Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Night Catch Tomb Robbers
Besides, after Xiao Xuanting was buried, brothers Xiao Ziru and Xiao Ziyu invited Monk Liaokong from Tongbaoshan Immortal Temple to do a three-day and three-night water and land dojo, praying for his father to leave Yangguan in the west and ascend to the fairy world as soon as possible. Early in the morning, I set off back to Yunnan under the escort of my companions.Xiao Ziyu led her 18-year-old son Xiao Peng all the way out of the city gate.
Over the past twenty days, because of the funeral, Xiao Ziyu became physically and mentally exhausted, and wanted to take a good rest.He returned home and prepared to take a nap, but before entering the room, the old housekeeper Xiao Zhong walked over nervously and presented him with a note. When he looked at it carefully, he saw that Nai Weng's tomb had been stolen , The stolen goods are in the consignment shop at Beimenzha, and they are not well-known.
Xiao Ziyu turned pale with shock after reading the note, and his tiredness disappeared. He couldn't believe it was true.In Duliang, the excavation of ancestral graves is the most taboo thing, not to mention that he is still a dignified police chief. In order to distinguish the authenticity, Xiao Ziyu immediately sent Xiao Zhong to the North Gate Box Consignment Shop to buy some things back.
Xiao Zhong quickly bought back a Yu Ruyi and a ring. Xiao Ziyu immediately recognized that Yu Ruyi belonged to his family, especially the three characters "Xiao Xuanting" engraved on the inside of the ring were clearly...
The rumor was confirmed, and Xiao Ziyu's heart was very heavy. His first reaction was to visit his father's grave. He was afraid that his father's body would be violated by wild dogs in the wild, and it would be even more embarrassing if it spread.
Accompanied by several servants, Xiao Ziyu came to Maoershan, but what surprised him was that his father's grave was intact and undamaged, the only difference was that there was a scarecrow on the grave...
My father's grave has not been dug, so where did the things from the consignment shop come from?Xiao Ziyu asked Xiao Zhong, "Old housekeeper, who was my father buried in?"
Xiao Zhong replied humbly: "Master Zhu Zixiang from Dalang Lane."
"Does this person usually have clean hands and feet?"
Xiao Zhong replied: "I don't know, the distance is like a mountain, I don't know much about those people's behavior."
Xiao Ziyu asked again: "Was any of us present when my father was buried?"
"I'm not too sure. At that time, there were too many guests, so I was going to receive them." After Xiao Zhong finished speaking, he looked at Xiao Ziyu uneasily, afraid of being blamed.
Xiao Ziyu didn't seem to blame anyone, thought for a while and said: "Everyone go back first, don't make it public, I will investigate and find out."
After entering the city, Xiao Ziyu did not go back to Liushan Road with his servants, but went to the police station, ordered the investigation chief Shu Zhenqian to bring Zhu Zixiang, and ordered the neighbors not to be disturbed.
Zhu Zixiang was quickly taken to the director's office. To Xiao Ziyu's surprise, Zhu Zixiang was very calm, and he didn't ask why he "invited" him to come. He sat down opposite Xiao Ziyu and took out a pipe to smoke.
Xiao Ziyu wanted to be angry, but held back, he broke the silence with a dry cough: "Zhu Zixiang, do you know why I invited you here?"
Zhu Zixiang raised his head and looked at Xiao Ziyu politely: "The grassroots really don't know, and I hope the bureau chief will point it out."
Xiao Ziyu took out two things from his pocket, held them up in his hands, and asked, "Have you seen these things?"
Zhu Zixiang found that it was Yu Ruyi and a ring. He stood up and took it from Xiao Ziyu's hand to inspect it carefully, and then said to the other party: "I know, this is your father's favorite. If the villain remembers correctly, these two items You should have gone to the underworld with your father a few days ago..."
Xiao Ziyu stared at Zhu Zixiang expressionlessly: "You are the only outsider who has seen these things, please explain to me, since the things have been buried, why are they still in my hands?"
A smile flashed across Zhu Zixiang's face, and he said, "I understand, the bureau chief means to suspect that I took it. But with the conscience of heaven and earth, I, Zhu Zixiang, absolutely didn't take it."
Xiao Ziyu's face darkened, and he said viciously: "Zhu Zixiang, you are so courageous, you have the evidence, and you still dare to quibble, come here, torture me!" Xiao Ziyu gave an order, and several policemen rushed over Push Zhu Zixiang to the ground.
Zhu Zixiang still showed no fear, looked at Xiao Ziyu, and said: "Director, I am a grass man, and my life is no different from the weeds in the wild. It doesn't matter whether you live or die, but you are a dignified director. The man on top of the world, your father is an official in the Qing Dynasty, extremely honorable, but now he is being humiliated by others, that's all, if you can't even find the real culprit who insulted your father, can the old man feel at ease under the nine springs?"
Xiao Ziyu sneered and said: "Zhu Zixiang, don't talk sweet words, who else is the real culprit besides you? Before this, I also received an anonymous letter saying that my father's tomb was stolen, but today I went to Maoershan, where everything It's normal, everything is normal!"
Zhu Zixiang also said with a sneer: "Ju Zuo is a smart person. Although a villain is stupid, he has also heard a lot of legends in the Jianghu, saying that the tomb robbers are very powerful. The tombs that have been robbed can't be seen from the surface. If you go Only by carefully distinguishing at the scene can there be any flaws.”
Xiao Ziyu was stunned for a moment, feeling that what Zhu Zixiang said seemed to be implying something to him, and then ordered his subordinates: "Put this unscrupulous man in prison and take care of him. I will fix him in the future!"
After Zhu Zixiang was escorted away, Xiao Ziyu recalled the situation of his father's grave and felt that there was nothing unusual except for the scarecrow.But on second thought.Since there is a scarecrow, it means that someone has gone to the cemetery, and going to the cemetery is definitely not doing something right.Xiao Ziyu thought over Zhu Zixiang's words again and again, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt the need to go to Maoer Mountain again.
Xiao Ziyu came to Maoer Mountain for the second time in the afternoon. This time, only Shu Zhenqian accompanied him, and he only brought a hoe.The two people looked back and forth around the tomb, and Xiao Ziyu finally saw the clue—there was a three-foot-square land in front of the tombstone, which was different from other places. The grass on it had withered after being exposed to the sun all morning. It was only planted at night... Xiao Ziyu suddenly understood what was going on, and dug on it with a hoe - the soft soil was filled with soil...
Xiao Ziyu scolded: "These tomb robbers are even more cunning than foxes. If there were no leaks, grass would grow in front of and behind the tombs in the Qingming Festival next year. Who would have thought they would have been robbed before! It's so disgusting, I have to find them out and kill them all." !"
Xiao Ziyu was so angry that he kept yelling and cursing, Shu Zhenqian at the end of the tomb suddenly shouted: "Ju Zuo, this place has also been dug!"
Xiao Ziyu went over and dug a few hoes—the soft and soft ones were filled with soil. He wondered, "Why did you dig in two places?"
Shu Zhenqian was engaged in investigation, and analyzed: "There have definitely been two cases of tomb robbers here. You see, this scarecrow is designed to scare another tomb robber. If I guessed correctly, the first tomb robber succeeded the night before. The hole chosen was at the end of the tomb; the second time the thieves didn’t give up, they stepped on the spot again during the day yesterday, and found that the scarecrow standing on the tomb, so they came here again last night... After they were upset, they chose to use an anonymous letter. Inform."
Xiao Ziyu nodded and said: "Your analysis is very accurate, these people are so daring, they actually bullied me!"
Xiao Ziyu left Mao'er Mountain and went straight to the Jiang family compound in Zhennan Pavilion. A servant on duty rushed in to report, and soon someone came out to welcome him—it was Li Shiyan, the housekeeper.
Li Shiyan clapped his hands with a smile on his face and said, "It's not easy to welcome the boss here, and I offend you. Your in-laws went to inspect the branch, and I'll send someone there right away."
Xiao Ziyu said politely: "No hurry, no hurry."
Li Shiyan led the way, turning her head from time to time with a contemptuous smile, and said, "The daughter-in-law of the chief executive is studying at school now, not only does her homework well, but she is also more polite, she is at home on summer vacation, I will ask her to come see you. "
Xiao Ziyu said: "I haven't seen my daughter-in-law for a long time, take me to see her."
Li Shiyan said: "How decent is this? She is too young to bear it."
Xiao Ziyu said: "It doesn't matter, it's a new society now, and the old etiquette is out of fashion. She is a child, and the elders should care about her more."
Jiang Xinghe's daughter, Jiang Yuying, made a "baby marriage" with Xiao Ziyu's son Xiao Peng when she was two years old. Since then, the two families have traveled frequently.
Xiao Ziyu followed Li Shiyan to a study room, and saw Jiang Yuying writing, accompanied by her maid Guixiang.Li Shiyan shouted: "Miss, look who is here?"
Jiang Yuying raised her head and saw that it was Xiao Ziyu, she blushed, she put down her pen and called softly, "Father."
"I still do my homework during the holidays. My daughter-in-law really works hard." Xiao Ziyu flipped through the words written on the desk, "Did my daughter-in-law write this poem herself?"
Jiang Yuying bit her lower lip and smiled without saying a word. Guixiang next to her said, "Miss, you can work hard these days. She is a child from a poor background and has such profound knowledge. If she is a daughter of a wealthy family, she is not as good as others."
Xiao Ziyu asked: "Who was born poor and learned?"
Guixiang said: "I don't know him, it seems that he came to us to find something to do, and he left without saying goodbye for some reason."
Jiang Yuying said: "Father, you are from the police station. If you have free time, please help me find someone."
Xiao Ziyu said: "It's the first time my daughter-in-law asks me for help, no matter how busy I am, I have to do it. Tell me, what kind of person do you want?"
Jiang Yuying said: "His name is Tan Xiaoku. He is from Tongbao Village in the northern suburbs. He is seventeen years old and is relatively thin. He is an orphan. He is very smart and eager to learn. It would be a pity if he lives on the street. I would like to ask for his whereabouts." He came to my house to do things and give him a good environment."
Xiao Ziyu said: "My daughter-in-law is so sympathetic, I will try my best to help you find it, and I will tell you in time if I have any news."
Jiang Yuying said, "Thank you father-in-law."
Xiao Ziyu said: "You're welcome. You are busy, father-in-law won't bother you, go and have a look if you have time."
Jiang Yuying said: "My daughter-in-law must go home to see her father-in-law and mother-in-law when she is free."
Xiao Ziyu left immediately, followed Li Shiyan to the living room of the main house, accompanied by Li Shiyan and talked for a while, Jiang Xinghe hurried back.
Ever since Jiang Xinghe and Xiao Ziyu became in-laws, they seldom see each other unless they are celebrating weddings or birthday banquets.Xiao Ziyu paid a sudden visit today, and Jiang Xinghe had a premonition that something must be up, so he led Xiao Ziyu to his study, while Li Shiyan and Shu Zhenqian remained in the living room.
The two sat down in the study, and Xiao Ziyu went straight to the topic to explain his intention.Jiang Xinghe was shocked when he heard that, and ordered Li Shiyan to call Yin Chuyun immediately.
Yin Chuyun didn't know why his brother-in-law called him over urgently, but when he came to the study and saw Xiao Ziyu present, he knew it would not be a good thing.Sure enough, Jiang Xinghe scolded at the beginning: "Bastard, you did a good job!"
Yin Chuyun looked at his brother-in-law, then at Xiao Ziyu. Xiao Ziyu excused Yin Chuyun and said, "You can't blame him for this. Those who don't know are innocent. But consignment companies should also abide by the law. As long as you ask the ins and outs of the goods, Don’t become a den for bandits to sell stolen goods.”
Jiang Xinghe said: "My in-laws are right. We are a legitimate businessman, and we will never associate with bandits." Jiang Xinghe turned his gaze to Yin Chuyun, and asked, "Did you collect a group of sources in the past two days?" Unidentified cargo?!"
Yin Chuyun finally understood now, nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes."
"What are the things, don't hesitate to explain to Director Xiao!"
Yin Chuyun said: "There is a gold cap badge, two gold rings, one jade wishful, and a pair of jade bracelets..."
Seeing that Yin Chuyun stopped talking, Xiao Ziyu asked, "Is there anything else?"
Yin Chuyun rubbed his hands, then shook his head again, and said, "That's probably all there is."
Xiao Ziyu reminded: "No, there is one more important thing, think about it again."
Yin Chuyun said: "There is also a mink fur underwear, I did not buy it, sir, how do you know it so well?"
Jiang Xinghe scolded: "Bastard, do you know where these goods come from? They are Yuying's grandfather's funeral objects!"
Yin Chuyun paled in shock, plopped down on his knees and slapped himself hard: "Damn me, I really don't know, I should die..."
Xiao Ziyu tried his best to control his emotions and said, "I said it's none of your business, so please tell me, who sold these things to you?"
Yin Chuyun still knelt and said, "It's Xinzu, the king of Han who carried the corpse."
Xiao Ziyu asked again: "Do you know where he lives?"
Yin Chuyun said: "I know, he lives at No. 17, Banbian Street, and usually stays at the foot of the city wall outside the south gate during the day, but he may not spend his money in these two places these two days."
It is said that Wang Xinzu and Lao Shunmin each got 300 oceans, so naturally they had to spend a lot of time drinking. They went to Wulingjing to sleep with their fans at night, and went to the Duliang Restaurant in Zhige Pavilion to drink Duliangxiang and eat duck in blood sauce during the day.
Duliang Restaurant is a hundred-year-old shop. It is located on the first floor of Zhige Pavilion. This place has several characteristics—one of the characteristics. This is the birthplace of anecdotes and secrets. A big event, as small as someone picks ashes, can be used as a condiment for wine; the second feature is that the origin of Duliang Xiangjiu and Zhige Pavilion here is very legendary; the third feature is that the signature dish blood sauce duck here also has a lot of background .
Regarding the origin of the anecdote and the secret here, I will not list it for the time being, but only describe the latter two features.
According to legend, Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, was traveling all over the world. On the way, he heard that Liang, the ancient city, had outstanding people, rich products and beautiful scenery, so he pretended to be a scholar to travel.
Lu Dongbin came from the south, crossed the Nanshui River, and saw a restaurant head-on, with four large characters written on the wine flag-Duliang Restaurant.When Lu Dongbin came into the shop, a pretty wine girl with a smile on her face quickly brought out two plates of stir-fried dishes and a pot of wine. Lu Dongbin sat down and poured it himself, but smelling the fragrance of the wine was refreshing, he couldn't help applauding loudly: "Good wine!" , good wine!"
Seeing that he drank one pot, the wine aunt served two pots in a row. Lu Dongbin held the cup in her hand and asked, "How do you make such a good wine?"
The wine aunt replied: "One year my grandfather picked fresh and fragrant orchid flowers by the stream at the foot of Tongbao Mountain, and hung them on the wall at home, not wanting to fall into the wine tank. The altar wine has an extra fragrance, which refreshes the heart. It turns out that the orchid is the famous Duliangxiang, which is recorded in Li Daoyuan's "Shui Jing Zhu". Later, my grandfather used Duliangxiang to make wine , has become my family's ancestral secret recipe. This wine has a strong aftertaste, and the guest officials are newcomers, so you have to be careful."
While the wine aunt was talking, Lu Dongbin was already drunk and lay down on the table. After he woke up, he hurriedly looked for the money for the wine in his pocket, but it was empty.After all, it is the style of a fairy family, so Lu Dongbin grabbed the writing brush used for bookkeeping from the counter, dipped it in thick ink, walked out of the shop, and climbed the stone steps beside the city wall to the Jiaolou on the city wall.
Lu Dongbin raised his eyes and looked around, but he saw the meandering Nanshui flowing close to the city, and the undulating hills standing facing the city. Touching the scenery, he blurted out his praise: "It's a beautiful landscape, from now on it will be..." He wrote on the wall. "Zhi Ge" two characters.Turning around, he cupped his hands to Aunt Jiu and said, "Scribble with a letter pen, please accept it."
The news of Lu Dongbin's arrival spread like wildfire, and many people came here admiringly, and the business of the restaurant became more and more prosperous.At the beginning of facing the word "Zhi Ge", many people thought hard and couldn't figure it out. This mystery has not been solved until now.
Let's talk about the origin of "blood sauce duck".It turned out that during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di continued to assume the throne, and his younger brother Zhu Wei went to Yunnan. History books call it the King of Minzhuang.Seeing that he was making troubles repeatedly, the emperor wanted to send him to Duliang for fear of accidents, so he ordered someone to draw a map of the situation in Duliang to show him, saying: "This place has beautiful mountains and rivers and rich products. It has the reputation of 'Little Jinling'." It’s called a place of enjoyment.” Zhu Wei readily agreed.
After Zhu Wei came to Duliang, he was still unscrupulous and extravagant.He heard that Qian Yichao, the head chef of Duliang Restaurant, was very good, so he forced him to be the imperial chef.While Zhu Wei was feasting, Qian Yichao was poor and began to worry about King Zhuang's diet.
One day, Qian Yichao was frying ducks, and because the dining room was in a hurry, he poured duck blood into the pot in a panic.what to do?If you delay the time, you will be decapitated, so you have to make a mistake when you fry the money, stir it well and put it on the plate.Unexpectedly, King Zhuang tasted it and praised it greatly.It turns out that the duck meat poured with blood tastes better, and its taste is so wonderful that it becomes a delicacy.This "blood sauce duck" has since become a reserved delicacy in the palace.Later, Qian Yichao passed this cooking method to Duliang Restaurant, so "in the old days, the treasures on the table of Wang's family fell into the homes of ordinary people".
But it is said that Wang Xinzu and Lao Shunmin drank Duliangxiang, ate duck in blood sauce, and listened to diners and Qian Jincai telling stories at Zhige Pavilion.
Qian Jincai is the shopkeeper of Duliang Restaurant, a descendant of Qian Yichao, the founder of Blood Sauce Duck.Recently, the most popular story in Duliang Restaurant is Xiao Xuanting's funeral.These are exactly what Wang Xinzu and Lao Shunmin are very concerned about.The Xiao family was an upstart, and it didn't take long to rise in Duliang. According to the version circulated by Duliang Restaurant, it is like this - Xiao Xuanting's ancestral home was in Nanxiang, and he made a living by bean curd.In the largest Yin family in Nanxiang, a rich man named Yin Qianqiang coveted a paddy field of the Xiao family and asked for an exchange.Xiao Xuanting's grandfather regarded this field as his lifeblood, so of course he did not agree.Yin Qianqiang was helpless, and proposed to rent for three years, but the rent was much higher than that of others.Xiao Xuanting's grandfather thought it was a good deal, so he agreed and wrote the paperwork.After the three-year period expired, Yin Qianqiang not only refused to return the paddy fields, but even lost the rented grain. The Xiao family was angry, so he sued the government, and Yin Qianqiang took out the documents. It turned out that it was not a lease contract, but a deed!Xiao Xuanting's grandfather not only lost the lawsuit, but also suffered forty boards.He was angry and hurt, and he couldn't get sick after returning home.One night, he dreamed that a ginkgo tree in the back mountain suddenly shone with light, and an old man whispered to him: Those who win this place will prosper.After the old man woke up, he told his son the dream, and soon after his death he was buried under the ginkgo tree in the back mountain.Thinking that his father suffered a disadvantage in front of the Yin family because he could not read, Xiao Xuanting was sent to school by his father when he was six years old.Xiao Xuanting was also very competitive. He won the exam when he was less than seventeen years old, setting a precedent in the Duliang academic circle.After Xiao Xuanting became an official, relying on his relationship with Zeng Guofan's township party, his promotion was extremely fast, and he was promoted to the prefect of Guilin.After Xiao Xuanting became an official, he did not forget his family feud. After several lawsuits, he let the Yin family go bankrupt, unable to gain a foothold in Nanxiang, and had to move to a foreign land.
No gossip, Wang Xinzu and Lao Shunmin were drinking in the hall at that time, and the topics discussed by the regular guests of Zhige Pavilion aroused great interest for Wang and Lao.A long-tongued man named Zhang Xianfan asked He Banxian, "Since ancient times, there has been a saying that 'wealth cannot last for three generations'. No matter how good the feng shui cemetery is, it will not be able to keep the prosperity of all generations. Banxian, how many generations can the Xiao family survive?"
He Banxian was blind, and he pretended to think: "How many generations of Xiongqi is still a fixed number, but as far as I know, it is impossible for Duliang to have a family that surpasses the Xiao family in the past fifty years."
Zhang Xianfan asked: "What is your calculation based on?"
He Banxian said: "I calculated it based on the Xiao family's cemetery."
Zhang Xianfan sneered and said, "Xiao's family grave is in Nanxiang, when have you seen it before? I think you are talking nonsense."
He Banxian blushed and said, "Although I haven't been to Nanshan Mountain, didn't I even go to Mao'er Mountain? I chose the auspicious day for Xiao Xuanting's funeral. It was really a good day that never happened in a hundred years."
Zhang Xianfan deliberately raised the bar and said: "You are talking about the cemetery, not about choosing a date."
He Banxian said: "I heard that the cemetery where Xiao Xuanting was buried is the best, and it belongs to the double dragon grabbing treasure, and it is matched with an auspicious day. That is even more like a tiger with wings."
Zhang Xianfan said disdainfully: "I can't see what double dragons are robbing treasures. I heard from people in the village opposite Mao'er Mountain that since Xiao Xuanting was buried, two strange things happened there. One is that a scarecrow appeared on the new grave for no reason. Second, the dogs kept barking for two consecutive nights, and there seemed to be will-o-the-wisps on the cemetery.”
He Banxian clapped his hands and said: "That's right, it means that Xiao Xuanting was buried in the auspicious place and has already begun to manifest. In my opinion, the third generation of the Xiao family is definitely more promising than the seniors."
Zhang Xianfan leaned close to He Banxian's ear and asked in a low voice: "If someone steals Xiao Xuanting's tomb, will the descendants of the Xiao family have any future?"
He Banxian choked for a while, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time: "This...can't it?"
Wang Xinzu and Lao Shunmin didn't hear what Zhang Xianfan whispered to He Banxian, but they probably had something to do with them, so they felt even more uneasy.
Zhang Xianfan laughed and said: "Half Immortal has something to say. Xiao Xuanting was buried by Zhu Zixiang. I heard that there were many funeral objects. Zhu Zixiang went to the cemetery the next day. What's more, he went there this morning." Beimenzha consignment shop..."
Wang Xinzu and Lao Shunmin couldn't sit still, paid the bill, and both left Zhige Pavilion and returned to Banbian Street, it was already evening.
The two walked into the room silently and closed the door. Lao Shunmin couldn't help asking Wang Xinzu: "Did you hear that just now? Zhu Zixiang went to the consignment shop. He must be thinking about those things."
Wang Xinzu said: "It's not surprising, he will definitely go there to look for it. But you can rest assured that he won't find out anything, and Yin Chuyun will not disclose any information to him."
Lao Shunmin said: "The things are on the counter and he can recognize them."
Wang Xinzu said: "There are so many tomb robbers in Duliang, he knows who it is!"
Lao Shunmin said: "I was worried that he would bring the matter to Xiao Ziyu, and it would be troublesome."
Wang Xinzu had a sudden shock in his heart, but then he calmed down and said, "Zhu Zixiang wouldn't do that. He also dug his grave. Once we are caught, he won't be able to get rid of it. Xiao Ziyu will also punish him."
After thinking about it, Lao Shunmin felt that what Wang Xinzu said made sense.The two of them played wildly for a day and a night, and now they feel tired, so they went to bed after taking a shower.
Half Street is close to Nanshui River. It is a typical building on stilts. The bedrooms are all suspended above the water. It is relatively cool in hot weather, but there is also a disadvantage - there are many mosquitoes, and it is impossible to sleep without a mosquito net.
The two were sleeping soundly, when suddenly there was an urgent knock on the door and chaotic shouts. Lao Shunmin woke up first, and found that the fire was burning outside, and a group of people wearing big caps were reflected under the torches, so he woke Wang Xinzu up and said : "No, Zhu Zixiang really sued us!"
The bleary-eyed Wang Xinzu woke up immediately, and before he had time to think, there was a loud noise, the door was knocked open, and a group of policemen rushed in under the light of torches...