Chapter 156 What do you want?
Boom!
The lightning split the dark clouded sky.
There was rain everywhere in the sky and on the ground. The bean-sized raindrops hit the water, and the splashing foam could fall into the boat.
The members of the Whale Gang put down the mahjong cards and copper coins in their hands, took out the straw raincoats from the waterproof compartment and put them on.
It’s warm in April, but if you get wet from the rain, you’ll still shiver when the river breeze blows.
"heavy rain."
"It's a bit cold. Do you have any raincoats? Give me one."
"There are no more on the ship. Why don't you go ask on other ships?"
The shivering gang members stood up, looked around, and their expressions became confused.
Ten feet away, everything was white and unclear. The rain was as dense as a curtain, and there were splashes of water everywhere, and occasionally lightning flashed straight towards the water surface.
Standing on the boat, he had no idea where the other boats were. Suddenly, a figure lifted the curtain and walked in.
The gang member was overjoyed and was about to borrow a raincoat, but his throat was choked.
Something is wrong!
Not the other gang members.
The figure wasn't paddling the boat, there was just a piece of driftwood under his feet!
Who could stand on a piece of driftwood on a river in a rainstorm?
The gang members were horrified and kicked a strong man in the thigh.
"Stop playing cards, someone's coming!"
"who?"
"The person we are waiting for!"
Everyone was alerted when they heard the words, and walked out of the black tent wearing straw raincoats.
One of them picked up the oar and rowed the boat towards the figure. When they got closer, a thin man standing on the bow shouted.
"Is the person coming here a master from Heboso?"
The figure paused.
"How do you know who I am?"
Several gang members looked at each other and understood.
The thin man bowed and said, "Sir, the leader of a certain gang has been waiting for a long time. I wonder if you could do me the honor of meeting me. I will definitely treat you with good wine and delicious food!"
"Who is your gang leader?"
"It's Liu!"
Thunder exploded, the rain curtain swayed gently, and the loud and clear sound echoed on the river.
Liu Jie jumped onto the small boat, the boat rose and fell, and in a few flashes he had reached the front. He looked as far as he could and was amazed at the youth of the person who came.
At this age, he is actually younger than his son Liu Wenyang!
Liu Jie's eyes froze and he felt inexplicably emotional.
Thinking about how he had wasted half his life, he had finally gotten to the point where he was able to manage tens of thousands of fishermen at the highest level of his ability, which had cost him a huge amount of money. However, he was unable to obtain the position of a ninth-rank inspector and was still controlled by a small county magistrate.
However, some people were able to obtain official positions before they were twenty, which was a threat to him...
Why is this so?
I really want to kill all the dog officials in the world!
Liu Jie looked normal, and he extended his hand to bow: "I have been waiting for the master of Hebo for a long time, but I didn't expect that he turned out to be a young hero!"
"I came to Fengbu County to perform official duties. I wonder why Gang Leader Liu wanted to stop me?"
Liu Jie pointed at the rain and said, "It's raining heavily today. You are tired from the journey. You may as well move a little. I have prepared a banquet and am waiting for you to come."
As they were talking, a two-story pleasure boat sailed out from the rain curtain, and the glazed tiles sparkled brightly under the rain.
"Easy to say, easy to say."
Liang Qu smiled, not caring at all that he was suddenly stopped on the river, and stepped on the driftwood to get on the pleasure boat.
Liu Jie followed closely behind, secretly admiring the accuracy of Liu Yi's judgment. He was not afraid that the other party would arrive late, but was afraid that the other party would arrive early.
The broken wood sank and floated, and Liang Qu jumped up.
He is in charge of tens of thousands of fishermen in a county, and his wealth is enormous from the daily plunder. It can be seen from the pleasure boats alone.
The hulls are all made of mahogany and are exquisitely carved. There are two small pavilions with tiled roofs, colorful gauze hanging around, and even bonsai and mats, with the fragrance of flowers in the air.
There is a large table in the middle, with two people sitting on it.
On the left is Liu Yi, the second-in-command of the Whale Gang, who is thin and dressed in white.
On the right is Zheng Tianfu, the third in command of the Whale Gang. He has a thick frame, and his palms are a circle larger than those of ordinary people and full of joints.
There were also dozens of core gang members standing on both sides, looking very impressive.
What a big battle!
How much silver would it cost to build a pleasure boat like this, and how many craftsmen would it take? I wonder if Toad would accept it.
Liang Qu glanced around with a gloomy look.
What a young official!
Liu Yi and Zheng Tianfu had the same thoughts as Liu Jie. They knew early on that He Bo came from the imperial capital and most of them were children of officials. Could it be that they were the ones in front of them?
Liu Yi frowned slightly. He thought it was a big deal that the water monster attracted an official of the eighth or ninth rank, but he never thought it was the son of an official.
It is not easy to fill the stomachs of the children of officials, but now that things have come to this, we have to face it no matter how difficult it is.
If we don't take back the tentacles of Heboso, the Whale Gang will have a hard time in Fengbu County in the future. We must not lose the big picture for the small!
Liu Yi and Zheng Tianfu lifted their skirts and stood up to salute.
"We, Liu Yi and Zheng Tianfu, are here to greet you, sir!"
Liang Qu pretended not to hear and went to the window to enjoy the view.
Liu Yi and Zheng Tianfu, who were bowing on the side, felt it was not right to let it go, nor was it right not to let it go, and a surge of anger rose in their chests.
It's clearly their own territory, but they come here to show off their power. It's really a great official power.
Liu Jie, who was following behind, said, "The beautiful scenery of the Jianghuai marshes is so fascinating that one cannot help but linger. It is natural for you to be intoxicated by it, but there is still a long time to go. You might as well enjoy the scenery while eating."
Liang Qu seemed to have just come to his senses. He pulled over a stool and sat down with his arms and legs stretched out.
A maid came forward to pour tea, but Liang Qu waved her away. He rinsed his own Doucai cup with tea and spoke.
"Such a large pleasure boat must have been plundered from the people, right?"
Liu Yi and Zheng Tianfu, who sat down shortly after, froze in expression.
"My Lord, you are joking..."
"Hey!" Liang Qu turned his palms up, "No need to say more, let's speak frankly and don't be so nagging.
You think I don't know? That spirit is what you hired people to do, right? I've been doing this for many years, right? "
Everyone was shocked. They never expected that the whole thing would be exposed as soon as the other party arrived in Fengbu County!
The atmosphere suddenly became solemn, and many key members could not help but grasp the hilts of their knives, revealing murderous intent.
Zheng Tianfu looked at Liu Jie and found that Liu Jie's face had already darkened and his hand reached for his waist.
They don't want to kill officials, nor do they want to make a big deal out of it, but if they have to, they can do it!
"Can't you keep calm now?"
Liang Qu rested his elbows on the table, lowered his palms, pinched the rim of the Doucai cup with three fingers, and turned it in circles, observing the patterns on it, and said happily.
"Don't I know why you invited me here? Don't you know why I got on this ship?
Although I am not very old, I know more about officialdom than you do. Tell me, how much do you plan to give me? I think it is appropriate. I will go back and write a briefing and leave immediately. "
Turns out he’s a veteran!
The tense atmosphere eased again.
"Hahaha, good, good, good, it's true that heroes emerge from youth, and adults are open-minded, third brother!"
Liu Jie laughed three times and waved his hand.
Zheng Tianfu, who was standing by, coughed twice, pulled out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve, and handed them over respectfully: "Three thousand taels of banknotes, Tongbao, can be exchanged at Tongshun Bank. I wonder if this can be used as your reward for writing?"
"Three thousand taels?" Liang Qu sat up straight. "Is there a record? Can it be checked in your account book?"
Zheng Tianfu smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. We know what to do about this matter."
Liang Qu picked up the banknote with one hand, unfolded it in front of everyone, and examined it repeatedly.
After a while, he slammed the banknote back on the table and shook his head.
"not enough!"
"not enough?"
Liu Jie frowned.
Tens of thousands of fishermen are a lot, but the government will take up half of them. In addition, there are hundreds of people in the gang, and everyone needs to eat. Three thousand taels of silver notes are already bleeding.
"The gang has a lot of expenses, and we really don't have any extra money. If you don't mind, and wait for a while, the Whale Gang can give us another 2,000 taels in early May!"
"not enough."
not enough?
Liu Jie gritted his teeth and simply pulled the other party onto a boat: "As long as you take good care of us in the future, 20% of the Whale Gang's profits will belong to you!"
Water affairs are managed by the water, and they are not at a disadvantage if they have officials from the River and Lake Bureau to take care of them.
Liang Qu still shook his head.
"This is not enough, that is not enough. Your Excellency is too greedy. Our Whale Gang is not a money house!" A cold light flashed in Liu Yi's eyes.
Liu Jie raised his hand to stop his second brother: "I don't know how much you want, sir. Just tell me the number. If it can be completed, we, the entire Whale Gang, will do our utmost to help!"
"What I want is actually very simple, just..."
Liang Qu lightly spun three fingers, and the Doucai Cuizhu Cup spun on the nanmu table, the bottom of the cup turning and rolling faster and faster.
"Your heads!"
(End of this chapter)
