Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Ding Lisheng had already fallen asleep. He was woken up by someone while he was half asleep. Just when he was about to get angry, he heard that Chen Shao was looking for him, so he quickly got up, asked someone to help him put on his clothes, and hurried to Chengfeng Courtyard.

Looking at his pale face and the sweat dripping down, Chen Shao asked with concern: "How are your injuries?"

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I am almost well now." Ding Lisheng replied earnestly. Of course it still hurts, and it will take at least ten days or half a month to recover, but this pain is nothing compared to the closure of the Zhu family. The Gu and Zhu families let him be beaten, and he wanted them to perish. Just thinking about it makes me excited.

Chen Shao nodded, ignoring his shining eyes, and asked, "Have they tried to get close to you in the past two days?"

"I have!" Ding Lisheng said without hesitation, "The Gu family, Zhu family, Fan family and Qi family all sent people to send me ginseng and other supplements yesterday afternoon. The Zhu family also hinted to me that the young master went to the Gu family the night before, and seemed to want to join forces with the Gu family to deal with me. After I exchanged a few words with the visitor, I turned around and told the Gu family about the Zhu family's gift to me. In addition, the Fan family and the Qi family both asked me why the young master went to the Gu family, and I always answered that I didn't know."

After Chen Shao praised him for a few words, he told him about the incident in which the Zhu family had instructed the Anrentang clerk to spread rumors that Master Gu did not allow students to enter the warehouse. After he finished speaking, he let him digest it for a while before asking, "In your opinion, what is the purpose of the Zhu family's action?"

Ding Lisheng was shocked. After repeating her words uncertainly, he clapped his hands and said, "It seems that the rumors I heard earlier were all true!"

Chen Shao asked: "What rumor?"

Ding Lisheng said, "Two years ago, I accidentally heard someone mention that the second shopkeeper's youngest son married a woman from the Zhu family of Wu County. But as far as I know, the second shopkeeper's daughter-in-law's surname is Fang, so I didn't take it seriously. Now I think about it, this matter is definitely not groundless!"

This makes sense. Chen Shao remembered that Zhao Qiang had said that the second shopkeepers of Changshun and Yongshun were both recruited robber leaders. These robbers had many subordinates, and most of them were ruthless. They turned over a new leaf, but secretly they were no different from the private soldiers of the Gu and Zhu families. This can be seen from the fact that they prevented students from entering the warehouse. These robbers did not take the government seriously at all.

This is probably the confidence of the Gu and Zhu families.

But if the younger son of the second manager of Changshun Commodity Store married a member of the Zhu family of Wujun, then it goes without saying that the second manager must be loyal to the Zhu family, and the Changshun Commodity Store would also belong to the Zhu family.

However, Chen Shao still couldn't understand why the Gu family had no defense against the Zhu family at all.

"That's because Zhu San once saved Master Gu's life!" Hearing her question, Ding Lisheng roughly recounted the story of how Zhu San lost his life while saving Master Gu.

So that's it. After digesting the story, Chen Shao slowly summarized: "Zhu San is dead, and the gold, silver, silk, porcelain and other items that Zhu San brought back from the Zhu family are gone. Although the gold, silver, silk, porcelain and other items that Gu Erye brought back from the Gu family are also gone, he is still alive."

Ding Lisheng nodded: "Yes."

Chen Shao asked: "When did this happen?"

Ding Lisheng thought for a moment before answering, "It should have been six years ago."

It was six years ago again. Chen Shao asked calmly, "The fifteenth year of Yuanhe?"

Ding Lisheng nodded. "In June of the fifteenth year of Yuanhe, it was Madam Zhu's birthday. Second Master Gu followed Third Master Zhu back to celebrate. They set out for Wu County in mid-May and returned in early July. It was on the way back that they encountered those robbers."

Chen Shao asked nonchalantly, "Didn't they say that the Gu, Zhu, Fan, and Qi families are all very close? Why did only Master Gu go to celebrate Old Madam Zhu's birthday, while the Fan and Qi families didn't go?"

Ding Lisheng said quickly, "They went too, but it was Master Fan and Master Qi who went, and they only set out in early June and returned in mid-July. Whether they went or came back, they did not go with Master Gu Er and Master Zhu San."

Chen Shao wanted to ask again about this time point, whether the Ren family and the Wen family had also returned to Shu County, but he was afraid of alerting the enemy, so he swallowed the question and asked instead: "After those robbers robbed the property brought back by Master Zhu Er and Master Gu San, did they disappear?"

Ding Lisheng should be.

Chen Shao tapped the armrest of the chair twice and asked slowly and deliberately, "After the incidents of Second Master Zhu and Third Master Gu, did the Gu family discover unexpected wealth or suddenly make a lot of money in business?"

"Young Master, you mean..." Ding Lisheng was suddenly shocked, and then he thought for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "I haven't heard of it, but the Gu family bought a large number of farms in the second year after Master Gu's accident, which was the 16th and 17th year of Yuanhe."

Chen Shao then asked: "In your opinion, what is the relationship between the Gu family and the Zhu family?"

Ding Lisheng said: "I have had more contact with Master Gu and Master Zhu. From the limited contact, Master Zhu doesn't talk much, but Master Gu takes good care of him."

In other words, no matter what the truth of the incident was, the Gu family had been "giving thanks" to the Zhu family, especially the second master Gu. After figuring out the old "grudges" between the two families, and gaining a better understanding of why the various noble families suddenly united six years ago, Chen Shao turned the topic back to the right time and asked, "Who are the members of the Zhu family? Do they all live in Hongyuan County, or are they separated and located elsewhere?"

Are they going to attack the Zhu family? Ding Lisheng couldn't help but say excitedly, "Grandpa Zhu, Mr. Zhu, Mrs. Zhu, and the current Zhu family leader, Mr. Zhu, and the other eldest sons all live in a big house in Hongyuan County. The second son of Mr. Zhu's generation lives in the Hua'an Mountain Villa near Wuhai Town, and the third son lives in Tongwang County."

Chen Shao gestured to Chan Yi: "Go get some paper and pen."

Chan Yi brought over a pen and paper, and Chen Shao motioned her to place them in front of Ding Lisheng, "Write it down, and try to clearly describe who is in the first, second, and third rooms."

After Ding Lisheng said yes, he thought about it and quickly wrote down the main characters of the Zhu family.

The Hongyuan County mansion has the most people, with more than sixty descendants in total, while the second and third branches have about the same number of people, both with thirty-five or thirty-six people. After taking a general look at the relationships between the characters, Chen Shao asked in detail, "What do the second and third branches do respectively?"

Ding Lisheng said ashamedly: "I don't know exactly what I do."

I don't know, this is a bit troublesome. Chen Shao frowned slightly and continued to ask: "What about the specific location of the second and third rooms? I don't know either?"

"That's clear." Ding Lisheng said immediately, "Hua'an Mountain is just three miles south of Wuhai Town, and there is only the Zhu family's villa in that area. The Zhu family's third branch's house in Tongwang County is in the county town, and it is separated from the county government by half a street. Although I have never been there, I have heard from Master Fan and Master Qi that the Zhu family's third branch's house occupies an entire street and is the largest and most luxurious house in the entire Tongwang County."

"How many people are there in Changshun Cargo Company?" Chen Shao asked again.

"There are three or four hundred people." After a pause, Ding Lisheng added, "Among these three or four hundred people, nearly three hundred were former robbers."

Three hundred robbers, that is, three hundred private soldiers.

Three hundred private soldiers have surrendered to the Zhu family.

The total number of Yulin Guards she could use was only one hundred. Excluding those who were on mission, there were only seventy left. Seventy people against three hundred people, if used properly, could barely handle it. But in this way, the second and third houses would have to be abandoned, and even the direct lineage might slip through the net. There was no point in eradicating them like this. It was okay for her to be here, but if she left, it would be hard to guarantee that they would not come back. Chen Shao lowered his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and simply asked Li Tianliu: "Is there any way to catch all the people in the Zhu family in one fell swoop?"

Li Tianliu glanced at Ding Lisheng, then looked at her: "When?"

Chen Shao said: "The sooner the better."

Li Tianliu reminded calmly: "We can only mobilize a hundred people."

Chen Shao said calmly: "That's why I asked you."

Li Tianliu sighed, walked into the room and sat diagonally opposite her, and asked Ding Lisheng directly: "How many people do you have available?"

Ding Lisheng pondered for a moment and said, "Not many. All together, there are only about thirty-five or six people."

Li Tianliu raised his eyebrows and continued to ask: "Where is Lord Lei?"

Ding Lisheng said hurriedly: "He probably doesn't have anyone to use."

Afraid that they would not believe him, he hurriedly told them the details of how Lei Dehou became a military officer in the prefectural governor's mansion thanks to the Zhou family. After that, he did not forget to add: "Lei Dehou has been a military officer for many years, and he has given the Zhou family a lot of convenience, but the Zhou family has always looked down on him because of his promotion. The general should be cautious about using people who are superior to the powerful and look down on the inferior."

Li Tianliu said indifferently: "More than 30 people are a bit too few."

"There are fewer people, but there are solutions." Afraid that he would change his mind and not deal with the Zhu family, Ding Lisheng quickly offered advice, "Since the Zhu family has instructed the guys at Anrentang to spread those rumors, it proves that they don't want to be enemies with you. You just need to hold them back, and the general can secretly dispatch troops and catch him off guard."

Li Tianliu sneered twice, "The Zhu family's first, second, and third branches are separated into three places to prevent being wiped out in one fell swoop. Now they have gone to Gu's house for two consecutive nights. The Zhu family has not moved on the surface, but they must have been prepared in secret. Tell me, with so few people, how can they be caught in one fell swoop?"

Ding Lisheng laughed dryly and said, "Since we don't have enough manpower, can we first deal with the big house in the county city, and then deal with the second and third houses in Hua'an Mountain and Tongwang County?"

Li Tianliu sneered: "They are just wooden stakes, they don't know how to run, they are just standing there waiting for you to deal with them?"

Ding Lisheng smiled awkwardly and dared not speak.

"Where are the thirty or so people you have now?" Li Tianliu asked coldly.

"More than ten people are following Lord Zhao to investigate the identities of the bodies in the ice cellar," Ding Lisheng said cautiously, "and the rest are at the Ding family."

"More than 30 people are definitely not enough," Li Tianliu brought the topic back to Chen Shao, "Hasn't the Ren family been trying to curry favor with you recently? Find a way to get a few dozen people from them."

Chen Shao took a quick look at Ding Lisheng, who was hesitant to speak, and instructed Fu Jiu, "Go to Ren's house and ask someone who can take charge to come over. Be careful to hide your whereabouts."

After Fu Jiu left, Li Tianliu asked, "When do you plan to start? Tell me a specific time."

Chen Shao did not answer but asked: "After we left Gu's house, did the Zhu family go there again?"

"He went." Li Tianliu glanced at Ding Lisheng and answered simply, "The only one who didn't go was Master Zhu, and he left in less than half a cup of tea. As for Master Zhu Er, he went to the Fan family after we entered the Gu family. After we left the Gu family, Master Gu Er also went to the Fan family."

Chen Shao said: "We will start tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night..." Li Tianliu pondered for a moment, "Then the Ding family will be responsible for solving the problem of the third house in Tongwang County, the Ren family will solve the problem of the second house in the Hua'an Mountain Villa, and the Yulin Guards will solve the problem of the first house in the county city."

Ding Lisheng said in panic, "This, this subordinate only has more than 30 people, and the third branch of the Zhu family has more than 30 people. If you add the servants, there must be at least a hundred people. I am afraid that the few people I have are not enough to deal with them."

Li Tianliu readily said, "The Ding family has seventy-three manors. If we mobilize two strong men from each manor and add the original thirty-odd people, there will be about one hundred and seventy to eighty people. I will arrange ten Yulin guards to lead them, and there will be nearly two hundred people in total. If this still cannot solve the problem of the three branches of the Zhu family, then you should not be a military officer of the Law Department anymore."

"I will fully cooperate with the Yulin Guards to deal with the third branch of the Zhu family!" Ding Lisheng cleverly pushed the responsibility onto the Yulin Guards.

Li Tianliu was too lazy to argue with him about these word games. "Time is urgent. You must immediately arrange for people to go to various manors to mobilize troops, and then arrange for the more than 30 people in your hands to gather at Anjiubi separately. Everyone must be present before dawn. No one is allowed to leak the news, otherwise they will be punished by military law!"

Ding Lisheng shuddered and quickly made arrangements.

Looking at his receding back, Chen Shao said, "Tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow night, you continue to go to Gu's house." Li Tianliu took over her words forcibly, "The time of action will be determined by whether Master Zhu or the two brothers go to Gu's house. I will arrange people to ambush at Gu's house and control them as much as possible, so that the Zhu family dare not take action with all their strength. In addition, I will also transfer the Yulin Guards in those gardens and academies back before the action. Tongwang County and Hua'anshan Villa will each arrange ten Yulin Guards to be responsible for the command. There will be about seventy Yulin Guards left in the county city."

Having said this, Li Tianliu paused for a moment before continuing, "Since we need to eradicate the Zhu family, I can only arrange for ten Yulin Guards to stay by your side to protect you."

"Ten people are enough." Chen Shao said.

Li Tianliu did not refute her words, but said with a smile: "If I were a member of the Zhu family, after knowing that you were going to deal with the Zhu family, I would definitely arrange people to keep a close eye on you. When you take action against the Zhu family, I will do my best to deal with you."

Chan Yi said: "Then why did you only arrange ten people?"

"Ten people are enough." Chen Shao said again, "The Zhu family knew that I was going to deal with them, but they didn't know that I would do it so soon. Judging from the actions of Second Master Zhu to the Fan family tonight, Changshun Cargo Company is not completely controlled by the Zhu family. If the Zhu family wants to mobilize them to deal with me, it is impossible not to alert the Gu family. In addition, Master Zhu came out of the Gu family in less than half a cup of tea tonight, proving that they were very unhappy. Third Master Zhu once saved Second Master Gu's life, but no matter how great the favor is, it cannot compare to the interests of the family, so when I go to the Gu family again tomorrow night, the Gu family will most likely make a choice."

Chan Yi asked anxiously, "What if the Gu family still chooses the Zhu family?"