My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 184 Clues
The Wu residence has been quite lively these past few days.

Wealthy merchants from several nearby counties frequently came and went, and even some dignitaries from other places sent people over.

This old man Wu has a really good network of connections in the area. He has helped many people over the years, so when he needs help, everyone is willing to lend a hand.

Liu Shanbo stayed by Wu Laozhang's side the whole time, watching him meet one wealthy merchant after another. Wu Laozhang didn't say anything explicitly, but only that this Mr. Liu from Mayi had lost a fine horse in Loufan and was willing to pay a lot of money to buy it back, even offering his family's property as a reward.

That's all Old Wu can do—act as an introducer and make connections. As for other matters, they'll have to discuss them themselves. These wealthy merchants or representatives who were summoned probably understood something, but the Liu family was also a well-known wealthy merchant family in Mayi. They were top figures with a considerable amount of property.

They were quite interested in the terms of the exchange, and besides, Liu Shanbo had said that he would reward anyone who could help make the contact!

After seeing off another group of people, Liu Shanbo secretly calculated the time and suddenly felt a little worried.

After hearing Ye Hu's words, Liu Shanbo had some vague guesses in his mind.

The fact that so many warriors followed them, with top-notch weapons and fierce fighting skills, were able to defeat the Turkic warriors in such a short time strongly suggests that this was the work of local government military officers.

These soldiers were not good people, especially the officers. They were allowed to go out and had a history of robbing merchants. Private merchants were their favorite targets. These officers often had some power in the local area and were well-informed.

It perfectly meets all the conditions.

He dared to promise Ye Hu that he would find out the truth within ten days because he had made a prediction and felt that the matter would not be difficult to handle.

Even those officers, upon seeing such a fine horse, would likely feel some fear. This was not something ordinary merchants could possess; they dared not flaunt it in public, and hiding it would also be risky. As long as one expressed leniency and was willing to pay a high price, or even their family business, to acquire it, and just that one horse, even those officers would probably be willing to trade it.

Wouldn't it be better to legally own a property than to be able to only secretly observe horses, which is extremely risky?
Liu Shanbo has been here for some time now, and Old Man Wu has contacted many people, some of whom have close ties with the government army, but so far there has been no news.

Liu Shanbo was somewhat annoyed.

Yehu came here on the orders of the future Great Khan of the Turks. If he can accomplish this task and gain the friendship of the Great Khan, wouldn't his family become extremely wealthy? It's even possible that he could break through the limits of merchants and revitalize his family.

But if we still can't find it
Just as Liu Shanbo was furious, another servant came in to report. Old Master Wu spoke a few words with the servant, then his expression changed. He looked at Liu Shanbo and said, "Nephew, another important person is coming. You must come with me to greet him! If anyone can help, it must be this person!"

Liu Shanbo was greatly surprised, "Could it be some kind of magistrate?"

This "lord" refers to an official.

Old Wu shook his head slightly, "He is also a big merchant from Hebei, with two generations of his family. His surname is Qu and his given name is Qiusheng."

"Qu Qiusheng?"

Liu Shanbo thought for a moment. He seemed to have never heard of this name before. Logically speaking, in neighboring counties, wealthy merchants should be familiar with each other. Even if they had never met, they should have at least heard of the name.

"I'll tell you later, go and greet them first!"

Since Old Man Wu had said so, Liu Shanbo naturally dared not refuse and followed him out the door.

Soon, he met Qu Qiusheng.

This man was about fifty years old, dressed simply, and had a rather ordinary demeanor. However, Old Man Wu treated him with exceptional politeness, calling him "old friend" repeatedly and even having his sons address him as "Uncle." Of course, he also took the opportunity to introduce Liu Shanbo to him.

Many people have come to the mansion these days, but Liu Shanbo has never seen Old Man Wu treat anyone so politely. He dared not hesitate and hurriedly bowed respectfully to greet him.

Soon, Old Man Wu led the other party into the house.

"Is Brother Qu well? How are the young men at home?"

"Okay, everything is fine."

"I had planned to visit them in a few days, but there's still snow outside, and the children are urging me not to go out. This should have been my decision to go and talk to them, but I'm getting too old."

Qu Qiusheng shook his head, "You helped me a lot back then. If it weren't for you, I would have been ruined and my family would have been destroyed long ago. How could I dare to let you come to pay your respects?"

"How are things at Anqu and the other mines? How are sales going? If there's anything I can do to help, Brother Qu, please don't hesitate to ask."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Old Man Wu pointed to Liu Shanbo standing to the side and truthfully told Qu Qiusheng about his situation.

"Oh? Such a thing actually happened?"

Qu Qiusheng spoke, gently stroking his beard, "I wonder what kind of horse it was?" "It was a black horse, entirely black, and exceptionally extraordinary."

"Oh."

Qu Qiusheng nodded, "I've never heard of this before. Don't worry, Mr. Wu. When I get back, I'll ask my friends and have them look into it. If they find out anything, they'll send someone to let me know."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Old Master Wu bowed repeatedly. Qu Qiusheng had not come empty-handed; he had left some gifts. He then looked at Liu Shanbo.

"I've heard of Liu Shang of Mayi many times, but what kind of horse is it that I would trade such an asset for?"

"This horse has already been paid for with a deposit. My family values ​​its reputation, hence this arrangement."

"Oh, I see. So where did you get this horse?"

Liu Shanbo pursed his lips. Why was this fellow asking so many questions? But remembering Old Man Wu's attitude earlier, he patiently explained again, "It was bought from the horse market in the prefecture, brought by a foreign merchant. I have the receipt here."

"No need for proof, I'll find out."

Qu Qiusheng said goodbye to them and left with a smile.

After he left, Old Man Wu said, "If even Qu Qiusheng can't be found, then no one else will be able to find him."

Liu Shanbo asked curiously, "Uncle, who exactly is this person? Why have I never heard of him before? Could he be a relative of that magistrate?"

Old Master Wu shook his head slightly. "This Brother Qu used to own only a small mine, not particularly wealthy or powerful. But last year, he befriended a truly influential person and became a guest under that person's patron, working for him. No one in the entire county dares to offend him."

"A true benefactor??"

"Yes, an extremely noble person."

Liu Shanbo suddenly remembered something, "The Duke?"

"The third son of the Duke's Mansion, the Marquis of Bocheng."

Upon hearing the answer, Liu Shanbo could hardly hide the jealousy in his eyes.

What incredible luck this guy had to curry favor with such a big shot! Why can't I do the same?
He took a deep breath, suppressing the burning jealousy, and then looked at Old Man Wu, "Uncle, the deadline is getting closer and closer. If we can't find it soon, I'm afraid my whole family will be in danger."

"Don't worry, we've already searched everyone we could. As long as that horse is still in Loufan, we'll definitely get news!"

While the two were discussing, Qu Qiusheng had already quickly returned to Dade Farm.

Li Xuanba was chatting with Zhang Du and others inside when Qu Qiusheng suddenly arrived, interrupting their conversation. Li Xuanba then told Zhang Du and the others to go about their business and asked Qu Qiusheng to sit aside.

Why is Old Master Qu in such a panic?

"My lord! Someone is looking for a horse! It's the horse that Second Master gave you!"

"Ok??"

Li Xuanba's eyes widened. "Didn't my brother say they were merchants who illegally traded horses? How dare they openly go looking for these merchants? Aren't they afraid of being punished?"

Qu Qiusheng quickly told Li Xuanba what he had seen and heard that day, and Li Xuanba was even more surprised when he heard it.

"not good!"

"If it wasn't bought from a private merchant, but from the horse market, then wouldn't my brother have robbed a good person and harmed an innocent person?!"

"Qu Jun! I would like to trouble you to send someone to fetch my second brother right now! Tell him I have something important to tell him!"

"Here!!"

Qu Qiusheng immediately went out, called a few more knights, and hurriedly left.

(End of this chapter)