"Understood!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Jiang Yan scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly, then turned and slowly retreated from Han Mo's room.
After seeing Jiang Yan off, Han Mo lost all interest in reading.
The Pu family's affairs in Mingzhou were completely finished. It was likely that before dawn, all of the Pu family's assets would be temporarily sealed by the prefectural yamen.
Although this indeed marked the end of Han Mo's first clash with the Pu family, with Han Mo achieving a complete victory, it also meant that the Pu family's fiercest resistance was about to come.
Whether they would dare to take the final step, Han Mo was a bit unsure at this moment.
However, the Pu family were ultimately from the merchant class that traded by sea. Even with victory in hand, Han Mo could not help but guard against their desperate final struggle.
At this time, Han Mo was genuinely worried about Wang Bing.
Once something happened in Mingzhou, the responsibility of defending the city would fall entirely on him.
Mingzhou City was located by the sea. If rebel troops were to attack, and the Pu family turned from sea merchants into pirates, they would face enemies on both sides!
With heavy doubts, Han Mo stayed awake all night.
"Young master, people from the prefecture yamen were dispatched last night. Now all of the Pu family's properties in Mingzhou have been sealed by the prefecture!"
As dawn broke, Jiang Yan finally returned.
"Li Yueyang has finally taken a side. Hmph! That old fox has finally entered the game!"
Hearing this, a stone in Han Mo's heart finally settled.
He could use his connections to have Li Yueyang transferred, but at this moment, it was better to maintain the status quo. Having him join the fray was the best outcome.
"Young master, what should we do next?"
Seeing a smile finally appear on Han Mo's face, Jiang Yan quickly asked.
"Send someone to book the best banquet at the finest restaurant in Mingzhou. If I'm not mistaken, there should be many distinguished guests arriving this noon!"
Han Mo smiled, then stretched his body with a long yawn.
Although those who were on the fence might not know that Han Mo was the one stirring up trouble, at this moment, the Pu family's influence in Mingzhou was utterly destroyed. If those people didn't show up now, they would have to be buried with them!
"Understood!"
"My lord, someone from the Qian family has delivered a calling card!"
As the two were talking, someone walked in holding a bright red calling card.
"See? Speak of the devil and he shall appear!"
Han Mo said as he took the calling card with a smile.
"Go tell the messenger that this official will be hosting a grand banquet tomorrow at noon, and I await your esteemed presence!"
"Understood!"
"Young master, the Qian family sending someone at this time, does this mean they intend to cooperate with us?"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but ask.
"It's too early to talk about cooperation. They just want to probe King Xin's stance through me and, at the same time, snatch a piece of the pie from the Pu family for themselves!"
Hearing Jiang Yan's question, Han Mo sneered.
"These people are too shameless! We're charging ahead, and now they're coming out to pick the peaches!"
Even Jiang Yan couldn't help but curse after hearing Han Mo's words.
"Why are you so angry? This is such a colossal beast. If we try to tear at it ourselves, we might end up covered in blood. We can just watch from the sidelines and let them tear each other apart like dogs. When things settle down, we'll just take the fattest piece of meat. As for the leftover scraps, leave them to them!"
Compared to Jiang Yan's righteous indignation, Han Mo was much calmer.
"I'm just upset that these guys were just watching the show a few days ago, and now they're jumping out!"
"Alright, there are many people like this. I'm going back to sleep for a while. If anyone comes to deliver a calling card, you must accept them all and invite them to the banquet tomorrow noon!"
With a long yawn, Han Mo gave his instructions and went back to his room to rest.
"Understood!"
With the overall situation settled, Han Mo confidently returned to his room to sleep. However, as the catalyst for this entire affair, Ping Zhengcheng once again became a stray dog.
This time, they had truly failed, and their situation was even more miserable than when they were in Bianliang.
After all, at that time, they still had a pile of goods. But now, they were truly penniless.
The copper coins they brought had all ended up on the Pu family's ships, and their seafaring vessels had all been seized by the Maritime Trade Office.
With the Pu family's assets sealed, besides their personal belongings, they now had absolutely nothing!
"Patriarch, what do we do now?"
Looking at the subdued扈从武士 (bodyguards/warriors) with their heads bowed, Ping Tiian Zhengfu asked Ping Zhengcheng in a low voice.
"I still have a jade pendant here. Take it to the pawn shop over there first and exchange it for some copper coins so everyone can find a place to stay before we discuss anything else!"
As Ping Zhengcheng spoke, he reluctantly took a jade pendant from his neck.
This was a gift from his father when he was born. He had worn it for over forty years. The thought of having to exchange it for money made Ping Zhengcheng feel as if his heart was being cut by a knife.
"But Patriarch, this item is..."
After glancing at the item, Ping Tiian Zhengfu quickly knelt on the ground.
"It's fine, things are just things. When we return, we can get as many of these as you want!"
Ping Zhengcheng took a deep breath and handed the jade pendant to Ping Tiian Zhengfu without even looking at it.
"Understood!"
With a deep sense of humiliation, Ping Tiian Zhengfu, carrying the jade pendant, arrived at Changsheng Pawn, the largest pawn shop in Mingzhou City.
"Sir, what can this humble establishment do for you?"
Although the shopkeeper looked at Ping Tiian Zhengfu's peculiar robe with some disdain, he still asked.
"I have a piece of jade here. See how much it's worth?"
Hearing him say this, the shopkeeper reached out and took the jade pendant to examine it.
"How much can this junk be worth? If you want to pawn it outright, I'll take it for five guan; otherwise, you can take it back!"
The shopkeeper glanced at it and immediately tossed the jade pendant back.
"Five guan? Are you trying to rob me? This is top-quality Hetian jade! It's worth at least five hundred guan!"
Seeing his rough movement, Ping Tiian Zhengfu shuddered and quickly reached out to catch it.
This was the only valuable item they had left!
"The item is fine, it's indeed Hetian jade, but look at what's carved on it. What kind of person would buy such a ghastly thing to wear? A snake with eight heads. Do you think more heads make it more valuable? If you're not selling, get lost!"
Seeing Ping Tiian Zhengfu's angry expression, the shopkeeper dismissively ordered him to leave.
"You! You!"
Feeling so insulted, Ping Tiian Zhengfu instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"You what? What? You dare to draw your sword? Look carefully, this is the Great Song Dynasty. You damned Japanese pirates, are you looking for death?"
The shopkeeper slammed the table, and more than a dozen shop assistants immediately rushed in from behind.