Jingzhou Prefecture, Yiling Prefecture, Huya Town.
The Ding family mansion, which had been bustling for several days in the town, finally calmed down. They had been eating flowing water mats for several days, and finally ended on the fifth day of the first lunar month when they welcomed the God of Wealth.
On the second day after the flowing water banquet ended, Ding Shixiang and Ding Papi's old master, Zhang Dashan's son Zhang Xiucai, that is, the drunkard Zhang suddenly visited in the evening.
Ding Bapi was a little surprised by Zhang Xiucai's visit. He knew that although his old master was drunk all day long, he was a master who did not eat food that came from outside. No matter how poor he is, he can't afford to beg his former servant...and this guy also has his own way of making a living!
This guy can write very well, and he can imitate the original calligraphy works of famous calligraphers, and he can also make them look old... This is a lucrative business. Even though he was drunk all day long and seemed to have no way to get money, he only needed to open a business once and the money he got would be enough for him to drink for several years.
So this master’s family can’t make a fortune – he drinks too much in the past few years, his craftsmanship has never improved, and he can’t defraud big money! But life is still going on, so he can continue to put on his bad airs.
In his words, he has never taken a serious look at Ding Papi, a nouveau riche... He has never taken a serious look at him, so why are he here today?
Although there was a question mark on his forehead, Ding Papi still went out to greet him personally.
This is etiquette!
No matter how depressed Zhang Xiucai was, he was still his old master. Even if Ding Bapi became an official, he would still respect him, not to mention that Ding Bapi was still a commoner.
"We have something important to discuss!" It was rare for Zhang Xiucai not to drink, and he also cleaned himself up. He was just a clean-faced old scholar. How could he look like an alcoholic Zhang?
"Master, please come in!" Ding Bapi was polite and thoughtful, calling him "Master" and respectfully inviting him into the middle hall - people who hang out in the street are all very polite, otherwise they will make people uncomfortable. Look down on.
Zhang Xiucai, however, was not polite. He entered the main hall of Ding's house with his majestic look and sat down on the first chair in a grand manner.
Although he is a guest, he is Ding Papi's old master, so he should sit at the head of the table.
Ding Papi immediately asked people to prepare a banquet. He also asked his servants to make the best green tea in the house, and then he took the seat at the bottom.
Zhang Xiucai glanced at the maid waiting beside him, and Ding Bapi immediately waved her away. He and Zhang Xiucai were the only two people left in the central hall.
At this time, Zhang Xiucai said: "Zi Quan (Ding Papi's trade name), there are rebels in the town! Someone wants to fight against the bandits!"
"What?" Ding Papi was startled.
Huya Town is close to Sichuan and was once the location of Li Zicheng's camp. Li Zicheng did a lot of kindness here, and many people still remember his kindness.
In addition, there are many spies of rogue bandits who will appear near Huya Mountain!
In the past few months, because of Li Laiheng's bluff and his posture of conquering Jingzhou, the area around Huya Mountain has become even more unstable.
As the richest man in Huya Town, and possibly the second or third richest man in the entire Yiling Prefecture, could Ding Bapi not be worried?
If someone really wants to rebel against the Dashun Kingdom in Huya Mountain, Ding Papi will definitely be the first to suffer the consequences!
"Young Master," Ding Bapi's face turned a little blue, "How did you know that someone wanted to fight against the bandits?"
Zhang Xiucai smiled and said: "I heard it occasionally in the tavern next to the dock... I heard it from Wang Sihu, who ran the boat! He has probably defected to the bandits in Sichuan!"
"A rogue bandit who took refuge in Sichuan? You can't, right?" Ding Bapi also recognized Wang Sihu, "How could he, a boat runner, get together with a rogue bandit?"
"Why not?" Zhang Xiucai smiled and said, "There are many gangs among the boatmen on the Jingjiang River, and some of them have some dealings with the bandits... Ziquan, you don't know that, right?"
"Gangs..." Ding Papixin said: How do you, Zhang Xiucai, know about these gang affairs? By the way, you are a maker of fake calligraphy and paintings, so you inevitably interact with people in the world!
Zhang Xiucai said: "Zi Quan, do you know who that thief Wang Sihu is talking to about being a gangster?"
"With whom?" Ding Papi asked.
"With your long-term worker Yang Sanbao!"
"With Yang San?" Ding Papi took a breath, "He is an honest person!"
"An honest person is more likely to die if he gets anxious... Think about it, how long will Yang Sanbao have to work for ten years? Can he really be willing to do it?" Zhang Xiucai said, "Zi Quan! You have to think clearly about this. This thing can be big or small, good or bad. If it gets bad... your whole family will have to go to Nanyang to open up wasteland!"
"My whole family..." Ding Papi's face turned green. He looked at his old master and cupped his hands and said: "My eldest son, I, Old Ding, am a merchant. I don't know how to deal with it. Please teach me how to deal with it. If you can meet me, Turn misfortune into good fortune, and you will be thankful afterwards."
Zhang Xiucai touched his goatee and smiled proudly.
This matter is definitely not a good thing for Ding Papi's family, but for Zhang Xiucai, it is really the last chance in life!
So after accidentally overhearing what Wang Sihu and Yang Sanbao said that day, he had been keeping an eye on Wang Sihu for the past few days.
He actually found some clues!
This Wang Sihu's move was obviously a bit big. The money he spent was not what he could earn as a boatman!
Moreover, in addition to dragging Yang Sanbao to drink in a tavern by the dock, he and Yang Sanbao also dragged several other bachelors from poor families in the town to drink and talk...
In addition, since the four tiger kings returned to Huya Town, many poor people in the town have had their posters for King Chuang pushed through the cracks in their doors!
But after all, Wang Sihu and Yang Sanbao are just little shrimps. How much trouble can they cause? If you catch them, how much success can you achieve? I'm afraid it's not enough to be awarded an official title, right?
If you want to be an official, you have to let Wang Sihu make things bigger. It is best to bring all the big fish behind the scenes to Huya Mountain and catch them all!
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiucai smiled and said: "Zi Quan, do you have anyone reliable who can be placed next to Wang Sihu and Yang Sanbao?"
Ding Papi thought for a while, nodded and said, "Yes, there are two of them... They are also my long-term workers. They have been with me for many years and we have married."
"That's good!" Zhang Xiucai smiled, "Zi Quan, now we can get a piece of credit that can change our official status!"
...
Wuhan Prefecture, in Wuchang County, is the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment.
When Ma Shiying, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, returned to the Yamen to sit in court after the New Year, he received more reports from the police patrol offices of Jingzhou Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, Chengtian Prefecture, and De'an Prefecture about "rebellion and welcoming thieves"!
The Ministry of Punishment of the Ming Dynasty is now a bit like a combination of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Security in later generations. It is in charge of police patrols and criminal prisons, but is not responsible for trials. Trials are handled by Dali Temple and local judges, and have a certain degree of independence.
The police patrol department under the Ministry of Justice is also responsible for catching rebels and suppressing the local area!
Therefore, after the police patrols in Jingzhou Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, Chengtian Prefecture, and De'an Prefecture discovered that anti-thief activities had intensified, they reported it to the Ministry of Punishment.
After seeing these reports, Ma Shiying immediately contacted Wen Jinyiwei and Dongchang and invited Zhu Chunjie and Pan Yuchen to the Ministry of Punishment to discuss countermeasures together.
"Your Majesty, let me tell you the truth, the Jin Yiwei of Xianguan have also received a lot of news about anti-bandit activities in recent days... It seems that there are many gangsters in the Jingchu area, and they are all ready to make a move!"
The one who spoke was Zhu Chunjie. During the Spring Festival that just passed, he didn't get a good night's sleep. In addition to the unrest in Jingzhou Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, Chengtian Prefecture, and De'an Prefecture, shocking news also came from the territory of Dashun Kingdom - there was also a lot of trouble on the ground in Sichuan controlled by Dashun. The most serious one is the Dajian Mountain Rebellion!
There seems to be a big commotion over at Dajian Mountain, and even the grain road leading to Shaanxi is blocked! I don’t know if it will cause the rout of the Shaanxi bandits?
In addition, Jinyiwei also sent a large number of spies to Guizhou Province, Shizhouwei, and western Guangxi Province to secretly monitor the trade routes there!
If there are still local officials who dare to disobey Zhu Cixiang's imperial edict and allow materials to pass through their jurisdiction and be sold to the territory of the bandits, it will not be the censors of the Supervisory Council who will investigate corruption, but the Jin Yiwei who will catch the rebels who collaborate with the enemy!
