Eunuch Yan agreed, and Hong Xinyuan did not delay for a moment, and went straight out of Eunuch Yan's mansion and led his entourage back to his own mansion.
When he got home, the sun was already high in the sky. The plaque of the Weaving Bureau shone brightly in the sunlight. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, dismounted, threw the horse to the doorman, and went straight into the study.
When the retainers and staff heard the news, they had already been waiting in the study. When they saw him, they all stood up and saluted.
He didn't have the energy to argue with them anymore, so he waved his hand to ask them to stop being polite. He sat in the armchair to catch his breath for a long time before opening his eyes and looking at the seven or eight guests sitting in front of him with a fierce look: "I have already gone to Eunuch Yan's house to ask for help. Eunuch Yan really doesn't seem to know about this matter, and he agreed to write a letter to Mao Yanlong, the governor of Yingtian Prefecture."
In other words, we can rule out the possibility that Eunuch Yan was framed by his political enemies.
He placed his hands on the table, his eyes full of hostility, and after a while he said, "Who on earth wants to mess with me?!"
He has always done well in Yangzhou because he knows how to get along with others and has a strong backing. Over the years, he has cooperated with the local government and they have gotten along very well.
Not to mention the prefect, the governor and others also received a lot of benefits from him.
Everything had gone smoothly for him for so long that he had long forgotten what it felt like to be plotted against. Now that he was suddenly being plotted against, he felt not only angry but also unspeakable panic.
The guests below noticed his irritability and anxiety, and asked him to calm down.
One of them said tentatively, "Logically speaking, there are enough people around the girl, so this shouldn't happen. Even if there are robbers, they are careful and usually won't embarrass the officials' families. It seems like they did it on purpose, targeting you behind the girl."
Everyone agreed.
Hong Xinyuan's face turned even worse: "But I have been in Yangzhou for so many years. If there is any conflict, it is only with Eunuch Yan. The others..."
Everyone is in the same boat. He doesn't know what benefit those people get from plotting against him, and he can't imagine who is plotting against him.
Everyone below was silent for a moment.
Then someone suddenly asked, "Didn't Lord Xu send a letter saying that the situation in the capital had changed? Could it be that the people in the capital wanted to deal with Lord Xu but couldn't get in, so they attacked the girl?"
Someone immediately shook his head: "The situation in the capital is tense. I heard that the Jinyiwei is arresting people everywhere and confiscating their homes at any time. Even the imperial prison is almost full of people. The situation is so tense that no one should commit crimes. It is unlikely that someone would commit a crime against Mr. Xu."
Hong Xinyuan nodded himself. "The date for going to the capital was only recently set. We were hesitant before and had not made a decision. Even if the capital really wanted to start a move on us, we had no chance due to lack of information. Now it seems that someone around us knows the inside story... Otherwise, what are all those escorts and guards for? How could they allow someone to get into trouble right under their noses?"
The retainers all looked at each other's faces before someone spoke up, "Sir, what are the escorts saying now? When the steward came back, didn't he say that the escorts suffered heavy losses? Since they fought with the other side, there must be some clues, right?"
Hong Xinyuan's eyebrows were full of irritation: "The information he brought back is not complete. Apart from saying that those people were talking about the language in Shanxi, I don't know anything else."
"Shanxi?!" One of the retainers widened his eyes in thought and said slowly, "Aren't the escorts we hired this time from the famous escort agency in Shanxi?"
Everyone looked at him, then at Hong Xinyuan, with surprise on their faces.
Yes, these bodyguards are all from Jin.
Ping An Escort Agency is a famous group of bodyguards from the Shanxi Gang. It was because of their great reputation that Hong Xinyuan chose them without hesitation to escort his daughter to Beijing even though they had just arrived in Yangzhou to open a branch.
Hong Xinyuan was also stunned.
Could it really be related to these bodyguards
The aide who had just finished speaking frowned again: "Logically speaking, we shouldn't doubt our own people, but since the manager said that the bandits all spoke Shanxi dialect, we have to think more. Just as you said, our defense is tight, and not many people know the date of departure, and there are many accidents on the road that can cause the journey to be delayed or smooth. Why can the bandits find the girl's residence accurately and even hold her hostage? Is there really someone who leaked the information internally, giving those people an opportunity to take advantage of it?"
Now everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
Although it was only spring, Hong Xinyuan couldn't help sweating. What his staff said made sense. It was such a coincidence. The escort was from the Shanxi Gang's escort agency, and when the incident happened, the thieves also had the same accent.
How can there be so many coincidences in this world
Could it be that the escorts were really doing something like the thief crying "stop thief"
Seeing that Hong Xinyuan didn't say anything, the staff member bowed again and said, "Sir, it's useless for us to say more here now. Why don't we wait until the escorts return and then interrogate him."
Hong Xinyuan narrowed his eyes, his eyes were filled with undisguised anger: "These sons of bitches! If they really are traitors, eating my money and using my money, and still come to ruin my daughter's reputation, I will kill them!"
Everyone advised him.
Hong Xinyuan ignored them and pointed out the name of the aide: "Cheng Qi, tell me, if those escorts really did this, what did they want?"
Cheng Qi was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He had never been very noticeable in the government. He was young and was originally a well-known talent in the local area. However, despite his fame, he had a bad career and failed in the examinations many times. While taking the examinations, he also applied for a job in the weaving industry and worked as an aide to Hong Xinyuan.
At this moment, he heard the words and moved his eyelids calmly: "In my opinion, they robbed people either for money or for fame. If it is really them, no matter which one it is, they must have something to ask for, and if they have something to ask for, they will definitely reveal clues. We will just wait and see what happens."
For money or fame
Hong Xinyuan looked at him with some confusion.
Cheng Qi did not keep him in suspense and looked at him slowly and said, "Sir, although the Ping An Escort Agency is well-known in Shanxi, it is a new arrival in Yangzhou... What if they can find our lost girl?"