Chapter 279: The Mantis Catches the Cicada (Two Chapters Combined into One)
The more Liu Wang thought about it, the more hateful he became. What he hated was not the Jinyiwei, but himself.
He was too timid. He only dared to think about the 500,000 taels of silver but did not dare to take it.
Liu Wang thought of the dead Zhang Hui. Yes, he had to avenge Zhang Hui. He and Zhang Hui were brothers, and he couldn't let Zhang Hui die in vain.
He has no ability, but the Fourth Prince does. The Fourth Prince will definitely be able to get the entire 500,000 taels, and then he can get a share. With the money, he can appease Zhang Hui's family and choose a good piece of land for Zhang Hui.
Yes, he did it for Zhang Hui!
Liu Wang could no longer sit still, so he went to see the Fourth Prince.
After losing ten ships, it is impossible for the Fourth Prince not to be worried.
This was the first time he had received such an important mission, and the lost grain was transported from Huiji Warehouse.
The Fourth Prince walked around the room a few times and couldn't help but look out the window.
Li Qing was talking to a few Jinyiwei, obviously arranging a search for someone.
The Fourth Prince breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately there were still the Embroidered Uniform Guards to take the blame.
These grains were escorted by the Jinyiwei. The Jinyiwei and the grains were lost together, and no one could be held accountable.
The Fourth Prince felt relieved now that the heavy burden in his heart was gone. If he hadn't been worried about catching the epidemic, he would have wanted to go out for a walk.
He is a young man and can't sit still. He has been forced not to go out these days and he feels uncomfortable all over.
At this time, Liu Wang asked for a meeting. Although the Fourth Prince did not like the You family, he was still very satisfied with Liu Wang who was recommended to him by the You family.
Liu Wang does not have the bad habits of the You family. He is smart, observant, knowledgeable and interesting, and never causes him trouble.
But the Liu Wang in front of him now had red eyes, and it was obvious that he had just cried.
"Xiao Liu, what's wrong with you? Were you scared by those thieves?" the Fourth Prince joked.
Liu Wang looked around seriously. The Fourth Prince waved his hand, and several eunuchs in the room quietly retreated and the door closed again.
The Fourth Prince laughed and said, "What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?"
Liu Wang fell to his knees with a thud: "Your Highness, please avenge Zhang Bao!"
The word the Fourth Prince hated to hear the most was revenge.
What revenge?
Who can this prince avenge?
This prince's legs are two or three inches apart, and this prince also wants to seek revenge, but can I? No!
Because it was my father who harmed me like this!
So don’t mention revenge in front of me. It makes me angry!
No one knew the Fourth Prince's preferences better than Liu Wang. Seeing the anger in the Fourth Prince's eyes, he continued, "Your Highness, Zhang Hui, Zhang Hui, he was killed by those Jinyiwei. And the silver, a full 100,000 taels of silver, was stolen by those Jinyiwei!"
The Fourth Prince thought he had misheard. Wasn’t Zhang Hui kidnapped along with those Jinyiwei by the bandits, with no trace of his body left?
"What the hell is going on? Get up and answer!"
Liu Wang wiped away his tears, stood up, and told the story of Yang Fanding's selling of disaster relief grain, killing Zhang Hui to silence him, and trying to kill Mr. Dai to steal his money, adding fuel to the fire.
The Fourth Prince's face changed drastically. No wonder he felt something was wrong when he heard Yang Fan talk about it. Now he understood that this was because Yang Fan was lying.
"Go call Li Qing over here. This prince wants to ask him personally!"
Liu Wang quickly stopped him, "Your Highness, Yang Fan and Ding Gao are just small-time officials. How could they be so bold? This is one hundred thousand taels! If you say there's no one behind this, I won't believe it even if you kill me!"
The Fourth Prince narrowed his eyes slightly: "Do you suspect that Li Qing is behind them?"
Liu Wang nodded and said, "Your Highness, think about it. Apart from you, the only one who has the ability and courage to do this is Li Zhenfu!"
This time, the Fourth Prince remained silent for a long time. When he spoke again, he did not mention Li Qing. Instead, he asked, "You said that the merchant named Dai originally prepared 600,000 taels?"
Liu Wang suppressed his joy and said, "This was something a few merchants pooled together to test the waters with 100,000 taels. Unexpectedly, they ran into this unscrupulous Li Qing, who caused them to lose 100,000 taels in vain. Boss Dai even nearly lost his life."
The Fourth Prince pondered for a moment and asked, "Where is the man surnamed Dai?"
"He was rescued by the Tongzhou yamen runners and is now at the manor. If you wish to see him, I will summon him right away."
Liu Wang was about to leave when the Fourth Prince stopped him. "He's not worthy of being summoned by this prince. Go see him and ask him what he thinks. With so much silver, it would be difficult for him to take it away."
Liu Wang hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. As long as this Dai guy is not a fool, he will know who can protect him now."
For a businessman targeted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, of course only the Fourth Prince could protect him.
The Fourth Prince waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. If he still dares to ask for too much, let him fend for himself."
Liu Wang was overjoyed. The Dai man was not stupid but also very capable. Now he had reached a dead end. If he did not cooperate with the Fourth Prince, he would be wiped out by the Jinyiwei.
Liu Wang left happily, but the Fourth Prince was very excited.
This is not a small amount of money, it is five hundred thousand taels!
Not only him, but even his father would not remain indifferent.
The third and fifth brothers are very proud of making 70,000 or 80,000 taels by following Young Master Zhen. If they knew that this prince could make a net profit of 500,000 taels with just one trip, they would be so angry that they would vomit blood.
Of course, the fifth brother now doesn’t even have the chance to talk to this prince. As for the third brother, after this mission, I’m afraid he won’t be able to speak in front of my father and mother.
The Fourth Prince became more and more proud as he thought about it, and Liu Wang did not disappoint him. After several rounds of negotiations, Boss Dai finally gave in. Not only did he negotiate the price, but he also agreed to several of Liu Wang's unreasonable requests.
When you live under someone's roof, you have to compromise, otherwise you can never leave Zhuangzi safely.
At night, Xiao Zhen returned to the mountain in the middle of the night, only to find Zhao Xingzhou lying on his bed, snoring loudly.
Looking at the person lying in a big letter shape on the bed, Xiao Zhen was in a trance for a moment. It turned out that the emperor also snored in his sleep, and his snores were deafening.
Besides snoring, his feet also stink!
Xiao Zhen really loves his quilt. He is not a mysophobia, but he really doesn't want to sleep on a smelly quilt anymore.
Xiao Zhen pushed several times before he woke Zhao Xingzhou up.
Zhao Xingzhou rubbed his eyes and saw that it was Xiao Zhen who pushed him. He said unhappily, "Do you know how tired I am today? Don't bother me!"
Turn over and continue sleeping.
Xiao Zhen had no choice but to come out and spend the night with Da Zhuang and the others.
The next day, when Xiao Zhen woke up, Zhao Xingzhou was gone.
He really wanted to know what kind of work Zhao Shiqing had assigned to Zhao Xingzhou that made him so tired.
After asking a few people, Xiao Zhen learned that Zhao Xingzhou was helping Aunt Sun take care of the child, so he wanted to go over and take a look.
But before he could find Zhao Xingzhou, he heard Aunt Sun's loud voice: "You old fool, what are you dawdling for? I told you to wipe the child's butt, why haven't you gone yet? The child is playing with shit!"
Then, Zhao Xingzhou's voice was heard: "You kid, why are you playing with shit? You've smeared it everywhere!"
The child burst into tears, and Aunt Sun started scolding again: "Why are you scolding the child? It's obviously your fault. Who told you not to wipe the child's butt? Why don't you go get some water to wash the child? Why are you getting cold water? Warm water, warm water! Are you stupid?"
Xiao Zhen held back his laughter and turned away.
When you are needed to be a good father, you choose to be an emperor; when you are needed to be a good emperor, you choose to be a Taoist priest. Okay, it’s up to you.
Xiao Zhen didn't even see Zhao Shiqing before he hurried down the mountain.
He actually didn't have to come back, but he wanted Zhao Shiqing to know that he was fine and nothing had happened to him.
Even if they don't meet, as long as she knows he has come back, it's good.
In the Huang family mansion.
The people sent by Li Qing came back, but Ding Gao and others and the ten boats were still not found.
Li Qing did not report this matter to the Fourth Prince. He had Yang Fan kept under guard. He always felt that there was something fishy about this matter.
At this time, the Fourth Prince sent someone to invite him over.
"Funeral Governor Li, have those nineteen people been found?" The Fourth Prince asked knowingly.
Li Qing shook his head: "I still have no idea."
The Fourth Prince sighed, "The loss of so many Jinyiwei at once is not only your fault, but also mine. Alas, I don't know how I will face my father and Commander Han when I return."
Li Qing hurriedly said, "This is none of your Highness's business. It is my responsibility."
The Fourth Prince shook his head. "No, I am also responsible. How about this, Li Zhenfu? Tomorrow you will personally lead your men to look for them. We must find them alive or dead. You must bring them back!"
Li Qing became suspicious and wanted to go find someone himself yesterday, but the Fourth Prince refused, fearing that no one would protect him.
Why did the Fourth Prince change his mind after one night?
The Fourth Prince was already in tears: "They are just like you and me, sons, husbands, and fathers. If we can find them, whether they are alive or dead, it will be a blessing for the country and the family.
It is better for them to be alive. If what is found is a body, it means that he died in the line of duty, and his parents, wife and children can all receive compensation.
But if they are like this now, with no one to see them alive or dead, then what are they?
They certainly can’t be considered killed in the line of duty. What about their families?”
The Fourth Prince became sadder as he spoke, and Li Qing felt uncomfortable as well. He had not expected that the Fourth Prince would actually consider these ordinary Jinyiwei.
Yes, even if only the body is found, it is still a death in the line of duty. Not only will their families receive compensation, but their children and nephews can also rely on their favor to continue serving in the Jinyiwei.
But if we can't even find the body...
Of course, he would also fight hard for them, but it would be very difficult. It depends on whether the higher-ups will investigate. If they do, they would be charged with dereliction of duty, and they might even be suspected of colluding with the thieves.
"Okay, Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"
Li Qing and his men left overnight, and the Fourth Prince finally felt relieved.
In the past, he relied on the Jinyiwei for everything and almost forgot that in addition to the Jinyiwei, he also had his own guards.
These guards were all from his palace, and many of them were loyal.
The Fourth Prince quickly picked out thirty people, led by Liu Wang and taking Old Dai with him, and they set off at dawn.
Li Qing was only away temporarily and would be back in three to five days at most, so the Fourth Prince decided to take advantage of Li Qing's absence to get things done, so he decided to do something big.
This time, the Fourth Prince directly transferred fifty ships of disaster relief grain from the Huiji Warehouse. Several ambassadors of the Huiji Warehouse were surprised: "Why transfer so much at once?"
Liu Wang raised his chin high. "My Lords, you sit there chatting and drinking tea, and of course you can't understand the suffering of the people of Tongzhou, who are starving and freezing. The people are suffering. Their homes have been destroyed, their fields have been destroyed, their families have been torn apart, and those children are starving with their bellies bulging. Do you know why? Because they ate Guanyin soil!"
Some people can't even eat Guanyin soil. What do they do? They eat their own children!
In Tongzhou, people starving to death can be seen everywhere. Alas, the Fourth Prince is so worried about the country and the people that he has fallen ill.
So, shouldn’t we let the people have enough to eat? Shouldn’t we?”
Several Ambassadors Cang did not dare to speak. If they asked a few more questions, it would be considered as malicious intentions.
There is grain in the Huiji warehouse, but it is impossible to fill fifty ships at once. Liu Wang had already considered that they would stay here tonight.
At the entrance of Huiji Warehouse is the official post station, which receives officials who come to Huiji Warehouse to transfer grain.
Liu Wang and his companions stayed here, and Lao Dai came to see Liu Wang: "Master Liu, please take me to Baofeng City. I need to prepare the silver."
This was also agreed upon in advance. Liu Wang was certainly not confident that Lao Dai could go alone, so he sent four people, saying it was for protection, but actually to escort him.
Lao Dai is a businessman, and all businessmen are cunning, so Liu Wang cannot trust him completely.
After seeing Old Dai off, Liu Wang set up a table in the official inn and asked several official maids to sit with him. He also invited the ambassador of Huiji Warehouse and the manager. After a round of drinks, they became brothers and became as close as could be.
Early the next morning, Liu Wang's ship was ranked first and was given priority for loading.
Liu Wang supervised the work personally and was busy sweating profusely.
Liu Wang didn't know that when he and the people from Huiji Warehouse were having a good time last night, Xiao Zhen also stayed in this official inn.
Living with Xiao Zhen was another person Liu Wang never dreamed of, Li Qing!
That night, when Li Qing left the village, he met Xiao Zhen who had been waiting for him.
The blazing torch made Xiao Zhen's face look real and illusory, not like a real person.
Li Qing was stunned for a moment. He had always been curious about why Xiao Zhen was still alive.
As a pacifier, he had seen Xiao Zhen's body with his own eyes.
Although the corpse had been gnawed by wild beasts so that its original appearance could not be seen, the figure and clothing showed that it was Xiao Zhen.
But two years later, Xiao Zhen was standing in front of him alive, just like that day and tonight.
"Mr. Xiao, why are you here?"
Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "I would like to invite Governor Li to watch a good show. I wonder if Governor Li would be willing to honor me with his presence?"
Although Li Qing didn't know what Xiao Zhen was up to, he still agreed.
It’s not that he trusts Xiao Zhen, but he doesn’t believe what Yang Fan said. He needs the truth.
They stayed in the government inn, and soon Li Qing found out that Liu Wang was also staying in the inn and was entertaining people from Huiji Warehouse.
Calculating the time, Liu Wang set out from the farm just as he left.
The Fourth Prince deliberately transferred him away and then sent Liu Wang to Huiji Warehouse to transfer grain.
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