Chapter 4 fourth quarter
A luxurious but weird mansion in the middle of Tongtai: two stone-carved spirit beasts guard the lacquered main entrance, with fierce looks; the rafters, cornices, beams, and door frames of the mansion are full of auspicious totems and snakes. Carvings of turtles, bats and other animals; the horizontal plaque on the top of the main entrance is not written with the surname of the owner of the mansion, but only the word "Shenwei"; The river, the water flow comes from a huge earthen vat with 20 people hugging it, and it needs to be filled by hand three times a day to keep the river flowing; after crossing the river is the front yard, on the left is a small altar covered with gold leaf, and on the right is a long-term altar. There are seven unoccupied banquet tables, and each table is filled with fresh fruits that change every day, eight dishes of fish, beef, pig and sheep delicacies, and warm wine. No one has ever had a sip...
All the architectural furnishings are carefully designed by high-priced fortune tellers. According to them, they can resist all evil spirits and welcome the fortune of wealth and officials...
The owner of the mansion, the governor of Piaocheng, Zha Song, is receiving a special guest in the inner hall.
Pang Wenying didn't even glance at the exquisite cakes and snacks and the hot dishes with the aroma of oranges on the table.
"Pang Jijiu..." Zha Song stroked his long black beard, his small eyes seemed to be closed but not closed. "...I'm very uneasy recently. I can't sleep well. Since Gu Shijun left, your bank's actions seem... a bit too much... I know that what you are doing is not an ordinary business, but it can't be broken The order of the city..."
"Brother Zha is too timid, isn't he?" Pang Wenying smiled mysteriously. "I can't control the people in the industry anymore, and they won't touch a hair of yours..."
Cha Song knew that the other party was perfunctory. "What I'm afraid of is that if Piaocheng becomes chaotic, I won't be able to keep my seat..."
"As long as Grand Master He is here, Brother Zha doesn't have to worry about it."
Zha Song knew that Pang Wenying would mention Grand Master He within three sentences.Today's Taishi He Taiji is an extremely personable minister in the imperial court of the capital. He has teamed up with the eunuch group to evade the emperor's power many years ago, and his status is equivalent to the regent.When Zha Song was young, he almost used up all his family's property. He went to the capital to study, and became a student of He Taiji, who had not yet entered politics at that time.It was because of this master-student relationship that Zha Song was able to pass the general examination and palace examination, and was promoted to the fat position of governor of Piaocheng.
Of course, all benefits in the world come at a price.Zha Song's annual tribute to Taishi He's personal is enough to buy eight of these luxurious mansions.
"Feng Yilong" is the largest underworld force in the capital, and of course he has a deep relationship with Taishi He - without his political protection, illicit salt trafficking would be difficult.And Pang Wenying and He Taiji are even close friends.This is the main reason why Cha Song has not turned to the "slaughter house" in the battle of the underworld in Piaocheng.
Cha Song knew that Pang Wenying was using the name of Taishi He to put pressure on himself. "Pang Jijiu, don't embarrass me... Sigh, it's getting harder and harder to be the governor of Piaocheng... I just want to find out what happened recently..."
"It's going to rain and chickens are going to lay eggs. This is something that no one can stop. Since we are people on the road, we don't just drink and eat every day. 'Feng Yilong' came to Piaocheng not to appreciate the mountains in the south. Shui Se. Brother Cha should have understood this long ago, right?" Pang Wenying and Taishi He had a close relationship in the same generation, so they never called Zha Song by his official rank in private. "I won't teach you how to do it too hard. I know your friendship with Boss Zhu."
Zha Song smiled, but did not answer.
Eight years ago, not long after Zha Song took office in Piaocheng, he encountered a major crisis in his official career.At that time, Taishi He had not completely monopolized power in the court, and the political battle in the capital was extremely fierce.In order to weaken his power and open a gap to attack him, Taishi's political opponents obtained an order from Shangzuo to send imperial agents to Piaocheng to check the tax revenue and treasury accounts of the governor's office.Zha Song got the news through He Taishi's emissary, but he couldn't make up for the shortfall in the treasury in time.His family is ready to pack their bags.He is not willing to part with all this.But without the head, nothing makes sense.
At this time, Cha Song saw the true power of the "slaughterhouse". "Slaughterhouse" boss Zhu Ya sent a team of elite killers to the vicinity of the state border in the starry night, pretending to be bandits and intercepting and killing all the imperial envoys.Because of this delay, Taishi He was able to use his political power in the capital to resolve the crisis.When the second batch of imperial envoys arrived in Piaocheng, they checked all "clean" accounts.
Because of Zhu Ya's special favor, and because the "butcher house" is still strong and solid in Piaocheng, Zha Song did not prefer the "Fengyilong Piaocheng Branch" from the capital because of his relationship with Grand Master He. .
He only blamed Zhu Ya for being too greedy.If "Slaughterhouse" can cooperate with "Feng Yilong" to open the salt transportation in the city, his personal income may be doubled several times...
"So...Pang Jijiu, you hope..."
"I just hope that the Piaocheng government will not take sides." Pang Wenying even smiled now. "Brother Cha, just stand aside and watch."
Cha Song pondered for a long time in his mind, and finally found that he had no choice: If he assists the "butcher" to drive "Feng Yilong" out of Piaocheng, it will seriously damage his relationship with He Taishi. If he wants to join "Feng Yilong" "Uproot the "slaughterhouse"...
There is no such possibility, Cha Song thought so.
In his mind, "The Slaughterhouse" was unbeatable.Terrible red teeth.And the undefeated "Eight Great Slayers"...
"Okay. But I have one condition: No 'things' can happen on Anton Avenue."
"Okay." Pang Wenying stood up.He has achieved his goal today. "But...the 'slaughterhouse' is at the north end of the street. We can't guarantee that."
Cha Song's smile was slightly contemptuous.
"When you go to 'visit' that black 'slaughterhouse' one day, the 'matter' will almost be over, right?..."
Cha Song picked up the teacup, respected Pang Wenying, and carefully parted the long beard on his chin to sip the fragrant tea.At the same time, he was thinking: Pang Wenying seemed to be full of confidence—a confidence that he didn't have in the past few years.Why has "Feng Yilong" become fierce recently?Did Pang Wenying obtain any secret trump card?The method of getting rid of the bone eater is ruthless and neat, so what does that have to do with his mysterious expression now? ...
"What happened on that day, just like what happened yesterday, I remember clearly..." Grandpa Xiong, who lost his arms, sat under a dead tree and dreamily talked about what he had seen in the world decades ago, and the people around him listened with gusto. This is the only open space in Poshili.The dead tree in the center looked like a demon's palm protruding from the ground.It was killed by a drought thunder many years ago, and the trunk was split in the middle, but it still did not fall.Residents in Poshili thought it was evil, and moved away from the houses around the big tree one after another. The unattended houses were not repaired, and they collapsed one by one over the years. A wasteland.But no one dared to move the dead tree. "...I ran to the side of Pingxi Street, trying to throw the knife away, oh, let go of the palm, but the knife is still in my hand. Why do you think? It's blood. The blood sticks the knife to my hand... …I saw Jia Laowu squatting on the ground. I thought he was throwing up, but when I walked over, I saw that his stomach had been opened, and he was desperately trying to stuff his intestines back into his stomach… At that time, I asked him what he was doing in a daze , he said: 'I still have to eat, how can I do without my intestines?'" People standing or sitting around laughed, but they didn't expect it to be a tragic joke. "What's the matter? Did your mother walk without eyes?" A voice rang out from the crowd. The crowd took a step back.The one who scolded was a tall, strong man with a red face.The veins on the thick face are prominent.As soon as he heard the accent, he knew that it was Xing Leng'er from other places. The height of the man who stepped on the sole of the man's foot was only as high as his chest.The man lowered his head and said nothing. "Fuck your mother, dumb? You stinky grandson, do you want the uncle to beat you up?" The man raised his head.The face still looked very young, but the skin was dark and rough.Although he is not tall, his chest and back are thick, his shoulders are strangely wide and horizontal, and his shoulders and neck are almost at right angles. "I'm sorry." The young man opened his chapped lips.The voice is still immature. "Stinky boy, don't let the uncle meet you again!" The man stomped on the young man's foot angrily, and then walked away without looking back. When the young man was stepped on, his body did not even move, nor did he make a sound. At this time, Grandpa Xiong performed his wonderful skill of playing the piano with his toes again.The crowd stopped paying attention to the young man, and gathered around to listen to Grandpa Xiong playing the piano. "Let's go. Let's follow him." Di Bin's soft voice sounded from a corner of the crowd. "Is that the tall man? I think he has some strength." One of his men said. "No." Di Bin didn't take his eyes off the young man.He also hurried away, but he walked in the same direction as Gao Hanzi. "It's him."
"What happened on that day, just like what happened yesterday, I remember clearly..." Grandpa Xiong, who lost his arms, sat under a dead tree and dreamily talked about what he had seen in the world decades ago, and the people around him listened with gusto. This is the only open space in Poshili.The dead tree in the center looked like a demon's palm protruding from the ground.It was killed by a drought thunder many years ago, and the trunk was split in the middle, but it still did not fall.Residents in Poshili thought it was evil, and moved away from the houses around the big tree one after another. The unattended houses were not repaired, and they collapsed one by one over the years. A wasteland.But no one dared to move the dead tree. "...I ran to the side of Pingxi Street, trying to throw the knife away, oh, let go of the palm, but the knife is still in my hand. Why do you think? It's blood. The blood sticks the knife to my hand... …I saw Jia Laowu squatting on the ground. I thought he was throwing up, but when I walked over, I saw that his stomach had been opened, and he was desperately trying to stuff his intestines back into his stomach… At that time, I asked him what he was doing in a daze , he said: 'I still have to eat, how can I do without my intestines?'" People standing or sitting around laughed, but they didn't expect it to be a tragic joke. "What's the matter? Did your mother walk without eyes?" A voice rang out from the crowd. The crowd took a step back.The one who scolded was a tall, strong man with a red face.The veins on the thick face are prominent.As soon as he heard the accent, he knew that it was Xing Leng'er from other places. The height of the man who stepped on the sole of the man's foot was only as high as his chest.The man lowered his head and said nothing. "Fuck your mother, dumb? You stinky grandson, do you want the uncle to beat you up?" The man raised his head.The face still looked very young, but the skin was dark and rough.Although he is not tall, his chest and back are thick, his shoulders are strangely wide and horizontal, and his shoulders and neck are almost at right angles. "I'm sorry." The young man opened his chapped lips.The voice is still immature. "Stinky boy, don't let the uncle meet you again!" The man stomped on the young man's foot angrily, and then walked away without looking back. When the young man was stepped on, his body did not even move, nor did he make a sound. At this time, Grandpa Xiong performed his wonderful skill of playing the piano with his toes again.The crowd stopped paying attention to the young man, and gathered around to listen to Grandpa Xiong playing the piano. "Let's go. Let's follow him." Di Bin's soft voice sounded from a corner of the crowd. "Is that the tall man? I think he has some strength." One of his men said. "No." Di Bin didn't take his eyes off the young man.He also hurried away, but he walked in the same direction as Gao Hanzi. "It's him."