IDWBE -Chapter 496 Platform

He wasn’t truly foolish. Forgetting small things, maybe—but could he be clueless about major matters? Going to join this commotion would be asking for trouble. Besides, as the Imperial Guard’s garrison commander, an orphan from the orphanage, a student of Lord He, and half a disciple of Steward Hong, there was no need for him to meddle unnecessarily.

“Sir, then what do you mean?”

Dan Sanguan grew anxious. Be proactive! Don’t let us little ones worry—otherwise we’d miss out entirely and look like fools!

“Hmph, what do you know? Following me is always a mistake anyway.”

Fang Pi yawned. “You never show respect normally, so what use is scrambling at the last minute?”

“Sir is right,” Dan Sanguan saw Fang Pi’s firm attitude and didn’t argue, only sulkily said, “But this time, when striking the Beggars’ Gang, our Imperial Guards can’t just pass on information and watch, right?”

If you can’t eat the meat, at least sip the soup. You can’t let the credit slip away.

“You think the Ankang City Beggars’ Gang has superpowers and could evade every anti-crime operation until now?”

Fang Pi snorted coldly. “If it were that simple, there’d be no need for Lord He to have Minister He Jixiang coordinate the Ministry of War, the Three Departments, the Military Bureau, and the Ankang Prefect jointly.”

“Understood.”

Dan Sanguan naturally grasped the situation.

The Beggars’ Gang had colluded with Ankang City’s elite, their power was deeply intertwined—not something to provoke lightly. This time, only because Lord He gave orders did Minister He Jixiang decide to root them out completely.

“Too many dragons cause drought, too many people cause chaos, too many hens stop laying, too many daughters-in-law make the mother-in-law cook,” Fang Pi continued calmly, “We only need to provide the information. Stay out of the mess.”

“Understood.”

Seeing Fang Pi’s decision, Dan Sanguan said no more.

As the weather warmed, the Sanhe people in Ankang City began to become active again.

“I’m finally alive again,” Jiang Tuhuo squatted at the door, rubbing his hands and yawning. “This winter almost froze me to death.”

Zhu Ruorong scoffed, “You lazy southern fools. Winter’s a good time for selling meat or coal, yet you stay buried in bed all day. Regret it now?”

“What’s there to regret?”

Jiang Tuhuo snorted. “I don’t care about a few coins. My life matters more—freeze to death and there’s no one to cry for you.”

In winter, he barely went outside. The longest time he left home was to pick up his daughter, Jiang Zhen.

And he wasn’t the only Sanhe native hiding indoors.

Whether Liang Gensheng or Li Sanniang, they stayed inside, even if silver fell from the sky.

Zhu Ruorong had hosted several banquets, but no one came. Freezing themselves for a meal? Ridiculous.

Even in the military, Minister He Jixiang made sure Sanhe-born soldiers had lighter duties.
Otherwise, freezing to death in the snow would be a laughingstock. Not everyone was a seventh- or eighth-rank who could resist cold and heat!

“Heh, stubborn, aren’t you?”

Zhu Ruorong jingled the silver in his pocket, laughing, “I got a supply of cured meat from Jinzhou. Want in?”

For small business, he handled it with his staff. But for big deals, Jiang Tuhuo had to be involved. Otherwise, it couldn’t scale.

To his surprise, Jiang Tuhuo kept shaking his head.

“What, afraid the silver is too hot?”

“Not that,” Jiang Tuhuo sighed. “But I might not live to earn it. I’m over fifty. After this job, I’m retiring to Sanhe. Whoever wants to stay in this hellhole can—me, I can’t take it.”

“You mean transferring the business?”

Zhu Ruorong’s eyes lit up.

Jiang Tuhuo grinned, “Give me 30,000 taels of silver, and I’ll hand it to you immediately.”

“What about the supplier’s license?”

Zhu Ruorong asked urgently.

“You think I care?”

Jiang Tuhuo snapped. “With this little silver, you want me to take photos?”

Zhu Ruorong glared. “No photos? Your shops and staff, and you want 30,000 taels? Are you taking me for a fool?”

Jiang Tuhuo chuckled. “Don’t forget—I have over ten breeding farms outside the city, all subsidized by Ankang Prefecture. A while back, Minister Ma Jie even told me to use them as agricultural pilot sites.”

“Agricultural pilot sites?”

Zhu Ruorong’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t I know that?”

He had fifteen farms himself!

Hundreds of farmers, hundreds of pens, thousands of pigs, cows, and sheep!

“Hmph, why pick you?”

Jiang Tuhuo replied lazily, “Last summer a hundred or so died from plague; this winter another hundred froze. If Minister Ma Jie didn’t use you as a negative example, he was generous.”

“You!”

Zhu Ruorong fumed. In farming, he really couldn’t match Jiang Tuhuo!

Jiang Tuhuo laughed, “So? Interested? I’ll give you the farms.”

Zhu Ruorong snapped, “You really plan to return to Sanhe?”

Though they often quarreled, they had fought together—a trench-brother bond. Over time, bonds formed. If Jiang Tuhuo left, he’d feel unsettled.

“Think I’m joking?” Jiang Tuhuo sighed. “You know how I endured this winter. Can’t take it anymore. I’m going back, no more hassle.”

“With your assets, you’ll never go hungry,” Zhu Ruorong laughed. “Even taking a few more wives, you’re rich enough.”

“Of course,” Jiang Tuhuo said proudly.

Zhu Ruorong teased, “I knew you were selfish, never thinking of your son or daughter.”

“How am I selfish?” Jiang Tuhuo frowned. “Jiang Zhen is already Chief Constable, more accomplished than me. Son is young—he’ll marry, have kids, and I’ll still provide for him.”

“Your son is now under Lord Xie Zan’s tutelage, his future limitless. If you take him back to Sanhe, won’t it ruin that?”

Watching Jiang Tuhuo’s changing expression, Zhu Ruorong felt quietly pleased—he had read him well.

“As long as he has ability, it doesn’t matter where he studies,” Jiang Tuhuo said stubbornly. “Without ability, no master will help.”

“You believe that?” Zhu Ruorong snorted. “Without Lord He, even if we had all the skill in the world, we wouldn’t achieve anything! Miss Mingyue said it herself—platform is everything!”