Trouble

“The Second Manor Lord’s wife of Liantian Manor made no attempt to conceal her whereabouts, so with a bit of inquiry, I found out exactly what she came here for that day.”

On the street, Lu Chang’an waved his folding fan, dressed in white robes like a graceful young gentleman.

Behind him, Liu Yang, dressed as a servant, followed.

He glanced at Lu Chang’an and muttered, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Didn’t I say I wanted to show you something?”

“Those things are related to the Second Manor Lord’s wife.”

They had arrived in Hua County two days ago.

In that time, Lu Chang’an had done nothing but investigate the reason the Second Manor Lord’s wife came here.

In such a short span, he had actually uncovered something.

It wasn’t that Lu Chang’an’s investigative skills were exceptional; it was simply that the Second Manor Lord’s wife hadn’t tried very hard to cover her tracks.

Following the trail, he had found a few leads.

“That day, the Second Manor Lord’s wife came to Hua County ostensibly to visit relatives and see her brother, Zhang Wanguan.”

Lu Chang’an stopped walking and looked ahead.

Not far from him and Liu Yang stood the Zhang residence—vast in size, its facade imposing and grand.

As a prominent local squire in Hua County, Zhang Wanguan was essentially the local bigwig.

The Zhang family, already powerful in Hua County, had climbed even higher after Zhang Wanguan’s sister married into Liantian Manor, their influence growing ever stronger.

Now, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the Zhang family ruled Hua County with an iron fist.

Fortunately, when Lu Chang’an asked about these matters, he did so indirectly, never bluntly inquiring where the Second Manor Lord’s wife had gone two days ago.

Otherwise, the Zhang family might already know someone was prying into their affairs.

“And in recent years, under the pretense of hiring staff, the Zhang family seems to have taken in quite a few young children.”

“But after taking them in, no one has ever heard of those children again.”

“The Zhang residence is huge.”

“Taking in a batch of young servants for training—it’s normal not to hear anything about them outside, isn’t it?”

Liu Yang was unimpressed.

The Zhang residence was terrifyingly large; a few servants taken in wouldn’t cause a ripple.

“If only that were true.”

“I wish I were overthinking this.”

Lu Chang’an didn’t linger near the Zhang residence, as it would draw attention.

He paused only briefly before turning and walking in another direction.

There were some things Lu Chang’an hadn’t told Liu Yang yet, as he had obtained certain information through slightly unorthodox means.

While Liu Yang might not object, given that he needed Liu Yang’s help now, it was better to hold back and only reveal less sensitive details.

In fact, Lu Chang’an had managed to get his hands on the Zhang family’s recent purchase orders, which detailed their food procurement.

Taking the year they started recruiting children as the dividing line, the total amount of food the Zhang family purchased in the years before and after had not changed significantly.

Of course, this could be explained by the family stockpiling—after all, it wasn’t unusual for wealthy families to hoard grain.

But the recruitment of children had started shortly after the Second Manor Lord’s wife married into the manor, right after she returned from a visit home.

There had been no warning; many servants in the Zhang residence had heard nothing before the recruitment began.

More importantly, after those children were taken into the residence, most servants never saw them again.

The Zhang residence was large, but with so many children brought in, even the household servants couldn’t spot them—that was hard not to suspect.

Additionally, Lu Chang’an had learned another piece of information that seemed useful.

“Three months ago, the Second Manor Lord’s wife visited.”

“After she left, Zhang Wanguan suddenly and without warning proposed a marriage arrangement to a dye workshop worker named Xiu Niang—for his nephew to marry her daughter.”

“But Xiu Niang declined at that time.”

“Two days ago, the Second Manor Lord’s wife came again, and after she left, Zhang Wanguan personally went to the dye workshop and sought out Xiu Niang once more.”

Lu Chang’an mulled it over.

The coincidences were too many.

Every time Zhang Wanguan made an abnormal move, it was after the Second Manor Lord’s wife returned home.

Could it be that these abnormal actions were actually instigated by the Manor Lord of Liantian Manor?

“By my reckoning, it should be about time.”

Lu Chang’an walked a long way, nearly out of Hua County.

“Time for what?”

Liu Yang was still in a state of temporary qi depletion, and the walk had left him panting.

“Stay here and watch.”

“Don’t speak.”

Lu Chang’an didn’t explain, only cautioned Liu Yang to stay quiet, then shook his fan and walked toward a thatched cottage by the river.

Before he reached the cottage, a woman emerged from the riverside carrying a wooden basin.

Her face was haggard, with deep crow’s feet around her eyes.

Thick calluses covered her hands, and her clothes, though clean, were faded.

She looked wary and stopped in front of Lu Chang’an.

“Young master, why have you come here?”

“I am Lu Chang’an.”

“I came to…”

He closed his fan and bowed to her.

But before he could finish, noise erupted from the side.

Lu Chang’an stopped mid-sentence and turned to look.

He saw several thugs with open collars pushing through pedestrians, swaggering toward them.

“Xiu Niang, have you prepared this month’s protection money?”

The leader had a shaved head.

He ignored Lu Chang’an and Liu Yang, walking straight toward the woman.

Although this world wasn’t like the ancient world of Lu Chang’an’s past, where hair was considered sacred, a shaved head was still rare.

Generally, only recent ex-convicts sported such hairstyles.

These thugs, who had been in prison and were now out, were the kind most people feared.

Xiu Niang was no exception.

She trembled and said softly, “Wasn’t it agreed to be the twenty-fifth of every month?”

Today was the twentieth of the ninth month.

Five days remained until the twenty-fifth she mentioned.

“That was then.”

“Now I’ve changed my mind.”

“I want it today.”

“What?”

“Can’t pay?”

The shaved-head thug grinned viciously, a hint of coldness in his voice.

“If you can’t, I’ll smash your house!”

“But I only get paid on the twenty-fifth.”

“I really don’t have money now.”

“Could you give me a few more days?”

Staring into the thug’s fierce eyes, Xiu Niang’s eyes reddened, but she clenched her teeth and tried to negotiate.

“More days?”

“If I give you more days today, everyone will want more days.”

“In the long run, where will my brothers’ authority go?”

The shaved-head thug waved his hand and said to the thugs behind him, “Go!”

“Tear down this old hag’s shack!”

“Wait, you can’t… Ah!”

Xiu Niang blocked their path, trying to stop them, but one thug shoved her aside, sneering.

“You dare stop us?”

The thug rolled up his sleeves, raising his hand to slap her.

Xiu Niang closed her eyes in despair, but the anticipated pain never came.

“I say…”

The voice of the previous young master rang out.

For some reason, this stranger’s voice calmed her heart.

She secretly opened her eyes.

She saw that the thug’s hand was caught by the white-robed young master, who had somehow approached.

No matter how the thug struggled, he couldn’t move it an inch.

“Gentlemen, could you do me the favor and stop this today?”

The white-robed young master smiled gently as he held the thug’s arm, but that smile made the hardened thugs shiver involuntarily, and they all stepped back.