The two stood up suddenly, and Lin Mingqiu was stunned. When it was, Zhu Yiming stood with his hands in his hands, his face was slightly gloomy, and he looked up slightly at the plaque of "advance and retreat" hanging high place. Chen Hongfan sighed lightly and shook his head.

The wind and rain were whistling outside the window, and the abruptly changing atmosphere in the study made Lin Mingqiu extremely embarrassed. The three of them were silent for a moment, then he also lifted his shirt and stood up, and asked in a hurry, "Lord Wang, Lord Chen, what are the two ......of you?" It's ......"

Chen Hongfan breathed a sigh of relief, softened his expression a little, and said: "Lord Lin, you and I have been friends for many years, and Chen has always admired the ability of adults to make good decisions and the talent of power and change. Who would have thought that now that things are coming, adults can do it, but it is a little unkind. He added, "If it is Chen who is dealing with him, and the adult enforces the law impartially, Chen is convinced, and there is no complaint." It's just that the adults deal with the prince in this way, maybe it's a little too hot. ”

Lin Mingqiu looked at him seriously, and then looked at Zhu Yiming's tense face, he couldn't help but be a little nervous, but in his heart, the second monk was really confused, hesitated for a moment, took a small step forward, bowed slightly, and said to Zhu Yiming quite respectfully: "The official is stupid, and there is disrespect for the prince in the words of the appropriate person, and I sincerely apologize." ”

On the side, Chen Hongfan pursed his lips and said, "Lord Lin is really smart and confused for a while. Then his face turned heavy, "The words of the lord are not only disrespectful to the prince alone, I am afraid that the entire Xiang clan will be placed on the fire." ”

Lin Mingqiu's heart was shocked, and he asked blankly, "What does Lord Chen mean by this?" Can it be explicit? Squinting at Zhu Yiming, the face of the prince, who has always been known for his kindness, was a rare blue and red.

Chen Hongfan sighed and said: "Lord Lin, has you forgotten the sentence 'After all, you need to pass on that Chu Xi to come to Xiangyang'?" ”

Lin Mingqiu was stunned for a moment, but said: "No, it's just that this sentence really comes from the heart, and it has no intention of derogating the prince and the Xiang Domain." ”

Chen Hongfan shook his head again and again, and said first: "Lord Lin is bad." "Continued," Lord Lin's sentence seems to be short, but it is not so easy to go down the vine. It was an unmistakable move to summon that Chu Xi to come to Xiangyang, but imagine that even if he came to the front of the hall, what was the use of confronting Zhao Ying's general face to face? Just as the prisoner and the sufferer are opposed, each insisting on his own words and showing his own interests, which is not helpful to clarify the facts of the case. Therefore, in the end, it is inevitable that a third party, that is, a witness, can appear in order to judge the merits. It is expected that inside and outside Xiangyang Mansion at the moment, who can bear the witness of this case? Without him, the prince of Xiangwang is alone. ”

When Lin Mingqiu heard this, his face was already red, and then he heard Chen Hongfan's words: "With the intelligence of an adult, it should be clear." The prince is not an ordinary person, and behind him is the entire Xiang Domain. The Xiang domain is not a small domain, but a noble domain since the Hongxi Dynasty. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, how have I ever heard of the matter of arguing with the pawns of the country traders in the Ming Hall with the nobles of a feudal domain? If this matter comes true, I am afraid that in the end, it will not only be the Xiang Domain, but the entire emperor of my Ming Dynasty. And the initiator of all this, hehe, is from the hands of you, Lord Lin. If you want to go back and forth in the history of the future, there will definitely be an adult's stroke. ”

"If you want to go back and forth in the history of the future, there will definitely be an adult's stroke" This sentence came into Lin Mingqiu's ears, and he was struck by lightning. Raising his eyes and looking at Zhu Yiming again, the original Lang Run's face was already white. He really couldn't imagine that his understatement would bring out such a big disaster to Chen Hongfan. Thinking about the face of the most important sect in today's sainthood, when the Fengyang Emperor's Mausoleum was burned, a "Guilty Edict" shocked how many scholars in the world, if the clan waded into unnecessary troubled waters because of his own thoughts, Chongzhen Longyan's angry appearance almost immediately appeared in front of Lin Mingqiu's eyes.

Chen Hongfan coughed and said, "The prince originally thought of the old relationship with the adults, and swallowed his anger. And when the adults intended to let the prince and the prince go to the county prison, Chen reminded him, but unfortunately the adults did not notice it, but pressed step by step. The prince is unbearable. After that, he turned back to Zhu Yiming and said, "Lord Wang, Lord Lin said unintentionally, don't be angry." ”

Lin Mingqiu is at a loss for words, in his opinion, it is definitely not his intention to let the prince and the prince go to the county prison and let the prince go to the yazhong to confront each other, but in this situation, there is a dilemma that it is difficult to recover and the wood has become a boat, so he thought that it was better not to argue clearly, so he said to Zhu Yiming sincerely again: "Lord, this matter is the negligence of the subordinate Meng Lang, and I specially apologize to the prince." "Don't look at the face of the monk and look at the face of the Buddha, the other party is the honorable prince, and he did not stuff the benefits during his patrol of Huguang, so he bowed his head when he should bow his head. For the sake of future security, we must suffer this loss in front of us.

It was only at this time that Zhu Yiming's facial muscles, who had been pursing his lips and were silent, twitched a few times, and said slowly: "I know that the adult's words are not intentional. Adults don't have to blame themselves too much. ”

Chen Hongfan came out at the right time to play a round, persuaded the two to sit down again, and ordered the servant to refill the tea and chat for a while, and the atmosphere became lively again. After a catastrophe, Lin Mingqiu was relaxed on the surface, but in fact, he had become very cautious between conversations. After the three of them talked, the topic turned back to Zhao Dangshi and Chu Xidi.

Chen Hongfan asked: "Lord Lin has a lot of experience sitting down, in your opinion, in addition to the confronting of the heirs, is there any other way to deal with this matter?" ”

It is the most normal process to summon the parties to testify in court, but Lin Mingqiu was bitten by a snake for ten years and was afraid of the well rope, and he had already become a frightened bird, so how could there be any other way for a while. After thinking for a while, Ai Ai said, "This ...... This is ...... It is still necessary to start with a long ...... Thinking about ...... long term"

Chen Hongfan's face suddenly froze, and he said in a deep voice: "Don't hide it from Lord Lin, Chen has a suggestion here." As he spoke, he looked at Zhu Yiming. Zhu Yiming was expressionless, stroking his beard and silent.

Lin Mingqiu said: "Lord Chen, but it doesn't hurt to say it. ”

Chen Hongfan held the cup in one hand, stroked the wood carved beast head on the top of the armrest of the seat with the other, and said solemnly: "I think the context of this case is clear and clear, it is the squire's tyrant Chu Xi to fight for power and profit with the newcomer Zhao Ying. ”

Lin Mingqiu was taken aback and said, "Why is Lord Chen so straightforward? ”

Chen Hongfan didn't answer and asked: "Then what Lord Lin means is that what Chu Xidi said is conclusive, and Zhao Ying is indeed the murderer who kidnapped the nobles?" ”

Lin Mingqiu shook his hand and said: "No, what I mean, what the truth of this case is, it still needs to be carefully investigated." ”

Chen Hongfan shook his head instead. Lin Mingqiu didn't understand what he meant, and called out: "Lord Chen? ”

Zhu Yiming on the other side said: "Lord Lin, let me interject." In the end, there were only two results in this case, one was that Chu Xi deliberately slandered Zhao Ying, and the other was that Zhao Ying was indeed a traitor. Yes and no? ”

Seeing that Lin Mingqiu nodded, Zhu Yiming said in passing: "Then Xiao Wang still wants to ask, which of the two results is more important?" ”

"Which is more important?" Lin Mingqiu was stunned, "What does the prince mean?" ”

Chen Hongfan took over the conversation and said, "What does the prince mean, what will be the impact of these two results on my Chubei respectively?" ”

Hearing this, Lin Mingqiu's heart moved, and he was speechless for a while.

Chen Hongfan looked at him and said seriously: "If the two compete, there will be victory and defeat." Chu Xi won the land, it was nothing more than a rich man who made a windfall and continued to live his peaceful life. And Zhao Ying may inevitably have to move again. On the contrary, Zhao Ying won, and the sky is just a flying disaster for Chu Xidi or the Chu family, but Zhao Ying can live a peaceful life in Zaoyang County. Speaking of which, he put down the teacup in his hand and stood up, "Lord Lin has been patrolling Huguang for a while, and he knows the complicated situation in Huguang, especially in the northern part of Chu. Next, there is Xiying in northern Chu, and if Zhang Xianzhong's people are, adults have also seen them, so there is no need for Chen to say more. The giants in Henan, Chengtianfu and other places also looked at me from the north and south. With only the defenders of Xiangyang Mansion, how can I restrain the atmosphere of thieves in many ways, so to maintain the stability of northern Chu, Zhao Ying is like a needle in the sea, and it cannot be moved. I advise you to do the right thing, not because of the trivial matter of the case itself, but because of the consequences of the handling of this case that will have a major impact on the situation in northern Chu as a whole. ”

When Lin Mingqiu heard this, he was thoughtful and silent.

Chen Hongfan further said: "Premier Xiong and I both think that among the Chengcheng Kou, only Zhao Ying is loyal and brave and can be relied on. Lord Lin inspected Chuzhong, have you ever seen General Zhao? ”

Lin Ming's face did not change and said: "No." But what I thought of was the scene of Fu Xunyu of Zhao Ying secretly giving gifts when he inspected Xiying, "But I have also heard about Zhao Ying's courage and loyalty from everywhere." ”

Zhu Yiming also said: "Zhao Shen has seen Xiao Wang, who is a true pillar of the country and the people and dedicated to ensuring the stability of my Xiangyang." ”

Chen Hongfan said again: "Besides, this case has been sorted out so far, and it is clear that the wicked person of Chu Xi Di has sued first, and there is no need to add more snakes and waste energy to investigate the cause in vain." General Zhao is loyal, only seeks fairness and justice, and wants to come to the court to give him justice, and he will not force Chu Xi to be bitter. ”

Speaking of this, no matter how sluggish Lin Mingqiu was, he could clearly hear Chen Hongfan's voice. The atmosphere in the study froze again, and the sound of rain seemed to be particularly loud at this moment. Suddenly, the silent Lin Mingqiu first glanced at Chen Hongfan, and then at Zhu Yiming, and his otherwise quiet face suddenly smiled.

Zi said: It's too much. It is really appropriate to use it on the lower officials. What is the case of the case, Xia Guan has some eyebrows. The two of them are relieved. Lin Mingqiu smiled and picked up the teacup and faced Chen Hongfan and Zhu Yiming.

Chen and Zhu looked at each other and smiled, but they didn't notice that his fingertips were trembling slightly.

The rain continued to fall for three days, and one afternoon at the end of June, the sky was gray and dull in the heavy rain, and it seemed that there was no life at all. Hou Dagui and Li Yanlang, who returned to camp from Chengtianfu, were dressed in robes, stepping on the mud, and walking on the ridges of the back township in the south of Zaoyang County. The sky was slippery, Hou Dagui was anxious, stepped on it several times, collapsed the rammed earth, and fell into the field.

After pulling his feet out of the mud again, Hou Dagui spat and cursed.

Li Yanlang said with a smile: "If it weren't for the farmers here who are deeply ploughing, how can they harvest fully." If we copy the rough cultivation in northern Shaanxi, I can't afford to raise thousands of elites even if I want to have more fields in my camp. ”

Hou Dagui exhaled and didn't answer, and the two braved the rain to turn around a few acres of land, and came to a simple shack next to a small dirt slope, in which sat a shriveled old man who was frowning.

The two of them were thirsty, and it happened that the gourd with them dried up again, and the old man had a little rice wine, so they gave some copper coins, even if they bought it to drink.

Li Yanlang saw that this old man was very melancholy, so he asked: "Old man, look at the wet red corners of your eyes, you are a handful of old people, but you are crying?" ”

The old man replied: "Today, the county officials are coming to ask for Ding Yin. I had four sons in my family, but in the past few years, two have died in military disasters, and two have been captured by thieves and have not known what happened. But the county said that there was no proof of death, and second, that it was not a reduction in the end, in short, in the past two years, although the villain was always at home alone, he had to offer five people's Ding silver every time. Last year, I pawned the real estate and land, and finally got together the arrears of Ding silver and Ding grain, but this year there is nothing else except this grass shed and some rice wine. As he spoke, he wiped away tears.

Li Yanlang was a little unbearable, but he turned his head to look at Hou Dagui but he didn't care. Li Yanlang said: "Ding Yinben is levied according to the third class and nine rules, but each state and county can set up its own name and exploit it fiercely. This policy was originally a good deed, but now, it has also become a man-eating beast. ”

Hou Dagui looked at the old man and said, "If he is twenty years younger, Lao Tzu will also take him to a way to live." Now a pair of old bones, it is not a way to lose a way to get rid of it if you go to the ground as soon as possible. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, in the rain a hundred steps away from the grass hut, eight or nine people came from the ridge of the field. When the old man saw this, he whimpered and shrank into the shack. Hou Dagui frowned, and said, "Unlucky, I just ran into some mosquitoes, flies, rats and cockroaches when I arrived in the county." ”

The two of them straightened their postures, and waited for the eight or nine people to approach, but they were dressed as county officials. One of them ignored the old man first, and when he saw that Hou Dagui and Li Yanlang were in good shape, he became suspicious and asked, "You two outsiders, do you have a way to come to the county?" So what's going on? Behind him, several officers clenched their sticks tightly, for fear of encountering a villain.

Before Hou and Li could respond, a person on the side, who was also wearing a hat and a hat, walked straight over from the straw bundle spread in the field. The man had a few words with the servants in his ear, and the officers glanced at Hou, Li and the old man in the shack, and their faces were unwilling. The man took some pieces of silver out of his pocket, and gave them to him, and the servants did not say any more, and went away the way they came.

At this time, the man turned back to meet Hou Dagui and Li Yanlang, Hou Dagui took a closer look at his face, and realized that he was a little familiar. Na Han saluted the two and said with a smile: "The villain Deng Longye has seen two adults. ”

Hou Dagui reacted and said, "It turned out to be you." Lao Tzu also said that the leader of the gang of thieves had arrived. And said, "I remember that you transferred Lao Zhou Xiangzhong to the Parenting Department not long ago, which is good, very capable." How about today? On an off-order errand? ”

Deng Longye nodded and said, "Today, on the orders of the lord, I will deliver a letter." ”

Hou Dagui didn't ask much, Deng Longye didn't want to say what Zhao Dangshi ordered, and he didn't dare to ask.

"When those rats saw you, why did they all run away?"

When Deng Longye heard this, he smiled again: "One of these people often goes to the camp and is responsible for spreading the news in the county. The villain is to be recognized. And this person has something to do with the recipient of the villain's trip, so the villain only said a few words in his ear, and he didn't dare to stop it anymore. ”

Hou Dagui asked: "Which words?" ”

Deng Longye's eyes fell on the old man who was huddled in a narrow shack and gritted his teeth in the wind and rain, and said softly: "Letter from Xiangyang." ”