The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 213
After a few days, Skuangwei's injury was not serious, and his spirit improved a lot.

Since he was injured during the riots in the county town more than a year ago, his body and bones have deteriorated a lot. After enjoying a peaceful life for a long time, he has become lazy and coquettish. His palm is obviously injured, but it does not affect his daily walking. He still has to call Zhu Xiu to help him every day. He walked in the garden.

If Zhu Xiu ignored him, he would stay in the official office and make jokes and make people dislike him. In short, he would not let Zhu Xiu relax.

Unable to defeat him, Zhu Xiu had to finish his official duties every day and hurried to the back house, where he walked with him in the garden, fished by the pond, and chatted to relieve his boredom.

Wei Hu also came to visit every day, and the three of them talked and laughed together.

After the accident that day, Zhu Xiu and Wei Hu seemed to have restored harmony, and no one mentioned anything about the previous incident at Longshan Pass.

Originally Shi Kuangwei planned to let Wei Hu garrison Zheqian City, but these days he seemed to have forgotten about it and didn't mention it at all.

Wei Hu didn't ask, and Shi Kuangwei didn't say what to do with the more than a thousand direct descendants that Wei Hu had left in Zheqian City.

Many sensitive topics were kept silent and tacitly bypassed.

On the surface, it is indeed a harmonious and happy scene.

But in fact, the contradiction is just buried in the water, not floating on the surface.

The atmosphere seems harmonious, but a keen person can detect something strange.

It was like a group of men with knives, hands hidden behind their backs, attending a masquerade.

On this day, Zhu Xiu and Shi Kuangwei were sitting by the pond in the back garden, each carrying a bamboo pole and fishing.

There are already two red carps in Zhu Xiu's fish basket, but Shi Kuangwei's fish basket is empty.

"Mom~ You kid can't turn into a dragon after eating your bait, so why are these stupid fish trying to get on your hook? Why aren't there any of them here?"

When Shi Kuangwei saw Zhu Xiu's fishing rod flicking and another bright red koi taking the bait, he cursed with envy and jealousy.

Zhu Xiu hung up the bait again and fell into the water. Soon the fish swarmed in. With his hook hanging as the center, red carp, white carp and colorful carp surrounded him in a circle.

"I am Zhu Taigong fishing, whoever wants to take the bait! You are so purposeful that the fish are afraid of you and scare them away~"

Zhu Xiu boasted triumphantly, secretly reached out and grabbed a handful of wine grains from the cloth bag placed at his feet, threw them into the water when Lao Shi was not paying attention, and made a nest near the water where the fishhook hung.

How could Shi Kuangwei know this when fishing? When he saw the fish squeezing around Zhu Xiu's hook like crazy, he became more and more jealous and angry. He stared at the calm water in front of him and kept mumbling and cursing.

Zhu Xiu's fishing rod flicked, and another white carp weighing more than a kilogram fell into the fish basket.

Shi Kuangwei's eyes turned red with anger, he threw away the fishing rod and yelled: "No more fishing! I'm going to have a full fish feast later!"

Zhu Xiu pointed at the fish basket and spread her palms: "Fifty guan, I am willing to admit defeat!"

Lao Shi's face trembled, and he said with a dark face: "How can I have so much cash? Go to the accounting office to make an account!"

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "As long as you don't default on your debt!"

"At any rate, I'm also a governor of a town, a great official in the borderlands, with only fifty people in the area, how can I renege on my debt?" Old Shi yelled angrily, but his flickering eyes seemed a little lacking in confidence.

The two of them walked to the back house, where a servant came to pack the fishing gear.

There was no one around, so Lao Shi suddenly came closer and said, "Brother Zhu, I want to discuss something with you."

Zhu Xiu glanced at him and hummed.

"This." Old Shi rubbed his hands, "I was thinking, let Wei Hu's more than a thousand troops stay behind in Zheqi City, and let that Pang Guangsheng be in charge, how about it?"

Zhu Xiudao: "Didn't you say earlier that this group of people would be broken up, reorganized, and merged into the Ya Army?"

Shi Kuangwei wondered: "After all, those people have been with Wei Hu for many years and are veterans of the Zhangyi Army. If they are rashly disbanded and disbanded, I am afraid that it will cause the morale of the army to fluctuate, let the outside world think about it, and it will not be conducive to the stability of the entire army."

After a pause, he hesitated and said: "What I mean is, since I have decided to forgive Wei Hu's sins, I will give him another chance to change his ways. Without this team, it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the Zhangyi Army in the future."

Seeing Zhu Xiu frowned and thinking, Shi Kuangwei hurriedly said again: "In the future, if this army is to be mobilized, it must pass through the Jiedu Mansion to issue a warrant. Let's explain the rules clearly, and Wei Hu will accept it."

"How should Wei Hu himself deal with it?" Zhu Xiu asked.

Shi Kuangwei said vaguely: "Still. Let him stay in the army and stay in the county. His position as Commander-in-Chief remains unchanged, but he cannot mobilize troops without permission."

Zhu Xiu understood that Lao Shi didn't want to punish Wei Hu at all. In his opinion, the scolding in the study a few days ago was already a severe punishment.

Even though it was originally agreed to temporarily announce within the Zhangyi Army that Wei Hu would step down from his position as commander of the tooth as a punishment, Lao Shi was not willing.

Zhu Xiu sighed in his heart, it was evident that Wei Hu held a lot of weight in his heart.

"Okay!" Zhu Xiu nodded and agreed without thinking much, "You are the Commander-in-Chief, so you have the final say."

Shi Kuangwei was overjoyed, hugged Zhu Xiu hard, and laughed loudly: "You still understand my thoughts best! Thank you! Haha~~"

Zhu Xiu broke away in disgust, and said seriously: "You really think Wei Hu will stop? You should know his ambition better than me!"

Lao Shi was stunned for a moment, suppressed his smile, pondered for a moment, and said hesitantly: "On that day, we have made our words clear. I believe Wei Hu will think it through. He still has a feeling of affection for me and Zhang Yijun. It won’t go too far.”

Zhu Xiu smiled slightly: "I just listen to you. But to be honest, I still don't believe him!"

Shi Kuangwei sighed and said quietly: "No matter what, I don't want you two to get into a situation where they are incompatible with each other."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "In two days I plan to go to the farming area and stay with Madam Fu and Yan'er for a while. Madam Fu comes to Jingzhou as a guest, but I can't spare time to accompany her. It's really rude and inappropriate. We should fulfill our duty as landlords.”

Shi Kuangwei nodded: "That's true, just go ahead."

Thinking of something, Shi Kuangwei frowned and stared at him warily: "I'm warning you, kid, it's okay to entertain Madam Fu, but you have to be careful and don't lose etiquette. If you dare to entertain Madam Fu on the bed, I'll interrupt you. Three legs!”

Zhu Xiu's face turned red and she glared at him fiercely: "A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory! Am I such a dirty person?"

Lao Shi grunted: "Ms. Fu is naturally a lady of the family. She doesn't look down on you. I'm afraid that you are a coward and use your sweet words and tricks, which will cause Mrs. Fu to accidentally fall into your trap."
By the way, there are geese!You entertain Lady Fu, so don't neglect Yan'er!You two have to pay attention to your standards when getting along, and you must never do it before getting married. So what! "

Zhu Xiu was so angry that she was trembling all over. The bastard Lao Shi's thoughts were too dirty.Just as he was talking, Yan Ping hurriedly came to see him. After seeing the courtesy, he said eagerly: "Young Envoy, there are some problems in the salt factory. Tao Wenju has something important to report!"

Zhu Xiu pretended to be surprised and said, "What happened?"

Yan Ping said softly: "It seems that there was an error in the accounts handover between the salt factory and Zhenhaiying. The latest batch of salt was not delivered to Zhenhaiying in time. Bi Zhenhai sent someone to inquire and had a dispute with Tao Wenju. Both parties argued and blamed each other. .

Bi Zhenhai sent someone back to report, saying that he wanted to accuse Tao Wenju of misappropriating salt money privately, confiscating the salt factory workers' wages without reason, and pocketing it for himself in front of the young envoy. Tao Wenju also rushed back from the salt factory, saying that it was I want to meet the young envoy to defend myself.

After receiving the summons from Bi Zhenhai, his subordinates immediately sealed the accounts of the salt factory, sent people to escort them back closely, and handed them over to the Major Envoy for review! "

Zhu Xiu was shocked and said angrily: "What a Tao Wenju! Who gave him the courage to embezzle public funds?"

Shi Kuangwei disagreed: "Don't worry, let's investigate clearly first. The salt factory is highly profitable, and its monthly incoming and outgoing accounts are huge. Anyone who looks at it will feel itchy. If you dig out a little bit from it, you can make a lot of money.

Tao Wenju is pretty good at accounting. If we investigate clearly, if there is no serious crime, just give him a little warning."

Zhu Xiu said solemnly: "The account issue involves the interests of the entire army. The salt factory is currently an important financial source for the Changyi Army. There must be no mistakes! I have said long ago that anyone who dares to tamper with the salt factory accounts will not be leniently punished once verified! Tao Wenju If he dares to lie to his superiors and steal his money, I will definitely kill him!"

Old Shi was startled: "Isn't it? It's not a rebellion? It's just a few small money!"

Zhu Xiu said coldly: "There is no rule without rules! Find out the matter first before talking!"

Zhu Xiu and Yan Ping said goodbye and left in a hurry. Shi Kuangwei was worried that Zhu Xiu would really kill Tao Wenju in a rage, so he thought it better to rush over and have a look.

In the office, Tao Wenju and a sergeant from the Zhenhai Battalion were waiting, glaring at each other.

When Zhu Xiu and Shi Kuangwei entered the room, Tao Wen's face collapsed and he knelt down with a look of sadness on his face, as if he had been greatly wronged.

The sergeant bowed and clasped his fists, and shouted angrily: "Shameless!"

Zhu Xiu asked Lao Shi to take the main seat and sat aside.

Glancing at the sergeant, Zhu Xiu recognized him as one of the first veterans of the Zhenhai Battalion, a fellow villager recruited by Bi Zhenhai himself.

"Are you Ge Datou?" Zhu Xiu's face softened a bit.

The sergeant was stunned. He never expected that the Young Envoy could still remember his name. He knelt down on one knee excitedly and said, "The villain Ge Hong pays homage to the Young Ambassador! Because the villain has a big head, the brothers all jokingly call the villain Ge Datou. I didn’t expect that the young envoy would still remember it.”

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "How is your business in Yanzhou?"

Ge Hong said with a smile: "That's great! As soon as the goods arrived, they were sold out within a few days! Now Bi Ye's reputation is resounding in Fangzhou, Yanzhou! Who doesn't know that Bi Ye has a lot of salt in his hands, affordable prices, and good business You did it kindly! Whether they are selling official salt or selling private salt, they all come to us to get their goods. Now, both the black and white people call Mr. Bi the 'Salt King'!"

Zhu Xiu grinned, this nickname was really earthy.

Shi Kuangwei laughed: "What a great Bi Zhenhai! What a salt king!"

Zhu Xiu exhorted: "Business is certainly important, but your safety is more important. Go back and tell Bi Zhenhai that the imperial court has listed him as a wanted criminal. He is wanted throughout the sixteen prefectures of Jingzhao and Henan, and the sea arrest documents are posted. They are everywhere. His head is worth a reward of [-] yuan, so be careful!

I would rather not do business, but you Zhenhaiying brothers who are scattered outside must come back safely to me without any landing! "

Ge Hong choked up and said: "Young Envoy's instructions, I will definitely tell the Commander-in-Chief! Please rest assured, Young Envoy, the Commander-in-Chief said that our Zhenhai Battalion is responsible for the money bag of the Zhangyi Army and cannot make any mistakes! Young Envoy Treat Zhenhaiying favorably, and Zhenhaiying will surely live up to the great trust entrusted to you by the young envoy!"

Zhu Xiu signaled Ge Hong to stand up and reply.

Shi Kuangwei secretly lamented that Zhu Xiu was so good at winning people's hearts, and he managed to keep Bi Zhenhai and the mixed Zhenhai camp in order.

The Zhenhai Battalion has a heavy responsibility. It is not only the pocketbook of the Changyi Army, but also responsible for cooperating with the Zangfeng Battalion to inquire about information.

The Zhenhai Camp is also the team that can best train people. They are busy working outside all year round, responsible for smoothing the salt road, and dealing with all forces under the banner of Salt Owl. It is indeed not easy.

Bi Zhenhai is now the largest salt owl in Guanzhong and Longyou, and the leader of the thieves designated by the Kaifeng court to be captured.

In order to keep the Chang Yi Army's salt-selling business, Bi Zhenhai had to be molded into a big salt lord with hands and eyes, so that he could completely separate himself from the Chang Yi Army and act in the name of a salt lord.

Bi Zhenhai and Zhenhaiying have paid too much for the revitalization of the Changyi Army.

Therefore, Zhu Xiu treated the family members of Zhenhai camp particularly well, so that they could serve outside with peace of mind.

"I roughly know what happened. Let's talk about it. What exactly happened?" Zhu Xiu asked.

Ge Hong took out a letter from his bosom, Yan Ping took it and forwarded it to Zhu Xiu.

The letter was written by Bi Zhenhai himself, accusing Tao Wenju of tampering with the accounts. The amount of salt paid by Zhenhai camp did not match the amount recorded by him, and he was suspected of enriching himself.

Zhu Xiu was furious after reading it and threw the letter down: "How do you explain what Bi Zhenhai said in the letter?"

Tao Wenju hurriedly picked up the letter, glanced at the ten lines, trembled all over, bowed his head in horror and said: "Bi Zhenhai framed the lowly job! The lowly job works hard, and never dared to take half of the profit! Please teach me a lesson!"

Ge Hong was very angry and said with red eyes: "After the last batch of salt money passed through your hands, it was missing a full 460 salt! You asked our commander-in-chief to sign the account of the shortage. If this word is signed, wouldn't it mean that this amount of money is missing?" Is the money in Zhenhaiying’s hands short?
Every penny we paid in salt money was paid for by the brothers’ lives!How dare you intercept me without permission? Your conscience will be eaten by dogs? "

Tao Wenju was sweating profusely, but he was still arguing: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the salt money I handled. Your Zhenhai camp obviously only handed over these, but you said it was 460 more! Huh~ Who knows what Bi Zhenhai is doing outside? What? Maybe he spends his time drinking and drinking, buying land and building houses here and there, planning to leave the Chang Yi Army and live a happy life on his own."

Ge Hong was so angry that he was shaking all over, his eyes were red and he roared: "The commander-in-chief led the brothers to work hard, traveling to various states and counties, but you stabbed me in the back and framed me!"

The two quarreled with red faces. Zhu Xiu listened expressionlessly and did not stop them.

Seeing the quarrel getting more and more intense, Shi Kuangwei also had a headache and slapped his forehead.

"Boss Zhu, what do you think we should do?" Shi Kuangwei poked him and whispered.

Zhu Xiu's face was as dark as water: "Don't worry, wait until the account books of the salt factory are delivered and I will check them myself."

Shi Kuangwei murmured: "As Bi Zhenhai is a person, he should not be greedy for money. Is it really Tao Wenju? If it is him, what are you going to do?"

Zhu Xiu's eyes were gleaming: "The salt factory is the foundation of Changyi Army's interests. Anyone who dares to reach out for personal gain will be killed!"

Shi Kuangwei grinned. He knew Zhu Xiu's temper, and there was absolutely no room for negotiation on matters that touched the bottom line.

Lao Shi looked at Tao Wenju sympathetically, hoping that he would be happy for himself.
(End of this chapter)