Zhong Yan said nothing and pointed to a bottle of Guoshi Wushuang on the wine table. Everyone was shocked, knowing that Zhong Yan was not referring to the wine itself, but the meaning behind the unparalleled national scholar.
"I just came to the Yamen to report that there was unstable news from Delong Bank today. I heard that the shopkeeper was missing. The exchange business with Guangdong was stopped in the afternoon," Zhong Yan paused and continued: "There will probably be a long queue at the entrance of Delong Bank tomorrow, and all the housekeepers will be busy for a while."
"He is such a good living person, how come he is nowhere to be seen in the clear sky?"
"Could he be hiding?"
"Back then, Delong almost closed down, and he only disappeared for a few days. Now everything is calm, why is he gone?"
"It's hard to say..."
For a time, there were different opinions and everyone was confused. When news of the fall of Guangzhou came, there was also news of instability at Delong Bank, which once triggered a run. Shuntian Mansion had to send people to protect and maintain order. But it didn't take long for the uneasy atmosphere to disappear. Zhong Yan had not yet been appointed governor of Shuntian Prefecture at that time, but it was probably said that because the bank involved too many dignitaries, especially eunuchs in the palace, the matter was eventually dropped.
When Zhong Meng was appointed governor of Shuntian Prefecture, he paid a lot of attention to this bank. However, Delong always acted in a low-key and rigorous manner. Except for visiting customers' homes, the shopkeeper rarely went out on weekdays. The door was strictly guarded, and outsiders were not allowed to approach. , can't even hear a word in it.
The important responsibility of Shuntian Prefecture is to maintain local security. As time passed, Zhong Yan saw that there was no movement from them and there was no intention from the court, so he gradually stopped paying attention. I didn’t expect that such a case would suddenly come out!
Needless to say, tomorrow's posts asking him to help "investigate" this matter will be filled with posts on his desk - not only him, but also the Wucheng Military and Horse Division, Dongchang, Jinyiwei... Anyone involved in the robbery and security of the capital The yamen will probably receive it. If the matter is not handled well, the emperor will probably be alarmed.
Thinking of this, Zhong Qian had no intention of drinking any more, and asked his subordinates and friends to "continue to have fun". However, he quietly left Liuquanju with his servants and returned to Shuntian Mansion Yamen in a sedan chair.
The clerk on duty saw Mr. Fu Yin coming back suddenly and hurriedly got up to greet him. Zhong Yan looked at the objects on the table, his face became more solemn, and he asked without nonsense, "Is Mr. Liu of the Tui Mansion not here?"
The clerk said: "Master Liu has already gone home when he wakes up..."
"Send someone to Mr. Liu's house immediately and tell him that I will ask him to go back to the Yamen immediately."
The scribe did not dare to neglect and hurriedly responded. The secret agent next to Zhong Yan who was in charge of the execution said: "Master, it's almost the third watch now. If you have anything to do, it's too late to talk about it tomorrow morning. Why call Master Liu here in the middle of the night? This fool can't solve the case..."
"No, we need to make arrangements for this before dawn." Zhong Yi whispered, "There are too many gods from all walks of life in the capital. Shopkeeper Leng is missing. I don't know how many people will be involved. There will probably be many tonight. People can't sleep - just bring him here and I'll ask him personally."
What made him return to the Yamen immediately was not the rumors of Delong's instability, but a more unexpected news. This news confirms the rumors of Leng Ningyun's disappearance to some extent.
Within a moment, the yamen officer brought the reporter over. Zhong Yan took a look and saw that the person who came was a poor man. He was wearing linen shorts and brown clothes, but he was wearing a sheepskin vest, and his calves were also wrapped with sheepskin leggings - this was the attire for walking a long way. Coachman.
"What's your name?" Zhong Yan asked.
The coachman was already confused: he had never entered such a big yamen. At this moment, the dark hall was lit up like a bean, and in the middle sat an official in a red robe and a crown. He looked like the City God in the temple. He had been frightened for a long time. His soul flew away. He knelt on the ground and was trembling, unable to speak even a single word. The yamen servant next to him kicked him and asked him to reply.
"Don't frighten him and ask him to answer calmly." Zhong Yan instructed the government officials and asked, "I am the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture. You have a case to report today, so don't miss it!"
"Yes, yes," the coachman finally came back to his senses. He reported hurriedly: "My name is Jiang Quanwang, and I make a living as a driver. Last night, I went to Haidian to pull goods. When it was getting dark, I encountered thieves four or five miles away from Xizhimen... …”
To say that he was robbed, it was not that he was robbed, but that a large car in front of him was robbed by bandits. Although the dusk was low and it was difficult to see clearly, he could still make out the sound of fighting.
Jiang Quanwang naturally did not dare to move forward - fortunately, he had an empty cart and the steering was flexible. He immediately drove the mule off the road and took shelter in the cemetery beside the road.
"...After half a while, I heard a horse team galloping past on the road, heading northwest. After they passed by, I drove the car back."
After walking less than two miles, I saw an overturned carriage on the side of the road.
This vehicle is neither a flatbed cart that can be used to pull goods or people, nor a "mule cart" that ordinary people hire to travel long distances. Instead, it is a four-wheeled "Australian" carriage that has only become popular in recent years. This kind of carriage quickly became popular among wealthy families in the capital because of its comfortable ride and beautiful appearance. Some car dealers also bought this kind of carriage to provide rental services.
In short, the people riding the Australian carriage were either rich or noble, so Jiang Quanwang had evil thoughts and wanted to see if there was anything else he could pick up in the carriage. He immediately got out of the car and touched it.
"...There were four corpses inside and outside the car. The ground was covered with blood, and swords were left behind." Jiang Quanwang was still shocked when he said this. He rummaged around in the car and the body, and actually got some small items and a few taels of silver for him.
I originally thought I had made a small fortune, but when I entered Xizhimen, the soldiers at the door saw blood stains on my clothes, and they were immediately detained. After some torture, they arrived at Shuntian Mansion.
"...Master! Master! This man was not killed by a young man! He went to search the body and did not do anything!!!!"
Jiang Quanwang kowtowed repeatedly and begged for mercy. He had suffered a lot at the gate of the city, and he was so frightened when he was caught in the Shuntian Mansion Yamen - if the murders of these four people were held on their heads, they would be dead and dead!
Zhong Yan ignored him and only asked Master Xing: "Has Wanping County gone to the site to conduct a survey?"
"When this man entered the city and was arrested, the city gate was almost closed..."
Once the capital city gate is closed, no one can open the door key to enter or exit unless there is a special order, so the on-site inspection can only wait until tomorrow morning.
There were pedestrians on the main road early in the morning, and people and cars were coming and going on the official road. These days, poor people are very courageous. When they see a carriage overturning, they will most likely go to "get a handful" like Jiang Quanwang did. If they arrive too late, they might even lose the carriage.
At this time someone came to report that Official Liu was here. Zhong Meng ordered the officials to take Jiang Quanwang to prison and ordered the master:
"Go to the prison and question him carefully. From beginning to end, don't let go of anything."
"Yes, students will go now."
The master took the order and left. Liu Yike, the official of Shuntian Prefecture, had already arrived.
Liu Tuiguan was woken up from his bed in the middle of the night, already feeling very angry. Although the pushing officer is a subordinate of Fu Yin, they are both officials of the imperial court, and there is no distinction between them, so they come here with the same face. He muttered: "What's so important, I have to do errands in the middle of the night!"
However, Zhong Yan was known as "upright and upright", and Liu Tuiguan did not dare to touch this bad luck. Even after meeting Li Zhongqian in a hurry, he was not polite to him and introduced the current situation to him.
Liu Yike became more and more dissatisfied after hearing this. This kind of robbery and murder of pedestrians and carriages is nothing new nowadays. Although the capital is the most prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty, in fact, the public security is not good. Not to mention the official roads outside the city, but also in the city and even within the Royal Garden, cases of robbery and murder were common.
Nine times out of ten in these cases, the murderer cannot be apprehended. Even Zhong Yan, who has always been known for his integrity, did not fundamentally reverse the situation after taking office, but only slightly improved the situation.
"Fu Yin means..."
"As soon as the city gate opens tomorrow, you will take people to the site to investigate." Zhong Yan said, "This case is of great importance, and I am afraid that the emperor will also ask questions."
When Zhong Yan said this, Liu Yike became alert. Said: "Who is involved in this case?"
"Delong's shopkeeper Leng."
"Is it him?!" Liu Yike realized the seriousness of the matter now. Not only was Delong involved with the Kun thief, but he was also involved with many big shots in the Jingli Palace. If something happens to this person, there may be an earthquake in the capital in an instant. He quickly asked: "This shopkeeper Leng..."
Zhong Yan took a coarse cloth bundle, opened it and spread it on the table. Inside were the bits and pieces collected by Jiang Quanwang from the victims. A few pieces of broken silver, portable ink cartridges, an abacus, a stack of pocket paper, a small tin medicine box...mostly items that people carry with them when they go out to do errands. Opening the small medicine box, there was an inconspicuous small horn seal inside. Engraved on it is the obscure bird seal script. But Zhong Yan recognized it. It actually said the word "cloud" on it.
Zhong Yan had seen this secret seal - it was the one that Leng Ningyun carried with him. In addition, both the ink cartridge and the abacus had the words "Delong Bank" on them, so it was concluded that not only Delong's people were on board the robbed carriage, but it was also related to Leng Ningyun.
Based on this alone, it cannot be concluded that something happened to Leng Ningyun, but judging from the discovery of this secret seal, there is a high possibility that Leng was on the carriage.
"This small horn seal is the secret treasure of Shopkeeper Leng. He always carries it with him."
"So..." Liu Yike said.
"That's right," Zhong Yi nodded, "The situation is still unclear. I want your brother to go to the site to investigate. I will send someone to Delong to check again. If Shopkeeper Leng is safe, that would be the best. Otherwise, I’m afraid you and I will both have a headache.”
"I'll go as soon as daybreak." Liu Yike responded immediately without any reluctance, "I'll take all the veterans in the class with me."
