20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 698 Prohibitions
"Auspicious clouds slowly came to the Brahma Heaven, leaving the Land of Incense and traveling through the universe. The worlds seemed to pass by like light smoke, and in an instant they arrived in front of the Bodhgaya Rock. The Sumeru Mountain outside the clouds appeared in the sky, and under the Bodhgaya Rock there was an endless shore..."

Along with the "sizzling" sound of electric current, the classic lyrics of "The Heavenly Girl Scattering Flowers" slowly came from the radio.

The Jiang family's hired servants listened fascinatedly while working.

Zhang Zhengdong was talking on the phone in the living room. The sunlight slanted in from the window, making the room warm and bright.

When we reached the second floor, the sound of opera gradually faded.

Jiang Ya sat in front of the dressing table and let Yingzi help her comb her hair and dress up.

The girl is already twelve years old. Ever since she replaced her last baby tooth last year, her face has become oval in shape. The childishness on her face has gradually faded, and her appearance has become more and more distinctive.

In the mirror, Jiang Ya's face was not charming, but rather there was a heroic look between her brows.

Compared with other ladies from wealthy families, she has a particularly straightforward temperament, speaks and behaves very frankly, and is even a little aggressive.

To use the slang from outside the Great Wall to describe this girl, she always speaks and acts in a crisp and clear manner.

Now, as I am about to go to middle school, I have become vain.

On weekdays, she would secretly look through her mother's jewelry box every now and then, put the jewelry on her head in front of the mirror, admiring herself and amusing herself.

While combing her hair, Yingzi asked with a smile, "Miss, there is a birthday party at the Marshal's Mansion today. I heard that Boss Mei is coming. Why don't you go and see the fun?"

"I don't like watching it!" Jiang Ya pouted, "It's so noisy, full of people, what's there to watch? It's just a second chair!"

"That's called art. You may not understand it now, but you may love it in the future."

"I don't like to watch it anymore. A grown man talking in a hoarse voice and curling his fingers... Hey, I don't like it!"

Yingzi smiled and was a little curious, so she joked, "Miss, what kind of boys do you like?"

Jiang Ya rolled her eyes and said, "I don't care about anyone, let them care about me!"

The girl's answers were always unexpected, which made Yingzi laugh so hard that she quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, our young lady has such conditions. We must be more selective in the future."

"Oh, that's enough, are you done?" Jiang Ya was a little impatient.

"Alright!" Yingzi braided her hair into a pigtail, tied a hairband, and pinned a hairpin. "If you don't want to go and watch the fun, where are you going with your uncle Dong?"

"Just take a stroll!"

Jiang Ya jumped down from the stool and walked out of the room quickly.

Because Marshal Zhang was celebrating his birthday, schools in the provincial capital were closed for three days. She had already discussed with her mother that she would go to the east of the city to visit Sixth Master.

It must be said that in addition to the exquisite craftsmanship of the "Rong family", Liu Ye also has a natural ability, which is to please children.

Back then, Jiang Lianheng and Hu Xiaoyan were close to him, and now the daughters of Jiang and Hu are also close to Sixth Master.

This is a strange thing. He is just an old man with a lame leg. How could Jiang Ya miss him all the time?
Obviously, "magic tricks" alone are not enough to make it work. The most important thing is that Master Liu is not arrogant. To put it bluntly, he is not serious and is willing to put down his old face and joke with children to make them laugh.

Jiang Ya walked quickly through the corridor, came to the door of the study, poked her head out and said with a smile: "Mom, I'm leaving!"

Hu Xiaoyan was checking the accounts in the room. She seemed to be particularly busy today, and the sound of the abacus never stopped.

When she heard the girl calling her, she didn't even raise her head, but just replied indifferently, "Come back early."

When Jiang Ya was about to leave, Hu Xiaoyan suddenly stopped her and said, "Tell your uncle Dong to ask him to ask your second uncle to come and see me."

"Know it!"

A figure flashed at the door, and Jiang Ya ran downstairs, only to see Uncle Dong sitting on the sofa talking on the phone. She couldn't help but urge him, "I'm ready, hurry up!"

Zhang Zhengdong quickly covered the phone, waved to his niece, and said, "Get in the car and wait for me. I'll make a few calls and come right over."

Jiang Ya pouted, obviously not happy, but she had no choice but to do as she was told.

Zhang Zhengdong slowly let go of the microphone when he saw her walk away, and then continued, "Yes, it's a jade carving with a rosewood base, an old monkey offering peaches, about one foot long. The owner is Chen Guojin, a close confidant of General Manager Han of the Arsenal. You should pay more attention to it... My eldest brother said to correct him and teach him a lesson... I'll tell my sister-in-law, that's it."

…………

Li Zhengxi hung up the phone, got off the kang, changed into clean clothes, stood in front of the mirror, buttoned up his clothes, and whispered:

"I'm going out for a while. You don't have to wait for me to come back for lunch."

Guyu held her swollen belly with her hands, and suddenly became nervous, and asked hurriedly: "Is there something wrong at home?"

"What could possibly happen at home?" Li Zhengxi snorted and laughed, with a hint of disdain in his eyes. "Someone got lost during a break. It was someone from General Manager Han's office. Brother Dong asked me to go to the riverside and ask those vendors to see who deserves to be punished!"

Guyu breathed a sigh of relief, but still couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "You should do less dirty work. I'm still pregnant. Isn't it okay to just consider it as accumulating some virtue?"

"Forget it! If I am considered immoral, then the sons of those corrupt officials would have lost their asses long ago!" Li Zhengxi didn't care. "Besides, rules are rules. I have repeatedly emphasized them many times before, and they have all agreed. Now they dare to commit crimes in defiance of the law. This is a challenge, and they deserve to be punished!"

After saying this, he lifted the door curtain, walked out of the room and came to the small courtyard in front of the house.

Every winter, the west wind will definitely invite the little fan to stay at home.

It is March in the lunar calendar and the weather is still very cold. There are still many little kids helping to chop firewood and do work in the yard.

Li Zhengxi called them over and ordered loudly: "You guys go to Xiaoheyan and ask Laizi and Shitou to pick up those who are dealing in illegal goods. Ask them to wait for me in the private room on the second floor of the 'Cuixiang Tea House'. I will be there soon. If anyone doesn't come, don't even think about doing business in Fengtian anymore."

When Xiao Kaoshan heard this, he immediately dropped the work at hand, kicked his buttocks, rushed out of the yard, and disappeared without a trace.

Li Zhengxi was not in a hurry. He put his hands behind his back and walked slowly towards the riverside.

After all, it takes some time to gather together all the people who specialize in selling stolen goods, and there is no point in getting anxious.

When we arrived at the "Cui Xiang Tea House" on Xiaoheyan, we entered the private room on the second floor. All the people who were called upon had already arrived, with a bowl of tea in front of them, waiting respectfully.

There were seven or eight people sitting in the room, very crowded, all of them were well-known figures online.

Looking at these people, they are over forty years old, wearing tattered jackets, and they are all shabby and struggling. In fact, they are all pretending to be poor and hiding their wealth. It's because they usually set up stalls to sell goods, and most of the things they have are not obtained in a legitimate way, either dug out from the ground, or passed down from generation to generation. Of course, there are also robbers who come to them to sell the stolen goods.

They usually set up stalls to sell things like insoles, washbasins, rolling pins, etc., and there is nothing unusual to see.

When customers came over to ask about the price, they just ignored them and acted arrogantly, not even looking at them, and certainly not expecting to earn this little money.

Only when the customers online come over, show the outline, report the number and match the spring time, will they be willing to close their stalls and lead the customers to move to other places to check out the goods.

Lao Chai in the city knew them and usually turned a blind eye to them, letting things get by without making things difficult for them. However, he did not touch them only for Jiang Lianheng's sake.

Now, when Third Master Li of the Jiang family called them over, the brothers didn't know why, and they felt a little uneasy. Their faces looked like they were going to a grave. They didn't know what they had done wrong, so they all stood up to greet him. "Third Master, you're here?" Everyone smiled and said, "We thought you were here to watch the fun. Come and sit down!"

Li Zhengxi was not polite. He glanced at the customers and asked, "Brothers, is your business good recently?"

"Business?"

Everyone looked at each other, then slowly sat down, seeming a little frightened.

Soon, a man with a mole on the corner of his eye was recommended to answer: "Third Master, recently... he has no business either!"

"No?"

"So is there... or isn't there?"

"Bullshit, you're asking me that?" Li Zhengxi slammed the table and glared, "Don't you know whether you've done business recently?"

The man panicked immediately and looked around hurriedly. Seeing that everyone was shaking their heads in confusion, he dared to reply, "Third Master, there is really no business recently! Didn't you just inform us at the beginning of this month that no one is allowed to receive goods during the Marshal's birthday banquet? We stopped our business from then on."

"Think again!"

Li Zhengxi lit a cigarette, acted confident, and deliberately deceived them by saying, "Let me be frank with you. If anyone lies to me today, he will not work in Fengtian anymore. I will personally send him home."

After these words were spoken, the man dared not respond anymore.

He can ensure his own innocence, but he can't tell what others are doing behind his back.

However, everyone is like him. They know they are innocent, but they are suspicious of others.

After a moment's silence, several of the old men raised their hands, swore and swear, vying to say:
"Third Master, I'm not sure about others, but you can rest assured that I have not been open for business in the past few days."

"The Marshal is celebrating his birthday, and both the black and white circles have been notified. Even if I have the guts to do so, I would not dare to cause trouble for you at this critical moment!"

"Yes, yes, yes, who dares? I haven't set up a stall at all these two days."

Seeing that everyone was vying to express their opinions, with confused looks on their faces and not seeming to be lying, Li Zhengxi's attitude gradually softened.

"Everyone present here is an old hand and knows the rules. I believe you can control yourselves, but can you control the people under you?"

"That's for sure..."

When the words came to their lips, they suddenly swallowed them back.

After thinking about it carefully, after all, it was a matter of life and death, so he couldn't say too much, so he quickly opened his mouth and asked, "Third Master, if you have something to say, just tell me! Who lost something, what was lost, and when was it lost? Let's ask our friends in the sect to help you check it out!"

"The person who lost the things is named Chen Guojin. He is a close confidant of General Manager Han of the Arsenal. It wasn't long ago. He should have lost it this morning, or maybe last night."

As soon as Li Zhengxi finished speaking, everyone immediately frowned.

"Third Master, this is not right!"

"What's wrong?"

"According to the rules of the underworld, they have to hold onto things for a few days after receiving them. They will only ship them out after the rumors have died down and there are no more troubles... Your time is too short. Logically speaking, we can't get this stuff yet!"

"According to the rules of the underworld? If he knew the rules, he shouldn't have taken action at this time! Logically speaking? If he knew the rules, he shouldn't have offended the Jiang family!"

Li Zhengxi stated on the spot: This case needs to be handled specially and cannot be inferred based on common sense.

After everyone thought about it carefully, they agreed with his idea and asked, "Master San, what exactly did he lose?"

…………

"Old ape offering peaches?"

When Manager Yu of Guangutang saw the "Jiang Family Protector", his calves began to cramp. When he heard the questions, he looked even more confused and at a loss.

Zhao Guoyan sat at the tea table, straightened his royal blue robe, took a sip of tea, nodded and explained: "It's a jade sculpture, how can it be this big, with a rosewood base, have you seen it in the past two days?"

Guangutang is a collection of antiques shop with its head office in Xiaoxiguan and a branch in the south of the city.

On weekdays, I buy and sell antique bracelets, as well as gold, silver, jade, ancient rare books, old copper coins...

In short, Shopkeeper Yu accepted all the beautiful but useless things.

But these are not his main business. Shopkeeper Yu's greatest skill is actually making antiques out of antiques, especially calligraphy and painting. When he was young, he earned a lot of money with his skills. Now that he is old, he has almost retired from the business world and no longer makes antiques to deceive people. Instead, he opened a cultural relics store.

What does it mean to “almost” retire from society?

Well, a dog will always eat shit!
Although he no longer does his old business, perhaps because he loves what he does, Manager Yu really likes cultural relics. Once he comes across a good thing, no matter whether it comes from a legitimate source, he is willing to pay for it.

In this case, in Lao Rong's eyes, Guangutang gradually became a stolen goods sales den, and all the goods that could be transferred to him were valuable.

Zhao Guoyan knew this very well. After hanging up Dongfeng's call, he immediately came here to inquire about the situation.

Shopkeeper Yu had done a lot of bad things, so when he met a tough guy, he became a little scared. He quickly told the waiter to serve tea and water, then sat down and smiled.

"Uncle Zhao, I did receive a piece of jade recently, but it was at the beginning of the month. And it's not an 'old monkey offering peaches', but a golden Buddha with a jade face. It's now on display in the back hall. If you want to see it, I'll take you there right away. Anyway, it's definitely not the 'old monkey offering peaches' you mentioned, so please understand!"

Zhao Guoyan nodded, his tone quite polite.

"Manager Yu, you are an old veteran who knows the rules and is reasonable. We have known each other for so many years. If you say that you dare to commit a crime against the wind, I actually don't believe it."

"Thank you, thank you. I am usually a thoughtful person. I dare not say anything else, but at least I have good judgment."

"Well, I can see that, but..." Zhao Guoyan suddenly murmured in a low voice, "After all, you are an expert in collecting 'top goods'. The Buddha who can come to Guangutang to sell goods is definitely not a small thief. You are familiar with them. The jade carving is a big item. Not many people can steal it, and not many people dare to steal it. So I want to come to you to ask, who do you think did this?"

"Ah, if I were to talk about the person who could afford such a big thing in the past, the first person that came to my mind would be Master Guan Liu, but now it's a bit hard to say. After all, there are more and more people in the provincial capital. Now when I do business, I only look at old customers, or at least have an introduction from an acquaintance."

Zhao Guoyan was slightly surprised, and then felt a little sad.

Sixth Master has retired from society for more than ten years, and now only his peers still remember his name.

"Forget about those who have withdrawn," Zhao Guoyan waved his hand, "Please help me think about it again. Which thief is short of money and anxious to open a business recently?"

"Hiss, this..."

Shopkeeper Yu thought for a while, but he didn't want to offend the Jiang family, so he stammered, "I heard, just heard, that the 'Big Flagpole' in the west of the city seems to be having a hard time recently!"

(End of this chapter)