nucmednet Chapter 42 Something Happened at the Hangzhou Wan Hua Lou (Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion)
Chapter 42 Something Happened at the Hangzhou Wan Hua Lou (Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion)
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Liu Ye was playfully fighting with Tang Yu in the house. Just as he was having an internal struggle, the door was pushed open with a bang, and Li Fu rushed in, shouting, "Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened in Hangzhou!"
Tang Yu gasped and buried her head in Liu Ye's arms.
Seeing this, Li Fu froze on the spot. Seeing Liu Ye's eyes practically spitting fire, even he, oblivious to the danger, knew he'd ruined his master's plans. Realizing what had happened, he sheepishly retreated, stammering, "I didn't see anything, sir, please continue... continue..."
The atmosphere was ruined, and nothing good could be done. Liu Ye came to the front hall with a dark face.
Although he was angry, he knew that if Li Fudu said something serious had happened, then something must have happened and he couldn't delay.
It turns out that Wan Hua Lou's business was so good that it not only aroused the jealousy of its peers, but also attracted the covetous eyes of many people, the first of whom was the Gao family, who made their fortune in money shops.
The Gao family used their connections with the government to demand that Suwen pay ten million taels of silver annually. Upon learning this, Li Fu was at a loss and could only consult with Liu Ye.
Ten million taels of silver a year, who knows what will happen in the future? This Gao family is ruthless, colluding with the government to pull this stunt, trying to drive me to my death!
With a "smack," Liu Ye slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Isn't forcing you to your death the same as bullying me? The Gao family is truly hateful. If we don't teach them a lesson, they won't know their place."
The Wanhualou business is now his only stable source of income. Whether it's raising soldiers, smelting iron, making guns, or casting cannons, it all requires money. Although he has recently robbed many wealthy clients, it is not a long-term solution. This stable source of income cannot be allowed to be lost.
Liang Xiaoming rubbed his hands together vigorously: "What should we do? Do you have any ideas? Our business can't just die like this!"
Shi Ying said, "Sir, we are just rough men who only know how to fight. You tell us what to do, and we will do it."
Liu Ye gritted his teeth and said, "If words don't work, then we'll use force! Anyone who gets in my way, I'll send them to their death! Once we get rid of Master Gao, the Gao family will be leaderless and won't care about us anymore. I'll go there myself this time, and Lin San will come with me. Training is also very important, so Shi Ying will be in charge of the training."
Shi Ying and Lin San agreed, and Liang Xiaoming pointed to himself: "What about me? We fought side by side to kill Master Tang!"
“Now that we’ve set up shop, we can’t do without someone at home to keep things in order. I’ve gone to Hangzhou, so we’re counting on you at home. You can handle all the big and small matters. If you’re unsure about something, just leave it for now and wait for me to come back.”
Liang Xiaoming thought what he said made sense, so he had no choice but to agree.
Dealing with the Gao family is different from dealing with the Tang family or the Lingao County government; sending too many people will be useless. Liu Ye only brought Lin San and ten veteran guards.
Upon arriving in Hangzhou, the group went directly to Wanhualou and contacted Suwen.
Suwen was overjoyed to see her master arrive and wanted to arrange for them to stay at the Wan Hua Lou, but Liu Ye refused. The purpose of their mission was assassination, so staying at the Wan Hua Lou was unacceptable, lest suspicion fall on them later. Liu Ye simply asked Suwen to provide a detailed account of the Gao family's situation so he could know his enemy and strike successfully.
The Gao family's house was easy to find; it was the largest house on the entire street. The group wandered around outside the wall under the cover of darkness, taking more than half an hour to complete a full circle.
Liu Ye gasped. Damn, this mansion was enormous! In modern times, the Gao family's land area would be enough to build a park. Considering the housing prices within the third ring road of a first-tier city in later years, a mansion this size would cost at least nine figures. He had thought Liu Family Village was already quite large, but seeing the Gao family made him realize the difference between a rural nouveau riche and a true tycoon.
Lin San looked around to see if there was a way in, but the main gate was brightly lit and guarded by servants, so it was clear that he couldn't go through the main gate. When he came to a secluded place, he said to Liu Ye, "Master, no one passes by here. Can I climb over the wall and take a look?"
Liu Ye looked at Lin San's physique and nodded in agreement.
With a powerful jump, he could just reach the top of the wall. His arm strength was astonishing; he climbed up with a single effort and, under the cover of night, carefully observed the top of the wall.
After he jumped down, he said to Liu Ye, "Master, there's a problem. Lanterns are lit everywhere in the courtyard. It's already past 7 PM, and there are still patrolling servants."
"Damn, is the Gao family rich merchants or the inner palace? They even have servants patrolling? They must have done too many bad things and are afraid of being retaliated against." Liu Ye couldn't help but complain.
Before Lin San could reply, a figure suddenly emerged from the darkness, bumping into the group and overhearing their conversation. Neither side expected to encounter anyone else there, and both were momentarily stunned.
Liu Ye reacted quickly and ordered Lin San: "Grab him, but don't let anyone discover our whereabouts."
Upon hearing this, the man instinctively tried to run, but he was unsteady on his feet and couldn't walk fast. Just as he turned around, Lin San's large, fan-like hand grabbed him back like an eagle snatching a chick.
After being captured, the man saw Liu Ye's face by the moonlight. Immediately, tears and snot streamed down his face as he kowtowed repeatedly, crying out, "Hero! Sir! Spare my life!"
Today, he and a few brothers pulled off a scam, extorting money from a man from out of town. After having a few drinks, they went home in high spirits, only to be caught here.
Liu Ye couldn't help but laugh. He said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause you any trouble."
The man felt reassured. He kowtowed several times and mumbled incoherently, "My lord, you are so magnanimous. You will not hold a grudge against me. I will not disturb you any longer..." He got up and slowly moved away, intending to slip away.
Liu Ye was still smiling happily: "I didn't say I was going to let you go." He turned to Lin San and said, "To avoid revealing our whereabouts, let's tie him up and throw him in the river."
The man was terrified and knelt down again, begging for mercy: "Sir, I didn't hear anything. Even if I did hear a word or two, I promise I won't tell anyone. Please spare me!"
"Hehe, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. But we're doing something shady right now. Whether you really didn't hear it or you're pretending not to, the dead are the safest bet."
The man begged for mercy desperately, but to no avail. Lin San clenched his fist and said, "Why bother tying him up? It's a waste of your time. Just strangle him and throw him in the river!"
Seeing the giant-like man reach out to grab his throat, the man recalled the few words he had overheard earlier and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He shouted, "Sir, are you trying to infiltrate the Gao family? I have a way!"
In the inn's room.
Liu Ye and his friends surrounded the thug kneeling on the ground and asked, "Is your method really going to work?"
The man smiled obsequiously and said, "Don't worry, sir, it'll definitely work. My third uncle collects all the night soil on Huifu Street, and the vigilance is at its lowest point at night, making it easy to sneak in."
In ancient times, outhouses lacked sewers and automatic flushing systems. Excrement was collected in wooden buckets, which needed to be emptied when full. Therefore, a person would go door-to-door in the middle of the night to collect the excrement from each household's chamber pot; this was known as "emptying the chamber pot." This scoundrel was named Mai Rong, and he had a cousin who specialized in collecting chamber pots for wealthy families, similar to a modern-day latrine cleaner.
Liu Ye had a mild case of mysophobia, and hearing all this made him feel a little nauseous. However, in the rush, this was the best solution; by disguising himself as someone who collected night soil, he could sneak into the Gao family's house unnoticed. He nodded: "If it works, I'll let you off the hook. But you and your third uncle will have to make do when you get into the Gao family's house."
The next night, in the middle of the night, the back door of the Gao family opened. A sleepy-eyed servant, yawning, looked at the cart at the door and asked, "Old Mai, why are there a few more people tonight? Usually it's just you alone."
The old man, whom he called Old Mai, nodded and bowed as he replied, "I'm getting old and can't carry the toilet much anymore. I want to pass this job on to my nephews, so I'm here tonight to learn how."
The servant chuckled and teased, "Your nephews look strong and healthy, what couldn't they do better than empty the chamber pots? Heh, come find Master Gao another day, we're short a few servants, wouldn't it be better than your dirty work?"
Old Mai smiled apologetically and said, "That's a good solution. I'll ask the senior management tomorrow."
The servants waved them away, saying, "Just leave when you're done. Don't bother calling me. I'll take a nap and then come back to close the door." The Gao family's house was so big, with so many rooms, that collecting night soil couldn't be done in a short time. He could take the opportunity to be lazy and doze off.