In the next few days, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng looked like they were walking on thin ice and trembling, because they didn't know when Jiajing would call the two of them to the Qianqing Palace.

On the same day, after leaving duty, Yan Song and Yan Shifan, father and son, walked side by side and chatted gossip.

Yan Shifan saw that there was no one around, so he lowered his voice and said.

"Father, I don't know if you have noticed that there has been something wrong with Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng recently?"

When Yan Song heard Yan Shifan's words, he paused suddenly, turned around, and looked Yan Shifan up and down with cloudy eyes before he spoke.

"Well, these two people have really done something wrong recently, as if they have done something wrong!"

Seeing that his words were agreed by Yan Song, Yan Shifan suddenly felt excited, and then proposed to Yan Song.

"Father, do you need the child to send someone to find out the reason behind this?"

When Yan Song heard this, he rejected Yan Shifan's proposal without thinking about it: "Okay, you better take care of yourself first!" ”

After that, I saw Yan Song change his words, and then asked.

"By the way, how did the thing I told you go about earlier?"

"Father is referring to the matter of inviting some Taoist priests to open the altar in the Tribute Courtyard?"

When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, an uncertain look appeared on his face, and he turned to Yan Song to ask.

When Yan Song heard this, he just glanced at Yan Shifan coldly, and then asked rhetorically.

"This is natural, is there anything else important at the moment besides this matter?"

"Don't worry, father, the child has already found the Taoist priest from the Zhengyi Sect of Longhu Mountain, and it must be foolproof!"

Seeing this, Yan Shifan immediately patted his chest and assured Yan Song.

When Yan Song heard this, he nodded imperceptibly, then turned his gaze to Yan Shifan, and asked.

"By the way, as the chief examiner, won't you come over later?"

"Father, the child is not going, the Gongyuan side is too gloomy, besides, as you said before, this is just a formality, to find comfort!"

When Yan Shifan heard this, he laughed and replied.

When Yan Song heard this, he didn't criticize him too harshly, after all, the place in the Gongyuan was eerie and terrifying, and it was normal for Yan Shifan to be reluctant to go.

"Well, don't waste time, let's go back quickly!"

"Yes, Father!"

After that, I saw Yan Shifan keeping up with Yan Song's pace step by step, and the father and son marched together towards the place where the sedan chair was parked.

……

On the other side, the Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

After listening to Lu Fang's report, the corners of Jiajing's mouth rose slightly, withdrew his gaze from Lu Fang's body, and said to himself.

"Hmph, this Yan Shifan is quite good at neatness, and he actually went to invite the Taoist priest of the Zhengyi Sect of Longhu Mountain to go to the Gongyuan to open the altar!"

Seeing this, Lu Fang, who was on the side, finished sorting out the language in his mind before he spoke cautiously.

"Your Majesty, the slave maid once heard those officials mention that the weather over there in the Gongyuan is extremely strange, even if it is summer outside, the sun is like fire, and the heat is unbearable, the inside of the Gongyuan is still cold!"

"It is rumored that the reason why the weather in the Gongyuan is so strange is because of the depression in the Gongyuan, and there are too many candidates who have died in it, and the resentment cannot be dissipated for a long time!"

"Later, in order to solve this problem, the officials in charge of managing the Tribute Courtyard successively invited many senior monks to the Tribute Courtyard to overspend their grievances, and even asked the Taoist priest to go to the Tribute Courtyard to open the altar, but it had no effect!"

"After trying several times to no avail, I let it go, anyway, only when the township test and the meeting test are used, the tribute courtyard will be used!"

After listening to Lu Fang's narration, Jiajing couldn't help but be interested in it, only to see him pinching his chin with one hand and commanding.

"Well, this rumor is quite interesting, when the exam is held another day, go over with me to take a look!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Lu Fang heard this, he immediately leaned down and answered without thinking.

At this moment, Jiajing seemed to suddenly remember something, and the conversation changed, and then followed and asked.

"By the way, Lu Fang, how have Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng been in the past few days?"

"Your Majesty, as far as the slave maid knows, in the past few days, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng have looked trembling and unstoppable!"

Seeing this situation, Lu Fang didn't dare to hide it in the slightest, and immediately told everything he knew.

After listening to Lu Fang's report, Jiajing waved his hand quite casually and commanded.

"That's it, if it goes on like this, the two of them will have to be scared out of their minds!"

"In this way, Lu Fang, you send someone to deliver a message to them, just say that I have been in poor health recently, and I have no time to look at those sent songs!"

When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and immediately responded respectfully.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Hmm."

When Jiajing heard this, he only responded imperceptibly, and immediately commanded.

"Let's go, Lu Fang, accompany me to Ganlu Palace!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Lu Fang responded, he followed Jiajing out of the Qianqing Palace and marched in the direction where the Ganlu Palace was located.

On the way to Ganlu Palace, I saw Lu Fang call a little eunuch, and after whispering a few words in his ear, the little eunuch quickly took the order and left.

……

Beijing, Zhang Juzheng's residence.

Recently, whenever the value is lowered, Gao Gong will come to Zhang Juzheng's mansion to sit for a while.

There is no other reason, this feeling of waiting is too tormenting, and it is always good to have one more person to accompany you and distract yourself.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng didn't know how Jiajing would react after seeing the letter.

Will they be furious and immediately order the Jinyi guards to come to the door to get people, or will they take their proposal and let King Yu go to the fiefdom to become a vassal.

And the unknown is often the most frightening!

I saw Gao Gong take advantage of the situation to pick up the teacup soaked with wolfberries on the side, and after taking a sip, he sighed helplessly.

"Zhang Juzheng, what the hell do you say is going on, it's been a few days, why is there no news from Your Majesty?"

Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting at the top, was also full of helplessness on his face after listening to Gao Gong's complaints.

"Alas, I don't know, it stands to reason that Your Majesty's side should have received the note we submitted a long time ago, but now it's ......"

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, a touch of gloom couldn't help but appear in his eyes.

At this moment, I heard a rush of footsteps outside, and a servant hurriedly ran in, looked at Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting on top at the moment, and reported respectfully.

"Master, someone is in the palace!"

After listening to the slave's report, Zhang Juzheng suddenly got up from his seat, his face was full of excitement, and he immediately asked.

"Who's coming?"

"yes, who's coming?"

Seeing this, Gao Gong on the side also turned his gaze to the slave and asked eagerly.

Where had the slave seen such a battle, and after recalling it for a long time, he reported it in a hurry.

"Back to ...... Back to the master, the person who came seems to call himself Feng Bao! ”

When Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng heard this, they couldn't help but glance at each other, and immediately, they saw Zhang Juzheng withdraw his gaze, clear his throat, and command in a deep voice.

"Invite Grandpa Feng in!"

"Yes, sir!"

After receiving Zhang Juzheng's specific instructions, the servant did not stop in the room for the slightest, and immediately turned and left.

Soon after, Feng Bao walked into the room under the guidance of the slave.

When Feng Bao saw that Gao Gong was also at the scene, a look of surprise couldn't help but appear on his face.

However, Feng Bao soon suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, leaned down, and saluted respectfully to the two.

"I've seen two elders!"

Seeing this situation, Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting at the top, immediately waved his hand, and then asked.

"Gonggong Feng, is there something wrong with your sudden visit?"

Facing Zhang Juzheng's inquiring gaze, Feng Bao looked as usual and spoke unhurriedly.

"Elder Zhang Ge, my godfather asked our family to come over and bring you a word!"

"What?"

When Zhang Juzheng heard Feng Bao's words, perhaps because he was too excited, his hands hidden under his sleeves trembled slightly.

"Godfather, let our family tell you that in the recent past, Your Majesty has been in poor health and has no time to watch those performances that have been sent!"

"What!"

When Zhang Juzheng heard this, his face was full of shock, and he immediately lost his voice.

Not only Zhang Juzheng, but also Gao Gong on the side looked quite shocked, and then, the two glanced at each other, and they both saw a different meaning from each other's eyes.

"Could it be that Your Majesty has really been in poor health recently?"

Zhang Juzheng thought so, his face full of suspicion, but soon, he quickly denied this conjecture.

After all, he Zhang Juzheng had just met His Majesty not long ago, and His Majesty was already in his fifties, not only did he not have a single white hair on his head, but he also had no wrinkles on his face.

In addition, His Majesty has a very comparable amount of energy, how can he say that he is sick when he is sick?

Besides, if Your Majesty was in poor health, I am afraid that this news would have spread all over the government and the opposition long ago!

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng felt that this was more like a pretext, His Majesty was giving him and Gao Gong a step down: "I have been in poor health recently, I haven't seen the music you sent, and you don't mention this matter to me again!" ”

After Zhang Juzheng figured all this, he immediately came back to his senses, looked in the direction where Feng Bao was, and expressed his gratitude.

"I'm tired of Grandpa Feng running this trip personally!"

"Where...... Where, Zhang Ge is serious, our family is just running errands for our godfather! ”

When Feng Bao heard Zhang Juzheng's words, he immediately made a resignation.

After this, I saw Feng Bao's expression dazed, leaned down, and said goodbye to Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong.

"Now that the words have been brought, then our family won't stay too long!"

After Feng Bao finished speaking, he was about to walk away, and at this moment, Zhang Juzheng's voice sounded in his ears.

"Father-in-law Feng is slow!"

"Is there anything wrong with Elder Zhang Ge?"

When Feng Bao heard Zhang Juzheng's words, he paused suddenly, his face full of doubt.

Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng immediately called the housekeeper, and after whispering a few words to him, the housekeeper quickly left.

After this, I saw Zhang Juzheng clear his throat and turn to speak.

"Gonggong Feng, you have done a great favor this time, and I bother you to run in person!"

When Feng Bao heard this, his face was full of modest expression, and he immediately responded.

"Where, where, our family said before, our family is just running errands for the godfather, you want to thank the godfather, and you have to thank the godfather!"

When Zhang Juzheng heard Feng Bao's words, he nodded imperceptibly, and then spoke.

"Father-in-law Feng, I will personally visit Gonggong Lu another day and express my gratitude to Gonggong Lu!"

As they were talking, they saw the butler who had departed earlier go and return, and when he returned, he had an extra wooden tray in his hand, and it was full of large silver tickets, and many gold, silver, and jewels.

After this, I saw Zhang Juzheng turning his gaze to Feng Bao, his face full of gratitude.

"Gonggong Feng, you have done a great favor in today's matter, it is only a small courtesy, not a respect!"

When Feng Bao saw this, he was immediately shocked, only to see him looking in the direction where Zhang Juzheng was, his face was full of hesitation: "Elder Zhang Ge, this is ......"

Seeing this, Gao Gong on the side also added.

"Father-in-law Feng, you really helped us a lot today, take it!"

Feng Bao saw Gao Gong speak, the hesitation on his face suddenly disappeared, he knew very well in his heart that even if he didn't want to accept today's money, he had to accept it!

Immediately, I saw Feng Bao come back to his senses, bow his head, and salute respectfully.

"Well, thank you Zhang Ge for getting old!"

Zhang Juzheng saw that Feng Bao had accepted the money, and nodded with satisfaction.

"We still have some things to deal with next, so I won't stay here!"

"Father-in-law Feng go slowly!"

When Feng Bao heard this, he only bowed slightly, and then left the room under the guidance of the housekeeper.

After Feng Bao and the housekeeper left, only Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were left in the room, and after that, I saw Gao Gong sigh helplessly, and then spoke.

"It seems that His Majesty's side means that when this incident has not happened!"

Zhang Juzheng, who was on the side, heard Gao Gong's words, and also nodded, and then said with emotion.

"Well, Your Majesty, there should be his own considerations, those of us who are courtiers, don't speculate!"

When Zhang Juzheng said this, he paused for a moment, and then added.

"But that's fine, at least we can get a good night's sleep!"

"yes, I can finally get a good night's sleep!"

Gao Gong deeply agreed with Zhang Juzheng's words, and also sighed with emotion.

After this, I saw Gao Gong get up from the seat and say goodbye to Zhang Juzheng: "Since this is the case, then I won't stay with you for long, go back first!" ”

When Zhang Juzheng heard Gao Gong's words, he didn't stop him, but just responded imperceptibly: "Hmm." ”

On the other side, after Feng Bao left Zhang Juzheng's mansion in the capital, he took a sedan chair and marched in the direction of the Forbidden City.

At this moment, there are countless doubts lingering in his mind.

"Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, when did they get together?"

"And why did the godfather name me and let me pass the word to them?"

"Obviously, I just conveyed to Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng according to my godfather's instructions that Your Majesty has been in poor health recently, and I have no time to watch the news of those sent to me, and the two of them are very abnormal."

"It seems to be a relief, not only that, but they also said that I helped them a lot, and in addition, they gave me so many silver tickets, as well as gold and silver jewelry!"

"What the hell is going on here?"

"It seems that after I go back, I have to check it out in this direction!"

Immediately, I saw Feng Bao suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, lift the sedan curtain, and enjoy the surrounding scenery.

……

Night, Yan Mansion.

The lanterns outside Yan's Mansion had already been lit up, and there were two servants in charge of guarding the door at the door, chatting incessantly.

Seeing that there was no one around, a little guy lowered his voice.

"Hey, did you know that some time ago, the food in the kitchen in the house often decreased inexplicably?"

When the little guy next to him heard this, his face was full of disdain, and he turned to answer.

"Of course I know, didn't I say that it was because of the four-hour good (note: solid-colored cat) raised by Xiaoge?"

When the little guy who provoked the topic heard this, his face was full of arrogance, and he lowered his voice after looking around to make sure that no one was paying attention.

"Let me tell you, last night, the butler had already caught the culprit, I heard that it was ......"

Before the little servant finished speaking, he saw a rush of footsteps in the distance, and after a while, he saw several guards, escorting an official, hurriedly running over.

The official, supported by the guards, got off the horse, and the two servants saw the official's appearance clearly.

I saw that the official was panting, his face was pale, he couldn't breathe, and his face was full of fear that could not be concealed.

Seeing this, even if the two little guys wanted to come forward to interrogate, who knew that the official, as if they had seen a savior, immediately rushed up, firmly grabbed the hand of one of the little guys, and said breathlessly.

"Dead ...... Dead man, ...... Hurry up and report to the elder of the small pavilion, and say that there is a dead person over there in the Gongyuan! ”

When the two little guys heard this, they didn't dare to slack off at all.

Subsequently, I saw a servant in charge of pacifying the official, and another servant in charge of guarding the door rushed into the Yan Mansion as fast as possible to report it.

In Yan's Mansion, the room where Yan Shifan was.

Just as Yan Shifan was about to go to bed, there was a quick knock on the door from outside the door.

Seeing this, Yan Shifan couldn't help frowning slightly, and immediately put on his clothes and opened the door of the room.

Outside the door was the housekeeper, and at this moment, I saw the housekeeper looking panicked, and when he saw Yan Shifan coming out, he hurriedly leaned down and reported respectfully.

"Xiao Ge Lao, something is wrong, according to the little guy in charge of the gatekeeper, an official came to report just now, saying that there was a dead person in the Gongyuan!"

When Yan Shifan heard the housekeeper's words, his pupils suddenly contracted, and the original sleepiness disappeared in an instant.

Then, I saw Yan Shifan come back to his senses, turn his gaze to the housekeeper, and ask in a deep voice.

"Where are the people, take me there immediately!"

"Elder Xiaoge, people are already waiting in the living room at present!"

When Yan Shifan heard this, he nodded slightly, and immediately, he saw Yan Shifan put on his clothes and went to the hall where Yan Mansion was used to entertain guests under the leadership of the housekeeper.

When Yan Shifan came to the hall, he suddenly found that the person sitting in the hall at the moment was the official who was in charge of managing the tribute not long ago.

When the official saw Yan Shifan coming, he hurriedly got up from his seat and saluted respectfully.

"Next...... Xia Guan has seen Xiao Ge Lao! ”

Yan Shifan knew very well in his heart that there was no point in getting angry now, and the top priority was to understand what had happened!

Then, I saw Yan Shifan suppressing the anger in his heart, and went straight to the official in charge of managing the tribute court, and after looking him up and down, he asked in a deep voice.

"You just said that there are dead people over there in Gongyuan, is there such a thing?"

"Back to ...... If you go back to Xiaoge Lao, there are indeed dead people on the side of Gongyuan! ”

When the official saw Yan Shifan's scrutinizing gaze falling on him, he couldn't help but panic and replied hesitantly.

Yan Shifan didn't pay attention to the official's reaction, but sat straight on the top and asked in a cold voice.

"Tell me, who's dead?"

"Hui, Hui Xiaoge Lao, it was those Longhu Mountain Taoist priests who were invited by you to exorcise evil spirits in the Tribute Courtyard, a group of six people, all of them died, and not only that, but they didn't have any injuries on their bodies!"

"At present, the people of Shuntianfu have gone to the scene!"

When the official heard Yan Shifan's words, he did not hesitate at all, and immediately told everything he knew.

After listening to the official's words, Yan Shifan couldn't help but feel the world spinning for a while, and in an instant, he saw him barely holding his temples and commanding in a cold voice.

"Tell me everything that happened right now!"

"Yes, Elder Xiaoge, here's how it ......"

Under the narration of that official, Yan Shifan finally understood what happened.

The Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain, who were invited by him earlier to exorcise evil spirits, a total of six people, began to open the altar in the Gongyuan after nightfall.

And before entering the Tribute Courtyard, the six Dragon and Tiger Mountain Taoist priests had repeatedly told the official in charge of managing the Tribute Courtyard that they would not come out of the Tribute Courtyard until at least three hours later, and before that, they would definitely not be allowed to enter!

And the official in charge of managing the Tribute Courtyard also waited outside the Tribute Courtyard with guards according to their requirements, who knows, after three hours, the six Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain did not show the slightest sign of coming out.

At first, the official in charge of managing the Tribute Courtyard thought that there was something delayed by those Longhu Mountain Taoist priests, but remembering their earlier advice, the official in charge of managing the Tribute Courtyard did not rashly bring people in to investigate the situation.

After waiting for another hour, the official in charge of the Gongyuan noticed that something was wrong, and immediately led people into the Gongyuan, where the bodies of six Taoist priests were found.

And the strange thing is that there are no scars on the corpses of the six Taoist priests!

After noticing this situation, the official in charge of managing the Gongyuan immediately panicked, so he immediately sent someone to inform the Shuntian Mansion of the news, and he brought a few guards to the Yan Mansion to report the news!

(End of chapter)