Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 370 Waiting at the inn halfway

In the courtyard of Sihai Bank,

Shopkeeper Yu Fulin knelt on the ground, struggled desperately, lay down cross-body, hid his hands in his chest, and refused to press his fingerprints.

The guards brought by Su Jinkai and several people tried their best to break Yu Fulin's hands. As long as they pressed their fingerprints, the matter would be done.

And Duan Hong, with his own soldiers,

Taking the key, he walked to the basement where the money was kept, opened the door to the warehouse, and waved his soldiers to start moving in the money. The guards, stewards and servants of Sihai Bank were all so frightened that they hid aside and did not dare to speak.

"Listen to me, general. We can only get enough 400 million taels of silver. One tael more is not enough, and one tael less is not enough. The Marquis ordered that the things we bring will be sold for 400 million taels, so when we return to the camp, we will You’ve brought back so much, move it quickly.”

"By the way, and also, bring all the things we brought in and put them in the yard. Pay the money with one hand and deliver the goods to the bank with the other!"

Duan Hong carefully checked the amount of silver, and did not forget to remind him repeatedly,

"Yes, General."

The brothers in the old camp who were carrying the silver shouted in unison.

The deputy general also took the account book and the writing brush to write down the number of boxes entering and leaving the warehouse. When he arrived at the door of the warehouse, he had to open the box to check whether the money inside was correct, which took up more time.

Duan Hong was not in a hurry, and looked back. The few people who were still tearing apart pulled out their long knives and walked over. Looking at the still struggling shopkeeper, he advised,
"Big shopkeeper, please be sharp and get it done. Don't let me do it myself."

Yu Fulin was so frightened that he hid on the ground and kept begging for mercy.

At this time outside,

Jiang Xiaoyu, the governor of Jiangnan, came in with his servants. Seeing the chaos in the courtyard, he yelled;

"Stop, what's going on? Where did the bandits come from? They dare to cause trouble in Sihai Bank. I think they are too brave."

Then, with his hands behind his back, he immediately made a gesture to his confidant, Xu Guanshi, who was outside the door but did not go in. Seeing this, he immediately left the hospital and ran away.

Heading straight to the residence of Lord Zhuang, the governor, it turns out that the magistrate of Jinling City is Lord Zhuang's confidant in Jinling City, an eye placed among the civil servants of Jinling City. Therefore, the magistrate Jia Yucun and fellow magistrate Hu Wenxuan respect each other on the surface, but secretly set up defenses everywhere. , everyone in the city avoids this person.

today,

Master Zhuang secretly told Jiang Xiaoyu, Zhizhou of Jinling, to go to Sihai Bank to find the big shopkeeper, secretly transport 100 million taels of cash and store it in Zhuangzi's land outside the city. No other details were told.

Therefore, Jiang Zhizhou's arrival was unlucky, and he happened to meet Duan Hong leading his troops to move money.

The big shopkeeper, who had been struggling on the ground for a long time without any strength, shouted;

"Lord Zhizhou, please help me quickly. The money inside is all yours."

Although he was panicking, the shopkeeper didn't have the guts to say the person's name. Jiang Xiaoyu knew who the person was, so she stepped forward and bowed her hands.
"I dare to ask General, why do you want to do this? The treasury of Sihai Bank is the guarantee for merchants traveling up and down the Yangtze River. It is also the source of confidence for all your lords. General, if you have something to discuss, please discuss it carefully. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to do things like this."

Jiang Zhizhou had long recognized this person's identity. There were not many people who could be so arrogant in Jinling City and broke into the basement of Sihai Bank. Could it be that it was ordered by Marquis Luo Yun? I wonder what the Marquis wanted to do.

Duan Hong touched the long knife, which emitted cold light and a cold breath. He put the knife on Yu Fulin's arm,
"I have said everything I should say, but this person actually looks down on the Hou Mansion, and even wants to owe the Hou Mansion some money after selling some things. Jiang Zhizhou, what do you think I should do?"

Jiang Xiaoyu's eyes widened and she looked at the extremely domineering border army general. She couldn't believe it. If it wasn't today, this business was an unfounded business.

"Oh, this has happened. Then Jiang must want to ask about the internal situation. Why does Sihai Bank even dare to give the Marquis business on credit? He is really impatient. I would like to ask the general to explain it in detail."

General Duan held the knife and suddenly stabbed it hard. The knife penetrated Yu Fulin's arm. Following the screams, blood flowed from Yu Fulin's left arm. The clenched hand naturally loosened. Su Jinkai watched. Chance took Yu Fulin's left hand, stained it with blood, and pressed it hard on the contract, leaving a bright red fingerprint on it.

Su Jinkai picked it up and blew it with his mouth a few times. After drying it, he put it away and put it in his arms. Jiang Zhizhou's pupils shrank slightly. He never thought that the border general would be so disrespectful.

After Duan Hong saw that he was done, he put the knife into its sheath without wiping the blood on it and said,
"Lord Zhizhou, you have also seen that this man is cunning and slippery. The yard is full of antique calligraphy and paintings, gold, silver and jade articles. He told Sihai Bank to buy them for 400 million taels of cash. Who would have thought that when the things arrived, this servant dared to go back on his word? If you don't give me some clues about what the Marquis Mansion is, I'm really afraid that some people from Jiangnan will get into trouble with you."

After saying that, he looked at Lord Zhizhou coldly. Jiang Xiaoyu also broke out in cold sweat. When he saw the border army acting like a bandit, his hands trembled with anger.

"you you"

Outside Jinling City,

ten lipo,
There is a restaurant renovated by Zhuangzi, standing beside the official road, right between Hanshan Temple and Jinling.

The merchants and porters who come and go on the official road often come here to ask for a bowl of water when they are tired.

of course,

Wealthy businessmen, landlords, and dignitaries naturally ate and rested in the restaurant. The courtyard outside and the Zhuangzi at the back were inns for ordinary people.

In the Tang Dynasty on the first floor of the restaurant,

Many young men and young ladies from wealthy families have been resting and dining inside for a long time. It seems that they all go to Hanshan Temple to worship Buddha.

In an outer room on the second floor, near the window, there was an old man, several guards, and a man who looked like a housekeeper resting there. The housekeeper stood there and waited on him carefully, "Master, it's been a hard journey here today. Tell me what you want to eat. It's so tiring to travel, so how can I bother you to come over in person?"

While talking, he personally brewed a pot of Yunwu tea for the old man, and the aroma of the tea filled the room.

"Well, good tea. It is indeed the Yunwu tea brewed with the water of Jinghu Lake. It is truly unique in the south of the Yangtze River."

The old man was none other than Zhuang Shouzhi, the governor of Jiangnan Province. He took the tea bowl and put it to his nose, savored it carefully, and then gently took a sip of the fragrant tea with his mouth, leaving a long aftertaste.

"Thank you for your compliment. This tea is the first new tea produced under the rain and dew this year. After picking it, it was dried and stir-fried immediately. It was stir-fried for more than seven hours. When the temperature dropped, it was put into a jade bottle and sealed to ensure the taste. It is pure. When you want to drink it, pour it out a little and brew it with the morning dew on the shore of Jinghu Lake, then you will get this taste."

When the butler saw that the master was satisfied, he earnestly introduced the process of how to obtain this new tea.

Mr. Zhuang nodded frequently after hearing this. In his life, his only hobby was drinking tea, and he could not put it down only for good tea. He praised,
"Okay, this is what it tastes like. By the way, how far does it take for Marquis Luo Yun to arrive?"

The guard behind him leaned over and replied;
"Come back, sir, hurry up, we can see the Marquis's motorcade at the bend ahead."

"According to plan,"

"Yes, my lord."

The housekeeper took a few steps back, lowered his head and did not dare to speak. The guard walked to the window and gestured downward. After receiving the signal, the guard on the official road was ready to block the road and wait.

By noon,

Zhang Jinyu was riding on a horse dressed in Zen clothes. She was walking through the city in a swaggering way. She felt very uncomfortable. She led the team on the official road and climbed the mountain all morning. Her legs and feet were a little uncomfortable.

"Ningbian, how long until we arrive?"

"We have just walked half way back to the Marquis. If the Marquis feels a little tired, there is an inn on the official road ahead where you can rest when you come."

"Okay, let's talk when we arrive."

Zhang Jinyu looked at the sky and saw that the sun was rising so high that it was indeed not suitable to rush, so he signaled the Ningbian convoy to go faster.

Ningbyon led the people from the personal barracks and quickly reached the front of the team to clear the way.

In less than a stick of incense, the convoy approached the inn. Unexpectedly, Ningbian, who was at the front, saw a group of people blocking the official road. They passed by and yelled,
"Who is in front of me? He dares to block the official road. He is tired of living."

When the guards on the official road saw the Marquis's motorcade arriving, they got off their horses and knelt on the ground, explaining,
"Young man, I have seen the general. Please report it to the Marquis. My lord has invited me!"

"Who is your elder?"

"Back to the general, my lord is Lord Shizhuang, the governor of Jiangnan. He is waiting here specially for the Marquis."

Ningbian's heart trembled. Lord Shizhuang, the chief civil servant in Jiangnan, looked at the guard kneeling on the ground and asked him to get up and answer.

"Get up, where is Mr. Zhuang now?"

"Go back to the general, it's on the second floor of the restaurant."

The guard stood up to thank him, and then pointed his head towards the middle window on the second floor of the restaurant. Ning Bian looked up and saw that there was an old man sitting there quietly drinking tea. He was undecided. He still needed to report to the Marquis.
"Wait a moment, I'll report to the Marquis, come on."

Ningbian rode back to the center of the team,
"Report, Lord Marquis, the guards in front stopped the convoy and said it was arranged by Mr. Shizhuang, the governor of Jiangnan. They are waiting for Lord Marquis on the second floor of the restaurant."

Zhang Jinyu was riding on the horse and was thinking about what to eat at the restaurant at noon. The vegetarian meal at Hanshan Temple was full and tasteless at all. When he heard Ningbian running back from the front to report, he was a little puzzled. The old fox, Zhuang Shouzhi, the chief minister, Come find yourself, it’s interesting.

"Wei Yong, you continue to lead the troops to escort the convoy back to the main camp first. I will arrive soon. In Ningbian, gather the brothers from the first battalion to follow me and meet Mr. Zhuang for a while."

"Yes, Lord Hou."

Afterwards, the soldiers of the motorcade continued to escort Mrs. Wang and her party forward, while Zhang Jinyu led the soldiers to the courtyard of the inn, dismounted and entered the restaurant.

Ning Bian had people closely guarding him behind him, his eyes constantly scanning the people in the room, but they were all ordinary people, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Master Hou, everything is normal,"

"Well. Go upstairs."

After hearing Ning Bian's words, Zhang Jinyu walked through the inner hall with confidence, followed the stairs at the corner, and went up to the second floor.

Arriving at Datang on the second floor,

There was no one inside, except for an old man sitting at a table by the window. He was elegantly dressed and had an extraordinary bearing. The guards behind him were all capable men. There was also a butler-looking man standing beside the table, waiting on him. .

Zhang Jinyu winked at Ning Bian, then smiled deliberately, and walked over. Ning Bian behind him gave a gesture to the brothers from the old camp. The soldiers from the Pioneer Battalion began to occupy every corner of the second floor, even the entrance to the first floor. The stairs are all surrounded.

Zhuang Shouzhi saw this scene and smiled;
"As expected of Marquis Luo Yun, he is thoughtful and meticulous. He is very knowledgeable. This restaurant is a place for Zhuang's family to stay. The road to Hanshan Temple is a bit far, so he has no choice but to build an inn. As much as the Marquis Don’t worry.”

(End of this chapter)