The Zeng family's compound is quite large, located in the suburbs not far from the city gate.

When Zeng came here from other places, he took a fancy to this place at a glance. The land was bought here and the mansion was built.

As for why he didn't buy a house in the city, but he wanted to settle outside the city, which is located in the suburbs and inconvenient to live, Zeng Yuanwai's explanation was: The feng shui here is good and can prosper him.

No one knows whether the feng shui in this place is good or not, but since Zeng Yuanwai lived here, it has really become more and more prosperous.

First, he bought good land, and then when he had more money, he bought a shop in the city, and then he simply opened his own business and started a business. In just a few years, Zeng Yuanwai went from an obscure small landlord to a fat pig's head, and quickly became the richest man in Qingping County.

According to this point of view, this Feng Shui theory has also worked, and this place is really prosperous, maybe Feng Shui is not completely nonsense.

Thinking so, Lord Zhou came to the gate of Zeng's mansion.

Compared with the wealth that Zeng Yuan possessed, this mansion looked a little shabby.

The gate is neither grand nor imposing, nor does it have a plaque inscribed by a celebrity, and it looks ordinary, no different from ordinary people's homes, making one almost wonder if this is not the mansion of the richest man in the city, and whether he has come to the wrong place.

However, Lord Zhou is very sure that he is not wrong, this must be the Zeng family's mansion.

In the two years since he was in charge of the county's Great Seal, he has dealt with this Zeng Yuanwai several times, and it is by no means the first time he has come to visit Zengfu.

Everything is because Zeng has a habit that is almost eccentric, and there are no important things, and he is never willing to take half a step out of the house.

In the early years, because of some business dealings, he had to come forward in person, but later his family's business became bigger and smoother, and he handed over the business to his eldest son, and he deduced that he was not in good health and stayed at home and did not go out.

Because of this habit, Lord Zhou wanted to visit him, and he had to visit him in person.

In addition to Zhou Daren's visit to Zeng Yuan, in fact, what he did was just some political affairs in the county, such as repairing bridges and roads, and building water conservancy.

All of these are great good things that are beneficial to the people and have immeasurable merits. It's a pity that this is a remote county, and the annual expenses allocated by the imperial court are really limited, just to pay for the various branches of the government in a year, it is already stretched, and it is difficult to make ends meet, and it is really difficult to have spare money to carry out these people's projects to benefit the people.

In desperation, Lord Zhou thought of a way to raise money from the local squire, and the first to bear the brunt was naturally the Zeng family, the richest man in the county.

However, Zeng Yuanwai is a notoriously non-going person, but Zhou Daren had to visit several times, hoping that Zeng Yuanwai can set an example and take the lead in donating money, so that when Zhou Daren goes back and goes to persuade other rich families in the city, he will naturally get twice the result with half the effort.

What he never expected was that he, the name of the county magistrate, touched the dust of his nose when he came to Zeng Yuanwai.

Zeng not only refused the request for donations, but even refused categorically, leaving no room for negotiation at all.

After several visits, Lord Zhou's original enthusiasm and sincerity finally dissipated like ice and snow, and he was disheartened.

As expected, Zeng was a dime outside, and such a bad example led to a chain reaction that was the next Zhou Daren and the city

Negotiations between other wealthy families have also become difficult, and they have hit a wall at every turn.

Therefore, Lord Zhou is actually very disgusted with such an unstoppable miser.

Didn't even Aunt Li say that this Zeng family was "unkind to the rich".

But when Lord Zhou learned about the misfortune of the Zeng family today, the eldest son could not have children, and the younger son was an idiot, but he was not gloating like Aunt Li in his heart, but deeply self-reflected.

He didn't know anything about the Zeng family's situation before, and he didn't even know as much about the people he wanted to persuade to donate money to them, and he didn't even know as much about them as Aunt Li on the side of the road.

How can this be said to be a non-existent member? It was completely a mistake on his own, and the preliminary investigation was insufficient.

Then again, no matter who encounters such a series of disasters, it is inevitable that the psychology will become a little distorted, so it is no wonder that Zeng Yuanwai's personality is so weird, and his eccentricity of not going out is not difficult to understand.

At this moment, Lord Zhou walked to the door of Zeng's mansion, remembering the previous incident, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Just as he was sighing, the closed door of Zeng's Mansion suddenly opened, and a thin half-hundred-year-old man came out of the door, with an anxious look on his face, and a pair of small eyes rolling around, but it was the owner of Zeng's Mansion.

As soon as Zeng Yuanwai looked up, he saw Lord Zhou outside the door, and the whole person was stunned.

Lord Zhou was curious, what could make this Zeng Yuanwai, who couldn't move and couldn't leave the house, look so anxious and hurried out of the house?

Or did Zeng react quickly, and the look of surprise on his face immediately disappeared after a stunned moment, and he put on a smiling face, and stepped forward to salute Lord Zhou: "The lord arrived, and the old man couldn't meet him from afar, and it was rude, but I don't know why the lord got the news so quickly? ”

Lord Zhou was even more surprised when he heard this, it seems that this Zeng member really encountered a difficult matter, and he took the initiative to go to the county office, which must be a big deal.

When the adult returned the salute to Zeng Yuanwai, he asked, "I don't know why Zeng Weng is so eager to come to see this official?"

Zeng Yuanwai listened to his words, and saw that his trip was not for what happened in Zeng's mansion, so he was slightly stunned, and then looked left and right, convinced that there was no one else nearby, so he made a gesture of please to Lord Zhou, and said mysteriously: "It's inconvenient to talk here, please come in and serve tea, and then slowly pay attention to the adults." ”

Zeng Yuanwai, who has always been arrogant, suddenly became so respectful and polite, and Lord Zhou was really a little unaccustomed to it. At the same time, I was also vigilant in my heart, the more abnormal Zeng was outside, the more it showed how bad the things that the Zeng family encountered at the moment.

Zeng Yuan led the way in front of him, and did not go to the living room to serve tea, but walked to the study in the courtyard next to him.

Lord Zhou frowned, this Zeng has always been frugal and low-key, and he has come here a few times before, and there were very few servants in this huge Zeng Mansion.

However, now that he has come this way, Lord Zhou obviously saw that there were many more people in the courtyard, and all of them looked nervous, as if they were facing a great enemy.

Moreover, Lord Zhou also vaguely saw that under the corridor, among the flowers, there seemed to be a figure flickering, obviously there were people in ambush, murderous.

Naturally, such an arrangement would not be aimed at him, Lord Zhou, but just from these arrangements, it can be imagined how much trouble the Zeng family has encountered.

Walk into the study, Zeng

He invited Mr. Zhou to sit down and sat aside, but he sighed for a long time, his face was full of embarrassment, and he didn't seem to know how to speak.

Lord Zhou said: "What difficulties did Zeng Weng encounter, but please tell me bluntly, this official will try his best to help, and there will be no reason to prevaricate." ”

Zeng Yuanwai hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Don't hide it from your lord, the old man is in big trouble this time." ”

He pointed outside and said, "My lord has also seen it, and now my Zeng family has hired a lot of people to set up more guards, all of which are to deal with robbers." ”

"Robbers?" Lord Zhou couldn't help but be taken aback, the sky was blue and white, Lang Lang Qiankun, this Qingping County has always been peaceful, why did this bandit and robber come from?

Zeng Yuanwai sighed: "The old man also knows that it is difficult for adults to believe for a while, this Qingping County has always been peaceful, from no bandits and thieves, until the old man received the letter last night." ”

Faith?

Lord Zhou was even more surprised.

This Zeng family is the richest man in the local area, and it is not impossible to say that there are thieves who have targeted his family's wealth and have evil intentions.

But writing a letter to inform the other party before committing evil is a bit too arrogant, not only is it a provocation and insult for the Zeng family, but it doesn't even take the government seriously.

Lord Zhou couldn't help but wonder, what kind of thief has such courage?

He asked, "What is written in the letter?"

Zeng Yuanwai stretched out his hand and took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it over, saying: "Originally, the old man was going to go to the county government to hand over the letter to the adult, but he didn't want the adult to come suddenly, which is a coincidence. ”

Master Zhou took the letter and couldn't help but glance at Zeng Yuanwai with slanted eyes.

Listening to the meaning of his words, he was suspicious that he happened to visit at this time, could it be that he still suspected that this matter would have something to do with him?

Although he did feel a little unhappy about Zeng Yuan's insistence, and he didn't have a good impression of this miser, how could he say that he was also an official of the imperial court, how could he do such a thing?

There are really a lot of eyes in this former member's heart!

As he thought, he unfolded the letter.

The handwriting on the letter is quite imposing, which shows that the person who wrote the letter still has some calligraphy attainments.

The content of the letter was to the effect that he had learned that the Zeng family had treasures in possession, and that he would prepare them and come to visit and collect them late at night two days later. If you don't comply, the previous Feng Mingli and his ilk will be the end.

Master Zhou is not from the rivers and lakes, so naturally he has not heard of Feng Mingli's name of "Gentleman's Sword", and he doesn't know what happened to him before and what happened to him.

At this time, he just wondered in his heart, who was this Feng Mingli, and why did the thief mention him in the letter?

Lord Zhou continued to look down while pondering, and he was surprised to find that the letter actually had a signature.

This is a strange thing, ordinary thieves are afraid that others will know their true identity, which may be called "being a thief".

Perhaps, the thief used a pseudonym?

However, when Lord Zhou saw this name, he couldn't help but be taken aback, as if he had been struck by lightning in the sky, his whole body was shocked, and he was dumbfounded.

Because at the end of the epistle there is a name written on it.

Ye Feng!