On April 15 of the third year of the Great Song Baoqing, it was a cloudy day.

Zhou Lang, the master of Lianxi Academy, got up very early, he was wearing a green robe that had been washed white, and he waited at the door without waiting for the door of the state government to open.

Because it was too early, the doors of the shops on Yaqian Street had not yet opened, and almost no one had passed, only he stood there quietly, alone, like a quiet tree.

With his hands in his sleeves and his vest slightly hunched, he looked a little older than last year, and his bark-like mottled face was deeply embedded with wrinkles, and his brows were locked in one place, twisted into a twisted Sichuan character.

His eyes were fixed on the ground, his eyes full of melancholy, not knowing what he was thinking.

The sun rises higher and higher behind the clouds, and from time to time a glimmer of light leaks from behind the dark clouds, but then it is obscured by the flowing clouds, so that the sky darkens, and the thick clouds become dark and dull, and the pressure is getting lower and lower, making people feel that a downpour is coming.

At the moment before the door of the state government opened, Rui Fuxiang's shopkeeper Ran Daqi ran over panting with a burden.

He saw Master Zhou, ran for a while, and came to him, his fat body was shaking all over his body, and then he rubbed his hands markedly, and said with an embarrassed smile: "Master, I've kept you waiting for a long time." ”

Zhou Lang withdrew his gaze from the ground, looked at the burden he was carrying, and asked, "How much did you bring?" ”

Ran Daqi gritted his teeth, and lifted the burden with both hands: "Five hundred yuan, the silver ingot for exchange." ”

The burden was heavy, as could be seen from the arm that he was struggling to lift.

Zhou Lang was a little dissatisfied: "No? ”

Ran Daqi scratched his head in embarrassment: "The money in the shop has been brought, and the rest is staked in the payment, and it will not be recovered for a while, you know, Rui Fuxiang is expanding everywhere, and there is not much money......

Zhou Lang groaned and sighed: "This is not a small amount, you can take it out, which shows that you and Changsun Hong are friends who exchange hearts." ”

Ran Daqi also sighed, this sigh was much deeper than that of Master Zhou: "Who would have thought that? Could it have something to do with private salt? This is a great sin to kill the head! I don't dare, how do I know that the father of the eldest grandson Erlang is so bold? This time it's good, the family was wiped out, the family died and fled, a mother was arrested and imprisoned, and I don't know if you and I can help if you and I go to seek the knowledge of the state. ”

Zhou Lang clenched his fist in his sleeve and took a deep breath: "Whether it succeeds or not, we have to give it a try, Erlang, this child, there is nothing, just this old mother, if he is not rescued, he will not give up." ”

Ran Daqi also sighed, as soon as he remembered the news that the night before yesterday, the dog brought back the news that Changsun Hong wanted to rob the prison to save his mother, he was secretly frightened, the family members of the smuggler of salt, stolen dozens of people from Lijia Village, all of them were locked in the prison of Gongzhou Mansion, including Changsun Hong's mother Zhang, where the security was tight, he was a twelve or thirteen-year-old hairy boy, how could he dare to rob the prison?

He was in a hurry, but he was helpless, a businessman, it was his duty to let him think of a way to make money, and it was difficult for him to find a way to get people out of prison.

In desperation, Ran Pu reminded him that Zhou Lang, the master in the academy, seems to be very familiar with Lord Zhizhou, and he is also close to Changsun Hong, why don't you go and beg him? Ran Daqi immediately hugged a life-saving straw, and hurriedly went to find Zhou Lang, and after some communication, Zhou Lang immediately decided that the next day, that is, today, he would immediately go to the Grandmaster Dao.

"Where is Jiro now? Ann is not safe? Zhou Lang's question pulled him out of his memory: "Now the wind is very tight, so many people in Lijia Village are trafficking illicit salt, it is a big case of the imperial court, how many people are staring, don't be found out." ”

Ran Daqi smiled bitterly, shook his head and said: "Master, to be honest, I don't know where Erlang is hiding, only the dog knows, he never reveals it, his tone is very tight, he should be hiding in a safe place." ”

"It's so good, if the Zhang family can't be saved, he will definitely be sentenced to death, and if he is caught again, the eldest grandson's family will be dead." Master Zhou nodded happily: "You and I don't want to inquire, the fewer people who know, the better, and the more people who know, the more risks there are, even if you and I don't know." ”

Ran Daqi nodded, and when he heard the knocker ringing, the two thick doors of the state government with black lacquer and copper nails slowly opened.

Zhou Lang's face was solemn, he straightened his robe, took a step forward, and bowed his hand to the official who opened the door: "Please inform Lord Zhizhou, not Zhou Lang, I want to see my lord!" ”

The official probably didn't expect that someone was squatting at the door early in the morning, so with an impatient face, Ran Daqi came up in time, and stuffed a handful of copper coins with a smile.

So a moment later, Grandmaster Dao, who had just finished breakfast, met with Zhou Lang and Ran Daqi in the Houya Flower Hall.

Grandmaster Dao's face was a little swollen, his eye circles were also very heavy, his face was dull, and he didn't seem to be sleeping well.

He sat in the circle chair, Master Zhou sat on the left side and bowed down, and Ran Daqi was not qualified to sit down, only standing behind Master Zhou, like an entourage.

"So, Mr. Zhou is also here for the big case of illegal salt in Lijia Village?" The grandmaster said with a straight face, drank tea, listened to Master Zhou's intention, and asked angrily.

"Exactly, in fact, I came here for the affairs of the eldest grandson's family." Master Zhou pointed out.

"This matter is very difficult to do, his family is the first trouble of private salt, and the people of Caosi said that it is his father who leads the way, and it is impossible to get away with it." Grandmaster Dao rubbed his temples, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Cao Si is staring at this case very closely, and our state government can only cooperate with the case, and cannot be the master." ”

Zhou Fuzi smiled and began to pick up the teacup.

Ran Daqi was very sensible, and immediately lifted the heavy burden, and put it on the table beside the Grandmaster Dao with a "bump", and the silver ingot hit the table through the furoshi, making a unique pleasant sound.

"This is a little meaning, please smile and accept it, not respect, not respect!" Ran Daqi smiled and nodded: "Please also think of a way to help." ”

Grandmaster Dao's eyes lit up, he reached over and touched his baggage, and said to Master Zhou with a smile: "Oh, what is Mr. Zhou doing?" Take it back, I can't take it, I can't take it! ”

Zhou Lang took a sip of the teacup in his hand and begged: "The adult is the governor of a state, and the prison is also a duty, and Lijia Village is the jurisdiction of Hezhou. ”

Grandmaster Dao was really embarrassed, but the five hundred yellow and white things made no one refuse, he leaned back, leaned back in the chair, and stroked the beard on his chin: "But...... This trafficking in illicit salt, saying that his eldest grandson Hong didn't know, was his father's sin, and he could barely cope with it, but robbing prisons and fishing for people, killing and injuring jailers, it's really hard to hide it, sir......"

Before he finished speaking, he only heard a "boom", and the fine porcelain teacup in Zhou Fuzi's hand fell to the ground and shattered.

"Hell robbery!?"

Zhou Lang and Ran Daqi shouted out at the same time, their faces as earthy.

Grandmaster Dao looked at the two people who looked like wooden chickens strangely, got up and took out a Tang newspaper from the table, handed it to Zhou Fuzi and said: "This is the Tang newspaper that came last night, the night before yesterday, Changsun Hong led dozens of thieves to sneak into the Gongzhou Mansion Prison late the night before yesterday, murdered and robbed the prison, snatched the body of his mother Zhang, released more than 100 prisoners, and set fire to the cell, its arrogance was like a rebellion!" ”

(End of chapter)