After leaving the theater, Liu Xin first went to buy two clothes, and then came to the inn for dinner.
He took a look at Red Rabbit. The latter was eating and sleeping well, and his injured front hoof could already touch the ground. After seeing Liu Xin, he got close to her for a while before continuing to eat its juice.
Liu Xin spent a lot of money to let the inn waiter take care of Red Rabbit. He never treated Red Rabbit as a mount from the beginning. This situation was so natural that Liu Xin did not even notice the problem.
During the meal, Liu Xin was in trouble. He brought ten taels of silver with him when he came out. Leng Peijun and the others were responsible for spending money along the way. After all, it was a business trip to the East Factory, so they could reimburse them when they returned. Liu Xin is a Jin Yiwei, and he is not sure whether the Dongchang case can be reimbursed.
But now that Dongchang's case has been settled, he can live in an inn for fifty cents a day, plus ten cents for theater and twenty cents for meals. This money is enough for him. But because there is one more Red Rabbit, the cost of this Red Rabbit is not lower than Liu Xin.
The silver in Zhengyang is relatively valuable, and the copper coins are small, so one hundred coins is equivalent to one tael of silver. When Liu Xin was a hundred households, his monthly salary was fifteen taels of silver and three buckets of rice. In fact, ordinary people in Zhengyang can live for two months with one tael of silver. You can buy two white steamed buns for one dollar.
He didn't care at first and left three taels of silver in the inn's account, which was enough for him to stay here for five or six days. Unexpectedly, as soon as he came back today, the waiter came over and told him tactfully that the money was almost gone.
It’s only been two days! Liu Xin took out another three taels of silver in distress and was just about to hand it to the waiter when suddenly several strong men in uniform rushed in from outside the door, holding scabbards in their hands and slapping the door frame fiercely.
"Where's the shopkeeper? Come out!"
One of the strong men roared angrily, causing the diners to shrink their heads in unison.
The waiter let out a low cry and greased his feet. Because it was close to the back door, he slipped out of the back door before the strong men came in.
Some of the strong men who came in saw the figure of the waiter and looked here. The next moment they focused on the silver in Liu Xin's hand.
Liu Xin frowned as the strong man strode towards him as if he were alone. He seemed to be heading towards him.
As a result, the strong man stopped in front of Liu Xin and said viciously: "Now that we are collecting taxes, you are a foreigner. You have to pay taxes when you eat and drink here, you know!"
"I don't know." Liu Xin replied coldly.
The strong man was not annoyed, because he was used to seeing these foreigners who didn't understand the rules, so he laughed and said loudly: "It's okay if you don't know the rules. I'll explain it to you. In Hanzhong Fucheng, except for the inner city area, Regardless of whether you work in a high-end hotel, eat, drink, whore or gamble, or open a business and set up a roadside stall, you must pay taxes to our Jinyiwei. This is the rule here, do you understand?"
"When did the Jin Yiwei still take charge of the government office?" Liu Xin still replied coldly. He found that the few strong men had noticed this place and were slowly approaching here. Except for the leader and the shopkeeper, Speak and the rest come.
Liu Xin looked around and found that all the diners had their heads lowered, and two bodies could not help but tremble, as if they were very scared.
Liu Xin withdrew his eyes and focused on the strong man in front of him again. The clothes on the strong man were not the fish-dragon suit of Jin Yiwei, nor were they the clothes of the two people in the theater today.
"Hey, boy, you are quite knowledgeable. What you are talking about is the rules of other places. Hanzhong Mansion has the rules of Hanzhong Mansion!" The strong man showed a ferocious smile. He thought that he was so terrifying that he would definitely scare Liu Xin, but In Liu Xin’s eyes:
Hey, he's so close to me and can be subdued with one move!
In the end, Liu Xin didn't take action, he held back, and his small impatience ruined his big plan.
With one movement of his hand, three taels of silver turned into one tael, and the strong man took it away. The strong man took the silver, laughed, turned around and left with satisfaction.
This group of strong men numbered only seven or eight people. They came here to search around. Several well-dressed merchants were also blackmailed, and the innkeeper even took out a stack of banknotes.
This is a bank note from a commercial bank, the minimum is 10 taels.
Liu Xin silently watched the backs of the strong men leaving. He stood up and wanted to walk out of the inn.
Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper stepped forward and stopped Liu Xin, and whispered: "Don't do anything stupid. If you follow me out, not only will your money be gone!"
Liu Xin frowned and asked softly: "Who are they?"
The shopkeeper sighed, but didn't want to say more: "Don't ask, they won't trouble you after you pay. The next time you wake up, it will take at least ten days. If you want to do something, hurry up!"
After saying that, the shopkeeper sighed and went behind the counter. At this time, the slippery waiter came back again. He came to Liu Xin and stretched out his hand sheepishly: "Sir."
The veins on Liu Xin's forehead jumped suddenly, and he took out the silver from his arms, three liang! Hand it to the waiter.
He touched the three taels of silver left in his pocket. If the people from Jinyiwei had arrived slower, he would be on the street in four days!
No, you have to take care of this!
Liu Xin strode out of the inn. The shopkeeper behind the counter looked up at Liu Xin's back and sighed again.
The waiter came up and said, "Shopkeeper, do you think he can come back?"
The shopkeeper looked at his account book without raising his head, calculating how many days it would take to make back today's shortfall: "If he doesn't look for trouble, he will make it back."
The implication is that if Liu Xin goes up to look for work, he will definitely not be able to come back.
The waiter clicked his tongue and said, "He also has a horse raised here. If he doesn't come back, it will be very expensive to raise the horse!"
The shopkeeper then raised his head and looked at the waiter, his eyes burning: "If you can't come back, I'll just sell this horse."
The waiter suddenly became enlightened and said with a flattering smile: "Brother-in-law, you are so smart!"
The shopkeeper picked up his cigarette bag and gently hit the waiter on the head, and angrily shouted: "You know I am your brother-in-law, where did you sneak away just now!"
The waiter slipped again and left in a flash.
On the street, Liu Xin stood far behind the group of strong men. The group of strong men seemed to have a clear goal. They stared at teahouses, taverns and inns, and several gambling houses on the road, but they did not enter the brothels.
A brothel is a brothel. It is different from a flower house. A flower house is a place where dignitaries go to have fun, while a brothel is just a place for prostitutes.
As they walked along, Liu Xin quickly came up with the idea that these gambling houses and brothels seemed to be connected to the forces behind these strong men, so they did not have to pay taxes.
Humph, if you steal my money, you will be in trouble!
The few strong men in front turned into an alley. It seemed that they were going through the alley to the next street. Liu Xin immediately followed quickly. When they reached the corner, Liu Xin suddenly stopped, jumped back, and a thin arm-thick The stick was struck with the head, and Liu Xin general dodged the blow.
"Boy, it seems that you are very dissatisfied with the rules here!" The strong man who took a cart of silver from Liu Xin came out, followed by the rest of the people, who suddenly surrounded him.
Pedestrians on the street quickened their pace when they saw this scene, and before long, this section of the street was deserted.
"What do you want?" Liu Xin asked in a deep voice.
The strong man at the head had a cold face. He had long noticed that someone was following them, so he deliberately entered the alley. If Liu Xin didn't follow them, forget it. If he did, don't blame them.
"Whatever you want, if you dare to follow Jin Yiwei, we can kill you on the spot, believe it or not!" The strong man who had a grudge against Liu Xin once again showed his trademark ferocious smile.
But this time he miscalculated. Instead of intimidating the other party, he lost consciousness the moment he smiled.
"Don't smile at me. There are vegetable leaves on your teeth. I'm going to feel sick from the meal I just finished!" Liu Xin shouted, and punched the strong man three inches below his neck, hitting him directly. faint.
The other strong men were stunned for a long time, but the leader had already reacted, picked up the long stick in his hand, and struck at them.
Liu Xin dodged lightly and knocked down another one with his kick.
"What a good boy, he turned out to be a practicing master!" The leader said in a deep voice, throwing the long stick aside and taking out the saber from his waist.
As soon as the sword was unsheathed, Liu Xin recognized it as the Xiuchun Dao. These people were really Jin Yiwei!
In this case, there was no need to hold back. Liu Xin struck out boldly and very quickly. Before the leader could strike with his sword, Liu Xin had already pulled someone in front of him. The man only felt that he was being struck by a powerful and helpless force. Pulled over by the force of the horse, it was like a child being manipulated by an adult, unable to resist at all.
The sword couldn't cut anymore, and the leader was also ruthless. He kicked the person in front of Liu Xin away, shouted loudly, and moved the sword like flying.
"Get out of my way!"
Xiaochengjing!
Liu Xin immediately judged that the leader's strength, whether it was speed or strength, had already entered the realm of Xiaocheng.
At least it’s a general flag!
Liu Xin made a judgment in his heart, and deliberately did not use all his strength when he took action. His speed and strength were only a little bit higher than that person's. Because he had no weapons, he was suppressed by the opponent instead.
Even so, the leader was already greatly surprised. This young boy was actually a warrior of the same level as him. He knew that he might have hit a hard target today, but it didn't matter.
"Send the signal!" the leader shouted angrily, drawing his knife and slashing.
Liu Xin seemed to feel something. After dodging, he looked to one side. Sure enough, someone took out a red spark. It was a small firework unique to Jin Yiwei and was used to summon support.
"Boy, you can't escape today!" The leader showed a smile. Although this smile was simple, it was several times more cruel than the strong man who disgusted Liu Xin!
The sword style is very densely woven, and the sword skills are excellent. It has a sense of sturdiness only found in the military, without the fancy martial arts in the martial arts.
This man was born in the military!
Liu Xin made this judgment, and he kept retreating, followed closely by the man's knife.
More than ten breaths later, Liu Xin was forced into a corner, and at the far corner of the street, a school captain wearing a brocade and fish-dragon uniform finally appeared.
Seeing this scene, Liu Xin and the strong man headed by him smiled at the same time. The strong man was stunned for a moment, wondering what Liu Xin was laughing at, and then the next moment, Liu Xin's body weakened and disappeared from his sight. middle.
When the companion behind him shouted, the leader turned his head and found that Liu Xin was already more than ten steps away, and he ducked into an alley.
Why is he so fast!
"Che Zongqi, what's going on? Did you meet a fugitive or a bandit?" A small flag officer wearing a fish-dragon suit walked over quickly and asked.
Che Zhensun, the commander-in-chief of Jinyiwei, pointed in the direction of the alley and said: "Catch him and see if you can catch him!"
The little flag officer nodded and chased after him with his men.
As for Che Zhensun and the others, they looked at Che Zhensun eagerly.
Che Zhensun's face was gloomy and he asked someone to lift the unconscious strong man on the ground. Everyone stopped collecting taxes and went straight to the inner city.
When Liu Xin returned to the inn, he left the room and asked the shopkeeper for his money back. The shopkeeper was smart enough to give him a refund without asking any questions. Then Liu Xin hurriedly went to the stables, took Chitu in hand, and left the inn.
"Brother-in-law, what's wrong with this guy? Why did you just give him back his money so quickly?" the waiter asked in confusion.
The shopkeeper crackled his calculations: "Don't ask if you shouldn't know!"
Liu Xin took Chitu out of Hanzhong Fucheng and walked all the way to the military horse farm. That station was the closest to Hanzhong Fucheng.
In the Zhengyang world, except for the imperial capital and the southern capital where all three gates are closed (imperial city gate, inner city gate, and outer city gate) after the curfew, in other places only the inner city gate is closed, and the outer city gate is open day and night. It is only guarded and searched at night. It will be stricter.
Liu Xin left Hanzhong Mansion not because he was afraid of being plotted against, but because he was afraid that Chitu would be targeted. Chitu's injuries were not healed yet and he couldn't run. If there was a conflict, it would be bad for him.
After leaving the red rabbit horse to the care of the postman at the post station, Liu Xin was not in a hurry to go back, so he rested at the post station for the night.
At this time, in the inner city of Hanzhong Mansion, the courtyard with the plaque of Chen Mansion was brightly lit.
The maids were flowing in and out of the living room. There was a large round table where many people were changing glasses.
One of the leaders was a young master, wearing the fish-dragon suit of Jinyiwei Baihu, but his face was frightening, and there was not much yang in his movements, making him look a bit feminine.
Below him is a middle-aged man with a face similar to his, who is communicating with someone across the table.
"Master Chen, Governor Yan will be transferred to another place next year. Master Chen will be in charge of Hanzhong Mansion. Congratulations!"
The man opposite raised a glass of congratulations, but Mr. Chen was stroking his beard and smiling. His face was flushed. He looked like he had drunk too much. He chatted with the man opposite for a few words, and then turned to look at the young man beside him. road:
"Nianji, in less than half a month, you should go to the Imperial Capital to take up your post. When you arrive in the Imperial Capital, you have to find a way for your father. My father also wants to visit the Imperial Capital!"
This young man's name is Chen Nianji. His face looks young, but in fact it is all made up of pink and white. His real age is already in his thirties. In order to better conform to the dandy label given to him by the people of Hanzhong Prefecture in private, he actually put on rouge and gouache to make himself look much younger.
"Father!" Chen Nianji said with some displeasure: "I don't want to go to the Imperial Capital. If I go there, I will have to be disciplined!"
"Hey, you can't say that, son, my Chen family depends on you for today's life. Only if you rise step by step can our Chen family rise!"
Chen Nianji's father, Chen An, is fifty-four years old. He is currently the prefect of Hanzhong Prefecture and is a fifth-rank local official.
Chen An and Chen Nianji started talking, and everyone else at the table stopped communicating and listened carefully. This group of people are all officials of Hanzhong Mansion. Their official positions are not big, but their power is not small. They have a close relationship with the Chen family, and they are all in the same boat. These people also hope that Chen Nianji can be promoted, so that they will have greater rights in Hanzhong Mansion.
For example, now, as soon as the news came out that Chen Nianji would be transferred to the imperial capital to serve as a guard for thousands of households, Yan Zhifu, who had occupied the position of prefect for more than ten years, immediately used his own resources to transfer to other places, obviously to move his seat to Chen An.
Chen Nianji still looked reluctant: "If Uncle Ban hadn't forced me to go, it would be useless for any of you to persuade me!"
After saying that, Chen Nianji stood up and strode away, followed immediately by several guards outside the hall.
"Let's go to Zuichun Tower!"
Chen Nianji's voice came from outside the hall. Chen An's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but it quickly recovered. The others managed their expressions very well and could not tell anything.
One of them said: "The squad commander went to suppress the bandits, why haven't he come back yet?"
Chen Andao: "It's probably going to be soon. I've been here for two or three days. I heard that the bandit leader has been killed and his head has been brought. Now the bandits are leaderless, so it's easy to suppress them!"
Someone heard the words and answered: "When the squad commander comes back, we will go find him and let him persuade the young master!"
"Yes, if the eldest young master can go to the imperial capital and become a member of a thousand households, that would be great. And I heard that the Duke of Qin is going to return to the imperial capital to report on his duties. With the Duke of Qin in the imperial capital, the eldest young master's official position cannot be promoted three times a day!"
"By then, Lord Chen's position as governor will be just around the corner, but don't forget us!"
A group of people complimented Chen An enthusiastically. Chen An's eyes were blurred and he had an almost crazy smile on his face. He didn't want to, he couldn't control it and he was so happy!
"Drink!" Chen An shouted.
Everyone raised their glasses together.
The next morning, Liu Xin got up early, changed into linen clothes, and rushed to Hanzhong Mansion.
Before the appointment documents arrived, all he could do was collect evidence. In fact, he wanted to find out who made this group of royal guards look like this and then killed them with one sword. It's a pity that he is now an official. Killing him would be satisfying but also troublesome. In the end, the case will have to fall on him.
After careful calculation, Liu Xin still felt that after he found the clues and waited for the appointment documents to arrive, it would be most labor-saving to go through the official route.
When he arrived at the city gate, Liu Xin suddenly stopped. He had excellent eyesight. From a distance, he could see the sea fishing documents posted at the city gate. There were two in total, with portraits on them.
At a cursory glance, one of them looked very much like Liu Xin, and when he looked at it carefully, it read: The traitor attacked the Jinyiwei, and a special official notice was issued for sea arrest. Anyone encountered can be killed on the spot.
The movements of the group of Jin Yiwei were so fast and ruthless that Liu Xin sneered and wiped it on his face, his facial features suddenly changed. The drawings on the document were not accurate enough, and now they couldn't match Liu Xin's current face.
Liu Xin strode like lightning, and as expected, no one recognized that he was the same person as the person on the sea arrest document. When passing the sea fishing document, Liu Xin glanced at the lucky man beside his sea fishing document.
Li Niang, an actress from Lan Fong Yuen, attacked hundreds of Jinyiwei households and escaped. She was issued with a special notice of arrest at sea and could kill anyone she met on the spot.
Liu Xin paused for a moment, then continued walking forward, but his face was very solemn. Isn't this Li Niang the person that the group of strong men were looking for in the theater yesterday? Why did she also go to sea to capture the documents?
After entering the city, there were also sea fishing documents posted on the notices in the city. Several porters stood under the notices and talked. Liu Xin leaned forward and listened.
"What did this pear girl do?"
"You don't know that this pear girl was arrested by that man yesterday. She said she had given in, but in fact she was very hard-tempered. She hid a pair of scissors and stabbed the man."
"Oh, this means Li Niang has no family, otherwise she wouldn't dare to do this."
"Hey, this Li Niang has a tough temper. The theater is in bad luck. I heard that Shopkeeper Hu and his family were imprisoned early in the morning. It was that person who wanted to force Li Niang out. This Li Niang was supported by Shopkeeper Hu. She is kind. !”
"That's not necessarily true. If Li Niang comes out, she will die."
"Hey, this world really doesn't allow people to live a good life."
"Silence!"
A porter saw Liu Xin approaching and immediately whispered, and then the people dispersed. Liu Xin came to the notice alone and raised his head to stare.
After a while, Liu Xin turned around and left, joining the crowd.
The fishing documents on the notice were missing.
