Pang Huang was upright and attentive and quick to respond. This was why both Yu Wentai and Yu Wenzhi wanted to make him their confidant back then.
He looked directly at Yang Jian and asked.
"Are you thinking about how to remove this stumbling block? Hmm."
Yang Jian nodded with burning eyes.
"I have this idea, but as you said, if we can avoid it, we will try our best to avoid it."
"Well, we know Shan Yutong quite well. Even if you don't look for him, he will definitely look for you to cause trouble. It's difficult to get around him."
Pang Huang shook his head and continued.
"We're afraid that if you don't do it right, you'll shoot yourself in the foot. There is a rumor that Shan Yutong was the descendant of E Chongyu in his previous life, so even the imperial court can't defeat him."
Yang Jian said deliberately.
"Then tell me your truth, if we want to have a head-on confrontation, which side will Guild Wei be on?"
"That's a good question."
Pang Huang said without thinking.
"Wei Guogong will undoubtedly side with Shan Yutong."
"Then why?"
Yang Jian said puzzledly.
"Aren't we the governor of Xiangzhou and the official of the imperial court? Moreover, Wei Guogong is the younger brother of the current emperor."
"It's a pity that Wei Guogong will not see it this way. He will think that Shan Yutong once sold his life for the Yuwen family. This person is still very respectful to him and can still be used by him."
"Then if we reach the point where this stumbling block must be overcome, how should we get around this Xiangyang manager?"
Yang Jian looked at his friend expectantly.
"This is the same thing as you and Shan Yu. You can't get around it because Wei Guogong is your immediate boss."
Pang Huang thought for a while and then said.
"We see that there is only one way, which is to turn this case into a solid case without the knowledge of the General Manager of Xiangzhou. It will be too late for Wei Guogong to defend him."
"Okay, just do what brother said."
Yang Jian said firmly.
"We need to pay more attention."
Pang Huang continued.
"If we don't do this, we'll have to do it, and we'll slowly remove even the tangled roots of the pot without leaving any hidden dangers."
After Pang Huang left, Yang Jian brought Li Shun and Xiao Lezi together to analyze several cases about Shan Yutong that he had recently learned about through Xiao Lezi and felt that they were all of sufficient weight.
This case is only hearsay. The workload of investigation and evidence collection is huge. If you are not careful, you may alert the snake and be sued first. After the water is muddied, it will be very difficult to continue.
In the early morning of this day, Yang Jian went to the courtyard to practice boxing in his usual short-fighting attire. Whenever he practiced to the extreme, his master Zhixian's feminine smile would appear in front of his eyes.
Pang Huang's visit this time also brought a few official documents from the imperial court that were delivered through the post station, including the emperor's imperial edict to exterminate the Buddha.
At this time, the intensity of the extermination of Buddhism was unprecedented. Except for a few ancient temples and famous temples that were preserved throughout the Northern Zhou Dynasty, most Buddhist temples, nunneries, and Taoist temples were confiscated for use in establishing schools or serving as officials.
All the monks, nuns and Taoist priests were required to return to secular life, and all young and strong men were drafted into the army. Women, the elderly and the weak were required to return to their hometowns to work in the fields. Therefore, Yang Jian was worried that the master would encounter some unexpected disaster.
Whenever Yang Jian hears the chicken dance, he will feel very happy. He regards his smooth and free moves as careful communication with his master. But today, he is a little restless and his movements are a little out of shape.
He still completed the two sets of boxing techniques from beginning to end. After finishing the movements, he sweated through his clothes and saw Zhu Bo holding a broom and looking at him intently.
"Sir, we can see through your boxing today that you are pretending to be something."
Yang Jian felt a knot in his heart since last time when he realized that the wine the old man brought was not so hot.
"What kind of person is this seemingly dull old man?"
Yang Jian turned around and was about to go back to his room when he heard Uncle Zhu murmuring from behind.
"grown ups."
"Did you call us mom?"
Yang Jian turned around and asked.
Zhu Bo nodded and said.
"We want to deliver to you what the previous governor left behind."
Yang Jian stopped and asked.
"What is it?"
Zhu Bo reached into his underwear pocket and fumbled out a two-inch-long copper key. Yang Jian took it in confusion. The key still contained the old man's body temperature.
Zhu Bo explained.
"This key was given to you by the former governor."
"oh?"
Yang Jian was surprised.
"When we first came here, didn't you say that the previous governor didn't give any explanation?"
"That's what happened."
Zhu Bo said.
"Before leaving, the governor told us to see if the new governor is a good person. If he is a good person, it will not be too late to give him the key. If not, he will throw him into a well. This is what the previous governor told us. Don’t dare to disobey his words.”
"Then do you think we are a good person or a bad person?"
Yang Jian said.
"I didn't expect that when we come to Suizhou, we will meet another face-to-face person."
Yang Jian simply sat down on a stone bench and motioned to Zhu Bo to sit down on another stone bench, and then he said.
"To tell you the truth, there are quite a few people who don't know my face."
Zhu Bo said.
"We've never done that."
Yang Jian continued.
"Then why do you think I'm a good person?"
"Don't those evil people who run rampant in Suizhou always find fault with adults? We also heard from people on the street that the new governor's subordinates gave Lu Er a hard lesson when they first arrived."
Yang Jian shook the key in his hand and asked in confusion.
"What was the purpose of the former governor giving this key to us?"
Zhu Bo said.
"There is a wall behind the bookcase in your study. There is a small box key hidden in the wall, which is used to open the box."
"What?"
Yang Jian was shocked when he heard about it. Zhu Bo never knew what was in that box. Yang Jian immediately called Li Shun and Zhu Bo entered the study together. The three of them moved the wall against the wall together.
The lower end of the wall of this study room is surrounded by wooden boards. The wall is about 5 feet high. The wall is painted cinnabar color. Yang Jian and Li Shun went out to see that it was originally blocked by the bookcase and had the same color as the exposed wall skirt. There's nothing strange about it.
Uncle Zhu first wiped the dust on the wall that was blocked by the bookcase with a rag, then gently tapped a wall panel with his hand and suddenly he said.
"The box is hidden here."
Yang Jian glanced at Li Shun and then bent down to look at the place Zhu Bo pointed at. He felt that there was no difference between this place and that place just from the appearance.
It turns out that the wall is made of five-inch-wide wooden boards inlaid with each other. There is a thin gap between the wooden boards. Where Zhu Bo pointed out, the gap between the two wooden boards seems to be a little deeper. If you don't look carefully, it is difficult to detect. of.
The key trick was to hit the place where the box was hidden with his hand and it would make a hollow sound. Zhu Bo went to the kitchen and got a sharp knife. He inserted the tip of the knife into the gap between the wooden boards and scratched it hard several times from top to bottom.
Then he inserted the knife into the gap in the middle and pulled it out. Finally, he pried out a large piece of board, and then took out several boards in succession. There was a large wooden box sandwiched between them.
Li Shun and Zhu Bo lifted the wooden box out. The box exuded the scent of camphor wood. Yang Jian took the copper key and opened the copper lock hanging on the box. Then he opened the lid and found a box full of silk handkerchiefs.
Yang Jian took out one of the volumes and spread out a few lines on the desk accusing Shan Yutong's son, Shan Hu, of robbing his wife, brutally murdering her, and silencing her. The file also included the plaintiff's complaint and the investigation transcripts of the state investigators.
Yang Jian opened another handkerchief. It was a case of a village accusing Shan Yutong of occupying other people's property and causing the property owner to hang himself.
Then Yang Jian took a rough look at the case file in the box, and after reading it, he was filled with sighs and emotions mixed with overjoyed.
He patted Zhu Bo's shoulder with his hand and said.
"Old man, these things you saved for the former governor cannot be bought with gold and silver."
"How can it be so valuable?"
Zhu Bo's wrinkled face folded into a flower over time.
"No wonder, the governor hired a mason and a carpenter from his hometown to put the box into the wall. After he handed the key to me, he returned home with the two craftsmen."
That night, the window of the study room was covered with a thick cloth. Four candlesticks in the room lit four candles, illuminating the study room brightly. Yang Jian and Li Shun each sat at one end and looked at the case files in the reading box. Each case was filled with tears and blood. The readers were filled with indignation and tears in their eyes.
They felt sad for what happened to the victim in the case, and were extremely angry at the perpetrators of the tragic and unjust case, which also gave them a deeper understanding that the world of Suizhou was turned upside down due to the evil deeds of the Shan family and his minions.
There will be no peace for this bully unless he gets rid of the kind people.
Yang Jian was also sincerely admired by the work done by the former governor. When he first arrived, he had to investigate so many cases that had already happened. Not only was it equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack, what was even more difficult was that such a heavy evidence collection work had to be completed by some outsiders in secret. Absolutely impossible.
One day, Shan Hu and a few followers went out to play with bows and arrows, never leaving their hands. When they passed by Xuanwu Street, they saw a beautiful-looking woman selling tea at a stall and approached him with evil intentions.
"Looking at you selling vegetables in this cold winter, you must have limited financial resources at home, right? How about you kiss the uncle and I will make a good living for you?"
"My lord, you have broken my daughter. I already have a family."
When Shan Hu saw that the teasing didn't stop, he signaled his followers to come forward and use words to tease the woman who wanted to be a bully. Unluckily, the woman's husband came from the opposite alley and saw his wife being teased. He stepped forward and was about to open his mouth to reason.
"Young man, what if you molest your wife? Beat her to death."
The entourage couldn't help but give Shan Hu a punch and let him ride it up. Then he put a rotten vegetable on his head, drew an arrow and shot it towards his forehead. In an instant, a transparent hole in the shape of an arrow shaft was inserted into his head.
Yang Jian and Li Shun exchanged information while looking at the case files. Li Shun, who hadn't slept for a while in the morning, got up first and went to the well to fetch a bucket of cold water. After Yang Jian washed up, his drowsy mind suddenly felt refreshed.
He was about to do morning exercises as usual when he saw Uncle Zhu standing in a corner of the yard.
Uncle Zhu didn't have a broom in his hand this morning, but he had a cloth bundle slung across his shoulder. Yang Jian couldn't help but ask, his heart beating.
"Uncle Zhu, why didn't you get a broom today?"
Zhu Bo walked up to Yang Jian and bowed deeply.
"Sir, the front and back yard have been cleaned before dawn. The little one is waiting here to say goodbye to you."
"Farewell? Where do you want to go at such an old age?"
Zhu Bo said.
"I have no children, and I only have a poor old woman at home. Yesterday we settled the matter of the former governor, so I can go back to my hometown to be with my old woman."
"That's not possible. Why don't you take my aunt over and enjoy the happiness with you?"
Yang Jian said with a troubled expression.
"It's not that we won't let you go, we have more important things we want to ask Uncle Zhu to do."
Zhu Bo whispered.
"How can we do the things that adults do when we are ignorant? You can just leave the job of sweeping the yard and guarding the door to anyone you want."
"Well, since you want to go back to your hometown, we will give you a few days off and let Xiao Lezi accompany you to pick up the aunt. If the aunt is strong, she will help wash clothes and cook tea and rice for everyone. If she is not, she will do nothing. We will also give you a salary."
Uncle Zhu said embarrassedly.
"The old lady's health is not bad, but the salary is not necessary. Since the Lord thinks so highly of me, I will go and pick up the old lady and return her to the Lord as a gatekeeper."
"Okay, let's make it a deal."
Yang Jian walked into the warehouse, took out three coins and handed it to Zhu Bo's hand.
"The so-called road from poverty to prosperity means that you should have good food and shelter on the way, and use the remaining money to buy some silk and satin clothes for the aunt."
As soon as Uncle Zhu left, Yang Jian ordered Li Shun to hire several craftsmen to renovate the rooms on both sides of the government office gate. The one on the left was used as a place for tenants and coachmen to drink tea and rest, and the one on the right was used for Uncle Zhu to guard the door and sleep. A few small pieces of furniture were thoughtfully added to it.
A few days later, Xiao Lezi accompanied Zhu Bo and the old lady back to the government office and saw that his residence had been completely renewed. Naturally, he was overjoyed and went to the study to express his gratitude to the governor.
"My lord, thanks for the little fun along the way. If it weren't for my old eyes, I would have been confused several times."
"Xiao Lezi, send two or three people to check at the door. I'll ask Uncle Zhu something important."
Yang Jian then turned the topic to what happened a few days ago.
"When the former governor handed you the key, did he tell you roughly what was in the box?"
"He didn't say anything. He just asked us to take a closer look to see if the new adult is a good person. If he is a good person, he will hand over the key. Otherwise, he will throw the key into the well and let the contents of the box rot in the wall without telling anyone. He also unanimously warned us that trouble would arise if the contents of the box fell into the wrong hands."
"Then do you know about Wang Yuxing Medicine Hall's case?
Zhu Bo said.
"We know this." Shan Hu, the son of Hussar General Shan Yutong, fell in love with Mrs. Zhang, the concubine of the medicine hall owner Wang Yuxing. Once, he took advantage of Mrs. Zhang's return to her natal home in Huzhong and robbed her into the Shan family. Mrs. Zhang was very fierce. Shan Hu was willing to obey and killed Shan Hu. He also killed a bearer and a maid who were following Mrs. Zhang. Another bearer somehow escaped from the heavily guarded Shan's house and his whereabouts are still unknown. Wang Yuxing reported the case to the police. The hussar general of the state government rebelled against his own soldiers and injured Wang Yuxing and smashed the medicine hall he had worked hard to run for many years! ! ! The former governor ordered the soldiers to surround Hussar General Hu Ba and ordered him to hand over his son Shan Hu. Unexpectedly, the Shan family was more powerful than the governor. The court also sent troops to suppress it. Unfortunately, Shan Yutong repelled them one by one. , General Da Xiwu was also wounded, and everyone was helpless. "
"Oh, Uncle Zhu, how do you know so clearly? But you said you don't know what's in the box."
Yang Jian was surprised.
"I really don't know what kind of things are in the box. There are almost no people in Suizhou who don't know about the case I just mentioned."
Yang Jian continued.
"Did you know? The first handkerchief I took out when I opened the camphor box that day was about this case."
, Zhu Bodao.
"The little one is illiterate and can't understand what's written in it."
"To tell you the truth, that box contains all the crimes committed by the Shan family and his men. Now you should know why the former governor kept these things and handed them over to us."
"Oh, I didn't understand it at first but now I know it. He was using this to tell the adults that Shan's family was too domineering and vicious and that he was the one who was unlucky enough to offend them."
Yang Jian smiled unconsciously.
"Is that how you see it? If so, he wouldn't have to take the risk of keeping these case files. Wouldn't it be enough if he let us see with our own eyes how arrogant and domineering the Shan family is?"
Zhu Bo said.
"The younger one can't figure it out."
"He clearly wants us to get to the bottom of these unjust cases that were not understood during his tenure and avenge the victims."
Zhu Bo was shocked for a long time before he spoke.
"Sir, a strong dragon can't suppress a local snake, let's just do our job well,"
