Chapter Thirty-One: The Target of Wealth God

  People are the cutting board, I am the fish meat. **Caught by Lu Haoshan red-handed**, it is clear that someone else set a trap, but things have already happened and cannot be denied or taken back. Unless absolutely necessary, Cao Hu would not dare to lay a poisonous hand on Lu Haoshan. Lu Haoshan was right, he could run away, but what about Yunniang? He is a seventh-grade county magistrate with connections above him, compared to Chen Gui, following him has more prospects. This new county magistrate is pretending to be a pig eating a tiger, his ambitions are not small. Moreover, he promised to take Yunniang as his own concubine, this is something Cao Hu cannot refuse.

  Actually, there is another very important point, that is, Cao Hu felt that his relationship with Chen Gui had become estranged, and he was being isolated and alienated step by step. For Cao Hu, who had no backing, this was a disaster. A poor man was used to it and didn't think much of it, but instead learned to be happy in misery. However, going from wealth to poverty was even more unbearable than death. Moreover, after serving as a captor for many years, there were not a few enemies, and once he lost power, having money would not guarantee his life.

  So, facing Lu Haoshan's outstretched olive branch, Cao Hu only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

  Lu Haoshan nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, those who know how to handle affairs are indeed outstanding."

  "Sir, what do you want me to do? Just give the order." As soon as he had surrendered to his new master, Cao Hu thought of showing his loyalty.

  "No rush, it's not suitable to discuss these things at this time. The government office still has business, I'll leave first and find you later if there's anything else." Lu Haoshan said, without even saying goodbye to Cao Hu, and walked straight out.

  "Sir, slow down." Cao Hu hurriedly shouted loudly from behind to see him off.

  "Don't trouble that old man." These were Lu Haoshan's last words before he left.

  .......

  As soon as they left the mountain gate, Liu Jinzhu said with some annoyance: "Shan Ge, why are you in such a hurry? Even if you don't instruct Cao Hu to do things, we should at least have some vegetarian food before leaving. We've been listening by the wall for half a day, and it's already noon, but we haven't eaten yet."

  "Stupid!" Lu Haoshan couldn't help but knock on his skull, saying with some resentment: "Use your brain for once. We're here to subdue Cao Hu, not to eat. Now that we've succeeded, there's still a woman who's struggling for her life somewhere. She's the key to Cao Hu's survival. If anything happens to her, Old Tiger Cao will go crazy and neither of us can talk our way out of it. At this time, he won't be in the mood to discuss things. We need to leave a good impression on others."

  Lu Haoshan smiled and said, "This morning you got up feeling sleepy and wanted to go back to bed. We interrupted them at a crucial moment. Cao Tou is still burning with anger, who knows if he also wants to have another round of bed battle? Forget it, let's not worry about that. Come on, let's find an inn and have a good meal."

  As soon as he heard about eating, Liu Jinzhu immediately said with excitement: "Shan Ge, let's go to the Welcome Pavilion, not only is the food delicious, but the boss also doesn't dare to take our money, and when we leave, there are even pastries sent over."

  As the most honorable county, the parents of more than 50,000 ordinary people, there are naturally many advantages. Although Jiangyou County is a bit remote and poor, it also has its advantages, that is, no royal princes have been enfeoffed here, and no prominent figures have emerged from the county. In this way, Lu Haoshan can rely on his position as county magistrate to dominate Jiangyou County, and when eating out, the silver would be given out on the spot, but those shopkeepers would still try every means to return it through Liu Jinchu, his long-time follower.

  "Go ahead, anyway we'll have to operate on this old man Chen Gui sooner or later. Before he dies, it's better to take advantage of the benefits." Lu Haoshan agreed immediately.

  It's said that taking advantage of others' kindness will make one's hands short, and eating others' food will make one's mouth soft. If Chen Gui knew that he had encountered these two unscrupulous people who were taking his benefits on one hand and thinking of how to get rid of him on the other, he would definitely be so angry that he would spit blood, and might even mutter the phrase "people's hearts are no longer ancient".

  Two people went to the reception building for a big meal, and also gave Chen Zi a package. They returned to the county government office with ease, as it was the New Year's holiday and no one wanted to be punished or imprisoned at this time. The political situation was relatively stable, and there wasn't much work to do, so they were carefree. After returning, Chen Zi didn't expect that Lu Haoshan, a dignified county magistrate, would bring back a share of food for her during the meal. She felt moved and had a twinge of genuine emotion in her heart.

  One is a high-ranking seventh-grade county magistrate, the other is a lowly maid, it can be said that they are worlds apart. In the end, the maid is just a plaything, but she still has such a strong attachment, truly rare.

  There is a return for every effort, a package deal that moved Chen Zi's true feelings, a carefully planned setup that subdued Cao Hu, in fact, Cao Hu secretly met with Lu Haoshan at a secluded small bar that night.

  Under the threat and temptation of Lu Haoshan, Cao Hu still sincerely surrendered. Without waiting for Lu Haoshan to summon him, he took the initiative to make an appointment and even spent a lot of effort preparing a table of dishes. Although there were no expensive or famous dishes, they were all wild game from the mountain, and the flavors were authentic.

  "Sir, it's a bit simple here, please forgive me." Cao Hu said with an apologetic smile after Lu Haoshan sat down.

  Lu Haoshan smiled slightly: "We're all our own people, so there's no need to be too polite. It doesn't matter if it's simple, as long as Captain Cao's heart is true."

  "Really, really," Cao Hu said: "Now the little man and the great lord are in the same boat. I hope that when the great lord prospers, he will not forget to bring the little man along."

  "This is naturally true, Lu Xiang is not an unfeeling and unrighteous person, you can rest assured."

  It's come to this, and it's useless to be worried, Cao Hu thought with a wry smile in his heart. He continued to explain: "Originally wanted to visit the adults at home, but the adults are not very convenient here, although it is a bit remote, it is opened by my humble family, safety is not a problem, other places are afraid of Chen Gui's eyes and ears, so I chose this place."

  "It doesn't matter, there are Chen Gui's eyes and ears in this official residence, it's inconvenient to talk here, as long as it's safe here."

  "General, you already know?" Cao Hu said in surprise.

  "Haha, the beauty trick has been used too many times already. County Magistrate Chen wouldn't dare to leave a single spy by my side, he can't be at ease. Let him be." Lu Haoshan said with a smile.

  "Everyone knew she was a spy from the very beginning, so why didn't they just get rid of her?"

  He had originally planned to reveal the secret that Chen Zhi was arranged by Chen Gui to be by Lu Haoshan's side as a spy, considering it his first achievement in surrendering to his new master, but unexpectedly Lu Haoshan already knew about it early on.

  "There's no such thing as a free lunch, and giving such a big gift naturally wouldn't be for nothing. But this is also good, with her around, Chen Gui can rest easy and won't have to be on guard against me everywhere. An open ear and eye are easier to deal with than those hidden pawns." Lu Haoshan smiled slightly: "As long as the operation is handled properly, she can not only pass messages for Chen Gui but also for me, right?"

  "High, great, it's really too high." Cao Hu immediately understood Lu Haoshan's meaning and hurriedly praised.

  "By the way, is your red beauty friend okay?"

  As soon as he mentioned the woman he loved, Cao Hu's face immediately showed a smile: "It's okay, at first she was a bit unhappy, and it took a lot of effort to persuade her. Actually, she didn't have a good time in the Chen family either. That Chen Gui is notorious for being greedy for new things and forgetting old ones, and his wife is as fierce as a tiger. I don't know how much suffering she endured. Alas, let's not mention it, just thinking about it makes me angry."

  "Don't worry, good days are ahead, those who have money will eventually become relatives."

  "Thank you for your kind words," Cao Hu said with a face full of admiration: "Sir, your words are truly too brilliant."

  Lu Haoshan just smiled and raised his wine glass, saying: "The food and wine here are fragrant, come on, let's have a drink first before talking."

  "Yes, sir."

  The two men lightly clinked their cups together, then downed their drinks in one gulp, followed by a mutual smile. After several rounds, the atmosphere began to warm up, and as they chatted, they gradually steered the conversation towards the situation in Jiangyou County. As someone who had been a captain for many years, Cao Hu was extremely familiar with these topics, and he launched into a detailed explanation of Jiangyou County's history, famous figures, local customs, officialdom, various factions, and more, including some little-known secrets that he didn't hold back on. Lu Haoshan listened intently, nodding his head repeatedly.

  After Cao Hu's explanation, Lu Haoshan finally understood that Long'an Prefecture had many ethnic minorities under its jurisdiction, and these ethnic minorities had many privileges. According to Cao Hu's description and his own analysis of the terrain, Lu Haoshan finally realized that during the Ming Dynasty, Long'an Prefecture belonged to Shaanxi Province, but in later generations, this land was assigned to Sichuan Province, which was known as the "Heavenly Kingdom". No wonder they could still live a stable life in this disaster year. Relatively speaking, this place is a small haven in the midst of chaos.

  "What's the next move, sir? You give the order and I'll take care of whoever you point out." Cao Hu introduced the situation and volunteered.

  Lu Haoshan smiled and waved his hand, saying: "Now you don't have to do anything, just keep your subordinates in line, take care of your own affairs, and don't worry about other things for the time being. Our relationship must also be kept secret. As for Chen Gui, you should listen to him and follow his advice, then wait quietly for my orders."

  "What's more, still pretending to be a good boy in front of Chen?"

  "This is just a temporary measure, you and I both know that Chen Gui is the county magistrate, has been operating in Jiangyou for many years, can be said to have deep roots, if not careful, will give him the opportunity to resist. You think, why do I have such a big backer, but still have to go through so much trouble to move Chen Gui? Think about it, this is just a small matter, and it's still a subordinate, if even this small thing has to disturb our superior, I'm afraid he will also doubt my ability, and how can I be entrusted with important tasks in the future?" Lu Haoshan saw through Cao Gui's thoughts and took the initiative to explain.

  Cao Hu suddenly realized and was even more convinced that Lu Haoshan was the one who had put down the "gilded" one, and immediately expressed his loyalty: "Yes, sir, I will take orders."

  "Don't worry," Lu Haoshan patted his shoulder and said, "As soon as the time is right, we will uproot Chen Gui."

  "Alright, let's get rid of him completely." Just thinking about being able to be with Yunniang openly and honestly, and replacing Chen Gui, Cao Hu felt a surge of great momentum in his heart.

  .......

  On the way back to the county government office, Liu Jinzhu said excitedly: "Shan Ge, we've finally subdued Cao Hu. With him on our side, the three classes of yamen runners will listen to us. Who should we deal with next? Chen Gui?"

  Lu Haoshan shook his head: "The officialdom is like a battlefield. As the saying goes, before the three armies move, the grain and grass go first. It's also very important for the officialdom to have strong financial resources. Chen Gui doesn't rush to move, first cut off his left and right arms and then slowly grind him. Our next target is our Jiangyou County's god of wealth."

  "God of Wealth? Who?" Liu Jinzhu asked with a puzzled expression.