strictlysupreme Chapter 49 Aristocratic Monopoly
Chapter 49 Aristocratic Monopoly
"Precious meat?"
Yang Hongliu heard Liu Sheng's question.
I subconsciously asked a question in return.
Then he replied, "There is some demon beast meat in Shazhou City, but with the martial arts examination approaching and things being chaotic there recently, it's best not to go... Aren't you a sparring partner at the Yan family? A family like that might have some connections."
It turns out that Hongliu Restaurant is just an ordinary restaurant, and braised beef is already the best they can offer.
Well, both roads are blocked.
Moreover, it was suggested that one consult a prominent family.
"Okay, thank you, Senior Sister. I'll head to the Yan family now."
Liu Sheng was preparing to head to Yan's residence.
He looked at the family of beggars huddled together and felt a pang of pity, after all, his senior sister could only save them once.
But he didn't have the ability to settle so many beggars. After thinking about it, he had an idea.
He spoke up to suggest, "The market in the middle of the county town isn't as prosperous as here, but the Mingsha Gang is much more upright than the Black Fox Gang. Why don't you go there to hide?"
The family left, expressing their deepest gratitude.
"Hey, the Mingsha Gang?"
Liu Sheng suddenly thought of Cao Dahuang, so he changed his direction and went to Mingsha Gang first.
"It's all Cao Dahuang's fault for his ineffective bandit suppression. If he had taken down the Black Fox Gang earlier, would we be in this mess today?"
In his heart, Liu Sheng fiercely condemned the fat man.
He knew, of course, that Cao Dahuang was skilled in medicine, but he was only an eighth-rank official, and it was unlikely that he could do anything to cure the sleeping sickness.
He simply wanted to issue a condemnation.
Moreover, Cao Dahuang is a renowned doctor; what if he has a way to obtain precious medicines?
Arriving at the market in the center of the county town, Liu Sheng did not see Cao Dahuang this time.
Lai San said he went to Shazhou City.
It turns out that my previous speculation was that the source of the sleeping sickness was likely Shazhou City.
So Cao Dahuang went to Shazhou City to look for clues.
To Liu Sheng's surprise, Lai San's blood and energy had increased significantly, and he even had a layer of skin covering his body.
He asked with a smile:
"Not bad, Lao Lai, you've become a Rank 1 martial artist too?"
Lai San was smug and sincerely praised:
"Oh, Brother Sheng, it's all thanks to you! And with our leader being so wise! This old man is now a dignified hall master of the Mingsha Gang!"
Liu Sheng secretly felt that his decision to search for the precious medicine and meat was wise.
He sighed inwardly.
If we don't try harder...
Lai San has managed to catch up with me.
Upon hearing Liu Sheng's question, Lai San shook his head and said:
"These precious meats and medicines are only available to three powerful families. Even if other families have them, they won't sell them to you even if you have the money, unless the Kang, Yin, and Yan families give their approval."
At this moment, Lai San's beloved granddaughter, Xiao Lan, was...
She was climbing up and down on Liu Sheng's body like a mischievous little monkey. Since her rescue, Lai San had fattened her up, making her quite plump and heavy.
So much so that when she climbed onto Liu Sheng's neck...
Liu Sheng could clearly feel the pressure.
Upon hearing Lai San's reply...
The topic then circled back to aristocratic families.
Liu Sheng also looked helpless.
Perhaps due to memories from his previous life, Liu Sheng had a special affinity for these emperors, generals, and powerful families.
There was absolutely no respect whatsoever.
When he went to the Yan family to be a sparring partner, he dared to lie down on the rocking chair right in front of the young master, deliberately provoking him.
I have never felt that being from a commoner background makes me inferior to others.
But now, I really want to take that next step.
Only then did I truly understand the feeling of hitting walls everywhere, and that I couldn't even spend money.
It's clear that without this powerful family, there's really no way to proceed.
But Xiaolan was still there, and he didn't want to appear temperamental in front of the child, so he could only patiently ask:
"I know that, are there any other ways?"
Lai San, having seen much of the world, could sense Liu Sheng's emotions. He wasn't annoyed, and instead asked with a smile:
"Does Sheng-ge know about the annual 'Fish Catching Festival' held by the three major families at Crescent Lake?"
"Um?"
Liu Sheng had lived in Yueya County since he was a child, but he had never heard of such a festival.
"Alright, it seems I'll have to deal with these powerful families properly."
Just as he signaled Lai San to continue.
Then a member of the Mingsha Gang came to deliver the message:
"Master Lai, Fourth Brother Fox from the Black Fox Gang has led his men to attack again!"
Lai San immediately perked up:
"Brothers, grab your weapons and follow me!"
In the blink of an eye, they all ran out.
Only Xiaolan was still circling around Liu Sheng.
Although the child is quite cute.
But Liu Sheng doesn't have time to play with his children.
"Sweetie, Uncle has something to do and has to go now."
Liu Sheng said softly.
Xiaolan was a little reluctant to part with him.
Despite pouting, she obediently stepped aside.
Liu Sheng had no choice but to continue his journey to the Yan family.
And after he left.
When Xiaolan realized that no one was playing with her, she went outside by herself.
I squatted in the corner and watched the ants.
Just then, someone passed by and glanced at her.
"Um?"
Xiaolan also noticed the extra shadow on the ground. When she looked up, she saw who it was—
He wore a black turban, a round-necked blue silk robe, a belt around his waist with a copper waist tag engraved with the character "捕" (meaning "capture"), a horizontal knife on his left side, and cowhide boots.
He was clearly dressed as a constable.
Even though he was dressed in men's clothing, his eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and his phoenix eyes were slightly upturned.
Her figure also has obvious curves.
Only an ordinary person could tell that this was actually a female constable, about 20 years old.
After seeing who it was, Xiaolan smiled happily:
"Sister Yu!"
"Xiao Lan! It really is you!"
Yan Mansion.
It was still outside the familiar martial arts training ground.
Under the shade of poplar trees.
The absence of the group of beautiful young ladies from the Yan family today is not because they did not wish to come.
Instead, today's guests include Yan Lie, the head of the Yan family; the resolute-looking Second Master Yan; the Third Master Yan, whose legs are still wrapped in bandages and who is leaning on a cane; and the steward Yan, who stands with his hands at his sides.
They were still debating how much reward Liu Sheng should receive for his meritorious service.
"Brother, I disagree. 70 taels is too much! Liu Sheng is indeed capable; I misjudged him before..."
Second Master Yan Gang's voice was somewhat aggressive:
"But he's still an outsider. Paying him 10 taels to hire him is his duty. In my opinion, giving him another 30 taels would be enough!"
Yan Gang always believed that blood ties were more reliable than those of outsiders, and that money, precious meat, and precious medicine should be given to the Yan family members first.
Third Master Yan Yong tapped his cane on the ground and retorted, "Second Brother, you're mistaken. If Liu Sheng hadn't risked his life to kill the Eighth-Rank Wolf King yesterday, dozens of people from our caravan would have perished there..."
He became agitated and went further: "What's more, Liu Sheng is only 17 years old, and his courage, character, and comprehension are all top-notch. If we don't recruit such a talent soon, what will happen if he goes to the Kang family? It must be 70 taels!"
Yan Yong's voice was somewhat hoarse with excitement. Unlike his second master, he believed that for the Yan family to grow stronger, it was necessary to break down barriers between different families and recruit talented individuals.
Butler Yan, standing beside him, remained as still as an old monk in meditation.
He would never interrupt unless the head of the family spoke.
Thus, the argument between Yan Gang and Yan Yong continued.
Yan Lie, who is usually irritable, has recently been suffering from sleeping sickness and is in poor spirits.
He listened to his two younger brothers arguing expressionlessly. He was used to hearing this kind of argument five or six times a day.
"If you only value talent, then what about all those spies you recruited before?"
"He's different!"
"You always say that!"
"They were just unwilling to spend money before, which is why they hired a bunch of lousy people!"
"..."
"..."
Seeing that the argument had subsided, the family head, Yan Lie, spoke up at the opportune moment: "Enough."
His voice, though not loud, carried the authority of the head of the household, instantly silencing the argument between the two.
The second and third masters immediately fell silent and looked at their elder brother.
Yan Lie said slowly, "Liu Sheng's contributions certainly shouldn't be underestimated, but recently many of the Yan family's trade routes have encountered problems and suffered serious losses. Uncle Shou, please fetch 50 taels of silver notes and give them to Liu Sheng later."
"Yes," Butler Yan replied respectfully.
"Wait, send another piece of brocade. It will come from my personal warehouse. That's settled then."
"Yes, Master."
The patriarch, Yan Lie, closed his eyes wearily. If it were up to him, he would have directly rewarded Liu Sheng with one hundred taels of silver!
But now, he is the head of the family.
The Yan family was not as powerful as the Kang and Yin families to begin with, so they had to be very careful with their money.
Not to mention, the Yan family seems to have been targeted recently, with their trade routes encountering various chaotic armies. This frequency seems to be higher than that of the other two families.
The losses were substantial.
Therefore, Yan Lie could only take a middle value from the bids of his second and third brothers each time, which was considered a way to balance things out internally.
Seeing their elder brother close his eyes, Yan Gang and Yan Yong said nothing more and looked at the training ground together.