At midnight, Nanchang City, which had been noisy all day, finally calmed down. Only the watchman on night patrol, banging his clapper, walked through the streets and shouted unhurriedly: "The sky is dry and things are dry, be careful of candles..."
Then, the ‘Tongfu Inn’ on Toad Street caught fire...
"The water has leaked, the water has leaked!" The panicked shouts instantly alarmed Xiong Qitai, who had been sleeping all night.
He left his vassal's office alone and ran to the Nanchang magistrate's office to keep an eye on His Royal Highness the King of Chu. So he saw the rising flames immediately. The first thought that came to his mind was, 'I
Fuck, is this because I don’t want to take the bait, so you want to put it here to play a cruel trick and frame me?'
"What the hell kind of hooliganism is this?" He hurriedly jumped to his feet and shouted: "Go put out the fire quickly, don't let them succeed!"
People and things haven't been found yet, so he can't give King Chu a chance to get angry.
"yes!"
The subordinates had never received such a harsh order, asking them to surround the inn, but not letting them get close to the courtyard. It was clear that the other party had discovered their existence, but they still strictly prohibited them from arresting people, and now they were still on fire.
To put out the fire for them...
Fortunately, they had enough manpower inside and outside the inn. Hundreds of people rushed forward, even using water hoses and swatters, and put out the fire in one go.
"Well done." Zeng Gangjing appeared out of nowhere, waved his hand and said, "Go back and have a rest. I will come to your feudal lord tomorrow morning to collect the silver reward."
"Yes..." Most of the people who put out the fire were officials from the two departments, so they naturally knew Zeng Fantai. Before Xiong Fantai didn't openly fall out with him, everyone still had to listen to him.
~~
At the fourth watch, the disgraced and anxious officer exited Tongfu Inn. He saw that the street had been blocked by officers and soldiers. Xiong Qitai was wearing a big cloak and staring at the door of the inn with a gloomy expression.
"Fantai, the fire has been put out." Qianhu, the leader, hurriedly reported.
"Yes, I saw it." Xiong Qitai nodded and asked in a deep voice: "Did you find anything unusual?"
"There is really a problem." Qianhu whispered: "There used to be about thirty of them. When we were putting out the fire, my subordinates counted them carefully, and it seemed that there were six or seven missing."
"Are you sure?" Xiong Qitai's pupils shrank suddenly. Could it be that King Chu started this fire not to frame him, but to get rid of his own eyes and ears?
"That seems to be the case." Deputy Qianhu next to him also echoed: "They are obviously missing a few people."
"Damn! Wrong guess again!" Xiong Qitai spat fiercely. In fact, he had already sent troops to surround Tongfu Inn as soon as the fire broke out.
However, it was still a step too late, and the few people sent by the King of Chu had already escaped.
"It's broken!" The next moment he thought that King Chu had deliberately done this for one purpose - to find the guard and the things in his hands.
And obviously, the other party already knew the whereabouts of the guard, otherwise there would be no need to play this trick.
"We must not let them find it first!" Xiong Qitai suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He was finished and could no longer take advantage of the whole family.
"Look, look, look, everyone!" Xiong Qitai finally used his ultimate move and roared: "Ask the Dusi Yamen to also send troops. The city gates will not be opened tomorrow. Search the whole city and arrest all the injured people.
stand up!"
~~
It has been less than two years since the provinces were transformed into three divisions. The old system still maintains a strong inertia, especially in provinces where the original chief executive was strong. The chief envoy is just a senior official with a different name, and he still confidently controls the inspection division and the capital commander.
The commander gives orders.
This is the case with Xiong Qitai.
At five o'clock, the sky was dimming, and the officers and soldiers of Jiangxi Dusi lined up out of the military camp, preparing to carry out Xiong Fantai's order.
The rumble of footsteps broke the silence of the early morning. On the street, citizens who had gotten up early to work quickly moved to the side of the road. They were talking about what big event had happened recently. Why were even the officers and soldiers dispatched?
"This posture is like arresting rebels. Could it be that the White Lotus Society is causing trouble again?" Jiangxi is the birthplace of the White Lotus Society. Various guilds have emerged one after another. It is actually a bit strange for the citizens to respond to the outpouring of officers and soldiers.
"It doesn't look like it. It should have something to do with Liu Shenzheng's death." The well-informed person shook his head and said, "Didn't the imperial court send an imperial envoy here? So it must be related to this matter."
"Then there's no need to send out officers and soldiers?"
While they were discussing, they saw an official riding across the street. As he rode, he beat a gong and said, "Today we are going to arrest the murderer of Liu Shenzheng. All the people need to keep someone at home, prepare their household ID, and wait for the search!"
"See, I was right..." The person who said this felt very proud and enjoyed the admiration and praise of others.
A few beggars sleeping under the eaves seemed to have been awakened. They stretched themselves and stared blankly at the chaotic scene in front of them.
"Is there going to be a war?" The person who asked the question should be the leader of the group of beggars, because he was strong and it seemed that he was the one who ate most of the food that the others wanted.
Of course, when competing for territory with other beggar gangs, he has to go first.
"That's not the case." The proud man was in a good mood and said a few more words to the beggar.
"But you stinky beggars, you'd better find a place to hide as soon as possible, otherwise the officials won't be able to catch anyone, and you'll have to take advantage of the gangsters again."
"Thank you, uncle, this guy is quite nice." The young beggar leader climbed up the pole and said, "It's just that we haven't eaten for several days, so we have to hide and we will be hungry again today."
As he spoke, he said with a smile on his face: "Uncle, a good man, he will do his best, send Buddha to the West, and reward us with a few copper coins to fill our bellies. If you do good deeds and accumulate virtue, you will definitely have a son in the future!"
"Hey, you kid is so good at talking." The man felt so happy after being praised by the beggar, especially since he was in the critical period of begging for a child and couldn't let his fortune go to waste. He took out a few coins from his waist and threw them to him.
The beggar said: "I'll reward you."
"Thank you for the reward, uncle." The strong beggar had thick eyebrows and bulging cheeks. He looked clumsy, but his skills were not slow at all. He steadily caught a few copper coins without falling to the ground, and kept them in bunches in his mouth. The child said auspicious words.
The people around him felt so comfortable with the photo that they donated their money and rewarded him with more than ten copper coins.
This thick-browed beggar is naturally Lao Liu...
Last night, he, Hu Quan, Luo Guanzhong, Liu Li and a few skinny guards disguised themselves as beggars and sneaked out over the wall while the inn was on fire.
But he didn't rush all night, because Xiong Qitai was under a curfew. He wandered out at night and was immediately arrested.
So he took his begging team, huddled under the eaves of the street, and took a short nap...
~~
By the time the crowd dispersed, Lao Liu had already asked for thirty cents, which was enough for everyone.
"Cousin, why are you so skilled?" Liu Li was stunned.
"Maybe," Lao Liu thought about it and said proudly, "This is talent."
