There are two types of prisons in Daxing County: black cells and exposed cells. The former is built in a dark and humid underground with extremely harsh conditions. It is generally used to hold death row prisoners and felons to prevent escapes, robberies, etc.; the latter is above ground. , used to detain people who have committed relatively minor crimes, or temporarily detain suspects.
However, the two parties involved in the murder case were so well-connected that they could not even be locked up in open jails. They were 'locked' in two large courtyards respectively. As long as they did not leave the courtyard gate, the government officials would not interfere.
The courtyard where Yang Ji and others live has beautiful scenery and an elegant environment, with pavilions and pavilions everywhere; there is also an artificial lake covering an area of about two acres, surrounded by shady green trees, clumps of bamboos, and blossoming red plums. An octagonal air return hall has been built on the island in the lake. The sound of a string of bells ringing in the wind is particularly clear and sweet in the world of ice and snow.
So when Xiao Ying saw Yang Ji, she was completely confused.
She was very concerned and worried that her husband would be tortured and tortured to extract a confession, so after leaving the palace, she ran to the county government office to visit the prison in a furious and anxious manner. Unexpectedly, she bumped into a slave of the Yuwen family and turned evil. He was so daring that he made trouble and beat up a group of Yuwen family slaves, including Yuwen Shu's mastermind, on the groundless charge of "bullying a royal woman."
Before she met Yang Ji, she had thought of all the bad things, but she had not thought that her husband, instead of being shackles, was living in a garden-like "prison". What was even more speechless was that he was actually in a few days. Under the plum blossom tree in full bloom, you can drink warm wine leisurely.
This scene caused a big impact on Xiao Ying.
She felt that her husband was not in jail, but in the back garden of his home, drinking wine, admiring the snow, and singing about the wind and the moon with his friends.
Yang Ji heard the voices and saw that it was Xiao Ying who was coming with a large group of people under the guidance of Dou Qing. He stood up to meet her and asked curiously: "Why are you here, Madam?"
"Visiting the prison!" Xiao Ying visited the prison for the first time in her life. She originally wanted to ask, 'Are you okay?' 'But seeing his appearance, I couldn't ask this question.
Although Yang Ji's brocade robe was scratched with a shocking gash, Xiao Ying was not worried. First, she heard Liu Rumei say it, and second, she knew that her husband's powerful crossbow and five-stone bow could not shoot through. The 'Crossbow Avoidance Clothing' that ordinary warriors' swords couldn't cut through, so she felt relieved.
But her husband's inquiry made her feel a little aggrieved. After all, she was worried to death outside and even beat up a bunch of people angrily, but Yang Ji, who had killed someone, was able to drink freely in the 'prison'.
I had no idea how worried she was.
Yang Ji smiled and said: "This is actually my villa, and I'm used to living there. I just make my wife worry, and I feel really bad!"
Xiao Ying looked at Yang Ji blankly, and asked in disbelief: "Does the gentleman think this cell is a separate garden?"
"The past is too painful to look back on." Yang Ji smiled awkwardly. When he was playing the role of the Dandy King, he had always been a frequent visitor to the county offices in Daxing and Chang'an counties; sometimes, the 'jails' in the two counties were even his refuge from his mother and aunt. Whenever the two tigresses lost their temper, they would go outside to cause trouble and misbehave, asking the government officials to arrest him and put him in jail. Once he sat down, he would not leave.
Of course, Yang Ji didn't eat and drink for free. Sometimes when the county government encountered difficult cases or people who couldn't be suppressed, he would come out to help solve the cases and help suppress them. Therefore, the former officials and government servants quite welcomed this old man to come and visit.
Xiao Ying thought of her husband's previous behavior and couldn't help but smile. But then she lowered her head anxiously and whispered: "Mr. Lang, I got into big trouble today."
Dou Qing suddenly remembered that in addition to the fine tradition of toughness, the Yang family's daughter-in-law would also find a backer to complain.
But with this awareness, he began to feel bitter in his heart. He was already in trouble. If Yang Ji knew that Xiao Ying was 'bullied' by the slaves of the Yuwen family in Daxing County Yamen, what would it be like?
"It's okay!" Yang Ji comforted Xiao Ying with a smile: "Everything has its own truth. As long as the truth is with us, even if your county government is burned down, my cousin will not make things difficult for you."
Yang Ji patted Dou Qing on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Cousin, do you think so?"
Dou Qing's face was so painful that it was almost watering out. What should he say?
"What trouble did you get into?" Yang Ji asked Xiao Ying again.
Xiao Ying then told the story of the beating in detail, including the encounter with Princess Nanyang. However, there were many outsiders here, and it was difficult to tell the process of the dispute. She just vaguely said that the saint would enforce the law impartially.
Yang Ji listened without saying a word.
He didn't take the matter of beating people to heart. As long as Xiao Ying firmly grasps that "royal women are bullied", the truth is on her side; and those who were beaten were just some domestic slaves, which had little to do with Yu Wenshu himself. At most, it was to make him lose his prestige. In order to give an explanation to the royal family, he might kill a few slaves to show his attitude. So he will definitely suffer the loss of being dumb.
The key is that Xiao Ying, who represents herself, and Princess Nanyang, who represents the Yuwen family, confronted each other in the palace. On the surface, it was a draw. But under the premise that the case was 'clear' and Yuwen Zhiji was a scumbag, the emperor and the empress said that they would enforce the law impartially. 'That's a bit intriguing. Perhaps they also wanted to punish Yuwen Zhiji through legal means, so they used this to send Xiao Ying and Princess Nanyang away. If they originally wanted to 'enforce the law impartially', then it is worthy of attention.
Dou Qing, who was standing next to him, saw Yang Ji's indifferent face and thought that he was going to kill the beasts because he was trying to impress her. He quickly reminded him: "Princess, you already have the upper hand here. Don't try to cause trouble again. That Yuwen He has a high position and power, and his influence is spread inside and outside the court. If you confront him head-on, you will lose more than you gain."
He glanced at Yang Ji cautiously and continued: "The key is, based on all the evidence, the cause of this murder case was that you robbed Yu Wen Zhiji's valuables, but you not only killed an evil slave, but also They made Yuwen Zhiji blind, mute, and a human being. How could Yu Wenshu just let it go?"
Although Yang Ji and Yu Wenshu were both like birds in the eyes of the Guanlong clan, Yang Ji was Dou Qing's old cousin after all. In terms of interests and emotions, he had no reason to help the more hateful Yu Wenshu.
"Even if he wants to give up! I won't agree!" Yang Ji said to Dou Qing with a smile: "Cousin, do you want to know what I robbed?"
"Exactly!" Dou Qing did not deny it.
"Sit down over there." Like a master, Yang Ji led Xiao Ying and Liu Rumei to sit down under the plum tree, and invited Dou Qing to the table.
Yang Ji poured a glass of warm Jiangnan rice wine for Dou Qing and said to him: "The things I grabbed are evidence of Yu Wenshu's serious crimes. Even if he can't be brought down, he can still make him keep his tail between his legs."
Dou Qingxin said as expected, "Actually, this is what Qu Tugai and I expected. Otherwise, Yuwen Zhiji would not have drawn his sword against you, the King of Wei."
Yang Ji took a sip of wine and said, "I'm a brother and I won't remind you. You'd better not ask more about this matter, and don't get involved rashly. It won't do you any good."
Dou Qing smiled bitterly and said, "Do you think it's possible?"
"How is it impossible?" Yang Ji said calmly: "I originally thought that the matter was not big enough to reach the level of the current court interrogation, but the princess happened to break in again. I guess the heat is enough. As long as it rises to the level of the Third Hall When it comes to a joint trial or a public trial, you can stay out of the matter by handing over witnesses and confessions."
"I hope so!" Dou Qing drank the wine in the cup and suddenly sighed: "Vajra slave, Brother Yu really can't be the magistrate of the capital. Not long ago, he wanted to be sent to another place. The officials should put me there." Go to Liangzhou."
Dou Qing was the second son of Dou Rongding and Princess Wan'an, and the younger brother of Dou Kang. He was initially granted the title of Duke of Yongfu. However, due to Dou Kang being dragged down by Yang Liang, he was removed from the civil service and the title of Duke of Chen was inherited by Dou Qing. The reason why he seeks to expand abroad is that on the one hand, the head of Jingxian County, whose rank is comparable to that of the governor of Shangzhou, seems to have unlimited glory, but in fact there are many constraints, and he is walking on thin ice every day and is cautious. If he became the governor of Shanshan, even though he would be demoted, his real power would be much greater.
On the other hand, he saw the great changes in the political direction through the great purge after the rebellion and the relocation of the capital to Luoyang; and the emperor gave him the title of Chen Guogong, which was clearly a gesture of goodwill to him. In the struggle of the Long nobles, if someone plays both sides like his elder brother, he may end up worse than his elder brother. And asking for orders to serve under Yang Ji is actually a silent response to the emperor.
Yang Ji pondered for a long time and asked tentatively: "Is it Shanshan?"
Dou Qing was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said: "It is the governor of Shanshan. The sage has long been prepared to turn Shanshan and Qiemo into two lower states. However, due to the death of the late emperor, Yang Liang's rebellion, and the liquidation of Bingzhou were all top priorities. It's such a big deal, so it's been postponed until today. But why did you hit the nail on the head?"
"Although you are not well-known and have little ability, the fact that you have been the magistrate of Daxing County for nearly three years is proof of your strength." Yang Ji smiled and analyzed: "This is because the magistrate of Beijing is the most difficult official position to hold. , in the end he must resign due to pressure from all parties, or be removed from office for compromising with various powerful people without authorization. The length of previous county magistrates has been more than a month, and the longest one has been less than a year. But you have been forced to do it for nearly First term, this shows that you have excellent coordination skills. And in border states like Shanshan, where racial problems are prominent, what they need most is people who are good at coordinating the forces of all parties. "
The most important thing, Yang Ji didn't say. That is, Yang Jian and Yang Guang hope that the Dou family will be divided into two and three, and Dou Kang and Dou Qing are people of royal blood, so they naturally become the most suitable candidates to support them. Otherwise, how could Dou Kang become the leader of Youzhou? Manager?
It is a pity that Dou Kang did not take a firm stand and make the right choice between Yang Guang and Yang Liang. Yang Guang was disappointed with him, and he did not hope that the person he supported would be a white-eyed wolf, so although he did not find out the truth Yang Liang had solid evidence, but he still took down Dou Kang and replaced him with his second-in-command, Dou Qing.
However, Dou Qing did not have enough presence in the Dou family, and his prestige and status in the court were not high. If he wanted to threaten Dou Wei, military merit was undoubtedly the best and fastest way to establish his authority. As for the target of the war in the Sui Dynasty, Tuyuhun, Shanshan at the turn of the Sui Dynasty not only did not have a governor or a long history, but it was also an important battlefield in the hinterland of Tuyuhun.
This also makes Shanshan a natural choice to install Dou Qing. As long as he can manage Shanshan, which is full of waste and needs to be revitalized in the future, and perform his duties as the logistics commander of the war zone during the war, he will have the political and military achievements to move into the three provinces and six departments. .
Dou Qing raised the wine pot and filled it for both of them. After putting down the wine pot, he said: "Shanshan is a border state under your jurisdiction. If Brother Yu does anything wrong in the future, just deal with it and don't give it to me." face."
"..." Xiao Ying and Liu Rumei were speechless. You were too shameless to take precautions. How could Lang Jun have the nerve to deal with your cousin?
"If you do well, what will I do to you?" Yang Ji said leisurely: "But if you are duplicitous, playing both sides, taking bribes, don't blame me for stabbing you with a knife."
Dou Qing trembled and said with a smile: "How can it be possible?" After a pause, he asked worriedly: "What should Brother Yu pay attention to?"
"Mainly the two important problems are the strategy of the Western Regions and the sinicization of the barbarians." Yang Ji was also idle and said: "Today's world is different from the past. Standing still will only limit your vision to the Sui Dynasty, so We should open the door to foreign lands, conduct trade with other countries, and promote our own development. On the other hand, we must also understand the strengths of other countries. Only in this way can we in the Sui Dynasty "learn from the barbarians and use their skills to control the barbarians" and remain strong forever. There are few things to learn from Beihu, Eastern Goguryeo, and the south, so developing westward is the top priority. The countries in the Western Regions are caught in the middle. Whether they are stable and move towards the Sui Dynasty is directly related to whether we, the Sui Dynasty, can smoothly move towards the Sui Dynasty. Development further west.”
"For the countries in the Western Regions, it is easy to conquer by force, but the difficulty lies in governance. The difficulty lies in how to make the countries in the Western Regions identify with the Sui Dynasty in their hearts. Therefore, we must first use business methods to let the gorgeous Central Plains products lose the attention of the top leaders of each country. eyes, making them relax their vigilance, and willingly accept and praise Sinology. If the top leaders of various countries promote scholarship in their countries, the progress of Sinicization will be far faster than our forced promotion. What's more important is that there are Western Turks who are villains in the Western Regions. They The more vicious the countries in the Western Regions are, the more they reflect the innocence and kindness of the Sui Dynasty."
Speaking of this, Yang Ji pointed out the value of Shanshan and other border states: "Tingzhou, Yizhou, Xizhou, Shanshan, and Qiemo, which bordered the countries in the Western Regions, were the places where the Sui Dynasty and the Western Regions traded with each other and moved toward the West. The bridgehead is also an important window for the Hu people in the Western Regions to understand the Sui Dynasty. Whether these five states are stable and prosperous directly affects the Hu people's impression of the Sui Dynasty. After you arrive in Shanshan, the focus is to restore people's livelihood and organize education , enroll the children of Shanshan into various schools to learn Chinese and Sinology, so that this generation will regard themselves as Sui people and be proud of Sui people from the bottom of their souls."
When Dou Qing heard this, he felt confident. He took a long breath and said with a wry smile: "I understand, this Shanshan governor has a heavy responsibility, but he is not an easy one."
Yang Ji said, "The responsibilities are heavy, and the rewards are also big. Moreover, the army not only coaxed away all the opposition forces, but also sat at Dangjin Mountain Pass. With the backing of these strong troops, it is enough for you to govern the place and divide the counties without any distractions." Countryside.”
"Indeed." Dou Qing nodded silently.
The development of the Sui Dynasty to the west is an inevitable trend. If the Western Region is uneven, Liangzhou will be unstable. The Sui Empire cannot sit back and watch the Turks control this key node of the Western Region. If it manages Shanshan, which is in need of development, and the people are prosperous, it will He was a great contributor to the strategy of the Western Regions; on the contrary, if he made the people of Shanshan turbulent, hated the Sui Dynasty, and became hostile to the government, and damaged the image of the Sui Dynasty in the minds of the border people and the Hu people in the Western Regions, it would be an even greater crime.
After thinking for a while, he asked again: "What should you do now?"
"wait!"
"not going home?"
"I won't go back! I won't let others take advantage of me."
Yang Ji ignored Dou Qing and said to Xiao Ying, "Madam, don't take beatings to heart. It's a trivial matter."
"..." When Dou Qing heard this, he felt speechless. Aren't you encouraging your wife's arrogance?
If she becomes like her aunt, you will cry.
"I was worried about how to send this letter out. You came at the right time." Yang Ji took out a letter he had already written and handed it to Xiao Ying: "You and Rumei will go home now, and then send this letter to Xiao Ying." Give the letter to Song Zhengben and Hao Yuan and ask them to go to Yibang Military Camp to meet Wang Shichong and other prison officers on my behalf. As for what to do and how to do it, the letter has already been written."
Xiao Ying took the letter and asked softly: "Mr. Lang, do you want them to go tonight?"
"Yes!" Yang Ji nodded: "Wang Shichong and others are the key figures in this case. The sooner we find them, the better."
"I understand!" Xiao Ying responded obediently, and then stood up with Liu Rumei to say goodbye: "Without further delay, my sister and I will say goodbye first."
Seeing this, Dou Qing fell completely silent at this moment.
He finally understood a truth: as long as he meets the man he loves, no matter how fierce a woman is, the iceberg will turn into a gentle spring.
Look at Xiao Ying, who is noble, cold, cruel and domineering. This is the best example. Ever since she saw Yang Ji, she had lowered her eyebrows and looked gentle, showing off her gentle little girl attitude. How could she be a little bit colder or a little bit fierce outside?
If outsiders saw it, they would definitely be stunned.
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