Zhu Shenzui, who was wearing a gray cotton robe, held his jujube stick in his hand and walked along the familiar path to Wangjiacun.
In the past few days, the snow has stopped, but the snow from a winter has not yet melted. The official road is still easy to walk, but this small road is not. Under the heavy snow cover, it was difficult to see the path clearly. Fortunately, Zhu Shenzui often traveled to Wangjiacun and followed his memory, and it took him a while to arrive safely.
Approaching Wangjia Village, he saw the village in front of him from a distance. Zhu Shenzui, who was slightly out of breath, couldn't help but smile. He quickened his pace and continued walking forward, reaching the intersection outside the village.
"Master Liu, why are you here?" Wang Hong, who was hiding in the dark, suddenly ran out with a look of surprise on his face.
Looking at Wang Hong's face, which was slightly blue from the cold, and the ice on his eyebrows due to anger, Zhu Shenzui greeted him with a smile.
"Are you guarding the village entrance today? Is it cold?"
"It's not cold. I've already gotten used to it. Someone will come to take my place in half an hour. Then I'll be fine if I go back and warm myself up by the fire." Wang Hong said happily, stamping his feet. Ever since Zhu Shenzui took Wangjiacun to walk on salt, he has given Wangjiacun has set a rule that no matter what time, someone must be guarded at the entrance of the village, day or night.
This rule was not taken seriously by the people of Wangjiacun at first, but it has been continued under Zhu Shenzui's forced implementation and the support of his uncle Wang Rong. Just like the last time I came to Wangjiacun, the person guarding it was Wang Chuer, and today it is Same as Wang Hong.
Small things lead to big things, and some things cannot be careless, not only because Zhu Shenzui and Wang Jiacun teamed up to do the decapitation business, and the consequences of a little negligence would be serious. And borrowing this incident, Zhu Shenzui also planned to integrate the children of Wangjiacun and use this method to train and cultivate his own team.
The results of the implementation over the past few years are good. The entire Wangjia Village looks ordinary from the outside, but in fact it is no different from the camp. Even because of the implementation, Wangjia Village is more difficult for outsiders to approach than ordinary military camps. If something happens, outsiders will be discovered by the secret sentry before they even enter the village.
Asking Wang Hong to continue to guard and pay attention to the situation outside the village, Zhu Shenzui walked directly along the road into the village.
Because it is still cold, most people in the village are sitting in their homes, looking very deserted. Zhu Shenzui arrived at his uncle's house quickly, raised his hand and patted the door twice. After a moment, the door opened from the inside.
"Sixth Master!" Li You who opened the door saw Zhu Shenzui and shouted in surprise. Then he turned back and shouted inside: "Master! Master! Sixth Master is here!"
It looks like Li You is now living with Wang Jinwu's family. Wang Jinwu already told him this when he went to Pingyang on the second day of the year to find him. Wang Jinwu accepted Li You as his apprentice. Now it seems that Wang Jinwu is really good to his apprentice. He directly took Li You to live in his home. Looking at Li You, he looked stronger and taller than when he was in Sheep Head Mountain.
Hearing the sound, Wang Rong and Wang Jinwu came out of the house and were very happy to see Zhu Shenzui coming. Wang Rong quickly called Zhu Shenzui inside to warm himself by the fire. The snow had not melted during the journey, and Zhu Shenzui's feet were covered with slush.
"Brother Six, why are you here today? I have been thinking for a few days that you will not come until next month." Wang Jinwu said to Zhu Shenzui with a smile, and said that it would be better to come earlier, which happened to be I came to stay in Wangjiacun for a few more days. I didn't succeed last time. This time I had to spar. Wang Jinwu was not idle all winter. Not only did he teach his disciples at home, he also kept practicing his own boxing and kicks.
"Get out of here, you bastard. Didn't you see that your cousin just arrived? Where's the point in treating guests like this? Why don't you go make a pot of tea quickly?" Wang Rong scolded with a smile, then raised his kick and kicked Wang Jinwu in the butt.
Wang Jinwu dodged and murmured that Zhu Shenzui was not an outsider, so what kind of guest was his cousin?
Besides, the discussion was agreed upon last time, so how could it be that I was wrong? But he complained, but he didn't dare to raise his voice. He knew his father's fiery temper. If he really beat himself up, he would be harsh. In the past, it was just that. Now that he has accepted a disciple, he wants to show his father that he has beaten him. Damn it, where can he put his face as a master?
After sending Wang Jinwu away, Wang Rong took Zhu Shenzui into the house. There was a fire burning in the house, which was much warmer than outside.
He took off his thick cotton robe and boots covered with snow and mud, got on the kang, and sat across from Wang Rong, talking.
"Uncle, this is a New Year's gift for you. It's a little late, so don't blame me." He handed the New Year's gift to Wang Rong. These were the snacks he bought at the best pastry shop in Pingyang Mansion. Although it is now the Lantern Festival The festival has passed, but for Zhu Shenzui, rules are still necessary. As long as the first lunar month is not out, it is still the middle of the year, but this ceremony is indeed later than normal.
Wang Rong didn't care at all and accepted it with a smile. Putting the New Year's gifts aside, he asked Zhu Shenzui how things were going at home. Zhu Shenzui said everything was fine at home and the New Year was going smoothly, which reassured his uncle.
While they were talking, Wang Jinwu and Li You brought the tea. They originally planned to sit down and chat together. However, Wang Rong did not tolerate him, and gave the new year's gift that Zhu Shenzui brought to Wang Jinwu, and asked him to take Li You to his room to rest.
Wang Jinwu understood as soon as he heard this that his father and cousin had something to say privately. He responded and took Li You out. After they left, the door was closed and Zhu Shenzui subconsciously turned towards the door. After taking a look, he asked about Li You's situation.
"This kid has a good heart. Although he is young, he is very sensible. I agree with Jinwu accepting him as a disciple. He moved here two months ago. He can be regarded as Jinwu's companion. He is also popular as a new addition to the family. More prosperous." Wang Rong said with a smile.
Zhu Shenzui nodded. Although his uncle may look inconspicuous, he is actually a mature man. Otherwise, he would not run the entire Wangjia Village like an iron bucket. This is not because he is the head of the Wang family. Fang, who has the identity of Baihu, is more of Wang Rong's own ability.
Having said that, if Wang Rong was an ordinary person, he would not have hit it off with Zhu Shenzhui and led Wangjiacun to start a salt business. If he was just an ordinary old military household, how could he have such courage? Zhu Shenzui had always admired Wang Rong's vision. Since Wang Rong said Li You was good, he must be reliable.
"By the way, why are you here so early this time?" Zhu Shenzui took the hot tea and poured it for himself. Wang Rong took the inquiry. Zhu Shenzui did come earlier this year. It stands to reason that he would not come until next month. Yes, but the first month has not yet come out, why are you here?
"Of course I came early because I had something urgent to do." Zhu Shenzui didn't hide it from his uncle. He took a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat and said, "I originally planned to come next month, but the place in Pingyang Mansion Something happened, so I came over early."
"Something happened? What happened? Does it matter?" Wang Rong suddenly asked nervously.
"Haha, it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing. Uncle, don't be nervous." Zhu Shenzui said with a smile.
Wang Rong touched his heart and said accusingly: "You guys are gasping for air when you say this. It really scared me! What on earth is going on?"
"Do you still remember that last time you asked Xia Dong to go to Jiezhou to inquire about Yu Yan?"
"Of course I remember. Didn't you say that Yu Yan from Jiezhou was taken down by Liu Jiaquan from Pingyang Mansion? What's the matter? What you want to say is related to this?"
Zhu Shenzui nodded and said: "The key to Yu Yan's problem in Jiezhou lies with the Liu family. I told Xia Dong last time that I planned to go to Jiezhou again after the New Year to try to find a way out, but now No thanks, because the problem is no longer a problem.”
"How do you say this?" Wang Rong was puzzled.
Raising his hand to finish the tea in the cup, Zhu Shenzui put down the cup and laughed: "It's simple, because the Liu family is finished, and there will no longer be a Liu family in Pingyang Mansion."
"What are you talking about? The Liu family is finished? What...what's going on?" Wang Rong was stunned and his eyes widened for a moment. He naturally knew that the Liu family in Pingyang was a famous big businessman in Pingyang. How come he suddenly Is it over in a while? I didn't hear Wang Chu Er mention it when he came back from Pingyang City. How long has it been? How come the Liu family is finished?
"It's a long story. I only know a rough outline of the specifics." Zhu Shenzui smiled and stretched his hand to point upward: "To put it simply, the Liu family has offended someone. Some time ago, the Liu family was involved in a dispute. There was a life-threatening lawsuit, and then there was a commotion within the Liu family. After this, some people also took a fancy to the Liu family's property, and quietly exerted force behind the scenes. Although the Liu family said it was a big business, after all, it was just a businessman. You know a thing or two about officialdom, but without a solid and reliable background, how can the Liu family withstand such a torment?"
"It would be fine if the Liu family were just an ordinary family, but the richer they are, the more miserable they will be if something happens, so long as nothing happens. No, the head of the Liu family, Liu Shancheng, committed suicide in prison out of fear of crime. The eldest son of the Liu family The same is true for the housekeeper Lin Zhenzong. The second and third bedrooms of the Liu family are not of much benefit now, and the huge Liu family now exists in name only."
"The Liu family has been completely defeated. The family fortune has declined, so naturally it is no longer possible to take care of the salt road in Jiezhou. Don't you think this is a good thing?"
Wang Rong was dumbfounded by the news. He had never imagined that the Liu family would be defeated like this. Before, he and Zhu Shenzui were worried about the salt road in Xiezhou, and he planned to wait until spring to discuss it with Zhu Shenzui. How to deal with this.
Unexpectedly, just how long had passed before the Liu family was gone. Once the Liu family is gone, Jiezhou's problem is solved, which is indeed great news for them.
For a moment, Wang Rong became a little excited again. The Liu family was not good! No croaking! But the strange thing is that the Liu family disappeared at this time sooner or later. Could this be God opening his eyes? Is even God helping them?
Thinking of this, and looking at his nephew who was always smiling, a thought suddenly came to Wang Rong's heart.
