Duan Chengwen lowered his head and touched his chin, silent.

"Father?" Duan Shaolan stayed for a moment and couldn't help but remind out loud.

"He's trustworthy," Duan Chengwen said as he looked up at Duan Shaolan.

Although he has gradually lost contact with Qin Ling over the years due to various relationships, Duan Chengwen still believes in Qin Ling's personality. If Qin Ling really had such cunning methods, he would not have been able to endure in the position of county magistrate for so many years.

"Then what does my father have in mind?" Duan Shaolan looked at the complaint on the desk and said. "Now that my father has taken this complaint from him, has he thought of a proper way to deal with it? And the evidence that the whole thing can be held in hand now, if there is only this paper complaint, I am afraid that it is too thin and really difficult to believe. ”

"Qin Ling managed to get the fake account they made by stealing salt mines, Qin Ling is good at imitating other people's handwriting, so he made an identical book based on that fake account, replacing the real fake account." Duan Chengwen said in a deep voice. "It's just that he didn't carry the ledger with him, and he hid things in Huaishu County."

"Then according to what my father just said, although the Jiangnan Fucheng side has closed the case of the murder of two county officials and their families, they have not reported the death of two county officials and the disappearance of one county official for no reason to the Ministry of Officials according to the process, but the position of the local county is vacant, how long can it be hidden?"

"You naturally don't know about these things when you serve in the Jinqi Guard, and the county commanders and county officials of the general counties are due to their low ranks, and their annual examinations are done by the prefect of the prefecture and city to which they belong." Duan Chengwen and Duan Shaolan explained. "The term of office of the county is generally five years, as long as it is during their tenure, it is not impossible for Jiangnan to hide this matter."

"Then it seems that if this matter really exists, the prefect of Jiangnan Mansion City is only afraid that it will also be involved, otherwise the people behind the scenes will not be so bold to kill the court officials and their families, and also hide the death of the officials from the Ministry of Officials, lest the Ministry of Officials will send the new county officials to serve in the past after knowing about it." Duan Shaolan pondered. "Father, I thought it would be better for me to hand over this complaint. The Banner Guard was originally a supervisor, and I, as a Banner Guard, knew about it, and it was normal for me to report it. ”

Duan Chengwen did not respond immediately, although he knew that the theft of official salt in the counties under the jurisdiction of Jiangnan Mansion City was a serious case, Qin Ling trusted him, an old friend, to take the risk of coming forward and hand over the only complaint he had in hand.

But this matter is indeed as he thinks in his heart, stealing official salt is really a good deal with no money. Among them, the huge profits are not something that can be easily swallowed by those few county orders and the prefect of Jiangnan Prefecture. And can be ruthless, and when killing people, even the unknowing elderly and young children are unwilling to let go, but they are afraid that there will be people behind the scenes to manipulate them.

"Father, do you still have any doubts in your heart?" As a father and son, Duan Shaolan naturally saw that Duan Chengwen still had a lot of worries in his heart. "I am worried that in fact, not only the prefect of Jiangnan Fucheng is involved, but also the huge profits from stealing official salt are not something that a prefect can swallow."

"Brother Lan, the Jiangnan prefect was sent from the imperial capital eight years ago, and that prefect is also surnamed Liao, and he is the younger brother of the current Yongchangbo." As the secretary of the ministry, when Duan Chengwen went to the yamen of the ministry early this morning, he asked people to bring the information of the prefect of Jiangnan Prefecture to see. "There is a concubine Liao in the second prince's house, who is the daughter of Yongchangbo and his stepwife, although she has only given birth to a weak daughter for the second prince so far, but she is still quite loved by the second prince."

"Father, is this a suspicion that the second prince is also involved?" Duan Shaolan listened to it and said what Duan Chengwen thought of but didn't say.

At present, the relationship between the eldest prince and the second prince is only the layer of decency on the surface that has not been torn. The eldest prince has the help of his younger brother, and although the second prince is fostered in the name of the queen, he is not the prince born by the queen. In terms of growth and talent, they are all one percent behind the eldest prince.

And when the courtiers were encircled, the money spent by the second prince was also a huge amount of money. The princes' income is limited, and the financial resources of the second prince may not be enough to support this huge expenditure.

Coupled with the existence of the Liao concubine in the second prince's mansion, Duan Chengwen would inevitably think that the second prince was the person behind the scenes.

Duan Chengwen knew Emperor Chu, who was very decisive in handling government affairs, but he was really a loving father when it came to his children. It was they who revealed this matter, is Emperor Chu really willing to investigate deeply?

"Although the second prince was born by Qin Zhaoyi, as soon as he landed, he was taken to the queen of Zhaoyang Palace to raise him. The queen has not been able to give birth to a prince so far, and now she has passed the best age for childbearing, I am afraid that there will be no more princes born. The queen mother attaches great importance to the second prince, the child who has been raised in front of her since childhood, the second prince and the queen are the relationship between the adoptive mother and son, if the second prince is really found to be involved in such a case, I am afraid that our Zhenguo Mansion will also be suspicious as the queen mother's mother. ”

Duan Chengwen's words made Duan Shaolan not know what to say for a while.

Indeed, although the second prince is not the queen's biological child, the queen who has known for many years that she cannot give birth to a child has already regarded the second prince as her own son.

And the Zhenguo Mansion, as the maiden home of the queen's mother, will naturally be tied to the second prince in the eyes of outsiders.

Although the Duke of Zhenguo has repeatedly declared that the matter of establishing the prince should be decided by Emperor Chu's holy feelings, he has never been involved in any disputes between the second prince and the eldest prince in the court.

The prince of Zhenguo and the heirs under his knees have never been out of office, and Duan Chengwen also imitates the behavior of the prince of Zhenguo, and is not close to the two popular princes in the East Palace.

But Duan Shaolan was appointed by Emperor Chu to study in the palace, and he was once praised by Emperor Chu for saving the eldest prince and the sixth prince who were almost in distress, and he also had a good relationship with the eldest prince's siblings.

"If the son has something to say about his father's concerns, would the father be willing to listen to it?" After thinking to himself for a while, Duan Shaolan had another opinion in his heart, he looked at Duan Chengwen with a tangled face and asked,

"Don't be so polite between our father and son, you can just say what you think in your heart." Duan Chengwen knew that his son had been smart since he was a child, otherwise he would not have crossed the many sisters-in-law and concubines in the family room of Zhenguo Gong, and jumped out of front of his grandfather Zhen Guogong and won the attention of Zhenguo Gong, and now Duan Shaolan has been training in the pennant guard for many years, which is better than in the past.

"In fact, the son thinks that things will indeed be as his father thinks, in case His Majesty thoroughly investigates the theft of official salt in Jiangnan Mansion City, I am afraid that there is a large part of the probability that the second prince in the imperial capital will be involved. And the second prince is the adopted son of the queen's mother, once he has an accident, there will also be people who are suspicious of our house. Duan Shaolan paused here before continuing. But it is precisely because of this that this blood-stained complaint was submitted by our father and son, and with His Majesty's Holy Wisdom, he must be able to believe that the Zhenguo Mansion is innocent. ”

"But at the moment, we don't have any empirical evidence, will it be a bit risky?"

"Father, such a big case as stealing official salt and massacring officials, the gang of people in Jiangnan Mansion City can only hide it for a while, but they can't hide it for a lifetime. Now the important witness who witnessed the murder and theft of official salt is in the hands of his father, if his father does not report it, he will get into trouble for the town after the incident. Duan Shaolan thought about it before saying again. Father, let's talk about another matter. Your Majesty has no sons, and now the eldest prince and the second prince are fighting in all kinds of ways, isn't it for the crown prince's throne that is vacant in the East Palace? But as far as the son's little opinion is concerned, it is difficult for the second prince to win the eldest prince in the matter of competing for the crown. Besides, the queen mother is not the biological mother of the second prince after all, even if the second prince really defeats the eldest prince in the future and sits in that seat. His biological mother is still there, and the Duke of Zhenguo is separated from him by a layer of blood, and he is unwilling to support him, with the mind of the second prince, he may not settle accounts with our father and son. ”

Duan Chengwen thought about it, and he and the queen mother of Zhaoyang Palace were not from the same mother. When Duan Chengwen was young, because of the early death of his biological mother, he was just a poor little concubine in the backyard of the Zhenguo Mansion, and he was bullied by his brother and sister since he was a child.

The matter between Duan Shaolan and Princess Zhaoyue has already passed in front of Emperor Chu, Duan Shaolan will be Princess Zhaoyue's concubine in the future, and behind Princess Zhaoyue is the eldest prince.

If things really come to the day when the second prince wins the high position, maybe his father and son will really become a thorn in the side of the second prince.

"Father, don't think about it anymore." Duan Shaolan saw that Duan Chengwen's expression was different, and knew that Duan Chengwen was moved by what he said, so he continued to make persistent efforts. "After the end of duty tomorrow, I will wait for my father outside the yamen of the Ministry of Officials, and we will go to the house on Lizheng Street together. Since this piece of paper has to be handed to His Majesty, there are some things that I only heard from my father, and I still need to have a confidential interview with Qin Ling. ”

"Okay, you can come to the yamen tomorrow to look for me." Duan Chengwen's wavering heart finally followed Duan Shaolan's idea and settled down. "I took you to see Qin Ling, he hasn't seen you, only when I'm by my side, he will be relieved to tell you everything."

As soon as he was on duty on the second day, Duan Chengwen took Duan Shaolan, who was waiting for him at the door in advance, and his father and son drove together to the Lizheng Street mansion where Qin Ling was placed.

Qin Ling finally showed a calm smile after knowing that Duan Chengwen's son Duan Shaolan was serving as a banner guard, and with Duan Chengwen sitting on one side, Qin Ling told Duan Shaolan everything he knew.