After Lu Bai ate in silence, he got up and left the teahouse, heading to the Customs and Supervision Department.
There are indeed more and more beggars in the capital.
Not only the capital, many people have even fled to the west of the capital, such as Ankang City.
Mr. Shi Qi reclaimed a lot of land at that time and is now in need of manpower. These people may be able to find some jobs. Even if they cannot, they may also be able to find some opportunities to survive.
These messages came from Pei Qing, Lu Bai's disciple and the leader of the Beggar Clan. At the same time, there were many messages coming from other places.
Lu Bai has now sent a letter asking Pei Qing to come to the capital.
There are so many beggars in the capital, which is a great opportunity for the beggar gang to grow.
The Haoqi Alliance also needs to work harder.
As the beggar gang continued to grow, some good young people were also recruited, and they urgently needed Lu Bai's guidance in practice and ideological education.
Lu Bai planned to go to the south and north of the city in a few days, and choose one to go out of the mountain to build a mountain gate.
It would be inappropriate for a spiritual sect to be built on the banks of the Qinhuai River. It should at least have a hilltop.
In the midst of his thoughts, Lu Bai unknowingly arrived at Xishui Pass on the west side of the Qinhuai River.
At this moment, the fog gradually dissipated, and the water gate of Xishui Pass was about to open. Several people from the Shuiguan Supervisory Department were chatting. The clerk who had received Lu Bai and checked his clothes was having breakfast, with a chicken in his left hand.
, with a jar of wine in his right hand, sat on the seat on the bank and ate happily, and even threw the uneaten chicken legs to a dog next to him.
Hey!
This dog is really good-looking, he is wide and fat, and his hair is black and shiny. This means that some people have no food to eat, and some dogs have enough food.
Lu Bai walked over.
The big fat dog thought Lu Bai was going to snatch his chicken legs, so it roared in its throat and bared its teeth at Lu Bai, warning Lu Bai not to go any further. He would scold him if he went any further.
Lu Bai ignored it.
This big fat dog was really rude, and without even barking, he pounced directly on Lu Bai's legs.
Damn it!
This really means that every dog has its own master.
Lu Bai frowned. Before the dog could pounce in front of Lu Bai, it had already drawn a 90-degree vertical angle and flew straight into the sky.
The little interrogator bit into the chicken, raised his head in surprise, and saw his dog turning into a black dot, getting smaller and smaller in his field of vision, surpassing the birds, surpassing the clouds, until it was finally invisible.
He lowered his head and looked at Lu Bai blankly, "You——"
"Master Lu!" He stood up in shock.
He had a very deep impression on Lu Bai. He thought that he had been working as a messenger in Shuiguan for more than ten years and had developed a sharp eye. He could tell the wealth of passing ships at a glance, but he didn't expect that Lu Bai was so close.
The boat capsized.
He can keep it in mind.
The interrogating officer ignored his dog and walked up to Lu Bai in a hurry, "Master Lu, what kind of wind has brought you here?"
"Demon wind." Lu Bai replied.
He stood on the river bank and looked at the boats waiting outside the sluice gate. "There is a case, come and check it out. It's about your former supervisor, the Customs and Supervision Department."
"Secretary of Supervision? Has he found it?" the interrogating officer asked curiously.
Lu Bai nodded, "I found it. Half of my body was fed to fish, and the other half became a water ghost——"
He looked back at the interrogating officer and said, "You didn't do anything wrong to him, did you? Watch out if he comes out of the water to take your life."
The interrogating officer laughed dryly and said, "Master Lu is joking. Master Guan is an official and I am an official. How dare I offend the Supervisor Guan?"
Lu Bai didn't think so.
This is a smooth official and a hard-working official, not to mention that the official of the Guan Supervision Bureau was bought. These officials inevitably fooled the Guan Supervision Bureau and even exploited the Guan Supervision Bureau.
"Okay, if you don't tell me, I won't care about you anymore. If you die, you will die." Lu Bai walked around Shuiguan and asked, "In the position of Supervisor, has Guan Supervisor offended anyone?"
The interrogating officer smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, to be honest, I have offended a lot of people."
Every ship that comes in and out must be detained, and those common people and merchants, whoever sees them, the supervisor of Shuiguan, is not filled with hatred, secretly cursing them for giving birth to sons without buttholes, and ugly daughters.
So it's very difficult to find an enemy for the Customs and Supervision Bureau, because most of them are enemies.
Lu Bai was helpless and teased: "Your Shuiguan is really full of evil."
The interrogating officer hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no."
"Stop talking nonsense to me here!" Lu Bai shouted, his eyes focused, "Unless you want to be the dog that just flew into the sky!"
The interrogating officer shuddered and glanced at the sky. The dog still didn't come down. He waved his hands hurriedly, "Don't dare, don't dare!"
"I'm asking about the person who could kill him if he offended him." Lu Bai asked coldly.
Although the people who were interrogated by the Customs and Supervision Department in the past hated him very much, they probably would not kill him. If anyone dared to kill him and also killed a Jin Yiwei, he must be rich or noble. There are many people in the capital.
A resounding name.
When he was interrogating the officials, Lu Bai added, "It doesn't matter if there are any abnormalities."
"Let me think about it," said the interrogating officer.
Although the Guan Supervisor is a newbie when it comes to being an official, he is not a fool, because he used to be an official, so he was very good at observing people's behavior before the Guan Supervisor, not to mention that there is an old man like the interrogator beside him.
Followed.
So, counting down, the Customs and Supervision Department did not offend many people at Shuiguan.
The only ones offended were some businessmen, but it was all to squeeze their money.
It has to be said that the Customs and Supervision Bureau is very good at squeezing money from these merchants. He knows the psychological bottom line of some merchant ships and cargo ships very well. The money collected for customs clearance and before tax are more than usual, but among the merchants
Within the scope of being able to bear the pain of giving up love.
The interrogation officer was still impressed at the time and marveled that the Customs and Supervision Department was very kind to businessmen. As the old saying goes, it turned out that there was naked hatred between colleagues.
Relying on this skill, although the Guan Supervisor made the passing businessmen complain, they did not kill him. They just gritted their teeth and paid the money.
"As for those merchant ships and cargo ships belonging to wealthy families, the Customs and Supervision Department is much more honest. They only take what they should take, and they never do too much, so they don't offend too many people who cannot be offended -" At this point,
The interrogating officer suddenly remembered something, "There is something surprising -"
"What!" Seeing that things were turning around, Lu Bai's eyes lit up and he stared at the interrogating official.
The interrogating officer tried hard to recall.
That was about four or five months ago.
The Customs Supervisor himself is in the raw silk business. He knows all the shopkeepers in the silk industry, and he is even more familiar with and respectful of those reputable shopkeepers. Among them is Shopkeeper Shen of Meiji Cloth Shop.
Because Shopkeeper Shen relies on the Shen family, the Customs and Supervision Department does not allow anyone to stop ships when they leave the city, and most of the time they are released smoothly. Occasionally, they do not collect commercial taxes from cargo ships passing by Meiji Cloth Village.
The Customs Supervisor and Shopkeeper Shen are also familiar with each other.
Occasionally while waiting to clear the customs, shopkeeper Shen would get off the boat and chat with the customs supervisor for a while.
As for the content of heaven, it is no wonder that the silk business is involved.
But half a year ago, when Shopkeeper Shen's cargo ship returned to Beijing and he was waiting in line in front of Shuiguan, the Customs and Supervision Bureau happened to have a jar of good wine. When he saw his old friend returning, he left the interrogators and others busy and picked it up himself. After the wine left the water barrier, he boarded Meiji Cloth Shop's boat and went to shopkeeper Shen for a drink.
They made extensive inquiries, but the Customs and Supervision Bureau did not come out after entering the cabin, and drank slowly with Shopkeeper Shen.
Later, when it was the turn of the cargo ship from Meiji Buzhuang to enter the customs, the Customs Supervisor came out with an empty wine jar and smiled. Shopkeeper Shen also walked out of the cabin and bid farewell to the Customs Supervisor.
Unexpectedly, after the Customs Supervisor came ashore, he smiled and returned the gift to Shopkeeper Shen, and at the same time whispered to the interrogation officers to inspect the cargo ship of Meiji Clothing Store.
"This is very unusual." said the interrogator.
In the past, when encountering cargo ships from Meiji Buzhuang, they usually chose to let them go directly. Even when shopkeeper Shen was not on board, they would let them go without much careful inspection.
"But I don't know what happened that day. The Customs and Supervision Department confessed to Shopkeeper Shen and explained their responsibilities, and at the same time asked them to check carefully and not to miss any suspicious place," said the interrogating official.
Lu Bai was thoughtful, but did not rush to a conclusion. Instead, he chose to rule out other answers, "There was a boss here at the time, so the supervisory department asked Xie to pretend?"
The interrogating officer shook his head, "Impossible."
My boss wasn't even there at the time.
"What did you find out in the end?" Lu Bai smiled and answered for him: "You must have found something, because Meiji Cloth Village has been engaged in smuggling business for a long time. You also know that it is impossible not to find something."
The interrogating officer's eyes widened, and then he shook his head dullly, "Mr. Lu, how do you know?"
Lu Bai chuckled, "Don't forget who I am? I am Jin Yiwei."
The interrogating officer shrank his neck.
Jin Yiwei's sword had been blunt for a long time, and he had almost forgotten how sharp Jin Yiwei's sword was. Now that Lu Bai was talking about it, the interrogating officials immediately remembered how long ago, Jin Yiwei monitored all officials and ransacked their homes at will.
It seems that they really can't hide this little thing from Jin Yiwei.
"What happened after you found the thing?" Lu Bai asked.
The interrogating officer smiled flatteringly and said, "Master Lu is wise, and you really were right. We did find contraband from the cargo ship of Meiji Clothing Store."
"What is it?" Lu Bai asked curiously.
"Salt." After interrogating the petty officials, he said everything he knew.
He knew how powerful Lu Bai was, so he would rather offend the Shen family than offend Lu Bai.
However, he did not forget to add, "Master Lu, this is what I am telling you. You must never sell me out. If the Shen family comes to find me, you must stand up for me."
Lu Bai assured him that he, Lu Bai, would definitely protect him.
In the future, if he transports private salt or something, he will have to rely on the help of the interrogation clerk.
But then again, Lu Bai never expected that Meiji Cloth Shop was in the same trade as him, both selling private salt.
The business of Meiji Cloth Shop is really good.
I smuggled silk fabrics when I went there, and smuggled salt when I came back. I guess I could make a lot of money each time.
"What do you do with the salt?" Lu Bai asked.
The interrogation officer said that something even stranger was coming, "Although the interrogation was not as detailed as in the past, the strange thing is that the Customs and Supervision Department turned a blind eye to these illegal salts, and just quietly caught a handful, and then let them go as usual. ."
"Are you released?" Lu Bai asked.
"Yes, it was released. Except for the Customs and Supervision Department's impulsive inspection of Meiji Buzhuang's ship, there is no other difference." said the interrogation officer.
Lu Bai pondered, both intuition and reason told him that there was something interesting about it, but he just couldn't figure it out for a while.
"Could it be that the Office of Customs and Supervision has turned against the Shen family?" Lu Bai muttered.
He raised his head and asked the interrogating clerk, "What happened next? What happened in the Customs and Supervision Department?"
"later--"
The interrogation officer said that another cargo ship left the city from Meiji Clothing Store the next day. Because their goods always come and go without interruption for a month, so when this ship comes back, they have to send another ship immediately.
"Shopkeeper Shen was not on the ship at the time, and the Customs and Supervision Department did not let us conduct a careful interrogation. We just let it go as usual." The interrogation officer said that there was nothing surprising afterward.
"What happened later? How long did it take for the Customs and Supervision Bureau to disappear after this incident?" Lu Bai asked.
"Oh, it will be two or three months later. When Mr. Lu entered the city, the Customs and Supervision Department had just disappeared for three or four days." The interrogation officer said, he felt that this matter probably had nothing to do with Meiji Clothing Village. .
All the interrogating officials were afraid of was that Lu Bai would cause trouble for the Shen family, and then let the Shen family know that he was talking too much. In the end, they would have a fight, which would bring disaster to him, the fish in the pond.
Lu Bai raised his eyes and looked at him, "Can you solve the case?"
The interrogating officer hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Sir, I've offended the villain. How can I solve the case? I'll just collect some money."
"Then what are you making a fuss about here?" Lu Bai scolded him and then asked: "In the next few months, will Shopkeeper Shen of Meiji Clothing Store be out of the city?"
The interrogating officer shook his head, "No, no."
"Does your supervisory department still have contact with him?" Lu Bai asked again.
The interrogating officer thought for a while and said, "Yes, I remember one day when I was taking a break, I saw the Customs Supervisor and the shopkeeper of Meiji Buzhuang heading towards the Red Mansion."
He added, "That was more than two months ago."
Lu Bai remembered that Miss Xiaocui, the old friend of the Guan Supervisor in the Red Mansion, had said that the Guan Supervisor often went to his place with the shopkeeper of Meiji Clothing Store.
From this point of view, at least on the surface, the death of the Supervisor has nothing to do with Shopkeeper Shen of Meiji Buzhuang.
Lu Bai asked Huang Junsheng again, "Did you know that the Customs and Supervision Department has a friend in Jinyiwei?"
"I know!" The interrogating officer nodded.
This Jin Yiwei came to see the Customs Supervision Bureau when he was on duty.
"This Jinyi guard chief is really evil. His name is Junsheng, but he has nothing to do with that Jun. I think he should be called Xiesheng. He looks evil. He looks like he is fighting. Evil idea." said the interrogating officer.
This Jin Yiwei only came to Xishui Pass once in a while to visit the Customs Supervisor.
But in the past few months, for some reason, I have been visiting the Supervisory Office frequently, and whenever I come, the two of them would go to a distance to chat with each other, whisper about something, and discuss something from time to time.
"What's the matter?" Lu Bai asked.
The interrogating officer wasn't sure. He didn't hear clearly. The Jinyiwei looked like that, and he didn't dare to let him get close. So all he heard were vague words, "Like what's true or false? Drink, try it, cheat it." Things like defrauding him, oh, by the way!" The interrogating officer suddenly remembered, "They also said that they wanted to get more money that day, but the Customs Supervisor said that the water should flow slowly - "
Then the other interrogation officials didn't hear much clearly.