"What? Something happened to Master Zhang?"
"That's not true." Wang Chuer shook his head, and then said to Zhu Shenzui: "This Master Zhang is very weird. He usually stays in the yard where he lives and rarely goes out. Even if he goes out, he just walks around the village a few times. , look here, look over there and so on.”
"He didn't ask anyone to inquire?" Zhu Shenzui asked.
"I asked a few questions in the first few days when I came to the village, but then I stopped asking. Moreover, this man rarely talks to people. Even when he is wandering around the village, he will not take the initiative to talk to you. Unless you talk to him yourself, he will only reply a few words." Wang Chuer said, and then said to Zhu Shenzui: "To be honest, even my uncle can't see clearly what Master Zhang is thinking, but don't worry, Mr. Liu, we will all remember what you told us. , Master Zhang will be followed wherever he goes in the village, and nothing will go wrong."
"Well, that's it."
Zhu Shenzui nodded, but he was thinking about Zhang Xijun in his heart. Wang Rong said that he couldn't see through Zhang Xijun. In fact, Zhu Shenzui was the same.
Although Zhu Shenzui vaguely guessed that Zhang Xijun was not a simple person, especially his true origin might be deeper than imagined.
The reason why I agreed to Zhang Xijun in the first place was because of Zhang Xijun's request. Secondly, it was also considered that it would be more appropriate for Zhang Xijun to stay in Wangjiacun than in Yangtoushan.
Zhang Xijun has a mysterious origin and a thoughtful mind. Although his identity may not be as simple as it appears, especially what Zhang Xijun said to Zhu Shenzui at the beginning made Zhu Shenzui even more curious about this person.
If he were left in Yangtou Mountain, Li Hu would definitely not be able to defeat Zhang Xijun based on his IQ. In addition, Zhang Xijun had known Li Hu for a long time and trusted him quite a bit, so it became an uncertain variable.
Since Zhang Xijun took the initiative to find Zhu Shenzui and offered to follow him to leave Yangtou Mountain and said what he said, Zhu Shenzui thought about it and directly gave him a question based on Zhang Xijun's suggestion. As long as Zhang Xijun could complete the question, he would do it. Take Zhang Xijun away.
I originally thought that it would be difficult for Zhang Xijun to convince Li Hu, but I didn't expect that the result would be much simpler than he imagined. Now that Li You is in Wangjiacun, Li Hu's side has also stabilized. Zhang Xijun has contributed. More importantly, Zhang Xijun's words played into Zhu Shenzui's hands. Such a smart man who has read books, once he can recover, It might help in the future.
But even so, Zhu Shenzui did not take Zhang Xijun away when he left Wangjiacun. Instead, he left him in Wangjiacun and asked Wang Rong to find someone to look after him.
Zhang Xijun's freedom in Wangjiacun is not low. As long as he does not leave Wangjiacun, no one will care about him wherever he lives or wanders around the village. Now it seems that Zhang Xijun understands this restriction very well. No matter what, he has never wanted to leave Wangjiacun.
"Master Zhang, didn't you ask anyone for information about me?"
Wang Chuer tilted his head and thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "I don't know about this, at least I haven't heard of it. How about I go back to the village and find out?"
"Forget it, stop asking, just keep an eye on him. As long as he is safe and sound in Wangjia Village, let him be." Zhu Shenzui waved his hand.
Zhu Shenzui was going to let Zhang Xijun dry out and let him stay in Wangjiacun for a while and take a good look at him.
After all, the origin of this person, how he will be used in the future, and whether he is trustworthy are all still ambiguous. In addition, it is already winter now, and Zhu Shenzui will not go to Wangjia Village in the coming days. It is not too late to wait until after the New Year.
Wang Chuer didn't stay at Zhu Shenzui's side for long. After finishing speaking, he stood up and prepared to leave.
Zhu Shenzui did not leave him alone, but asked him to bring a few words to his uncle Wang Rong and cousin Wang Jinwu, and asked if he wanted to help when he went shopping in the city later.
Wang Chuer said no, so he just bought some ordinary things. There would be a big bus going back in a while, and he happened to take the bus back. Now he had to go to Nanshi to meet up.
In this case, Zhu Shenzui didn't say much and stood up to see Wang Chuer out.
When he arrived at the door and opened the courtyard door, Wang Chuer stepped out. He turned around and said with a smile, "Sixth Master, stay here" and he was leaving.
Zhu Shenzui nodded and told him to pay attention to safety along the way, and then saw Wang Chuer walking quickly towards Nanshi. After a while, Wang Chuer's figure disappeared at the street corner in front. Zhu Shenzui was about to turn around and return to the courtyard. As soon as his front feet crossed the threshold, and before he could enter, he heard a voice greeting him from far behind.
Turning around, following the sound, I saw Zhu Minchu coming from the east in a hurry. He was walking very fast in the winter, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
"Uncle Six!"
"How did you come?"
"Fifth brother is at Xiao Shiba's house. I'm here to see you..." As he said that, Zhu Minchu lowered his voice and said: "Last time you gave some clues to the investigation. Everyone is thinking about asking you to come over and talk about this. What to do next, and you have to make an idea about what to do next.”
Since Zhu Shenzhui gave the three of them the task of inquiring about information last time, the three of them have been busy these days and have been busy with this matter. Zhu Shenzui did not push him in the middle, but Zhu Minzhu came to see Zhu Shenzui once on behalf of the three of them and reported on the progress.
However, Zhu Shenzui didn't say much, he just asked them to continue to inquire carefully, and gave them several directions, asking them to inquire clearly before speaking. This matter is not urgent. The key is to have accurate information. This is the most important thing.
Today, Zhu Minzhu came to look for him again and asked him to visit Zhu Qiuqi, saying that he had some clues about the news. Hearing what he said, Zhu Shenzui raised his eyebrows and told him to wait a moment. Then he went back to the house to get a robe and put it on, and then went outside the main house to say hello to his sister-in-law Mrs. Zhang inside. Only then did he arrive outside the door again.
He walked out of the door, closed it, and told Zhu Minsu to leave.
The two of them headed towards Zhu Qiuqi's small courtyard together. Because it snowed last night, there was a lot of snow on the road. The road was a little difficult to walk along the way. It took them more time than usual to arrive at Zhu Qiuqi's house. Home.
Zhu Qiuqi and Zhu Minfeng opened the door after knocking on the door. When they saw them, they called uncle and fifth uncle (fifth brother) and invited them to enter the hospital.
After entering the courtyard, he went straight to the main room. It was much warmer inside than outside. After taking off his outer robe, Zhu Shenzui sat down directly. After he took his seat, the other three people also sat down separately.
"Uncle, it's cold. Please drink some hot tea first." Zhu Qiuqi diligently picked up the teapot and poured Zhu Shenzui a cup of tea.
Smelling the aroma of tea, Zhu Shenzui glanced at him with a smile. Zhu Qiuqi said sheepishly that when his uncle comes, he must have good tea. In the past, he was poor and had no money to buy good tea, but now it was not his uncle who took care of him some time ago. What? I finally had some money, so I bought a couple of good teas to treat my uncle.
Zhu Shenzui nodded slightly without saying anything, picked up the tea and took a sip, then put the tea cup in his hand to warm his palms.
"Lao Wu told me that the information I asked you to inquire about earlier has some clues?" Zhu Shenzui asked directly without beating around the bush.
"Uncle Wu is right, he does have some clues. From my side..." Zhu Qiuqi said impatiently, and then began to talk about the information he had obtained.
Zhu Shenzui didn't say anything, and listened carefully to what he asked about while drinking tea. Zhu Qiuqi had been quite concerned about this matter since the last time they met. In fact, it was not just him, but the other two as well.
The three clans may not be able to do other things, but they are quite talented at inquiring about information. Among them, Zhu Qiuqi mainly inquired about the Liu family's connections in the officialdom. Zhu Minfeng was responsible for the Liu family's situation in the business circle. As for Zhu Minsu, Because of his personality, he is responsible for collecting the secrets of the Liu family.
The three of them worked hard and indeed got a lot of information. As they told each story one by one, a lot of information began to be gathered to Zhu Shenzui.
To be honest, if Zhu Shenzui had asked Zhu Shenzui to inquire about this information himself, it would not be so detailed and complete. Listening to their stories, I secretly remembered that I gradually gained a clear understanding of the situation of the Liu family, including Liu Shancheng himself. .
Zhu Shenzui had some understanding of Liu Shancheng before, but he didn't know much. As the news was compiled, the entire Liu family's context became clearer, and the situation of the Liu family was roughly understood.
I have to admit that the Liu family is not an ordinary merchant. It is indeed a famous large merchant in Pingyang Prefecture.
The Liu family not only has many local connections, but also has connections in several prefectures in Shanxi. Among them, the Tongzhi of Pingyang Prefecture, the Tongpan of Taiyuan Prefecture, and the Datong Prefecture all have connections. It is said that there are even people in the Shanxi Governor's Yamen. .
In addition, there is the military. Qianhu in several guard stations also have a close relationship with the Liu family. Datong Youwei and Yulin guards are brothers with Liu Shancheng. It is said that they have a close relationship with the Liu family and the Mongols. There is still a certain share of border trade business.
These are all on the surface, not to mention the secret ones plus those unsavory relationships. The Liu family has been operating in Shanxi for several generations. It has been nearly a hundred years since they made their fortune during the Jiajing period. It is normal to have such a network of relationships. Otherwise, the Liu family's business would not be so large, and it would be impossible for them to become a famous merchant in Pingyang Mansion.
