Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 186: Tu Qiong Dagger saw, and began to play chess

Jiang Chun locked himself in the room for a long time without speaking.

The suspicion of the guard at the stick highly overlapped with his.

Because he was an "old friend of the emperor", he trusted him and asked him to go to Suzhou to visit Li Yu as a businessman.

This is a huge whirlpool. How to find out what is going on and escape unharmed is very difficult!
He suddenly thought of a person, Wang Shenxian!

"Come on."

"What is the master's order?"

"I want to take a walk."

Six bodyguards silently guarded this luxurious carriage. Everyone in Yangzhou City knew that this was the Jiang Mansion's carriage.

Seemingly without purpose, he stopped at the door of a certain shop from time to time.

Jiang Chun got off the carriage, chatted with the attentive shopkeepers, and asked for a cup of tea.

The content of the chat was casual, unconstrained, and without purpose.

But at the end of the day, I gained a lot.

Jiang Chun got several key pieces of information he wanted:
Wang Shenxian has not been in Yangzhou recently, but should be in Suzhou; Wang Shenxian and Li Yu are doing business together, but the details are unknown; Li Yu once took the initiative to invite the five major bank accounts to cooperate, but was declined.

After returning to the mansion, he quietly ordered the maid to prepare clothes for going out, ordered the stables to prepare good horses for the long journey, and ordered his servants to check the status of the passenger ships outside the city.

……

This series of actions, the servants of Jiang Mansion all saw that the master was going out for a long trip.

However, the destination is unknown.

Jiang Chun deliberately didn't say anything. He was waiting for someone who was too curious to jump out on his own.

Generally speaking, to inquire about the master's whereabouts, one can only ask the servants who are personally serving him.

Such as housekeepers, guards, grooms, and maids.

The housekeeper escorted the young master to Jinan Mansion, so he could not inquire.

The guards were all taciturn men, Jiang Chun had fed them with money, and they were not easy to get close to.

At noon the next day, Jiang Chun asked these people separately.

From the maid's mouth, she learned that Yun Niang, a pillar of the opera troupe in the mansion, had deliberately asked her about her whereabouts.

"How is your mother's illness?"

"The tuberculosis is basically cured. I just cough when the weather gets cold. Thanks to me for saving me last year. tuberculosis is a disease of the wealthy. Ordinary people can only wait to die if they get it. My parents say that they really can't repay your kindness, so I let this slave live in front of the Bodhisattva." I swear a poisonous oath to be loyal to my master for the rest of my life."

Jiang Chun smiled and waved his hand:
"It's time for men to get married and women to get married. In two years, if you like someone, tell me, or I can point you to a good husband. Open a shop in Yangzhou City and live a good life."

"By the way, I have a black leather robe in my house that is too small. I will change it and give it to my mother-in-law."

The maid was so moved that she knelt down and choked with sobs. She really didn't know what to say.

To meet such a master, I don’t know how many lifetimes of virtue I have cultivated.

"Come here, I'll tell you something."

After a while, the maid wiped away her tears and nodded resolutely.

She decided to keep an eye on Yun Niang for her master and pull out her fox tail.

Even if you risk your life, you must complete this mission.

……

Jiang Chun left Yangzhou City quietly.

At the entrance of the imperial envoy's camp, two uninvited guests also came.

"A person from the capital wants to see the Imperial Envoy. This is a famous invitation."

The Lan Ling guard guarding the door smiled contemptuously:

"You don't have the guts to hand me a name card even if you have feathers."

As he spoke, he opened it, trembled all over, looked around, and quickly knelt down on one knee:

"The villain has blind eyes but cannot see Mount Tai. I forgive you."

The man wearing a bamboo hat said calmly: "Go and report."

……

The reputation of the stick stick department is not as famous as the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty.

This is a relatively low-key, shadowy yamen.

On the surface, they belong to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but in fact they are only dispatched by the emperor.

At the very least, the Minister of the Interior would never dare to interfere with any matters at the sticky pole and would avoid it.

As an imperial guard, he naturally knows about this yamen.

That's why Lan Ling's guards were frightened and didn't want to be resented by these guys.

This group of people lives alone and is very arrogant.

Most of them are descendants of collateral families whose families are in decline, and they are marginalized.

Qianlong was good at employing people, and specially selected these young people who had experienced the ups and downs of the world and whose interpersonal relationships were extremely simple.

Then win over them and grant them official positions, gold and silver.

To become a minion of the imperial power, one only obeys the emperor's orders and does not care about anything else.

……

From the moment you enter the Sticky Bar, you will consciously abide by a rule and stop making any friends.

Violators will be punished internally.

Similarly, the princes and ministers in the capital also know that they are not allowed to interact with people in the sticky pole, let alone certain transactions.

Otherwise, exile is light.

Qianlong never allowed anyone to discuss the meaning of the sticking point, even the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

The establishment of a private spy organization will undermine the authority of the Three Law Divisions. It is an act of suspicious officials and is not a benevolent act. These civil servants' high-sounding views are not accepted at all.

Starting from Emperor Shunzhi, there were first 24 yamen, then thirteen yamen, and then became sticky pole office.

The Qing emperor never gave up on this.

However, after Emperor Jiaqing came to power, he was deceived into canceling this only spy organization.

Received unanimous praise, all the touted names of the Sage, Benevolent and Mingjun were thrown at the Forbidden City without any money.

Coupled with the decline of the Mi Zhe system, local governors were often fooled into confusion.

The ecology of the Qing Dynasty became:

Emperor, you are always wise, but local affairs have the final say.

As long as your colleagues are in good company, they can always hide it from you.

Not to mention an area thousands of miles away, even if Gaobeidian, a hundred miles away from the capital, was flooded, the emperor didn't know about it.

It can be said that the secret folding system and the sticky pole were Qianlong's two most powerful weapons to intimidate local governors.

Even in the Forbidden City, I know what you have done.

Don't think of colluding to deceive me.

It will only make me angry and chop off your heads.

The dust on the crown is washed away with blood from time to time, and it is refreshed every time.

……

In the imperial envoy's big tent,
Qian Feng frowned and listened to the two people's narratives.

"Do you need my help?"

"We want soldiers."

"Okay, I, the Imperial Envoy, will go through the formalities now. The 2000 Green Camp soldiers mobilized from Jiangbei Green Camp are fully paid and fully staffed. They have been trained by Hai Dutong personally for 10 days. They must be able to be used."

"Thank you, Lord Qincha."

"Wait a minute, there is actually a bannerman on your list?"

"Yes. This person lives in Mancheng, Suzhou. His name is Duolong. It is suspected that he sells war horses privately. His whereabouts are unknown. There is a suspicion that he has a large amount of property from unknown sources."

The guard at the sticky pole handed over his hands and exited the tent.

They have received all the procedures for troop deployment, as well as a handwritten letter stamped with the imperial envoy's customs and defense seal.

He and Jiang Chun arrived in Suzhou City one after another.

Jiang Chun didn't know, he was in the open.

Staying at Shantang Street, someone officially sent a greeting card the next morning.

When Li Yu got the invitation, he was stunned for a while.

"Jiang Chun and I have never had any contact with each other. Why is he here?"

"bother you for something."

"Well, leave him alone for a day or two. Send someone to find Wang Shenxian. This guy is very familiar with him."

"I'll do it right now."

Yang Yunjiao is meticulous in her work, and all the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are selected by her and have a similar style.

Ordinary faces and ordinary people cannot be found in a crowd.

He is a man of few words, but has keen observation and a calm mind.

……

When Wang Shenxian heard about this, he was stunned.

He hesitated for a while and did not go to the hotel where Jiang Chun was staying to inquire about his purpose.

Instead, he went straight to Lijiabao.

The first thing Li Yu said when he saw him was: "Official, have you caused any trouble?"

"Where did this come from?"

"Jiang Chun seems to be generous, elegant, and tolerant, but in fact the city is very deep."

"Is it so scary?"

"What's the relationship between us? There's no need for me to lie to you. I've dealt with Jiang Chun a lot, and I always feel like this person can't see through it."

Li Yu smiled:

"You really think of me as a brother, thank you."

"Harm, doesn't that mean you will make a fortune? I have prepared a lot of sacks to put money in."

"Now that you've made a fortune, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to Guangdong and Guangxi for my retirement. The climate there is warm and the world is colorful. If you have money, you will be your boss. The government offices are also open-minded. They only care about money but don't show off. It's not like in the north~"

Wang Shenxian was immersed in fantasy and suddenly came back to his senses:
"Hey, aren't we talking about Jiang Chun? What's going on here?"

……

Jiang Chun was walking around on Shantang Street without feeling anxious.

People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs observed him several times from a distance but found nothing unusual.And in this process, the old story of the mantis stalking the cicada but the oriole behind is caught up.

The person at the stick is the oriole!

They were surprised to find that someone was following Jiang Chun in a professional and sophisticated manner.

"Sir, these people are not simple."

"Well, he is indeed a good player. It seems that there are big fish in Suzhou City."

Both of them became excited, finally being able to perform meritorious service for their master.

In order not to alert the snake, they did not take any action, not even follow up.

Akchi, the commander of the guards at Sticky Rod, is a sinister and bold character.

His chief booked a room on the top floor of a mid-range hotel in the middle of Shantang Street and only watched from the window.

In order to hide, they didn’t even go out to buy food.

Either ask the waiter to bring it to you, or eat cold steamed buns.

With his professional sensitivity, Akqi feels that he will gain a lot in Suzhou City.

"Li Yu and Duolong, one Han and one banner, are a bit interesting."

……

Lijiapu,
Jiang Chun finally met Li Yu and felt like old friends at first sight.

"I've heard about Mr. Li Daguan from Suzhou Prefecture for a long time, and I finally met him today."

"Mr. Jiang is the pride of my businessmen in the Qing Dynasty. It is not easy to make friends with the emperor with common people and be praised by everyone."

For a moment, the same thought came to both of them.

Oops, I met a colleague in the hustling world!

However, since we are peers, we can change the way of communication.

Frank!

Sometimes, honesty is more harmful than deception.

Li Yu took the lead and said:

"Mr. Jiang has come all the way. If there is anything you need me for, just ask. I'm not bragging. If I can't do it in Suzhou, you can't find anyone else to do it."

Jiang Chun was shocked and thought about it:
"I want to deal with the Salt Gang, and it's best to eradicate it completely. You can set the price as you like."

Li Yu stared at him and said seriously:

"President Jiang, you didn't tell the truth."

"I was serious."

The two fell into silence, and the atmosphere was depressing.

Li Yu just drank tea leisurely. After a long time, he suddenly said:
"There is a big uprising in Bailian, Hubei. Does Mr. Jiang know about it?"

Jiang Chun was so surprised that the lid of his tea bowl fell off. He couldn't care less about his embarrassment and asked eagerly:

"When did this happen? I don't even know."

"Well, I guess Yangzhou Prefecture will know about it tomorrow. The Forbidden City should also know about it the day after tomorrow."

……

"Brother Jiang, what do you think?"

"The White Lotus Sect's uprising will definitely become a serious problem for the imperial court. It will also be a war that erodes several provinces and wastes money and food."

Li Yu smiled and asked jokingly:
"It's time for you, the Yangzhou salt merchants, to pay off again. Do you think 100 million taels is enough?"

Jiang Chun looked embarrassed:

"Your news made me lose my sense of control and make me feel confused."

"It's okay, let's stay for a quick meal?"

After that, Li Yu said goodbye and left, leaving Jiang Chun alone in a daze.

Three dishes and one soup, even a little neglectful.

However, Jiang Chun had no complaints and even chatted with Li Yu about his experience in drying salt.

Boiling salt is expensive.

Sun salt is low cost, but it needs God’s favor.

How to produce more coarse salt in the limited sunny days is a difficult problem.

In this regard, Jiang Chun imparted some of his unique insights.

“Since this method can increase efficiency by 4%, why not use it in the Lianghuai Salt Farm?”

"It is very difficult to change the things of my Qing Dynasty. The laws of our ancestors cannot be easily changed."

"Mr. Jiang seems to be worried a lot?"

"In troubled times, I tremble with fear, fearing that if I don't cope well, my family will be ruined."

"I have some friends in the world of martial arts who are doing well in Yangzhou Mansion. Can I ask them to help take care of your mansion?"

"Does your friend have this strength?"

"You'll know after you try it. Trust me, I never lie."

The two of them chatted while eating food, chatting in a normal tone.

Li Yu suddenly said: "Several adults once told me that when working for the imperial court, one should always remember one sentence, if you don't serve yourself, you will be punished by heaven and earth."

Jiang Chun held his chopsticks steady, picked up a piece of fish, put it into his mouth, and nodded: "It's the truth."

……

"Come on."

"What are your orders from the foster father?"

"Take a few people and keep an eye on Jiang Chun's whereabouts until he leaves Jiangnan."

"As ordered."

Li Ergou found a few young men from the Chenghuang Temple and pretended to be beggars.

Dirty and neglected.

Just like this, on the streets of Shantang, basking in the sun, there are broken bowls.

After Jiang Chun returned to the inn, he fell into a huge tangle.

The threat in Li Yu's words was obvious.

Assuming that Li Yu was a rebel, he was responsible for the annihilation of Taihu Association, Jiangnan Tibiao, and the small group of Eight Banners elites.

In this case, he exposed him in front of the guards at the sticky pole.

Dozens of people from the Jiang family would probably have to lie neatly in the coffin.

Even if I spend a lot of money to hire more guards, it will not help.

Jianghu men are fierce and courageous, but they are a mess.

An elite army of 50 people can overthrow Jiang Mansion.

After thinking about this, Jiang Chun decided that "people will be punished if they don't do it for themselves."

"Come on."

"What is the master's order?"

"Let's go back to Jiangbei."

While Jiang Chun's entourage was packing up and buying food, the man from Sticky Stick appeared.

……

Jiang Chun was not surprised when he saw Akqi.

The people at Sticky Rod hid in the dark, sneaked into Suzhou, and followed themselves.

Unexpected, but reasonable!
In the carriage carriage, the two people sat opposite each other.

"Commander A, Li Yu has selfish motives and bad deeds, but he has no objection. What he wants is money."

"Sure?"

Jiang Chun nodded gently, with a calm expression.

Akzi stared at him for a while, opened the curtain and left.

Li Ergou, who was leaning against the corner to bask in the sun, had a panoramic view of this scene.

He plays the role as he is, there is no need to imitate him.

As a descendant of the Beggar Clan, he has not forgotten his roots.

His hair was disheveled and he was muttering "Good Samaritan, please enjoy the food", but his eyes were fixed on Akqi.

Akqi, who was about to reach the corner of the street, suddenly stopped.

Suddenly he turned around and stared at himself coldly.

Li Ergou's hair stood up in an instant.

Fortunately, he was slovenly enough so there was nothing unusual about him.

"Smelly beggar."

A passer-by kicked over his ancestral notched bowl.

Li Ergou stood up silently and picked up the broken bowl. His expression was numb, neither sad nor angry.

Then, continue to lean against the wall to bask in the sun and be in a daze.

Akqi walked over slowly step by step.

When Li Ergou saw the boots, he slowly raised his head, picked up the broken bowl, and said feebly:
"Master, can you give me a reward for your stuttering?"

Akqi reached into his arms and took out some copper coins, which clattered into the bowl.

"Thank you, sir. I may live a long life and be a prince for generations to come."

Li Ergou's eyes were filled with light, and his voice was filled with joy.

……

Akqi nodded, turned around and left relieved.

At the street corner, my companion asked: "Is there a problem with that little beggar?"

"It's okay, maybe I'm too sensitive."

Li Ergou felt relieved, slowly picked up the coins in the bowl, and went to a roadside stall to buy two meat buns.

He wolfed it down and finished it in three mouthfuls. He poured the crumbs from the palm of his left hand into his mouth without finishing.

I asked the shopkeeper for a bowl of cold water and drank it.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, stuffing the broken bowl into his arms, he wandered away with his dog-beating stick.

Along the way, his eyes greedily glanced at the hot food in the shop.

If you stay for a while, you will be driven away!
(End of this chapter)