"... As the saying goes, if one has no foresight, there must be near-term worries. Thinking back on the recent events, I always feel uneasy. Of course, it may be that there are too many things coming in and messing up my mind... "
Beijing May 20th. Nearly half a year has passed since the departure of Jurchen. The trees on the roadside are lush with green leaves, pedestrians are coming and going, vendors are selling, and figures are like weaving. Above the restaurant, Tie Tianying talks with Zong Feixiao in the small room. Sit down at the table.
As the chief arrester of the Criminal Department, and a master with a famous reputation in the world, Zong Feixiao was tall and tall, a head taller than Tie Tianying. Because of his outstanding external skills, he has no hair on his head. He looks fierce, but he is actually a person who is thick on the outside and thin on the inside. Tie Tianying had cooperated with him several times, including the time when Fang Qifo was escorted to Beijing.
Time is not enough, both of them have a lot of official business to deal with, while Tie Tianying poured wine, he talked about the recent situation in Beijing related to Ning Yi. In fact, half a year has passed since the Jurchen retreated, and most of the situation in Beijing has revolved around the ups and downs of the Right Prime Minister's Mansion. Even if it falls in Tie Tianying's eyes, the situation cannot be explained in a few words.
Ten days have passed since Qin Siyuan's death. In the capital, occasionally a scholar would talk about him when he made generous remarks, but in general, the matter has passed, the traitor has been put to death, and most people have begun to look forward. Looking back at this time, many things can be seen more and more clearly.
"… Ning Yi. Many princes in Beijing despised him because of his status, but under the right minister, this man was often witty. Looking back on last year when the Jurchen came, he went straight out of the city, and then he was strong and clear. In the battle of the village, he has made great efforts. If the right prime minister suddenly fell from power, he would not have collapsed. In order to save Qin Siyuan, he even tried to dispatch Lu Liang's cavalry. I saw the arrangement of his men, and he originally wanted to leave. The idea, no matter if he is for Lao Qin's death or something else, if this person rises up again, neither you nor I will be better off..."
The headhunters who walk in the green forest all year round will make many enemies on weekdays. But Green Forest's grievances are no greater than that of Chaotang. Once such an opponent is left behind, there is no need for Tie Tianying to say more about the consequences. Zong Feixiao almost hurt Su Tan'er in the process of taking over the Secret Investigation Division, but it's not that he was unprepared for what happened in front of him.
"I knew the previous fight. In fact, before the Bozhou incident, I arranged for someone to enter Zhuji." Zong Feixiao said, frowning, "It's just that Zhuji previously relied on the right minister. The government and the Secret Investigation Division, there are some things that are difficult for outsiders to know. The staff I arranged have never entered the core of Zhuji. It’s just that in the past few days, I have seen the movements of Zhuji. It seems that they are going back to the capital again. There are rumors. It is said that the current big boss has become Prince Tong Guantong, and Zhuji may change his name or not. There is no serious problem."
"I think most of them are foxes and tigers. Although Ning Yi has some contacts with Prince Tong, I don't think he has a status in the palace."
"He was originally from Qin Siyuan's line. Even if he surrendered, Prince Tong would immediately trust him. But with Prince Tong's power, Ning Yi's business must be unimpeded. And..." Zong Feixiao slightly After some hesitation, he finally said, "Brother Tie, you and I have seen the fall of a high official like Qin Siyuan many times."
"Yeah." Tie Tianying nodded, "A lot."
Zong Feixiao, who was sitting over there, smiled and said, "Yes, you and I are already familiar with the situation after the fall of the high officials. The children of the high officials, the aides and the like, have indeed been spared, or They climbed on other high branches and went through peacefully. However, people have experienced such a thing once or twice in their life, and their hearts have been dissipated. These people, there are many people who have you and I hold on tight, and then let them go, and run to find them. There can be a few of you and I who seek revenge, at most, it’s just to show off in front of the prison boss who has despised him, and it’s often not good-looking if you go further up.”
"After all, even if these people save their lives, they will always be suspicious of people on top of their status. Now that the scandal of the Right Chancellor's case has just passed, even though this Ning Yi is full of enthusiasm, he should have the means to mobilize the cavalry. It will be used up later. He may have some benefits for the lord, could it be that the lord will not guard against him? Really reuse him
When Zong Feixiao said this, he paused slightly: "You and I are both general arresters. If you take a step up and enter the officialdom from the grass, you can only be regarded as an unspeakable little official, but in your current position, you must You and I have never been too few people who do things. This Ning Yi, one step up, is a man from the palace. He didn't look up to me in the prime minister's palace, and when he arrived at the palace... Hey, to be honest, now He wears shoes, and I'm barefoot. What if I touch his woman, if I fight to the death with me, I may not be spared, can he get a good deal? I don't believe it."
With a cold smile on his face full of heng flesh, he picked up a rice cake and threw it into his mouth: "Since ancient times, I have been afraid of being stunned, and I have come to Beijing, so I am prepared. If he really wants to make trouble, he will not be needed. Come to me, I'll go to him first, the big deal will perish together, his family has a big business and many women, I think I am afraid of him or he is afraid of me. Brother Tie, do you think this is the truth. "
Tie Tianying also laughed and had a drink with the other party: "Actually, Tie is not really afraid of many things, but, since he has already established a beam, now is his weakest time, he must find a chance to get rid of him. In fact, as I think about it, after this major event, Ning Yi will either really settle down, or if he wants to take revenge, it must not be you and me who will bear the brunt. If he is big, maybe his goal is the Qi family."
"Qi Yan." Zong Feixiao nodded.
Tie Tianying said: "The Qi family has great influence in the north. To be honest, the Daguang Sect is actually taking shelter here. In Beijing, Qi Yan and Liang Shicheng, Master Liang, Li Bangyan, Master Li, and even Taishi Cai have a relationship. Good. The Daguang Sect suffered such a big loss. If Ning Yi hadn't voted against Prince Tong, he might have been retaliated by the Qi family. But the situation is just tense. Ning Yi has just joined the royal family, so Prince Tong won't allow it. People move him. Once time passes, he has no place in the heart of Prince Tong, and the Qi family will not suffer from this dumb loss. I think Ning Yi has acted in the past, and he will never sit still."
Zong Feixiao nodded. After thinking about it for a while, he laughed again: "The Great Bright Sect... Listening to the rumors of the Green Forest, Lin Zongwu wanted to go north to fight the demons, but he was chased by the cavalry directly to the river where the grain was transported outside Zhuxian Town, and the masters in the teaching went to seven or eight. Eight. He found the Qi family and lost his temper. He didn't expect that he would gather a crowd north and be killed by the army. The Qi family was also dumbfounded. Haha..."
"Ning Yi spent a lot of money to save Qin Siyuan. It's a pity that he was late, otherwise I wouldn't be so busy. But then again, Lin Zongwu won't let him go easily." It was about the dispatch of the cavalry that day. . The top was taken lightly, but although the emperor didn't care about Qin Siyuan's death, there were still many actions from below, including the sack of several middle-level officials, the arrest of people in the green forest, the understatement from the top, and the bottom. It set off a small storm of blood.
When the two of them said this, there were birds chirping on the treetops outside the window. Looking out the window, Ning Yi and his party were getting out of the carriage and entering from there at the entrance of a cloth workshop not far away. Both Tie and Zong glanced at each other, and Tie Tianying raised his chin.
"After Qin Siyuan left, it is said that he has left evidence of the crimes of many people. There are also private houses, which were originally prepared for recovery. Now he should have handed it over to Prince Tong. To drive tigers to swallow wolves and use swords to kill people, that's why he got Prince Tong protects him. Fortunately, the army has always been domineering, and if they really want to fight, they may not need these things. Prince Tong may not be able to see through his scheming."
"Take advantage of his illness to kill him." Zong Feixiao nodded, "I'm too lazy to guard against thieves for a thousand days. If the few people who entered Zhuji really find out any news, I'll know what to do."
"These things are just saying hello to the elder brother. The elder elder brother naturally understands how to deal with it. On this side, although I have a lot of things, I am still staring at him. Does elder elder brother know the reason?"
Zong Feixiao thought for a while: "I heard that Liu Xigua, Chen Fan and others have entered Beijing. Fan Zhong had a face-to-face with them."
"Yeah. Ning Yi is a man with fierce methods and a lot of grudges. Back then, he beheaded Fang Qifo with his own hands, and both sides were immortal Liangzi. Now that Ba Dao has entered the capital, although he still doesn't know what he is planning, if there is a chance, he will But he must be killed. I watched from the side, if Liu Xigua and others cut him, I can find these people again."
"Haha, that's a good result." Zong Feixiao laughed, "Actually, this person has a grudge against the Qi family, against the Great Light Sect, against the remaining gangsters, against countless aristocratic families and people in the Green Forest, and can live to Now, it's really not easy. At this time, the right phase is down, and I really want to see how he survives in this crack."
The two then continued to talk and laugh for a while, ate something, and then left.
As Zong Feixiao said, when the Right Prime Minister fell, the problem revealed was that Ning Yi had a lot of grudges. Even if there was Tong Guan Zhaofu during this time, it was also when Zhu Ji wanted to do things with his tail between his tails. Zong Feixiao had already decided to crucify him if he had the chance, but he was not worried about the whole situation.
He returned to Beijing this time in order to share some cases involving Lulin, the assassination of Qin Siyuan, and the Daguang Sect during this period of time. Of course, the Da Guangming Sect did not enter Beijing, but because Qin Siyuan was killed in Gyeonggi, the impact was bad. Officials related to the Qi family were affected, which was deliberately suppressed by the emperor in order to show his authority.
Of course, this is also the consequence of losing the upper hand in this confrontation. If Lin Zongwu killed Qin Siyuan, and later killed the demon, or got the legacy left by Qin Siyuan, Lin Zongwu may still be wanted in the next period, but the Great Light Sect will take advantage of the situation to enter Beijing. Officials related to the Qi family are not too miserable, because it means that their market will be bullish next. But now Tong Guan has taken advantage, Qi Jia, Liang Shicheng and Li Bangyan have all been devastated, and several officials have also taken advantage of the situation to go to prison. Although the charges are different, these people have a lot to do with the next task of perfecting the Yellow River defense line. How many relationships.
This is officialdom, and when powers alternate, the struggle is the most intense. In the green forest, the Ministry of Punishment had already taken quite a few people. That night, Zong Feixiao interrogated the criminals for one night, and in the afternoon of the next day, he took his men out of the Ministry of Punishment and went to several prisoners. home or foothold to explore. At noon, he went to the home of a Lulin man, which was located in Sanhuai Lane on the west side of Bianliang. The Lulin man's house was shabby and dilapidated. After the husband was arrested, only one woman was left. Everyone surveyed for a while, and then interrogated the woman for a few more words before leaving. Soon after leaving, Zong Feixiao sent his entourage away. Folded back.
The reason why the Green Forest man was arrested was because he suspected that he secretly believed in Manichaeism and the Great Light Sect. Zong Feixiao called the woman back to the room and closed the door with her backhand. The woman's cry was briefly heard in the room, but after a moment of slaps and beatings, all that was left was begging for mercy, and then begging for mercy would be the same. Stopped. Zong Feixiao violently vented in the room. After holding the woman for a while, he comforted him for a while, and left a few pieces of silver before he came out contentedly.
This afternoon, he contacted two informants who had broken into Zhuji's interior to inquire about the situation, and sorted out Zhuji's actions. But nothing unusual was found. In the evening, he went to the brothel for half a night, and in the early morning, he went to the prison of the Department of Punishment to bring the woman's husband to torture, and he died silently.
After half a year of the Jurchen ravages in Beijing, many ills have already emerged. The shortage of manpower and the variety of things, coupled with the continuous entry of people from the three religions and nine classes, is about the green forest. It has always been a private plot for a few general arresters, and the top doesn't care too much: anyway, these people usually fight and kill, and they are lawless. Since they will not obey the law as food. That's dead and dead. Zong Feixiao has been in the punishment department for many years, and he is most familiar with these things.
After such a pastime. He slept for a while and resumed the trial in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to Sanhuai Lane again. Called the woman into the room and tortured her. Although the woman's family was poor and neglected to dress up, she felt pretty good after she took off her clothes. Zong Feixiao loved the way she was crying, and in the next few days, he went to several more times, and even moved his mind to take her as a prisoner and find a place to raise her.
There were many major events in Beijing. For the power of the Yellow River line of defense, there was a lot of competition among the upper echelons. Every two days, an official had an accident. At this time, Qin Siyuan's death was only half a month away, but not many people remembered him. Things in the Ministry of Punishment are different every day, but after a long time, the nature is actually the same. Zong Feixiao paid attention to Zhuji after taking charge of the case and beating various forces, but there is still nothing new, just the goods. The exchanges are more frequent, but it is necessary for Zhuji to return to the capital again.
On May 27th, Zong Feixiao had a few more cases on hand. One was a case of two groups of Green Forest Hawks dueling and killing passersby on the street, and Zong Feixiao needed to beat them. The other is a duel between two heroes of the green forest. They chose the courtyard of the wealthy family in the capital, Lu Yuanwai, and wanted to fight on the roof of the opponent's mansion. The arrest of Jiading, the two people were really good at their hands, and Lu Yuanwai reported the case. Zong Feixiao passed this afternoon and spent a lot of effort to arrest the two.
Taking the two out-of-town knights back to the Punishment Department, Zong Feixiao saw that nothing had happened, and went to Sanhuai Lane again, forcing the woman to make a meal. A small hill to the west of the capital.
That place is not far from the capital. It is called Hugang. It was originally prosperous because of the nearby post station. It formed a settlement with more than ten shops. When the Jurchen came, it was once destroyed, and now it has been rebuilt. . A compound of Zhuji is also located here. At this time, it has been initially rebuilt and has been used.
When he came to the post, Zong Feixiao asked the other seven arresters to eat something first, and made an appointment to come back to meet. He walked out of the post, turned a corner, and turned to a room about a hundred meters away. Abandon.
Because of the previous destruction of Jurchen, at this time, the house was made of bamboo and wood. The lights were dark in the room, and it seemed that no one was there. Only after Zong Feixiao entered, did someone speak in the dark. This was a routine meeting, but when the person in the room spoke, Zong Feixiao's whole person had become terrifying.
His burly figure came out of the room. There was no starlight in the sky. In the distance, a little higher place was the lights on the Hugang market. Zong Feixiao looked around, then took a deep breath and walked quickly but silently. Go to the guard post.
After walking more than ten feet, a small voice suddenly came from behind. From a distance, I don't know if it was an animal running or someone was knocked to the ground. Zong Feixiao didn't look back, his teeth were clenched, his eyes were wide open, and he rushed forward before he took the first step. In the darkness around him, a figure broke through the wind, and in this darkness, the figure was churning like dragons and snakes. Lu, the waves are rising!
Zong Feixiao suddenly pulled out the steel whip with his right hand and hit it on the silhouette of the rushing figure. However, his martial arts are so strong that he is even known as the "God Whip" in the Jianghu. When the scarecrow exploded, the steel whip also swept the stabbed spear, and at the same time. Someone jumped over! A long whip swept across, entangling Zong Feixiao's left hand, and the sword light rushed out silently!
With a stretch of the long whip, it pulled the dark shadow in the distance on the left to the ground, and the person on the right was also knocked into the air. Zong Feixiao's body brushed past a hunchbacked swordsman. His head was still spinning in the air, and his sturdy body rushed out five steps like a chariot and fell to the ground.
The hunchback in the darkness picked up the head and pocketed it in a bag, and there were still figures around. They gathered next to the headless corpse and looked at it. Zong Feixiao used a double whip, but just now he only took out a single whip, and saw that he was holding a firework arrow in his left hand, still holding the one he wanted to let out. gesture.
Not far away, the lights on a street on the Hugang side were still on, and seven arresters were eating and drinking, waiting for their boss to return, in the dark. There are figures one after another, silently passing over there.
These hunters never returned to Bianliang City.
At the same time, on the bank of the Yellow River to the north. The continuous torches are burning, and the people and soldiers are transporting the earth and stones to the embankment. On the one hand, the summer flood season has come, and people must start strengthening the embankments. On the other hand, this is the preliminary project to consolidate the Yellow River defense line. All gathered here, every day. There will be officers coming to visit nearby.
A little further north, in the Qi's old house. The great Confucian named Qi Yan has lost his temper. In the dark night, he is still burying his head in writing letters, and then let the trusted guards and staff go to Beijing to do business.
In the capital, Li Gang walked out of the room, sat for a while, and saw that the courtyard on the side of the staff was still lit with lights. There was a suffocating and tragic light in his eyes, but he clenched his fists with both hands, and after a while, he thought of something, and then again. Back to work on business.
Qin Hui was entertaining guests, and in the light of the night, he had a great conversation with the two who came over. In the court, there have been more and more rumors of him succeeding as the right minister, but he knew that Li Gang was about to step down.
Tong Mansion, Tong Guanzheng, Tan Zhen and others were discussing various things, and Li Bingwen was also below. Now, the most important thing in the Guangyang County Prince Mansion is two things. The first one is that Li Bingwen and others really control the Wu Rui Camp. The second one, The Yellow River Line of Defense was made to prevent the Jurchens and should be under the direct control of the army. The last time he was in Taiyuan, Tong Guan understood the strength of the army and abandoned the city. This time, he hopes to do one thing truly and without restraint.
"After Lao Qin left, the things left behind are still useful. I hope he can make good use of him. If the Yellow River falls, Bianliang will be unfortunate."
"Then Ning Liheng has ulterior motives, but he wants to use this knife to kill people. The lord must be on guard."
"I naturally know that Ning Yi has no other way to think about it. He wants me to use it to target other people, and I want to use it to do things well. The important thing is that this is the intention of this king, so why should I care about him? My little wish. Tomorrow I'll send someone to Li Bangyan's mansion to say hello, if he doesn't give in, I won't bear him anymore."
As the military general of the Wu Dynasty, he is used to seeing the pig teammates, and he has had enough of the pig teammates. This time the Wu Dynasty is in danger, he hopes to turn the tide, and this will be his last glory.
Everyone has something to do. Between the roads and waterways radiating from the capital, thousands of people are also gathering in the capital for various reasons. During this period, there were a total of thirteen teams. They were sent from the same place, and then gathered in the capital in different ways. At this time, these people were either escorts, caravans, or craftsmen who accompanied them. The fastest one had passed Xuchang at this time, 150 miles away from Bianliang.
This is a large caravan of more than 200 people. At this time, they are camping in the mountains. On the grass at one end of the camp, two young people are talking in a low voice.
"Brother Feng, what do you think the capital looks like?"
"How do I know." The young man named Zhuo Xiaofeng with a short beard under his jaw replied.
"Brother Xiaofeng, haven't you been to Hangzhou?"
"Hangzhou is not the capital."
"I've been in the mountains since I was a child, and I haven't seen any big places. I heard what you guys said, and I wanted to see it. Fortunately, I brought me this time. Unfortunately, I passed those big cities on the way, and I didn't stop and pay attention. look..."
"If you keep nagging, I won't take you there."
"Well, let's not talk about it." The simple boy from the mountains closed his mouth, and the two sat for a while. Zhuo Xiaofeng just stared at the sparse stars in the sky on the grass. He knew a lot of things, his speech was reasonable, and his martial arts skills were good. The young people in the mountains admired him. After a while, the other party spoke in a low voice.
"Brother Feng, let me just ask, this time in Beijing, we can meet the teacher who taught you your skills, right?"
Zhuo Xiaofeng's eyes narrowed: "Who told you this?"
"Someone on the team, on the team, is saying, I...I heard it privately."
"Who said that!?" Zhuo Xiaofeng stood up, "I said the forbidden password, do you all think it's nonsense? Take me to find the person immediately!"
"Xiao, Xiaofeng brother... Actually..." The young man was frightened and tried to defend himself with a stammer. Zhuo Xiaofeng frowned: "This matter is no joke! Immediately! Immediately!"
The starlight in the sky was dim, and the two walked into the camp one after the other, causing a small movement, which then subsided.
The warm summer breeze brings a feeling of reassurance. On this land, the lights are sparse or continuous. After the Jurchen left, it can finally calm people down. Countless people are busy and busy, and countless people go their separate ways. But it is also the essence of this world. In the capital, Tie Tianying was in the Fanlou, talking very happily with a staff member of Liang Shicheng's house.
In the Ning Mansion, where not many people cared about it, Ning Yi was sitting in front of the desk in the same warm yellow light, tapping his fingers on the desk regularly, calculating that after the news of Su Tan'er falling into the water, he was calculating. Many things, and many loopholes and plans that need to be patched.
Zhu Biao came in from the door.
"Just now outside the city... Killed Zong Feixiao."
Ning Yi looked at him, slightly bewildered, then looked straight at him and frowned.
"Why do you want to kill him, you are busy..."
Zhu Biao came over and whispered the reason for the matter in his ear. Ning Yi didn't say any more. In the light, his brows became even tighter. He tapped on the table and passed for a moment.
"There are branches outside the festival, you..."
He ordered something, Zhu Biao listened, nodded and went out. The lights at night are still quiet, stretching in the city, waiting for a new day and more things to happen.
The next day, Tie Tianying will know about Zong Feixiao's disappearance. At the same time, hundreds of people are still closing the distance with the capital silently and silently, waiting for the moment of convergence... ()
ps: This chapter is six thousand nine hundred and fifty, which is too long to write. I originally thought that this topic would take four chapters, but it ended up here. Well, the next chapter will change the topic.