Fu Shifeng

Chapter 205 Smell the wind at night
"My father is now implementing the New Deal with great momentum. If the governors of various prefectures and counties fail to implement the policies effectively, they will lose their offices and positions, or they will be demoted if they are found guilty."

Chang Qing used the name of Prime Minister Lu as always: "If Gao Changshi has something inappropriate and wants me to help, at least explain the situation first. Otherwise, I really don't dare to accept this favor."

Gao Changshi's face changed slightly, and then he waved his hand quickly: "Lu Langjun is joking, Gao really came all the way to see you, and was busy with rituals without taking a rest. If you are affected by the acclimatization and get sick, it would be a dereliction of duty by everyone in this government." .”

Seeing that the other party still refused to speak clearly, Chang Qing also became angry. He swept away the prostitutes on the left and right with his sleeves, stood up, and snorted coldly: "It seems that Gao Changshi regards me as a junior who can be deceived at will! Since he does not want to speak clearly, Then I don’t have to stay long!”

Seeing Changqing leaving the table, Gao Changshi was so frightened that he quickly tried to persuade him to stay: "Lu Langjun, Lu Langjun! It's Gao who is confused. Please forgive me, Lu Langjun."

"What? Are you willing to say it now?" Changqing pretended to be unruly and vicious, deliberately imitating Lu Yan, but I don't know if it looks like him or not.

Gao Changshi waved the prostitute away, then picked up the lantern alone and took Changqing to a secret room to talk alone.

"There is indeed something I want to ask Lu Langjun for help, but...it's hard to say it, so I have no choice but to take this step." Gao Changshi first announced the crime.

"That's all." Changqing waved his hand: "Tell me first what happened."

Gao Changshi came closer and asked in a low voice: "Mr. Lu Lang, do you know that the imperial court has a crossbow workshop office in Yangzhou, which is responsible for making spears, bows, crossbows, blades and other weapons."

Changqing was glad that the other party mentioned this matter and immediately said: "Yangzhou has convenient water transportation, abundant supplies and a large concentration of craftsmen. It is natural and convenient to build weapons on the spot. It is not surprising."

"That's true." Gao Changshi's face became nervous: "However, this... a strange thing happened recently. Most of the weapons stored in the warehouse were suddenly stolen..."

"What?!" Even though he knew it beforehand, Changqing still pretended to be shocked at this moment, stood up and shouted: "The weapons were stolen, do you know what a crime this is?!"

Gao Changshi repeatedly raised his hand to lower his voice. Even though this secret room was isolated from the inside and outside, no sound could be transmitted out, but he still felt guilty.

Changqing paced back and forth, then asked: "How many were lost?"

Gao Changshi whispered: "Five hundred black lacquer crossbows, two thousand seven hundred horn bows and strings, more than seventy-five thousand arrows of various types, and thousands of bamboo tokens, spears, etc.... …”

Changqing was really stunned now. The number of stolen weapons was far greater than expected. He couldn't even imagine how much space it would take up to have so many weapons piled together.

"How... is this possible?" Chang Qing felt his scalp numb. If these weapons really fell into the hands of the rebels, given Jianghuai's long-lasting peace, he might not be able to resist rebelling against the party and causing chaos.

"There is one more thing I want Lu Langjun to know." Gao Changshi said: "The theft of weapons happened just five days ago. I still dare not report it, and I strictly prohibit the governor's staff from spreading it to the outside world."

Chang Qing sneered in his heart, the Ministry of Internal Affairs had already noticed this, and Gao Changshi was destined to be unable to escape.

"Five days ago?" Chang Qing sat down with a heavy face: "The number of stolen weapons was so huge that even a dozen large trucks wouldn't be able to transport them away! Even if the soldiers in the garrison department colluded with the thieves, could they still bribe the Governor's Mansion? Are all the joints broken?"

Gao Changshi's face was full of uneasiness, and he beat his legs nervously: "This is what I am suspicious of. I checked the whole house carefully in the past few days, and no one found that the weapons were stolen. There was not even a trace of transportation. The weapons in the warehouse were It seems like it disappeared out of thin air. If it weren’t for a routine inventory, I’m afraid it would have been much later before the stolen weapons were discovered!”

"Later?"

Gao Changshi wiped the sweat from his forehead: "This... I heard that the war between the imperial court and the Bohai Kingdom is not going well, and it is estimated that additional weapons need to be transferred. I sent a batch a few months ago, and I estimate that the next transfer order from the imperial court will be soon. arrive."

Changqing held her forehead: "I'm afraid no one can protect you from such a life-threatening matter."

"No! Lu Langjun is here, and the official will be saved!" Gao Changshi showed weird excitement: "So many weapons disappeared out of thin air. Since it is not man-made, it can only be the work of evil spirits!"

Changqing's expression was strange. He never imagined that Gao Changshi would come up with such a reason.

"The evil is causing trouble..." Changqing pressed the pulsating vein on his forehead: "Gao Changshi, did you think carefully when you said this? What are the evil doing by stealing weapons for no reason?!"

Gao Changshi showed humility and said quickly: "Lu Langjun, what I said is by no means an unfounded fabrication. There are no clues about the theft of this weapon, and it is definitely not something that can be accomplished by human power. Moreover, there are dragons and snakes mixed in Yangzhou, and there are some in the market. Monk Hu who is good at illusions, and there are monsters lurking in the countryside, these are not secrets!"

"I understand." Chang Qing said with a gloomy face, "You hope to use my Taoist identity as a guarantee for you and put all the blame for the theft of weapons on the unknown monster."

Gao Changshi explained: "Lu Langjun, this is not to shirk the blame! I also want to ask you to use your magic method to find out. If you can find any clues, that would be the best."

Chang Qing secretly sighed in his heart. Things were indeed as Afu said. The other party was going to drag him into the water. As long as the son of Prime Minister Lu was involved, Gao Changshi would feel that he had something to rely on.

Thinking of this, Chang Qing couldn't help but smile bitterly. If the incident happened in the future, would that stranger's father really protect himself?

"Then what if we can't find any clues?" Chang Qing asked again: "Don't blame everything on Yaoxie. This kind of nonsense can't deceive everyone."

Gao Changshi's face darkened, and a sinister expression flashed across his face: "Recently, there have been quite a few restless soldiers and servants on the canal. They gathered together to form societies, swore blood oaths, colluded with wealthy merchants, extorted ships, and were pursued by the government. , they dispersed in a hurry, or fled to the island. If that doesn't work, let's say they colluded with evil spirits, stole weapons, and intended to rebel? "

Changqing was silent for a long time after hearing this. Although he knew from Afu that the descendants of the deposed emperor were plotting to rebel in the Jianghuai area, he vaguely felt that even if a descendant of the royal family who was left among the people 20 years ago really wanted to rebel, under the current situation , how can it be successful?

Even if you are raising a flag to rebel, it is important to have a master who is famous. Today, the saint is in his prime and the country is consolidated. If he brings out the heir of a deposed emperor and fails to show his kindness and power, will anyone really follow him and die?
On the contrary, Gao Changshi's remarks, although still absurd, were still somewhat credible when reported to the court because the soldiers and servants could not be driven, gathered people to cause chaos and committed murder.

"But with so many weapons stolen, the Yangzhou Governor's Office cannot escape the blame no matter what." Chang Qing said, "Whether others can steal it is one thing. Your lax guarding is equally at fault."

"Xiaoguan understands." Gao Changshi gritted his teeth: "Xiaoguan is willing to offer millions of treasures, only to ask Lu Langjun to give advice to Prime Minister Lu!"

The number of 100 million guan is far beyond imagination. Even Huainan Road's annual tax contribution may not be worth 100 million guan in total. The only possibility is that some of the treasures are overvalued.

This separation is not a heavy one, but the crime of losing weapons is enough to be punished with death. No matter how stupid Gao Changshi is, he can at least distinguish the lighter from the heavier.

"Millions of wealth?" Changqing was stunned for a moment, and then said angrily: "Gao Changshi, you have done such a good job as an official, you can actually collect so much money!"

"There are countless local wealthy merchants and shipowners in Yangzhou. Even if the official does not take the initiative to search for them, they will take the initiative to offer them." Gao Changshi reluctantly smiled and said: "If the official does not accept them, they will panic. This move is also for the sake of the peace of the party. , Just like what Taoist ancestors said - light and dust." Changqing's cheeks twitched, Gao Changshi could actually say that he was complicit in the evil so confidently.

But in the final analysis, he was only responsible for escorting the true statue. Even as the son of Prime Minister Lu, he might not be able to assist Gao Changshi in covering up the theft of weapons.

"Let me consider this matter carefully and give you an answer tomorrow." Changqing tried his best to delay, waiting for Cheng Sanwu and Afu to find out the truth.

"It's getting late, and the shops outside may not be clean, so Lu Langjun will temporarily stay in his official residence. The guest house is ready." Gao Changshi wanted to keep Changqing no matter what.

"Forget it, let it be your arrangement." Changqing had no objection and followed Gao Changshi to the guest house, followed by four prostitutes who said they were waiting for him to sleep.

Chang Qing was angry in his heart. After Gao Changshi left, he didn't wait for the prostitutes to take off his clothes. He made a secret and cast a spell to knock the prostitutes down, and he sat down on the couch to rest.

……

Cheng Sanwu jumped up lightly and climbed over the wall of the square. From a distance, he could see the brightly lit lights in the direction of the lake pavilion, and endless singing and dancing.

"I really know how to enjoy it." Cheng Sanwu muttered in his heart. There was a slight sound of wind beside him, and Qin Wangshu, who was also dressed in black clothes walking at night, fell beside him.

"The study is in the northwest, go around along the square wall." Qin Wangshu whispered.

"Let's go." Cheng Sanwu didn't delay for even a moment. He used Qinggong and ran straight away. The two figures almost completely blended into the night, making it impossible for ordinary people to see them.

Qin Wangshu's subordinate Afu once carefully trained his eyesight to be able to see at night. Although Cheng Sanwu has not practiced this kind of skill, his cultivation is now able to use Qi to sense external things, even those who cannot see anything. Even in the dark, he can move freely.

Within half a moment, the two of them walked around to the study room in the inner courtyard. Everything was quiet and silent, and there was no sound in the rooms on the left and right.Qin Wangshu took out the delicate tools he carried with him, easily picked the lock of the study door and sneaked inside.

Although Gao Changshi's study didn't have many books and albums, he didn't know where to find them in a hurry. However, he saw a hazy aura on Qin Wangshu's hand. He lightly passed the cabinet shelf and found the storage very accurately. Letter box.

"How did you do it?" Cheng Sanwu leaned against the door and watched the wind, and found that Qin Wangshu's luck made his method unique.

"This is a method of analyzing qi that evolved from the Snake Sword Technique. It can sense the residual breath of things. When you were unconscious, Master Fu and Chang Qing gave you guidance." Qin Wangshu only answered one sentence, without saying anything. He said more, quickly flipped through the letter, and took out a ring inlaid with luminous pearls, scanning the contents of the letter with the subtle light.

But after reading through it, Qin Wangshu just put the letter away and said, "There are no clues here."

"Are you sure just by looking at this?" Cheng Sanwu gestured to the books on the shelves around him.

"The atmosphere around me is as recent as two or three months ago. Only these letters are constantly moving." Qin Wangshu said.

"Then what should we do now?" Cheng Sanwu asked.

"Maybe there are clues in the dormitory."

Cheng Sanwu opened the door a little and looked outside: "It's dark and there's no movement."

Just as the two were about to leave, Cheng Sanwu suddenly asked, "Isn't there an underground secret room in this study?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Wangshu immediately leaned down on the ground, tapped his fingers on the patterned floor tiles, stood up after a moment and said, "No."

Cheng Sanwu smiled and said: "No, that's fine. I'm afraid of going underground and bumping into some powerful character when I emerge."

Qin Wangshu always had a cold face and had no intention of joking. He locked the study door again and quietly came to Gao Changshi's dormitory.

There was also no one in the house, but this time even Cheng Sanwu could sense the obvious aura, which was the inevitable "popularity" of ordinary people's residences.If a house has been unoccupied for a long time, it will be dull and dead, and you can even tell it just by the smell.

"This incense is really heavy." Cheng Sanwu sniffed, feeling slightly uncomfortable: "And I smell a nasty smell."

Qin Wangshu gathered his strong energy and pondered for a moment: "Strange, this is not the breath of ordinary people."

"Don't be evil, right?" As soon as Cheng Sanwu finished speaking, the two of them turned around as if they were frightened.

Suddenly a slim figure stood by the door, with several blurry shadows twisting behind him.It was difficult to see the face of the visitor clearly in the dark night, but a pair of amber eyes that glowed in the night showed no trace of their seductive charm.

But there was a soul-stirring power in this charming look, and the figures of the two people in the room were immediately restrained.

Cheng Sanwu cursed secretly in his heart. He was really unlucky in his life. Why was it that whenever he tried to secretly enter the house to investigate, he would be blocked by experts?
Without waiting for any further thought, the slender figure took action decisively, and threw out a long cherry-colored silk ribbon from her sleeve. It looked soft, but when the wind blew straight out, there was a sharp edge at the edge, which would leave long wounds on ordinary people.If this cherry-colored silk was wrapped around the neck, it would probably dislocate the body with just a twist.

But Cheng Sanwu broke free from the restraints before Chang Ling reached him, stretched out his palm to push Qin Wangshu away, and at the same time bent down to avoid Chang Ling's sharp edge, and immediately rushed towards the slim figure.

"Oh?" The slender figure seemed a little surprised and exclaimed. There was a bit of tenderness and agility in her soft voice, so she was undoubtedly a woman.

However, in Cheng Sanwu's view, this woman was not an ordinary person. She was obviously a fairy in human form. He could not tolerate any negligence. He immediately blasted out with a palm, and the blazing flames exploded close at hand.

The slender woman seemed to be particularly afraid of this type of flame flow, and she immediately flew back to avoid the palm attack.

"Oh, it's scary."

The slender woman floated down in the middle of the courtyard, her long cherry-colored silk ribbon whirling around. She was seen patting her chest, and she said coquettishly: "Such a fierce man, I'm afraid he won't please the girl's family."

(End of this chapter)