From early morning to dusk, Zhao Xiancheng waited outside with two arresters, and did not dare to leave for a moment, for fear that something would happen suddenly, and even lunch was delivered by the people from Luohe Village.
At first glance, this place is full of weeds, ruins and broken tiles, but there is no place for shelter. Although the sun is not big, it can be dizzy after a long time. Zhao Xiancheng has long been accustomed to having entourage in and out. There are days of waiting, and now I can't stand it for a day in this wilderness.
But if he can't stand it, he has to suffer. He is different from the magistrate He. Seeing that he has finally caught up with the imperial envoy from the capital, he is eager to do better and leave a good impression on the imperial envoy. Maybe his career will be smoother in the future. .
To say that although he is very utilitarian, his ability to handle affairs is much stronger than that of the county magistrate, otherwise Tang Fan would not let him follow up and let him stay here.
But at the end of the day, the three people waiting outside couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"Sir, it's getting dark, they didn't bring much dry food when they went down, will they..." Tang Chukuai couldn't help but said.
Zhao Xiancheng rolled his eyes at him: "Go on, why don't you say it? I'll be heard by the imperial envoy later, let's see what you do!"
Tang Zhukuai immediately covered his mouth and fell silent.
Di Zhukuai came over and said, "Sir, it's not a good idea for us to wait like this. If we don't let people go down and take a look, if there is an emergency, it's better to take care of it!"
Zhao Xiancheng nodded: "Look at Lao Tang, Lao Di's speaking level is higher than yours, study hard!"
Before Di Zhukuai showed a smug look at Tang Zukuai, Zhao Xiancheng said again: "Who else dares to go down now, or Lao Di, go down and have a look?"
Di Zhukuai's face instantly collapsed: "Sir, don't bring such a fool!"
The bottom has now become a place like a purgatory asura field. I haven't seen that so many people have not come out yet. Who dares to go down? It is estimated that a basket of gold will have to be weighed!
Zhao Xiancheng snorted: "Shut up if you don't dare, and don't shout here! Lao Tang, you go back to the county town now and report to the county magistrate, we really can't wait like this, in case they don't come out. , we'll have to take the blame..."
Before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly trembled slightly. Although it was not too unstable to stand, Zhao Xiancheng and the others all felt the humming under their buttocks, and a continuous loud noise came from the entrance of the robbery hole.
The three of Zhao Xiancheng were shocked and looked at each other.
This is really afraid of what is coming. As long as they think that Tang Fan and the others are still staying below, Zhao Xiancheng and the three can't sit still!
Di Chukuai stammered: "Well, it shouldn't have collapsed below..."
Tang Zhukuai cried and said, "What should I do, my lord!"
Zhao Xiancheng's voice also trembled a little: "Don't panic!..."
Tang Zhukuai exclaimed: "Hand! One hand!"
Di Zhukuai hurriedly rushed over, tightly grasping the hand that suddenly stretched out from the robbery hole.
Tang Zhukuai and Zhao Xiancheng also reacted, and the three of them worked together to pull the man up.
A dusty face appeared in front of the three of them, and it took Zhao Xiancheng to recognize it after a while. It seemed to be a Jin Yiwei named Yan Li.
Before he could ask a question, Yan Li roared anxiously: "Go and call someone to help, it's collapsed below!"
Zhao Xiancheng hurriedly asked, "What about Master Tang and the others?"
Yan Li: "Below! They are all below! I was ordered to guard the entrance before I escaped!"
When Zhao Xiancheng heard it, his soul was almost gone. If the imperial envoy was folded below, he would not even talk about promotion and making a fortune.
Several people hurriedly rushed to the county seat and Luohe Village to rescue the soldiers. The Luohe villagers came quickly, but just a few daring ones just climbed down when they heard a loud bang from inside, and they were so scared that they quickly climbed out again.
When the county magistrate He and Cheng Wen rushed over, they saw the villagers get up from the robbery hole and told him that there should be no survivors below.
Yan Li was stunned on the spot. He didn't believe in that evil. He grabbed the shovel brought by the villagers with one hand, and insisted on going down again in person.
Zhao Xiancheng also gritted his teeth and led someone down with him, but an hour later, several people came up again with their faces ashen.
The magistrate He hurried up and asked, "How is it! How is it!"
Zhao Xiancheng shook his head: "The upper part of the underground palace has also collapsed, and the way down has been completely blocked, and it is impossible to go down!"
The county magistrate's face turned pale, so what should I do, do I really want to report to the court, saying that the imperial envoy died here
Everyone was terrified, not knowing what to do.
Tang Chukuai came up with an idea: "Didn't Master Tang say that there is an entrance in the river, connected to the Emperor Mausoleum, or do you want to go in there and look for it?"
Di Zhukuai shook his head and said in a low voice, "Do you know where the entrance is, the water in the Luo River is in a hurry, whether or not it can come up after this is two questions!"
Yan Li knelt on the ground with a plop, and cried at the robbery hole: "My lord! I'm sorry for your subordinates!"
He made the magistrate want to cry too. He touched the official hat on his head, thinking about the black gauze hat, the black gauze hat, I don't know how many days I can wear you!
The county magistrate Zhao wanted to cry even more: Why is Lao Tzu wasting a day here? If something happened to the imperial commissioner, he would have to sit with the magistrate!
"What are you doing, what about the mourning?"
A feeble voice came over, not even the magistrate He and the others, but this voice was a familiar sound to Yan Li.
His crying stopped, and he turned around suddenly, and saw Pang Qi walking over alone, dragging an embroidered spring knife, his clothes were so dirty that he could hardly see the original color, his face was covered in blood, and he was so tired. Like a dead dog.
"Old Pang!" Yan Li jumped up, rushed over, and hugged him violently.
Pinch left and right, as if you are not dreaming!
"You're not dead?!"
Seeing the question, Pang Qi rolled his eyes and said that he didn't bother to talk to him, so he directly said to the county magistrate and the others: "Hurry up and bring people to the barren village on the border of the Wuluo River and the Luo River, Master Tang, the repressive envoy, and the brothers are all there!"
Everyone was overjoyed when they heard it. They originally thought they would lose their positions and be convicted, but they were all like mourning.
The county magistrate quickly asked, "Master Tang, are they all right?"
Pang Qi roared at him: "Don't hurry up, you are bullshitting me here!"
He county magistrate was scolded so much shit, he hurriedly took someone to rush there.
It's finally over!
Pang Qi couldn't hold it any longer, he sat down directly on the ground, leaned on Yan Li's body, and passed out.
———
Gonghou's tomb was completely blown up, and even the two tomb-suppressing beasts were completely crushed to death inside. Li Man and others originally wanted to bring in Tang Fan and the others, so that they would lose both in the fight against the tomb-suppressing beasts. Treasure escaped, but he didn't expect to commit a crime and could not live. He escaped from Tang Fan's hands when he was in the capital, and finally died indirectly at the hands of Tang Fan, still thousands of miles away in Henan.
After the bloody battle in Xiaohuang Village, Tang Fan and the others captured a lot of White Lotus believers, but the one who gained the most was Li Man's concubine Chen. Neat, still dressed as she was pulled from the bed, she was pitiful and shivering, causing many men to stare at her to look at her, and even the magistrate He looked at her several times.
But without Tang Fan's words, no one dared to talk to her. This is an imperial order to directly escort him to Beijing, and it is also one of their biggest achievements in this trip. Chen's status in the White Lotus Sect is not low, and she must be able to do so. Dig out more inside story.
The property transferred from Gonghou's tomb was hidden by Chen's in the rice jar in the room, covered with a thick layer of brown rice, and was quickly found by Tang Fan and the others.
Before turning over these belongings, Tang Fan took out one-tenth of them and privately distributed them to Pang Qi and other Jin Yiwei.
He has been in the officialdom for a long time, and he understands one thing very well: you have to abide by the principles yourself, that's fine, but you can't force others to do the same as you. If the water is clear, there will be no fish, and if people are inspected, there will be no disciples. If Tang Fan sets his own standards to demand others, he can only be a solitary minister at best, and he will not have effective subordinates.
For this action, all the Jinyi guards almost gave their lives, not to mention Pang Qi and the others who were injured, and four Jinyi guards were buried below. Although people are involved in the rivers and lakes, it is inevitable that they will not be knifed. For positions like them, they must be prepared to take their lives in exchange at any time. However, human life is at stake, and the court's pension will not be too generous. These rewards are naturally theirs. Deserved.
As a leader, Tang Fan naturally had to think carefully about them, but he also instructed him again and again to take it as soon as he took it, and he couldn't say it out, otherwise the benefits would not be preserved, and instead, he would be punished.
Everyone knows the truth of not revealing wealth. Naturally, Pang Qi and the others promised to promise, and they are even more grateful to Tang Fan. You must know that there are very few bosses who can really plan for their subordinates these days. She is unwilling to get too close to people like Jin Yiwei, for fear of losing her value. People like Tang Fan are rare, but they are rare.
As for Qian San'er's ownership, Tang Fan also helped him to think about it. This kid behaved well in the tomb, and he is not bad. The most important thing is that he is smart enough, so Tang Fan told Suizhou to ask him for permission. Agreed, I am going to bring Qian San'er back to Beijing. If he passes the examination, he will become a member of the Beizhen Fusi. If he fails, he will be thrown into Shuntian Mansion. Although Tang Fan has already left Shuntian Mansion, he still has face. enough.
Qian San'er was stunned by the good news that fell from the sky, thanked Tang Fan repeatedly, and followed him out, looking at it, she probably wanted to stick behind Tang Fan as a tail.
The underground palace collapsed and the Song Mausoleum was destroyed. This was a sad thing for the local people, but even so they were still very happy, because the two tomb-suppressing beasts were also crushed to death inside, and the villagers never heard of it again. That weird cry will no longer be dragged down when someone passes by the river. Naturally, everyone is happy, celebrating with their foreheads and hands, and they are grateful to Tang Fan and his party.
But for the Liu family, this was another bad news. The old village chief is dead, and the eldest son Liu Daniu has also been proven dead long ago, and even the body is nowhere to be found. The village chief Liu who appeared in front of everyone was disguised as Li Man, a demon from the White Lotus Sect.
After hearing the news, the Liu family was in a panic.
In any case, the death of the old village chief was related to Gonghou's tomb. If he hadn't gone down to inspect the village in person for the peace of the village, there would have been nothing in the future, so Tang Fan instructed the magistrate He to comfort the Liu family and those who lived there. It was also affected, and villagers whose family members were injured or killed.
This trip not only wiped out the monsters that caused the disaster, but also uprooted the Henan branch of the White Lotus Sect in one fell swoop. People like Li Man who held important positions in the sect also died, not to mention they also killed a group of people. Hall Master, grabbing Chen's and seizing the treasures of Gonghou's tomb that the White Lotus Cultists painstakingly carried out, is a great achievement no matter how you look at it.
But it may be the case for others, but for Tang Fan, there is a shadow over his head.
That is Yin Yuanhua's death.
Before, in Gonghou's tomb, Tang Fan had just saved Yin Yuanhua's life, but he was pushed out as a shield in a blink of an eye. If Suizhou had not acted in time, Tang Fan would have died at that time.
After that, Yin Yuanhua saw the tomb-suppressing beast leaving the gate of the main hall. He thought he had a way out and ran out desperately. Who knew that there was still a tomb-suppressing beast outside, but he fell into the trap and killed himself.
It can be said that it is not a pity to die at all.
But others don't see it that way, let alone say anything else, when the news of Yin Yuanhua's death reached the capital, his teacher Liang Shilang was the first to ask Tang Fan to settle accounts.
You said that Yin Yuanhua was killed by the tomb-suppressing beast, who would believe it? What about the evidence? How do I know if you deliberately kept him inside in order to exclude your dissidents? Anyway, since Jin Yiwei is close to you, he will naturally obey your orders and kill people. It's that simple!
Without waiting for Liang Shilang to speak, Tang Fan has already helped him figure out how to inflict his own crimes.
He could even predict that when he returned to Beijing this time, other people might be rewarded for it, but he himself would not.
For this matter, Tang Fan deliberately called Cheng Wen and Tian Xuan to him, and said to them: "After returning to Beijing, the imperial court is afraid that Yin Yuanhua's death will be investigated. Anyway, you didn't go to the tomb, so let's just say it directly. All the responsibility is on me. Come and take it, you don't have to worry about being implicated."
Cheng Wen and Tian Xuan were indeed a little nervous after learning the news of Yin Yuanhua's death.
As an official envoy, Tang Fan, it is not impossible if he wants to shirk the responsibility on the two of them and share his own responsibilities. At that time, he only needs to say that Cheng Wen and Tian Xuan instigated Yin Yuanhua to go to the tomb, etc., Cheng Wen and the others will not be able to escape the guilt. Anyway, they are just ordinary criminals, and they don't even have grades. They are the best cannon fodder. The best choice.
But they didn't expect that Tang Fan not only didn't plan to do this, but told them that the responsibility was entirely his own.
After staying in the officialdom for a long time, many people will inevitably wrap themselves tightly, for fear of making mistakes, and they dare not stand out casually. Just thinking about intrigue and eradicating dissidents.
Cheng Wen was moved, and said to Tang Fan, "Sir, although this subordinate is humble, but since we have come out together on this trip, if we must testify, it is still credible, please let your subordinate be named. Prove that Yin Yuanwailang's death was indeed caused by himself, no wonder you, my lord!"
Tian Xuan also said: "Yes, my lord, Liang Shilang has long disliked you. After returning to Beijing, he will definitely want to trouble you. Yin Yuanwailang has been disrespectful to you on weekdays. This kind of ending is destined by heaven, and you can't blame others. The subordinates are also willing to testify together!"
Tang Fan didn't expect that the two people who were wise to protect themselves on weekdays would be willing to stand up and testify. He was a little moved, but he still shook his head and rejected their good intentions.
Cheng Wen and Tian Xuan saw that Tang Fan had made up his mind, so they had no choice but not to mention it.
But what they didn't know was that just after they left the capital, Zhang Ying, the minister of justice, was transferred from the Beijing Penal Department to become the minister of punishment in the Nanjing Penal Department.
Nanjing is a place, everyone in the official circles knows that if it sounds good, it means to accompany the capital. After the level is adjusted, the level will remain unchanged. In fact, it is to go to old age. , especially in a department like the Ministry of Justice.
Just because Zhang Ying was praised by Tang Fan last time, it really aroused the little conscience in his heart. It happened that Li Zisheng offered a room to the emperor, and there was scolding from the court and the opposition, and Zhang Shangshu also Follow the advice above.
Although everyone knows the name of Sange Lao, but in fact, Wan An, Liu Jue, and Liu Ji are not in harmony. .
Although Zhang Ying relied on Wan An, the first assistant, he got along better with Liu Jue. Wan An had long felt that he was swaying from side to side and was not obedient enough. Zhang Ying is getting older, and the Ministry of Punishment is no longer able to handle it. It is better to let him go to Nanjing to retire and replace him with a stronger and more youthful one.
Wan An knew the emperor's thoughts well and knew that the emperor needed to shoot down an early bird to stop people from pointing fingers at him and chirping crookedly, so unfortunately, Zhang Shangshu became the early bird and was thrown to Nanjing to eat. grass.
As soon as Zhang Ying left, Liang Shilang naturally became the number one person in the Criminal Department. Although he has not yet been officially promoted to the post of minister, he is already in control. To be honest, Peng Yichun, the right servant, is a good gentleman. Oppose Liang Wenhua.
So Cheng Wen and Tian Xuan didn't know that what was waiting for Tang Fan ahead would be an unpredictable fate.
But you can’t stop going back just because you might be cut off if you go back. If nothing else, Suizhou’s injuries are relatively serious, and some Jinyiweili are also seriously injured. It is difficult to get good treatment in Gongxian County. For this, they also The sooner we get back to the capital, the better.
In Tang Fan's view, his personal future is far less important than the health of his companions.
So he ordered Cheng Wen and the others to urgently count their belongings, and then declined the request of the county magistrate, and took everyone on their way back to Beijing.
It's not as fast as when I came here, because I have to take care of the injured body, the journey must not be too fast, and I have to stop at the inn often to rest.
He County ordered them to prepare several carriages, with several layers of soft mattresses on them, to carry the wounded. There was also a doctor accompanying them on the road, in case they could prescribe medicines and heal wounds.
Because Suizhou injured his internal organs, he had to rest frequently. In addition, the medicine he drank contained medicinal materials that help sleep. Eight days out of ten days on the way were spent sleeping.
If you are injured, you need someone to take care of her. The only female family member on this trip is the Chen family, but her identity is an imprisoned person. Although she is treated as a car alone, her hands and feet are heavily shackled. It was impossible for Tang Fan to let her take care of Suizhou, so Master Tang volunteered to take care of the patient.
Pang Qi and others were deeply moved by the noble sentiments of Master Tang.
At that time, Sui Zhou, the party involved, was in a coma, otherwise he would have jumped up first to object...
But the facts have been cast, and it is too late to object.
After Suizhou woke up, he found that the person who brought the medicine to him was replaced by the accompanying doctor with Tang Fan.
Suizhou: "..."
Tang Fan: "What's wrong?"
Suizhou: "Where's the doctor?"
Tang Fan: "He's changing other people's medicines. I'll feed you today."
Sui Zhou forced a smile: "No need, I'll just do it myself."
Tang Fan also treated him as being polite, and couldn't help but hold him down: "The doctor said that we are forcibly going on the road now, which is not good for your recovery. You can lie down as much as you can. Ah, don't be polite to me!"
Sui Zhou was silent, thinking that I am not being polite to you.
The Master Tang scooped a spoonful of the soup and was about to deliver it to Suizhou's mouth. He remembered how Suizhou took care of himself when he was sick before, so he imitated him to send it to his lips to test the temperature before handing it over to him. past.
As a result, when he was about to reach his destination, his hand trembled accidentally.
Suizhou: "..."
Tang Fan: "..."
Suizhou: "...I'll drink it myself."
Tang Fan hit haha: "I'm not born with hands, sorry, sorry! Shall we change our posture?"
He wiped the front of Suizhou's clothes with his sleeve, then put the soup bowl aside first, lifted Suizhou up, and leaned on him halfway, then picked up the bowl, carefully handed it to Suizhou's mouth, tilted slightly, I thought I wouldn't shake my hands this time.
Suddenly, a woman's scream came from outside.
It was followed by another screeching sound.
After a while, Qian San'er's voice sounded outside the room: "Sir Sui, I'm sorry to disturb your rest, just now the woman from Chen's was screaming, saying that others were peeking at her changing clothes, you didn't get caught. Are you disturbed? Lord Sui?"
Tang Fan: "..."
Suizhou: "..."
This time, it's okay, even the bowl and medicine are directly upside down on Sui Zhou's face.
Fortunately, the temperature of this medicine is just right, otherwise Sui Zhou's injury would have to increase by another.
Suizhou had to stretch out his hand to take the bowl off his face, and said with difficulty, "I'll just do it myself."
Master Tang was speechless and choked: "Guangchuan, I really didn't mean to..."
Although Sui Zhou was the victim, he wanted to laugh very much: "I know, you are not the one to serve people, let them cook a bowl again, and you can talk to me."
The patient's requirements must be met unconditionally, and Daren Tang is refreshed: "Well, what do you want to say?"
Suizhou: "...help me get a set of clothes to change."
Tang Fan: "Oh oh oh."
Looking at the background of him getting up to look for clothes, Sui Zhou felt helpless and sweet in his heart.
The helpless thing is that Tang Fan can't even take care of himself, and he wants to take care of others. The person he takes care of will definitely be miserable.
The sweet thing is... It's good to know this feeling, and it doesn't need to be described.
After a while, Master Tang came back with a stack of clothes.
Sui Zhou suffered internal injuries, not his hands and feet. The doctor explained that he was recuperating, not that he could not move at all, so it would be fine for him to change his own clothes, but Tang Fan insisted that he felt guilty and wanted to make amends for his previous actions. The sincerity made Suizhou unable to refuse, so he had to acquiesce to his help in changing clothes.
Sui Zhou, who took off his single clothes, was dressed in bronze-colored tendons. From the bulging arc of his arms and chest, it could be seen that he must have been training hard on weekdays, and because he often needed to walk on the edge of danger, he had a lot of experience. During the battle, there are also many old scars on his body. Some of them are old and their color has become very light, and some of them were just obtained in Gonghou's tomb a few days ago, and they were scabbed.
However, such scars can only show his masculinity. Without the cover of his clothes, his aura is a bit more domineering than usual. Even though he is still sitting on the bed with injuries, others think of it from this. , will only be a sleeping lion, not a sick cat.
Originally, it was enough to replace the robe and top, but Tang Fan said that if he wanted to replace it, he would replace it with a full set. He had to remove his pants and change them together. Suizhou had no choice but to do as he was told.
As a result, when he took off his trousers, he saw Master Tang staring at him with a wicked smile: "It's just like that."
Suizhou: "..."
I really hold grudges... It's been so many days, he was just joking at that time, do you still remember
Tang Fan put on his clothes and said casually, "When I came to Gongxian this time, I thought of the subject of the new story book again. I just wrote about a man's natural game of flowers, and one day a monster took a fancy to the strange things handed down by the man's ancestors. Treasure, suffering from the fact that the strange treasure recognizes the master and cannot be approached, so he absorbs the blood of the woman every day, transforms himself into a beautiful woman, seduces the man, and finally attracts the man to be fascinated, and takes the initiative to give the strange treasure to the monster. Immediately, the original form appeared, and the man was frightened to death when he saw that the object of his daily love turned out to be a terrifying monster with scales and red eyes, what do you think?"
Sui Zhou was silent for a moment: "It's good."
But he seemed to have an ominous foreboding...
Sure enough, the next moment, he heard Tang Fan say, "Why don't that man call him Suizhou."
Suizhou: "Change."
Master Tang followed his kindness: "Okay, then the monster is called Suizhou."
Suizhou: "..."
The ancients said: It is better to offend a gentleman than to offend Master Tang.
Don't look at Sui Zhou's unfamiliar face. He is often cold and ruthless towards his subordinates and outsiders. Others think that he is so cold that he has no friends. Even when he gets along with his friend, Master Tang, Master Tang always lets him.
Little do they know that public perception is often wrong. Facing Master Tang, Suizhou always has the idea of "anyway, as long as he is happy, he can do anything." back, keep back...
Back to the end, the territory fell.
So the name of the monster in Master Tang's Newsbook was decided.
So that when people from Beizhen Fusi later saw the script in the bookstore, they could not help but let out a sigh: The name of the Zhenfu envoy is not common, how could it appear here, the author should not be the previous The bitter master who has been tortured in prison
But those are things to come later. When Suizhou was finally caught in a weak state, Master Tang took advantage of the opportunity to change his clothes to bully people unceremoniously, showing a very good mood and humming little songs .
Suizhou didn't know whether he deliberately showed this appearance to himself, or if he really didn't care, he couldn't hold back his concern, and asked directly, "Have you ever thought about what will happen when you return to Beijing?"