Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Brocade in Blood Chapter 160: Slander

On the deck of the ship's superstructure, a remarkably exquisite large table was set up, attended by more than a dozen graceful maidservants. Three individuals were currently exchanging toasts around the table. As Zhu Yuchen and his companions arrived at the upper deck, the three men cast their gazes toward them.

Yang Ning also swept his eyes over the trio.

The one sitting directly opposite him was an old acquaintance—Dou Lianzhong, son of the Minister of Revenue. The man on the left was someone he had just laid eyes on not long ago: Ding Yitu, the chief escort of the Rising Sun Escort Agency. The man on the right, around thirty years of age, wore a purple brocade robe and a white fox-fur cap, exuding an unmistakable aura of extreme wealth and nobility.

Dou Lianzhong had initially swept his gaze over Zhu Yuchen and the others with a cold sneer, but upon spotting Yang Ning, he froze, his expression shifting slightly.

Yang Ning’s gaze, however, did not linger on the three men at the table. Instead, looking past them toward the ship's railing not far away, he noticed a figure standing with his back to the crowd, facing the river. The person's hair was as dark as ink and unbound by any cap or crown, making it impossible to see his face. Judging by his height, however, with the railing reaching right up to his chest, he appeared to be a child of about twelve or thirteen.

Zhu Yuchen and the others exchanged glances before finally stepping forward, cupping their fists, and asking, "May we ask which of you wished to see us?"

Dou Lianzhong sneer coldly. "Are you Zhu Yuchen?"

"I am indeed Zhu Yuchen." Zhu Yuchen glanced at the man in the purple brocade robe and smiled. "Is this not Young Master Jiang? It has been many years. Have you been well?"

Yang Ning thought to himself that this man was indeed Jiang Suiyun of the Eastern Sea.

Given that both Zhu Yuchen and Jiang Suiyun were prominent magnates of Great Chu, it was only natural that they were acquainted.

Jiang Suiyun merely offered a faint smile without a word, clearly holding Zhu Yuchen in utter disdain.

Chen Mukwuan could not help but blurt out, "Jiang, you certainly put on quite an airs. You summon the lot of us here—what on earth is your game?"

Jiang Suiyun smiled faintly. "Chen Mukuan, it has been many years, yet your temper hasn't changed at all. You're still as rash and impatient as ever. Who told you it was I who brought you here?"

"If it wasn't your idea, whose was it then?" Chen Mukuan shouted loudly. "Out with it, whatever you have to say! Brother Zhu has placed the winning bid for the Flower Queen, and right now his contribution is the highest. We may not be in a hurry, but Brother Zhu is anxious to become the favored guest in Shen Jiaonu's inner chamber, hahaha!"

"I'm afraid he won't become a favored guest, but rather a corpse in a coffin," Dou Lianzhong said in a deep, menacing tone. "You lot have a lot of nerve, running amok and showing off your might right here in the capital. Whose backing are you relying on?"

Zhu Yuchen frowned. "We do not understand what the young master is implying. The selection of the Flower Queen is a matter of personal desire; what backing could possibly be needed?"

With a gaze like a blade, Dou Lianzhong said coldly, "As expected of the premier Zhu family of Hangzhou, you certainly have some nerve to speak to me in such a tone."

Jiang Suiyun picked up his wine cup and said leisurely, "You gentlemen probably don't recognize him yet. This is Young Master Dou, whose father is none other than Lord Dou, the Minister of Revenue!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Yuchen and the others were struck as if by a thunderbolt, their faces draining of color instantly.

The Ministry of Revenue held sway over the empire's finances and taxation. Although Zhu Yuchen and his companions came from merchant backgrounds and possessed fortunes that rivaled nations, before the Ministry of Revenue, they were treated no better than groveling grandsons.

For provincial squires of such immense wealth, making an annual trip to the capital was routine, usually aimed at finding officials within the Ministry of Revenue to bribe in secret. Yet those they managed to reach were invariably low- to mid-level functionaries; gaining access to the higher echelons of the Ministry was practically impossible. As for the top dignitaries of the Ministry—such as the Minister himself—even magnates of the Zhu family found them nearly impossible to approach.

Never in their wildest dreams had they expected that the young man before them would be the son of the Minister of Revenue.

Chen Mukuan, who had earlier maintained a somewhat defiant stance, now turned ashen white, cold sweat beading profusely on his forehead.

Zhu Yuchen forced a smile. "So it is... so it is Young Master Dou. This humble person... this humble person failed to show proper respect." In his heart, however, he was consumed by regret. He thought bitterly that had he known Jiang Suiyun was in bed with the Dou family, he would never have muddied these treacherous waters, let alone gotten himself into a situation beyond rescue.

Seeing Zhu Yuchen and the others back down, Dou Lianzhong glanced at Yang Ning with a look of triumphant smugness. He slowly stood up, walked past them with his hands clasped behind his back, and said coldly, "What was the meaning of your lavish display of wealth just now—tossing about thousands of taels of gold as if it were nothing? Were you trying to show off your riches? My Great Chu once endured foreign invasions, exhausting countless funds, grain, and soldiers, yet none of you were ever seen contributing to the nation. Could it be that Great Chu holds no place in your hearts at all?"

Zhu Yuchen and the others could not help thinking that Jiang Suiyun had also tossed about thousands of gold taels just moments ago, and moreover, this contest of wealth had been initiated by Jiang Suiyun himself. When the nation was in crisis, the Jiang family had never been known for opening their coffers either—why wasn't anyone accusing them? Yet at a time like this, how could they dare argue with the son of the Minister of Revenue? They could only lower their heads and keep silent.

"Oh, Brother Yuan is here as well?" Walking over to Yuan Rong and pretending to have just noticed him, Dou Lianzhong smiled. "How is it that you've gotten mixed up with this lot?"

Yuan Rong smiled faintly. "These gentlemen have come from afar and are old friends of mine, so we are sharing a few cups of wine together. Young Master Dou, as the saying goes, those who know nothing are not guilty. I suggest you let them leave and not make too much of this."

"Brother Yuan is mistaken," Dou Lianzhong sneered. "For these people to gather here and openly flaunt their wealth on the Qinhuai River—such a trend must not be allowed to take root. I must investigate whether there is any nefarious plot hidden behind them." His gaze then landed on Qiu Fang as he demanded, "And who might you be?"

Qiu Fang remained remarkably composed, cupping his fists as he replied, "I am Qiu Fang!"

"Qiu Fang?" Dou Lianzhong said. "I've never heard of that name. Judging by your accent, you don't seem to be from Hangzhou."

At that moment, Jiang Suiyun chuckled and said, "Young Master Dou, this man's accent is from Liaodong. Qiu Fang... if I recall correctly, the Ginseng King of Liaodong also bears the surname Qiu. This Qiu Fang must have some connection to the Liaodong Ginseng King!"

Seizing upon this as if he had caught a vital clue, Dou Lianzhong grew excited and shouted, "You... you are from Liaodong? That means... that means you are a man of Northern Han!"

Knowing it could no longer be concealed, Qiu Fang nodded and said, "The Ginseng King of Liaodong is indeed my grandfather."

"Just as I thought! Among the prizes Zhu Yuchen offered earlier were two roots of top-grade wild mountain ginseng—those must have been given by you under Zhu Yuchen's name!" Dou Lianzhong bounced around like a rat whose tail had been stepped on. Casting a sideways glance at Yang Ning, he continued, "Zhu Yuchen, I knew there was something suspicious about you lot. It turns out you are colluding with Northern Han to commit treason!"

This accusation was unimaginably heavy. Zhu Yuchen and the others turned pale with fright, and one of them quickly argued, "Young Master Dou, that is entirely untrue! Although Brother Qiu is from Northern Han, he is merely a businessman. The two nations have never banned private trade between citizens. We are simply business partners; we harbor no treasonous intentions whatsoever."

"No treasonous intentions?" Dou Lianzhong sneered. "If you have no treasonous intentions, why collude with Northern Han people? Hehe, this fellow surnamed Qiu must be a spy for Northern Han, using a merchant's identity as a cover, and the rest of you are his accomplices!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Guards! Seize them all!"

Just at that moment, a long sigh was heard, followed by a calm voice: "Dou Lianzhong, aren't you exhausted? Skipping up and down like a monkey—what exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

Amidst those words, Yang Ning stepped forward.

Dou Lianzhong’s expression shifted slightly, but he immediately raised a finger and pointed at Yang Ning. "Qi Ning, don't you be so arrogant! You are an accomplice of theirs as well!"

"Who are you?" Yang Ning asked, fixing his gaze on Dou Lianzhong.

Dou Lianzhong was momentarily taken aback. By then, Jiang Suiyun had walked over with his hands behind his back. Evidently unfamiliar with Yang Ning, Jiang Suiyun merely smiled and said, "Did you not hear clearly? This is the son of the Minister of Revenue!"

"So it's the son of the Minister of Revenue." Yang Ning turned his gaze to Jiang Suiyun. "And who are you?"

Jiang Suiyun frowned and remained silent.

Dou Lianzhong, unsure of what medicine Yang Ning was selling in his gourd, frowned and demanded, "What game are you trying to play?"

"No game at all," Yang Ning replied calmly. "You are shouting and swaggering here; anyone unaware would think you were the Chief Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. Young Master Dou, of course I know you are the son of the Minister of Revenue. What I want to ask is: aside from this identity, what other status do you hold? Are you the Minister of Punishments? The Junior Vice Minister of Punishments? The Prefect of the Capital? Ah, let me guess—are you a member of the Divine侯 Mansion? None of them? Then what official rank do you hold?"

Dou Lianzhong opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"And you, Jiang Suiyun, you are the eldest young master of the Jiang family. Aside from that, what other status do you possess?" Yang Ning stared directly at Jiang Suiyun, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "What official rank are you?"

Jiang Suiyun frowned and said, "I hold no official rank."

"So you are nothing more than the son of a wealthy family after all." Yang Ning let out a hearty laugh. "Dou Lianzhong, you hold no official position whatsoever—what right do you have to swagger and shout here? Are you relying on your father's status to swagger and flaunt your authority outside? Very well, let us go straight before His Majesty right now and have it out clearly: does the son of the Minister of Revenue, holding no official post whatsoever, have the qualification to arbitrarily drag people off the streets and interrogate them?"

Stung by Yang Ning's words, Dou Lianzhong felt his confidence falter. He sneered defensively, "I am a citizen of Great Chu! Discovering spies naturally... naturally gives me the right to question them. Not just me—any citizen of Great Chu has the qualification to protect our country!"

"You claim they are rebels and spies—very well, where is the evidence?" Yang Ning held out his hand. "Show me the evidence. If it is true, I will be the very first to apprehend these fellows myself."

Pierced by Yang Ning's blade-like gaze, Dou Lianzhong felt profoundly uncomfortable all over, yet he stubbornly persisted: "He... he is a Northern Han person, so of course he is...!"

"Nonsense!" Yang Ning interrupted him instantly. "Anyone from Northern Han is automatically a spy? Did you come up with that yourself, or did someone teach it to you? I have never heard of the two nations banning commercial trade. Qiu Fang is indeed from Northern Han, but if doing business with Great Chu makes Northern Han merchants spies, are you trying to sever all trade between our two nations? Even the imperial court has not banned it, yet here you are disrupting state policy. Fellow surnamed Dou, do you know the gravity of your crime?"

Yang Ning's voice was chillingly stern. Faced with this rapid barrage of questions, Dou Lianzhong could not help but take a step back, cold sweat already beading on his forehead.