Chapter 120: Chaotic Strife (7)

Qiao'er is fourteen, and Tie Xinyuan is now over eight. Even though their hearts are filled with dark elements, they still couldn't bring themselves to do something like puncturing a person's back a hundred times with poison needles as if doing embroidery.

Lei Meng is a dead man. No matter how high his martial arts level is, once his vital acupuncture points are saturated with toad venom, it is highly unlikely he will survive.

When the old veterans finished their third pot of tea, Lei Meng’s bluish body was carried out of the hot spring bath by bailiffs. The shirtless acupuncturist, chains rattling around his neck, was dragged away by the bailiffs while shouting that he had been framed.

After watching this scene, the portly veteran patted Qiao'er on the shoulder and said, "Learn from this; you’ll find it useful later."

After the lame veteran paid the bill, he and the tall, thin veteran followed the portly one as they tottered out of the teahouse, looking as if they were about to meet the King of Hell at any moment.

Qiao'er and Tie Xinyuan did not want to linger, nor did they intend to speak with the three old ghosts again. After all, it wasn't good for two youngsters to spend too much time with three sinister old men.

When they returned to Poluo Alley, Shuizhuer was suffering from diarrhea, and several other physically weak girls were also unwell.

The doctor said it was fortunate that it was discovered early and treated in time; otherwise, the fruit soaked in croton frost water would have caused the children's intestines to prolapse, a truly perilous situation.

Shuizhuer had already had diarrhea three times, but she had finally settled down and was complaining of hunger.

Tie Xinyuan and Qiao'er checked on the other girls and only felt relieved once they saw their symptoms were no longer severe.

The doctor mentioned that croton frost should never be used lightly unless it is for acute cold-excess syndromes; once used, it severely damages a person’s vitality, and it would take at least ten to fifteen days of recuperation to recover.

Watching Shuizhuer wolfing down food while clutching a small bowl, Tie Xinyuan scratched his head and said painfully, "Why can't this habit of picking up things to eat be broken? Even foxes don't eat food given by strangers now."

Qiao'er raised her hand to give Shuizhuer a swat, but as soon as she lifted it, Shuizhuer dropped her bowl and threw herself into Tie Xinyuan’s arms, sobbing. It was her go-to tactic to avoid a beating.

In the evening, Yang Huaiyu walked in, looking exhausted. He said to Tie Xinyuan, who was reading, "Dongjing City is in chaos."

Tie Xinyuan closed his book and smiled, "How so?"

Yang Huaiyu said, still fearful, "Tie Shizi was attacked in the busy market. It is said he was hit with a strange poison; his whole body is in unbearable pain, and even the slightest touch feels like being sliced by sharp blades. His neck, limbs, and back are covered in fist-sized swellings that feel as hot as burning coals to the touch."

"What did the doctor say?"

"Toad venom! But the potency is ten times stronger than regular toad venom. The doctor said this must be from an exotic species of toad; only then could it cause such severe consequences."

"Will Tie Shizi die?"

"No, the effects will gradually subside after three days, but by then, the palace examination will have already begun. It seems the person who plotted against Tie Shizi only wanted to stop him from participating, not kill him. But Meng Tiefu and Lei Meng were not so lucky. One was castrated and bled to death, and the other is even more miserable—swollen to twice his size, barely looking human anymore. Huo Beishan’s martial arts rely mostly on his legs, but who would have thought his left leg would be smashed by an iron hammer? Yet, he insists he accidentally kicked a stone."

"Putiandiao" Ying Wen was selecting a stiff bow when, during a test draw, the bow arm suddenly snapped. Half of the bow arm struck his face, blinding one of his eyes.

Liang Shimeng fled in a panic to the Kaifeng Prefecture office, preferring to live in a prison cell rather than step outside.

Currently, the court's investigators and spies are all deployed to search for the culprits. I, along with Huyan Shou, Cao Fang, Gao Tingzan, and other descendants of military families, have all been summoned to the Kaifeng Prefecture office.

Bao Zheng gave us the sternest warning, insisting that once the investigation confirms the truth, he will show no mercy."

Tie Xinyuan curled his lip and asked, "What about the other martial arts candidates?"

Yang Huaiyu sat in a chair and drained the water in the teapot in one gulp: "Everyone is like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow. They are either gathering in groups of three or five, or hiding in the Kaifeng Prefecture office like Liang Shimeng. In the streets of Dongjing, the only martial arts candidates you’ll see are probably me, Huyan, Cao Ba, Gao Fourth, and the remaining three or five descendants of military families."

"What did Cao Fang say?"

"That guy suggested we could decide who becomes the top martial arts candidate by playing rock-paper-scissors."

Tie Xinyuan nodded and said, "That’s actually a pretty good idea. Whoever becomes the champion is the unlucky one. With such a huge incident in Dongjing, they’ll need a scapegoat. I am almost certain that the champion will be sent to serve in the most dangerous border prefectures."

Yang Huaiyu took a deep breath and said, "Even so, I still want to compete for the top spot..."

There are always people in this world who feel they are living too comfortably and want to torture themselves. Yang Huaiyu is undoubtedly one of them... However, it is thanks to such people that the Huaxia civilization has been able to pass down through the generations.

Any race that lacks such people is usually ruthlessly eliminated by history.

Little Shuizhuer, having eaten her fill and stopped her diarrhea, was sleeping sweetly on Qiao'er’s bed. Qiao'er watched her for a while before going to the courtyard, where she happened to see Tie Xinyuan packing his book bag to head home.

"I’m planning to earn some money and buy a small farm outside the city. What do you think?"

Tie Xinyuan said, "Of course you can. The music boxes will become the new favorite of the ladies in Dongjing’s boudoirs in a few days; you will certainly have the money to buy a farm."

"Do you think I need to find a human trafficker to buy a few idle people with no background?"

"No. People in the hands of traffickers are unregistered; they are not reliable, and you can't keep them chained up to work. Besides, the Song laws do not allow the buying and selling of people; you can only hire them. You are both too young to keep such cunning rascals in check."

Qiao'er scratched her head, worried, "You saw what happened today. Whether it’s Xiao Ling’er, Xiao Fu’er, or Shuizhuer, they have no means of self-reliance. I want to find someone to look after them."

"It would be best if we knew people we could trust." Tie Xinyuan was also worried. Qiao'er was right; not having any adults in the house was a problem. He and Qiao'er couldn't possibly look after so many children on their own.

The window of Yang Huaiyu’s room pushed open. He stood there in his undergarments and said, "My family has retainers, and over the years, the number of them has become far too high. It has exceeded the limit allowed by my family's title. My ancestors and mother have been worried gray over this. The retainers don't want to leave the Yang family, but our title hasn't risen in years, so we can't accommodate more people. Many at home have nothing to do, and my mother doesn't dare dismiss them easily for fear of chilling their hearts, worrying that if we go to war, no one will be willing to fight to the death for us. I can find a few branches of the retainers who are willing to leave the Yang family to work at your place. What do you think?"

Tie Xinyuan nodded, "That's a good idea. We don't expect the farm to make a profit; we only hope it can provide enough grain to feed these younger siblings. Give us three to five years, and when they grow up, we won't have these worries anymore."

Qiao'er looked at Yang Huaiyu and said, "Then go and bring those retainer families over quickly! I’m going to get the music boxes ready to sell and buy the land!"

Yang Huaiyu sneered, "You think you can just buy land near Dongjing because you have money? You haven't bothered to find out whose land it is around the city. Didn't Mei'er try to buy land a few days ago? She still hasn't succeeded; no one is willing to sell land near Dongjing. This city is packed with officials and wealthy merchants; the little money we have is not enough to make a dent."

Qiao'er quickly asked, "Didn't Su Mei say the Zongzheng Prefecture was selling land? Why can't we buy it?"

Yang Huaiyu said indignantly, "They were just saying that. Ever since the incident with the dangerous building, Zhao Yunrang has been hiding in the Zongzheng Prefecture and hasn't stepped out once. It is said he was grounded by His Majesty on the grounds of extreme extravagance, so they put out rumors of selling land just to let the Emperor know they were repenting. The rumor is out, but there has been no movement. It is said they still have imperial favor, and as long as no more trouble happens at the Zongzheng Prefecture, the matter of the dangerous building will pass. Who would go to the Zongzheng Prefecture to ask about buying land right now? That would be like slapping Zhao Yunrang in the face. Who would dare?"

Qiao'er glanced at the frowning Tie Xinyuan, slapped her thigh hard, and went back into the room.

Tie Xinyuan knew she was regretting why the bombing of the Zongzheng Prefecture had failed. If the Zongzheng Prefecture had been blown up, Zhao Yunrang would have had no choice but to sell the land.

Tie Xinyuan waved at Yang Huaiyu and left Poluo Alley. He felt a bit strange in his heart; Zhao Yunrang’s trouble started with land, and he hadn't expected the excuse to settle the matter to be land as well.

In truth, Tie Xinyuan never understood the mindset of the people of the Song Dynasty. The output of land cannot compare to the output of craftsmen, let alone the profits of merchants. The price of land has clearly exceeded its intrinsic value, yet the wealthy in Dongjing still use how much land they own as the standard for whether they are good at managing a household. Therefore, no matter how expensive land becomes, people still flock to buy it.

Standing on the street, one’s eyes are filled with dazzling shops. From these, one can find agates from Hezhong, gems from Ceylon, fragrant wood from Jiaozhi, hawks from the Jurchen, furs from Tibet, salt from the East Sea, and pearls and tortoiseshells from the South Sea. Even products from the incredibly distant Arab lands, Chola, Srivijaya, Java, Champa, Danliumei, Brunei, Guluo, Moga, and even Black Africa are not hard to find in Dongjing.

Their perspective is reaching to the ends of the earth, so why are they still so obsessed with the piece of land under their feet?

I’ve heard that even the most extravagant sea merchants, after earning a fortune, the first thing they do is return home to buy land...