Chapter 77 Encountering bone-attached maggots on the road
Yongtai twenty-one years ago, spring, Shanghai County.
After several months, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai finally returned to the place where they started and returned to Dashu's arms.
And Zhao Yi, the commander-in-chief of Jinyiwei who stayed here as the contact person for Eunuch Wei, had already been prepared to meet them.
Dear friends, please note that it is "response", not "receive the wind".
Although according to human nature, Shuang Xie and Eunuch Wei went overseas for such a long time and finally returned from completing their mission. Whether General Zhao was on behalf of the government or personally, it would be a good idea to give them a welcome, even to host a banquet.
It should be...
However, we also know that this mission is not fundamentally about showing off; it would already be quite shameful if the national treasure in the palace was stolen by the Japanese mission. If the news leaks out,
What should we do if some criminals think that your security in the Forbidden City is just like that, and then they start to have evil thoughts? Furthermore, the consequences of the theft are not solved through diplomatic means, but rely on two people in the world to recover the stolen goods.
National treasure... What kind of statement is this? Doesn’t our country have any deterrent effect on these barbarians? Can’t even bring back a stolen antique? And is there no one in the court itself? We need to find it.
Outsiders help?
Also, even if you want to eat, drink and have fun, I can at most arrange it for you before departure. Now that you have all returned and the Xuanlong Bi is already in hand, let’s deal with these extraneous things... What if things are lost again? This
The crime of losing the national treasure from your hands for the second time is greater than not finding it in the first place.
After my analysis, I think you readers will understand that it is impossible to expect General Zhao Qi to arrange a banquet for Sun and Huang. Even in this "reception", the focus is not on these two people.
, but the Xilong Bi.
Don't think it's unkind. Serving the emperor is like this most of the time. As long as you complete the task in the end, everything else is easy to talk about. You can make up any story you want, and the reward will definitely be indispensable; but if you don't get the things back,
, that is "failure to fulfill the emperor's mandate". This "failure" alone is enough to punish you. As for how much effort you put in and how many objective difficulties you encountered in the process, you can't say more.
significance.
Mr. Zhao Qi and Eunuch Wei are both old spies of the imperial court. Naturally, they know these truths clearly. They did not follow Shuang Xie Zheng's empty talk. After the meeting, they directly pointed out the above-mentioned methods to Sun and Huang.
I don't think you two should be surprised. If you want to really relax, wait until you return to Beijing and resume your duties.
After hearing this, Sun and Huang discussed it for a while, and then they both thought: How about we hand over the things to the father-in-law and the general flag here, and we won't go to the capital.
Of course, they definitely didn't say this because there was no one to take the trouble after they came back, and they just said this because they were angry with the court. They just felt that it was not worth it to continue going north.
From their perspective, this account is actually easy to calculate:
First, the emperor issued the order to retrieve the Xuan Long Bi at the end of last autumn. The past six months have almost passed, and his original anger must have dissipated, and if he calms down and thinks about it, the matter itself is indeed not a big deal.
It's a big deal, so it's very possible that... the emperor had long forgotten about this matter. Sun Huang would not receive a warm reception if he returned to his post now.
Secondly, as we have already mentioned in detail in the previous article, the rewards Shuangxi received in the "Thirteen Dead Animals" incident are almost over for them. Rewarding them with other things is of little significance and may even become a burden.
, so even if the emperor was really enthusiastic in the end and wanted to reward them well, the result would be new problems.
Thirdly, the routines in the Central Plains are too deep, and the journey north is not short; this kind of escort mission is not only physically tiring, but also mentally tiring. Wei Eunuch and Zhao Zongqi are people of the imperial court, so they have to do it whether they do it or not, but both of them have to do it.
Why should Xie go through that pain again for some reward that he doesn't want? It's better to entrust the things to Eunuch Wei and Mr. Zhao here, and use this as a favor.
So, after Sun Huang had discussed it himself, he went to Wei and Zhao to express his idea.
When Wei Qian and Zhao Yi first heard their request, they originally refused to agree. After all, the emperor's order was for Shuang Xie to retrieve the Xuanlong Bi, and Wei and Zhao only served as logistics for Sun Huang.
But then Shuangxie settled the accounts for them and told them about the "response" they had planned. The thoughts of Zongqi and the father-in-law changed...
Especially Mr. Zhao, he thought to himself: What these two boys said makes sense. It has been so long. His Majesty is busy with everything, and I am afraid he has long forgotten the specific order he gave. Even if he still remembers it, as long as Xi
The dragon bi was finally returned successfully, and His Majesty must have been happy. Then we followed what these two boys said, "The two young heroes claim that they are people from the world, and it is inconvenient to enter the palace every time. In addition, they are indifferent to fame and fortune and do not want to
He was rewarded again, so he begged the ministers to report back to His Majesty on his behalf and hope for forgiveness." If this set of rhetoric of retreating in order to advance was reported, His Majesty would not be angry, or even very moved. When the time comes, the discussion
Aren’t Eunuch Wei and I the only ones to receive the rewards for meritorious deeds?
After the two sides pushed and pulled, Wei and Zhao finally agreed.
After that, Eunuch Wei and General Zhao Qi escorted Xie Longbi all the way back to the capital. The result was indeed as they expected. Zhu Zhu, who had long forgotten the matter, was really a double harmonious person after listening to their reports.
"Gao Feng Liang Jie" moved me for a short while, and in this mood, I greatly rewarded Wei and Zhao. Everyone was happy. Of course, that is not something we want to go into detail.
We also said that Sun Yixie and Huang Dong came here and said goodbye to Eunuch Wei and Mr. Zhao early the next morning. They took Lao Hu out and started wandering around.
This "Old Hu" was naturally known to Hu Wenzhi, because he had become familiar with Shuang Xie Hun on the ship, so the latter's name for him changed.
Yesterday, he returned to Dashu with Shuang Xie. Because he was tired from the journey and penniless, he stayed in the hotel room the whole day and night after he got off the ship, and didn't go out very often. Shuang Xie also because
I was discussing things with Wei Zhao and had no time to pay attention to him.
But today is different. Sun and Huang are now in a state of peace and quiet. That is because their street slut instincts have come out, and they have to take Lao Hu out to broaden their horizons.
Hu Wenzhi, who returned to his hometown after twenty years, really needs a guide to guide him, otherwise he will be a little uncomfortable with many details and habits of life.
"How's it going? Lao Hu, is there anywhere else you want to go? Just mention it, money doesn't matter."
At noon that day, the three of them had just walked out of a good local restaurant and were still picking their teeth. Sun Yixie was already asking Hu Wenzhi where he was going next.
"Haha, I want to go everywhere, I have seen them all, and they are all new, haha..." Hu Wenzhi followed closely behind, his face full of joy.
As a person who has been well-trained in the strategy and strategy of the city, he actually has not shown this look for many years; in fact, when he had dinner alone in the hotel room last night, it was just because he had eaten the food from the Central Plains for a long time.
During the meal, he secretly wiped away a few tears.
Who could know at this moment that behind his simple words "I've seen them all, and they're all new" are the regrets and sorrows left by twenty years of wandering.
"Then why don't you go to the market and buy some clothes?" Soon, Huang Donglai suggested, "I heard that the local weaving industry is also ranked among the best in the country. We have been here for the past few months.
, the clothes we replaced are almost worn out, why don’t we go get a few pieces together?”
His idea was sound, and the three of them left immediately. Not long after, they had reached the main street of the market.
Before the three of them entered, they saw a crowd of people not far away, talking about each other.
It’s so lively, why don’t you go and see it?
The three of them squeezed their way to the front of the crowd and discovered that there was a new notice posted on the wall, or rather... a wanted order.
"A bandit has recently appeared in this county. He has committed more than ten crimes, invading businesses and disturbing people, and is very rampant. According to the investigation, this thief is short and thin, often wears night clothes, and has good dexterity. Every time he commits a crime, he will stay at the scene.
Below the four words "I am Cao Le", the county is offering a reward for his capture. If there are any clues, please report to the Yamen immediately. If the clues can be used to apprehend this thief, or someone can directly capture this thief alive, this county should have important information.
reward."
Since the literacy rate in society at that time was not high, whenever such notices were posted by the government, there would be enthusiastic literate people reading them to the onlookers, and this time was no exception.
After hearing this, the people who were watching the excitement would start talking about it on the spot.
Sun, Huang, and Hu listened for a while and realized that this "Cao Le" seemed to be a righteous thief who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. Of course, this situation did not surprise them because it was usually like this.
Only righteous thieves like to leave signatures, tokens, etc. on site to mark their identity.
After listening for a while, they learned that Cao Le had been operating in the local area for nearly two months, and his target was either a bully who loved to bully others, or a merchant who was unkind or did shady business for the sake of wealth.
, and he would not empty out other people's homes. The amount he stole was only a small amount of punishment. After stealing, he would quietly distribute the money to the poor people, so he was not punished for such a long time.
Wanted has even gained many fans among the people.
However, just yesterday, this Cao Le actually stole the money from the county magistrate because the county magistrate had accepted a bribe in a civil dispute not long ago and the verdict was unfair.
Then can the county magistrate still endure it?
The loss of money is nothing. In fact, to the county magistrate, the little money Cao Le stole is not much, but the problem is... the common people all know that the targets of your crimes are all people who have done bad things. You
Isn't this a slap in the face of this county in multiple senses?
So today, even if the county magistrate spends his own money, he still has to issue this notice to arrest this "Cao Le".
"Ha... It's interesting, but I guess they can't catch this guy." After listening to it for a while, Huang Donglai commented sharply, "Since the notice has a certain description of his appearance, we can still tell him."
If he has a good Qinggong, it means that there must have been some local police officers or some wealthy people's nursing homes who tried to catch him before, but they just couldn't catch up or stop him in the end."
"Well, that makes sense." Hu Wenzhi also nodded and continued, "And such a righteous thief, the knights of the Jianghu and the heroes of the Green Forest Road will probably not touch him... It seems that the county magistrate is asking for his own trouble by issuing this notice.
Humiliated."
The volume of his words was neither high nor low. Mixed in the crowd, it wasn't very ear-piercing at first, but unexpectedly...
"Who is this? How dare you slander an official and say that our county magistrate is 'asking for his own humiliation'?"
Less than half a second after Hu Wenzhi's words, a few feet behind him, a man suddenly raised his voice and said this in a sinister tone.
As soon as this man opened his mouth, many people around him didn't even see him. Just hearing his voice, they started to hide away, no doubt they were afraid of him.
So, in just a few seconds, the crowd around Sun, Huang, and Hu dispersed, but the three of them followed the sound and turned their heads slowly to look at the person who was speaking.
Let’s talk about the man who shouted loudly. He was thirty-six or seventeen years old. He was dressed as a scholar and held a folding fan. He had a slender figure and a little slumped shoulders. His appearance was... a narrow forehead, pouty cheeks, gray eyebrows and cock-like eyes.
My son has a hooked nose and a flat mouth. His face is fair and fair, but there is a little bit of ginger on his cheeks, and there is a black mole on the right side of his nose.
As the saying goes, love comes from the heart. Although this is not entirely accurate, there are indeed many people in the world who deserve it.
Take the person in front of you, for example, with this traitorous look on his face. It can be said that he owes 30% to his parents and 70% to himself.
So who is this person? Our book implies that his surname is Jin and his name is Xu, and he is a well-known local bully. In the entire Shanghai County, as long as he appears, the people can be said to hide from him.
Some people may want to ask, with his appearance, he doesn't seem to be able to fight, so why is he so scared of everyone?
First of all, he himself cannot fight, but his thugs can fight. At this moment, there are six evil servants behind him.
Secondly, what this man does on a daily basis is much more ruthless than the average bully - he does things like making accusations, blackmailing, defrauding, bullying the weak, and taking advantage of others.
Ordinary bullies collect protection fees on the roadside and know not to fish in the lake. This is different. If you are targeted by him, he will use the most despicable and vicious methods to wipe you out.
No way of survival is left.
For example, one year, he fell in love with the land of an ordinary farmer's family and wanted to take it as his own. He first checked to see who was in the family and what their family situation was like. After checking, he found that there was a half-year-old child.
That was easy to do... He just picked a day, and when other people's children were playing outside, he picked up a bird cage and walked over there.
The bird was playing with the child in the cage, and then he suddenly grabbed the child's hand and skewered the bird in the cage to death with a half-eaten candied haws skewer. Then he asked his men to tie the child up, and he came to the door and started to cheat.
Saying that the bird is worth whatever it is is clearly blackmailing you. If you don't give it, he will have someone hang the child up in front of you and beat him. If you resist, there are many others and they are still "reasonable". You have to go to the official.
He's not afraid either. He has a relationship with the county magistrate. Besides, how can you defeat him in court?
Others, such as never paying the bill when eating out, planning to kill someone in order to seize someone else's wife, defrauding the elderly out of poverty, etc. He does everything, and because he has studied for several years and is cunning and eloquent, in
The yamenmen also spent a lot of money to maintain relationships. The people knew what he was doing, but they couldn't do anything about him.
Behind the scenes, people called Jin Xun a "bone-attached maggot". You think this is very hateful to people.
He's such a guy who eats people's food but doesn't poop on them. Today, when he was watching the excitement, a sentence suddenly came into his ears: "It seems that the county magistrate is humiliating himself by issuing this notice."
I had a stress reaction at that time.
How could he miss such a good blackmail opportunity?
So Jin Xun immediately shouted out and stared at Hu Wenzhi who said this.
"Hey, three people?" After the crowd dispersed, Jin Xun saw Sun, Huang, and Hu standing there. He suddenly sneered, and started to speak out the false accusations, "Look at me, you guys.
Could it be...that Cao Le's accomplice?"
As he spoke, he made a gesture with his hands behind his back. The thugs under his command also understood the situation and immediately swarmed up, preparing to capture the three men on the spot.
According to Jin Xun's idea, based on what Hu Wenzhi said today, whether he is guilty or not, he must be sent to the Yamen Gate. Even if he can't get any benefits, it is still good to send him to the county magistrate who is in a bad mood to vent his anger.
of.
Of course, if these three people were "sensible" and "aware of promotion" and were willing to hand over some of their money and beg Uncle Jin to let them go, he wouldn't be able to consider it.
However, just when Jin Xun's men rushed about three meters in front of Sun Yixie and the others, a fight with disparity in strength was about to break out...
Suddenly, another loud shout sounded from the side: "What are you doing! I'm here today, who dares to touch a hair of Sun Shaoxia?"