Chapter 328

Hearing Register Wang's words, Ye Xiaotian suddenly raised his head and looked out of the window. With a thoughtful expression, he said, "That's right! It's already this hour. If everything goes smoothly, then you, Register Wang, will really win. "

Registrar Wang's cheeks suddenly twitched twice, and the chess piece that he had just picked up in his hand almost fell back onto the chessboard. He grabbed the chess piece, slowly raised his head, and stared at Ye Xiaotian. With a faint smile, he said, "What do you mean by 'everything goes smoothly'? Could it be that Lord Ye still has a trump card? "

Ye Xiaotian lowered his head to look at the chessboard, as if he was thinking about how to counterattack. He casually replied, "Last night, I sent people to arrest Chen Muyan. Just after dawn, Hu Qifeng escaped. How could he know who was arrested last night, and how could he know the crime? Was it because he was too vigilant? "

Ye Xiaotian shook his head and said, "Hu Qifeng had a concubine in Gourd County. His concubine was already pregnant, and he just ignored her. Well, those who achieve great things don't bother about trifles. During his escape, he even pushed his own children out of the carriage several times. That's not a big deal. But, in order to save his life, he even abandoned his wife and children. How could such a panicked person have the leisure to burn the account book? This is somewhat incomprehensible. "

Ye Xiaotian slowly raised his head and glanced at the Royal Registrar with a smile. He slowly said, "He has already been exposed, so why would he need to burn the account books? Unless, this account book will implicate someone who has not yet been exposed, and he needs to protect that person. Or … the person who secretly warned him, telling him to escape, specifically told him to destroy the account book that implicates others. Don't you think so, Register Wang? "

A look of horror flashed across Register Wang's eyes. He calmly smiled, stroking his beard, and said, "Oh? I didn't expect Lord Ye to have such a discovery! "

Ye Xiaotian said, "The magistrate only cares about whether Hu Qifeng has been caught or not. He doesn't care about anything else. I was a busybody and asked Arrester Su a few questions. Only then did I find out that there was a pile of burnt ashes in the brazier in the Hu Residence's study. Furthermore, I found a page of an account book that had not been burned out.

As he spoke, Ye Xiaotian took out a piece of burnt paper from his sleeve. His fingers loosened, and the paper spun in a circle as it fell onto the chessboard.

Ye Xiaotian said, "I, Ye Xiaotian, like to think twice before doing anything. From what Sun Rui and Shi Jin had told us, we knew that the goods the Chang's Horse and Carriage Company received were sold to the Hu's Trading Company to the Central Plains. That was why I decided to check when the Hu's Trading Company appeared in Gourd County.

In the end, the Hu Qifeng only appeared in the past two years. At that time, the Chang's Carriage was still the Qi's Carriage. Who did they do business with? So I asked around and found out that before the Hu Qifeng, the Lu's Carriage had the most frequent business dealings with the Qi's Carriage. Their owner is called Lu Mo. "

As soon as this name came out, Register Wang's eyes narrowed.

Ye Xiaotian said, "I looked into the Lu's Carriage again and found that it was incredible. Before our Gourd County was established, this place was still called Gourd Ridge and was still managed by two chieftains. At that time, the Lu's Carriage was a regular customer of Gourd County. Now, there are some things that I don't understand. "

Registrar Wang chuckled. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have been carved with a sharp knife, and the lines were exceptionally clear. His eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a cold and sharp gaze. "Oh? What is there that Lord Ye doesn't understand? "

Ye Xiaotian said, "I think it's strange. The Lu's Carriage has been established in Gourd County for many years. Why didn't it think of finding a backer? Even if it's a legitimate business, it's convenient for him to do business with an official looking after him. Moreover, since he has a close relationship with Qi Mu, it's very likely that he has some unspeakable secrets. Isn't he afraid that something will happen to the Carriage's Carriage? "

Register Wang said with a smile, "Lord Ye's words are incorrect. How do you know that the Lu's Carriage's Carriage doesn't have a backer? Since he's doing business with Qi Mu, of course he would look for Meng Qingwei. Isn't this very normal? "

Ye Xiaotian nodded. "It's indeed very normal. But after Meng Qingwei's death, the Lu's Carriage's Carriage's Carriage didn't rely on Xu Boyi or Register Wang. He also hasn't visited this official's place, as if he's afraid that others will notice him. He's so low-key that he can't be any more low-key. This is somewhat abnormal. "

Register Wang couldn't help but laugh. "Lord Ye, you're too paranoid."

Ye Xiaotian said with a grin, "What's wrong with being paranoid? Zhuge Liang was cautious all his life, while Cao Cao and Sima Yi were paranoid. In the end, it was Cao Mengde and Sima Yi who achieved hegemony. "

Register Wang said indifferently, "Then, what did Lord Ye suspect from the Lu's Carriage's abnormality?"

Ye Xiaotian shook his head. "What else can I guess? Of course I got nothing. However, there's an old saying that goes, 'a flower planted intentionally won't live, but a willow planted unintentionally will grow into shade'. There's some truth to it. When I investigated the Lu's Carriage's Carriage's Carriage, I discovered some very interesting things. "

Register Wang looked at Ye Xiaotian with a smile, waiting for him to continue. The chess piece flipped gently between Register Wang's fingers. Register Wang's aged hand was already withered and fleshless, but his fingers were unusually nimble. The chess piece flew up and down between his fingers, but it just didn't fall.

Ye Xiaotian said, "I heard that the reason why Lu Mo was able to gain a foothold in the Gourd Ridge was because he had a close relationship with the two Chieftains at that time. Speaking of which, it's strange that those two Chieftains couldn't tolerate each other, but they were on good terms with Master Lu. Master Lu was able to maneuver between them with ease, which shows his ability. Isn't it strange that such a person with money and power has been unknown since then? "

Register Wang's eyelids drooped slightly, and he lightly said, "People's thoughts will always change. Perhaps one day, he suddenly had an epiphany, and from then on, he no longer pursued profit and fame, but it's not impossible."

Ye Xiaotian smiled slightly, and didn't argue with him on this topic. Instead, he continued, "At this time, I suddenly thought of another matter, something that on the surface seems to have nothing to do with Lu Mo. It was a drought in the Gourd County. When I went to the Gao and Li stockades to mediate the situation, I heard a story from the two stockade chiefs when I was having a drink with them.

When the two Chieftains were still the masters of the Gourd County, the Gao and Li stockade chiefs were their subordinates, so they more or less knew a little about their affairs. According to the Gao and Li stockade chiefs, at that time, Register Wang was from the Gourd Ridge. As a commoner, he became a guest of the two Chieftains, and it was very glorious! Everyone said that Register Wang was the most familiar with the local officials, and had a good relationship with the local Yi and Miao people. It should have started from that time, right? "

The corner of Register Wang's eye twitched, but he smiled and didn't say anything.

Ye Xiaotian frowned slightly, and said, "When I think of this matter, I find it very strange. Lu Mo was a merchant, and the reason he could be on good terms with the two Chieftains was because his business could bring benefits to the two Chieftains. But Register Wang was just a poor scholar, how did he become a guest of the two arrogant Chieftains?

Coincidentally, I also heard the two stockade chiefs mention that the two Chieftains fought over a piece of land, and even the Imperial Court came out to warn them. In reality, it was just a pretense. In reality, the two were not fighting over a piece of land, but a way to make money.

Is that piece of land very valuable? It's just a piece of new land formed by the alluvial river. The two Chieftains relied on the mountains to make a living, and didn't place much importance on farming. Why would they fight over a piece of land, and even more so when the Imperial Court came out to stop them? Unless … they were blinded by greed. How much profit would it take to make them do something so irrational? "

Ye Xiaotian shook his head and sighed, and said, "Gourd County is a barren and unruly place. What way to make money could there be for them to fight over? It's a pity that the two stockade chiefs didn't know, so I just listened and didn't investigate further. But this time, it made me connect the two completely unrelated matters.

Qi Mu suddenly rose up after the two Chieftains lost their reputation. Then before him, were there also people who were trafficking in contraband? If there were people doing the same thing at that time, who were they? Could it be … Lu Mo, the two Chieftains, and you, Register Wang? "

The chess piece that was flipping between Register Wang's fingers suddenly stopped, tightly clamped between two of Register Wang's withered fingers.

Ye Xiaotian smiled and said, "Perhaps it was because the two Chieftains didn't divide the spoils evenly, or perhaps one of them wanted to monopolize this source of wealth. In short, the two Chieftains were blinded by wealth and wanted to steal, so they fought. The Imperial Court took the opportunity to interfere, and the result was that the two Chieftains' families were destroyed and Gourd County was reclaimed.

Perhaps it was because of this that you became cautious and didn't dare to show your face in public like before. Thus, Lu Mo retreated behind Hu Qifeng. You also retreated behind Chen Muyan. You don't even need to personally support them. You only need to guide them according to the situation, and it will be enough to make them work for you. "

Clap!

The chess piece in Register Wang's hand landed on the chessboard. Register Wang lightly clapped his hands, "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! This old man originally thought that I had already thought highly of you, but who would have thought that I had still underestimated you. Haha, did you guess all of this based on a few clues? "

Ye Xiaotian shook his head and said, "Of course, my deductions were not so complete at the beginning. For example, the reason why the two Chieftains fought, or whether you, Register Wang, and Lu Mo became cautious because of this matter and retreated behind the scenes, I couldn't guess at all.

I only suspected that you, Lu Mo, and the two previous Chieftains were Qi Mu's previous smugglers, so I began to pay attention to you and monitored your and Lu Mo's every move. When I truly grasped the evidence of your involvement, only then did I deduce it. "

Register Wang laughed bitterly, "The younger generation will surpass us in time! The younger generation will surpass us in time! "

Ye Xiaotian said, "Back then, Qi Mu was able to monopolize the Gourd County Courier Road and collude with Meng Qingwei. It should be because you secretly created opportunities for them, right? Sun Rui said that the person who took the initiative to find Qi Mu and discuss cooperation with him was sent by you, right? "

Register Wang's eyes flickered, but he still smiled and didn't answer.

Ye Xiaotian sighed and said, "It's a pity that when the two Chieftains fought, you didn't mediate between them. Otherwise, the imperial court wouldn't have an excuse to intervene, and this place would still be the Chieftains' world. Although you, Lord Wang, can't become a registrar, you still flourish. There's no need to be cautious and retreat behind the scenes. "

Register Wang also sighed and said with regret, "It's a pity that the officials in the imperial court were too impatient. If they could have waited a little longer, the flames of war might not have been limited to Gourd County. Then the imperial court wouldn't have only taken Gourd County."

Ye Xiaotian was so angry that he laughed, saying, "In that case, you, Lord Wang, have painstakingly worked hard and endured hardships to gain courage, all for the sake of the Great Ming imperial court?"

Register Wang smiled and changed the subject, asking, "You've already sent people to keep an eye on Chen Muyan's coffin?"

Ye Xiaotian said, "That's right. At this time, the fish … should be biting soon, right?"