Liu Song was not surprised by their reactions.
In fact, he had seen plenty in the past two days.
Butcher Zhang, who sold pork at the village entrance, delivered ten catties of fresh beef ribs yesterday, claiming it was from his master, and that he shouldn't forget good neighbors when he had good things.
Li Xiucai, well-informed and a compulsive gambler, who worked as a scribe in the guard station, also proactively returned the debt he had owed for many years, early this morning before dawn.
Liu Song couldn't even count all such instances.
Before, when he mentioned that Ning Yue was the officer he followed, no one paid attention; now, without him needing to bring it up, some people's lost memories seemed to have suddenly returned overnight.
There was also Matchmaker Sun from the village. She used to blame him for being too picky and having unrealistic expectations when she tried to set him up. Now, she constantly pestered him, wanting to marry the village beauty, Miao Cuicui, who had always looked down on him, to him.
Bah! Still 'marry down'?
Liu Song flatly refused!
Liu Song looked down at the two trembling individuals in front of him, pulling a few contracts from the manager's hand.
He then said in a deliberate tone, "Why aren't you quickly sending these people to the residence? It's the third house in Songshi Alley, due east of the inner city."
"Be careful on the way. These people are now with Ning. If they get so much as a scratch, even if it's just a tiny bit of skin broken, I'll hold you accountable!"
Upon hearing this, their bodies trembled even more violently.
The manager quickly assented, taking the four individuals, arranging a carriage, and hurrying away.
Ning Yue leisurely emerged from the dark room. The morning light was dazzling and strained his eyes, but he didn't blink, simply watching them gracefully depart.
He then called Liu Song, gave him a few quiet instructions, and left the gates of the brokerage alone.
"Calculate it, how much silver in total?" Liu Song, having received his orders, turned to face Li Xiucai, his left hand idly toying with the hilt of his saber.
Li Xiucai felt a chill run straight up the back of his neck.
It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with this little devil.
This 'little devil' in front of him didn't look easy to get along with, unlike the Ning Zongqi who had just left, who was kind and generous.
He thought it over repeatedly, gritted his teeth again and again, before hesitantly holding up an open palm.
Liu Song's brow furrowed, then smoothed out, and he said playfully, "Fifty taels? That's not expensive at all."
Unexpectedly, Li Xiucai knelt on the ground with a thud, pleading, "My Lord, please don't joke with this humble one. Fifty taels of silver, these people wouldn't even be able to get in with that."
"Then it's five hundred taels?"
Li Xiucai, still kneeling, nodded vigorously.
Liu Song scolded him unhappily, "If you have something to say, just say it. You make me guess. And if I don't guess right, you're unhappy?"
"Old Li, tell me, who are we joking with?!"
"Five hundred taels of silver is not a small sum, you… do you want to think about it again?"
"Clang!" The saber was half-drawn from its sheath, its gleam blocking the dazzling sunlight above Li Xiucai's head, casting a long shadow.
Li Xiucai was so scared that he shivered violently, immediately kowtowing repeatedly.
"My Lord, spare my life, My Lord, spare my life. This humble one truly dares not deceive you. This is all the silver, and this humble one even has to make up quite a bit from his own pocket."
Li Xiucai was merely the manager of a brokerage, only visiting his master's residence a couple of times a year. Ultimately, he hadn't seen much of the world. Startled by Liu Song, he was already scared out of his wits.
Seeing that the other party's expression didn't seem feigned, Liu Song re-sheathed his saber.
He smiled and helped Old Li to his feet, even patting off some of the dust from his clothes.
"Look at you, what are you doing? I have a position but no official rank, just like you, we are both ordinary people of Gu City. I was just joking with you. You, ah, are not young anymore, why are you so bad at taking a joke?"
"If others saw this, they might even think I'm throwing my weight around and bullying you."
Li Xiucai quickly said he wouldn't dare, but inwardly he was bitterly complaining.
Today was truly a scholar meeting a soldier; there was no reasoning to be had.
Liu Song continued, "The price of five hundred taels is fair, so I will accept it on behalf of my young master."
"However, my young master said that you need to go to the Xue Residence and ask Xue Zige, the legitimate daughter, for this money. My young master also asked you to deliver a message, saying that this money is owed to him by that Young Lady Xue."
"This, this… this might not be according to the rules, My Lord. Moreover, the Xue Residence is a powerful aristocratic family. Can this humble one truly enter?" Li Xiucai's face was bitter, his heart even more so, and he held onto Liu Song's sleeve, refusing to let go.
He thought to himself: I'll never do business with these two masters again, even if it kills me. Making money isn't the point; my little heart simply can't take it.
Even if he was ignorant, he still knew the four great families: Xue, Mo, Han, and Xie.
They were a status he couldn't hope to aspire to even in his next life. Even his own master was nothing more than an insignificant ant in their presence.
Now, to ask him to personally visit their home, even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare.
Liu Song said impatiently, "Just go. If it doesn't work out, my Lord will naturally give you an explanation."
"And—" Liu Song suddenly lowered his head, his eyes glinting with a cold light, meeting Li Xiucai's timid, dodging gaze.
"Is it according to the rules for you to harbor unregistered individuals and forge deeds of sale?!"
Li Xiucai was instantly struck as if by a bolt from the blue, stunned on the spot.
So Liu Song flung off the corner of his sleeve that was being held, and said with a half-smile, "If you don't want to be caught and thrown into prison, then you must go to the Xue Residence, whether you want to or not!"
"Even if you consider it bad luck and pay out of your own pocket, I will still find trouble with you in the future!"
After speaking, Liu Song turned and strode towards the door.
...
Gu City is located in the extreme north of Great Yuan, and now, at the transition between spring and summer, the temperature difference is quite large.
It was past Chen Shi (9 AM), and Ning Yue sat at a small wooden table that had been polished to a shine. The sun made him so hot he wanted to take off his clothes.
In the center of the wooden table, several freshly baked chive pockets were placed in a basket woven from sorghum stalks, gently steaming.
Before long, two steaming bowls of wontons were also placed on the table by the boss.
Liu Song hurried over, and seeing the scene, his heart warmed. He quickened his steps and habitually sat opposite Ning Yue.
Ning Yue first thanked the boss, then picked up his chopsticks and asked, "Is the matter settled?"
Liu Song was triumphant, laughing, "How dare I ruin your good deeds? Everything is settled."
Ning Yue nodded, first picking up a pocket with his chopsticks, taking a bite, and chewing while saying indistinctly, "Eat quickly, these things don't taste good when they're cold."
Liu Song didn't stand on ceremony either, directly reaching out and grabbing one, opening his mouth wide, and biting off half of it.
"My Lord... what are we doing this afternoon?"
Ning Yue pondered for a moment and asked, "Did you get any news about what I asked you to inquire about yesterday?"
Liu Song nodded: "I found out. Your Elder sister is now in an alley on Sanyang Street. I also heard that before Old Master Zhang died, he found someone to pull strings and bailed out his second son."
"What about my brother-in-law?"
Liu Song shook his head and added, "Now, only the aunt and nephew remain in the He Family, living with a child."
Ning Yue took a sip of the wonton soup, "Tsk tsk... Old Master Zhang's expenses must have been considerable, probably even emptying his family heirlooms. I said that the last time we raided their home, we didn't find anything good. I didn't expect the old master to be so cunning and astute."
"Hehe, I heard he produced a family heirloom, a treasure passed down through generations."
Ning Yue took another sip of the wonton soup and sighed, "Alas! How pitiful that my Elder sister has now fallen on hard times, forced to live under the same roof with her husband's younger brother. In such a compromising situation, who knows how many gossipy tongues are wagging behind her back."
Liu Song asked mournfully, "Zongqi has always been united and friendly, sympathetic to relatives and friends. Can he really bear to just watch and ignore this?"
Ning Yue's gaze was heavy, "Naturally not... I will close my eyes."
"My Lord is truly brilliant!" Liu Song cupped his hands in salute.