Lei Yue Longmen

As the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, Cen Zhu went to two streets and two cities to inspect the prices of goods to prevent some unscrupulous small traders from raising prices too much and disrupting market rules during the Mid-Autumn Festival.When I arrived in the West Market, I accidentally saw Li Jingxi in the crowd, dressed in civilian clothes, carrying a package, wandering alone in the street.Cen Zhu felt strange, she seemed to be going on a long trip with this outfit.But half an hour later, she dispelled her doubts. How can she buy so many things when she travels far away? Most likely she sneaked out of the palace to play by herself. Look at her. She was having fun by herself, Cen Zhuo I didn't care too much.In the evening, she put together three tables in the study room to draw a sketch of Fushou Garden. Suddenly, she heard people and horses commotion outside. She put down her pen and went to the window to see many soldiers holding torches in the streets Knock on doors from door to door.

Hearing the knock on the door of his own house, Cen Zhu quickly went downstairs to the front yard, and saw Lao Chen talking to an official by the side of the screen.

"what happened?"

Old Chen pointed to the portrait in the soldier's hand, "This poor man asked if we have seen this girl?"

At first glance, Cen Zhu looked at the person in the portrait. It looked familiar, but if he took a closer look, wasn't this Li Jingxi?The clothes she was wearing were still the ones she saw in the West Market.

"What's wrong with this girl?"

"This girl is missing, and their leader has ordered that anyone who provides clues will be rewarded with a thousand gold."

"Lost?" Cen Zhu felt wrong when he heard it, and thought to himself, could it be that Li Jingxu was really going on a long trip at that time?

He said to the soldier: "Who is your commander? Take me to him, I have a clue about this girl."

The officer was overjoyed, and immediately took her to see the commander. Before he got close, he heard a familiar voice roaring at the entrance of the alley: "If you commit a crime knowingly, you will be punished! Pull me down, and each of you will be whipped thirty times." !"

"Lou Manguan? Is he your leader?"

"Yes. General Lou has just been promoted to Commander of the Infantry Commander Yamen and West Camp."

"So it's a promotion!" Cen Zhu watched him finish his training, and went forward to meet him, "Congratulations, Commander Lou."

When Lou Manguan saw Cen Zhuo, his face softened a lot. He waved his hand first, asked people to take the five or six officers and soldiers down, then turned around and walked towards her.

"What happened to them?"

"Don't mention it, I asked them to check people, and they turned out to be unclean hands and feet, following people and belongings!"

"So that's how it should be punished. It's just...isn't the thirty lashes too heavy?" Cen Zhu has seen scenes of caning being executed in the army. This is worse than hitting a board, and a whip soaked in water Whistle the whistle and draw it down, and the skin will be ripped apart with one whip.Thirty lashes? Take off a layer of skin alive.

"You are soft-hearted!" Lou Manguan smiled, "Forget it! I was also angry and confused just now!" Turning hands? Pointing to a hand? He said: "You, go and order, or give two lashes according to the original number of whips. Ten lashes! Tell them that next time they commit another crime, instead of whipping them, they will cut off their limbs and feet directly!"

"Yes!"

It's not easy for Cen Zhu to talk about it anymore. After all, the state owns the country's laws, and the army has military regulations. It's impossible to have no rules.At the moment, I can't help but look at Lou Manguan with admiration. Who would have thought that a person who is usually joking? He is also a ruthless character when he governs the army.

"Do you have news about Princess Kant?" Lou Manguan suddenly asked her in a low voice.The news of Li Jingxi's departure was only known to a few people in the upper echelon, so he dared not speak out.

Cen Zhu nodded, and told about the situation when he met Li Jingxu in the West Market in the afternoon, "I met her at about three o'clock in the afternoon. She had a package on her body, and she probably left the city."

"If you go out of the city, it will be really difficult!" Lou Manguan couldn't help but frown, Li Pinghong gave a death order, and he must find the second princess before midnight.

At this time, someone came down to report, "General Lou, Your Highness the Empress Dowager has arrived, at the intersection of West Street? Commander Feng sent you over to ask questions?"

"I'll go with you." Cen Zhu hurriedly straightened his clothes and went with Lou Manguan.

When they came to the intersection of West Street, Li Jingchen was already waiting there, followed by two guards with swords in silver armor.In front of him stood the infantry commander Feng Huaji and one of his lieutenants, but for some reason, that lieutenant was kneeling.

In the Yurui military salute, the most people who kneel on the ground on one knee, kneeling on both knees? Generally violated the military law.Lou Manguan frowned when he saw that the deputy general seemed to be Zhang Dingcheng, the commander of the Southern Camp.He and Cen Zhuo stood silently aside, quietly watching the people in the field.

Li Jingchen was wearing a plain dark dress, and wore a rare net scarf on his head. The edge of the scarf was pressed to the peak of his eyebrows. The net scarf was also wrapped with a men's black gauze soft-footed headband, standing very conspicuous in the crowd.

Cen Zhu didn't know if she had seen him or not, it was quite dark, and even with the torches shining on it, it was difficult to distinguish people's faces, besides, she seemed to be more concerned about the things in front of her now.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Dingcheng is certainly guilty of causing trouble and robbing people's property. But since he is a first-time offender and the situation is urgent, can he be allowed to commit crimes and make meritorious service?" Feng Huaji cupped his hands and pleaded for his subordinates.

"It is not appropriate for me to intervene in the affairs of the infantry commanding the yamen. However, since this matter has been seen by me, I can't just sit idly by. The emperor entrusted the security of the outer city to General Feng. Hundreds of thousands of people entrust the lives and wealth of the general, which is more important? Doesn’t General Feng have sense of proportion?”

Her tone of voice wasn't intense, but every word was powerful.Feng Huaji blushed. In fact, he had no choice but to do it. Zhang Dingcheng was his old subordinate and was related to him by marriage.Hearing that Li Jingchen would not let go, he had no choice but to take the next best thing and punish Zhang Dingcheng severely, "Put him in prison first, and tomorrow, this general will personally play a performance to the Emperor Ming, and ask the Holy Majesty to personally judge him."

After Zhang Dingcheng was taken down, the Xiying soldiers couldn't help but wiped off Lou Manguan's sweat, "Fortunately, the general punished those thieves first, otherwise?...It's really dangerous."

Lou Manguan didn't take it for granted, he just acted according to the rules and felt that everyone should do the same, but in reality, people like him became a minority, which is ridiculous!

Cen Zhu suddenly remembered something, and patted Lou Manguan on the shoulder, "Go and report to Your Highness first, I remembered something important, and it must be dealt with immediately."

"Hey!" Lou Manguan didn't know why, but Cen Zhu had already run away quickly. He had no choice but to go forward and report what Cen Zhu saw and heard to the empress dowager himself.Li Jingyu had a wound on his forehead, and he didn't want Cen Zhuo to get involved in this matter. To her? When she came, she left without saying a word? What, but the bottom of my heart was a little hurt.Originally, when I was wronged, I didn’t want others to see it. It’s one thing, but it’s another thing for others to really not see it.What's more, she clearly said that she wanted to treat Li Jingxi as a family member, but in the end, she still didn't take it seriously at all.

Cen Zhu was really wronged. She was busy with official duties at the time, and she really didn't have the energy to take care of other things. In addition, she made a mistake in her judgment, thinking that Li Jingyu was just out for fun, but she really didn't expect that something would happen to her.After the incident, I felt a little regretful. Why didn't I send someone to follow her?

She was really afraid that Li Jingchen would be angry with herself again because of this incident, so she racked her brains to make up for it.Just now, when I watched Li Jingxi's trial of Zhang Dingcheng, I suddenly remembered that when Li Jingxi was wandering in the West Market, he had asked about a taxi on the street, but for some reason, he didn't take that carriage.

The coachman was small, easily recognizable by his tattered straw hat.She held a glimmer of hope in her heart, thinking that if she could find that carriage, she might be able to find out where Li Jingxi wanted to go at that time?

Go back to the house first and ask Lao Chen to lead the horse, then get on the horse and drive to the West Market.Because it was approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival, the West Market closed later than usual, so the taxi? Maybe it was still there to solicit customers.

Cen Zhu drove all the way to the entrance of Xishi Street, and sure enough, he saw many taxis parked on the street, and many ordinary people who had returned with a full load, paid the fare and stuffed their things into the carriages. The coachman flicked his whip, drove the carriage out of the original berth, and headed for the destination.Cen Zhu scanned the street, but he didn't see the little driver, so he went to ask other drivers.

The little coachman seemed to be very famous. Once Cen Zhu described it, someone knew him, "He, he brought a customer half an hour ago? He went to the East City, and he should be back soon! "

Cen Zhu could only wait where he was, when officers and soldiers searched the West Market, the officers and soldiers holding Li Jingxi's portrait asked those vendors one by one.Some peddlers who had seen Li Jingxu immediately recognized this pretty little girl, but what they knew was limited to her. She left from Ximen, and they didn't know much about the rest.

Cen Zhu kept his eyes on the surrounding streets and alleys, and when he heard the sound of the wheels, he was on high alert. However, he often saw disappointing pictures.Finally, after about two quarters of an hour, she saw the small coachman with the straw hat still on his head.Cen Zhu immediately went up to meet him, "Stop!"

"Guest officer, do you want to take a car?" the small coachman asked respectfully.

"No, I want to ask you something." Cen Zhu took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and handed it to the peddler, "This afternoon there is a beautiful girl in green clothes, eighteen or nineteen years old. , holding a mask full of people in her hands, and holding a lantern, she once called you on the street and said something to you? Do you still remember? What did she say to you? "

The little coachman clutched the money in surprise and thought for a while, "Oh, you mean? That girl. She? Wants to hire my carriage, but she? Has spent all the money on her body, so I didn't want to accept the money. I sent her off, but the girl went too far away, if I went, I might not be able to come back at night, so I didn't send her off."

"Where is she going?"

"It's Xiling Village. It's very close to the West Emperor's Mausoleum. According to the capital, it's about fifty miles away."

"West Imperial Mausoleum?" Cen Zhu thought to himself, did Li Jingxi go to the Imperial Mausoleum?What did she do in the imperial mausoleum?

The Mausoleum of the West Emperor is the mausoleum group of the emperors of all dynasties since the founding of Yurui. It is located at the foot of Tianshou Mountain, 23 miles away from the capital. .There are garrisons guarding there all the year round, and no one is allowed to break in without permission during the non-sacrifice period, so as not to disturb the heroes of the former emperors.If Li Jingxi broke into the imperial mausoleum without any reason, no matter who she was, she would be tolerated by the Yurui imperial family.Thinking of this, Cen Zhuo's heart suddenly jumped up.

At this moment, the officers and soldiers came to the rental carriage, and Cen Zhu was sweating profusely. Suddenly, he said to the little coachman, "No matter what the officers and soldiers ask you later, just say? I don't know? They offer a reward Qianjin asks you about the whereabouts of that girl, don't worry about it, I'll give you two thousand gold, don't say a word? Well, I still have 100 taels of silver notes with me, you take it first, and do as I say. "

Cen Zhuo stuffed the banknote into his arms, and the peddler nodded blankly. Sure enough, when the officers and soldiers came to question him, he opened his mouth first, looked at Cen Zhuo, then shook his head and said, "I don't know. I don't know."After the officers and soldiers had left, Cen Zhu wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked the little coachman to stretch out his hand, with a private seal engraved on his palm, "Do you know the Cen residence on the east bank of Yanhu Lake?"

"I know. It's a big house."

"I'm the owner of that house. Go to my house now and give two thousand gold to the butler, Old Chen. Don't tell anyone else about this, you know?"

Cen Zhu thought that if Li Jingzhu really went to the imperial tomb, he would definitely alarm Li Pinghong. Rather than startling the emperor when the trouble was unbearable, he might as well go and report to Li Pinghong first, so that his love for Li Jingzhu might be able to save the situation. Even if the matter is suppressed? Maybe.So, immediately galloped to the palace on horseback.

The Xihua Gate of the Imperial Palace is now wide open, because the emperor specially ordered to leave a gate for the second princess.Since Cen Zhu had urgent information to report to the Holy Majesty, he was allowed to enter the palace.The emperor sat in the Wuying Hall to the west, which was closer to the Xihua Gate. As soon as Cen Zhu walked up the steps, he heard Li Pinghong stamping his feet back and forth in the inner hall in a hurry, asking the servant over and over again: "Have you found it? Are you hurrying?" Go, check and report again!"

When Cen Zhu was brought in, he first asked Li Pinghong to back away, and then explained the purpose of his visit.When Li Pinghong heard it, he was about to die of anger, "This girl, it's too outrageous! She ran away from home after a little grievance, and... went to the imperial mausoleum, what does she want? What does she want to do to her?" Is your mother complaining?! Angry? I’m dead! Angry? I’m dead! It’s really unreasonable!!”

Say? That is to say, after all, the emperor still loves his daughter eagerly. Although he was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, he secretly dispatched dozens of personal guards and asked Cen Zhu to take Li Jingxi back. "Remember, this Don't tell anyone about this matter! Once someone asks you, just say that you went to comfort the tomb guards on my order."

"Here."

After thinking about it, the emperor was still worried, and ordered Cai Ya, the chief executive of the imperial court: "You go to preach the decree. The day after tomorrow will be the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also the ninth birthday of the emperor Shizu. Let the empress dowager go to the imperial mausoleum to worship the ancestors on my behalf." ! Immediately go to pass the decree!"

"Yes!"

The author has something to say:

Added a new part at the end.