Chapter 1553: Catch one to serve as a warning
When Li Chongzhen walked out of the flower hall with a confused look on his face, Li Xiaogong sighed and said with a sincere expression: "Thank you Erlang for this cooperation with King Qi. I owe you a favor."
Fang Jun chuckled: "Which one of us is following which one? Do you need to be so polite? It's just a precaution. It may not be of any use. Your Sanlang may misunderstand me..."
"He dares!"
Li Xiaogong's eyes widened: "If it weren't for our friendship, who would do such a thankless thing? I'm also a little slack, thinking that my own reputation is enough, but I never thought that my sons are all keen on it. Power... speak your mind, Ben The king now hopes that his majesty will be dissatisfied with Sanlang's involvement in King Qi's business, and then remove him from the 'Hundred Qisi'. Otherwise, maybe one day my family will be involved in a huge wave and be ruined. Disaster..."
In any era, "high achievements shake the master" is an extremely serious disaster.
The title "the first prince of the clan" sounds very majestic and domineering, but in fact it is not only useless, but it can easily arouse the emperor's suspicion.
Don't say that His Majesty Li Er is broad-minded. The broad-mindedness is reserved for those ministers who have made mistakes but will not shake the foundation of the emperor. This powerful family has countless enemies, both covertly and overtly. Who knows whether today's "No. 1 Prince" will be drawn over by his enemies tomorrow and there will be another "Xuanwu Gate Incident"?
The foundation of the emperor cannot tolerate the slightest risk. All dangers must be eliminated before they show their deeds, otherwise, it will be a situation that will never be restored...
Li Xiaogong, who was a strategist, brave and good at fighting when the country was founded, quickly moved away from the center of power after he supported His Majesty Li Er to the throne, and was obsessed with amassing money and extravagant enjoyment. It has to be said that it was a smart move.
And the reason why His Majesty Li Er called Li Chongzhen, the third son of Li Xiaogong, into the "Hundred Cavalry Division", could it not be for the purpose of containing and guarding him?
However, Li Chongzhen was passionate about power and devoted himself to serving His Majesty Li Er, but he did not understand his father's good intentions. As long as Li Xiaogong did not die, how could His Majesty Li Er be completely at ease with his son?
There was one sentence that Li Xiaogong didn't say, and that was, "Since my family has firmly established itself as the head of the clan, it is no longer necessary to work tirelessly to gain power. No matter how much money you have, there is no problem, but too much power is the path to destruction." ”……
Needless to say, smart people, Li Xiaogong accepted Fang Jun's favor, and Fang Jun helped Li You while helping Li Xiaogong, so his work was not in vain.
*****
The next day, Guangdefang.
Early in the morning, the supermarket opened for business. A large group of disaster victims and refugees who had already entered the city when the city gate opened, mixed with the shopping people, poured into the supermarket gate. Although these people's clothes are shabby, it is not obvious from their appearance that they are disaster victims and refugees. As long as they don't speak and expose the dialects of various places, there is no way to tell them apart.
Supermarkets can't check the identity of customers first, right?
Even if his identity is revealed, it doesn't matter. The most important thing is to drive him away. If he can successfully sneak in and steal some food, the big family waiting for food outside the city can have a full meal, and it doesn't matter if he gets beaten up.
Moreover, these victims and refugees understand the current situation very well. As a prince, His Highness King Qi will never be cruel to these petty thieving victims and refugees. Even if His Highness King Qi is extremely angry, the people around him will dissuade him. , because this will ruin the reputation of the royal family and make His Majesty the "Khan" unhappy.
At the same time, Ma Zhou of Jingzhao Prefecture is an upright official and sympathizes with the victims and refugees. Crimes such as theft are not serious and will never be punished lightly.
So these victims and refugees are confident...
Of course, there is nothing that can be done about it. Most of them are sick or disabled, and they really cannot feed their families through their own efforts. So committing theft is a helpless act.
But today, their trouble came...
There are a lot of customers in the supermarket, and the supermarket is large enough. A variety of goods are arranged in rows on wooden shelves. Food, groceries, etc. are divided into categories and have their own areas. Disaster victims and refugees are mixed in, so it is easy to get things. of.
Because they not only steal food, but even small groceries. Although these items are not edible, they can still be exchanged for money...
It's still the same as before, some people succeed and some people fail.
The ones who succeeded were able to sneak away among the customers, and the ones who failed were caught on the spot, but there was not much panic.
His Highness King Qi’s name is very scary, but precisely because he is His Majesty’s prince, it makes the victims and refugees who steal things feel safe...
It's just a beating, but I don't dare to hit him too hard. What's there to be afraid of?
People who are poor have short ambitions, and short ambitions make them thick-skinned. Anyway, I can't afford to eat and I'm going to starve to death. Just give me a beating. I'm just frustrated that my appearance is remembered, so I won't be able to steal anything again in the future. Well, it’s like giving up the best job...
The three "thieves" were caught on the spot and did not resist much. Anyway, the outcome was basically doomed. The "security guards" in the supermarket would beat them up and then send them to Jingzhao Mansion. Mr. Jingzhao Yin felt pity and would Open the net and let them go.
The three "thieves" were beaten and pushed out of the supermarket door with their heads down. The expected beating did not come as expected. Instead, several burly men in black clothes and fast boots with cold expressions stood in front of them.
The voice of the big man in black at the head was rich and penetrating: "This is Han Gang, the captain of the Hundred Cavalry Division. The three of you are acting suspiciously and their origins are unknown. I suspect that they are agents sent to Chang'an by the enemy. Now, Go back to 'Baiqisi' with someone to take a confession, if you dare to disobey, you will be killed without mercy!"
Guangdefang, which was originally a bustling place with a large group of people waiting to watch the excitement, suddenly became quiet, and it was an understatement to say that "you can hear a needle drop".
"Hundred Knights"?
Almost everyone has heard of this yamen, and everyone knows that this is the eagle dog beside His Majesty!
Any lawsuit involving the "Hundred Cavalry Division" is closely related to His Majesty's safety and the stability of the Tang Dynasty!
These people are actually the spies of the enemy country? !
The people watching all took a breath and secretly thought that these tricks were really amazing. They were able to sneak into Chang'an by pretending to be victims and refugees who stole things. If their plot succeeded, wouldn't something big happen?
The three "thieves" were completely dumbfounded and scared...
It's just stealing, why is it related to "Hundred Qisi"?
This will cost you your life!
"Plop" "Plop" "Plop"
The three "thieves" who looked fearless and indifferent just now knelt down instantly...
"Oh my God! What an injustice! The little old man just stole something, how did he become a spy for the enemy?"
"My lords, you have arrested the wrong person, and you have made the wrong mistake! The young one is just a victim of the disaster in Longyou. He has no way to make a living in his hometown, so he came to Chang'an to seek a chance to survive. He is definitely not a manipulator of an enemy country!"
"There is an eighty-year-old mother with a two-month-old baby outside the city. I'm just waiting for him to get something to wrap his belly in, otherwise he will starve to death! Please let me go..."
……
When the three "thieves" heard that they were involved with Xizuo, they were so frightened that they collapsed. They ran with runny noses and burst into tears. They ran for hundreds of riders without letting go, begging for mercy. It was extremely miserable.
However, it did not gain much sympathy...
"Bah! Sure enough, he is not a good person. A decent person would steal things for a living, and how can he be so confident?"
"That's right, His Highness Prince Qi has set up a porridge shed. Anyone can get a bowl of porridge, so how can he starve to death?"
"These people are just broken. They are victims of the disaster and the court has no way to deal with them, so they dare to steal His Highness the King of Qi's things."
"Too greedy! It's okay if you don't work in production. You don't get free porridge, but you steal things from the supermarket and go out to pay back the money. You deserve to be killed!"
……
Public opinion is like this. As long as there is the slightest guidance, it will completely sway in another direction. The people of Chang'an who originally sympathized with these victims and refugees, and even sometimes provided cover, now share the same hatred and accuse them.
The leader, Bai Qi, puffed out his chest and said loudly: "'Bai Qisi' has received a secret report, saying that recently there are spies from the enemy country disguised as victims and refugees who have sneaked into Chang'an City with the intention of launching unruly actions against the Tang Dynasty. 'Bai Qisi', after all, Manpower is limited, so I hope you can help me. If you find someone with bad behavior, please report it immediately. If the information is useful, you can receive a reward."
After saying this, he ordered the three "thieves" to be gagged and taken away in public.
The people who were watching all clapped their hands and applauded. After all, although the name "Hundred Cavalry Division" is scary, as the minions and eagle dogs around His Majesty Li Er, they never come out to harm the people. Apart from being mysterious, they don't have any bad feelings in the minds of the people. , on the contrary, it has a bit of reverence because of people's curiosity.
The remaining undiscovered "thieves" had long been frightened and took advantage of the chaos in the crowd to sneak away...
If he is caught as a spy by the "Hundred Qisi", not only will he not be able to survive, but he will also bear the reputation of being a "treason". That is a serious crime that cannot be redeemed until death. Who can bear it?
For a time, not only were there no victims or refugees in the supermarket, but even the city of Chang'an was completely empty. Except for those who came to the city to get porridge, no Zaim victims and refugees dared to visit the most prosperous city in the world. Wandering around inside.
Even the rangers and gangsters in the city were so scared that they stayed at home and did not dare to go out on the streets, for fear that they would be targeted by the "Hundred Qisi" after causing trouble. This instantly raised the security level to a new level, causing Jingzhao Mansion to The government officials in Chang'an and Wannian counties were all shocked and wondered what had happened...(End of Chapter)