Lin Yuan has been coming to Zhenjiang Mansion for some time, but he has never met the people of the Xue family. Some time ago, news came from Beijing, saying that he wanted to wait for the newly appointed prefect of Zhenjiang in Zhenjiang. Since leaving Beijing, although he has secretly investigated the embankment breaking case, he has not made much progress. At this time, news came from Beijing to ask him to wait for the newly appointed prefect, which made Lin Yuan a little puzzled, and he was not sure what the court was going to do.

Looking at Yu Shi who was standing aside, Lin Yuan asked, "How many days has Zhang Li been out?" ”

"It's been three days, young master."

"No news back."

"Not yet." Yu Shi shook his head, Lin Yuan sighed helplessly, the wealthy families of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are complicit, and so far they have not found a breakthrough, saying that it is an investigation, Lin Yuan feels that he is wasting time.

"Grandpa, Master Zhang is back." The guards outside the door came in to report.

"Great." Lin Yuan got up and walked outside, only to see Zhang Li outside the door looking tired and covered with dust. Lin Yuan hurriedly led Zhang Li into the house and let him drink water slowly before asking, "What's the catch?" ”

Zhang Li shook his head helplessly, and Lin Yuan smiled bitterly: "Blame me too, I'm a little anxious." ”

"Grandpa, don't be discouraged, although I didn't find anything below, my subordinates heard a message." Zhang Li said.

"Tell me about it." Lin Yuan said.

"A few days ago, the Yangzhou families discussed the newly arrived Zhenjiang prefect in the Spring Garden, and during the banquet, the Yangzhou Zhangjia advocated Yao to leave halfway, and it seemed that there was a conflict with the families inside." Zhang Li's news made Lin Yuan thoughtful.

Zhang Yao has a long reputation in the Jiangnan literary circle, and although the Zhang family does some business, it is still a poetry and book heirloom, and there is little notoriety in the family, which is one of the several big families with a better reputation in Yangzhou. Before the Jiangnan overhaul of the embankment waterway, the supervisor of the Yangzhou section was recommended by the Zhang family, although there was no accident, but after all, he was caught and raped. How can the Zhang family, who has always loved to clear their names, endure it, but they can stop it from being passed on on the surface, but there is no way to do it secretly.

When Lin Yuan went south, it was rumored that the Zhang family was greedy for a lot of money in the river repair money, which induced the embankment to burst. Huang Xuan, the imperial historian who is now in Yangzhou, has also investigated the Zhang family, but there is no evidence.

"It's a breakthrough." Lin Yuan muttered, but how to talk to the Zhang family is also a big problem, and if he goes blatantly, he is afraid that he will surprise many people.

"Young master, it's time to prepare, the newly arrived Zhenjiang prefect is coming today." Yu Shi reminded on the side. Only then did Lin Yuan remember that there was such a thing.

"Let's go, the hour should be almost up." Lin Yuan got up and walked outside, turned his head and said to Zhang Li: "You go down to rest first, and when I come back, we will talk in detail." ”

"Yes, grandpa," Zhang Li said.

When Lin Yuan came to the city gate, there were already many people outside the city. The large and small families in Zhenjiang Mansion came out to greet the prefect who had parachuted down. Lin Yuan shook his head and said with a smile: "Yu Shi, do you see it?" Sometimes a knife will work better than a mouth. ”

Yu Shi was a little puzzled when he heard this, but he still responded: "What the young master said is true." ”

Shen Lian has never seen this person Lin Yuan, but he has heard someone in Beijing mention it. The attack on the family can be called steady and ruthless, and there are not a hundred or fifty who have died under his hands. It was also known as a cool official before, but it has been active in the north all these years, and its reputation has gradually faded.

The families in Jiangsu and Zhejiang couldn't believe that this person would go south, and he killed people just after entering Jiangnan some time ago, which really frightened many people. This is a real god, and at the moment, even Huang Xuan and himself can't take care of it.

Lin Yuan glanced at the young man standing in front of the crowd, and the representatives of each family faintly had the power to take the lead. Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes, thinking in his heart that this person should be the head of the Miki Hall.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves at the gate of the city, everyone turned around, only to see that it was the Duke of Yasukuni coming, Xue Li turned around and looked at Lin Yuan on the horse for a while, and a smile appeared on Xue Li's face: "It turned out that the Duke of Yasukuni was coming, and he was disappointed." He gave a salute to Lin Yuan, and everyone hurriedly followed Xue Li's movements and saw the Duke of Jingguo.

Lin Yuan nodded, looked into the distance, and said lightly: "You are diligent, you came so early." ”

"When parents take office, they must always prepare early." Xue Li said with a smile.

"You have to be prepared, Lord Shen has always been a Beijing official before, and someone must let him get familiar with the rules of Jiangnan officialdom. Do you say, Mr. Xue? Lin Yuan's words made Xue Li frown slightly, he didn't know what Lin Yuan meant by this. Did you mean something, but smiled: "Grandpa said it was funny." ”

The people around saw that the atmosphere of the Yasukuni Gong and the Xue family was strange, and they were also thinking about what to do in the future.

On the official road, a team of horses galloped over, unlike other officials, Shen Lian still likes to travel on horseback. "Huh~" Lerma stopped, and the smoke and dust raised made everyone cough. Shen Lian glanced around on the horse and saw a young man in brocade sitting on the horse, thinking that it should be the Yasukuni Gong who went south first. He turned over and dismounted and came to the front of him and saluted: "Your Majesty has seen the Duke of Yasukuni." ”

Lin Yuan looked Shen Lian in front of him up and down, and said with a smile: "Hurry up, you are an official appointed by the court, I just went south to play, unlike you who have the emperor's order, so you don't need to be polite." ”

"Thank you, Yasukuni." Shen Lian said.

Lin Yuan glanced at the cavalry who was going south with Shen Lian, and said with a smile: "Lord Shen is really deeply favored by the emperor, and even the accompanying guards are so strong. ”

Shen Lian smiled and said: "Grandpa is joking, but there are more people who have offended, and the emperor is worried about the safety of his ministers." As he spoke, he glanced at the representatives of the family standing next to him.

"Lord Shen is dedicated to the public, who dares to touch you without opening his eyes, if you say it, I will weigh him a few catties and a few taels." Lin Yuan said lightly.

"I'm afraid I'll trouble my grandfather." Shen Lian said.

Lin Yuan's conversation with Shen Lian really hurt a lot of people present, Xue Li watched coldly from the sidelines, he frowned and thought about it, then snorted coldly, and said secretly: "In this Zhenjiang Mansion, I let you bully, then my Xue family is too weak, this is Jiangnan, not the capital." ”

"Let's go, let's go to the garrison first. Wash the dust and catch the wind for you. Lin Yuan said with a smile.

"Then thank you Grandpa first, let's go." The two left side by side, leaving a group of people standing there, everyone didn't know what to do, they all looked at Xue Li, but saw that Xue Li also snorted coldly and turned to leave. Seeing this, everyone shook their heads and dispersed. Today is not a good start.

"Lord Shen doesn't say a word to the big families in Zhenjiang, don't you worry about stumbling on you in the future?" On the way back, Lin Yuan looked at Shen Lian, who was traveling with him, with a smile and said.

Shen Lian chuckled and said, "I'm afraid you don't want me to come, wait for me at the city gate, how can you be sincere." To put it mildly, they wish I had died on the way like Feng Ning. ”

"It's hard to guarantee that the Xue family doesn't have this kind of thought." Lin Yuan said.

Shen Lian frowned, and then said with a smile: "If it is the one in Henan, I may have to think deeply, according to the current situation in Jiangnan, I am afraid that the one in Sanmutang is not far from becoming an outcast." ”

"What do you say?" Lin Yuan was a little curious.

"The contemporary head of the Xue family in southern Henan, who is notoriously ruthless, a person who is slightly unfavorable to the Xue family, can be killed no matter how close he is." Shen Lian said, as if he remembered something, "Dare to ask the Duke of Jingguo, has the Shen family released it?" ”

"It's all out a few days ago." Lin Yuan said.

Shen Lian nodded, thinking about why the Xue family let go of the Shen family now, which made him have a bad premonition, the Xue family had never done this before.

It didn't take long for the two to walk to the garrison mansion, Shen Lian entered the mansion under the leadership of Lin Yuan, and Yin Shidao was fighting bandits with Ye Tao in Yangzhou these days, and this garrison mansion was about to become the Yasukuni Mansion.

It is said to be a catch, but the dishes are relatively simple. Seeing this, Shen Lian smiled and said: "The Duke of Yasukuni really does not fall into the family style, and it is still so simple to say that it is a banquet." ”

Lin Yuan said with a smile: "There's nothing appetizing, Zhenjiang can't find a good cook for a while, so I can only grieve Lord Shen." ”

Shen Lian shook his head: "It's better than gnawing dry food all the way, it's not so hypocritical in the future." ”

The two sat down, Shen Lian took a bite of rice first, his eyes lit up, and he praised: "It is rumored in Beijing that the Duke of Yasukuni is a very delicious person, it seems that the rumor is true, this dish looks simple, but the taste is excellent." ”

"After all, it's not as delicious as Jingzhong." Lin Yuan regretted that he did want to eat in the Immortal Tower. Seeing this, Shen Lian said with a smile: "That's natural, how can it be delicious to make by Miss Li." Lin Yuan glanced at Shen Lian suspiciously, he always felt that his tone was a little different.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Shen Lian said: "Before going south to take up my post, I met the people of the Shen family in Beijing. ”

"Is it the Lin family?" Lin Yuan asked.

Shen Lian nodded, and then said: "I looked at the painting they brought to Beijing, I don't know what Yasukuni Gong thinks?" ”

Lin Yuan frowned and said, "I haven't seen that painting, but I've heard Shen Bin say that the Xue family seems to be going for that painting." ”

"I don't know if Shen Bin told his grandfather what is special about that painting." Shen Lian asked.

"Shen Bin didn't know much about it, he only said that the painting had some secrets, and he didn't know what it was." Lin Yuan shook his head.

Listening to Lin Yuan's words, Shen Lian frowned, he had seen the painting himself, and he didn't find anything wrong, but the Xue family's attitude towards that painting made him feel that this painting must have a secret that he didn't know, which was a strange feeling.

Lin Yuan glanced at Shen Lian and said, "Didn't Lord Shen find any problems?" ”

Shen Lian shook his head and said, "I looked carefully, but I didn't find anything. ”

"It's strange that the Xue family has worked so hard just to grab a worthless painting. This thing is very strange, let's eat first, and then go to the Shen family later, and we will sum it up. Lin Yuan said, Shen Lian had no choice but to follow Lin Yuan's wishes.

At this moment, in Sanmutang, Xue Li has been gloomy since he entered the house, today is the first time that the Duke of Yasukuni has met him, Lin Yuan's attitude really makes Xue Li a little uncomfortable, when did he suffer this kind of anger in Zhenjiang. There is also that Shen Lian, who is just a dog of Li Yuan, and really thinks that he can do something big when he comes to Zhenjiang.

Shen Shitao waved his hand, and the servants on the side retreated, and Shen Shitao asked in a low voice, "Young Master, what went wrong?" ”

"Hmph, what kind of thing is he Shen Lian?" Xue Li snorted coldly, pointed in the direction of the garrison mansion, and scolded angrily: "What is my Xue Li's background, that is, Yang Tai of Yangzhou will be polite when he sees me, you can show me your face." ”

Shen Shitao shook his head and persuaded: "Young master, bear with the calm for a while. ”

Xue Li turned back abruptly and said angrily: "When is it a head to endure it, will he Shen Lian give me time?" You go, ask me about those rats, when do you want Master Ben to wait? ”

Shen Shitao was a little helpless, Xue Li's temper became more and more irritable during this time: "I'm going to ask now." Shen Shitao turned around and retreated.