Zhang Dongping asked Wang Fu to take him down, and soon turned back, and said to Liu Chengqian with a smile: "Second son, what Wang Fu said, you have to remember, in the future, when people in the court ask about the affairs of Songzhou, you will follow this statement and explain it in detail, and the rest, with Liu Dashuai waiting for you, you can rest assured." ”

Is this a confession? Liu Chengqian was very puzzled, he had nothing to worry about, he was not even afraid of death, what else could he be afraid of. Thinking of what Zhang Dongping said just now, someone is willing to vouch for Wang Fu, and now Wang Fu is branded as a thief, and some people are not afraid of getting into trouble, so he couldn't help but feel novel, so he asked: "Who is that Dou Jian Jun?" ”

"He is Wang Fu's own uncle, named Dou Rengui, who used to be a subordinate of Zheng Wangshi Chonggui, and now he is Langzhong of the imperial court. Originally, Wang Fu rebelled with Shi Weiyi and committed a capital crime, but it was precisely because Dou Jianjun asked for our Liu Dashuai's disciples many times, and Liu Dashuai opened up to him because of your Hutou Mountain, delaying the report to the imperial court, and just asked him to identify Shi Weiyi's various crimes in Songzhou. When Zhang Dongping heard this, he explained it a little flatteringly, and then handed over a big wooden box, and said to Liu Gouwa: "This is what Wang Futuo handed back to Gongzi, saying that it was the income of Gongzi's previous business in Songcheng Liquor Workshop, and begged Xiao to convey his apologies to Gongzi, hoping that Gongzi would spare him this time regardless of the villain." ”

Liu Chengqian knew that Wang Fu's exoneration must be the result of a compromise between his uncle and his father Liu Zhiyuan. Hearing that before Wang Fu left, he also gave him the business income of his own winery before, Liu Chengqian couldn't help but take the wooden box handed over by Zhang Dongping, and opened it to see, there were many dazzling jewelry, according to the current value, it should be worth one or two thousand taels of silver, as well as many yellow-orange-orange gold pieces and snow-white silver ingots, in total, there are about more than four thousand taels of silver, even if the two wineries in such a short period of time, they can't earn so much silver taels, if according to the future generations of lost work expenses, mental damages, It is about the same if it is valued as a development and expansion prospect fee.

Liu Chengqian put down the wooden box and asked Zhang Dongping, "Why are there so many?" ”

"It's not much, Wang Fu used to harm Gongzi in Songzhou, all kinds of big and small losses, added up to not worth these, more, it is also an apology for this kid, he also wants Gongzi to say a few more good words for him in front of the big handsome, this money, I also want Gongzi to speak, this kid is really not interesting, he was taught a hard lesson by the little one just now." Zhang Dongping said with a smile.

Liu Chengqian knew that this Zhang Dongping must have taken a lot of benefits from Wang Fu, otherwise he would not have said Wang Fu's words of intercession in front of him. Liu Chengqian took a silver ingot and rewarded it to Zhang Dongping, Zhang Dongping hurriedly excused himself again and again: "The little ones haven't honored their sons yet, how can they take the rewards of their sons." In the end, he couldn't shirk it, so he had to take the silver with a thousand thanks, feel ashamed, and give Liu Chengqian a gift again and again before leaving.

A few days later, Liu Zhiyuan handed over the confession of Shi Weiyi's misdeeds in Songzhou, rebellion and return to the Tang Dynasty and the capture of a group of bandits in Hutou Mountain, and handed them over to the military seal of Dou Jian and handed them to the imperial court. Liu Zhiyuan tried his best to exonerate the people of Hutou Mountain and Wang Fu in the twists and turns, apportioned various charges to Shi Weiyi in his death, and focused on Shi Weiyi's case, which seemed to be an understatement and very small case.

Because the people of Hutou Mountain are on the blacklist of the imperial court, they are on the list, and they are all heard of by the court, and it is quite difficult to completely get rid of their crimes and whitewash themselves and be a new person.

Soon, the imperial court issued a decree, ordering Liu Zhiyuan to act on behalf of Songzhou, strictly investigate and arrest Shi Weiyi's henchmen in Songzhou, rectify the rule of officials in Songzhou, and appease the people of Songzhou. For the punishment of the people in Hutou Mountain, Liu Chengqian was originally an official in Songzhou, although he was persecuted by Shi Weiyi, but he was willing to fall into the grass as a coward, and the bandits, and he was willing to fall, as the head of the Hutou Mountain bandits, the death penalty can be avoided, and the living crime is difficult to escape, because he is the son of Liu Zhiyuan, the marshal of the Southern Expeditionary Army, who has been separated for many years, and has lacked discipline since he was a child, causing him to go astray. However, Wang Fu, the anti-thief, was not reported in a timely manner, and his merits were not enough, but he was dismissed from the official status and demoted to the common people.

The result of such a disposition by the imperial court shocked Liu Chengqian and shouted injustice. When Liu Chengqian found Liu Zhiyuan, Liu Zhiyuan was discussing military affairs with more than a dozen subordinates in the yamen of the state capital, several of whom he knew, Su Yue and Guo Wei, who had led the army at the foot of Hutou Mountain, were in the ranks, and the people surnamed Cao and Hu Cao were in the army Huang Yun, who went up the mountain to persuade them to surrender, and they were also in order, and there were more than a dozen generals in military generals' attire.

Liu Zhiyuan saw Liu Chengqian recklessly breaking in, and the guards at the door couldn't stop him, he was angry, and couldn't help but sink a black face, and shouted: "Presumptuous!" Then he ordered the guards who were looking at the gate of the yamen in horror: "Come on, drag him out and beat him with twenty sticks." ”

"Don't be handsome." "The marshal forgives the sins." "Grace and grace." ........ all kinds of pleas rang out in the yafang.

"The generals have to intercede for him, this kid ignores military discipline and trespasses into the military office, which is already a capital crime, Lao Tzu will not punish him today, and will not let him have a long memory, he still does not know the consequences of trespassing on the military office." Liu Zhiyuan's face was still dark, and Weng Sheng said.

"Why did the second son come here for the first time, he still doesn't know what the military regulations are, it is understandable, and I hope that the marshal will be extrajudicial and gracious." A middle-aged general with a few strands of white hair on his head and a bit of delicate look on his face walked out and pleaded with Liu Zhiyuan again.

"Wang Jun is right, the second son has just arrived, and he is not familiar with military law, and he hopes that the marshal will be extrajudicial and gracious." Su Yue, who was sitting relatively far forward, also agreed.

Seeing this, the generals in the yamen pleaded for mercy one after another. Liu Zhiyuan had to give Liu Chengqian a stern warning before giving up, and then asked Liu Gouwa in a deep voice: "What are you doing here?" ”

"I heard that the imperial court wants to execute all our people from Hutou Mountain, I don't know if it?" Liu Chengqian asked loudly.

"Yes, the mountain bandits of Hutou Mountain have been plagued by Songzhou for many years, burning, killing and looting, doing all kinds of evil, full of bad deeds, pointed out by thousands of people, and they also tried to rob the holy rewards and defile the holy orders, which made the court angry, and the execution was already light." Liu Zhiyuan replied with an expressionless face.

"There is no excuse for the crime that you want to add, since the beginning of the kid going up the mountain, the people of Hutou Mountain have to go down the mountain to grab some property for survival, and they have not hurt people's lives more, and the crime is not to death, Dad, didn't you say that you want to intercede with the court, ask for forgiveness of their sins, and give them a chance to mend their ways? How can you not be true to your word? Liu Chengqian knew that he was wronged, so he ignored Liu Zhiyuan's number of crimes against the people in Hutou Mountain, and still argued loudly.

"Hmph, just a few bandits, is it worth your pleading for them like this? Is it worth your Lao Tzu's efforts to save their lives at the risk of the world's disapproval? You must know that your little life, or Lao Tzu folded the military exploits of this southern expedition and left this old face, so he begged the court, you are content. When Liu Zhiyuan heard Liu Chengqian's questioning, he felt that his effort was thankless, so he couldn't help but be angry, so he said angrily.

"They are all friends of the boy's troubles, they are full of righteousness, they are like brothers, they share life and death, and they have not done anything to hurt the heavens and reason, but they are forced and bullied by the government, in order to survive, they have to fall into the grass and become cowards, why can't the court open the net and spare their lives." Liu Chengqian said stubbornly.

"What do you kid know, this is an edict issued by the imperial court, who dares to disobey it? It is the connivance of the imperial court in the past few years that has made the bandits in the world unextinguishable, and they have seen the trend of crazy growth, which is feared by the imperial court. Liu Zhiyuan also said loudly.

Seeing that Liu Zhiyuan did not let go, refused to rescue the people of Hutou Mountain, and had no way to save him, he was inevitably disappointed, Liu Chengqian couldn't help but say angrily: "If you want to kill them, it's better to kill the kid first, anyway, it's not interesting to be a ruthless and unrighteous person." ”

Hearing the-for-tat conversation between Liu Chengqian's father and son to Mai Mang, the generals in the yamen couldn't help but look at each other. After a while, a middle-aged general with towering cheekbones, a head as big as a bucket, a dark complexion like the bottom of a pot, and a stout figure stood up, and said to Liu Zhiyuan angrily: "Big handsome, is there no other way?" Why don't you write to the court again, beg the court to be extrajudicial and spare them, at most we will give them some credit. ”