Fu Shanhe

Chapter 22 The Art of Shifting Conflicts
"I have something to discuss with Captain Li. No one is allowed to approach within fifty steps!"

After Mai Qinghu finished speaking, all the Dongchang men left the hall.

The soldiers of the Qianhu Suo glanced at Li Mu, and seeing that their boss had no intention of stopping them, they tactfully retreated.

As everyone left, the originally tense atmosphere of confrontation instantly dissipated into thin air.

"Now that no one is in the way, I can finally talk about it!"

Mai Qinghu said unhappily.

Although the two successfully passed the buck in their previous collaboration, the experience was not good at all.

A silly scholar like Chen Jichuan, who openly inquired about the arrest of his mentor, could not escape the eyes of the Eastern Depot.

There was no catching before, that was for fishing.

He hoped to use these people to bring more members of the Qingliu Party into the situation.

The eunuch party does not arrest anyone they want as the outside world imagines.

If we really do that, the world will be in chaos.

Even if you want to eliminate dissidents, you must first find a suitable reason before taking action against them.

Chen Jichuan was undoubtedly a failed bait. He did not drag the Qingliu Party members into the water as they expected, but instead ran to ask for help from his fellow villagers.

These people are not within the Dongchang's target range, so there is naturally no need to force an association with them.

It was completely a spur-of-the-moment decision for him to ask the Nancheng Qianhu to hand over the person, mainly because he wanted to take the opportunity to give Li Mu a warning.

Unfortunately, Li Mu didn't fall for it and led him towards Marquis Wuyang as soon as he opened his mouth, which made Li Mu completely lose his temper.

Marquis Wuyang's arrogance is well-known in the capital.

If you want to verify the authenticity, unless the factory owner comes forward, you can't even get in the door.

Going to your own factory to cause trouble for an insignificant little person means you don't want to be in the same job anymore.

It is even more impossible to snatch people by force.

Young sons of noble families rarely suffer from social abuses, and they dare to draw their swords when they encounter problems.

The conflict in East City yesterday was between a stubborn foreman and a hot-tempered and foolish captain.

Crossbows and muskets were taken out. If the top leaders had not intervened quickly, there would have been a large-scale gunfight.

The two yamen are still arguing.

Regardless of the final outcome, the Dongchang boss who leads the team will definitely have a bleak future.

"Eunuch Mai, why are you panicking?

Good things are never too late.

The case will be closed soon. I guess you must have gained a lot from the recent house searches!"

After hearing what Li Mu said, Mai Qinghu's face changed instantly.

"How do you know we're closing the case?"

As soon as he said it, he regretted it.

Li Mu's words were obviously mostly tentative. His opening of the mouth was equivalent to a direct admission.

“Don’t worry, Eunuch Mai, I don’t have the ability to plant spies in your East Factory.

This conclusion is drawn entirely based on analysis of actual conditions.

After so many days of hard work, you have finally caught the person you wanted to catch.

If the commotion continues, it will affect the normal operation of the court, and I will have a hard time explaining it to His Majesty.

The best option is to stop while you are ahead and share the fruits of victory.

Okay, none of this really matters.

The East Factory has captured so many people, they certainly can’t kill them all.

Let’s not talk about the big fish. The people above have their own arrangements and we are not qualified to interfere.

Some small fish and shrimps that can be caught and released are different. They can make money if handled properly.

Ordinary people can go to jail and ask their family members outside to take care of it.

You, the East Factory, are just trying to wipe out everything at once.

Even if there are friends and relatives outside, they dare not ask any more questions. It is so inhumane! "

Li Mu teased with a smile.

It's not that he is bold and wants to make money from anything.

This was simply the political environment of Dayu. In government offices like the Wucheng Bingmasi, apart from the salaries of the regular officials, the clerks, soldiers, and miscellaneous servants could only receive a small amount of subsidies, which were still issued in the form of treasure notes.

The cost of living in Beijing is high, and people below also need to make a living. If they only rely on the government's funding, they would have starved to death long ago.

As a loyal minister of the court, you cannot blame the court when you encounter difficulties, you must find ways to overcome them yourself.

Like other government offices in other places, the Wucheng Bingmasi, which was seriously short of funds, also had a system of raising funds on its own.

In addition to charging merchants and residents directly, the government's redemption business is also an important source of income.

In the past, when playboys fought, as long as nothing serious happened, they could pay money to redeem the person.

The prisoners’ food, accommodation and health expenses are also a means of generating revenue for the government.

This is already an open secret in official circles.

It’s not that no one has tried to change it, but the funding gap was too big and the court could not afford it.

Taking the Nancheng Qianhu Suo as an example, the funds allocated by the imperial court each year are only enough to cover 30% of the department’s operating expenses, and the remaining 70% needs to be solved by themselves.

The East Depot sent the prisoners here without paying a penny, and the cost of detaining the prisoners was all paid by the Qianhu Suo.

The money of the Qianhu Suo is the hard-earned money of the brothers. It cannot be given away for free. We must find a way to make it up to them.

"Captain Li, this matter needs to be carefully considered!"

Mai Qinghu said with a little hesitation.

Eunuchs have pure minds and relatively simple hobbies.

But without the order from above, he didn't dare to make any decision on his own.

"There is no rush to rescue people, as it will take some time before the higher authorities can make a final decision.

Things in prison cannot be delayed any longer.

The Qianhu Suo has limited financial resources. Either you, the East Factory, pay the detention costs, or we will find a way ourselves.

I will report this to the commander. You people from the East Factory eat meat, you can't leave us no soup at all!"

Seeing that he had successfully diverted the topic, Li Mu simply continued.

It was obvious that he didn't want to hand over the person, but it turned out that the Five Cities Army was jealous of the East Factory's eating meat and wanted to get a piece of the pie.

"Okay, this matter will be reported to the media.

As for how the above matters are handled, this is not something that I can decide.

However, the decision was made by the higher-ups, and I don’t want any trouble. I think Captain Li doesn’t want to cause any trouble either!”

After saying this, Mai Qinghu immediately turned away.

It's so infuriating.

The East Factory is now at its peak. As long as it raises its flag, it will be invincible in the capital.

But he was embarrassed one after another in front of a small captain.

Fortunately, he sent the man away, otherwise the authority he had built up over the past few days would have been largely lost.

Thinking of his unfortunate colleague in Dongcheng, Mai Qinghu decided not to bother with his son for the time being.

……

After the Dongchang guards left, the Qianhu Suo returned to peace again.

Unconsciously, a hint of awe appeared in the eyes of the soldiers.

“Brother Li, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness.

If you need anything in the future, just let me know!"

Chen Jichuan said excitedly.

The experience just now was no less than a walk through the gates of hell. Once he entered the East Factory Prison, not only would he be in trouble, but his family might also be implicated.

“Brother Chen, there is no need to say these things about the friendship between you and me.

This matter has only come to a temporary end. Before the storm is over, Brother Chen will have to stay temporarily in Qianhu Suo.

Brother Chen, please wait a moment. I will go to Wuyang Marquis's Mansion and then we can talk about the past together!"

The people have been sent away, but the aftermath work still needs to continue.

What we just said was just boasting, now we have to find a way to make it a reality.

Otherwise, once the truth is revealed, it won't be easy to use the truth to scare people later.

(End of this chapter)