The rise of the poor

Chapter 2290 Timely Rain in Ligang

Luo Longwen left Wang Zhihui's yamen in a daze, having lost seventy taels of silver for nothing, without even being able to get inside!

Damn Japanese pirates! No wonder they're still pirates. They have no manners whatsoever and no sense of the bigger picture. This is the Wang Zhihui Prince's office, and they behave like this right under the Prince's nose. It's clear that the entire Wang Zhihui Prince's household is a bunch of incompetent bandits! If they had even a little ambition, they wouldn't be so unruly!

That's not presentable!

They'll never amount to anything!

Luo Longwen felt utterly contemptuous, but despite his contempt, the thought of not even being able to see Wang Zhi made him worry about how he was going to complete the task assigned by Yan Shifan. He sighed deeply.

Just as Luo Longwen was sighing, a voice rang out from behind him, "Hey, brother, what are you sighing about? You're a real man, not a little woman. What can't you overcome? Why are you acting like a little woman?"

"Who?" Luo Longwen turned around and saw a Japanese pirate standing in front of him. He recognized him as another Japanese pirate guarding the Wang Zhihui Prince's Mansion. He quickly pressed down on the letter written by Xu Hai in his arms.

Could this guy be trying to copy that bastard who guarded the Japanese pirates and extort money from me?!

Luo Longwen looked at the newcomer with a wary expression.

"Hehe, brother, don't worry. I'm not like Zhang Heizi. I help people solve problems, not create them. My name is Li Gan. Go ask around. I'm a well-known timely helper in Ligang." This Japanese pirate, who called himself Li Gan and said he was a well-known timely helper in Ligang, chatted with Luo Longwen with a smile.

"Was that guy called Zhang Heizi?" Luo Longwen asked.

The Japanese pirate Li Gan nodded and looked at Luo Longwen, "Yes, do you know why Zhang Heizi treated you this way?"

Luo Longwen was immediately drawn to the question and shook his head.

"This is a long story, but to make it short, Zhang Heizi wasn't originally a gatekeeper; he was the captain of Prince Hui's personal guard," said the Japanese pirate Li Gan slowly.

Luo Longwen asked curiously, "He's actually the captain of Prince Hui's personal guard, so why is he now a gatekeeper? Did he commit a grave mistake?!"

"Rather than saying he made a serious mistake, it's more accurate to say he was implicated," said Li Gan, a Japanese pirate, recalling the past.

"What did he get involved in?" Luo Longwen asked curiously, "How did he end up being demoted from captain of the personal guard to a gatekeeper?"

“This has something to do with Xu Hai.” The Japanese pirate Li Gan looked at Luo Longwen with a strange look. “You’re really bold to take Xu Hai’s handwritten letter and ask Zhang Heizi to report it to Prince Hui.”

"Huh?! Is there some kind of taboo here?" Luo Longwen felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly asked.

"Xu Hai's uncle, Xu Weixue, was one of the eight great warriors under Prince Hui. Xu Weixue recruited Xu Hai into his crew, and because they were uncle and nephew, Xu Hai became the deputy captain of Xu Weixue's fleet. Xu Weixue was a man of extremely poor character, notorious in the Japanese pirate circle for his dishonesty and greed. Prince Hui criticized Xu Weixue many times, and their relationship deteriorated. Xu Hai also harbored resentment towards Prince Hui. Later, Xu Hai even led a group to rob a small boat that was delivering supplies to Prince Hui. Some people escaped, and the plot was exposed. This enraged Prince Hui, but considering Xu Weixue's desperate pleas, he only publicly berated Xu Hai. However, Xu Hai held a grudge and settled old scores with new ones, even plotting to assassinate Prince Hui."

"It's Japanese pirate Li Gan," he said slowly.

It seems that Zhang Heizi was implicated because of this, and Luo Longwen knew what was going on when he heard this.

As expected, what the Japanese pirate Li Gan said next confirmed his suspicions: "In order to assassinate Prince Hui, Xu Hai bribed a close associate of Prince Hui with a large sum of money to poison Prince Hui's food. As a result, the man was intimidated by Prince Hui's domineering aura and took the initiative to confess and beg for mercy. Prince Hui was furious that his close associate had been bribed and ordered a thorough investigation. Although it was eventually found that only this man had been bribed by Xu Hai, he was a member of Prince Hui's personal guard. As the captain of the personal guard, Zhang Heizi could not escape the crime of negligence. Prince Hui spared Zhang Heizi's life because he had worked hard even if he had not made any great contributions, and sent him to guard the gate."

"Ah, I see, I see." Luo Longwen suddenly realized, no wonder.

The Japanese pirate Li Gan patted Luo Longwen on the shoulder, "So, brother, you took Xu Hai's personal letter to Zhang Heizi to report it. Isn't that just inviting trouble and walking into his trap? He's just looking for an opportunity to take revenge."

Luo Longwen couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

"You should thank me. If I hadn't been there, Zhang Heizi might have been wary and even considered killing me."

The Japanese pirate Li Gan spoke at the opportune moment.

Luo Longwen felt even more frightened upon thinking about it, but then he remembered that this Japanese pirate named Li Gan was right there, and he thought, "Why didn't you..."

The Japanese pirate Li Gan said frankly, "Li Gan was, after all, the captain of Prince Hui's personal guard, and he has quite a few connections. Although I am not afraid of him, it is not advisable to have a direct conflict with him, otherwise it will be difficult to end the situation."

Luo Longwen looked at the Japanese pirate Li Gan and said, "You can't clash with him, so you said you could help me solve this problem. How will you help me?"

The Japanese pirate Li Gan chuckled and said, "Hehe, I just can't confront him directly. After all, he has many connections. But once people leave, the tea cools. As long as I don't confront him directly, those connections will turn a blind eye."

Luo Longwen then raised another question, "You're just a gatekeeper, how can you help me get an audience with Prince Hui?"

"I'm the gatekeeper. My job is to relay messages and pass them in. Besides, I know everyone in the manor—the stewards, the cooks, the sweepers, the servants—well. To be honest, I decide whose name card gets to Prince Hui's door, when it gets to his door, and whose name card doesn't get to his door at all," the Japanese pirate Li Gan said confidently to Luo Longwen.

Luo Longwen was overjoyed and quickly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, General. I will reward you handsomely once it's done."

"Brother, I like to be upfront about what I'm doing. If you want to be received by Prince Hui, you'll need at least this much."

The Japanese pirate Li Gan extended one finger.

"Ten taels of silver?!" Luo Longwen pretended not to understand.

The Japanese pirate Li Gan shook his head.

"One hundred taels of silver?" Luo Longwen swallowed hard.

The Japanese pirate Li Gan nodded, patting his chest, and said, "That's right, at least one hundred taels of silver will be needed. Many people know what happened at the gate today. Because of Zhang Heizi, I have to make some connections. However, if you don't get to see Prince Hui, I will refund you the full amount of one hundred taels of silver. I will cover the cost of the bribes myself, as I also need to maintain good relationships with everyone. I'm a man of my word, and I can sign a contract with you. We'll make it clear that one hundred taels of silver guarantees you a successful audience with Prince Hui, and if you can't, the one hundred taels of silver will be fully refunded."

After a short while, Luo Longwen returned to the inn, full of anticipation, holding a written agreement. (End of Chapter)