Jade Without Fragrance

   Chapter 208 shudder

   "Master Cheng, Master Cheng—"

   Dou San's screams interrupted Cheng Maoming's thoughts. He turned around and continued to walk out. As soon as he arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he saw Dou Qisheng, the younger brother of the first empress, who came with his family.

   This is the prince's uncle.

  Dou Qisheng was originally the deputy commander of the Xuanwu Battalion. He was transferred to the Dudu of the Right Army not long ago. Although his official position has been improved, his real power has been greatly weakened. The reason is that the prince planned to kidnap Lin Chan. In Tai'an Emperor's view, this is absolutely unbearable.

   "I heard from my family that Governor Cheng was looking for my third brother. I don't know what happened?"

   At this time, Dou San was also brought out. As soon as he saw Dou Qisheng, he shouted: "Sixth brother, save me!"

   Dou Qisheng frowned and looked at Cheng Maoming.

   He didn't care that much about this cousin, but he was a family no matter how close or distant he was to the outside world, and if he lost, he would both lose and prosper. He couldn't sit still when he heard that Jin Linwei was looking for him.

   The last time Jin Linwei went to Xuanwu Camp, it hurt him a lot.

   "Captain Cheng, what happened to my third brother, why bother you to come here in person?"

   Cheng Maoming's face was calm, but he was annoyed by the superiority that the other party unconsciously revealed.

   Over the years, because of the stable status of the crown prince, even if the first empress died early, the people of the Dou family were full of confidence in dealing with people and things, including him, the commander of Jin Linwei who was specially serving the emperor.

  Everyone knows that the prince will succeed the throne in the future, and the Dou family will be more beautiful then.

  Cheng Maoming thought of the prince who was indifferent to him.

   At this moment, he made a decision: what game is not a game, his ability is limited, just report the facts found to the emperor.

   After making the decision, Cheng Maoming smiled at Dou Qisheng: "This is inconvenient to disclose, and I hope Mr. Dou will understand."

   "Captain Cheng, you can't be so intolerant, right?" Cheng Maoming's decisive refusal made Dou Qisheng's face a little ugly.

   "It's really inconvenient. Cheng Mou has to rush back to report to the emperor. I'm sorry." Cheng Maoming bowed his hands.

   Dou Qisheng had no choice but to turn sideways, listening to Dou San's shouting and shouting with a gloomy expression, and when everyone walked away, he kicked the bricks and said angrily, "You bastard, you actually used the emperor to press me!"

   He strode in, grabbed a shivering maid and asked, "What's going on?"

   "Master and friends were drinking together... I took it, I took Five Dispersions..." The maid shivered.

   When he heard the words "Five Dispersions", Dou Qisheng's complexion changed slightly.

   This stupid thing!

   But he soon felt that something was wrong: although it was illegal to take five-color dispersion, it would not be enough for the commander of Jinlinwei to arrest people in person. The capital is prosperous and prosperous, and it is not uncommon for people to secretly take five-color dispersion.

   "Is there something else?"

   In the face of Dou Qisheng's pressing question, the maid's face was terrifyingly pale: "Also, still...Also found by Jin Linwei that the two jars are five-colored..."

   "How big is the jar?" Dou Qisheng asked through gritted teeth.

   "So big—" The maid stretched out her hands.

  Dou Qisheng's eyes darkened and he almost fainted.

  Selling and taking secretly are two properties.

   This hurtful thing!

   His face was blue and he walked out quickly, not forgetting to instruct the servants he brought: "Bring me all the people here back to Dou Mansion!"

  Cheng Maoming took Dou San back to Jinlinwei for further interrogation, and just after being whipped, Dou San explained the source of the goods.

   It was an ordinary-looking small village with only more than 20 households. In fact, the entire village participated in the production process of the five-color dispersion.

   To Cheng Maoming's surprise, these people have been selling five-color dispersion for five or six years.

   The match against the prince and the Dou family is not supposed to be so far-reaching.

   After thinking about it, Cheng Maoming couldn't help but ask Dou San a question: "How did you get on this road of making a fortune?"

  Dou Sanzao lost his high spirits in the outer house, and lowered his head to talk about his sad past: "Don't look at me wearing Luo and Jin now. Before I do this, I'm so poor that I can't even eat meat..."

Cheng Maoming patiently listened to Dou San's crying, and then he got to the point: "Once I drank with a friend and said that I was short of money when I drank too much, and my friend pointed me to such a way. This is really a way to make money. From now on I can finally eat meat in a big mouth-"

   Dou San frowned, touching Cheng Maoming's gloomy eyes, and suddenly reacted: He is being tried, not a place to show off.

  Dou San closed his mouth, Cheng Maoming asked calmly, "What is this friend's name? Where is it now?"

   "My name is Jia Jing, he said he is the fifth, so let me call him Jia Wu. He left the capital a year ago, and I haven't seen him since."

   "How did this friend meet?"

   "He is a businessman in the capital and out of town. He once sold me a piece of fur at a discount, and he became familiar with him once he went back and forth..."

  Cheng Maoming listened silently, shuddering.

  The speaker didn't notice anything, but in his opinion, what kind of friend is this, it's just the person who appeared at the right time and led Dou San down the road.

   He doesn't even need to do anything, just let Dou San know that there is such a place that manufactures and sells five dispersions.

   And then, Dou San, who became an Erdao dealer, knew nothing and sold the five-color dispersion to Wang Fu, the servant of the house, through Hu Yan, and finally sent it to the prince's mouth.

   A "friend" who disappeared, with such a slight push more than two years ago, pushed the prince and the Dou family into the abyss two years later.

  Cheng Maoming felt terrified the more he thought about it.

   Continue to investigate, but there is nothing to dig into that small village. Just like many places produce certain specialties or by chance, the whole village is engaged in a certain business, this village relies on the production and sale of five-color dispersions for a living.

   And the reason for embarking on this road is that one of the villagers was a medicine boy who had arranged five dispersions for the court of the previous dynasty many years ago. After Emperor Tai'an ascended the throne and forbade the consumption of five-color powder, the man returned to the village, and after a long hard life, he couldn't help but resume his old business.

   Just when Cheng Maoming was investigating, Dou Qisheng went to the palace to ask for an interview.

   Emperor Tai'an thought that Dou Qisheng was here to speak good words for the prince, and although he was a little upset, he still met people.

   Dou Qisheng fell to his knees as soon as he saw Emperor Tai'an: "This minister is guilty!"

   Emperor Tai'an subconsciously sat up straight: "What's wrong?"

   "One of the elder brothers of the minister did something illegal behind the back of his family. It's all because the minister didn't notice it in time. I beg the emperor's forgiveness--"

   Emperor Tai'an raised his eyebrows and asked slowly, "What illegal things did you do?"

   "He...he secretly took five dispersions..."

   When Dou Qisheng wanted to come, Dou San had already fallen into the hands of Jin Linwei, and it was better for him to ask for the crime than to be sued by the surname Cheng.

   Although it was a taboo to take or even sell five-color powder, he didn't know it, and at most, Dou San suffered a little.

   Dou Qisheng thought optimistically, but he didn't know that the three words "five-color dispersion" were like a long needle that pierced into Emperor Tai'an's heart.

   "Five dispersions—" Emperor Tai'an read word by word, looking at Dou Qisheng with gloomy and unfamiliar eyes.

   (end of this chapter)