Chapter 32: Chapter 32 – The Power of The Masses.

It had been a few weeks since the Bai clan had begun their attack on Xiulan’s businesses. Zheng Ling was confined to the Combine as the chance of her being captured if she left was too high.

Fu Jinjing had been forced to shutter her workshop and as a result, all of her orders were running behind. Xiulan was still collecting gold from the Zhao Clan but in the weeks that the efforts against them had been underway only one month’s worth of payments had been made.

Critically magistrate Bai was still enforcing the embargo against their sales of food in the city. In a bold move the Magistrate had even placed two ships across the river outside of their docks to prevent them from selling more food to the Capital.

The accumulation of produce in the Combine was straining their storage capacity. Food was becoming scarce in the city as almost no food made it to market. The Bai Clan probably did not fully realise the dire straits they were forcing the population into.

This was all a show of force to intimidate Xiulan and Zheng Ling into compliance.

The Bai Patriarch had sent a message condescending to have a meeting with Xiulan at the Combine.

Xiulan happily agreed but she was not planning for the surrender that the Bai Patriarch was most likely hoping for. Xiulan was sitting on a raised platform in front of the Combine doors and idly taping her foot. She had sent out word that there would be a major announcement today regarding the food situation.

Most of the city had gathered as close as they could to the stage. When Xiulan arrived, she had made a brief statement that they would be waiting for an ‘honoured’ guest to join them.

The Golden Hand had been diligently spreading rumours that the Bai clan was behind the embargo. Xiulan had also hired several acting troops to put on plays throughout the city. There were several different plays, but they all had a character who resembled magistrate Bai tripping over himself to please a character he called in a dramatically respectful voice, “second Uncle.”

The people of the city had put two and two together and they were pretty sure that the ‘honoured guest’ would be somebody from the Bai Clan.

After a few minutes the Bai family palanquin could be seen pushing its way roughly through the crowd. Xiulan smiled; they were certainly making her job of casting them as villains easier.

Eventually the palanquin made its way to the platform and a disgruntled Patriarch Bai stepped out. There were a few brave souls who cheered out, “second Uncle,” imitating the simpering tone of the magistrate in the play but most were too scared of the cultivation family.

Patriarch Bai squinted at the crowd but let the shouts go. Likely he was not in on the joke. Not wanting to speak while looking up at Xiulan the Patriarch climbed up to the platform.

“I thought this would be a private talk miss Long,” he said keeping his voice too soft to project.

Xiulan had forced him onto the platform because he could not retreat from this conversation once he was up here. The arrogance of cultivators made them very easy to manipulate. If he had remained below her down on the ground, he could have avoided this trap. The need to be at eye level would be his clan’s doom.

Xiulan unlike the Patriarch spoke out loudly in response, “I did not think that a negotiation that concerned the well-being of the entire city should be held privately.”

The Patriarch looked annoyed but kept his voice neutral as he projected his voice in reply, “negotiation? I am not here to negotiate. I was wondering if you could make an introduction between your friend Doctor Zheng and my eldest son. I think that a marriage…”

Xiulan interrupted him with a burst of laughter, “it is always the same with you noble families. So, you have forced the city to starve because your son wants to force Doctor Zheng to marry him?”

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Patriarch Bai frowned, he did not like where this was going, “what are you talking about I have done nothing of the sort.”

Xiulan said mockingly, “so you are telling me that your nephew is just so stupid that he cannot tell if an apple is safe to eat after inspecting it for a week? I can see why you forced him to live away from the family if he is so incompetent.”

This drew laughter and more cheers of second Uncle from the crowd.

Patriarch Bai snapped back, “as I understand it Magistrate Bai has not banned the whole city from selling food, only you. He is hardly starving the city.”

Xiulan shook her head and turned to address the crowd instead of the Patriarch, “you heard him. He does not want you all to sell or buy your food from the Combine. He either wants you to starve or lose your only chance to cultivate. All because he wants Doctor Zheng to work for his family. Well, I would rather die than sell out a friend and I cannot watch the city starve. Therefore, even if I am risking the wrath of the law, I will sell food to keep the city fed!”

On que Xiulan’s guards and members of the Combine started to roll out copious amounts of food.

Patriarch Bai seemed to sense the trap coming but his nephew the Magistrate, who had been skulking off to the side, was not as smart. He stepped forward trailed by his enforces and screeched, “stop you are breaking the law I am within my rights to detain you if you persist.”

The hungry crowd suddenly turned angry. Someone called out, “protect Miss Long, our benefactor!”

That was all it took for the city to be sent into riot. The gathered masses were not strong, but they had numbers. Even before the riot started in earnest Bai family guards and the enforces of the Magistrate were using their superior cultivation to beat people down.

This only made the crowd angrier, and it did not take long before they adapted to mob tactics. Stones were thrown and cultivators were pressed to the ground by the sheer weight of the crowd.

Patriarch Bai made some attempt to call his men off, but it was too late. He spun to see a smiling Xiulan she mouthed above the sound of the riot, “your move.”

The Patriarch almost attacked her but seeing the situation of his guards he led them into a retreat instead. The riot was spreading out through the city. It would have quickly spiralled out of control, but Golden Hand members were strategically placed throughout the people. They channelled the mob to attack Bai Clan owned properties and used them to chase the Patriarch’s retinue up the gorge back to the Bai compound.

A well-placed rock sent Magistrate Bai sprawling to his knees and the crowd quickly descended on him.  It would be more accurate to say he was trampled to death rather than beaten.

Xiulan and Yen Wen had followed behind the crowd and were watching as the gates of the Bai compound were braced against the press of rioters.

The doors looked close to buckling when a sudden pressure of qi descended on them. Every person outside the gates froze. The Bai Clan ancestor had arrived.

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