After the immortal disappeared

This is an amazing achievement in the Golden Plains, which has been in chaos for many years.

Xue Zongwu glanced behind the door and found that the bronze array plate in the doorway still had two areas of wear and tear that had not been repaired - he had discovered it the last time he entered the city.

It can be seen that Mangzhou has not repaired the city defense formation in the past six months.

Anyway, Mangzhou is located in the hinterland of Yao Kingdom and will not be attacked. Anyway, this kind of large array can operate normally even if three or four boards are broken, so the place is lazy.

Xue Zongwu shook his head. If this were his men, their heads would have been chopped off long ago.

Mangzhou is as prosperous as before, with row upon row of shops, exquisite mansions by the lake, magnificent temples in the city, and the men and women wearing spring shirts are no different from before.

Xue Zongwu preferred Mangzhou to Tianshui City, the capital of the country. Living here is just as luxurious, but you can feel less restrained and more wanton.

Because Mangzhou is almost the only place for officials from the west to enter the capital, there are now many nobles wandering around the city. Xue Zongwu rode a carriage and led his guards through the streets in a swagger, and all the officials he met on the way saluted him.

Xue Zongwu nodded casually and passed by them without saying a word.

His destination, of course, is Xiaotaoshan Villa.

After Xue Zongwu's mentor and father-in-law retired from Qingdao Mountain, King Yao passed by Mangzhou and visited him personally, and stayed at Xiaotao Villa for three days.

A person who is extremely respected even by the king will certainly thrive in Yao Kingdom.

Mangzhou is currently busy with traffic, but at least half of the traffic is at Xiaotao Villa. Officials and wealthy businessmen passing by Mangzhou would send greetings to Qi Mansion.

Mangzhou has limited high and steep peaks. Xiaotaoshan is densely forested, but its overall height is actually only a hundred feet (more than three hundred meters). Compared with other famous mountains and rivers, it is just a small hill - except for the peak of Beishan, which rises to two hundred feet - -The road up the mountain was built wide and flat enough to accommodate three carriages.

Nowadays, this mountain road is no longer as quiet as before, and carriages often come and go.

Like other mansions, the courtyard wall of Qi Mansion is one and a half feet high, hiding the red greenery of the garden from outsiders.

When Xue Zongwu arrived, the Qi Mansion immediately opened the door to welcome this important minister.

After all, it was a visit to his mentor-in-law, and it was not convenient for Xue Zongwu to bring a full set of troops and swagger in. At that moment, he named a few lieutenants and elite confidants as usual, and the others were sent to wait at the horse resting pavilion outside the door.

Rich and powerful people often visit Xiaotao Villa, so two rows of houses called Xie Ma Pavilion were built on the hillside to provide food, accommodation and food. If a visiting official has too many entourages or guards, he can temporarily leave his troops at the Xie Ma Pavilion and pay a visit himself.

The sky is getting dark, and the Qi Mansion is already brightly lit.

Xue Zongwu walked more than ten feet into the gate, and the evening wind blew by, bringing faint laughter.

It seems that the Qi Mansion is full of guests again tonight.

The so-called great hermit is hidden in the city. After Qi Yunsheng retired, there was no taboo for dignitaries to interact with him. He was actually busier than before when he was the great elder of Qingdao Mountain.

The boy leading the way faced him and almost bowed to the floor: "Master has told me that as soon as you come, you will be invited to the Nourishing Heart Hall."

"Yangxin Hall?" Xue Zongwu is familiar with this villa and does not need anyone else to guide him. However, there are many distinguished guests tonight. As the host, Qi Yunsheng should be greeting the guests. Why would he go to the Yangxin Hall to see him?

Qi Yunsheng has three small dojos in the village. Yangxin Hall is one of them and the one closest to the banquet hall and garden. Xiaotao Villa is too big. Qi Yunsheng will meet Xue Zongwu here, but he has to take care of other guests later.

Xue Zongwu was slightly surprised, but he followed the turn and headed to the Yangxin Hall. The deputy general's bodyguards followed closely behind, never leaving.

Along the way, several more officials saluted and said hello to him.

His wife has been deceased for many years, but he still has close contact with his father-in-law Qi Yunsheng. Everyone familiar with the situation understands why.

The Yangxin Hall is not far from the banquet, but the thick vegetation filters out the noise. The environment here is quiet and quiet, which is very suitable for meditation and reflection. Of course, it is also suitable for conversations and secret discussions.

Xue Zongwu knew that Qi Yunsheng had asked him to meet here for some important matters.

After turning around a clump of dwarf ferns, light came out from the front, and we arrived at the Nourishing Heart Hall.

As soon as Xue Zongwu raised his hand, the guards dispersed into the forest and stopped following.

Entering the Yangxin Hall, Xue Zongwu saw Qi Yunsheng standing by the window with his hands behind his hands, and immediately said:

"Hello, Master!"

"Come in and close the door."

Qi Yunsheng closed the window with his own hands.

Once the barrier was released, the noise outside suddenly disappeared.

"How's it going?"

What happened in Shuangxi has not yet been brought to the table. Xue Zongwu only said: "Everything went well."

Qi Yunsheng pointed to a thin wooden box on the table: "Yesterday morning, someone quietly put this thing into the side room at the gate of the villa."

"This is?"

"Open it."

Xue Zongwu opened the box and saw a square notebook lying inside. The style was very familiar.

Could it be?

He quickly picked it up, but the further he turned it back, the uglier his face became.

This is a ledger, and he can recognize the handwriting on it at a glance:

Qian Yu!

His accounting clerk Qian Yu died in Shuangxi for no apparent reason, and this is Qian Yu's account book!

Qi Yunsheng asked meaningfully: "Is there anything I should know?"

"This is my account book. It was originally stored in Shuangxi Government Office. This year I sent Qian Yu to check the accounts as usual, but he was robbed and then killed. At the same time -" Xue Zongwu licked his lips, "There is someone in the accounting room of the government office. He sneaked in, rummaged through the cabinets, took away several ledgers, and set a fire, burning half of the old accounts."

He shook the ledger in his hand and said, "This is one of them. Ha, it's true that it's an attack in the east and in the west!"

Qi Yunsheng's brows knitted: "Are these account books troublesome?"

Xue Zongwu nodded helplessly.

"what happened?"

"These are the items in the actual accounts. Tong Huan said that if Tianshui City sends people to re-establish the accounts, these items will be the basis for verification. If they don't match up..."

"You're just too greedy!" Qi Yunsheng slapped the window lattice, "I warned you a long time ago, alas!"

This son-in-law is decisive in killing, brave and strategic, but he has one biggest weakness, which is the word "greed"!

"Greed" is a big pit. Once you fall into it, you will only become more greedy. He believed that the "some" mentioned by Xue Zongwu must be an astonishing number, a trouble that would be irreversible once announced.

Hearing his complaint, Xue Zongwu pursed his lips and remained silent. The old man picked himself up so cleanly, and he didn't even think about how much wealth the Qi family had made thanks to him, Xue Zongwu, over the years!

He is in front of the stage, Qi Yunsheng is behind the scenes, and his net worth has increased several times!

In terms of greed and ruthlessness, how could he be compared with his father-in-law?

Hey, they all know the basics, why is the old man pretending to be noble in front of him?

If Xue Zongwu is a tiger, Qi Yunsheng is a cunning old wolf!

"There are also red lines in the book." Qi Yunsheng had read it beforehand.

Xue Zongwu was shocked when he heard this. When Qi Yunsheng pointed it out to him, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

In addition to the hands and feet in the accounts, Huang Liushou's items were also marked with red lines in this account book.

Xue Zongwu and Huang Liushou's "official business" was apparently business-to-business, and every transaction was recorded and traceable. The trick here is extremely hidden, and no problem can be found by just looking at the account books.

But the trouble is that Qingyang has detailed evidence to liquidate Huang Liushou. One or two pieces of information correspond to this account book, and there are flaws!

Huang Liushou was beheaded half a year ago. Xue Zongwu had almost destroyed all the information related to him. Only recently did he remember how many accounts Shuangxi still had!

He told Qian Yu to rush to write off the accounts and redo them. Who knew that such an accident would happen?

Now that Qian Yu is dead, one of the missing ledgers has been sent to his father-in-law.

This is obviously a message:

The person who stole the ledger wanted to tell him that everything about him was under his control, from his whereabouts to the evidence.

Qi Yunsheng asked him: "How many ledgers were lost in total?"

"I don't know. All the other information was burned, so there's no way to verify it."

"The other party at least still has several copies in his hand." Qi Yunsheng pressed his eyebrows, "Are you thinking the same as me?"

Xue Zongwu's voice was hard and he uttered two words: "Qingyang!"

His series of troubles all started when Qingyang became the Supervisor of the Yao Kingdom.

"The old witch from Bejia spent several months to understand the situation between the government and the opposition. Recently, she has become more aggressive and even provoked my king in public!" Xue Zongwu said in a deep voice, "She sent me this account book, what do you think? "

"Maybe she wanted to tell you that although Huang Liushou died early, the clues were not interrupted, and she could still find you." Qi Yunsheng sighed, "It's a pity that Huang Liushou died. He was a smart man. People who do things neatly.”

If He Lingchuan were here, he would be able to pick up some clues.

"She wants to demonstrate against me?"

"No, it's more than that." Qi Yunsheng analyzed, "If it's just for demonstration, she doesn't need to send you the account book. She just needs to announce your crime in court and use it as evidence. I think she wants to blackmail you. You or win over you.”

"Blackmail me? Win me over?" Qi Yunsheng's thoughts coincided with Xue Zongwu's, "What does she want me to do?"

"The Yao Kingdom is so big and the court is so complicated. She and the hundreds of people she brought cannot control it at all. We also need the support of powerful local forces...such as you." Qi Yunsheng waved his hand, "You first Don’t be so quick to sneer, this is the best policy.”

"Where's Zhongce?"

"If you are unwilling to change your mind, she will at least make you fearful and not dare to confront her again." Qi Yunsheng continued, "If this doesn't work, there is another option: the court will publish the evidence at hand to alienate you monarchs and ministers. , bringing you notoriety, which will also weaken my king’s power.”

Xue Zongwu gritted his steel teeth and said, "This old woman is really vicious!"

He conquered cities and territories abroad with cruel methods and was known as a "ferocious god".

But that was abroad, outside Yao country!

No matter what he does abroad, he is famous, and he is a hero when he returns home. He knew very well that the people of Yao country would not pay attention to the Golden Flash Plains at all, and did not care about the life and death of other people. He was a little proud of his thunderous methods.

But in the country, if he is accused by Qingyang of obstructing national interests and grabbing people's interests, and all the details are announced to the public, his reputation will be ruined!