In the flower garden in the backyard, Lu Ming was flipping through Lao Chai's autobiography, which was more than ten pages long and described his experiences from his boyhood to the present in great detail.
Before going up the mountain to become bandits a few years ago, the Jackal Gang was actually a security team maintained by Mr. Li, the owner of the Nanping Mine, one of the four major coal mines.
Later, Lao Chai broke up with Mr. Li in anger because Mr. Li's son slapped him.
In addition, due to the turbulent situation, he led his jackal gang to rob the county armory, went to the mountains and became a bandit, forcing the mine owners and landlords to pay tribute every year.
Not long after, the entire family of Mr. Li was massacred, leaving not only the mark of the Jackal Gang, but also eyewitnesses who saw the old jackal among the murderers.
According to Lao Chai's own account, he had never done such a thing. A few days before and after the tragedy in Mr. Li's family, he and most of the Chai Gang were in the Black Mountain and did not go down the mountain.
However, Lao Chai confessed to quite a few murders, most of which were cases of gangs robbing gangs, but there were also civilians among them.
For example, the Wang family in Jiangjun Bay was wealthy and the largest family in Jiangjun Bay. Because the Wang family refused to pay filial piety money, the Jackal Gang attacked Jiangjun Bay at night. More than a dozen guards of the Wang family were killed, young women were insulted, and two sons of the Wang family were kidnapped by them. Later, one was redeemed by the Wang family with a huge ransom, but the other died in the mountains.
The one who led the team down the mountain was Chen Qifa, the Sky-Drilling Fox. Most of the Jackal Gang bandits who participated in this bloody case had died in the civil strife, and those who survived were all in Chen Qifa's rebel gang.
Seeing this, Lu Ming shook his head. A gang is a gang. It is an era when the government forces the people to rebel. In fact, after becoming a bandit, they lose the constraints of social rules and are no longer human beings.
According to the news from Heishan, Chen Qifa was supposed to be appointed as the new captain of the Inspection Team of the Longgang Branch of the Mining Bureau, but this guy refused the position. It seems that he is ready to run away with the old jackal's wealth. He is really cunning. We know that if he stays, he will not have a good ending. If his enemies don't look for him, he will be eliminated by the Hu family sooner or later.
While he was thinking, Heitou came into the backyard from the moon-shaped door, "Master, I have examined the thirty-six young maidens of the Sixteenth Lady..."
Lu Ming got a headache when he heard the words “Thirty-six Green Elves”.
They were the group that scattered flowers, carried sedan chairs, played suona and beat drums. There were originally thirty-six people in total. It seemed that not all of them went out together every time, but they took turns.
The thirty-six Green Ladies are also a tradition of the Liuli Palace. The thirty-six Green Ladies of this generation are all attendants that Liuli slowly selected after she joined the gang and awakened. They are also trained by her personally. In fact, they are not just a ceremonial guard. Each of them has unique skills. There are sharpshooters, close combat experts, those who are good at hiding and reconnaissance, those who are good at deceiving men with romance, and so on.
When the Jackal Gang was fleeing and fighting among themselves, the thirty-six Qing'es did not move with the team, but Madam Liuli made other arrangements.
After all, the old jackal didn't know the secret of Madam Liuli.
Now, the thirty-six Qingmao are all in the front yard, kneeling in full seats, but in complete silence, all of them are as devout as if they were listening to Madam Liuli's sermon.
Madam Liuli is the god in their hearts.
As for themselves, they now call them "Ancestor" according to Madam Liuli's order.
This approach is similar to what Bizhu did, but Bizhu was somewhat flexible and asked the subordinates she trained to call her "Little Ancestor".
Madam Liuli may have completely copied the tradition. Before revealing her true identity, she first low-key called herself "Ancestor".
Very low-key
Lu Ming smiled bitterly, thinking about the film, television and literary works in his previous life. The "ancestor" was usually the villain boss, and few of them had a good ending in the end.
As for her true identity, Madam Liuli said that only Baozhu Palace has the power to announce it to the public, which can be regarded as a confirmation and review of her identity.
But I have guessed some of it. If I still can't think of it at this time, I would be too slow. I just feel that it is incredible.
However, since Biju hasn't officially confirmed my identity yet, I won't think about it too much. This is good and it makes me feel more relaxed.
Otherwise, just thinking about the possible burden would give me a terrible headache.
I even hope that I guessed wrong, so as to avoid endless hardships and troubles in the future.
Thinking about it, Lu Ming asked Heitou: "Can so many people live here?"
"It was arranged by Mrs. Sixteen. It can be squeezed in. There are four beds in each of the inner and outer rooms, so there are thirty-two berths in total."
Lu Ming nodded. There were four side rooms, both inner and outer rooms, which meant eight rooms, four beds in each room, for a total of thirty-two beds.
Madam Liuli lives in the west room of the main house and has four personal servants, making a total of thirty-six people.
Moreover, there are Qing'e on duty at night, so there is indeed enough space for the beds.
It's just a little too crowded. Although, those green maidens obviously don't care about that.
Fortunately, Pirlo and the female teacher have moved to the dormitory arranged by the school, otherwise they would not have enough room.
Thinking about it, Lu Ming said, "When the Qing'e need various weapons and ammunition, special knives, sophisticated hidden weapons, etc., you should make a statistics. If you need the blueprints, please listen carefully and order the best ones from the East China Sea for them."
Heitou nodded in agreement.
There was the sound of footsteps, and Sun Bo walked in from the moon-shaped gate with a wry smile on his face. He naturally passed by the front yard and saw the strange interaction between the devout believers and the witch in the yard.
Madam Liuli was probably using the secret art of sound transmission to preach to her believers, so there was not a single sound in the entire front yard.
But the believers had faces full of admiration and were intoxicated.
Just thinking about that scene is weird.
"Young Master, this is a letter from Agent Gong." Uncle Sun handed the secret message to Lu Ming.
Lu Ming opened the document and heard Lao Gong say that a special investigation team had been set up and would enter Sansha Town tomorrow to investigate the crimes of the Jackal Gang and then initiate prosecution.
The leader of the special case team is Lin Guangzu, chairman of the Serious Prosecution Office of Longgang Police Station.
Montenegro's litigation system is somewhat similar to that of the four provinces in the northern region. There is no dedicated prosecutorial agency at the county level, but the police station has a litigation department.
The "Major Crimes Prosecution Office", whose full name is the Major Crimes Prosecution Office, is responsible for the prosecution of serious criminal cases or those where there are no longer any victims.
In ordinary criminal cases, such as fights, etc., it is usually the victims themselves who file the lawsuit.
This is a bit like the feudal dynasty era.
Looking at the telegram from Master Gong, Lu Ming nodded. It seemed that Master Gong was doing very well and had the situation under control to some extent.
The city will definitely take action on this case and deport Lao Chai to the city hall for trial.
Because Judge Sharif's intentions are unclear now, he may even be preparing to hold a trial in a different location.
Old Gong was able to hold on and actually send people to do the work, so in just over a month, he really made a name for himself in the Longgang County Office.
Of course, the lawsuit in which the Mining Bureau lost and paid a huge amount of compensation would certainly further enhance Lao Gong's status in the county office.
Anyone with a discerning eye will vaguely feel that this interest group that has just entered Longgang, represented by Agent Gong and Lu Jingji, is very powerful and should not be taken lightly.
…
Because Guangming Law Firm has not been completed yet, the sign is temporarily hung in a store facing the street, with a cloth shop on the left and a pawnshop on the right.
Whether it was the cloth shop or the pawnshop, there were very few people coming in and out.
In fact, this row of stores were all bought by Pirlo. Although he was a poor man in Donghai, he could still raise money to buy a row of stores in Sansha Town by going back and getting together with his friends.
Sherlock's brother-in-law is actually a smart man. He saw the business opportunity and felt that with Commissioner Lu's current situation, Sansha Town will surely become more and more prosperous, and the value of these lands may increase several times in the future.
He could now better understand the meaning of being his cousin-in-law in name only. Following Commissioner Lu, there really was gold everywhere. Just reaching out and scooping up some soup would be money that an ordinary person could not earn in several lifetimes.
However, he was very sensible. He deliberately borrowed money from Lu Ming to buy the store, and then he and Yaya bought the land together, with Yaya taking 60% and he taking 40%.
Lu Ming also agreed that it would be a good idea to leave some real estate for Yaya.
At this time, Lu Ming was sitting in this temporary office. A row of wooden door panels had just been taken down one by one by Cui Xiaodong and placed aside, marking the opening of the shop for business.
In front of Lu Ming stood a young woman wearing black-framed glasses, a blue cloth shirt and pants, white socks and black cloth shoes. She was very neat and tidy, exuding a rustic air. It was Huang Guirong.
"I want to sign a 20-year contract, and I want to pay it in advance every year. That is, if I sign a contract with you now, you have to pay me 360 yuan, which is my annual salary for the next year."
"Also, if you fire me before the end of the year, or if the firm goes bankrupt, you will have to pay me all the remaining wages in one lump sum."
"Wages should be raised every five years, in line with the increase in prices."
Huang Guirong was negotiating the terms without giving in. These were probably the conditions she had been considering for a long time.
Lu Ming pondered, "How about this, I'll sign a 30-year contract with you, and as you said, I'll make an advance payment every year, but the annual salary will be 300 yuan, or in other words, based on the purchasing price level, it's equivalent to 300 yuan today."
Twenty years later, you will be in your forties. You should be the most famous and your comprehensive abilities are at the peak. It is interesting to think about using you for 300 yuan a year during this period.
Thinking about it, Lu Ming smiled in his heart again. In fact, if Huang Guirong could really get over it, the annual salary would be nothing at all. How could he treat her unfairly
However, it is my job as the boss to haggle with her over every detail.
Huang Guirong bit her lip and said, "How about paying in advance for three years each time? Three years is equivalent to 1,000 yuan today?"
Lu Ming pondered, "950, no more!"
Huang Guirong pondered for a long time and finally nodded: "Okay, I will sign the contract with you now." A hint of a victorious smile appeared on her face. It was obvious that the current conditions had exceeded her expectations.
At this time, in front of the shop door, stood a trembling old man, leaning on a cane, with a middle-aged woman supporting him.
"Excuse me, who is Mr. Lu?" The old man's voice was hoarse and unclear, as if he had phlegm in his mouth.
Cui Xiaodong hurriedly went out to greet him and enthusiastically led him inside, "Our boss Lu is here, old man, do you have any lawsuit to fight?"
The middle-aged woman sneered, "Yes, we are here to sue Boss Lu. Our business people are with Boss Lu, and my master and I are here to claim the people!"
Cui Xiaodong was stunned, thinking that the visitor had bad intentions.
Lu Ming winked at Huang Guirong and said, "Come and help me deal with this. This is also the last entrance examination."
As for the surname Shang, Lu Ming quickly thought of the wealthy Shang family in Lin County, which was also the family where Liuli Palace was temporarily staying.
Three years ago, a wealthy merchant family wanted to send a skinny horse that they had carefully raised for more than ten years to a powerful official in the province, but it was robbed by an old jackal.
At that time, Liuli Palace had just turned fourteen years old, but she was already the most stunningly beautiful woman in the country, with beauty and charm that were said to be unparalleled in the world.
Lu Ming felt that this must be due to the various secret techniques.
It was thought that the skinny horse, which was the most beautiful in the five southern provinces, would enable the businessman to become a guest of honor of the powerful in the provincial capital, and be promoted from a county gentry to a celebrity in the provincial capital.
Who knew that in the end all the joy would be in vain.
I heard that the business went bankrupt later.
But I didn't expect that they would come to ask for me so soon
Lu Ming smiled and thought, they must have been instigated by someone, otherwise, such news would not have reached their ears as a poor family.
On the other side, Huang Guirong asked them to sit down and asked them the purpose of their visit in a very friendly manner.
As expected, the old man was a wealthy merchant, and the middle-aged woman was his former concubine and current second wife, and her surname was Zhang.
They arrived in Sansha Town and heard from the vendors that Boss Lu was currently in this store, so they rushed over.
The big businessman looked tired. He came in and stroked his chest and gasped for breath. Mainly, Zhang said, his mouth was like a machine gun, making a lot of noises.
She said that the skinny horse she raised was intercepted by bandits, and now that the bandits have been brought to justice, the horse should be returned to his family.
Huang Guirong smiled as she listened to Zhang's words: "Ms. Zhang, Mr. Shang, please stop being so rude. This is an insult to Mr. Lu's sixteenth wife. According to the document issued by the county government, the sixteenth wife made meritorious contributions by reporting the bandit leader Lao Chai, and has now regained her freedom. After that, she voluntarily married Mr. Lu and is now his sixteenth wife."
Looking at Zhang, Huang Guirong's face became serious. "Especially Ms. Zhang, if you insult Mrs. Sixteen by calling her a skinny horse again, my client, Mr. Lu, may sue you for insult and seek financial compensation."
Lu Ming listened and nodded. This girl came prepared and had done her homework on her family's recent situation. She was indeed here to discuss the contract, so she also needed to know herself and her opponent.
Zhang was stunned for a moment, and suddenly burst into tears.
"Okay, okay, okay, you guys just bully me because I'm alone. I don't want my son, I don't want my daughter, and now I don't want him either. You guys keep him!"
He stood up and left crying.
Huang Guirong frowned, "Ms. Zhang, if this happens, I will call the police. You may be guilty of abandonment. Moreover, even if it does not constitute a crime, the patrolman will send Mr. Shang back to your home, and you will have to pay the full amount of the fees involved. You should think it over carefully. Do you want to cause trouble for yourself?!"
Zhang was stunned, her face changed, she took a few steps back and slowly sat down.
Lu Ming smiled at this time: "Ms. Zhang, I heard that the merchant used to have a good iron mine with a large mining volume? Why does it look a bit rundown now?"
"The mine was taken away by others a long time ago!" Zhang gritted her teeth and looked at the old man, "It's all because of this old man who is not motivated! He has no ability at all."
The businessman seemed to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease and showed no reaction to Zhang's insults.
Zhang looked up at Lu Ming, forcing a flattering smile on her face: "Boss Lu, you are from a wealthy family. After all, my family has also raised your Sixteenth Wife. Speaking of which, I was quite good to the Sixteenth Wife in the beginning! It was also me who asked the trainees to teach the Sixteenth Wife skills. This old guy called your Sixteenth Wife's name several times in his sleep in the first few years..." After a pause, "It's because I was watching her closely! He didn't dare to do anything?"
Lu Ming scratched his head and thought that if he didn't keep a close eye on it, the big businessman might have become a dead body.
"For the sake of our loyalty, Boss Lu, could you please give me a little reward? This old man's children have ignored him after dividing the family property. If I hadn't been looking after him, he would have died long ago. You see, how pitiful we are..." Sighing, Zhang looked at Lu Ming pitifully.
"How come your iron mine is gone? Did the mining rights expire?" Lu Ming was obviously not interested in the other things.
Zhang sighed, "I don't know what this old man did two years ago. He owed a lot of money, so he mortgaged the mine."
Lu Ming nodded and said to Huang Guirong: "Sign a 200 yuan agreement with them, and you are officially hired!"
"Ah, thank you, Mr. Lu, thank you!" Zhang was overjoyed. Before coming here, she naturally hoped to extort a large sum of money. However, with the sharp-tongued rebuttal of the other side, she felt that there was no hope of getting a penny. Unexpectedly, Mr. Lu was willing to give her 200 yuan, which was a huge sum of money for her now.
Lu Ming waved his hand and went back to the inner room.
Although Zhang did not have good intentions towards the Liuli Palace in the beginning, after all, she had provided it with delicious food and drink for more than ten years, and had female masters of various skills teaching it, so the cost was not low.
Giving them something, according to tradition, would be a way of severing the karmic relationship with the merchant and having no further connection with him.
…
As night fell, in the hall, a round table was placed with exquisite dishes, which were made by Qing'e from the kitchen. They were colorful, fragrant and delicious, and much better than those cooked by Mrs. Wei.
Lu Ming and Madam Liuli sat opposite each other.
Glancing at this charming and beautiful girl who was now obedient and helping him to pour wine and serve food, Lu Ming sighed inwardly. He finally felt at home here. Moreover, this little vixen was really seductive. The pair of well-proportioned and pitiful feet in embroidered shoes under her Xiang skirt seemed to be hooked on his round stool, as if to hook his soul over as well.
I even had a vague thought: should I really resort to evil methods to pass the Reverse Scale Stage tonight
My heart suddenly started pounding and my body felt hot.
Surrounded by the faint fragrance of orchids and musk, the enchanting figure of this little vixen seemed to make people more and more itchy.
Lu Ming quickly turned his head and sighed inwardly. If he stayed in the West Palace for too long, he would become a tyrant who would not attend court early in the morning.
"Master, Zhang A'man treats me well. He sees me as a gold mountain and a cash cow. He also knows that I will be favored in the future, so he will not treat me badly." Madam Liuli chuckled and said, "But Master is a ten thousand gold dragon body, how can those mortals compare? He may not favor me."
"I'll spoil you, I'll buy you some goodies from the East China Sea later..." Lu Ming responded casually.
"Slave, thank you for the reward, my Lord!" Madam Liuli got up from her seat, walked to Lu Ming, knelt down gracefully and bowed.
Seeing this sweet-smelling little enchantress kneeling at his feet in submission, Lu Ming felt a fire burning in his heart. He really wanted to grab her white wrists and pull her soft body into his arms to enjoy it to his heart's content.
But he finally turned his head and coughed, "Okay, let's eat quickly!"