Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 445: The whole city is full of killers
Jinling, Chengxian Street, Haiyun Pavilion.

This shop is located in a prime location in Jinling and is the largest of the five shops founded by Zhen Yingquan.

The shop sells a variety of imported goods shipped from overseas, which are very popular among the well-off and wealthy families in the city.

Zhen Fangqing looked at the secret account left by Zou Huaiyi. Although he remained calm, he became extremely concerned about the business of Haiyun Pavilion.

He came to the store early in the morning to check on the business, but soon after he left, the third young master Zhen Shiwen walked into the store.

As soon as his father released him from house arrest, he immediately came to Haiyun Pavilion and seemed to be very concerned about the shop business.

When the second shopkeeper in the shop saw Zhen Shiwen, he hurriedly came forward to greet him.

Zhen Shiwen asked, "Is the batch of fine iron in the warehouse safe? Has anyone noticed it?"

When the second shopkeeper heard this, his face turned bitter and he said, "Third Master, those fine irons are fine, but the first shopkeeper asked several times about the origin of this batch of goods.

I had no choice but to say that it was temporarily stored by my third uncle's friend. The head shopkeeper said that such goods would easily arouse suspicion and asked me to ask the owner to take them away as soon as possible.

But after the Third Master entered the Jinyiwei Thousand Households Unit last time, there have been unfamiliar faces appearing around the store. It must be some secret agents who have left some secret agents there.

In this situation, how could the other party dare to take the goods? I am afraid that if the goods are left in their hands for too long, something bad will happen sooner or later. "

After hearing what the second shopkeeper said, Zhen Shiwen's face looked a little unhappy. The head shopkeeper in the shop was an old man from the Zhen family, who was brought up by the second uncle.

After Second Uncle got into trouble, these old shopkeepers became Third Sister's confidants, and even the tone of their voice was exactly the same as Third Sister's.

It is because of the presence of these experienced and senior managers that the five most important shops of the Zhen family can be firmly controlled by the third sister.

Although Zhen Shiwen put a lot of thought into it, he could only play a supporting role in the end. Even when he stored a batch of his own goods in the warehouse, he would be nagged by the old shopkeeper, most of which was instructed by his third sister.

Zhen Shiwen said, "I was confined by the master earlier, and after I got out, I thought of a way. You should be alert today, someone will come to pick up the goods..."

……

The sun had passed its zenith, and as it was early autumn, business in the shops was still booming, with more people coming in and out than in the morning.

There is a residential building diagonally opposite Haiyun Pavilion. On the second floor, near the window, two men were leaning against the wall, looking at the bustling flow of people coming in and out of Haiyun Pavilion.

A man said, "Captain Liu, we have been keeping an eye on Haiyun Pavilion for half a month. The batch of refined iron has been in the warehouse and no one has come to pick it up. Could it be that the Zhen family really used it to cast anchors?"

Liu Yong sneered and said, “No matter how rich the Zhen family is, they can’t use Ottoman fine iron to cast anchors. For such a long time, no one has taken the goods, which shows that the other party is very cautious, which is a problem.

Are you guys keeping a close eye on them everyday? Don't let anyone take advantage of you!"

The man said, "Captains, don't worry. The captain specially assigned five of us to keep an eye on Haiyun Pavilion. Every half an hour, we will change people to set up stakes in the front and back streets.

We have detailed records of all the goods and people entering and leaving the Haiyun Pavilion warehouse, and we will never let anyone take advantage of us."

Liu Yong took the booklet handed to him by the man and flipped through it casually. Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside the window.

The two looked out the window and saw many customers running out of the Haiyun Pavilion shop with panicked expressions, and then they heard someone shouting that the fire was going out.

There was a sudden chaos on the street. Most of the houses on the street were made of wood. If one house caught fire, the fire would quickly spread to the entire area and become out of control if there was a slight delay in putting out the fire.

Liu Yong saw thick smoke rising from the backyard of Haiyun Pavilion, and that smoke was located in the warehouse in the backyard of the pavilion.

At this time, at the corner of Chengxian Street, a team of more than ten people with fire armor pushed water hoses and ladders and rushed over after hearing the news.

Chengxian Street is a busy street in Jinling, crowded with shops and people. If a fire breaks out, the consequences would be disastrous.

Therefore, Yingtian Prefecture set up three water dragon bureaus at both ends of Chengxian Street. Each water dragon bureau had two groups of fire armor teams, which could be used to extinguish fires at any time once they occurred.

This team of Fire Armor should have been the first to learn about the fire in Haiyun Pavilion. They acted very quickly and arrived at the main gate of Haiyun Pavilion in a short while, turning into the backyard warehouse from the alley beside it.

Liu Yong stood at the window and saw a water hose truck of the Fire Armor Team parked at the back door of Haiyun Pavilion.

Two men were shaking the water pump on the car, and another man was holding a hollowed-out bamboo pipe, spraying water on the burning roof.

Another water hose truck was pushed into the backyard of Haiyun Pavilion by seven or eight people, spraying water inside to put out the fire.

A man ran to the second floor and said to Liu Yong, "I just asked and found out that the second manager of Haiyun Pavilion knocked over a candle in the storeroom and set the curtains on fire.

But the centurions don’t have to worry, that batch of Ottoman iron will not be damaged no matter how big the fire is.”

At this time, another group of fire armor teams appeared at the other end of Chengxian Street. They probably heard the news later and arrived a step late.

However, the alleyway leading to the backyard warehouse was narrow, and once one group of fire armor teams entered, the second group could not enter, so they had to park the water hose truck on the street.

Pedestrians on the street had long been driven away by the yamen runners who had rushed over after hearing the news. The fire brigade in the alley took a whole meal's time to put out the fire in the backyard warehouse.

More than a dozen men from the Fire Armor Team, their faces blackened by smoke and fire, pushed two water hose carts and walked out of the alley with tired looks on their faces.

By the time the chief manager of Haiyun Pavilion chased out of the store with the reward money, the fire armor team had already reached the turning of the road and disappeared into the distance.

In the residential building opposite Haiyun Pavilion, Liu Yong and his subordinates saw the fire just now.

But as a captain said just now, no matter how big the fire is, it cannot burn that batch of Ottoman fine iron.

Liu Yong walked down the stairs and was about to return to the Qianhu Division to report the situation to Ge Zhicheng. Suddenly he stopped and felt something was wrong.

The government set up a Water Dragon Bureau in the city, and the fire armor team they used were all men hired from poor families.

After all, firefighting is a risky business, and only those who are extremely poor and can barely make a living would join the Fire Armor Team.

The salary paid to the Fire Corps by the government was very meager. Fortunately, after each firefighting effort, the victims would give them some reward, which could be considered an extra income.

The Fire Armor Team on Chengxian Street is more optimistic than those in other places because Chengxian Street is lined with wealthy shops.

Although fires do not happen often, they do happen once a year or two, and even if it is just a small fire or disaster, the merchants will give large rewards for good luck.

For this poor Fire Armor team member, this is a great opportunity that is rare in a year.

But Liu Yong thought about what happened just now. The fire-fighting team left in a hurry without taking the reward. This was really unreasonable!

Thinking of this, Liu Yong's face changed drastically, and he shouted to several Jinyi officers: "Go to the Haiyun Pavilion warehouse immediately to see if the batch of Ottoman fine iron is still there.

Go to the intersection and chase the fire-fighting team. Be sure to capture them for me!"

After a while, a captain came back in a panic and said, "Captain, the piece of fine iron in the warehouse is missing.

I asked a shop assistant, and he said that when they were putting out the fire just now, the scene was very chaotic. The people from the Fire Armor Team were afraid that someone would get hurt, so they asked everyone in the store to leave the backyard to make it easier for them to put out the fire.

No one saw how that batch of fine iron disappeared... "

Liu Yong's face turned pale. He never expected that the other party would make such a big fuss just to take away the fine iron, making it hard to defend against.

At this time, the captain who went to pursue the Fire Armor Team came back and said that the Fire Armor Team disappeared after passing the intersection, and two water hose carts were abandoned on the side of the road.

After asking the people nearby, they said that more than ten men from the Fire Armor Team moved a lot of boxes from the water dragon cart, got on two horse-drawn carriages, and went to the east of the city.

Liu Yong gritted his teeth and said, "Send people immediately to surround Haiyun Pavilion. Send people to the east of the city to investigate. We must find the things and the people!"

……

September 8th, Nanjing, the Ministry of War Yamen in the temporary capital.

In recent days, people have been coming in and out of the residence of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. The Right Vice Minister Zhang Kangnian is busier than usual and often stays out of the office for half a day before returning.

The military officials who handle government affairs every day can vaguely feel a strange sense of depression.

There was a rumor in the government office from somewhere, saying that an important decree would be issued from the capital in the near future, and there might be disturbances in the officialdom of Nanjing.

Such things have happened several times in Jinling before. For example, two years ago, a major case involving the Water Supervision Bureau was solved, and many officials in Jinling were dismissed.

However, this kind of turmoil in the officialdom caused by the imperial edict usually happens to high-ranking officials above the fourth rank.

The officials of the sixth and seventh ranks in the six ministries have not had the honor of receiving an imperial edict, so no matter how much fluctuation there is, it will not affect them, so they are naturally happy to wait and see the show.

Some people also speculated that after the Zhou Zhengyang incident, Right Vice Minister Zhang led the Ministry of War to handle the situation properly and was highly praised by officials. This time the imperial edict was issued, he is very likely to be promoted.

Outside Zhang Kangnian's official residence, Liu Yongfu, the head of the Ministry of War, came in with a document.

He said: "Reporting to Lord Zhang, the guards of Xuanhe Gate handed over an official document, saying that Jia Cong, the director of the Firearms Department, has escorted five cannons to Gusu, and three of them were sent to Songjiang by Suzhou Guards.

This morning, Jia Cong brought 300 musketeers to 30 miles outside Jinling City and sent his personal guards to submit documents for entering the city. According to the military department's routine, the Jinling Standing Guards' entry and exit of the city was under the jurisdiction of the Jinling Commandery. Every time the foreign troops of Jinling entered the city, they could only enter after the approval of the Ministry of War.

This is the official document for entering the city that Jia Cong's personal soldiers delivered to Xuanhe Gate. Please review it, Your Excellency."

Zhang Kangnian took the document, his eyes flickering, and after a while, he said: "The three hundred musketeers were originally to escort the artillery south, and now the artillery escort has been completed.

They will be returning to the capital soon, so they don't need to enter the city again. Let them camp five miles outside the Xuanhe Gate.

I will inform the Military Command Office that the food and fodder originally approved for delivery until September 12 will be delivered to the camp before sunset today."

Liu Yongfu felt a little strange after hearing this. It seemed that Lord Zhang did not like the young earl very much.

Jia Cong submitted the military documents and entered the city, but Lord Zhang asked his 300 musketeers to camp outside the city, which was obviously a way of saving face for his subordinates.

However, there is nothing wrong with Lord Zhang's handling of the matter from a legal perspective, it's just that it was a bit harsh from a human perspective.

……

Jinling, two miles away from Xuanhe Gate.

Three hundred musketeers dressed in the uniforms of the Great Zhou army marched towards Jinling.

A fast horse came galloping towards the marching team from the direction of Jinling City. It was the advance messenger sent by Jia Cong in the early morning.

He ran to Jia Cong, dismounted, and said, "My Lord, the document for entering the city has been replied to. The Ministry of War has ordered 300 fire-breathing soldiers to be stationed outside the city, and food and fodder will be delivered later.

Lord Bo can only enter the city with his personal guards."

Jia Cong's eyes narrowed slightly as he took the document handed over by the messenger and saw the reply from the Ministry of War and the signature of Zhang Kangnian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Qu Hongxiu, who was standing by, looked worried and asked, "Brother Cong, you were the one who brought these 300 musketeers out of Jinling. Why are they not allowed to enter the city now that they are back?"

Jia Cong replied: "This is the custom of the Ministry of War in the secondary capital. Soldiers who are not soldiers in the city must obtain inspection and approval from the Ministry of War every time they enter the city.

Nanjing is the secondary capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty and is related to the safety of half of the south of the Yangtze River. In order to prevent unexpected events, this rule has always been implemented, but the scale is controlled by the Ministry of War.

Moreover, according to the date, the imperial envoy will definitely arrive in the next one or two days. I am afraid that people in Jinling have already heard the news. "

Qu Hongxiu looked surprised and asked, "Could it be that just like the last time we arrested Zhou Zhengyang, the news was leaked in advance?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Although the imperial palace is strictly guarded, if Jiang Liu sends a memorial to the palace, the emperor will definitely summon the court officials to discuss it. The imperial edict will be drafted by the Imperial Academy and the Imperial Household Department will sign it with its seal.

During this period, it was also delivered to various relevant places in the palace through the eunuchs, and quite a few people were involved in this process.

The official circles of Shenjing and Nanjing have always been complicated. The Water Supervision Bureau's major case has wide-ranging implications, so it is not surprising that some rumors have been leaked.

However, even if Jinling could smell the news in advance, it would definitely not be faster than our flying feather message. This is the key to our being one step ahead and achieving our goals.

These three hundred musketeers were just a cover under the sun, and the people in Jinling City were all staring at them.

Now that we let them camp outside the city, many people can feel relieved, which may be a good thing for us.

Besides, it would take at least two days for the news from Gusu to reach Jinling. At this time, no one in Jinling knew that we had captured Luo Xiong.

Moreover, I asked Zhou Yong to send someone to explain the situation to the Gusu Provincial Government. Although there was no explicit imperial edict, the Gusu Provincial Government did not dare to underestimate the matter.

With the governor's presence in Gusu City, Suzhou Guards are leaderless, so the transmission of information will probably be slower, which will be more advantageous to us."

Since he had received the official approval from the Ministry of War, Jia Cong left three hundred musketeers to camp outside the city.

He and Qu Hongxiu, along with ten musket guards and a horse-drawn carriage, headed towards the Xuanhe Gate in Nanjing.

When they arrived at Xuanhe Gate, it was the peak time for entering the city. There was a long line at the gate, waiting to be checked and let in by the soldiers guarding the city.

Perhaps it was because Jia Cong's group was so large, and the ten personal guards who accompanied them, carrying rifles on their backs, attracted even more attention.

I saw a captain guarding the city with two soldiers walking towards them across the team, as if they wanted to check them in advance because they were different.

When the captain stated his purpose, Jia Cong showed him the badge of the Firearms Department of the Ministry of Works and related documents for verification.

After reading the documents on the badge, the captain suddenly walked up to the accompanying carriage and pulled open the curtain.

I saw a man in the car with his hands tied and a black scarf covering his head, and my face couldn't be seen.

The musket guard beside him stepped forward quickly, closed the carriage curtain, and said, "This is the important criminal of the imperial court that Lord Bo accidentally captured in Gusu, and he is about to be escorted to the Dali Temple."

The other nine musket guards around Jia Cong suddenly surrounded the carriage, looking alert, which scared the captain guarding the city.

He was just a lowly captain in the army, so he dared not challenge the dignified Earl of Weiyuan, especially when he was guarded by a group of ferocious muskets.

He stepped aside awkwardly, snorted and walked away. It seemed that he had lost face and did not allow Jia Cong and others to enter the city first.

Instead, they were allowed to follow the queue and enter the city one by one, which would take several times longer than Jia Cong and others.

The captain went straight into the city gate, and after a short while, a fast horseman set out from Xuanhe Gate and left quickly by taking a shortcut.

……

In the past, when entering Jinling City, although the soldiers guarding the city would check, most of them were just going through the motions. After all, it was not a critical wartime situation, so most of the time they were just going through the motions.

During the holidays, all four gates of Jinling City are open, and people can come and go freely in broad daylight.

Jia Cong was also surprised that he had to queue up for inspection when entering the city today, so he sent his personal soldiers to find out what was going on.
After a while, the personal soldiers reported back that a fire broke out in the Haiyun Pavilion of the Zhen family in Nanjing yesterday, and thieves took advantage of the chaos to steal a batch of expensive foreign goods from the store.

The Imperial Guards are now on guard at the four gates, strictly investigating thieves and trying their best to recover the stolen foreign goods.

After hearing this, Jia Cong returned home and was slightly shocked. He immediately thought of the batch of Ottoman fine iron in the Haiyun Pavilion warehouse. Because of this batch of fine iron, the Zhen family was suspected of privately manufacturing muskets.

The Jinyiwei had already set up secret stakes around Haiyun Pavilion and had been fishing for half a month but had no success.

I didn't expect that this batch of rare Ottoman fine iron was taken away right under the noses of the Jinyiwei. No wonder the Jinyiwei searched all four gates.

In the city of Jinling, in addition to the hidden undercurrents derived from the major case of the Supervisor, there seems to be another force that is quietly operating and touching the core of the Great Zhou's firearms technique.

It took Jia Cong and others nearly an hour to enter Jinling City along with the crowd queuing for inspection.

When the team left Xuanhe Gate and turned to an intersection, they saw a large number of guards setting up checkpoints and blocking the intersection.

This intersection leads to the six ministries of the temporary capital, as well as the office of the Dali Temple in the Ministry of Justice. It is also the only way to the Jia Mansion in Xinglongfang.

There happened to be a checkpoint at this intersection. Jia Cong felt a little strange and asked his personal soldiers to call a general flag guarding the checkpoint for questioning.

"I am Jia Cong, the Director of the Firearms Department. Why is there a checkpoint suddenly set up at this intersection?"

The general flag was all smiles as he said, "It turned out to be Lord Jia from the Ministry of Works. Bandits appeared in the city, setting fire and looting on Chengxian Street. They are said to be hiding in the East City.

This intersection is the only way from Dongcheng to Jinling. We are ordered by our superiors to close and guard the intersection. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Jia."

The general flag pointed to a nearby street on the left and said, "This Xingqian Street is flat and convenient for carriages to travel. Turn left after exiting this road and you will reach the direction of the six ministries of the secondary capital.

It will only take half a cup of tea longer than going through this intersection, which will be most convenient for Master Jia to return to the yamen."

Jia Cong's eyes flickered slightly, he adjusted the sword at his waist and said, "Thank you!"

He turned his horse and led the team towards Xingqian Street.

The general commander of the guards who was pointing the way from behind had a smug smile on his face...

The road surface of Xingqian Street was, just as the general had said, very flat, and the carriages ran very smoothly on it. However, the road surface was not wide enough to accommodate two carriages running side by side.

When the team reached the middle of Xingqian Street, they suddenly saw smoke in front of them. It turned out that a house was flooded.

A group of fire-armored teams, common in the city, were pushing a water hose cart to spray water to put out the fire.

Jia Cong frowned slightly and reminded Qu Hongxiu beside him: "Be careful!"

In order to avoid the Fire Armor Team that occupied half of the road, the team moved to the other side of the road so that the carriage could pass as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, the fire armor team responsible for fighting the fire quickly turned their water-spraying bamboo guns and aimed them at the ten musket guards. A huge wave of water came down on their heads, soaking them instantly.

(End of this chapter)