Just when the "Hongmen Banquet" was being staged at the Gongchang Mansion Inn, outside the Gongchang City Gate, Wang Zhongzhen, the owner of the Jingcheng Zhongzhen Inn, was riding on horseback, walking beside Mr. Zhang, and had arrived not far outside the Gongchang City Gate.
"Huh?" Wang Zhongzhen exclaimed, "Isn't there a large-scale drought in Gongchang? Are there only a few victims outside the city?"
Mr. Zhang also had a serious look on his face: "Are there only this many victims left?"
"General, what do you mean, are all the victims?" Wang Zhongzhen wanted to say if there were only so many victims left, but the words came to his lips, but he still didn't say them out.
Mr. Zhang understood what he wanted to say and nodded gently.
"If there are only so many people left in Gongchang Mansion now, it would really be a crime."
It was already past meal time, the porridge tables had been removed, and there were only two soldiers guarding the city gate.
Since the famine broke out, no ordinary people have come or gone in Chengmen Cave except for the busy officers and soldiers who came to give soup every day.
Seeing the two men, Zhang and Lao, riding on horseback not far away, the soldiers guarding the city felt relieved.
This is a sign that the famine has been alleviated and the population has begun to move again.
The originally serious face couldn't help but reveal a smile when looking at the two of them.
"General, the soldiers guarding the city seem to be smiling at us." Wang Zhongzhen said in a low voice.
"I saw it too." Mr. Zhang's expression was also a bit puzzled. "The fact that he can laugh means that the situation in Gongchang Mansion is not what we imagined. Let's go up and ask."
The two of them jumped off their horses and led the horses towards the door.
"Master." Wang Zhongzhen nodded and bowed to the soldiers, "I heard that the drought in Gongchang Mansion is serious, but there don't seem to be many victims at the gate of the city. Is this rumor wrong?"
"What do you do? Why do you ask this question?" The soldier looked at the two of them warily.
"We are merchants who have prepared some goods to be shipped to the Western Regions. We have prepared some goods. We heard that there was a drought in Gongchang Mansion and that food and drinking water could not be supplied along the way. We were worried, so we came here to take a look." Bending down, Wang Zhongzhen hurriedly
explain.
"Oh, it turns out they are from the caravan." The guarding soldiers slowly let go of their vigilance, "Since the court began to provide disaster relief, the victims of Gongchang have been properly arranged. What is left now is that they are still a little weak.
, people who need to take medicine every day. Others have already returned to their original villages with the disaster relief food money distributed by the court."
When he said this, the soldier's face was full of pride.
"Oh, that's it." Wang Zhongzhen nodded, "Excuse me, sir, are there any inns in Gongchang City where I can stay?"
"Yes, there are still inns. However, eating is a little harder. You can only eat dry rice. The drought has been too long, and there are no vegetables left to buy." The soldier said with a smile.
"As long as there is an inn, as for the cooked rice, we all come from poor backgrounds. If we sprinkle some salt on the cooked rice, it will still be delicious." Wang Zhongzhen smiled and nodded towards the soldiers again.
On a slightly remote street, the two of them found an inn and stayed in it.
No business came to the door for a long time, and the shopkeeper almost had tears in his eyes when he received the two of them.
They even arranged for the waiter to lead their horses into the stables and feed them with good hay.
In the guest room on the second floor, Wang Zhongzhen picked up the kettle, poured a bowl of herbal tea for Mr. Zhang, and placed it respectfully in front of him.
"General, you need to rest first. I'm going to go out and find out where the young master lives in Gongchang."
"You have been running around all day, so sit down and drink a bowl of herbal tea, have a good rest, and go out to inquire tomorrow." Mr. Zhang looked around the room and said slowly.
"Okay." Wang Zhongzhen slowly sat down on the chair opposite Mr. Zhang.
"This place is about three to four hundred miles away from Dingxi, right?" Zhang Lao said, picking up the tea bowl and taking a sip.
"General, what do you think?" Wang Zhongzhen couldn't help but be startled.
"I came to Gongchang this time to meet him while I was away from the capital. I also wanted to go to Dingxi to meet that old friend." Mr. Zhang's face was expressionless, but his words were gradually becoming colder.
"General, Dingxi is heavily guarded by troops. Not to mention that he has a high position and has cultivated a lot of his own people in private. How about we just recognize the young master this time and make other plans separately?"
Wang Zhongzhen looked at Mr. Zhang with a worried look.
"It doesn't matter," Mr. Zhang smiled coldly, "Even if we can't leave, it's fine."
"My subordinates are worried if you go alone. General, if you really want to go, my subordinates will accompany you."
Mr. Zhang waved his hand: "Just stay in Gongchang. Even in Dingxi, if I want to leave, no one can stop me."
...
In the Gongchang Guanyi compound, Commander Gong Changwei made Zhang Xing's face look ugly.
In the past, whether it was disaster relief or arranging other government affairs, Xiao Chen was always polite to him.
Today, what's going on?
They told themselves that they had eaten wild boar and did not think of themselves, and they forced themselves to press themselves onto the chair regardless of the injury on their buttocks.
Now, hold an arrow and let yourself explain what's going on.
What should you explain yourself, and how should you explain yourself?
"Sir, when soldiers patrol, they always ride fast on horseback. It is normal for them to leave arrows behind and be picked up by villagers while running." Zhang Xing explained bravely.
"Oh." Xiao Chen stretched his neck exaggeratedly, "It turned out that the soldiers lost it when they were on patrol. When I went to Shouyang Town last time, I passed by Gong Changwei Station and I saw that there seemed to be a lot of wheelbarrows piled inside. Didn't the imperial court give them to them?
Are the guards equipped with carriages? What is the purpose of these wheelbarrows?"
"The area under Gongchang's jurisdiction is mainly mountainous, and the official roads in many places are restricted by the terrain and cannot be passed by horse-drawn carriages. Therefore, in order to ensure the food supply for thousands of households ahead, the officials rushed to make many wheelbarrows to transport materials and food." Zhang
Xing said calmly.
Even after asking so many questions, Zhang Xing was still so stable. Xiao Chen was even more sure that Zhang Xing was not as simple as he seemed.
Even if the armament in the cave does not belong to him, he should have some clues about it.
Such calmness just happened to cover up the panic in his heart.
Picking up the arrow on the table, Xiao Chen threw it at Duan Tianming, and then looked at Zhang Xing: "Commander Zhang, Wang Kuan, the prefect of Gongchang, was poisoned. Have you investigated who the murderer is?"
"No, the imperial envoy is here, so I don't dare to investigate privately."
"Then do you have anyone to suspect?" Xiao Chen's sharp gaze stared closely at Zhang Xing's eyes.
"The official suspects that the cook did it."
"Why would Commander Zhang doubt the cook?"
"Because Zhang Huofu's eldest daughter was tortured to death by Wang Kuan. In his heart, he must have been looking forward to Wang Kuan's death." Zhang Xing explained.
"Why did Ding Xihou eat the same meal without any problems, but Wang Kuan was poisoned to death after eating it? Commander Zhang, have you ever thought that this problem is difficult to explain?" Xiao Chen's eyes were confused and he laughed.
Zhang Xing scratched his head for a while: "Maybe it was Chef Zhang who poisoned Wang Kuan's job."
"The cooked food is served freshly in the cell. How can Cook Zhang know which bowl Wang Kuan will serve?"
"Well, this subordinate doesn't know. When it comes to leading troops in war, I have some ability. But if I want to solve a poisoning case, I really don't know where to start." Looking at Xiao Chen, Zhang Xingyi
Embarrassed face.
"Could it be the Gong Changwei soldiers guarding the prison who administered the poison?"
"No, no." Zhang Xing waved his hand hurriedly, "These soldiers guarding the prison are all carefully selected by lower officials. Their loyalty is absolutely reliable."
"The loyalty that Commander Zhang mentioned is their loyalty to you or their loyalty to the court?" Xiao Chen smiled lightly, but the meaning contained in his words was profound.
"Sir, what do you mean by this? The imperial guard's loyalty is of course to the imperial court."
"That's good, that's good." Xiao Chen stood up, "I thought they were just loyal to you."
