GBP Chapter 955 Burning
Chapter 955 Burning
At this point, the subordinate paused, glancing cautiously at Zheng Ping, fearing reprimand for incompetence.
Zheng Ping tapped the armrest of his chair lightly, his expression unchanged: "Continue! What's your background?"
The subordinate then continued, "On the surface, this business is run by a merchant surnamed Wu. I have also sent people to investigate his background carefully. He was originally born into the second branch of the Wu family in Jiaozhou. He was not favored at home and had no status in the clan. He had been struggling until he was almost twenty years old without having a business to manage independently."
Later, for some unknown reason, he angered the family and was almost expelled from the clan. In a fit of anger, he stole the family's silver, bought a ship, and contacted people to trade overseas.
He had been at sea for three years without any news. His clan had always thought he had died at sea and had even erected a cenotaph. Unexpectedly, he suddenly returned alive in the middle of this year. When he returned, he brought with him a lot of gold and silver, and he became a wealthy merchant in the area.
Then this man didn't stay in the area for long. He went straight to the capital and opened a new business. He didn't contact other businessmen. He only said his surname was Wu and nothing else. He quickly established himself and kept many hooligans as henchmen. He had a bandit-like air about him, so people who did legitimate business naturally kept their distance.
Besides the capital, I've heard there are also branches in Shanxi, Huguang, Lin'an and other places.
Therefore, many people still don't know his background. As for how he was able to build such a large business empire, according to his subordinates, he probably had some strong connections in the Jingzhao Yin (Prefectural Governor's Office) and the Ministry of Revenue. Some people had seen him dining with these people privately, and they seemed to have very close relationships!
After listening, Zheng Ping raised an eyebrow: "Interesting. Does this person have a real master behind him?"
The subordinate nodded and then shook his head. "There must be. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to offend his competitors so blatantly. Several times, his competitors sent people to test him, but he dealt with them silently. It's just that there's no clear evidence yet. I haven't investigated that far. By the way, I heard from my men that they're getting two more cargo ships at the docks outside Beijing tonight. It looks like they're going to promote this product aggressively."
Zhang Ping'an remained silent, his face growing increasingly grim as he listened. Finally, he turned to Zheng Ping and asked, "What do you think? Now you can see I wasn't just making baseless accusations!"
Zheng Ping's expression became more serious than before. He was a very intelligent man, and he could tell at a glance that if the Hibiscus Ointment was indeed poison, then this was a carefully orchestrated scheme!
The instigator has a strong motive, and the outcome may be disastrous!
"It does sound like something sinister is going on, but it will take some time to verify."
“That’s good, but I can start a fire first. That will definitely force out a few rats hiding in the shadows. Then we can follow the clues and find the source. It’s better than sitting and waiting,” Zhang Ping’an said, his eyes sharp.
He then instructed the man, "Write down a list of officials who have had contact with that man surnamed Wu."
Seeing that Zheng Ping did not object, his subordinates wrote down the names one by one.
Zheng Ping remained neutral, neither encouraging nor stopping them, only saying, "If you really break someone else's chess game, then they will naturally come knocking on your door. This year is the year of the Red Horse and the Red Sheep, so you'd better be careful in everything you do!"
Seeing that Zheng Ping didn't care, Zhang Ping'an wasn't disappointed. Until the day when Furong Ointment really became widespread, most people probably wouldn't understand how harmful this thing really was. Hearing about it is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is another.
Once home, Zhang Ping'an instructed Chibao to relay a message to his men in the Five Cities Garrison and the City Port Administration, instructing them to stop the boats at the dock and prevent any cargo from landing.
If it's just about interception, it's very easy for them; they can just come up with a few reasons.
After everything was ready, Zhang Ping'an had the children eat their fill and then arranged for them to leave. "Remember, you must set the fire in the middle of the night to ensure that the hibiscus ointment is burned on the spot!"
After finishing his meal, he nodded and said, "Sir, don't worry, I will arrange everything."
"Yeah," Zhang Pingan nodded.
After finishing his meal and leaving, he picked up his pen and wrote a letter to Shuisheng. It was such a coincidence that this person came from the Wu family of Jiaozhou, so it was the perfect opportunity to ask Shuisheng about him.
Although Shuisheng is the son-in-law of the eldest branch of the Wu family, he has lived in the Wu family for so many years and must be very clear about the situation of the Wu family.
He didn't believe that someone could disappear for three years without a reason and suddenly return with countless gold and silver treasures. The pirates at sea alone would be enough to give him a hard time. It would be impossible to do this without the support of other forces. Even if he were incredibly rich, it wouldn't be possible.
Moreover, this timing is so coincidental, it is precisely during the transition between the old and new imperial powers, and it is also just before the imperial examination. The coincidences and Minister Fan's attitude make people think deeply.
The next morning, after Zhang Ping'an got up and had eaten, he immediately told him about the events of the previous night, his face looking rather pale. "Master, the matter has been settled. Both boats of hibiscus ointment have been burned!"
"What, is there something else going on? You don't look too good."
After eating his fill, he said in a heavy tone, "Although the matter was accomplished, many people died. Fortunately, I made two preparations and arranged for skilled people, so there were no mistakes. The opponent's strength was far greater than we initially expected; they were not ordinary merchants."
"How so?" Zhang Ping'an asked seriously.
"The other ship has small cannons and has arranged for many people to take turns guarding it. It's much more heavily guarded than we thought. This is very rare for merchant ships in the entire North and South. In fact, it's practically nonexistent. Moreover, there are red-haired and yellow-haired Russians on board, speaking in a very strange language. It seems that this hibiscus ointment was indeed transported from overseas. I wonder what kind of conspiracy is behind it. This casualty incident is also the largest casualty incident we have encountered in the past two years," Chi Bao said.
"Put everything else aside for now, properly compensate the families of the injured and deceased, follow the usual procedures, don't be stingy with money, and keep an eye out for any investigations," Zhang Ping'an calmly instructed after listening.
After eating, he nodded, but with some worry: "Time is limited, and the tail may not have been cleaned up completely. It's only a matter of time before they come looking for it."
"Don't be afraid. Since they've set up such a grand scheme, they won't let their efforts go to waste. I am, after all, a Grand Councilor. They'll have to think twice before they make a move. They won't easily confront me for such a small amount of stuff. Besides, even if they don't come looking for me, I'll come looking for them later. Hmph!" Zhang Ping'an smiled, his voice cold.
I felt relieved after eating my fill.
Then he saw Zhang Ping'an off to court.