The mottled corners of the wall were covered with moss and gave off an unpleasant odor.
One after another figure swept out against the wall.
Because the weather was too stuffy, every household put mats and benches to sleep in the courtyard, but the house was empty. "The Meng family is a famous medicinal material dealer nearby. Their ancestral home is Taijing, and they fled here when the Chu Dynasty fell. They stole from the south. One-third of the medicinal materials shipped in have to go from the Meng family's shop, and the Meng family has two warehouses in Run County, and here is the account book on the bright side."
Ganquantang's guy is very capable, he opened his mouth and reported a long list to Meng Qi. In the evening, he recognized the door as if he had returned to his own home. This herbal medicine dealer also happens to have the same surname as Meng Qi, although Mo Li and Meng Qi know that they have no relatives at all, and the surname is random, let alone five hundred years, even if there is no "one family" people", but the guys at Ganquantang don't know.
This year, people with the same surname have met on the rivers and lakes, and they have to surrender to say that they were one family five hundred years ago.
Usually they are polite words. The disciples of the big sects look down on those who go to the rivers and lakes, and the people surnamed Wang and Li go everywhere to use this excuse to make fun of them.
But the ancestral home of Taijing is also surnamed Meng...
Mo Li glanced at the man, who laughed along with him, as if he didn't realize the connection at all.
Whether it was a coincidence or another test by Fengxing Pavilion, it had no effect on Meng Qi. He directly took out the account book and read it casually.
"The numbers don't match, there is a dark book."
Meng Qi said after a while.
At that time, the account book was made by my own family to show it to my own family. As long as my family knew where the money and goods went, of course, there was no need to deliberately balance the accounts.
Meng Qi couldn't understand the code words and marks used by this company for accounting, but the numbers were bright. Those who are quick to calculate can find that some medicinal materials that are not easy to store have not been sold, but there is no loss in the account.
There is no need to look for the secret book now, Meng Qi directly pointed it to Mo Li.
"These are not. Ganoderma lucidum may be used for gifts, safflower Danpi aconite... These may be abortions."
Needless to say the former, the buyer of the latter may be Huajie Liuxiang, otherwise where will the fixed large demand come from
Mo Li turned over a dozen pages in a row, but couldn't find any definite problems.
Because few single medicinal materials are purchased, they are also tonics, such as ginseng, deer antler and tiger bones. Once the others go out, they all follow the prescriptions. Mo Li can see what the medicines are for when they look at them. Occasionally, a certain drug store is out of stock, so they ask them to purchase some unprepared medicinal materials.
Quantities are normal.
What medicinal herbs wear out quickly on a daily basis, and where people are prone to get what diseases, Mo Li knows very well.
Holding this account book, Mo Li could not see any problems. The Meng family was an ordinary medicinal herb merchant, leaving a small part to sell locally, and most of them were shipped to the north.
"Chen's family, Sun's family, and this Ci'an Church, go and see."
If there are records of the same number as the Meng family, there is no problem with the Meng family.
"The secret book?"
"I don't have time to look for it."
The swordsman has been caught by them, and the cemetery has been lifted.
I'm also afraid that the grass will be plucked out and the snake will come soon.
"Before dawn, determine where the medicinal materials flowed out."
The guy clicked his tongue, he didn't do much to check the news, but it was the first time it was so tight.
The way the two of them looked for clues was different from their Fengxing Pavilion. The second they went to was the Sun Family Business, which specialized in reselling and reselling. The medicinal materials were not sold locally, and there was no house in Run County. The business is selling coarse cloth and brown rice, and the goods received from the village are large and cheap. The business opened on the widest street in Runxian County, with five shops in total, and there were still people squatting to watch at night.
Meng Qi threw a handful of pebbles out, and those who didn't fall asleep soon became drowsy because of the acupuncture points.
There was no trace of the account book in the shop.
Ganquantang's guy was about to pry the door of the warehouse, but Meng Qi reached out and twisted the big iron lock hanging on it.
The guy looked at the twisted latch tongue.
This is pig iron, the real thing.
"Why come here first?" Meng Qi asked curiously.
"intuition."
Mo Li did not say that from the information of Fengxing Pavilion, the remaining three families, the Sun family, were the least suspicious. After all, the Sun family does not sell medicinal materials locally, but only transfers the goods here.
Meng Qi pushed open the door of the warehouse. It was almost empty, except for some cloth bags piled up in the corner.
"Shu, bran, old rice..."
Mo Li looked at the goods in the cloth bags one by one, while Meng Qi paced in the warehouse.
Check the corners, brick joints, and the ground for any abnormalities.
It was pitch black, and the warehouse was stuffy again. The man couldn't see anything. He was muttering in his heart when he suddenly heard Meng Qi's footsteps, as if he had discovered something.
"Doctor!" Meng Qi picked up a short, thin, dry branch from the gap, and the color was yellow.
The guy could only barely see Meng Qi holding something, and it was extremely difficult to tell the difference, because it was too small and not as long as a fingernail.
The ink carp took it steadily.
First put it on the tip of the nose and smell it, then break it apart and smell it carefully.
The Sun family resells medicinal materials, and it is not surprising that there are scattered things on the warehouse floor, but this warehouse is too simple, and medicinal materials should basically be stored in a dark and dark place. At first glance, this place is in line with the standard, but it looks fine in autumn and winter, and now people can perceive something wrong as soon as they come in.
Airtight, broken and poor.
Even if it is resold in transit, it cannot be a precious medicinal material.
However, the business of the Sun family seems to be very big. Not to mention the shop for the time being, from the account book of the Meng family, the Sun family often buys some common medicinal materials from them, and each time it costs three hundred kilograms.
Meng Qi turned around and asked Ganquantang's man, "What is the origin of the Sun family?"
"It's also from the North, not from Taijing Yongzhou, it is said to be further north."
"Supposedly?"
"The Sun family said to the outside world that they were in charge of the branch and concubines. They usually didn't even report a name, but they seemed to be a bit of a family. Such a family is either the servant of the powerful family to make money for the main family, or the aristocratic family is carrying it on their backs. The people who work on the properties that are secretly purchased by the clan are hired from outside, and they don’t know much about the master’s family, so they can’t find the name.”
Mo Li twisted the dead branches that Meng Qi had picked up with his fingers, frowned and asked, "But the accents from Yanzhou, Jizhou, and even Youzhou?"
The guy stunned and looked at the ink carp unexpectedly, almost thinking that the ink carp had found something again.
"Yes, there are people who guard the car and sell goods, and they all have an accent over there. The convoy is also full of Qiang people from Xiliang and the party!"
When the Chu Dynasty was prosperous, foreigners were often seen in Taijing City, some came to do business, and some were tribal slaves brought by caravans. Decades later, the powerful and aristocratic families in the Qi Dynasty and even in the south of the Yangtze River still retain the habit of raising orchids, and the salt merchants like to carry one or two Kunlun slaves with them to show their style.
On the other hand, after the collapse of the Xiliang Kingdom, the Dang Xiangqiang people from there flowed into the customs in large numbers. After two or three generations, there are some differences except for their appearance. And because there is no land, they don't know how to farm, so they raise horses for the escort's car dealership, and there are many who work as chauffeurs in the caravan.
This situation is very common among merchants from the north.
"When did the Sun family's last shipment pass through Run County?"
"This... about half a month ago."
The man hesitated, trying to think back.
Although Fengxing Pavilion collects news, it does not pay attention to everything, after all, its manpower is limited.
The guy's face was a little ugly, and he probably felt that he had lost the name of Fengxing Pavilion. Now that the time is limited, and he really can't remember the specific day, he can only explain dryly, "In short, it will not exceed a month. It is famous, and every time those caravans pass by, the steward will patronize Ganquan Tang. The Sun family caravan does not show up in winter, but comes more often in spring and autumn, just like other caravans in the north.”
"Is that so? I saw that these grains were just harvested not long ago." Meng Qi raised his eyebrows.
"This is the staff they stayed in the local area, idle to do other business, and went to the village to collect it..."
The man's voice was getting lower and lower, obviously he had noticed something himself, and suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
Mo Li said slowly: "The soup pool in Fengxing Pavilion was originally a good place to inquire about news, but if someone sees it through, the Sun family can completely control the people who show up every time, and go to Ganquan soup regularly to make you think that the Sun family's The caravan is here today. Do you have any guards outside the county town? Are you staring at the city gate all the time? Will the Sun family go to the countryside to collect rice and sell groceries with the caravan from the north? mix?"
The guy opened his mouth and couldn't say a word.
He originally wanted to say that the drivers from the north of the Sun family are easy to recognize, and they are all Qiang people, but what if even this feature was left on purpose by others
"Why does the doctor guess Youzhou and Yanzhou?" Meng Qi stared at the dead branches in Mo Li's hands.
"...It's just a coincidence. This herb grows much more in the North."
Mo Li also looked down at the thing in his hand with an unpredictable expression.
"What is this?"
"Ephedra is a commonly used item in the prescriptions of pharmacies. It can cure wind-cold, sweat, and can also ventilate the lungs. It depends on how the prescription is prepared." Mo Li said in a deep voice, "The root that Brother Meng found has not been damp, and it fell to the ground. The gap is no more than three or five days. There is a strong smell in the warehouse. They should have washed it, but I can't smell it. It's just that I saw the Sun's family buying several times in the Meng family's account book. High, the Northland produces a lot, and it is difficult to make a profit by reselling it. The Sun family shouldn’t need so much ephedra.”
"So this is what A Furong has added to it?"
"Not only, there are others, but the most important thing should be it."
***
This night is doomed to not be peaceful.
Fengxing Pavilion mobilized all the people, except for those who went to check the news, more people retreated in all directions under the cover of darkness.
The shopkeeper of Ganquan Tang was a thin pock-marked face. He felt distressed about the industry and couldn't help but said to Qiu Jing: "Pavilion Master, we... really just left? Those killers may not be able to find them so soon, their leader is not already Did it fall into the hands of Meng Guoshi?"
"What kind of leader is that?" Qiu Jing held the folding fan and said coldly, "It's just a slightly expensive chess piece. You haven't understood it after watching it for so long? At first, I wanted to scramble for this person and get some clues and confessions. Now Do you see that I am still interested in this man?"
The shopkeeper, he almost blurted out, isn't it because the swordsman has a stubborn temper and can't ask anything
His subordinates were busy trying to smooth things out: "Don't blame the pavilion master, Uncle Tian feels uncomfortable, the sub-rudder of Piaoping Pavilion is hidden nearby, but we have never been able to find it, and only caught a line of Sijiamipu. Now we have finally dug it out. The clues, and we have to give up the rudder that we have worked hard to manage, it is really... "
"The gain outweighs the loss, do you all think so?" Qiu Jing raised his eyebrows, and the folding fan tapped his palm repeatedly.
The shopkeeper dared not answer.
Qiu Jing sighed and looked into the courtyard.
Several stoves were set up in the courtyard, watering and soaking the booklets that could not be taken away, and then stuffing them into the hearth after they were rotten.
The really important things will not be written on paper, and even the information related to Meng Qi will be destroyed immediately after being copied for three days, so there are not many things that need to be destroyed now, and they can all be solved before dawn.
Qiujing gave this order, which means that Ganquantang, the Fengxing Pavilion, will be completely abandoned.
This is not a bookstore in Liuxiang, Huajie, except for the secret room. It took more than a year to build this soup pond. In winter, the business is so good that the shopkeeper doesn't even want to sell the news. Now if you say no, don't, the shopkeeper is very distressed.
Everyone is inevitably selfish.
Although the shopkeeper heard the horror of the southern border holy medicine A Furong and knew that Piaoping Pavilion would definitely come to the door once it found out that the swordsman was caught, Qiu Jing ordered everyone to withdraw, but it was inevitable that there was a hint of resentment in his heart. If Qiu Jing and Mo Li were interrogating the swordsman in the wilderness, maybe there would be no such disaster.
Qiu Jing said unhurriedly, "It's my fault."
The shopkeeper was startled when he heard the words, and his expression revealed flaws, accidentally revealing what he was thinking.
The Fengxing Pavilion master who followed Qiujing narrowed his eyes slightly, already thinking of killing.
Qiu Jing seemed to know nothing and sighed: "I just think that there are many merchants passing by this place every year, the brothel Chu Pavilion is too eye-catching, and the teahouse and inn have to grab business, so I have the idea of opening this soup pool. I didn't expect this place to be good, but it's a step late, and Piaoping Pavilion has long been eyeing. They know us, but we don't know where they are."
Meng Qi mentioned to Mo Li that he found that the cemetery of the family temple was the lair of Piaoping Pavilion, and when the killers pointed out that Ganquan Tang belonged to Piaoping Pavilion in order to lure Meng Qi away, Qiu Jing and others were eavesdropping on the nearby yard through the copper pipe organ.
The crowd was startled.
Not only because the split of Piaoping Pavilion is so close, but also because the killers already know the details of Ganquan Soup.
Beads of sweat immediately appeared on the forehead of the shopkeeper. He stayed here all the year round, but he failed to find the problem. A single charge of negligent negligence could not escape. Relying on his old qualifications in Fengxing Pavilion, he is not afraid of Qiujing's investigation, but now he looks like he is reluctant to give up the industry, and this business is so good that the soup pond where gold and silver are rolling in is actually Qiujing To be repaired, the layout inside is also learned from Autumn Scenery from Yangzhou.
From beginning to end, it has nothing to do with his shopkeeper.
Another person can be the shopkeeper of this soup pool, and now he has to give up this industry, where can he make irresponsible remarks here.
- Thinking of Qiujing's inadvertent mention in his words, the shopkeeper understood that the pavilion owner was quite dissatisfied with him.
"It's the subordinate who got dizzy and didn't get things done."
Just as the shopkeeper Tang Chi was wiping his sweat and trying to make up for his mistakes, a rush of wind suddenly came from his ears.
"Whizzing."
Several sharp arrows flew in, with fire on them.
There was chaos in the courtyard, and everyone fled.
Qiu Jinghan stared at the wall with a sullen face, and the attendants beside her hurriedly stepped forward to block the arrows.
"All retreat, don't put out the fire."
"It's from Piaoping Pavilion, be careful! Pay attention to the ambush outside the wall!"