That night, after dinner, the Cui family went to the study to discuss matters. Wenjixiang sent a boy over to deliver a letter. Not long after, a man dressed as a boy came in. Cui Ju took a look and saw that the person who came was Liuzhuang, with a straight waist.
He didn't look like a servant no matter how he looked. He hurriedly sent all the waiters out. The two men already knew that Shen Zhimo was a eldest lady, and it was obvious that the young man had a good status. Cui Mian then called his close old servant to come in and give Liuzhuang a cup of tea. Please
He sat down. Liuzhuang thanked him and took out the letter and handed it to the old servant. The old servant forwarded it to Cui Mian.
Cui Mian opened the letter and read it. Jia Cong asked him about Xie Jing's son-in-law An Defeng and his family's situation in Qi. He also asked Xie Jing, the former magistrate of Jiangxi, whether he had any relatives or friends in Qi, what their positions were, and their property. Cui Mian asked
Mian stroked his beard and said: "In recent years, the Xie family has many people in Qi State." Then he glanced at the old servant. The old servant turned around and went out.
After the HSBC bank froze the account, the Xie family immediately became difficult. Fortunately, Xie Jing was familiar with Green Forest things during the more than ten years he served as the prefect of Jiangxi. Although he collected black taxes, he did not stop helping the Green Forest people. Business in Jiangxi was gone.
, had to start all over again. Xie Jing carefully considered it for many days, and finally chose Qi State. Firstly, the people of Qi originally had many bandits, secondly, all the princes of Qi were useless, and thirdly, his relative An Zejing served as an official in Qi State. Green Forest
Business can only make money by colluding with the government.
Because most of the princes of the Qi Dynasty had the intention of seizing the heir, they all had to win over people, and they were all short of money. Xie Jing's business was going quite smoothly. He did not refuse anyone who came, such as killing people, selling goods, selling stolen goods, kidnapping, etc., and he also created a new kind of business.
Business. The Cui family also checked, but they didn’t find out what it was. They only knew that it was not only making money, but also had other benefits. An Zijing is now the admiral of Qi State’s academic affairs. He presides over scientific examinations and supervises academic officials. He is very popular among Confucian scholars.
Respect. The King of Qi was good at writing, and respected Confucius the most, so he also valued An Zijing. In terms of it, he was an isolated minister of the King of Qi, and he was not involved in the chaos in the court.
After hearing this, Liu Zhuang raised his eyebrows slightly. Cui Ju asked, "Does Prince Jia suspect that the matter has something to do with the An family?"
"Not yet." Liu Zhuang said, "I just don't worry about Xie Jing and his family."
Cui Ju said: "Master An is an honest official."
"Didn't you leak the test questions or accept gifts or anything like that?"
"No." Cui Ju said, "The An family never makes money from Mr. An's errands."
Liuzhuang understood and was about to leave. Cui Mian suddenly asked with a smile: "I wonder if Brother Liu is married."
Liu Zhuang said: "I am still young and my career has not yet been accomplished. I don't want to think about that for the time being."
Cui Mian nodded and said: "A good man first establishes a career and then a family. You are a good boy." He stroked his beard.
I saw the old servant coming in from outside just now, holding a piece of paper in his hand and just delivering it to Cui Mian. Cui Mian said: "Just give it to Brother Liu." The old servant responded "Yes".
Liuzhuang hurriedly stood up and took it with both hands and took a look. It was a list, listing in detail the names of the Xie family and their relatives as officials and officials in Qi State, as well as their various properties. Liuzhuang bowed deeply and thanked him.
After leaving Cui Mansion, Liuzhuang got on his horse and headed for Wenji Lane. When he reached the entrance of the alley, he suddenly heard a whistle. He saw a black figure sitting on the roof of a house, which he thought was a green forest man wearing night clothes. Liuzhuang
The man reined in the horse. The man jumped down from the roof, walked a few steps to Liuzhuang's horse and chuckled. Suddenly he bent his body, and suddenly there was a pair of Emei thorns in his hand, one of which stabbed straight into the horse's leg.
The man from Liuzhuang was still on the horse. He shook his left hand and shot a locust stone directly at the man's wrist. He held a musket in his right hand and pointed it at the man's head. The man was shocked, jumped back and cursed: "It's just a firearm."
That’s all.”
Soon after, several hidden weapons were fired from several surrounding rooftops at the same time, and they all rushed towards Liuzhuang. Liuzhuang took off his turban with his left hand and rolled his arms. Hearing several "ding-dong-dang-dang" sounds, the hidden weapons fell to the ground.
When this happened, the man in black had already taken shelter by the roadside, and Liuzhuang was pacing forward like no one else.
The man in black shouted from behind, "Wait a minute!" and said with a hint of annoyance: "I dare to ask this little brother if he recognizes Taoist Zhenming from Tianning Temple in Nanchang Prefecture."
Liu Zhuang said: "I don't recognize him."
The man muttered: "That's strange." Liuzhuang ignored him and went back to his residence.
Jia Cong and the others were waiting. Liuzhuang told what happened at Cui's house, and took out the list given by the old servant. Jia Cong whistled: "The Xie family has a Dingcheng Hou Mansion, but it has completely become a **.
"
Shen Zhimo frowned: "We should have simply destroyed them back then."
Jia Cong rubbed the back of his head: "I didn't expect them to be so obsessed with doing illegal business. Money corrupts people." He asked Liuzhuang, "What happened at the alley just now, I feel like the person who stabbed Emei recognized him."
What does your martial arts style and the moves you use have to do with that old Taoist priest Zhenming?"
"Wu Gan." Liu Zhuang said, "I don't recognize Taoist Master Zhenming."
Liu Xiaoqi also said: "The move of taking off the turban and rolling the concealed weapon is a martial art passed down from our family. I taught him."
"That's it." Jia Cong thought for a while, "My uncle will not fight with others casually. Only some extremely skilled people can arouse his interest. These guys are not like that either..."
Liuzhuang looked at the beam: "My father is following Taoist Master Zhenming. Most people think he is his disciple. If there are any young people who disturb him, he will probably take action."
Jia Cong nodded: "Yes. I think these people once went to Tianningguan to stir up trouble. They smashed a bunch of hidden weapons on your father and made your father wear a turban." He hurriedly called the communications troops to send a telegram to Jiangxi to ask if Liu Hu could meet him.
Have you ever been with this class of people?
Liu Xiaoqi thought: "These people must have been arranged by the Cui family. How did others know that Zhuang'er would come back from outside at this time? Baba was guarding the alley and called Zhuang'er 'little brother'."
Jia Cong smiled and said, "Could it be that old man Cui has taken a liking to Zhuang'er and wants to take him as his son-in-law and niece-in-law to test his abilities?"
Liu Xiaoqi also smiled and said: "It is also a blessing to marry a girl with a noble surname. Do you want Zhuang'er?"
Liuzhuang casually picked up the list, looked at it, and said, "I don't have time."
The next day, Jia Cong waited all morning and didn't receive a visit, so he was ready to go out and cause some trouble to attract attention. Just as he was packing up his clothes and about to go out, a telegram from Jiangxi came. Liu Hu had indeed used Liuzhuang's message last night.
That move.
It was the year when Jia Cong and others were rectifying the Xie family in Nanchang, many Green Forest people received the notice and went to cause trouble. There was a group of thieves from Shu. The leader was a pair of Fenshui Emei thorns, and there were six other accomplices, all of whom were good at flying over eaves and walking over walls.
Moreover, they are highly skilled in concealed weapons. This group of people never follow the rules of the jungle, and are accustomed to using more to defeat less. They are not popular on the road, but they are very trustworthy in business. Whoever hires them to kill people and buy goods has never failed.
The leader was named Zhou Lang, who boasted strong martial arts skills and a rather arrogant temper. When the new Jiangxi magistrate Su Tao auctioned the Xie family shop on Zhuzi Street, Zhou Lang led his accomplices to participate. Because he was unwilling to hand over the hidden weapon medicine buns on his body.
, allowing Liu Hu, who helped maintain order, to repair it easily, and felt very dissatisfied. The seven people returned to Shu and practiced hard for three years. They went to seek revenge from Liu Hu, but were defeated miserably. That time, the seven people fired concealed weapons with both hands at the same time.
A sneak attack on Liu Hu. It happened that a little Taoist priest was wiping the incense case. Liu Hu casually grabbed the rag and rolled up the fourteen concealed weapons. After shaking it off, the rag did not even have a thread to break, and gave it to the little Taoist priest to continue wiping the incense case. Zhoulang and others were filled with resentment.
And return.
After reading the telegram, Jia Cong touched his nose and hummed: "How could the Cui family accept such a person? How did Situ Cen govern the Shu Kingdom?"
Liu Xiaoqi rolled his eyes: "Have you read too many comments? There were originally these people on the green forest road. There were no rules, and life was just a matter of principle. If you want to catch thieves, why do you still challenge others? What?
There are no thieves or thieves in the country. Besides, Situ Cen is neither the king of Shu nor the heir apparent, so how does Shu have anything to do with him?" He took the telegram and muttered, "How come I seem to have heard of the name Zhou Lang?"
Jia Cong snatched the telegram: "Zhimo! You read it first."
Shen Zhimo said: "No need to look, I know Zhou Lang."
"You know?!" Liu Xiaoqi said, "How come you know it again? Is it in the Green Forest Book?"
"It's also on the Green Forest Register, and they do all kinds of business." Shen Zhimo said, "The winter before last, the Shu Kingdom issued Zhang Hai arrest documents, offering rewards for the arrest of seven people, and the leader was Zhou Lang."
Liu Zhuang immediately said: "I remembered! They assassinated a general of Shu."
"You really do all kinds of business!" Jia Cong whistled. "How much is the reward?"
Shen Zhimo frowned and said, "If the Cui family accepts such a bottomless person, aren't they afraid of backlash?"
Jia Cong read the telegram a few more times, handed it back to Liu Xiaoqi, and sat lazily with his chin in his hands. Liu Xiaoqi and others discussed it for a while after passing the telegram. Shen Zhimo said: "Is the prince still going out to cause trouble?"
"Get out." Jia Cong flexed his shoulders, "Mr. Cui didn't tell the truth. The Cui family knew about the very profitable and confidential business that Xie Jing was doing. Not only did they know about it, they also did business with Xie Jing.
Already."
Shen Zhimo hurriedly asked: "What is it?"
Jia Cong said: "It's still a pimp, but it's not a pimp who pimps people and sells goods, it's a pimp who pimps people out. For example, Zhou Lang and his brothers. They definitely don't do all kinds of business. They must first ensure that they are alive before they can spend money.
Because he accidentally took a business deal by mistake, he caused a big disaster. The streets were full of fishing documents with shadows and graphics. Zhou Lang and others wanted to survive, and the Cui family wanted to hire some nurses with strong martial arts skills. Xie Jing did it.
People make connections and tap on both sides." He thought to himself, "This kind of business must be very profitable. If you think about it, Shu country is not without experts. In the eyes of the Green Forest people, these officials all wear a pair of trousers. If you join one family randomly,
I'm afraid they were sold for the money. The Cui family is full of scholars. If we lure a wolf into the house, we will die and there will be no explanation. Therefore, we must have a reliable middleman as a guarantor. The Green Forest people believe it, and so does the Cui family.
Yes. Is there anyone more suitable than Xie Jing?"
Liu Xiaoqi nodded slowly: "It makes some sense."
Jia Cong chuckled: "I know how to cause trouble."
Liu Xiaoqi's eyes lit up: "Why are you causing trouble?"
"Zhimo, you have a good memory." Jia Cong said, "Besides this Zhou Lang, are there any green forest bandits who have caused great trouble in other countries and are wanted by the whole country?"
"Yes! There are many."
"Is there anyone from Yan State?"
"No."
Liu Xiaoqi hummed: "I am in charge of Yan State."
"Oops, I'm sorry, I forgot about you." Jia Cong said with a smile, "Well... is there anyone from the Wu Kingdom?"
"Yes." Shen Zhimo said, "Three years ago, a man nicknamed Dianshui Yanzi Lou Jinqiao killed the brother-in-law of his third brother, King Xiao Wu. The State of Wu offered a reward of 5,000 taels of silver for his arrest."
"Okay!" Jia Cong snapped his fingers, "It's up to him. Zhuang'er, please go back to the capital and find the shadow of Lou Jinqiao."
"No need." Shen Zhimo said, "I remember. I can just draw it."
Jia Cong clapped his hands: "Prime Minister Lin is so wise! Long live Prime Minister Lin~~" Shen Zhimo looked proud.
Liuzhuang still had to go out. Not long after, he invited someone from the printing workshop to come over. Jia Cong pointed to a portrait on the desk and said: "Carve this out and print it immediately. I can give you more money and just speed up the work."
come out."
The shopkeeper smiled broadly: "Don't worry, sir! I'll send craftsmen to make it for you overnight." He picked up the portrait and looked at it, and there was a line next to it. A reward of 10,000 taels of silver was offered for the capture of Wu Guo's Jiangyang thief Dian Shuiyan Lou Jinqiao, such as
If you have any clues, please go to Cui's house in Wenji Lane. He secretly smacked his lips: This Zhou official is so rich! Ten thousand taels, my dear!
Although the price of this workshop was high, the things they produced were good. In just one night, they printed out five hundred orders for Jia Cong, and the portraits on them were clear and in good shape. Liuzhuang then went out and hired some people to do some work.
Children, post this list everywhere.
It’s not unusual for the government to draw shadows and patterns to catch criminals, and it’s not unusual for the people to privately seek clues. What’s unusual is the bounty. Ten thousand taels of silver. This amount is too eye-catching, and people with good memories can still recall that Wu Guo’s sea three years ago
There is only a reward of 5,000 yuan for the arrest. All the officials and the prince's staff know that the Cui residence in Wenji Lane is Cui Ju's guest, who came from Yan State. Why didn't he see him just after arriving in Qi State?
I wandered the streets and did not go to Qufu to pay homage to the saint Confucius. Is there a reward for a criminal thief? More people are thinking too much, thinking that Cui Ju's brother-in-law, His Highness the Fifth Prince, was kidnapped by the green forest people in the middle of the night, silently and with great danger.
. Could it be that this person named Lou Jinqiao is the murderer of His Highness the Fifth Prince? I don’t know how many people were lost in the study for a while. I guessed and analyzed the purpose of this person’s visit and what his relationship is with Cui Ju and the Cui family.
Naturally, the Cui family also learned about this, and ordered someone to pick up a bill from the street and go back to see it. They couldn't guess what Jia Cong wanted to do. Cui Ju simply went to Wenji Lane by himself. Jia Cong said
: "It's nothing, I just want to cause some trouble."
Cui Ju said: "Who is this Lou Jinqiao?"
"No matter who he is," Jia Cong said, "A wanted criminal who has been wanted for three years, there is no harm if he is caught, and it doesn't matter if he is not caught." Nai looked at him with a smile and said, "That's right, Brother Cui."
Cui Ju said: "Master Jia seems to have something in his words, but I can't understand it."
"I don't understand~~ Just forget it if you don't understand." Jia Cong waved his hand, "As the saying goes, it is rare to be confused. But I would like to remind brother Cui and the Cui family. Nothing is always reliable." Cui Ju frowned.
Jia Congnai picked up two portraits of Lou Jinqiao from the desk and handed them to him. Cui Ju took a look and saw that the reward on the first one had been increased to 20,000, and the second one was 50,000. He raised his head in shock. Jia Cong said leisurely,
"Money is a magical thing. Brother Cui, why don't you guess, how much money can I increase to receive news from Lou Daxia?"
Cui Ju asked curiously: "Why does the prince want him?"
"Nothing." Jia Cong said, "It's just to break an unspoken rule of the industry."