The interrogation in front of the main hall of the Shizifu went smoothly.

There was a guy who ran into the guards on the road and wanted to run, but the guards who were angry in his heart caught up, and he didn't shout to stop, and directly hacked to death with a few knives, and stabbed his head. This blood-dripping head set an example for others. The little hooligans saw that the palace was really coming, and they quickly coaxed. The scholar who was interrogated separately was stubborn for a few minutes, but before he could finish reciting the Da Ming Law, his body was stripped naked, and then he covered his lower body with his hands in the laughter of everyone and trembled. In less than half a stick of incense, the tip of the pen trembled and drew a crooked circle on his confession.

Zhu Pingjin smiled when he saw the confession, ordered the little hooligans and their confessions to be sent to the trial department, and then ordered Cao Sanbao to find a quiet room and lock up that Xiucai alone. After all, he is a showman, and he may be able to reuse his waste after raising it for a few days.

The New Year's Day of the Ming Dynasty is the Spring Festival before Zhu Pingjin wears it. Because it is the head of the year, it is also called Zhengdan.

The local officials went to the palace on New Year's Day to worship the vassal king, which was not only the state system of the Ming Dynasty, but also a miniature version of the system of the monarch and the minister of the family and the country in the local area. Even if the Yan emperor raised the vassal kings of various places as pigs, this system did not dare to abolish it.

In the early morning of New Year's Day, when the sky was still slightly bright, Zhu Pingjin yawned and got up to change clothes at the urging of Cao Sanbao. Changing clothes was troublesome because he was wearing the ceremonial formal attire of the ceremony today. Gorgeous outfits such as middle singles, clothes, clothes, knee avoidance, big belts, jade pendants, big ribbons, etc., from the inside to the outside, from top to bottom, are worn one by one. At the end, he was dressed in green clothes and wore a crown on his head.

Tsing Yi is embroidered with a fire pattern on each shoulder, and the cuffs are also embroidered with fire patterns, Chinese insects and other patterns. THE MIANLIU IS THE HIGHEST-RANKING HAT IN THE ROYAL DRESS. THE HAT IS COVERED WITH A PAULOWNIA WOOD (YAN) BOARD WITH A ROUND FRONT AND A BACK, PAINTED BLACK ON THE TOP AND RED ON THE BOTTOM. There are eight strings of jade beads hanging before and after the silk board, each string of jade beads is eight, divided into red, white, and cyan three, interspersed at intervals. As soon as his head moved, the crown shook back and forth, left and right, reminding the king that he must behave modestly and appropriately at all times.

Zhu Pingjin passed through the Piben (Note 1), which was passed when the thieves fled far away and the new governor of Sichuan, Liao Daheng, entered the palace to report the victory. Usually dressed is generally regular clothes, that is, casual clothes, there is not too much attention, and it is very convenient to put on and take off. Wearing regular clothes, most of the scarves worn on the head are black yarn folded scarves, also known as the wing good crown. Today is New Year's Day, and unlike usual, I am wearing the most solemn royal dress - the crown dress. According to the etiquette system of the imperial court, the prince can only wear the crown dress on the birthday of the emperor, the crown prince, and his father, as well as when he salutes in the palace on the New Year's Day and the winter solstice.

The characteristic of the tiara is that every bit of difference shows the world your administrative level. For example, the crown dress that Zhu Pingjin is wearing today is a little lower than that of his father, King Shu. There is no dragon embroidery on the shoulders, one less string on the crown, and two fewer beads of color. Compared with his third uncle King Fushun and his fourth uncle King Taiping, the level is a little higher: there is a string more on the crown.

Zhu Pingjin dressed neatly, boarded the elephant wheel, took the jade gui presented by Cao Sanbao and the congratulatory table to be read out today, surrounded by a large group of relatives and honor guards, detoured to get off outside the carrying gate of the palace, and then strode forward along the central corridor, passing through the hundreds of officials lined up according to grades on the square in front of the palace, until the high platform of the carrying hall. The aftermath of the bell of Chenshi has not dispersed, and the sharp voice of Chen En, the flattering eunuch of the Flattering Division of the Shu Palace, has sounded in real time outside the palace gate:

"The auspicious time has come! The prince leads the king of the county and the hundred officials to meet him! Played! ”

Zhengdan pilgrimage was completed, and the king of Shu gave a banquet to hundreds of officials, and they each dispersed for lunch, but the new governor Liao Daheng stood outside the palace and did not leave, waiting for Zhu Pingjin.

Liao Daheng got the news last night, saying that it was a few ruffians and hooligans from the Huangcheng Dam, taking advantage of the large number of people who set off fireworks and fireworks, and took the opportunity to insult the people's daughter, who knew that this people's girl was the son of the world's friend. After hearing about it, the prince led the troops to suppress it, and those ruffians and hooligans were not conspicuous, and directly collided with the prince, and the leader was killed on the spot by the prince, and the rest were captured in the palace, among which there was a showman. In the morning, hundreds of officials entered the palace to worship, and the fresh head of the hooligan leader was still hanging on the fireworks stand. Everyone saw it, and there was a lot of talk. Liao Daheng had just replaced Shao Jiechun, who had been arrested in Beijing, and commanded the Sichuan army to pursue the thieves who fled westward. Besides, he has never been willing to have anything to do with the Shu Prince's Mansion, but when it comes to the security of the clan, he has to express his concern. In addition, that Xiucai is famous and has a student status, and he also wants to ask by the way, after all, he is a scholar. If there is no major crime, he will be released, and he will be ordered to learn the Tao and apply for a few words; If they are guilty, they will be stripped of their merits and handed over to the prosecutor for conviction and sentencing.

After the hundred officials sent the king of Shu away, Zhu Pingjian, who was the prince, was the first to walk out of the palace. Zhu Pingjin got Cao Sanbao's report, and after thinking about it, he asked Cao Sanbao to invite Liao Daheng over. According to the etiquette system, Zhu Pingjingui is the prince of the vassal state; And Liao Daheng's side is still a minister. When the two met, Liao Daheng had to pay homage to Zhu Pingjin. But after all, Zhu Pingjin has too many young Liao tycoons, and he is a clan with almost zero power, and it is also recognized that the two are at the same level. From the perspective of respecting the imperial court or corporal Lixian, it is more appropriate for Zhu Pingjin to take the initiative to visit Liao Daheng. But Zhu Pingjin weighed the pros and cons of who took the initiative to pay homage, and decided to let Cao Sanbao bring Liao Daheng over.

Liao Tycoon came over. He was about fifty years old, with a round head and a big head, and he was very rich. He used to be a supervisor of the army, and when he was a thief into Sichuan, he also commanded the Sichuan army to fight a few small battles, but he was mainly responsible for the supply of food and salary, and he was relatively capable among Sichuan officials. Liao Daheng came over to salute, and Zhu Pingjin hurriedly took a few steps forward to stop. The two exchanged two words, Liao Daheng took the lead in getting to the point, and Zhu Pingjin immediately responded.

"That thief is a great rebel! Dare to assassinate this son! A few guards around this son were negligent in the battle formation, neglected their duties, and at the critical moment, they even cowered! Fortunately, Ben Shizi knew that the thief was very sinister. When the knife stabbed, the son of this world was already prepared, and he quickly flashed sideways, so that he could dodge the fatal blow! There was a guard who had a good conscience, and when he saw this son shouting for escort, he finally stepped forward and stood in front of this son. Before the thief could stab him a second time, he killed the thief. It's dangerous! It's just a little bit, it's just a little bit close! Otherwise, Liao Gong won't be able to see this son today! It's not a pity for the son of this world to die, if the harmful Duke of Liao 'sits on the loss of his relatives', then the sin of this son will be great! When the prince returned to the house last night, he learned that the concubine was on the tower of Duanli Gate! I came to enjoy the lanterns and scenery and have fun with the people, but who knew that I saw the assassination of this son with my own eyes! The mother concubine was frightened, and she became ill this morning......" Zhu Pingjin stood in front of Liao Daheng, and explained the one or two seconds of physical contact with the street ruffians, and pulled out the princess as a proof, and finally did not forget to scare the number one member of Sichuan in front of him.

Liao Tycoon was really shocked!

At first, the news he received was just that the prince had a conflict with a few hooligans in the Imperial City Dam for a woman. Who knew that it was so dangerous, and the princess saw it with her own eyes! He couldn't help but believe it. If there is a slight accident with this kid in front of him, then he, the governor of Sichuan, will be the end. There is no need for the prince to cry and complain, just the noise of the crows (imperial historians) in the court can make him fall to the ground and be imprisoned. The emperor of today is very good-looking, and often moody over small things. Since he ascended the throne, how many ministers have killed when they say they will kill, and they have not blinked their eyes. Maybe when the emperor is angry, he will be like his predecessor Shao Jiechun, who will be arrested in Beijing and lose his head!

Thinking of this, Liao Daheng couldn't help but stretch out a pair of fat hands, grabbed Zhu Pingjin and shook it: "The son of the world is safe, it's really a blessing for all the people!" The luck of the real official! The luck of the real court society! ”

After saying this, Liao Daheng thought of the scholar again and decided to ask. Before he could speak, Zhu Pingjin spoke again: "I never thought of it!" The assassin with the thief also has a showman! The royal court has already questioned the thieves' accomplices, and they have all confessed. It turns out that this Xiucai is the real mastermind of this gang of thieves! The confession is complete! This son of the world would never have imagined that a dignified scholar would be such a traitor! ”

"I see! I don't know where Xiucai is now? Liao Daheng suddenly realized.

"I couldn't be tortured last night, but I swallowed my breath this morning. Carried out of the mass grave outside the city and threw it! ”

Liao Daheng half-closed his eyes and did not speak, he did not agree with Zhu Pingjian's handling in his heart. To see people in life and to see corpses in death is the limit of how Chinese society treats a person. What's more, it's a showman, a meritorious person, it's not easy to deal with it like this.

"What does Lord Liao think is wrong?" Liao Daheng was napping when he heard Zhu Pingjin's dissatisfied voice.

After all, Liao Daheng is a member of the governor, and his head is turning fast. As the main culprit, Xiucai was involved in the assassination of his relatives, and he couldn't survive. Besides, that Xiucai has no relationship with him, and he just looks at the face of a scholar, and he just asks a question, so he doesn't need to be too serious. This assassination case only happened last night, and the palace must not have reported it to the imperial court, if the palace is angered now, the chief historian will inevitably be implicated, let alone be fined for a few months.

Thinking of this, Liao Daheng immediately said bitterly: "Scholars read all sage books, where did the sage teach him to be so mad!" Such people are not as good as pigs and dogs, and it is better to die! This official immediately practiced literature and reformed his reputation! But the reason for this to lose fame ......"

Liao Daheng turned a corner, and Zhu Pingjin also had to give a step down. It's not just about personal face, it's about the exchange of interests.

Zhu Pingjin has worked in a leading organ for several years, and he understands this without needing to point it out. He immediately said, "Can you use the reason of 'mistaken bandits'?" As for the gang infighting last night, one person was killed on the spot, and two died of serious injuries. ”

The government has the responsibility of education. Xiucai mistakenly handed over to the bandits, so he cleared the responsibility of the government and even Liao Daheng. Besides, if the government writes a report on the closure of the case, there will be no mistakes at all.

Liao Daheng was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly thanked him.

Only then did Zhu Pingjin say: "It just so happened that this son heard about something and wanted to ask Lord Liao to help me take a closer look." ”

When Liao Daheng heard this, he knew that the things to be exchanged were coming, so he was busy and didn't dare to consult in detail, so he asked the prince for instructions.

Zhu Pingjin said: "I heard that the caravan in Shuzhong crossed the ancient tea horse road, from Yazhou, to Tianquan and Lushan, all the way up the mountain and high roads, bandits infested, and the guards of the passes were extremely greedy, and ......the business travel was bitter."

Liao Daheng didn't rush to answer, he waited for Zhu Pingjin to finish speaking, especially asking to finish. At the same time, he quickly summarized the information in Zhu Pingjin's words in his mind:

The key words "tea horse", "road", "bandit" and "guard" connected his thoughts one by one. He believes that Zhu Pingjin's true thoughts are already clear.

Note 1: That is, leather dress, a high-level formal dress of the Ming Dynasty royal family.