After this case of missing children, the Nancheng Gang was naturally uprooted. Not to mention the core gangs such as Deng Xiucai and the third head of the family, in the case of the joint search of Xichang and Beizhen Fusi, an ordinary pawn was not spared. Tongtong was arrested for interrogation, and the Nancheng Gang was completely disintegrated in the capital.
This turmoil also caused a lot of trouble. All the gangs in the capital were reshuffled. The gang leaders Lai Boss and Liuzhi Li were also "invited" to question them. For fear of being unlucky to have a relationship with the Nancheng Gang.
No matter how arrogant these local ruffian forces are, they can't match the government's intention to deal with them.
After this sweep, the capital immediately seemed to be much cleaner. According to the feedback from Pharaohs of Shuntianfu and the others, recently, even the wonderful hands of holding sheep have stopped a lot. People who have just come to Beijing from other places think that the security in the capital has always been so good. Still sighing "the emperor's feet are really extraordinary" and so on.
On the other hand, from Deng Xiucai's mouth, Tang Fan and the others also got a lot of news about the White Lotus Sect.
It is said that the history of the White Lotus Sect can be traced back to the Northern Song Dynasty. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the world was chaotic and heroes were born in large numbers. It was also when the White Lotus Sect was flourishing. The King of Han, Chen Youliang.
Later, Chen Youliang died, and the power was annexed by the Emperor Taizu. Emperor Taizu wanted the world. Naturally, he was very disgusted with the White Lotus Sect, an organization that was detached and did not obey discipline. Not only did he not accept their surrender, but he mercilessly relented. It was wiped out, and since then, the White Lotus Sect has turned from bright to dark, and it has died down.
But of course they didn't really disappear. During the reign of Hongwu, due to the strong emperor, the White Lotus Sect did not dare to come out and make trouble. When Emperor Yongle competed with his nephew for the throne during the Battle of Jingnan, the White Lotus Sect appeared again to support Emperor Jianwen. Come on, the young and weak Emperor Jianwen is naturally better in control than his shrewd and strong uncle who has experienced a hundred battles.
In the end, I didn't expect that this time I made the wrong bet, my nephew lost, my uncle became emperor, and the White Lotus Sect was forced to sink to the surface again.
The White Lotus Sect, which was lurking in the dark, did not stop, but continued to develop its own power silently, waiting for the right time. After that, the second emperor Renxuan made the country enter a period of stable development, the politics was still clear, and the people were living It's better, there is no room for the White Lotus Sect to do anything, and they also seem to have completely disappeared from people's sight, no more traces. Younger people probably haven't heard of the name of the White Lotus Sect.
During the reign of Emperor Yingzong, the emperor himself failed to live up to his expectations. Instigated by the eunuchs around him, he decided to go to war in person. As a result, he traveled thousands of miles and became a prisoner of the Wataru people. Later, it turned out that Wang Zhen, who instigated the emperor, was inextricably linked with the White Lotus Demon Sect. contact, and then the other party colluded with the Oara people, trying to take advantage of Daming's lack of leaders to capture Beijing in one fell swoop and annex half of Daming's country.
After that, there have been many twists and turns in the world.
All in all, once the current situation is stable and there is no opportunity to take advantage of it, the White Lotus Sect seems to have completely disappeared from the world, with no trace to be found.
The court is very troubled by this, but the factions are fighting each other, and the intrigue has not been enough for many years. The emperor himself has no intention of political affairs, and employs traitors to mess around in the court. Where can we divide the energy to deal with such a large and tightly organized cult
It wasn't until the incident of the demon Li Zilong that the emperor was shocked and angry. Jinyiwei and Dongxi Factory joined forces to intensify their efforts to hunt down the demons of the White Lotus Sect, but the enemy was secretive. But the whole country is so big, those demons just hide among the common people, it is very difficult to find out.
Like this time, if Tang Fan hadn't heard Jiu Niangzi's confession, he would never have thought that the Nancheng Gang, who had bought off Wan Guifei's younger brother Wantong, who was like a snake in the capital, even colluded with the White Lotus Sect.
For a long time, the Nancheng Gang was supported by the White Lotus Sect. Their activities were no different from other underworld forces in the capital, and most of the profits they earned needed to be turned over to the chief sect.
But Deng Xiu was an ambitious person. Over time, he felt dissatisfied, thinking why should I do all the hard work and hard work, but you all get the benefits? He deliberately wanted to use the climb to Wantong, leaning on the court, and draw a line with the White Lotus Sect.
On the one hand, he has not completely broken face with the White Lotus Sect, and the money that should be paid is still handed in, but it is just an excuse that the business is not good, and it decreases year by year. Half, both sides, so happy.
But the headmaster got less money, so naturally he would send someone down to check, so Jiu Niangzi came. I didn't expect that at this time, Deng Xiucai's men had no eyes and tied up two people who shouldn't be tied up. Now, even Wantong couldn't keep him, so Deng Xiucai had to take someone to the deserted village to avoid the limelight.
In the end, because Jiu Niangzi and Deng Xiucai had been at odds for a long time, and Tang Fan happened to come, she used Tang Fan to fight against Deng Xiucai, and in the end, she fought with her own life.
That's where things come in.
But Tang Fan and the others naturally wanted to know more than that.
They wanted to know more about the situation of the White Lotus Sect, including where the so-called chief sect was, how many followers were there, where they were distributed, what conspiracy they were planning recently, and so on.
It's a pity that Deng Xiucai didn't know all of these inside stories.
Although he controls the entire Nancheng Gang, to put it bluntly, he is still a peripheral member of the White Lotus Sect and is not qualified to participate in the major affairs of the sect.
Under the means of Xichang, Ren Dengxiu is a copper-clad and iron-boned man, and he can only confess obediently. He said that he only knows that the White Lotus Sect has a big leader, that is, the leader, who is very mysterious, not to mention Deng Xiucai, Even people like Jiu Niangzi who came down from the main sect have never seen the true face of the leader. Apart from the main altar, the power of the White Lotus Sect spreads all over the country, that is, they set up branch altars in various places.
Since Beijing is where the imperial city is located, and there are Jinyiwei and Dongxichang, the White Lotus Sect dare not be too public, so they did not set up a branch in the capital, but only supported peripheral forces like the Nancheng Gang.
The Nancheng Gang has to pay taxes to the headmaster on a regular basis every year. The time is uncertain, and the headmaster sends people over. Deng Xiucai and the others are only responsible for reception, and the messenger every year is also uncertain. The messenger for the first two years was a monk named Zhu. The person of the sect is Jiu Niangzi this year, and the two parties use the token and slogan of the White Lotus Sect as their contact method.
The token is the chief sect token that Deng Xiucai took from Jiu Niangzi at that time. It has the highest gold content and can order the White Lotus cultists. But if you only have a token and can't match the secret code, it is useless to have a token. , others must know that you are a fake.
The password is also very mysterious. The White Lotus Sect has its own set of corresponding passwords. Deng Xiucai naturally explained them all, but he also said that in order to prevent traitors from appearing, the passwords will be changed regularly. Teach him the password that he needs to use next time, instead of continuing to use a password.
Such interlocking, strict and meticulous, so the White Lotus Sect can escape the arrest and suppression of the government, and it has been passed down from generation to generation.
All that Deng Xiucai can explain is just that.
The one who knew more was Jiu Niangzi, but she and her two subordinates had already been killed by Deng Xiucai.
Although Wang Zhi and the others failed to eradicate the White Lotus Sect, they managed to remove the Nancheng Gang's nail in the capital, which was a great achievement. However, Tang Fan felt that since the Nancheng Gang could connect with the palace, it would be a great achievement for the children Tong Fa sold into the palace as an eunuch, I am afraid that not only bribes Wantong, there may be other ways in the palace, I suggest Wang Zhi to investigate deeply.
Of course, this proposal was rejected by Wang Zhi.
The reason for Wang Zhi's refusal is very simple. He originally took time to come back to do errands. Now that the errands are over, he naturally has to rush back to Datong, so he has no time to mess around.
And he told Tang Fan that as early as after the Yaodao Li Zilong case, the palace was thoroughly investigated. At that time, not to mention the White Lotus Sect brand, even those with a little scar on their bodies were singled out and sent to the Dongxi Factory. After rounds of interrogation, after that, all the spies who were related to the White Lotus Sect were arrested, and the others who were fine would also be checked regularly, and they would not leave any marks of the White Lotus Sect on their bodies.
That is to say, the brand of the White Lotus Sect does exist, but it is only aimed at middle- and lower-level believers. A general messenger like Jiu Niangzi doesn't have it at all. At that time, she was probably just trying to frighten Tang Fan and test his intentions. That's all, it can't be used as a certificate to screen out believers at all.
At the end, he also solemnly warned Tang Fan: Don't look for trouble!
The last sentence has far-reaching implications, and with Tang Fan's cleverness, it is not difficult to hear the connotation.
Wang Zhi is reluctant to do much, and the reason is actually quite understandable: although he is powerful, most of his authority is concentrated outside the palace and cannot be reached inside the palace. Not only him, but also Shang Ming from the East Factory. There are only two people who can talk in the palace now, Wynn and Liang Fang.
Among the twelve prisons in the inner palace, the Sili and Yuma prisons have the most authority, and each department also has a palm print and a pen, which is simply the eldest and the second.
Qualifications are important everywhere. Wynn and Liang Fang are the current bosses of the Slijian and Yumajian respectively. Even Wang Zhi and Shang Ming, the two upstarts, can only be called the second child.
The bosses of these two departments were highly trusted by the emperor, especially Liang Fang. Because he followed the route of Concubine Wan, he was more like a duck to water, with many cronies and great power in the palace. Wang Zhi did not dare to provoke him easily.
Although the Nancheng Gang colluded with the inner palace, although it may not be directly related to Liang Fang, it must have been hidden from Liang Fang's eyes and ears. Maybe the benefits are not less filial to Liang Fang. If this matter is further investigated, it will inevitably involve Liang Fang. body.
Wang Zhi and Liang Fang are both walking together. Everyone looks up and sees them. The latter is still a senior. Of course, Wang Zhi doesn't want to offend Liang Fang. What's more, this incident has already involved a Wantong, and the emperor is learning about Wantong's acceptance. After the Nancheng Gang's bribery, although it seemed that Concubine Wan did not do anything to him in the face of him, but inviting Yuan Bin out to sit in Jinyiwei, it was considered to be depriving Wantong of his authority and giving him a small warning.
Wantong was depressed, of course he didn't dare to do anything to the emperor, but it didn't prevent him from pouring his anger on Wang Zhi.
Although Wang Zhi is also a man of Concubine Wan, but he is Concubine Wan's younger brother. If the slaves and servants kiss again, is there still a younger brother who comes to kiss
Wang Zhi was naturally called by Concubine Wan to give him a good training.
So Wang Zhi was also very depressed. He was praised by the emperor, but turned his head to eat and hang in front of the imperial concubine. Of course, he didn't want to offend Liang Fang again. After warning Tang Fan, he went straight to Datong the next day. Dedicated to making military merits, I don't see the heart and don't worry.
Without the support of Xichang, Tang Fan would not be able to track down the court alone. Fortunately, A-Dong and the other children were all safe, and the culprits were caught, especially Deng Xiucai and the third master of the Nancheng Gang, as well as the suspect. Deng Xiucai's gang leader Ding Yimu, who was used as a puppet, was sentenced to be executed, and the rest of the gang members were sentenced to exile.
In the "Da Ming Law", abducting and selling human beings is referred to as a lure person. Abducting and selling a good person is more sinful than abducting and selling slaves. Those who lure a good person and abduct and sell a good person as slaves will all have one hundred sticks and travel three thousand miles.
However, Deng Xiucai and the others colluded with the White Lotus Sect. Naturally, they were not the same as general abduction and trafficking. All dynasties and dynasties were sentenced to the most serious crimes related to treason.
Originally, Deng Xiucai still had to be beheaded in the waist, but because he confessed and was lenient, so Kane, he could let him take poison and commit suicide without pain, and then chop off his head after the end. Be comfortable, Deng Xiucai did not hesitate to spit out everything he knew.
Before A-Dong and the others, they didn't know how many children fell into their hands. Even the puppet, Ding Yimu, actually did not get involved, and they didn't know how much innocent blood was on their hands, so The deaths of these people were not wrong at all.
Everyone's busy tossing and working for most of the night was not in vain, the matter finally came to an end, and the curtain was reluctantly ended successfully.
In this incident, apart from those who were injured in the fight with the Nancheng Gang, Tang Fan was the one who was injured the most.
He had been hit with a sap on the head before, but it was later confirmed that he was bleeding. When he was in the cellar, his hands were tied and bleeding. He was pushed down by Xin Shishi once again. There are necks that were later scratched by the tiles, etc...
Although the overall injury was not serious, the whole body was covered with scars. Fortunately, all of them were injured due to work, so Master Tang took half a month's leave for injury and celebrated Suizhou by the way.
Yes, Suizhou has been promoted again.
But this time it was an accident.
Originally, after he went to Jiangxi to handle Huang Jinglong's case last time, he had already been promoted to deputy thousand households. It is reasonable to say that there is no possibility of further promotion in the short term, but because of the case of lost children, the emperor was dissatisfied with Wantong's collusion with the bandits, so he Please return Yuan Bin to sit in Jinyiwei.
What kind of person is this Yuan Bin - he was successful in saving the driver, and he saved the late emperor.
At the time of the civil engineering change, Yuan Bin followed him around, guarded Yingzong, and even followed Yingzong into captivity. He took good care of him. The monarch and his ministers experienced adversity, and their feelings were not comparable to those of ordinary ministers. Later, Yuan Bin helped the former emperor to restore it. hehe.
Because of this past, when Zi ascended the throne today, he also treated Yuan Bin with courtesy, but he was getting older, so he no longer cared about practical matters, and only took the name of a commander of Jinyiwei. This time the emperor intends to teach a lesson Wantong, he invited Yuan Bin out of the mountain again.
For Yuan Bin's qualifications and prestige, even the present His Majesty must respect him by three points.
Over the years, because of Wantong, Jinyiwei has been agitated by him, and villains are rampant.
Those who flatter Wantong can become the guests of Wan's family, and those who can't get along with him are suppressed and attacked by him using the authority of Jinyiwei. As Sui Zhou said before, it is precisely because of the impeachment of Wan Concubine, sister and brother, so they ended up in ruins.
Now that Yuan Bin came, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
Although Yuan Bin is old, he is old and strong and has a tough style. As soon as he came, he took down the two heads of Jinyiwei Nanbeizhen Fusi, that is, Wantong's confidants and minions. Wantong gritted his teeth with hatred, but he had nothing to do with him. I went to the emperor to complain, because Yuan Bin was sent by the emperor to rectify Jinyiwei.
In this way, everyone didn't dare to say a word when they saw Wantong. Those bulls, ghosts, snakes, and gods would naturally shy away from them, and obediently hold their tails in their lives, so as not to be harmed by pond fish.
Although these things are not directly related to Suizhou, because of his strong brand and ability, he quickly removed the adverb in his official title and became a veritable thousand households.
Thousands of households are of the fifth grade, regardless of their rank, they are still military officials, but the Qianhu Jinyiwei has a lot of power. Qianhu is in charge of one of the five guards under the Fusi Division of Nanbei Town.
More importantly, because the head of Beizhen Fusi had just been won by Yuan Bin, and there was no one sitting in this position, Yuan Bin asked Suizhou to temporarily take the position of Beizhen Fusi's governor, considering that he had leapfrogged. He was promoted because he was afraid that he would not be able to convince the public, so he did not directly promote, but let him temporarily lead the Beizhen Fu envoy in a part-time manner.
The veteran is extraordinary, and there is also a lot of attention here. If Suizhou does a good job, it will be just around the corner, but if he does not do well, he can be kicked off at any time. Most people are coveting that position, which can be regarded as indirect. Encourage Suizhou to work hard.
Therefore, Suizhou is now holding the salary of a thousand households of the fifth rank. In front of an official from the fourth rank, the speed of promotion is really enviable. However, Suizhou is also facing unprecedented pressure. How to win people's hearts? How to subdue the crowd, and how to make the people below him obey his orders, are all difficult problems.
In any case, this is something worth celebrating. In order to congratulate Suizhou, Tang Fan, Xue Ling and other old subordinates who worked in Suizhou set up a seat outside - not Xiankelou, which is too expensive. . Anyway, everyone is acquaintances, there is a lot of food in the capital, and there is no need to choose there.
Tang Fan chose a time-honored food shop called Yangji Lamb, where the lamb is the most famous. He booked a private room in advance and called a few colleagues he made in Shuntian Prefecture, as well as Suizhou and Xue. Ling waited for a Jin Yiwei, and everyone sat at a table to cook mutton.
There are four pots on the table, with four plates of fat and tender lamb on the side, as well as vegetables, mushrooms, vermicelli and other side dishes, garlic, soy sauce, shallots, sesame oil, peppercorns and other seasonings, match and do it yourself , eating is an atmosphere.
This time, not only Suizhou, but also Xue Ling and others, thanks to Yuan Bin's blessing, have also stepped up a step, naturally everyone is very happy.
On the other hand, Tang Fan completed two major cases in succession, and made two credits. The former cleared the suspicion of Concubine Wan, and the latter retrieved the official's family and went into the thief's cave to fight with the Nancheng Gang. He spared no effort, but there was no reward from above, and his grade was still in place. Tang Fan himself was nothing, but his familiar friends would inevitably feel injustice for him.
When he was full of wine and food, Xue Ling got up from his seat, walked over, patted Tang Fan's shoulder hard and comforted: "Runqing, I don't think you are unlucky, you will definitely be promoted to a high official in the future, now And don't be discouraged!"
"Yeah!" Pang Qi also said, "You're just not lucky enough, don't be discouraged."
He and Xue Ling are still working under Suizhou, but they have been promoted to one hundred households. Come on, everyone knows that if you follow the boss to eat meat, you will naturally become more loyal to Suizhou.
Seeing that Xue Ling had been drinking too much, Sui Zhou staggered and leaned on Tang Fan's body. He couldn't help but stretched out his hand to pull him away, and scolded lightly, "I'm not standing!"
This is not a business, everyone has been drinking again, Xue Ling is not too afraid of him, but jokes with a smile: "Big brother is really good to Brother Runqing, even our brothers in front of the saddle and behind the horse are also very good. Can't compare!"
Everyone agreed with "yes" and "yes".
Suizhou said: "Anyway, I still have a vacant house. If you move in and live with me, I will treat you every day, how about that?"
Xue Ling immediately laughed and stopped talking.
What a joke, although he hasn't married yet, he also has a concubine at home, and he often hangs around in the Qin Lou Chu Pavilion, making him face the cold face of the boss every day in the past, it is probably more uncomfortable than killing him.
Tang Fan smiled and said, "Everyone else wants to be promoted, but I'm not happy."
Xue Ling shouted: "It's duplicitous to hear this, no one is willing to be promoted!"
"Yeah!" Everyone shouted.
Tang Fan pretended to be sad: "You think, I'm only from the sixth rank now, and I'm going to go deep into the thief's cave, get beaten with a sap, and almost die. If I go up a liter, I won't have to fight with the leader of Bailian. , if it's wrong next year today, you won't be able to sit and drink with me!"
His explanation was interesting, and everyone laughed loudly, and those who had wanted to comfort him shut up when they saw that he was so open-minded and transparent.
After a banquet, the guests and the host had a good time, they went back to their respective homes, and they each went to their own mothers, what to do or what to do.
On the way home, Suizhou saw Tang Fan's gloomy brows, thinking that he was speaking freely and easily in front of outsiders, but he must still mind, so he said to him: "Fortune depends on misfortune, good and bad depend on each other, this time If you can't get promoted, it's not necessarily a bad thing, maybe there are other good things waiting for you ahead."
Tang Fan: "I'm not worried about this..."
Sui Zhou was puzzled: "What's that?"
Master Tang said embarrassedly, "It's not yet mid-month, and my salary is about to run out."
That's what happened. Suizhou was a little speechless, and he twitched his face coldly: "...Where is the money going? You invited me to dinner today, and the money you paid seems to be only a few hundred cents?"
Tang Fandao said helplessly: "Yesterday, Master Pan asked me to go out, and the two had a meal outside. Who knew that when it was time to pay the bill, my senior brother had a stomachache and went to the toilet, so I had to give it first, and when he came back, he I want to give it, where can I take his money!"
Suizhou: "Have you eaten at Xianke Lou, which you never go to?"
Tang Fan: "That's not so, at the dumpling shop not far from the Yamen of Shuntian Prefecture, they eat fish dumplings, cabbage and pork dumplings, don't mention, their craftsmanship is no worse than that of the wonton stall in the north of the city, the weather is cold now, wait for spring to come. There will be chicken feather vegetable stuffing, it is called a delicious…”
Suizhou: "...off topic."
Tang Fan snorted: "It's only about 100 sticks after a meal."
He said with a bitter face: "But the day before yesterday, I went to visit my house in the same year, and found that his family was almost too poor to open the pot, so I invited him to have a meal outside. Ah, why does it seem to be spent all at once?"
The more Suizhou listened, the more wrong it became: "You took 500 taels from that White Lotus Sect woman earlier, didn't you, even if you gave me half of it, the remaining 250 taels weren't used up so quickly?"
This matter left Tang Fanmei for a long time. He didn't tell anyone, so he told Suizhou one person, and also shared 250 yuan with Suizhou one person, in the name of sharing the spoils.
Suizhou refused to accept it, and he forced it into the other's arms, forcing Suizhou to accept it.
Speaking of this matter, Master Tang was even more embarrassed: "I saw that in the same year, the family was poor and poor, and there were still four children to feed in the hometown, but the house he rented in the capital was about to expire, and he couldn't raise money, so he went Give him the two hundred and fifty taels."
Sui Zhou was expressionless: "You are really generous."
Tang Fan thought that Suizhou was praising him, and he was cheeky and modest: "Where is it? It is the responsibility of my generation to help those in danger. Anyway, this money is easy to get, and it doesn't hurt to spend it!"
Sui Zhou continued to be expressionless: "Why is this money so easy to come by, are you going to steal or rob it?"
Tang Fan: "..."
Suizhou: "Did you forget that you almost lost your life in that thief's cave? No matter how difficult his family is, you can give him a hundred taels. Can’t do it? If you don’t have a plan for doing things, spending money is like flowing water!”
Master Tang was trained like a child to dare not look up, and said ashamed: "Yes, yes, I will let A-Dong help supervise me when I go back!"
Not to mention, since Sui Qianhu was promoted to Sui Qianhu and took charge of Beizhen Fusi, this majesty has grown day by day. It used to be enough to train people. Makes people dare not say a word.
Suizhou said: "How can A-Dong restrain you? In the future, you will pay half of your salary to me, and I will keep it for you. If you still need money after you spend your money, you need to talk to me. Just say it, I can only use it if I agree."
Suizhou has never been a meddler, and almost all the nosy things in his life have been managed by Master Tang.
But it is also thanks to their friendship, otherwise, others will find it difficult to understand, and maybe they will turn their faces.
However, someone like Master Tang, who is different from ordinary people, nods happily after hearing this: "That's fine. With your restraint, I won't spend money indiscriminately!"
So from then on, in addition to managing the affairs of the Fusi in Beizhen, Qianhu of Sui had to help Master Tang manage the money when he got home.
Just when everyone thought that Tang Fan had to continue his job of pushing officials, news came from the Ministry of Personnel and asked Tang Fan to come over.