Ang Lee broke out in a cold sweat for these careless merchants. It was enough for them to know about the business. Why did they have to tell others? Wasn't this putting themselves in danger? What was in the minds of these merchants? Were they born stupid? Or did they trust their peers too much? Or could it be that what came out of their mouths was just a lie and not the real news? They wanted to mislead their peers. Even if the bandits knew about it, it would be fine. They could even lead the merchants to the wrong path so that they could avoid being robbed.
According to Ang Lee's understanding of merchants, these guys couldn't be fools. They were all cunning. There was no group that was more cunning than merchants. As for unconditional trust in their peers, it was impossible for them to do so. It was already good enough that they didn't harm each other. How could they expect them to cooperate sincerely?
Therefore, the only possibility was that they did it on purpose. They deliberately spread the news to lead the bandits to the wrong place to set up an ambush. At the same time, they could mislead their peers and make them feel that since someone took this path, they should follow it. This way, it would be safer. In this way, the merchants who told them the path could not only lead the bandits to the wrong path, but also lead their competitors to the same path. When their peers were robbed, it would be a great thing for them. It could be said that it was killing many birds with one stone. It was a good thing that couldn't be found even with a lantern.
In the future, there were many people like this. For example, if there were many buildings built in a certain area, many people would covet them and want to buy them. However, they were worried that if everyone fought to buy them, the good houses would be snatched up. Or because of the competition, the prices would suddenly increase. Some people even hoped that the prices would fall a little. Under the influence of such thoughts, many people would create public opinion that the houses were not good. The prices were seriously too high and it would not take long for the prices to plummet. Everyone should not buy them! Many people would create public opinion like this, but they would also secretly buy a house. If someone really believed it, then they might not be able to buy a good house. Even after many years, they would find that the house that they could afford had become unaffordable.
Li An sighed as he watched the merchants throwing smoke bombs at each other. Unscrupulous merchants were indeed unscrupulous. They were all thinking of harming their peers for the sake of benefiting themselves. These fellows had no bottom line.
It had to be said that Lotus's pipa playing skills were really good. The music she played made people feel as if they were floating in the air. Those who were originally exhausted, as long as they listened to Lotus's music, would be able to feel very comfortable.
Ang Lee had heard many people play the pipa for so many years. Yan Ruyu was very good at playing, but there were not many people who could play as well as Lotus. Yan Ruyu played the pipa very well, but Lotus had a slightly wild playing technique. Although it might not be as good as Yan Ruyu's, Ang Lee listened to it and felt that Lotus's playing was better and more in line with his own novelty.
Distinguishing people by listening to a person's voice meant that after listening to a person's voice, you could remember it forever. As long as you heard this voice again in the future, it would immediately evoke memories. Of course, this did not only include the voice of speaking, but also the sound of playing instruments. Because different people had different feelings when playing instruments, people who liked playing instruments would be able to recognize it as soon as they heard it, especially those who were good at playing instruments. There were too few people who had similar thoughts. This kind of special style was easy to remember.
Lotus played the pipa so well that Ang Lee wanted to take her back to the capital and raise her there. However, it was just a passing thought. He already had enough wives and did not need any more. He was getting older day by day. When it was time to take it easy, it was better to take it easy. There were many beauties, and it was enough to just look at them.
Several pieces of music were played quickly. Lotus stood up very politely and bowed to Ang Lee and the others one by one, thanking them for their support.
"Miss Lotus, sit down and have a few drinks!"
Ang Lee invited her very politely.
"Thank you, sir. Lotus can't hold her liquor."
Lotus refused.
"Uh, okay! Then how about some dishes? These are the restaurant's signature dishes. You should at least eat some. "
Ang Lee asked again.
Lotus did not refuse this time. However, she did not sit down. Instead, she stood and put some food into her mouth, giving Ang Lee face.
Soon, someone called Lotus to play. Lotus bowed and went over. She was in the private room on the second floor, which was only a dozen steps away from Ang Lee's seat. No matter what music was played, he could hear it. He could listen to it again.
Although Lotus did not show any flaws during the whole process and looked like an ordinary performer, Ang Lee felt that there was something wrong with this girl. Some of the businessmen even looked suspicious. In order to verify his judgment, Ang Lee had to do something.
Previously, he had asked his most capable subordinates to investigate Lotus's residence and had a certain degree of understanding of her whereabouts. However, they had just found out her residence and did not have time to investigate the specific situation. Therefore, they did not find anything suspicious. In addition, the place where the two girls lived was a little complicated. There was a lot of traffic around. In order not to expose himself, he could not get too close. But in this way, it was difficult to find anyone who had contact with the two girls. It was not easy to investigate.
This problem also troubled Ang Lee. For a person of the later generation, Ang Lee's first thought was naturally a miniature monitoring device. It was good to have a wiretapping device. However, in the era of the Tang dynasty, there was no such device. It was too difficult to invent it. Therefore, all the investigations in this era could only be done manually. It was very inconvenient, which also made it difficult to obtain evidence.
However, as long as he observed carefully, he could always find some clues, unless the person was really innocent. Ang Lee's advantage was that he had an advanced surveillance device, which could find small targets from a long distance. That was, telescopes!
After eating and drinking and getting acquainted with the businessmen, Ang Lee left. This time, he did not meet Lao Guo again. However, there were more guards patrolling the street. It seemed that Lao Guo deliberately arranged them to ensure the security of the streets of Xia Zhou City and protect Ang Lee's safety.
"Where do the two girls live? Take me to have a look."
Ang Lee said to a guard behind him.
At this time, Lotus and Guihua were performing in a restaurant. Every day, the two of them would perform in different restaurants and teahouses. As long as it was a high-class place, they would always take turns to perform. Because there were more rich people in these places, they could earn more money by going to these places. Therefore, this also made sense. One couldn't suspect a person because of this.
"Assistant Minister Li, the place where they stayed yesterday is not far ahead. It's a rather bustling place with many people around. This subordinate did not dare to stay for too long and only ate a few bowls of noodle soup. After seeing that they did not come out, this subordinate left."
The guard reported.
Ang Lee praised, "You did a good job. You just need to be careful. Don't let them know. If they are alert, it will be troublesome."
The guard's face was full of suspicion. In the end, he couldn't help but ask, "This subordinate doesn't think there's anything suspicious about these two young ladies. They're just two young ladies who sell their wares. Why do you think there's something wrong with them?"
Ang Lee said unhappily, "Just do what you should do. Don't ask so many questions."
"Yes, I understand."
The guard did not dare to ask again and led the way obediently.
However, although the guard did not ask anything, Li Hanlu's curiosity was aroused again. She had also met Hehua several times and did not find anything wrong. She had the same doubts as the guard.
"Last time, I thought they were a little suspicious. But this time, I don't think they are so suspicious. They are just girls who perform! What is wrong with them? Is it because they are good at bending bullets? "
Li Hanlu asked.
Li An smiled and said, "There are too many suspicious places. There are at least a dozen of them. Although these are not enough to prove that they are the Horse Gang's informants, with so many suspicious places gathered together, I have no choice but to pay attention to them."
Ang Lee was always suspicious of this pair of charming sisters. He felt that there was something wrong with them, something very wrong.
"There are a dozen suspicious places. Why don't you tell me? I am all ears."
Li Hanlu asked.
Ang Lee lowered his voice and said, "First of all, they are not natives of Summer Province. They came from Yanzhou. No one can prove whether they are from Yanzhou or not. All the people who can prove their identity are gone. This is the first suspicious place."
"Can this be considered a suspicious place? It is suspicious that they are not natives of Summer Province. There are so many prostitutes in the capital, and many of them are from outside the capital. There are almost no real women in the capital. What is so suspicious about this? "
Li Hanlu said disapprovingly.
Li An smiled and said, "Not being a local is secondary. What's suspicious is that her skills are at such a high level. If she were to develop in the capital, she would be able to earn ten times more. Why would she stay in an inconspicuous place like the Summer District? She is leaving her hometown. Why not go to a richer place to make a living? Also, her father was killed by the Horse Gang. So, he should stay away from this dangerous place. She can't take revenge here. Won't she be sad? "
Li Hanlu objected, "This is their own choice, so it can't be considered suspicious! Summer Province is closer to Yanzhou, and their accents are quite similar. They might not know the prosperity and benefits of the capital. "
"How is that possible? They have to come into contact with so many merchants every day. How could they not know the situation in the capital? Would you believe me?"
Ang Lee also knew that this reason for suspicion was a little far-fetched. However, this was only one of the reasons. There were more problems behind it. When put together, it seemed very suspicious.
"Let's not talk about this for now. What is the second suspicious place?"
Li Hanlu continued to ask.
Ang Lee said, "Is this the second suspicious place? It's that although their status is very low, they are just a pair of prostitutes. Moreover, they are very charming and can easily move people's hearts. So, according to the general situation, there should be many rich people who have ideas about them. It wouldn't be bad to marry them as concubines. However, it has been a long time, and Hehua and Guihua are still shuttling back and forth in various places in Summer Province City. Moreover, it seems that no one dares to harass them. I specially asked the guards to secretly inquire about them. Guess what?
Speaking of this, Ang Lee paused for a moment. It could be considered that he was deliberately keeping Li Hanlu in suspense to attract her attention.
"How is it? Tell me quickly! "
Li Hanlu clearly didn't want to guess. She was clearly a little anxious.
Ang Lee paused for a moment and said, "The result was as I guessed. These years, there were indeed people who wanted to bully the sisters. But the strange thing was that all the ruffians who bullied the sisters died inexplicably in the end. No wounds could be found on their bodies. They died for no reason. Isn't it very scary?"
"In that case, it seems that someone is secretly protecting them! This is indeed a little suspicious. But in that case, why aren't the merchants afraid when they see her? "
Li Hanlu said.
Ang Lee said, "If I hadn't sent someone to inquire about it, how would Madam know about this? You have to know that not all merchants know about this matter, but the old merchants and locals who have been doing business here for many years more or less know a little. However, no one suspects the sisters. They just think that these two women are fated to be jinxes, specifically jinxes the people around them. First, they jinxes their father to death, then they jinxes the ruffians who tried to force them to marry them. But as long as they don't get too close to them, they won't be jinxed. What's so scary about listening to a little song? Originally, there were many local people who wanted to marry them as concubines. When they heard that they were fated to be jinxes, they all stayed away from them. No one dared to have any ideas about the sisters anymore. The ruffians also restrained themselves a lot.
"Oh, I understand. This is called 'Bitter Plum on the Roadside'. When a new merchant from another city sees such a pretty busker in Summer State City, he will think that since these two girls are so pretty, why don't the locals have any ideas about them? There must be something hidden in this, so they don't dare to act rashly. "
Li Hanlu said.
"That's right. Madam is right. This is the bitter plum on the side of the road. Businessmen are much more shrewd than ordinary people. They will be very careful in everything they do. They will not do things that they are not sure of."
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