pappabearbooks Chapter 279 Yellow Hair, Stop Lying!
Chapter 279 Yellow Hair, Stop Lying!
Chapter 279 Yellow Hair, Stop Lying!
Shao Shuyi ate in a side hall, along with the three people he brought with him.
There was wine and meat on the table, and the dishes were quite plentiful, perhaps no worse than what the scholars ate. However, the other side was in a garden, with the host in attendance and musicians playing. The environment was far superior to that of this simply decorated side hall.
"Brother, from what you just said, it seems that Master Fei is only giving you a little benefit because you are still somewhat useful," Bian Yuanheng said, glancing around warily.
"Brother Wu is right." Liang Tai finished eating first and was now sitting by the door, looking at the gradually darkening sky.
"It's not important." Shao Shuyi put down the chicken leg he had just finished eating and said, "Just as Brother Wu said, Fei Gong thinks I'm useful, and that's enough. Besides, he gets half the profits from my shipments. That's why we have this meal tonight. That's enough. I don't care about saving face; as long as there's something to gain, that's fine."
Hearing Shao Shuyi say this, Bian Yuanheng was somewhat pleased and added, "Actually, I'm all prepared for a fight tonight. If anything changes, I'll protect you and fight my way out."
"At this point—" Shao Shuyi pondered for a moment, then said, "I can only try to reduce my outings as much as possible, but I can't completely eliminate them. Isn't Zhu Chen on guard? He's been through assassination attempts, so he must have made some preparations, but he still can't completely stop welcoming and seeing off guests. At this point, it's unavoidable. Like this wedding of Gou Nu, could I not come? As for the matter of going overseas to trade with foreign countries, if I don't personally come, and send Yu She or any of you, can you see Fei Xiong? Don't be paranoid. There are certainly many people watching me now, but compared to a big shot like Zhu Chen, there are far fewer. Eat, eat, and leave quickly after you finish eating."
Tie Niu took a couple of bites with his head down, then couldn't help but look up and say seriously, "Brother, you've come this time, so you don't need to come again next time. Just let Yu She handle it."
"Oh?" Shao Shuyi glanced at Tie Niu with interest.
It's not that Tie Niu is wrong, but rather that he almost never gets involved in such important matters.
"The Fei family is used to traveling by sea, so they must have some familiar spies. None of those people are good people." After saying that, Tie Niu didn't say anything more. He finished his rice in a few bites and started checking his weapons.
Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement and said, "Next time, Yu She can indeed come forward. Hmm, Wang Xing can come along to broaden his horizons and gain experience."
As for Tie Niu's claim that the Fei family knows sailors, that's for sure. But your talk about training a private army is nonsense. It might be possible for a nobody like myself, but it's absolutely impossible for a high-ranking official like Fei Xiong, simply because they're being closely watched.
He probably saw himself as one of those familiar sailors, someone to be gathered together when there was work, and to disperse when there was no work—a rather loose personal dependency relationship.
This method is relatively cheap and less likely to attract the attention of the imperial court. The only drawback is that there is no one available in times of emergency.
If the Fei family residence in Shanghai were suddenly besieged, could you notify the sailors scattered in various places? It would probably be too late, and they might not even come. The Fei family might not even have the chance to board a ship and go out to sea to escape.
I don't know what happened to their family at the end of the Yuan Dynasty; I have no recollection of it. My knowledge of history is still too poor.
"Even if you know the way around, what good is it? Once you get ashore, you're still no different," Bian Yuanheng said, but Liang Tai made a shushing gesture, so he shut up and his hand had already unconsciously reached for his waist.
A series of light footsteps approached.
Shao Shuyi put down his chopsticks and wiped his hands with a cloth.
A moment later, a master and two servants appeared at the door, with Fei Yuanzhen, whom Shao Shuyi had met once before, leading the way.
She was fifteen years old this year, and had grown a little taller than before. She was wearing a light purple jacket made of fine silk, but it was not tied with a belt and was loosely draped over her body.
Her hair wasn't combed properly; she just casually tied it into a bun with a silver hairpin, and stray hairs hung down from her temples, damp with sweat and clinging to her face.
Her appearance seemed to have become rounder; her face was rounder, but her chin was sharper, her brow bones were high, and her eyes were big and bright, as if she were staring at people and trying to bore two holes into them.
At this moment, those eyes were fixed on Shao Shuyi.
"It's you—" The voice was neither loud nor soft, but carried a hint of surprise.
She walked in as she spoke, taking large strides, revealing a pair of floral-patterned shoes beneath her skirt.
The two maids were startled and quickly chased after her, saying, "Second Mistress."
Fei Yuanzhen glanced at Tie Niu, Bian Yuanheng, and Liang Tai inside the room.
Shao Shuyi coughed lightly.
The three understood each other and went outside to stand.
There were only two people left in the side room.
Shao Shuyi stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Shao Shuyi, greetings to Second Madam."
Fei Yuanzhen didn't return the greeting, or even nod. She simply shifted her gaze from his face and scanned the side hall. The furnishings were simple and unremarkable. Finally, her gaze returned to him, this time scrutinizing him from head to toe—the wrinkled silk shirt and the dried mud stains on his boots.
"I've seen you before! At the Confucian Temple in Jiangyin," she said. "It was snowing heavily then, and you were smuggling salt, weren't you?"
Shao Shuyi was speechless.
The two maids turned pale and almost dragged the second mistress out the door to call for help.
"Second Madam has a keen eye; I am indeed used to doing some small business," Shao Shuyi said. "Sometimes I also sell some salt, so that the people can benefit a little."
"Is that so?" Fei Yuanzhen glanced at him and asked.
"Exactly," Shao Shuyi replied. "The salt sold by the government is not only expensive, but also mixed with mud and sand, making it truly inferior salt, and the people are full of complaints. The salt I sell is not only as pure as snow, but also cheaper, and the people applaud it."
"That's not bad." Fei Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, then said, "I misunderstood you back then, thinking you were doing something bad."
Shao Shuyi blushed slightly and was speechless.
Old Fei, how did you raise your daughter? Didn't you let her know what kind of people maritime merchants are?
"My father is hosting a banquet in the main hall," Fei Yuanzhen added, her tone carrying an undisguised helplessness. "You should know that he has invited all the talented scholars and luminaries from Songjiang, Jiaxing, and Pingjiang. They are writing poems, composing essays, and discussing important matters of the world. It's quite a lively affair."
They even made me hide behind the screen to peek, saying this time was different. I thought they were some important people, but after peeking behind the screen for ages, I just found a bunch of pretentious drinkers and braggarts.
As she spoke, the corners of her mouth turned down, revealing an impatient expression—not feigned, but a genuine, deep-seated annoyance.
"And what about you?" She suddenly changed the subject, staring intently at Shao Shuyi. "My father invited you to sit alone in the side hall, and didn't even let you sit at the table. Don't you feel wronged?"
"I'm not upset. It's too noisy outside. It's quiet here," Shao Shuyi said.
Fei Yuanzhen paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, revealing two small tiger teeth, showing a touch of girlish naiveté. But only for a moment, she immediately stopped laughing, looking at him with a straight face, as if she didn't want anyone to think she was easy to get along with.
"You've got some nerve." She sat down in the armchair and said, "My father really likes them. As for you, my father has plenty of people like that under him. Those ship managers look just like you. I used to play on the ships when I was little. Their hands were covered in calluses, and when some of my father's uncles, who were like brothers to me, held me, their beards were really prickly."
"I'm just a sailor," Shao Shuyi said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"It doesn't seem like it." Fei Yuanzhen recalled for a moment and said, "It was quite convincing when it was written."
At this point, she suddenly became angry, her ears turning slightly red—not from shyness, but from anger—"I now think you're just like them, a liar who only knows how to deceive people."
"What do you mean, Second Madam?" Shao Shuyi asked in surprise.
"Did you accept Amu's—" Fei Yuanzhen began, glancing at the two maids.
The maid lowered her head, pretending not to see.
"In short, you're talking nonsense and you've lied to Amu." Fei Yuanzhen said, somewhat exasperated, "I was moved by everything you did for Amu. But you—you—what rubbish you're spouting! When my older sister told me, she was so angry that she couldn't eat for a long time and didn't even dare to go play with Amu anymore."
"Half a day?" Shao Shuyi asked in confusion.
Fei Yuanzhen blushed slightly and said, "Most of a day."
"I am deeply guilty," Shao Shuyi sighed. "If I have the chance next time, I will apologize to Second Madam."
Fei Yuanzhen glanced at the two maids again, and seeing that they refused to leave, she became somewhat angry.
She suddenly stood up, causing the chair to tilt backward with a creak.
She walked up to Shao Shuyi, looked up at the man who was a head taller than her, and said in a low voice, "I'll let it go this time, but go back and apologize to Amu, or I won't forgive you."
As he spoke, two small tiger teeth appeared on his face, his expression serious.
After saying that, he slipped out the door. His lotus-colored jacket flashed in the dim light and disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
"Second Mistress, please slow down." Two maids followed closely behind, calling out to her.
Shao Shuyi shook his head and chuckled.
The naive young woman, having watched too many variety shows, has unrealistic expectations of love, even about her best friend's love. But is this really love?
Liang Tai and the other two walked in, all looking at Shao Shuyi with strange eyes.
Now it's Shao's turn to be unable to cope.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He coughed, his old face turning red as he tried to cover it up.
"Brother, it's hopeless." Liang Tai only said these few words, "Don't bother."
Bian Yuanheng raised an eyebrow and said, "Nothing in this world is difficult. Zhu Dingbo can die, so what's a woman? Brother, you have your own decision."
Tie Niu remained silent, like a clay puppet.
"Pack your things, let's get ready to leave," Shao Shuyi said. "They won't even accept our gifts, what's the point of staying? We need to get back to Taicang as soon as possible, we have things to do."
"Brother, now that we've brought the gifts back, should we send them to the Zheng family?" Tie Niu asked.
"Huh?" Shao Shuyi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and scolded, "Tie Niu, you're a bit sly too."
Tie Niu said expressionlessly, "If the Zheng family returns the gifts, then should we send them to Pi Xiang Pavilion?"
"Get out! Get out!" Shao Shuyi laughed loudly and strode out the door.
The sky seemed to grow even darker, like ink, foreshadowing an impending downpour.
It's like the sky is going to rain, or a mother is going to remarry—whatever happens, happens.