Why had they come to provoke him?
Song Jin Jian smiled at the question. "Marquis Zhaowu has run rampant in Guangyue Prefecture for years. It's hardly surprising that the members of his lineage know no restraint."
He paused, then recalled, "I once heard that lord mention Zhao Yi."
"He said the boy was born into wealth and privilege, with exceptional talent, but was an embroidered pillow stuffed with straw."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. "An embroidered pillow?"
Thinking back over his meeting with Zhao Yi the day before yesterday, he could not help smiling. "A fair assessment."
Song Jin Jian smiled. "On the surface, he's a frivolous young wastrel, but there is something beneath that."
"In that lord's words, 'He hides his abilities, yet always wants to show them off.' He rather gives the impression of a petty man tasting success."
After a pause, he changed tack. "But Zhao Yi is one thing; the Zhao Family he belongs to is another. That lord thought very highly of them."
"How highly?"
"A power that could dominate a region."
Chen Yi was momentarily speechless. "Then they really are... courting death."
Song Jin Jian nodded in agreement. "The Zhao Family has cultivated its position in Guangyue Prefecture for years and has extensive connections."
"Apart from the aristocratic families close to them, they also have people hidden in the shadows. I know of three such connections alone."
"The first is the Blood River Group, entrenched in the Southeastern Sea Region. Though they conceal it well, every sign points to the Zhao Family being behind them."
"Once brought ashore, many of the goods they plunder are shipped throughout the Central Plains through canal transport wharves controlled by the Zhao Family."
Song Jin Jian dipped a finger in tea and drew several circles on the