Go back to ancient times to engage in sideline business

After leaving Sun's house, Tang Zhong turned his head and went to Benxintang.

Dr. Chu's medical skills are second to none in Qingjiang County, and the people have a headache, and the first thing they think of is to come to Benxintang to get medicine.

Considering that so many people have stomach problems, there should be quite a few people going to Benxintang for consultation.

Tang Zhong waited in Benxin hall until about midnight before coming out.Sure enough, as he had thought when he came, someone had tampered with it.

The sun began to turn to the west, and the sunlight slanted down from the gaps in the corners of the eaves, completely hiding the signboard of Fuxing Restaurant into the shadow of the eaves.

Standing on the street in front of the restaurant, Tang Zhong looked at the seal on the door with the seal of the official government, and felt sad for a moment.

Two cake-buying women passed by behind them, following Tang Zhong's gaze, they also turned their heads to look at Fuxing Restaurant.

"Fortunately, it was seized, my child is still weak now! I will go to the door of shopkeeper Liu's house later, and I must ask them to give an explanation!"

"That's right, the government is procrastinating in handling the case, we have to hurry up and seek justice! Seeing that his family's business is so good on weekdays, I didn't expect it to be a black-hearted business! My man is still a member of this store, and I will let him put that Laoshizi member to death The card is thrown!"

The two women felt resentful and walked away cursing all the way.

Tang Zhong heard it clearly, and his heart became more and more uncomfortable.

The business of Fuxing Restaurant was started step by step by him, shopkeeper Liu, and the shop assistants and cooks.

If you want to set up a signboard, you have to work for several days and months.But if you want to black out a signboard, it only takes a few days.

We must not let the government procrastinate in handling the case, we must hurry up and get to the bottom of the matter!

After pondering for a moment, Tang Zhong turned around the alley and came to the back door of the restaurant.The door was locked and also sealed.

Looking in through the crack of the door, you can see the messy tables, chairs, cups and plates in the courtyard, as well as the open doors of various rooms.

Tang Zhong raised his eyes to look around, and finally settled his gaze on a towering attic opposite Baima West Street.

If you want to come there, you can see the situation in the courtyard clearly.After pondering over and over again, he gradually began to think about it...

Quickly returning to Qingshi Lane, Tang Zhong didn't even have time to catch his breath, so he went to the Gao family father and son: "Where can I buy colored glaze? The more transparent the better!"

At noon three days later, Qi Tutou swaggered into the gate of Pinyaju, and was immediately beckoned by Hu Touer who was waiting inside.

"You bastard, why did you invite me to dinner suddenly today, and said, is it a bad idea to hit me!"

"Make it clear, it's not my treat! My city gate guard Tang Zhong said that he would thank you face to face."

"Thank you for what? I have no friendship with him!"

"Damn, you still talk so much when I invite you to dinner! If you like to eat, if you don't like to eat, get out!"

While joking, the two went up to the second floor and sat down by the window.

"I've seen Catcher Qi!" Tang Zhong got up and bowed his hands.

"I have admired Qi's reputation as a catcher for a long time, and it is not respectful to prepare a small gift." As he said, Tang Zhong presented the wooden box in his hand.

"Look at what you said, it's not the first time we've met, why are you being so polite?" Qi Catcher said politely, but took the box honestly in his hand.

Turning his face sideways, he whispered in Hu Tou'er's ear: "Your subordinates are really sensible."

Open the lid of the long brown wooden box, revealing the gifts inside. It is a long boxy wooden box with colored glass on both ends, but it is impossible to see what it is used for.

"This is?"

"This is a telescope for Catcher Qi to use when investigating cases outside."

Hu Touer helped Tang Zhong invite Qi Tuotou out for dinner, and only said that he thanked him face to face, but he didn't know that he had prepared such a good gift for him.Looking helplessly at the rare thing but not his own, I couldn't help feeling sour.

"He usually doesn't handle cases seriously. He just goes through the motions. It's a waste to give him a telescope!"

Qi Catcher turned his eyes to the binoculars, looked left and right at the table, and didn't lose his temper.

"Hey! Why don't I handle the case! Could it be that you broke the case of the city and county government?"

"Don't think I don't know. Those cases dragged on for a year or two in the prison, and the scene was sealed, and nothing mattered! After a year or two, the evidence will be gone, and you will be greeted again. , just ask for a confession!"

"You need to talk too much about the matter in the court! Master Lin is sure of himself!"

Tang Zhong quickly smoothed things over: "Even if you don't need this little thing when handling a case, you can hold it in your hand and play with it at ordinary times. It's good to see the scenery of the city from a high place!"

"It turned out to be looking outside, I should have said it earlier, it made me dizzy!"

Qi Butou immediately got up and walked to the window, looking around with a binoculars.

Not long after, he had found the trick, opened his eyes and closed his eyes, and exclaimed while watching.

"Ah! The old stage in Mulberry Alley and the wine jars in Dongsheng Winery are all clearly visible. It's really a fun thing!"

At the same time, the guy came over with a wooden tray and put vegetables on the table one by one.

Seeing that there were outsiders around, Hu Tou'er was not easy to get angry, so he just stared at Tang Zhong fiercely, and said in a low voice: "If you have such a good thing, why don't you give it to me to play with first!"

"Hutouer, don't be angry. This is the seller's first test product. It's not very refined. I'll send you a better one in a few days."

The waiter Chang Man quickly served the dishes and filled the tea for the three guests, then turned and went downstairs with the empty kettle.

Before he had gone a few steps, he heard the three officials behind him talking again.

"Qi Butou knows that there is a bigger telescope on the Rugui Inn next door, which is placed in the warm pavilion on the roof of his house. The one is higher and can see farther. I heard that even the Fuxing Restaurant You can clearly see the dishes and chopsticks in the back kitchen."

With a bang, the lid of the teapot fell and fell to pieces on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I disturbed the three poor masters, and the villain will clean up now!"

The clerk Chang Man hurriedly apologized, knelt down to pick up the broken porcelain one by one, and ran downstairs quickly.

Disturbed by the sudden noise, Hu Tou'er put down his chopsticks, and glanced at Detective Qi, who was still excitedly playing with the binoculars, and was furious.

"I didn't say that this elegant residence is getting worse and worse. No wonder the business is deserted. Even the food is not as good as it used to be!"

Qi Butou didn't care: "You don't know, the former cook had to look around in Shu, and I heard that Pin Yaju's salary was low, so I went to another restaurant!"

"Just you know! Put your things down and eat!" Hu Tou'er impatiently pushed Tang Zhong who was in a trance: "You are the host today, and you said you would thank Catcher Qi in person. What are you thankful for!"

"Ah?" Tang Zhong stared at the stairs, and then looked away.

Originally, it was using the treat as a pretense, deliberately acting as a show for Pin Yaju's staff.What is the reason for thanking you that you thought of before?

"Well, thanks to Catcher Qi for holding me high and not taking me away last time."

Qi Butou was stunned for a moment, then put down the binoculars and slowly sat back in his seat.

"It turned out to be because of Deng Erhu. To be honest, he is fine now, but he is crazy and good at times. His family has taken him back."

In the afternoon, Chang Man hurriedly walked into Rugui Inn and went up to the warm pavilion on the third floor.

Sure enough, there was a bigger telescope standing in the warm pavilion in front, with a shelf underneath.

The customers in the store are queuing up, waiting to go to the telescope to see the strange things.

There was a sudden sinking on the shoulders, Chang Man was so frightened that his calf twisted, and his feet felt weak.

"Ha! I scared you! What are you doing in our shop?"

The clerk from Rugui Inn came over and climbed Chang Man's shoulders. The two stores are close, so the two clerks are naturally acquainted.

Chang Man calmed down and pretended to be fine.

"No, I'm not doing anything. I heard that there is a new gadget in your store. Come and have a look, just take a look."

"Oh, you said the telescope. Our shopkeeper just installed it six days ago. Don't tell me, since we have this thing, many people outside have known about our inn, and the business has improved a lot immediately!"

"Six days ago?"

Chang Man's heart tightened. Didn't it mean that when he went to Fuxing Restaurant four days ago, he might have been seen by others?

The inn clerk didn't care to pay attention to Chang Man's expression, and continued to boast: "You don't know, since the telescope is installed in the store, the guests like it very much, and people come to line up from morning till night!"

From morning to night... Chang Man's heart trembled again.

After queuing for about half an hour, Chang Man finally stood in front of the telescope.

He bent down anxiously, imitating the appearance of those previous guests, closing one eye, and using the other eye to look out through the glass and through the telescope.

Sure enough, as they said, the scenery in the telescope has been magnified several times, and things that were invisible to the naked eye before are now clearly identifiable, as if they are within reach.

He turned the binoculars, turned to the street near the inn, and turned to the courtyard that touched all his nerves.

The stone table, the window, the desk case behind the window, and even the bottles and jars on the case, all can be seen at a glance...

how so!

Seeing Chang Man coming downstairs quickly, without saying hello, and hurried out, the staff of Rugui inn came up to his shopkeeper with a puzzled face.

"It was only recovered yesterday afternoon. Why do you have to tell everyone that the telescope was bought six days ago? The shopkeeper, is there something important?"

The shopkeeper was busy dialing the abacus: "The person who gave the telescope didn't charge a penny. It's just such a request. I don't know what's going on."

The inn clerk tore off the veil from his shoulders, and pretended to wipe it back and forth on the counter in front of the shopkeeper, covering up his gossip with gallantry.

"Tell me, the shopkeeper, is something wrong? Could it be that you are colluding with someone and working in partnership?"

The shopkeeper finally became impatient, and raised his hand to chase away people: "Go, go, busy with you, asking around all day long! If you dare to go out and say a word, I will never forgive you!"

At night, all the lights in the city were turned off, and it was pitch black all around.Only the lanterns in the hands of the night watchmen, like ghosts in the night, swayed in the empty streets.

The window facing the street of Pinyaju opened slightly, and then closed gently after a while.

Soon, a black figure came out from behind the door, with brisk footsteps like a nocturnal wild cat, quietly sneaked into the narrow alley, and touched the gate of a courtyard.

There was a seal on the door, but the lock was not strong. He lit the torch in his hand, took off half of the seal, and twisted back and forth in the keyhole with a soft iron stick.

With a click, the iron lock was unlocked. He put the lock in his sleeve pocket, pushed the door open and entered the courtyard.

The kitchen was right next to the courtyard, he walked in familiarly, picked up the salt jar on the chopping board without hesitation, stuffed it into his cloth bag, and hurried out.

Easy to grab, clean and neat.In the future, no matter who testifies, it will be futile if no evidence can be found.

Passing through the courtyard again, there is a closed courtyard door in front of you.

I remember that when I came in just now, I didn't close the door.

Could it be that I remembered it wrong?

Before he had time to think about it, he stretched out his hand to push and pull the courtyard door, and slammed it hard with his shoulder a few times, but he couldn't open it no matter what.

Obviously the lock is still in the sleeve, why can't the door be opened!

Something bad happened, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing in anxiety.

Whether it's a ghost hitting the wall or someone making trouble, he can't control it now.If the back door doesn't work, go through the front door!

Hurried across the lobby, he rushed to the corner window.

A side window, he remembered, was ajar and left open.

If it wasn't for the fact that the lobby was facing the street, there was a risk of being discovered by night watchmen on the street, so why would he have to pick the lock through the back door to come in.

Now someone is secretly playing tricks, he can't care so much, he has to leave quickly!

The windows of Fuxing Restaurant are some distance away from the ground, and you need to step on a bench to get out.He tied the cloth bag in his hand around his waist, grabbed the bench and went to the window.

But the moment his fingers touched the bench, a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind, and he felt that it was over.

Someone had painted something on the stool, it was sticky, and it couldn't be removed once it was grasped.

His scalp was numb and he was at a loss, holding a long bench, not knowing whether to hold it up or put it down.

At this moment, there was a sound of a jar shattering, exploding on the street outside.Immediately afterwards, someone shouted in the narrow alley next to him.

"Catch the thief!"

thief?In this situation, isn't he the thief?

Damn!Was counted!

He kicked directly on the other bench leg, and with a bang, the head of the bench hit the wall hard.

"There is movement in Fuxing Restaurant, hurry up!"

"Who! Don't move! Otherwise, we will be rude!"

The officers and soldiers who were watching the night drew their swords one after another, and rushed over after hearing the sound.

The firelight from the lantern reflected on the knife surface, casting golden light on the outer wall of the restaurant.

I saw a man in black clothes sitting on the window sill with a terrified expression on his face.

What puzzled the night patrol officers and soldiers was that the thief was holding a bench in his hand and stuck it on the window, but he held on firmly and would not let go.

These days, stealth and abduction are common, but thieves who make a special trip to restaurants to steal stools are really rare!

"Hey! Have you heard? Last night, the patrol team caught a stupid thief, saying that he went to Fuxing Restaurant to steal benches!"

With half a piece of steamed bun in his mouth, Hu Touer talked about interesting stories with great interest, and the details were vivid, as if he saw it with his own eyes last night.

When he learned about this early in the morning, he thought it was a fantasy, something he had never heard of, and he came to the tower excitedly to have a chat before he had time to eat at home.

"Just say it's a thief? Didn't find anything else?"

Hu Tou'er thought Tang Zhong's question was very funny, "Have you ever seen a case in our county that was solved within a day or two? Naturally, people were thrown into prisons, and Duan Duan took good care of them. It doesn't matter whether it is a big fish or a small shrimp. , after all, we need to squeeze some juice out of the oil!"

Tang Zhong's heart sank, he just felt that the hard work of these three days was completely wasted.

He made a special trip to the Benxin Hall before, and finally asked the reason why the diners had accidents one after another.

Just as he guessed, it wasn't that the food in Fuxing Restaurant was unclean, but that the food was mixed with petunias.

If a person eats morning glory seeds by mistake, he will also have symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting, which can easily be misunderstood as unclean food.

He thought about it, and finally came up with a telescope.

After going through many doorways, I finally bought a few pieces of transparent colored glaze.This is a glass bottle that was accidentally broken by an adult in the state capital.Otherwise, with the money they have, they can't afford a decent glazed object.

After another two days of busy work with Gao's father and son, two telescopes, one large and one small, were made.

The purpose is to confuse the time, lure the snake out of the hole, and make the people of Pinyaju worry that others will see the poisoning that day, but they can't be sure who the witness is, so they have to take the risk and take away the coarse salt that was put in the cow's seed, breaking the chain of evidence an important part of.

Now, the real murderer has been captured, and the evidence is on him.

Originally, I thought that with all the witnesses and witnesses, the Yamen would be happy to see the success if they followed the flow of favors, so they closed the case of Fuxing Restaurant by following the trend.

Who would have thought that this group of unsatisfied silverfish would continue to pursue the wishful thinking of using power for personal gain, and still suppress the case.

Parents and officials have achieved such a level, they really should have their spine broken by the common people!

Zhao Li just stuffed a piece of steamed bun into his stomach, and hurriedly asked: "What fish and dried shrimp? You're talking about thieves so well, how did you talk about eating?"

"You, don't just focus on eating, use your brain more when you have nothing to do! By the way, I will dress up and go to the gate of the city to guard in a while. Important people are entering the city these days."

Lao Zhang, who had been silent all this time, quietly raised his head and asked cautiously, "Who is coming?"

Ever since he pretended to be sick, he has watched the other three get closer and closer, and he often distributes money and visits restaurants.

These days, they cared less and less about themselves, and often chatted and joked by themselves, as if he didn't exist.

In the past, Tang Zhong was the one being bullied.Never thought that now it was his turn to taste the feeling of being isolated.

Sure enough, his words were ignored intentionally or unintentionally by Hu Tou'er, until Tang Zhong recovered from his contemplation and asked the same question, Hu Tou'er answered in a serious manner.

"I heard that it's a wealthy family from out of town. He will come to our county to pick up his son in the next two days. However, the steward of the state government office must come with the team in person."

"The steward of the state government office? Why are rich households so ostentatious? When will it be the turn of officials, peasants, businessmen, and officials to open the way for businessmen?"

Hu Touer took the end of his chopsticks and slammed Zhao Li on the head: "Shut up! It's not fun to say this! Be careful not to be heard by outsiders and tell the magistrate, he will personally come and beat you!"

After a little deterrence, Zhao Li honestly silenced, and Hu Tou'er continued with satisfaction: "Say hello first, you are not allowed to go out and spread the word everywhere!"

"The rich man's surname is Yang, and he is in the tea business. I heard that his youngest son was on a study tour in Laizhou, but somehow he came to our county and fell ill. The family got the news and prepared a car and horse to pick him up. We The magistrate has always wanted to get the Yang family to open a tea shop in Yongning Prefecture, so he specially sent a steward here to show his importance."

After finishing speaking, Hu Tou'er gave a meaningful look over, stroking his beard to pretend to be deep.

Zhao Li didn't turn the corner, "He's really a rich man who can't stand beatings. If he has a headache, he will take him home. If you want to say that the magistrate is really good, why bother with a tea seller? No matter where he opens a tea shop, it's all right. You will be under the control of officials!"

"Don't you understand? Merchants sell tea, and they have to spend money to buy tea wherever they go. It costs two hundred Wen for every hundred catties of tea. After a year, the price of tea alone is one thousand taels or even ten thousand taels of silver. The government yamen is rushing to recruit this God of Wealth to open a tea shop!"

A wealthy businessman surnamed Yang, who came from out of town, just fell ill at this time?

Could it be that Mr. Yang I saw at the entrance of Fuxing Restaurant that day!

"Master! Excuse me, do you want to stay at the tip or stay in a hotel?"

Outside the Dayi Gate, the waiter is greeting Tang Zhong politely.

"Stay in the hotel, ask for the best room!"

"Please follow me upstairs!"

Different from other restaurants, the staff of Dayimen choose gentle faces, giving people the feeling of being polite and unassuming.

Come to think of it, this is the style of a high-end restaurant!

He had been here many times before, and every time he ate with the city gate guards, he only walked around on the first floor.This time when he went up to the accommodation area on the second floor, he further felt the high-grade of Dayimen.

Thick cashmere blankets, carved diamond lattice windows, nanmu high table cases, and vanilla orchids in five steps in the corridor, all of which show elegance and taste.

It's really like the advertisement at the gate of the city, Dayimen, good taste.

"How many of these are the most expensive rooms in the store?"

The clerk nodded, "Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng, and Yu, among the five types of rooms, the Gongzi room is the most elegant and quiet. I don't know if the messenger has any other requirements. The villain can introduce them one by one."

"No need, you go down!"

"Ok?"

Taking advantage of the waiter's lack of time to react, Tang Zhongfei rushed to the door of the opposite room and knocked hard on the door.

"Young Master Yang! I have something important to discuss!"

He remembered that when he greeted them before, he seemed to have mentioned that every time he came back to Qingjiang County, he would live in Dayimen.

I hope this time there will be no exception!

"Master, you can't yell like this! Stop it!"

Dayimen is a high-end restaurant, unless it cooperates with the official business.Otherwise, the slightest information of the guests will not be disclosed.Tang Zhong was just a city gate guard, without the slightest authority to handle the case, so he could only do something wrong.

Seeing that no one answered the door, Tang Zhong ran to the next room.

"Young Master Yang, which room do you live in?"

"There's no such thing as Mr. Yang here. If the poor master doesn't stop, I'll call someone!"

Tang Zhong couldn't care less about these things, so he went to take pictures of the third room.

"Mr. Yang's illness is not a stomach upset, but being poisoned!"

Squeak, the door at the end of the corridor opened, and the corner of Yuebai's clothes flicked past.

"Let him in."

Tang Zhong shook off the clerk's hand on his arm, and immediately ran over.

The dense medicinal gas diffused in the room, and several servants were busy back and forth, serving hot water and throwing handkerchiefs.

Yang Yu frowned, looking at the withered man on the bed, with a worried look on his face.

Ever since he came back from Fuxing Restaurant the day before yesterday, Qi Amber vomited and couldn't get sick.

He successively called three doctors to visit him for consultation. After asking the reason, they all said that he had eaten his stomach badly.

But two days later, Qi Amber's condition has not improved, and his complexion is getting haggard day by day.

It was just a small place full of quack doctors, Yang Yu sent a servant to bring a letter back the day before yesterday, saying that he was sick and wanted to invite a famous doctor to come over to take a look.The Yang family was in a hurry, and quickly prepared their chariots and horses to find a good doctor, thinking of taking the young master back together.

The footsteps stopped, Yang Yu looked at Tang Zhong at the door, and only then noticed the iron armor on his body.

"I don't care where you are from. You just said that Mr. Qi was poisoned? Is there a way to save him?"

Tang Zhong was taken aback by the scene in front of him, and hurriedly said: "Quick! Go invite Dr. Chu from Benxin Hall on Qingniu Street!"