What Xiao Chen did in Weiyang City soon spread to a villa in Daotai Mansion on Xijiang Road.
At the same time, there were also letters signed by the families of many victimized students.
Master Ma quietly came in from the west corner door, and walked all the way to Jiang Rongfeng, who was meditating and composing poetry on the stone table in the willow forest. He bowed and cupped his hands, "Sir, there is news from Jiangdong."
Jiang Rongfeng frowned, as if he felt his elegance was being disturbed, and put down the wolf hair in his hand unhappily.
There is still no word written on a piece of plain white paper placed on the stone table.
"What's the situation? Let's talk about it." Jiang Rongfeng brushed down the sleeves of his elegant robe and turned around. A majestic and unhappy look flashed across his plump face that had been pampered for many years.
Master Ma respectfully handed the joint letter to Jiang Rongfeng with both hands, and then told Master Daotai in detail what Xiao Chen had done in Jiangdong Road.
After Jiang Rongfeng heard this, he just raised the thin and sharp corners of his mouth to sneer, and his plump face was like a cut knife.
Immediately, he balled up the letter in his hand and threw it aside. As if he hadn't seen it, he leisurely raised the wolf hair again.
"Don't worry, now is not the time for me to take action. Let them make trouble for a while."
"There are not enough clouds in the sky of Jiangdong Road."
The breeze blows and stirs the green willows, but cannot dissipate the thick conspiracy.
…
Xiao Chen wandered around Weiyang City for several days, and visited all the major businesses in the city to get to know this young and wealthy boss. Until he would cause a sensation every time he left the post house, Xiao Chen had no choice but to give up.
However, he has not wasted his time in the past few days. It is clearly for recreation, but in fact he has been secretly exploring the forces inside and outside Weiyang City.
With himself, who is in the brightest light, and Duan Haichao, who is half-light and half-dark, plus Xiang Yichun, who is completely in the dark with eagle eyes, in just three days, Xiao Chen has already We almost know the situation in Weiyang City.
In the afternoon of that day, Ji Hongluan, who had had a long sleep, washed herself up properly and kicked open Xiao Chen's door with a pair of knives in hand.
However, they saw that Xiao Chen and Concubine Shu were not in the main room, but in the small study to the west. Moreover, these two people were just wearing home clothes and did not mean to go out.
"Aren't you going to go out and splurge today?"
Ji Hongluan came over and asked.
Xiao Chen glanced at her, spread out a piece of heavy kraft paper in his hand, and said casually: "Why, Miss Hongluan has fallen in love with some handsome guy, is the girl in love with her?"
"You... stop talking nonsense!" Ji Hongluan came over and saw Xiao Chen picking up the wolf hair, and couldn't help but sneered, "Can you draw pictures?"
Xiao Chen stretched out his sleeves, leisurely and casually, a provocative smile that was clearly looking for a fight filled his face, "Come, Xiaohong, roll up your sleeves for me, and serve the pen and ink."
Ji Hongluan's pretty face suddenly changed, a hint of displeasure and danger spread out, and she was about to get angry, but saw Concubine Shu holding a book of Weiyang City Chronicles in her hand, and looked at Xiao Chen's grandiose appearance, I couldn't hide my curiosity for a moment.
With a cold snort, the beauty frowned and stretched out her hand, angrily rolling up Xiao Chen's sleeves.
"I want to see what you're going to do."
Xiao Chen smiled and didn't pay much attention to her. He picked up a fine wolf hair worth a thousand gold and splashed ink on the paper to draw it.
He was not good at writing with a brush, but when he drew a map, it perfectly blended with his crooked brushstrokes. After a while, a sketch of Weiyang City and its surroundings was drawn.
It is not as delicate as the one made by the skilled craftsmen of the Household Affairs Department, but it is still clear at a glance.
Concubine Shu couldn't help but laugh as she watched from the side, "You are really a genius, with such a sloppy writing style, you can also create a style of its own."
"Tell me, what are the forces in this city?"
Ji Hongluan listened and realized what the two of them were going to do. There was a hint of wonder in her heroic and smart eyes, and she looked at Xiao Chen in disbelief, "So you haven't been wandering around these two days, but inquiring about information?"
This eunuch's palace was so deep, and he deceived her every day with his generous behavior.
The heroic eyes became deeper and deeper, and an extremely complicated look appeared in Ji Hongluan's eyes.
Xiao Chen smiled and did not answer her. Instead, he handed the wolf hair in his hand to the side and said proudly: "Change the cinnabar pen for me."
Ji Hongluan glared at him, but her little hands followed Xiao Chen's instructions and put the wolf hair dipped in fragrant ink on the white jade pen holder, then took a new brush from the side and dipped it in cinnabar. The red ink was handed to him.
Xiao Chen took the pen leisurely, raised his eyebrows slightly, and hid the evil smile in his heart.
Immediately, he clicked five red dots on the map at five places in the southeast, northwest, and middle, and his voice became solemn, "Look, these five positions are some of the ones that the governor has checked these days. The most important thing is the message.”
"Why?" Concubine Shu smoothed the map carefully, stared at it carefully, and asked, "Aren't you checking the families of those rebellious scholars? Why are there only these five places?"
Xiao Chen shook his head, pretended to take a sip of tea slowly, and said in a cryptic tone: "Madam, that's bad."
"What can we find out about those scholars? Although the power they hold in their families is not small, in fact, they are just moths above these five coiled dragons."
"In Weiyang City and even Jiangdong Dao, if we talk about civil forces, the most powerful ones belong to these five major families."
"Five major families?" Concubine Shu frowned slightly, thinking that in the past few days in the city, she had often heard people mentioning the Wang family, Zhao family, etc. When everyone mentioned these, they all looked solemn and solemn, as if they were mentioning the Jiangdong Daotai Mansion. officials in general.
Xiao Chen pointed at the red dots in the picture with the tip of his pen, "The Wang family, a wealthy businessman located in Weiyang City, the Zhao family, a large agricultural businessman located in the southeastern suburbs of Weiyang City, and the Sun family, a river merchant located at the west dock of the city..."
"And the Dongfang family of the great squire located in Qingping County."
"Of course, there is also the Zhou family in Qingshuiyuan."
These five major families are like big trees taking root underground in Weiyang City, with intertwined roots and luxuriant branches and leaves.
"For example, take the Wang family as an example. They not only do business in silk, ironware, grain and grass on the surface, but most importantly, this family has been cultivating forces like Wang Jinli who hold real power in various yamen."
"These officials in the Wang family are not big, and they are not from the main family of the Wang family. Like Wang Jinli, his father is just a distant third uncle of the Wang family, but once he sits in this position of political history, he can provide a steady stream of resources for the Wang family. It’s convenient, and the Wang family will give him an absolutely considerable reward.”
"Speaking of which, his salary as a government official in the yamen is not even a fraction of the benefits he can get in the family."
"In this way, the forces are mixed together and become unbreakable."
Concubine Shu gasped when she heard this. If this was true, wouldn't it mean that these five major families were the actual emperors of Weiyang City? They control the people's livelihood in Weiyang City and even the surrounding cities in their own hands.
Ji Hongluan on the side also looked solemn, realizing how powerful these five families were.
Concubine Shu looked at the detailed map in her hand and asked: "So, where is the Zhou family? Qingshuiyuan, on the map, is actually a village? Why is the Zhou family located here?"
