Chapter 243 There are guests coming tonight

Wan Liang Jin looked very embarrassed when he appeared in front of He Tingfang.

There is blue under the eyes, sunken eye sockets, and red bloodshot in the whites of the eyes.

His clothes were blackened by the fire and covered with smoke and dust.

He Tingfang gestured to Wan Liangjin to sit down.

I wouldn't dare sit here even if I had ten thousand taels of gold.

The servants had all gone away, and the study door was closed tightly, leaving only the two of them.

He Tingfang: "What happened last night?"

Wan Liang Jin knew what He Tingfang really wanted to ask, and knelt down immediately:

"Master He, everything is... gone."

The expression on He Tingfang's face froze instantly, and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand.

He stared intently at Wan Liangjin's face, which was even thinner and more haggard than before.

"Who else knows besides you and me?"

"Master He, are you suspicious of me?"

Wan Liang Jin raised his head and said:

"No matter how greedy I am, I wouldn't dare touch Master He's things. How could I do something like digging my own grave?"

The veins on the back of He Tingfang's hands bulged, and half of the tea in the teacup spilled out, wetting the hem of his clothes.

That was his largest vault, where two-thirds of his gold and silver were stored.

How could he calm down?

He Tingfang stood up with the teacup, walked over to Wan Liangjin, and poured the remaining tea in the cup over Wan Liangjin's head.

"If it weren't you, who could have quietly moved so many things away from Xiaoyaofang?"

Wan Liang Jin's head was soaked by the tea, but he didn't dare to stand up. He swallowed several times before saying:

"Master He... the fire last night was truly bizarre. I suspect a master came to Xiaoyaofang last night."

He Tingfang looked down at the ten thousand taels of gold as if it were a dead object:

"You already have a guess?"

Ten thousand taels of gold lying on the ground:

"I suspect it was Hao Ren. He lost a lot at Xiaoyaofang yesterday, and before leaving, he asked me how long the gambling house could remain open. I suspect it was Hao Ren's revenge."

"Hao Ren?" He Tingfang rolled the name over his teeth.

He Tingfang certainly remembered Hao Ren and knew that this person was extraordinary.

But no matter how extraordinary he is, Hao Ren is still just a newly-crowned imperial merchant and is still in the stage of gaining a foothold.

How did he know about the vault? How could he have someone so skilled as to move the vault?

He Tingfang asked about the ten thousand taels of gold:

"Does Hao Ren know the relationship between you and me?"

Wan Liang Jin saw that He Tingfang's face was frighteningly pale:

"I would never dare to mention your Excellency in front of outsiders. I'm just guessing. Hao Ren might think that the vault belongs to Xiaoyaofang. After all, apart from the Emperor, who in the entire Chang'an would dare to touch your Excellency's things?"

After Wan Liang Jin said this, He Tingfang's face became even worse.

It would be fine if Hao Ren didn't know the true owner of the vault, but if he knew -

How could Hao Ren, alone, dare to risk his life and property to do this?

Unless he got the emperor's authorization.

If it is the Emperor's intention...

He Tingfang's heart tightened and he put down the teacup:

"Have you sent someone to keep an eye on Hao Ren?"

Wan Liang Jin lowered his head and said, "I would like to send some people, but there are experts over there, and the people I have are not enough to deal with them. I'm afraid...this matter still requires your help."

The people under his command were more than enough to deal with the ruffians in the casino, but what happened last night made him realize clearly that the other party was no ordinary person.

He Tingfang exhaled and concentrated, his hands behind his back, casting a shadow on the ground:

"This matter must be thoroughly investigated."

…

Flowers bloom on the branches, bringing spring to life.

The bee buzzed around the flower.

Su Zhizhi rolled around on the bed, mumbling, and opened her eyes in the morning light and birdsong.

She slept soundly last night and got up early today.

No need to go to school on holidays.

After washing up, Su Zhizhi went to the kitchen in high spirits.

In the kitchen, Doctor Yu and Hao Ren were cooking breakfast.

Doctor Yu was cooking porridge while Hao Ren was cutting pickles and bacon.

The bacon looks shiny and has just the right amount of fat and lean meat. I wonder if it was bought on the street. They just came here last year and didn't have time to make bacon.

"Dad, this is Doctor Yu." Su Zhizhi greeted him and sat down by the stove to help light the fire.

She looked around, a little confused: "Where are the others?"

Hao Ren: "They are still sleeping. They worked hard last night and will get up late."

Su Zhizhi recalled the fragments of conversation she heard before falling asleep last night and asked:

"Did you succeed last night?"

Hao Ren nodded.

Su Zhizhi: "Then no one will go to Xiaoyaofang to gamble anymore."

Hao Ren: "Anyone who wants to gamble will go anywhere. Even if Xiaoyaofang is gone, there are still many gambling houses hidden away."

Su Zhizhi added firewood to the stove and said solemnly:

"Dad, you can't go to the gambling house anymore, otherwise our entire Black Bandit Mountain will be lost."

Hao Ren thought about how he lost money and laughed:

"Okay, Dad will remember this. Thanks for the reminder, Zhizhi."

Doctor Yu stirred the porridge in the pot and added some herbs:

"Zhizhi, lower the fire. Use a low fire."

Su Zhizhi smelled the medicine:

"Doctor Yu, what kind of porridge are we drinking?"

Doctor Yu: "I've added some medicine to boost your spirits. Everyone might be having a hard time these past two nights."

Hao Ren nodded: "Let everyone sleep a little longer during the day to replenish their energy."

Su Zhizhi: "Are you going out tonight too?"

Hao Ren divided the chopped vegetables into several portions and put them into bowls:

"I'm afraid we have guests coming tonight."

Su Zhizhi blinked, and suddenly thought of the words she had learned before:

"Catching a turtle in a jar?"

Hao Ren and Doctor Yu both laughed.

Breakfast was ready and Su Zhizhi helped to bring it out.

The people in Heishan Mansion had just woken up one after another and came to have breakfast.

Old Xu took the bowl and drank most of it in one gulp:

"I was like Yugong last night, moving mountains. I woke up this morning starving."

Bai Xun took a bite of half a steamed bun filled with pickles and bacon slices:

"Then eat more tonight, otherwise you will still be hungry."

Everyone knew that the days ahead would not be peaceful, especially at night.

They have to be especially careful these days.

This kind of life really feels a bit like going back to the days of wandering the underworld, making enemies and then waiting for them to come knocking on your door. Your head is always hanging on the waistband of your pants, and you never know when it will fall off.

Qiu Jinyu said, "After retiring from society for so many years, it's quite exciting to live this kind of life again."

In the past, I stole things just for the thrill.

Ni Tianji echoed from the side: "Yes."

Although he had not had such an exciting time as the leader of a pavilion when he was young, there was a huge difference between the lives of people in the martial arts world.

Qiu Jinyu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Why are you agreeing with me? You're the one who was stolen. What's so exciting about that?"

Ni Tianji ate the pickles silently, and was so aggrieved that he didn't even dare to pick up the bacon slices.

Su Zhizhi helped Qiu Jinyu scoop a bowl of porridge: "Aunt Qiu, I won't sleep tonight, I also want to feel the excitement."

Hua Erniang twisted her neck and rubbed her wrists:

"Hmph, let's make sure they don't come back tonight."

Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

Hao Ren: "Sister Qiu, Brother Ni, I have something else to do tonight. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you two."

Ni Tianji looked at Qiu Jinyu.

Qiu Jinyu pinched the small flower bud on Su Zhizhi's head:

"Don't be polite. Tell me, what could be harder to steal than a mountain of gold?"

The persimmon tree outside the central hall sprouted new buds in early spring, and its branches were full of leaves in mid-spring.

The "Grow Bigger and Stronger" wishing sign that Wu Yingniang hung last year is still there.

The red ribbons and wooden signs swayed in the spring breeze amidst the greenery.