Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 555: I really don’t believe it

Ningrong Street,

In the spacious streets and alleys, some bold Jia family members were peeping there secretly, trying to find out what happened to Ningrong and the other two houses. Their faces were full of worry. Although the head of the Jia family did not care about his clan members, But as the saying goes, you can enjoy the shade by leaning against a big tree. If something happens to the Jia family and the tree falls and the hozens scatter, they, the brothers in the side house, will probably have an even harder time.

on the street,

Zhang Jinyu sat lazily on the saddle, looking up to admire the Ningguo Mansion, which was spacious and majestic, as well as the towering Tianxiang Tower, which was also a rare high-rise building in the capital.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. In addition to the royal palace, there are no such good places as the royal palaces and the mansions of noble families. There are no such good places in the capital anymore.

If His Majesty hadn't opened the door to his own Marquis Mansion, there would have been no such thing. Although the two Ningrong Mansion were both from the Jia family, they were based on seniority and prestige.

Looking at the location of the mansion, it is built facing each other in the east and west. Ningguo Mansion should be more prestigious than Rongguo Mansion. After all, the head of the Jia family is also in Ning Mansion. If Jia Jing had not gone out to practice Taoism, there would be nothing to do with Jia's mother and old lady. .

Thinking of Jia Jing, Zhang Jinyu was shocked. Although he had only a few mentions in the Red Mansion, he must not be underestimated. After all, he was once the former prince's companion. This position is not something that just anyone can take. Jia Jing of Xuanzhen Temple should pay attention.

"Report, Lord Marquis, the Ning Mansion's warehouse has been inspected."

Ning Bian and his men ran out from Ning Guo Mansion. Zhang Jinyu was shocked. Good guy, there must not be millions of taels of silver hidden in the public accounts of Ning Guo Mansion. If you can get some, it won't be in vain. Let's go and bleed Jia Zhen, which makes me feel comfortable.

"Well, how much silver is there in the warehouse, and are there any other rare things?"

"Well, Lord Marquis, there is almost nothing in the Ning Mansion's warehouse, only thirty thousand taels of cash, some medicinal materials and half a ginseng."

Ning Bian whispered to the side, and Zhang Jinyu was greatly surprised. Really or not, he only had such a small amount of money. Isn't the Duke's Mansion in Nuo Da just an empty shell? How could it be possible?

Is there any hidden compartment, mezzanine or something like that?

"Have you searched carefully? Are there any hidden compartments and mezzanines? Or is there an attic darkroom on the top floor?"

"Back to the Marquis, it has never happened. I took someone to take a closer look. The warehouse is surrounded by stone walls, and the floor tiles are perfectly spaced. There are many large and small boxes in the warehouse, but they are empty. I think the money must be stored elsewhere, or Is it really gone?”

After seeing what Ning Bian said, the remaining silver in Ning Guo Mansion's warehouse is empty. After all, the food and drink expenses of so many people in the mansion are in it. As for the others, Ning Bian's guess is not unreasonable, and he wants to test it. Whether it's true or not, just ask someone. What is the name of the housekeeper of Ningguo Mansion? Lai Sheng.

"Whether it is true or not, you will know if you ask. I still don't believe it. The patriarch of the Jia family, Jia Zhen, who is rich and powerful, is crying for poverty. Go and bring Lai Sheng, the chief manager of their house, here. I want you to Examine it carefully.”

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

Ning Bian accepted the order, turned around and led the people into the gate. Looking at Lai Sheng, the manager of the Ning Mansion who was still standing there, he couldn't help but reached out, grabbed Lai Sheng's collar and dragged him out.

"General, have mercy on me, General, have mercy on me, I don't know anything!"

Lai Sheng was so frightened that his face turned pale and he begged for mercy. Ning Bian scolded him with a cold face,

"Shut up, keep talking nonsense, and I won't have your tongue anymore."

"Yes, yes, yes, little one, little one knows."

Lai Sheng nodded in panic and followed behind. When he saw Marquis Luo Yun outside the mansion, he fluttered and fell to his knees, shouting,

"Master Hou, this servant has met Master Hou,"

Then he kowtows his head.

Zhang Jinyu was riding on a horse, looking down at Manager Lai who was kneeling on the ground. This man was short in stature, with a big belly and a face full of flesh. At first glance, he seemed to be corrupt in eating and drinking.

"I would like to ask you, Ningguo Mansion, where is the treasury money in the mansion? Where is it hidden?"

Lai Sheng, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly looked stunned. The Marquis asked the treasury and banknotes of the Duke's Mansion. His wife was in charge of these things. How could he, a slave, know that?

Does Mr. Hou mean that he wants the money?

"Back to the Marquis, the storerooms in the mansion are all under the control of my wife, and the daily expenses are also arranged by my wife. I don't know how much silver there is in the storehouse. However, I know that the silver in the Duke's mansion is indeed all. It's locked in the warehouse, and the key is in my wife's hand."

Looking at Lai Sheng kneeling on the ground, Zhang Jinyu felt impatient. You are the chief manager of the house and you don't know anything about this. Who are you trying to fool? There is another important thing. Jia Zhen lost in several bets with Jia Zhen. There is also a million taels of silver, as well as the silver to be repaid to the account department, but compared to the Duke's Mansion, it is just a drop in the bucket. Even the Marquis of Xiangyang can afford it, let alone the Jia family.

No, Jia Zhen must have been hiding it.

"You bitch slave, you didn't tell the truth. The money in the warehouse is only thirty thousand taels of silver. Where is the rest of the silver? Maybe it was stolen by you dog slaves. Hmm!"

Zhang Jinyu's unintentional rebuke made Lai Sheng, who was kneeling on the ground, break out in a cold sweat. How did the Marquis find out that although he took a lot of money from the house, he did all the accounting himself. He should check it. Those who can't come out, let alone the silver, have long been transported to the house outside. This cannot be admitted. If it is found, it will be difficult to explain. After all, my brother Lai Da took more in Rongguo Mansion, which is big inside and outside. Part of it was all done under the eyes of the second mistress. If it were discovered, there would be no way to explain it.

"Master Marquis, you are wronged. How dare you hide this from Master Marquis? The warehouses of the Duke's mansion are all in the hands of the master. No slave dares to ask about this matter."

After saying that, he kowtowed. After a while, his scalp became red. Those who didn't know it thought he was really a good and loyal slave.

But Zhang Jinyu didn't believe it at all. He remembered that the Lai family seemed to be rich in the end. How did this wealth come about? It must have been from the Jia family's wealth. Could it be that the Ning Rong Mansion secretly transferred the money to those who were in trouble before the disaster? Except for the servants who are slaves, they are in charge there.

Later, something happened to the Jia family and their home was ransacked. In the end, Jia Baoyu was released from prison alone and had no place to settle down. When he met Shi Xiangyun, she was also used as an official prostitute. It may be that she hid the money. Jia Baoyu didn't know, so she It's not impossible to be corrupted by these damn slaves, think about it this way.

Looking at Lai Sheng who was still kowtowing, he looked more and more like him, with a strange look in his eyes. Ning Bian saw him next to him and came over and asked softly,

"Master Hou, there is something wrong."

"Ningbian, do you know that there is a kind of person who seems loyal on the surface, but in his heart he is extremely cunning?

Especially when he said no, the more he said yes. Although I don’t know what the Ningguo Mansion is like, but the treasury only has thirty thousand taels of silver. Not to mention that I don’t believe it, even you, you can believe it!

I think that at that time in Chun Tower, Jia Zhen had the confidence to challenge me, and the momentum of taking the silver is still fresh in my memory. Looking at the demon road again, all the things needed are valuable things. Without silver, is it possible? Robbed? "

Zhang Jinyu was riding on a horse, speaking politely, fumbled with the riding whip in his hand, and looked at Lai Sheng, who was still kowtowing on the ground, and the more he looked at him, the more suspicious he became.

Ning Bian behind him immediately realized that this dog slave dared to deceive the Marquis and seek death.

"Master Marquis, I understand that it must be the money of the Duke's palace that has been secretly hidden by these dog slaves. It seems that they want to embezzle it."

After saying that, he was still angry, took out the riding crop from his horse, and then hit Lai Sheng's head hard. A scream came out of Lai Sheng's mouth, and he rolled on the ground in pain.

"Master Marquis, have mercy on me, have mercy on me. I really don't know."

Seeing the dog slave talking back, Zhang Jinyu smiled and said nothing. Ning Bian's expression changed and he ordered fiercely,

"Come here, push this slave dog to the ground and whip him until he tells the truth."

"Yes, General."

Immediately, the soldiers came over with whips, kicked Lai Sheng to the ground, stepped on Lai Sheng's arms with their feet, then divided two people into two people with whips, and began to use severe punishment on Lai Sheng, one whip and one blow. The whip was struck. The wailing sound spread far away. After hearing the commotion outside, the prince sitting in the carriage couldn't help but shook his head, clucked his tongue, and said,

"The Marquis is still the same temperamental man. However, those slaves should be beaten. It is not these dog slaves who are causing the mess in the Duke's palace. If the master does not consider everything carefully, life will be a waste."

After saying that, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth.

"What my godfather said is absolutely true. There is no rule without rules. My son heard in the Imperial City Department that the servants in Ning Guo Mansion are very courageous."

Xiao Mingzi, who was waiting beside him, echoed with a smile on his face.

The prince laughed and said,

"Oh, Lord Marquis is still soft-hearted. When you meet such a hard-talking slave, you should be treated with severe punishment. He will not refuse to speak. Xiao Mingzi, get out of the car. You go in and see how Liu Qianhu's search is going. How is that monster? I didn’t catch it.”

"Yes, godfather!"

Xiao Mingzi responded, quickly got out of the car, then gave a salute to the Marquis who was not far away, and then led the people into Ningguo Mansion.

Inside Ningguo Mansion,

Liu Chen stood in the yard with a gloomy face, looking at the figures of his men coming in and out for inspection. In the yard, the ground was littered with useless Taoist uniforms, Bagua flags, and Tai Chi diagrams used in Taoist temples. It was a mess. There are many Buddha dust and other Taoist things, as well as many bottles and jars, and I don’t know what they contain.

However, that demon Dao didn’t even see a shadow. He should have run away long ago. It’s really hateful!

"Liu Qianhu, the demon has been found. Does he have any accomplices?"

Liu Chen was startled when he heard this, and quickly looked back, only to see Eunuch Ming standing behind him with someone, wearing the robe of a chamberlain eunuch and a supervisor, with a smile on his face, which gave him a slightly sinister feeling.

Liu Chen hurriedly clasped his fists and replied,

"It turned out to be Eunuch Ming. I was searching here in my humble position, but I didn't see any trace of the demon. I guess I got wind of it and ran away in advance."

"Oh. That's going to be difficult. In that case, the demon path is not easy either."

Xiao Mingzi looked at the people around him, all of them were rummaging around. The yard in front was full of servants from the Ning Mansion. He thought they had really run away.

"Liu Qianhu, go check and find out where the demon has gone. Then mobilize people to search and arrest them. There are not enough people. The Za family will report to godfather Ming and borrow troops from the Marquis."

"Yes, Eunuch Ming."

Liu Chen knew that Yao Dao was a key figure and was very involved, so he didn't dare to be careless. He was still thinking about where the person could go. Jia Zhen had no guts to protect this person.

at this time,

A member of the household came running from the inner courtyard.

"Report, Eunuch Ming, Lord Qianhu, a secret door in the courtyard wall of Ningguo Mansion has been opened, and the other back doors and side doors are all locked and closed."

"Well, this happened."

Then, Liu Chen turned his head to Eunuch Ming and asked,

"Eunuch Ming, what do you think?"

"Let's go and take a look. We need to investigate the whereabouts of the demon path carefully."

Xiao Mingzi frowned, looked at the mess around him, and ordered,

"Yes, Eunuch Ming, let's go right away."

Outside Ningguo Mansion,

Lai Sheng had been whipped with blood all over his body and was dead. When Zhang Jinyu saw that the beating was almost done, he waved his hand and asked the soldiers to stop.

"Lai Sheng, I will give you another chance. Tell the truth. Where is the Ningguo Mansion's treasury money hidden? It was my master who put the money in your home. Tell the truth. Otherwise, you will not be able to survive today." There’s not much hope, believe it or not.”

Lai Sheng was lying on the ground with a pale look on his face. Looking at the wolf-like and tiger-like armored men around him, his heart trembled.

"Master Marquis, the money of Ningguo Mansion is really not here with the slave. It has been spent almost by the master. He didn't even give the Xuanzhen Temple outside the city to pay tribute to the master this year. How can there be so much money in savings? As for the slave, , I just bought some oil and water from the house, I really don’t have any money.”

After saying that, she looked aggrieved and shed tears. Zhang Jinyu really didn't believe in evil. Grandma, she dared to play tricks on me. She jumped off the horse, walked over, pulled out a long knife, and put it on Lai Sheng's neck.

"Then tell me, where is the oil and water you took?"

"Master Marquis, Master Marquis, the slave said, the slave will say, spare the slave's life."

Lai Sheng looked at the Marquis who was so close with his horrified eyes. The cold blade on his neck looked so cold. In the past, Lai Sheng had used the majesty of the Duke's Mansion to face such threats. His legs were trembling and he could not speak.

"If you don't drink the toast, you will be fined with wine. Tell me quickly, where are the stewards and the money they have hidden? If you dare to hide it, I will kill you."

Zhang Jinyu put away the knife and said coldly,

"Back to the Marquis, I don't dare to lie to you. The stewards of Ningguo Mansion have now bought houses in the old alley in front. All the money they took is in the house. The money I took is also in the old house over there."

"Well, I'm telling the truth. Ningbian, take someone to take a look."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

After replying, Ning Bian led his men and escorted Lai Sheng to the alley opposite Ningrong Street. Many people from the Jia family looked out through the cracks in the door. The bold ones were still whispering, However, no one dared to open the door and step forward.

After walking for a while and turning a few corners, we came to an alley. There were several large houses inside and outside, and the innermost was a large courtyard with four entrances and four exits. The plaque in front of the door actually said Lai Mansion.

Pushing the door open and going in, there were several girls and boys washing clothes in the courtyard. When they saw the door being pushed open, many officers and soldiers came in with some surprise on their faces. Before they could say anything, they saw the second master, Lai Sheng, being taken into custody. When I came in, I didn’t know what was going on, but a large number of officers and soldiers poured in behind me.

"Lai Sheng, where is the money?"

"There is a secret room under the bed in the back hall of the main room, and everything is inside."

Lai Sheng pointed to the main room in front of him, and then his face was full of reluctance. It didn't matter whether Ningbian wanted to leave or not. As the Marquis told him, he must get the money.

"You guys, take people in to search. In addition, you guys, take people to the nearby house and find the money hidden by the stewards."

"Yes, General."

The few captains behind him clasped their fists and led the soldiers over.

As soon as I entered the main room in front, there was an old woman stopping me.

"Who are you? How dare you break into a private house? Is there any law against this?"

The old woman who spoke was full of confidence and walked out of the inner hall with many servants and maids. She was wearing a gold-painted brocade robe, a golden flower bun on her head, and a pair of dragon scale shoes. Her nose was high and her lips were straight. The threads were tightened, revealing a domineering aura. This person was Grandma Lai, Jia Mu's dowry girl.

(End of this chapter)