booktalesy Chapter 44 Dividing the Spoils
Chapter 44 Dividing the Spoils
After Chen Ye finished speaking, his gaze swept across the two faces.
The excitement in Su Guang's eyes gradually subsided. He took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Brother Chen, I've said before that my life belongs to you, and I have no way to repay you. Helping you this time is only right and proper."
After he spoke, Zuo Dongxi was also lifted up.
Zuo Dongxi stared at the wooden box filled with gold and silver, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Me too. You saved my life, so helping you this time is just my duty."
Chen Ye was prepared for this; these two men had a bit of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about them and wouldn't ask for money unsolicited.
But just because others don't want it doesn't mean he can refuse to give it to them.
He had finally established himself in the capital and built up his network of connections; why would he let them go so easily?
This division of spoils is an opportunity to make the two men more loyal to him and easier to control in the future.
In Chen Ye's eyes, everyone in the world is driven by profit.
All talk of benevolence and morality is meaningless; only self-interest is real.
He had already prepared his words and said clearly, "I appreciate the kindness of my two brothers, but things can't be settled like this."
"If it weren't for Brother Su secretly finding out the information and using his connections to get the Datura flower, we wouldn't have ended up like this, and I wouldn't be a match for those people at all."
"Without Brother Zuo's men keeping a close watch on us day and night, we wouldn't be able to keep track of their movements, and the poisoning wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"Fine, even if you're willing to help me for free this time, I won't take a share of the money. But next time I need your help, will you still be this dedicated?"
Chen Ye raised his hand to stop Su Guang from arguing, and continued, "I know you two are both loyal people. It's not that I don't trust you, but I value our friendship more, which is why I'm doing this. You should be able to understand what I mean."
Having said that, both Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang felt a surge of warmth in their hearts, feeling valued and even more convinced that Chen Ye was a person worth getting to know better.
But when it came to how to divide the money, the two of them couldn't bring themselves to say anything.
Seeing that Chen Ye insisted on sharing the money, Zuo Dongxi coughed lightly and said, "Most of this silver is thanks to Brother Chen, and we have no objection. If it weren't for Brother Chen's early planning, subsequent command, and for seeing through the Liu family's scheme beforehand, we wouldn't even have the chance to share the silver here. We two are just doing our bit."
After pondering for a moment, Zuo Dongxi said, "In my opinion, one hundred taels each is enough for the two of us."
Su Guang nodded in agreement, saying, "This matter mainly depends on Brother Chen. Besides, Brother Chen is exceptionally talented. As long as this friendship remains, will we have to worry about not making money in the future? Why should we care about such a small profit? If the money is kept with you, brother, we might be able to earn even more after we've settled things with the Cui family. I only need one hundred taels, that's enough for me."
Chen Ye shook his head and smiled, "Brothers, you're both too kind."
"In this operation, Brother Zuo led his men to encircle and gather intelligence, and his brothers also put in a lot of effort. It can't be attributed solely to your hard work." He turned to Su Guang and continued, "Brother Su also worked tirelessly, and you even paid for the poison yourself, taking a risk as well."
"One hundred taels is still too little; I can't treat you unfairly. Here's the deal: I'll take 60%, Brother Zuo 30%, and Brother Su 20%. Any objections?"
Three-tenths is four hundred and twenty taels, and two-tenths is two hundred and eighty taels.
"Of course." Chen Ye was willing to give them more, and they readily agreed.
Zuo Dongxi also generously gave Su Guang twenty taels of silver.
So Chen Ye got 800 taels, Su Guang got 300 taels, and Zuo Dongxi got 400 taels.
The group emptied the valuables from the wooden box and, in the dim light, divided them into three piles as agreed.
Each person took a bunch, stuffed them into their satchels, and carried them away.
Chen Ye clapped his hands and said with bright eyes, "Brother Su, Brother Zuo, from now on, the three of us must work together as brothers and make a name for ourselves in the capital."
Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi were both thrilled and immediately agreed.
After dividing the money, Su Guang took out the clean clothes he had prepared and handed them to Chen Ye.
Chen Ye took off his blood-stained outer robe and threw it into the fire along with the wooden box.
Flames leaped up, illuminating the faces of the three people.
While waiting for the food to burn out, the three chatted about what had happened and shared their opinions.
"Right now, the most important thing is to get into the Cui family. We'll have to trouble Brother Zuo to keep a close eye on things there. If there's still no movement from them, we'll have to find a way to urge them on."
Zuo Dongxi patted his chest and said, "Brother Chen, don't worry, I can definitely handle this small matter."
The flames gradually weakened and finally went out.
After cleaning up all traces and confirming that there were no more, the three exchanged a glance and quietly got up.
"Let's go. We shouldn't stay here any longer."
The two men accepted the money and followed him blindly.
Chen Ye loosened the reins, about to lead the horse.
Suddenly, Zuo Dongxi reached out and grabbed him under the armpits, lifting him onto the horse's back. He laughed loudly, "Brother Chen! How can you learn to ride a horse if you don't ride? Hahaha..."
Chen Ye's gaze suddenly rose, and he felt very uncomfortable sitting on the horse's back, swaying back and forth, which made Zuo Dongxi laugh even louder.
Su Guang noticed his predicament, silently took the reins, and led the way.
……
Outside the Donghua Gate of the capital city.
It was just past noon, and the sun was blazing.
There were few pedestrians below the city gate.
Only two gatekeepers from the patrol office, leaning on their long spears, were chatting and laughing in the shadows.
Suddenly, the two looked up at the same time and saw dust billowing in the distance as two fast horses galloped straight toward the city gate.
"Who goes there! No riding horses is permitted beneath the city gate!" the gatekeeper shouted, brandishing his spear.
Before he finished speaking, the woman dressed as a maid next to him took out a palm-sized gold-inlaid jade pendant from her bosom.
The character "崔" is prominently engraved in the middle.
The gatekeeper's expression changed as he recognized the horse as belonging to the Cui family. He immediately put away his gun, stepped back, and waved to disperse the crowd in front of the gate.
Cui Xijun didn't even glance at them from beginning to end, and rode straight into the city gate.
After entering the city, the two riders rode without stopping, heading straight for the Cui residence.
The gatekeeper was startled to see the Third Miss looking travel-worn and hurriedly went forward to take the horse's reins: "Third Miss, why are you back?"
Cui Xijun ignored her and led Hongling straight into the mansion, passing through the three-tiered ceremonial gate on the east side and heading straight for the main house in the backyard.
Hongling followed behind, her legs still weak, but she gritted her teeth and desperately tried to catch up.
After passing through a black lacquered gate, Cui Xijun found a middle-aged man in the main house.
The middle-aged man was about forty years old, with a fair complexion like a woman's and a handsome appearance. He was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed, resting.
With each breath he exhaled, he released a faint white mist, which then swirled back into his nostrils, repeating the cycle endlessly, exuding a mysterious and profound aura.
This man is none other than Cui Zhenru, the current head of the Cui family and the father of Cui Xijun.
The sound of footsteps interrupted Cui Zhenru's breathing, and the white mist from his nostrils suddenly dissipated.
Cui Zhenru opened his eyes and saw a daughter covered in dust, her hair slightly disheveled, but her eyes sharp as a sword.
He was slightly taken aback and asked curiously, "Weren't you going to Xiangguo Temple to meet the Imperial Preceptor and offer incense and prayers? Why did you suddenly come back?"
Cui Xijun stepped forward, her face expressionless, and said, "Father, someone is trying to kill your daughter. Are you going to do anything about it?"