Detective in the Red Chamber

Chapter 467

The first of August.

The alleys in the capital are empty, and the vegetable market is full of people.

The 620 nine people implicated in the "Longgen Case", regardless of age, male or female, were all killed by 37 ghost knives—until a few days later, the long street seemed to be still lingering with complaints of grievances. Voice.

On the seventh day of August, there was continuous autumn rain.

Sun Shaozong came out of Xiangling's room early in the morning and left the house reluctantly until the carriage stopped outside the government office, but he was still thinking about his ten-day-old daughter.

On July 27, Xiangling successfully gave birth to a daughter. She looked healthy at first, but on the first day of August, she suddenly developed a low-grade fever, which lasted on and off for four days.

This little baby couldn't use medicine, so he could only take physical cooling methods, but how could he see any effect?

Seeing his daughter's chubby little face, she lost her shape within a few days, which made Sun Shaozong feel so distressed. The Taoist invited him to his home to perform a ceremony.

This was mainly Ruan Rong's idea. She suspected that the "Longgen case" was caused by unjust dead ghosts, and the disturbed children could not be at peace.

It's strange to say that the Taoist priest did a ritual, and the child's illness really recovered. In the past two days, not only the low-grade fever has subsided, but also the breastfeeding is much sweeter than before.

It is precisely because of this that Sun Shaozong took the time to receive the dispatch, and was ready to go to Jinmen Mansion to submit the list of Qiu Jue-now the first ten days of August is almost over, if he doesn't send the list, he may not be able to keep up with Zhu Zhu's approval of Qiu Jue.

Of course, Sun Shaozong would choose to go to the Jinmen mansion for business at this time, and it is also inseparable from the prince's increasingly hot courtship recently-since he accidentally saw the princess's underwear that day, the prince sent people to ask for warmth every now and then. He even gave the child a whole cart full of tonics.

The book does not go into details.

But it is said that when Sun Shaozong arrived at the government office, he ordered someone to move the Qiujue list to the car, and at the same time went to the courtyard of Jiayu village to apply for the clerk certificate for this dispatch.

With Han Anbang's complete collapse, and vaguely guessing that Sun Shaozong played a key role in the "Longgen Case", Jia Yucun became more and more enthusiastic about Sun Shaozong, and he no longer looked like he was intriguing in the past.

This time is no exception.

When Sun Shaozong arrived at his courtyard, he was already waiting at the door. Before Sun Shaozong came forward to salute, he rushed up to greet him, and asked with concern, "My dear brother, after what the old fairy Zhang did, my niece's condition has not returned. Bar?"

With those eyes, that trembling beard, and those subtle facial expressions, this old fox seems to have improved his acting skills again!

Slandering in his heart, Sun Shaozong also pretended to be moved, bowed and said, "Master Lao is worried about it, and the little girl is fine now, otherwise the official will definitely not go south to Jinmen at this time."

"That's good, that's good!"

Jia Yucun let out a sigh of relief, and invited Sun Shaozong into the hall arm in arm.

After the guests and hosts were seated and the tea was laid out, Jia Yucun turned away from the left and right sides, and said seriously, "Actually, I think that my brother should have gone to Jinmen mansion for a while."

Hearing his mention of business matters, Sun Shaozong hurriedly stood up again and said, "Due to family matters, the lower official delayed submitting the list of autumn judges, it is indeed..."

"Eh!"

But Jia Yucun shook his head and interrupted his speech, patted his chest lightly, and said disapprovingly, "Ask yourself, who is selfless in this world? I definitely don't mean to blame my brother, but I just stand in the perspective of someone who has experienced it. Just mention a few things, brother."

Sun Shaozong saw that he said it solemnly, and knew that he was trying to show his favor to himself recently, so that he could take over the prefect's throne steadily, and he should not be aimless.

So he also put away his official accent, and solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, brother."

"Will you enlighten me... I can't say it yet."

Hearing Jia Yucun's answer to the wrong question, "My brother went north on the same boat with me, so he naturally knew that I was an official in Jinling Mansion. Then, do you know how many officials from my Jinling Mansion have been transferred to the capital in the past year and a half?"

"This……"

Sun Shaozong was a little puzzled by the question, how could he know about the transfer of officials in the Jinling Mansion?

However, Jia Yucun didn't want him to answer. After a short pause, he continued, "In the past year and a half, there are seven officials transferred from Jinling to the capital, two of them are above the sixth rank, and five are below the sixth rank. Wu."

As he spoke, he reached out and tapped lightly on his black gauze hat, and said calmly, "Who promoted these seven people, when did they arrive in Beijing to take up their posts, what family members did they bring with them, whether it was difficult for them to make ends meet in the capital city or their family had a good time, their character , looks, talents, hobbies..."

"I remember all of this clearly, and I dare not forget it all the time."

"Similarly, if they encounter any difficulties in the capital, I will naturally be one of the people they think of asking for help. Although it may not be the first choice, the ranking will never be low."

Hearing this, Sun Shaozong had roughly guessed what exactly Jia Yucun wanted to impart his own experience, and it can be summed up in two terms, that is-to form a party!

Obviously, Jia Yucun regards the officials from Jinling official circles as natural party members-although not all of them may be able to follow his banner as he wishes, but by virtue of their innate advantages, they can win over half of them. , shouldn't be a problem.

But what did he say have anything to do with him?

I have never been a serious parental official, and I am firmly in control of the Criminal Department, but it is pure wishful thinking to say that officials are hatched in batches from it.

Just when Sun Shaozong was puzzled, Jia Yucun leaned forward slightly and said, "The number of officials transferred to the capital from various governments in the world, Jinling has always been at the second place, my brother, do you know who this champion is?"

"Could it be Jinmen Mansion?"

This is actually not too difficult to guess. No matter how brilliantly he did it in a place far away from Emperor Gao that day, what good is it if the deeds cannot be heard by the emperor and important ministers?

And the Jinmen Mansion has the advantage of being close to the water, and once it has a reputation for performance, it is naturally easier to get promoted and transferred than going out.

but……

Sun Shaozong couldn't help but wryly smiled and said, "But the promotion of officials in the Jinmen Mansion has nothing to do with me?"

"It shouldn't have anything to do with it."

Jia Yucun shook his head and laughed and said, "But my brother's big disturbance at the beginning of the year left a great reputation in Jinmen Mansion, but it may not be much worse than the foundation I laid in Jinling's two prefects."

"What's more, the prefect of Jinmen Prefecture was just transferred a month ago, and the new prefect is my brother's life-and-death acquaintance."

Life and death?

Sun Shaozong couldn't help but blurted out, "Xiang Yi has been promoted to the prefect of Jinmen?!"

Among the friends I met in Jinmen back then, Xiang Yi was the only one who could be called a life-and-death friend.

A few months ago, Zhao Wutong, a fellow magistrate of the Jinmen Mansion, was found out to be the culprit behind the Zhou Ruqing case in front of the North Korean envoy. He had already been dismissed and brought back to the capital, so Xiang Yi took advantage of the opportunity and transferred to the Jinmen Mansion. Replaced Zhao Wutong as Tongzhi of Jinmen Mansion.

At the beginning, Xiang Yi wrote a letter from the elder specifically for this reason, pouring out bitterness to Sun Shaozong, saying that he was a well-behaved second master of Cangzhou Mansion, but he was transferred to the provincial capital to be his third grandson.

Who would have thought that in just a few months, he would be promoted to the prefect of Jinmen!

tsk~

Speaking of Zhou Ruqing's case, it was obvious that I made the most credit for it, but up to now, I am the only one who is still standing still.

It seems that being young and promising may not be a good thing!

Sun Shaozong was depressed, so he heard Jia Yucun laugh and say, "That's right, Mr. Xiang took over the prefect of Jinmen Prefecture."

"Now the position of governor of Zhili is temporarily held by Ge Laoyao, and all the government affairs of Zhili province are temporarily in charge of Chengxuan's political envoy, Si Yamen. And this chief envoy, Mr. Su, should be no stranger to me, right?"

Naturally no strangers!

At the beginning, that fellow was at the top of the list, sitting back and watching Zhou Ruqing defect with the money, and only entering the arena at the urging of Xiang Yi at the last moment.

It's just that when Sun Shaozong was seriously injured, he couldn't take care of himself. He was afraid that if he forced that guy into a hurry, he would be killed, so he had to cover up for him in the joint memorial, and gave him some credit. .

It was precisely because of this that Mr. Su not only owed Sun Shaozong a favor, but was also held by him.

Thinking about it this way, the two chief officials of the provincial government in Jinmen both have extraordinary relationships with Sun Shaozong. In addition to the prestige established by the procurator who won the governor Zhou Ruqing and beheaded him in the street, the Jinmen mansion It's really his rampage.

Especially since the capital and the Jinmen Mansion live next to each other, once something happens, they won't be too far behind...

Seeing Sun Shaozong's eyes flickering, which seemed to be a sign of intentional movement, Jia Yucun laughed again and said, "Although it is not advisable to form a party for personal gain, but if you don't have a few like-minded cronies to help you in your life as an official, how can you gain a firm foothold in the court?"

"My brother has already established a great reputation in the Jinmen Mansion, and he has a lot of friendship with the chief envoy and the magistrate; and being appointed by the Holy One to participate in the case of the prince, it shows that Jane has a limitless future in the emperor's heart."

"The 'prestige' and 'potential' are ready. When we go to Jinmen Mansion, we only need to choose that young talent to show our kindness, and then we can take advantage of the opportunity to set up a banner in Jinmen Mansion."

"In the future, you only need to pay attention to the officialdom of the Jinmen Mansion from time to time, and show kindness and power to the officials of the Jinmen Mansion. Why don't you worry about officials from Jinmen who don't follow the example of your brother?"

"Besides, if there is a suitable candidate by my side, I might as well put it in Jinmen Mansion to build a solid foundation..."

"If you can make it so that people are not in Jinmen, but Jinmen hears the name of a good brother everywhere, there will definitely be a place for a good brother in this court in the future!"

Needless to say, after hearing this long-term plan, Sun Shaozong was really excited by what he said.

Immediately bowed and said, "Sure enough, it's 'listening to what you say is better than reading for ten years'. Sun has been taught today."

"Ha ha……"

Jia Yucun laughed, waved his hands and said, "It's just a talk from experience. If I hadn't served as a magistrate, I'm afraid I would have been familiar with it by heart. Why do I need to do so much?"

After saying that, he stood up and solemnly returned the salute, saying, "In the past, my brother had shallow eyes, but he insisted on fighting for power and profit in this Shuntian Mansion. It's really ridiculous."

"Now that I think about it, if I and my brother are in the same boat, what is a mere Shuntian Mansion?!"

hehe~

This is just to listen to, if it is not for the purpose of securing the position of Fu Yin, how could he try his best to show his favor to Sun Shaozong?

However, the idea of ​​cultivating power in the Jinmen Mansion is indeed somewhat feasible - what the Sun family wants to develop and grow in the court at present is not the upper-level connections, but the foundation of the middle and lower levels.

Especially a few days ago, before Jia Zheng left, he also revealed a news with a little jealousy that the emperor was very likely to give Sun Shaozong the official position of Zhili Chief Envoy Si Zuo Counselor in the near future.

Although the Left Counselor is only a member of the fourth grade, he is also considered a pivotal figure in the chief envoy. Not only can he intervene and comment on any government affairs in Zhili Province, but he also has the power to evaluate local officials.

Although Sun Shaozong's main assignment in the future may still be in charge of the punishment of the Shuntian Mansion, but with the official position of the Left Counselor, it will be justifiable to participate in the affairs of the Jinmen Mansion.

And if it is not unexpected, Big Brother Cheap will be stationed in Jinmen Mansion to train troops before the end of the year, and there will be a lot of involvement with Jinmen Mansion by then.

As long as it is done properly, it shouldn't be a problem for one to sing a bad face and the other to sing a red face.

In addition...

Judging from what Jia Zheng said, it seemed that he still wanted to match Xue Baochai.

If you can marry the Xue family, take advantage of the opportunity to get the tiger skin of Xue Pan's father-in-law, official minister Wang Zhe, you can get twice the result with half the effort - the name of King Zhongshun is very useful to bluff people , but it seems that the gold content is not enough to win people over.

"My dear brother? My dear brother!"

Just thinking about what to do, he heard Jia Yucun's suspicious call, and then Sun Shaozong remembered that he hadn't responded to his kindness, so he hurriedly got up and bowed to the end, "What brother said just now is exactly what I want in my heart! Brother now The Spring and Autumn Period is at its peak, and the third grade is already in sight; although the younger brother is not talented, it is easy to change into a red robe within a year!"

"How can the future of the two of you and me be restricted by Shuntian Prefecture? Instead of fighting each other for petty gains, how about you and I going forward hand in hand, so that we can compete with others in the court in the future?!"

Hearing this, Jia Yucun was very excited, stood up and stepped forward, helped Sun Shaozong up, squeezed his wrist tightly, and said with tears in his eyes, "My dear brother!"

Sun Shaozong didn't have the ability to cry when he said so, so he could only hold back his hands, and said in a trembling voice, "Brother!"

Huh?

Does this scene seem familiar?

It seems that it has been staged before...

bang~

Sun Shaozong was complaining from the bottom of his heart while trying to pretend to be excited, but the door was suddenly pushed open heavily, and a small official rushed in in a panic, shouting excitedly, "Master Fucheng, Lord Zhizhong, out... out out out..."

"Get out!"

When Jia Yucun saw that the great 'lyrical atmosphere' was disturbed by him, he angrily reprimanded him.

Unexpectedly, the little official refused to obediently obey his orders, instead he swallowed hard and said loudly, "It's... a big deal has happened!"

Seeing that he didn't even care about his dignity and future, Jia Yucun and Sun Shaozong looked at each other and asked in unison, "What happened? Come on quickly!"

"Yes...it's Wei Tong's judgment!"

Hearing the little official excitedly say, "Wei Tongjuan went out to hunt in the city with his friends yesterday while resting, but accidentally... accidentally..."

Hearing that he was stumbling again, Jia Yucun couldn't help asking, "What happened to Wei Tongju?!"

But the little official shook his head like a rattle, and stammered, "No...it's not that Wei Tong made an accident, it was because he accidentally... accidentally shot... the son of Uncle Yong Yi... and died! "

what? !

Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun were dumbfounded.

Chapter 468

The water here is very deep!

According to the news that the officer inquired, the eldest son of Bo Niu Jizong's family was shot in the throat by a sharp arrow flying out of the forest beside the road when he was returning to the city at the foot of Iron Net Mountain after escorting his mother to burn incense. He died on the spot.

Because the word 'Wei' was engraved on the shaft of the arrow, and the material and shape were exactly the same as those left in Wei Ruolan's quiver - even Wei Ruolan's personal servant admitted that the arrow was indeed his owner Accidentally missed the shot, and then flew out of the forest and killed Mr. Niu by mistake.

However, the honorable disciples who hunted together with Wei Ruolan proved that the strength of his arrow was quite satisfactory. It stands to reason that even if he could pass through the dense forest, he would never be able to shoot Mr. Niu to death at a distance of more than fifty steps. So I figured there must be something weird about it.

Anyway...

This case is definitely not as simple as an accident, it is probably a continuation of the 'Longgen case', and it is even very possible that it is the revenge of Emperor Guangde.

In this way, the matter of King Xinyang might just be a cover—first, he used a seemingly conspiracy method to attract the Niu family's attention to Princess Xinyang, but then killed the Niu family's son to vent their anger!

What's even better is that both the Wei family and the Niu family are the backbone of the "Host Party". Even if the Niu family suspects that it was ordered by Emperor Guangde, they may have nowhere to redress their grievances.