Songjiang prefect Huang Guoding and other students dispersed, hurriedly took a sedan chair to Dong Mansion to visit Mr. Dong, before Huang Guoding also went to Dong Mansion, only two days apart, the scene is very different, the original slave group, a group of wealthy scenes, now it is cold and deserted like a ruined temple Ji Temple, it is already the time of the lamp, but the lights are sparse, the huge Dong Mansion seems to have gone to the empty building - Dong Qichang's third son Dong Zuhe came to welcome Huang Guoding in, Dong Zuhe is not good at words, just a look of Qi, led Huang Guoding to his father's bedroom in the inner house, Huang Guoding saw Dong Qichang half-lying and half-lying on a tortoiseshell screen bed, in addition to the two maids on the side, there was also Dong Qichang's cousin Dong Qian'an - Dong Qichang, who was gray-faced, saw Huang Guoding, tears flowed for a long time, and said sadly: "Brother Dunzhu, what is Dong's crime, he actually suffered from this, even if the children have some mistakes, they are all meritorious and famous, and they are even tied up to see the official, and Dong is not blind to death." ”

Huang Guoding hurriedly stepped forward to take Dong Qichang's hand, sat down on the edge of the bed, and comforted: "Teacher, don't worry, the two brothers are fine for the time being, they are not in prison, they are all in prison, the students have been ordered, and the servants must not be rude-"

Dong Qichang couldn't listen to it anymore, and said hatefully: "Shanyin Zhang Yuan is really vicious, because he often has a grudge with his ancestors, and he even instigated the students and the people to accuse Dong of being a villain in the three counties, inciting the people, and persecuting the government, shouldn't these people be arrested?" ”

Huang Guoding was embarrassed: "Teacher, that Zhang Yuan is extremely cunning, he doesn't leave a handle on things, Liu Tongzhi and Jiang Tongju are confused, and they are used by Zhang Yuan, and the student can't convict Zhang Yuan, and he is a student in Zhejiang-"

Dong Qichang was furious: "Zhang Yuan destroyed my Dong family, as soon as my two sons were arrested, those cheap slaves and maids thought that my Dong family was at the end of the road, each with different intentions, stealing property, and quietly escaping, there are dozens of people, I can't control these, and my boat sank by the river, so I ordered someone to drag it ashore, and the twelve big wooden boxes on the boat are gone, Dong's life collection and most of the family wealth are in it, how different is this from copying the family, Brother Zhu, what is Dong's crime, as for copying the house, where is the national law!" What is the reason of heaven! ”

Huang Guoding was silent, he couldn't help Teacher Dong, let alone arrest Zhang Yuan, that is, Dong Zuyuan and Dong Zuchang didn't dare to cover up, Fan Chang died violently, and the people's resentment was boiling, and if it was not handled properly, the scene of besieging Dong's family would be repeated, and it would be his Songjiang Mansion Yamen that would be besieged at that time - Dong Qichang's cousin Dong Qian'an on one side said: "Huang Fuzun, Zu Yuan and Zu Chang Huang Fuzun should take care of o A." ”

Huang Guoding said: "It will be very unfavorable for the two brothers to be tried in Songjiang, and the students think that it will be better to send the two brothers to Nanjing. ”

The so-called sent to Nanjing refers to being escorted to the Nanjing Criminal Department for trial, Huang Guoding is shirking responsibility, if Dong Zuyuan and Dong Zuchang are tried in Songjiang, he can't be sentenced heavily, he doesn't dare to give a light sentence, and he is in a dilemma, but for Dong Qichang, send his two sons to Nanzhili for trial, no matter how the verdict is, he Dong Qichang has been swept away from then on, and he is ashamed of Shilin - the house is very quiet, and several people in the bedroom are silent, only Dong Qichang's rapid and sickly gasp, for a while, Dong Qichang said: "Brother Dunzhu, is there really no way?" ”

Huang Guoding said: "Teacher, it's not that the students are unwilling to do their best, those students threaten to supervise this case, this case is known to women and children in the three counties of Songjiang, and more and more people come to accuse your house, which is very unfavorable to the two brothers." ”

Dong Qian'an said: "Those students interfere in official affairs, and Huangfuzun can blame them according to the Taizu inscription, so naturally they don't dare to disturb again." ”

Huang Guoding said in his heart: "You said it easily, those students are not one, two, but dozens, and a large number of onlookers, and the bitter master is not only Fan Chang's family, but also Qingpu Lu's family, dozens of households in Huating Changshengqiao, Shanghai's students, and Jinshanwei's students, all of whom have raised a group to accuse the Dong family. He said: "Qian'an Gong, it is very common for students to interfere in official affairs now, and I have to punish them with justification, and today's matter, because Fan Chang's family took the lead, Liu Tongzhi and the foolish officials participated, and the students and the people did not have any radical acts, so it is really difficult to cure their crimes." ”

Dong Qichang was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "If those students and Diao Min have excesses, Brother Dunzhu should be able to punish them." ”

Huang Guoding didn't know what Dong Qichang meant, so he didn't dare to respond.

Dong Qian'an said: "Today, in the river, the wave boat is leaking, and it is about to sink, and those people are like rain, not letting the boat dock, this is to force Xuan Zai's father and son to death, isn't this an excesses?" ”

Dong Qichang waved his hand, smiled coldly, and said: "That's not what I'm talking about, if the shipwreck kills, then it's too radical, Brother Dunzhu said it, isn't it?" ”

Huang Guoding is the only one.

Dong Qichang let the maids and maids around him go out, let Dong Zuhe also go out, there were only him and Huang Guoding and his cousin Dong Qian'an in the room, Dong Qichang said: "Brother Dunzhu, this is Zhang Rulin's faction of the Zhejiang Party to put me to death, the Zhejiang Party is worried that once the East Palace succeeds to the throne, their Zhejiang Party will lose power from then on, now the Wanli Emperor Spring and Autumn is high, the court party struggle will intensify, dealing with me Dong Qichang is a temptation, if we are powerless to fight back, then the Zhejiang Party is bound to become more and more arrogant." ”

Huang Guoding didn't dare to interject, thinking: "What does Mr. Dong mean by this, do you want to ask the East Palace for help, because the East Palace is not loved by the emperor, all these years have been cautious, for fear of making mistakes, it is not much better than the mud Bodhisattva crossing the river, only to survive until the day of succession is the beginning, now, it must be helpless." ”

But I heard Dong Qichang say calmly: "Today, if there is no determination of a strong man to break his wrist, it will be difficult to get out of this predicament, and in the second half of the night, my brother will be set on fire by the Diao people led by Zhang Yuan. ”

Huang Guoding's heart sank, this is really a good plan, when he can reverse the defeat with this, but the matter is big, and it is also very unfavorable to him, the prefect of Songjiang, but the matter has already come out, how to deal with the second Dong case makes him have a headache, if he uses the burning of Dong's house to punish the relevant students and Diao Min, he will not have to be constrained by these students in the future, so he said: "Then the student will go back and arrange it first, and when the fire starts here, I will send the officials to arrest Zhang Yuan and other cadres, at least to remove Zhang Yuan's reputation." ”

Dong Qichang asked his cousin Dong Qian'an to send Huang Guoding out of the house, at this time he had already handed over the second drum, Dong Qichang supported the sick body to gather his confidants, let them pack up the calligraphy, painting and auspicious toys in the Xuanxiang Zhai and the painting Zen room and put them on standby, and the rice and wheat in the rice warehouse in the west were transported to the east of the house, ready to set fire to the rice warehouse with reed mats, and burn it from west to east, so that the valuables and rice grain could be calmly transported to Dong Zuhe's house on the other side of the river, Zhang Yuan and others have a hard time arguing, what I want is ironclad evidence that the house was burned down. After thinking about it, he said in a low voice: "If there are no casualties, the matter is not too big, if you don't do it, let people tie up Zong Yishan and his parents and throw them in the rice barn, this slave humiliates me, just take this opportunity to get rid of him." ”

…… Today, Dong's house is in turmoil, Zong Yishan quietly took his parents who were serving in the kitchen of the house in the evening to the outside, and found an inn in the north of the city to settle it, Zong Yishan is most worried about his parents, otherwise he would not have come back from Nanjing last year, the insult of Dong's father and son to him and his parents in the past six months made him completely cut off some of the thoughts he had for Dong, he settled his parents, and he was ready to look for Zhang Yuan, and he didn't know where Zhang Yuan was for a while, and he expected Zhang Yuan to look for him, so he returned to the vicinity of Dong's mansion, and met Wuling and Laifu, Wuling invited Zong Yishan to go to the Dancing Crane Inn, when Zong Yishan and Wuling and Laifu left, they saw the sedan chair of the Songjiang prefect coming out of the Dong Mansion - Zong Yishan came to the Dancing Crane Inn to see Zhang Yuan and others, Zhang Yuan held his hand to greet each other, and everyone saw that Zhang Yuan was very respectful to Zong Yishan, and they all treated each other politely, not daring to treat Zong Yishan as a subordinate, talking about Dong Qichang's possible poisonous plan, Zong Yishan said: "Then I'll go back and have a look." ”

Zhang Yuan said: "No need, if the Dong family wants to apply poison, Brother Yishan will never be able to get out of the tiger's mouth when he goes back, and I will send someone else to investigate." "Let Mu Jingyan and Laifu go, bring some silver to bribe the Dong slaves, but Zhang Cao wants to follow, he and Nengzhu bring binoculars, and Zong Yishan also goes.

Zhang Cao and the five people came to the back door of Dong's house, waited for a while, no one came in or out, Zhang Cao climbed to a big tree by the river and looked at the house with a telescope, tonight is a little moonlight, but how can this telescope see things at night, although there are lights in the house, but from the telescope it is just a dark shadow, it is better to see it clearly with your eyes, Mu Jingyan has good eyes, let Mu Jingyan climb up to see, Mu Jingyan stared at it for a while, and said: "People come and go in Dong's house, busy, carrying utensils, moving from west to east. ”

Zhang Cao patted his thigh and said, "That's it, Dong Qichang really wants to use this poisonous trick!" ”

Zhang Yuan, Lu Tao, Yang Shixiang and others were also waiting for news not far from Dong's mansion, and after receiving Zhang Cao's report, Zhang Yuan immediately asked Weng Yuansheng, Jiang Shiqiao and others to summon all the students to rush to the Songjiang Mansion, and dozens of students lived in the inn near Wanghailou, and they arrived as soon as they were called, and at the same time, Zhang Yuan also asked everyone's servants to spread the news all over the city, saying that the Dong family was going to burn the house to frame the students and the people-Jin Langzhi was a little worried, and said: "Brother Jiezi, if Dong Eun just packed up his utensils and wanted to move to the manor outside the city, then wouldn't we be suspected of slander. ”

Zhang Yuan said: "This matter would rather be believed than not believed, even if Dong Eun has not thought of this plan, I will first break it for him, and then block Dong Eun's road, even if it is slanderous, we can say that the Dong family knew that the plan was defeated and did not set fire to the house, and Dong Eun could not defend himself in this matter." ”

Zhang Cao smiled: "Wonderful, this is called whether there is or not, we say that if there is, you will have it, haha." ”