Chapter 177 2/3

Qian Fugui looked at Li Qingzhi with a momentary confusion, then said, “So that’s why you insisted on me confirming your identity… They say people change a lot as they grow up. Although you’re a man, you’ve changed a lot too. You indeed don’t look much like when you were younger, but as long as you’re okay!”

Qian Fugui’s reaction was quite flat.

It’s normal for people to change appearances during their growth process. A chubby-faced boy in childhood might grow taller with a deeper voice around fourteen or fifteen, possibly turning into someone with a square face and a leaner figure.

Li Qingzhi was somewhat surprised to see Qian Fugui’s reaction, then recalled something.

The original host went with Li Zhao before puberty to take up a post.

In those days, transportation was inconvenient, and Yuxian was far from the original host’s hometown… Before the Li family encountered trouble, the original host hadn’t seen Qian Fugui for two or three years.

When the flood hit Yuxi Prefecture, the original host was seventeen or eighteen, and the two or three years before that happened to be when he grew taller and his voice changed.

Qian Fugui only remembered the appearance of the original host when he was young. Seeing his current appearance, he just thought he had changed during adolescence and didn’t find it strange.

Worrying unnecessarily…

Li Qingzhi asked, “Uncle, how have you been all these years?”

Qian Fugui said, “It’s a bit cold here. Shall we change places to chat?” Sitting here in this pavilion with the wind blowing from all sides made him shiver uncontrollably!

He hadn’t minded it before due to excitement, but now he couldn’t bear it.

“Uncle, let’s walk and talk.” Li Qingzhi adjusted his scarf and suggested. He had been observing Qian Fugui all along. Although he didn’t know why Qian Fugui became the Shopkeeper of Yulong Trading Company, he could feel that Qian Fugui didn’t harbor any ill intentions toward him.

Naturally, he felt closer to Qian Fugui.

Qian Fugui agreed without much thought, “Okay.”

“Uncle, how did you become the Shopkeeper of Yulong Trading Company?”

Qian Fugui didn’t hide anything and recounted his experiences over the years.

Initially, they were living well, but then the people of King of Yanjun suddenly came knocking…

Li Qingzhi felt a chill as he listened.

He had remained silent all along, waiting for Qian Fugui to finish recounting his experiences over the past few years before asking, “Uncle, do you remember which day King of Yanjun found you?”

Qian Fugui mentioned a date.

Li Qingzhi said, “Uncle, if it was indeed that day… my parents had just passed away, and King of Yanjun’s people were already rushing to find you.”

Qian Fugui confirmed, “That’s true. King of Yanjun’s people had been keeping an eye on the people of King Jin…”

“Uncle, things aren’t that coincidental. My father was just a county magistrate. Even if King of Yanjun’s people were watching King Jin, would they bother investigating a small county magistrate like my father in advance? How did they even know about the existence of the Qian family if they didn’t investigate beforehand?” Li Qingzhi took a deep breath. “Uncle, I’ve always been puzzled by one thing. Why was that imperial envoy so certain that my father had taken the silver? Even if King Jin wanted to embezzle relief silver, there were plenty of ways to do it. Why make it so obvious? And why use my father as a scapegoat? Even if King Jin was foolish, the people around him weren’t!”

Back then, King Jin indeed embezzled relief silver. The grain sent by King Jin at the time was all bad, old grain!

But his father’s death might not have been that simple!

Li Qingzhi didn’t know much about what happened before, and the original host didn’t even know that the imperial envoy was from King Jin.

But now… Li Qingzhi knew a lot of things from back then.

If the Qian family hadn’t been fooled by King of Yanjun to help him, he wouldn’t have necessarily suspected King of Yanjun. But now…

Could it be that what happened back then was designed by King of Yanjun?

Thinking carefully, when King Jin encountered trouble, King of Yanjun could benefit!

On the contrary, Lü Qingxi, a eunuch, no matter how scheming he was, he couldn’t become an emperor in this era.

Li Qingzhi analyzed it for Qian Fugui.

While listening to Li Qingzhi talk about what happened back then, Qian Fugui, although feeling sorry for his nephew, didn’t react much.

But now… he trembled all over, his teeth chattering, and he had no strength to move forward.

“A-Zhi, do you think… your mother’s death might be related to King of Yanjun?” Qian Fugui asked through gritted teeth.

Li Qingzhi said, “Back then, I felt something was wrong because that imperial envoy seemed to have already concluded that my father embezzled the silver, with a look as if he wanted to kill my father on the spot.”

“King of Yanjun is younger than you, only sixteen at the time, and had few people around him. Due to the shortage of manpower, he treated me very well and said he lacked silver… but then he gave me some silver as capital…” Qian Fugui could make his business so big because King of Yanjun provided him with some connections and tens of thousands of taels of silver as capital.

But… if King of Yanjun was really as he said, not having much money at the time, where did his silver come from?

Qian Fugui knew that King of Yanjun came to the Qian family to make them earn money for him, and he was willing to do so.

But now… after exchanging some information with Li Qingzhi, both sides realized one thing—the matter of the Li family back then might have been intervened by King of Yanjun.

Li Qingzhi’s mood wasn’t very good—he had finally managed to suppress King Jin, only to let King of Yanjun take advantage!

“Uncle, what do you plan to do next?” Li Qingzhi asked. Qian Fugui said, “I will go and investigate the news on King of Yanjun’s side. In addition, Yulong Trading Company was set up by me. The people below only know that I don’t know King of Yanjun. As long as I handle it well, I can transfer the profits of Yulong Trading Company…” he wanted to empty the entire Yulong Trading Company!

Thinking like this, Qian Fugui looked at Li Qingzhi, “A-Zhi, it’s good that you’re hiding your identity. When the time comes, I will send your cousin over, and you can hide together. When I get the money from Yulong Trading Company, I’ll give it to you…”

After following King of Yanjun, the Qian family didn’t live well.

Six years ago, both his parents were still alive and in good health, but after his sister died

 and they moved away, his parents were worried, and being old, they eventually passed away one after another.

And his brother, a few years ago, when he was doing business outside, he was injured by someone and his leg became lame.

Although the Qian family had saved some assets over the years, everyone was not happy.

And if, as Li Qingzhi said, the events of that year were manipulated by King of Yanjun behind the scenes… King of Yanjun would sooner or later face retribution!

Qian Fugui now hated King of Yanjun extremely.

Li Qingzhi said, “Uncle, this matter needs careful consideration, but as for your nephew… you can indeed find a way to send him to me, just be careful.”

If King of Yanjun sensed that something was wrong, it would be troublesome!

Qian Fugui had regained his strength, and the two continued walking and talking, circling around the large lake.

The servants who followed them were puzzled. What was their master doing?

Li Qingzhi and Qian Fugui had almost finished their conversation, and at this moment, Li Qingzhi said to Qian Fugui, “Uncle, call your people over. I will interrogate them to see if there are any of King of Yanjun’s people among them.”

Qian Fugui also thought of this.

Were there any of King of Yanjun’s people among his men? He didn’t care before, but now…

Qian Fugui called the people over.

Li Qingzhi adjusted his scarf to ensure his face was fully covered and then called one of them over.

He grabbed the person’s pulse and asked in a low voice, “Did King of Yanjun ask you to keep an eye on Shopkeeper Qian?”

When people are frightened or lying, their bodies tend to have some special reactions.

These reactions, he could sense with his special ability.