Xiao Dong raised his eyebrows, sneered, and said, "Brother Qin, at the moment, I can't confirm that it was the people living on the shore who took our boat. If you set fire to the house like this, what difference will you have from those thieves? If our big ship is really robbed by thieves, the other party will be able to plunder all the ships on the dock within a few hours, and the power will be great. You lit a fire, but you signaled the enemy. If the other party attacks in a big way, can we resist the siege of hundreds or thousands of thieves with just a few of us?"

Qin Lao Wu said angrily: "Then, what should we do? The net worth and lives of several of us are all on this boat!"

When Qin Lao Wu said this, he paused slightly, and then said: "Lord Xiao, Zhang Yuanwai, shopkeepers, my ship is gone, and your goods can't be found. If you are so helpless, everyone will simply commit suicide by jumping into the sea. Anyway, if we return to Ningbo empty-handed, those money banks and creditors will have to kill us. ”

Shopkeeper Hu and the others also looked panicked, and nodded yes one after another. Although Zhang Shi also brought a few boxes of goods, they were all purchased porcelain and wanted to be brought to Fusang for sale. Although it cost him three thousand taels of silver, even if all these porcelains were robbed by thieves, it would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket for Zhang Shi. It was because he was not as frightened as Qin Lao Wu and Shopkeeper Hu, and stood aside thoughtfully.

Li Qiufeng watched coldly, and saw the anxious appearance of Qin Lao Wu and Hu Shopkeeper, so it can be seen that this big ship and the goods on board are indeed related to the lives of these people. It's just that Xiao Dong didn't hesitate to rush to Wangjiazhuang in person today, and it was naturally not fake that he was in a hurry to go to Fusang. It stands to reason that the big ship is missing, and Xiao Dong should be the most restless. But at this time, although Xiao Dong's face was gloomy, he was not as anxious as Qin Lao Wu and Shopkeeper Hu. What is this person's idea, and what deal he wants to make with the Fusang people when he goes to Fusang, people have to be suspicious.

Li Qiufeng was thinking to himself, only to hear Xiao Dong say word by word: "It seems that relying only on us people, it is more difficult to find a big ship than to ascend to the sky." It is necessary for the magistrate of Dongliao County to come forward in order to get the big ship back as soon as possible. Brother Qin, you and a few shopkeepers will wait here first, and Xiao and Zhang Yuanwai will go to the yamen of the county magistrate. ”

Qin Lao Wu was no longer as irritable as Fang Cai at this time, he nodded, and said to himself: "This ship is my net worth! If someone breaks him, I will definitely kill his entire family." ”

Shopkeeper Hu said on the side: "Lord Xiao, a few of us are powerless, and staying at the dock won't help much." Or will you go to the Zhixian Yamen with Lord Xiao, and then you can also make a witness for Lord Xiao, I don't know what Lord Xiao thinks?"

After Shopkeeper Hu finished speaking, Shopkeeper Song, Shopkeeper Ji and others also echoed him. Xiao Dong's heart was bright, knowing that these shopkeepers had been frightened, for fear that if they stayed at the dock, those thieves who stole the big ship would go and return, which was naturally extremely dangerous. It was these people who made up their minds to go to the magistrate's yamen with them, and no one refused to stay on the dock to accompany Qin Lao Wu.

Xiao Dong hadn't spoken yet, only heard Qin Lao Wu shouting: "Let's go, let's go, it's not a big deal for Lao Tzu to stay here alone!"

Although Qin Lao Wu and Shopkeeper Hu and others looked like each other, on the surface, they were well water and did not interfere with river water, and the two sides could be regarded as respectful and polite when they talked. It's just that Qin Lao Wu was anxious at this time, so he was not as forbearant as before. When I saw that Shopkeeper Hu and others were as timid as mice, I looked down on them even more, because I actually called myself Lao Tzu in front of Shopkeeper Hu and others.

Xiao Dong secretly thought in his heart that Qin Laowufang was in chaos, and Shopkeeper Hu and the others were afraid that they would not be much better. If a few of them were left at the docks, the two sides would have a discord, and there would be infighting. At this critical juncture, if Qin Lao Wu had a dispute with Shopkeeper Hu again, this person was a rude person, and it was not impossible to kill people with a knife in anger. It is also a good thing that Shopkeeper Hu and others want to go to the Zhixian Yamen with me. You might as well leave Zhang Shi at the dock, he has always been good friends with Qin Lao Wu, and he will not be filthy in the future.

Xiao Dong thought of this and was about to speak to Zhang Shi, but after thinking about it, Zhang Shi and Qin Lao Wu had been friends for many years, and the two had joined forces to do a lot of business. If the two of them were left at the dock, it would give them a chance to plot privately. The situation is unclear at the moment, these people have their own evil intentions, and I can't let them collude behind my back and join forces against me. What's more, if I want to leave Zhang Shi at the dock, the kid surnamed Zhu must also stay. This person is strong in martial arts, so it's better to take it with me. If the gang that stole the ship is going to be against me, this kid is a good helper.

Xiao Dong made up his mind, nodded immediately, and said, "Since several shopkeepers want to be a witness, let's go with Xiao." The things on the dock had to be entrusted to Brother Qin. It's just that Brother Qin has to be careful, if there is an enemy attacking, you can't fight hard, you can retreat to the city. When Xiao finds the government to help, he will wipe out the thieves in one fell swoop. ”

Qin Lao Wu secretly thought that you bastard said it nicely, and you didn't want Lao Tzu to stay here and take the blame for you?! You guys just get out of here, you want to pretend to say these bullshit, it's really disgusting! At this time, he was no longer as tolerant to Xiao Dong as before, but after listening to Xiao Dong's words, he just nodded, but did not answer.

Xiao Dong naturally knew that Qin Lao Wu was angry, but fortunately he didn't turn his face, and he didn't want to delay his work on the dock anymore. Seeing that Qin Lao Wu nodded in agreement, he hurriedly left the dock with Zhang Shi, Li Qiufeng, Hu Shopkeeper and others. It wasn't until I crossed the stone bridge that there were many fewer pedestrians on the street, and most of the lights on both sides of the road had been extinguished. Xiao Dong asked a passer-by about the location of the Zhixian Yamen, and after the man told Xiao Dong, he looked at everyone and said: "The Zhixian Yamen has already closed the door at this time, even if you want to do something, I'm afraid you won't be able to enter the door." I advise you to go back and rest, and then go to the yamen early tomorrow morning. ”

Xiao Dong naturally wouldn't explain the reason for going to the yamen to such a rising small people, so he thanked him and led everyone to the yamen of the county magistrate. Shopkeeper Hu and the others were anxious, and no one spoke along the way. Zhang Shi was quite calm, and said to Xiao Dong: "Lord Xiao, it's late at night at this time, if Lord Zhixian doesn't see us, how should we deal with it?"

Xiao Dong sneered, and said, "Does he dare not see it? The drums placed at the entrance of the yamen are not for show. ”

Zhang Shi said: "Lord Xiao, you are an official in the capital, I am afraid you still don't know the methods of these dirty officials in the local area. The imperial court has a yamen, and the state capitals and county yamen all over the world have indeed put drums at the yamen for use in case of emergency. It's just that how many of these officials can abide by the laws of the imperial court and will be promoted to the court when they hear the sound of drums? The villains of other prefectures do not know that in the past few years, the people of Ningbo Mansion have beaten the drums of the hall and voiced their grievances, but after the prefect was promoted to the court, he indiscriminately beat the drummers dozens of boards. It was because the people were frightened, even if there was a big grievance, they didn't dare to beat the drum at will, so they had to wait for the magistrate to ascend to the court, and then go to the yamen to state the grievances. In this way, there are two great drawbacks. ”

Zhang Shi said this, but did not continue. Xiao Dong glanced at him and said, "I want to hear about it." ”

Zhang Shi mentioned the bad habits of officialdom, and he had scruples in his heart, so he didn't say it. Seeing that Xiao Dong was not angry at this time, he continued: "The imperial court has to do three things in front of the yamen everywhere. First, when encountering emergencies, such as robbers sneaking into the city to commit crimes, or murderers committing crimes, as well as fires, floods and other catastrophes suddenly come. At this time, when he heard that the mutant was beating the drum, the official in charge could immediately summon the relevant personnel such as the yamen to arrest and arrest the fast. Second, the imperial court issued major orders, which must be informed to the people. After beating the drums, if the people gather, the official documents of the court can be read. The third is that if the people have grievances, they should be tried by the yamen immediately. But where are those filthy officials willing to be disturbed by the people? When they hear the sound of drums, they are not in a good mood. After many officials were promoted, they beat the drummers first. And those corrupt officials even came up with a way to get rich because of this. Once a common person beats the drum, if they hand over the money after going to the court, the officials will carefully judge it. If they didn't take the money, the officials would find out what was wrong with the drummer and beat him up. The master servants in the yamen will also take the opportunity to reach out and extort money from the drummers. Such an upward and downward effect has corrupted the law of the imperial court, not to mention, and has also created a large group of corrupt officials. It also made the people hate the court, and it was very easy to have great changes. ”