Everyone discussed some details of the operation, and then dispersed when the rooster crowed. At the right time, Chen Mo set off on time and went to the Jiangbei camp to dispatch troops. At the same time, the door of the General's Mansion slowly opened to welcome the first batch of people who came for interviews. Ma Desheng personally led 300 guards from the palace to ambush around Xuanzang Hall, ready to attack at any time. Now the fishing net has been fully rolled out and everything is ready, just waiting for the fish to take the bait.
At the beginning of the month, Li Zhun led two hundred patrol troops in helmets and armor. Regardless of the comments of the people around him, he swaggered into the mansion and went straight to Xuanzheng Hall.
Chen Xiaotian was already waiting in the hall. The two met happily, chatting and laughing. After greetings for a long time, they turned to the inner hall for a private conversation. Half an hour later, Chen Xiaotian ordered a banquet to be held in honor of Mr. Li. During the banquet, Chen and Li exchanged cups, congratulated each other, and promised to help each other and speak kindly to each other in front of the Holy Lord after the event was completed. Liu Chaozhong, Chen Yixin and others who were accompanying the banquet also came forward to congratulate them. Everyone talked loudly and poured wine. Yan Huan seemed to have the attitude of having accomplished a great job and accomplished all his tasks in one battle.
The banquet did not disperse until the lights were turned on for ten minutes. Chen Xiaotian was full of alcohol. With the help of Chen Mo, he sent Li Zhun and others to the door. The two agreed that Li Zhun would bring good food and wine tomorrow, while Chen Xiaotian would be responsible for arranging the singers and dancers. , still drinking happily in the general's mansion, and will not return until he is drunk.
After seeing off Li Zhun, Chen Xiaotian staggered back to Xuanzheng Hall, walked into the inner hall and fell asleep. After a while, he started snoring like thunder. Chen Yixin and Chen Mo also returned to their rooms to rest, and everything seemed to have returned to calm.
"Bang...Bang...Bang Bang..." At the second watch of the day, the candlelight in the Xuanzang Hall was flickering, and there were figures of people. The three father and son of the Chen family, Yin Yanlai, Li Zhun, Liu Chaozhong, Liang Yehan and Ma Desheng All have arrived.
When Chen Xiaotian saw that everyone had arrived, he said to Ma DeSheng: "General Ma, please speak first."
Ma Desheng nodded and said: "Master, there are a total of 6,213 people visiting the mansion today. Each person is still paid five taels of silver, and the total is 31,065 taels of silver..."
Chen Xiaotian waved his hand and said: "Just talk to Wang Rong about these small money matters. There is no need to report to me."
"Yes, but Manager Wang said that this expenditure is not a decimal after all, so you should still know it."
Chen Xiaotian thought to himself: "Why is this boy Ma Desheng so obsessed with Wang Rong? He almost has to obey her orders! It seems that there are some things that we can no longer arrange for him to do in the future."
Chen Mo said from the side: "General Ma, you'd better tell me quickly how many people approached Xuanzangtang today?"
Ma Desheng said: "According to the patrolling guard's report, there are four people - three men and one woman. After questioning, they all have their own reasons for approaching Xuanzang Hall."
"Oh?" Chen Xiaotian twirled his beard and asked, "What are the reasons? Tell me."
Ma Desheng said: "One of the three men said that he didn't know the road and went the wrong way. The other said that he had a relative who was working in the government and wanted to meet him. The two of them decided to go to the rockery behind Xuanzheng Hall. See you."
Chen Mo asked: "Who is this relative who works in the government? Has it been verified?"
Ma Desheng said: "After verification, it's Xiao Si from the stable. His cousin is here today. Manager Wang has resigned him after dinner."
Chen Xiaotian nodded and continued to ask: "What's the reason for there being a man and a woman?"
"The third man's reason was even more bizarre. He said he had never seen such a luxurious courtyard before, so he wanted to walk around and have a look. As soon as the guard heard this, he sent him away directly."
Chen Yixin said: "What's going on with that woman?"
Ma Desheng said: "Strictly speaking, this is not just a woman, but a little girl and her great-grandmother."
When Chen Xiaotian heard this, he immediately became alert and asked, "Why are there old women and children? Don't we require that only those who are over 18 and in good health can enter the house?"
Ma Desheng said: "Afterwards, the general also asked about it. The guard guarding the door said that when the door opened in the morning, the old man and the young boy were standing at the door. They heard someone mentioned that there was a silver collar here, so they came early to queue up. When the guards saw this old man, The wife was in rags, old and ugly, and her eyesight was not very good, so she wanted to drive them away, but the little girl suddenly jumped out and said, everyone said that the general is a good official, and this time he gave away money for the sake of seeking justice. People also want to benefit the people. Now it seems that it is just a show, and they don’t really want to do good for the people. After saying that, she turned around and shouted to the people in line behind her, let’s go, this is fake, money yesterday It’s already shining, I won’t give you any money today.”
When Chen Yixin heard this, she smiled and said, "This little girl is quite scheming? How old is she?"
Ma Desheng said: "She is only twelve or thirteen years old, and she looks quite small. That old lady is quite old, she must be at least seventy."
Chen Mo said: "Then the little girl said that, and the guards let them in?"
Ma Desheng said: "Not at first, but who would have thought that these two people were talking to people everywhere as they left, causing most of the people who came early to queue up to leave. There was no other way. In order to keep everyone here, the guards at the door Let them into the house."
Chen Xiaotian twirled his beard and asked, "Then why did the two of them come to Xuanzang Hall?"
Ma Desheng said: "This reason is even more incredible. It turned out to be because the old lady was going to pay homage, and the little girl took her to find the toilet. As a result, the two of them got lost when they came back, and they ended up in front of Xuanzang Hall by accident."
When Chen Yixin heard this, she smiled and said, "People have three urgent needs. This reason is quite reasonable."
Ma Desheng nodded and said: "These are all the people who approached Xuanzangtang today. Master, do you think there are any rebels among them?"
Chen Xiaotian pondered for a moment, then turned to Li Zhun and said, "Master Li, what do you think?"
Li Zhun said: "It seems that these people have their own reasons for appearing in front of Xuanzhengtang, but I think someone must be lying, and the spies of the rebel party must be among them. Among them, I think the first one that can be ruled out is the second one. A man close to Seonjeongdang.”
"Oh?" Chen Mo asked puzzledly: "How can you see it?"
Li Zhun said: "If he is a spy, when faced with the inquiries of a few ordinary guards, he can use another excuse. There is no need to sell the relatives who are working in the mansion together, even if the relatives are not his. The accomplice is really a handyman in the mansion, so he has lost another chance to enter the mansion reasonably and legally. I don’t think Old Man Tianqi would send such a reckless person to sneak into the general’s mansion to find out information.”
"Yes, that makes sense." Chen Xiaotian nodded and said, "This person can basically be ruled out. I would like to ask Mr. Li if there is anyone he is very suspicious of?"
Li Zhun hesitated for a moment and said slowly: "The reasons of the other people all seem to be more natural. There is no trace of deliberate excuses or attempts to hide anything. There are no flaws in the language. Therefore, I think each of them has something." Maybe he's a spy for the rebels."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a burst of laughter like silver bells. Yin Yanlai, who had been silent until now, suddenly smiled and said: "Master Li is right. On the surface, they are indeed flawless, but there is one thing. Maybe I overlooked it, but who said a spy must be one person? In my opinion, the remaining people should all be spies sent by the rebels!"
