Chapter 231: Situ Ming must be a spy

I found some bad food, cooked it, and ate some of it.

The grain transporters teamed up with Xu Zhuangtou and searched in a radial pattern with the house as the center.

It was not long before they found the warehouse where Wen Yan stored grain and charcoal.

There were five officers present, who immediately revealed their identities: "This is government territory, please leave immediately."

Although the grain transporter came from Hou Xin, he also knew that a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake, so he retreated obediently.

Moreover, the new prefect at that time was Meng Xiyan, who was old-fashioned and upright and would never do such a thing.

They didn't dare touch the granary.

However, the people and tenants living nearby could not escape the harassment.

They broke into people's homes and searched through their drawers and cabinets.

Fortunately, because of the drought, everyone was poor and the family could not produce more than ten kilograms of grain in total, otherwise they would be charged with theft.

They tried to contact Situ Ming many times, but all their attempts fell on deaf ears.

They had no choice but to go into the city to look for it.

The mansion is now deserted.

Finally, they passed tracks in the road, and they pursued them northward.

Finally, they tracked him to an abandoned quarry seven hundred miles away and lost track of him.

This place is no longer the territory of Jinyang Prefecture.

The leader of the grain transport team looked at the deserted quarry and grabbed a passerby and asked: "What's that place opposite the quarry?"

The man looked at the four or five tall and powerful young men, and was so frightened that he couldn't speak clearly: "Nothing... nothing. There are trees behind it, a forest..."

"Through the woods?"

"Through the woods are huge mountains. On the other side of the mountains is the border!"

"Border line!"

Could it be that the grain has been transported outside the pass?

They, including the prince, were probably deceived by Situ Ming.

Situ Ming is most likely a spy from the enemy country lurking in the capital.

"No!

Situ Ming must be a spy.

Only if he's a spy can we survive, understand?" The little leader looked at his companion fiercely.

The four companions looked at each other and remained silent for a while.

The little leader sighed deeply and explained earnestly, "Five thousand dan of grain means a hole worth tens of thousands of taels.

I can't fill such a big hole, can anyone of you fill it?"

The prince cannot tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes.

He must hold someone accountable for such a huge loss.

And the prince's torture methods...

Several people broke out in cold sweat just thinking about it.

The four of them immediately expressed their opinions, all agreeing with his statement, and after discussion, they reached a unified voice.

He also decided to return to Jinyang Prefecture and investigate Situ Ming's whereabouts in detail.

It would be best to catch him and kill him to prevent future troubles.

Only a dead person can be the perfect scapegoat.

After making the decision, they headed back to Jinyang Prefecture.

at the same time.

The head of the Xu family also received news that the grain had been stolen.

He went to find Situ Ming in a panic.

When they arrived at the house, it was empty and there was no trace of Situ Ming.

Situ Ming ran away, what will happen to his only child?

The head of the Xu family had a buzzing head and a pounding heart.

He was flustered and uneasy.

He immediately ordered his servants to harness the carriage and go to the government prison.

He urgently needs to see his son now.

He couldn't feel at ease until he saw his only son, who was full of life.

The horse came to the prison at lightning speed.

As usual, the head of the Xu family handed over a bigger and heavier purse, but no one dared to accept it.

The Xu family head's uneasiness intensified. "You two, what does this mean? It wasn't like this before..."

"Who told you before? Your son has committed a capital crime and has been transferred to a dungeon with no escape. Except on the day of his beheading, he will never be able to set foot out of there again."

The colleague who gave him leniency last time is now digging mud to repair the river.

"What!" The head of the Xu family was shocked, his body swayed, and he staggered back several steps.

The servants quickly supported him and fed him a few heart-protecting pills, so he did not faint on the spot.

"I... Situ Ming is from the Jinping Marquis Mansion. He said he would rescue my son. How could this happen? How could this happen..."

The head of the Xu family was in disbelief and muttered to himself.

Only after he was helped onto the carriage did he order his servants, "Quick, send everyone to look for Situ Ming. If he's dead, we must find him!"

When the head of the Xu family met the grain transport team, he learned that Situ Ming was most likely a spy lurking in Dayong.

Everyone was taken advantage of.

The small leader of the grain transport team also questioned whether the head of the Xu family had colluded with Situ Ming to frame the Marquis of Jinping's Mansion.

The head of the Xu family was shocked and angry, crying out that he was wronged, and then he expressed his loyalty to the little leader: "Sir, I was also deceived by that spy Situ Ming!

As long as the Marquis of Jinping's Mansion is willing to help save my son's life, I am willing to devote my life to the Marquis of Jinping's Mansion until my death.

All my property can be donated to the prince!"

The leader looked at the head of the Xu family and sneered, "Even if you are willing to be a dog, the prince may not be willing to accept you.

You'd better confess everything you know, or expect your family to be destroyed."

The head of the Xu family sat on the ground, as if all his energy and spirit had been drained away in an instant.

Interrogating the head of the Xu family.

The head of the Xu family immediately became a victim, an honest and kind-hearted man who wanted to serve the Marquis' Mansion wholeheartedly.

And Situ Ming became a deliberate liar.

Not only did he seize the first batch of grain in the name of the Marquis of Jinping's Mansion, but he also cheated a lot of silver from the prince in the name of filial piety.

The leader of the grain transport team was very satisfied after seeing the confession.

He wrote a letter and sent it back to the capital at full speed along with the confession.

Wen Ruyue returned to the capital a few days ago.

She had just returned to Beijing and didn't want the Huo family to know that her trip was not going well.

He specially went to Tianyi Cloth Shop to change into the most fashionable and brightest clothes before taking a carriage back to the Marquis' Mansion.

When Huo Yaoxing saw what she was wearing, he guessed most of her plans for returning to the city.

He deliberately asked her what she had gained from this trip.

Wen Ruyue didn't want to seem useless in Huo Yaoxing's eyes.

But she also knew that Situ Ming corresponded with the prince from time to time, and the prince must know that his business was not going well.

She didn't dare to exaggerate too much, and just said that she was unlucky this time. The local grain merchants conspired to make things difficult for her and wanted to cheat her into selling the grain at half price.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and cooperated with the local government in a timely manner, not only recovering the costs but also making a small profit.

However, she changed the subject and started to complain about Situ Ming.

They said he had bad intentions and had colluded with local grain merchants to harm her.

“Husband, I don’t mean to sow discord between you and him.

It's true that the barking dog bites, Situ Ming is very sinister, you must be very careful."

Huo Yaoxing nodded indifferently without commenting.

Wen Ruyue knew that too much is as bad as too little, and seeing that he didn't believe her, she didn't say anything more.

She had been traveling for more than ten days and was very tired. She was about to go back to her yard to rest.

Then the servant reported: "Second Madam Xie of the Lan family has come to visit."

Wen Ruyue's face lit up with joy: "As expected of the Lan family, they are always well-informed."

It had only been about an hour since she entered the city, but the Lan family had already received the news and had come to her house.

It can be seen that Mrs. Xie misses me very much!

"Please invite Madam Xie into the mansion." Wen Ruyue straightened her clothes and asked Huo Yaoxing nervously, "My dear, am I dressed appropriately?"

"Very decent!" Huo Yaoxing threw down these four words perfunctorily and turned to leave.

From time to time, Madam Xie came in hurriedly, supported by her servants.

"Oh, my wife, you are finally back. I have been looking for you so hard that my feet are smoking." Mrs. Xie's tone was filled with anger and complaints that could not be concealed.