No taboos in the world

Chapter 99 Garuda, Lady Wang's Letter (Happy New Year!)
The vast sky is immersed in shadows, and the vast water and clouds are connected.

The boat paddles slowly, with light mist and smoke.

Taihu Lake is like a mirror, in which it is difficult to distinguish between sky and water.

"Young Master, this is Young Master Murong's apology to you." Ah Zhu took out a gift box from a pile of luggage and brought it to Hong Chen.

Hong Chen sat at the bow, leaning against the edge of the boat, with one side of his crimson robe hanging down at his arm, his posture leisurely and his expression relaxed. Hearing this, he slightly opened his eyes and asked, "What is it?"

Ah Zhu smiled, opened the box and uncovered the red silk.

Suddenly, Hong Chen sat up slightly and looked carefully.

A piece of green jade, its color is light green, its texture is fine, and it is flawless. The shimmering light reflects it, as if there is water flowing inside.

If it were just green jade, its value would be far less than mutton-fat jade and white jade, but this piece of green jade is quite large, shaped like a square brick, but thicker.

Hong Chen reached out and stroked it gently, his fingertips felt the warmth.

"It's not cheap, is it?" he asked Ah Zhu.

Ah Zhu nodded and said, "Yes, sir. None of us have seen this piece of jade before. It must have been hidden deep in the treasury. It took a lot of determination for sir Murong to take it out last night. He was reluctant to give it to me when he gave it to me, which shows how valuable it is."

Hong Chen couldn't help but laugh to himself.

If Murong Fu knew that the thief was Murong Bo who had been dead for more than 20 years, I wonder if he would still be willing to continue to recognize him as his father?

We are used to seeing sons who betray their fathers, but this kind of father who betrays his son is rare.

Looking at the jade, his eyes suddenly moved: "Azhu, do you think this piece of jade can be made into a real jade gourd?"

Ah Zhu was slightly startled: "My lord, are you talking about the kind of gourd that can hold wine?"

"That's right. Look at the enchanting scenery of Taihu Lake. I'm sitting on the bow of the boat enjoying the beautiful scenery, but I don't have any good wine to accompany me. Suddenly I understand why some people always like to carry wine bags or wine gourds with them." Hong Chen said with emotion.

Ah Zhu smiled faintly: "Young Master is indeed the one who can brew the Drunken Red Dust. I believe he also loves wine very much."

"I can't say I love you, I just want to be in tune with the situation."

Ah Zhu looked at the jade in the box and thought for a while, then said, "This piece of jade is definitely enough to make a wine gourd, but it will definitely waste a lot of jade material, and the labor cost will not be cheap."

Hong Chen also stretched out his hand and gestured, then said after some thought: "Well, that's enough. Find a craftsman with better skills, maybe he can peel out a lot of good materials, and then make two sets of jewelry for you and A-Bi."

"Ah, sir, you called me?" A-Bi, who was rowing at the stern, asked naively.

Ah Zhu turned around and smiled, "Young Master said he wanted to use this piece of jade to make a wine gourd, and the remaining material would be used to make two sets of jewelry for us."

A-Bi blinked as she looked at the green jade in the box and said in surprise, "Oh! Thank you, sir!" Her cute look instantly made Hong Chen and A-Zhu laugh out loud.

"Azhu, I'll leave this matter to you. You should be familiar with Gusu City."

"Well, don't worry, sir. I will definitely find the master with the best skills."

On the east bank of Taihu Lake, adjacent to Suzhou.

A manor with green bricks and blue tiles, nestled against the mountains and beside the lake.

The scenery of lakes and mountains complement each other, the pavilions and waterside terraces are decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, the green bamboos and weeping willows are thriving, and the chirping of orioles and swallows are melodious.

"It's so beautiful, sister, have you been here?" A-Bi exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.

Ah Zhu's eyes were immersed in the scenery, and she shook her head slightly. "I have never been here before. I have passed by it a few times before, but I didn't expect it to be so elegant and pleasant. In terms of scenery, it is not inferior to Chanhe Manor."

After the two sisters admired the boat, they moved the items into the villa together. While Ah Zhu was packing, Ah Bi found Hong Chen sitting on the shore.

"Sir, this villa is not small. Whether you live here permanently or temporarily, we need someone to take care of it from time to time, so we should hire some servants and maids."

Hong Chen stared at the sky, nodded slightly, took out a thick stack of banknotes from his sleeve and handed it to A Bi: "Go ahead."

After taking it, A-Bi took a quick look and found that there were tens of thousands of taels of silver. She was shocked and said, "Sir, you don't need so many." She took out a few of them and handed the rest back with both hands.

Hong Chen didn't even look at them, and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay, take all of these. We will probably live here for a few months, and we need to buy a lot of things. Besides, when we travel around in the martial arts world, someone should be responsible for paying for it."

"Then I'll leave it to Sister Ah Zhu."

Hong Chen shook his head: "No, she will have other things to do in the future..." As he spoke, Hong Chen suddenly paused and blew a loud whistle towards the sky.

A-Bi was stunned, and her expression gradually became depressed as she pondered over Hong Chen's words.

In the air, a black shadow fell rapidly.

Hong Chen stretched out his arms, thought for a moment, and rolled up his long sleeves.

Soon, the shadow came closer and suddenly became bigger. The sky above the two of them suddenly darkened. Before the shadow arrived, the gust of wind arrived first. Then, a pair of sharp claws like scimitars grabbed Hong Chen's arm.

The wind slowly died down. Ah Bi stared at the giant creature standing on Hong Chen's arm, her eyes wide open in shock. The two-foot-tall golden eagle had pale gold feathers on its head and neck, white feathers on its wings, and the rest of its body was dark brown. Its yellow pupils were deep and sharp, its eyes were full of wildness and confidence, and its hook-like beak was intimidating. The wingspan of more than four feet slowly folded up, and another gust of wind blew as it fluttered.

Hong Chen looked up at it and smiled with satisfaction: "It has grown a little bigger."

"Master, this, this is..." A-Bi opened her mouth. The golden eagle's head moved and its eyes shot towards her. A-Bi hurriedly stopped talking and stepped behind Hong Chen, grabbing his sleeve at the same time.

"Don't be afraid, I raised it." Hong Chen moved his arms and said, "Garuda, call out."

Immediately, the golden eagle opened its mouth, and a clear cry like that of a chicken was heard.

A-Bi opened her eyes wide in disbelief and covered her mouth.

Hong Chen untied the bamboo tube tied to Garuda's legs and shook his arm again: "Go down and walk a few steps for your sister A Bi to see."

Garuda flapped its wings slightly and landed safely, then took stealthy steps.

A-Bi was immediately amused and burst out laughing. She turned around and called her sister A-Zhu to come and watch the fun.

Hong Chen opened the bamboo tube, took out the letter inside and examined it carefully.

The first few letters only explained the agency situation in various states. These things must be the responsibility of more than just Hong Chen, otherwise he would not be able to handle it no matter how hard he worked.

Finally, there are two formal letters.

The first letter is from Qiao Feng.

"Brother, although I have kept all the account books of Zui Hongchen strictly in safekeeping, some of the figures have still been leaked. At present, some people in the Beggar Gang are dissatisfied with the profit sharing and are secretly gathering together to subvert the rules set by you. You are really as good as a god! However, I have a countermeasure for this matter. There is no need to trouble you to take action personally. Those who forget their principles for the sake of profit are not worthy of being disciples of the Beggar Gang. I will publicly expel them from the Beggar Gang at the next meeting.

Second, as orphanages are being established in various places, I followed my elder brother's instructions and did not leave any beggars in the gang. However, there is a serious shortage of manpower now. In order to help more orphans avoid hunger and cold and have someone to rely on, I have been thinking hard but can't think of a solution. I can only ask my elder brother for advice.
Thirdly, I have already found out the location of Lingjiu Palace on Piaomiao Peak of Mingshan Mountain. The latest distribution map of martial arts sects in the world is attached with this letter.

Finally, Master Xuanku wrote to me, saying that all the letters he had sent to my elder brother had fallen on deaf ears, and ordered me to ask my elder brother when he would get married, and to remind him to prepare vegetarian wine. I have already collected 3,000 jars of vegetarian wine and stored them in the cellar, and by the time my elder brother gets married, I will ensure that all the monks in Shaolin will have vegetarian wine.

Big brother, when are you going to get married?"

Hong Chen's cheek twitched and he shattered the letter silently, then unfolded a folded silk map, which indeed showed the location of Lingjiu Palace.

Close it and read the second one.

In the middle it says "Written by Mr. Hong" and in the lower left corner it says "Suzhou Mantuo Villa".

Seeing this, Hong Chen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and look curious.

"My name is Wang Li, the owner of Mantuo Villa. I have long heard that Zui Hongchen is famous all over the world. I was fortunate enough to have a taste of it before, and I felt that it was not of this world, so I have been thinking about it for a long time. I heard that Master Hong was visiting Gusu, and I thought about it for a long time. I took the liberty to write to you and sincerely invite you to Mantuo Villa for a chat. I am enclosing a copy of the Shaolin unique skill "Duo Luo Ye Zhi" as a gift."

Behind the letter was also a piece of silk cloth. When it was opened, it contained a handwritten copy of the Dolo Leaf Finger Secret Manual. The handwriting was beautiful and elegant, and the scent of ink could be faintly smelled.

Hong Chen sighed twice.

One is for Shaolin. Not all monks can read the unique skills in the Sutra Repository, but in this world it seems that everyone has a copy, and except for the Yi Jin Jing, the other skills seem to be worthless.

Secondly, when he was in Shaolin, Hong Chen first chose the Burning Wood Sword Technique and the Dragon Capturing Technique. After learning the fifteen moves of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, he specifically chose the Dragon Claw Hand. A few years ago, he also exchanged the advanced Burning Wood Sword Technique for a set of Bodhidharma Sword Technique. These four unique skills are enough to prove that he is not very interested in finger techniques.

But he had just learned the Sanhe Finger that Murong Fu gave him a few days ago, so why did he get another copy of the Duoluoye Finger now? Why do these people always like to give away fingering techniques? Could it be that Madam Wang is interested in my fingers?
He shook his head slightly to get rid of all distracting thoughts.

When he turned his head, he saw the two sisters Ah Zhu and Ah Bi were watching Garuda walking, laughing so hard that they were shaking with laughter.

He cleared his throat, and the two immediately stopped smiling, stood side by side, and said in a charming voice, "Sir."

"Go buy some living creatures to feed Garuda, recruit the people you need to recruit, buy the things you need to buy, and then come find me in the courtyard."

"Yes, son."

Hong Chen returned to the inner courtyard, found the study, and picked up his pen to write his reply.

"Qiao Feng, please be careful with your words, otherwise the first thing that greets you next time we meet will be my fist.

The people who are causing trouble in the Beggars' Sect will not be satisfied with the current benefits. Even if I give in step by step, they will only press on step by step, and even want to get rid of me and firmly grasp Zui Hongchen in their own hands. I guess they should put the name of the Beggars' Sect first, and take Zui Hongchen as the private property of the Beggars' Sect to benefit the disciples of the Beggars' Sect and the poor people in the world.

In this matter, a large number of Beggar Gang disciples who are unable to participate in Zui Hongchen’s business will surely gather to watch. Therefore, if you don’t take action, then don’t do it. But if you do take action, it must be as powerful as thunder and hit the vital points directly, otherwise there will be endless disasters.

You don't need to worry too much. I have written another letter to question and threaten to cancel the Beggars' Gang's participation in the distribution and transportation of Zui Hongchen. If your method is ineffective, take out my letter and show it to some people. It will surely make some people afraid to act rashly and shrink back. Those greedy people who dominate this matter will become the enemy of the vested interests.

If this matter is ultimately difficult to resolve, you don't have to feel sad, because your eldest brother will personally help them to redeem themselves.

The Salesian Institute should be slow rather than hasty, otherwise it will arouse suspicion from the court, which will be even more troublesome. The world is like this, you and I brothers can just do our best, unless you want to rebel, then I will go to Tokyo immediately to kill Zhao Xu and a group of royal children, we will immediately raise the flag and gather troops, sweep across the world, and maybe we can even recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. When I ascend the throne, I will definitely appoint you as the chief steward of the palace.

Finally, I'll give you a maid with this letter, no need to thank me!"

　The Ciyou Bureau first appeared in the seventh year of Chunyou (1247) during the reign of Emperor Lizong Zhao Yun of the Southern Song Dynasty, while the book still records it in the Yuanyou period (1091) during the reign of Emperor Zhezong Zhao Xu of the Northern Song Dynasty. Therefore, it was named Ciyouyuan.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)