Although they couldn't find Xu Sui in Xu's house that day, Lu Lingxi felt that Xu Sui was probably still hiding in Xu's house. Even if he was not there, someone in the Xu family would always know where he was going, so Lu Lingxi was in Xu's house. Surveillance near the back door, by the way to inquire about the news of Xu's family, hoping to find out what is related to Xu Sui.
But for two days in a row, he was a little disappointed.
Because the Xu family's back door goes in and out every day, their cooks and servants often gossip with the vegetable farmers when they deliver the vegetables to the door, but they don't talk about Xu Sui, at most they only mention that Tang Fan brought someone As for the door-to-door search, it was said that when the master came back, the censor would be out of luck.
Just like Butler Xu, in the eyes of the servants of the Xu family, the master of the Xu family is a very capable person. Even the local prefect is polite to him. What they can see when they look up is only the one-third of the Xu family's land. At most, it won't be out of Ji'an, so he naturally thinks that Tang Fan must be unable to help the Xu family, and there is a sense of gloating in his words.
Although Lu Lingxi was very unhappy, he also knew that there was no need to care about these little people with limited knowledge.
This afternoon, as usual, he was leaning against a tree not far from the back door of Xu's house. This place is next to the wall, and the location is very hidden. Generally, no one will go around there to look at it, and he is skilled enough to be in front of others. I left before I found him, and listened to the servants of the Xu family not far away, leaning against the door and basking in the sun, as usual.
But this time, Lu Lingxi heard news about Fang Huixue's daughter.
"It is said that Fang Huixue's eldest daughter had another marriage contract before she got married. As a result, Fang Huixue took the initiative to break the contract and married her daughter to her own political envoy as the successor." Speaking of which, Lu Lingxi sold out: "Tang Brother, guess what they said about this behind their backs?"
Tang Fan tilted his head slightly: "Calling Fang Huixue treachery?"
"No!" Lu Lingxi laughed: "Everyone says Fang Hui learns benevolence and righteousness!"
Tang Fan raised his eyebrows: "Oh, this is interesting, why is this so?"
Lu Lingxi said: "Because the original marriage contract was also made by Fang Huixue for her daughter. It is said that the man is the son of a rich man in Nanchang Mansion, but he has not learned anything since he was a child, and he has not yet gotten married. It has been passed on to Ji'an. All in all, I am afraid that it is a little worse than Xu Sui's contemplation. At that time, the Fang family seemed to be in trouble in the business and was struggling, so they planned to betrothed their daughter to each other. But then I don't know what happened. , Fang Huixue suddenly changed his mind, quit the marriage, but also turned the tide, rectified the Fang family that was on the verge of decline, and turned it into a rich family that no one dared to despise in Ji'an, and chose a marriage for his daughter again."
Tang Fan sat up straight and his expression became serious: "Tell me more about Fang Huixue."
Lu Lingxi: "What does Big Brother Tang want to hear?"
Tang Fan thought for a while: "Fang's family started out in business, but they don't have any fame. Even if they marry their daughter as a successor and marry a political envoy, they shouldn't be very happy. Is there another argument here? "
Lu Lingxi said: "Yes, I heard that Fang Huixue was also a playboy when he was young. After inheriting the family business, he was ignorant and ignorant, and soon the Fang family was in a mess. That's why he needed to use his daughter to marry and maintain the business, but then I don't know how. What happened, he suddenly became better, and his business skills became more and more powerful, and he used the money earned from the business to build bridges and pave roads, and help the poor, so his reputation in Ji'an became better and better. On the contrary, few people have mentioned it, and it was because I heard about his daughter that I specifically asked about it... Brother Tang, what's the matter with you?"
Tang Fan's brows were furrowed, and there was no smile on his face, which made him look a little grim.
He didn't answer Lu Lingxi's words, but instead asked, "When did you say he suddenly got better?"
Lu Lingxi: "I don't know too much. It has to be several years."
Tang Fan: "Has he changed a lot between a few years ago and now?"
Lu Lingxi: "It should be very large, otherwise it would be impossible to manage the Fang family that is about to collapse to the current scale. I heard that when the Fang family was at its worst, all the servants in the family were dismissed. It's completely incomparable... Brother Tang, are you suspecting something? Could it be that the Fang family received funding from the White Lotus Sect to have the scale it is today?"
Tang Fan's face was gloomy: "I'm afraid I didn't get funding from the White Lotus Sect."
Lu Lingxi was a little inexplicable: "Ah? Then why... "
Tang Fan interrupted him: "Is the Fang family still quiet these days?"
Lu Lingxi hurriedly said: "Yes, it is said that Fang Huixue is sick in bed, and he didn't even see Fan Zhifu in person to visit him. It seems that he is not very ill, but fortunately you didn't go. If Fang Huixue was as arrogant as Xu Bin, he would be gone by then. Your face is not good..."
"Brother Tang?" Tang Fan got up abruptly, and Lu Lingxi was stunned for a moment, and even his voice stopped.
Tang Fan took off his waist card and handed it over: "Go to the man who sells the candy not far from Fang's house right now, say it's my order, let them gather people now, go into Fang's house to search, that is Dig three feet into the ground, and find Fang Huixue for me!"
A candy man in front of Fang's house
Seemingly seeing his surprise, even though he felt that the time was short and urgent, Tang Fan still explained a few more words: "They are Jin Yiwei in disguise, and they are under my orders to spy there, you will find out when you see them!"
Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Lu Lingxi hurriedly stopped him: "Wait, Big Brother Tang, what if you can't find Fang Huixue, if you are like the Xu family, your situation will be very passive!"
Tang Fan didn't turn his head back: "I can't deal with that anymore. Even if Fang Huixue can't be found, I can't let anyone from the Fang family go. Be sure to find clues from them!"
After he explained Lu Lingxi, he took Xi Ming directly to the county office.
The clerk of the county office naturally recognized Tang Fan, and was very surprised to see that he didn't even come in person in a sedan chair.
Tang Fan didn't even wait for them to salute, and asked, "Where's your county magistrate?"
The yamen said: "Reporting to the lord, it's in the county ya!"
His answer reassured Tang Fan a little, and he passed them directly into the county office. After asking a few more people on the way, he learned that Ji Min was drinking tea at the rain pavilion in the back hall, so he took Xi Ming there.
The county government office was not big at first, but before Ji Min, I didn't know which county magistrate renovated the backyard of the county government office. He didn't use it himself for a few years, but it was cheaper for the latecomers. Tang Fan also visited this place once. It was a little small, but it didn't have the feeling of a Jiangnan garden, with dense trees and gurgling water. The soundproofing is very good. If we talk about something here, we will not be overheard.
The Wangyu Pavilion is built on a rockery in the center of the garden. A small stream below the mountain converges into a lotus pond. This is the season when the lotus leaves are in bloom and the buds are blooming. From the top down, the scenery is excellent.
But at this moment, Tang Fan didn't have the heart to appreciate it at all, until he saw the familiar figure with his back turned to him, and then he slowed down a little.
"Brother Ziming." He said.
The other party turned back, showing a surprised look, and then smiled: "Xiaguan managed to steal here for half a day, but I didn't expect to be caught by the adults."
Tang Fan also smiled and asked Xi Ming to wait at the foot of the mountain. He stepped onto the steps of the rockery in three steps and two steps, and he went up to the pavilion in no time.
"You'll be fine here." Tang Fan said, his eyes swept across the stone table inadvertently, but when he saw a teapot above it, there were two teacups.
"My lord came in a hurry, I don't know what is the important thing to find a subordinate?" When the two got along in private, although they said that the lord called himself a subordinate, Ji Min's tone was ridiculed to an old friend, and seemed cordial and casual.
"I have something to ask you." Tang Fan smiled slightly. "Why don't we go out and talk?"
Ji Min shook his head, and his face suddenly showed a smile that was not a smile, a mockery that was not mocking: "Let's talk here, it's inconvenient to go outside."
Good end, where would it be inconvenient
Even if it was inconvenient, Tang Fan was a superior and Ji Min was a subordinate, so he couldn't talk to each other like this.
In an instant, this sentence made Tang Fan's heart feel a little bit of alertness, and he took two steps to the side unconsciously.
But the next moment, there was a sound of weapons handing over from below the rockery!
"Sir, it's not right here, get out!" Xi Ming shouted.
There is no need for him to say this, Tang Fan already knew that something was wrong. The other party's approach was exactly the same as the one who assassinated Tang Fan that night, and it was probably the same few people. At that time, Xi Ming and others were still invincible. Not to mention that now he has only one person, and with one enemy four, he is gradually losing the advantage, and the situation is very bad.
Tang Fan looked at Ji Min and said solemnly, "Ziming, what do you mean?"
Ji Min's expression did not change: "As you can see."
Tang Fan said, "Let him go, I'll let you do it."
Ji Min shook his head: "Even if you don't let it go, you are now at our disposal."
At this time, someone behind Tang Fan suddenly said, "What nonsense are you talking to him, just kill him!"
Accompanied by the voice of speaking, a breeze blows from the back of his head.
Tang Fan's expression changed, and when he was about to turn around to dodge, it was too late. He only felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and his body suddenly fell to the ground uncontrollably.
He opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but he couldn't make a sound. The sound of weapons fighting was still in his ears, but it was getting more and more blurred.
It's no wonder that when I walked all the way from the county office, I could hardly see anyone. I'm afraid these yamen officers have been dismissed by Ji Min long ago, so no one will hear the movement here...
And only so far, his thoughts were interrupted abruptly, and he was completely plunged into darkness.
If time could be turned back, perhaps Tang Fan would have been more cautious before coming to Ji Min. He might have brought Lu Lingxi or more, or he might have directly surrounded the county office, making it difficult for Ji Min to fly.
But Master Tang is not an immortal after all. At best, he is more careful and cautious than others, but that's all.
He didn't know what to expect, and he never imagined that Ji Min would dare to openly attack the imperial envoy in the county government.
Judging from the words he heard before he fell into a coma, Tang Fan felt that he would lose his life, but he didn't expect that he would wake up again.
Tang Fan subconsciously moved slightly, and found that his eyes seemed to be covered, his hands and feet were tied, and he lay on his side in a less elegant posture, and even stuffed a handkerchief in his mouth.
There was a sense of vibration under him, his ears were not plugged, and he could still hear the sound of the wheels of the carriage rolling.
To be precise, he was woken up by the sound of arguing.
"Jimin, don't think I don't know that you have some old friendship with this little white face, but I advise you not to waste your time, Erlongtou hates this man deeply, you don't let me kill him now, wait for him In front of Erlongtou, it will only die worse!"
Tang Fan frowned slightly, he felt that the voice was a bit familiar, and then he remembered that the other party should be the one who said he was going to kill him before he fell into a coma.
"Because of his importance to Erlongtou, I will personally bring him to Erlongtou. Killing him or not is up to Erlongtou, not you." In comparison, Ji Min's voice was calm. There are many, "Also, you should call me Ji Tan Master. As the Deputy Tan Master, if I commit a crime, I will report it to Erlongtou truthfully."
Another snorted: "What is the master of the altar, you don't even know a little bit of kung fu, and even this county magistrate is Erlongtou who helped you, stop pretending in front of our brothers! If it weren't for the shortage of talents in teaching now , it's not your turn to be the altar master!"
"Fifth, shut up!" The previous man stopped him: "Master Ji Tan, the carriage is running fast, in order not to overturn you, please come inside!"
There was soon no sound outside, or perhaps the speaker's voice had quietened down, so Tang Fan couldn't hear it clearly.
After a while, the curtain of the car was lifted, and the wind blew in from outside, ruffled Tang Fan's hair. He guessed that his current bun should have been scattered.
But soon, the curtains seemed to come down again.
"Are you awake?" It was Ji Min who was speaking, and Tang Fan's continued feigning coma was obviously unsuccessful.
Tang Fan nodded.
The next moment, the handkerchief in his mouth was taken out.
Tang Fan let out a long breath. He didn't use his energy to do stupid things like shouting for help, and he didn't ask to take off his blindfold. Instead, he asked, "Where's Xi Ming?"
Ji Min asked back, "What do you think?"
Tang Fan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where are we going now?"
Ji Min: "Take you to see Daochang Li, you should be familiar with him."
Tang Fan smiled bitterly: "Everyone is an old enemy, and they are indeed familiar."
Jimin stopped talking.
From time to time, the wheels were knocked over by stones on the road, and the carriage jolted and trembled. Tang Fan felt that he was about to spit out his internal organs.
He couldn't help but said, "Brother Ziming, can I trouble you to help me sit up? If it goes on like this, I'm afraid I won't wait until I see you, Daochang Li, and I'll fly for nine days!"
After a while, a pair of hands lifted him up.
Although sitting is also bumpy, but leaning against the wall of the car is far better than lying on it without exerting any effort.
"Thank you." Tang Fan breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded slightly in the direction where Ji Min might be sitting.
"You still call me Brother Ziming," Ji Min's voice was slightly mocking, "I thought you would call me the White Lotus Demon!"
Tang Fan smiled: "Instead of wasting time on those useless disputes, I have many questions to ask."
Ji Min: "For example?"
Tang Fan: "For example, after you take me away, can't you continue to go back to be the magistrate of Luling?"
Ji Min laughed: "Master Tang is really worried, his life is almost at risk, and he is still concerned about the official career of the lower official, so you don't have to worry about it!"
Tang Fan sighed: "Why do you always talk to me in such a tone? Could it be that our friendship over the years can't equal the position of an altar master of the White Lotus Sect? What's so good about that place, those desperate people? It's just that Li Zilong, who lost his head and wanted to fight against the imperial court, just forgot his life for the sake of money. You have a great future, why do you want to follow along?"
His eyes were still bound by cloth strips, so of course he couldn't see Ji Min's mocking expression.
"A great future? Runqing, you think too highly of me. If it weren't for the White Lotus Sect, I would still be farming in the countryside. I don't know when I will be able to fill the gap. How can I be compared with you two jinshis?"
When the two parted from the capital, Ji Min was full of disappointment, but Tang Fan himself had just entered the official career at that time. Apart from comfort, it was impossible to give each other any substantial help. Besides, there were so many talented people in the world who wanted to be named on the gold list. There are too many, and there are too few places for scholars. Every year, there are so many frustrated people like Ji Min. Some white-haired people are still running for fame. Ji Min is not the worst here. When people are down, they always feel that they are the most failed and bleak in the world.
At a time like this, if Tang Fan said something like, "You've already raised people, why don't you try harder?", it would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire, so he said, "So, the funding you mentioned earlier Your kind-hearted fellow wealthy businessman who donated your officials is actually the White Lotus Sect?"
"That's right." Ji Min laughed at himself: "You know, my family is poor, and being able to support me all the way for more than 20 years is the limit. I didn't pass the jinshi exam, and I don't have money to donate to officials. People follow me to suffer, and then raise me as a lazy man who eats and drinks for free, betting on the hope of three years later, but if I am like the old man in the countryside, I can only show off my strength in the village for a lifetime, and I have no name, and I will not be reconciled. ."
In fact, Ji Min's utilitarian heart has been noticed since Tang Fan knew him, but a scholar who has been in the cold for ten years, who is not to honor his ancestors, even if he wants to realize his dreams of helping the world and the people, he must first A name and official status, otherwise everything is just empty talk.
Being an official is equivalent to being superior to others. Children like Lu Lingxi who grew up in a family of officials may not have a deep feeling, but with a background like Ji Min, being admitted to fame is his only hope.
When his family was in a difficult situation, he had no money to donate officials to fill the vacancy, and he could not guarantee that he would be admitted to the jinshi in three years. The straw offered by the White Lotus Sect became Ji Min's life-saving straw, but he accepted the other party At the same time as the gift, he tied himself to the boat of the White Lotus Sect.
Ji Min said: "Tang Runqing, in fact, I am very envious, even jealous of you and brother Yu Qiao, because you are from good backgrounds and talented, you can get what you want with almost no effort. When I call you brothers and sisters, I I envy you at the same time, and hate you at the same time. I wish I could take everything you have. You see, even when I am a county magistrate, I still need the help of the White Lotus Sect, and you are a few years younger than me, but now you are an imperial envoy. Shit, I'm not reconciled, I'm really not reconciled!"
Tang Fan turned his body slightly, and his other arm was next to the wall of the carriage. Because of the tremors and bumps of the carriage, his arms were tied to the back again, and his upper body was numb.
He sighed: "Brother Ziming, you are obviously not such a person, why do you keep saying these words to make me misunderstand you? In fact, when I first arrived in Ji'an, you already reminded me that I was stupid myself. , so before this, I didn't know that Fang Huixue was Li Zilong."
Ji Min murmured, "When did I remind you?"
Tang Fan smiled: "Just at the reception banquet, I met your second couplet at that time, you turned around and took the four characters in the second couplet as an anagram, the squirrel behind the branch is the word Li, isn't it for me to mention Are you awake?"
Ji Min said angrily, "Since you noticed something, why did you come to find me!"
Tang Fan was a little helpless at his sudden anger. Now the one who is being slaughtered is obviously himself, right
"I'm not an immortal. How can I predict the enemy's opportunities in everything? Even if I know that you may mean something, how can I know that Fang Huixue is Li Zilong? I can only blame Daochang Li for being a deceitful person. Instead of Fang Huixue's identity, he has been operating here all the time. If he wants to come to him to do business, he often runs around everywhere, but it is just a cover to facilitate going out to do errands. But then again, why did Lin Fengyuan die? Is it because he discovered Fang Huixue's true identity? "
Ji Min said: "No, he just saw Jin Yiwei slaughtering the territory of Jiangxi, and thought of the fate of Huang Jinglong, the former prefect of Ji'an, so he was afraid and didn't want to cooperate with the White Lotus Sect. But on the boat of the White Lotus Sect, how could he let him go Just left, just as the imperial examination case happened, Erlongtou ordered someone to kill Lin Zhen, put the blame on Shen Kunxiu, and kidnapped Lin Fengyuan's second son, forcing him to submit. It will not be associated with the White Lotus Sect."
Tang Fan frowned: "Then what happened to the deaths of several reviewers later?"
Ji Min said: "For a long time, the Fang family and the Xu family have had some business dealings. Xu Bin is greedy by nature. Although he faintly perceives the involvement behind the Fang family, in order to make money, he has neither completely drawn a clear line with the Fang family, nor is he willing to get involved too much. To put it bluntly, I want to be a bitch again, and I want to set up a chastity arch."
Having said this, he laughed: "But how can there be such a good thing in the world? It is also their own fault, Xu Bin and Shen Kunxiu are not strict with their sons, not to mention the trouble they have caused themselves, and they almost involve me, Shen Kunxiu is afraid that you will When the reviewers asked about his son's good deeds, they went to Xu Bin and Fang Huixue for help... Oh, it was Erlongtou. He took the opportunity to instigate Xu Bin to kill those five people. As long as you threaten a little bit, even if you know it, you don't dare to do anything to the Xu family, Xu Bin is also an idiot, and he agrees with a fever."
Tang Fan was stunned: "So, Lin Fengyuan's death was also the hands of the White Lotus Sect?"
He didn't say "you", but used "white lotus sect" as a reference. Ji Min noticed this little detail, and some complicated feelings surged in his heart for a while, and after a while, he said: "Yes, there are people watching him around him. , but still restless, thinking of hinting at you, but Erlongtou found out."
Tang Fan sighed: "So he died in the end!"
Ji Min said coldly, "But his death is not entirely useless, didn't you find the key clues from that painting, so Erlongtou was killed too late, if he died early, there would not be so much Trouble!"
Tang Fan shook his head, how could there be an impermeable wall in this world, the truth will always be revealed, sooner or later.
He still wanted to say something, but he heard Ji Min say: "I have told you everything you want to know, enough to let you die without regrets. For the sake of old friends, I have already fought for you to live a little longer. Now, whether you can live or not depends on whether Erlongtou is kind or not."
"Wait! I still have some questions..." Feeling the opponent's approach, Tang Fan couldn't help but turn his head back, but found that there was no way to retreat, and his mouth was quickly covered with a handkerchief, and the smell on it was inhaled into his nose For a while, his sanity soon became a little dizzy.
"Let's go to sleep, it will be here soon." He heard Ji Min say coldly.
However, Tang Fan never imagined that he regained consciousness again, but was awakened by a basin of ice water poured down on his head.