Master of Rebirth

"Li Mian?" Wang Qi was even more surprised that the person who had just heard about it for a few days turned out to be Mr. Wu Zhu.He hurriedly brought those portraits in front of Yanwu, and said, "Look at these paintings, are they Li Mian?"

At this moment, Yanwu is like a defeated soldier, without a trace of energy in his body.He glanced at it casually, and said casually: "It should be."

Seeing that Yan Wu didn't look carefully at all, Wang Qi put down the portrait, grabbed his shoulder and said, "Yan Wu, cheer up, at this time, the more you can't relax your vigilance."

"Heh..." Yan Wu gave a wry smile, broke away from Wang Qi's hands, and said weakly: "Even if we put up 12 energy, so what? Mr. Wu Zhu has been captured by the Marquis of Dingbei, what else can we do?" ?”

Knowing that Yanwu was severely hit and seemed to have lost his fighting spirit, Wang Qi quickly explained: "It's still too early to decide whether to win or lose. We have already deduced that Mr. Wuzhu must have a close relationship with the court. He is hiding next to the emperor. Although Li Mian has some background, he is only a businessman after all. How can he influence the court situation? Besides, all the clues we found before point to Ning'an Bofu. At this juncture, Dingbei Hou and Ning Amber pushed Li Mian out, which was too timely. Maybe this Li Mian is their scapegoat."

"My subordinates have heard Prince Wang's deduction from the Young Master, and it is indeed very exciting. But it is only a guess after all, without any basis. All kinds of evidence now point to Li Mian, and there are all evidences." Yan Wu said in a deep voice: "More What's more, the imperial decree has been issued, and the matter is a foregone conclusion, Prince Wang should accept the reality."

Hearing this, Wang Qi's heart sank even more, and he quickly asked, "What conclusive evidence is there? Tell me quickly."

"Young master will be back soon, you should ask him." Yan Wu replied wearily, then left without looking back.

Knowing that Yan Wu was in a bad mood, Wang Qi didn't bother with him, all he was thinking about at the moment was Mr. Wu Zhu's affairs.

After wandering around the house several times, Zhao Jing still didn't come back, Wang Qi couldn't wait any longer, so she simply went to wait at the gate of the Hou Mansion.

It's already autumn now, except for the sunny day at noon, the rest of the time is chilly.

Wang Qi waited anxiously at the gate of the Hou Mansion until the sun was setting in the west, and the sound of horseshoes finally came from the corner of the street.Wang Qi was refreshed, and looked over quickly, and she really saw Zhao Rui and Zhao Jing coming on horseback.

After not seeing each other for a few days, Zhao Jing was visibly haggard, exhaustion was written all over his handsome face.Seeing him like this, Wang Qi only felt sore and astringent in her heart.

Because of Zhao Rui's presence, Wang Qi couldn't be too intimate with Zhao Jing, so she could only greet them respectfully, and saluted the two of them.

Fortunately, Zhao Rui didn't have time to pay attention to the two of them, so he got off his horse and ran into the Hou's mansion, probably looking for Kong Yun.

Handing the reins to the guard behind him, Zhao Jing touched Wang Qi's hand and reproached him, "It's so cold, how long have you been waiting here?"

Having no time to think about other things, Wang Qi pulled Zhao Jing back and asked in a low voice, "I heard from Yan Wu that Mr. Wu Zhu is Li Mian. What's going on?"

At that time, the incident happened suddenly, and Zhao Jing was very busy. After the incident came to an end, it suddenly occurred to him that two days had passed.Fearing that Wang Qi was in a hurry, Zhao Jing hurriedly ordered Yanwu to return to the mansion and inform him.Now it seems that Wang Qi is even more worried.

"You don't need to worry, things haven't reached the worst yet, let's talk about it when we go back." Zhao Jing took off his cloak and put it on Wang Qi, hugging him.

Knowing that this is not the place to discuss matters, Wang Qi nodded obediently, and then went back with Zhao Jing.

Maybe because of Zhao Jing's presence, after entering the room, Wang Qi calmed down instead.He methodically ordered his servants to fetch water for Zhao Jing to freshen up, and personally helped him change into comfortable clothes, and passed some meals around.

After Zhao Jing tidied things up, she slowly revealed the cause and effect of the matter.

It turned out that Mr. Wu Zhu was indeed Mrs. Ning Anbo's wife, Mrs. Qin's old lover.After he left home that year, he abandoned his previous name, changed his name and surname, and learned from a teacher.Later, Wuzhu joined the fifth prince's mansion as an aide, and accidentally recognized the Qin family by accident.In order to leave a way out for himself, he used his original identity design to reconnect with the Qin family, and lied that he was coming to the capital for business.After the failure of the fifth prince's rebellion, Li Mian escaped under the protection of the Qin family.

"You mean, Wu Zhu used two identities to travel between the Fifth Prince's Mansion and Ning Anbo's Mansion at the same time, but the Fifth Prince and Ning Anbo's mansion didn't notice it at all?" Wang Qi said in disbelief.

Zhao Jing said: "Whether the Fifth Prince is aware of it is unknown now, but Shen Rongchang should not know about it. Otherwise, according to his courage, he would definitely not dare to have anything to do with Li Mian."

"What about Zhou He, the second manager of the Ning Anbo Mansion? What role does he play in it?" Wang Qi asked.

Zhao Jing said in a deep voice: "Zhou He is Li Mian's man, and he is also his eyeliner in the Ning'an House. There are many things that Li Mian ordered Zhou He to do in the name of the Ning'an House."

"That is to say, the huge Ning'anbo Mansion has become a shield for Li Mian to be taken advantage of?" With a chuckle, Wang Qi still couldn't believe it, "Li Mian is Mrs. Shen Rongchang's old lover, not Shen Rongchang. Yes, how could he have this ability?"

"Of course there is a reason." Sighing, Zhao Jing said: "You guessed right, the commercial street in Li Mian was indeed promoted by the imperial court. More than 20 years ago, the houses on the west side of the city were old and the streets were mixed. , the roads are narrow and congested, which greatly affects the overall image of the capital. However, there are many businessmen nearby, gathering merchants from all over the world. We call ourselves the country above Daliang. If merchants from other countries see the capital like this The appearance is definitely not good-looking. So the emperor has always wanted to renovate that side, so as not to hinder the view."

Wang Qi can understand, although Daliang has been established for a hundred years, and the emperor has changed four, but there are powerful enemies around him, and he has been living a miserable life.That is to say, after ascending to the throne today, the three marquises worked hard and won a few battles, so they barely gained some prestige.Back then, in order to establish the majesty of the great country and to intimidate the barbarians from all over the world, the imperial court often boasted how prosperous and powerful it was.If foreign merchants saw the dilapidated capital, wouldn't they laugh at Daliang, who was strong on the outside and capable on the inside?

"But this is not an easy task." Zhao Jing sighed, and continued: "Those houses are owned by the people themselves. If they are asked to pay for the house, they may not be willing. But if the court pays, it will not Reality."

Wang Qi took over the conversation and said: "Even if the imperial court is willing to pay, it's a waste of money. Some people may not be willing to use the money to build a house. When they repair it carelessly, they will say that the money has been spent. You can't do anything about it." No. Besides, people always like to take more advantage and less disadvantage. In order to occupy more land, they will do everything possible. Even if they build a house by themselves, a wall can turn the face of old neighbors who have lived in harmony for decades. The road outside the wall is unowned land, so it is more convenient to occupy it. The streets in the west of the city are narrow, and they may have been secretly occupied by people nearby."

"You're right." Zhao Jing smiled wryly, and said, "The imperial court has two purposes for rectifying the west of the city. One is to renovate the houses, and the other is to widen the streets. But no one wants to send their homes out to become roads. Households The Ministry has been studying for a long time, but it really can't come up with a charter, and the war in the north is tight, the treasury is empty, and there is no money to deal with it, so this matter has been shelved for the time being."

Wang Qi knew that those few years should be when Dingbeihou was fighting in the north.At that time, the imperial court used troops all the year round, the treasury was empty, and everything was stretched.In addition, the emperor had just quelled the rebellion of the five kings, and his vitality was greatly damaged, and he really couldn't stand the toss.If this matter is not handled properly and arouses public resentment, it will only make matters worse.

"When the emperor was at a loss, Shen Rongchang suggested to the emperor that there was a way to solve the mess in the west of the city." Zhao Jing said: "He said that the imperial court can buy all the houses in the west of the city, and then build new houses by himself. After the construction is completed If you sell it again, you will get back the money to buy the land and build a house, and you can make more money. At that time, the emperor thought he was crazy, but he didn't reprimand him in the face of Concubine Shen. He only said that the treasury didn't have that much money to buy land. He was re-covered, so he was sent back. Unexpectedly, within a few days, Shen Rongchang entered the palace again..."

Wang Qi could understand the following words without Zhao Jing's further words, and couldn't help laughing: "I'm afraid that the fire at Langzhong's house gave Ning Anbo inspiration. Spreading rumors of haunted people made the people tremble and sell the property at a low price. It's really his fault come out."

Wang Qi changed the topic, and continued: "However, it was true that the national treasury was tight at that time. Even if the residents sold it at a low price, the sum would add up to a considerable amount. What's more, the house had to be rebuilt. Where did the emperor get the money from?" ?”

"The money belongs to Li Mian, and he also came up with the idea." Zhao Jing said: "When Li Mian found Mrs. Qin, she lied about making a fortune doing business abroad. Ms. Qin introduced Li Mian to Shen Rongchang in the name of her cousin from afar. Because Qin's natal family rarely came to relatives, Shen Rongchang loved the house and Wu, so he was not wary of Li Mian, nor did he delve into his past. After that, the two families got closer and closer, and Li Mian heard about the west of the city from Shen Rongchang, so he I gave him an idea. The emperor agreed to it after seeing a set of plans designed by Li Mian."

Wang Qi wondered: "But we all know that Li Mian's identity as a businessman is fake. Where did he get so much money?"

"The fifth prince was deeply loved by the first emperor, and he also had a grandfather who was so rich that no one knew how much silver he had. After the death of the fifth prince, the emperor confiscated his palace and confiscated all his property. It is said that at that time the account The whereabouts of a large amount of banknotes is unknown, and it is estimated that Li Mian took it." Zhao Jing said.

"But the specific bank number is written on the bank note. If you don't use such a large bank note, you will definitely find out if you use it." After saying this, Wang Qi suddenly smiled, "I was negligent. At that time, Li Mian was working for the emperor. Even if he couldn't make it public, the higher-ups would definitely greet the people below. With Ning Anbo making the decision, I am afraid no one would dare to suspect that there was something wrong with his bank note. Using the guise of working for the emperor to put that Washing a penny of money for nothing, this trick is really brilliant!"

Zhao Jing nodded, as acquiescing to this, and he continued: "Li Mian not only successfully recovered the land, but also built a commercial street, and its business flourished. Although the imperial court's help is indispensable, I think According to his ability, even if the imperial court did not promulgate the decree, he could bring the commercial street back to life. After all the principal was recovered, Li Mian dedicated the street to the imperial court. The emperor solved the trouble without spending a penny. He also got a whole street of rent, which filled the national treasury, so he was naturally happy, and Shen Rongchang's status also rose with the tide."

"If this is the case, this Li Mian has really helped Ning Anbo earn a lot of face in front of the emperor." Wang Qi said: "Ning Anbo must trust him very much, and it will definitely not be difficult to insert someone in."

Zhao Jing said sarcastically: "That's not true. With such a military adviser who can make suggestions, Shen Rongchang who has no opinion will probably confess him and praise him, no matter what Li Mian says, he will believe it."

Wang Qi said: "So Li Mian is just a cover for the public, and that street has been the court's business from the very beginning."

"That's right." Zhao Jing smiled contemptuously, and said, "Using such a shady method to buy people's houses at a low price, the emperor can't afford to lose that person, let alone have anything to do with this matter. Things have always been serious. Rongchang and Li Mian took care of it, except for a few cronies of the emperor, no one knew about it. If Li Mian hadn't been exposed, even the father would not have known about the inside story."

"But there is one thing I still can't understand." Wang Qi said: "There is nothing to show courteousness to. It's either adultery or robbery. Today's emperor has a deep taboo against merchants. Even though Li Mian was recommended by Ning Anbo, he still couldn't get rid of his identity as a merchant. He If you spend money and efforts like this, the emperor will not give him an official position, let alone make him an imperial merchant. Has the emperor never doubted his purpose? Do you really believe that he is purely contributing to the country?"

Zhao Jing said: "Naturally, it's not that Li Mian has nothing else to ask for. He reassured the emperor from the very beginning, saying that he would not seek an official position after the matter is completed, nor would he seek business from the imperial court, nor would he ask the imperial court to give him any business benefits. For convenience, I just hope that the emperor can let his son take the imperial examination for the sake of his meritorious service to the country. As for whether he can pass the exam, it depends on luck."

"This man's scheming is really extraordinary. Just one sentence dispelled all the doubts and concerns of the emperor." Wang Qi praised: "Everything is inferior, only reading. The emperor hates businessmen, treats them like worthless things, and deprives them The qualifications of the scientific examination block their way to be superior. In the eyes of the emperor, people can use all means to climb up. What's more, as parents, they spend all their wealth just to find a future for their sons. It's not too much. But..." Wang Qi was puzzled: "Since they have lived in peace for so many years, how did Shen Rongchang find out that there is something wrong with Li Mian?"

"Because of Zhou Ying." Zhao Jing said.

After Moji Khan's accident, the matter of Mr. Wuzhu was revealed again.Zhou Ying was ordered to investigate. He suspected that Mr. Wu Zhu might have a proper household registration in the capital, which was why he escaped the search that was like a net of heaven and earth.Zhou Ying checked the newly added household registrations in Beijing in those few years, and this investigation revealed Li Mian's settlement records.

Li Mian only settled in the capital a year after the death of the Fifth Prince. Zhou Ying knew that he was related to Shen Rongchang, so she didn't doubt it at all.Unexpectedly, the official in charge was still in office at that time. In order to sell Zhou Ying, he added an extra word, saying that when Li Mian settled in the capital, his original household registration book was lost.It is said that the time when the household registration book was lost was catching up with the martial law in the whole city, and the accomplices of the fifth prince were arrested everywhere. Li Mian was afraid of causing trouble to his upper body, so he did not dare to make up for it.Because Ning Anbo sent someone to say hello, the official not only didn't make things difficult, but even helped with the matter.

"During that time, people were being arrested everywhere, and everyone in the capital was trembling. It is natural for Li Mian not to dare to cause suspicion. With Shen Rongchang as a guarantee, the official didn't care. But after hearing this, Zhou Ying was interested." Zhao Jing said in a deep voice, "Although he knew that Shen Rongchang could not have anything to do with Mr. Wu Zhu, just in case, he still sent people to Li Mian's hometown and the place where he did business before. Investigation. As a result, no trace of Li Mian was found. Only then did Zhou Ying realize that something was wrong, so she went to ask Shen Rongchang."

Wang Qi joked: "Marquis Dingbei is bold enough. Since he found out that Zhou He had a problem, he actually asked Shen Rongchang directly. Isn't he afraid that Shen Rongchang is Mr. Wuzhu?"

"Although I don't have any good feelings for Shen Rongchang, I have to say something fair. Shen Rongchang was born in the capital and has been living under the emperor's nose. He can't be Mr. Wuzhu." Zhao Jing said.

Seeing that Zhao Jing took it seriously, Wang Qi hurriedly explained: "I know, but it doesn't mean that he won't collude with Mr. Wu Zhu."

Zhao Jingdao: "Zhou Ying said that he also had such suspicions at first, especially when he found the miasma on Zhou He's body in Ning An Bo's mansion, he swallowed his words. Zhou Ying secretly investigated, but did not find anything about Shen Rongchang. It was not right, but it was discovered that Zhou He often communicated songs behind Shen Rongchang and Li Mian's back. And Li Mian's action line in recent years is also consistent with the places where Mr. Wuzhu has appeared in the emperor's knowledge."

Wang Qi said, "Has Li Mian pleaded guilty?"

"No." Zhao Jing shook his head and said: "When we arrived, Li Mian had committed suicide by taking poison. However, many relics of the fifth prince were found in the secret room of his study, and these things were enough to convict him. And Zhou He also admitted that he was Zou Ran, and that he had contacted Hall to assassinate Moji Khan under Li Mian's order, in order to stir up disputes on the Daliang border."

Wang Qi didn't understand: "Why did they provoke a dispute on the Daliang border? What good does it do them?"

"It's to avenge the fifth prince." Zhao Jing frowned.

Wang Qi was even more puzzled, "But according to what we know about Wu Zhu, this person is determined to climb up and use any means to get to the top. Although the Fifth Prince has shown him the kindness of knowing him, but to put it bluntly, it is just a ladder for him to get to the top. Is he really good?" It's easy to change your face and get everything you have today, as for a person who has been dead for more than 20 years, waste all your efforts?"

"Who knows?" Zhao Jing sighed, and said, "People are the most elusive. Maybe Wuzhu really valued the kindness of the Fifth Prince, or maybe he was not greedy enough and was not satisfied with the status quo."

Agreeing with Zhao Jing's statement, Wang Qi murmured: "I still think this matter is too smooth, all the evidence, logic, and criminals are done in one go, whatever the emperor wants, they will give it to them, it really is everything. It's well arranged."

"No matter what, everything is settled." Zhao Jing frowned and said: "Early this morning, Shen Rongchang took Shen Yingjie to the imperial court to plead guilty, crying with snot and tears, and begged the emperor to protect him Even Shen Guifei took off her hairpin in plain clothes, begging the emperor to abolish her concubine position and remove her father and brother from their official positions."

Wang Qi said with a smile: "Ning Anbo has been deceived from the beginning to the end, and the reason why he was deceived was because he cared too much about his family and was eager to share the emperor's worries. Even if he was wrong, it was not an unforgivable big deal. Wrong. Concubine Shen has no contact with the Seventh Prince and Li Mian, so I can't blame them. Marquis Dingbei did a great job in uncovering Mr. Wu Zhu, and she won't be implicated in any way. Such a big thing just passed by so lightly If it is true that no one is calculating, it can only be said that Ning Anbo has definitely accumulated great virtues in his previous life. At this juncture, Ning Anbo and Concubine Shen are retreating and selling miserably, I am afraid that the emperor will not bear it Go after them."

"You're right." Zhao Jing said: "The emperor didn't punish him, nor did he relieve Shen Yingjie from his job as the commander of the imperial army. He just reprimanded them and let them go back."

Wang Qi couldn't help sighing, "You still said that things didn't turn out to be the worst, which is obviously not good for us!"

"Don't worry." Zhao Jing added: "Although the emperor didn't pursue Shen Rongchang, he left the rest of the matter to my father and me. Even Zhou Ying went back to the house to avoid suspicion."

Wang Qi was puzzled and said: "Ning An Bo's mansion is involved, Zhou Ying, as Shen Rongchang's son-in-law, should avoid suspicion. The emperor doesn't let him continue to participate, what's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, but after coming out of the emperor's bedroom, Sun Bojian and his lord suddenly pulled his father aside and asked in a low voice." Fearing that Wang Qi wouldn't understand, Zhao Jing added, "This lord Sun He is a close minister next to the emperor, and he is very trustworthy."

Knowing about Sun Bojian, Wang Qi hurriedly asked, "What did he say?"

"He said, 'Do you think Li Mian is really Mr. Wu Zhu?'" Zhao Jing said in a deep voice.

Wang Qi said: "The cunning rabbit still has three caves, not to mention Mr. Wu Zhu's kind of scheming man. It's unbelievable that he is so clean and agile. What Mr. Sun said, could it be the emperor's words?" mean?"

"The Sacred Heart is unpredictable, I really don't dare to speculate." Zhao Jing said: "During this period of time, the emperor's body has become worse and worse than before, and his temper has become cloudy. Is this what the emperor meant or Mr. Sun However, even if Li Mian is Mr. Wuzhu, now that he is dead, there are still many things that have not been clarified. The emperor also wants to find out other accomplices, so that they can catch them all and avoid future troubles forever. Right now In our hands, if there is any emergency, it will be convenient to set things right."

Seeing that things were not as bad as expected, Wang Qi was a little relieved, "What does Zheng Xihou say?"

"Father said, we only need to do our due duty, and don't need to think about other things." Zhao Jing said.

Wang Qi nodded and said, "That's all we can do now. By the way, during the few days when you were away, Mr. Kong and I restored Wuzhu's portrait more than 20 years ago. I also tried to guess what he looks like now. You have a look."

After saying this, Wang Qi quickly showed Zhao Jing the results of the past few days.

"You have worked hard." Zhao Jing took those portraits and read them carefully several times, but unfortunately, there was no one who matched the portraits in his memory.

Facing Wang Qi's expectant gaze, Zhao Jing couldn't bear to say something that would disappoint him, so he put away the painting and said softly, "We'll show it to my father later."

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The author has something to say:

Tomorrow is the evil Monday again, hey, I hate Monday so much!