The carriage galloped down the street. Just after noon, there were many pedestrians on the street, and when they heard the sound of horses' hooves, they dodged in panic, spat and cursed at the black carriage.

Different from the county yamen, Bie Jia and Sima have their own yamen and mansions, Zhang Wenjin's Bie Driving Mansion is on the left side of the government office, and the distance from the state government is only 30 zhang, and there are also two stone lions squatting in front of the house, but it is smaller than the yamen of the government to drive separately. The vermilion gate on the five steps, guarded by government soldiers in front of the door, is the same majestic and majestic.

The carriage stopped in front of the other driver's house, and without waiting for the vehicle to stop, Hua Zheng lifted the curtain, jumped off the car, walked up the stairs quickly, and asked the government soldiers standing in front of the door, "Lord Zhang can be in the mansion?" ”

"Yes." The soldiers knew that Zhenxi Nan and Zhang Beijia were brothers, and Beijia Yamen often came and went, so of course he would not stop it.

got an affirmative answer, Huasheng didn't need to lead the way, and went straight in. Don't drive the subordinate officials in the house, see the Zhenxi men have stepped forward to salute, if it was in the past, Hua Zheng Tie would stop and say a few words, how can he be in the mood today, nodded and walked straight through the corridor to the back house, he knew that Zhang Wenjin was not happy during this time, and the cat was pretending to be sick in the back house.

As soon as I passed the welcome hall, I heard the sound of silk and bamboo inside, and there was a woman's delicate voice singing. Menzi stepped forward and said, "Master Hua, you come to find Master Zhang, I'll go and say goodbye." ”

Because it is an inner house, Hua Zheng is not good to go in directly, and after a while, Menzi came out with a smile and said: "Master said, Master Hua is not an outsider, please go in." ”

The sound of silk and bamboo came from the east wing, Hua Zheng stepped into the house, and saw Zhang Wenjin reclining on the rocking chair, with his eyes slightly closed, listening to a woman singing, several people on the side holding musical instruments, playing, and a little girl behind him, gently shaking the fan for him, driving away mosquitoes, and squatting on the side of his legs, beating his thighs for him.

"Brother Hua, I came just in time, accompany my younger brother to drink two glasses, this is a grape wine from the Western Regions, I am slightly drunk, and it is suitable to listen to the music." When Zhang Wenjin saw Hua Zheng coming in, he bowed slightly, pointed to the rocking chair on the other side of the table and smiled to let the guests go. The table next to the chair was full of food, and the glass bottle was filled with red wine.

Hua Zheng felt hungry at this time, and he was so busy that he even forgot to eat lunch. You're not welcome at the moment, just reach out and grab it directly, chew a large piece of beef in your mouth, and take a big gulp of wine jug. Zhang Wenjin had never seen Hua Zheng so out of shape, and said with a smile: "Brother Hua, where is this, why are you hungry like this." ”

Swallowing the piece of meat in his mouth, Hua Zheng sneered: "While the matter has not yet happened, you and I should eat more, otherwise we will only have prison food to eat." As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the golden leg of lamb.

Zhang Wenjin said with a smile: "Brother Hua Hugh wants to joke, what can happen to you and me in one acre and three points of land in Huazhou?" ”

Hua Zheng ignored him and tore the leg of lamb with a big mouthful. Zhang Wenjin saw that Hua Zheng's face was solemn, not like a joke, he sat up straight, waved and asked the singer and Yahuan to retreat, and only the two of them were left in the room. Zhang Wenjin asked, "What's going on?" ”

"What's wrong, your brother is hiding at home and pretending to be sick, but I know that Jiang Tingshi led the troops to raid my farm, and the people who were kidnapped in the village have been found out, and when he returns home, I'm afraid he will have to ask if those deeds of sale were opened."

With a "bang", the glass cup fell to the ground and shattered, and the bright red wine splashed on the ground like spurted blood.

Zhang Wenjin stood up suddenly, and asked nervously: "What's the matter, you quickly understand me." ”

Hua Zheng told Zhang Wenjin in detail what he knew, Zhang Wenjin listened and calculated, and when Hua Zheng finished speaking, Zhang Wenjin said: "Jiang Anyi has not returned to the house yet, there is still room for maneuver in this matter, have you ever personally come forward to take the kidnapping?" ”

"Am I going to be that stupid? I've already talked to the housekeeper Hua Ren, and asked him to take things down first. ”

"That's very good." Zhang Wenjin paced back and forth in the room with his beard and asked, "Who knows about the kidnapping, so we must deal with those insiders quickly." ”

Hua Zheng said: "The people who shot were all from the Weiyuan Dart Bureau, and after the people from the Dart Bureau sent me a letter, they took all the people who stayed in the mansion away." However, there are still a few people in the dart game in the farm, and it is estimated that they have been caught. There are still a few people in my village who are insiders, and I don't know if they will confess. ”

"Prepare for the worst." Zhang Wenjin saw a fine sweat on his head, he knew that he was too deeply involved with Hua Zheng, and if Hua Zheng had an accident, he would definitely pull himself in. Not to mention the side, the two little girls who fanned and pinched their legs just now were sent by Huazheng Farm.

Zhang Wenjin picked up the wine jug and poured a few sips, spit out the wine and said: "I will explain to Feng Daoliang, just say that it is the deed of sale that the housekeeper in your house came to apply for under your signboard, and the sin of negligence is inevitable." Is your butler reliable, don't come to the lobby and confess you, that's bad. ”

"His three sons are in my hands, and they don't dare to talk nonsense." Hua Zheng is very confident in this.

"When Jiang Anyi brings someone back to the Yaya, I will go to ask about the situation, and by the way, I will drag Jiang Anyi and let him fail to ask the case today. You have to make two preparations, one is to let Hua Ren take the blame, if Jiang Anyi is willing to talk about the situation and not pursue it, it is the best, even if there is some blood, it is a fluke; If Jiang Anyi bites and doesn't let go," Zhang Wenjin paused, a cold light appeared in his eyes, and he waved his hand vigorously to make a chopping motion, and said, "Then only the fish is dead and the net is broken." ”

Hua Zheng threw the bitten clean meat and bones in his hand to the ground, and said, "I have asked my daughter-in-law to bring a letter to Old Man Han, and there should be a reply tonight." There are many masters there in the old man, as long as he is willing to pay, there are countless masters who are willing to work hard. Besides, the people captured by the Weiyuan Dart Bureau, Luo Shiming can't get out of it, it's really not good, pull up the Dart Bureau and kill the dog officer, let's flee to the Western Regions. ”

Zhang Wenjin sat back on the recliner dejectedly and sighed: "Don't mess up the battle first, let's sum up first, plug the loopholes first, and don't go to a dead end until you have to." ”

When the two closed the door and discussed until You, Hua Zheng left the farewell mansion and returned home in a carriage. Zhang Wenjin didn't pretend to be sick anymore, hurried to the lobby, asked people to find Sicang to join the army Feng Daoliang, and explained it secretly, Feng Daoliang returned to the government with a pale face, and warned the government officials not to mention it.

Zhang Wenjin planned to send someone at the west gate of the city to inquire about the news of Jiang Anyi and the others returning to the city, but it was not appropriate to think about it, and it was not appropriate to sit and lie down in the other driving mansion, so it was better to go directly to the mansion and wait. With two entourage, Zhang Wenjin came to the mansion, Jiang Anyi and Hua Siyuan had not returned, Zhang Wenjin paced back and forth in the lobby, and looked at the gate from time to time.

The carriage stopped in front of the gate of Washington, Hua Zheng got out of the car, stood in front of his house, looked at the magnificent and slightly decayed old mansion in front of him, his heart was full of sorrow, and he silently chanted in his heart: Hua Zheng, the unfilial descendants, ask the ancestors to be blessed by the spirit of heaven, if they can get through this difficult time safely, the unfilial descendants must burn incense and sacrifice, and strive to glorify the ancestral industry.

The fiery red clouds in the west rolled over, and the sky over Washington became red, and Hua Zheng muttered: "What an incense, God has to sacrifice my Hua family." ”

The house was already in chaos, the news somehow leaked out, and everyone in the house knew that their farm had been raided by the government, and a catastrophe was about to come. First, the guards in the palace ran away, and then the servants packed some things and secretly went out. When Hua Zheng entered the door, he saw two servant women trotting out with bulging clothes, and saw Hua Zheng hurriedly turn around and turn to the side house, Hua Zheng didn't bother to care, and went back to his residence along the corridor.

As soon as he stepped into the main house, he saw the four-room concubine with their respective children sitting in the room waiting for him with a sad face, and when he saw Hua Zheng coming in, the four-room concubine immediately cried and cried around, and asked him for money to avoid chaos. Several sons looked at him anxiously, and Hua Zheng found that none of them cared about him.

He took out the silver ticket from the room, and each of the four concubines gave one thousand taels of silver, and the concubines led their children to bow to him and left. The room was quiet, and Hua Zheng sighed: "Okay, husband and wife are birds in the same forest, and they fly separately when the disaster comes, not to mention the concubine's room, so you don't have to force it." ”

There were no servants in the house, and the tea on the table was cold, and Hua Zheng was upset. The sound of wooden fish faintly came from the west wing, it was You's Buddhist hall, Hua Zheng asked Hua Wenguang to send You away when he went out, but he didn't expect her to leave yet.

Moving to the Buddha Hall, the heavy sandalwood fragrance emanated from the house, Hua Zheng frowned and stepped into the room, You Shi knelt on the futon upright, turning the Buddha beads in his hand, reciting scriptures in his mouth, and knocking on the wooden fish from time to time.

"Why haven't you left yet, didn't I ask Guang'er to take you back to your parents' house?"

In response to him, there was a soft chanting, and Hua Zheng was about to get angry, when You Shi knocked on the wooden fish and stopped chanting. opened his eyes, looked at his husband who was a little strange, and said softly: "Master, the concubine is not going anywhere, after the concubine marries the master, she is a member of the Hua family in life, and she is a ghost of the Hua family in death." If the Hua family is really in trouble, the concubine is willing to suffer with the master. ”

Hua Zheng's hard heart cracked, and he looked at You Shi again like a first acquaintance, this woman married herself at the age of seventeen, thirty-two years have passed, and there is already white hair on her head, how many years have she not been close to her, I thought that You Shi's heart was full of hatred, but I really didn't expect that it was she who could accompany me in the end.

Hua Zheng knelt down on the futon on the other side, and kowtowed to the Buddha behind the incense case reverently, and the soft chanting sound of You Shi was heard in his ears, and Hua Zheng's heart became calmer than ever.

When the red lantern in front of the mansion was lit, Jiang Tingshi and Hua Sima returned to the mansion with people. There was a commotion, Hua Sima escorted the prisoner to the prison, and Jiang Anyi walked inward. Seeing the bright lights in the lobby from a distance, he asked the official next to him in surprise, "Who is in the lobby?" ”

"Zhang Beijia said that he was looking for you for something, and he has been waiting in the lobby for almost an hour."

Jiang Anyi's heart moved, Zhang Wenjin came, don't pretend to be sick, it seems that the news has leaked, Zhang Wenjin must be here for the case in Washington. A sneer appeared on his lips, Jiang Anyi strode towards the lobby, he wanted to see what medicine was sold in Zhang Beijia's gourd.