"Tell me, why did you have to provoke him?"
In the dim prison cell, Qian Boyuan squatted on the ground, writing a letter while grumbling about the two White Lotus rebels beside him.
With White Lotus Sect members at his side, combined with the Tea Merchants Association's influence and Wang Yan's outward politeness, even though he had tried his best to show respect to Wang Yan, the local thug leader, contempt had still gradually taken hold in his mind.
It was habit—the habit formed over years of throwing his weight around. Back when the Yang, Bai, and Liu Families were in charge, they had never had the nerve to bargain before him. If he refused to buy, what could they do? Even the White Lotus Sect had to come negotiate with them politely. Wang Yan, on the other hand, slapped people first, locked them up afterward, and robbed them openly.
Song Cheng snorted. "That wasn't what Mister Qian said when he was using the Tea Merchants Association to threaten people."
"Wasn't that because you urged me on? Without you, how would a mere tea merchant like me have dared to argue with a ruthless man who wiped out entire families at the drop of a hat?"
"No matter how ruthless he is, he's still human. A matchlock musket ball will still punch a hole in him!"
"Well said! Ten thousand taels each for you two!"
Zhao Erhu poked his head in from the side. Looking at the two rebels' ugly expressions, he burst into laughter, then turned and walked away with light steps.
In that moment, he understood Wang Yan's joy. So messing with people was this interesting...
Travel was slow in those days, and transmitting news took time. Discussion and decision-making took more time still. By the time the