"Shopkeeper Jin, we haven't had the time to record Boss Zhang's loan in the account book. Should we inform His Highness King of Shu about it?"
In Xinfeng County, at the front counter of the Yanhuang Bank, a servant dressed in green saw Shopkeeper Jin walk out from the back room and asked nervously.
"Shut up!"
Hearing this, Shopkeeper Jin panicked. He hurriedly turned his head to look behind him. When he saw that there was no one around, he let out a sigh of relief. Then, he walked over to the manservant and put on a calm expression. He said earnestly, "I'm sorry.
"Wang Xiaodong, His Highness King of Shu is very busy every day. This time, he came to our bank to check the account book as he pleased. After checking the account book, His Highness still has to rush back to Chang 'an. How can he waste so much time here? So, the less trouble the better. Don't tell His Highness that Boss Zhang came to the bank to borrow money. If His Highness becomes impatient, even this old man won't be able to save you! Do you understand? "
Wang Xiaodong was only a servant of the bank and had not seen much of the world. He also didn't know the nature of nobles like Li Ke. When he was frightened by Shopkeeper Jin, he immediately panicked. "Don't worry, Shopkeeper Jin. I definitely won't say anything! Thank you for your reminder! "
Shopkeeper Jin nodded with satisfaction and said, "En! Xiaodong! You're very sensible. I heard that your mother was bedridden a while ago. Seeing a doctor must be very expensive, right? In a while, withdraw two strings of money from the account book. Take it as a token of my appreciation ~! "
When Wang Xiaodong heard this, he immediately shed tears of gratitude and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Jin! You're really too good to me. If Shopkeeper Jin has any requests in the future, this little one will definitely do it! "
"Hehe! Not bad, not bad! Xiaodong, you know how to repay kindness. This old man really didn't misjudge you! Now, bring some people to the Ten Thousand Guests Restaurant in the city and prepare a table of high quality banquet for His Highness King of Shu. Remember, it must be the best wine and the best dishes ~! "
Shopkeeper Jin saw that he had achieved his goal and said with a smile.
"Yes! Shopkeeper Jin! "
Wang Xiaodong replied excitedly. Then, he hurriedly put down the work in his hands and left the bank.
"En? Why do I feel that Shopkeeper Jin wants to hide the account book that Wang Xiaodong mentioned? Who was Mr. Zhang? Oh, the person Xiao Ke and I bumped into outside the house was also surnamed Zhang. Could it be that Wang Xiaodong was talking about that person? No, there must be something fishy going on here. I'll go tell Xiao Ke! "
What Shopkeeper Jin didn't know was that his conversation with Wang Xiaodong in the front hall had been overheard by Cheng Chumo, who had just come out of the side hall.
Although Cheng Chumo was a straightforward person, that didn't mean he was stupid. The conversation between Shopkeeper Jin and Wang Xiaodong made him think that Shopkeeper Jin was hiding something.
Thus, he hurriedly retracted his aura and quietly returned to the side hall.
"Little Ke, how is it? Did you find anything wrong with the accounts? "
After returning to the side hall, Cheng Chumo approached Li Ke and asked hurriedly.
Li Ke flipped through the account book and replied, "How can it be so fast? However, I haven't found any problems with the accounts I've checked for the past few days! Chou Ox, didn't you say you were going out for a walk? Why are you back? "
Cheng Chumo turned around and stuck his head out to look around. After confirming that there was no one outside, he closed the door and walked over to Li Ke and said mysteriously, "Little Ke, I feel that there's something wrong with Shopkeeper Jin. I'm afraid that the account book he gave you is incomplete!"
Hearing this, Li Ke couldn't help but raise his head and asked, "Oh? Why does Brother Chou Ox say that? "
"I was just about to go out for a walk when I accidentally overheard Shopkeeper Jin talking to the manservant in the front hall about an account …"
Cheng Chumo lowered his voice and told Li Ke what he had seen and heard. After listening, Li Ke couldn't help but frown deeply. "Chou Ox, from what you said just now, it seems that there's something wrong with Shopkeeper Jin. If we want to get to the bottom of this matter, we need to find out who this Mr. Zhang is and how much money Wang Xiaodong was talking about."
Cheng Chumo laughed softly, "Heh! That's simple! That Wang Xiaodong went to prepare a banquet. I'll stop him halfway and scare him. I'm not afraid that he won't tell the truth ~! "
Li Ke pondered for a moment and nodded, "That's good! But we still need to do it secretly to avoid alerting the enemy! "
Cheng Chumo nodded, "Little Ke, don't worry! Leave this matter to me! "
"Bang bang bang!"
Not long after the two of them finished their discussion, there was a series of knocks on the door. Li Ke asked, "Who is it?"
"Your Highness, it's me! It's Jin Wanfu! Your Highness must be tired from the long journey. I have prepared a banquet for Your Highness in the city's Ten Thousand Guest Restaurant to welcome Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will do me the honor! "
Just as Li Ke finished speaking, Jin Wanfu's voice came from outside the door.
The two of them looked at each other. Li Ke stood up and opened the door. He then said to Jin Wanfu, "Shopkeeper Jin, to be honest, this Prince is following Marquis Yong 'an's Sky Pheasant Brigade to Xinfeng County to exterminate the locusts. Checking the bank's accounts is just a convenient thing to do! So this Prince can't have lunch at Ten Thousand Guest Restaurant. I'm sorry to disappoint Shopkeeper Jin! "
When Jin Wanfu heard this, he was stunned and said in surprise, "What? Marquis Yong 'an's Sky Pheasant Brigade is coming to Xinfeng County? "
If the Sky Pheasant Brigade really came to Xinfeng County, then the locusts in Xinfeng County would be completely eradicated in less than two days. By then, Xinfeng County would become the second county after Lantian County to completely exterminate the locusts. The price of food in the city would also stop increasing. And the six thousand strings of coins that Zhang Xiongfei borrowed from the bank would not only not make a huge profit, but he would also suffer a loss!
Li Ke's eyes flashed and he asked with deep meaning, "Why? Shopkeeper Jin doesn't want to see the Sky Pheasant Brigade come to Xinfeng County to exterminate the locusts? "
When Jin Wanfu heard this, a layer of cold sweat instantly formed on his back. He quickly waved his hand and said, "No! That's not it! For Marquis Yong 'an's Sky Pheasant Brigade to come to Xinfeng County to exterminate the locusts, this Jin is more than happy. Why would this Jin be unwilling? This Jin is just a little surprised that Marquis would come to Xinfeng County so quickly. This Jin has no other intentions! "
Li Ke looked deeply at Jin Wanfu, then picked up the account book on the table and said, "Hehe! I didn't expect Shopkeeper Jin to be so concerned about the people's livelihood! This Prince will take a look at this account book for a while. I will have someone send it back before dark! Right now, this Prince still has some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first! "
Although Jin Wanfu was extremely unwilling, he did not dare to raise any objections. He could only cup his hands and said, "Your Highness, please take care! If Your Highness has any orders, just say the word and this Jin will be at your beck and call! "
"En! Chou Niu, let's go! "
Li Ke nodded and called out to Cheng Chumo. The two of them then left.
"Could it be that King Shu found something in the account book? That shouldn't be the case! This account book follows the rules and regulations. This Old Man has personally checked it before. Although there are some small flaws, there are definitely no major problems. Sigh, maybe I am overthinking ~! "
Looking at the departing backs of Li Ke and Cheng Chumo, Jin Wanfu had a bad premonition, but he couldn't figure out where he had exposed himself, so he could only comfort himself with this thought.
However, the bad premonition did not dissipate. Instead, it was like a stone that weighed heavily on his heart. It was to the extent that he did not have the mood to return to the backyard to meet the two beautiful Hu ladies that he had just obtained!
.....
"Little Ke! That's him! "
After leaving the bank and walking on the street, Cheng Chumo suddenly pointed to a servant in green who was walking towards them on a small path on the right. He said to Li Ke, "Little Ke, why don't you and Pang Feiji go to the county office first? I will go find Wang Xiaodong and ask him clearly!"
Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, Li Ke knew that there was no time to delay. He nodded and agreed, "Alright! However, Chou Niu, don't hurt anyone and don't alert the enemy. If possible, it is best to persuade that servant to submit to our side! "
Cheng Chumo patted Yue Xiong chest and smiled, "Little Ke, don't worry! Alright, let's not talk too much. I will go first! "
After saying that, Cheng Chumo turned around and walked towards the servant in green.
"Let's go! Let's go to the county office! "
Although Li Ke was still worried, he had limited manpower and could only trust Cheng Chumo this time. He turned his head and said something to Pang Feiji. Then, the two of them went straight to the county office of Xinfeng County.
.....
"Haha! It is the fortune of the people of Xinfeng County that the Marquis of Yong 'an could bring the Sky Pheasant Brigade to Xinfeng County to exterminate the locusts! As the County Magistrate of Xinfeng County, this lowly official has been worried sick about the locust plague. Now that the Marquis has solved this lowly official's problem, this lowly official must thank the Marquis in person. Otherwise, my heart will not be at ease! "
In the county office of Xinfeng County, after Li Ke stated his identity and purpose, county magistrate Wang Dezheng cupped his hands and said excitedly.
Li Ke said calmly, "If county magistrate Wang wants to thank Marquis Yong 'an in person, that is fine. However, the most important thing now is to prepare food for the hundred people who came with us. I hope that county magistrate Wang can arrange it as soon as possible! The food does not need to be luxurious. It just needs to have meat! Other than that, prepare a pot of throat soothing soup and a pot of green bean soup. When the time comes, send them to the farmlands outside the city! "
Wang Dezheng said in surprise, "Your Highness, Marquis Yong 'an and the children of Lantian County are not going back to the county to eat?"
Li Ke shook his head and said, "Eating back in the city is too much of a waste of time! County magistrate Wang, quickly send someone to prepare food! All the expenses will be paid by this Prince. This is the throat soothing soup that Divine Doctor Sun prescribed. Get someone to brew it carefully. There must not be any mistakes. Otherwise, this Prince will hold you accountable! "
Wang Dezheng's face turned solemn. He received the prescription with both hands and said, "The Sky Pheasant Brigade is here to help Xinfeng County exterminate locusts. The expenses for the food should be paid by Xinfeng County. How can I let Your Highness spend money! As for the throat soothing soup and green bean soup, I will personally watch over them. There will definitely not be any mistakes. Your Highness, please rest assured! "
Li Ke waved his hand and said, "You don't have to worry about the expenses for the food. This Prince has already made up his mind. Quickly arrange for someone to prepare lunch!"
Wang Dezheng was helpless. He could only cup his hands and say, "Yes! Your Highness, please have a seat! I will arrange it now! "
After saying that, county magistrate Wang walked out of the inner hall and arranged for someone to prepare the food.
Li Ke just happened to take out an account book. He leaned over the table and began to read it seriously.
After about half an hour, Cheng Chumo walked in and said excitedly to Li Ke, "Little Ke! Little Ke! I have found out! "
Li Ke kept the account book and stood up in surprise, "So fast? Then tell me quickly, Chou Niu! "
Cheng Chumo looked around and said to the maidservants standing on both sides, "All of you can leave first! I have something to discuss with His Highness King of Shu! "
"Yes!"
Everyone knew that the two young men in front of them were nobles from Chang 'an. Even county magistrate Wang could not afford to offend them, so they quickly bowed and left.
Cheng Chumo saw that there was no one around and said to Li Ke in a low voice, "Little Ke, I have found out. The Boss Zhang that Jin Wanfu mentioned is called Zhang Xiongfei. He is the big fat man that we bumped into at the entrance of the bank. I heard from Wang Xiaodong that Zhang Xiongfei is the owner of Zhang Ji Grain Store. This time, Zhang Xiongfei came to Yanhuang Bank to borrow money from Shopkeeper Jin. Guess how much he wants to borrow?"
"How much?"
Li Ke was still sorting out the clues that Cheng Chumo had mentioned. He could not help but frown and ask subconsciously.
"Six thousand strings of string of cash! And it is at an annual interest rate of 16%! "
Cheng Chumo lowered his voice and said.
"Six thousand strings of cash? 16% interest rate? "
Li Ke couldn't help but exclaim. First of all, six thousand strings of cash might not be worth mentioning to a 'nouveau riche' like Li Zexuan, but to a small county like Xinfeng County, six thousand strings of cash was definitely a huge sum of money. The number of people who could take out six thousand strings of cash could be counted on one hand!
Another thing that surprised Li Ke was the interest rate of the 6000 strings of strings of cash. A 16% annual interest rate was indeed considered cheap in the past. However, Yanhuang Bank had just recently implemented a standard annual interest rate of 8%. Shopkeeper Jin had directly lent 6000 strings of cash to Zhang Xiongfei at a 16% annual interest rate. Li Ke wouldn't believe that there wasn't something fishy going on here!
"What does Zhang Xiongfei want to borrow so much money for? Moreover, he is willing to borrow money at twice the interest rate. This means that he is in urgent need of money and is confident that he can use this money to earn more money in a short period of time! Therefore, he must have a business that is guaranteed to make a profit. At least, he thinks that it is a business that is guaranteed to make a profit! "
Li Ke thought for a moment and muttered to himself.
"Hey! Isn't this easy to guess? This surnamed Zhang must have used the six thousand strings of cash to buy food. Now that there is a locust plague everywhere, this old man must want to stock up on more food. When the people's crops have been destroyed by the locust plague, he will take the opportunity to drive up the price of food and make a fortune! Little Ke, do you remember when we first entered the city, the people said that the price of food in Zhang Ji Grain Store in the west of the city increased again? Doesn't this mean that this old bastard is up to no good? "
Cheng Chumo laughed.
"… Yes, Chumo, your analysis is very reasonable!"
Li Ke heard this and nodded his head in agreement. Suddenly, he looked at Cheng Chumo strangely and said, "Eh! That's not right! Chou Niu, when did your brain become so flexible? This is not like you ~! "
Cheng Chumo's old face suddenly froze. At this moment, he probably had tens of thousands of alpacas galloping through his heart. "F * ck! Little Ke, you are not being kind! I worked so hard to get money and then help you investigate the case, and you are insulting your brother ~! "
Li Ke laughed and said, "Hehe! I was just joking with you. But then again, Chou Niu, how did you make Wang Xiaodong tell you the truth willingly? "
.....
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