201-210

Chapter 201

Today is a holiday, and something like this happened. Prince Yu's Mansion was surrounded on three floors inside and three floors outside.

Such a loud noise, coupled with the fact that the incident took place on Dongcheng Street in southern Shanxi, where powerful people lived, not only people from the Military and Horse Division rushed over, but even the Dali Temple was alarmed, lest the important place in the imperial city There was a murder.

"General Han is back." Someone shouted, and the crowd automatically made way for them.

Mu Wan Gong arrived late, and immediately came to Han Zhi: "What the hell are you doing, why are you in your house?"

Han Zhi was also confused. He still doesn't know what happened. He turned to look at Lu Jiu'an One glance: "Stop talking, go in first."

The old housekeeper sat on the bluestone steps outside the gate, still in shock. When he saw Han Zhi and Lu Jiu'an, he stood up quickly and said without tears: "General Han, you are finally back. "Go and have a look."

The old housekeeper led Han Zhilu Jiu'an and the people from the Bingma Division and Dali Temple through the courtyard to the most remote palace of Prince Yu's Mansion.

Feng Jing and others were lying on the ground in disgrace, covered in tatters. As soon as Lu Jiu'an came closer, Feng Jing stood up from the ground, crawled up to Lu Jiu'an, and hit the ground with his knees.

"Sir... Sir, General, I committed a crime..."

"Shut up." Lu Jiuan interrupted, "Are there any casualties?"

"No." Feng Jing quickly shook his head.

Lu Jiuan breathed out quietly.

"What happened?" Han Zhi asked in a deep voice.

Xie Huailiang touched the bloody beads on his face that were scratched by the wood residue, and pointed to the hall: "Taoist Master Feng exploded the furnace again."

Shen Zhi muttered: "Taoist Master, is that called a furnace explosion? Taoist Master is about to do it." The general's house was blown up, and all the rice I managed to grow was destroyed by what Master Feng Jing did."

The old steward sighed. He didn't expect that these people brought back by Mr. Lu were usually hardworking. Things were so dangerous, his ears were still ringing.

Han Zhi walked into the courtyard first, followed closely by Lu Jiu'an and Mu Wan Gong. They saw that the three words "Zhunxing Pavilion" engraved on the plaque in front of the hall had been blurred by black ash. There was smoke and dust billowing from the scene. There was a fire, which was put out in time.

A huge gap was opened in the courtyard wall near the corner of the palace, like a ferocious beast's head.

"..." Lu Jiuan couldn't bear to look directly at him and tilted his head guiltily.

Mu Wan Gong was stunned for a moment, then walked towards the main hall. When he passed the main hall, the crumbling door panel on the left finally gave out its weight and hit the ground with a clatter, making a dull sound in the empty main hall.

The once splendid Quasi Star Pavilion has become a ruin. Wood chips are flying everywhere in the hall, and the wall in the southeast corner is missing. It is opposite the ugly gap outside. It is not difficult to imagine that Feng Jing was conducting experiments there at that time.

"Oh my god." The young minister of Dali Temple was shocked and said in disbelief, "What could be so powerful?"

As far as he knew, the Royal Palace had a history of at least hundreds of years and was built by the favorite son of the previous emperor. . After the fall of the previous dynasty, it was occupied by the He family, the founding hero of the country. It changed owners several times until His Majesty ascended the throne and gave it to the Royal King.

When this mansion was being built, skilled craftsmen from all over the world gathered together to make every brick and tile indestructible. How could it become like this?

Mu Wan Gong, who followed, was also full of questions.

Seeing that Lu Jiu'an was so embarrassed that he was ashamed, Han Zhi said calmly: "Since it was a false alarm, you should go back first."

The young minister of Dali Temple was stunned for a moment before he realized that Han Zhi was chasing people away. There is no strange or serious case involved here, nor is it a riot caused by thieves and bandits. There is really no need to stay.

The young minister of Dali Temple pretended to express his sorrow and left.

"Ahem..." Lu Jiuan said solemnly with a serious face, "I will compensate you."

Han Zhi had a strange look in his eyes and didn't say much in front of everyone. The Bingma Si wanted to stay and help clean up the scene. They were also sent away, leaving only Han Zhi's cronies at the scene.

These soldiers were so tall that they bent down and tidied up the house without Han Zhi's orders. Lu Jiu'an saw that one of the soldiers easily lifted a piece of broken wood as thick as a bucket onto his shoulder with only a slight effort.

The soldiers acted quickly, and within a few moments, the scene was restored to its original state, except for the broken wall that was leaking wind.

Han Zhi called the old housekeeper and said, "If someone from the palace comes to ask, please don't worry, brother. I will go to the palace to explain everything in person someday."

Until now, Han Zhi had time to ask about the whole story.

Feng Jing knew he had gotten into trouble and was a little scared at first. He glanced at his superior from the corner of his eye. When he saw Lu Jiu'an sitting next to Han Zhi, he suddenly felt confident and told the whole story as if he were pouring beans. After saying it again, Feng Jing was a little scared at the end.

"Fortunately, I kept Mr. Lu's warning in mind. Every time I started an experiment, I cleared out the idlers and others. I also borrowed props for the operation and kept a distance of three feet from the experimental center. This prevented a big disaster."

Lu Jiu'an helped him up. This unkempt Taoist priest dusted off his body.

He never expected that the gunpowder he had waited for so long would appear at this time and in such a shocking way.

In the final analysis, this matter was also his dereliction of duty. He knew that chemical experiments were dangerous, but he still allowed Feng Jing to conduct research in the Royal Palace.

However, the invention of gunpowder was a great achievement.

"Feng Jing, you have done well, and you will be rewarded."

The old butler slapped his thigh. Little Lu Siye couldn't be dizzy. If he didn't punish Feng Jing, why would he reward him based on his merits?

Not only the old housekeeper, but Feng Jing himself was also dumbfounded.

Han Zhi said bluntly: "Is there any other uses for this kind of thing?"

"This is gunpowder. I mentioned it to you when we were in Yingping." Lu Jiuan's eyes lit up: "Think about it, Feng Jing only used a small can of dosage to blow up a corner of your palace. If it were ten or a hundred times more, it would shake the world."

Lu Jiu'an was thinking something else. He had already done this before. Looking for a suitable opportunity to bring the research team to the forefront. Now that gunpowder has been invented, is there anything more convincing than this?

But after all, it was such a big matter, so Lu Jiu'an didn't dare to rush into it. He planned to ask Feng Jing to find a sparsely populated place and conduct experiments several times to make sure everything was safe.

This is looking for investment to attract sponsorship. If the chain fails at the critical moment, the funder's father will be gone.

As expected, someone came to the palace that afternoon, and it was Eunuch Fu'an.

The old housekeeper responded according to the words of the king. Eunuch Fu'an accepted his words and quickly returned to the palace to resume his duties.

Not long after, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry came in person with two heads of the Qingli Department and several craftsmen.

While they were surveying, drawing, and collecting materials, the Minister of Industry secretly inquired about the whole story.

Lu Jiu'an dealt with it lightly: "Oh, it's nothing, it's just a mouse digging holes and destroying the wall."

"..." You can really talk nonsense.

It only took the Ministry of Works five or six days to restore the damaged areas to their original state.

During this period, Lu Jiu'an was not idle. Whenever he had time, he rushed to the study to make lyrics plans.

Once the memorial is submitted, the Minister of Hubu will definitely take the lead in opposing it. He, Lu Jiu'an, cannot fight an unprepared battle.

Han Zhi sat opposite Lu Jiu'an and asked, "You mean, gunpowder can be made into a firearm, as powerful as a heavy crossbow trebuchet?"

"It's still too early to make a firearm." When gunpowder was first invented, it was only used as fireworks. Lu Jiu An had no time to answer him: "Besides, didn't you follow Feng Jing to Peach Blossom Mountain? You should have witnessed its power with your own eyes."

A different wave appeared on Han Zhi's expressionless face.

Feng Jing conducted repeated experiments according to the gunpowder formula. In the past few days, deafening noises were always heard in the suburbs of southern Shanxi.

The people in the capital were idle and bored, and were about to sneak out to find out what was going on, but they were kicked out by the Royal Prince's cronies who were guarding them tightly.

There are only a few people who can observe the experiment up close, and Han Zhi is one of them.

Han Zhi saw with his own eyes that Feng Jing mixed different types of materials into the bamboo tube and lit the fuse. With a loud noise, the scene was a mess with flying sand and rocks, and the flat area turned into a huge hole.

Han Zhi even imagined from the surrounding trees that were broken by flying stones, what kind of magic weapon it would be if the gunpowder was mixed with hard objects such as metal wood chips.

"Gunpowder is extraordinary." Lu Jiu'an took the time to remind him, "If others ask, Korea, Korea and Japan, you must keep it secret. If the formula falls into the wrong hands, the consequences will be disastrous."

This core technology must be kept secret. firmly in the hands of one's own people.

Han Zhi was well aware of the stakes involved. Indeed, many people had been asking him about it these days. It was no secret that the Royal Palace was doing unknown things in private.

Seeing that Feng Jing was becoming more and more proficient in arranging gunpowder, Lu Jiu'an eagerly wrote down the plan. He was an official of the sixth rank and was not qualified to go directly to the palace to see the king to discuss affairs without being summoned. So he asked his immediate superior to present the report on his behalf and report this to the emperor in advance.

And he himself was waiting outside the Meridian Gate.

After a while, a guard with a sword came out of the door and saw Lu Jiu'an standing outside alone, drawing circles with his feet out of boredom: "Lu Siye, your Majesty has summoned you, come with me."

Lu Jiu'an immediately became energetic and full of hope. Following the plan, he went to court with the guards.

In the Jinluan Hall, everyone looked at Lu Jiu'an's complacent look. For some reason, their eyes darkened, and they suddenly had a bad feeling in their hearts.

During this incident, Dong Huilin suffered losses at the hands of this young Si Ye time and time again. He was filled with fear and resentment in his heart. He lowered his eyes to see what he was up to today.

However, before others could attack, Emperor Yongxi, who was on the imperial level, threw the memorial to the ground and said displeasedly: "You are so courageous."

Dong Huilin was stunned, His Majesty was so angry.

It is well known that he favors Lu Jiu'an. Why is he uncharacteristic of himself today? What is actually written in the memorial?

Immediately, Dong Huilin began to gloat, Lu Jiu'an, you too will fall into trouble one day.

Lu Jiuan was also confused. He shouldn't be.

Looking at Emperor Yongxi again, I saw that although he was scolding, his face showed no cold expression, and it was obvious that he was not really angry.

Lu Jiuan was not sure what Emperor Yongxi meant, so he bravely leaned down and calmly picked up the memorial that rolled to his feet: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I don't know where I made your Majesty angry."

Emperor Yongxi didn't. He said nonchalantly: "If you don't know, let another lover tell you."

Dong Huilin was next to Lu Jiu'an. Hearing this, he grabbed the memorial and looked at it, and he suddenly became furious.

"Well, Lu Jiu'an, at the beginning of the year, you proposed to invite women to take scientific examinations and participate in politics. His Majesty did not like to stick to the rules, so he reluctantly accepted your proposal."

"But now you have gone too far, and you actually want to replace the Four Books and Five Classics with strange tricks!"

Chapter 202

"Bullshit!" Lu Jiu'an almost yelled, this shameless Dong Du was in trouble, how could he exchange ideas with him here.

What he clearly wrote in the memorial was to promote mathematics, physics and chemistry teaching and to develop science and technology colleges and research institutes. In order to be more convincing, he listed several reasons in detail later.

But judging from Dong Huilin's reaction, he probably couldn't wait to jump out and criticize him before he even turned to the back.

Thinking that this was in the Jinluan Palace, Lu Jiu'an swallowed his anger and put on a fake smile: "Master Dong, are you too old to see the words?"

Dong Huilin snorted: "I don't need Lu Siye to care, I have a sharp eye." Ruju, inspect the six ministries and rectify the hundred divisions."

"Oh, how could Master Dong misinterpret the meaning of the memorial?" Lu Jiu'an pointed at Dong Huilin and said. You did it deliberately to confuse right and wrong!"

The two of them refused to give in to each other in the hall, and Emperor Yongxi sat at the top and watched with interest.

After listening for a long time, everyone finally learned the contents of the memorial from Lu Jiu'an.

Yan Zhong, a scholar from Dongge University, said: "Lu Siye, even if you follow your instructions, you are not doing your job properly. The scholars have all done these things, so who will govern the world for your majesty?"

Seeing that he was not Alone, Dong Huilin took advantage of the victory and pursued him: "You, Lu Jiuan, were born in the imperial examination. The inheritance of the imperial examination has been perfected for hundreds of years. Qi Rong, you are provocative here." He was pulled by his colleagues behind him, and he was still upset.

"I don't deny the philosophy of saints." Lu Jiu'an said slowly: "But everyone, when a hundred schools of thought contended in the past, the Mohist school, which focused on machine arts, still had a place, which shows that these so-called heretics are not completely without merit."

"Absurd . " Dong Huilin shook his sleeves and couldn't listen any more. He wanted to add mathematics, physics and chemistry to the imperial examination for the imperial court to select talents. He was simply risking the disdain of the world: "Working with wood all day long is not doing your job properly."

Dong Huilin said . The words were completely unthinking and I regretted them as soon as I said them.

Sure enough, this suddenly stirred up a hornet's nest. The Minister of Industry and Commerce said angrily: "Dong Huilin, please explain to me clearly what it means to not do your job properly. The mansion you live in was not built by the Restoration Department? The tables and chairs in your house were not made by craftsmen. "Don't mess around. "

Dong Huilin was angry, "You know it's not you I'm talking about." " Why

, it's not me. I'm responsible for the construction of farmland water conservancy."

Since he took office, he has been very angry, and now Dong Huilin has bumped into his muzzle, just in time to settle old and new scores together.

"I think what Lu Siye said is very reasonable. Do you think you are superior to others just because you have read a few books? Let me ask you, five years ago, your roof collapsed, and Baba asked you to come to the Ministry of Industry. Did I send someone to you? The tiles were picked up from the house? There are no craftsmen to repair your house. At night, you use the sky as your quilt and the ground as your bed. You are useless!"

The supervisor also joined the battlefield.

Everyone held their own opinions, and the meeting was turned into a pot of porridge.

Lu Jiu'an bowed his hands to the Minister of Industry and thanked him, and continued: "No matter whether you are noble or low in knowledge, you will be the best in practice. If you want social progress, the civil and military arts should go hand in hand." He turned to look at Yan Zhongyi, "I dare to ask Mr. Yan, Thousands of years ago, people drank hair and blood. What weapons did they use for hunting? " Yan Zhongyi

didn't know what he meant, but he still replied: "What

about now?"

"Hunting knives, bows and arrows."

Everyone: "Because of these iron tools, it is not only much easier for hunters to hunt, but also reduces casualties. With the development of the times, the tools available to the people are also constantly changing. Now we use candles for lighting, who knows In the future, it will not turn into lightning in the sky."

"Lightning? How is that possible? It's nonsense."

Lu Jiuan smiled slightly and ignored Dong Huilin: "You must be curious about the loud noises you have heard in the past half month. "

Coming!" Everyone was shocked.

Lu Jiu'an didn't give in and told them that the thing that caused the loud noise was called gunpowder. They could also show it to everyone today, but this thing was extremely dangerous and they needed to move to an open space.

No one doubted that he was there, after all, the two huge cave entrances in Prince Yu's Mansion were still vivid in their minds.

So with the permission of Emperor Yongxi, all civil and military officials followed Lu Jiu'an to Linyuan.

The guards had been ordered to wait here long ago, and they saw seven or eight clay terracotta warriors placed in the center of the open space.

"Lu Jiu'an, what are you doing?"

"Your Majesty will know after watching."

Two palace officials came in front of the officials and erected several two-length nets to protect everyone in front of them. Lu Jiuan motioned to everyone present to cover their ears.

The guard had already come to the center of the field with a flint in his hand. As soon as he lit the fuse, he immediately turned around and ran away. The next moment, there was an earth-shaking loud noise accompanied by vibrations, and smoke filled the air instantly.

Faced with such a horrific scene, some timid officials were so frightened that they screamed repeatedly.

After the smoke and dust dispersed, looking at the open space, there were still a few shadows of soldiers and warriors. They had already exploded into clods of soil and shattered all over the place.

Dong Huilin swallowed his saliva dissatisfiedly, his eyes showing fear.

It took Emperor Yongxi a long time to calm down: "You put a few mercenaries on the field, but you want to prove to me that gunpowder is so powerful that it cannot be defeated by manpower?"

"Your

Majesty is wise." The Minister of War said with a sudden idea: " If used on the battlefield, wouldn't it be invincible?"

Lu Jiu'an, the Minister of the Ministry of War, praised: "That's true!"

The Minister of the Ministry of War laughed: "Master Lu is such a wonderful person, where did you find it? That Tartar is so frightened that he has no intention of fighting with us. Your Majesty, God bless me."

Lu Jiu'an really wanted to applaud him. This Minister of War is my admiration: "No, this was not found by chance. It was developed by one of my craftsmen. It was precisely because of the gunpowder that I came up with the idea of ​​opening a research institute."

Emperor Yongxi said amusedly: "After hiding it for so long, No wonder I chose to offer the gunpowder today, it turned out to be for your memorial."

His tone was clearly compromised.

It was a matter of military affairs, so the Minister of War stopped watching from the sidelines: "Your Majesty, I didn't know how useful the research institute was just now. I feel that what Mr. Lu has done is of great benefit and no harm, so it is worth a try."

Lu Jiu'an struck while the iron was hot and hyped up the potential of gunpowder. In fact, gunpowder is indeed an epoch-making product. It can be used as fireworks and explosives in life and as firearms and flares in the military.

In addition, Lu Jiu'an also mentioned things such as bull carts, cement wall clocks, etc.: "Including Yingping's rice, it was only through repeated experiments by researchers that the yield was able to be increased."

Lu Jiu'an said with a dry mouth. , finally saw Emperor Yongxi nod his head: "So in your opinion, where should the research institute be built?"

Lu Jiu'an was overjoyed: "The further away from the city of southern Shanxi, the better, preferably in sparsely populated places in the wilderness. "

In addition, the institute is of great importance, related to people's livelihood and national defense. The area around the institute should be heavily guarded."

"Yes, yes, Lu Siye is thoughtful," the Minister of War agreed loudly.

The two of them sang in harmony and seemed to be about to settle the matter in just a few words. The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue couldn't sit still: "You two, don't be picky. If it is true as Lu Siye said, research needs to continue to pour money into it. If things go on like this, "Your Majesty, the treasury cannot bear it at all."

Lu Jiu'an said, "Oh, what the Minister of the Ministry of Finance said is wrong. Money is not saved. This is called good steel being used on the blade."

"Think about it, the people have tools to use ." , will the efficiency be improved? If the efficiency is improved, will there be free time to do other things? In this way, people's lives will also be improved, and people will be willing to pay for things that they are usually reluctant to buy. After a while, the entire economic market has been revitalized. Isn't this money flowing into the treasury? Master, is this true?" The Minister

of Revenue always felt that something was wrong: "That's right, but it's a drop in the bucket. " "If Lord Shangshu is not satisfied, I have another plan. Just wait. "

After Lu Jiuan said that, he turned and left. Within a moment, he returned with a black jar about one foot high.

Everyone saw that Lu Jiuan was coming one after another, and there was no end to it. It was obvious that he was well prepared. Not knowing what he was going to do next, they all stretched their necks and looked inside.

Lu Jiu'an poured out the contents of the black jar and sprinkled it on the wooden board. Shangshu Hube looked at the white things, which were crystal clear against the gray wood, just like snow.

But where is the snow coming from this season?

Lu Jiu'an was not in a hurry to answer the question, but waited until everyone had guessed it, and then said with a smile: "This is the famous snow salt. It is made using a special process. Compared with ordinary table salt, it looks better and tastes better. Yes. Master Shangshu, you don't have to worry about this."

Shangshu of Hubu thought.

The money in the treasury of the Great Zhou Dynasty came from various taxes, among which iron tax and salt tax were particularly important. The snow salt now provided by Lu Jiu'an is equivalent to a disguised increase in the salt tax, which is indeed a solution.

Shangshu Hube was silent and looked at Lu Jiu'an with complicated eyes.

Everyone was happy, no one raised any objections, and the matter was initially settled.

First establish a research institute to form theoretical knowledge, and then implement mathematics, physics and chemistry teaching as appropriate.

After the court meeting, the ministers of the Ministry of Industry and Lu Jiuan went to the imperial study room to discuss various details of the research institute. After discussing for a long time, no definite plan could be reached for a while. Emperor Yongxi said: "Let's do this. You each go back and write a charter. I'm tired today, so we'll discuss it another day."

Before leaving, Lu Jiu'an was really worried Unable to hold back, he asked the doubts in his heart: "Your Majesty was not angry at first, so why did you treat me like that?"

Han Zhi also wanted to know and looked at Emperor Yongxi quietly.

"It's nothing." Emperor Yongxi said, "Lu Siye is very sharp-tongued. I just want to see how you can quarrel with other scholars."

Lu Jiu'an was speechless. Emperor Yongxi is really a bitch. He and Han Zhi are obviously brothers. , but his personality is completely opposite.

Next, Lu Jiuan spent half a month, and the co-workers determined the location, building area and structure of the institute. After making full preparations, the institute began to officially start construction.

Because Lu Jiuan contributed snow salt, this time, the Ministry of Household Affairs allocated funds very readily.

The Minister of the Ministry of Industry sighed and complained bitterly to Lu Jiu'an: "Now you are really taking advantage of Lu Siye. You don't know that when I go to ask for money for civil engineering construction, the old man gets angry. These matters are not something that I can decide. If the official channels are blocked and dilapidated, and His Majesty blames them, no one will be able to bear the burden, so why bother?"

When Lu Jiu'an was the planning director, he often dealt with finance . , knowing that it was not easy for them to do, he had to comfort him after hearing the words: "The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue has to balance the revenue and expenditure to prevent the national treasury from being depleted. Each of us has our own difficulties. We are all your Majesty's ministers. We share the emperor's salary, share the emperor's worries, and understand each other. Just give it a try."

Chapter 203

Because the things developed by the research institute will eventually be used in the Ministry of Industry, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry is particularly concerned about it. We mobilized enough manpower and material resources and went to the site every now and then to rush the construction period. It took only three months to complete the construction of the institute.

The research institute is located in a valley 20 kilometers away from Jinnan City. It is surrounded by dense forests and is inaccessible for dozens of miles. It is set as a forbidden area in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The area around the institute is heavily guarded, and one must have a royal order from the emperor to enter.

On the day it was completed, the three research teams packed up their belongings and left the Royal Palace in a hurry.

Lu Jiuan stared at the direction where Feng Jing and others disappeared for a long time before slowly returning to the house.

At this moment, he did not know that his decision would usher in a dazzling and prosperous era and push the Zhou Dynasty into an era of unprecedented prosperity.

The weather is getting colder, the grass is withering and the leaves are turning yellow. People say that spring brings growth and summer grows, autumn harvests and winter hides. Lu Jiuan wished he could hide under the covers and not go out.

Huacaifang also sent many thick clothes to the mansion one after another. When I asked, they said they were ordered by General Han.

Lu Qi was similar in weight to him. Lu Jiuan picked out a few plain-colored items for him, but Lu Qi refused and said with a smile, "The general made these specially for the young master. I don't dare to ask for them.

" Just take it if I ask you to." Lu Jiuan pretended to be angry.

Lu Qi flexibly dodged and said proudly, "Master, have you forgotten? I can get my monthly salary now, so I can just buy it myself."

While the two were arguing, a rustling conversation came from outside the courtyard wall . Laughing playfully, they finally stopped outside the gate of Lufuyuan.

"Lu Siye is in the house, come out and meet me." A masculine young man shouted.

Lu Jiu'an knew who it was as soon as he heard the voice. When he opened the door, it was Su Ming who was outside with his friend Hou.

The people standing behind Su Ming were not colleagues that Lu Jiuan was familiar with before, and they were a little unfamiliar. Lu Jiu'an guessed that the identity of the other party was not simple. He estimated that even if he did not hold a position in the palace, there should be high-ranking uncles and brothers in the family.

One of them is Yan Lu, the grandson of Yan Zhongyi, a scholar in Dongge University. He was born with a tiger-like head and a tough head, and is not like his father at all.

Those people must have heard about Lu Jiu'an's reputation, and they were all looking at him secretly at this moment.

"Let me just say Lu Siye is at home." Su Ming winked, "Woyuelou has two new dishes, how about we go have a drink together?"

Lu Jiu'an chuckled: "Newlyweds, it's hard to wait until Xiu Mu Why don't you spend more time with Ling Zheng at home? I'm afraid your wife will blame us if she finds out, right?"

Su Ming just got married a month ago, and he married the eldest daughter of the left minister of the Ministry of Etiquette, so the two families are well matched.

Su Ming said: "Don't blame me. Look at us, you are the only one who is alone. All the girls in Jinnan City who have not left the court are staring at you. When do you plan to get married?"

Lu Jiuan was half-serious. He said half-assedly: "If you don't marry a wife, you won't have to be disciplined."

"That's not a waste of natural resources." Of course Su Ming didn't believe it, and after joking for a while, he took him out.

In such a cold weather, Lu Jiu'an originally didn't want to go out to enjoy the breeze and suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, after refusing several times, Su Ming even dragged him around and forcibly put his arm around his shoulders and took him to the carriage.

"Come on, let's go, you will feel warm after drinking."

It was almost dusk, the lanterns were starting to turn on, and the double eaves and high tiles were dyed with a faint golden light by the setting sun candlelight. People in the Zhou Dynasty ate early. After dinner, they went from house to house and walked to the streets. There was an endless stream of hawkers, jugglers, and insect and bird players.

The carriage rolled over the bluestone slabs, and by the time it reached Woyue Tower, the last trace of daylight had been completely covered by the darkness of night.

The Woyue Tower was brightly lit, and faint laughter could be heard. The tempting aroma of food and wine floated in the air, making the hungry passersby move their index fingers.

Su Ming introduced as he walked: "You rarely go out. Zuiyuelou is not well-known in Jinnan City. However, in early June, Zuiyuelou recruited a man from nowhere who had excellent cooking skills." Su Ming

was obviously early . After the seats were reserved, the waiter who was running around saw them, left the guests who were still greeting, and ran over diligently. He led a few people straight to the wing on the second floor.

As a result, he met a few acquaintances at the corner of the stairs. Su Ming simply made a host and invited everyone to gather at a table. According to his words, "it's lively when there are so many people."

Everyone was chatting away, and Lu Jiu'an slowly Squeezed to the back. Lu Jiu'an was not annoyed, and listened to their conversation with a smile, looking at the layout of Woyue Tower from time to time.

At this time, Lu Jiuan suddenly noticed a familiar figure not far away and couldn't help but take a second look.

"Jiu'an, why did you run behind?" Su Ming finally realized that Lu Jiu'an was missing. "What are you looking at?"

Lu Jiu'an turned around and said, "Nothing. I saw a figure from behind, a bit like Marquis Jin'an."

Su Ming followed. He looked over and saw that the man was holding a baby in his arms and making babbling noises. Two monks were standing next to him, speaking to him respectfully. It happened that the man turned his head at this moment, and his eyebrows and eyes suddenly became clear and bright under the candlelight, and the people and things around him were eclipsed by him.

Su Ming was in a trance for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, he couldn't help but admired: "It is indeed Marquis Jin'an, his appearance as a fairy is nothing more than this."

Someone else said: "Marquis Jin'an really dotes on the young prince, he hugs him wherever he goes, and he doesn't mind it. I'm so tired."

Lu Jiu'an looked at the two monks and asked in surprise: "That's a monk, why are you coming to the tea house?"

"Who said you can't come? Just abide by the rules and not drink alcohol or eat meat. "

Over there, Marquis Jin'an and two monks had already opened a door and entered the house. The corners of his robes woven with dark patterns of gold flashed past.

"I heard that Marquis Jin'an believed in Buddhism, and he always got close to the monks." Su Ming told the gossip he didn't know where he got it. "Some time ago, the young prince was frightened and cried incessantly in the middle of the night. He still asked the abbot of the temple to invite him. The Buddha just cured him, so today he should hold a special banquet to thank them."

Lu Jiu'an felt a little surprised: "This Marquis Jin'an is very interesting. I want to thank the monk for inviting people to come to Woyuelou and add some incense to the temple. Isn't it more money? Okay?"

"You're wrong." Su Ming shook his head, "Last year on Buddha's Birthday, Marquis Jin'an donated a gold statue to Jinglan Temple!"

Lu Jiu'an clicked his tongue.

Han Zhao looked desolate and indifferent, yet he was such a loyal believer.

Su Ming pulled Lu Jiu'an to his side again: "Let's go, let's look at the food. The food is getting cold. Let me tell you, Lu Siye is funny and has many weird things in his hands. Stay with him." You will have a lot of fun together."

The food at Woyuelou is mainly sweet and spicy, which is different from the local flavor in Jinnan City, but has a unique taste. Lu Jiu'an inevitably drank a little wine, and after three rounds of drinking, he felt a little dizzy. He talked a lot during the dinner, and it wasn't until he left the restaurant and felt some cold air that he sobered up slightly.

Su Ming burped from wine, his face was red, and he grabbed his shoulders and mocked: "Jiu'an, your ability to drink is not good, you need to practice more."

Lu Jiu'an rubbed his temples uncomfortably and did not answer him.

At this time, an unkempt little beggar came over, exuding a sour smell, carrying a tattered pottery bowl, and timidly asked them for some food.

Yan Lu was so smoked that he covered his nose and took a few steps back: "Why are there so many homeless beggars in Jinnan City recently?"

"Really?" Lu Jiu'an thought thoughtfully.

Su Ming took out a broken piece of silver from his waist and threw it away. The silver rolled around in the pottery bowl and finally fell to the bottom of the bowl: "Take it, I will reward you."

The little beggar had never seen him before . With so much money, I hunched over and kept saying words of gratitude.

"Wait a minute." Lu Jiu'an called to the little beggar who turned to leave.

Everyone looked at him without knowing why.

Lu Jiu'an returned to the restaurant, asked the waiter to buy two steamed buns and a bowl of hot porridge, and brought them to the little beggar: "Eat."

The little beggar was at a loss, wiped his right hand on his body, and slowly took the steamed buns.

Lu Jiu'an stopped him again: "Come back and eat here, and then leave after eating."

The little beggar devoured the food in front of Lu Jiu'an, with tears falling down his face. Lu Jiu'an waited patiently for him to finish, then picked up the silver from his pottery bowl and put it into his pocket: "Be smart and don't get robbed."

On the way back, Lu Jiu'an kept looking outside with the car curtains open. As expected, the dusty corner of the street was crowded with ragged people, mostly children.

In the darkness, a sigh was hidden under the busy traffic and disappeared in an instant.

In November, it snowed heavily in Jinnan City, and the sky and earth were covered in snow. At a glance, there was only a vast expanse of white.

Lu Jiu'an finally saw the snow that he had longed for, but unfortunately he was shivering from the cold and had no intention of admiring it: "How can it be so cold in this damn weather?"

Han Zhi got him a pair of woolen gloves and put them on for him: "Don't grow too long. Frostbite."

There was a thick layer of snow on the roof, and the carriage could no longer drive normally on the street. Lu Jiuan had to go on horseback to go to the Imperial College.

No matter where Lu Jiuan goes now, he will always hold a Tang Pozi in his hand. When he arrived at the Imperial Academy, he took off his cloak and shook off the cold snow.

There was a charcoal fire burning in the room, which seemed like a different world from the outside. Several teaching assistants and students were whispering. Lu Jiuan sorted out the paperwork on the table and listened.

"I just passed by the Inspectorate and saw the people inside walking around in a hurry, as if something had happened."

"No, I have an uncle who works in Dali Temple and has been staying home very late recently. I saw him yesterday , seeing how tired he looked, it probably has something to do with what you said. "

In Dazhou, if there are cases, they will be handled according to the bottom-up litigation system. Dali Temple's arbitrary decision on unjust, false and wrongful cases is the last threshold for trial. If local events spread to southern Shanxi and even alarm Dali Temple, it must be very serious.

Xuezheng looked up and saw Lu Jiu'an, saluted him, then buried his head and continued muttering.

"It seems that in the southeast area, there was turmoil because of a local official, and many people died."

"In Zhangzhou, a powerful man died in the turmoil, which made the matter bigger, and then the people were stabbed to the capital."

Xuezheng was sighing, and when he saw the sacrificial wine coming in, he immediately stopped talking.

That night, Lu Jiu'an returned to his house and casually mentioned the news he heard during the day to Han Zhi while having dinner. Unexpectedly, Han Zhi nodded: "This is indeed the case. Brother Huang was very angry. On the same day, I appointed a censor to be the inspector and went with Dali Temple to investigate. "

Lu Qi regretted: "Zhangzhou is a bit far away, otherwise I would have taken reporters to the scene to collect materials."

Chapter 204

Because it was not his responsibility, Lu Jiuan didn't take it to heart. Unexpectedly, in just a few days, this incident spread to southern Shanxi and caused an uproar. Even ordinary people heard about it and talked about it in their spare time.

The cause of the incident was that for some unknown reason, local students in Zhangzhou, about a dozen of them, blocked the magistrate's office. Later, the group grew stronger and unknowingly grew to hundreds of people. They did nothing all day long, sitting at the door and facing each other. The government criticized him both verbally and through writing.

The prefect was also ridiculous, sending troops to violently drive away so many scholars. Who would have thought that those scholars were determined not to leave, and a conflict broke out between the two sides. As a result, for some reason, a relative of the emperor was accidentally killed in the process, and the trouble got out of hand.

There are different opinions, and there are all kinds of contents, and I don't know which one is true and which one is false.

...

It was freezing cold, and Lu Jiuan looked miserable all day long. He had no appetite for anything, so he simply asked the cook to make hot pot for dinner.

Lu Jiu'an called Su Ming and others. Since Mu Wan Gong had been thinking about this matter, Lu Jiu'an invited the female general over and everyone sat in a circle.

Han Zhimu looked normal as he drew his bow and chatted loudly about military matters. On Su Ming's side, on the other hand, a few people were taciturn and sat upright, looking somewhat reserved and at a loss.

Fortunately, at this time, the boys carried the wood stove to the main room, and a large hot pot was quickly set up, which relieved the embarrassment of Su Ming and others.

Then, the maids filed out with sliced ​​and plated dishes, which were placed in rows on the shelves next to them. There were both meat and vegetables, and there were many varieties.

Except for those who had eaten, everyone else sitting there was overwhelmed by the sight.

"It smells so good!" Su Ming couldn't help but sniff.

Mu Wan Gong looked at the boiling cauldron with a confused look on his face and asked Han Zhi, "How do you eat this?"

Han Zhi raised his eyelids and glanced at her without replying.

"Here, let me teach you." Lu Jiu'an brought the plate of washed duck intestines to the table, picked one and put it on Su Ming's bone plate. "There is something special about eating this."

"Hot pot is eaten fresh, hot, and eaten fresh. However, there are some special dishes, such as this duck intestine, which pay attention to the top and bottom. Use chopsticks to hold it and place it in the pot. Inside, I counted about twenty in my mind, and I can take it out at this time. It will become old if it is boiled for a long time."

Several colleagues couldn't wait to taste one as he said. It was really crispy and fresh, and they praised it while eating. Don't stop talking.

The charcoal fire in the room was burning brightly, and soon everyone's faces were red and sweating. Su Ming took off the thick layer of clothes without caring about the elegance of celebrities.

The topic of chat among a few people unknowingly came to the recent incident in Zhangzhou.

"What do you think these scholars think?" Su Ming took out a piece of mutton from the pot and asked incomprehensively, "They say that the people do not fight against the officials. Although they have fame and honor, they cannot act arbitrarily. It is said that the prefecture county There was a hole in the yamen gate. Such a vicious fight is not what a gentleman would do."

Huo You, the son of the Minister of Rites, shook his head: "We don't know the whole story, so it's better not to jump to conclusions."

Su Ming thought about this. Reason: "Then what unjust thing did the prefect do to make the scholars abandon etiquette and rush here?"

You know, students who have achieved academic status enjoy certain privileges and do not need to kneel before officials.

Not only that, because they have read a lot of poetry and books, what they love to do most in daily life is to write vigorously.

If by any chance they encounter something dissatisfied with someone or something, and the scholars get together in small groups and take a moment to write a denouncement, it would be best to tell the world about it, hoping that everyone will know about it.

Therefore, even the county magistrate would sometimes be polite and would not dare to confront him easily.

Lu Jiu'an knew better and asked coldly: "Why don't you think about why the local academic administration doesn't care about the students who have been causing trouble for so long?"

Yes, the academic administration inspects the merits of teachers and scholars in the province and regulates the behavior of students. manner.

Logically speaking, what these scholars did was really outrageous. It would only be enough to write an article to denounce them. Sitting around outside the county government office in broad daylight, the academic administration should have been so angry that they had stripped them of their honorary titles to set an example. Why is it that there is no trace of academic administration here.

"Why?" Su Ming asked.

Lu Jiu'an: "Because Xuezheng died a long time ago. When he was found, he hanged himself at home."

Su Ming was so shocked that he broke into a cold sweat all over his body.

Lu Jiu'an sneered coldly: "The magistrate not only violently expelled the students, but also raised a knife against the students. This person is headstrong and has a vicious heart. If the powerful man had not stopped the disaster, hundreds of students would have been killed by the knife. "

Lu Jiu'an heard it from Han Zhi. Because the case had not yet come to light, he only said a few words and did not elaborate on it to them.

After eating and drinking, several of Su Ming's colleagues said goodbye to Lu Jiu'an. Lu Jiu'an sent him out of the house and watched with his own eyes as they helped each other get into the carriage in a drunken state before turning back and entering the hospital.

Han Zhi also drank a lot tonight, and there was a strong smell of alcohol all over his body, but there was no hint of drunkenness in Lu Jiu'an's eyes.

"Go back and rest early, two generals." Lu Jiuan pretended not to understand the meaning in his eyes.

"Let's go." Mu Wan Gong stretched out and punched Han Zhi on the shoulder. "You've had a good meal from Lu Siye, but don't wait any longer."

Han Zhi stared at Lu Jiu'an for a while . , stood up silently, and the two of them left one after the other.

Quietness returned to the courtyard.

The boy quickly put away the dishes and chopsticks, and Lu Qi brought a basin of hot water to Lu Jiu'an to clean his face.

"Sir, the New Year will be celebrated in more than a month. The master and the eldest son asked people to bring some tea leaves from Langdong for food, and they have been placed in the warehouse. When will we go to the streets to pick some new year's goods to prepare?" "

So soon. " Lu Jiu'an was stunned, not knowing what he thought of, and said with a smile, "I hope this year's new year's goods will have something different."

That night, there was heavy snow and a cold wind, and two fast horses rode into Beijing in the wind and snow. , they parted ways at the entrance of East Street. One rode directly into the palace gate, while the other took another route and went to Prince Yu's Mansion.

Han Zhizheng, wearing a big cloak, was reading military literature at night in his study. When he heard the message from his subordinates, he frowned slightly: "An urgent report from Zhangzhou? Why don't you send it directly to the palace."

His subordinates said respectfully: "I don't know my position, but the person who came here claimed that there was an emergency of 100,000 yuan. The matter needs to be reported to the general."

Han Zhi frowned for a moment and said, "Pass!"

After receiving the order, his subordinates quickly retreated. After a while, a man in black tight clothes entered the study. Han Zhi recognized this man at a glance as a close guard of Emperor Yongxi. This time, he secretly followed the inspector and people from Dali Temple to Zhangzhou to investigate the case.

Han Zhi put down the scroll, his eyes were like torches, and he asked in a deep voice: "What's the matter?"

The visitor simply saluted, without further explanation, and directly handed the document he had carried in his arms to Han Zhi: "General, please read it." Then he lowered his head as if he didn't dare to look directly at him.

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The visitor stared at his toes for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, an inkstone was swept to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The guard who conveyed the message shivered and cautiously raised his head, only to see that the feared General Zhenyuan had scarlet eyes and stared at the document in his hand, surrounded by an aura of terror.

"Is this true?" Han Zhi stared at Xuanyi Guards closely and asked word by word. The voice was suppressed in the chest, smelling of damp rust.

The guard was forced to dare not say a word for a moment by the strong evil aura on his body that was almost gnawing at people.

"I'm asking you a question!" Han Zhi roared angrily, and couldn't hold back anymore. He picked up something on the table and threw it at the person in front of him without looking at it.

The scalding tea poured all over Konoe.

The guard on duty heard the noise and pushed open the door. When he saw the mess on the ground, he calmly touched the sharp weapon on his waist.

Han Zhi's fierce face approached him, and the guard was frightened. He didn't dare to hesitate anymore, and said everything: "Yes...it's the latest news found in Zhangzhou. It's absolutely true."

Han Zhi took a deep breath and let out a breath. , my temples were pounding, and I couldn't believe what I saw and heard.

Konoe held his breath and concentrated, too frightened by Han Zhi's overwhelming anger to dare to move.

Veins popped up on Han Zhi's left hand that was holding the document. Finally, he crumpled the document into a ball and closed his eyes tightly.

"Prepare your horses."

...

The last candle in the Lu Mansion was blown out. The two children leaned behind the concierge, found a comfortable position, yawned and fell asleep.

Everything was silent. Suddenly, there was an earth-shattering knock on the door, causing one of the children to fall to the ground in shock.

"It's so late at night, why are you so crazy and you don't even sleep?" The child muttered and complained, getting up from the ground.

The door panel was slapped loudly, and when Wu Gu heard the noise, he jumped out of the dog kennel and barked at the door.

The child who was disturbed suppressed his anger, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and shouted through the door, "Come, come, who is it?"

"Open the door!" He was answered by another heavy banging on the door.

The child looked through the gap in the gate and was frightened. He quickly opened the courtyard door and said, "The general came here in the middle of the night. What do you mean? Mr. Lu has gone to bed early..."

Han Zhi remained silent, pushed away the child who was blocking the way, and strode forward. Walked to Lu Jiuan's bedroom. He stretched out his hand to push open the door, but stood still, motionless.

Wu Gu had already recognized Han Zhi, and obediently licked the palm of his hand hanging by his side.

The sound disturbed Lu Jiuan in his sleep.

Lu Jiuan opened his eyes in a daze, and his first reaction was that there was a burglar in his home.

"The kid on duty in the courtyard must have slept to death." Lu Jiu'an got out of the bed and thought while getting dressed, "It's time for the people from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division to knock on the door. There are still people under the Emperor's feet who dare to commit theft." What a shame."

Lu Jiu'an lit the candle and boldly opened the door. Under the dim candlelight, Lu Jiu'an looked at Han Zhiling standing outside the door, his hair disheveled and covered with snow, like a tree in the vast wilderness. A lonely and shadowy figure.

"Why did you come here in the middle of the night?" The window didn't even open.

Lu Jiuan breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to hold his hand under his sleeve. At this time, Han Zhi raised his head and looked over, his eyes covered with red bloodshot eyes.

Only then did Lu Jiuan notice something strange, and his heart skipped a beat, feeling that something bad must have happened to Han Zhi.

At this time, Han Zhi was extremely fragile, as if the strength in his body had been drained, and he was numbly letting him hold him, as if he would break into pieces in a moment.

"Han Chaori." Lu Jiu'an asked cautiously, "What's wrong with you?"

"Jiu'an." Han Zhi's voice was as low as audible and breathless, "Mu Lin is dead."

"What?" Lu Jiu'an seemed not to hear clearly. .

Han Zhi reached out and hugged him, his tall body pressed heavily on Lu Jiu'an, crying: "Mu Lin is dead, died in Zhangzhou. The murdered dignitary was Mu Lin!"

Chapter 205

Lu Jiuan was stunned for a moment. Then, an overwhelming sense of suffocation surrounded him, and Lu Jiuan felt like he couldn't breathe.

Mu Lin is dead, how is this possible?

He wrote a letter just a few months ago, saying that he was enjoying the sightseeing tour in a tourist destination.

What is the name of the tourist place?

It seems to be called Zhangzhou...

"Did you make the mistake of Han Chaoru?" Lu Jiu'an murmured, "How long has it been? According to past experience, Mu Lin has already left for other places."

Han Zhiyi Silent.

Lu Jiuan felt a great sadness in his heart, his feet became weak and he could hardly stand.

This incident was so sudden that he couldn't accept it at all. How could the dead powerful man... how could he become Mu Lin?

A picture of getting along with Mu Lin over the past few years suddenly flashed before Lu Jiu'an's eyes.

There were times when he appeared in a state of embarrassment outside the county magistrate's house, there were times when he was arrogant and domineering and was deceived into eating bugs by himself, and there were times when he was unrestrained and uninhibited, saying that he wanted to travel through the mountains and rivers of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and made bold words about writing a travelogue of Mu Lin...

Memories are like watching flowers on horseback. At the end, Mu Lin's arty figure waving the folding fan slowly faded away, like a mottled mirror, cracked into pieces in his mind.

He and Mu Lin have only been friends for seven years, but they are still so miserable. What about Han Zhi? They have been close friends since childhood. How should he feel sad?

The candle burned out the last trace of its afterglow and went out with a puff. Only the pale moonlight shone on the snow. Lu Jiuan hugged Han Zhi back and stood quietly at the door of the room. The cold wind made their clothes whine, like lament.

That night, when everyone was still asleep, Mu, the daughter of the Mu clan, pulled a fast horse and galloped out of the city.

News of the death of Mu Lin, the son of Marquis Yongyi, spread throughout southern Shanxi overnight, shocking both the government and the public.

Mu Lin was a well-known playboy in a wealthy family in the capital. He idled around all day and went to brothels with a group of friends to visit prostitutes.

The famous aristocratic families in the capital had the biggest headache for him, and they wished that this ignorant little bastard would stay far away, so as not to harm other noble children.

Until Mu Lin got tired of playing in southern Shanxi and went to Yingping, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Mu Lin's reputation is not good, he is the son of a marquis and has a distinguished status. His ancestors were even the founding ministers of the country. Nowadays, most people feel sad when they die in a foreign land.

In addition to regrets, Lu Jiu'an occasionally heard sounds of gloating.

Mu Lin has always had his own way of doing things, so he has many enemies in the capital, and opinions on him are mixed.

"The great years are gone forever." Jiujiu sighed, twirling his long beard, "I was fortunate enough to be favored by Marquis Yongyi, and came to teach Mu Xiaohou for a period of time. Mu Xiaohou did have some problems when he was young. He is naughty, but fortunately he is talented, has a chivalrous heart, and his nature is not bad."

Cai Gongshuang also lamented: "I have heard that the governor of Zhangzhou has a noble character and often takes in homeless children. How could this happen? Is there any misunderstanding in such a thing?"

Jijiu said, "He killed such a noble man, even if it was a misunderstanding, he would not be able to escape punishment."

Lu Jiu'an opened the curtain and entered. Cai Gongshuang saw that his eyes were blank. , was shocked: "Oh, Lu Siye, why do you look so haggard? Are you too busy with official duties? You should take a break occasionally."

Lu Jiu'an shook his head silently.

"Is it okay that you didn't have any rest last night?" Cai Gongshuang asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Lu Jiu'an's voice was hoarse and he said smoothly, "There was a little wind and I caught a cold."

"Take care of yourself." Cai Gongshuang babbled and gave instructions. Lu Jiu'an still didn't look energetic. When Cai Gongshuang saw this, he stopped. Disturbing his purity, he turned around and continued discussing Mu Lin with Jijiu.

After his shift ended in the afternoon, Lu Jiu'an did not return to his courtyard and ordered the driver to drive directly to Prince Yu's Mansion.

The old housekeeper came towards me with an anxious look on his face: "Lu Siye, you're finally here. Please advise His Royal Highness."

A trace of anger arose in Lu Jiuan's heart: "Is he planning to starve himself to death?"

"Then? Not at all." The old steward said, "The prince has been practicing in the yard these days. From morning to night, no one comes. He feels uncomfortable." The old

steward's hair has turned a lot white. Mu Lin grew up, and Mu Lin's death was a huge blow to him.

Lu Jiu'an lowered his eyes: "I know."

In the backyard of Nuoda, the Royal Palace, there was only the sound of the red tassel gun piercing the air. Han Zhi took off his outer coat, wearing only a thin layer of clothes and sweating profusely. I don't know how long I have been practicing.

Lu Jiu'an just watched quietly from the side. Han Zhi finally stopped and thrust the red tassel gun into the ground: "You're here."

Lu Jiu'an picked up the coat on the ground and put it on for him, getting closer. , only to notice that layers of dry and cracked skin had appeared on his lips.

"Yesterday Zhan Weizhu said that Commander Mu left in a hurry and only made some simple explanations before leaving. Now Suzaku Camp has accumulated a lot of military affairs."

Han Zhi lowered his head to look at him, with many things in his eyes that he had no time to cover up. . After a long time, Han Zhi said calmly as if nothing happened: "I will go to Suzaku Camp tomorrow and temporarily take over the affairs in Mu Wan Gong's hands before she comes back."

Looking at Han Zhi like this, Lu Jiu'an felt at ease A bold decision was made. The next day, he went to the palace alone to meet the emperor and asked Emperor Yongxi to allow him to go to Zhangzhou to investigate the case.

Emperor Yongxi lowered his head and looked down from above. Lu Jiuan was kneeling on the ground. His shoulders and back were thin and thin, and his back like plum branches and bamboo knots was slightly curved, and he was shrouded in a large official robe.

After a while, Emperor Yongxi said slowly: "You and Mu Lin have a close relationship, so you want to settle the case for Mu Lin?"

Lu Jiu'an couldn't help but feel sour in his heart: "Yes, my minister's treatment of Mu Xiaohou Ye Understand, he will definitely not do anything so harmful as to cause such a fatal disaster."

"I can understand, and I am very sad." Yong Xi frowned, "In fact, you should also know that Yushi and Dali. Si Zuosi Cheng has already gone to Zhangzhou to investigate the truth. "

But you are just a businessman. In what name do you want me to allow you to go to Zhangzhou?"

Lu Jiuan's back suddenly stiffened.

He remembered what Emperor Yongxi had said to him during the hunt in Lingshan: Without rights, he could only be restrained everywhere.

This time, it was Lu Jiuan's long silence that responded to Emperor Yongxi.

In mid-January, every household begins to go to the streets to collect New Year's goods, hang lanterns, and post couplets to prepare for the arrival of the New Year. Everywhere is filled with joy and laughter.

In such a lively atmosphere, more than 20 prison cars slowly entered Beijing under the escort of soldiers. The magistrate of Zhangzhou was no longer in glory. He was in ragged clothes and unkempt, sitting on his knees in the prison car and crying bitterly.

Returning to Beijing with the prison car was Mu Lin's coffin.

Lu Jiu'an stood in the crowd and saw Mu Wan Gong in front of the team at a glance. Her face was neither happy nor sad, as if the person lying in the red coffin was a stranger to her.

Behind the coffin, there followed a long team, all wearing Confucian shirts and scarves, and the end could not be seen at a glance.

As the coffin entered the city gate, the team behind them stopped in tacit agreement. They all bent down and saluted the coffin. Without saying anything, they turned and left.

Seeing this scene, Su Ming was shocked and asked: "What are those people doing?"

The son of the Zuosi Cheng of Dali Temple happened to be nearby. Hearing this, he cried and said: "They are all scholars from the suburbs, and they came all the way from Zhangzhou. Every time they passed a place, local scholars would spontaneously take over from the previous group of people to escort Mu Lin's body back to Beijing. They walked for two days and two nights. "

Su Ming became even more confused: "Why?"

Zuo Si Cheng of Dali Temple burst into tears: "Because Mu Xiaohou is so upright and upright!"

"He lived and died for these scholars. The Zhangzhou magistrate has done all kinds of bad things as an unkind official, and he deserves to die!"

The people who didn't know why were shouting together, picking up He picked up stones and rotten vegetable leaves from the ground and threw them at the people in the prison car.

Everyone cursed loudly and slowly left in the direction of the prison car.

Lu Jiu'an suddenly lost all his strength and fell to the ground in despair. Slowly, a dull laugh came out of his throat: "Mu Lin actually died for a scholar. How ridiculous."

"What he obviously hates the most is The scholar is dead."

Mu Lin's death involved a secret that had been buried for a long time by the Zhangzhou magistrate. What he did was extremely heinous, and he was sent to the Criminal Department for joint trial by the three judicial departments of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Dali Temple, and the Criminal Department.

Han Zhi was about to go to the court for hearing, but no one dared to stop him. They respectfully brought him an imperial chair and placed it on the left side of the Yamen.

Han Zhi not only came in person, but also brought Lu Jiuan to listen behind the scenes.

The chief secretary of Dali Temple tried to dissuade him: "Your Highness, this is against the rules..."

Han Zhi's sharp eyes fell on him. The chief registrar of Dali Temple was so frightened that his legs were shaking, and he looked at the minister of Dali Temple for help.

The Minister of Dali Temple shook his head and asked him to step back.

Through a screen, Lu Jiu'an could clearly hear the trial process in front of the hall.

"The Inspector has found out the truth. You have committed the crimes one by one. The recorder will record them. After confirming that they are correct, you will sign and stamp the confession and we will submit it to Your Majesty."

The former Zhangzhou Prefect, today's The prisoner Sun Mo knelt dumbly under the hall, turning a deaf ear to the words of the Dali Temple Minister.

The Minister of Dali Temple was furious: "Now that things have happened, do you still have the illusion that anyone can save your life?" The crime of the nine clans."

Sun Mo then reacted, knelt down for a few steps, and begged for mercy: "I did it all by myself, and it has nothing to do with my wife, children, and mother. I was really obsessed with it at the beginning. I adopted them because I took pity on them

." "Then why did you do something so outrageous to both humans and gods?"

Sun Mo said in a daze: "These children, these children have been raised so well by me, they are all so beautiful. ..."

"What a beast." The Minister of Punishment gnashed his teeth and cursed, "Why did Master Xuezheng hang himself at home?"

Sun Mo said, "That old guy, he bumped into us, he must have said that we acted against the will. With so many people involved, how could he leave alive?"

Han Zhi asked expressionlessly, "What about Mu Lin, the son of a marquis? Do you really think Emperor Tiangao will kill him? So far, is it lawless?"

Sun Mo cried bitterly and said, "I didn't, I didn't know he was Mu Xiaohou. If I knew his identity, how could I kill him?"

"They were all those scholars. "Sun Mo showed a look of hatred and roared like crazy, "I can't even drive away those scholars. They are all hypocritical, and they even brazenly said that they wanted to avenge the teacher and asked for orders for the people. I am the prefect. " If you ask for orders for the people, why should I do it?"

"Mr. Mu Xiaohou came out of nowhere. It would have been better if he had taken out the token earlier. There was no turning back. It was too late." . The soldiers on standby had already shot the arrows, and I could not stop him. He stood in front of the group of students, and the arrows were shot at him. He shed so much blood that even if Hua Tuo was alive, he would not be able to save him. "

At the end, Sun Mo collapsed on the ground, holding his head in his hands, looking so crazy that he had no image at all.

...

The joint trial of the three justices did not end until late at night. Sun Mo confessed that he had raised children in captivity and collaborated with other officials to commit obscenity first, and killed the court officials later. According to the early law, he was punished for several crimes and was executed at Lingchi.

Sun Mo was taken to prison and could be executed after being judged by Emperor Yongxi.

"Officials from top to bottom of Zhangzhou have been colluding and kept it secret for so long. Fortunately, today they finally brought these beasts to justice." The minister of Dali Temple was exhausted, sorted out the case files, and stood up to leave.

Walking out of the execution hall, Han Zhi suddenly stopped, his eyes filled with cold murderous intent: "Wait for me for a moment." After saying that, he walked towards the prison where Sun Mo was imprisoned.

Lu Jiu'an didn't ask anything. He leaned against the big tree and counted the stars in the sky one by one.

The wind in the dungeon was cold and penetrating, carrying a hint of blood smell when it blew over, and there was a vague and shrill wail.

After an unknown amount of time, Han Zhi walked out of the prison and casually wiped off the blood on his hands: "Let's go and see Mu Lin."

Chapter 206

The streets are decorated with lights and colorful decorations, and the doors are covered with all kinds of New Year pictures. White flags were hung outside the gate of Mu Mansion.

Mu Wan Gong straightened up and knelt in front of the mourning hall. Paper money was burning in the iron basin next to it, and fireworks were lingering.

There were two middle-aged men in the hall. Their heads and shoulders were covered with paper dust. They were crying so hard that they almost fainted. Their faces were pale. They were being carefully supported by the maid.

At this moment, several waves of Confucian scholars who had never met each other came in from the door to pay their respects. They all had a white scarf wrapped around their arms, with the word "righteousness" embroidered on the white scarf, and they fell to the ground with sad expressions. Sticking incense, he bowed and left on his own.

Mu Lin was killed by several arrows. His body was originally full of blood holes, but now he has put on a brand new shroud.

His body came all the way from Zhangzhou. Because of the cold winter and the fact that it was preserved with ice and saltpeter, the body did not rot, but his face looked stiff and pale, as if he had fallen asleep.

Han Linshen also came and stood beside Han Zhi, his eyes red and swollen from crying.

Lu Jiu'an calmed down a little, lit a stick of incense, silently knelt next to Mu Wan Gong, and silently burned paper money into the iron basin.

At this time, several more people came in together from outside the door, but they were not Confucian scholars or officials. Dressed as military generals, they should not deal with the Mu family. As soon as they appeared, the middle-aged couple who were crying just now immediately got emotional and said: "Get out, you don't need to be hypocritical here."

"No wonder the boy from the Mu family died . Ah." Those people laughed sarcastically and stood in front of the hall, discussing loudly and without restraint. Their words were full of sarcasm.

The kneeling Mu stood up from the ground with his bow, picked up the wooden stick next to the doorpost, and without saying a word, attacked several people below. The people hurriedly moved back to defend, hiding and retreating, cursing. Back out the door.

"I don't care which commander you belong to. If you dare to take a step forward, I will break your legs." Mu Wan Gong threatened unceremoniously.

Then she put away the wooden stick and said to everyone with a stern face: "Mu Lin died for the pillar of the Zhou Dynasty. He did not disgrace the Mu family. No one is allowed to make irresponsible remarks."

The conflict did not affect Lu Jiu'an in the slightest. He burned the copper coins and paper, took out the prepared paper bundles from the wooden box he had brought, and threw them in together.

The flames instantly exploded, and a circle of soot spiraled into the air, as if Mu Linzhen was catching the item from the other side of the world.

"What is that?" Mu Wan Gong asked sideways.

Lu Jiu'an said: "I thought that Mu Lin liked to travel around the mountains and rivers. Before coming, I specially found a funeral artist to make a few pairs of shoes and a carriage."

Mu Wan Gong's eyes suddenly turned red, and there were faint tears in his eyes. : "I'm determined."

Lu Jiu'an watched the paper bundles burn out, then stood up and walked to Mu Wan Gong: "Sister Mu, I have a question."

Mu Wan Gong wiped away his tears without leaving a trace: "You said "

After you went to Zhangzhou, did you meet a woman named Geng Ling?"

Mu Wangong thought of the person who had been staying by Mu Lin's side, and nodded with a low expression: "Geng Ling told me a lot about Mu Lin." She told me that in fact, they were driving the carriage out of the city that day, and they met the scholars on the street. Mu

Lin followed them out of curiosity, and if they had left, none of this would have happened. I couldn't help but think that maybe in this strange world, Mu Lin was everything to Geng Ling. Now that Mu Lin is gone, she is alone.

"Why didn't Geng Ling follow you back?"

Mu Wan Gong shook his head: "That child has something in mind. She wants to inherit Mu Lin's legacy and travel all over the mountains and rivers of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

At this moment, Lu Jiu'an didn't know what was going on in his mind. taste.

"By the way, I almost forgot." Mu Wan Gong took out a book from the room and handed it to Lu Jiu'an, "Geng Ling asked me to give it to you."

Lu Jiu'an thought it was Mu Lin's new travel note, but when he took it The moment he saw the book in his hand, Lu Jiu'an was shocked.

This was the travel diary of Xu Xiake that Lu Jiu'an gave to Mu Lin when he traveled for the first time. The pages of the book were yellowed and the corners were curled. It was obvious from a glance that the owner often held it in his hand, rubbed it and read it.

Turning over the pages of the book, it was filled with footnotes densely written in pen. Through these words, Lu Jiu'an seemed to see the scene of Mu Lin reading with all his heart at night.

Mu Wan Gong said: "Geng Ling said that Mu Lin taught her to read and write, so she will take over from Mu Lin to write the rest of the book in the future."

Lu Jiu'an came to the coffin step by step and placed the book beside Mu Lin.

"You never let go of the scroll before you are alive, and it will stay with you after you die. Let Mu Lin take it with you."

At first, he was afraid that Mu Lin would see the clues to the book Xu Xiake's Travels, so he dismantled and reassembled the two books. Mu Lin also questioned him whether the book was written by two people.

Now that Geng Ling has taken over from Mu Lin to continue writing, it seems that this ending is destined to happen.

What a prophecy.

On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, Mu Lin was sealed in a coffin and buried. The cemetery was chosen by Emperor Yongxi, and Mu Lin was granted the title of Marquis of Yu Ying.

The next day, the Zhangzhou magistrate, the chief envoy and other principal criminals were escorted to the execution ground and executed at Lingchi, while the remaining accomplices were either deposed or exiled.

Mu Wan Gong returned to the Suzaku Camp, and everyone returned to their own government affairs. Lu Jiu'an seemed to have forgotten the matter and never mentioned it again.

A few days later, one afternoon, the boy suddenly presented him with a letter.

"Where did it come from?" Lu Jiu'an asked tiredly after finishing sorting out the case files due to his busy schedule at the end of the year.

"The messenger said he came from Zhangzhou."

The letter was written by Mu Lin before his death. I don't know what happened to the messenger on the way, which caused the letter to arrive late.

In the reply, Mu Lin was very interested in the streamer mirror mentioned by Lu Jiuan, and asked him repeatedly if there really was such a treasure in the world.

Although he was still dubious, at the end of the letter, Mu Lin happily said that after returning to southern Shanxi, he must see the "documentary" that Lu Jiu'an said.

Lu Jiu'an was silent for a moment, folded the letter, and put it into the box together with the manuscript of "Mu Lin's Travel Notes".

The Spring Festival is coming soon, and the holidays given to officials by the Great Zhou Dynasty are long and comfortable. They are holidays from the 28th to the 7th of the first lunar month. Lu Jiuan finally has time to breathe.

The Lu family received New Year's greetings from other people one after another. There were colleagues from the Imperial College, disciples and disciples who had served as officials in the imperial court at Ying Ping in the past, and even a group of gangsters like Liu Wo, who all came with preserved fruit and bacon on the eve of the Spring Festival. pay a New Year call.

By the time Lu Jiuan returned the gifts one by one, it was already New Year's Eve before he knew it.

The streets are busy with traffic and drums are playing loudly. People celebrate with their families and rush to the streets to join in the fun.

However, in the Lu Mansion, it was a different scene.

Lu Qi followed Lu Jiu'an step by step, watching him wash and change clothes, and said disappointedly: "Is it true that your lord is not staying at home tonight to watch the New Year's Eve?"

He had already postponed the party in the club, and the matter about Mr. Mu Xiaohou made the lord feel sad. After waiting for a long time, he originally prepared many interesting things to make his adults happy.

Lu Jiu'an pinched his cheek and comforted him: "Thank you Lu Qi for your kindness, but the emperor's order cannot be violated. I will accompany you tomorrow."

Sure enough, in the afternoon, the carriage from Prince Yu's Mansion came outside the gate of Lu's house and pulled over. Lu Jiuan was received in the palace.

The Great Zhou Dynasty holds a palace banquet every New Year's Eve, and all officials of sixth rank and above are required to participate. However, Emperor Yongxi was not such an unkind emperor. At Haishi, officials could choose to stay or leave on their own.

The reason why Lu Jiuan said that to Lu Qi was because he knew that Han Zhi would stay with him at the Royal Palace.

When the two arrived, the sound of silk, bamboo, and pipe music was already playing in the palace, and from time to time, palace maids and eunuchs stopped to salute Han Zhi.

Lu Jiuan was keenly aware that the person next to him was a little different tonight.

"Are you hiding something from me?"

Han Zhi was vague and said mysteriously: "You will know later."

The lights in the Forbidden City were bright, and beauties in gorgeous clothes with floor-length sleeves were singing and dancing, under the double eaves. The glass hanging lamps and the jade hairpins on the concubines' heads complemented each other. Although the officials were familiar with the next process, they still watched intently.

But this year's New Year's Eve, the palace banquet has something different.

As usual, Yong Xi said some words of encouragement and gave some gifts, and then said: "Something like that happened some time ago, which made me sad. However, the mountains and rivers of the Great Zhou Dynasty are safe and the people are healthy. I also know that these are inseparable from you. So I specially chose today to prepare a gift for you."

Following Emperor Yongxi's order, there was a sudden loud noise in the distance, and clusters of fireworks screamed into the sky in the dark night. Exploded with a bang.

The colorful fireworks are like flowers, blooming one after another, lighting up half of the sky, and they are extremely gorgeous.

In the corner where no one noticed, Han Zhi came up to him and said affectionately: "Jiu'an, I hope you like it."

Lu Jiu'an's face turned slightly red from the wine.

He raised his neck and looked carefully. The fireworks seemed to pass through his eyes, igniting the sparks that were about to move in his chest. The fire burned to all his limbs and bones, burning hot.

After so many years, he, Lu Jiu'an, finally saw the fireworks clearly again.

After the emperor told everyone that the fireworks were developed by the research institute, the civil and military officials became more deeply aware of the importance of the research institute. Those who had previously opposed it suddenly had mixed feelings and no longer raised any objections.

On the way back home, Lu Jiuan was sitting in the carriage and could still hear the people on both sides of the road talking about the scene just now.

Lu Jiu'an rarely took the initiative in bed, but tonight, Han Zhi clearly felt the enthusiasm of the person in his arms. Lu Jiu'an put aside his shame and boldly pestered General Han. The two of them didn't fall asleep until late at night. .

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Lu Jiu'an was promoted two levels by Emperor Yongxi because of his outstanding political achievements, reputation for virtue and righteousness, and his recommendation.

Chapter 207

Chang Jishi is a fifth-grade official. This official position was first established in the 13th year of the previous dynasty. It was abolished several times. It was not until Emperor Yongxi succeeded to the throne that this official position was restored.

Although he is only a fifth-rank official, he has great power. When the last official Chang Ji was in office, he did a major event and proposed a reform in the suburbs of Beijing, although it ended with Chang Jishi being demoted.

In short, Changjishi inspects the four fields of the capital and enjoys the power of direct judgment. If done well, it can benefit the people and clear up grievances; if done poorly, it can cause chaos, so only those who are loyal and talented should not take on the responsibility.

Such an official position is the best candidate for reform and innovation. Emperor Yongxi suddenly restored this position, and his intention is self-evident.

"Emperor Yongxi is very ambitious."

But at the same time, Lu Jiuan inevitably raised a question in his mind: Why did Emperor Yongxi place such near-absolute trust in him from the beginning?

It's enough to let him teach the prince as the prince and young master. There are so many world-renowned political talents in the Zhou Dynasty. Why would such a crucial position as Chang Jishi fall to him?

Generally speaking, the emperor's family is suspicious by nature, and the art of checking and controlling people is difficult to master, let alone an old fox like Emperor Yongxi.

This trust was so incredible that he was even flattered. Even if it's because of Han Zhi's relationship, we shouldn't be hasty.

And looking at Emperor Yongxi's usual attitude towards him, it doesn't look like he knew about their relationship.

Lu Jiu'an once asked Han Zhi about this issue, and Han Zhi also expressed his ignorance: "The only thing I can be sure of is that Brother Huang will not harm you. He must have his own reasons for doing so."

Lu Jiu'an is not a self-seeking person . For troubled people, since the Sacred Heart cannot figure it out, just let nature take its course.

When the new official took office, the first thing Lu Jiu'an started was to rectify the security issues in Jinnan City.

Liu Wo and others worked in the Wucheng Military and Horse Division, which is equivalent to the modern urban management department. They were most familiar with Jinnan City. They had talked about the city's criticisms in front of Lu Jiu'an more than once.

Putting aside the crowing of cocks and dog robbers for now, there are too many beggars in Jinnan City.

Different from the war-torn times, the Zhou Dynasty was rich and prosperous, but there were still so many homeless people under the emperor's feet.

Lu Jiu'an found a special day and went to the government office of the Wucheng Bingma Division with Han Zhi to ask them how they handled the matter.

The commander sighed and said: "We can only expel them outside the city. Mr. Lu, General Han, you have to be considerate of us. Without laws from above, we can only use this simple and crude method. Otherwise, the entire Jinnan City They are all beggars, what do you think?"

Lu Jiu'an expressed his understanding: "Can you borrow some people from the commander?"

The commander was very happy: "It is my honor to be able to help Master Lu Chang. ."

As a result, Lu Jiu felt relieved as soon as the people assigned by the commander arrived. For no other reason than that, the more than thirty people who came were all old acquaintances.

"This commander is quite good at getting things done."

These are all former Yingping yamen servants. After Lu Jiuan's careful training, they have long been familiar with his work habits. There is no need to spend extra time breaking in, and they can match each other perfectly.

Zhao Laosan was also very happy: "Sir, if you have any arrangements, just tell me. After a year, we can finally listen to your orders again."

Lu Jiu'an ordered his subordinates to leave the city immediately to find out where these beggars are now. How many people.

This group of subordinates worked very quickly and returned within a day.

It turned out that after the homeless people were uniformly driven out of the city, they gathered at the city gate, begging for food from passersby during the day, and huddled under the city wall at night, picking up leaves and dead grass to cover their bodies. There were a total of two hundred people.

"It was so cold in the winter that more than ten children didn't make it through and died."

"Where are the bodies?" Han Zhi asked.

Liu Wo seemed to be unable to bear it: "The soldiers guarding the city wrapped them in straw mats and threw them into a mass grave. They must have been eaten by wild dogs until only the bones were left."

It's a child again.

If this group of people cannot be properly resettled, tragedies like Zhangzhou's will happen again sooner or later.

After figuring out the general situation, Lu Jiu'an began to take the next step, gathering all the beggars in one place.

This group of beggars were frightened at first, thinking that the government was going to arrest them and put them in jail, so they resisted desperately, but after seeing the hot porridge, they couldn't walk anymore.

The beggars were squatting on the ground and devouring their food. Lu Jiuan sat under the eaves of the corridor, holding his chin and watching, and spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

The unkempt little boy also recognized him. He opened a pair of big bright eyes and flew towards Lu Jiuan. The woman beside him quickly held him down: "Don't rush into the official." After speaking, he looked carefully. Lu Jiu'an glanced at the fierce Han Zhi, fearing that they would be angry.

The little boy twirled his fingers anxiously: "Mom, this is the big brother I told you, who gave me steamed buns to eat and asked me to hide the money."

Zhao Laosan was already good at appeasing the people: "Don't worry. Mr. Lu is diligent and loves the people. As long as you keep yourselves, he will not make things difficult for you."

Lu Jiu'an held the little boy in his arms, touched his head, and asked Han Zhi with a smile: "Do you think this child looks like him? Like Miao Miao when she was a child."

Han Zhi really looked around and said, "It's not like that."

Zhao Laosan also agreed: "Miao Miao was much thinner then, like a monkey." He suddenly thought of something and couldn't believe it. He said, "Sir, are you going to take these orphans and widowed parents into your house?"

Mr. Lu was kind-hearted and had picked up two children from his house. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was possible.

Lu Jiu'an said with a smile: "Do you think I still live in a place as big as Yingping County Government?"

After the group of people had filled their stomachs, Lu Jiu'an gave another order to the officials: "Explore all of them" Explain their respective situations."

To say that these former subordinates were indeed trained by the Yingping County Government, Lu Jiu'an just gave a simple instruction, and they immediately understood and investigated more than 200 people. Later, a detailed list was given to Lu Jiuan.

Zhao Laosan rubbed his hands together and asked for credit with a playful smile: "Sir, you see that we have not been in charge for a long time, and we have done well in your eyes. We are not unfamiliar, right?"

Lu Jiuan picked up the first list and saw that it read:

"Wei Qin, female, is from Fenghe County in southern Shanxi. She lives in Yanggu Village. She is 41 years old. She has sound limbs. She is the only one left in the family. She is illiterate and can do rough work. The reason for her wandering is stated at the end of the report.

Lu Jiu'an praised: "Well done, you will be rewarded."

Zhao Laosan immediately beamed.

This is a very qualified investigation report. It contains all the contents such as personal identity, family relatives, and possible personal skills. The subsequent reports are also written according to this standard and are clear and concise.

Lu Jiu'an read a few more copies in succession, pointed to a place that he didn't quite understand, and asked, "What does it say in it, that the family property was dissipated overnight and there was no way to survive."

Zhao Laosan came over and took a look: "Oh, um, I still have an impression that the house was taken away by someone. I don't know the details. The other party doesn't want to say more."

After hearing this, Lu Jiu'an just nodded lightly without saying a word. After reading all the reports, Zhao Laosan asked expectantly: "Sir, what are the plans next?" Lu

Jiu'an said: "Your mission has been completed."

"Don't drive us away, sir." Liu Wo stood beside him. He hurriedly expressed his loyalty, "I am willing to do my best for you."

Lu Jiu'an: "..."

Hey, this Liu Wo, Lu Jiu'an simply doesn't know what to say to him.

"One person will not serve two masters, how many times have I told you." Lu Jiu'an said, "You have to use your brain and be careful in your words and deeds in everything. Do you think it is better to be in peace? In the imperial city at the foot of the emperor, there are dignitaries everywhere. Yes. If you keep talking like this, trouble will come from your mouth sooner or later."

Liu Wo laughed heartlessly and didn't know how much he had heard.

Lu Jiu'an always felt that he was playing the harp to a cow, and he was a little depressed: "I don't know if it was a good or bad thing to promote you from Yingping."

He gave everyone a silver reward: "Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division vs. I am most familiar with the situation in the city, so I came here to find you. Now that the matter is done and you are still detained, it is time for the commander to say that I have a long way to go, so you can go back."

After Zhao Laosan and others left, Lu Jiuan took out a few of them . After making a list of names, he called three tall and powerful guards from the government office and ordered: "These people are lazy and lazy. Send them back and give them to the local government to be reformed. If they refuse to reform despite repeated admonitions, they will be punished." Then ,

he pulled out a few more lists and gave them to the three friendly-looking guards: "These people just encountered temporary difficulties when they were away from home. You are responsible for sending them home. They will pay for the travel expenses when they get home. You charge them according to the truth." It's a bit of blackmail, and if I find out about it, I'll be fired from my job."

And for those who are homeless, just help them find a job so that they can live and work.

"There are also people who are missing arms and legs." Han Zhi flipped through the rest of the list, "You also need to be able to sweep the floor. Is the store willing to accept them?"

This group of disabled people, both male and female, were rejected for various reasons. outside the door.

In fact, Lu Jiu'an was at a loss to do anything for this group of people at first, but then he thought about the fact that in modern times, those who are physically disabled and strong-willed are living well by writing on the street, massaging the blind and other special jobs, and he got an idea.

When he met this group of people, he first bluntly told them that the government would not always support them, and if they wanted to survive, they had to fend for themselves.

Then the conversation changed: "But as parents and officials, we should ask for orders for the people, so we can't completely ignore you. I can make the decision to find someone to teach you some skills that you can use. If you are willing to learn,"

a combination of kindness and power . , this group of people eagerly agreed, kneeling on the ground and thanking Lu Jiu'an profusely.

Later, Lu Jiu'an set up a special area in the government office and invited different craft masters to teach. Of course, they couldn't teach for free. The government would advance the payment first, and then wait for these people to succeed in their studies and make money. return.

Lu Jiu'an divided them into different groups according to different situations. In the end, only the children who had no labor force and the lonely elderly people who were weak were left. These two groups of people stood in the same yard, forming a vulnerable group.

"What should we do now?" a subordinate asked.

What to do? Of course, building orphanages and nursing homes.

In fact, before this, there were such institutions similar to social welfare homes established in the name of the imperial court. However, due to the huge expenses and the selfish interests of middlemen, they gradually ceased to exist in name only, and finally disappeared.

When Lu Jiuan reported this matter, he encountered opposition as always. However, because of the experience of the Zhangzhou magistrate, Lu Jiuan easily convinced Emperor Yongxi and the officials this time.

In May, orphanages and nursing homes were officially established in various places in the Zhou Dynasty to care for orphans and adopt abandoned babies. All citizens under 15 years old and over 60 years old who are alone and unable to survive on their own can go.

The two orphanages provide basic security such as dormitories and medical care. In addition, the orphanage also sets up a school to teach and educate children until they reach adulthood.

At the same time, in order to prevent the occurrence of corruption and embezzlement, the imperial court formulated a strict supervision system from top to bottom. Not only did the prefectural officials need to investigate, the imperial court would also send special censors to the local areas to conduct inspections. Irregular inspections.

During this period, Yunluocheng sent a message to Han Zhi: The Twelve Horsemen holding Snow had grasped some new trends in Taman, and General Zhenyuan decided to return to the border to discuss matters.

Chapter 208

Since he was ranked fifth, Lu Jiu'an has been qualified to participate in the political affairs of the court. He is a civil servant, standing in the left column, and Han Zhi, a military attache, is only a few positions away from each other. When the ministers are discussing matters , you only need to raise your head slightly to meet Han Zhi's eyes.

However, he and Han Zhi served as civil servants and generals in the court for only a month. Before they had time to enjoy the days of governing together, General Han left Shannan.

But for the court meeting, Lu Jiu'an attended the meeting for more than two months in a row, and experienced what it means to wake up earlier than a chicken and go to bed later than a dog. There is no longer any filter like in the previous TV series, and now he only feels tired.

The Zhou Dynasty stipulated that there should be five days for a small court and ten days for a large court. In the generation of Emperor Yongxi, because he was diligent in political affairs, the time for court meetings was reduced to three days for a small court and five days for a large court.

On every court day, before dawn appeared in the sky, Lu Jiu'an had to get up from bed, change clothes, wash up, tidy up his appearance, and rush to gather at the Meridian Gate before midnight.

While waiting at Jinshui Bridge, you are not allowed to make any unethical behavior such as coughing, spitting, crowding, etc. Otherwise, you will be recorded in the book of Honglu Temple and the censor responsible for picketing, and put in the court for public criticism.

Not only that, the court meeting lasted for two hours. When he went to court for the first time, Lu Jiuan was still immersed in the excitement of finally seeing all the civil and military officials present for discussion together, and he did not prepare anything.

If Han Zhi hadn't secretly stuffed a few pieces of crispy cake into his sleeves, he would have been hungry until the end of the day.

At midnight that day, Lu Jiu'an was woken up by the alarm as usual. He opened his eyes half-awaited from the bed, glanced at the dark yard outside, and thought desperately: It would be better to work as a clerk instead of going to court. The days of being a high-ranking official are simply more difficult than those of modern social animals.

He turned off his cell phone, didn't bother to go to the study and threw it back into the office, and stuffed it directly under the pillow.

After everything was cleaned up, Lu Qi from the next room yawned and walked out, holding a package in his hand: "Sir, don't forget this. The baker made breakfast for you in advance last night, and there are also some in the jar. "It's a soup made over low heat. Remember to drink it while it's hot. It can warm your stomach."

"I know." Lu Jiu'an raised his hand and rubbed him out of habit. Seeing how sleepy he was, he urged him to go back to his room. , "From now on, this kind of thing can only be taken care of by the servants. You have your own official duties to be busy with during the day."

Speaking of this, Lu Qi became very angry: "I think that boy is too lazy to do it. He forgets it several times. I have to prepare food for you, but I won't remember it after being punished a few times. I don't trust him."

"Then let someone else come," Lu Jiu'an said, "You can ask the boy to see the doctor later. I feel like he must be suffering from physical problems. "

"And you, don't worry about it at such a young age. If it doesn't work, just go out and eat whatever you want. I won't be able to starve myself to death. I'll go back soon. ."

Lu Jiu'an got on the carriage in three steps. The groom was personally selected by Han Zhi from his own house. He was well-trained and had a strong body. He drove the carriage steadily. As soon as Lu Jiuan sat on it, he rested his head on the soft cushion and caught up on his sleep.

As a result, he slept too deeply until the carriage arrived. Lu Jiu'anfang woke up from his dream and wolfed down two bites. He felt that today's cake was quite appetizing, so he stuffed a few more pieces into his sleeves.

When he got off the car and passed by the groom, Lu Jiu'an suddenly remembered something and slapped his head: "Why did you forget, Ding Xin, there is a can of soup in the car that has never been touched. Drink it for me."

...

Outside the Meridian Gate. There were already many people standing in line. According to the order of honor and inferiority, Lu Jiuan found his place. Behind him is a doctor from the Ministry of Personnel, who is in the fifth rank. He is over fifty years old. He always has droopy eyebrows and looks listless.

At this moment, the official's doctor pressed his hands on his stomach. Because it was covered by his large official robe, you couldn't really see his movements unless you looked carefully. Lu Jiu'an was so close that he could tell at a glance that he was not in good health.

Lu Jiu'an, in line with the virtue of respecting the elderly and loving the young and the friendship between the same dynasty, took the initiative to care: "Master Cheng, are you feeling unwell in your spleen and stomach?"

The doctor in the Ministry of official affairs said in a weak voice: "It's an old problem. I didn't have any food in the morning, and now I have a stomachache. It hurts slightly."

Lu Jiu'an quickly glanced in the direction of Yushi and Honglu Temple. The two people were at the end of the team and just scratched the problem. They were busy copying a small report and had no time to pay attention to others. . So he approached the doctor of the Ministry of official affairs, flicked his sleeves, and three square cakes fell into the palm of the doctor's hand.

Li Bulang understood the idea in the center and put it away silently.

The movements of the two people lasted only a moment, and they were not even aware of their front, back, left, and right.

Lu Jiu'an lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Cheng, this is the yam and red date square cake prepared in the kitchen. It is warm in nature and can nourish the stomach and spleen."

"Thank you very much."

The doctor in the official department is introverted and ignores foreign affairs. The two of them usually go hand in hand. There is no intersection. It was after Lu Jiuan worked in front of him on the Chang Jishi train that they met each other, but the relationship only stopped at nodding and bowing. This was the first time that they had a conversation like today.

Lu Jiuan turned sideways slightly to protect him from eating the square cake.

The doctor's face improved slightly. He wiped the residue from the corner of his mouth and praised: "This square cake is fine and soft, sweet but not greasy, fragrant and delicious."

Lu Jiuan: "The baker likes to study recipes when he has nothing to do, and changes them every day. If Mr. Cheng likes to make different kinds of breakfast, I will bring you a box tomorrow.

" Mr. Lu, you have a good taste." The official sighed: "Hey, I used to be young and frivolous, and I thought it was okay not to eat." , I often stay hungry all morning, and my body is exhausted. Now that I am getting older, I can't bear it. It's too early for the morning meeting and I don't have time to have breakfast."

"Isn't that right?"

Because they were so busy chatting, neither of them noticed that the censor came nearby.

"Lu Changjishi." The censor rarely caught Lu Jiu'an's pigtails. For fear of missing the opportunity, he quickly made a note, "It's disrespectful to whisper to each other."

Lu Jiu'an: "..."

As soon as Mao Shi arrived, hundreds of civil and military officials came one after another. Continue across the Jinshui Bridge to the Jinluan Hall. After saluting three times, the court ceremony officially begins.

Today, the same old talk was still going on in the hall. The Minister of the Ministry of Industry and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue had another conflict over the laying of cement roads. The two started arguing and refused to give in. Lu Jiu'an listened for a while with his eyelids held open, relying on his position in the morning class. At the back of the queue, he lowered his head and dozed quietly.

The sound of the ministers performing their duties also became a lullaby. In the daze, there was a sudden "boom" sound, which scared Lu Jiu'an to tremble. He thought he had been caught fishing in troubled waters, so he quickly opened his eyes. It turned out that there was a civil servant with physical strength. Unable to hold up, he fainted on the spot.

Lu Jiu'an took a closer look. Isn't the person lying on the ground Mr. Cheng, the official's doctor?

We were having a good chat just now, but now we are lying on the ground with a pale face and no one knows what happened to him.

This incident was a refreshing one. Lu Jiuan saw that the group of people who were still in low spirits suddenly seemed to be possessed by Lei Feng, and all the civil and military officials on the left and right surrounded them.

Two of Kong Wu's powerful generals worked together to help the doctor up. Dong Huilin lifted up his sleeves and robe and strangled him tightly. There was also an eunuch who hurriedly went to the imperial hospital to ask for an imperial doctor. Because he ran too fast, he was still there. He fell down on the flat ground.

For a moment, people in the court fell on their backs.

When the imperial doctor hurried over and administered two injections to the doctor of the official department, the doctor of the official department slowly woke up.

The imperial doctor then checked his pulse and asked a few questions. After diagnosis, the doctor of the official department found that it was due to spleen deficiency. After taking a short rest and paying attention to his diet, he would be fine.

The more Lu Jiuan listened, the more he felt that this symptom seemed familiar. Isn't this hypoglycemia? Suddenly I was very upset, why didn't I give the doctor of the Ministry of official affairs more cakes just now?

Finally, the official doctor was allowed by Emperor Yongxi to go back to his mansion to rest for a few days, and then return to the government office for official duties after he recovered.

After finally going to court, as soon as he stepped out of the palace, eunuch Donglan found him and asked him to go to the imperial study.

Lu Jiu'an followed Dong Lan, speculating along the way why Emperor Yong Xi summoned him. Could it be that he was really discovered while fishing at work?

As a result, when Emperor Yongxi spoke, it was related to the fainting of today's official doctor: "It is not the first time that a courtier fainted during a memorial in the hall. Lu Jiu'an, in your opinion, do you have any good ideas?"

Lu Jiu'an was confused and almost subconsciously Just blurt out "postpone the court meeting".

Seeing that he didn't answer, Emperor Yongxi said jokingly: "You are usually so sharp-tongued, how come you are speechless sometimes?"

Lu Jiu'an was speechless, but I can say that you will listen.

It's gratifying that Emperor Yongxi is considerate of his ministers, but the system of court meetings is also truly disgusting.

Regardless of Emperor Yongxi's kind-hearted intentions at the moment, after more than a year of getting along with the emperor and his ministers, Lu Jiu'an truly saw how Emperor Yongxi spent all his time and food for the sake of the great Zhou Dynasty, and his level of professionalism was comparable to that of Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty.

Because of this, Lu Jiuan roughly figured out what the king really wanted.

Emperor Yongxi wants to be an emperor who works hard to govern, and it is best to build an unprecedented great country that will last forever!

For such a workaholic, if he were to come up with suggestions that were contrary to his opinion, such as postponing the court meeting or reducing the number of court meetings, he would definitely be dismissed on the spot, so he could only think of a compromise.

But at this moment, he was suddenly asked to suggest where he wanted to go.

Lu Jiu'an could only bite the bullet and said: "I have no clue at the moment. Please allow me to wait for a few days and give you a thoughtful answer."

Emperor Yongxi waved his hand generously and gave him half a month.

Lu Jiu'an had been thinking about this hot potato for many days but still to no avail. Su Ming happened to come to him at this time and mysteriously gave him a warning note.

Lu Jiu'an asked, "What is this?"

Su Ming winked and said, "The president of Luming Yashe wants to invite you to participate in the Gentleman's Festival Parade. Unfortunately, he doesn't know you, so he begged to come to me and asked me to persuade you." Go."

Lu Jiu'an has also heard about Luming Yashe. It is similar to other literati associations. They are all clubs where celebrities and elegant people gather together. They occasionally hold poetry gatherings and enjoy the beautiful mountains and forests in southern Shanxi. The reputation in the scholar circle is quite famous.

However, the people at Luming Yashe don't think so. They pride themselves on being more elegant than ordinary poetry clubs.

Attendees of the event are only invited to the upper-class elite recognized by Yashe. Either Su Jun is famous for his literary talent and famous in the literary world, or he is beautiful, charming and free-spirited. One of these two things must be achieved. Anyway, the conditions for joining the association are strict, and many literati have tried their best to get in. It is considered a high-end social circle in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

I just don't know why he was invited by Luming Yashe.

Chapter 209

Lu Jiu'an asked again: "What about the Gentlemen's Day Parade?"

Su Ming put his arm around his shoulders and took him into the house: "Oh, I've talked about this."

As the name suggests, the Gentlemen's Day Parade is just like that. On the day of the festival, famous handsome men from southern Shanxi parade on the streets.

This festival didn't exist originally, and it was specially created by Luming Yashe for the sake of being arty. As a result, there were too many people who liked beauty, and over time, it was preserved like this.

On that day, the streets are really empty. No matter men, women, old or young, they will flock to the streets to admire the beauty.

Lu Jiu'an was ready to make a move. The appearance of the original owner was very popular in Langdong. It was expected that he would be invited by the scholars of Luming Yashe. He looked at the date and found that it was a holiday.

Lu Jiu'an also had another question that he was more concerned about: "We are officials in the court. Isn't it good to go out and show off like this?"

Su Ming said simply: "It's not an unjust thing that is harmful to nature. Don't worry, I love beauty. Everyone likes it, and adults also like to watch the fun. Emperor Yongxi acquiesced .

"I heard that King Jin'an also went last year. He and other princes can go, so why can't you go?"

Qidao: "Where did you hear that from?"

Lu Qi said: "Gentlemen's Day is coming soon, and the reporters in the news agency are all discussing it. It is said that the four beauties in southern Shanxi are expected to gather together this year, and our reporters are already gearing up to write an article Special report on the Gentlemen's Day Parade."

Well, Lu Jiu'an put aside his official duties, since he didn't have much clue about the work at hand now.

It's just a good time to take advantage of the absence of South Korea, North Korea and Japan to experience the feeling of Pan Andong throwing a fruitful car.

The Gentleman's Day Parade is on the tenth day of June. According to the address posted on the poster, Lu Jiu'an first had to go to the Clivia Courtyard in Dongcheng to meet with others.

Because the members of the Yashe imitated the high-gown and broad-belts of the Chu people, Lu Jiuan asked the embroiderers of Huacaifang to make a set of red wide-collared wide-sleeved gowns with gold silk leather belts and jade ornaments at the waist.

Lu Jiu'an only dressed up in such a flamboyant and bright way when he was still young. As soon as he put it on, even the servants who lived with him day and night couldn't help but stare at him.

Lu Qi's face turned red and he said dizzy, "Your Excellency is really a god descending to earth."

Ding Xin drove him to the Clivia Courtyard. I don't know if it was Lu Jiu'an's illusion. When he got out of the carriage with his clothes in hand, Ding Xin, the groom, was obviously He hesitated to speak. Lu Jiu'an didn't know why and stood there looking at him: "If you have anything to say, just say it."

Ding Xin lowered his head and did not dare to look directly at him. After rolling his throat twice, he finally chose silence.

Lu Jiu'an was amused, how come the soldiers trained by South Korea, North Korea and Japan had the same personality as him: "The streets are probably more lively today. You can go somewhere else and pick me up here when the time comes."

"It is the responsibility of my subordinates to protect you. "Ding Xinmumu replied, and after finishing speaking, he drove the car to the side of the willow tree, leaned against the wall of the carriage with his hands and arms, and began to close his eyes and meditate.

Lu Jiu'an also knew that he couldn't defeat him, so he let him go.

Su Ming had been waiting at Clivia Courtyard for a long time. When he saw him coming, his eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to greet him. He couldn't help but praise: "Jiu'an looks so good today."

Lu Jiu'an smiled and replied: "To each other!"

The two chatted. When Lu Jiu'an entered the Clivia Courtyard, he looked up and for a moment, he felt as if he had strayed into a garden full of blooming flowers. The men inside all had faces like jade, dragons and phoenixes, and they were so handsome that it was dazzling.

If these men were placed in modern times, they would not be inferior to the stars on the red carpet of film festivals.

Lu Jiu'an watched intently. At this time, a man with rouge and pink face came towards him. Seeing him, Lu Jiu'an finally understood why some men didn't look feminine at all even if they put on makeup.

Su Ming introduced the two of them to each other, and it turned out that the man was Rui Jiang, the president of Luming Yashe, the one who handed him the proverb.

"I've heard about Lu Tanhua's name for a long time, and I finally got to see her today. It's a pleasure to meet her." Rui Jiang nodded to him.

The man in the yard did not hide the admiration in his eyes and looked at Lu Jiu'an unscrupulously.

Rui Jiang was very happy for his arrival. Lu Jiu'an couldn't resist his enthusiasm and was led to make friends everywhere. After walking around the courtyard, Lu Jiu'an saw several acquaintances one after another, and he also knew most of the people in the courtyard.

King Jin'an also came. This time he didn't bring the young prince with him. He stood alone in the corner, raising his head and holding his hands. He didn't know if he was watching the cluster of Lingxiao protruding from the wall. His whole person was as cold as this. It was completely out of place.

"You two should know each other, so there is no need for me to introduce you."

King Jin'an seemed to have known he would come for a long time, showing a smile like a cedar and foggy cypress: "Master Lu Changji, we are destined to be together."

Lu Jiu'an He said noncommittally: "At the feet of the emperor, it is normal to look up but not to look down."

King Jin'an tilted his head and said slightly puzzled: "You don't seem to like me very much. There must be a reason for everything. Can I ask, what did I do? Is there anything that irritates you? "

For a person like King Jin'an who is like an immortal, it's not really annoying. Lu Jiu'an just doesn't want to deal with him: "King Jin'an is too worried. Why bother in life? Don't stick to other people's opinions and just live your life."

After hearing his words, King Jin'an's eyebrows suddenly became lively, as if he had found a like-minded person, and his smile was no longer superficial: "Master Lu Chang has wisdom in his heart. , have a destiny with Buddha."

Lu Jiu'an still remembered Han Chaori's words, but he didn't want to follow his fancy, so he didn't answer the words.

Unexpectedly, King Jin'an asked again: "Have you been to Jinglan Temple?"

Lu Jiu'an shook his head: "No."

"What a pity." King Jin'an couldn't hide his regret, but after a moment he adjusted his expression and invited, "Jinglan Temple The incense is booming, and there is an endless stream of lay people coming to pray to God and worship Buddha. Whenever there is a chance, Lu Changji, please come with me to Jinglan Temple to worship Buddha. "

"..." This King Jin'an is indeed like the one in the legend. He is so obsessed with the way of Buddhism. He is obviously an I person, but why does he talk endlessly when talking about topics related to Buddhism?

Lu Jiu'an declined politely: "Let's talk."

At this time, another wave of people came in from the outside. Lu Jiu'an took a casual look and saw that it was an acquaintance, Xie Yi, the son of the Minister of War, a psychiatrist he appointed when he was in Yingping. So he took the opportunity to find an excuse and ran away from King Jin'an.

Xie Yi obviously saw him too. After briefly greeting others, he went straight to Lu Jiu'an.

The two of them have met only a handful of times since they returned to Shannan. Now I see that his whole mental outlook is completely different from what it used to be. It seems that he has completely stepped out of the shadow caused by his family.

The two met as old acquaintances and had endless things to talk about. Lu Jiuan asked with concern: "Are you still specializing in psychological counseling?

" The servants in the house are willing to cooperate with me. I am not a doctor. How can ordinary people take the initiative to look for me?"

Lu Jiu'an immediately understood what the problem was and pointed him out: "You have not found the right direction, my father. Not the Minister of the Ministry of War ?

"

There are many contacts between these functional departments. As your father-in-law, it is not difficult to find a job for you in the Criminal Department. There are many prisoners in the Criminal Department, so are you afraid that you will not have a chance? "

After all, criminal psychology is also part of psychological research.

Xie Yi shook his head sadly: "My father will not agree."

"Don't be discouraged, this is just one of them. If this method doesn't work, you should change your mind."

"Didn't you just say that the people will not take the initiative to look for you? If the mountain doesn't go away, then You can just go and organize a national psychological census with two other people, and go to the countryside to understand the people at the grassroots level. This is a bit hard, but if it succeeds, both you and Da Zhou will benefit a lot.

" Some of the words were difficult to understand, but by stringing them together and guessing, Xie Yi still got the general idea.

Xie Yi suddenly became enlightened for a moment, stood up excitedly, and bowed to Lu Jiu'an: "Thank you, sir, for your guidance."

Lu Jiu'an smiled and waved his hand: "It's a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."

The two chatted again. Rui Jiang came over to tell him that the time had come and that according to the order of parades in previous years, Shanxi Siya had to be at the front.

Lu Jiu'an was stunned and pointed at himself and asked: "Am I the Siya of Jinnan?"

Rui Jiang affirmed: "The Siya of Jinnan is not the same. Mr. Lu is rich and handsome. You have a place in the Siya of Jinnan. "

Isn't it that one of the original four Ya was squeezed out by him? He looked around and found a pair of resentful eyes in the crowd.

It was Leng Ningruan. He looked at Lu Jiu'an viciously, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

I see.

Lu Jiu'an muttered a few words of guilt, and under Leng Ningruan's gaze, he reached out and took the orchid, which symbolized the elegance of southern Shanxi, and pinned it on his hat.

The parade was not walking on foot as Lu Jiuan imagined, but riding in a carriage that was about eight feet wide. The carriage was not completely enclosed, and was only slightly blocked by gauze curtains. Everything the people inside could do was clearly visible. Chu.

People from Siya in southern Shanxi sat together in the first carriage, and Lu Jiuan also knew the identities of the other three.

Needless to say, Han Zhao and Qi Jiyi had already expected it.

Qi Jiyi wore a crescent-white light shirt today, which matched the orchid beside his ear. When she saw Lu Jiu'an, she nodded slightly to him as a greeting.

The last one Lu Jiuan had never seen before was named Zhu Yue.

Zhu Yue has a completely different style from the three of them. He has a high nose and deep eyebrows, and a wild beard on his face. At this moment, he is lying in the carriage with his clothes wide open, revealing his muscular chest and abdomen. He is so bold and bold. Lu Jiuan was amazed.

When Zhu Yue saw Lu Jiu'an, his eyes suddenly narrowed, he got off the carriage, strode up to Lu Jiu'an, and looked at him carefully.

The distance between the two was only an inch, and Lu Jiuan could even feel the heat of the other person's breath on his face.

"Uh..." Lu Jiu'an didn't know what he meant and was about to ask. Zhu Yue suddenly took a half step back, showed a careless smile, raised his mouth slightly, and blew a whistle with twists and turns: "Beauty."

Lu Jiu'an was caught off guard, He touched her face very frivolously, and I immediately got goosebumps all over my body, so I quickly backed away. This uncle, there is no problem with sexual orientation!

Seeing that he was guarding against people as well as thieves, Zhu Yue put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly like a bell.

Not far away, Leng Ningruan was so angry that his eyes nearly popped out.

Qi Jiyi glanced at Zhu Yue indifferently and said coldly: "You can touch him too? Do you think your life is too long?"

At first glance, these words were thought to be defending Lu Jiu'an, but after a slight turn, you can understand. Qi Jiyi was secretly warning Zhu Yue.

What is the relationship between these two people?

Before Lu Jiuan could think about it, Zhu Yue lazily scratched the back of his head, his playful smile not serious: "Well, I'm just kidding, don't be angry, beauty."

Lu Jiuan shuddered and decided how far away from this person he was. How far.

The carriage quickly drove out slowly according to the established route.

People on both sides of the street screamed wildly and crowded tightly behind the carriage. They took out silk flowers and threw them on the carriage. After a while, the carriage was filled with all kinds of items.

Han Zhao and Qi Jiyi had cold expressions, like two icebergs standing face to face. Only Zhu Yue leaned sideways in front of the fence, stretched out his arms as if enjoying themselves, and touched the hand in front of him.

Lu Qi was caught in the crowd and couldn't move, so he waved desperately to Lu Jiu'an at the front of the car.

"This is my young master! It's true, I am Tanhua in the year of Xinmao. I have been serving as the county magistrate in Yingping before. I am here, young master!"

Unfortunately, the voice was quickly drowned in the noise.

Lu Jiu'an had never experienced this feeling of being surrounded by stars. It was just like a fan meeting. He lifted up the car curtains and watched it as a novelty.

Lu Jiu'an was very interested at first, but after traveling with the carriage for most of the city, he couldn't stand it anymore.

This group of women were all like wolves and tigers. They became more courageous as they got to the back, and started to touch the people in the car. Lu Jiuan couldn't bear the disturbance, so he found an opportunity and slipped away halfway.

Lu Jiu'an's hair was messy, his hat was crooked, and his clothes were covered with seven or eight dark fingerprints. He didn't know what they used to stain them. He was in a miserable state.

Lu Jiu'an remembered that Zhu Yue refused to refuse anyone who came, and his face and neck were covered with women's rouge lips. He lamented that the folk customs in southern Shanxi were open, and he couldn't help but miss Ying Ping's kindness.

He couldn't bear it anymore, the city was too scary, and he wanted to go back to the countryside.

Lu Jiu'an sneaked away from the crowd as if he were fleeing, and the noisy cheers gradually disappeared behind him. When he returned to Clivia Courtyard, Ding Xin was still where he was, and his posture had not changed.

Ding Xin was slightly startled when he saw Lu Jiu'an appearing, and then his expression became indescribable.

Lu Jiu'an felt blessed in his heart, and suddenly understood the true meaning of his hesitation in speaking that morning and at this moment.

"It's all a misunderstanding. I didn't do anything. Don't tell your general everything!"

The next day's daily news, indeed, had a large section on the Gentlemen's Day parade.

The article vividly described the lively scene at that time, and there was a painting in the middle of the article. The person in the painting was dressed in red and had bright eyebrows. He was lifting the car curtain with one hand and leaning out half of his body to look around, as if a god was overlooking the world.

Chapter 210

Lu Jiuan's participation in the Gentleman's Day Parade was not without gain, because just two or three days after he came back, he suddenly had an idea and thought of an excellent strategy to deal with the problems thrown by Emperor Yongxi.

That is to set up a dine-in process during the court meeting.

The court meeting is mainly divided into two important parts: government affairs report and court proceedings. In his opinion, since there is no way to postpone the court meeting, there is no problem at all in adding an intermediate meal session to replenish energy between the government affairs report.

And Lu Jiuan has already thought of a good reason.

"First, it not only relieves the officials from the trouble of wearing three strips, but also reflects His Majesty's benevolent heart of caring for his subjects and the people."

"Second, the relationship between civil servants and military generals does not seem to be very harmonious, often because of trivial matters. Small things lead to big fights. I thought it was just that there was no suitable opportunity for them to get to know each other calmly. The military training I proposed before actually proves that as long as they sit down and talk, they can turn conflicts into friendship. "

Yong Xi asked lightly . : "Trivial things? For example?"

Lu Jiu'an coughed twice: "For example, the censor would correct Bai Si's misconduct in front of the palace."

Emperor Yong Xi smiled: "You do know how to hold grudges."

Lu Jiu'an had previously He secretly spoke to the doctor in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the censor read it out loud in front of all the civil and military officials as a punishment.

"I'm not doing this for selfish reasons." Lu Jiu'an said quickly. Not only Lu Jiu'an was there, but Dong Hui was also picked out and criticized in public because of Lin Ticking.

In fact, Lu Jiu'an didn't care, but everyone looked ugly when it happened, and he became very angry when he saw it.

It just so happens that food is the most important thing for the people. If these things are discussed in a relatively relaxed environment like the canteen, it may have unexpected effects.

Emperor Yongxi looked at him teasingly, and Lu Jiuan looked back with a clear conscience.

Eunuch Donglan, who was standing by, had listened to the whole process, and now he came out and said, "From what I see, Sir Lu Changji's idea is a good one. There is no need for such an innocuous thing to be brought in front of His Majesty to disturb your purity."

Emperor Yongxi finally accepted his suggestion and immediately called a palace official to give instructions.

"Father." At this time, Han Linshen stepped into the imperial study, saw Lu Jiu'an, and said happily: "Master Lu, you are here too."

Although Lu Jiu'an was still named Prince's Young Master, Han Linshen's daily homework was handled by Mrs. Yan. Fu and Zhan Shifu urged him, and as the prince, his every move was strictly controlled, so the two rarely met in private.

Today, after he finished handling the government affairs entrusted to him by Emperor Yongxi, he wanted to follow Lu Jiu'an out of the palace to play for a while.

Han Linshen snuggled next to Emperor Yongxi. The emperor stretched out a hand and touched the top of Han Linshen's hair, obviously enjoying the prince's nostalgia.

"Linshen, after becoming the crown prince, you can't be as playful as before. State affairs should be the priority in everything."

"I'm not doing it for fun." Han Linshen said pitifully, "I just want to go out and have a look."

Lu Jiu'an also advised: "Your Majesty, please combine work and rest. You might as well go outside for a walk in Linshen, so that you can see the fire clearly."

Han Linshen grinned at Lu Jiu'an gratefully, and Emperor Yongxi said helplessly: "Since your young master is also helping If you say anything, I'll give you a day to go out."

Han Linshen jumped up happily and said, "Thank you, Father." After

walking two or three meters out of the palace gate, Han Linshen suddenly remembered something: "Fu'an, go to the palace and help me." Get something. Forget it, I'll go out on my own, Master Lu, just wait."

After saying that, he hurried back to his palace, and after a while, he came over with something strange in his hand. There is an exquisite bronze sculpture of a reindeer on each side of the thing, with the four hooves facing outward. On the enamel surface of the wishful pattern, two small silver snakes are circling and dancing.

"This is for Lu Qi." As if he knew Lu Jiu'an was going to ask, before he could speak, Han Linshen introduced him with excitement, "This is a rare item brought by Simon's envoy. There are only three of them in the palace. I don't even have one, so my father gave me two."

Simon's Northern Territory is a diplomatic ally of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The three countries have equal national power, so they maintain superficial peace tacitly and occasionally send envoys to each other. comminicate.

Lu Jiu'an couldn't bear to throw cold water at him: "Lu Qi is the editor-in-chief of a news agency. I'm afraid I can't spend time with you."

"I know, I just haven't seen him for a long time and want to see him." Lu Qi said The object was carefully wrapped in a piece of red brocade felt and handed to Fu'an: "Hold it, if it breaks, I will smash your head."

...

The palace people were extremely efficient, and the Chaohui dining hall was decorated in less than a day. So when they went to court for the second time, after everyone finished reporting on government affairs as usual, they were led by the eunuchs to the side hall to enjoy the court food.

Although it was just porridge and side dishes, being able to have a warm and full meal when they were sleepy and hungry moved all the civil and military officials with tears in their eyes. They excitedly kowtowed to the main hall, "The Emperor's grace is so great." ".

After learning that the dine-in was actually caused by Lu Jiu'an, everyone felt incredible.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance said: "In the past, when Lu Jiu'an appeared in the Jinluan Palace, he would either say shocking words or do extraordinary things, which would always throw a good court meeting into a tailspin. I was always on tenterhooks when he played. I'm always worried that something bad will happen. I didn't expect that one day I would be able to bring benefits to us old bones."

At that time, a governor went to Yingping, Jiangzhou, and asked Lu Jiu'an very much after returning to the capital. Add appreciation.

"Ying Ping thrives under Master Lu's governance. He is a rare talent. Since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, there has never been a case where the local people erected a monument to Jiansheng Temple after the county magistrate left. "

Don't exaggerate, Governor. I think the political achievements that His Majesty read when he was appointed were nothing more than this. Anyu County, where Wang Jichang once served, also had a large population and a large food production."

"Wang Jichang's last position was extremely popular. "I have become a big pavilion boss." The governor

reminded , "What if I say that the people there stay open at night? If you can't see it with your own eyes, you can't understand the shock I felt when I first entered Yingping." Bits and pieces of my own experience: "Have you ever seen the open avenue extending in all directions? Have you ever seen the clock tower that tells the time? And you will never expect that there is a storage room as big as the Jinluan Palace, which can be entered by everyone to observe. Read."

Almost everyone was very curious about what the governor said about Ying Ping. His attitude towards Lu Jiu'an has also changed a lot.

Of course there are exceptions.

For example, one time, the Grand Bachelor of Dongge and the Grand Bachelor of Wenyuange had a dispute over the issue of military pay, and the two insisted on opposing each other's opinions.

In the end, Grand Scholar Wenyuange managed to get the better of him by playing rogue, but Grandmaster Yan of Dongge was finally humiliated by him in public, and he was so angry that he went back to the government office and became furious.

"It's unreasonable. How can there be such a shameless person in the world."

"That old guy is sophistry. You stick to the rules and don't know how to adapt. Of course, you can't quarrel with him. If you want to punish him." Wen Huadian University The scholar pointed to East Street, "We have to find Lu Jiu'an, that slick guy, before we can fight with that old guy."

However, Lu Jiu'an didn't know the grudges between the two great scholars in the court

. Holding a stack of curls and complaining.

I saw the top page of this stack of scrolls saying:

Tian Caiquan, male, 37 years old...all his family property was dissipated overnight and he was unable to survive, so he lived on the streets begging for a living.

It was surprisingly left over from the last time he dealt with the beggar incident in the city. Because the words were unclear, Lu Jiuan was always a little concerned.

Jiang Yu came in from the door, clasped his fists and saluted, and handed Lu Jiuan a copy of the investigation results.

When Lu Jiu'an was working as a secretary in the Imperial Academy, Jiang Yu's five bodyguards had never been put to use. Now that Lu Jiu'an has become a Changjishi, as the saying goes, one person can ascend to heaven, so Lu Jiu'an promoted them to investigate those inconvenient people. Matters handled by outsiders.

Lu Jiu'an unfolded the secret note with one hand and read it at a glance, while listening to Jiang Yu's report: "After making many inquiries and asking Tian Caiquan's neighbors, I learned that before their family lived on the street, their only son had a serious illness and was still ill. It didn't work out, so he took his family and left."

"It's strange." Lu Jiu'an frowned, "If he was sick, why did Tian Caiquan keep it secret when Zhao Laosan and the others asked him? There must be something else hidden. ."

Lu Jiu'an rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then decided to go to Tian Caiquan's hometown to see it in person.

Tian Caiquan was from Zhaoling, and his original home was located in a beautiful place in Anfu County. Lu Jiuan walked on the road and looked around, and saw that this area was fertile and fertile, and the crops in the fields were growing very well.

"It's right in front." Jiang Yu pointed to the house with an old locust tree.

"Then stop here and let's walk over." Lu Jiu'an ordered.

Hearing this, Ding Xin stopped the carriage. Jiang Yu and others dismounted and tied the reins to a tree stump nearby.

There was a gurgling stream ahead, and several eight or nine-year-old children were squatting by the water to catch loaches. When they saw Lu Jiu'an and others, they all stared at them with curiosity in their eyes.

"Children, come here." Lu Jiu'an took out a few colorful candies from his pocket and threw them up. "Brother, I want to ask you a few questions."

Three of the boys were more courageous. They looked at each other and shook them off. With the water in his hand, he rushed to Lu Jiuan like a rabbit and looked longingly at the candy in his hand.

"Let's see who of you can answer the first question quickly and accurately." Lu Jiu'an said, "How many households are there in your village now?"

"Forty-eight households." A child was the first to say.

"Eh?" Fu Wenxin couldn't help but wonder, "How do you know so well? You're not just making nonsense, are you?"

The child shouted angrily: "My father is Li Zheng."

So that's it, Lu Jiu'an spread his hands Kai: "The candies are peach, orange, grape and lychee. Which flavor do you like? Just pick one."

The child chose a grape flavor and carefully held it in his hand.

Several children next to the creek were a little scared when they saw this scene, but they couldn't help but approach slowly at this time.

"Okay, next question." Lu Jiu'an asked, "Does anyone know how Tian Youzhang got sick?"

Tian Youzhang is Tian Caiquan's son.

Several children looked at me and I looked at you, but they couldn't answer.

Lu Jiuan frowned, did he really not know?

A little girl glanced at Lu Jiu'an timidly and whispered softly: "Brother, I know. I live next door to Uncle Tian, ​​and one day my cat climbed on his roof. I went to look for the cat and heard my aunt talking to Tian. "My uncle said that someone fell ill in the well."

"Where is the well in your village?"

The little girl pointed to the bamboo forest. That place was clearly a long way away from Tian Caiquan's home.

"There, but Grandpa Li Zheng asked people to put a guardrail around the well and we were not allowed to play."

For no reason, how could Li Zheng let people put a guardrail around the well, unless he knew about Tian Youzhang falling into the well.

This was an unexpected gain. Lu Jiu'an smiled slightly and said, "Good boy, this question is difficult. I'll give you two."

The other children couldn't help but become anxious when they saw her happily accepting the candies.

"Okay, what I still have in hand is, next question, has anything strange happened in the village recently?"

"I know, I know." Several children talked about their experiences, "The first two A wild boar appeared at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains and ruined the crops.

"Grandma Yuzhen fell down."

"My dog ​​caught a bird from somewhere. It's so beautiful."

...

Lu Jiu'an couldn't help but smile. It was his mistake. For children, it seems that anything they have never seen before is strange.

So Lu Jiu'an changed his explanation: "Have there been any strange people in the village?"

A few children thought about it, and the little girl just now said: "Yes, there was an official in Uncle Tian's house."

As soon as he finished speaking , Li Zheng's son shouted loudly, "No, no, that's not an official. My father said, that's just a government official who measured the land."

Later, Lu Jiu'an asked a few more questions, but he didn't get any useful information: "Okay, you go play first."

Jiang Yu had already gone to check the well after the child told the secret of falling into the well. At this time, he came back and shook his head at Lu Jiu'an.

"Let's go see Tian Caiquan's house."

Tian Caiquan sold the house to another family. This family came from out of town and knew little about Tian Caiquan. After Lu Jiu'an revealed his identity to them, he searched inside and outside. After some searching, I didn't find anything strange.

"All the family property is gone?" Lu Jiu'an frowned slightly, "You said that Tian Cai's family's property is only the house and some belongings at home. Don't they have any land?"

Jiang Yu shook his head: "The Tian family only has seven percent paddy field, one mu and eight acres. The farmland was sold a long time ago.

"Who did it sell to?"

Jiang Yu said with a look of shame on his face. "I didn't ask about this humble job."

They went to Li Zheng's house again. As expected, Li Zheng knew a lot. When he asked about Tian Youzhang's fall into the well, he didn't say much at all. Lu Jiu'an used his identity to pressure him, so he slowly spoke out.

"That kid from the Tian family didn't just fall into a well. He hit a water ghost and was dragged down." After Li Zheng muttered, he clasped his hands together and said "Amitabha" several times.

A cold wind blew in the room, and the cigarettes on the Four Corner Fairy table were curling up. Everything seemed strange and suffocating.

Jiang Yu and others were all 1.8 meters tall. For some reason, after hearing what Li Zheng said, they felt creepy and the hairs all over their bodies stood up.

But Lu Jiuan shouted coldly: "If you don't do bad things, don't be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door. Keep talking!"

Li Zheng bitterly laughed and said: "The Tian family has found many doctors but they can't cure it. I heard that a monk was found in the middle of the night and sat on the sky. Youzhang chanted sutras and chanted the Buddha's name in front of the hospital bed, and he suddenly recovered.

"Master Lu, don't tell anyone. If the water ghost hears it, he will come again."

This is Tian Caiquan . Are you willing to tell me the reason? Stupid!

There was also the government official. After learning that the land he was measuring was Tian Caiquan's land, Lu Jiuan had a terrifying intuition that the two things must be related. So after leaving Tianjia Village, Lu Jiuan led his people straight to the county government office. And go.

The county magistrate was lying comfortably on a chair enjoying the warm fragrance in his arms. When Lu Jiuan came over, he was so frightened that he pushed the beauty to the ground and rolled up.

The county magistrate bowed anxiously: "I don't know what business you are here for."

Lu Jiu'an said succinctly: "Find the fish scale album in Tianjia Village. I want to review it."

The county magistrate glanced at the chief clerk, who bowed his head and walked forward, hesitating: "It's an unfortunate time for you to come. The fish scale album is here ." It just so happened that the Shangguan of the Chief Envoy Department took it away."

Lu Jiu'an sneered. If he hadn't been the county magistrate before and knew the affairs of the county government very well, he would have been fooled.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't let me say it a second time."

Lu Jiu'an's dagger-like eyes fell on the county magistrate, as if he was going to be executed on the spot the next moment. The county magistrate never dared to have other thoughts and kicked him. He kicked the chief clerk next to him and cursed: "Why don't you hurry up and ask someone to move it here."

Soon several government officials brought a thick pile of documents.

The fish scale atlas records the amount of land, its location, number, and other details.

Transactions related to land, such as pawning, leasing, renting, and selling, must be taxed and stamped by the government before they can take effect. So if you want to know who Tian Caiquan sold the land to, you can check it out in the Fish Scale Atlas.

The Tian family's land has been traded many times since ancient times, from more than three acres to more than four acres.

Then after it came into the hands of Tian Caiquan, he leased the land to a tenant farmer named Zhang, who in turn traded the land rights to the Song family. After several twists and turns, Tian Caiquan was unable to take back the land and finally sold it to a buyer named Xu Sangduo. people.

But it's not over yet. This land changed hands several times later. Fu Wenxin pushed away the main book impatiently: "Mother-in-law, who wants to listen to so many words from you?"

He flipped to the last page and was suddenly stunned. He paused: "Huh?"

Jiang Yu frowned: "Who is it?"

Fu Wenxin looked up at Lu Jiu'an and said in disbelief: "Jinglan Temple."