Fan Quan and Ji Zheng, the two guard sentinels, admit their feelings or not, but Huo Shiqi doesn't care. He was just wondering if he should help with this. He has been working in the barracks of the Yamen for more than ten years, and he inevitably deals with the border army of the guards on weekdays. But today is different, if Li Shen's two uncles and nephews swallowed the credit of others, it would have been forgotten, but they actually swallowed Shang Cheng's share of the credit, only this one, he categorically has no reason to stand idly by.

Now that he has chosen his position, he has to make a good plan for Shang Chengqu. He thought, no matter what the final outcome of this matter is, the first thing is not to let Shang Cheng come forward to offend people, after all, the whole thing involves some amazing big people, they move their fingers, Shang Cheng, a fake monk of unknown origin, may never turn over again. He first carefully inquired about the ins and outs of the whole matter, from the loss of Shang Cheng and the fact that he became a lieutenant officer in the C-shaped camp, to the time when Fan Quanji was fighting with the army all the way to Ruqizhai, he asked them one by one; And how did Ji Fan and the others know about Li Zhen's martial arts, and they took the trouble to ask back and forth repeatedly. This was the crux of the whole matter, and he had to make sure that the exploits were a fact and not some rumors. Later, Ji Zheng was questioned by him and had nowhere to dodge, so he had to tell the source of the news: the two of them had a friend who worked as a clerk in the recording room of the Admiral's Mansion, and a few days ago he peeked at the merit book handed over by Sima Li Shen of the Right Army, and came to Nanguan Daying yesterday on business, and specially found them in the evening and reported the good news to them: both of them can add a first-order honor, and Ji Zheng was also awarded an acre of honorable land. As a result, the two of them exploded their lungs when they heard this, and they almost lifted the wine table on the spot, and the corpses of the big tent soldiers that were thrown away outside the C-shaped camp by the people of Tuqi alone were far more than the first-order honor!

Huo Shiqi pondered and asked, "Is your friend's words credible?" ”

Hearing his rude question, Ji Zheng was about to have a seizure as soon as he rolled his eyes, Fan Quan's mind was more detailed than him, knowing that Huo Shiqi would never be able to come up with an idea if he didn't ask these details clearly, so he rushed in front of Ji Zheng and said: "Uncle Seventeen, people and words are absolutely credible, and both of us dare to pack tickets." In fact, it doesn't hurt to say it, one by one, this person is Lao Ji's burden. ”

Huo Shiqi completely believed their words. He didn't say anything more, but lowered his eyes and began to think about it in his heart.

Ji Zheng wanted to say something, but when he saw Fan Quan's eyes blocking him, he closed his mouth again, and both of them frowned and waited for Huo Shiqi to come up with an idea. The study with the smell of sandalwood fell silent for a while. Yue'er stood on the side of the couch with a teapot in her hand, and Xing'er stood on the other side of the couch and fanned gently. Shang Cheng was probably a little tired, breathing evenly with his eyelids closed, as if he had already fallen asleep.

Huo Shiqi pressed one arm on several cases, his right index finger, middle finger and ring finger alternately lightly clasped the table, his dark eyes flickered behind the lowered eyelids, and he thought about it with a frown.

The craftsmen who had been working in the backyard had already rested, and they were all coming back to work, and the clanging of hammers and chisels and the rhythmic sound of saws were chaotic, and occasionally a couple of meat jokes provoked a few unbridled laughter and curses.

Yue'er put down the teapot and walked out lightly.

The backyard fell silent.

Huo Shiqi didn't pay attention to these things at all, his mind was all about how to help Shang Cheng get back his own credit. But the matter was too tricky, and after thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't find a proper solution. If you just want to regain the credit, it is not difficult, but if you want Li Shen's uncle and nephew to be unable to hide Shang Cheng's merits, and if you want Shang Cheng not to offend people, it is difficult to take care of both. But he couldn't help but think about Shang Cheng like this, because only in this way could he reduce the guilt in his heart......

It took him a long time to come up with an idea. But he didn't say it right away, but repeatedly considered and weighed this idea in his heart, until he realized that there were no flaws and loopholes, and then he said quietly: "In the past few days, the yamen has been busy, not only to report the list of people who went out with the army, but also to report the merit book of the brave and strong men in the township, the reward that should be rewarded, the care that should be cared for, and the pension relief of each township and town should also be taken by the county......

Everyone waited for a long time, just waiting for him to say this, Ji Zheng's eyes suddenly showed a look of disdain, squinted at him and sneered: "I didn't expect Uncle Seventeen's official business to be so busy." Okay, you go and do your official business, it's really not worth worrying about the of our old ruffians......" Fan Quan was also a little anxious, and interjected: "Uncle Seventeen, we persuaded the captain not to fight for merit, because we were afraid that the captain would not know Li Shen's methods and be calculated by the bastard surnamed Li, but not to change the method to instigate the lord to fight for us, you can distinguish this one." We don't persuade the captain to fight for credit, not because we are greedy for the credit, but because I am afraid that the captain will not quarrel a few words, in the eyes of outsiders, he will be pinched as soon as he comes up, and he will not dare to make a noise, so how can the adults stay in the guard army in the future? Anyone will ride on the neck of an adult to and pee......"

Huo Shiqi ignored Ji Zheng's ridicule and sarcasm, nor Fan Quan's heart-to-heart confession, stared at the feet in front of the chair and said slowly: "...... As soon as there are many things, it is inevitable that there will be omissions in some account books, this one has added a few more heads, that one has a few more small accounts, and there is an extra book with a few more copper coins, and this kind of thing is inevitable. Originally, these were trivial matters, but when the boss Yamen found out that the account books were not true, he just called back and did it again. But what if these account books were accidentally sent to the wrong yamen? For example, what will it be like if it is delivered to the general judge? What if the general judge accidentally discovered an oversight in the account books? What if the negligence in the books of accounts is not just a few more heads and a few more small accounts? ”

This series of assumptions and questions is dizzying, and Ji Fan and the others are unable to answer.

Shang Cheng heard what he said, opened his eyes and stared at Huo Shiqi, and asked in surprise: "Seventeenth uncle, could it be that something happened to you in the yamen?" ”

Huo Shiqi cared about himself when he heard Shang Cheng speak, and his heart couldn't help but warm, smiled warmly at Shang Cheng, and said, "What can happen to me?" I am also a veteran of the Yamen Familiar Officials case, I know what things can be touched and what things cannot be touched, and I don't dare to take a second look at this kind of black-hearted money, which is to be punished by God. Seeing that Shang Cheng looked at himself with an inquiring gaze in confusion, he simply said, "It was someone else who made money and was seen by me and your sixth uncle, but he didn't care about himself, so he didn't interfere or make a noise." Now I can't say anything, so I'm going to use them as an excuse to take back your credit......"

Shang Cheng narrowed his eyes and asked, "The yamen is connected with the people in the Nanguan camp?" He knew that because of the soldiers, half of Yixian County was beaten to pieces, and now the Yamen of Yixian County has to reward merit and sympathy, and also send money and grain relief, so the finances are extremely tight, the official warehouse is scraped three feet to the ground, and the hole in the money and grain is still bigger than the sky, but the Duanzhou government itself has suffered a military disaster and can't count on it, so it has to temporarily borrow from the Nanguan camp; And the three camps of Nanguan Daying, dozens of large warehouses and small warehouses, burned and plundered, the income and expenditure are uneven, and the loss is to be determined, and people will definitely take advantage of this chaotic force to fight their ideas. Now that Huo Shiqi has shown a little bit of his tone, he understands that the "person with a heart" has already done something on the "loan".

Huo Shiqi glanced at Shang Cheng with admiration, nodded and said, "It's all strung together, and they work together to make money." ”

Huo Shiqi didn't say how those people colluded, and Shang Cheng didn't ask for details, he just looked at the empty bookshelves by the wall.

Ji Zheng and Fan Quan didn't have the thoughtfulness of the two of them, and they still didn't understand what they heard, and when they saw that there were words, Ji Zheng bowed his hand to Huo Shiqi with a red face in the chair, and said in a whisper: "Uncle Seventeen, this is ...... What the hell is this saying? I can't figure it out, the general judgment of Duanzhou Mansion can still turn over the matter of Li Shen's uncle and nephew robbing the credit? ”

Huo Shiqi stilted his legs, took a sip of tea soup from the teacup, and then said slowly: "Of course, the general judgment can't be managed by the guards, but he can supervise the income and expenditure of the Nanguan camp." He can also inspect whether there is any fraud in this, and he can also ask the Yanshan Weimu Yamen and the Admiral Yamen to coordinate and deal with it. Even if Wei Mu Yamen returned his official documents, he would still be able to show the imperial court and ask the three provinces to send commissioners to handle the ......"

Hearing the words, Ji Zheng shook his lips and smacked his tongue, swallowing his saliva for a long time and couldn't speak.

Fan Quan was stunned now. But he immediately asked with some unease: "Uncle Seventeen, are you so sure that someone is making trouble in the Nanguan camp?" Li Shen can't get out of it? Lao Ji and I are guarding the camp every day, why don't we hear the slightest wind? ”

Huo Shiqi stood up and took the teapot, refilled the cups of the two people, turned his face and saw a coarse porcelain cup with a notched rim in front of Shang Cheng, frowned and helped him refill it, and then poured his own cup when he came back, then sat down in the chair, picked up the cup and brought it to his mouth, but he didn't drink it, smiled strangely, looked at Shang Cheng and said: "I heard that during the time when Li Sima beat Beizheng, dozens of pack horses went to the old camp of Nanguan in the direction of Nanzheng. The blame is that the guards who led the horses were all dressed in the clothes of the farmer. ”

What is in the old camp, everyone in the house knows it except for Apricot; The pack team is so mysterious, and the goods carried on the back of the pack horse are naturally clear. Ji Zheng slammed the cup on several cases with a snap, rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "Okay!" This makeup is so good! As long as it can be proven, the bastard surnamed Li will have to lose his skin if he doesn't die! ”

Fan Quan was also happy, and said with a smile: "Is this greedy for ink, or greedy for military resources, no one can protect him, no matter how big his brother is, he can't save his life......"

Shang Cheng, who had not spoken, said at this time: "Uncle Seventeen, I appreciate your kindness, but this matter ends here." ”

Huo Shiqi suddenly glared at Shang Cheng in surprise. He thought about it carefully, and this would not make people suspicious of Shang Cheng in any case, and then he would not be able to take back the credit that had been snatched, and he would be able to let out the evil anger in his heart. But he never expected Shang Cheng to reject him. His face was red and white, his lips pursed, and he could no longer utter a word. I wanted to hide my embarrassment by bowing my head and drinking water, but it wasn't until I held my hands in front of me that I realized that I had already put the teacup on a few cases......

Seeing Huo Shiqi's embarrassed appearance of being at a loss, Shang Chengcheng knew that he was thinking about things and was distracted, and he said something wrong in a trance. He himself blushed, and hurriedly comforted Huo Shiqi and said, "Uncle Seventeen, I didn't mean that!" He hurriedly came over from the couch, picked up Huo Shiqi's tea soup with both hands and handed it to him, and whispered apologies in his mouth, "Uncle Seventeen, I will compensate you." I've been recuperating from my injuries for a long time, and I don't have anyone to talk to me, and I'm still thinking about Lianniang's whereabouts, and then I've heard about Li Sima stealing credit...... When all these things come together, I say the wrong thing in a hurry. Even if you refuse to forgive me for speaking recklessly, you have to look at Lianniang's feelings, don't worry about me......"

Huo Shiqi held the teacup, sighed after being silent for a long time, and said in a nasal voice: "Monk, I...... I don't deserve you to call me 'uncle'......" He couldn't hold back his sadness anymore, tears rolled down, rolled up his sleeves and wiped his tears, while swallowing his breath, "If it weren't for me, the bastard who was an uncle, my teacher's family, and Lianniang, how could it be...... How could it be ......" Before he finished speaking, he was already crying loudly.

Shang Cheng bit his lip and forcibly suppressed the sadness in his heart, and comforted Huo Shiqi in a soft voice: "Uncle, I don't blame you for this. …… How can I blame you? If it weren't for the sudden exhaustion, Lianniang would not have had an accident, and my mother-in-law's family would not have been killed. ”

He persuaded for a while, watched Huo Shiqi slowly collect his tears, and his mood gradually stabilized, before he said: "Uncle, I have thought about it carefully, no matter what Li Shen's uncle and nephew are fighting for, they can't do what you say......" Seeing what Huo Shiqi wanted to say with his face raised, he shook his head and signaled him not to worry, paced two steps in the room, and continued, "I think so, the things in the military, after all, it is better to solve them by taking the way in the military, and it is best not to mix them in the local ......area" He thought, If the local government interferes with the army at will, then no matter whether Li Shen is right or wrong, the guards cannot watch the local government point fingers at their own territory, and then it will not be a matter of whether they can regain the credit, or whether Li Shen will be punished...... In the end, even God doesn't know what things will turn out to be.

Huo Shiqi was reminded by him, and after a little stunned, he had already figured out the reason for the joint, but he couldn't accept this result, wiped his tears and said: "What you said is reasonable, uncle can't refute you, and he can't refute you." But have you thought about it, the Li family is covering the sky with one hand in Yanshan, what should you do with the grievances suffered by you and your soldiers? ”

Shang Cheng said: "What to do, I didn't think about it for a while. But it certainly can't be counted like that. We are desperate with white knives in and red knives out, if anyone dares to take away our credit, one by one" He dragged out a long voice from between his teeth, and an eerie coolness rolled up in the originally hot study. "It's unbelievable, for the sake of my soldiers, I have to fight with him again."

It was the first time Huo Shiqi had seen him look so solemn and serious, his mouth opened a few times, but he didn't speak. Ji Zheng and Fan Quan were the people who followed him to fight viciously for several battles, seeing his hideous face and cold eyes, he knew that he had already made up his mind in his heart, and wanted to come over to persuade him to stop but didn't dare to persuade him, and wanted to say that he would follow him to regain the credit but felt that the hope of success in this matter was really slim, and he didn't know what to say in a daze.

Just when there was silence and silence in this room, Yue'er whispered at the door:

"Brother Monk, Lord Cao of Duanzhou Tongju, and Lord Wen of Yanshan Xingying, all said that they had something to see you."