Ding Jiu heard Min Luo's question about the average education level in Fenghe County, but he was too lazy to respond.
Wang Er didn't say anything more to him. He just took his men to collect the excavated stones and waited to return to the factory to crush and burn them to see the quality.
The yamen's police officer stepped forward and asked these thugs, "Are you bandits?"
The minion was startled and quickly said, "No, of course not!"
The officer didn't seem surprised by their denial. He turned to his men and said, "Such stubbornness! Come, send them for questioning. Just keep them alive." Then he glanced at the thinner man and said, "I can tell he's the leader. Give him special care."
When the minions heard this, their hair stood on end.
He subconsciously turned around to look for Li Hu.
But where is Li Hu?
As soon as this man discovered someone was coming, he slipped away quietly without telling his men.
In other words, they were abandoned by their boss.
The minions felt layers of cold sweat on their backs. Seeing those expressionless yamen runners coming to arrest him, how could the minions be willing to take the blame?
He immediately cried out, "I'm not! I didn't! Our boss ran away!"
The policeman had a blank expression on his face: "You want to get away with this by making it up?"
Minion: "No, no, I really am not!"
The officer asked, "Then why did they listen to you? Were you the one who led them when they infiltrated the caravan earlier?"
Minion: "It wasn't me, it was the boss who asked me to go!"
The policeman said: "So, it was you who hijacked the Xu family caravan earlier."
Minion: ...
Why don't you follow the routine?
It’s ok that the farmers in your Fenghe County are literate and numerate, but why do even the servants have to do so many things?
Is that reasonable?
The policemen seemed to have anticipated this and ignored the minions' screams and howls. They simply tied them up with ropes, gagged them, and took them directly back to the county town.
If it is just an ordinary thief, just send him to the nearby county government for punishment.
But they were obviously involved with the Xu family caravan, so they had to ask the Zhuang County Magistrate to deal with them.
Soon, the bandits were sent to the Fenghe County dungeon, and after receiving the news, the county magistrate's personal guard Ding Qi immediately went to the county magistrate's office to report.
As the head of the county, Zhuang County Magistrate usually handled all the major and minor matters in the county. He naturally knew that there were bandits around Fenghe County.
Even though the county has always been catching bad guys one by one without any mercy, it is impossible to catch all the bad guys.
County Magistrate Zhuang nodded and said gravely, "Due to the widening of roads both within and outside the county, Fenghe County has become the busiest of all nearby counties. Many caravans resort to detours, inevitably attracting the attention of criminals." He paused, "However, the fact that these ignorant bandits dared to harass the Xu family caravan is truly remarkable."
Then Ding Qi said, "According to the bandits' confessions, a bandit leader escaped."
County Magistrate Zhuang immediately frowned and asked, "Have you searched yet?"
Ding Qi replied, "We've already ordered people to search the mountain and block the roads leading up and down the mountain."
County Magistrate Zhuang pondered for a moment and said, "That's not enough. While the mountain isn't high, it's not small either. He could easily have slipped down from somewhere unknown and continued his evil deeds." So, County Magistrate Zhuang stood up and paced around, quickly making a decision. "I'm going to issue arrest warrants now. Post them throughout the county seat and send them to the surrounding counties. We must bring this evildoer to justice."
Ding Qi immediately said, "I obey your orders."
The wrinkles between Zhuang County Magistrate's brows did not relax, but he said in a deep voice: "This group of vicious people actually wanted to do such a disrespectful thing. It is truly abhorrent. They must be severely punished."
Ding Qi was stunned and asked hurriedly, "What did the county magistrate say? Could it be that these bandits have done other evil things?"
Then, County Magistrate Zhuang said, "I don't know yet, but just based on what they did to the bottom of Xujia Valley, it was bad enough."
Ding Qi didn't say anything, but just pretended to listen attentively.
Then, County Magistrate Zhuang said, "At the very least, this will hurt the caravan members. At the worst, it will hinder Fenghe County's promotion of Immortal Paper. The promotion of Immortal Paper was ordered by the King, and they actually want Fenghe County to go against God's will. How wicked!"
Ding Qi stood there, silently recalling the minions he had just seen.
They were all covered in wounds and shaking like sieves, and they had nothing to do with being vicious.
But what the county magistrate said seemed to be correct.
Ding Qi simply bowed and said in a serious voice, "I'll take some people to post the wanted notice right away."
Zhuang Jun Shou: "Go and tell the Xu family caravan about this."
Ding Qi responded and then walked out.
After leaving the county magistrate's office, Ding Qi did not take any action immediately, but stood at the door of the office and thought for a while.
Then he waved his hand and called a yamen runner over: "Go find my brother Ding Jiu, and ask him to bring some people who are good at sketching. Tell them that I need their help."
"yes."
Ding Qi himself went to the Xu family caravan. After all, they were the victims of robbery. Now that the culprit had been caught, he had to inform them.
But for the Xu family caravan, they never took these people seriously.
The reason is very simple:
Generally speaking, the person who hits someone can easily forget everything, but only the person who is hit will still hold a grudge against him.
In the so-called "hijacking", it was the guards of the caravan who beat up those guys who rushed in by mistake, and the Xu family caravan suffered no losses. In addition, they were experienced. Although they had only been active in the south before, there were bad guys everywhere, and they encountered many big and small things. These stupid thieves were at most a small episode and not worth worrying about.
However, the Xu family caravan also knew that the purpose of County Magistrate Zhuang revealing this matter to them was not simply to show that the laws of Fenghe County were strict.
More importantly, County Magistrate Zhuang implicitly declared that Fenghe County was a sufficiently safe and secure county town, and that doing business here would certainly be fully protected.
This was said not only to the Xu family caravan, but also to let other merchants know.
As the team leader, Xu Li, the fifth son of the Xu family, quickly figured out the connection, so he politely sent Ding Qi away and then left with his men.
The destination was naturally not the dungeon where the bandits were imprisoned, but the county magistrate's office.
He first visited the governor of Zhuang County to express his gratitude and give him a small gift. They exchanged friendly compliments with each other, which enhanced their friendship and mutual trust.
Then, Xu Li did not leave immediately, but went to visit Lang Yun's people.
After Shao Zhu learned of his identity, his first reaction was that he was here to discuss business, so he turned his head to look at Gong Qiao.
Teacher Gong smiled and asked, "What do you want to see us for?"
Unexpectedly, Xu Li did not mention business matters, but solemnly handed over a scroll of books: "This is what my cousin asked me to bring to the immortals."
Gong Qiao was curious: "Who is your cousin?"
Xu Li smiled and said, "Pei Jishang, he said these are his homework."
Then, Shao Zhu understood instantly.
So this is the student's family member who came to hand in homework to their relative.
However, this method is not new. Previously, Yue County Governor of Zhou State also used this method to get closer to Langyun.
So Gong Qiao took the book first, and then said to Xu Li: "Besides this, is there anything else?"
Xu Li did not speak immediately.
In fact, he made a lot of preparations for this meeting. He not only asked Pei Jishang, but also wrote a letter to ask Pei Zhongwen.
Both of them told him that it would be best to tell the truth to Lang Yun without beating around the bush.
This made Xu Jiawulang, who was always used to being smooth, a little hesitant.
But in the end, he chose to trust his two cousins. He quickly bowed to them and said, "I am visiting you for two reasons: first, to submit my homework, and second, to ask the immortal about the Immortal Temple Square."
After hearing this, Gong Qiao understood everything.
Today, the Xianmiao Square has been built.
Because this is the place where County Magistrate Zhuang wanted to give incense money to Lang Yun, and it was also the place where County Magistrate Zhuang took the initiative to propose to build shops around it, and all the profits would belong to Lang Yun, so if anyone wanted to move into the shops, they also needed Lang Yun's consent.
Now that the construction of the square is nearing completion, merchants will naturally be eager to move in.
However, Mr. Gong didn't want to meet with everyone one by one, so he said, "Zhuang County Magistrate has mentioned this matter to us. The price of the shop will be announced soon. You just need to wait for the news."
As she spoke, she flipped through the homework from Pei Jishang.
To be honest, this is not homework, because when Pei Jia Silang left Langyun University, he made it clear that he was going to take the imperial examination. No one in the school thought he would come back, so naturally no summer homework was assigned. Instead, it was treated as if this student had already graduated.
But it was obvious that Pei Jishang still remembered Lang Yun's teachings.
Although he has now won the first place in the college examination, he still hasn't forgotten his responsibilities in Langyun.
That is to communicate with the School of Economics and Management and help them translate business books about Qi State.
The person who was in contact with Pei Jishang at that time was Teacher Gong Qiao.
Now he could naturally tell easily that the book in his hand was written by Pei Jishang himself, and it contained annotations and translations of some other business books.
So Gong Qiao couldn't help but say, "Student Pei did a really good job on this assignment."
Xu Li thought he was being addressed, and quickly replied respectfully, "I've also seen your cousin's work, and I have to say, there are some subtleties, but generally speaking, it's still no match for the methods taught by the immortals."
Teacher Gong looked up at him: "What are you talking about?"
Xu Wulang smiled and said, "Just talking about the immortal's double-entry bookkeeping method, it is much more efficient than the current single-entry bookkeeping method."
Gong Qiao was surprised: "How do you know this?"
It is obvious that she only taught these bookkeeping methods to the accountants working in the factory, or now called bookkeepers.
It got out so quickly?
Then Xu Li said, "I've long admired the wonderland. Whenever I come to Fenghe County, I stop at several factories and attend classes. All told, I've attended ten." He unabashedly produced his family's account book, "Now I've had the Xu family caravan use the new accounting method, and it's proven to be much more efficient."
Gong Qiao took it, opened it, and saw a detailed account book.
Records of sales of Fenghe paper.
If you ignore the fact that it was written with a brush and just look at the various items inside, it is no different from the account book that Gong Qiao is familiar with.
The person in front of me mastered everything in just ten classes.
Gong Qiao showed an appreciative smile on her face.
Shao Zhu, who was standing aside, muttered softly.
Peng Lang, who was in charge of the guard, was quite curious and walked over to listen carefully. Then he heard Shao Zhu mumbling:
"As expected, rich people are very similar, but poor people are all different in their own way."
Peng Lang: ...Okay.
In addition to being amazed at his learning ability, Gong Qiao also saw through this person's purpose.
He was using the account book of Fenghe Paper, which was not supposed to be shown to anyone. He took it out now to let the people of Langyun know that he was doing his business wholeheartedly and there was not a trace of water in it.
It is to gain bargaining chips for yourself to get the fairy temple shop.
But in the business world, the most taboo thing is behind-the-scenes manipulation.
At least it cannot be made clear, otherwise if it happens once, it will happen twice, and it will only continue to happen despite repeated bans.
So Gong Qiao just smiled and praised him for his intelligence, without mentioning the shop at all.
Although Xu Li felt regretful, he didn't show it on his face. He stood up tactfully and said, "Since my cousin's homework has been delivered, I will not disturb the immortal's peace. I will take my leave now."
But when he turned around, he was stunned.
The people of Langyun looked over and found that it had started snowing outside.
The first snow of this year.
This was not the first snow that the teachers and students of Langyun had seen since they traveled through time. They had been here for more than a year and had seen snow before.
But at that time, the school was busy repairing various buildings on campus, thinking about how to restore electricity and water supply, and few people cared about the snowfall.
Now, looking at the snowflakes fluttering down outside through the ancient window lattices, everyone felt that the scene was beautiful.
But soon, they noticed a hint of excitement on Xu Jiawulang's face. He was clearly reluctant to leave just now, but now he looked excited and walked quickly towards the door.
Gong Qiao waited until he left before saying, "Perhaps we should find some time to inquire about the Xu family's situation."
Shao Zhu poked his head out curiously: "Teacher Gong, are you planning to accept students?"
Gong Qiao smiled and said, "Not really. I just think that since the Xu family is a wealthy family in Qi State, with caravans and shops under their name, then we should learn from them." Peng Lang had already walked to the window, looking out and said, "I don't know what his family situation is, but I can guarantee that this Xu family is definitely in the south."
Shao Zhu was a little surprised: "How did you know?"
Peng Lang didn't say anything, but just pointed out the window.
Shao Zhu went over immediately and saw Xu Jiawulang, who had been calm, elegant and composed in the house just now, now standing in the yard. He firmly refused the umbrella handed to him by his entourage and just opened his arms to catch the snowflakes.
Not only that, he also gathered the thin snow, which was already scarce, built a small snowman in his palm, and walked away holding it with a smile on his face.
Faintly, Xu Wulang's voice could still be heard: "Put this in the ice container when you get back. I want to take it back to show my mother!"
Shao Zhu was puzzled: "What is Bingjian?"
Kun Jingming, who had been diligently making up a story nearby, looked up, pushed up his glasses, and calmly explained, "A container for holding ice cubes, made of either bronze or wood. It was generally only used by the wealthy. You can think of it as an ancient version of a refrigerator, only much more expensive." He paused slightly. "According to previous cultural exchanges with students from Qi, they mentioned that in the south of Qi, the four seasons are like spring all year round. There's basically no winter or summer, so there's no snow to speak of."
Shao Zhu blinked.
This person wants to put the little snowman in the refrigerator and take it home?
At this moment, he understood why Peng Lang said that the Xu family was in the south of Qi.
Because when it snows, only children in the south will be like this, so cute.
For the people of Fenghe County, this snow means that they have officially entered winter.
Logically speaking, if a place has just suffered a disaster, especially a major event like an earthquake that almost flattened the entire city, winter is often the most difficult time to endure.
But Fenghe County emerged from the shadow of the earthquake early on.
Roads were built, houses were erected, and factories operated non-stop.
Especially the charcoal pencil factory. As Wang An led the craftsmen to develop charcoal pencils of various thicknesses and shades, there was an endless stream of orders from caravans wanting to buy them.
Not only did Fenghe County not have any impact, it became even more lively.
But the excitement was only for others. For Li Hu, who was wanted, this snow was particularly terrifying for him.
Although he managed to escape by abandoning his companions, he is still a wanted criminal and dares not show up easily.
In order to avoid being hunted by the Fenghe County government, he hid deep in the mountains and found a cave to live in.
He originally planned to go down the mountain after the storm died down, but he didn't expect that his wanted poster had been posted on the streets and alleys, and even in the nearby county town!
He can't read much, but he still knows his own name.
But he didn't have much worry in his heart.
Because he had seen his own wanted poster with his own eyes. The portrait of the person on the wanted poster was indeed a bit abstract, but it was basically the usual style of painting at that time.
More emphasis is placed on describing characteristics, such as whether there are scars on the face or birthmarks on the body. If the mouth is big, it will be drawn into a sausage shape; if the eyes are small, two holes will be drawn.
Anyway, their features are distinct and exaggerated so that they can be recognized by ordinary people, but in fact they look nothing like real people.
Of course there are advantages. Generally speaking, those who are wanted are not good people. It is normal for them to have some scars and look different from ordinary people. If you highlight the key points, it will be easy to mobilize the masses to identify them.
But the downside is that it is very difficult to catch someone like Li Hu who intentionally makes himself blend in with the crowd.
He originally had an ordinary appearance. Although he was tall, his face was clean and had no scars.
In other words, even if the minions lived with him day and night, it would be difficult for them to describe what he looked like.
As a result, Li Hu escaped several times and was never caught.
But my injury hasn't healed yet, and I can't walk properly. If I go out, I will definitely attract attention.
Li Hu thought of waiting a little longer, preferably until all the bandits who knew him were dealt with. Then he would be safer since no one would identify him.
But a snowfall forced him to stay no longer.
He was a bandit and knew the situation in the mountains best.
Perhaps you can find a way to find food and drink, and light a bonfire to keep out the cold, but when winter comes, the wild animals in the mountains are more ferocious than usual.
In winter, it is difficult to find food, and hungry wild animals are likely to attack people.
Although Li Hu is called Tiger, if he goes head-to-head with those jackals, tigers and leopards, he will basically end up dead.
So Li Hu had to leave the cave and go down the mountain to find another way out.
Enduring the pain, Li Hu tried to walk like a normal person, then wrapped himself in the black cloak he had stolen, and did not attract any attention along the way.
Before dark, we arrived at a village.
Perhaps it was because everything had been safe and sound along the way, or perhaps it was because it was too cold, and with no food in his stomach, he was afraid he would freeze to death if he continued to endure it, so Li Hu became much braver.
Besides, this village doesn't look big and is far enough away from the county town, so it should be safe.
So Li Hu entered the village and soon sat down in front of a wonton stall not far from the village entrance.
The man who ran the stall was called Xu San. When Wang An was watching in front of the private school, it was Xu San who told him that the private school needed new paper and new pens.
Now that winter has arrived, it is the slack season for farming, and many people in the village go to the factories in the county town to do odd jobs.
But Xu San did not go there. Instead, he stayed in the village and set up a wonton stall near the private school, doing some small business. This allowed him to make money and also provide for his children's schooling.
As Fenghe County gradually became a major transportation hub, more and more caravans passed through.
Therefore, outsiders often come to their small village to eat, drink or stay overnight.
So when Xu San saw Li Hu, he was not surprised at all. He just said enthusiastically, "Sir, it's so cold out here. Would you like a bowl of wontons to warm you up? Five copper coins for a big bowl."
Li Hu actually didn't have a single penny on him.
But in his logic, everything I can snatch is mine, so there is no concept of spending money.
Besides, it’s dark now, and Xu San is the only one in this situation, so he should be easy to deal with.
So Li Hu said directly: "Okay, give me a bowl and two steamed buns."
"Okay."
Xu San deftly put the wontons into the pot, smiling as he said, "Where are you from, sir? Your accent doesn't sound like a local."
Li Hu said vaguely: "Just passing by."
Xu San stirred the pot and said, "Look at the guest's demeanor, he should not be a scholar. He must be doing business. It must be hard for him to go out in such a cold weather." As he said that, he picked up a wooden spoon and scooped out the wontons.
When Li Hu heard this, the corner of his eye twitched.
In fact, there has been a problem that has been bothering Li Hu these days.
That is, what is the cultural level of the people in Fenghe County?
Was he the target of a sting operation before?
So at this moment he looked at Xu San and asked, "From the way you speak, you sound like someone who has studied."
Xu San smiled and said, "I haven't read it. I'm just a farmer, what books have I read?"
Li Hu: "Then can you recite the Three Character Classic from memory?"
Like other villagers, Xu San, who studied with his children every day, blurted out, "Yes."
Li Hu: ...
So, this Fenghe County is really weird. Is it true that everyone in it is literate?
Where are the illiterate people you agreed to be? Why are you studying secretly behind others’ backs!
Xu San didn't notice anything unusual. He just fished out the wontons and quickly brought them to Li Hu's table: "Sir, please eat first. I'll get you some steamed buns."
Li Hu nodded, then tugged at his cloak and took the bowl.
Only then did Xu San see the man's appearance clearly.
He blinked, but soon smiled and turned towards the stove.
But he did not stop in front of the stove. Instead, he walked faster and faster, and then jogged all the way to the street.
Then he started yelling at the top of his lungs: "Hurry up! Something bad has happened! Bandits are entering the village!"
Li Hu: ...? ! !
How did he recognize it!
Li Hu was completely bewildered, and the wonton he had just put into his mouth was stuck in his mouth and he almost choked.
After finally swallowing it, he didn't care about the heat and quickly stood up to leave.
But the villagers obviously wouldn't let him have his way.
Soon, villagers rushed out holding various "weapons", one holding an axe, another holding a hoe, all of which were farm tools that Li Hu had never seen before.
Any object that is usually used in the fields can now hit Li Hu hard.
He didn't want to sit and wait for death, he wanted to fight his way out.
But there were not only farmers but also policemen who gathered around.
Originally, it was because the number of merchant caravans in Fenghe County increased, and with more people there were more things to do. County officials, who were working at the grassroots level, naturally had to do their best to protect their own people, so they sent messengers to each village.
The number is not large, but it is enough to deal with Li Hu, whose injuries have not yet fully healed.
Not long after, Li Hu was tied up like a dumpling and fell to the ground, unable to move.
His eyes widened as he stared at Xu San, who was watching nearby, and he gritted his teeth, "Why do you call me a bandit? I'm just passing through! You've got the wrong guy!"
Xu San said firmly: "Impossible, it's you."
Li Hu remained stubborn: "What gives you the right to say that? False accusations will lead to repercussions!"
But this time, it was the police who answered him.
He took out a wanted poster from his pocket. Both the size and layout were different from the ones Li Hu had seen before.
The policeman unfolded the wanted poster and put it in front of Li Hu: "Tell me, is it you on this?"
Li Hu subconsciously retorted: "Of course not..."
But before he could finish his words, his voice stopped.
Because he saw that there were not only words on the wanted poster, but also pictures.
This painting is not the usual exaggerated and abstract one, but is extremely delicate, with changes in light and shadow, and various details.
Especially its eyes, which were so bright that Li Hu even felt like it was staring at him...
This made Li Hu's eyes widen even more.
What the hell is this painting! Why does it look exactly like me?
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