Yu Wen Chengchao sneered and said: "You are not unaware of the tricks at the racecourse. From the day the racecourse was established, there were two horse books. The yin and yang horse book, one is true and the other is fake. The fake horse book is used for
To deal with the Duhu Mansion and the imperial court, only real horse records can clarify the number of horses in the racecourse. But...even I have never seen a real horse record until now."
Ning Zhifeng nodded and said: "The eldest son is right. The old marquis handed over the horse farm to Uncle Meng to take care of, and the real horse book is in the hands of Uncle Meng. In addition to donating 400 good horses to the court every year, the horse farm must
Horses are also sold privately. Every year, horse dealers in Guan Nei take away at least hundreds of horses from the racecourse. Every year, there are newborn calves or horses that die of illness or even run away from the racecourse. If these accounts are not in charge of the racecourse,
It is impossible for outsiders to make the fuss clear."
"In recent years, the old Marquis has left many things to Uncle Meng and others. The number of horse farms is based on the horse list submitted by Uncle Meng." Zhao Yi whispered: "Let me say something that shouldn't be said.
, I cannot be certain whether the horse booklet that Uncle Meng presented to the old Marquis is true or false."
Several people present looked solemn.
Qin Xiao thought that Yuwen Chengchao had suffered such a big loss this time. With his temperament, of course he couldn't just let it go.
The Tusun people are riding Xiling horses. Everyone knows that there is something fishy behind this. Of course, Yuwen Chengchao will not bear this tone. He will definitely find a way to find out the real culprit behind the scenes, get the evidence in hand, and then start the attack.
.
He is depressed now, not only because he has lost several brothers under his command, but also because he knows that someone is going to attack him, but he has no evidence to take revenge.
"By the way, eldest son, what can the captured Tusun people tell me?" Fat Fish suddenly asked.
Yuwen Chengchao said: "Master and I interrogated him together. According to what he said, he was just following orders." After a pause, he continued: "This group of people detoured from the Moxi grassland to the territory of Wutuo, and then from outside Kunlun.
Guan broke into pieces and came to Xiling."
"So you came from the west." Fat Fish nodded slightly.
The Moxi Grassland borders the territory of the Wutuo people, and there will be conflicts between the two sides from time to time, but there is no major war. Both the Wutuo people and the Tusun people feel that the other party is poor in resources and not worth fighting for. Only the Tang Empire and Xiling
If the products are rich, that is a place worth risking your life to plunder.
"They are a small tribe in the Moxi Grassland. Last year, during the tribal fighting, this tribe was annexed." Yu Wencheng said: "This group of people escaped and have been running around in the Moxi Grassland. Later, they were hunted down.
They hid in the territory of the Wutuo people. Originally they had no food and clothing, so they could only make a living by looting in the Wutuo territory, but they were also hunted down by the Wutuo people."
Dapeng suddenly said: "I heard that the Tusun Duer clan has been rising in recent years. A few years ago, a new clan leader was elected. This man is as ferocious as a wolf but as cunning as a fox. In just a few years, he annexed the Monan Grassland.
He has conquered many tribes. There are also rumors that this new patriarch is the chosen son of the Tusun people and wants to unify all the Tusun tribes."
"Bullshit Chosen Son." Zhao Yi laughed and said: "They are just a group of barbarians. When the 200,000 troops went south, in the end they turned into birds and beasts and became just a bunch of rabble. These people can't defeat the Tang Dynasty, so they can only kill themselves.
people."
Yuwen Chengchao said: "Don't worry about them. This group of Tusun people robbed the territory of the Wutuo people. Naturally, they couldn't get rid of it. They were hunted down by the Wutuo people. Their leader suddenly got a sum of money, and then
This group of people entered Kunlun Pass in batches, and then gathered at the agreed place. The prisoner confessed that the leader told them that they entered the pass because they were hired by someone to take my life, and they would have more money in the future.
Take. But except for the leader, no one else knows who the target of the attack is."
"Employed by others?" Ning Zhifeng sneered: "If you can hire a group of Tusun people to work hard, you will naturally be rich in money."
"They had been lurking more than a month ago, and someone had provided them with horses and weapons." Yu Wen Chengchao was very calm at this time, and said slowly: "Just yesterday, someone told them the location of the leader's attack.
and time, so last night they went straight to us to kill." He sneered: "But after going up the mountain, their leader was shot and killed by me very quickly. Without the leader, they were in pieces, but they wanted to complete the mission and get the money.
That’s when I had to catch up.”
"If you don't get the money, you will lose your life." Zhao Yi sneered and said, "Master, did the prisoner tell me who hired them?"
Yuwen Chengchao shook his head and said: "He is indeed just a little guy and doesn't know much."
"The identity of the eldest young master is extraordinary." Dapeng said: "In addition, the eldest young master is generous with his wealth and treats others kindly. He does not have many enemies, and no one would spend so much effort to take his life."
"Dapeng is right." Fat Fish agreed: "On the ground in Xiling, there are not many people who want to harm the eldest son, and those who dare to take action are even rarer."
Ning Zhifeng said: "I'm just curious about something."
"What?"
"There are quite a few rogue bandits in the three counties of Xiling." Ning Zhifeng said: "Although a few groups of bandits were wiped out at the beginning, there are still at least a dozen groups that have shrunk. In recent years, they have had a chance to breathe.
Many of them have recovered their strength. Back then, we joined forces with the government to suppress the bandits, so that the group of grandsons did not dare to show their faces. Naturally, they hated us deeply."
"Madman, what do you want to say?" Zhao Yi urged: "Speak faster, let's talk about Tusun people, why are you talking about bandits? Don't talk about irrelevant things."
Fat Fish glanced at Zhao Yi and said: "If you don't have a good mind, just shut up and stop talking and listen to what others say."
Zhao Yi rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything.
"If we want to attack the eldest son, logically speaking, wouldn't it be more convenient to find those bandits?" Ning Zhifeng deliberately slowed down his speech: "Those people already hate the Yuwen family deeply. Even if they don't give money, they will still have money."
If they have the opportunity to attack and kill the eldest son, they may also take action. If hired with a lot of money, those dogs will definitely agree. Most of the Xiling bandits are good at equestrian skills and hide in the mountains all year round. If they really take action, they will be more powerful than the Tusun people.
grasp."
"What the madman said makes sense." Fat Fish nodded: "Hiring the Tusun people requires much more energy. You have to find this group of people from Wutuo, and when they come to Xiling, you also have to find a way to help them hide their whereabouts.
Without being discovered, if you hire bandits directly, it will not only be more convenient, but also more reliable."
Yuwen Chengchao smiled lightly and said, "There is only one reason."
"The eldest son is saying that if you hire bandits, it will be easier to find out who is the real culprit?" Dapeng asked.
Yuwen Chengchao said: "The Xiling bandits are much more cunning than the Tusun people, and they know the situation in Xiling better. Although the bandits are bold, they will still consider the consequences if they want to come after me. At least they must figure out what the consequences are.
Who hired them."
Everyone nodded slightly. "Once the attack fails, the bandits may not keep it secret." Yuwen Chengchao sneered: "And those bandits have no faith at all. Even if they succeed, there is no guarantee that they will not use this as a threat in the future to continue.
Blackmail." He picked up the wine bowl, raised his head and drank it all, then put down the wine bowl and said: "Comparatively speaking, the Tusun people have a much better reputation. They use money to do things, and the captives don't know who the target is, which proves that they are
The leader is indeed very particular, or in other words, the leader doesn’t care who hires them, he only cares about how much money he can get.”
Zhao Yi clenched his fist and said: "So the mastermind behind the scenes is worried that we can find evidence and find out who he is, so he went to great lengths to hire Tusun people to do it."
"If those horses come from our racecourse...!" Dapeng said halfway, but did not continue.
Everyone present changed their expressions slightly, but Yuwen Chengchao seemed quite calm.
Qin Xiao didn't interrupt from beginning to end, but he heard clearly what several people said.
There is no doubt that Dapeng did not finish his words because he had some scruples.
He already knew that the direct reason why Yuwen Chengchao was ostracized in the Hou Mansion was because Mrs. Qiong and Young Master Yuwen were favored. Uncle Meng and Mrs. Qiong were probably brothers and sisters, otherwise he would not be called uncle. Even if he guessed wrong and the two were not related as brother and sister, from the master's words, he could definitely tell that Uncle Meng and Mrs. Qiong were on the same side.
The fight between the Yuwen brothers is just like the overt and covert fights between the heirs of all wealthy families, it is nothing more than to obtain the inheritance and control of the family.
Although Yuwen Chengchao has been at a disadvantage in this battle, he is the eldest son after all. According to clan customs and common sense, Yuwen Chengchao has the qualifications to inherit. Because of this, even if Mrs. Qiong's faction has the upper hand, they will not be able to succeed. If you dare to take it lightly, you must still be hostile to Yuwen Chengchao.
The most important thing is that Yuwen Chengchao has moved out of the Hou Mansion. This shows that the previous fight between the two parties was really fierce, and there is no longer any brotherhood between them, and they only regard each other as enemies.
No matter who ultimately inherits the title, the other person will definitely be even more miserable.
In other words, if something changes in the future and the title is inherited by Yuwen Chengchao, Mrs. Qiong and the young master will certainly not have a good life.
Uncle Meng was in charge of the racecourse, and he belonged to Mrs. Qiong's faction. If the horses from the Tusun people were transferred from the Yuwen family's racecourse, then the attack was probably closely related to Mrs. Qiong's faction.
Qin Xiao believes that these people, including Yuwen Chengchao, must be suspicious of Mrs. Qiong and the young master, but after all, there is no evidence in hand. This matter is of great importance. Without real evidence, it must not be said easily.
The room was silent when suddenly there was a knock on the door, and everyone looked towards the door.
Just now, Ning Zhifeng closed the door to make it easier to talk inside. Logically speaking, he shouldn't dare to have anyone come and disturb him. Hearing the door being knocked continuously, Ning Zhifeng stood up and went over to open the door. Someone had already pushed Ning Zhifeng open. He barged in directly, carrying a silver wine flask in his hand, and after scanning around, he saw Yuwen Chengchao, raised his finger and pointed at the eldest son, and said with a drunken smile: "Eldest son, you are indeed here, you are better. It's not that long ago, but I just heard they said you were coming to visit today. I thought they were joking, so I came here to take a look."