Castle of Black Iron

After Zhang Tie came back, Zhang family in the internal city of Jinwu City became fervent at once…

Although it was raining and snowing heavily outside, Zhang Mansion in the internal city of Jinwu City was in a festive atmosphere. As the night gradually fell, the internal city of Jinwu City was covered with red lanterns. From a distance, the internal city of Jinwu City was covered with fiery trees and silver flowers, making it especially brilliant.

In a boîte being not far from the outer city of Jinwu City, the tables had almost been occupied. The guests were watching Zhang Mansion through the glass lattice windows of the boîte as they clicked the tongue in wonder.

“Waiter, why is Zhang Mansion so boisterous today?” A potbellied businessman asked as he watched the hot scene in the far when the waiter served him the steaming dishes, drinks and hot pot.

Many businessmen who were wholesaling all-purpose medicament in Jinwu City were gathering in the boîte, including those staff in big business groups, stewards in small trading companies even small pedlars. It was already late December. The new year’s festival was soon coming. However, it was a bad weather in Youzhou Province lately; therefore, most of them being stagnated in Jinwu City were locusts being tied onto the same commercial chain of all-purpose medicament. They were waiting to take goods before the end of this year. These people treated Zhang family as their God of Wealth. Therefore, they paid special attention to everything about the Zhang family. When someone asked the waiter about Zhang family, all those on the surroundings tables pricked up their tears as they turned around and listened to the waiter’s reply.

The waiter quickly arranged well the things on the table as he replied with a smile, “Sir, this humble man is just a waiter in the boîte, how could I know what’s happening in the Mayor’s Mansion?”

Jinwu City belongs to the Zhang family. Zhang Tie’s dad was the mayor of Jinwu City; therefore, many residents had been used to call the internal city of Jinwu City as the Mayor’s Mansion so as to outstand the ruling position of Zhang family in Jinwu City.

After the waiter left, all the others in the boîte were watching that hot scene in the internal city with dubious looks. Right then, a long-bearded middle-aged man sitting on one side of the stairs touched his beard and said, “Whether childe Yang is marrying the daughter of Zhu family in Yanzhou Province today?”

“Chide Yang is marrying the daughter of Zhu family in Yanzhou Province? Where did you get this news, bro?” A man who looked like a steward on the neighboring table put down his glass as he asked out of curiosity after hearing the words of this middle-aged man.

In places which were occupied with businessmen, they would like to communicate with each other. Although this place was not a clubhouse or a courtyard, the customers could still talk to each other. As businessmen, their profits were mainly based on intelligence and human relationship. Therefore, they were very interested in everything about the Zhang family which controlled the sales volume of all-purpose medicament.

Of course, the “childe Yang” referred to Zhang Yang, Zhan Tie’s elder brother.

“Hoho, when I arrived here from Yanzhou Province last time, the news that Zhu family would unite with Huaiyuan Palace through marriage had been spread over Zhu family. I was told by a steward in Zhu family. It’s said that Zhu family’s daughter would marry childe Yang; meanwhile, a grandson of the provincial governor of Yanzhou Province would also marry a daughter of Zhang family. In this way, the two families would have a pretty close relationship!”

“Hoho, thanks!” The one who looked like a steward nodded towards that middle-aged man. Closely after that, he told the waiter while pointing at that table, “Add one bottle of top-class flower-carving liquor for that bro; it’s on me!”

That businessmen who revealed the news also smiled as he extended his thanks by nodding his head.

“However, it’s not a good day. I don’t think that childe Yang would choose today to get married!” Another tall and thin guy said while rubbing goat beard.

“Haha, bro, you’re a fortune-teller?” The other businessmen on the neighboring tables laughed at the same time.

With a sound of “pah”, the tall and thin businessman swayed his sleeve as he took out a palm-sized lunar calendar from his sleeve and raised it pleasantly, “Honestly, I’ve been doing business for dozens of years. I would always carry a lunar calendar no matter whether I leave home, return home, settle down or open a business. Therefore, I have not met any big trouble. I even have many experiences in choosing a day. Take last mid-month as an instance, in the evening, I passed by Sifang City by airship; at the beginning, I wanted to settle down in Sifang City for one night; however, after checking the lunar calendar, I found that if I settled down there, I would miss the fortunate day when I arrived at Jinwu City. Therefore, I didn’t stay in Sifang City. Coincidentally, after I left Sifang City for 1 day, I had heard that Sifang City suffered from the attack of bloody figures. If I stayed there that day, I would have big trouble. Today is Hai day, it’s featured by increasing yin. Marriage is forbidden on this day. If one gets married on this day, he would suffer from being disturbed. As childe Yang and Zhu family have powerhouses who are proficient in fortune-telling, they would never get married on this day…”

“Master, master…” All the other businessmen at the neighboring tables cupped their hands towards the businessman who was holding his lunar calendar. It was also great for a businessman to reach this realm.

“Now that childe Yang isn’t getting married today, why are they so boisterous?”

“Are they celebrating a birthday of the mayor or the old madam?”

“If they’re celebrating a birthday, I’m afraid that the road outside the boîte has long been crowded with visitors’ vehicles from all directions. Look over there, the road is as same as usual. There’re not too many airships or airboats either. How could they celebrate a birthday? Even if they’re celebrating a birthday, it should have been boisterous from this morning!” Another businessman at a neighboring table said while shaking his head.

All the others felt that his words were reasonable as they all nodded.

“Whether childe Yang has new babies?”

“I don’t think so. A few days ago, childe Yang’s wives were providing free porridge together with the old madam at the east gate. They didn’t look like they were pregnant!” Someone replied as he shook his head.

Neither getting married, nor celebrating a birthday, nor having new babies. Those in the boîte become more curious about the boisterous scene in the internal city of Jinwu City.

“Pfttt…”, a sneer suddenly sounded. All the others turned around and found that it was a young man at his 20s at a private room. His screen had been taken away; therefore, his table was connected with the other tables. He didn’t look more like a hereditary childe than a businessman. After noticing that all the others were looking at him, the young man raised his head at once as he glanced around in an arrogant expression and said, “If Zhang Yang’s wives didn’t have new babies, Zhang Tie’s wives might have!”

How dare this young man call Zhang Tie’s name in Jinwu City? Those who were close to Zhang family in Jinwu City would call Zhang Yang the “eldest young master”; even businessmen would call him childe Yang, not to mention Zhang Tie, as an elder of Huaiyuan Palace, whose case had been redressed and the culprit of the tragedy in Fuhai City had long been exposed.

Few people across Youzhou Province dared call Zhang brothers’ names in the public, not to mention inside Jinwu City.

All the businessmen in the boîte slightly frowned. The entire boîte became quiet for over 10 seconds when a customer at his 50s explained, “Childe, you might not know that, Elder Mushen of Huaiyuan Palace was framed and had to leave home a few years ago. Although the Supreme Court has already canceled off the order for arrest of Elder Mushen and dispatched people to apologize to Zhang family, Elder Mushen didn’t come back home these years; of course, his wives could not give birth to new babies!”

“It depends…” That playboy looked at his glass in hand as he replied with a sneer, “It’s said that Zhang Tie’s wives delivered babies after Zhang Tie was wanted and left home for 10 months. What a coincidence! Elder Mushen is really something. How could he get his wives pregnant without returning home? This time, Elder Mushen might make that come true once again. And, I was told that the families of the two brothers Zhang Tie and Zhang Ping were living in the same internal city of Jinwu City. Zhang Tie and Zhang Ping respect each other so much…”

Soon after he finished his words, all the people in the boîte changed their faces. As a result, the boisterous boîte became pretty silent.

Even two guards beside this young man had changed their faces. One of them even stealthily drew the young man’s sleeve. All the businessmen at the neighboring two tables immediately sprung up before settling accounts and leaving the boîte silently as if they were escaping from the plague.

The remaining businessmen at the other tables also looked at that young man with icy eye light. At this moment, that customer at his 50s threw another glance at this young man calmly. Although he didn’t look furious, he was like watching a lifeless corpse or a firewood that was going to be thrown into the bonfire. Someone else also watched the three guys in the private room with the same expression.

After feeling something was not right and the terrifying atmosphere, a guard beside that young man swallowed his saliva as he whispered, “Childe, we’d better go…”

“Nothing to be afraid of. Now that Zhang brothers could do it, why are they afraid of being talked about?”