Chapter 142 Brother Zhuzi

Ning Chen smiled slightly and said, "As the governor of Lingzhou, your official robe is worn out and your official boots are deformed. Have you worn them for a long time?"

"General Ning, aren't you afraid that I did it on purpose?"

Ning Chen stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, "Clothes can be fake, but hands can't be fake... The skin is dry and rough, and there is mud in your nails. It should be left by working for a long time. It is difficult to wash it off in a short time."

Jiang Zhengyang bowed, "General Ning is really meticulous, and I admire him."

"I dare to ask, is General Ning really here to suppress bandits?"

Ning Chen didn't say anything, just nodded.

Jiang Zhengyang bowed again and said, "General Ning, I'll take a gamble."

"According to my secret investigation, the bandits in Yang'an County suddenly appeared... and they are not like ordinary bandits. They seem to have some purpose and only rob Changshou Village in Yang'an County."

"The government has sent people to clear them out several times, but the gains are very small... but a lot of money has been spent."

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, "Are you saying that they support the bandits for their own benefit?"

"Sir Ning, it costs money to suppress the bandits... and where does this money come from? Naturally, it has to be paid by the people. Now there is a new name in the counties of Lingzhou, called the bandit suppression tax."

"In Yang'an County alone, the bandit suppression tax collected this month is tens of thousands of taels of silver... and these silver expenditures are not clearly recorded. Records, only said to be used to suppress bandits. "

Ning Chen frowned, "Don't the people have complaints?"

Jiang Zhengyang smiled bitterly, "What can the people do if they have complaints?"

"Why not report to the court?"

Jiang Zhengyang's face was full of resentment, "I submitted several memorials to the court, but in the end they all fell into the sea."

"You have the right to see the emperor, why don't you go to Beijing to see the emperor in person?"

Jiang Zhengyang shook his head, "General Ning, I am not afraid of life and death...but I have old people above me and young children below me."

Ning Chen sighed, "I understand your difficulties."

"General Ning, I also found out that they are chasing a man...This man is called Wu Tiezhu, who is said to have killed a yamen runner and then absconded, and this man is from Changshou Village. I suspect he knows something?"

"Wu Tiezhu?"

Jiang Zhengyang nodded.

Ning Chen said in a deep voice: "Is his father called Wu Dashan?"

Jiang Zhengyang was surprised, "General Ning knows this person?"

Ning Chen nodded slightly, his eyes showing nostalgia, and said softly:

"My mother died early, and Uncle Wu's family took good care of me."

"The Wu Tiezhu you mentioned, I call him Brother Zhuzi, he is a few years older than me. When I was a child, he often took me to the trees to take out bird nests, go to the river to catch fish, and run around the mountains and fields."

"I have to go to Changshou Village... When Lord Jiang goes back, tell my colleagues to stay in Lingzhou these days. If someone finds Wu Tiezhu, let them protect him for me no matter what."

Ning Chen strode out after speaking.

"General Ning, wait a minute!"

Ning Chen looked back at him.

Jiang Zhengyang's eyes flickered, and he was about to say something but stopped.

Ning Chen frowned, "Does Lord Jiang have something else to hide from me?"

Jiang Zhengyang gritted his teeth, "Wu Tiezhu is in my official residence."

Ning Chen was suddenly shocked!

Suddenly, he came running and pulled Jiang Zhengyang to hide behind a tree.

"General Ning, General Ning..."

A voice sounded.

It was Zhang Yuancang.

He saw that Ning Chen had not returned for a long time, so he came out to look for him.

Zhang Yuancang came to the door of the toilet and shouted, "General Ning, are you in there?"

Suddenly, he felt a breeze on his back.

But before he could look back, with a bang, his neck was hit by a knife, and he fell directly to the ground and fainted.

Jiang Zhengyang opened his mouth and was stunned.

Ning Chen looked at Jiang Zhengyang, "Come on, take me to your house."

Jiang Zhengyang came back to his senses and nodded repeatedly.

But after walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, "General Ning, let's put him in the toilet?"

Ning Chen had a black line on his forehead... This guy is not a good bird?

"You seem to have a special liking for the toilet?"

Jiang Zhengyang said: "It's a good thing for him to be put in the toilet... If I didn't have a family, I would have killed him with a knife."

Ning Chen found it a little funny, "You are a civil servant, why are you so violent?"

"There is riding and shooting in the six arts of a gentleman, and I also have some fists and feet... If I was not the only child in my family, my dream would be to go to the battlefield and become a military general."

Ning Chen was happy, "Do you have a grudge against Zhang Yuancang?"

"No, I just can't stand it!"

Ning Chen looked at him strangely.

"You hate him, isn't it because he suppressed you?"

Jiang Zhengyang nodded, "That's part of the reason, but the main reason is that I can't stand him... He flatters and seeks pleasure. He has seventeen concubines and dozens of singing girls outside. All of these cost money, and his salary is not enough."

"As for those bastards in there, drag them out and chop them off one by one. None of them are innocent."

Ning Chen shook his head speechlessly. This guy is interesting.

While the two were talking, they left Yixiaolou.

Ning Chen brought ten soldiers and followed Jiang Zhengyang to the governor's mansion.

The governor's mansion looked big, but it was very simple inside.

Jiang Zhengyang took Ning Chen to the main hall.

"General Ning, wait a moment, I'll bring the person to you."

Ning Chen nodded.

Jiang Zhengyang left.

After a while, Jiang Zhengyang walked in with a young man with rough skin and thin body.

"General Ning, the person is brought to you!"

"Wu Tiezhu, a common man, has met your Excellency!"

The young man knelt down and saluted.

"Keep your head up."

The young man raised his head, panicked.

Ning Chen stared at him for a while, then looked at Jiang Zhengyang, "Master Jiang, there is no need to test me. Just ask Wu Tiezhu himself and you will know that he knows me."

Jiang Zhengyang was not embarrassed. He lowered his head and said, "General Ning, please calm down. Look at me, I've got the wrong person."

Can you be more fake? Ning Chen complained in his heart.

"General Ning, please wait a moment. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Jiang Zhengyang left for a relatively long time this time, and it took about half a stick of incense to return.

This time, he brought a young man with rough and dark skin, but a strong body and handsome features.

The young man looked at Ning Chen with an expression of excitement and fear.

"Wu Tiezhu, a grassroots citizen, please see your Excellency!"

Ning Chen stood up and supported Wu Tiezhu who was about to kneel down.

"Brother Zhuzi, don't you recognize me?"

Wu Tiezhu was a little frightened and nodded, "I know you."

"Then what did you call me before?"

"Xiao, Xiaochen."

Ning Chen laughed, "That's right... I'm still the same Xiao Chen who used to run behind you, and I haven't changed at all."

"Brother Zhuzi, sit down and talk!"

Wu Tiezhu had an honest smile on his face, but he was still a little nervous... After all, their identities were different, and Ning Chen was no longer the little kid who followed him.

Ning Chen looked at him and said with a smile: "Brother Zhuzhu, you have grown taller and become more and more handsome."

"You, you have grown taller too. I almost didn't recognize you just now."

Wu Tiezhu said nervously, Ning Chen used to be thin, short, and always timid... Now he has completely changed.