Bao Zhong was on a very tight schedule. After releasing Qu Cheng and his men from prison, he searched the homes of all those involved in the case. He then went to the county barracks for some training and set off in a hurry the next day to return to Gaoling to engage in a physical fight with Magistrate Dong.
Wei Jing has already dealt with Qu Cheng, who is crazy and will definitely not say anything he shouldn't. Bao Zhong didn't care. After all, his trusted subordinates were still very clear-headed and didn't pretend to be stubborn.
In the morning light, silver cars and trucks came out one after another. The Qu family and their followers had been plundering for more than ten years, and they also had private salt and silver. Gao Ling and his entourage marched out of Pingtao County in a mighty manner.
"My Lord."
Zhuang Yan frowned and said, "The Qu family should have more money than what we got this morning, but..."
As soon as the Qu family's gang was arrested, their house was immediately sealed according to the law, waiting for the county's special personnel to check and search. The Qu Mansion was unsealed yesterday right under everyone's noses. What can I say? The amount of property and gold and silver was huge, but compared with the private salt trade over the past decade, it was still less.
Bao Zhong didn't find it strange. He believed that Qu Cheng had sent most of the silver. Qu Cheng's superior was Dong Du, and above Dong Du was Mr. He San.
Zhuang Yan had a different view. He had been dealing with the Qu family for more than ten years and knew their personalities very well. Qu Cheng was a greedy person. He was so greedy that he even took the risk of smuggling official salt for his own benefit.
How could such a person hand over most of his profits? He must have tried to save as much as possible for himself.
Zhuang Yan firmly believed this, but yesterday Bao Zhong had led the soldiers to dig up Qu's mansion three feet deep, and also searched the other courtyards, county barracks, etc., but they didn't find the rest of the silver.
"Let's not talk about this for now."
If there is no trace of it, just put it aside for now. With Wei Jing's vision, he will naturally not keep staring at that stolen silver. Nowadays, the county magistrate is in charge of both military and political power in the county, including finance. Although Pingtao is a border area, it is a wealthy and large county after all.
He asked Kou Xuan: "Master Wen, have you drafted the document to recruit more county soldiers?"
"I have drafted it, Your Excellency."
Kou Xuan is the new chief clerk, dressed in a dark blue official uniform and looking energetic. He has been very busy these past few days, but he does not show any signs of fatigue as he has just achieved his goal. He showed the document to Wei Jing, who stamped it, and then handed it to Deng Guang who had just entered.
This Deng Guang was the sergeant who performed outstandingly in the fight against Qu Cheng's gang. Now he has been promoted to platoon leader and is considered to be the most useful person to Wei Jing in the county barracks.
He took the document handed over by Kou Xuan and should have gone down to do the work immediately, but he took two steps, paused, and some hesitation appeared on his face.
Wei Jing asked, "What's the matter?"
"Report to the county lord."
Deng Guang hurriedly cupped his hands, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Last year, the bidder was temporarily transferred to escort a batch of trucks."
It was an autumn day, and it suddenly started to rain coldly. He was temporarily transferred to this position, and he didn't know what his mission was. He had to take off his armor and change into an ordinary cloth shirt. When we got there, we saw that they were escorting a group of trucks that were tightly covered and full of cargo.
It wasn't raining heavily, but it was quite cold. I pushed the cart from the dock to the western suburbs. The road was muddy and difficult to walk on. When I got to the destination, I had to carry the heavy goods up the mountain. It was so slippery that I almost fell down. It was a very deep impression.
As soon as he entered the door, he heard Zhuang Yan's puzzled words. For some reason, he suddenly remembered this matter.
But Deng Guang quickly added: "It's just not a silver box."
Wei Jing's mind moved: "Do you know what the goods are?"
"The sack was wrapped in oilcloth, and I didn't know what was inside. But the sack was full and heavy, and the grains inside were small. I vaguely felt that they looked like food."
food? !
Wei Jing paused while flipping through the clan files and asked in a deep voice, "Do you remember where the inventory is?"
"As long as I remember the mark, I should be able to find it."
…
Pingtao is surrounded by mountains on three sides. After exiting the west gate, it is only about ten miles before you enter the mountainous area.
The road under the wheels became narrow and bumpy, with ups and downs and twists. Shao Qing lifted the car window curtains and saw lush greenery. The mountains were some flat and some steep, with varying heights.
Wei Jing rode his horse to the side of the carriage, and when he saw her lifting the curtain, he said, "We are almost there. Deng Guang said he is just ahead."
He went out of the city to look for the grain storage place, which was far away and would take a long time. He was not comfortable leaving Shao Qing, who had no fighting ability, in the city, so he took him with him.
Now that there was neither a search nor any attempt to quell the conspiracy, Shao Qing changed back into women's attire, a green thin silk Hu clothing with tied sleeves. Her waist-length hair was tied into a snake bun with only a plum blossom hairpin inserted diagonally. Her pair of lacquered almond eyes flickered, and she looked very lively and pretty.
"It's okay, but it really shouldn't be far away." Compared to before, this bump was just a drizzle, and she waved her hand nonchalantly.
However, according to Shao Qing's judgment, the place where the grain was suspected to be stored could not be far away. After all, the road was getting narrower and narrower, and the grain carts could not go in any further.
Instead of saving silver, he saved grain. If this was true, she had to praise Qu Cheng for his unique vision. The mountainous area around Pingtao does not produce grain, and natural disasters occur frequently in the Central Plains, and the soaring grain prices directly affect Yizhou.
Food is hard currency and is much more stable than gold and silver.
Now that Pingtao has changed its master, if Wei Jing could get a large amount of grain, it would be much better than getting a large amount of gold and silver.
As long as we have food, we can gather troops. This is not just talk.
But no matter what, you'd better go there and see it first, so as not to get excited in vain.
Shao Qing was relaxed for the first time in a long time, trying to suppress his joy. Soon, he heard Deng Guang in front of him saying, "Your Excellency, we should go up the mountain from here!"
She looked carefully and saw that the mountain in front of her was gently sloping, extending for more than a mile and then rising suddenly. Deng Guang frowned and looked at several places, and finally pushed aside a patch of thatched grass, revealing a man-made stone road.
It is very hidden and the thatched grass is very lush. Without someone to guide you, this path may not be found.
The carriage couldn't go in here, so Wei Jing rode his horse to the shaft and said, "Ah Qing."
Shao Qing lifted the carriage curtain and got out. He extended his hand and she was skillfully carried on the horse's back, heading towards the gravel road.
She had a slender figure and a very beautiful face. All those who were traveling with her looked straight at her and no one dared to take a second glance at her.
In addition to Deng Guang, there were Kou Xuanzhuang Yan, as well as a dozen new county soldiers with outstanding performance selected by Wei Jing himself.
He didn't know what the situation was like inside, and it was not certain where manpower was needed. Besides, manpower would always be needed to transport food in the future, so Wei Jing had no plans to go alone.
We continued slowly upwards along the gravel road, with dense thatched grass on both sides of the road, until we reached a steeply rising mountain. The gravel road then turned a corner and connected to a relatively flat dirt road leading into the mountain.
Deng Guang took the lead and led the way, but this place was no longer suitable for riding a horse, so Wei Jing turned over and walked forward, holding Shao Qing with one hand.
No matter how flat the mountain road is, it is not easy to walk on it. Fortunately, Shao Qing is experienced and Wei Jing can walk at a leisurely pace. There was no need to go too far, about two miles away, Deng Guang pointed with his hand and said happily: "This is it, that's right!"
Everyone took a closer look and saw a large flat area facing the sun, with a lot of weeds and short trees. At the end, on the left side of a huge rock on the cliff, there was a dark cave.
Wei Jing took a deep breath, tapped his toes, and quickly jumped to the front of the cave. He listened for a moment and said to Shao Qing, "There is no one around."
Others should have run away as well, because Shao Qing saw that the wooden shed outside the cave was in a mess, and it was obvious that there were people guarding this place, but after learning that the Qu family had failed, they slipped away in a hurry.
She took the torch lit by Wei Jing and walked in with confidence.
Although she was mentally prepared, she still couldn't help but be surprised when she entered the cave.
What a great place to store grain!
The opening of this cave was large, deep and wide, but very dry. When Shao Qing walked to a certain place, she felt a cool breeze blowing on her face. The ventilation was also very good.
Surrounded by the smell of dry grain, pile upon pile of large sacks of grain filled the wooden pallets. It was too dark to see the entire picture, but the piles of grain extended inwards and were extremely large.
Wei Jing stabbed with the tip of his sword, and the beans, grains, and even peanuts were all dried up, with the latter two not even in their shells.
Shao Qing smiled and said, "This is unshelled, so it can be stored for a long time."
Moreover, she observed that the grain must have been replaced with new grains in previous years, because the two of them looked for a long time along the way and did not find any old grains.
A strange light flashed in Wei Jing's eyes.
This is truly a pleasant surprise. In addition to food, there is also this cave, which is a rare place to store food.
He held the torch, looked around the cave, and said "hmm" in response.
Shao Qing couldn't help but smile at the rare joy in her voice. After a moment, she asked quietly, "What about the other people Deng Guang brought in?"
Is it reliable?
She was talking about the dozen or so new sergeants, Kou Xuan and Zhuang Yan, who were already tied to Wei Jing in terms of interests, and their families were also under his nose, which made the relationship much more solid than other relationships.
Wei Jing whispered, "Nothing."
Since he brought people in, he must be confident that he can keep them. These are all native people of Pingtao, and even though they worked under Qu Cheng in the past, they still have a good reputation in the market.
Shao Qing believed in his abilities, so since he said there was no problem, he could rest assured.
The two of them walked around holding torches, and Zhuang Yan and others arrived, so the ten or so sergeants came in handy.
It was probably because the previous guard wanted to move more grain before leaving and was too rough, so he directly collapsed a grain pile. The large sacks rolled all over the ground and spread far away, and had to be stacked again.
Almost two hours later, Wei Jing had already led Shao Qing to find out the general situation of the cave.
Knowing what was going on, he strictly ordered everyone not to leak the secret before leaving. Anyone who violated the order would be severely punished according to military orders. He then divided the dozen or so sergeants into three groups and asked them to take turns guarding the granary.
Everything was arranged properly, the first group stayed behind and the rest returned to the city.
…
An unexpected surprise: a large granary has been built, the conscription of soldiers is underway, and the county barracks is also being expanded. Wei Jing quickly took over all affairs of this mere county. Within just ten days, he had Pingtao firmly in his hands.
Everything is completely settled now and is moving in a good direction.
For Shao Qing, there is another happy event that is worth celebrating.
She finally had a household registration and was no longer an unregistered black person.
That’s really cause for celebration!
That afternoon, Shao Qing had just sorted out Pingtao's financial revenue and expenditure for the past ten years, when he saw Wang Mi coming in with a smile. He asked curiously, "Sister Wang, why are you so happy?"
She rubbed her wrist as she spoke. Pingtao had been controlled by Qu Cheng for such a long time, and there were many things that needed to be sorted out, but Wei Jing now had very few people he could use, so she took the initiative to volunteer to help.
Wei Jing, the errand boy, certainly didn't want her to do this, so he asked her to sort out the tax and financial affairs. It's no wonder that her work efficiency impressed the group of men.
"Madam is really capable."
Wang Mi's tone was full of praise and admiration, but she was a typical housewife and had never thought of getting involved in public affairs. She just praised him and took out a yellow paper, saying with a smile, "This is what my husband just brought back."
Shao Qing took it and looked at it, and found that it was a household registration document.
Kou Xuan is now in charge of this. After sorting out all the matters, he started to arrange new household registration for everyone.
Since the Kou family was involved in an old matter, he re-registered them. As for Shao Qing, he didn't waste any time and just dealt with them together.
The surname written on the yellow document was Liu, which Shao Qing had made up before. There was no given name either, so she was simply called Liu Sanniang. Her household registration was in the Kou family, so they were cousins.
Shao Qing couldn't help laughing, she was Liu Sanjie!
Wang Mi also laughed: "My family has taken advantage and has become the Madam's cousin."
Anyway, this is only temporary, because after two or three months, Shao Qing's household registration should be moved to Wei Jing's side. In this way, the procedures will be no different from an ordinary marriage.
"It also avoids the trouble of setting up a female household."
Wang Mi had just said it casually, but Shao Qing's eyes lit up when he heard it, and he asked hurriedly, "Can we still establish a female household?"
The original body was raised in seclusion and had no contact with this aspect in daily life, which led to her not understanding anything about it. When she heard the word "female household", she immediately thought of the confusing relationship between herself and Wei Jing.
She was really distressed. She actually understood Wei Jing's attitude towards this relationship, but no matter in her past life or this life, she had no plans or mental preparation to get married.
Unfortunately, life is full of shocks. Once one loses consciousness and then regains consciousness, one is headed for exile and escape, never to return, and a husband is also lost.
How could she accept this calmly? !
Wei Jing treated her very well. They lived and died together, supported and relied on each other, and walked through life step by step with gritted teeth. To be honest, no matter what happened in this life, he would always have a special place in her heart.
But this kind of emotion, which is more like that of a comrade-in-arms, is different from that of a husband.
Shao Qing had actually been considering having a talk with Wei Jing, but she couldn't find the right angle to approach the conversation. He was paranoid, sensitive and easily hurt. She knew all this. The two of them had a friendship of life and death. He tried his best to protect her, and Shao Qing didn't want to hurt him.
She was very distressed, but fortunately Wei Jing was still in mourning for his mother and brother and had no intention of consummating the marriage with her immediately. There was still plenty of time, and they should be able to find a peaceful solution.
This is what Shao Qing was thinking, but he didn’t expect to find a very good way so soon.
Establish a female household.
First, her household registration must be separated so that the two are no longer husband and wife under the law.
This is the first step. As for the second step, I’ll think about it later and take it slowly.
Shao Qing jumped for joy.
Well, it was not until today that she realized that she was not looking forward to getting married. She had accidentally entered this place and always lacked a sense of belonging. If possible, she would prefer to remain single.
She asked hurriedly, "Sister Wang, how do I set up a daughter household? It's okay if it's troublesome, just ask the eldest brother of the Kou family to set up a daughter household for me!"
Wang Mi was surprised: "This establishment of a female household, uh, it's not impossible, it's just..." But why bother with this?
She didn't understand why Shao Qing had such an idea, but she didn't say too much: "I'll go back and talk to A Bi's father."
After agreeing, Wang Mi couldn't help but ask again: "Madam, do you really want to establish a female household?"
"Well, I..."
"What female household?!"
As soon as Shao Qing finished speaking, she was interrupted by a sudden male voice. It was deep, slightly magnetic, and very familiar. She turned her head and saw that Wei Jing had already stepped onto the steps and was standing in the corridor.
He stared at her, his dark eyes filled with confusion and shock. After all the emotions flashed through his eyes, they finally turned into a dark color.
Like the eve of a storm, the sea is raging with huge waves, the darkness is biting, and the hurricane whirlpool is surging, wanting to devour and destroy everything.
"Ah Qing, come with me!"
As he spoke, he came closer and took Shao Qing away.
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