newbobooks Chapter 253 The Black Industry (Part 2)
Chapter 253 The Black Industry (Part 2)
The mayor did not hide his actions from his wife, and his son, daughter, son-in-law, and even grandson and granddaughter were involved. Amid their mutual attacks and accusations, the prince figured everything out.
The Zhou family's wealth did not come from silk and tea, but from the human trafficking business, a line of operations they had been engaged in for generations. They had established strongholds and responsible personnel in Northern Liang, Southern Chu, and Western Shu.
Chunfeng Town was just one of the thousands of villages and towns in Northern Liang.
They also tampered with things in other villages and towns.
Every place has its own legends, and every place has its own horrific tragedies. These legends or tragedies are used to create evil spirits, build temples, and justify sacrifices, missing persons, and even related cases.
He Niannian's father was once a link in the Zhou family's business chain. After Butler He joined the He family, He Niannian's father handed over this part of the business to him. Ordinary families would not dare to use a bandit as a butler unless they had seen people worse than him and were confident that they could control him.
He Niannian's biological mother did not die of illness. She was killed after discovering what her husband had done, when her attempts to dissuade him failed, and she was about to report him to the authorities. The person who killed her was none other than her husband, He Niannian's father, the kind-hearted Master He in the eyes of the people.
It's true that he was choosing a husband for his daughter, it's true that he didn't let his daughter know about the businesses he was involved in, and it's also true that he wanted to use his daughter's marriage to split the He family's black and white businesses in two.
He handed over the overt business to his son-in-law, and the covert business to Steward He.
He believed his son-in-law was truly devoted to his daughter, and even if his son-in-law harbored ill intentions after his death, he still had Butler He as a fallback option. He treated Butler He very well, assuming Butler He was loyal to their family. Even if Butler He had some ulterior motives, his son-in-law wouldn't mistreat his daughter for the sake of the He family's business.
He underestimated human nature and the changes people undergo when faced with the temptation of wealth.
His daughter's affection for her son-in-law was feigned, and the butler he had promoted and relied on also had little sincerity towards his daughter; he was merely using her.
After Master He's death, Butler He officially took over the connection between the He and Zhou families. Just then, the son-in-law plotted against the young lady, so he used the scheme to set up a base in Chunfeng Town.
Besides the Black Goddess Temple, there were several other secret passages in the town, such as those to the Zhang family's house, the town mayor's house, and the houses of the henchmen who worked for them. They would use the sacrificial rites and when the men in their families were away, they would knock out or drug those they had chosen beforehand, transport them through the secret passages to the boat, and hand them over to the Zhou family.
"If there is no true love, why would Butler He have a child with He Niannian? After He Niannian's husband died, he had already taken control of all of the He family's businesses, both overt and covert. Why didn't he find someone he liked to marry openly and formally, instead of staying with He Niannian, a second-marriage woman with injuries and illnesses? There seems to be no other reason than true love."
At the inn, Lu Zhiyuan and Fourth Sister already knew what had happened at the Black Goddess Temple. One of them was brewing tea, and the other was making snacks, and they were getting along very well.
Fourth Sister has very skillful hands; she can make all kinds of flower shapes out of pastries using only her fingers without using molds.
“Madam is still naive and doesn’t understand what those complicated men are thinking.” Fourth Sister placed the prepared pastries on the steamer: “Butler He definitely likes He Niannian, but this liking is not the same as the love you’re talking about. It’s just a flawed butler’s possessiveness toward a seemingly perfect young lady. If it were true love, how could he bear to watch her suffer grievances and be bullied, and how could he bear to deceive her and make her bear his children at the cost of her own life?”
He covered the steamer with the lid and added more firewood to the burning stove.
"Besides his inexplicable possessiveness, there's also his own ulterior motives. He acquired his wealth from the He family under the guise of avenging Miss He. If he were to marry someone else, how would he be any different from that ungrateful son-in-law of the He family in everyone's eyes? In business, integrity is paramount. How can someone who isn't even loyal to the original owner of this body convince the Zhou family that he will be loyal to them? He Niannian is nothing more than a tool and means for him to show his loyalty to the Zhou family."
He clapped his hands and sat down in front of Lu Zhiyuan.
"Furthermore, Steward He has a history of banditry and knows that the fewer people who know about those businesses, the better. He Niannian is injured and ill, and with those medicines, she won't live much longer. A He family young lady whom he risked his life to save, and a He family young lady who is about to die, is certainly better than those outside. As the steward, he holds the He family's assets in a illegitimate and improper manner, but becoming He Niannian's husband would give him a legitimate status. As for the child, it doesn't matter who he has it with, but having it with He Niannian would cause less trouble and bring greater benefits."
Fourth Sister sighed and looked into Lu Zhiyuan's eyes.
"Women value feelings, men value profit. My wife is still young; she'll understand in a few years."
“I understand, I’ve always understood, but I never imagined that men’s minds could be so complicated. It’s a pity for that Miss He, who lived her whole life in such a deception. If she has a spirit in heaven, she might really become a vengeful ghost and crawl out of her coffin to take their lives.”
Fourth Sister shook her head: "She couldn't climb out. The year after she was buried, her grave was struck by lightning, and the coffin and the bones inside were burned."
Lightning striking a grave—such a thing is unheard of.
Judging from Fourth Sister's expression, it didn't seem to be an accident.
The Crown Prince returned with a chill in his body. He was slightly taken aback when he saw Fourth Sister, then looked at Lu Zhiyuan and said, "I need to return to the capital. I will trouble you to stay at this inn for a couple more days. Once the affairs in the capital are settled, we will continue our journey together."
Lu Zhiyuan nodded, knowing that he had returned to the capital to deal with the Zhou family's affairs.
The slave market alone is backed by a complex web of powerful figures, making it difficult to eradicate the Zhou family in a short time. Fortunately, there are two uncles in the capital, one operating openly and the other covertly. One uses the court, the other the business world; gradually dismantling the Zhou family will not be difficult.
After the Crown Prince left, Fourth Sister withdrew her gaze from him and said, "Madam has good taste; he will be a qualified husband."
“He is a good husband, but I will not be a good wife.” Lu Zhiyuan handed the brewed tea to Si Niang: “Like He Niannian, I am not long for this world. My husband also has ulterior motives towards me, including our marriage, which is related to interests. The difference is that my husband is sincere towards me and does not need to use any extreme means to get anything from me. Because I have already helped him achieve what he wanted.”
Watching the Crown Prince's figure disappear around the corner, Lu Zhiyuan's lips curled into a smile.
“I am not He Niannian. I am capable of living independently and do not need to tie my happiness to a man. Just like you, Fourth Sister, you can take good care of yourself and your daughter even after leaving Master Zhang.”
Fourth Sister raised her teacup: "No wonder Madam and I hit it off immediately; we are both people who love ourselves very much."
"Is Fourth Sister planning to leave Spring Breeze Town?"
"Does Madam intend to leave today?"
Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment: "My husband is busy and can't get away for a while, so it would be better for him to go ahead first."
Fourth Sister drank the tea in her cup in one gulp: "I've been away from home for several years. I wonder how things are back home? My parents are getting old. It's time to take the child back to see her maternal grandparents. I'll leave this inn to the innkeeper and the staff. They'll be waiting for their families here."
A gust of wind rose, swirling the leaves in the courtyard before scattering them.