The lights had already been lit in the front hall of the Governor's Mansion. When Qining arrived at the front hall, he saw a middle-aged official in official robes walking back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. He seemed a little anxious, but stood aside. A man in smart attire, as tall as a gun, very calm.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, the official immediately turned around, saw someone entering the door, and quickly came forward to greet him.
Shen Liangqiu was leading the way, so walking in front of Qi Ning, the middle-aged official naturally recognized Shen Liangqiu. Before he even got close, he had already raised his hand and said with a smile: "General Shen, I'm going to bother you, but don't blame me. Is the Marquis here?" here?"
Shen Liangqiu looked calm and turned around. Qi Ning had already smiled and said, "Is this Governor Chen?"
The official was startled and looked at Qi Ning, still a little unsure. Shen Liangqiu had already said: "Master Shen, this is the Jin Yihou!"
The middle-aged official was Chen Ting, the governor of the East China Sea. Hearing Shen Liangqiu's words, his expression calmed down, he straightened his clothes, and stepped forward to salute respectfully: "I am here to serve as the governor of the East China Sea, Chen Ting, and pay my respects to the Marquis!"
Qi Ning smiled and said, "You're welcome, Mr. Chen." He raised his hand and said, "Sit down and talk."
"Don't dare!" Chen Ting said humbly.
Qi Ning ignored it and sat down, but looked at the man not far behind Chen Ting. The man was slender but had sharp eyes, sharp edges on his face, dark eyes, thick eyebrows and big eyebrows. Be heroic.
Chen Ting was good at observing words and expressions. When he saw Qin Ning's gaze, he immediately said: "Master Marquis, this is Qin Yuege, the envoy of the East China Sea Law Envoy, who is responsible for handling the judicial affairs of the East China Sea."
In the name of Dachu, there is a Ministry of Punishment in the central government, and there are Facao Divisions in each local county, which are under the Ministry of Punishment. Qi Ning is now the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, and the Donghai Facao Envoy can be regarded as a direct subordinate of Qi Ning.
Qin Yuege had already stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying respectfully: "I humble myself to pay homage to the Marquis!"
Qi Ning raised his hand and said: "There is no need to be formal." He thought that it was quite meaningful for Chen Ting to come with the envoy of Dharma. Since this person knew that he had come to the East China Sea, he probably also knew about Tantai Zhilin. News of death.
Although Shen Liangqiu tried his best to control the news of Tantai Zhilin's death, there is no airtight wall in the world. What's more, as the governor of Donghai, Chen Ting may not know anything about such a major event happening on the ground under his jurisdiction.
"The Marquis has condescended to come to the East China Sea, but I can't come out of the city to greet you. I hope that the Marquis will forgive me." Chen Ting said respectfully: "The Lord has prepared a banquet to welcome the Marquis and wash away his dust. I also invite the Marquis and General Shen. Appreciation."
Shen Liangqiu stood aside with a stern expression and said nothing.
Qi Ning smiled slightly and asked: "Master Chen, I just entered the city this evening. I'm afraid it's only two hours from now. But when did you know that I would come to the East China Sea?"
"Reporting to the Marquis, in fact, Xiaguan only got the news at noon today." Chen Ting immediately said: "Xiaoguan learned that the Marquis would arrive in Gulin City in the next two days, so he has been sending people to wait for the Marquis outside the city. However, I never saw the Marquis arriving. At dusk, I heard that a group of people rode into the city on horseback, which was unusual, and... and they arrived directly at the Governor's Mansion. I guessed that it was the Marquis who had arrived, so I came to see them."
"Did you get the news at noon?" Qining said with a smile: "Where did you get the news?"
Chen Ting didn't waste any time. He took out the letter from his sleeve, came forward and presented it to Qi Ning with both hands. Qi Ning took it, opened it, glanced at it, and then said with a smile: "It turns out that Duke Zhen Guo has sent you a letter."
"The old country announced that the Marquis came to handle the case. He was worried about the lack of manpower, so he asked for an order. With the Emperor's permission, Donghai Law Caosi obeyed the Marquis's dispatch." Chen Ting said: "The official just brought Qin Yuege here. What does the Marquis have? If you tell me, just tell me."
"The letter said that I came to handle a case and asked you to assist, but it didn't say what the case was." Qining handed the letter back: "Does Mr. Chen know what kind of case happened in the East China Sea?"
Chen Ting shook his head and said: "I don't know, I know. It's just that this case requires the laboring Marquis to come in person, and the old Duke also personally sent someone to deliver the letter. It must be very difficult." Pointing to Qin Yuege, he said: "Master Marquis, Qin Facao has been handling cases for many years and has rich experience. He is also very familiar with the situation in the East China Sea. He has solved many major cases and has outstanding talents. It would be an honor for him to assist Mr. Hou in handling this case."
Qi Ning laughed, looked at Qin Yuege, and asked, "Qin Facao, guess what case happened here?"
"I don't dare to speak nonsense because of my humble position." Qin Yuege said respectfully.
"If I ask you to tell me, just guess." Qining said, "Even if I guess wrong, I won't blame you."
Qin Yuege glanced at Shen Liangqiu and then said: "After the Marquis entered the city, he rushed to the Governor's Mansion as soon as possible. The case was naturally related to the Donghai Navy. As the governor said, if the Marquis can work personally The cases we come here to handle are naturally no small matter."
Qi Ning just stared at Qin Yuege and said nothing.
"Logically speaking, when the Marquis arrives, he should be personally accompanied by the Governor of Tantai, but now only General Shen is present, and the Governor is not seen. I boldly speculate that this case should have happened to the Governor." Qin Yuege. His voice was unhurried and slow, and it was impossible to judge his emotions from his tone.
Qi Ning said with a smile: "It's not surprising that you can guess this."
"Although the area around the Governor's Mansion seems peaceful, it is heavily guarded." Qin Yuege said, "I would venture to guess that the Governor was assassinated?"
Qi Ning's eyebrows twitched slightly and asked: "Assassination? Qin Facao thinks someone will assassinate the Governor?" He stared at Qin Yuege's eyes and asked: "Then what do you think, if the Governor is assassinated? Who would be so bold?"
"You are a low-ranking slave and talk nonsense. Please forgive me, Lord Marquis!" Qin Yuege hurriedly bowed down.
Qi Ning shook his head and said: "I have said that even if you say something wrong, I will not blame you." After a pause, he said: "I might as well tell you frankly that this visit is indeed for investigation. Regarding the case related to the Governor, your guess is similar. Now I ask you, who do you think would dare to assassinate the Governor on the ground in the East China Sea?"
When Qi Ning entered the hall just now, Wei Yujiang and others did not follow him. At this moment, in the hall, apart from Chen Ting and Qin Yuege, there were only four people, Shen Liangqiu and Qi Ning.
The hall was lit with lights and the firelight flickered. Shen Liangqiu had a stern look on his face, while Chen Ting was respectful.
Qin Yuege pondered for a while and then said: "The Governor is very prestigious in the East China Sea, and the Governor's Mansion is tightly guarded. The Governor is also very skilled in martial arts. No ordinary person would dare to assassinate the Governor, even if he has the courage to do so. I don't dare." After a slight pause, he said: "I guess because of my humble position, I can only be a desperado if I dare to attack the Governor."
"Oh?" Qi Ning said calmly: "Who is the desperado you are talking about?"
Qin Yuege looked at Shen Liangqiu and asked, "General Shen, do you think it could be someone sent by Black Tiger Shark?"
Qi Ning frowned slightly and was not in a hurry to ask, but Shen Liangqiu sneered: "Black tiger shark? How can a bunch of rabble have the courage to touch the Governor? Isn't that asking for death?"
Qi Ning then asked: "General Shen, who is the black tiger shark?"
"Reporting to the Marquis, the Black Tiger Shark is the leader of a pirate group in the East China Sea." Shen Liangqiu said: "But now he is a lost dog, and his life is precarious. The Navy has been looking for their lair and wiping them out completely."
Qi Ning asked curiously: "So, the pirates in the East China Sea have not been eliminated yet?"
Shen Liangqiu explained: "Back then, there were gangs of pirates in the East China Sea. The old Marquis attacked hard and almost wiped out the most arrogant groups of pirates. Seeing that the situation was not good, other pirates fled to the distant sea. Although the navy We chased them everywhere, but some still survived. After the Grand Governor took charge of the navy, a few groups of pirates wanted to take the opportunity to come back and cause trouble, but they were eliminated by the Grand Governor's design. There were not many pirates left in the East China Sea."
"Is this black tiger shark a pirate problem?"
Shen Liangqiu nodded slightly: "The Black Tiger Sharks are very cunning, and they have several fast boats. They tried to catch them several times, but failed. However, they have also experienced the power of the Navy in recent years and suffered heavy losses. Don’t dare to come closer to the sea.”
"In this case, why did Qin Facao say that Black Tiger Shark had the intention to assassinate the Governor?" Qin Ning turned to Qin Yuege: "They don't even dare to approach the sea, how can they have the courage to assassinate the Governor?"
Shen Liangqiu hesitated for a moment and then said: "Less than half a year ago, several people with strange movements were captured in the city. After interrogation, it turned out that they were spies sent ashore by Black Tiger Shark to find out the news. In order to frighten the pirates, the Governor sent Those people all had their heads chopped off and hung on tall trees by the sea for a full month."
Qi Ning nodded slightly, but Shen Liangqiu stopped talking. Seeing his embarrassment, Qi Ning asked, "Is there anything inconvenient to say, General Shen?"
Shen Liangqiu smiled bitterly and said: "One morning, the patrolling soldiers suddenly discovered that all the heads hanging on the tall trees were missing, and there were actually flags flying on the tall trees."
"flag?"
"Black Shark Flag!" Shen Liangqiu had clenched his hands into fists, "That is the flag of the Black Tiger Shark. The four soldiers guarding the head were all nailed to the base of a tall tree with sharp wood through their chests, and... all of them were naked, There was writing carved on the abdomen with a knife, and the words blood for blood were written on it.”
Qi Ning was startled, and now he understood why Shen Liangqiu looked embarrassed.
The Donghai Navy hung the heads of pirates in public, originally to scare the Black Tiger Sharks, but in the end the heads were taken away, and the Black Tiger Shark flags were hung, and even the soldiers guarding the heads were killed. Not only did this result Instead of deterring the pirates, it caused a serious blow to the morale of the Donghai Navy.
This is of course a great shame and humiliation for the Donghai Navy!
Qi Ning knew this kind of thing. Of course, the Donghai Navy tried their best to conceal it and prevent it from being publicized. Otherwise, it would not only be a shame for the Donghai Navy, but it would also be heavy for the martial name of the Jin Dao Tantai family. blow.
Shen Liangqiu is Tantai Zhilin's sworn brother in private, and Yu Gong is also Tantai Zhilin's confidant. Of course, Shen Liangqiu will not take the initiative to say such things.