Xu Daofu led several people to disperse in the streets and alleys of Jiankang City. In addition to familiarizing themselves with the terrain, they also inquired about information and compiled the collected intelligence in the evening. Xu Daofu asked his men to report every detail, including rumors in the court and the size of the family, as well as the joys and sorrows of the people and talk in the streets. The review ceremony held in Beijing was undoubtedly the most heard topic.
There are various rumors, some say that the emperor will come to watch in person, some say that tens of thousands of soldiers and horses will participate in the performance, and even Guangzhou and Jiaozhou will send troops to participate in the performance. The most talked about is naturally who is the last among the participating armies. winner.
Naturally, the major gambling houses in Beijing are adding fuel to the fire. This is another big gamble after the gambling dynasty fought over who would win and who loses eleven years ago. There are long queues in front of the major gambling houses. A hundred taels of gold is not too much. , Three or five dollars is never too little, and the gambling house manipulates the odds to make sure you make money without losing money.
Wang Zhan was fond of gambling and couldn't help but bet 20,000 yuan on the victory of the Beifu Army in Jingkou. He fought many times with the Beifu Army led by Liu Yu, and was deeply impressed by the combat power of the Beifu Army. It was indeed a brave division, and he estimated that the Yongzhou Army was no match.
Tangyi.
Huang Heizi has lived a good life these years. He has been helped by noble people. His mother-in-law and two girls have entered the noodle shop to help. Life is getting better day by day, at least he no longer has to worry about food and drink.
A few years ago, the two daughters got married one after another. The eldest daughter Qiaoer married Madam Ma's youngest son, and the younger daughter Cuier was married to Yang Lin's concubine as his wife. Yang Ming passed away two years ago, and Yang Lin is managing the noodle restaurants in Jiankang, Jingkou, and Tangyi. After Yang Qiu got married, he simply didn't ask for any more dividends from his uncle Yang Lin.
Yang Lin knew that the fate of his branch was in the hands of Yang Anxuan. During the Chinese New Year, he would always send people to Xiangyang to greet Yuan, give gifts to Yang Qiu, and ask for the new noodle dishes and prepared spices.
Because Cui'er and her daughter were rescued by Zhang Feng and had a connection with Yang Anxuan, Yang Lin told his son to be kind to Cui'er, maybe one day he could use this kindness.
Aunt Qian has long been the shopkeeper of a noodle shop. Yang Lin appreciates her hard work, and her monthly salary is 2,600 yuan. Huang Heizi no longer has to get up early and work in the dark to sell vegetables, and specializes in delivering the necessary ingredients for the noodle shop.
There are already four noodle restaurants in Tangyi City, which require more than 100 kilograms of flour, 30 kilograms of green onions, 80 kilograms of pork, 20 kilograms of mutton, and some braised ingredients every day. In addition, there are people who specialize in making corn porridge, soy milk, etc. Good things are delivered to your doorstep, and all these businesses are handed over to Huang Heizi.
Huang Heizi also knew that the job was hard to come by, and he was quite diligent in his work. Even so, the vendors always wanted to give him some benefits in order to get people to buy goods. In one month, he could get around 300 yuan, plus a salary of 1,200. It’s more than what I earned from selling vegetables before.
Qian didn't need him to pay to support the family. He could go to a noodle shop for breakfast and lunch every day. With fifteen or six hundred yuan a month, Huang Heizi lived a comfortable life.
Food and clothing, food and drink, money and leisure, Huang Heizi will inevitably run to the prostitute. These days, it is difficult to survive, and there are many provocateurs in Tangyi City who engage in flesh and blood business. When he is young, Huang Heizi will not be addicted to anyone, he just spends money to have fun.
When Huang Heizi got rich, his old gambling friends naturally came to his door, and Huang Heizi greeted them one by one. Huang Heizi was very clear in his heart. These guys were just interested in the few coins in his pocket. But in this world, knowing that these people are after the money in his pocket, Huang Heizi occasionally takes a big shot, plays a few games, and loses a hundred and eighty coins to buy something happy, just like visiting a brothel.
News of the review ceremony being held in Beijing reached Tangyi. In the evening, while drinking with some friends, he argued about whether to focus on the Beifu Army at Jingkou or the Yongzhou Army. When he returned home slightly drunk, Qian scolded him with a cold face. A few words.
This made Huang Heizi furious. Since Qian entered the noodle shop and made more money than himself, he always scolded himself. His two daughters also resented the fact that they paid off their gambling debts, and they were very cold towards him. They have been out and about in the past two years. Qian knew about the kiln and was even more indifferent to him. He never let him handle the family property.
At Yinshi, Mrs. Qian got up and went to the front to light a fire and make noodles and supervise the workers to work. Huang Heizi didn't have to rush to buy vegetables. He just bought what he would use for the next day every day. Qian woke up Huang Heizi when he got up. Thinking of the "humiliation" he had suffered in the past two years, Huang Heizi decided to steal some money.
The secret box where Qian hid money was inside the bed where she slept. Every time Qian wanted to hide money, she kicked him out. Huang Heizi searched carefully in the house, and then remembered that Qian never let him dry the quilt on the bed.
Suspicion aroused, one time when Qian was leaving, he finally found the mechanism under the couch.
Pressing down on the second couch board, a "click" sound came from the end of the couch. He reached under the bed and lifted it. A lacquer box about a foot square and half a foot thick was in his hand. It was heavy. .
There was a lock on the lacquer box, but Huang Heizi didn't dare to move it for fear of disturbing Qian. I didn't sleep all night last night, thinking about taking the money and running to Jiankang to be happy. People said that the prostitutes on the Qinhuai River were bewitching, so Mr. Huang also went to open his eyes.
He found a hammer and smashed the padlock. There were quite a few things hidden inside, including a few silver hairpins, gold rings, and a large handful of yellow five-baht coins. Huang Heizi turned the lacquer box upside down on the couch, and there were actually two hairpins on the bottom. bullion.
Huang Heizi was stunned for a moment, then he picked up the gold bars and weighed them in his hands. He found that there were about thirteen or four taels. This thief woman had actually accumulated such a huge fortune without telling herself. Grabbing a piece of silk cloth, he wrapped the money in the lacquer box and put the lacquer box in its original place. Huang Heizi sat on the couch and calmed his mind. When the window lattice became brighter, it was estimated that the city gate would be open. He took the money and went out to cross the river. To build Kangcheng.
When crossing the river, the cool breeze hit his face. Huang Heizi looked back at Tangyi City and knew that he could not go back. However, he had more than ten taels of gold in his arms, and with jewelry and copper coins, it should be more than 200,000 yuan. Why bother in the hall? Seeing the face of the yellow-faced woman, Yi first played in the capital for a while, and then took the money to Sanwu to buy a few acres of land and marry a young woman. Wouldn't it be happy?
A grand ceremony was about to be held in Beijing, and prices were soaring. A hotel room would cost 200 yuan, and a meal would cost a hundred yuan. As for asking about the price on the Qinhuai River, Huang Heizi was so frightened that he turned around and left. , not enough for two or three days.
Huang Heizi regretted it and wanted to go back, but there was no turning back. Even if he went back, Qian would have to make peace with him. Walking blankly on Jiankang Street, Huang Heizi was like a zombie. It was only when he passed by Jinyu Square that he was awakened by the noise.
There was a long line of people placing bets. The Beifu Army at Jingkou was undoubtedly the favorite. Fifty people bet on winning at Jingkou. The betting odds were only 0.8 to 1. The Yongzhou Army was slightly higher, paying 1 to 1, and Yuzhou paid 1 to 1. At 6 points, Jiangzhou lost 2 to one, Qingzhou lost 2.2 to 1, and as for the Imperial Sixth Army, 2.4 to 1, there were still few bets.
Huang Heizi felt itchy in his heart. After passing by, he turned around and listened to people talking for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and bought Beifu Junsheng for 100,000 yuan. On the 18th day of the ceremony, Huang Heizi followed the crowd into the school field early to watch the game.
Unexpectedly, the Sixth Army of the imperial court won. Even Huang Heizi, who lived in Tangyi City, knew that the gambling match was fake. As the crowd shouted, "The competition is unfair, the court is cheating," Huang Heizi felt that his anger was filled with nowhere to vent, and he roared and rushed towards the stage with the flow of people.
Wang Zhan and others were surrounded by the crowd, shouting loudly, "Go and reason with King Langya."
When Sima Dewen saw the huge crowd on the stage, his legs became weak with fright and he could not stand up. King Wuling shouted: "Where are the guards? Stop the crowd."
The guards in the audience stood in front of the general stage with guns in hand. Yang Anxuan stirred up Sima Dewen and shouted loudly: "Save the prince first, and quickly board the boat back to Jiankang."
Without any explanation, Liu Yu half pulled and half dragged Langya Dynasty to the shore. Liu Yu came to his senses and said to King Wuling, "My lord, I'm sorry." He picked up King Wuling and left.
Liu Yi shouted: "Guard the princes on board, if anyone dares to attack, he will be killed without mercy."
In the crowd, Wang Zhan saw soldiers holding guns and forming a wall blocking the road. He secretly took out a short knife from his arms, approached quietly, swung the knife and stabbed it out, but shouted, "The officers and soldiers have killed people, everyone rush forward."
The crowd saw the blood and did not distinguish the authenticity. Some rushed forward and some retreated, crowded together in a chaotic mess. Shi Yang reached out and grabbed a gun, thrust it forward, and shouted: "Everyone, follow me and rush out."
The flow of people did not recognize things, and they rushed towards the general platform with Shi Yang. Xu Daofu saw in the stands that King Langya had been helped to the shore and was about to board the ship. Knowing that the good opportunity had been lost, he took out a short knife from his arms and pointed it at the old man beside him. He stabbed him and shouted: "I was ordered by the King of Shu to assassinate Hun Jun. King Langya is dead. Everyone, follow me to the capital."
There was chaos in the school grounds, and Yin Zhongwen was at a loss. Zhang Feng and others had already returned to the military camp. Seeing that the situation was out of control, Ma Hong shouted: "Yin Shangshu, hurry up and send troops to quell the chaos."
Yin Zhongwen said in a panic: "Quickly, separate the people and try not to hurt anyone."
Thousands of soldiers and horses came from the military camp
Rushing out, they quickly separated the common people on the school ground and drove the crowd to squat on the spot. When Xu Daofu, Wang Zhan and others saw the officers and soldiers leaving the camp, they mixed in with the crowd and escaped from the school ground, waiting for the order on the school ground to stabilize. , several people had already left Jiankang City.
As for Huang Heizi, he was not so lucky. Because of his "outstanding" performance in the attack on the platform, he was knocked down by the guard with a gun barrel. He was tied up with a group of people who attacked the platform and waited to be punished.
In the east hall, the frightened King Langya and King Wuling were waiting for the report from the school. More than an hour later, Yin Zhongwen came to apologize with a pale face. At this time, Yin Zhongwen knew that the murder was caused by a bet, and if he continued to investigate carefully, he would inevitably be punished.
"Your Majesty, this massacre was carried out by people sent by Qiao Zong, with the intention of assassinating the two princes." Yin Zhongwen had already made up his mind. He could not say that the massacre was caused by people's dissatisfaction with losing a bet. Xu Daofu launched The words he shouted at that time became his life-saving straw.
When King Langya heard that it was Qiao Zong who sent people to cause trouble, he said angrily: "Qiao Zong is so bold that he dares to assassinate my king. Send troops quickly to destroy the fake Shu."
Sima Zun asked with concern: "How many thieves have been captured, and how many soldiers and civilians have been injured?"
Yin Zhongwen said: "Fifty-seven thieves were captured. One officer was killed and six were injured. The common people trampled and injured dozens of people."
Sima Zun sighed softly, it was really boring to have such a grand ceremony, but it ended in an anticlimactic manner.
Yin Zhongwen took off his hat and kowtowed, saying: "I was not strict in my deployment and disturbed the king. Please punish me."
Sima Zun frowned and said: "This is not the time for punishment. Yin Qing, please escort the thief to Yanwei and ask Yanwei to ask him why. You can neither let the thief go nor wrong the people."
