The flames burned the sky, and smoke rushed into the night, dispersing for a long time. The wasteland was covered with reeds. Although they were easily flammable, they burned quickly. The heat from the ground was still suffocating. A light breeze blew past, and patches of ash swirled in the air, choking one's eyes and nose.
Fifty inner factory officials slowly walked out from the quagmire where the reeds had been completely burned, and the shallow water was covered in a layer of black ash. The reed marshes in front of them had already been completely burned, turning into a pitch-black wasteland. In the distance, there were only the Tax Department yamen and several hundred buildings towering on the plains.
In order to prevent the ash, Baihu Zheng and the dozens of officials all had their faces covered with cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes. Because there were reeds everywhere in the quagmire, their roots tightly gripping the mud, it wasn't particularly difficult for officials to walk in. They finally stepped onto dry land. The front was already close to the Customs Department's fence. Baihu Zheng raised his blade and stood in front of the fence, cautiously looking around. His pair of dark eyes faintly revealed a hint of anxiety.
After looking for a moment, he said in a low voice, "Wu Yong, the people should have already fainted from the smoke. Bring thirty people in, and if there are any who can move, finish them off."
A masked man beside him made a sound of acknowledgment, and then said hesitantly, "Then … factory supervisor sir …"
Baihu Zheng sighed and said, "I'll bring some people to go around to search, I'm afraid … I'm afraid that sir has already met with misfortune …"
The masked man stomped on the heavy mud on his feet, suddenly unsheathing his blade, and shouted sternly, "Come, thirty people, follow me in. The Customs Department has killed an official and rebelled, this is an unforgivable crime. Those who dare resist will be killed without mercy!"
With a thunderous roar, thirty large men unsheathed their blades. Killing intent surged as they hacked apart the railings, barging straight in. Baihu Zheng knew that once he entered, many of the people who were already unconscious would be killed as well. He opened his mouth to stop them, but when the words reached the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back down. If sir truly died in a sea of flames, why wouldn't he also want to kill everyone in the Customs Division?
Baihu Zheng snorted coldly, raising his leg to kick aside a broken fence, and then quickly walked in. Twenty men followed behind him, passing through those buildings and charging to the other side. Along the way, they came across some people lying on the ground with blackened faces. Whether they were still breathing or not, the red-eyed foreigners would stab them with a 'pu' sound. Baihu Zheng pretended not to see anything.
Yang Ling first had people pretend to be merchants paying taxes, coming to the Customs Division twice. This place was desolate and uninhabited, so if they rashly approached through other methods, once they were discovered by the Customs Division's people, it would be hard to avoid suspicions. This was the only method that was a bit safer.
After careful investigation, they discovered that the people of the Customs Sector's yamen normally only gathered inside to gamble and play with women after collecting taxes. There were more than ten ships at the docks that had several boatmen living on them, so using a small group of soldiers to launch a surprise attack was enough to destroy the ship.
Sure enough, Baihu Zheng's task of cutting off the path of retreat was extremely smooth. After he destroyed the oars and sails, because there was a large expanse of reeds in front of him, if he attacked the Customs Division through the reeds, then as long as the people who escaped from the Customs Division hid inside, it would be impossible for his fifty men to search thoroughly. As a result, he wanted to wait at the docks to catch the fish that escaped the net, so he sent his trusted aide Wu Yong to secretly head to the Customs Division to observe the situation.
Wu Yong rushed to the Customs Division and secretly hid in the reeds, just in time to see Yuan Xiong lowering his gun to suppress the fire and burn people. In his great shock, he immediately rushed back to report. Baihu Zheng was a capable person in suppressing bandits, and had been promoted to an officer of the Shenji Battalion through his merits. He was extremely experienced in field battles, and after a bit of consideration, he gave the most rational battle order: the enemy has already set fire, we are above the enemy's head, we will also set fire!
Right now, Yang Ling's life was not something his dozens of men could save. With just his dozens of men, the only thing they could do was fight fire with fire and extinguish Yuan Xiong. Otherwise, when Yuan Xiong led his men over, there wouldn't even be anyone left to avenge the factory supervisor.
Rushing to the other side of the fire belt, they saw many people lying on the ground in disarray. Because the smoke and fire came too quickly, the Customs Division normally used the waterway, and they didn't have horses to use. These people, regardless of whether they escaped into the houses or hid in the corners of the trenches, had already mostly fainted from the smoke.
The foreigners, whose eyes were red from killing, raised their bloody blades and were just about to chop them down one by one when Baihu Zheng suddenly shouted, "All of you, stop! Look … look over there … "
Baihu Zheng's hoarse voice carried a hint of ecstasy, even his voice began to tremble. He had originally thought that the sir's chances of survival were miniscule. If someone could survive this fire, then that would be a miracle among miracles. As a result, even though he still held onto a sliver of hope, he had already prepared himself for the worst.
However, when he arrived here, he was shocked to discover that a li away, the reed thicket was still there. Even though the reed blossoms had already turned black when the wind rose and swayed, not to mention that the reed thicket now looked like an ink painting, it was indeed a patch of reed.
That patch of reed had not been burned, then the sir was …? Baihu Zheng dragged his heavy boots and rushed into the field of reeds that had been burned to ashes. A cloud of black ash rose under his feet. He roared loudly, "Quick, quickly save the sir, the sir is definitely still alive!"
When the foreigners heard this, their spirits were greatly roused. Leaving behind the unconscious people on the ground, they rushed into the reed field. Twenty people made their way over, stirring up another cloud of black smoke. They had just run to the edge of the pitch black reed thicket when they saw a small stream in front of them, densely packed with people lying on the ground. Judging from their attire, it was precisely the attire of the guards from the inner factories and inner factories.
Baihu Zheng casually flipped over one of them and pulled off the wet towel on his face. That person's entire body and face were covered in black ash, even his hair and eyebrows couldn't be seen clearly. Even though the wet towel was slightly cleaner, his nostrils were still full of soot. When Baihu Zheng felt that he was still breathing, he couldn't help but feel his confidence soar. He abandoned the guard and leapt up, roaring, "Search immediately, search immediately! Whoever finds the factory supervisor will be heavily rewarded!"
Without waiting for his orders, those foreigners had already begun to frantically search left and right. Because Yang Ling's people were being burned by the smoke, they were slightly less affected than the people from the Customs Department who had suffered from the thick smoke from the damp reed thicket. Even though they were half unconscious from the smoke, when someone shouted or touched them, they would wake up dizzily. Using the flowing river water to wash their faces and clear their minds, they quickly recovered their strength.
Baihu Zheng was currently searching anxiously when a foreigner in the distance shouted, "I found the factory supervisor, hahahaha, the sir is still alive!"
"Where? Where? " Baihu Zheng was overjoyed and scrambled over with a few foreigners nearby. They saw that the foreigner was carrying someone in his arms. Even though the smoke made him look like a kitchen god, the clothes and appearance were still recognizable.
When Baihu Zheng felt that the person was still breathing, he hurriedly tore off a piece of his clothes and used it to wipe his face with the river water. When he was agitated by the water, Yang Ling slowly woke up. He wanted to open his mouth to speak, but he felt as if his throat was burning and suffocating. First, he coughed violently. Brushing aside the soot on the surface of the water, he drank two mouthfuls of water to moisten his throat. He then wiped away the soot that had accumulated on his face and the corners of his eyes. Only then did he stand up and look around. "Why are you here? Where are Yuan Xiong's people? "
Baihu Zheng said joyfully, "Daren is blessed by the heavens, you scared this lowly official to death just now. Don't worry, daren, since Yuan Xiong set the fire, this lowly official also set the fire. The people from the Customs Department have all fainted from the smoke. Even if there are still some who are conscious, they won't be able to resist."
Yang Ling's mind was roused. He hurriedly said, "Hurry, wake everyone up. Hurry and take control of the Customs Department's yamen, don't let anyone escape."
Yang Ling's thousand black soldiers hurried over to the Customs Department, stopping the thirty foreigners who had gone crazy from killing. They tied up the remaining people and took control of the treasury. They unexpectedly discovered that there were several dozen women among the people who had fainted from the smoke. After waking them up, they were interrogated. Apart from a few prostitutes who were brought back with money, if they weren't forced to use their bodies to pay a debt, then they were women who had been forcibly brought back by the Customs Department. Yuan Xiong added another great crime to his complaint.
When they were searching for the Customs Department, even though no one dared to touch the treasury, there wasn't a single person in the Customs Department who hadn't plundered a considerable amount of wealth. When these soldiers searched house by house, there were also quite a few people who had stolen from them. Yang Ling saw all of this, but how much more could the army ask of him right now? They were all people who had just gone through fire and water with him, so Yang Ling could only pretend that he didn't know.
He gathered everyone together and watched over them. He sent people to receive Yang Ling, and then he sent people to inform the local authorities. When the county magistrate heard that the factory supervisor was handling a case here and that the people from the Customs Department had been arrested, he couldn't help but be wild with joy. With this great disaster gone, his position as a local official would be much better. However, which prison could accommodate two thousand prisoners? Yang Ling temporarily handed over the Customs Department's treasury to the local authorities, bringing people with him to escort the prisoners back to Hangzhou. When he saw the authorities, he stuffed people in. When he returned to Hangzhou, he still handed over the three hundred or so people from the prefectural yamen, and only then did he manage to completely hand over these people.
Without the Customs Department's support, this place was filled with filth and evil people who had committed all sorts of crimes. There was a basket full of old and new cases, so naturally, the authorities would try and decide on them one by one.
Inside the Mo Residence, Yang Ling changed the bathwater four times. Only then did the color of the water become much cooler. His skin was hot and red. Yang Ling sat in the bathtub and closed his eyes comfortably.
This arrest operation was daunting but not dangerous. Bi Chun didn't shed any blood. Although Yuan Xiong almost put the whole army to death, fortunately, he was rescued from a desperate situation. Instead, he didn't have to spend a single soldier. He successfully arrested Yuan Xiong and a group of outlaws. Yang Ling was thinking about how to deal with the aftermath.
Because he was now suspicious of Mo Qinghe, Yang Ling didn't dare to imprison Bi Chun and Yuan Xiong in the Mo Residence. As soon as he returned to Hangzhou, he immediately sent the official ship full of return goods and belongings to take the two prisoners back to the capital. This made Mo Qinghe, who was excitedly waiting to greet his enemy, Eunuch Yuan, disappointed.
Yang Ling had too many things to do now, and each of them had to be adapted to the situation. He couldn't make a decision before getting further information. In the end, he still didn't know what Mo Qinghe's conspiracy was. If he entrusted Jiangnan's taxation to him, and this person was not a person who could be entrusted, then the hard-won territory would be mistakenly entrusted to bandits. If he didn't investigate Mo Qinghe, he couldn't feel at ease returning to the capital.
Yuan Xiong's people were all caught in one net, but the customs department must still be established. Return the power to the Ministry of Revenue? Emperor Zhengde wouldn't agree, and all the other tax supervisors would regard him as a bandit. Then, who would be sent to guard the customs? This candidate must be considered first. Now that he was in charge of the customs department, he couldn't use human rights.
There was also the emperor's recent behavior. Apart from himself, only the Eight Tigers, including Liu Jin, could affect the little emperor. What were their recent movements for? Was it because he held great power that he became envious and wanted to please the emperor to get an official position. According to history, he would become one of the eight traitors who had been in charge of the court for many years, or was there another conspiracy? Why did the Department of Rites sit back and do nothing?
Yang Ling had a headache thinking about it. He couldn't help but sigh softly. At this time, a soft voice suddenly came from the side: "Master, is the water cold? Do you want to add some water? "
Yang Ling jumped in fright. When he opened his eyes, he saw Gao Wenxin standing at the side with her sleeves rolled up, her white arms bare. Her face was red, but her eyes were lowered and she didn't dare to look at him.
Yang Ling took the towel off the side of the tub and wrapped it around his waist. He stammered: "You … … what are you doing in here? I can wash myself. "
Gao Wenxin was originally a bit shy. She couldn't see much when Yang Ling was sitting in the tub, but Yang Ling's attempt to cover up made her even more embarrassed.
Gao Wenxin said bashfully: "This servant … … is supposed to help daren bathe and change clothes. I'm staying outside. The foreigners who go out to bring water all look at me and find it strange. Why don't … … this servant help you scrub your back."
Yang Ling laughed dryly and said: "It doesn't matter, no need. Why bother with them? Who dares to talk nonsense? I'm not a young master of a large family. I'm not used to having a woman wait on me when I bathe. You … … just wait for me in the outer room. "
Gao Wenxin's face was red. Her expression seemed to be even more nervous than his. Hearing him say this, she immediately let out a breath and hurriedly said: "Then … … then this servant will go out." She had gone a few steps when she suddenly remembered something. She turned back and hurriedly threw a handful of things into the bucket.
Looking at her appearance, she didn't seem this scared even though she saw Yang Ling's butt every day. For some reason, Yang Ling's bare chest and shoulders were exposed in the water. This caused her to be unable to restrain her embarrassment and embarrassment.
Yang Ling's eyes stared straight at the needle-like object in the mist. He asked: "What medicine is this?"
Gao Wenxin said: "This is not medicine. It's tea leaves. Put a little in it. Oh … … it smells good."
Yang Ling smiled and waved his hand: "Alright, the fragrance of tea is better than the smell of fire. Hehe, after bathing, we'll do acupuncture. I've been running around the whole day and was scared half to death. It's been a long time since I've felt so tired that my bones are about to fall apart. It's a pity that Yu 'er isn't here. She's very good at massaging."
Gao Wenxin had been so shy that she didn't dare to raise her head. Hearing this, she suddenly raised her head and said unwillingly: "This servant … this servant also knows the art of massaging. The imperial physicians of the Imperial Academy of Medicine's Department of Massage are not as good as this servant. This servant will go and prepare now. I'll give you a massage later."
* * *
Yang Ling was lying on the bed. Gao Wenxin massaged him until he was drowsy. There was incense burning in the room. It was intoxicating. A delicate and lovely girl gently massaged his head, neck and limbs.
Rather than saying that Yu Tangchun's massage was a massage, it was more like caressing and acting coquettishly. But Gao Wenxin was really good at it. She first used a jade tooth comb to gently scrape along the spine from the neck to the waist through a thin layer of clothing, activating the blood vessels. Then, she massaged the meridians and acupuncture points. Yang Ling really felt his entire body was relaxed, as if he was walking on air.
The Ming Dynasty was the time when the art of massaging was at its peak. And Gao Wenxin could be said to be an expert in this field. Yang Ling couldn't help but close his eyes and said vaguely: "It's so comfortable. I didn't know … … from now on, can you massage me after acupuncture every day?"
Gao Wenxin raised her sleeve to wipe the fine sweat on her face. She smiled and said: "Okay, this servant knows many kinds of techniques. Just now … … if you let me scrub your back, I also have a set of kungfu that I learned from the Daoyin Map. I can show my skills."
Yang Ling laughed and said: "A woman scrubbing a man's back doesn't have much strength. If it's me, it's not bad … … uh … … if it's back stepping on."
Gao Wen Xin had already guessed what he was going to say; she couldn't help blushing. She thought to herself, "If this master is said to be courageous, he's scared to death when his own maidservant serves him in the bath. If he's said to be a coward, sometimes he's talking nonsense, making people's hearts itch."
A man scrubbing a woman's back? He … … he scrubbed for me … …
The moment Gao Wenxin thought of this, her fingers that were pressing down on his back instantly became limp and powerless. Yang Ling felt that his fingers were limp and powerless, and felt itchy from her pressing. He couldn't help but chuckle, twisting his waist as he said, "See, I was wondering why women don't have any strength. Alright, I'm getting more and more sleepy from you. I want to sleep now."
Gao Wenxin stared at him hatefully and made a pinching motion on his back. Then she stood up and gently lowered the curtain for Yang Ling. She walked to the table and was about to blow out the lamp when she suddenly turned her head and said: "Master, now that Eunuch Yuan and the others have been arrested, we … … are we going back to the capital soon?"
Yang Ling turned his head and yawned, "What's wrong? Want to go back? Soon, soon, maybe … … we will go back in a few days. "
Gao Wenxin hesitated for a moment and said: "Then … … there shouldn't be anything for the next few days? Do you want to … … invite senior brother and sister to visit our house? "
Yang Ling was startled and said: "Ah! You're right, senior brother and sister were invited away by his believers. I forgot about this. It would be impolite if I don't invite them in return. Yes! Later, send someone to bring my invitation to see the Taoist master. See when he is free and come to the house for a chat. "
Gao Wenxin happily replied: "Yes, Master, I will go out. Have a good rest."
※ ※ ※
"What did you say? The people from the inner factory caught Li Gui? " Mo Qinghe, who had been happy and smiling these two days, was livid. His eyes flashed with fierceness. He fiercely grabbed the collar of housekeeper Li and asked fiercely.
"Yes … … Yes, Master. The local government can't interfere with the arrest of people from the inner factory. The prefectural magistrate of Suzhou and even the governor sent people to inquire, but they were all rebutted by the foreigners from the inner factory. We don't know how Li Gui is now. They insist that Li Gui is hiding a forbidden item. Such a big 'gold brick' is placed there. It's hard to explain. "Housekeeper Li said with a sad face.
"Pa!" A slap on his face made Housekeeper Li stagger. Mo Qinghe pointed at him and scolded: "Bastard! Your younger brother has always been arrogant and domineering, running amok in the village. I've repeatedly told him to be more obedient, but he wouldn't listen. That gold brick is a prohibited item, and he treats it as a rare item. Isn't he bringing trouble to me by bringing it into the house? "
Housekeeper Li said aggrievedly: "Master, some people like rare things. It's not that there aren't people who collect gold bricks. But my brother … … He doesn't know anything except gold and silver. How could he collect that thing? I thought the people from the inner factory are the same as Dongchang, looking for an excuse to blackmail the rich. But they sent the money … … they accepted the money, but they didn't let go of the person! "
Mo Qinghe was so angry that he lifted his foot to kick again. Madam Mo gracefully greeted him and stopped him: "Master, please calm down. Perhaps this matter really wronged Li Gui. Now the inner factory has just been established, and the factory supervisor is patrolling in Jiangnan. Even if the people from the inner factory want to blackmail the rich, do they dare to do it in Jiangnan? Without Yang Ling's consent, they don't have the guts to do it! "
Mo Qinghe's eyes flashed. He stared at her for a while gloomily. His face slowly turned red: "You mean … … Yang Ling has an idea about me? Impossible, this is impossible. How big of an appetite does he have? If he eats all the three big guards in Jiangnan, who will work for him? "
Madam Mo smiled coldly and said: "He strolls around Suzhou and Hangzhou. He goes sightseeing everywhere and doesn't do proper work. Have you ever seen him investigate Yuan Xiong? But where is Yuan Xiong now? He has five thousand desperadoes under his command. Who doesn't have a headache when they see him? But Yang Ling first used a drastic measure to capture Bi Chun in one night. Then he raided Guan Rui Si. Using one thousand people to deal with an enemy several times their number, isn't his appetite big? "
Mo Qinghe's face turned white. Madam Mo's pretty face was frosty as she said: "Also, did you know in advance that he suddenly went to inspect Haining? This person looks very casual. It seems that the trip to Jiangnan is just an empty promise. But who knows what he is planning in his heart? Now that I think about it … … if he wasn't wary of Master, why didn't Yuan Xiong and Bi Chun stay for a day and immediately go to the capital? "
Mo Qinghe's face turned green and red. After a long while, he said angrily: "I have decided to pledge allegiance to him. He still wants to put me to death?"
Madam Mo waved her hand. Housekeeper Li quickly retreated. Madam Mo walked to Mo Qinghe's side and whispered: "Master, is Li Gui reliable?"
Mo Qinghe snorted and said: "He's good at plundering money. Let him risk his life to keep other people's secrets. Pigs can climb trees. But … … even if Yang Ling wants to deal with me, does he dare to do anything to my people without any evidence?"
Madam Mo sneered and said: "Is Li Gui your people? The imperial envoy doesn't know. He only knows that this person secretly hid a forbidden item. It's enough to be beheaded. Those people under you, humph! Is there anyone who can withstand the factory guards' torture? "
As Madam Mo said this, she slyly turned her eyes and said: "Those people on the sea … … how about it? It's really not good … … "She frowned and stretched out her delicate hand to make a beheading gesture.
Mo Qinghe's body suddenly trembled. He held the table. Even the table was shaking. Madam Mo was shocked. She quickly supported him and said: "Master, what's wrong with you?"
Mo Qinghe laughed miserably. His expression was a bit crazy. He laughed and sat down. He grabbed a teapot and smashed it on the ground. He gritted his teeth and cursed: "Fei Qianshou and Chen Dong, those two pirates, I should have killed them long ago. Only because they can help me confuse the public, I let them go. I didn't expect that my important matter would be ruined by their hands … …"
Madam Mo said strangely: "What do those two groups of bandits have to do with us? What about Komura Jiro's people? Tell him to bring people to Hangzhou. With us as spies, as long as we get rid of Yang Ling in the chaos … … "
She raised her beautiful eyebrows, smiled charmingly, and gently hugged Mo Qinghe. She said in a sweet voice: "Once Yang Ling dies, the Inner Faction Factory will be nothing. At that time, we will help the East Faction Factory to reduce the strength of the Inner Faction Factory. Master … your position in the Department of Rites can go up a notch.
Mo Qinghe's face was ashen. He looked up to the sky and sighed: "It's too late, too late. This is God's will! "
He looked at Madam Mo with a bitter smile and said: "Komura Jiro's people can't come in. I only care about restraining Komura Jiro. Who would have thought that Fei Qianshou's good-for-nothing bandits would attack Haining at this time and meet the imperial envoy face to face?
Since this happened, the command department has deployed all the navy's heavy troops at the estuary. They are worried that the Japanese will invade again at this time. When the imperial envoy returns to the capital, he will accuse me of not being able to control the sea and defend the border. Why would Komura Jiro take the risk of not coming back to help me? "He shook his head in despair.
Madam Mo had been very calm until she heard this. Her face changed. She was stunned for a long time before she said softly: "Master, what should we do? But we have to plan early. It's good that no one comes to investigate. Yang Ling has already made his move. Li Gui can't keep it a secret. Master's things … … he knows them clearly. "
Her voice was cold as she said, "Smuggling goods with the Wokou, drawing maps for the Wokou, reporting the situation of the garrison in advance, leading the Wokou to plunder, then selling grain to the farmers at high interest rates and taking the opportunity to seize their land. Every one of these crimes is a capital offense. Also, eating the brains of those children, more than thirty lives were lost …"
Mo Qinghe suddenly jumped up. His cheeks were twitching. He grabbed her hand and said: "Xiao Lou, it's better to leave before things are exposed. Run far away. No matter how powerful Yang Ling is, what can he do to me?"
Madam Mo was stunned and said: "Run? Where to run? All the land under the sky belongs to the king. Do you want to escape to a remote place and live incognito … … "
Mo Qinghe shook his head and said: "No, we will go to the sea and escape to Japan. With the wealth we have accumulated, no matter where we go, we can live well. There, we can be richer than the nobles. Can Ming Destiny catch us there?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
