novelhk Page 311
Page 311
Inside this secret room, there was always an unseen 'one of their own' watching everything.
This person's strength even surpasses that of him and the Nine Netherworld God Lord. This is the Zhang family's terrifying trump card. Such a peerless expert is merely a spy.
Fifteen minutes later, the assembled twelve zodiac assassins annihilated the other set of twelve assassins.
The Nine Netherworld God, who was originally in the open space, had also disappeared. Marquis Jinyi knew that some mysterious expert had taken the Nine Netherworld God away.
After all, he was a master of unparalleled skill, and since he had defected to Cai Jing for wealth and glory, it wouldn't be difficult to win him over.
boom!
Upon entering the vault, although everyone's eyes revealed greed, not one dared to harbor any wicked thoughts.
After all, there was a peerless master watching them, and the twelve assassins were not of one mind. Anyone who dared to make a move would only face one outcome—death!
They died, and the Nine Netherworld God-King who joined later will replace them.
With that thought in mind, one person carried two boxes of gold and silver jewelry and left the Prime Minister's residence.
Therefore, not a single person was left alive here except for Cai Jing, who was fast asleep. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky and the people in the palace came to urge them that the corpses inside were discovered.
"Son!"
On Central Avenue, Zhang Xiaoshan had already prepared a carriage.
Seeing the boxes of gold and silver jewelry carried over by the crowd, Zhang Xiaoshan took out one million taels of gold as a token of his gratitude to the imperial court.
"This is enough. You can divide the rest among yourselves."
These are all stolen goods. Go to Ghost Street and exchange them directly for 100,000 taels of unmarked gold as payment for tonight.
"Thank you, sir!"
How much gold did Cai Jing embezzle?
With a total of several million gold coins, even if Zhang Xiaoshan took a million gold coins, each of them would still be able to receive at least 100,000 gold coins, or even 200,000 to 300,000 gold coins.
Sure enough, following a generous master means you get to eat meat.
Moreover, the secrets of Ghost Street, when exchanged for flawless gold, make spending them with peace of mind.
After all, who knows where these things came from to be presented to Cai Jing as tribute? Or is it the gold from Ghost Street that you can spend with peace of mind, since it's all re-refined gold from Ghost Street with extremely high purity?
"Marquis of Jinyi, I don't want this to happen again!"
"My subordinates dare not!"
The group naturally knew the trick that Marquis Jin Jiuling had just played.
After the twelve people left, Zhang Xiaoshan ordered his men to drive the carriage directly towards the palace.
Tong Guan had been waiting for a long time, after all, it concerned a million taels of gold, so how could Tong Guan be careless?
Seeing the slowly approaching carriage, Tong Guan's chrysanthemum-like old face immediately broke into a smile. Sure enough, the Zhang family is punctual and trustworthy.
"I have met the Grand Secretary!"
"Thank you for your personal escort, Young Master Zhang."
Tong Guan didn't stand on ceremony and personally inspected them. The gold bricks, each one a piece of real gold and silver, were also quite heavy.
"The Zhang family truly keeps their word!"
Three-quarters of an hour later, Tong Guan finished inspecting the boxes one by one, and after confirming that there were no problems, he couldn't help but smile.
"Guards! His Majesty has decreed that the Zhang family's merchant ships are exempt from inspection today when entering or leaving the mouth of the Qiantang River!"
"Yes!"
The imperial edict, bought with a million taels of gold, was met with no doubt from the imperial guards.
Such a price can only be paid by the Zhang family.
"In that case, Your Excellency, once the Imperial Guards have defeated the rebels and quelled the internal strife, the Zhang family will certainly hold a grand banquet at the Red Mansion to celebrate your success!"
"It's easy to talk about."
Tong Guan never imagined that the Zhang family would simply move away, since the Zhang family's luxury goods only had a market in Jiangnan.
Even in the heart of the Central Plains, merchants who can spend lavishly are extremely rare.
As for the shops that have been acquired, the Zhang family has already recouped their investment and can easily expand them in the future.
"Lord Interior Minister, take your leave!"
"Farewell!"
Watching Zhang Xiaoshan's departing figure, Tong Guan couldn't help but show a look of envy on his old face!
Although the Zhang family had only one son per generation, at least they had descendants. But what about him?
Therefore, after the Zhang family explained their reasons for leaving, he had no doubt that if he had a descendant, not to mention any turmoil, not even the slightest danger would threaten 'Baby'.
Unfortunately, he was a eunuch.
Even if you have great power and amass a lot of wealth, it will all be for nothing in the end!
"Lord Zhuge, Commander Hengdao, has the Zhang family shown any unusual activity?"
Tong Guan looked at the two people who appeared behind him. They were Zhuge Zhengwo and Hengdao. After they learned that the Zhang family had left, they sent a large number of experts to monitor the Zhang family.
They can react quickly should anything happen to the Zhang family.
"Not for now. The four commanders of the Blood Droplets, along with the mysterious Blood Thorn, are all guarding ten super Fujian ships at the port."
Furthermore, the guards of the Zhang family's trading company and the guards of the Zhang residence are also handling goods at the docks. So far, the Zhang family hasn't taken any deliberate actions.
"That's good. In that case, let the Zhang family leave!"
The Zhang family has just had a son of exceptional talent, so it's understandable that they would leave Lin'an Prefecture, especially considering they donated a million taels of gold as a form of assistance.
Chapter 374 Turning Black into White and Punishing the Zhang Family?
"Father, it's time to leave!"
The ten large Fujian ships included four super-sized Fujian ships, each thirty zhang long and ten zhang wide, large enough to allow horses to run on their decks.
This was specially transferred from the island transit station by Zhang Xiaoshan.
On the four super-sized Fu ships, in addition to the four major Blood Droplet teams responsible for guard duty, there are also a thousand Blood Thorns responsible for security. Those who can board the super-sized Fu ships are all core members of the Zhang family.
Moreover, the ship was filled with goods, collections, and treasures hoarded by the Zhang family... each item was priceless.
The six ordinary large Fujian-style boats on either side were for people who were willing to migrate with the Zhang family.
Such as the courtesan, Silla maid, and Bodhisattva maid within the Hong Mansion who were willing to seek refuge with the Zhang family; the chefs, pastry chefs, beauticians, and craftsmen from the Zhang family's shops; the elders of the Zhang family, the guards of the merchant guild, and their close friends...
There were as many as two or three thousand people in total, but the six large Fujian ships were still more than enough to handle the situation, at most a little crowded.
As the sun rose, with Zhang Xiaoshan's order, the ten large ships slowly left the dock.
Many merchants were filled with envy that the Zhang family was able to leave Lin'an Prefecture at this time.
They didn't have the Zhang family's boldness to donate millions of gold directly.
Even if they only need tens of thousands of gold to leave, why bother with such a waste of money and effort when Lin'an Prefecture's defenses are as solid as those of the Shang Dynasty?
"Murder! Murder!"
Suddenly, a scream shook the streets and alleys.
However, the vegetable vendor who had come to deliver vegetables to the Prime Minister's residence that morning was stunned when he was terrified after only glancing inside from the outer wall when he received no response to his knocking.
Apart from the corpse of a night watchman, there was not a single chicken or dog left inside.
After knocking on the door for a long time without receiving a response, she was so frightened that she ran out.
This is Dongcheng District, a place where high-ranking officials and dignitaries gather, and it is heavily guarded. The vendor's call quickly attracted a squad of imperial guards.
After knocking on the door for a long time without receiving a response, his heart sank and he broke down the door.
There were many people patrolling the Prime Minister's residence at night, but by this time they had all perished.
Every time they checked a room, they either found no one there or left no survivors.
"Commander!"
"Shenhou!"
Upon receiving the news, the Divine Constable's Mansion and the Six Doors rushed to the scene of the crime as quickly as possible.
They had long sensed that the Zhang family's departure was not simple, so they dared not be careless. They never expected that the Zhang family's target would be the Prime Minister's residence.
And it happened so silently, without any prior indication.
Such actions caused even Zhuge Zhengwo and Hengdao to become solemn, sensing that the Zhang family's departure this time was not merely for refuge, but perhaps they never intended to return.
"How is the Prime Minister?"
"Reporting to the commander, Prime Minister Cai is alright, he was just drugged and knocked unconscious."
However, apart from Prime Minister Cai, the entire Prime Minister's residence was completely destroyed; nothing else was lost.
Not even a chicken or a dog would be spared? Let alone people.
For a moment, the two looked at each other and both gasped!
What is the Zhang family up to? What deep-seated grudge do they have against Prime Minister Cai?
"My lord, there is a secret room in the backyard, inside..."
"lead the way!"
Seeing the constable's troubled expression, the two immediately realized something was wrong; clearly, a huge secret was hidden within the Prime Minister's residence.
Upon arriving at the entrance to the secret chamber, nothing was apparent from the outside, but inside, corpses were everywhere, all belonging to the "Flying Guillotine" assassins. At the very back were twelve assassins wearing zodiac masks, each with a look of resentment and anger on their faces.
"The Flying Guillotine? So that's how it is!"
Looking at the 'blood guillotines' on the ground, even the ordinary constables from the Six Doors knew what was going on.
It turns out that the Blood Droplets who had been wiping out entire families and framing the Zhang family were actually assassins trained by the Prime Minister's mansion.
Moreover, the twelve assassins inside were probably super assassins secretly trained by Cai Xiang, but unexpectedly, they were all wiped out by the Zhang family.
"A worthy death!"
It's worth noting that Cai Jing had wiped out countless families in his quest for wealth during this period; he never imagined that his own family would be wiped out one day.
This is an example of using someone's own methods against them!
"Lord Zhuge, Commander, there should be a total of twelve murderers. The three in the front courtyard used a judge's pen, palm, and leg respectively, while the two in the back courtyard used hidden weapons and curved swords. Their moves were all swift and decisive, indicating they were at least top-tier experts!"
At this moment, Jin Jiuling walked in. He was the first detective to arrive after hearing the news and the first to investigate the scene.
Therefore, Zhuge Zhengwo and Hengdao looked at Jin Jiuling, having no doubt about Jin Jiuling's ability to solve cases.
"I can't discern the origins of the other four, but as for the Judge's Pen, does Your Excellency still remember the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple?"
"Lord Jin, are you referring to the expert the Zhang family recruited when they took over the Sixth Prince's forces?"
Zhuge Zhengwo and Hengdao exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of realization.
That's a top-tier expert; if the Zhang family recruits him, his appearance is inevitable.
"The group that made the move here initially consisted of only seven people. They first killed the assassins outside, so it must have been a simultaneous action with a division of labor."
Together, these form the twelve assassins that the Zhang family has long been known for, yet have never actually appeared!
"The Zodiac Killer?"
Upon hearing this, the experts from the Six Doors looked at the twelve assassins on the ground and thought, "Cai Jing has done a thorough job."
"Furthermore, based on the traces of the battle and the layout of this place, there is at least one other top-level expert who is missing. He is the person in charge of the entire assassin base."
The identities of these individuals are still being verified. Based on their status and strength in the underworld, we can determine the approximate strength of the Zhang family's twelve assassins!
Zhuge Zhengwo nodded. If Jin Jiuling hadn't been a rising star, and only based on this judgment, he wouldn't have had the position of Hengdao back then.
"The Zhang family did not kill Cai Xiang, so the situation is not yet beyond redemption."
"Commander Hengdao, let's go together. His Majesty should be waiting for our answer now!"
Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Hengdao, who still held onto hope. This was clearly from a Jianghu (martial arts world) perspective, so he couldn't bear to shatter Hengdao's naivety.
When they went to the palace to report back, they also took Cai Jing with them.