It was a quiet night, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a cold wind swept across the city.
Soldiers patrolled the top of the city and stopped behind the female wall to look out. Lightning flashes frequently appeared in the sky in the distance, and soon thunder exploded, and another heavy rain poured down.
Every house in the city was closed, and only the soldiers patrolling the city walked through the streets. When they met the slaves dragging the cart, the slaves quickly retreated to the roadside, bent down and knelt on the ground, with their foreheads touching the stone bricks. They did not dare to raise their heads until the soldiers left.
The east part of the city is where the clans gather.
Qingshi Road runs from north to south, with tall houses and deep courtyards built next to each other.
A gate carved with clan totems rises from the ground. In front of the gate stand two stone beasts. Their shapes are so ferocious that no one dares to look directly at them.
The Jin people were adept at martial arts, and many clans supported private soldiers. The big clan's house occupies a vast area, and there is a military camp inside the house. The sound of swords and swords can often be heard.
The old ancestor of Xun followed the king in the north and south. The family has a long history and a profound foundation. The courtyard of the house continues the style of the founding of the country, with boulders as bases and logs as columns. The murals and carvings have an ancient style, with heroic and vigorous inscriptions everywhere.
The new clan has only started to become prosperous in recent years. In order to catch up with the old ones, the courtyards are paved with jade, the door knockers are inlaid with gold, the carved beams and painted buildings are all gorgeous, and the homes and courtyards are all extravagant.
Late at night in the past, the sound of drumming could be heard from the east of the city.
Clan banquets lasted all night long, consuming truckloads of food, wine, and coins.
The situation is special tonight, the east side of the city is unusually quiet. There was no banquet in each house, no music was heard, but there were carriages and horses passing by in front of the mansion. The faces of the people coming and going were solemn, and they were all worried.
In front of the Hu family's house, several carriages parked side by side, and the horse pegs beside the wall were fully fastened.
Manu leaned against the car, saying nothing to each other. When the cold wind blew by, they involuntarily tightened their short robes and shrank their necks.
Two door slaves were sitting on the steps, leaning against the door frame, yawning constantly.
One person wiped the corners of his eyes, brushed his chest with calloused fingers, got up and walked back and forth on the steps, trying to dispel the sleepiness.
Seeing that his companion was sleepy and nodding like a chicken pecking at rice, he immediately walked over and kicked him.
"Wake up, don't sleep."
The latter almost rolled down the steps. After struggling to open his eyes, he didn't complain out loud, but showed gratitude on his face.
"It's almost dawn and no one has come out yet?"
"It's none of my business, why bother asking."
While the two were talking, rain clouds floated into the city, lightnings behind the clouds fell one after another, thunder roared, and heavy rain came as promised.
The wind suddenly rose, and the horses pulling the cart neighed violently and kept tapping their front hooves.
The manu struggled to tighten the reins to stabilize the chariot and horse, and finally controlled the horse. The rainwater hit his head, and he was instantly chilled.
In the mansion, several maids walked through the corridor, one holding a copper lamp, and three holding silver plates. The plates contained gold bowls and silver cups, with round lids inlaid with pearls and gems, all of which were priceless.
The maid was followed by the slave, and the two of them lifted the food box side by side.
The food box is half a person tall and divided into five layers. The bottom layer is filled with steaming boiling water to ensure that the food in the box is not cold and is still steaming when delivered to the main room.
The group of people hurried to the door, their shoulders and skirts were wet from the rain, and they looked a bit embarrassed.
The main room is brightly lit.
More than ten copper lamps are placed on the floor, and the lamp trays are filled with lamp oil. The smoke from the burning wick flows into the lamp holder along the pipe, leaving no pungent smell behind.
Under the light, the eldest son and the young master sat at the head together, and several clan heads sat on both sides.
The eldest son is headed by Youhu Dan, with Youhu Da and Youhu Xian sitting behind him. Under the Youhu clan are the Lai clan, Lu clan and Niu clan. Opposite are the Lu clan and the Bi clan, all of whom are the backbone of the new clan.
Lin Chang's mother is from the Youhu family and is the eldest daughter of Youhu Dan. Lin Yuan's mother was born in the Lu family and was the half-sister of the head of the family, Lu Min.
They are both the son's mother-in-law, so the two families should be equally matched.
Unfortunately, the eldest son was favored by the Marquis of Jin. The Hu family was always under pressure, and the Lu family was always depressed. You can imagine the depression in their hearts.
Lin Chang and Lin Yuan were at odds with each other and often had to compete with each other.
The Fox family and the Lu family are called allies, but in fact they seem to be inseparable from each other. They often have tit-for-tat confrontations in private, so there is no need to mention their discord.
If Lin Heng died in Shangjing, Xunjiu would be weakened day by day, and the new clan would lose its rivals and break up sooner or later.
However, things are unpredictable. Young Master Heng returned home safely and gave everyone a warning on the day he arrived in Suzhou. Lin Chang and Lin Yuan were whipped in public. Jin Hou just slapped Lin Heng, and then stopped pursuing them and allowed Lin Heng to stay in the palace.
According to what the Young Master and Young Master Yuan said personally, Youhu Dan and others felt that something was not right and had to put aside their prejudices and gather together to try to come up with a countermeasure.
"Your Majesty slapped Young Master Heng, and there was no other punishment?" Lu Min frowned, still feeling incredible.
"I saw it with my own eyes!" Lin Chang became angrier as he thought about it. He threw away the previous panic and said bitterly, "Lin Heng disobeyed his father. It was really unfilial. His father didn't pursue the matter and stayed in his palace. Five We have to perform sacrifices in the future!”
The clans were silent, and Lin Yuan did not speak. Only Chief Lin kept complaining.
He was protected at a young age and had a smooth journey without major setbacks, so his shortcomings would naturally not be exposed. Now being whipped by Lin Heng and suddenly suppressed, the shortcomings in his character are undoubtedly exposed.
He is hot-tempered and irritable, and is far less able to stay calm than Lin Yuan.
This is very similar to a fox.
"Young Master, be careful what you say." Youhu Dan stopped Chief Lin from speaking.
Youhu Da held down Youhu Xian's hand to prevent him from echoing Chief Lin, so as not to add fuel to the fire.
Lin Yuan had a panoramic view of everyone's performance. Thinking of Jin Hou's attitude and the sight that stabbed him, he felt shuddering.
A father's love is like a mirror, it can be broken at the first glance.
Gongzi Heng frightened him so much that he couldn't think of a confrontation.
Chief Lin is a fool, stupid and naive.
What should he do?
There were people talking in his ears, but he couldn't hear a word of it. Instead, his mind was wandering, with the intention of staying out of the matter.
"Sir, what do you think?"
Lu Min's voice reached his ears and successfully pulled him back.
Looking at his uncle across from him, Lin Yuan secretly gritted his teeth and used the cover of the table to clasp his hand on his waist. He pressed down hard with his fingers and dug into the wound through his robe until blood gushed out.
"ah!"
Lin Yuan was so painful that he broke into a cold sweat, his vision blurred and he fell forward.
"Young Master!" Lu Min rushed forward to support him and was horrified when he saw the blood marks on his back. Just as he was about to ask Mr. Youhu to call for a doctor, Lin Yuan suddenly grabbed his wrist.
"Uncle, leave now. I have something to tell you."
Lu Min was full of doubts, but seeing that Lin Yuan was not joking, he immediately helped him stand up, said goodbye to Youhu Dan and left.
"Young Master Yuan is seriously injured and cannot stay for a long time today. Young Master Heng has just returned to the country, and his foundation is not stable after all. Zhi is out of reach in Jinyang, so we might as well wait for two days to figure out your Majesty's intentions before making any calculations."
After leaving these words, Lu Min helped Gong Ziyuan leave. The head of the Bi family then stood up and advanced and retreated with him.
Youhu Dan did not try to persuade him to stay, so he ordered Youhu Da to send a few people out of the house on his behalf.
It was raining and the wind was blowing hard, so having a servant holding an umbrella would not help. Several people were soaked by the rain, and Lin Yuan started to feel hot.
"Hurry, return home quickly."
Lu Min was worried, fearing that Lin Yuan would fall into high fever.
Manu untied the rope and helped put Lin Yuan into the carriage.
Lu Min boarded the car slowly, said goodbye to the head of the Bi family and Youhuda, and was about to make Manu whip his whip.
Suddenly a horse came galloping in the rain. The man on the horse was in a gray robe and a cloth hat, and his figure was high and hidden. When he arrived at the house, he got off his horse and glanced around, his eyes shining brightly.
Seeing Youhu Da, the visitor climbed up the steps in three steps and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Lang, something happened!"
"What's the matter?"
"Young Master Heng punished Mrs. Li and made her unconscious!"
"What?!"
Youhuda was shocked, grabbed the visitor and dragged him back to the house.
"Follow me to see my father!"
Hu Da and the visitor disappeared behind the door. Lu Min and the head of the Bi family looked at each other in disbelief.
"Master Heng punishes Mrs. Li?"
In one day, he whipped his concubine brothers, punished his concubine mother, and disobeyed the king in person. Was he crazy?
Lin Yuan suffered from colds and injuries. Hearing human voices in the car, I shivered involuntarily.
Recalling the look of Lin Heng holding a riding crop, those cold eyes flashed through his mind. He had never felt so scared before.
"Uncle, leave quickly!"
His intuition of danger prompted him to stay away from the Youhu clan.
He has not yet decided what to do next. But he firmly believed that he must stay away from the Youhu family and the young master. I also want to tell my mother in the palace not to mess with Lin Heng, he is a complete lunatic!
Compared with the worries of the new clan, the old clan is a different story.
At Tao's house, Tao Yu and his three sons gathered in the main room. Lang Jia and Zi Su were both in the room, handing over a brocade bag containing silk cloth.
"The things in this are obtained from the border town. The young master is ordered to put it in the hands of the doctor. Please come to the doctor to see it."
After Zi Su finished speaking, Tao Yu untied the bag with his own hands and took out the silk cloth inside.
The silk cloth was frayed at the edges and had obviously been torn from a single piece. It was stained with blood and had dried and turned black. There is a seal in the middle of the silk cloth. Although it has been stained, Tao Yu and his son can still recognize the origin of the seal at a glance.
"What's gained from the border town?" Tao Lian asked.
"Doctor Huizhong, that's right."
Zisu explained what happened, mentioning Xiancheng, the Quanrong Assassin, Madam Li, and the Youhu clan. His words were clear and logical, without missing any details.
"Mrs. Li is bold and reckless, and makes good use of the official wife's seal. The evidence of the Xian family's collusion with the Quan Rong clan is conclusive. Even the Fox clan cannot escape the relationship."
boom!
With a dull sound, Tao Yu slapped the table and stood up.
"Youhu, Xian, you are so brave!"
"Father, please be patient." Tao Xian and Tao Zheng grabbed their father.
Tao Lian looked at the silk cloth thoughtfully, and then asked, "What are your orders, Master?"
"Young Master promised to hand over the property to Tao, who will have full authority to dispose of it. In addition, Young Master needs a list of names." Zi Su slowly raised her head and met Tao Lian's gaze without evading it. Her pupils were dark, and she was particularly special when looking at people with Lin Heng. Similar to, "The prince must know whether the princes in the court are enemies or friends, whether they can be used or not."
Father Tao and his son exchanged glances, knowing that this was the certificate of submission that Young Master Heng wanted, and it was also a test.
"Father, Young Master Heng is like the great ancestor." Tao Lian said.
Lin Heng took the initiative to make the request. This was Tao's opportunity. Compared to Zhi, Tao is slightly lacking. But if you seize the opportunity, you may not be able to compete with the former, or even surpass the latecomers.
Tao Yu pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Sir, on the day of the sacrifice, I will personally deliver the list."
"This slave will definitely report the truth."
After completing Lin Heng's instructions, Zi Su and Lang Jia left Tao's mansion and returned to Zhi's mansion.
The palace door has been closed, and Zi Su needs to stay outside the palace overnight before going to Lin Heng to return her life tomorrow.
The two mounted their horses in front of the mansion, and the sound of horse hooves passed through the long street and gradually disappeared into the night.
The wind and rain brought the chill into Jinhou Palace.
Linhua Hall was cleaned and incense was lit, but it was still damp. Mrs. Guotai simply left Lin Heng in the South Hall to facilitate his recuperation.
"Tomorrow I will summon the king's concubines, and you will be able to meet them."
"promise."
Lin Heng stood up a little anxiously and coughed twice.
"I will send people to Yue to find medicine as soon as possible. Gu Zhen has excellent medical skills, so I feel relieved to have him stay with you." Mrs. Guotai warned.
Gu Zhen is the doctor who diagnosed Lin Heng's pulse.
He was born in the country of Yue. In his early years, he was favored by the queen of the country. He went to Jin with her and stayed in the palace for many years.
Lin Heng accepted Mrs. Guotai's kindness, bowed and exited the palace gate, and was led to the side hall to rest by the waiter.
Walking to the corridor, Lin Heng suddenly stopped.
He stood next to the lacquer pillar, reached out his hand to catch a handful of rainwater, and said softly: "Doctor Gu, do you know Fei's good medicine?"
"Go back to me, sir, I know."
"How does it compare to the medicine you prepared for me?"
"I dare not say that it is better, but for the young master's illness, my medicine is also very effective." Thinking that Lin Heng was worried about the efficacy of the medicine, Gu Zhen naturally told the truth and did not pretend to be modest.
"In that case, I have something unclear."
Lin Heng closed his fingers and crushed the raindrops in his palms. His eyes moved to Gu Zhen and asked: "Doctor Gu can prepare good medicine, which is no less good than Fei's medicine. Why hasn't he diagnosed and treated my father?"
The Marquis of Jin suffered from headaches and could not recover from them.
Fei refused to give medicine, and Gu Zhen didn't diagnose and treat him even though he was in the palace?
Unexpectedly, Lin Heng would ask this question. Gu Zhen's expression paused for a moment, and then she said seriously: "Back to the young master, I will not treat you unless you are a servant. Madam Guotai once ordered your servant to prescribe medicine for the monarch, but the monarch did not want to use it, and the servant could not help."
Lin Heng raised his eyebrows, as if he was not surprised by the answer.
"Father is very thoughtful."
No wonder the Great Mother would have such an attitude.
Those who should be trusted with day and night defense, and those who can use it, act recklessly, and the consequences will be deserved.
"Let's go."
After eliminating the doubts in his mind, Lin Heng stopped asking any more questions and turned towards the side hall.
During his nine years in Beijing, he has experienced many lessons and learned a lot from them. The first thing to learn is disguise. He can act crazy, but he can't really be a lunatic.
His father seemed to be doing the opposite.
"Poria."
"My slave is here."
"Prepare the gold and jade and give them to the concubines tomorrow."
"promise."
Fuling promised in a low voice and quickly followed Lin Heng.
Gu Zhen walked beside the two of them, thinking about what Lin Heng had just asked, and sighed slightly in her heart.
Since coming to Jin, he has learned to protect himself wisely. In this palace, the only person he owes allegiance to is his wife.
Young Master Heng is favored by Mrs. Guotai, and he will do his best to nurse him back to health.
As for others...
Gu Zhen lowered her gaze, her eyes never wavering in the slightest.
He was originally from Yue, so whether the Marquis of Jin was seriously ill or not had nothing to do with him.
