Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 67 Following Lan Yingying in Pan Mansion
Wei Jun's wife was shocked and struggled to get away.

Just a kick back.

With a splash, the tax collector fell backwards into the water.

They fish all year round, come and go in the wind and rain, and the women of the Dan people are also strong.

"The cunning woman is on official duty, here comes someone."

After getting up from the water, the tax collector shouted in pain.

The tax collectors who came after hearing the sound pointed their knives at Wei Jun and demanded that he hand over the cunning woman who had committed the crime.

Of course Wei Jun refused. If he tolerated this kind of thing, he would no longer be a Danmin.

He took the harpoon from the boat and confronted the tax collectors.

The situation gradually got out of control, and hundreds of villagers from Qingyue Village surrounded the tax collector.

"You, what do you want to do? Rebellion?"

"As officials, you are just like thieves and don't treat the people as human beings."

Wei Jun was also in a very contradictory state at this time.

He really wanted to kill these tax collectors and throw them into a stone lake to feed the fish.

However, his reason told him that he couldn't do this.

As long as the tax collector is killed, everyone in Qingyue Village will be buried with him.

There are so many old, weak, women and children who cannot survive even if they flee into Taihu Lake now.

The water bandits in Taihu Lake will also annex each other.

……

If Wei Jun really kills the tax collector, Ma Zhongyi's plan to suppress the bandits may be advanced.

The tax-resisting rebels and water bandits were killed together in Taihu Lake.

"You, the head of the house, must not be impulsive." His wife also realized the seriousness of the problem and dissuaded him.

The tax collectors became even more arrogant, pointing at her and saying:

"It's not difficult to settle today's matter."

"Compensate her to us and return her to you in a month."

"Compensate us with another 10 taels for mental loss."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"After one month, buy one, get one free."

The tax collectors became more and more aggressive and used provocative words.

This has something to do with their consistent cognition.

The people of the Qing Dynasty were all gentle and forbearing.

The difficulties and bullying encountered are all based on the idea of ​​"suffering a loss is a blessing, the people do not fight with the officials", tolerate it if you can, and hide if you can.

The tax collector represents the government and cannot afford to offend.

If there is a conflict, the consequences are self-evident.

The family was immediately destroyed.

Either he will be beaten to death with a board, or he will become dried meat in a standing cage.

……

An old tax collector felt that he had the upper hand.

Reach out for the woman.

"You bunch of stinking paupers, get out of here."

The accident happened like this. A young man suddenly used a harpoon to lift his hand away.

The sharp harpoon cut the palm of the hand, and the blood dripped.

The situation suddenly got out of control.

Wei Jun could only shout: "Don't hurt people, don't stab them with a harpoon."

The fighting in Qingyue Village was in chaos, but luckily there were smart people who ran all the way to fetch reinforcements.

Lijiabao!
"Something happened. Wu County officials got into a fight with people from our village."

It just so happened that Li Yu was not here.

He went to Fucheng to visit Master Pan.

After Fan Jing heard what happened, he couldn't make up his mind, so he had to send someone to Fucheng to tell Li Yu.

He knew that Li Yu wanted to annex Qingyue Village, but this matter was a bit tricky and might get him burned.

"Everyone in the fort should perform their duties."

There are dozens of men from Qingyue Village in Lijiabao. Although they are anxious, they also know to abide by the rules.

If someone leaves without permission today, Li Yu will definitely clean up the house when he comes back.

At this time, Li Yu just arrived at Pan's house in Pingjiang.

The door of Pan's mansion opened wide and he was welcomed in.

This gesture made Li Yu's heart skip a beat, feeling that Old Man Pan had another plan.

The host and guest met, and after the pleasantries were exchanged, business was exchanged as usual.

Li Yu praised Mr. Pan for his good family management, and he was a contemporary of Mr. Tao Zhugong.

Mr. Pan praised Li Yu as a strange man in the world and a contemporary hero Guo Xie.

After bragging for a while, everyone felt that they were not interested and got down to the topic.

"Old man, I want to borrow money from you."

"Butler, bring me 1000 taels of silver notes."

"Wait a minute."

Master Pan looked at it with interest and signaled all the servants waiting in the room to leave.

Finally, it was time to meet Tu Qiongdagger.

There are rumors that Pan has a private mine in Huizhou Prefecture, which is also a coal mine, and it is high-quality anthracite coal.

Although it has not been confirmed, Li Yu firmly believes it.

There are two reasons.

First, the ancestral home of the Pan family is Huizhou Prefecture, and they moved to Suzhou Prefecture only in the late years of Kangxi.

The second is the rumors, which are generally true.

In the magical land of Qing Dynasty, it is correct to listen to things like this.

……

"Mr. Pan, please don't speak secretly in front of people. I would like to borrow some people who know how to mine from your house."

"The imperial court strictly prohibits private businessmen from participating in mining. I don't have such professional talents."

Master Pan's reaction was within Li Yu's expectation.

He laughed dryly and ate his tea.

The Pan family has strong financial resources, and the tea cakes are exquisite and delicious.

He ate a plate in one go and drank a bowl of tea, which made Master Pan feel quite uncomfortable.

It's not that I feel bad, but I've never seen such a careless person.

Although the Pan family was not an imperial merchant, they had no business dealings with them.

No matter how exquisite the refreshments are, the guests can only look at them and eat them.

"I'm a little confused. Why does Mr. Li insist that my Pan family has a private mine? Who is talking nonsense?"

"There are rumors that the Pan family has a private mine in Huizhou, so I shamelessly came to ask for help."

"Hey, do you believe this rumor?"

"I have read the book and I believe it."

Master Pan was very calm and picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of tea.

According to hospitality etiquette, serving tea means seeing off guests.

However, he was led astray by Li Yu and temporarily ignored this etiquette, just wanting to drink tea.

Li Yu did the same, automatically ignoring the meaning of the host serving tea. "Did Mr. Li encounter any difficulties?"

"Yes, Xishan Coal Mine is too difficult to dig. The coal seams are deep, the tunnels have collapsed, and water has entered many times."

……

Li Yu's confession was beyond Master Pan's expectation.

There is coal underground in Xishan, and it is not considered a secret.

As early as the Chongzhen period of the pre-Ming Dynasty, someone in Suzhou Prefecture had dug there.

But, it was a loss.

The coal dug out is of poor quality.

It belongs to the lowest grade of coal and is commonly known as "chicken feet coal".

"I have a saying that touches my heart."

"Master Pan, please speak."

"The fact that there is coal underground on Xishan Island is not a secret, but no one has excavated it for hundreds of years. Do you know why?"

"I don't know."

"Because this business is too risky, and you will lose everything if you are not careful." Mr. Pan hated the fact that iron cannot become steel.

Li Yu thought to himself, as a time traveler, how could I not know what the quality of Xishan Coal Mine is.

You all think I am doing this for money, but you don’t know that I have other agendas.

Still pretending to be stupid, he said confidently:
"I do not believe."

……

Master Pan was so angry that he almost lost his temper. He pointed at Li Yu and was speechless.

"I have been in the business world for decades, relying on my keen sense of smell. No one knows business better than me."

"It's okay to borrow money. The Pan family has always been generous to their friends. However, I suggest you think twice."

"It's almost noon, let's stay in the house and have dinner."

"Thank you, Master Pan."

Li Yu agreed with a smile and left the living room.

Pan Mansion is very big and you can walk around.

This kind of super mansion is a blind spot in the knowledge of most ordinary people.

On the way, I met a maid who saluted me, and she looked familiar.

She seems to be the personal maid of the third young master Pan Wu.

So, asked:
"Where is your third young master?"

"Back to your distinguished guest, the third young master hasn't gotten up yet. When he gets up, my servant will tell him that you are here."

"It's almost noon and he hasn't gotten up yet. Which brothel did you visit last night?"

The maid blushed and avoided the proposition.

Instead, he proactively said:

"Shall I take you to the garden for a walk?"

"it is good."

The garden of Pan Mansion, with its rockeries, flowing water, pavilions and pavilions, is full of scenery.

Li Yu saw a woman passing by in the corridor.

Because the walking posture was so beautiful, I couldn't help but take a closer look.

This was outrageous. Li Yu, who had always been calm and calm, lost his composure.

He held the maid's hand and asked:

"who is she?"

……

The maid didn't dare to move and let her hand be held.

Lowering his head and eyes, he hummed like a mosquito:
"That girl just now belongs to the third young master."

"What's her name? How long has she been in the mansion? What's her relationship with your young master? Tell me in detail."

Li Yu asked questions like a barrage of questions.

The maid didn't understand the mystery here, so she could only answer honestly:
"The girl's name is Lan Yingying. The third young master personally brought her into the house about a month ago."

"what relationship?"

"Oh, the Lun family is embarrassed to ask such a question."

The maid stomped her feet on the spot, cruelly pulled out her little hand, and ran away in small steps.

Li Yu was left in a daze.

……

Lan Yingying,
It was the woman she met by chance on the shore of Shihu Lake who was wearing a horse-faced skirt and claiming to be from the capital and came to Jiangnan to find relatives. Her appearance was extremely stunning.

Li Yu sat in the pavilion for a while, reviewing what happened that day.

This woman is not simple. Just by hearing the name, you can tell that she is not a fuel-efficient lamp, ABB style.

He didn't know why, but he always felt that this woman would do something terrible.

Compared to the White Lotus Sect sister-in-law, the risk index is probably 10 times higher.

Li Yu felt a lot more at ease when his fingers touched the flint gun in his arms and the extra-thin dagger in his boots.

Last time I was at the Pan Mansion Observation Building, I almost jumped out of the building due to the assassin.

Today, I have weapons in hand.

I'm not worried about encountering another bloody incident.

His three entourages all arranged to have their meals in the guest room.

Servants are not allowed to enter the main hall of the mansion casually. This is a rule.

The maid ran away, so Li Yu simply followed the corridor and followed Lan Yingying.

It stands to reason that the Pan Mansion is so complicated that it is impossible to track one person.

However, wherever Lan Yingying passed, there was a light fragrance that could not disappear for a long time.

No wind today.

Li Yu sniffed all the way through the corridor and over the flower rockery.

The smell is getting more and more obvious, indicating that the goal is getting closer.

He couldn't help but hold the dagger in his boots behind his back and hide it in his sleeve.

This is the 18th century, and if something goes wrong, a sword is faster than a gun.

……

What's more, this dagger was crafted by Blacksmith Zhang and his son based on Liu Qian's suggestion.

The spine of the sword is particularly thin, making it suitable for concealment and self-defense.

The advantage is that it is extremely sharp and lightweight.

The disadvantage is that it breaks when it encounters a hard object.

Liu Qian is a thief,
He said that a good thief would always carry a thin and sharp blade with him.

It has many uses, such as cutting pockets and picking out door bolts.

After Li Yu gave him a hard lesson on abiding by the law, he accepted the advice.

A plain sword in a boot.

There was a sound coming from the room ahead.

"You all go out and come back in half an hour."

"Yes, girl."

Two maids came out carrying copper basins and towels.

He also carefully closed the door.

Li Yu hid behind the rockery and saw this scene.

(End of this chapter)