Zhang Zongzheng put down the report in his hand and turned his gaze to Zhao Rang:

"Zhao Rang, what do you think of these four things?"

Zhao Rang pondered for a moment, and then said slowly:

"The four doors seem to be independent, but they are actually interrelated. The customs clearance documents carried by the people of the Western Regions at the East Gate were obviously forged, and their purpose was not simple, probably to infiltrate the imperial city and carry out some kind of secret activity. The people of the Western Regions have been moving frequently in the north recently, and I have encountered them in Zhenhai City. ”

Zhang Zongzheng nodded and agreed:

"You're right. I will send someone to investigate the cause of the fire at the South Gate and the movements of the Five Princes. ”

"As for the Simon family...... Let's make sure they don't pose a threat to the security of the Imperial City."

Qingqing listened quietly on the side, and a trace of doubt flashed in her eyes:

"Landlord Zhang, Zhao Gongzi, don't you think Ximen's affairs are the most ordinary? Why do you think it's the most bizarre? ”

Zhang Zongzheng and Zhao Rang glanced at each other, and then Zhang Zongzheng explained:

"The Simon family has a very important position in the imperial city, and their every move will cause an uproar. Although the overturning of the truck seems to be a trivial matter, if there is the control of the Simon family behind it, then its purpose is worth pondering. Why are they creating chaos at this time? What are they trying to hide? Or what are they trying to accomplish with it? ”

After that, Zhang Zong paused and then added:

"And the Simon family, who have always kept a low profile, paid the fine so highly this time, which is extremely inconsistent with their previous style. With the wealth and influence of the Simon family, they were enough to do whatever they wanted in the imperial city, but they chose this way, obviously sending some kind of signal. ”

Zhao Rang frowned slightly, he was a little puzzled and even a little unhappy about Zhang Zongzheng's suspicion of the Ximen family.

After all, he and Ximen Dazhuang, the young master of the Simon family, are close friends who grew up together since childhood, and they know the personality and family style of the Simon family.

In Zhao Rang's view, the Ximen family is by no means the kind of family that will play tricks and create chaos behind their backs.

However, he also knows that Zhang Zongzheng's worries are not groundless.

The Simon family's position in the imperial city is indeed very important, and their every move can cause huge waves, and there are indeed many doubts about the overturning of the truck, which makes people wonder if there is a deeper purpose behind it......

Seeing that Zhao Rang was silent, Zhang Zongzheng knew that he was hesitating.

Before Zhang Zongzheng's words were finished, Zhao Rang took a deep breath and interrupted him:

"Master Zhang, leave the matter of Ximen to me to investigate."

Zhang Zongzheng was slightly stunned, and then showed a satisfied smile:

"Good! You can let go of your personal emotions and focus on the big picture, which is exactly what it takes to achieve great things. ”

Zhao Rang shook his head and said:

"Master Zhang, I am not letting go of my personal feelings, but I believe in the innocence of the Simon family. I grew up with Simon Dazhuang since I was a child, and I know his personality and family style very well. The Simon family has always acted above board, and it is impossible for them to play tricks and create chaos behind their backs. ”

Zhang Zongzheng listened to Zhao Rang's explanation and exhorted:

"Zhao Rang, your friendship and righteousness are really rare. But you also know that since you have entered this building, everything must be done with the safety of the imperial city first. ”

Zhao Rang nodded, and the two gossiped a few more words.

At night, Zhang Zong left Zhao Rang to live in the main building, but Zhao Rang politely declined.

Compared with the solemn atmosphere in the main building, the shock and longing of standing in front of the building before were gone, and he just wanted to go out quickly and walk on the street to breathe.

Qingqing looked at the back of Zhao Rang leaving, and asked softly:

"Landlord Zhang, is it really good for you to arrange it like this? In case ......"

Zhang Zongzheng interrupted her:

"No in case."

Qingqing didn't speak again.

Zhang Zongzheng has already made a decision, and it is not for her to change.

Zhao Rang left the main building and stepped into the night of the imperial city alone.

The night fell slowly like a huge piece of black satin, enveloping the sky, but the prosperity of the imperial city did not diminish because of this, but became more brilliant.

On both sides of the street, the soft light of lanterns shines through the paper windows, reflecting the stone pavement like a long river of gold.

Zhao Rang slowed down and immersed himself in the bustling night market.

The sounds and smells seem to have turned into invisible threads that connect him to the city.

Zhao Rang walked and found that he had come to the vicinity of the West Gate. His heart moved, and he decided to go to the place where the rice truck overturned in Fengnian Rice, and maybe he could find some clues.

At night, the West Gate is particularly quiet, with few pedestrians on the streets and only a few shops still lit up.

Zhao Rang walked along the street and soon came to the scene of the incident.

It had been cleared, but there were still some grains of rice and wooden fragments from the truck's baffle on the ground.

Zhao Rang squatted down, carefully observed the ground, and found that the place where the truck overturned happened to be the corner of a street, where the line of sight was not wide, and accidents were easy to occur.

On one side of the street is a row of low houses with closed windows that look somewhat shabby.

On the windowsill of one of the windows, there were some grains of rice scattered around.

Zhao Rang approached the window and knocked lightly, but there was no response.

He went around to the back door of the house, and when he found it hidden, he cautiously pushed it in.

It was pitch black inside, with only a glimmer of moonlight shining through the windows on the floor.

Zhao Rang lit the fire fold he carried with him, and the light of the fire reflected the furnishings in the house, which were simple and messy, and seemed to have been uninhabited for a long time.

Back at the scene of the incident, Zhao Rang saw a tavern on the other side of the street, facing the location of the West Gate.

At this moment, the tavern is brightly lit and full of people.

Zhao Rang found a corner and sat down, ordered a pot of wine and a few side dishes, and patiently listened to the conversation around him, hoping to find some clues.

Suddenly, a drunkard muttered to himself:

"You're not right! The night before, Lao Tzu saw a truck suddenly overturn around the corner, and the rice on the truck was spilled on the ground! ”

No one paid attention to the drunkard's madness.

As long as you haven't drunk much, you can clearly remember that the Simon family, the truck of Fengnian Rice Bank overturned here this afternoon.

In full view, how could it be the night before yesterday?

Zhao Rang was shocked, and immediately walked to the drunkard's side and asked:

"Brother, can you tell us more about that night?"

The drunk man raised his head, squinted his eyes and looked at Zhao Rang, and then said staggeringly:

"The night before, I was passing by and was about to go into the tavern for a drink, when I saw the truck suddenly overturn...... I wanted to help, but when I saw the rice in the car, I ...... Hey, you know! ”

"And did you see any unusual signs when the truck overturned?"

The drunk man thought for a moment and said:

"I seemed to see something under the wheels, but it was too dark to see clearly. But I'm sure it wasn't an accident! ”

The drunkard's words made Zhao Rang's heart move.

Immediately took out some silver taels, put them in front of the drunk, and said

"This brother, I won't say anything big, as long as you can tell me more about the situation that night."

Not everyone in the Simon family can be blamed, even if the drunk is already drunk.

There is a life, and he can still come to drink tomorrow night, and he can carry this clearly.

However, since Zhao Rang said that he could earn money just by moving his mouth, he couldn't check the truth of what he said.

There are cheap and don't take advantage of the bastard!

The drunkard grabbed the silver tael, stuffed it into his arms, and said:

"When you say that, I vaguely think there is, but I have to drink a few more drinks to remember!"

Zhao Rang smiled slightly, summoned the junior second in the tavern, asked for a pot of good wine and a few hard dishes, raised his glass and said to the drunk:

"Enough wine and food, let's eat and drink!"

When the drunkard heard this, his face suddenly showed ecstasy, and his cloudy eyes flashed with a sly light, and he trembled and stretched out his hand to hold the heavy wine glass tightly, which was the only link between him and reality.

He gently clinked his glass with Zhao Rang, and then raised his head and drank it all.

After a continuous stomach, the drunkard's face flushed, and the chatterbox surged out like a flood that burst the embankment.

His eyes widened, and he described the scene of that night in a slightly exaggerated tone:

"That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high, and the street was so quiet that I could only hear my own breathing. I just saw a truck rush by......"

Speaking of this, the drunkard's tone became even more excited, and he danced and gestured:

"The truck sped so fast that it fell to the ground as if it had tripped over something. The rice was sprinkled all over the ground, and it was white and flowery, like snow! ”

Zhao Rang listened attentively and couldn't wait to ask:

"Do you see what is under the car?"

The drunk frowned, as if struggling to recall: "

It was so dark that I couldn't see what it was. I vaguely saw a black mass, which seemed to be a figure, and it seemed to be a stone. But the car was so fast that it didn't have time to see it. ”

The drunkard burped, took another sip of wine, shook his head, and spoke:

"It's too dark to see anything clearly......"

"That's right! The shadow seemed to have something in its hand, glittering in the moonlight. ”

Zhao Rang wanted to ask something, but the drunk man interrupted him with a smile, raised his wine glass and said in a rough voice:

"Come on! Cheers again! As long as you can help me pay for this meal, I won't say anything in vain. ”

The wind chimes hanging on the door of the tavern suddenly made a few crisp sounds.

Several burly, rough-dressed men walked in.

Their skin was tanned, and their hands were covered with thick calluses, apparently from years of driving the carriage.

The drunkard knew these men as servants of the Harvest Rice Company, who often drove horse-drawn carts to transport rice in the area.

He looked at Zhao Rang, who was sitting opposite him, and thought that this boy seemed to be very interested in these servants, so he decided to be a favor.

The drunken man took his glass, staggered over to the servants, and called out in a loud voice:

"Hey, brothers! Come and sit here, and I'll introduce you to a noble person! ”

The servants looked at the drunk man with some confusion, and then at Zhao Rang, not knowing what the origin of this strange boy was.

But the drunkard had already enthusiastically pulled them up and led them to the table where Zhao Rang was.

Seeing this, Zhao Rang smiled and nodded to the servants and motioned for them to sit down.

The drunkard sat triumphantly in the middle, and said as he poured his wine:

"This brother wants to talk to you, everyone is a friend, you're welcome."

After speaking, he raised his wine glass and shouted loudly:

"Come on! Cheers first! ”

Although the servants were a little confused, they also raised their glasses when they saw that there were drinks and food that did not cost money.

After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere gradually became warmer, and Zhao Rang saw the opportunity and asked the servants:

"Big brothers, what happened today, I wonder if you know the situation?"

The servants looked at each other, and the man in the lead frowned, and replied:

"Childe, that incident is in the past. The follow-up has its own owner to deal with it. ”

Seeing this, Zhao Rang was not discouraged and continued to gently persuade him to drink.

The drunk man also helped on the side:

"Brothers, this son is a good person, just talk about it!"

The servants hesitated, and finally the man in the lead sighed and spoke:

"Well, since Childe wants to know so much, let's talk about it. This afternoon, we were carrying rice in a wagon as usual, but all of a sudden, the horses seemed to be frightened and ran wildly, and we couldn't control our ...... at all."

Another servant said:

"yes, that's terrible...... The truck was swaying left and right on the road, and we were all scared to death! ”

Zhao Rang nodded and motioned for the servants to continue.

"At that moment,"

The leading man continued,

"The truck suddenly overturned and the rice spilled on the ground. We quickly got out of the car to check the situation, only to find that the horse was dead, with no obvious injuries on its body, as if it had been scared to death! ”

Zhao Rang's heart moved, keenly grasped this key, and after pondering for a moment, he asked:

"Have you noticed any suspicious people or objects around you? Or had anything strange happened before that? ”

The servants recalled, shaking their heads to indicate that they had not noticed anything out of the ordinary.

The man in the lead added: "We were only concerned with rescuing the horses and collecting rice, and we didn't pay much attention to the situation around us. ”

Zhao Rang frowned slightly, and vaguely felt in his heart that this accident seemed to be related to horses.

"Big brother, where did the horses you ride come from? Can you elaborate on that? ”

The leading man replied:

"These horses are all horses bought from the Western Regions, and they are strong and have excellent endurance. We have always used this kind of horse to transport rice. ”

"Did these horses buy directly from the Western Regions? Or was it purchased through another firm? ”

The leading man thought for a moment and said:

"These horses were transferred from other branches of Mihang not long ago to the Imperial City General Number, how did they buy them...... This is something that the owner only knows, and we don't know very well. However, it is said that these horses are expensive, and one horse is enough to exchange for several table seats! ”

Zhao Rang saw that one of the young servants was about to speak, so he looked at him and motioned for him to speak.

The man hesitated for a moment and said:

"Childe, to be honest, these horses are indeed more powerful than the previous ones, but they are also more difficult to control. They seem to be somewhat irritable and easily frightened. ”