In the early morning in Beijing, two figures walked through the alley. In the past few days, when night and day intersected, they could always be seen in this neighborhood in the West City. The two people came out of Shuangnian Street and walked south along Andingmen Street. Then turn west and cross Dongjiangmi Lane to reach Jinyiwei southwest of Chengtianmen.
Mao Chinese language is here.
"...What does it mean to be crazy?"
The two figures in front of the table knelt quietly and said slowly: "This Zou Cheng probably thought that many people wanted to kill him and silenced him. His Majesty also sent Zhao Shilang to Yangzhou Mansion, and Gu Shilang's case was even more unexamined, so in his heart He gradually became more and more panicked, and he seemed to be really scared. So it seemed... he was scared to death."
"How do you see that he is a little stupid?"
Another person reported, "He hasn't had a good sleep for several nights. He is basically quiet for an hour or two and then screams all night long, imitating a dog and a chicken. He can bark for a long time, and he will also scare the old man." As a young girl, pick her up and have a wild kiss."
Mao Yuwen crossed his arms and bit his thumb, lost in some thought.
I thought to myself: Are you pretending to be crazy?
Nowadays, there are indeed people who want to kill him, but Jin Yiwei has already considered it. It is not easy for anyone to do it without leaving traces.
】
Of course Zou Cheng himself didn't know this.
"I understand. You all should go down and rest."
"Yes, my subordinates are resigning!"
The Xiyuan where Zou Cheng lives is constantly being watched day and night.
These two are the ones responsible for tracking at night.
Mao Yuwen did not dare to delay. As soon as the palace door opened in the morning, he went to Qianqing Palace to hand over the note.
But the emperor went to court in the morning and did not see him until noon.
In fact, Zhu Houzhao is now absent from court every now and then. It's just an unfortunate coincidence that Mao Yuwen happened to run into him today, so there's nothing we can do about it.
After meeting the emperor in Qianqing Palace,
Mao Yuwen reported the situation in detail.
Zhu Houzhao sneered, "It's an old trick. I haven't done anything to him. He is doing a good job as a salt transporter between the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River. Even though he is a little worried, why is he so scared that he is crazy? He is a liar. By the way, Everyone who comes out of the West Garden is fine, but what about those who go in?"
"The minister who came in was also watched, and there was nothing else. It's just that he has become manic recently, and he has to listen to girls talking about music in order to calm down, so prostitutes keep coming in and out. Roughly speaking, there are more than twenty There are two. Wei Chen thought that someone wanted to send a message, so he made a secret. If there are too many people, it will be difficult for us to find out which one has the problem. "
Zhu Houzhao nodded, "It's a smart way to fish in troubled waters. However, he suddenly pretended to be crazy and acted like a fool, which actually shows that he really wants to live. It depends on whether some people agree or not, so someone might take risks, so you have to take precautions in advance."
"yes!"
The main trick of pretending to be crazy and acting stupid has been used by too many predecessors, including Sun Bin in the Spring and Autumn Period, Xuanzong Li Chen of the Tang Dynasty, but there is another one in front of him, the famous Taizong Emperor Zhu Di!
So the people behind Zou Cheng didn't agree.
No one in the palace would believe it either.
In the West Garden,
Someone had indeed sneaked in, and in order to cover up others' ears, they deliberately played elegant music to cover up the sounds of each other's conversations.
And she is indeed a woman who looks very promiscuous.
"What Mr. Xu means is that the palace has clearly focused on Yan Ke. Today's emperor is not a weak person. No matter what, it is impossible to save Zou Zhi's life."
A prostitute's face was calm when she said such words. Zou Cheng was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but the woman opposite didn't even spend a lick of rouge.
"So? Does Mr. Xu want you to kill me?"
The woman shook her head,
"The Marquis is nostalgic for the past. He has never thought of killing Zou Shi. Moreover, today's emperor is extremely smart, and many people have become extremely cautious in their actions. If Zou Shi dies at home, the court will definitely use this as an excuse to expose the scandal again. , After all, Zou Shi is also a third-rank official of the imperial court. Wouldn't it be unwise for a small matter to turn into a big deal at that time? So it is better for Zou Shi to settle it himself. Mr. Xu guarantees that he will take good care of your family. "
Zou Cheng clenched his fists tightly.
Half a month ago, Mr. Xu still told him not to move around, so as not to alert others.
Half a month later, I didn't expect that he couldn't hold his breath first, and he already had the idea of 'letting himself die'!
Your Majesty, Your Majesty, your method of beating people has brought out the evil in people's hearts!
"I haven't... I haven't asked the girl for her name yet."
"It's just a cheap name, it's not worth mentioning."
"No, the girl wants Zou's life with just one word. She should know clearly and die in peace. Otherwise, if she wants to repay her kindness in the next life, she won't know who to turn to."
The woman opposite her eyebrows narrowed, and after a slight pause she said, "The little girl's name is Guan Ning."
"How can Miss Guan prove that she is Mr. Xu's person? How can Zou believe that what you said is Mr. Xu's original intention?"
These questions are quite common.
Since it is an ordinary question, you must be prepared before coming.
Guan Ning took out a letter from her sleeve, held it between her slender fingers and handed it to Zou Cheng.
"You should be very familiar with Mr. Xu's handwriting."
In fact, Zou Cheng just said that, where did he want to see it? He wished he didn't have this thing so that he could use it as an excuse to get away!
In the current situation, everything this woman said was within logic. If he were the Marquis, he would have already started planning to kill someone.
But after all, people are not very rational creatures. It is normal to think clearly but not be able to accept it.
When there was such a letter, Zou Cheng took it and read it very seriously, because only black and white words on paper could break his last illusion.
It says: I also know your grievances, but nothing can be done until you die. After your death, your wife and children will be taken care of by me, so don’t worry about it.
Zou Cheng didn't get angry because he was in front of outsiders, but in fact, he was already furious in his heart!
All the crows in the world are as black as black! Not a single good thing!
All of them are high-sounding, but they are just seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages!
It’s a beautiful idea to think that dead Taoist friends are not dead to poor Taoists!
"Zou Shi." Guan Ning moved the candle to the center of the table.
That means, this letter is over after you read it, but you cannot keep it, so you must burn it.
The flames rose and went out in Zou Cheng's eyes. He frowned and asked unwillingly, "It was the Chief of Ceremonies who announced my intention to enter the palace. Your Majesty has not said anything to me so far." . It is not even clear whether His Majesty’s original intention was to let me enter the palace, and there was no sign in the court that His Majesty wanted to investigate the salt class. Furthermore, I have not yet met Your Majesty when I entered the capital. It can be said that nothing is certain. Yes, under such circumstances, does Mr. Xu still want me to die?!"
Guan Ning looked at him calmly, "Shi Zou, do you really know what kind of king your Majesty is?"
"Girl, you know that people in the world know it well?"
There was something offensive about this. However, Guan Ning was probably used to it, and he probably felt that the person opposite him was almost dead. In short, he was neither angry nor resentful, looking like he didn't care, and just thought about himself.
"Your Majesty is well versed in the art of strategizing and controlling people. He never does anything meaningless, and whenever he does it, it must be a clever plan. It's not that Mr. Xu has never thought of rescuing you. After all, Mr. Hou and Zou We have known each other for many years. If we don’t trust Zou, how could the position of Salt Envoy of Huaihe River fall to the Marquis?"
"But the little girl has said before that in today's world, everyone is becoming more cautious, and you must not do anything to scare the snake. So... this is also a helpless move."
"Then I want to see Mr. Hou."
Guan Ning flatly refused, "No one will see you at this pass."
"You just go and report it to the Marquis! Besides, if you really understand the emperor today, you will know what he is targeting. If there is no result, even a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood will be useless. Zou is a third-rank official in the imperial court. Member, went to the capital to wait for the emperor's summons, but ended up killing himself, wouldn't this make your majesty want to find out the reason?"
"What you call everything will be fine if I die is just a foolish move in panic. Or maybe you are just taking one step at a time and exchanging my life for some pitiful hope!"
Zou Cheng's eyes were red at this time, and his fists were pounding the table hard!
"Then Zou Zhi thinks there is any good solution?"
Zou Cheng immediately said: "In our Ming Dynasty, the emperor and his ministers share the world. Weren't those salt quotations given by Xiaomiao at the beginning? Your Majesty now wants to check the salt class, but if there are too many ministers involved, the emperor will also There will be some concerns. In the past dynasties, no emperor has ever used thunderous means just for a few taels of silver."
"So if Mr. Xu is really worried, he can tell His Majesty the truth. In the end, it will just be a few words of reprimand. With Mr. Hou taking the lead, we people will also turn the death penalty into a living crime, and the serious crime into a plea of guilty, and this will be over. ? But if I die, Your Majesty will feel that there must be something big involved, and which event in the world can withstand investigation?!"
After all, if the emperor does not deal with his ministers carefully, then it will be difficult for others to deal with them. Otherwise, wouldn't it mean that 'the palace and the palace are not integrated'? Even if a bowl of water is not level, many civil servants will have to say something.
The emperor is a wise man, so naturally he would not do such a mindless thing.
I just want the Marquis to confess to the Emperor himself...
This is obviously not an easy task.
This is equivalent to asking others to stand up for you. Who would be willing?
So Guan Ning kept silent, knowing in her heart that no matter how much she said, it would be of no use. Basically, he only stayed for a while and then left, leaving Zou Cheng alone in the room.
I no longer know the passage of time in the West Garden,
It’s also afternoon time,
Suddenly there was a crackling sound in the room, and then Zou Cheng roared: "Ah!
"
Worried about something, the servant looked in through the crack in the door and found that the table had been overturned by the master.
Zou Cheng felt humiliated in his heart.
He was once one of the few people to win the Jinshi, the pride of the Zou clan. The imperial examination can change a person's destiny, but how many people can really touch this point?
He did it, he won the Jinshi!
He still remembers the ecstasy when the results were released, and the glory when he returned home!
After all, he is a scholar!
But as a scholar, his ultimate fate was decided by a few words spoken by a prostitute.
This ending is extremely tragic, extremely absurd and extremely ridiculous.
From then on, he became more and more crazy, and became more and more crazy day by day. One day, he was crawling on the ground and barking at his own dog, as if he was trying to show off.
As a result, not only the people in the West Garden were frightened, but the dogs were also frightened!
So there was no dog guarding the door at night, and those people in the shadows finally reached out to the West Garden...
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One more chapter.
