"What's your plan?" Aunt Liu breathed a sigh of relief. She had been terrified. Now that she had calmed down, she realized she was being too worried. She knew her son's character; how could he possibly defend himself?
The second young master put on an air of mystery. "Mother, your only task is to appease Father. Leave these matters to your son. I'm nearly thirty, not a child. I know what I should and shouldn't do. You can rest assured."
Aunt Liu nodded sheepishly and quickly changed the subject, asking about her son's daily life. Su Dan Novel Network.
A few days later, as Zhang Dahai was reviewing the accounts, the steward approached him and whispered a few words.
Zhang Dahai immediately looked up. "Send someone to keep a close eye on him and see what exactly he intends to do."
The steward nodded solemnly and left to make arrangements.
In the dead of night, someone suddenly scaled the wall into the backyard of a small tavern. The man waiting there quickly helped him over. The two of them crept to the entrance of the warehouse. The man took a small iron rod from his pocket and fiddled with the lock for a few moments. The door creaked open.
The two men hurried inside and went to a vat of wine. They poured half of the wine from the vat into an empty one, then brought water to fill both vats completely.
After repeatedly emptying and refilling several vats, adding more vats than originally intended, they placed one vat of unadulterated wine near the door. They quietly opened it, cautiously peered out, and seeing that the courtyard was empty, they carried the wine through the back door to the waiting horse-drawn carriage.
Once all the vats of wine were loaded, they returned to the warehouse entrance. As soon as they relocked it, they turned around and saw the steward and several servants standing behind them.
Their minds went blank. The man who had scaled the wall first reacted, grabbing the arm of the man beside him. Taking advantage of their surprise, he shoved them with all his might and fled through the back door.
With a desperate air, they lunged, startling the steward and the servants who were blocking their path. Their master had told them to prioritize their own safety in any situation; losing some wine was not a big deal.
They hesitated for only a moment before the two men managed to pull open the back gate. As the gate swung open, a smile involuntarily spread across their faces. If they could just get into the carriage and escape quickly, those people would never catch them.
The next moment, the smile froze on their faces. Outside the gate, the road was lined with people holding torches. The coachman had already been apprehended. Seeing this scene, they knew they were finished.
The two men exchanged a look and decided to take a gamble. They pulled daggers from their pockets, intending to strike first. They both charged towards Zhang Dahai, realizing that the best strategy was to capture the leader. If they could hold him hostage, they believed they could escape.
Zhang Dahai, however, wouldn't give them the chance. When they fell to the ground, they still hadn't realized what had happened. They had been operating in the capital for years, taking money to solve problems, and they both possessed some martial skills. Not that they were invincible, but they had never been caught before. They never expected this Zhang Dahai to be so formidable. Before they could even touch his clothes, they were kicked to the ground. They hadn't seen how he had moved at all.
Soon, they were bound hand and foot and escorted to the main courtyard. Zhang Dahai, seated above, looked at the three kneeling on the ground and calmly asked, "Speak. Who sent you?"
The three lowered their heads, unwilling to speak first.
Zhang Dahai had not expected to get anything out of them immediately. He said indifferently, "It doesn't matter if you don't speak. I can hand you over to the authorities. If you think I have no connections and that the person behind you can save you, you are gravely mistaken. Have you ever considered that a poor boy from the countryside has opened such a large winery in the capital, and yet no one dares to cause me trouble? Do you naively believe I have no background whatsoever?"
Zhang Dahai was not bluffing at all. The day after the second young master arrived, he had sent a letter to Madam Lin, asking her to help him get introduced to the Marquis of Anning's manor. Not long after, Madam Lin personally visited him and told him that the Marquis of Anning had publicly announced from the beginning that this was his nephew and that everyone should take care of him. Otherwise, with such a prosperous business, people would have become envious long ago, either coming to demand cooperation openly or attempting to buy him out forcefully.
Zhang Dahai berated himself for his oversight. After so many lifetimes, he couldn't even figure this out. Had his brain regressed from being a farmer for a while? As soon as Madam Lin left, he immediately instructed the steward to prepare generous gifts and send them to the Marquis of Anning's manor.
Upon receiving the gifts, the Marquis of Anning stroked his beard with some satisfaction. While he didn't care about the tribute, it was still a gesture of his sincerity.
Opening the chests and seeing them full of gold and jewels, he was somewhat surprised. He quickly summoned the steward. "He's only been in business for a few days, and he's already sent so much treasure. Is he making a fortune every day?"
The Marquis had been busy with state affairs and hadn't paid much attention to his nephew's business. However, the steward, who managed the manor's finances, was well-informed about external matters. Hearing the Marquis's words, he quickly nodded.
Then, with some pride, he said, "This time, I fear Master Lin misjudged. Although the young master grew up in the countryside, and his fiancée is a village woman, their demeanor suggests they are not simple. They are indeed making a fortune now, and who knows about the future. I've heard they are planning to expand into other businesses, and I am very optimistic about them."
When the Marquis of Anning heard this, he became even more interested in Zhang Dahai. The steward was a house-born servant who had grown up in the Marquis's manor and had seen countless people. He had never heard him evaluate someone in such high terms.
From then on, the Marquis of Anning boasted about his relationship with Zhang Dahai to everyone he met. As a result, those in the know were aware that although Zhang Dahai and Master Lin had not officially acknowledged each other, Zhang Dahai was Master Lin's long-lost eldest son. People intentionally or unintentionally gave him some conveniences. Of course, some people, not so well-informed, remained completely unaware.
At this moment, the three men looked up, exchanging glances. The mastermind behind this had told them that the owner of the small tavern was from the countryside and had no one to rely on. Even if they were caught and handed over to the authorities, she could find a way to rescue them.
Having operated in the capital for many years, they were extremely cautious. They had immediately conducted an investigation into Zhang Dahai and Gao Feixue and found that things were indeed as the mastermind had described before taking action.
Now, hearing Zhang Dahai's words, they began to realize that things might not be as simple as they appeared. However, having already offended him, they could only cling to the hope that the mastermind's official rank was higher than his patron.