Jingzhou Prefecture, Yiling Prefecture, Huya Town.

The Ding family mansion, which had been busy in the town for several days, finally calmed down. They had been eating flowing water for several days, and finally ended on the fifth day of the first lunar month when they welcomed the God of Wealth.

On the second day after the feast of flowing water, Ding Shixiang and Ding Papi's old master, Zhang Dashan's son Zhang Xiucai, that is, the drunkard Zhang suddenly visited in the evening.

Ding Bapi was a little surprised by Zhang Xiucai's visit. He knew that although his old master was drunk all day long, he was a master who did not eat what he came to. No matter how poor he was, he could not lose face and beg for his former master.

A domestic servant...and this guy also has his own means of making a living!

This guy can write very well, and he can also imitate the original calligraphy works of famous calligraphers, and he can also make them look old... This is a lucrative business. Even though he was drunk all day long, he didn't seem to have any

There are many ways to get money, but as long as he opens it once, he will get enough money to drink for several years.

So this master’s family can’t make a fortune – he drinks too much in the past few years, his craftsmanship has not improved, and he can’t defraud big money! But he can still live well, so he can continue to show off his bad airs.

In his own words, he has never taken a serious look at Ding Papi, a nouveau riche... He has never taken a serious look at him, so why are you here today?

Although there was a question mark on his forehead, Ding Papi still went out to greet him personally.

This is etiquette!

No matter how depressed Zhang Xiucai was, he was still his old master. Even if Ding Bapi became an official, he would still respect him, not to mention that Ding Bapi was still a commoner.

"We have something important to discuss!" It was rare for Zhang Xiucai not to drink, and he also cleaned himself up. He was just a clean-faced old scholar. How could he look like an alcoholic Zhang?

"Master, please come in!" Ding Papi was polite and thoughtful, calling him "Master" and respectfully inviting him into the middle hall - people like this who hang out in the street are all about etiquette, otherwise they will make others uncomfortable.

Disdainful.

Zhang Xiucai, on the other hand, was not polite. He entered the middle hall of Ding's house with his majestic attitude and sat down on the first seat in a grand manner.

Although he is a guest, he is Ding Papi's old master, so he should sit at the head of the table.

Ding Papi immediately asked people to prepare a banquet. He also asked his servants to make the best green tea at home, and then he took the seat at the bottom.

Zhang Xiucai glanced at the maid waiting beside him, and Ding Bapi immediately waved her away. He and Zhang Xiucai were the only two people left in the central hall.

At this time, Zhang Xiucai said: "Zi Quan (Ding Bapi's trade name), there are rebels in the town! Someone wants to fight against the bandits!"

"What?" Ding Papi was startled.

Huya Town is close to Sichuan and was once the location of Li Zicheng's camp. Li Zicheng did a lot of kindness here, and many people still remember his kindness.

In addition, there are many spies of rogue bandits who appear near Huya Mountain!

In the past few months, because of Li Laiheng's bluff and his posture of conquering Jingzhou, the area around Huya Mountain has become even more unstable.

As the richest man in Huya Town, and possibly the second or third richest man in the entire Yiling Prefecture, can Ding Papi not be worried?

If someone really wants to rebel against the Dashun Kingdom in Huya Mountain, Ding Papi will definitely be the first to suffer the consequences!

"Master," Ding Bapi's face turned a little blue, "How did you know that someone wanted to fight against the bandits?"

Zhang Xiucai smiled and said: "I heard it occasionally in the tavern next to the dock...I heard it from Wang Sihu, the boat runner! He has probably defected to the bandits in Sichuan!"

"A rogue bandit who took refuge in Sichuan? No way, right?" Ding Bapi also recognized Wang Sihu, "How could he, a sailor, hook up with a rogue bandit?"

"Why not?" Zhang Xiucai said with a smile, "There are many gangs among the boatmen on the Jingjiang River, and some of them have some dealings with the bandits... Ziquan, you don't know that, right?"

"Gangs..." Ding Papixin said: How did you, Zhang Xiucai, know about these Jianghu gangs? By the way, you are a maker of fake calligraphy and paintings, so you have to interact with Jianghu people!

Zhang Xiucai said: "Zi Quan, do you know who that thief Wang Sihu is talking to about being a gangster?"

"With, with whom?" Ding Papi asked.

"With your long-term worker Yang Sanbao!"

"With Yang San?" Ding Papi took a breath, "He is an honest person!"

"An honest man is more likely to die if he gets anxious... Think about it, how long will Yang Sanbao have to work for ten years? Can he really be willing to do so?" Zhang Xiucai said, "Zi Quan! You have to think clearly about this.

This thing can be big or small, good or bad. If it gets bad... your whole family will have to go to Nanyang to open up wasteland!"

"My whole family..." Ding Bapi's face turned green. He looked at his old master and cupped his hands and said: "Eldest Young Master, I, Old Ding, am a merchant. I don't know how to deal with it. Please teach me. If I can meet

Turn misfortune into good fortune, and you will be thankful afterwards."

Zhang Xiucai touched his goatee and smiled proudly.

This matter is definitely not a good thing for Ding Papi's family, but for Zhang Xiucai, it is really the last chance in life!

So after accidentally hearing what Wang Sihu and Yang Sanbao said that day, he has been keeping an eye on Wang Sihu's tail in the past few days.

He actually found some clues!

This Wang Sihu's move was obviously a bit big. The money he spent was not what he could earn as a boatman!

Moreover, in addition to dragging Yang Sanbao to drink at the tavern next to the dock, he and Yang Sanbao also dragged several other bachelors from poor families in the town to drink and talk...

In addition, since the four tiger kings returned to Huya Town, many poor people in the town have had their posters for King Chuang pushed through the cracks in their doors!

But Wang Sihu and Yang Sanbao are just little shrimps after all. How much trouble can they cause? How much success can they achieve if they are caught? I'm afraid they won't be able to be awarded official positions, right?

If you want to be an official, you have to let Wang Sihu make things bigger. It is best to bring all the big fish behind the scenes to Huya Mountain and catch them all!

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiucai smiled and said: "Zi Quan, do you have any reliable people who can be placed next to Wang Sihu and Yang Sanbao?"

Ding Papi thought for a while, nodded and said, "Yes, there are two of them... They are also my long-term workers. They have been with me for many years and we have married."

"That's good!" Zhang Xiucai smiled and said, "Zi Quan, now we can get a piece of credit that can change our official status!"

...

Wuhan Prefecture, Wuchang County, Xingbu Yamen.

When Ma Shiying, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, returned to the Yamen to sit in court after the New Year, he received more reports from the police patrol offices of Jingzhou Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, Chengtian Prefecture, and De'an Prefecture about "rebellion and welcoming thieves"!

The Ministry of Punishment of the Ming Dynasty is now a bit like a combination of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Security in later generations. It is in charge of police patrols and criminal and prison lines, but is not responsible for trials - trials are handled by Dali Temple and local judges, and have a certain degree of independence.

The police patrol department under the Ministry of Punishment is also responsible for catching rebels and suppressing the local area!

Therefore, after the police patrols in Jingzhou Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, Chengtian Prefecture, and De'an Prefecture discovered that anti-bandit activities had intensified, they reported it to the Ministry of Punishment.

After seeing these reports, Ma Shiying immediately sent Wen Jinyiwei and Dongchang, and sent Zhu Chunjie and Pan Yuchen to the Criminal Department to discuss countermeasures together.

"Your Majesty, let me tell you the truth, the Jin Yiwei of Xianguan have also received a lot of news about anti-bandit activities in recent days... It seems that there are many gangsters in the Jingchu area, and they are all ready to make a move!"

The speaker was Zhu Chunjie. During the Spring Festival that had just passed, he had never slept peacefully. In addition to the unrest in Jingzhou Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, Chengtian Prefecture, and De'an Prefecture, there was also a disturbing sound coming from the territory of Dashun State.

Shocking news - there were a lot of troubles on the ground in Sichuan controlled by Dashun, the most serious of which was the Dajianshan Rebellion!

There seems to be a big commotion over at Dajian Mountain, and even the grain road leading to Shaanxi is blocked! I wonder if it will lead to the rout of the Shaanxi bandits?

In addition, Jinyiwei also sent a large number of spies to Guizhou Province, Shizhouwei, and western Guangxi Province to secretly monitor the trade routes there!
Chapter completed!