From eunuch to emperor

"This fish roe noodles is getting more and more expensive, and I can't afford it."

"The pirates are rampant, who dares to go fishing in the sea, my distant cousin's fishing boat was robbed by the pirates, and two sons died."

"I heard that there was a powerful eunuch in the court, and he defeated the five tiger generals of Nanliang. They killed 40 enemies in the first battle. I don't understand why they didn't send troops here to put down the pirates."

"Hey, their princes and generals have made meritorious service, who cares about our life and death."

"In the final analysis, there are still ghosts. Those people colluded with pirates and robbed many fishing boats and wealthy families."

"Let's not say a few words, the Wu family in Zhenhai County has resisted the pirates for so many years, and this time they are wiped out."

"These days, the 10,000+ people in Zhenhai County were killed tens of thousands, and the corpses blocked the city gate. It's so miserable."

These men have dark skin, their faces look older than ordinary people, and the soles of their feet are big. It seems that they have been on fishing boats all year round.

Long Chen ate the fish noodles, and tried to talk: "Brothers, according to what you say, you can't go to sea now?"

The men looked at Long Chen vigilantly, but no one answered, they all lowered their heads and continued eating noodles.

Long Chen knew that they didn't trust him, so he hurriedly said: "I'm a hunter in the mountains. My father was slapped by a tiger while hunting in winter. The doctor asked me to buy fish oil here, and said it would cure him."

"I heard from some big brothers that I can't go to sea, so where can I buy fish oil to treat my father's injury?"

Long Chen had a sad face, and put the chopsticks on the bowl in his hand.

Seeing that Long Chen and Zhang Qian were wearing fur, they didn't look like locals or fishermen, so he asked, "Where are you from?"

Long Chen said: "The ones from Shangjiang County are begging for food in Jiulong Mountain."

Another man said: "I know Jiulong Mountain. There are many big insects there, and the people at the foot of the mountain are often eaten."

The man's vigilant face relaxed, and he said in a sympathetic tone: "They are all hard-working people. We are begging for life at sea, and you are begging for food in the mountains."

"There is a kind of fish in the sea, which is full of bones and has no meat, but the oil refined from the bones can heal wounds. This should be what you are talking about."

Long Chen immediately turned around and asked eagerly: "Brother, where can I buy it?"

The man sighed: "This kind of fish is only found in the deep sea, and pirates are rampant now, you can't buy it."

Long Chen sighed: "Damn Haikou, then my father... hey..."

Seeing Long Chen's filial piety, the other man said, "Actually... there are also."

Long Chen immediately asked: "Brother, please tell me."

The man said, "The Xu family has it, but it's very expensive."

Long Chen immediately asked: "Which Xu family?"

The man said: "Everyone here knows the Xu residence near the city wall in the east of the city."

Long Chen asked strangely: "Just now the elder brother said that pirates are rampant, why can the Xu family buy it? Did the elder brother just tease me?"

The man said unhappily: "You are ignorant, I'll tell you kindly, how can I tease you? Just go and buy it for sure."

Long Chen didn't want to ask too many questions, so he quickly thanked the men, and after eating the fish noodles, he gave the money, and went back to the room with Zhang Qian.

After closing the doors and windows, there was still a smell of sweat inside. Zhang Qian rolled up all the quilts and threw them aside, and then covered them with fur.

"Which family is the Xu family?"

Long Chen asked.

Zhang Qian shook her head and said, "I'm not familiar with this place, so I have to ask the locals."

Long Chen thought for a while, opened the door and went out for a while, then led the waiter in.

"Guest officer, what can I tell you?"

The waiter picked up the apron to wipe his hands, the back of his hand was a bit severely cracked.

If you want to ask for news, people come and go in the market, and news will gather here.

And the waiter in the running hall can hear everything. As long as you are smart, you must know a lot.

Therefore, Long Chen called the waiter over.

"Brother, we are hunters in the mountains, and we want to buy fish oil to treat my father's illness."

Long Chen said the same thing again.

Xiaoer said: "I heard it just now, you go to Xu's house, there must be one there, they didn't lie to you."

Long Chen asked him to sit down and talk.

"I'm a foreigner, and I want to ask about the Xu family's situation. I don't have any other intentions, but I'm worried about safety."

"My father is still lying at home waiting for the medicine. If something happens to me, no one will collect my father's body."

With Long Chen's look, Zhang Qian immediately took out a piece of silver and threw it to Xiao Er.

Xiao Er took the money, and said with a smile on his face, "Guest officer is so generous, how much money do you hunters make?"

Long Chen smiled: "To tell you the truth, we can find gold sand in the mountains, so we have a little money."

Xiao Er took the money, lowered his voice and said, "Brother, for the sake of your trust in me, I've said it."

This ingot of silver is enough to earn his wages for several years.

"Brother, you have been in the mountains for a long time, and you have no heart to guard against others. You must not reveal your wealth here, especially when you come to Xu's house."

"The Xu family..."

Xiao Er paused, listened to the movement with his ears upright, and made sure there was no one around, and then continued: "The Xu family is pirates, they colluded with pirates, and pirates plundered the sea and the coast, and he is here as an internal response." .”

"Why does he have fish oil, because he sells everything the pirates rob, and he provides weapons, rice, fruits and vegetables to the pirates, and also informs them."

"When you go shopping at Xu's house, you can't bring more money, or you will kill you when you see money."

"And sister-in-law, such a beautiful sister-in-law can't go, listen to me right."

Long Chen asked in a low voice: "Doesn't the governor know?"

Xiao Er frowned and said, "A family of officials and bandits, the governor Chen Zu himself is also a bandit."

hiss....

Long Chen felt that the matter was a bit absurd, if it was said that the county magistrate and the local gentry colluded with pirates, it would be fine, but the governor of a county was also a pirate, that would be nonsense.

As an important member of a party, the governor must be canonized by the empress and assessed by the officials himself. How could he be a pirate?

"how is this possible!"

Zhang Qian was also shocked.

Xiao Er said in a low voice: "I also heard that, anyway, you can't bring more silver taels when you go shopping at Xu's house."

Downstairs, the boss looked for Xiao Er cursing, and Xiao Er quickly got up: "Brother, listen to me and be careful."

After finishing speaking, Xiao Er hurried downstairs, and immediately heard the boss scolding.

"My lord, why do you feel that the water in Qianjiang County is a bit deep?"

Zhang Qian closed the door and carefully checked that no one around was eavesdropping.

Long Chen found it incredible: "The governor of a county is actually a pirate? How could this be?"

Zhang Qian asked: "Could it be rumors? Someone framed the governor?"

Long Chen shook his head and said: "If the Xu family is said to be pirates, and they dare to do business openly in the city, it is impossible for the governor Chen Zu not to know."

"Then there is only one possibility, the governor Chen Zu colluded with the Xu family."

Zhang Qian wondered: "But the governor has to report to the Ministry of Officials every three years. Could it be that the Ministry of Officials has been bribed?"

Long Chen denied this hypothesis: "The official Baili Bing is a member of the Holy One, it is impossible to be bribed, there must be other reasons."

Zhang Qian asked: "But what is the reason?"

Long Chen shook his head: "I don't know, I'll go to Xu's house tomorrow and find out about the situation."

"You go outside the city tomorrow and wait for Dugu Jiali and Wu Jian, so that they don't enter the city."