The mountains are green and the water is sparkling.
The oars stirred up water, and ripples spread outward, like a shy girl hiding in the reeds and never coming out.
Liang Jiajun looked at Gu Zhengchen, who was chatting and laughing with Inspector Ling, and for the first time he began to look squarely at this young man.
I thought he was just an opportunistic, ingratiating and inexperienced person, but now it turns out that his father Liang Heng is very impressed with him and praises him repeatedly. It’s not without reason. He not only has strategies, but also has the terrifying ability to turn strategies into actions!
He not only plans things, but also plans people.
He is plotting!
Liang Jiajun stepped forward and nodded slightly to Gu Zhengchen, who was smiling harmlessly.
Gu Zhengchen introduced Ling Yan: "Inspector Ling, this is Liang Jiajun, who is going to Beijing to serve as a doctoral assistant in Guozixue."
"Disrespect, disrespect."
Ling Yan quickly handed over his hand.
Liang Jiajun returned the courtesy and was very satisfied with Gu Zhengchen's introduction.
In officialdom, connections are extremely important.
Although inspection is just an inconspicuous existence, it may be of great help in some critical situations. Network is like a spider web, no one knows who is connected to the other end of the line.
In any case, there is nothing wrong with making more friends and fewer enemies.
Ling Yan pulled Gu Zhengchen to the bow of the ship, took out some broken silver from his arms and handed it over: "Brother Gu, please accept these as Ling's wishes."
Gu Zhengchen declined and said seriously: "Brother Ling, the emperor is strict in dealing with corruption and it is known throughout the whole court. Don't try to put me in a desperate situation."
"this……"
Ling Yan hesitated.
Gu Zhengchen looked at the reeds in the distance and said solemnly: "You can't stay here anymore. You should leave as soon as possible."
Ling Yan put away the money and said, "I will take people back to Taizhuang right now."
Gu Zhengchen turned around and stared at Ling Yan with a pair of bright eyes: "You can't go back to Taizhuang, you must go to Suqian."
"ah?"
Ling Yan was a little surprised.
The Taizhuang Canal Inspection Department belongs to Yi County, Jining Prefecture, Shandong Province, but this is Luoma Lake, which belongs to Suqian, Huai'an Prefecture. I arrested people across the border and took them back secretly. When I reported the incident, I mentioned the location of the crime and the matter was done.
Even if the court knew about it afterwards, it would not be held accountable. The emperor once issued a decree to the inspection department of the world: "If there are strong thieves and deserters who gather to rob, and those who can be captured to eliminate the harm to the people, they will be promoted." After all, the thieves on the canal will run away, and we cannot just watch it. Let them run away without pursuing them.
If this is the case, wouldn't it be a crime of "beggar-thy-neighbor"? The Huai'an government was furious and said that the Shandong brothers were not loyal and did not actively fight against the enemy, so they all drove us away...
But if it was done blatantly, and the people in Huai'an Prefecture knew that Shandong patrols crossed the border to arrest people, and it had achieved great success, then what would Huai'an Prefecture think, and what would Suqian County think?
Your inspections in Shandong are very good. You came to our place to kill the thieves and made meritorious service. With you setting us off, we have become people with nothing but nothing but nothing left to eat?
While the imperial court is rewarding you, will it send a few angels to Huai'an and Suqian to rectify it and hang a few heads to encourage people's hearts?
Ling Yan was not a rough person. As the cousin of Supervisory Yu Shi Ling Shuo, he could still see this point clearly.
Gu Zhengchen understood Ling Yan's worries and said, "Brother Ling, sooner or later what happened on the ship will spread, and Suqian and Huai'an Mansion will definitely know about it."
"Wouldn't that be trouble?"
Ling Yan's face looked grim and worried.
Gu Zhengchen pointed to the street and said softly: "What if the Suqian Inspection Department took the initiative to invite the Taizhuang Inspection Department to join forces to exterminate the horse thieves on the canal?"
Ling Shuo frowned: "You mean, give the credit to Suqian?"
Just these fourteen horse thieves are not enough for my brothers. If I give them to Suqian, wouldn't my work be in vain?
Gu Zhengchen rolled his eyes: "Brother Ling, who are these people you arrested?"
"Horse thieves."
"Where's the horse?"
"What horse - uh..."
Ling Yan's eyes widened, how could I have forgotten this?
They are horse thieves, not water thieves.
What are horse thieves? They are horse thieves who rob things on the water. Instead of living on the water, they use horses to quickly escape with their things and use low hills to escape. It is difficult for officers and soldiers to pursue them.
Gu Zhengchen smiled: "These credits belong to you, and the other credits should be given to Su Qian. This way, it will be beneficial to everyone."
Ling Yan took a step back in admiration and held his hands solemnly: "Brother Gu is as honest as a mirror and has a well-thought-out strategy. He will definitely be able to get into the palace one day. Congratulations in advance from Ling!"
Gu Zhengchen smiled lightly.
Ling Yan acted quickly. After interrogating the person and hiding the horse, he personally led two archers to Suqian by boat and persuaded the magistrate of Suqian. The magistrate of Suqian mobilized officials and more than fifty patrol archers. The people suddenly surrounded the bandits' stronghold. After a melee, they captured twenty bandits and four out of thirty horses.
The county magistrate of Suqian was very excited and praised Ling's inspection for his "righteousness".
The ship finally arrived in Suqian.
Ling Yan looked at Gu Zhengchen who was coming ashore and stepped forward with a smile. He even kicked the archer. He didn't have enough eyesight to help carry things.
Gu Zhengchen knew that the matter was done as soon as he saw Ling Yan's expression. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone who got off the boat was grateful to Inspector Ling and Gu Zhengchen and saluted and thanked them one after another.
Seeing that there was no one around, Ling Yan whispered: "If Brother Gu encounters trouble that cannot be solved in the capital, you can find my cousin. His name is Ling, and he is a supervisory censor."
Gu Zhengchen stared: "Ling said?"
This name is very familiar, as if I have seen it somewhere.
I remembered!
One of Zhu Yuanzhang's four evil dogs!
This was not said by Gu Zhengchen, but by Lao Zhu himself, who said, "Only these few people, like vicious dogs, make people afraid."
These four evil dogs are: Yang Xian, Ling Shuo, Gao Jianxian, and Xia Yu!
They all have a common identity:
Check!
The majestic Jin Yiwei had to wait until the fifteenth year of Hongwu to be born. Before that, he had always been the inspector, "specialized in observing the officials of the big and small yamen in Beijing, reporting all injustices, lawlessness and rumors." He was Zhu Yuanzhang's most important eyes and ears.
What made Gu Zhengchen a little confused was that Yang Xian died three years ago in Hongwu. According to unofficial records, not long after Yang Xian died, Ling said that he went to drink Meng Po soup with him.
But looking at Ling Yan's appearance, Ling Shuo seemed to be still alive.
Could it be that the unofficial history mistook me?
Gu Zhengchen bid farewell to Ling Yan and repeatedly told him not to talk about himself to anyone. It was not a good thing to be associated with people like the censor and school inspector.
Suqian is a waterway hub and is far more prosperous than Xiacun, Taizhuang and other places. There are many anchored ships and it is difficult to count the merchants passing by.
Liang Jiajun was very interested and pointed to the city wall of Suqian City: "This was the capital of the Zhongwu Kingdom during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. It is a pity that the small country with few people was destroyed by Sun Wu and Wu Zixu."
Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly, thought of something, and said, "Speaking of the name of Zhongwu Country, few people in the world know about it. But when it comes to the Overlord of Chu and the beauty Yu Ji, I am afraid that everyone knows it."
Liang Jiajun seemed to know a lot about mountains and geography, and he talked endlessly: "The hometown of the King of Chu is full of outstanding people and places. There is Dong'ao Mountain in the north, the big river Sishui in the south, Suishui in the southeast, and Luoma Lake in the northwest..."
This is not to show off his knowledge, but to teach Gu Zhengchen the art of observing mountains and rivers.
Gu Zhengchen understood the idea and asked for advice humbly.
Viewing mountains and rivers is a must for local officials.
What mountains are there, what lakes are there, where the mountains are, where the water flows, how much the water rises in summer and how much it falls in winter are related to the management of people's livelihood.
Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. The essence is to observe mountains and rivers and observe customs.
Like the later generations of special forces traveling, they may only enjoy the wind and see the scenery, but have no time to think about the geographical features, mountains and rivers, let alone get to know the local customs and experience the local culture.
Checked into the inn and ordered some wine and food.
Liang Jiajun looked at Gu Zhengchen and asked: "I have always had a doubt. When the thieves were searching the ship, why didn't they let Inspector Ling show up? Instead, they let them take it away and then fought out. You are not afraid of the thieves' actions. The speed is very fast, disappearing into the reeds?"
Gu Zhengchen poured a glass of wine and handed it to Liang Jiajun: "The cabin space is long and narrow, which is not conducive to moving forward and backward, and there are more people, which is not conducive to fighting. If Inspector Ling and others are allowed to show up early, do you think the seven of them can be the opponents of the horse thieves? ?"
"They are just militiamen, not sergeants who have fought a hundred battles. They don't have much combat power. They are suitable for shooting arrows from a distance, not for close combat. Once we are in a hurry and the thieves hold us hostage, will Inspector Ling take action or not? Their arrows You have seen this technique before..."
Liang Jiajun's mouth twitched.
As far as the archery skills of Inspector Ling and others are concerned, whoever becomes the hostage will die first...
"But once they escape, our luggage will be really lost. Let alone staying in an inn, going to the capital to take up a post will be a big problem."
Liang Jiajun was still frightened.
Gu Zhengchen frowned slightly, is this Liang Jiajun's flaw?
He didn't seem to care whether others were robbed or whether others would die. He only cared that he was not robbed and that he had no losses!
"Dong dong, sir, there's something going on."
Gu Cheng knocked on the door and shouted.
"Come in and talk."
Gu Zhengchen looked at Gu Cheng who walked in and asked, "What's the matter?"
Gu Cheng pointed to the outside of the inn and said with a somewhat uneasy expression, "I just met a woman beggar at the door, she seems to be Mrs. Zhang."
"Which Zhang?"
Liang Jiajun was a little confused.
Gu Cheng looked at Gu Zhengchen and said nothing.
Gu Zhengchen put down his chopsticks and said with some surprise: "You mean, Zhang Shiping's wife, Miss Zhao Ya'er? They set out half a month before us, how could they show up in Suqian? Could it be that they saw it wrong?"
Gu Cheng was unsure: "I've only seen Ms. Zhang once from a distance, so I'm not sure. But she's the only one, and I haven't seen Mr. Zhang and his servants. Do you want to go and have a look, sir?"
Gu Zhengchen looked at Liang Jiajun.
Liang Jiajun was a little worried: "Let's go and have a look. If it's really her, we can't sit idly by and watch."
Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly, stood up and walked out, followed by Liang Jiajun and others.
Gu Cheng led the way, but the woman was no longer at the door. After asking for help, he chased to an alleyway. Gu Zhengchen suddenly stopped and saw a man in ragged clothes squatting not far away, with disheveled hair and a face full of stains. A young woman covered in dirt and dust, with only a shabby broken bowl beside her.
When the woman saw the person coming, tears welled up in her eyes, as if she had suffered countless grievances. Tears fell down, leaving two distinct tear marks, accompanied by an inaudible voice: "Gu Zhengchen..."
