After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 1379 Meeting and Secret Discussion

This is a remarkable achievement in the Golden Plains, which has been in chaos for years.

Xue Zongwu even took a look behind the door and found that there were two places where the bronze array plate in the doorway was worn and had not been repaired - he had discovered this when he entered the city last time.

It can be seen that Mangzhou has not repaired the city defense formation in the past six months.

Anyway, Mangzhou is located in the heart of Yao State and will not be attacked. Anyway, this large formation can still operate normally even if three or four boards are broken, so the local people are lazy.

Xue Zongwu shook his head. If it were his men, they would have been beheaded long ago.

Mangzhou is as prosperous as before, with shops lining the market town, exquisite mansions by the lake, majestic temples in the city, and men and women in red and green dressed in spring clothes, looking no different from before.

Compared with the capital Tianshui City, Xue Zongwu prefers Mangzhou. Living here is also extravagant and luxurious, but it is less restrictive and more unrestrained.

Because Mangzhou was almost a must-pass place for officials from the west to enter the capital, there were many nobles wandering in the city. Xue Zongwu rode in a carriage and paraded through the streets with his personal guards, and all the officials he met on the road had to salute him.

Xue Zongwu nodded casually and walked past them without saying a word.

His destination, of course, was Xiaotao Villa.

After Xue Zongwu's mentor and father-in-law retired from Qingniu Mountain, Yao Wang passed by Mangzhou and visited him in person, staying at Xiaotao Villa for three days.

A person who is extremely respected even by the king will certainly be very successful in Yao State.

There was a lot of traffic in Mangzhou at the moment, but at least half of the traffic was in Xiaotao Villa. Officials and wealthy businessmen passing by Mangzhou would send visiting cards to the Qi Mansion.

There are limited high and steep mountains in Mangzhou. Xiaotao Mountain is densely forested, but its overall height is actually only 100 zhang (more than 300 meters). Compared with other famous mountains and rivers, it is just a small hill - except for the peak of Beishan Mountain which rises to 200 zhang - the road up the mountain is wide and flat, and can accommodate three carriages side by side.

Nowadays, this mountain road is no longer as quiet as it used to be, and there are often horse-drawn carriages passing by.

Like other mansions, the courtyard wall of the Qi Mansion is more than ten feet high, hiding the red and green gardens from outsiders.

When Xue Zongwu arrived, the Qi Mansion immediately opened the door to welcome this important official.

After all, he was going to visit his mentor and father-in-law, so it was not convenient for Xue Zongwu to march in with a full group of men. He selected a few lieutenants and his trusted elite soldiers as per the usual practice, and sent the others to wait at the resting pavilion outside the gate.

Xiaotao Mountain Villa was often visited by dignitaries, so two rows of houses were built on the hillside, called Xiema Pavilion, to provide food, lodging and fodder. If the visiting officials had too many followers or guards, they could temporarily leave their people and horses at Xiema Pavilion and go to visit the officials themselves.

As the sky gradually darkened, the Qi Mansion was already brightly lit.

Xue Zongwu walked more than ten feet into the gate. The evening breeze blew by, bringing with it faint laughter.

It seems that the Qi Mansion is full of guests again tonight.

As the saying goes, a great hermit hides in the city. After Qi Yunsheng retired, dignitaries had no more taboos about interacting with him. He was even busier than when he was the great elder of Qingnie Mountain.

The servant who led the way faced him, almost bending to the floor, and said, "The master has instructed that as soon as you arrive, you must go to the Yangxin Hall."

"Yangxin Hall?" Xue Zongwu was familiar with the villa and did not need anyone to lead the way. However, there were many distinguished guests tonight, and Qi Yunsheng, as the host, should be entertaining the guests. Why would he go to Yangxin Hall to see him?
Qi Yunsheng has three small Taoist temples in the manor, and Yangxin Hall is one of them, and it is also the one closest to the banquet hall and the garden. Xiaotao Mountain Manor is too big, Qi Yunsheng met Xue Zongwu here, and had to take care of other guests afterwards.

Xue Zongwu was slightly surprised, but he turned the corner and headed for the Yangxin Hall. The deputy general's personal guards followed closely behind him.

Along the way, several officials saluted and greeted him.

Although his wife has passed away for many years, he still maintains close contact with his father-in-law Qi Yunsheng. Everyone who knows the situation understands why.

The Yangxin Hall was not far from the banquet hall, but the dense vegetation filtered out the noise. The environment here was quiet and suitable for meditation and thinking, and of course, it was also suitable for conversation and confidential discussions.

Xue Zongwu knew that Qi Yunsheng had asked him to meet here for something important.

After turning around a clump of low ferns, we saw lights ahead and arrived at the Yangxin Hall.

As soon as Xue Zongwu raised his hand, his guards dispersed into the forest and no longer followed him.

Walking into the Yangxin Hall, Xue Zongwu saw Qi Yunsheng standing by the window with his hands behind his back, and immediately said:
"Master, how are you!"

"Come in and close the door."

Qi Yunsheng closed the window himself.

As soon as the barrier was released, the noise outside suddenly disappeared.

"How's it going?"

What happened in Shuangxi could not be brought to the table to talk about, Xue Zongwu just said: "Everything went well."

Qi Yunsheng pointed to a thin wooden box on the table and said, "Yesterday morning, someone quietly put this thing into the side room at the gate of the villa."

"This is?"

"Open it."

Xue Zongwu opened the box and saw a square book inside, which looked very familiar.

Could it be?

He quickly picked it up, but the more he flipped through the pages, the uglier his expression became.

It was an account book, and he could recognize the handwriting at a glance:

Qian Yu!

His accountant Qian Yu died in Shuangxi under unclear circumstances, and this is Qian Yu's account book!

Qi Yunsheng asked meaningfully: "Is there anything I should know?"

"This is my account book, which was originally stored in the Shuangxi government office. This year I sent Qian Yu to check the accounts as usual, but he was robbed and then killed. At the same time..." Xue Zongwu licked his lips, "someone broke into the accounting office of the government office, rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, took away several account books, and set fire to them, burning half of the old accounts."

He shook the account book in his hand and said, "This is one of them. Haha, it really is a diversion!"

Qi Yunsheng frowned: "Are these account books a problem?"

Xue Zongwu nodded helplessly.

"what happened?"

"These are the names of the actual accounts. Tong Huan said that if Tianshui City sends people to re-establish the accounts, these names will be the basis for verification. If they don't match..."

"You are just too greedy!" Qi Yunsheng slapped the window frame, "I warned you a long time ago, alas!"

This son-in-law is decisive, brave and resourceful, but he has one biggest weakness: greed!

"Greed" is a big pit. Once you fall into it, you will only get greedier and greedier. He believed that the "some" Xue Zongwu mentioned must be an astonishing number, a trouble that would be difficult to recover from once it was announced.

Hearing his complaints, Xue Zongwu pursed his lips and said nothing. The old man cleared himself so cleanly, and he didn't even think about how much wealth the Qi family had made over the years thanks to him, Xue Zongwu!
He was in front of the stage, Qi Yunsheng was hidden behind the scenes, and their wealth had skyrocketed several times!
In terms of greed and ruthlessness, how can he be compared with this father-in-law?
Tsk, we know each other well, why is this old man pretending to be so noble in front of him?
If Xue Zongwu is a fierce tiger, Qi Yunsheng is a cunning old wolf!

"There are red lines marked in the book." Qi Yunsheng had read it beforehand.

Xue Zongwu was shocked when he heard this, and when Qi Yunsheng pointed it out to him, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

In addition to the manipulation in the accounts, the projects that Huang stayed behind were actually marked with red lines in the account book.

Xue Zongwu and Huang Liushou's "official business" was all business to business, and every transaction was recorded. But the trick was so hidden that nothing could be found by simply checking the account books.

But the problem is that Qingyang has obtained detailed evidence to settle accounts with Huang Liushou. One or two of the documents are wrong when they match the account book!
It was less than half a year ago that Huang Liushou was beheaded. Xue Zongwu had destroyed almost all the information related to him. Only recently did he remember that Shuangxi still had a few accounts!
He told Qian Yu to go and settle the account and redo it, but who could have known that such an accident would happen?

Now Qian Yu is dead, but one of the missing account books was sent to his father-in-law.

This is obviously a message:

The person who stole the account book wanted to tell him that everything about him, from his whereabouts to evidence, was under the control of others.

Qi Yunsheng asked him, "How many account books were lost in total?"

"I don't know. All other information was burned, so I can't verify it."

"Then the other party has at least several more copies in his hand." Qi Yunsheng pressed his eyebrows, "Do you think the same as I do?"

Xue Zongwu uttered two words with difficulty: "Qingyang!"

His series of troubles all started when Qingyang took office as the Regent of Yao State.

"The old witch from Beijia has spent several months figuring out the situation in the court and the country. She has become more aggressive recently and even challenged my king in public!" Xue Zongwu said in a deep voice, "She sent me this account book. What do you think?"

"Perhaps she wanted to tell you that although Huang Liushou died early, the clues were not interrupted and she could still find you." Qi Yunsheng sighed, "It's a pity that Huang Liushou died. He was a smart man and efficient."

If He Lingchuan were here, he would be able to hear something.

"She wants to protest against me?"

"No, more than that." Qi Yunsheng analyzed, "If it was just for demonstration, she wouldn't need to send the account book to you. She only needed to announce your crime in court and then use it as evidence. I think she wants to blackmail you or win you over."

"Blackmail me? Win me over?" Qi Yunsheng's thoughts coincided with Xue Zongwu's. "What does she want me to do?"

"The Yao Kingdom is so large, and the court is so complicated. She and the hundreds of people she brought with her cannot control it. She also needs the support of powerful local forces... such as you." Qi Yunsheng waved his hand, "Don't rush to sneer, this is the best strategy."

"Where's Zhongce?"

"If you refuse to change your ways, she can at least make you fearful and afraid to confront her again." Qi Yunsheng continued, "If this doesn't work, there is another plan: publish the evidence in court to alienate you and your subjects, making you infamous, which can also weaken the power of my king."

Xue Zongwu gnashed his teeth until they creaked: "This old woman is so vicious!"

He conquered cities and territories abroad with brutal methods, earning him the reputation of being a "ferocious monster".

But that was abroad, outside the Kingdom of Yao!
Abroad, no matter what he did, he was famous, and when he returned home, he was a hero. He knew very well that the Yao people would not pay attention to the Golden Plains at all, and would not care about the lives of others at all. They were a little proud when they heard about his thunderous methods.

But in China, if he was reported by Qingyang for hindering national interests and seizing the interests of the people, and all the charges were made public, his reputation would be ruined!
(End of this chapter)