King Ming had made great military exploits when he was young, but Emperor Liang not only refused to reward him, but also demoted King Ming to Fuyun County under house arrest, which shows how deeply Emperor Liang was afraid of King Ming.
King Ming was a smart man and brought Fuyun County into chaos. This method of self-destruction was very similar to that of Xiao He in the early Han Dynasty. It seemed to be a way to save his life, but in fact it was a way to save his life.
Although Li Lang had a hot temper, he was straightforward and simple, and did not pose a great threat to Emperor Liang.
In contrast, in front of him was Li Zhang, who looked like a scholar and looked like a law-abiding person.
The deeper the relationship with Li Zhang, the more dangerous it becomes.
Qin Feng secretly made up his mind that when the matter in Pingyao County was resolved, he would get rid of Li Zhang no matter what and try to keep a distance from him to avoid getting angry.
After watching Li Zhang leave, Qin Feng no longer hesitated, left the restaurant with Li Lang and Shufeng, turned around and went into the alley, approaching the city gate under the cover of night.
The defense of Pingyao County was relatively complete, and Qin Feng was not a thief. It was not easy to get out of the city, so he simply asked Li Lang to bring the money and go to bribe the city gate guards.
As Qin Feng expected, the city gate guards saw the silver and happily let it go.
Leaving the city gate, Li Lang made a disdainful "chi" sound in his mouth: "The crows in the world are as black as the mother who has milk. As long as there is something to gain, not to mention entering and exiting the city gate, even if you go straight to the back house of the Yamen, it is... A breeze.”
Li Lang's implication was that Qin Feng was making a fuss out of a molehill and taking Pingyao County too seriously.
This damn place has long been rotten to the core.
Facing Li Lang's sarcasm, Qin Feng smiled instead: "You know nothing!"
Li Lang was naturally unconvinced: "You understand."
Qin Feng held his head high, with a proud face: "That is, your eldest brother knows more about Pingyao County than you do. Pingyao County is the ancestral home of Taiwei Gao Ming, and Zhou Yufu is Gao Ming's loyal servant. Pingyao County The euphemistic name is that it is under the rule of Daliang, but in fact it has been managed by Gao Ming and turned into his own back garden."
"Three county magistrates have had accidents one after another, and the county government has been abandoned for a long time. Do you think that these country squires alone can cover the sky with one hand? Haha, let's put it this way, if there is no Gao Ming to back it up, the official department can just send a governor to lead With a few hundred soldiers, we can thoroughly investigate Pingyao County."
"Believe it or not, at this juncture, the city gate guard has already reported to Zhou Yufu."
Hearing Qin Feng's remarks, Li Lang couldn't help but frown: "You know that our every move is monitored by Zhou Yufu, why do you take risks?"
Qin Feng grinned and said nonchalantly: "Adventure? Li Laoer, it seems you don't understand me at all. In my dictionary, there is no word 'adventure'. As the saying goes, if a brave man exposes his corpse in the wilderness, he will live a long and prosperous life."
Although Li Lang despised Qin Feng from the bottom of his heart and felt that this person could be described as "treacherous, lazy and greedy", it was undeniable that Qin Feng could always turn the danger into safety every time he encountered danger.
This is closely related to his adaptability and strategizing.
Recalling that in Kyoto, I held a Hongmen Banquet and invited you to the urn. In the end, not only did I get a fat beating, but I was also rescued by Qin Feng.
Li Lang's mood was full of mixed emotions.
He refused to accept it, but he gradually understood the deep meaning of his eldest brother. If there was anyone who could save his family from Fuyun County, it would be this person.
Even for the sake of his family, Li Lang had no choice but to follow Qin Feng sincerely.
At this moment, Shufeng beside him suddenly muttered with doubt: "The area around Pingyao County is too desolate. Master, look, the trees on the roadside are all dead. Although Pingyao County does not belong to the Thirty-Sixth District of Kyoto, It’s one of the prefectures, but after all, it’s close to Kyoto, so it shouldn’t be so desolate, and I’ve never heard of a drought happening around here.”
Qin Feng glanced at the dead trees on the roadside and couldn't help but sigh: "It's not that they died of drought, but that they were eaten by hungry people."
Shufeng's eyes flashed with surprise, he covered his mouth and exclaimed: "Eat?"
Qin Feng nodded, recalling the tragic situation of the hungry mother and son, and couldn't help but feel heavy: "Long before entering Pingyao County, I had noticed that all the trees nearby had no bark, and the grass on the ground was extremely It’s rare, even if it exists, it’s just some scattered seedlings.”
"It can be seen that hungry people are passing through the border like locusts and have already plundered all the edible things in this land."
Shufeng was even more shocked, with disbelief in his eyes: "How could it be possible?! There are floods in the south and drought in the northwest, but I have never heard of famine in the hinterland of the Central Plains. Besides, this place is so close to Kyoto. If there are hungry people wandering around, I'm afraid the saint Already understood."
Sage insight?
In fact, Qin Feng had considered this issue before coming.
But what puzzled him was that since he knew that Pingyao County was so desolate and dilapidated, and that several county magistrates had been in trouble frequently, why didn't the old guy like Emperor Liang have the slightest intention to intervene?
Logically speaking, Emperor Liang was a man of great talent and strategy, and the black lieutenants under his command were even more terrifying espionage agencies.
Even though this was a place where Lieutenant Gao could cover the sky with one hand, even though Lieutenant Hei's focus had already shifted to Beidi, such a big matter would not cause any ripples in the palace or the court.
Also, even if there were good reasons for letting him take charge of the investigation of Pingyao County, how could the officials be so stupid as to trick him so openly again and again?
Behind this, besides Gao Ming, who else is adding fuel to the flames?
The more Qin Feng thought about it, the more strange he felt about this matter, and the more he paid attention to it...
Just then, a village came into view.
Since it was already late at night, the village was lifeless and there was no movement at all.
It was eerily quiet.
Li Lang said solemnly: "Why don't we even have a dog in this village?"
Qin Feng shook his head and sighed helplessly: "People don't have enough to eat, how can there be any food left to feed dogs? Besides, even if there are dogs, they have already been eaten by the people."
In the current national war, even counties in the hinterland of the Central Plains must arrange land security or security patrols to prevent enemy spies from penetrating deep.
But Qin Feng walked all the way to the door of the most "impressive" farmer's house in the village without attracting any attention.
Moreover, Qin Feng discovered that many courtyards in this village were abandoned.
Qin Feng shouted twice through the courtyard door: "Is the village chief here?"
After a while, an old woman in her fifties or sixties with gray hair on her temples walked out shivering in linen clothes.
Seeing Qin Feng and Li Lang holding their heads high and showing extraordinary temperament, the old woman's eyes suddenly showed fear: "The village chief is not here, what are the two officials doing?"
Hearing this, Li Lang raised his eyebrows and said angrily: "Master Guan? Which of your eyes looks like Master Guan?"
Qin Feng glared at Li Lang and signaled him not to talk nonsense, then smiled at the old woman and said kindly: "Auntie, don't be afraid, I am an official sent by Kyoto, and I have come to Pingyao County specially. Inspection.”
The old woman's expression did not change at all, and she pulled up her clothes: "What is your mission, sir?"
Seeing the old woman's mediocre reaction, Qin Feng felt strange and asked, "If you have any grievances, just explain it to me and I will seek justice for you."
The old woman shook her head dully and said repeatedly: "The grass woman lives a very good life. She has enough to eat and drink, and she has no complaints to complain about."
