Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Zhuang Qing frowned. Since the other party had foresight and killed the craftsman, he was afraid that the other people who knew about it would be in danger as well.

Wang Fei also knew that something was wrong, and hurriedly asked, "Lao Zhuang, what should we do now?"

Zhuang Qing sighed and said, "Let's see what happens."

Soon, the local head coroner was found. Zhuang Qing showed the badge of the captain of the Jinyiwei, and the coroner was so scared that he almost fell to his knees.

"Get up." Zhuang Qing pulled him and said, "There is a dead person in that house. When you go in later, say that he died of plague. Take him away and burn and bury him immediately. We will take over the body. You don't have to worry about it later."

As he said this, he waved his hand and ordered the captain to put a silver ingot into his hand.

The leader nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes, I will do as you have commanded. I dare not accept the reward."

"Take it."

"Yes, yes." The head of the group took the silver from the Jinyiwei tremblingly and held it in his hand.

"Just go."

"Yes."

"Let's go back. This has been a failure. Let's make further plans after we get back." Zhuang Qing said.

Wang Fei nodded and followed him out. Suddenly, he waved and called someone over, whispering, "Send someone to secretly watch this leader. If there are any suspicious people who come into contact with him, keep an eye on them."

"Yes."

Zhuang Qing glanced at him, and although he didn't agree, he still praised: "Brother, this method is sophisticated."

Wang Fei smiled complacently and said, "After hanging around for so long, I finally learned a little bit. I'll just try my best."

It's really just the fur. Zhuang Qing smiled but said nothing. If the person behind the scenes is so stupid that he can be easily caught by you, how dare he set his sights on the secret talisman fan?

Half an hour later, in the morgue of the Southern Pacification Office, Zhuang Qing looked at the three corpses lined up in front of him and fell into deep thought.

The owner, manager and chief craftsman of Juchenggongfang all died suddenly. Their mouths and eyes were open but not closed, their faces were dark purple and blue, their lips were purple and black, their fingernails and toenails were all dark blue, and blood was coming out of their seven orifices, obviously they died of poisoning.

Wang Fei didn't dare to disturb him. He was already thinking in his mind how to shirk the responsibility if Jia Cong blamed him. The person behind the scenes was smart and decisive. He and his men just walked around the dock and immediately cut off the clues. It was obvious that the person was not a simple person.

Zhuang Qing pondered for a long time. Could it be that there was a problem inside? He immediately screened the people who went with him today. They were all old people in the guard for many years. They were not notified in advance of this trip. After returning to the city, they immediately arranged for arrest. No one had the opportunity to act alone. Even if they wanted to pass on information, it would not be so easy.

To be on the safe side, Zhuang Qing decided to discard all the Jinyi officers who were involved in today's incident, and said, "Brother Wang, this is a strange thing, and we can't be sure of everything. Let's replace them with another group of people to continue the investigation."

Wang Fei said: "Okay. What should we do next?"

Zhuang Qing asked back, "If Brother Wang is the one behind this, what will he do after killing these three people?"

Wang Fei thought for a moment and said, "The key to this case is the secret shadow fan. If we lose the clue here, it will be difficult to investigate later.

If we start from the government warehouse, it will be complicated. There are at least eight hundred people who have reached out to the government warehouse, from princes and ministers to warehouse officials. It is really difficult to find the person behind the scenes.

If I were that person, I could just lie low and wait and see what happens. As long as I don't act rashly, I won't be easily exposed."

Zhuang Qing nodded and said, "Not only that, I believe there must be layers of protection between the warehouse and that person. Even if we follow the clues, the other party can cut off a link in the chain at any time, making all our efforts go to waste."

Wang Fei asked, "What should we do then?"

Zhuang Qing said: "This case is different from the Kongcang case we handled back then. In the Kongcang case, all the officials, big and small, were caught in one fell swoop.

If we can't find the Shadow Talisman Fan this time, it will be like using a rheumatism ointment to relieve pain, which only treats the symptoms and not the root cause. We won't be able to explain this to the prince either."

"That's right. I'll do whatever you say." Wang Fei said hurriedly.

Zhuang Qing pondered and said, "This case is of great importance. The forces we have are not enough. Please report to Wen Tongzhi and secretly dispatch our best soldiers to handle this case. All matters shall be handled by me, and no one else shall interfere."

Wang Fei said, "This is easy. I will go find Lao Wen later. This is a case personally selected by the prince. Who dares to neglect it?"

"Okay, thank you, Brother Wang. If we can't solve this case, I will take all the responsibility." Zhuang Qing said.

Wang Fei was delighted and said with emotion: "Old Zhuang, what are you talking about? The prince clearly ordered us to investigate together. If we fail to do our job well, we should bear the responsibility together."

Zhuang Qing waved his hand and said with a smile: "Brother Wang helped me a lot in this case. If the case is solved, it will be our credit. If it is not solved, I, as the chief of the criminal department, will bear the responsibility. How can I let Brother Wang suffer with me?"

"This... Lao Zhuang, how can you look down on me? Am I, Wang Fei, a man without loyalty?"

Zhuang Qing said: "I know that brother Wang is loyal, but official business is official business, and loyalty is loyalty, they should not be confused.

That's it. Brother, go find Old Wen first and ask him to transfer the capable personnel from the North and South Divisions here immediately. I will consider this case again."

"Okay, take your time to think about it. I'll go now and bring you some midnight snacks later." Wang Fei left with a smile.

"Thank you." Zhuang Qing watched him go out, and then he carefully examined the body again, but still found nothing. So he pulled a chair and sat down, and went over the whole case in his mind again and again.

Two hours later, Wen Zhen brought the other seven thousand households of the North and South Divisions to the secret room of the South Pacification Division to discuss the case.

Zhuang Qing briefly introduced the case, saying only that he had received a tip-off about grain tax fraud and Jia Cong had ordered a thorough investigation, without mentioning a single word about important information such as the secret talisman fan.

"Sir Wen, brothers, this is what the prince ordered. Please follow my instructions, Sir Wen." Zhuang Qing bowed.

Wen Zhen was so experienced that he knew that this was just a polite remark, so he hurriedly said, "Brother Zhuang, I don't know much about criminal law, and the prince has appointed you and brother Wang to be in charge, so I think you should just assign the tasks, and I will fully cooperate with you and strive to solve the case as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhuang Qing was not polite and said, "Since you all trust me, I will overstep my authority. Have you brought all the good fighters under your command?"

"They're all here and waiting in the lobby," everyone said.

"Okay! I have some ideas about this case, and I still need the help of the elites in your hands. If the case is solved, the credit of the brothers will be reported to the prince."

Everyone laughed and said, "We are one family and should not talk behind each other's backs. If we can solve the case soon, we will also be able to look respectable in front of the prince."

"Okay. This case is of great importance. Your Highness has repeated my words three times. I ask all brothers to help you and try to make it easier for the investigators." Zhuang Qing said.

Everyone hurriedly said, "Don't worry, as long as it is needed to handle the case, we will give money and people, and we will focus on this case first."

They were also afraid that Zhuang Qing would shirk responsibility if he failed to solve the case, saying that everyone had their own selfish motives and were hypocritical. That would be bad luck.

"Thank you, everyone. Now I feel more at ease." Zhuang Qing bowed and led everyone to the lobby, where he saw dozens of elite soldiers standing solemnly in the hall, ready for battle. They were all the most capable centurions, trial centurions, and general flag bearers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Greetings to Mr. Wen, greetings to all the gentlemen." Everyone said in unison.

"The next mission will be under the full command of Captain Zhuang. No matter whether you are from the Southern or Northern Division, you must do your best. Anyone who dares to neglect will be punished according to the family rules!" Wen Zhen shouted.

"Yes!" Everyone responded loudly. Zhuang Qing said in a deep voice: "Brothers, I summoned you all here in the middle of the night because the prince ordered an important case to be investigated thoroughly.

This case is of great importance, Your Majesty is keeping it in mind, and it must be solved quickly!

You are all elite veterans of the guards, so I won't explain the rules. Anyone who leaks information or betrays others will be punished according to the family rules.

Anyone who is cunning, dishonest, or neglects his duties will be fired and never employed again. Do you understand?"

"Listen clearly!"

"Okay! You all know the prince's temper. He will reward those who have made contributions and punish those who have made mistakes.

If this case is solved as soon as possible, everyone will be able to make great contributions and the rewards in the future are self-evident.

If we can't solve the case, Your Majesty doesn't need to punish me. I will take the lead and demote myself three levels to apologize. Do you understand?"

"I heard it clearly." Everyone's heart trembled and they secretly groaned. If they really demoted themselves by three levels, their lives would be in vain.

A centurion becomes a small flag officer, and a general flag officer becomes a strongman. After such a big mistake, there will be no hope of promotion again in the future.

Wen Zhen nodded secretly. No wonder the prince valued Lao Zhuang. With such courage, he should be the chief of the criminal department. The other thousand households also secretly admired him. The prince really had no problem judging people.

"Okay! Now call the roll. Each group of three will be in charge of one task. Private communication between groups is strictly prohibited. Violators will be severely punished!
You can select the personnel and money you want from the guards. Wen Tongzhi and all the captains have just spoken, fully supporting your investigation." Zhuang Qing said.

Everyone was delighted and said hurriedly: "We will serve you till death!"

If there is such support, what case can't be solved? In a sense, the bigger the case, the easier it is to solve, just like the bigger the beast, the harder it is to hide. There is always a corner where you can find clues.

Zhuang Qing took the roster from the captain next to him and began to group people according to their background, resume, and specialties.

After the groups were divided, Zhuang Qing glanced around and said, "Now each group will go to my duty room to receive their tasks. Mr. Wen, everyone, I'm sorry to leave you."

"Brother Zhuang, please go and do your work. We will be back soon." Wen Zhen and others bowed and left hurriedly. This was a big case that was none of their business, so it was best not to ask about it to avoid suspicion.

Zhuang Qing nodded, went into the duty room, and arranged tasks.

"Your group is responsible for secretly investigating the officials of all ranks in the grain office, especially those who may have come into contact with the secret codes of the military grain broker. Keep a close eye on them."

"Yes."

"Your group is responsible for investigating the Governor's Office of the Grain Transport Administration. Find out how many ships of grain have been transported to Beijing by various gangs in recent years, and how many tickets they issued to the Grain Transport Office."

"Yes."

"Check the officials of the warehouse department, the warehouse office, the capital, and the thirteen warehouses to see if the grain stored in the warehouses matches the grain transported by the grain transport office, and see if there are any abnormalities."

"Yes."

"Go and ask the old porters, hangers-on, and other people at the Tongzhou wharf to see if they have seen the strange military ration brokers who have suddenly appeared in recent years."

"Yes."

"Go check the owners and sources of the major grain and wine shops in the capital. If you see anything unusual, don't alert them and report it to me immediately."

"Yes."

"Keep an eye on the Caoyun Wharf and see if two secret fans appear at the same time. Find out who is holding the fans!"

"Yes."

……

Orders were quietly spread out in the capital like fishing nets.

After the assignment was completed, Zhuang Qing took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest. There was no doubt that the person behind the scenes was a big fish. If he was a big fish, there was no way he could escape the encirclement and attack of so many fishing nets.
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"Your Highness, the case of grain tax fraud is being investigated intensively. All the capable personnel of our guard have been mobilized and divided into twelve groups to investigate from all directions. I believe there will be results soon."

Zhuang Qing was busy in the guardhouse, and Wang Fei had already taken the opportunity to run to Jia Cong to report first. Although he didn't know how to investigate the case, he was more active than anyone else in reporting his work.

Jia Cong nodded with satisfaction and said, "This case is of great importance. We must not make a big fuss about it. We must be careful and not alert the enemy."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Captain Zhuang and I have given the order to have the brothers below investigate secretly, and we will close the net when everything is foolproof," Wang Fei said hurriedly.

"Yeah." Jia Cong smiled and said, "You have made a lot of progress since you followed me in Liaodong."

Wang Fei was in high spirits and said with a smile: "If I can learn even one ten-thousandth of your ability, it will be of great benefit to me for the rest of my life."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Stop talking nonsense." He suddenly remembered what he had promised Zhongxin a few days ago, so he said, "Secretly ask Prince Gongxian to come out for a meeting. Don't let the news leak out."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will do it immediately."

Jia Cong set the time and place, then waved goodbye to send him away.

At 3 p.m., a tall and handsome young man dressed in a brocade robe and holding a folding fan arrived at the Fahua Temple by the Jishuitan Lake in the northwest of the inner city. He was followed by two servants in blue clothes, and they were obviously the sons of wealthy families.

The monk in charge of reception had a keen eye for the Dharma, and he hurriedly went to greet him warmly, clasping his hands together and saying, "Please come in, benefactor. Are you here to burn incense and worship Buddha, or to take a sightseeing trip?"

There is an elder in my temple who is very good at reading people's faces and predicting good and bad fortune, especially fame and marriage. Would you like to give it a try, young master?"

The young man smiled and said, "Thank you, Master. I'll just take a look. Please prepare a quiet meditation room for me so that I can read Buddhist scriptures. This is my congratulations."

Before he finished speaking, the servant behind him took out a large ingot of silver and stuffed it into the hand of the monk in charge of reception.

The monk in charge of reception was surprised and delighted. What a big customer! He quickly turned over his hand, put the silver back into his sleeve and praised: "You are so sincere in worshipping Buddha. The Buddha will naturally bless you to make your wish come true. There is no need for divination. I will use the best Zen room with the Mi number later. Please come in, donor." After that, he ordered a young monk next to him to come over and act as a guide.

Not long after, Jia Cong, who was wearing casual clothes, also arrived. Wang Fei quietly stepped forward and reported, "Sir, that person has just gone in, with only two followers. The surroundings are strictly guarded, and there are no suspicious persons."

Jia Cong nodded, walked straight into the temple, found the place under the guidance of the secret spy, and pushed the door open.

Sun Shuo had been waiting for a long time, and he hurriedly stood up to greet him, bowing and saying, "Shuo greets His Majesty."

Jia Cong smiled faintly and said, "Your Highness is too polite. The other day, Prince Zhongxin sent a message saying that Your Highness wanted to see me. What do you want me to do?"

"Brother Wang, please take a seat." Sun Shuo hurriedly led him in and sighed, "My life is in danger now. Thank you for your permission to see me, Brother Wang."

Jia Cong was surprised and asked, "Your Majesty is of noble status, why do you say that?"

Sun Shuo shook his head and said, "Brother Wang is a wise man, why do you need me to explain it to you?"

"Please let me know, Your Majesty." (End of this chapter)