kingnovel Chapter 213 Meeting an old friend
Chapter 213 Meeting an old friend
The rest were all smart people and knew that Gu Wei must have some connection with the cavalry leader, but since Gu Wei didn't want to say it, no one asked.
Gu Wei had something on his mind at this time, so he asked calmly, "Where's Uncle Shi?"
Gao Cunyi poked his head over and said, "He saw that the grain harvest in Sinan County was not good, so he took a carriage to the suburbs. He said he would be back in two days and asked us not to worry about him."
Gu Wei nodded, took the accounts and went out.
As soon as I arrived at the gate of the county government office, I met Xie Ling.
Xie Ling raised her eyebrows: "Why are you here now?"
Gu Wei patted her shoulder and said, "Something happened. How is it? The news from your investigation."
"I followed up on Xu Xingzhi's investigation and found that the woman on death row was related to the horse servant of the Si family in Sinan County. The horse that the horse servant raised belonged to the second son of the Si family.
Besides that, I also found out that the staff of the second son of the Si family went to the old county magistrate’s house yesterday and I don’t know what they said.”
Xie Ling spread her hands, "That's all."
Gu Wei lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek, "Baby, you're great. Kiss."
Xie Ling stuck out his neck, as if ready to be killed.
Gu Wei was amused by her, "Come on, accompany me to the county magistrate's mansion to take a look."
Half an hour later, the two arrived at the gate of the old county magistrate's mansion.
The old county magistrate's mansion was much more luxurious than the Jinling Lane where Xie Ling and the others lived. The two large stone lions at the door looked lifelike and majestic, and there were even two servants standing guard.
As soon as Gu Wei and Xie Ling walked over, the two servants looked at them with contempt.
One of them looked up with his nose in the air, "Hey, who the hell are you to come and poke your head in front of our county magistrate's mansion?"
Just as he finished speaking, the vermilion door suddenly opened and a man who looked like a butler walked out.
He slapped the two servants in the face with both hands and said sternly, "Get lost! Go and accept your punishment! He is the new county magistrate. He is wearing his official uniform neatly. How could you not see that?"
The two servants ran away quickly and disappeared in an instant.
The housekeeper continued, "Sir and Madam, please don't bother with such a lowly person, or you will lower your status."
What a wonderful show of force! Although it is low-level, it is disgusting and makes people unable to get angry.
But Xie Ling is not the type to be bullied.
She sneered and looked the butler up and down. "I found that many people in Sinan County are good at acting, especially you and the two servants just now. Could it be that you are both from the opera world? It really opened my eyes."
The housekeeper's face turned purple and blue, and she angrily scolded: "Why are you, a woman, butting in?"
Gu Wei narrowed his eyes, used his inner strength, and blew the butler's palm towards him fiercely, knocking him to the ground. He rolled twice before stopping, with half of his face swollen as high as a pig's head.
"Are you qualified to yell at my wife? Besides, this is called a slap in the face."
Then, he walked straight over his body.
In the main hall, the old county magistrate had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Gu Wei, he tilted his mouth and said in a familiar tone, "Hey, what wind..."
Gu Wei's eyes were cold, and he threw the accounts compiled by Gao Cunyi and Xu Xingzhi directly onto the table in front of the old county magistrate.
"These are the financial loopholes in Sinan County in the past ten years that my men have compiled. You have been corrupt and abused your power, embezzled disaster relief funds, and played along with the Feng and Si families, helping them do countless dirty things. Your crimes are too numerous to list. You will be executed when you report to the capital."
The old county magistrate's eyes were full of disdain. He took the accounts in his hand and said, "How many days have you been in Sinan County? Three days? You said you have calculated the accounts for ten years? Ha, young man, don't be too arrogant..."
At this point, he paused, "How is it possible! No! This is impossible!"
He just flipped through it hastily, his eyes showing a hint of cruelty, and his hands spread apart, obviously wanting to tear it apart!
But Gu Wei's actions were faster than the county magistrate. He rushed over and knocked his hand away, saying coldly: "Don't even think about it. My men can make a new one in half a day."
The old county magistrate's hands trembled. "Bah, you dare! I don't believe you dare to fight against the two great families of Sinan County alone!"
Gu Wei didn't want to waste time with him, so he threw the letter of recommendation out. "This is a letter of recommendation. If you want to trip me up with this, I advise you to give up the idea. Just look for yourself and see who wrote this letter."
After saying that, he pulled up Xie Ling who was standing beside him and looked behind the screen. "Eavesdropping is indecent behavior. The two gentlemen inside, if you want to hear me, Zhou, speak next time, you can come directly to the county magistrate's mansion."
After saying this, he left in a leisurely manner.
The old magistrate unfolded the letter, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground after seeing the handwriting and signature clearly.
"This, this, this is a letter of recommendation written by Lord Yang, the governor of Jiaozhou, and it is full of praise... Mr. Si, I don't want to do it with you anymore. I have already retired and returned to my hometown. I just want to enjoy my old age..."
The screen embroidered with overlapping hills was suddenly pushed open, and a purple-robed young man with a vicious face walked out. He kicked the county magistrate and said, "You useless bastard! Is an ordinary young county magistrate worthy of your subservience?"
Jiang Shaoqing, who was standing by, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Second Master Si, don't be angry. The best part is yet to come. Wait until the 15th day of the lunar month, and the county magistrate will be in trouble."
Siqi's eyes flashed with a cold light, "Oh, since it can't be used by me, then destroy it. Anyway, Sinan County can only be ruled by my Si family. It's just an arrogant county magistrate..."
The old magistrate tried to crawl away trembling.
Siqi stepped on his hand and tapped his forehead with her folding fan again and again, "Sir County Magistrate, I just heard from that person that you are still in contact with the Feng family. Tsk."
The old magistrate was trembling with fear.
Si Qi smiled maliciously, "Shao Qing, check his dealings with the Feng family. County Magistrate, you know that the Si in Si Nan is the Si of my Si family."
On the other side, just as Xie Ling and Gu Wei walked to the door of their house, they saw a tall figure. The man was wearing a gray robe with his right hand hidden behind his back. When he heard the noise, he immediately turned around and met Gu Wei's eyes.
The man bowed and saluted, "Greetings, Your Excellency the County Magistrate."
Xie Ling had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the man's slightly trembling hands.
He whispered to Gu Wei, "Is this person an old friend of yours?"
Gu Wei nodded, "I'll explain it to you slowly later."
Then he hurried over, held the man's arms, and said in a deep voice: "Ji Ke, long time no see."
Ji Ke was a man of eight feet tall, and his eyes suddenly became moist. He couldn't help but yell, "General! I didn't expect to see you again in this life!"
Gu Wei nodded slightly, "Let's go in and talk."
The three of them walked into the main hall.
Gu Wei looked at Xie Ling and said to Ji Ke, "This is my first wife. Seeing her is like seeing me. There is no need to be shy."
Then he introduced Xie Ling, "This man is my best friend. He took the blame for me and faked his death before leaving Mobei. His hand..."
Speaking of this, Gu Wei's tone became heavier and full of grief.
"He lost a finger just to save me on the battlefield."
Upon hearing this, Xie Ling's face was full of admiration, and her eyes were fixed on Ji Ke's hands.
Ji Ke hid his hands behind his back embarrassedly, his heart burning. He didn't expect that he was so important in Gu Wei's eyes.
Then he half-knelt on the ground, put one hand on his chest, and saluted, "Greetings, General, and the General's wife."
Gu Wei laughed and helped him up. "Why? You are so polite to me? Tell me, how did you come to Sinan County?"
Ji Ke said seriously, “When I faked my death and left Mobei, I didn’t know where to go, so I walked southwards, and by chance I came to Sinan County.
I didn't know anything except brute force, so I used a fake name to enter the military camp, and eventually I became a small leader."
At this point, he smiled and said, "General, how did you come to Sinan County?"
Gu Wei briefly described his experiences along the way, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that we can work together again. It's really fate."
Ji Ke's eyes became serious, "General, Sinan County is not like other counties in Beijiang. The water here is very deep, and the previous county magistrate was just a decoration.
All the major financial affairs in the county are controlled by the two big families, the Feng family and the Si family. The show of power that you encountered on the day you entered the county town might have been done by one of these two families.
According to my understanding, the Feng family is more hypocritical and would not be so blatant to make things difficult for you. The Si family is more domineering, and it is most likely the Si family who did it. "
Gu Wei nodded, "My wife has already found out that it was the Si family who did it."
Ji Ke looked at Xie Ling with a little more respect. This lady was so beautiful and petite, like a porcelain doll. He didn't expect her to be so amazing!
His general has good vision!
Ji Ke immediately flattered her, "Madam is really amazing!"
The sun was shining brightly outside the window. Xie Ling brought in a pot of wine and went to the kitchen to make some simple side dishes.
A plate of peanuts, a plate of cold beef, and a few pounds of braised pork.
Ji Ke felt embarrassed and scratched his head, "How can I let the general's wife do this for me?"
Then he stood up and insisted on helping Xie Ling.
It was because of Xie Ling's firm attitude that he felt at ease to sit down and reminisce with Gu Wei.
The two men laughed heartily as they talked about the happy things that happened in the barracks in the past, and even the eight-foot-tall men had tears in their eyes when they talked about their dead comrades.
As they were chatting, a man ran in hurriedly, with messy hair and a wood screwdriver in his hand. It was Liao Qizhu.
"Sir, I was just moving things at the door and saw a bunch of people standing outside the mansion."
Liao Qizhu finished speaking hurriedly before he noticed Ji Ke sitting next to him.
He widened his eyes, brushed aside his messy long hair, looked Ji Ke up and down, and asked loudly: "Are you Ji Ke?"
Ji Ke also stood up immediately, "Uncle Qizhu?!"
Liao Qizhu's chest heaved with excitement. He didn't ask anything, but just said, "Okay, that's great. With you here, I have someone to help me cut wood."
He and Ji Ke were old acquaintances, and they were well-known friends regardless of age difference in the military camp.
Ji Ke learned a lot from him back then, including carpentry.
Ji Ke scratched his head, "Okay."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liao Qizhub pulled him away rudely.
"Uncle Qizhu, slow down."
Ji Ke didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He turned his head and saw Liao Qizhu's slightly red eyes and graying hair. His heart suddenly became heavy.
After so many years, Uncle Qizhu has grown old.
After the two left, Gu Wei and Xie Ling went to the door, wanting to see what the large group of people Liao Qizhu was talking about.
As soon as he walked over, a tall man in gray immediately looked over and bowed properly: "I am Feng Yunliang, and I am honored to meet the county magistrate. This must be your wife, right? She is so dignified and elegant, and she is a perfect match for you."
Don't hit a smiling person. Gu Wei raised his eyebrows and asked, "What is the purpose of Master Feng's visit?"
Feng Yunliang's slender eyes were full of smiles, but there was a hidden sharpness inside, which made people know that he was not a simple character.
"As the new county magistrate takes office, my Feng family is naturally here to congratulate him. I hope that everything goes well for Mr. Zhou in Sinan County."
As soon as he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers, and several servants carrying boxes immediately came up behind him.
Feng Yunliang gently opened a corner of the box, and a dazzling golden light immediately burst out, dazzling the servants around him.
A smug smile appeared on the corner of his lips, but when he looked up at Gu Wei, his smile froze.
Feng Yunliang thought he would see an expression of shock and greed on Gu Wei's face.
But the man in front of her looked indifferent. He just glanced at her and then looked away, as if he was looking at the flowers and plants on the roadside.
Feng Yunliang didn't believe it, so he lifted the lid a little more, revealing half a row of round and cute gold ingots.
But Gu Wei still had that indifferent expression, and even his wife was so cold and standoffish, not showing any excitement at all when seeing the gold, silver and treasures.
Feng Yunliang cleared his throat and said, "Your Excellency the County Magistrate has worked hard in managing Sinan County. I have specially sent you a thousand taels of gold. I hope you will accept it."
Gu Wei waved his hand, "I appreciate your kindness, but you should take these boxes back, Lord Feng. I still have a lot of things to do at home, so I'll excuse myself if there's nothing else."
As soon as he finished speaking, he took Xie Ling's hand and went back to the house.
Feng Yunliang's face became darker and darker. He kicked the box and said sternly, "What the hell, do you really take yourself seriously?"
The servant beside him hurried over to comfort him.
Feng Yunliang glanced at the door frame sternly, "Let's go to the old county magistrate's house. I want to let him know the price of arrogance."
The group headed towards the old county magistrate's mansion in a mighty procession.
Inside the house, Xie Ling shook her head, "You shouldn't have been so cold just now."
"Why?"
Xie Ling's eyes were cold. "Let these two families think that the other party has reached an alliance with you. Isn't it good for the dogs to bite each other?"
Gu Wei suddenly realized, "Indeed. My wife is really smart!"
Xie Ling crossed her arms and said, "I have already thought of a way to deal with them. When the snipe and the clam quarrel, the fisherman benefits. From now on, you just listen to me. In at most half a month, we can deal with both of them."
But on the second day, something happened that no one could have imagined.
The old county magistrate is dead!
His family insisted that it was the Feng family who did it.
The head of the Feng family, Feng Yunliang, happened to have visited the old county magistrate's mansion the day before and paraded around town, and everyone knew about it. Now he has been pushed directly to the forefront.
In the court, the old county magistrate's family cried heartbreakingly. If they hadn't been held back by the yamen runners around them, they would have probably rushed up and torn Feng Yunliang into pieces.
Feng Yunliang was so angry that veins popped out of his temples. He shouted angrily, "Ridiculous! Why would I kill him? This is slander! I went to talk to him yesterday!"