Lantian overnight, Fan Ning slept extremely peacefully, as if she had made up for all the insomnia in those frightened days, and woke up in the morning with an indescribable lightness, and even felt that she in the mirror had become more and more watery, she stretched her waist and walked out of the room, only to see that although it was cold today, it was a rare sunny day, and the sky was infinitely better.

I came back late yesterday, and I have time to take a closer look in the future, but now I realize that this small yard is actually planted with flowers at four o'clock, peach and pear trees in spring, peony roses in summer, orchid chrysanthemums in autumn, and white plums that are still blooming in winter. It seems that Xue Ne doesn't plan to finish the investigation here, but wants to live here permanently, is this guy content with this Qipin County Decree and doesn't want to go back to Chang'an?

Fan Ning stood on the swing and swayed in the wind, smelling the fragrance of plum blossoms, she suddenly remembered Xue Ne's words last night, and it was still funny with a bit of indescribable taste.

He said that he was only familiar with her, so she asked, "What about Lord Li?" Didn't you also grow up with her? Met earlier than you and me. ”

"When we grow up together, do we have to know each other?" Xue Ne changed his unkind words in the past and asked Fan Ning rhetorically.

Fan Ning choked up at the moment, speechless for a long time. Indeed, what about growing up together, it may not be as good as a deed of half-acquaintance. If that person was not Xue Ne, how could she have a deep love for her, she didn't know what to do, and she didn't know how the future would end.

Fan Ning sighed abruptly, guessing that Xue Neying had already gone to Lantian County to take up his post, and he was bored and didn't know what to do. Seeing that the door of the hall was open, Fan Ning got up and walked in, leaving the swing to swing alone, like a playful child.

There is a bowl of soup cakes on the table in the hall, and there are a few slices of burnt green onions floating on the broth, which does not look very delicious, but it is already the ultimate level of Dalangjun of Pingyang County Mansion, Fan Ning just wanted to laugh when he saw it, so he picked it up and wanted to eat, and her eyes were attracted by the burden on the side, she flipped it over, only to see two sets of half-arm skirts, as well as two Ning Chungong's dough, and a note pressed underneath: I have found a place to stay, all are healthy and fine, don't read it, cherish it without authorization, and become a first-class lady as soon as possible.

Looking at the font, the front is all written by Pi Xian, and the last sentence is from the hand of the gopher, Fan Ning is so ashamed that he turns back and forth in the hall, and his little face is red and hot.

I don't know what Xue Ne will think when he sees this, Fan Ning is so angry that his teeth itch, and he only hates that he didn't kill the gopher on weekdays. But with this face, it is still much easier to move. And this time the dough is different from the past, the elasticity is excellent, there is no need to worry about falling, and it is not afraid of water, and it can be scrubbed and dried repeatedly. Unexpectedly, these friends in the rivers and lakes of their own thought about themselves so much at the critical moment, and they were so reliable, Fan Ning held his face and smiled like a flower, as if he was very satisfied.

After eating the soup cakes, Fan Ning looked at the skirt on the table, hesitated, but went to Xue Ne's room to get a round-necked robe, pasted Ning Chungong's dough, and went out briskly.

Early in the morning, at the beginning of the heavy snowfall, Xue Ne put on a light green official uniform, put on a hood, cleaned up his handsomeness, and rode his horse to the Lantian County Ya.

This place is rich in beautiful jade, as early as more than 1,000 years ago in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it has been eagerly sought after by scholars and other aristocratic classes, according to legend, Qin Shi Huang's heirloom jade seal is made of Lantian water claberstone. Most of the people here make a living by mining jade and carving, and it can be regarded as the richest small county in Gyeonggi.

When Xue Ne came to the county office, it was still early, except for the old man who guarded the door, there was no one inside and outside the yamen, after Xue Ne entered the door, he first cleaned the house, and then sat in the hall and rummaged for the record of the Hongwen Pavilion case.

On the day of the fire, when he arrived at the annex, Lantian had already inspected the scene. They came faster than the Criminal Department, and there should be a more detailed account of the cause of death of the captain of the guard and the guards, as well as the evidence at the scene and the location of its findings. But let Xue Ne rummage through it from beginning to end, what he saw was vague and extremely coping, without any useful information.

Xue Ne couldn't help but be a little confused, how this criminal officer investigates the case and how to conduct an inquest, there are a set of rules in Datang. However, when the wound is examined at the scene, the type, depth, and location of the wound should be stated aloud, and the clerk shall record it on the spot. In addition, there had been a light rain on the night of the incident, and if it had been recorded on the spot, there would have been traces of rain on the paper, and the handwriting would have been scribbled, but the paper of this case file was brand new and the handwriting was neat, which shows that this case file was by no means left at that time.

Things are really not so easy, Xue Ne closed the case file, and was going to wait for the county Cheng, the chief bookkeeper and others to come and ask a good question, who knew that when the time was near, there was still no one in the yazhong.

Xue Ne couldn't help but be surprised, today is the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, it should be the first time after the new year, why has it been nearly two or three hours since the end of the year, and these people haven't come yet?

After an hour, at last a sparse errand came to this place with a yawn, and when they saw Xue Ne, they did not say hello, and went straight into the errand rooms on both sides of the backyard. When the sun turned westward, the county clerk and the chief bookkeeper finally came late, and when they saw Xue Ne, they came forward with hippie smiles and bowed: "Good morning to Xue County." The next official is Cheng Zhu Chen of Lantian County, this is the chief bookkeeper Chen Xiang, I don't know that Xue Yushi is going to take office today, I am late, I really deserve death. ”

said that the crime deserved to die, but his face was full of indifference, Xue Ne had no intention of bothering with them, just wanted to quickly find out the case of the Hongwen Pavilion Annex, replied with a slight salute, and asked: "Where is the file of the Hongwen Pavilion Annex?" ”

"It's in the case file library of the county government", the main book pointed to the official hall behind Xue Ne, and there was still no solemn look on his face, "No matter how big or small, the matters are recorded, and Xue County's order can be viewed by himself." ”

"This official has already seen it, and the description of the situation at the scene is too simplistic, dare to ask if there are any other more detailed records?"

"Don't hide it from Xue County's order, the terrain here is low, some time ago, heavy rain fell on the mountain, flooded us here, and the case files were also soaked in water, and when the rescue came back, only these words were recognizable, so people copied them."

This place is indeed low, prone to flash floods, Xue Ne has no way to be held accountable, so he has to retreat to the next best: "What did you do when you went to the other courtyard to investigate that day?" ”

"Dead."

"Dead? How did you die? Have you reported it? ”

"We are no better than Chang'an City here, except for the Hongwen Pavilion annex, we haven't even lost the ploughing cattle, we still use the old man's work before, it's more than sixty years old, it's not normal for the sick to return to the west, what kind of official to report?" The county Cheng replied, and smiled at the main book, as if mocking Xue Ne's dullness.

Xue Ne was even more anxious when he heard it, the file was lost, and he actually died, if no one specially arranged it, how could he believe it?

Xue Ne wanted to ask again, but suddenly heard a burst of laughter on the roof not far away, and the three of them were attracted to their eyes, only to see Fan Ning, it should be said that Ning Chungong was standing on the roof, she jumped to Xue Ne briskly, and said loudly: "Chief, don't be anxious, I just went to ask, when the county commander was in office before, every day, everyone performs their duties, never late, today may be something at home, it will not be bullying the young head of my family, and he is so uncooperative when he first arrives?" ”

"What do you say about this", although these two people despised Xue Ne in their hearts, they didn't dare to make trouble openly, and hurriedly explained, "I'm just waiting for something at home, it's too late, after all, the New Year has just passed, and the old and young in the family still need to be taken care of, and Xue County's order will not be accommodating?" ”

Such an arrogant apology, Fan Ning heard it for the first time since she was a child, she snorted coldly and saluted Xue Ne: "Chief officer, when he left Chang'an yesterday, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally sent him off, saying that the chief official is a parent official, and he must be considerate of the people and colleagues." Since Zhu Xiancheng and Master Chen both have major events in their families, why not play His Royal Highness, let them go home at leisure, take care of it well, and then take up important positions when they are done, wouldn't it be more convenient? ”

The county magistrate and the chief bookkeeper were shocked when they heard this, and hurriedly waved their hands and said: "How dare you alarm His Royal Highness the Prince, the family has already arranged it, and it will definitely not delay the investigation of the case by Xue County...... It's just that the account of the Hongwen Pavilion Annex, that day, was indeed in accordance with the requirements of the head of the Criminal Department, and it was definitely not fooling without authorization, let alone hiding anything from Xue County's order! ”

Fan Ning narrowed his eyes and said, "Oh? What are the requirements of the fat master? So the reason why you remember it so briefly is not because the case file was destroyed, but because of the request of the fat master? ”

Seeing that he had missed his mouth, the master hurriedly covered it with his hand, and the county man glanced at him vigorously, as if he was quite dissatisfied with him. Xue Ne couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that Fan Ning's cold and glamorous little face was indeed bluffing, and whenever she was colorful, almost no one except Li Chunfeng could maintain her composure. Although Ning Chungong's skin is pasted now, the clear and cold in the peach blossom eyes is as clear and cold as before, and the deterrence of people is undiminished, so it is normal for the master to say that he leaked his mouth.

Seeing that Fan Ning not only came to give herself a strong reputation, but also helped her to make a breakthrough, Xue Ne's heart was extremely warm, and at the same time she felt guilty, and now she just wanted to solve the case quickly, so that she could really feel at ease.

But there is no way to recover the case file, and the scene of the Hongwen Pavilion is no longer what it was when the crime occurred, where is he going to find clues? If the Yanli in Lantian County are all such subordinates, how can he avenge Fan Ning and find out the truth for the world?

Fan Ning saw Xue Ne's doubts, motioned for him to come forward, and said in his ear: "You idiot, you have to learn to play music for the official, and listen to me......"

After about a cup of tea, Fan Ning held the gong in his hand and shouted while turning around in the palace: "Xue County ordered the front hall to question, everyone assemble quickly, there must be no mistake!" ”

The gong rang for a while, and finally woke up the sleepy insects of the group, and after a while, all the officials on duty in the yamen lined up in a loose formation, and Wuyang stood in the front hall.

Xue Ne sat in the middle, his overly young and handsome face making him look unacute. Fan Ning, who was standing beside him, had a dignified face, picked up the startling wood in his hand, and slapped it on the case with a "snap", and immediately fell silent in all directions, even the county Cheng couldn't help but shrink his neck, and only heard her say: "The team on the left, each take a whip." ”

Everyone looked at each other, and saw that this person was in a big battle, but his identity was unknown, and they were all stunned.

"This", Xue Ne finally opened his mouth, his tone was still gentle, "It is Adjutant Ning, who was specially sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the official himself, and he once served in the Prince's Praetorian Guard, so you just have to listen to the order." ”

Unexpectedly, the thin and not tall boy in front of him was actually from the Praetorian Guards of His Royal Highness the Prince, and everyone who was still picking their noses and buttocks woke up, stood upright, and honestly stepped forward to take the whip from Fan Ning's hand, during which there was no lack of words in the ear:

"This new county order, shouldn't it be for us to sort out these torture instruments?"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince implements benevolent governance, and the county order may be to teach us the severity of the unified flogging."

Fan Ning and Xue Ne glanced at each other, Xue Ne bowed slightly, coughed lightly, and recited the "Yonghui Law" unhurriedly: "Article 5 of the "Law of the Occupational System", 'All officials should be worthy of it, should stay or not, and each should be flogged twenty. If you can't get it, you will be punished with a little bit', ladies and gentlemen, please. ”

Unexpectedly, Xenne had called them to flog each other, and they were all stupid. Seeing this, Fan Ning slapped the stunned wood again: "What? The sinner is right in front of you, are you going to pervert the law as a magistrate? and indulge in sinners, according to the law fifty lashes. ”

After that, Fan Ning walked up to everyone with a leather whip in his hand and a smile, as if waiting to pull the person Xue Ne ordered out of the queue and torture him in public. Seeing that this new county order was not meant to be a joke, everyone did not dare to slack off anymore, and slapped each other ten times with all their strength, lest Xue Ne say that any of them indulged each other and would be given another fifty blows.

For a while, the wailing in the hall was everywhere, attracting the people nearby to come to see the excitement, but I didn't expect these officials who executed others in ordinary times to be so painful when they were whipped ten times, and more than half of them collapsed directly to the ground, and the people all stroked their palms and laughed. And the county Chenghe was beaten with all his strength by Fan Ning ten times, and the flesh and blood behind him were blurred, and he actually fainted, so he could only be carried back to the house by other officials, and then invited Lang Zhong to come.

After that, those officials no longer dared not to take Xue Ne in their eyes, and they all lined up neatly and waited for Xue Ne's fate. Seeing that everyone who was in the way went down, Fan Ning threw his hand at Xue Ne, signaling that he could get to the point.

Xue Ne stood up and asked, "The person who participated in the scene investigation at the time of the Hongwen Pavilion Annex, take a step to the right. ”

About ten people in the team came out of the queue in pain, and Xue Ne summoned them to the study alone, and ordered them to restore the files of that day on the spot with their memories, so that even if one of them forgot something, they could complement each other. Because of the fear of Fan Ning, all the officials rushed to add details, coupled with Xue Ne's own checks, and the case file was restored around the time of the release.

Fan Ning accompanied Xue Ne to stay here until the ya, and the two went to the street shop to eat a bowl of gourd heads, and rode back home. Xue Ne has been immersed in the case, the whole person is dumbfounded, Fan Ning saw him walking to the well, and hurriedly asked, "What are you doing?" ”

"Fetch water to boil and give it to you for bathing."

"You take the kitchen scoop, what kind of water are you boiling, put it down quickly, I'll come by myself", Fan Ning stepped forward and grabbed the wooden scoop, replaced it with a wooden barrel, turned the wheel, and quickly filled the water, "I know you are thinking about the case of the Hongwen Pavilion Courtyard, where can you take care of anything else." You don't have to take care of me, I used to take care of Master in stargazing......"

"I'm not thinking about the Hongwen Pavilion", Xue Ne stood under the pear tree, the early spring arrived, the green leaves could not be pressed, and the delicate buds were produced, lined with the slightly immature face of the young man, there was an indescribable beauty, "What does that 'Mrs. Yipin' mean?" Do you have someone you like? ”

Fan Ning only felt that his face was so red that he was almost seeping through Ning Chungong's face, and pretended to be relaxed: "Gopher has always liked to talk nonsense, you don't know, now I still have a case on my back, Master doesn't know where to go, how can I have time to please others......"

Hearing Fan Ning say that he had no one he liked, Xue Ne didn't know whether to be happy or worried, and Liangxiang didn't respond. Fan Ning finished fetching a bucket of water in silence, and saw that Xue Ne was still poking in place, for fear that he would ask something that would make him timid, so he took the lead and said: "By the way, you have read the file for an afternoon, and what is famous?" There are only more than 20 days left until the agreed date......"

On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, not only did the Lantian County Yada open the south gate, but all the state capitals, counties and capital protectorates in the territory of the Tang Dynasty were re-operational.

Early that morning, almost at the same time that Xue Ne rushed to the Lantian County Yamen, Li Qianyou, the Taichang Uncle of the Criminal Department, came to the Yamen of the Criminal Department, cleaned up his desk and sorted out his desk case, and was very diligent.

Last year, it was not peaceful, big and important cases were happening together, first the Hongwen Pavilion was burned, and then Longmen Mountain burned many craftsmen, Li Qianyou couldn't say how upset, I don't know what Tai Sui I committed, and I went to the Fire Temple to worship several times. In the coming year, I don't want to be rich and rich, as long as these things don't happen again.

I didn't know that his stool was not hot yet, so he heard a report from his subordinates: "Uncle Taichang, Xue Chuyu, the little Langjun of Xue Mansion, asks to see ......"

Yesterday, I asked the master to divinate the divination, saying that the new year would not be a villain, why did a karma come early in the morning, Li Qianyou was indescribably irritable, and scolded: "What's the matter with Xue Rengui's two sons?" If I have nothing to do, I will come to my criminal department to make trouble, if I am Xue Rengui, I will also bring the two of him on the battlefield, so as to save Yogyakarta from making trouble! If you don't see it, you can't see it, so you can say that the official hasn't come yet! ”

"But", the subordinate looked hesitant, "Xue Xiaolangjun said that he had witnessed Fan Ning, the murderer in the case of the other courtyard, on Yuan Xi, and he was wandering around the West Market, and someone was covering her up......"

Li Qianyou was teasing the crickets in the bamboo frame under the table, and when he heard this, he stopped. On the day of the Shangyuan Festival, Gao Min took Yulin Army to capture Fan Ning, but in the end he returned in vain, so angry that he scolded him more than once, for fear that the emperor and queen would blame. If Xue Chuyu has clues, maybe he can not only help him get rid of his crimes, but also make him make meritorious contributions, thinking of this, Li Qianyou hurriedly said: "You let him in, and then close the passage door, no one is allowed to come in without the order of the official." ”

In the blink of an eye, Xue Chuyu strode into the room and saluted Li Qianyou: "Chu Yu congratulates Uncle Taichang on a prosperous New Year!" ”

"Come on, sit down", Li Qianyou smiled and motioned for Xue Chuyu to sit down, but there was a little hesitation in his eyes, "I don't know what happened when Chu Yulangjun came to visit?" ”

"Ming people don't say dark words, but they came today to have a clue about Fan Ning. On the night of the Shangyuan Festival, Chu Yu went to the West Market to see the lanterns, and saw a woman who was exactly the same size and appearance as Na Fan Ning, and she was actually in the same place as Chu Yu's brother Xue Shenyan......"

"Xue Yushi?" Li Qianyou's right eye jumped, and his face was full of shock, "Xue Yushi, as the superintendent of this case, how could he be with that Fan Ning?" ”

"Uncle Taichang doesn't know that my brother is not only good with this woman, but also has a suspicion of being unclear and innocent. My brother seems to be shy and generous, but in fact he is full of tricks and has been using various means to exonerate this woman. On the day of the Shangyuan Festival, he took this woman to crack the case of the Lanting Collection, and he only needed to ask everyone present at the time, and he understood the physical characteristics of a pair. ”

As soon as Li Qianyou heard that this was a big deal, he immediately picked up the brush and wrote the Chengdu hemp paper that had been laid out for official documents, but he didn't write a few words, and he was a little uneasy: "This official is going to report to the Chinese book province, is what you said detailed?" ”

"Wait", Xue Chuyu raised his hand to stop, "Chu Yu vouched for the head of the item, and there was nothing wrong or omission in what he said, but it was just ...... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is good friends with my brother, and now that the Crown Prince is in charge of the country, it is useless for Taichang Bo to report to Zhongshu Province, so he should always report to Luoyang, the capital of God, and ask the Emperor to take a look. ”