Xu Zhiqiong asked Liang Yuyao to investigate Liu Jiangpu's background, and Liang Yuyao handed the matter over to Zhang Zhuyang.
For Zhang Zhuyang, this matter couldn't be easier. In the officialdom of Daxuan, any official with certain characteristics cannot escape his eyes, but what he didn't expect was that Liu Jiangpu was an exception.
Liu Jiangpu is very unique. In one year, he was promoted from the seventh-level county magistrate to the fifth-level Tongzhi, and his official promotion to the fourth level was rare in the history of Daxuan.
Logically speaking, such an official would definitely come into Zhang Zhuyang's sight. After all, he had even paid attention to a small county magistrate like Tian Jinping.
But Liu Jiangpu was really ignored by Zhang Zhuyang, and even Zhang Zhuyang himself couldn't think of the reason for ignoring him.
It doesn't matter if he neglected it. There is still time to investigate. Liu Jiangpu's background should not be difficult. Liu Jiangpu can be promoted to four levels in a year. There are many such people in the capital.
Zhang Zhuyang first visited the cabinet, then the staff department, and also the work department, household department, and several major yamen. The initial investigation was smooth sailing, but as time went by, he felt more and more confused.
Liu Jiangpu had contacts with the cabinet.
He also had a lot of contacts with officials.
He has connections in all major yamen.
Zhang Zhuyang has been a Beijing official for more than 20 years, but his connections are not as good as that of Liu Jiangpu.
Liu Jiangpu is far away in Huazhou, how can he manage the capital so transparently?
What makes Zhang Zhuyang even more confused is that a person like him who is well-connected and has a smooth official career will inevitably attract attention and be suppressed.
But colleagues at Yushitai have never taken action against this person. Like Zhang Zhuyang, they all ignored Liu Jiangpu's existence.
Without being able to find out Liu Jiangpu's backers or Liu Jiangpu's background, Zhang Zhuyang had failed to complete his task. How could the Sixth Princess spare him and sent someone to put a knife on his neck to let him think of a solution.
Zhang Zhuyang thought of a way and lent his identity to Xu Zhiqiong.
Xu Zhiqiong's makeup was designed based on Zhang Zhuyang's image, and their bodies are roughly the same.
The silk handkerchief he took out was Zhang Zhuyang's exclusive property. The clerk from Ruanyanquan was an expert and discovered that the silk handkerchief had an extraordinary origin. He first stabilized Xu Zhiqiong and entertained her with good food, good drinks and good girls.
It's delicious and delicious, so Xu Zhiqiong naturally enjoys it, but a good girl has to be careful in handling it. She can just play a few pipa and two flutes, but she doesn't dare to do anything serious.
Tao Huayuan made Xu Zhiqiong a bowl of fish soup with her own hands, which was cooked in Miequan. The fish meat was fresh and sweet, and the ingredients were just right, but Tao Huayuan could not say that it was a bit chewy.
"If I find out that you bought slippery jade, I will cook you one with better texture!"
Which one?
Xu Zhiqiong curled his lips and said, "How do you know it's chewier? How did you eat it?"
Tao Huayuan licked her lips: "I'll try it tonight!"
Xu Zhiqiong was startled: "Wait a minute, eat as you please, no knives or fire allowed!"
While laughing, he heard a knock on the door of the outer room again. Xu Zhiqiong felt very unhappy, because Tao Huayuan had seen Li Shabai's original work recently. She said she wanted to eat it. She was not joking. She really wanted to try it.
try.
Seeing Xu Zhiqiong's angry expression, Tao Huayuan comforted him and said, "There will be a long time ahead. Let's deal with this old thief first. I expect he will show up in a day or two. You must be careful."
Xu Zhiqiong opened the door, and there was the waiter standing outside the door, followed by a middle-aged man.
Xu Zhiqiong invited the two people into the house, and the middle-aged man clasped his fists and saluted, saying: "The store is not good at greetings. I hope Zhang Yushi will not sin."
Xu Zhiqiong cupped his fists and said, "I haven't asked your Excellency yet..."
"How dare you!" The middle-aged man waved his hands and said, "I am the owner of this shop, Wei Shuixuan."
"It turns out to be shopkeeper Wei, disrespectful!"
The owner of Soft Smoke Spring, Wei Shuixuan, one of the most wealthy businessmen in Raozhou, bowed frequently in front of Xu Zhiqiong with an extremely humble attitude.
"I'm sorry for Zhang's neglect." Xu Zhiqiong poured a glass of wine for each of them, and they drank it down in one gulp.
Xu Zhiqiong toasted the man alone again: "Brother, you are very knowledgeable. If you just work as a handyman in the hot springs, it would be a bit unfair."
The waiter smiled and said nothing. Wei Shuixuan said with a smile: "This is my eldest son Wei Muyuan. That day I saw a guest coming to my shop. He spoke with a capital accent and had good equipment. He knew that he was no ordinary person, so he asked his dog to pretend to be a handyman.
, went to serve, and unexpectedly met Zhang Yushi."
A businessman who has good eyesight and knows how to meet people has the potential to become a wealthy businessman.
Wei Shuixuan asked his eldest son to step aside and talked about business with Xu Zhiqiong: "Zhang Yushi, I think you have heard some news before. Liu Tongzhi does come to our shop often. If friends come, he often comes to our shop.
Hello at the store, may I ask, are you an old friend of Liu Tong?"
Xu Zhiqiong shook his head and said with a smile: "Liu Tongzhi and I have never met."
The shopkeeper asked again: "So are you here for official business?"
Xu Zhiqiong then shook his head: "If it's official business, I'll just go to the Yamen to find him."
The shopkeeper frowned and asked again: "Are you asking for something?"
Xu Zhiqiong laughed loudly and said: "I know Liu Tongzhi has great supernatural powers, but Zhang is a Beijing official after all. If you really encounter difficulties, you won't come to him to ask for help. Even if you really want to ask him for something, just write him a letter, why bother traveling thousands of miles?"
All the way to Huazhou?"
The shopkeeper shook his head and said, "Sorry for Wei's poor eyesight, I really can't guess what your purpose is."
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said: "Why do you have to guess my purpose? As long as I meet Liu Tongzhi, there will be no harm to you."
The shopkeeper sighed softly and said: "To be honest, the business of this small store depends entirely on Liu Tongzhi to take care of it. If anything goes wrong in the slightest, Liu Tongzhi's words will make my business unstoppable."
Xu Zhiqiong said in surprise: "No way, your soft smoke spring has been an old sign for decades. Liu Tongzhi has only been here for less than a year, not to mention that he has the prefect of Huazhou above him."
Wei Shuixuan sighed: "How can I tell you this? In Huazhou, Liu Tongzhi said one thing, but no one dared to say two things, even the prefect."
Xu Zhiqiong frowned: "If you talk to the magistrate, the magistrate will listen to you?"
Wei Shuixuan did not explain further and asked directly: "Master Yushi, if you refuse to reveal your purpose at all, I'm afraid I won't dare to let you see Master Tongzhi."
The words were polite, but the attitude was very firm.
Xu Zhiqiong lowered his voice and said: "Shopkeeper Wei, if I tell you my purpose of coming, I'm afraid you will never see Master Tongzhi again in your life."
The voice was soft but full of murderous intent. Xu Zhiqiong was warning Wei Shuixuan that if he asked too many questions, he might be killed and silenced.
Wei Shuixuan naturally understood Xu Zhiqiong's words, and he said with a troubled expression: "Zhang Yushi, at least give me a reminder, at least let me have an explanation with Lord Tongzhi."
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Then let me remind you that the army sent by the imperial court to suppress evil has arrived at the border of Huazhou. Do you know this?"
"I know this," Wei Shuixuan nodded and said, "The vanguard army has arrived in Quequan Township."
Xu Zhiqiong said again: "Someone in the evil-suppressing army wants to deal with Liu Tongzhi, do you know about this?"
Wei Shui
Wei Shuixuan didn't want to hear a word more that he shouldn't know.
At dawn the next day, Xu Zhiqiong was invited to the inner pool.
The inner pool and other hot springs are not in the same place. From a distance, it looks like an ancient house. The front and rear courtyards are quite narrow. The main house in the middle has two floors and is very spacious.
Xu Zhiqiong entered the main house, and there was a hot spring on the first floor.
The four women undressed Xu Zhiqiong and entered the soup pool together. Only then did Xu Zhiqiong understand why Liu Tongzhi often met guests here.
Entering the soup pool naked, there is no way to carry weapons with you. (Except for high-grade Mohists and those with special abilities)
If there were scars, embroidery and other features on the body, they would not escape Liu Tongzhi's eyes.
The four women who entered the soup pool with Xu Zhiqiong all had cultivation levels. Although they were only at the ninth level, even if they could not defeat the enemy, they could at least delay it for some time.
Two women massaged Xu Zhiqiong's shoulders and back, one woman warmed wine for Xu Zhiqiong on the floating board, and the other woman made tea for Xu Zhiqiong.
These four women are very close to Xu Zhiqiong and can attack Xu Zhiqiong at any time.
After drinking a cup of tea, Liu Tongzhi showed up.
This man was about forty years old, about seven feet tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, black hair and a long beard, and a very regular appearance.
The same four women stepped forward to help him take off his clothes and followed him into the pool. The cultivation of these four women were all at the eighth level.
There were two men standing on the shore, always staring at Xu Zhiqiong and Liu Tongzhi. These two men had seventh-level cultivation.
There are two male waiters in the pool, responsible for passing the wine utensils, barrels, etc. They seem to be handymen, but these two men have sixth-grade cultivation.
Sixth level cultivation is rare even in the capital, let alone Huazhou.
Qiao Shungang's cultivation level is also at the sixth level, and he has already served as a red light man and deputy to thousands of households in Zhangdeng Yamen. With this kind of cultivation level, he can live a very decent life anywhere, so why should he be a guard for others?
The net worth of Liu Tongzhi is really staggering.
Liu Jiangpu clasped his fists and greeted Xu Zhiqiong first: "Zhang Yushi, I have heard the name for a long time, and it is like thunder in my ears. It is Liu's good fortune to see him today."
If it were anyone else, he would definitely have to say a few polite words to Liu Jiangpu, but Xu Zhiqiong is familiar with Zhang Zhuyang's personality.
Zhang Zhuyang would not be so polite when speaking, especially when asking for money.
Since he had to pretend to be Zhang Zhuyang, he had to speak like Zhang Zhuyang. Xu Zhiqiong smiled calmly and said: "Liu Tongzhi, you praise me. I soaked in this soft smoke spring for a few days before I was lucky enough to meet you. After all, you are still
You don’t think highly of me.”
Liu Tongzhi smiled: "How dare you, how dare you. I heard that Zhang Yushi recently took leave to return to his hometown to visit his relatives. He must have passed by Huazhou and came to talk to Liu Mou. Liu Mou was not prepared in advance. He was just afraid of missing the etiquette, so he did not dare to rush
See you."
Xu Zhiqiong smiled slightly: "Check me?"
Yes, what Liu Jiangpu said just now was to tell Xu Zhiqiong that he had done some research these days.
First, we must determine whether the person coming is Zhang Zhuyang.
He asked the capital's informants to investigate Zhang Zhuyang's whereabouts. If Zhang Zhuyang was still in the capital, it would prove that someone was impersonating him.
Zhang Zhuyang naturally did the whole thing when acting. He really took a leave of absence to visit relatives. Since he was not in the capital, it was natural for him to appear in Huazhou. This proved his credibility.
After proving his identity, he still needs to prove whether Zhang Zhuyang is worth seeing.
Forget it if he was an ordinary censor, Liu Jiangpu wouldn't take it seriously at all, but Zhang Zhuyang is a ruthless man. He has very secretive dealings with the Sixth Princess. He has subjugated many officials in the past. This made Liu Jiangpu somewhat afraid, so he decided to come today.
meet him.
"It's an important matter, Liu must be more cautious." Liu Jiangpu saw that Zhang Zhuyang was as harsh as the rumors, but he stopped being polite and asked directly, "Zhang Yushi once said that there were people in the evil-suppressing army who
Liu has some misunderstandings, I wonder which adult Liu has offended?"
Zhang Zhuyang smiled slightly and said: "Liu Tong knows, let's take a guess."
Liu Jiangpu frowned slightly, extremely dissatisfied with Zhang Zhuyang's attitude.
In Huazhou, no one dared to talk to him like this.
Even in the capital, the second and third grade officials treated Liu Jiangpu with courtesy.
Why is a mere sixth-grade censor talking so arrogantly?
After a while, Liu Jiangpu frowned and said: "If Liu has offended Princess Yuyao, please give Zhang Yushi a few words of kindness for me. If you offend General Suppressing Evil, I will go and apologize on another day.
If there is someone else who wants to frame Liu, let him go, he is just a young person, a dog in a fly camp, and Liu is really too lazy to pay attention to it."
Liu Jiangpu's meaning is very clear.
If you have offended the Sixth Princess, I would like to ask you to settle the matter, but in my eyes it is not a big deal, so don't be too loud.
If I have offended Liang Xianchun, I will just ask her to apologize. You are not needed at all.
If it offends other people, I don't even bother to care.
Liu Jiangpu picked up the tea cup from the floating board and signaled to Xu Zhiqiong that if he had nothing else to say, he would see the guests off.
Xu Zhiqiong smiled: "Liu Tongzhi is so courageous. It seems that except for Princess Yuyao and General Suppressing Evil, Liu Tongzhi doesn't like anyone else?"
Liu Jiangpu sneered and said: "I can't speak of courage. Liu is a decent man and is not afraid of villains."
Xu Zhiqiong said: "There is another person in the evil-suppressing army who killed Prince Huai and Crown Prince Tunu. When he was in Luzhou, he killed the magistrate and his fellow magistrates together. This person can't enter your territory either."
Eye?"
Liu Jiangpu was silent for a moment and said, "He's just a lantern man."
"Okay! Liu Tongzhi is really a hero! Zhang used the wrong idea and went all the way to Huazhou, really asking for trouble!" Xu Zhiqiong sighed in admiration, laughed at himself, and walked out of the soup pool along the steps.
Liu Tongzhi suddenly said: "Wait a minute, Zhang Yushi, sit down for a while and let me think about it again."
"Why are you considering it?" Xu Zhiqiong smiled coldly, "Zhang is still rushing home to visit his relatives. It's not easy to take leave, but this time is more precious than real money."
Real money, Liu Jiangpu understood the meaning: "Zhang Yushi, let's sit down for a while and then discuss the price."