Early the next morning, Tang Fan went directly to the prefect's yamen and asked Fan Zhifu to find Lin Fengyuan.
Unexpectedly, the person who went to pass the news came back and told Fan Zhifu that Lin Fengyuan was unwell, and sent someone to take leave today and recuperate at home.
Fan Zhifu frowned immediately: "Go to Lin's house and tell him that no matter how ill he is, he will come to this house..."
Tang Fan held him down: "Do you know where Lin Tongling's family lives?"
Fan Zhifu hurriedly said: "Xiaguan knows!"
Tang Fan: "Since he doesn't come, I'll go see him in person. You can tell someone the address so that someone can take us there."
The imperial envoy ordered to come down, even if he was busy, he had to say he was not busy. Fan Zhifu hurriedly agreed, and he did not pretend to be someone else, but brought Tang Fan there in person.
But he also felt that Lin Fengyuan didn't know what to do: You are sad when your son died, but Yushi Tang came to find out the truth about the cause of your son's death. Which one came out
It was only after the Lin family that Fan Zhifu discovered that Lin Fengyuan was not pretending to be sick, but was really sick.
Even if he and Lin Fengyuan don't meet every day, they are Lin Fengyuan's immediate boss for official business needs, and they see each other at least once every two or three days. This is also human nature, but the person who came out to greet them is more than haggard, it is almost like a change of person.
Lin Fengyuan's hair, which was originally inconspicuous, now occupies most of the silver threads. Rong Chang's face is thin and pale, and there are two dark circles under his eyes. He looks like he is ten years older.
Tang Fan hadn't seen him before, so he wouldn't be too surprised. Both Fan Zhifu and Lu Lingxi were shocked.
Lu Lingxi whispered in Tang Fan's ear, "When I came back to see him last time, I wasn't so old."
Lin Fengyuan stepped forward and saluted: "Xiaguan Lin Fengyuan, pay tribute to the imperial envoy, and pay respects to the palace."
Tang Fan helped him up: "Lin Tongju doesn't need to be too polite, you don't look very good, can you ask the doctor to see it?"
Lin Fengyuan said: "Thank you for your concern, the lower official just feels the wind and cold, so it's okay."
He didn't look like he was feeling the cold by chance, but he was overthinking and staying up late, but it's normal for someone to have a dead son.
Tang Fan already knew that Lin Fengyuan had three sons. The deceased Lin Zhen was the eldest son, and the second son was a little younger. He was also studying at Bailuzhou Academy, and the youngest son, Fang Liuqi, was still in Mongolian school.
Lin Fengyuan is over 40 years old and has three sons in his family. Although his career is not a prosperous one, he has more than enough to do. There is really nothing to be picky about. upset.
Tang Fan greeted his body with a few words, and said, "This official is here with an unkind request."
However, Lin Fengyuan directly blocked his words and said categorically: "If the lord is here to open the coffin for the dog to conduct an autopsy, please don't say it. The dead person is dead, it is safe to go to the ground, and the dog has been buried, how can we dig him again. He came out and made him uneasy? Xiaguan lost his eldest son, and he was already very saddened in his heart, so please sympathize with the normal feelings of a father!"
Tang Fan raised his eyebrows, a little displeased with his attitude of refusal, but he didn't show it on his face, he was still earnest and seductive in a warm tone: "Lin Tongjuan, I heard that your Lin family and Shen family have some past experiences. Gratitude and grievance, this matter has been rumored outside, I don't know if it is true or not?"
Lin Fengyuan didn't get furious when he heard about this question like Shen Kunxiu did, but nodded: "It's true."
Tang Fan: "Can you elaborate a little bit?"
Lin Fengyuan said: "Shen Kunxiu won the first place in the county examination, but he was rejected when he got to the academy exam, just because he was the deceased father in the academy exam that year, he held a grudge for it, and after he was awarded the jinshi, he still couldn't forget it. Every time I meet people, I say that my late father didn't like him, and I deliberately didn't let him be on the list, and then I said that my late father's career was not going well, all because of his lack of morality, and he did his best to slander him!"
Tang Fan: "Is that the reason?"
Lin Fengyuan said angrily: "Of course not! His papers were indeed favored by other reviewers at that time, but when they finally got to my father's hands, my father found that one of his words violated taboos, so he dismissed it. There is nothing wrong with it!"
The so-called taboo means that, for example, a certain character of the reigning emperor appears in the article, and candidates usually have to rewrite it with another character, or deliberately write a short stroke on that character to show that they are taboo towards the emperor.
But everyone in the exam room was already very nervous, and many people often forget to avoid taboos. At this time, it depends on luck.
It is certainly not wrong for the examiner or the examiner to drop the paper directly, but if you meet someone with a more forgiving temperament and see that your essay is really well written, you may turn a blind eye. Still let the other party on the list, just move down the ranking.
Regarding Lin Fengyuan's words, Tang Fan was noncommittal, did not make any judgments, and only said: "So you think that the reason why Lingzi died is because Shen Kunxiu harbored personal grudges and intended to take revenge?"
Lin Fengyuan: "That's right! Shen Kunxiu is a chicken-hearted person, and his heart is the most narrow-minded. If it wasn't for him to press on, how could the dog hang himself and kill himself? Please, please return the dog's innocence!"
Tang Fan said, "So, you think Lingzi must be innocent, and the so-called cheating is all deliberately wronged by Shen Kunxiu?"
Lin Fengyuan didn't expect Tang Fan to ask such a question, so he was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Yes, the dog's knowledge is not very good, but it is not necessary to cheat to get a name!"
Tang Fan said: "But as far as I know, Young Master Ling's classmates are also suspected of cheating in this case. Several of them admit that they heard the inside information from Lin Zhen."
Lin Fengyuan said angrily: "It's impossible, this is what they are slandering, my lord knows it!"
Tang Fan nodded lightly: "Mingjian naturally wants to understand clearly, this official never listens to favoritism in deciding a case, listens to their confessions, and naturally also listens to your side. The past grievances between the two of you are right and wrong, I will listen to them. An outsider does not judge well, but if it is related to the case, it is another matter. After all, you are not the party involved, only Lin Zhen knows all the truth. To tell you the truth, although I am not a fake, I have some experience in the autopsy, Lin Although Jane died, she was still able to speak. Whether he was forced by Shen Kunxiu to commit suicide to show his innocence, or whether there was another cause of death, one could tell by looking at the body. As a father, Lin Tongjuan also hoped that Lingzi would die. Rest your mind?"
Lin Fengyuan still shook his head: "Sir, the lower official really can't see the necessity of re-opening the coffin. Before the dog came over that day, the official had already experienced it once and confirmed that he committed suicide by hanging. Why didn't your lord investigate from Shen Kunxiu's side? , why do you want to get along with the dog?"
What he said was extremely rude, and Fan Zhifu reprimanded: "Presumptuous!"
Tang Fan stopped Fan Zhifu, and said to Lin Fengyuan: "In the past, it was not that he was not judged to commit suicide, and finally overturned the case. The ability of Zuzuo has always been mixed, and many people thought that they could get started after reading this "The Collection of Atonement of Injustice". The autopsy has been done, but I don't know that this is the reason for the repeated unjust, false and wrong cases. Since I became an official, there are many such examples. If as you said, Shen Kunxiu will really have a hard time with your Lin family, such a good opportunity, he probably will not. There are more than ten candidates who Shen Kunxiu wants to get rid of. They are still very good, but only Lin Zhen is dead. Among them, maybe Shen Kunxiu has done something else to Lingzi in private, which is the real death. Is it because Lin Tongjuan doesn't want to find out the truth?"
Having said that, Tang Fan was patient enough, but Lin Fengyuan still refused: "Sir, please forgive me."
Tang Fan: "What if this official insists on lifting the coffin?"
Lin Fengyuan was silent for a moment: "Your Excellency insists on doing this, and the subordinate officer can't stop it, but I heard that the imperial court has sent another commissioner to investigate this case, and the subordinate officer will definitely complain to that commissioner!"
With Lin Fengyuan's official position, it would seem ridiculous to threaten Tang Fan like this, but in the current world, the deceased is the most important thing. Tang Fan's behavior of wanting to lift a coffin for an autopsy will indeed not get the support of public opinion. Everyone will definitely sympathize with Lin Fengyuan. Tang Fan is unscrupulous and uses his power to bully others. Even if Tang Fan is now a cabinet scholar, he must consider the influence of his own behavior and the impact of his reputation.
Lu Lingxi was furious next to him. Big Brother Tang wanted an autopsy, didn't he want to find out the cause of your son's death
Then again, since they came to Ji'an Mansion, they always seem to have run into people who don't know what's good or bad. First, Xu Bin at the reception, then Shen Kunxiu, and now Lin Fengyuan again. Are they incompatible
Even the prefect of Fan felt that Lin Fengyuan's attitude was too hateful and excessive, but Tang Fan was not as angry as everyone imagined, or that he had met too many people before, and some were more difficult to deal with than Lin Fengyuan. Make him angry.
He even picked up the tea cup on the coffee table, gently wiped the tea foam on it with the lid, and lowered his head to take a sip.
Although Lin Fengyuan didn't cooperate, Tang Fan refused to leave, and he couldn't speak to chase people away, so he could only be silent.
For a while, the atmosphere in the living room seemed a little stagnant.
After a while, Tang Fan suddenly said, "This painting has a good mood."
Everyone was stunned for a moment, wondering why he suddenly started talking about paintings, and following Tang Fan's gaze, only to realize that he was talking about the paintings hanging on the walls of Lin's house.
The mountains and rivers are far away, and the big river is going east. A small boat on the river flows down the river. One person on the boat is holding his hands and looking at the sun in the east. It has the taste of "Ci Dynasty's speech to the White Emperor among the colorful clouds, a thousand miles of Jiangling is returned in one day".
There is a poem on the side saying: The reflection of two lines of mountains in the distance, and the horizontal flow of one leaf in the light boat.
A very ordinary painting is better than the artistic conception, but it is not a master's handwriting. It can only be said that it is a mediocre painting.
Lin Fengyuan said: "This painting is a recent work by Xiguan. It is a self-appreciation. It cannot be regarded as elegant, and it cannot be praised by adults."
Tang Fanyuan just praised it casually, and laughed after hearing this: "Since Lin Tongju refuses to open the coffin, that's all, leave."
He stood up, Lin Fengyuan hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your understanding. Besides, if you want to know anything, you should know everything and do your best to cooperate!"
"No need, you should rest at home." Tang Fan said lightly, got up and left.
Fan Zhifu glared at Lin Fengyuan and cursed in a low voice, "You really don't know what's wrong!"
He was a little strange. Before the Lin Zhen incident, Lin Fengyuan and Fan Zhifu, his immediate boss, had a pretty good relationship, and Lin Fengyuan was also very good at slapping his beards and shooting horses. He would never let Shangguan not come on stage, but now He didn't hesitate to offend Tang Fan, an imperial commissioner, to his death, which seemed like he had lost his mind.
Not only Fan Zhifu, but the people who followed Tang Fan, Lu Lingxi and Xi Ming, felt that Lin Fengyuan was really scolded. As Tang Fan, he was able to come to Lin's house in person because of Lin Zhen's business. Lin Fengyuan has been praised very much, but instead of cooperating, he pushed back three and four, if it wasn't for Tang Fan's failure, Lu Lingxi even wanted to open his mouth to ridicule Lin Fengyuan!
"Brother Tang, do you want me to find a chance to teach him a lesson?" Lu Lingxi asked after coming out of Lin's house.
"No." Tang Fan waved his hand with a thoughtful face, but he didn't say it, and no one knew what he was thinking.
After the group left Lin's house, Tang Fan asked Fan Zhifu and Ji Min not to accompany them any more, saying that if he wanted to go shopping, Lu Lingxi and Xi Ming were enough.
Fan Zhifu and Ji Min are local officials after all, and they have official business to deal with every day, so it is impossible to accompany Tang Fan everywhere. When he said this, the two of them went along with the flow and politely, and then said goodbye and left.
Tang Fan took Lu Lingxi and the others around the street twice and entered a restaurant not far ahead.
Coincidentally, this is the place where Zeng Jin and the others confessed last time to buy exam questions, Qingfenglou.
This place is decorated in a grand style, with a cloud of guests, and the taste is not bad. People like Tang Fan who came suddenly and didn't make a reservation in advance can only be assigned to the lobby.
However, the lobby is also divided into the first floor and the second floor. Each table on the second floor is separated from each other by a screen. The confidentiality is not as good as that of the private room, and it is quieter than the first floor, and the price is a little more expensive.
The guy greeted him enthusiastically. Hearing that Tang Fan and the others wanted a private room, he apologetically said that there was no private room, and Tang Fan didn't care, so he led his group to the second floor and sat down, and ordered a few more dishes.
Everyone followed Tang Fan out early in the morning, and drank tea at Lin's house again, holding back their anger. At this time, they were all hungry. They looked at three cups of chicken, small fried fish, steamed pork with taro, and dry fried wild mushrooms. Ordinary home-cooked dishes can't help but feel that the index finger is moving. There are only four people left and right. Tang Fan didn't let Xi Ming, Han Jin and the others share the table. Instead, everyone sat around and it was lively. With white rice, most of the dishes on the table were quickly swept away.
"By the way," Tang Fan said to Xi Ming when everyone was full, "I have a distant cousin who moved to Jiangxi with her parents when she was a child. Both of her parents died a few years ago. She had a hard time, listen. Said that I came to Jiangxi too, and I will come to seek refuge with me, and after you go back, talk to the people in the official post and clean up the room that Ziming lived in."
Xi Ming didn't think much about it, so he naturally responded, but Lu Lingxi asked, "Brother Tang, why haven't I heard you talk about this cousin before?"
Tang Fan smiled: "I used to be far away, and I didn't have any correspondence. I also waited until the eve of leaving the capital to hear what my sister said."
But why didn't you say it when you first arrived in Jiangxi, and now it is mentioned without any warning
With questions like this, Xi Ming would not be curious. Anyway, he would do whatever Tang Fan told him to do. Although Lu Lingxi was full of doubts, he didn't ask many questions. After all, he didn't know much about the situation at Tang Fan's house.
Lu Lingxi thought about it for a while, and then changed it euphemistically: "Brother Tang, my cousin is a daughter after all. If you and I live in the same yard, wouldn't it be good?"
Tang Fan thought for a while: "You're right, so let's move on and go live with Xi Ming and the others. My cousin and I will just live in the same yard. We both got married when we were young, and she is alone now. , there is no one to rely on, so there is no need to pay attention to that many.”
"..." When he heard it, not to mention more depressed, he just asked a few more questions, but ended up trapping himself.
After thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't think of an excuse for refusing, so he had no choice but to respond, but couldn't help saying: "If I can get married with Big Brother Tang since I was a child, I must be a good woman who is knowledgeable, Shuyuan and Zhenyi, I have to meet you. What do you call it, please ask Big Brother Tang to prepare me first, so that I don't lose my etiquette when I get it!"
When he heard "Shuyuan Zhenyi", Tang Fan couldn't help twitching the corners of his mouth, but luckily Lu Lingxi didn't see it.
He adjusted his facial expression and put on a slightly nostalgic look: "You're just called Miss Qiao, I only saw it twice when I was a child, and I haven't seen it much now. She is always shy..."
After saying this, Tang Fan paused, thinking that let me vomit first, and after a while, he continued: "She is shy, I'm afraid she's not used to calling your sister-in-law or madam directly, after all, I When you are not married, your daughter's family name cannot be tarnished."
According to Tang Fan's idea, it is not too bad to tell Lu Lingxi and the others the true identity of Suizhou, but he is not sure whether there are people from the White Lotus Sect hiding in the government. Lu Lingxi is too young, and if his words and deeds are exposed If there is any flaw, the gain will outweigh the loss, so it is better to be careful, and it is not too late to admit it after the matter is over.
Lu Lingxi couldn't digest this shocking news for a while, and after hearing what Tang Fan said, he couldn't get back to his senses.
It was Xi Ming who asked, "Sir, is there anything you need your subordinates to do about the Lin family?"
Tang Fan smiled and said, "It's true, but it's a bit immoral, and it has to be hidden from the public's eyes and discussed in the long-term."
Xi Ming said: "Sir, just tell me!"
Tang Fan hummed: "Then you go and find out where is Lin Zhen buried. When it's quiet at night, let's dig a grave."
He said it lightly, but others heard it with a mixture of laughter and laughter: Dare to Qing Tang Fan was not angry when he contradicted him like Lin Fengyuan, did he come up with this idea early in the morning
Lu Lingxi asked, "Brother Tang, this must be done?"
Although he was born into a noble family, he was wandering around at a young age. He was supposed to have the temperament to be fearless, but things like digging people's tombs, after all, had a bad reputation. It was found that if the matter was spread out again, it would definitely fall into the hands of others, so he would only confirm it again and again for Tang Fan's sake.
Tang Fan didn't answer and asked, "Go to Lin's house today, what did you find?"
Lu Lingxi heard that Tang Fan was deliberate, so he thought seriously: "Lin Fengyuan's performance is a little abnormal."
Tang Fan: "What kind of abnormal method?"
Lu Lingxi: "Like Lin Fengyuan, his son died and he had old grudges with Shen Kunxiu. He hoped that Shen Kunxiu would be unlucky more than anyone else, so it stands to reason that even if Brother Tang asked to open the coffin, he would not refuse, but he was too stubborn. , This is not in line with common sense at all, and Fan Zhifu also said that before Lin Zhen died, Lin Fengyuan was not such a person."
Tang Fan: "Anything else?"
Feeling Tang Fan's praise, Lu Lingxi couldn't help but think more and more: "Could it be that Lin Zhen's death was something else, or maybe his death had nothing to do with Shen Kunxiu, but Lin Fengyuan was worried that we would find out, so he resolutely did not Will you let us open the coffin for an autopsy?"
Tang Fan: "It's very possible."
Lu Lingxi was greatly encouraged and continued to spread his imagination: "The only thing that can make Lin Fengyuan so worried is that he is guilty of being a thief. Could it be that Lin Fengyuan killed his son by himself, for fear of being discovered?"
Tang Fan shook his head with a laugh, and he played it too far: "Do you remember the painting that was hanging on the wall at that time?"
Lu Lingxi: "I remember, but there's nothing special about that painting."
Tang Fan said: "When Lin Zhen was talking to me, the corners of her eyes would drift to the side from time to time. I didn't know why at first, but later I thought he was looking at the painting, so he asked casually. He asked a question. He said that the painting was a new painting by him. Think about it, a person with a dead son is so haggard, would you be in the mood to paint?"
Lu Lingxi snorted, he really didn't think about it from this aspect.
Tang Fan added: "Painting takes his aspirations and poetry as his aspirations, even if he wants to paint to convey his feelings, the expression in the painting must be sadness and nostalgia, how could he paint such an open-minded and heroic painting as 'The Light Boat and One Leaf Horizontal Flow' ?"
Lu Lingxi: "So, Lin Fengyuan is really weird?"
Tang Fan said firmly: "Not only is there something wrong, but there is something wrong! Not only Lin Fengyuan has a problem, but even Shen Kunxiu has a problem."
Lu Lingxi was puzzled: "You mean Duke Shen Kunxiu avenged his personal revenge?"
Tang Fan shook his head, but didn't continue speaking, but said, "Come one by one, let's see if we can find anything from Lin Zhen."
Every time he listens to Tang Fan's analysis of the case, Lu Lingxi always has a sense of powerlessness that he is far from enough. He can only make himself work harder and be more careful, hoping to catch up with Tang Fan's pace, but if Tang Fan is unwilling He couldn't guess what Ming said anyway, and this fact made him a little discouraged.
Seeing to see what he was thinking, Tang Fan patted him on the shoulder: "Yiqing, in fact, at your age, I may not be better than you are now. I always have to eat one bite at a time, so don't be impatient."
Lu Lingxi didn't have any thoughts, when he heard Tang Fan speak to him in such a tone of encouragement to the younger generation, he felt even more lost, and couldn't help protesting: "Brother Tang, I'm not much younger than you, I can help you a lot. It's gone!"
Tang Fan: "Okay, of course you helped a lot, thanks to you, Xi Ming, Han Jin and the others for this time!"
Lu Lingxi: "..."
Yes, they are in the same position as Xi Ming.
The author has something to say:
small theater:
Wang Zhi: I heard that you also dressed as a woman in Jiangxi
Suizhou: Hmm.
Wang Zhi (incredible): With your tall and majestic appearance, how blind are people who can mistake you for a woman
Suizhou: I have a trick.
Wang Zhi: What is the trick, let’s hear it.
Suizhou: When I learn to speak, I hold the orchid finger up.
Wang Zhi (furious): You melon child who chopped off his head, young black Laozi, when did Laozi cross his orchid finger
Suizhou: The eunuchs of later generations are all like this.
Wang Zhi: …