"Are you thinking the same as me?"
Li Ding, who was helping with the mud, brought a jar of mud mixed with straw. After putting it down, he looked at Zhang Xing and asked.
"Where is it?" Zhang Xing, who was about to apply mud with a tile knife and bricks, asked in confusion. Then he suddenly saw Yueniang coming with a basket of eggs, and asked Yueniang again. "What are you doing with the eggs?"
"It's very strong when hit in the mud..." Yueniang said confidently.
"Take it back...it's not like building a city wall." Zhang Xing was speechless, holding the masonry knife. "After the bricks are built, do you want me to ask Fourth Master Li to poke it with an awl? If he pushes it in, he will kill me. If he can't push it in, he will be killed? If you have the skills, you can stew some egg custard for us."
Yueniang curled her lips and could only go back to the kitchen with the eggs.
"I don't know who I learned it from, it's a waste of time." Zhang Xing complained as he started to formally build the wall. "Since we are hiding gold, it must be simple and tattered. Who can show us such a hard chicken coop?"
"I guess I thought about it." Li Ding looked back at the kitchen. "The little girl is very studious. The books and pens and paper you bought for her were not wasted. She came to me to ask me about my words last time."
Zhang Xing shook his head, but then he remembered the topic at the beginning: "What did you just say? What do you think the same thing about?"
"Ma Du Gong's case." Li Ding said seriously. "The case itself is not worth mentioning. It doesn't matter if you kill a spy for love or revenge, but I am afraid that Ma Dugong is a confidant of the saint's old residence. This incident has diverted the saint's attention to Dongyi..."
"Three expeditions against Dongyi?" Zhang Xing sighed. "Is this saint so desperate for his face?"
"This matter must be made by the saint, but it is definitely not his alone." Li Ding hesitated. "From the perspective of the Ministry of War, the army actually maintains a certain degree of enthusiasm for the conquest of Dongyi, and they all think that it is a crime other than war. And there are many people among the officials below Nanya who think that the conquest of Dongyi is right... It’s me, and I think there’s nothing wrong with conquering Dongyi.”
"Of course it's okay to conquer Dongyi, it's even necessary." Zhang Xing thought for a moment, knocked a brick in half, and simply answered. "The world is so big, and there is absolutely no reason to abandon disunity in just a small corner of the country. Anyone with a little bit of ambition and ideas will agree to conquer Dongyi... The only problem is that after losing twice in three years, should we Are you so anxious? And how did you lose the first two times? Have you learned your lesson? If you lose in a daze the third time, you won't dare to conquer next time, right?"
"You must not be in a hurry...but it doesn't matter what we say." Li Ding looked at the other party and asked, the dark circles under his eyes were particularly obvious in the sun. "As for the lesson, what do you think it is?"
"The failure of the first expedition was obviously because our saint was overjoyed, but he was not the only one. He went too far... I have seen Lai Zhan'er Lai Gong. He is not incompetent, but he is actually as good as the saint. Just because you believed the Dongyi people's false surrender, you lost your master and humiliated your country." Zhang Xing kept building walls and talking. "The second time I personally participated, I thought the most... Firstly, the Dongyi people have become more powerful and dare to fight; secondly, internal worries have emerged, the clans only serve their own purposes, the local powerful are ungrateful, and the people are taxed heavily. , this made Yang Shen misjudge and start a rebellion, so if you are not at ease inside, how can you fight against the outside? Three things... God's will is unpredictable!"
"I understand the first two...what is the unpredictable nature of God's will?"
"Let me ask you, are the customs and customs in the Northern Wilderness more different from those in the Central Plains, or are the customs and customs in Dongyi more different from those in the Central Plains?" Zhang Xing, who was busy laying bricks, suddenly asked an irrelevant question.
"Beihuang." Li Ding hesitated for a moment, but still gave a sincere answer.
This is the truth.
Not to mention Li Ding, even Zhang Xing, a fake Northern Wilderness, knew after reading a few books that the counties in Northern Wilderness existed in name only. In fact, they implemented the demon guard system and the hereditary system of military nobility, which was a bit It was like the transition from tribe to military feudalism, and then mixed with the struggle between theocracy and imperial power at the same time. Anyway, it made a mess, and there would be some troubles from time to time, and it was extremely different from the folk customs system of the Central Plains.
In stark contrast, Dongyi. Due to its geographical location and the development of navigation technology, people have been going there from the East, Jianghuai, and Jiangdong for thousands of years since the death of the protagonist in "The Legend of Li Yue". They fled and migrated, and exchanges continued. Therefore, the customs, race, and culture there were almost the same as those in the Central Plains.
As for the political systems, although they are very different, it is actually because the Dongyi people adopted some old systems from the south when the north and south were in conflict, plus a little of their own political traditions.
"It is indeed Beihuang." Zhang Xing continued to ask without raising his head. "But why do everyone think that no matter how poor or backward Beihuang is, they are still members of their own family. And although Beihuang has always been against the Central Government, they are always willing to recognize themselves as part of the Central Plains Dynasty on major festivals? On the contrary, it is Dongyi is stubborn and has always been hostile to the Wei Dynasty, so much so that they even went to war with each other?"
"Of course it's because no matter how backward the customs of the Northern Wilderness are, that's where the Black Emperor was born and started, and no matter how close the Dongyi are, that's the west of the city, one of the remaining divisions of the Monster Clan, and a place that the Central Plains Dynasty of the Human Race has never experienced." Li Ding was silent for a long time before giving this answer. At the same time, he also understood what Zhang Xing meant, so his words became more cautious. "You want to say that this matter is related to the unification of the world, and Dongyi's climb up is the remnant of the demon clan, which is likely to involve several supremes, so the true dragon gods, and even the supremes themselves will take action to interfere with the survival of Dongyi? What on earth did you see that day? Could it be that a real dragon god dared to go to the battlefield to kill mortals in person?"
"I didn't see it with my own eyes... but I saw that during the retreat, the two monarchs seemed to be fighting directly." Zhang Xingyi said. "So, the True Dragon Immortal can't touch mortals directly?"
"It's not that you can't touch it, but if you touch it, you'll basically be skinned and cramped by the Black Emperor and the White Emperor." Li Ding breathed a sigh of relief. "I believe that based on the lessons learned from the past, even the true dragon that protects the country will not directly interfere in the battle. At most, it will raise the water, cause an earthquake, etc. according to its own ability. Even so, I estimate that there will be a huge price. ’s... As for the supreme level, to put it bluntly, the Red Emperor Empress failed to protect Dong Chu, so why can she protect Dong Sheng? The Qing Emperor and the Red Emperor Empress have some ideas and gestures, don’t they? Black Emperor and White Emperor? What’s more, above the Supreme, there is still a vague will of God that cannot be violated."
Zhang Xing seemed to feel that something was wrong, but after thinking about it, the logic seemed to be smooth, so he nodded again: "That makes sense... In fact, I discussed some things with Sima Zheng the night before yesterday, and we both felt that it was man-made and not God's will. Absolute man, otherwise it would not be called God’s will.”
"That's the truth." Li Ding nodded. "However, what you said may not be wrong. It's just that the place where it is reflected may not be on the battlefield, but somewhere else..."
"Are you talking about the attitude of the Supremes towards Wei?" Zhang Xing came to his senses.
"I've been thinking, why do the princes oppose His Majesty's construction of the big golden pillar?" Li Ding said sincerely. "I'm afraid this matter of fixing the center of heaven and earth is a bit overstepped... The four supreme beings check and balance each other, but what about this matter?"
"I don't think the supreme beings are so stingy... It's more like the princes know in their hearts that a certain saint in a certain court has insufficient virtue and cannot stand up as the center of heaven and earth. On the contrary, some people are used to being self-centered. Although they understand in their hearts But they didn't want to believe what the gentlemen meant, and they had to work hard to prove it." Zhang Xing finally put down his masonry knife and sneered. "Tell me, if this is really the case, if the Great Golden Pillar or the Tower of Babel rises and collapses again and again, no matter how the wind blows, it won't stand up anyway, then the people of the world will be wiped out."
"The tower is formed according to the situation, and the tower is formed according to the situation. Some things are complementary to each other." Li Ding thought thoughtfully. "So, it is not easy to say whether it is the failure of people's hearts and the loss of momentum that leads to the tower's inability to stand, or the failure of the tower to stand and the people's hearts are scattered."
Zhang Xing nodded perfunctorily and went straight to sawing the wood, with no intention of in-depth debate.
In fact, this is his and Li Ding's daily life. When the two of them are together, nine times out of ten, they are having sex. From the Supreme to the Saint, no one can escape the two of them's complaints, but the person's oral pleasure is basically based on guessing. , not many reliable ones.
"I see."
Zhang Xing had just sawed off a piece of wood with the help of the other party, but he suddenly woke up, then raised his head and stared at the person in front of him.
"What?" Li Ding, who was still pressing the wooden board, was surprised for a moment.
"I understand why I care about these things but not at the same time." Zhang Xing suddenly understood. "Actually, the matter itself is just a trivial matter, but I can't stand it. That saint is a master who can turn any trivial matter into a big one. However, Da Wei is a strong man but a capable person who knows the new but is old. He can't stand the trouble of big things..."
"That's it." Li Ding also smiled. "Ma Dugong's case involves Dongyi, and then there may be three conquests of Dongyi; the imperial examination is essentially a matter of the elites' arbitrary decisions on talents, and then it may be a recurrence of Yang Shen's old story; as for the dispute between Nanya and His Majesty , this is an ongoing major event. Once the golden pillar is to be repaired, it will inevitably consume a lot of manpower and material resources, shaking the country's foundation... Actually, for me, you have been promoted and have become the actual dispatcher of Fulongwei. The powers and responsibilities have become bigger and closer to the inner circle, so I am a little timid about ordinary things, for fear that an accidental incident will spread from me, and I will bear the consequences in vain."
"It's simply ridiculous." Zhang Xing shook his head repeatedly. "If the matter I dealt with eventually turned into a major event, it would have been the result of the saint's own actions. I did my own thing, could it be wrong? Why should I be worried? In the world of Wei, he himself Even if you don’t worry, why should I worry?”
Li Ding also shook his head, feeling ridiculous: "Just figure out what's going on. The cause and effect of the matter is really not with you."
"So, how will Ma Du Gong's case be solved?" Zhang Xing began to hastily build the roof of the chicken coop. "Does Li Silang have an explanation?"
"You escaped so neatly, there must be support." Li Ding thought for a moment and handed over the hammer. "But Dongdu is so big, even if there is a support, it is difficult to find..."
"Speaking of escorts, how did she, a concubine favored by the governor, get the information about the escort?" Zhang Xing began to nail it. "So, there must be a contact channel, or there must be some accident or emergency that made her aware of the existence of the target... It was just that it was earlier and was ignored by the investigators."
"Or maybe someone didn't think much about it when they helped deliver the news. As a result, when Ma Duong died, he knew that something big was going on, but he didn't dare to speak." Li Ding added a little.
"We still have to go to Ma Du Gong's house to interrogate the close people who have always surrounded this concubine's room." Zhang Xing raised the hammer high and wanted to make the final decision, but he happened to see Yueniang coming out with two large bowls of egg custard, but she simply I threw away the hammer, went straight to wash my hands, and came over to eat some soup. owl
"Don't you old criminals know this truth?" Zhang Xing picked up the spoon and scooped out a spoonful of egg custard, but then he felt something was wrong.
"I know, I know, but first of all, the matter was too urgent and the escape was too quick. I should have looked for the person first and then came back for trial if he couldn't find him. Secondly, what kind of status is Ma Du Gong? He is a smart person and How can you be willing to get involved in trouble? How can you not be afraid of asking for unnecessary secrets?" Li Ding laughed again and again. "Do you think everyone is as fearless as your house patrol? Even you, before you figured it out just now, weren't you looking forward and backward."
Zhang Xing finally nodded and put down the egg custard.
"What's wrong? Isn't it delicious?" Yueniang asked seriously.
"No," Zhang Xing gestured to the chicken coop in the distance. "It's a bit small. There is too much gold, so I'm afraid it will be too stuffed and exposed... But our yard is so big, it's not suitable to raise too many chickens."
Yueniang also became uneasy.
"Forget it." Zhang Xingfu picked up the bowl again. "Eat quickly. After you finish eating, go and hand over the case first, and then think of something else."
Just like that, without further ado, let’s just say that that evening, Zhang Xing waited for about an hour in Ma Du Gong’s luxurious mansion and finally got an accurate reply: “Bei City Silk and Satin Shop?”
"Yes." Qin Bao responded solemnly. "We interrogated each other one by one, and the time was delayed until March. One of the maids said that around the end of the year, the Dongyi woman went to visit the Bei City. After returning, a guard suddenly received a reward of five taels of silver. Then I found the guard. The guard said that he just helped deliver the silk he bought that day. After delivering it, he received five taels of silver for no reason. He said that he liked the silk from this company and wanted to buy the silk from this company in the future. Send it directly to her villa. After asking other people, I found out that from then on, this Dongyi lady often bought silks and satins from this company, and bought a lot of them... This is the most obvious and repeated internal and external communication in recent times. matter."
"Detain the silk shop owner immediately." Zhang Xing crossed over to Bai Yousi, who was holding a long sword, and turned back without hesitation to look at the Fulong Guards behind him. "Investigate clearly."
Several Fulong Guards glanced at Bai Yousi and left in a hurry.
Immediately, Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi continued to wait at Ma Du Gong's house, but they waited until late at night, but only waited for a piece of bad news - the merchant who was taken out of bed and sent here was a native of Dongdu and had a clean financial background. , the origin of the silk and satin is from the southwest rather than Dongyi, and there is not a single Dongyi person in the whole store, and the store owner claims not to know anything.
Things came to a standstill again. Under two months, everyone just came together to see Deputy Inspector Zhang.
Zhang Xing thought for a long time and suddenly realized: "Go and check the driver or delivery person! Ask the maid, guard, and store owner, is the delivery vehicle your own vehicle or is it hired by a horse and carriage company in Bei City? Is it a specific driver? Come to see her off? Is there any chance to meet that Dongyi woman?"
Everyone was suddenly enlightened and immediately turned around to do it. But this time, only a moment later, the news was confirmed.
"The driver from Dunhuafang has an accent from the East. He claims to be from Dengzhou. His actual place of origin is unknown. He has worked in Tai'an Vehicle Company for three years. He usually pulls goods in Bei City. Starting after the Chinese New Year this year, he specializes in delivering delicate goods such as silk. Eighty percent of the silk that this silk shop delivers to Ma Du Gong's house is delivered by him, and the guards, upon receiving orders, always ask this person to carry the silk directly to the backyard without any delay or obstruction." Qin Bao came to report again. "I used a Dengzhou accent with the silk shop owner, and he said it didn't seem to be the same... This is his home address in Dunhuafang."
With that said, Qin Bao handed over a piece of paper.
Zhang Xing took it and turned to look at Bai Yousi.
Bai Yousi was silent for a moment and did not take the paper. Instead, he looked up at the moonlight and ordered without hesitation: "Go and arrest people! I'll go first, and Zhang Xing will arrange the follow-up."
After saying that, he jumped up and disappeared into the night sky.
Of course Zhang Xing had nothing to say, and immediately dispatched people to pick up Bai Yousi, clean up the place along the way, and sit in for witnesses to testify.
And at daybreak, the so-called Dongyi noble girl was captured and brought to justice, and she confessed that she was dissatisfied with being a concubine to the eunuch. After accidentally meeting a fellow villager, she even thought of killing someone, hiding and running away to return home. , and carried it out in a poisonous way, but he didn't want to be easily arrested.
So far, the case was quickly closed within three days of the incident.
The next morning, the saint happened to know the news about Ma Du Gong from the eldest princess, and came to inquire about it personally. While feeling emotional, he quickly executed the two Dongyi suspects in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, and did not start the story again like someone was worrying unfoundedly. Dongyi.
It is said that the only superfluous action the saint took at that time was to scold Duke Gao, thinking that it was unkind for him to spread false rumors about his colleagues.
It can only be said that after this case, Bai Yousi and Zhang Xing established themselves in the willow forest of Xiyuan. On the contrary, Gao Dugong got carried away and suffered nothing.
However, as time goes by, the development of things is always unexpected.
"How to say?"
Three days later, only three days later, summer had not yet arrived. Zhang Xingbian, who was building a fish pond at home, received another public visit from Bai Yousi.
"Didn't His Majesty want to build the central golden pillar before?" Bai Yousi answered expressionlessly. "My father officially entered the palace to meet the Holy Spirit today and wrote a letter to express his views. He said that the Babel Tower is extremely critical and the Ministry of Industry can only do so much, so it is not appropriate to start a new major project..."
"Isn't this expected? It's been a lot of trouble." Zhang Xing responded calmly. "Then what? Your Majesty is angry?"
"Your Majesty is not angry, but extremely dissatisfied." Bai Yousi remained expressionless. "Then at this moment, Governor Gao Jiang of the Bei Yamen suddenly stood up and asked the Bei Yamen Engineering Department to supervise the construction of the central golden pillar... His Majesty was very happy and said that Governor Gao was loyal, so he might as well let the Bei Yamen Let’s start with preparations and come up with a strategy to try out... Zhongcheng has just entered Ziwei Palace, let’s see if he can stop the saint.”
Zhang Xing hesitated to speak, but he had nothing to say, so he calmly lowered his head to build a fish pond.
PS: Thanks to the new leader, I’m so grateful... I’m so grateful! good afternoon.
