Gao Wuyong took the reward and walked out of Fu Heng's mansion, and saw the flow of people on the street rushing to the west, and he didn't know what happened. As soon as he inquired about the horse, he learned that He Luying's coffin had arrived from Texas. Today, the three churches of Dali Temple, the Criminal Department, and the Yamen of Zhili Shuntianfu opened the coffin for an autopsy. After the trial of this case, he went to the Criminal Department several times to see Liu Tongxun torture Liu Kang, because Liu Kang refused to admit to death, Miki was tortured, and he was not afraid, and he admired his courage and backbone. I heard that there was going to be an autopsy, and Gao Wuyong really wanted to take a look. But he was a eunuch who sent a decree, so he had to go back to the palace to talk to Qianlong, so he beat his horse and galloped back to the Yangxin Palace. Unexpectedly, Qianlong was not there, and when Gao Wuyong asked, he learned that the emperor had been out for half an hour, accompanied by Prince Yi Hongxiao and his relatives. The eunuch Xiao Sula told Gao Wuyong that the emperor was going to overhaul the Old Summer Palace, and the people from the Ministry of Works went out after the performance, perhaps going to Changchun Garden to survey feng shui. Gao Wuyong thought about it, it would take an hour or two to go back and forth from Changchun Garden, so it was better to take advantage of the time to go to Dali Temple to see the excitement, so he said: "I will go to Changchun Garden to see the emperor to hand over the decree." And he slipped out alone.

There were already thousands of people in front of Dali Temple, and they could hear the buzzing of people half a mile away, and they couldn't ride horses at all. Gao Wuyong often came to this area to eat tea, the people in the teahouse were very familiar, and he found a random one to store the horses, and the single squeezed into the flow of people, while shouting: "I am from the palace, and I want to go in on business." "Squeeze in step by step. Approaching the center of the circle, there were more and more people, and they were noisy and shouting. Gao Wuyong was sweating all over his head, and the flow of people who were driven back by the middle guards with whips was half overwhelmed at once, and he scolded with a smile: "These stinky hills, I haven't seen so many people, I can't take a whip!" He grabbed a man on the shoulder and said, "Hey, borrow light, I'm going inside!" Unexpectedly, as soon as the man turned around, he frightened Gao Wuyong so much that he was out of his mind: it turned out that it was Qianlong who was standing in front! Gao Wuyong exclaimed, "Emperor-", the word "Shang" did not come out, his mouth was tightly covered by the Selenge behind him, and when he looked back, he was surrounded by guards from the Qianqing Palace. Qianlong only glanced at Gao Wuyong, then turned his head again.

At this time, the chief officer of the Yamen of the Law Division had not yet arrived. In the middle of the empty field in front of the Dali Temple, there is a black lacquer coffin on two benches. There were several jars of wine on the small table to the east, and five or six autopsies from Shuntianfu sat around the small table, drinking as if no one was around. It is the soldiers of Dali Temple who maintain the order of the field, one by one robes are held around the waist, and the whip is in the hand. Gao Wuyong stood behind Qianlong, blocking tightly, not daring to squeeze or leave, and was anxious, he could hear a loud voice singing:

"Lord Liu Tongxun has arrived!"

Then there was a roll call:

"Dali Temple Qing Alonke has arrived!"

"Shuntian Mansion Yin Yang has arrived!"

The crowd was in a commotion immediately, and the pro-soldiers of Dali Temple shook their whips loudly, but they no longer beat them, but only shook them on their heads. Dozens of Goshhama spurs clanged with their swords, and they listened to the officials of Shuntianfu shouting "oh-" in a long voice. Thousands of onlookers immediately fell silent. Gao Wuyong stood on tiptoe and looked in from Qianlong's shoulder, only to see Liu Tongxun sitting in the center, a table on the side was Alonke, and a table on the west side facing east was Yin Yangzeng of Shuntianfu. All three of them had straight faces. Gao Wuyong is very familiar with Aaron Ke on weekdays, and he has nothing to say about gags, and when he sees that he also has a blue face, the corners of his mouth twitch. Gao Wuyong thought of his appearance and didn't feel funny.

"Bring a prisoner's witness!" Liu Tongxun saw that the arrangement of the human service was stopped, nodded to Yang Zeng, and ordered: "The autopsy is ready!" ”

"Wow!"

A few servants who were drinking had already bowed down to serve, and after listening to the order, Qi Ying said, "The little ones are waiting!" "Liu Kang has been carried out by two officials. His legs were pinched by sticks, and as soon as the official let go, he collapsed on the ground, but his face was pale, but he was not frightened, he only rolled his eyes and looked at Liu Tongxun and lowered his eyelids. Then He Li's, Xiao Luzi, Boss Shen, and Hao Er entered, and Qian Du also came out. Qian Du is a person of merit and fame, and He Li bowed upwards and stood and stared at Liu Kang. Boss Shen and Xiao Luzi knelt beside the public case. Liu Tongxun held up the tangmu and patted the case and asked, "Liu Kang, this is He Luying's coffin!" ”

"So what?" Liu Kang raised his head and didn't look at Liu Tongxun, "What does it have to do with me?" ”

"I want you to turn around and take a look!"

“……”

"Why, you don't dare?!"

Liu Kang lucked his luck and turned his head all of a sudden, but the lifeless coffin seemed to have some magic, he glanced at it and lowered his head, as if he was unwilling to look at it again, but his eyes flickered, and he never dared to face it.

"You've read a book, and your eyes are irregular." Liu Tongxun said lightly, "The corpse here was killed by you, so naturally you can't face this unjust soul!" I advise you to confess the truth as soon as possible, so that you will not suffer from flesh and skin, and then He Luying will not have to expose the body and be examined, which may reduce your guilt a little. Liu Kang raised his head, looked at Liu Tongxun indifferently, and said, "Liu Yanqing, I thought you were a good person, but you are really out of sight!" I'm in Shandong for disaster relief, you've been there, am I an unknown person? The victims all call me Liu Qingtian! "Do you want to be greedy for heaven's work? Disaster relief is the emperor's grace! Liu Tongxun sneered: "The Shandong Domain Treasury is short of 17,000 taels of silver for no reason during your tenure, even if there is no such case, the imperial court will also interrogate and understand!" ”

Liu Kang shook the chain around his neck, snorted and said, "I'm a corrupt official, you can check it, I'm impatient to chew the old woman's tongue with you." Liu Tongxun snapped and said, "Now I'm asking about He Luying's case." How did He Luying die? "I'll have already replied to your adult's words." Liu Kang looked teasing, "Your adult asked, and the criminal officer was also 'recruited', he hanged himself to death." ”

"Was there an autopsy?"

"Tested!"

"Ben Qin sent you to believe it," Liu Tongxun said coldly, "The coffin will be opened today for an autopsy - someone is coming!" ”

"In!"

"Open the coffin!"

"Wow!"

A few servants agreed, turned back to the small table, sprayed each other with wine all over their bodies, and without hesitation picked up axes, chisels, and crowbars to the coffin, and with a clanging smash, with a very ugly "squeak" sound, the heavy coffin lid had been ground to the side. At this time, the field was silent, and they all shot their eyes to a few pretentious movements. I saw a puppeteer skillfully take out a pair of long pliers, as if he had sandwiched the corpse from head to toe. He was busy asking for silver needles again, and put needles on He Luying's corpse, which was already in tatters, one by one, and He Li immediately whimpered beside him. Yin Yang of Shuntianfu couldn't sit still, got up and went to He Shi to soothe a few words, then paced to the side of the coffin and personally inspected the silver needles pulled out. The old man glanced at Yang Zeng, and when he saw Yang Zeng nodding, he came to Liu Tongxun's case and bowed: "I found He Luying's corpse." There were no injuries to the head, chest, abdomen, and bones, and there were two cord strangulation wounds on the laryngeal bone and jaw bone under the neck. The silver needles are deep, and there are no poisoning symptoms in the whole body, but the silver needles under the chest diaphragm are yellowish, which should be due to the decay of the corpse......"

When he said that "there is no poisoning in the whole body", the audience was already in an uproar, and the voice was low and high, and someone actually shouted: "Kill this shrew!" Some people clamored: "Liu Tongxun is a faint official, please ask Lord Alonke to preside over the trial!" The scolding was overwhelming and deafening. At this time, Liu Kang raised his spirits, but he was silent, his head was held high, and his eyes were staring at Liu Tongxun. Eyes full of resentment: look at how you end. Even Qianlong, who was standing by the circle, had cold sweat in his palms.

"What's the noise?!" Liu Tongxun shouted, Huo Di stood up, and there was a loud pop, "This is the Yamen of the National Law Department!" Shuntianfu grabbed the leader, flail! At first, he was also thrilled by the false report, but he was the chief officer of the case, Liu Kang killed people, there were witnesses, there were bloody clothes, and all kinds of people he had interrogated separately, except for Liu Kang and Sanrui who did not admit to death, the human and material evidence was all true, how could it be non-toxic at this time? Thinking about it, Liu Tongxun walked up to the old man and asked, "What's your name?" ”

"Go back to your lord," the old man sweated on his head, "little Fan Yinzu." ”

"How many years have you been in this business?"

"The three younger generations are all squanders."

Liu Tongxun looked at He Luying's corpse in the coffin, the unrotted flesh wrapped Bai Sensen's bones, emitting a choking stench, and the bones under He Luying's jaw were sunken. Without saying a word, he took a silver needle and inserted it into the corpse's mouth, and then put another in his throat, looking at the corpse motionlessly. After a while, Liu Tongxun gently pulled out the two needles, only to see that half of the needle was shining silver, and half of the needle was already black and purple. Liu Tongxun smiled with satisfaction, raised his needle and asked, "Fan Yinzu, who have you been instructed to dare to hurt heaven and reason like this?" Don't you understand the king's law, and don't you even understand the rules of conduct? He threw the needle in front of Liu Kang contemptuously, and Gege returned to his seat with a smile.

"Big big ...... Person! The man looked at Liu Tongxun in horror. Crawling a few steps and kneeling, he shouted silently: "Yes......"

"What is it?"

Fan Yinzu glanced at Yang Zeng in fear, and stuttered for a long time before saying: "It's the villain who is not good at learning and art...... "I'm not a fool, I still know that poison enters from the mouth and comes down from the swallow, you dare to follow me like this!" Liu Tongxun was furious and slammed the public case, people thought that he was going to attack Fan Yinzu, but he waved his hand to designate Yang Zeng, and shouted: "Remove his seat, take off his top, and strip his official robe!" ”

Yang Zeng had already been so shocked that his face was as white as paper, and when he heard that Fan Yinzu didn't dare to climb himself, he just breathed a sigh of relief, but Liu Tongxun shook a shot at Fan Yinzu, and he was caught off guard and pointed his edge at himself, and he didn't even have time to be stunned. At this time, he came back to his senses slightly, trembling his legs and wanting to stand and kneel, and stammered and asked, "Liu ...... My lord, this is ......."

"Fan Yinzu," Liu Tongxun's eyes were furious, and he smiled viciously, "You have the audacity to say now, which bastard without an emperor instructs you?" ”

Qianlong was also shocked when he saw Liu Tongxun deal with a big man like Jing Zhaoyin with a thunderbolt, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but feel hot again, and muttered: "This person is a loyal minister." Standing next to Qianlong, he also sighed: "Yes, not only loyal, but also can." In the blink of an eye, Yang Zeng became a civilian, and he could not escape the national law. As he spoke, Fan Yinzu had already pointed at Yang Zeng and said, "It's him!" He called me the day before yesterday and said that the emperor intended to take care of Liu Kang. This case has been going on for too long, and it is already unclear to say, and if the poison is detected, I don't know how many people will be implicated. When you have to be born and you are born overborn, you have no reason to be a wicked person. and rewarded me with two hundred taels of 'wine money'......" Before he finished speaking, Yang Zeng had already collapsed to the ground.

"Hang him down!" Liu Tongxun was furious, as if he was calming down his impulsive emotions, "This is a case within a case." Ben Qin has been acting since the present, and he will deal with it according to the law - Liu Kang, what do you say now? ”

Liu Kang was already lying on the ground and couldn't speak. A servant grabbed his shoulder and squirted a mouthful of water, and he woke up slowly. His spirit was completely broken, and he turned over and over again, saying, "This is how it should be...... I've got it all...... He Daotai ...... Don't pester me, owe your life for your life, owe your life for your life! His voice was hoarse and miserable, his face was distorted to an inhuman shape, and he looked at the coffin in horror, as if the coffin was approaching him with long legs, and he rubbed back with his face covered with oil and sweat: "Don't you come here?!" No! Debt for life, life for life! ”

After Gao Wuyong went, Fu Heng immediately asked someone to prepare a horse, saying that he was going to leave the house, Tang'er came out of the back room and said: "When I came back yesterday, I saw the emperor doing something, and I have been busy non-stop until now, and I haven't let go, where are I going?" Fu Heng said with a smile: "I want to meet Zhang Tingyu, there are some details that the emperor naturally can't take care of one by one, so I still have to listen to this old man more." Tang'er teased: "You are also a prime minister now, and you are still the prime minister of the country's uncle, so you naturally put state affairs first!" ”

One sentence reminded Fu Heng that he was so anxious to worship Zhang Tingyu, and he was also significantly frivolous, and said with a smile: "What you said is true." What's not the same, I'm just a loose minister. It's better for me to do things outside than at home, and being a prime minister is not as good as being a guard. I think that the emperor is so gracious, and he can't live up to it. Tang'er is a very clever person, she has heard what her husband meant, took a bowl of ginseng soup to Fu Heng, and said: "This is in Li'er, the last time I entered the palace, I heard Rue Xiang'er in front of Niangniang say that there is an Enke champion Zhuang Yougong, who went crazy after eating hairpin wine, and asked when he met people, 'I am the champion, do you know?' 'I see that you are restless, and you are about to become a pair with Zhuang Yougong, which is a joke! Fu Heng heard it for the first time, thinking about Zhuang Yougong's questioning, he couldn't help laughing: "I'm so useless?" I-"

"Are the two of them talking privately?"

There was a burst of laughter in the courtyard, Fu Heng and Tang'er were all stunned, and when they looked out the window together, it was Gao Heng, the younger brother of Concubine Huixian, who came, and Fu Heng hurriedly greeted him from the inside and personally lifted the curtain. Gao Heng is only about twenty years old, with straight eyebrows and a broad square face, wearing a sauce-colored Pegasus style lamb Baturu vest, wearing a rain-soaked azure leather robe, a pair of black mud mille-feuille shoes, playing with a sandalwood fan and walking elegantly, seeing Fu Heng waiting for him with a curtain, he smiled and said: "I don't dare to be, Hengchen Lao Xiangguo is also here!" ”

"Really?" Fu Heng let go of his hand, carried the corner of his robe and walked down the stairs, seeing that Zhang Tingyu, who was old and long-looking, helped a family member into the second door with one hand, Fu Heng saw that his family was attentive, smiled with satisfaction, stepped forward and personally hugged Zhang Tingyu, and said with a smile: "You are in your seventies, if you want to see me send a personal message, won't it be over?" ”

Zhang Tingyu was a deep person, he only smiled when he heard it, and was carried into the upper room by Fu Heng. Fu Heng rushed to the inner room and said: "Nala (Tang'er), Gao Heng is not an outsider, once Zhang Xiangtou comes to the house, you don't have to avoid it, and brew the big red robe tea I brought back for the two of you." ”

"What's so rare about Da Hong Pao tea?" Gao Heng has been in the same sect with Fu Heng since he was a child, and he is very familiar with each other, sitting in the chair and saying with a smile, "If you want to drink, I will give you twenty catties." Zhang Xiang is here, and when you are promoted, take the good one! Do you want to show that you are incorruptible? ”

"What a big breath!" Fu Heng said with a smile, "The real Da Hong Pao only has one tea tree. Half of it was struck by lightning, and only half was alive. I personally went to Lingnan Lupo and got two taels. Even the tribute to the emperor was mixed with nearby tea trees. As soon as you open your mouth, it's twenty pounds! ”

Zhang Tingyu also became excited after saying a few words, leaned back in the chair and smiled: "So what I drank in the past was also fake?" Let's take a look at it today! As he spoke, Tang'er had already made three cups and brought them out in person with a small tea tray, and Zhang Tingyu picked it up and saw that it was actually a glass cup [1]

, a floating tea is gone, only a thin layer of white mist is permeating the mouth of the cup, and the fragrance is faint and refreshing.

"This is called Yaochi Wusheng." Fu Heng smiled and pointed, "Look, the tea in the cup has five layers of color, green and red are clear, and the leaves turn yellow through the blisters, and they don't float up or down in the middle...... The surrounding tea tree flavor is also good, only with cold fragrance, and it is impossible to distinguish the five colors, which is the difference between true and false! ”

Zhang Tingyu smiled and looked at it carefully, took a cup and sniffed it gently, took a sip on his lips, and tasted it: "Mellow but not thick, fragrant but not strong, color but not lewd, refreshing and spleen-good!" Gao Heng's mind was not on the tea at all, staring at Tang'er with a pair of eyes, until the tea was delivered to him, he hurriedly took it, and said with a smile: "The tea is good, the brewing is also good, my sister-in-law's kung fu is unusual!" It's rare to see these five colors come out together! As he spoke, he took a sip. When she saw Tang as a child, she had already gone away.

"Zhang Xiang," Fu Heng returned to the topic, took a sip of tea and said: "I just received the order, I want to go to Shanxi." I wanted Ming'er to visit the mountain and receive your training. Now that you're here, it's time to ask for advice. I was young and unconscious, and the emperor sent me a heart and entrusted me with a heavy task, I was really afraid that I would mess up my errand. Gao Heng was ordered to go to Jiangnan to pick me up, and he came just in time, and I have to explain some things after a while. Gao Heng hurriedly lowered his head and said "yes".

Zhang Tingyu stroked his beard and said: "I have read all the folds you handed outside, and those articles are Chen, and I couldn't write them when I was young." The back waves of the Yangtze River push the front waves. I've been thinking about it for the past few days, and it's really time for you young people to contribute to your master. ”

"This is the humility of the ministers. When my majesty resigned, the emperor said, 'You must learn from Zhang Tingyu, not from Mingzhu and Gao Shiqi.' Zhang Tingyu has been respectful and careful for decades, prudent and impartial, and benevolent. No matter how big or small the official business is, no matter how cumbersome it is, there is no slackness. The Holy Ancestor took benevolence as the law, which is inseparable from him, the first emperor took strictness as the law, and he is also inseparable from him, and I still can't do without him with leniency, because he is old and seeks the country, and he has always been honest and self-reliant. Master Shi once allowed him to enter the Xian Liang Temple, that is the principle of nature, and now I can't let him retire. When that day comes, I will let him enter the Virtuous Ancestral Hall, give poems and feasts, and let this generation be famous and beautiful. ’”

Zhang Tingyu listened very attentively, "Hong Fan" five blessings, the most important of which is the "final examination". Before the founding of the Qing Dynasty, none of the ministers of the study were "all the beginning and the end", and Mingzhu and Suo Etu were almost killed by Kangxi. The more he paid attention in the past few years, the more he felt that this was determined by the "Great Qing Qi Number". He is not like Ortai, who is jealous when he sees Qianlong using newcomers. What he thought about the most was that he would rather die of exhaustion and finally end up with a good name, so after listening to Fu Heng's words, he felt more comfortable than drinking this cup of Da Hong Pao tea. He didn't even know that Fu Heng had passed on what Qianlong said, "Feng Dao was the prime minister during the five generations, and after the fourth revolution, Zhang Tingyu was similar to Feng Dao in the phase time, and he must have his superiority after repeated changes" - comparing Zhang Tingyu to the shameless "Changle Elder" Feng Dao, this can't be regarded as a good thing, because it is not a decree to pass on the word, Fu Heng naturally avoided it. Zhang Tingyu's wrinkled face stretched and said, "Sixth Master Fu, the emperor's words are really too much for me. To be honest, after being in this position for a long time, it is easy to give birth to two things. One is that he is not self-cultivation, and he has turned into arrogance, because of his weight, he has forgotten his status as a courtier; The second is that the villain tends to be attached, and the protégés and officials are inexhaustible related, how can they all follow the rules outside, and it is not your responsibility to make it, and they also feel that their faces are dull. Just like Liu Kang, how many faces have been swept? Prince Zhuang, Qi Lesu, Xu Shilin...... also brought Hongxiao and Honghui Wangye. Li Wei I was shrewd, and this time he was also dragged into the case. I sent someone to see him yesterday, and he was so skinny that he didn't even have the strength to speak......" Zhang Tingyu looked gloomy. But he immediately lifted his spirits and said with a smile: "Your happy day, I shouldn't have said these words, now the holy light is above, and the candles are shining in all directions, just like those words that Banzai said, how caring!" You are now at the age of riding the wind and waves and creating a career, and it is only right to work hard and do better than me! ”

"I will always remember Zhang Xiang's admonition." Fu Heng groaned and changed the topic, "I went out with an order a while ago, but in fact, I didn't have any regulations in my heart, and I didn't care what I saw when I saw it, to be honest, I don't have a good reputation in the officialdom in Nanjing." What's 'Fu Liuye, the queen's brother, the sky is in charge, and the earth is in charge, even if we sneeze, or we fart, he will play it, making the emperor laugh, and the big and small officials will be ...... unlucky'" Before he finished speaking, Zhang Tingyu was already laughing, and Gao Heng couldn't help laughing. Even Tang'er, who was embroidered next door, laughed so hard that she pricked her hands. Fu Heng said: "No matter what, I want to do things well, and I don't mean to fix my head, but I haven't done a special errand, so I can't figure it out." So those who know mine can still understand. Zhang Tingyu said with a smile: "Employment, administration, and financial management are all set in one." You are a Qincha, you can't grab the gourd grapes, and you can't overstep the bounds. For example, the Zhengyang Sect and bandits in Shanxi Heicha Mountain are gathering people, which is your full-time priority. Be sure to do it cleanly. You just look at the rest of the things, only remind you of the minor ills, or send a document to ask the Yamen to handle and return. It is better to consult with the governors and generals there and play a joint report, and your envoy will do it, and they will not think that you are in the way. Saying that, he turned his face and smiled at Gao Heng: "This is to say Fu Liuye, it is the same when you go to Nanjing." You are all royal relatives, you have more scruples than ordinary people, and your reputation is like a sword, which is also very scary. ”

"Yes." Gao Heng hurriedly smiled, "I can't compare to Sixth Brother Fu, he is a genuine uncle, and I am a miscellaneous brand; He is the minister of Sanzhi, and I am just a Shanhaiguan tax supervisor. I can't shake the mountains when I'm out on patrol. Do a few decent deeds, and I'll come back and pay the bill. Fu Heng said with a smile: "What I am most concerned about is Lu Zhuo and Zhuang Yougong, a Jianshan Dam, which is related to the safety of Fujian Province, and a disaster relief for Anhui, Henan, and Shandong who have flowed into Nanjing. The victims were very poor, and there were many cases of robbery and fighting. Zhuang Yougong still wants to do a good job, but the officials are as smooth as oil, and he hasn't had time to rectify it well - you must know that the emperor is exempt from annual donations. Those corrupt officials can only get oil from their errands. Zhuang Yougong is a good person, but he is too kind, cowardly and loyal, you went to help. "Thank you Sixth Brother for your advice." Gao Heng said with a smile, "I don't plan to stay in Jingduo." After I went, there were some things to discuss with a letter of seal, which was also convenient. ”

A few people were drinking tea and whispering, and the family members outside hurriedly ran in and said, "Grandpa Gao is here." Then he saw Gao Wuyong come in in a hurry, only bowed to Zhang Tingyu, and said, "The master asked Zhang Xiang to go in." Zhang Tingyu got up and asked, "The master is in Changchun Garden, right?" ”

"It's not." Gao Wuyong smiled and nodded with Fu Heng and Gao Heng, "Liu Kang's case is over." The master has just returned to the Palace of Nourishing Hearts, and summoned Prince Zhuang, his relatives, Ortai and you to discuss matters. He didn't eat the tea, and said, "I still have to go to the Nezhong Mansion." And he hurried out.

Fu Heng hurriedly got up to see him off, and turned around and called Tang'er: "Bring the rest of the big red robe to Zhang Xiang." Tang'er agreed, Gao Heng looked at the curtain with blank eyes, but saw a girl come out with a paper bag and hand the tea to the Zhang family servant guarding the door. Gao Heng had no choice but to resign in frustration.

[1]

At that time, glasses were very expensive.