Volume 1 Chapter 30 Someone Hijacked the Goods

  This is my first time in the council chamber of Furong Fortress, which is located in a courtyard not far from the garden where I live. From the side door of the outer garden, go around a secret path and enter the back door of this courtyard. The space here is not large, unlike other gardens with mountains and water features, but only two regular four-in-one courtyards, which seem to be an office area. I guess this is the central institution where Furong Fortress handles all kinds of affairs.

  I followed Ling Yi from behind, entering through the back door, crossing the backyard, and then passing through a large corridor that connected the front and back yards. After crossing the corridor, I stepped through a door, and inside, a huge screen divided the room in half from top to bottom. Ling Yi stood behind the screen, not speaking. I heard whispers coming from behind the screen, but as soon as our footsteps reached the room, they immediately fell silent.

  Ling Yi led me to the screen edge, where there were two armchairs with their backs against the screen. He indicated for me to sit down, and through the hollowed-out part of the screen behind the backrests, I could see a huge flower stand outside that blocked the view from the outside, but I could still see what was happening outside through the gaps.

  He nodded at me and walked around the screen to the other side of it.

  What does he want me to see? I curiously poked my head out and saw that the huge conference hall outside was packed with dozens of people. The position where I am now is on the west side of the conference hall, opposite which is a huge screen similar to this side. At the north end of the conference hall, against the wall, there is a huge square table, on both sides of which are two magnificent Taishi chairs, and Ling Yi is sitting there with a calm expression.

  On both sides of the conference hall, two rows of armchairs were arranged. On the east side, the first one was Lu Zifeng, and the second one was Du Naha, the divine doctor. The ones below I didn't recognize. Behind the armchairs stood a group of people, estimated to be lower-ranking officials from Furong Fortress.

  On the row of stools outside my screen, there were also people sitting full. The row of people standing in front of me blocked my line of sight. From my angle, I could only see Fei Qingyun at some position, and surprisingly, next to him was the fat man who went out with Ling Yi to deliver goods. I didn't see Hong Jie, nor did I know if she was also blocked from view. Just as I was looking around, I heard Ling Yi clear his throat and say slowly: "Since everyone is here, let's begin."

  What kind of meeting are they going to have? Why did they ask me to come and listen in? I was curious, so I quickly composed myself and listened carefully.

  But he didn't continue speaking, instead silently scanning the crowd in the hall with an inscrutable expression that revealed no joy or anger.

  The hall was silent, with no one speaking. I took a close look at the people opposite me. Ruzi Feng had an air of ease and contentment about him, while Duna Hai seemed relaxed and carefree. The others, whom I didn't recognize, wore different expressions: some were staring intently at the floor, others were gazing strangely at Lingyue, and still others had blank faces with their eyes drifting off into space...

  I vaguely sensed something, and as soon as I returned from sending it out, such a meeting was convened. In connection with what Ling Yi said earlier, it should be related to this delivery. Could the goods have been hijacked? It doesn't seem like it. If the goods were really hijacked, how could Ling Yi remain so calm? I think many people present are as confused as I am right now.

  But Ling Yi's move was not bad. In an invisible way, he first applied pressure to everyone. He drew all the auras to his side. I secretly admired him in my heart. When it comes to being a leader, you still need some skills.

  It was a good while before Ling Yi withdrew his gaze. "This delivery trip has encountered some issues along the way," he said lightly.

  I was shocked. Immediately heard someone's gasping voice. Hurriedly looked over to the opposite side. Only saw Luzi Feng's face slightly moved. While Duna Hai's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before immediately recovering to an expressionless state. The middle-aged man sitting on the west side suddenly stood up: "What kind of situation has occurred?" As soon as his words fell, he immediately felt himself lose composure. Embarrassedly retreated half a step and paused there.

  Ling Yi glanced at him and said calmly: "Brother Wu Zong, you speak."

  Dozens of eyes in the hall suddenly turned to Wu Zong, who was sitting at the west end. Wu Zong's stout body sprang up nimbly. His short and fat hands, which were almost wrapped around his body, clasped together in a salute towards Ling Yi: "Yes, Master."

  He walked to the center of the hall, his eyes scanning around in a circle. His face was surprisingly relaxed and calm. He spoke smoothly: "I'm fortunate enough to have been recognized by Master Bao this time and participated in the transportation of Furong Gao. However, I didn't expect to encounter thieves robbing goods along the way."

  As soon as this was said, the whole room was shocked, and the buzzing discussion continued without stopping, but it was still the middle-aged man who spoke earlier: "Can the goods be lost?"

  Wu Zong smiled and shook his head, saying: "Every year, our Furuong Fortress has a special iron-clad escort responsible for delivering goods, and over the years, there have been no mistakes. However, as the fame of Furuong Cream grows, neither the people in the jianghu nor the officials and merchants in the world are satisfied with the small amount left over after each supply to the imperial court. Moreover, since Furuong Cream is only produced by our Furuong Fortress, various jianghu factions and organizations have been eyeing us more and more covetously. As for someone having designs on Furuong Cream, actually, the master of the fortress had already anticipated this several years ago."

  Which one is singing? This is a briefing meeting, why did you let me come and listen? I immediately thought of what Ling Yi said earlier, and countless question marks surged in my heart. He told me not to go to Guiwu Courtyard again, could he be related to the people from Guiwu Courtyard? How are Jiehuo and Guiwu Courtyard connected? The words "inner traitor" emerged from my mind.

  I looked at Ling Yi with suspicion, but he seemed to have nothing to do with it, leisurely holding a cup of tea and savoring it slowly.

  Wu Zongqing cleared his throat, and the crowd finally quieted down, the atmosphere becoming heavy once again. He paused for a moment before continuing: "Because our escort routes are always secretly arranged, and every member of the Iron Armor Guard is an exceptional expert comparable to those in the jianghu, no one has dared to make a move despite people having ideas over the years. But this year is different - as early as March, we received news that someone had set their sights on this batch of goods."

  The middle-aged man who spoke earlier said in a low voice: "Who is behind this batch of goods?"

  Wu Zong smiled and nodded at the middle-aged man: "Wei, this is actually not difficult to guess."

  It turned out that the middle-aged man was a certain position, and judging from his appearance in Furong Fortress, his status was not low, no wonder he could speak freely. I listened quietly, carefully analyzing this information.

  Wei Zuo hesitated for a moment, "Are you saying that the mastermind behind this batch of goods is either Chiying Manor or Qianjimiao?"

  He nodded: "These are the two most likely, now in the rivers and lakes, with 'one fortress one village one door' momentum is the most prosperous, our Furen Fortress was established although not as long as the other two factions, but because of the Furen cream reason has a strong financial foundation, plus the support of various parties, reputation is absolutely not under the Yizhuang Yimen, now can pose a threat to or rival our Furen Fortress, only the Red Eagle Village and Qianjiao Gate."

  "Wei Zuo shook his head and said: 'But this can't be sure that it's definitely the Red Eagle Manor or the Qian Ji Men who did it.'"

  "It's not just a matter of relying on reputation and strength to exclude other Jianghu schools. However, in order to successfully complete this task, it must be the Red Eagle Manor and the Qianji Gate that take action. Firstly, the Imperial Tribute is not something that ordinary Jianghu schools dare to touch easily, and they are also intimidated by the prestige of the Furong Fortress, so how would they dare to try to snatch it from the tiger's mouth? Secondly, the Imperial Tribute is not just a matter of gold and silver wealth, once stolen, it cannot be easily hidden away. Such a large quantity of Imperial Tribute, even if it falls into one's hands, without a deep background and channels to digest it, no one can swallow it whole, and over time, it will become a hot potato."

  I nodded in agreement with Wu Zong's analysis, because I had previously heard Fei Qingyun mention the situation about Chiying Manor and Qianjimmen. Only they have the ability to rob the goods and then digest them without knowing the ghost after the goods are in hand. Chiying Manor has a background of the imperial court. If it was their doing, it is also possible that this action was instructed by which high-ranking official behind the scenes. After getting this batch of goods, they can turn their hands over to wash and change from black to white, and enjoy them openly and honestly. As for Qianjimmen, this mysterious door with a large organizational structure claims that there is nothing they cannot do. For this sale, it's not a big problem either. It's more likely that some backstage boss offered a high price to ask them to do it.

  I was still thinking to myself when Wu Zong continued, "So, upon receiving this news, the castle master explicitly requested that we pay close attention to the recent movements of Red Eagle Manor and Thousand Silence Gate."