Song Nan shrunk behind the low wall and did not move, the snow fell on his head, and the cold around his body was biting, and the sheepskin jacket in the style of the common people on his body could not resist the cold, but fortunately, the gray appearance happened to hide his body well. Through the withered grass and low trees covered with snowflakes on the low walls, it can be seen that three or four successive groups of sneaky figures in the street are chasing after the carriage, and it goes without saying that these guys are all stalking about themselves.

After these people passed, Song Nan still carefully crouched behind the low wall and waited for tea time, and there were no suspicious people to follow, so he slowly got up and patted the thick snow on his body, and climbed out of the gap in the low wall to the street. There were only sporadic pedestrians in all directions, and the shopkeepers and men in the few dilapidated shops on either side were also hunched around the stove. Song Nan discerned the direction a little, put his two hands in his sleeves, and shrunk his head into the small alley on the right like an ordinary local citizen.

The cobweb-like alleys crisscrossed and deserted, with the occasional cry of a child coming from the huts on either side; In the middle of winter, such a house may not be much warmer than an ice cellar. Song Nan had no time to sigh at the suffering of the people, and walked along the alley with his head covered, and he fell into a dead end several times and had to retreat. Although he did his homework last night, Wang Yong led people to feel the terrain in this area, but it was still extremely difficult to compare the map with reality in the maze of these low adobe thatched houses.

Finally passed through this labyrinth array, and suddenly opened up in front of him, it turned out to be a small lake in the city, under the bare big trees by the lake, Song Nan saw a short figure with his head shrunk and sleeves caged, his heart was relieved, and he hurriedly walked away.

That person was Wang Yong, who had agreed to meet here, and in order to avoid the eyeliner around the Guanxue Tower, Wang Yong and Song Nan set off in batches and agreed to round here.

"Your Excellency." Wang Yong shouted in a low voice.

Song Nan waved his hand to stop him from saluting, and asked softly, "How far is it?" ”

Wang Yong said: "Go around the lake to the north, cross two alleys and arrive, just in case, you can only get off the car far away and walk over, otherwise you may be found intended." ”

Song Nan nodded and said that he understood, the reason why he got off the bus so far away from the destination was to prepare for the worst, even if he was seen when he got off the bus, they didn't know what their intentions were, if they got off close to the destination, it was easy to implicate the family they were going to visit. And on the way through, you can also reconfirm whether you are being followed.

The two of them shrank behind the tree and looked around quietly for a while, and then they got up and walked along the shore of the lake to the north, and after a while, the two had turned into another maze of grass huts, and after a few corners, they came to a small courtyard.

From the outside, the small courtyard is quite neat, there are a few large jujube trees in the yard, under the jujube tree is a stone mill covered with thick snow, the house is not as dilapidated as the surrounding houses, three rooms on the left and right with two small houses.

"Is this it?"

"This is it, my lord, let's go inside."

Song Nan nodded, Wang Yong gently stretched out his hand to push the wooden hedge of the fence open, and the two of them stepped on the thick snow before and after walking towards the house, and when they reached the bottom of the steps in front of the house, a fierce black dog suddenly burst out of the doorway under the left of the door, barking loudly at the two of them.

Song Nan was startled, and when he saw the dog pounce on him, he hurriedly retreated. Wang Yong took a step forward, raised his foot and kicked the dog's head, and the dog suddenly screamed twice and fell to the ground unconscious. At the same time, a voice came from inside the house: "Kuroko, what's wrong with you?" Sunspot. ”

The latch of the door clicked, the door was opened with a bang, and a descendant wearing a thick cotton jacket and a white gauze wrapped around his head poked his head out to look left and right, and saw two strangers standing on the steps in front of the door and a black dog lying upright on the ground.

Wang Yong stretched out his hand, and Hou Sheng couldn't close the door panel, and was squeezed in by Wang Yong, and Hou Sheng exclaimed: "Who are you?" What are you going to do? ”

Song Nan followed Wang Yong into the house, turned around and closed the door with a bang, the room was suddenly dark, and in the faint light of the bright tiles on the roof, it could be seen that the latter was retreating in a panic, his face was extremely nervous.

"Who are you? In the next house, they are poor and have no valuable things, if the two of them look at something pleasing to the eye, they will take it, and beg not to hurt their lives. ”

Song Nan stepped forward and said with a warm face: "Little brother, don't be afraid, we are not strongmen, we are looking for you for something." ”

Then Hou Sheng swallowed and spitted, "You guys...... Who are you? Why are you going to kill my dog and break in? ”

Song Nan said: "The dog just fainted and didn't die, if it barks wildly, our conversation won't be able to continue." Are you Zhu Changping, the son of Zhu Zhen, the housekeeper of Qingwangfu? ”

The latter exclaimed, "How do you know me?" I don't know you. ”

Song Nan looked around the room, except for a table, there were two stools in it, and there were straw curtains hanging at the doors on both sides, which was very shabby.

"Shall we sit down and talk?" Song Nan asked.

The aftermath was shocked, but seeing that the two of them spoke politely after entering the door, the fear in his heart was dispelled a lot, and he hurriedly said, "Please...... Have a seat. ”

Song Nan walked over and sat on the bench, and said slowly: "Don't panic, I'll come here today to ask you something, sit down and talk." ”

Zhu Changping said: "I don't know you, what do you ask me about?" ”

Song Nan said: "How long has it been since Ling Zun Zhu Zhen passed away?" ”

Zhu Changping said with a depressed face: "Why are you asking this?" Isn't it my father's close friend? My dad passed away three days ago. ”

Song Nan nodded and sighed: "Ling Zun is in a hurry, I heard that Ling Zun committed suicide, but I don't know what worries me, I can't think about it." ”

Zhu Changping looked at Song Nan and Wang Yong vigilantly and said, "Who are you?" If it is to mourn my father, the spiritual position is on the above plan, and the two of them can inject incense. It seems inappropriate to inquire about the deceased. ”

Song Nan raised his eyes and looked at the incense case above, and saw that a spirit tablet was placed there, and the candles on the candlesticks on both sides had burned out, and no one had replaced them; Song Nan got up and walked over, took out the incense branch in the incense box and lit it, bowed three times and inserted it into the incense burner, and sighed in his mouth: "Uncle Zhu, although you and I have never lived in life, we should give you a pillar of incense." I know that you did not commit suicide and died, and I will find out the grievances for you, so that you can be blinded by the nine springs. ”

Zhu Changping was even more surprised when he heard Song Nan's prayers, and asked again in a low voice: "Who are you guys?" Why didn't my dad die by suicide? ”

Song Nan was a look, Wang Yong took out the waist card from his waist and handed it to Zhu Changping, Zhu Changping then took a closer look, and almost threw away the waist card in shock: "You guys...... Are you Jinyiwei? ”

"I am Wang Yong, the servant of the Jinyi Wei Yamen, and that one is the Song Nan Song commander of our Jinyi Wei Yamen, and we all came to Ningxia Town from the capital not long ago."

"Jinyi Wei...... Commander? Zhu Changping's calves were weak, he fell to the ground with a puff, and said in a trembling voice: "Villain...... The villain didn't know the identities of the two Jinyi Guards just now...... Ask for forgiveness...... Forgiveness is one. ”

Song Nan turned around and helped him up and said, "You are not at fault, we are the uninvited guests, get up and speak." ”

Zhu Changping got up busily, busy getting water and making tea, but there was no firewood in the fire pond, and he turned around for a while.

"Brother Zhu, sit down and talk, I'm waiting for a few words to ask you about your father's death, is your father Zhu really the housekeeper of King Qing's Mansion?"

"Lord Hui, it's true, when the old prince was alive, my father was the housekeeper of Qingwangfu."

Song Nan sighed and said: "With all due respect, your father, as the housekeeper of the Qingwang Mansion, is not an official position in the imperial court, but he must also be extremely beautiful, but why is his family so poor?" I look at your house with four walls, it's unlikely. ”

Zhu Changping sighed: "It's not a secret, this house was originally the residence of my family's servants, and my Zhu family has a big mansion in the south of Caochangchang Street. It's a pity that as soon as my father died, this qiē was gone. ”

Song Nan said: "Why is that? ”

Zhu Changping said with a depressed face: "The mansion was originally given by the old prince, and as soon as my father died, it was taken back." Daddy...... Hey, my father met someone unladylike, and when I married two aunts and grandmothers, when I heard that my father was dead, they all swept away the family and fled without a trace; I was studying at the Lingzhou Official School, but when I heard the news and rushed back, there was nothing. Fortunately, this old mansion can survive, otherwise the villain may not even have a place to live. ”

Song Nan frowned, and said slowly: "Why did your father commit suicide, do you know?" ”

Zhu Changping wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and said in a low voice: "The statement of Qingwangfu is that my father violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty because he bought into Tuntian Mu without permission, and also brought huge trouble to the palace; They said that my father hanged himself in the firewood room where he was imprisoned because he thought that he would not be able to live and regretted discrediting the palace. ”

Song Nan said again: "Do you believe this statement? ”

Zhu Changping shook his head and muttered, "Do I believe it or not?" People are dead, things have happened, the only thing I want now is to keep filial piety and wait for the end of March to go back to Lingzhou official school to study, my father's wish is to hope that I can win fame, I will fulfill my father's wish. ”

Song Nan shook his head and said, "You are an unfilial son." ”

Zhu Changping was stunned and said: "Who said I am not filial? I have been filial to my father since I was a child, and my father praised me for my filial piety when he was alive, and my father was sick one year, and I couldn't untie my clothes to serve for half a month, who can say that I am not filial? ”

Song Nan shouted in a low voice: "Your father's death is unknown, you don't have a wish to find out?" Is this filial piety? Keeping filial piety for three months is useless, and keeping filial piety for thirty years is useless, it will only make your father's grievances more long-lasting. Let Ling Zun's eyes die is the greatest filial piety, otherwise you will be ashamed of being a son of man! ”

Zhu Changping was shocked and exclaimed: "You keep saying that my father's death was wronged, have you found any evidence?" ”

Song Nan sneered and said: "You should know better than us whether your father's death was wronged or not, you are his son, and you know your father Mo Ruozi, if you don't have the slightest suspicion, then we didn't say anything." ”

Zhu Changping sat on the stool dejectedly, rubbing his hands unconsciously, and said after a while: "I...... I don't want to dwell on this, so let's go. If Daddy knows something, he will understand my hardships, and Daddy will definitely not want my Zhu family to be the last. ”