Chapter 357: The Case of Arrival at the Pawnshop (3)
The next day, Lian Le rushed back from Boss Xiao's hometown.
She said that Mrs. Xiao and the three children of the Xiao family, accompanied by more than a dozen slaves, had returned to their hometown safely.
"Didn't their family suffer any harassment along the way?"
Lian Le shook his head, thought for a while and then said.
"Mrs. Xiao seems to have said that there were no checkpoints when they left Lin'an City. But when the family went out, several people wearing armor stopped them."
"Armor clothing?"
"I asked Mrs. Xiao to describe it. She should be talking about someone from the Imperial City Department."
"Then what?"
Zhao Bai asked impatiently.
"Those people didn't make it difficult for them. They just asked the soldiers guarding the city to search their luggage and then let them pass."
Both men stopped talking.
The look in each other's eyes revealed their respective thoughts.
Boss Xiao obviously did not keep the ledger with his family.
The reason why Boss Xiao did this is probably because he also knew that this account book would bring disaster to him and his family.
So where did Boss Xiao keep the account books?
"I now understand why Boss Xiao looked relieved as soon as I said I wanted to buy this pawn shop. Probably no one in Lin'an would dare to offer to buy his pawn shop."
"Brother Zhao, according to what we know now, this pawn shop cannot be sold easily. It also needs the official's seal to finalize the sales contract. You are..."
Zhao Bai laughed, looked around, and after making sure there was no one around, asked Lian Le to close the doors and windows, and then took off the mask on his face.
"General Zhao, you..."
"Yes, I went to the emperor and had a good chat with him about the current situation. The emperor suddenly mentioned the matter of pawnshop, so the emperor found Shi Miyuan. Then I received the secret order and went to Boss Xiao to sign it.
I signed this sales contract.”
"General Zhao, how can you go to the emperor? It's too risky for you. Have you forgotten that you two are wanted by the court?"
Lian Le's eyes were so anxious that his eyes were red, and his little face was as red as the morning glow.
Her eyes fell softly on Qin Shaobai again, and her speaking voice became gentle.
"If the emperor gets angry and sends people to arrest you and put you in jail for treason, you and Brother Qin will both be dead."
As he said this, Lian Le couldn't help but grab Qin Shaobai's hand, as if if he let go, Qin Shaobai would be captured by the people from the Imperial City Division.
"Silly girl, if General Zhao can do this, he must be very confident."
Qin Shaobai rubbed Lian Le's hair and comforted him.
Zhao Bai laughed, and then his face turned serious.
"The emperor is not as stupid as we thought. He said that he was under pressure from the court to think that we were all traitors. Later..."
Zhao Bai's eyes also fell on Qin Shaobai.
There was a hint of pity in his eyes, which made Qin Shaobai's heart tremble.
But I heard Zhao Bai say slowly.
"Later, the emperor received a letter, which was a petition jointly signed by the survivors of the Song Dynasty in Zhongdu, saying that what you and I did during those days in Zhongdu were all for the sake of the people of the Song Dynasty. We proposed to Wanyan Yongji
The suggestion is also to prevent the people of the Song Dynasty from being trampled under the iron hoof of the Mongolian Tatars."
Qin Shaobai was a little puzzled.
He was about to ask who asked for such a letter from all the people, but he heard Zhao Bai slowly utter a few more words.
"The emperor said that the letter was given to him by Shi Miyuan. Shaobai, think about it, who could have obtained that rare petition letter for us."
Zhao Bai's voice was not loud, but it penetrated Qin Shaobai's heart like thousands of sharp arrows.
Qingyi, you chose your own kindness after all.
Seeing Qin Shaobai's sad expression, Lian Le naturally guessed who Zhao Bai was talking about.
She gently tugged on Qin Shaobai's clothes.
"Brother Qin, when everything is over, let's go and bring Sister Mu back. The cave is so cold and cold, how can she live in peace of mind?"
As soon as these words came out, Qin Shaobai's suppressed emotions finally broke out.
He shook off Lian Le's hand and ran out of the room.
"Brother Qin."
Lian Le shouted and wanted to catch up, but was stopped by Zhao Bai.
"He has a knot in his heart, and he has to be allowed to resolve it himself."
With that said, Zhao Bai put the mask back on.
Lian Le was very puzzled.
"General Zhao, since the emperor has canceled the wanted order against you and Brother Qin, why don't you use your original identities? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"
"Silly girl, do you think that my status as the general protecting the country will bring more convenience? In fact, it will bring more prevention and harm."
There was a wry smile on Zhao Bai's lips, "Now that I am in my current position, I can see things clearly that I couldn't see clearly before."
Lian Le didn't understand. He raised his head and stared at Zhao Bai with confusion.
"Okay, you will understand these things later. Now, go see your brother Qin and invite him to the room. As for you, Miss Lian Le, I have something very important for you to do.
Do."
Lian Le was about to go out when Qin Shaobai opened the door and came in.
Zhao Bai smiled at Lian Le and said: "Miss Lian Le, go to Wangxiang Tower first and order a table of delicious food. By the way, don't forget to ask the boss of Wangxiang Tower to dine with us tonight."
Lian Le pouted.
This is also called an important matter. Isn't it just a matter of running errands and talking?
Zhao Bai pulled Qin Shaobai into the house and closed the door again.
"Shaobai, do you also want to ask why we are still staying here in Lin'an as the three brothers and sisters of the Zhao family even though the emperor has pardoned us?"
Qin Shaobai shook his head: "Since General Zhao has already met the emperor, he naturally discussed a proper plan with the emperor."
His eyes suddenly became blurred.
"Shaobai only hopes that General Zhao can put the treasure to practical use so that the people of the Song Dynasty can live a peaceful and healthy life. If the treasure can really be used to protect the people of the Song Dynasty from the trampling of war, then these treasures can be regarded as extremely useful.
Already."
Zhao Bai stepped forward and held Qin Shaobai's hand tightly.
"Shaobai, I thought you would advise me not to use that treasure. It is enough to have a friend like you in this life. However, the treasure was originally prepared by our ancestors for emergencies. It was not used as a last resort.
I won't use that treasure."
As he spoke, Zhao Bai pressed his hand on his heart.
"Shaobai, you will definitely believe me, right?"
Qin Shaobai's mouth moved slightly, but he did not make any answer.
Zhao Bai sat down happily and told Qin Shaobai about his and Song Ningzong's plans.
It turned out that Song Ningzong also realized that the national property was slowly being consumed by a pair of invisible hands.
He knew that the national treasury was already empty. Not to mention relieving the people, the supply of the most important army at the moment was also a problem. The imperial court did not have any extra silver to train the troops, let alone recruit troops, buy horses, and hone weapons and equipment.
Zhao Bai knows this best.
Except for Cha Zi from the Imperial City Division, all the sergeants of the Song Dynasty ate very poorly every day, and were in a state of sluggishness both physically and mentally.
If you want to make your country rich, you must first strengthen your army.
This is a truth that everyone understands.
But a strong army does not depend on words, but on white money.
It’s not that Song Ningzong didn’t want the country to be strong, but it’s hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.
As the king of a country, faced with the reality of poverty and weakness, sometimes he could only choose to lament.
Therefore, when Zhao Bai told him that he could secretly inspect the pawn shops in Lin'an to see if anyone was corrupt, violated the law, and embezzled state property, he agreed without hesitation.
Song Ningzong wanted to discuss with Shi Miyuan, but was stopped by Zhao Bai Qiaoyan.
Zhao Bai said that they can only do this quietly now, as there is no airtight wall in this world.
So, Song Ningzong and Zhao Bai selected Boss Xiao's largest pawn shop, and used the emperor's secret order to make Boss Xiao and Zhao Bai sign a contract. Finally, Song Ningzong said to Zhao Bai, suggesting that he still use this Zhao Bai
to run this pawn shop,
But they didn't expect that as soon as Zhao Bai took over the pawn shop, something unexpected happened to Boss Xiao.
And the messy house was also telling them that Boss Xiao had frightening evidence in his hands.
The current situation is that whoever can get the evidence can stand on the active side.
"Shaobai, tell me, where will Boss Xiao put the account books?"
"It must be a place where he can often see it, and it must be a place where others are unlikely to care."
Qin Shaobai's hand gently stroked the wall.
"After I entered this house, I had people check every corner. This pawn shop didn't even have a dark window, let alone a secret passage."
Zhao Bai said with regret. Suddenly, his voice became slower, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Boss Xiao has another place that he must go to every day. Maybe there will be news about the account books there."