At this critical moment, Kui Xuan rushed to the gate of the Sun Mansion in time with two hundred soldiers. He shouted loudly: "All the people obey the order, do not block in front of the gate, and let the Taihao City Lord enter immediately!" ”

When the people saw that Kui Xuan was leading so many soldiers to come, the momentum was violent, and the people who originally planned to stop it suddenly lost their confidence. Fearing the majesty of the soldiers, they did not dare to resist any more, and they dodged a passage one after another.

Seeing this, Tai Hao immediately made a decision, and quickly walked through the crowd with four officials and entered Sun's mansion. Seeing that Taihao had entered safely, Kui Xuan asked, "City Lord, does the lower official need to bring troops into the mansion?" ”

Tai Hao knew that the situation in Sun's Mansion was complicated, and shook his head slightly: "General Kuixuan, you are waiting outside the door." I have my own arrangements. ”

After Taihao entered Sun's mansion, he immediately asked a family member, "What is Sun Fa's business?" ”

The family replied tremblingly, "I don't know, little one." ”

Taihao didn't stop and walked straight towards the front hall. When he came to the front hall, he was suddenly stopped by four men. One of them reported to his family: "In Xia Sun Dan, he is the eldest son of Sun Fa, the head of the Sun family, I don't know what happened to the city lord when he came to the house today?" ”

Tai Hao stared at them coldly, and said unhurriedly: "Your name is Sun Dan?" So who are these three, why not introduce them? ”

As a result, the other three men separately reported their identities: "In the second grandson, it is Sun Fa's second son." ”

"Under Sun Umbrella, it is Sun Fa's third son."

"In Xia Sun Shi, he is Sun Fa's fourth son."

Tai Hao smiled indifferently, and had already guessed seven or eight points in his heart: "It turned out to be the four sons of the Sun family." Which of you is the son of Sun Dian and Sun Lian? ”

Sun replied expressionlessly: "Sun Dian and Sun Lian are the two sons below. ”

Tai Hao's tone revealed a bit of indifference: "In two days, they will be beheaded according to the law." Sun Lianggongzi, don't blame the official. ”

Sun Liang was silent, his eyes flashing with mixed emotions.

Tai Hao continued: "This official came to Sun's Mansion today to find Sun Fa to take charge. Excuse me, where is he? ”

Sun Xi stepped forward, with a provocative tone in his tone: "Taihao City Lord, we know why you are here. But we won't let you see our grandpa. If you, like the people, have only come to receive the money, we can give you more. But if you have other ideas, don't blame us for being kind. ”

Tai Hao's eyes were like torches, and his voice revealed undoubted majesty: "Your grandfather is suspected of being involved in a case, and now the human and material evidence is complete, and the official must take him to the yamen." If you obstruct it, this official will never be polite! ”

Sun Dan stepped forward, and his tone seemed to be a little sincere: "Taihao City Lord, our grandfather is old and can't stand the toss. If there's anything you want, please take it with you. Although Sun Dan's words sounded quite sincere, Tai Hao was unmoved.

He glanced at Sun Dan coldly, and said in a deep voice, "You guys don't want to stop it again." This official is here to bring Sun Fa to the yamen for questioning, not to arrest him. I also ask you to quickly invite Sun Fa to come and don't force the official to do it. ”

When Sun Liang heard this, a trace of gloom flashed in his eyes. He sneered and said, "Taihao City Lord, you are in the Sun Mansion now. As the saying goes, a strong dragon does not suppress the head snake. Do you really want to toast and not eat and drink? ”

Tai Hao was about to speak, but when he saw Sun Liang waving his hand, dozens of strong men rushed out from both sides, quickly surrounding Tai Hao and the four officials. The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Taihao didn't panic, he took a deep breath, and prepared to perform his unique "Ranger Miracle Skills". However, at this critical moment, a shout interrupted his movements.

"Stop! Get out of the way! "The voice was majestic and powerful, and it was obviously not small. Tai Hao looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Sun Da slowly walking out of the front hall with an old man in his arms.

When Sun Liang saw the old man appear, he immediately ordered the strong men to stand aside and stand aside respectfully.

Although the old man was old, his face was red and his spirit was strong. Although he needs help to walk, he has an extraordinary temperament and does not look old at all. Sun Dan, Sun Liang, Sun Umbrella, and Sun Shi lowered their heads one after another, showing respect for the old man.

Taihao was secretly surprised in his heart, and guessed the identity of this old man. He stepped forward and clasped his fists and saluted: "Senior, you are too good and polite." Are you the oldest member of the legendary Sun family? ”

The old man smiled slightly and nodded: "Old man Sun Shou is the elder of the Sun family. I heard that you have just taken office, and the young people are energetic, very good, very good. ”

Sun Dan on the side added: "This is our ancestor, and my grandfather wants to call him Ah Weng." ”

Taihao knew in his heart that this old man was Sun Fa's grandfather. He didn't expect that he would come to arrest Sun Fa, but he inadvertently alarmed the oldest member of the Sun family. At this moment, he knew very well that in the face of an elder like the Sun family, any rash action might bring unnecessary trouble.

Sun Shou invited with a smile: "Taihao City Lord, please move to the front hall, let's talk slowly." ”

Tai Hao nodded slightly, ordered the four servants to wait outside the front hall, and then followed the members of the Sun family into the front hall.

After everyone was seated, Sun Da respectfully poured fragrant tea for Taihao. The fragrance of tea overflows, complementing this solemn and quiet vestibule.

Sun Shou picked up the teacup and took a sip, as if reminiscing about the past years: "The old man is one hundred and eight years old this year. Back then, when he came to Jiutu City, he was still a young man in his prime, only eighteen years old. At that time, Jiutu City was much more prosperous than it is now, with many shops and people. In a blink of an eye, ninety years have passed, and Jiutu City has long since changed. ”

Tai Hao couldn't help but sigh at the longevity and experience of this old man, and he responded respectfully: "Looking at the current state of the seniors, the spirit is strong, as if it has just passed the age of the sixtieth year, which is really the envy of the younger generations." Not like a centenarian. ”

Sun Shou stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes flashing with the light of memory: "The city lord of Taihao is too famous. Back then, every family in Jiutu City lived a prosperous life. The reason why the old man chose to stay here is also because of this. At that time, the old man followed a wealthy local pharmacy merchant to learn to do business, and the medicinal herb business was once prosperous. Not only the people of Jiutu City benefited, but even the people of many nearby cities came here. At the same time, the old man also developed famous drugs for many knights on the rivers and lakes, and was deeply loved by them. During that time, the old man made a lot of money. ”

Tai Hao listened attentively and couldn't help but ask curiously: "It turns out that the predecessor was in the medicinal herb business before, so why did he choose to give up later?" ”

Sun Shou sighed, his eyes revealing deep helplessness and regret: "Taihao City Lord, you listen to the old man's details. The old man has a total of nine sons, all of whom are strong and strong, and our Sun family can be regarded as prosperous. At that time, they were married one after another, and the family was full of children and grandchildren, and the size of the family continued to expand. However, none of them were willing to inherit my pharmacy. When the world is peaceful, the people's need for health naturally rises because they are enjoying this peaceful time. But in troubled times, many people are forced by life, and they have long looked down on life and death, and they no longer seek medical advice for minor illnesses and pains. This makes it difficult for our pharmacy business to maintain stability. Moreover, although Jiutu City is far away from the capital, the people here have relatively little pursuit of glory and wealth, and more pursuit of a stable life. My third son, Sun Feng, saw that the pharmacy business was unstable, so he began to use my funds to get involved in the loan business. I didn't expect that in just one year, he made more money than I have in the past three years. Sun Feng is the only one of my sons who gave birth to seven daughters before he had one son. This son of his is Sun Fa. The old man doted on this grandson, but he developed the habit of luxury since he was a child and never suffered hardship. About 30 years ago, Sun Feng died of illness, and Sun Fa took over his father's loan business. The old man dissuaded him many times, but he didn't listen to the old man's words at all. Seeing him go astray step by step, the old man was really powerless to recover. ”

When Taihao heard this, he couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart. He looked at Sun Shou, the elder with a hint of expectation and earnestness in his eyes. Tai Hao frowned and asked bluntly: "Senior, you might as well say it directly." What is the purpose of telling me so much about the family past? ”

Sun Shou smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with a deep light: "Taihao City Lord, our Sun family can gain a foothold in Jiutu City, not just because of the huge family business and strong financial resources. In fact, when the old man was young, he knew the suffering of the people, and for those whose families were poor, the old man never took their silver taels. This can be regarded as accumulating some good karma for the Sun family. Of course, without the protection of the government, it would be difficult for us to gain a foothold in Jiutu City. ”

He changed his words and looked directly at Taihao: "Taihao City Lord, can you tell me a thing or two about my grandson's accusations this time?" The old man was very worried about his safety. ”

Tai Hao frowned, and his tone was solemn: "Since the seniors are so frank and honest, the juniors don't hide it." Sun Fa was involved in two cases, one was the serial murder of scholars in Jiutu City, which had an extremely bad impact and several innocent scholars were murdered. The second is the case of hiring martial arts masters to assassinate juniors, and this case is a direct provocation to the authority of the city lord. The circumstances of both cases are serious and involve lives, which is not trivial. ”

After hearing this, Sun Shou's expression changed slightly, he took a deep breath, and asked in a deep voice: "If the old man hands over his grandson to you, will you sentence him to beheading?" ”

Tai Hao sighed helplessly: "According to the law, those involved in murder should be beheaded." This is necessary to uphold justice and ensure fairness. ”

A trace of sadness flashed in Sun Shou's eyes: "The old man's great-great-grandsons Sun Dian and Sun Lian are about to be beheaded, and now they are facing the fate of their grandson being beheaded." This will undoubtedly make the old man deeply distressed. But the old man knew that the city lord of Taihao was a good official who was fair and selfless and worked for the benefit of the people. Therefore, the old man dared to plead, can one of them be allowed to live? ”

Tai Hao looked at Sun Shou with firm eyes: "Senior, our Eastern Empire is a country that upholds fairness and justice. If Sun Fa is willing to return to the yamen with me now, find out the truth of the case, and then judge whether a new judgment is necessary according to the law. This is our due justice and responsibility. ”

Sun Shou sighed, his eyes revealing deep helplessness: "The old man has already foreseen Sun Fa's fate. From the day he took over my father's business, I knew he was going to face a difficult situation. When he collected the people's protection money, I also expected that one day he would invite trouble. However, my two great-great-grandsons, Sun Dian and Sun Lian, are still young, and they made mistakes because of impulse. He also asked the Taihao City Lord to open up to them and punish them lightly. ”

Tai Hao knew in his heart that he had indeed increased his strength against Sun Dian's and Sun Lian's verdict. This was not without reason, and his purpose was to deter the Sun family and prevent the family from continuing to expand and endanger the rule of the imperial court. However, behind this heavy sentence, there is also a trace of unspeakable doubts.

Although the death of Jia Ding Lu Yan occurred at the instigation of Sun Dian and Sun Lian, it was the four thugs who directly caused Lu Yan's death. Sun Dian and Sun Lian only caused indirect death, and there is a popular saying among the people: "One life is worth one life." "Tai Hao's sentence of two lives to one life for Sun Dian and Sun Lian seems to be strict and fair, but if you think about it carefully, is such a verdict really appropriate?

Without waiting for Taihao to respond, Sun Shou continued in a firm voice: "The old man has made a decision. The Sun family will exempt all the people of Jiutu City from borrowing, and donate half of the Sun family's property to the government for the construction of Jiutu City. From then on, the descendants of the Sun family were no longer allowed to get involved in the lending business, but reopened the pharmacy to focus on the medicinal herb business. ”

These words were like a shock, causing ripples in Taihao's heart. He knows that Sun Shou's decision not only demonstrates the pride and responsibility of the family, but also reflects on and corrects past mistakes. This openness and righteousness made Taihao can't help but be full of respect for Sun Shou.