Lady Elena's question made both of them stupid. Seeing that they could not answer for a while, the old lady was so angry that she grabbed one ear with one hand and dragged them into the house again.

"Tell me honestly, how much benefit did you take from them?" She confronted Pronsky, "What else have you done?" ”

"There really isn't any!" Pronsky hurriedly said: "I just want to sell wood!" I cut down a lot of trees in my old fiefdom, and I'm in a hurry for this......"

"Cut down trees, cut down trees, every day you know how to cut trees, what is the interest of you?" Madame Elena reached out and grabbed his luxurious fur coat: "Who gave you this dress?" ”

"When I was having dinner with a few people from the Ministry of Rites, a master of the Wang family gave it to me - oh, I didn't take it in vain, I gave them a falcon." Pronsky explained.

"You're embarrassed to wear it, take this dog skin off for me!" Lady Elena scolded: "I will take you to the king's house at dawn and ask them to explain the matter clearly!" ”

"Now go and find it, is it still useful?" Cao Xun sat next to him, frowned, and said.

"What if it weren't?" Mrs. Elena asked rhetorically, turned her head and drank again: "Which old rabbit cub of the Wang family is looking for you!" ”

"It's the one from the Ministry of Rites, named Wang Zongwen." Pronsky answered honestly.

"Go on, finish talking." Lady Elena asked, "They helped you sell wood in exchange for their men to join the army, and then what?" ”

"Then it's really none of my business." Pronsky said: "I also took it to heart at the time, because their army was originally a number, right? If I understand correctly, it is the eldest son of the Guo family, in order to occupy a position first, he prepared in advance, right? ”

"People Konstantin have to do the right thing, who is like you, can't do a good thing every day!" Lady Elena reprimanded, "What do people think if you stuff a pile of garbage over there?" ”

"He knows, he knows it's all made up." Pronsky argued: "We already said it when we were discussing it in private. He got up, and we hurried people in and counted them as shares. Shouldn't that be the case? ”

Mrs. Elena had no choice but to ask Cao Jian: "What about you, where did you find your bunch of people?" ”

"It's pretty much the same on my side." Cao Jian confessed dejectedly: "I heard that Dao Xing is going to join the army, and I have already agreed with Guo Gongzi. And myself, on the contrary, is more troublesome than him, and I can't just participate if I say I will participate. My father has always commented that I am suitable to be a civil official, but this time he did not express his position, and I don't know what to do. ”

"So, you're just afraid that Daoxing will compete with you for a seat, and you're afraid that your father is already on his side?" Lady Elena asked.

Cao Jian had no choice but to nod.

His stepfather, Cao Zhonglin, had several illegitimate children, the oldest being Cao Daoxing. Last year, he was already weak and could join the army to fight. Obviously, this gave Cao Jian a stronger sense of crisis.

"Guo Gongzi said that he wanted to recruit the Rus, but I am on the Rus' side, and I don't have many connections." He told his grandmother: "Later, through a few friends, I directly found a few leaders and asked them to ask for random people to make up the number. ”

"Did they say anything else?" Lady Elena asked.

"No, they just want money." Cao Jian replied: "Guo Gongzi said that he would give a subsidy to the recruits in accordance with the regulations. This time the situation is special, even if the conditions are not qualified, after the official establishment of the corps is approved, those who fail to pass the examination of the military department can also give a copy. I promised them to come back and make up for it, and they agreed. ”

"Then whose subordinates are they, and did someone order them to come?" Lady Elena asked.

"Nope. On my side, the level is even lower than that of my uncle. The people I contacted were indeed middle- and lower-level members of the guilds and gangs, and I didn't contact the big businessmen at the top of the guild, or find the officials who sheltered them. Cao Jian is very sure of this.

"If you don't know, don't pretend to understand. Talk about the guild they belong to, and we can find out almost - although they may have colluded, there are so many gangs and thugs, and the secret cannot be kept. Lady Elena said solemnly: "This matter has already made a big fuss, don't think about how to prevaricate." It's better to find out now than to go back and be found out by the Khan's court on official business. ”

"I remember those connectors, of course we can ...... when we go to check" Cao Jian hesitated and said: "But according to my understanding, if there is a big man behind, it won't be as much as this money." Targeting the big guy, the gang leader, and bribing the gang all cost money. And they will embezzle layer by layer, so the total amount of money invested is much larger than it is now. I don't have the money. ”

"What if they have a more long-term goal, what bigger conspiracy are they planning?" Lady Elena asked.

"Then they will pursue long-term goals while asking you for money." Cao Jian said firmly: "Other conspiracies belong to him."

He conspires, and money cannot be dispensed without. Those Greeks have always been like this. ”

Lady Elena hesitated, thinking that it sounded quite reasonable, and continued to ask, "What about after that?" ”

"I didn't care about it after that. I'm mainly worried that Guo Gongzi thinks those people are not even qualified to fill the number. If he thinks he can handle it, I'm satisfied. At the end of the day, I'm just trying to get a spot. Cao Jian confessed: "I will be satisfied if I can use this to rub an identity in the legion later." ”

"yes." Although he has been secretly competing for opportunities with Cao Jianming, Pronsky also poured bitter water: "Whether it is the design of this plan, or the family background, or even the support of other people, the majority of this new army must be held by Guo Gongzi." And the rest of us, depending on our own ability, how many qualified people can be stuffed, we will have the corresponding right to speak in the future - at that time, didn't everyone acquiesce to this? ”

"And you—" Lady Elena asked, turning her head.

"I thought so too. I don't even count on how many teams I really have in the legion. Cao Jian admitted: "Anyway, the proportion is higher than that of my uncle and Daoxing, just do it." ”

"Guo Gongzi was a little dissatisfied with the quality of the recruits at that time, and told me that he should strengthen training and strictly manage and screen in accordance with military law, and I immediately agreed. Because I know that he is a fair man, and he will do the same to the people I have brought, and he will do the same to the people I have brought. ”

"To be honest, even if he lays off all of my people." Cao Jian finally broke the jar and said: "Because in this case, people from other channels will definitely be basically emptied." That way, I will at least have time to find a qualified candidate and not lose the first move. ”

"I think so, too." Pronsky said with a bitter face: "You know my situation. It seems that it is an improvement to operate in most cities, but correspondingly, I have not much way to retreat. ”

"Archduke Fyodor doesn't like me very much. He thought that the nobles of Pronsk who opposed him were headed by me; But in fact, the boyars of Pronsk did not like me either. They thought I was just a two-way dealer, nothing more than bullying people with the power of Tsargrad. ”

"My generation can barely support it. But my son Andrei is too weak, and you know it. He can still do something in most of the capital, but if he returns to Rus, he will definitely not be able to deter those nobles. He shook his head and said, "With his ability and character, he will soon be mercilessly swallowed by this land." ”

"I don't care about myself, but I have to get a position for him. I didn't think much about it at the time, I just thought it was a good deal - I also thought that the worst was just to get a few more people laid off, and I didn't expect it to become so serious! What the hell is going on? ”

"I just wanted to ask you!" Lady Elena said dissatisfiedly, "What did you do to make such a big reaction over there?" ”

"I don't know!" Pronsky said anxiously: "My biggest plan is to tell Guo Gongzi that some of your recruits have committed crimes, and I want him to change a little more - isn't this a matter of course?" How could a gang member not commit a crime......"

"Then tonight's mess, according to them, was caused by your blind people. What do you say about it? Lady Elena pointed outside.

"But that shouldn't matter, right?" Pronsky argued: "What can those people do, no matter how bad they are? Wouldn't it be enough to expel them, or even execute them? The enemies that Her Majesty the Queen Mother said, there are many very powerful people, why did they go to fight him? ”

"For these people, I think the reasons are too far-fetched. People will not tear their faces with the son of the commander for the life and death of a few gang members; He wouldn't fight with so many people because of this, right? ”

Lady Elena was also stunned for a moment, and it seemed that she couldn't be directly sure.

And Cao Jian, who was next to him, thought seriously for a moment, frowned, and stretched out again.

"I kind of understand where we miscalculated." He said wearily.

"Brother Guo Kang, it's different from everyone else. When others saw a crime in the army, they punished that person; When you see a group of people committing a crime, punish that group of people. Since then, it can be regarded as a fair and strict management of the army. ”

"As for pursuing whether someone is instigating or conniving behind this group of people, or even whether there is any bigger shady scene, ordinary people will not care so far. Moreover, these gang members are indeed the bottom of their organization. If you really dig up, you will only find that they are doing things for some wealthy businessmen and officials, and there must be people above these corrupt officials and wealthy businessmen who can run rampant in most of the capital. If you have to get to the end, all the pillar countries can be implicated. ”

"Those people, I know, are some brainless thugs." Pronsky shook his head and said: "Even if they commit crimes, they will go into battle on their own, and even if they are caught, they will be dealt with by themselves; On the other hand, those who can be attacked by these people and cause cases are generally not people with heels - in fact, these gangsters just look arrogant, and if they really encounter hard stubble, they will also weigh the losses, and even give up the task directly. ”

"Although they said just now that Guo Gongzi followed the cult case and found a few high-level personnel at once, I still don't think something is right. It's hard enough to ignore the guild organization to which these thugs belong and dispose of them. If this step is achieved, it is generally the limit within the law, which is enough to be praised by the people. ”

"And the actual situation, it will not be allowed to continue to investigate. For him, it was also a matter of more than worth the loss. Even if the Guo family is the most powerful nobleman now, the imperial court is not his family's hall after all. For the sake of a few low-level people who can be casually violated by gangsters, to offend a few pillar countries, this is really contrary to common sense, it shouldn't be like this, right? ”

He said, looking at the others. Seeing that no one else answered directly, he muttered suspiciously; "No......"

"Hey—that's hard to say." Cao Jian sighed and said.

"For other people, it is true that it may be over after doing it, but he is different. Although Brother Guo Kang is silent on weekdays, sometimes, he will insist. For those things that we think are okay, he may be very concerned, feel unacceptable, or even angry about it. When we were in school, we found out that he had some such tendencies. ”

"You mean, your original plan was not so complicated, and it wouldn't involve so much. It is likely that Guo Gongzi himself is too jealous and hateful, and he has to take advantage of the situation to be held accountable. Next to him, Cao Xun, who had been silent, opened his mouth and concluded: "As a result, this matter really can't be investigated, and he really found the problem when he looked for it casually." ”

"If you look at it this way, it's really not their conspiracy - they can't play so advanced with their intelligence." He shook his head and said to Lady Elena, "It's not even those Greek merchants who are deliberately playing a trap on you. It's too big a fuss to be controlled by one person. I also know all the people in the Wang family, how can there be such a level? ”

"It's all my fault in the first place. In the first place, I shouldn't have been in such a hurry. Cao Jian shook his head: "Now in this situation, I will take responsibility." My life was given by the old Cao family, so I don't have to be stingy for it. ”

"What do you say?" Cao Xun scolded: "You are a descendant of my Cao family, so show the appearance of our family." After so many years, what storms have we not seen? I committed something bigger than you back then, and your grandmother went to the Queen Mother Helena to save me. Even so, we never backed down and gave up. ”

"It's easiest to die, but it's even harder to solve the problem. But a real Great Qin man should not be like a woman or a Greek literati, looking for death and life all day long! ”

"Your life is precious, don't use it casually. If you can't solve the problem and die on the battlefield for this, this is a lack of material strength, and there is nothing to say. But before I started to try to redeem it, I gave up first, so what's this! ”

"Your grandma is right, now that we understand the general situation, we don't have to worry about it anymore." He turned his head and shouted, "Bring me my armor!" I'll take you again to get the Guo family kid out. He can lead a group of Rus folks to fight until now, and it is impossible to end it easily. Then, let's go and block the door of the king's house! ”

"Grandpa, you-"

"Father-in-law!"

The two hurriedly wanted to persuade them.

But Cao Xun shook his head and was unmoved.

"If we sit back and wait like this, our Cao family will definitely be finished. In this case, it is better for everyone to contribute and fight again. He turned his head to the people outside: "No matter what they are doing, we will kill him at the door of his house as we did last time against the Empress Dowager Helena, and let him make it clear by himself!" Look at them, happy to die with us! ”

"I'm old, but I'm not old enough to hold an axe." He opened his hair and shouted, "Bring my guy over!" ”

The family members outside the door quieted down, and a few family members answered loudly, turning their heads to get their weapons.

"Come with me! I'll make a way for you—if I'm dead, there will be no disaster for our family today, just keep going!" The old man said, and took the lead out of the door: "All who can move, follow me!" ”

(End of chapter)