Chapter 130
Bianjing.
“Your Majesty, the sales of these newspapers are doing remarkably well now,” Cai Jing said, his tone ingratiating.
Zhao Ji snorted coldly, his expression smug.
“I want to ruin that woman’s reputation.” His voice carried a trace of malice. “Humph! I think she has quite a relationship with Yang Yi..”
Cai Jing’s smile widened. “Your Majesty, shall I continue increasing the paper’s circulation?”
Zhao Ji nodded slowly, his lips curling into a sneer. Great Zhou had humiliated him, and he had no intention of letting it go. Tarnishing the Empress’s reputation would disgust Great Zhou—and that alone was satisfying enough.
…
The next day at Luoyang.
“Do you understand what I’ve said?” Yang Yi asked, his voice pleasant yet firm.
Before him stood an elderly man with graying hair and a weathered face, who smiled nervously.
“Pri Minister, rest assured. I’ll handle this matter properly… but, Pri Minister, after this… I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay in the Song Kingdom.”
He chuckled awkwardly, his expression turning servile. “If Great Zhou could offer shelter, that would be even better.”
Yang Yi’s smile remained as he shook his head slightly.
“The money I’ve given you is more than enough for you to disappear far away.” He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp.
“You won’t be able to stay in Great Zhou either. After all, you’ll be making quite a na for yourself this ti.”
The old man’s face flushed with embarrassnt, but he quickly nodded. “Yes, Pri Minister. I understand.”
…
In a bustling street in Luoyang, the area was lined with inns and teahouses, catering to rchants from far and wide. As a hub of water transport, Luoyang attracted traders from across the world.
Among them was Liu Feng, a young rchant of about twenty years old from the Ming Dynasty. Recently married, he had co to Luoyang to negotiate a deal for his small cloth business.
Today, Liu Feng planned to buy jewelry for his wife, hoping to surprise her with sothing exquisite from Great Zhou.
Just as he was about to enter a jewelry store, he heard a low moan nearby. Startled, Liu Feng turned his head and saw an elderly man lying by the roadside, clutching his leg and groaning in pain.
Concerned, Liu Feng hurried over. “Old man, are you alright?”
The man’s face was lined with wrinkles, his clothes plain and worn. He winced in apparent agony. “My leg… My leg hurts. I can’t stand.”
Frowning, Liu Feng knelt beside him. “Uncle, let help you up. If it’s serious, you’ll need to see a doctor.”
The old man’s eyes flickered briefly before he nodded.
“Young man, I’ll trouble you then.”
Liu Feng smiled. “It’s no trouble. Don’t worry.”
He offered his hand, pulling the man to his feet with little effort.
But as soon as the old man stood, he cried out again, his face contorted in pain.
“Young man, my leg must be broken… I can’t put any weight on it.”
Liu Feng frowned. “Uncle, I’ll take you to a doctor right away.”
The old man shook his head stubbornly.
“No need for that. Just give one thousand taels for dical expenses, and I’ll find a doctor myself.”
Liu Feng froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.
“One thousand taels?!”
The sum was outrageous—more than the profit he hoped to earn from his current trade journey.
“Uncle,” Liu Feng said after a long pause, his voice laced with anger. “I helped you up out of kindness. Why would you demand money from ?”
The old man’s expression shifted, his tone suddenly righteous.
“You knocked down! Shouldn’t you compensate for my injuries?”
Liu Feng stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Knocked you down? I never touched you! I only helped you get up!”
The old man’s voice grew louder. “If you didn’t knock down, why did you help ?”
Liu Feng was speechless, his anger boiling over.
“Shaless!” he muttered, shaking off the man’s grip and stepping away.
But before he could leave, the old man lunged forward and grabbed his arm, yelling at the top of his lungs,
“Help! This young man broke my leg and is trying to run away!”
The street fell silent. Heads turned toward the commotion, and soon a crowd began to gather.
“There is no justice!” the old man wailed, his voice trembling. “I’m an old man of sixty, and this bully knocked down and broke my leg!”
Liu Feng’s vision blurred with frustration. This shaless old man was framing him!
The crowd, however, was quick to judge.
“How despicable!” soone shouted.
A burly man stepped forward, his voice booming.
“You knocked down an old man and are trying to escape? How disgraceful! I, Xu Zhu… no, I, Xu We can’t just stand by!”
Liu Feng clenched his fists, trying to defend himself. “I didn’t knock him down! I was only helping him up!”
The old man’s voice rang out again. “If you didn’t knock down, why would you help ?”
The crowd murmured in agreent, their accusing eyes fixed on Liu Feng.
“How shaless,” soone muttered.
“Such a young man bullying an old person—disgusting!” another added.
Liu Feng felt his head spinning, his attempts to explain drowned out by the crowd’s outrage.
Suddenly, a commanding voice cut through the chaos. “Make way! Let see what’s going on!”
An official in a green robe approached, flanked by a group of officers.
The crowd parted to let him through, their angry murmurs subsiding. The official surveyed the scene, his expression stern.
“What’s happening here?”
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