"It's hard to say whether it's haunted or not," He Ping said dullly, "Let me ask you first, how many people in the mansion have entered that room."
"There were no more than ten people, and I didn't go in myself. After all, it's really going to be haunted by evil spirits Curse or something. If I just barged in randomly, I wouldn't be risking it myself."
After all, He Fusheng is a smart old man, and he is not reckless when encountering problems. He told He Ping that the more than ten people who entered the haunted attic were arranged by him into separate rooms, separated one after another, and supervised by special personnel.
"Three days have passed so far, and there is nothing strange about these people."
"Well done."
He Ping nodded.
If it were him, he would have made the same decision. The situation in the haunted attic was unclear, and the most fearful thing was to act haphazardly with insufficient information. He Fusheng's handling was quite appropriate.
"Master, what should we do with that attic next? Should we buy a new house, or should we seal it up."
He Fusheng proposed two solutions.
"The place is sealed for the time being and no one is allowed to enter the house."
He Ping thought to himself that if there hadn't been any big commotion for so many years, then at least there wouldn't be any sudden problems under his own hands.
"We have a large number of people, and most of them are old and weak women and children. They are the family members of my retainers, retainers, guards, and loyal servants who are willing to die for me. With so many people moving here from Suian City, and having to settle down all the way, there must be a place to rest... We will live here for the time being, and we will take care of other houses in a few days. It is not easy to accommodate so many people."
"I've been reflecting on this," He Fusheng nodded repeatedly, and then he leaned over and asked again.
"Sir, I have one more thing to report. Recently, the business of several new shops we opened has not been very good."
He Fusheng turned to another thing.
"The main reason is that some local people are secretly making trouble for our newly opened shop. There are Three Gangs and Nine Societies, Gambling Gang, Tea Gang, Wine Gang, and Sand Sea Association, in the local area. Tiger Dock Association, Victory Silk Association... These local gangs have a hand in everything. They sent people to the door and ordered us to follow the usual practice. On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, we have to pay the 'shoe fee', 'tea fee', and 'kindness money'..."
Speaking of this, He Fusheng became angry.
"That's not all. They also found some gangsters who planned to come and cause trouble. Fortunately, they were stopped by Qi Baiyi's people."
"I understand."
He Ping smiled.
Longhe County's people are simple and simple, and he expected this situation to happen. In fact, this is also the case in this world. To do business, you must have a network of black and white relationships.
"This matter is indeed a bit troublesome. We don't have many "Dark Stake" in the local county government, unlike the many contacts in Suian City before..."
He Ping was thinking when he heard the voice of Qi Baiyi.
"Sir, you are back, and I have something to report."
Qi Baiyi is dressed in brocade clothes, with a crimson scarf on his head and a quilted belt around his waist. This is a popular dress style among martial arts elites nowadays. Different from Jianghu Caosang in the past, his identity is the leader of the guard of "Mi Mansion", and his attire must be consistent with his identity.
Qi Baiyi nodded slightly to He Fusheng after entering the door, clasped his hands into fists, and said in a deep voice, "The matter that the young master asked me to investigate last time has finally come to fruition."
"It's about He Zhongheng. Can you tell me about it?"
He Ping opened the black folding fan with a swish sound and said calmly, "I know that this person is a police officer in the government, and I also know that he has a grudge against Black Flag Stronghold's people, but the details are not clear yet, please tell me--"
"Okay."
Qi Baiyi reported to him the situation he had inquired about.
He Zhongheng is a member of Longhe County Xili Township. Now he is a fast shift leader in the county government. He has two good brothers, one named Qin Yinghao and the other named Luo Zheng. The three are sworn brothers.
He Zhongheng was able to become the leader of the fast class only in the past few months. He had a father who was an errand in the yamen, and he was recommended to the position by favor.
Of course, he also has some background. He once studied martial arts in the famous Martial Arts Hall Guild, and is good at using guns and sticks, fists, feet, and horses. His two sworn brothers used to practice martial arts in a escort agency in Guan Nei. They are good at using whips, hammers, and swords, and their hands are also extraordinary.
"Martial Arts Hall Guild, I remember it is Aristocratic Clan, a famous martial arts school in Zhonghuan Vicinity. It has an intricate relationship with the military. Many military attachés studied in the Martial Training Hall. So, He Zhongheng has a background of martial arts in the military."
He Ping murmured to himself.
"I think so too. I just don't know why He Zhongheng ignored his military background and went to Longhe County to be a lowly slave agent. This is really puzzling?"
Qi Baiyi was also a little confused about this, but he collected his thoughts and continued, "He Zhongheng is an upright man, and his two sworn brothers are no exception. They are both passionate and not good at using tricks. The three of them worked as errands and were incompatible with the surrounding government officials and were ostracized."
He Zhongheng is an upright and resolute character. His two sworn brothers have practiced martial arts since childhood and have never polished their character in a big dyeing vat in a large environment. Like him, they are both aboveboard and upright, with no room for sand in their eyes.
Longhe County These corrupt customs have long been rotten from top to bottom, and all the government officials have long been colluding with this group of people Three Gangs and Nine Societies.
He Zhongheng knew where to look. He immediately took his two foster brothers to investigate and catch gamblers, arrest bandits, crack down on the fish dealers who bullied the market, and also led people to disrupt the prostitution business of procuring people.
They did it happily, but by being so messy, they had already offended the county magistrate, the clerks in the government office, and the police. Even He Zhongheng's subordinates secretly resented this person for cutting off their family's financial path.
"Three months ago, a gangster named Sun Long robbed a bank in the county. When he escaped, he was besieged by a group of county government policemen in a nearby mountain temple. They also kidnapped a government servant, He Zhongheng, and two foster brothers. They stood up to kill him. We went in to rescue people, but unexpectedly the police officers outside were indifferent and did not take the initiative to respond. Sun Long was finally arrested, but Qin Yinghao, He Zhongheng's sworn brother, died at the hands of Sun Long."
Qi Baiyi continued, "The county magistrate of Longhe County, whose surname is Ge, is a Hutu official who is greedy for money. Heiqishan found someone to sell him off and gave the big thief Sun Long a light sentence of three months, claiming that Sun Long was not a robber and the official had no right to arrest him. As for the murder, it was Sun Long's defensive negligence."
"This is an interesting sentence. I wonder if this magistrate can be any more shameless?"
He Ping was also laughed at.
"So, He Zhongheng has suffered a loss this time, so he should start to restrain himself and stop making things difficult for others, right?"
"No."
Qi Baiyi said slowly, "After his sworn brother Qin Yinghao died, He Zhongheng intensified his efforts to capture the prisoners. Hey, this person is almost alone now and wants to fight against the entire Yamen!"
"This guy is quite interesting."
He Ping laughed again.
"By the way, I heard He Fusheng say that there are some local gangsters who are causing trouble for the shops we opened in the county. I heard that you stopped them. Is this true?"
"Yes."
Qi Baiyi nodded.
"I guess these gangsters are hired by some local gangs. There should be a few leading figures among these gangsters."
He Ping spoke unhurriedly, "It just so happens that the attic in the backyard of this house is 'haunted'. I also want to find out how that house can 'eat people'... I think so, you can find a way to get those people over and throw them in for a test. Maybe you can get some clues."