The return of the son-in-law

When Guo Zhan got up, there was already a thin layer of snow outside the house.

"Don't rush to sweep the area outside the house," Guo Zhan'an told Fuquan after putting on his clothes, "Yu'er is still sleeping, it won't be too late to sweep the snow when he wakes up. Is the pond in the yard frozen?"

"When I got up, I heard that it was freezing outside," Fuquan replied in a low voice, "Last night, the second young master asked the kitchen to prepare bird's nest porridge for the young master. The young master will go to court after finishing it?"

"Forget it, remember to add some silver charcoal later, Yu'er will sleep again, don't let him catch a cold." Guo Zhan'an straightened his clothes in front of the mirror, "It snowed last night, Yu'er must be very happy to see you when he got up today, you Remember to keep an eye on him and keep him away from the pond."

"Yes."

It took a long time after Guo Zhanan went to court before Huo Yu woke up.When it was cold, Huo Yu became extremely lethargic. Guo Zhan'an was worried that he would catch a cold, so the charcoal fire in the smoker cage in the house never stopped.

Today Huo Yu still wanted to be lazy for a while and get back to sleep, but when he heard the sound of snow falling from the branches outside the house, he couldn't help getting up and opening the window to look.

Fuquan, who was guarding outside, heard the movement in the inner room, opened the thick curtain and came in to check. Seeing that Huo Yu was lying barefoot in front of the window watching the snow, he quickly picked up the coat that was placed next to the smoker cage, and went forward to give it to him. Huo Yu put it on: "Second Young Master, don't catch a cold. Come on, let's get dressed before going out to play in the snow."

Huo Yu smiled and closed the window: "I couldn't hold back, so I got up and looked. By the way, why is it so quiet today?"

"The young master told us not to disturb you. It's not because you didn't get up, so I told other people not to come near here, so as not to make any noise to wake you up."

Huo Yu laughed sullenly after hearing this, changed his clothes quickly and said, "Is the pond frozen?"

Fuquan sighed in his heart and said that the two young masters really had a good understanding, the eldest master had already figured out that the second young master would ask about the pond, and replied with a smile: "It's frozen, but it's just a thin layer, and people can't stand on it. "

Huo Yu showed disappointment, seeing Fu Quan, he said again: "Wait a little longer, the second young master might not look down on the pond anymore."

Huo Yu really became interested: "How to say?"

Fuquan explained: "Young master has a Zhuangzi under his name, and there is a big pond in it. Every winter when the lake freezes, the people on the Zhuangzi will dig a big hole in the ice, throw the fishing nets down, and then sit next to it. Eat shochu. Wait until your body is warmed up, and then pull up the fishing net, and it will be full of big fat fish!"

Huo Yu opened his eyes wide: "Don't use anything else? Just throw the fishing net?"

"I saw it once when I was a child, and it's really enough to just put the fishing net down." Fuquan said, bringing a small stove and handing it to Huo Yu with both hands. Going ice skating and eating mutton in a pot, the taste is simply amazing!"

Huo Yu turned on the stove and said, "That's really good. When our restaurant opens, we'll make some squid with scallions, crucian carp tofu soup, and some fried fish whiskers."

Fuquan nodded with a smile and said: "If the second young master wants it, send someone to Zhuangzi and ask Zhuangzi to bring some fish over."

Huo Yu was gearing up and waiting for a big fight: "Today, let's go and see those three restaurants first, and make a decision as soon as possible so that they can open as soon as possible."

Huo Yu took Fuquan happily out to inspect the restaurant, while Guo Zhan'an and the others faced Li Shaojun's anger directly in the palace.

"Guo Qing, you lost your fame in the hands of your own servants, how did you become a family!" Li Shaojun pointed at Guo Zhan'an and scolded, "Yu'er is almost about to be killed by you!"

Guo Zhan'an didn't argue: "Your Majesty, forgive me, it's because I didn't investigate for a while that King Liang took advantage of the loophole."

"If you don't check for a while, what you said is light!" Li Shaojun scolded a few words, rolled his eyes, "Okay, let's go back later and wait for the order. Where is King Liang's spies? Bring them here."

Wu Jia and the two maids were quickly brought up. Facing the coercion of Li Shaojun and others, Wu Jia and the two maids did not dare to hide anything, and they did everything they hadn't done before.

According to the account of these three people, Liang Wang had a general understanding of the situation of the Guo Mansion through the Liu family and sent people to contact the two maids.Then he observed carefully for more than two months before finally deciding to start with Wu Jia.

"Liu family?" Li Shaojun couldn't help being a little strange when he heard this name, "I remember that the king of Liang personally interrogated Liu family and the concubine Li Bo, and wanted to condemn these two people to death. Could there be something strange in this?"

Yue An pondered for a moment, then said: "If Mrs. Liu is in the middle, there may still be many secrets between King Liang and Mrs. Liu that we don't know."

Zuo Xingzhi said: "Your Majesty, the King of Liang once interrogated Mrs. Liu alone in the middle of the night. During this period, all the jailers were not allowed to enter. As a result, Mrs. Liu recruited them all the next day. I think Mrs. Liu took all the charges on herself. Thinking maybe she made a deal with King Liang, if she pleads guilty, then King Liang will protect the common man Li Bo."

Li Shaojun ordered people to take Wu Jia and others away and imprison them first, and then said: "What Zuo Qing said is not unreasonable. King Liang's temperament has never left any excuses for himself. If the Liu family really colluded with King Liang , the King of Liang will definitely not keep her alive. This time, the King of Liang wants to condemn the Liu family and the commoner Li Bo to death. These two people must have the handle of the King of Liang, but they have already lost power, so there is no way for the King of Liang .Zuo Qing, the Liu family and the commoner Li Bo will leave it to you, no matter what method is used, I must know what the King of Liang conspired with them."

Zuo Xingzhi cupped his hands and said: "Yes."

Li Shaojun asked Yue An again: "Has the whereabouts of King Liang been found?"

Yue An shook his head and said: "This humble minister is incompetent, and has already sent people to search for hundreds of miles in the suburbs of Beijing. On the day the sixth prince came back, King Liang was still working in the Ministry of Criminal Affairs. By the time he left the Ministry of Criminal Justice, the city gates had been closed. If you want to leave the capital, you have to wait until the city gates are opened the next day, and then mix with the crowds out of the city. My officials have already sent people to track down the way the kings entered the capital, and it is very likely that the king of Liang will ask the kings for help when he leaves the capital."

"Hmph, a mob," Li Shaojun turned back and sat back on the chair, "King An and the others are going to the capital, right?"

"According to the schedule, we will arrive in Beijing in less than three days."

Li Shaojun pondered for a moment, and said to Guo Zhan'an: "Guo Qing, as Jing Zhaoyin, Yue Xiang is busy with official duties at this time, so I entrust you with the responsibility of entertaining the three kings. The turmoil has been calmed down with great difficulty now, and we can no longer frighten the people of the capital."

Guo Zhanan took the order: "Yes."

After two days of investigation, Huo Yu finally settled on Juxian Tower.

Guo Zhanan came back from the Yamen, and after hearing what Huo Yu said, he was thoughtful: "This name is somewhat familiar."

"The person who talked about storytelling last time said it in Juxian Building," Huo Yu stretched out his hand to take off Guo Zhanan's official hat, and said, "My brother is now Jing Zhaoyin, who is in charge of many affairs in the capital. No. I think the first one that spreads the fastest news these days is the vegetable market, and the second one is the restaurant. Juxianlou is located at the intersection of the capital post station and the embassy, ​​and there are more than a dozen inns, large and small, standing next to it. Most people who come to the north will pass by Juxian Tower, which is a good place to collect news."

Guo Zhanan said with a smile: "You just like it, what do I do?"

"Of course mine is my brother's." Huo Yu put Guo Zhanan's official hat away, and continued, "And just because of the storyteller's mouth, my brother's reputation was almost ruined, which shows what the ancients said It’s true that everyone’s talk makes money. Instead of being calculated by others, it’s better to sell the place now, and if anyone speaks ill of our Master Jing Zhaoyin in my restaurant in the future, they will all be called out and will not be entertained.”

Guo Zhan'an stretched out his hand and scratched the bridge of Huo Yu's nose: "You are protecting your weaknesses."

Huo Yu smiled: "If you don't protect your weaknesses, what else can you protect? I am also a man, so I want to protect my brother."

Guo Zhan'an said with a smile: "Okay, aren't you tired after a day of running around? Tomorrow, King An among the three kings will probably arrive in Beijing first, and I have to go out of the city to meet him earlier. Today I want to take a comfortable bath. "

The two have been in the same heart for many years. Although Huo Yu is still shy occasionally, he no longer twitches: "If that's the case, let me rub my brother's back today."

The skin to skin of the two is in the youngest and vigorous years, so it is naturally tender and sweet.

The next day, to the surprise of Guo Zhan'an and others, the [-] army led by King An took the initiative to stop and set up camp at a place fifty miles away from the capital.

The messenger sent by Li Shaojun soon brought back the news. King An stated that he did not want to go to the capital first, and planned to wait for the other two princes to arrive in the capital before leaving. The three kings went to the palace together to show respect.

"It's nothing to show respect, but I plan to wait for the three of you to arrive, and then come to see me after speaking with more weight."

Guo Zhanan asked the messenger: "Have you ever found out the whereabouts of King Liang?"

The messenger shook his head and said, "King An's people are watching very closely. I don't have many opportunities to talk to King An's soldiers. But judging from Wang An's expression, it seems that I haven't met King Liang."

"Guo Qing doesn't need to worry," Li Shaojun said, "King An's temper is the most impatient. If King Liang really goes to him, he will not be able to calm down."

"Since you didn't go to King An, did you go to the other two princes?" Guo Zhan'an asked, "Your Majesty, did any of the soldiers guarding the city see anyone suspected of being King Liang?"

"It's true that Yue Qing went out in person. Why, Guo Qing has doubts?"

"It's not a question, but I feel that we are all led by the nose in this matter. It's just a word from the steward of Liang Wang, and we believe that Liang Wang has left the capital, but the soldiers guarding the city are all I haven't seen anyone suspected to be King Liang, and Yue Xiang sent people to search for a hundred miles around the capital, but they didn't even find any clues." Guo Zhanan analyzed carefully, and finally expressed his doubts, "Maybe King Liang hasn't left the capital yet. ?Maybe he is still hiding in the prince's mansion, and deliberately let his housekeeper lie to draw our attention away from the capital."

Li Shaojun patted the table: "Guo Qing means that King Liang is still in Beijing at this time?"

Guo Zhanan replied cautiously: "This is just my humble minister's guess. The capital is certainly big, but King Liang is cautious by nature, and it is absolutely impossible to find a random place to hide. Since he ordered people to divert our attention outside the capital, it is probably Hide in your own house."

Li Shaojun made a final decision: "It's not too late, Guo Qing, I order you to lead an imperial army, immediately surround Prince Liang's mansion, and conduct a thorough search!"

"Yes."

Outside the capital city, King An was watching. The other two kings will arrive in Beijing soon, so there is not much time left for Li Shaojun.However, within half a day, the Forbidden Army had already assembled, led by Wei Zihao, the commander of the Forbidden Army, and obeyed Guo Zhanan's orders.

"What is Mr. Guo here for?" The butler of Prince Liang's Mansion came to answer the door. Seeing a group of well-equipped imperial troops behind Guo Zhan'an, he forced a smile and said, "Even though my lord is not in the capital, he did not lead the imperial army like Mr. Guo. Come to make trouble."

"Troubleshooting?" Guo Zhan'an couldn't help laughing, "Is the forbidden army at my disposal? There is an order from the Holy Spirit, ordering me to search the Prince Liang's mansion thoroughly, and open the gate quickly."

The housekeeper refused to budge: "You are not allowed to enter the gate of Prince Liang's Mansion! If you want to search it, you can, but where is the search warrant written by His Majesty? Take it out, and all masters, please go through the corner gate!"

The yamen servant behind Guo Zhanan took out a search warrant in Minghuang, and handed it to the butler after reading it: "Please see."

The butler received the search warrant, and his face turned green and white, but Guo Zhan'an was unwilling to waste time on him: "Search!"

Wei Zihao gave an order, and the imperial guards who surrounded the Prince Liang's mansion without counting their names were divided into two teams, passed by the butler on the left and right, and entered the Prince Liang's mansion directly from the main entrance.

King Liang is the second-rank prince protecting the country. The palace of King Liang can be said to have five steps, one pavilion, and ten steps, one pavilion. There are many strange rocks and mountains, which is very complicated.It can be said that the imperial army did not spare an inch of land from front to back, and every time they searched a place, they would leave three or four imperial army guards to prevent Liang Wang from sneaking in.

The butler followed closely behind, holding a search warrant written by Li Shaojun in his hand, knowing that he couldn't stop him, so he lowered his head and remained silent.

But when they arrived at a courtyard, the housekeeper suddenly stopped him: "My lords, this is the courtyard where the prince's family members live, outsiders are not allowed to enter."

"Presumptuous!" Wei Zihao yelled, "Your Majesty has an order not to spare even an inch of Prince Liang's mansion. Don't you want to disobey the order? Get out of the way!"

The butler opened his hands to stop him and said, "Forgive me, but the princess and others are inside, but I can't help being so frightened. It's just a search, and it's not a house raid. The princess is a second-rank order, how can I be bullied by adults? "

"You!" Wei Zihao made a gesture to draw his sword, but was stopped by Guo Zhan'an.

"I will not disobey His Majesty's will. In this case, please ask the housekeeper to go in and report to the princess, so that all the female relatives come out first, and go to the front yard to avoid it. But I'm ugly, no matter if it's the princess or the maid, Everyone can only wear cotton-padded jackets to keep out the cold, and cloaks and cloaks are not allowed.”

"Your Excellency is too much!" The housekeeper argued excitedly, "How noble is the princess, how can I let my lord bully me?"

"Bullying?" Guo Zhanan raised his eyebrows, "I don't know what bullying is. What King Liang committed was a crime of bullying the emperor, and all the women's family members can't escape being held accountable. I'm here to search on His Majesty's order, and I'm thinking of the princess. Wait until the person is a woman, and let them go to the front yard to avoid it. Since you keep saying that we bullied the female family members, then we should be convicted of this crime, and the housekeeper can sue us in front of the emperor in the future."

The housekeeper, Qian Lu, was so poor that he regretted that he had pushed too hard before, but now it is difficult to mediate.It was only then that he realized that although Guo Zhan'an was young, he was not something he could scare with the title of King Liang.

In desperation, the housekeeper had no choice but to take a step back: "My lords, wait a moment, I'll go in and ask Wang Hao and others to move."

Not long after the butler entered, there was a commotion inside.There are women's cries, hurried footsteps, and the sound of moving large items.

Wei Zihao put the half-drawn sword back into the scabbard, and said with a smile, "Master Guo is indeed smarter than those of us martial arts masters, a few words will make that rooster-like steward speechless."

Guo Zhan'an said humbly: "Master Wei is joking, if Master Wei and all the soldiers of the imperial army were not there, the steward would not have given in so quickly."

Wei Zihao has a straight temper, and it was very helpful to hear Guo Zhanan flatter him: "Your Majesty Guo, you are welcome. If there is anything you can use me in the future, brother, it's okay to say."

Guo Zhan'an smiled and did not speak again.

After waiting for a while, the butler led a group of female relatives out.Guo Zhan'an and Wei Zihao did not avoid suspicion, but stood at the gate of the yard, carefully scrutinizing every female family member passing by, lest Liang Wang get mixed up in it.

When the female family members went down to the former courtyard under the guard of the imperial army, Wei Zihao led his men in to search, while Guo Zhanan followed leisurely.

Because this is the courtyard of Princess Liang, it can be said to be one of the largest courtyards in the prince's mansion. The imperial guards were not polite and threw all the movable things on the ground. Don't let go.

When the butler came back after sending the princess off, he saw the mess all over the place and kept chanting Buddha's name.Guo Zhanan turned to look at him, but he ignored him and just stood in the middle of the yard bowing his head and praying to Buddha.

A forbidden soldier came out from inside: "Master Guo, there is no trace of King Liang in this courtyard."

"Let me take a look." Guo Zhanan bypassed the room where the imperial guards came out, and walked back.Seeing the butler, he quickly lifted his heels up.

"What is this?" Guo Zhanan asked, pointing to a pool in the open air.

"Oh, this, this is a hot spring." The housekeeper glanced at it, and replied casually, "I'm afraid Mr. Guo doesn't have one at home. The princess suffered from cold during confinement when she gave birth to her son, and her joints are not good in winter, so The prince specially ordered people to bring hot spring water back from the mountains, and burn it in the pot room day and night. When the princess wants to soak in the hot spring, she will cover the surroundings with curtains, turn on the switch, and the hot spring water will be laid in advance Good pipelines flow into this pool continuously. This is why our prince loves the princess, no matter how big the room is, once soaked in the hot spring, it will be filled with heat, and people will easily get angry and faint after soaking for a long time, so we use this method."

"No matter how big the room is, will you faint?" Guo Zhan'an didn't believe the housekeeper's words, "According to you, soaking in the hot springs in the palace is also a place of darkness? Since the princess's joints hurt in winter, it means that she can't stand the cold in winter. The princess is soaking in the hot springs in the open air, King Liang is really considerate."

The housekeeper noticed that there was something in Guo Zhan'an's words, and said displeasedly: "My lord, with all due respect, my lord's lack of knowledge does not mean that there are no such things in the world. The princess is in poor health, how can she be compared with the emperor?"

"Oh?" Guo Zhan'an was not annoyed at the housekeeper's unreasonableness, "In this case, let's drain the hot spring water here and see if there is anything else in it."

When Guo Zhanan gave an order, why would the imperial guards pay attention to the butler's obstruction?It took about a cup of tea to drain the water in the pool. Guo Zhanan jumped into the pool first, tapping the surface of the pool with his feet from time to time.

"My lord, there is a secret door here!"

As soon as these words came out, the housekeeper's face turned pale in an instant.

Seeing this, Guo Zhan'an knew that King Liang was probably hiding inside, and said, "Open the secret door and find some people to go in and find out."

"Yes!"

The pool is so deep that those who enter it only need to bend over a little.

After a while, only noises and chaotic footsteps came from inside, and then a voice came out: "Master Guo, King Liang has been captured!"