For these bandits who weren't originally bandits, they actually burned down the government office. What exactly are the people behind this doing?
Most importantly, why didn't these tragedies spread beyond the northern desert?
Xie Changshi thought for a moment, then pointed to Zhang Yuankai and said, "This Deputy Chief of the Imperial Guard, Zhang Yuankai, used to work in the Ministry of Justice. His Highness sent Guard Zhang to assist in the interrogation of the bandits."
Zhang Yuankai stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Prefect Qi: "Prefect Qi, please guide me in the future."
Although he was said to be assisting, he was actually the chief judge; Prefect Qi certainly had that kind of insight.
Moreover, according to the head constable's report, this person was the one who pried open the chieftain's mouth that night.
With him involved in the interrogation, things would naturally be much easier, but Prefect Qi was also worried that His Highness Prince Wen might take advantage of the situation in the future.
Prefect Qi's mind raced with conflicting thoughts, but he smiled and agreed, "I couldn't be happier." He beckoned the man outside to come in, saying, "This is our yamen's legal officer, Zheng Dian."
Zheng Dian bowed and said, "Your humble servant Zheng Dian greets Your Excellencies."
Zhang Yuankai understood that he would be working with this man during the upcoming interrogations, and a smile appeared on his face: "Lord Zheng, I'll be troubling you a lot during this time."
It was only at this point that they realized what the true meaning of "the mountains are high and the emperor is far away" really meant.
So many major events have happened in the northern desert, yet they haven't received a single piece of news.
Who exactly managed to cover up the truth? Perhaps these bandits are the key. They don't believe these bandits are truly innocent.
After exchanging a few words with Zheng Dian, Zhang Yuankai bid farewell and went to the prison together. To facilitate the interrogation, Zhang Yuankai planned to stay there for a while, determined to get the bandits to talk.
Not long after Zhang Yuankai left, Xie Changshi and his men also went to the Longchang Escort Agency.
The Longchang Escort Agency was located in the southern part of the city, quite far from the prefectural government office. It took the group about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea to travel slowly on horseback.
The signboard of Longchang Escort Agency has been taken down, the fallen leaves at the entrance have not been swept away, the gate is wide open, and even the stone lions guarding the house at the entrance seem to have lost their former spirit. You can see the current state of Longchang Escort Agency from the outside.
Prefect Qi led the group inside. As soon as they entered the gate, they saw a large character for "escort" carved on the inner screen wall, with the characters "Chongde" above it, representing the spirit and qualities of escorts. Behind the screen wall was a large character for "martial arts," with the characters "Renyi Yong" above it.
Behind the screen wall is the front courtyard of the escort agency, where a carriage with the Longchang Escort Agency's flag is parked. To the left and right are the accounting office and the kitchen, and in front is the main building. Behind the main building is the escort agency's training ground.
Qi Chenglang left Xie Changshi and the other man behind and walked lightly to the backyard, where he stared at the martial arts arena in astonishment.
Can anyone tell him that this is really just a martial arts training ground for a security escort agency?
Qi Chenglang had to admit that he was deeply moved when he saw the training ground.
Meanwhile, the members of the escort agency were sitting in the main room, and none of them noticed that someone from the escort agency had arrived.
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) said in a hoarse voice, "Li Ji Trading Company came today and offered a price one hundred taels less than the previous two days. I've made up my mind, I'll sell the escort agency to them."
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the main room became even more somber. The head manager buried his face in his hands and said after a long while, "There's a security escort agency in Quanzhou that wants to open one here, but they haven't found a suitable one yet. I'll try to make some contact."
As soon as the head manager finished speaking, one of the bodyguards immediately stood up, his face full of anger, and said, "Manager, what's the point of contacting them? That escort agency in Quanzhou belongs to Li's Trading Company. Now I understand, these escorts were fake all along, they just wanted to swallow our agency up!"
Everyone present knew this, but there was nothing anyone could do. After all, Li's Trading Company had powerful backers, and even if they went to the authorities, it would be useless.
Most importantly, it's a fact that they lost the dart!
"Ahem..." Prefect Qi deliberately made a sound, and only smiled after everyone inside looked over: "Do you all have some time?"
The head manager recognized Qi Wenhan at a glance and was shocked. He thought to himself that Li Ji Trading Company was really going too far. They had only been gone for a short time, but they sent the prefect to put pressure on them. They were not giving Longchang Escort Agency any way to survive!
Although the other镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) did not think as far ahead as the head manager, they were also somewhat surprised and stood up one after another. The head镖师 clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Prefect Qi, we were unaware of your presence. We apologize for not welcoming you properly."
Prefect Qi smiled and waved his hand, then stepped aside to reveal Steward Xie behind him: "This is Steward Xie of the Wen family. Young Master Wen is somewhat interested in the escort agency and consulted me about it. I was aware that your agency is open for sale, so I brought Steward Xie to take a look. There are no guards outside the agency, so it would be impolite of us to enter without permission."
The Wen family name comes from Gu Yuzhi's title, Wen. To the outside world, he is known as Young Master Wen, while Chief Secretary Xie is known as Steward Xie.
These matters were discussed by Chief Secretary Xie as early as when he learned that Gu Yuzhi wanted to do business. After all, His Highness is still young, and if he were to start a business, he would inevitably be looked down upon, or his identity might be exploited by those with ulterior motives. Therefore, the name "Wen" was used to cover up the truth.
On the way here, Chief Secretary Xie had already told Prefect Qi about this matter, which is why Prefect Qi introduced it to the escort agency in this way.
Wen Mansion?
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) and the shopkeeper exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of doubt in each other's eyes.
When did this Wen family suddenly appear? Judging from the steward's appearance, it doesn't seem to be some unknown mansion.
The shopkeeper stood up and glanced at Chief Secretary Xie. He felt that this person was completely unfamiliar, and his guard was raised to the maximum. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm sorry that you are late. We have already reached an agreement with Li's Trading Company and will sign the contract tomorrow."
They had never even heard of this Wen family. Who knew if it was someone from Li's Trading Company sent to gather information? The manager dared not agree carelessly, fearing that if Li's Trading Company found out and came back tomorrow, they would ask for several hundred more taels of silver, and their escort agency would be completely finished.
Longchang Escort Agency is truly no match for the slightest hardship.
Upon hearing this, Xie Changshi immediately understood the concerns in the head of the escort agency. He remained silent but subtly nudged Qi Chenglang, indicating that this was the time for the martial artist to step in.
Martial artists are simple-minded, so it is more appropriate for Qi Chenglang to talk to them.
Qi Chenglang rolled his eyes at Xie Changshi, muttering what he had heard from His Highness: "You told me to shut up before, but now that I'm useful, you're letting me take the stage. So I'm just a tool, huh?"
After finishing his complaint, Qi Chenglang smiled instantly and gave the bodyguards a traditional martial arts salute: "My surname is Qi, and I am a guard of the Wen family. Young master's interest in the escort agency is because he thinks my martial arts skills are not bad and feels that it is a waste of my talents to be a guard. That's why he asked Prefect Qi for help. There is no other reason, and it has absolutely nothing to do with that so-called 'own business' you mentioned."
Chief Secretary Xie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and confirmed it: Guard Qi was indeed an idiot!
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