flstandardbreds Chapter 107 Qin Family
Chapter 107 Qin Family
Liu Shan never imagined that the first character would be "iron".
He immediately thought of the blacksmith shop, and a thought struck him: Could the clues left by Li Jichang be related to the blacksmith shop?
He was excited!
He was excited!
He eagerly continued searching and, sure enough, found the character "匠" on the next page.
Seeing this, He Qiong had a flash of understanding in her eyes and quickly combined the two words to form "blacksmith".
The two exchanged a glance, both feeling a stirring in their hearts.
Liu Shan took a deep breath and continued flipping through the pages, quickly finding the character "铺" again.
At this point, the clue was clear—the blacksmith's shop.
He Qiong said in a deep voice, "It seems that Li Jichang's clues do indeed point to the blacksmith shop."
Liu Shan nodded repeatedly, somewhat unable to contain himself.
Why did he insist on coming here to serve as the county magistrate?
Isn't it all about finding out the truth behind the blacksmith shop?
Isn't it all to give an explanation to the twenty-five officers who sacrificed their lives?
Now, the truth, the explanation, is right before his eyes, finally within reach. How could he not be excited? Why shouldn't he be excited?
Liu Shan suppressed his excitement and continued reading. Every word felt like a drumbeat pounding in his heart, growing ever more urgent.
After discovering the three characters “blacksmith shop”, he found four more characters: “private”, “self”, “forging”, and “making”.
With trembling hands, Liu Shan then flipped out the three characters: "cow, tail, knife".
He Qiong quickly combined all the words, her eyes gleaming: "Unauthorized forging of the ox-tail knife!"
This is clearly a shocking secret hidden in the blacksmith shop!
Liu Shan's heart pounded like thunder. After this incident, he would definitely offer incense to Li Jichang as a sign of respect.
Fortunately, the "Complete Book of the Great Xia" was thick enough, rich enough in content, and had enough words, which gave Li Jichang the opportunity to hide clues.
After careful consideration, He Qiong and Liu Shan finally confirmed that the clues left by Li Jichang not only pointed to the blacksmith shop, but also revealed the tip of the iceberg of his illegal transactions.
"The blacksmith shop privately forged the ox-tail knife and hid it underground in the Qin family's territory. Qu Dacheng."
The clues left by Li Jichang ended there. Although a thick stack of pages of the "Complete Book of the Great Xia" remained, no more bloody handprints were found.
The two men exchanged glances, and Liu Shan asked, "Lord He, with these clues, can we go directly to the Qin family to search?"
He Qiong pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Although the evidence is conclusive, I wonder about the Qin family's background?"
Liu Shan's expression was serious. "The Qin family is very powerful. The only escort agency in Jinhua County is owned by the Qin family. The Qin family's status is second only to the Liu family."
He Qiong frowned slightly and sighed, "Are you crazy to deal with both the Liu family and the Qin family at the same time?"
Liu Shan nodded seriously and said, "That's right, I've gone mad!"
A hint of helplessness flashed in He Qiong's eyes as she advised, "You have to eat one bite at a time and do one thing at a time. You can't get fat in one bite, and you can't achieve anything by jumping to the top in one step. Being impatient for quick success will only backfire. No matter what you do, you have to proceed step by step and be steady and methodical."
Liu Shan calmed down, took a deep breath, and asked, "In your opinion, Lord He, we should settle the matter of the Liu family first, and then investigate the Qin family after we have consolidated our foundation?"
He Qiong nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. The matter of the Liu family has not yet been completely resolved. If we rashly provoke the Qin family, things may change. Moreover, the Liu family is already mired in trouble. With just a little effort, we can reap the rewards of victory."
Liu Shan knew that He Qiong was absolutely right, but merely eliminating the Liu family was only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
As long as Liu Xinian remains in power, even if the Liu family falls, they will immediately make a comeback.
The problem is that the interrogation of Liu Xinian has reached a stalemate and has made no progress to date.
Moreover, even a normal interrogation of Liu Xinian required prior approval from the Empress Dowager before it could proceed.
This is utterly disruptive to the imperial court!
However, the Empress Dowager's will could not be disobeyed.
Her protection of Liu Xinian undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the case.
He Qiong saw through Liu Shan's thoughts and sighed, "Lord Liu, you have no choice."
Liu Shan knew he had no choice but to wait for the right opportunity.
……
As the days went by, Liu Shan's anxiety surged like a tide.
He knew that with each day of delay, the blacksmith's illegal transactions would become more rampant, the Qin family's power would become more entrenched, and the case would become more difficult to solve.
But since his words carried little weight, he could not influence the decisions of his superiors or even the Empress Dowager.
While waiting for the Empress Dowager's decree, he repeatedly flipped through the "Complete Book of the Great Xia".
And you know what? Diligence really does make up for lack of talent; he even had the illusion that he could pass the imperial examination.
During this time, Liu Shan did not forget his promise to Princess Changning. Every month, he would write a new story by Pu Songling and send it to Princess Changning and the bookstore.
Nowadays, whether it's a pharmacy, a bookstore, or a restaurant like "Bei Mo Ting" or "Hao Yun Lai," Liu Shan receives a generous monthly bonus.
Of course, Liu Shan would also give Princess Changning a monthly bonus on time.
Of all his family members, the only one he couldn't let go of was Li Wanqing.
Liu Shan had no idea what she had been busy with lately, as they had almost lost contact since they started living apart.
Sometimes Liu Shan even wondered if she had already found someone else and was preparing to divorce him.
Three days later, Liu Shan finally received the Empress Dowager's imperial edict.
She refused to allow Liu Xinian to be interrogated, but instead demanded that he be immediately escorted to the capital for a joint trial by the three judicial departments.
Liu Shan's heart sank, but he had no choice but to comply.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him.
He sent someone to invite the head of the Qin family to inquire whether he was willing to escort Liu Xinian to the capital.
After a moment's thought, the head of the Qin family agreed.
He felt that this move would not only demonstrate the Qin family's loyalty to the court, but also provide an opportunity to investigate the situation in the capital and prepare for future business expansion.
At the end of the imperial edict, as if to appease Liu Shan, the Empress Dowager added a sentence: "Song Bowen shall be dismissed from his post, investigated, and exiled 2000 li."
Although Liu Shan was dissatisfied, he understood that this was a strategic move by the Empress Dowager.
The only thing that displeased him was that the most severe punishment for Song Bowen was exile.
He now has absolutely no liking for the word "exile".
Don't be fooled by Song Bowen's miserable exile of 2000 li; he might just have a chance to "make a comeback" someday.
After all, the game of power is unpredictable, and those who are down on their luck today may be able to make a comeback tomorrow.
Therefore, it seems that "exile" is far less satisfying than "beating someone to death."
However, Liu Shan quickly adjusted his mindset and had the Qin Family Escort Agency take Liu Xinian away.
Only when Liu Xinian leaves can he free up his hands to thoroughly investigate the blacksmith shop's illegal activities and find out the real mastermind behind them.
The next morning, shortly after dawn, Liu Shan knocked on He Qiong's door.