Aunt Zhu snorted and looked at Changfan with her eyes, and Changfan comforted her: "Auntie, what is the situation, you just say that Li Gongzi will not wronged you." Aunt Zhu said: "The stakes are very high, I am afraid that if I don't say it well, I will be charged with murdering the lord." Li Zhuoran heard the strangeness in these words, and scolded: "Since you know that the matter is very important, you still don't invite it from the truth, do you have to wait until your master is asked to behead you before you say it?" ”

Aunt Zhu calculated in her heart: If at this time, if she told the situation of that day, she might be able to save Zhao Qingzhou, so that the merits and demerits would be offset, and she might be able to make up for the merits. Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and said, "Hey, I said yes." Li Zhuoran hurriedly motioned for Aunt Zhu to sit down, and listened to her explain in detail what she had bought that day.

On that day, Aunt Zhu, as usual, walked to Rong Zhizhai in the Leye Square on the shore of Qinhuai to buy ink blocks for Zhao Qingzhou. When the shopkeeper saw Aunt Zhu, he seemed to be more attentive than usual, and took out a carved wooden box separately for Aunt Zhu to choose. Aunt Zhu said: "Shopkeeper, you know, our Zhao Mansion has always bought the kind of three pieces for ten cents, such a good ink, our master will not let you buy it." ”

Shopkeeper Rong said: "Hey, these pieces of fine ink are just my filial piety to Lord Zhao." If it weren't for Lord Zhao to preside over the construction of Leye Fang, I would still be in the Spring and Autumn Alley, how could I have such a good business today. When Aunt Zhu heard this, she immediately felt that her face was very bright, and she raised her eyebrows and said: "This is also true, our lord has always governed Jiangning well, and Jiangning City is not grateful to our lord." ”

These words attracted the attention of several other customers in the store, and Aunt Zhu lowered her voice when she saw that she had attracted the attention of others: "But our lord has always been a good official with clean sleeves, if I accept these few pieces of ink from you, wouldn't it damage the reputation of the lord and cause the stigma of accepting bribes for no reason." Shopkeeper Rong laughed and said: "Hahahaha, Zhu Niangzi laughed, just a few pieces of ink, I have a lot of it in this store, Lord Zhao doesn't dislike it, it's just a little bit of mind, I can't bear to work day and night, and I still use the lowest ink in Jiangning." ”

Aunt Zhu was a little moved when she heard this, opened the box and looked at it, which was filled with red silk with six black purple ink blocks, very shiny, with a faint fishy smell, different from the blue-black pine smoke ink on the counter, and said in her mouth, "Rong shopkeeper's kindness, I thank the master, or use this inferior pine ink, if I accept your good ink, the lord is not happy, I have to run back to send you back." ”

Seeing that Aunt Zhu refused to accept it for a long time, the shopkeeper Rong was a little anxious, led her to the window, and said in a low voice: "Lady Zhu, you are a smart person, wouldn't it be very good for you to take this box of ink and save the money to buy ink and drink tea. Aunt Zhu said: "Where is this, our Zhu family has been an upright person for several generations, and our master never accepts people's things, so he can't break the rules from me." ”

Shopkeeper Rong nodded and said: "Lord Zhao is strict in governing the family, cultivating virtue and self-cultivation, and the villain is really admired." In this way, first take only a piece of good ink and mix it into the pine smoke ink, take it back, you can use one for Lord Zhao today, if you are not used to it, you will change it back to the original one, if it is easy to use, I will sell this good ink in the future, three pieces of ten Wen to Lord Zhao. Although Aunt Zhu was moved by the sincerity of the shopkeeper, she still couldn't make up her mind.

Shopkeeper Rong changed the ink, put the box directly into Aunt Zhu's basket, and said: "Come on, Mrs. Zhu, if we are arguing for a while, I'm afraid the entire Leye Fang will know that we are here to push back for a few pieces of ink, and you will take it back quietly, who knows?" ”

Aunt Zhu half-pushed, took the box in her hand and observed: "Shopkeeper Rong, if I take such a good box back, it will be difficult to keep quiet, you still have the old rules, give me a bag of straw paper, and tie it with hemp rope." Shopkeeper Rong smiled dumbly and said: "It is worthy of Lord Zhao's right-hand man, Zhu Niangzi is thoughtful, I will wrap it for you." With that, he went to the counter and wrapped the ink with his hands and feet.

Li Zhuoran patiently heard this, and said: "Since it is mixed and wrapped together, how can you guarantee that Qingzhou must use this special one?" Aunt Zhu glanced at Changfan and said: "The master has always been rigorous, and the supplies in the study have always been used up to receive a copy, and the Changfan brothers came to receive the ink block that day, and I only gave him that piece, thinking that the master could try it, can he try it differently." ”

Li Zhuoran patted the case and said: "There's nothing to say, it must be this shopkeeper Rong's ghost, let's go to him now to settle accounts." Aunt Zhu saw that Li Zhuoran did not settle the account on her head, and felt that she had to take the lead in order to show that she was not in the same group as Rong Zhizhai, so she patted her chest and said: "Li Gongzi, let's go quickly, I'll show you the way!" ”

"Wait," Li Zhuoran stopped Aunt Zhu and said, "I suddenly thought, let's go like this, first, there is no physical evidence, and second, there is no official document to approve the arrest, how to confront the shopkeeper Rong, and how to bring him to Lin'an to testify for Qingzhou?" Changfan hurriedly said: "Li Gongzi, the piece of paper on which you painted plum blossoms yesterday, and the ink at the bottom of the inkstone, aren't they our physical evidence?" Li Zhuoran patted his head, looked around and said, "This is a good idea, but what about that piece of paper... It's not good, let the Shao Gongzi just now take it away! ”

The three of them were shocked, Changfan searched carefully, and found that there was still nothing, so he was about to cry, and said: "Li Gongzi, that Shao Gongzi just now, is it the spy sent by the shopkeeper to destroy the physical evidence, why did you take that piece of paper away at this time?" Li Zhuoran was also anxious, so he could only force his composure and said: "Don't be afraid, he is also a figure with a head and a face, if he can run a monk and can't run the temple, I can always find him." ”