On the third day, early in the morning, Xu Gongzi's men sent the silver over.

Qin Fang diligently let him enter the guest hall, served refreshments, and went to the backyard to invite Zheng Haizhu out and unpacked the box in front of the owner.

When the first box was opened, Zheng Haizhu observed that Qin Fang was slightly stunned, but he instantly wiped his surprised face again, and went to the counter to get the scale.

Several people from the Xu Mansion came to deliver the silver, a middle-aged man of the same age as Qin Fang, dressed the most decently, wearing a long straight jacket of Cantonese silk, wearing a net crown with a hosta on his head, and looking like a steward.

With a humble smile, the steward said to Zheng Haizhu: "Son, please forgive me, I have come all the way north to deliver the goods, and the silver collected is not very neat, it is not a silver ingot made by the official family, and the shopkeeper of the noble number is called a name." ”

Zheng Haizhu coping with a few polite words, and ordered the man to send a few finely woven handkerchiefs.

After writing the IOU and sending the people away from the Xu Mansion, Zheng Haizhu asked Qin Fang: "You didn't expect that it was a silver nugget and not a silver ingot?" ”

Qin Fang nodded: "Yes, madam." What is this Xu Gongzi, the Guangxiu Bijia sent before, the small ones are not ordinary, thinking that they are all silver ingots of high-ranking officials or large merchants, after all, the delivery of silver ingots is decent and convenient, and it is easy to check the authenticity. ”

Zheng Haizhu grabbed a piece of silver that was not too small from the box: "Then look, how are these things in condition?" ”

Qin Fang cut the silver piece and looked at it in the sunlight, his gaze becoming more and more complicated.

"Lead-doped?" Zheng Haizhu asked.

"On the contrary," Qin Fang shook his hand, "Madam, the little one has been a tooth man in Tongzhou for ten years, and he has seen a lot of silver ingots and silver nuggets. ”

Zheng Haizhu thought for a while and said to Qin Fang: "Cut every big silver piece into a corner and wrap it in a burden for me." I'm going to go out. Now you load the silver into our own car and send it to the silk village in Chunshu Hutong to the west of Liulichang, which is driven by Mr. Wang's people. ”

Qin Fang understood: "Madame is aware, Mr. Xu may suspect that Madame is not telling the truth, so his steward will not go far, just staring at our family nearby, do you take this silver to ask your peers to transfer goods?" ”

"Well," Zheng Haizhu said, "come out and walk, think of others smarter, it's not easy to get into trouble." ”

He turned back and beckoned Li Daniu, "You go with Lao Qin, just pull some goods from the Wang family's silk village, go to Jishuitan Wharf to find a warehouse to put it, and do a full set of plays." Then Lao Qin came back, the big cow worked hard, stay there, and see what the goods unloaded by Xu Gongzi were moving. ”

After Zheng Haizhu finished the order, he took a small bag of silver nuggets and asked Hua Er to call a few other partners out.

Chen Sanni also arrived these days, and with her, there were two senior female students from Songjiang School, both of whom were in their prime, preparing to accompany Zheng Haizhu into Ciqing Palace as a teaching assistant, and lecture to the little princesses and clan girls according to the dictation of Emperor Zhu Changluo.

Those who entered Beijing on the same ship also included Zhang Mingshi's eldest son, as well as three or four cronies sent by Xu Yilong who could fight.

When Zheng Haizhu came out of the edict to catch Zhang Mingshi, he promised to reunite their father and son as soon as possible. And Chen Sanni and the Xu family's family, Zheng Haizhu asked them to expand Li Daniu's spy team, and it was not good to always rely on Wang Wenyan's manpower.

Chen Sanni was one of the female porters of the canal back then, and like Mu Zaohua, she was brought out by Wu Bangde. She also went to Chongming Wu Bangde's grave to cry once, but she didn't know that Mu Zaohua secretly went to Liaodong, this time she saw Zheng Haizhu, and learned that Zaohua was infected with the epidemic and died on the way north to Yanzhou.

Zheng Haizhu waited for her to finish shedding tears, and said kindly: "People can't be resurrected after death." Jujube has always come, I like Wu Gongzi, she went to heaven to accompany Gongzi, and it can be regarded as a continuation of fate, do you feel better when you think so? Sanni, you are in Zhenjiang, do you have a favorite sweetheart? ”

Chen Sanni shook her head decisively: "What do you do when you get married?" I want to be like my wife, I don't look for a husband's house, I don't have a baby, and I come and go to the end of the world. Those women who have married, who have not fallen into the mud from the clouds. ”

Zheng Haizhu said: "This idea is good, I like it." But if you have a heart for a man one day, tell me, and I will prepare a dowry and send you to a sedan chair. ”

When Chen Sanni heard this, not only did she not feel flattered, but she was a little disappointed.

Sister Zaohua was gone, and Mrs. summoned her to her side, but it seemed that she still didn't have the intention of relying on her right-hand man and being inseparable.

Zheng Haizhu saw her loneliness and said lightly: "No matter what we do, whether it's bright or dark, don't set up any barriers for yourself when the big festival is not a loss." If you don't want to marry, don't marry, do things for me. If you want to get married, you won't be ashamed, and you will live a good life with that man in a down-to-earth manner, have children, and be a companion when you are old. ”

Chen Sanni frowned and said, "Then what if you slowly find out after getting married, he is a bastard?" ”

Zheng Haizhu said: "What kind of bastard? Hit you and abuse you? Don't have a home and let you stay alive and widowed? Sanni, the law of this dynasty, suppresses the wife, the husband has a hundred rods, and the wife can be divorced and returned to the sect; If the husband has fled for three years and does not return it, the government will give the wife a license, let her marry another person, and will not pursue the bride price. When the time comes, if you leave, come back and bring me an apprentice, where will you be stuck in the mud and can't climb out? Sanni, when I say this, I not only think about your future, but also want you to understand that the more you are a spy, the more you can't look at people and things one by one, otherwise, many clues will often be missed. ”

"Sanni understands."

……

At this time, Zheng Haizhu was followed by a string of young and vigorous girls such as Sanni and Hua Er, talking and laughing, chatting about the well-known rouge gouache shop in the capital, leaving the alley, and walking in the direction of the market.

Walking to the vicinity of Qipan Street, Hua Er, who was dragging behind, came up to report: "Madam, I didn't see those faces in the Xu Mansion in the morning. ”

Zheng Haizhu nodded: "You take everyone to continue to familiarize yourself with the Zhengyangmen, and I'll do something." ”

After half a burnt incense, Liu Qiao, the governor of Fusi in Beizhen, walked to a teahouse in Nianzi Hutong without official uniforms and sat down at the table in the corner.

"Gu Qingquan knew that you went to Fahua Temple on the Buddha's birthday, but you met people who were seeking revenge and rescued you there. Are they in a gang? Just like Lao Tzu in the photo, he also fell in love with you? ”

"Hmm, so I didn't enter your Beizhen Fusi Yamen, but invited Liu Dudu out to talk, for fear that Gu Qingquan would see it. Because that Xu Gongzi just borrowed me 3,000 taels of silver. ”

Liu Qiao pouted: "It's not a small amount, it's worth three months' salary from top to bottom of our yamen." ”

Zheng Haizhu spread out the veil: "Take a look at the governor, it's not official silver, but it's in good condition." ”

Liu Qiao, as a member of Jinyi Weizhong, has investigated the Qin case for many years, and it is common to raid his home, and his eyesight for all kinds of silver coins is even higher than that of the Qin side.

He rubbed the silver nugget and judged: "It's good, if it is made into the shape of an ingot, and then engraved at the bottom, it will be a silver ingot for Jiebian and Jiejing, and the color is just like that." ”

Zheng Haizhu said: "Is it the official silver from the treasury that is recast after it is melted?" ”

Liu Qiao blurted out: "Folk circulation, the most recognizable ingots, who was caught by the door and ruined and recast?" ”

"What if you don't want to be found out where the money came from? Perhaps, the person who cast it is already quite powerful, so it is not a small workshop that frying silver. ”

Liu Qiao was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: "No wonder you want to borrow money." ”