It's better to fall in love than seize the heir

That night, no matter what he said, Liang Yan insisted on refusing to lie down next to Shen Jinghe and fall asleep. He just sat at the table with his upper body stiffened, whispering that one person should always be on guard at night.

Shen Jinghe tossed and tried to persuade him several times, his lips were almost worn out, but he couldn't make him change his mind.In his heart, he secretly regretted teasing him too much, but he could only curl his lips helplessly, leave him alone, blow out the light, turn over, wrap himself in the quilt, and close his eyes.

After the room returned to silence, Liang Yan's back relaxed slightly.He tilted his head to look at the window lattice that faintly revealed some moonlight, and he didn't know whether he was looking at the moonlight or the quiet and handsome young man with his eyes closed under the moonlight.

The wind passed by, and the sound of the bamboo moved slightly. He just leaned against the table and sat quietly all night.

……

When he woke up the next day, Shen Jinghe looked at Liang Yan who was still sitting upright like before he fell asleep last night, and really wondered if he had closed his eyes at night.However, Liang Yan's face showed no sign of exhaustion at all, and his eyes were still sharp and deep as he glanced at the long street. He could only suppress the doubts in his heart, and just called the waiter in the shop to come to clean water and breakfast, and supervised Liang Yan. Yan finished the stewed glutinous corn porridge spoonful by spoonful.

In the past few days, they still concealed their whereabouts, walked the streets and alleys, and inquired about the news without showing any traces.It's a pity that even though they had visited most of Jiangcheng, they still found almost nothing, and they didn't get any useful information.Seeing that the expected arrival date of the convoy was getting closer day by day, Shen Jinghe felt a little anxious.

If they can't get some information before they formally meet with the prefect of Su County, then it's not hard to imagine how passive they will be in the future.

"Let's go to the lower city to have a look today." Liang Yan closed the Jiangcheng County Chronicle in his hand, and squeezed the space between his eyebrows with his slender fingers, "Although that place is far away from the main city, we have almost traveled all over the center of Jiangcheng in the past few days. It didn't work out. It's better to try your luck near the outer city."

"En." Shen Jinghe looked at his tired face due to the busy business recently, and felt a little distressed in his heart, "You don't have to tire yourself too much, at worst we will use some extraordinary measures at that time, I don't believe that I can't find anything from the officials in the government office."

Liang Yan glanced at him, smiled and rubbed his black hair, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. If I can be with you, even if I walk this Jiangcheng a few times, I still have plenty of strength."

Shen Jinghe felt uncomfortable for a moment, squinted at him, didn't say much, just put the bamboo hat on the side table back on top of his head, "If that's the case, General Liang will go out with me for a stroll together."

This time, their footsteps no longer stopped in the bustling market, but went straight to the lower city far away from the city center.Turning around several spacious and tidy Qingshi streets, the tall Yuyu Qionglou finally disappeared in the distant streets. Rows of medium-height bungalows are spread out row after row on both sides of the street, but the lively voices in the ears are still there.

"It's a little strange." Shen Jinghe frowned while walking and commented, "In a normal city, there will be more or less dilapidated old houses near the outer city. Abandoned private houses are rare. Although I know that Jiangcheng has always been prosperous, I never thought that the people would become so rich. Look at the houses around here. Although they are not big, they are all clean, solid and beautiful.”

Liang Yan was about to speak to answer, but at the same time, the two of them were attracted by the faint commotion not far away.

"—Come here, this beggar sneaked into our city from nowhere to steal steamed buns!"

There was a sharp and resentful cry, and I saw a little beggar in ragged clothes, yellow and thin, holding two steamed buns tightly in his arms, turning around and trying to run away from the crowd.The owner of the steamed bun stand did not allow him to escape, he had already caught up with him in two or three steps, grabbed his collar fiercely, and immediately threw him to the ground in disgust as if avoiding some dirty thing, and went to the ground again. He spat a mouthful of saliva on his already gray face.

"Where did the stinky brat sneak in, Jiangcheng is also a place where you dare to come in and play wild?"

Before the words fell, the wooden sticks, fists and feet could not wait to fall on the little beggar.But the thin beggar just tightly guarded the steamed bun in his arms, curled up to face the beating forcefully, clenched his teeth fiercely, trying not to let out a muffled groan.

Shen Jinghe and Liang Yan looked at each other, and they both saw seriousness in their eyes.

——This was the first beggar they saw in Jiangcheng for so many days.

After the owner of the steamed bun stall broke the wooden stick in his hand, he kicked him hard on the back, still puzzled, and was looking around to find another stick in his hand.

Suddenly, a white and slender hand appeared in his peripheral vision, holding a few copper coins between the gentle fingers.

He froze for a moment, and looked up along his arm, in front of him was a person whose face was vaguely covered by the green veil of the bamboo hat.Although he couldn't see the specific facial features clearly, the dignified demeanor in his actions made him look like a well-born and educated son.

"I don't know if these few coins are enough to buy the two steamed buns he stole?" The voice he spoke was as clear as a flowing spring.

The boss grabbed the copper coins, glared at the beggar who had already hung several beggars on the ground unwillingly, and warned viciously: "You are lucky today, get out! Don't let me see you again in Jiangcheng." !"

After Shen Jinghe paid the money, he turned around and walked towards the deserted alley.Liang Yanshun helped up the little beggar on the ground, and half-supported him to follow behind Shen Jinghe.

As soon as he reached the dimly lit corner, the little beggar got the strength he didn't know where to push Liang Yan away and wanted to run out.Liang Yan's pupils shrank, and he was about to run after him, but was gently stopped by Shen Jinghe.

"You don't look very welcome here, and your injury is in urgent need of treatment." Shen Jinghe looked at the little beggar who was slightly stiffened by his words, and continued to speak slowly, "Where do you want to go? In other words , where can you go?"

The little beggar let out a heavy breath, but coughed continuously because of the wound on his body.Finally stopped coughing, he turned around, looked at them vigilantly with his dark eyes, stepped back and leaned against the wall, and held the steamed bun in his arms tighter, like a horse fighting for a wound. Don't forget the wolf cubs who protect the food.

"Don't be nervous. Since we saved you, we won't hurt you again." Liang Yan looked at him and said calmly, "We can help you. But the premise is that you must tell us the truth about some things."

After going to a small medical clinic to roughly treat the little beggar's injuries, the two asked the medicine boy in the medical clinic to get him clean water and clothes.After a brief grooming, the little beggar finally no longer looked dirty, and looked like a thin and half-grown boy.

Taking him back to the inn, Shen Jinghe called the waiter in the inn to serve some light meals.After the little beggar wiped them all out in a storm, he finally looked at them without such deep vigilance in his eyes.After hesitating for a while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Are you... are high officials from the capital?"

Shen Jinghe exchanged glances with Liang Yan calmly, and said softly, "Why do you guess like that?"

The little beggar's eyes suddenly became a little excited, and he gritted his teeth and said, "That dog official Chen Zhongquan... the imperial court will definitely send someone to come in this flood, no one in the south of the Yangtze River can do anything to him, and I don't believe that no one in the capital dares to touch him! If it wasn't for him, how could my younger sister have managed to escape the flood, but could only freeze to death in the dilapidated and crowded stone village... She is only seven years old!"

The corners of his eyes were a little red with resentment and sadness.Shen Jinghe was startled, and his expression suddenly became a little dignified, "We were sent by the capital to investigate the flood, but along the way, the people of Jiangcheng either shied away from answering, or just blindly spoke good things about the local magistrate. Ruo If you can, we hope you can help us and tell us the truth of the matter."

"As long as this dog official can get the punishment he deserves, I can tell you anything!" The little beggar's eyes were burning with rage, and he sneered mockingly, "Go ask the people of Jiangcheng, of course they won't say anything A bad word about Chen Zhongquan. Chen Zhongquan's hands and eyes are open to the sky, whoever dares to oppose him will either go to jail the next day, or disappear without a sound. Even if they are not afraid of death, they may have to weigh one or two of their own family members Life! Not to mention—”

He paused, his expression was a mixture of frustration and sorrow, "What's more, although the people of Jiangcheng are afraid of his power, but from another aspect, they are deeply favored by him. .”

"How do you say that?" Liang Yan, who had been listening silently, couldn't help asking.

"You have come all the way, have you hardly seen any refugees and beggars in Jiangcheng?" The little beggar smiled wryly, his expression was gloomy, "Chen Zhongquan never let the poor beggars look good for his political achievements and to keep his face bright. Enter Jiangcheng. Those who can stay in the city are not all wealthy households, but at least they are common people who don’t have to worry about food and clothing. The poor and beggars on weekdays have long been ordered to be driven out of the city by the yamen servants, and they are exiled outside the city. The abandoned military training ground—that is, the dilapidated and crude stone village. Not to mention that we refugees, whose homeland was destroyed in the past, were beaten out by the guards before we even got close to the city gate."

"What? There are such absurd things?" Shen Jinghe's eyes widened in shock. The so-called "Pearls in the market, and Luoqi in the household" were exchanged through such despicable means?

"Didn't the people of Jiangcheng have any opinions?"

"Is there any objection? It's too late for them to be grateful, so how can there be any objection!" The little beggar clenched his fist tightly, biting his bleeding lower lip, "Without the beggars and refugees wandering the streets, no one will separate them The original resources in the city, no one has become a hidden danger in their stable life. Moreover, more than half of the money distributed by the imperial court to take care of the poor is divided up by the dog officials, and the rest is hypocritically given to the people in the city. House repair subsidy. In this way, after getting this little benefit, not only has no one ever reported on him, but he will take the initiative to expel the refugees and beggars who sneak into the city."

Liang Yan frowned deeply, "This is...unbelievable. Then after you were driven out of the city, didn't anyone try to expose him?"

The little beggar showed some pain and grief on his face, and his eyes flickered slightly, as if he had fallen into a nightmare-like painful memory.

"——Do you know why I am so clear about what this dog official is doing? When I was young, my late father was a small official in the Jiangcheng government office. After learning about their evil deeds, after years of painstaking efforts After collecting the evidence, he finally got the evidence. He wrote a long memorial, which was mixed with the evidence and sent it out overnight. Unexpectedly, the door of my house was knocked on the next morning, and the group of sneering yamen servants outside were holding What I wrote is exactly the memorial written by my father weeping blood..."

He wiped away the tears from his face, and there was a trace of resentment in his eyes.

"This group of dog officials is clearly a nest of snakes and rats, and the officials protect each other! If anyone wants to resist them, they can only end up like... like my father. After my father passed away, my mother was also forced to hang herself by them. My sister and I I escaped under the cover of my nanny, and wandered all the way to the surrounding counties. After finally settling down in a small county town, I also wanted to take good care of my sister, and after I got the honor in the exam, I would avenge my father. Who knows When the flood came, not only did the house and fields disappear, but we also had nowhere to go, so we could only huddle in the rainy and cold stone village. A few days ago, even my sister..."

The little beggar lowered his head, a sob escaped from his throat, and his eyes were red.

Shen Jinghe's mind was complicated, and he didn't know how to speak for a while.She could only pat him on the shoulder and comfort him silently.

"I worked so hard to sneak into the city. On the one hand, I was so hungry that I couldn't bear it. On the other hand, I also wanted to try my luck. I found an opportunity to hide next to the government office, and when I saw the officials in the capital, I tried to find a way to avenge my grievances." The beggar wiped away his tears, took a breath, and his tone was filled with deep-seated hatred, "This dog official is not only from Yurou Township, but also pocketed the money allocated by the previous court to build dams. One day, the water level rose, and the flood immediately broke through the unreliable river embankment. The counties where the river broke through were devastated and the fertile fields were flooded, but he still only wanted to lie about the disaster situation so that the black hat on his head Wear it more firmly!"

Shen Jinghe and Liang Yan's expressions turned completely stern. They knew that the forces in the south of the Yangtze River were complicated and there must be many undercurrents surging, but they did not expect that the officials here would dare to be so bold.It is not difficult to imagine that if there is no one in the court to be a backer, how could they have such great power and courage to deceive the emperor?

"Don't worry, we will definitely give an explanation to the people in Jiangnan, and we won't let these unscrupulous officials continue to bully you." Shen Jinghe suppressed the anger in his heart, looked at his face with a serious face, and promised, " ——Do you know where the worst flooding is?"

The little beggar thought for a while and replied cautiously: "The most serious problem should be Qingchi County in the lower reaches. Qingchi County is low-lying and close to the breach of the long embankment. It must not be so easy to recover. Although I am not from Qingchi County, and I am far away, but I think that people who are higher than it are already living in dire straits, and Qingchi County must be full of sorrow."

Shen Jinghe and Liang Yan looked at each other again, they both knew each other.

There are many officials who have been sent to Jiangnan to inspect before, but no one has ever reported the situation in Jiangcheng.It now appears that those officials were either threatened by Chen Zhongquan's influence, or they were not at all complicit with him.

For the present plan, they should proceed with caution so as not to overwhelm others.

"Don't worry." Shen Jinghe nodded at him with a sincere expression, "We will find ways to collect more evidence in the next few days. Scums like Chen Zhongquan will not be tolerated, and the treatment of the flood is also imminent. We will definitely hand over Give you a satisfactory answer."

Liang Yan also looked at him solemnly, and nodded slightly.

The little beggar's eyes were slightly moist, "Thank you... I don't ask for anything else, I just hope that these corrupt officials who don't treat the people as human beings can get retribution and receive the punishment they deserve. In this way, the heroic spirit under the father's nine springs If you know it, you must be gratified."

Shen Jinghe patted him on the shoulder and let out a soft sigh.He tilted his head to look at the light rain that started to fall again outside the window, his expression changed for a moment, and finally gradually returned to a firm one.

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Update early today!I want to praise and raise my head high~ [Proud head held high

Thank you, dear Xue Chuimo, for your land mines!love you

Thanks to Momojiu, Zhaonan, Wanyi Niansheng, Mu Qingwan, and Yingjiu for their nutrient solutions!gurgling