Chapter 100: A Deal with Lord Thorn

The twenty-second day of the first month of the first year of Qiande (963 AD)

In the afternoon, in the study of the Mingzhou Thorn Mansion, Qian Hongyi and Cui Daoshu sat opposite each other, chatting and tasting tea.

Qian Hongyi picked up the celadon tea cup, looked at the tea leaves floating and sinking in the yellow-green tea soup, smelled the aroma of the tea, took a small sip slowly, and then carefully tasted the taste of the tea.

After a while, he exclaimed: "Daoshu, the tea you brought is different, it doesn't need to be decocted, just brewed with boiling water." Moreover, the tea soup is clear and green, the taste is sweet and mellow, and the aroma is elegant and high. It's a rare tea! ”

Cui Daoshu smiled slightly, "Master Thorn Shi, this tea is made by a tea master in my family after five years of exploration and experimentation. I brought twenty pounds today, which should be enough for you to drink for a while. In the future, I will send you 100 catties every year, which is enough to meet the needs of your house. ”

Qian Hongyi was very happy, and said with a smile: "Then thank you very much, I like this tea very much, if your family's output is enough, I can send it to the palace." I think Brother Wang will like it, and then this tea will become famous and sell well. ”

"Then thank you, Lord Thorn Shi, the output of this kind of tea is not much now, and it is estimated that it is only a few thousand catties a year. However, I want to take the high-end route, set a very high price, and only sell it to wealthy people such as wealthy families, wealthy businessmen, etc. ”

Qian Hongyi smiled, "This 'high-end route' is your new word again, right?" But it's very apt, I think this tea can really be sold at a good price. By the way, what's the name of this tea? ”

Cui Daoshu said slowly: "This tea grows in the inaccessible mountains, where the fog is shrouded all year round, so the tea master named it 'Yunwu'." ”

"Good name, I don't think it will take a long time for this 'cloud' tea to become famous and popular all over the world."

Qian Hongyi took another sip, put down the teacup, his face became very serious, and he said solemnly: "I only came back from Hangzhou yesterday, and I heard about your family, what a disaster!" But fortunately, your guards drove away the bandits, and the main personnel suffered very small losses, so tell me what happened! ”

Cui Dao recounted in detail the process of the bandits' attack, Qian Hongyi listened to it very attentively, exclaimed from time to time, and slapped the table when he was angry, and his palms were red.

Cui Daoshu finished talking about the process, and said with a gloomy expression: "Lord Assassin Shi, please uphold justice for the Cui family, you must severely punish these bandits, and send a document to catch them in the sea, and want the escaped fish." The amount of the reward is set a little higher, and our Cui family will come out. Even if I chase them to the ends of the earth, I also want them to pay for their blood debts! ”

Qian Hongyi said firmly: "I will definitely meet your requirements, and I am also responsible for such a bloody case under my rule." I won't let go of these gangsters, and the Assassin Mansion will dispatch a large number of people to take the garrison to their old nest, Tiantai Mountain, to clear the bandits' cottages. Then I will notify the local states and counties around Tiantai Mountain to send troops to cooperate, block the road out of the mountain, and be sure to wipe out the bandits! ”

Cui Daoshu got up and bowed to Qian Hongyi, and said gratefully: "Thank you, Lord Thorn Shi, my Cui family will remember your kindness, and I will definitely repay you in the future." ”

Qian Hongyi waved his hand and said warmly: "You don't have to be polite, I am also very guilty when something like this happened, after all, it was a tragedy that happened under my rule, and these bandits are slapping me in the face!" I will never let them go! ”

Cui Daoshu sat up straight, and said with a solemn face: "Master Assassin Shi, there is an important matter to report to you, please avenge my Cui family, and you must bring to justice the shameless people who colluded with bandits and killed dozens of people in my Cui family!" ”

Qian Hongyi was very surprised, he hurriedly asked: "What, there is such a thing, you say it quickly, I will definitely avenge your family." ”

Cui Daoshu's eyes were sharp, and he said: "The people who colluded with bandits to attack my family are Liu Yan and his son Liu Zhao, who joined the judicial army!" ”

"How could it be them? Are you mistaken? Qian Hongyi was shocked and couldn't believe it was true.

"Master Thorn, I have proof. My family's guards caught the bandit leader, and he had already confessed that it was Liu Zhao who sent someone to Tiantai Mountain to take the initiative to contact them, telling the bandits that our Cui family had a lot of money. He also provided the bandits with a map of the Cui family's manor, and told the bandits that most of the Cui family's guards had gone out to protect the caravan, and the guards in the manor were very weak, and the bandits could easily capture the Cui family, and then they could rape and plunder at will, and no one could find out that the Cui family had been occupied. ”

"Oh? What does this mean? Why can't anyone find out? ”

Cui Daoshu continued: "Lord Assassin Shi, the bandit leader said that Liu Zhao promised him that he would use the power of the government to block all the roads in and out of the Cui family's manor, and if anyone from the Cui family went out to report the news, they would be detained and framed as gangsters. In this way, the news of the attack on Cui's house can be blocked, and the bandits can easily transport the looted money. ”

Qian Hongyi stood up angrily and scolded regardless of his demeanor, "This father and son, who are not as good as pigs and dogs, are really inhumane!" Liu Yan joined the army as a judicial officer, but he committed murder, he knew the law and violated the law, and he deserved to be guilty of one more degree! ”

Qian Hongyi stabilized his mood, sat down and said: "Daoshu, you send the bandit leader and other captured bandits here, I will send someone to interrogate them carefully, if the evidence is conclusive, I will definitely give justice to your family!" ”

Cui Daoshu said with some concern: "Lord Assassin Shi, Liu Yan has been an official for many years, and many officials in the state capital are his cronies. Moreover, he is in charge of the prison, and I am afraid that the bandit leader will soon fall ill and die of a violent illness when he enters the prison. ”

Qian Hongyi thought for a moment and asked, "Where are the bandit leaders and other bandits being held now?" ”

"Lord Hui, they are all in the Cui manor, I sent people to guard them closely, and no one in the outside world knows about the capture of the bandit leader."

Qian Hongyi nodded, "In this way, I will send my henchmen tomorrow to enter the manor in the name of going to your house to ask for tea, and secretly interrogate the bandit leader and other bandits." If the evidence is conclusive, I will immediately arrest Liu Yan and his son and avenge your family! ”

Cui Daoshu hurriedly got up to thank him, and then continued: "Lord Thorn Shi, I have a small request, I hope you can fulfill it. ”

Qian Hongyi was curious, "Oh? Let's hear it. ”

"My lord, I want to dedicate the Cui family's secret recipe for spirits to you, and from now on, my family will completely withdraw from the Wu Yueguo market and will not sell spirits in China."

Qian Hongyi was very shocked, and hurriedly said: "Daoshu, I have never had the idea of robbing your family's spirits business, is someone forcing you to hand over the recipe for spirits?" You don't have to be afraid, I will definitely protect your Cui family. ”

Cui Daoshu said solemnly: "Lord Assassin Shi, after this matter, our Cui family collectively discussed and decided to gradually withdraw from the market in the Jiangnan region and make every effort to develop the business of Liao, Japan, and North Korea. Overseas, especially in the bitter cold north, my spirits are so popular that they are sold out as soon as they arrive, and they are very profitable. ”

Qian Hongyi asked curiously: "Is there a lot of liquor needed in Liaoguo?" Do they have enough money to buy it? ”

"The people of the north were very fond of spirits, and they produced fine furs, medicinal herbs, rare pearls, and horses, cattle, sheep and other livestock, which could be exchanged for spirits. If the specialties of the north are transported to Jiangnan, the profit can be increased tenfold. So my family decided to go all out to explore the northern market, where it is so easy to make money! Moreover, the production of my family's spirits is limited, and now I can't even meet the needs of Liao, and I can't take care of other regions at all. ”

Qian Hongyi thought for a while and said slowly: "I won't take advantage of you for no reason, you hand over the liquor recipe, what you want, just say it!" ”

Cui Daoshu smiled, "Lord Thorn Shi, I only have two small requests, and I won't embarrass you." ”

"Tell me about it, and if it's not too much, I'll say yes."

Cui Daoshu stretched out a finger, "The first point is that I want Lord Thorn Shi to avenge my family and solve Liu Yan's father and son." ”

"That's fine, but if the evidence is insufficient, I can't blatantly bend the law for personal gain, and I have to think about it in the long run."

Cui Daoshu stretched out another finger, "Lord Thorn Shi, I want the actual control of Qishan Island, all the affairs on the island will be handled by my Cui family, and the state government can't send people to collect taxes." ”

Qian Hongyi got up and searched for a while on the bookshelf, took out a scroll, opened it and put it on the table, and observed it carefully. Cui Daoshu leaned over to take a look, and he was looking at a map, on which the whole picture of the Mingzhou region was drawn, and the land and islands were very clear.

Qian Hongyi looked for a while and said, "This 'Qishan Island' is very small! What is the use of your Cui family? ”

"I want to move the spirits workshop there so that no one will covet it. In addition, the production can be directly loaded and shipped to the north, eliminating the link of land transportation and reducing a lot of costs. ”

Qian Hongyi laughed, "Daoshu, you are really calculating!" If you move the liquor workshop to Qishan Island, you don't have to pay taxes to the state capital! And then you bargain with me and don't let the officials go to the island to collect taxes, how much less do you pay a year? ”

Cui Daoshu didn't mean to give in at all, he said firmly: "Lord Thorn Shi, I will send someone to make spirits from the craftsmen of the Assassin Mansion without reservation, and I will not sell a drop of spirits in the Jiangnan area. With such a big market, how much benefit will Mingzhou Thorn Mansion get? I estimate that it will be at least 500,000 a year! You and I are still thinking about that little tax money, isn't it a little too much? ”

Qian Hongyi looked through some archival documents about Qishan Island, thought seriously for a while, raised his head and said loudly: "Okay, I promise you!" I will set up an inspection department on Qishan Island to patrol the sea and crack down on bandits. There is a person in your family, and I will appoint him as an inspector! ”