After Zhang Xiang and Zhao Hanyan entered the Su Mansion, they first went to congratulate Su Shaoyuan on his birthday, and the old man was full of red face, radiant, and spoke very kindly, and was very polite to everyone.

After the prostration, they began to sit down.

Zhao Hanyan entered the female guest's room, and Zhang Xiang sat down next to Yang Li (shēn), who was waving to him.

No way, in addition to his own family and the Su family, Yang Li is the one he has the closest relationship with.

After all, he has very little contact with people in Pingzhou City.

"Brother Zhang, what is the big gift box you gave me when I saw the people from the Su Mansion move from here before? Such a big piece? Yang Li showed a little curiosity.

Zhang Xiang said: "What you eat, that is, a big pastry, everyone can eat it later." ”

"Big pastry?" Yang Li was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a smile: "Brother Zhang does things, it's really different, everyone else is thinking of a way to either send how expensive a congratulatory gift is, or give gold, silver and jewelry, but Brother Zhang, send pastries?" ”

Zhang Xiang laughed: "My house is poor, there are no valuables, and there are no gold, silver and jewelry, so I can only send something to eat to show my gratitude." ”

Yang Li quipped: "Brother Zhang is a relative of the emperor, if Brother Zhang says that he is poor, then there will be no rich people in Pingzhou City." ”

"Can't the royal relatives be poor?" Zhang Xiang smiled in a low voice: "These (rì) children because of trading, I use everything that can be used in the house, there are no valuable things, the imperial relatives eat the imperial grain, use the imperial silver, and the annual distribution is also quota, compared to those rich and noble merchants, they are poor." It's Brother Yang, after the famous family, there are few people in Pingzhou City who can be richer than Brother Yang! ”

"Haha, my own family affairs, my own family's knowledge, if I flatter Brother Zhang a few more words, wouldn't Brother Zhang want to blow Yang into the sky." Yang Li opened the folding fan and smiled.

Zhang Xiang shrugged his shoulders and asked, "By the way, Brother Yang, have you caught the assassin who attacked us on the Qinhuai River?" I'm busy with the affairs of the house, and I don't have time to ask Brother Yang about it. ”

These few (rì) were busy, and Zhang Xiang really didn't have the heart to think about this strange thing that made him feel strange.

First of all, why did those assassins kill Liu Qingyin? Liu Qingyin's (shēn) share in the outside world is just an ordinary Qinglou woman, who can she make enemies with? Could it be that someone who knows her (shēn) is going to kill her? Who could that be?

Secondly, Yuan Shen said that those assassins were on the ship together in the same place where he got on the ship, and since he wanted to kill Liu Qingyin, why did he have to wait until after nightfall and use the method of arson first? Is it just to trap them first? Or do you want to burn to death directly, and only shoot when you see that you can't burn to death?

In the end, since those family members of the Yang Mansion were brought by Yang Li himself, they must have been very trusting, so they took them out by the side (shēn), and suddenly some fresh faces appeared on the ship, with Yang Li's martial arts and his wisdom, how could they not find out?

Yang Li is (ài) Liu Qingyin, which Zhang Xiang could perceive from the sense of his speech (qíng) in the conversation with Yang Li in the past, so naturally it is impossible for Yang Li to kill Liu Qingyin.

Many questions made Zhang Xiang puzzled.

That day, he released the news, originally to see Yang Li and Liu Qingyin's reaction, but in the evening, Yang Li and Liu Qingyin were taken to the yamen, and then the government informed the Ming Society that since Liu Qingyin came back safely, he should not release any more follow-up to this news.

Zhang Xiang, who didn't get any results, also made this matter disappear in a few days because of the various affairs that followed.

When he saw Yang Li this time, he asked casually.

After listening to Zhang Xiang's words, Yang Li shook his head: "After Brother Zhang escaped with Miss Liu, I fought with those assassins, maybe I was not their target, they didn't have the heart to fight with me, after seeing the fire in the painting boat, they all jumped into the river and left, I also jumped into the river and left, and then the government salvaged the bodies of these assassins overnight, and found that they all committed suicide by poisoning." ”

"Suicide by poisoning?" Zhang Xiang was surprised.

Yang Li nodded: "Maybe they were surrounded by people from the government and there was no way to escape, so they took poison and committed suicide." ”

"Then I don't know who these people are? I don't know who instructed them. Zhang Xiang said.

Yang Li nodded again: "Yes, these assassins are all dead, and there will be no clues, but the government said that it will continue to investigate, and will give me and Miss Liu an explanation." ”

"The assassination failed, and he decisively chose to commit suicide, but (tǐng) was ruthless." Zhang Xiang sighed a little: "Then Miss Liu knows why these people killed her?" ”

"Miss Liu doesn't know, she said that she has not offended anyone, nor has she made enemies with anyone, she has been in Pingzhou for three years, she has always done her duty, she just guessed that there should be a Qinglou woman who was jealous of her, so she bought these assassins to assassinate her." Yang Li replied.

Zhang Xiang thought for a while: "Then the government can only start from among the women in the Qinglou, and see who knows when Miss Liu goes out that day." ”

Yang Li nodded: "Yes, in this way, although the clues are broken, the scope is also narrowed, and I believe that it will soon be revealed." ”

After finishing speaking, Yang Li hurriedly thanked him and said: "Speaking of which, Yang hasn't thanked Brother Zhang yet, if it weren't for Brother Zhang on the boat, I'm afraid that Miss Liu and I would be more than lucky, then after I took Miss Liu back, she also said that he was free, so he should thank some Brother Zhang, and asked Brother Zhang not to postpone." ”

"Okay..."Zhang Xiang nodded and said, "Mr. Su's birthday is about to start, these unhappy things will be put aside for the time being, come, I will give Brother Yang a glass first." ”

Yang Li nodded and raised his glass.

Like the two of them, the same thing happened around the guest seats.

Those confidants and friends who knew each other, before the birthday began, were talking to each other in low voices.

Soon, after the unitary hour, night fell, and the lights began to light up all over the Su Mansion.

Leading this birthday are Su Shaoyuan's eldest son Su Qianhe and eldest daughter-in-law Zhou Furong.

This Zhou Furong is not simple, she is the daughter of Zhou Anbang, a great Confucian in the capital, and now Zhou Anbang is a purple (diàn) pavilion (diàn) scholar.

In that year, when Southern Chu was established, the former emperor Zhao Yuan set up the purple (diàn) pavilion to assist the emperor in handling state affairs, and Su Shaoyuan and Zhou Anbang were recruited by the emperor together (diàn).

It's just that Su Shaoyuan was a little older, and he returned to his hometown in his early years, and now Zhou Anbang can be said to be the oldest (diàn) scholar among the ten (diàn) scholars in the purple (diàn) pavilion.

When Su Shaoyuan and Zhou Anbang were officials in the same dynasty, they formed this family business.

Therefore, even if Su Shaoyuan is no longer an official now, with a family like Zhou Anbang, his status is not comparable to ordinary people.

Not to mention Su Shaoyuan's status (shēn), just his eldest son, the fourth rank official (shēn) standing here, is also a great shock.

Plus his second son.

The two of them are both literate and martial, and I believe that no one dares to go wild on such an occasion.

After Su Qianhe finished reading the congratulatory messages of the guests present, he also announced the official start of the banquet.

The two husbands and wives toasted the guests separately.

On this birthday, in addition to Su Shaoyuan being the most eye-catching, there is another person who is also respected.

is Tan Boyi, who is as famous as Su Shaoyuan, and the two are also of the same age.

Su Shaoyuan and Tan Boyi are also known as Pingzhou Confucianism, among the Pingzhou scholars, it is precisely because of these two people that the status of Pingzhou scholars in the eyes of scholars is also higher, except for Bianjing, even if it is Linzhou Mansion, where literati gather the most, it is a little worse.

This Tan Boyi is different from Su Shaoyuan, he devoted himself to studying Confucianism, spent his whole life, and has been compiling his own exclusive Confucian books, in the early years, he was also called by the emperor, but he politely refused.

Now thirty years have passed, Zhang Xiang only heard Su Shaoyuan say that Tan Boyi's Confucian books are half completed, and the other half, maybe the remaining time is not enough for him to complete, so he has been looking for students who can inherit his mantle over the years, among his many students, only Wu Yuxiang is the most suitable, but Wu Yuxiang is a little utilitarian, Tan Boyi is still a little uneasy, until now, he has not really decided who to inherit this mantle.

Sitting at Su Shaoyuan's hand is Tan Boyi.

This old man is different from the kind Su Shaoyuan, even if his hair is gray, there is still a heroic spirit left between his eyebrows, which is an innate stubborn and unyielding spirit...