Chapter 313 - 306: Selling Off
「Two days later.」
Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei returned home.
Chen Li and his wife, Song Ying, were taking inventory of raw silk. When they saw the two return, they looked as if they had something to say but held back. It was clear there was business to discuss, so they all went back to the study together.
The moment they entered the study, before any pleasantries could be exchanged, Zhou Shuwei gathered her robes and bowed deeply. Her face was filled with an irrepressible mix of excitement and gratitude, and her voice trembled. "Father, regarding the matter in Liyang... On behalf of the entire Zhou Family, I, Shuwei, thank you for your immense kindness. The Zhou Family will never forget this debt of gratitude!"
She didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.
The news of He Mingyun’s and Yan Wenlu’s deaths had now spread throughout Jiangzhou and could no longer be concealed.
News had also spread that the Garrison Command from Kyoto had dispatched powerful experts to Liyang, throwing the Commandery City into a state of panic.
Being as intelligent as she was, Zhou Shuwei had only to connect the dots to deduce that these decisive, thunder-like actions must have been the work of her unfathomable father-in-law.
Although she was shocked that Chen Li would dare to lay a hand on a county’s highest officials, she was even more overwhelmed by a sense of awe and admiration for his courage, strategy, and power.
The Zhou Family’s great feud had been avenged entirely thanks to the man standing before her, Chen Li.
Her thanks at this moment was not only from the bottom of her heart, but also a declaration that she was completely binding her fate to that of the Chen Family.
Chen Li’s expression was calm as he raised a hand. "Rise. There is no need to mention this again. He Mingyun and Yan Wenlu brought about their own destruction. I merely acted with the flow of events to settle a karmic debt. Since you have married into my Chen Family, the family will naturally bear the burden of your past grievances."
A warm current flowed through Zhou Shuwei’s heart, and her reverence and gratitude for Chen Li deepened.
Chen Shouheng waited for his wife’s emotions to calm slightly before speaking up. "Father, we heard some rumors in Liyang. The Garrison Command from Kyoto has sent three masters this time. It’s said they are all top-tier Grandmasters and experts in the art of Criminal Investigation. They’ve already found the bodies of Governor Yan and the others from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office."
His tone carried a trace of worry. "The Garrison Command’s methods are unpredictable. Father, should we make some preparations, just in case?"
Chen Li’s expression remained unchanged, betraying little nervousness. He shook his head. "There’s no need to be tense. I left no loose ends that day."
Three Families Village was located next to the main road. Long abandoned, it was the ideal place for an ambush.
Chen Li wasn’t surprised that the bodies of Yan Wenlu and the others had been found.
Moreover, the bodies had been dumped in a well for over a month. With summer approaching, they must have decomposed beyond recognition.
Even with the Garrison Command’s advanced methods, finding any evidence would be difficult, and their investigation would be unlikely to lead back to his family.
Even if they grew suspicious, the most likely connection would be to the Zhou Family’s past troubles.
But the Zhou Family had already been scattered, making the trail even harder to follow. Investigating it thoroughly would be extremely difficult.
Still, he reminded the two, "From now on, be discreet in your words and actions. Don’t reveal any flaws. You should be safe for the short term. Just be more careful in the future."
Hearing their father’s words, Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei felt a little more at ease and agreed in unison.
Chen Shouheng pondered for a moment before adding, "Father, the reason we rushed back to Liyang after returning home was because of something that came up. A few days ago, a woman claiming to be Sun Bingyi’s concubine found an old Steward of the Zhou Family. She offered to sell the Sun Family’s properties in Liyang to the Zhou Family at a low price."
"Sun Bingyi’s concubine?"
Chen Li raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Back in Liyang Commandery City, he had been lurking in the shadows, tailing Governor He Mingyun from a distance. He was well aware that He had gone to the Sun Family and then to the granary.
Later, after He Mingyun left, Chen Li used a Divine Sense Consciousness Secret Technique to instantly annihilate the Divine Souls of Sun Bingyi and his personal guards before catching up to He Mingyun.
He figured that once Sun Bingyi died, the normal course of events would be for the rest to either flee Jiangzhou hastily or scatter like rats from a sinking ship.
After all, the Sun Family wasn’t from Jiangzhou. Their presence there was entirely dependent on Governor He Mingyun.
Why would one of them suddenly surface to sell off assets, and to their former enemies, no less?
He immediately inquired about the details. "Tell me everything."
Chen Shouheng collected his thoughts and gave a detailed report. "According to the woman, she is a concubine Sun Bingyi brought to Jiangzhou, not his primary wife. Sun Bingyi’s first wife and son are still in their hometown managing the family business."
She said that with Governor He’s sudden death and Sun Bingyi’s current status as missing and presumed dead, she knows her position as a mere concubine is low. Even if she returned to the family home with Sun Bingyi’s daughter, she would have no standing and wouldn’t be able to claim much of the family fortune."
Therefore, she wants to secretly sell off the Sun Family’s properties in Liyang while she still can, exchange them for gold and silver, and flee to start a new life far away."
Zhou Shuwei added, "The woman also said she has a special skill: she can imitate Sun Bingyi’s handwriting. In the past, she actually wrote many of the Sun Family’s letters and account books for him."
She now has Sun Bingyi’s personal seal and can forge an IOU or an unsettled sales contract, stating that Sun Bingyi still owes the Zhou Family a huge sum."
Using this as a pretext, she could logically return the Textile Workshop to our family and, at the same time, transfer the Sun Family’s shops in Liyang, their stored grain, and even the farmland they purchased in Qingshui County to the Zhou Family as payment. This way, the paperwork would look legitimate and wouldn’t arouse suspicion."
After listening, Chen Li remained noncommittal. He looked at Chen Shouheng and asked, "What do you think of this matter?"
Chen Shouheng shared his judgment. "I secretly used A Dream of the South to test the woman, and she didn’t seem to be faking it. I believe... this might be worth a try."
"What’s her asking price?"
Chen Li asked directly.
"Three thousand taels of gold."
Chen Shouheng replied.
Chen Li turned to Zhou Shuwei. "What is the estimated value of these Sun Family properties?"
Zhou Shuwei replied, "The Sun Family has over a dozen shops of various sizes within Liyang Commandery City, about ninety thousand shi of grain in storage, and over twenty-nine thousand mu of prime paddy fields in Qingshui County. Adding to that the Textile Workshop that was taken from my Zhou Family... A rough estimate would put the total value of these assets at around 1.3 million taels of silver."
Three thousand taels of gold, at the Black Market exchange rate, is only six hundred thousand taels of silver.
Using six hundred thousand taels to acquire properties with a market value of 1.3 million taels is basically getting them for half price.
This was a deal so good it was like a pie falling from the sky!
But upon hearing this, Chen Li showed no sign of joy. Instead, he fell silent.
The study fell quiet for a moment.
It wasn’t that he doubted Chen Shouheng’s A Dream of the South.
After all, with Chen Shouheng’s power, when he used a Divine Soul Secret Skill, it would be nearly impossible for the subject to deceive him.
’But what if the concubine is a pawn in the game and doesn’t even know it, still believing she’s just planning her own escape?’
The absurdly low price was a secondary concern. The key was, where would a mere concubine get the audacity to embezzle such a vast fortune from her master’s family?
What’s more, the Sun and Zhou families had a history of enmity. By approaching them, wasn’t she afraid that the Zhou Family, after getting the properties, would take the opportunity to double-cross her, or even silence her permanently?
It completely defied logic.
Chen Li looked up at Chen Shouheng. "Have you personally gone to scout the area near the Sun Mansion?"
Chen Shouheng replied, "I have. The gates of the Sun Mansion were shut tight, but there were servants on guard outside, and I could see lights and hear voices from within. It seemed... everything was normal."
"Everything was normal?"
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Li’s eyes, and his suspicion instantly turned to certainty. "There is definitely a problem!"
On that night, he had killed Sun Bingyi and his men at the granary on the west side of the city, not inside the Sun Mansion.
With Sun Bingyi not returning and so many people dead at the granary, how could the Sun Family possibly be unaware?
Even if it was concealed for a time, or if the concubine managed to keep things under control temporarily, how could a lone concubine with a young daughter possibly keep the household servants and Guests in line against the backdrop of the Governor’s sudden death and the panic in the Commandery City? How could she protect such a large estate without internal strife breaking out?
The more likely scenarios would be servants stealing valuables and scattering, powerful underlings bullying their mistress, or even old enemies showing up for revenge.
For things to be so normal was, in fact, extremely abnormal.
"This matter is a trap."
Chen Li said, his tone certain.
Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei were both startled to hear this.
Zhou Shuwei said, "Father, you mean... there’s someone behind the concubine? This is a setup?"
"Sun Bingyi is already dead."
Chen Li briefly told them what had happened that night.
Hearing this, Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei were profoundly shaken, their faces changing drastically.
"Father, you mean... this is a trap?"
Chen Shouheng sucked in a sharp breath, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back.
He had thought that using A Dream of Millet Porridge had made the situation a sure thing. If he had actually believed the woman and rashly taken the deal, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Most likely."
Chen Li said coldly, "There is probably someone else pulling the strings behind the Sun Family. This concubine is just bait they’ve thrown out."
Chen Shouheng said hurriedly, "Father, then we should refuse the concubine immediately."
But Chen Li shook his head. "No. Not only will we not refuse, we will continue to engage with her and discuss the details."
"Why is that?"
Chen Shouheng was confused.
Chen Li explained, "Since the other party has set the trap and cast the bait, if we refuse outright, it will make us look guilty. When they see us back down, they will become suspicious of us."
He pondered for a moment, then continued, "You two continue to engage with her. Haggle over the price. String her along and draw out the negotiations. If the person behind her truly has a motive, they will eventually lose patience when they see we aren’t taking the bait and reveal their hand. Then, we’ll see whether they are friend or foe."
Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei exchanged a look and replied in unison, "Yes, we understand."
With the main business settled, Chen Shouheng recalled a minor detail and added, "By the way, Father, our trip to Wuzhou was delayed by a few days because of ships."
We had intended to rent a Treasure Ship in Wuzhou to transport the silver, but for some unknown reason, the Wuzhou Government Office was commandeering vessels on a large scale, making it impossible to find a single ship on the market. Left with no choice, we had to return to Liyang and use a cargo ship that Shuwei had from before to make the journey."
"Wuzhou is commandeering ships?"
Chen Li’s brow furrowed slightly. The news was rather abrupt.
Wuzhou, situated near water and the sea, was a prosperous hub of commerce. The one thing it never lacked was ships.
So why were they suddenly being commandeered on a massive scale? Transporting troops? Grain tribute? Or something else?
But the thought was fleeting.
After all, Wuzhou was a great distance from Liyang. Whatever its government office was doing had little to do with his family. He only said, "You’ve had a long journey. Go and rest."
After the couple took their leave, silence returned to the study.
Silence returned to the study.
Chen Li sat alone behind his desk, lost in thought. A sense of unease grew within him as a dreadful idea surfaced.
’Could the people behind Sun Bingyi’s concubine be connected to the Garrison Command?’