Opposite the entrance hall

Qi Ran originally didn't want to have too much contact with Ji Si, and he didn't want to have such an unclear meal with sincerity. If he didn't think that he had a constant relationship with Zhou Ming's case, he wouldn't have come here today. , After the goal is achieved, they naturally plan to get out.

He went out of the restaurant without staying and went back to the Yamen of Dali Temple, but he saw an unexpected guest in the yard, Liang Wang Li Hongye.

Qi Ran understands the purpose of this person's visit, but also doesn't understand, frowning, he still goes up to him and bows to salute him, "I have seen the prince."

"Zi Heng, hurry up and get rid of the courtesy. You and I were classmates when we were young, and we have a deep friendship. Why do you have to do this? With these simple etiquettes, you seem to be born a lot." Li Hongye stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, with a faint smile on his face, and his tone He has a low voice and looks like a good young man, but this man's back is too long, he has an obnoxious appearance, and his tone of voice is extraordinarily pretentious.

Qi Ran stood up straight and asked softly, "Why is the prince free to come to Dali Temple today?"

Li Hongye smiled, "During today's meeting, Master Wei mentioned the collapse of the side hall of Dali Temple. I happened to pass by the Yamen of Dali Temple when I went to the Ministry of War to deal with some matters later, so I planned to come in to see if I could help. It was a coincidence. , this king has just arrived at Ziheng's back foot."

Speaking of this, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and his smile deepened a little, "I don't know where Ziheng came back from?"

I don't know whether this question was intentional or unintentional, Qi Ran weighed it in his heart for a moment, then smiled and replied: "Master Ji Siji from the household department came to check the situation earlier, and I wasted some time, so I went to find someone with my subordinates." We had lunch in the restaurant and chatted a few words along the way."

In fact, King Liang wouldn't know about it if he didn't tell him about it, but Qi Ran just wanted to deceive him, so he told it all without hiding anything.

Sure enough, after listening to these words, Li Hongye's smile froze for two seconds, and then returned to the original state after two seconds, "This king didn't know that Ziheng and Master Ji had such a good relationship, it's a pity that he came late, otherwise he would have Have a good time."

"It's a pity, otherwise, the prince can also listen to Mr. Ji's "adventure" in the capital of Yunnan."

Li Hongye's smile deepened, and he hurriedly changed the subject, "It's been a long time since the yamen of Dali Temple, and I feel that there have been many changes, and the scenery is unfamiliar. I wonder if Ziheng is free to take me for a walk?"

"Please come inside, my lord." Qi Ran bent sideways and made a movement, the person beside him nodded and walked first.

Qi Ran looked at his back and pondered for a moment, then Liu Sicheng quickly followed after calling for someone to come.

Li Hongye said that he was just strolling around, and he really seemed to come for a stroll. He walked all the way and praised the trees and flowers, but the more he was like this, the more strange he was. After all, this person left the good Liang Palace and didn’t want to stroll around, so he came to Dali Temple for a walk. No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like something a normal person can do.

When they were studying together in the palace, he didn't think highly of Li Hongye, not because of other reasons, but because this person was very pretentious. Although Li Hongxuan was targeting Li Si everywhere on the surface, it was just a small fight. Nothing really happened.

But Li Hongye is different, this man does a great job on the surface, and he usually looks like a kind brother who cares about his health, but in fact he takes advantage of your unpreparedness and kills you.

Others probably don't know this human nature, Qi Ran has been classmates with him for three years, not to mention there is Li Si sandwiched in between, how can they not know all kinds of problems.

Therefore, he knew in his heart that what he did today must have some deep meaning, so he was not in a hurry, and put on an unfathomable look, waiting for Li Hongye himself to reveal his purpose first.

The two chatted from the lotus crisps they ate when they were young to the victory of the Chaohui this morning, and then walked around to the side hall where the Yamen of Dali Temple collapsed. .

Li Hongye walked up to the hill where the cases were piled up, glanced around, and then said softly: "Dali Temple really needs to be repaired, you see there are mice here, these cases are extremely precious, Zi Heng It should be preserved with care."

Qi Ran followed his line of sight, and as expected, he saw a book missing the lower right corner of the book. The jagged marks could be seen by a discerning eye as the tooth marks of a mouse. After a little thought, he could understand what Li Hongye meant. , spat in my heart a few times, leaned over and said, "Thank you for reminding me, the lower officials were negligent, and I will send people to buy some rat poison and sprinkle it in the corners of the yard later to kill the rats."

As soon as the words fell, the smile on Li Hongye's face remained undiminished, with his hands behind his back, he walked back and forth around the case pile for a few steps, and said in a deep voice, "This rat poison really needs to be prepared. Wang feels that we still need to start from the root, all things have natural enemies, the natural enemy of this mouse is naturally a cat, life and death are mutually restraining, never ending, no one will use a dog to defeat a mouse, Ziheng said, but this is the truth?"

After these words were finished, Qi Ran already understood in his heart that what he said was so high-sounding, but in fact the meaning was the same, but there was more foreshadowing.

He secretly sneered a few times, on the surface he was still modest and polite, and replied in a flat tone: "What the prince said is true."

Just as Qi Ziheng knew himself a little bit, Li Hongye also knew Qi Ziheng a little bit. After all, the two had known each other for many years.

The Qi family has been able to stand in the court for many years, and there must be some reason for it. Now the situation in the court is treacherous, and the relationship between all parties is turbulent, but their Qi family can pick it up cleanly without causing any traces, even eight years ago. Let it fall, although the general situation is not as good as before, it is still not underestimated.

If the old man Qi Kuangshan is an old fox, then Qi Ran is just a little fox. Although his skills are shallow, he is better than young and energetic, and he is more sure of hitting his prey.

Just like this answer, pretending to be confused while pretending to understand, half of the answer missed the point.

There were smiles on their faces, and they smiled at each other very kindly, but they just scolded each other in their hearts.

After a while, Li Hongye took the lead to put away his smile, and said in a gentle voice: "It's getting late now, there is still something to do in the office of the Ministry of War, and Ziheng also has official business to do, so I don't want to disturb you, so I'm leaving first."

"In that case, my lord, go slowly." Qi Ran bowed to him and said.

"You don't need to send me far away, Ziheng will go back," Li Hongye said with a smile, "I will ask Ziheng to have a drink or two at another time, and I hope you don't refuse when the time comes."

"Congratulations to the lord."

A group of people left the yamen of Dali Temple. Li Hongye had a wide smile on his face. He didn't stop smiling until he passed the corner of the street. His eyes were fierce and his face was full of anger. The king gave him face!"

The attendant at the side moved closer and said cautiously: "My lord, we went to Dali Temple today, is this considered to be the goal?"

"Forget it."

"This man really doesn't have sharp eyesight, and he doesn't look very smart, why is the prince quite afraid."

"Not very smart?" Li Hongye looked sideways at the person talking beside him, laughed a few times, and continued: "Qi Ziheng is famous for being smart. When I was young, I went to study with him in the palace. Most of the time, Taifu Fang didn't boast. He just praised Li... In short, this person is a talent. Do you think that even the three yuan can be won by anyone? It's a pity that such a talent can't be used by me. If he can submit to me, he will be like a tiger with wings. It's a pity."

After speaking, he stopped the topic and walked towards the direction of the military department.

When the group of them left the Yamen of Dali Temple, Qi Ran also slowly straightened up, staring at the direction of the gate of the Yamen thoughtfully.

Liu Yuandao stood behind him, carefully looked at the expression on his face, hesitated for a moment and asked softly: "What is this good King Liang doing in Dali Temple? He didn't even check Zhou Ming's case. Could it be that he really just came to visit the Yamen?" A circle? What you said is vague, but what other meanings does it have?"

"What other meanings can there be?" Qi Ran said coldly, "It's just to warn us, don't let the dog take the mouse and meddle in our own business."

"Then we..." Liu Sicheng's complexion changed, he hesitated and didn't know what to say.

"Tomorrow, you call a few people to go to the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment and return Zhou Ming's case." Qi Ran said.

"My lord, this case will not be retried?"

"Of course not." Qi Ran glanced at him sideways, smiled and said, "I read that case book day and night, and I can almost recite it silently. It's useless to stay in Dali Temple."

Speaking of which, he took a step forward and walked a little bit forward, bent down and squatted in front of a pile of case files, not caring about the dust on the corners of his official robes, and picked up the mutilated case file that was bitten by a mouse. Zong gently wiped off the dust on it, and said in a flat tone: "I have a hunch that Zhou Ming's matter is not so simple. This may be just the beginning, and there will be more secrets behind."

Liu Yuandao's heart tightened, and he looked up at the sky subconsciously. The sky in the distance seemed to be stained with ink. It was gray and hazy, and the gloomy sky seemed to be about to fall, and even people felt terribly depressed.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

Today, I am afraid there will be a heavy rain.

Sure enough, the rain came very quickly, and it poured down within a quarter of an hour. The whole of Lin'an was surrounded by rain and fog. From a distance, it seemed that there was water mist, and the scenery was not clear enough.

It had been raining for a long time, and it was only a little bit lighter when Qi Ran finished his business and stepped out of the hall, there was only drizzle remaining, the sky was dark, there were not many people in the yamen, he didn't use the sedan chair today, so Then walk on foot.

There were not many people on the way back to Qi Mansion because of the rain, Qi Ran was not in a hurry, so he walked slowly, which seemed like a leisurely stroll.

When he arrived at the destination, the corners of his clothes and shoes were mostly wet, so he planned to go back to the house and change into clean clothes, when he just passed the corner of the pavilion, he saw a person hurriedly walking forward with a bowl of medicine in his hand, and hurriedly called out to stop him, "Ban Xia!"

The girl was shocked by the sudden shout, and almost threw the tray out of her hand. After she stabilized her mind, she still sprinkled some concoction and turned her head towards Qi Ran, who was walking towards her, and hurriedly bent over to salute. , "The second young master is back."

"Forget it," Qi Ran waved his hand, and hurriedly asked, "Aren't you supposed to serve Miss in Yang's mansion? Why are you at home?"

The maid replied falteringly: "I came back with Miss."

"Sister is back home!" Qi Ran's tone was filled with uncontrollable joy, and even the smile on his face became more sincere. At this moment, he didn't look like the expressionless Master Qi outside.

"Why didn't anyone notify me," he complained, "If I knew Elder Sister was back, I wouldn't keep the value today."

After that, he took the tray from the man, turned a corner and walked straight to the opposite side of his room, his steps were brisk and extremely fast, Ban Xia had to trot to catch up with him.

When he entered the small courtyard, the normally dark room was lit with candlelight today, which was a sight he hadn't seen in a long time. He lost his mother when he was young, and his elder sister was like a half mother. Ever since his elder sister married After Yang Qin, the son of Lord Yang, Minister of Shangshu, the courtyard became a decoration. Looking at the candlelight today, I have a lot of thoughts in my heart.

After sighing, he stepped forward lightly, knocked lightly on the door, and a gentle female voice came from inside, accompanied by a few coughs, "Come in."

After pushing open the door and entering, there was a woman sitting at the table with her back facing the door. She looked much thinner than when they met at the beginning of the year. Qi Ran felt very distressed, and stepped forward to put the tray on the table and frowned. Complained: "When did sister return to the mansion, why didn't you inform me?"

Hearing the voice, the woman burst out laughing, put down the book in her hand, turned around and looked at Qi Ran, "I'm still wondering, when did this girl Ban Xia walk so silently? The clothes are all wet, why don't you go back to the house and change into clean clothes, or you will catch a cold in a while."

"It's okay." Qi Ran pulled out the chair and sat down, and picked up the medicine bowl, "I saw Ban Xia took the medicine, and I heard you coughing when I entered the room just now, but you were sick."

"It's cold, it's just a little cold." Qi Xi took the bowl in his hand, put the spoon aside, and drank it in one gulp without even frowning.

Seeing this, Qi Ran hastily handed over a cup of hot tea, looked left and right, and asked, "Where's Yang Qin? Why didn't you see him when you were sick? How did you become a husband?"

He has never called Yang Qin his brother-in-law. In his own heart, no one can match his sister. Qi Xi is a well-known talented woman in Dajin, and her talent is known to be the best in the world. Yang Qin is a famous dandy in Dajin. My son, there is no shortage of food, drinking, whoring, gambling, and sampling. It is all thanks to the blessing of my father that I am today. Everyone knows the reason for this marriage, and there is no need for those hypocrisy.

Qi Xi used to have someone he liked, but now Shen Zixiang, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, but at that time the Qi family was in trouble. In the 33rd year of Chengde, the loyal King Li Hongzhi was convicted of treason. Qi Xu, who was shot by Zuo Pu, was implicated by him and sent to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Once Qi's mansion fell against the wall, everyone pushed him, but no one offered a helping hand.

Although King Zhongkang later confessed to all the crimes and repeatedly assured that Qi Xu had nothing to do with this matter, Qi Xu was still not released from the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and no one in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty spoke out except Taifu Fang.

Later, Qi Xi made a marriage contract with Yang Qin, and Shang Shusheng was the emperor's confidant. They got married with the Yang family, and the Yang family naturally stood on the side of the Qi family. Qi Xu was released two months after the Zhongkang faction was beheaded. When he came out, his body was covered in blood, and he couldn't see a good place all over his body. He was still wearing the moon-white brocade robe when he was arrested, but now it was soaked in blood, and he couldn't see the original color at all.

He lay on the bed for five full days, and the first thing he said when he woke up was, "Father, I'm sorry for making you worry about me."

At that moment, the father who paid great attention to manners blushed and shed tears. He held his elder brother's hand tightly and said repeatedly, "It's good to be back, it's good to be back."

At the end of the month, Elder Sister entered Yang's Mansion as a regular wife, and she could only watch helplessly if she had everything, but was helpless, allowing her family to use all their strength to create the illusion of doing whatever she wanted, those chivalrous dreams, those walking... How naive and stupid Tianya's chic and carefree look seemed at that moment. The freedom of life is not to do whatever you want, but to do whatever you want.

So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, the glorious Qi Zizhan back then has become the sick child of today, the young lady of the Qi family who said she was destined to marry forever, finally married the famous wanderer in Lin'an, the People who say that they advance and retreat together have become a handful of loess.

Putting his thoughts back, Qi Ran continued to ask: "Did he make you unhappy again? How did you promise me last time?"

As soon as he said this, Ban Xia couldn't hold back anymore, and said in an extremely aggrieved voice, "Second Young Master, Young Master... Young Master, he really went too far this time, you have to make decisions for Miss, he..."

"Ban Xia," Qi Xi snapped, "Stop talking."

"Miss……"

"If you don't tell me, do you think I have no way of knowing?" Qi Ran said coldly.

In the end Qi Xi sighed, and said softly: "It's nothing serious, it's just that I went to Hongfu Temple to burn incense a few days ago, and I met Shen Zixiang and chatted for a while, and somehow it reached his ears, so let me pay attention. "

"Young master clearly scolded Miss that you are a prostitute, saying that you don't obey women's ways, I don't know how many times I have had sex with others, and even said that I want to take a concubine." Ban Xia couldn't hear it, and forced herself to speak again.

"Shut up, did you tell me to talk? I'm coughing..." Qi Xi was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath, coughing again and again.

Hearing this, Qi Ran understood everything. With a sneer, he pushed the chair away and stood up, walking out full of viciousness.

When Qi Xi saw this, he knew that he was going to trouble Yang Qin, so he hurriedly followed out, and said anxiously: "Heng, calm down, Yang Qin's words are so incomprehensible, don't argue with him."

"Ban Xia, help Miss go back to the house."

"Aheng," Qi Xi held onto him tightly, not daring to let go for a moment, "I know you were wronged for me, but how can you stand up for me in this matter."

"Why not?" Qi Ran asked back with a cold face, "Yang Qin dares to say that, but he still treats you as his wife, and he doesn't know how to bully you on weekdays. Could it be that we think that there is no one in our Qi family, relying on our fathers I'm going to teach him the rules."

As soon as the voice fell, a person walked in from outside and asked sharply, "Who are you going to teach?"

As soon as Qi Ran raised his head, he saw Prime Minister Qi walking over surrounded by servants with his hands behind his back, he immediately stood up straight, full of anger in his stomach, and pursed his lips tightly without saying a word.

When Qi Kuangshan approached, he frowned and glanced around, and said to people: "Why don't you go back to your own room and come here to argue? A bunch of people don't feel ashamed, there are no rules and distances, so it's decent."

Qi Ran's expression didn't change, he still stood up straight, his anger didn't abate at all.

"You let outsiders talk about your sister when you go there like this," Qi Chengxiang sighed, "What's the matter with your natal family meddling in the affairs of their husband and wife? Go back to the house and change clothes to prepare for dinner."

He still didn't move.

Seeing that Qi Kuangshan was about to get angry, Qi Xi hurriedly tugged at his sleeves, and said softly: "Father taught me that the wind is strong at night, so I will take Ah Heng back to the house and change my clothes first, so as not to catch the cold."

After finishing speaking, he tugged on his sleeves and took the man away.

Qi Kuangshan stared at the backs of the two siblings and sighed. Just as he was about to turn around and go to the dining room, he saw the old butler of the mansion hurried over, "Master!"

"What's the matter! Didn't I ask you to call the eldest young master to persuade the second young master? Why did you go so long?"

The old butler ran all the way, bent over and panted, and said intermittently: "Old slave... this old slave just finished talking... the young master went to Yang's mansion with the scissors in hand, saying that if you want my uncle to be a man."

Prime Minister Qi was stunned, pointed at the crowd and shouted: "Why are you standing still, go and call the young master back!"

One or two are not obedient!

The author has something to say:

small theater:

Handsome author: [with a smug face] I buried a lot of foreshadowing, they must have been shocked by my cleverness!

Stupid and cute friend: [picks nose] They didn't pay attention at all.

Handsome author: [shocked face] Impossible!

So after updating:

Reader cutie: [Innocence face] When did the protagonists get together? What is written in this chapter? Why haven't you released sugar yet?

Handsome Author:  …

Weeping and fainting in Jiyou's arms.

ps: Mrs. Qi’s sister is online, a woman who has a great sense of the overall situation and considers the family. There are currently several female characters in my article, and girls of different classes are presented. Each of them has a meaning of existence, and you will know later .

I wonder if you really have no doubts at all!