Chapter 223: Making up your own mind is the most deadly
Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall, the main hall of the mansion.
As soon as he sat down, Li Shui glared at his cousin hatefully and secretly scolded him for taking matters into his own hands and almost ruining the event.
Fortunately, he sent someone to keep an eye on the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall and got the news immediately that his cousin secretly entered the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall. Otherwise, he would not have been able to get there.
Fortunately, I got the news in advance and was prepared. I was able to take advantage of the last period before dark to bring enough money and land deeds to come and see him.
Fortunately, fortunately!
Li Shui breathed a sigh of relief and decided to go back and teach his useless cousin a lesson.
At this age, he is still so childish and unable to keep his temper. He really deserves a beating!
But Li Shui turned his eyes and noticed the food on the table, and his expression suddenly froze.
He hadn't paid attention just now, but now he noticed the strange food on the table in front of him.
Polenta mixed with pebbles, boiled cabbage, boiled tofu, green potato pieces...
The smell in the air is very unpleasant, with a distinct smell of vegetables, which makes people's heads feel swollen.
"this......"
Inexplicably, Li Shui's scalp felt numb.
He looked at Huang An, who was smiling with his eyes narrowed, and then at the food on the table, his lips trembling.
Something was wrong, Huang An didn't want to entertain them at all.
Then why was he smiling while collecting cash?
Lishui was an experienced man with a lot of experience. He quickly recognized that the things on the table that could barely be called pig food had been heated many times.
More than leftovers.
Even if there was heat floating on it, he could still tell.
He glanced sideways at the food on the table and pretended to take a sip of hot tea, not knowing what was going on in his mind.
As for Luo Feiyao, who was also sitting in the main hall, he also discovered it.
This stunningly beautiful woman will be noticed by anyone the first time they come in.
However, everyone present was not looking at the strange and beautiful woman, and the woman did not say a word.
Therefore, Luo Feiyao was ignored by him and treated as an ordinary beautiful maid next to Huang An.
Li Jie on the side was caught red-handed by Li Shui, and he did not dare to lose his temper at this moment.
The cousin's eyes were cold and he didn't dare to say anything. But the food on the table was really too bullying and he couldn't bear it.
He couldn't scold, argue, or walk away. He could only turn his head away and remain angry.
The scene turned cold for a while.
Huang An smiled heartily, made an awkward gesture in a familiar manner, pointed at the food on the table, and said apologetically to Li Shui:
"Today's lack of preparation is a sign of neglect. I have already sent people to hire horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts. I will send people to the village outside the city tomorrow to pull some food. The two brothers must attend the banquet tomorrow!"
"oh?"
"oh!"
Li Shui's eyes lit up slightly when he heard this. Although he didn't know what he was feeling, he still had a warm smile on his face when a normal host and guest meet.
He didn't know if Huang An was trying to humiliate the two of them, but he knew that at least Huang An had the intention to explain to them the reason for the meal in front of him.
Knowing this, he felt relieved.
The content of the explanation is not the key.
The key is that Huang An is willing to explain to them the kindly attitude behind this behavior, which is the key.
He quickly remembered a detail.
No wonder Master Yang and the others didn't have any oil or water on their mouths when they came out. They were still relatively dry. It turned out to be because of the food.
Presumably the reason why they didn't tell themselves that they were eating this kind of food after entering was because they were afraid of being embarrassed, right?
The atmosphere in the main hall seemed to have suddenly become much better.
Huang An rolled his eyes and focused his attention intentionally or unintentionally on the wooden boxes on both sides of the entrance to the main hall.
He spoke suddenly.
"I wonder if Mr. Li is here so late because he has something important to do?"
Huang An got straight to the point. It was already getting late, and he didn't want to be too polite with the two Li brothers.
Of course, that's not the point.
The key is that the more you speak, the more you expose. Simply say less and try to be consistent with what Zhang Sui'an and others said. This is the best way to hide.
Upon hearing Huang An's question, Li Shui paused slightly while holding the tea cup, and then took over the conversation with a smile.
"The person who came to see Mr. Huang today is not the county magistrate Li Shui from the Yamen, but a businessman named Li Shui."
He was a diplomatic person and soon became polite to Huang An.
"The weather this year is too hot. It must be difficult for the people inside and outside the city. These coins..."
Li Shui and Huang An were chatting away, while Li Jie was quietly drinking hot tea.
He had always come here like this, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
"City Lord Zhao is very busy these days with official duties. Mr. Huang would like to remind the city lord to take care of himself. If the city lord has something to say, please feel free to come and summon us. I hope Mr. Huang will tell you something."
Li Shui wanted to use Huang An's mouth to convey the attitude of his two brothers and the Li family to Zhao Yan.
This man has a very beautiful idea.
Huang An sneered in his heart, raised his eyelids slightly, and said perfunctorily with a smile:
"This is nature, this is nature."
"However, my senior sister's martial arts cultivation is quite good, and her subordinates are sufficient for the time being. If necessary, she will definitely not meet Master Li!"
Huang An's speaking skills are also impeccable.
The expression on his face is also very sincere.
A small impatience will ruin a big plan. Huang An always remembers Chao Mu's instructions.
The content of the conversation between the two, under Huang An's deliberate guidance and Chen Yu's help, was actually not much different from Zhang Sui'an and the others.
However, Li Shui came here today, obviously not only to get money to show that the Li family has a soft attitude, he also wanted to test the true thoughts of Huang An and Zhao Yan.
Li Shui is very cautious.
For him, family is greater than heaven, and he always adopts such a cautious attitude when dealing with matters related to the prosperity of the family.
"I heard that Mr. Zhao is in Dakai Yamen, trying various unjust, false and wrong cases in the city with the help of file records, and his officials are stretched thin. My cousin, the county captain Li Jie, has personally participated in it, and my Li family also has some people who can be used.
, I wonder if I can help?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Noticing Li Jie's casual tone, Huang An's heart moved. Li Shui was actually cautious.
He also knows how to test him repeatedly with words.
When we first talked, we mentioned account books and files many times.
It seemed that those account books and files contained some very unfavorable news for him or the Li family.
What a pity, what a pity.
The Li family will undoubtedly die.
Even if there are no problems in those account books and files, Chao Mu will "create" problems for them.
More importantly, the contents in the account books and files are just trivial matters to Huang An.
What Huang An personally prepared for them was the "big gift", a life-threatening gift.
Huang An concealed the inexplicable thoughts in his heart, and explained to Li Shui with a smile:
"Master Li, I don't know something. The warehouse in the city lord's palace is damp and has not been repaired for a long time. I have transferred the files and ledgers to the martial arts hall for temporary storage."
While chatting and laughing, he suddenly stood up and pulled Li Shui to the entrance of the main hall.
His eyes flashed, pointing to the small courtyard where the account books were placed not far away, and said with a smile:
"Look, it's right there, in a private house. As long as no one sets fire to it, there won't be any problems."
Li Shui looked in the direction pointed by Huang An's finger. About seventy or eighty steps away, there was a courtyard with a single house. There were two people guarding the courtyard.
That's where the files and ledgers are stored?
Li Shui took a deep look, as if he wanted to memorize the terrain in front of him.
But he reacted quickly.
Why did Huang An specially pull him and ask him to see the yard where the account books and files were stored?
And what he just said seemed to have a meaning.
Li Shui was a cunning old man. With a roll of his eyes, he decided to test it out and confirm his suspicion.
"Hey, the weather has been really hot recently. You have to be careful. Those account books and files can't be burned!"
His courage is not ordinary.
He actually said this on his own initiative?
Huang An's heart moved, and his eyes swept over Li Shui's face, noticing the concern and worry hidden in his eyes.
Likewise, with a glance and a slight shift, he caught a glimpse of the nervous expression on Li Jie's face.
Huang An understood.
Compared to people like Zhang Sui'an, the two principals of the Li family are most concerned about these account books and files.
Then Huang An can draw a conclusion from this. The account books and files must contain extremely unfavorable evidence against the Li family.
That's why the expressions on their faces were so rude.
Only Li Shui would remind himself about fire prevention.
This guy is testing me.
Test whether I can burn these account books and files?
Old fox!
After all, you still missed a trick, and you are obviously on a higher level.
Huang An smiled slightly, thought for a moment, and said with a smile:
"Master Li reminds me that we should worry about the fire burning the courtyard. However, the small courtyard is a single-family house, so no one will set fire to play around. Master Li, don't you think so?"
After saying that, he looked at Li Shui with a smile on his face and a playful look in his eyes.
It seems that there is something in the words.
Boring? Fire-proof? Playful? Single-family house?
Li Shui was obviously led astray by Huang An's deliberate words. He immediately felt calm and laughed.
"What Mr. Huang said is that no one would be so bored as to set a fire!"
After saying that, his eyes turned to Huang An, and the two of them suddenly laughed at the same time.
About three times later, Huang An added:
"After the banquet is over the day after tomorrow, all these account books and files will be returned. Mr. Li, what do you think?"
Huang An's ambiguous words seemed to have given Li Shui some key information.
Combining Huang An's last two sentences, Li Shui understood.
He felt that Huang An had hinted to him over and over again that he should take the initiative to burn these account books and files.
He realized it.
Li Shui laughed a few times, his worries disappeared, and even the wrinkles on his old face disappeared.
These account books should be burned.
The content inside, if you check it carefully, will make him walk away unable to eat.
It's also his fault for being careless. He felt that for such a long time, Youzhou didn't send a new city lord to take office, so he relaxed his vigilance and didn't bury the traces cleanly.
Fortunately, looking at Huang An like this,
He felt that Huang An was giving him a hint, asking him to send someone to burn these ledgers before the banquet the next day.
I looked up at the sky and saw that it was covered with dark clouds. It might be difficult to move today and tomorrow.
It must be burned before the banquet the day after tomorrow.
However, after taking a few quick glances, he discovered that there were special guards guarding the courtyard, and they needed to be chased away before setting the fire.
He subconsciously turned his head to look at Huang An and saw Huang An smiling brightly at him. Li Shui realized it again.
Huang An will drive these people away for him.
Huang An is such a good man.
Making up your own mind is the most deadly.
The light in Li Shui's eyes disappeared and he followed Huang An to regain his original position.
Although there was no food on the table and only a sip of hot tea, he felt that he was satisfied.
As cunning as Li Shui was, he became careless in the face of Huang An's confusing behavior.
Huang An's actions were what Zhao Yan meant.
This is almost the same as the actions of other previous superiors when they took office.
There are three things a new official does when he takes office. The first thing he does is to suppress these families and then ask them to pay a sum of money to eliminate the disaster.
This has been the case for hundreds of years.
Anyway, from Li Shui's point of view, all he wanted was money and obedience.
It is very reasonable to apply this result to all Huang An's actions.
Li Shui never thought that Huang An was from another world.
His three views have not been corrupted by this world, and he still has the sense of good and evil, right and wrong that a normal person has.
After the two of them talked for a few more words, Li Shui said it was getting late and could not be disturbed, so he took Li Jie and left.