Chapter 66: Mercy and Sympathy

  With the Spring Festival approaching, it's impossible to return to the capital, and there are still things that haven't been taken care of. The old eunuch has nowhere to turn, probably came to this riverbank to seek death.

  Just now and Li Meng's side salt Ding dispute is the inn's partner, thinking that this old official jumped into the river before seeing if he can get some shop money and meal money out.

  The person in front of him was a eunuch, also known as a taijian (actually, taijian is the title for those high-ranking eunuchs). The taijians of the Ming Dynasty did not leave a good impression in history. As Li Meng, who came from modern times, he always felt that eunuchs were connected to special agencies like the Brocade Guard and the Eastern Depot whenever someone mentioned them. Eunuchs gave people an impression of being abnormal and eerie, so it was better to keep a distance from such people.

  The old eunuch looked at Li Meng taking a step back, shook his head and didn't bother to pay attention, turned around and knelt on the riverbank again, but this time he didn't cry. Li Meng looked at the old eunuch in front of him and thought it was better to avoid trouble, silently walking back the way they came, with the salt guards following behind.

  Also don't know why, Li Meng found himself always feeling that the old eunuch's face he had just seen was superimposed on his parents in modern times, which is also one of Li Meng's biggest heartaches. He struggled and fought alone in the time and space of hundreds of years ago, and his parents would be heartbroken in hundreds of years later. Can the elderly bear such a big blow?

  Li Meng, who was walking quickly, suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around abruptly, and almost collided with several salt sellers who were closely following behind him. Li Meng shook his hand slightly irritably and said:

  "Don't ask too much, just follow along."

  The guards were somewhat bewildered, but what they had been taught all along was to obey the orders of their superiors, and Li Meng's order was everything, so they followed immediately.

  The old eunuch's crying voice could no longer be heard, and Li Meng's footsteps quickened by a few paces. As he walked hastily in this direction, he suddenly heard a loud splash from the other side, something heavy falling into the water. Li Meng immediately became anxious and shouted loudly:

  "Hurry up and get him out of there!!"

  The salt workers heard the order and immediately ran away. Many of these salt workers were children who grew up by the sea, so they were quite good at swimming. Although the weather was cold, they could still withstand it, which also helped them to return quickly. Just as the old eunuch jumped into the water, several fast ones had already rushed to the riverbank and followed him with a splash.

  The canal's water flowed gently, and the people almost jumped in one after another. The old eunuch was quickly fished out, and the cold weather made him shiver all over his wet body, which could easily lead to illness. These men carried the old eunuch towards a place with lanterns, and since the servants were able to find their way here earlier to ask for money, the inn shouldn't be too far from here.

  The old eunuch was quite clear-headed and was taken back to the inn where he lived. After a round of rescue efforts by everyone, he quickly recovered. He had only fainted from hypothermia and quickly regained consciousness in the warm environment.

  Everyone was worried that this old eunuch would seek death after waking up, fortunately, the eunuch did not make a fuss, after drinking ginger soup, he just sighed and fell asleep.

  Li Meng left a few guards behind and led the others back to their residence. On the other side, Wen Ru, the boss of the Meng's merchant house, was preparing to host a banquet tonight to express his gratitude.

  The owner of a business, with an income that is quite substantial, but after twenty years of hard work, he may not have earned more than 5,000 taels of silver. This time, however, his accounts have been filled with so much money that Li Meng, the shopkeeper, has already prepared to return home and enjoy a life of leisure. Of course, he also understands that the matter of Shaanxi's old green salt is taboo in many ways, and it is likely that the merchants of Jining City and Li Meng himself hope that he will not appear in Jining City again.

  Tomorrow, Meng Zhanggui is going to his hometown in Zou City. Tonight, he received the silver from Li Meng, and the old man was overjoyed. He insisted on hosting a dinner for Li Meng tonight.

  Li Meng happened to be free that day, so he accepted the invitation. The banquet was a private one, and Manager Meng had booked a table at a nearby restaurant with exquisite dishes, just for the two of them to have a small drink together. Li Meng came from modern times, while Manager Meng had been in business for many years and had seen and known much, so although there were only two people, they still had a very enjoyable conversation.

  Taking this opportunity, Li Meng asked about the incident he had just encountered. How could eunuchs in the capital end up in such a miserable state? In the Ming dynasty, weren't these eunuchs supposed to be the most arrogant class of people?

  "If he is a eunuch who has been favored by someone in power, then this eunuch can flaunt his status. But if he is just an ordinary person of no rank or standing, outside he would be considered nothing more than a musician or entertainer, and even common people look down on him. The officials in the government have always resented what they call the 'eunuch party', and some who are connected to them have suffered misfortune; as for this genuine eunuch, he will not get a good ending."

  Mr. Meng was indeed aware of the key points, and Li Meng couldn't help but laugh and tell him about today's events. Mr. Meng listened intently and when he heard that Li Meng had rescued the person and left someone to guard them, he subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

  Doing business with Li Meng this time, Meng Zhuangui was introduced by a familiar fellow clansman, so he knew Li Meng very well. The generous silver reward was indeed tempting, but Li Meng's past deeds, Meng Zhuangui also knew a thing or two about them. Meng Zhuangui always had a vague worry that after the matter was successful, he would be killed to silence him.

  At this time, seeing Li Meng having such a benevolent thought, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for himself. The old official's situation was quite common, and he opened his mouth to say:

  "Mr. Li, the person you met today is probably someone who has been struggling to get by in the palace and desperately wants to get a job outside of it, such as being a military supervisor or something similar, but can't even manage that, so they've come out to do some procurement work, maybe make some extra money to curry favor with their superiors, or do something impressive to gain recognition from above. However, this task of procuring green salt is clearly a difficult and thankless job, meant to be a scapegoat. Think about it, sir, if you hadn't sold those 'green salts' the other day, where would that eunuch have gone?"

  Listening to Meng Zhuanggui's repeated mention of "eunuchs", it was clear that he didn't have a good impression of them. Li Meng picked up his wine cup and clinked it against the other person's, muttering to himself in a low voice:

  "Anyway, he is a poor old man with no one to rely on."

  "Lord Li, what did you say?"

  "Never mind, I was just talking to myself. Come on, let's finish this cup of wine."