Huangming

Chapter 140 Golden Soup Melts Bones, Millet Buries Hook
The inn in Jiexiu County was very simple.

This place could not accommodate the Jinyiwei captains, Dongchang agents, and officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War brought by Wang Chengen.

But there are always more solutions than problems.

Wang Chengen occupied the houses around the post station, allowing the post station staff and officials to temporarily reside elsewhere, thus accommodating his entourage.

At the same time, Wang Chengen was also wary of outsiders spying on the inn.

Outside the post station, he arranged for three groups of Imperial Guards to patrol continuously for twelve hours.

Without his orders, no unauthorized persons are allowed to enter the post station.

now.

The main hall of the inn was dimly lit.

Wang Chengen sat upright in the main seat, and several clever eunuchs came forward to serve him, pouring him ginger soup.

After drinking a bowl of ginger soup, Wang Chengen's heavy head felt lighter again.

At Yunyuxuan, although he was pretending to be drunk, he still drank cup after cup of wine.

Fortunately, he had a decent alcohol tolerance; otherwise, if he hadn't, he probably would have ended up lying on his back after drinking that whole jar of wine.

"Have the night scouts who were sent out returned?"

After Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne, he continued to expand the recruitment of non-official personnel for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although the main personnel were scattered in Beizhili, some were assigned to places like Shanxi and Shaanxi.

In particular, the confiscation of the property of Shanxi merchants was something Zhu Youxiao had planned to do even before he ascended the throne.

In the ancestral homes of the eight major Shanxi merchants, Wei Zhongxian had already bribed many people to act as spies for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Wang Chengen's arrival here naturally meant he was there to receive this intelligence.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, more than twenty have been sent out, and half of them have already returned."

The middle-aged eunuch nodded and said, "Let them come over; we have some questions for them."

"Slave, you obey!"

Soon, the night watchman who had gone out stepped into the hall.

They were not wearing the robes of the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but rather local clothing. Some of them were even native residents of Jiexiu, Shanxi, who had been recruited by the Embroidered Uniform Guard as unofficial members.

After finishing the ginger soup, a serving eunuch brought over hot tea to help him sober up.

Wang Chengen picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and asked, "You've been out investigating for quite some time now. I'm asking you, is the Shanxi merchant Fan Yongdou really dead, or is he faking it?"

Wang Chengen, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, had a cold glint in his eyes. He was extremely skeptical of Fan Yongdou's sudden death.

A local Jinyiwei spy stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, Fan Yongdou has indeed been missing for a month now."

"Just because no one has seen it doesn't mean it's dead."

Wang Chengen put down his teacup and asked again, "When was Fan Yongdou buried, and where is he buried?"

"Replying to Father-in-law, Fan Yongdou was buried half a month ago. The burial site is in the area west of the county town, near the Fan family's ancestral graves."

Wang Chengen's eyes flickered as he asked, "To prove whether Fan Yongdou is truly dead or feigning death, all we need to do is dig up his body. Although half a month has passed, the body should still be easily identifiable."

The scout quickly said, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, sir, Fan Yongdou was cremated."

They've already dug up Fan Yongdou's grave.

I only saw the ashes, not the body.

cremation?

Wang Chengen scoffed and said, "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Cremation is a last resort for the poor who cannot afford a burial plot. Does the Fan family not even have that much money?"

The scout hurriedly reported back, saying, "I heard that Fan Yongdou has fallen ill and must be cremated."

"What a coincidence."

First, he died suddenly, then he fell ill and was cremated. Once he turned to ashes, who could recognize whose ashes they were?
But so many coincidences only made Wang Chengen more suspicious: Fan Yongdou is not dead!
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
Wang Chengen then looked at the others and asked, "Have you thoroughly investigated the Fan family's farmland, shops, warehouses, and the places where they buried their silver?"

The vast ancestral land of the Fan family in Jiexiu could only yield 100,000 taels of silver.

Wang Chengen didn't believe it!
Another scout stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, I have conducted a thorough investigation. The Fan family owns thousands of acres of land, and their shops and warehouses are densely distributed throughout Fenzhou Prefecture. Originally, their assets were not limited to what we seized, but..."

"But what?"

The sordid deeds hidden in the shadows seem to be about to surface.

The Eastern Depot spy continued, "However, the Fan family sold these lands a month ago."

Sold?

They sold just in time!

Wang Chengen sneered; he had vaguely grasped the crux of the matter.

"Who did they all go to?"

“Wang Yunzhang, the magistrate of Jiexiu County, Liu Zunxian, the prefect of Fenzhou Prefecture, and the border generals of Datong and Taiyuan.”

"Sell at a low price?"

An official from the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward and said, "The land price recorded on the red deed is not much different from the market price."

The Ming Dynasty Code stipulated that land transactions must be conducted under a 'red contract' (official contract).

Both the buyer and seller must declare the transaction price to the state or county government.

Because buying and selling land is subject to taxation.

During the Hongwu reign, the tax rate was set at 1/30, but in practice, it fluctuated.

The numbers on the red contract are fine, so it seems like there's no problem.

But Wang Chengen was no novice; he knew the tricks of the trade.

"Is the land being sold mostly high-quality or low-quality?"

During the Ming Dynasty, land taxes were levied according to land grade, with different grades of land having different prices.

Disguising superior land as inferior land is essentially a way to lower the transaction price.

The Ministry of Revenue official answered truthfully: "Most of the land deeds are for inferior land."

"Ah!"

Wang Chengen sneered and said, "It seems that the Fan family bribed the people who were handling the matter in advance. No wonder Wang Yunzhang and Liu Zunxian spoke up for them so much. They must have received benefits. Moreover, these benefits are probably not just selling top-grade land as low-grade land."

Selling superior land at the price of inferior land is just one way to lower the selling price.

Another approach is to use both black and white contracts simultaneously.

The actual transaction uses a 'white deed' (private deed), while a separate 'red deed' at a lower price is drawn up for tax purposes.

The Jiajing edition of the Kunshan County Gazetteer reveals that "the actual price in the market is ten taels, but the tax deed only reports two or three taels."

However, in Jiexiu County, it's probably the opposite.

The price of white deeds was lower, while the price of red deeds was higher, all in order to bribe the prefect of Fenzhou, the magistrate of Jiexiu, and stakeholders in Datong Town and Taiyuan Town!
"Besides buying the Fan family's land, are there any other crimes committed by Liu Zunxian, the prefect of Fenzhou, and Wang Yunzhang, the magistrate of Jiexiu?"

At this moment, an official from the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward and reported: "The report from the Salt Transport Commissioner of Hedong shows that there is a problem of 'fictitious salt permits' in Fenzhou Prefecture, involving more than 3,000 salt permits."

There were more than 3,000 salt permits, which were worth about 18,000 taels of silver. This was no small sum.

"There are still some things to do!"

The Jinyiwei spy who was already in Jiexiu reported: "In September of this year, the Fan family allowed their servants to beat a tenant to death. Liu Zunxian approved the case as 'lenient,' only awarding 10 taels of silver in compensation. This is judicial fraud."

"This year, the Fan family gave Liu Zunxian, the prefect of Fenzhou, two thousand taels of silver, and Wang Yunzhang, the magistrate of Jiexiu, five hundred taels of silver."

"Many of Liu and Wang's children married into Shanxi merchants. For example, Wang Yun's eldest niece married Fan Yongdou's cousin, forming a political alliance."

"Jiexiu County gave the Fan family's caravan twenty travel permits, which were marked 'farm tools' but actually contained three hundred iron pots."

“In Jiexiu County, there are 1200 hectares of illegally occupied land, of which 800 hectares are related to the Fan family, resulting in an annual deficit of 2400 shi of tax grain.”

Since Shanxi is not under the emperor's jurisdiction, these local officials are no different from local tyrants.

Therefore, they are extremely bold.

In the capital, for example, if anyone dared to commit a crime openly, they would have been imprisoned long ago.

However, these people dare to bribe openly and honestly.

Wang Chengen sent his agents out to search for evidence of crimes. In less than half a month, they had gathered a great deal of dirty deeds involving the Fan family, the prefect of Fenzhou, and the magistrate of Jiexiu, which were too numerous to recount.

Hey ~
Wang Chengen let out a long sigh.

You won't know until you come out, and what you find is quite a shock.

The Ming Dynasty was rotten to the core.

Wang Chengen's face revealed a murderous intent!
These people must be dealt with!

but.

When dealing with these people, he also had to guard against popular uprisings and military mutinies.

After all, based on the information he has now, the collusion between officials and businessmen in Shanxi is already quite serious.

If he were to turn against them, he would have to prevent the prefect of Fenzhou and the magistrate of Jiexiu from resorting to desperate measures.

Furthermore, they also had to guard against the border generals in Datong and Taiyuan who had accepted bribes from the Fan family and would resort to underhanded tactics.

After pondering for a long time, Wang Chengen looked at everyone with a solemn expression and asked, "How many soldiers are available in Fenzhou Prefecture? Does anyone keep a private army?"

According to the records, the number of soldiers under the jurisdiction of Fenzhou Prefecture ranged from one thousand to two thousand.

Among them, there were about a thousand garrison soldiers (belonging to the Shanxi Provincial Military Command system).

The patrol office has about 300 archers (stationed at various key passes and checkpoints).

There were about eighty constables in the government office (responsible for maintaining order and apprehending thieves).

In addition to these conventional military forces, Fenzhou Prefecture also has special military forces.

The Salt Transport Office had 100-150 guards (to protect the salt lake east of the river).
Each postal relay soldier consisted of 30-50 men (to ensure the smooth flow of official roads).

As for the Jiexiu magistrate's direct armed forces, there were only about fifty men in the county government's guards.

Of course, there are so many people on the surface, but the actual number is unknown.

A spy who knew the details stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, the Fan family has more than 200 militiamen in Jiexiu. In the past month, both Fenzhou Prefecture and Jiexiu County have temporarily conscripted 500 civilians due to the salt workers' uprising at the Hedong Salt Lake."

The Ming Dynasty today is actually a powder keg.

Small-scale peasant uprisings continued.

The same applies to Shanxi.

Specialized groups such as salt workers, migrants, bankrupt farmers, military households, artisan households, and boat households frequently rioted due to unbearable oppression.

Furthermore, the White Lotus sect was active in Fenzhou, Pingyang, and other areas in southern Shanxi.

I'm ready to give you a big one anytime.

Without the local militia and fortified villages, the Fan family would have been unable to protect their property, and the Fenzhou government would have found it difficult to suppress the uprising without conscripting local militia.

Hearing the scout's words, Wang Chengen felt even heavier.

He continued, "Did the people of the Shanxi Provincial Military Command and the Provincial Surveillance Commission collude with the Fan family?"

The scout replied, "The Fan family sends tribute to the Shanxi Provincial Military Command and the Provincial Surveillance Commission every year."

The Shanxi Military Command and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office were in charge of a portion of the military forces in Shanxi.

The garrison troops were under the jurisdiction of the Shanxi Provincial Military Command, while the archers of the patrol and inspection offices were under the jurisdiction of the Shanxi Provincial Surveillance Commission.

If neither of these is clean either.

Therefore, the force he will have to deal with this time when he raids the Fan family's property is probably more than three thousand people.

This is only Fenzhou Prefecture. If the border troops of Datong Town and Taiyuan Town are included, the situation will be even more serious.

Fortunately, he wasn't entirely unprepared.

Where are the Zhejiang and Sichuan soldiers?

That's right.

Zhu Youxiao knew long ago that to confiscate the property of Shanxi merchants, he couldn't rely solely on local soldiers; he needed to rely on foreign troops!

Early on, troops from Zhejiang and Sichuan were dispatched to Shanxi.

The accompanying commander of the Imperial Guards said, "It's still three days' journey to Fenzhou Prefecture."

Three days?
Ha ha!

Then, in three days, we will wipe out all the evil spirits and monsters in Fenzhou Prefecture!
Wang Chengen looked at the Jinyiwei and Dongchang spies and said, "You have done a good job, go down and receive your reward. Also, arrange for people to secretly monitor Wang Yunchang and Liu Zunxian to see if they have been to any places recently."

Since Fan Yongdou faked his death, then...
He must be somewhere hidden in Jiexiu!
Only by finding him can this raid on his property be truly complete!
And the other side.

In the warm chamber of Yunyuxuan, the smell of wine wafted among the leftovers and cold dishes.

The banquet was not over yet.

Liu Zunxian unconsciously stroked the celadon wine cup with his fingertips.

The musicians behind the screen had already left, but the courtesan Dongniang was being held in Wang Yunchang's arms, her lotus-colored gauze skirt crumpled up.

“This eunuch is behaving very strangely. I believe he is doing this on purpose to lower our guard.”

Liu Zunxian, the prefect of Fenzhou, was not overly optimistic.

After Wang Chengen left, he finally realized what had happened.

Wang Yunzhang was currently holding Dongniang, the courtesan who had been given to Wang Chengen, and felt very reluctant to part with her. He said with some anger:
"We've already given him the people and taken the money, so he has no choice but to go along with us. If we suspect him, then what's the point of us being here?"

"Foolish!"

Liu Zunxian suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling Dongniang so much that the wine pot in her hand trembled.

When he saw that Wang Yunzhang was so reluctant to part with a courtesan, he immediately gritted his teeth in anger.

You call those two successful candidates in the imperial examinations nonsense? You treat a geisha who's been discarded by a merchant like a treasure? Do you really want to marry her?

Official prostitutes are just commodities.

If you really fall in love, you'll have disgraced your entire Wang family for eighteen generations!

hiss~
Liu Zunxian took a deep breath, concealing his anger, and said, "That eunuch dared to dig up the Fan family's ancestral graves, would he really be greedy for such a small amount of silver?"

Wang Yunchang chuckled and pinched Dongniang's waist: "Prefect, you're overthinking it. Didn't you see the way he held Dongniang? His hand was practically digging into her flesh, and he looked so lecherous. He really likes Dongniang; it doesn't seem fake."

Liu Zunxian frowned, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his teacup. He said in a low voice, "Wang Chengen is deeply trusted by the Emperor and is always cautious in his actions. If he is truly feigning acceptance of gifts while secretly plotting something, I'm afraid we might be in trouble."

Wang Yunchang scoffed and waved his hand to interrupt, saying, "I think the Prefect is worrying unnecessarily! No matter how capable a eunuch is, can he turn the world upside down in Shanxi? The Fan family's silver has already been spread throughout the Military Command and the Provincial Surveillance Commission, and even the officers in the border towns have been bribed. If Wang Chengen dares to make a move, he will be making an enemy of the entire Shanxi!"

He tilted his head back and downed a glass of wine, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"Moreover, those mad dogs of the White Lotus Sect have long hated the imperial court to the bone. If we really push them too far, all we need is a secret letter, and the 'righteous people' will take care of the trouble for us."

The night was deep outside the window, and the faint sounds of string and bamboo instruments from Yunyu Pavilion could not conceal Liu Zunxian's unease.

He lowered his voice and said, "But there are three groups of Imperial Guards patrolling outside the inn day and night. How can the White Lotus Sect members get close? If the assassination fails, they will only give themselves away."

"What are you afraid of!"

Wang Yunchang slammed his hand on the table, making the wine pot rattle loudly.

“Our men have been keeping a close watch on the area around the post station for a long time. Those Imperial Guards? Ha, there are quite a few of their own men among the soldiers of Fenzhou Prefecture. If we really want to make a move, all it takes is one order, and the post station will be engulfed in flames.”

He gave a sinister smile and said sharply, "When the time comes, you can simply claim it's a riot by rioters, and there will be no way to prove it!"

Liu Zunxian remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed: "I hope so. It's just that Dongniang didn't go to the post station, so she's missing a pair of eyes."

"A woman's view!"

Wang Yunchang scoffed, "What good is a prostitute? It would be better to have the Fan family spend more money to smooth things over."

Dongniang was the girl he loved, but now Liu Zunxian had given her to a eunuch.

In the few remaining days, he naturally had to cherish Dongniang dearly.

otherwise
If that eunuch really takes him to the capital, he'll never see Dongniang again in his life.

Liu Zunxian saw through Wang Yunchang's lecherous nature and felt utterly contemptuous, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

Pig mate!
Hopefully, this won't cause any problems.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his voice, asking, "Is Fan Yongdou dead or not?"

Wang Yun shook his head.

Liu Zunxian frowned even more deeply and asked, "Where is he hiding? Is he still safe?"

Wang Yunchang released Dongniang's hand, leaned close to Liu Zunxian's ear, and whispered almost inaudibly: "The cellar of 'Jishantang' in the south of the city is connected to a secret passage dug by the Fan family in their early years, which leads directly to the mass grave outside the city."

Liu Zunxian frowned, his fingertips slamming heavily on the table: "Foolish! Wang Chengen even dared to dig up the Fan family's ancestral graves, how could he let Jishantang off the hook? That eunuch is ruthless; if he finds even the slightest clue..."

Wang Yunchang chuckled sinisterly and said, "Don't worry, Prefect. The entrance to that cellar is extremely well hidden and will be difficult for outsiders to spot. Besides, Fan Yongdou has twenty bodyguards with him, each armed with a three-barreled gun. If you try to force your way in, you might not come out unscathed."

Liu Zunxian was still uneasy and gritted his teeth, saying, "Tell him to set off as soon as possible and get out of the pass as quickly as possible! If we delay any longer, we will both be implicated!"

Wang Yunchang looked troubled and said in a low voice, "But that old fox can't bear to part with his family business and refuses to leave no matter what."

"Can't help him!"

Liu Zunxian slammed his hand on the table, causing the wine cups to overturn.

"Is your life more important, or your family fortune? Go and tell him yourself: As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. If he doesn't leave and implicates everyone, I will send people to find all the Fan clan members he's hiding in and raid Jishan Hall. At that point, whether he's truly dead or faking it will be out of his hands!"

A night wind suddenly swept past the window, causing the candlelight to flicker.

Dongniang flinched, but then saw Liu Zunxian and Wang Yunchang's shadows twisting like ghosts on the wall.

For the sake of their own careers and lives, if Fan Yongdou did not heed their advice, they would have no choice but to turn him into a dead man and truly burn him to ashes.

after all.

The dead cannot speak, and their ashes cannot affect them.

Inside the cellar of "Jishantang" in the south of the city, the damp air was filled with the smell of mildew and the scorching of lamp oil.

Fan Yongdou leaned back in a grand chair covered with fox fur, his fingertips stroking a jade thumb ring, listening with narrowed eyes to the news brought back by his son Fan Sanba's servants.

“Father, Wang Chengen did indeed accept the courtesan sent by Prefect Liu, and even praised her for being sensible in public.”

Fan Sanba lowered his voice, unable to hide his smugness, and couldn't help but hum softly.

"Our informant at the post station said that the eunuch not only accepted 10,000 taels of silver notes, but also specifically asked for 5,000 taels of cash to bribe his entourage. He even moved the boxes containing the silver into the inner courtyard. We could hear the sound of an abacus being used at night. It seems that our Fan family has passed this calamity."

Fan Yongdou let out a cold laugh, the candlelight casting shadows on his deeply lined face: "A eunuch is still a eunuch. No matter how noble he pretends to be, he's still greedy at heart."

He grabbed the secret letter from the table and shook it.

"The Taiyuan Garrison Commander just delivered a message that the Jin Kingdom urgently needs ironware and is willing to pay double the price in exchange for ginseng, furs, and silver. Now that we've dealt with the eunuch who was ordered to confiscate our property, we should get rid of this batch of goods as soon as possible. The original price already yielded a profit of six or seven times, and with double the price, we can make more than ten times the profit. This is an opportunity not to be missed!"

Fan Yongdou's eyes gleamed with gold as he said, "If someone else snatches this business, we'll regret it."

If Zhu Youxiao had seen Fan Yongdou in this state, he would surely have recalled the famous quote from *Das Kapital*:

Capital fears the absence of profit or too little profit as much as nature fears a vacuum. Once there is a suitable profit, capital becomes bold. With a 10% profit, it will be used everywhere; with a 20% profit, it becomes active; with a 50% profit, it will take risks; for a 100% profit, it will dare to trample on all human laws; with a 300% profit, it will dare to commit any crime, even risking the gallows.

Now that Fan Yongdou's life and fortune are in danger, he's thinking about making money.

The thought process of businessmen is indeed difficult for ordinary people to understand.

Fan Sanba also felt that his father was obsessed with money, and quickly advised, "Father, I think we should wait until the case of those who raided our house is closed before doing it. We can still make money that way."

"Foolish! If you don't go and make the money, someone else will. Go and make arrangements!"

Fan Sanba had no choice but to accept the order.

"This old servant has something important to report."

Just then, Old Zhou, the manager, came over, his Adam's apple bobbing, and said to Fan Yongdou:
“Master, Chief Wang just sent someone to say that Prefect Liu is urging us to set off tonight to leave Shanxi and head to the border. He said that if we don’t leave soon, he will send people to find all the Fan family members you’ve hidden and to raid Jishantang.”

"What's the rush! What's there to be afraid of?"

Fan Yongdou slammed his hand on the table, causing the foam in the teacup to scatter everywhere.

“Since Wang Chengen accepted the gift, he has tacitly agreed to our survival. You should tell Wang Yunchang to swallow his anger.”

"This"

Old Zhou looked troubled.

"I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the prefect and county magistrate."

"Humph!"

Fan Yongdou snorted coldly and said, "They've taken so much money from us, how can they do nothing? If I die, their dirty deeds will be exposed to the emperor in a few days. We share the same fate, and we share the same fate. Don't think that just because you're an official, you can look down on me, a mere merchant!"

Old Zhou had no choice but to tell the truth.

His reply naturally enraged Liu Zunxian, but he was helpless and could only keep sending people to persuade Fan Yongdou to leave Shanxi as soon as possible.

Several more days passed.

Inside the cellar, Old Zhou, having finished his business, came to report.

"Master, the armor has all been sent out. I heard that Wang Chengen and his men are preparing to depart in a month."

Fan Yongdou looked displeased and said, "A month? That's too slow. Has the White Lotus Sect not made a move yet?"

"Shh~"

He suddenly fell silent, as he heard the soft sound of tiles shifting above his head.

Fan Sanba blew out the candle with lightning speed.

In the darkness, the twenty assassins simultaneously cocked their three-eyed muskets, aiming the muzzles at the hidden door in the cellar ceiling.

After a while, a gray squirrel scurried by, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"My father is too cautious."

Fan Sanba relit the candles, only to see Fan Yongdou using a dagger to pry open the floor tiles, revealing a dark hole—a secret passage leading directly to the mass grave outside the city. Fresh bloodstains still clung to the entrance.

"I've been living in fear for over a month, I've really become a rat. I never want to live like this again."

Fan Yongdou was filled with emotion. He kicked the blood-stained rope at the cave entrance and said:

"Did you see that? We just executed two tenant farmers this morning who tried to inform on us. If Wang Chengen dares to come, he'll never leave alive!"

Do you think the village guards he raised are vegetarians?
Knock knock knock!
Three long and two short knocks came from deep within the secret passage.

The assassins tensed up instantly.

Fan Yongdou burst into laughter: "They're our salt workers!"

He personally opened the hidden door and let in a man with a face covered in soot, who was none other than Zhao Tiezhao, the leader disguised as a mob.

"Master Fan, the brothers are causing trouble at the salt lake!" Zhao Tiezhao said, panting heavily.

"As you instructed, the banner of 'White Lotus Rebellion' has been raised. Prefect Liu has just dispatched three hundred militiamen to suppress it."

Fan Yongdou clapped his hands and laughed, his wrinkles around his eyes revealing a viciousness: "Good! Let the government and the rioters fight like dogs. Once they see that they're about to incite a popular uprising, that eunuch Wang Chengen will definitely run away as fast as he can and leave tomorrow. Then we won't have to live like this anymore."

Suddenly, a night owl howled outside the cellar.

Fan Sanba pushed open the ventilator a crack and caught a glimpse of the night sky in the direction of the post station, illuminated red by torches.

His pupils constricted sharply: "Father, the Imperial Guards at the post station are moving south of the city!"

"Why panic!"

Fan Yongdou slowly put on his mink earmuffs and said calmly, "Perhaps they are militiamen sent by Prefect Liu to suppress the rioters, or perhaps they are rioters themselves, about to surround the post station. Wang Chengen must be afraid now. Those foreigners."

Before Fan Yongdou could finish speaking, the expression on his face suddenly froze.

A sharp whistle rang out in the distance.

"Beep--"

That was a warning from the Fan family's hidden agents.

Fan Yongdou's expression changed drastically.

what's the situation?
Could it be that the White Lotus sect's rebels have come here?

(End of this chapter)