At dawn, Wu Xu returned to Zhangdeng Yamen looking exhausted.
Last night, he and more than 20 people squatted outside the city all night, but in the end they were all in vain. He hurried back before dawn.
He knew where the other party lived and was sure that was the only way the other party would pass, but the other party did not show up all night.
Wu Xu ordered people to call Xu Zhiqiong.
Xu Zhiqiong is in good spirits and slept well in the Yamen last night.
"I asked you to keep an eye on me in the wine shop, are you taking advantage of me?"
Xu Zhiqiong shook his head and said: "Qianhu, I have been keeping an eye on Liang Yuming in the wine shop according to your instructions. I have sent you messages every time Liang Yuming comes and goes."
Wu Xu asked: "How many people did Liang Yuming bring to the wine shop?"
"He only had one person with him, and three other people had booked a table in advance. One of them called himself Ma."
This is completely consistent with the information Wu Xu received in advance, proving that Xu Zhiqiong did not lie.
"When they left, did they also leave separately?"
"They walked together and headed south in a carriage. You reminded me not to follow them, and I didn't dare to follow them."
Wu Xu thought for a while and murmured to himself: "Did someone leak the news?"
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Qianhu, it may not be that we have leaked the news, I am afraid that there is an insider in the wine shop."
Wu Xu was stunned: "How do you say this?"
"There is a new waiter in the wine shop. He calls himself Hao Quan. He doesn't know me, but he is very concerned about me. He asks other waiters about my identity and even my name. Liang Yuming is having a drink on the second floor. He goes there again and again.
He ran diligently to the second floor, and when he went out, Liang Yuming gave him a reward."
Wu Xu was startled and asked instead: "You have been staying in the wine shop, and Liang Yuming didn't attack you?"
Xu Zhiqiong shook his head and said: "My subordinate thought that the waiter was not good, so he secretly ran to the other side of the street during the banquet and stared secretly."
"Fortunately, you are smart," Wu Xu said after a moment of silence, "Let's go to Wu Anfu Restaurant!"
The two rode horses to the wine shop. The wine shop had not yet opened. Wu Xu pushed the door open and asked the waiter to wake up the sleeping shopkeeper.
When the shopkeeper heard that the lantern holder was coming, he hurried out to greet him. When he saw that it was Wu Qianhu, he almost collapsed on the ground.
Wu Xu signaled him to keep quiet and asked, "Ask your buddy Hao Quan to come see me."
"Hao Quan offended Lord Denglang?"
"Modo said, just call him over."
The shopkeeper hurriedly asked the waiter to call him. After a long time, the waiter came to report: "Hao Quan is missing."
Wu Anfu panicked: "Maybe he went to the toilet, please look for it again!"
The waiter shook his head: "I also went to the restroom and searched high and low, but I didn't see Hao Quan."
Wu Anfu was so frightened that he knelt on the ground: "Sir, Hao Quan is new here. I really don't know where he went!"
Wu Xu asked: "When he came, did you verify his identity?"
"Sir, I'm just a small shop here. I'm looking for a waiter. I asked him who he is. He said he was from the capital city and that he worked in Fengle Building. I saw that he was hardworking and smart, so I hired him.
Got off."
There is nothing wrong with what Wu Anfu said. This is the normal operation of ordinary wine shops.
Wu Xu asked another waiter: "Are you sleeping with Hao Quan?"
The waiter nodded: "The six waiters in the store and the cook all sleep in the same room."
"He went out last night and you didn't hear anything."
"No one heard him, and no one knew when he went out."
When Xu Zhiqiong heard this, he thought to himself: With such light skills, he must not be a eunuch, right?
Wu Xu asked again: "Does he usually pee with you?"
A waiter thought for a long time: "I don't remember this, he came too soon."
Another waiter said: "He is shy and never goes to the toilet with us."
He really is a eunuch.
Xu Zhiqiong took a breath, and thanks to his caution, he took a look with the Eye of Sin.
Even if Hao Quan was an eighth-grade eunuch, he might have died last night.
After finishing the necessary questions, Wu Xu was about to leave when Xu Zhiqiong said: "I want to go upstairs and see where they ate yesterday."
Wu Xu said: "What's so good about that?"
"Maybe there are still some clues left."
Wu Xu was too lazy to climb the stairs, so Xu Zhiqiong entered the private room alone. The private room had been cleaned long ago, leaving no trace.
Xu Zhiqiong calculated where everyone should sit, took out a knife, scraped off a few pieces of wood from different angles on the table, put them in his arms, and followed Wu Xu back to the Yamen.
When they arrived at Mingdengxuan, Wu Xu rubbed his brows and said, "Liang Yuming is really sophisticated at what he does. He can even make a secret in the wine shop. I underestimated him."
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Hao Quan's line is broken."
Wu Xu said: "It's not over yet. You've seen Hao Quan's appearance, and you know that Liang Yuming went to the wine shop, and you've also met Liang Yuming's guests. Liang Yuming will definitely not let you go. If I use you as bait,
We can also fish out their people."
Xu Zhiqiong sniffed and looked aggrieved: "Qianhu, you, you can't really be like this..."
"Of course I won't do that," Wu Xu laughed, "What's the use of fishing them out? These people are probably the same as Fan Baocai. They were captured and turned into poison before being interrogated. I'll use you as bait to exchange for them."
They? It’s not worth it.”
That's true. Is it worth it? Why don't you just trade it with me?
Wu Xu rubbed his eyebrows. He hadn't slept for three days. Xiao Songting, the green light man, walked in again. Before he could speak, Wu Xu waved his hand and said, "I won't see anyone today!"
Xiao Songting said: "Commander Zhong invites you to the Imperial City Si Zhengtang."
"Tell him I'm not going!"
"The commander sent someone to say that he has written a calligraphy and wants to hang it at the entrance of our government office."
"You let him hang!"
"That man did carry a piece of writing with him, and it was right at the yamen gate."
"Wait a minute!" Wu Xu stood up and straightened his clothes, "I'll go."
Before leaving, Wu Xu once again told Xu Zhiqiong not to leave the Yamen.
…
In the main hall of the Imperial City, Commander Zhong Shen, General Wuwei Shi Xun, and Qingyi Pavilion Young Master Jiang Feili have been waiting for a long time.
Zhong Shen's face was ugly. Today was the court meeting. In the past three days, sixteen women had disappeared one after another, and the total number had exceeded one hundred. The Ministry of Punishment was not doing its job well, and all officials were fined for one year. This case was finally settled.
At the head of the Imperial City Secretary.
Wu Xu nodded repeatedly when he heard this: "Since it is His Majesty's will, we cannot shirk it."
Zhong Shen sighed and said: "Your Majesty has not been in court for a long time. Today is the handwriting sent by the eunuch Chen Shuncai."
Wu Xu said: "The handwritten edict is also His Majesty's will. Is it possible that Chen Shuncai dared to falsely pass on the imperial edict?"
Zhong Shen had a gloomy face, and he was extremely resistant to this case: "Your Majesty ordered me to wait for a month to solve the case. What are your suggestions?"
Jiang Feili said: "Since the woman is missing, this case should be handed over to the Qingyi Pavilion. I will take a few Qingyi as bait to lure Ren Yazi out. After being captured alive, I will torture her severely. I will definitely solve the case within a month."
Zhong Shen waved his hands and said: "That's not right! I'm afraid that I won't catch the person, and I'll have to fold in a few more Qingyi!"
Jiang Feili looked unhappy and held back her words.
Wu Xu said: "Women often get lost at night, so it is appropriate for the Lantern Yamen to enforce the law at night and deal with this matter."
"It's not appropriate either," Zhong Shen shook his head and said, "The dispute between you and the officials has not been settled yet. If you cannot solve the case within a month, you will be criticized by the officials again."
Wu Xu stopped talking. It turned out that Zhong Shen already had a candidate in mind.
Since it was decided to hand it over to Wuwei Camp, why did you ask me to wait?
Zhong Shen looked at Wuwei General Shi Xun, but Shi Xun did not speak.
In desperation, Zhong Shen could only explain: "In my opinion, this matter should be handed over to Wuwei Camp. Wuwei Camp has many people and a strong reputation. They should arrest a few people first without interrogation, parade them through the streets, and execute them immediately." With this wave of power, we can suppress this group of thieves. As long as no more civilian girls go missing, the case will be over. As for the aftermath, it will have to be handed over to the Criminal Department."
The so-called aftermath refers to those women who have disappeared, and Zhong Shen has no intention of looking for them.
When Shi Xun heard this, he stood up and saluted and said: "I will do my best."
Zhong Shen nodded: "This case will be handed over to Wuwei Camp for investigation and handling, and Zhang Deng Yamen and Qingyi Pavilion will provide full support."
After the matter was settled and everyone left, Zhong Shen said to Wu Xu: "Bo Feng, please wait for a moment."
Wu Xu turned around and asked, "What else does the commander have to do?"
Zhong Shen said: "I received news today that Zhou Kairong reported illness and went back to his hometown to recuperate. After a while, the officials will transfer Zhou Kairong out of the capital. This matter can be considered settled."
Wu Xudao: "Now that it's settled, why don't you hand over the case to me? But you still say that I have some dispute with the officials?"
Zhong Shen sighed: "I know you have been secretly investigating this matter. The reason why I did not hand over the case to you is because you are too stubborn. The number of missing civilian girls has exceeded a hundred. You want to kill them all one by one. How easy is it to get it back? For the current plan, we can only rely on the reputation of the Wuwei camp to scare the thieves. Bo Feng, please listen to my advice and don't interfere in this matter again."
Wu Xu nodded and said: "Since the commander gave the order, why should Wu not obey it?"
"That's nice to say, you have disobeyed me often," Zhong Shen sneered, "If I find out that you are still investigating the case, I will hang the song "Drunk Spring Breeze" you wrote in your Yamen! "
Wu Xu raised his head and said with a ferocious expression: "Zhong Su Ming (Zhong Shen, also known as Su Ming)! Don't bully others too much. I also remember your red lips. I will hang up in your main hall tomorrow!"
"Hang on, just hang on! My poem is sincere, unlike your poem which is so nasty!"
"Why am I so dirty?"
"It hurts! But it's not dirty!"
…
Xu Zhiqiong locked the door in the small house, took a few pieces of wood, concentrated on Baihui, and jumped into the small dark room.
In the small dark room, he imagined Liang Yuming talking to a group of people named Ma, but at first he couldn't see the slightest outline.
It must be a problem with the seats. Xu Zhiqiong changed the seats several times in his mind, and finally got some outlines in front of his eyes. After making some minor adjustments, the picture became a little clearer.
Next, think about the way they speak, and then think about their voice.
Thinking of exhaustion and swollen temples, Xu Zhiqiong finally heard a sound in his ears.
The clinking of cups and plates caused a lot of interference in the sound. Apart from some useless polite words, Xu Zhiqiong could only hear clearly:
"Please tell the owner that the goods will be ready within a month at most."
goods?
Is he really there to discuss business?
Impossible. Are you going to kill me and silence me when we talk about business?
The goods are still a little short of quality. Are you talking about those women?