Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

……

After Ximen Qing, Jiao Ting and the others left Shizipo, a traveler who was passing by also came to this Shizipo to shop.

After seeing the corpses of Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing, and seeing the notice on the wall, the travelers turned pale with fright, and called the gods and Buddhas to bless them.

If it wasn't for a hero who came from nowhere to act chivalrously, kill these two thieves and break up this black shop, I'm afraid I will become their ghost today.Thinking about it now, how can it not be frightening?

All the travelers looked at each other in blank dismay, all rejoicing that they had escaped.Anyone who knew about it rushed to report it to Lizheng in that place.

Not long after, Li Zheng brought seven or eight Zhuang Ding from the village to Shizipo.

Seeing the corpses of Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing at the door of the store, Li Zheng was also terrified.But where his duty lies, he still walked into the store tremblingly.As soon as he stepped into the store, Li Zheng was dazzled by dozens of taels of silver scattered on the table.

There was rushing forward quickly, taking the silver into his bosom while no one came in.After turning around to confirm that no one had noticed, Li Zhenggang called all the Zhuang Ding into the store and searched around.

After a while, Zhuang Ding found those human skins and human legs in the human flesh workshop, and rushed out in fright to report to the place.Not long after, Zhuang Ding, who went to check the five branches according to the notice, also came back to report in panic.

This cross slope is really a den of thieves!Many thieves died at once today, and it is a big case!Li Zheng didn't dare to be negligent, leaving a few people to guard the scene, and hurried to the county in charge to report the crime.

Of course, there is also a sensible person there, knowing that the person who left him the money does not want to expose his whereabouts.When he went to the county to report to the county magistrate, he naturally said that according to his careful investigation and inquiry, the man who was a hero and killed the black shop owner had escaped into Mengzhouling and disappeared, and he might have left Mengzhou.

When encountering such appalling cases, Nazhi County is not confused.How can it be easy to kill these green forest heroes in one go? At this time, it is better to have one thing less than one more thing, so as not to get burned.

Nazhixian pretended to believe Lizheng's words, and arranged for people to follow Lizheng to the Shizipo slope to record carefully, and then closed the muddled case.

……

Ximenqing and others walked west for a while, and saw a city from a distance, knowing that Mengzhou City had arrived.

I saw a big market outside the east gate. From a rough look, there might not be a hundred or ten big hotels, thirty or twenty gambling houses and cashiers.In that market, there are teahouses and restaurants interspersed with people coming and going, it's really lively!

After getting closer, Ximenqing found a passerby and asked him where it was.

The passer-by said: "The officials are from other places, right? Haven't you heard of the Happy Forest in Mengzhou City? This place is the famous Happy Forest in Mengzhou City, and it is the most prosperous place in Mengzhou City. But merchants from Shandong and Hebei all gather here to do business.”

"You've been taught!" Ximen Qing saluted the pedestrian with fists in his hands.The man also returned a salute and walked away.

It turns out that this is Happy Forest!Ximen Qing felt excited, this happy forest was the place where Wu Song got drunk and beat Jiang Menshen in history.

That fellow Wu Song has been killed by my Uncle Ximen, shouldn't this Jiang Menshen be grateful to me, a senior official of Ximen, and bow to me as soon as he sees me?

You know, when I, Ximen Qing, traveled here, I not only changed the fate of myself and Pan Jinlian, but also changed the fate of Jiang Menshen!

Ximen Qing, who used to be a box lunch party for Wu Song, now has the urge to meet Jiang Menshen.

I remember that Jiang Menshen opened a wine and meat shop in this happy forest, but where is it?

Ximen Qing and others came outside the happy forest, got off their horses, and walked in with the bustling crowd.Ximen Qing looked around, looking for Jiang Menshen's wine and meat shop.

Everyone entered the happy forest market, and after walking seventy or eighty steps forward, Ximen Qing saw a big hotel at the T-shaped intersection.

In front of the eaves of the hotel stood a lookout pole, on which hung a wine watcher, with four big characters written: "Heyang Fengyue".When I turned around to look at it, there was a green wall in front of the door, and there were two golden flags, each with five gold characters, which read: "The universe is big in the drunk, and the sun and the moon in the pot are long."

In the hotel, there is an anvil for the meat table on one side, and a family member who handles the knife, and a kitchen stove for steaming steamed buns and burning wood on the other.Going inside again, there are three large wine vats lined up, half buried in the ground, each with more than half of the vat of wine.There is a cabinet body in the middle, and an old shopkeeper is sitting inside.There are five or seven bartenders standing outside the counter.

The appearance of this big hotel is so familiar, could it be the hotel of Jiang Menshen?

Ximenqing asked Brother Qiao Yun to go forward to inquire, and after a while Brother Qiao Yun came back with the news.Brother Qiao Yun told Ximen Qing that the owner of the hotel was not surnamed Jiang, but a man named Shi En.It is said that Shi En is the small manager of the prison camp in Mengzhou, who is nicknamed "Golden Eye Biao".

After hearing what Brother Qiao Yun said, Ximen Qing suddenly realized.

It turns out that in history, after Wu Song killed Ximen Qing in Yanggu County, he was imprisoned in Dongping Mansion, Yunzhou for more than two months before he was sent to Mengzhou.And after he killed Wu Song, he didn't delay for so long, so he came directly to Mengzhou City.

Counting it, I arrived in Mengzhou two months earlier than Wu Song in history.But it turned out that Jiang Menshen had injured "Golden Eye Biao" Shi En and robbed his wine and meat shop at this time.

Now that history has changed because of his time travel, will there still be a fight between Jiang Menshen and Shi En in the happy forest?

Chapter 74 The Meatmaster's Grace

Ximen Qing took everyone to find a big inn next to Shi En's wine and meat shop, and planned to stay in Mengzhou for a few days, wander around, and inquire about the whereabouts of Jiang Menshen Jiang Zhong.

After putting the package in the room, Ximen Qing, Jiao Ting, Tang Long and Brother Qiao Yun went downstairs first, ordered some wine and meat from this shop, and filled their stomachs first.

The shopkeeper quickly cut up a few plates of beef, and sifted four bowls of wine for the four of Ximen Qing, and said: "Guest officer, wait a moment, if there is anything wrong, please forgive me!"

Tang Long said: "The owner of the shop is so strange! We are all serious businessmen, and we drink our own wine. We are not the ones who make trouble and trouble, but come to blackmail you. Why are you, the shop owner, so careful? apologize?"

The shopkeeper said with a wry smile: "The guest officer is right, the villain is confused for a while, so talk too much here. Guest officer, don't have the same knowledge as the villain, the villain will step back now, and the guest officer will use it slowly."

As soon as the shopkeeper retreated, Ximen Qing and the others used wooden chopsticks to stuff a piece of beef into their mouths, but they were all stunned.

Jiao Ting spat out the beef on the ground with a "bah", and shouted to the shop owner: "Shop owner, don't go away! Why is this beef so unpalatable? Could it be dead beef?"

The shop owner rushed over and said to Ximen Qing and the others: "Forgive me, sir, don't provoke that little overlord by making loud noises! It's not that the villain dared to use this beef to fool the guests, but it was the villain in this shop." There is only this kind of beef left. When the guest officials can't eat this beef, the villain will immediately replace it with vegetables and fruits for dinner. If several guest officials don't think the meat tastes bland, and please enjoy it, the villain will not dare to charge extra money."

Ximen Qing saw that the shopkeeper was flustered, spat out the beef in his mouth, and asked the shopkeeper with a pleasant face: "Shop owner, don't be afraid. My brother has a louder voice, he is really a kind-hearted person, and he will never hurt you." It's your fault. Shopkeeper, I don't understand something, but I want to ask you for advice."

Seeing that Ximen Qing was easy to talk, the shopkeeper hurriedly replied: "The guest officer has any questions, but it's okay to say, the villain will know everything. But one thing, the guest officials should refrain from making any noise. If you provoke Tai Sui next door, I'm afraid It's hard to be safe."

Jiao Ting and Tang Long were about to ask questions, but Ximen Qing waved his hand to silence them.Ximen Qing asked the store owner: "Shop owner, although this happy forest is a bustling place for businessmen, there are dozens of big inns competing for customers. How do you sell stale beef to customers in this store?" ? Isn't this driving away the guests? How can there be such a reason for doing business in the world?"

The shopkeeper sighed: "What the guest officer said is right, it's just...just...hey~ I only blame my life..."

Ximen Qing asked: "Does the owner have any secrets to hide? Maybe you can tell us to listen?"

The shop owner sighed: "To tell you the truth, my shop originally sold top-quality beef. Which of the previous merchants didn't boast? It's just, it's just that after the wine and meat shop next door opened half a year ago, the beef in my shop Only this kind of beef is sold."

"Oh! Why is this?" Ximen Qing asked.

"It's just because after the opening of the wine and meat shop next door, all the shops that sold meat to our inns have been driven away. Now in this happy forest, no matter whether it is our inns, or the gambling house and the cashier, they can only Buy meat from that wine butcher shop." The shopkeeper said with a bitter face.

Brother Qiao Yun suddenly interjected when he heard this, and asked the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, the wine and meat shop you are talking about is the wine and meat shop next door called "Golden Eye Biao" Shi En? How could he be like this? Domineering, to monopolize the business of this big happy forest?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly glanced outside the door, and saw that there were no outsiders far or near, so he said to Brother Qiao Yun: "Little guest officer, be careful, don't let people listen to you! Guest officer, you are right, that wine and meat restaurant The store was opened by Shi En. You don't know, Shi En is my tyrant in Mengzhou, you must not offend him! You are all foreign guests, but there is no need to provoke this Tai Sui."

Ximen Qing asked: "The kindness is only two hands, two eyes, and it has not grown three heads and six arms. Why are you all afraid of him?"

The shopkeeper replied: "The guest officer doesn't know, but Shi En is the yamen who manages the camp in our prison camp in Mengzhou, and everyone calls him Xiao Guanying.

Since he was a child, he learned some small guns and sticks from his master in the rivers and lakes. Because of his fierce and brutal temperament, the people of Mengzhou gave him a nickname, Jinyanbiao.

The little manager of the battalion relies on his personal ability, and the second relies on the fact that there are eighty or ninety deserted prisoners in the camp who obey his orders, so they run amok in the well of Mengzhou city, and no one dares to control them.

Half a year ago, Shi Enlai opened a wine and meat shop in Happy Forest, took over the butcher business in Happy Forest, and distributed all the meat in his shop, regardless of whether it was good or bad, among the shops, gambling houses, and exchange houses. Who would dare not want it? ?

Therefore, now there is no good meat in my shop to entertain all the guests, and I ask the guests to forgive me. "

Both Jiao Ting and Tang Long looked at Ximen Qing, Ximen Qing shook his head slightly, and then said to the shop owner: "So that's the case, the shop owner can't be blamed for this matter! Anyway, you can serve us some seasonal fruits and vegetables, this beef is really rare. Swallow."