As night fell, the West Lake banquet continued.

Even though many officials and gentry already had the idea of leaving, the king of Yuhang County seemed to be still in high spirits, and he had no intention of ending at all.

At this moment, an errand officer from the yamen of the state capital came in through the side door and whispered a few words in Su Shi's ear.

"Zizhan, is there something wrong?" Zhao Zongyong has a ghost in his heart, so he cares about every move very much.

Su Shi smiled politely and said, "Back to the prince, I may have to leave first!" ”

"Oh? Why should Zizhan be in a hurry? It's not enough to have fun! Zhao Zongyong seemed to be retaining, but in fact, he already had a bad premonition in his heart, and his words were more tentative.

Su Shi said: "Thank you for your kindness, but ...... The officers found that someone was smuggling smuggling salt, and the matter was serious, and the officer must go and deal with it as soon as possible. ”

"Oh?" Zhao Zongyong's father and son's hearts suddenly exploded, if this is the case, doesn't it mean that Chen Qi's side is exposed? How so? Zhao Zongyong tried his best to pretend that nothing happened, but his expression was not so natural after all, which was a huge loss for a money fan.

Zhao Zhongye was also shocked, and spent his energy trying to calm himself down. Zhao Zhongshan's realm was much lower, and his face was blue and white for a while, and it was difficult to hide it at all.

In fact, Zhao Zongyong's method was very stupid, he thought that a banquet could trap all the officials, and then reduce the attention of the periphery, so as to create an opportunity for the private salt to be lucky.

Can it really succeed? There must be a premise for this, that is, the place and time of departure cannot be disclosed, and it must be kept absolutely confidential. However, looking at today's posture, eighty percent of them have leaked the news, but unfortunately they didn't notice it at all...... Su Shi saw this point and directly showed that I was not refuting your face as the king of Yuhang County, but that there was a major case. And to tell you clearly, it's private salt. If they themselves are involved, they will inevitably panic, and it is easy to make mistakes in the panic, which can play a role in knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger to a certain extent.

It seems that Zhao Zongyong's father and son were involved or behind the scenes, but so far there is no direct evidence. Su Shi did this, which can be regarded as a slight trick, anyway, the place where the illegal salt is loaded on the ship has been monitored by them, and they are not worried about someone reporting the news.

"Forgive me, the prince bears the emperor's order, the court trusts, and he doesn't dare to live up to the king's grace, so he will leave first!"

Although Su Shi is said to be half of the protagonist, but people bring out the emperor's grace, and if there is, who can stop it? What reason could he keep?

Zhao Zongyong was uneasy in his heart, and said with a smile: "Zizhan is loyal to the monarch to serve the country, very good, state affairs are important, you can go!" ”

"Thank you, Lord Wang!" Su Shi immediately said goodbye and left, and exchanged a look with Lin Zhao before leaving, everything was under control.

Zheng Zheng's expression was slightly stagnant, is there really a private salt? Could it be that what they said yesterday was true? Could there really be a rebellion? It doesn't matter, I have already greeted the generals of the garrison, they will be on guard and will be fine.

When Zheng Zhizhou was comforting himself, the painting of Shenwu General Zhao Shiju was finally completed, he couldn't help but glance at Su Shi, and a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Brother Huang, the painting is finished!" Immediately, someone stepped forward and lifted the painting, and everyone saw a beautiful picture of the West Lake feast on the paper. The beauty of the West Lake, the scenery of the lake and the mountains, the joy of the banquet everyone, everything is painted vividly.

Zhao Zongyong said with a smile: "Shiju's painting art is really outstanding. "The dignified King of Yuhang County, this will be in a low mood, and even the words of praise will suddenly become less.

Lin Zhao has been staring at Zhao Shiju, and now they have a clear division of labor, Su Shi is responsible for solving the problem of private salt, and he is responsible for guarding against Zhao Shiju. But so far, there is nothing unusual about this guy, what kind of medicine is sold in the gourd?

This will make Zhao Zongyong's father and son feel confused, and they don't want to wait any longer, and they are like two people before. Zhao Zongyong said: "Today is also a good time, let's stop here, you go back to rest early......"

But many times, it is not easy to leave, at least some people do everything possible not to want him to leave now.

A hint of coldness appeared in Zhao Shiju's eyes, he snorted coldly, and laughed without saying a word.

Just when the officials said goodbye one after another and were about to leave, the situation suddenly changed, and many black-clad killers suddenly came out of nowhere.

The target is to target Zhao Zongyong and his son, Zheng Zheng, Shen Kuo, Lin Zhao and other Hangzhou officials.

The sudden occurrence of this situation at a good banquet was unexpected by many people, and the scene was suddenly extremely chaotic.

"Escort! Zhao Zhongye didn't expect such a situation, hurriedly shouted, and hurriedly protected his father, Zhao Zhongshan was also panicked. All in all, it happened suddenly, and there was panic everywhere and shouts incessantly.

The king of Yuhang County and the Hangzhou Yamen were guarded here, and they all jumped out to protect them as soon as possible, and Lin Zhao saw that the situation was not right, and hurriedly avoided under the pillars by the lake.

Who is the main messenger behind the scenes?

Lin Zhao was wondering, the two killers had already rushed to the front, and they were coming at him. Lin Zhao was shocked, and in a hurry, he hurriedly grabbed the case in front of him as a weapon, blocked the sword, and avoided danger.

However, it is obvious that the other party wants his own life, which can be described as a painful hand, and a wooden case was suddenly cut to pieces. Lin Zhao was suddenly a little embarrassed, and at the same time he looked at the six roads and listened to all directions, thinking about where to escape.

At this moment, several state capital officials flashed in front of him and quickly guarded Lin Zhao in it. The killer couldn't get close for a while, and Lin Zhao was standing in a safe place.

Zhizhou Zheng Zheng's situation was even more embarrassing, and he finally saw a few of his subordinates, constantly shouting for help. However, these errand soldiers were like they didn't hear it, and they were always guarding Lin Zhao, even after the killer temporarily retreated. Zheng Zheng was in a hurry, and got into the case, like a turtle with a shrunken head, and didn't dare to lean out at all.

It was also at this time that Lin Zhao noticed that the few errand officers in front of him were quite special, and they were the ones who were on top of Lei Feng last night. It seems that Su An is more attentive and has arranged several capable masters to escort him.

Although the scene by the lake is chaotic, it is finally within a manageable range, and although there are casualties, the more important protagonists are safe and sound.

The killer's purpose is a little suspicious!

After a while, the city of Hangzhou in the dark night suddenly burst into flames, and the killers saw it from afar, as if it was a signal, and retreated without a trace in an instant.

After the killer evacuated, Zhao Zongyong, Zheng Zheng and others came out of hiding, all of them were embarrassed, asking each other about their concerns.

"Zheng Zhizhou, what's going on? How did your state yamen defend it? Someone assassinated! Zhao Zhongshan, Marquis of Fushui, came forward and cursed with his head and face, and Zheng Zheng was suddenly a little stunned. However, if they are relatives of the emperor and the country, what can you do if you react like this when you are frightened?

Zheng Zheng only promised: "I'm sorry, I frightened the prince and the two marquis, but I don't know ......."

While Zheng Zhizhou was speaking, he saw Lin Zhao running back and forth in the crowd, constantly fiddling, as if he was in a hurry to find someone.

Lin Zhao was indeed in a hurry, because he found that Zhao Shiju was missing.

What kind of consequences will be produced when the signs of rebellion, the sudden assassination, and the sky-high fire in the city of Hangzhou?

Lin Zhao suddenly broke out in a cold sweat on his back, and he was very worried...... "Zheng Zhizhou, can you let the garrison be prepared?" Lin Zhao hurriedly stepped forward and asked Zheng Zheng.

"Uh...... Lin Zhao, you ......"

Lin Zhao hurriedly said: "Zheng Zhizhou, it is very likely that there is a rebellion, you should go back to the city quickly to mobilize the troops and horses!" ”

"Could it be ......" Zheng Zheng also felt the same way, the thing he was worried about still happened, but he had already made arrangements in advance, so he didn't have to worry too much...... "Father, you see that the direction of the fire seems to be our palace!" Zhao Zhongye looked up at the sky-high firelight in Hangzhou City, and couldn't help but be shocked.

Zhao Zongyong was also surprised, but what shocked him even more was what happened tonight. Chen Qi's whereabouts have been exposed, the matter of illegal salt is overturned, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of money are just in vain, and the most important thing now is how to deal with the aftermath, and resolutely not let this matter implicate him.

Lin Zhao's words also shocked him even more, rebellion?

This news is too shocking, there are people on the ground in Hangzhou who rebelled? There was even a rebellion, why didn't you notice it beforehand? Instead, it was Lin Zhao...... No wonder Chen Qi's goods were exposed, it seems that this Lin Zhao's ability and clues are really a lot.

It seems that he was really careless, and he underestimated this kid a little. Now that there is no way to control so much, rebellion is not necessarily a bad thing, and we can take this opportunity to destroy all unfavorable evidence and shirk responsibility. But who is the rebellion? He was now very curious about this fact! In any case, he is a royal man, and although he is quite dissatisfied with some of the practices of the emperor's brother and nephew, he does not want anyone to shake his own country...... Zhao Zhongye is more flexible than his father in this regard, the rebellion is a shocking case, although there were no clues before, but it is not without clues. The Fangjia Village bloodbath that has been bothering him seems to have clues, and with the fire in his own palace tonight, many things seem to be explained clearly...... But who is it? Why target your own home? Zhao Zhongye fell into a drowsy again, and at the same time was even more secretly frightened. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for your family, it's hard to say?

What exactly should be done now? Recover and reduce your own losses and make a safe transition! But everything was a mess, and there was no way to get it true. Especially now that the situation is so chaotic, the palace can't afford it, what can be done by this West Lake? Under the noses of these many people, to a certain extent, they are restricted and watched, and their movements must be greatly restricted.

Zhao Zongyong couldn't help but regret it very much, he was too self-righteous, so that now stealing chickens and rice is not a recipe for rice, and the result is almost resigned to fate. When I was about to leave, inquire about the news, and make arrangements.

Zheng Zheng stepped forward and said: "Lord Wang, there is likely to be a rebellion in the city, I have mobilized troops and horses, the situation is still unclear, and it is likely to be unsafe outside." The prince will stay here first, I will be protected, and I will escort him back to the house after I am sure that it is safe! ”

Zheng Zheng was kind-hearted, Zhao Zongyong had no way to refuse, and before he could answer, Shen Kuo had already sent someone to protect Zhao Zongyong's father and son.

Of course, nominally protection, but also completely understandably surveillance. Su Shi has already sent someone to catch the thief and catch the dirty, whether Zhao Zongyong's father and son are implicated, and whether they can find evidence to punish the crime is still unknown. But at this time, we can't give them the opportunity to confess and destroy the incriminating evidence...... Zhao Zhongye said strangely: "Zheng Zhizhou, who is the rebellion?" ”

Zheng Zheng hesitated for a moment and said: "Yuhang County ordered Li Feng, and Shenwu General Zhao Shiju may also be implicated......

Zhao Shiju? The suave Zhao Shiju? It's unbelievable. Zhao Zongyong was dumbfounded, and subconsciously searched around in the crowd, and Zhao Shiju, who was a master of pen and ink just now, had disappeared. Could it really be this guy, and the killer just now was also sent by him?

Lin Zhao said anxiously: "Zheng Zhizhou, quickly send someone to understand the situation in the city, stabilize the situation, and send someone to hunt down Zhao Shiju and others......"

Zheng Zheng is not happy with the boss in his heart, I know the state in a dignified manner, do I still use you to command? Don't look at yourself and what kind of officials and products? Not at all self-aware. Hmph, I am determined to get the credit for this time, and no one else wants to get involved.

When Zheng Zhizhou was proud of his wisdom and martial arts, Wang Kai, the guard of Hangzhou City Gate, stumbled over, covered in blood and embarrassed, and looked at it to make people have a bad premonition.

"Lord Zhizhou, it's not good......" Before Wang Kai walked in, he shouted with a crying voice, miserable.

"General Wang, what happened? How's it going? Seeing this, Zheng Zheng was suddenly very uneasy in his heart, and hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

Wang Kai said: "There are people in the city who have rebelled, and some rebels have captured the city gate and burned the palace of Yuhang County, and the situation is quite critical......

If it is really the county king's mansion, Zhao Zhongye was shocked in his heart, a palace is not much distressed, but what is the purpose of the rebels doing this? Is it just to express dissatisfaction with the royal family? Do you want to show your determination to rebel? Presumably things won't be so simple, what's so special about your own palace?

Zheng Zheng asked, "Who is the rebellion?" How's it going? ”

"I saw Li Feng of Yuhang County, and some generals and colonels in the army also participated, we were caught off guard, the east gate and the south gate have been lost, and the situation of the north gate and the west gate is critical......"

Wang Kai's answer shocked everyone, if the city gate of Hangzhou was controlled, it would mean that the entire city would be lost...... Once the rebels occupy Hangzhou, it is self-evident how bad the impact will be...... Lin Zhao said angrily: "Why don't you take precautions? Zheng Zhizhou mobilized troops and horses, reminding you to pay more attention, and raising vigilance should be regarded as a deaf ear? ”

"Zhizhou reminder? Mobilizing troops? Wary? Wang Kai looked dazed, first looked at Lin Zhao, then at Zheng Zheng, and shook his head lightly.

Lin Zhao stared at Zheng Zheng in surprise and asked, "Zheng Zhizhou, are you really bent on going your own way and turning a deaf ear to the news of the rebellion?" Lin Zhao was very angry about this, is Zheng Zheng really indifferent, the so-called regret is not a fact?

At this moment, the situation is critical, and Lin Zhao doesn't care about Zheng Zheng's so-called status as a governor and the relationship between the upper and lower levels.

"Didn't you receive the officer's letter?" Zheng Zheng was also a little anxious, and said eagerly: "Didn't this official ask you to strengthen the defense at the city gate, mobilize troops and horses, and strengthen patrols and defenses?" Didn't you hear at all? ”

Wang Kai was full of doubts, shook his head and said: "What kind of letter, the last general has indeed not seen it!" ”

"What?" Zheng Zheng took a step back, almost sat down on the ground, and his back suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He still doesn't know exactly what the link is wrong, but if Wang Kai didn't receive the letter, he didn't remind him and didn't transfer him in terms of procedure...... So once something happens, it's a matter of responsibility. Coupled with his tough attitude towards Lin Zhao and others last night, this kid is afraid that he has long been dissatisfied with me, and he has a lot of resentment, and he will inevitably be impeached in front of the emperor when the time comes, and he may really be to blame at that time. How can Zheng Zhizhou not be in a hurry?

What to do? In a panic, the highest military and political governor of a state was unexpectedly six gods and no master, and he was at a loss!

Seeing this, Lin Zhao said angrily: "What are you waiting for? The rebellion must be quelled as soon as possible, if not ...... We also have to take control of at least one city gate, report to the court, and wait for reinforcements to arrive...... Once Hangzhou falls, the consequences will be unimaginable, and it may be a disaster for the Song Dynasty for us......"

Zheng Zheng also reacted, realizing the seriousness of the problem, Wei Wei nodded and said, "That's right, it should be like this......"

"But what to do?" Zheng Zheng is a civilian official, he knows almost nothing about military affairs, and there is no way to do it in a panic, I don't know what to do!

"What are you hesitating about? Wait a little longer, the city of Hangzhou will fall! Lin Zhao couldn't help but be furious!

Shen Kuo's identity as the visiting envoy of the Liangzhejiang Road played a huge role at this time, and he immediately said: "Zheng Zhizhou, the situation is critical, a little hesitation, the consequences are unimaginable, as a member of the pastoral guard, you must make a decision, and you must not live up to the favor of the official......"

"But what to do?" Zheng Zheng didn't know anything about military affairs, and on the other hand, he lacked courage.

Alas! Lin Zhao really couldn't stand it, and said angrily: "General Wang, let's go and recapture the West Gate ......"

This...... Wang Kai hesitated, and Zheng Zheng also looked at Lin Zhao, his eyes were very weird!

But Lin Zhao didn't care at all, leaving a heavy back, stepping on a steady pace, and had already gone away...... "Zheng Zhizhou, let's let Dongyang go, maybe he will bring surprises......"

Hearing Shen Kuo's words, Zheng Zheng had already swallowed back the drink that had already reached his mouth. That's right, let Lin Zhao go, it's naturally good if he succeeds, and his guilt will be greatly reduced, and maybe he will be counted as a credit. If it fails, there are people who are primarily responsible. In short, no loss, at this critical moment, the wishful thinking in Zheng Zhizhou's heart is still crackling.

"Okay, you guys listen to Lin Zhao's mobilization, recapture the city gate as soon as possible, and quell the rebellion!"

When Lin Zhao heard this, he shouted from afar: "Lord Shen, protect the prince and all the adults!" ”

The implication could not be clearer, Lin Zhao strode forward with his head held high, and the responsibility he would face was quite heavy.

(To be continued)