Although Dong Ming is an old official, when he heard that a young lady from the prefect's family came out alone to find a man, he was also full of interest, and he looked at the lively words of others for a long time, as if he had listened to a play, and left after the show. The five girls of the Tan family were a little confused under the fright, and Dong Ming came to her senses after she left for a short time, and she couldn't help but feel remorseful.

When he returned home, Dong Ming told his daughter-in-law: "I have made up my mind to go to Taiwan with General Jarvis to take up a post." ”

His daughter-in-law was a little startled, and only after a while did she say, "Why is it so abrupt? The concubine was caught off guard. ”

Dong Ming sighed: "I'm just a small official, I don't even have a grade, and it's a compliment for people to call me 'adult'." Jia Lian, the prefect of Taiwan, is the eldest grandson of Rongguo Mansion, and Lord Tan is incomparable. Besides, these days, General Jia and their Lin military division are very much up to me, and the future is promising. ”

His daughter-in-law saw that her husband had made up her mind, so she had to say, "The master has his own ideas, but the mother-in-law has no one to take care of them." ”

Dong Ming said: "I'll go over first, settle down and pick you up." Money is still available at home, I don't have to bring any money with me, the Taiwan government has its own arrangements. ”

His daughter-in-law advised: "As the saying goes, a poor family is rich. Since it is the first time to go, bring more silver taels and be prepared. ”

"How much can you bring?" Dong Ming waved his hand, "I said no, I don't need it." His daughter-in-law had always regarded her husband as her heaven, so she bowed her head and went down to pack her luggage and comfort her mother-in-law and children.

Dong Ming went to the yamen to greet his colleagues and bluntly said that he was going to Taiwan. Because Tan Mo was dead, Li Qizhi drafted an excerpt and sent it to Beijing, and he didn't know who his successor was, so he had to ask the Tan family uncle for his resignation. Uncle Tan said happily: "When I arrived at Chengtian Mansion, I hope that Lord Dong will say a few more kind words to Lord Jia for our family." Dong Ming agreed.

On this day, because he was about to leave home, Dong Ming bought some snacks in the shop and prepared to coax the child. Huan Huanxi walked home with a snack, and after passing a street corner, a trace of ominous thought flashed in Dong Ming's heart. Just mentioned a little bit of attention, out of nowhere, a figure came out, and before he could see his face clearly, he raised his knife and stabbed him. Dong Ming hurriedly dodged, avoiding the first blow but not the second one, making people poke a hole in the abdomen. The man ran away, and in the blink of an eye, he ran out of the market and did not know where to go; The knife was still left on Dong Ming's body.

It was so close to his house that someone immediately called his daughter-in-law. Dong Ming's daughter-in-law was frightened, and she couldn't move as if she had lost her soul. His son, who is twelve years old this year, hurriedly asked someone to report to the Jarvis camp, and asked people not to use the knife on Dong Ming's body and wait for the doctor to come. The neighbors helped carry him back to his home. Dong Ming looked at his son and said happily: "Sensible!" His son was still holding on, and when he heard this, he took his father's hand and rolled down tears like raindrops.

Jarvis and the others were packing up their things to set up camp, but they were shocked when they heard the letter, and hurriedly led the two military doctors to Dong's house. Dong Ming saw him and smiled bitterly: "I am ashamed of my love for the general, I'm afraid that the little official won't be able to leave." Jarvis waved him not to speak. This time, he brought a Western surgeon, who was originally a missionary hired by Starship Medical College in Guangzhou, and was good at surgery, so he was in charge here.

The doctors in the house were busy saving people, but Jarvis couldn't help, so he went out and saw a lot of idlers gathered outside, and asked if anyone knew who was the assassin of Lord Dong. Everyone shook their heads, either not seeing clearly or not recognizing them. Jarvis then clenched his fists and asked them to help spread the message: if there is a clue to the murderer, a reward of 100 taels of silver.

Back in the house, Dong Ming's son saluted and thanked him, and said: "I just heard your nurse sister say that the medicine that my father will use in a few hundred taels of silver will be able to make a little bit of money, which shows that the general is very generous to my father, why is the reward only one hundred taels?" ”

Jarvis looked at him with clear eyes, he really wanted to know the reason, and said: "Ordinary people, a hundred taels of silver is already a lot, if I say that a reward of 1,000 taels, some people who are too hearty will think that there is some other reason for it, and they dare not come for fear of being implicated." He asked him his name.

The child said, "My name is Dong Yu." ”

Jarvis smiled: "Dongpo said, everyone raises a son to be smart, and I have been mistaken by being smart all my life." I hope that the child will be foolish and reckless, and there will be no disaster and no difficulty to the minister. This name was obviously taken by Mr. Dong. "I secretly thought in my heart, Dong Ming is smart, and he is still a small official in his forties, and it is inevitable that he will be uneasy." What do you want to do in Japan? ”

Dong Yu pouted and said, "I want to learn my father to be a torture room official, and I don't dare to sue him." He only ordered me to study well. ”

Jarvis said: "Reading is also to read, it is not bad to learn from your father, and if you learn well, you will have a great future." ”

Dong Yu glanced at him: "My father is so powerful, why doesn't he have a good future?" ”

Jarvis said, "He didn't have enough luck in the past. Because he asked, "I heard that Lord Dong said that you should stay in Zhangzhou for the time being, and you will pick it up again in the future." In my opinion, it would be better for you to go together. ”

Dong Yu's eyes turned red, and he asked in a low voice with a slight tremble, "Can my father still go?" ”

Jarvis stroked his head and said, "Lord Dong will be able to survive." With such a good son as you, how could he be willing to leave it behind? ”

Dong Yu burst into tears. After a while, he asked, "General, who wants to kill my father?" ”

Jarvis smiled wryly, "I don't have a clue either." It's just that I just took a look, the assassin is not a practitioner, otherwise Master Dong wouldn't be able to support us to come. Either the Assassin himself had a grudge against Lord Dong, or the people who hired him could not find a suitable Assassin. Some of the most powerful can be excluded. Think about it, does Lord Dong have any enemies? ”

Dong Yu lowered his head and said: "There are too many, all the prisoners who are caught by him are enemies." ”

"It's hard to find." Jarvis said worriedly, "He is the strongest in handling cases, and now he is assassinated by himself." ”

Dong Yu stayed by the side for a while, and suddenly asked, "Why did General Jia kill Prefect Tan?" Jarvis glanced at him. He flashed his eyes and said, "My father said that you did it, and you must do it!" ”

Jarvis knocked on his head and said, "What can't be found out must be analyzed; Verify after analysis. You can't cheat. Dong Yu pouted.

The Western doctor and his assistant were busy in the house for six hours, and it was already time after the operation, and Dong Ming was unconscious.

The next day, when many people came to the door to say that there were clues about the Assassins, or that they had seen people they did not recognize, or that they were blind, Jarvis gradually drew the appearance of the Assassins according to what these people said. Nai smiled: "In the early years, Cong'er asked us to learn sketching from Western painters, and I didn't want this to come in handy. Daiyu never learned, and secretly thought about going back to the island to learn.

Until another day passed, there was finally a grain merchant: "When Master Dong was assassinated, I saw the old mullet of Heshui Bridge running from here in a hurry, and he didn't answer when I called him - it was clearly him." ”

Jarvis asked, "Who is the old mullet?" ”

"He's an idler, he doesn't have anything serious, and he doesn't have much ability, he only helps people fight Taiping Boxing." The fellow said, "I don't even have a garment to see people." He washed his face and dressed so neatly that I almost didn't recognize him. ”

Jarvis showed him sixteen of his portraits to see if they looked like old mullets, and he singled out the assassin with only two or three eyes. Jarvis ordered someone to go to Heshui Bridge to look for the old mullet, but the neighbors said that they hadn't seen him for several days. He also asked the neighbors to pick the old mullet among the sixteen portraits, and immediately picked out the assassin. Jarvis gave the lad a hundred taels of silver.

He went to the old mullet's house again to check. This person's house was surrounded by four walls, destitute, and two clothes and a pair of shoes were thrown on the table. The land guard who accompanied him said: "The old mullet only has a few clothes and shoes, and there are no more." Jarvis nodded, and asked the neighborhood about the person's temperament, friends, frequented places, and what was unusual in recent days. Several neighbors said that he was really strange and very happy these days, and they also said that he recognized the fairy. Naida roughly decided that the old mullet was the assassin. Jarvis painted a few more portraits of the old mullet, and ordered people to take them to the tailor shops and clothing stores all over the city to inquire, most of whom he had never seen. There were a few shopkeepers who knew the old mullet, but he had never bought or made clothes. However, some people recognized that not long after Dong Ming's assassination, the old mullet went out from the east gate of the city and did not come back.

Jarvis then took all the things he found back to the camp to discuss with Lin Daiyu. Daiyu pondered: "The old mullet is dressed neatly, but he can't find a tailor or a shopkeeper, most of them are made for him. Since she recognizes the fairy, this woman is either unparalleled in beauty or not low in status, and the two things are the same to be called a 'fairy'. ”

Jarvis said: "Or the famous powder head in the city, but there are not many powder heads who can make clothes." ”

Daiyu said: "I can't guarantee that I am the daughter of a big family." ”

They had just spoken for a while, when someone from outside came to report: "Mr. Dong is awake." Then the two of them went out of the tent together and hurried to Dong's house.

Dong Ming was still weak at this time, and the military doctor could only say a few words. Lin Daiyu said: "Lord Dong, to make a long story short, have you offended any beautiful women?" ”

Dong Ming thought for a while and said categorically: "No." ”

Jarvis said: "Mrs. Hengzhu Dong is not here, do you have any fans who have offended?" ”

Dong Ming said: "I have never offended, but I have helped a few fans in the old years." ”

"What about the daughters of big families?"

Dong Ming smiled: "Not to mention it, I don't recognize it at all." To tell you the truth, a few days ago, at the gate of your camp, the five girls of the Tan family were the ones the little officials had seen, the first one, the female dependents of a large family. Otherwise, why is the little official so curious? ”

As he was talking, someone came in and replied: "I just got the letter, and the Tan family is doing a funeral again." ”

"What?" Several people in the room were taken aback.

The soldier said: "The six girls of the Tan family disappeared last night, and they found themselves drowned in the well early this morning. ”

Lin Daiyu said: "She is a young lady, and she doesn't have to fetch water by herself, how can she go to the well?" ”

The soldier said: "Now everyone outside says that Master Tan's ghost is still lingering and confusing his daughter to throw himself into the well." ”

Jia Lin and the two glanced at each other, and Lin Daiyu frowned and said: "I thought that there would be no war in Zhangzhou, and it would be cheaper, who knows that there are more things than elsewhere." ”

Jarvis said: "Ordinary women have their own sayings for throwing themselves into the well, and it is rare to pull the ghost to the top." ”

Dong Ming said: "Lord Tan has ten sons and thirteen daughters, and there are five or six who died young, and there are countless concubines, and the inner house is extremely chaotic. ”

Daiyu said: "Since it is a young lady who died, I will go to Tan Mansion to mourn." My father was the secretary of the emperor when he was in office, and he should be able to see many female dependents according to this status. ”

Dong Ming said: "Even if they don't follow this identity, they will surround the military advisor." Nai said with a smile, "Uncle Tan actually entrusted the little official to Chengtian Mansion and said a few kind words to Lord Jia for him." ”

Daiyu nodded and said, "In that case, it's good to just say that it's Jarvis's military division." ”

Fortunately, she was originally wearing plain clothes and did not return to the camp, so she went to Tan's mansion in a Confucian robe to mourn. Because he was followed by a group of heroic soldiers, there were people who couldn't stop watching along the way.

When she arrived at Tan's house, Mrs. Tan came out to greet her, Lin Daiyu was relieved, ordered someone to sacrifice some paper money, and then went to the back to eat tea. The Tan family had overheard her talking to Jarvis, and knew that she was the daughter of Lord Shangshu, and the ladies wanted to come to her one by one. A dozen girls and five or six grandmothers squeezed a room.

The wives and grandmothers held Daiyu and gossiped, and I didn't know which girl asked about Jarvis. Daiyu sighed: "General Jia originally intended to marry your family, but who knew that there were many strange theories outside this time, and he didn't dare to do it." ”

As soon as these words came out, the entire hall was silent for a long time. Mrs. Tan said in a trembling voice: "Why did I hear the master say a few days ago that he went to General Jia's camp to propose his marriage, and he refused?" ”

Daiyu said: "Although I am a woman, I am also a military advisor after all." Before the battle, he accepted his wife and beheaded him on the spot according to military law. The room filled with cold air inhaled. Before the battle, he took his wife and beheaded him" is a common drama in the commentary script, and no one is suspicious of the female dependents. Lin Daiyu only said as if she had nothing to do, "General Jia intends to send someone to Zhangzhou to talk about this matter after returning to the island, but now he has stopped thinking about it." She shook her head, "After all, the people who lead their troops attach great importance to fortune, and I am afraid that Master Tan is restless and tired of the victory or defeat on the battlefield." ”

I saw a beautiful girl slumped on the chair like dead ashes, and suddenly the whole person bounced up, screamed and pounced on the other girl, screaming: "You killed the sixth sister!" Broken my marriage! I'll kill you, I'll kill you......" There was a sudden chaos in the house, and the pro-soldiers outside didn't care about whether men and women gave or received kisses when they heard it, and went straight in to protect their military advisors. Mrs. Tan shouted, "Stop! It took a long time for a group of maids to separate the two girls. The face of the person who beat the person was hideous, and he could no longer see the beauty of Fang Cai; Both cheeks were swollen high.

Lin Daiyu stood among several pro-soldiers as if she had a sheathed sword, and asked Mrs. Tan indifferently: "Dare to ask what is going on?" ”

Mrs. Tan was speechless, but asked the girl who beat people below: "Five girls, you said that the seventh girl killed the six girls, is there any evidence?" ”

The five girls pointed at the seven girls and gritted their teeth and said, "In the past few days, I heard from outside that my brothers want to choose one of us to give him because they see that Mr. Li is a talent." She and the six girls quietly peeped at Mr. Li, and they all fell in love! The day before yesterday, I heard that Mr. Li had agreed to the marriage, but the brothers had not yet decided who to marry. The sixth sister died, but didn't she happen to marry Mr. Li? ”

The seventh girl shouted, "What do you have to do with me! Madam, wronged, wronged! She's squirting blood! ”

Lin Daiyu's brows moved: Li Qizhi was willing to agree to marry a girl from the Tan family? Could it be that he didn't come to Zhangzhou for the firearms business?