When he arrived at the governor's mansion, Qin Mubai saw a commotion in the military camp in the backyard, which seemed to be busy. Many cars were being decorated and people and horses were gathering. Yin Yang was wearing general armor and was standing on the general platform giving lectures. Hundreds of soldiers lined up and listened carefully.
After hearing some of his words, Qin Mubai realized that they were preparing to escort the prisoners to Chang'an.
"So, I have to hurry up." After thinking about it, Qin Mubai found Li Ke.
Li Ke was busy in the study. When he saw Qin Mubai come in, he glanced at him coldly and said in a low voice, "You're here again!"
"Yes!" Qin Mubai walked forward with a smile and said, "You are so busy, so I won't disturb you."
"Don't leave!" Li Ke snorted angrily, "Didn't you promise to help me? Yin Yang and Quan Wanji will go to the capital early tomorrow morning, and Xue Rengui will be taken away by you. The governor's office has just been abolished A group of officials, my government is short of manpower, so you have to help me for a few days."
"You are using your power for personal gain, His Highness King Wu." Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Where do you start talking about this?" Li Ke asked puzzledly.
"You asked me to take a salary from the court and come to work for you. What is it but using power for personal gain? Why don't you give me a salary and treat me like you are hiring me." Qin Mubai laughed.
"Tsk, I really can't stand you." Li Ke shook his head helplessly and said with a smile, "To be serious. The Fa Cao of the Governor's Office has just been dismissed, and the new officials have to wait for Quan Wanji and the others to go to the capital to hand over the prisoners. The court The officials will reassign the case after reviewing it. Until then, can you help me temporarily and serve as a legal advisor? I see that you are familiar with the law and are proficient in calculating cases. There is no one more suitable than you. I don’t want to see injustices piled up under my rule.”
"Okay, no problem." Qin Mubai agreed cheerfully, "As long as I have time, I will come to help you."
"This is so loyal!" Li Ke rubbed his hands happily, went to the bookshelf, pulled out something, handed it to Qin Mubai, and said, "Take it, it's specially prepared for you."
"What is it?" Qin Mubai took it. It was a small wooden box that was light and beautifully made.
"You'll know if you open it and look at it?" Li Ke smiled mysteriously.
Qin Mubai opened it and saw a huge key and a few pieces of paper lying inside. There was nothing special about the key except that it was larger. I opened the paper and took a look. It turned out to be a public treasury certificate issued by Cao Si of Jingzhou Governor's Office. It contained more than 270,000 shi of Huyang white rice, more than 60,000 shi of corn, and official salt. There are more than 7,800 stones, and there are 46 large and small ships. It is stamped with the official seals of the various departments of the Jingzhou Prefecture and Cao Yamen, as well as Li Ke's seal as evidence.
"What does this mean?" Qin Mubai asked in confusion.
"Give you the capital to do business!" Li Ke said with a smile, "A few days ago, Zheng Anshun counted all the materials captured by the water ghosts, and the part required by the court has been loaded and unloaded and shipped to Chang'an. The rest are This part is temporarily stored in Jingzhou and the Jingzhou government office can keep it on your behalf. You can go and pick it up with this receipt.
"It's all mine?" Qin Mubai said pretending to be surprised.
"Greedy!" Li Ke laughed and scolded angrily, "You have to share half of it with me, right?"
"Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, "I forgot, half of it is you. Okay, leave it to me. When Mei Niang arrives in Xiangzhou, we will start to organize these things."
"I made a fortune this time." Li Ke sat down and said with a cheerful smile, "Although I have never been short of money, I have never made such a big fortune. Mu Bai, you are really one of the best. Good luck general!"
"This is called stupid blessings!" Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Actually, I have an unexpected wealth that I haven't told you."
"Anything good again? Tell me quickly!" Li Ke said happily.
"I'm not sure yet. When I get it, I'll split the account with you." Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously and said, "But maybe it's not money, but something else."
"What is it?" Li Ke was even more confused and curious.
"I don't know either." Qin Mubai spread his hands and said, "According to my incomplete guess, it may be a treasure. But now I still have some clues and haven't found the exact location."
"Then what are you waiting for? Go find it quickly!" Li Ke patted the table and said, "I know your nose has always been very good, so you can definitely find it."
Qin Mubai subconsciously touched his nose, smiled, and said, "If you want to find this treasure, you have to find it on a death row prisoner."
Li Ke's eyes flashed, "Zhao Chong?"
"clever!"
"Could it be that the water ghost also hid money and treasures?" Li Ke rolled his eyes a few times, snickered a few times, and said, "I didn't say anything, let's split up!
"Haha, why are you worse than me? I'm going to report to the court and ask the Holy One to decide!" Qin Mubai laughed.
"Forget it, you!" Li Ke sneered angrily, "Don't you think the same as me? Don't wait, go find Zhao Chong in the prison, he will be taken away early tomorrow morning. I'm going to I’ll give you a warrant to bring him out if necessary.”
"Okay." Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, thinking that Li Ke's trust in me probably exceeds that of anyone else.
Li Ke wrote an order with a swipe of hair, stamped it with his private seal, handed it to Qin Mubai, and said with a smile: "Xiangzhou is really a geomantic treasure. We will make a fortune together as soon as we come here."
"I told my fortune at the beginning of the year that the owner of the southeast will be prosperous and happy, haha!" Qin Mubai took the order and walked away laughing.
Li Ke chuckled, looked at Qin Mubai's back, and said to himself: "This guy is interesting and loyal!"
In the prison, Qin Mubai entered Zhao Chong's cell.
Zhao Chong was still sitting on the pile of dead grass, as if he had never moved anywhere. Seeing Qin Mubai come in, he asked curiously: "Did you crack the secret so quickly?"
"I just found some clues." Qin Mubai took out the complete drawing he had made, showed it to Zhao Chong, and said, "Look, is this the case?"
Zhao Chong took it over in surprise, first took a look at the drawing, and then read "Phoenix in the West Mountain, Dragon in the Jade Well, looking at it day and night, three lines of tears" several times, and he was immediately shocked!
— “How did you do that?!”
"The five drawings were rubbed on transparent white paper and then overlapped, forming such a complete map and poem." Qin Mubai said, "Because they are relics left by our ancestors, you have I’m in awe, so I definitely haven’t thought about rewriting it, right?”
"Yes..." Zhao Chong took a deep breath, still looking at Qin Mubai in disbelief and surprise, shaking his head repeatedly, "You are so awesome! In just two days, you have troubled my father and son for twenty years. Years of secrets revealed!"
"It's not completely solved yet, right?" Qin Mubai frowned and said, "Do you already fully understand the meaning of this map and poem?"
Zhao Chong took a closer look at it again, shook his head, and said, "I don't fully understand. But I know that this map is the distribution map of all the rivers in Xihetrough. It's a pity that the map does not indicate where the treasure is buried." The acrostic characters of the poems are connected together, which is "西河Ca Nei", which can also be explained. But just these are not enough. Even without this picture, I could vaguely guess that the treasure is in the Xihe Cao Nei. . No one is more familiar with it than me. I have searched repeatedly over the years and found nothing."
"Then Xishan Phoenix, Yujing Dragon, don't these names have special meanings?" Qin Mubai asked, "I think this poem must be more than just hiding the head. For example, is there something like this in Xihanei with a radius of dozens of miles? Similar place names?”
Zhao Chong thought for a long time and shook his head in confusion: "No. There is no place name in the Xihetrough at all. Because there are only harbor branches and reed fields, for convenience, we are accustomed to only call the east-west river channel the harbor, and the north and south rivers are called harbors. The direction is called a bay. For example, Dongyigang is the first river from east to west. "
"Wait, what did you say?!" Qin Mubai's heart suddenly brightened, "Say it again?"
"What's wrong?" Zhao Chong was stunned, then repeated what he just said.
"Hong Kong, bay, phoenix in the west mountain, dragon in the jade well..." Qin Mubai carefully chewed the meaning of these words, and squatted down to line them up with withered grass.
"What did you think of?" Zhao Chong asked confused.
Qin Mubai did not answer, but thought carefully. Zhao Chong didn't bother him anymore, leaving him to think.
After a long time, Qin Mubai smiled slightly and asked: "Zhao Chong, did your grandfather read the Yi Jing well and study Feng Shui Yin and Yang?"
"How do you know?" Zhao Chong asked in surprise.
"You guessed it." Qin Mubai smiled more confidently and said, "Feng in the West Mountain and dragon in the jade well. These six short words contain the theory of yin and yang of mountains and rivers. The phoenix represents yin; the dragon represents yang. Also; water in the north and mountains in the south are called yang, mountains in the south and water in the north are called yin; the dragon in the well is the hidden dragon, do not use the hidden dragon in the ninth day of the lunar month, the sun is down, the so-called looking at the morning and evening, the three lines of tears can be understood as "facing west." Look, count three lines inward, which is what you call the three north and south bays, which is also an allusion to the location."
"Wait, wait!" Zhao Chong's head was getting bigger, and he hurriedly waved his hands and said, "I didn't understand a word you said. Just tell me, in which harbor and river is the treasure located?"
"I'm not completely sure now." Qin Mubai shook his head, looked at the map, and said, "Even if we arrange it according to the theory of Yin and Yang, there are at least six locations among the dozens of harbors that meet these conditions. Seven places. Is it possible to dig them out one by one?”
"It's already amazing. It's definitely worthwhile to dig out one by one. If it were me, I would definitely dig it out!" Zhao Chong said excitedly, "You are amazing! I praise you for being such a smart and knowledgeable person. It’s possible to guess these clues.”
"No, I'm just making random guesses." Qin Mubai smiled and thought: If it weren't for the fact that Li Jing taught me the art of war, there are many applications of yin and yang, the five elements and geography and hydrology, forcing me to learn a lot Only with this knowledge can I understand the art of war. How could I be proficient in these things
"Tell me quickly, which places are they?" Zhao Chong said excitedly. After hesitating for a moment, he added, "Don't get me wrong, I just want to solve the mystery and fulfill my long-cherished wish. Regarding the treasure, I am dying. I will never reveal this to outsiders, I swear in the name of my ancestors!”
"I believe you." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, took the drawing, pointed out the locations he calculated to arrange one by one, and showed them to Zhao Chong.
"No, this place is impossible!" Zhao Chong said decisively, "I once lived here in a cottage, and this was also a place for us to stay before. Judging from the terrain, there is absolutely no treasure buried there. possible."
"What about here?"
"The possibility here is not high." Zhao Chong said, "Even we rarely go in here. The river is so shallow and muddy that it is so deep that even boats can't cross it. There is just a swamp and reeds inside, which are not formed. of land.”
Qin Mubai frowned and said, "Wait a minute, let me try to figure it out."
"Um!"
After thinking for a long time, Qin Mubai asked: "Are there any continents with sycamore trees in the Xihetrough?"
"Wutong? You mean... Fengqi sycamore?" Zhao Chong said in surprise, "It really exists! There is a large mound near West Thirteenth Harbor, hundreds of feet in diameter, with dozens of sycamore trees on it!"
"Really?" Qin Mubai's eyes lit up, and he picked up the map in surprise, carefully arranged it according to the yin and yang of the mountains and rivers, and decisively pointed to a place: "This is it!"
Zhao Chong was pleasantly surprised. He glanced at the place Qin Mubai pointed at, but shook his head in disappointment: "No, it's impossible! This is a small gravel slope. In addition to grass and water birds, the most common thing on the slope is venomous snakes. Even when we got there, we only took a detour because there was a faint evil atmosphere there. Anyone who landed on the beach would be bitten by a snake and would either die or be disabled. It was very evil and the small rocky slope was bare and flat! , it is visible at a glance, and there are only gravels and pebbles. Who would bury the treasure there? Wouldn’t it be discovered at a glance? "
"Haha, the more you think this, the greater the possibility that the treasure is buried here!" Qin Mubai clapped his hands in surprise and said, "Often, the more dangerous and easily exposed a place is, the safer it is. . Because you didn’t even suspect it, let alone others. Think about it, this island is both a water bird and a poisonous snake. Isn’t this a metaphor for the mountain phoenix and the well dragon? However, this The possibility of finding the right location is really the greatest!”
Zhao Chong swallowed excitedly and nervously: "Then go find it quickly! It's best if you have news before tomorrow morning and come back and tell me right away. It also allows me to go to the guillotine with peace of mind!"
Qin Mubai smiled slightly: "If I didn't lead the way, I might not be able to get out of this river. So, you'd better go with me!"
"What did you say?!" Zhao Chong's eyes widened in disbelief and he shook the shackles on his hands, "I am a death row prisoner!"
"I know, but it doesn't matter." Qin Mubai smiled indifferently, "Before Qiu Hou beheads you, as long as your head is still on your neck, you are not a dead person. Since you are not a dead person, you can do something useful. It’s something to do, isn’t it? —I’ll go prepare it first and call you later. You can go treasure hunting with me!”
"good!"
Zhao Chong was extremely surprised!
Immediately, Qin Mubai left the prison and returned to the Governor's Mansion to meet with Li Ke and asked him to help recruit more than ten trusted and capable soldiers to go with him. He immediately went to prepare fire, shovels, and medicine to avoid snakes and repel insects. As the Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, I brought a lot of realgar wine made with ancient secret methods, and there are many good medicines in reserve. There was also a large ship, towing two small shuttle boats.
These things are all ready-made in the governor's mansion, and they can be prepared quickly. After getting ready, Qin Mubai asked someone to take Zhao Chong out of the prison. Li Ke was curious and followed. So a group of people took the supplies and got on the carriage, arrived at the dock, boarded the official ship, and headed to the West River Channel.
While the ship was sailing, Li Ke and Qin Mubai stood on the side of the ship, joking with each other.
Li Ke said: "Mu Bai, what if we don't find anything?"
"Just think of it as having fun, there's nothing to lose anyway." Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"That's right." Li Ke smiled indifferently, "I've been very busy recently, so I just thought it was time to go out and relax. In fact, I have always liked adventures. But due to my status, I rarely have the opportunity to do such things. Sometimes I really envy you, you can do whatever you want, you are free and carefree."
"Actually, you can live a very free and unrestrained life." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "You can be strong without desires, and be happy without seeking. Thinking too much is troublesome."
"Huh..." Li Ke took a long breath, with a hint of helplessness on his face, and said, "I don't want to either. But I can't help myself. It has been doomed from the moment I was born. I can't be peaceful and comfortable in this life. This That’s my destiny.”
"Fate...it's fate again." Qin Mubai raised the corner of his mouth and smiled softly. The two of them stopped talking and just looked at the flowing water of the Han River quietly, each of them deep in thought.
Soon after, the Xihe River arrived.
It is a vast field of water, grass and reeds. The interior is foggy and criss-crossed by harbor roads. It is impossible to see the edge at a glance, and there is a vague sense of spookiness.
The group of people got on the small Lengzi boat, held poles, and entered the harbor. The reeds a few people deep quickly covered up the two boats, making them almost impossible to trace from outside the harbor.
"No wonder it's difficult to eradicate the water ghosts. Hidden in such a place, it's impossible to find them!" Li Ke sighed.
"Two of you, aren't you afraid that I will lure you into a trap, catch you all, kill them all, and then escape to heaven?" Zhao Chong smiled coldly, "When you get here, you are no match for me. I will go wherever I want. If you jump into the water or run away among the reeds, you will never catch me again."
The two soldiers next to him were shocked when they heard this and hurriedly held him down.
"Let go!" Qin Mubai shouted softly, and the soldier quickly let go. Zhao Chong smiled nonchalantly, stood up, and wiped the muddy water off his clothes.
"If you really wanted to do this, you wouldn't have said it." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "I believe you."
"Why? I am a vicious green forest bandit who kills people and sells goods!" Zhao Chong said.
"Just rely on intuition." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "There are some things that you really can't explain and don't need any reason."
Zhao Chong sneered several times and looked at Li Ke: "Do you think so too?"
"I'm not as smart as him, and I don't have this kind of intuition." Li Ke curled his lips indifferently, "But, I believe in him."
"Haha, that's it!" Zhao Chong laughed and suddenly pointed his hand, "Turn left ahead!"
The soldier holding the pole with his palms muttered suspiciously, and Qin Mubai shouted: "Listen to his command!"
"yes!!-"
The shuttle boat nimbly traveled through the criss-crossed and narrow river channels, and it didn't stop for nearly an hour.
Li Ke felt a little nervous and asked Qin Mubai softly: "Mubai, is there any problem?"
"Don't worry. If treasure hunting was that easy, it wouldn't be treasure hunting anymore. It would be picking up money on the street." Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Do you still remember the way you came? After walking around for a long time, I felt dizzy." Li Ke said.
Qin Mubai chuckled: "I should barely remember it."
"No way? You've only walked once and you remember it? It seems to me that everything here is the same. I'm afraid it's still hard to remember even if I walk ten or eight times." Li Ke was surprised.
Qin Mubai blinked blankly: "What's so strange about this? As long as I walk through it once, I can always remember it!"
Li Ke was angry and funny, his face was trembling, and a few words came out between his teeth: "Is this normal?!"
Zhao Chong was laughing loudly on the side: "It's true that the same rice can support hundreds of people! In my memory, there are only three people who can remember those who walked through these rivers once. Of course, I am one of them." 1. About half of us can remember these paths after walking three or five times, but there are some people who still get lost after walking ten or eight times. We generally don’t allow such fools to get on board. , I just work as a coolie on the shore, carrying bags and unloading cargo.”
"That's unreasonable!" Li Ke shouted angrily, "Believe it or not, I'll kick you down?"
"Okay, I got what I asked for!" Zhao Chong said with a grin, "Kick me down and you will set me free. Don't blame me then."
"Okay, I'll let you be proud for a little longer. Anyway, in a few days, you will be dead." Li Ke was so angry that he couldn't bear to quarrel with Zhao Chong on the spot.
Qin Mubai snickered from the side and said to himself: It seems that Zhao Chong has stabbed Li Ke in a sore spot. Unexpectedly, this always smart guy turned out to be a road fool!
After walking for a long time, Zhao Chong suddenly shouted loudly, shocking everyone on the boat.
"Here we are!—that's it!"
Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing. It turned out that, dozens of feet away in front of them, there was a mound covering dozens of acres of gravel and weeds. It was completely empty and there were no trees in sight. It was slightly arched in the middle, but there was a little bit of it. Like a grave bag, a particularly huge grave bag.
"You mean here, right?" Li Keman said in disbelief, "You can see everything at this glance. Who would bury treasures here? At least not me."
"Well, that's right." Qin Mubai chuckled, "Even you think it's impossible, which makes it even more possible."
"What do you mean? Aren't you swearing?" Li Ke couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He had just been annoyed by Zhao Chong, and now he seemed to be ridiculed by Qin Mubai again, so he was very depressed.
"No, I mean it seriously." Qin Mubai said, "It is precisely because Your Highness is a smart person, and smart people's decisions are often very correct. You think it is unlikely that there is a treasure here, maybe the person who buried the treasure just picked someone else "My thoughts are contrary to my expectations. Generally speaking, only a fool like me would bury the most precious treasure in a place where it is most easily discovered."
"Great wisdom is like foolishness, great skill is like clumsiness." Zhao Chong laughed heartily, "Qin Mubai, you are really unusual! - Come ashore, what are you waiting for? Do you think that I can be as smart as Qin Mubai? Setting up an ambush in such a bare place?"
"Hey, even if there is an ambush, how can I be afraid of you!" Li Ke sneered and jumped off the boat first. As soon as he stood still, he suddenly let out a scream -
"Ah-snake!!!"