gnovel Chapter 26 is going to be quite a show!
Chapter 26 is going to be quite a show!
Liu Bei put down his wine cup. Song Jiang?
What is he doing here at this hour?
"Please invite him up."
Lei Heng was also somewhat surprised: "Why is Brother Song Jiang here?"
Before he finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, and Song Jiang strode in.
As soon as he entered the private room, everyone was stunned.
This man, who usually takes great care of his appearance, was now dressed in disheveled clothes and had a few strands of hair loose.
His face was dark, and even more so, it had a deathly ashen look.
His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept all night.
Song Jiang's gaze swept across the room and landed on Liu Bei, as if a drowning man had grasped at the last straw.
He took three steps in two and walked up to Liu Bei, disregarding the presence of others, and bowed deeply to Liu Bei.
"Brother, save me!"
The private room fell silent instantly.
Lei Heng suddenly stood up.
"Brother Song Jiang, what's wrong? What happened?"
Song Jiang's lips moved, his face filled with shame, indignation, and embarrassment, and he was speechless for a moment.
Liu Bei reached out and helped him up.
"Brother, don't panic, sit down and tell me slowly."
He helped Song Jiang to sit down on a chair next to him and personally poured him a cup of hot tea.
"pedant."
Wu Yong understood and gave Sun Sheng and his three men a wink.
"Let them go downstairs to eat and drink first, and put the bill on your brother's tab."
Sun Sheng was a quick-witted man. He knew that there was something important to discuss, so he nodded immediately.
"Yes, sir."
He grabbed three of his still-dazed subordinates and shoved them out of the private room: "Go downstairs for drinks, and keep your eyes peeled."
The three henchmen nodded and left, closing the door behind them.
Song Jiang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and the scalding tea went down his throat, but he seemed to feel nothing.
"elder brother……"
He put down his teacup, his voice hoarse.
"Brother... I've been caught red-handed by that Yan Poxi."
Upon hearing this, Lei Heng immediately roared, "That woman! What dares she do to you?"
Song Jiang waved his hand, his face full of bitterness.
"It's all my fault, I was careless."
"I usually correspond with friends in the martial arts world. A few days ago, I got drunk and left a document bag containing letters with her."
"She...she used this to blackmail me, demanding one hundred taels of gold."
"If they refuse, then those letters must be sent to Magistrate Shi's desk in the county government."
Lei Heng was dumbfounded.
"One hundred taels of gold?! Is this woman's heart black?!"
He slammed his fist on the table, making the cups and plates rattle.
"She was desperate back then, and if you hadn't paid for her father's burial, she wouldn't even have been able to afford a straw mat! Now she's turning around and biting you! What an ungrateful wretch!"
Song Jiang lowered his head and remained silent.
Liu Bei looked at him and slowly spoke.
"Money is a small matter. It's just that if she asks for a hundred taels today, she'll ask for a thousand taels tomorrow."
"Human greed has no end. Being manipulated by her like this is ultimately a bottomless pit."
Song Jiang raised his head, his face filled with despair.
"What my brother says is true. But I... I really have no other choice right now."
"If those letters fall into Master Shi's hands, I'm afraid I'll lose my head. But I can't... I can't just give them to her..."
He was a man who moved freely between officialdom and the underworld, and what he valued most was his reputation and his life.
Now, both of these things are in the hands of one woman.
Although the second half wasn't explicitly stated, everyone naturally understood.
Could it really be murder?
Lei Heng paced anxiously to the side.
"What should we do! How about I take a few brothers, sneak into her house at night, and steal the stuff?"
Wu Yong shook his fan.
"Chief, this method is unwise. Since that woman dared to speak, she must have already hidden the item. Stirring her up will only make her more vigilant, and she might even resort to desperate measures immediately."
Lei Heng slapped his forehead.
"This won't work, that won't work, are we just going to let her blackmail us?"
Silence fell once again in the private room.
Song Jiang's face was completely bloodless.
Just then, Sun Sheng, who hadn't dared to interrupt, cautiously said, "Sir... I... have something to say, but I don't know if I should."
At this moment, Song Jiang was in a state of agitation and had no interest in dealing with a rogue.
But Liu Bei spoke up, saying, "Speak."
Sun Sheng stood up, bowed to everyone, and then said, "Sir Song, I've overheard my men gossiping about Yan Poxi."
Song Jiang frowned.
Sun Sheng swallowed hard, glanced at Liu Bei, and seeing Liu Bei nod slightly, he mustered his courage and continued.
"Everyone says...everyone says that Yan Poxi has recently become quite close to Zhang Wenyuan and Zhang Sanlang of the county government's back office."
"Someone saw Zhang Sanlang enter Wulong Temple more than once, taking advantage of your absence, Clerk."
"Moreover, they stay there for most of the day."
Upon hearing this, Lei Heng's expression instantly changed.
"Zhang Wenyuan? That pretty boy?"
He suddenly looked at Song Jiang.
Song Jiang sat in the chair, head down, his expression unreadable.
He didn't fly into a rage, nor did he shout or curse.
The private room was eerily quiet.
After a long while, Song Jiang slowly raised his head.
His voice was calm, yet carried a chill.
"I see."
These three words sent a chill down Sun Sheng's spine.
Liu Bei looked at Song Jiang and suddenly smiled.
"My dear brother, this matter is both difficult and simple."
Song Jiang suddenly looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"Does brother have a solution?"
Liu Bei said, "I didn't mention it before because I was worried that it would make you lose face. Since you don't seem to care much about such things, then everything will be fine."
Song Jiang left his seat and bowed deeply to Liu Bei once again.
"Please teach me, brother!"
Liu Bei asked him to sit down again.
"Brother, we must address this issue head-on, not just think about losing money to avoid further trouble."
He walked to the table and poured a full glass of wine for himself and Song Jiang.
"The reason why Yan Poxi dares to manipulate you like this is simply because she relies on two things."
"Same as above, these are your correspondence with people in the martial arts world."
"The other thing is that I'm betting you won't actually do anything to her."
Song Jiang held the wine cup, his hand trembling slightly.
Liu Bei continued, "However, if Brother Sun Sheng reveals Zhang Wenyuan's matter, then this game will be won."
"If she were only greedy for money, she would be difficult to deal with."
"But if she has an affair, then we will have something on her that we can use against her."
Song Jiang's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Liu Bei pushed a cup of wine in front of him.
"I'll give you fifty taels of gold first. Take it and use it to keep her calm."
He turned to look at Wu Yong.
"Scholar, go to the account and get fifty taels of gold, wrap it in black cloth, and bring it here."
Wu Yong rose to accept the order and quickly left.
Liu Bei continued to Song Jiang, "After you get the gold, tell her that the remaining half is too large and you need to go out and raise the money for a few days."
"Tell her that you will return in three days at the latest and make up the difference in gold."
Song Jiang nodded: "And then?"
Liu Bei said, "Then, for the next two or three days, don't go anywhere. Just drink with us. Since you're not at Wulong Temple, Yan Poxi will surely think you really went out to raise money. She'll feel a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, and having received fifty taels of gold, she'll be riding high. Guess what she'll do?"
Song Jiang gritted his teeth and squeezed out three words.
"Zhang Wenyuan".
"That's right," Liu Bei said. "She will definitely meet with Zhang Wenyuan in secret these next few days. At that time, we'll have to see how Brother Sun Sheng is doing."
Sun Sheng, who had been standing to the side, immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Don't worry, brother! I'll arrange for my most clever brothers to keep a close watch on Wulong Temple, day and night, for twelve hours straight!"
"If Zhang Wenyuan dares to go in, he won't be able to fly out even if he had wings!"
Liu Bei was very satisfied: "Not only do we need to keep an eye on them, but we also need to find a few people with sharp ears to listen close to the wall."
Lei Heng chuckled and picked up the conversation.
"Brother is right! To catch a thief red-handed, you need to catch him in the act; to catch an adulterer in the act, you need to catch them in the act!"
"We must wait until they've turned off the lights, gotten into bed, and are completely out of their minds, oblivious to the world around them, before we break down the door!"
"When the time comes, with the evidence caught red-handed, let's see what that woman and her lover will have to say!"
Upon hearing this, Song Jiang's anger finally dissipated considerably.
He stood up and bowed to Liu Bei, Lei Heng, and Sun Sheng one by one.
"I will never forget this kindness you have shown me!"
Liu Bei patted him on the shoulder.
"We're brothers, why say such things?"
"If we catch them in the act, we can get the letter back."
"At that time, whether to beat or kill, to hand her over to the authorities or to settle it privately, will all be decided by you, my good brother. She is a woman who has committed adultery, and she can no longer cause any trouble."
Song Jiang nodded heavily.
Just then, Wu Yong returned.
He was carrying a heavy black cloth bundle in his hand.
He placed the package on the table and untied it.
Five bright yellow gold bars shone with dazzling light.
The air in the private room seemed to have become hot and stuffy.
Liu Bei pushed the package in front of Song Jiang.
"Brother, take it."
Looking at the fifty taels of gold, Song Jiang felt a mix of emotions.
He came with a do-or-die mentality, willing to sacrifice half his life's worth of dignity, to beg for help.
Unexpectedly, Brother Chao Gai not only did not underestimate him in the slightest, but also devised such a meticulous plan for him.
The money is there.
We have a solution.
"elder brother……"
Song Jiang's voice was choked with emotion.
Liu Bei waved his hand.
"Go. Remember, if you're going to act, you have to go all the way. From now on, you're a poor soul running around trying to raise money, exhausted and heartbroken."
"Do not reveal your whereabouts."
Song Jiang tucked the gold into his pocket; its heavy weight gave him back his confidence.
He bowed deeply to the crowd once again.
"Brothers, wait for my good news."
After saying that, he turned around and strode out of the private room.
Lei Heng watched his retreating figure, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
"Brother, this show is going to be amazing!"