Liang Gu has been kneeling on the ground for half an hour, since he walked into this room, Xue Li didn't say a word, Liang Gu quietly raised his eyes and looked at Xue Li, who was still looking at the window, his heart was cold, things were messed up, he knew the Xue family's methods, but he didn't dare to escape, he might have a chance to live when he came back, and if he escaped, there would only be a dead end.

Shen Shitao was sitting at the table and sipping tea, without saying a word, his eyes were only focused on the teacup in his hand, as if the teacup had some secret, and the room fell into a mysterious silence.

Xue Li seemed to remember that there was still a person kneeling in the room at this time, turned around, slowly walked to Liang Gu's side and squatted down, and asked in a somewhat cold voice, "Is the matter messed up?" ”

Liang Gu didn't dare to speak, and lowered his head so low that he almost touched the ground. Xue Li stood up and looked coldly at Liang Gu who was kneeling on the ground: "I gave a chance when people ran out of Zhenjiang Mansion, and I also gave a chance to go to Beijing to sue for intercepting and killing halfway, not to mention how you handled people's affairs now, the painting has not been found, you say, what use do I want you to do?" ”

"The subordinates made mistakes and lived up to the expectations of the head of the family." Liang Gu kept kowtowing, and the floor was slammed. But Xue Li just watched and didn't speak. Shen Shitao frowned and put down the teacup, and the sound of the cup hitting the table made Liang Gu's movements stop abruptly.

Xue Li said at this time: "Knock, why don't you knock?" ”

Liang Gu's body couldn't help trembling at the moment, and Shen Shitao looked at it before he spoke: "Young master, it's man-made, no one would have thought that the Yasukuni Guild would intervene at this moment." ”

Xue Li glanced at Shen Shitao, thought about it, turned his head to look at Liang Gu and said, "Go down and leave no one involved in this matter, otherwise you will be the same." Liang Gu heard this and hurriedly kowtowed to thank him, although he killed more people, but his life was saved.

"Get out." Xue Li looked at Liang Gu in disgust. Liang Gu hurriedly got up and walked out of the room.

"Young master, don't worry, I'm afraid that picture is no longer in Zhenjiang Mansion at this time." Shen Shitao said lightly.

"Mr. Shen, how do you know?" Xue Li was a little anxious, he spent so much effort just for that picture, but he was not in Zhenjiang Mansion at this time, so he was not busy in vain?

"I'm afraid I've already entered Beijing." Shen Shitao's words made Xue Li's heart sink, "Mr. is saying that the painting fell into his hands?" ”

Shen Shitao shook his head: "Not necessarily, the Shen family is afraid that they don't know the secret of the painting yet, in order not to irritate the people in Jingzhong, and to arouse the suspicion of the Duke of Yasukoto, the young master still withdraws the people for now, and it is better not to do anything." ”

Xue Li was still weighing, this matter had come to this point, if there was no result, thinking of the one in the old mansion in Yuzhou, Xue Li shuddered unconsciously. Shen Shitao seemed to know what Xue Li had in mind, and sighed secretly. Xue Li, who seems to be beautiful, actually knows what he is really afraid of in his heart.

"Sir is right, it is better to be still than to be still. I will withdraw all the people and make plans when the Duke of Yasukuni comes to Zhenjiang. Xue Li said.

"Yasukuni hasn't arrived in Zhenjiang yet?" Shen Shitao asked with a frown.

Xue Li shook his head: "Not yet, the people below have been staring, and it is estimated that they are about to arrive in Yangzhou now." ”

"How many people are coming?"

Xue Li thought for a while and said, "There are less than a dozen people, and they came out of Beijing in the middle of the night." When I arrived at the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, I was in a hurry. It's strange to say that Jiangsu and Zhejiang have slowed down. ”

Shen Shitao always felt a little strange and asked, "Is there any news coming out of Beijing?" ”

Speaking of this, Xue Li was a little unhappy, gritted his teeth and said: "The Cui family has broken contact, the current situation in Beijing is secretive, and a lot of news cannot be delivered. ”

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the heavy tax land of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the land will be cleared in the spring, it is said that it is led by the cabinet Yan Shixun, it seems that our emperor can't wait." Shen Shitao said.

"How much has the dynasty changed, even the hundred-year chaos of my family is still standing, if his Li family still wants to sit in the world safely, he must learn to be smarter." Xue Li said disdainfully.

Shen Shitao shook his head secretly, although the Jiangsu-Zhejiang clan is powerful, the emperor of the Li family is not like the abolished emperor of Nanliang, that is, although the previous Emperor Xuan is not a person who loves to kill, but it is not a simple lord to be able to grasp the wisdom and courage of Lin Tao in his hands. Although Lin Tao was on the border in the north back then, which family of the Great Zhou dared to offend the Lin family, that was the real person who dared to kill him.

"In short, we still have to be careful, and don't forget that it is Yasukuni Gong who is going south this time." Shen Shitao reminded.

"Zuo is just a child, what kind of storm can he make." Xue Li didn't care.

Lin Yuan was listening to his subordinates' report on the dynamics of the Xue Mansion, and suddenly sneezed, rubbed his nose, and motioned to Zhang Li to close the window, although it was the boundary of the south of the Yangtze River, but after all, it was winter, and it was still a little cold after nightfall.

Lin Yuan raised his hand to stop his subordinates' reports and asked, "Does this Xue Li only live in Sanmu Hall in Zhenjiang Mansion?" ”

"Back to Grandpa, the Xue family only has this one address on the surface of Zhenjiang Mansion, and there is another one in secret, which is Xue Li's concubine's room." The subordinate replied.

"Xue Li is still afraid of guilt?" Lin Yuan said curiously.

Zhang Li coughed, Lin Yuan smiled awkwardly, digressed, turned his head and glared at Zhang Li, and then motioned to his subordinates to answer his question.

"Xue Li is not married, and there are no female dependents in the family, even the concubines outside rarely go to the room." When Lin Yuan heard this, he was a little strange, it stands to reason that the family and its heirs are important, and now Xue Li is in his twenties, but he is not yet married.

"Are there any strangers in the Xue family these days?" Lin Yuan asked.

"There is one today, it is said that he came from Yangzhou, and his subordinates sent someone to check, and he is a guest of the Xue family."

"What's your name?"

"I don't know, I just heard the people of the Xue family call Mr. Shen."

Lin Yuan thought for a while and said, "You go down first, there is news to report." ”

Lin Yuan is a little embarrassed now, looking at the information on the investigation of the Xue family in the past few days, Lin Yuan has a headache, the Xue family's foundation in Zhenjiang Mansion is too clean, clean to make people suspicious, but that's it, Lin Yuan can't negotiate with the Xue family without the handle of the Xue family, and it's troublesome for the Shen family's affairs to drag on for a day.

At noon the next day, in the tea shed outside Yangzhou City, Ye Tao was sitting there with his eyes closed, while Yang Tai on the side was a little anxious, and he was sweating in a hurry because of the warm weather.

"Lord Ye, you have something to say, when will the Duke of Yasukuni arrive?" Yang Tai asked.

"Lord Yang, don't be impatient, after being the governor for so many years, why are you still so unbreathable?" Ye Tao glanced at Yang Tai.

"Lord Ye, don't be kidding, you really don't know what happened last night?" Yang Tai was angry.

Last night's third watch, he was asleep, and suddenly received a report from his subordinates, Zhenjiang prefect Feng Ning was killed by the rebels, this is not the worst news, listening to the words of his subordinates, Yang Tai almost fainted, Feng Ning actually planned to sue the Zhenjiang garrison on the way south of Jingguo to Yangzhou. Is this a stupid official? Is Yasukuni Gong a chincha?

Ye Tao knew what Yang Tai was talking about, Feng Ning's kind of goods were just a dog raised by the Xue family in Zhenjiang, he had already received the news, Lin Yuan was in Zhenjiang Mansion right now, and it was his escort on the road, he was confident that the Lin family didn't raise any waste, don't say that it was a chaotic people, even if it met a soldier who had formed a system, he also had the strength to die. The other party can't get any benefit at all.

Feng Ning's killing is a trivial matter, but if Yasukuni Gong is frightened by the attack, he Yang Tai can't tell even if he has a hundred mouths, but Yang Tai can only be anxious at the moment.

There was a puff of smoke and dust on the official road, and a fast horse rushed over, and immediately the knight turned over and dismounted and came to Ye Tao's side and bowed down and said, "Report to your lordship, there is news from the Yasukuni Gong." ”

Yang Tai hurriedly said on the side: "Is the Yasukuni Duke okay?" ”

The knight looked at Yang Tai, not knowing whether to speak or not, Ye Tao said at this time: "Lord Yang asked, speak quickly." ”

"Yes, Lord Huiyu. Yasukuni's team was not attacked, and Yasukuni said that there was too much time delayed on the road, so he would not settle down in Yangzhou and rush to Zhenjiang Mansion first. ”

Hearing that there was no accident in the Duke of Yasukuni, Yang Tai breathed a sigh of relief, as for not settling down in Yangzhou, he just went to Zhenjiang one more time, and now he had to report Feng Ning's matter to the imperial court first.

Ye Tao got up and looked at Yang Tai, and arched his hand: "Lord Yang, the Duke of Yasukuni is not coming to Yangzhou now, so I will go back first and say goodbye." ”

Looking at Ye Tao's departing figure, Yang Tai always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't think of anything wrong for a while. He waved his hand irritably and turned back to the city. Since the case of the embankment burst in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he has not felt at ease for a day. Thinking of the family who was still enjoying themselves at home at the moment, and there were still people everywhere outside the city, Yang Tai felt for the first time that he was so disgusted with the style of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang clans.

"Feng Ning killed?" Xue Li looked at Liang Gudao.

"Returning to the young master, kill it, and make a move on the road where the Yasukuni Duke must pass through Yangzhou." Liang Gu replied, but he was even more afraid of Xue Li in front of him, and the prefect of the place said that he would kill him, this was the power of the Xue family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Xue Li nodded, this is a temporary strategy set by Shen Shitao, he doesn't want the Duke of Yasukuni to stay in Zhenjiang for too long, the more things drag on, the bigger the loopholes, the more the Duke of Yasukuni who returns to the capital is a good Duke of the Kingdom, and no one can save the Shen family, even if he is the Duke of Yasukuni.

"This time it's a good job, it's still useful, Feng Ning is too stupid, you have to be smart. You make preparations, and when the new prefect takes office, I will give you a certain errand. Xue Li said lightly.

Liang Gu was overjoyed when he heard this, he was already a mixed man in the green forest, all day long his head was pinned to the waistband of his trousers to beg for a living, and he was worried about it, if he could do a serious errand, it would be the best, he hurriedly knelt on the ground and thanked him: "Thank you young master, Liang Gu will definitely saddle the horse in the future and do his best for the young master." ”

"Alright, stand down." Xue Li waved his hand.

Watching Liang Gu leave, Shen Shitao walked out of the inner room and said with a smile: "This kind of person is best controlled, and if you give some grace, you will do your best." ”

Xue Li nodded, looked at Shen Shitao and said with a smile: "Mr. Shen is very scheming, not only calculating the Yasukuni Duke, but also giving the court a headache. ”

"It's a pity that so many people don't have to use it." Shen Shitao said with a smile.