The two were chatting happily, and the sounds of clinking glasses and conversation kept coming from the private room of Dawn Spring Courtyard.
“Brother Yang, this kind of business really depends on you bringing me in.”
Wang Chengle was red-faced, his hand holding the wine glass trembling slightly, his eyes a bit unfocused. “If it weren’t for you leading me, I wouldn’t be able to climb to such a high branch as Lord You.”
“Come, come, let me finish this cup!”
“Brother Wang is too polite.” The goateed man also raised his glass and lightly clinked it with Wang Chengle’s.
“If it weren’t for Brother Wang’s reputation, I wouldn’t have found such good cover as the horse gang in Xiang’an Town.”
“Bah! Speaking of that pisses me off!” Wang Chengle seemed to remember something upon hearing this, waving his hand broadly with impatience in his voice.
“That Li Zhengping is known for only taking familiar clients, with a temper as stubborn as his long-dead father, who’s no longer around.”
“For this deal, I specially found a regular client he knew and asked him to get Li Zhengping to escort goods to Lin’an. That way, I found the chance to trick that gang leader into taking the escort mission to Lin’an again.”
“In the end, all those twists and turns were just to fool him into taking Lord You’s mission, to provide cover for our deal.”
“And even after all that, I still had to beg him with my face hanging down. Who does he think he is?!”
Getting excited, Wang Chengle even slammed his wine glass onto the rosewood table. The liquor shook violently in the cup, splashing a few drops onto the table, leaving a small dark stain.
The sudden noise startled the Dawn Spring Courtyard girl beside him, making her entire shoulder shrink back.
The goateed man just drank calmly, clearly accustomed to Wang Chengle’s drunken antics. He also set down his glass, his gaze resting on the girl beside Wang Chengle, and said flatly:
“Brother Wang, please send this lady out now. The fewer people who know about what we need to discuss, the better.”
“Right, right, right!” Wang Chengle, whose mind was already foggy from drinking, snapped to attention at this reminder.
He wiped the remaining liquor from his mouth, then pulled the girl beside him over and kissed her on the cheek. “Hehe, little beauty, go out for now. I’ll come find you later.”
“Yes, Lord Wang.” Compared to Su Guniang, this new favorite of Wang Chengle’s seemed more obedient. Without saying much, she stood up, gave a slight bow, and turned toward the door.
“Little beauty, don’t forget, hahaha!” Wang Chengle gave her bottom a hard slap as she was leaving, his lecherous look evident.
Seeing this, the goateed man shook his head secretly, barely concealing the contempt in his eyes. But he suppressed his emotions, picked up his chopsticks to eat some food from the table, and said nothing.
After the girl left and the sound of the door closing echoed, only the goateed man and Wang Chengle remained in the private room.
Wang Chengle seemed still in high spirits, grabbing the wine flask to pour another cup and continuing to drink.
“Speaking of which… hic!” Wang Chengle let out a drunken burp, his consciousness somewhat hazy, but he forced himself to stay alert. “Speaking of which, I heard Lord You is arriving in a few days. Is that true or false?”
“Of course it’s true. This time Lord You is coming not only to supervise our deal but also because he received an assignment from the imperial court, so he’s coming personally.”
“Oh?” Hearing that even the well-connected Lord You had been ordered around, Wang Chengle became interested. He leaned in and asked with a grin: “What assignment, Brother Yang? Is it convenient to tell?”
Seeing Wang Chengle lean in, the goateed man frowned, subtly leaned back, and a flash of impatience crossed his eyes.
“Brother Wang, it’s best we don’t pry too much into the affairs of such big shots. After all, knowing some things might cost us our heads. Don’t you still hope to one day take back the Wang Family?”
“Right, right, right! Ah, look at me, I’m getting old and senile!” Wang Chengle, realizing he couldn’t find out, immediately hid his curiosity.
“My fault, my fault! I’ll punish myself with a cup!” He then downed the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp. “Ha!” He wiped his mouth, burped, leaned back in his chair, squinted at the goateed man, and put on a flattering smile.
“Brother Yang, I’m truly envious of you working for Lord You. I may have some say in the area of Xiang’an Town, but in front of Lord You, I’m nothing.”
As he spoke, he poured himself another cup, raised it in a toast to the goateed man.
The goateed man lifted his glass, took a bland sip, and gave a slight curl of his lip: “Brother Wang is too polite. As long as this deal goes smoothly, Lord You won’t treat you poorly.”
“Of course, of course!” Wang Chengle nodded repeatedly, his eyes shifting. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice: “Brother Yang, this time… it’s still as we discussed before, right? Everything according to plan?”
“Rest assured, Brother Wang, everything is according to plan.” The goateed man put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and gave him a leisurely glance.
He paused, then said in a tone as flat as if he were commenting on the weather: “I’ve already arranged things with the horse gang.”
“I told them the jail was full and couldn’t hold anyone, so they agreed to hold the prisoners temporarily. When the people arrive, we’ll quietly extract some of them.”
“I’ve already contacted the buyer’s side for the handoff. When the time comes, we can sell this batch of goods without anyone knowing.”
“And most of these prisoners are refugees and fugitives. If they disappear, no one will investigate.” The goateed man curled his lips into a smile.
“That’s good, that’s good…” Wang Chengle let out a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the flickering candle on the table, his eyes growing distant.
‘In fact, he knew it very well in his heart. Ever since his elder brother Wang Chengye fell ill and lost control of the Wang Family, and that niece Wang Huaiyu turned out to be a stubborn and unyielding bone, if he wanted to take back the Wang Family, relying solely on his own face in Xiang’an Town wasn’t enough.’
‘And for so many years, the word “second son” had been stuck in his heart like a thorn. But now, that family had finally brought about their own downfall.’
‘As long as he seized this opportunity and succeeded in this deal, he would have climbed Lord You’s high branch. Then, wouldn’t the Wang Family’s assets be entirely up to him, Wang Chengle?’
‘As for those prisoners being sold… blame it on this turbulent era. It’s this chaotic world that ruined you…’ Wang Chengle closed his eyes, feeling the drowsiness brought on by the alcohol, silently reciting in his heart.
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