Chapter 28: An Eye for an Eye
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That was the law—the rules.
In modern times, most aspects of social production and daily life are governed by law. He Zhong'an already carried an invisible code of law in his heart. In ancient times, however, the law governed only a very small portion of life. Many commoners took pride in going their entire lives without ever seeing an official. But did that mean they never encountered conflicts? No. It merely meant they resolved them outside the framework of the law.
Without legal restraints, many places were, in essence, governed by the law of the jungle, merely draped in the robes of morality.
Thus, what Madam He understood as “having a little contest” could be translated without loss into “killing a few people.”
What later generations would praise as high-level commercial warfare was, in this era, nothing out of the ordinary.
That was why He Zhong'an's assassination was the norm.
Even so, He Zhong'an still did not approve of indiscriminate slaughter.
“Mother, the marketplace is a battlefield. Before doing anything, we must first understand our objective, then strike where it matters. Killing people at random is useless.”
“Hu Tu is not the true master of the Abundant Prosperity Trading House. If we kill Hu Tu, someone else will simply be put forward in his place. What we must do is make it impossible for the Abundant Prosperity Trading House to continue operating.”
He Ziqi said, “Third Young Master's meaning is—”
“Seventh Uncle, send people to identify everyone involved with the Abundant Prosperity Trading House. Whenever they leave the city, break their legs on the road. Remember: if we can avoid killing, then do not kill.”
“This is, after all, the capital.”
Cities in an agrarian society were not centers of production, but of consumption. Beijing was especially so. Trading houses from every region made their profits by transporting goods from all over the country into the capital.
Therefore, if the Abundant Prosperity Trading House's logistics links were severed, its business would inevitably collapse.
Moreover, judging by He Zhong'an's understanding of this era, if something happened within the city, the imperial court would still intervene to some extent. But outside the city, it would simply be a private feud between two great noble families. The Shuntian Prefecture would most prefer to cover its ears and pretend not to know—or immediately request sick leave.
There was an old saying: If one behaved badly in a former life, one became a county magistrate in this life; if one committed evil, one became the magistrate of a county adjoining the capital; if one's sins were monstrous, one became an official in a provincial capital adjoining the imperial city.
And what sort of predicament was it to serve in a county adjoining the capital itself?
Throw a brick and hit someone, and the county magistrate might have to pay that person a personal visit.
In this way, the matter could be kept within certain limits.
A certain degree of respect had to be shown toward imperial authority.
He Zhong'an could not guess whether the emperor would intervene if the affair grew too serious, but he was certain the emperor would know about it.
After all, if an emperor could not even determine what was happening in the capital, he would be utterly incompetent.
The present emperor had been on the throne for more than forty years. He certainly could not be lacking even this much ability.
He Ziqi looked toward Madam He.
Madam He nodded and said, “Carry it out as Third Young Master proposes. Take the lead yourself. Choose men from the estate and handle the matter cleanly. Do not bring shame upon the household.”
He Ziqi shouted, “Understood!”
He knew nothing about doing business, but when it came to killing, he was an expert.
*******
West of Beijing, on the road to Mentougou.
More than a hundred experts from the Eight Great Escort Agencies rode tall horses, each of them strong and agile. Many of the horses were of such exceptional quality that they could already be considered warhorses.
They carried all manner of weapons.
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Long sabers, heavy spears, iron hammers.
These men were all renowned figures in the martial world, bearing titles such as the Invincible Divine Spear, the Guan Lord's Saber, and the Iron Palm that Subdues the Eight Directions. The most famous among them was Wang Yangwei.
He was known as the Number One King of the Capital. Martial figures from every corner of the realm, whether they walked the righteous path or the underworld, had to visit the Mighty Martial Escort Agency and pay their respects whenever they came to Beijing. Otherwise, they could not do business in the capital.
With Wang Yangwei at the head, this hundred-man procession would have shaken the martial world in any province.
Only three carts of goods traveled among them, accompanied by several workers from the Abundant Prosperity Trading House.
It could only be said that Hu Tu had planned ahead. He had already prepared for the retaliation of the Marquis of Wuning's household.
“Chief Escort Master, what sort of backing does the Abundant Prosperity Trading House really have? Why are we so eagerly opposing the Marquis of Wuning's household on their behalf?”
“I don't know. But I do know that if we refused, we would no longer be able to do business in the capital,” Wang Yangwei replied.
Wang Yangwei was a northwestern man in his forties. His stubborn, square face was etched with deep furrows, and his brows were drawn together as sharply as if carved by a knife.
The escort agencies of Beijing made their living through hard work.
Their true purpose lay on the grasslands.
Ever since the Great Xia Emperor Taizong swept across the northern deserts, the imperial court had stationed troops throughout the grasslands and the western regions. But the distances were vast, often spanning thousands of miles, and transporting supplies through official channels cost far too much.
Thus, the imperial court entrusted the task to private merchants.
Merchants traveling such roads naturally needed protection.
The escort agencies had arisen in response.
Many had been founded by soldiers retired from the army.
Of the Eight Great Escort Agencies of Beijing, the Mighty Martial Escort Agency stood foremost. They did not dare ignore the summons of certain powerful nobles.
If they refused, local garrisons and government offices could make things difficult for them with the slightest effort, and their business would soon become impossible.
Seeing that some of the men were losing their nerve, Wang Yangwei laughed and encouraged them.
“But so what? What are the noble houses of the capital really like? Does anyone here not know? We have never heard that the Marquis of Wuning's household is any different.”
“To speak honestly, what we respect is the generations of loyalty and valor shown by the Marquis of Wuning's household—especially the late Marquis Wuning the Martyr. The battle at Blackwater Camp was truly tragic. But if we are comparing martial skill, we have traveled across the land, lived by the edge of the blade, and faced every kind of situation. Who among us has ever been afraid?”
“Am I right, brothers?”
The men burst into loud laughter. The atmosphere immediately grew much more relaxed.
“Still, it is a marquis's household,” Wang Yangwei continued.
“Everyone, mind your limits. Do not injure anyone. It will be enough to make them retreat in the face of difficulty.”
“Peace brings prosperity, doesn't it?”
Wang Yangwei harbored a trace of concern, but at such a moment morale had to be raised, not dampened. He could not pour cold water on them. All he could do was keep encouraging them.
“Chief, rest assured. We know where to draw the line. We will not leave the Marquis of Wuning's household unable to save face.”
The men roared with laughter once more.
Before the laughter had faded, a sharp whistle came from the distance.
One man suddenly fell from his horse.
Everyone was startled. At the end of the road stood eleven mounted figures, their faces masked.
Before anyone could react, the eleven riders charged straight down upon them.
Seen from above, they formed a standard arrowhead formation, with one rider at the center and the others spreading out on either side. Every one of them had a bow in hand.
The horses were swift, and the arrows flew in a furious rain.
In moments, dozens of arrows had been loosed. Several martial artists were shot dead on the spot, while most of the others were wounded.
Wang Yangwei reacted fastest and spurred his horse forward. His long spear writhed like a dragon as he aimed it at the foremost rider.
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The rider leading the charge was He Ziqi.
By then, He Ziqi had already exchanged his bow for a spear.
The moment he saw Wang Yangwei's technique, he knew the man's spear was no mere ornament. He had no certainty of victory.
He sighed inwardly. “If only I were a few years younger, I would surely take his head. Alas, my body is not what it once was.”
He Ziqi lived in retirement within the Marquis of Wuning's household. The truly younger generation had all gone to the Western Sea.
But He Ziqi had never been a martial artist. He was a military commander.
He would never engage in a one-on-one duel.
He feinted, appearing to meet Wang Yangwei's spear head-on. At the crucial moment, however, he yanked his warhorse aside and brushed past Wang Yangwei.
Wang Yangwei's spear thrust into empty air. Before he could understand what had happened, a long saber came slashing in from either side.
The attackers were the two riders directly behind He Ziqi. They worked with him in perfect coordination, laying out a deadly trap.
Wherever these poisonous fumes passed, wisps of black smoke even rose from the air itself. One could well imagine how potent the poison was.
The two men walked out one after another. Behind them, concealed by the curtain in the corner where they had just been, someone sat quietly.
“It is merely an ordinary prescription.” Sun Ye recognized several of the medicines listed and knew that even a common physician would be familiar with them.
Tang Tianchao slowly swept his gaze across the room. Whenever his eyes passed over someone, that person shifted their gaze away uneasily. After all, he was the God of War of Huaxia, a battle-hardened commander whose aura of iron and blood, intimidating even when he was not angry, was terrifying.
Ning Mingyue found it strange that she felt such hostility toward Han Lixuan. But she had always followed her instincts. Even an outsider like herself disliked him, so Han Lixuan clearly had something wrong with him.
The punch was utterly ordinary, yet Tie Zhongxiao's eyes lit up. The timing and force of D977's strike showed that his control over his own body had already surpassed the limits of an ordinary person.
Suppressing the dizziness in his head, he rushed to the washroom and fetched two relatively thin wet towels. He then opened the door. No matter how he knocked on the neighboring door, no one answered. He could not help regretting that he had allowed Mei Muan to shut the doors and windows so tightly.
Compared with Wayne's side, the people around the former archbishop had all undergone some degree of mutation. Some had tiger hide growing across their backs; others had noses shaped like eagle beaks. In short, not one of them was normal.
Yinsi frowned deeply. The words had already reached his lips, but he opened and closed his mouth without saying them, then rose and left.
You did not even possess the ability to refute him. You could only let him trick you, unable to utter a single word.
It seemed she had truly never coaxed him before. Even the Ninth Younger Sister-in-law, though she alone enjoyed his favor, had been coaxed. Why had he never received the same treatment?
With production increased by thirty percent and taxes raised by ten percent, ordinary people could bear the burden with ease, so the news caused no great stir when it was released.
Ever since Yinsi had taken a wife, she had kept him under control, but he was quite content with that. Yinjiu, however, still maintained that passionate affection for his family found in ordinary households, and that was what he liked.
If Xu Gaoxiang had procured it for him in the blink of an eye, Li Yunlong's impression of him might no longer have been that of a well-connected, wealthy young heir.
He now walked with a cane, moving slowly and laboriously. He had grown noticeably thinner, and his face was haggard beyond recognition, with none of the splendor he had once possessed.
Sure enough, while Xu Gaoxiang was still speaking, Wang Chengzhu and the others had already dismantled an M1A1 seventy-five-millimeter mountain gun.
Seeing Su Yi make his move, Song Jiu hurriedly turned to meet him. But before they had exchanged even two moves, Su Yi had already struck and sealed his pressure points.
Mo Xiao listened to the Crown Prince muttering endlessly nearby. His face remained expressionless as he drained cup after cup of liquor.
“Siqin, listen to me. Ruotong and I are only ordinary friends. In my heart, there has always been a place for you.” Xuan Yuan Xiujin was still dreaming of reconciling with Gu Siqin. Now that she had brought up the past, he immediately laid his feelings bare.
When seeing Lin Xia off, Zhong Guolong could clearly sense the reluctance and unwillingness in his gaze. There was also a soldier's sorrow in those eyes.
Time passed second by second. One supreme-grade Heavenly Spirit Stone after another flew into the blue flames. After roughly three days, the general shape of the pill furnace had emerged.
“Nonsense! Do you even have the right to speak? Why are you pretending to be a hero here? If you want to be a hero, then stop acting like a coward first! Get down and squat properly! When one man falls ill, the whole team takes the medicine!” Zhao Feihu had clearly lost his temper.