A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 68 Suspect

Bewitching charm and unrestrained passion.

At the critical moment, Li Yi quickly braked, and with a thought, he got the ultra-thin thing.

If you are treated poorly, enjoy it more.

"Ah Lang, what is this?"

“Enjoy the passion, don’t be afraid of the unexpected.”

The night comes wind and rain, Whispering Colour.

Li Yi was sleeping soundly. Ji supported her head and stared at him, sleeping so peacefully.

As she watched, the corners of Ji's mouth curled up.

The door was gently pushed open a crack, revealing half of the head of the Silla maid Yuse.

The two women looked at each other.

When Yu Shu saw Ji and A Lang sleeping in the same bed, she looked at them unfriendly, but Ji just smiled indifferently, which made Yu Se think that she was deliberately showing off and provoking, and she was so angry that she gritted her teeth.

·····
Li Yi slept until noon.
Empty your body and sleep better.

Ji's face was also flushed, and she looked very energetic. It was true that women need to be nourished.

She got up early and didn't disturb Li Yi, and specially stewed eel soup.

"Alang, these are the eels that the villagers caught at night. I stewed them with red dates and lean meat to make a soup that can replenish qi and blood."

Li Yi looked at the soup in the small casserole. The soup was milky white and looked very appetizing.

"Thank you."

He took a piece of eel and said, "Mmm, the meat is smooth and tender, and the taste is delicious, not fishy at all. I didn't expect your cooking skills are so good."

"Next time you can buy some astragalus and stew it with the eel to replenish your qi and blood." Ji said gently.

"Eat together, you also need to supplement more."

Silla's maid Yuse came out from the kitchen and said, "Ah Lang, I have boiled some duck eggs for you. Eat them while they are hot. Boiled duck eggs have the benefits of clearing the lungs and reducing internal heat, especially in this hot summer. Eating duck eggs can prevent internal heat and nourish the lungs."

Li Yi knew why the Silla maid was like this and just laughed.

He took the duck egg and gave her one as well. "Eat it too. It can help you get rid of your internal heat. You see, you have acne all over your face. It's because you have too much internal heat."

"I didn't sleep well last night."

Lanxiang came over and said, "Brother, my second uncle is in the front yard. He said he has something to tell you."

"Just let Uncle Luo come in."

"Second uncle said it's inconvenient to enter the inner courtyard, so he asked you to go to the outer courtyard."

Li Yi quickly drank the eel soup, picked up the duck eggs and peeled them as he walked to the outer courtyard.

Luo Er was standing under the corridor of the south room.

"Da Lang, the bald man didn't come to work today."

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Luo Er shook his head. "I saw she hadn't come yet so late, so I went to her house to check on her. But none of her family was there. Baldy wasn't there, and neither was the baby."

Li Yi peeled the duck eggs and asked, "Have you asked the neighbors?"

"I asked several families. Uncle Shigou's grandson Heipi said he saw a few people go to the bald man's cave yesterday. Later, the bald man and his wife followed with their children. They seemed to be carrying bags. Oh, and Heipi also said that the woman in the bald man's family had a bruised face and nose."

When Li Yi heard this, he stopped what he was doing and frowned.

"Let's go to Baldy's house."

Li Yi and Luo Er came to Baldy's house. His house was not far from Wujiyuan, just at the foot of the cliff. It was still the original three-hole old cave house, very dilapidated. It was not affected by the last cliff collapse, but it was also affected by the collapse of the cliff after he moved to the rice fields on the south bank and lived there for a while.

Now the kiln is empty,

The door of the dilapidated cave was tied with a straw rope. Luo Er untied it and found that the dilapidated cave was bare.

Li Yi and Luo Er went to Shigou's house.

His grandson Heipi was called over. The kid was only four years old and his words were not very clear. He said that he saw several strangers at Baldy's house at night yesterday, and then Baldy's family followed them away.

Li Yi repeatedly asked for some details.

For example, the bald man was very happy when he left, but his wife, Aunt Fat, had a bruised face and nose, and the bald man's family was burdened.

I had never seen those strangers before. They were tall, one of them had a big beard, and the clothes they wore were not patched...
Shi Gou scolded Hei Pi: "Why didn't you tell me earlier last night?"

"Uncle Shigou, don't blame the child. Children don't understand those things and will forget them once they play." Li Yi said.

Shigou felt a little embarrassed. He was the head of the village and Baldy was a member of his village. Now the man was taken away by a stranger, so he was responsible.

"Village chief, what on earth is going on?"

Li Yi thought about it and felt that this matter was not simple. He even had a vague feeling that this matter might be related to him.

"Report to the police first,"

"We're still unclear about the situation, how can we report it to the police?"

"Didn't Hei Pi see Aunt Fatty being beaten black and blue? She was taken away by a few strangers after dark. We have reason to suspect she was kidnapped. We must report it to the police immediately." Li Yi didn't know who the other party was, and he wasn't even sure if they were really coming for him.
But in the current situation, reporting to the authorities is undoubtedly the best option. We must first use the power of the government to find out the situation.

Li Yi returned to Wujiyuan on horseback and first went to the home of Wang Lizheng of Nianwan.

When the matter was mentioned, Li Zheng Wang also frowned.

"Now that you mention it, it's really possible that she was kidnapped." "Auntie Fatty works in my workshop. I suspect someone wanted to get their hands on my recipes, so they kidnapped her."

"Let's go to the county and report to the police."

Wang Lizheng also rode a horse, and the two of them went to Wangqu to find Wang Xiangchang. When Wang Xiangchang heard this, he also rode his horse without saying a word and went to Chang'an City together.

Along the way, Li Yi became more and more certain that this incident was aimed at his workshop.

In fact, bean curd sheet production is not a high-tech thing, and it is impossible to keep it strictly confidential in Li Yi's workshop. Although he tries his best to separate the processes, those who grind the pulp, those who boil the pulp, those who pick the skin, and those who dry it, but in fact, as long as you work in the workshop for a while, you will learn it.

There are only a few steps in the process, and the key points are the ratio of water to beans when grinding the slurry, the heat when cooking the slurry, etc. It is not difficult.

Yuba is really profitable.
Li Yi sold to various major temples, also using the routine of the Horse-Ti Temple, giving kickbacks to the monks in charge of purchasing. One dou of rice was exchanged for one jin of bean curd sheets, and Li Yi gave one-third as a kickback. No purchasing monk could resist this kickback ratio.

But Li Yi still had a lot. Even based on the previous grain prices, he could make a net profit of more than 100 yuan per pound of bean curd sheets.

Two to three hundred kilograms a day, that means a net profit of at least thirty to forty thousand coins.

You should know that the imperial court's money bureau has coin casting furnaces in various places.

Each coin casting furnace can only cast about 3,000 coins a year, which is an average of about 10,000 coins a day.

Even though monks, nobles, and powerful people make easy money by lending money and collecting rent, who would complain about having too much money? It's normal for them to be targeted.

I just don't know who is targeting me.

The three of them rushed to Chang'an City and went directly to the Wannian Public Office in Xuanyangfang.

Li Yi was also familiar with Wannian Ling Xin Chujian. He now held the title of Baron of Qianshui County. The people in the Wannian County Court also knew this awesome young man and took him in directly.

Magistrate Xin, who was cuckolded by the emperor, was still drinking to drown his sorrows in broad daylight, but he still received Li Yi when he came to report the case.

"Call the Fa Cao and the Bad Commander." County Magistrate Xin said while being a little drunk.

The new military officer who succeeded Sun Fujia was named Li. He came from the Danyang branch of the famous Longxi Li family. He was in his twenties, had a dignified appearance, and had the air of a child from an aristocratic family.

The bad commander of Wannian County was named Zhao Chang. He had a sinister look in his eyes and even had a long scar on his face. He was dressed in a black robe, had an iron chain and iron ruler around his waist, and wore a horizontal sword.

Li Yi informed the two of them of the situation.
"I suspect someone kidnapped them because Baldy Luo's wife works in my workshop and someone wants to steal my secret recipe."

Xin Chujian said to the two men, "Li Lang is a scholar twice honored by His Majesty. His reputation reaches the heavens, and he holds the title of county baron. You must investigate this matter with all your might. The county has given you seven days to find the villagers of Luojiabao who were taken away."

Li Facao smiled and said, "Mingfu, we don't have any clues right now. Seven o'clock might be too short a time to start investigating. Please give us more time."

Li Yi then reminded him, "If my guess is true, and they're really after my workshop's secret recipe, then Fa Cao Li can send someone to keep an eye on something. If someone in Gyeonggi starts selling yuba (bean curd skin) and bean curd infusions in the near future, then they're definitely kidnapping people to steal my secrets. We can simply follow the clues and find the kidnapper by finding their workshop."

Zhao Chang turned his head and stared at Li Yi. "Mr. Li's reminder is good, but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack to investigate. Besides, it's been hot lately."

After talking for a while, they left the house of Xin County Magistrate.

Li Yi followed Zhao Chang to his public housing. The Bad Leader was just an outside official. He was in charge of a group of bad people, who were equivalent to temporary workers in the county.

But these people also have heavy responsibilities, including professional detectives, arrests and interrogations.

It is said that the Bad People are all thugs in the city with criminal records. They are recruited by the government to assist the government in investigating cases and hunting down fugitives.

In fact, the people working in the county government in the Tang Dynasty were divided into clerks and servants. Servants were basically conscripted from the people to serve in rotation, and there were very few who were actually on the payroll.

When it comes to investigating and handling cases, ordinary militiamen are really not capable, so they have to rely on those bad guys. After all, these bad guys who commit crimes are more professional, and it can be considered as fighting evil with evil.

Li Yi directly took out a small gold bar.

"A little gift, give tea to Zhao Shuai and the brothers."

The Ministry of Personnel had an unspoken rule that required payment for obtaining a certificate, and Li Yi was well aware of the ins and outs of this. These bad guys had a bad reputation among the people, and when they handled a case, they would always get a lot of money.

It's the same no matter what era it is in.

Zhao Chang took a look at the small gold bar worth one or two taels and accepted it without any surprise.

"I'll arrange it right away."

"Thank you for your hard work, Zhao Shuai. I will definitely reward you handsomely after the task is completed."

After leaving the yamen, Li Yi was not anxious at all. The incident had already happened. There was a high probability that the recipe of bean curd sheets and soaked bean curd would be leaked, and this exclusive business might not be able to be done.

But it's not a big deal. To Li Yi, it was just an accidental act.

There are plenty of ways to make money.

He came to report the case because, firstly, a villager was missing, which was his duty as village chief. Secondly, he wanted to know who had stolen his recipe in such a way.

Li Yi had a suspect in his mind, but he didn't dare to jump to conclusions without evidence.

He felt that the Jingzhao Du family was highly suspicious because of Du Shiniang. Madam Guo had warned Li Yi several times, both openly and covertly, and Li Yi had given a clear reply that he would not cross the line. However, Du Shiniang's behavior was increasingly worrying Madam Guo, and he had reason to suspect that the Du family was secretly plotting against him.
The Du family doesn't lack the money earned from the workshop, but they think the workshop is very important to Li Yi.

After leaving the county government office, Li Yi told the village chief Wang and the village head Wang that he was going to visit Du Ruhui's house.

They both wanted to visit, "Let's go together."

Du Ruhui lived in Anminfang, which belonged to Shangnancheng under the jurisdiction of Wannian County. It was in the third row south of the imperial city. All the fangs in Shangnancheng were smaller, with only east and west gates, but no north and south gates.

Mayor Wang told Li Yi, "Don't be fooled by the fact that this is the south of the city, but Anminfang is extraordinary. It is full of princes and relatives, and the best houses are lined up side by side. It is as beautiful as the capital."

After entering the block, one can see the mansions of the royal family.
"That's the residence of the father of His Majesty's favorite concubine, Concubine Yin De. Further ahead is the residence of Du Changshi."

Li Yi had an impression of the name of Concubine Yin De. She was an important figure in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. She and Concubine Zhang both supported Jiancheng. Then Li Shimin directly told his father that these two concubines, along with Jiancheng and Yuanji, had defiled the harem. Li Yuan was so angry that he wanted his sons to come to court the next day to confront him.
As a result, the next day Li Shimin ambushed Jiancheng and Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate, and kidnapped Li Yuan and the prime ministers he summoned to prepare for the three-court trial and took them to the dragon boat in Haichi.

Defei was one of the Four Concubines. It is said that she and Zhang Jieyushi were palace maids in the Jinyang Palace. The palace supervisor Pei Ji presented them to Li Yuan. The two beauties have always been favored by Li Yuan. This Yin was able to be named Defei because she was probably more beautiful than Zhang.

Village Chief Wang was actually very familiar with many of the royal families in Anminfang. He introduced them to Li Yi along the way and he was amazed. Among the 108 wards in Chang'an, there were actually more than a dozen royal families, princes and nobles in this ward alone.

As a man from Qianshui County, he is really nothing in Chang'an City.

(End of this chapter)