Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 235: At the hour of Hai, the fat pig digs the trough, and Ji Guang turns against the
Shanyin, a winding river in the city.

There are small boats traveling on the river, and there are lights and feasting on both sides of the river.

The Xixing bamboo lanterns are hung high outside the window, and the light they shine, reflected in the river, is a hazy tenderness.

The light was gentle, unlike the burning "Balekai" over the East China Sea, which reflected a blazing red in the water.

Amid the lingering sounds of stringed instruments, six or seven scholars sat on the second floor of the teahouse, enjoying themselves, sipping tea and chatting.

In the corner, an elegant girl was plucking the strings of a musical instrument, entertaining them with the faint sounds of the music.

"Brother Yu, this is totally wrong!"

The young man who was speaking was less than thirty years old, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a handsome face, and a good-looking appearance.

He patted his palms lightly with his small fan and said with a smile, "You used the word steal incorrectly. Steal should only be used for things. But steal is not only used for things, but also for doing shameful things."

"So, there are people who cheat on their spouses and people who have affairs, but there is no such thing as stealing a person or having affairs. But, what do you think our brother Hu did? Is this behavior of our brother stealing a person or stealing the young lady's purse?"

"Shen Xi, shut up! You...you are teasing me, your cousin!" A scholar in his thirties threw a piece of candied fruit at Shen Xi in a very annoyed manner.

Shen Xi rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Look at what you said."

He waved his folding fan around and said, "Everyone here is related to each other."

The people present here are Master Yu, Master Hu, Master Wang...

Hu, Yu, Shen, Wang, Lu... are all big families in Shanyin.

Shanyin in the Song Dynasty refers to Shaoxing.

The Hangzhou-Ningbo Grand Canal starts from Xixing Town, Xiaoshan, Lin'an in the west, crosses the Cao'e River, passes through Shanyin, and ends in Yongcheng, also known as Mingzhou, in the east, where it flows into the sea.

Therefore, this place is a strategic point for both land and water transport. In this day and age, many merchants from the north and south, and goods from the east and west, gather and transit here, so the business is extremely prosperous.

The Zhejiang East Transportation Office is now also located here.

Therefore, although Shanyin is not a large place, it has given rise to many big families and surnames.

These big families established closer ties through intermarriage.

It can be said that the government is in charge of Shanyin openly, but it is these wealthy families who control Shanyin's lifeline in secret.

Suddenly, a handsome little servant came in, walked quickly to Shen Xi's side, and whispered something in his ear.

Shen Xi's eyes flashed, and he stood up, holding a small fan, bowed to everyone, and said with a smile: "I have something to do, so I'll leave first. In a few days, when Brother Wuguan returns from Lin'an, I will hold a banquet in Shen Garden. I hope you will not be stingy and come."

After saying that, Shen Xi calmly walked down the teahouse.

When he walked out of the teahouse, a fuel truck was already waiting at the door.

Shen Xi hurriedly got into the car, and the boy followed him in and knelt on the felt carpet at his feet.

The car started and rolled over the bluestone road.

Shen Xi's face darkened: "Is the news accurate?"

The little servant said, "That's right. The news came from the prefectural government. The prefect has personally led people to the Zhejiang East Transportation Bureau. Cheng Dujian has led the city's garrison troops to block the main roads. The judicial officer and the inspector general have gone to the dock..."

Shen Xi frowned: "Does this matter have anything to do with our Shen family?"

The servant boy said, "Didn't Mu Yaban, who came from Lin'an, order a large amount of bricks, tiles, wood, lacquer, bamboo and other goods from our Shen family's building materials merchants? The goods were scheduled to be delivered tonight."

Shen Xi narrowed his eyes slightly: "Could the person they want to arrest be related to this Mu Yaban?"

The boy said, "The people they wanted to arrest should be from the Zhejiang East Transportation Bureau."

Shen Xi sneered, "Those people in the Transportation Department are already a bunch of ungrateful people who can never be fed. They dare to make any money and want to make it. Now, something bad is really going to happen."

The boy said, "But, the Zhejiang East Transportation Bureau has a batch of goods that must be delivered to Mu Yaban, who is purchasing for the royal family, tonight. That's why the prefectural government has spread the news. Please be careful, young master."

"Ok?"

Shen Xi rolled his eyes and asked, "Has the ship carrying the goods arrived at the dock?"

The boy said, "They have already gone. Calculating the time, they will be there soon."

Shen Xi's face darkened, and he immediately shouted to the groom in front of him, "Hurry, go to the dock!"

The boy said, "Sir, that Guo Xin Suo was purchased for the royal family, so nothing should go wrong, right?"

Shen Xi's face was uncertain as he asked, "Doesn't the Transportation Department work for the imperial court? The prefect of Shanyin and the Transportation Department envoy are of the same rank but they are not subordinate to each other. Now they dare to go to the Transportation Department to arrest people..."

Shen Xi sneered and said, "We, the Shen family, must not be implicated. We go to the dock and try to stop them in time. We must stop them from delivering the goods to Mu Yaban. Otherwise..."

Shen Xi leaned back on the couch and muttered to himself, "Otherwise, even if I'm not implicated, I'm afraid I'll have nowhere to go to ask for payment for the goods..."

……

The pier is brightly lit.

Large ships flying the royal procurement flags crowded the dock like koi carps waiting to be fed.

Some large ships were already fully loaded with cargo, so they slowly moved back to make way.

At the dock, workers are continuing to load batches of cargo onto the ship.

Some deliverers used ships to transport goods, and they would first have the clerk bring people on board to inspect the goods one by one, check the quality and quantity, and then combine the two ships and transfer the goods to the royal procurement ship through the pedal.

The officers of Guoxin Law Firm were also busy.

Yaban Mu was happily drinking wine at a snack stand on the pier.

Yu Kongmu, who had regained his trust, was accompanying him, and Chen Lixing was sitting opposite him.

Da Chu and Mao Shaofan were sent to receive the goods.

Tomorrow morning, Mu Yaban's purchasing fleet will set off back to Lin'an, but the Transportation Bureau did not suddenly notify him until the evening that there was still a batch of goods from Prime Minister Qin to be delivered to him.

Obviously, a lot of goods had been delivered before, but this batch of goods had to be handed over to him before sailing the next day. It was obviously a very important batch of goods, and it might be something precious.

So Mu Yaban was very tactful and freed up a large ship and asked Mao Shaofan to arrange the receipt and loading of the goods.

Da Chu went to welcome those big builders.

The building materials Musi wanted must be of good quality and in large quantity. These builders had a lot of trouble to get the goods according to his requirements and they will be delivered tonight.

"Hey, hey, here..."

Da Chu was standing at the bow of a small boat. He saw several large cargo ships approaching with lanterns with the word "Shen" hanging on their bows. He knew that they were the cargo ships he was going to pick up, and he immediately waved with a smile on his face.

If he could quickly take over the goods, he could go back to have a drink with Mu Yaban.

However, he did not notice that Master Shen Xi had already hurried to the dock.

Shen Xi's servant was standing on the dock, holding a lantern with the word "Shen" written on it, moving the lantern left and right, as if trying to reflect something on the water.

The captain stood at the bow, and as he was about to enter the dock, he saw Da Chu waving at him. The captain grinned and was about to order his men to move the boat into the harbor to prepare for delivery, when he suddenly saw a servant waving a lantern at a corner of the dock.

The captain took a closer look, then raised his hand, drew a circle in the air, and shouted, "Get up!"

"Here, here, eh eh eh? This...are you blind?"

Da Chu jumped up and down and started cursing.

Just as the cargo ship was about to sail into the dock, it actually... it actually turned around and went back!
When Da Chu jumped, the boat suddenly shook violently. Da Chu squatted down quickly, held the boat and shouted, "Here, right here, I'm here, where are you going..."

The cargo ship ignored it, turned around and sailed away.

The row of cargo ships behind just followed the lead ship and turned and left one by one in front of Da Chu, leaving Da Chu puzzled.

……

At the dock, two teams of troops marched towards the dock from the left and right entrances at the same time.

On the canal, four transport and inspection ships are slowly approaching upstream and downstream.

Seeing the cargo ship flying the "Shen" flag, fully loaded with goods, passing by, the inspector on the ship fiercely ordered: "Block the dock, no one is allowed to enter but no one is allowed to leave!"

At the stall on the dock, thinly sliced ​​pork head was spread on dry lotus leaves.

Mu Yaban took a sip of wine and a bite of meat, feeling slightly tipsy. He thought that he would be able to return to Lin'an tomorrow. By then, Prime Minister Qin would be satisfied, and Zhang Dayong would also be satisfied. He would have his hands full of thighs, and from then on he would be successful and have a bright future. He couldn't help but feel particularly proud.

Yu Jiguang sat on the right, and was more capable than Chen Lixing. He brought a plate of stinky tofu to Musi and said in a flattering tone, "Try it, sir. It tastes different than eating it with soy sauce. It's not greasy and it's very fragrant."

"Um……"

Mu Si looked at Yu Jiguang with satisfaction. Although Chen Lixing was not bad in terms of cleverness, Yu Jiguang still had the best eyesight. After all, she couldn't live without people like him around her.

However, thinking back to the time when this guy wanted to change his job, Mu Yaban still felt a little upset, so he smiled and said, "Okay! Then I'll have a try!"

He picked up a piece of pig head meat that Yu Jiguang had smeared with stinky tofu, chewed it, and smiled, "There is an old saying, 'If you hold a pig head, you can't find the temple door.'"

"Yu Kongmu, this dish of pig's head meat is so easy to find at the temple gate. What do you think? Is it because the person offering it has good taste, or is it because the Buddha is kind-hearted?"

Yu Jiguang puffed out his chest and said loudly: "The Buddha must be broad-minded!"

Mu Si laughed proudly: "Hahaha, although the Buddha has a broad mind, he won't save those who have no destiny."

"How does fate come about? It's all handed over!"

Yu Jiguang patted his chest and said, "I, Yu Jiguang, will follow you, Mu Yaban, wholeheartedly. You, Mu Yaban, are my great benefactor and destiny. From now on, if you, Mu Yaban, say to go east, I will not go west. If you, Mu Yaban, say to go to sea, I will not go to the mountain. For Mu Yaban, I, Yu Jiguang, am willing to go through fire and water..."

Just as Yu Jiguang was expressing his loyalty, two teams of soldiers rushed in from both sides of the dock.

"Everyone, don't move. Stand still. Shanyin Prefecture is investigating the case and arresting people. Anyone who moves without permission will be killed without mercy!"

The soldiers shouted and quickly spread out, taking control of the entire dock.

Mu Si was stunned for a moment, and asked in surprise: "What is Shanyin Prefecture doing? Who are they going to capture in the middle of the night?"

Guo Xuzhi and a few others quickly jumped onto the large ship of the Transportation Department that was docked at the pier. They roughly pried open a sealed wooden box with an iron rod, shone a torch inside, and turned back to shout, "General Zhu, come and see!"

Shanyin Judicial Military Officer Zhu Yulin, along with a few others, boarded the ship briskly.

He leaned his head to take a look inside the wooden box, a murderous look appeared on his face, and he shouted sternly: "Capture everyone on the boat!"

He looked at the large ship that was helping to unload goods, and on the ship was a lantern with the words "Royal Purchase" hanging.

Zhu Canjun sneered and shouted, "Someone is using the name of royal procurement to secretly communicate with the Jin people and steal the national weapon 'Mahuang Crossbow'. Capture them all!"

On the water, patrol officers and soldiers have completed the blockade of the dock.

Shanyin Metropolitan Inspector Qian Tongjiang raised a knife, murderous intent, and said in a thunderous voice: "Everyone, wait for inspection. Anyone who moves will be killed!"

Mu Yaban stood up in astonishment: "This... How could we have ever secretly colluded with the Jin people? How could we steal the national treasure?"

Yu Jiguang, who had not yet expressed his loyalty to Mu Yaban, saw this and quickly pulled Chen Lixing's hand, then quietly stepped back two steps.

Yu Jiguang covered his mouth with his hands and whispered nervously: "Brother Lixing, something is going to happen to Mu Yaban..."

Chen Lixing was also very nervous: "Mu Yaban is working for Qin Xiang and Zhang Dayong. Who can touch him?"

Yu Jiguang sneered: "What do you think? Who else can touch him?"

Chen Lixing's face suddenly turned pale.

With the support of these two big guys, who else can touch Mu Yaban?
Mu Yaban is going to be finished, so... aren't they going to be finished too?
Yu Jiguang rolled his eyes and whispered, "I have a plan that can protect you, me... and Zhang Dayong. Brother Lixing, are you willing to follow my lead?"

Chen Lixing was like a drowning man who had grabbed a life-saving straw: "Brother Yu, if you have a plan to protect you and me, I will follow you."

"Okay! Follow me!"

After Yu Jiguang said this, he pounced towards Mu Si.

Mu Si was thrown to the ground by Yu Jiguang, crushing the tables in front of her, and her face was pressed against the plate of pig head.

Yu Jiguang grabbed Mu Yaban's arm with his backhand and twisted it tightly, then shouted loudly: "We followed the secret order of Zhang Dayong from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to lure the snake out of its hole and capture the traitor Mu Si, who had colluded with Jin. Now we have caught her red-handed!"

Huh? Can you still play like this?
When Chen Lixing saw it, he suddenly understood.

He was also a smart man, and he immediately pounced on him.

When Chen Lixing saw that Mu Yaban's upper body was held down by Yu Jiguang, he used a standard "leg lock" to twist Mu Yaban's legs and shouted, "Got it! Got it!"

Mu Si was shocked and angry. She turned her head with difficulty and said breathlessly, "Yu... Ji Guang, what the hell are you doing?"

Yu Jiguang sneered, "Mu Yaban, your temple is about to collapse! I have a great pig head, why don't you offer it to a temple that has more incense?"

……

At this time, above the East China Sea.

Lin Dujian of the Qiantang Navy waited and waited, and finally received news from the Flying Tiger battleship.

Upon learning that the foreign ships they were going to ambush were actually fighting with Song army ships of unknown origin in the sea ahead, Lin Dujian knew that something must have gone wrong with the original plan.

Although the Qiantang navy has always been strictly trained, there have been no battles for many years.

Lin Dujian had already accumulated enough experience in the Qiantang navy, but he lacked military achievements, so he had been unable to advance to a higher level.

He regards today's battle as a stepping stone for his promotion.

As a result, they took action outside the designated sea area?
If the Song army had won, how could his military achievement be credited to him?
If the Song army was defeated, wouldn't he also have to join in the fun?
In a hurry, Lin Rongyue immediately gave the order, and the entire army marched towards the battle area, led by the Flying Tiger battleship that reported the news.

All the clippers, take the lead, don't even think about the encirclement and annihilation formation, whoever can arrive first will be credited with the first achievement!

For a moment, "hundreds of boats were competing to cross the river", just like a boat race on the water.

The Qiantang Navy's thirty-seven warships, large and small, rushed towards the sea area of ​​the battle like a school of sharks...

(End of this chapter)