The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 130 Family Crisis

Cheng Qin, Cheng She, Cheng Mian...

When Shang Zishu first learned the names of the three Cheng brothers, she joked, "These three brothers, the eldest and the youngest, sound like they are born of the same mother, while the second brother sounds like he is born out of wedlock. I've inquired and they are actually brothers."

Diligence is always accompanied by the earnest expectations of elders, but this pardon is an expression of leniency.

"Perhaps it was due to the guidance of a wise person that the Second Master's fate clashed with his." Shang Wenshu always liked to think of things in a positive light, just like her gentle and quiet nature.

Shang Mingshu listened but didn't bother to investigate further.

Today's events have led her to some speculations. She also thought that Cheng She was always being hunted down by various forces, perhaps not only because he had a huge fortune, but also because of his mysterious background.

Shang Mingshu slowly returned to her room. As the door closed, she banished the thoughts from her mind. Her entanglement with Cheng She was nothing more than Cheng Mian's one-sided goodwill. In the future, she should have no close relationship with the Cheng family. The secrets of the Cheng family belong to the Cheng family. As an outsider, she should not rashly arouse curiosity.

Cheng She stood under the corridor in the courtyard. Under the orange-red and dark lamplight, fine snowflakes fell in specks of light from the lanterns. He watched Shang Mingshu go back into her house and saw the light in her room go out not long after.

He lowered his eyes and stood still for a moment before walking towards Commander Lu's house with a cold face.

"Try it, it was brewed by Third Madam Shang herself." Commander Lu seemed to have expected him to return, and forgot his earlier unpleasantness. With a gentle expression, he handed him a cup of tea.

Seeing that Cheng She didn't answer for a long time, he smiled slightly, placed the teacup on the table opposite him, and calmly raised his hand.

Cheng She remained motionless, his dark, speckled eyes looking down at her.

Lu Sanlang, unable to bear it any longer, suppressed his anger: "Father is getting old, Second Brother..."

“Lord Lu,” Cheng She interrupted Lu Sanlang, “Commander Lu and Lord Lu hold high positions and great power. I am but a humble countryman and a mere merchant. I am unworthy of being called an elder brother by Lord Lu.”

His words made Commander Lu's shoulders slump slightly, and Lu Sanlang felt even more distressed when he saw this, and said angrily: "So many years have passed, how long are you going to hold a grudge?"

Cheng She ignored Lu Sanlang and respectfully bowed to Commander Lu with the humility due to a subordinate: "The past cannot be retrieved, and I do not remember it. Lord Lu is a favored son of heaven, and Commander Lu has no shortage of people to dote on him. I also have brothers, and my family is harmonious and happy. I should be content. Commander Lu, some feelings are inherently shallow, so why force them?"

Commander Lu sat casually, holding a teapot. His wide sleeves concealed the faint redness at the corners of his eyes. A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Commander Lu, who held immense power and was responsible for the safety of the entire capital, had a gentle look in his eyes: "A-Shu, your hatred and resentment towards me are all my own fault. But the Lu family has never wanted to abandon you. For you, recognizing your ancestors and returning to your clan is only for your own benefit. Don't act impulsively."

"Commander Lu, do you know how much I hate my name, and even more so my courtesy name?" Cheng She sneered. "But this was given to me by my mother before she died. I am not my mother. It would be better if we met at the end of our lives. There can be no second chance today, or don't blame me for being ruthless with my sword."

Commander Lu's lips trembled, wanting to call out again, but he found himself unsure how to address this towering, mountain-like child.

Cheng She exchanged a deep glance with Commander Lu, then stepped forward, picked up the cold tea on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and then grabbed the pot of tea that Shang Mingshu had brewed and took it away without looking back.

Commander Lu watched his resolute figure disappear into the wind and snow, a glistening tear in his eye, before closing it. Shang Mingshu was completely unaware of this; she went to bed early and set off the next morning without saying goodbye to Cheng She.

When Cheng She woke up, he learned that the person had been gone for a quarter of an hour. He led his horse and chased after him for a mile, but finally gave a bitter smile, patted his horse, turned around, and headed back to the capital.

Snow fell in many parts of the north, making travel difficult and waterways even more dangerous. Shang Mingshu simply slowed down her journey, spending a day or two in each of the main cities of Beizhili to inspect the tea markets in those places.

As for her family, Shang Mingshu was not worried. Her father was not a useless person. He had not been wary of the Shi family enough before. Now that the two families were separated by the hatred of killing their son, Shang Jinliang would not take it lightly.

The businesses would be helpless without her; she knew she couldn't save them on her own, especially since she had made some arrangements before leaving...

At this moment, the merchants of Huizhou Prefecture were in dire straits. Shang Jinliang was imprisoned, and even Prefect He was detained. The prefectural city was taken over by the imperial envoy. It all started when Shi Houqiong blew up the merchants' dock warehouse.

A warehouse full of gunpowder nearly destroyed the dock. If the merchant's warehouse had not been far from the shore, the destruction of the dock would have inevitably affected the fishermen in the surrounding area.

Although the fishermen were not harmed, the warehouses of nearby merchants were burned to the ground, and many guards and patrolmen, as well as servants guarding various households, were killed.

Explosives are contraband. Since the incident occurred in the merchant's warehouse, those who suffered losses naturally want to seek an explanation from the merchant and find out why so many explosives were stored in their warehouse.

When Prefect He received a message from Shang Jinliang through the Yao family, he chose to believe Shang Jinliang and became even more wary of Shi Houqiong, who came to report to him. However, before he could send anyone to investigate the items that had been replaced in the warehouse, the warehouse was set on fire and exploded.

The incident had an extremely negative impact. After discussing it with Xu Tianxing, Prefect He quickly arrested Shang Jinliang, ostensibly for interrogation but in reality for protection.

No one knew that an imperial envoy would enter Huizhou Prefecture at this time. No one knew whether the imperial envoy was there for inspection or was a special person. If Shi Houqiong had not incited public anger and caused more than half of the merchants in Huizhou Prefecture to jointly report that Prefect He was protecting Shang Jinliang, the imperial envoy probably would not have revealed his identity.

"Is Father alright in the prison?" Shang Zishu asked anxiously as she saw Shang Wenshu return, grabbing her hand.

Before the imperial envoy arrived, Shang Zishu wasn't worried at all; now, however, they have no idea about Shang Jinliang's current situation.

"I didn't see my father." Shang Wenshu's brows were full of sorrow.

"Didn't you make any arrangements? Or did you not have enough money?" Shang Zishu's heart tightened.

Shang Wenshu looked around cautiously and pulled Shang Zishu into the house: "I met General Xu, who told me not to spend any money, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable."

It was common practice to spend money to bribe jailers to visit prisoners, and Shang Wenshu didn't think it was a problem. Xu Tianxing said that the imperial envoy was investigating her father's relationship with the prefect, and what was insignificant in the past could become a handle at this moment.

"What should we do?" Shang Zishu was completely at a loss. Her father used to be the pillar of the family. Even when he was gone, there was still her mother and third sister. Now, her father had been arrested, her mother was seriously ill, and her third sister was not at home...

"Why don't you ask me what to do, Second Sister?" The door was pushed open, and standing in the doorway was Du Zhong. He was no longer as gentle as before, and he looked at the two sisters with a half-smile.