When night fell, the entire city of Huai'an fell into silence, and the fate of the city, which was freed from the self-respecting Mei Yin last year, came to a new crossroads at this time.

After all, in this season of rising prices, the money for lamp oil is quite extravagant, and Xie Jin's convoy traveled all the way, only the lanterns carried by the high doors on the street were lit, and the candles were swaying, as if telling the world something.

Tonight, however, is destined to be a sleepless night.

"Look, Lord Chincha's car is coming."

With the sound of horses' hooves coming from afar, the originally peaceful area suddenly became lively.

A carriage approached the small square in front of the Yamen of the Salt Envoy, then circled half a circle, and slowly stopped in front of the Yamen of the Salt Envoy, and then a servant-like servant jumped out of the carriage and led the carriage to the back and tied it.

"Greetings to Lord Chincha!"

A group of well-dressed officials and salt ladies lined up on both sides to salute and shout in greeting.

The curtain of the carriage slowly lifted, revealing Chincha's face.

This is a rather delicate face, although he is a little older, about thirty-five or sixteen years old, but his facial features are upright, his skin is fair, and his figure is slender and well-proportioned.

"Gentlemen, please rise."

Xie Jin bowed slightly, his eyes quickly scanned around, and then asked, "Why didn't you see the Du Transit Envoy?" ”

"Well, if you go back to Qincha, Lord Shi has some urgent matters, so I can't go to meet you in person, but I'll see you as soon as I deal with it later." Among the officials present, some people quickly stood up when they heard the words and replied.

To everyone's surprise, Xie Jin just smiled indifferently, and then said, "I see, then let's go in." ”

When he stepped out of the carriage with a bit of reserve, the people around him stood up straight and walked in.

At this time, the special person was already waiting on the side, and when he saw this, he immediately greeted him and led the way in front.

"Chincha-sama, please."

"Please."

Xie Jin nodded slightly, and walked into the Yamen of the Salt Envoy with an elegant demeanor, and everyone present also followed one after another, hugging Xie Jin towards the inner hall.

After passing through the Moon Gate, the cloister and other buildings, a group of people soon came to an attic, which was divided into two floors and was decorated simply and quaintly.

"Lord Qincha, this is the place where you can rest for the time being, if you have any needs, just ask the people in the building, and the banquet will start immediately." The official in charge of guidance pointed to the attic in front of him and said to Xie Jin.

"Hmm."

Xie Jin responded lightly and walked straight into the attic.

In fact, he had already guessed what would be in the attic.

The appearance of the quaint attic, the inside is very clean and elegant, the windows are bright and clean, the tables and chairs are all made of mahogany, and the walls are hung with all kinds of calligraphy and paintings, and the bookshelf in the corner of the wall is piled up with a large number of ancient books, which is dizzying.

Not long after Xie Jin sat down, there was a sound of footsteps outside, followed by a knock on the door, and then a maidservant girl walked in with a tray.

The maid put the tea on the table and said in a low voice, "My lord, please use it slowly, and the slave and maid will retire." ”

After a while, another sound of footsteps came, and sure enough, it was Shi Youmin who came in person.

Shi Youmin naturally sat down and greeted Xie Jin for tea, and said with a smile: "I hope Lord Qincha understands, there are many people outside, and some things are inconvenient to say." ”

Xie Jin crossed Erlang's legs very impolitely and asked, "Xie has always been bright and fair, I don't know what the adults can't say to others?" ”

"Hahaha, Brother Xie is really temperamental."

Shi Youmin laughed loudly, not caring at all about calling his old three-grade master Xie Jin brother, and then lowered his voice mysteriously, and said: "In addition to picking up the wind and washing the dust for Brother Xie this time, I also brought a heavy treasure, and I want to invite Brother Xie to help appreciate it." ”

After that, Shi Youmin's tone suddenly changed, and he asked, "Brother Xie has ever heard of "Fuchun Mountain Residence Map"? ”

Xie Jin's head spun rapidly, hesitated slightly, and replied: "This is something I have heard, it is said that it was made by Huang Gongwang of the previous dynasty, but it was his masterpiece, and he died soon after the painting was completed, but unfortunately the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty was lost, and he disappeared after being lost to the people, and I don't know where the transfer envoy found it?" ”

Although "Fuchun Mountain Residence" is precious, after all, it has only been 50 years since it was painted, and it is not a rare and authentic work.

Sure enough, Shi Youmin took a scroll from the side and slowly spread it out, it was "Fuchun Mountain Residence Map", but his eyes were not on the painting at all.

"Speaking of Huang Gongwang this person, it is more interesting than this painting, Huang Gongwang was an official in his early years, but it was a knife in the hands of others, but a little pretentious, the former Yuan Yanyou two years, that is, ninety years ago, his grace advocated Lu to Zhongshu Province Pingzhang political affairs (from a product) to return to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, the law of 'experiencing field grain', Huang Gongwang followed, but where is it so easy to clean up field grain? Zhang Lu won the support of Yuan Renzong with the dignity of one person, and in the face of the surging public opinion, he finally caused a large-scale civil unrest because of his 'greed for doing things', and was sent by Yuan Renzong to hear and punish the crime, and Huang Gongwang was also imprisoned. It was only after he was released from prison that he realized that he was not engaged in politics at all, and he could not succeed with his enthusiasm alone. So he taught Jin Yueyan, participated in the Quanzhen faction, and socialized with Zhang Sanfeng, Mo Yueding, Leng Qian and other Taoist friends, lived in seclusion on the small hill of Changshu, and placed his affection between the mountains and rivers. ”

Shi Youmin's smile did not decrease, and he said slowly: "Brother Xie is a great talent, this "Fuchun Mountain Residence Map", if you want to come to Brother Jie, you must like it, so let's give the calligraphy and paintings in this house to Brother Jie, I don't know what Brother Xie wants?" ”

Xie Jin still doesn't understand what Shi Youmin means?

Who is Zhang Lu today? Nature refers to Jiang Xinghuo.

So who is Huang Gongwang today? Of course, it's a solution.

Shi Youmin said clearly, if you are interested, you will definitely return dissatisfied; If you don't know how to be interested, you will be reduced to the same ending as Huang Gongwang.

Xie Jin thought about the pros and cons slightly, and then snorted coldly and said, "Is Lord Du Zhuan bribing Xie?" ”

Of course, this can't convict Shi Youmin, after all, this is just an indoor conversation between the two, and no third party is present.

At this time, Xie Jin's attitude was undoubtedly revealed, and Shi Youmin was not surprised, he did not completely tear his face, but said.

"The words of a saint are a good thing, but the person who can finally grasp the situation in this world will never be a person who walks the way of a gentleman, so what is the use of a saint's words no matter how reasonable they are? But on the other hand, is it right to completely turn your back on the path of the past and take risks? ”

"Brother Xie, I advise you, stop it."

Xie Jin was silent, thought for a long time, suddenly raised his head, and said seriously: "In this way, the lord will hand over all the salt taxes that have been shortcut in the past and send them to the treasury, and I will stop it, how about it?" ”

"Brother Jie, I'm afraid this matter is difficult."

Shi Youmin pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said with a wry smile: "When I came here today, I had long expected that Brother Xie would definitely have something unspeakable, but we can talk about it, why do you want to make it like this?" In fact, as long as Brother Xie is willing to agree, it can be guaranteed that Brother Jie's safety here will definitely not be a problem, even if someone dares to plot against Brother Jie, he will definitely be able to protect him. ”

After saying this, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became stagnant.

Xie Jin's heart suddenly trembled violently, and fine beads of sweat continued to appear on his forehead, but fortunately, there was hair to cover it, but he didn't show any clues.

Although I don't know what Shi Youmin's "protect you thoroughly" means, it is not difficult to judge from the other party's sworn tone that this is not just talking, this is the most direct personal threat.

"Is this going to threaten me?" Xie Jin took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and said.

"It's not a threat, if Brother Xie agrees to this matter, he will definitely not treat Brother Xie badly, except for the things in it, and even Brother Xie can get this amount from the Lianghuai Salt Farm every year."

Shi Youmin gestured and said with a smile: "At that time, whether Brother Xie wants to continue walking on the temple or has other plans, there is no problem, what does Brother Xie think?" ”

A stick in one hand, a carrot in the other, and another carrot in the other.

The assassination of Qin Cha has been uncommon since ancient times, and although Xie Jin is crazy, he has to consider his personal safety at this time.

Moreover, this banquet was originally to make a false deal with the other party, and there was also a purpose to cover Zhao Haichuan's actions, so there was no need to fight to the end.

Xie Jin's face was cloudy, and he hesitated for a long time before he said, "I will consider the proposal of the envoy in the future." ”

Shi Youmin nodded with satisfaction, expecting that although Xie Jin was famous all over the world, he was originally just a petty official of the Hanlin Academy, and he climbed to his current position by drilling the camp and standing in line with the law change faction, and he had never been affected to such a degree by money, so it was impossible not to be tempted by Shi Youmin's temptation.

Not long after Shi Youmin left the attic, the feast began.

The official of the Yamen of the Salt Envoy Division walked to the banquet venue with Xie Jin, and then pointed to the top position and said, "Lord Qincha, please take a seat!" ”

Xie Jin looked around and found that the banquet hall was beautifully furnished, with carpets on the floor and porcelain in the corners, which was a luxurious scene.

This kind of scene made Xie Jin gain a lot of knowledge, he had never seen a yamen that could be so magnificent.

Just as he was sighing, Shi Youmin suddenly clapped his hands, and two young girls immediately walked in outside the door.

"Lord Qincha, the environment here is quiet, quite suitable for tea and moon appreciation, please!"

Unlike when he was welcomed, there were not many officials attending the banquet, Shi Youmin took the lead in taking a seat, and then motioned to the two young girls to pour tea and hand water, and drink tea by themselves.

Both of these women were wearing pink and white long dresses, with a light blue embroidered belt tied around their waists, and under the slender willow-leaf-like eyebrows, there were a pair of bright beautiful eyes, as if they contained infinite affection, which made people fall into it without paying attention.

Xie Jin couldn't help but take a look, when he was in Yangzhou, he knew that there was a thin horse, and he didn't know what tricks the adjacent Huai'an had.

Shi Youmin noticed Xie Jin's abnormality, smiled, pointed to the two young girls, and said: "Lord Qincha has just arrived in Huai'an Mansion now, and there is no one to take care of him, these two girls can be described as knowledgeable, gentle and virtuous. ”

After that, he smiled at the two girls and said, "Haven't you seen Lord Qincha soon?" ”

The two girls were shy, and Ying Ying bowed: "I've seen Lord Qincha." ”

Xie Jin's heart fluttered when he saw the two young girls like this, but it was only a matter of a moment, and the next moment, the thoughts in his heart were instantly extinguished, replaced by a thick fear.

"Send calligraphy and paintings, send money, send beauties, if you change people who are not strong-minded, I'm afraid it's really half pushed." A thought flashed through Xie Jin's mind.

As the banquet began, a group of officials came up to toast, Xie Jin did not refuse, these people were flattering and flattering to Xie Jin, Xie Jin was also hypocritically perfunctory, on the surface it looked not so serious, but in fact it was vigilant.

After all, this is someone else's territory, fighting away, there are too many disadvantages, and these attempts to corrode his wealth and flattery are like a sharp sword hanging over his head, and if he is not careful, he may fall down and stone him to death, completely ruining his career.

Shi Youmin doesn't understand Xie Jin, he doesn't understand how rare a talented person who has been in officialdom for ten years will be if he gets the opportunity to stretch.

Therefore, in Xie Jin's view, this plan will never allow any accidents to happen.

must defeat the enemy with one blow, otherwise, Shi Youmin is right, he may really become the second Huang Gongwang, and what awaits him will be a prison sentence!

Xie Jin was comfortable among these people, drinking and chatting with them.

These people kept flattering him, and in a flattering manner, they almost lifted him up to heaven.

"Haha, you guys are so loving!" Xie Jin held the wine glass and said with a smile, "Today is a public banquet, it is not advisable to drink too much, just accompany the adults to drink a little less, I hope you don't mind!" ”

Seeing this, everyone said they didn't care.

Then, Shi Youmin gave a look and asked the other people around Xie Jin to retreat, leaving only two young girls waiting by his side.

In Shi Youmin's opinion, although Xie Jin is a scholar, he is a man after all, and he should not resist beauty, especially these two beautiful girls can be called beautiful women, with beautiful faces, which is even more coveted.

Without Xie Jin's greeting, the beautiful girl took the initiative to pour him a glass of wine, and Xie Jin then took a sip and exclaimed: "Good wine, it's really good wine!" ”

"If Brother Xie likes it, how about I give Brother Xie a jar another day?" Shi Youmin said with a hearty smile.

Quietly, the name has changed, and the atmosphere of the banquet has reached its peak.

Seeing that the officials present were all looking at him, Xie Jin naturally knew that it was difficult to shirk at this time.

"How dare I refuse?"

Xie Jin laughed and continued to stagger with Shi Youmin.

With just such a small glass of wine, Xie Jin soon felt a little dizzy.

He didn't drink much himself, and the glass of wine just now had exceeded his limit, and now he was already drunk.

"Brother Xie seems to be drunk!"

Shi Youmin saw Xie Jin's cheeks flushed, and couldn't help but be concerned.

"I'm fine!"

Xie Jin shook his head, although he said that it was okay, he still stood up strongly, but his choice was very sober: "That's it for today, there is still something to do, so I will leave first." ”

"Hold on to Lord Chincha."

"Uh...... All right. ”

Xie Jin nodded, then let the two girls support him and walked out slowly.

Walking out of the banquet hall, Shi Youmin suddenly made a look, and the two girls understood, and helped Xie Jin to walk towards the attic.

"My lord, wake up first, my lord?"

Seeing this scene, a cold smile appeared on the corner of Shi Youmin's mouth.

——————

At the same time as the banquet began, Jinyiwei also began to act.

Zhao Haichuan took the Jinyi guards into several groups, and went straight to the outer mansions of several officials of the salt envoy department, and when they encountered resistance, they first gave a scabbard, and then tied everyone with ropes, and then searched the room.

Jin Yiwei's behavior made these prosperous areas jump up, and many families saw it, but no one dared to care about Jin Yiwei's tough methods.

Of course, Jinyiwei is not stupid and has not seen blood, but in the name of tracking down the theft.

"My lord, we really can't do it? This woman who is splashing and rolling is really noisy. A brocade guard held back his anger and asked Zhao Haichuan beside him.

"Don't mess around!"

Zhao Haichuan rolled his eyes, and said helplessly: "We are doing this errand by order, but if we really get someone's life, I'm afraid it will be troublesome." ”

Jin Yiwei let out a stupid "oh" and continued his mission.

After a while, several brocade guards returned to Zhao Haichuan one after another, and reported: "Hundred households, subordinates have searched all the rooms, and there are no special finds, but they have searched a lot of money, which is enough for thousands of yuan!" ”

"Good guys!" Zhao Haichuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

Zhao Haichuan stretched out his hand and took out a document from his sleeve, handed it to his subordinates, and instructed: "It's all recorded, and I will send this letter back to Beijing when I go back, and ask Your Majesty to make a holy judgment." ”

"Move on to the next one."

Jin Yiwei quietly touched the courtyards and turned the outer mansions of the officials of the salt envoy department upside down.

Although this matter seems to have little impact, it is very wide-ranging, especially involving the middle and high-level officials of the Yamen of the Salt Envoy Division, and these officials are all attending the banquet, and they have no time to react, so the whole action is extremely fast, and the search mission is successfully completed without encountering any resistance, and not even a single chicken feather is left.

"Lord Baihu, the summary situation is already clear."

As soon as Zhao Haichuan arrived at the assembly site, he saw a small flag hurriedly running in and saying: "A part of the silver and jewelry was found from the outer houses, which is about 40,000 taels if converted into silver, and there are also a lot of antiques and calligraphy and paintings, which are difficult to convert into value, and it is estimated that it is about six or seven thousand taels." ”

Zhao Haichuan was immediately satisfied when he heard this, nodded and said, "Well, I have worked hard, brothers, I will not forget." ”

The Jinyi guards said happily: "Lord Xie! ”

Soon, the assembled Jinyi Guards came to the Yamen of the Salt Envoy Division.

"Wait!"

A salt envoy who was guarding the door stopped Zhao Haichuan and the others, frowned and pretended not to know and asked, "What is your position?" How can salt make a heavy place, how can you trespass? ”

Zhao Haichuan said lightly: "Zhao Haichuan, one hundred households of Jinyi Wei, this time I was ordered to arrest the criminal officer, get out of the way!" ”

"Jin Yiwei? Do you have a driver's license? ”

The official still stopped in front and asked coldly.

Zhao Haichuan impatiently showed his driving post and said, "What, do you want to block it?" ”

The official was startled, and hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, no."

"Why are you still stunned! Hurry up and let go! ”

Zhao Haichuan shouted loudly, and the brocade guards next to him immediately rushed forward and pushed away several officials who were blocking the road.

Zhao Haichuan led everyone into it with a menacing attitude, and the officials he met along the way retreated.

Entering the Yamen of the Salt Envoy Division, the first thing that catches your eye is a huge wall, and after bypassing, the vast building group covers an area, which instantly makes people lose their sense of direction.

Zhao Haichuan scolded secretly: "This salt envoy is really rich. ”

As Zhao Haichuan approached, the officials who walked out of the banquet also discovered them, which immediately caused a commotion.

Zhao Haichuan glanced around and said loudly: "Stay where you are!" ”

The few people led by him hesitated for a moment, waved their hands, and signaled not to act rashly, after all, Jinyiwei is the pro-army of the Son of Heaven, if he really makes a fuss, it will not be beneficial to himself and others.

One of them arched his hand and asked politely, "Excuse me, is this Lord Zhao of the Jinyi Guard?" ”

Zhao Haichuan said lightly: "That's right, it's contemptible." ”

The man smiled and said, "I have admired the name for a long time, and I am very fortunate to see it today, very lucky!" ”

Zhao Haichuan didn't bother to take care of him, he went straight to the inner hall, looked at the people standing in front of the table, locked his eyes on the older man sitting in the middle, and said in a deep voice: "Zhao Haichuan, the brocade guard, I have seen the master of the transfer envoy!" ”

Shi Youmin raised his eyelids and glanced at Zhao Haichuan, and said lightly: "It turned out to be Zhao Baihu, did you have anything to do with coming to this official?" ”

Zhao Haichuan arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty's dictation, Jinyi Wei assists the Qin Cha in investigating the lack of salt tax, if there is any obstacle, it will be killed!" ”

"Such a big battle?" Shi Youmin sighed lightly: "This official obeys the order!" ”

"Lord Qincha came to the banquet, where is he now?"

"Decanting in the attic on the other side."

Not long after, Xie Jin was rescued by Zhao Haichuan from Gentle Township, but Xie Jin's drunkenness did not seem as obvious as before.

Looking at Zhao Haichuan, Xie Jin said with a regretful face: "There are a few adults in the Yamen of the Salt Envoy Division who drank with me just now, and a lot of things have been found in the outer house, I am afraid that they will not be able to afford it for a lifetime, so I have to go back with Jinyiwei, and the adults should be able to understand it." ”

Shi Youmin frowned, he didn't know that he was caught off guard by Xie Jin, changed his title again, and said coldly: "Qin Cha is doing this, just relying on some clues to catch the wind and shadows, it's too hasty, right?" ”

"The judge has his own decision." Xie Jin said proudly.

At this time, Shi Youmin really looked at Xie Jin with level-eyed eyes.

Suddenly, Shi Youmin laughed out loud a few times.

"Okay, well, then according to Lord Qincha's wishes, let them all go back and cooperate with Jinyiwei's investigation."

After that, he said meaningfully to the several middle-level and high-level officials involved in the Salt Envoy Division: "If it is your own responsibility, you have to admit it, no, you have to protect your innocence, understand?" ”

A few people were a little relieved, and they said yes.

And after Xie Jin and Jinyi Wei left the Yamen from the messy salt envoy Si Yamen majestically, Shi Youmin returned to the back office with a gloomy face.

"Start now."

(End of chapter)