Chapter 173 The Strange Villagers
Qin Jinzhi said casually, "He looks so much like Luo Xiangfu, of course he looks familiar."
Cui Ying shook her head. "No, no, no, it's not just that he looks like Boss Luo. I feel like I've seen this face somewhere before."
Qin Jinzhi pointed to Luo Chengzhi's textbooks, "He studied at the Imperial Academy, so it's possible we met there?"
Cui Ying thought about it and realized that it was possible.
Qin Jinzhi suddenly asked, "Zheng Hongwen has been arrested. Is the position of Chancellor of the Imperial Academy still vacant?"
Cui Ying casually said, "Of course. Zheng Hongwen's matter is still unresolved. Who would dare to take on this hot potato?"
Qin Jinzhi smiled and said, "Someone will answer soon."
Cui Ying narrowed her eyes. "What are your plans?"
You'll find out in a while.
After Qin Jinzhi finished testing Luo Chengzhi's homework, she threw the bow in the house to him.
Luo Chengzhi stretched his body, and then his face turned slightly red.
The two stone bows were pulled apart.
Although it's still a bit of a stretch, there's been a lot of progress.
Cui Ying nodded incredulously, "Chengzhi is accomplished in both literature and martial arts."
Luo Chengzhi said frankly, "It's all thanks to Third Brother's excellent teaching."
Luo Xiangfu urged Luo Chengzhi, "Alright, let's hurry up and go. Be careful not to be seen by others."
Luo Chengzhi then covered himself up completely with the cloak.
"Mother, Third Brother, Ying-ge, I'm leaving."
Qin Jinzhi nodded, and Luo Xiangfu led Luo Chengzhi out through the back door.
Cui Ying watched the two figures as they walked away and said, "Sure enough, a child can only hold back the mother, and even someone as carefree as Boss Luo is no exception."
Qin Jinzhi smiled and said, "Not entirely."
The next day at noon, Xiao Zhen's carriage was already waiting at the entrance of Tianxiang Restaurant.
The two boarded the carriage with practiced ease and were covered with a black cloth.
Upon arriving at Xiao Zhen's private residence, Xiao Zhen's attitude became even more enthusiastic than the day before.
Qin Jinzhi calmly sipped her tea.
It seems Xiao Zhen has gotten the information he wanted.
Xiao Zhen asked with a smile, "How did the two Brothers Zhao's discussion go back to?"
Qin Jinzhi put down her teacup. "Brother Xiao, I have thought about your suggestion carefully when I got back. It is indeed feasible, but I cannot agree to it until I am absolutely certain. My Zhao family cannot take the risk with me."
Xiao Zhen had an expression that said, "I understand Brother Zhao's doubts. I am also very sincere in cooperating with Brother Zhao. In that case, I will take Brother Zhao somewhere."
Cui Ying clenched her fists tightly. What exactly had Xiao Zhen found out that made him so confident in showing them his trump card?
Qin Jinzhi pretended to hesitate for a moment, then said, "Okay."
The three boarded the carriage, but Qin Jinzhi and Cui Ying's eyes remained blindfolded.
Xiao Zhen said, "Brother Zhao's business is so successful in Suzhou. I never expected that the head of the family would be a woman."
Cui Ying was startled. Had her disguise been exposed?
She quietly moved closer to Qin Jinzhi.
Qin Jinzhi chuckled lightly, "My elder sister works very hard managing the Zhao family, so I'm here to help her. If we can successfully bring the Zhao family's business into the capital, she won't have to work so hard."
Xiao Zhen spoke casually, "To be able to manage such a large business, your elder sister must be a remarkable woman. I wonder if we could discuss marriage?"
Qin Jinzhi shook her head. "My siblings and I lost our parents at a young age and were all raised by our older sister. Because of us, she missed the age for marriage."
Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "I wonder what kind of man your older sister likes. Such a woman is truly admirable."
Cui Ying nudged Qin Jinzhi.
If she weren't pretending to be a snake with Xiao Zhen, she really wanted to see how big Xiao Zhen's face was.
They're not even going to act anymore; is this some kind of marriage proposal?
Qin Jinzhi smiled and said, "How can we interfere in my sister's affairs?"
Xiao Zhen said with a hint of amusement, "Given the opportunity, this prince will definitely want to meet this legendary woman."
Qin Jinzhi smiled and said, "Definitely!"
The carriage traveled for nearly three hours before stopping.
Xiao Zhen said, "Brother Zhao, we've arrived. You can take off the blindfold now."
Qin Jinzhi and Cui Ying removed their black cloths, and the three of them got out of the car.
The carriage had stopped at the entrance of a village.
As soon as Xiao Zhen was seen, a man dressed as a villager came up to greet him, "Master, you've arrived."
Qin Jinzhi looked at Xiao Zhen with a surprised expression.
Xiao Zhen walked forward and asked, "Where are the people from the village?"
The man said, "They're practicing."
Cui Ying watched the villager's retreating figure and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "That villager is strange."
Qin Jinzhi looked at the villager, whose clothing was perfectly fine.
However, he did not have the air of someone who had worked hard for many years.
Furthermore, they have excellent footwork skills.
Xiao Zhen led Qin Jinzhi and Cui Ying to the mountaintop.
Looking down, one could see that the open space in the village was filled with villagers.
They were all practicing with weapons in their hands.
Qin Jinzhi asked, "Brother Xiao, what is this?"
Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "Brother Zhao, it's not that I'm afraid I don't have the ability to compete with those powerful families. This is my confidence."
Qin Jinzhi looked at the granary in the village and the villagers training below.
I roughly estimated that there were a total of three thousand people.
Xiao Zhen actually captured a village of three thousand people and made them work for him.
Cui Ying whispered, "Something's not right with these villagers!"
Xiao Zhen suddenly turned around, startling Cui Ying.
He smiled and said, "Brother Zhao, how is it?"
Qin Jinzhi feigned surprise and said, "Brother Xiao, why did you so easily tell my brother and me about such an important matter as raising a private army?"
Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "Because I believe Brother Zhao is a smart man."
The scouts reported that the Zhao family of Suzhou was indeed a large family, but not a famous or prestigious one.
The head of the family was even a woman.
A fat sheep with no background can only be slaughtered at will.
Xiao Zhen was not afraid of the two brothers reporting him at all.
If they are wise enough to cooperate with him, they can still have a place in the capital.
If they refuse to cooperate, then he will have no choice but to swallow up the Zhao family.
Looking at the vast village, Qin Jinzhi said to Xiao Zhen, "In that case, Brother Xiao, please make the arrangements as soon as possible." As she spoke, she took out 100,000 taels of silver notes from her sleeve. "This is for the brothers to have drinks. After things are settled, we will host a banquet for everyone."
Xiao Zhen took the silver note and smiled, "Don't worry, this prince will definitely not let Brother Zhao down."
On the way back, Qin Jinzhi and Cui Ying had a very pleasant conversation with Xiao Zhenzhen.
Xiao Zhen escorted the two back to Tianxiang Tower and arranged a time for their next meeting.
The two entered through the front door, wiped off their makeup, and left through the back door.
As soon as Cui Ying got into the car, she said:
“Something’s wrong with that village. All the land is abandoned. Even if all the villagers work for Xiao Zhen, they wouldn’t let the land go to waste.”
Moreover, we wandered around the village for so long and saw no elderly people, no women, and no children. As far as I know, there are no abandoned or relocated villages around the capital.
Qin Jinzhi's eyes flashed with coldness. "There's only one possibility: they killed everyone in the original village and took over the village."
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