The rain lasted only one night and stopped at dawn.

The lotus pond in the temple is full of turquoise canopies decorated with transparent beads, and most of the newborn lotus flowers are blooming, with only a few sporadic branches shyly blooming one or two petals like clotted cream.

You don't have to wait for the flowers to bloom, the living water connected to Fangxi will wash away the dregs that are thrown into the pond in the early morning, leaving no traces.

Sitting by the pond in Dunyuan again, Zhou Manyun was not thinking about the departed master here, but just after the old business of destroying corpses and destroying traces. After confessing in front of Zhou Xian and others, he was erased like his companions who had been erased from the marks that existed in the world.

Everything is once born and twice cooked. Zhou Manyun unfolded his ten fingers that were as tender as thin bamboo shoots, looked at it again and again, and then gently put it back on his lap, the lake-green skirt lined with snow-white soft wattles like the lotus in the pool, white and vigorous.

The confession obtained only confirmed that Zhang Shaoxiong was indeed behind the kidnapping of Zhou Shen. Huocheng, where the Zhou family is located, belongs to the state capital, and if you look into the roots, this is a ridiculous case of the parents of the state who kidnapped the people under their rule. What is the use of keeping a living person's card? Pulling it out, it was just a blow from that side, not to mention that for Zhou Shen's little finger that could no longer be connected, Zhou Manyun felt that his anger was quite reasonable.

The Zhou Mansion released the news that Zhou Shen had been found. The version omits the paragraph in Mrs. Zhou's room, and only says that Mrs. Zhou's servants colluded with bandits to kidnap their young master for money, and the bandits were killed by the chivalrous men who were uneven on the way to escape with the hostages, and the thieves committed suicide by taking poison when they saw the defeat. The chronological order is slightly reversed. With a large number of witnesses from Zeting, what is wrong has become right.

It's the same as the wind that is gradually being released. Previously, the things that Man Yun arranged in Zeting have heard one after another.

"He Shusheng's eldest daughter and son-in-law's family are in Baisi Town and have been found. The eldest daughter of the He family just gave birth to a son. is sitting in confinement, and I don't know anything about my mother's family affairs. However, the second daughter of the He family went to the Hezhou capital as early as a year ago......"

Someone from the dead He family is in Hezhou, and it is expected that the cause and effect of contacting the cause and effect are expected.

Zhou Xian received the news and pondered for a long time, and then made a decision. While sending people to the state capital to find out the whereabouts of the second daughter of the He family, he locked himself in the study, and only brought Zhou Ti by his side to grind ink and press paper.

Snowflake-like letters scattered from Xiaozhou Mansion in Xinan to all places, and most of them fell on the prefectures and capitals near Huocheng......

On May 12, Gao Gong, who hurried from Xiakou, stepped into the Xiao Zhou Mansion. The first time did not go to see the second son, who had been sick in bed after being frightened in the kidnapping case, but rushed to the cultivation heart hall.

Don't dare to reason, only etiquette.

In the cultivation hall, which is not very big, Gao Gong humbly saluted and came down, and he couldn't help but tremble a little. In addition to Zhou Xian, there are now seven or eight foreign guests crowded here, most of whom are Shilin seniors who are sixty or seventy years old, including Yang Lao Shilang, the mentor of Gao Gong who went to school back then. Time goes back more than one or two decades, and the people here are also a group of people in the court that cannot be underestimated. And now, several retired officials still hold the grace of the first emperor to participate in political deliberations, although they have never used it all these years.

And several courtyards in the outer courtyard of the Zhou family are also inhabited by foreign guests, most of whom are slightly younger. At present, I am not qualified to live with the bosses. There are in-service officials like Gao Gong, and middle-aged Confucians like Zhou Song who are now standing behind closed doors.

Because of the large number of people gathered, the Zhou family was also enthusiastic. Some guests forgot the original intention of coming to the letter for a while, and began to suggest that the Zhou family might as well hold a meeting at the right time.

Zhou Xian responded with kindness.

The Zhou family occupies a geographical advantage. The family has accumulated wealth for many years, and said that he will not spare the capital to greet guests. As soon as the statement of the Kaiwen meeting was recognized, it was officially opened. Previously, Chuanfang Academy, which had been silent for a while because of the kidnapping case, also boiled, and the students of the academy voluntarily ran to the Zhou family to beg for chores, hoping to get the eyes of a certain senior and give them advice.

Therefore, the officers and soldiers of Hezhou, who rushed to Huocheng on May 14, suddenly fell into the bustling bustle of the Zhou family.

The Zheng surname, who came with forty or fifty soldiers, was spat on by a white-bearded old man before he could even take out a piece of official paper in his arms.

Master Zheng, who was as thin as a monkey, was also obedient, and immediately took out the demeanor of spitting his face and drying himself, and bowed to the old man Wang who spit out him, and said, "Zheng Enqu is here to thank the teacher for his teachings. I don't know that the teacher is here, and it is really the student's sin to lose the courtesy. ”

Old man Wang only snorted with the tip of his nose, and pointed his finger to the few people sitting in the hall, and let the students who he had obtained as a house master salute the old adults one by one.

While saluting, Zheng Ru felt that the official document in his arms was like a fiery red iron, which could not be thrown away.

"Zheng Enqu, what are you doing?" , Old man Wang felt that he had enough face, so he asked Zheng Ru's intention.

"Returning to the teacher, the student ......", Zheng Ru, who was stared at again, immediately changed his tone of tone and said quickly: "Today, there is the second daughter of the He family of Zeting, and Yu Hezhou Mansion took the lead in suing the Zhou family in Huocheng for destroying the family and harming the life of her mother's family...... Lord Shirong and Zhou Bai, the eldest son of Zhou, and others went to Hezhou. ”

"Only the plaintiff came out, and without an inquest, he brought forty or fifty soldiers and horses to arrest people, and he was still arrested and retired as a second-grade official...... He Shi He was the first to rise, and she was killed at her home in Hezhou...... He should be a slave of the Zhou family, sue the master as a slave, and according to Chen Lu, he has to sit back first without asking the reason for the crime...... The case of Zhou's kidnapping has been submitted to the Huocheng County Government, and in the case of the same case, the law should be remanded to Huocheng for the same trial, and why should the state officials act in a state ......"

The passionate voices of the crowd, you and I began to refute Zheng Ru's statement word by word, and all kinds of eyes were intertwined into a net, as if they were accusing Zheng Ru, who was in charge of the prison, of being a complete fool.

"The old man can take the eldest grandson to Hezhou for a walk." , Zhou Xian, who was sitting firmly in the hall, took a sip of tea calmly, slowly stood up and walked in front of Zheng Ru.

"Master Zhou!" , such as Zheng Ru, who was amnesty, gratefully bowed his hand. Said: "Xia Guan also has an order, so he has to come here......"

Zhou Xian, who was smiling all over his face, hadn't spoken yet. Zheng Ru was pulled aside by the anxious old man Wang.

"Zheng Enqu, it is not easy for your old father and mother to work hard for you to study. You are now in a position of power and famous, but have you ever thought that if you really took Zhou Xian away today, how would you be evaluated in Shilin? Ignorant and incompetent, obedient, framing loyal villains! Your future and the name of your Zheng family are still ......", the old man Wang gestured with his eyes to the green shirt of the courtyard, and spoke seriously.

"But Zhang Shaoxiong ......"

"The surname Zhang dares to openly use you as a waste? According to your rank, you could have courted him, but you couldn't back down. The old man is not a big man. If you are not satisfied with the state, it is still easy to help you transfer to another state......"

Zheng Ru's face was uncertain, and it took a long time before he sincerely saluted Old Man Wang and said, "The student will listen to the teacher's instructions." ”

Huo Cheng matter, Huo Cheng decides.

Zheng Ru clapped his hands and left Huocheng in embarrassment. An official document he brought from Hezhou was put on the desk of Li County Ling in Huocheng County, and the matter of bringing people to Hezhou was kicked to Li County Ling like a rattan ball that no one wanted.

At the beginning of the year, Li Xianling, who had just suffered the loss of Zizhuzi Temple, hesitated again and again, read and read the official documents that were already out of order, and tremblingly approved a reply that "He Shi, who is suspected of being an accomplice of the kidnappers, will return to Huocheng to try the kidnapping case first" and handed it to the book office. Then he changed into a new Confucian robe, and mixed into the Zhou family in a very low-key manner. Well, he's also a man of letters, in this case. I can only talk about the wind bones.

The Zhou family's literary meeting lasted from twelve to sixteen and lasted for five days. It was not until other young and old agreed to reunite in Xinliu County at this time in the coming year, and then gradually dispersed.

"dragged down most of the Wenxiu in Jiangnan to support the Zhou family. Shirong is really ashamed. He took the old man Yang to board the passenger ship at Taohuadu. Zhou Xian solemnly thanked his old friend. Zhou Chen and Man Yun beside him bowed to each other. Grandpa's physical condition, the descendants of the Zhou family know. Zhou Ke is also a powerless little scholar, if he is really coerced by the five big and three rough soldiers to Hezhou, he doesn't have to go to prison, and he will inevitably die on the road.

Old man Yang, who was already like an old tree with no leaves in the center of his head, stretched out his hand to help the two small ones, shook his head and said, "Shirong, Ming people don't say dark words. The way of the world...... Who doesn't know what Zhang Shaoxiong did. Xinliu is also in chaos, if today, the old man doesn't help you, who will help my Yang family tomorrow? ”

Old man Yang's hand was heavily placed on Zhou Chen's hand, and he patted it very gratifyingly, and said, "You kid, the old man has looked very close in the past two days. The old man is big, and according to your brother, how about picking up a word for you? In the past few days, several of Zhou Xian's old friends have been served by Zhou Ke of the Zhou family and the following grandchildren as small servants, and Zhou Chen is following Old Man Yang.

"Zichun, okay?" At this time, Old Man Yang turned his face to look at Zhou Xian. Zhou Xian smiled with relief.

Zhou Chen bowed down respectfully.

Lonely sail was far away, and Zhou Manyun, who was standing on the shore, breathed a long sigh of relief, looked at Grandpa with big eyes, then tilted his head to look at Zhou Chen, and said with a smile: "If I guess correctly, this time the second brother picked the cheap, and when the Zhou family has prepared the six ceremonies, I will be able to hire my second sister-in-law in Xinliu." ”

Zhou Xian smiled and nodded, one finger lightly touched the door of Man Yun's head, and sighed: "You have an active brain, but it's a pity that ......." It's a pity that Zhou Manyun's marriage is still unclear, and there are also people among old friends who want to hire Manyun, but it always makes his old man feel unsatisfactory.

When the grandfather and grandson were joking with themselves, Zhou Chen, who had only understood after pondering, was stunned.

Old man Yang, who left Taohuadu on May 17, is already a group of people who have left the Zhou family, and the lively Zhou family has returned to its former peace. For the children of the Zhou family, after sending off the guests, they can clean up their mood and study hard, and a few of them have been pointed out by foreign fresh concepts, and they are even more anxious to write down what they have learned.

So in the entire Zhou family, only Gao Wei, who was lying on the hospital bed, felt the most depressed.

Gao Gong, his father, who finally got out of his busy official duties, wanted to leave, not only did not take him away from the Zhou family, but also trained him.

"Your illness is not serious, why don't you get up and greet your seniors, and miss a good opportunity to benefit?" , Gao Gong had a cold face, very serious.

"What's the use of those old men who are no longer in officialdom?" , Gao Wei flattened his mouth, very angry.

"Useless?" , Gao Gong sighed, pressed the nameless fire that jumped in his heart, and said patiently: "If it weren't for them, what would happen to the Zhou family at this time?" My father has always taught you that if you have lofty aspirations and look forward to a long journey, you must cherish your feathers, where do you remember? ”

Gao Wei, who was blamed, suddenly turned red. In the past few days, he has told his father about his grievances and frustrations in the Gao family, but Gao Gong didn't take it seriously at all, Zhenri still spent the rare vacation on those guests of the Zhou family, and until now he is leaving, but he has taught him a lesson.

"If your brother is sent to the Zhou family, how can he be like you!" , Seeing that the second son looked injured, Gao Gong's resentment still couldn't help but speak. (To be continued......)