Since the beginning of summer, it has rained in Quzhou City one after another, and the rain in the sky seems to fall off from the sky, endlessly. Quzhou is located in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, with many lakes and canals. Jiang Bing, the governor of Quzhou, led the local officers and soldiers to strengthen the embankment and evacuate the surrounding people in the canal area a month ago, and it was not until recent days that the rain became lighter and the flood gradually receded, and he rushed back to the palace without stopping.

Today, Jiang Fu received an urgent report from Jingshi, Jiang Bing knew that there must be a reason for the incident, and after returning home, he hurriedly changed his clothes and went straight to the study. Shi Liu Qi, the commander of Jingshi Yu Linwei, was Jiang Bing's former classmate and friend, and he wrote in an urgent letter, "The day before yesterday, Weishui burst the embankment, the western suburbs of Jingshi were flooded, hundreds of acres of fertile land were destroyed, and heavy rain fell from the sky, and flooded Jingshi, which is an unlucky omen. When my brother watched this, he was terrified and couldn't sleep well.

In the eyes of the foolish brother, this matter is sudden, it is not just so simple as flooding farmland, there are three major abnormalities behind it, one of them, Qin Shouyi (Qin Gang, word) since he was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Water, Weishui flood control has never had such a mistake, this person is thoughtful, specializing in water conservancy, although the amount of water in Beijing is urgent, but the western suburbs are located at a high potential, it is not completely flooded, and from the water level to the flooding of the western suburbs, Shangshu Province has not been in a hurry, the brother suspects that there is something strange behind it, but the reason is impossible to investigate.

Second, His Majesty has not liked the prince for a long time, this is a matter that is clear to the whole court, after the death of the crown princess and the queen Gu, the prince's power is declining day by day, such as the flooding of the Beijing Division, such as major matters related to national policy and the people, there should have been His Majesty and the first assistant of the cabinet of the DPRK and the Central Committee to come forward in person, His Majesty actually ordered the crown prince Jinglan to supervise the country, and handed over all the major decisions to him alone. There was an uproar in the court, and they didn't know what the saint meant.

Third, if there were similar disasters in the past, the east and west cities would definitely be full of victims, starvation, separation, and tragedy in the world. In this flood, inside and outside the capital, except for a few beggars, there was no trace of the victims. This matter is too strange, and the elder brother pondered and meditated, but he didn't have a clue at all. The foolish brother knows that Tairan (Jiang Bing, word) has always been discerning, good at observing the strange things in the world, living in Quzhou for a long time, is really a talent that his brother has learned in his life, and now he thinks about it, only to think of Tairan (Jiang Bing, word) to return to Beijing as soon as possible, and solve the confusion of the Beijing teacher as soon as possible. ”

The night breeze brought a few coolness, and the lights in front of the window seemed to hear the sigh of the owner, swaying a few times in the wind, dripping and falling. Jiang Bing carefully re-read the contents of the letter again, "Master, let's take a look after drinking this soup, this is the Wuzhen soup that Miss has been boiling since the morning. Jiang Weizhong said respectfully with the soup on the side, he has been from a scholar in Jiang Bing to the head of Jiang Mansion for about thirty years. Jiang Bing put down the letter, a trace of warmth appeared in her eyes, and her daughter Liluo gradually grew up, and she looked even more beautiful, like her mother. If Yue'er is still here, how good it would be, sighed softly, drank all the bowls of soup, the taste was soft and warm, and melted in your mouth, "You go and rest, when I finish my official business, I will sleep peacefully." ”

"Yes", Jiang Weizhong gently covered the door, and walked outside the courtyard with a lantern, where the terrain is higher, you can see most of the situation in the Jiang Mansion, a few lights are on in the courtyard of the west window, thinking that the young lady has not fallen asleep yet, standing under the eaves, the corners of his mouth slightly show a few helpless and relieved wry smiles. After being discharged from the hospital, he continued to walk forward, Jiang Weizhong suddenly had a lot of thoughts in his mind, recalling that before his wife died, the house was still lively and peaceful, everyone talked and laughed, either they got together to play hydrangea, or Mrs. and other family members enjoyed the flowers and made wine and played cards together, although Mrs. Jiang was born noble, but she had a lively temperament, and she was generous and easy-going to her subordinates, so the maids often frolicked and played. Four years ago, Mrs. was ill and died not long after, and Mrs. Jiang was heartbroken, and he did not remarry, only letting Mrs. Wang's previous maid take care of his daily life. There are two children in Jiangfu, the eldest son Song will be seventeen next year, and he is studying in the Suiyang Academy of Beijing Division, living in the Shen Mansion of his wife's mother's house, Miss Liluo is fifteen years old.

"Fortunately, there are these two children, and they grow up healthy, which is the greatest wish of the lord and the dead lady." Jiang Weizhong thought of his master's hard work over the years, and couldn't help but think in his heart.

After Jiang Weizhong left, in the outer study, Jiang Bing's brows furrowed even deeper, the matter of Jingshi that Liu Qixin talked about was too tricky, and the people behind it were afraid that they would set off earth-shattering waves.

He knelt on the desk, thought about it for a while, and wrote, "Hearing the meaning of Brother Zikui, my brother privately thinks that there must be a behind-the-scenes promoter in Jingshi. The safety of the Beijing division is related to the livelihood of the society, and now the plan is to strengthen the patrol, stick to it day and night, record what he has seen and heard, and personally check the population of the Beijing division, and if there is anything abnormal, arrest it immediately. Be careful of the place where the public gathers, if the thieves want to take advantage of this flood to capture the capital, they must cooperate with the outside and create panic and public opinion. In addition, it is urgent to send another team of elite men and horses out of the city to investigate, find out the whereabouts of the victims, and be sure to find out the whereabouts of the victims in a short time. Above the court, if there are officials who are abnormal, shouting for His Majesty to appoint another prince or beheading and imprisoning the people who spread public opinion, immediately order someone to monitor it, and if it is found that it is in collusion with the thief, it will be taken down immediately. There was no order, the younger brother did not dare to enter Beijing without permission, and the danger of the Beijing division was carefully examined by Brother Zikui. Jiang Bing has lived in officialdom for a long time, and has been made an "iron official" by some of the local people, and understands that the most terrible enemy is the person who hides in the shadows, secretly strategizing, killing people invisibly, his face suddenly faces the window, and the grass and insects in the yard are chirping, one after another, the corners of Jiang Bing's mouth move slightly, even if the murderer who is hidden deeply, there will be a moment of revealing the horse's feet, which he is convinced of.

That night, the letter was sent to Shi Liu Qi, the commander of the Beijing Division Yu Linwei, by three hundred miles.

Note: The ancients generally called each other's "words", Tairan is Jiang Bing's character, and Zikui is Liu Qi's character.

Introduction:

Jiang Bing: The word is Tairan, originally a small official in Tongzhou Mansion, familiar with the law, careful as dust, good at investigating cases, and later married Shen Yue, the daughter of Shen Lun, the founding hero, and is now the governor of Quzhou, the eldest son Jiang Songming (17 years old), daughter Jiang Liluo (15 years old).