Li Guolou's expectation was not wrong, from the moment the twelve of them came to the gate of the household yamen, the porter was going to give them a horse, and after waiting for a long time, a man with the surname "Tong" came to let them enter the house.

Tong Hami, with a very kind face, said first: "To a brother, the chiefs are in a meeting, let you wait for a long time, I'm sorry, I'll lead the way." He said with a smile: "Brothers, the rules here, you are not allowed to bring blades, please take off the waist knife and handcuffs." ”

The catchers all looked at Li Guolou and waited for the chief to speak.

Li Guolou raised his voice and said: "I'm sorry Mr. Tong, we are doing the emperor's errand, how can we search for suspects without eating." ”

Li Guolou said very politely, but there was no room for maneuver, and he directly did not buy the account of the household department's rules.

Tong Hami glanced at the land, sea and air on the side, this chief has benefited from his chief, he doesn't let a fart go, he doesn't hum or ha, he stands next to him, without any expression. Look at Li Guolou's outfit, it is the same as the army, sea and air level, what's going on? This young man has a backstage and doesn't give the household a little face, as if he came to find fault today and wants to turn his face.

Tong Hami is the kind of person who is the best at looking at people's eyes, since people are hard, his face immediately became sad, and the bitter gourd face faced Li Guolou, and said: "Captain Li, you do this, it doesn't conform to the rules of our household department, and the villain can't pay the difference." ”

Tong Hami didn't come hard, but stood still, so he hung the twelve catchers in the compound. This kind of scoundrel practice is a trick of long-term followers and followers, kraft candy tactics, and even high-ranking officials have to bow down.

The personal servants of high-ranking officials, such as long-term followers and followers, also established their own rules in the Qing Empire, and the rules have been passed down from generation to generation and become ancestral styles.

People don't turn their faces with you, sigh bitterly, so that Li Guolou's first move is restricted.

How could Li Guolou admit defeat, and said bluntly: "Mr. Tong, we are doing the emperor's errand, and the above is urging tightly, so we can't get a pot to serve." If you don't cooperate with us on an errand, and tell us this kind of rule, it seems unreasonable, this is not the Ministry of War, the ancestral rules, there is no such thing. ”

Tong Hami immediately heard the meaning of Li Guolou's words, "one pot end" is to ask for a big shift change in the household department, and the arrest will say that the household department is guarding and stealing, and the internal traitors are endless. Some officials have just spent money on the throne, and they are about to become poor officials. The law does not blame the people, but it makes the plan of the people to get rich come to naught.

Tong Hami knocked his head, smiled, and said: "Look at my memory, you are not allowed to carry a blade for those who come to do things, you are the emperor, and you are not among those who come to investigate the case." Please Captain Li, I'll lead the way. ”

Tong Hami raised Li Guolou's official rank by one level, which made people listen comfortably, which is an introductory skill that Chang Sui must master. He can't fight the emperor, this kind of tiring work, let the master come by himself. Besides, these big bosses are ruthless and ruthless, reward him with a few mouths, and there is no place to avenge his grievances. Tong Hami is like a rain in the emperor's grace, sighing that the household department and the criminal department are like a family, who called the current Yu Shuzhen, the right attendant of the household department, who was transferred from the criminal department.

On the way, Li Guolou deliberately asked, "Mr. Tong, what do you think of Lord Yu's exposure of this scandal?" ”

Tong Hami asked knowingly: "Captain Li, what scandal are you talking about?" ”

"Oh!" Li Guolou replied: "For your household department, the loss of treasury silver is not a scandal. ”

Tong Hami sighed in his heart, he is not the opponent of this surnamed Li, silence is Jin's truth, he understands, and then he will never talk about friendship with the same family.

The person who received Li Guolou and his entourage was Ma Zhijun, a high-ranking official of the Manchurian people, who was in his early forties, wearing an old official uniform, tall and with a mustache.

Li Guolou didn't even untie the Pu knife on his waist, stood with his fists clenched, and said: "Li Guolou is in the lower punishment unit, because he is on official business, he can't pay homage, and I hope that the commander will forgive him." ”

How can he look like a subordinate official, Li Guolou's face is arrogant and arrogant, and he doesn't take Ma Zhijun in his eyes at all.

Ma Zhijun sat behind the public case, and when he saw Li Guolou talking to him in a big way, he was not tired. Looking at Chang Sui Tong Hami winking at him, he immediately understood that these catchers had taken medicine today and didn't give face to the household.

Ma Zhijun smiled and said, "Oh! It's Xiao Lizi, the last time I saw you in Hefei, you were still a doll at that time, and you would only hide behind your brother. I'm old friends with your three uncles, and they're fine now. ”

Li Guolou felt inferior for a moment, Ma Zhijun was talking about Li Hongzhang's three sons, of course, they were older than him. Ma Zhijun directly pressed him with the seniority of his elders, and in the era of orderly growth and order, the number of etiquette cannot be sloppy at all. This Ma Zhijun is also powerful, he already knows that he is a person in the Criminal Department, and even his old background is also known. Li Guolou felt that he was pressed against a mountain, and he already had the feeling of bowing his head and admitting defeat.

Li Guolou could only bow his head and flick his sleeves, knelt on one leg, and said, "Master Dommunma, my three uncles are all right. ”

The other eleven catchers behind him, following Li Guolou's appearance, also knelt on one leg and saluted.

Ma Zhijun glanced at the twelve catchers without cutting down, and said slowly: "Get up and sit and talk, watch tea!" ”

Li Guolou immediately changed his strategy, and said with a smile: "Master Ma, can you drink this tea?" ”

"Hmm!" Ma Zhijun said without yin or yang, and also picked up the teacup and drank, glancing at Li Guolou and the others in front of him, the people who came were not good, it seems that these arrests are going to be good to investigate the case today, and they will leave without asking a few words.

Li Guolou drank a cup of tea, immediately clenched his fists, and said, "Master Ma, I am in an urgent situation, and I hope you will take us to the treasury to see the scene." ”

Ma Zhijun sighed and said, "Team Li, it's not that I don't want to take you to see the treasury, but we can't open the treasury without Lord Yu's signature." It's unfortunate that you came, Lord Yu happened to be not in the yamen. This treasury is heavy, you can only glance at the periphery a few times, and you can't even get close to the venue, otherwise those Qiu Ba will shoot. ”

Li Guolou knew that they had come for nothing today, and since the treasury was surrounded by a forbidden area, even those treasury guards could not see it. Is Yu Shuzhen, the right waiter, in the yamen? He couldn't ask why, no one would help him get through, and across the high walls of the deep courtyard, no matter how loud he screamed, Yu Shuzhen couldn't hear it.

But Xiao Lizi's tricks are endless, and in a hurry, Li Guolou laughed a few times dryly, and said: "Master Ma won't, I had dinner at Lord Yu's mansion last night, and he asked me to come at this time today, you can't be mistaken." Do you want to send someone to see it again? ”

Ma Zhijun was stunned by Li Guolou, he really thought that Li Guolou had great powers, and he had dinner at Yu Shuzhen's mansion last night, it turned out that this kid came prepared, which made him a little embarrassed.

Ma Zhijun glanced at Tong Hami and said, "Is Lord Yu back?" I don't know, Mr. Tong, you go and see the situation, if Master Yu is in the back hall, I will go over. ”

Tong Hami understood and said, "No one told me, I'll go over and take a look, and you can sit down for a while." ”

Li Guolou continued to drink tea, and the matter became clear after checking, of course it was a misunderstanding, Yu Shuzhen was really working in the back hall. Ma Zhijun left quickly and went to get down to business.

Tong Hami chatted with Li Guolou and continued to tell about the friendship between the Criminal Department and the Household Department. A paper bag was pushed to Li Guolou, of course, it was a rule, and Li Guolou had to accept the cost of running an errand.

Li Guolou looked at the bag of silver on the case, did not ask his subordinates to take it, and said with a smile: "Mr. Tong, the gentleman has a good way to take it, and before the case is clear, I will not dare to accept it." I also understand the rules below, since Lord Yu has uncovered a layer, we, the subordinates, also have to give Lord Yu an explanation, don't you say? ”

Li Guolou directly pushed the powerful relationship to Yu Shuzhen, the right attendant of the household department, which told Tong Hami that he was not here to smash the field, and he had to obey as a subordinate in the fight between the chiefs.

Tong Hami understood and sighed: "What Captain Li said is also true, our subordinates are like rats in the bellows who are angry at both ends, and they can't bear it." ”

Li Guolou was angry in his heart by what Tong Hami said, and people were obviously scolding him for being a mouse, and he could only hold back the anger in his heart, laugh a few times, and go over. Xiucai scolds people without dirty words, he will also do this trick, and he will have the opportunity to return all of them to Tong Hami in the future, Li Guolou secretly made up his mind that he must solve the case of losing money in the treasury. Let the moths of these countries all become poor alternate Beijing officials.

Tong Hami's trick bought with silver failed, and he immediately changed his trick, wanting to take Li Guolou's master, as long as there is a teacher-disciple relationship, Li Guolou can only bow his head and admit defeat. Where did I think that the rhetoric was completely useless, Li Guolou turned out to be a fake foreign devil and had no teachers in the Qing Empire. Tong Hami's two tricks were resolved by Li Guolou, so that Tong Hami was unwilling, drinking tea and glancing, trying to find out Li Guolou's weakness.

Tong Hami knew in his heart that when he got the name of Li Hongzhang, Li Guolou would not buy it, but let Li Guolou take advantage of it. Now it's the household to fight in its own nest, so that the other yamen in Jingshi can see the jokes. It's just 150,000 taels of silver, where can't I make it back? Yu Shuzhen was able to come to this point because he wanted to have a big purge in the household department, the dispute between the Manchus and the Hans, for people like him who have Manchu and Han blood, as long as he stands in the right place, he can live comfortably in the future. Therefore, Tong Hami did not offend any of the chiefs, he acted according to orders, and what he couldn't do was directly pushed to the chief, he was a thousand-year-old tumbler in the household department.

Coming to the heavily guarded treasury land, Li Guolou waited for the arrest quickly, without arrogance, the guards were not ordinary servants, all of them were soldiers, holding flintlock pistols in their hands, and waist knives were equipped with waist knives. The flintlock pistol was straight on the ground, and everyone did not squint or look at the group of catchers who entered the door.

Li Guolou looked at those soldiers, and knew in his heart that as long as there was one round, they would kill these soldiers quickly. In front of the first sentry, Li Guolou obediently untied his waist knife and short-barreled flintlock pistol, and it was really not possible to enter with weapons here.

Stepping on the thick bluestone road, opening heavy gates, and entering the visceral area, Li Guolou saw the treasury for the first time in his life, which was a building made of huge stones and no windows, with an unpretentious appearance and an inconspicuous appearance.

This is the bloodline of the Qing Empire, and the country depends on the silver here to sustain its operations. At most, there were more than 50 million taels of silver stored here, and now it is impossible to come up with 5 million taels of silver here. The Qing Empire has reached a time when it can't afford to lose, and the country can't afford to raise these moths, so it is time to let these moths fall to the ground and rebirth the phoenix nirvana with blood.