Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Leave Them Breathing

Since ancient times, disaster relief had always been a bitter job. The Imperial Court could not provide cotton or grain. Even if silver was allocated, after being skimmed layer by layer, how much would actually reach the disaster victims?

What was more, the State Treasury could not even take out silver now. What could they use for relief, and who would dare to go? This time, the disaster did not strike a single county or a single prefecture, but all four prefectures of Mo Bei.

No one in Zi Sheng Hall dared to speak.

Qi Shu Xian kept his head down. The cold disaster in Mo Bei had proven Meng Yang’s Precognitive Dream true.

Then her other Precognitive Dream, that the Third Prince would one day become the new Emperor of Sheng Kingdom, had to be true as well. Qi Shu Xian had followed the Third Prince early, and he had already secured half the credit that came with backing a future ruler. If he could use the Mo Bei cold disaster to raise the silver the Third Prince needed…

Qi Shu Xian could not hide his excitement or ambition.

Sheng Zhi Wan had begged for an imperial decree to separate from him, and she had even had him flogged in front of everyone. One day, when Qi Shu Xian rose smoothly and stood at the peak of power, Sheng Zhi Wan would have her regrets.

In Ji Zhou Prefecture, Du Yi Zhi had entered the city several days earlier, before the cold disaster erupted, leading a long merchant caravan. He bought a house and set up shops.

When the news reached Old Madam Du of the Du Family’s first branch, she clipped her flowers so hard that she ruined several pots. The illegitimate grandson who had vanished without a word had returned. Not only that, he had come home in glory, turning into a rich merchant overnight.

Outside, the world was frozen white, and many people had nothing to cover their bodies. But that was only for ordinary commoner. The Du Family could keep even their flowers in warm greenhouses. People were even less of a problem.

Old Madam Du felt displeased, but not because Du Yi Zhi had become “successful.” A merchant was still a merchant. No matter how much silver Du Yi Zhi earned, he was still the lowest of the low, with no rights and no status.

That was exactly what angered Old Madam Du.

The Du Family had already expelled Du Ming Hao’s branch, but Du Yi Zhi dared to return to Ji Zhou as a lowly merchant. Was he not simply planning to use silver to beg the clan to take him back in?

No matter what, Old Madam Du would never agree.

Her own son, Du Ming Yi, now served as a fourth-rank prefect. Her own grandson had earned the licentiate degree at seventeen, with a bright future ahead. She could not allow some lowly merchant to drag that future down.

Old Madam Du told Nanny Wang to guard the main gate. If anyone blind enough came knocking, they were to be beaten out at once.

Nanny Wang hurried to do as ordered.

Yet after the Du Residence stayed on guard for two days, no one came to the door.

Du Yi Zhi was busy arranging cotton. He had purchased more than four hundred thousand jin of cotton from the south. Some of it was stored at the docks all over Ji Zhou, and half of it had already been sent by land to the counties of Lang Zhou and Yi Zhou. The final batch, at least the last batch in public view, had been placed inside the mansion he had just bought.

Shopkeeper Lin had pulled together nearly a hundred people from the Princess’s estates and shops, scattering them across the four prefectures early on. Du Yi Zhi stayed in the middle, coordinating and controlling everything, often sighing that there were never enough hands.

How could Du Yi Zhi spare a thought for the Du Family?

Du Yi Zhi’s behavior only made Old Madam Du more displeased. The Du Clan was a great clan of Ji Zhou. Someone the Du Clan expelled could still scrape out a living under their very noses, but living well was impossible.

Still, Old Madam Du prided herself on being kind, and she was the birth mother of the current Du Clan Chief, Du Ming Yi. How could she lower herself to argue with a mere merchant?

Old Madam Du had Nanny Wang pass a message to the third branch. Old Madam Du said, “Young Master Cheng is a straightforward child. Back when Du Ming Hao did something worse than a beast, he was the most outraged.”

Old Madam Du continued, “But even if you only mean to scare Du Yi Zhi, don’t let it turn into a death.”

After Old Madam Du finished speaking, Nanny Wang understood. Broken arms and broken legs did not matter. As long as the person lived, it was enough to leave him breathing.

Nanny Wang accepted the order and left.

After Du Yi Zhi finished his work at Sheng Shi Hall and headed back to his residence, he saw a group of riders charging toward him from the distance.

More than ten horses galloped wildly along the road that had been cleared through the snow. The lead horse was about to crash straight into Du Yi Zhi. A dark-faced servant boy yanked Du Yi Zhi aside in a hurry, and Du Yi Zhi avoided the first horse.

But there was still the second one.

The hoof came down toward Du Yi Zhi’s face. Du Yi Zhi narrowed his eyes and recognized the rider.

Du Yi Zhi said, “A’Jian, cut the horse!”

The moment the words fell, the servant boy who had looked plain just a breath ago drew a sword from behind his back. He did not hesitate. He was clean and swift.

There was not even time for a scream. A huge horse head flew up into the snowy sky. Red blood splashed against white snowflakes.

The rider was thrown up with the horse’s body, and from that height he saw his beloved horse’s head spinning away.

Du Cheng screamed, “Fei Xue!” He tumbled with the horse’s corpse and slammed into the ground.

The sudden shock turned the faces of the boys with him pale. The other horses, seeing a horse beheaded, whinnied and stamped in panic.

Du Cheng stared blankly at his fallen horse. His eyes turned red as he glared at Du Yi Zhi in hatred. Du Cheng shouted, “Du Yi Zhi! You actually killed my Fei Xue!”

A’Jian also looked at Du Yi Zhi.

Du Yi Zhi shook his head once, telling A’Jian no. Only then did A’Jian wipe the sword against the piled snow by the roadside and slide it back into its cloth-wrapped scabbard.

Du Cheng froze, confused. What did that mean?

But Du Cheng’s friends understood. That look had been a question: kill him?

This man was insane. In Ji Zhou, he dared to touch the Du Clan’s young master?

Du Cheng finally understood as well. He could not believe it. In the past, Du Cheng had kicked Du Yi Zhi to the ground, and Du Yi Zhi had not even said a word. Now beheading Du Cheng’s horse was not enough. Du Yi Zhi even wanted to behead Du Cheng too.

Insane. Completely insane.

Du Cheng opened his mouth to curse, but the moment Du Cheng did, he saw Du Yi Zhi walking over with a smile. The words Du Cheng meant to spit out seemed to scatter in the sharp wind. Du Cheng stepped back half a step and asked, “What do you want to do?”

Du Yi Zhi sneered. Du Yi Zhi said, “I should be asking what you want to do, Cousin. You’re eighteen, not a child. How are you still the kind of fool who gets talked into sticking your neck out for someone else?”

A cold hand patted Du Cheng’s cheek. Du Cheng shivered without meaning to.

Only then did Du Yi Zhi smile faintly. Du Yi Zhi pulled his hand back, glanced at everyone, and walked away.

Two servant boys followed behind, one dark-faced and one fair-faced.

The boys on horseback did not dare move. Only after the three figures had gone far away did someone swallow hard and say, “Du Cheng… this is the coward you kept talking about?”

Du Cheng said nothing.

Not far away, inside a wineshop, a group of men dressed like escorts watched the scene and could not help cheering. They asked the shopkeeper about Du Yi Zhi’s identity. After taking a benefit, the shopkeeper explained Du Yi Zhi’s grudge with the Du Clan, then shook his head and said, “This Du Yi Zhi is crazy. A merchant dares to go against the Du Clan. He’ll probably be driven out of Ji Zhou tomorrow.”

Someone asked, “What, is the Du Clan really that powerful?”

The shopkeeper said, “The Du Clan is the great clan of Ji Zhou. In the past there were the Southern Du Branch and the Northern Du Branch. A few years ago, Du Ming Yi of the Du Family’s first branch rose to prefect. Since then, the Northern Du Branch has completely declined…”

Jiang Mang cut his subordinate off. Jiang Mang said, “Enough. This has nothing to do with us. Master Lin doesn’t allow drinking. Have a couple of sips and go back.”

Jiang Mang stood, tossed down silver, and left.