Thus, An Lin heaved a deep sigh in his heart as a form of regret. However, he didn't dare to breathe too loudly because he was afraid that Fan Ruzheng would hear his voice, and he was even more afraid that his crafty advisor would take the opportunity to report that he was dissatisfied with General Fan and that he had a triad background. He had been used by the Qing government in the past and was suspected of being a traitor. Thus, he decided to just drag him out and behead him to comply with the will of the heavens.
He reached out to hold the wine glass and wanted to take a few sips to suppress the anger in his heart. However, he did not pick up the wine glass, but his mind was spinning.
Should he wait patiently for General Fan to eat and drink his fill before discussing the political and business matters in Fenghua? An Lin felt that he couldn't be too impatient. He had to take things one step at a time.
Thus, after Fan Ruzeng had eaten and drunk his fill, An Lin snuggled up to him like a dog and began to enjoy the breeze.
Fan Ruzeng was picking up a toothpick to pick at the gaps between his teeth when he saw An Lin stoop over to his side like a domestic pug wagging its tail and shaking its head like a slave.
He wanted to laugh, but he knew that it was embarrassing. He could only grit his teeth and force himself not to laugh out loud. However, he could not hide the smile on his face.
In order to conceal his mocking smile, Fan Ruzeng hurriedly put on a stern face and asked An Lin," What do you think of the current situation in Fenghua City?"
This question struck a chord in An Lin's heart. He was just fretting over how to guide General Fan into his own topic, but to his surprise, General Fan was also interested in this topic. It seemed like he wasn't some brainless rebel bandit.
An Lin felt that Fan Ruzeng was quite smart, and he couldn't help but take a breather. He was glad that he had met a heroic ruler and worked together with him. A glorious future shouldn't be far away, so he could just let those bastards go to hell.
He needed to knock Qu Zhixian and Zhang Deshui out now. They were simply two lackeys of the Manchu Tartars. They did not listen to his orders at all. They would wave the Tartars 'flag to deal with the Heaven and Earth Society and him. However, he did not know that the Heaven and Earth Society was also a sharp knife of the Manchu Tartars. They specialized in dealing with those people who valued righteousness in officialdom and society. They could not have the slightest dissatisfaction with the Tartars' wrong words and deeds.
An Lin calmed himself down and tried to speak as softly as possible. He said," Do you know the biggest Manchu lackey in Fenghua City?"
Fan Ruzeng shook his head and said that he was not familiar with it. Then he said that he had heard that the magistrate's surname was Qu. He was the one who had ordered the Qing army to not retreat and must stop the Taiping army at the city gate.
At this point, Fan Ruzeng gritted his teeth and cursed Qu Zhixian for being a complete tartar dog. He was truly detestable and should have been torn into pieces. But after the city was breached, the soldiers could not find him.
Thus, he looked up to ask An Lin if Qu Zhixian had run away.
An Lin's brows furrowed as his mind raced. He didn't believe that Qu Zhixian would be able to escape from Fenghua City because his subordinates had been watching him. Before he entered General Fan's temporary residence, he had even asked his subordinates if Qu Zhixian was still in the city.
A gang leader immediately reported that Qu Zhixian had no intention of escaping from the city, and there were no signs of him taking advantage of his family. He was just not in the yamen and had run to his relative Zhang Deshui's house to hide. He probably wanted to live and die with Fenghua City.
An Lin couldn't help but spit on the ground upon hearing this. He was simply a lackey of the Tartars and was worse than a beast. He'd better die for the city and go to hell.
An Lin didn't feel as if he had vented his anger after cursing Qu Zhixian, so he cursed Qu Zhixian a few more times. He said that Qu Zhixian was born with a pig's head in his previous life and was toyed with by the Qing Dynasty's Tartars when he was still alive. He didn't even leave a mark on the people after he died, so he deserved to go to hell.
An Lin's heart was filled with anxiety at the thought that Qu Zhixian wasn't dead yet. He wished he could drag him out right now and use the Taiping Country Army to eliminate him.
Thus, An Lin blinked his eyes in a bid to regain his senses. He couldn't afford to reveal a single word in front of General Fan. Not only would it make things worse for himself, but he would also make Qu Zhixian extremely happy if he were to lose his life.
He moved closer to Fan Ruzheng and whispered that Qu Zhixian should still be in Fenghua City. When I first entered the mansion, I asked my subordinates about Qu Zhixian's specific movements. They insisted that Qu Zhixian had no intention of escaping and was prepared to fight you to the death!
Like most people in an advantageous position, Fan Ruzheng could not tolerate the weak daring to offend their superiors. A mere county magistrate dared to go against him and the army of the Celestial Dynasty. He was simply brainless.
After hearing An Lin's words, he couldn't help but curse at Qu Zhixian for being so damned. If he was captured, he would definitely be beheaded, so that the bastards of the Manchu Tartars would wake up and return to their people. They would no longer cower around the Tartars and bully the people.
He really wanted to capture Qu Zhixian, and he knew that the Heaven-Earth Society was extremely powerful, so he quickly asked An Lin if he could find Qu Zhixian.
This question was exactly what An Lin wanted to ask. He knew where Qu Zhixian had gone, and his subordinates had already told him that Qu Zhixian could only rely on his distant relative, Zhang Deshui. Without Zhang Deshui's help, it would be difficult for Qu Zhixian to find another foothold in Fenghua City.
He was in trouble now. He was no longer the county magistrate with a halo on his head. He was like Private Advisor Li, a stray dog. He could only tuck his tail between his legs and beg for mercy. There was no chance for him to order people around.
Furthermore, Qu Zhixian had never personally committed any crimes when he was still in power. He had only accepted some money from the government, so he wasn't considered a corrupt official. However, his subordinates had committed many heinous crimes behind his back, including An Lin's own Heaven and Earth Society. They had also taken advantage of the collusion between officials and bandits to throw the burden of their crimes onto Qu Zhixian, who didn't understand the reality of society.
As a result, Qu Zhixian's reputation in Fenghua's officialdom and among the people was rather bad. Everyone regarded the sins of others as his instigation and instigation, suspecting that he was deliberately playing tricks behind the scenes for the sake of profit.
Once Qu Zhixian was in trouble, everyone could find a perfect target to vent their anger on. They could pour all the injustice that everyone had suffered in society on him. How could they still have the mood to reach out and save him?
Poor Qu Zhixian had been kept in the dark and thought that he was a righteous official. The common people had a scale in their hearts and believed that he was a reasonable official. The common people were willing to acknowledge his image as a good official on the account that other officials were useless.
An Lin was close to Qu Zhixian, so they had quite a lot of interactions. They could be considered people who understood each other. Although he admitted that Qu Zhixian wasn't a bad official, he didn't want to say anything good about him. Sometimes, when he saw Qu Zhixian's stubborn temper, he wanted to kick away the black gauze hat on Qu Zhixian's head and complain that Qu Zhixian didn't give the hooligans of the Heaven and Earth Society the green light.
An Lin only wanted to betray Qu Zhixian as soon as possible so that he could use the Taiping Country Army to teach him a lesson. It would be best if he could send him to heaven. An Lin's stomach was filled with anger at the thought of Qu Zhixian's feigned ignorance.
An Lin made up his mind and hurriedly replied to Fan Ruzeng. Qu Zhixian was very cunning. If he hadn't left the city, he would have been plotting a sneak attack on him in order to make a comeback and become a tartar dog again.
Fan Ruzheng was anxious. How could this be? He's like a cannon in red. He's really dangerous. Think about it! Where could Qu Zhixian be hiding in the city?
After An Lin had aroused Fan Ruzeng's appetite, he had decided to sell Qu Zhixian to General Fan, along with his relationship with Zhang Deshui.
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