There is a restaurant on the bank of Nanyang River outside Qingzhou Prefecture. This shop sells both wine and tea.
The restaurant is very small. The shopkeeper, cook and waiter are all the owner Liu Xu. Usually, except for the people from the village not far away who come to buy some wine, the restaurant relies on the temporary guests and taxis from the passenger boats on the Nanyang River.
The fishermen came to take care of the fishing, so the business was very deserted. The shop owner had no intention of running the business. He often collected the wine flags and tea streamers and went to find other livelihoods. The passing ships and nearby residents were used to it. When they saw that the pole in front of the door was gone,
Wine, flags, and tea streamers will no longer come here.
This small hotel seems to have closed today. The thin pole in front of the door is bare. But if you get closer, you will find that although the tea flags and wine flags have been put away, the door panels have not been all put up. At least they are still there.
The gap between the two door panels is used for ventilation. A few people were sitting quietly in the store.
Four people were sitting around the table, and sitting with the door behind him was a boy of seventeen or eighteen years old. He was dressed in Tsing Yi and dressed like a servant of a wealthy family. He had beautiful features, but thin lips and narrow eyes.
His face was gloomy, white and blue, and he looked a little frightened. He was Zhang Shisan, the personal companion of Yang Xu, the eldest son of the Yang family in Qingzhou Prefecture.
Sitting on his left hand side is a burly man. He is wearing a round-neck soap coat. He is about thirty years old. He has a thick beard under his chin, each root is as thick as a steel needle. He has thick eyebrows and a wide mouth, and he is quite heroic.
His expression was very cold, he neither frowned, nor roared like thunder, he just sat there quietly, and a murderous aura quietly emanated from him.
On the right side of Zhang Shisan is a fat man. This fat man is in his forties, with a big belly, a round face and fat cheeks. If he shaves his head and changes into a monk's robe, I am afraid that some of my Buddhist disciples will regard him as "Maitreya, the true incarnation of Maitreya"
Thousands of billions, always showing people the time, but people don't know it." The Budai monk thought that he was playing games in the world again.
This fat man is wearing a blouse with a floral collar and a folded gauze scarf on his head. The shirt is made of fine cotton, but not silk. It seems that although his family is rich, he is just a pure businessman, neither a scholar nor a scholar.
He is not a farmer, so he is not qualified to wear silk and brocade clothes. Now Emperor Hongwu is sitting in the Dragon Court. The boundaries between superior and inferior are clearly defined. Who dares to violate the rules?
Just two years ago, something happened in Jiangnan. There were a dozen teenagers from ordinary families. Because their families were wealthy and could afford leather boots, they all wore boots to show off. They went to the streets to play football and were arrested.
The patrolman caught him. At that time, the emperor had just issued an edict: common people, merchants, craftsmen, infantry soldiers, miscellaneous workers, etc. were not allowed to wear boots. If someone committed a crime against the trend, they would naturally be severely punished. The last dozen or so were unlucky.
Both eggs had their legs chopped off.
In view of this, although Qingzhou Prefecture is a bit like the sky is high and the emperor is far away, the businessmen who have money but are not qualified to wear rich clothes and brocade clothes have no choice but to wear brocade clothes and silk silk at home to show their prestige. Once they go out, how many people are there outside?
They had to cover themselves with a cloth, and with their tail between their legs, they were at least peaceful. No one dared to show off openly and directly challenge the majesty of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty.
This fat man has very light eyebrows and is gifted with smiling eyes. The corners of his smiling eyes are constantly twitching, and sweat is dripping from his forehead and temples. He holds a white handkerchief tightly in his fat hand and wipes it from time to time.
Wipe the sweat from your forehead and cheeks.
Sitting across from Zhang Shisan is Liu Xu, the owner of this small hotel. Shopkeeper Liu has an honest and honest appearance. He wears a straight jacket made of green coarse cloth with his lapels tucked into his belt and his sleeves rolled up.
Lifting his head, exposing a whole section of the lining of the board, his lips were pursed tightly, with a bitter look on his face, as if the three people sitting next to him were all diners eating the King's meal.
The tall man in soap clothes is an inspector of the Qingzhou magistrate's yamen, named Feng Xihui. The inspector is an official, although it is lower than the ninth-grade official, he is just a low-ranking and unworthy official, but he is still an official after all, and ordinary people can see
He is going to be called Fat Nai and be called "Sir".
The round-faced fat man's surname is An, and his name is An Litong. He is the shopkeeper of An's Silk and Satin Factory in Qingzhou. He often goes to the south of the Yangtze River to buy silk, and then transports it to the north for sale.
Although a pure businessman is nothing, his family is rich, and when ordinary people see him, they have to flatter him and call him "Master Yuanwai".
It was a hot day, but the atmosphere in the store was terribly cold. The four of them had gloomy faces and said nothing, which was suffocating. After a long time, An Yuanwai swallowed hard and said cautiously: "Yang
Xu is dead. Our errand has been ruined. What should we do now? It’s not a big deal if everyone is so depressed and silent. Mr. Feng Qi, you are the biggest official here, you have to give it to everyone.
You just have to come up with an idea!"
Feng Jianxiao's lips moved, as if he was breathing cold air. It took him a long time to say quietly: "What idea are you coming up with? Four years ago, the four of you and I were ordered to leave Yingtian Mansion and sneak into Qingzhou.
City, it took a full four years and all the financial, material, and connections that Mr. Qianshi could use to support Yang Xu. Last month, I just handed Mr. Qianshi a
The news said that Yang Xu has become King Qi’s confidant, and you can start taking the next step. Who would have thought..., who would have thought that it would happen in such a blink of an eye!"
Feng Jianxiao slammed the table hard, and the teacups all jumped up. Feng Jianxiao said bitterly: "Yang Xu was killed. Once the news reaches Mr. Qianshi's ears, you can imagine what will happen to us.
Guys, you all know Mr. Luo's methods. If you don't want to end up in a situation where you can't live but can't die, then kill yourself and find happiness."
Thinking of the master's powerful method of killing without blood, several people couldn't help but shudder. Shopkeeper Liu took a deep breath for a long time and gritted his teeth and said: "Damn it, who is this turtle bastard? It's not good to kill anyone."
, but he chose to kill Yang Wenxuan. Yang Wenxuan was an innocent person, and he was not a figure in the world. Who could he have offended? Yet he did it inexplicably... Ah! Sir, do you think... our identity was exposed?
"
Zhang Shisan sneered and reprimanded this colleague who was nearly twice his age unceremoniously: "Are you a pig with a human head! How can we be noticed if we act so secretly? To say the least, if we
If our identity is really exposed, who will be detrimental to us? Only King Qi, but if it is King Qi, he needs to use assassination methods? Will he only kill Yang Xu?
Even when I, the Imperial Guard, were at their most glorious, how much weight did I have in the eyes of the princes? Have you forgotten how the two commanders of the fifth military camp of Yingtian Mansion died? They collided with the honor guard of a prince who came to Beijing for a pilgrimage.
, he was beaten to death by the prince in the street. What happened? The prince just got a few words of reprimand from the emperor.
Except for rebellion, there is no crime that can be imposed on the vassal king. If there is any crime that arouses public outrage, it will be the prince's fault and the long history will take the blame. Unless it is a serious crime of treason, who in the world can touch the prince?
If Yang Xu’s death was really ordered by King Qi, it would be as easy for King Qi to kill us as crushing an ant to death, so why should we hide our heads and tails like this?”
An Yuanwai rubbed his hands and said worriedly: "What is the use of investigating the cause of Yang Xu's death now? What is important is how we should explain it to Mr. Luo..."
Zhang Shisan said coldly: "As soon as Yang Wenxuan died, I erased all traces on the ship and brought him here in a car. The news has not been spread yet. I didn't even enter the city. Instead, I made an appointment here to meet you."
Yes, I just want everyone to discuss countermeasures together, but I... have no other options."
Officer An turned to Inspector Feng with a pale face and said: "Master Feng, look... how about we explain the situation here to you truthfully? Yang Xu's death was a complete accident. The fault is not between you and me. We are innocent at the moment.
It's another time when your Excellency is employing people, maybe... maybe I will let you and I go."
Zhang Shisan sneered again: "You are eating lamp grass ashes and farting lightly! When has Mr. Luo been so kind and soft-hearted? You don't know the current situation in Yingtian. How difficult is the situation for Jin Yiwei?
, if you want to turn around, you have to rely on us. Four years ago, your Excellency could still provide us with some help and help us support Yang Wenxuan. Now, it is impossible for you to give us any help, and all your hopes have been ruined.
Do you still expect adults to forgive you if you are in our hands?"
Officer An was sweating even more rapidly.
Zhang Shisan has a somewhat special status among these four people. Among the four, Feng Jianxiao is the leader, but when it comes to his relationship with Mr. Luo from Yingtian Mansion, Zhang Shisan is Mr. Luo’s confidant. Therefore, in addition to facing Feng Jianxiao,
During the school inspection, he could still maintain some respect, but he shouted at the other two people without any pretense. An Yuanwai and Liu Xu had long been accustomed to his domineering behavior.
At this moment, someone outside the door shouted: "Seller, I caught some fresh fish. I wonder if the store will collect them here. The price here is very fair. It's much cheaper than in the fish shop."
Shopkeeper Liu was upset, waving his hands and shouting: "Go, go, I won't open today, the wine flags and tea flags have been put away, can't you see?"
He raised his head while cursing. When he saw the appearance of the man outside the store, his whole body suddenly shook and froze as if he had been struck by lightning. Feng Jianxiao and the other three noticed something strange in his expression and immediately turned their heads.
Looking towards the door, the three of them were also shocked.
Yang Xu!
Yang Xu, who died last night and is now hiding in the carriage in the backyard, his body almost stinking because of the heat, is actually standing in front of the store alive in a beggar's attire, holding a bunch of fish of different sizes in his hand
, using willow branches to thread the gills of the fish, it looks like they are freshly caught fish, and the fish tail will occasionally swing weakly.
His hair was disheveled and loose, and was pulled into a bun randomly, with a branch inserted horizontally as a hairpin. He wore a tattered short brown trousers with tattered silky strands at the hem, and a pair of colored bloomers made of straw.
The rope was tied randomly around the waist, leggings were worn on the calves, and a pair of broken straw sandals were worn on the feet, with dirty toes exposed.
After calming down for a while, the four of them realized that this man was slightly different from Yang Xu. First of all, this man's demeanor was different from that of the suave