The atmosphere on the boat is good, with beautiful lakes and mountains, flocks of wild ducks and waterbirds flying overhead from time to time, and patches of reeds reflecting in the warm winter sun. On the deck, the freshly caught fish and shrimp are passed through the hands of the chef, and they are so delicious that they are almost overwhelming.
Swallow your tongue.
Wu Cunli, the governor of Jiangsu, was very reserved. He sat in a more conspicuous position, sitting next to Hong Zhou. His order was still above Hong Zhu, Hong Xuan and Hong Dun.
He stroked his big beard and chatted with Hong Zhou while eating: "This Gaoyou Lake is the third largest freshwater lake in Jiangsu. It is called the Hanging Lake because the water level is higher than the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. There are several small lakes, among which the largest
There are 36 lakes such as Zhu Lake, Zongshe Lake, and Ping'a Lake, and the lakes are connected with each other. The total area is very large, and it is the waterway of the Huaihe River. The water surface is wide, the environment is beautiful, and the products are rich. The Gaoyou Lake hairy crabs and Gaoyou Lake lobsters are extremely delicious.
, the production of fish and shrimp is also very large." As he said this, he couldn't help but raise his finger to point at the birds passing by the lake, "Wild ducks and egrets are common here. Can you tell me what they are?"
Hong Zhou looked very interested and shook his head repeatedly, saying that he had never seen it before.
Wu Cunli burst out laughing, "White wrens, red-crowned cranes, and egrets will fly back every autumn to breed and spend the winter here. It's a little late now. If it had been two months earlier, Gaoyou Lake would have been very lively. Our Jiangnan literary style is at its peak.
At that time of year, a large number of literati come here to visit the lake and enjoy the scenery, which is a grand event."
"That must be Master Wu's effective contribution to governing the place." Hong Zhou poured a glass of wine himself and said, "Here's to Master Wu."
Li Xu looked here and there, his brows knitted into knots. This was still different from what he expected. He thought that the Fourth Brother would investigate to the end for the sake of credit, but he never expected that it would be such a result.
Yes! Jiang Nan is really not that restless.
At this moment, he was getting worried. There was no airtight wall in the world. He had no intention of leaking the story of pushing Li Yutang out. These little brats who didn't even have full hair didn't know what he was thinking. But,
But these old people in the officialdom know it. Who has no idea what kind of person Li Yutang is? If you click on this person, this person will dare to pour out all the goods in his stomach.
If you want to let this group of people know your intentions, I'm afraid you don't have to wait for the Long Live Lord to deal with you after the period of filial piety. This group of people can cramp and skin you. Therefore, this matter really cannot be connected to you.
So he bypassed the crowd and walked to Hong Zhu, who was talking to the chief envoy Li Shiren, and said, "Brother, please take a step to speak."
After saying that, he bowed his hands to the chief envoy and said, "Master Li, please forgive me."
The official position of the chief envoy is not low. It is comparable to that of the director of the civil affairs department and the finance department of a province. But this man was very polite to Li Xu. This Zhizhaofu Yamen is just a person.
The administrative agency is subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is two different things from the officials of the imperial court. Although this person's position is not high, he has the power to report secretly and is one level higher than any other official.
Seeing Li Xu coming to intercept the person, he smiled and stroked his beard, "Please do it! Come over and have a drink together in a while."
"Absolutely!" He was even more polite when others were polite, and his waist was bent almost ninety degrees.
Hong Zhu's eyes flashed, and he had to say that Li Xu was indeed capable. The late emperor's favor and trust was one thing, but it also had something to do with his own cautiousness in handling matters.
Following Li Xu to the bow of the boat, there were only a few boatman-like people walking back and forth.
Hong Zhu leaned against the side of the ship and asked, "Is there something wrong, Mr. Li?"
Li Xu looked at it carefully, then turned around, turned his back to everyone and faced the lake and whispered: "Brother, please keep your mouth shut about what happened before."
Hong Zhu smiled inwardly, "Master Li is really a person who understands current affairs."
Not everyone has the ability to immediately turn around when things go wrong.
Li Xu couldn't understand the ridicule in these words, and a flash of anger flashed in his heart. If the late emperor was here, let alone a brat like him, even the brat's father would not dare to do this to him.
.But now... it's not the past after all. He really cherishes the memory of the late emperor in his heart. No matter how unhappy he is, his face is still the same, "Speaking of which, I know Master Jiu well..."
Hong Zhu narrowed his eyes, he was planning to use his father to suppress him.
Why?
After only a moment of pause, he patted his chest and assured, "Young master Shenqian still knows this. Don't worry, Mr. Li. I will tell fifth elder brother later."
Li Xu looked at Hongxuan seriously. Can he believe this?
Then Hongxuan said, "I guess Mr. Li knows the rules."
With just these words, Li Xu felt at ease. Understand the rules? What are rules? Rules mean what they mean. As long as you are willing to ask for money, there is nothing to worry about. He quickly said: "Brother, don't worry, I understand."
If you don’t understand the rules, Master Jiu knows it.”
Hong Ju was in a state of anxiety, don't check it again and again, it must be all his old accounts. If this is really the case, it seems that he should not ask for the merit this time, and just take the blame for his own fault. This merit
Even if it's too much, don't call me Long Live Lord to punish me. As for my own Ama... it's not easy to say that.
Thinking like this, the steps towards Hong Zhou became more determined.
Hong Zhou was talking to Wu Cunli. The two of them were talking about famous Jiangsu food. Wu Cunli was inviting Hong Zhou to his home.
Seeing Hong Zhu walking over with a serious face, the two stopped talking.
"Fifth elder brother." Hong Zhu went over and saluted Hong Zhou. No matter how familiar we are together, there is a clear distinction between superiority and inferiority outside.
Hong Zhou knew this and had a smile on his face. After receiving the gift, he was very enthusiastic and said, "Brother, come and sit down."
Hong Zhu went over and leaned against Hong Zhou's ear and whispered: "Li Xu is afraid that the news will be leaked... We might as well use the trick. This old guy won't spit unless he is forced to the point where he has nowhere to go..."
Hong Zhou lowered his eyelids, but he had already made a calculation in his heart. Just when he was looking for an opportunity to attack, Hong Zhu said this, but someone handed him a pillow just because he was dozing off.
Therefore, after Hong Zhu finished speaking and stood aside expressionlessly, he showed a bit of astonishment. First he looked at Li Xu who was standing on the bow of the ship far away, then looked at Hong Zhu, and finally looked at Li Xu who was standing on the side.
Governor Wu Cunli. Then he looked at Li Xu, and then at Wu Cunli, looking between them for a long time. The expression on his little face changed from shock to disbelief to anger. This change was shocking.
Wu Cunli, the governor of Hongzhou, and Li Shiren, the chief envoy, could not help but frown when they saw this. What was going on?
Only Hongxuan and Hongdong exchanged glances with each other. Hongzhou's behavior was too exaggerated. One of them peeled the shrimp and the other picked out the fish bones, as if they had found nothing.
Hong Yu stood next to Hong Zhou with his eyes and nose, his nose and heart in mind, and he didn't even look up when anyone looked at him.
Hong Zhou stood up abruptly, and with a flick of his arm, the plates in front of him fell to the deck, making a huge noise. The banquet, which was originally a feast of wine and wine, fell silent as if the pause button had been pressed.
"That's unreasonable!" After calming down, Hong Zhou's words reached the ears of all the adults very clearly.
Who are you talking about? Everyone looked at each other.
Wasn't it fine just now? Why did it change? Who can stand up and tell me what's going on?
Just as he was wondering, he saw the fifth elder brother standing up with an angry look on his face and quickly entered the cabin.
this?
Wu Cunli looked at Hong Zhu, "Brother, what is the fifth brother?"
Hong Yan glanced meaningfully in the direction of Li Xu, and then said in a voice that could only be heard by the two of them: "Master Wu has always had a close relationship with my father and eighth uncle, so it doesn't hurt to remind him..."
, and then looked at Li Xu in the distance, "There is a saying that it is impossible to guard against a thief... That's it, Mr. Wu, take care of yourself."
What does it mean to be difficult to guard against a house thief?
Who is the house thief?
Following Hong Zhu's meaningful gaze, Wu Cunli looked at Li Xu, who was standing on the side of the ship and bowed his hands in greeting.
It's him?
Why him?
But why couldn't it be him?
He was originally a snitch, who could he be?
But what exactly did he say to make Fifth Elder Brother walk away?
Looking at what the fifth elder brother meant just now, the emperor still wanted to appease Jiangnan. The three-foot sword that was originally hanging above his head has been removed. Who still wants to kill him?
He turned and looked at Li Shiren, and both of them followed Hong Zhou's footsteps. As soon as they reached the door of the cabin, they were blocked by a tall pockmarked man.
I didn't know this person before, but now I have to know him. This is also the imperial envoy this time - Li Wei, the emperor's servant when he was in hiding.
It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, that’s what Li Wei said anyway.
"Two adults, please come back. The fifth elder brother is nowhere to be seen now." Li Wei said, his tone softened, "The fifth elder brother is young and energetic. He will be fine after a while. I will make arrangements for the adults.
Room, please come with me. It’s very windy on the lake. If you get sick, I won’t be able to explain it to Lord Long Live when I return to Beijing next time.”
The two of them thought the same thing!
I followed Li Wei to the cabin at the other end.
When the people came in, he asked thoughtfully, "Our people are guarding the outside, so you two adults can feel at ease. Just ask them to run errands if you want. If there is someone you don't want to see... can I send them away for you?"
That couldn't be better.
The subordinates outside must all want to inquire about the news right now. But I don’t know anything, so what can I say? If I stay away, I just have the opportunity to calm down and think about what happened today.
.
"Thank you." Both of them were very polite to Li Wei.
Li Wei sent the two of them inside and closed the cabin door smoothly. He said to the dozen or so people guarding outside: "Keep your guard, no one is allowed to come near."
An inconspicuous black man asked in a low voice: "Do you want the doors and windows to be locked?"
Li Wei turned his head, glanced at the two cabins, and then said: "Lock it!" Afraid of a ball!
I was already a generous enough person, but then a prince came who was even more generous than me, so let’s just leave it like that. It’s such a damn relief to do it.
Then the people who filled the ship saw that the governor and the chief envoy were imprisoned.
Got it now?
But this cabin is different from others. The sound insulation effect inside and outside is very good. It is very noisy outside, and the most you can hear inside is a buzzing sound. It is normal for people to talk a lot and make a little buzzing noise. Both of them are tired.
, lying in the cabin with his eyes closed and thinking about something.
Li Xu finally felt that something was wrong. He took a few steps and ran towards this side. Looking at the cabin that was locked with a large iron rope, a chill ran down his spine. How did he say this? How could he just start taking action?
Someone saw Li Xu coming and hurriedly said hello, "You are familiar with several of my brothers. Please help us find out what made my brother angry."
Li Xuxin said that this was not anger at all. He looked around in panic, leaning against the side of the ship step by step. When had there been so many people standing there?
It's over! The emperor has no intention of letting it go gently. The people in this boat are now meat on someone's chopping block.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard someone calling someone, "Shun, King of Jiangsu Liangdao——"
Everyone suddenly fell silent.
The little eunuch who called the roll call was young, and his voice still had a high-pitched crispness, "Wang Shun of Jiangsu Liangdao——"
A short man in his forties with a mustache came from the crowd and said, "Jiaguan... I'm here..."
Xiao Luzi lowered his eyelids and imitated Su Peisheng's airs, "Are you Wang Shun of Jiangsu Grain Road?"
"It's the lower official." He wiped his sweat. The two superiors were locked up. He couldn't be the next one, right? Are you afraid? How could you not be afraid? Where are the fools here?
If you don't react, you'd be really stupid.
Xiao Luzi nodded reservedly, "Then come in."
Hong Zhou looked at Xiao Luzi's appearance inside and wished he could curse him, "dead eunuch".
Mr. Wang came in and saw Li, and quickly wiped his sweat and said, "Greetings to the fifth elder brother."
"Get up." Hong Zhou took the master's seat, and Hong Zhu took the pen as the master. This is for recording.
Hongxuan and Hongdun went out, and they had to stay outside to watch the show. Li Wei stood dutifully at the door, listening to the sounds inside.
Hong Zhou asked Wang Shun to get up, "Get up so you can talk."
Wang Shun got up and moved a chair to the middle of the cabin for him to sit on. It was not very comfortable to sit in this kind of seat with no leaning on either side and no table in front of it. He moved uneasily, his buttocks just
He sat on the edge of the stool and looked at Hong Zhou carefully, "I wonder why the fifth elder brother invited me here..."
Hong Zhou leaned on the chair, waved his hand to interrupt the other party's words, and said bluntly: "I don't want to invite you either, Mr. Wang, I really have no choice, someone has invited you. I really won't hide it from you, as early as here
There was someone named Li...Li..." He looked at Hong Zhu and asked, "Who is Li?"
"Li Yutang." Hong Zhu reminded.
"Ah! Yes! It's Li Yutang." Hong Zhou looked like a confused elder brother, a little impatient, "You should be familiar with this person, he is your old boss. He gave you to Shandong
Ordered... Originally, for the sake of the stability of Jiangnan, I didn't think about doing it now. Who would have thought that someone would not be willing to accept it? Things have happened one after another. You said that it has become this big, so can I just ignore it? You
Just talk casually and say what you mean. For example..." He looked at Hong Zhu again as he spoke, "What does Li Yutang's confession say? Read it to our Lord Wang..."
Hong Zhu grabbed the book from the other side, took it out, flipped through a few pages, and started to read, how much money and food was lost in which year, who was handling it, how the money and food was distributed, and who got how much. He clearly remembered it.
As soon as the strips came down, the sweat on Wang Shun's head immediately fell down, drop by drop, and he knelt on the ground with a pop.
Hong Zhu then closed the account book in his hand. Hong Zhou leaned forward and asked, "Do you still want to read it?"
"No! No... I can't..." Wang Shun knocked his head on the ground with a bang, "I dare not cry out for injustice, I... I..."
"You don't have to be afraid!" Hong Zhou smiled, "I really had no choice but to do this. To be honest, Huang Ama is very knowledgeable about Jiangnan's affairs, but why didn't he touch you?
It’s what the court needs, and the other one is that you are all veterans of the late emperor’s reign, and the Emperor Ama really can’t bear it..."
Wang Shun nodded repeatedly, "I am ashamed of your Majesty..."
"Don't shout yet!" Hong Zhou stood up and personally helped Wang Shun up. "Based on your crimes, you should understand what will happen to you."
What will happen?
Let alone save his head, the whole family is afraid that Ning Guta will be sent as a slave to an armored man.
Thinking of this, his face instantly turned pale, "Chen Wan died..."
"You don't have to die." Hong Zhou helped Wang Shun sit back and motioned to Xiaoluzi to bring him a cup of tea to calm him down. "Master Wang, if there is a chance, I can save you from death and your family will not be implicated."
, the most you can do is to live by your ancestral property, what will you do?"
Wang Shun's eyes lit up, "Fifth elder brother! As long as there is a glimmer of hope, as long as my elder brother can save my life, just say what do you want? Money? I can give it to you. Beauty? I will find it for you."
, If it doesn’t work out, I still have an unmarried daughter at home, and I would like to send it to my elder brother to serve as a slave and serve as a maid..."
A cold look flashed across Hong Zhou's eyes. He was willing to pay back the money, but he even gave up his own daughter. Such a person really deserves to die.
But there's no rush now! He turned around and reminded himself over and over again that there was no rush, now was not the time to be in a hurry.
"Master Wang..." Hong Zhou turned his face with a bit of laughter, "What a beauty..." He glanced down at his body, "If you want to use it, you won't be able to use it for the time being, so don't worry about it. But this
Money..."
"Say it!" Wang Shun's back straightened for a moment, and he listened quietly to Hong Zhou's words.
"Between sacrificing life and wealth, you have to sacrifice both." Hong Zhou said this to Wang Shun's ear. Then he stood up straight, pointed at the people outside, and then pointed at Hong Ju
The account book was placed in front of him, "If the amount of money you give matches the confession and the account book, it will be considered sincere. Once the money arrives, you can leave. It's that simple."
Wang Shun looked bitter, "There is a gap between this account and what was actually obtained."
Of course I know there is a gap. You eat meat but you also have to drink soup. What you get will be smaller than the actual amount of corruption. This is for sure. But don’t forget, which official doesn’t have a few in a month?
A door-to-door bribe? The total amount of money alone is not a small amount. Therefore, he will definitely be able to make up for the gap in the account book.
Hong Zhou sneered, "Then Mr. Wang will do it!"
I really don’t dare to do that! At this time, the sky and the earth are not functioning properly.
Just when I was thinking about how to say this, I heard the fifth elder brother's voice coming clearly, with a bit of laziness, as if he was talking to the eldest elder brother of Master Jiu's family, "You said there are fish in this lake?"
Shrimp, will there be a tortoise?"
"Yes." Hong Zhu responded, although he didn't know why Hong Zhou said this.
As a result, Hong Zhou chuckled and said with a bit of curiosity, "I've always heard people say that they throw people into the river to feed the bastard. This bastard eats human flesh."
Hong Zhu smiled secretly in his heart: "It's time to eat."
Xiaoluzi glanced at Wang Shun and said: "My elder brother, I dare not disobey you. Please don't make fun of me. I am timid and can't stand being scared."
Hong Zhou kicked him over, "Go away! I don't care about your status. The fish in this lake will eat the flesh of people with status..."
Wang Shun was shocked, and based on the account book, he was more than worthy of death. If he was thrown into the lake by this evil demon king, how could Long live his own son be punished?
Just when I was scared, I heard the news about the little eunuch's business again, "My Lord, these are all high officials of the imperial court, they don't dare to play around..."
"The damn officials of the imperial court are all a bunch of worms who have searched for the wealth of the people. Just feeding the bastards can be regarded as eliminating harm for the common people in the world." Hong Zhou said with righteous indignation, he really thought so in his heart.
Wang Shun heard it. What this elder brother said was true! He really wanted to use these people to feed the bastards. "Fifth elder brother!" He quickly shouted and knelt on the ground again.
Hong Zhou looked up indifferently, "Hey! Think about it clearly, are you planning to give up your wealth or your life?"
Wang Shun hurriedly said: "Give up your wealth! Give up your wealth!"
Hong Zhou chuckled softly, "It would have been nice to have done this earlier." He walked over affectionately, helped the person up like a relative, and wiped the person's sweat with a handkerchief, "Then what...where is your wealth?
If you are in your hometown...if you want to leave, I guess..."
"No, no!" Wang Shun said hurriedly, "There are too many people in our old family, and too many people will cause bad things."
"Oh!" Hong Zhou nodded understandingly, "If things go wrong, the clan will still want to get a piece of the pie, right? It's human nature." He looked very understanding, "This Yamen can't let go. Let me guess,
Where did you put it? In the secret room of a private house or in the village..."
"None of them!" Wang Shun smiled reluctantly, "The younger one had two concubines who disappeared. They served them very well when they were alive, so the younger brother buried them lavishly. They didn't have a son or a half left.
The younger one built a nunnery for them outside the city... The younger one's daughter became a widower and now lives in the nunnery..."
Understood in seconds!
This guy hid his money in this nunnery. What a wonderful place! Most people would never think of it.
Hong Zhou gave a thumbs up, "High! Really high!"
It’s impossible not to admire it!
He raised his head and glanced in the direction of Li Wei. Li Wei understood and immediately arranged for people to leave in a small boat.
Hong Zhou then patted Wang Shun, who seemed to have lost his muscles and bones, "Don't be like this, your life has been preserved after all, right? Let's go like this! You don't have to say anything, don't have to do anything, wait.
I’m sure I’ve received the money, so I’ll leave as soon as possible.”
Wang Shun nodded and bowed and retreated.
As soon as I turned around and saw Li Xu surrounded by people, I wished I could pounce on him and bite him to death.
Everyone saw this look and immediately seemed to understand something. The people surrounding Li Xu retreated instantly, and the deck instantly became quiet.
Li Xu frowned, cupped his fists and saluted Wang Shun, "Master Wang, have you offended me in any way?"
Wang Shun smiled but said, "I'm offended! How dare you! I have to congratulate Mr. Li. Mr. Li is expected to be promoted, what? Should he be promoted to governor or governor?"
This is not a joke. Promotion is not a promotion method.
Besides, the late emperor didn’t even give him a promotion, so how can he rely on the present? Isn’t this just trying to make a fool of himself?
But since Wang Shun said this, there must be a reason. Thinking of the governor and chief envoy who were imprisoned for no reason, and then thinking of Li Xu calling Hong Zhu to talk, and then Hong Zhu came over and said something to the fifth elder brother,
Only then did the fifth elder brother become furious, and immediately the two adults were imprisoned. Now that Wang Shun came out looking like this, it seemed that Li Xu didn't say anything nice here.
Corruption is often caused by collusion between the top and bottom, so if one is caught, the rest will basically be unable to escape even if they want to.
In an instant, everyone realized what had happened. Their eyes turned cold when they looked at Li Xu.
Xiao Luzi had a clear view of the situation outside through the small window of the cabin, and reported to his master in a low voice, "Dog bites dog, it's about to bite."
Can't bite!
Hong Zhu shook his head, unable to bite the bullet. Li Xu was not such a restless person.
Sure enough, Li Xu didn't say anything. He just walked towards the cabin and said to Li Wei who was guarding the door: "Master Li, please pass the message on my behalf and say that Li Xu wants to see you."
Li Wei put away his cold face and smiled like a flower, "It's Mr. Li! Please come in, please come in! The young master has already given instructions. Mr. Li is here, just go in."
Just as he said that, Xiao Luzi came out with a flattering smile, "Master Li is here, come on, come on. The master is waiting."
Li Xu felt that the blood all over his body was cold.
terrible!
Killing invisible!
He stepped out with one foot and listened to the little eunuch speaking like Li Wei. His voice was neither high nor low. He probably could hear everything he wanted to hear. "Master Li is old and likes to eat sweet and soft food. Please send someone to make it quickly."
It’s very windy here on the lake. If you have an extra coat, please take one to deal with it first. Don’t dare to let me catch a cold..." This is a very considerate look.
Li Wei responded while beckoning for someone to come and give detailed instructions. Only then did the little eunuch go in with satisfaction.
When Li Xu went in, he saw Fifth Brother and Hong Zhu playing chess, and they didn't even pay attention to him.
This is a play!
Li Xu stepped forward to say hello, but Hong Zhou only waved his hand without saying a word.
"Fifth Brother!" Li Xu took the initiative to call.
Hong Zhou held the white piece in his hand and said "hmm" without raising his head, and then gently dropped the piece.
Li Xu frowned and knelt down in a polite manner, "I pay my respects to Lord Long Live."
What an old fox!
Hong Zhou had no choice but to stand up, raise his hands and face the direction of the capital, "Sacred bow!"
This is the normal procedure for meeting an imperial envoy. First, he kneels before the imperial envoy and asks if he is well. The imperial envoy is patrolling on behalf of the emperor. He receives this prayer and tells his ministers that he is in good health.
Hong Zhou ignored him, and now that he had done this, Hong Zhou had to ignore him.
"Master Li, please take a seat." Hong Zhou said in a calm tone, "Is it a big deal for you to see me?"
There is almost no place for oneself in this world, so you still ask yourself if something is wrong? Li Xu felt even more burning in his heart, "I just want to ask, when can I return? It's freezing cold today, and it's very cold at night.
Especially when it is floating on the lake, the cold is even heavier. The officials outside are all officials responsible for government affairs. They are busy with affairs and cannot afford to delay here..."
"Do you want to go back?" Hong Zhou sat and looked at the chessboard, "It's easy to go back if you want to use the money to redeem someone. Write a note and I will send someone to pick it up. If the money comes, the person can leave. Otherwise, just
Just continue to stay." He put down another chess piece, "If I remember correctly, Mr. Li also suffered a loss of 380,000 taels during his tenure. I will ask someone to send you back with the money, so you can go and do whatever you want."
"Fifth elder brother!" Li Xu stood up and said, "Long live Lord, do you know that you are acting like this? They are not servants in the palace, they are high officials of the imperial court and the face of the imperial court. You are not a kidnapper, you are the emperor's elder brother.
By acting like this, where is the face of the imperial court? Where is the face of the emperor?"
"How much money is your face worth?" Hong Zhou said like a little ruffian, "Brother I only know that the treasury is empty! Where did the money go? You guys took it home one by one. The court wants to go to war and has no money, Emperor.
Ma wants to build bridges and pave roads for the people but has no money. Emperor Ama wants to educate all the children in the world but still has no money. You have to show your face to me!"
He grabbed the teapot on the table and threw it at Li Xu. It fell to Li Xu's feet with a clang and broke into pieces. He pointed at Li Xu and said, "Are you talking about face with my brother? Okay, okay! Brother Ben."
I might as well tell you that the imperial court doesn’t want this face, Huang Ama doesn’t want this face, and my brother doesn’t want this face, but we want money! Remember! We want money! Anyone who doesn’t give money will throw you into the water.
Hey bastard! If you don’t believe me, you can try it.”
The twelve-year-old child was not tall and his face was still very childish. When the smugness on his body subsided, he became more awe-inspiring. Li Xu couldn't help being attracted by this aura and took a step back.
This step made him sober up, "Throwing the court officials into the water? Hahaha... It's not that I underestimate the fifth elder brother, but you really don't dare... Just in case someone has a chance, this knife-pen history book..."
"Haha!" Hong Zhou's face showed a bit of mischief, "After listening to Mr. Wu talking about Gaoyou Lake for a long time today, I learned that there is a strange scene in Gaoyou Lake called dragon sucking water. This time I brought him
The civil and military officials in Jiangnan are here to pay homage to the late Emperor. You are the late Emperor's loyal ministers. I think the late Emperor would not be able to leave you. I think Mr. Li, who has been in Jiangnan for a long time, knows what the dragon absorbs water. Maybe the late Emperor just happened to have a spirit.
It just so happened that I took away all of you loyal ministers."
Li Xu took a breath of air, this is a real reason!
If you die, you'll die in vain.
Li Xu's face turned pale. He couldn't imagine how such a naughty child could come up with such vicious ideas.
Hong Zhou smiled at Li Xu and said, "How wonderful this is. You will all be loyal ministers of the late emperor until death. Do you think it's okay to be able to accompany the late emperor forever?"
Li Xu felt like he was shaking all over. If something happened to the crew here today, I'm afraid it could be covered up by an accident. Floating here on the lake, you can't even communicate with the outside world, let alone mobilize troops. It's really
The sky is not responding, and the earth is not working. To make matters worse, the only person with the power to mobilize troops is the governor, but the governor Wu Cunli has been imprisoned.
Hong Zhou raised his hand, turned it over and looked at it, "Speaking of which, I don't want my hands to be stained with blood. I really don't want you to die and I have to say that you are loyal ministers. At that time, I couldn't even find you if I wanted to ransack the house.
The reason. So, it’s not that I’m ignorant, I really can’t bear to kill them all. I just want money for my son, not my life. What does it say in that poem? Thousands of gold are gone, but they will come back again. As the saying goes, the green hills are still there.
I am worried that I have no firewood. The emperor did not want to kill the old minister..." But you must be realistic and loyal ministers. "The emperor wants stability in Jiangnan..." But seeking stability does not mean condoning corruption. "With these two
, what are you afraid of?"
While collecting the chess pieces, Hong Yan turned his face and said to Li Xu: "Master Li, this little money is really nothing to you. The value of the things you put on display is almost worth it. If it really doesn't show up,
Silver, it's the same as using these things to pay off debts. If you still want to work as an errand, it's not difficult. Isn't there a way to pay off the debt? Back then, you gave two points of your loyalty to the late emperor to Long live the Lord. Why worry about the position?
It’s stable.”
Encourage him to continue making small reports.
Don’t even think about it!
Even if you want to say it, you can't say it to these two little brats who have no faith at all. But they are also right in what they said. They will leave the green hills without worrying about having no firewood, pay back the money first, and take it one step at a time. In his heart
I'm really a little afraid that this stupid young man will really throw him into the lake. Although he won't really drown in it, won't he suffer if he is soaked in the water? He is so old.
"Old minister, write a note..." As he said that, he grabbed the pen on the table.
"You'll release the cash immediately after you give it to someone. If you get something at a low price, you can't release it until the item is sold." Hong Zhou added another sentence. He said in his heart, although the value of the item is not low, I still have to dig it out and let you release it.
Come to Yinzi's lair.
Li Xu paused, then gritted his teeth and wrote.
He sent people to Li's house to get the money, but Hong Zhou saw no one. He didn't really freeze the guys on the deck at night, but in the big warehouse, where there was a bunk bed, and a squeeze was enough. No one would be cold.
.
As soon as the day broke, a small boat came over. When he opened it, he saw more than a dozen boxes of gold, silver and jewelry. Under the rays of the rising sun, people's eyes were almost blinded.
Li Wei took the booklet and handed it to Hong Zhou, "A total of 789,780 taels, and three boxes of various jewelry and antiques have been registered... Please take a look at it."
Hong Zhou took a cursory glance and called Wang Shun. The little old man was not tall, and Hong Zhou could just hit him on the shoulder. "Do a good job when you take office, and your past debts will be wiped off. Don't do this in the future."
In this way, remember that serving as an official will benefit one party..."
Wang Shun nodded repeatedly, "I'm sure, I won't dare to do it again."
Hong Zhou then let Wang Shun board the ship, "Hurry up. After wasting this day, I won't be able to accumulate enough official work..."
Wang Shun boarded the boat under Yin Yin's instructions, and then everyone watched the boat slowly go away.
Where did the ship go? Send Wang Shun back to his post?
No one could have guessed that the ship slowly sailed into the canal and sped north...