Lanting prelude

Chapter 16
"We all miscalculated about Chen Xiong."

In the study of Prince Wei's mansion, Liu Ji said to Li Tai and Du Chuke indifferently.

"Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian actually dug a big hole for Chen Xiong and us!" Li Tai was a little annoyed, "I heard that Chen Xiong was sentenced to beheaded and his family property was confiscated. Li Chengqian is ruthless!"

"The city gate was on fire, which brought disaster to the fish in the pond." Liu Jie smiled wryly, "That day, the Holy Majesty gave me a good reprimand. It is estimated that I will only be rated as the last waiter in this year's official examination."

"Victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists!" Du Chuke cast a sideways glance at Liu Ji, "Brother Sidao couldn't bear to part with those few seasons of salary, right?"

"Liu Shilang, I'll send some money to your house later." Li Tai hurriedly said, "You can't suffer from this matter."

Liu Jie smiled wryly again, and waved his hands: "Your Highness, brother Shanshi, do you really despise Liu so much?"

"No, this is not something to be taken lightly." Li Taidao, "Who doesn't have a big family in the house? Who doesn't want to spend money on food and clothing? This king is just expressing his heart, the servant must not misunderstand!"

While the two were resigning, Du Chuke suddenly thought of something: "By the way, Brother Sidao, I heard that Liu Lancheng, the governor of Daizhou, was arrested by Xuanjiawei. He was just escorted back to Beijing yesterday. I don't know what happened. You are always by the Holy Majesty's side. You know What's inside?"

Liu Ji shook his head: "This time the Holy Master is very strict, and I didn't know it beforehand."

Li Tai smiled proudly: "You have to ask me about this."

Both Liu Ji and Du Chuke looked at Li Tai in surprise.Li Taisui told them everything that Fang Yiai said in Pingkangfang that day, including the secrets known in the "Lanting Preface" and the ins and outs of the Yang Bingjun and Xuanquan cases.When Liu and Du heard this, they couldn't help being surprised.

"Good boy! It turns out that the Holy Majesty has been desperately looking for "Lanting Preface" for so many years, just to dig out this mysterious force!" Du Chuke exclaimed, "They even brought everyone into the court?"

"Yang Bingjun, the former governor of Luozhou, and Yao Xing, the chief history, are all from this faction, so is Xuanquan, and it is said that they are Yang Bingjun's umbrella." Li Tai said, "Father suspects that Liu Lancheng is Xuanquan, so he was arrested. "

Liu and Du were stunned.

"I'm afraid Hou Junji will be in trouble this time." Liu Ji said, "Cui Shi, the doctor of the Kaogong Division, was arrested. As the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, he is absolutely inseparable!"

"This guy is greedy for ink, and it's his turn to suffer!" Du Chuke looked gloating, "Maybe this time he will be dismissed as the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and just replace him with our people."

Liu Ji smiled: "Brother Shanshi is planning to go to the Ministry of Officials to show his ambition?"

"To tell you the truth, I really have this plan." Du Chuke raised his eyebrows, "Brother Sidao suspects that I don't have the strength?"

"How dare you dare!" Liu Ji hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Brother Shanshi is a great talent, what is a mere official department?"

"It's not urgent to find this official department now. The most urgent thing right now is to plan how to deal with Donggong." Li Tai said, and suddenly thought of something, "By the way, Chuke, speaking of this, that day in Pingkangfang, your family Erlang gave me an idea."

Du He is Du Chuke's nephew.When Du Chuke heard this, he pouted his lips immediately, and said disdainfully, "What good idea does this kid have?"

"He said, we might as well join forces secretly with the forces of Mingzang to deal with the East Palace." Li Tai said in a low voice.

Liu Ji and Du Chuke were shocked at the same time.

"This kid, I knew he was trying to come up with bad ideas!" Du Chuke became anxious when he heard this, "Can he say such words to punish the nine clans?"

"Your Highness, this statement is acceptable, but don't take it seriously!" Liu Jie said.

Li Tai smiled: "That's all he said, and that's all I heard. Of course I know that it's not time to die now, and when that day really comes, it's not too late to talk about it."

"Your Highness has shown a calm demeanor for doing great things!" Liu Jie said, "If Du Jia Erlang acted so hastily and took risks, I'm afraid he would be burned and ruin the great cause!"

"My elder brother, why did he give birth to such a son!" Du Chuke shook his head and sighed, "If he had a spirit in heaven, I'm afraid he would also sigh with regret, in vain!"

"Forget it, let's not talk about him." Li Taidao, "Let's talk about your thoughts. We have repeatedly failed in the fight with the prince recently, and the father's impression of him has improved. If this continues, let alone seize the heir. I have a problem protecting myself."

"Your Highness, don't worry, I found out something recently." Liu Jie stroked his short beard and said with a smile, "If you can make good use of it, it will not be difficult to win the round."

When Li Tai heard the words, he immediately lifted his spirits: "The servant, tell me quickly, what's the matter?"

Du Chuke couldn't help but stare at Liu Ji.

Liu Jie lowered his voice and said a few words to the two of them.

"Too often happy?" Li Tai was very disappointed when he heard it, "The mere sensual entertainment, at best, can only be said that the prince's morality is not cultivated, I'm afraid it won't hurt half a hair of him?"

Liu Jie smiled confidently: "If it's an ordinary and very happy person, of course it's not worthy of Liu's argument. The problem is that this happy person is not ordinary."

"Why is it unusual?" Du Chuke was puzzled.

"He is a child molester!"

Li Tai and Du Chuke were startled at the same time, looked at each other, and then smiled at each other.

"Also, do you know why this person's father was punished?" Liu Jie asked with a smile.

Li Tai and Du Chuke couldn't help but stare at him intently.

Liu Jie stroked his short beard, and gently uttered two words:

"rebellion!"

Xiao Junmo has been busy for more than half a month, and felt that the matter that should be investigated has come to an end, so he went back to the Xuanjiawei Yamen Office to cancel his leave, and reported to Li Shiji.

"You've been running around all day, what are you busy with?" Li Shiji asked, both as if he was concerned, and as if he was suspicious and inquiring.

Xiao Junmo had already thought it through beforehand. I'm afraid he can't tell his master all the secrets he found out recently. There are two reasons:
[-]. These things are all related to his father’s stealing of Biancai’s information. Once he tells his master, he will definitely have a hard time deciding which things should be reported to the emperor and which things should not be said. This will only increase troubles, so don’t say it at all.

[-]. As I said to Huan Dieyi, I knew that my father died at the hands of King Wei, but I didn't have any direct evidence to accuse him, so even if I told my master all the secrets, he couldn't do anything to King Wei, even It is possible to prevent yourself from taking revenge for the sake of calming down.That being the case, it is better not to say anything now, to investigate the matter by myself, and when all the mysteries of "Lanting Preface" are found out, then there is a calm choice whether to report to the emperor or to take action against the king of Wei room.

Since he had already made up his mind, Xiao Junmo said with a smile: "I'm not busy, I just want to talk to some friends and relax. Otherwise, what's the use of the leave you gave me?"

Li Shiji looked at him suspiciously: "Did you find anything about your father in the end? Did King Wei do it?"

Xiao Junmo shook his head: "I didn't find any valuable clues, so I can't be sure that it's King Wei."

"You really didn't hide anything from me?"

"Of course not. If I had already found out that it was King Wei who did it, I would have fought him to the death. How could I act like a normal person and endure the revenge of killing my father?"

"I don't think the King of Wei has the courage." Li Shiji seemed to dispel his doubts, "Your father is a fourth-rank official in the imperial court after all. If he wants to attack your father, he, the King of Wei, will have to take a lot of responsibility."

It really is an attitude of letting things go.Xiao Junmo smiled secretly in his heart, nodded and said, "I have the same opinion as you."

"Then you still haven't found your father's whereabouts?"

"No." Xiao Junmo said sadly, "I don't see people when I'm alive, and I don't see corpses when I'm dead, so I can only build a tomb for the old man." He was telling the truth in this sentence. "I thought my father was tired of officialdom, disillusioned with the world of mortals, and went to some deep mountain or forest to become a monk, or went to roam the world and roam the world."

"It's best if you can think about it." Li Shiji nodded, "It's no use being sad now. As long as you serve the public wholeheartedly and be loyal to the court, you can be regarded as being filial to your father if you become an official and honor your ancestors in the future. I think, Whether he is still alive or not, he will be gratified."

Xiao Junmo suppressed the sadness in his heart, forced a smile and said: "I have been at ease for so many days recently, there must have been a lot of things happened in the court, right? Master, what tasks do you have for me?"

"Of course, how can I let you be idle anymore?" Li Shiji said, throwing a folded file over, "Let's have a look."

Xiao Junmo caught it and opened it to look: "Liu Lancheng?"

"Yes, the Holy Majesty suspects that he is Yang Bingjun's protective umbrella in the court—Xuanquan." Li Shiji said, "You can go to the trial and report the result to the Holy Majesty as soon as possible."

Two eunuchs supported Biancai, one on the left and one on the right, and walked into the gate of Liangyi Hall.Zhao Dequan followed behind, secretly sighing.

Biancai's face was pale and gray, and he was extremely weak, he could barely walk. The two eunuchs were not so much supporting him, as they were holding him to walk.

Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch, watched the group of people enter the hall coldly, and gave Zhao Dequan a wink.Zhao Dequan hurried over to a small round stool wrapped in brocade, and asked Biancai to sit down.

"Master, I have been in seclusion for a long time, do you think of anything to tell me?"

Biancai raised his eyelids and smiled weakly: "What the poor monk should say has already been said to His Majesty."

"Is there really nothing to say?"

Debate shook his head.

Li Shimin smiled coldly: "Okay, if that's the case, then I will find someone to help you recall memories." After speaking, he clapped his hands lightly twice.

Several eunuchs and maids led Chu Lisang out from the back of the palace.When Chu Lisang saw his emaciated father, his eyes turned red and he tightly covered his mouth.

Biancai lowered his eyelids and didn't see her.

"Mage, raise your eyes and see who is in front of you." Li Shimin said.

Hearing the words, the debater slowly raised his eyes, and when he saw Chu Lisang, he was shocked and stood up immediately, but almost fell down.Zhao Dequan hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

Chu Lisang's tears welled up, and he choked up and said, "Father..."

Biancai couldn't believe his eyes, he looked at Chu Lisang, and then at Li Shimin, his pale face suddenly turned bloody with righteous indignation: "Your Majesty, even the world knows the truth that wives and children are not as good as wives and children, but you As the master of the world, is he not even as good as the people of Jianghu?"

Li Shimin was not angry, but chuckled: "You're right, I am the lord of the world, so I naturally have the power to make decisions. Those morals in the world may apply to you, but to me, they don't matter at all." exist!"

Biancai's face flushed red with anger, his eyes suddenly closed, his body flickered, and he almost fainted.The two eunuchs behind him hurried forward and supported Zhao Dequan with all their strength.

"Father!" Chu Lisang yelled with tears in his eyes, and wanted to rush over, but was tightly held back by the eunuch and maid beside him.

"Chu Lisang, you don't have to be too sad." Li Shimin said, "I invited you here to persuade your father to take good care of your health and don't take your own life seriously."

"Your Majesty!" Chu Lisang looked at Li Shimin angrily, "What exactly do you want from my father?"

"The "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" and all the secrets related to the "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion"!" Li Shimin met her gaze, "As far as I know, Biancai is not your biological father, so I want to tell you the truth about your life experience. It may also be hidden in the mystery of "Lanting Preface"! Therefore, if you help me persuade your father and tell everything, it is tantamount to helping yourself."

Although Chu Lisang already knew that he was not born in Biancai, but when he heard that the truth of his life experience might also be related to "Lanting Preface", he was confused for a moment and couldn't help but look at his father.

Biancai bowed his head sadly, avoiding her gaze.

Chu Lisang seemed to understand something, and smiled wryly.

"Master," Li Shimin looked at the debater, "I invited your daughter here because I hope that your father and daughter will be reunited, and then I will give you a satisfactory result. , Believe, accept and follow' this sentence, now, this happy ending is in front of your eyes, it depends on your own choice."

Arguing was thinking painfully, obviously wavering.

Seeing his father's pain, Chu Lisang couldn't bear it, and then he thought about something, and calmly said to his father: "Father, my daughter can still see you once, and I am very satisfied. You don't have to make things difficult, what should I do?" Do it, decide for yourself, don't change your original intention because of your daughter."

Biancai looked at her, tears streaming down quietly.

Li Shimin was a little displeased when he heard the words, but he held back and didn't say anything.

Biancai suddenly thought of something: "Sang'er, how is your mother, is she okay?"

Chu Lisang's eyes turned red suddenly, and she hurriedly covered it up: "Mother is fine, she's in Yique, and she's with Lvxiu, don't worry."

Biancai stared at her suspiciously.The more Chu Lisang tried to hide it, the tears became more violent, and he quickly turned his head away.Biancai seemed to realize something, his legs went limp, and he sat back slumped.Li Shimin smiled secretly, and gave those eunuchs and maids a wink.Those people immediately grabbed Chu Lisang's arm and forcibly took her away.

Chu Lisang turned her head three times at a step, her face was covered with tears, but she was quickly taken out.

The hall became silent.Li Shimin looked at Biancai, sighed suddenly, and said: "Master, I didn't want to tell you at first, because I was afraid that you would be too sad, but the matter has come to this point, and it seems that there is no need to hide it anymore. Madam, in fact, it was as early as a month ago. , died at Gantang Station..."

Biancai looked blank, as if he didn't hear.

"Master, Mrs. Zun has already lost her life because of this incident, don't you still have the heart to watch your daughter follow in her footsteps?"

The eloquence still fell on deaf ears.

"Master, you have been persuading me to follow Huang Lao's way of quietness and inaction, to rule the world with nothing, and not to pursue the mystery of "Lanting Preface". But have you ever thought that people like Mingzang and Xuanquan, because of my quietness, will Do you keep your own place if you do nothing? Will they put down their butcher knives and become Buddhas immediately? If I don’t do my best to track down and eradicate them, how many subjects of the Tang Dynasty will be ruined like you, and their wives and children will be separated? My own responsibility, but as a disciple of the Buddha, do you have the heart to stand by and let these murderers wreak havoc on the world and poison the common people?"

After Li Shimin finished speaking, the hall returned to deathly silence.

Biancai was like a corpse that had already sat down, motionless from beginning to end.

Zhao Dequan looked at him anxiously, then at the emperor, not knowing what to do.However, Li Shimin waited patiently, his eyes shone with a light of confidence and determination to win.

After a long time, Biancai's lips finally moved.

Zhao Dequan quickly put his ear to his mouth.

Biancai's lips moved again.

Zhao Dequan finally heard it clearly, and a surprised expression suddenly appeared on his face.

Li Shimin didn't seem to be surprised at all, and leaned on the imperial couch in a comfortable position, and said lightly: "Dequan, what did he say?"

Zhao Dequan hurried forward a few steps, his voice trembling with surprise: "Go back to everyone, the mage said...he's hungry!"

Li Shimin's expression was surprisingly calm, and he only said two words: "Chuan Shan."

As soon as Xiao Junmo came out of Li Shiji's value room, Huan Dieyi suddenly jumped down from a tree before he had walked far, startling him.

"It's all the Xuanjia guards who are dignified, and they are so naughty, so they are not afraid of being laughed at by the brothers!" Xiao Junmo said.

"Who would dare to laugh at me except you?"

Xiao Junmo looked at her: "I went to Yique and got so tanned!"

Huan Dieyi was startled, subconsciously covered her cheeks, and pouted: "I hate it! I haven't seen you for a few days, and I don't say nice things when I meet."

"I said you're tanned, but I didn't say you're not good-looking." Xiao Jun smiled silently, "Actually, you look better when you're darker. Haven't you heard of black beauties?"

Huan Dieyi snorted: "I think you just didn't mean what you said."

"You are really difficult to serve." Xiao Junmo said, "If you say you are black, you will say that I don't say good things; if you say you are black, you will say that I am insincere. I don't even know how to talk to you. "

Huan Dieyi was happy, and hugged his arm: "Then stop talking, go shopping with me."

"Wait, wait!" Xiao Junmo raised the file in his hand, "I have work to do, but I don't have time to accompany you."

"What job? Let me see." Huan Dieyi reached out to get it.Xiao Junmo quickly avoided: "It's a confidential matter, I have nothing to say, I have to ask my master."

Huan Dieyi glared at him angrily.

Xiao Junmo smiled: "It's okay to see, then you have to tell me what you have learned during this trip." In fact, as soon as he saw Huan Dieyi, he wanted to inquire about Chu Lisang, but he was afraid that she would be overwhelmed , had to go around in a circle.

Huan Dieyi looked at him thoughtfully: "What do you want to know?"

"I don't want to inquire about anything, just listen to what you say casually."

"Liar!" Huan Dieyi said, "I know, you want to inquire about that little beauty Yi Que?"

Women's intuition is really scary!Xiao Junmo was thinking, so he could only pretend to be confused: "What beauty?"

"Don't pretend to be mean! Tell me honestly, do you have something to do with that Chu Lisang?"

"What's the matter? Your words are simply inexplicable!"

"I can see that the little beauty is interested in you."

God!Can you see this? !Xiao Junmo was a little panicked, and tried to calm down and said: "Don't talk nonsense, Chu Lisang is now a criminal of the imperial court, aren't you hurting me by saying that?"

"If she wasn't interested in you, why would she say she would come to Chang'an to find you?"

Xiao Junmo was startled: "Did she really say that?"

Huan Dieyi frowned: "Is it right? It seems that you are also interested in her."

"Injustice!" Xiao Junmo said loudly, "I was caught by your words, she has nothing to do with me, why did you come to me?"

"She said she would come to settle accounts with you."

"That's right." Xiao Junmo said, "I caught her father, and she hates me, so she wants to settle accounts with me. If she is interested in me, it can only mean that."

"That's not necessarily the case. Women often say things the other way around." Huan Dieyi said, "She says she hates you, but she actually means she likes you in her heart."

Xiao Junmo didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Okay, okay, please forgive me, I have to go to work quickly, or the master will definitely scold me." Saying that, he spread his legs and hurriedly ran away, looking desperate look.

Huan Dieyi snorted and stomped her feet.

When Xiao Junmo walked into the torture room, he saw Liu Lancheng's two hands were hung high by iron chains, his whole body was covered with scars, his head was drooping, and he seemed to have passed out.Luo Biao and other three or four Xuanjiawei were shirtless, sweating profusely, sitting aside panting, obviously even they were tired.

Seeing Xiao Junmo, everyone quickly stood up and saluted.Xiao Junmo waved his hand: "How is it?"

"This guy is the stone in the latrine, smelly and hard!" Luo Biao wiped his sweat, "If you don't say anything, you will exhaust the brothers!"

Xiao Junmo looked at Liu Lancheng's dying state, and said, "Put him down, treat the wound, and then go get some delicious dishes."

Hearing this, Liu Lancheng raised his eyelids and glanced at Xiao Junmo.

Luo Biao was startled: "Are you serious?"

Xiao Junmo didn't seem to hear it, and said again: "Ask him again, what kind of wine he likes to drink, and hurry up to buy it for him."

"This brother is interesting!" Liu Lancheng said something inarticulate.

"I've always been interesting to be a human being." Xiao Junmo sat down with a smile, "It just so happens that dinner time is here, so I'll have a few drinks with you tonight, let's have a good chat."

Luo Biao and the others were all stunned there, not reacting yet.

Liu Lancheng spat bloody saliva on the ground, glared at Luo Biao and said, "I want to drink Lang Guanqing, go buy it!"

Luo Biao was furious, he picked up his whip and rushed forward again.

"Luo Biao, don't you think you're not tired enough?" Xiao Junmo said calmly, "Do as I said, and go down with the brothers to rest after finishing."

As night fell, the Taimiao in the southeast corner of the imperial city was shrouded in darkness.

A group of Wuhou guards on duty at night walked along the north wall of the Taimiao, passed the intersection, and walked westward.

A moment later, a figure walked quickly from the north of Anshangmen Street.This person is covered in black armor, almost invisible in the night.When he came to the intersection of Anshangmen Street, he suddenly turned left, and then went eastward along the north wall of the Taimiao.It seems that this person is very familiar with the patrol time and rules of Wu Houwei, so he can easily avoid the patrol team.

After walking for a while, the man in black armor roughly judged his location, then slowed down, and began to silently count the sycamore trees on his right. When he reached the ninth tree, he stopped.

It is about two feet away from the tenth plane tree.The man in black armor looked back and forth and made sure that there was no one around, so he cleared his throat and said in a low voice: "Although there is no silk or bamboo."

There was no response in the darkness.

The Heijia man waited patiently for a while, before he heard a reply from the front: "Xuanquan has a clear voice." The voice was low and hoarse, apparently deliberately covered up.Then, a black figure came out from behind the tenth sycamore tree, but stopped in place.

The man in black armor bowed and said, "I have seen Mr. Xuanquan."

"You're late."

The distance between the two is just right, which ensures that they can hear each other's words without seeing each other's faces clearly.

The man in black armor hurriedly said: "I'm sorry sir, just now... just now, my subordinates were sent to buy Lang Guanqing."

"Lang Guanqing?"

"Yes sir, as soon as Xiao Junmo came, he said that he wanted to invite Liu Lancheng to drink, and the surnamed Liu also named Lang Guanqing from the Hamaling Winery, so his subordinates..."

Xuanquan raised his hand, stopped his chattering, and said in a deep voice, "Look for a chance, and give this to Liu Lancheng." As he spoke, he took out something from his sleeve.

The man in black armor subconsciously wanted to walk over, but suddenly thought of the rules and stopped quickly.

A gust of night wind blew, and the leaves of the sycamore trees rustled. Xuanquan turned around quietly amidst the sound of the leaves, and hid in the darkness.The man in black armor waited for a while according to the rules, and then he walked to the tenth sycamore tree, squatted down and groped for a while, and found a wax pill.

The man in black armor broke the wax pill into pieces, and saw a small roll of paper hidden inside.The note was unfolded, about one finger wide and two inches long.The Heijia man left the shade of the tree, and through the dim moonlight, he could vaguely see a dozen or so characters written in small script with fine brushwork.

The man in black armor raised his head in the moonlight, and it was Yu Erxi.

In the execution room, Xiao Junmo and Liu Lancheng sat opposite each other across the same food table, which was full of dishes.

Yu Erxi stood aside, holding a lacquer wine jug, and wanted to pour wine for the two of them. The small note was sandwiched between the ring finger and little finger of his right hand.

Xiao Junmo raised his hand to stop him: "No need, I'll come."

Yu Erxi was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "How can I ask the general to pour the wine? Let the subordinate come down."

Xiao Junmo looked at him coldly, not wanting to say it a second time.

Embarrassed, Yu Erxi quickly put down the jug, and at the same time let go of the fingers of his right hand. The small roll of paper immediately fell by Liu Lancheng's lap, but Liu Lancheng didn't notice it.

"Liu Dudu, this is Lang Guanqing from the authentic Hamaling winery, you have to taste it carefully, don't disappoint our General Xiao's kindness." Yu Erxi said, and gave Liu Lancheng a wink.Liu Lancheng glanced at the ground following his gaze, saw the note, and then spread his legs a little to block the note.

"Erxi, did you get drunk after buying a drink?" Xiao Junmo said.

"No, no, the general was joking."

"Since there is no such thing, why talk so much?"

"I'm sorry, General, I'm leaving now, take your time, take your time." Yu Erxi smiled apologetically, and hurriedly backed out.

Xiao Junmo lifted the jug, filled his own wine cup, and then took a sip from the wine cup, but did not pour wine for Liu Lancheng.Liu Lancheng said displeased: "Xiao Junmo, is this how you treat guests?"

"Why, Dudu Liu watched me drink, and got hungry?" Xiao Junmo said with a smile.

"Are you kidding me?" Liu Lancheng was furious.

"Liu Dudu, don't be impatient." Xiao Junmo still smiled, "I'm not letting you drink, but I have to wait."

"Wait for what?"

"After a stick of incense, if I don't bleed from the seven orifices, I will dare to pour wine for you."

Xiao Junmo spoke calmly, but Liu Lancheng's face changed drastically: "Are you afraid that someone will poison you?"

"You have to be on guard." Xiao Junmo said, "Although Xuanjiawei is already the safest place in Chang'an City, it's still best to be careful."

"If you want to test the poison, you can find a person or a dog. Why do you go to the battle yourself?"

"Looking for someone or a dog will show that I have no sincerity." Xiao Jun smiled silently, "Don't worry, Governor, even if the wine is really poisonous, that small sip just now is not enough to kill you. At most, let me lie down for a few days."

"In order to show your sincerity, you are willing to test poison for me, a prisoner?" Liu Lancheng was quite surprised.

"Now that the wine is fine, what are you talking about whether you are in prison or not?" Xiao Junmo said sincerely, "If the governor really treats me as a friend, then stop saying such things."

Liu Lancheng looked at him, with gratitude and admiration unconsciously showing in his eyes.

East Palace.It was dark at night, and several eunuchs led the way with lanterns, followed by a tall and thin Taoist priest in Taoist robes.

A group of people walked in a hurry, and when they approached the main gate of the Lizheng Hall, the next person walking on the steps in front of the hall was Li Yuanchang.

Li Yuanchang walked towards the Taoist priest, and when he saw the other person's appearance, he couldn't help but smile: "Hou Shangshu, you look like a fairy in this Taoist uniform! Tomorrow, let's go to Zhongnan Mountain to open a dojo to practice." How about a few batches of pills?"

The "Taoist" walked in front of Li Yuanchang, and it turned out to be Hou Junji, Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

Hou Junji smiled lightly: "Mount Zhongnan is a place for the downtrodden and frustrated. Even the old man thinks it is deserted. The prince is in his prime, so how can he be willing to be in this world of mortals?"

Li Yuanchang smiled and said: "I only talked about alchemy, but didn't talk about becoming a monk. Hou Shangshu is too sensitive, right?"

"The old man has been very sensitive for the past two years, so the prince should be careful when talking to me."

Li Yuanchang was startled, and then laughed twice: "Although Hou Shangshu has taken off his official uniform, this illustrious official prestige has not diminished at all!"

"In front of the lord, how dare I talk about official authority?" Hou Junji said coyly, "No matter how great an official is, don't you also owe it to your Li family? I'm too scared, how dare I show off any official authority?"

"Shangshu's words are wrong!" Li Yuanchang put away his smile, "Your official was bestowed by the emperor, but the emperor is the emperor, and I am me. They are not the same thing. Please don't confuse them."

"Of course it's not the same thing!" Hou Junji smiled, "Otherwise, how dare this old man risk the disgrace of the world and change his clothes to enter the East Palace at night? Isn't this equal to courting death?"

"Shangshu is here tonight to find Fugui, don't say dead words!" Li Yuanchang made a gesture of invitation, "Please, His Royal Highness should be in a hurry."

After drinking for three rounds, Liu Lancheng was obviously a little drunk.

In just half an hour, Xiao Junmo asked several questions lightly, and Liu Lancheng had already told him everything about how he took Yang Bingjun's money and how he helped Yang Bingjun run to the court.

Of course, Liu Lancheng did not confess while drunk.Instead, he's clear-headed.He knew that since the emperor had arrested him, his misdeeds could not be hidden after all, and he would have to confess sooner or later.However, he would rather tell these things freely while drinking fine wine, than be forced to ask them under torture.

In short, Xiao Junmo knew his character very well, so he used the simplest but most effective method.Based on this, Liu Lancheng admired the young man in front of him.

"General Xiao, before drinking with me tonight, you did your homework to get to know me, right?" Liu Lancheng said with sleepy eyes.

Xiao Junmo smiled: "The governor really understands people, you can't hide anything from you."

Indeed, before entering the torture chamber, Xiao Junmo had carefully reviewed all his files and resumes, and even interviewed several of his acquaintances in court.Speaking of it, this Liu Lancheng is not simple. He came from a purely poor family, but with his bravery, fearlessness and hardworking spirit, he repeatedly made military achievements in the unification war of the Tang Dynasty, and worked step by step from an ordinary soldier to a third-rank governor. .Compared with those powerful children who are in high positions by virtue of their family background, Xiao Junmo undoubtedly only admires such people.It's a pity that he was too greedy for money, not satisfied with the salary given by the imperial court, so he took bribes and helped others to run for and buy officials, so he got to where he is today.

"You young man has a bright future!" Liu Lancheng looked at him and said with a thumbs up.

"how to say?"

"You are smart, careful, courageous and knowledgeable, and you will definitely have a prosperous career in the future!"

"Isn't that what the official fortune depends on?" Xiao Junmo said with a smile, "Since ancient times, it seems that the way of the governor and Yang Bingjun has been the way, and the official fortune is more prosperous."

Liu Lancheng shook his head and smiled wryly: "I regret it now, I can't go this way, I'd rather wear a smaller black gauze hat than go this way!"

If I knew today, why bother?How many difficulties, setbacks, and hardships unimaginable for ordinary people can be overcome by a poor boy who can become the governor through personal struggle, but in the end, because of his greed for yellow and white things, he ruined his career and left him with infamy. Lamentable!
Xiao Junmo sighed in his heart, and asked: "When Dudu Liu went to the Ministry of Officials to buy an official, did he look for the current Shangshu Hou Junji?"

Liu Lancheng recalled it for a while, then shook his head: "No, it was Tang Jian, the former Shangshu. I have never dealt with Hou Junji. As for whether Yang Bingjun went to him later, I don't know."

Xiao Junmo looked at him and knew that he was not lying, so he motioned to the clerk sitting in the corner to write it down.

The scribes buried their heads in writing the case, writing vigorously.

"Hou Shangshu, Cui Shi, the doctor of the examination department, was arrested this time. Maybe you will be implicated?"

In the study room of the Lizheng Hall in the East Palace, Li Chengqian asked Hou Junji.

Hou Junji smiled calmly: "A little involvement may be unavoidable."

"Small involvement?" Li Yuanchang couldn't help interjecting, "As far as I know, this case involving the Ministry of Officials is Yang Bingjun, the governor of Luozhou, who was personally intervened by the emperor's brother. Once involved, I'm afraid it won't be small, right?"

"If I act like a dead person and do nothing, I will naturally be involved. But I, Hou Junji, am not a dead person, so I can still move a few times. Therefore, please rest assured, Your Highness and Prince. Right now, there is nothing anyone can do about it. I can't."

Li Yuanchang didn't like Hou Junji's eccentric tone very much, so he curled his lips and ignored him.

Li Chengqian nodded: "That's very good, I'm afraid you will be involved at this juncture."

"Your Highness, please look at Hou's hand!" As Hou Junji said, he suddenly pushed up his wide sleeve, exposing the entire arm of his right hand. He could only see that the muscles were strong, the veins were raised, and there were big and small spots on it. of many scars.When Li Yuanchang saw it, he became more and more disgusted, and quickly turned his head away.

Li Chengqian was surprised: "What does Hou Shangshu mean?"

"Hou's hand has been chopped off thousands of heads and dozens of knives, but it still grows firmly on Hou's shoulder! Therefore, Hou kept this good hand for the purpose of Let His Highness use it! Before assisting His Highness to ascend the throne and accomplish great things, how could something happen to Hou?"

Only then did Li Chengqian realize that he was showing his loyalty, and he laughed loudly and clapped his hands several times: "I am very impressed by Hou Shangshu's loyalty and sincerity! Then Shangshu might as well tell me, how should I use your hand?"

"It's very simple, raise the knife and drop it!" Hou Jun said in a concentrated manner, and at the same time waved his hand in a chopping motion, "If Your Highness wants King Wei's head to fall on the third watch, I will not let him live until the fifth watch." !"

Li Chengqian didn't expect him to speak so bluntly, and smiled lightly: "Hou Shangshu, I appreciate your loyalty and courage, but after all, King Wei and I are brothers of the same mother, although he has gone too far in some things. Some, but it is better not to use the knife until it is absolutely necessary."

"Your Highness has a benevolent heart, but King Wei may not be like that." Hou Junji said, "I think back then, Prince Yin cared about brotherhood just like His Highness did, and as a result he became the victim of a brother. Missteps will cause eternal hatred! Your Highness, do you want to repeat the same mistakes today?"

"Since Hou Shangshu is so frank, I won't play around with you anymore." Li Chengqian said, "To tell you the truth, I also thought about using force to solve the problem, but it's really not the time right now. Besides, King Wei has me According to the news he sent back, the king of Wei still dare not take this step. So, we can sharpen the knife first, as for when to unsheath, it depends on the situation."

"What Your Highness said is true, Hou came here today just to discuss with His Highness about sharpening knives."

"Hou Shangshu," Li Yuanchang interjected, "As far as I know, you have many loyal old troops in the army. Do you mean them by the sword?"

"Deadly loyal?" Hou Junji sneered, "Are there still people who are really loyal these days? Hou has quite a few former ministries, but these people can only be used to stabilize the overall situation after the fact, but not at a critical moment. As a knife."

"Why?"

"The people nowadays are all about profit. If you plot with him tonight, he may sell you before dawn!"

"Shang Shu is right." Li Chengqian said, "The government situation is complicated and people's hearts are unpredictable. It is indeed risky to find those generals in the army, so we must not be careless."

"Since people in the army are not available, according to Shangshu, who else is available?" Li Yuanchang asked.

Hou Junji smiled sinisterly: "The forces of the rivers and lakes."

Li Chengqian and Li Yuanchang looked at each other and laughed in unison.

Hou Junji was a little puzzled: "Why are you two laughing?"

"To tell you the truth, King Han and I have been thinking about this for the past two days," Li Chengqian said.

Hou Junji became more and more surprised: "Your Highness also has something to do with the Jianghu forces?"

"It's not related, it's just some ideas at the moment." Li Chengqian said, "Recently, the case of Yang Bingjun between courts and courts has caused a lot of noise. Does Shang Shu know the inside story?"

Hou Junji recalled: "It's just that I heard that when Xuanjiawei returned to the imperial court after escorting him, he seemed to have been robbed and killed by Jianghu forces in Gantang Post in Shanzhou."

"Exactly! Does the Shangshu know the name of the leader of that faction?"

Hou Junji shook his head.

"Ming Zang. He also drove people into the court. It is said that he holds a high position and is code-named 'Xuanquan'."

Hou Junji was greatly surprised: "Your Highness, I really didn't expect that you know the world without leaving your home!"

Li Chengqian smiled triumphantly: "Knowing the world is not something to talk about, but I do know a thing or two about things that should be known."

"Then, what does His Highness mean by telling me this..."

"If possible, get in touch with this Ming Zang." Li Chengqian's eyes flickered coldly, "I have an intuition that this Ming Zang will be a good knife!"

Cui Shi, the doctor of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was suspected of accepting bribes and dereliction of duty, not a major criminal, so he was not detained in Xuanjiawei, but in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

At this moment, Cui Shi was sitting in a dark single cell, disheveled and dull-eyed.

The iron chain on the prison door jingled, and a jailer opened the door, walked in with a bucket of prison food, and said in a rough voice, "Prisoner Cui Shi, it's time to eat!"

Cui Shi came back to his senses, and smiled wryly: "It's been a few days since dinner was delivered, aren't you afraid of starving people to death?"

"Hungry to death!" the jailer said, "It's a waste of food to feed you anyway!"

Cui Shi smiled wryly again: "The case hasn't been tried yet, so it's hard to say whether I'm guilty or not, so you dare to let me die? If Cui makes a comeback, I don't know who will die first!"

The jailer chuckled, took a large bowl and shoveled it into the wooden barrel at will, filled half of the bowl of sticky coarse wheat rice, passed it forward, and said coldly: "After eating this bowl of rice, you will know whether you can make a comeback .”

Cui Shi heard the implication, and immediately stared at the jailer.The jailer pouted at the bowl of rice.Cui Shi understood, snatched it, stretched out his dirty hands and grabbed the rice.With this grasping, he caught something, and when he took it out, it turned out to be a strand of five-color silk rope.

In the folks of the Tang Dynasty, this kind of five-color silk rope was called "Longevity Thread", and it was usually wrapped around children's arms in order to ward off evil spirits, eliminate disasters, and prolong life.At this moment, Cui Shi held the long life strand, his hands began to tremble, and his face turned pale instantly.He recognized it, it was the thread of longevity that he tied on his youngest son's wrist with his own hands years ago.It is now in the hands of this jailer, and the meaning behind it is self-evident.

"Cui Langzhong, someone asked me to pass a message to you, you heard it clearly." The jailer moved closer and whispered something in his ear.

When Cui Shi heard this, his eyes were filled with despair.

The word the jailer said was "carry".Cui Shi knew very well that this was a word given to him by Hou Junji, which meant to let him bear all the blame for his crimes.

"Cui Langzhong, if you understand, someone will take care of your family; if you don't understand, this 'long-lived thread' will become a 'short-lived thread'."

In the dark cell, Cui Shi was dumbfounded, not even knowing when the jailer left.

In Xuanjiawei's torture room, Yihulang's official cleanliness has come to an end, and Liu Lancheng has explained everything that should be explained, except for the "Xuanquan" matter that has not yet been involved.Although Xiao Junmo intuitively felt that he couldn't be Xuanquan, after all, he couldn't rely on intuition when trying a case, so Xiao Junmo decided to try him one last time.

"Liu Dudu, when I have nothing to do, I like to read some ancient poems from the Six Dynasties." Xiao Junmo said casually, "I just read one yesterday, and there is a very interesting sentence in it. Do you want to listen to it, Dudu?"

Liu Lancheng raised his head, drank the last half of the glass of wine, hiccupped loudly, and said with a smile: "Liu is a rough man, and he has never been interested in these things, but if the general is interested, it doesn't hurt to listen to it."

Xiao Junmo stared at him, and slowly chanted: "Although there are no silk and bamboo, the Xuanquan has a clear sound; although there is no whistling and singing, the chants have lingering fragrance."

Liu Lancheng listened, but his eyes did not change from beginning to end.

Based on his experience in handling cases over the past few years, Xiao Junmo's observations on people have long been meticulous, especially people's eyes - when the four eyes are facing each other, it is difficult for a person's eyes to hide anything.If Liu Lancheng is really Xuanquan, no matter how he conceals it, when he just heard this poem, his eyes will definitely change.However, he didn't.So Xiao Junmo can be sure that Liu Lancheng is not Xuanquan.

After ordering someone to send Liu Lancheng back to the cell, Xiao Junmo took the transcript from the clerk, went to his room on duty, and compiled the results of the interrogation into a closing statement overnight, preparing to submit it to Li Shiji and report to the emperor tomorrow morning .

Nearly four o'clock, Xiao Junmo finally finished writing the last word.He put the pen on the shelf and stretched long.At this moment, Luo Biao rushed in excitedly, and yelled as soon as he got to the door: "General, you are amazing, you can judge everything after a drink!"

Xiao Junmo slammed the watch shut, rubbed his eyes: "Didn't I tell you to rest, why did you come here again?"

"I'm so happy!" Luo Biao said cheerfully, "Isn't it surprising that this guy admitted that he is Xuanquan so readily?"

"What did you say?" Xiao Junmo was startled suddenly.

"General, don't be so cheap and behave yourself!" Luo Biao laughed, "Just now, Liu Lancheng yelled in the cell that he was Xuanquan, I think you must have put some pressure on him, so He had to confess honestly."

Xiao Junmo was completely taken aback.

What went wrong?Liu Lancheng is obviously not Xuanquan, why should he admit it? !
Of course Xiao Junmo didn't know at this time, just now in the execution room, Liu Lancheng had already secretly held the roll of paper left by Yu Erxi in his palm.After returning to the cell, he took advantage of the unpreparedness of the guards and secretly opened it to take a look. It was written in small letters:

My second son and third grandson are all in my hand to recognize Xuanquan and everyone is safe
Behind this line of writing, there is a signature that reads "Yang Bingjun".

Liu Lancheng suddenly turned pale with shock.He could recognize Yang Bingjun's handwriting, and he was more aware of Yang Bingjun's character. Since he said that his two sons and three grandsons were in his hands, he certainly wasn't trying to scare him casually.Therefore, Liu Lancheng had to face an extremely difficult choice: if he admitted that he was Xuanquan, other family members might not escape the fate of being implicated, but the lives of his two sons and three grandsons would be saved; Although the crime is relatively minor, his son and grandsons will definitely die, so that his Liu family will have no successor!
After much deliberation, Liu Lancheng finally chose to admit it.

He swallowed the note, and started yelling: I am Xuanquan...

Xiao Junmofei also ran to the cell, asking Liu Lancheng why he lied and admitted.Liu Lancheng smiled wryly, and finally said a word to him: "Xiao Lang, thank you for treating Liu as a friend! You can go and report to the Holy Master that I am Xuanquan, and you can kill or cut whatever you want! But next, Liu will say a word I won't even talk about it, if there is an afterlife, Liu will get drunk with Xiao Lang again!"

After saying this sentence, Liu Lancheng really became dumb and stopped uttering a single word.

Early the next morning, Li Shiji came to the government office and was overjoyed to hear that Liu Lancheng had confessed. He repeatedly praised Xiao Junmo for his ability and did not disappoint him.Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, not knowing what to say.Li Shiji then personally interrogated Liu Lancheng, hoping to dig out more clues about Ming Zang and the mysterious forces, but Liu Lancheng refused to speak again.Li Shiji had no choice but to play the truth.After listening to the report, Li Shimin pondered for a while, and said: "In this case, let's cut it off, the family property is gone, and all family members will be exiled to Lingnan."

The sensational "Xuanquan case" has now been settled, but the confusion in Xiao Junmo's heart is still lingering.

He reviewed what happened last night carefully, and found that the only problem was Erxi, so he immediately ordered Luo Biao to find Yu Erxi.Luo Biao said, "This kid follows me. He's been as tired as a dog lately. Now that the case is finally settled, I'll give him a day off." Xiao Junmo then rushed to Yu Erxi's house, but his family said he didn't return at all. play house.

Xiao Junmo had an ominous premonition in his heart.

Sure enough, the next day, Yu Erxi was fished out of the Qingming Canal in Xuanyifang, his body swollen and deformed.After Wu made an inquest, he said that the deceased drank a lot of alcohol before his death, and he may have drowned due to drunkenness.However, Xiao Junmo knew that Yu Erxi was definitely not drunk and drowned, but was silenced.

The person who killed him was the real Xuanquan deeply hidden in the court!
The case of the Ministry of Officials also came to fruition at the same time. Cui Shi, the doctor of the examination department, confessed that he had accepted bribes from Yang Bingjun, and practiced fraud and malpractice for personal gain in the examination for two consecutive years.Following the emperor's will, the Ministry of Criminal Justice tried to get Cui Shi to admit that Shangshu Hou Junji was the main culprit in the bribery and dereliction of duty case, but Cui Shi bit him to death that the case was committed by him alone and had nothing to do with Hou Junji.

When Li Shimin heard the news, he had no choice but to order Cui Shi to be dismissed from his post and exiled, and Hou Junji to be fined for one year's salary for negligence.In addition, Tang Jian, the current Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was dismissed from his position as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs because he accepted bribes from Liu Lancheng when he was the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The two major cases came to an end at the same time, but Li Shimin's heart was not at all relaxed.

He vaguely felt that the two cases seemed to have been concluded hastily, and there were many doubts in them.However, in the absence of any other evidence and clues, it can only be left alone for the time being.

Now, Li Shimin's focus is still on eloquence.

As long as he is willing to speak, all mysteries will be solved.

(End of this chapter)