"Your Majesty, this is the confession of Fan Zhongwen, a county magistrate in Lingxian County, pointing to the crime of buying and selling official positions by Zhang Tingqian, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials."

On the second day, after the morning court, Lian Qingjue took the initiative to find Feng Yusheng, and when Gu Caizhi saw this, he also went with him.

"Oh?"

After receiving the confession submitted by Lian Qingjue, Feng Yusheng read it carefully and said, "There are human evidence, but there is physical evidence?" Cai Yong's old puppet, if there is no ironclad evidence in front of him, he must have many more arguments. ”

"The emperor can rest assured, Fan Zhongwen is extremely fond of money, and all the gold and silver artifacts in his hand must be engraved with his name, so the emperor only needs to send someone to Zhang Shangshu's house to search for it, and his own physical evidence will be placed in front of the prime minister."

"Haha, okay." Feng Yusheng couldn't help laughing: "It's hard work." Unexpectedly, the errand I handed over to Gu Qing finally ended up in Lian Qing's hands. ”

"The minister is not talented, and he has lived up to the emperor's expectations."

Gu Caizhi arched his hand.

"It doesn't matter, after all, you are the secretary of the Criminal Department, in charge of punishment." Feng Yusheng waved his hand, "So, inside the Criminal Department, I don't need to say more." ”

"I understand."

"Well, if there is nothing else to do, then step aside."

"Yes. The minister retired. ”

"The minister retired."

Lian Qingjue and Gu Caizhi slowly walked out of the main hall, and as soon as they arrived at the door, they felt the boiling heat rushing to their faces.

"Now that it's hot, will you feel better?"

Holding an oil-paper umbrella, the two slowly walked towards the gate of the palace, Gu Caizhi felt the sticky sweat on his forehead and asked.

"Well, it's better in the summer."

Lian Qingjue raised his arm and put his hand on Gu Caizhi's forehead without disgust.

"Isn't it cooler?"

"Why are your hands so cold on such a hot day?"

Pulling Lian Qingjue's hand down and holding it in his hand, Gu Caizhi frowned.

"I'm sick to the bones, no matter how warm the surface is, it's still cold in the bones." Lian Qingjue looked indifferent, "After so many years, I've been used to it." ”

“……”

The two continued to walk, Gu Caizhi was silent, and under the wide sleeves, they still held Lian Qingjue's hand tightly.

"Hey, Lord Gu, look, the person kneeling there looks very familiar."

Before he had walked a few steps, Lian Qingjue saw a person kneeling in the open space from a distance.

"It's Cui Jiuling." The way of Gu Cai. "Since he entered the palace to sing for the emperor, he has been left in the palace by the emperor, and it is said that the emperor is very attentive to him. This must have been a mistake, and he was punished by the emperor. ”

"Let's see?"

Lian Qingjue said that he had already walked towards Cui Jiuling, although Gu Caizhi was dissatisfied, he had no choice but to follow.

"Mr. Cui."

"Lady Lian?"

The sun above her head is getting bigger and bigger, and Cui Jiuling, who has been at a loss, has been practicing since elementary school, although she looks delicate, she is tougher than ordinary scholars and literati. Therefore, from kneeling last night to now, if it were an ordinary person, I am afraid that he would have fainted a long time ago, and although he was dizzy, his consciousness was still clear.

"Even Lord Lian came to see Jiuling's jokes?"

"Mr. Cui misunderstood." Lian Qingjue said: "It is said that the emperor is very attentive to Mr., now, how can he be willing to kneel here for so long first?" ”

Looking at Cui Jiuling's flushed face and watery sweat in the sun, Lian Qingjue said strangely.

"Heh, it's just that I don't do what people want." Cui Jiuling smiled bitterly, "Although I, Cui Jiuling, am a dramatist, I also have my own principles, although the emperor is noble, it is not in Jiuling's heart." ”

"Oh? That Mr. Cui is in his heart, but there are others? If so, I will go and ask the emperor for a favor, how about fulfilling you? ”

For some reason, Lian Qingjue felt a little unbearable in his heart and said.

"Even since the adults refused to help at the beginning, now, there is no need." Cui Jiuling glanced at Lian Qingjue deeply, then closed his eyes, took back his somewhat scattered thoughts, and said, "Life and death are fate, I, Cui Jiuling, don't resent anyone." ”

"Ouch, Lord Lian, Lord Gu, why haven't you two left yet?"

Suddenly, Cao Fuxi's voice sounded.

"Father-in-law Cao, this Mr. Cui ......"

"I said Lord Lian, now in the palace, don't let the emperor hear Mr. Cui's words." Cao Fuxi waved his hand, and then approached Lian Qingjue and said: "The emperor fell in love with him, it was his blessing, who would have thought that he had a very stubborn temper and refused to obey the emperor, the emperor was very angry, but he was reluctant to beat him and kill him, so he only let him kneel here." ”

"I see."

Lian Qingjue nodded.

"Two adults, let's go quickly, if the emperor comes out and sees you two talking to Mr. Cui later, I will have to lose my temper again."

Cao Fuxi kindly reminded.

"Well, let's go."

Lian Qingjue held Gu Caizhi's hand back, pulled him and was about to turn away, but heard Cui Jiuling's low voice behind him.

"Even the ...... of Adults"

"Huh?"

Lian Qingjue turned around.

"That's it." Cui Jiuling still closed her eyes, "Thank you, Lord Lian, for coming to see Jiuling's experience." ”

"Mr. Cui is polite."

Lian Qingjue replied lightly. Then he left side by side with Gu Caizhi.

"I said Mr. Cui, who is the emperor? That's the real dragon son of heaven, who in the world dares not to listen to the emperor's words? If you obey the emperor's wishes, you don't need this hot day, don't you suffer this crime here? ”

Seeing Lian Qingjue and the two walking away, Cao Fuxi took out a handkerchief and wiped the beads of sweat on his sideburns, and persuaded the person who was still kneeling on the ground, as if he was going to faint in the next moment.

"Father-in-law Cao, don't persuade me anymore."

Cui Jiuling bit his lip to death, trying to use the pain to recall his more and more blurred thoughts, but slowly, he only felt that his body was getting lighter and lighter, and his eyes were getting darker and darker, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, and he didn't know what to do.

……

"You are very interested in that Cui Jiuling."

And here, Lian Qingjue and the two slowly walked out of the palace gate, and the two got into Lian Qingjue's carriage together, Gu Caizhi finally couldn't hold back and said coldly.

"Ha, what kind of vinegar are you eating?" Lian Qingjue chuckled: "When did you see that I fell in love with him?" ”

"Hmph."

Gu Caizhi turned his head away as if he was angry, and no longer looked at the smiling people around him.

"But sometimes I feel like he's similar to me." Lian Qingjue smiled and said. "When I was seventeen years old, the emperor asked me to take charge of the department and purge him of people in the court who had dissenting intentions for him. But at that time, I was just a young man who had never seen any big scenes under the grace of my ancestors. So at the beginning, I almost offended the Manchu civil and military forces. And at that time, I was like this Cui Jiuling, even if I was scolded by hundreds of officials every day, there was always a hardness in my eyes that I did not admit defeat. ”

"In the future, there will be me."

Although listening to what Lian Qingjue said, it is not difficult to imagine how difficult his life was at that time. Gu Caizhi sighed, and gently put his arm on the shoulders of the people around him.