Chapter 505 506 Mine
After Zhaocai came out of Chengjia Village, he was not in a hurry to go back to the city. He carried the basket and continued walking. He walked around a small village before taking an ox cart back to the city. He found a few restaurants in the city and sold some After dropping the eggs, I made more than 50 yuan. I happily took the money and walked to the small courtyard.
Before the city gate closed, several carriages came out of Chengjia Village and went directly into the city to the Chengjia mansion.
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Zhou Jia waited in the small courtyard until Ding Yi came back, and went to a teahouse called Biyuanchun with Ding Yi. After entering the teahouse, they went to the yard behind the teahouse. A fair-skinned middle-aged man in his thirties was waiting there. .
The middle-aged man smiled and bowed and said: "The shopkeeper of Yuezhou Sihai Bank, Chushan has met Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Jia smiled and returned the greeting, "Shopkeeper Chu is polite, I'm sorry to bother you, shopkeeper Chu."
After the two sat down, Ding Yi went to guard the door.
Chu Shan smiled and said: "His Majesty has ordered us to fully cooperate with you and protect your safety. The grocery store next to the inn where you are staying belongs to us. You can live there with peace of mind."
"Thank you!" After Zhou Jia bowed his hands and saluted, he looked at Chu Shan and asked, "Shopkeeper Chu, how is the situation in Yuezhou?"
Chu Shan took out a file and handed it to Zhou Jia, "The prefect Feng Qing has a close relationship with the head of the Cheng family. The co-prefect is Feng Qing's yes man. From top to bottom in the prefect's yamen, only Wu Hualin, the general judge, is clean. I will report all the news." Your Majesty."
Chu Shan paused for a moment and continued: "A few days ago, the secret guards investigated the Cheng family. In the past few years, they have recruited many young men from various places. I asked people to search all the houses of the Cheng family. I haven’t found out where those people were sent, so I wonder if they opened an iron mine.”
"Iron mines have opened." Zhou Jia stood up in shock at Chu Shan's guess, "Have you checked where there are iron mines in Yuezhou?"
Chu Shan took out a map from his pocket, pointed at it and said: "This is about ten days' journey from Yuezhou Prefecture. There is iron ore in Qingyue Peak Mountain in Qingyue County. When the late emperor was in power, it was mined by the Cheng family. .I sent secret guards to check at the beginning of the month. The secret guards found no abnormalities in the original mining area.
When I came back, I hid in a cave during heavy rain. I found a corpse inside. Judging from the skeleton, he was tall. I found remnants of arrows in his calf bones. I have already sent the news back to Kyoto. "
Zhou Jia looked at the map and saw that Qingyue Peak was full of continuous mountains and forests. If Magistrate Feng really colluded with the Cheng family to open iron mines privately, would there be any need to find other evidence? Just like this, the Cheng family and Magistrate Feng could be confiscated and exiled.
"There must be something wrong with the iron ore in Qingyue Mountain. They must be hiding in a quite hidden place to secretly mine the iron ore. Otherwise, where would the Cheng family have the confidence to steal the eldest prince?
Since they are recruiting young and strong men and sending two unfamiliar secret guards there, what do you think? "
Chu Shan nodded, "I also plan to use this method. Yuezhou is short of manpower, and the people here have their own things to do. I have already sent a message to the general manager to send someone over."
"The big shopkeeper went to Liangzhou. I'm afraid it will take him half a year to go back and forth." Zhou Jia glanced at Ding Yi, "Ding Yi and Hu Jin are strangers. I think it's better to let them go to Qingyue County separately. Shopkeeper Chu Send someone to follow Ding Yi, and if everything goes well, we should be able to find out where the Cheng family mines ore."
Chu Shan hesitated for a moment and glanced at Ding Yi who was guarding the door. "Their mission is to protect you, but they are afraid..."
Zhou Jia waved his hand and said: "My two stewards still have some skills, and I can also ask the people in the grocery store to protect me. If the matter is urgent, follow the authority. That's the decision."
Chu Shan could only nod, and Zhou Jia said to Ding Yi: "Guard Ding, you heard what I just said. I also ask you and Hu Cheng to go to Qingyue County to investigate Qingyue Mountain."
"Yes." Ding Yi responded briefly.
Chushan said to him: "I will check it first and prepare a new road guide for them. I will send it to the grocery store next door at the next moment. After you arrive in Qingyue County, go to the Qingyue Inn in the town and show that you have no relatives to rely on. You want to If you are looking for work, someone will come to you. If they take the bait, I will have people follow you secretly."
"Yes." Ding Yi briefly agreed, and Zhou Jia took Ding Yi to leave and returned to the small courtyard.
Zhaocai told several people what he found in Chengjia Village, "Sir, it was heavily guarded there. I left there with a load, and someone followed me secretly until I left Chengjia Village, and then they stopped following me."
Zhou Jia said: "It seems that the eldest prince really lives in Chengjia Village, in one of those houses, most likely the third one. If we can find proof that the Cheng family and Feng Zhifu privately opened iron mines, other The evidence against him is of no importance, and only Ding Yi has seen the eldest prince here, and he also asked Guard Ding to go and investigate with Zhaocai Chucheng."
Ding nodded in agreement and said, "Let's go after we leave the city."
At the eleventh hour, Hu Cheng went to the grocery store next door to retrieve the directions for the two of them. Ding Yi didn't like to talk and was mute. He returned to Qingyue County to visit relatives. Hu Cheng also returned from other places to visit relatives and friends.
Zhaocai and Ding Yi changed into black and gray coarse cloth clothes. Ding Yi carried a baggage with Hu Cheng and Zhaocai, and the three of them went out to the east city gate one after another.
After leaving the city, Hu Cheng carried his luggage and continued walking. Ding Yi and Zhaocai stayed in the woods outside the city until midnight before coming out of the woods.
Ding Yi took out a packet of medicinal powder from the bamboo basket, sprinkled some on himself, handed it to Zhaocai, and said, "The dog won't bark if it smells it."
After taking the fortune and spreading it on themselves, the two of them quickly walked towards Chengjia Village.
Zhaocai took Ding Yi to the row of houses not far away. Ding Yi signaled him to stay here to take care of him, but he disappeared like a ghost.
As soon as Ding arrived outside the first house, he jumped up on the wall, tiptoed a little, and reached the yard. He approached the house like a ghost, stood outside and listened for a while, then turned around and walked out of the yard.
When we arrived at the third building, there was still nothing suspicious, not even a single guard showed up. After checking the houses, nothing was found.
As soon as Ding returned to the place where Zhao Cai was waiting, the two disappeared into the night.
After leaving Chengjia Village, Ding Yi said to the fortune teller, "There is none there, and there are no guards to protect it."
Zhaocai nodded, "Maybe my appearance has alerted the enemy. Should you go directly to Qingyue County?"
Ding Yi rushed to Zhaocai and said goodbye, and the two of them left separately.
The next day, Zhaocai returned to the courtyard and told Zhou Jia the results of the investigation. The three of them all lamented the eldest prince's vigilance.
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Ding Yi and Hu Cheng arrived in Qingyue County one after another and stayed at the Qingyue Inn. They both lived in the same bunkhouse. Within an hour, Hu Cheng became brothers with the black-faced man who lived with him.
Several people stayed in the inn for one night. Early the next morning, the black-faced man looked at Ding Yi who was sitting there blankly and poked Hu Cheng, "Brother Niu, why didn't that little brother say a word? "
Hu Cheng shook his head and walked up to Ding Yi, "Where did the little brother come from?"
Ding glanced at him, handed the road guide to Hu Cheng, and lowered his head.
Hu Cheng took the road guide and smiled to himself, "It recognizes me, but I don't recognize it."
"Show me, I still know two characters." The black-faced man reached out and took the road guide from Hu Cheng's hand, "Oh! This little brother turns out to be mute!"