Lin tied walked to the backyard, reached out and lifted the chin of a man with a scar above his eyebrow, looked at the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, and stared into his eyes asking: "In Jiangning, I've only offended Du Rong of Qingfeng Bank, are you people sent by Qingfeng Bank?"

  These two spies were indeed sent by Du Rong to monitor Su Mei's residence, Baiyuan, in Balian Alley. Seeing that the house behind Baiyuan had a new family moving in today, they came over to take a look, without any other intention. Unexpectedly, they were caught from behind by Zhou Pu and struggled but couldn't break free. What they didn't expect even more was that this household happened to have a grudge against Qingfeng Hang and Du Rong, the head of the store. They wanted to explain themselves but were dragged to the backyard and beaten up in secret.

  "Young master, you're wronging me! I really didn't have any ill intentions. I just saw that Young Master let Qian Xiaowu take some silver to East Market to help buy some things, and I was envious of the few rewards he got. That's why I came over to see if there were any other odd jobs I could do. If I had any ill intentions, may heaven strike me with five thunderbolts...!"

  These two men still had a bit of attitude when they were first dragged in, but after being beaten by Zhou Pu and Zhao Hu in the courtyard, they became much more honest. Now they're afraid that Lin will come in and really break their legs and send them to the government office. Being sent to the government office isn't so bad, but having their legs broken would ruin their lives. They frantically make oaths to prove their innocence, not even knowing what kind of family this is or what's going on. The three vicious servants are all fierce as tigers and wolves, regardless of age, and just want to get out of there quickly, even if it means being sent to the government office. They beg pitifully: "If there aren't any odd jobs, Young Master, please let me go! If I had known it was like this, I wouldn't have dared come near the door. I know I was wrong, but I really didn't know about Qingfeng Hang, and I don't know what kind of grudge you, Old Master, have against them..."

  "You think I'm so easily fooled?" Lin Xie said coldly, "You don't want to say anything, that's fine. One day when I meet Du Rong, I'll take care of it myself." He then ordered Zhou Pu, "Beat them up and throw them out. If you see these two sneaking around the alley again, break their legs without mercy..." After finishing speaking, he walked away.

  They just threatened to break their legs with words.

  Although he had a falling out with Du Rong and vowed not to coexist, Lin Xuan would not immediately escalate the struggle to a bloody confrontation. Qingfeng Hang, as a well-known business in Jiangning City, has the support of the Xiao family behind it, and Du Rong's hidden forces in Jiangning are not weak. Last time in Baisha County, I saw those followers around Du Rong, all of whom were strong and brave. These people usually disperse to serve as guards for Qingfeng Hang's merchant teams and fleets, and when concentrated, they form an elite force that cannot be underestimated. Now, engaging in a bloody confrontation with Du Rong is undoubtedly like hitting a stone with an egg, so it is still necessary to cleverly control the intensity of the confrontation, constantly provoking him while avoiding over-provocation, lest Du Rong becomes desperate and jumps into action.

  Zhou Pu beat the two informants and threw them into the alley, where Lin Xie stood in front of the mansion gate watching them limp away. By this time, it was already dark, and most households in the alley had hung lanterns at their gates, casting a dim yellow glow that floated in the air. Some people even poked their heads out to take a look. Zhou Pu's blows were measured, so the two informants didn't suffer any serious injuries, but they couldn't help crying out in pain like dogs when they were being beaten, and the sounds could be heard by other households as well.

  Liu Yue'er poked her head out from behind the curtain, asking, "Didn't you really break someone's leg?" She gently covered her chest with her hand, and under the soft red glow of the lanterns, her face radiated a healthy luster, with skin as white as snow and a hint of blush. However, there was also an unmistakable concern that she couldn't hide, even when asking this question, her eyes were somewhat afraid to look at Lin Xuan. Her long eyelashes jumped up and down in the lamplight. She didn't know much about Lin Xuan, but Gu's family had forced him on her, and she hadn't objected. Firstly, she didn't want to offend Gu's family by staying with them, nor did she want to become a concubine of the half-century-old Gu Wu Dun. Secondly, she had heard that Lin Xuan was a weak-willed person, so maybe it would be safer. Now, looking at him, she was more worried that Lin Xuan was a ruthless and heartless person. Being a servant for someone like that was frightening, and Liu Yue'er also knew that her face was a troublemaker.

  "No, I'm a scholar after all, why should I break someone's leg? Just scaring people earlier..." Lin Mou smiled and asked Zhao Hu to close the gate, then asked Liu Yue'er, "Is dinner ready? My stomach is almost starving."

  "You scared me, how come I didn't notice you were pretending?" Liu Yu'er let out a sigh of relief and felt her heart return to its original place. She thought Lin's smile under the lantern light was quite radiant and didn't seem like that of a cruel person at all. "There are some cooked dishes that can be eaten, I'll go boil some soup..." she said, turning around to leave, but suddenly remembered something else. "That idle servant who went to buy things hasn't come back yet?"

  According to the two informants, the young man's name was Qian Xiaowu. Lin Moumou said with a smile, "Maybe it's too late, and things are hard to buy." He then laughed loudly at Zhou Pu and Zhao Hu, saying, "This evil servant's reputation will spread out in a few days, no need to rush."

  **********************

  After dinner, Liu Yu'er took the bowls and dishes back to the backyard, and Si Niangzi came over.

  The fourth daughter did not leave through the front door, but instead came over by climbing over the wall.

  After dinner, Lin Xie told Zhou Pu and others that he wanted to give the house a elegant name. Just like Su Mei's garden had a centuries-old cypress tree named Baiyuan, almost everyone in Jiangning knew about it. He took out his brush and ink, and on the light white rice paper, wrote "Ji Yun Ju" three characters, handing it over to Zhao Hu: "When you have time, find someone to make a gold-plated signboard to hang above the gate... If you want to do something, you need to have a name. Du Rong is the financial backer of Qingfeng Bank, we are going to compete with him, our momentum can't be weak..."

  Listening to the strange noise in the courtyard, Zhou Pu and Zhao Hu went to open the door cautiously, only to see Si Nangzi jumping down from the wall wearing a floral jacket.

  On this side was still separated from Baiyuan by another household, and Fourth Daughter came over the wall with a lightness like that of a cat.

  "Miss Su Mei wants to see Master Lin, she is in the backyard, all idle people have been dismissed..."

  "Let's go, I'll follow you past the wall." Lin Xuan also wanted to see Su Mei earlier, feeling a bit nostalgic and thinking about what they would do next.

  "Can you do it?" Zhao Hu knew that Si Nangzi was a skilled worker, but he himself couldn't walk lightly and silently on the wall. There was still one household between them and Baiyuan, and if Lin Xian were to clumsily alert this household, it wouldn't be good.

  Zhou Pu Tian had gone out to investigate before dark, and the house in front was the old residence of Tong Pan, a former governor of Haicheng Prefecture. The old governor had passed away, and his eldest son was not very capable, so he guarded the hundreds of acres of land in the countryside and this mansion as a hermit. The mansion was much larger than this side, but it was dilapidated inside. There were only three people in the family: the couple and their son. Besides the old man who kept the door, there was also a middle-aged couple serving as servants. They looked quite poor and struggling. A lantern hung under the corridor, and the sky was somewhat overcast, with little light shining on the wall.

  Lin Xie knew that his combat and close quarters fighting skills still needed some time to recover to their original level, after all, a strong physical foundation couldn't be achieved overnight. Silently walking along the wall, for Lin Xie now, wasn't too difficult. He lifted his long gown and tied it around his waist, stepped on the flower bed, placed his hands on the wall, flipped over and crouched on the wall, hunching down like a cat. Turning his head to face Si Nangzi below the wall, he said: "Let's go..."

  The fourth daughter was somewhat surprised, didn't say anything, and followed him up the wall, heading in the direction of Bai Garden.

  Su Meng and Xiao Man were in the garden, listening to the faint sound of footsteps on the wall, like a cat walking by. They picked up a lantern and walked over, calling out softly: "Lin Gongzi?"

  "It's me." Lin Xie jumped down from the wall, Su Mei had already walked to the foot of the wall, Xiao Man followed behind with a lantern, not expecting the two to be so close together. The beautiful face that entered Lin Xie's eyes was radiant and translucent in the firelight, like a star-studded eye socket emitting a deep and enchanting aura. He felt that this face was breathtakingly beautiful, and the eye sockets were exceptionally captivating, with a faint fragrance wafting into his nostrils.

  As soon as he saw Su Mei, Lin Xie was slightly stunned, as if suddenly enchanted, and forgot to say anything else. Su Mei had also been looking forward to Lin Xie day and night, watching him jump down from the wall, watching him gaze at her in a daze, her heart fluttering, not expecting the two of them to be so close, his breath hitting her forehead, her mind somewhat bewildered.

  "Hmph... stunned again!" Xiaoman stood behind Sumi, holding a lantern and looking at Lin Xie's expression, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  "Oh," Lin Xian woke up and asked Su Mei seriously, "Have you been well these days?"

  "Hmm." Su Meng's face felt slightly warm as she softly responded.

  "You discuss things, I'll go to the moon gate and keep watch..." Fourth Daughter said as she got down from the wall. She took the lantern from Xiao Man's hand and let Lin Xie and Su Mei talk in a low voice in the darkness, even if someone accidentally stumbled into the garden, they wouldn't discover them.

  Lin Xie adapted to the dim light and saw Su Mei wearing a Dai skirt with embroidery, a goose-yellow waistband around her waist, elegantly standing there looking at him. He walked over to her and sat down in the pavilion, telling her about what had happened during his time back in Shitang County.

  "What do you plan to do?" Su Meng asked.

  To rescue Changshan Island, we need to have a cover in Jiangning; fighting against Du Rong is not our current strength, we need to accumulate power," Lin Xuan thought for a moment and didn't ask what happened ten years ago or what her relationship was with Qin Chengzu. He spoke out his initial plan, "I plan to set up a business in Jiangning first, setting up a business will give us an excuse to gather people, after Wu Ya and others have cleared their names in Shiliang County, we can buy merchant ships to trade between Chongzhou and Jiangning by waterway. As long as we have this, it will be convenient for any goods or personnel to travel between Chongzhou and Changshan Island... The name of the business, I've already thought of it, 'Ji Yun She', what do you think?"

  "Hmm, no flowery words, no vulgarity, I like it too," Su Mei said, "You also mentioned that you want to make a name for yourself in Jiangning, what's your plan?"

  "Getting an official position is just a cover, after Gu Wu enters the city, I'll put on a thick face and ask him if there's any idle or trivial job available in the Surveillance Commissioner's office." Lin Fu said.

  "Alas," Su Meng sighed softly, "delaying your journey, Su Meng's heart is uneasy..."

  "Sister Su, you don't have to say that," Lin Xie said. "Everyone says 'reading saintly books and selling them to the imperial family', in my opinion, it's good to get an official position, but devoting oneself solely to seeking promotion is not what a wise person would do."

  "Why?" Su Meng asked in confusion.

  "Lin Dage, the young lady says you have great talent, only official career can display and benefit the people..." The soft voice of Xiaoman interrupted from the side.

  Su Meng felt a bit embarrassed that Xiao Man had spoken out her private words, but she didn't deny it.

  "It is said that the poor are good only for themselves, while the wealthy can benefit all under heaven — I, a destitute scholar, do not have grand ambitions to bring benefits to the people," Lin Xie said. "I was born a lone reed, and now I'm just thinking of finding some support in this world. As for you and Xiao Man's matter, I won't stand idly by."

  "Ah!" Su Mei thought Lin Xie's words were just an expression of his feelings, and she was so moved that she didn't know what to say. She wanted to politely decline, but was afraid of hurting his feelings. Moreover, when she heard Lin Xie mention that she and Xiao Man were the people he had been searching for in this world, she felt a deep emotion that she couldn't express. She stood there, stunned, her face slightly flushed, and fortunately, they were in a dark place, so she wasn't worried about Lin Xie seeing her.

  Xiao Man cried out in a spoiled tone: "How can you say such things in front of me, it's really shameful? Miss is your reliance, Xiao Man is just an insignificant maid."

  "Ah," Lin Xie finally realized that Su Mei and Xiao Man had misunderstood him. He said it with a sense of feeling, as he had come from a thousand years later, crossing through time and space, and always felt a vague sense of separation from this era. Only Su Mei, Xiao Man, and perhaps Qi Furen gave him a real sense of existence in this era. For him, this sense of reality was more important than anything else. Not many people wanted to be trapped in their own dreams.

  Lin Xie didn't explain his previous words, as the more he explained, the more confusing it would become. He said: "As for entering officialdom, I have given it some thought. The Great Yue Dynasty has been established for thirteen generations and over two hundred years. I don't know how others view it, but in my eyes, the Great Yue Dynasty is already on its last legs, with a heavy atmosphere that's hard to dispel. It's like a worn-out leather bag with holes all over, difficult to repair.

  Even the officialdom and bureaucracy are deeply entrenched in fatigue and corruption. Don't even mention being able to display one's talents and bring benefits to the people, or rescue them from disaster... I'm afraid that once you're deeply embroiled in it, it's hard for anyone to extricate themselves..."

  "...". Su Mei gazed at Lin Xie's somewhat blurry profile in the dim moonlight, wanting to get closer for a clearer look, but refrained from doing so. After a moment of silence, she spoke up, "I've also secretly saved some silver over the past two years. Apart from the ransom money for Xiao Man, I can spare three thousand taels of silver... you take it all..."

  "This is not suitable..."

  "Don't be in a hurry to refuse... I'm going to renounce my citizenship, and these three thousand taels of silver are not enough. I've inquired about it in Jiangning, and three thousand taels of silver can only buy two five-masted sand ships. You want to set up the Ji Yun Society, so consider these two ships as a deposit with me, entrusted to you for management," Su Mei said. "Besides, having Xiaoman stay by my side is not a long-term plan either. I've already redeemed her in the past two days, and I'm asking you to take care of her..."

  "Xiao Man, don't leave Miss," said Xiao Man.

  "Silly girl, even if you're not by my side, how far can you be from me?" Su Mei laughed.

  Su Meng was a woman with her own opinions, so Lin Xie didn't say anything more. Su Meng was a musician, although it was considered a lowly occupation, but all artisans and craftsmen were also of lowly status, and the social discrimination they faced wasn't as severe as one might imagine. For example, Zhao Hu's mother could make a living with ease and even actively wanted Zhao Hu to become a servant for Lin Xie. But Xiao Man was from the lowest rung of society, being a prostitute, it would be better if she left that life behind early on. If she grew up a bit more and still stayed in that profession, her chastity wouldn't even be guaranteed.

  Deeper in the night, after talking about what had happened, Lin Xie was to return from the wall, Su Mei saw him off at the foot of the wall and raised her lantern to shine on his head. Lin Xie smiled: "I'll be careful, with light it's more likely that people will see."

  "Oh," Su Meng pulled the lantern back and blew it out, only to see Lin Tie's body crouched like a cat on the wall head, his limbs supporting the wall head quickly disappearing into the night, looking at the empty space, her heart felt a little reluctant to part with him.

  ********************

  Lin Xie quietly slipped down the wall and crept up behind Liu Yue'er, asking in a low voice, "What are you looking for me about?"

  "Ah!" Liu Yue'er didn't expect someone to suddenly appear behind her, and she let out a sharp cry. She subconsciously dodged to the side, turning her head only to see that it was Lin Xie. However, her foot had stepped on the edge of the stairs, and with a twist, her body lost its balance and teetered on the verge of falling onto the brick floor in the courtyard.

  Lin Xie quickly grabbed hold of her hand, supporting her waist to steady her. Liu Yue'er was still shaken from the fright, grabbing Lin Xie's hands as if they were a lifeline, pressing them against her chest, and exclaimed with lingering fear: "You scared me to death! Where did you hide?"

  As soon as she caught her breath, she suddenly realized that the hands she had grabbed onto were Lin Xie's. Her face froze in place, and another sharp cry escaped her lips. She hastily pushed Lin Xie's hands away, turning around to flee towards the back courtyard. After taking only two steps, a severe pain shot through her ankle, making it impossible for her to stand upright without falling again. Lin Xie saw that she seemed to have twisted her foot and supported her once more.

  Just then someone outside knocked on the door and shouted: "Liu Niang, what's going on? Liu Niang, what's going on?"

  Liu Yu'er struggled to stand by the corridor pillar, her face flushed red, and she didn't dare look at Lin Fu. She said: "This afternoon that idle rascal sent someone to deliver goods, and Zhou Ye and others don't know where they went. As a woman, I couldn't open the door to let them in. I called out for Lin Gongzi for half a day without hearing your response... You quickly go open the door and let them bring the things in."

  "Ah, you sit down for a while first, don't move around with a sprained foot..." Lin suddenly realized he had misunderstood Liu Yue'er and didn't know how to explain himself. Unconsciously, he glanced at Liu Yue'er's plump chest, and although it was hidden under thick clothing, he could still sense the firmness and fullness inside. When his hand brushed against her waist, he could also feel the elasticity and resilience there.

  Liu Yue'er lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Xian. She could feel his eyes on her chest and subconsciously raised her hand to cover herself. She thought it was unfair that he got to see this without any reason, feeling both ashamed and anxious. The young man outside helping with the door knocked again, urging them to hurry up, saying "You'd better go open the door quickly, or others will think something's going on!"

  Lin tied walked to the front yard and opened the gate, only to see a young man who had been asked to help with errands in the afternoon standing at the door with a young woman supporting him. The young man's face was swollen and bruised, with a cut on the corner of his eye, and blood was still seeping out. The young woman was thin and weak, with a pale yellow complexion. Lin tied remembered that the young man had said he would bring someone else to run errands together in the afternoon, but didn't see anyone else. He asked him: "What happened to your face?"

  The young woman was about to say something when the young man pulled at her sleeve and wouldn't let her speak.

  "It's nothing," the young man poked his head in and took a look, then asked Lin Xie with a puzzled expression, "I just heard someone screaming inside, did something happen at your lordship's residence?"

  "Miss Liu just sprained her foot," Lin Jie let them help move everything to the living room in the front yard and asked, "Where's the bill? I'll pay you."

  "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, sir..." The young man said with a bow, "I lost the bill halfway, fortunately my memory is still good, sir, please take a look and see if there's anything missing. If something is missing, I'll go buy it for you immediately. If nothing is missing, I'll give you the bill."

  They were all some trivial things, Lin Xie couldn't remember clearly, and the young man sat down to settle the account. The young man's memory was really good, dozens of items, after settling the account, not a single penny was wrong, Lin Xie took the remaining silver money and handed him 40 copper coins: "Your footwork fee."

  "No, no, just twenty bucks," the young man nervously handed back twenty bucks. "Originally wanted to pull someone together to run errands, didn't find anyone, only me running down here, can only collect twenty bucks..."

  Lin tied saw the young woman's eyes were red and swollen with tears, and looked at the copper coins on the table, asking: "What happened after all?"

  "You tell this young master, can't be bullied by others all day!" The woman covered her face and started crying.

  "You're able to help me today, it's also fate. If there's anything difficult, speak up and I'll listen. I won't stand by idly if I can assist." Lin said.

  The young man was indeed strange, pulling the woman to leave without saying much, but the woman was stubborn and tearfully told Lin about the cause and effect.

  That young man's family was poor, his wife was ill in bed, he owed money to others and didn't know how to make a living, so he learned from others to become a helper. In the afternoon, he took Lin's silver ingot to find someone to go to Dongshi together to buy things, but unexpectedly met the creditor in Dongshi, that creditor was a rogue in this area, who snatched the silver ingot away. The woman said while crying: "...my husband Xiao Wu borrowed 800 yuan from him to buy medicine for my illness, he insisted that the silver ingot just offset the principal and interest. My husband Xiao Wu thought that the silver ingot belonged to the young master, not to mention that it was all taken away by them, even if they deducted 800 yuan, it couldn't be done, and they had to get the silver ingot back. They were beaten on the street because of their numerical superiority, and when they returned home, they were in so much pain that they didn't know how to tell the young master about this matter. My husband Xiao Wu would never embezzle other people's money, this was more unbearable than killing him, he, this good-for-nothing, actually thought of jumping into a well, but somehow, that rogue returned the silver ingot at night——that rogue came over and returned the silver ingot, also saying not to tell the young master about what happened in the afternoon. My husband Xiao Wu remembered that the young master had asked him to buy things, so he let me support him to go to Dongshi to buy all the things and send them to the young master..."

  *****************

  P.S: I'm just lazy and didn't split the 6,000 words into two chapters, but you guys can't blame me for updating less often!

  Press the red ticket in the middle of the book page by hand.