Chapter 28

"Did you dare to think like that, it's just a敷衍搪塞, it's not, not reliable at all!"

Yu Weiliang glared at Zhang Ke.

"Just now, the Mongols held you hostage, Bai Guangshou didn't care about your lives, and in a blink, you are willing to find a scapegoat to account to Lord Wang. If you reflect on yourself, how are you different from Bai Guangshou? I, Yu Weiliang, am truly blind. A fine man, how could I be in cahoots with someone like you, who is driven by profit and power!"

Zhang Ke had never been scolded so harshly before. Seeing Yu Weiliang's stern and fierce expression, Zhang Ke suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at? Do you think I'm being stubborn, a fool?"

"Of course not, just a bit naive!"

"Naive? I'm already twenty-one, not a three-year-old kid!"

Zhang Ke said bluntly, "Not three, but not more than five. Have you really figured out the situation in front of you?"

"What situation?" Yu Weiliang asked in surprise, "Isn't it just that the merchants are shameless, and a few Mongols are wild and unruly, what's so serious about it?"

Zhang Ke was truly defeated by this person and could only say, "Think about it, over the years, the horse market has opened and closed, isn't it all due to conflicts between the Han and the Mongols? Now, with the rise of the Jurchens, the court has already had the intention to close the horse market. The Mongols beyond the Great Wall might be thinking of taking advantage of the situation. Once there's a bloody conflict at the horse market, from the White Earth Factory Pass to the horse market, there are hundreds of Mongol merchants on their way. They will surely take the opportunity to cause chaos. At that time, blood will flow, and countless civilians will lose their homes and families, and it might even force the court to close the horse market, affecting the major policies of Liaodong!"

"Heaven!" A series of heavy accusations made Yu Weiliang almost fall off his horse. A small conman could actually be involved in such a big matter, which was beyond his comprehension.

After a long pause, Yu Weiliang pleaded, "Brother, I won't get involved in this. Let me go!"

Zhang Ke rolled his eyes, "Too late, but don't worry, unless that conman has hidden in a rat hole, we'll likely find him."

Zhang Ke led the half-believing Yu Weiliang and a hundred soldiers to their stall at the foot of the city wall. From a distance, they saw Qiao Gui and Hu Zi stretching their necks, looking into the distance.

"Zhang Ke, you're finally back, where's the second brother?" Qiao Gui asked in surprise.

"Brother Gui, to make a long story short, the second brother was taken hostage by the Mongols!"

"Ah!" Qiao Gui was almost frightened to faint.

"Zhang Ke, what exactly happened? The soldiers just closed the city gates. Did you cause a big disaster? Are they here to arrest us?" Qiao Gui became more and more afraid, his face paler than paper.

Zhang Ke hurriedly said, "Brother Gui, don't worry, they are temporarily listening to me. The most urgent thing now is to find Wang Huishui."

Qiao Gui's head was about to explode, and he asked blankly, "How is it related to Wang Huishui again?"

"It's hard to explain in a few words. If you want to save Qiao Fu, listen to me. I'll take charge of the eastern part of the city, and you and Yu Weiliang will take charge of the western part. Hu Zi, you all know Wang Huishui, split into two teams and help the soldiers find him. Remember, we only have one hour, and we must find Wang Huishui!"

"Okay, Big Brother Zhang, you can count on me!"

Yu Weiliang also said, "I know a few brothers at the horse market, they know where people can hide!"

"That's great, call them out quickly."

In total, fifteen little beggars, plus Zhang Ke and his group, each leading five soldiers, and the people Yu Weiliang brought, a large net was spread out.

The horse market wasn't very large, only five miles in circumference, with only two or three hundred permanent residents, the rest being merchants. Zhang Ke searched from east to west, and Qiao Gui from west to east, causing a great commotion in the horse market.

Time passed minute by minute. After half an hour, Zhang Ke and Qiao Gui met in the middle of the main street, staring at each other.

"Where is Wang Huishui hiding? Can he have escaped?" Qiao Fu said worriedly, "A conman who has cheated money wouldn't wait to be caught!"

Hu Zi suddenly said, "Brother Qiao, that's impossible."

"Oh, why?"

"Brother Qiao, the horse market has only one exit. We sell things right at the city gate. If Wang Huishui had run away, he wouldn't have escaped our eyes. After that, the city gate was closed, so he couldn't have escaped!"

Zhang Ke nodded, "Hu Zi is right, he's probably still hiding somewhere. Let's keep looking!"

Hu Zi turned around and saw Xiaodouzi, who was drinking a bowl of water.

"Is this your third bowl? Drinking so much water in the cold, aren't you afraid of peeing?"

Xiaodouzi said embarrassedly, "I ate too much honey, Brother Hu Zi, don't worry, I won't delay things!"

Everyone turned around and continued searching, this time more thoroughly, looking into every nook and cranny, even digging into rat holes.

Despite this, after another fifteen minutes, with the one-hour deadline almost up, they still found nothing.

Yu Weiliang and Zhang Ke stood face to face, staring at each other.

"You know the horse market well, is there anyone here who is so despicable and foul?"

"No, and even if there is, I won't tell you!" Yu Weiliang stubbornly shook his head, "I won't help you take lives, no matter what excuse you give, it's just not right!"

"Stubborn donkey!" Zhang Ke stomped his foot in anger and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"To find someone who can understand human speech!"

Just as Zhang Ke turned, a burst of excited laughter came from behind, "Ha ha ha, caught him, right here!"

Ha ha ha!

Zhang Ke felt like howling to the sky, turned and ran over, and Yu Weiliang hurriedly followed. They arrived at the front of the city gate, where Qiao Gui was smiling and walking over, holding a slightly hunched figure.

They hurriedly walked over, grabbed the hair, and lifted it up. It was indeed Wang Huishui.

"Brother Gui, Wang Huishui is called 'Bad Water,' but why does he really have water on him, and it smells bad!"

Hu Zi suddenly burst into laughter, "Big Brother Zhang, it's all Xiaodouzi's pee!"

Zhang Ke quickly let go and grabbed a handful of snow to wipe his hands.

"Xiaodouzi, I didn't know you were so mischievous?"

Qiao Gui hurriedly laughed, "Xiaodouzi isn't mischievous, but he has done a great deed. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have found Wang Huishui. He's our little hero!"

Xiaodouzi blushed and lowered his head. It turned out he had drunk several bowls of water and was running back and forth with the soldiers, and he had to urinate. When he ran to the foot of the city wall, he couldn't hold it anymore and urinated on a pile of snow. The warm liquid melted the snow, revealing a mat underneath. Through the holes in the mat, a pair of eyes was staring at Xiaodouzi!

"Ah! Brother Gui, save me!"

Qiao Gui heard the cry and quickly rushed over. Wang Huishui, hiding under the mat, couldn't hide anymore and tried to run. But he couldn't outrun Qiao Gui, who kicked him to the ground and dragged him to Zhang Ke.

Seeing Zhang Ke, Wang Huishui's eyes widened.

"Kid, don't push me too far. I did cheat you, but it's not worth bringing so many people to catch me. If we really come to blows, you won't be clean either!"

"Ha ha ha, Wang Huishui, you haven't figured out the situation yet. Our issue is nothing, but did you cheat a few Mongols this morning?"

Wang Huishui quickly shook his head, but the hint of fear in his eyes didn't escape Zhang Ke.

Zhang Ke suddenly tore open Wang Huishui's shirt, revealing several silver bills. Zhang Ke grabbed them.

"Ha ha ha, Wang Huishui, this time the evidence is ironclad, you're done for!" Zhang Ke turned to look at Yu Weiliang and shouted, "Brothers, take him away!"

Eight soldiers rushed forward, binding Wang Huishui with iron chains, making him grimace.

"Sir, be gentle, be gentle! You can't help the Tartars bully the Han people!"

"Spit!" Yu Weiliang slapped Wang Huishui hard.

"Are you still calling yourself a Han? Your cheating and fraud bring shame to the Han people!"

The soldiers followed Zhang Ke, escorting Wang Huishui back to the scene of the incident.

In the past hour, Wang Huazhen had been pacing back and forth on the ground, almost wearing out his official boots. Each time he secretly saw Eunuch Hong under the saber, he wanted to order a rescue, but the words died in his throat.

As the hour was about to end, Wang Huazhen was like an ant on a hot pan, more anxious than during his imperial examination!

"Sir, Zhang Ke is back!"

Hearing this, Wang Huazhen couldn't hold back, parted the crowd, and ran over, with the others following closely. He grabbed Zhang Ke's hand, his fingers trembling.

"Did you catch him?"

"Reporting to Sir, I have not failed my mission. The conman Wang Huishui has been caught!"

"Good, very good!"

Wang Huazhen patted Zhang Ke's shoulder several times, finally showing a relaxed smile.

Two soldiers brought Wang Huishui to the middle of the standoff. Wang Huazhen, suppressing his excitement, said, "I have brought the conman to justice, please come and see!"

The standoff with the Mongols, Jida and others, was a torment every second.

"Surige, the money was stolen from you, come and identify him."

Surige hurriedly walked over, looked at Wang Huishui, and suddenly swung a punch.

"It's him, it's him! I won't forget his pockmarked face, you little bastard, give back the money! Give back the money!"

Surige wanted to hit again, but his arm was grabbed.

"Lord Wang is here, any issues will be handled fairly. If you kill him, what will that solve?"

Zhang Ke's actions greatly pleased Wang Huazhen. When dealing with these barbarians, the Ming people valued face above all, and the court's dignity must never be compromised.

Wang Huazhen stared at Wang Huishui and coldly asked, "Are you Wang Huishui? Do you admit to using fake silver bills to cheat them?"

"Sir, you are wronged! I did exchange silver bills with them, but how could I know they were fake? They might have made them themselves to frame me!"

"Rubbish!" Surige stood up to hit again.

Zhang Ke quickly bowed and said, "Reporting to Sir, I found 280 taels of silver and several silver bills on Wang Huishui. The dozen or so boys I brought are beggars from Guangning, and they all know Wang Huishui's deeds and can testify. Please, Sir, investigate clearly!"

Seeing Zhang Ke speak, Wang Huishui struggled and said, "Sir, this kid is no good! He robbed my property, killed, and set fires, he..."

Before he could finish, Yu Weiliang's sword was at his throat, scaring Wang Huishui witless.

Zhang Ke ignored him and continued, "Sir, Wang Huishui's crimes are clear. I humbly request that you also punish the Mongols Jida, Surige, and others for their looting and hostage-taking!"

;