Chapter 5, Only Lord Mouse Possesses Noble Character (I)

The idle man hurriedly squatted down with his head in his hands, and Chu Tian coldly laughed, saying: "I ask you, what is the origin of this courtyard? Is it specifically here to compete with Hong Gu for business?"

In broad daylight, everyone in the courtyard has gone out to seek a livelihood, leaving the yard empty and devoid of any person

Chutian cast a sidelong glance at the idle man, lifted his foot, and gently tapped his shoulder: "Noisy, which household are you helping to gather people for? Hong Gu, these past few days have not been pleasant, so, when exactly do you expect me to explain this filthy matter to you?"

Chutian raised his fist, ready to strike: "Filthy scoundrels, is it a place where we, the common men, can gather, just like those officials?"

"The Deputy of the State of Yao, Wang Yi." Chu Tian looked up at the sun, which was high in the sky, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "In the middle of the day, a dignified Deputy of a State, hey! What is the background of this courtyard?"

"Hush, hush," Chu Tian whistled.

"Ah, ah, oh, oh," during the broad daylight, there were extremely subtle sounds of gasping and calling coming from a tiled house in the corner of the courtyard. Chu Tian stood on the back of the old yellow wolf, with half of his body exceeding the top of the courtyard wall, squinting his eyes as he surveyed the various parts of the yard.

The old yellow wolf let out a deep growl and dashed forward.

Chutian remained silent, pulled a piece of silver from his sleeve and tossed it to the idle person, then gave a firm pat on the head of the old yellow wolf

A few emaciated guard dogs lay listlessly at the entrance of the yard, basking in the sun, occasionally lowering their heads to nibble on their own or their companions' tails. A massive, fierce old yellow wolf approached silently, standing firmly at the entrance of the yard. The dogs immediately shrank back in fear, trembling all over and not daring to make a sound

The idle man behind, unable to contain his excitement, clutched the silver and loudly called out to Chu Tiantian: "Master Chu, Master Chu, if you are going to that courtyard for leisure, remember to tell the madam in the courtyard that it was I, Er Gouzi, who introduced you. Be sure not to forget!"

Just then, a silver light suddenly brightened on the tiled roof of the room from which the overweight man had just emerged, crossing a distance of over ten zhang and landing on Chu Tian's shoulder

The idle man, seeing that Chu Tian was interested in this matter, stood up with a smile and eagerly flattered, "Wasn't this courtyard originally the territory of the Wanhua Building? Just five or six days ago, the owner of the Wanhua Building suffered losses and transferred the courtyard out. This Qinyun Yazhu just opened yesterday."

Chutian shot a glare at the idle man, pulled out seven or eight large coins from his sleeve, and forcefully tossed them into his arms

Only the western part of the city occupies the largest area, yet it is also the most chaotic. A variety of common folk, as well as many idle and unscrupulous individuals, gather in the west of the city. The streets here are mostly narrow and rugged alleys, and the arrangement of the houses is in utter disarray, resembling a vast labyrinth.

Licking his lips, the idle man watched Chu Tian in silence.

In Yanzhou City, there has always been a saying that the east is affluent while the west is impoverished, and that the north is home to officials while the south is inhabited by merchants. Those residing in the eastern part of Yanzhou City are predominantly the dignitaries and wealthy merchants of Yanzhou, while the various government offices are mostly located in the northern part of the city. The southern part of Yanzhou, much like the Wengcheng encountered on the road into Chutian, is a place bustling with shops.

At the sound of a bang, a broken brick struck the forehead of the overweight man, lifting his hefty body three feet off the ground before he fell heavily to the ground, unconscious.

The old yellow wolf darted from the east end of the city to the west, where he slowed down his pace

Riding the old yellow wolf, I left Qingliu Xiaozhu. Just as I arrived at the street corner, a bold idle man approached and said to Chu Tiantian, "Chu Dangtou, you seem to be in good spirits. Why are you leaving so early today?"

Releasing his hands, the idle man stood up again. He weighed the large sum of money in his hand and said with a hint of envy: "Does Lord Chu know about the Banshan Academy? Scholar Zhou is the newly appointed dean of the academy, and with his family's business, aren't the scholars in this Banzhou flocking to support him?"

After quietly waiting for a quarter of an hour, a sound almost akin to a hysterical gasp came from within the tiled house. After a considerable pause, a man's triumphant "Hehe" was heard, followed by the sounds of the bed shaking, the bench sliding, and the door latch being pulled open.

Chutian raised his right hand as if to strike, and the idle man hurriedly crouched down, covering his head with both hands, and tilted his face towards Chutian with a forced smile: "Chutian, dear sir, heh, how dare those scoundrels meddle in your affairs? It's just that a new establishment called 'Qinyun Yazhu' has opened up ahead!"

The idle man raised his eyes and hurriedly said: "I was just about to say, I was just about to say it is not, I heard that the steward Ling Shou of the Ling family is managing everything inside and outside this courtyard. Although the courtyard is indeed registered under the name of a distant relative of the Ling family, the actual owner is the new son-in-law of the Ling family, Scholar Zhou Liuyun."

A woman's voice, somewhat hoarse and lazy, came through: "Get out of here quickly! Don't let Third Brother see you, or it will be another beating for the servant girl. You heartless one!"

The idle man extended his hand and pointed towards the street corner ahead.

There was still quite a distance from the gate of the courtyard when the overweight man suddenly saw Chu Tian, whose upper body was above the wall. He was immediately startled and took three steps back, angrily pointing at Chu Tian and shouting, "Where did these men and women come from? Are you blind? What are you doing here?"

A stout man of short stature, with a robust build and his clothing stained with traces of pig fat, swaggered out of the house, his belly protruding. In his right hand, he waved a greasy handkerchief to fan himself, looking quite pleased with himself. He turned back to the house and said with a smile, "Zhang's wife, hey, in a few days, once I've regained my strength, I'll come looking for you. Make sure to simmer that rib for soup to nourish your body, and keep that string of coins safe; don't let Brother Zhang San take them to gamble again"

The overweight man chuckled as he rubbed his belly, savoring the moment while walking towards the gate of the courtyard, turning back with each step.

"Scared, you cowardly dog!" Chu Tian casually pulled out a half-broken brick from the wall and flicked it away.

With a smile on his face, the idle man lowered his brows and said softly, "From yesterday to today, the gentlemen of the Prefecture have been coming and going in droves, enough to scare a person to death. I have heard that even a cup of plain tea costs ten taels of silver; only someone as charming as you, Lord Chu, would have the audacity to enter there"

The idle man hurriedly grabbed the large sum of money and tightly held it in his hand, hastily saying: "In the Qinyun Yazu, none of the girls are from our local Biao Prefecture; they are all refined courtesans from the southeastern regions of Qinzhou and Huaizhou, each capable of singing and dancing, and most skilled in composing poetry and couplets"

Chutian waved his hand without looking back, urging the old yellow wolf to dash wildly through the streets and alleys of Yaozhou City

Chutian rode on the back of the old yellow wolf, his sharp gaze continuously sweeping over the inconspicuous corners of the streets and alleys

After walking through three to five alleys, Chu Tian discovered the secret mark he was looking for. Following the mark, he made his way forward, and a quarter of an hour later, Chu Tian stopped in front of a large courtyard at the base of the city wall in the west of the city

At the entrance of a grand courtyard on the street corner, a luxurious carriage came to a stop. The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a long-bearded man dressed in a loose robe, exuding an air of authority yet also possessing a certain scholarly charm, slowly stepped out. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stood at the entrance, glancing left and right, and then walked into the courtyard with his head held slightly high