Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2221 Much the same 11.0

"These people," Merlin said fiercely with a gloomy face, "deserve to die. It would be too easy for them to be executed immediately. The main culprits should be cut into pieces in front of the entire Jiangnan people!"

"What you said is the same as what the Second Master said. The Second Master also said that if such a person is not put to death by lingchi, it is really unjust." Qin Zheng sighed softly, "But there are too many people in the court who oppose it, and the scope of involvement is indeed wide enough. If it is really necessary to carry out lingchi, it is estimated that half a year will not be enough. Half a year is too long, and it is easy to have many dreams at night. If they do something, wouldn't it be even worse?" He changed his posture and continued, "Besides, the punishment of lingchi is really unsightly, so it is simply executed immediately."

"The longer the night, the more trouble there is?" Merlin looked incredulous. "Such a big case, and you're still thinking of getting away with it?"

"It's not like he can get away with it, but..." Qin Zheng sneered, "It's possible to find someone to take the blame and escape. In the eyes of those people in Jiangnan, everything can be manipulated, which is why they are so rampant. As long as there is money, life and death can be bought and sold."

"But haven't they all had their homes confiscated?"

"They have their own little treasury, which outsiders like us cannot touch. Only they themselves know it." Qin Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly. "So, it seems like they are getting a bargain, but in fact, we are cutting the Gordian knot to prevent them from making trouble again."

"The waters in Jiangnan are indeed very deep!" Merlin looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, "No wonder the Qinglian Church is so popular in Jiangnan. Maybe it's because of mutual benefit?"

"That's about right!" Qin Zheng thought for a moment and continued, "Second Master left Liu Shibo's camp and wandered around Jiangning Prefecture for a few days. According to the agreement with Liu Shibo's people, he entered Jiangning Prefecture with two guards. After meeting them, he arranged everything and chose the inn he would stay in this time. However, this time he did not stay in the previous inn, but chose the one under the name of Eagle King. They all know each other well and the confidentiality is very good. No matter what he does, it is still very convenient. At least if he is discovered, he will not have any life threat if he stays in this inn."

"That's why he only needed a few people, right?" Seeing Qin Zheng nod, Meilin sighed deeply, "Second Master is really awesome. When we were looking for information, we had to be careful so as not to be noticed. Second Master..." She gave him a thumbs up, "I admire you!"

"Keep listening, there is something even more impressive for you. Second Master's behavior is just like beating the master to death with random punches. He wants them to panic. Once they panic, they will reveal their flaws."

"However, you just mentioned His Royal Highness the Eagle King. I wanted to ask you something." Merlin looked at Shen Haolin, then at Shen Cha, and finally at Qin Zheng, and said, "His Royal Highness the Eagle King has a great influence in Jiangnan, and his foundation is deep. Many things cannot be hidden from his discerning eyes. However, Jiangnan Salt Administration has such a big mess. Didn't His Royal Highness the Eagle King receive the news?"

"Then how do you think the palace knew that there was a problem in Jiangnan? How did they know that Jiangning Prefecture was the top priority?" Qin Zheng sighed, looked at Shen Haolin, and said, "Your master cannot interfere in politics, you know?"

"I know." Shen Haolin nodded. "This has already been agreed upon. However, if there is a problem in the local area and he knows about it, he can directly report it secretly without going through the central government. The salt administration in Jiangnan should be something my master has obtained and reported to the emperor, so the emperor allowed my second grandfather to go to Jiangnan."

"But, Your Highness the Eagle King already has the evidence, can't you just..." Merlin didn't understand, "Will all this evidence be wasted?" "It's true that these evidences cannot be made public, but it's not wasted either." Shen Cha shook his head at Merlin. Seeing that she still didn't quite understand, he smiled, explained again, and said, "The evidence of the emperor's uncle can only be known by the emperor's grandfather. When it comes to my uncle and brother Xiaojue, only they know. Other people, even the central government, will not know where your majesty got the news from. You know, there have always been rumors in the court that the royal family has its own secret agents. Many people think it is a shadow. Although it is not completely accurate, the shadow does play a certain role. However, the secret agents in Jiangnan are still mainly composed of the Eagle King's forces. They are regarded as the nails planted by the royal family in the Jiangnan family. And this nail must remain completely low-key and invisible. If it is discovered, it will lose its due role."

"That's right." Qin Zheng nodded and looked at Shen Cha. "You have to remember these, too. Do you understand? You can put the shadow in the open to disrupt their sight, but you can't expose your true strength."

"Master, I know." Shen Cha looked at Qin Zheng, nodded seriously, and said, "Uncle Huang also has this opinion. We have discussed it several times and feel that since they believe that Shadow is the secret agent of the royal family, we should continue to maintain this status quo and let Shadow be more active."

"Wait a minute!" Qi Bo interrupted the conversation between Qin Zheng and Shen Cha, "What do you mean? The Eagle King's power is going to be handed over to Xiao Cha? Shouldn't it be handed over to Haolin? He is the real disciple, right?"

"There is no difference." Qin Zheng waved his hand, "Let's not talk about this for now, let's talk about the case."

Xue Ruitian looked at Qi Bo, leaned over and whispered a few words to him, then raised his eyebrows at him.

"You said, didn't you?"

"That's true." Qi Bo nodded. "Okay, let's talk about the case. I heard that the Second Master was really in danger in Jiangning Prefecture, and it happened more than once, right?"

"It is." Qin Zheng sighed, "It was very dangerous, I almost lost my life. If it weren't for the people from the inn and Uncle Liu's people, who knows..." He said with a dry mouth, and asked Merlin to come over to refill his water. He drank two large bowls of water before continuing, "Uncle Liu's people were not idle in Jiangning Mansion either. Second Master has a list of shops and people that need to be checked."

"Given by the Royal Grandfather? Ah, no, my master mentioned it in his evidence?"

"Yes, these are some shops provided by the Eagle King. They are small and not very eye-catching, but even such small shops are very busy before dawn and late at night. Some of these shops sell tea, some sell snacks, and some sell groceries. They are not the kind of shops that need to open so early in the morning and close so late at night." Qin Zheng looked at the children and smiled, "Let me test you. Come and guess why these shops are so abnormal..."