Cao Thief

Chapter 163 The Great Earthquake in Shangtun ([-])

"Father, Magistrate Deng is gone!"

After seeing off Deng Ji and Cao Peng, Mai Ren returned to the small courtyard.

He went up to the attic porch and reported under the window.A thick curtain covers the front of the door.There was a rapid coughing sound from inside, accompanied by heavy panting.After a while, the curtain was raised, and a man walked out from inside.Dark skin, short stature.

"Master, it's very windy outside, Grandpa invites you to come in and talk."

Mai Ren nodded and walked in.

But when he and the man passed by each other, a strong disgust appeared on his face.

That man is Mai Cheng.

To be honest, Mai Ren doesn't know why Mai Xiong trusts Mai Cheng.

Thinking back when Mai Cheng came here, Mai Ren didn't think much of him.I don't know how many detours it was from a relative, I had never heard of this person before, and suddenly ran over, how could Mai Ren like it?Moreover, Mai's growth is a bit wretched, and the senses are not particularly good.And the language is vulgar, and sometimes he will inadvertently reveal gangster air.

After all, he is also from a scholarly family. No matter how you say it, Mai Ren is also a famous talent, so how can he look up to such a relative?
However, Mai Xiong likes it.

Not only let Mai Cheng stay by his side, but also take good care of him.

Before that, Mai Cheng stayed in the county government, and Mai Ren felt that it was not appropriate.

After Deng Ji took office, he immediately took down Maicheng.Mai Ren didn't want to pay attention at first, but it was Mai Xiong who passed on the message, so he came forward.

Fortunately, Deng Ji gave him face.

There was a strong smell of medicine in the room.

Inside the fire pond, the charcoal fire was burning vigorously, making the hall very warm.

In the center is a bed with a screen behind it.On the screen, there is a bronze mirror inlaid, and an old man is lying on the couch.

"Father!"

"Magistrate Deng is gone?"

The old man's speech was very vague, and there was a bit of Haixi's unique nasal voice mixed in it.

If you don't listen carefully, it may be difficult to hear what he is saying.Fortunately, Mairen is also used to it, so it is not particularly difficult.

"Yes, already gone!"

"What is he doing here?"

"One is to visit my father and want to listen to his teachings; the other is to tell me that three days later, he will hold a banquet in the county government and invite the child to the banquet."

"A banquet?"

"Yes, it is said that there are others."

Mai Xiong coughed, moved his slightly bloated body, and turned over on the bed.

An extremely ugly face was revealed.The wrinkles on his face almost covered his mouth, nose and eyes.A scar stretched from his forehead to the base of his ear, making him look even more hideous.At that time, Mai Xiong organized the neighbors to resist the bandits and was injured by the bandits.This scar was left at that time, and after many years, it is still bright red.As soon as he opened his mouth, the scar would squirm slightly, like an earthworm.Mai Ren couldn't help lowering his head, so after all these years, he is still not quite used to it.

"Who!"

"It seems to say that all the important people in Haixi will be invited, including the baby."

"kindness."

"Father, do you think I will go or not?"

"You can figure it out... cough cough cough!"

Before Mai Xiong finished his sentence, he coughed violently, and then spit out a mouthful of yellow and turbid phlegm.

Mai Cheng hurried forward to help Mai Xiong.

"My lord, my grandfather is not strong, so I'm afraid he can't talk too much."

Mai Ren's complexion changed, and when he was about to speak, Mai Xiong waved his hand weakly at him, and swallowed the reprimand when it reached his lips.

This Mai Cheng is so rude!
Aristocratic families have the rules of aristocratic families.

Although the Mai family is not considered a wealthy family, it is still considered a family of officials and scholars, and their rules are placed there...

When the master speaks, does that allow a small side branch to interject?

What's more, Mai Ren never put Mai Cheng in his eyes, let alone regarded him as a child of the Mai family.

After snorting, Mai Ren shook his sleeves and left.

After leaving the attic, he stopped again and said outside the door: "By the way, there is one more thing. Magistrate Deng asked me one more thing just now."

"Ahem, what's the matter?"

"He asked me if I knew anything about Fish Kiss Copper Town."

Behind the door curtain, there was a soft sound, like the sound of a copper bowl being knocked over.

"Fish Kiss Copper Town?"

"Yes, County Magistrate Deng said that he found a secret compartment in the study of the county government office, and found Yukissong Tongzhen from the secret compartment... Hehe, he also asked me, is Yukissong Tongzhen the same Li Guangli's treasure is related. The boy can only say that he doesn't know... From my point of view, the virtue of this county magistrate Deng is not very good.

This kind of person stays in Haixi, I am afraid that it is no different from Haixi County.

The boy wants to take a trip to Guangling and visit Chen Yuanlong... If it doesn't work, he will be driven back.After all, he is not from Haixi, so how could he think about Haixi? "

There was silence behind the door curtain, and after a while, Mai Xiong's confused voice sounded again.

"Since my son has an idea, let's do it."

"Here!"

Mai Ren replied: "After the banquet in three days, I won't go!"

"Um……"

With Mai Xiong's approval, Mai Ren seemed relieved.

Don't think his Mai family is famous in Haixi, but in Guangling County, it's nothing.In terms of family background, the Chen family should be the first in Guangling County; in terms of wealth, the Xutai Lu family should be the first in Guangling County.Anyway, it's not the Mai family's turn... If in the past, Mai Xiong could still speak when he was healthy, then now that Mai Xiong is ill, the Mai family's right to speak will also be reduced.

Although Mai Ren is a talented person, but in Guangling, it is really not very conspicuous.

Without Mai Xiong's support, how could Mai Ren drive Deng Ji away?No matter what Deng Ji said, he was an official ordered by the court.Mai Ren did not yet have the confidence to persuade Chen Deng to resist the imperial edict.But if Mai Xiong agrees, the feasibility will increase relatively.

Drive away Deng Ji...

A smile appeared on Mai Ren's round face.

In the end, this Haixi County belongs to my Mai family!

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Deng Ji is going to hold a banquet in the county government to entertain the guests.

The news spread quickly, and the hanging heart at the head of the Nine Great Banks suddenly returned to his stomach.

I am not afraid of your actions, but I am afraid of your silence.Anyone with a little experience in Lai Hao can feel that Deng Ji's recent calm seems to be preparations for a big move.What is the big move?What changes will it bring to Haixi?Everyone was a little apprehensive.

Because Deng Ji is obviously different from the previous county magistrates.

He seems to be more tolerant and understands the severity...

Before Chen Sheng was arrogant and domineering, how arrogant he was.Everyone thought that Deng Ji would not stay in Haixi for long, but unexpectedly, Deng Ji suddenly broke out in silence, not only solved the problem, but also wiped out Chen Sheng's family.The viciousness of its means is staggering.

Then the North Market was rectified and the Caochao Office was established.

Its toughness is beginning to emerge.

Those who were unwilling to cooperate were wiped out in just a few days.

Either it was found to be short of past taxes, or it was suspected of colluding with bandits.

Either they were thrown into prison, or they were expelled from the house, their family property was confiscated, and they were also driven out of Haixi County.

Most of Deng Ji's previous targets were small businesses.But everyone knew that as Deng Ji's position in Haixi gradually strengthened, sooner or later he would make other moves.The minds of the businessmen are very simple, the people do not fight with the officials!A problem that can be solved with money and silk is not a problem.

They waited for Deng Ji to make a move, but Deng Ji didn't make any move.

This also made the merchants start to worry that Deng Ji's next move would target them...

It is not that the merchants have not thought of joining forces to fight against Deng Ji.But Chen Sheng's lessons from the past are still vivid in his memory. If they had no choice, they really didn't want to confront the government.Now, they finally waited!Deng Ji hosted a banquet at the county government office, explaining that all of this can be discussed.

This is also the second time that Deng Ji hosted a banquet in the county government.

Compared with the first time when everyone was empty, the situation this time has changed significantly.

After the news spread, people scrambled to find out who the county government would invite to the banquet this time.Needless to say, some celebrities and gentry in Haixi may also be invited.But what about everyone else?For a while, the merchants in Haixi sharpened their heads to get the invitation.Although the purpose of this banquet is still unclear, it can be inferred that a major event must have occurred.

Last time, Deng Ji hosted a banquet, which destroyed the foundation Chen Sheng had built in Haixi for several years in one fell swoop.

So this time...

People, talking a lot.

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Time flies, and three days pass in the blink of an eye.

The county government didn't go to make any decorations, just like in the past, it just cleaned the streets.

There are five horse-hitting posts on both sides of the gate, which are specially used for parking carriages and horses.As soon as it got dark, the outside of the gate became lively.

The first person to arrive was Huang Zheng, the head of the gold market, with Wen Qing.

Not only did he come, but he also brought a valuable gift, a set of steles of "The Analects of Confucius" made by Cai Yong, a famous scholar in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

Note that it is a stele, not a rubbing.

In the early years, Cai Yong was persecuted and exiled in Jiangbei because he offended Shi Changshi.

Cai Yong's talent is needless to say, and his virtue is not bad, but he is a bit more bookish.In the first half of his life, he fought against the ten permanent servants and gained a great reputation.It's just that in his later years, he was coerced by Dong Zhuo and had to become an official.But the purpose of his official career is to compile "East View Han Ji".Although Dong Zhuo said he was vulgar, he also valued scholars and gave Cai Yong extremely high treatment...

Therefore, after Dong Zhuo died, Cai Yong mourned for him.

But he didn't want to offend Situ Wangyun.

Bookish...

Under the premise of such a cruel political struggle, if you don't do your research well, but go to mourn for Dong Zhuo, wouldn't it make Wang Yun feel bad.

Therefore, Cai Yong was killed by Wang Yun.

Throughout Cai Yong's life, his talent and learning are unparalleled, and he attaches great importance to teaching.

During his exile in Jiangbei, Cai Yong wrote "The Analects of Confucius" specially for a local academy, carved it into a stele, and stood it in the academy.After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the stele named "Lunbei" disappeared.Huang Zheng didn't know where he heard the news about Cao Penghao's "Lun", so he tried his best to ask someone to buy a gift, but unexpectedly bought such a stone tablet.

Although it is not a gold or silver treasure, it is enough to reflect Huang Zheng's thoughts.

There are many such gifts.

The capitals of the Nine Big Banks are human beings, and none of them are fuel-efficient lamps.

The gifts they sent were all kinds of strange things, but each of them could reveal their hearts.

At the beginning of the Huadeng, lanterns were hung on the wooden stakes in front of the county government gate.

The guests also arrived one after another, and among them was Xili Jiaoyu Wang Cheng who hadn't shown up for a long time.

As soon as he entered the door, Wang Chengcheng greeted everyone with a smile.

Huang Zheng jokingly said, "Mr. Wang, you've been haunted recently. It's hard to find you."

"Zhugong Haihan, Zhugong Haihan...Cheng had some trivial matters a few days ago, so he was not at home. He just returned in the early hours of this morning. As soon as he came back, he heard that the county magistrate Deng hosted a banquet. How could Cheng not come? Looking for me some days? Failure to meet, offend, offend."

With a smile on his face, he circled around the crowd.

"Why is Maggie missing?"

Wang Cheng asked suddenly.

"Uh... I don't know!" Mu Zuo's leader Pan Yong glanced at the people in the hall, and couldn't help saying strangely: "It stands to reason that Mr. Mai should have come, why is there no one around?"

While he was talking, he suddenly heard a voice from the back hall: "Magistrate Deng is here!"

Immediately after, Deng Ji quickly walked out from the corridor in the back hall.

"I'm tired of waiting, Haihan, Haihan."

He waved his hands with a smile and said, "Since everyone has come, let's start the banquet."

"Magistrate Deng, it seems that Mr. Mai hasn't arrived yet."

"Oh?"

Deng Ji raised his eyebrows, his eyes flickered, and he swept across the banquet.

Immediately smiled, "Since you didn't come, then you don't have to wait any longer."

When everyone heard this sentence, their hearts couldn't help but thump.Huang Zheng and the others looked at each other with horror in their eyes...

Could it be that Magistrate Deng and Mai Ren fell out?

Probably not!
Before County Magistrate Deng hosted a banquet, only Wang Cheng and Mai Ren came to join him.

I heard that a few days ago, County Magistrate Deng went to Mai Ren's house. At that time, the two had a very happy conversation. Why did they fall out in the blink of an eye?

The situation of Mai Ren and Chen Sheng is different.

Chen Sheng is just a nouveau riche. Although he is tyrannical, his foundation is not deep.

But Mai Ren is an old local gentry, and behind him, he represents the local interests.If Deng Ji and Mai Ren fell out, wouldn't it mean...

As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a good banquet.

If Deng Ji and Mai Ren really turned their faces, wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to appear here?
The expressions of the local gentry kept changing, as if hesitating.

Deng Ji smiled and said, "Come here, let's serve wine."

"slow!"

An old man got up suddenly, cupped his hands and said: "Magistrate Deng hosted a banquet today, and it is really an honor for me and the grassroots to invite us and everyone.

It's just... what is the purpose of County Magistrate Deng inviting us here today? "

"Uh, well, you can have a drink first, let's talk while eating."

"Magistrate Deng, you should clarify the matter first. Otherwise, our hearts will always be hanging in our hearts. Even if we eat delicacies from mountains and seas, we won't be able to eat them."

An old-fashioned local gentry showed an extremely tough stance.

The absence of Mai Ren seemed to bring an unusual flavor to the feast...

Deng Ji looked as usual, still with a faint smile.

He put down the wine glass in his hand, looked at the old man, didn't seem to care about his tough attitude, but nodded slightly.

"In that case, let's talk about the business first."

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Today's second update

(End of this chapter)