Chapter 57: Three Pieces of Information!

Needless to say, this must be old man Zhang!

Old man Zhang looked like a somewhat petty and stingy little old man. His hair was already completely white, yet his eyes still held a certain brilliance.

He was not tall, and his posture had a slight hunch.

Waving his hands with a displeased expression, he drove away the people gathered around.

"Scatter, everyone, scatter!"

Seeing the appearance of old man Zhang, Lu Chuan gave Sun Laizi a pat on the shoulder.

"Alright, it seems we aren't needed anymore. Let's go!"

With that, he led Sun Laizi away.

Sun Laizi looked somewhat puzzled and asked, "That poem, did you give it to him?"

"How could that be? I don't even know how to write poetry!"

Lu Chuan waved his hand dismissively.

Lu Chuan truly did not care about such opportunities to shine before others.

He had never intended to pursue an official career.

The current Great Xia Dynasty was already rotten to its very roots.

To save it, nothing short of enduring a biting, marrow-deep cold would suffice.

Lu Chuan did not have that much energy and time to save the common masses; living his own life steadily and peacefully was the most important thing.

"Brother Chuan, where are we going now?"

At this moment, Sun Laizi asked with a somewhat awkward expression.

"Back to the county yamen!"

Lu Chuan's business in Hongtu County was practically finished.

As of now, he was still short on money.

The sum of one hundred taels of silver was probably difficult to extract from Xu Houxiang.

The Black Water bandits likely possessed a great deal of money and silver, but if he went there right now, it would undoubtedly be courting death.

That left only one person!

Zhou Zheng!

...

Looking at Lu Chuan, who had returned as quickly as he had left, Zhou Zheng instantly felt a massive headache coming on.

"Little brother Lu, why have you returned?" Zhou Zheng paused for a moment, then asked, "Have you encountered some difficult trouble?"

"That's right!"

Lu Chuan nodded with utter seriousness.

He looked at Zhou Zheng before him and stated, "I'm short on money!"

"..."

Zhou Zheng was momentarily rendered speechless, then continued, "Does little brother Lu wish to borrow money?"

"Yes!"

Lu Chuan looked at the man before him, paused for a brief moment, and said, "One hundred taels of silver! Repaid in one month!"

"..."

Zhou Zheng's eyes narrowed. "However, we only just met a short while ago!"

"True."

"Yet we hit it off the moment we met, as if we were old friends!"

Lu Chuan chuckled cheerfully and nodded.

Zhou Zheng was speechless for a moment.

This Lu Chuan's skin was far thicker than he had imagined. Furthermore, who on earth hit it off with you the moment they met?

"Do you understand?"

Zhou Zheng looked at Lu Chuan before him, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "It is impossible for me to lend you one hundred taels of silver simply because of the phrase 'hitting it off the moment we met'!"

"I know!"

Lu Chuan tapped his fingers twice on the table.

Suddenly, a smile touched the corner of his lips, and he continued, "I can sell Your Honor a piece of information!"

"Only, in that case, this one hundred taels of silver will not be a loan, but rather—"

Zhou Zheng shook his head once more. "No piece of information is worth one hundred taels of silver!"

"Not necessarily!"

Lu Chuan looked earnestly at Zhou Zheng. "Decide for yourself: will you lend it to me, or will I sell this information to you for one hundred taels?"

"It concerns the Zhao Family Village!"

Lu Chuan said calmly.

Zhou Zheng felt his heart suddenly give a violent jolt.

His eyes slowly narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing much!"

Lu Chuan smiled. "Although I'm not entirely clear on the details, during this period—whether through your grand public displays or your covert investigations—you have entered the Zhao Family Village two or three times. Clearly, you are plotting something there."

"Though I do not know what you are up to!"

"I am, after all, from Shuangshui Village."

"I have a fair understanding of matters big and small within the Zhao Family Village!"

Zhou Zheng shook his head slightly.

"What you speak of, we can investigate ourselves!"

Lu Chuan nodded.

"The Zhao Family Village is different from other villages. Everyone in that village shares the surname Zhao. Although they may have occasional friction amongst themselves in daily life, when facing outsiders, the Zhao Family Village is tightly knit as a single rope!"

"Are you certain you can unearth any useful information?"

These words struck right at the core of Zhou Zheng's concerns.

People from the county yamen had gone there openly and covertly three or four times.

Yet, they had never managed to discover anything of substance.

The villagers seemed to harbor an intense, ingrained resistance to outsiders.

Even as an official runner, it was utterly unrealistic to expect to extract any information from their mouths.

"Are you certain your information will be useful to me?"

Zhou Zheng asked, pondering for a moment.

Lu Chuan shook his head. "Pay first, then the information. Useful or not, it's one hundred taels!"

"Of course, you can also choose to lend me the money instead."

A grave look lingered in Zhou Zheng's eyes. He vaguely sensed that something was amiss; this Lu Chuan was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

From the looks of it now, he might truly be connected to Zhou Tong's death!

Though a nephew was merely a nephew—dead was dead!—he still could not let things rest in such an ambiguous manner.

"I'll buy it!"

Zhou Zheng muttered after a moment of contemplation and nodded.

"A-Ye, go to the treasury and fetch one hundred taels of silver!"

Not long afterward, one hundred taels of silver were placed before Lu Chuan.

"Speak!"

Zhou Zheng's expression remained calm. "However, if your information is not worth one hundred taels..."

Zhou Zheng did not finish his sentence. Yet, his words carried an unspeakable, chilling sinister undertone.

Son of a bitch!

Lu Chuan cursed inwardly.

He was actually threatening him?

"I can tell you three pieces of information, though I cannot guarantee whether they will be useful to you!"

"First, the hunting team of the Zhao Family Village was established ten years ago. Furthermore, they are extremely domineering; ever since the hunting team was formed, they began monopolizing the surrounding mountain forests and driving away all other hunters!"

Zhou Zheng took a sip of tea.

His expression remained composed, yet towering waves had already crashed within his heart.

This piece of information was exceptionally crucial.

A hunting team established ten years ago?

And driving away other hunters?

Why?

Game in the mountain forests would not simply run out!

"Second, everything within the Zhao Family Village is entirely self-sufficient! Moreover, their standard of living is relatively affluent!"

"Third, the members of the Zhao Family Village's hunting team all possess some degree of martial arts, and their archery skills are vastly superior to those of ordinary hunters!"

Lu Chuan concisely stated these three points!

Not a single detail among these three was false.

Yet, none of them had the slightest connection to the truth.

Were the people of the Zhao Family Village innocent or not?

Lu Chuan actually had very little interest in that, and even if Zhou Zheng were unhinged, he could not possibly slaughter an entire village.

However, this was enough to focus Zhou Zheng's attention entirely upon the Zhao Family Village.

Lu Chuan's primary objective in doing this was to divert Zhou Zheng's gaze away from Shuangshui Village.

Zhou Zheng fell into deep contemplation.

Lu Chuan stood up and took his leave!

Watching Lu Chuan's receding figure, a dark, profound light gradually rose in Zhou Zheng's eyes.

"Your Honor!"

"This boy is not simple!"

A-Ye said in a cold voice from the side.

Zhou Zheng nodded. "To be able to eliminate Zhou Tong without leaving a trace, he is indeed not simple."

"Your Honor, since you already know, why not..." A trace of astonishment flashed across A-Ye's eyes.

Zhou Zheng shook his head. "Do not startle the snake in the grass just yet!"

"Withdraw our focus from the Zhao Family Village and concentrate entirely on Shuangshui Village!"

Resolve burned brightly in Zhou Zheng's gaze!