Chapter 48 Chapter Nine: Yidi, Nanjiao, Tuiguan
Feng Sai went to ask three friends surnamed Liu of tea merchant Huo Heng.
Those two businessmen didn't know that Huo Heng bought a manor on the other side of the Wuzhang River, let alone Wang Shi.Among them, the spice merchant in his sixties, although he has a son in his twenties, has never met Huo Heng, let alone sworn brothers.Moreover, his son went to Quanzhou last fall and went overseas with some merchants to buy spices, and he has not returned yet.Of course, it is absolutely impossible to help Wang Shi store those grains and silks.
As for that Ministry of Industry member, Wailang, Feng Sai went to his mansion to ask questions, but he refused to see him.The two had met at banquets many times before, and they were very able to talk about one thing.Feng Sai had also been to his residence with Huo Heng, and he treated Feng Sai very courteously, and he didn't know why he refused to see him this time.Did he know that Feng Sai was in a catastrophe and didn't want to be implicated, or did he have something to do with Wang Shi?
You can't ask directly, you can only ask sideways.Feng Sai has also made friends with many officials over the years, and knows that some of them are good friends with this Yuanwailang.However, people in the officialdom are most afraid of being implicated in disasters. In my current situation, it is like a plague, and those officials will probably avoid it.
Feng Sai thought for a while and thought of Qin Guanghe.Because Qin Guanghe opened the Jieku, officials in the capital often asked him to pawn and borrow money, so he was very popular in the officialdom.After seeing through Wang Shi's "mother's money" scam, Feng Sai was afraid that Qin Guanghe would not be able to hold back, so he hesitated for the past few days and dared not tell him the truth.Things are urgent right now, I'm afraid I should tell him.
So, he rushed to Qin's house to untie the warehouse, and when he asked, Qin Guanghe was meeting the guests upstairs, and when he asked again, the guest was actually Huang Sanniang.
Feng Sai followed the servant upstairs, and before he entered the hall where the guests were received, he heard Qin Guanghe's voice mentioning his name.He pushed the door open, and Qin Guanghe stood up with a smile: "Erlang, I just talked about you, and you'll be there!"
Feng Saibai asked the two of them, and after sitting down, he slowly explained the "mother's money" scam.After Qin Guanghe heard this, he was startled for a long while before he sighed: "Sure enough, cause and effect are connected. I have never been able to see through the barrier of money, so I swallowed the retribution of this 'mother's money'." Then, he took it from his waist. From the brown brocade sachet, he took out the "mother's coin" from the inside, twirling the five-color silver thread and silk rope, letting the old copper coin dangle in front of his eyes, laughing and sighing at the same time.
Although Huang Sanniang knew about it, her face was still slightly flushed, she lowered her head, and sighed softly after a while: "Wang Shi has spotted our respective dead spots..."
"What about Bao Chuan from the grain store? Was he also tricked by the 'mother's money'?" Qin Guanghe asked.
"He's not the same," Feng Sai speculated on the cause of Liang Xingxing's death again, "There is no definite evidence yet, please don't tell Uncle Qin and Aunt Huang for now."
Qin Guanghe's always kind face showed a bit of disgust: "It's nothing more than trying to cheat money. This Bao Chuan conspired with others to force his father to commit suicide by taking poison and accuse his elder brother of killing his father. It's too vicious."
"His elder brother Bao Shan is still in prison..." Huang Sanniang also frowned, "I thought, if I can't find that Wang Shi, I can only blame myself for being careless. Even if I lose most of my family property, I can only accept it But right now, it seems that Wang Shi must be found."
"I'm here today, firstly to explain the whole story to Uncle Qin and Aunt Huang, and secondly, to help Uncle Qin with something."
"What's up?"
"It's related to the pursuit of Wang Shi. Can Qin Bo recognize Liu Zhenyi, a member of the Ministry of Industry?"
"I know."
"The grain and silk that Wang Shi brought over in the first month of the lunar year were stored in a yard that a young man surnamed Liu helped him find. I suspect that young man is Liu Zhenyi's son."
"His son? I'm afraid you are mistaken."
"Oh?"
"Liu Zhenyi has only one son, who was a Jinshi in the last session. He was sent to Liuzhou to be a county magistrate the year before last, and he is still in office."
After Feng Sai heard this, his heart sank. After finally finding a clue, it was broken again...
Five days later, Sun Xian went to Longliu Tea House with three coins. Knowing that they have to get the money today, Guan Gan'er, Huang Pang, and Pi Er were already waiting there. When the three of them saw Sun Xian walk into the tea house, they all stared at the linen bag he was carrying. Seeing the heavy inside, the three of them laughed. Squinting his eyes, he rushed to help Sun Xian take the money bag.Sun Xian sat down and saw that there were already three plates of wheat cakes on the table. The three chattered and laughed, while looking at the money bag beside Sun Xian's bench, but refused to bring up serious matters.Sun Xian had no choice but to take out the money first, and share it with each other.The three refused while busy taking the money and putting it in their own pockets. Only then did Guan Gan'er show a sad face: "Brother Sun, I'm afraid I haven't thought about this matter." "Yes, after running for several days, I can't ask the whereabouts of that surnamed Wang." Huang Pang also sighed. "The thief bird man! Could it be that he flew away like that bank of money? The bird flew away, but still shed hair. But he is like a ghost, leaving no influence at all." Pi Er scolded. "I just asked one thing..." Sun Xian heard them say that, although he was discouraged, he didn't want to show it, let alone let the three of them get money for nothing. "What's the matter?" The three asked in unison. "The surname Wang was still in the capital on the ninth day of February. He went to Taifu Temple that morning to pay back the monthly interest of 12,000 guan." "Twelve thousand guan in one month's interest? These rich people's shit, I'm afraid there's gold dust in it. His mother's crutch!" Pi Er sighed. "That's not too much. The official interest rate is at least two cents, and one million pennies is two hundred thousand pennies." Huang Pang said. "There is a question here..." Sun Xian said, "Is there any connection between Wang and Lan Meng? It seems impossible to be sure right now." "Whether he is related or not, the ones surnamed Wang and the ones surnamed Lan are gone now. One has a million guan, and the other has a hundred thousand guan. Naturally, we have to chase after a million. Eat some meat from Wang's body!" Pi Er said angrily. "Well. Then let's concentrate on chasing Wang." Sun Xian nodded. "Brother Sun, where did he go after he paid back the interest on the ninth day of the ninth day?" Guan Gan'er asked. "I didn't ask about this." "No..." Fatty Huang said suddenly. "What's wrong?" Sun Xian asked hurriedly. "I asked about it from the Nugget Courtyard outside Nanxun Gate. On the ninth day of the ninth day, just as the genius was shining, the surname Wang left." "What's wrong with that?" "Since he was going to Taifu Temple that morning to repay the interest, he should go into the city. But the cook at Niaoxiangyuan said that she got up and opened the door to let Wang go out. Wang rode a horse and went to the southern suburbs." .” "Oh? Did you remember correctly?" "I asked specifically, how could I remember wrong?" "What is he going to the southern suburbs for?" "He wants to pay interest, so naturally he went to get the twelve thousand guan." Guan Gan'er said. "So, all his money is hidden in the southern suburbs?" Pi Er's eyes widened suddenly. Sun Xian's heart also brightened, and he thought for a while: "It seems that three things need to be found out as soon as possible - the first one, where did he go to the southern suburbs of the city, and what did he do? The second one, if he really came from the city The money withdrawn from the southern suburbs, 12,000 guan, is not a small amount. I asked, he hired four workers and a car at the time, and someone should have seen him when he went to the city during the day; the third thing, was he in the capital at night on the ninth day of the lunar new year? ? If it is there, there should be a place to go. If not, which city gate did it go out from? You see, ask one person and choose one by yourself.” "I'm familiar with the southern suburbs of the city, I'll check the first one." Pi Er said. "The gates of the city are worthy of my recognition. I have asked about them in the past two days, but I haven't asked about this matter. I will ask again." Guan Gan'er said. "Then the third one is mine. This one is the most difficult without any clue." Huang Pang sighed with a smile. "By the way..." Sun Xian reminded, "Wang's appearance may not be remembered by everyone, but the horse he rides is very eye-catching. People should be paying attention."
Qiu Qian tried to get close to Chen Xiaoyi, and he just wanted to make some words out, but unexpectedly, he was hired into Kuang's mansion the next day. Chen Xiaoyi got Qiu Qian's money, and when he returned home at night, he discussed with the boy who led the horse, Wang Xiaoding. After hearing this, Wang Xiaoding hurriedly went to the inn with Chen Xiaoyi to meet Qiu Qian.He repeatedly asked whether Qiu Qian had really worked in the Shiqianjiao shop and knew Bianjing Yajue.Qiu Qian knew this matter in his heart, so he patiently told him, and took out the guarantee written by Zhou Changqing, which had Feng Sai's signature on it.After Wang Xiaoding read it repeatedly, he believed it, so he asked Qiu Qian to write a recommendation letter for him, and Qiu Qian immediately borrowed pen and ink to write him a letter. It turned out that the Kuang Tui official was impatient, but Wang Xiaoding was born slow and often got scolded.Wang Xiaoding has long been concerned about leaving, and he has an older brother in the capital who wants to join him.With Qiu Qian's letter of introduction, I felt more at ease, and went to talk to Kuang Tui the next morning.Officer Kuang Tui was already impatient, and immediately let him go, and then ordered the housekeeper to find another one. Chen Xiaoyi told Qiu Qian in a hurry, and Qiu Qian heard this, and hurriedly went to find the Yaman again, saying that there was a vacancy in Kuang's mansion.The Yaman still didn't believe it, but Chen Xiaoyi had already urged the housekeeper to come along.After asking twice, and seeing Zhou Changqing's certificate of guarantee, he signed the employment contract, with a monthly salary of four guan. Qiu Qian followed the housekeeper and Chen Xiaoyi into the Kuang Mansion. Although the mansion was not very grand, there were about a dozen rooms in the front yard alone.Chen Xiaoyi said that the Kuang family had about thirty men and women, and about ten servants.The servants live in a courtyard house on the side.Qiu Qian and Chen Xiaoyi shared a room. Chen Xiaoyi took Qiu Qian in, pointed to a half-old bedding in the kang, and said, "You didn't bring a bedding. I asked Wang Xiaoding to keep his, and I gave you a half-day price. I just agreed on two coins, and I'll pay you." Qiu Qian knew that he had at least five hundred coins in vain, but he continued to thank him, and took out a piece of silver from the purse, which was more than one, two, five, or at least three coins. .Chen Xiaoyi suppressed his joy, took it and weighed it: "I'll weigh it later, if it's too much, I'll return it to you." "Brother Xiaoyi has helped me so much, I owe it to me to thank Brother B." "Well, my husband is going to go out soon. You don't have to follow today. Let's take a rest first. We'll go to drink in the evening. If you need anything, don't go to the housekeeper, just ask Mrs. Ou in the room above her. She is a housekeeper. The kitchen woman here is the warmest." "You Chen Hongxue, I finally heard you say something about me!" A fat woman in her thirties came over at some point, leaning against the door and smiling. "Sister-in-law Ou, why don't I read you hundreds of times a day? His name is Qiu Er. He's new here, replacing Wang Xiaoding. I have to hurry to serve my husband. Sister-in-law Ou, take care of me." "Hurry up. Mr. Xiang has already had dinner, and I can't find you. He is swearing." Chen Xiaoyi quickly ran away, Mrs. Ou gnawed on a raw radish, looked at Qiu Qian and smiled: "Where are you from?" "Bianjing." "Hey! He's from the imperial city, the strange way is born so upright, he's not like an ordinary boy." Qiu Qian was a little embarrassed when he saw that her eyebrows were drawn crookedly, and her eyes were constantly scanning her body. "Yo! You're still afraid of being ashamed." Mrs. Ou laughed, and the radish bits splashed out of her mouth. Qiu Qian became more and more embarrassed, and his face turned red.Fortunately, someone outside called "Ou Sao" loudly, Ou Sao agreed, turned around and walked away with a smile. Only then did Qiu Qian look around the room. Although it was a servant's house, the beds, cabinets, tables and chairs were all neatly arranged.Going to the door and looking around, the courtyard on this side is long and narrow, with some flowers and trees planted at the base of the wall, it is very quiet.There are more than forty masters and servants in such a large compound mansion. Just looking at the clothes of Chen Xiaoyi and Mrs. Ou, they are all silk.This family, without three hundred strings a month, may not be able to support them.Kuangzhi's official position is Jiedu Tuiguan, with a basic salary of 40 guan, plus additional money such as rice noodles, clothes, and land, the maximum is no more than 100 guan.I don't know where he got the money. Just as he was thinking about it, the butler came in with a bag of things: "You can't wear your own clothes here, take them off and keep them. These two sets of clothes, shoes and socks belong to Wang Xiaoding, and they were bought this spring. You put on the water. The same goes for the quilt. Your errands will be taught to you when Xiao Yi comes back, so be more diligent in everything..." After the housekeeper gave some instruction, Qiu Qian listened respectfully and nodded in agreement.Although there are many rules in the official house, it is still much better than the Gu family silver shop.
The next day, Feng Shi went to the small grass market to wander around, taking the opportunity to inquire about the news of Guangning Supervisor from time to time. However, there is only one small earthen street in total, and the work of a cup of tea is over.Those people know no more than the innkeeper.Asked all the way down, did not ask anything. Feng Saixin asked him to find out about Wang Babai and his four accomplices, as well as the one hundred thousand Guan Qian Gang at the end of last year.Wang Babai was just a copper worker, and the four accomplices probably were too. How could they find out from thousands of people?As for the 100,000 Guan Qian Gang, according to the owner, it is a very secret matter.The section of the Yangtze River in Jiangzhou is called the Xunyang River, and the Guangning Supervisor is on the bank of the Xunyang River. Gang boats transport the money away directly on the bank, and there are escorts all the way. How can outsiders get close, let alone inquire about the inside story. In Feng Sai's letter, he didn't say why he wanted to investigate this matter, but since it involved 100,000 yuan of official money, it was naturally very serious.But right now, it seems that it is difficult to find a trace of inside information.Feng Shi, who has been used to peace all these years, suddenly encountered such a big thing and made no progress, so he couldn't help feeling a little anxious. He loved reading since he was a child, and Wang Anshi, a famous prime minister of his generation, is also a fellow of Jiangxi. All Jiangxi people are proud of him.Feng Shi admired Wang Anshi very much since he was a child. He thought that he was born as a human being, and he should be like Wang Jinggong.However, when he became an adult, he realized that the Great Song Dynasty was no longer the Great Song Dynasty. During the Renzong and Shenzong eras, a generation of virtuous officials and loyal and upright people were either dead or degraded. have become a disaster.The morality of the world's scholars is far from being upright and magnanimous as when Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Su Zhe and other virtuous gentlemen were leaders, and the habit of following the chaste way spread all over the government and the public.After Feng Shi was admitted to the county school at the age of 20, he saw that his teachers and friends around him were full of the word "Lilu". These years in the village, although Feng Shi has long been used to peace, he still feels a little unwilling in his heart. When he received a letter from his younger brother Feng Sai, entrusting him with this matter, he certainly felt that it was his duty to do this out of brotherhood.But in fact, he felt even more joyful in his heart, feeling that he could finally get out of the countryside and do some serious business.But I didn't expect it to be so difficult. He walked out of Xiaocaoshi, walked along the dirt road between the mountains, and walked slowly to the pass mentioned by the shopkeeper. He stood under the two big catalpa trees and looked at it. Sure enough, Guangningjian was at the foot of the mountain.Surrounded by green hills, there was a large depression, and under the clear sky, dozens of columns of smoke kept rising.The mine is surrounded by thick wooden fences, and there is a wooden platform every other section, and there are a few soldiers standing vaguely on the platform.Inside the fence, to the south is a large area of low huts, at least a few hundred.There are deep pits in the middle, and there are many people in the pits, like ants, hurrying up and down.To the north are rows of low earthen platforms, on which there are large iron pots and large iron stoves, and many people are busy on their own.At the northernmost point, there is another row of houses, dozens of them, although they are seen from a distance, but they are obviously neater and taller than those huts, and they should be the residences of Qian Jian and guards.In the middle of the house is a large hall. Behind it is a wide waterway, which is covered by mountains. This waterway should lead to the Xunyang River and be used for driving ships. Feng Shi originally wanted to go down and take a closer look, but he was hesitant because he was afraid of being suspicious and questioned, when he saw a few people walking out of the gate of Qianjian Mujiazhai, walking towards him along the mountain road.Judging by his clothes, he should be a soldier.He waited by the side of the road.After a long while, those people gradually approached, only to see clearly that they were indeed soldiers, one of them was wearing a military head, an embroidered scarf, and a blue embroidered robe.The others looked like soldiers.When they came over, Feng Shi stepped forward to interrogate, the military leader looked a little arrogant, but he still nodded when he saw Feng Shi was wearing a Confucian uniform and blue shirt. "This is a forbidden place, what are you looking at?" "Master, I just have a look." "What's there to see? Go back quickly, and be careful to catch you as a Fang La thief." "Yes. I'm going back too." Feng Shi followed the army leader down the mountain. "I don't think you're a local?" "I'm from Hongzhou." "What are you doing here?" "Come find someone." "who?" "A miner named Wang Babai." "Wang Babai? Who is he to you?" "We are distant relatives. Something happened to his family, so let me help you find him." When the army leader heard this, he immediately stood still, and stared at Feng Shi with a fierce look in his eyes: "That thief's bones hurt me very much, and I have been embarrassing him for more than half a year. Since you are his relatives, you have to settle the debt!" Feng Shi was startled and was speechless for a moment.The soldiers immediately surrounded him. "The thief Gu Gu stole the newly minted money from the prison and ran away in the middle of the night. I was not only scolded, but also lost a month's salary." "Master Jun, I'm just a distant relative of his, and I don't have any contact with him on weekdays. Only when I received a message from his family..." "I care about your distant relatives! Pay me for it!" "I don't know how much the military master lost?" "A monthly salary of eight cents, and the scolding you received, if you don't pay ten cents, you don't want to leave here!" "Okay, okay! I'll pay, I'll pay. It's just that I didn't bring any money with me. I put it in the inn at the foot of the mountain, and the military master came with me to pick it up. Wang Babai let the military master and all the brothers suffer, and went to the inn to buy it. I will make amends for everyone with wine and food." Only then did the army leader's complexion ease, and several soldiers also showed joy, and they went down the mountain together with Feng Shi on the left and right, and walked into the shop. "He Juntou, you haven't come down the mountain for a few days." The shopkeeper greeted with a smile, and then said to Feng Shi, "Guest officer, this is the He Juntou I mentioned yesterday. You just need to ask him about something." "Yes. Shopkeeper, please buy a table of good wine and good food—Master Jun, please sit down quickly, brothers! I will go to the back to get the money." Feng Shi hurriedly returned to the room, opened his luggage, and the silver collar he brought, The smallest ingot is twelve taels.The military head wants ten guan, and this ingot is worth 20 guan, so I have to ask the store to cut it open.But he immediately thought, this is a big deal for my younger brother, and the money was also brought by my younger brother, so I should not begrudge me when I finally met this insider. So he walked to the front of the store with the ingot of silver collar, and offered it to the military leader with both hands: "This military lord, I have caused you all these troubles, and I will use the silver as an apology for him." When the army leader saw the weight of the silver collar, his complexion suddenly softened, he reached out to take the silver, and put it into his pocket: "I just said that I was punished myself, and this group of brothers were scolded along with them. Be less angry." "Yes, yes. I'm really sorry, everyone..." Feng Shi had never been so humble since he was a child, but thinking it was for his younger brother Feng Sai, he couldn't care less.When the shopkeeper brought the wine and food, he hurriedly poured wine for the military leader and soldiers, and respected them one by one.After several rounds of drinking, seeing that the army leader and soldiers were all happy, they asked slowly. "I would also like to ask the military master to tell you in detail, when did the relative leave?" "It was June last year?" the soldier turned his face and asked the soldier next to him. "Well. It's June." A soldier replied. "Mr. Feng, even though you and that Wang Babai are distant relatives, you don't look alike at all..." The soldier blushed and smiled with the wine on his face, "That Wang Babai is like a scraper from a latrine. The bamboo policy of shit, his actions and words are stinking. There are thousands of people in the mine, but he has a sharp head and a sharp mouth. The other soldiers also became excited and started to talk one after another—— "He was able to find that acupuncture point from that cave. The exit of the acupuncture point is at the bottom of the river. From the acupuncture point, he dives into the water, swims to the middle of the river, and then floats to the surface. It may be tens of feet away. How long will he hold his breath? I guess he won't be able to catch his breath, and he may have drowned in the river." A soldier said. "Every time we beat that thief bone like that, he recovered within a few days. His life is harder than that of a dog. I'm afraid he won't die so easily." "I suspect that he was the one who led the four miners to escape later." "You mean that Wang Babai came back after running away? Impossible!" "When Wang Babai was in the mine, he was best with those four miners. Every time Wang Babai made trouble, the four would follow suit. Those four also escaped from that cave." "That's because they escaped by themselves. Wang Babai is dying? Do you dare to come back to fetch them?" "Oh? There are four other miners who also escaped?" Feng Shi hurriedly asked. "Well, they escaped in October last year. Fortunately, the four of them didn't steal any money. Otherwise, we would have to be punished again."
Five days later, Sun Xian went to Longliu Tea House with three coins. Knowing that they have to get the money today, Guan Gan'er, Huang Pang, and Pi Er were already waiting there. When the three of them saw Sun Xian walk into the tea house, they all stared at the linen bag he was carrying. Seeing the heavy inside, the three of them laughed. Squinting his eyes, he rushed to help Sun Xian take the money bag.Sun Xian sat down and saw that there were already three plates of wheat cakes on the table. The three chattered and laughed, while looking at the money bag beside Sun Xian's bench, but refused to bring up serious matters.Sun Xian had no choice but to take out the money first, and share it with each other.The three refused while busy taking the money and putting it in their own pockets. Only then did Guan Gan'er show a sad face: "Brother Sun, I'm afraid I haven't thought about this matter." "Yes, after running for several days, I can't ask the whereabouts of that surnamed Wang." Huang Pang also sighed. "The thief bird man! Could it be that he flew away like that bank of money? The bird flew away, but still shed hair. But he is like a ghost, leaving no influence at all." Pi Er scolded. "I just asked one thing..." Sun Xian heard them say that, although he was discouraged, he didn't want to show it, let alone let the three of them get money for nothing. "What's the matter?" The three asked in unison. "The surname Wang was still in the capital on the ninth day of February. He went to Taifu Temple that morning to pay back the monthly interest of 12,000 guan." "Twelve thousand guan in one month's interest? These rich people's shit, I'm afraid there's gold dust in it. His mother's crutch!" Pi Er sighed. "That's not too much. The official interest rate is at least two cents, and one million pennies is two hundred thousand pennies." Huang Pang said. "There is a question here..." Sun Xian said, "Is there any connection between Wang and Lan Meng? It seems impossible to be sure right now." "Whether he is related or not, the ones surnamed Wang and the ones surnamed Lan are gone now. One has a million guan, and the other has a hundred thousand guan. Naturally, we have to chase after a million. Eat some meat from Wang's body!" Pi Er said angrily. "Well. Then let's concentrate on chasing Wang." Sun Xian nodded. "Brother Sun, where did he go after he paid back the interest on the ninth day of the ninth day?" Guan Gan'er asked. "I didn't ask about this." "No..." Fatty Huang said suddenly. "What's wrong?" Sun Xian asked hurriedly. "I asked about it from the Nugget Courtyard outside Nanxun Gate. On the ninth day of the ninth day, just as the genius was shining, the surname Wang left." "What's wrong with that?" "Since he was going to Taifu Temple that morning to repay the interest, he should go into the city. But the cook at Niaoxiangyuan said that she got up and opened the door to let Wang go out. Wang rode a horse and went to the southern suburbs." .” "Oh? Did you remember correctly?" "I asked specifically, how could I remember wrong?" "What is he going to the southern suburbs for?" "He wants to pay interest, so naturally he went to get the twelve thousand guan." Guan Gan'er said. "So, all his money is hidden in the southern suburbs?" Pi Er's eyes widened suddenly. Sun Xian's heart also brightened, and he thought for a while: "It seems that three things need to be found out as soon as possible - the first one, where did he go to the southern suburbs of the city, and what did he do? The second one, if he really came from the city The money withdrawn from the southern suburbs, 12,000 guan, is not a small amount. I asked, he hired four workers and a car at the time, and someone should have seen him when he went to the city during the day; the third thing, was he in the capital at night on the ninth day of the lunar new year? ? If it is there, there should be a place to go. If not, which city gate did it go out from? You see, ask one person and choose one by yourself.” "I'm familiar with the southern suburbs of the city, I'll check the first one." Pi Er said. "The gates of the city are worthy of my recognition. I have asked about them in the past two days, but I haven't asked about this matter. I will ask again." Guan Gan'er said. "Then the third one is mine. This one is the most difficult without any clue." Huang Pang sighed with a smile. "By the way..." Sun Xian reminded, "Wang's appearance may not be remembered by everyone, but the horse he rides is very eye-catching. People should be paying attention."
Qiu Qian tried to get close to Chen Xiaoyi, and he just wanted to make some words out, but unexpectedly, he was hired into Kuang's mansion the next day. Chen Xiaoyi got Qiu Qian's money, and when he returned home at night, he discussed with the boy who led the horse, Wang Xiaoding. After hearing this, Wang Xiaoding hurriedly went to the inn with Chen Xiaoyi to meet Qiu Qian.He repeatedly asked whether Qiu Qian had really worked in the Shiqianjiao shop and knew Bianjing Yajue.Qiu Qian knew this matter in his heart, so he patiently told him, and took out the guarantee written by Zhou Changqing, which had Feng Sai's signature on it.After Wang Xiaoding read it repeatedly, he believed it, so he asked Qiu Qian to write a recommendation letter for him, and Qiu Qian immediately borrowed pen and ink to write him a letter. It turned out that the Kuang Tui official was impatient, but Wang Xiaoding was born slow and often got scolded.Wang Xiaoding has long been concerned about leaving, and he has an older brother in the capital who wants to join him.With Qiu Qian's letter of introduction, I felt more at ease, and went to talk to Kuang Tui the next morning.Officer Kuang Tui was already impatient, and immediately let him go, and then ordered the housekeeper to find another one. Chen Xiaoyi told Qiu Qian in a hurry, and Qiu Qian heard this, and hurriedly went to find the Yaman again, saying that there was a vacancy in Kuang's mansion.The Yaman still didn't believe it, but Chen Xiaoyi had already urged the housekeeper to come along.After asking twice, and seeing Zhou Changqing's certificate of guarantee, he signed the employment contract, with a monthly salary of four guan. Qiu Qian followed the housekeeper and Chen Xiaoyi into the Kuang Mansion. Although the mansion was not very grand, there were about a dozen rooms in the front yard alone.Chen Xiaoyi said that the Kuang family had about thirty men and women, and about ten servants.The servants live in a courtyard house on the side.Qiu Qian and Chen Xiaoyi shared a room. Chen Xiaoyi took Qiu Qian in, pointed to a half-old bedding in the kang, and said, "You didn't bring a bedding. I asked Wang Xiaoding to keep his, and I gave you a half-day price. I just agreed on two coins, and I'll pay you." Qiu Qian knew that he had at least five hundred coins in vain, but he continued to thank him, and took out a piece of silver from the purse, which was more than one, two, five, or at least three coins. .Chen Xiaoyi suppressed his joy, took it and weighed it: "I'll weigh it later, if it's too much, I'll return it to you." "Brother Xiaoyi has helped me so much, I owe it to me to thank Brother B." "Well, my husband is going to go out soon. You don't have to follow today. Let's take a rest first. We'll go to drink in the evening. If you need anything, don't go to the housekeeper, just ask Mrs. Ou in the room above her. She is a housekeeper. The kitchen woman here is the warmest." "You Chen Hongxue, I finally heard you say something about me!" A fat woman in her thirties came over at some point, leaning against the door and smiling. "Sister-in-law Ou, why don't I read you hundreds of times a day? His name is Qiu Er. He's new here, replacing Wang Xiaoding. I have to hurry to serve my husband. Sister-in-law Ou, take care of me." "Hurry up. Mr. Xiang has already had dinner, and I can't find you. He is swearing." Chen Xiaoyi quickly ran away, Mrs. Ou gnawed on a raw radish, looked at Qiu Qian and smiled: "Where are you from?" "Bianjing." "Hey! He's from the imperial city, the strange way is born so upright, he's not like an ordinary boy." Qiu Qian was a little embarrassed when he saw that her eyebrows were drawn crookedly, and her eyes were constantly scanning her body. "Yo! You're still afraid of being ashamed." Mrs. Ou laughed, and the radish bits splashed out of her mouth. Qiu Qian became more and more embarrassed, and his face turned red.Fortunately, someone outside called "Ou Sao" loudly, Ou Sao agreed, turned around and walked away with a smile. Only then did Qiu Qian look around the room. Although it was a servant's house, the beds, cabinets, tables and chairs were all neatly arranged.Going to the door and looking around, the courtyard on this side is long and narrow, with some flowers and trees planted at the base of the wall, it is very quiet.There are more than forty masters and servants in such a large compound mansion. Just looking at the clothes of Chen Xiaoyi and Mrs. Ou, they are all silk.This family, without three hundred strings a month, may not be able to support them.Kuangzhi's official position is Jiedu Tuiguan, with a basic salary of 40 guan, plus additional money such as rice noodles, clothes, and land, the maximum is no more than 100 guan.I don't know where he got the money. Just as he was thinking about it, the butler came in with a bag of things: "You can't wear your own clothes here, take them off and keep them. These two sets of clothes, shoes and socks belong to Wang Xiaoding, and they were bought this spring. You put on the water. The same goes for the quilt. Your errands will be taught to you when Xiao Yi comes back, so be more diligent in everything..." After the housekeeper gave some instruction, Qiu Qian listened respectfully and nodded in agreement.Although there are many rules in the official house, it is still much better than the Gu family silver shop.
The next day, Feng Shi went to the small grass market to wander around, taking the opportunity to inquire about the news of Guangning Supervisor from time to time. However, there is only one small earthen street in total, and the work of a cup of tea is over.Those people know no more than the innkeeper.Asked all the way down, did not ask anything. Feng Saixin asked him to find out about Wang Babai and his four accomplices, as well as the one hundred thousand Guan Qian Gang at the end of last year.Wang Babai was just a copper worker, and the four accomplices probably were too. How could they find out from thousands of people?As for the 100,000 Guan Qian Gang, according to the owner, it is a very secret matter.The section of the Yangtze River in Jiangzhou is called the Xunyang River, and the Guangning Supervisor is on the bank of the Xunyang River. Gang boats transport the money away directly on the bank, and there are escorts all the way. How can outsiders get close, let alone inquire about the inside story. In Feng Sai's letter, he didn't say why he wanted to investigate this matter, but since it involved 100,000 yuan of official money, it was naturally very serious.But right now, it seems that it is difficult to find a trace of inside information.Feng Shi, who has been used to peace all these years, suddenly encountered such a big thing and made no progress, so he couldn't help feeling a little anxious. He loved reading since he was a child, and Wang Anshi, a famous prime minister of his generation, is also a fellow of Jiangxi. All Jiangxi people are proud of him.Feng Shi admired Wang Anshi very much since he was a child. He thought that he was born as a human being, and he should be like Wang Jinggong.However, when he became an adult, he realized that the Great Song Dynasty was no longer the Great Song Dynasty. During the Renzong and Shenzong eras, a generation of virtuous officials and loyal and upright people were either dead or degraded. have become a disaster.The morality of the world's scholars is far from being upright and magnanimous as when Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Su Zhe and other virtuous gentlemen were leaders, and the habit of following the chaste way spread all over the government and the public.After Feng Shi was admitted to the county school at the age of 20, he saw that his teachers and friends around him were full of the word "Lilu". These years in the village, although Feng Shi has long been used to peace, he still feels a little unwilling in his heart. When he received a letter from his younger brother Feng Sai, entrusting him with this matter, he certainly felt that it was his duty to do this out of brotherhood.But in fact, he felt even more joyful in his heart, feeling that he could finally get out of the countryside and do some serious business.But I didn't expect it to be so difficult. He walked out of Xiaocaoshi, walked along the dirt road between the mountains, and walked slowly to the pass mentioned by the shopkeeper. He stood under the two big catalpa trees and looked at it. Sure enough, Guangningjian was at the foot of the mountain.Surrounded by green hills, there was a large depression, and under the clear sky, dozens of columns of smoke kept rising.The mine is surrounded by thick wooden fences, and there is a wooden platform every other section, and there are a few soldiers standing vaguely on the platform.Inside the fence, to the south is a large area of low huts, at least a few hundred.There are deep pits in the middle, and there are many people in the pits, like ants, hurrying up and down.To the north are rows of low earthen platforms, on which there are large iron pots and large iron stoves, and many people are busy on their own.At the northernmost point, there is another row of houses, dozens of them, although they are seen from a distance, but they are obviously neater and taller than those huts, and they should be the residences of Qian Jian and guards.In the middle of the house is a large hall. Behind it is a wide waterway, which is covered by mountains. This waterway should lead to the Xunyang River and be used for driving ships. Feng Shi originally wanted to go down and take a closer look, but he was hesitant because he was afraid of being suspicious and questioned, when he saw a few people walking out of the gate of Qianjian Mujiazhai, walking towards him along the mountain road.Judging by his clothes, he should be a soldier.He waited by the side of the road.After a long while, those people gradually approached, only to see clearly that they were indeed soldiers, one of them was wearing a military head, an embroidered scarf, and a blue embroidered robe.The others looked like soldiers.When they came over, Feng Shi stepped forward to interrogate, the military leader looked a little arrogant, but he still nodded when he saw Feng Shi was wearing a Confucian uniform and blue shirt. "This is a forbidden place, what are you looking at?" "Master, I just have a look." "What's there to see? Go back quickly, and be careful to catch you as a Fang La thief." "Yes. I'm going back too." Feng Shi followed the army leader down the mountain. "I don't think you're a local?" "I'm from Hongzhou." "What are you doing here?" "Come find someone." "who?" "A miner named Wang Babai." "Wang Babai? Who is he to you?" "We are distant relatives. Something happened to his family, so let me help you find him." When the army leader heard this, he immediately stood still, and stared at Feng Shi with a fierce look in his eyes: "That thief's bones hurt me very much, and I have been embarrassing him for more than half a year. Since you are his relatives, you have to settle the debt!" Feng Shi was startled and was speechless for a moment.The soldiers immediately surrounded him. "The thief Gu Gu stole the newly minted money from the prison and ran away in the middle of the night. I was not only scolded, but also lost a month's salary." "Master Jun, I'm just a distant relative of his, and I don't have any contact with him on weekdays. Only when I received a message from his family..." "I care about your distant relatives! Pay me for it!" "I don't know how much the military master lost?" "A monthly salary of eight cents, and the scolding you received, if you don't pay ten cents, you don't want to leave here!" "Okay, okay! I'll pay, I'll pay. It's just that I didn't bring any money with me. I put it in the inn at the foot of the mountain, and the military master came with me to pick it up. Wang Babai let the military master and all the brothers suffer, and went to the inn to buy it. I will make amends for everyone with wine and food." Only then did the army leader's complexion ease, and several soldiers also showed joy, and they went down the mountain together with Feng Shi on the left and right, and walked into the shop. "He Juntou, you haven't come down the mountain for a few days." The shopkeeper greeted with a smile, and then said to Feng Shi, "Guest officer, this is the He Juntou I mentioned yesterday. You just need to ask him about something." "Yes. Shopkeeper, please buy a table of good wine and good food—Master Jun, please sit down quickly, brothers! I will go to the back to get the money." Feng Shi hurriedly returned to the room, opened his luggage, and the silver collar he brought, The smallest ingot is twelve taels.The military head wants ten guan, and this ingot is worth 20 guan, so I have to ask the store to cut it open.But he immediately thought, this is a big deal for my younger brother, and the money was also brought by my younger brother, so I should not begrudge me when I finally met this insider. So he walked to the front of the store with the ingot of silver collar, and offered it to the military leader with both hands: "This military lord, I have caused you all these troubles, and I will use the silver as an apology for him." When the army leader saw the weight of the silver collar, his complexion suddenly softened, he reached out to take the silver, and put it into his pocket: "I just said that I was punished myself, and this group of brothers were scolded along with them. Be less angry." "Yes, yes. I'm really sorry, everyone..." Feng Shi had never been so humble since he was a child, but thinking it was for his younger brother Feng Sai, he couldn't care less.When the shopkeeper brought the wine and food, he hurriedly poured wine for the military leader and soldiers, and respected them one by one.After several rounds of drinking, seeing that the army leader and soldiers were all happy, they asked slowly. "I would also like to ask the military master to tell you in detail, when did the relative leave?" "It was June last year?" the soldier turned his face and asked the soldier next to him. "Well. It's June." A soldier replied. "Mr. Feng, even though you and that Wang Babai are distant relatives, you don't look alike at all..." The soldier blushed and smiled with the wine on his face, "That Wang Babai is like a scraper from a latrine. The bamboo policy of shit, his actions and words are stinking. There are thousands of people in the mine, but he has a sharp head and a sharp mouth. The other soldiers also became excited and started to talk one after another—— "He was able to find that acupuncture point from that cave. The exit of the acupuncture point is at the bottom of the river. From the acupuncture point, he dives into the water, swims to the middle of the river, and then floats to the surface. It may be tens of feet away. How long will he hold his breath? I guess he won't be able to catch his breath, and he may have drowned in the river." A soldier said. "Every time we beat that thief bone like that, he recovered within a few days. His life is harder than that of a dog. I'm afraid he won't die so easily." "I suspect that he was the one who led the four miners to escape later." "You mean that Wang Babai came back after running away? Impossible!" "When Wang Babai was in the mine, he was best with those four miners. Every time Wang Babai made trouble, the four would follow suit. Those four also escaped from that cave." "That's because they escaped by themselves. Wang Babai is dying? Do you dare to come back to fetch them?" "Oh? There are four other miners who also escaped?" Feng Shi hurriedly asked. "Well, they escaped in October last year. Fortunately, the four of them didn't steal any money. Otherwise, we would have to be punished again."