Volume Two: Bandits Here and There Chapter 134: The Storm is Coming

"You, master sower of seeds... you must have handed out quite a few green hats to others in your time."
"What hats?"
Du Zhaolin cast a sidelong glance at him and teased, "You don't have a horse ranch at home, yet the scenery outside is all green grass."
Zhao Zileng: ......
The two exchanged a look, smiling with tacit understanding.
"My lord, dirty jokes can be saved for another day. Discussing official business should take priority." Zhao Zileng收敛 (reined in) his smile, cupped his hands, and said.
Du Zhaolin nodded, immediately putting away the banter. Looking at Zhao Zileng, he said, "Most of your colleagues have cut ties with you because of those gossip and rumors, haven't they? Human nature, perfectly normal. But... I heard there are still a few who remain closely associated with you?"
"There are indeed a few." Zhao Zileng paused, feigning thought for a moment before slowly speaking, "Mostly those from humble backgrounds. I won't hide it from you; I've gathered a small clique. Since the noble families look down upon us, those of us from ordinary origins naturally have to huddle together for warmth."
After saying this, Zhao Zileng raised his head, his expression humble, bowed deeply, and remained in that position for a long time without rising.
His words were very clever, telling Du Zhaolin everything the latter wanted to probe into. Knowing that this lord harbored a dislike for forming cliques, he had put on an elaborate act, turning his "false sentiments" into solid, genuine sincerity.
Remaining bowed to the very end had only one meaning: we are at your command.
Zhao Zileng also understood just how shrewd Du Zhaolin was; such hypocritical pleasantries were a dime a dozen in official circles.
Yet, he still had to display a trace of insincere "sincerity" to tell Du Zhaolin that he and his faction would forever be the lord's running dogs, because the path of the noble families was blocked off to them, leaving them nowhere else to go.
This bit of official "courtesy" suited Du Zhaolin's fancy. A few more smiles crept onto his face as he said leisurely, "Zhao Zileng, oh Zhao Zileng, you truly are a man with a clever and exquisite heart. But... this lord has a doubt, can you give me an answer?"
"My lord, please speak freely. Your subordinate is tied to the same rope as you." Zhao Zileng forced out a smile, cursing inwardly that this scoundrel must have colluded with a fox, being craftiness personified......

"You said most of these people are of humble backgrounds, so may I also take that to mean a small handful have ties with the noble families?" Du Zhaolin's smile grew even wider, yet the sharp edge hidden within his words sent a chill down Zhao Zileng's spine.
He nodded "with difficulty," putting on a terrified appearance, his voice trembling as he said, "There are indeed three: Yuanhao of the Li clan, Liangchen of the Zhao family, and the other is..."
"That worm of the Liang clan, Liang Wenyou." Du Zhaolin收敛 (withdrew) his smile, taking over the conversation at a leisurely pace, his gaze remaining indifferent, without a single ripple of emotion stirred by the revelation.
Zhao Zileng kept silent, fumbling in his pocket for a handkerchief to slowly wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
He hung his head, feeling a lingering sense of dread.
"What are you afraid of? I can know these things just as well as I can probe into whether you harbor any evil intentions in your heart. If you did, would you still be alive? Don't forget, every little matter in this city—even the sow at the west end of town giving birth, down to how many piglets she had—must eventually reach my ears!" Du Zhaolin looked at Zhao Zileng's awkward state and burst out with a sharp laugh. He sighed, "You are far too cautious, fellow. Tell me, how did that Liang Wenyou get tangled up with you?"
"My lord... don't you already know everything?" Zhao Zileng said softly, terrified of falling into this fellow's trap.
Du Zhaolin spread his hands with a rogue's expression, "I know nothing about this."
"Then didn't you just say... you know how many piglets the sows in the city gave birth to?"
"Can't a man put on airs for once?"
Zhao Zileng stared hard at Du Zhaolin for a few moments; he truly could not fathom how a person could be shameless to such a degree.
"As for the sow giving birth, I actually do know. After all, my home is in the west end of the city, and that black boar is raised by the aunt next door," Du Zhaolin said, scratching his head with a deadpan expression.
Zhao Zileng was slightly taken aback. He looked at Du Zhaolin with a hint of skepticism in his tone, asking, "You are a great figure in Anma City, second only to one and above ten thousand; why would you live in the west end? Shouldn't you reside in the center of the city?"
"Well, you said before that the hardships I've suffered weren't enough, but that remark is somewhat unfair. Which youth in the Northern Domain lives an easy life? It's just that having grown used to a life of poverty, I've lost any taste for luxury and debauchery, and my eyes cannot tolerate a single grain of sand. If I moved to the city center and lived among those noble families, I'm afraid that one day......"
"You're worried that differing lifestyles might cause a ruckus, leading to new conflicts with those noble families, which in turn would displease everyone? My lord, you truly think from the perspective of others," Zhao Zileng remarked with emotion, somewhat admiring Du Zhaolin's opportunistic "forbearance."

Du Zhaolin shook his head and said calmly, "That's not it at all. I'm afraid that one day my temper might flare and I'd set fire to someone's house—it's too expensive, and I can't afford the compensation."
The corners of Zhao Zileng's eyes twitched. Once again, he had underestimated this lord's lower limit.
"Take a guess why I insist on fighting those fellows to the bitter end?" Du Zhaolin looked into the distance, recalling many old faces and past events.
"Probably to fight for power. After all, great figures like you live for nothing if not fame by the end," Zhao Zileng curled his lip, saying impatiently.
Before he came to Anma City, he had seen plenty of such people. Logically speaking, the higher one's position, the more one should transcend worldly vulgarity, but reality is not quite like that. After all, people are still people, and those who view power and status as dirt are few and far between. In other words, those reclusive great sages could never attain such positions.
Du Zhaolin shook his head and smiled, "Initially, I just wanted to scrape by. Forget about peaceful coexistence with them; even 'jackals of the same pack'—I probably could have accepted some of it, or at worst turned a blind eye. But there's no helping it; it was *they* who refused to leave us a path to survive."
"Oh?"
"The specifics are not worth telling you, but later I came to understand a principle: if you do not suppress their living space, they will only become more unbridled until they force you to become just like them. Having understood this principle, I killed many people before I managed to sit in this position."
Du Zhaolin's smile grew wider as he pointed toward the center of the city, where the lights were blazing and the hustle and bustle was intense. "Look at that, how thick the festive air is. The holiday is coming soon, and we must add some fuel to the fire to make it burn even brighter. Come here, I have matters to entrust to you."
The two discussed in the room for a long time. Du Zhaolin gave earnest and detailed instructions, covering numerous affairs, while Zhao Zileng repeatedly answered in the affirmative, terrified of missing even the slightest detail.
.......
Wishing everyone a happy New Year's Day!