Linzhi

In a blink of an eye, autumn and winter came, and it was New Year's Eve again. This was the first year that He Rong and He Zhan spent in Chang'an after returning from the Turks, and it was also the first year that He Tai spent after being crowned king. The lanterns and festoons are arranged in an unusually grand manner.

Every year on New Year's Eve, the emperor would hold a banquet in the palace to entertain the officials as a reward for everyone's hard work for a year, but this year the emperor was not in good spirits, so the palace banquet was cancelled, so He Rong and the others were spared the tedious work of bringing them into the palace. , you can stay at home, the brothers eat wine and tea, and sit around the stove to watch the new year.

This is a rare relaxation and comfort. The female relatives had a banquet in another room, and He Tai, who had to carry his father's airs on weekdays, sat with half of his body crooked on the soft pillow, with one leg propped up and the other leg laid flat, Lazy and lazy, not in shape.

But looking at He Mu and the others, they are actually very similar.

He Xi almost fell flat on the ground, but no one cared about him today.

The fire is warm and warm, and the snowflakes drifting in from outside the house are all melted in the fragrance of pine wood that fills the house.

He Rong picked up the small bowl of wine and shook it gently. The two small fish at the bottom of the bowl seemed to swim with the waves, which was really interesting.

When the family was in Fangzhou, looking at the thatched roof trembling, no one would have thought that they would be able to live such a life in the future, including He Rong.

He drank the wine in one gulp, allowing the warmth to ferment and spread in his body, making his limbs and bones feel warm.

He Zhan next to him handed over a plate of copper coin cakes, He Rong glanced at him, the latter raised his eyebrows and made a face, He Rong shook his head, and took it.

The others didn't notice their small movements. He Mu looked around and said with a smile: "Seeing that Jia Niang is about to leave the cabinet, when our family has another son-in-law, there will be another seat here."

He Xi said: "Sister is married, so naturally she has to stay at her mother's house to watch her age, how could she still stay at our house?"

He Jia is the only daughter of the He family, and the brothers love her very much. They only hope that she will live well, and they feel a little sad when they hear this.

He Zhan said with a smile: "We are the royal family, my sister married people, why is it a low marriage, so what's the matter with letting them come here to watch the new year?"

He Mu shook his head: "Children, don't say that Jia Niang is not a princess. Even if she is a princess, she must respect her husband's family. How can there be any reason to go to her mother's house on New Year's Eve?"

He Zhan didn't feel that what he said was childish, but since his elder brother said that, he just laughed it off and didn't refute it.

He Xiu then asked casually: "For Jia Niang's marriage, I don't know if my father already has a candidate in mind?"

He Tai put down the small bowl of wine: "At this time in the past, we all had to go to the palace to eat the palace banquet. Once it is canceled this year, I don't know how many people are discussing it in private."

He Xi didn't think too much about it, and blurted out: "What's so good about the palace banquet? The dishes look beautiful, but they are all cold when presented. Why don't we eat at home!"

Before he finished speaking, He Xiu slapped the back of the head: "You are the only one who is smart, you are the only one who is smart! Is it for the purpose of going to the palace to eat food? That is a ceremony!"

He Tai nodded: "Erlang is right. It has become a habit every year. This year is an exception. I am afraid that the dragon body of the emperor..."

He sighed softly and didn't continue.

The emperor's health is deteriorating day by day, which is obvious to all, but the emperor has been reluctant to establish a prince for a long time. It can be foreseen that if something happens to the emperor, and there is no prince in the country, what will happen.

At that time, it may be a bloodbath that is even more chaotic than when the current emperor ascended the throne!

He Rong began to calculate: "The most important thing in the capital is the imperial army. The commander of the imperial army is Ji Cuo, who was born as a commoner. He was raised by his majesty, and he is loyal to his majesty. Cheng Yue, who is in charge of the Beiya, has not expressed his position on weekdays. The biggest variable should be Li Kuan, the Marquis of Zhenyuan who is in charge of Nanya, his mother is the eldest princess of Yiyang, but the Li family is from an aristocratic family, and the concubine of He Lin, the abandoned commoner, is still a distant relative..."

This is the bad point of high-ranking families. Anyone who finds out anyone can be related, and even relatives who have passed the five clothes can be related. However, some families have been passed down for two or three hundred years, with deep roots and luxuriant branches. Whenever they change dynasties, someone will always bet on the right person who is in the country at the right time, so the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, and the luck of the whole family can continue in the future.

He Xi got a headache when he heard it: "Third brother, big one, can we stop for a while, stop talking about the general trend of the world and the situation in the court and China, everyone who listens is exhausted... Ouch!"

A piece of coin cake was thrown from He Rong's direction, and He Xi tilted his head, triumphantly saying, "Fortunately, I react quickly!"

He Mu also wanted to hit him: "If I don't listen, I cover my ears. I was getting excited when I was listening, but you interrupted me!"

He Xi yelled: "There is no reward for kindness, let's go, Dalang, let's set off firecrackers!"

He pulled He Xin and ran outside. After a while, crackling firecrackers sounded outside the door, and the voices of the people became more and more inaudible. They simply closed their mouths, covered their ears and frowned and laughed.

He Zhan moved closer to talk to He Rong, He Rong saw his lips moving, but couldn't hear what he was saying, so he couldn't help raising his voice: "What did you say?!"

He Zhan worked hard, opening and closing his mouth. After a long time, He Rong finally saw clearly. He said five words one by one: "Han, Ci, Go, Dong, Xue!"

He Rong smiled inwardly, and then replied, "Warmth brings spring breeze."

Happy New Year's Eve together, welcome and send off a night.

……

However, for many people, the spring breeze after the new year is not warm, because when everyone speculates that the emperor's body is not hesitant and may change, before the Lantern Festival, a major event really happened in the capital.

It's just that the important event was not the emperor's illness, but the dawn of the fifth day of the new year. Everyone in the capital was still immersed in the New Year's atmosphere, and the officials of various ministries hadn't finished their rest. A young man rang the bell outside the Jingzhao Mansion. Dengwen Drum completely opened the prelude to Wende's 23 years.

It was only later that the He family found out that the young man was Su Changhe, the youngest son of Supervisor Su Huan.

A few years ago, when Chen Wuliang passed away, Su Huan, the censor of Lingnan Road, sued Chen Wuliang for taking bribes and perverting the law during his management of Lingnan, massacring local people, and even being involved in rebellion. Su Huanfan was exiled on the charge of false accusation, and later died on the way to exile. His family members were also exiled into the army, and after that, no one knew about them.

Now Su Huan's son suddenly appeared and defended his father, vowing that what happened back then was not a false accusation by his father, but that the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple concealed the truth to deceive the king.

How could Jing Zhaoyin dare to specialize in such a hot potato, and without a word, he hurried into the palace overnight to report to the emperor. It is said that the emperor immediately summoned the six ministers and nine ministers, and even He Tai had to get up from the bed in the middle of the night, at a loss. After getting out of the carriage, he returned with a serious expression on his face.

The next day, news spread that the emperor ordered Yushitai to retry the case of Chen Wuliang!

People who have been officials in the capital for more than five years may have heard of this case. Even those who were not sensitive to it before could smell the unusual taste in it, and they all tightened the strings in their minds, waiting to hear about it at any time. Bigger news could break out.

Even a person like He Xi who seldom intervenes in government affairs knows why the emperor ordered a retrial at Yushitai instead of handing it over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple - because the case was jointly tried by the Ministry of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple back then. The emperor's order showed that they no longer trusted them.

This is a very dangerous signal. Many people can't help but panic, especially those who are more or less involved in the case.

King Qi was more nervous than them.

He was almost sure that the emperor's father had already known what he did in this incident, but the emperor did not name him from the beginning to the end. He did not know if any of the officials who had been interrogated revealed his name , let alone how they would slander and slander him, even if the emperor called him into the palace to scold him now, he would not be more panicked than he is now.

He just realized now that the most terrifying thing in the world is not the moment when the storm comes, but knowing that they will come, but not knowing when they will come.

To his confidants and staff, King Qi no longer has to pretend to be calm: "Lianfang, you have to think hard this time, otherwise I'm afraid that the king will never see the sun of tomorrow again!"

The staff hurriedly said: "Your Highness, don't panic, the more you panic, the more mistakes you will make!"

King Qi's face was cold and pale, and he forced a smile and said: "I can't help but not panic, if this continues, I'm afraid even the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment and the Minister of Dali Temple will be folded in, and they will definitely confess me!"

The staff frowned: "There has been no news from the Su family for so many years. Where did this Su Changhe come from? It's not that simple to alarm the Holy Majesty. In my opinion, this matter is likely to have something to do with King Wei. related."

King Qi frowned, confused: "No matter who it is related to, I have to get over the difficulties in front of me first! Hey, if I knew this, I shouldn't be soft-hearted and pity the orphans and widows of the Chen family. Wading in the muddy water, it’s better now, it’s really a woman’s benevolence!”

Whether he helped the Chen family to cover up the criminal evidence was out of soft-heartedness. The aides were noncommittal, and only said: "Your Highness, it is useless to complain about yourself. Why don't you take the initiative to confess everything to His Majesty and ask His Majesty for forgiveness."

King Qi shook his head without even thinking about it: "No, His Majesty can't rub the sand in his eyes. If so, I'm afraid..."

He paused, and said with a bit of bitterness: "I'm afraid I won't have the chance to be a great position."

The aide sighed: "In the case of Chen Wuliang, you took money from the Chen family and covered it up for the Chen family. Whether it's a big deal or a minor matter, Su Huan's injustice is nothing. Your Majesty's most taboo is probably You concealed the part of the evidence that Chen Wuliang was involved in treason."

King Qi couldn't make a decision, he paced back and forth in the study, but his anxious mood was already revealed from the sound of his footsteps.

The staff advised again: "With His Majesty's shrewdness, if you don't tell him, he will know sooner or later. I think that instead of waiting for His Majesty to settle accounts with you, it is better to tell the whole story. At least it can be regarded as frank."

Qi Wang said cruelly: "Forget it, I will enter the palace right now!"

He entered the palace nervously, but was stopped outside Zichen Hall.

Ma Hong said to him: "The imperial physician is currently consulting with His Majesty and prescribing prescriptions for recuperation. His Majesty has been asked to rest for two days. Your Majesty said that you should go back first. You will disappear today."

King Qi stared at Ma Hong, trying to find some clues from the other's face: "Ma Changshi, I didn't mean to disturb His Majesty, but I really have something urgent!"

Ma Hong smiled and bowed slightly: "The villain knows, and the villain has reported the truth, but no one dares to disobey His Majesty's order, and please don't make things difficult for the villain, Your Highness."

King Qi's heart suddenly turned cold.

He took out a piece of fine jade pendant from his sleeve, and wanted to stuff it in, but Ma Hong took two steps back beforehand: "Your Highness, forgive me, the villain has to be by His Majesty's side at any time, so I will leave first."

The villain who is following the trend!King Qi thought bitterly, but had to hold him hastily.

"Ma Changshi, I'll just wait here. It's okay to see you again when Your Majesty is free. Please let me know."

Ma Hong sighed softly, and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that he will not meet anyone outside the court meeting recently."

King Qi gritted his teeth: "Then I will wait until His Majesty is willing to see me!"

Seeing this, Ma Hong didn't stop persuading him, and after bowing and saluting, he turned and entered.

The rest of King Qi stood at the gate of Zichen Hall, gritted his teeth and waited from morning to afternoon, but the emperor never called him in.

It wasn't until evening that his limbs became weak from hunger, and he could hardly stand up, so he could only return disgruntled.

King Qi once thought that the emperor valued him as much as the old prince, but now he suddenly discovered that the old prince is the old prince after all. He is a living person, no matter what he does, he cannot be compared with the dead.

In the Zichen Palace, the emperor was not as weak as Ma Hong said, he was resting on the couch with a memorial in his hand.

Mahone came in lightly.

The emperor didn't lift his head: "Going away?"

"Leaving." Ma Hong accompanied him with a smile, "I just left, and I stood there for three hours without dripping water."

The emperor sneered: "Knowingly made a big mistake, but still took chances."

Ma Hong didn't dare to ask any more questions, so he hurriedly helped sort out the memorabilia.

However, the emperor sighed, put down the documents in hand, and was no longer in the mood to read them.

Outsiders all said that he had a heart of stone. He killed his brother when he ascended the throne, and later executed his son. A hundred years later, the history books still don’t know how to write about him. After entering the twilight years, the body is getting worse and worse, and the heart seems to be softening.

The purpose of re-investigating Chen Wuliang's case is to frighten those who are always calculating and thinking carefully in the court, and to tell them that although the emperor is old, he still has the power of a tiger to devour people. It is also to give King Qi a warning and make him repent.

The emperor thought, if after this incident, the king of Qi knows his mistakes and can correct them, then the incident will be considered a crime.

However, King Qi didn't know what the emperor thought. Like many people, he believed that the emperor wanted to investigate to the end, and thoroughly put him in various ministries, especially the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple.

So during this period of time, he tried every means to inquire about the progress of the case, hoping to know the news in advance and make preparations early, but Yushitai seemed to become an existence like an iron barrel overnight, not only the king of Qi, but also the king of Lu. And Wei Wang and others also couldn't get any news.

After the Lantern Festival, on the [-]th day of the first lunar month, the case broke out like lightning, and it was solved at lightning speed.

Soon, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and Minister of Dali Temple were dismissed because they shielded Chen Wuliang and perverted the law for personal gain.

And below them, a total of thirteen officials from the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple did not have such dignity.

Among them is Weng Hao, the former Minister of Lu Wangfu who once reported on Lu Wangfu's private possession of witchcraft more than ten years ago, and now the servant of the Ministry of Punishment.

For Weng Hao, He Tai hated him deeply. At that time, he cheated on others and betrayed him. After he got an official position, he was appreciated by the emperor because of his clear understanding of the details and fair judgment of the case.

But when He Tai returned to Beijing, Weng Hao was promoted step by step, and he had already become the Minister of the Six Departments. With the emperor guarding him, He Tai dared not speak out. There was no criminal evidence, so he could do nothing to Weng Hao.

Now that the radish is pulled out and the mud is brought out, I didn't expect that an old case could also implicate Weng Hao. Such an unexpected result made He Tai happy. He was more happy than seeing King Qi deflated, so he drank a cup that night. Big jar of wine.

He Rong was not as drunk as He Tai was. He was with Yang Jungao at the time, and when he heard Xue Tan rushing over to tell the news, he was shocked at first, and then went directly to Beiya to find He Zhan.

He Zhan was quite happy to hear that the third brother had come to find him in person, because He Rong had never been here since he entered Beiya.

He made up his mind to take He Rong to have a good time here, but as soon as he entered the value room, He Rong said: "Is there any way for me to go to the Nanya Prison?"

He Zhan was taken aback for a moment: "Third brother, you're very well behaved, why can't you think about it?"

He Rong didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and realized that he came too hastily and didn't speak clearly, so he said, "The case of Chen Wuliang has come to fruition, all the officials above Wai Lang from the Ministry of Criminal Justice have been imprisoned, including Weng Hao."

He Zhan was overjoyed when he heard the words: "The law of heaven is clear, retribution is not good, the third brother finally got his revenge, and this Weng will suffer disaster this time!"

Speaking of this, he suddenly said: "Weng Hao was just the history of the royal family back then, why did he frame us for no reason, there must be someone behind this, does the third brother want to find out who is behind him?"

He Rong nodded.

He Zhan led him out: "It's not difficult to enter the Nanya Prison, but now a group of people have just been imprisoned, and I don't know if the superiors have ordered them not to see them."

He Rong: "That's why I'm looking for you. With you, General Habayashi Qianniu, they dare not lose face."

He Zhan was afraid that he would return in disappointment due to bitterness and hatred, so he tactfully advised: "The people who instigated Weng Hao to sue were most likely the two rebels, He Yi and He Lin, who are already dead by now. , the grass on the grave is several feet high, even if we ask, we can't do anything to them."

But He Rong shook his head: "It's not their instigation."

He Zhan was surprised: "Why do you see that?"

He Rong: "Your Majesty has not spared even your son and younger brother. If Weng Hao is really involved with these two people, how can he still be safe and sound and get promoted every step of the way?"

He Zhan showed a thoughtful expression.

He Rong: "According to my guess, maybe Weng Hao is someone His Majesty placed in the Lu Palace, so it is only natural for him to report to His Majesty."

Startled, He Zhan suddenly looked up at He Rong.

"Then we have to guess like this, there is another possibility! That is, even He Lin and He Yi's incident may have something to do with Weng Hao. Weng Hao denounced them and made great contributions. His Majesty will naturally reward them."

He Rong: "Yes, so it is definitely necessary for Weng Hao to meet him. Even if he belongs to His Majesty, I still need to know how he knew that Lu Wang's mansion had secretly hidden witchcraft, and who actually hid the witchcraft. Come in, frame my biological mother, and thus frame my father? Even if it was He Lin and the others who did it, the truth can be revealed, and I can comfort the unjustly deceased under the Nine Springs."

……

When He Rong and He Zhan arrived at the Nanya Prison, there was indeed a commotion at the gate. Some prisoners had not been arrested yet, and some family members of the prisoners came here to beg and want to go in and visit. The guards were getting impatient and saw He Rong Zhan came hand in hand.

The two of them dressed in extraordinary manners, especially He Zhan was still wearing military military uniforms. The guards did not dare to neglect and rushed forward to inquire about their intentions.

He Zhan directly identified himself and asked to see Weng Hao.

Hearing that it was another visit to the prison, the guard had a bitter face: "My lords, it's not that we don't let you in, it's because Yushitai has told you not to allow any unrelated people to enter."

He Zhan was about to say more, but He Rong held him down and said to the guard: "There is an old friend of us inside, and we don't do anything else, let alone want to send things in like others, just say a few words and leave , if you are worried, it’s okay to send someone to guard by the side.”

The guard hesitated a little, an embroidered pouch slipped out of He Rong's sleeve, and it was stuffed into the guard's hand without a trace.

This fluent hand is comparable to He Zhan's proficiency in nodding an arrow to a bow. He Zhan's eyes have been opened.

When the guard led them in, He Zhan couldn't help asking in a low voice: "Third Brother, where did you learn how to stuff money with one hand?"

He Rong didn't change his face, and replied with the same voice: "I practiced it when I gave Ma Hong money."

The corner of He Zhan's mouth twitched.

The Nanya prison is actually not like a nest of snakes and rats as ordinary people imagined, insects and ants are everywhere, dark and damp is inevitable, other than that, the cells are clean and tidy.

But these cells are now overcrowded, not ordinary thieves or ordinary people, but criminals.

Some people squatted in the corner with dejected and hopeless faces, some people wanted to struggle and shouted wronged by lying on the fence, some recognized He Rong and the others, and yelled to beg An Guogong to save the official's life , Xiaguan is willing to repay Yunyun with all his wealth.

Everything in life is here.

"Weng Hao is there, please hurry up, two gentlemen, and don't make it difficult for the villain."

He Rong nodded: "It's time to work, you can go."

The light inside was really dim, He Zhan had to squint his eyes, and sure enough, he saw a person sitting against the right wall in the cell in front of him.

"Weng Hao."

Hearing his name, Weng Hao raised his head subconsciously, but saw two people standing outside, well-dressed, which showed his desolation even more.

"Your Excellency is... Duke An?" It took him a while to recognize him.

He Rong knelt down: "I didn't come here today for the case of Chen Wuliang."

Weng Hao was silent for a moment, but he was not surprised: "I know, you are here for the Bing Shen case 14 years ago."

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Small theater unrelated to the main text:

He Zhan couldn't help asking from behind: "Third brother, where did you learn the skill of stuffing money with one hand?"

He Rong didn't change his face: "This is taught by an expert, and it is said to be the long-lost spring water fingering."