Chapter 233 Why don't you just rob it?
"Getting rich is for later."
Shen Yulou shook his head, pouring cold water on the idea.
He pointed to the route on the map.
"We still have so much gold and silver in the vault right now. The difficulty of transporting it back to the Imperial City from here is simply too great.
The target is too big; we could easily encounter bandits halfway, and then all our efforts would be for naught."
Shen Yulou had long since calculated the risks in his heart.
If this money were transported back openly, at least half of it would have to be turned over to the national treasury and end up in that dog Emperor's pocket.
Maybe even eighty or ninety percent.
What a joke!
I worked my butt off, selling both my body and my skills, just to get this little bit of money. Why should I give it to him?
His plan was to only take the easy-to-carry bank notes.
The remaining large amount of gold and silver, along with the iron mine, would all be left here.
"This place will be our secret base from now on."
Shen Yulou's eyes deepened.
Although Yang Dali and Wang Zhi were controlled by poison, he still wasn't at ease.
He needed to find someone he trusted to come and watch over it.
However, he had too few trusted confidants under him.
The capable ones couldn't be trusted, and the trustworthy ones lacked ability.
A flash of inspiration struck Shen Yulou, and he suddenly thought of someone.
A perfect tool.
The Ninth Prince!
That kid currently worshipped him completely, practically treating him like his own father.
He would trick him into coming over, ostensibly telling him it was to gain experience at the border and learn how to govern a region.
In reality, he would be making him his chief steward, guarding this future small treasury!
When he ran away in the future, this would be his first pot of gold for starting anew.
Yes, that's the plan!
A mischievous smile curled Shen Yulou's lips. He had already begun calculating how to paint an even grander picture for the naive Ninth Prince.
The matter in Anyuan County was temporarily concluded.
After settling down the two women, Qingqing and Zhao Qi, he went back to coercing and enticing those two ridiculous fellows, Yang Dali and Wang Zhi.
Shen Yulou felt like a diligent farmer, planting chives everywhere.
Next, it was time for the real business.
Going to Yan State.
This trip was long, arduous, and fraught with danger, much like the journey to the West to obtain scriptures—he just didn't know if there would be any female demons along the way.
Shen Yulou didn't plan on bringing any unnecessary personnel.
With Sister-in-law by his side, his sense of security was maximized.
The number one on the fengyun ranking was better than a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses.
The two of them took a carriage, which was stuffed with freshly made "Amway" brand first-aid kits, and headed straight for the capital of Yan State—Water City.
Yan State was a place with a very unique geographical environment.
Although the capital, Water City, was located inland, it had a great river that snaked like a giant dragon, running from the border all the way through to the heart of the city.
The entire Water City was built upon the network of this great river's tributaries; the waterways served as streets, and small boats were the carriages, making it a true Eastern Venice.
Of course, traveling on this water highway wasn't easy.
At the river entrance on the border, there was a port checkpoint.
It was heavily guarded by troops, and ordinary people required very strict inspections to enter.
When Shen Yulou and Madam Li arrived, the scene resembled a highway toll booth during the National Day holiday.
Various types of merchant ships formed a long queue on the waterway, stretching as far as the eye could see.
There were luxurious large ships draped with expensive silks, clearly belonging to major merchants.
There were also small sampans crammed with goods, their hulls sitting deep in the water, the dark faces of the captains etched with anxiety.
The air was filled with the dampness of the river water, mixed with the scents of various spices and medicinal herbs.
On both sides of the checkpoint were towering arrow towers.
Archers holding powerful bows stood atop them, the tips of their arrows glinting coldly.
To enter the capital of Yan State from here,
one had to pass through several rounds of inspection, verifying documents and checking goods.
If it was someone like Shen Yulou, they would also need to rent a boat.
The cost alone was significant, not to mention the hassle involved.
Yet, despite all this, many merchants flocked here.
Everyone knew Yan State was in turmoil and war was imminent, but precisely because of this, there were greater business opportunities inside.
Shen Yulou looked at the situation and couldn't help but inwardly complain.
This border entry was stricter than in later generations; they wouldn't check every crack and crevice, like when he entered the Imperial Palace, would they?
Their carriage naturally couldn't pass, so they had to abandon the vehicle and switch to a boat.
Shen Yulou revealed his identity as an Imperial Envoy of Great Hun, and no one dared to be ignorant; they quickly arranged an official boat for him, allowing him to cut to the front of the line.
Upon reaching the checkpoint, a small leader with a fleshy face and a goatee walked over.
Shen Yulou presented his official seal and the state letter personally stamped by Emperor Ren, which was sufficient to allow unimpeded passage across the borders of both countries.
The small leader took the state letter, squinted his beady eyes, and examined it repeatedly for a long time.
His eyeballs rolled around restlessly.
"Heh heh."
He cleared his throat, put the state letter aside, and said with a look of insinuation.
"Lord Shen, you've traveled a long way; you must be tired."
"We have quite a few rules here in Water City.
If you want your boat and the goods you're carrying behind it to pass smoothly, I'm afraid you'll need to grease a few palms."
As he spoke, he rubbed his rough thumb and forefinger together, making a gesture of counting money.
Shen Yulou narrowed his eyes.
Holy crap, did I run into a colleague?
Trying to rob the bandit leader himself?
But you're clearly unprofessional.
Shen Yulou pretended not to understand.
"Grease palms? Grease what? The boat has already been cleaned, and the goods are all tied up; there's no need to grease anything else."
"..."
The corner of the small leader's mouth twitched, and his expression was clearly displeased.
Damn it, playing dumb with me, are you?
Losing his patience, he slammed his saber onto the table and said fiercely.
"Stop the damn nonsense!
I'll tell you straight: if you want to pass through here, it's ten thousand taels of silver!
If you're short even a single coin, you can stay here and feed the fish today!"
Oh ho?
Shen Yulou raised an eyebrow.
Well, look at that, a lion's open mouth.
Ten thousand taels? Why don't you just rob someone?
Oh wait, you are robbing someone.
Shen Yulou was amused. In his life, he had only ever extorted others; he had never been pointed at and blackmailed like this before.
How novel.
"I'll give you one chance."
The smile vanished from Shen Yulou's face, and his eyes grew cold.
"Let us pass now, and I'll pretend today never happened. If you don't..."
"If I don't, what are you going to do?"
The small leader acted as if he had heard the biggest joke, drawing his saber and pointing it right at Shen Yulou's nose.
"Don't you look at where the hell you are!
This is Yan State!
In your Hun Kingdom, you might be an Imperial Envoy, but here, you're not even a fart!"
He pointed to the long queue lining up behind them, his face full of disdain.
"Look, who here entering the city doesn't pay me a little tribute? Who do you think you are, acting so high and mighty!"
"Fine."
Shen Yulou nodded, stopped wasting words with him, and turned to step off the boat.
"Don't regret this."
Madam Li followed behind him, her brow slightly furrowed, and she lowered her voice and said,
"Should I silence that filthy mouth of his and teach him a lesson?"
"No need."
Shen Yulou shook his head, a cold smirk playing on his lips.
"Sister-in-law, why use an ox-slaughtering knife to kill a chicken?
Besides, causing trouble here is too ostentatious and not a good idea.
I have other ways to deal with this kind of small-time thug