The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 471 Xinlingfang Murder Case

Xinlingfang is located at the intersection of Zhuque Avenue and Lushi Lane. When Chen Sirang and Kang Yanzhao came to the gate of the square, Tao Wenju had already been waiting there for a long time.

"The villain has seen the two generals!" Tao Wenju saluted with a smile.

"Who are you?" Chen Sirang had never seen him before.

"I am a servant of Mr. Wang, and I have been ordered to come here to greet the two generals!" Tao Wenju said calmly.

Second General Chen Kang did not dare to neglect, hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "Thank you."

The seventh-rank officials of the Prime Minister, the concierge, and the servants around Wang Jun are naturally superior to others.

"Two generals, please!" Tao Wenju led the two of them into the square gate and walked straight to a house not far away.

At this time, the city was no longer like the walls built in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which were divided into separate and isolated closed areas. The whole city was as regular as a chessboard.

I don’t know when, Fangshi was just a name used to distinguish different areas of the city, just like the streets and communities of later generations.

The Fangzheng Municipal Order responsible for managing the Fang City was only at the level of an official and was not considered a formal official. It was not necessary to be responsible for the opening and closing of the Fang gates like in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Kaifeng City usually does not have a curfew system, and the night market is particularly popular.

Even the square gate is just an archway, like a landmark building, letting the people of the capital know where they are.

Kang Yanzhao looked around and found that Xinlingfang was sparsely populated, especially the house they were about to enter, located in the southeast corner of the entire Xinlingfang, surrounded on three sides by a section of dilapidated earthen walls that had not completely collapsed, forming a relatively closed space .

Chen Sirang frowned and said, "Where is this place? Why did Wang Xianggong summon us here?"

Tao Wenju turned around and smiled: "This is an official residence belonging to the Privy Council. The Privy Council Office is being renovated. Mr. Wang has been working here recently.

Not only the two generals today, but also some Forbidden Army generals will come later. Wang Xianggong presided over a regular meeting of the Privy Council. "

Chen Sirang paused: "Since there is a meeting of the Privy Council, why don't the two of us meet Wang Xianggong again at another time?"

Tao Wenju said hurriedly: "It doesn't matter. The two generals will sit down for a while. After Mr. Wang has finished handling the affairs of the Privy Council, he will summon the two generals."

Chen Kang and Chen Kang looked at each other, hesitated, and followed Tao Wenju into the deep courtyard.

"Squeak~"

The door of the house slowly closed, and the jerky sound of the door hinge turning was a bit eerie in this silent big house.

The central hall was opened, and Tao Wenju invited the two of them inside.

"The two generals are invited to drink tea and rest here. If you are hungry, you can use some cakes. There are servants at the door. If you have something to do, you can just order the two generals. The villain has to go to meet Wang Xianggong, so I can't accompany you."

Tao Wenju bowed politely and exited the central hall.

Chen Kang and Chen Kang sat for a while, but Kang Yanzhao couldn't sit still, so he stood up and walked around the hall. It was just a decoration for the hall of a private house, nothing special.

"Mom, I'm really hungry."

Kang Yanzhao saw a plate of pastries on the table. They were novel and beautiful. He swallowed, grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Don't move!" Chen Sirang warned in a low voice.

Kang Yanzhao put it down resentfully, rubbed his fingers, and muttered: "The goods in Guanghe shop are expensive, and I usually don't want to buy them."

Chen Sirang said in a deep voice: "There is something weird about this place. Stepping through this door makes me feel uneasy."

Kang Yanzhao had no choice but to sit down, stare at the cakes in front of him and swallow his saliva.

"I'm thirsty. You can always have a sip of tea." Kang Yanzhao picked up the teacup again.

"No!" Chen Sirang stopped him again, "Be careful and cheer up!"

Kang Yanzhao muttered a few words, put down the tea cup, simply closed his eyes and dozed off.

There is an incense burner placed in the corner of the hall, and there are curls of green smoke rising, and it smells of a faint fragrance.

Chen Sirang glanced at the incense burner with vigilant eyes. He didn't know what kind of incense it was, but it smelled quite good.
He didn't think much about it, sitting upright and alert.

Soon, Kang Yanzhao stretched his waist, yawned non-stop, and fell asleep leaning against the chair, snoring loudly.

Chen Sirang shook his head. This guy went to Yanliu Lane last night, saying he wanted to learn the difference between Kaifeng women and Jinzhou women. He didn't come back until tomorrow morning.

The strange thing is that Chen Sirang felt that he was also very sleepy, but he slept well last night and shouldn't have dozed off after just sitting for a while.
not good!It's smoke!

Chen Sirang suddenly woke up and stood up with a gasp. He was about to take a step out of the hall, but when he took a step forward, his legs felt weak and he fell to the ground!
His vision became increasingly blurry, and he tried to raise his head. The last thing he saw was the man who had just led them into the house, walking towards him with his hands behind his back and a sneer on his face.
Tao Wenju glanced at the untouched tea and cakes, and sneered: "The guard is quite high, what a pity~"

A samurai carrying a sword extinguished the incense and opened the windows on all sides for ventilation.

Tao Wenju waved his hand, and several warriors stepped forward and stabbed the two men's chests with their swords!

"Clean it up! New customers will arrive soon!" Tao Wenju smiled triumphantly.

~~~
"Quick! This is it!"

Zhu Xiu led Ma Qing, Bi Zhenhai, and dozens of servants of the Hou Mansion, carrying knives and sticks, and rushed to Xinlingfang with great momentum.

These healthy servants turned out to be veterans of the Zhenhai and Tashan battalions. They were all tough, and they were all dressed in green and short brown. They moved in an orderly manner. An expert would know at a glance what kind of servants they were. They were clearly from the capital. Well-trained warriors.

Shi Xiangwen strode closely behind him, mumbling in his mouth, he was still thinking about the unfinished clay work at home.

Arriving outside the Wuming Mansion, Zhu Xiu looked around and couldn't help but feel doubts in his heart.

This place is surrounded by walls on three sides. As long as the front and back doors are blocked, the people inside will not be able to escape.

If Tao Wenju is really hiding here, isn't he looking for death?
To be cautious, Zhu Xiu asked, "Who's house was here before?"

Ma Qing said: "He is a southern businessman. He has sold it at a low price and returned to his hometown. Now this is Wang Jun's foreign residence."

Zhu Xiu nodded. Since it was Wang Jun's foreign residence, there was nothing to worry about.

"Come in! You have to dig three feet into the ground to find Tao Wenju!" Zhu Xiu shouted.

Bi Zhenhai waved his hand and led several burly men to start knocking on the door.

With a "boom", the door of the house was knocked down, and Bi Zhenhai led his people into the house.

The house covers an area of ​​five or six acres. After searching every house for half an hour, nothing was found.

"Master Hou! Look!"

In a side hall of the back house, Zhu Xiu hurriedly arrived and saw two corpses hanging from the beams. Their chests and abdomen were chopped in a mess, and they looked like they were dead.

The blood on the corpse and on the ground had solidified, and it seemed that he had just died.

Zhu Xiu raised his head and looked carefully, feeling that the two corpses looked familiar.

"Master Hou, the thief Tao Wenju was not found!" Bi Zhenhai said.

Ma Qing also said: "This house is empty, it doesn't look like it is inhabited."

Zhu Xiu's brows tightened, and an ominous premonition lingered in her heart. "Ta-ta-ta~"

Outside the house, there was a sound of uniform footsteps, accompanied by the sound of the clanging of armor.

When you hear this kind of footsteps, you can tell that they are coming from armored infantry troops marching, and there are quite a few of them!
"Master Marquis! A large number of soldiers have arrived! Look at the flag, it's the Imperial Guards and horses!"

Zhu Xiu was startled, and subconsciously glanced at the two corpses hanging from the beam, feeling more and more uneasy.

"go!"

As soon as they reached the courtyard of the middle courtyard, a large number of soldiers swarmed in, and all the old soldiers of the Hou Mansion who were guarding the outside had to retreat back.

"Boom~" There was a sound of drawing swords, and a large number of soldiers surrounded Zhu Xiu and others, fighting with swords and guns.

"Protect the Marquis!" Bi Zhenhai roared angrily, and the veterans of the Marquis Mansion did not hesitate. They surrounded Zhu Xiu in the center, holding swords and sticks in their hands, and faced off against the Imperial Guards soldiers without fear.

The two sides are at war with each other, and a bloodbath will explode in an instant.

A few people strode towards the middle gate, and the leader was Wang Jun, who was dressed in a purple robe and official uniform.

Behind him were several young generals, all of whom were rising stars in the Forbidden Army in front of the palace, and Zhao Kuangyin was among them!

The moment she saw Wang Jun, Zhu Xiu's eyes shrank suddenly, knowing that she might have fallen into a trick to invite him into the urn!
"Old Ma, the back garden of this mansion has been abandoned for a long time, and there must be many leaks. You should quickly find a way to leave, go to Taiyuan County Duke, Li Chongjin, and the consort Zhang Yongde, and say that I have caused a big disaster today and my life is at stake. Please come and save them quickly!”

Zhu Xiu said quickly in a low voice.

Ma Qing gritted his teeth and said: "I swear to stay with the Marquis to the death!"

"Don't worry, you won't die! Wang Jun dares to harm me but he doesn't dare to kill me. But today I can't defend myself. Rather than being framed and passive, it's better to retreat and make things worse!"

Ma Qing was stunned, and came to a realization: "The villain understands! Don't worry, Lord Hou, the villain will go to rescue the soldiers!"

Ma Qing grabbed Bi Zhenhai and said fiercely: "If Mr. Hou is injured even half a hair, I will not let you go even if I am a ghost!"

Bi Zhenhai curled his lips and said: "Only Commander Qi Ma and Zangfeng Camp are more powerful? My old Bi Zhenhai Camp and Tashan Camp are all on dry food? I have never seen anything like this when selling illicit salt in Guanzhong, why are you afraid of this?"
Today is a good day to fight against the Forbidden Army!No one can hurt the Marquis until everyone here is dead! "

The old soldiers gathered around had a fierce look in their eyes, which was the determination to die before the fight!
Ma Qing slipped out of the crowd, fled into the side hall where the corpses were hung, and fled through the window to the back garden.

Shi Xiangwen squatted aside, prying the bricks, looking for the rat women hiding in the dark mud.

Zhu Xiu said helplessly: "Dalang, there's going to be a fight, please be careful."

Shi Xiangwen raised his head blankly, looked at the tense scene, and muttered: "But I don't have a stick to carry."

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "There is no need to carry the stick. When the fight starts, you can swing one of them with one hand and smash the head to pieces."

"Oh~ I know." Shi Xiangwen grinned and continued to poke the rat woman at his feet with a small wooden stick.

Zhu Xiu said helplessly: "Hey, can you come and protect me?"

Shi Xiangwen didn't even raise his head: "Let's talk about it after we start fighting."

When Wang Jun saw Zhu Xiu, he first sneered, and then pretended to be shocked and angry: "Zhu Xiu, you dare to lead people to break into the Privy Council official residence without permission. Do you want to rebel?"

Behind Wang Jun, Zhao Kuangyin and several young generals looked at each other.

Zhao Kuangyin wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth but did not say anything.

Zhu Xiu glanced at them. He knew all these people. Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Shenqi, Li Jixun, and Han Chongyun were all rising stars of the Forbidden Army.

More importantly, they are all core members of the so-called "Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society" in later generations.

Zhu Xiu cupped his hands from a distance and said with a smile: "Ms. Wang is joking. This is just an ordinary private house. How can it be the official residence of the Privy Council? I came here to capture a domestic slave who had escaped for crime. This person's name is Tao Wenju. I don't know where Mr. Wang has met. never seen it?"

Wang Jun angrily scolded: "How can you meet Tao Wenju? If you don't know his true identity, how can you meet him?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "In that case, I'm afraid I went to the wrong door. Say goodbye!"

Zhu Xiu waved his hand and wanted to lead the soldiers to retreat.

"Stop! No one is allowed to act rashly!" Wang Jun yelled, and more than a hundred armored soldiers of the Forbidden Army approached.

Under Wang Jun's instructions, a primary school student ran into the side hall and screamed in panic: "Report to Mr. Wang, Generals Chen Sirang, Kang Yanzhao, have been killed!"

"What!!" Wang Jun was shocked, and with a wave of his hand, several soldiers rushed into the side hall and soon came out carrying two corpses.

When everyone took a look, it turned out that they were General Weiwei, Chen Sirang and Kang Yanzhao!

Zhao Kuangyin and Wang Shenqi were all expressionless and shocked. Both Chen Kang and Chen Kang were heroes in the Jinzhou War. They were awarded the rank of fourth-rank Weifu generals by the officials in the Golden Palace, but they were killed inexplicably!

Zhu Xiu and his men stormed into the mansion with great force. The time was almost the same as when Chen Kang and Chen Kang were killed. He was undoubtedly the biggest suspect!

Li Jixun and Han Chongyun had no friendship with Zhu Xiu, and they were both upright and loyal. They immediately drew their sabers and shouted angrily: "Zhu Xiu is bold, he is good at killing the generals of the imperial court, it is tantamount to rebellion, and he was captured without hesitation!"

Zhu Xiu rolled his eyes, and in the eyes of the two of them, he became arrogant and contemptuous of national laws.

Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly stopped him and said: "The case has not been investigated yet, so don't be impulsive!"

Li Han and Li Han said angrily: "Zhu Xiu led his men to kill two generals brutally, and both got the stolen goods. What else is unclear?"

Zhao Kuangyin was speechless and said with a wry smile: "I just bumped into him. No one saw Zhu Xiu instigating the murder with his own eyes."

Li Jixun shouted angrily: "Yuen Long! Don't defend this person again! I know that you have known each other, but the case is serious. Zhu Xiu must be imprisoned, questioned, and dealt with by the officials!"

Zhao Kuangyin just sighed and had no way to argue. He tightly grasped the arms of Li Jixun and Han Chongyun with both hands to prevent them from making any further movements.

Wang Shenqi watched silently, staring closely at the corpses of Chen Kang and the two men, looking at the black blood scab that had solidified for a long time at the wound, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Wang Junyi said sternly: "This is the official residence of the Privy Council. Since the renovation of the Privy Council's main office has not been completed, the Privy Council will temporarily move to this place to work from today on. The two generals Chen Kang came here today because they were summoned by the prime minister. , come here to discuss job arrangements.

These generals from the Forbidden Army in front of the palace are also here to discuss military affairs, but they don't want to happen upon you, Zhu Xiu, leading the evil servants to kill people!
The generals obeyed the order and quickly captured the traitor Zhu Xiu!Those who resist will be killed without mercy! "

"Roar! Kill!"

Wang Jun gave an order, and a group of Forbidden Army soldiers raised their swords and guns and charged forward!

Li Jixun and Han Chongyun broke away from Zhao Kuangyin, followed Wang Jun's order, and attacked fiercely to capture Zhu Xiu!

Zhao Kuangyin was horrified and wanted to rush forward to stop him, but Wang Shenqi grabbed him violently!

Wang Shenqi shook his head at him, and said in a low voice: "Just now I saw that Zhu Xiu's subordinates have escaped over the wall, and I think they have sent rescuers!
This is a weird thing, it's best not to help each other, so as not to get into trouble! "

Zhao Kuangyin hesitated for a moment, pressed his hand on the handle of the knife, but still listened to Wang Shenqi's words and did not take action.

Bi Zhenhai roared angrily, and led the Laoying brothers and the Forbidden Army soldiers to fight!

It's just that the old soldiers don't have armor to protect themselves. No matter how brave they are and not afraid of death, they still fall behind, and the dead and wounded fall in pieces!

Zhu Xiu's face was stained with blood, and she wiped it hard, holding the Yanling knife tightly and roaring: "Shi Dalang! Follow me to kill the enemy!"

The dazed giant stood up, staggered towards the pile of people fighting, held down the heads of the two rushing soldiers, and collided with force, with a muffled sound, the two heads in the helmet burst open, and the plasma brain The shower fell to the floor.
(End of this chapter)