the Imperial City Guard working there.

There were four royal temples in the inner city of Tokyo alone. This was after Empress Liu E worshipped Buddha and abolished some small temples, merging them all into the larger temples.

There are still some medium-sized temples in the outer city that have not been demolished, and there are also temples outside the city that store coffins.

Cang Lin did not believe that the Imperial City Guard had been wronged by the charge of colluding with Liao spies.

Not to mention these temples, even Wuyou Cave was likely connected with the Liao people.

It wasn't about selling the military secrets of the Song Dynasty; it was mainly about making money.

These spies don't need to come to the capital, Bianjing, to gather secrets of the Song Dynasty.

They mostly work along the border.

If we can persuade many Song people to defect to the Liao Dynasty, then we will have succeeded.

Even so, the Liao people still had to issue a statement saying that the Song people had come voluntarily, and then the court would reward these Song people who had defected.

This is also a value of united front work.

The Song people also recruited Liao people near the border, as they were valuable for both sides in terms of unification.

Both sides tacitly agreed that they only wanted people, not land.

Because if the Liao state occupied Song territory, it would mean war.

The Liao people would not easily invade the south; most of their activities were aimed at extorting money and causing mutual animosity.

In contrast, the central governments of the Song and Liao dynasties did not want to cause trouble, but their respective border generals were willing to fight.

Because once war breaks out, it's not just about money.

There are also military merits and the wealth of one's family descendants that can be earned.

Otherwise, if things remain calm, the border general won't take it seriously.

Their descendants went to stand guard in the palace, but they couldn't compete with the other powerful families in the capital.

After all, even the Imperial Guards have their own sons to take care of.

It's perfectly normal for border generals to engage in minor skirmishes with each other.

However, Cang Lin knew that most of those in Tokyo who colluded with Liao spies were doing so for money.

Smuggling is fucking lucrative!

Su Qingrou stood respectfully, waiting for her godfather's instructions.

After a long while, Cang Lin sighed again:
"I've thought about it for a long time. Song Xuan is so erratic, I really don't understand his motives."

"Don't worry, Godfather. With something like this happening at Fanlou, he will definitely arrange for me to sound out Song Xuan's intentions."

"Ah."

Cang Lin nodded, believing that women could indeed be useful at times.

You can easily get information that others can't get by just being cute.

Cang Lin didn't think Su Qingrou was a beauty like Diao Chan, but she was at least good-looking and was now the top courtesan at Fanlou.

He believed that using a honey trap on Song Xuan would still be effective.

It should be noted that before Su Qingrou became the most beautiful courtesan in Fanlou, countless others had already died before achieving this title.

Cang Lin doesn't just recognize one adopted daughter; there are far too many boys and girls forced to join Wuyou Cave.

Those who have no value to others have no reason to live.

Who succeeded?

Whoever she is, she is his goddaughter!

The rest are dead, and that's it.

Song Xuan rode his horse and walked down the street, holding a paper umbrella.

It's so sunny.

The ceremonial guards opened in front, and Song Xuan was flanked by guards on both sides.

Not only did the onlookers watch, but Zhao Jin, who was cleaning the ditch, also climbed out of it.

He stood on the cleaned-up pile of garbage, watching Song Xuan's demeanor, and felt genuinely envious.

This is what a man should do!

Unfortunately, I probably won't have the chance to pursue the imperial examination route.

Ren Fu, who was on patrol, did not see the emperor, but he did see the spirited Song Xuan.

I overheard people talking about how the mastermind behind Fanlou had been arrested.

Because Fanlou repeatedly failed to pay taxes and made false reports.

"Who is the mastermind behind this?"

"I don't know, I heard his surname is Lin."

How could ordinary people possibly know the truth?

Many people live in information cocoons.

Ren Fu narrowed his eyes, and the image of Madam Lin immediately popped into his mind.

Having served as a bodyguard for the late emperor, he had some understanding of certain matters within the palace.

It's perfectly normal that Fanlou was controlled by the Lin family.

What Ren Fu didn't expect was that Song Zhuangyuan wasn't afraid of offending the people around the Empress Dowager?

Ren Fu heard that Liu Congde had come out of the Kaifeng County government office, so he went to Fanlou and beat up the manager.

They, as people close to the Empress Dowager, were at odds with each other.

Ren Fu suddenly understood the reason behind it.

But why did the top scholar Song get involved?
In Ren Fu's view, this matter has blown up, and it's no longer just about tax money.

There must be a struggle behind it all.

Ren Fu deduced the cause from the result, thus falling into a logical fallacy.

He never considered that it was Song Xuan who orchestrated the infighting among the interest groups surrounding the Empress Dowager.

The murmurs of the crowd did not stop the constables from advancing.

Standing in the crowd, Xiaofeng looked at the spirited Song Xuan and felt a pang of envy.

Others can live openly and honestly in the sunlight, while I can only be a rat in the gutter.

Now that Song Xuan has taken down Fanlou, he's bound to make even more enemies. I wonder when he'll run into trouble.
At that time, I might have a chance to go to the county government office and steal back the money that belongs to me.

That was something I extracted from the cave master's mouth after I took over!

Now, thanks to Song Xuan's actions, there are far fewer young male celebrities, and even the auctions can only rely on their existing resources.

Xiao Feng thought so, and Zhao Yundi, who was watching the commotion from the side, also showed a look of indignation on his face.

He had finally been released from confinement, only to witness Song Xuan's imposing scene today.

How can I stop him from getting angry?
"Damn it, I didn't check the almanac before I went out today."

Zhao Yundi snorted and turned to leave.

Xiaofeng glanced at it.

Who is this person? Could it be that he also harbors resentment towards Song Xuan?

He immediately followed after them.

After returning to the county government office and making arrangements, Song Xuan went straight home.

Zhao Zhen had already returned to Yuqing Palace to review the accounts that the Imperial City Guard had searched in various places.

Inside the county government office, everyone was working overtime to copy Fanlou's accounts.

It doesn't mean anything by it; it's just that the official said he would give everyone a subsidy for copying.

If there's money to be made, who could resist copying it? That's it!

Lin Kun was thrown into the empty prison and felt extremely terrified.

He truly hadn't expected Song Xuan to arrest him directly.

Lin Kun knew nothing about the laws of the Song Dynasty.

Or perhaps they never thought this was a big problem.

Now that Song Xuan had spread the word to him all at once, Lin Kun finally realized how serious the consequences were.

In addition, Song Xuan's reputation for strict law enforcement had already spread far and wide.

If Song Xuan wouldn't even give face to his immediate superior, Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng, would he give face to his own wife?
Not to mention Lin Kun felt like he was living off a woman and was terrified of being dumped by Madam Lin.

Even if the fine were to be a third of his family fortune, or even more than ten thousand strings of cash, his wife might not agree to spend that money to save him.

Therefore, Lin Kun was extremely terrified after entering prison.

Lin Kun's son, Lin Zhongrong, was furious when he heard that his father had been arrested.

I thought it was a small matter, but who would have thought that Song Xuan would take it so seriously?
Lin Zhongrong and Ma Shufang are drinking tea and chatting.

Upon hearing this news, Uncle Ma, who was standing nearby, was so shocked that he didn't know what to do.

Ma Shufang was Ma Jiliang's younger brother. Ma Jiliang was originally a tea merchant who married Liu Mei's daughter, which is how he obtained an official position.

In addition, he was quite shrewd and thrived in officialdom, thus holding a high-ranking position.

Uncle Ma learned from idlers that Liu Congde had berated Manager Lin, which is why he came here to gather information.

After all, he and Liu Congde were not very close, and he did not want to provoke Liu Congde, who was in a fit of rage.

To avoid getting into trouble.

Uncle Ma never expected to hear such explosive news.

He was a little confused for a moment.

Not long after Liu Congde beat Lin Kun up, Song Xuan and his men arrested Lin Kun.

The two men went to deal with the same person one after the other, and Liu Congde also came from the Kaifeng County government office.

It's hard not to think that there was a conflict between Liu Congde and Madam Lin.

Liu Congde went to Song Xuan to report him, which led to this incident.

Lin Zhongrong never expected that after his father was beaten up by Liu Congde, Song Xuan would even help the evildoer and have his father arrested.

"I'm going to find that guy surnamed Song. He's just a lowly seventh-rank official. How dare he offend the Lin family? Does he have a death wish?"

Uncle Ma quickly grabbed Lin Zhongrong's arm: "Are you out of your mind?"

"Does Song Xuan think he can kill me?" Lin Zhongrong said angrily.

"I'm asking you, in what capacity did you go to see him?"

"What is my identity?"

Lin Zhongrong shook off Ma Shufang's arm:

“My mother is the Empress Dowager’s confidante, a unique figure in the entire Song Dynasty. How dare Song Xuan oppose my Lin family?”

Although Ma Shufang felt that Lin Zhongrong was not tight-lipped and could more easily find out information, that's why he befriended him.

I never imagined he was less intelligent than his father.

Song Xuan is just hoping you'll barge in; he's looking for an excuse to reunite you and your son in prison.

“Young friend Lin, don’t forget, you are a commoner and he is an official. Even if your mother were here, she would still have to pay her respects to Scholar Song.”

"What did you say?"

Lin Zhongrong turned around and glared angrily.

"I am telling the truth."

Ma Shufang's hands are behind his back:
"Don't even mention your mother. Even Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng, and his family have considerable influence in Tokyo. They were so angered by Song Xuan that they vomited blood and fainted, and haven't dared to utter a single word since."

Do you think Song Xuan would be afraid of your mother's power?

"I don't believe he doesn't know who your father is, but he still dared to make a move. Have you ever thought about the reasons behind this?"

"Don't forget, Song Xuan is known as the 'Standing Tai Sui'!"

Although Lin Zhongrong was not as arrogant as Liu Congde, he was still quite capable.

Empress Liu did not grant official titles to the families of the female officials around her.

After all, they were not related to the Liu family by marriage and did not have much value in uniting the people.

Hearing Ma Shufang's words, Lin Zhongrong's face was still full of anger, but he also regained a bit of his senses.

If I were to angrily go to Song Xuan, things might really turn out as Ma Shufang said.

He was detained by Song Xuan and thrown into the Kaifeng County jail.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Don't make any rash moves. You can't defeat Song Xuan on your own."

Uncle Ma lowered his voice and said:
"You should go to your mother right now, explain the situation in detail, and let her make the decision and tell you what to do."

"Okay." Lin Zhongrong was one to listen to advice and headed straight for the palace.

Uncle Ma watched him leave, then sat down, drank tea, and waited for him to return.

He actually suspected that it was an internal power struggle between Liu Congde and Madam Lin that led to this situation.

If he could get information from Lin Zhongrong, and then go to Liu Congde's residence, he could make a double profit.

Uncle Ma's lips curled up.

Today I have the opportunity to integrate into their circle, all thanks to Scholar Song!
Lin Zhongrong went directly to the palace gate and asked someone to call his mother out, saying that there was an urgent matter.

The imperial guards at the gate knew that this man was the son of someone close to the Empress Dowager, so they didn't make things difficult for him. Instead, they told him to wait in a small house to the side.

Lin Zhongrong didn't go; instead, he stayed inside the city gate, where it was cooler.

Just as Lin Zhongrong was bored and watching the ants on the ground, Madam Lin slowly arrived in her sedan chair.

"mother."

Madam Lin told her son to be quiet, got out of the sedan chair, and followed him into the carriage, heading home.

"How did you come?"

Normally, it's Lin Kun who comes to pick people up.

"Mother, Father has been arrested by Song Xuan."

Hearing her son's words, Mrs. Lin was taken aback at first, then asked:

"what is going on?"

After Lin Zhongrong finished recounting the story, Madam Lin's face showed a hint of anger.

After all, making things difficult for Song Xuan was a way of teaching him manners!

But he was so ungrateful that he turned around and caused me trouble!
"Mother, let's go directly to the Kaifeng County Government Office and get Father out."

"What are you trying to do!" Madam Lin threw her handkerchief on the ground. "He can't even handle this little thing. What use is he?"

Lin Zhongrong didn't dare to say much, after all, her mother was the one who made the decisions at home.

My father always nodded in agreement.

"None of them are easy to deal with."

Mrs. Lin took the handkerchief her son had picked up: "This matter is indeed quite troublesome."

Because in Madam Lin's view, Liu Congde was still complaining in the palace.

This matter has little to do with Song Xuan; the main problem lies with Liu Congde.

However, this whole affair was caused by Song Xuan. If Song Xuan hadn't wanted to collect the old taxes, the fake accounting books wouldn't have been exposed.

This time, not only was Liu Congde dissatisfied, but Zhang Qi, who had remained silent, was probably not too happy either.

One thing after another is a problem!
Mrs. Lin had not yet come up with a good idea.

"Mother, should we get rid of Song Xuan?"

"What are you talking about?"

Madam Lin was startled and instinctively retorted.

But seeing her son gesturing to his neck, she felt conflicted.

Just how much trouble will killing Song Xuan cause?
"Mom, anyway, the murderer who ripped out the heart in the bathroom said that whoever investigates this case will die."

Lin Zhongrong naturally understood the hesitation in his mother's expression:
"So we found someone to impersonate the murderer and kill Song Xuan, so that no suspicion would fall on us."

“We can even use the Chen brothers’ name to ask the No Fate Society to do this.”

"Don't talk nonsense."

Madam Lin knew that her son had this idea, but even if he wanted to do it, she couldn't let him risk his life by going to the No-Life Society to do such a thing.

"it is good."

Lin Zhongrong didn't say anything more, since Song Xuan was currently riding high.

He caused trouble everywhere and offended countless people.

Tokyo is becoming increasingly chaotic, so it's only natural that things would go wrong.

After returning home, Madam Lin dismissed Uncle Ma and arranged for her son to visit him in prison at the Kaifeng County government office.

Although she looked down on her husband, Lin Kun knew many things.

No matter what, we can't let Lin Kun lose hope and give up on everything.

It should be noted that tax evasion is, among other things, almost the least serious offense.

Madam Lin found her trusted confidant and had him use the Chen brothers' names to find someone from the No Life Society to kill Song Xuan.

She didn't care about being the top scholar in the Song Dynasty.

After making this decision, Mrs. Lin stayed at home and devoted herself to Buddhism.

Tokyo was brightly lit.

However, there were far fewer lights outside the city, except for a few torches at the dock.

No Life Society.

Now they've become even bolder, with their own headquarters on the ground.

They've also been involved in numerous murder and arson cases.

But now their main business is "debt collection," which is an easier way to make money.

Of course, it's also possible that some people lose money in business and go bankrupt, unable to repay their debts, so they can only sell their properties to earn a meager living.

Ma Liu, the leader of the No-Life Society, wearing a mask, sized up the Chen family members in front of him.

Since it wasn't through a mutual acquaintance, you have to pay an entry fee if you want to find someone to do your job.

"Murder, debt collection, or crippling?"

Upon hearing these three options, the Chen family coughed:
"kill."

"The price for murder isn't cheap." The hairless giant Ma Liu stretched out his hand:

"Killing a commoner costs fifty strings of cash, killing an official costs one hundred strings, killing a bureaucrat costs five hundred strings, and killing an entire family costs extra according to the number of people killed. Who do you want to kill?"

The Lin family member, disguised as a member of the Chen family, said in a low voice:
"Kill the official."

"Kill an official?"

To be honest, this was the first time that Ma Liu, the boss of the hairless giant, had ever received an order to kill an official.

"Civil officials and military officials?"

"Civil official".

The hairless giant Ma Liu remained silent, then slammed his hand on the table and demanded:
Do you know what crime it was to kill a civil official in the Song Dynasty?

"know."

Lin Quan, hidden behind the mask, swallowed hard and said firmly:
"Does the No-Life Society not even dare to kill an official?"

"What I mean is you have to pay more!"

"How much money do you want?"

Ma Liu held up his finger and said:
"Two thousand strings of cash for those below the fifth rank, and for those above the fifth rank, it depends on their position."

Lin Quan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Seventh rank."

"Seventh rank." The hairless tiger Ma Liu nodded repeatedly: "That's alright. Should we kill him or his whole family?"

"He's the only one."

"Okay, I'll take this order. I'll pay a deposit of two thousand strings of cash first."

"what?"

"You've come wearing a mask, how am I supposed to find you to settle the payment?"

"Bang! My company is all about keeping its word!"

The hairless worm Ma Liu spoke impatiently:

"Tell me the names and addresses of all the people you're going to kill."

“Song Xuan usually works at the Kaifeng County Government Office, and his home is on Yujie Street.”

"Who?"

The hairless giant Ma Liu immediately stood up, bracing himself on the long table with both hands: "Who are you talking about?"

Lin Quan was wearing a mask, so he couldn't see the expression on Ma Liu's face, who was also wearing a mask. But seeing his appearance and thinking of Madam Lin's kindness to him, he still forced himself to say:
"That's Song Xuan, the top scholar of the Song Dynasty, and Cao Liyong's son-in-law."

Even the hairless giant Ma Liu was so angry he laughed:
"Don't you know who Song Xuan is to me?"

"what?"

Startled, Lin Quan tried to stand up and run away, but when he saw the gleaming knives of the two guards behind him, his legs went weak and he couldn't run at all.

"The Song Dynasty's top scholar's poems were famous throughout the three capitals, and he often spoke out for the people. He is the person I admire most!"

"You must kill him!"

The hairless tiger walked up to Lin Quan, grabbed his collar, and said:
"You have to pay more!"

Lin Quan was so frightened by those words that he wet his pants, but then he heard that more money was needed.

He quickly asked, "How much more would you like, sir?"

"Two thousand taels of gold, and I'll do it for you. Not a penny less!"

The hairless giant Ma Liu gritted his teeth and said:

"You should know that Song Xuan is the youngest scholar to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations since the founding of the Song Dynasty. His poems are highly sought after by everyone in the capital city of Tokyo."

"Not to mention that vernacular novels have always been popular in the entertainment district, and more importantly, my favorite Romance of the Three Kingdoms will never be updated again because of his death. You have to compensate me, no bargaining!"

"One thousand taels of gold."

The hairless giant Ma Liu turned around and stared fiercely at Lin Quan through his mask.

"I only brought one thousand taels of gold with me. I can give you the other one thousand taels after the deed is done."

Hearing Lin Quan's answer, the hairless tiger narrowed its eyes slightly:

"No, you have to give me another thousand taels of gold, to be paid in advance!"

“You should know that the people around Song Zhuangyuan are all experts. Once we kill him, we brothers will have no choice but to flee to the Liao Kingdom. There will be no way we can stay in the Song Dynasty anymore.”

"Therefore, full payment is required!"

Listening to the hairless tiger's words, Lin Quan knew that it was indeed as he said.

The assassination of such a promising top scholar in the Song Dynasty capital was bound to cause a huge uproar.

"I need to go back and ask my master about this."

"can."

Ma Liu, the hairless giant worm, tapped the table with his finger:

Where is that thousand taels of gold?

"You and your men come with me."

Ma Liu gestured for the two men to follow him.

Lin Quan told his son to get off the donkey cart and wait there while he drove the cart over to unload the goods, and then the two of them would go back to the city.

On the long table were two boxes, each containing less than thirty-two pounds of gold.

The hairless giant Ma Liu originally thought that asking for an exorbitant price would scare people away, but unexpectedly, gold was actually placed in front of him.

Lin Quan looked at the hairless worm's stunned expression and understood the shock in his eyes.

So he spoke with more confidence: "I hope you can come up with a solution within three days. Next time I'll bring gold and see a practical solution."

"it is good."

Hairless Big Bug Ma Liu readily agreed.

After all, the two boxes of gold spoke for him.

"If you have any other requests, just say so. My No Life Society is highly reputable, and everyone who hires us speaks highly of us."

Lin Quan wore a smile beneath his mask:

"I have heard of the reputation of the No-Life Society, which is why I spared no expense to do this."

Ma Liu didn't take his praise seriously.

"I actually have a way to avoid your entire society fleeing to the Liao Kingdom. I wonder if you would like to hear it?"

"Tell me about this amazing thing."

Ma Liu guessed that the Chen brothers had the power in official circles to handle Song Xuan's murder, but he was more worried that he would eventually become a scapegoat.

Those officials always use you and then kill you.

Especially for something so important, how could they possibly leave any leverage for these "nobodies"?

"The murderer who digs out people's hearts in the bathroom will always commit the crime. Big Bug can use this method to get rid of the suspicion of murder."

"Hiss." The hairless tiger Ma Liu nodded repeatedly: "That's a good idea."

Lin Quan cupped his hands in greeting and then drove off in his donkey cart.

"Big brother?"

"Take your brothers and follow him closely, but don't get caught. See if he's one of the Chen brothers' servants."

The hairless giant tiger Ma Liu removes his mask:

"Although this person is timid, he has a clear goal and doesn't seem to come from a humble background."

"Yes."

After everyone left, Ma Liu affectionately rubbed his face against the gold ingot.

After a while, Ma Liu finally hid one box of gold and pulled another box of gold in front of him to examine it carefully.

In any case, we'll still have to share some of the profits with them later.

Ma Liu, unwilling to accept unfair distribution of spoils, directly eliminated the core members of the No-Life Society.

After all, he understood the power of money to move people's hearts.

Even if you eat meat yourself, you must give the people below you bones and some soup.

This was the first time he had received such a large order.

If you dare to ask for a price, he dares to pay it.

Ma Liu couldn't imagine who else in the entire city of Tokyo, besides the Chen brothers, would want to kill Song Xuan and go to such great lengths to do so.

After waiting for a long time, the two trusted men finally returned, and Ma Liu immediately threw a gold ingot at each of them.

He had been rubbing it for a long time, and it was covered in human oil.

The two trusted confidants took the gold and examined it with smiles.
"Brother, you'd never guess who's behind this?"

"Couldn't they be the Chen brothers?"

"No, he went back to the Chen residence on purpose, took his things inside, but didn't drive the carriage into the residence."

"Fortunately, his brothers were wise enough not to rush back to report. He went to the second place before finally driving the donkey cart into the mansion."

Ma Liu gasped:

"This gold must be burning your hands. Could it be from the Liu family?"

Another trusted confidant shook his head again:

"It's the Lin family."

"Lin?"

Ma Liu looked doubtful: "I've never heard of the Lin family holding any official positions in the court, or having a grudge against the top scholar Song!"

"Fanlou".

"what?"

Ma Liu immediately remembered that this was a regular customer who was chasing after debts.

"what happened?"

The subordinate then told Ma Liu about what had happened at Fanlou that day, and that it involved someone close to the Empress Dowager.

Ma Liu touched his bald head, momentarily unsure of what to do.

"Big brother, what are we doing?"

"What a load of crap, all you do is chase money, you have no sense of propriety at all."

Ma Liu touched his head:
"Are you out of your mind, or am I?"

"But we've already taken the money."

"So what if we take the money?" Ma Liu said, glancing at his two trusted men.

"Don't you two know what a crime it is to kill an official?"

"Do you really think that our No-Life Society is really going to throw our lives and the lives of our entire families into this?"

The two men remained silent, but looking at the box of gold, they really didn't want to return it.

"Let's stall for time. I thought it was Scholar Song who wanted to wipe us out and deliberately sent people to kill him to lure us into making a move. It seems I was overthinking it."

Ma Liu closed the lid containing the gold:
"I was thinking that we should take the gold too, but we should also give Scholar Song face. We can't afford to offend this magistrate for the time being. He's causing trouble in the city, but he hasn't come to kill us outside the city."

“But now the people around the Empress Dowager want to kill Song Xuan, and the Lin family also has ways to prevent us from taking action, which is troublesome.”

One of his trusted confidants gestured as he spoke:

"How about we take the money and then kill him?"

(End of this chapter)