He has long seen through the nature of the struggle for power. Not only will he not be like other Confucian scholars who rack their brains to think about how to restore the Confucian way, he will also not be like other nobles who desperately want to strengthen their clans and clans.

Having seen through everything, the only thing he wants now is peace.

But in troubled times, peace in the world is hard to find, but personal peace is very simple, as long as you don't fight for it.

It's just that... even in the peaceful years of the world, few people can do it without fighting, let alone in today's troubled times?

Xi Zhicai shook his head helplessly, and then sighed heavily, as if he wanted to let out all the suffocation trapped in his body.

To be honest, Xiyu back then was actually a person who didn't like to compete.

However, the name of the person and the shadow of the tree make him want to be quiet but the wind does not stop...

Seven days, although not long, is not short either. It is enough for Xi Zhicai to screen all the people who have lived in Chang'an City for more than three years.

Combined with the results of the previous investigation, this is really... you won't know if you don't check, but you will be shocked if you check.

Although there were many suspicious people who had little contact with him, they had basically heard each other's names.

Just like the rice merchant Yin Hao who ran to the government office a few days ago and cried, and the big agricultural code, agricultural officials, and military depot guards...

If it weren't for the evidence in hand, even Xi Zhicai wouldn't be able to believe that there were so many black knights ambushed in Chang'an City.

The main reason is that these suspicious people behaved too calmly when faced with the soldiers' interrogation and questioning. They seemed not to worry at all that their answers would cause any bad results or reveal any flaws.

Faced with such a long list, Xi Zhicai had to hesitate.

Until the time he and Cao Pi agreed to open the city gate in the evening, he didn't think about what to do next.

"As expected of a black knight, it's really... so terrifying!"

He sat in front of the paperwork and read over and over again the collected information, his expression particularly ugly.

Outside the house, several soldiers in Cao's camp were waiting for him to give the order to open the city gate and pursue the black knight. But unfortunately, it was almost dark when they waited, and there was no movement from the other side.

"Sir? I wonder...can we set off now?"

Quiet!

Still as quiet as ever.

Xi Zhicai naturally heard the sound outside the door, but he really didn't know what to do.

If we talk about arresting, then given the current official positions of these suspects, most of the low-level officials in Chang'an City will make the jail a bustling place just by the time they are arrested.

But if we don’t catch him...it doesn’t seem realistic.

After all, within just seven days of this rigorous search, the assassination never ended.

Not only that, the people who suffered were all ordinary and insignificant officials as before.

At the same time, the rumors never stopped.

Time passed quietly and unknowingly. During these seven days of rigorous searches, the people in Chang'an City once again became a mess.

As the rumors became more and more intense, everyone became more and more uneasy and had trouble sleeping and eating.

This also allowed Xi Zhicai to basically confirm his judgment. Regardless of whether they were scholars, peasants, industrialists, or merchants, high or low, those black knights had already planned to lurk here, and what's more, they had already become a very important presence in a certain aspect.

I'm afraid... they had already guessed... today would happen!

I have to say that the person who can take this step is really far-sighted and makes him feel ashamed.

After all, for now, whether to capture these black knights or not... is a difficult question for him.

No way, there are at least a hundred black knights lurking here. Apart from merchants and common people like Yin Hao, there are also many who also occupy important positions in the military and internal affairs. How can I possibly arrest them all? Uproot them.

remove?

In that case, I am afraid that the chaos in the entire Chang'an City will reach an unprecedented and unattainable height!

Because in a short period of time, there simply won’t be that many people to take over their positions, let alone anyone who can do better than them and be more suitable for these positions.

"Alas! To arrest... or not to arrest?"

Black Riders, when did these Black Riders lurk in?

It would be great if he could be instigated to rebel. If such knowledge and ability can be used by the Lord, no matter whether it is gold, silver, wealth, or military and political affairs, the current Wei Dynasty can reach a higher level!

It's a pity... They are people who are joking, they are black knights, there is absolutely no such possibility...

squeak!

The door of the room suddenly opened, and Cao Zhang walked in eagerly. As the third son, he has been fond of practicing martial arts since he was a child. Now he has achieved some success and has great prestige in the army due to his immense strength.

Of course, the more important thing is that he is now the general of the Wei Dynasty. Xi Zhicai did not dare to show any slightness and hurriedly stood up to salute.

"Well, Third Young Master!"

"Your Majesty, what should we do next? I have ordered people to open the four city gates and let the people out. At the same time, I have arranged for secret sentries to keep an eye on them. If there is no big problem, I will be able to catch them all and eliminate the current civil strife.

.”

Cao Zhang was in the military camp. Along with Kong Wu, he was also a simple-minded and hot-tempered person. However, no matter how reckless he was, he never neglected etiquette.

I have to say that Mrs. Bian’s teachings to these children were really attentive and not biased in the slightest.

Xi Zhicai looked at him, his thoughts changed, and he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Since he couldn't decide this matter himself, he should let others decide it.

Looking at Cao Zhang's posture, he must be determined to capture those black knights.

If that's the case, then just catch it. It's already happened anyway, and there's no point in getting too hung up on it.

Maybe, once those people are captured and tortured, we can learn some real skills from them.

"Then please general, please come with me to arrest them. I think they will not escape to the west, so we only need to guard the east, north, and south gates. This is the list. I hope the general will catch them all!"

After saying that, Xi Zhicai handed out the bamboo slips that were almost knocked out of his eyes.

"By the way, General, don't forget to let people in the city continue to search. As long as we can catch a few of them, we can probably pry out the identity information of more people. Remember, we have to catch at least about ten people!

"

"Don't worry about this!"

Cao Zhang took the bamboo slips and spoke with a hint of gritted teeth.

During this time, the anger in his heart never subsided.

A bunch of shameless bastards, they just want to kill people, but they dare to spread rumors and make people in the city panic, which is really annoying!

After receiving the order, he directly led his troops from Chang'an and pursued them in three directions: east, north, and south. Finally, three days later, he saw a group of people walking together on the official road.

When the other party heard the movement, they also stopped and turned around, waiting for the other party's arrival.

Seeing this scene, Cao Zhang was in a daze.

What's going on?

Not only did this group of people not disperse and flee, but went their separate ways, they even saw someone standing silently behind them with a smile on their faces.

Of course, despite some doubts, he has not forgotten the purpose of his trip, let alone the mess that the group of people in front of him has made Chang'an City into!

Seeing that they were wearing brocade clothes, armor, or even official robes, Cao Zhang was furious.

These people are leaders in all aspects and professions in Chang'an City.

The one on the left with a wristband is a military lieutenant colonel, the ones behind him holding books in their hands are agricultural officials, and there is even one who is leaning on a carriage and drinking tea calmly,...

···Yin Hao?

This man Cao Zhang was very familiar with. He had just been in and out of the government office a few days ago, asked for a lot of money and left.

Of course, on weekdays, he would also enter the Prime Minister's Mansion from time to time to report on people's livelihood and business conditions, and from time to time he would also propose some feasible plans for business expansion or economic development.

If it weren't for the lack of large-scale farmland around Chang'an, Xuchang, and Yecheng, which made it difficult for grain merchants to operate, the strategies he proposed would not have been shelved until now.

Speaking of which, the business strategies he once mentioned include many suggestions similar to the development strategies of the Qingxu and Qingxu commercial banks. However, since the people had no money, he had nothing to do. He had hesitated to open a bank before.

.

"Yin Hao, you bastard!"

The furious Cao Zhang shouted loudly and immediately led his troops to surround him. Although he was very annoyed, he knew exactly what to do.

Xi Zhicai said that at least ten of them would be captured, and now it would be best to capture them all.

On the other side, seeing that they were about to be surrounded, Yin Hao slowly put down the tea cup in his hand, lightly clicked the frame, and then the group of people ran with all their strength in the direction that had not yet been surrounded, like arrows leaving the string.

Seeing this scene, Cao Zhang basically came to the conclusion that the man behind the assassination of officials and spreading rumors in Chang'an City was Yin Hao!

"Yin Hao, you can't escape!"

Even though they were driving a carriage, the speed at which this group of people fled was still surprising.

Not only did he run out of the encirclement in the blink of an eye, but he also ran all the way from the official road into the trail in the woods.

Cao Zhang's speed was not too slow either, he led the others behind him and ran wildly.

It was a cold winter, and the surrounding area had already been covered with heavy snow, but both sides suddenly ran out of the "dust" in the sky.

But when Cao Zhang chased him all the way into the woods, there was no trace of the other party's hundreds or ten people——

wrong!
To be continued...