A few days ago, Lin Ming and the head of the fast shift of the prefecture and county Yamén were fully jiāo flowing, and initially grasped the law of Gao Shunqin's activities in Guangzhou. Like all the senior officials, Gao Shunqin did not have much activity in Guangzhou, and rarely went out except for the remuneration between the officials, the guests, and the big bureaucrats. Because of his strong advocacy and great political differences with the local Guangzhou officialdom, which had received a large amount of gray profits in foreign trade, he did not have much contact with the Guangzhou officialdom. Most of the time in his own mansion.

Lin Ming surveyed the entire mansion. The area of the high-rise mansion is not large, it is a medium-sized residence with three courtyards in front and back, two cross-courtyards in the east and west, and a huā garden, which used to be the sī residence of a foreign merchant in Guangzhou. Because it is a wealthy merchant's house, the materials used in the house are very particular when it is built, and the walls of the clear water bricks are extremely high, at least two feet and four or five feet. You can't climb the wall without the help of tools.

All mén households have locks, and the keys to mén households are in the hands of the housekeeper and returned to the upper room every evening. After nightfall, all the courtyards are locked and locked, and the main mén households are guarded by special personnel, and along the entire wall, there are guards patrolled by the family guards all night. It should be said that this arrangement is quite rigorous.

Moreover, the inner study is in the core of the mansion, if someone can climb over the high wall in the dark night, avoid patrols, and go deep into the depths of the mansion, Zuihou will take away such a big living person as Gao Shunqin without knowing it, Lin Ming thinks it is impossible. Although there are many legends of snitches that come and go without a trace in the world, Lin Ming's family is a hereditary brocade guard. He has been exposed to many cases since he was a child, and he has heard many cases from his elders, and he has seen a lot of cases at a young age, and he has handled many cases, and he knows that there are many exaggerated elements. He thinks that if someone really kidnaps Gao Shunqin, there must be an internal response in the high mansion.

In terms of torturing suspects, he was not as hesitant as Yu Jiancun, and Yu Jiancun didn't even dare to torture the big girl with a face in the mansion, just summoned to interrogate a few times, even if it was a scene. In Lin Ming's opinion, it is simply "indulgence".

Except that Su Ai was Gao Xun's favorite concubine, and before the matter became clear, she was temporarily exempted from suffering and only let her "jury". The Guangzhou government issued a sign, and the mén politician, the husband, and the family who guarded the mén household that night, the housekeeper who was responsible for managing the keys, and even Su Ai's personal maid were all brought to be tortured overnight. The whips and boards were beaten, and the crowd of criminals were crying...... It was so noisy that pedestrians would rather go around the distance than pass in front of the Guangzhou Mansion.

Lin Ming once suspected that the housekeeper's lady was from Guangdong Province, and she had a natural advantage in colluding with local bandits, and she was in charge of the key, and she was very clear about the roads and work and rest in the mansion, which was a very useful internal response. Therefore, he instructed Li Yongxun to ask this person in the chair.

Because Li Yongxun came to "handle the case together" with his cousin-in-law, in order to show that he was not a useless burden, he worked very hard to torture prisoners. Her family originally had ancestral craftsmanship. It was even more reluctant to deal with the NV criminals, and the servants were tortured by her to death. Su Ai of the "jury" simply fainted in fright, and when the caregiver helped her away, Li Yongxun found it on the stool.

"Watching people eat a few whips makes me scared and lazy." Li Yongxun looked disdainful, "It's really bigger than the eldest lady." ”

The housekeeper's wife was tortured but finally confessed: on the morning of Gao Xun's disappearance, the husband found that the lock in the backyard was open. It was reported to her at the time. The housekeeper was afraid that she was derelict in her duty and did not investigate, and once she reported it, she would be blamed by the master, and there was no trace of theft by the thief, so she asked someone to lock Mén again, so that everyone would not speak. Later, when I heard that the old man was missing, I didn't dare to make a public announcement.

Lin Mingru obtained the treasure, and tortured several other people at that time, and their confessions really matched. Now it is generally clear how Gao Xunji disappeared: whether Gao Xunji was tied up or walked out by himself, it was obviously from the open mén in the backyard.

The problem is that there are still many links that are not clear, and even if you ask, you still can't find out who it should be. But at this time, he got news from Jinghai Mén's side. Lin Ming felt that there was a new breakthrough in this matter, and immediately led people to investigate along the way.

With the momentum of Jinyiwei, as long as the sign is displayed, all the people and industrialists along the way will ask questions and answers, and they dare not hide anything. And the sedan horse that went out of the city early in the morning was indeed very eye-catching, so the news was quickly obtained, and the group immediately got on the official road to Foshan Town after leaving Guangzhou.

After arriving in Foshan Town, I heard that a group of people got off the sedan chair here.

The head of the owner is quite decent. Surrounded by a few servants, he ate in the private room of a local restaurant. The shot is quite generous. Although the shopkeeper and "Qitang" don't really see it, the physiognomy and characteristics described are somewhat similar to Gao Xun's.

Lin Ming was overjoyed, this is most likely Gao Shunqin! As for whether he was coerced or voluntary, it doesn't matter if Gao Xunji is still alive.

"It's a great event!" Yu Bāng Cun listened to him say what he had done, and he was immediately overjoyed. Gao Xun pressed, as long as he didn't die, things would be much easier. Yu Bāng Cun was most afraid that Gao Shunqin would die on the territory of Guangzhou Prefecture, and it would be difficult for him, an official who guarded the land, to escape responsibility.

"Huh." Lin Ming sneered twice, he knew the prefect's thoughts very clearly, "Garlic Gong! You're also thinking too simply. Although Master Gao was still safe and sound when he was in Foshan, it has been seven or eight days, who knows if he is safe at the moment? ”

"Yes, yes, Xingong has worked hard." Of course, Yu Jiancun understood what Lin Ming meant, and quietly stuffed a Delong noodle ticket, "Brothers, work hard, drink tea for the brothers."

Lin Ming twitched the corner of his eyes: fifty taels. He was quite satisfied with this figure, and before the case was closed, he had to bargain with him, nòng a thousand handfuls of silver.

"Well said." Lin Ming sat on a chair. Foshan is his old nest, and the head is more familiar. As soon as his subordinates went out for a while, they got important news: the group stayed in Foshan for half a day, during which they bought a lot of dry food and things to be used on the road. Then a passenger boat going up Sanshui County was booked and left

Yu Jiancun was puzzled: "Went to Sanshui? ”

Lin Ming and his subordinates were very puzzled by this: they were very familiar with these waterways: the upward passenger ship went up along the river, not only to Sanshui County, but also to the north, through Qingyuan, Yingde, Shaozhou, Shaoguan, Zuihou to Nanxiongzhou. From Nanxiongzhou, take the land route and go out of Guangdong.

"Yes, brother, I'm also very puzzled, do you have any relatives and friends in Sanshui?"

"I've never heard of it." Yu Miancun frowned and said, "Besides, even if it is to visit relatives and friends, how can there be any reason to say goodbye without saying goodbye?" ”

"Exactly."

Lin Ming immediately sent his subordinates to track down the river and investigate the movements of the tall man all the way. When he returned to Guangdong with others, he felt that the root of this matter should still be in Guangzhou. He thought it was necessary to find out what was really going on in Guangzhou.

Now he thinks that the chances of Gao Xun running away by himself are slim. Gao Da Haode is an official in Guangdong, that is, there is no edict from the imperial court to transfer, and there is no letter that an elder in the family has died of illness and wants to go home to mourn the system, it is impossible to leave Guangdong like this. Therefore, it is possible to abandon the official and leave.

"Most of the tall people are held hostage by gangsters." Lin Ming said, "I just don't know where this gang of gangsters is, why do they want to blackmail the tall people?" ”

"Isn't it for the money?"

"Not really." Lin Ming shook his head. Kidnapping local officials for money, there is no such bold bandit in the world. Is it not safe to kidnap rich people for money?

"Could it be the Australians or the Franciscans?" Yu recommended the way. Gao Shunqin's political views are unscrupulous, and his sudden disappearance is very beneficial to both the Australians and the Franco. If the Cantonese faction in Guangzhou loses the strong backing of such an officialdom, it will lose a lot of influence.

Lin Ming thought that this was very possible. However, if it was really their doing, the route should not have chosen to take Sanshui from Foshan, but directly from Huangpu to the mouth of the Pearl River. Whether it is the Howling Mirror Ao occupied by the Francois or the Xiangshan Ao occupied by the Australians, they are all south of Guangzhou.

"I'm afraid it's a ploy to make the sound attack the west." Lin Ming said slowly, "I have already sent someone to Sanshui to track down Lord Gao's whereabouts. To the south, I will also send someone else to visit. ”

"It's hard work. If there is anything that needs help from students, students will definitely help! ”

The place where Lin Ming and his subordinates stayed was in a courtyard of the mansion. After a few days of going back and forth, he was very tired, and he couldn't sleep when he lay on the chuáng after hurriedly washing and changing. There are too many details about Gao Shunqin's disappearance that he can't figure out. On the whole, it is very possible that the tall people were forcibly held hostage, but who the hijackers were, what their motives were, and how they did it are still a series of mí.

Overall, the Francois and the Australians are the most suspicious. But there is no evidence that they did it, and the escape route is not right. Lin Ming thought: It is very necessary to immediately send a few more people to the Pearl River Estuary to inquire about the news. Try to find out Gao Shunqin's whereabouts clearly.

After checking the situation, it is good to bargain.

Lin Ming's years of attacking officials are not too long, but the set of officialdom is very clear. Sometimes the truth of the incident is not the most important, how to minimize the "trouble" is the most important. Gao Shunqin's disappearance case seems to be very tense in the officialdom, but what they are nervous about is not Gao Xun's safety, but what kind of negative impact this matter will eventually bring to his career. Guangdong officialdom can no longer resist a new round of gales, and the death of Wang Du can be regarded as a black pot for the fiasco of Qiongzhou. If there is another Gao Shunqin case, Guangdong officialdom will no longer be confused. (To be continued.)