Seeing Qin Huaidao looking at the scholar who had just graduated from high school from time to time, Yang Fan felt a chill and wondered to himself, could it be that Qin Huaidao had a habit of cutting off his sleeves?
Just as he was about to ask, he saw the scholar just turned around and left happily. Qin Huaidao turned his head anxiously and said, "Master Marquis, do you want to arrest him now?"
"Who to arrest?" Yang Fan was slightly stunned, a little confused.
After squeezing out the crowd of onlookers, Qin Huaidao whispered: "According to Mr. Hou's analysis, didn't you say that someone in Xu Zhangyiyu lied?"
"You said that person just now was Wang Dachui?" Yang Fan immediately realized and asked.
Qin Huaidao nodded: "Exactly!"
"Don't alert the enemy just yet." Looking at Wang Dachui's retreating figure, Yang Fan waved his hand and shouted: "Follow me."
Several people followed Wang Dachui to Linglong Pavilion, a flower house in Pingkangfang.
After seeing Wang Dachui enter with ease, he asked two guards to send Wu Meiniang back, while Yang Fan took Qin Huaidao and Di Renjie into Linglong Pavilion.
As soon as he stepped into the door, he saw Li Jizheng walking out. Their eyes met, and they were both a little surprised by the other's appearance.
Yang Fan took two steps quickly and joked with a half-smile: "My uncle is getting stronger and stronger. My nephew is very happy!"
Li Ji had gone through ups and downs, how could he be frightened by Yang Fan's joke, and immediately counterattacked:
"It's normal for me to go to my own property to relax and drink tea. But my nephew leaves the beautiful girls at home alone and comes here to have a good time. Aren't you afraid that he won't be able to get on the kang at night?"
Hearing this, Yang Fan looked embarrassed. This British gentleman was really old and disrespectful!
But it also shows that Li Ji is different.
If the joke just now was aimed at a gentleman like Fang Xuanling, Yang Fan would definitely be made red-faced by what he said.
Li Ji is an oily bastard who lives up to his reputation as a little Zhuge.
Hearing that this place is the property of the British government, Yang Fan was slightly surprised and said: "I didn't expect that Linglong Pavilion is my uncle's property. My nephew is ashamed."
Looking at Qin Huaidao and Di Renjie who were following Yang Fan, Li Ji thought thoughtfully and asked: "Since you have come to my territory, why don't you go to the private room to have a cup of tea first?"
Yang Fan did not refuse: "My uncle loves me so much, how dare my nephew refuse."
As he said that, he asked Qin Huaidao and Di Renjie to stare at him, while he followed Li Ji into a private dining room.
After the servant served tea and left, Li Ji asked, "Is there anything wrong with my nephew's visit?"
Yang Fan did not hide anything: "Uncle Li, I came to Linglong Pavilion to investigate Xu Zhangyi."
"Oh?" Li Ji pondered for a while and then asked: "I have heard a little bit about this, but didn't His Majesty let Qin Huaidao and Di Renjie be responsible? If the nephew is involved, wouldn't it be possible for others to grasp the topic?"
Yang Fan took a sip of tea and chuckled: "I just came here to look for flowers and flowers, but I didn't interfere with this matter."
Li Ji was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cursed: "You little cunning head!"
After a moment, he continued: "Do you need help?"
Yang Fan was not polite and told him the purpose of his trip.
After listening, Li Ji waved to the female steward of Linglong Pavilion to come in and asked: "Wang Dachui, who just came in, has a good relationship here. How much do you know about him?"
The housekeeper glanced at Yang Fan beforehand, and then said to Li Ji hesitantly: "My lord, I do have some gossip, but..."
Yang Fan is a sensible person.
To put it bluntly, this kind of industry is for making money, but in fact many of them are places where high-ranking nobles gather information.
Being an outsider here, of course the steward had scruples. After all, he was leaking the privacy of the guests.
Yang Fan was considering whether to avoid it first.
Li Ji shouted to the female steward: "Marquis Zhongyi is not an outsider. If you have any news, tell him directly. Don't hide it."
Just one attitude made Yang Fan sigh at Li Ji's smooth conduct.
A simple sentence of "I am not an outsider" can easily win the favor of others.
Who is Li Ji?
Today, when Li Jing retires, Li Ji has a tendency to become the first person in the military.
How could ordinary people not feel close to Li Ji if he could be recognized by him?
Besides, it was just to find out information about a young man, and it didn't involve the British government's secrets. Why wouldn't Li Ji just go along with the flow?
Benefit without any expense, a small means, a small favor, will make people burst into tears of gratitude. Yang Fan can see Li Ji's sophistication.
After hearing this, the female steward no longer hesitated and told everything she knew!
It turns out that Wang Dachui often comes to Linglong Pavilion and is considered a frequent guest of Linglong Pavilion.
At the same time, he fell in love with a young shepherd in Linglong Pavilion named Ni Hong.
Ni Hong is not only charming and beautiful, but also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
When he was a member of the Cui Mansion, Wang Dachui had the honor to accompany the Cui Mansion's son to meet this upright official, and he was immediately attracted by Ni Hong.
As an outstandingly talented young man, and naturally charming, with a look that makes me feel pity for him, Ni Hong is naturally very popular among talented people, including Wang Dachui.
It's just that as a servant, Wang Dachui certainly doesn't have the money to spend money in a place like this.
Usually, with some talent and learning, he often accompanies some young masters to come and go here.
Wang Dachui is not bad looking, he is somewhat talented and learned, and he is also quite elegant. However, he is often brought around by some elegant young masters.
In the past, Wang Dachui was probably fascinated by Ni Hong's beauty and talent, and expressed his desire to redeem her life more than once.
Unfortunately, his status is limited and he has no money, so he can only feel sorry for himself.
Of course, Miss Ni Hong was just acting on occasion.
A humble servant like Ni Hong, despite being of lowly origin, is naturally arrogant and arrogant because of his talent, and looks down on slaves like Wang Dachui the most.
Even if you marry a merchant when you are old and mature in the future, you will never want to marry a slave now.
Even if Wang Dachui is a slave of the Cui family in Qinghe!
Ni Hong has always been in the business of welcoming and delivering guests. As long as she makes money, she usually doesn't choose her guests.
Ni Hong neither refused nor agreed to Wang Dachui, but just dealt with it.
In the past two days, Wang Dachui came frequently to look for Miss Ni Hong, claiming that he had escaped from slavery and had made a fortune.
He is willing to redeem his life for Miss Ni Hong, and when he takes the imperial examination for high school, the two of them will stay and fly together.
Judging from the female steward's narration, this Wang Dachui is still an infatuated person!
Yang Fan frowned and asked, "How much does Ni Hong's ransom cost? Did Wang Dachui say where his money came from?"
"Invincibility starts with sacrificing the ancestor"
Seeing that Li Ji had no objection, the female steward replied directly: "Ni Hong has not yet reached the age of combing hair, and he is a servant, so many talented people flock to him?"
"So, Linglong Pavilion had no intention of letting him redeem his life before. Of course, the Marquis also knows that there is no precedent for a powerful family to take a fancy to such an outstanding heiress."
"But it is extremely difficult to cultivate this kind of pure heirloom. The ransom money is a huge sum of money. Without tens of thousands of dollars, it would be impossible."
Hearing this, Yang Fan was even more sure that there was something wrong with Wang Dachui.
There is obviously something wrong with a person who is so poor that he needs to sell his body to suddenly have such a huge sum of money.
As a servant of the Cui Mansion, how could he spend so much money to redeem the life of a poor man?
That means Wang Dachui doesn't just have this money. If he brings this poor man back home, no matter if he marries him as his wife or takes her as a concubine, he can't let him work in the fields, right?
This would cost a huge amount of money to raise. It was against common sense for Wang Dachui to dare to covet such a popular Qinghuan.
Although it was said that Wang Dachui had escaped from the Cui Mansion's slave status, it was simply impossible to obtain such a large sum of money all at once.
Li Ji obviously saw the problem and said doubtfully:
"I'm afraid this person's money came from some shady sources, but these alone cannot connect him to Xu Zhang's death."
When the female steward heard this, she still hesitated a little and did not back down, as if she was hesitant to speak.
Li Ji said with some displeasure: "What's the news that you haven't come to yet?"
The female steward glanced at Yang Fan and said softly: "According to Ni Hong, Wang Dachui's words are quite strange."
"He assured Ni Hong just before the imperial examination began that he was following the orders of the Cui family to do something big."
"If it succeeds, Wang Dachui will not only have enough food and clothing for the rest of his life, but he will also have a high-ranking official salary. When the time comes, he will definitely redeem Ni Hong and live a good life..."
Yang Fan's heart moved, and it turned out that the aristocratic family was behind this.
Deliberately depriving his slaves of their slave status and making them common people, he not only lost contact with the Cui family, but also allowed Wang Dachui to take the imperial examination alone.
Maybe they had planned Xu Zhang's death long ago.
Even if Wang Dachui is exposed, the Cui family can evade everything.
If successful, this matter can be used to prevent His Majesty Li Er from taking the imperial examination. It is simply a double defeat.
Wang Dachui looked poor when he took the imperial examination a few days ago.
Now he is dressed in fine clothes and even has the money to redeem a popular heiress. This is simply too surprising.
Obviously, the Cui family thought that the matter was settled, so they paid Wang Dachui, but Wang Dachui was a little impatient.
Yang Fan was suddenly shocked. He really didn't expect that the promoter of this matter was indeed an aristocratic family, and the huge Cui family of Qinghe, so he looked at Li Ji with some surprise, which made Yang Fan very embarrassed.
Li Ji also had a surprised look on his face, and the two of them looked at each other in unison!
"how so?"
When the two said this sentence in unison, they understood that the other party had the same idea as themselves.
If it were an ordinary noble family, he could be caught and killed to scare the monkeys, but for a behemoth like Wu Xing Qi Wang, even Li Er would be afraid of him.
Who dares to move easily without conclusive evidence.
Since the Cui family let Wang Dachui break away from the Cui family's slave status, they have considered the possibility of exposure.
Even if they are found, they can push it away.
It seems that this matter is getting more and more complicated.
Yang Fan rubbed his face, stared at Li Ji and said, "Uncle, my nephew was originally here to look for flowers and flowers, but he didn't want to hear such news by accident. I have no ability to care about it."
"It's getting late, and my nephew is a little tired, so I'll take my leave and go home to sleep with my concubine."
Although he did not get along with the family, he was happy to see the family fall.
But this matter involves the Cui family of Qinghe, so it would be wiser to stay away.
The five surnames and Qiwang are all families with a history of thousands of years, and they are all married to each other.
Once you openly confront them, you may have to put yourself in trouble, which is what a wise man will not do.
Now that Yang Fan wants to withdraw, of course Li Ji quit.
After all, the news was revealed from him, and he, Li Ji, could not escape the involvement, so he gritted his teeth and said:
"You bastard, you are the one who brought this about. You are too unjust to run away when you see trouble, aren't you? Don't you think it's too late now?"
Yang Fan looked depressed: "What did your uncle say? Your Majesty didn't let me get involved in this matter, so you let Qin Huaidao take responsibility. What's wrong with justice?"
"What's more, my nephew can't compare with you. You are the founding hero of the country. As long as you don't rebel, no one can do anything to you. But my nephew is different. He is just a grass without roots. How can he compare with you?"
"With those aristocratic families that have been passed down for thousands of years, my nephew is really afraid of moving, so he can't control them even if he wants to."
Seeing Yang Fan acting rogue and trying to drag him into the water, Li Ji glared at Yang Fan and said, "Don't be naughty, kid. I already know about this matter, so I can't just sit idly by."
"If you don't care, if a few words reach your Majesty's ears one day, saying that I am afraid of power, what will your Majesty think? I don't know, your Majesty will think that I am in the same group with these aristocratic families."
Yang Fan was speechless. Couldn't he report it directly to Li Er and ask him to send people to deal with these aristocratic families?
Letting young people like myself go toe-to-toe with several major aristocratic families would be like hitting a stone with an egg.
Seeing Yang Fan's depressed look, Li Ji couldn't help but laugh and said, "Weren't you so courageous before? You even dared to hit the prince."
"Nowadays, it may only involve a few major families, but you are like a quail, not like your character at all!"
"You don't have to be so afraid. As long as the evidence is solid, His Majesty will make the final decision."
"What's more, if we have solid evidence and His Majesty is standing in the way, who in the family would dare to do anything to us?"
What else could Yang Fan say?
This trip into the muddy water was decided, so he had no choice but to take Qin Huaidao and Di Renjie to arrest Wang Dachui.
The only way is to knock the guy's mouth open and fix the evidence. As for how to do it, it is up to His Majesty Li Er to decide.
At that time, it really has nothing to do with it and just hang it up high.
Qin Huaidao broke into Ni Hong's boudoir with a few hundred horsemen like wolves and tigers.
There were a few exclamations in the room, but there was no fight, and then everything fell silent. It seemed that Wang Dachui was just a scholar...
After a while, Wang Dachui was taken away from Linglong Pavilion by the Baiqi Five Flowers led by Qin Huaidao.
And behind the female steward just now was a girl with a graceful figure and a delicate face.
As soon as she saw Li Ji standing at the door with his hands behind his hands, the girl quickly saluted and said softly, "Your servant Ni Hong has met the master."
Li Ji hummed: "You did a good job. Did Wang Dachui tell you anything today?"
The woman stood up slowly, stood aside and said softly: "The scholar who was just arrested is named Cui Da, and his nickname is Wang Dachui. Although his surname is Cui, he is not a member of the Cui family."
"It's that Wang Dachui was sold by his family to the Cui Mansion as a slave when he was young. However, he was smart and studious since he was a child, and he was trusted by the Cui family head. He has been working with the Cui family head."
"According to what he said, this time he was ordered by the head of the Cui family to do something important in the imperial examination. As long as he succeeds, he will get a lot of money."
"For this reason, the Cui family directly eliminated his slave status, and at the same time arranged for him to take the imperial examination, and assured him that as long as he succeeds, he will receive high official salary, glory and wealth."
"He came here today just to redeem his life for me, and to tell me that he is already in high school. As long as time passes, the Cui family can release him as an official, but he will not be allowed to return to Chang'an again in this life..."
The girl is not only beautiful in appearance, but also has a pleasant voice, and her language organization ability is quite extraordinary.
She speaks clearly and logically, and is obviously a talent specially trained by the British government to collect intelligence. It is a pity that such a woman fell into the dust of the world.
Of course, it's not that Yang Fan looks down on this profession, but he has to admit how important honor is to a woman.
Li Ji listened silently, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Very good, if there is anything exposed, remember to report it immediately. In addition, from now on, you can move out of Linglong Pavilion and go to other places to take care of things."
Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Ni Hong's pretty face. She knelt down with a bang and cried with joy, "Thank you so much, Master!"
Moving out of Linglong Pavilion means that she will no longer be the dancer to receive guests.
Being able to go to other places to take care of things is equivalent to saying goodbye to the humble business of brothels.
From then on, if one day she meets someone she likes, she can apply to the head of the family to get married like an ordinary woman!
No need to flatter and apologize to a group of lewd people, it is tantamount to reaching the sky in one step and changing your life.
Li Ji's face sank and he shouted coldly: "You have to remember that you didn't see anything or know anything about what happened today. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The coercion of the first commander in the army is no joke!
Ni Hong's delicate body trembled and she nodded in agreement. She was not a fool. Whether it was the Cui family or the British father-in-law, they were both giants to her. Naturally, she did not dare to go out and talk nonsense.
…
In a secret room in Linglong Pavilion, Wang Dachui's hands and feet were tied, a piece of rag was gagged in his mouth, and he was placed on a chair like a dead dog.
Yang Fan stepped forward and took a look, and saw that this man was a handsome man, about twenty-five years old, with a fair face covered in bruises and purples. He was not at all as high-spirited as he was in high school.
He ordered someone to remove the rag from his mouth. Before Yang Fan could ask any questions, Wang Dachui shouted: "Marquis Zhongyi, spare your life. I am a candidate at the same time as you. I ranked sixth in Mingjing in high school. If you have anything to say, please tell me." torture!"
When Yang Fan heard this, he smiled and said: "We are really destined. As long as you are obedient, you can save a lot of physical pain."
Qin Huaidao on the side snorted coldly: "It turns out that he is a coward. It seems that he can save a lot of trouble."
When he thought about it, the person arranged by the Cui family to handle such a big thing must be at the level of a close confidant.
Even if it is a mistake, the person behind the scenes will not be exposed.
If you want to open the mouth of such a person, you will definitely have to be tortured. It takes a lot of effort, but I didn't expect that he turned out to be a weakling.
At this time, Li Ji explained: "Although this person has some talents, he is short-sighted. He is willing to take risks for a girl from a brothel. It can be seen that he must be a greedy person. This kind of person is naturally afraid of death!"
Yang Fan nodded in agreement. Li Ji was indeed not simple. He could infer this person's temperament just from his character and behavior. He could be said to have a subtle understanding of reason and a deep understanding of people's hearts.
