Mingruo ordered two bowls of wonton noodles and a few side dishes, and then asked Aqiu and the others to go down and get some hot food: "Pack some dry food so that you can take it with you on the road."
"This slave understands." Ah Qiu took the order and left.
The waiter first served four dishes of side dishes, and then brought steaming wonton noodles. When Mingruo picked up his chopsticks, he heard a commotion on the street.
Mingruo opened the window sash and followed the sound and looked over. He saw a group of people gathered at the door of Caobang, making a lot of noise. He couldn't hear what was said specifically.
"Is this...a gang fight?" Mingruo couldn't understand what this was about, as if enemies were coming to make trouble.
"It is estimated that another merchant ship has been robbed by water bandits, and the victim has come to ask for an explanation." The young man lowered his tone, "There has been no peace on the canal recently. A group of water bandits claiming to be the 'White Tiger Gang' have emerged, specializing in robbing the ships of wealthy merchants.
Team."
"When you encounter robbers, you should report it to the official. What's the point of coming to Caogang?" More and more people gathered in front of the entrance of the hall. Judging from the clothes, there were several groups.
"Madam, I don't know. Merchant ships that often ply the canal have to pay Caobang an annual payment every year to ensure the safety of the fleet. If something goes wrong, they will naturally come to Caobang to ask for an explanation." The clerk explained quickly.
"I see." Mingruo whispered, "This White Tiger Gang must be very annoying..."
"The White Tiger Gang can be considered a group of thieves. They never rob passenger ships or harm people's lives..." The young man suddenly fell silent - if he spoke to the bandits, he would not be regarded as an accomplice.
A slight smile flashed in Mingruo's eyes: "Go down, I'll call you if I need anything."
"Yes." The boy ran away.
Mingruo held her cheek with her hands and looked out the window. Although the door was banged with bangs, it remained closed: "Why do merchants have the habit of making annual contributions to Caogang?"
Si Haochen picked up the chopsticks and put them into Mingruo's hands: "Let's eat, the noodles will be lumpy after a while."
"Huh?" Mingruo blinked her big black eyes, "There is an ulterior secret between you two!"
"Ahem." Si Haochen coughed lightly, "When the canal was dug earlier, the Caobang also participated. Later, the government delegated some powers to the Caobang and asked the Caobang to assist in the canal affairs.
Over the years, we have been spending manpower and material resources to pay attention to the developments in Beichi and Xikang, and the fiefdom has been a little lax. The Caobang and the Zhao family have colluded with each other, and their power is growing day by day. Even the government offices along the canal must avoid their sharp edges..."
"This is..." Mingruo suddenly realized, "I was only focused on opening up territory at the front, but as a result, there was a fire in the backyard..."
Si Haochen pinched Mingruo's nose and shook it: "Are you so happy to see your husband's jokes?"
"Ahem." Ming Ruo cleared his throat, "It's rare to see His Majesty the Emperor Yun's horse lose its hind hoof... Hahaha..."
His majesty, the henpecked Emperor Yun, could not do anything to the queen: "Eat your noodles well and don't laugh!"
"I'm full." Mingruo leaned on the window lattice with his hands to look at the street scene, and unexpectedly saw Bai Shen and his people coming in large numbers.
"Are you full after eating such a small amount?" Si Haochen frowned and looked at Mingruo worriedly.
"The carriage is shaking so hard that I have no appetite." Ming Ruo watched with interest as Bai Shen took the lead in making trouble.
"Then don't rush today, spend the day in Xuancheng doing repairs." Si Haochen was not in a hurry to return to Beijing.
"That's not possible, I have to go back and add makeup to Yu Ning." Mingruo is very interested in traditional weddings.
"It's just to add makeup. Just send someone to deliver some things. You don't have to go there in person..."
"..." Well, what little emotional intelligence my husband had left was used on himself. Mingruo smiled happily, and compared to the "central air conditioner", the gentleness of the "moving iceberg" was more touching.
Bai Shen, who was 'making trouble' in front of the Caobang gate, led others to break open the gate. He said he wanted to move some things back, which would more or less offset the losses.
Although other people came to ask for an explanation before, they did not dare to really fight against the Caogang. They only stayed at the stage of "verbal and written criticism" and did not dare to take any "action".
Bai Shen's action of breaking into the door instantly created a 'hole effect'. Others were afraid that they would be late and their things would be taken away by others, so everyone swarmed in...
Caobang had never been so aggrieved. The entrance to the hall had been demolished. They could not sit still and wait for death, so they had to pick up their weapons and start fighting.
However, Bai Shen came here to 'fight' today, and the person he brought was dressed as a clerk, but he was a well-trained secret guard. The guards of the Cao Gang were beaten so hard that they did not dare to show their heads. They watched helplessly inside and outside the hall.
The outside was looted, even the beams were torn down and moved away. The roof was crumbling and looked like it was about to collapse.
Mingruo's mouth opened in an O shape. These people's hands-on ability is too strong. They can move things much more efficiently than moving companies.
Bai Shen took advantage of the chaos and left before everyone dispersed. At this time, he was reporting on the progress in front of Si Haochen.
"Before transporting grain and grass to the northwest, we must settle the matter." Si Haochen pressed the button on the table.
"Yes." Bai Shen calculated that he would have to send more people to other halls tomorrow to 'deliver justice'.
"Master Bai's fleet must also be paid to the Cao Gang every year?" Being able to extract money from Bai Shen's hands can be regarded as a talent.
"This... of course is not necessary..." Bai Shen answered very proudly.
"..." This answer is obviously not surprising, but Bai Shen's attitude is a bit unreasonable.
"Ahem." Bai Shen scratched the tip of his nose when he saw the Queen's expression, "We didn't take anything from Caobang just now. It was purely a case of 'drawing a sword to help when the road is rough'."
Ming Ruo hugged Bai Shen and said, "Master Bai, you are just!"
"The queen is so complimentary!" Bai Shen quickly returned the favor.
Si Haochen shook his head speechlessly: "Should we continue on our way, or should we leave after noon?"
"Let's go now, we've finished watching the show." Mingruo greeted Ah Qiu to set off.
Ah Qiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Master, this slave is here."
Mingruo fanned Aqiu's forehead with a small fan: "Are you moving bricks?"
"It's not just a trick, that Leng Yu is really hypocritical. Sometimes he thinks the food is greasy, and sometimes he thinks the tea is bland. He babbled for a long time before he was willing to say anything useful." Ah Qiu was very annoyed, "Oh, that's right.
, she also said that the old palace master of Ziwei Palace is hidden in the Four Kingdoms."
Si Haochen narrowed his eyes slightly. Ziwei Palace was in Zhongzhou, so he habitually thought that Huangfu Ye and his father were entrenched there. He sent many people to investigate in Zhongzhou, but no useful clues were found.
It turns out that I was looking in the wrong direction from the beginning.
"So, she didn't tell the old palace master's identity and hiding place..." Ming Ruo used a declarative sentence.
"Exactly." Aqiu nodded, "She said she would wait until all the poison on her body is removed and then her face is cured."
"Ha." Mingruo laughed. Before, he only said he wanted to detoxify, but now he added facial treatment. Was this because he knew he had medical skills, or was he delaying on purpose?
