Zhuang Wenxuan is not in a very good mood these days, and he has long known about the soaring food prices and rumors in the city.

He was just a minister, the equivalent of the current director of the government office. Without much real power, the price of food is not a matter of his responsibility. And Tongzhi Zhang Shun has long been fed by the Qi family, he doesn't care about anything, he doesn't ask anything, and lets the situation develop.

This food shortage disrupted his assumptions, and it would affect his career. The plan that He Shaoyun came to tell him last time to solve the three major problems in the yamen will be affected.

The most direct impact is that the Zhou family's grain store was smashed and robbed, resulting in the damage to the Zhou family's reputation in Juzhou.

Although a discerning person knows at a glance that this is the Qi family and other grain merchants making trouble behind it. But without evidence, they couldn't move the Qi family, and they also earned a good reputation for trying their best to ensure the supply of the city and the lives of the people in the city.

As a state official, his power is not even as good as that of a householder. can only send a few henchmen to secretly find out the truth about the smashing of Zhouji Grain Store.

At two o'clock, a servant named Cui Xin who he had sent out returned.

Cui Xin went to his duty room and said, "My lord, the little one went to Zhou Ji and secretly asked the guy on duty yesterday." ”

"What's the catch?"

"There is some information, but there is no conclusive evidence that the Qi family did it."

"Tell me about it."

"I heard the guy on the cabinet say that the leader of the trouble at that time was a tall and thin man, about 30 years old, with a mustache, a big nose, small eyes, single eyelids, and a dark and thin face. But the villain took the guy and searched in the city for a long time, but he didn't find the man. ”

"Do you have any focus on observing the Qi family's family members?"

"I have secretly checked, and there is no one in the Qi family who is looking for it."

"What about the store?"

"The store secretly sent people, but they didn't find it."

"If the Qi family did it, this person would have been hidden by the Qi family a long time ago." Zhuang said, and then asked, "What else is the news?" ”

"According to the men of the Zhou family, the scene was very chaotic at that time, as if a woman in her thirties recognized the leading man at the scene, and the woman also called his name, what kind of dog is it, but the man flatly denied it, and then was scolded and intimidated by the man's accomplices, and the woman left in fright."

"This woman is very important, and she must be found." Zhuang said.

"The Zhou family is also looking for it, but there are fifty or sixty thousand people in the entire city, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. And it's a woman, so she doesn't usually go out, so it's even harder to find. ”

Zhuang thought for a while and said, "Since she is buying rice in the grain store, then this woman will definitely go to the grain store and send more people to the grain stores to find it." ”

"Okay, I'll arrange it." Cui Xin turned around and was about to walk out.

"Wait, focus on sending people to find Liu Ji and Zhang Ji's two grain stores, this matter is estimated to be done by the Qi family. Since the woman recognized the man who had taken the lead in the troublemaking and had been threatened and intimidated, it was unlikely that she would go to the Qi family's grain store again. ”

"The adults are really thoughtful, I'll arrange it, and inform the Zhou family by the way."

"Don't worry, I'm not done yet, don't alarm her when you find that woman, just know where her family lives. Do you understand? ”

"Understood. The villain took his leave. This time, Cui Xin was not in a hurry, and stood there and asked.

"Alright, let's go and set it up."

After Cui Xin left, Zhuang Wenxuan sat in front of the copywriter and pondered.

After a while, he called his other henchman, Duan An.

"My lord, what's the matter with calling the little one?"

"Take two reliable men and go around the Zhou Kee grain store, and in the name of catching thieves, visit a tall and thin man about thirty years of age. This person has a beard, a large nose, small eyes, and single eyelids. It is necessary to find out whether this person was in the vicinity from the beginning of the morning to the end of the afternoon, where he has been, who he has seen, and what he has said. You know? ”

"The villain understands." After saying that, Duan An walked out.

After arranging these, Zhuang Wenxuan let out a long sigh of relief and stretched his waist. Lean back in your chair and relax completely. Everything he can think of has been arranged for someone to do it, and the rest depends on his luck and the ability of his two henchmen.

Zhuang Wenxuan was a member of the imperial examination in the nineteenth year of Chenghua, and later took the examination twice, both of which were named Sun Shan. I had no choice but to go back to my hometown to be a small official, and in the first few years, I was full of energy, and I also made some achievements, and was appreciated by Lin Xuan, the governor of the state at that time, and was promoted. Finally stepped into the threshold of officials, and in the first year of Hongzhi, he became the official of Zhizhou Lin Xuan.

During the six years that Lin Xuan was in charge, he followed Lin Zhizhou to provide disaster relief, skillfully judged doubtful cases, and failed to make political achievements. In the sixth year of Hongzhi, Lord Lin was promoted to the position of Wailang of the Nanjing Household Department. Zhuang Wenxuan wanted to go to Nanjing with Lin to take up a post, Lin Xuan said that Nanjing was the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and most of the officials in Nanjing were pensioners, and there were not many opportunities for promotion. You are still young, and if you go to Nanjing to waste the years, you won't have many opportunities, so it's better to stay in Juzhou, do another term, and find opportunities to be promoted again.

Zhuang Wenxuan listened to Lin Zhizhou's suggestion and stayed in Juzhou. Later, Yang Fang took over as Zhizhou, Yang Fang was a Chang acquaintance of Nanzhili, born in a family of eunuchs, and was directly awarded the Zhizhou of Juzhou as a person. Zhuang Wenxuan is also a person, but he was born in a farming family, he can only be an official, he worked hard, and he worked hard to make political achievements, and it took him five or six years to become a nine-grade official, and Yang Fang was directly awarded to the six-grade Zhizhou, so the gap made him disheartened.

Yang Zhizhou worked in poetry and neglected government affairs, and was tired of managing subordinate officials. Naturally, the officials below do not think about government affairs, and the corpses are vegetarian. At this time, Zhuang Wenxuan gradually lost his direction and goal, drifted with the tide, and wasted the years.

But this time, seeing that Liang Wensheng also took over as Zhizhou, he saw hope again. He is determined to assist Lord Liang to solve the three major problems in the state, hoping to be appreciated by Lord Liang and get the opportunity to be promoted. But he didn't expect that there was a food shortage in the city, which brought trouble to his plan.

The next morning, as soon as Zhuang Wenxuan arrived at the duty room, Ji Jiude knocked lightly on the door and entered with a stack of manuscripts.

"Lord Official, this is Yoshikura's account for the last month, please take a look." Ji Jiude said cautiously.

"You don't have to look for me about this, just present it directly to Zhang Tongzhi."

"Lord Tongzhi is not in the yamen, so I came to you."

"Judge Ji, don't be so polite, just send someone to send it, why bother to come here in person." Zhuang Wenxuan said politely: "Since you are here, then sit down and have a cup of tea." ”

Ji Jiude is a household classic, and like Zhuang Wenxuan, he is also from a lifting background, but he is two subjects later than Zhuang Wenxuan, and his age is a few years younger.

"Lord Zhuang, I heard that Lord Liang is about to take office?" Ji Jiude asked.

"yes, it's only been a few days."

"But there was such a big food shortage in the city. When the time comes, will Lord Zhizhou blame our household? Ji Jiude asked tentatively.

"Why is the Ji Warden so worried?" Zhuang Wenxuan asked rhetorically.

"This time there is a food shortage, and anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Qi family and the Liu and Zhang families are making trouble. And Hufang has always been controlled by Qi Si, but it is impossible for the new Lord Zhizhou to know the truth so quickly. I'm afraid I'll blame our inaction at that point. If Lord Yimu can tell the truth, Jiude will be grateful. ”

Zhuang Wenxuan understood Ji Jiude's thoughts, this was to get closer to him. For a long time, Ji Jiude has not had much contact with him, and rarely comes to his duty room, this time it is by no means as simple as sending accounts. He knew that Ji Jiude had been working on the black materials of the Qi Yu family, and he must have come prepared this time.

So Zhuang Wenxuan pretended to be helpless and said: "It is naturally the duty of the official to make this matter clear, but there is no real evidence, how can you convince Lord Zhizhou?" ”

Ji Jiude leaned forward and leaned forward, lowered his voice and said, "As long as Lord Commander is interested, I will do my best to help with the evidence." ”

"Do you have proof now? Let's hear it. ”

"There is solid evidence."

"Shhh, it's not convenient to talk here, let's go to the Xianglai Restaurant on Xiguan Street in the evening."

"Okay, I'll see you at the restaurant at two o'clock that night." After Ji Jiude finished speaking, he drank the tea in the cup and left with a relaxed expression.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Duan An came in to report: "My lord, the villain brought a few reliable brothers to visit. There was a Guixiang restaurant opposite the Zhou Ji grain store, and a man with the right appearance had been to that restaurant twice that day. ”

"Oh! Let's talk about it in detail. ”

"According to the shopkeeper of Guixiang Restaurant, the man went to a private room at about three o'clock in the afternoon, and it didn't take long for him to go out, not like he was going to drink."

"Who are the guests in that box, have you found out?"

"I found out clearly, that box was booked by the third young master of the Qi family. At that time, only the third young master of the Qi family was included, and there were two family members guarding outside the box to prevent the guys from the restaurant from approaching. ”

Zhuang Wenxuan said with relief: "That's right. Anything else? ”

"Soon after the man went out, something happened to Zhou Ji Grain Store. Not long after the accident, the man went to the box again, about three minutes later. Not long after being inside, the man hurried away. After a while, the third young master of the Qi family also took people out of the restaurant. ”

The matter is very clear, there is no doubt that the Qi family sent people to smash the Zhou Ji grain store. Now the key is to find the man and the woman who bought the rice.

But now there has been no news from Cui Xin's side, which makes Zhuang Wenxuan uneasy. Only these circumstantial evidence are not enough to sit on the fact that it was the Qi family's doing, and if you don't get it right, you will be bitten back. At this time, he couldn't help but be a little impatient.

Just when Zhuang Wenxuan was about to leave the duty room, Cui Xin hurriedly came to Zhuang Wenxuan's duty room.

"My lord is really like a god, that woman was buying rice at Zhang Ji Grain Store this afternoon, and we found her, and we followed him all the way to his house. I sniffed around again, and went to her house again under the pretext of visiting the thieves. ”

"Didn't arouse her suspicions?"

"No, it's common to hunt down thieves, she won't doubt it." Cui Xin continued: "The woman's husband's family is a local resident, and her husband is a man from a nearby cloth village. ”

"Okay, remember the address of that house, it will be useful soon. Don't tell anyone about it. ”