Chaos of Ming 1628

into the night.

After the commotion upstairs stopped, the window was pushed open again, and Shen Junru crawled in.

A perfectly nice girl, yet Sun Qing ordered her to beat someone up. Feeling guilty, Sun Qing quickly offered her some tea.

Sun Qing snorted coldly, glared at Sun Qing, and said with displeasure, "What exactly do you want to do?"

"Why did you deliberately make her go to that place? You have no idea, she asked me to select eight beautiful pregnant women for her, and even had certain requirements regarding the month of pregnancy."

"What?" Old Yu's tone instantly became excited.

He jumped to his feet, his eyes filled with anxiety: "What does she want to do?"

"Naturally, it's about confusing the royal bloodline and cultivating puppets so they can continue living the life of a 'Honored Lady'," Sun Qing added slowly from the side.

The two men looked at Sun Qing with wariness in their eyes.

Old Yu frowned, and many words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

"By the way, I have to go out for some business. Be careful what you say, there are foreigners coming to Jiahe County again recently." Sun Qing gave the two of them a meaningful look, then pushed open the door and left.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Old Yu slumped weakly into a chair, his eyes serious: "How dare Madam Ke do such a heinous thing!"

"Sir," Shen Junru frowned slightly and hesitated, "that Madam Ke was fine at first, but after fighting Sun Qing a few times, she went berserk."

"They even came up with this idea."

"Could it be that Sun Qing is deliberately leading us astray?" Old Yu's tone suddenly hardened, his face paling. "What exactly is he trying to do?"

"There's one more thing," Shen Junru said, her brows furrowed. "That Madam Ke questioned him today about whether he was one of the Emperor's men."

"Today?!"

Old Yu's body trembled slightly, his face ashen: "I have already contacted the Grand Coordinator, and there is no one named Sun Qing in the Sun family genealogy for three generations."

"Not to mention the absurdity of his claims about his actions."

Upon hearing this, Lao Yu gradually understood: "If you're referring to the current emperor, then I understand. If it's the current emperor, then everything makes sense."

"No one but the current emperor could be so knowledgeable about the laws of the Ming Dynasty, and also so familiar with the Sun family and the eunuch faction."

Shen Junru's tone was somewhat agitated: "So, the Emperor specifically sent people to eliminate the eunuch faction?"

"It should be," Old Yu said uncertainly, pacing back and forth for a long time before finally standing still. "I checked, he was penniless, regarded money as dirt, and was selfless in his dedication to the people."

"The claim that he was sent by the current emperor remains unclear in many aspects."

"There is no more favorable explanation than this."

There was one more thing Lao Yu didn't say, because the girl in front of him wouldn't understand if he didn't.

All the events that have occurred during this period, no matter how bizarre their motives, have ultimately benefited the Donglin Party.

Old Yu stroked his beard and sighed softly, "So, you might really be one of the Emperor's men. If not, I wouldn't have failed to see through his scheme."

"Who cares whose people they are, as long as they're not Wei Zhongxian's men, it's fine." Shen Junru seemed indifferent.

Old Yu stroked his beard, strolled to the window, stared at the stars and moon outside, and remained silent for a long time.

As soon as Sun Qing entered the courtyard of the post station, a figure emerged from behind.

"Friend, we've been following you all this way, why don't you come out and have some tea?" Sun Qing sat down at the stone table and poured a cup of tea for each of them.

The person behind him emerged from the shadows.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the same burly sedan chair carrier who had tried to dissuade Ms. Ke earlier that day.

He was still dressed in a short, coarse gray cloth outfit, with only a pair of hemp sandals on his feet. He was well-behaved when his eyes were down, but when he raised his eyes, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and an aura of murderous intent emanated from him.

Sun Qing already knew that this man was no ordinary sedan chair carrier. He probably held a high position within the eunuch faction.

He didn't stand on ceremony and sat down opposite Sun Qing, picking up his tea and drinking it all in one gulp.

"Now that you've had my tea, may I ask your name?" Sun Qing asked in a refined manner.

The other person let out a strange, cold laugh and said calmly, "Just call me Old Tian."

Old Tian?

Sun Qing scrutinized the man before him again. According to "The Complete Biography of Wei the Eunuch," Tian Ergeng was over ten feet tall with a robust frame. In contrast, sedan chair carriers were often thin and hunched over due to years of bending over.

Furthermore, Lao Tian's knuckles were rough and calloused, and his palms were covered with thick calluses. Only someone who has handled knives and instruments of torture for a long time would have such calluses.

The Records of the Grand Historian describes Tian'er as cunning, ruthless, and bloodthirsty by nature. The murderous intent in Old Tian's eyes was truly terrifying.

Moreover, a sedan chair carrier would slump down and hunch over to rest. But he, more like a high-ranking military officer, used to sitting upright with his back straight, was accustomed to it.

The person opposite unconsciously placed his hand on his waist to press down; it wasn't just him, but also the dozen or so sedan chair carriers who came today did the same thing.

This is muscle memory from the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) wearing the Embroidered Spring Blade for many years, preserving their instinct to protect the blade.

The key point is the accent.

Sun Qinggang had just arrived here and gotten into trouble because of his accent. The person before him, however, couldn't change his accent. A native of Renqiu, Hejian, his accent was hard to shake.

There are many coincidences in the world, but it is rare to find so many coincidences happening at the same time.

Moreover, the person in front of me also has the surname Tian.

Sun Qing immediately thought of someone: Tian Ergeng, the eldest son of the Five Tiger Generals, a figure known to everyone in the court and among the common people. He was still the Left Commandant, in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The key point was that he only took orders from Madam Ke and Wei Zhongxian.

His achievements are numerous; the Imperial Prison and the Donglin Case were both his masterpieces.

A divine punishment occurred in Jiahe County, enraging the Emperor, who used this as an opportunity to send Madam Ke out of the palace. Given this, even if Wei Zhongxian was terrified, he couldn't possibly remain inactive. And if he did take action, why would he only allow Madam Ke to come here?

"Old Tian?" Sun Qing smiled. "I didn't see you last night. Were you hired by Madam in Jiahe County?"

Tian Ergeng, instead, scrutinized Sun Qing: "How much money can a small place like Jiahe County possibly make?"

"I was waiting for the officials and nobles of Hejian Prefecture, and I only arrived here early this morning."

"Oh!" Sun Qing nodded.

Tian Ergeng smiled, staring at Sun Qing, and asked casually, "It seems that your name is widely known throughout Jiahe County."

"I didn't know that the Sun family of Gaoyang had produced such a remarkable figure."

Sun Qing waved his hand, his tone devoid of contempt, merely stating the facts: "You're just a sedan chair carrier; how could a commoner like you know such things?"

Tian Ergeng's face stiffened. How could he be pleased to be so disrespected? But there was nothing he could do. He gritted his teeth and coldly retorted, "What the young master says is true."

"I wonder, what exactly is the relationship between Young Master Sun and Grand Secretary Sun?"

The person in front of him liked to put on an act, and Sun Qing was happy to play along. When asked questions, he remained calm and composed, replying, "Old Tian, ​​just focus on carrying the sedan chair properly. These things are none of your concern."

If it were an ordinary sedan chair carrier, upon hearing these words, he would have no choice but to nod in agreement.

Seeing that Tian Ergeng was already seething with anger, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Sun Qing reversed the car again, picked up his cup and drank it all in one gulp, his eyes filled with anger.

Sun Qing suddenly leaned closer, startling Tian Ergeng, who took a step back.

Sun Qing seemed oblivious, and said mysteriously, "You just arrived, you don't know yet, do you?"

Tian Ergeng looked puzzled.

"Don't go up to the third floor at night."

"Why?" Tian Ergeng asked coldly.

Sun Qing smiled meaningfully, her eyes slightly ambiguous: "In short, this is an unspoken rule that everyone at the post station understands."

"After nightfall, you can't hear or see anything."

Sun Qing stood up, his gaze deep: "If you want to make big money, you have to listen to me."

The two sat there for only a short while. But after Sun Qing left, Tian Ergeng was horrified to discover something terrible.

During the brief moment of their conversation, his fist, tucked inside his sleeve, clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.

Looking at the third floor again, my mind was filled with doubts.

If you tell him not to go, he'll insist on going.