Hong Cheng was very happy. He was particularly excited from the moment Su Ren promised him to support him in doing business with the Western Regions. In order to raise his own goods, Hong Cheng did not rest for three days and three nights. Now he is still full of energy when walking on the road. It was him before.
To trade with the merchants from the Western Regions in Chang'an City, this time he was going to the Western Regions in person. He naturally knew how big the profits would be this time. If he could come back, he would not be able to use them all in his lifetime.
When Hong Cheng saw Su Ren's caravan, he was completely dumbfounded. His goods were completely insignificant in front of Su Ren's caravan. He almost spent all his family's savings and borrowed money from the Shuzhong Chamber of Commerce to cover the cost of shops and real estate.
The goods collected were less than a fraction of those of Su Ren's caravan. Hong Cheng finally understood why Su Ren, the God of Merchant, was able to succeed. His courage and ability were not even a bit stronger than his own.
After bowing to Su Ren, Hong Cheng's face was flushed with excitement: "Sir, this time there are so many goods. I will definitely make a lot of money when I go to the Western Regions. Following you is the most correct decision I have ever made in my life."
Su Ren lay lazily in the carriage and smiled at Hong Cheng: "Is the guide you are looking for reliable? The journey is long and there must be no problems."
Hong Cheng said quickly: "Sir, don't worry, this person is from the Western Regions and has made this journey no less than ten times. He was hired by a villain with a lot of money."
"Money is not an issue, as long as the person is reliable!"
"Don't worry, sir, I will guarantee it with my head!"
"That's very good. You have few people. Who knows what problems may arise along the way. Just take your people and stay with me. Even if something happens, your losses will be less."
Hong Cheng was overjoyed: "Thank you, Mr. Thank you!"
Su Ren waved his hand, and Hong Cheng retreated respectfully, and hurriedly brought his convoy to the vicinity of Su Ren's central army. Looking at Hong Cheng's back, Chen Jiao smiled slightly, turned to ask Su Ren, "Since I know this person
If there is a problem, why do we still stay near you?”
Han Qing said with a smile: "Long Lihou didn't know. It's precisely because this person has problems that it's safest to stay with him. Wouldn't it be difficult to monitor him if he was placed on the periphery? Sir, the Chinese military guards are the tightest, even if he is
Be careful what you do."
"Oh! I see, it seems I still don't understand!"
Su Ren raised his wine glass and clinked it with Chen Jiao: "We are thousands of miles away from the Western Region. We are merchants and have no choice but to do it for money. Why are you waiting so solemnly for this?"
Chen Jiao raised her neck and drank it all in one gulp: "Chang'an City is lifeless. If you stay here, you will be suffocated sooner or later. To tell you the truth, I have sold all my family property. If the Western Region can stay, I will not come back."
"That will probably disappoint you."
"Why?"
"The place where I am will never be suitable for living, unless after I leave, it will be like this in Lingnan, like Mayi, and presumably the Western Regions too!"
"Uh! Hahaha..."
Hawking shouted, and there was movement in the long convoy. One cart after another started slowly, following each other slowly forward along the official road. Three hundred guards rode horses back and forth on both sides of the road, daring to have ulterior motives.
The person will immediately look at you fiercely, and if he is slightly unconvinced, the whip will come down immediately. This group of people does not look like guards at all, but more like demons who kill without blinking an eye.
Laifu's injury was not healed yet, but he insisted on following, and Su Ren couldn't refuse. Lying in the carriage, looking at the scenery outside, there was no joy on Laifu's face, and his frown had never gone away these days.
Su Ren had talked to him before, but unfortunately Laifu didn't say anything. Su Ren couldn't press him and could only wait. He knew that people like Laifu would naturally tell him when the time came.
Su Ren left, but those who stayed in Chang'an were panicked. Where is Ziwu Road? It is opposite the Ziwu Valley in the Qinling Mountains. It is a straight official road from Chang'an to the depths of the Qinling Mountains, passing through the city from south to north.
, passing through the north gate of Chang'an and leading to Xianyang via the Zhongwei Bridge. Speaking of this road, there is also a history. After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, he built the famous Qin Zhidao. Everyone knows that the Qin Zhidao leads from Xianyang to Shuofang.
The Northland area was convenient for the Qin Dynasty to transport soldiers, horses, grain and grass, but few people knew where the Qin State's granaries were built. As a barrier on the Wei River Plain, the Qinling Mountains had always been the greatest protection.
Because of this special road, these two roads were the base points of Chang'an City when it was built. Almost all the houses and palaces on both sides were built on Ziwu Road. In the Han Dynasty, Ziwu Road was cut off from it, and Jianzhang Palace stood in the middle of the road.
, but this not only did not make this dead-end road lose its former glory, but also transformed it into a more prosperous market. More than half of the princes and nobles of the Han Dynasty had houses on both sides of this road, and the entire Chang'an was used to live there.
Be proud of this path.
Ziwu Road turned into a ghost road overnight. When the salesmen who were queuing up to deliver things to the homes of princes and nobles realized that their regular customers had not gone out today, or even opened the door, they realized that something was wrong.
.But no one dared to go in, because every door of each house was guarded by more than a dozen Jing Zhaoyin officials or Jinwu guards. Some even saw people coming and going inside through the cracks in the door, and there were
Corpse.
The old farmer who was carrying the vegetable load touched the young man selling firewood with his shoulder: "What's going on? Why are there so many officials today? Whose family is in trouble again?"
As a native of Chang'an, I still know a little about politics. Although the princes and nobles are prominent, if something goes wrong, the whole family will die. Isn't that the case for the King of Huainan the year before last? He thought that the prince had been uprooted overnight. Until now, the Huainan Kingdom has not
This is a good example of enfeoffment.
The young man who carried the firewood shook his head: "It seems to be the family of Princess Qinghe, but the Daxing Cheng family is not right either. The two families used to compete for my firewood, but today they are all gone."
The old vegetable seller laughed and patted the young man on the shoulder: "You have lost two customers again. My old man's vegetables are only given to Cuixiang Building. As long as that building does not collapse, he will never lose money to me. Farewell."
!”
People in Chang'an City were talking about it, and the situation was boiling in the court. The people here knew more clearly and in detail. Murder and robbery were rare in Chang'an, let alone killing so many people in one night. Jing Zhaoyin and Zhi Jinwu had already been impeached.
It became a sieve, and a few people who were related to those mansions knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, begging the emperor to avenge their relatives. It was so miserable.
Liu Che sat in the upper position with a dark face and said nothing. He did not expect that Su Ren would do such a good job. It can be said that there were no chickens or dogs left in those dozens of households, from the gatekeepers to the women in the inner houses, even the infants.
None of the children in the family were spared. According to their original plan, those who were related to the Mo family and Fang Xianshu were indeed on the execution list, but what crime could be committed by the children who were still in their infancy?
Liu Che looked at Dou Ying. Dou Ying knew that he could not ignore his work and stood up with a cough: "Everyone, it is unimaginable that this happened in Chang'an and on Ziwu Road. Jing Zhaoyin and Zhi Jinwu cannot escape the blame for their crimes.
Come on, put the two of them in jail. Since the murder has occurred, it must be solved and I will give you and the world an explanation. Tingwei, what do you think?"
Duke Zhai's beard was trembling violently. He got up and knelt down and said, "I am old, I may not be able to handle such a big event. I would like to ask your Majesty to select another capable person to preside over the court. I intend to resign and go into seclusion. I hope that your Majesty will remember my loyalty for so many years."
For my sake, I would like to resign."
Dou Ying turned to look at Liu Che and said to Zhai Gong: "My lord is devoted to serving the country. It is understandable that he should resign now that he is old. However, the Ziwu Road murder case is imminent. Even if my lord wants to leave, he must put this matter aside, otherwise
Who can do it?"
"The old minister recommended to your majesty the imperial officer Shi Zhangtang Keye. This person is well versed in criminal law and handles cases seriously. The old minister originally planned to recommend this person to your majesty. Today is an opportunity."
Dou Ying said: "Zhang Tang has been serving as Tingwei for only half a month. It may not be appropriate to promote him now. Sir, I will work harder. It won't be too late to wait until Zhang Tang can take over. The matter on Ziwu Road will be investigated by Tingwei. Jing Zhaoyin,
The three parties, Zhi Jinwu and the guards, are working together to solve the case within ten days without delay. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Liu Chedao: "Yes!"
Before Zhai Gong could speak again, Liu Jiqing's rooster voice rang: "Retreat from the court!"
Liu Che, who returned to the propaganda room, was very angry. He kicked over a candlestick and threw two pen holders. He grabbed the inkstone and was about to throw it at Su Kai, who was kneeling on the ground. He hesitated and took two deep breaths, suppressing the anger in his chest.
He continued: "Get up and say something back. I don't blame you for what happened this time. He always does things based on his likes and dislikes. Those people naturally have a grudge against him for repeatedly attacking him. If he doesn't beat them painfully this time, they won't be obedient."
Follow him to the Western Regions."
Su Kai did not dare to get up: "I did not do things well and made things difficult for Your Majesty. I am willing to bear all responsibilities."
"Haha, you can't afford it. There are twelve families of princes, more than thirty families of ministers who are marquis or above, and dozens of other families. There are no less than 700 people in total. You can't afford such a thing.
, even if I hand Su Ren over, everyone in the world will still think it was me, and only I can handle it!"
He glanced at Su Kai who was kneeling on the ground: "Go and monitor the kings closely. If anyone makes any changes, kill them first and report them later. This time, we must not let them have any chance. Do you understand?"
"promise!"
After sending Su Kai away, Liu Che calmed down the anger in his heart, shook his head and sighed, and said to Liu Jiqing: "Go find the Prime Minister, I have something to say to him."
There are no secrets in Chang'an. Before the morning dynasty was over, news about Ziwu Road was already flying all over the sky. Many people were speculating on who had done such a big thing. Everyone agreed and the emperor not long ago ordered the kings to come
The matter of worshiping heaven in Chang'an came together. Then, it seemed that the truth was clear at a glance. So many princes, nobles and ministers were killed in one night, leaving no chickens or dogs left. Who else in the world besides the emperor could be there?
In a small hidden room on the second floor of Jingfuxuan, Mo Cong and Shao Weng were sitting across from each other. Behind Mo Cong was Mo Yu, and behind Shao Weng was Luan Da. The four of them were still covered in dust, and they were all rushing to give in first.
After coming a long way, there was no food or wine on the table, only two cups of tea. The air in the room was also very depressing, because both Mo Cong and Shao Weng looked bad, especially Shao Weng, who was as cold as ice, with murderous intent in his eyes.
"He's really gone?"
Mo Cong nodded: "I left the city early this morning, taking a large amount of goods with me and being closely protected by three hundred guards. We headed west. Judging from the time, we should have passed Xianyang by now."
"Hmph! Even if he runs to the ends of the world, I will cut him into pieces!" (To be continued)