eurekapd Chapter 201 Investigation
Chapter 201 Investigation
That day, Zhou Chang began to feel scared when he moved his sore knuckles on his way home.
No matter how many precautions you take, the one that is hardest to guard against is a villain.
If she wanted to save Wen Qingyan at the beginning because of her "face control", then after beating Qiu Yin, it became a precautionary measure.
As the saying goes, it is better to strike first. Zhou Chang secretly made up his mind and leaned against the car door and asked, "Monkey, just now you said that Zheng Tu, the one who sent the Pixiu, also mentioned Prince Duan's brother-in-law?"
The skinny monkey was driving the carriage in front, staring ahead with one eye and tilting his head to correct, "Your Majesty, it's not Prince Duan's brother-in-law. The Golden Pixiu mentioned the old man Wang Ren."
"Do you think it might be related to this Qiu Yin?" Zhou Chang wished it were so now.
The skinny monkey told the truth: "If you say Qiu Yin is innocent, then the pigs that have rolled through the mud are all clean, but it is not so easy to find out whether Qiu Yin is involved. The prince was impulsive just now, but neither Qiu Ge Lao nor Prince Duan will take it easy, and we don't know what will happen."
"You don't need to mention this matter when you go back, especially to Mr. Zhong, okay?" Zhou Chang didn't want to cause trouble, but the incident had already happened.
"Of course. I'm sure Mr. Zhong will faint on the spot after hearing that." The skinny monkey said this, but he didn't look afraid at all.
"It seems that whether Qiu Yin has it or not, he has to have it." Zhou Chang made up his mind, gritting his teeth.
The skinny monkey didn't hear clearly: "What did the prince say?"
"Nothing. I mean, we have to do something big next." Zhou Chang's original plan was not to do it in one or two days, but now it is a little clearer.
After returning home, Zhou Chang called Gao Yuan and gave him some instructions.
The main thing is to let Gao Yuan send people to monitor Qiu Yin's every move, to know where he goes and who he meets.
Another thing is to investigate Zheng Tu’s background and whether he followed Qiu Yin’s path.
Gao Yuan didn't have to spend much effort investigating Zheng Tu.
It's just that this person is too active.
Zheng Tu was originally from Xinzhou. More than a year ago, he came to Jindu to "prepare for the exam".
According to what he told others, his ancestor was Zheng Huang, the prime minister of the former Yu Dynasty, so he was also a descendant of a famous family. His family's ancestral property was very rich and could not be spent in several lifetimes. He was devoted to learning, so he was determined to realize his ambitions through the imperial examination.
In his bid for office this time, Zheng Tu followed the route of "casting a wide net, catching more fish, and selecting the best ones to follow."
Since the matter of selling official positions and titles was already an open matter and there was nothing to hide, he boldly established relationships with Prince Rong and Prince Duan.
For some reason, Prince Rong ran less eagerly afterwards, as if he wanted to let the matter go.
The faction of Prince Duan made friends with Qiu Yin, and the person introduced by Qiu Yin was Wang Ren, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Later, probably because Zheng Tu was still worried, he went to find Prince Yi Fengming, now Zhou Chang.
No matter which side, as long as one of them works, the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue will be his.
"An ancestral inheritance that can't be spent in several lifetimes? Haha, if it's true, it only proves that his ancestors have been corrupt officials." After listening to Gao Yuan's report, Zhou Chang could only sneer in his heart.
As for Qiu Yin, Zhou Chang thought it would take some effort, but Gao Yuan brought back the same news for three days.
Qiu Yin seemed to have forgotten the beating he received that day, or perhaps the beating was too light.
He acted as if nothing had happened and still went to Yuan's teahouse as usual every day.
Moreover, it was always in the afternoon, and the person he met was always the same, Wang Ren, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
There must be something fishy going on with these two people.
"Have you found out who else Qiu Yin had met in the teahouse before?" Zhou Chang asked Gao Yuan.
Gao Yuan shook his head: "Unless you ask the waiter or the owner of the teahouse, but it is not convenient for me to come forward as Prince Yi's mansion, so I have to think of a way."
"No need," Zhou Chang didn't have so many concerns, "I will go and ask in person tomorrow, I will definitely be able to find out more."
So the next day, Zhou Chang brought Shouhou and Gao Yuan to the teahouse before noon, in order to avoid meeting Qiu Yin at the same time.
"Yuxi Teahouse?" Zhou Chang didn't notice the name the last time he came here.
As expected, the names of Long Yuyuan’s family’s businesses all have the word “Yu” or “Long” in their names.
In front of the teahouse, half of the door was ajar and a waiter was cleaning in front of the door. When he saw Zhou Chang, he recognized him at a glance and quickly invited him in.
Usually the teahouse is closed in the morning, and since it is still during the "ban on entertainment", there is not a single customer in the building.
Shopkeeper Lu was naturally aware of Zhou Chang's identity, and greeted him warmly: "Your Highness Prince Yi is honored to be here. Please go upstairs, to the 'Moon' private room we used last time. It is the best room in our teahouse."
Zhou Chang wanted to ask a few questions and then leave, but the lobby on the first floor was too spacious and not suitable for talking, so he just nodded and went up to the third floor.
Shopkeeper Lu invited Zhou Chang to sit down. Just as he was about to ask someone to make tea, Zhou Chang raised his hand to stop him: "Shopkeeper, there is no need to rush. I only have a few questions to ask you. I will leave immediately."
Shopkeeper Lu sent his clerk away and bowed to listen: "What do you want, Your Highness Prince Yi?"
"I think Shopkeeper Lu has not forgotten the Qiu Yin whom I bumped into the last time I came here?" Zhou Chang started by laying the groundwork.
"Yes, I remember that Mr. Qiu is a frequent visitor here." Shopkeeper Lu was worried, not knowing what Prince Yi was going to do next.
"Qiu Yin comes here often?" Zhou Chang paced with his hands behind his back.
"Yes, Mr. Qiu used to come here every few days, but in the past few days he comes almost every day." Shopkeeper Lu told the truth.
Zhou Chang was very satisfied with this cooperative attitude and continued to ask: "He didn't come here to drink tea alone, did he?"
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, but still answered, "Yes, these times we invited the Lord Wang from the Ministry of Personnel, the one that His Royal Highness Prince Yi had also met last time."
"Well," Zhou Chang nodded and got to the point. "What about before that? Who else did Qiu Yinke invite?"
"This..." Shopkeeper Lu was obviously embarrassed.
The skinny monkey took out a small silver note worth ten taels and stuffed it over.
Shopkeeper Lu waved his hands quickly: "No, no, Your Highness Prince Yi, this is not possible, we can't accept it..."
"This amount of silver is a little less, and I'm afraid Manager Lu doesn't care about it." Zhou Chang said in a fair tone. She really didn't have much to give, and she didn't mean to be sarcastic.
The skinny monkey then took out a small silver note worth twenty taels and handed it over.
Shopkeeper Lu was so frightened that he fell to his knees and said, "Sorry for the humiliation, Your Highness Prince Yi. I never meant that. You are my boss's benefactor, so you are my benefactor. I cannot accept this money, I cannot accept it."
"Are you in trouble? What I ask will never implicate you." Zhou Chang could feel the sincerity of Shopkeeper Lu's words and made a gesture to the skinny monkey.
The skinny monkey did not force the money on him, but helped Shopkeeper Lu up from the ground.
Shopkeeper Lu calmed down and said after some consideration, "Your Highness Prince Yi, Mr. Qiu is a frequent visitor to the teahouse. We who are doing business here should not spy on what the guests do, so..."
Zhou Chang didn't want to embarrass him, so he changed the question: "Did he meet with officials from the imperial court? For example, someone similar to Wang Ren, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?" "Oxen and horses rise in the east and fall in the west, but they will never change until they die."