The four bearded girls were Persian goods, to be taken to Chang'an and Luoyang for sale or as gifts. The Persians passed by here today, and according to past practice, after negotiating a price, the girls in the temple would be sent to the Marquis of Xihe.
After some coercion and training, the Marquis of Xihe sent people to send the sold girls to the border, and handed them over to the Persian caravan returning from Luoyang before leaving customs. There should be nearly a dozen girls in the Marquis's residence now.
The other seven girls in the temple, the oldest was seventeen years old and the youngest was only fourteen years old. Five were from Shaanxi and Gansu and two were from Zhili. Almost all of them were disheveled when they were rescued. The appearance of the arrested person was:
Most of them are pretty and pleasant, and almost all of them have gone to the local Taoist temple to offer incense. There are also two people who were lured here when they were fleeing. They were repeatedly ravaged along the way, and when they got here they became the playthings of these Taoist priests.
They were also fed cold soup at regular intervals. Tianyin confessed that the cold soup was a formula specially formulated for brothels and that women would not become pregnant after drinking it. Zhang Sheng learned that his 16-year-old daughter had not drank it yet, and he said he was lucky, because
He knew that if he drank too much of this cold soup, he would probably never get pregnant again. Moreover, the soup was poisonous and few women in brothels lived long.
The more He Qizhou listened, the angrier he became. He wanted to kill Tianyin and others now, but he could only give up temporarily in order to follow the clues and find out the real culprit behind the scenes. For fear of forgetting, he took out a pen and paper and wrote down the Taoist temples he mentioned before.
Write them down one by one.
Seeing the four bearded girls, He Qizhou finally remembered what he smelled when he entered the temple. There were spices and powders among the goods carried by the Persians. The bodies of these bearded girls were also coated with scented powders, which was exactly what they smelled when they entered the temple.
The smell that Yumen Xiaozhu smelled was exactly the same, and I thought that the beauties in Yumen Xiaozhu had probably suffered such misfortune, and maybe Qiu Hagi was also such a poor person.
As for how to deal with the Marquis of Xihe next, the three of them suddenly had a problem. Not to mention that there were many guards in the Marquis's mansion and they were not weak. As for his clan status, if there was no evidence of treason and rebellion, Zhang Sheng would
The little magistrate really can't touch him. The normal procedure can only be reported to the clan department, and the clan will judge his crime. But if those women are not sent tomorrow morning, the Marquis of Xihe will definitely become suspicious. When he is prepared,
Not only will it be more difficult to catch, but it will also give him enough time to destroy the evidence, and the women in his house may also encounter mishaps.
"It would be great if the Persian was alive. He could be treated as a spy. In that case, he could break into the Marquis's Mansion on charges of treason with foreign countries." Chief Zheng said.
Zhang Sheng slapped his head and shouted: "That's right! The Persian said that the Marquis of Xihe owed him money for furs. The furs could only come from the Northern Zhou Dynasty. The Persians not only do business with us, they also do business with the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and we have a business with the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
After being imprisoned for so many years, Marquis Xihe’s purchase of furs from the Northern Zhou Dynasty is not collaborating with the enemy, or what else? As long as we rush in and dig out the furs from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, we won’t be afraid of his sophistry!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Go now!" He Qizhou said.
Zhang Sheng pondered for a while and said: "I'm afraid we won't be able to enter his Hou Mansion. The Hou Mansion is more than ten miles southwest of the city and more than twenty miles away from here. Because the people here are fierce and bandits often appear, he
In the name of doing business, he has raised thirty or forty thugs, many of whom are veterans who have retired from the army. If he cannot hit the target with one hit, he may be aroused. Moreover, he probably bribed some people in Xihe City. The two batches of thugs I found before
The abducted women were all discovered by leading the team myself. If I had waited for me to gather the troops to go there, he would have been on guard."
"I have also seized two batches of smuggled green salt before. I have always suspected Xihehou's goods, but there is no evidence, and the guy pretends to do good deeds in the county from time to time. The local people call him the Living Bodhisattva.
My soldiers and agents usually benefit from him!" Chief Zheng added.
Zhang Heng said: "I have always doubted the character of the Marquis of Xihe. He was created by King Yong, and his fiefdom was not that big, but he has been living a life of spending money like water. I think he got it by selling people! I didn't expect him to be such a person.
Beast, it seems we have to offend King Yong this time! Brother Zheng, do you dare to fight him?"
Zheng Capt. glanced at He Qizhou and said, "Brother He saved our lives. I'll treat it as if I've already died. Why don't I dare!"
"Okay! I will write a letter now, and you will immediately ask a trustworthy brother to go straight to Ganzhou and hand it over to the head of the family. In addition, I will also send one to the governor, the prefect, and King Yong respectively, just in case we have someone.
We can’t let Xihe Marquis off easily even if we have three long and two shortcomings! Let’s settle these women and our family members tonight, and then gather people and horses to surround Xihe Mansion early tomorrow morning!”
"Master Zhang, do you know who is the strongest person in the Xihehou Mansion? How many troops can you mobilize?" He Qizhou asked.
Zhang Sheng said: "Tianyin has always boasted that he is a brother to the Marquis of Xihe. According to what he usually said, there are at least four or five people in the Marquis of Xihe's house who are as skilled as him. That's why I thought of asking him to ask the Marquis of Xihe for help. I
I also know that his family has dozens of sets of military infantry armor, and those bodyguards usually wear them under their coats when doing business. With the hundreds of soldiers in our county, they are no match for them!"
"Prince of the vassal, isn't it illegal for a clan member to hide armor privately?" He Qizhou asked in confusion.
"What's all the fuss about? The princes' family fortunes are getting bigger and bigger, and the people are getting poorer and poorer. Which prince doesn't secretly strengthen the security and come to visit the home and protect the courtyard?" Zhang Sheng was angry and continued to say to He Qizhou: "
Mr. He, please continue going west. Although our Zhang family has some power in Gansu, Prince Yong has many heirs, and this is his most important fiefdom, so there is no need for you to get involved."
"Master Zhang, what you said is wrong. You don't know something. I am now the head of the Criminal Department. It is my duty to arrest criminals. We may not have to fight hard. Do you think this will work..." He Qizhou elaborated on his thoughts.
After talking to Zhang Heng, although Zhang Heng was in a difficult situation, He Qizhou was a sixth-rank imperial official and had no choice but to obey orders.
At around midnight on the second day, almost half an hour had passed since the agreed time to send him off. Jiang Tang, the Marquis of Xihe, frowned and ordered his servants: "Send someone to see what's going on at Tianyin's place."
"Yes." The housekeeper obeyed the order and went to arrange the manpower. He went out for a while and then returned immediately. He whispered to Jiang Tang, who was sitting on the rocking chair in a light shirt and thin sleeves: "Just now, news came from the Xihecheng County Yamen. There was a passing director of the Criminal Department. I don't know.
Why did you go crazy? You were on your way before dawn, and happened to stop two carriages from Guanxing Pavilion on the official road. Then you detained the people and sent them to the county government office."
"What!" Jiang Tang was shocked when he heard this, slapped the handrail and stood up.
"Don't worry, Lord Marquis. The Taoist priests from Guanxing Pavilion said that these are the maids you bought. They were entrusted by you to escort these girls to Xihe Mansion. The head of the Criminal Department is doubtful and is ready to come to the house to confront you!" said the housekeeper!
.
"That bastard Tianyin, why did you send such two idiots! Just throw away a few people if you throw away a few people. Why do you want to involve me?" Marquis Xihe said angrily.
Master said:
"Master Marquis, the person who delivered the goods this time is different from the two batches sent by Fourth Master. They are Taoist priests from Guanxing Pavilion. They know the details, so they must find a way to smooth this matter.
Fortunately, our people secretly heard from two Taoist priests that Zhang Sheng's daughter was not in the car because she was crying. She would be unconscious and wait until the evening to bring her back. Zhang Sheng chased her outside all night and still hasn't come back. We just need to wait in Zhang Sheng's car.
It will be fine if the people detained in the county government office are picked up before the scale comes back.
These are the names copied by two Taoist priests. There are seven people in total. It will take half an hour for the head of the Punishment Department to get here. We have enough time to get the prostitution contract done. I guess the head is going to make a deal, so it shouldn’t be
Difficult to deal with.”
"Then hurry up and make arrangements, don't you dare ruin my good deeds! When that person comes, find out his origin, and find a way to kill him after he leaves the Xihe realm!" said the Marquis of Xihe.
"That's natural." Master laughed dryly.
The Xihe Marquis Mansion is built on a huge mound. The wall is three feet high, which is no less than the county city wall. There is a circle of natural ravines around the mound, and outside is slightly undulating farmland, almost two thousand acres of land.
They are all his fiefdom.
The road leading to the Marquis Mansion was not much narrower than the official road, and was full of ruts. He Qizhou secretly sighed that the business of Xihe Marquis was really big. He did not come alone, the county magistrate specially sent a policeman to lead the way.
After arriving at the door, He Qizhou sent him back. The big yellow horse was too conspicuous, so he borrowed the county government's horse this time.
Jiang Tang stood on the roof high up in the courtyard, looking at the police officers returning to the city. He couldn't help but sneer and said to the housekeeper beside him: "This guy is quite careful. He is afraid of something unexpected happening. He deliberately reminded us that he is
Some people knew that he was here, but they were afraid that his corruption would be seen, so they sent him away in a hurry. Hum, is it so easy to get my money? Let him in. "
After another tea time, someone came up to the rooftop and reported: "Master Hou, the head of the Criminal Department said that if you don't meet him in person, he will go back."
"Have you shown him the seven contracts of selling oneself?" Jiang Tang asked.
The servant replied: "I showed it to him earlier, but the man stared at the name for a long time, and then still wanted you to see him in person."
"The ink must have dried, but the color of the ink will always be a little different. He is from the Ministry of Justice, so it is difficult to deceive him." The butler said from the side.
"The banknotes were also confiscated?" asked the Marquis.
"I just hummed twice after taking out the envelope!" the servant said.
"Five hundred taels is not enough? I have a big appetite. Okay, I will go and meet him." Jiang Tang walked down the rooftop with a sneer.
"Go quickly and call Xiaowu and Tubao!" the housekeeper ordered. With them here, everything can be ensured.
"See you, Lord Marquis!" He Qizhou saw the Marquis of Xihe, who was wearing a python suit, walking into the small side hall surrounded by three people, and stood up to bow.
Jiang Tang was thirty-six years old and had a thin build. He said with a gloomy face: "This gentleman is so powerful. Why on earth do you have to interview Xiao Jue?"