Criminal investigation in ancient times

Zhou Yin suddenly calmed down when he saw the hip flask on the man's waist.

Zhang Rui looked at this person and felt inexplicably familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere...

The people on the bed were entertaining themselves for a long while and saw that both of them looked impatient, Feng Xuan pulled down the mask and frowned, "Hey, you two are so boring." Erlang sat on the stool with his legs.

Zhou Yin snorted and said, "Only you can do such a boring thing."

Feng Xuan laughed dryly, "How did you find out it was mine?"

Zhang Rui rolled his eyes and pointed to the hip flask on his waist.

Feng Xuan rubbed his head angrily and said: "Oh, I was betrayed by this jug again."

Zhang Rui said in his heart: again?This sort of thing must have been done before.

Feng Xuan: "Where is my precious apprentice?"

Zhou Yin: "Give it away."

Feng Xuan hurriedly got up and said, "Give it away?"

Zhou Yin raised his eyebrows: "If you can give it to me, this king can naturally give it to others."

Feng Xuan: "When did I say I would send you off, I asked you to take care of me."

Zhang Ruidao: "Qing Luo is with Dr. He."

Zhou Yin: "How do you know we're here?"

Feng Xuan poured himself a cup of tea and said, "It's been rumored all over the street that a big man is coming from Jiangzhou, I figured with my toes that it was you who came."

Zhou Yin: "Why did you learn to think with your toes?"

Fengxuan: ...

Seeing that Zhou Yin was choking him speechless, Zhang Rui felt relieved. It was unfortunate that he almost scared him to death just now. Since what happened in Tongzhou, he is extremely sensitive to this kind of thing, and he is afraid that it will happen again. .

Zhou Yin suddenly said seriously: "Have you found out about him?"

Feng Xuan nodded in a daze, lowered his head and took a sip of tea: "I don't know if the news is true or not."

Zhou Yin: "Since we got the news from Tianxianglou, it should be similar this time."

Feng Xuan laughed at himself, "Hey, I don't even know what's the use of finding him now..."

Zhou Yin: "The things between you two should be settled. At that time, he mistakenly thought that you killed his wife, but he didn't know that you were to save him."

Feng Xuan said: "The living can't compete with the dead, and now I tell him that his wife is Thaksin who came to kill him?"

Zhou Yin sighed and said, "Fortunately, my Rui'er won't misunderstand me for this."

Feng Xuan rolled his eyes and said: "I am different from you, don't think that everyone has broken sleeves like you two."

Zhang Rui blushed from embarrassment at what he said.

Feng Xuan suddenly laughed and said: "I think of the last time I was in a restaurant..."

Zhang Rui: "Don't say it!"

Feng Xuan laughed loudly: "I didn't say anything."

Zhang Rui has already punched Feng Xuan countless times in his heart, the worst thing in life is to make friends with a whore, there is no one.

Zhang Rui: "How long have you been in Jiangzhou?"

Feng Xuan calculated: "It's been more than half a month, what's the matter?"

Zhang Rui: "Have you heard any rumors about the prefect of Jiangzhou?"

Feng Xuan shook his head and said: "I have never cared about the affairs of the court, but I can tell you one thing, don't underestimate the prefect of Jiangzhou."

Zhang Rui nodded: "How can you be someone who can sit firmly on the prefect of Jindu?"

Feng Xuan said: "That's what you said, by the way, didn't Zhou Yin say that he sent secret guards, he should have found something."

Zhou Yin's expression changed and he said, "The dark guard hasn't come to report yet, but he probably will come at night."

Feng Xuan said: "Then I'm here to interfere with the good things of the two of you, go and see my precious apprentice." After speaking, he waved his hands and jumped out of the window.

Zhang Rui leaned over the window to look, but he was nowhere to be seen.Hastily closed the window and patted his chest, saying: "This man is really old and unscrupulous."

Zhou Yin walked over, reached out and hugged his waist, lowered his head and kissed him on the lips, saying: "Don't worry too much, there are hidden guards around us to protect us at any time, it was just an accident, and the martial arts are higher than Feng Xuan's." There are too few people."

Zhang Rui knew that he saw his fear just now, nodded and stretched out his hand to hook Zhou Yin's neck and kissed it.

The lips are close together, I don't know who is the first to lighten the lips, stick out the tongue, entangled in each other's mouth...

After the wicked Feng Xuan left their house, he "kidnapped" Dr. He and Qing Luo in the same way.

Dr. He was so frightened that his face was pale and his hands were trembling.On the contrary, Qing Luo hugged Feng Xuan's thigh after being untied with the usual appearance, crying loudly: "Master, don't leave your apprentice and run away by yourself!"

Feng Xuan awkwardly unlocked the acupoints for Old Doctor He, He Xiangru wiped the sweat off his brow and said, "Is this young master Qing Luo's master?" Feng Xuan nodded.

He Xiangru laughed and said, "You scare the old man. If this child has troubles, then the old man's conscience will be uneasy for the rest of his life. Come on, you master and apprentice catch up with each other, and I'll take a stroll around Lao Han's next door."

After Dr. He left, Feng Xuan put away the expression on his face and said: "Qing Luo, how are you doing with the things the teacher entrusted to you?"

Qing Luo nodded and said, "I did everything according to Master's orders."

Feng Xuan stretched out his hand to touch his head and said, "I'm making things difficult for you. After this matter is over, Master will take you away, okay?"

Qing Luo hurriedly said: "Okay! Then I will wait for Master."

***

It is said that after Du Yuan escaped from the inn, he sneaked to his cousin's house, but his cousin had already received the news, and when he came, he sent four or five followers to tie him up and send him back to Du's mansion.

Du Yuan rolled his eyes and cursed from the bottom of his heart, and decided not to associate with his cousin again!He had no sense of loyalty at all, and his father sold himself at the order of his father!What to do now, I don't know how his father will force him, ah~~~ God is inhumane!

Back at Du's house, Du Yuan was kneeling in the flower hall, and Du Yuan's second wife, Mrs. Song, was standing by and walking back and forth anxiously.Du Yuan's mother passed away a long time ago, and later his father married his mother's younger sister Xiao Song as his successor.This little Song family is also kind-hearted, she treats Du Yuan as her own, and she never even had a child. Over the years, the mother-child relationship is as deep as that of direct relatives.

Suddenly the servant next to Mr. Du came over, and Mrs. Song hurriedly said, "What did Mr. Du say?"

The little servant knelt down and said: "Go back to madam, the master said... let the young master just kneel here, when will he figure it out, and when he promises to get married, he will go back to the house and rest."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Song said to Du Yuan: "Yuaner, you just listen to your father and marry that Mrs. Ge. If you really don't like her, you can take a few more small ones in the future."

Du Yuan turned his head and said: "If you don't marry, you just don't want to marry. I don't even know that Ge's looks are flat or round. Why marry her!"

Mrs. Song said hastily: "Er Niang has seen that girl from the Ge family. Although she is not considered to be overpowering, she is still good-looking. How could your father choose a marriage for you so wrongly?"

Du Yuan snorted and said, "Anyway, I don't like her, and I don't want to marry her. Since Dad wants me to kneel, then I'll just kneel."

Song said angrily: "You bastard! Why are you so refusing to listen to persuasion! Erniang has said all the good and bad things, and you are still stubborn, so you can tell me which girl you like, as long as she has a good status, The second wife came here for you, so we don't have to marry the salt merchant's daughter if our family is big."

Feng Xuan's appearance suddenly appeared in Du Yuan's mind, and the smell of his wine seemed to linger in his ears... His face flushed, if Feng Xuan was a woman... "Second Mother, I don't want to marry anyone, so don't force me to gone."

Mrs. Song pointed to his forehead and said, "Just kneel here, I don't care about it!" Then she stomped her feet and turned back to the backyard.

Du Yuan stretched his neck and saw his second mother walking away, he hurriedly got up and squatted and rubbed his knees which had been kneeling for half an hour, muttering in his mouth: "Father too, if you want to be a son of a bitch, don't you think it's okay if you don't marry?" ? If you don’t get married, you can’t manage the jade business of the Du family? Hiss...it’s so cold here, knees are cold and painful after kneeling for a while.”

"Cough...!" Du Ruoheng walked in from the outside.

Du Yuan suddenly heard his father's cough and was so frightened that he "thumped" and knelt back to the ground.He grinned when his knee hurt from hitting the stone.

Seeing his appearance, Du Ruoheng hated iron and steel, and said, "Why did I give birth to such a waste snack like you?"

Du Yuan rolled his eyes and said thoughtfully: If I were a waste of dim sum, wouldn't you also become a dim sum... Anyway, they are all eaten, who is afraid of others.

Du Ruoheng said: "How about it, have you figured it out? Then why not the daughter of a salt merchant, in the future when you take over Yuhang, the Yue family can still be your support."

Du Yuan said: "Father, don't force me, I said I don't want to get married yet, besides, the salt merchants have too many schemes, I'm not their opponent."

Du Ruoheng: "Let's not talk about salt merchants, when do you want to get married? Could it be that you can't get married after your parents are dead!"

Du Yuan: "How is it possible... Wait for another two years, if there is a suitable one, I will marry."

Master Du knew his son so well, he knew what he was going to do as soon as he pouted.It is definitely an excuse to say "what if there is no suitable one in two years?"

Du Yuan lowered his head and said weakly: "Then... let's talk about it later."

Master Du stretched out his hand to hit him, but Du Yuan hurriedly dodged aside.

"Nizi! You are going to piss me off! Someone, shut him up in the ancestral hall, and release him when he promises to get married!"

A few servants drove Du Yuan towards the backyard.

Du Yuan stretched his neck and said, "If you imprison me for the rest of your life, you will never marry that Ge's daughter! Just give up on that!"

Master Du's lips trembled in anger, he grabbed the teacup from the table and threw it at him: "Fuck off! Get him away! I'm so mad!"

Hearing the roar of the father and son, Mrs. Song came out hurriedly. Seeing Mr. Du's face pale and trembling with anger, she hurriedly poured him a cup of tea, "Why be angry with him, he is still young and has not yet decided his temper. If you really don't want to marry... "

Master Du said angrily: "Small? It looks like I'm already twenty! When I was his age, he could crawl. You gave it to me! A loving mother is so defeated, you are not allowed to visit him in the ancestral hall, but I am Let's see how much perseverance he has!"

Mrs. Song was scolded embarrassingly by him: "Okay, I won't go to see him, don't get angry, but I don't think much about marrying a salt merchant, let's not say that this salt merchant is powerful, my son will be bullied in the future , come again... In the past few days, I heard that the higher-ups have sent people to investigate the salt merchants, so I think this marriage has to be slow."

Master Du also calmed down after hearing what she said. He only thought about the interests of both parties at the beginning, and he just mentioned it casually at the dinner. How many salt merchants' daughters can't ask for it? Since they intend to get married, Du Ruoheng Also happy to see it succeed.

It's just that the superiors sent people to investigate the salt merchants... Although the previous few times were full of thunder and rain, most officials came to Jiangzhou either to be bought by money or suppressed by the superiors and unable to stand up. This time is different, it is said The Twelve Princes also came along, fearing that there will be a big change.It doesn't matter if it doesn't end, just sit back and watch the changes. In case the salt merchants really fall into it, it's better not to involve them.Businessmen value profits, even if they have the best relationship, they will fight on their own.

***

In the inn, Feng Xuan sneaked away after seeing his little apprentice.At night, several hidden guards entered the inn, and informed Zhang Rui and Zhou Yin of the investigation in Jiangzhou during this period.

It turns out that the magistrate of Jiangzhou is really as he saw, food and clothing expenses have always been very simple, but it is not known whether he has accepted bribes and silver. Close, at most, it's just sending some Jiangzhou specialties during the festivals, and there are very few letters on weekdays.

Zhang Rui couldn't help but fell into deep thought after hearing this. This is unscientific. Ordinarily this Wu Zefeng was promoted by Li Qian, and he should have worked for Li Qian. Who is loyal to, maybe this is only on the surface, but there is actually something hidden in it?

Zhou Yin pinched his nose and said: "Continue to investigate, and check these big salt merchants in Jiangzhou by the way."

Zhang Rui: "Today, I am afraid that the prefect of Wu will submit the tax accounts of the salt merchants in the past few years, and he will be busy."

Zhou Yin said: "It is certain that the sharp drop in the tax revenue of salt merchants in recent years has something to do with the eldest prince, but if you only check the account books, you will definitely not find anything useful."

Zhang Rui sighed: "That is to say, one of the two previous adults who thoroughly investigated Jiangzhou resigned, and the other died. Who knows what else is waiting for me."

Zhou Yin patted him and said, "With me here, they dare not be too presumptuous."

Sure enough, in the afternoon, Wu Zefeng led someone to submit Jiangzhou's tax books for the past two years. There were twenty books, each three inches thick.Just looking at this account book will take at least ten days and half a month.

Zhang Ruidao: "Master Wu is bothering you. This account book may be damaged if you leave it in the inn. Why don't you take it back first, and I will go to your place to see when I use it."

Wu Zefeng thought it was the same thing, then nodded and said: "Then the officer will take it back first, sir, if you need something useful, just tell me."

Zhang Rui nodded with a smile, watched him leave, slowly suppressed the smile on his face, frowned and said: "I really can't see what Wu Zefeng's plan is."

Zhou Yin sat aside and didn't know what to think.

"Are you saying that Wu Zefeng is not the first prince at all?"

"Zhou Yin, Zhou Yin?"

Zhou Yin: "Huh?...um."

Zhang Ruidao: "What are you thinking about? You're so preoccupied."

Zhou Yin said: "It's okay, I just suddenly remembered something about the capital, and I don't know what happened to the dragon's body."

Zhang Rui: "When you said that, I remembered that when I entered the palace last time, I smelled a strange smell in the emperor's study, which was similar to the smell of firecrackers..."

Zhou Yin said: "The emperor used fire to make alchemy, so it doesn't matter if the taste is similar."

Zhang Rui thought in his heart: That's sulfur!It will be poisonous if eaten.But I don't know how to say it, anyway, my official is low-key, even if I really tell the emperor, the emperor may not believe it.

"What do you think of what I just said?"

Zhou Yin: "How about what?"

Zhang Rui: "I think... this Wu Zefeng may not be considered the eldest prince."

Zhou Yin picked up the teacup and just wanted to drink it, but when he saw that it was empty, he put it down and said, "Why do you say that?"

Zhang Rui frowned: "You see, although he was promoted by Li Qian, he has no close contact with Li Qian. I'm afraid he has other contacts with others in private, otherwise he would not be able to sit firmly in the chair of the prefect of Jiangzhou." .”

Zhou Yin nodded: "It makes sense, but what if it's just a way for them to cover up? Maybe they should check the prefect of Jiangzhou carefully."

Zhang Rui: "Well, it should be so, maybe I'm worrying too much."

Zhou Yin said: "Why don't we go out for a walk, you have been thinking too much these days, be careful not to wear yourself out."

Zhang Rui smiled and said: "Okay, I just want to see the customs and customs of Jiangzhou." After saying that, the two changed their clothes and walked to the street.

Jiangzhou is different from Tongzhou. Not to mention the excitement, the folk customs here are developed. There are many good women on the street wearing skirts and cloth flowers walking on the street in twos and threes. .

Zhou Yin and Zhang Rui were walking on the street, both of them were dressed in scarlet and jade.They were all Mr. Pianpian, with high-class appearance, which aroused the hearts of many girls. They stared at the two of them with scorching eyes, as if they wanted to eat them alive, which was very blatant.

Zhang Rui looked a little uncomfortable, touched his red ears and whispered beside Zhou Yin: "Why do these people keep looking at us?"

Zhou Yin smiled and said, "I'm afraid I'm overwhelmed by this king's beauty."

Zhang Rui laughed dryly and said, "It's really shameless."

Zhou Yin reached out to wrap his arms around his waist, and his vision suddenly decreased...

Many women shook their handkerchiefs and left in disappointment, and some whispered: "I thought they were two handsome young gentlemen, but I didn't expect to have broken sleeves. What a pity..." Zhang Rui couldn't help laughing out loud. sound.

The two walked to a shop that sold salt. There were only two young men in the shop, and the shopkeeper was missing.

Zhang Rui said: "My little brother, how do you sell this salt?"

The boy said: "Eighty Wen and one tael."

Zhang Rui was surprised: "So expensive?"

It just so happened that an old lady who bought salt came next to her. When the old lady heard it, she said, "What can you do, you have to eat it. Ten years ago, one tael of salt was only sixty yuan, but now it's an increase." Twenty Wen, I can hardly afford salt."

The boy took the big money from the old lady's hand, took the straw paper and handed the weighed salt package to the old lady.The old lady took the salt, put it in the basket, and left tremblingly.

Zhang Rui and Zhou Yin looked at each other, got up and caught up with the old lady, saying: "Ma'am, we want to ask you if you can do something?"

The old lady hurriedly covered the basket and looked at the two in surprise, "What do you want to do! Let me tell you two, my son is an official servant. If you dare to attack me, I will let my son arrest you two!"

Zhang Rui smiled and said, "Ma'am, you misunderstood. We just want to ask you about the salt price of last year and the year before."

The old lady said: "What are you asking?"

Zhang Rui took out a silver nude from his sleeve and handed it to her, "Just to inquire."

The old lady looked at the silver in her hand, then at the two of them, and said, "Then, you can ask, if I know, I will tell you both."

The three of them found a teahouse. It was the first time for the old lady to enter such a place, holding a basket and looking around cautiously.

Zhang Ruidao: "Ma'am, how much was the salt last year?"

The old lady thought for a while and said, "Last year it was 78 big money and one tael."

Zhang Rui said: "What about the year before last?"

"76 big bucks."

Counting the next three years, it will be an increase of two big money every year. Two big money may not sound like much, but if you calculate it carefully, one tael of salt is two big money, one catty is twenty big money, and one stone is [-] big money. For one tael or two silver, Jiangzhou salt merchants sell hundreds of thousands of rock salt every year, which is not a few big profits.So whose hands did all this money go to...

After asking, the two left the teahouse. Seeing that they had left, the old lady hurriedly put away the money, thinking: I don't know what these two people are doing, but they got money when they made a move. Anyway, I took advantage of it and bought it. Salt money back.He hurried home with a small basket.

After leaving the teahouse, I didn’t go back to the inn directly, but continued to walk around outside. As night fell, the lights gradually came up on the street, and I walked along the river. You can see women in thin clothes walking up and down on it.

The two stood by the river and looked at it for a while, Zhang Rui said: "If you want to find out the problem of this salt merchant, there seems to be only one place to find the answer."

Zhou Yin's eyes lit up, he stretched out his finger and nodded his head and said, "I think of a place, come with me!" As he spoke, he pulled Zhang Rui towards the inn.