Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 137 Hidden Fenglefang

Dayoufang Lane is an old lane in Jinling. More than a decade ago, there was a Wang's Oil Mill here which had been in business for fifty years. It was the largest and most famous oil mill in Jinling Province.

Over time, people in Jinling got used to calling this street Dayoufang Lane.

More than ten years ago, the owner of Wang's Oil Mill was found to have committed treacherous acts and was in collusion with the remnants of the Hidden Sect.

At that time, Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne at a critical moment. In order to stabilize the political situation, he severely suppressed all rebellious acts. Fifty-seven people from the Wang family oil mill were beheaded overnight.

Although Wang's Oil Mill has disappeared forever, the name of the alley has been retained because the people of Jinling City have long been accustomed to it and the government is too lazy to pay attention to such trivial matters.

An ordinary horse-drawn carriage drove into Dayufang Lane and stopped on the side of the road.

In the carriage, Xiangling pointed through the curtain at a house across the street and said, "Master, the black lacquered door of the third house from the opposite side is Boss Zhou's house."

In fact, Prince Ning's handling of the major case of Japanese merchant ships fighting for tribute and the arrest of Japanese ronin who killed people and looted goods were not within Jia Cong's scope of responsibility and had nothing to do with him.

However, the information that Xiangling accidentally learned and the identity of the kidnapper Dong Laoer are obviously important clues to solving these problems.

Those Japanese wanderers acted recklessly on the land of the Great Zhou, killing officers and soldiers of the Great Zhou and even massacring more than a dozen innocent civilians.

After accidentally learning important information, Jia Cong, as a person with basic conscience and blood, could not stay out of it with peace of mind.

Otherwise, he would not have mentioned a word about this matter when he was in front of Prince Ning just now.

But the fact that he brought Xiangling to show him the way doesn't mean he was unaware of the risks involved.

Jia Cong smiled at Xiangling and said, "Just stay in the car and don't show your face!"

Jia Cong got out of the car and explained the location to Yang Hongbin who was waiting outside.

A captain from the Jinling Jinyiwei Qianhu Division, along with a dozen Jinyiwei, rushed into the black lacquered gate.

A figure who was about to come over from the corner of the street happened to see this scene and shrank back in fright.

The man was in his forties, thin, with a gray-brown face, small eyes, a pouty mouth, and a hooked nose.

……

Prince Ning of Nanjing is in the imperial court.

Yang Hongbin was reporting to Prince Ning that today they would work with the Jinling Jinyiwei to go to Dayoufang Lane to arrest the suspect.

"Your Majesty, based on the address provided by Fengyilang, we found the residence of the foreign goods merchant named Zhou in Dayoufang Lane.

But when we arrived, the foreign goods merchant surnamed Zhou was not at home, so we came to nothing.

Several other pieces of Japanese silk were found in his home, as well as other Japanese foreign goods totaling more than 4,000 strings of cash, and even 20 Lumi guns and some bullets and gunpowder.

Rumitong is a firearm that the imperial court strictly prohibited from being circulated among the people. Anyone who collected it privately would be punished as a traitor. This man named Zhou actually collected twenty Rumitongs. He was definitely not a good person.

Moreover, the Japanese satin and other foreign goods discovered this time were compared with the cargo list of the Japanese merchant ship. Their categories, quantities, markings and other characteristics confirmed that they were part of the 200,000 strings of foreign goods.

We asked the neighbors around us and they said that the owner of this house was named Zhou Suqing, a businessman who specialized in foreign goods and also worked as an interpreter on Japanese merchant ships.

It is said that this person has lived in Japan for many years, is most familiar with the customs and culture of Japan, and has close contacts with many Japanese merchants.

From this, we can infer that this person must be the key figure who helped those Japanese ronin sell the stolen 200,000 strings of Japanese goods.

As long as we catch this person and follow the clues, we will be able to seize the 200,000 kan of Japanese goods and the Japanese wanderers who are causing trouble!"

Since Prince Ning came to Nanjing, the Embroidered Uniform Guards imprisoned the eunuch Wang En who was in charge of the Maritime Customs. This major case was like a kite with a broken string, with no further progress.

Those Japanese wanderers who killed people and looted goods are still at large.

Now, after dozens of days, the news of the Japanese wanderers slaughtering officials and civilians in Nanjing has spread throughout the world.

This caused a huge uproar inside and outside the court. The various government offices in Nanjing failed to protect the people, which led to the Japanese ronin becoming arrogant and violent, wreaking havoc in Nanjing.

Impeachment memorials from the Censor of Jiangnan Province in the Censorate were flying like snowflakes.

Prince Ning appeared calm and composed these days, but he was actually at a loss. He knew that his father had sent spies from the Imperial Chariot Division to Jiangnan.

I'm afraid that within three days, every move I make in handling the case will be reported to the capital by carrier pigeons from the CRRC Corporation Limited.

He was ordered by his father to go to Nanjing to handle the case with full authority. So many eyes were staring at him. If he messed up, the shame would be the smallest matter, but losing his father's favor would be a big deal...

Unexpectedly, just because of the few clues provided by Jia Cong, a crack was opened in this difficult case.

This young man is not only lucky, but also thoughtful, smart and adaptable. He is also extraordinary. Now the development of things is almost the same as he imagined that day. No wonder even his father treats him differently. He is indeed a character.

Prince Yongning was in high spirits: "Immediately draw a picture of Zhou Suqing and inform Jia Yucun of Yingtian Prefecture and Feng Fengnian, the captain of Jinling Jinyiwei, and have them dispatch people to search the whole city.

Even if I have to dig deep into the ground, I will find this Zhou Suqing for me! "

……

Fenglefang is a district in the east of Jinling City.

This place is not as prestigious as Xinglongfang, where the old residences of nobles and princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty are located.

In recent years, Fenglefang has gradually become a gathering place for small and medium-sized officials from various departments in Nanjing.

Although there are few luxurious mansions with deep courtyards here, the newly built medium-sized houses with three or four courtyards are also exquisite, beautiful and unique.

In recent years, Nanjing was opened as a port to foreign countries. Many small and medium-sized officials who stayed in the six ministries in the temporary capital have more or less joined the foreign trade, and many of them have made a considerable fortune.

As the saying goes, "live by the mountain, eat from the mountain; live by the water, eat from the water." This is also a common practice in the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Those salaries can only guarantee food and clothing. Officials are not ascetics. There are ways to make money. Who doesn't want to live a prosperous life and let their families enjoy a comfortable life?

Therefore, as long as one does not abuse public office, bend the law for personal gain, and is not too ostentatious, and lets his family members make some money, no one will say anything.

All the newly built medium-sized houses in Fenglefang in recent years were built for this reason.

At the beginning, Emperor Jiazhao opened up the sea borders, traded with the white barbarians in the distant seas, prospered maritime trade, and brought wealth to the people.

The people here naturally include the officials’ family members and relatives.

Therefore, compared with those high-ranking officials in the imperial court of Shenjing who were dressed in red and purple, held high positions and were responsible for maintaining the ancestral system, the officials in various states in the south of the Yangtze River all applauded the opening of maritime trade.

At this moment, in an inconspicuous three-courtyard house in Fenglefang, there is a study room filled with books and antiques, filled with a refreshing and elegant atmosphere.

A middle-aged man with a dignified demeanor was sitting and drinking tea. In front of him stood a young man with a respectful demeanor and his hands hanging down. He was of medium build and ordinary appearance, and half of the little finger on his left hand was missing.

"Sir, our people are at the Ning Wang residence. After receiving the news, they immediately notified Zhou Suqing. Before Yang Hongbin arrived, Zhou Suqing escaped in time."

"However, due to the haste of the matter, the more than 4,000 strings of foreign goods from Zhou Suqing were not dealt with in time and all fell into Yang Hongbin's hands."

The middle-aged man put down the teacup and said, "Zhou Suqing is a cautious person, and usually only a few foreign merchants come into contact with him.

Moreover, Zhou Suqing knew our rules. The foreign merchants he shipped goods to had all been screened. First, they could not be big foreign merchants, and second, they could not have any connection with government officials.

Third, the family members and relatives must all be settled in Jinling. Only such foreign merchants can be more easily controlled by us. In addition, Zhou Suqing also has middlemen to contact these foreign merchants, which creates another layer of separation.
Therefore, the possibility of my whereabouts being disclosed by these foreign merchants is extremely low.”

Then he asked, "Have you found out who reported him?"

The young man replied, "We have a hidden stake near Zhou Suqing's residence. The guy who brought Yang Hongbin to arrest him is called Jia Cong, an eighth-rank Fengyilang. This time, he was ordered by the emperor to copy scriptures at Da Ci'en Temple."

The middle-aged man frowned and said, "Why is it this person? He has nothing to do with this matter. How did he know where Zhou Suqing was?"

The young man replied: "It is still unknown at the moment. It seems like this person just appeared out of nowhere."

The middle-aged man pondered and said, "Wang En was arrested, but because he was a fourth-rank eunuch and had some connections with the palace, the Jinyiwei did not torture him.

At the beginning, they were only concerned about Wang En's bribery and the person who bribed him. No one knew about Zhou Suqing's existence at that time.

Naturally, no one would ask Wang En about this, and Wang En was not stupid enough to speak up about it.

But now it is different. Yang Hongbin is an expert in solving cases and will never let go of any possibility. If he thinks of interrogating Zhou Suqing from Wang En, the truth will be revealed.

Zhou Suqing worked as an interpreter for a Japanese merchant ship. Wang En knew him and even vaguely knew about his relationship with us. If Wang En wanted to get away with it and told this, it would be tricky.

The middle-aged man picked up the teacup again: "It's better to take precautions before they happen. You should know what to do now!"

The young man's eyes sparkled: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely get this done."

"Have those Japanese wanderers been settled?"

"Don't worry, sir. These people have been properly settled. They will not be discovered for at least a month."

"These people are brave and good at killing. They have been doing business with us for several years and know a lot. Now we can't use soft or hard tactics, so we can only play it safe for now."

"Also send someone to keep an eye on Jia Cong. If there is any unusual movement, report it to me immediately."

　I haven't recommended Naked Running yet, but I'm asking for recommendations and monthly tickets so that I can squeeze into the list. Brothers who have tickets can help me vote, thank you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)