Chapter 172 Manichaeism, Lu Xiucai (Please Vote for Me!!!)

You can tell that Yongyihou is named from his title. This is a family that relies on military merit to become a marquis. The first generation of Yongyihou was the founding hero of the Song Dynasty.

It's just that since the death of the old Marquis, the Yongyi Marquis Mansion has become more and more depressed. Now it is sad to have to engage in such a lowly business as a brothel to maintain it.

Although the brothel industry was extremely developed in the Song Dynasty, some brothels mostly had nobles as their backers, but any nobles who had anything to do with the brothels would be looked down upon, let alone those who were in business themselves.

"Has the identity of the mysterious man been confirmed?" Qin Hao asked.

The guard said: "I'm sure, it's a boy from Yuehua Tower, and he is probably a peripheral member. We have sent people to keep an eye on him at Yuehua Tower for twelve hours."

Qin Hao nodded: "Okay, you go down first."

After the guards left, Qin Hao stood up and said to Cui Zhi: "Let's go, let's go and meet the Yong Yihou."

Outside the Yongyi Hou Mansion, the middle door opened wide, and the contemporary Yongyi Hou Xu Yuanji said to Qin Hao with a smile on his face.

"Oh, it turns out it's Marquis Jinghai who's in front of me. I missed you from afar. Please atone for your sins."

Qin Hao bowed his hand politely on the surface: "What did Marquis Yongyi say? If I take the liberty to come here today, I should ask Marquis Yongyi to atone for his sins."

In fact, I can't help but shake my head secretly. This Yongyi Hou Kong has the title of marquis, but he is like a businessman. Everyone is a marquis. Even if Qin Hao has more power, there is no need to be so flattering. I really don't know that the previous generation of Yongyi Hou Kong Knowing the virtues of future generations, would they be so angry that they would commit suicide?

Marquis Yongyi didn't know what Qin Hao was thinking, so he continued to flatter him: "Wherever, Marquis Jinghai can show me his favor, it really makes me shine."

With that said, he invited Qin Hao into the Yongyi Hou Mansion.

As soon as Qin Hao walked in, he noticed something was wrong. There was no trace of the style of a family of military commanders here. It was completely the revelry of a Jinling merchant family. The maids along the way were all graceful and pretty.

No wonder Xu Yuanji looked like he was overindulging in sexual activities. This guy was very lucky.

Seeing Qin Hao looking around at the Hou Mansion, Xu Yuanji couldn't help but feel a little proud. He thought Qin Hao was fascinated by the wealthy town of Jinling, and kept chattering to Qin Hao about the doorways in the building along the way.

Qin Hao could only sigh, no wonder the previous generation, Marquis Yongyi, did not let this prodigal son pursue an official career. With his understanding, he had to be tricked to death many times in the officialdom.

When they came to the front hall, Madam Zhuang, Madam of Marquis Yongyi, had already arranged a banquet. What made Qin Hao dumbfounded was that there was a little girl of fifteen or sixteen years old, with a shy and bright look, who was looking at Qin Hao curiously. .

Mrs. Zhuang introduced: "Qin Hou, this is my seventh girl, Youwei. Youwei has not met Qin Hou yet."

The little girl greeted the gift shyly.

Qin Haodan returned the gift indifferently, and couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart. This Xu Yuanji really subverted his understanding of nobles. It's no wonder that the old lady of the Sheng family cut off contact with the Yongyi Hou Mansion.

After three rounds of drinks and five delicious dishes, Qin Hao proposed to sit in Xu Yuanji's study. Xu Yuanji didn't notice anything wrong. He thought it was because Qin Hao had a good impression of him, so he took Qin Hao with him. Hao came to the study.

After retreating from the servants, Qin Hao's expression suddenly became sharp and he shouted in a low voice: "Xu Yuanji, you are so brave!"

…

Xu Yuanji trembled with fright, looked confused, and asked cautiously: "Qin Hou, what does this mean?"

Qin Hao stared at Xu Yuanji and sneered, until he looked at him until his heart went crazy, and then he said: "Is this Yuehua Building your property?"

Xu Yuanji's face changed, and he lowered his head and muttered: "The court didn't say that you won't be allowed to run a brothel."

Qin Hao was almost speechless. The fact that this guy can survive to this day must be due to the good deeds of his ancestors. He slammed the table and shouted.

"Do you really think that I have nothing to do and am here to quarrel with you? Did you know that His Royal Highness Prince Huan was assassinated outside Jinling City, and the opponent also used an eight-oxen crossbow, and this group of desperadoes was hiding in Yuehua Tower "Chinese, do you really think that the Alchemy Book Iron Coupon of Yongyi Hou Mansion can win over your whole family?"

Xu Yuanji sat down on the ground, trembling all over. Assassinating the prince was a crime of treason. Except for the Chai family, anyone else's alchemy book and iron coupons were useless. He still knew this.

"The Marquis of Qin saved me, I was wronged!"

Qin Hao said coldly: "It doesn't matter whether you are wronged or not. Once King Huan knows about this matter, you won't be able to chop him off even if you have nine heads!"

The big beads of sweat on Xu Yuanji's forehead kept falling, and he quickly begged Qin Hao for mercy: "Qin Hou, I really don't know about this matter. Although Yuehua Tower pays a large amount of money to the government every month, But the person in charge of Yuehua Tower is not from the Hou Mansion."

Qin Hao's heart moved: "Speak more clearly!"

Xu Yuanji wiped his cold sweat: "This matter started fifteen years ago. At that time, my father did not allow me to pursue an official career. I could not achieve success in literature and martial arts, so I could only pass the time in a romantic way. Soon my family's savings were wiped out. It’s almost spent.”

"Just when I was desperate, someone suddenly came to my door and said that I would cooperate with the Yongyi Hou Mansion to open a brothel. We don't need to come forward and give me 30% of the profit a month."

"I refused at first, but later I was forced to pay, so I agreed. This person was indeed trustworthy and would send a large amount of gold and silver every month. But Qin Hou, I really don't know what happened to Yuehua Tower." You don’t know anything about it!”

"I also ask the Marquis of Qin to say something kind in front of His Royal Highness King Huan. The Yongyi Marquis will always be grateful for the great kindness and will definitely express his gratitude."

Seeing Xu Yuanji's appearance, Qin Hao also knew that this guy was unlikely to know the inside story, so he didn't dare to participate despite his courage.

"His Royal Highness King Huan was assassinated. You don't think that you can write it off with just one sentence from me?" Qin Hao looked at Xu Yuanji with a sneer.

Xu Yuanji asked cautiously: "What orders does His Highness King Huan have? Please give it to the Marquis of Qin."

Qin Hao nodded: "It's not too stupid. Let me tell you clearly. His Highness King Huan asked you to make meritorious service. Who was the person who came to find you back then? Only by catching him and finding out the mastermind can you have a chance of survival." otherwise"

"Here, this person has always come and gone without a trace. All the property given to Yongyi Hou's Mansion in these years was sent by Yuehua Tower. He has never shown his face." Xu Yuanji said hesitantly.

Qin Hao thought for a moment: "Then tell the manager of Yuehua Building that you want to increase the monthly share of Yuehua Building to 60%!"

"Sixty percent?" Xu Yuanji was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that only by raising the price to the point where the steward of Yue Yuehua Building could not make the decision would the people behind it show up.

…

When Qin Hao left Yongyihou's Mansion, he said to Cui Zhi: "Keep an eye on everyone who comes in and out of Yongyihou's Mansion, even those who pour Yexiang. There must be their spies in Yongyihou's Mansion!"

"promise!"

Alerting snakes in the grass, snakes are most deadly only when they are hidden in the grass.

That night, Cui Zhi brought back the information. There were several servants in the Yongyi Hou Mansion, and they all secretly conveyed the news to the mysterious person. They seemed to be unaware of each other's existence, and there was also a single line of communication between the upline and the downline.

"Where did the people who contacted them end up?" Qin Hao asked.

"Yuehua Tower!" Cui Zhi bowed and replied.

Qin Hao looked out the window and sneered at the corner of his mouth: "It seems that this Yuehua Building is really a den of thieves!"

The ancient brothel was indeed an unobtrusive place where three religions and nine streams gathered. Regardless of food and sex, the more complicated the people who came in and out, the more information they could find out.

Obviously, the organizational structure of Manichaeism has been divorced from the original church form. They are better at hiding and harder to detect.

Qin Hao vaguely remembered that during the Huizong period, Fang La relied on Manichaeans to sweep the entire Jiangnan region and cut off the economic lifeline of the Song Dynasty.

After Zhao Yingce learned of the situation, he was furious: "These rats are so courageous. We must wipe them out completely without leaving any future troubles!"

Qin Hao said seriously: "I'm afraid this matter is not easy. Manichaeism flourished in the Tang Dynasty and was later classified as a cult. Since then, it has begun to develop underground. It has rich experience in hiding itself. This is the case in Jinling alone. They have a strict organizational structure, but what about other areas? We don’t know how many believers they have or how much ordnance they have.”

Zhao Yingce gradually calmed down after hearing this: "What do you think Zihan has to say?"

"Your Majesty still needs to be informed about this matter. It is best for your Majesty to send people from the Imperial City Department to investigate." Qin Hao has always believed that professional matters should be left to professionals.

The Imperial City Division is equivalent to the Jinyiwei of the Song Dynasty. Although its power is limited to Bianjing City and does not have the power to arrest officials at any time like the Jinyiwei at the local level, there is not much difference in ability.

Zhao Yingce thought for a while and hesitated. He actually hoped that he could solve Manichaeism.

"Okay, then let the officials decide as Zihan said."

It was rushed eight hundred miles to Bianjing, and Zhao Zongquan was shocked when he saw the memorial.

No one knows better than him what Jiangnan Road means to the Song Dynasty. Once the supply of food from Jiangnan is lost, the entire Bianjing will be in chaos.

Manichaeism is also notorious in history. It has been classified as a cult since the late Tang Dynasty, and almost all political powers want to eliminate it.

Originally, Zhao Zongquan thought that Manichaeism had disappeared in the Song Dynasty, but he never thought that it was hidden so deeply.

What made Zhao Zongquan even more chilly was the eight-niu crossbows that were seized one after another. He knew the power of these weapons very well. Once the Manichaeans started to attack, if they had these weapons, they could attack the city all the way and get twice the result with half the effort. Those who even suppressed bandits in the area would A difficult army is difficult to resist.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zongquan no longer even cares about the results of the salt tax reform. The cancer of Manichaeism must be completely eliminated.

"Xuan Liu comes to pay homage to Zhong."

…

Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing a red robe came to the main hall: "The humble minister Liu Jinzhong is here to pay homage to Your Majesty."

Zhao Zongquan directly threw the memorial jointly signed by Qin Hao and Zhao Yingce at Liu Jinzhong's feet: "See it for yourself."

When Liu Jinzhong picked it up and took a look, he suddenly broke out in cold sweat and fell to his knees: "Wei Chen is guilty."

Zhao Zongquan pointed at Liu Jinzhong and cursed: "Of course you are guilty. Manichaeism has been developing privately for so many years, and you haven't heard anything about it. Are you deaf or blind? Or have you been ignored by your subordinates?"

"I'm afraid." Liu Jinzhong didn't dare to argue.

After Zhao Zongquan finished venting, he gritted his teeth and said: "If Qin Aiqing hadn't discovered the clue, I'm afraid I would still be kept in the dark. No matter what method you use, I must eradicate Manichaeism completely. Otherwise, you don't have to come back." I’ve met the widow!”

"Wei Chen takes orders!" Liu Jinzhong knew that this was his only chance to make meritorious deeds.

That night, Liu Jinzhong took a boat all the way to Jinling.

At the same time, Qin Hao also gained something in Jinling. After Xu Yuanji informed the Yuehua Building manager of his request to increase the share ratio, the Yuehua Building manager went to see a local scholar.

It is hard for people to believe that a poor scholar who comes from a poor family and makes a living by teaching is actually the actual controller behind Yuehua Tower.

Under the instructions of the poor scholar, the steward of Yuehua Tower rejected Xu Yuanji's request and used some of Xu Yuanji's excuses to threaten him. If he dared to disobey, he would be asked to wait for his title to be reduced.

After confirming the identity of the poor scholar, Qin Hao ordered the arrests, and asked Cui Zhi to arrest everyone from the Yuehua Building overnight. They were all detained in the water prison of Jinling Navy, and the guards were all replaced by Mingzhou Navy. The soldiers of the division.

After nightfall, Qin Hao interrogated the poor scholar.

In the water prison, the poor scholar cursed and cursed in the same way, looking like a poor man who didn't know how to adapt.

Two soldiers lifted him up with him in the middle and carried him to an interrogation room. What surprised the poor scholar was that there were no torture instruments in this interrogation room, which made him a little confused.

Suddenly, the iron door of the interrogation room was pushed open.

"Master Hou."

The soldiers saluted one after another.

Qin Hao waved his hand with a cheerful face and motioned for them to go down. Then he sat opposite the poor scholar and looked at the poor scholar curiously.

The poor scholar recognized Qin Hao's identity at a glance: "Master Hou, why do you treat a scholar like this?"

Qin Hao smiled nonchalantly: "Do you recognize me?"

"Who knows about Marquis Jinghai, who is famous all over the world?" the poor scholar said calmly.

Qin Hao shook his head gently: "You are not an ordinary scholar. Tell me about the organization behind you and who your superior is."

"I don't know what the Marquis is talking about." The poor scholar's childlike expression shrank obviously.

Qin Hao winked at Cui Zhi beside him. Cui Zhi opened the door and went out. Almost five minutes later, a bloody middle-aged man was dragged in.

The poor scholar's hands were shaking slightly. Qin Hao smiled playfully and said, "It seems that Lu Xiucai recognizes this person?"

"I don't know." Lu Xiucai said calmly.

Qin Hao winked at Cui Zhi again. Cui Zhi waved his hand, and the two soldiers threw the man to the ground. The man groaned in pain, but he didn't even have the strength to turn over.

…

"What about you? I'll give you one last chance. I might as well tell you the truth. The people from the Imperial City Division are already on the way. You should be very clear about their methods. Once they fall into their hands, they will definitely peel off the skin and bones. I will ask you to tell the truth, but instead of doing that, it is better to confess as soon as possible to avoid some physical pain." Qin Hao persuaded.

The middle-aged man spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground, but his eyes were not as firm as his actions.

Qin Hao sighed softly and waved his hand towards Cui Zhi: "Drag him down, greet him well, and tell the doctor, don't let him die easily. Oh, why do you think some people always think that their bones are harder than torture tools? You have to force it." I, a scholar, do such cruel things."

Lu Xiucai gritted his teeth and said, "Are you worthy of being called a scholar?"

Qin Haodan smiled at him: "You, a scholar, dare to call yourself a scholar. I have won three yuan in a row and topped the gold list. Why don't you deserve it?"

"Bah, you just relied on your family to win the favor of the examiners, and the officials just wanted to improve their own reputation, so they selected you as the number one scholar."

Before Lu Xiucai finished speaking, Qin Hao interrupted: "That's better than you, a poor scholar who can't even pass the examination!"

In fact, people like Lu Xiucai were also very common in ancient times. They had low IQ and thought they had worked very hard, but they always failed the exam, so they became cynical and went to extremes. This kind of people are also the most likely to be absorbed and exploited by cults.

"You" Lu Xiucai was so angry that his eyes were red.

Qin Hao continued to provoke him: "You knew that there was no hope in the scientific examination, so you became a disciple of Manichaeism, hoping that one day you could overthrow the Song Dynasty, become a founding hero, and have a wife and cute children."

"But have you ever thought about how many innocent people will be displaced once Manichaeism launches its so-called uprising? How many people will have their families destroyed?"

"Zuo Zhuan·Xiang Gong said: Your Majesty has established virtues, followed by meritorious service, and then established words. Although it has not been abolished for a long time, this is called immortality. Originally, if you were able to pass the exam to become a scholar, you would have surpassed many ordinary people. Even if you were not able to pass the exam, you would have passed the exam. , Jinshi, being a teacher can also teach and educate people. Maybe there will be children you enlighten in the future, and it can be regarded as a blessing."

"But you are trying to stir up chaos in the world with your own selfish desires, disregarding the wealth and lives of the people, and you dare to say that you are a scholar! If Master Kong Sheng knew that he had a disciple like you, he would be so ashamed that he would jump out of the grave and die again! "

Lu Xiucai almost couldn't breathe, his whole psychological defense completely collapsed, he roared: "Shut up, stop talking!"

Qin Hao felt a little thirsty as he spoke, so he picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea.

"Tell me how you came into contact with Manichaeism!"

Lu Xiucai's originally ferocious face turned calm instantly, and he muttered: "I don't know what you are talking about."

Qin Hao smiled and shook his head: "I really can't shed tears until I see the coffin. Do you think it's your own bones that are tougher, or the one just now? Because you are a scholar, I have given you the treatment you deserve. If You don’t know how to lift, so I have to teach you to the Imperial City Division, I think they will be very interested in your body structure."

"I heard that an adult man has a total of 206 bones in his body. I don't know if it's true or not. Maybe I can find the answer from you."

"Of course, you can also try to commit suicide by biting your tongue, but I personally feel that this method is not very reliable. Apart from shortening your tongue, it will not cause death. It is just an extra torture for yourself."

Lu Xiucai's teeth chattered and he stared at Qin Hao with fear: "You evil ghost!"

Qin Hao showed an indifferent smile: "Maybe, from your point of view, yes."

"Okay, one last chance, tell me everything you know about Manichaeism."

After Lu Xiucai hesitated for a moment, Qin Hao waved to the soldiers, and Lu Xiucai quickly said: "Give me a cup of tea."

Qin Hao said to Cui Zhi.

"Go and invite His Highness Prince Huan."