Aggrieved Fish Sprite

The Qingjiang River was rushing, and there were many rocks on both sides of the river, so it was impossible for a boat to dock at any place.

When Zhuhou Temple was built, wood and stone were transported by water, so a wharf was built on the bank of the river for convenience.Although the pier has been abandoned because no one is using it, the place that has been repaired is better than the shallow riverbank full of rocks.

Lu Min looked at the horses and chariots on the boat, and Mr. Jinshui, who couldn't carry his shoulders or hands, and gave up arguing with He Mouse that he didn't care about the rocky beach and could jump over it anyway.

The ink carp was standing at the bow of the ship, looking ahead.

He didn't see the mausoleum temple that should appear as expected.

According to historical records, Emperor Chu and Yuan intentionally built this place as the imperial mausoleum for his burial a hundred years later. He wanted to follow the example of Zhaolie Temple and Wuhou Temple in the past. Instead of letting his officials be buried in the imperial mausoleum, they were worshiped in the same place.

There are no attached concubine's dorms, nor dorms for princesses and princes. Based on the Beidouzhinan Taiweiyuan as the pattern, there are a total of eighteen large and small tombs, ten of which can be called mausoleums. The layout of the archways and temples belongs to the specifications of princes.

The first person to be buried was Zhu Yan, Marquis of Leyang.

Also the last one.

This huge mausoleum has been started several times, and it has been interrupted several times. In the early years, it was because the new dynasty was established in the early years, and everything was in a hurry. The occupied area is marked out, and then a special person is sent to take care of it and clean it.

After the national treasury has a surplus, it is necessary to repair the imperial city and various yamen. It was not until the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Chu Yuan that the mausoleum was officially started. Within a year of repair, the soil layer collapsed, and a dozen servants die.The people from the Ministry of Industry and the Qin Tianjian came over and checked again and again, and then came up with the theory of geomantic omen, alleging that Qingjiang is a dragon.

This matter has been debated in the court for a long time, but it was finally settled.

Emperor Chu Yuan ordered people to choose another site to build the imperial mausoleum. The other officials thought that the fallen leaves would return to their roots and return to their hometown for burial, but they did not specifically object.after that--

Ugh.

Mo Li silently recited in his heart the topography which recorded the past events of the Chu Dynasty.

The world is flowing eastward, what can I do?

The boat slowly approached the shore, the twilight was sinking, and only a few roofs that looked like flying eaves could be seen as far as the eye could see.

The bluestone slabs on the pier were scattered, and weeds grew in the gaps.

"Here we are, take the horse out first." The old boatman greeted everyone.

Although Lu Min bargained with He Mouse for a long time, as long as he agreed, he would be very happy to give the money, without any reluctance on his face.

He Mouse was very surprised, scratched his head, and actually took the initiative to go ashore to help Lu Min harness the horse to the cart.

"Are you a coachman? How come you don't even know how to set up a car?" He Mouse said contemptuously.

Lu Min hesitated to speak, but of course he didn't.

Riding a horse is okay, no one has taught a prince how to drive a cart!

"See, hold it down here, and then lift up the shaft." He Mouse showed disgust while demonstrating.

Lu Min simply bent down and squatted aside to watch, never expecting that after he and Meng Qi Moli separated, the carriage would not follow him if it wasn't his, and it was useless to learn it.

Mr. Jin Shui stepped onto the shore three times, and after the boat passed the Duantou Beach, he couldn't recover until he stepped on the shore, and then sat down on the ground as if collapsed.

"Sir, didn't you expect that escaping Taijing would be a difficult task?" Mo Li asked standing beside him.

Mr. Jin Shui brought a bag and a big wooden box, which didn't look like he was running for his life, but more like those scholars who went on a study tour to visit relatives.With such a heavy luggage, how do you escape in danger?

Mr. Jin Shui was ashamed and regretful, and he said after a long while: "I never thought of running away before, because the guide in my hand is very easy to be traced, and I don't have the ability to live in seclusion in the deep mountains and dense forests, and I may be arrested if I can't reach the pier. I went back, so I used my brains in other places. A while ago, there was a change in Taijing, and I felt that the opportunity had come. While waiting for the calm outside to return, I was thinking about how to escape... It turned out that things went smoother than I thought. The government and the opposition are in turmoil. Although I don’t know the forces behind those people, I have been able to find out some suspicious people based on clues over the years, especially those who I have taken the exams for. I know their birthplaces and names. I can find out all these things from the Fengxing Pavilion after entering the officialdom after being named on the gold list, who I have attached myself to, and so... I was overjoyed when those individuals were dismissed and demoted one after another."

The forces behind the fraud case have been hit hard, and the next thing may be the revelation.

——This case involves too much and involves too many people.

There are many people.

At first, for the sake of profit, people could still keep a secret firmly, because by relying on this method, they could get money and power.Now that there is chaos internally, there is no guarantee that someone will use this secret as a vote in order to change factions.At that time, everyone can get out of this sinking ship and get riches and glory in exchange, why not do it?

At this time, Mr. Jin Shui had to leave.

If you don't go, you really can't go.

"I still underestimated the forces behind those people. I thought that the situation in the court was so chaotic that they couldn't take action... Even if they were caught, they would die at worst."

Mr. Jin Shui looked at the box of books, which he had treasured for many years, and some of them were orphans. How could he be willing to throw them away?

Hearing this, Meng Qi shook his head and said, "Sir, has it not occurred to you that the person who came to arrest you is not necessarily trying to silence you?"

Mr. Jin Shui said hesitantly: "There is internal strife among them. Someone is going to expose the case and arrest me as important evidence?"

"good."

"That... That's my destiny." Mr. Jin Shui said bitterly.

As a participant in the fraud case, someone who can still take the Jinshi examination on behalf of someone else must offend the emperor.

"Even the cheating in the county examination will attract public outrage, not to mention the Yuyuelongmen general examination. The emperor of the Qi Dynasty didn't understand the Four Books and Five Classics. The imperial examination questions were issued by the Imperial Academy, and those people used methods to get them out... ...This kind of shocking fraud case, whoever gets involved, will not be able to escape a death sentence, will not leave a whole body, and will bring disaster to the three families."

Mo Li understood what Meng Qi meant, and hearing that Mr. Jin Shui only thought of death, he couldn't help frowning: "Sir, aren't you afraid of death?"

"What's the use of being afraid? Fortunately, I'm alone, and all my relatives died on the day when the Chu Dynasty fell." Mr. Jin Shui's expression was complicated, with hatred and relief at the same time.For so many years, every time I wake up from the nightmare, I can see the scholars and their families who died tragically because of not doing so.

Although he didn't do evil by himself, he still couldn't bear it on his conscience.

Mr. Jin Shui stood up staggeringly, and said with difficulty: "As long as it is not executed by Ling Chi or cut in half, it is nothing more than a one-shot death."

Seeing him like this, Mo Li couldn't bear to continue talking.

Meng Qi said in a deep voice: "Sir, what you said is wrong. Could it be that after you go to prison, you have identified someone, and after finishing your speech, you can wait for the execution in the autumn?"

Before Mr. Jin Shui could answer, Meng Qi stretched out his hand and dragged the second prince over.

"You tell me."

"...will be severely tortured."

In fact, Lu Min didn't know the trial process of the Ministry of Criminal Justice or Dali Temple, but he still knew the seriousness of the fraud case, and he also knew the face of those dignified civil and military officials in the court.

——In any case, it was also planning to conspire.Against the prince.

Lu Min said to Mr. Jinshui who was stiff and dull: "It is said that they don't believe the criminal's voluntary confession. The people involved in this kind of big case have no room for recovery. It's just a matter of early death and late death. will be exonerated."

"More than that, no matter what Mr. said or who he identified, the questioners will never be satisfied." Meng Qi lowered his voice, his eyes showed that he didn't mean to Mr. Jin Shui, but to Lu Min.

"Even if the government is clear and clear, factional strife will give people selfishness, and they want to take advantage of the situation to suppress the power of political opponents. According to the court law, in order to prevent the investigators from inducing confessions, there will be three people who will supervise the torture at the same time and interrogate the case. They need the prisoner to speak out on his own initiative. The answer I want, so I will keep interrogating it, it would be fine if you don’t understand the situation in the government and the opposition and you don’t know the names of the courtiers, but you do know.”

Meng Qi's expression was indifferent, his voice was as cold as a gust of wind on the river, so cold to the bone.

Lu Min shuddered first, and murmured involuntarily: "Then... it will be even more difficult. The three people who are judging the case must be from different factions. They can't induce confessions, and they can't accept answers that are not good for them. When you can't be punished, and you confide a person's name indiscriminately, there will be a storm in the court. In the end, they will reach a consensus and plan to use this to close the case, but you don't know what the so-called "standard answer" is, so you can only be accused over and over again. Tortured, talking nonsense again and again, until the one they are satisfied with can be drawn up and signed, waiting for execution after autumn."

Mr. Jin Shui's expression turned pale.

The words of scholars must be called courtesy, and the kings often claim to rule the world with filial piety and conquer the people with virtue, but only the scholars themselves know how much water is in these words.

He Mouse was harnessing the car next to him. He had been dawdling in eavesdropping, but now he was startled, and he didn't dare to listen any more. He quickly ran onto the boat in three steps at a time.

The old boatman was leading people to repair the boat, and when he passed Duantou Beach, a wooden plank on the side was smashed and dented.

"Uncle Yang, let's go!" He Mouse urged, rubbing his hands.

"Are you afraid now?"

The old boatman didn't hear the conversation between Meng Qi and the others, but he could guess something from He Mouse's expression.

He Mouse said awkwardly: "Isn't it almost sent away!"

He said, looking back at the cabin, hesitantly said: "Master Cha, no, what about Cha Qi and his gang? Are you really going to throw them into the river to feed the fish?"

In the distance, the ink carp's ears moved.

The old boatman sneered, holding a pipe bag and said: "People will float up after death, unless you fill the sack with stones. Why dirty your hands with another one, and find another shoal in the dark later... Yes, There is no need to go to the shore, just leave people behind. When they wake up and find a way to return to Taijing, we will already be hundreds of miles away."

"Uncle Yang is brilliant." He Mouse immediately patted his horse and slipped his beard.

The old boatman snorted and greeted people to prepare to sail.

Lu Min saw it, smiled and waved to He Mouse, who paddled without raising his head.

"What does he mean, I didn't short his boat money?" Lu Min was not happy.

"...Don't you know that our group is a huge problem in the eyes of others?" Mo Li was helpless. He found that the second prince's brain was easy to use sometimes and could not turn around. helpless.

"trouble?"

Lu Min pointed at Mr. Jinshui blankly, "Isn't he the only one who is troublesome?"

Mo Li was about to speak, but the second prince lowered his voice to avoid Mr. Jin Shui: "Even with the addition of looks, the doctor and Meng Guoshi are both troublesome, standing out from the crowd and easily attracting attention. But what does it have to do with me?"

Mo Li stopped talking, thinking that Lu Min probably didn't realize that this metaphor refers to himself as a chicken.

Meng Qi said mercilessly: "You don't know how to hide your identity at all. Others are about to guess your origin. Since you are going to find a place to hide your name, you must be prepared to guard against prying eyes. If you arouse others' suspicion, sooner or later you will Report you to the government."

Lu Min opened his mouth, then drooped his head.

Thinking of Lu Min's calm expression in the cabin, Meng Qi couldn't help feeling puzzled.

The smell of fish, the smell of horses, and the strange smell of grease smeared on the ship's board made even Meng Qi frown when he smelled it.

But insiders have their own way.

Lu Min, on the other hand, looked like a normal person, directly interfering with the old boatman's judgment.

That's amazing.

Meng Qi was puzzled in his heart, so he naturally wanted to ask for clarification now.

After hearing this, Mo Li couldn't help but look over.

As a result, Lu Min looked around in embarrassment, and found that Mr. Jinshui was still out of his mind after being frightened, so he said in a low voice hesitantly: "The doctor and the national teacher don't know something. I am reckless. I blindly obey my father. Anyone who thinks that I have caused trouble and refuses to listen to the instructions will lock me in the small Buddhist hall in the palace and order me to copy the scriptures. At first I copied it, but later... Anyway, I refused to copy it, my father The emperor was even more angry, so it was often closed for ten days and a half months. The room was dark and airtight, and at first it was still incense. The palace people ignored me, ignored me, did not clean the house, even the toilet was dirty Every three days."

Lu Min couldn't continue, he coughed, and said vaguely: "If you want me to say, the messy incense is mixed with the reincarnation of people's grains, the smell is particularly terrible. In the end, I feel that my whole body stinks. Come out. Everyone in the future avoids me. I still smell after washing three times, only Brother Dahuang doesn’t dislike me... Hey, by the way, how can I let Brother Dahuang know about this fraud case? Send this gentleman back secretly , I believe that Brother Dahuang will definitely not let people torture him."