Aggrieved Fish Sprite

There are a total of twelve squares in the east and west of Taijing, and each square is divided into several small squares, separated by high walls.

The names of the big squares are still official, and they are all auspicious words piled up with good characters and words, just like the year titles issued by the imperial court. Some of the names of the squares have been used for hundreds of years without changing.

Those small workshops are different, especially the bustling places, where there are many restaurants and brothels, and singing and dancing every night, ordinary people gradually move away, leaving only merchants doing various businesses.

Dongcheng Peony Square is such a place.

In the past, delicate red lanterns were hung, and the Peony Square, full of laughter and laughter, was quiet.

The imperial guards and the Xuncheng Yamen were guarding the entrance of the square, and they were still searching the shop.

Although they didn't do anything to grab it, the people in Mudanfang couldn't help being shocked, and they shoved some copper coins and silver bills over cautiously, hoping that these evil spirits would leave as soon as possible.

The imperial guards who received the money only changed their attitude a little bit, did not relax in the search, and tended to be stationed here.

Mudanfang is the largest fireworks and willow alley in the capital. There are a lot of fish and dragons here, and there are many shady businesses at the same time. The Imperial Guard casually checked and found hundreds of people with suspicious identities.

Of course, people who come out to have fun don’t carry guides with them, so the patrolling guards of Taijing’s Yamen came in handy. Those who have aristocratic families, or those who are rich at home and hang out with Peony Square all the year round, are quickly recognized. , without being taken out and detained separately.

This time, the imperial guards are targeting those who are armed with sharp weapons and who are suspected of being reckless.

Those hooligans who had dirty hands and feet on weekdays, ran around, raped and played tricks were also arrested, and handed over to the government office to interrogate suspicious people who appeared in the market.

Many people in the Jianghu have been exposed in this way.

The imperial guards did not push too hard, they only sent people with crossbows to surround these flower buildings, claiming to search for rebels.Those who did not have a murder case attached to them, or those who were particularly courageous, knew that they could not escape, so they surrendered sensibly.

Anyway, at most a few days in jail.

Under normal circumstances, the court and the rivers and lakes do not interfere with each other. Even if there is an order to strictly investigate and arrest, the low-level soldiers and government officials will turn a blind eye and let them go.Because people in the Jianghu are all desperadoes, and accidents will happen if they are in a hurry. Who wants to die?

For this reason, there were no major disturbances in Mudanfang.The Imperial Guards responsible for searching and sealing off the area also breathed a sigh of relief.The most likely place for the rebels to hide, apart from the farms on the outskirts of Beijing, is Peony Square.

It seems that the scale of the rebellion is not large, and there is nothing to worry about.

Once the atmosphere relaxed, life became much easier.

People who were hiding in the house yesterday and didn't dare to make a sound, today opened the windows and stretched their heads to watch the excitement.

In the alley at the end of Mudanfang, there is a shop with an old plaque and a narrow front.

There is a small building behind the shop, together with a yard overgrown with weeds. Naturally, this place has been searched, and the things inside have been turned into a mess.

The guy has a mischievous look, and he often runs to the door to lazily look around after working for a while.

The shopkeeper didn't reprimand, just coughed hard.

After coughing three times, the guy came back with his head drooping.

"It's been almost two days and two nights, and the ban has not yet been lifted. There are only some rotten cabbages left in the shop. What else can I eat?" the man kept complaining.

Every household has some rice grains, but there are not many perishable vegetables and fruits.

Especially the waiters and servants in Mudanfang, they don't live in this place at all, once the door of the workshop is closed, they are trapped.Many people were so anxious that the corners of their mouths were blistered and they were restless.

The imperial guards had long noticed the abnormality of the shop assistant, and when they passed by, they heard these words and looked away.

The guy turned his back, changed his expression, and pouted at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper quietly entered the back hall, looked around, and carefully opened a mechanism on the wall, revealing the dark hole, and then jumped down.

This is not a cellar, but a secret room that occupies a huge area.

After passing through a curved passage, the eyes suddenly open up, the furnishings are rich and luxurious, and there are tacky and golden objects piled up everywhere.On the translucent gold-sprinkled curtain, there are dark patterns of ingots, and there are also two huge copper coin pendants,

There were four or five people sitting in the secret room, but their attire did not match this place full of the smell of copper. Those with swords and knives looked more like people in the Jianghu.The old man who is the leader has a purple-red birthmark on the right face, which is strange in shape, just like the head of a wolf, and looks very ferocious.

"What's going on outside?" The old man with the wolf's head birthmark asked in a deep voice.

The shopkeeper hastily bowed his head and smiled apologetically, "It seems that the rumors are no longer serious. I have sent someone to spy on the situation secretly. In two hours, there should be news from the imperial city."

The old man was very dissatisfied, and snorted heavily: "What are you talking about, two hours? Don't you Fengxing Pavilion claim to know everything in the world? You didn't find out about the plan of the Qingwu Patriarch before, but now you have heard about the changes in the capital. I don't know, Fengxing Pavilion should smash the signboard, so as not to be laughed at."

The shopkeeper is a middle-aged man with an ordinary face, probably not found in the shameful pile.Hearing the old man's ridicule, he was not angry at all, and still laughed and said: "To be honest, we were caught off guard when the incident happened suddenly. Half of the staff in the capital of this pavilion were sent to Shangyun Mountain. Now Delayed outside the city; due to a vision in the sky, the owner of the pavilion sent some people out to inquire about the news, and the door is locked and they will not be able to come back for the time being. But don't be impatient, patrol and search, and they will come back one after another gone."

"I hope so." The old man stroked his beard with an ugly expression.

He didn't know what he thought of, and a killing intent appeared in his eyes.

The shopkeeper didn't seem to see it, and still said with a smile: "When you enter the door of Fengxing Pavilion, you are the guests of our Fengxing Pavilion. Before the transaction is completed, Fengxing Pavilion will properly guarantee the safety of the distinguished guests..."

"Boom."

There was a sound above everyone's head, as if someone was hitting the ground.

The shopkeeper's smile froze on his face, and the old man stood up holding the weapon vigilantly.

"Safe?" The old man looked at the shopkeeper sarcastically.

The shopkeeper's eyes were straightened, and he said impossible.

This underground secret room in Fengxing Pavilion was built very firmly, and I specially bought the wall-building formula of Yizhou Thunderbolt Hall, not to mention digging it, even if it uses gunpowder, it may not be able to explode immediately.Unless it is filled with gunpowder, the street will be razed to the ground.

And because several pipes were buried, the sound from outside could be heard in the secret room, but it was difficult for people outside to hear the movement underground through the solid and thick walls.

"Dong dong."

The sound was clearly audible and rhythmic, it sounded like knocking on a door.

The shopkeeper's expression changed, and he couldn't help but walked to the corner and opened a mechanism, which cleverly installed a few small mirrors, so that he could see the movement in the yard above the secret room.

A young man wandering around?

This shopkeeper is the chief steward of Fengxing Pavilion, he has visited countless people, and his vision is extremely poisonous.He could tell at a glance that the material and weaving of the material on the Second Prince's body were different from those on the market.

Not necessarily expensive, but very rare.

Looking at the young man's demeanor and demeanor, he is obviously someone who is used to giving orders.

What puzzled the shopkeeper was that such a young man with an extraordinary background was running around like a follower.Judging by the appearance of this young man, it is obvious that he is listening to the opinions of his colleagues.

However, the shopkeeper couldn't see that person, and just as he was in a hurry, the sound of thumping sounded again.

At the same time, there was a teasing that deliberately slowed down the tone: "Is anyone down there?"

"..."

Even if there are people, they won't respond!

The clerk from the shop in front ran over with a sad face, and tried his best to stop him: "This guest officer..."

"What guest officer, the inspection is so strict outside, can the people who can appear in your shop be ordinary people?" The young man raised his eyebrows and reprimanded him very rudely.

The man nodded and bowed, and said with a bitter face: "Yes, yes, our business in Fengxing Pavilion is fair. I don't know what the distinguished guests want?"

At this time, the shopkeeper finally saw the back of the "knocker".

——By no means an ordinary person.

"I don't buy information. I want to find a hidden place. I passed by here occasionally and found that you have a nice secret room." Meng Qi said unhurriedly, "The place is big and well ventilated. Why don't you rent it for three to five days? , the price is negotiable.”

"Hmph, what a big breath."

It was too late for the shopkeeper to stop him. He watched the old man with the birthmark push himself aside, and shouted angrily at the pipe used to peek into the courtyard: "Where is this junior so arrogant?"

"Don't open your mouth and shut your mouth and say you are a junior. Since you are pretentious, why don't you report your name and make a mark?"

Meng Qi was in high spirits, he had learned this kind of quack and habits from storytellers, and he didn't have much chance to use it on weekdays, but this time he and the doctor traveled all the way from Yongzhou to Taijing, dealing with quack people all the time.

He tapped the ground twice with his heel, and there was a series of thuds above the secret room.

In addition to using internal strength, it is also because Taijing Longmai is very good at things hidden in the ground, and can always find weak points, which seems to knock everyone's heart.

That guy is alright, the people in the underground secret room are already on the verge of a formidable enemy.

The old man turned his head, glared at the shopkeeper and asked, "Is there no one in your Fengxing Pavilion? You let an unknown person be so provocative."

The shopkeeper was sweating profusely. In fact, there were not only him and the waiter here, but also many people from Fengxing Pavilion staying in the small building behind the shop. For some reason, there was no movement at all.

The old man finally couldn't hold back, and was about to leave the secret passage with the weapon in hand. The shopkeeper hurriedly dissuaded him, saying that the other party's intention was unknown, and it was better to hide in the underground secret room for safety.

"Safe? I think this secret passage is about to be demolished!" the old man sneered.

If you don't go, do you want to wait to be buried in the ground?

With his hands behind his back, Meng Qi watched the old man rushing out aggressively with his people.

"What is your honor?"

When the old man saw Meng Qi's face, he subconsciously felt that it was dangerous, but he couldn't imagine when such a person would appear in the Jianghu.

The people behind him had already rushed over, because they were worried about attracting the attention of the imperial guards outside, their moves were quick and fierce, and they were in front of Meng Qi in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, they were lying on the ground.

Meng Qi put his right hand behind his back, looking leisurely and unrestrained.

The old man was even more shocked when he saw his subordinates stumbled inexplicably.

"It turned out to be—"

The shopkeeper who crawled out of the secret passage took a deep breath, his face turned pale and he trembled, as if he was about to pass out immediately.

Now everyone's eyes couldn't help but focus on the shopkeeper, including the shop assistants, but he didn't recognize who Meng Qi was, and he was very puzzled.

When Mo Li walked into the courtyard from the shop, he happened to hear Meng Qi asking the shopkeeper:

"With your appearance, do you know my identity?"

The shopkeeper nodded his head, and said in a trembling voice: "I don't know that Mr. Meng Guo came to this pavilion. It's really... a long way to go."

"I don't remember meeting you." Meng Qi thought to himself, everyone who met him was trapped in Shangyun Mountain, how could he possibly pass the news back?

"No, I'm sorry to make a bold guess," the shopkeeper said with a pale face, "Fengxing Pavilion has a branch in the capital called a coffin shop. I have received a few deals three years ago, so I took this opportunity to inquire about... your general opinion. Appearance. A while ago, there were rumors on Yongzhou Road that the former imperial master appeared and crossed the river in full view. I think you have indeed returned to Taijing. So I dared to guess. You have such martial arts, but no one has seen it Master, isn’t there only a national teacher?”

Mo Li paused, the words sound familiar.

"A villain is not talented. As the chief steward of Fengxing Pavilion, although I dare not say that I know all the masters in the world, I know all about the handsome and extraordinary people, and I have portraits in my hand."

On the face of the shopkeeper, it was almost written that "the ancestors of the Taijing people are not worthy of the name of Jianghu Baixiaosheng, but they have a picture of Jianghu Baimei in their hearts".

Looking at Meng Qi with a stiff smile, Mo Li gave a dry cough and was about to change the subject when suddenly Meng Qi's eyes lit up and he said to himself.

"Sitting in a well and looking at the sky, it's easy to laugh. How can you know all the heroes in the world, such as this one, who do you know?"

The shopkeeper turned his head to look at Mo Li, and was taken aback for a moment, as if in confusion.

Ink Carp: "..."

He seemed to hear this person thinking in his heart, yes, he is as good as he is, who is Meng Guoshi?

The author has something to say:

Little leader who sells news, do you guess that the legendary former national teacher is an extraordinary beauty, or an elegant and unparalleled beauty?

The leader of the Jianghu organization who sells news: ...