Chapter 39: Schemes Rekindled
At dusk, the snow in the sky finally stopped,
The whole city was wrapped in silver, concealed in enchanting beauty.
Inside the Hundred Households Office, Gao Jun led a mysterious figure wearing a bamboo hat through a concealed side door into the study of Thousand Households Luo Bingsheng.
Right now, in the study, the candlelight flickered, brightening and dimming, Luo Bingsheng sat in his chair, gazing at a pile of official documents on the table, his expression calm and undisturbed.
"My lord, Vice Leader You has arrived!"
Gao Jun entered with the guest, cupping his hands in respectful greeting.
Luo Bingsheng put down his pen and raised his head slightly.
The man behind Gao Jun slowly took off his bamboo hat, revealing a somewhat weathered face. If Gu Zhan were here, he would surely be shocked, because this man was You Yangsheng, Vice Leader of the Celestial Water Gang.
According to the intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, You Yangsheng shouldn’t be in Linjiang City at this time.
Gu Chuan was leading a team to hunt down high-ranking members of the Celestial Water Gang, and among their targets was You Yangsheng. According to the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s reports, the Gang Leader, two Vice Leaders, and three Branch Leaders—all should have already left Linjiang City.
"Lord Luo." You Yangsheng cupped his hands and greeted.
Luo Bingsheng smiled faintly and said, "Vice Leader You, you’ve had a hard time hiding here and there these days."
You Yangsheng waved his hand slightly and said, "It’s all forced by circumstance. I’m still better off, though I dare not show myself, at least living in Linjiang City isn’t too harsh. The real hardship is for the Gang Leader and our brothers, forced to leave Linjiang City."
Luo Bingsheng said, "Indeed, it’s been hard on all of you. But in a few days, you all can return."
You Yangsheng said flatly, "I fear it’s not so easy, Lord Luo. You insisted you could take Gu Zhan down, yet not only have you failed, Gu Zhan’s reputation is fiercer than ever."
Luo Bingsheng nodded, "That’s exactly why I summoned you here overnight. Our plan suffered a setback—we underestimated Gu Zhan’s strength and murderous intent, but to mend the pen after the sheep are lost is still not too late!"
You Yangsheng narrowed his eyes, "How does Lord Luo intend to fix this? After today’s battle, the major gangs in the city have been terrified of Gu Zhan. Wanting to use them to cause trouble for Gu Zhan is absolutely impossible now—no one dares to mess with him at this point."
Luo Bingsheng said, "Those gangs are second or third-rate at best, not of much use. If we’re to accomplish this, it must be with your Celestial Water Gang."
You Yangsheng frowned, "Lord Luo, surely you’re not asking me to mobilize my followers to assassinate Gu Zhan now? Impossible. With Gu Zhan’s current status, I wouldn’t dare act in the city. Besides, according to our original plan, I’m to gather men and rush to Changling Town to aid our Gang Leader."
Luo Bingsheng explained, "Vice Leader You, you need not worry. I don’t mean for you to attack Gu Zhan immediately. I’ll handle it—five days from now, at nightfall, the entire South City Hundred Households Office will become a sealed-off zone. No matter how much chaos erupts, that night, not a single unwanted soul will appear. You kill Gu Zhan, even inside the city, and there will be no trouble."
You Yangsheng shook his head in refusal, "Lord Luo, it’s not that I don’t wish to kill Gu Zhan, but you just said five days—do you really think our Gang Leader and the others in Changling Town can last five days under Gu Chuan?"
"Just five days?" Luo Bingsheng said.
You Yangsheng replied, "Lord Luo, do you not know Gu Chuan? In five days, either he senses something amiss and comes back, or our Gang Leader and the rest are swept up in one go—there is no third possibility. If you want Gu Chuan not to react fast, our Gang Leader and the others must keep him entangled day and night. Who can withstand Gu Chuan for five days?"
"This..."
Luo Bingsheng frowned, appearing hesitant.
You Yangsheng said, "Lord Luo, this was your mistake. We, the Celestial Water Gang, were to hold back Gu Chuan; dealing with Gu Zhan was the Hundred Households Office’s responsibility. You slipped up—no reason to have us clean up your mess."
Luo Bingsheng smiled faintly and said, "Don’t say that, Vice Leader You. We are natural partners. You should know, in this vast Linjiang City, the territory left to you is only South City—the other three are controlled by the noble families.
Frankly, for small clans like yours, the South City is the only place for survival in Linjiang. Now, with Gu Chuan’s policies, you’ve seen—there will be no leeway left for you. If we don’t collaborate, in the end, it’s bad for everyone."
You Yangsheng fell silent.
He knew Luo Bingsheng spoke the truth.
Linjiang Prefecture may seem large, with two or three dozen county cities, but the real convergence of wealth and resources is in the county city. In fact, the combined capital flow of all county cities is less than a tenth of the county city alone.
This is why all factions strive desperately to gain a foothold in the county city.
But, from ancient times, resources have always been controlled from the top.
Within the county city are four major districts; three of them are controlled by Linjiang Prefecture’s noble families. To prevent other small families from being reckless, the noble families purposely leave South City for countless clans to share profits.
Thus, the situation in South City is very complicated,
Seemingly overrun by Martial World gangs,
But in reality, these gangs are all pushed forth by the various clans.
For example, the Celestial Water Gang, which seems like South City’s top gang, brilliant as it is, only achieved this status thanks to innumerable families working behind the scenes.
You Yangsheng himself, for instance, has a moderately sized family backing him. Otherwise, in such a mishmash, securing the Vice Leader position in Celestial Water Gang wouldn’t be so easy.
Over the years, top positions in Celestial Water Gang have rotated frequently,
Among those You Yangsheng has seen without family background, only Broken Sword Scholar Xing Kuan managed to hold his own—but someone with such talent and cunning is rare. Now, under shifting tides, he has also died and disappeared.
Thinking this, You Yangsheng couldn’t help but sigh,
No one likes constant strife,
But there’s simply no way out,
Gu Chuan’s policies utterly violate the interests of all the clans, so opposition is inevitable.
Of course, Luo Bingsheng’s Luo Family is foremost among them. Luo Family’s Martial World influence is vast; even within Celestial Water Gang, a branch belongs to the Luo Family.
𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Luo Family may not match the noble houses, but they are one of the greatest powers in Linjiang County; their official influence is enormous, yet with Gu Chuan’s rise, it’s certain the Luo Family will fall.
Luo Bingsheng, seeing You Yangsheng in silence, continued, "Vice Leader You, there truly are no other options now!"
You Yangsheng frowned, "But five days is impossible. Our Gang Leader and the others in Changling Town can’t hold out that long. You know how strong Gu Chuan is. I can’t risk the Celestial Water Gang’s annihilation just for killing Gu Zhan."
Luo Bingsheng pondered, hesitating for some time before saying, "You focus on Gu Zhan—I’m sensitive, watched by all sides, so I can’t act in the city. But Changling Town is different—I’ll go for you there."
"But you can’t bring the Embroidered Uniform Guard," You Yangsheng said.
"The Luo Family has more than just me as an Innate!"