General Bao divided the 3,000 soldiers into two teams of half and half. One team stayed by the burning house to guard for fear that fish might slip through; the other team followed the artillery. The roads in Bagua Village are complicated, but Zhuangzi itself is not big. Today
Although they brought only small artillery, it didn't take much to blast out a road. After a while, they could see the outside of the village in the distance. Liu Xiaoqi asked the artillerymen to stop their work, and he stepped on the rubble and went out for a walk.
Go out and meet up with General Bao's lieutenant outside.
Suddenly he came back and said with a smile: "It's only twelve or thirty feet away from here. There are two traps halfway up the road. One is a random arrow, which has been released long ago; the other is a pit, which has been roughly filled with the collapsed house.
." He looked back at the fire, "I don't know if we can burn it all tonight. Don't take advantage of the dark night and high wind to escape one or two."
General Bao patted his chest and said, "Brother Liu, don't worry, with our brothers here, not even a mouse can escape!"
Liu Xiaoqi glanced at the surrender: "There is no Mr. Zhao here. I wouldn't believe it if he didn't find a place to hide. He resisted the two days of interrogation because he hoped that the master would rescue him. At any rate, the master
He is the grandson of Fengzi Long. Now that the Bodhisattva who has become mud is unable to protect himself when crossing the river, it will be much easier for him to pry with his mouth."
General Bao clapped his hands and said, "All heroes think alike! The last general thinks the same way." Liu Xiaoqi smiled and stretched out her hand to give him a high-five.
General Bao then left another lieutenant to guard the fire house. He, Master Lu, Liu Xiaoqi, and the silent guard escorted the prisoners to evacuate through the gap on the east side. Liu Xiaoqi kept looking at Steward Ding from the corner of his eye, and saw
His expression was calm and calm, and he was a little surprised as to why he fell to the ground in shock.
When they arrived outside the Bagua Village, Liu Xiaoqi said to Mr. Lu: "I was ordered by my superior to come here to help you. You are going to meet your prince later, so I won't go."
Because everyone in the Lu family thought that Jia Cong and others were foreigners from Southeast Asia, it was understandable that they wanted to avoid meeting the King of Qi. Mr. Lu nodded and said, "That's fine. Thank you, Mr. Zhuang and Mr. Zhou." Liu Xiaoqi clasped her fists.
He flashed into the trees and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
One of the soldiers couldn't help but asked: "Sir, who is this strong man?"
Mr. Lu coughed twice and said, "I'm here to protect an important person in Nanyang. Don't ask any more questions."
An hour later, His Highness the Third Prince and his uncle's residence were surrounded by heavy troops. The soldiers were all loaded with guns and ammunition, and they also pushed small artillery pieces.
That evening, General Bao came to visit Liu Xiaoqi. He only brought two soldiers with him. After entering the room and sitting down, General Bao cupped his fists at Liu Xiaoqi and said, "I heard that Mr. Zhou is very smart and doesn't have sand in his eyes."
, no one can coax it. But is it true?"
Liu Xiaoqi thought for a while: "That's not the case. He has some weird ideas, and he is easy to fool when people catch his shortcomings. He is lazy, but it is very difficult to fool him when he cheers up."
General Bao said: "I am not a general under King Qi at this moment. Please treat me as an ordinary friend, Brother Liu. I have something to ask Mr. Zhou for help."
Liu Xiaoqi twitched the corner of her mouth: "That's not going to be easy."
General Bao smiled bitterly: "Not only is it difficult to handle, but in my opinion there is absolutely no hope. But I really can't ignore it."
"That's it... I'm quite happy to cause trouble for him." Liu Xiaoqi stretched her head out the window and shouted, "Zhou Ji, Zhou Ji, come in!"
General Bao turned around and saw that there were countless candles lit in the yard, and it was as bright as day; several people were boxing. One of the men wearing arrow sleeves immediately stopped his move after hearing this, turned around and came towards their house. Liu Xiaoqi took the place of the second one.
After the introduction, he asked General Bao what was going on.
General Bao let out a long sigh: "That's the case this afternoon. Now we have found out the origin of the musket."
Jia Cong and Liu Xiaoqi looked at each other and said curiously: "Isn't that all clear? The third child is his uncle's subordinate."
General Bao said sternly: "The Third Highness's uncle, General Sima Tu, was born Bao, and he was the brother of the Mo General, because his uncle had no heirs. The Mo General and the third brother Tu grew up together, and they knew very well what kind of person he was. He
There is absolutely no way he would approve of His Highness seizing the heir, let alone sending soldiers to his nephew to do green forest business. Third brother Tu is definitely not a person who violates the law. The general has no evidence, but the general knows it."
Jia Cong stared at his face and said, "I believe you."
General Bao was surprised: "Sir, do you believe it?"
Jia Cong said: "Evidence is often deceptive, so I trust the generals' intuition more. Besides, I know many generals from all over the world. These people all look down on Green Forest. Which one is stronger, the army or the Green Forest people, will you tell me this afternoon?
Not very clear? At first I thought it was strange. A prince with military power would not condescend to do green forest business. And for a prince with military power, no matter how blind his opponent is, they cannot ignore him.
. However, Mr. Lu said that he had always been peaceful, and the prince never paid attention to it. The word "pace" is too subjective and means reassuring. If the prince was so unwary, he would have been overthrown by his younger brother long ago. If it were as General Bao said,
If the third child’s uncle refuses to support him in seizing the heir apparent, and the prince knows about this, it can be justified.”
Liu Xiaoqi also said: "Lao San has no firearms in his hand, so he has to use cold weapons."
General Bao couldn't help but slapped the case and said: "Yes, yes! That's it! If Brother Tu San is willing to help him, why would he bother to deal with those low-life green forest people! Why don't you tell our prince, sir?"
Jia Cong waved his hand and said: "Seizing the progeny is not something you can just listen to in a playbook. If you can't produce evidence, just relying on a few words is useless. Since you think General Ouyang is taking the blame for someone else... Hmm...
...Good people will guard him and his family, and he must not be allowed to commit suicide out of fear of crime." General Bao was shocked. Jia Cong said calmly, "Is General Ouyang's subordinate who sent soldiers and firearms to His Highness the Third Prince still alive?
?”
General Bao said: "Died in Bagua Village. That Mr. Zhao has been captured alive."
"To do such a big thing, he has already prepared the most suitable person to take the blame. It shows that the real culprit is very meticulous." Jia Cong said, "The nights are long and the dreams are many, so he naturally hopes that the case will be closed as soon as possible." Jia Cong said with a smile, "I
I believe that King Qi and the Crown Prince do not want to be deceived by the real murderer."
General Bao nodded repeatedly: "General, I will go to see the prince."
"The general should go and ask to see the Crown Prince." Jia Cong said, "The Crown Prince hopes in his heart that General Ouyang will be clean. That means he has seen the right person." General Bao nodded again.
Liu Xiaoqi said with a smile: "There is a rice shop in the city called Fengrao Rice Shop. I suggest you check it out."
General Bao asked hurriedly: "What's wrong with this rice shop?"
Liu Xiaoqi blinked: "I'm telling you, you are not allowed to tell anyone."
"Definitely."
It turned out that after coming out of Bagua Village, Liu Xiaoqi did not return to the city, but sneaked back quietly. At that time, the fire house was still burning. When it was time for dinner, General Bao sent someone to deliver food to the brothers, and the soldiers who stayed behind inevitably missed it.
When he was relaxed, a figure jumped out of the quiet and unfired house and slipped away unprepared. Liu Xiaoqi followed the man into the city and jumped into a house. There was no one else in the house. The man washed and changed his clothes.
, then quietly climbed over the wall and left, walked to the street and called for a carriage, and finally entered Fengrao Rice Shop as if nothing happened. Liu Xiaoqi heard the guys calling him "the boss", and rushed to Jia's Horse Shop to ask.
, the owner of this rice shop is a foreigner, but he has been running a rice shop here for more than ten years. He is just like an ordinary businessman, and he should not recognize noble people.
After hearing this, General Bao was shocked and said: "That man is also a bandit! I will go and catch him now."
Liu Xiaoqi said: "I have been doing this for more than ten years. The green forest business in Qi was started slowly by Xie Jing after he resigned as the prefect of Jiangxi. He must be a trick of some force planted in the market of Qi. Don't try to scare the snake.
, to investigate in secret, so as not to kill anyone or abandon the soldiers to save the carriage."
General Bao cupped his fists and said, "Thank you so much, Brother Liu." Then he stood up and said goodbye.
As soon as this person left, Liu Xiaoqi asked Jia Cong: "You suspected that Lao San's uncle was innocent, why didn't you tell us first?"
"I wasn't suspicious at first!" Jia Cong rolled his eyes at him, "You believe bullshit like a general's intuition. Since there is still a Fengshou rice shop that has slipped through the net, General Bao's words are much more credible, so I will
I forcefully pulled out some ideas and logic and gave them to him."
Liu Xiaoqi rolled her eyes at him: "I shouldn't believe what you say!"
Jia Cong smiled and picked up the pen and wrote a note, asking Liuzhuang to help send it out. "When no one is around, give it to old man Cui Mian alone." He said, "Don't let his old servants and young men see it.
"Liuzhuang took the note and left. Jia Cong patted his head and said, "I remember our horse shop has a camera?"
"Yes, I have."
"I'll pick it up early tomorrow morning," Jia Cong said, "and then I said that I suddenly wanted to go see Confucius."
Liu Xiaoqi frowned: "What are you making a fuss about?"
Jia Cong winked: "Stay away! I'm afraid the fight between gods will be affected."
The next morning, Liu Xiaoqi went to the horse shop to get the camera in person, and secretly sent Brother Jiang Jing to their care. Jia Cong said goodbye to Lu Jian, saying that he had changed his mind and still wanted to rush to Qufu. Lu Jian was a Confucian scholar and already knew
Whose name is "Zhou Ji", naturally they will not stay together. Jia Cong and others walked out of the city gate with their luggage and left in a hurry.
Only when they arrived in Qufu did they find out that none of King Qi's sons came to attend the memorial ceremony for Confucius. An official was sent as in previous years. Jia Cong did not go to see Master Kong, but pretended to be an ordinary tourist and stayed at an inn.
The day before the memorial ceremony for Confucius, he received a telegram saying that the capital was in chaos and that many families had been sealed off, but there was no Cui family. Jia Cong held his cheek and stared at the telegram in a daze. Liu Xiaoqi kicked him: "Maybe it's not the Cui family.
?”
Jia Cong shook his head: "If the uncle of the third child does not support him, then his in-law family will definitely support him. Otherwise, where will he have the strength to cause these troubles? A large-scale golden cicada escapes... A thousand-year-old family really has this ability. Cui Mian must
They want to use our power to get rid of their direct descendants, otherwise they won't hide my identity." He thought for a while, "I'm afraid we guessed wrong at first. The person who is partnering with Ma Niangniang is not the third child, but him
Father-in-law, the third child is probably a puppet."
Liu Xiaoqi thought: "Could that Manager Ding be Ding Chu?"
Jia Cong murmured: "If so... isn't he Lao Wu's aide? How come he became Lao San's manager again?"
Liu Xiaoqi smiled and said: "He is obviously Ma's friend. Whoever Ma cooperates with, he belongs to."
"But Zhuang'er revealed that Lao San was planting nails around Ma. Shouldn't they break up? Why are her people still helping Lao San?"
"Have you ever been confused?" Liu Xiaoqi said, "It's not that easy to break up the gang. There is me among you and you among me. The Ma family is still in Prince Qi's palace, and they can't live in exile."
Jia Cong snorted: "It's strange that Mr. Ma would be willing to flee to the end of the world with him." He thought for a long time, picked up the pen and wrote another note. Then he called a guard to come in and give a few words, ordering him to deliver it immediately.
Go to Cui Mian.
The military horses mounted by the guards were very fast, and they arrived at Cui Mansion in less than an hour. They saw that the door of the house was closed tightly, and none of the doors where they usually sat were visible. They stepped forward and pulled the door knocker. After a while, someone was there.
Inside asked: "Who is it?"
The guard said: "I am sent by Mr. Zhou Ji to deliver a message to Mr. Cui."
"Wait a minute."
After half a day, the door finally creaked open, and it was Cui Ju who stood inside. This man had an unshaven beard and a haggard face. The guard was taken aback and shouted: "Uncle Cui."
Without saying a word, Cui Ju turned aside to let him in and whispered: "My father is sick."
The guard frowned slightly: "How seriously ill are you?"
"It's very impressive." Cui Ju said, "That's why our family is closing its doors to thank guests."
The guard said: "My husband wrote an urgent letter and asked me to deliver it immediately and hand it over to Lord Cui Mian."
Cui Ju immediately said: "Of course I have to read Mr. Zhou's letter. Strong man, follow me." Then he led him to Cui Mian's house.
Seeing that it was March in Yangchun, Cui Mian's room was tightly closed and a charcoal basin was lit. He felt suffocated when he entered the room. Cui Mian was lying on the kang, covered with a big quilt, and his old face turned red. Cui Ju will
I helped him sit up and lit candles in broad daylight.
The guard's face was calm, and he stepped forward and saluted: "Our husband asked me to tell you two stories before I write to your lord."
Cui Ju asked: "What story?"
"It is a fable written by Mr. Aesop, a Greek sage more than 2,300 years ago. One is called the Wolf and the Lamb, and the other is called the Farmer and the Snake." The guard read out the two fables as if they were endorsements.
The Cui family and his son looked greatly moved. The guard then took out the note and gave it to Cui Ju with both hands. Cui Ju took it and gave it to me.
Cui Mian took a breath and opened the paper with trembling fingers. He saw two lines of big characters written on it: It can't be tolerated anymore. There is no need to endure it anymore. The winner is the king, and the loser is the bandit.
Cui Mian stared at the note for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter. Cui Ju remained silent for a long time. After a long time, the old man lifted up the bedding on his body and wiped his sweat: "It's too hot, old man. Open the door and open the window!"
"
Cui Ju shouted: "Father!"
Cui Mian got off the kang and said to the guard: "Thank you for your hard work, strong man. Please go to the back to rest for a while and have a banquet."
"Thank you, sir." The guard said, "Now that the letter has been delivered, I will take my leave and go back."
"Since it is inconvenient for me to stay here," Cui Mian said, "Ju'er will send the strong man out of the house." Cui Ju looked at his father anxiously and saw that Cui Mian was not moving at all, so he had to accept the order.
The two of them had just left for a while when Cui Mian called a steward over and said, "Go and open the door. Tell the people outside that I'm cured of my illness thanks to the good medicine that Mr. Zhou Ji sent quickly from Qufu."