Chapter 704 Black-hearted little white flower? [Please vote for me!]
Xiushui Fang is a famous Fuguifang in Xunyang City.
There are many high-end mansions. Because it is adjacent to the foot of Kuanglu Mountain, each house is covered with green plants and the environment is quiet.
The figures who come in and out of this square are either rich or noble, or they are wearing gold and silver.
Not to mention that the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, which was re-established two years ago, is also located in this square. Its status is aloof, which further enhances the style of Xiushui Square.
It is estimated that only Xunyangfang, which is located in the Jiangzhou government office and is full of official residences at all levels, can be slightly comparable.
Except for one busy street leading to the West Market, Xiushui Fang has towering walls on both sides, blocking the sight of pedestrians.
People passing by can't see clearly what's behind the high walls.
Occasionally, the laughter of girls playing on the swings comes from inside the high wall, which will arouse the endless reverie of passers-by...
This is not Wang Caozhi’s first visit to Xiushui Fang.
Last time I accompanied Xie Xun and Xie Xue'e to attend the Lantern Festival dinner at Prince Xunyang's Mansion.
In addition, the Langya Wang family also has several luxury properties in Xiushuifang for their children to stay. In addition, the Langya Wang family also has three children on both sides serving as officials in Xunyang City, although the official rank is not high.
"What's going on? Send your boy out to keep an eye on me. Why are you calling me here? I'm not just hanging out in the city. My brother-in-law is having a meeting at the Governor's Mansion today. I'm busy and don't have time to delay."
Wang Caozhi walked into a restaurant on a busy street in Xiushuifang, ignored the old shopkeeper who greeted him enthusiastically, and walked to the third floor under the respectful guidance of an astute boy.
Today he changed into a solemn black brocade suit. He lowered his head to adjust his cuffs and muttered.
The alert young man who led the way upstairs looked a little hesitant and turned around and said:
"I'm sorry, sir, but we are not sure about this matter this time. I don't know whether we should send someone to follow up. You have to come and take a look..."
"Shen Shen Na Nao."
Wang Caozhi shook his head, turned his head first, and told the two cronies following behind him:
"You two go to the carriage and bring the gifts over first. You are already here. The palace is on the next street. We will send it directly there later. The gifts are for sister Xie and brother-in-law, but we must share the brother-in-law's share.
I have to send my thanks to my sister first, hey."
Turning back, suppressing his smile, he continued the topic:
"Okay, lead the way. I want to see the Xunyang City under the rule of my brother-in-law. Apart from the palace, is there anything else that we can't check? Is it possible that it is a relative of the emperor..."
Wang Caozhi curled his lips, climbed to the third floor, straightened his cuffs, put his hands behind his back, and walked into a private room facing the street with an open door and a great view.
Wang Caozhi glanced at the lively street scene outside.
Apart from the busy flow of people, there is only a high red wall across the street, which belongs to the residential area of Xiushuifang.
"What's so special?"
He looked strange and turned around to ask.
"Sir, on the other side... take a closer look, that thin-faced man has entered this house."
"Opposite? Whose house is that with the red wall opposite..."
The sun above his head was bright and dazzling. Wang Caozhi stood by the window. While mumbling, he raised his palms to cover his eyebrows and looked at the high red wall opposite.
His eyes followed it all the way, and he saw an inconspicuous back door diagonally in front of the restaurant. From the perspective of the private room on the third floor of the restaurant, people could clearly see the entrance and exit of this door. But at this moment, this door
The back door between the red walls is closed.
The opposite side should be a residential area. I don't know which high-end family it belongs to. Anyway, those who can be located in a convenient location facing the street are all powerful families.
Except that the red wall was more conspicuous, Wang Caozhi looked at it for a while, feeling a little confused, and asked directly:
"Which family is this? The houses in Xiu Shuifang all have white walls. It is rare to see them painted so red. Usually only temples have red walls. Does the owner of this house believe in Buddhism or is he a monk?"
Under his gaze back, the astute boy scratched his head:
"Not only is it rare, but this family is actually a believer in Buddhism..."
The alert boy's words suddenly got stuck.
Wang Caozhi noticed that the boy turned his head and looked behind him, and his eyes were caught by the scenery downstairs outside the window.
"It's hard to say anything, what are you looking at..."
Wang Caozhi by the window frowned, straightened up, and followed the alert boy's eyes and looked down casually.
I saw that the back door between the red walls was open. Someone was not coming out, but someone was going in.
A carriage drove out of the crowd on the street. It turned off the main street and drove into the back door of the red-walled mansion.
Wang Caozhi paused.
Because he knew this carriage and had seen it many times at Xunyang Grottoes.
The alert young man saw this and said cautiously: "Master?"
Wang Caozhi interrupted: "Shut up."
His eyes fell unblinkingly on the carriage slowly driving through the door.
Through the curtain of the carriage, Wang Caozhi could faintly see the silhouette of a familiar noble young girl.
There is also a coachman with a Chinese character who is driving a carriage outside. He has a white cloth wrapped around his forehead, as if he is bereaved.
It's Princess Anhui and her carriage.
Wei Anhui's carriage drove into the back door between the red walls, and the door closed heavily.
Except for Wang Caozhi and others upstairs, no one paid much attention to this scene.
Wang Caozhi suddenly turned his head and asked the quiet and alert boy:
"Are you sure that sneaky tall lanky man is hiding in this house?"
"Well, you entered through this back door. There's no mistake. We just don't know what happened after you entered... Young Master, look over there."
Wang Caozhi heard the alert boy's voice stop suddenly. He looked back and found that the boy was pointing towards the opposite side.
The back door between the red walls was pushed open from the inside not long after Princess Anhui and the carriage entered.
Several people hurriedly walked out of the door, merged into the flow of people on the street, and left quickly.
Wang Caozhi recognized one of them, the thin-faced man who had been sneaking around Xunyang Grottoes. He was currently wearing a hat with the brim lowered to cover his face.
But Wang Caozhi has a sharp eye and remembers people very accurately, especially the back figures and road postures, and he can't make mistakes.
The atmosphere in the box facing the street gradually became quiet.
At a certain moment, the alert boy looked up at Wang Caozhi's motionless back and asked cautiously:
"Sir, should we pause..."
Wang Caozhi suddenly interrupted:
"Follow me, keep following me." After a pause, he added, "I'm talking about the thin-faced man."
"Yes, sir."
The alert boy clasped his fists and quickly left the box.
Wang Caozhi stood silently for a moment, turned around, and took another look at the high red wall across the street.
He murmured:
"My dear, you are really a relative of the emperor..."
…
Xunyang Ferry, wharf.
Ships are parked densely and come and go.
Qian Chen had just left Princess Anhui's residence with a serious face and came to the dock with a few followers.
Wearing uniform gray uniforms and buns, they were very inconspicuous. They passed through the crowds of people and handed out several small wooden signs to a few boatmen who were sunbathing on the shore.
After the boatman's inspection, Qian Chen and everyone boarded a cargo ship that was about to leave on the shore. Soon, the cargo ship started and slowly left Xunyang Ferry.
Qian Chen didn't know that not long after the ship he was on had left, a figure appeared on the shore of the dock where the ship had been moored.
He is a young man with a sharp mouth and a sharp face.
He looked at the direction in which the ship was leaving with his glistening eyes, and then looked back at the direction of the Commercial Department...
About half an hour later, the astute boy walked out of the Trade Department with a roster in his hand. When he came to the door, he was flipped to a certain page.
On the way back, the alert boy glanced at it curiously.
The destination of a certain ship is clearly written above.
"Qian Chen, Hukou County?"
…
Ouyang Rong rarely lived or worked in Jiangzhou Governor's Mansion.
Although he accepted the imperial decree and acted as the governor of Jiangzhou, Ouyang Rong's clothing, food, housing and transportation were the same as when he was the Sima of Jiangzhou and the governor of Jiangzhou. He lived in the Huaiye Lane mansion, Jiangzhou lobby and Xunyang Prince's Palace.
Click the line.
According to past practice, Ouyang Rong should have moved the female family members of Huaiye Lane to Jiangzhou Governor's Mansion.
Perhaps because his dead enemy Wang Lengran had lived there for a long time, Ouyang Rong had no such idea at all.
However, this is also related to the fact that when Ouyang Rong went to Wang Lengran's mourning hall to burn incense, Wang Lengran's widow and family members inexplicably sent a wave of merit.
Every time he thought of this, Ouyang Rong felt that it was a bit outrageous, and he also had a bad impression of this governor's mansion.
However, this morning, there is still an important meeting that needs to be held at Jiangzhou Governor's Mansion, and the time is quite special.
Ouyang Rong convened everyone in the name of the governor of Jiangzhou and held a meeting at the governor's office in Jiangzhou. The chiefs of all counties in Jiangzhou would come to Xunyang to attend the meeting. By the way, they would also come to report their work to the governor of Jiangzhou as their immediate boss.
Yes, it's a common practice.
There are many people attending this meeting. In addition to the local governor, Ouyang Rong's close confidants including Wang Caozhi and Pei Shisanniang will also be present.
People from Prince Xunyang's Mansion, the Supervisory Yuan, and even the Chinese military camp on the front line will come to attend the meeting.
At present, it is estimated that only Ouyang Rong, as the governor, has such a presence and influence to regulate the forces of all parties.
This meeting of the governor's office was mainly to discuss two things.
One thing is that the Donglin Giant Buddha is about to be completed, including a specific date.
Another thing is the preparation for the celebration ceremony on the day when the Donglin Giant Buddha is completed.
It can be said that the two gossips about the Donglin Giant Buddha that have been circulating in the city recently were actually leaked out during the meeting of the governor's office during the process of notifying all parties in advance. I don't know whether it was intentional or unintentional...
Since morning, at the gate of the Governor's Mansion in Xunyangfang, there have been constant carriages of officials stopping, or people riding alone with their entourage. It was so lively that the gate gradually became crowded.
There were Magistrate Diao from Longcheng, Magistrate He from Jishui, Magistrate Meng from Hukou...and some county magistrates and county lieutenants who came to replace the chiefs.
Rong Zhen did not come, but he sent a close female officer to the scene, as did Qin Changshi from the Chinese army camp on the front line. He also sent his old acquaintance Qin Yi, and King Xunyang Lixian... They were all sent by people, not in person.
Being present... In a sense, this also means letting Ouyang Rong take the lead, they are just here to take over the host.
The agreed time for the meeting in the morning was a quarter of the second day of the lunar new year. Two quarters of an hour in advance, all the officials had already arrived.
But a certain young governor was nowhere to be seen.
There was some commotion in the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion.
In the past, Governor Ouyang was the most punctual and was always available.
Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to complain too much and waited quietly, because being late was the prerogative of the leader...
…
"You mean, that thin man named Qian Chen, after coming out of Princess Anhui's mansion, took a boat at Xunyang Ferry to Hukou County?"
"That's right, brother-in-law."
Jiangzhou lobby.
Ouyang Rong put on a brand-new official uniform of the governor and took Yan Liulang and other entourage with him. Just as he was about to go out for the meeting, he met Wang Caozhi who was rushing there.
Ouyang Rong temporarily dismissed everyone and took Wang Caozhi to a side hall. The two of them sat down, and Yan Liulang went out with a tacit understanding and stood guard at the door with a knife in his hand to maintain strict security.
In the side hall, Ouyang Rong listened to Wang Caozhi's words and asked. After receiving the answer, he became quiet.
Ouyang Rong subconsciously picked up the tea cup on the table, lifted the lid halfway, and found that no one was here to make tea for him, so he gently put the tea cup back to its place.
He asked calmly:
"They took a boat to Hukou County. Did your people follow them?"
"Qian Chen and his companions didn't have time to catch the boat, but the person I sent to keep an eye on them was quite smart and sent a servant back to report to me. He then went directly to catch the next boat to Hukou County."
Wang Caozhi hesitated for a moment and then said:
"But after all, there is a difference of a few hours. Qian Chen and the others may arrive in Hukou County and disembark directly from the boat. After our people arrive, they may not be able to find anyone for a while."
Ouyang Rong nodded, without comment, and asked again:
"Are you sure this is Princess Anhui's house? You read that correctly?"
"That's right!" Wang Caozhi said resolutely: "Brother-in-law, I can't possibly admit the wrong person. It was Princess Anhui and her driver who undoubtedly drove in in front of me, and I even went to check.
In the entire Xiushui Village, the walls of the mansion are painted red, and it’s only this princess who can’t go wrong.”
Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes: "How did you handle it at Princess Anhui's house?"
Wang Caozhi immediately said: "I left someone there to keep an eye on him. I think everything should be fine."
Wang Caozhi saw Ouyang Rong purse his lips, stand up, and pace in the hall with his hands behind his back, circling alone. He didn't know what he was thinking.
Wang Caozhi asked carefully:
"Brother-in-law, if you are from Princess Anhui, why do you think the princess sent someone to find Miaozhen Nvshi? It is understandable that she is looking for Rongzhennvshi, but to go to Miaozhennvshi... I heard that this Miaozhennvshi is
You are a bit lonely and don't interact with people very much. Do you know Princess Anhui very well?"
Ouyang Rong didn't answer, just looked at him.
Wang Caozhi continued to mutter:
"And everything is fine. What is the purpose of this little princess sending people to Hukou County? Is there anything special in Hukou County? Oh, is there a general from the White Tiger Guard who is leading people to suppress bandits and round up a group of water thieves?
?”
Ouyang Rong suddenly said:
"When you see one cockroach, it means there are many cockroaches."
Cockroaches are still called cockroaches in this era.
Wang Caozhi was stunned for a moment, his brows gradually furrowed, and he began to think carefully.
At this time, Ouyang Rong walked directly and opened the door of the hall.
"Let's go."
He walked out of the hall without looking back.
Wang Caozhi quickly followed and asked:
"Where is brother-in-law going?"
Ouyang Rong's voice was flat:
"The Governor's Office, we are already late. We will discuss this matter after the meeting."
"good."
Wang Caozhi shrank his head, glanced at his brother-in-law's slender figure in crimson official uniform, and followed him obediently.
————
(PS: It may not be possible to fix the twelve o'clock hair in the past few days, try your best to polish it or2)