Chapter 789 - 550: Investigation (Part 2)
Young Wang, full of youthful defiance, upon hearing this, immediately showed disdain, heavily slapping the table:
"After all this, still ending up as a dog!"
Old Li, however, stroked his beard and chuckled lightly, his tone carrying a hint of weary cynicism from seeing through worldly affairs:
"Young man, you don’t understand. In these times, committing murder and arson, and then being pardoned, is also a way out."
Chen Sheng listened, his interest immediately waning.
Pardon?
That’s just handing the knife over to someone else, stretching your neck out to be chopped.
He chuckled softly in his heart:
"What good outcome can come from being pardoned? Do you really think it’s all like the Song dynasty?"
He remained composed, casually asking people nearby, piecing together scattered information.
Such grassroots heroes have been all too common in recent years.
One group stirs up trouble in the east, another rises in the west, news spreads quickly; good deeds go unspoken, bad news spreads far.
But in the end?
Ninety-nine percent rise and fall suddenly, not forming any real momentum.
Chen Sheng coolly assessed in his heart.
These grassroots uprisings mostly lack planning, foundation, and long-term strategies, almost offering no lessons other than dying for nothing.
Thinking this, he lightly put the matter out of his mind.
Whether others succeed or not is none of his business.
One failed example won’t shake his resolve.
The tavern’s topic spun quickly.
Before long, another porter lowered his voice, mysteriously starting a new topic:
"Do you know? A few days ago, I was moving goods outside Zui Chun Lou, and I saw with my own eyes the young master from the Zhang Family and the one from the Li Family arguing red-faced over Su Wan Niang, the favorite courtesan of the building, nearly coming to blows!"
"Oh? Such a romantic affair?"
"What happened next? Who won? Whom did Su Wan Niang end up with?"
A group of men immediately showed interest, crowding forward.
Chen Sheng also slightly inclined his ear; in this era, he hadn’t visited those places yet, thinking:
"That girl in Zui Chun Lou has it tough, most are sold into those places by their families, they’re pitiable souls."
"Someday, I might have to look into this personally and save someone from their misery."
That porter drank proudly and continued:
"Who else could it be?"
"The Zhang Family is wealthy and influential, with rice shops, medicine stores, and cloth shops spread all over Ningcheng. Zhang’s son, being the only child, threw fifty taels of silver, claiming her directly on the spot!"
"The Li brothers are many, strictly managed, how could Li’s son manage to produce so much silver? He could only leave dejectedly, humiliated!"
"If you haven’t seen Su Wan Niang, she’s like a fairy descended from heaven, adept in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Many young masters lavish her with riches, their eyes not even blinking!"
Chen Sheng listened quietly, noting the key information in his heart.
"Zhang Family! Wealthy, only child, pampered."
His calm eyes harboring several thoughts.
If wealth is the goal, this is an opportunity.
His mind conjured plans about kidnapping, extortion, intimidation, and escape.
Beside him, young Wang listened vehemently, snorting heavily:
"Hmph, these rich young masters spend their days idle, only seeking pleasures!"
"We work from dawn till dusk, barely making a few coins? Can’t even afford a decent bowl of wine, why is that fair!"
Old Li sighed, exhaled a puff of faint smoke, his expression helpless:
"Everyone has their fate. We are born to be unfortunate, not like those born with silver spoons. Accept it."
Chen Sheng glanced at the indignant young Wang, feeling a slight stir in his heart.
"Indeed, it’s the young ones who have the fire, this is the energy worth pursuing!"
The seven or eight o’clock sun, with inner discontent, eyes burning with anger.
Like young Wang, those dissatisfied with the status quo in Ningcheng are certainly numerous.
...
Smoke curled in the tavern, rough porcelain bowls clinking loudly.
A dark-skinned, sturdy-backed porter gulped down some cheap wine, slamming the wooden table, making bowls and dishes jump.
"Gentlemen! Speaking of the most satisfying recent events, it has to be the capture of the bandit king ’Black Wind Mouse’ by the authorities!"
As soon as this was said, nearby tables of drinkers gathered around.
The porter saw the audience, his voice growing louder:
"You haven’t heard of the evil deeds of Black Wind Mouse!"
"Wandering between counties, robbing homes, his methods ruthless, causing countless family destructions, separations!"
"Many villages don’t dare extinguish lights at night upon hearing his name. A few days ago, our county’s officers finally seized him, heartening indeed!"
He slapped his thigh, face full of admiration:
"Our current county leader is truly a wise man! Resolute in handling cases, effective in arrests, finally eliminating such a great scourge!"
"Heard that in three days, he’ll be paraded to the county street corner for public execution, to serve as a warning!"
"Then let’s go watch together, also to personally witness this villain’s fate!"
Beside him, young Wang’s eyes sparkled, nodding repeatedly, full of excitement:
"I’ll go! I’ll go!"
"I’ve grown up without seeing a beheading! Might as well join the crowd, relieve some anger!"
For a moment, the tavern bustled with noise.
Men chatted excitedly, some shouted Black Wind Mouse deserved death, some praised the wise county leader, some eagerly planned their spots for three days later, spit flying everywhere, voices rising.
Only Chen Sheng in the corner maintained quiet throughout, merely drinking lightly with head down, saying nothing.