Qin Shuhuai picked up Zhao Xinian and said, "It's not appropriate to stay here for a long time, let's find a quiet place to chat." Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ”

Li Shounian said, "There is a small town more than 20 miles ahead, and there is a restaurant in the town that I helped open, if the Qin gang leader does not dislike it, please move there and let's talk again." ”

Qin Shuhuai said, "That's very good. ”

So everyone got into the carriage and drove all the way, and in less than half an hour they arrived at the town and entered the restaurant opened by the Haisha Gang.

Li Shounian found a private room for Qin Shuhuai and Zhao Xinian, and then he withdrew very interestingly, and beckoned Zhao Quyou and the others to drink.

Closing the door of the private room, Qin Shuhuai said to Zhao Xinian, "Zhao Gongzi, now there are only you and me, just say anything you want." ”

Zhao Xinian said, "Gang Leader Qin, let me ask first, why did Gang Master Qin want to save me?"

Qin Shuhuai smiled faintly and said, "I had no intention of getting involved in the dispute of your Zhao family, but that day I passed near your hometown in Yangzhou, and I happened to hear that a maid ran to ask for help in a panic, saying that the Zhao family was wiped out, so I went to investigate." I didn't want Yangzhou Mansion to reverse black and white, disregard human life, and insist that I was the murderer, so I had no choice but to forcibly escape from prison in order to find out the case and give myself justice. Of course, I also want to give Brother Zhao's family of 36 justice. ”

Qin Shuhuai naturally wouldn't mention dealing with the Donglin Party or anything like that, so he only said that he was framed, but this was enough to show his determination to thoroughly investigate the matter and dispel Zhao Xinian's doubts.

Zhao Xinian's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he was very excited, and said, "So, it was rumored that the person who hijacked the general sentence in Yangzhou Mansion was the Qin gang leader?"

"That's right, it's us. We traced all the way down from Yangzhou Mansion to Ningbo Mansion. I heard that you were in the hands of the Haisha Gang, and I was afraid that something would happen to you, so I followed you. ”

Zhao Xinian immediately let go of his defense, as if he saw a life-saving straw, and knelt down in front of Qin Shuhuai with a "poof".

I heard that the Qin gang leader was a true hero who fought against Jiannu and a true hero who served the country and the people. Gang Leader Qin, my Zhao family is unjust! I beg Gang Leader Qin to uphold justice!"

Qin Shuhuai picked up Zhao Xinian and said, "Zhao Gongzi, you talk to me slowly." Let me ask you, you said before that Wang Huazhen, the governor of Zhejiang, wanted to kill your whole family, is there any evidence?"

Zhao Xinian's eyes were scarlet, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Wang Huazhen's old thief is cunning and cautious, and we have no real evidence. However, there is no doubt that the case of the Zhao family's destruction was instigated by him. ”

"There is no doubt about it, you can tell me. ”

"After Wang Huazhen patrolled Zhejiang, he always wanted to support his nephew Wang Jin to monopolize the foreign business in Zhejiang, but was unanimously resisted by our chamber of commerce. Later, he adopted the strategy of division and disintegration, and reached a compromise with the Zhao family and the Li family, which were the largest foreign business in Ningbo Prefecture, and promised them a lot of benefits, so that these two families supported Wang Jin. After that, in order to force us small and medium-sized businessmen to comply, he first found a reason to raid the Qi family's house in Zhoushan County, and then arrested the heads of the Chen family and the Zhou family. This Wang Huazhen has amassed a lot of money, since his nephew monopolized the foreign docks, other merchants can't survive at all, and the silver basically goes into Wang Huazhen's pocket!"

Qin Shuhuai interjected, "I probably understand this, let's talk about why he killed the Zhao family." ”

Zhao Xinian said sadly and indignantly, "My father was killed, but I actually agreed to the request of Lord Li, the prefect of Ningbo! In order to increase his income, Lord Li asked my father to take a few old foreign businessmen to continue to do his own business secretly, and he also specially opened a port for us. My father wanted to go back to his hometown to retire, but when Master Li was sincere, he agreed to him. Originally, this matter has been safe with the help of Master Li. But at the end of last year, Wang Huazhen somehow found out, and Master Li found his father, saying that Wang Huazhen was angry and intended to kill chickens and monkeys, and persuaded his father to leave quickly. So my father immediately left Ningbo Mansion and returned to Yangzhou, and stayed here to find out the situation. ”

Qin Shuhuai thought for a while and said, "I have two questions. First, why does this prefect, Lord Li, resist the pressure of the governor and ask you to continue to do foreign business in secret? How much profit can he get here? I have heard that he has a good official reputation, why is he so greedy for money? Second, since your father has returned to Yangzhou, this Wang Huazhen is really so vicious, and he has to kill your Zhao family completely?"

Zhao Xi sighed and said, "Gang Leader Qin, you have a misunderstanding of Lord Li! Lord Li is greedy for money, it can be said that he is extremely greedy for money, but he is not a corrupt official!"

Qin Shuhuai said curiously, "Oh, this is fresh, please ask Zhao Gongzi to say a thing or two." ”

Zhao Xinian said, "The money that the prefect Lord Li was greedy for was actually all charged to the imperial court's liao salary and training salary! The Qin gang leader should also know that now the imperial court's liao salary, training salary, and normal field endowment have accounted for more than eighty percent of the total output of the fields, and if they really continue to pay it like this, the people will not have to starve to death? Therefore, Master Li had no choice but to risk losing his head and connived at the coastal merchants to do foreign business, and the money obtained was divided between him and the merchants, and he was six and four merchants. Half of the sixty percent he took had to be paid up and down by officials at all levels, and the remaining half could be used for silver. Every year, he is the only one who makes up enough money to get paid. Therefore, compared with other places, the people of Ningbo pay very little tax, at most it is normal land tax, so their livelihood is much better than that in other places. Such a good official, how can the common people not praise it?"

Qin Shuhuai suddenly realized, and said with feeling, "It turns out that those who are greedy for money are not all filthy officials! This Lord Li is interesting, he is not in vain a scholar, and he would rather take the risk of cutting off his head than forget the livelihood of the people." The great man of chivalry, for the country and the people, this Lord Li is also a chivalrous person. ”

Zhao Xinian nodded and said, "Lord Li does have a chivalrous heart, but it's a pity that the official is not big enough! Wang Huazhen let his nephew monopolize all the foreign ports of Ningbo Mansion with one sentence, and although Lord Li also had a small share, his income was reduced by eighty percent all of a sudden. That's why he asked his father and others to secretly open a new port. It's a pity that providence makes people ......"

"Do you hate Governor Li?" Qin Shuhuai asked.

Zhao Xinian was silent for a while and said, "Hate and don't hate." I say I don't hate him because I respect him. When he said hate, he complained about why he found his father, why didn't he find someone else?"

Qin Shuhuai nodded, indicating understanding.

Then he said, "By the way, you haven't answered my second question yet." Why did your father return to Yangzhou, and Wang Huazhen still had to kill them all? Is he really so vicious?"

Zhao Xinian instantly burst into tears and hesitated.

"Zhao Gongzi, it's okay if you don't want to say it, it's just that I can't help you anymore. ”

Zhao Xinian looked up at Qin Shuhuai and said, "Gang Master Qin, I believe you!"

As he spoke, he took out two booklets from his arms and handed them to Qin Shuhuai.