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Sure enough, it's a thief!

Wang Fucheng ran too quickly for a while, his legs were weak, his eyes were dry, his brain was starved of oxygen, and there was only one thought left, but fortunately, he finally saw the face of the thief.

The baby fat man is much stronger than him, if he fights alone, he will definitely not be an opponent, he stopped and looked around, except for them, there were no outsiders in the tea shop, not even the shopkeeper and Xiao Er.

"Don't look for it, it's just you and me here, I didn't bring helpers, and I didn't send an entourage in the government, right?" The baby fat man looked a little impatient, glared, quickly withdrew his gaze, and played with the tea cup in his hand as if no one was around.

Wang Fucheng had no choice but to say: "You are ......"

"Knowingly ask!" The baby fat man put down the teacup, turned his face sideways, glared at him, and said, "500,000 taels!" ”

"Five hundred thousand taels?" Wang Fucheng was startled, his heart that had just calmed down was beating violently again, that is, he peeled his skin, and he didn't dare to agree to this number, although he knew that the thief's offer would be higher, and then enter the stage of bargaining between the two sides, but such a number, and his heart, and the master's explanation, is still far away, the two thousand taels of silver tickets in his arms, even to pay a deposit, but, with his life experience, this baby fat man, should not be a veteran of peace talks, "This ...... That's too expensive, right? My grandfather doesn't have that ......."

"Long-winded! Do you think that I am buying vegetables, and you are bargaining? The baby fat man sneered, left the tea shop, walked away, and before going out, he stretched out five fingers to Wang Fucheng, raised his chin, and said, "Don't forget, 500,000!" ”

Wang Fucheng was stunned for a while, wanting to wait to retain the other party to negotiate a suitable price, but the other party had already gone away, and at first he thought he was posturing, but now it seems that he is ...... He had to swallow and spit, and slowly returned to the mansion with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

The baby fat man saw that Wang Fugui was far away, but he turned the direction, and ran to the north like a gust of wind, although he was a little fat, but the speed of running was not slow, five or six miles of road, not a pillar of incense.

In a col north of Hairong Town, a man of medium stature was standing against a tree, glanced at the baby fat man, and said lightly: "There is nothing wrong, right?" ”

"No, no, I only said a total of four sentences this time, and there should be no mistakes," the baby fat man said with a calm face: "Master, why did you give me such an important task?" If the head of the house is not free, he can let Shangguan Siyu and them go out, when I was a child, I accidentally fell down, and my brain has not been very good......"

"Xuan Yang, your brain is really not very good, how many times have I told you that in front of the master, you have to call yourself a subordinate."

"Yes, yes, I...... The subordinates don't dare anymore! ”

"Forget it, it's useless to talk to you more," the head Wu Ermao's figure barely moved, just biting a piece of grass in his mouth boringly, "It doesn't hurt to tell you, to deal with this kind of small role, naturally it is not the turn of the head of the family to go out in person, as for Shangguan Siyu, you also have to deal with more powerful characters, you, although your brain is not very good, but the block is a little scary, this is enough," said this, and suddenly "puffed" a mouthful, "I don't know what the old thing is in a hurry now, if the official seal is not retrieved for a day, he will not be able to perform official business for a day." ”

In the backyard of Futai Yamen, Zhang Lunguo was furious, scolded Wang Fucheng for a bloody squirt, and was still angry, and pointed to his nose again, and said: "The old man trusts you so much on weekdays, and he has been played by thieves for a long time, and he has not brought back any information, and he is still ......."

The ransom of 500,000 taels of silver, Zhang Yan will never agree to it, even if he is dismissed and goes home.

If the Jingshi's mansion is sold, he may be able to make up enough of this amount, but in this way, he will almost become a flower child sleeping on the street overnight, and decades of hard work will be completely in vain, what is the difference between this and losing the official seal?

Even if he is dismissed, he still has a deposit of 500,000 yuan, as long as he is not imprisoned and beheaded......

Zhang Yan kicked Wang Fucheng out of the study and calculated it alone.

How does a thief know that his net worth has reached 500,000 taels? Could it be that there are ghosts in the house?

He was shocked in his heart, if the inner ghost existed, even if the official seal could be redeemed, the loss of the official seal would be spread sooner or later, and the time would ......

However, Zhang Yan was quickly relieved, the thief did not say the time and place of the payment, and the matter of 500,000 taels was obviously a mouthful, waiting for his counteroffer.

His heart was a little calm, and his brain was running at high speed, at what price could he relax? Originally, there was still the idea of catching the thief, but the thief obviously came for the silver, for the sake of the child and the official seal, he temporarily gave up this plan, and prepared to send troops to kill all of them after the thief delivered the goods.

"Fifty thousand taels? No, at most 20,000 taels," Zhang Lun struggled fiercely in his heart, "It's still 50,000 taels, as long as you can keep the official seal, these silvers, sooner or later, someone will send them to the door, if you can catch the thief, then these silver should be regarded as a trip......"

Zhang Lun's biggest worry is the official seal, if he doesn't find it, he will not be able to work for a day, and he can only pretend to be sick at home, because all documents need to be sealed.

"Thief, even if you get some cheapness, you have to return the official seal to me as soon as possible!"

Zhang Yan gritted his teeth, but if the thief didn't appear, he had no choice, who let himself be in the open and the thief in the dark? can only wait for the thief to appear again, but first you have to prepare tens of thousands of taels of silver, and the thief should need a silver ticket to facilitate his escape.

After dinner, Zhang Yan personally inspected the mansion, and saw that there were guards everywhere, so he stayed at ease, because he was really annoyed, he did not go to Wu's bedroom tonight, but slept in the inner room of the study.

As soon as the sky was bright, Zhang Yan was woken up by the housekeeper, "Master, the thief has sent a message!" ”

"Oh, what's the matter with the thief this time?" Zhang Yan didn't bother to ask the housekeeper how he got the information, with the means of a thief, there must be no loopholes.

"The thief said that he should discuss with the master......"

Since you want to discuss, it is to make a bargain for yourself, Zhang Yan's brows stretched slightly, and the ending is not too bad, "Butler, you can go this time in person!" ”

"Sir, then we can give ...... How much upper limit is given? The old man said that the number is good, and the old slave also has a bottom in his heart! ”

"The upper limit is 50,000 taels, no, at most 20,000 taels," Zhang Lun thought of the silver in vain, and his heart really hurt, but Jing'er is a small matter, the key is the official seal, if you lose the official seal, you will lose all sources, "If the housekeeper can be less, it will be your great achievement!" ”

"Master, the old slave understands!" The housekeeper secretly complained in his heart, the thief offered 500,000, but the master only agreed to 20,000, a huge gap in between...... The old man hopes for less, this hot work......

"Remember, find out the details of the thief!" Zhang Yan also wanted to redeem the official seal first, and then arrest the thief, and spit it out as much as he ate.

"The old slave understands!" The housekeeper can only do his best, but the initiative is in the hands of the thief, and he has to be like the second butler, who is led by the thief by the nose and makes him run around......

When it was time for dinner, the housekeeper returned to the mansion and asked where Zhang Yan was, and immediately ran to the study, "Master! ”

"How's it going, has the thief ever relented?" Zhang Yan put down the scroll in his hand and raised his eyes.

"Back to the master, it's basically done, the price can be loosened, but the thief needs to ......"

"The thief is so daring, this master didn't settle accounts with him, and he kicked his nose in the face!" Zhang Yan was surprised in his heart, could it be that the thief found the calligraphy and painting in his hand? It was hard to force it out of somewhere else.

"Master, the thief said that he would like 6,000 catties of pig iron......"

"Pig iron? Six thousand pounds? The thief wants this pig iron, can he take it? Zhang Lun sneered, he was about to send troops to arrest him just now, the thief is now going to bring so much pig iron, can he run away? I really don't know whether to live or die.

However, he was immediately surprised, there were indeed 6,000 catties of pig iron in the treasury, how did the thief know? Could it be that the thief has already found out the information? Their target is mainly pig iron?

If not, how could a thief ask for such a heavy piece of pig iron?

According to the market price at this time, one pound of pig iron is one cent of silver, six thousand pounds of pig iron, but six hundred taels of silver, the key pig iron is an embargoed thing of the imperial court, why do thieves loosen their mouths on silver money, but they need these pig iron?

Even if these pig iron were given to him, the thief would inevitably not be able to run fast, could it be that the thief had no fear and did not worry about the pursuit of the officers and soldiers at all?

Zhang Lun was shocked into a cold sweat in his heart, a thief is by no means as simple as an ordinary craftsman, is it ......

"Master, in addition to pig iron, the thief also needs 10,000 taels of silver......"

"Ten thousand taels?" Zhang Lun was happy in his heart, this was far beyond his expectations, it seemed that the housekeeper was still powerful, and he got it as soon as he got out of the horse, compared to silver, the value of those pig iron was almost ignored, "Can it be less?" ”

The butler shook his head, "The thief is very arrogant, and the old slave uses all the kind words...... In the end, the thieves refused to give in, saying that they would not make a deal again, and they would rather tear up the ticket......"

"What else did the thief say?"

"The thief asked the master to load the pig iron and silver into the car, and after sending it out of the Sword Gate Pass to be delivered, Jing Gongzi will be released, and after three days, they will return the official seal, if it is a trick......

Zhang Yan said lightly: "Did the housekeeper ever find out the clues of the thief?" ”

"Master, the thief does have a Guanzhong accent," the housekeeper said while observing Zhang Yan's face, "According to the old slave's measurements, I'm afraid it's a ......gang of thieves in Shaanxi."

Zhang Yan was taken aback, and his face also changed color, "The housekeeper is ......"

The housekeeper nodded vigorously, "According to the old slave, it is very likely, master, north of the Sword Gate Pass......"

"It must be like this, and only in this way can it be explained, no wonder the thief is so arrogant," Zhang Lun thought in his heart, if he caught these thieves, it would be a miracle, and he, the right capital imperial history, was stained with the light of the thief, "Butler, it seems that we have to ambush our subordinates in the area of Jianmen Pass." ”

"Master, never!" The housekeeper hurriedly stopped, his face was already frightened, "If you set up an ambush outside the Sword Gate, the thief may be caught, but I am afraid that the loss of the official seal can no longer be concealed......"

The authorities are confused! Fortunately, the housekeeper reminded him in time that the thief dared to pick up the goods outside the Jianmen Pass, and he would be a little sure, and he would not be able to make the fish die and the net would break. ”

"Gift out of the country!" The housekeeper said: "The thief's appetite is not big, and he has left us room, according to the old slave, their target is still pig iron, and the silver is just incidental!" ”

Pig iron is not a problem, it is worth only hundreds of silver, and the big deal is that this year's armor blades do not need to be repaired, anyway, the war in Sichuan has ended, it is really not good, and you can also buy some from brother provinces.

Zhang Yan was even more distressed about the silver of 10,000 taels of white flowers, although this amount was much less than he imagined.