The middle-aged man took Shen Lingshan and his group of three, turned east from the cloud house to the north, and slowly walked forward along the east wall. After a short time, he saw a wide gate tower in the middle of the wall, and there were two people waiting in front of the door, and when they saw them coming, they hurriedly opened the gate and invited them in. This is a deep courtyard, connected by houses on all sides, and has a spacious corridor to communicate, the front of the house is shaded by green trees, shaded by the sky and the sun, and the middle side of the patio, which is not only transparent to the wind and light, but also to bear the rain and dew, and the end is a good place to rest. In the middle of the south house, there is a small door, and it is unknown what is outside the small door.

The two people who were waiting in front of the door opened the three upper rooms and asked Shen Lingshan and them to move in. Then he untied the horse, pushed the carriage to the side of the patio and parked it, and one of them took the reins from Jiang Lin's hand, saying that he wanted to feed the horse, and led the horse away.

Shen Lingshan was a little puzzled, this is not an inn, why did the middle-aged man lead them here? Just as he was about to open his mouth to inquire, the middle-aged man preemptively said: "Son, don't be suspicious, the master of our mansion will come to visit a few later, and he will understand when the time comes." Please wash before you leave. With that, he walked briskly through the small south door.

Shen Lingshan had never been far away, and felt that something was not quite right about this, so she hesitated and refused to enter the room. Jiang Lin said: "I don't think this person has any malicious intent, so you might as well stay for a night." ”

Shen Lingshan remembered that his uncle had introduced Jiang Lin as "** Lake", and now that he was so sure, there should be no problem, so he and Rui Zhu entered the room separately.

Soon, I heard the "creak" of the small door on the south side, and then a chaotic sound of footsteps came from far and near, and I came to the door in the blink of an eye.

"Tuk Tuk", after a gentle knock on the door, a voice that lowered his voice came: "Is Yang Gongzi asleep?"

Shen Lingshan opened the door, there were four people standing outside the door, the middle-aged man and a tall old man stood side by side, behind them, there were actually the two protagonists of tonight's wedding banquet - the groom Weng Junding and the bride Yun Feiyan in a red wedding dress.

"Why are you?" Shen Lingshan was surprised.

"Young Master Yang, can you allow me to wait in the room to talk?" Weng Junding seemed to be asking Shen Lingshan's opinion.

Shen Lingshan turned to one side and let the four of them into the room. Rui Zhu and Jiang Lin heard the sound and hurriedly ran over.

Weng Junding saw Shen Lingshan's doubts, and hurriedly pointed to the tall old man and introduced: "This is the father-in-law of the family, Mr. Yun Yufeng," and pointed to the middle-aged man, "This is the third uncle Yun Suifeng." The two elderly people came to visit a few distinguished guests. ”

Although Shen Lingshan was dissatisfied with Weng Junding, the Yun family took care of food and housing, and made a special trip to visit him in his busy schedule, so he had to be polite no matter what. Therefore, he hurriedly bowed to Yun Yufeng and Yun Suifeng, and said politely: "The next few people happened to meet the wedding banquet of your mansion, and it was already a nuisance, and the third master of Shicai personally took me to stay here, I am really grateful." How dare Master Lao Jiayun personally visit us? Won't he kill us and the others?"

Yun Yufeng smiled "hehe", waved his hand and said, "It should be, it should be." Chen Gongzi has the grace of rebuilding our Yun family, the old man thinks about how to repay it day and night, Yang Gongzi is Chen Gongzi's righteous brother, just give our Yun family a chance to repay in case, the old man should thank you a few of you. ”

Shen Lingshan thought to herself, how could the eldest brother have great grace in the Yun family, and she was suspicious, so she had to say, "Master Yun is serious. ”

Yun Yufeng said a few more polite words, called two subordinates and told them to serve a few guests, and then said to Shen Lingshan that there were still guests in the house, and it was inconvenient to stay for a long time, so he and his third brother Yun left in a hurry with the wind.

Weng Junding and Yun Feiyan had no intention of leaving, they seemed to want to talk to Shen Lingshan. Although Shen Lingshan is a little strange that Weng Junding does not value friendship, after all, he has his own life and cannot be harsh on others. At this time, seeing that the two of them left the full house of relatives and friends, left the warm cave room, and ran all the way to their own room, they couldn't help but feel a little guilty, so they slowed down and said:

"A moment of Spring Festival is worth a thousand gold. What are you doing here on the wedding night? ”

Without waiting for Weng Junding to speak, Yun Feiyan preemptively said: "Young Master Yang, Weng Lang is a gentleman who values love and righteousness, and is by no means the kind of villain who 'values sex and ignores friends'. He and Chen Gongzi entered Beijing together and appeared on the gold list together, Chen Gongzi was unjustly imprisoned, and Weng Lang felt the same way. Suffering from helplessness and helplessness to help, he decided to wait for Chen Gongzi outside the prison during the release of Xinke Jinshi. It was Lord Liu of the Ministry of Rites who strictly ordered him to leave Beijing, and the Xianggong came to visit the little girl's family. Because my father was old, he estimated that Weng Lang would not have time to go home after he was conferred the official, so he repeatedly asked us to ...... the roundhouse. In the past few days, Weng Lang has been depressed, until today's wedding, he also said to the little woman, "Brother Chen is suffering in prison, but I am in this cave room to spend candles, how will I face Brother Chen in the future." Therefore, if Yang Gongzi wants to blame, blame the little woman, don't misunderstand Weng Lang. The little woman here made amends to her son. After speaking, she walked up to Shen Lingshan and bowed.

After listening to Yun Feiyan's words, Shen Lingshan was full of shame. He is really a rat's belly, not to mention that Lord Liu strictly ordered him to leave Beijing and Master Yun repeatedly urged him to marry, even if he himself was voluntary, it was beyond reproach. The emperor issued an order to close the people, and even the important ministers of the court and the elders of several dynasties were helpless, what could he do as a new science and technology scholar? He couldn't accompany him to prison, right? Thinking of this, Shen Lingshan couldn't help but blush, and hurriedly supported Yun Feiyan, and said guiltily:

"What is Miss Yun's crime? I have no intention of blaming Gongzi Weng. I must have seen my brother's friend below, thinking that he was suffering in prison, and his expression was a little abnormal. If this causes Weng Gongzi to be unhappy, please also invite the two Haihan. ”

"Alright, alright. You don't have to 'make amends', you don't have to 'Haihan'. It's rare to meet Yang Gongzi here, so let's talk about something else. Weng Junding was straightforward by nature, stopped Shen and Yun at the right time, and said softly to Yun Feiyan: "Sister Yan, please go back to the room first, and I will talk to Yang Gongzi for a while." ”

"Hmm. Then you talk, the little woman takes her leave. Yun Feiyan said obediently.

"Hey, wait. Shen Lingshan called out to Yun Feiyan and said to Weng Junding: "How can you be the groom? Let the bride go back alone? What should I do if I encounter trouble on the way? What's more, today is the candle night of the two of you in the cave room, and you can bear to let the bride stay alone in the empty room?" Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Shen Lingshan began to think about them, although she wanted to inquire about the situation of her brother-in-law.

Weng Junding pointed to the small door in the south with a smile, and said to Shen Lingshan: "This is her family's guest house, and the small door is her backyard, and Yanmei's boudoir is in the attic of the backyard, just a few steps away." In her boudoir, those girlfriends are waiting for her. I'm a big man, and it's in the way when I go back, so it's better to stay and chat with Yang Gongzi. After speaking, he shouted to the small door: "Yan'er." ”

Before the words fell, the small door squeaked again, and a rather handsome girl ran over. Yun Feiyan put his hands on his waist and saluted Shen Lingshan and the others, and walked away with the support of the girl.

After Yun Feiyan left, Shen Lingshan also asked Jiang Lin to go back to the room to rest, leaving Ruizhu as a companion. After sitting down with Weng Junding again, Shen Lingshan asked:

"Gongzi Weng, Lord Zun Yue keeps saying that the eldest brother is kind to the Yun family, what is going on?"

"This, it's really fortunate for the Yun family, and it happened to happen to have an opportunity. All of the Yun family's current affairs can be said to be due to Brother Chen. ”

Weng Junding explained Yun Feiyan's establishment of a guan to recruit relatives, his own fake and true marriage, Yun Yufeng borrowed money and was deceived, and Chen Wenqi made a secret visit to recover gold for Yun Yufeng and recapture the pharmacy.

After Shen Lingshan heard this, she realized why Master Yun looked at her differently. Shen Lingshan breathed a sigh of relief and said faintly: "I didn't expect Miss Yun to be weak and supportive, but she was a fierce woman. ”

"Yes, it was her steadfastness that made her admire, so that the fake play became the real one. When I came back this time, her father repeatedly proposed to do a marriage for the two of us, and I was worried about my brother being in prison, and I was not in the mood to think about it, but I thought that she had a strong temperament, and if she didn't agree, I was afraid that something would happen out of the ordinary, so I had today's wedding. Weng Junding explained euphemistically to Shen Lingshan.

Shen Lingshan nodded in understanding, and then asked, "Speaking of eldest brother, why was he sent to prison by the emperor?"

Weng Junding didn't seem to know where to start, and he muttered again and again before he spoke: "Brother Chen was also confused at first. In the examination, Brother Chen won the first place in Huiyuan, and the household department gave Zhonghua Chang a lawsuit against Brother Chen for 'buying official questions', but fortunately, Lord Liu Jian had already taken precautions, which turned the danger into a disaster. In the palace examination, the emperor appointed Chen Nian's brother as the champion of today's science and literature, and Yin Wei, the son of Yin Zhi, the right attendant of the military department, as the champion of martial arts. The emperor was happy, and ordered the 'Qionglin Banquet' and the 'Huiwu Banquet' to be merged into the Qionglin Huiwu Banquet, and feasted the new science and military scholars and civil and military officials in Qionglin Yuan. Somehow, since Brother Chen entered the garden, he has been harassed by some people. First of all, they were not allowed to enter the garden, but after entering the garden, Yin Zhi's father and son, and Shouning Hou Zhang Luan took turns to make a fool of themselves, wanting to make a fool of the old brother. How do you know that the old brothers are talented and can deal with them easily, but let them bring humiliation on themselves. Zhang Luan was annoyed and ashamed, and accused the emperor that Brother Chen's wearing red clothes was contempt for clan rules and disobedience, which made Long Yan angry and ordered Brother Chen to be imprisoned. ”

"Zhang Luan has lived in the capital for a long time, why does he know the rules of the eldest brother?"

According to Zhang Luan, there is a subordinate in his house named Situ Yan who is also from Huangzhou Mansion, and her home is not far from Chenjiazhuang, so she knows. Later, Lord Liu Jian was ordered to go to the Imperial Prison for questioning, and he went with him. In the edict prison, Brother Chen recalled that when he first arrived in the capital, he had seen a person in the 'Tongfu Inn', but he didn't pay attention to it at the time, and only when he heard about Situ Yan did he remember one of his opponents, this person was named Situ Jiao. Brother Chen suspected that Situ Yan had something to do with Situ Jiao, and it might be Situ Jiao's secret evil. ”

"Not possibly, but definitely. Shen Lingshan couldn't help but say.

"Indeed, on what basis did Yang Gongzi conclude that it was indeed Situ Jiao's secret evil?"

It was Situ Jiao's own words. He said that his aunt's name was Situ Yan, and it was he who sent his eldest brother to prison with a word. I would have been skeptical before, but it turned out that it was. This scoundrel who was killed by God. Shen Lingshan scolded hatefully.

"It turns out that Situ Yan is Situ Jiao's aunt? No wonder Zhang Luan is against Brother Chen everywhere, it turns out that this is the case. But I still don't understand, Situ Yan is just a subordinate in the Hou Mansion, how can such a great magical power make the dignified Hou Ye obey her?"

"Where is she? Hearing Situ Jiao say that Zhang Luan is his uncle, then Situ Yan should be Zhang Luan's concubine. ”

Weng Junding suddenly remembered a question: "Does Yang Gongzi know Situ Jiao?"

"A few hours ago, Mo said that he didn't know him, and he hadn't even heard of the name Situ Jiao. But now, not only do you know him, but Gongzi Weng has also seen him?"

"I've seen it too?" Weng Junding was taken aback.

"That's right, you were talking in front of the Cloud Mansion just now. ”

"Just now, in front of the cloud house, the boy who broke through the pass? No, the young man's name is Liu Feixu. Oh, isn't that nasty-talking guy at the same table as Young Master Yang?"

Shen Lingshan nodded, and told Weng Junding what Tu Jiao, the boss of the banquet for suitable talents, said.

"Sure enough, as Brother Chen expected, it was really Situ Jiao's secret ghost. ”

Shen Lingshan no longer hesitated, got up and said to Weng Junding: "Gongzi Weng, you go and invite your wife's third uncle over." ”

"Third uncle, what are you asking him to do? Weng Junding said puzzled.

"That's not what it meant. Shen Lingshan knew that he had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained: "Your third uncle knows which inn Situ Jiao lives in. ”

"Does the third uncle know which inn Situ Jiao lives in?"

"Ahem, you - since you already know that it is Situ Jiao's secret ghost, then subdue him and send him to the capital to clear up the grievances of the eldest brother. Shen Lingshan was angry and funny, thinking that this person was afraid that he would be dizzy with joy, and his head was a little unbright.

Weng Junding seemed to understand what Shen Lingshan meant, pondered for a while, and shook his head slightly.

Shen Lingshan only said that it was inconvenient for him to act on the wedding night, and hurriedly said: "This matter does not need Gongzi Weng to come out, just need Third Uncle Yun to take me to that inn." ”

Weng Junding didn't say anything, still shaking his head.

"Gongzi Weng can rest assured, my eldest brother taught me a set of palm techniques a few years ago, although I haven't practiced refinement yet, but it should be more than enough to deal with a small thief like Situ Jiao. Besides, I still have a helper, so I won't miss it. ”

Weng Junding shook his head again, and said slowly: "It's not that I can't go, and it's not that I'm worried about whether Yang Gongzi can subdue him. I think it's better not to entangle with him at this time. ”

"Why is that? You just said that he was secretly playing tricks. In this case, arresting him and bringing him to Beijing will clear up the grievances of the eldest brother!"

"I only said that he was secretly playing ghosts, not that he framed Brother Chen. Weng Junding said.

"You...... What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, according to what you just said, it was indeed Situ Jiao's secret trick and revealed the custom that Chen Jiazhuang can't wear red to Zhang Luan, which caused Zhang Luan to be troubled and Chen Nian's brother to be imprisoned. ”

Shen Lingshan lost her voice and said, "Could it be that the Chen family really has such family rules?"

"Although it is not a clan rule, it is also a taboo for their Chen family, and for more than 500 years, no one has violated it. Weng Junding told Shen Lingshan what he saw and heard in Chenjiazhuang on the night of the Lantern Festival and the family legend that Chen Wenqi told him.

"Oh, the eldest brother has always been shrewd, why is he confused in this matter? Since there is such a taboo in the clan, he made it clear to the emperor, and the emperor decided whether to wear it or not, wouldn't everything be fine?" Shen Lingshan had always admired Chen Wenqi, and couldn't help complaining at this time.

"It's not that Brother Chen is confused, he carries in his arms the handwritten note that the patriarch of the Chen clan allowed him to wear red and green. ”

When Gongzi Weng said this, he confused me. Since the patriarch personally made a note to allow him to wear red and green, it is not considered a taboo for the eldest brother, why should the emperor still punish the eldest brother's crime?"

He said that the note may have been caused by collusion between the elder brother and Zaixia, and it is necessary to check it clearly. ”

"This old immortal is really hateful. Before Shen Lingshan's words fell, a red cloud flew on her pink face, after all, she had never spoken rudely since she was a child. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he said to Weng Junding: "In this case, if you invite the Chen family patriarch into the capital, won't this problem be solved?"

Weng Junding shook his head: "The old man is old, walking tremblingly, where can he withstand the long journey and the tiring journey?" Seeing Shen Lingshan's disappointed expression, he said: "But you can ask for his handwritten letter through the local government, and check the authenticity of the handwriting with the handwriting submitted by Brother Chen." ”

"Who can let the 'local government' come forward to ask for the handwritten letter from the Chen family patriarch?" Shen Lingshan said with some discouragement.

"It's not that hard. In the next time, he left Beijing and went south, and it was on the order of Master Liu that he went to Huguang to ask the political envoy Si Tao for help, got a letter from the head of the Chen family, and then went to Beijing to defend Brother Chen. ”

Since Yun Feiyan's explanation, Shen Lingshan felt guilty for blaming Weng Junding for being wrong. Hearing him say this at this time, he was extremely dissatisfied with Weng Junding in an instant: Since Lord Liu sent you to ask for evidence, you should be anxious and urgent, and quickly collect evidence. How can we ignore the priority and the urgency, and prefer to spend candles in the cave room at this time? It is really a full man who does not know that a hungry man is hungry.

She didn't say anything, but her face showed displeasure. Weng Junding knew that she had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained: "It's not that I don't do my best to do this, just because the master repeatedly instructed him before leaving, the emperor and the queen have a deep relationship, and they always have to give the prince a little face, since the uncle wants to embarrass the old brother, let him stay in prison for a few days." If he hurriedly came up with evidence to fight with him, Guozhang's face has not yet been earned, and maybe something will happen again. Isn't there a saying in a war that 'one blow of energy, then decline, and three times exhaustion'? Now is still the time for Zhang Luan to 'make a big move,' so it is better to let Brother Chen stay in prison for a longer time, and wait until Zhang Luan 'declines again, and then exhaust himself in three times,' and then come up with evidence, and forgive him that Zhang Luan will not be able to make any trouble. ”

Hearing that it was Lord Liu's order, Shen Lingshan knew that she had wrongly blamed Weng Junding again, but she still asked rhetorically:

"Wait? Do you mean to wait like this? How long will it take?"

Weng Junding pondered for a moment and said to Shen Lingshan: "The previous situation was unknown, and there was indeed only one way to wait. However, now that I know that Situ Jiao is secretly playing ghosts, I don't think there is a need to wait for him to 'exhaust himself', but should collect evidence immediately, the sooner the better. ”

"What does Gongzi Weng mean—"

"The reason why the emperor accommodated Zhang Luan was to hinder Queen Zhang's face. But if Empress Zhang is not happy that the emperor will buy his father's account for this matter, what do you say?"

Shen Lingshan was originally a delicate and transparent person, but when she heard Weng Junding say, she suddenly woke up: since ancient times, wives and concubines have been discordant. As a daughter, Empress Zhang can't stop her father from taking a concubine, but she will definitely be unhappy for her mother Jin. If it was really Situ Jiao's slander that Situ Yan instigated Zhang Luan to advance to the emperor, and the emperor ordered the eldest brother to be imprisoned because of the queen's affection, as long as she tried to let the queen know that it was Situ Yan who was secretly playing ghosts, then she would definitely show her attitude to the emperor and take this opportunity to suppress Situ Yan, and her brother Chen Wenqi should be rescued from prison.

"Gongzi Weng has a point. However, if you want the queen to know the inside story, you still have to arrest Situ Jiao and bring her into Beijing, so that someone can prove it. ”

"We are not officials, and we are not arresting fast, and taking people without permission will inevitably violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty. And as soon as the Queen Mother learns of this, I am sure that she will be convinced, and no one will need to prove it. And at the moment, we still have to get the handwritten letter of Patriarch Chen Nansong as soon as possible to block Zhang Luan's mouth. So we can't make any extraneous things happen now. Weng Junding said with no last resort.

"In this way, wouldn't Situ Jiao get away with it?" Shen Lingshan said hatefully.

"Evil is rewarded with evil, and good is rewarded with good, not that it is not unrewarded, but the hour has not yet come. It's important to rescue Brother Chen now, and we'll talk about other things later. Seeing that Shen Lingshan nodded in agreement, Weng Junding continued: "The two of us are divided into two ways, I am more familiar with Lord Liu, tomorrow I will go to the capital quickly, explain the situation to the teacher, and invite him to enter the palace to meet the queen's mother; What is Yang Gongzi's opinion?"

Of course, Shen Lingshan had no objection. But she was worried about Chen Wenqi in her heart and wanted to meet him. And if she wants to go to Chenjiazhuang to meet Chen Wenqi's father and patriarch, it will inevitably be a little ......

Shen Lingshan's face turned red for no reason, and she said, "This...... When it comes to going to Huguang to collect evidence, I think it is still Weng Gongzi who is the most suitable. I am most afraid of dealing with people in the government, although Gongzi Weng has not yet been awarded an official, but one foot has already stepped into the officialdom, and it is more convenient for you to speak between officials. Although I am not familiar with going to the capital, I can always find Master Liu. What's more, the three of us have never been to the capital, so it's rare to have this opportunity, how can we give up halfway?"

Weng Junding was bold by nature, and he didn't say much, and said happily: "It's okay, tomorrow we will go our separate ways." ”

"Don't, don't. As long as the eldest brother is not in danger, he will not fight for three or two days sooner or later. Marriage is a major event in life, only once in a lifetime, Weng Gongzi can't let down Miss Yun, let's talk about the happy event after it is done. Shen Lingshan repeatedly misunderstood Weng Junding, and felt sorry in her heart, which was true.

Weng Junding saw that Shen Lingshan was not lying, so he nodded solemnly: "It's okay, stay and send away the guests of the Yun family, and then go back to Huguang to collect evidence." ”

Then he explained to Shen Lingshan in detail where Liu Jian's mansion was located and how to visit Lord Liu, and stood up to say goodbye after speaking: "Please rest early tonight, and come back tomorrow to see you off." ”

Shen Lingshan hurriedly said: "Don't leave it today, Gongzi Weng has to entertain guests tomorrow morning, so don't come over." There is no need to worry about Huguang, you can stay for a few more days and accompany your sister-in-law. ”

"Thank you Yang Gongzi for your kindness. After my father-in-law ordered me to be an official, I would bring my sister to the post with me, so I would have more time to accompany her in the future. After sending off the guests, I rushed to Huguang, and after getting the evidence, I rushed to the capital as soon as possible to meet Yang Gongzi. After speaking, he arched his hand towards Shen Lingshan and Rui Zhu and walked out of the door. After walking a few steps, he turned back: "By the way, there is one more thing I forgot to tell Yang Gongzi." The emperor specially instructed Jinyi Wei to command Mu Bin to detain the old brother alone, and send his confidants to take care of him, not to treat him like a prisoner. Therefore, Brother Chen was only not allowed to be free in the edict and did not treat him as a prisoner. Young Master Yang, please relax. ”

When Shen Lingshan heard this, she couldn't help but be overjoyed, and even thanked him, and personally sent Weng Junding out of the small door of the South Courtyard.

It was night, Shen Lingshan was also happy and worried, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. At the fifth watch, Shen Lingshan woke up Ruizhu and Jiang Lin who were sleeping, and the Yun Mansion in the ear room next to the courtyard had already brought the horses and waited for the carriage outside the door. Rui Zhu muttered sleepily, "Leave so early." ”

"What's the matter, you girl, you still say that you go out to take care of others, and others take care of you, do you still have something to say? If you don't leave at this time, do you still have to wait for others to 'serve tea'?" Shen Lingshan said with disgust.

According to the custom in the Huguang area, the newlyweds and men should serve tea to all the guests the next morning to show their gratitude. When guests accept the tea ceremony, they also give a red envelope to the bride and groom to show their blessings. Therefore, Shen Lingshan has this saying.

"That'...... You should always say hello to people, right? People take care of eating, drinking, and living, so don't be rude. After Rui Zhu finished speaking, Jiang Lin also nodded in agreement.

Shen Lingshan raised her hand and gently knocked on Rui Zhu's head, and said with a smile: "I don't know whether to quit or not? After speaking, he took the lead and got into the car.

Ruizhu and Jiang Lin couldn't, so they had to get into the car separately and follow the road guided by the family courtyard to the capital.