Gongsun Ce and Bao Zheng

Bao Zheng put down the copper coins and was about to get up when suddenly two figures came in front of him.

Bao Zheng frowned and looked at the two people in front of him, these two...he knew each other.

"Master Bao, my master is here to invite you." One of them cupped his hands respectfully and said.

Bao Zheng nodded slightly, but his brows were furrowed. He knew who the two of them were talking about, but why did they invite him so suddenly?Originally, after the Luzhou case was over, he, a little scholar, should have nothing to do with the current prince, the royal nobles.Why... to invite myself again?

Although the eight virtuous kings of the current dynasty were indeed a virtuous king, and he was friendly and did not put on airs, Bao Zheng did not want to get involved with such a "big official" when he came to Beijing this time. Although he prides himself on being upright and not afraid of slanting shadows, if he hears someone say that he relies on connections, he always feels uncomfortable. Secondly, Bao Zheng consciously makes the eight sage kings of the dynasty remember that he is nothing more than the ability to investigate cases , Now that the eight sage kings came to find him... Probably something happened, right?But now when he thinks about the case, he will think of Gongsun Ce who is recuperating in Lingguang Temple... his heart will feel inexplicably sour.

Bao Zheng thought about it calmly, and silently followed the two of them to the box on the second floor of the teahouse.

When he entered the box, he saw the gentle and elegant Eight Sage King smiling at him.

Bao Zheng's expression remained unchanged, he saluted calmly and calmly, and said in a low voice, "Bao Zheng, a grassroots man, pays his respects to the Eight Sage Kings!"

"Hehe... Bao Zheng doesn't need to be polite, just sit down." The Eighth Wise King said kindly, pointing to the seat beside him, motioning for Bao Zheng to sit down.

Bao Zheng bowed his hands respectfully and thanked him, and then sat down beside the Eight Sage Kings.

"It seems that you, Bao Zheng, have a plan for this exam." After carefully looking at Bao Zheng, the Eight Wise Kings suddenly smiled and said.

Bao Zheng replied very calmly, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry. Bao Zheng is just doing his best and obeying the destiny."

"Hehe...what a sentence to obey the destiny!" Eight Wise Kings admired, and said with hatred for iron and iron, "If those scholars who rushed to Qianli Lake to die had thoughts like yours, how could they die innocently!"

When Bao Zheng heard this, he was stunned, and looked at the Baxian King with a slightly changed expression, "My lord, what do you mean by that? Someone... died?"

The Eight Wise King sighed deeply, turned his head and asked seriously, "Bao Zheng, do you believe that there are ghosts and gods in this world?"

Bao Zheng was stunned for a moment, and then said calmly, "Bao Zheng only knows one sentence about ghosts and gods, if you believe it, there is it, if you don't believe it, you don't."

The Eight Sage King raised his eyebrows. This sentence was ambiguous, but now there is no time to discuss the theory of ghosts and gods, so the Eight Sage King said seriously, "Bao Zheng, what I will say next is all It is a court secret, you must not tell it to the outside world."

Bao Zheng's heart trembled, his expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Bao Zheng understands, my lord, please tell me."

The Baxian King took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Five days ago, the scholars taking the exam in the capital disappeared one after another. Three days ago, the bodies of these missing scholars were found near Qianli Lake. So far, fifteen bodies have been found. Yes, these corpses have undergone autopsy and it has been confirmed that they all died of asphyxiation.”

Bao Zheng's heart was shocked, fifteen corpses?15 people have died? !

The Eighth Wise King sighed again, "Bao Zheng, this matter made the Holy Majesty very angry, and the Holy Majesty ordered that this matter must be thoroughly investigated. The murderer must be brought to justice!"

Bao Zheng nodded solemnly, "My lord, Bao Zheng understands." After a pause, he looked up at the Eight Sage Kings and asked, "But, since fifteen corpses have been found, why haven't the folks heard the rumors? ?” And fifteen candidates for the exam are missing?

The Eighth Sage King smiled wryly, "How could there be no rumors, but they were all suppressed by the court. Besides, the fifteen candidates who disappeared were all candidates with little reputation, and the inn they lived in was relatively remote. There are also some candidates who live in other people's homes..."

"That is to say, they have no reputation and no money?" Bao Zheng asked solemnly.

The Eighth Sage King nodded, "That's right."

"My lord, Bao Zheng needs to know very detailed information..." Bao Zheng asked hesitantly. This place is the capital, not Luzhou. If he investigates the case, he needs the assistance of the government.

The Eighth Sage King smiled knowingly, took out a token from his sleeve and handed it to Bao Zheng, "Take it, this is from the emperor. If anyone dares to obstruct you during your investigation, you can take out the token." , no one will dare to trouble you. In addition, the six doors will also assist you."

Bao Zheng nodded and took the token without any hypocrisy or excuses. In the eyes of the Eight Sage Kings, this is what differentiates Bao Zheng from other scholars and what he appreciates.

In two words, Bao Zheng is—real.

The two talked about the case again, and Bao Zheng got up to leave.

After all, the Eight Sage Kings are not investigators, and they are in a high position. No matter how familiar the situation below is, they only know a little bit about it. And the people below are sure to pick up all the good things out of awe or flattery. Said that the real situation of the case came to the Eight Sage Kings, and I am afraid that only seven or eight percent of the truth is left.

If you want to find out the details of the case, you still have to go to Kaifeng Mansion in person, and maybe you can go around the Qianli Lake.

After Bao Zheng got up to leave, the Eight Sage Kings did not leave immediately, but continued to sit in the side room and drink alone. Soon, a small door on one side of the wing room was opened, and a person walked out, walking straight to the Eight Sage Kings, Abruptly reaching out to grab the cup that the Eight Sage King was about to pour, he said in a low voice, "My lord, drinking will hurt your health, please take care of your health."

The Eighth Sage King raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked at the person who came. This person was about forty, tall and straight, with a straight face, revealing a majesty that could not be concealed, but his eyes were deep and unpredictable. No matter when, the person in front of him There is no time for people to see through.

"Grand Master Pang should say this to himself. Although my lord can't do without entertainment on weekdays, I have always had a sense of proportion. The grand master is busy with official duties and has a lot of entertainment, so don't get angry and hurt yourself."

Grand Master Pang just calmly put down the wine glass he brought over, sat down on the occasion, raised his head respectfully and said solemnly, "Your Majesty's concern for this official, I will definitely remember it and never forget it."

Hearing this, the Baxian King couldn't help but froze. It seemed that what he said was true, but the Baxian King felt so weird no matter how he heard it, especially the last four words "never forget"... It seemed that his tone was aggravated Same?

The Baxian King simply changed the topic and asked, "The grand master insisted on coming with me just to see Bao Zheng, why did he still hide?"

Grand Master Pang just had a slight flash of his eyes, and said lightly, "I want to take a closer look at that person, whether he is worthy of the prince's trust." This was very plain, but the Eighth Sage King felt that something was wrong, but it also Just a passing thought.

So the Eight Worthy King smiled slightly, and praised Bao Zheng mercilessly, "Bao Zheng is smart, and he is also upright and honest. This king believes that this case will definitely come to light soon in Bao Zheng's hands."

Grand Master Pang looked at the Eight Sage Kings, but lowered his eyes to cover up the complicated darkness in his eyes.

"By the way, Grand Master, Ming Chong is the chief examiner of this case, so he needs to be concerned about the life and death of the candidates. Why don't you let him and Bao Zheng investigate the case together?" Ba Xianwang thought of Cui Mingchong, then Cui Mingchong is an upright official. Although he is the son-in-law of this impenetrable guy in front of him, he is dedicated to the court. He is a talent. If Cui Mingchong and Bao Zheng can solve the case that made the Holy One angry this time, it will be Cui Mingchong's chance. up.

Grand Master Pang thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Yes, I have thanked the prince for his kindness on behalf of Ming."

The Eight Sage King waved his hand indifferently. Now that Bao Zheng took over the unsolved case, the eight sage king's restless heart for many days eased a little bit, and he felt a little more comfortable. The eight sage king picked up the jug, He conveniently filled the glass in front of Grand Master Pang with wine, and said casually, "Come on, since you're here, don't talk about official business today." Do you remember this place?"

Grand Master Pang trembled slightly when he heard the words, and looked up at the Eight Sage Kings, with a trace of excitement in his eyes, "Your Highness, still remember?"

The Eighth Sage King smiled, of course he remembered.It was here that the down-and-out scholar spoke generously to him, denounced the court's malpractices, and angrily denounced corrupt officials, but... who would have thought of that later?People are still the same, but vicissitudes.

Eight Wise King lowered his eyes slightly, raised his wine glass, raised his glass to Grand Master Pang and said with a faint smile, "Come on, let's do it!"

Grand Master Pang took a deep look at the Eight Sage Kings, picked up the wine glass silently, and said in a hoarse voice, "My lord, please!" The moment the wine was finished, Grand Master Pang recited in a low voice, "Love is deep and there is no complaint. , where will the vicissitudes of life rest?"

The Eighth Sage King listened, raised his eyebrows and jokingly said, "Hey, is the grand master in love?"

Grand Master Pang looked up at the Eighth Sage King, and smiled calmly, "Your Highness is joking."

*****

Besides, after Bao Zheng left the teahouse, he walked towards the Baijia Tavern. Before investigating the case, he had to talk to Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, and he had to tell Zhan Zhao to go to Lingguang Temple to accompany Gongsun Ce tomorrow. Go prepare some things and ask Zhan Zhao to take them to Lingguang Temple.As for Bai Yutang, he might as well follow him to investigate the case.

Arriving at Bai's Tavern, he opened the door and entered, and saw Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang laughing and fighting each other.Bao Zheng looked at it calmly, these two people have a very good relationship recently, and for separating the two people who have a very good relationship, Bao Zheng said that he has no guilt at all.

"Zhan Zhao! Yu Tang!" Bao Zheng shouted standing in the yard.

"Brother Bao!" Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stopped fighting, greeted Bao Zheng, and flew over with lightness kung fu.

In fact, the distance between the three of them is not far, only a few steps, and they still have to use lightness kung fu?Bao Zheng frowned slightly, and glanced at the two people who were laughing. Zhan Zhao had always been mature and precocious, and usually paid attention to his behavior, how could he make such casual movements?And this Bai Yutang is frivolous, it seems that Zhan Zhao was influenced by Bai Yutang... Well, that's even better, it's good for the two of them to separate and settle down.