"Three things, all bad news."

"Lord Dali Siqing, has your ability to do things always been so poor?" Sima Xunian didn't look at him squarely. However, Sima You informed him in the middle of the night last night that he had already guessed that it was not a good thing, but he didn't expect the situation to be so bad.

"None of these three things are subjectively controllable by you and me. The first is to pursue Xue Yang at sea, but it was unsuccessful, no matter how strong our people are, they are also strong on the ground, and Yangzhou has a dense water network, which is completely unable to play a role. He escaped from the mouth of the Yangtze River, and our ability to arrest at sea is even worse, and he probably has fled to Silla or Baekje. ”

Sima Xunian finally looked at him, also wrinkled his eyebrows, and said, "Shen Yong is a good hand on the water, how could he miss." ”

"After all, he is still a wanted criminal, and he doesn't dare to let him show his face, so he only lets him plan behind his back."

"I'm afraid that there will be endless troubles...... What about the other two things? ”

"Let's talk about it simply, Song Zhongming's case, I'm afraid it will be a light sentence."

When Sima Xunian heard this, he immediately said angrily, "The evidence is conclusive, how can it be a light sentence?!" ”

"Calm down and put away your personal emotions first. Song Zhongming insisted that he was because he was the new head of the dossier and was not familiar with this errand, which was a mistake in his busy schedule and had no intention of doing it, and he did not take the missing and scattered dossier out of Dali Temple, but put it in the study for reference. Therefore, at most, he will be dismissed, and his reputation will not be erased. ”

Sima Xunian snorted coldly, "If you can keep the title of Tanhua, there will be a comeback...... What's the other piece? ”

"This was supposed to be a good thing, but unfortunately, it turned bad." Sima You lowered his voice, "I promised you that as soon as I returned to Chang'an, I would carefully investigate the file of Ling Zun's crimes back then, and now, I have some eyebrows." ”

When Sima Xunian heard this, he immediately looked at Sima You.

"You once said that the dispute between Ling Zun and then was a case of sale and purchase of a mansion, but you don't know the details. Now I've pretty much figured it out. When your father was admitted to the Jinshi, because of the status of the clan, he was given to stay in Beijing to serve, entered the Hanlin Academy, and soon rose to the scholar from the fourth grade Chongwen Pavilion University, and he was the same year and the first, and the nodding champion Shen Yong, back then was only the fifth grade Lujiang County Taishou, it is conceivable that if it goes well, your father will be the marquis and worship the prime minister, just around the corner. ”

"It's a pity ......," Sima You continued, "in the year of his promotion, he reached a sale and purchase agreement with Tao Rong, the head of the Tao Mansion in the northeast of Chang'an City, to buy the Tao Mansion Mansion for 30,000 taels of silver. However, this agreement was quickly nullified, and your family did not move into Tao Mansion, and your father did not even get back the 30,000 taels. ”

"Yes, these 30,000 taels were made up by our family selling their ancestral property in Yizhou, and my father planned to take our mother and son to Chang'an and live in Chang'an. Later, after this dispute, as long as the silver came back more than 10,000 taels, this money could not gain a foothold in Chang'an at all, so we had to buy property in Yizhou again, and the family property was lost more than half, for which my mother was also seriously ill. Sima Xunian's face became more and more cold.

Sima You paused for a moment, "The reason why this deal didn't work out is because Tao Rong died...... He hanged himself in his house. ”

Sima Xunian was taken aback.

"This is the basis for the later supervision of the imperial history of your father's book, 'Bad morality, persecution of people's lives', the case file also recorded the confessions of the Tao family back then, all pointing to your father forcing the Tao family to sell their ancestral property cheaply."

"Ridiculous!" Sima Xunian couldn't help but slap the table hard.

"Tao Rong is just a civilian, and no one cares about the exact cause of his death. Whatever the reason, Tao Rong did commit suicide after reaching a sales agreement with your father, and there is a confession from his family, pointing out that your father forced him to sell his ancestral property cheaply. The saint hated the official unkindness the most, and Ling Zun forced the good people to death and encroached on the ancestral property, which made him even more angry, so he relegated him to Liaodong and meditated on his own mistakes. ”

Sima Xunian hurriedly said, "In this way, wouldn't it be possible to overturn the case if the Tao family and the supervising imperial history who handled the case were found out and confronted?" ”

"This is the reason why the good news has turned bad, the supervising Yushi who handled the case has returned to his hometown and has nowhere to look for him, as for the people of the Tao family, they have sold all their fields at a low price after your father was degraded and disappeared without a trace."

Sima Xunian slapped the table again, and the tea splashed.

"Since you suspect my father, why don't you send it to Dali Temple to find out clearly? Just convicted my father on the basis of a book from the Imperial Historical Observatory and the Menxia Province?! ”

"Strictly speaking, there is no conviction, and if there is a conviction, it is not just a derogatory. Goshidai is not eligible to be convicted. The Holy One belittled him because he was 'morally immoral,' which is not a crime in the Dacheng statute. As for why he didn't send it to Dali Temple, it was because someone interceded for him and quickly ended the matter. ”

Sima Xunian snorted coldly, "The so-called plea is equivalent to interrupting the investigation, interrupting the investigation, my father will never have a chance to return to innocence, it is simply a 'life talisman', who is this person!" ”

"At that time, Zheng Erpin Zhongshu Province Zhongshu Order, Yang Hui."

"It's him?!" Sima Xunian didn't expect that Yang Hui had told him that he had tried his best to rescue his father back then, because his father was the chief examiner when he was a jinshi, and his father was his protégé and his person...... Unexpectedly, his so-called rescue was in such a way......

"At that time, the plea was indeed a double-edged sword, although it could ensure Ling Zun's life and official status, but it also lost the opportunity to prove his innocence, but there was one person who was not as smart as you, and that was Shen Yong. Shen Yong was in charge of reviewing your father's resume back then, and he didn't want to seal the review book of Zhongshu Province and was manipulated, from 'verifying that it was correct' to 'after verification, the dispute involving human life was not truthfully reported', he was already puzzled, and he blamed himself. Yang Hui pleaded this time, he thought that it was Yang Hui who saved your father's life, and he was very grateful to him, plus he was also Yang Hui's protégé, and later, he naturally became a member of the second prince's camp. Yang Hui knew that Ling Zun was difficult to keep, so he used him to be a favor, in order to win over Shen Yong. As it turned out, he succeeded. ”

"In this way, Shen Yong's deliberation letter is also the hand and foot of Yang Hui's people?"

"It's unlikely, Menxia Province has never been Yang Hui's sphere of influence, and he can't steal the dragon and turn the phoenix quietly."

Sima Xunian couldn't think more about it, the political situation was treacherous, a hundred times more unpredictable than the battlefield, and he felt that he had unknowingly become a pawn manipulated by others......

"Yang Hui is cunning and cunning, killing two birds with one stone in your father's public case, not only taking advantage of the situation to drive Ling Zun, a celestial celebrity, out of the court, but also attracting Shen Yong, a talent. He was proud at the time...... However, perhaps because it was too smooth, he slowly relaxed his vigilance, and five years later, he capsized in the gutter in the 'Tibetan slave case', lost the throne of Zhongshu Ling, and was demoted by one level, and was transferred to the left servant of Shangshu from Erpin Shangshu Province. ”

Sima Xunian pondered for a while and stood with his hands behind his back, "In this way, Shen Yong is indeed not the one who framed my father?" ”

"Not to mention that Shen Yong's personality can't do such a thing, and he doesn't have the motive to frame your father. At that time, he had just been transferred back to Chang'an from the post of Taishou of Lujiang County, and he had no foundation, and your father was already a close and powerful bachelor of the Son of Heaven, plus the relationship between the two has always been very good, maintaining a friendly relationship is beneficial to Shen Yong Baili and harmless, will he be stupid enough to push down his only old friend in the court? ”

"It's just your thoughts," Sima Xunian still had doubts, "if he had taken refuge in Yang Hui early on, it would have been logical." ”

Sima You was speechless for a while, and after a while, he said, "There is no evidence now, I can't talk about you, you have to think it out yourself!" However, now you must at least understand that in Ling Zun's unjust case, Yang Hui's role is very problematic and ambiguous, so it is impossible for him to overturn the case for your father, so it makes no sense for you to take refuge in him. ”

Sima Xunian understood in his heart that Sima You's implication was to hope that he would get rid of party politics and return to Zhongzheng, but he understood that if there was no camp protection, his position might soon be replaced by people with camps, and it would be difficult for him to even die well. Therefore, he was silent again.

Sima You saw through his thoughts, "I know that you are burdened with a family feud, and I don't want to say anything, after all, it is very difficult to overturn the case for a guilty person who has been criticized by the royal pen, which is tantamount to rebuilding order." ”

Sima Xunian turned around and looked at him, "You remembered your 'slave hiding case'?" ”

"The Tibetan slave law is a good law that is beneficial to the society of the country, and it should not be abolished, I said that as long as it is beneficial to the society of the country, I will do my best."

"When I have the chance, I would also like to know about the 'Tibetan slave law' that you have abolished for sleeping and forgetting to eat." Sima Xunian became curious.

"You bear the family hatred, I bear the national hatred, it seems that we have the same path." Sima You teased.

"At present, we have no special way, completely eradicate Xue Yang's forces, I'm afraid you are also on this path."

"Why not? You want to eradicate him because Yang Hui put pressure on you, and I want to eradicate him because he committed a crime! Sima You was a little anxious.

Seeing that he was anxious, Sima Xunian was comfortable, and after saying "farewell", he raised his feet and left, calling Sima Yu angry that he was ungrateful.

Sima Xunian turned over on his horse when he left the Dali Temple Qing Mansion and rode home, thinking about the case of his father just sorted out as he walked.

In fact, he already had a suspicion of the person who framed Shen Yong and falsely accused his father, but he was not very sure, and the records that Sima You consulted had no trace of this person, so he did not mention it.

As he walked, he forgot to tighten the reins, and the horse slowly went astray. Suddenly, there was a scream, and he quickly came back to his senses, only to realize that his mount had almost hit a carriage!

He immediately stopped his horse, turned over, and apologized, "I am reckless, please forgive the nobles in the car." ”

Before long, a woman's voice came from the carriage, "Where did the reckless man come from, he almost collided with my young lady, if the young lady has a case, can you afford it?" ”

Hearing that the sound should be a maid, Sima Xunian was dressed in casual clothes, not wearing official clothes, others naturally did not know his identity, he hurriedly said, "I don't know if it disturbed the nobles, if you are disturbed, please tell me where you are in the lower house, and come to the door to apologize on another day." ”

"Hmph, our young lady is the daughter of the adult in the second grade, can you afford to pay it?"

"Little Peach, don't be rude!" A gentle voice came from inside, "Childe, I'll be well, you're serious." ”

It turned out to be Qin Tianlin's daughter in the door...... Sima Xunian didn't want to dwell on it too much, "Fortunately, the noble man is fine, then he will retire." After saying that, he turned over and got on his horse and left.

The carriage of the Qin Mansion stopped for a while, and soon continued to set off. Sima Xunian looked back, seeing that the guards of the Qin Mansion did not move, thinking that Miss Qin should not be angry, so he continued to go home.

A few days later, the investigation and trial of Song Zhongming's case in Dali Temple has been brought to the Criminal Department, and the matter of the six-grade petty official does not need to be seen by Shangshu, but the matter is personally assigned by the emperor, and the nature is special, so it was first submitted to Sima Xunian's table.

Sure enough, as Sima You said, the verdict issued by Dali Temple characterized it as "dereliction of duty", so there was only a dismissal punishment, and there was no mention of his fame, so now Song Zhongming is still a dignified Tanhualang.

Yang Hui's instructions were also sent to him, asking him to instruct Dali Temple that the investigation was not strict, and that he should be punished for the crime of bullying the monarch and subverting the dynasty, and he should be sent back to Dali Temple for retrial.

Sima Xunian had a headache, so he first pressed down the verdict and returned to the house.