Prime Minister

Chapter 247, Section 246: [Backstage]

Qiao Wenxuan groaned, the excruciating pain causing him to curl up like a shrimp, his face smeared with snot, tears, and blood, leaving him no strength to even cry out in agony.

Young Master Sang loosened his collar, tossed him to the ground like a rag, turned around to look at the mess in the private room, a very satisfied smile on his face, and exclaimed loudly, "Comfortable!"

Qiao Wenxuan's close associates and friends, as well as the thugs of Lan Yue Fang, were all lying on the ground groaning. The only one still standing was the manager, Wu Ding, who was terrified and knew that the disaster had really gotten out of hand.

Wu Ding stared at the young man in the lead with a look of utter despair, but dared not utter a word of ill will, for he had already guessed the man's true identity.

The combination of "Caobang" and "Young Master Sang" suggests that the young man is Sang Chengze, the youngest son of Sang Shichang, the leader of the Caobang.

For the people living along the Grand Canal, the Canal Gang was an unavoidable presence, and there was even a branch of the Canal Gang in Yangzhou.

The people's daily lives, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation, were all related to the canal gang. Even peddlers and laborers had heard of the renowned leader of the canal gang, Sang.

People like Wu Ding, who are well-informed, know that Sang Shichang has three sons. His eldest and second sons are powerful figures in the canal gang, while his youngest son, Sang Chengze, is in his early twenties and is arrogant and domineering, often resorting to violence.

However, Wu Ding didn't recognize Sang Chengze at first because he had never appeared in Yangzhou before. Otherwise, he would never have dared to let the other party go straight to the top floor.

Looking at the mess inside the room, Wu Ding was on the verge of tears, but dared not leave without permission. One of Sang Chengze's men stared at him with a sinister smile.

"Manager Wu, are you from Haimen County?"

Sang Chengze sat casually in the seat that Qiao Wenxuan had previously occupied, poured himself a glass of wine, and looked at Wu Ding with a leisurely air.

"Yes...yes, Young Master Sang."

Wu Ding felt a chill in his heart. He finally realized that the other party's outburst was not a spur-of-the-moment thing at all, but a deliberate provocation, and it was specifically aimed at Qiao Wenxuan!
What terrified him even more was that the other party had investigated his background so thoroughly, even revealing the location of his hometown. This was a blatant threat—Wu Ding's body trembled slightly at the thought of his parents living in his hometown.

Sang Chengze downed his drink in one gulp and said leisurely, "What are you still standing here for? Why don't you go report this to the authorities?"

These words stunned Wu Ding.

Sang Chengze and his men were indeed exceptionally fierce. The five of them easily and neatly dealt with more than a dozen people. The power of the Canal Gang was also very large. But this was Yangzhou City, a city where the new policies were in full swing and where Xue Tongzhi's word was law!

This young master of the Cao Gang injured so many people and still hasn't left. Is he really that reckless, or does he think that Magistrate Xue wouldn't dare to deal with him?

"boom!"

Sang Chengze was clearly running out of patience. He slammed his hand on the table and frowned, saying, "Go report this to the authorities!"

"Yes Yes."

Wu Ding dared not hesitate any longer. He didn't know what this pampered young master Sang was up to, so he could only do as he was told.

Sang Chengze glanced at the injured people lying haphazardly on the ground, gestured to one of his men to open the door to the private room, and then moved the screen that was blocking the view. He then continued to leisurely enjoy the delicacies on the table.

About an incense stick's time later, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps came from the direction of the stairwell.

Sang Chengze looked up and saw a squad of patrolmen with knives at their waists rushing in like wolves and tigers. The leader was none other than the patrolman Cheng Dong.

Beside him were two other people. The one on the left was Wu Ding, who had returned. The one on the right was nearly forty years old, dressed in a royal blue robe with floral patterns. His face bore a four or five resemblance to Qiao Wenxuan, but his temperament was more composed and resolute, with a hint of menace between his brows.

This person is Qiao Wenhao, the eldest son of Qiao Wangshan and the elder brother of Qiao Wenxuan.

Qiao Wangshan is now quite old, and he devotes his limited energy to the Salt Industry Association. Qiao Wenhao is in charge of clan affairs and foreign relations.

He had received a message from Qiao Wenxuan's trusted servant, and immediately went to Cheng Dong to report to the authorities for help. On his way there, he encountered Wu Ding.

Despite the menacing presence of the patrol officers, Sang Chengze and his four men remained fearless.

Qiao Wenhao's cold gaze swept over the injured people scattered all over the room. When he saw his younger brother, whose face was covered in blood and who was slumped in the corner, a surge of shock and anger instantly rushed to his head.

"Wenxuan!"

Qiao Wenhao roared and charged forward.

"This must be the eldest son of the Qiao family? Don't worry, your brother only suffered minor injuries."

Sang Chengze leisurely picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, then stood up.

Qiao Wenhao suppressed his rage, helped Qiao Wenxuan up and handed him over to a servant. He then ordered the injured on the ground to be taken out one by one and given simple first aid. He didn't even look at the arrogant Sang Chengze, but only bowed to Cheng Dong and said, "Inspector Cheng, the members of the Canal Gang have openly committed violence and disregarded the law. Please, Your Excellency, uphold justice for the Qiao family!"

On the way here, Cheng Dong had heard Wu Ding explain the cause of the conflict. Both for public and private reasons, he should stand on the side of the Qiao family. He immediately said in a deep voice, "Men, arrest the perpetrator and take him back to the government office for questioning!"

The patrolmen immediately stepped forward, their swords drawn. Although the members of the canal gang were skilled, if they were to intervene now, the nature of the entire incident would change drastically.

No matter how fierce they were just now, they only injured the Qiao family members who did not hold official positions and the thugs on the pleasure boat. If they had fought with the people from the patrol office, they would have been committing treason.

The four experts from the Canal Gang all looked back at the same time. Sang Chengze frowned and said, "Wait!"

Cheng Dong said coldly, "Sang Chengze, do you intend to deny the act of assault in front of everyone?"

"Of course not. I've always been one to admit my mistakes. Even in front of Lord Xue, I dare to admit that I beat them up like this."

Sang Chengze took two steps forward, meeting Cheng Dong's scrutiny, and said calmly, "I've heard that Lord Xue is a well-known upright official, and Inspector Cheng works under him. Surely he wouldn't distort the truth and wrong an innocent person, right?"

Cheng Dong almost laughed out of anger at these words.

He knew very well how powerful the Grand Canal Gang was, and he also knew that Sang Shichang was not someone to be trifled with, but he dared not disappoint Xue Huai. If he let these perpetrators go unpunished today, he could pack his bags and go back to his hometown tomorrow.

With this in mind, Cheng Dong gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist with his right hand and slowly said, "I'll give you a chance to speak."

"it is good!"

Sang Chengze smiled and said calmly, "I heard that Lan Yue Fang is the best painted boat in Yangzhou, so I brought a few brothers to see it. Who knew that Master Qiao Qi occupied the largest private room, and I impulsively barged in. It was indeed my fault, I admit it."

Qiao Wenhao immediately said, "You surnamed Sang, you did more than just that. You also insulted my father and the Qiao family, and later you even injured so many people. Do you still want to deny it?"

"Boss Qiao, you can't just say things like that."

Sang Chengze sneered and said, "It's common for members of prominent families to have a few words exchanged. Even if it goes to the authorities, it's just a minor matter. As for your claim that I injured someone, it was clearly your good brother who started it, beating my brothers black and blue. If I hadn't let them fight back, wouldn't I have been beaten to death?"

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

Qiao Wenxuan, who had finally calmed down, almost fainted from anger again upon hearing these words.

Sang Chengze then had his four men stand in a row. As he had said, their faces were covered in wounds, but this didn't necessarily mean anything. They could have been injured during the fight. So he looked at Wu Ding and said, "Manager Wu, please tell Inspector Cheng the truth. Was it Qiao Wenxuan who ordered his men to attack first? Did we just endure the beating?"

Faced with the gazes that suddenly converged on him, Wu Ding's legs went weak.

Only then did he understand the deeper meaning of Sang Chengze's earlier words: if he dared to favor the Qiao family and lie, the Cao Gang would never let his family off the hook.

"It was...it was the Qiao family who attacked first."

After a moment, Wu Ding, pale-faced, told the truth.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Sang Chengze clapped his hands and said, "Inspector Cheng, you heard it all. The other side injured people first, and my brothers and I were forced to fight back. As for how things ended up like this, it's because they are not skilled enough. But you can't arrest us just because they are useless. If this gets out, people won't say anything about you, Inspector Cheng. They'll just say that Lord Xue isn't so fair after all."

Cheng Dong did not lose his composure because of this. He looked to the side and saw that Qiao Wenxuan's gaze was somewhat evasive. He immediately realized that what Wu Ding said was true.

Qiao Wenxuan was filled with remorse and regret. Why couldn't he have been more patient?
If the members of the Canal Gang are allowed to leave Lan Yue Fang unscathed today, his personal grudges will be nothing, but the Qiao family's reputation will be completely ruined!
At this moment, Qiao Wenhao stepped forward, his eyes deep as he looked at Sang Chengze. He said slowly, "Your Excellency is truly cunning. First, you forced your way in to provoke us, then you insulted my father and the Qiao family, forcing my younger brother into a corner, and finally you resorted to sophistry and false accusations. Do you think you can fool the people of Yangzhou? Today, you deliberately provoked us. Who struck first is irrelevant. Even I can't hide your tricks from you. Do you think you can fool the sharp-eyed Lord Xue?"

"Young Master Qiao is right."

Cheng Dong nodded in agreement, and then said to Sang Chengze, "Young Master Sang, please come with me to the government office."

Sang Chengze shrugged.

Just then, a calm and steady voice rang out from outside the private room: "You, Sang Chengze, you've arrived so early. Did the sun rise in the west today?"

Sang Chengze was overjoyed and said, "Brother Jiang, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, I would have been bullied to death by these Yangzhou people!"

Everyone looked outside and saw a man in his thirties, accompanied by two attendants, calmly walk into the private room and go straight to Cheng Dong and the Qiao brothers.

Cheng Dong sized up the other person and asked, "Who are you?"

The man glanced at the mess in the private room, then sighed and bowed to Cheng Dong, saying, "My name is Jiang Fangzheng, and I come from Huai'an."

These ten words caused Cheng Dong's expression to change, and Qiao Wenhao next to him also frowned.

Jiang Fangzheng was the only son of Jiang Jizhou, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner.

(End of this chapter)