Wei Yushang said excitedly: "Teacher, this is a good idea. Even if the Emperor of Qi is ready to send troops to cause trouble for Zheng, we only need to hand this letter to him and blame the robbers! "
Chen Xiaomu smiled and shook his head, "Don't be too naive. This is just to prevent the people of Qi from launching a war. However, a war with Qi must be fought. Isn't there a saying that in order to resist foreign aggression, we must first pacify the domestic situation?" Is that so? If we don’t get rid of these hidden people in the country, when you and the Qi army in the front are really fighting to the death, these people will take the opportunity to collude with the courtiers to launch a rebellion at home. The consequences of this internal and external attack will be disastrous! "
"Court minister?" Wei Yushang and others were shocked when they heard this, and everyone looked at Chen Xiaomu in disbelief.
Chen Xiaomu chuckled and said disdainfully: "You don't think that just the hundreds of Taoist priests from Sanqing Temple can cause some trouble in this new capital city, do you?"
Magistrate Bai coughed and reminded carefully, "Prince-in-law, you can't say this nonsense. You must know that this is a serious crime of treason, and the nine clans will be punished!"
Chen Xiaomu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he said in a deep voice: "Master Bai, do you think I will talk nonsense?"
''this……! "Zhifu Bai was shocked and didn't know what to say.
Wei Yushang asked thoughtfully: "Teacher, have you caught any evidence of this gang of traitors?"
Chen Xiaomu was noncommittal, but suddenly changed his tone and said: "Everyone, I have decided to set up an anti-corruption team. I need someone with a flexible mind and strong martial arts to be the captain. If you have someone you can trust and trust, please recommend it. It will be done." , there is a recommendation fee of five hundred taels!"
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Bai rolled his eyes, clasped his fists and asked with a smile, "Prince-in-law, you said that this anti-traitor team was established. Is it the emperor's intention? Or is it your own intention?"
"This is what I mean, my father doesn't know!" Chen Xiaomu told the truth.
Magistrate Bai frowned and said, "Prince-in-law, I'm afraid this is not the case. Forming an army privately without the emperor's knowledge is comparable to treason!"
Chen Xiaomu said disapprovingly: "Master Bai, you may have misunderstood my meaning. This is not an army I established, but an agency under the Princess Mansion that is responsible for finding spies hidden in Zheng State from other countries. Just like your subordinates, The attributes of a police officer are almost the same!"
"Oh!" Magistrate Bai breathed a sigh of relief, but then shook his head and said: "Prince-in-law, I still feel that something is wrong. The name of this anti-trafficking team sounds murderous, and it is very easy to be misunderstood." It’s a small army!”
Chen Xiaomu thought for a while and then said with a smile: "Master Bai, what do you think of changing it to the Security Investigation Department of Princess Qingfeng Mansion?"
"Security Investigation Department!" Bai Zhifu murmured to himself, stroking his beard casually, squinting his eyes and thinking for a long time before nodding and saying: "Well, Prince Consort, this is a good name for you. The Princess Mansion has a bearing on you. Investigating safety-related matters is a matter of course, and it is within the scope of your authority! But in this case, you, the person in charge of the investigation department, must be a woman, otherwise a male official will appear in the princess's palace. If this news spreads, some people will gossip, and what is the official title of the person in charge of the investigation department?"
Chen Xiaomu heard this and said without thinking: "How about the official title is "Director"?"
Magistrate Bai was startled when he heard this, then he smiled and said: "Prince-in-law, I really don't know where you learned so many novel names, such as the Anti-Corruption Team, Investigation Division, etc. I haven't even heard of them. I’ve said it before, but now I’ve come up with the weird official name of Director!”
Chen Xiaomu smiled and said: "Mr. Bai, you have never heard of this official name, so you think it's weird. You see, director means the head of a department, or director for short. It's simple and clear!"
Magistrate Bai nodded: "Prince-in-law, after hearing what you said, the official suddenly became enlightened, but I wonder if the emperor recognizes this official title?"
Chen Xiaomu waved his hand, "Master Bai, I don't even have a candidate for the position of director for the time being, so what can I do to report it to my father for approval!"
When Magistrate Bai heard this, his heart moved, and he laughed and said: "Prince-in-law, I have a suitable candidate who I would like to recommend to Prince-in-law."
"Oh!" Chen Xiaomu said in surprise when he heard this: "I wonder which talented person Mr. Bai wants to recommend?"
Magistrate Bai pointed at Wei Yushang and said without hesitation: "Prince-in-law, what do you think of Miss Wei?"
"What?" Chen Xiaomu looked at Magistrate Bai in surprise. If he hadn't seen the serious look on his face, he would have thought he was joking. Then he quickly shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Master Bai, Yu Shang is smart, but in martial arts Having sex with her is a big shortcoming!"
Wei Yushang walked up to Chen Xiaomu and volunteered to him: "Teacher, I don't care about the grade anymore. I just want to do something for you. If the teacher asks me to do it, I will definitely be able to do it well!"
Chen Xiaomu looked at Wei Yushang's eagerness to try, and wondered: "Yushang, it's not that the teacher doesn't trust you, it's just that the work undertaken by the investigation office is too dangerous. If you don't have a certain amount of skill, you won't be able to cope with it."
Wei Yushang suddenly smiled like a flower and said: "Teacher, do you still remember that someone mentioned to you in Dewei Building that day about the three unique things in Xinjing City?"
"Of course I remember it. I still remember that except for the couplet in Dewei Tower, it is said that the two masterpieces are related to you!" Chen Xiaomu said with a smile.
Wei Yushang smiled and said: "Teacher, do you want to know what those two skills are?" "
"What is it?" Chen Xiaomu couldn't help but ask.
"Prince-in-law, of course Miss Wei's two talents are cooking and knife skills! Magistrate Bai looked at the two of them as if they were flirting, and felt quite uncomfortable, but it was hard to say anything, so he quickly took the opportunity to talk took it.
Chen Xiaomu didn't seem surprised at all. He smiled and said, "Should these two skills be combined into one skill? Isn't knife skills included in cooking skills?"
Magistrate Bai couldn't help but laugh and said: "Prince-in-law, the sword skills I am talking about are not the sword skills used to kill chickens and sheep in the kitchen, but the sword skills used to kill people!"
"Oh!" Chen Xiaomu was startled and looked at Wei Yushang's soft and frail appearance standing in front of him. He couldn't think of her with those masters of martial arts.
Seeing that Chen Xiaomu was silent, Wei Yushang knew that he still doubted her, so she moved slightly on the spot, her movements were as fast as lightning, and in an instant, a knife with a thin blade and a bright lancet jumped out of her hand, with a strong aura. The unprepared Chen Xiaomu was startled, and Wei Yushang pursed her lips and smiled, "Teacher, can I demonstrate it to you?"
Chen Xiaomu quickly waved his hand and said happily: "No, no, just based on the speed of your sword, I believe that your sword skills must be extraordinary. I will leave it to you to build the Princess Mansion Security Investigation Office! How many manpower and funds are needed? Just bring it up and we will arrange it for you first!"
At this time, Chen Xiaomu suddenly remembered that He Jiugu asked him to inquire about her brother when he came out, so he asked Magistrate Bai. It turned out that He Jiugu's brother was called He Fu, and he had been in prison for many years. When the imperial court was still in Xinjing, Just because he was let out alone when the Chu army occupied the new capital, Bai Zhifu suspected that he was a spy left behind by the Chu State, and was filing a document to the Ministry of Punishment to behead him. Now he was just waiting for the approval from the Ministry of Punishment, and he would immediately perform the surgery and interrogate him. cut! "
Chen Xiaomu interrupted Magistrate Bai's conclusive words with a smile and said, "Master Bai, could you please keep him alive for the time being for my sake? Speaking of which, He Fu's family is also a miserable person. And the case of He Fu was a completely unjust case handled by the previous prefect!"
Magistrate Bai was stunned when he heard this, then frowned and said, "Could it be that the Prince Consort has something to do with this rich family?"
When Chen Xiaomu heard that, he quickly waved his hand, "Mr. Bai, you are overthinking. It was just by coincidence that I heard an insider talk about the causes and consequences of this case! Only then did I know that this was an unjust case, and the real person who committed the crime was He is a Taoist from Sanqing Temple. Let's do this. Give me three days and I will send someone to bring the murderer of this unjust case to you. What do you think?"
Magistrate Bai twirled his beard and smiled, and said cheerfully: "Prince-in-law, let alone three days, He Fu's case, even if the Ministry of Punishments approves it in the past two days, without your consort, I will never kill him! What do you think?" Chen Xiaomu laughed and said, "Okay, let's high-five!" He raised his palm and hit Magistrate Bai with a "pop" sound.
Next, Chen Xiaomu and Bai Zhifu discussed the content and time of replying to Sanqingguan, and then refused Bai Zhifu and Jia Gui's repeated attempts to stay, braved the wind and snow, and went to the largest blacksmith shop in Xinjing City, the Hu Family, under the leadership of Wang Wu. Because he heard that his master was coming to the blacksmith shop in the morning, Zheng Jiang took some time to look outside the door. This was the sixth time he came out to look around. He could see nothing except a sheet of white snowflakes outside the house. About to turn around and go back to the house, he suddenly heard the faint sound of horse bells coming from the snow and fog. Zheng Jiang stopped in a hurry, stretched his neck and looked into the snow curtain.
After a while, two carriages appeared in front of him from the snow curtain. Zheng Jiang hurriedly ran up to meet them. The carriage stopped in front of him. The door was opened from the inside. Chen Xiaomu jumped out first and dusted himself off. The snow fell, and then two young and beautiful girls got out of the car respectively. Zheng Jiang was at a loss for a moment, he didn’t know what to say, he just kept rubbing his head, hehe, giggling! He even forgot the simple etiquette of inviting guests into the house.
Chen Xiaomu joked: "Master Zheng, it's so cold, you just leave me here to soak in the snow, and you also ask two beauties to accompany me to soak in the snow. Isn't this unreasonable?"
Zheng Jiang woke up as if from a dream after hearing this, and said hurriedly: "Master, please come into the house quickly, oh! The two ladies also come in quickly."
Under Zheng Jiang's hurried politeness, the three of them entered the house one by one. The first thing that caught Chen Xiaomu's eyes was a man lying on the mattress of a wooden bed, covered with a thick linen quilt, with a haggard face, about sixty years old, and a goat. There was an old man with a beard, and an old woman with a similar age and a sad face sitting on the chair next to the bed. The room was relatively large, and there was no furniture, so it looked empty. Fortunately, there was a pot of charcoal fire burning in the middle of the room, which made the room suddenly light up. A lot warmer! From time to time, the tinkling sound of iron could be heard from the backyard of the house.
Seeing Zheng Jiang coming in with three handsome men and beautiful women, the old woman hurriedly stood up from the chair. The old man lying on the bed also tried his best to bend down, as if to say hello or to sit up. Seeing this, the old woman hurriedly bent over Help him sit up, put the pillow behind the old man up on the bedside frame, and let him lean his upper body on it.
Chen Xiaomu walked a few steps to the bedside, holding the old man's hands that were as skinny as bamboo branches. The old man smiled reluctantly, looked at the chair given by the old woman, and said weakly: "Master, please sit down and talk. "
Chen Xiaomu did not sit down, but turned to look at Zheng Jiang and asked: "Master Zheng, yesterday I heard the imperial doctor come back and say that he had prescribed a prescription for you to go to the drug store to get some medicine. How about it? Have you got the medicine?"
Zheng Jiang scratched his head, with a puzzled look on his face: "Master, I'm dissatisfied with you for saying that there is only one medicine missing from the prescription prescribed by the imperial doctor yesterday. I heard from the imperial doctor that this medicine is still the main medicine and there is no other medicine that can replace it. I searched all the drugstores in Xinjing City, and finally found it in a drugstore called Derentang. But when I asked about the price, it actually cost 25,000 taels of silver. At this price, our entire blacksmith shop was sold. , it’s not worth even 10% of the money for this medicine!”
"Oh, what kind of medicine is worth all this money?" Chen Xiaomu also felt very strange. At this time, Zheng Jiang handed him a yellow prescription note. Chen Xiaomu took it and took a look. The name of the medicine was scratched out. There is a line, so it is clear at a glance that this medicine is wild ginseng that must be hundreds of years old!
Chen Xiaomu pondered for a moment, and suddenly remembered what the clerk at Deweilou said. He smiled and handed the medicine note in his hand to Wei Yushang who was standing next to him, and casually said, "Yushang, I heard someone said that you have There is this medicine!”
Wei Yushang was startled for a moment, but took the medicine note. When she saw the name of the medicine clearly on the medicine note, she asked curiously: "Teacher, who did you hear that I have this hundred-year-old wild ginseng in my hand?" ?”
Chen Xiaomu smiled and said: "This is kept secret for the time being. Just tell me whether you have this thing in your hand? If so, then the condition you agreed to the teacher in the government office just now will be considered as the teacher has already mentioned it!"
Wei Yushang nodded, "Teacher, yes, there is, but this prescription only costs three to two dollars, but my ginseng tree weighs seven to three dollars. Isn't this too wasteful?"
Chen Xiaomu pointed at the timid Lu Xiaocui who had been hiding behind people and said: "Miss Lu's mother is also about to use this medicine. Just cut off half of it and give it to Miss Lu to take back to her mother. In this way, you can A wild ginseng saved the lives of two people, which is a great merit."
Wei Yushang didn't hesitate at all and said immediately: "Okay, teacher, just do as you say. I will send someone to deliver it when I get back."
The old woman beside the bed and Zheng Jiang and others heard that they didn't know how to express their gratitude. Zheng Jiang and Lu Xiaocui simply came over and knelt down in front of Chen Xiaomu and Wei Yushang. They were about to kowtow to them, but they were stopped. Chen Xiaomu, with sharp eyes and quick hands, stretched out his hands to stop him. The old man on the bed saw this and said to Zheng Jiang: "Disciple, get up! From now on, my life is given to me by my master. From now on, I just have to do my best to work for my master! "
"Yes, Master." Zheng Jiang agreed and stood up from the ground. Lu Xiaocui was also dragged up by Wei Yushang.
The old man smiled slightly at Chen Xiaomu and said, "Master, I saw the drawing you brought back to my disciple this morning. I wonder if Master has ever heard of the inverted casting method?"
Chen Xiaomu shook his head blankly, then clasped his fists and said, "Old man, I'm quite new to blacksmithing. Now I only care about whether my drawings can be made into real objects?"
The old man was silent for a while, and then explained to Chen Xiaomu: "If you use the inverted casting method, you can make things even more delicate than the master's drawings. However, this inverted casting method has a drawback, that is, it can be made The hardness of things is often not as good as those forged by the forging method! But if you use the forging method, no matter how high the skill is, you will not be able to produce these delicate objects on the master's map!"
