Di Jin and Lu Andao were led by the elder of the house, walked through the long front yard, and when they arrived at the main hall of Zhang Mansion, they heard faint screams coming from the backyard.
Lu Andao's expression tightened slightly. Could this be a show of force? Did the dignified Privy Councilor actually use such a direct method?
Di Jin acted as if he hadn't heard anything and walked calmly towards the main hall. If he was really showing off his power, then this so-called Privy Councilor would be easy to deal with!
"Lu Andao, the official of Kaifeng Prefecture, pays homage to Privy Council Zhang!"
"Student Di Jin, meet Privy Zhang!"
The two of them entered the main hall. One bowed with the courtesy of a lower official to a superior official, and the other with the courtesy of a scholar. Then he straightened up and looked at the chief minister who was here.
The privy envoy was in charge of the military and political affairs of the DPRK. He was a person who could compete with the prime minister, and even had more power at certain times. However, in Di Jin's eyes, he was stripped of the aura of his official position and sitting in the main hall, that is, a tall and wide man. He is just a fat old man, and in terms of demeanor and majesty, he is much inferior to the old and strong Chen Yaozi.
Zhang Qi glanced at Lu Andao and didn't care. He looked directly at Di Jin with a majestic gaze: "I have heard of Di Jieyuan's name a lot recently. I heard that you wrote a storybook that even the officials Do you like them all so much?"
Lu Andao's heart tightened. He was so aggressive. Was he going to turn the dignified Imperial Prince Jie Yuan into a lucky minister who wrote scripts for the pleasure of the officials?
Di Jin then smiled and said: "The officials' love for Su Wuming's legendary experience is precisely due to his honest and fair-minded approach to officialdom. It can be seen that the officials' benevolence and love for the people are out of their nature, and they are actually the qualities of the subjects of this dynasty. Fortunately!"
Lu Andao wasn't worried anymore. Zhang Qi's cheeks twitched a little. You can talk about benevolence and caring for the people if you read a story book for entertainment. Scholars are really shameless. Alas, he has a very strict upbringing and restrains his children. How can he never cultivate such a person? Where are the scholars coming?
Since the other party was not nervous and spoke sharply, knowing that there was nothing to be gained from this, Zhang Qi immediately changed the subject: "I heard that Di Jieyuan opened a coffin outside the city yesterday for an autopsy. I wonder if there are any clues to solve the case?"
Di Jin said: "We have indeed gained something. One of the bones found does not match the identity of the person who was buried. Due to the missing head and sloppy collection, the body may have been exchanged. The government even suspected that the family massacre three years ago was The head of the household, Sun Hong, was not killed."
Zhang Qi narrowed his eyes slightly: "Oh? Is this happening?"
Di Jin said: "There is no evidence at present, it is just speculation. However, the public sentiment in the capital is fierce and the people are disturbed. Following the Queen Mother's order, we are doing our best to investigate the case and have to consider every possibility!"
Zhang Qi's current status is entirely due to his bet on the right person. Any minister in the outer dynasty can decouple from Liu E, but he is the most staunchest party member of the Queen Mother. Since Liu E After E came to power, he had always moved out the Queen Mother to oppress others, but this was the first time someone had moved out the Queen Mother to oppress him. He couldn't help but feel sluggish, furious, and even more disgusted with the stupid grandson in the backyard.
Di Jinze had already continued: "If Sun Hong had not died and his whole family was slaughtered, he would definitely have a desire for revenge. This man was originally a warrior monk with good martial arts and the ability to take revenge. I don't know if there was anyone who offended the Privy Council three years ago. Mansion?"
Zhang Qi said flatly: "Of course not. I never recognize this Sun Hong. How can I have any contact with him?"
Di Jin said: "However, after the coffin was opened and the autopsy was performed yesterday, someone suddenly came to visit the Privy Council Mansion. I wonder if this is the case?"
Zhang Qi's eyes fluctuated momentarily. Although he managed to suppress it, his expression still changed uncontrollably and he said, "Here comes someone!"
The old man waiting outside the hall immediately came in and said respectfully: "My lord, what are your orders?"
Zhang Qi said: "Di Jieyuan said, someone came to visit my house yesterday?"
The old man bowed again, turned to Di Jin, and suddenly showed an irrepressible superiority: "So that Mr. Xie Yuangong knows that there are no less than a hundred visitors to my house every day. I wonder what Mr. Xie Yuangong said? Which one?"
Di Jin raised his brows, not surprised but happy: "So, all visitors to your residence have detailed identity records? There are only a hundred people. The Kaifeng government office will conduct a detailed inspection and bring out the records!"
The old man's expression paused, and he quickly changed his words: "I'm used to waiting for greetings and farewells. If there is no name card, I just keep it in my heart, but I never write it down."
Di Jin said: "That's okay, please ask the old man and Mr. Lu to make a record together! Since you usually greet and see off distinguished guests, it's all memories, so I guess you can't remember clearly what happened yesterday, right?"
The old man's face couldn't help but change, and he looked at his master.
After this buffering period, Zhang Qi's expression completely adjusted and he waved his hand: "Just follow this official Lu and write down the people who came to my house yesterday. Don't let anyone contaminate the people in my house for nothing. clean!"
The old man's eyes moved and he understood: "Yes!"
After the two of them retreated, Zhang Qi said calmly: "Is Di Jieyuan still satisfied?"
Di Jin smiled and cupped his hands: "Privy Zhang is indeed a pillar of the country, resolute and courageous!"
Zhang Qi snorted: "Di Jieyuan, if I remember correctly, you are only sixteen years old this year, right?"
Di Jin said: "Yes."
Zhang Qi pointed out with the tone of an experienced person: "I was once a young man like you. I was full of youthful energy and didn't know the importance of it. I also suffered a lot at that time. Now that I think about it, I am very upset. I have outstanding talents and the Queen Mother appreciates them." , you should be more careful and don’t take it lightly!”
Di Jin handed over his hand again, his manner impeccable: "Jin will follow the Privy Council's teachings!"
Zhang Qi did not lose his bearings and waved his hand: "Tea! This year's new Dragon and Phoenix Tea is a gift from the Queen Mother. Di Jieyuan might as well try it..."
Next, in an atmosphere where the Queen Mother was inseparable from each other, Di Jin and Zhang Qi drank tea without saying a word.
It has to be said that this person may have been favored by providing women to the prince and by being in power by the queen. His personal ability to govern is only mediocre, but his communication skills are absolutely no problem. Even if he is disgusted, he can still show his closeness. , making people feel like a spring breeze.
The group tea served was of the highest quality. When Di Jin left the mansion, he felt the fragrance lingering on his lips and teeth, secretly sighing that these powerful people would enjoy it.
But when Lu Andao met him, he shook his head and whispered: "The old man is hiding something, but we won't be able to find out the truth for a while."
Di Jin smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter, if you can confirm the concealment, it is already a gain!"
If Lu Yijian was a direct official of the government and had an unavoidable connection with the case, apart from paying attention to it, Zhang Qi, the privy envoy, had nothing to do with the case of extermination. However, his performance just now can only be explained by four Words to describe——
There is something wrong in my heart!
Of course, the other party had a very high status and was not under the authority of the Prime Minister. By moving out the Queen Mother, he could take advantage of words, but he could not actually search or even arrest people, so Di Jin just put some appropriate pressure and waited for things to develop.
"Let's go to the next one. This one is still an acquaintance of mine."
…
When Di Jin came to Guo's house, he couldn't help feeling a little emotional.
When he first entered the capital, he was invited by the Guo Mansion to pick him up. Even the house he is renting in Laoqiao Lane was rented for him by the Guo family who pointed out a dental shop with a good reputation.
Guo Chengqing, who was quickly welcomed out, as Guo Chengshou's brother, was also one of the earliest book friends of "The Biography of Su Wuming". Previously, Di Jin High School's Zijian issued a test to solve the Yuan Dynasty, and he even came to congratulate him, so At this time, he was quite surprised: "Shilin, why are you here suddenly?"
Di bowed and said, "Brother Yanxiu must have heard about the recent turmoil in the capital. I am here to investigate the case!"
Guo Chengqing's face froze, his mouth moved, he hesitated to speak, but he still extended his hand to invite: "Please!"
When they arrived at the hall, several people took their seats, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward. It was Di Jin who took the initiative to speak: "Brother Yanxiu, did a strange man come to visit your house yesterday afternoon?"
Guo Chengqing pursed his lips.
Compared to the Privy Councilor's Palace, which was at the peak of its power and had over a hundred visitors a day, the Guo family was rich and powerful, but far less powerful. Normally, only close relatives and friends came to visit. If a stranger came to visit, in fact, it would not be possible. It's very eye-catching.
So he pondered for a moment, then glanced at Lu Andao, and then looked over: "Shilin, can you and I have a talk first?"
Before Di Jin could speak, Lu Andao had already stood up, cupped his hands, and walked out.
"It's an unavoidable favor..." Di Jin smiled bitterly, knowing that Lu Andao had misunderstood, while Guo Chengqing's eyes lit up: "I thought this official was here to monitor Shi Lin, but I didn't expect him to be so knowledgeable!"
Di Jin's tone was serious: "You and I are indeed good friends, but let's be honest, if you are really a murderer, I will never practice favoritism, cover up the truth, and let innocent people die unjustly without justice!"
He did not deliberately raise his voice or act sternly, but in the face of these powerful words, Guo Chengqing tensed up and his expression changed.
Di Jin continued: "Fortunately, I understand Brother Yanxiu's calm temperament, and I am willing to believe that you are not that kind of villain who wiped out the whole family. Now that I have found out the truth, I will be innocent. Please tell me the truth, Brother Yanxiu!"
Guo Chengqing's face relaxed, and after thinking about it carefully, he said calmly: "With the reputation of Shilin's current literary world, he could have cut off contact with my relatives and other relatives, and let those civil servants think highly of you, and you can say such things. Come on, you really treat me as a friend. How can I say anything else? I have nothing to do with the murder case, but the idle man did come to the house yesterday. This person claimed to be surnamed Sun, or he may know something about that year. Secret, trying to extort money..."
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Di Jin frowned. It had nothing to do with the family extermination case, but something else. He immediately asked: "Brother Yanxiu, can you explain it more clearly?"
"Sorry, there are some things I can't say, and I really don't know exactly what happened. I don't know how it got to the point where it happened..."
Guo Chengqing smiled bitterly and shook his head: "But one thing I can tell you is that even if the case is finally investigated and the truth is revealed and it damages the reputation of some people, according to Song law, there will be no charges..."
Di Jin frowned slightly: "Can't he be convicted according to the Song Dynasty law?"
This statement is not ordinary. You must know that many times the powerful are not punished for breaking the law. This is a privilege and does not mean that the law has not been enacted.
In fact, the laws of the past dynasties were relatively complete compared to the situation at that time. Unfortunately, most of the time they were just decorations. Let alone the Song Dynasty, the laws of the Qin Dynasty were famous for being meticulous and strict. Everyone Have you followed them all? It was still a matter of dissatisfaction with the superiors. Of course, the upper-class nobles of the six countries were not satisfied either. They always talked about the restoration of the country. In the end, every class raised the flag of rebellion. After the death of Qin, a huge empire suddenly collapsed...
Therefore, in ancient times, it was too much to expect the law to restrain the aristocracy.
But now Guo Chengqing said that it is not that the law is useless, but that the law cannot control it...
"A moral issue? How can the case of extermination be a moral issue?"
Di Jin thought for a while, but he really couldn't understand, so he asked again: "Brother Yanxiu, do you know that because of this case, Yuan Hongjing, the former Kaifeng Prefecture official, disappeared. I'm afraid it's very bad, and even the bones can't be found. Doesn’t this also involve our laws?”
Guo Chengqing's expression suddenly changed: "Having harmed Kaifeng government officials? Why...why is this happening?"
Di Jin narrowed his eyes slightly.
It seems that this person does not know the whole story, or that the secrets he knows are greatly deviated from the real facts of the case.
Guo Chengqing stood up, walked a few steps, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something, but in the end he swallowed it back, shook his head with a grimace: "Sorry, I still can't say it!"
Di Jin stopped pressing questions and turned back to the idle man who came to the door: "The idle man named Sun came to blackmail. Is there any evidence?"
Guo Chengqing shook his head: "No!"
Di Jin made preparations this morning. Before coming to Taipingfang, he first went to the Kaifeng government office and got a map of the city, which clearly recorded the locations of the residences of various dignitaries: "This person first went to Privy Zhang's residence yesterday. Up, and then came to your mansion. In addition, I also went here, here and here. Brother Yanxiu thinks that if I follow the footsteps of this idle man, where should I go to investigate next? "
Since someone was pointing the way and he wasn't leaking the secret himself, Guo Chengqing didn't hesitate, pointed to a place and clicked hard.
…
"The residence of the eldest princess of the country of Hebei?"
When Lu Andao and Di Jin were waiting in the side hall to meet up, and when they heard the next destination, they couldn't help but wonder: "Why are you going to the Princess Mansion?"
Di Jin explained: "Yesterday, there was an idle man named Sun who was watching me open the coffin and examine the bones. He left in a hurry with a strange look on his face. He was noticed by Gongsun Mingyuan. Following his route, we got today's clues."
"I see!"
Lu Andao didn't like Gongsun Ce very much. He felt that he was too arrogant and difficult to get along with. However, he was still certain of Gongsun Ce's ability and immediately thought of the relationship: "No wonder the mansion Shilin inquired about today was all secretive. See This idle guy must know some secrets, or wants to blackmail these noble people? I wonder where this person is now? He must be controlled quickly!"
Di Jin does not completely trust the Kaifeng government officials. After all, there are too many officials and government servants there, and these people are easy to bribe. If someone takes the risk and silences such a key witness in the middle, it will only make it more difficult to solve the case, so He asked Brother Wu Jing to keep an eye on each other.
However, in order to follow up on the witnesses, the Kaifeng government office must also report it. Di Jin said: "I already informed the government when I came here. This person hangs around in the gambling house and should be captured soon. With this two-pronged approach, over there To arrest someone, let’s follow the trail... He also went to the Princess’s Mansion yesterday. Let’s explore the other party’s story first. Once we capture this person, we can have a targeted interrogation so that the other party has no way to argue!”
"Shi Lin's thinking is really thorough!" Lu Andao greatly agreed: "Since we have even checked the residence of the Privy Councilor, how can we miss the princess's residence? Let's go!"
The eldest princess of Ji is the daughter of Zhao Guangyi, the sister of Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng, and the aunt of the current official Zhao Zhen. She is not very old, not yet forty years old.
She was Zhao Guangyi's favorite little daughter. Zhao Heng also loved this sister very much and carefully selected a consort with both civil and military skills for her. Li Zunxu, the grandson of the Privy Councilor and a Jinshi, was honored as "Jigong Living Buddha" by later generations. ", the eminent monk Li Xiuyuan of the Southern Song Dynasty is said to be his descendant.
It sounds good, but in fact, the full name of the prince-in-law in the Song Dynasty is Prince-in-law Duwei. Among them, the duwei is the position of "promoting the princess's house", and if you translate it, it is to look after the house for the princess.
The key point is that the etiquette system of the Song Dynasty also stipulated, "In the house of the Shang Lord, it is considered respectful to be demoted to the first rank of Zhao Mu." That is, if a family marries a princess, the man's seniority must be lowered by one rank. This rule seems strange at first glance , actually to maintain the status of the princess.
When a common girl gets married, she has to serve her aunt, that is, her father-in-law and mother-in-law. She may also be angry with her brother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law. But when a princess marries, she does not marry into the consort’s family. When the princess enters the consort’s family, her father-in-law and mother-in-law will surrender. After passing the seniority and becoming brothers and sisters-in-law, the princess does not need to salute to these original elders on weekdays, but the original brothers-in-law, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law have become nephews and nieces, and they must salute to the princess on weekdays...
You can imagine how embarrassed the consort must be.
Of course, the status of the consorts in the past dynasties was not high, and marrying a royal woman was not so easy to bear. The grievances of the Song Dynasty were nothing, and the consorts of the former Tang Dynasty had green hats, which were especially miserable.
It is precisely because of this that the life of the princess of the Song Dynasty was not much better. In order to prevent the example of the former Tang princess from being willful and causing trouble to the court, the civil servants, especially the censor, watched the princess's every word and deed, and whenever there was anything out of line. Immediate impeachment, "If you favor too much, you will be arrogant; if you are unfaithful, you will be resentful." This is to prevent the princess from taking advantage of the emperor's favor to do inappropriate things and lose the dignity of the royal family.
As a result, the princesses of the Song Dynasty were indeed more knowledgeable and courteous than the princesses of the Tang Dynasty, but their consorts often took advantage of this opportunity to humiliate the princesses, ultimately forming a lose-lose situation.
Anyway, people with a real future are not willing to have anything to do with the royal family, let alone marry a princess. Aren’t all the relatives coming from the families of military commanders? The scholar-bureaucrats are not willing to marry their daughters to the emperor. They are competing for favor and flattery, and they cannot afford to lose that person!
In view of this, the Princess Mansion sounds very high-end, and in terms of power, it is definitely far inferior to Privy Councilor Zhang Qi. Lu Andao couldn't help but feel nervous when he entered Zhang Mansion before, but now he walked towards the front door of the Princess Mansion with a business-like attitude.
The person who greeted him was not the elder of the house, nor the servants, but a palace official. He was dressed in the clothes of a minister and said in a slightly weird voice: "Who is here?"
Lu Andao introduced himself: "I am Lu Andao, the official of Kaifeng Prefecture. Under the orders of Chen Dafu, I am investigating an important case in the capital. I would like to meet with Her Royal Highness the Princess, and hope that the noble lady can pass on the information."
The internal officer's attitude was polite and not domineering, but he refused firmly: "Your Highness is in poor health and it is difficult to see guests. Please report to the captain, Mr. Lu!"
Lu Andao originally didn't expect to see the emperor's aunt, so he took advantage of the situation and said, "Then I'll meet Captain Li later."
The internal officer still looked downcast and said: "Captain Li is not in the house and it is difficult to see guests. Everyone, please come back!"
Di Jin said: "No problem, noble sir, where is Captain Li now? Since Her Royal Highness the Princess is ill, as the Prince Consort, he cannot stay away. It's still early, so we can wait!"
The internal officer lowered his eyebrows and could not stand it anymore, and hurriedly bowed: "I'll go and ask, little man."
"whispering sound!"
Lu Andao curled his lips secretly, even he didn't think highly of the prince-in-law, while Di Jin waited patiently.
After waiting for half an hour, there was still no news about the Prince Consort. Instead, a carriage slowly stopped not far away. Di Jin glanced sideways, whispered a few words to Lu Andao, and moved towards that Walk away.
The person driving the car was none other than the slender monk Qian Geer. He came here in a hurry because he had something important to do: "Sir, the idle man we were monitoring was just poisoned and almost died!"
Di Jin's eyes narrowed: "What's going on?"
Brother Qian said: "This man suddenly suffered from abdominal pain this morning. Others thought he had eaten bad food, or the second senior brother found something wrong and forced him to vomit with salt water. He vomited several times and massaged his acupoints. It has relaxed a lot, saved my life, and now I have fallen asleep..."
Di Jin was worried about this kind of thing happening, so he nodded: "You guys did a good job!"
Brother Qian was a little nervous at first. After all, the guard was already half-dead. Now he breathed a sigh of relief, but Di Jin asked again: "How did he get poisoned? Can we prevent it?"
Brother Qian said: "According to what the second senior brother said, the poison was probably administered yesterday, and it only took effect this morning. Fortunately, the poison was not strong, so we were able to save it. The first senior brother and the second senior brother were both guarding the side. They would not Someone can poison me again!”
The second senior brother he called Wu Ming was the only one among the five monks who was proficient in medical science. Di Jin named him "Dao Quan".
The poisons in ancient times did not act quickly, such as the famous Hedinghong, which itself is an impure arsenic. Its toxicity is basically not as strong as arsenic. Seeing blood and sealing the throat is an exaggerated description. Generally speaking, It takes about twelve hours to be poisoned, and the pain will gradually increase throughout the day, which is quite torturous.
Now that the knowledgeable idler has been rescued, and Wu Jing and Dao Quan are guarding him, he is indeed safe.
But just at this moment, Brother Qian said again: "That's right! When this idle guy was rolling on the ground in pain, he shouted a very strange word. It seemed that he was talking about our master's home, but we couldn't understand it no matter how hard we tried. Senior Brother asked me to report to the Young Master!"
"What words?"
"He said... there was never a Sun family, there was never a case of massacre, and everyone was deceived?"
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