When Han Jie first came to Gu Qing's side as a personal guard, Guo Ziyi introduced him ceremoniously, saying that he was "upright by nature and intolerable to his colleagues".

Gu Qing didn't take it to heart when he heard this introduction, but just regarded it as a casual polite remark by Guo Ziyi, because the word "Gengzhi" is not strictly speaking, it is often associated with "a good person". Therefore, Gu Qing automatically understood Guo Ziyi's introduction as "Han Jie is a good comrade" at that time.

Later, in the days when he got along with Han Jie, Gu Qing didn't feel that there was anything bright about this good comrade's character, just like Gu Qing's errand to deal with Zuo Wei, Han Jie in his eyes seemed to be also to deal with the errand of "personal guards", anyway, he didn't encounter any danger, a group of personal guards were really like following the doglegs of the gentlemen, doing nothing to sign in and out of work.

Like a middle-aged man who is not interested in his career but has to compromise for life.

However, Gu Qing didn't expect that the damn Guo Ziyi was telling the truth, and this Han Jie was really upright.

dared to bluntly reprimand him for "nonsense" in front of the assassin, this move was already very rude, and there was a 100% chance of getting revenge.

"He is my personal guard, he used to be the captain of the left guard of Chang'an, and the generals are inevitably irritable by nature, Xing Tingshi forgive me." Gu Qing smiled and played a round game.

Xing Shen's face was pale, as an existence like the emperor of Shangzhou City, he was used to hearing flattery on weekdays, but today he was scolded by a military general who came out of nowhere for "a bunch of nonsense", and no one dared to treat him like this for many years.

Gu Qing and Xing Shen were already strangers, and the atmosphere of chatting with strangers was already a little awkward and unfamiliar, but at this time, Han Jie had one more mouth, and the atmosphere became more and more unpleasant.

Xing Shen is the assassin of Shangzhou, and Gu Qing is the general of Chang'an's left guard, and it can be said that they are completely two systems of people in the officialdom, and there is almost no intersection. Although Gu Qing's status as a county marquis is higher than Xing Shen, Xing Shen also has a backer in the Chang'an court, so he didn't have to give Gu Qing any face.

"Gu Xianhou is a good trainer, and he is a straightforward person." Xing Shen smiled slightly and commented without being salty.

These words are a bit ugly, and they are clearly accusing Gu Qing of having no way to rule. Especially when you say it with a smiling expression, it is full of malice.

Gu Qing also smiled: "Gu Mou's rule is not strict, I smiled." Speaking of which, this personal guard of mine is also a good blessing, yesterday he was beaten out of the house by the servants of the Shangzhou Assassin Mansion, and the officials of the Shangzhou Assassin Mansion were selfless and taught Gu a lesson. ”

These words can be described as-for-tat, and the exit gave Shangzhou Thorn Shifu a hat.

Xing Shen looked stunned, turned his head and glanced at Han Jie outside the hall carefully, frowned and said: "Yesterday, I did hear that someone came to this mansion to make trouble, and was driven away by the messenger in front of the door, but I didn't know that it was the noble family of the Hou Ye, and I was offended." ”

Gu Qing said with a smile: "My guard has rough skin and thick meat, and it doesn't hurt to be beaten on weekdays, but is the servant of your mansion too heavy?" I asked a doctor to see him last night, and it was clear that he had suffered extremely serious internal injuries and vomited blood last night......"

Looking at Xing Shen's stunned gaze, Gu Qing's expression gradually became serious, and he deliberately lowered his tone and said, "...... It's serious! ”

Han Jie, who was outside the hall, was also stunned, and then began to hesitate whether he should pretend that his internal injuries were very serious and vomit blood...... It's a bit difficult.

Xing Shen's eyelids jumped, and he clenched his back molars.

This shaft ...... Blatantly blackmail!

Such serious internal injuries mean that if one or two prisoners are not allowed to come out, the internal injuries will not be healed?

Looking at the appearance of this military general outside the hall, he was full of anger when he was stabbed at him, where was there any sign of internal injury?

Having said this, the atmosphere of the chat has become very cold, if it weren't for the other party's county marquis status, Xing Shen would have planned to leave with his sleeves up.

"Gu Xianhou forgive me, Zheng Jian can't let ......go of the official commission" Xing Shen raised his eyebrows and said lightly: "The deserter is to be punished by the Ming Dynasty, since the Assassin Mansion has taken this person, it must be reported to the Criminal Department, and the Criminal Department will sentence and sentence, and the person will be imprisoned, which is no longer within the control of the official." ”

Gu Qing nodded understandingly: "The difficulties of Xing Tingshi, Ben Hou is also clear, but Zheng Jian has been my friend for many years, since the national law is strict, Ben Hou can't be a little bit thin with his friends, at least he has to do something outside of his body to his friends, and don't hide from Xing Tingshi, Zheng Jian's old mother learned that he had committed an accident, and she cried at home, Xing Jianshi said that Zheng Jian was a deserter, so please take out the documents issued by the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate, and I will go back to his mother to have an explanation, how about it?" ”

Xing Shen said indifferently: "Gu Xianhou forgive me, this is a matter of this government, and it is inconvenient for the lower officials to take the documents to outsiders." ”

Gu Qing raised his eyebrows: "Xing Tingshi, this is a bit unreasonable, right?" can't get the papers, could it be that this is an unjust case concocted in front of Ben Hou? ”

Xing Shen's tone became more and more blunt: "Hou Ye has been favored by the Son of Heaven in Chang'an, and the lower officials should not be guilty." However, the county marquis is not allowed to interfere in local official affairs, this is the law of the imperial court, and the marquis is also asked to respect himself. ”

Looking at Han Jie, who was trembling with anger outside the hall but forcibly holding back, Gu Qing sighed.

Sure enough, as he expected, the ending of this time to assassinate Shifu was not optimistic, and it was obvious that he couldn't talk about it anymore, and if he said anything more, he would tear his face directly, and before he figured out Xing Shen's backstage background, Gu Qing decided to endure it first.

Laughing without a smile, Gu Qing got up and flicked his sleeves, and said, "Thank you Xing Tingshi for your hospitality, Ben Hou said goodbye." ”

Xing Shen also got up expressionlessly: "Xiaguan sends off the Hou Ye." ”

said "Congratulations", Xing Shen didn't move, and it seemed that it was his greatest courtesy to stand up.

Gu Qing still walked out of the hall with a smile, and Han Jie, who was following behind, was full of anger, turned around and sneered at Xing Shen, and was just about to open his mouth to say two cruel words, but Gu Qing quickly covered his mouth.

…………

Walking out of the Assassin's Mansion, Han Jie said indignantly: "Why did Master Hou stop the last general from speaking just now? ”

Gu Qing sneered, "What can you say?" Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, don't bully young people to be poor? ”

Han Jie's eyes lit up: "Good sentence, when it comes to the last general's heart, I should have said this sentence just now." ”

Gu Qing said lazily: "Let's have a long snack, this sentence is dedicated to divorce, it is not appropriate to use it here, besides, although I am a teenager, I am not poor at all." ”

Han Jie took two steps and said in an aggravated tone: "Master Hou, the assassin surnamed Xing is full of nonsense, Zheng Jian is definitely not a deserter, he obviously wants to detain people." ”

Gu Qing nodded: "I also believe that he is not a deserter, what we have to figure out now is why he wants to hold Zheng Jian, why he lied that he is a deserter, and find the reason to find the root cause of this matter." ”

"What should we do next, please ask Master Hou for instructions."

Gu Qing thought for a while and said, "First of all, send someone back to Chang'an, find Li Twelve Niang, and ask her to help inquire who the backer of this assassin is, if you want to control him, the backer is his lifeline." ”

"Yes."

"Secondly, send some guards out, scattered in the streets and alleys of this Shangzhou City, whether it is shopping, wine shops, talk less, watch more and listen more, remember all the comments on the history of Shangzhou in the folk market, and come back to report to me."

"Yes."

Gu Qing exhaled and said, "Finally, take me to see Zheng Xiang and his old mother." ”

Zheng Xiang and his old mother lived in a private house in a dark alley in Shangzhou City, the house was very simple, surrounded by other houses' houses on all sides, and they only walked to it by winding paths.

Leaving a few guards to watch the wind outside, Gu Qing walked into the courtyard and saw Zheng Xiang, who was haggard, supporting an old woman, seeing Gu Qing come in, Zheng Xiang's eyes suddenly turned red, and he knelt in front of Gu Qing.

"Xie Houye personally ran for the villain, and the villain ......"

Gu Qing picked him up and said with a gentle smile: "When something happens, I am not Master Hou, but your brother Paoze, don't say polite words, this matter has not been resolved, it must be done as soon as possible, and it will change later." ”

The old woman next to her had a vicissitudes of life, but her eyes were extremely resolute, she glanced at Gu Qing, and curtstook her knees and said, "The old woman pays a visit to Master Hou." ”

Gu Qing hurriedly supported her and said with a smile: "This aunt Mo Duoli, how can there be a reason for the elders to bow to the juniors, and it will torment the juniors." ”

The old woman sighed: "It is a blessing to be able to be a personal guard for Hou Ye." Hou Ye is such a noble person, he actually rushed from Chang'an in person for a mere personal guard, which shows the sincerity of Hou Ye's treatment of the troops, the old woman has already entrusted Xiang Er, and in the future, Hou Ye must be attentive to protect him, if he is in danger, even if he dies for Hou Ye, he will not hesitate to die for Hou Ye, Hou Ye is such a character, it would be good if Datang could have a few more......"

Gu Qing smiled bitterly: "Auntie, don't say anything about life and death, we don't die, we all have to live well, if this matter is over, the matter of the Zheng family brothers marrying a wife is on me." ”

The old woman showed a sad look and sighed: "Jian'er was taken into prison by the assassination of Shifu, and I don't know when I will be released, they are too much, not only do they not give compensation, but they also arrest the sons who shed blood for the country, the government does this, and the old woman deeply regrets sending her son to join the army......"

Gu Qing turned his head to look at Zheng Xiang and said, "Your brother was taken, when did you rush to Shangzhou?" ”

Zheng Xiang said: "The villain rushed to Shangzhou three days ago, and asked General Han for leave before leaving. ”

"In the past three days, what have you done in Luonan County or Shangzhou City, and what have you said to the people in the government?"

Zheng Xiang thought for a while and said: "The villain heard that there was an accident at home and asked General Han for leave, and when the villain arrived in Shangzhou City, the elder brother had been taken into prison by the Assassin Shifu, and the villain had not done anything, nor had he seen anyone from the government, knowing that his brother was taken, the villain knew that he could not solve the matter, so he immediately asked his fellow villagers to send a letter to Chang'an and ask General Han to come over...... General Han treats me like a brother, and in the past, when I encountered unsolvable things, I asked General Han for help. ”

Gu Qing was puzzled: "That's strange, it's one thing for your brother to be taken, but you didn't do anything, why did the Assassin Mansion take you?" ”

Zheng Xiang recalled for a long time, and said hesitantly: "Maybe, maybe...... The Assassin Mansion thinks the villain knows something......"

Gu Qing's eyes lit up and said, "What do you know?" ”

"After the elder brother returned from the Anxi Protectorate half a year ago, the villain had taken a leave of absence to go home, and had a reunion with the elder brother, and the villain and the elder brother drank wine that night, and the elder brother told me that he knew that the imperial court had a compensatory treatment for the wounded soldiers who returned to the field, but he ...... I didn't expect the government to give him a pension. ”

"Why?"

"My brother said that when he was in the army in the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate, there were a few fellow villagers in the battalion, and then in a few big battles, a few of the fellow villagers died, a few were wounded, and the injured ones returned to their hometowns, and the elder brother looked for them when he returned to his hometown, and they also lived a poor life, and it is said that the Luonan County Government did not give a penny of pensions, and those veterans also went to make trouble, but the county government treated them very rudely, and even tore up the officer certificate issued by the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate, and then drove them away......"

Gu Qing faintly understood the root of this matter.

"How many young men have been in the army in the entire Shangzhou over the years?"

Zheng Xiang smiled shyly and said, "Master Hou, this is a stump for the villain, the villain is just a soldier ration, how can you know so many ......?"

Zheng Xiang's old mother said beside her: "Old women in other places don't know, there are about one or two hundred young people who have walked out of our village to join the army over the years, and many children and old women have watched them grow up, watching them carry their burdens to join the army, generation after generation, batch after batch, but few people have come back......

Gu Qing took a deep breath, as if he was about to exhale the turbid breath blocking his chest, and said softly: "There are one or two hundred people in one village, how many villages are there on the ground in Shangzhou, how many young and strong, if every person who died or was disabled in the army was given a two-hundred-wen pension by the imperial court, then how many pensions should be for a thousand people, ten thousand people?" If the officials withhold this money, it will really be full of oil......"

Everyone in the courtyard was shocked.

Gu Qing broke the root cause of this matter in one sentence, and it was not until this moment that everyone understood why Zheng Jian was taken and why the Luonan County Ya was detained and did not pay the pension.

Han Jie said with a look of disbelief: "Master Hou, the government doesn't have that much courage, right?" Aren't you afraid that the families of veterans who died in battle will gather to make trouble? ”

Gu Qing said lightly: "The bereavement pension of the war dead should have been issued partially, the government does not dare to provoke the anger of the public, my aunt must be clear, right?" Have pensions been paid to the war dead in your village over the years? Do families feel that it is too little? ”

The old woman nodded and said: "Yes, there is news of war deaths in the village every year, and most of the small officials of the county government only give dozens to 100 wen to give bereavement benefits, and the villagers faintly feel that it is not right, why do you give such a little for a life for the country, but the little officials explained that it is a case of the imperial court, and every place in the Tang Dynasty is the same, and the villagers didn't say anything......"

Han Jie said coldly: "According to my Tang Dynasty practice, the bereavement allowance of the war dead shall not be less than 200 wen per person, and it is a special fund allocated by the household department from the treasury to the local assassin mansions, and the Jiedu Embassy of the top ten border towns will directly deduct the bereavement pension from the local taxes, and the rest will be sent to the national treasury ......."

Zheng Xiang Ne said: "The villain knew that it was wrong after joining the army, but the villain was just a soldier who ate food and couldn't afford to provoke such a big thing, so he had to keep silent......"

Gu Qing sighed: "The local government must have withheld most of the bereavement for the war dead, and those who returned from injury may not be able to get a penny, after all, the people's hearts are like iron, and the official law is like a furnace, as long as people live, the government has a way to restrain you, and the injured veterans can only swallow their anger, and those who are unwilling to swallow their anger, such as your brother Zheng Jian, will be directly put in prison, or simply slander him as a deserter......"

Hehe sneered a few times, Gu Qing said: "It's crazy to think about money, the idea is to hit the veterans who were killed and injured in the war, the big and small official mansions in Shangzhou really let me gain insight......"

Han Jie said angrily: "Master Hou, this matter is absolutely unbearable!" The veterans shed blood and worked hard for the country, and those dog officers were not only drinking the blood of the soldiers, they were simply swallowing the lives of the veterans! ”

Gu Qing didn't squeak, but his mind was struggling and fighting.

This matter is too big, to be honest, Gu Qing can't afford to mess with it.

It is certain that the local government has long been complicit, from the county government to the assassin's mansion, this is another huge corruption case, and even an industrial chain has been formed from top to bottom, if this chain is destroyed by external forces, Gu Qing is not sure what kind of serious backlash he will suffer.

Seeing Xing Shen's fearless appearance today, there was no respect for him as a county marquis, Gu Qing was quite jealous of Xing Shen's backer at the moment, if it weren't for the extremely strong backer, Xing Shen would not be so rude.

Gu Qing has always been a sane person, and he usually won't make any impulsive decisions until he understands the details of his opponent.

To handle this corruption case, it is inevitable to leverage the officialdom of the entire Shangzhou, and with Gu Qing's current ability, I am afraid that he will not be able to do it, after all, Gu Qing is only a county marquis, not a prime minister.

"Wait a minute, wait for news from Chang'an." Gu Qing exhaled slowly, and said with a gloomy face.

…………

Shangzhou Thorn History Mansion.

After Gu Qing and the others left, Xing Shen's expression remained gloomy and silent.

Sima Zhou Wenxin of the Assassin Mansion walked in gently, Zhou Wenxin used to be Xing Shen's guest and was Xing Shen's most trusted person. Later, after Xing Shen became the assassin, he gave Zhou Wenxin an errand for Sima in the Assassin's Mansion, saying that it was Sima, but in fact, he was still Xing Shen's guest, and the idea of cutting off his children and grandchildren on weekdays was not missing.

"Thorn History, Wansheng just inquired about that person named Gu Qing, it's not a small one......" Zhou Wenxin's face turned gloomy.

Xing Shen said coldly: "This official knows that this Gu Qing is quite famous in Chang'an City, he was made a marquis for saving His Majesty's life, and he also wrote some poems that were recited by Chang'an Shizi, a young man who was determined by luck." ”

Zhou Wenxin said softly: "But after all, he is a close minister of the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven seems to be quite fond of him, if we offend him......"

Xing Shen snorted and said, "What about offending?" I am a man and an official, and the benefits that should be given are not less, he has a backer in Chang'an, don't I have it? It's just a lucky kid, so why be afraid. ”

Zhou Wenxin said worriedly: "After all, the origin is not small, this person should not be offended, otherwise he may give you some stumbling blocks in the future, and I think it will be ...... Why don't you let the person surnamed Zheng go, and make a good relationship with Gu Qing? ”

Xing Shen sighed: "Do you think I don't want to put it? That Zheng Jian is too uninteresting, before taking him the day before yesterday, he was beating the drum in front of the Assassin's Mansion, and when the servant took him, do you know what he said? ”

"What did you say?"

"Zheng Jian said that he wanted to seek justice for all the veterans in Shangzhou, and he also said that he had known that the officialdom in Shangzhou had withheld the veterans' pensions, and he wanted to gather all the disabled veterans to go to Chang'an to sue the emperor, do you think I can release him?"

Zhou Wenxin hesitated: "Maybe it's angry, right?" If you let him out and give him a bereavement pension, he shouldn't make any more trouble......"

Xing Shen shook his head: "The official can't afford to gamble, if he is let out, there will be a county marquis behind him to support him, it is hard to guarantee whether he will really gather the veterans to go to Chang'an to sue the emperor, anyway, I have offended that county marquis, and now I am fighting for their own means and backers, you go to Chang'an to send a letter, and then attach five thousand taels of silver cakes, and tell me in detail about the troubles encountered by the official, and the person who receives the letter knows what to do." ”

Zhou Wenxin nodded in response, and then hesitated: "The ...... surnamed Zheng"

A hint of murderous intent quickly flashed in Xing Shen's eyes, and he said in a gloomy tone: "This person ...... It's a scourge. ”