Honey, you didn't really drugged me, did you?-Chapter 445 - 157 Nan Batian: Chen 94, Liu Laoguai, how dare they! (10,000 characters for subscription)_4

“This is an inviolable red line! Over the years, whether deliberate or not, anyone associated with the Zoroastrian Sect has been dealt with by Darugachi.”

“Especially since the young master sold ironware to the Zoroastrian Sect.”

“This is collusion with the Zoroastrian Sect, an attempt at rebellion! If you speak of it now, Darugachi might even detain you directly.”

“Hmm, that can’t be. I am the head of Guild Cao!”

Liu Laoguai interjected, but Bai Mosheng said, “Gang Leader, Guild Cao can have many leaders; someone else can replace you if you’re gone! But colluding with the Zoroastrian Sect is a sure path to death. So, Gang Leader, listen to me. This issue must not be spoken of openly. Who else knows about this?”

Liu Laoguai answered, “Only Chen Jiusi, no one else!”

Bai Mosheng responded, “Good, I’ll find an opportunity to talk to Chen Jiusi. This matter must not be disclosed. As long as Darugachi finds out who is connected to the Zoroastrian Sect, death is certain for you, Nan Batian, no one will be spared!”

Liu Laoguai remarked, “Could it really be that severe? There have been similar incidents in the past where iron was sold to the Zoroastrian Sect, and no one was executed!”

Bai Mosheng rebuked, “Gang Leader, things are different now. Since the Zoroastrian Sect’s rebellion in the Northern last year, in just one year, they’ve swept through more than seventy counties in the Northern Three Provinces and Twelve Prefectures. The court sent tens of thousands of troops to suppress it with no avail.”

“As a result, the court held accountable, and the officials related to the Northern were killed by the hundreds. Moreover, they discovered that the rebels of the Zoroastrian Sect had an abundance of weapons. Three months ago, the Minister Tuotuo issued a strict order to investigate the smuggling of ironware. The command was stern: if local governance fails to control ironware and it is discovered to be smuggled to the Zoroastrian Sect, the related officials will be exiled at best or executed on the spot at worst!”

“In these three months, seven Darugachi in the Northern were dismissed on the spot, and three were directly executed. Twelve County Magistrates and even three Magistrates were killed. Under such high pressure, officials at Daqian are all fearing for their lives.”

“Everyone is desperately preventing ironware from being transported north from their jurisdictions. Under these circumstances, you still dare to say that the young master sold pig iron to the Zoroastrian Sect. If Darugachi finds out, you will be the first to be killed!”

“Hiss hiss hiss…”

Liu Laoguai touched his own head saying, “It’s that serious, huh? Mr. Bai, where did you get all this information?”

Bai Mosheng, opening his fan, answered, “The Imperial Mansion Report.”

“Is it that expensive waste paper you bought back from the government?”

Liu Laoguai looked at Bai Mosheng, whose mouth twitched. Couldn’t his Gang Leader read some books?

He only considered the Imperial Mansion Report as waste paper, not realizing that the information recorded could cost lives.

But Bai Mosheng avoided elaborating, as he was, after all, the Guild’s Bai Zhishan, responsible for safeguarding the guild.

Here, it should be noted that the Imperial Mansion Report was supposed to be confidential, but these days, with money, such things aren’t hard to come by. Bai Mosheng spent five hundred taels of silver every month specifically to buy these reports, which Liu Laoguai criticized as having money but no place to spend it.

Liu Laoguai then asked, “So, we just ignore the Zoroastrian Sect?”

Bai Mosheng replied, “It’s not that we are disregarding them, but rather, we cannot deal with them. We can’t even come close to the three words Zoroastrian Sect. By the way, Gang Leader, you need to make a trip to Darugachi Mansion today.”

“Ah, didn’t you say not to mention matters of the Zoroastrian Sect to Darugachi? Then what am I doing going to Darugachi Mansion?”

Bai Mosheng answered, “You are going to make a suggestion to Lord Darugachi!”

“A suggestion?”

Liu Laoguai furrowed his brows. “What suggestion?”

Bai Mosheng suggested, “To close down the North Mountain Iron Mine!”

“What??”

Liu Laoguai’s eyes bulged out, “What did you say? Close down the North Mountain Iron Mine? Are you crazy? North Mountain Iron Mine constitutes one-third of Guild Cao’s income; without it, our brothers will starve!”

Bai Mosheng, looking at Liu Laoguai, explained, “Gang Leader, I know this decision sounds crazy, but it must be closed, otherwise, it will bring disaster upon us. If you close it now, you can extricate yourself and even leave a good impression with Lord Darugachi. It’s different if Lord Darugachi forces us to close North Mountain Iron Mine.”

Liu Laoguai, squinting his eyes, quizzically asked Bai Mosheng, “What do you mean?”

Bai Mosheng continued, “I saw in the recent Imperial Mansion Report that the court is arranging for an Inspection Envoy to inspect local governance, and it’s nearly reached Huangzhou Prefecture. Once at Huangzhou, Darugachi and his associates will be under the Inspection Envoy’s surveillance.”

“From the recent three months’ Imperial Mansion Reports, this Inspection Envoy has been moving southward, has arrested three Darugachi from the Mulan Clan, and another was executed. The charges were collusion with the Zoroastrian Sect and trafficking military materials like pig iron.”