My classmate Zhu Houzhao

Chapter 13 The Feng Family Shop's Shady Tactics, the Northern Garrison

Fang Heng was always carefree, so since Zhu Shou had said so, Fang Heng did not refuse.

"Okay, come whenever you want to eat here. I'll make you a few more desserts later, but you should eat less of this stuff and not be greedy."

Fang Heng looked at Zhu Shou in front of him and said.

As the two were talking, Wang Xiaoer rushed over in a hurry.

"Boss, some people have come to the shop. They're here to cause trouble. They're people sent by the Feng family's shop."

Before Fang Heng could react, Zhu Shou jumped up.

"They're really asking for trouble, daring to cause trouble at my brother's shop? Let's see how I deal with them."

Zhu Shouyi said indignantly.

"Don't rush, urgent matters should be handled slowly."

Upon seeing this, Fang Heng hurriedly stopped Zhu Shou, then looked at Wang Xiaoer standing to the side.

"What exactly is going on? Could it be that the Feng family has their eyes on my shop?"

Wang Xiaoer looked somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this. After all, he had just said yesterday that it was no fault of him that the previous manager had been poached by the Feng family. Now, this was the situation he was in. He didn't believe that this situation had nothing to do with the previous manager.

However, he was recruited by Manager Qian more than half a year ago. At that time, his father had just died, and his family had no way to make a living. They relied on working here to support their family. Therefore, he was very grateful to Manager Qian and couldn't help but say a few good words for him.

But he couldn't bring himself to betray the shop. When Chen Si left, he tried to take him with him, but Wang Xiaoer refused. He felt that since he was eating the owner's food, it was unethical to turn around and try to take over the owner's shop, even though he had never met the owner before.

"That's right, that's what they had in mind when they poached the manager."

Wang Xiaoer said somewhat awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it. The fact that you stayed to look after the shop already speaks volumes."

Fang Heng patted Wang Xiaoer on the shoulder and said.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoer straightened his back a little.

After saying this, Fang Heng walked towards the front hall of the shop, and Zhu Shou hurriedly followed.

As soon as Fang Heng arrived at the front hall, he saw a man with scars on his face and slanted eyes sitting imposingly in the shop.

"My name is Fang Heng, and I am the owner of this shop. May I ask what brings you here?"

Fang Heng clasped his hands in a salute and said.

As the saying goes, "courtesy before force," when doing business, the first thing to emphasize is that harmony brings wealth. If a peaceful solution cannot be reached, then one should try to use drastic measures.

"Owner? It's been two or three years, how come I've never heard of this shop having any owner?"

The man glanced at Fang Heng sideways, his face full of disdain.

Fang Heng was not annoyed by these words. Instead, he went straight to the man, pulled up a stool, and sat down in front of him.

"Dude, I know what you're here for. The Feng family's shop sent you, didn't they? You want my shop? Then come openly, with your own entourage and weapons. Have Chen Si come over, or have the owner of the Feng family's shop come over, and draw up some rules."

Fang Heng looked into the man's eyes and said, word by word.

The man looked at the immature child in front of him. He should have laughed when he heard these words, but the boy's tone was strange, making the man feel that the boy was serious and that his words were very powerful.

After Fang Heng finished speaking, Zhu Shou gave a wink to the guards behind him. The guards stood behind Fang Heng, each carrying a knife. They were all broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, and leggy. Although they were dressed plainly, the fierce aura they exuded startled the man.

Only now did the man realize that he had messed with the wrong person. He had originally planned to say some harsh words or cause some damage to the clothing store, but looking at the young man in front of him and the guards behind him, the man was suddenly trembling with fear and couldn't even say the harsh words he had prepared.

He never imagined that one day he would be intimidated by a teenager.

This stirred up a multitude of emotions within him—humiliation, shame, and many other complex feelings. He wanted to lash out and suppress these emotions, but as soon as he looked up, he met the indifferent gazes of the guards behind the boy.

What kind of gaze was that? Just one look was enough to make a man tremble with fear.

The man was a well-known thug in the area, and he thought he had seen all kinds of people. But the look in the eyes of these guards made him think that these men had definitely killed people, and more than one.

This made him even more terrified. Who exactly were these people?

In an instant, the man's initial feelings of humiliation and shame vanished, and his once straight back became somewhat hunched.

"It was I who was ungrateful, not knowing that you were the owner of this shop. You are right, let the Feng family resolve their own affairs regarding the shop."

The man stood up and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Goodbye.

"No need to see me out."

Upon hearing this, Fang Heng didn't even stand up, but said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the man stumbled out of the shop and headed straight for the Feng family's shop, which was not far away.

"Brother, why don't I stay here and go back after you've sorted things out here?"

This was the first time Zhu Shou had seen this side of Fang Heng. He hadn't expected that this boy, who was about the same age as him and only a few months older, could be so warm and carefree just moments before, but in the blink of an eye, he would appear so ruthless and decisive.

This appearance wasn't something the young man was putting on. Zhu Shou could clearly sense that even if he and his guards weren't there, his elder brother would definitely have the ability and skill to deal with that man.

This made Zhu Shou appreciate his sworn brother even more.

"No need, it's just a small matter."

When Fang Heng stood up and looked at Zhu Shou, his previous expression vanished instantly, replaced by a warm and friendly one.

"That's true. My elder brother and Lord Jiang have a very close relationship. This Feng family shop has really lost its mind to offend my elder brother."

Zhu Shou sneered.

"In that case, I'll head back."

Zhu Shou was about to leave when he said that.

"Wait, you forgot to take that snack."

As Fang Heng spoke, he quickly went to the backyard, picked up the pastries he had just wrapped, returned to the shop, and handed them to Zhu Shou.

Zhu Shou accepted the snacks and bowed to Fang Heng with clasped hands.

"It is my great honor to have met you today, brother. Farewell."

After saying this, he turned and left.

Fang Heng wasn't in a hurry to go to the backyard. The Feng family wouldn't give up on their shop easily. Just because that scarred-face man left didn't mean no one else would come later.

"You should close the shop; there aren't many customers anyway."

Fang Heng glanced around and saw that there were very few customers in the clothing store that morning. When the customers who came saw that there were not many goods in the store, they all left in a hurry. Fang Heng knew very well that continuing to operate like this would only be a waste of time.

Fang Heng wasn't planning on waiting for the people from Feng's shop. As for Chen Si, Fang Heng figured he probably wouldn't have the face to come.

To solve the problem with the Feng family's shop, the solution isn't to confront them directly, but to address the root cause and eliminate the Feng family's shop itself; then the problem will be easily resolved.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoer didn't say anything. He also knew that given the current state of the shop, continuing to operate it would only be a waste of time.

"In which direction is the Northern Garrison Command located?"

Fang Heng looked at Wang Xiaoer, who was tidying up, and asked.

Upon hearing the words "Northern Garrison Command," Wang Xiaoer trembled. The name "Northern Garrison Command" carried immense power and intimidation for ordinary people; many were terrified at the mere mention of it.

"Master, the Northern Garrison Command is not a good place to go."

Wang Xiaoer hesitated for a moment.

"Don't worry about anything else, just point the way."

Fang Heng said.

"Go southeast, sir. The Northern Garrison Command is in Mao'er Hutong. You'll see it when you get near Mao'er Hutong."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoer stopped insisting.

After getting the answer he wanted, Fang Heng headed straight for Mao'er Hutong.

As Fang Heng walked and inquired, he soon arrived at Mao'er Hutong. Upon entering Mao'er Hutong, the most prominent sight was the yamen of the Northern Garrison Command. At the entrance of the yamen stood two fierce-looking stone lions with fangs, completely different from the stone lions of ordinary households. These two stone lions seemed to be choosing someone to devour, and the entire yamen of the Northern Garrison Command appeared as a giant mouth, making it look exceptionally sinister.

"Halt! What brings you here?"

At the entrance of the Northern Garrison Command, two Imperial Guards on duty looked at the young man before them with serious expressions.

"Gentlemen, my name is Fang Heng, and I am from Liangxiang. I have an elder relative who works in the Northern Garrison Command, surnamed Jiang. May I ask if you may inform him?"

Fang Heng cautiously probed.

The Northern Garrison Command was never an easy place to deal with. Not to mention ordinary people, even officials in the court would often tremble at the mere mention of the Northern Garrison Command's name.

The fact that this young man dared to come alone to the gate of the Northern Garrison Command was enough to surprise the two Imperial Guards on duty. If it were anyone else, they would probably have impatiently chased him away long ago for saying such vague things.

But after Fang Heng finished speaking, the two looked at each other.

"So you are a junior of Lord Jiang. Lord Jiang had instructed us that if anyone came looking for him, we must treat him well. We were the ones who were rude just now."

One of them clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said...

Fang Heng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Uncle Jiang had told Fang Heng before that he could go to the Northern Garrison Command to find him if he needed anything. He had already made arrangements, but it was one thing to say, and Fang Heng was really afraid that Uncle Jiang was too busy to remember this.

"Young man, come with me. Lord Jiang is on duty right now. He said that if you come, there is no need to announce your arrival."

The Imperial Guards seemed unusually enthusiastic, which made Fang Heng feel a little uneasy. It seemed that Uncle Jiang's official rank was higher than he had thought. Could he be a captain?

Fang Heng followed the Imperial Guard into the yamen of the Northern Garrison Command. After many twists and turns, they soon arrived at a government office. Inside, Fang Heng saw Uncle Jiang busy at work.

Jiang Bin was busy, but when he saw Fang Heng come in, he immediately put down the documents in his hand.

"Fang Heng, come, come, you've finally come to the capital. Today I'm going to treat you to a good meal."

Jiang Bin seemed very happy. He had been looking forward to this day for a long time. He had known about Fang Heng's arrival in Beijing yesterday. He knew everything about Fang Heng, especially the whereabouts of Old Wang, who was by Fang Heng's side.

Fang Heng was not surprised to hear this. As a member of the Imperial Guard of the Northern Garrison, it would be very easy for Uncle Jiang to find out his whereabouts. Zhu Shou had been guided by Uncle Jiang to find him at the clothing store.

"No need for such trouble, I've already eaten. The young master Zhu whom Uncle Jiang introduced is quite a remarkable person; we just became sworn brothers."

Fang Heng knew very well that his closest person in the capital was Uncle Jiang, who was also his biggest connection. Naturally, he had to explain his affairs to Uncle Jiang.

Jiang Bin was stunned when he heard this. He didn't understand what had happened. How could His Highness the Crown Prince have become sworn brothers with the young man in front of him in just half a day?

However, this is a good thing for him. Jiang Bin and Fang Heng have always had a good relationship. With Fang Heng's connection to His Highness the Crown Prince, it will only be beneficial to his career.

After all, the Northern Garrison Command and even the Emperor's personal guard are directly responsible to the Emperor. The current Emperor's attitude is relatively gentle, especially towards the officials in the court. Jiang Bin is well aware of this. Many times, His Majesty's actions are simply out of necessity.

But His Highness the Crown Prince is different. He is young and ambitious, and His Majesty is well aware of this and is very pleased with it. Therefore, he has assigned many Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) directly to the Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao, allowing him to do what he wants. As long as he, the emperor, is alive, he can provide for his son.

Jiang Bin, a centurion, was one of them, and also one of the most valued by Zhu Houzhao.

Old Wang, the Master Wang mentioned by His Highness the Crown Prince, was personally brought from Nanjing to Liangxiang by Jiang Bin, which shows Zhu Houzhao's trust in Jiang Bin.

Jiang Bin never expected that one of the parts of their plan, the boy from Liangxiang, whom he had high hopes for, would become sworn brothers with His Highness the Crown Prince in such a short time.

Looking at the young man before him, Jiang Bin thought to himself, "This young man is indeed extraordinary. It was worth all the effort I put into connecting him with him."

The young man before him probably didn't realize that his identity was about to undergo a dramatic change from this day forward.

"That's great! That young master Zhu is no ordinary person. You'll have a powerful backer in the capital from now on."

Jiang Bin smiled.

"My biggest support has always been Uncle Jiang. If it weren't for Uncle Jiang's help these past few years, I don't know how I would have gotten through it."

Fang Heng looked at Jiang Bin and said.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Bin looked at the young man before him, and finally sighed heavily. He said nothing, but simply patted Fang Heng on the shoulder.

"I came here today to inquire about the Feng family's shop, and whether they have any powerful backers."

Fang Heng got straight to the point.

Fang Heng knew very well that he and Uncle Jiang no longer needed those useless formalities.

The reason he went to all this trouble to find Uncle Jiang was to find out the background of the Feng family shop. If the Feng family shop didn't have any powerful backing, then he could take action against them.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will strike with your life." To act rashly without even knowing the details of the other party is the act of a fool.

"The Feng family shop? It doesn't have much of a background. Feng Shi made his fortune in the early years by selling smuggled salt. In recent years, the imperial court has not been so strict in controlling smuggled salt, and many smugglers have made money. After he made his fortune, he opened the clothing store he has now. His family has been in the clothing business for generations. Feng Shi is a shrewd shrewd man and has been eyeing your shop for a long time. But since you hadn't come to the capital before, I didn't tell you. Anyway, with me watching over things, they can't take your shop away."

Jiang Bin answered Fang Heng's questions patiently and in detail.

"Now that you're here, they still dare to try and take advantage of your shop. They're really courting death. Tomorrow I'll take some men to investigate their shop."

Jiang Bin said coldly.

"Uncle Jiang, there's no need for that. I'll make a trip to Shuntian Prefecture later and use my connections to get things done. It's not really appropriate for you to handle this matter yourself."

Fang Heng knew very well that the Northern Garrison Command had a great reputation, but it generally couldn't control these shops in the private sector. The Northern Garrison Command mostly investigated officials. It wasn't that it couldn't investigate the Feng family's shops, but it would inevitably be criticized. Fang Heng didn't want to cause trouble for Uncle Jiang because of his own affairs.

"That's fine then. Wait a moment, I'll write a letter, and you can give it to the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture later."

Jiang Bin thought about it and realized that the boy's approach seemed more prudent, so he stopped insisting.