Prime Minister

Chapter 158, Section 157: [Inviting the Foolish Guest into the Trap]

Dongguan Street, East City, Yangzhou.

This street is the most prosperous area in Yangzhou, and most of the top businesses in the Huaihe River region have at least three storefronts here.

As the leading family among the four prominent families in Yangzhou, the Liu family owned the powerful Yutangfeng Money Shop, which had eight adjacent storefronts on Dongguan Street. Their wealth and influence were the envy of many.

The so-called head office is actually the central hub of the entire money exchange. It is generally not open to the public, and those who can usually visit are people of certain status in the Lianghuai business community.

Because of the Liu family's immense power and Liu Rang's status in the government office, the employees of Yutangfeng General Store were always arrogant and disdainful of ordinary people, not to mention the street patrol officers. Therefore, when the employees saw a large group of government officers arrive, they subconsciously assumed that the other party had come to freeload and couldn't help but sneer.

One of them arrogantly asked, "What brings you here, sir?"

A yamen runner solemnly asked, "Where is Liu Song, the head manager of Yutangfeng?"

Upon hearing this, the waiters exchanged glances, still standing lazily at the foot of the steps. One of them sneered, "Is this official still hungover? Who do you think you are to be able to see our Manager Liu?"

The others laughed unrestrainedly.

The constable turned around and looked back; Jiang Sheng nodded slightly to him.

He immediately felt emboldened, walked up to the waiter who had made the sarcastic remarks, and under the other's disdainful gaze, suddenly raised his hand and delivered a clean and crisp slap to the other's face.

"Snapped!"

The waiter's face turned red on one side quickly, and he stumbled to the side, almost falling over, which showed how hard the constable had used his strength.

This sudden turn of events terrified the men. Before they could even shout, the constable gritted his teeth and said, "We are here on the orders of the governor to arrest someone. If you dare to utter another word of nonsense, I will smash your beak to pieces!"

The moment the words "Hall of esteem" were uttered, the waiters were struck dumb.

News travels smoothly in the prefectural city, and since they are from the Yutangfeng headquarters, they naturally know what kind of person the young Director Xue is. He had previously investigated and dealt with dozens of lawbreakers and gentry in various places, and his reputation had already spread throughout Yangzhou.

“Little…little person…”

The men dared not be arrogant anymore, and even the one who had been beaten stood obediently.

Jiang Sheng stepped forward, looked at the waiter, and asked, "I'll ask you one more time, where is Liu Song?"

The waiter replied fearfully, "I really don't know where the head manager is. I haven't seen him for many days."

Jiang Sheng wasted no time and led his men straight into the Yutangfeng headquarters.

The shop assistant wasn't lying. Another manager, who arrived quickly, respectfully said to Jiang Sheng, "Sir, Manager Liu took leave ten days ago. It seems there was some trouble back home that he had to go back to handle."

Jiang Sheng frowned slightly and asked, "Who is Liu Song?"

The shopkeeper smiled apologetically and said, "Shopkeeper Liu's hometown is Guangxin Prefecture in Jiangxi."

Jiang Sheng roughly calculated that the two places were more than a thousand miles apart, and it would take at least a month to go back and forth. Even if Liu Song did not deliberately hide, it would be too late to bring him back in time for the critical moment.

He looked at the smiling and respectful manager and solemnly asked, "Manager Meng, is this place under your jurisdiction?"

Meng Jiang was slightly taken aback, then forced a smile and said, "The master did indeed instruct that I would temporarily manage the affairs of the main branch while Manager Liu is away. However, if there are any serious matters, the master will certainly make the final decision. By the way, may I ask what business you have with Manager Liu, sir?"

"Since Liu Song is not here, then I will have to ask Manager Meng to accompany me to the government office."

Jiang Sheng said without hesitation, "Men, seize and take away the account books of Yutangfeng's main branch for the past two years!"

"Wait a minute!"

Meng Jiang was shocked. He had never seen such an unconventional person before. He knew that Yutangfeng Money Shop had branches all over the Yangtze River, and countless officials and gentry chose to use the money shop's services. It could easily affect the stability of various places.

If these yamen runners were allowed to take away the head office's account books, even if those account books that were out in the open were tampered with and had no flaws, it would still cause great turmoil.

Facing Jiang Sheng's icy gaze, Meng Jiang said with difficulty, "Sir, this is unacceptable! Our company's account books are the most important secrets. You can't just seize and take them away without any reason. At least you should let me inform the master."

"No need."

Jiang Sheng took out an official document from his sleeve and slapped it directly onto Meng Jiang's face, coldly saying, "According to the confessions and statements of the criminals in Xinghua County, Yutangfeng Money Shop is suspected of bribery, embezzlement, illegal minting, illegal trading, and lending. Prefect Tan personally issued the arrest warrant, and Director Xue ordered us to come and investigate. Since Liu Song has fled to avoid punishment, you, the second manager, will go to the prefectural government office for questioning. In addition, all account books must be brought back."

This time he brought more than twenty people with him. Apart from Qi Qingshi and Sun Hui who were by his side, more than half of the rest were yamen runners who accompanied Xue Huai on his inspection tour of various places.

Meng Jiang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. The other party had official documents from the government office in hand. How could he, a mere shopkeeper, possibly stop them?
He could only watch helplessly as the yamen runners stormed into the main office's archives like wolves and tigers, efficiently seizing the account books.

Half an hour later, Jiang Sheng and Meng Jiang were about to leave when they heard an arrogant voice coming towards them: "Who gave you permission to be so insolent here!"

The newcomer was not old, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He was wearing a gold-threaded silk robe with a brocade shirt underneath. The collar and cuffs of the robe were edged with gold thread twisted with peacock feathers, displaying the utmost luxury and wealth.

He was accompanied by five or six attendants, whose numbers were far fewer than those of the yamen runners, but each of them was arrogant and domineering.

Jiang Sheng calmly asked, "Who are you?"

"You don't even know who I am?" The young man seemed greatly insulted, and said coldly, "Then you dare to bring people here to cause trouble? Do you even know where you are?"

One of his attendants raised his head and said, "Listen carefully, this is the fourth young master of the Liu family!"

Jiang Sheng immediately understood that the person who came was Liu Mou, the fourth son of Liu Fu and the half-brother of Liu Rang.

Perhaps because he had a son late in life, or perhaps because he favored his lovely concubine, Liu Fu doted on his young son Liu Mou, which inevitably fostered his arrogant and disdainful nature.

Jiang Sheng narrowed his eyes and said, "You are Liu Mou, the son of Liu Fu?"

Liu Mou roared, "How dare you address my father by his given name? Don't think I don't know your background; you're nothing but a dog of that Magistrate Xue. And today you actually—"

"You came just in time."

Jiang Sheng interrupted the other party and said in a deep voice, "The wealthy Hu Qing and his son from Qingshan Town have accused you of numerous serious crimes, including raping a respectable woman, causing death in a fight, and running over a pedestrian with your horse. I was originally going to arrest you at the Liu family's house in Yongqingfang, but I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep. Men, seize him!"

"you dare!"

Liu Mou was surprised that the other party would turn on him so suddenly, and a sense of panic rose in his heart. His attendant immediately stepped in front of him to block him.

This time, Jiang Sheng didn't need to take action himself. Qi Qingshi and Sun Hui, who followed Xue Huainan south, acted simultaneously, forcing back the opponent's attendants in the blink of an eye. At the same time, they drew their two waist knives and placed them on Liu Mou's shoulders.

Jiang Sheng glanced at his companions and said expressionlessly, "Anyone who dares to obstruct the officers in handling the case will be killed on the spot!"

"Here!"

More than twenty people roared in unison, which nearly made Liu Mou fall to the ground in fright.

Before long, Jiang Sheng led his constables to take Liu Mou and Meng Jiang away, along with several boxes of account books from the Yutangfeng headquarters.

The news had already spread throughout half of Dongguan Street when he led his men to break into Yutangfeng's headquarters. When he ordered his men to escort Liu Mou and Meng Jiang away openly, this scene instantly swept across Yangzhou City like a hurricane.

The locals knew the Liu family's background and strength. Who would have thought that the government officials would dare to take action against the Liu family and even kidnap the youngest son whom the old master Liu loved the most!
About an incense stick later, Jiang Sheng and his group appeared outside the government office. The dozens of small and medium-sized salt merchants who were still staying there seemed to be frozen in place. They no longer pestered the government officials to see Tan Mingguang and Xue Huai, but stared blankly at Liu Mou being escorted in by the yamen runners.

"That...that's the fourth young master of the Liu family?"

"Yes, it's him!"

"My God..."

"Something big is going to happen!"

Dozens of salt merchants dared not hesitate and scattered like birds and beasts in an instant. The news they spread afterward shocked the entire city. According to them, Liu Mou did not enter the government office unharmed, but was dragged into the government office by the yamen runners with a bruised and swollen face.

In the back hall of the government office, inside the Cunpuzhai.

Tan Mingguang frowned, watching Xue Huai gradually reverse the situation on the chessboard, and couldn't help but sigh.

Previously, Xue Huai sought a sliver of hope by sacrificing pawns, voluntarily relinquishing a large area of ​​his territory and creating another battlefield in the enclave. By switching back and forth between the two places, Tan Mingguang was completely unable to figure out his schemes and was gradually manipulated into a dilemma.

Xue Huai's chess skills were naturally honed in his previous life. Although he was still far from being a national champion, they were more than enough to deal with Tan Mingguang.

Tan Mingguang racked his brains for a way to break the deadlock, and Huang Xibin came in again to briefly report Jiang Sheng's gains.

"Liu Mou?"

Tan Mingguang put down the chess piece and looked at Xue Huai, saying, "Isn't this going too smoothly?"

He knew who Xue Huai had sent Jiang Sheng to arrest, and the evidence was readily available. Luo Tong and the others had given detailed enough information, so Yu Tangfeng was sure he could investigate. However, he didn't think Jiang Sheng had the ability to break into the Liu family mansion and arrest Liu Mou, after all, he was Liu Fu's favored son.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Sheng captured Liu Mou with ease, and Liu Mou was brought back to the government office by him.

Xue Huai stopped paying attention to the chess game, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled slightly, "Does Your Excellency also find it a coincidence? It's impossible that Liu Fu didn't guess that after my falling out with Transport Commissioner Xu, I would immediately go after the Liu family. Yu Tangfeng can't move, and most of the account books Jiang Sheng brought back are probably not very useful. As long as Liu Fu keeps a close eye on his nephews and nieces, he won't be too passive. Yet, at such a crucial time, this Liu Mou can still openly wander around the city. Should I say that old Liu is incredibly audacious, or…?"

Tan Mingguang understood immediately and said, "You mean, this was something Liu Fu did intentionally?"

"pretty close."

Xue Huai said leisurely, "He had Bai Xiu and others incite the salt merchants to besiege the government office, and then he took the initiative to send Liu Mou to me. He just wanted to use this to lull me into a false sense of security, so that I would focus my energy on these trivial matters and ignore their real actions."

Looking at the other person's young face, Tan Mingguang was deeply impressed by his calm and composed eyes, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "So how do you plan to deal with this?"

"Your Excellency, this game of chess is only in its middle stages."

Xue Huai gestured towards the chessboard, signaling Tan Mingguang not to try to cheat, and then calmly said, "Liu Fu's trick is not very clever. I know where Liu Song and several key figures in the Liu family are hiding."

"Your Excellency, please don't be impatient. Sometimes it's quite interesting to wait for the other party to make a mistake."

"Let's observe."

(End of this chapter)