After following all the way, the scenery changed, sometimes mountain villages, sometimes jungles, the ox cart gradually slowed down, and he saw a river in the distance. Pei Ziyun hid to one side and saw a brothel connected to the river, steps next to the water, weeping willows, and a boatman slowly rowing. , the woman on the river side was washing clothes in the water with a mallet.
This river is the Luhe River, which is an important transportation route. It connects dozens of counties and several prefectures along the way. Merchant ships cruise like crucian carp in an endless stream.
In addition to merchant ships, there are also painted boats. These painted boats are wooden double-decker boats with more than a dozen rooms on each floor. They are a must-choice boat for travel.
At this time, the oxcart stopped, and Tang Zhen was seen getting off the boat and boarding a painting boat. On the deck inside, there were several girls taking photos by the water and dressing up.
It was not dark at this time, so Pei Ziyun didn't go there. He knew the location, so he kept an eye on it from a distance. There was a liquor store in a place like this, and there were sporadic rains, so he looked for a hotel. When he took a look, he saw the name of the hotel. Jijia Hotel.
When we entered the shop, it was a small shop with six tables set up in the two front rooms. Due to the cloudy weather, oil lamps were already lit. There were only seven or eight guests, some eating and some chatting over wine.
When the store clerk saw Pei Ziyun, he waved a cloth towel to greet him and said, "Sir, please come in. Although our store is not big, the food is good. You can try it."
As he spoke, he pointed to a brand that was not old but not new.
Pei Ziyun looked at it, nodded, and chose a table in the corner: "Serve a pot of wine, this place is close to the river, the carp must be very fresh, a plate of braised carp, a plate of white chopped chicken, a fried vegetable, and a plate of peanuts!" "
The store clerk immediately shouted: "Okay, sir, wait a moment."
Since there were not many customers, the food was served quickly. The chicken and peanuts were served in just a minute or two. The carp and stir-fried vegetables were not too slow. The wine was ordinary, just rice wine.
After drinking a glass of wine, Pei Ziyun let out a breath. Although it hadn't rained just now, the wind was blowing cold. Now that he was pouring wine and eating vegetables, he was gradually relieved.
I saw that even if it rained, there were still people wearing raincoats getting on the boat.
Pei Ziyun ate the food and thought to himself: "I heard that prostitutes are divided into four grades. The first grade is upper, and they are not allowed to enter without someone to guide them. Could it be that the wives and concubines of good families from the Holy Prison Gate accidentally come out?"
"The second-class prostitutes are the so-called good prostitutes. They often receive customers. They claim to be performers but not their bodies. They just use their arts to attract patrons. As for the third- and fourth-class prostitutes, they are ordinary."
"If you can have a boat, it seems to be at least second-class."
After finishing the meal, it was getting late. Pei Ziyun left the shop and walked along the river. The rain was not heavy, and there were many boats flowing along the river. It was a common thing for officials and scholars, and the government turned a blind eye. Close your eyes.
I saw people on the boat lighting lanterns upstairs, and lights flashing in the room, like stars in the river, and music could be heard.
These boats were walking slowly along the river bank, not for the purpose of walking, but for admiration. When Pei Ziyun saw that it was dark, he walked to a bank. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he jumped on a boat, jumped again, and arrived at the boat.
There is a semicircular arcade on the deck of this boat. On the arcade, a black plaque with a moiré pattern reads the two gold characters "Cai Hua". Cai Hua is the name of this boat.
Standing on the boat, you can see the river surface. The water flow is calm and gentle. The light of the lantern is dim and swaying in the wind. The sound of silk and bamboo can be heard. The singing girl sings gracefully with a clapper. The singing is as thin as a hair, as if there is something in it. None, and there are still people shouting outside.
"Sister Lan, serve the food quickly."
"Hey, immediately!" A middle-aged woman's voice responded enthusiastically.
Pei Ziyun hid and saw the first floor. There were several officials on this floor. Wine was warming on the stove. After taking a look, he recognized a few of them. They were all county officials. The inspection was inside, which seemed to be the center.
Several officials had beauties in their arms, and someone said to the inspector: "You are lucky. It is said that the Black Wind Pirates not only got a lot of benefits this time, but also got a promotion. If you really become a county captain, you But you have achieved the right result, so don’t forget about us.”
A beautiful prostitute was serving wine to the inspector. The inspector was drinking and said with a smile: "Of course, but we are not talking about official business at the moment. We can search all over the Luhe River with you, and we can't be as happy as me at this time." "
After hearing this, these people all laughed and scolded: "You have taken advantage and you are here to act like a good boy. Why are you searching all over the Luhe River for painting boats? We are just here to understand the sentiments of the people."
As he spoke, one person said to the woman in his arms: "Little girl, if you are suffering any pain, please report it to me."
The woman in his arms smiled and said, "Sir, my little girl is suffering from pain here. Please pay attention to the sentiments of the people."
Suddenly everyone laughed.
"I didn't expect that the patrol inspector, who seemed to be an honest man, could become corrupt so easily." Pei Ziyun didn't expect to meet the patrol inspector. After a moment of reflection, he understood.
This patrol inspector has the merits of a black bandit. It seems that he is not living alone. He also gives some money to his superiors for operations. Now he must be promoted to the next level and become a county captain.
If we talk about inspections, they used to be considered unpopular. Now when it comes to ninth rank, many people still think that this is not a serious official position. However, this county captain has been an official of the imperial court for thousands of years.
The county lieutenant is under the county magistrate. Together with the county chief registrar, he is an assistant to the county magistrate and is in charge of public security and catching thieves. The county lieutenant is the deputy chief and assists the county magistrate in administration. The chief registrar is the prosecutor and is responsible for checking documents. Supervise county administration.
The county captain is in charge of the judiciary and prisons. He catches thieves, tries cases, and decides general cases. He can be said to be the superior of the inspection, and he has indeed achieved positive results.
"But this is none of my business. Even if he is beheaded due to corruption, it is his business." Pei Ziyun continued along the boat, slowly diving over and reaching another level.
He leaned close to the window and looked inside. He saw that the candles were burning inside, and there was a man inside. When he looked closely, it was Tang Zhen.
Tang Zhen was hugging two women at the moment, his hands were not idle, and he got into the skirts of the two women respectively. At this time, he was flirting, panting from time to time, drinking wine from time to time, and talking about something. Gossip.
Pei Ziyun gradually understood that these two women, one was the daughter-in-law of the Qian family, and the other was a young lady from the Qian family. The Qian family was a wealthy family in the county. They were both serious women. They didn't know why they were hanging out with Tang Zhen here.
The wind at night was a bit cold, and it made a whistling sound through the windows. At this moment, the woman inside said in a coquettish voice: "This wind is blowing, it's really scary to hear. Tang Lang should close the window."
As soon as Tang Zhen moved his hand, he heard the woman in his arms panting, and said with a smile: "You have been in this holy sect for so long, and you are carrying Taoism. How can you be afraid of the mere sound of the wind? I don't believe it?"
At this time, a woman pushed Tang Zhen: "Mr. Tang, stop joking. I don't know how prepared the young master is for arranging your affairs."
"Why are you so anxious? I've already personally invited him. In ten days, there will be a gathering of scholars. We can start then." Tang Zhen was seen playing with the white snow and refused to let go.
At this time, I heard the young lady say: "Sister-in-law, you don't know about this. I have already made a plan with Tang Lang, and it will be up to Tang Lang to trick him."
"Wenhui's ship already has a nourishing incense. This incense alone is not only harmless to people, but it can also nourish the spirit. No one can find out."
"But as long as there is another medicine in the wine glass, and the wine is accompanied by incense, even the saint can't bear it. When we use it as an excuse to play, as soon as we get close, he will not be able to bear it, and he will do something rude and humiliate me in public. If so, it will ruin his reputation."
"Jiaoyu is also a pedantic person. He will definitely not be able to bear it. And in full view of the public, he will not give up until his reputation is revoked."
"By then, we will have completed our mission."
After hearing this, Tang Zhen remained silent and looked a little unhappy. He saw Miss Qian who had just spoken, pushed Tang Zhen with his hand and said, "Why are you unhappy? Although you and I have an engagement, I don't even have a sister-in-law." I brought you here to have fun with you, we practice the holy Dharma and that’s not what matters.”
"And not to mention that in the public eye, he can't take advantage. Even if he does, it doesn't matter - we have the same alias as wives and concubines, but we are actually from the same family, and we communicate with each other normally. Otherwise, how can we not have the sexual blessing you are enjoying now?"
Hearing this, Pei Ziyun just smiled coldly. It turned out that this was Tang Zhen's plan to kill Heifeng Village. Unexpectedly, the Prison Saint Sect would react.
At that moment, he had some concerns and was about to leave, but then he heard someone say: "Not only this Pei Ziyun, but look at the inspection master, he is also the person the young master named to deal with."
"It was too easy to deal with him. I just asked a few people to help him a little, and then dragged him into the water. He was also a warrior who changed his career, and he was weak in the county, so he hit the target with one shot."
"On the one hand, he drank and made money, and on the other hand, he was asked to do some illegal things. When he is almost used, our people will come forward to report it. The evidence is solid, and he will be sentenced to death. His head will be chopped off, and his body will be copied. His family, and even his women, came to this boat to see the methods of our Holy Sect."
"Furthermore, the person who reported it can also gain a reputation of being upright. Although the members of our Holy Sect are jealous of the Dragon Qi and cannot become seventh-grade officials no matter how they plot, they can still become local vigilantes."
After hearing this, Pei Ziyun looked secretly and saw that Tang Zhen's expression changed drastically. He was talking about inspection, but actually he was warning Tang Zhen. It really killed two birds with one stone, but Pei Ziyun had no sympathy.
"Back in the day, you were calm and elegant, but now you've fallen into this situation. It's a pity that you committed suicide on your own, and you can't blame others."
"And no matter what your reasons are, you have already taken action by framing me. Not only can I not save you, I must also repay you."
"The same goes for the inspection, but there is no need for me to take action during the inspection."
Thinking of this, when I saw the boat far away from the river bank, I didn't wait, and gently slid off the boat. I only heard a slight "plop" sound of water. No one paid attention. I only saw that the water only brought some waves and spread gently. Come.
In just a moment, a person jumped on the river bank. It was late at night, so naturally he was not afraid of people seeing him, so he ran towards his home: "Fortunately it is April or May now, and the weather is not very cold. Wearing this wet clothes for a while, It doesn’t matter, but now that the conspiracy is known, we have to fight back immediately.”
"It seems I have to go to the county again."
(End of chapter)