Chapter 1143
What?!
The three cronies sat waxed on the spot.
As Chen Shuijia’s close confidants, they were naturally clear about what the real purpose of this trip to the Great Snowy Plain was.
The young master was seeking news of Barbara’s life and death.
The family head gave an order, and their line of merchants, hard pressed to spread money along the way, paved a golden road all the way to the Xiongnu royal city.
Even, in order to enter Xiongnu, they had to spend a large sum of money to cooperate with the Xiongnu commercial company.
A hundred million or so million was indeed nothing compared to the cost of the whole journey.
But what Chen Shuijia is talking about is not sparing a hundred million hundreds of millions to buy a clue!
A clue …… is not a message!
Just a small piece of information from a snoop!
“Brother Chen, isn’t it too unsparing of money for us to do this, to spend so massively on just a clue?”
A close friend spoke up with some hesitation and asked.
“Even the family head is not stingy, what are we stingy about?”
Chen Shuijia shrugged, “We just need to complete the task, is the money spent too much for the Chen family?”
With one word, “Is it much?” The three cronies were speechless at the question.
Is it much?
A lot!
But compared to the Chen family, it was not much at all!
The Chen family, who had all the money in the world, was the leader of the gentry, like gods and goddesses sitting high in the clouds, overlooking the gentry.
The Chen family, who were in charge of the world’s wealth, were like gods and goddesses on the clouds, overlooking the world’s gentry.
“As ordered.”
The three cronies nodded their heads in agreement at the same time.
After waiting for about half an hour.
Outside the door then sounded the voice of the Hun general, “Captain Chen, the king invites you into the palace for a chat.”
“Good!”
Chen Shuijia had expected this and answered calmly.
He then gestured to his three cronies with his eyes before getting up and walking out of the room.
Not long after Chen Shuijia left with the Xiongnu general, the three cronies also went out.
Although the Xiongnu had suffered a shocking change, there were still troops outside the restaurant where the Chen family’s merchants were staying, both explicitly and implicitly.
The Xiongnu are now in a state of cupidity.
But with the banner of the Chen family’s merchants, it was easy for the three cronies to enter and leave the restaurant.
After all, this was the situation the Hun king had been hoping for.
Now that the riches had really come down, no Xiongnu soldier would be foolish enough to take the big risk of stopping the three cronies from entering or leaving the restaurant.
On the way.
Chen Shuijia followed the Xiongnu general on his dusty journey to the palace.
The army opened the way and the speed was extremely fast.
All along the way, Chen Shuijia saw some broken buildings and even some blood stains left on some buildings from time to time.
The surroundings, especially after approaching the royal palace, became more and more obvious and harsh.
Chen Shuijia asked, “General, what has happened to the Xiongnu recently? These ramshackle buildings, and bloodstains ……”
The Xiongnu general’s brow was knitted tightly and a thick depression surfaced between his brows.
He said helplessly, “It’s all about the Huns, Captain Chen please don’t give me a hard time.”
The broken buildings and the residual bloodstains were all caused by Chen Dong’s escape from the Thirteen Cities of Xiongnu in the first place.
The hundred beasts had come out of their cages and had taken the heaviest casualties on the royal palace and the buildings and people near it, so the surroundings were now showing a little more prominently.
Chen Shuijia smiled gently and said no more.
Upon entering the palace, the Hun general called a halt to the army and led Chen Shuijia alone towards the Hun king’s room.
This was an order from the King of Xiongnu.
Ever since the shocking change in Xiongnu, the King of Xiongnu had rarely worked in the King’s Palace.
The reason was simple: the vast king’s hall was not as warm as the king’s room.
Many matters were handled by ministers who entered the King’s chamber to report.
In Xiongnu today, the people at the bottom of the hierarchy are still calm and unruffled.
But the upper echelons of the Xiongnu hierarchy, being closer to the King and better informed, were already in a state of panic.
It was at the same time that Chen Shuijia was following the Xiongnu general to meet the Xiongnu king.
Inside a tavern in Star City, where the Chen family’s merchant caravan was stationed.
The situation in the thirteen cities was in turmoil because of the Xiongnu’s change of heart.
So much so that the tavern business, too, had become much slower.
It was no longer the same as before, when countless people flocked to get drunk under the extreme night.
Inside the spacious tavern, the number of people was few and far between, but compared to before, it was ultimately a little more cold.
In the corner.
A sturdy figure is sitting alone, pouring himself a drink.
A tavern bartender carried a tray and walked up next to the figure.
“Lord Kui Gang, the owner said that he appreciated your presence in the shop and made it look so good, so he asked me to give you a bottle of Louis XIII as a token of his respect.”
Kui Gang put down his glass, raised his eyes to look contemptuously at the bartender and snorted a laugh.
“You businessmen are quick to change your faces, take the wine back, you didn’t give it away before, but now you know how to give it away, you think I, Kui Gang, don’t have money to buy wine?”
The barman became anxious, “Lord Kui Gang, I am only following orders, please don’t give me a hard time.”
Kui Gang narrowed his eyes, and the contempt on his face intensified.
A coldness, even, swept out from his body and enveloped the barman.
This tavern was where he often came, and where he had met Wang Yu and Zhang Chao last time.
Now that Xiongnu had undergone great changes, his status had not returned to that of the first warrior of Xiongnu, but he had vaguely risen much higher than before.
The only reason he chose this tavern was because it was a turning point in his destiny.
If he hadn’t met Wang Yu and Zhang Chao, and planned that partnership, he would still be the same old No. 1 Hun warrior, seemingly well-connected, but in fact secretly in shambles and in disgrace.
After he was stripped of his title as the first warrior of the Huns, he spent his days in this tavern, drunk and dreaming of death.
The looks on the faces of the tavern owner and the bartender were still fresh in his mind.
He was not surprised that the tavern owner could detect his change of identity, but it was the back and forth look on the tavern owner’s face that made him sick.
Caught in a chill, the bartender looked terrified, his body like a sieve, as if he was a frightened quail.
“Get lost.”
Kui Gang casually took the tray of wine over, then pulled out a thick pile of money and put it into the tray.
The bartender was first pleased, but when he saw the money in the tray, his face changed dramatically.
Just before he could say anything, Kui Gang said in a cold voice, “You are working, I don’t want to give you a hard time, but the face of your boss makes me feel sick, if you keep pestering me, I will stop drinking this bottle of Louis XIII and just smash it on your head.”
“Right, sorry.”
The bartender hurriedly got up and left in fear.
Kui Gang snorted, his face full of disdain and contempt.
He casually opened his Louis XIII and tilted his head to drink.
It was at the same time that he was pouring himself a drink.
One of Chen Shuijia’s cronies walked into the tavern.
“Hm?”
Kui Gang, who was drinking bountifully, inadvertently caught a glimpse of Chen Shuijia’s crony.
After all, among the Xiongnu nowadays, domainers were extinct.
A face of a domainer was as striking as a blazing sun in a tavern.
It was not just Kui Gang who noticed.
In fact, everyone in the entire tavern had their attention locked onto the crony as soon as he stepped through the tavern door.
Being watched by all the eyes, the crony’s face was a little unnatural, and he felt like a man on his back.
This mission …… is too difficult!
The first thing you need to do is to get a good idea of what you are getting into.
There was no choice.
The crony had no choice but to give up on the idea of prying.
He raised his hand, clasped his fist and said with a smile, “Excuse me, everyone, I am from the Chen family line of merchants, I have just arrived at your place and am a bit tired, so I have come to the tavern to have a few drinks to relieve my fatigue.”
Chapter 1144
The Chen family line of merchants?
As soon as the words were spoken, the tavern was in an uproar.
The people in the audience were whispering and talking.
Even in this barbaric land of the Great Snowy Plain outside the domain, the Chen Family was famous!
“People from the Chen family line of merchants?”
Kui Gang raised an eyebrow, with his status and experience, he naturally reacted quickly, “No wonder he can wear the face of a person from the domain and pass through Xiongnu unhindered, the Chen family merchant team has arrived, perhaps ……”
After a pause, he lowered his voice to the point where only he could hear it, and murmured, “Or maybe the king’s court is in danger, to be a little more stable.”
The words fell.
Kui Gang took the lead and rose to his feet, his magnificent, thick voice instantly pressing across the room.
“Brother, if you don’t mind, brother invites you to this table for a drink?”
At those words.
Daoist gazes looked towards Kui Gang, and some people who originally had the intention of inviting him, also dismissed their thoughts.
Within this tavern, no one dared to compete with Kui Gang yet.
“Good!”
The crony smiled and nodded, then stepped in front of Kui Gang: “Old Brother, it’s Zhou Haijian from the Chen Family’s merchant team, I’m sorry to disturb you, Old Brother.”
“No harm, all brothers within the four seas, my name is Kui Gang.”
Kui Gang smiled and arched his hand and clasped his fist, his words and actions were as bold as they could be, and he was not at all constrained by his status.
As far as he was concerned.
To him, there was no need to take advantage of his status when facing the people of the Chen family’s merchants.
It would be silly and foolish to take advantage of status.
As Kui Gang’s words left his mouth, a compliment rang out from a table in the distance.
“Good luck, young brother, to be invited by Lord Kui Gang, the number one warrior of the Huns, is something we wouldn’t dare to think of.”
A compliment that was immediately echoed by all the people present.
This made Kui Gang extremely satisfied, smiling with a red face and unconsciously straightening his back.
It had been some days since he had experienced such a powerful and complimentary scene.
The number one warrior of the Huns, Kui Gang?
Zhou Haijian’s heart and soul were lifted, and in a flash, his mind was spinning.
To be crowned the First Warrior of Xiongnu was a unique honour in Xiongnu, a position of supremacy that allowed him to grasp more and broader and deeper access than even some generals.
The Chen family’s merchant fleet has travelled without borders, and this has allowed them to know some of the things that go on in various places, like the back of their hand.
“Perhaps …… Barbarian’s news can find a breakthrough from the Kui Gang in front of him.”
This was the thought in Zhou Haijian’s mind.
With that, Zhou Haijian took his seat and atmospherically ordered a few bottles of good wine worth a lot of money.
Then he smiled at Kui Gang and said, “Brother Kui Gang doesn’t mind my status, so my little brother must also return Brother Kui Gang’s kindness with a few bottles of bad wine, I hope Brother Kui Gang doesn’t mind.”
Hearing these words, Kui Gang, who was full of smiles, could not help but stiffen his smile.
A few bottles of bad wine?
Who’s dried wine costs tens of thousands of dollars a bottle?
As expected of the Chen family’s merchants, they are so trenchant!
The food and wine were served.
Kui Gang then drank with Zhou Haijian.
The wine and laughter echoed.
Zhou Haijian had been following Chen Shuijia’s merchant team for many years, so he was already a human being with a clear mind, and soon drew closer to Kui Gang.
One of the strengths of a businessman is his strong affinity with strangers and his ability to gain trust by drawing them closer to him.
Zhou Haijian is putting this to good use at the moment.
Before Zhou Haijian came to the tavern, Kui Gang had already drunk a lot.
At this moment, he was deliberately plied with wine by Zhou Haijian, and his drunkenness was fast approaching.
After three rounds of wine, the dishes passed five tastes.
Kui Gang’s face was already red with drunkenness and his eyes were disoriented, and he was no longer able to drink.
Zhou Haijian was also full of wine, but he was in better shape than Kui Gang, his eyes were always focused and he was still sober.
He looked around him.
Zhou Haijian smiled and asked, “By the way, Brother Kui Gang, there is something I have been curious about since I approached the Thirteen Cities and entered the city, and I would like to ask Brother Kui Gang to solve it.”
“Elder brother Zhou, but there is no harm in saying it.”
Kui Gang burped and waved his hand, exhaling his wine breath.
Zhou Haijian deliberately lowered his voice to a level that only he and Kui Gang could hear, and asked cautiously.
“Just outside Star City, I saw many traces of artillery fire, some of which looked like a great battle had taken place, and when I entered the city, I saw some dilapidated buildings that had not yet been repaired, has something happened to the Huns recently?”
This was asked, already from the point of view of an onlooker, asking the doubts of what he had seen, and it was hard to attract suspicion.
Even if he knew exactly what had happened to the Huns recently, it was only by using this kind of topic as a tangent to lead slowly that he could not stir up alarm and protect himself at the same time.
However.
The words had just left his mouth.
The already inebriated Kui Gang suddenly looked solemn, and his lax and disoriented eyes abruptly gazed and erupted with two sharp auras.
The sudden change.
Zhou Haijian’s heart gave a jerk.
Immediately afterwards.
Kui Gang bowed slightly and raised his hand to make a silent gesture: “Hush …… this matter should not be discussed!”
Zhou Haijian’s heart settled, but he revealed a puzzled look.
Kui Gang slowly put his right hand across his neck and made a meaningful neck wiping motion.
Then he said in a deep voice: “It is true that something big has happened to the Xiongnu recently, but if you talk nonsense in the middle of it, you will lose your life, so if you have doubts in your mind, you can come to my house some other day, and in private, I will answer your questions.”
“Thank you, Brother Kui Gang, it’s a deal!”
Zhou Haijian asked no more questions and raised his glass of wine to drink with Kui Gang.
The two of them drank much more wine until Kui Gang fell down drunk on the table.
Zhou Haijian asked the tavern staff to send Kui Gang home.
He, himself, staggered back to the tavern where he was staying with weak feet.
When he entered the house.
Chen Shuijia and the other two close friends were already in the room.
Only the look on the three men’s faces was grave and serious.
“Brother Chen, didn’t you go to the palace to see the king, and you’re back so soon?”
A dazed Zhou Haijian asked in confusion.
“Do you think time has passed so quickly?”
Chen Shuijia’s face was covered with a layer of frost, “Zhou Haijian, I let you go out on a mission, and you got yourself drunk as hell, do you want to bury all the people of our caravan in Xiongnu?”
“It’s already been six hours!”
Another crony hastily gave Zhou Haijian a tug and reminded him.
Six hours?
Zhou Haijian’s gaze immediately froze, and he became a little more awake.
Even if Chen Shuijia had gone to the palace to talk to the King of Xiongnu about business cooperation, but with the Chen family’s business dealings, it was impossible to discuss everything in one meeting, the meeting was just a greeting, there were still many, many plans to be made.
So Chen Shuijia would not stay in the palace for too long.
Instead, he went out to scout for news, but he stayed for six hours and came back smelling of wine.
Anyone who saw him would have misunderstood!
Zhou Haijian shook his head hard to sober himself up a little, then stepped forward and approached Chen Disjia and his two cronies, saying, “I went out this time and got a clue, drinking out of it.”