ã€ŠThe Famous Detective of the Red Mansionã€‹


 Chapter 1: You Only Know You Are a Guest When You Waken Up from your Dreams

    Chapter 1: You Only Know You Are a Guest When You Waken Up from your Dreams

    In the massacre case, Sun Yi, the captain of the HS criminal police department, didn''t sleep for three days. Seeing that the case was finally settled, he went home and slept immediately without saying a word.

    Just after lying down, he heard someone banging on the door outside, "My Lord, My Lord! Wake up! Something serious has happened!"

    The banging noise was like someone beating a drum. It¡¯s hard to even pretend that Sun Yi couldn''t hear it, so he opened his eyes in a daze and felt his whole body was not right. In particular, his mouth and nose were sticky and seemed to be blocked by something.

    He subconsciously stretched out his hand and grabbed the dark brown viscous liquid on his face, which gave off a choking smell.

    Blood?!

    Sun Yi was now completely awake. He jumpedbout of his bed and looked around warily, only to find that his messy bedroom has changed into a new world.

    The wooden frame and paper window lattice, the big bed with brocade curtain, the wardrobe with five blessings and longevity carved, and the crane Candlestick stepping on the back of the dragon and tortoise. Especially on the wooden frame under the western wall, there was a cold light sparkling saber that was filled with golden thread!

    What the hell is this exactly...

    For a moment, Sun Yi''s mind was a little confused. In a trance, he couldn''t figure out whether he was awake or still asleep.

    He then found that there was a high bronze mirror beside the saber. He immediately rushed to the bronze mirror in a few steps. His feelings mixed with 30% fear and 70% expectation, he carefully looks into the mirror.

    The face reflected in the bronze mirror, although still with thick eyebrows and big eyes, was at least a decade younger, with more angular features and a larger body size. But even more remarkable was the bronze muscle cast like steel.

    A line of an apollo''s belt, eight abdominal muscles, an inverted triangle muscle group...

    Sun Yi subconsciously bended his arm and saw a hill on his biceps. It was conservatively estimated that it¡¯s a D cup!

    What the...

    Could this be the legendary crossing back to the ancient?!

    Sun Yi staggered back half a step. His mind was confused like a pot of porridge. From the corner of his eye, he inadvertently saw the saber. He didn''t know which nerve was in the wrong. He suddenly had an impulse to hold the saber in his hand. He reached out and grabbed the saber in the palm of his hand.

    The Saber looked very heavy, but it was as light as an aluminum piece when held by him.

    Sun Yi accidentally used more strength, and the nine copper rings crashed and clattered. The crisp crash sound seemed magical. It went straight down his ears into the depths of his brain, and then countless pieces of memory exploded in his mind!

    In the ninth year of the Great Zhou Dynasty Guangde?

    Sun Shaozong, military attache stationed in the State of Qian Xiang?

    This bronze muscle is not a decoration!

    "Cough... Cough..."

    The short person, who was not really short, coughed for a long time before he was relieved. He said with a sad face, "Wasn¡¯t Lord Niu invited to attend the wedding banquet of Qinglin Prefecture Magistrate, Ruanliangshun Xuxian today? At the wedding banquet, a dozen thieves suddenly assassinated Lord Niu, together with his four brothers!"

    Qinglin Mansion was the capital of the Qian Xiang Kingdom, while Ruanliangshun was the prefect of Qinglin Mansion. In modern times, it was equivalent to the role of the mayor of the capital.

    Sun Shaozong was trying to piece together the relevant information in his heart when he heard the "short person" grumbling, "In fact, if you didn''t feel sick and couldn''t go with him, Lord Niu wouldn''t have lost his life. The assassins wouldn''t be enough for you to chop in two or three times. Not to mention that after they succeed, they can¡¯t even escape almost half of their men!¡±

    This angry tone doesn''t seem to be flattering.

    If Sun Shaozong had been present, with his strange strength and muscle of his body, he might have stopped the assassins as he said...

    Wait!

    Sun Shaozong suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his head. He quickly handed the saber to his left hand, spread out the palm of his right hand, and looked at it carefully. Then he burst out, "Feng... Feng Xin, immediately summoned everyone from the embassy to the front hall! Just say that I will call the names one by one. If you see any suspicious deeds, take them immediately!"

    It took him a long time to remember the identity of the short person in front of him, Feng Xin, one of his two seven-grade patrol inspectors.

    Uh~

    Considering the other patrol, Niu Yongxin died with him in Ruan''s mansion. He was now the only patrol under his command.

    When Feng Xin heard what he said, he didn''t mean to take his orders. Instead, he sighed dejectedly and shook his head, "It''s no use, My Lord. The East and West gates have been locked, and the embassy is surrounded by the troops of Qian Xiang. With the number of people in our hands, we can''t rush out! I think we are doomed this time, and we will be buried with Lord Niu..."

    Seeing that the more Feng Xin talked, the more he was frustrated. His eyes became red and he was about to cry.

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong could not bear it. He lifted him again into the air and shook him like a lantern. He shouted, "I order you to assemble everyone now, immediately! Do you understand?!¡±

    "I... I¡¯ve understood! I''ll do it now!"

    Feng Xin just feels that his bones were falling apart. How did he even dare to take risks and disobey orders? He hurriedly rushed out of the yard!

    Tch! What a disaster!

    Seeing Feng Xin''s back disappear behind the door, Sun Shaozong''s face also collapsed. Now that the city gate is closed and the embassy is besieged by heavy troops, there must be no place to escape. At present, the only way to survive is to catch those escaped assassins before the news is sent back to the Great Zhou Dynasty to make atonement.

    Fortunately, as a policeman in the criminal department, he was best at investigating cases!

 Chapter 2: Break out a Living Path

    Chapter 2: Break out a Living Path

    The main part of the embassy was a big house with six entrances, and an independent garden was attached to the west side. The overall area was very wide. From Sun Shaozong''s room to the front hall, the walking distance was around more than three miles.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t tell what it was, such as exotic flowers and plants, pavilions, waterfalls, and picturesque ponds and rockeries. But the word "luxury" never escaped his mind. According to his memory, the embassy was specially built by the king of Qian Xiang with a large amount of money. It should be arranged according to the specifications of the palace.

    Tch!

    It seems that the state of Qian Xiang country was not very rich. At least it was far from that of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, it has built such a luxurious embassy with the help of the people. No wonder people say that the state of Qian Xiang country was a loyal dog kept by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

    Due to the time wasted dressing up, when Sun Shaozong arrived in the living room with his saber, the yard was crowded with at least hundreds of people.

    Most of the people standing in the front row were dignified but looked dejected. They should be the actual members of the Great Zhou Dynasty mission, which were also the unlucky people who were about to be implicated and punished. Those standing behind, who were silent but did not show any fear, were the factotum hired by the embassy.

    Sun Shaozong first looked around with an expressionless face. It was only then that Feng Xin asked, "Has everyone arrived?"

    "Almost all are already here."

    Feng Xin smashed his mouth and added, "There is only one missing worker in the kitchen. It seems that his name is Ruan Wenhao."

    A kitchen helper? As expected!

    Sun Shaozong knew clearly, then raised his voice and asked loudly, "Do any of you know where Ruan Wenhao is?"

    Before he finished, a fat man flashed out in the front row and said with an arched hand, "I''d like to inform you, Lieutenant, that Ruan Wenhao asked for leave this morning to go back and deal with some housework. He should still be at home right now."

    Left this morning?

    Sun Shaozong looked up at the sky. It was obvious that it was already noon. He was disappointed. He¡¯s afraid that it was too late to pursue him after a long time has passed.

    "Lieutenant."

    At this time, Feng Xin came up and asked, "Lord Niu was assassinated in Ruan''s residence. What''s the use of looking for Ruan Wenhao?"

    Sun Shaozong glanced at him sideways and showed the dirty blood on his right hand. He sneered and said, "Lord Niu was killed in the Ruan mansion, but he was poisoned in the embassy!"

    This black and purple dirty blood flowed from Sun Shaozong''s mouth and nose.

    Feng Xin couldn''t hold them back, so he had to look at Sun Shaozong.

    This guy was not capable enough!

    If only the squadron captains under his command could cross over with him.

    Thinking about it in his head, Sun Shaozong stepped forward and said loudly, "Brothers, although it is important to hunt the assassins down, the embassy can''t be left unattended - please keep this home for me!"

    Although the guards were reluctant, they reluctantly agreed given Sun Shaozong''s strong performance and his superior force.

    They went back to their rooms and changed into civilian clothes. Feng Xin led several people to the stables. Soon, twenty-two horses were led to the front yard. Among them was a tall, four-hoofed, dark stallion horse, which was Sun Shaozong''s usual mount.

    Sun Shaozong was worried that he would not adapt to riding for the first time. Unexpectedly, he turned over and mounted the horse. He was as skilled as he had been practicing riding for more than ten years.

    He was so determined that when his legs clamped around the horse''s belly, the dark stallion horse raised his hooves and went straight to the corner gate. Twenty-one riders behind him were like shadows!

    When he rushed out of the corner gate, he saw that at the corner, a hundred paces away, soldiers were surrounded tightly on the ground inside and outside of the embassy, probably because they heard the sound of horses'' hoofs, and all of them were like great enemies, holding their swords and guns up at the same time.

    Among them was a middle-aged general with a bright helmet. He shouted, "The general has been ordered by the king to protect the safety inside and outside the embassy. Please return inside as soon as possible, and don''t put your whole life at stake!"

    At the beginning of the founding of the People''s Republic of China in the Great Zhou Dynasty, soldiers were launched to occupy the whole territory of the state of Qian Xiang and were stationed there for more than ten years. During this period, the language, measurement, and even customs of the state of Qian Xiang were all forced to be sinicized.

    Later, although the Great Zhou Dynasty withdrew its garrison, the traces of Sinicization were not weakened at all. Up until now, almost everyone in the Qinglin mansion could speak fluent Northern Mandarin. On the contrary, the native dialect of his country was almost extinct.

    Therefore, the middle-aged general roared, and all the guards heard it. In addition, the dense forest of guns and sword arrays in front of them couldn¡¯t be matched by flesh and blood. Therefore, all the guards were uneasy, and the horse''s speed was reduced by nearly half.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong waved his saber in the wind and shouted angrily, "We are envoys of the great Zhou Dynasty. We have been ordered by His Majesty to protect the safety inside and outside the embassy. Now we are going to hunt the remaining confederates down. Whoever dares to stop us will be a sign of despise to our great Zhou Dynasty and our heavenly Majesty. By then, don¡¯t blame this general, I leave no mercy under the sword!"

    The face of the middle-aged general suddenly changed color in horror when several big hats were placed on him. Although he was ordered by the king, how could the king of the small Qian Xiang country be compared with His Majesty, the Emperor of the Heavenly Kingdom?

    If there were to be a conflict, the envoy of the great Zhou Dynasty would have something to do with it. The king won''t forgive himself until the Emperor of the great Zhou Dynasty asks for his punishment!

    The more he thought about it, the more guilty he became. Seeing Sun Shaozong galloping with his horse and sword, he didn''t stop at all. Finally, the middle-aged general gritted his teeth, waved, and ordered, "Spread out and let them pass!"

    After saying that, he seemed to feel that such behavior was too humiliating and hurriedly added, "Anyway, the city gate is closed, and they can''t run out even if they want to!"

 Chapter 3: Twists and Turns

    Chapter 3: Twists and Turns

    A group of twenty-two cavalry riders, watched by hundreds of officers and soldiers of the Qian Xiang country, rushed across the street in high spirits and then continued to run more than half the street. Sun Shaozong was able to rein in the reins.

    "Lieutenant!"

    Feng Xin came up to Sun Shaozong in high spirits, provoked a big thumbs up, and said, "These subordinates listened to you well, I''m convinced now. I''m afraid your courage is no less than that of the old General Chen, the Duke of Qi¡°

    Chen Yi, the Duke of Qi, was a famous general and the founder of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He was one of the four kings and eight princes. His most prominent achievement in his life was that he led the army to occupy the state of Qian Xiang.

    It was said that at that time, he only used 30,000 soldiers and horses to defeat the 160,000 troops of the Qian Xiang country. Therefore, even today, mentioning the name of Chen Yi in the Qian Xiang country can still let the people feel its authority.

    "Don''t flatter me!"

    Sun Shaozong gave him an angry look and said, "If there were no Zhuyu, the Duke of Qi, do you think we could come out smoothly?"

    To tell the truth, Sun Shaozong was also very worried. If the other party insisted on not making way, he would have to withdraw from the embassy.

    Fortunately, he won the bet after all!

    "My Lord, although the Duke of Qi is ahead of you, you are not bad either..."

    "Shut up!"

    After interrupting Feng Xin''s flattery, Sun Shaozong gave an order in his deep voice, "Feng Xin, take half of your troop to Ruan Wenhao''s house. I''ll take the rest of my brothers to Ruan Liangshun''s house first."

    "Ah?!"

    Feng Xin was stunned and doubted, "My Lord, that was the spy who poisoned you. Don''t you want to avenge yourself?"

    "Why do you have so much nonsense? Just do it!"

    Sun Shaozong gave an impatient reprimand, and then, according to the impression in his memory, he took half his subordinates and went straight to Ruan Liangshun''s residence.

    Ruan Wenhao has been away from the embassy for more than half a day. As long as he was not an idiot, he will not stay at home. Sun Shaozong used to talk about Ruan Wenhao in the embassy just to boost his morale.

    At present, the focus was actually on Ruan Liangshun.

    Not to mention that this was the first crime scene, there may be many clues hidden here. Just because Ruan Liangshun was the Magistrate, it was worth it that Sun Shaozong was visiting personally.

    Don''t forget, the embassy guards were all from the Great Zhou Dynasty. They were not familiar with the situation of the Qian Xiang Kingdom and Qinglin mansion. The easiest way to find out this case as soon as possible was to cooperate with local forces.

    Ruan Liangshun, the governor of Qinglin Prefecture, was undoubtedly the best choice at present.

    First of all, the case happened at the wedding banquet of his sequel, which ruined a happy event. He was also involved. He was the biggest victim except for Niu Yongxin, so he should not be much suspected.

    Secondly, as the prefect of the Qinglin mansion, he was a proper local leader. He has a large number of constable and Yamen servants under his command, which was convenient to help search for assassins.

    Sun Shaozong sighed and said helplessly, "What''s the use of breaking in? Do you know where to look for clues? Do you know where the body is? Do you know where the witness is? When the time comes, just a few words of a lie will be enough for us to return without success."

    Feng Xin was dumbfounded when he heard this. More than 20 people stared at each other in the street. They didn''t speak for a while.

    Putong~

    At that moment, there was a muffled noise not far away. All the people followed the sound and looked over, but it was a ¡°servant¡± in green clothes and a small hat, who came out from the Ruan mansion. The reason why we had to put a quotation mark on the word ¡±servant¡± was that, as long as we had eyes, we could see that this man was a pretty girl!

    The girl climbed over the wall and ran excitedly to the front of the crowd. With a sweep of her big watery eyes, she locked her eyes on Sun Shaozong, opened her mouth, and asked, "Are you Lieutient Sun of the Great Zhou Embassy?"

    She came for him!

    Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows, nodded, and said, "Yes, I''m Sun Shaozong. Do you have any advice?"

    "It''s far from giving advice."

    The young girl didn''t seem to know that she had already exposed herself. She said in a sullen voice, "My father, Ruan Liangshun, the magistrate of Qinglin, is now in custody in the central judicial office. I heard from the old housekeeper that you seem to be investigating the assassination case just now. How about we join hands? You take revenge and I will help my father clear away his grievances!"

    Before Sun Shaozong spoke, Feng Xin, who was standing by, began to sneer. He glanced back and forth at Ruan Gu and said, "Come on! We men still have no clue. You, a little girl, dare to talk big here."

    "What''s wrong with being a girl? How do you know I can''t help you?!"

    Ruan Gu shouted angrily and did not pretend anymore. Her voice became clear and sweet.

    Feng Xin had to make a few more sarcastic remarks, but Sun Shaozong pushed him aside.

    "Miss, don''t pay attention to this guy."

    Sun Shaozong saluted Ruan Gu deeply and asked for advice seriously, "How are you going to help us find out the truth?¡±

    "Well... This..."

    After being treated so seriously by Sun Shaozong, Ruan Gu became a little flustered and hesitated for a few words before finally saying what she wanted to say, "Li Jiuming, Chief Constable of the Ministry of Justice, was promoted by my father in those years. He is also one of the handlers of this case. I can take you to him for help!"

    When they heard that Ruan Gu could help introduce the Chief Constable of the Ministry of Justice, the guards, including Feng Xin, were all overjoyed. They had long forgotten their contempt for others.

    But Sun Shaozong frowned and questioned, "Since the investigators have had a long relationship with your father, why do you need to cooperate with us? Everything will be in place as long as the Ministry of Justice finds out the truth."

    Ruan Gu pouted and said angrily, "Although Uncle Li is a good man, Huang Shilang of the Ministry of Justice is my father''s nemesis! If we don''t find out the truth as soon as possible, what if that guy gets in the way?!"

    This reason...

    It makes sense.

    "Well, first of all, I wish us a happy cooperation!"

 Chapter 4: Ruan Rong

    Chapter 4: Ruan Rong

    With a long series of yo-heave-ho, the 22nd cavalry stopped outside the lobby of the Ministry of Justice one after another. To give Ruan Gu a horse to walk, a famous guard was left in Ruan''s mansion, so it was still the 22nd cavalry.

    The guards were all martial arts soldiers of the imperial guards who were skilled in archery and riding horses. However, the delicately pretty Ruan Gu was able to ride like this, which made Sun Shaozong quite impressed.

    Unlike men these days, he despised women in his heart. So after he got off the horse, he took advantage of the situation and gave Ruan Gu a thumbs up, and sincerely praised her, "Miss, you are good at riding. I was worried that you would fall behind at the beginning, but I didn''t expect that women are better than men."

    Hearing the words ¡°women are better than men¡±, Ruan Gu was happy that she couldn''t close her mouth, but she pretended to be indifferent and arrogant. She raised her nose and said, "This is nothing! If we hadn''t learned your rules in recent years, all the women in Qian Xiang country could ride strong horses and draw hard bows!"

    With these words, she quickly dismounted, marched to the steps, and shouted to the gatekeeper, "Please tell Constable Li Jiuming, Constable Li, it''s an old friend..."

    She only wanted to say that she was the son of an old friend, but when she saw that Sun Shaozong had followed her, she temporarily changed her mind and generously signed up and said, "It¡¯s Ruan Rong, the daughter of an old friend who asked to see her."

    Seeing that this group of people was riding horses and carrying swords, the Yamen servant also guessed that the other party was not a small official, so he didn''t dare to create difficulties. He responded respectfully and hurried in to report.

    Ruan Rong turned back with anticipation and waited for a while, but she never heard Sun Shaozong ask. Finally, she couldn''t help saying, "Hey! Don''t you have anything to ask me?"

    Sun Shaozong smiled, "Ruan Rong, this name sounds much better than Ruan Gu."

    Ruan Rong immediately showed two rows of silver teeth with joy and explained with embarrassment, "I didn''t mean to deceive you. It''s just the name of the girl''s family. It''s always hard to tell a stranger."

    "So are we friends now?"

    "Of course!"

    Ruan Rong patted her chest with full heroism, "If you encounter any trouble in Qinglin mansion in the future, just let me know... Report my father''s name!"

    Sun Shaozong was dumbfounded, but at the same time, he also found that Ruan Rong''s clothes were bulging and shaking in a certain scale and shape

    Damn it!

    With the situation now, he still has the leisure to spy on the little girl?!

    Sun Shaozong secretly scolded himself for being ridiculous, hurriedly took his eyes away from Ruan Rong''s chest, and said with a pun, "Miss Rong has an extraordinary spirit. Your father is in prison, and still being able to talk and laugh like an ordinary person."

    This was a compliment, but secretly it has some meaning in knowing this person.

    Li Jiuming sighed again, waved to Sun Shaozong, and said, "Let''s go, but it''s only for the two of you. Everyone else should stay outside."

    "Thank you, Constable Li!"

    Sun Shaozong was overjoyed. He thanked Li Jiuming and secretly gave Ruan Rong a thumbs up.

    Ruan Rong was proud that she tiled her little nose, and urged Li Jiuming to take them to the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice.

    "Even if you have seen the corpse, you can''t find any clues."

    After entering the gate, Li Jiuming led the way in front of him. He couldn''t help saying, "Although we in Qian Xiang country can''t compare with the outstanding people of the Zhou Dynasty, there are still two or three post-mortem examiners that are good in autopsy. Even they can''t find any clues. Can you see what a layman can do?"

    Sun Shaozong was casually perfunctory, but in his heart, from Li Jiuming''s words, he analyzed that the Ministry of Justice had not made any progress until now. His heart was heavy for a while.

    We can only hope that his experience in solving cases far exceeds that of the times.

    However, as it was said, the three walked around for about half an hour before they came to a quiet courtyard.

    Li Jiuming stopped at the gate of the courtyard, turned to Ruan Rong, and said, "Girl, just stay here. I''ll take Lieutenant Sun in."

    Looking at the thin-skinned coffins in the yard, Ruan Rong guessed something, but she couldn''t help asking, "Why?"

    "The things inside are not suitable for girls. In case they scare you, how am I going to hold the account for your father?" Li Jiuming said solemnly, but it had a completely negative effect.

    On the way here, Sun Shaozong found that Ruan Rong was a strong woman, while Li Jiuming''s words showed a slight contempt for women. How could Ruan Rong be convinced?

    Sure enough.

    Hearing this, Ruan Rong immediately tightened her face and said angrily, "Uncle Li, don¡¯t despise people. What¡¯s wrong with being a girl? I''m much braver than your little brother Li!"

    She rushed in regardless as she said this.

    "Rong''er, Rong''er! Come back, come back... This girl!"

    Li Jiuming shouted a few times behind her, but he couldn''t stop her. He had no choice but to follow her.

 Chapter 5: Hitting the Jackpot

    Chapter 5: Hitting the Jackpot

    However, Ruan Rong was brave enough to rush into the courtyard. At first, she walked like a fly, but after passing through the coffins, her steps slowed down, and her big eyes rolled around, revealing her anxiety and fear.

    If Li Jiuming tried to persuade her at this time, she would quit.

    Although Li Jiuming was a good case handler, he couldn''t understand the little girl''s mind at all.

    He rushed up from behind. Seeing that the autopsy room was not far ahead, he shook his head helplessly and said, "Well, since you said you are brave, you can go in with me."

    Now Ruan Rong had no way out, so she had to be brave enough to cross the threshold side by side with Li Jiuming.

    When she was right in the middle of the door inside and outside, she felt a stench coming to her face. Even though Ruan Rong covered her mouth and nose in time, she still couldn''t completely isolate it. The disgusting smell crept in through her nose and filled in her stomach as if she were going to throw out all the overnight meals!

    "This... What''s the smell? It stinks!"

    Ruan Rong resisted her nausea and complained loudly. Then someone behind her said, "You''re right. This is the smell of dead people, but it should be the smell leftover from the past. If there are rotten corpses in it, the smell will be much stronger."

    Corpses odor? Much stronger?!

    Before Sun Shaozong''s voice ended, he saw Ruan Rong turn around and run out of the yard, and then there was a burst of intermittent vomiting.

    "This girl!" Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    Li Jiuming sighed helplessly, but when he looked at Sun Shaozong again, he had more meaning to explore. He had seen many desperate who licked blood with their swords, but he rarely saw young people who could tell the truth about the smell of corpses and take it calmly in front of the smell.

    Thus, he raised his attention to Sun Shaozong.

    "Lieutenant Sun, please."

    "Thank you, Constable Li."

    Li Jiuming raised his hand and gave way. Sun Shaozong casually thanked him and walked into the morgue.

    At this time, it was about three o''clock in the afternoon, but there were a dozen candles in the morgue, and the candlesticks were high and low, vaguely surrounding a single bed covered with a white cloth.

    On the left side of the single bed, a fat man and a thin man were quietly cleaning up their knives. When they saw Li Jiuming bringing people in, they just nodded slightly and ignored them.

    Sun Shaozong knew that these people who often deal with corpses are not very sociable, so he didn''t care. He went to the bed, pointed to the white cloth covered on it, and politely asked, "Excuse me, can I open it?"

    The fat corpse examiner took over the conversation again, pointed to a single bed in the southwest corner, and said, "There was a tattoo on his back, but he recently destroyed it with brute force. He was probably afraid that the tattoo would reveal his identity."

    Tattoo?

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong had a thought in his mind and quickly cast his eyes on Li Jiuming. Li Jiuming shook his head slightly and said, "The paladins of the six countries in southern Xinjiang have a lot of tattooing habits. If the tattoo is still complete, I may be able to find out something by following the steps, but now..."

    Sun Shaozong was slightly disappointed. He turned to the two corpse examiners and asked, "Have you checked the food residue in their stomachs? Do you have any clues?"

    "You are an expert!"

    The fat corpse examiner praised again, and then he found a tray under the shelf where the knives were placed. There were three small enamel bowls in the tray, which were sticky, and didn''t know what it was holding. A disgusting sour smell came from afar.

    "That''s what we took out of their stomachs." The fat corpse examiner pointed to the paste in the bowl and said, "In addition to the common foods with protein and carbohydrates, it seems that there are some fruits that should not be common in the market. As for the specific fruit, it is difficult for me to distinguish."

    Sun Shaozong was immediately excited again and asked, "Can you take this as a clue to find out where the rest of the assassins are hiding?"

    "This..."

    The fat and skinny corpse examiners looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Finally, Li Jiuming explained, "Southern Xinjiang is known as the hometown of melons and fruits. Now it is the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, and there are at least hundreds of kinds of fruits. If each kind of fruit is compared, I don''t know how long it will take - and it has to be eaten before spitting out. It''s really..."

    After a pause, he added, "Moreover, this kind of fresh fruit doesn''t last long. Maybe it will completely deteriorate in the evening."

    Indeed, in the absence of scientific instruments, it may be lucky to find out the roots of these fruit residues. But the iron rule of the modern police criminal department was that no matter how trivial the clues were, they couldn''t give up tracing!

    So Sun Shaozong asked, "In that case, can you share some of the fruit residues with me? Maybe I''m lucky enough to find this fruit by chance."

    This thing doesn''t last long. What''s the use of keeping more?

    Therefore, without hesitation, the two corpse examiners agreed to Sun Shaozong''s request. They took a piece of oil paper, carefully separated nearly half of the fruit residue, packed it, and handed it to Sun Shaozong.

    Sun Shaozong never gave up. He discussed it with the two men for a long time, but he never got much information in return. Finally, he had to leave bitterly.

    Li Jiuming sent him out of the morgue, then stopped and said in a deep voice, "I still have some business to do, so I''ll just send you here. Remember to tell Rong¡¯er for me, and don''t meddle in this case in the future further!"

    Sun Shaozong nodded and hurried out of the gate. He saw Ruan Rong standing on the wall with a pale face and a huge piece of vomit spread around her. It was estimated that she had even contributed her breakfast too.

    Ruan Rong also found that Sun Shaozong was out at this time. She was embarrassed when she noticed his eyes turning around the vomit. He rubbed his boots on the ground, intending to cover up the vomit with soil.

    But at this moment, Sun Shaozong suddenly brightened the light in his eyes. He rushed to the booth in front of the vomit and squatted down to study it carefully. Unexpectedly, he didn''t expect that he was really lucky when he just casually said it a moment ago!

 Chapter 6: The Ultimate Fruit Tracking Process

    Chapter 6: The Ultimate Fruit Tracking Process

    "Here it is!"

    Ruan Rong pointed to a grocery store not far ahead and said, "Only their family sells white berries!"

    When the word ¡±white berry¡± was mentioned, she wore her shoulders down and her eyebrows frowned. She looked as if she had no strength.

    But the one who reacted more strongly was Feng Xin. On his horse, the color of his old face turned black and green. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva, but he still couldn''t hold down the vomit in his stomach. Then, with a loud burp, he started retching.

    There was no other way. After Sun Shaozong observed for a long time, he could only confirm that Ruan Rong''s vomit and the fruit residue he had were 70 to 80 percent similar. Finally, to be safe, he had to adopt the most original analysis method, which was cheating Feng Xin to eat it and distinguish it by tasting it!

    After some indescribable tests, Sun Shaozong finally determined that the assassins ate a fruit called ¡±white berry," which was a specialty of the neighboring city of the state. Because of the inconvenient transportation, there were only two merchants in the city.

    One of them was a restaurant. White berries have always been used only for entertaining VIPs and have never been sold out. Considering that the assassins were unlikely to go to the restaurant in groups before taking action, this grocery store in the north of the city should be the source of the ¡±white berry residue!¡±

    In addition, Ruan Rong also provided a message. As the heroic duo of the six countries in southern Xinjiang, the city of the neighboring state and the state of Qian Xiang have been mortal enemies of each other for hundreds of years. In recent years, the state of Qian Xiang, backed by the Great Zhou Dynasty, has faintly threatened to annex the city of the neighboring state to dominate Southern Xinjiang. This has caused great panic among the government and the people in the city of the neighboring state.

    Therefore, the ¡±Paladins¡± of the city of the neighboring state came to assassinate the special envoy of Zhou to provoke the relationship between the two countries. It can be said that it was a reasonable inference that he had made a heroic journey with the unique food and fruit of his hometown before he started!

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    They said that they ran to the grocery store in the north of the city. Sun Shaozong ordered Feng Xin and others to wait in the street. Then they got off their horses and walked side by side with Ruan Rong.

    The grocery store was a three-story attic, which covered a large area. After entering the door, the shelves can be seen everywhere. Not only do they have the specialties of the six countries in southern Xinjiang, but they have also opened up a special area for the Great Zhou and western regions, just like an ancient version of an international supermarket.

    Before Sun Shaozong looked at it carefully, a waiter came forward with a smile on his face and said, "Please come inside, my guest! I wonder if you are interested in seeing what the trumpet has, or have you got something to be desired? Things here are a little miscellaneous. If you have something to be desired, just let me know. I will be able to help you lead the way."

    The waiter nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice and said with a smile, "A rich guest came this morning. Without saying a word, he bought a whole basket of white berries, which cost a huge sum of dollars!"

    ¡±Bought a basket? That''s probably not wrong!¡±

    Sun Shaozong was also excited and asked, "Do you remember what he looked like? How did he dress? Was he a servant or a host? What direction did he go when he left? Was he taking a carriage or walking?!"

    He asked the question like a fireball and made the waiter confused. However, for the sake of the handful pouch of silver money, he tried to recall, "The man looked nothing special. He should be a servant of a large family. He drove a carriage when he left, as if he were heading north."

    "Heading north?!"

    Sun Shaozong was overjoyed. The grocery store was in the north of the city. If you want to search in the north, the scope will be much smaller!

    After getting a positive answer from the shop assistant, he reached out to grab two ¡±white berries¡± from the rattan basket and pulled Ruan Rong out of the door without looking back.

    On the street, without a word, Sun Shaozong peeled one and put it in his mouth. He chewed the pulp and spit the core onto his palm.

    The guards were puzzled when they saw him throw the peel and core. Reaching up high in front of himself, he said loudly, "Brothers, listen to me carefully! Later, we will act separately and carefully search all the storage yards north of the grocery store for me. If you find a similar peel and core like this, report to me immediately!"

    The so-called ¡±storage yard¡± is an ancient garbage dump.

    It has been at least seven or eight hours since the morning. Normal people should not leave this garbage at home. Therefore, as long as they can find these peels and core in the yard, they can find the hiding place of the assassin!

    Of course, if the assassins were cautious enough that they didn''t even dispose of the garbage, Sun Shaozong would have to report the situation to the Qianxiang court and let them do a thorough search.

    But in this way, it''s hard to say whether the credit they have made is enough to make up for their mistakes.

 Chapter 7: The Beginning of my Heart Sprouting

    Chapter 7: The Beginning of my Heart Sprouting

    Half an hour later.

    Sun Shaozong reined in his horse on the street. His face was as cold as a stone carving. His majestic body was tall and straight as an iron tower. Passers-by looked at him one after another. On the contrary, Ruan Rong, who was ¡±handsome¡± next to him, was ignored for a while.

    Ruan Rong was not jealous, and her big watery eyes also whirled around Sun Shaozong, making her seem more curious than others.

    Although Sun Shaozong had been used to other people''s eyes when handling cases before, her stare still makes him feel a little uneasy. After a while, he couldn''t help sighing and joked, "Although I am in good shape now, you don''t have to be so obsessed with it?"

    "Chey~ Who wants to see you!"

    Ruan Rong''s white little face immediately blushed in shame and anger and tried to turn her head to the other side. However, she soon lost control of her curiosity, quietly turned her face back, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Sun, if you can''t catch the assassin, are you guys gonna be buried for not protecting ambassador Niu?"

    She had thought that the embassy guards wanted to avenge Niu Yongxin, so they insisted on pursuing the case. It was until Feng Xin added something more to the story and told the whole situation of Sun Shaozong''s team breaking out of the embassy, that she knew that he was trying to earn a living for the people of his team.

    For a while, she was worried about Sun Shaozong and admired him for his calm and courage in the face of danger. She had become a little closer to him. Therefore, her title was changed from ¡±Lieutenant Sun¡± to ¡±Brother Sun.¡±

    Sun Shaozong smiled but did not answer.

    No matter what others think, he will not die obediently anyway.

    "Who gave them the authority to do so?"

    Although Ruan Rong didn''t get the answer, she said to herself, "Ambassador Niu was killed in my home, not in the embassy! Besides, Brother Sun, you have to work hard to track down the assassin''s whereabouts. You should have gotten the credit for working hard?"

    With a noncommittal smile, Sun Shaozong followed her words and said, "I hope our emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty will be as good as you think."

    He said so, but Sun Shaozong knew in his heart that behind the ¡°extenuating circumstances,¡± there was often a sentence ¡±no forgiveness for sins.¡± If he could not make enough contributions, the high officials in the court would not be able to offer an extra favor to him.

    On the contrary, those ordinary guards may have a chance to survive.

    Ruan Rong wanted to say something more, but when she saw a galloping horse from the northwest, roared excitedly across the distance, "My Lord, My Lord! We have found the peel, we have found the peel!"

    ¡±Found it?!¡±

    Sun Shaozong felt that a big stone has fell to the ground at the bottom of his heart. He couldn''t help laughing three times as if there were no one else. Then he urged his horse to meet him.

    Seeing this, the passers-by on the road all cast their eyes on caring for the mentally handicapped. They did not understand that ¡±finding the peel¡± was anything to be ecstatic about.

    When Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong hurried to the storage yard in the northwest, they saw that the garbage in the wooden fence was everywhere, and a lot of white berry shells were placed in the most prominent place.

    Feng Xin pointed to the row of high gate courtyards diagonally opposite, and said, "All the big families nearby are concentrated in this street. There are five courtyards with more than three entrances!"

    After a pause, he scratched his head in embarrassment, "If we were to search at the same time, we wouldn''t have enough people at this point. But if we search it one by one, we were afraid that we would alarm the assassins."

    "Don''t worry, I¡¯ve got it all prepared."

    Sun Shaozong smiled mysteriously.

    Feng Xin was waiting to ask what was going on, but he saw a horse riding around the corner. The one sitting on the top of the horse was a tall young woman!

    She has picturesque eyebrows and eyes. Her skin is better than snow. Her long hair is simply scattered behind her head. Although she is only wrapped in a sky blue coarse cloth skirt, it doesn''t seem shabby. On the contrary, it gives people a sense of ¡±Freshwater produces hibiscus, and nature carves it.¡±

    In addition, the woman''s galloping horse made her look even more heroic. As soon as she came out, she attracted everyone''s attention. When the horse ran close to him, the woman quickly turned over and dismounted. Feng Xin suddenly shouted, "You...", pointed at her and shouted, "Are you... Are you Miss Rong?!¡±

    "Is the name Miss Rong supposed to be called by you too?"

    Ruan Rong, being proud and charming, glared at Feng Xin and walked to Sun Shaozong with a small rattan basket. She raised her hand and stroked her hair. She was rather shy and asked, "Brother Sun, does my dress look fine?"

    More than being fine, at least eight of the ten men will be fascinated by it!

    Especially being the closest to him, Sun Shaozong found that her hair, which had been hidden in her hat, was naturally wine red, which made her look more exotic.

    Of course, what attracts more attention is the deep gully under the white collarbone. This temporarily borrowed dress seems too loose.

    Amitabha!

    No disrespect for looking at it!

    Sun Shaozong silently recited the ¡±heart clearing mantra¡± a few times, and then reluctantly pulled his eyeball out of the ravine. He smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "You look good. But now I''m afraid you can''t attract an assassin but lead out a pervert."

    "Choy~ I think you are the lecher!"

    Ruan Rong stamped her feet angrily, but her face was not much annoyed. Instead, she showed some shy happiness.

    .

    Sun Shaozong also smiled, but immediately put on a solemn face and said, "Leave two brothers to guard the horses. Everyone else will follow my orders. If anything happens, remember to protect Miss Rong first!"

    Hearing this, Ruan Rong''s face brightened again.

 Chapter 8: Catching the thief with a Beauty

    Chapter 8: Catching the thief with a Beauty

    It was late afternoon.

    The afterglow of the setting sun slants on the long street. The golden tiles on the Zhu wall are more magnificent, but the wooden leaves in the humble room looks bleak. The two are far from each other. They seem very close, but also seem to be separated by the gap between heaven and earth.

    However, Ruan Rong, carrying a rattan basket, walked step by step to the first luxurious house in the East. Facing the vermilion lacquer gate studded with copper nails, she felt a little flustered for no reason.

    Subconsciously, she looked back and saw Sun Shaozong shrinking behind the courtyard wall on the left. His eyes were full of encouragement and inquiry. It seemed that as long as she retreated, he would resolutely cancel the plan.

    Ruan Rong finally summoned up her courage and knocked on the gate a few seconds after looking at him.

    "Yes, coming!"

    After a while, someone inside answered. Then the door opened a gap slightly. A man in a green coat and a small hat put his head out. But when he saw Ruan Rong''s pretty face, his eyes immediately straightened.

    Bang!

    At this moment, Ruan Rong raised her eyebrows and flung the rattan basket to the ground. With one hand on her hips, she pointed to the gatekeeper and scolded, "Do you think you are the best by just being rich. Why do you throw garbage in front of my house?!"

    It happens that the original rattan basket was full of peels and core seeds.

    The gatekeeper was full of admiration. However, he was stunned for a long time when she bluntly scolded him before he responded. He frowned and said, "What are you talking about? Our family hasn''t eaten lychees recently! How can it be..."

    "Oh, I must have found the wrong person!"

    Before the gatekeeper finished speaking, Ruan Rong hurriedly picked up the rattan basket and ran away.

    The gatekeeper was so dumbfounded and watched Ruan Rong disappear into the street. He then closed the door angrily.

    A moment later, Ruan Rong returned with the basket of garbage.

    Sun Shaozong had been waiting for her for a long time. He greeted her and spoke highly of her, "Miss Rong, you¡¯re amazing. The gatekeeper may have never dreamed that you were acting in front of him."

    "Of course!"

    Ruan Rong cocked her nose and said proudly, "My father is often cheated by me, not to mention a small gatekeeper?"

    Then she said excitedly, "Let''s go to the next one!"

    Naturally, Sun Shaozong would not object. He hurriedly led his brothers to the door of the second mansion to ambush. This time, Ruan Rong already had an experience; thus she was much more comfortable than before. She came forward and knocked on the gate.

    The gatekeeper who came out this time was a thin middle-aged man.

    Seeing that he put his head out and looked around. Ruan Rong immediately followed the script, and threw the rattan basket to the ground, and shouted, "Do you think you are the best by just being rich. Why do you throw garbage in front of my house?"

    The middle-aged man was stunned, but then he blurted out a retort, "It''s impossible! I''ve thrown them into the yard. How could it be in front of your house?!¡±

    This is it!

    Ruan Rong saw through his thoughts. Although she was reluctant to part with him, she pushed him on his shoulder and said softly, "Brother Sun, go in and catch the assassin. I can take care of myself."

    But how can Sun Shaozong rest assured and leave her alone outside the door?

    If an assassin comes out of it, they will kill her!

    Gritting his teeth, he helped Ruan Rong up and asked, "Do you dare to go in with me to catch the assassin?"

    Ruan Rong was reluctant to part with him for a moment after the hero who had just saved her. She immediately nodded, like a chicken pecking rice.

    Sun Shaozong took Ruan Rong across the threshold. First, he placed his saber into his palm, then followed the sound of killing, bypassed the empty front hall, and came to the second courtyard. Feng Xin and others were fighting with dozen of assassins.

    The number of people on both sides was almost the same. Born into the imperial army, Feng Xin and other members were experts at coordinating attacks. It was reasonable to say that they should have had the upper hand.

    However, one of the assassins was good at martial arts. A wide iron sword flew up and down in his hand. He even surrounded Feng Xin and the other four guards. They couldn¡¯t advance nor retreat!

    He fought one enemy against five here, and the remaining assassins took the opportunity to join their hands and deal with the imperial guards that they could hardly fight back!

    .

    Seeing this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but think about it. He came forward and targeted the assassin who was holding a wide iron sword. He was trying to help Feng Xin and others to relieve some pressure. Unexpectedly, the assassin saw that he was still holding a woman in his hand and felt a little despised. He lifted the wide iron sword back, wanting to remove the strength of his sword.

    Wanting to switch opponents, he can¡¯t seem to find any fault in that assassin in his response. After all, the wide iron sword was also a heavy blade, not any weaker than the thick-backed broadsword.

    However, Sun Shaozong''s physical power can not be inferred by common sense.

    When both swords intersected, there was only a loud ¡±clang,¡± as if there was a thunderbolt in the clear sky!

    The wide iron sword was knocked back by Sun Shaozong''s saber. It landed on the assassin''s shoulder. Another ¡±click¡± sound was heard, and half of the shoulder blades were instantly broken into powder.

    "Ah!"

    The assassin was shocked and in pain. He just screamed, closed his eyes, and fell on his back with both hands and legs pointing up!

    The power of this saber was beyond the expectation of the assassin. Even Sun Shaozong himself was shocked. But Feng Xin and others were greatly excited. They all said in unison, "Lieutenant is so powerful!"

    After their praise, Sun Shaozong came to his senses and said, "What are you shouting over there? Go and help other brothers catch the assassin!"

    Feng Xin and others immediately took orders and helped each other.

    Fearing that he might hurt Ruan Rong, Sun Shaozong dared not break into the center of the regiment at will. He could only wander around. He found that the assassin had the upper hand. He stabbed him after walking up to them coldly. These assassins were not to his standard in the face-to-face battle, not to mention letting them succeed in a sneak attack. After a while, there were already five or six people defeated under his sword!

    Seeing this, they didn''t know how many assassins had scolded Sun Shaozong for being despicable and cunning.

    However, in Ruan Rong''s eyes, Sun Shaozong walked freely in the chaos with himself, like he was taking a stroll on the court. With a wave of his hand, an assassin has been killed by the sword. He was really powerful and domineering!

    Seeing that she was dazzled and her heart raced like a deer, it seems like she had the urge to give her heart of admiration into Sun Shaozong''s palm.

 Chapter 9: A Righteous Man? Scumbag?

    Chapter 9: A Righteous Man? Scumbag?

    With a character like Sun Shaozong existing, wasn¡¯t it easy for the guards to win the battle?

    In about half an hour, all the assassins died and lost their resistance.

    According to the headcount after the battle, about 26 assassins joined in the battle one after another, which is far more than the number of assassins who escaped from the Ruan mansion. It was thought that more than half of them were responsible for covering and coordinating with others.

    Among them, five people were killed on the spot including the gatekeeper, and seventeen people were injured and captured, though more than half of them were defeated by Sun Shaozong. but only four people gave up resistance and surrendered directly. This shows that these people were bloody and fierce. If they did not encounter Sun Shaozong, it was unknown which side would win or lose.

    It was said that after the assassins were caught, Sun Shaozong saw that the guards were just cheering there, but no one came forward to take care of the affairs. He had to wipe the bloodstains from his saber. He said in a loud voice, "Feng Xin, you take two people to guard the gate. No matter whether it is an official or an assassin, all are not allowed to go in or out!"

    "Yes, My Lord!"

    With this half-a-day effort, Sun Shaozong has established supreme authority. How dare Feng Xin neglect him as he did before?

    With a hurried and respectful reply, he ordered two familiar brothers and hurried to the gate of the mansion.

    Sun Shaozong continued to order, "The injured brothers can assist each other to bandage. The rest of the people find something that is handy, tie up all the rebels, and then divide into two teams to search carefully to see if there were any missing ones!"

    "Yes, My Lord!"

    The guards acted separately. Soon someone brought a pile of curtains and clothes, cut them into pieces with a knife, and bound the assassins up like dumplings.

    Not only that, but Sun Shaozong also found that many people had bulging pockets filled with all kinds of valuable items. At first, he wanted to scold them. But later, he thought that the soldiers and bandits were not any different from each other these days. If he stopped them, although most of them would obey orders, they would have to complain about themselves afterward. Especially when he was new here and was about to rely on these people, there was no need to quarrel with them for some stolen goods.

    So Sun Shaozong turned a blind eye and thought he had seen nothing.

    After the assassins were tied up, he saw that the guards spontaneously divided into two teams and began to search. He hurriedly added, "Be careful everyone. If you encounter any thorny matters, don''t try to be brave. Try to inform me first!"

    In the scuffle just now, under Sun Shaozong''s deliberate care, only five or six of the nearly 20 guards suffered some minor flesh injuries. If he has lost some of his guards after locking the victory, wouldn''t he have wasted his efforts just now?

    When the guards heard the speech, they said "Yes My Lord" together. Then they acted separately.

    After the guards left, Sun Shaozong set his eyes on the prisoners and was about to interrogate them, when he suddenly found that there was a warm jade object in his palm. He then remembered that he had been holding Ruan Rong''s hand all along and had forgotten to let go.

    He hurriedly loosened his paws, scratched his head, and said with a smile, "Isn''t Miss Rong scared just now?"

    It seems that the task of promoting the ¡±Chinese language¡± in Country Zhen is very arduous.

    Sun Shaozong turned to the assassin who could speak Mandarin and asked, "Who ordered you to assassinate Lord Niu?"

    "Brother Basong brought us here!"

    The prisoner had just made a hasty reply. Of course, he was not a tough guy. In addition, he was scared by Sun Shaozong''s force. He not only knew nothing, he even learned to answer, "Brother Basong said that as long as he killed the dog... A bigger official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, we in the State of Zhen would be able to relax and dominate Southern Xinjiang again! So more than a dozen of our brothers came from the state of Zhen in batches. As for the people in this house, I heard that Brother Basong had been preparing it two years ago, so they could speak Chinese as fluently as the people of Qian Xiang."

    His words immediately attracted the denouncement and scolding of his comrades. However, these noises were soon suppressed by the guards with a beating. These days, there is no preferential treatment for prisoners. The beating and scolding were all light. It was common to kill them on the spot if they got on the nerve of the abductor.

    Sun Shaozong inquired carefully again and learned that this ¡±Brother Basong¡± was a famous ranger in the capital of the state of Zhen. He was known for his generosity, so his men recruited many ¡±heroes.¡±

    Basong has two hobbies in his life, and one is being lecherous. He usually helps some women and married young women to solve their physiological needs, and it is also common to take care of those chaste martyrs to hang themselves. Second, he admired Zhuanzhu, Jing Ke, and other famous assassins all his life. They were always thinking about what to do for the state of Zhen on their own. Therefore, they did not hesitate to spend all their family wealth, endure all hardship, and carry out this assassination.

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong didn''t know how to evaluate this guy. He said that he was full of evil, but he also had a passion for dying for his country. He said that he was a righteous man, but this guy was a complete scum!

    Fortunately, he was a military officer, not a historian, and he doesn''t have to worry too much about this problem.

    After repeatedly asking him several times, Sun Shaozong confirmed that the prisoner who was afraid of death had not deceived him. He turned back to Basong and put his foot on his shoulder.

    "Ah!!!"

    There was another shrill scream, but this time Basong didn''t faint. He just stared at Sun Shaozong with a ferocious face. Because of the severe pain, his bloodshot eyeballs protruded outward, as if it was about to jump out of his eyes at any time.

    "Basong, right?"

    Although Basong''s face was somewhat frightening, he was still wishfully thinking of frightening Sun Shaozong. He smiled innocently and said, "Your men have just told me most of the things that happened. It''s your turn now. Who instructed you to assassinate?"

    Hearing Sun Shaozong''s calling his name, the muscles on Basong''s face twitched strangely. Just when Sun Shaozong thought he would scold, he saw a sudden bulge in Basong''s left cheek, followed by a deep depression.

    Shit!

    Sun Shaozong secretly scolded himself. He quickly reached out and pinched Basong''s jaw. Unexpectedly, he was still a little late. He heard Basong''s groans, and some white foam came out of his mouth. When he saw it, he had already lost his vitality.

    This guy had poison prepared in his mouth and was ready to commit suicide at any time!

 Chapter 10: Treacherous and Self-respecting

    Chapter 10: Treacherous and Self-respecting

    No! There must be something wrong!

    Standing silently in front of Basong''s body, Sun Shaozong frowned more and more tightly.

    This sudden and resolute death of Basong seems to be in line with his psychology of not hesitating to die and gain fame at first sight, but there were a few fishy things after examining one by one in detail.

    Jing Ke and others died with regret, mostly out of loyalty, in order not to implicate those behind the scenes.

    On the surface, this seems to be the same with Basong, but don''t forget that his purpose was to retain his name for generations, not loyalty. Since he was not afraid of death for fame, shouldn''t he show his heroic spirit first, and then take all the blame on himself?

    What''s more was that the identity of Basong and his accomplices has been exposed. If he suddenly commits suicide, it would only make people turn their doubts toward the officials of the state of Zhen.

    But what kind of sacrifice for the country and estrangement is this?

    Could it be that...

    Sun Shaozong suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Could it be that Basong''s assassination of Niu Yongxin was originally to frame the state of Zhen?!

    .

    With this in mind, many doubtful points can be explained.

    For example, the assassins sneaked into the Qinglin mansion, waited for an opportunity to assassinate, and placed their people to poison the guard commander. These steps were all carefully planned. However, after they succeeded, they had enough time to leave, but they returned to the place where they had lurked. It was like being blessed with a halo of a retarded intelligence!

    Shouldn¡¯t it be common sense for the assassins to run away immediately after giving a blow, no matter how hard it is? In particular, they assassinated the envoys of the Heavenly Kingdom!

    According to the available information, even if these guys didn¡¯t fall into the hands of themselves and others, they would inevitably be hunted down in the future. At that time, their strange plan would not only have no effect but would properly bring disaster to the State of Zhen.

    In addition, Basong was just a ranger in the state of Zhen, but he easily built up a sub-base in the Qinglin mansion and even planted a spy in the embassy kitchen. This kind of strange detail can not be explained simply by the words ¡±dissipating one''s fortune!¡±

    On the contrary, if all this was the ¡±counterplan¡± set up by the Qian Xiang state to annex the State of Zhen, all the strange things will have an answer!

    As he said this, he suddenly saw Ruan Rong on the side and hurriedly added, "It''s also good for Governor Ruan to get out of trouble and go home as soon as possible."

    Ruan Rong heard the words and said to Sun Shaozong, "Thank you, Brother Sun."

    What Feng Xin heard was that the boss was not happy. Although he didn''t dare to express his opposition, he came up and muttered, "My Lord, it took us a long time to catch these assassins. How can we just give it to those Qian Xiang people just like this?"

    "What else can I do?"

    Sun Shaozong glanced at him and said with a strong sense of righteousness, "We are now the people who are made guilty. We must stay in the embassy and wait for the release. These assassins can only be escorted to the Great Zhou Dynasty by the government of Qian Xiang state."

    "This... This..."

    Fengxin still refuses to give up, but he doesn''t know how to persuade Sun Shaozong. Just before he faltered, Sun Shaozong pulled him to his side and whispered, "We can give them these people, but the reputation belongs to us! Choose some eloquent brothers and escort the prisoners to the Ministry of Justice with them. As long as enough people are watching on the road, one person will be left to publicize today''s events. Remember not to exaggerate, just decorate it a little!"

    After hesitating for a while, he added, "It''s better to think of some slogans in advance. They should be easy to understand, such as ¡±The Half-day Strange Case of Lieutenant Sun.¡± In addition, we must emphasize that we are doing this to avenge Lord Niu. Don''t say anything about making amends for mistakes."

    After hearing these words, Feng Xin immediately clapped his chest with joy and said, "Don''t worry, My Lord. The whole people in the Qinglin Mansion know us. We all know how wise you are!"

    With these words, he went to the election with great interest.

    The way Sun Shaozong thought of the Chinese four-word idiom, the meaning of relying on foreign forces to elevate its status!

    Although this country is not comparable to the Western powers, it was at least the first powerful country in Southern Xinjiang. If the news that Qian Xiang people were praising the guards was sent to the Shuntian mansion along with the team escorting the assassins, would the imperial court be willing to severely punish them?

    Of course, it''s not safe to rely solely on public opinion. After all, ordinary people are not as good as dogs these days, not to mention ordinary people in the vassal states.

    So Sun Shaozong was going to find another senior official of the State of Qian Xiang to act as a third party to smoothen our unfavorable situation.

    If public opinion pressure still couldn¡¯t make the imperial court change its mind, he was afraid that he could only take Feng Xin and the others to become bandits!

    This was the reason why Sun Shaozong wanted to stay in the Qian Xiang Kingdom for the sake of his guilt. There was at least a two or three-month buffer period for escorting the assassins, which was enough for Sun Shaozong to arrange his escape strategy.

 Chapter 11: A Plot or A Open Conspiracy

    Chapter 11: A Plot or A Open Conspiracy

    As Sun Shaozong predicted, this kind of story, "Anger for colleagues, half a day to solve a strange case" was the most popular among the ancient people.

    Before the next day, he had just sent the reluctant Ruan Rong home. On the way, he heard someone in the street tavern discussing the matter. His name ¡±Lieutenant Sun¡± was mentioned repeatedly.

    The only inappropriate thing was that Li Jiuming seems to have been made up into a clown who was jealous of the virtuous and the capable, which was used to set off Feng Xin, the second male lead, and him as the main. Needless to say, Feng Xin must have secretly added some scenes to himself. Otherwise, with his ability, how can he become the second male lead?

    It''s time to gather all the forces that can be united. It''s not a good thing to offend a local villain like Li Jiuming without any reason when the Qinglin mansion is a building force. Especially when that someone has helped themselves before.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong plans to come to the door the next day to apologize and take advantage of the situation to exaggerate the matter to the hype to earn a reputation of ¡±Heroes cherish heroes.¡±

    But the plan can not keep up with the change.

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong had just gotten up from bed. Before he began washing up, an official was here to deliver a famous post to invite him to visit Prime Minister Ruan Fuzhong''s mansion.

    In the Qian Xiang Kingdom, as he only needed to listen to the Emperor, Ruan Fuzhong was a man of power to all under his rank. In comparison, Lieutenant Sun Shaozong barely reaches his caliber. If Niu Yongxin was still alive, he would have had to go to the Ministry of Rites to apply for visitation.

    How dare Sun Shaozong delay the invitation sent by such a big shot?

    .

    Besides, his plan of ¡±Frightening and deceiving people under the banner of revolution¡± also needs a big man as a stepping stone. How can he miss such a heaven-given opportunity?

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong had to ask Feng Xin to apologize on his behalf. Anyway, it was originally a matter caused by him. It would be most appropriate for him to wipe his ass.

    With that being said, Sun Shaozong traveled after a night''s rest and arrived at the Prime Minister''s residence. After the guests took their seats assigned according to their rank in the living room, Ruan Fuzhong, on behalf of the court of Qian Xiang, expressed condolences to the people of the embassy praised the guards led by Sun Shaozong, reviewed the years of solidarity and friendship between the two countries in the past, and looked forward to a brighter future. Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com

    In the end, Ruan Fuzhong finally began a detailed interrogation of the process on how Sun Shaozong and others followed the remaining assassins.

    Up to this point, the meeting gave Sun Shaozong the feeling that he was walking through the formalities, just like those labor model commendation conferences he had attended in modern times. The whole article was bureaucratic, and there was nothing important.

    Currently, with all the domestic trouble and foreign invasion, does the Great Zhou Dynasty still have the strength to unify the six countries in southern Xinjiang?

    Therefore, although the officials in the middle and lower ranks of Qian Xiang still maintain their awe of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the senior ranked officials already have a different mind, so they secretly use their means to test the response of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

    Anyway, they were mainly aimed at the State of Zhen. The government and the public were more obedient to the Great Zhou Dynasty. They seem to regard themselves as loyal dogs of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Even if someone in the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty sees through their plans, how can they deal with it? Also, would they force the only ¡±respectful and humble¡± young official to revolt for Niu Yongxin?!

    After figuring out these joints, Sun Shaozong felt that the government matters were unfathomable. He and other small characters had better hideaways.

    Therefore, he told Feng Xin and others to live in seclusion and stay away from home to avoid any trouble. At the same time, he took the lead in raising 500 tons of money to recruit soldiers and officials escorting assassins, so that they could spread the story of Lieutenant Sun''s ¡±Half-day solving strange cases¡± and the ¡±Prime Minister Ruan''s insight into talent¡± back to Shuntian mansion.

    After four or five days of calm and tranquility, seeing that the team escorting the assassins finally set off, the embassy suddenly welcomed another ¡±unexpected guest¡±. Ruan Rong''s father, Ruan Liangshun, the governor of Qinglin Prefecture.

    Ruan Liangshun used the name ¡±Expressing one¡¯s gratitude¡± for his visit, but Sun Shaozong didn''t see any gratitude from him. On the contrary, his old face was tight, as if someone owed him a lot of money.

    At first, Sun Shaozong was puzzled, but for the sake of Ruan Rong, he didn''t argue with the old man. It was until Ruan Liangshun said a word, only then did he understood where the other party''s inexplicable hostility came from.

    "Lieutenant Sun."

    Ruan Liangshun arched his hands with a smile and said, "My young daughter was worried about the safety of her old man that day. It¡¯s normal that some things she says don¡¯t mean what she thinks. Don''t worry about it. In just a few days, my daughter will be engaged to the eldest son of Minister Pan of the Ministry of Revenue. At that time, I will hold a wedding banquet at home and invite Lieutenant Sun. Please take the time to come."

    How smart was Sun Shaozong?

    He immediately understood that Ruan Liangshun had something to say. The real intention was to warn him, ¡°My daughter is going to get married soon. You''d better not have any more contact with my daughter, not to mention have any indiscriminate thoughts!¡±

    This invitation to him to attend the engagement banquet, he¡¯s afraid it''s just a casual remark. It can''t be taken as true at all.

    Although Sun Shaozong also has some good feelings for Ruan Rong, it is still far from the level of love between men and women. What''s more, if nothing unexpected happens, he will soon return to the Great Zhou Dynasty. He¡¯s afraid that he won''t have a chance to see Ruan Rong again in his life.

    So after hearing this warning, although he was a little upset, after seeing off Ruan Liangshun, he also put the matter behind him.

    A hundred days later, the engagement banquet at the Ruan mansion arrived as scheduled. Most of their old friends and relatives received invitations, but Sun Shaozong was indeed omitted from the invitation. However, even if he did receive the invitation, he was afraid that he would not have time to go to the banquet because, at the same time that the Ruan mansion had sent the wedding invitation, the new envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty had finally arrived at the Qinglin mansion!

 Chapter 12: If you dont let me down, I will never let you down too

    Chapter 12: If you don''t let me down, I will never let you down too

    Seeing that it has entered October, the territory of Qian Xiang Kingdom was still green, and there was no sign of bleakness.

    Since all the customs of the country follow those of the Great Zhou Dynasty, three or five miles outside the Qinglin mansion, they can¡¯t do anything without the existence of the official reception Pavilion. Just a few days ago, Sun Shaozong welcomed his new envoy Hou Yong to the official reception Pavilion. But today, it was Hou Yong''s turn to send him on a long trip.

    As Sun Shaozong expected, the imperial court has no intention of convicting. They only ordered Sun Shaozong to return to the imperial court immediately after the handover between Sun Shaozong and Hou Yong.

    In addition, Hou Yong also brought a piece of good news. Prince Yizhong whom Sun Shaozong had offended previously had been banned in the Zongren''s Mansion because of the leak of his privately made firearms. All his family''s properties had been seized and sold, and even the coffins he had ordered had been resold to others.

    "Erlang!"

    Speaking of which, outside the pavilion and beside the ancient road, Hou Yong solemnly hugged his fist, and his face that looks like a thick horse''s was somewhat lonely, "After returning to the capital, don''t forget to go to my mother on behalf of me and say that I¡¯ve arrived safe and sound, let her take good care of herself, and wait for me to go back and be filial!"

    Different from the former ambassador Niu, Hou Yong was born in the army. He and Sun Shaozu, Sun Shaozong''s brother, were called ¡°patrolling and defending camp tigers¡±, and had some friendships with each other. Therefore, he did not match Sun Shaozong with his official position but called him ¡±Erlang¡±.

    Although it has only been a few days since they got along with each other, Sun Shaozong and this generous but not inconsiderate Brother Hou were in quite an agreement.

    At this time, seeing this straightforward bold man like a black iron tower, he couldn''t help choking when he mentioned his mother. He was sad too. He quickly hugged his fist and said, "Don''t worry, Brother Hou. When I return to the Shuntian mansion, I will visit Aunt often!"

    "I shall thank you in advance first, brother!"

    Hou Yong said, waved his hand back, and immediately an attendant offered two bowls of wine. He first handed Sun Shaozong a bowl, and then took one of his own. He sent the bowl forward and said, "It''s getting late. After drinking this bowl of ¡±send-off¡± wine, you can depart on your journey. Come, cheers!" Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

    "Cheers!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly raised his bowl to greet him.

    When he poured the bowl of wine down his throat, he looked at Hou Yong and smiled. As he was about to leave, he saw a horse outside the road of the official''s reception pavilion galloping towards him. Although she was dressed as a man in a green hat when she opened her mouth from afar, it was as crisp as a warbler, "Brother Sun, wait for me!"

    With this voice, Sun Shaozong recognized that it was Ruan Rong!

    His heart was filled with joy and surprise. He was glad that before he left, he could say goodbye to the little girl face-to-face. What surprised him was that the girl was engaged today, but she went out of the city to see him off. It wouldn''t be a good thing if her future husband knew about it.

    Ruan Rong stared at the big hand for a while. Then she took a deep breath and put her white jade hand on it. With a solemn look, she said, "If you don''t let me down, I will never let you down too!"

    After making a vow, Ruan Rong felt relieved. At the same time, she could not help but feel ashamed. She hurriedly broke away from Sun Shaozong''s arms, blushing and stroking the hair behind her ears.

    "Feng Xin!"

    Once Sun Shaozong made up his mind, he immediately put all his worries behind him. He pointed to the white horse that Ruan Rong rode and said, "Tie it to the back of the carriage first; it''s easier to switch on our way."

    Like Sun Shaozong, Feng Xin was also requested to leave for the Great Zhou Dynasty. The difference was that he went back to the capital to report his work to the military headquarters, while Sun Shaozong went back to the capital to present it to the Emperor. This also means that he had to present himself to the Emperor and brush up on a sense of existence before making further arrangements.

    Feng Xin took the command to go lead the white horse.

    Sun Shaozong then said to Ruan Rong, "Please get on the carriage first. After I bid goodbye to Brother Hou, we will set off."

    Ruan Rong nodded obediently, but she first untied her package from the white horse''s back, and then greeted Hou Yong politely before getting on the carriage.

    "Brother Hou, I..."

    "Come on, stop dawdling me here!"

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong was coming to say goodbye to him, Hou Yong waved impatiently and urged, "You better hurry and depart on your journey. If you delay, the victim should catch up!"

    Sun Shaozong could only bow his hands in silence, snatched the whip from Feng Xin''s hand, jumped onto the chariot, and shook it with his hands. The horse immediately got up and went east along the official road.

    Later, Feng Xin also turned over on the back of Sun Shaozong''s black horse and followed behind.

    Since that day, the three of them have been traveling overnight and rushed to the border between the two countries without delay.

    Eight days later.

    The three finally left the territory of the Qian Xiang Kingdom and formally set foot on the land of the Great Zhou Dynasty. That evening, Ruan Rong burned incense and worshiped three times in the direction of the Qinglin mansion. When she got up, she was already in tears.

 Chapter 13: The Second Master Lian

    Chapter 13: The Second Master Lian

    After entering the border of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there was no more barrier between Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong. They talked together all day long and turned close to each other.

    Ruan Rong was in love. As long as she can get along with her lover day and night, she has nothing to ask for.

    Although Sun Shaozong looked simple and honest on the surface, he had got a taste of the love life in the modern world. Guarding a beautiful woman with who both were in love day and night. How can he be a monk who eats vegan and chants Buddhism?

    Therefore, without waiting for three or five days, he first cheated her to have a slight taste of her lips.

    After a while, in the name of snuggling up to keep warm, he put a pair of his demon claws into Ruan Rong''s arms, touching her up and down and having a good exploration.

    When the three crossed Yunnan and Guizhou, drifting down the Yangtze River and arriving at Yangzhou City, Sun Shaozong had already finished tasting the entire territory of Ruan Rong except for the last ¡±barrier.¡±

    It''s not that he didn''t want to pierce the last layer of window paper, but Ruan Rong resolutely refused to agree. She just had to wait until he had established her position in front of the Sun family before she entrusted herself to him completely.

    Anyway, he started from Yangzhou and went all the way north along with the Capital of Hangzhou Grand Canal. He could reach the capital in no time. Sun Shaozong could still afford to wait. Of course, he could not help but flirt and ask for some sweets.

    This day, early morning. Sun Shaozong knocked on Ruan Rong''s door with the food. Seeing that she had washed her hands as if she wanted to rub off a layer of skin, again and again, the picture of her slender hands going between his private section appeared in his mind last night.

    He couldn''t help laughing lasciviously. Then he said, "Rong''er, take a rest in the inn first. I''ll take Feng Xin to the wharf to see if there is a suitable passenger ship. In the afternoon, I''ll show you around Yangzhou city."

    As a time traveler, he naturally knew that women wanted to be coaxed. Therefore, whenever he met any places of interest along the way, he would always take the initiative to accompany Ruan Rong''s visit.

    By adding to some of his romantic styles and saying some sweet words. Ruan Rong was so obsessed that she became more and more convinced that she had not chosen the wrong person.

    When hearing that Sun Shaozong wanted to go out to do business, Ruan Rong hurriedly accepted her shame. As she helped him tidy up his collar, she said, "Yangzhou City will not run away. We can go shopping anytime. You''d better book the passenger ship first. It''s almost the end of November. Don''t miss the period to return before the new year''s festival."

    Sun Shaozong casually promised and took advantage of the situation to bite Ruan Rong''s earlobe and said a few shameless dirty words. Ruan Rong, who was embarrassed, raised her hand initially to hit him. He then laughed and ran away.

    When Sun Shaozong looked at the visitor carefully, he saw that he was tall and straight, his face was like a crown of jade, and a pair of peach blossom eyes looked forward to the birth of spring. He was the romantic leader of the rich family. Seeing this, his name immediately popped out of his mind, Jia Lian, the Second Master Lian.

    Jia Lian was born in the Rongguo mansion. He was also one of the four princes. Because the Rongguo mansion and the Sun family are friends spanning two or more generations, when the Sun family was down and out, Sun Shaozu often took Sun Shaozong to the Rongguo mansion to play in the autumn wind. Therefore, he was quite familiar with Jia Lian.

    Remembering the identity of the man, Sun Shaozong laughed and said with an arch hand, "It''s you, Brother Lian. Why aren''t you enjoying your days in the capital but here in Yangzhou? Did you annoy your wife and get kicked out?"

    In his memory, the Second Master Lian seemed to have a fear of his wife, so he joked casually.

    "Screw you! With the courage of a woman, she dare not throw me out!"

    Jia Lian sniffed with disdain, then looked a little more serious, and said, "In fact, my uncle died in Yangzhou, his family withered, and there was only one cousin under his knee who was still young. Therefore, my old lady asked me to come and help my uncle with his affairs."

    As he said this, he exaggerated a pat on the thigh root and complained, "In the past half a year, I have been running back and forth between the capital, Yangzhou, and Suzhou several times before I finally handled the matter properly. It was nearly that I didn''t break my leg!"

    Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to respond, he asked curiously, "By the way, Erlang, didn''t you go to work in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang? Why did you come to Yangzhou City?"

    Although the two families can barely be called family friends, when they were in the capital, the relationship between Jia Lian and the Sun brothers was only general. 80% of the current affection was due to the excitement of meeting an old friend in a foreign country.

    That''s because, in his memory, the Rongguo mansion helped the Sun family. Sun Shaozong could not have neglected him, so he went to a nearby tea shop and told a brief story about what happened in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang.

    He could only hear the Second Master Lian clicking his tongue and saying, "Erlang has grown to be promising and has done such a big thing. Even the Emperor was alerted."

    When Sun Shaozong told him that he had been ordered to return to the Capital and was preparing to look for a passenger ship going north.

    Jia Lian immediately said, "I thought it was some big matter that was difficult to handle. You don''t have to look for it anymore. There are plenty of places on your second brother''s boat. Isn''t it easy to just add a few of you guys in? By the way, don''t stay in any inn anymore. You might as well go to my uncle''s official mansion for a few days. When I''m done here, we''ll go back to the Capital together!"

    Sun Shaozong put off a few words. Seeing that it was really difficult to be gracious, he had no choice but to agree.

 Chapter 14: It was the Dream of Red Mansions Scene 1

    Chapter 14: It was the Dream of Red Mansions Scene 1

    Salt patrolling was a unique official position of the two Huaihe rivers. Although it was only an official title of the three grades, it was a top-ranking position in the world.

    It not only controls the salt tax of the two Huaihe rivers but also has the right to picket hundreds of officials. In terms of status, it was not under the governor of one province, but only inferior to the governor of the two rivers. Therefore, it has always been forbidden to be a close Minister of the Emperor.

    Lin Ruhai, Jia Lian''s uncle, was once such an extravagant figure.

    However, these are old records. After Lin Ruhai died after being appointed to office, his former wealth and glory vanished.

    At present, the salt patrolling official office was bleak. Even the servants have been dismissed, leaving only a few servants brought by Jia Lian from the capital.

    But that evening. In the small hall of the back hall of the official office, rare lights are lit up again, and the two copper furnaces were filled with silver frost and charcoal, which was as warm as early summer.

    Under the candlelight, Jia Lian drank the alcohol one after another, his eyes had already turned straight and his body trembled, but he shouted with his tongue wide, "Come, this... This cup of wine, your second brother, I want to toast it to your soulmate! If she wasn''t here, how could you and I drink so freely?¡±

    He has been busy with funeral arrangements these days, and he also has to take into account his young cousin. He has not been able to drink freely for more than half a year and has already saved up a bellyful of wine bugs.

    So he was overjoyed when he heard that Sun Shaozong had brought his wife!

    According to the custom at this time, if there were only two men, Jia Lian and Sun Shaozong, it would be inconvenient for them to drink in the official office for the sake of their cousin''s reputation. But with the company of the Sun family members, there would be a need to worry about anything.

    So Jia Lian happily ordered someone to take Ruan Rong to the backyard and arrange for her to rest with his cousin. He immediately put down a banquet and dragged Sun Shaozong for a drink from noon to evening.

    Seeing that Jia Lian was drunk, Sun Shaozong accompanied him for another cup, and while he was not paying attention, he changed the contents of their cups into tea.

    Who knows, just after putting the teapot back on the table, Jia Lian sat down at his desk and cried bitterly. His mouth was full of confusion, "My pitiful cousin, who was supposed to be like a fairy coming down to earth, but it happened that she was so unlucky. She first lost her mother, and now it was her father. These days, even her words are a lot less and have become even thinner!"

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong was speechless. He was hesitating whether he should just call the servant and send him back to his bedroom to rest. However, he thumped on the table and shouted, "Daiyu... Daiyu, don''t blame your Second Brother Lian for being heartless. It''s... it''s just..."

    What about it? He mumbled and nothing was heard clearly, but the word ¡±Daiyu¡± was like thunder and lightning. Sun Shaozong''s mind was buzzing!

    Daiyu?

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    Squeak~

    Ruan Rong leaned out of the window of the West Wing room in the backyard, listened attentively for a moment, and then looked back curiously and asked, "This song that Brother Sun is singing includes the Yangtze River and a hero. It sounds interesting. Sister Lin, do you know what he¡¯s singing?"

    Following her eyes, a young lady was sitting on the spring bench, dressed in hemp, but she was not Lin Daiyu. Who else could she be?

    Although the two had been together for only half a day, they were both young officials who had lost their mother at a young age, and neither of them was a conformist, which made them get along perfectly.

    It was about from the window that some cold air blew in. Daiyu shrunk her shoulders and frowned for a while, then shook her head and said, "This poem is simple, vigorous, generous, and sad. It can be called a first-class masterpiece in the ¡±State of Linjiang¡± of all dynasties, but I have never heard of it, and I don''t know who wrote it."

    Seeing her poor appearance, Ruan Rong hurriedly closed the window.

    Then she heard that she had never heard of the word before. Ruan Rong suddenly saw a bright light in front of her eyes. She rushed to Daiyu and laid down on the round table covered with Shu brocade. She asked excitedly, "Are you saying that this song was written by Brother Sun?"

    Daiyu and her big eyes stared for a while, and then she suddenly burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth and said with a smile, "They all say that ¡°Anyone is perfect in your lover''s eyes.¡± No wonder my elder sister can''t help but recognize a great talent!"

    Ruan Rong blushed and thought she was a little whimsical, but she said, "You haven''t heard this song, so why can''t it be written by Brother Sun?"

    Daiyu smiled and said, "I''m a young lady, and I''m not a great scholar. How many poems and songs can I read? If I haven''t heard of the poems, are they all going to be written by your Brother Sun, whom you love? In that case, isn''t he able to write hundreds of poems about drinking at will? It''s easy to plagiarize the official script!"

    Ruan Rong was speechless when she said this. Seeing the little fox smiling at her, she couldn''t help but pounce on her in anger. She tickled her armpits and waist. Daiyu, who was laughing uncontrollably, repeatedly begged for mercy.

    With this laugh, they became close again.

    Seeing that Daiyu''s small hands were cold and could not feel a trace of warmth, Ruan Rong simply opened her woolen coat, wrapped her in her arms, rubbed her chin against Daiyu''s forehead, and sighed with anger and joy, "You are a girl who is good everywhere, but only has a sharp mouth that refuses to forgive."

    However, Daiyu said that she was buried between the two peaks. She felt that her mouth and nose were full of warm fragrance, and her heart could not speak out. She couldn''t help but remind her, "Elder sister, if you are tolerant at everything, are you not afraid of the family members of Lieutenant... Lieutenant Sun does not recognize you? Don''t forget the rule that "The ones who are betrothed will be the wife, and the ones they pursue, you will be the concubine."

    She wanted to say, ¡°I''m not afraid that Lieutenant Sun has become a traitor,¡± but she was afraid that these words would be too hurtful, so she changed her words temporarily.

    But even so, Ruan Rong was still stiff when she heard the words, but she soon softened again, buried her pretty face in Daiyu''s head of green silk, and said leisurely, "What about if she can only be a concubine? It''s better to miss her love and regret her whole life."

 Chapter 15: The Chu Overlord, the Foolish Overlord, and the Jia Overlord

    Chapter 15: The Chu Overlord, the Foolish Overlord, and the Jia Overlord

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong vaguely opened his eyes, only to find that he had been lying on the table all night, but there was no sign of Jia Lian. He was probably sent back to his bedroom by the servants.

    So while he was hitting his aching temple due to the hangover effect, he could not help complaining that the servants of the Jia family favored one over the other.

    In fact, he has wronged others. Last night, four or five servants started to work together, wanting to send him back to the room for rest. They were stunned that they could not even lift him from the wine table. On the contrary, he made a random hand flip and overturned several of them. In this way, who else dares to touch him?

    When Sun Shaozong was complaining in the hall, he heard a rush of footsteps outside the door and looked up. It was Ruan Rong who came in a hurry, followed by a pretty maid behind her.

    When their eyes met, Ruan Rong saw that his eyes were bloodshot and had a hangover appearance. She could not help but feel distressed and angry. It''s just that it''s hard to say anything because someone else was there too. She pointed to the side tea table and said, "Zi Juan, put down your things and go back to sister Daiyu first."

    Zi Juan was holding a basin of clear water. She looked up and down at Sun Shaozong curiously. Hearing what Ruan Rong said, she hurriedly said, "What are you saying, Miss Rong? If I left like this, how would I be able to explain it to my lady?"

    As she said this, she put the copper basin in her hand on the table and soaked the towel to wipe the stains on Sun Shaozong''s face.

    Sun Shaozong looked up and laid back. He said with a smile, "You can put it down, I can do it myself. I feel awkward being served like this."

    Zi Juan was stunned when she heard the speech. She looked back at Ruan Rong and saw that she had no opinion before letting Sun Shaozong take the towel and wash himself up.

    When Sun Shaozong finished washing, there was no sign of Zi Juan in the room. On the thought that he didn''t need to be served, so she went back to Lin Daiyu.

    At the thought of Daiyu, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help whispering to himself, "What does Miss Lin look like? Jia Lian drank too much yesterday, but he praised her a lot in front of me."

    Although he had never read the story of the ¡±Dream of the Red Mansion,¡± Sun Shaozong also knew that there were so many beautiful women in the story of the Dream of the Red Mansion, and Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai were the best among them. Therefore, his curiosity seemed to swell and could not be suppressed.

    Ruan Rong heard his questions and was alert at first. Then she was relieved at the thought of Daiyu''s age. She smiled and said, "Daiyu is naturally born with an excellent personality and literary grace. Otherwise, how could I recognize her as my sister?"

    "What? You recognized her as your sister!"

    "You haven''t seen it, My Lady."

    She rolled up her cuffs and drew her hands together in mid-air, making a circle thicker than a bucket. "Lieutenant Sun¡¯s arm is so thick and only has one thigh, I''m afraid it could match the stature of our Second Master Bao!"

    However, it turned out that Daiyu sent Zi Juan to serve Ruan Rong as a considerate act towards Ruan Rong, but the main purpose was to have a look at what kind of person her sister was deeply in love with.

    Listening to Zi Juan''s exaggerated description, she places the pieces of information together silently in her heart. Suddenly, she frowned and said, "After listening to you, isn''t Lieutenant Sun similar to Xue''s family brother?"

    Xue Pan left a very bad impression on Daiyu. It could be said that it was a muddy thing. This connection between the two made her have the same bad impression she had of him and she thought it was not worth it for her sister Ruan Rong.

    "Young Master Xue?"

    Zi Juan was stunned at first, then hurriedly shook her head like a rattle, and said urgently, "How can it be the same?! Apart from being arrogant and unreasonable, he is nothing like an Overlord. However, Lieutenant Sun was so powerful that he had the shadow of Overlord Chu.¡±

    As she said this, she lowered her voice slightly and whispered, "To tell you the truth, just a casual move by Lieutenant Sun can puff up his long shirt, as if it were not flesh but iron ingots! Yesterday, when I heard Miss Rong talk about his fight with assassins, I just thought it was an exaggeration, but now, it might be true."

    "Overlord of Chu..."

    Lin Daiyu mumbled these three words and then pieced together in her mind the picture of Sun Shaozong holding Ruan Rong affectionately, talking and laughing, and the thieves fleeing at the mere sight of him for a moment. She was a little crazy.

    After a few seconds, Daiyu could not help but replace Sun Shaozong with Bao Yu. However, she could not think of the heroic appearance of "Overload Jia being brave, kills and repels the thieves in an instant.¡±

    ¡°If you and Brother Bao encounter such a situation, I''m afraid it''s more reliable to hold hands and flee together in a panic.¡±

    Thinking of this, Daiyu couldn''t help but laugh back and forth.

    Zi Juan accompanied her, but she couldn''t help sobbing. She hadn''t seen Daiyu laugh this seriously for a long time. Just by laughing, she knew it was worth it.

 Chapter 16: Sister Lin Finds Out the Secret, and Jia Yucun Visits the Government Office in the Night

    Chapter 16: Sister Lin Finds Out the Secret, and Jia Yucun Visits the Government Office in the Night

    For two days in a row, Sun Shaozong accompanied Jia Lian who was busy running outside. He helped him settle a lot of errands. He was more proficient in taking care of people and things than Jia Lian himself, unlike a 19-year-old young martial artist.

    After this incident, Jia Lian''s evaluation of him naturally raised several points. His attitude has also changed from the warmth of meeting an old friend in a foreign land to the intimacy of making friends sincerely. Although both of these attitudes have the word ¡±heat¡±, they are different.

    As a result, the first and last errands that were originally scheduled to take five or six days to be processed were all cleared up by the afternoon of the third day.

    So Jia Lian took Sun Shaozong for another drink to ¡±relieve fatigue¡±, and while he was 70% drunk, he announced his decision to set out early tomorrow morning to return to the Capital.

    Although the whole family had already made preparations, they still couldn''t help being busy with the details. Sun Shaozong took a break from his busy schedule and led Ruan Rong to the streets.

    Ruan Rong originally wanted to take Daiyu out with her. At the same time, Ruan Rong also wanted her smart, god-sister to see the character and appearance of her lover, so that she wouldn''t guess all day.

    However, although Daiyu was not rigidly bound by the common customs and laws, after all, she was in mourning, and it was not 100 days yet. How could she show up in front of people in hemp clothes and filial piety?

    Thus, she had to refuse reluctantly and said it was not too late to see her brother-in-law when they boarded the ship tomorrow.

    On the other hand, Sun Shaozong took Ruan Rong out of the government office, talking and laughing all the way, regardless of the eyes of others.

    The two first visited the Slender West Lake, then they headed over to the Daming Temple to pray at the Buddha. Seeing that Ruan Rong was a little tired, they found a small shop selling spice-dried tea by the river. They sat by the window, tasting the delicious snacks and chatting aimlessly.

    Although Ruan Rong has the unique heroism of a fragrant woman, she was still a lady of a noble family when eating. She did not show her teeth and chewed carefully. In the eyes of Sun Shaozong, Ruan Rong was even more conservative.

    He couldn''t help thinking in his heart that he had cheated to hold her hand that day, but he didn''t know when he could coax her crimson lips to have a long and decent kiss.

    When he was thinking about it, he noticed Ruan Rong''s actions of poking the dried tea on the plate with her chopsticks. Her face looked like she had something to say, but was hesitant. Her eyebrows were even sadder.

    Looking at this, Sun Shaozong immediately throws his dirty thoughts away. He reached out to hold her hand and asked with concern, "What''s the matter? Are you feeling a little homesick?"

    Ruan Rong listened, but she was still a little ignorant. Sun Shaozong had to break it up, rub it down again, and instill his thoughts into her little by little.

    Seeing that Ruan Rong''s face was smiling again, Sun Shaozong was relieved this time. Just after he took the teacup and moistened his throat, Ruan Rong said with a smile, "Brother Sun, your words are much more thorough than Sister Lin''s analysis. I''ll see when I get back if that girl still dares to look down on people."

    With her intimacy with Lin Daiyu these days, Daiyu would never underestimate her. In this way, Ruan Rong''s anger should be complaining about Sun Shaozong.

    Tch!

    It is predicted that Lin Daiyu thought that he had been kept in the dark by the Qian Xiang people all the time, so her words showed some contempt.

    Thinking of his IQ, he was probably despised by an 11-year-old girl. Sun Shaozong smiled, but he didn''t care about anything. He brushed the tip of Ruan Rong''s nose and said with a smile, "Are you that glorious to compare me with a little girl?"

    Ruan Rong thought it was the same. Her lover was a great man, who even the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was shocked. What was there to compare with a little girl?

    However, she still had to show off her lover''s wisdom in front of Daiyu when she returned.

    They traveled around the city of Yangzhou, visited all kinds of scenery, and tasted all kinds of snacks. When they came back, it was already dark.

    After entering the corner gate, Ruan Rong rushes to find Lin Daiyu to bring out the facts and reasons. Sun Shaozong originally wanted to go back to his guest room, but on the way, he saw a small living room in the backyard of the government office, which was brightly lit. It seems that Jia Lian is having a banquet.

    This was a big evening, especially since they have to leave tomorrow morning. Why would there be a guest at this time?

    Because he was curious, he looked a few more times. Unexpectedly, he was caught by Jia Lian¡¯s servant. He bumped up from afar and said with a smile, "Isn¡¯t it a coincidence? My Second Master Lian was just talking about you, and you¡¯ve come back. Please come inside!"

    In the past few days, Sun Shaozong had gotten used to mixing with several servants. He was too lazy to beat around the bush. He pointed to the living room with his chin and asked, "Did some distinguished guests arrive?"

    "What distinguished guests?"

    Xing''er said with disdain and complacency, "Jia Yucun was originally just an impoverished family, but later, they stuck up and joined the Jia family. Relying on the help of our second master and uncle, he managed to become a prefect of Jinling! Who knows, in recent years, he has climbed up to The Prince and was about to be promoted to the Prime Minister of the Shuntian mansion. Now he comes sticking up again, wanting to return to the capital with our second master!"

 Chapter 17: When an Ambitious Person Meets a Treacherous Person

    Chapter 17: When an Ambitious Person Meets a Treacherous Person

    Jinling Prefecture magistrate was the official position of the fourth rank, and the Prime Minister of Shuntian Prefecture was also the official position of the fourth rank. In addition, he has changed from the official seal officer to the Deputy official. It seems that his real power has been greatly reduced. But these days, the capital''s officials are dignified. Even if the Prime Minister of Shuntian Prefecture can barely be regarded as half of the capital''s officials, he still deserves the word ¡±promotion¡± in the eyes of the people at that time.

    However, this position that officials all over the world envy, in the view of the tyrants of the Jia family, was still filled with 70% disdain and 30% envy. They keep saying that a fourth-class hall official has settled down in a broken place. It seems that Jia Yucun would have been worse off without the support of family and friends like Rong Guo Fu

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong finally understood the meaning of the proverb ¡±A dog''s eyes that look down on a human.¡± He also thought that these young fellows should also often make up stories about the Sun family, so he tends to become less close to them.

    But because of Jia Lian, it''s not good to give Xing''er a face.

    So he just answered, and went straight to the living room.

    Since Jia Lian mentioned him in front of Jia Yucun, he might think it''s a good idea to bring them together. Moreover, since he was a person who wants to go on the journey together, it was better to meet early than late.

    When he was walking to the front door of the living room, he heard someone inside vividly say, "The abbot of Jiming Temple didn''t like the dirty thatched cottage, so he went to the backyard in the dark for the toilet. Unexpectedly, he was dim-sighted from old age and was stabbed by the tender tips of bamboo shoots into his buttocks. He screamed in pain. When the little monk heard the sound, he couldn''t help but put his hands together and said, ¡°Amitabha, it''s really a bad retribution!¡±

    Before his words were over, Sun Shaozong had already arrived at the door. He saw a middle-aged scholar in the hall with his palms placed together. His face was half surprised and half happy, and he was also a little panicked, just like the little monk who had just solved the hatred of the backyard but was afraid of being blamed by the Buddha.

    This performance, which was delivered with role-playing, narration, action, and playing, naturally caused Jia Lian to give a round of applause and laugh. He said straight in his mouth, "What a good retribution! What a good retribution!"

    Sun Shaozong was only stunned for one second, then smiled and crossed the threshold. He joked, "I don''t think it''s retribution. It''s clear that the old monk did not have enough extravagance. If he could be like your Second Brother Lian, with three or five lanterns shining every time he goes to the toilet, how can there be such a disaster?"

    When Jia Lian saw that it was Sun Shaozong who came in, he laughed happily again. He got up and poked his finger at him falsely, laughing and scolding, "I don''t like the feeling of stomach ache. Erlang can''t buckle the excrement basin on me!"

    With these words, he affectionately pulled Sun Shaozong to the table and introduced him to Jia Yucun, "Big brother, this is the Erlang of the Sun family. Their family and Rongguo Mansion are old friends of several generations."

    At this time, Jia Yucun was in control of the conversation of the three people at the banquet and coaxed Jia Lian like a puppet, which goes along with his words.

    However, Sun Shaozong was still able to stand up for himself. When it comes to people''s livelihoods and political affairs, it is more meaningful than the rhetoric of young people nowadays.

    At such an age and with such a person, it was appropriate to use the word ¡±promising¡± to describe them!

    Therefore, Jia Yucun could not help feeling jealous but had a love for talents, so he said so.

    Sun Shaozong smiled at the speech and was about to say something. Jia Lian shook his head. "Brother Yucun, this is your fault. It will be a pity if Erlang doesn¡¯t use his martial arts skills to fight in the army! You think everyone is as happy as you to spend time on the paperwork."

    "Haha..."

    Jia Yucun slapped himself on the forehead, laughing, "I¡¯m the one to be blamed. I just think about Shaozong''s good knowledge, but forget that he is still a valiant general. Forget it. I''ll punish myself first!"

    The drinking feast went on till midnight.

    Jia Lian was drunk again. Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun called the servants, carried him back to his residence like a dead pig, and wobbled out of the living room.

    Along the way, the two walked side by side and said some drunken words, which they didn''t know what they had said.

    When they arrived at the northwest guest room of the government office, they said good night to each other because they were not in the same yard. They were helped by others and stumbled to their residence.

    With the help of Feng Xin, Sun Shaozong walked more than a dozen steps away. He looked back, subconsciously. Unexpectedly, he was caught in the sights of Jia Yucun. Their eyes were full of exploration. How could there be any sign of drunkenness?

    Both of them were stunned, and then they both laughed.

    After laughing for a long time, they arched their hands and walked toward their guest rooms again. This time, they did not stumble at all.

 Chapter 18: Set Sail

    Chapter 18: Set Sail

    The next morning, before Jia Lian woke up from a hangover, Sun Shaozong naturally became the commander-in-chief of the whole family. First, he packed their luggage and sundries into several carts and instructed people to go to the backyard to ask the female members to set off.

    During this period, Sun Shaozong thought of Jia Lian''s drunken talk that day. He secretly looked at Lin Daiyu''s luggage. Seeing that it was as shabby as he thought it was, he could not help sighing.

    As the saying goes, "Being a Qing Magistrate for three years, earning the salary of snowflakes falling.¡± The Yamen of the salt merchant was in the best position in the world. It was more than ten times better than the prefecture.

    No matter how incorruptible Lin Ruhai was, he still has millions and a hundred thousand taels of silver, but now only these worthless sundries are left. Combined with Jia Lian''s words that he felt sorry for Daiyu after he was drunk that day, the whereabouts of the silver can be imagined.

    "Why did Shaozong sigh?"

    At this time, the voice of Jia Yucun came from behind him suddenly.

    Sun Shaozong felt a sudden surprise in his heart. He hurriedly turned back and said perfunctorily, "It''s a pity that Lord Lin was so incorruptible as an official, but unfortunately died young."

    Sigh~

    Jia Yucun also sighed and said with emotion, "Brother Ruhai was a talented man, but heaven was envied of his talents that he died. Fortunately, there is a relative of the noble family in the Rongguo Mansion. Otherwise, it would be considered good if there was no one to take care of the affairs. What will I do with my lonely and helpless female student?"

    Noble relatives refer to expensive relatives!

    Hearing Jia Yucun''s emphasis on the word ¡±noble and relative,¡± Sun Shaozong knew that the old fox had already seen the clue, but all his sentences were praising the Rongguo Mansion. There was no omission. It was very cunning.

    After a while, a woman came out and shouted, "The girls are coming out. People who don''t have anything to do with it should avoid it!"

    Sun Shaozong consciously led Feng Xin to the side. But when he thought of Daiyu, he was curious. So when the female members went out and got on the carriage, he couldn''t help but look around.

    Next to Ruan Rong was a small lady with thin bones and fine facial features. Even if Yan Liben was born again, it would be difficult to draw such color.

    T/L Notes: Yan Liben is a famous painter of the Tang Dynasty.

    For a moment, Sun Shaozong, who was so fond of plumpness, inevitably came up with some thoughts that he shouldn''t have, so he was busy reciting the heart-clearing mantra three times:

    More than three years but less than ten years!

    More than three years but less than ten years!

    However, this description was appropriate. A transgressor like Sun Shaozong just puts his "heart" into someone else''s skin.

    The two chatted a few more words, and then a young man came and said that Jia Yucun had boarded the ship and asked whether he wanted to leave immediately.

    Sun Shaozong naturally wanted to hurry on the road, so he gave an order. The boatman shouted to untie the rope, pull up the gangplank and took out several poles to carefully prop the boat out of the wharf. Then he raised the sail and went up along the river.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    Along the way, Sun Shaozong either exchanged wine and sang with Jia Lian or talked with Jia Yucun. Occasionally, he got the opportunity to have a very intimate session with Ruan Rong, but rarely met Daiyu.

    It was in the middle of winter. The river was cold and the wind was blowing. Lin Daiyu was so weak that she had to sit in the cabin and engage in literary activities or chat with Ruan Rong to relieve boredom.

    But that afternoon, Sun Shaozong tricked Ruan Rong into his cabin. He tries every possible way to coax her into doing the ¡±rub-down¡± with her slender hands. When he was at the climax, he could not help but feel greedy again and gently pressed her head down

    Bang!

    It happened that at this time, he didn''t know whether it was hit by something. The hull shook violently. Ruan Rong''s foot was unstable. She falls onto Sun Shaozong''s and accidentally hits the important part between his legs!

    With this collision, he almost feels that he has lost it all!

    "Ah!!!"

    Sun Shaozong screamed. He clamped his legs in pain and rolled from the bed to the bottom of the bed. He whined and breathed heavily.

    Ruan Rong was so scared that she quickly stepped forward to hold him and asked with concern, "Brother Sun?! Are you alright? Do you want to... Do you want to see a doctor?¡±

    Currently, the passenger ship is passing through a hilly area. There are cliffs more than 20 meters high on both sides of the river. Where can she find a doctor?

    Sun Shaozong snorted again for a while, then reluctantly raised his face with blue veins and said with a strong smile, "No... It''s okay. Just let me take a break... Hiss! Just rest for a moment. You... Can go back to the cabin first. The deck is in a mess now. If someone comes to me, you won¡¯t be able to go."

    At this time, there was indeed a lot of noise on the deck. It seemed that there were two groups of people shouting and scolding each other.

    Although Ruan Rong was worried about Sun Shaozong''s "injury," she was also afraid of being blocked in the cabin. Therefore, under Sun Shaozong''s repeated urging, she finally went out of the cabin, looking back repeatedly at every step she took.

    After she left, Sun Shaozong immediately locked the door and jumped up and down like a rabbit with a "tail.¡± Where did that tough-guy image go?

 Chapter 19: The Salt Dealer in the River Cascade

    Chapter 19: The Salt Dealer in the River Cascade

    As mentioned above, the ship was divided into three layers. The first layer below the deck was the cargo warehouse and the boatman''s room, and the passenger cabin above the deck was occupied by the Jia family.

    Because the second floor was more blocked out, it was allocated to the female family members.

    However, Ruan Rong went up to the second floor in a worrying way and ran into two panicked women. She was guilty in her heart, so she didn''t dare stop and ask the reason. Instead, she dodged aside.

    Who knows that the two old servants couldn¡¯t pay any attention to their manners? They just briefly apologized without looking back and hurried downstairs.

    The servants of rich and powerful families always pay attention to the word "etiquette". If there wasn¡¯t something big happening, they would never panic like this.

    Ruan Rong was also curious about what was going on outside, so she went to Daiyu''s room. As the hostess of the boat, Daiyu''s room had a panoramic view of the ship¡¯s bow.

    When she opened the cabin door, she saw Lin Daiyu, Zi Juan, and Xue Yan lying in the window, looking down through a gap. Except that Daiyu was barely calm, the remaining two servant girls all looked worried.

    "What exactly happened?" Ruan Rong walked quickly behind the three ladies and asked curiously, "Looking at you one by one, it seems like the sky has fallen."

    The three ladies were startled. Seeing Ruan Rong, Daiyu hurriedly stepped aside and said, "You will know after looking at it!"

    Given their relationship, Ruan Rong would not be polite to her. She went to the window and saw that they had only opened a gap carefully, so she stretched out her hand to push the circle and looked out.

    On the river nearly 100 meters wide, there were six big watercraft with wild geese spreading their wings lined up, cutting across the whole river. There were at least 70 or 80 people on the deck, shouting and scolding the servants of the rich with the Cao family''s boat across the river.

    "Have we encountered a water bandit?"

    Ruan Rong muttered casually that the two servant girls who had been bluffing were pale, especially the younger servant, Xue Yan. Their eyes were red, and they almost burst into tears.

    Daiyu hurriedly pushed Ruan Rong and protested with dissatisfaction, "Don''t scare people, sister! How are there so many water bandits on the canal, and how can they even use those ships for transporting tribute grain? There must be some other reason!"

    She then turned back to comfort Xue Yan and said, "Don''t panic. When Mother Zhang comes back, we will know what''s going on."

    Coincidentally, Mother Zhang broke in at this time. Before she could breathe, she replied, "Don''t be afraid, girls. They are not water bandits ahead, but a group of salt dealers!"

    It turned out that the six watercraft were caravans carrying salt northward. One of their craft accidentally got stuck on a reef because the boat was freighted with too much merchandise and was too deep in a draught. The bottom of the boat was also broken.

    However, it was too late to admit defeat at this time. He saw that the five large ships opposite had already fanned up. The passenger ship of the Jia family had just laid the iron anchor and had no time to change the wind direction. For a moment, it was stuck there!

    At this time, the servants of the rich finally realized that the people they had just provoked were actually over 100 strong men with fierce spirits and sharp blades!

    So, one by one, their faces looked like they were being strangled by someone in the throat. They couldn''t even say a sentence and were different from the sharp-tongued people earlier on.

    Seeing that they were getting closer, he saw a middle-aged fat man in a brocade mink robe on the opposite ship. Surrounded by many salt dealers, he pointed and scolded, "What kind of bullshit is the Prefect of Jinling, a small official like him also dares to appear in front of me?! I will drive all the people on the ship into the water later to wash your stinky mouth that is used to spray feces!"

    All the people in the Jia family''s faces changed color when they heard what they said. It seems that if people like them, who live in comfort with wealth and honor, were thrown into the water in the winter, they¡¯re afraid that they would be half disabled even if they survive!

    In a hurry, the servants of the rich were forced to show courage and quickly show their final cards, "What do you want to do? The person who is in charge of this ship is the Second Master Lian of our Rongguo Mansion!

    "Yes, we are from the Rongguo Mansion!"

    "Our Second Master''s wife''s family is Lord Wang, who is in control of the nine provinces!"

    The cards turned out to be bigger and higher, and the servants of the rich also straightened their backs again. It was obvious that there were more dirty words in their scolding towards them.

    The fat man on the other side laughed at the speech and said, "I thought who it was? It turned out to be the precious son of first-class general, Jia She! Well, I''ll save face for the Rongguo Mansion. Other than Jia Lian, throw them all into the water for me!"

    After listening to the first half of the story, the servant of the rich thought that the opposite side had been bluffed. They were about to take the opportunity to show off their power again. They didn''t expect that the last sentence would be a sharp turn. They were all scared that they couldn¡¯t speak.

    It was only at this time that Jia Lian knew that what Jia Yucun said was right. Indeed, the other party had the support of a person who covered luxury behind him, and even the Rongguo Mansion and Wang Ziteng can¡¯t let them be afraid.

    While talking, he saw that the big ships had already approached. The salt dealers made concerted efforts to build the gangplank to the side of the ship, and then they all raised their swords and guns and surged up like a tide!

    The servants of the rich turned chaotic, some of them were frozen and could not move on the spot. Some shouted and turned around to escape into the cabin. What''s more, the weak servant was even kneeling on the ground and was screaming the name of their ancestor.

    The situation suddenly collapsed into such a state that both Jia Lian and Jia Yucun looked pale. Especially Jia Yucun, who had already regretted that his intestines were green. If he had known that he would encounter such a disaster, he would not have rushed to go with Jia Lian!

    While they were all in a panic, they saw that the servant of the rich who had just escaped into the cabin rushed out again, with an expression like seeing a ghost on their faces.

    The next moment, he saw a large wooden pole person, like a thick and thin top beam and pole, leaping out of the cabin and staggering straight to the ship¡¯s bow.

 Chapter 20: Reincarnation of Evil and Resurrection of Dian Wei

    Chapter 20: Reincarnation of Evil and Resurrection of Dian Wei

    In Daiyu''s room, after looking through the window for a long time, the ladies saw that the situation had taken a sharp turn. The salt smugglers were all ferocious. They were not thieves but they looked like they were stronger than thieves. For a while, they were in a mess.

    Xue Yan was so scared that she clenched its neckline and cried out like a quail, "What should we do? Those thieves are going to rush onto the boat!"

    But who can give her the answer here?

    Zi Juan was also in a panic, but a figure suddenly flashed in her mind. It was like finding a straw to save her life. She shouted, "Oh right, what about the second master of the Sun family? He might know how to deal with these thieves!"

    Hearing this, everyone focused on Ruan Rong.

    Ruan Rong can''t help secretly crying in bitterness. If this was in ordinary times, she believes in Sun Shaozong''s ability to take down those thieves, but she accidentally hit Sun Shaozong''s ¡±important part¡± earlier on, and now she didn¡¯t know how much he recovered. How can she bear to let her love go to battle with injuries?

    But this reason is really hard to say.

    Therefore, she hesitated a few times humming and hawing her words but was full of guilt in the eyes of all the ladies.

    Although Zi Juan and Xue Yan were disappointed, they were still unable to say anything because of their identity.

    However, Daiyu thinks that Sister Ruan has been overpraising Sun Shaozong, that such people were rare and valuable. Even her Brother Bao was nothing compared to him. But now that they have encountered a real scenario, Mr. Sun is nowhere to be found.

    Thus, she couldn''t help herself but blurt out, "You used to boast about his reincarnation like the Overlord, but I didn''t think that he¡¯s actually a donkey''s dung! I think you need to think twice. Don''t ruin your whole..."

    Before the word ¡±life¡± has been said, the deck situation has changed again!

    The servants of the rich who escaped into the cabin came running out again. Then, a big wooden pole-like pillar jumped out of the cabin and swayed straight to the ship¡¯s bow!

    When the big figure swayed more than four meters away, they saw a man as big as a bear embracing the pole, and who else could it be if it wasn''t Sun Shaozong?!

    It turned out that Sun Shaozong had just suppressed the pain he felt with his injured ¡±part¡±. When he heard the noise outside, he called Feng Xin to inquire about the truth on the deck.

    After hearing that there were five ships of salt dealers, who surrounded the passenger ships and threatened that they would throw everyone into the water. Where could he still stay put?

    Without thinking about it, he went to the stern of the boat to pull up the big scull that requires the strength of six people to shake and ran out with the pain in his crotch.

    The salt dealers on the five opposite ships were shocked, and the color of their faces changed. They thought that they had encountered an evil reincarnation, the resurrection of Dian Wei, and there was no point in regenerating against an enemy''s mind!

    Sun Shaozong stood majestically at the ship¡¯s bow, spread his arms, and pointed forward. The scull almost poked into the face of the salt dealer opposite him. The salt dealer was so scared that he fell to his knees with a plop, and his mouth was full of immortal and ancestors'' calling.

    But Sun Shaozong ignored it. He only slightly adjusted his posture, pointed the scull at the middle-aged fat man, and said with a sneer, "Did you just say that you wanted to drive everyone on board into the water?"

    The fat man was scared and trembled. If he hadn''t been supported, he would have been paralyzed to the ground.

    When he was so frightened, he naturally ignored any taboos and shouted in a high voice, "I am the steward of Prince Zhongshun''s mansion. If you dare to touch me, The Prince will not spare you!"

    As soon as the title ¡±Prince Zhongshun¡± came out, Sun Shaozong felt the air behind him suddenly sink, and even Jia Lian was shocked that he forgot to breathe.

    It turned out that the ¡°Royal Prince¡± and the Emperor were biological brothers from the same mother. He who relies on his mutual affection with the Emperor which was different from others, acted perversely and domineering. Not to mention that it was just a Rongguo Mansion, even if the four princes and eight ministers act together, they may not be able to take him down.

    With the Prince behind the fat steward''s back, it was no wonder that the salt dealers dare to transport illegal salt flagrantly.

    When the fat man saw that he had reported his origin and everyone across the street was afraid, his courage rose again.

    So he shouted, "Hey you, no matter how brave you are, I''m afraid you won''t be able to offend my master! I advise you to put your hands off the hook and follow me to the Prince. Who knows if the Prince will recognize you as a talented man and pardon your death. He may also give you a great fortune to work under his command!"

    It turned out that the fat steward saw that Sun Shaozong was very brave, so he was tempted to recruit him.

    He thought to himself that if he could help the Prince to recruit such a powerful general, he would not only be able to atone for the loss of a ship of illegal salt, he may be able to make amends for his failed mission too.

    What are the chances that someone was attracted!

    It''s just that the person was not Sun Shaozong, but Jia Lian who was attracted.

    He thought if he could use Sun Shaozong to overcome the disaster, it would be the best scenario. So he hurried forward and persuaded Sun Shaozong to comply.

    But at this time, Sun Shaozong sniffed, "What¡¯s the big deal about Prince Zhongshun? Can it be greater than the Emperor today?"

    Then, he looked back and pointed to Daiyu''s room on the second floor and sneered, "The beloved daughter of Lin Ruhai, the salt patrolling censor, is on this ship now. Lord Lin has just passed away, and Miss Lin''s filial piety is heavy, but she has been humiliated by a group of smuggled salt dealers! What would Your Majesty do if this matter were reported to Your Majesty?"

    This time, it was the fat steward''s turn to agitatedly change color.

 Chapter 21: Dissolve the Fight, Daiyu Suddenly had a Whim

    Chapter 21: Dissolve the Fight, Daiyu Suddenly had a Whim

    If Lin Ruhai, the salt inspector, was still alive, the fat steward might not have much fear.

    After all, Lin Ruhai was only the emperor''s confidant, and ¡±Prince Zhongshun¡± was the younger brother of the Emperor from the same mother. It¡¯s obvious who would win when judging by the relationship.

    However, Lin Ruhai has just died, and his only orphan daughter has been bullied by Royal slaves. What will the Emperor think of this? How will the ministers in court react?

    The more the fat steward thought about it, the more he felt the chill on his neck. Instead, he began to rejoice that the salt dealer had been blocked by Sun Shaozong and had not made a big mistake in time.

    It¡¯s just that...

    He glanced at the salt dealer on the ship from the corner of his eye, and then looked at Jia Lian and others on the opposite side. For a moment, he didn''t know how to end it. He had just announced the name of the royal residence, but he had to admit defeat in public. If the Royal Prince knew it, how could he forgive him?

    Fortunately, there is a Jia Yucun nearby.

    "Steward."

    Seeing that he had directly skipped the conflict just now, he said, "Since we are destined to meet each other, it is nothing to help each other, but we have already loaded a lot of luggage on the ship. I''m afraid we can''t put this ship full of salt goods in it."

    As soon as he stepped up the stairs, the fat steward suddenly felt a lot more relaxed. He saw that the salt dealers who fell into the water climbed back to the boat one after another. Although they were all bruised and cold, none of them were dead. He knew that the other side had been lenient while fighting.

    So he hurried down the slope and said, "It doesn''t matter. After adjusting the things in my five boats, I can still squeeze half a boat of salt cargo. You just need to help deliver the remaining half a boat of salt to the ferry!"

    The two agreed on the regulations, and Jia Yucun asked Jia Lian to take over to be in charge.

    The Second Master Lian had already lost most of his soul after his constant fright. At this time, he saw that it had finally turned fighting into friendship. How can he refuse?

    So the boatman here quickly lifted the anchor and leaned near the salt ship that hit the reef, and let the salt dealer move the remaining salt cargo on it.

    A storm has gone up in smoke. Both sides tried to pretend as if nothing had happened. But who can forget the scene of Sun Shaozong holding a scull and overawe the brunch of salt dealers?

    So, the fat steward chatted with Jia Lian and Jia Yucun, and the topic was eagerly brought to Sun Shaozong.

    Anyway, they are all heading back to the Capital. They can''t hide it. Besides, Jia Lian and Jia Yucun ¡±dare not¡± deceive the royal steward for the sake of Sun Shaozong.

    Although Daiyu didn¡¯t care about her ¡±slip of the tongue,¡± comparing Sun Shaozong today with her Brother Bao who loves rouge, she unconsciously felt a little envious.

    At this time, an arm suddenly wrapped around her slender waist and pulled it into her arms without saying anything.

    In the beginning, Daiyu was startled. She looked up, but if it wasn¡¯t her god sister, Ruan Rong, who else could it be?

    "Hum, hum!"

    Ruan Rong deliberately strained her small face and asked, "Just now, I don''t know which villain is slandering Brother Sun for being a donkey dung egg. If I don''t punish this villain properly, wouldn''t there be no heavenly justice?!"

    As she said this, she started to tickle Daiyu''s armpits and waist.

    "Mrs. Sun, please spare my life!"

    Daiyu hurriedly admitted defeat and shouted, "Brother Sun is so brave and invincible that ghosts and gods are reborn! It¡¯s me being ignorant of a jade-like figure earlier on. Please look upon our relationship before and forgive me¡°

    Ruan Rong was ashamed and happy when she shouted ¡±Mrs. Sun¡±. Even her bones felt lighter, but she didn¡¯t want to let Daiyu off like this. She said, "What a sharp-mouthed girl," and she continued to tickle her.

    However, Daiyu suddenly raised her small face and asked, "Sister, what do you say about letting Baoyu practice martial arts with Brother Sun? He doesn''t like reading anyway, and he can just inherit the great martial arts accomplishments of his ancestors!"

    Ruan Rong almost burst out laughing at this remark.

    Although she has never seen Jia Baoyu, she has been living with Lin Daiyu day and night these last few days, and she has already filled her ears with the story of this cosmetic young master. Jia Baoyu was not good at studying, but how could she stand the hard work of practicing martial arts?

    However, no matter how much she didn''t think so, seeing Daiyu''s serious little face, it was not easy to break her interest, so she said vaguely, "It''s not a big problem for Brother Sun, but your Brother Baoyu is as good as a descendant of royal families. Can your family be willing to let him practice martial arts?"

    "How do you know if you will succeed without trying?"

    Daiyu was just a whim, but she thought that Baoyu was not interested in studying to make any progress. She even called the scholars ¡±people working for a high salary.¡± Instead, he praised the famous swordsmen of all ages. Maybe he was martial arts material.

    It¡¯s not that she wants Baoyu to make any significant progress. But when she just looked at Sun Shaozong''s majestic appearance and remembered the incident of ¡°Bringing the United States to fight a group of thieves,¡± she couldn''t help but have some expectations.

    So she insisted, "Baoyu doesn''t have to practice to the level of Brother Sun. As long as he has 30%... No, 50% of... Wait, 70% of Brother Sun¡¯s ability, that will be enough!"

    Seeing her show the temperament to outdo others and raise her standards again and again, Zi Juan and Xue Yan nearby rolled their eyes when they listened to it. They said in their hearts that not to mention 70% of the total. If Baoyu can be 10% as heroic as Sun Shaozong, it will be because of the accumulated virtue of the ancestors of the Rongguo Mansion!

 Chapter 22: A Grand Entry

    Chapter 22: A Grand Entry

    After the episode of the salt dealers trying to hijack the ship, there were no more twists and turns on the road leading to the north.

    On December 23rd of the Lunar Year, it was the Winter Solstice Festival. People had come out to celebrate outside the Dongbian gate. On the river, many boats can be seen cruising along.

    Early in the morning, the servants of the rich from the Jia family displayed the Imperial Flag of the hereditary Rongguo family and ran amuck on the river like dumplings. It was rampant.

    Although Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun both felt that it was inappropriate to be so ostentatious under the Imperial City, they were helpless that Jia Lian had been away from the capital for nearly a year. It was not easy to come back, and still knew how to be ¡±low-key?¡±

    Two men insinuated a few words of persuasion. Seeing that he seemed unheard of, they were too lazy to care about him anymore and stood on the bow of the ship being a statue.

    Not long after, the passenger ship was berthing on the wharf. Before the boatmen could set up the plank, they heard someone jumping on the shore shouting, "Second Master, Second Master! You are back!"

    Jia Lian probed his head and glanced to search for the voice that called him on the boat and said with a laugh, "Bao Er, it''s you!¡±

    As he spoke, he saw that the plank had been set up and walked ahead.

    Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun gave each other a few courteous excuses and then got off the ship. Initially, they were thinking about whether to take Jia''s carriage into the city, or simply break up with him here and find another way to go back to their house.

    "Second Master!"

    Suddenly a man fell in front of him and grabbed his arm. Tears ran down his eyes. "How can you not say a word to me? I''ve been waiting here for more than half a month, and finally, you¡¯re back!"

    Only then did Sun Shaozong know that the calling voice of ¡±Second Master¡± earlier on had his share as well.

    He was busy looking closely and saw that the self-proclaimed ¡±old servant¡± was about 50 years old. Although his hair was gray, he was quite strong and burly. He was only half as short as himself.

    Looking through his memory, Sun Shaozong immediately remembered the identity of the person who came, Wei Licai, the old housekeeper of the Sun family.

    When the Sun family fell into poverty, all their servants were scattered. Only Wei Licai never left. He continues to live with the Sun family for seven or eight years of hardship. Therefore, although he was called the master¡¯s servant, which was no different from his family.

    "Uncle Wei!"

    After recalling this part, Sun Shaozong naturally did not dare to neglect it. He quickly held Wei Licai back up and pretended to be angry, "How can you wait for me here in the cold weather? What about those little monkeys at home? Have they rebelled one by one?"

    A young man nearby hurriedly distinguished, "Second Master, it''s not that the young servants don¡¯t know the rules. It''s really......"

    "It was me, the old servant who wanted to be the first to see the Second Master, so I insisted on this job." As the old housekeeper said this, he looked up and down at Sun Shaozong. After a while, he said with great admiration, "I haven''t seen you for more than a year. The Second Master has become more and more handsome!"

    Sun Shaozong was speechless when he heard the speech. He''s afraid that no matter how he described his majestic body, he would have no chance with the word ¡±handsome?¡±

    "What about going back to the carriage!"

    Sun Shaozong yelled, looked at the old servant, and said, "Uncle Wei, if Rong''er hadn''t helped me, I would have died in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang. Not to mention the underlying friendship along the way, we have already made a lifelong commitment. Since she will be the hostess of this family sooner or later, what is the big deal to pass through the main gate in advance?"

    With these words, he took half a step forward, and with only a gentle lift from his shoulder, he carried the housekeeper Wei to the side, and then pulled Ruan Rong to go in.

    "Second Master!"

    Seeing that the two were about to cross the threshold, Wei Licai was too busy to care about it. He shouted, "In the first founder of a Dynasty, rules were made that military generals should not take women from other countries as their wives. Those who violate the orders should strip off their official titles and be demoted as citizens!"

    Is there such a rule in the Great Zhou Dynasty?

    It makes sense to think about it. At the beginning of the founding of the state, the founders of the Great Zhou Dynasty had just expelled the ¡±Yuan Dynasty¡± and restored the rule of the Han people. It was at a time when national sentiment was high that it was not too much to set such rules.

    When Sun Shaozong heard his words, he was shocked. Ruan Rong, beside him, suddenly changed her complexion. Even though she struggled desperately, her eyes were full of tears, and she said, "Brother Sun, as long as I can be with you, I will be satisfied. You must not..."

    If she hadn''t said anything, Sun Shaozong might still have hesitated a little. But hearing Ruan Rong¡¯s words evoked Sun Shaozong''s temper, so he immediately put his hand away from the old housekeeper and pulled Ruan Rong into the mansion!

    After crossing the threshold, Sun Shaozong stopped again and looked at Ruan Rong, who was already in tears. He said with a laugh, "Why are you crying? If a military general can''t marry, I''ll just be a civil servant. When I see the Emperor, I''ll ask to be a civil servant first, and then I''ll marry you!"

    He didn''t just speak randomly to deceive Ruan Rong.

    At the beginning of the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, to avoid repeating the disaster of the imbalance between civil and military affairs in the two Song Dynasties, a special rule was formulated. After the civil imperial examination, a group of scholars would be selected to take up military posts in the army. Then, a group of martial scholars who were proficient in writing and reading would be selected by the military officer to serve as people-friendly officials.

    Unfortunately, this rule has not been able to reverse the inertia of history.

    Decades after the world was peaceful, the group of civil officials gradually suppressed the dignitaries'' families, and the bad habit of valuing literature over martial arts became common again.

    Up to now, although this rule is still effective on the surface, it has long been changed beyond recognition.

    On the side of being civil scholars, only the unlucky fellow scholars would be kicked out of being a civil servant and be sent to the army for training. In addition, they will all be promoted to six grades above their actual posts.

    Among the military scholars, only the first class No. 1 to 3 scholars and the second class honor of the top 12 scholars were qualified to become civil servants. When they were transferred to the civil department, they often have to be demoted two to four ranks and then wait for an opening to fill the vacancy as a fellow scholar. Moreover, they can''t be a county magistrate and other local officials at all levels. They can only be assistants to first-class scholars.

    Not only that, after taking up the official post, the military scholars would have to endure the outcast of civil officials. If they were careless, they would be impeached.

    But even so, military scholars still have a strong desire to be transferred to civilian work.

    Sun Shaozong was the fifth-best martial scholar in the eighth year of Guangde. Otherwise, with his young age and not having won any title of nobility, how could he become an actual post of a sixth-grade Lieutenant?

    It was because of this level of identity that Jia Yucun began to persuade him to wait for an opportunity to become a civil servant that day.

 Chapter 23: A Perfidious Person who Talks Nonsense About his Wife and Concubine

    Chapter 23: A Perfidious Person who Talks Nonsense About his Wife and Concubine

    Sun Shaozong''s ¡±arbitrary behavior¡± in front of the mansion naturally attracted a lot of servants and nannies, not to mention if someone dares to gossip about it, not even half dared to stay to see the show.

    The reason was that Sun Shaozu''s way of running a family was very different from that of the Rongguo Mansion, and his means were more severe than those in the army. Not to mention being just ordinary servants, even his concubine in the backyard, if there was any disagreement, he was also prone to beating and scolding as the light punishment and sells them to brothels as prostitutes as the heavy punishment.

    Therefore, the whole mansion was cautious, and no one dared to violate Sun Shaozu''s taboo.

    Sun Shaozong led Ruan Rong into the Sun Mansion. According to his memory, he found a place near the guest room in the east wing. He also ordered servants to go to the backyard to find some nannies and servant girls and help Ruan Rong to decorate the room.

    When he was so busy with matters of his return, he heard his door was knocked open by a person. A strong man with a face full of beard rushed in. He swept his bronze bell-like ox eyes around. Without saying a word, he raised his vinegar bowl-sized fist and was about to punch Ruan Rong''s face.

    His fist was like a thunderbolt, or at least a few hundred kilograms of strength. If it happens to hit, Ruan Rong would die on the spot!

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong was not far away. Seeing this, he hurriedly stopped in front of Ruan Rong and raised his fist to meet him.

    Bang!

    Two fists collided at one place, which seemed like dull thunder on normal days!

    Sun Shaozong''s body shook a little, but the man with a leopard''s head and eyes stepped back five or six steps, grinning and rubbing his shoulders. It was obvious that he had suffered a lot.

    "Erlang! I haven''t seen you for a year and your strength has become stronger!"

    The man shook his shoulder and gave praise. Then he yelled, "Get out of the way! Let me kill the vixen, and break your confusing thoughts!"

    "Big brother!"

    Sun Shaozong blurted out ¡±big brother¡± in his mouth, it turned out that this leopard-headed man was no one else, but his elder brother, Sun Shaozu. When chatting with the nannies earlier on, they all said that he was on duty in the Yamen patrolling camp. Who would have thought he would come back so soon!

    "Since you still know I''m your elder brother, then get out of my way!"

    He saw Sun Shaozu holding his fist and shouting angrily, "Do you think being a civil servant is that easy?! Nine of your subjects have been transferred. Seeing that it has only been more than a year, three of them have been cheated to get dismissed from the government office, and one of them has been sentenced to death for his greed on the disaster subsidies!"

    Who would have thought that Ruan Rong suddenly hesitated and said, "Brother Sun, don''t hurt your relationship as brothers because of me. In fact... As long as I can be with you, I... I don''t care so much about the status."

    This was the first time she had exposed her thoughts of ¡°doesn¡¯t care much about the status¡± in front of Sun Shaozong, who was shocked after he heard her.

    One should know that the difference between wives and concubines these days was no different between heaven and earth!

    Ruan Rong was at least the daughter of a senior official of the third rank. Although the value of the official position of the Kingdom of Qian Xiang was lower, she has no reason to take the initiative to be someone else''s concubine!

    "I didn''t expect this girl to be sensible."

    Sun Shaozu was overjoyed. He laughed and said, "What is the status of a woman in the family? Don''t we all depend on whether a man likes her or not? Previously, one of my concubines annoyed me because of the concubinage issue. Ever since then, I didn''t even take a look at her until I was dead!"

    This kind of thing, this kind of word, was estimated that only he would be able to do and say such a thing!

    "Big brother, what are you talking about?"

    Sun Shaozong yelled, and he looked back at Ruan Rong and said, "I didn''t take you home from afar for..."

    "Master, Master!"

    Before he could finish his words, he saw a gatekeeper rush in and stammered excitedly, "Outside... Outside, there came a eunuch who said that he was ordered by His Majesty to ask the Second Master to enter the palace immediately!"

    All the people in the room were stunned at what they heard. According to the law of the imperial court, foreign ministers and officials like Sun Shaozong, even if they were summoned for an audience in court, they had to report to the competent military department first.

    After the approval of the Ministry of War, they have to go to the Ministry of Rites to perform the ceremony.

    Only after graduating from the temporary ¡±training class¡± of the Ministry of Rites can they go to the palace gate to hand over the name sign and wait for the Emperor to turn over the sign.

    Now, he suddenly got an oral order to exempt all these formalities. It was a great grace to say it. But as the old saying goes, when things are unusual, it means that something is wrong!

    The Emperor was in a hurry to summon Sun Shaozong. It¡¯s not likely to be unreasonable?

    Moreover, it was not long before Sun Shaozong got off the ship, and he had not even had time to report to the Ministry of War. How did the Emperor know he was back?

 Chapter 24: An Ordinary Class Person

    Chapter 24: An Ordinary Class Person

    The Sun Mansion was not far from the Imperial Palace, but the ministers who could be summoned by the Emperor privately could only go in and out through the Donghua gate.

    So he had to follow the summoned eunuch and pass by his mansion three times like a fool. From the northwest corner of the inner city to the east of the imperial city.

    Maybe the eunuch saw that Sun Shaozong was too big and majestic. The imperial guards guarding the Donghua gate took him to a room at the side and searched every inch of him twice. It''s almost for them to pull out his ¡±murder weapon¡± in his crotch and measure its length.

    After successfully passing the ¡±security check,¡± he followed the summoned eunuch to walk around in between the palace wall, and he saw that the front view suddenly widened up and a magnificent hall flashed out.

    Sun Shaozong knew that he had arrived at the place. He was about to brace himself and deal with it, but he heard a noise coming from the left side of the hall door, "Oh, my God! What''s wrong with this cart? Why is it at the gate of the Wenying hall?"

    "What to do? What to do?! Inside carries the green stemmed rice that has just been paid tribute to. If we scatter it, we will all be dead!"

    On his way to the left, he saw a flat carriage loaded with rice overturning on the side, and two eunuchs were jumping up and down, shouting around the carriage.

    What a pompous performance!

    Sun Shaozong had gotten this conclusion when he only glanced twice at it.

    The hill of rice bales on the wagon seemed as if half of the wheels were broken in two. At first glance, it looked like an accident caused by an unbearable load.

    How vicious were Sun Shaozong''s eyes?

    A casual eye sweep of the scene revealed several flaws.

    First was the wheel, it seems that the fracture was neat. There was no sign of bending. It was obvious that it was first removed from the cart and then it was cut off with a sharp weapon.

    Secondly, it¡¯s the rice on the cart. There was a rollover accident that happened, but the rice on the cart was neat without any inclination. It was fine if the rice was tied tightly, but with just a few small ropes, if it were to bear a sudden big load, it would be scattered on the ground.

    Of course, the most obvious flaw was the dialogue between the two little eunuchs. It was in the midst of a cold winter, and it was impossible to produce new rice at all. And which fool in the world would dare to pay tribute to the Emperor for such old rice?

    Therefore, just relying on the words ¡±the green stemmed rice that has just been paid tribute to,¡± was enough to prove that this was a well-designed farce.

    As for the purpose of their performance...

    Sigh~

    Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly. The actors in the play were so bad that he didn''t want to be the protagonist!

    Unfortunately, it was the Emperor who made up this bad scene, and he simply could not stand his retreat on the spot. If he offended the director of the play, at most he would experience some of his scenes being cut off. However, If he offends the Emperor, his life would be the one that would get deleted.

    "These kids...!"

    The summoning eunuch complained about the fake play and turned to Sun Shaozong and said, "Please wait here outside. Let me head in first and report on your arrival in advance."

    "Thank you, eunuch."

    Sun Shaozong quickly bowed down and saluted.

    Before he went out earlier on, his big brother specifically told him that these eunuchs werescared of losing faces, no matter what was his thought, at least he could not lack the etiquette on the surface.

    Not long after Sun Shaozong returned to the door of Wen Ying hall, he saw the summoned eunuch coming out of the hall. He brushed his stick dust and said in a shrill voice, "Your Majesty has an order. Sun Shaozong, the Lieutenant Imperial Guard, enters the hall to meet the saint!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly restrained his disapproval. He bowed and followed the eunuch into the hall respectfully.

    The summoned eunuch also knew that he had not been trained in the ritual department, so he entered the hall door and led him forward for a few steps. He reminded him with a whisper, "Hurry and pay your greetings to the Emperor."

    With that, he arched his hands to the front and said, "Your Majesty, Sun Shaozong has been brought here."

    Sun Shaozong did not have time to see what the Emperor looked like, and he hurriedly knelt and said, "General Sun Shaozong here, sending my greetings to Your Majesty!"

    After waiting for a while, he heard someone say, "You may rise."

    Sun Shaozong, taking advantage of the time to get up, secretly glanced at him. He saw that behind the bright yellow desk there was an old man who was about half a hundred years old. The Supreme Emperor retired at the age of 70. Therefore, Emperor Guangde was already 43 years old when he succeeded to the throne. Nine years have passed, so he was naturally over half a hundred years old.

    Although Emperor Guangde failed to fully control the political situation due to the existence of the Supreme Emperor during his nine years of accession to the throne, his long-standing momentum was far more comparable than others. In particular, his long and thin eyes are half-open and half-closed, making it more difficult for people to guess what he thinks.

    However, compared to Emperor Guangde, what made Sun Shaozong more concerned was that a middle-aged minister not far in front was staring fiercely at him.

    Who was this?

    "Sun Shaozong."

    Sun Shaozong was guessing the identity of the minister when he heard Emperor Guangde casually ask, "I heard you just helped the eunuchs lift a cart full of rice for tribute?"

    Tch!

    This was an exact definition of ¡°asking while knowing the answer!¡±

    While Sun Shaozong was criticizing the unspoken, he hurriedly told the whole story of his encounter earlier on honestly.

    .

    After hearing this, Emperor Guangde was noncommittal but instead asked the minister, "What do you think of it, Earl Yong Yi?"

    "Return to Your Majesty!"

    Earl Yong Yi bowed down and said categorically, "I think this person should be dismissed and investigated. He should be blacklisted for all government-related jobs!"

    Dismissal investigation? Blacklist?!

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong was a little dumbfounded. He still hasn¡¯t said anything. Why must he get terminated first?

    At this moment, he heard Earl Yong Yi''s explanation, "He can''t even see through such a simple setup, which shows that he is an ordinary person. The Qian Xiang embassy mixed in spies, which led to the assassination and death of the imperial envoy, all due to his incompetence!"

    After a pause, he continued, "As for chasing the murderer for half a day, it''s a strange story. I think if it''s not for his luck, it might be the intention of the mastermind. It''s not worth being a reason to offset his punishment! Therefore, I think it''s better to dismiss and sack this ordinary person who has made big mistakes."

    Holy crap!

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong was really speechless.

    He was kind enough to cooperate with the Emperor in acting, but who knew that the other parties did not follow the normal routine and enforced an ¡±Ordinary Person¡± title on him!

 Chapter 25: The Second Trump Card

    Chapter 25: The Second Trump Card

    Originally, he thought that the play in front of the Wen Ying hall was to test his unparalleled strange power, so Sun Shaozong expressed his thoughts tactfully and subtly to hide the poor performance of the three eunuchs.

    But who could have thought that the routine was so deep?!

    Sun Shaozong took a silent look at Earl Yong Yi and then peeped at the Emperor''s expression.

    He had most likely guessed the true identity of Earl Yong Yi, but he didn''t know whether the words of ¡±dismissal investigation¡± earlier on had been approved by the Emperor or whether Earl Yong Yi was just trying to enforce the idea on the Emperor.

    If the latter was the case, there may be a turn for the better.

    If it''s the former, it''s useless to say anything. It''s better to plead guilty, subdue the law, and then go home to live a leisurely and happy life with his wife and children. Anyway, it won''t be too bad with his big brother''s protection.

    "Haha."

    At this time, Emperor Guangde smiled twice and still asked lightly, "Sun Shaozong, what do you want to distinguish from what Earl Yong Yi had just said?"

    Tch!

    The tone and expression of Emperor Guangde showed no clue as to what he was thinking.

    Try it first!

    Sun Shaozong took a deep breath, bowed down, and said, "Your Majesty, I just want to ask Earl Yong Yi. Is your surname ¡±Niu?¡±

    Except for the legitimate grandson of the Duke of Zhenguo, who was now the first-class Earl Niu Jizong, he''s afraid no one would care so much about Ambassador Niu''s death.

    Earl Yong Yi¡¯s face darkened again when he heard the words, and without waiting for the Emperor''s order, he said viciously, "What does it matter if my surname is ¡±Niu¡± or not? Your poor protection caused the assassination of the ambassador and the shame of the court. Shouldn''t you be punished?"

    But Sun Shaozong ignored him. He just squeezed out a look of sadness and knelt and said, "Since it''s Lord Niu, I have nothing to say."

    He had spent several years in the officialdom, although it was only a Regional Bureau, knowing that if he directly shifted the blame at this time, he would only leave a worse impression on his boss. Therefore, he didn''t say anything clearly but only beat around the bush, showing that he was full of grievances.

    Niu Jizong was not stupid either. Upon hearing this, he knew that Sun Shaozong was hinting that he was trying to expose him with short and powerful words to break his ¡±dirty thoughts,¡± but Emperor Guangde was already curious and said, "Why are you speechless when Lord Niu is here?"

    .

    With that curious question, Sun Shaozong felt refreshed!

    Because the Emperor didn''t mean to sing the double reed with Niu Jizong, there was no need to continue asking questions.

    His life was at stake. Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to him.

    Holding the pamphlet above his head with both hands, he said loudly, "...I had gathered information from all the places in the embassy, such as worker attendants and factotum workers. The confession has been stated clearly and in detail. The traitor who poisoned me was also a recruit by Lord Niu. There are account books in it as evidence as well. Please review it!"

    This was another trump card prepared by Sun Shaozong in addition to his action of ¡±relying on foreign forces to elevate its status!¡±

    He spent a lot of effort on these testimonies and account books. If it hadn''t been for the investigation, Sun Shaozong would have established supreme authority within the embassy, and it''s not possible to be so thorough.

    When Niu Jizong heard this, his heart was half cold.

    He faltered and tried to stop Sun Shaozong from presenting the pamphlet. However, Dai Quan, the head eunuch in charge of the palace, had trotted forward to take it and gave it to Emperor Guangde quickly.

    Niu Jizong moved at his feet, but he didn''t dare stop him after all. He bowed his head dejectedly but was not reconciled that he stared at Sun Shaozong furiously.

    Emperor Guangde took the pamphlet and flipped through it. Seeing that the writing on it was a little poor but everything was well organized, it was no less than what had been written by old officials for years. In his heart, he thought highly of Sun Shaozong and made a decision on the assassination case.

    Snap!

    He slammed the pamphlet together, sneering, "What a loyal family! What a spirit of serving the country with sincerity that can be seen by the sun and the moon! What a loyal man who died for his country!"

    Three times in a row of ¡±what a,¡± but it was as cold as he sounds!

    Niu Jizong was so pale that he did not dare speak aloud. He kowtowed his head three times and said in a trembling voice, "I''m afraid, it¡¯s me who did not teach my younger brother well, I''m sorry..."

    "That¡¯s enough!"

    Emperor Guangde impatiently threw the pamphlet in front of him and said, "For the sake of the old Duke of Zhenguo, you can hand over the money he withheld to the state treasury. I can assume that this shit has never happened. Step back!"

    "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

    Niu Jizong hurriedly picked up the pamphlet and bowed out in panic.

    After he disappeared outside the door, he looked at Emperor Guangde again and saw that he had put on a little smile on his face. He stretched out his hand to help him up falsely and said kindly, "Get up. Since you have done nothing wrong, I will naturally reward you greatly! Come tell me, what do you want?"

    In fact, this is just a polite remark.

    Generally speaking, after listening to the inscription, the ministers all expressed that they would follow Emperor Guangde''s instructions and that, as the ministers, there was no objection to the Emperor''s decision. In this way, the Emperor could take out the rewards which he had already prepared, and both parties could be happy with the results and enjoy themselves.

    But Sun Shaozong didn''t follow the routine this time. Hearing this, he immediately threw himself to the ground again and said, "Your majesty, I... I want to be transferred to a civilian position!"

 Chapter 26: Hidden Danger, Jia Yuanchun Select Talents in the Fengzao Palace

    Chapter 26: Hidden Danger, Jia Yuanchun Select Talents in the Fengzao Palace

    "You all can step back."

    Seeing Sun Shaozong leave the hall, Emperor Guangde waved his hand, and a crowd of bodyguards and eunuchs stepped out too.

    Emperor Guangde waited a little longer, then turned back and said, "Brother, there is no one in the hall now. You can come out now."

    Before he finished speaking, he saw a man flashing behind the panel where the drawings were two dragons playing with the pearl, and said angrily, "Your Majesty, I have managed to help you find a rare general with good abilities. Why did you promise him to be transferred to a civil servant?"

    This man was only a few years younger than Emperor Guangde, but he was well maintained. He looks like a man in his early thirties, and his facial features are very similar to Emperor Guangde. He was the younger brother of his mother, Prince Zhongshun.

    It turned out that after parting on the river that day, Zhou Jingui, the Governor of the Royal Residence, used a messenger pigeon to report all the events that happened that day to Prince Zhongshun, and highly praised Sun Shaozong''s being brave and his good skills in martial arts in the letter.

    Upon receiving the news, Prince Zhongshun sent people to squat on the dock. As soon as the passenger ship of Jia''s family arrived, he rushed to the palace to ¡±offer treasure.¡± Who would have thought that before he managed to say a few words to the Emperor, Earl Yongyi, Niu Jizong came running to the hall and repeatedly demanded Sun Shaozong be punished severely.

    That''s why there was a scene just now.

    After hearing Prince Zhongshun''s urgent question, Emperor Guangde said casually, "Young people, it''s hard to avoid a time when they''ve got great ambition but little talent. If they don''t go through trials and tribulations, how will I be able to control them in the future?"

    "What if he resists? Don''t forget, Your Majesty, that guy found the remaining assassins in only half a day in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang!"

    "Isn''t that better?" peror Guangde laughed, "If I could have a Di Renjie who is very powerful and is in charge of both military and political power, I''m afraid I would wake up in a dream."

    Prince Zhongshun thought it was true, but he didn''t want to change his mind so soon, so he hesitated and laughed, "I''m afraid what this guy wants is not fame and wealth, but a good family. I heard that he abducted a gorgeous lady from the Kingdom of Qian Xiang and kept saying that he wanted to marry her. Maybe he wanted to be transferred to civilian work to marry that lady."

    "Marry a lady from another country?"

    Emperor Guangde frowned for a while, then suddenly waved his hand and said, "Let¡¯s stop mentioning him and get down to business first. What do you think of the behavior of Niu Jizong just now?"

    Emperor Guangde grinned slightly, but his brows were full of anger.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    Not to mention how Emperor Guangde and Prince Zhongshun calculated the four princes and eight ministers.

    It was said that Sun Shaozong got the Emperor''s approval and went home happily. He told Ruan Rong about the transfer to being a civil servant. Ruan Rong was so happy that tears came running down her eyes. Who would be willing to be a concubine if he could be the main hostess?

    Although his big brother has some complaints, he can only recognize them helplessly when he saw that it has been done.

    For three days after that, other than Sun Shaozong taking the time to visit Hou Yong''s mansion and the Old Lady of the Hou family, he was cultivating his relationship with Ruan Rong at home. While waiting for the transfer of civil servants to be settled, he held a simple wedding ceremony and took her down completely.

    Unexpectedly, on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, a decree was suddenly sent from the palace. It was that Sun Shaozong was to be temporarily transferred to the Central Judicial Office, serving as the General Judge.

    Instead of being revoked, he was promoted one rank up to the Lieutenant Commandant of Cavalry from his initial Lieutenant Imperial Guard position, which was not that kind of nominal title of Jia Rong, but a serious job.

    Although Sun Shaozong succeeded in becoming a civil servant, he was only a part-time officer. His main job was still in the military!

    The two of them were so dumbfounded that they didn''t know what to say for half a day after looking at the transfer order for him to take over the office after the New Year.

    Only Sun Shaozu was so happy.

    For him, his brother found a civil servant that was ranked as a sixth-grade official. The main thing was that Jia Yucun, the Prefectural Magistrate, was there to take care of him. He should not be bullied by civil servants.

    He spent most of the day in such a muddle-headed way.

    In the evening, another steward of the Jia family came to deliver Jia Lian''s famous post and invite Sun Shaozong to the Rongguo Mansion for a small gathering tomorrow.

    Sun Shaozong was not in the mood at all, but seeing Ruan Rong being so moody was not the way. So he advised her to go to Jia''s mansion with him and talk to her godsister, Lin Daiyu.

 Chapter 27: A Silver Basin, Golden Boat, and a Homicide Case

    Chapter 27: A Silver Basin, Golden Boat, and a Homicide Case

    The 27th of the twelfth lunar month.

    At daybreak, snowflakes began to fall. When Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong were ready to go to the Rongguo''s Mansion to attend the invitation, there was already a half-inch thick layer of snow on the ground.

    However, the pedestrians on the road were not stopped by the snow.

    Carrying a basket, carrying a load, and even the people who drove a carriage...

    The hustle and bustle of buying and selling would stir up the last big market speculation before the Chinese New Year.

    When they arrived at the Rongguo Mansion, they saw nearly a hundred bright red lanterns lined up like the wild geese''s wings around the golden front door. They were all lit with candles with the thickness of their arms. It''s not obvious now since it''s the day. If it''s night, most of the streets were red!

    The daily consumption of the candles in the lanterns were enough for ordinary families to use for a year.

    As expected, it was the saying, ¡°The smell of wine and meat wafts out in front of the rich people''s houses, but the poor people die of cold and hunger in the streets!¡±

    Sun Shaozong sighed with emotion. He watched Ruan Rong''s carriage go in from the west gate and headed straight to the backyard, where Lin Daiyu was under the guidance of the female servants. He then urged his horse to go towards the easternmost area, where the black oil gate was.

    It''s also a strange story. Jia Lian''s father, Jia She, the eldest son of the mansion, was a first-class general who had the rank of a Baron. He had to compromise himself in the small courtyard on the east side because the Old Lady Jia didn''t like him.

    On the contrary, the second son of the mansion, Jia Zheng, lives in the main room of the main house just like the master.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    When Sun Shaozong arrived at the black oil gate, there was Long''er, Jia Lian''s confidant, waiting on the steps.

    Before Sun Shaozong came down from the horse, he hurried up to him, greeted him with a smile on his face, and said, "Second Master Sun, you are here! Our master has asked several times, and we almost have to send someone to lift you in a big sedan chair!"

    "I''m not the mistress of your family. Where can I sit in the big sedan chair?"

    Sun Shaozong jumped down from his horse and poked the red lanterns hanging on the wall with his finger. "In previous years, your family only hung up a couple of lanterns to get the atmosphere of the occasion. How can it be so ostentatious this year?"

    It really was a first-class luxury!

    .

    Sun Shaozong praised him with a few words. As soon as he sat down with Jia Lian, he heard a rush of footsteps from far away.

    When they looked, they saw that it was the gatekeeper who had just brought Sun Shaozong''s horse down for a rest.

    Seeing that he was panting like a cow and had no dignity of a rich family at all, Jia Lian was a little unhappy. He patted the stove on the table and shouted from a distance, "Hey, talented dog, are you rushing to reincarnate with your eyebrows staring so furiously?!"

    After receiving his scolding, the gatekeeper hurried forward a few steps and hurriedly said, "Second Master, it''s not a small rush. It''s the guards from the Central Judicial Office outside the door who said that there was a homicide case at Yunshui Lane. Please ask the judge to investigate the case!"

    Homicide case?

    Sun Shaozong frowned when he heard the speech. According to the order, he would only go to the Central Judicial Office to take over the position after the New Year. How could they find him for a murder case that happened before the New Year? And found him all the way here at the Rongguo Mansion!

    When he was trying to figure out what was strange in this matter, Jia Lian scolded, "Are you a dog with hysteria? There is a Central Judicial Assistant Officer in our mansion, but where is the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate?!¡±

    The gatekeeper didn''t dare to argue, so he had to look at Sun Shaozong.

    Sigh~

    Sun Shaozong sighed and stood up and said, "Brother Lian, I''m afraid our ¡±hero¡± is out of the question today! I took the order at noon yesterday to temporarily take over the Central Judicial Office after the Chinese New Year. Who would have thought that just one day later, the trouble would come to me."

    He deliberately emphasized the words ¡±after the New Year." Originally, he wanted to arouse Jia Lian''s suspicions and helped himself to find out what¡¯s going on in his given title of the Prince¡¯s maternal uncle.

    However, Jia Lian didn''t notice what he meant. When he heard that Sun Shaozong had become the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate of the Central Judicial Office and was about to investigate the murder case, his eyes lit up, and said with joy, "Since it''s a major case involving human life, what are we waiting for? I''ve never seen anyone investigate a case since I was young!"

    Then he raised his voice and said, "Xing''er, go and tell my wife that I will accompany the second master of the Sun family to solve the homicide case of human life. I won''t be eating at home after the afternoon!"

    Sun Shaozong was speechless, but it was not easy to express his concern. He had to send a message to Ruan Rong, asking her to stay at the Rongguo Mansion and talk to Lin Daiyu. After he had been to the scene of the crime, it was not too late to come back to pick her up.

 Chapter 28: Case of Naked Corpse in Yunshui Lane [Part 1]

    Chapter 28: Case of Naked Corpse in Yunshui Lane [Part 1]

    When Sun Shaozong hurried out of Jia''s residence, he saw three Yamen service men in their official green uniform standing under the right wall of the gate.

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong was large and strong, which was 70% to 80% similar to the rumors, the leader of the Yamen guard hurried forward and gave a deep salute, and carefully asked, "Hello My Lord, may I ask if you are the newly appointed Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Master Sun?"

    Sun Shaozong looked at him up and down a few times. He saw that the guard leader was in his early thirties. His horse-like face was full of anxiety, and his eyes were even more wandering. He didn''t dare to look at himself, so he became more and more sure that there must be something strange in it.

    Then he frowned and said, "The transfer order I received was to take over the position after New Year. How can you come to me before the New Year?"

    As soon as the horse-like face guard leader heard this, he knew it was the right person. Without a hurry to reply, he called two of his colleagues first. The three people lined up respectfully and said, "Greetings, Magistrate."

    "Come on, don''t make these insincerity procedures."

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and hurriedly asked them again, "According to the Imperial edict, I haven''t officially taken over the position yet. Even if there was a big case, it shouldn''t be on my head."

    The leader of the guard of the horse-like face smiled and said, "Master, I don''t want to disturb your purity, but I have gotten orders from The Minister of the Department saying that this sudden homicide case before the New Year is unlucky. It must be solved as soon as possible so as not to make people panic. So he appointed you to take charge of this case."

    As he said this, he glanced at Sun Shaozong''s face and saw that he was not anxious and panicked at all, but his eyes were burning like eagles. He didn''t dare to peek any longer. He hurriedly continued, "The Minister of the Department said that you have solved a great mystery case in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang in just half a day. A mere case of murder isn¡¯t going to be hard for you. Please ensure that you close the case before New Year''s Eve."

    In addition to the Governor of a Prefecture of the third grade and the Prefecture Chief of the fourth grade, the next highest-ranking official in the Central Judicial Office belonged to The Minister of the Department of the fifth grade and ¡±The Minister of the Department¡± who was in charge of the criminal litigation was the direct superior of the Prefecture Magistrate, and naturally has the right to assign tasks to Sun Shaozong.

    But it was the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month. It was less than three days before the deadline for closing the case. They can''t wait for Sun Shaozong to take over the position. Obviously, the other party''s purpose was not to solve the case, but to take the opportunity to give Sun Shaozong a warning!

    "The Minister of the Department is really good at praising people."

    Sun Shaozong snorted and asked, "So, this should be a mystery case without any clue?"

    The leader, who had a horse-like face suddenly became half an inch shorter, but he didn''t dare to comment, so he pretended not to hear, and told the detail of the case.

    Although Jia Lian was full of interest on his way to the crime scene, he really came to the scene of the crime. Catching sight of the badly mutilated faces of the corpses, his enthusiasm suddenly went off. He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and refused to lean forward for half a step.

    The scene of the crime was in a secluded alley, only half a foot wide, but three or four hundred meters long and extending in all directions. Because it was covered by the mottled walls on both sides, it seemed a little dark even in the daytime.

    The body leaned against the wall in a slanting position in the middle of the alley, with a bloody face. The upper body was naked, but the lower body was curled up in a gunny bag.

    According to the leader of the horse-like face, the body had already been taken out, but it was only to prevent passers-by from getting their eyes dirty that half of it was put on again.

    Before Sun Shaozong came to the corpse, he carefully looked at the wound on the corpse''s face and found that the vertical and horizontal gullies looked frightening, but in fact, they were not very deep. It only scratched a layer of flesh and did not hurt the skull.

    According to the analysis of the amount of bleeding from the wound, it should not be the cause of death but what happened after death.

    After looking at the wound on his face, he reached his hand out and touched the top of the corpse to make sure that there was no damage under his dry and split hair. Then he asked the horse-like face leader for a piece of coarse cloth to wrap evidence, wrap it on his hand, and pinched open the mouth of the corpse.

    He found that there was some dark purple blood plasma in his mouth, and the upper and lower rows of teeth were still complete and clean, at least much better than the people of the same age.

    After checking his mouth, Sun Shaozong searched carefully down and found several pinch marks under the armpit and shoulder of the body.

    Seeing that his lower body was in the sack, he ordered, "Get him out. Remember to be careful not to damage the traces on the surface of the body."

    The horse-like face leader of the Yamen guard quickly waved, and several Yamen guards rushed up and took the body out of the sack.

    While they were getting the corpse out, the horse-faced leader came up and smiled, "Master, there is no wound in the lower body. If I guessed right, he would have been poisoned..."

    "Eh?!"

    Before he finished, Sun Shaozong made a sound, grabbed the saber from his waist, squatted down, and carefully fiddled with the object between the crotch of the corpse with the scabbard. His face was full of excitement, as if he had found something rare and unique.

    The horse-like face leader tightens up his private part and secretly thinks in his heart, Does this new Assistant Prefecture Magistrate Sun have any weird hobbies?!

 Chapter 29: Case of Naked Corpse in Yunshui Lane [Part 2]

    Chapter 29: Case of Naked Corpse in Yunshui Lane [Part 2]

    Seeing Sun Shaozong fiddling with the ¡±thing¡± with his saber, he turned the body over and stared fiercely at the white buttocks. The horse-faced guard leader felt that his ¡±important part¡± was getting more and more painful.

    He sighed secretly that he was unlucky enough to have a supervisor with such strong taste. Suddenly, someone behind him said in a deep voice, "Erlang, you''ve been tossing and turning the body around, do you see anything after all?"

    The horse-faced guard leader was startled. He hurriedly looked back, but it turned out that it was Jia Lian and others who were impatient and finally had the courage to lean over and look. Beside him, in addition to three young servant men and five big-build servants, there¡¯s another beautiful young man.

    The horse-faced guard leader hurriedly asked the Yamen guards to come forward to greet them. The scene of the crime was a mess. Only Sun Shaozong remain unalarmed and looked up and down at the corpse.

    But Jia Lian was so impatient to deal with these ¡±cheap bastards?¡±

    His eyelids did not even tilt for a moment, but he moved closer. He stretched out his hand and patted Sun Shaozong on the shoulder. Half complaining and half-joking, he said, "Erlang, what treasure have you been searching for? Look at your meticulous spirit. Others who don¡¯t know you well might think that ghoul Minister Cao had come!"

    Sun Shaozong straightened up and threw the waist knife to the horse-faced guard leader.

    The horse-faced guard leader hurriedly took over. Seeing that there was some dark yellow filth on the scabbard, he hurriedly wanted to poke into the snow to clean it. But he heard Sun Shaozong say, "Keep it first. At least it''s a piece of evidence."

    Evidence?

    The horse-faced guard leader hurriedly picked up the knife again, but after looking left and right a few times, he couldn¡¯t see these filthy things apart. Where did they look like evidence?

    When Jia Lian saw Sun Shaozong smiling, he hurriedly asked, "Erlang, what clues have you found?"

    Sun Shaozong grinned and said, "It¡¯s basically certain that this person died of poisoning or was killed by his lover. The lover should be a young woman who lives alone, and a philanderer who is not a prostitute but has a high reputation."

    When the people around him heard what he said, they all doubted.

    It''s hard for others to ask, but how can Jia Lian resist it?

    Seeing that he crossed the waist saber stained with ¡±evidence¡± and said excitedly, "Magistrate, there are only fifteen or sixteen young prostitutes around this area at most. I will go door-to-door with my brothers and arrest this vicious woman and make her plead guilty!"

    As he said this, he asked the Yamen guards to act separately.

    But he heard Sun Shaozong say, "You don''t need to hurry; I still have a few clues here."

    "You still have clues?!"

    The leader of the horse-faced guard stared in amazement. The inference just now was enough. Who would have thought that Sun Shaozong had found other clues?!

    Jia Lian was also very interested in the speech and hurried to urge Sun Shaozong to come about quickly.

    Sun Shaozong said, "First of all, it should have been an accident that the body was thrown here. I paid special attention when I came here. This place is not far from Wanliu Pond. The murderer would have thrown the body into the pond anyway."

    "Therefore, I infer that the murderer initially wanted to transport the body to the Wanliu Pond for dumping. However, she was scared on the way and threw the body here. Thus, there is no need to check the direction of the Wanliu Pond."

    "In addition, there are clear scratches on his armpits, shoulders, and ankles, which show that he was lifted by two people after his death, and this person is only one meter tall... Cough... Well, this person is less than five feet [1.66 meters] tall, and she is very thin. According to common sense, not to mention one man and one woman, two adult women can easily move the body even if they work together."

    "There were obvious drag marks on the buttocks of the corpse. Therefore, if there was no accident, there should be only one accomplice around the woman. She was either a minor child or a weak old man."

    Hearing that he had even deduced the characteristics of the murderer''s accomplice, everyone was shocked.

    But Sun Shaozong''s performance was not over yet. He pointed to the body and said, "Also, among the murderers and accomplices, one of the left ring fingers was injured, and she can''t use much strength at ordinary times, so some of the scratches and ring finger traces are very shallow, and some of them can''t even be seen."

    "Ah!"

    As soon as Sun Shaozong''s voice fell, he saw that the handsome young man beside Jia Lian jumped more than three feet. He shouted excitedly, "I know, I know! It was Sister Feng who killed him. It must be Sister Feng who killed him!"

 Chapter 30: End the Homicide Case, the First Encounter with Qiao Liwan

    Chapter 30: End the Homicide Case, the First Encounter with Qiao Liwan

    "I know, I know! It''s Sister Feng. She must have killed her!"

    Pak!!!

    The young man''s cry was still echoing in the alley, when he saw that Jia Lian''s face turned black, and slapped him in the face with a backhand, hitting him reeling and almost falling on the corpse.

    "Jia Yun! What are you talking about, you little bastard?! I am gonna tear your dog''s mouth!" After his slap, Jia Lian refused to give up. He also cursed and seized the young man, and raised his hand left and right.

    Then Jia Yun remembered the henpecked in his family, who was often called ¡±Sister Feng¡± and hurriedly said, "The person I''m talking about is Chen Yufeng, the demimonde of Zhonglou street. Her nickname was also called Sister Feng. When she was a child, someone broke her left ring finger by stealing. She also had a nickname called the ¡±Nine-fingers Yufeng.¡± There was only an old woman around Chen Yufeng, just as Second Uncle Sun said!"

    Hearing this, Jia Lian angrily let go of Jia Yun''s collar, but his anger was still lingering. He took out his uncle''s manner and scolded, "You bastard, you don''t know how to improve all day. But know the story of this whore place pretty well huh!"

    Although the words came out of his mouth, there was always a sense of nondescript, but Jia Yun dared not refute him. He bowed and made amends. He only said that he had just heard Second Uncle Sun''s ¡°Divine Judgement¡± and was dazzled and unable to control himself. Then he made a slip of the tongue and bumped into the name taboo of his Second Aunt.

    After this reminder, Jia Lian immediately remembered his business and said triumphantly to Sun Shaozong, "A few days ago, I told people that you had solved a strange case for half a day, and some people didn''t believe it. That''s good. You didn¡¯t even take half an hour and another murder case was solved!"

    With that, he kicked Jia Yun''s ass and shouted, "Don¡¯t you have eyesight. Why don¡¯t you take us to catch the vicious woman?!"

    Jia Yun was about to make up for the mistakes of the previous one. After hearing it, he quickly agrees and leads the way.

    Jia Lian was about to follow up, but Sun Shaozong pulled him back.

    "It¡¯s just a whore. Do you still need your uncle to come in person?", Sun Shaozong then turned to the leader of the horse-faced guards and said, "Zhao Wuwei, I''ll leave the rest to you. When you catch the whore, you don''t have to find me. You can directly hand her over to The Ministry of the Department. Just tell them that I haven''t taken over the official position yet, so it''s inconvenient to intervene in this case."

    With that, no matter how the horse-faced guard leader reacted, he pulled Jia Lian into the carriage, whipped the horse, and went off.

    Passing by the corridor and turning around the marble screen on the red sandalwood shelf, one can see that five richly ornamented buildings are lined up in a row, and many ¡±Parrots and thrushes¡± hung under the eaves. When strangers come in, they all chirp and cry, just like singing in a chorus.

    Hearing the movement outside, the servant girl in red and green lifted the curtain of the door and looked out. At once, she saw Jia Lian right in front of her. She immediately turned back and shouted, "Old Lady, it''s the Second Master Lian."

    Before the words were finished, the Old Lady''s voice came out, "Is it Lian''er who¡¯s here? Hurry up, let him in. It snowed again earlier on, and the weather is cold. If he is frozen, won''t the shrew Feng complain about killing me again?"

    After hearing this, Jia Lian opened the curtain to the door and went in. He laughed and said, "Grandma, even if she has great courage, she doesn''t dare to blame you."

    Then he looked back and said, "Erlang, come in and meet my grandma."

    After he said that, he found that there was also Liwan, his widowed sister-in-law, in addition to the nannies and servant girls. He was embarrassed. This was because Liwan had paid great attention to etiquette and discipline since she was a widow. She didn''t even have much contact with the men in the mansion. How could she meet men outside?

    But it was too late to regret.

    He saw Sun Shaozong lift the curtain of the door and enter proudly. He walked a few steps to where Jia''s mother was. He bent down like an iron tower and said respectfully, "Sun Shaozong, son of the former Martial Prowess General Sun Shengtao, greets the Old Lady Feng."

    Jia''s mother saw a strong man suddenly come in. She was shocked and uncertain. Hearing him report to her about his family, she suddenly said, "It was the second child of the martial prowess general family. When you were 100 days old, I made a special trip to your house to congratulate you. Who knew that time passed so fast and you had turned out to be this promising."

    As she said this, she could not help feeling sad.

    Sun Shaozong stood up straight here, smiling and ready to talk, but he suddenly saw a dignified beauty beside Jia¡¯s mother, who seemed nervous and didn''t know where to place her hands and feet.

    Curious, he looked at the woman a few more times. He saw that the woman was in her early twenties. She was very clean, and her temperament was even more dignified and cold. However, the figure wrapped in a plain skirt was filled with mature charm and enchantment. She was feeling uneasy on the side. He saw that her chest was towering and trembling disorderly, and her hips were bulging like a full moon from time to time, which made her slim waist more attractive.

    If she were reserved, dignified, and cold like a basin of ice water, her romantic and enchanting posture would be like a tantalizing fire. When the ice and fire were mixed, it added more charm!

 Chapter 31: Cold Liwan like a Bundles of Dry Firewoods, Crazy Baoyus Words that Startled 4 People

    Chapter 31: Cold Liwan like a Bundles of Dry Firewoods, Crazy Baoyu''s Words that Startled 4 People

    Liwan was uneasy. Suddenly, she felt a glance, staring back and forth at her. She looked up subconsciously, but she met Sun Shaozong''s eagle-like eyes.

    For a moment, her heart suddenly jumped. She quickly held her head down to her chest and complained about the crude and impetuous Jia Lian a thousand times.

    Seeing Liwan''s face showing a look of shame and annoyance, Sun Shaozong immediately realized that something was wrong. He quickly moved his eyes back to Jia''s mother and showed deference to the rich and kind old lady.

    At this time, Jia''s mother got someone to take her hawksbill shell-rimmed eyeglasses. Holding the frame, she carefully scanned Sun Shaozong''s eyes. She couldn''t help but admire him, "Indeed, you are a young general with great military prowess. No wonder you can resist many salt dealers on the river. Aren¡¯t they all the same as the descendants of the meritorious, why are all the children in the Rongguo Mansion so weak?"

    As soon as the Old Lady opened her mouth, she couldn''t stop. She sighed with emotion, "Although it''s good to make progress in studying if you don''t have a strong body, even if you can make a living for a while, how can you make it for a long time?"

    These words immediately pierced into Liwan''s heart. Regardless of her husband who died early, her son Jia Lan often causes disasters and suffers some diseases from time to time. If one day...

    Just by thinking of it, she felt her hands and feet were cold to her bone.

    "Old Madam!"

    But Jia Lian wanted to show off. So, he said with a smile, "You''re looking down on Erlang. he not only has a good body but also can solve strange cases!"

    "I¡¯ve heard about it."

    The old lady patted on the red sandalwood Kang Table gently and said with a grin, "Lieutenant Sun solved strange cases in half a day, and Prime Minister Ruan has an insight of recognizing talents. This story has been told to me a long time ago, and it has been compiled into a little song and sung everywhere."

    Jia Lian pulled out his chest and said proudly, "What I want to say today is not your old forks story, but something new which I saw with my own eyes!"

    With these words, he told his Old Lady about Sun Shaozong was being appointed as the Assistant Prefecture Magistrate of the Central Judicial Office. After he was asked to investigate the mystery of the naked corpse, all the women in the room were amazed. Only then did they know that the iron tower-like man in front of them had intelligence or skill, and was being ingenious.

    In the past, such stories can only be found in the ancient Chinese, but how can they be comparable to Jia Lian''s personal experience in which he tells the story so vividly?

    So even Liwan was unconsciously absorbed into the story.

    Seeing his red robe and jade belt and his attire being more extravagant than Jia Lian, Sun Shaozong guessed that the person coming should be Jia Baoyu, the protagonist in ¡°The Dream of Red Mansions.¡± He also quickly took a careful look at him. Unexpectedly, he found that this descendant of the nobility''s mouth was painted with rouge only used by women. He was stunned.

    Is that the reason why ¡°The Dream of Red Mansions¡± has become a love tragedy because the protagonist is gay?!

    Thinking like this, Sun Shaozong was afraid to look directly at Baoyu.

    "I thought who it was? This clear and mischievous person eavesdropping on people¡¯s conversations, it¡¯s just you!"

    At this time, Jia¡¯s mother greeted him with a smile and said, "Hurry up, come over, and get yourself warm. Are you not afraid of freezing when you stand outside on this cold day!"

    Baoyu answered with a smile, but he was not in a hurry. Instead, he gathered around Sun Shaozong and said with an arch hand, "Is this the Second Master of the Sun family? No wonder it can attract Sister Rong''s heart. As expected, it is not comparable to a vulgarian!"

    Since he was with Daiyu, he naturally met Ruan Rong.

    Seeing that he was only 13 or 14 years old and that his sexual orientation was questionable, Sun Shaozong didn''t care much.

    When he was about to return the greetings, he saw that Baoyu had bowed deeply and said, "When I saw Brother Sun for the first time, I shouldn''t have mentioned some unreasonable requests. But if I didn''t say it out and kept it in my heart, I would feel super uncomfortable. I''m afraid I can only be abrupt to you."

    Unreasonable request?

    .

    Sun Shaozong thought Baoyu wanted to beg himself to take him along when solving cases next time. He shook his head and said with a smile, "If you want to go see me investigate the case, I can''t promise casually. The scene of the murder is bloody. If you are easily frightened, I can''t afford to pay up for the Old Lady Feng here."

    Jia Lian also flirted and said, "You¡¯re such a small and young man, how can you see the bloody scene? Let''s not mention that today''s dead body was cut with dozens of wounds on its face. It looks more ferocious than the evil spirits in the Chenghuang Temple!"

    But Baoyu shook his head and smiled, "That is not what I¡¯m asking for."

    As he spoke, he bowed to the end again and sincerely said, "I just ask Brother Sun not to betray the sincerity of a lady; hurry to give up your nuisance official position, so that you can pair up with Sister Rong and be a happy and carefree couple!"

 Chapter 32: Secretly Being Brokenhearted, Pinâ€™er is Sneering at Baoyu

    Chapter 32: Secretly Being Brokenhearted, Pin¡¯er is Sneering at Baoyu

    After Baoyu said these words, the atmosphere in the room suddenly stopped. Everyone stared at him in astonishment. The effect was even better than when Jia Lian was telling the story of the homicide case!

    At first, everyone thought it was absolutely absurd, but when they thought of Baoyu''s behavior, they thought it was not abrupt anymore. In their first encounter, he persuaded people to abandon fame and wealth for the sake of women. They''re afraid only a fool like him could say it!

    After a moment, Liwan reacted and said with a strong smile, "Brother Bao is being mischievous again. If the Old Master hears such jokes, what will you do?¡±

    It seemed as if they had just woken up. They were all busy talking about ¡±jokes¡± in an attempt to block Baoyu''s words.

    Seeing that even Jia''s mother, who loved him the most, was full of ¡°clean and mischief¡± expressions, Jia Baoyu could not help but flinch. He was hesitating whether he should follow their words and let the matter pass. Hearing Sun Shaozong clear his throat, he asked solemnly, "Brother Bao, do you really think it''s good for her that I quit my job and directly marry Rong''er?"

    Baoyu was also stunned when he was asked. Seeing Sun Shaozong staring at him like an eagle, he was afraid again.

    But when he thought of Ruan Rong as a beauty, she was very unhappy because of this. It also indirectly brought a lot of tears to Sister Lin, so he gritted his teeth, summoned up his remaining courage, and said, "Of course, what Sister Rong wanted was to stay with you forever!"

    "Haha... Brother Bao is really simple in nature."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head with a smile and said, "It is certainly a matter for two people to fall in love, but if it comes to the point of marriage, how can we not take other factors into account?"

    "If I resign from my official post, the outside rumors might not be big. But what will my big brother think of Rong''er? How will I deal with Rong''er when I am caught in the middle? Am I going to cut off ties with my brother for the sake of Rong¡¯er, or dismiss Rong¡¯er for the sake of my big brother?"

    After a pause, he added, "Even if I am willing to cut off ties with my big brother for Rong''er''s sake, in spite of more than ten years of upbringing, I¡¯m afraid that Rong''er will live in self-reproach and anxiety in the future and face the criticism and difficulties of others. Do you really think such a long-term relationship will be the result she wants?"

    Jia Baoyu was speechless at these words. He was a descendant of the nobility who spends all day in a honey jar. How could he ever think of so many things so far ahead?

    "Haha..."

    Jia Lian laughed, patted Baoyu on the shoulder, and said, "How you''ve suffered a setback! Although Erlang is a rough-looking man, even a small fur on him is actually smarter than you. With your skill, you still want to see his joke?"

    The crowd laughed again, and then they tacitly exposed the incident to each other, saying only miscellaneous gossip.

    Not to mention Jia Baoyu got rebuffed in the first encounter, and he was depressed in Jia''s mother''s arms.

    At the thought of this, Liwan subconsciously glanced at Ruan Rong and saw that although her hips were not as exaggerated as her own, they were also very warped among young ladies. She secretly said that the ¡±rough man¡± really liked this kind of style. No wonder his furious eyes were looking straight at...

    "Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law!"

    When her mind was in the clouds, there were plenty of impure and dirty thoughts in her mind, but it was interrupted by Lin Daiyu''s shout. Liwan immediately blushed with shame. She secretly said that she was evil today. How could she think of all these annoying dirty things?

    Barely concealing her shame, she said with a smile, "What¡¯s wrong? I was a little distracted just now, so I didn''t hear what you said."

    When Lin Daiyu saw that her face was flushed with beauty, she felt puzzled and could not ask what she was thinking. She then said, "The men in this family are usually weaker than the women. Even the Old Lady Fang complained! So I asked Baoyu to ask Brother Sun to learn some martial arts, riding, and shooting skills, so as not to embarrass his ancestors, but he just refused to do it. Sister-in-law, help me talk to him about it!"

    Daiyu added, "If we can get Brother Sun''s approval, sister-in-law might as well ask Lan''er to follow along. He doesn''t need to achieve anything as long as he can strengthen his body."

    Liwan smiled at this. The girl was like an enemy earlier, but now she thinks about Baoyu again.

    However, the latter sentence was really on Liwan''s mind, thinking that if Jia Lan could have the strength of Sun Shaozong, he would not die as early as his dead father.

    It¡¯s just that...

    "I heard it''s hard to learn the skills of martial arts. How can Lan''er and Baoyu stand it?"

    "That''s why I asked Baoyu to ask Brother Sun!" Lin Daiyu said. "Sister-in-law also saw him just now. He is a man with a great sense of propriety. He has his own business to do at ordinary times. He will never drill them hard."

    Liwan was 80% persuaded.

    However, Jia Baoyu suddenly became angry. He sat down on the stool angrily and muttered, "I thought Sister Lin was different from others. Unexpectedly, you also tell me this kind of impudent remark about bringing glory to one''s ancestors!"

    Lin Daiyu was never afraid of him, but she sneered, "Who expects you to bring honor to your family? I just hope that when you meet a strong man outside, you can run faster even if you can''t defeat hundreds with one as Brother Sun did. Don''t become a burden to your girls!"

    Jia Baoyu suddenly withered again. Although he despised such mundane things as ¡°official career and economy,¡± he liked to show off in front of his girls. How could he be willing to be called a ¡±burden?¡±

    He has no choice but to learn this martial arts.

 Chapter 33: Break Down Barriers and Get Married, Meet Jia Zheng, and Hire a Teacher

    Chapter 33: Break Down Barriers and Get Married, Meet Jia Zheng, and Hire a Teacher

    Sigh~

    Sun Shaozong sighed and put down the book in his hand, which only the front cover was open. There was no progress in reading the law of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He looked at the candlestick next to the crane stepping on the spirit tortoise and was stunned.

    After returning from Jia''s residence, Ruan Rong confined herself to her room. It was said that she didn''t even eat dinner.

    Sun Shaozong also tried to persuade her, but he didn''t know what to say. Should he tell her that the position of the main hostess was no longer available, so she should be a concubine?!

    Maybe...

    He shouldn''t have taken her back to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

    Just thinking about it, he heard a trivial noise coming from the outside. At first, Sun Shaozong thought it was two servant girls from the outside who were playing again, so he didn''t care too much. But the noise was getting bigger and bigger, so he couldn''t ignore it even if he wanted to.

    What was the fuss about?

    Although Sun Shaozong always felt that it was pitiful for a 14-year-old girl to be a slave, and he took good care of them during ordinary times, this didn''t mean that he could allow the servant girls to be spoiled.

    What''s more, he is in a bad mood now.

    After a little patience, Sun Shaozong stood up and opened the door suddenly.

    "You two..."

    A reprimand that had reached the edge of his mouth, but Sun Shaozong swallowed it.

    Because a beautiful woman was standing outside the door, but who else can she be if she was not Ruan Rong?

    "Brother Sun."

    Looking at each other, Ruan Rong shyly raised her skirt and asked, "Do I look good in this dress?"

    Sun Shaozong naturally did not bother to pay attention to his calculations.

    In the daytime, he made preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year with the old housekeeper, Wei. In the evening, he flirted with Ruan Rong. They were not the legal husband and wife, but with their relationship and the way they act, they were better than a legal husband and wife. He had to read the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty to get familiar with it as soon as possible and was busy for a while.

    On the morning of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Feng Xin, who had not been seen for many days, paid a visit and brought a large cart of dried fruits. He said they were produced in his village and were not worth much money.

    After hearing about his reporting to the military headquarters, Sun Shaozong kept waiting for several days without any news. Sun Shaozong asked his big brother to help him inquire about it. With Sun Shaozu''s current rank, he might not have any say in major events, but just a mere future of a seven-grade patrol inspection, he can help.

    Feng Xin went to thank him for his kindness. He turned around and sent another thousand silver money. Only then did Sun Shaozong know that he was still a ¡±local tyrant.¡±

    In this way, the family had a happy new year.

    On the second day of the lunar new year, it''s necessary for him to go with his big brother to visit some old friends and relatives. Sun Shaozong thought the Rongguo Mansion must be in the top row, but his big brother went to the mansion of Feng Tang first, which was the epithet of a great conquering general.

    Later, after inquiring, he learned that Feng Tang, who was now the General Leader of the Patrol Camp, was Sun Shaozu''s immediate superior.

    Now that Sun Shaozong''s fame of "A few words to solve a strange case" has spread all over the capital, General Feng was very friendly to him. He also especially tells Sun Shaozong to hang out with his son, Feng Ziying, in the future, so that the ¡±unfilial son¡± can know that however strong one is, there is always someone stronger.

    After coming out of the General Leader of the Patrol Camp¡¯s house, the second place to go was undoubtedly the Rongguo Mansion.

    Originally, the two brothers wanted to meet first-class general Jia She, but they were intercepted by the Second Master Jia Zheng on the way. They let his big brother go and only led Sun Shaozong into the Rongxi Hall in the north.

    Jia Zheng was in his early 40s. He was quite elegant and handsome. It could be seen that he must have been a refined and cultured man when he was young.

    But now the literary style is so upright that almost every sentence has to be quoted from classics, which makes it difficult for people to cope with.

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong had read some books in modern times, so he didn''t show his timidity on the spot. It was just that he had an extravagant and baseless chat. Until he left the Rongguo Mansion, he didn''t understand the purpose of Jia Zheng''s approach to him.

    After Sun Shaozu asked for the details, he was not happy. He doubted that Jia Zheng was going to marry his concubine''s daughter to Sun Shaozong, so he complained at home for a long time that the daughter that was raised by a concubine is not worthy of my brother.

    Who knows, on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Jia Lian sent a private tutor''s remuneration and an invitation with great fanfare to hire Sun Shaozong to teach riding and shooting skills in the Rongguo Mansion and supervise Baoyu, Jia Huan, Jia Cong, Jia Lan, and the other young masters of the nobilities.

 Chapter 34: To Take Up his Position in the Office

    Chapter 34: To Take Up his Position in the Office

    So the day when Jia Zheng asked Sun Shaozong to come over. The extravagant and baseless chat was a disguised ¡®interview¡¯. Jia Zheng felt relieved about Sun Shaozong''s martial arts. This interview was just to investigate Sun Shaozong''s character so that he wouldn''t lead his nephew astray.

    Seeing that Jia Lian came openly to "send him an offer of employment" with great fanfare, he knows that Jia Zheng is very satisfied with the interview results on that day.

    Sun Shaozong saw that he was about to go to the Central Judicial Office to take up his post, but how could he spare time to teach a group of dandies to practice martial arts?

    "You can rest assured!"

    Jia Lian hurriedly patted his chest and promised, "Our family doesn''t rely upon this for success. You can take the time to teach them some routines to strengthen their health. Usually, other people are naturally responsible for staring at the practice. You don''t have to worry about it."

    To tell the truth, Sun Shaozong didn''t want to get involved in such trouble if he could.

    Even if he doesn''t mention the kindness of the Rongguo mansion to the Sun family, Sun Shaozong is also in need of the help of Jia Yucun. How can he refuse the employment of the Jia family?

    Therefore, he had to promise first, thinking that he would be able to deal with the group of dandies by using broadcast gymnastics and then using health-preserving Tai-chi to fool them.

    But these are the part of the story to be recounted later.

    At present, the most important thing for him is to go to the Central Judicial Office to take up his post!

    ¡ª¡ªSplit line¡ª¡ª

    On the 6th day of the first lunar month.

    It was after the Chinese New Year''s festival that officials at all levels have to return to work on their first day.

    In previous years, the Central Judicial Office was all on friendly terms. No matter how high or low the official position is, they would send their ¡®blessings¡¯ to each other and say some flattering auspicious words when they meet. However, this year the atmosphere in the office is particularly strange. The old officials above have dark faces, and the junior officials and the office servants below are even more atmospheric and dare not say a word.

    The culprit of all this must be Sun Shaozong, the new Criminal Assistant Prefectural Magistrate!

    It is said that an Assistant Prefectural Magistrate of a six grades rank is nothing in the office where the highest official is of three grades. It is not worth it for everyone to be on one''s guard for all possible dangers like this.

    Just looking at the green robe, Sun Shaozong guessed that the person in front of him was Chen Zhichuang, who is the Local Authorities of seven grades. Therefore, this is actually telling him, ¡®You are a judge of six grades, and you''re ranked higher as your superiors. Why don''t you come in front of me to pay your respect?!¡¯

    With his honor, Chen Zhichuang was not a fool, so he immediately understood what Sun Shaozong said, and his momentum was frustrated.

    But was he willing to admit defeat?

    He Immediately sneered, "Lieutenant Sun hasn''t officially taken over at your post yet, so I''m afraid there''s no way to talk about who is higher ranking. At present, business matters are very important. I would ask Lieutenant Sun to bring the transfer document and let me compare it first, to avoid any mistakes."

    The word ¡®bring¡¯ can only be used by superiors to subordinates. In another word, he¡¯s still looking down on Sun Shaozong''s military general background and wants to be a great master in front of him.

    Sun Shaozong naturally became more and more upset after hearing this, but if he wanted to quarrel with Authority Chen because of the word ¡®bring¡¯, he would only be trapped by him. Maybe he would have put a big hat on his head before he left the Local Authorities Division.

    But if he handed over the paperwork, he would have become a laughing stock in the officialdom!

    It has to be said that Authority Chen had some bad thoughts. After a few words, he dug a dilemma for Sun Shaozong. Especially before Jia Yucun had time to take over his position in the office, he couldn''t even find a helper!

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong is not a fool who has never been in officialdom. How to deal with similar situations has long been familiar to him.

    So he took out the documents without saying a word and put them silently on the tea table on the left side.

    Now it was Authority Chen''s turn to suffer.

    Go over and take it. His affectation just now has gone down the drain, and he must be laughed at by his colleagues.

    But if he doesn''t take it, Sun Shaozong is also his direct superior of the same Yamen. If the stalemate goes on like this, he will be charged with ignorance of dignity and embarrassment!

    Authority Chen hesitated for a while, and finally decided to choose the lighter one if he was faced with two disadvantageous options. He waved his hand to the small official behind him. The small official immediately understood, came forward to take the documents carefully, and handed them to Authority Chen respectfully.

    Although there is a layer between them, Chen Zhichuang knows that he has been defeated for a while. Therefore, he dares not underestimate this seemingly arrogant Sun Shaozong. He just compares the documents honestly and stamps the customs seal on them.

    It was not until he sent Sun Shaozong out of the Local Authorities Division that Chen Zhichuang could not help stroking his mustache and sighed, "I thought he was just a young and successful rich man, but I didn''t expect he to be so smart and mature. It seems that there will be a lot of excitement in the Central Judicial Office in the future!"

 Chapter 35: Overbearing and Unreasonable

    Chapter 35: Overbearing and Unreasonable

    After receiving the document, Sun Shaozong naturally needed to report to the leader in charge of the office. The Ministry of the Department, Liu Chongshan.

    Unlike Authority Chen, Liu Chongshan was very disciplined. He just threw a lot of old cases and files that happened before the Chinese New Year that he hadn¡¯t gotten to collect his evidence and sent him off to the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate''s exclusive courtyard.

    It''s normal. After all, he had just suffered a setback a few days ago and had to be forced by the situation to publicize Sun Shaozong''s reputation on his behalf. Now his praise of Sun Shaozong was still in his ears. It''s not good to turn around and disown people right away?

    Besides, although Liu Chongshan was the supervisor, Sun Shaozong, the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate, as a Deputy, has the right to checks and balances in governance. If he goes too far, Sun Shaozong can even directly impeach Liu Chongshan to court.

    So at least on the surface, he did not dare to intimidate too much.

    At this point, it seems necessary to explain the General Division of Labor of the Central Judicial Office.

    In the past, when Sun Shaozong watched ancient costume dramas, it seemed that everything was handled by the Governor of a Prefecture, only the Central Judicial Office was the third-grade Governor of a Prefecture, and the others were the fourth-grade Magistrate of a Prefecture. But in reality, if it were true, the Governor of a Prefecture would have been tried to death 800 times!

    The Governor of the Prefecture, who was a top-ranking official, was equivalent to the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee in the Central Judicial Office. Although he nominally took charge of the overall situation and could intervene in everything, he rarely deals with specific details.

    The fourth-grade Prefectural was equivalent to the Mayor, who focused on invigorating large cases while providing relaxing control over small ones but manages a little more detail than the Governor.

    The five grades of Governance could be compared to the Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee and the President of the court. They have the right to open a court session to pronounce judgements and investigate cases.

    These three people were also honored as ¡±Magistrates and Superior Officials¡± in the government office, that was, officials who could be promoted to the court to ask questions. The remaining officials, big and small, were not qualified to be promoted independently regardless of their power.

    Three persons in total were in charge of the money, grain, finance and taxation, salt and iron, registered residence, and criminal cases.

    Sun Shaozong, as an Assistant Prefectural Magistrate by name, was equivalent to a Chief of the Police in terms of his functions and powers. He has no right to be promoted to court for trial. He could only independently or assist his superiors in investigating cases, and provide investigation results and various proofs.

    Although it couldn''t compare with the prestige of ¡±Court Officials,¡± there was also a privilege that court officials didn¡¯t have, that was the right to investigate and cooperate in cases.

    That was to say, no matter whether it was the Governor of the Prefecture, the Prefecture Chief, or the major cases that will be trial by the Ministry of the Department, they must be reviewed and approved by him before they can be sent to the Ministry of Punishment to close the case.

    If Sun Shaozong disagrees with the result of the trial, he could ask for a new trial. Generally, he was replaced by the Ministry of the Department by the Governor of the Prefecture and then the Prefecture Chief, and if he was still dissatisfied with the result of the new trial, he could also submit another appeal to the Ministry of Punishment for a ruling.

    Thinking like this, Zhao Wuwei didn''t dare to hesitate at his feet. He hurriedly walked his shoulder sideways into the study room, bowed his body, raised his face, and inquired carefully, "Master, how did you know I was coming?"

    While sorting out the official documents on the writing table, Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "I asked someone to inquire about you. You are a trusted follower of the former General Judge. The former General Judge had some friction with the Ministry of the Department Liu. Now I''m afraid he won''t easily accept your refuge. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have arranged for you to find me a few days ago."

    Speaking of this, he looked up at Zhao Wuwei''s horse-face and said with a smile, "Besides, you just stood in the corner, twisting around like a monkey. If I can''t see what''s hidden in your heart, won''t I be blind?"

    Indeed, he deserves to be called the ¡±Divine Judgements of the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun!¡±

    Zhao Wuwei exclaimed in his heart when he saw that the official documents on the writing table had been sorted out in a short time. There was no confusion like with the novices. It seemed that he was more familiar with such things than the old officials, who were used to doing such things thus, he had more confidence in himself.

    So he quickly knelt on his knees and bowed his head, "The Master is as good as a torch! Now I¡¯m helpless. I have offended the Minister of the Department Liu, so I can only shelter under the Master''s protection. If the Master is willing to take care of me, I will surely be local and give my best ability to work under your command!"

    After these words, he kneeled on the ground and waited for the result. Unexpectedly, a thigh-thick arm suddenly stretched out and pulled him up from the ground!

    Zhao Wuwei was startled. He was about to struggle, but he was facing Sun Shaozong''s eagle-like eyes. He bluffed that half of his body was soft. How could he still struggle?

    Sun Shaozong stared at his horse-like face and said with a warm smile, "I don''t care if your words are sincere or false. Since you want to be a lackey under me, you''d better not be half-hearted! The Ministry of the Department Liu can at most let you lose your official position and dismiss you from office, but if you dare to betray me... You said that with my ability, if I went over your resident wall in the middle of the night and killed all your family members, can anyone find out later?"

    His smile was like the spring breeze blowing on his face, but his words were like a sword. They were cold and bright!

    Zhao Wuwei has often seen the fierce words and expressions of civil servants. It was the first time he had seen such an overbearing and unreasonable boss who was prone to destroying people!

    Fortunately, it''s a good thing that he usually deals with those big thieves. He had a bit of courage. Then he hurriedly said in a trembling voice, "Mas... Master, I dare not have two minds!"

    "Haha..."

    Sun Shaozong laughed, gently put him back on the ground, and patted him on the shoulder. "It''s just a joke. Don''t be so serious. Tell me, what do you want to report to me?"

    If he believes this was a joke, Zhao Wuwei was a big fool!

    However, he did not dare to interpret further and hurriedly explained his intention, "Master, I heard that people in the Yamen would embarrass you at the reception banquet!"

 Chapter 36: The Reception Banquet

    Chapter 36: The Reception Banquet

    At night, Ding Xiang Restaurant.

    In the spacious setup hall, there were about ten tables, but only a few assistants directly under the General Judge of Criminals and the constables under Zhao Wuwei occupied four tables in the corner.

    At the round table, Sun Shaozong was the only one sitting alone at the seat of the host. His majestic figure swayed in the candlelight and it gave a sense of rustle in the air when looked at.

    It would be weird if the atmosphere of the banquet could get fun and noisy!

    "Boss!"

    A short and strong constable put his head over to Zhao Wuwei''s ear and said nervously, "Look at this scene today, Sun Shaozong may not be able to establish himself in the Yamen, we..."

    "What kind of nonsense is this, shut your mouth!"

    Zhao Wuwei gave a sharp reprimand, but his heart was actually clanged like fifteen buckets in a single well. He thought that the worst thing was that the high-ranking officials won¡¯t give him face. Unexpectedly, even the petty official in each division and department had disappeared too.

    Even if the former Prefectural Judge and the Minister of the Department Liu were ¡°incompatible like fire and water¡± from the beginning, he didn''t see the following officials siding a party and forming an alliance.

    Maybe... Did he really stand on the wrong side?!

    Zhao Wuwei has some regrets, but he recalls Sun Shaozong''s words during the day, how dare he be half-hearted?

    Besides, he''s already here. Wouldn''t leaving halfway make him be on bad terms on both sides?

    The rest of them also think so.

    One by one, they looked at the platter in front of them hungrily, but they just wanted to swallow a few kilograms of regret pills.

    At this moment, a young servant hurried to the main table, leaned himself forward to Sun Shaozong''s ear, and whispered a few words. Sun Shaozong immediately stood up and said with a smile, "Ladies and Gentlemen, a distinguished guest came uninvited, and how about going out with me to meet him?"

    When they heard this, they all thought that he had asked for ¡±external assistance.¡±

    Although the reception banquet was usually an internal gathering, they were not supposed to invite outsiders to the party. But it would be nice if such an embarrassing scene could be solved. Who cares if it was an outsider or an insider?!

    So all the constables and assistants hurriedly followed Sun Shaozong with smiles on their faces to welcome the ¡±uninvited¡± distinguished guest.

    .

    Originally, they thought they were either generals or descendants of nobility and ministers with close connections with the Emperor, who had an old relationship with the Sun family. Unexpectedly, outside the gate, they saw a middle-aged civil servant with a red robe and a jade belt, and four beams and golden crowns sitting on the four-lift official sedan chair!

    The people were amazed when they saw the middle-aged civil official get off the sedan chair, laughing and bowing, "My dear brother, I didn''t expect you and I would work together in the Yamen in the future. Although I haven''t taken over the post yet, I can''t wait for you to drink a few cups of welcome wine with you!"

    Work together in the same Yamen?

    Some wise people had already heard some clues from these words, and immediately his face was full of ecstasy.

    Jia Yucun waved his hand, looked around at these green-colored attired officials on the table, and suddenly asked in a loud voice, "Who prepared this reception banquet today?"

    With this sound, the Flower Parlor was so quiet that the needles could be heard falling!

    After a while, a man stood up in a cold sweat on the side seat and said in a trembling voice, "It¡¯s... It''s me... the Evaluation Inspector Zhou Da of the Criminal Department had prepared it."

    The inspector was just a junior official. Let alone the Prefectural Magistrate, even Sun Shaozong could easily crush him!

    Had it not been for the unity of the civil servants, he would never have dared to get involved in such a thing. But who would have thought that a Prefectural Chief Officer would jump out of the way to support Sun Shaozong?!

    Zhou Da really regretted that his intestines had turned green at this time.

    "Since you are responsible for preparing the reception banquet, let¡¯s not talk about you not waiting here early. How could you even make a mistake about the time?!" The more Jia Yucun said, the more gloomy his face became. At last, he hit the table and shouted, "Are you going to be this careless when you deal with human life cases?"

    Putong!

    Zhou Da knelt to the ground straightly and opened his mouth, crying out, "Your Excellency, I''m really..."

    "Zhou Da!"

    County Magistrate Lin Delu got up and cut off Zhou Da''s words, "How do you do things?! You made all your colleagues in the Yamen almost miss Lord Sun''s reception banquet!"

    The key point of his words was the word ¡±Yamen''s colleagues,¡± which meant to remind Zhou Da that if he told the truth, he would offend all his colleagues, higher and lower in rank!

    If Zhou Da had an official rank of seven or eight grades, he might not be afraid of this, but too bad that he¡¯s just an unworthy low-ranking official.

    After weighing it up, he could only say, "Please forgive me, Prefectural Chief Officer. I was confused for a while, so I made such careless mistakes."

    "Hmph!"

    Jia Yucun gave a cold snort, and Zhou Da got three shudders. Just as he thought that a great disaster was coming, Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "Brother Yucun, after all, this is a private banquet, and it''s not an important business. I think we can spare him this time. How about just punishing him for three cups of alcohol?"

    When Zhou Da heard the speech, he was only moved to thank him repeatedly.

    Who knows, when the three cups of wine were placed in front of him, there were actually three bronze statues full of wine that weighed a kilo and a half. It was not the usual low-alcohol rice wine, but the authentic liquor, Baijiu!

    Zhou Da''s face suddenly changed color, but under the gaze of Jia Yucun and Sun Shaozong, how would he dare to refuse?

    He had to hold his nose and pour down the three liquors one by one.

    After drinking this one kilo and a half of alcohol, he staggered his steps and still wanted to greet. Unexpectedly, he stooped down and went directly under the table. His mouth was all muddy and murmured a few times, and then there was no more movement after that.

    "Serve the dishes and lay out the wines!"

    In complete silence, Sun Shaozong shouted.

    The wine and dishes were put on the table like flowing water. Everyone seemed ¡±happy¡± when they toasted their glasses like they had a good relationship, but no one dared to look at Zhou Da even slightly.

 Chapter 39: The Aerobics and the Murder of her Husband

    Chapter 39: The Aerobics and the Murder of her Husband

    Sun Shaozong was speechless, he saw Baoyu staggering out of the front yard. Tears ran down his face, and it was all bloody!

    Sun Shaozong was startled. He thought the boy was crying blood and tears. When he looked closely, he found that it was a mixture of red powder and tears on his cheeks.

    When Baoyu saw Sun Shaozong, he ignored him. He ran along the wall like a mourning man. Behind him were more than ten servant girls, nannies, young servants, and healthy servants. There were around 10 plus people following him out. They were like a long string of people.

    Alright, he hasn''t officially started the practice yet. The protagonist ran away first!

    Sun Shaozong was speechless again. Fortunately, he didn''t take the riding and shooting lessons seriously. Otherwise, he would be full of anger now.

    "Erlang, I''m sorry."

    At this time, he saw that Jia Lian had also come out of the yard. He shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Brother Bao''s best companion, Qin Zhong, died prematurely. He tends to have abnormal behavior when he is sad. Please don''t take it personally."

    As he spoke, he bowed and smiled.

    Sun Shaozong could not easily argue with him, so he smiled and said, "Since it is a friend who died suddenly, it is also appropriate for him to go and send him off. Let''s go and have a look at the other young masters in your family. See if anyone would also do as they please?"

    After all, the latter words brought out some dissatisfaction.

    Jia Lian entered the yard with him side by side and was waiting to pat his chest to ensure that there would be a second Baoyu. He heard a child''s voice shouting in the middle of the yard, "Why can he leave if he wanted to? And we men have to continue waiting here frozen? In my opinion, we should all break up as soon as possible. Anyway, he will be the first to get punished when the master blames us!"

    Upon hearing this, Jia Lian immediately hit him with anger, jumped forward two steps, pointed to the half-aged child who was talking, and shouted, "What are you doing, little rascal Jia Huan? I had invited a famous teacher for you. But now you are telling me you won''t learn?! Baoyu left because of the death of a good friend. Did your good friend die too, and that¡¯s why you''re in a hurry to go to the funeral?!¡±

    Jia Huan''s neck shrank like an ostrich, but he was still full of resentment when he glanced up secretly with his drooping downward eyes.

    No need to even mention that Jia Cong and Jia Lan beside him who were also dissatisfied with their big brother. Obviously, they were also very mindful of Jia Baoyu''s ¡±sneaking away at a critical juncture.¡±

    *Tch!!

    Seeing these naughty kids, Jia Huan, the eldest, was only in his 10¡¯s. He was as young as Jia Lan, who was only seven or eight years old. Sun Shaozong suddenly felt a little more remorseful. He was afraid some of them would be naughty in the future by teaching these pampered kids.

    Since he¡¯s already in this situation, he should take it easy. He¡¯s already here, he can¡¯t just stare at them like this.

    So he quietly went to the weapon rack on the left side. With a hook and a pick on his toes, he holds a 200-kilogram stone lock in his hand. He demonstrated some fanciful action moves like a butterfly and immediately attracted the attention of the three naughty kids.

    Ruan Rong was stunned and said with some worry, "If you are fooling things around, won''t you make the Old Second Master unhappy?"

    "Don''t worry. If they practice what I teach for half an hour every day, it won¡¯t be a problem to relax and invigorate their body. It''s not too late to teach them anything else when they''ve laid a solid foundation."

    When Sun Shaozong finished, he saw Ruan Rong looking as if deep in thought. He stretched out his hand and bounced on her chest. He pretended to be angry and said, "How dare you not listen to your husband?"

    "What are you doing? Be careful to be seen by others!"

    Ruan Rong hurriedly slapped away his big hand, then gave him a look of shame and said, "If it works, you can go back and pass on the aerobics to me. At that time, I''ll let Daiyu learn to practice. I''m afraid her bones are even worse than the young masters of the Jia family."

    Sun Shaozong put on a straight face and said solemnly, "My aerobics has always been passed on to men but not women. If you want to learn it, you just need to practice the motion of the position of female on top and the male at the bottom, and I will..."

    Before he finished, Ruan Rong angrily punched him.

    "Ouch!"

    With a strange cry, Sun Shaozong said exaggeratedly, "What a vicious woman! You want to murder your husband..."

    "What a vicious woman! In broad daylight, how you dare to murder your husband!"

    But before he finished, he heard someone outside the window shouting and scolding angrily.

    The sound didn''t sound like a joke. Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong were stunned. They hurriedly opened the curtain and went around the street. They saw a group of people pushing and shoving a tied woman, crying and scolding at the street corner, "My brother, you worked hard to support your family. How could you have thought that such a plague-stricken woman was giving you a cuckold and killed you!"

    "Send her into the pig cage. We must catch this evil woman and invade her in the pig cage, so as to comfort Brother Zhang''s spirit in heaven!"

    "Yes! Catch her and invade her into the pig cage!"

    "Invade into the pig cage!"

    While talking, they did not know where the people got a huge bamboo cage, forced the woman into it, picked it up, and went straight to the nearest pond.

    The woman was tied up with her hands behind her back and blocked her mouth with a towel. She had to roll and struggle in the bamboo cage. She was stabbed by the rough and indiscriminate bamboo strips and was covered with bruises and blood. However, she refused to stop. Instead, she stared around, as if she were about to burst out of the fire!

    Seeing such a scene, Sun Shaozong picked up the curtain of the carriage and shouted, "Stop and put down that woman!"

 Chapter 40: Irrefutable Evidence

    Chapter 40: Irrefutable Evidence

    "Stop and put that woman down!"

    However, the man and woman carrying a bamboo cage were walking through the streets valiant and spirited. Suddenly heard this big roar, some stood still, some still moved forward according to the inertia, and others retreated in panic. The whole team was in a mess.

    Some stepped on their feet, bumped their hips, touched their breast, and shouted and scolded each other. It was like boiling a pot of water. On the contrary, Sun Shaozong, the initiator of the precedent, was left unattended.

    Among these many people, naturally, there was the leader with clear eyes and eyebrows. Seeing Sun Shaozong sitting in the crotch of a carriage and surrounded by nannies and healthy servants, he knows that he was not a man without an identity.

    So one of the half-hundred old men hurriedly shouted, "Don''t make any noise, just be quiet!"

    The old man should have some prestige in the neighborhood. As soon as he shouted, the men and women behind him gradually became quiet.

    When the chaos behind him was completely suppressed, the old man came up to the carriage, and with a flattering arched hand and sloping shoulders, he asked, "Sir, what¡¯s the matter for stopping us, is there anything I can help?"

    It sounds like he has been educated for several years.

    Sun Shaozong just jumped out of the carriage at this time. His iron tower-like body immediately frightened the crowd.

    He stared at the old man condescendingly with an eagle-like look and said with a sneer, "In this board daylight as bright as sun and moon. How dare you set up a private court to disregard human life? Do you think there is no royal law?"

    Although the old man had some insight, how could he stand Sun Shaozong''s oppressive eyes?

    He couldn¡¯t say that his spine was soft, and his body was like a bow shrimp. He was obsequious and couldn''t even say a word.

    However, someone in the back objected angrily and said, "What''s acting with utter disregard for human life? We caught together with the loot! This evil woman murders her husband. Shouldn''t she invade in the pig cage?"

    As soon as these words came out, it immediately boosted the morale of the opposite side, and immediately several people shrank in the crowd and shouted in strange voices, "Yes, we had caught together with the loot!"

    "Murder pays for life, not to mention that the vicious woman murdered her husband!"

    "Who do you think you are, why should you care about our private affairs?"

    In feudal society, clan lynchings and national laws could be said to go hand in hand. In particular, such cases within families were often handled by the people themselves without being reported by the government. As long as no one claims after the event, the local government often ignores them.

    It was for this reason that they dare to make such a forceful clamor.

    He was attacked by all these talking at once when Sun Shaozong was about to say something, his horse-keeper had already flashed out. He waved a whip and shouted, "My master is the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate of the Central Judicial Office. These nobodies dare to lynch in front of him. Is it possible that you guys want to revolt?"

    With this scolding, dozens of people across the street suddenly became silent. On the long street, they only heard the woman in the bamboo cage grunting.

    After a moment, the old man who took the lead asked with a trembling voice, "Mas... Are you the master of the ¡±Divine Judgement of the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun?¡±

    It turned out that the man''s name was Zhang Dalong, and the dead Zhang Erhu was his biological brother of the same mother.

    The two brothers live in the same alley, only separated by a low wall.

    Last year, Zhang Erhu went out with the firm and was away from home for more than half a year. His wife, Li, took the opportunity to hook up with others without being able to prove any innocence, thus creating lots of rumors.

    Zhang Erhu naturally refused to let the matter drop after returning home. Therefore, the couple has often fought at home in recent months.

    In the evening, Zhang Dalong had nothing to do. He was chatting with his mother-in-law on the Kang. Then he heard a fierce quarrel coming from the next room. Because Zhang Erhu and his wife had been quarreling many times, the more they were persuaded, the more serious the quarrel became. They were too lazy to persuade.

    It didn''t take long for the next room to stop the fight, so Zhang Dalong and his wife didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    Who knows, just at that moment, there was a sudden shrill scream from the next door, and then there was the sound of rushing through the door!

    Zhang Dalong and his wife were shocked. He hurried out with his clothes and rushed to the door, only to see Zhang Erhu''s wife, Li, running in the alley with his hands full of blood.

    Zhang Dalong stops Li and asked what happened. Li says that Zhang Erhu was killed. She was going to catch the real murderer!

    Zhang Dalong hurried to the next door. Sure enough, he found his brother lying in the yard with a pointed kitchen knife in his heart!

    At this point, Zhang Dalong stopped stuttering and angrily raised his head, "This evil woman is the only one in the alley. Where is the real murderer?! Besides, I heard her quarreling and fighting with Erhu. That kitchen knife is also something she used to use. It is clear that this evil woman was angry and used her hand to kill my brother and wanted to frame the blame on others!"

    The leading old man also said, "Master, Li kept saying that someone else killed him, but she couldn''t tell whether the murderer was a man or a woman. This was not prevarication, what else could it be?"

    This sounds a bit like irrefutable evidence.

    But remembering that Li was unwilling, did not give in, and glared around, Sun Shaozong felt that she didn''t look like the person who had just killed her husband.

    Therefore, after a little hesitation, the woman was taken out of the bamboo cage and put to one side.

    "Master, Master! I was wronged!"

    As soon as the towel in Li''s mouth was taken off, she desperately looked up and shouted that she had been wronged.

    Hearing the speech, Sun Shaozong was inspired and hurriedly asked, "What grievances do you have? Quickly tell me!"

    But the woman replied, "I didn''t have an affair, I really didn''t have an affair! It was all framed by others!"

    Speechless...

    It seems that this woman was also a person who didn¡¯t care about anything. With the current situation, she¡¯s still tangled up in the reputation of having an affair? Wasn¡¯t the most important thing to prove that you didn''t murder your husband first?!

 Chapter 41: Murder of her husband in Wanping County [Part 1]

    Chapter 41: Murder of her husband in Wanping County [Part 1]

    Although it was difficult to understand, her brain circuit wanted reputation but not life.

    But the truth still needed to be made clear, so Sun Shaozong added, "Zhang-Li if you want to prove that you didn''t have an affair, you must first prove that you didn''t murder your husband! Since you keep saying that there was someone else who did the murder, why don''t you tell us more about the situation at that time?"

    He told Zhang Dalong and others to untie the rope on her first.

    Although Zhang Dalong and others were reluctant, they did not dare to refuse because of Sun Shaozong''s ¡±Divine Judgement¡± reputation, so they had to loosen Li''s rope.

    Li regained her freedom and leaned away from the others. She knelt at Sun Shaozong''s feet and looked up, revealing a delicate and slender snow neck. She said in a loud voice, "My husband was suspicious because of the rumors that came from nowhere. He often took it out on me these days. I tried to explain it, but he just didn''t believe it! This evening..."

    Although the woman was covered with blood and bruises, it was not difficult to find that she was slim and charming. In particular, there was a tantalizing charm between her eyebrows and eyes. No wonder there were rumors.

    According to Li''s words, in the evening, she did have a conflict with Zhang Erhu, who kicked her in the lower abdomen. She was in a cold sweat. She didn''t dare to say anything, so she had to shrink into the inner room and sob all by herself.

    Vaguely, she heard another quarrel in the yard. It seemed that Zhang Erhu had quarreled with someone again. She was hesitant to go out and have a look until she heard Zhang Erhu scream!

    Li was startled. When she hurried out to have a look, she saw that the door panel was swinging like a pendulum, and Zhang Erhu had fallen into a pool of blood.

    She went up to check and found that Zhang Erhu was no longer breathing. For a while, she couldn''t think too much. She ran after the murderer desperately, trying to catch the murderer. Unexpectedly, as soon as she reached the next door, she was stopped by her big brother and sister-in-law. They insisted that she had murdered her husband. They also asked the neighbors to tie her up, saying that they were going to lock her in a pig cage and throw her into the pond!

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong had already made some conjectures in his heart, but he had to look at the scene to determine the details.

    At that moment, a patrolling Yamen guard from Wanping County arrived at the scene. Hearing that the Master of the Prefectural Judge was here, they hurried forward to say hello.

    Sun Shaozong was worried that he could not control too many people at once and was afraid that the murderer would run away. These Yamen guards came at the right time.

    Therefore, he was not polite. He directly ordered the Yamen guards to watch around and drive the group back to the scene of the crime like sheep. Sun Shaozong wanted Ruan Rong to go back home first, but Ruan Rong loved to see him solve the case. How was she willing to go back now?

    She had to wear a woolen cloak and cover half of her face with a silk scarf. She followed Sun Shaozong imposingly.

    As he spoke, he put his finger into the wound and stirred it up and down a few times. Then he said clearly, "The fourth rib above was broken by the back of the knife. In this way, the strength required is even greater."

    Li and Zhang Dalong were not far behind. Hearing this, one was overjoyed and the other was dissatisfied.

    Li kept shouting, "The Master Judge can discover the minutest detail in everything." Zhang Dalong held back for a while and saw her infinite joy. Finally, he could not help but refute, "Master, this vicious woman usually carries water and firewood. What can''t she do? How can she be weak?!¡±

    Sun Shaozong smiled at the speech, but he was not in a hurry to argue with him. He first examined the body carefully from top to bottom, and then looked around the room and outside twice. He then said to Zhang Dalong, "Since you think this evidence is insufficient, let''s verify your testimony first."

    "Verify... Verify testimony?"

    "Yes, let''s go over what you said in your testimony earlier on."

    Sun Shaozong pointed to the next door and said, "You take off your coat and go back to your bed. When Li runs away, you put on your clothes and go out to stop her. Do you understand?"

    Although Zhang Dalong didn''t understand the significance of doing so, the Prefectural Judge ordered him to do, so he had to take orders.

    He was accompanied by two Yamen guards and went to his bedroom next door. He took off his coat and climbed into the bed and laid down like a log. Unexpectedly, he felt a little shy for no reason and hurriedly wrapped his body in the quilt.

    He was just a rough man, how was there anything to look at?

    When the two Yamen guards were ready, they sent one of them to the next door to report. After a while, they heard a ¡±bang¡± from the next door and were knocked open by someone!

    "Get up, get up!"

    The Yamen guard first urged, he then remembered Sun Shaozong''s instructions, and hurriedly changed his words, "Don''t be too fast, just follow your speed at that time!"

    After he was urged by the guard to be fast for one moment and slow down, Zhang Dalong immediately panicked, which was the same as when he heard the scream.

    Zhang Dalong hurriedly got up and rushed out of his yard, what he saw immediately left him standing on the spot!

 Chapter 42: The Murder of her Husband in Wanping County [Part 2]

    Chapter 42: The Murder of her Husband in Wanping County [Part 2]

    Zhang Dalong hurried out of the gate. He had imagined that he would catch Li red-handed like the last time. Unexpectedly, he looked up and saw that there were 60 or 70 people crowded in the dark at the bottom of the alley. However, from Zhang Erhu''s house next door to his house, it was empty and no one could be seen!

    Zhang Dalong was confused and stared at the neighbors in the opposite neighborhood. He didn''t know what to do for a long time.

    "Behind you!"

    Finally, his wife couldn''t help reminding him.

    Zhang Dalong hurriedly looked back at the speech, but he saw Li stumbling and running. She was already near the alley!

    "Well, bring Li back!"

    Sun Shaozong gave a gesture and signaled the Yamen guards at the entrance of the alley to bring Li back to the bottom of the alley.

    He then spread his hands at Zhang Dalong, who was at a loss and said, "Li is injured now, and the speed may be slower than before, but when you got out, she already escaped nearly thirty feet. Thus, your testimony itself has proved that Li is not the one who broke the gate open and escaped."

    At this time, Zhang Dalong also noticed something wrong, but for a while, he was embarrassed, so he hesitated and said, "That knife... That kitchen knife is what she often uses!"

    "Well..."

    Sun Shaozong looked back and pointed to Zhang Erhu''s yard saying, "There is a sharpening stone under the old locust tree, which I have just seen. The friction marks on it are quite obvious. It should be that it has just been used. It is estimated that Zhang Erhu was sharpening his knife in the yard when he suddenly had a conflict with someone else, and the murderer grabbed the kitchen knife and stabbed him to death."

    At this time, Li had also been brought back by the Yamen guard.

    Sun Shaozong ignored Zhang Dalong and asked Li to go back to Zhang Erhu''s yard. He also told her to wait in the inner room according to the testimony. After hearing someone scream outside, they demonstrated the original situation again.

    When Li was ordered to return to the house, Sun Shaozong selected one of the several Yamen guards who was the most skillful and responsible for playing the murderer.

    "Action!"

    When everything was ready, the Yamen guard stood in front of the body, stabbed forward with a branch in his hand, and then screamed sadly and shrilly, left the branch, and ran away!

    One of the two claimed that he was squatting in the toilet when the crime was committed, and the other one said that at the time of the crime, he was tidying up the fence of the vegetable field in the yard. But their family could not provide circumstantial evidence for them.

    However, it was difficult to tell who was the real murderer.

    Therefore, the Yamen guards took them to Zhang Erhu''s yard as instructed by Sun Shaozong.

    Seeing that everyone else had been released, only the two fellow sufferers were left. Liu Jinbao and Xu Gensheng were in a panic. They didn''t care that the ¡±Divine Judge Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun¡¯¡¯ was in front of them. They started a verbal fight against each other.

    "Liu Jinbao, you must have killed him, right?! I saw you quarreling with Zhang Erhu two days ago!"

    "Fart your mother''s dog! Everyone in this alley knows that Zhang Erhu and I have quarreled since childhood. If I wanted to kill him, I would have done it long ago!"

    "Look, look at this! You admitted that you wanted to kill Zhang Erhu?!"

    "Damn your mother..."

    "Shut up!"

    Jiang Laoqi, the head of the Yamen guards in Wanping County, gave a sharp shout and suppressed the quarrel between the two people. He then came up to Sun Shaozong and said with a smile, "Master, what are we going to do next?"

    "This..."

    Sun Shaozong was about to speak, but his face suddenly changed. He suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed at the two suspects behind him. He said in a panic, "Zhang Erhu, how can you... How can you live again?!¡±

    Hearing this, Liu Jinbao and Xu Gensheng hurriedly looked back at each other, but they saw a man standing upright behind them with round eyes, a gray face, and a three-finger wide blood hole in his chest. Who else could it be if it wasn''t Zhang Erhu?!

    "Give me back my life! Give me back my life!"

    At that moment, there was another cry, like ghosts and wolves. Liu Jinbao was so scared that he crawled and went straight to Sun Shaozong''s crotch. Xu Gensheng was paralyzed and shouted, "Spare my life, Second Brother! I didn''t mean to kill you. I really... I can''t bear to see that the Young Lady Li was tortured by you, so..."

    Putong!

    Before he finished speaking, Zhang Erhu fell to the ground, revealing the Yamen guard, who supported the body with a wooden stick behind him.

 Chapter 43: Strength of Character

    Chapter 43: Strength of Character

    The feudal society also has its advantages. For example, when Sun Shaozong was the Captain of the Criminal Police Department, he was scolded by the media for his ¡±deliberately mystifying tactics!¡±

    But at present, such a simple and crude method with no technical content has been unanimously praised by the Yamen guards and the onlookers. Especially Jiang Laoqi, who praised him with flattering words like having ¡±clever strategy and shrewd tactics¡± and that he can ¡±solve a case like a God,¡± it was almost flattering that his butt was going to be sore.

    Naturally, it was time for the truth to be revealed.

    Just as Sun Shaozong inferred, when Xu Gensheng came to the door, Zhang Erhu was sharpening his knife under the tree. They quarreled in a few words. Zhang Erhu pushed Xu Gensheng and he staggered back and fell next to the sharpening stone.

    Seeing that Zhang Erhu was catching up to fight, a moment of anger swept through Xu Gensheng''s mind. When he was exasperated to the extreme, he started to stab him with a kitchen knife.

    Zhang Erhu immediately screamed and fell to the ground. At that time, he was out of breath.

    Seeing this, Xu Gensheng was also flustered. He hurried back to his yard. Later, he pretended to be a spectator and joined the team of invading the culprit in the pig cages. This was nothing new, but the reason for his conflict with Zhang Erhu makes people sob.

    It turned out that Xu Gensheng had always been secretly in love with Li. When he heard that she was beaten by Zhang Erhu, in his heart, there was like a knife piercing him. He wished he could replace her with his body.

    In the past few days, Xu Gensheng indistinctly heard that Li was beaten and scolded by Zhang Erhu again. Xu Gensheng finally couldn''t help coming to fight against injustice. He patted his chest and assured Zhang Erhu that all the rumors about Li were just rumors and gossip from the neighbor¡¯s women, and there was absolutely no factual basis.

    However, Xu Gensheng''s impulsiveness made Zhang Erhu suspicious. He suspected that he was the man who had an affair with his wife. Therefore, he fought against him, which led to the tragedy later.

    After giving an account of the cause and effect, Xu Gensheng knew that he could not escape the blame and spoke more openly. He stubbed his neck and shouted at Zhang Dalong and his wife, "I''m not afraid to tell the truth now. I''ve been staring at Xiujuan [Li''s name] all day for more than half a year. If she gets loose, no one else can do it! She is a person who sticks to her chastity. She did not do anything improper. It''s all the rumor and gossip of you people making groundless accusations, which has tainted her good reputation!"

    Zhang Dalong and his wife were speechless. Li listened to them, but her heart was still in turmoil, and unable to calm down for a long time. She probably never thought that the word ¡±innocence¡¯ she cared about most would come from the mouth of the enemy who killed her husband!

    For a time, the yard was full of sighs.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong followed Ruan Rong''s tone and sighed lightly, "What a pity! After all, he has injured human life and violated the law. This law does not speak of human feelings."

    Seeing Ruan Rong''s face darken for a few minutes, he suddenly said with a laugh, "However, if you become someone else''s wife, I will certainly kill the husband and take his wife, who cares about the Emperor''s order or whatever law. At that time, even if the Heavenly King wants to stop me, I will only care about killing him and disregard burying him!"

    Ruan Rong was both delighted and moved when she heard these direct love words. She had already thrown away the little sadness at the bottom of her heart.

    When they returned to the mansion, Ruan Rong was eager to show her feelings with her whole body, eagerly and attentively. She practiced the moves, such as the sexual positions of the female being on top and the male being at the bottom, several times with Sun Shaozong. Only in the middle of the night did she fall asleep spooned in Sun Shaozong¡¯s arms.

    The next morning, he heard from his family that Cheng Rixing, who had been here once last night, came to the door again in the morning. Sun Shaozong remembered that there was still a private adviser matter.

    So he hurriedly asked people to call Cheng Rixing to the side hall. After a long investigation, Cheng Rixing was barely able to pass the test until he was sweating hard.

    When he was admitted, he saw that the Lantern Festival had already started vigorously. Sun Shaozong immediately took Ruan Rong out of the house and they played happily at the Lantern Festival for two days.

    They had gathered half a cart of those kinds of lanterns, adorned with a revolving circle of paper horses, and the Lotus Lantern back. In particular, on the 16th day of the first month, they bought two palace lanterns. The picture on it was ¡±Divine Judgement Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun breaks the naked corpse case in wisdom,¡¯ which made Sun Shaozong proud again.

    It was a pity that the figures on the portrait were too ugly, with leopard heads and black eyes, just like Zhang Fei''s resurrection and better than Li Kui''s reincarnation. Therefore, Ruan Rong was making fun of him.

    Under Sun Shaozong''s ¡±becoming angry from embarrassment,¡± he had to do something in the middle of the night again and again. He didn''t rest for an hour until about four o''clock. Then he hurried to the official office. Jia Yucun took over his position on the seventeenth day of the first month. As an important party member of Prefectural Magistrate Jia, he naturally had to rush to support him in advance.

    However, it''s just a matter of supporting people. No one dares to offend a powerful person or do something risky because of Jia Yucun''s status.

    After Jia Yucun successfully took the position, Sun Shaozong worked in the Yamen for several days, during which he made a mistake and broke a murder case disguised as committing suicide by jumping into a well.

    Because he captured the real murderer in half a day, his name, ¡±Divine Judgement¡± has become more and more famous, and his position in the Central Judicial Office has become more and more stable. No one dared provoke him easily except County Magistrate Lin Delu, who was still speaking bluntly to him.

    It was so calm until the 29th day of the month, when someone suddenly came to the door and sent an invitation. It was the Great Conquering General Feng Tang''s Yamen who invited Sun Shaozong to go to the Baihua Restaurant for a banquet at noon tomorrow.

 Chapter 44: The Foolish Overload Offer a Humble Apology

    Chapter 44: The Foolish Overload Offer a Humble Apology

    As soon as the fat man spoke, Sun Shaozong secretly shouted unluckily.

    Originally, he came to the Wine Bureau unwillingly. Now, he met a party crasher without having to enter the banquet.

    Although Sun Shaozong didn''t know which family this dandy, Qiu Yunfei, was from, seeing that he dared to bring these dozens of military men to the door to seek revenge, he knew that his family was not under the Great Conquering General¡¯s Mansion in rank. He was caught in it now, and it was exactly the saying of ¡°Immortals to fight and mortals to suffer!¡±

    When Sun Shaozong was having internal turmoil, Feng Ziying didn¡¯t dare escape while standing over there facing dozens of military men, he came out quietly. He looked up and laughed, "It''s said that villains take revenge from morning till night. Today I¡¯ve finally encountered one. Qiu Yunfei, if you have any tricks, you can use them as soon as possible. If I am to frown once, I am a little pussy!"

    Qiu Yunfei sneered, "Good, good! Mad dog Ying, I want to see how hard your bones are more than your tongue!"

    One of them was on the horse and the other was standing on the ground, each showing off their words by quarreling and pretending to be a hoodlum.

    Those military men were not idle. They had already divided more than ten people, got off their horses, took ropes and wooden truncheons, and surrounded them from both wings.

    Seeing that they were near, Feng Ziying could no longer care about showing off his words by quarreling. He quickly puts on a stance, ready to make a final struggle.

    "Brother Feng, count me in!"

    At this time, he saw that Xue Pan jumped over excitedly, stood side by side with him, and shouted, "Such a big scene, how can I not be involved?!"

    Feng Ziying knew that he would not be able to win this time. How could he have implicated him in vain?

    He couldn''t help but persuade him not to get involved.

    But would Xue Pan listen?

    When he was getting annoyed by what he said, he shouted, took the initiative to meet the military man on the left, and shouted, "Give these to me, over there... Ouch!"

    Xue Pan was usually spoiled. How many days has he been practicing boxing? Even if he had grown some strength within him, how can it be worth several elite military men?

    Therefore, before finishing his boasting, he was whipped and swept on the bone at an unexpected moment. Although the military man knew that he was either wealthy or a respectable figure, he did not dare to use his full strength. While Xue Pan, who was still in pain, fell forward with an ¡±ouch.¡±

    Before he fell to the ground, he had been caught by two arms and could not struggle for half a minute.

    What a fool!

    Sun Shaozong looked speechless, but Feng Ziying was in a hurry. He rushed forward and swung his fist and foot, intending to save Xue Pan.

    His skill was much better than Xue Pan, and there was nothing wrong with dealing with three or five people at ease. But there were more than three or five people opposite. They were also elite in the army, and were best at the art of joint attack!

    "Official Qiu."

    After finishing several military elites, Sun Shaozong innocently arched his hands and said like a repeater, "Please give me face to stop and make peace?"

    Qiu Yunfei saw that he took down several elite military men neatly and quickly. When he was stunned, he heard him repeating the same words. He suddenly felt that he had lost his face and quickly swung the whip around and scolded, "What are you guys doing in a daze? Hurry up, get this guy together!"

    With this order, those military men jumped off their horses. There were more than 20 people, each holding a wooden truncheon, and surrounded Sun Shaozong murderously. But no one dared to not give their full power this time. Every attack was done with all their strength and skills.

    However, in the face of Sun Shaozong''s cast-iron muscles, what could a mere wooden truncheon do with him? He¡¯s afraid that those who attack were not strong enough and would only act like a tickling feeling to Sun Shaozong!

    So with only three to five combinations of the martial arts, Sun Shaozong was like a tiger in a sheep den and put down seven to eight people. This was the result of his convergence of strength, not wanting to hurt human lives.

    Seeing this, no matter how brave those military elites were, they couldn''t help but feel a little timid, but they didn''t dare to stop without Qiu Yunfei''s consent.

    Just when they were in a dilemma, someone suddenly shouted, "Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

    .

    All the military looked over following the shout, and they saw three people and three horses running wildly. It seems like they wanted to win with the help of horsepower!

    The military men immediately dispersed to the left and right, only blocking Sun Shaozong in the center.

    Quicker than words could tell, three people on the horse came close in an instant. Regardless of people, the horse was a top-grade horse, with thick legs, wide shoulders, and a length of nearly ten feet. He¡¯s afraid it has the strength of thousands of pounds when charging!

    But in the face of these three galloping horses, Sun Shaozong still did not dodge. Instead, he walked forward vigorously, swung his fist the size of a vinegar bowl, and hit the head of the leading black horse!

    Boom!

    The earth seemed to tremble under this punch. The black horse first folded its neck 90 degrees, then bent its body, hit its right companion sideways, and then trampled on its four hooves and tripped its left companion.

    So three fat and healthy horses fell under Sun Shaozong''s punch!

    Quiet~

    On the small square in front of the Jinxiang Yard, for a moment, they only heard the pain and screams of the three riders, and the rest were silent!

    Blow~

    Sun Shaozong lowered his head and blew away the horsehair on his fist. He arched his hands again and said peacefully, "Official, please give me face to stop and make peace?"

 Chapter 45: Sun Shaozong Behave like a Tyrant in Jinxiang Courtyard

    Chapter 45: Sun Shaozong Behave like a Tyrant in Jinxiang Courtyard

    As soon as the fat man spoke, Sun Shaozong secretly shouted unluckily.

    Originally, he came to the Wine Bureau unwillingly. Now, he met a party crasher without having to enter the banquet.

    Although Sun Shaozong didn''t know which family this dandy, Qiu Yunfei, was from, seeing that he dared to bring these dozens of military men to the door to seek revenge, he knew that his family was not under the Great Conquering General¡¯s Mansion in rank. He was caught in it now, and it was exactly the saying of ¡°Immortals to fight and mortals to suffer!¡±.

    When Sun Shaozong was having internal turmoil, Feng Ziying didn¡¯t dare escape while standing over there facing dozens of military men, he came out quietly. He looked up and laughed, "It''s said that villains take revenge from morning till night. Today I¡¯ve finally encountered one. Qiu Yunfei, if you have any tricks, you can use them as soon as possible. If I am to frown once, I am a little pussy!"

    Qiu Yunfei sneered, "Good, good! Mad dog Ying, I want to see how hard your bones are more than your tongue!"

    .

    One of them was on the horse and the other was standing on the ground, each showing off their words by quarreling and pretending to be a hoodlum.

    Those military men were not idle. They had already divided more than ten people, got off their horses, took ropes and wooden truncheons, and surrounded them from both wings.

    Seeing that they were near, Feng Ziying can no longer care about showing off his words by quarreling. He quickly puts on a stance, ready to make a final struggle.

    "Brother Feng, count me in!"

    At this time, he saw that Xue Pan jumped over excitedly, stood side by side with him, and shouted, "Such a big scene, how can I not be involved?!"

    Feng Ziying knew that he would not be able to win this time. How could he have implicated him in vain?

    He couldn''t help but persuade him not to get involved.

    But will Xue pan listen?

    When he was getting annoyed by what he said, he shouted, took the initiative to meet the military man on the left, and shouted, "Give these to me, over there... Ouch!"

    Xue Pan is usually spoiled. How many days has he been practicing boxing? Even if he had grown some strength within him, how can it be worth several elite military men?

    Therefore, before finishing his boasting, he was whipped and swept on the bone at an unexpected moment. Although the military man knew that he was either wealthy or a respectable figure, he did not dare to use his full strength. While Xue Pan, who was still in pain, fell forward with an ¡®ouch¡¯.

    Before he fell to the ground, he had been caught by two arms and could not struggle for half a minute.

    ¡®What a fool!¡¯

    Sun Shaozong looked speechless, but Feng Ziying was in a hurry. He rushed forward and swung his fist and foot, intending to save Xue Pan.

    Sun Shaozong threw the broken wooden truncheon at random, walked forward, and pulled it from left to right. It didn''t show that he used too much strength, just like playing with puppets, he put all the military men to the ground.

    "Official Qiu."

    After finishing several military elites, Sun Shaozong innocently arched his hands and said like a repeater, "Please give me a face to stop and make peace?"

    Qiu Yunfei saw that he took down several elite military men neatly and quickly. When he was stunned, he heard him repeating the same words. He suddenly felt that he lost his face and quickly swung the whip around and scolded, "What are you guys doing in a daze? Hurry up, get this guy together!"

    With this order, those military men jumped down from the horse again. There were more than 20 people, each holding their wooden truncheon, and surrounded Sun Shaozong murderously. But no one dared to not give their full power this time. Every attack was done with all their strength and skills.

    However, in the face of Sun Shaozong''s cast-iron muscles, what can a mere wooden truncheon do with him? He¡¯s afraid that those who attack are not strong enough and will only act like a tickling feeling to Sun Shaozong!

    So with only three to five combinations of the martial arts, Sun Shaozong was like a tiger in a sheep den and put down seven to eight people. This is the result of his convergence of strength, not wanting to hurt human lives.

    Seeing this, no matter how brave those military elites were, they couldn''t help but feel a little timid, but they didn''t dare to stop without Qiu Yunfei''s consent.

    Just when they were in a dilemma, someone suddenly shouted, "Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

    All the military looked over following the shout, and they saw three people and three horses running wildly. It seems like they wanted to win with the help of horsepower!

    The military men immediately dispersed to the left and right, only blocking Sun Shaozong in the center.

    Quicker than words can tell, three people on the horse came close in an instant. Regardless of people, the horse was a top-grade horse, with thick legs, wide shoulders, and nearly ten feet long. He¡¯s afraid it has the strength of thousands of pounds when charging!

    But in the face of these three galloping horses, Sun Shaozong still did not dodge. Instead, he walked forward vigorously, swung his fist the size of a vinegar bowl, and hit the head of the leading black horse!

    Boom~

    The earth seemed to tremble under this punch. The black horse first folded its neck 90 degrees, then bent its body, hit its right companion sideways, and then trampled on its four hooves and tripped its left companion.

    So three fat and healthy horses fell under Sun Shaozong''s punch!

    Quiet~

    On the small square in front of the Jinxiang Yard, for a moment, they only heard the pain and scream of the three riders, and the rest were silent!

    Blow~

    Sun Shaozong lowered his head and blew away the horsehair on his fist. He arched his hands again and said peacefully, "Official, please give me a face to stop and make peace?"

 Chapter 46: Drunken Xue Pans Nonsense Promise to a Beautiful Concubine

    Chapter 46: Drunken Xue Pan''s Nonsense Promise to a Beautiful Concubine

    The rumbling sound of horses'' hooves drifted away, as fast as when they came, leaving only wooden truncheon all over the ground, three disabled horses, and the ¡±black dog¡± whining from afar, "Sun, I¡¯ll remember you!"

    Tch!

    Just remember all you want.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t care about the revenge of a mere dandy.

    Anyway, his response today could be called correctitude. Even if the elder of the enemy heard about the cause and effect, most of them would also like to thank themselves for coming forward and preventing the possibility of a complete feud between the two families.

    Even if he meets an elder who did not care, it''s up to Feng Tang, the Great Conjuring General, to deal with it and not up to him, the younger generation.

    At this time, Xue Pan had also loosened Feng Ziying''s tie, grinned at Sun Shaozong, and gave him a big thumbs up, "Simple and direct, it¡¯s really to one heart''s content! Today, I had an eye-opener. With your ability, if you were to be born in the Three Kingdoms of the Eastern Han Dynasty, you must be able to compete with Lu Bu who is given the rank of nobility!"

    Sun Shaozong was waiting for a few words of modesty. Feng Ziying rubbed his arm next to him, but he complained half truly, "Since Brother Sun has such a good skill, why didn¡¯t you interfere earlier? You insist on seeing the jokes of your brothers."

    Sun Shaozong smiled and said proudly, "Seeing that Qiu Yunfei''s face turned black and blue, it''s obvious that he has suffered a loss in your hands. This poor man, how can I bully him again?"

    Three people versus dozens of military men can be called bullying others?!

    Feng Ziying was speechless for a moment, but recalling Sun Shaozong''s heroic and unparalleled performance just now, he had to admit that Sun Shaozong could be worthy of the word ¡±bullying.¡±

    "Hahaha, now that the fight is over, what are we still waiting outside the door for? Let¡¯s go, Lady Yun''er must have been waiting!" Xue Pan laughed. When he entered the Jinxiang Courtyard, Sun Shaozong and Feng Ziying followed him.

    As soon as they passed through the door, he heard a few clangs of strings, and then the tone suddenly rose like brocade and waves, chaotic but not disorderly, urgent but not hurried, like a golden dagger on the battlefield, making people stimulate its veins!

    The three men stopped their steps unconsciously and listened to the vigorous and heroic song.

    After a while, the sound of the Chinese zither gradually subsided, but the aftersound was especially lingering, which made people recollect the pleasant sound of the song.

    At this time, someone said in a soft voice in the withered branches and leaves in the flower garden on the right, "The song ¡±General''s Mandate¡± is dedicated to the three triumphant heroes. I hope the three won¡¯t dislike Yun''er''s poor skills and pollute your listening."

    The hell! This guy really doesn¡¯t know how to adopt different attitudes under different circumstances.

    Even if this was indeed Sun Shaozong''s mindset, he didn¡¯t have to say it in front of others, did he?

    After driving beyond forbearance, Sun Shaozong slapped him on the back of the head with a backhand and shouted, "If you don¡¯t know how to speak, shut your mouth!"

    Not to mention, this method of dealing with such a jerk as Xue Pan was very effective!

    After Sun Shaozong''s slap, his face was not even angry. On the contrary, he smiled foolishly, with a show-off look of, ¡±My big brother hit me, taking me as a brother.¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked back and smiled at Yun''er. He went back to make amends and said, "Don''t listen to him. Isn''t Liang Hongyu of the Song Dynasty also a prostitute? I respect her very much."

    Hearing this, the Lady Yun''er couldn''t help but feel gloomy.

    Although she also thinks highly of herself, how dare she compare with Liang Hongyu and other strange women through the ages?

    Therefore, although this was euphemistic, it also meant alienation and rejection.

    So she no longer focused on Sun Shaozong alone. She¡¯s socially active in chatting and dancing, gradually pushing up the atmosphere of the banquet.

    After that fight just now, the three people were already a little excited, not to mention with such beauty and wine.

    In less than half an hour, Feng Ziying and Xue Pan were already drunk.

    Feng Ziying unsteadily stripped off all his clothes, revealing the picture of Jinpeng spreading its wings on his back. He was almost unsteady when he stood, but he was making a fuss to dance a sword for Sun Shaozong. Sun Shaozong persuaded him with a few words, and when he saw that Feng Ziying couldn''t listen at all, he threw his sword into the yard and handed over an empty scabbard.

    Feng Ziying casually swung the scabbard a few times and suddenly rushed forward, but he directly drilled under Yun''er''s table and fell asleep.

    Xue Pan first applauded and laughed, then sat down at the table and cried loudly, shouting that all his brothers had excellent skills, but he had no good ability to liven the mood up.

    Sun Shaozong, speechless, advised a few words, but the man hugged his thigh and pestered him endlessly. He insisted on giving Sun Shaozong one of his beautiful concubines at home to cheer him up, and with a big tongue, he told him all the goods of that beautiful concubine.

    His words were full of extravagant remarks, which were as unpleasant as Sun Shaozong''s biological Big Brother.

 Chapter 47: The Haunt of the Heavenly Hound

    Chapter 47: The Haunt of the Heavenly Hound

    After Sun Shaozong came back from Jinxiang Courtyard, he first looked for his Elder Brother to inquire about the identity background of Qiu Yunfei. Strategically, he could despise each other, but tactically, he still needed to know himself and the enemy.

    Speaking of the background of this white fatty, first of all, he would like to introduce the establishment of the Garrison in the Capital. The more than 100,000 imperial guards defending The Capital were roughly divided into four battalions and one guard. The four battalions refer to the Huben Camp, the Shenji Camp, the Chengfang Camp, and the Patrol Camp respectively. The one guard refers to the Dragon Imperial Guard directly under the Emperor.

    Putting aside the Dragon Imperial Guard, among the four camps of the imperial guards, Huben Camp was the most important, followed by Shenji Camp and Chengfang Camp and the Patrol Camp was the last place side by side. Qiu Yunfei''s father was originally the Commander of the Chengfang Camp, which was similar to the identity of the Great Conjuring General Feng Tang.

    Last winter, due to the vacancy of the Commander of the Huben Camp, the two families fought against each other. In the end, Commander Qiu was the winner. He was promoted to the Commander of the Huben Camp. He also served as the Deputy Commander of the five cities'' army and horses department and became a veritable supreme government official in charge of military affairs.

    It was for this reason that Feng Ziying was dissatisfied two days ago, he provoked a quarrel and violently hammered the Qiu Yunfei, which was called ¡±revenge for his father.¡±

    Knowing the cause and effect, and comparing with his disposal at that time, Sun Shaozong became calmer and calmer in his heart.

    So after returning to his small courtyard, he had to tell Ruan Rong the happenings in Jinxiang Courtyard as an interesting story.

    However, when Ruan Rong heard that Xue Pan was drunk and talked nonsense and wanted to give his beautiful concubine a handshake, she blurted out, "How can The Master refuse his sayings? This can help Sister Xiangling to avoid being ruined by him!"

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong was speechless, reached out, and poked a finger on her forehead. He was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh and said, "Big Head Xue is just drunk and speaking nonsense. It¡¯s fine just listening to it, how can you take it seriously? Besides, how can you take the initiative to accept women around your husband?"

    Ruan Rong also knew that she had made a slip of tongue and spit out her tongue playfully, but she still couldn''t help saying, "If it was for other women, even if the master insisted on taking her home, I''m afraid she''ll have to pass my level first. But Sister Xiangling is really pitiful. She¡¯s honest and does not go beyond her duty. If she can be rescued from the suffering, what¡¯s the big deal to let you have it once?"

    With that, she brought together the gossip she heard from Daiyu.

    It turned out that this Xiangling was originally a daughter of the wealthy. Unfortunately, she was abducted by human traffickers when she was five years old and was sold to the Xue family as a slave when she was twelve or thirteen years old. Her life experience was so tragic, but she didn''t complain at all. She was warm-hearted all day and always had good intentions toward others.

    When Ruan Rong spoke, she couldn''t help sighing, "To put it in a good way, she is Xue Pan''s step-mother of the concubines. In fact, she is just a servant girl. The Overlord is also a person who doesn¡¯t care. He always makes trouble every few days, and I don¡¯t know how much pain Xiangling has suffered normally."

    As she was saying this, she felt a big hand on her lower abdomen and rubbed it like dough.

    The old housekeeper said anxiously, "Someone from the Yamen said that Ge Qingfeng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Affair, suddenly died at home. They ask for the Second Master to hurry there to investigate immediately!"

    "Oh, I thought what a big deal it was."

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong immediately put his whole heart back in his stomach and said with a smile, "That Vice Minister Ge Shilang is neither related to us nor an old friend. Does it worth being so nervous about his death, Uncle Wei?"

    "Second Master!"

    Wei Licai saw that he was not regarding it seriously and hurriedly said, "That''s a formal Six Department Hall Official. Now that he has suddenly died, there must be a statement! In case the case can''t be solved, I''m afraid..."

    Although the old housekeeper didn''t make it clear, Sun Shaozong also understood that he was probably afraid that he would be a scapegoat by accident, so he smiled and comforted, "Uncle Wei, don¡¯t mention other things. But for solving cases, I still have some experience with it."

    "Sigh, if it''s a general case, Second Master will naturally capture an enemy easily, but in this case..." the old housekeeper hesitated for a while and then said, "This case is caused by the Haunt of the Heavenly Hound. Where can you find the real murderer?!"

    Haunt of the Heavenly Hound?

    No wonder the old housekeeper was just in a state of shock. The case involved ghosts and gods!

    According to the old housekeeper, when Vice Minister Ge was enjoying the cool breeze in the back garden during the summer two years ago, his toes were foolishly bitten off by a Shih-Tzu. After that, Vice Minister Ge flew into a rage, ordered all dogs in the family to be executed, and strictly ordered the whole family not to keep dogs again.

    This was nothing strange at first, but since then, Vice Minister Ge has caught up with inexplicable quirks, and every once in a while, he will drive the people around him to other places and spend the night alone in his study room.

    And whenever at this time, there would be a barking sound from the study room, sometimes cheerful, sometimes sad, people who listened to it only found it creepy!

    Afterward, someone gathered up their courage and asked about it, but Vice Minister Ge always spoke harshly, insisting that he didn''t hear even a little sound of a dog barking.

    Later, this matter was widely spread in the streets. It was said that Vice Minister Ge was possessed by the Heavenly Hound, and they were afraid that he would get punished sooner or later. They didn¡¯t think that the retribution really came tonight!

 Chapter 48: The Case of the Heavenly Hound Eating Heart in the Xinglong Street [Part 1]

    Chapter 48: The Case of the Heavenly Hound Eating Heart in the Xinglong Street [Part 1]

    Before dawn, a messy sound of horses'' hooves shattered the tranquility of Xinglong Street.

    However, the residents nearby have long been used to it. After all, the streets have been in chaos since midnight, and there was no peace at the moment.

    Seeing white flags in front of him and many people surrounded by shadows, Sun Shaozong knew that he had reached the place, so he slowed down his horse speed slightly, and said in a loud voice, "I¡¯m Sun Shaozong, the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate of the Central Judicial Office. Who is in charge in front?"

    "Magistrate Sun, you are finally here!"

    Before the words fell, a small official in green flashed out of the crowd, but it was Zhou Da, the Criminal Inspector. He leaned over and flattered, grabbed the reins, and said, "Just now, the subordinate officer of the supreme guard urged me several times. If you still don¡¯t appear, I really don''t know how to reply!"

    Since he was regarded as a scapegoat at the Reception Banquet, Zhou Da simply turned to Sun Shaozong in anger. Anyway, he was selected from the minor official who draws up indictments, and he was not a serious scholar himself.

    Although Sun Shaozong has not stated his position, it has not stopped him from posing as a lackey under the team.

    "The subordinate officer of the supreme guard?"

    Sun Shaozong frowned when he heard the speech. When the case was big, it should be handled by Han Anbang, the Governor of a Prefecture. When it was small, it should also be the Minister of the Department, Liu Chongshan who was especially responsible for criminal cases, but how could it fall on Jia Yucun?

    Seeing that he frowned and did not speak, Zhou Da vaguely guessed the reason, and hurriedly lowered his voice to explain, "Prefectural Magistrate Jia just moved to this Xinglong Street yesterday, next to Vice Minister Ge¡¯s Mansion."

    How unlucky was he! But if he moves here one day late, he¡¯s afraid the case won''t fall on him!

    Sun Shaozong was a little speechless for a moment, thinking that Jia Yucun was possessed by a declining Go. But he didn''t know that the source of this thing was actually in his own body.

    Had it not been for his help, Jia Yucun''s arrival in the Capital would have been postponed for three or four days, and moving to Xinglong Street would have to wait until the middle of February, he would happen to be staggered from this strange case, which caused a stir for a while and ended in confusion.

    Now...

    When Sun Shaozong followed Zhou Da and hurried to Vice Minister Ge¡¯s Mansion study room, he saw Jia Yucun standing in front of the knocked-open door with his hands on his back. His face was as black as ink, and his eyebrows, nose, and eyes all exuded terrible low pressure. No strangers were allowed to enter his surroundings!

    Seeing Sun Shaozong appear, his face showed a bit of joy. Regardless of the presence of Zhou Da, Zhao Wuwei, and the others, he came forward and pulled Sun Shaozong''s sleeve, saying excitedly, "My good brother, this time you have to help me no matter what!"

    Sun Shaozong could understand his mood. He encounters such a big case by just taking over the post not long as a new official. If he could solve the case, it would naturally be a great scene. But if he didn¡¯t manage to solve the case... He can accept the punishment from the upper management, but the most important part is mainly because he will lose his face and his prestige will be swept away. What capital will he have to compete with Han Anbang in the future?

    However, Sun Shaozong has not understood the basic information of this case. How does he dare to boast?

    He could only make a solemn promise, "Don''t worry, Prefectural Magistrate, I will do my best to find out the truth of this case!"

    "That''s good, that''s good, that''s good!"

    He¡¯s afraid it''s more difficult to find clues now.

    Sun Shaozong bites on his dental calculus, having to crack his brain because of the toughness of the case, but his eyes suddenly caught something. He hurriedly gathered in front of the body and observed it carefully. As expected, he found that the liver, spleen, stomach, and kidney were all in the chest, but the most important organ¡ªthe heart¡ªwas missing!

    "This is..."

    Sun Shaozong carefully twisted up several main blood vessels, looked at the uneven fracture above, which seemed to have been torn vigorously, and couldn''t help but gasp in shock. The missing heart was bitten by teeth!

    Then he found more frightening evidence in the folds of the dead body''s clothes. A small lump of chewed minced meat!

    Has that heart been eaten by the killer?!

    This extreme abnormal behavior was derived from bitter hatred, or to cover up any important clues?!

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a while and then handed the minced heart remains to Zhao Wuwei for sealing. He raised his eyes and continued to look at the situation at the scene.

    Window curtains? There is still a thick curtain installed in this bedroom?

    One must know that these days, paper windows are used, and people couldn¡¯t see them clearly from the outside during the day. Only a few people would install extra curtains.

    Sun Shaozong walked to the window, carefully opened the closed curtain, meticulously observed it up and down, and found that the windows were also locked-in.

    Considering that the dead body was near the windowsill, the murderer should not have a chance to lock the window after the crime. It could be seen that the house was indeed in a secret chamber before the door was knocked open.

    Moreover, through this additional curtain, Sun Shaozong further confirmed that there must be some secret hidden in Vice Minister Ge!

    And this secret, seven or eight out of ten, was the cause of his death!

    "My Lord!"

    Seeing Sun Shaozong stand in front of the window for a long time, Zhao Wuwei couldn''t help but remind him, "You might as well see what''s on the transom first."

    Transom?

    Sun Shaozong had also seen the open transom in the northwest corner, but that window was not much bigger than a palm, not to mention an adult. He was afraid that even children couldn''t get out of it, so he didn''t hurry to check it.

    At this time, hearing Zhao Wuwei take the initiative to mention it and seeing his face full of fear, Sun Shaozong became interested. He stepped forward with his feet and looked at it a few times. He immediately made a sound, ¡±eh¡± and twisted a few gray hairs from the edge of the window, and muttered to himself, "This seems to be..."

    "Dog hair!"

    Zhao Wuwei trembled and said, "Master, this is definitely dog hair! It can¡¯t be... It can¡¯t be that it was caused by the haunt of the Heavenly Hound, right?!"

 Chapter 49: The Case of the Heavenly Hound Eating Heart in the Xinglong Street [Part 2]

    Chapter 49: The Case of the Heavenly Hound Eating Heart in the Xinglong Street [Part 2]

    The haunt of the Heavenly Hound?

    Sun Shaozong put the dog hairs under his nose to sniff them. He carefully twisted them into a small pinch, put them in his palm, and looked at them attentively for a while. His face suddenly showed a little disdain, but he had no intention of revealing what he was thinking. He only threw the dog hairs to Zhao Wuwei for safekeeping and then continued investigating the crime scene inch by inch.

    Zhao Wuwei saw that Sun Shaozong didn''t take the statement of "The Haunt of the Heavenly Hound" seriously, so he couldn''t help following him and muttering like a chatterbox, "Master, this case is really strange!"

    "I heard that last night, Ge Shilang drove all the young boys and servant girls out of the yard and stayed alone in the study room. As a result, at nearly three o''clock, they heard bursts of sad and shill dog barks coming out of the room, and it was a terrible cry one after another!"

    "Ge Shilang''s family felt something was wrong, so they gathered more than a dozen people and bravely came to inquire about it."

    "As soon as they arrived in the yard, the dog''s barking stopped, but no matter how they shouted outside, there was never any reaction inside. Being helpless, the housekeeper and the eldest son of the Ge Mansion ordered them to break in!"

    "Who knows, after entering his bedroom in the study, they found that Ge Shilang had died on the spot. There was no scene of any figure in the room, and his heart and liver were missing! Only a few dog hairs fell on the window transom. If this was not the haunt of the Heavenly Hound causing the death, how else could it be?"

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong suddenly lifted his head out of the bath bucket and said, "Are you sure that the dog''s bark suddenly disappeared after everyone entered the yard?"

    "Yes, of course. A dozen witnesses said so!"

    Seeing that his words finally came into effect, Zhao Wuwei hurriedly added, "Do you think this is an evil deed?! Either the murderer is a demon who can fly to the sky and escape to the earth, or the Heavenly Hound ate Ge Shilang''s heart and then ran away from the window transom! Otherwise, by being blocked by so many people, how could he disappear out of thin..."

    Before the word "air" was said, Sun Shaozong rushed directly to the corner behind the door without saying a word and carefully screened the floor and wall.

    Zhao Wuwei also leaned over, but he stared until there was bloodshot in his eyes, and he didn''t find anything strange behind the door.

    He was just wondering if Sun Shaozong had made a mistake. He saw him slap his palm and said excitedly, "Let''s go! Go with me to see the witnesses first, and then give a dose of reassurance news to the Prefectural Magistrate!"

    With that, he walked out of the messy bedroom.

    Reassurance? Has this case been solved again?!

    With that, he stretched out his hand to Zhao Wuwei and said, "Give me that tuft of dog hair!"

    Zhao Wuwei quickly unfolded the paper bag and carefully presented the dog''s hair.

    Sun Shaozong twisted it in his hand, shook it a few times, and sniffed, "The thickness, length, color, and feel of these dog hairs... Even the smell of anger is different. They were picked up by people randomly. Shouldn¡¯t the barking you guys heard last night be from a group of dogs instead?"

    Hearing these words, everyone looked at those dog hairs suspiciously.

    But the mink fur woman didn''t believe it at all. With a sneer, she disdained, "This dog is not an ordinary dog, but a collection of grievances from many dead animals. What''s so strange about it?"

    ¡°The heck! There is such an explanation!¡±

    Let alone others'' ¡±sudden enlightenment,¡± even Sun Shaozong was a little speechless for a while.

    Fortunately, he didn''t have only this evidence, so he reached out to Zhao Wuwei for something, held it in his palm, and showed it to the crowd. "Well, even if the Heavenly Hound was indeed a hybrid variety, how should this thing be explained?"

    The people looked intently, but they saw that what he held in his hand was a small lump of sticky minced meat. Although someone had guessed the origin of this thing, he cracked his head and still didn''t understand the purpose of Sun Shaozong''s display of it...

    "My good brother."

    Jia Yucun couldn''t help but urge, "Don''t be coy, tell us quickly, what''s the doubt about this thing?"

    "Lord Prefectural Magistrate."

    Sun Shaozong then explained, "If I''m not mistaken, this thing should be the broken residue of the heart after being chewed by the murderer. But don''t you think this meat residue is a little too delicate?"

    With that, he ground the meat residue into a thin layer on the palm and continued to explain, "Although dog teeth are sharp, they are more suitable for chewing hard objects or tearing the flesh and skin than humans. But because their teeth are sharp, dog teeth do not have the ability to grind food into residue! On the contrary, our human teeth can easily achieve this effect!"

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong waved his palm at the middle-aged woman and asked with a smile, "This concubine, don''t you tell me that the dog not only had miscellaneous hair that day but also had a mouth of human teeth!"

 Chapter 50: The Case of the Heavenly Hound Eating Heart in the Xinglong Street [Part 3]

    Chapter 50: The Case of the Heavenly Hound Eating Heart in the Xinglong Street [Part 3]

    A miscellaneous hair dog with a mouthful of human teeth... No matter how they think of it, it seems a little funny!

    Therefore, Jia Yucun couldn''t help but blurt out, "In this case, Vice-President Ge was killed by someone, not by some Heavenly Hound?"

    "Of course!"

    Sun Shaozong disdainfully said, "It was someone who killed Vice-President Ge and barked like a dog in the room, intending to pretend to be a Heavenly Hound that claimed his life! Unfortunately, his layout was too clumsy, which not only didn''t cover up his actions but completely exposed oneself away!"

    Clumsy?

    Except for Sun Shaozong himself, they¡¯re afraid that no one in the audience would use the word ¡±clumsy¡± to describe these arrangements. If it weren''t for Sun Shaozong himself, it would be impossible for others to see any flaws in a mass of minced meat residue!

    It¡¯s just that...

    "Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun."

    Ge Xiaorui, the eldest son of Vice-President Ge, questioned, "You just said that the murderer hid in the house to learn dog barking after killing my father? If that''s true, when we arrived in the yard, wasn''t the murderer still in the study room? Then how did the murderer disappear out of thin air?"

    "Yes!"

    Ge Xiaoxian, the second son, also said, "When we knocked open the door, except for my father''s body, let alone people, not even a hair... I didn''t even see a single shadow!"

    He originally wanted to say, ¡°I didn''t even see a single hair,¡± but when it came to his mouth, he suddenly remembered the handful of dog hair, so he quickly changed the following lines.

    The remaining third son, Ge Xiaoyi, and fourth son, Ge Xiaowen, also raised doubts one after another.

    Concubine Zhang, who was full of the divine spirit, had been beaten and kept silent. At this time, seeing that Sun Shaozong had suddenly become the target of public criticism, she immediately burst into a snarl and shouted with a sharp voice, "I told you so! It must be the Heavenly Hound that killed The Master, otherwise, how can it disappear without a trace under the eyes of all of us?!¡±

    Seeing that the theory of ¡±The Heavenly Hound claimed his life¡± which has been overturned, it was noisy again for a time, and even Jia Yucun and others were suspicious again.

    It''s a long way to go to get rid of feudal superstition!

    Sun Shaozong smiled helplessly, pointed to the bedroom, and said, "Actually, it''s not as difficult to disappear from this bedroom out of thin air as you think. If you guys don''t believe it, you''ll understand it after going in with me."

    With that, Zhou Da whispered a few words and then walked into the bedroom first.

    The crowd also hurriedly followed in succession and saw Sun Shaozong reach out and point to the body and the bath bucket, saying, "When I first saw the body and the bath bucket, I felt a little strange. Even if I wanted to wash away the clues left on the body, I didn''t need to scoop out the whole bath bucket of water, right?"

    "As you know, no matter how you scoop water from the bath bucket, it will become particularly troublesome at the bottom. According to common sense, the murderer doesn''t need to scoop up the water at all, unless he has other purposes!"

    Sun Shaozong paced back and forth and said firmly, "The murderer first stabbed Vice-President Ge naked with a sharp weapon, ripped him out of his heart, arranged for him to be killed by the Heavenly Hound, washed all over his blood in the bath bucket, and then put on his clothes..."

    He paused and suddenly stretched out his hand behind the door and said, "Hide behind the door and learn to bark. Wait until someone breaks through the door and blends into the crowd silently!"

    Before Sun Shaozong''s words fell, everyone in the room was in an uproar!

    "How... How is this possible?!"

    "Yes, if someone really hides behind the door, how can we not see it?!"

    Even Jia Yucun, who had just taken the initiative to propose a hypothesis, shook his head at this time and felt that Sun Shaozong''s words were as absurd as an Arabian Night.

    Sigh~

    A group of people who haven''t seen ¡±Young Justice Bao¡± want to understand the essence of this plan. It''s still a little difficult indeed.

    Fortunately, he was ready!

    "Everyone!"

    Sun Shaozong raised his voice and asked in a loud voice, "Haven''t you found that there is a person in the room who shouldn''t exist but sneaked in halfway?"

    Everyone was stunned when they heard the speech. They looked at each other, but they really couldn¡¯t tell who ¡±shouldn''t exist.¡±

    Finally, a skinny boy took the initiative to stand up, gathered in front of the Ge Xiaorui brothers, bowed his waist, and said with a smile, "Masters, I¡¯m the one who sneaked in halfway. Because when the door was smashed in the first place, I wasn¡¯t present, so I wasn''t called by the Official of the Central Judicial Office for questioning."

    With that, he pointed to Zhou Da again and said, "Until just now, the Official called me over and let me sneak into the room..."

    "How is this possible?!"

    Before he finished speaking, the old housekeeper of the Vice-President Mansion shook his head and said, "Liu Rui, you are the Lord''s personal servant. How can you not be there when we¡¯re smashing the door?!¡±

    "This..."

    Liu Rui was about to explain, but the two familiar boys next to him had a sudden realization, and rushed to say, "Old housekeeper, Brother Liu was really not there at that time! Because he got up in the middle of the night and squatted in the cottage for half an hour, he just missed it!"

    Hearing the speech, everyone was in an uproar. They felt beyond comprehension, but they had to believe it.

    "Everyone should understand now, right?¡°

    Sun Shaozong''s eagle-like eyes also glanced at the people of the Ge Mansion one by one and finally sneered, "The murderer who killed Vice-President Ge is among you guys!"

 Chapter 53: The Foolish Overlord has Sharp Eyes to See Through the Insightsâ€

    Chapter 53: The Foolish Overlord has Sharp Eyes to See Through the ¡°Insights¡±

    Several people hurried to the Vice-President Mansion next door and saw that the front of the mourning hall was crowded. In the middle, a big man was blocked by several healthy servants, hugging and locking his arms, but he stubbed his neck and jumped to scold, who else could it be if it wasn''t Xue Pan?

    Listening to his incessant obscenities and slanders, Jia Zheng''s old face seemed to have opened a grocery store, turning red and white, green, and mixed with a few black fumes.

    For a moment, his anger was overwhelming, and he even added a little strength to his body. He separated the crowd in just a few moves and then slapped Xue Pan in the face. He shouted in his mouth, "You vile spawn, shut your mouth up!"

    Xue Pan was a little dizzy after being slapped. Without thinking about it, he lifted his fist. When he saw that the person coming was his uncle, he hurriedly pressed his fist on his head and said, "Uncle, why are you... Why are you here?"

    "Do I have to tell you in advance regarding my whereabouts?"

    Jia Zheng glared angrily, and his fists clenched. He just wants to swallow and peel this disgraceful thing in front of the mourning hall.

    Xue Pan shrank his neck, but thinking of what had just happened, he immediately straightened up and said wrongfully, "Uncle, in the past, I bullied others. It''s okay for you to scold me a few words, but today I was bullied, how can you beat me?"

    "Can you still be bullied?" ViiSiit  for latest novels

    "Of course!"

    Xue Pan raised his head, showed several bloodstains on his neck, and said exaggeratedly, "I kind-heartedly comforted the Young Second Master Ge, but instead of being grateful, he rushed up and scratched frantically. If you don''t believe it, this yard full of people can testify to me!"

    Hearing this, Jia Zheng hurriedly scanned around. Seeing that no one came out to refute this remark, he was immediately reassured. He was afraid that Xue Pan would cause trouble without reason, but he was not worried that he would suffer a big loss.

    He also knew that Xue Pan had always been careless, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Did you ever say something unpleasant?"

    "How is that possible?!"

    Xue Pan immediately called for being wronged again, "Because Vice-President Ge used to take care of the Xue family''s business very much, so my mother asked me to come over to mourn. I''m not a fool, why should I say something unpleasant?"

    "Nephew Ge."

    Jia Zheng was relieved, turned his head and arched his hands in the mourning hall, and said, "I don''t know where my nephew bumped into you, which made you act so impolitely in front of the coffin?"

    Hearing this, there was a hint of questioning. Ge Xiaoxian raised his eyebrows and blurted out his words with a gun and a stick clip, but his eyes inadvertently swept on Sun Shaozong, and he suddenly changed his mind, only tilted his head, and said with hatred, "Nothing, I just don''t feel happy about him!"

    "Erlang!"

    "Second Brother!"

    As soon as these words came out, Ge Xiaorui and Ge Xiaoyi immediately changed their faces and gave a scolding.

    Sun Shaozong''s eyes were sharp, and Xue Pan shivered. He dared not hide anything anymore and hurriedly told him what had just happened.

    It turned out that this foolish boy had come to mourn for Vice-President Ge at the order of his mother and had offered rich sacrifices in the mourning hall. It happened that it was Ge Xiaoxian''s turn to come out to thank him. Xue Pan, who saw him in filial piety, was white and beautiful. Unconsciously, he became obscene.

    His temperament, whenever he has greed, how will he care about what the occasion was?

    So he opened his mouth and teased a few words, wanting to get to know Ge Xiaoxian.

    Who knows, when Ge Xiaoxian heard those words of ¡°admiration,¡± it was as if he had been stabbed in his lungs. He jumped up like crazy and scratched, but Xue Pan was stunned, and he accidentally suffered some losses.

    It was for such a matter?

    Sun Shaozong frowned tightly and took a half step back.

    It''s not surprising that Ge Xiaoxian would be angry and hurt people if he hated men''s affairs as much as he did, but why did Ge Xiaoxian hide it just now?

    Is he ashamed to say it out, or...

    "Look at that boy''s appearance. He''s the kind to be used hardly!"

    Sun Shaozong was silent here, but Xue Pan was still complaining, "I don''t dislike his looseness at that part, and he still..."

    "Wait!"

    Sun Shaozong suddenly grabbed Xue Pan again and said urgently, "Are you sure that Ge Xiaoxian is a pimp?"

    "Of course!"

    Xue Pan said proudly, "I may be wrong about other things, but this thing, I must be right! And the owner behind this boy must be a playboy. His ass, without using a few sexual tools to make it rot, will never be like this!"

    A bedroom specially equipped with locks and curtains...

    He¡¯s 70 to 80% similar to Concubine Chen...

    Used a few sexual tools to make it rot...

    Hate men''s affairs...

    Speechless...

    In his mind, pieces of information quickly decomposed and combined. The next second, Sun Shaozong fiercely pushed Xue Pan away and rushed into the Ge Mansion like a gust of wind!

 Chapter 54: The Case of the Heavenly Hound in Xinglong Street [The Truth]

    Chapter 54: The Case of the Heavenly Hound in Xinglong Street [The Truth]

    Bang!

    The big wooden box found in the interlayer on top of the bed was heavily hit by Sun Shaozong. It was full of fragments and immediately scattered half the room.

    A gold chain with cat''s eyes, a jade belt with a white tail, purple gold bells like grapes, and a vivid dog head mask ViiSiit  for latest novels

    These things, whether gold or jade, were all carefully carved. If one were to sell any of them outside alone, the person could exchange at least one hundred silver taels. However, when these things were added up, they were not as eye-catching as those few sexual tools!

    Wood carving, stone carving, jade carving, gold casting...

    All-inclusive materials, various shapes, and ferocious sizes, even if lying quietly on the ground, it still looks ¡°murderous!¡±

    Suddenly, Sun Shaozong saw these things in the study room, and everyone in the Ge Mansion couldn''t help but be a little stunned.

    After being stunned for a while, Xu Ren, the old housekeeper, was more ¡°knowledgeable.¡± For the first time, he came to his senses and frowned, "Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun, what... What does this mean?"

    "What does this mean?"

    Although Sun Shaozong''s face was smiling a little, a pair of eagle-like eyes were coldly stabbed into Ge Xiaoxian''s face. "I''m afraid I have to ask your Second Young Master. Except for the dead Vice-President Ge, only he should know how to use these things the best."

    From the time he saw the things in the box, the expression on Ge Xiaoxian''s face was a little distorted. Now hearing Sun Shaozong call his name, he immediately jumped into a rage and roared, "What are you talking about? What do these things have to do with me?!¡±

    With this roar, everyone in the room had seen something strange!

    Ge Xiaorui looked at his brother in surprise. His mind was full of thoughts, but he was unbelievable.

    "Haha..."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and laughed, pointing to the things on the ground and said, "Although these things are very exquisite, they will inevitably leave some traces on his body after using them for a long time, such as the gold chain, the jade belt, and the collar. The Second Young Master, do you want to have a bare check or just take the initiative..."

    "Shut up!"

    Ge Xiaoxian suddenly roared, his chest was jerky, and his beautiful melon seed face was full of mania to eat people.

    Jia Zheng was stunned and couldn''t help but interrupt and ask, "Since it''s both of you willingly, why do you kill your father?!¡±

    "Ha... Hahaha..."

    Hearing the word "kill your father,¡± Ge Xiaoxian''s face turned into endless ferocity, but when he looked up and laughed wildly several times, two lines of green tears fell from his eyes.

    "I once really thought I was the substitute for my mother and the second person he loved in his life! But I was wrong, completely wrong!"

    "In the second month after we lingered, a crazy beast suddenly bit off his three toes."

    "At that time, I looked at his miserable appearance, so I wanted to appease him. Who knows that he can''t be humane anyway. Even if he were to find those vixens in the backyard, it''s also useless."

    "At that time, he was terrified. He tried various folk remedies all day, but nothing worked until..."

    When Ge Xiaoxian said this, he paused a little. Then he raised his finger to the big bed under the north wall and said in a trembling voice, "Until once I fell on that bed and learned a few barks randomly, he suddenly reinvigorated his masculinity!"

    "Since then, whenever we were together, he let me learn dog barking to cheer him up, and thus made rumors of being possessed by the Heavenly Hound."

    "He is afraid that our relationship will be exposed, and naturally he is happy to be misunderstood by others. Therefore, instead of clarifying the Heavenly Hound rumor, he was also the one manipulating it!"

    "At first, I didn''t think there was anything wrong, but gradually... He became more and more serious and also collected a lot of equipment."

    Ge Xiaoxian pointed to the appliances on the ground, and his face gradually showed a layer of resentment, "Later, I''m no longer a substitute for my mother, nor the second person he loved, but a dog he raised, a dog that he can easily humiliate!"

    Speaking of this, he smiled miserably and said, "And it''s still a female dog!"

    "Female dog... Haha... A female dog... Haha..."

    "Since he humiliated me like a bitch, what''s strange about biting his heart off?"

    "But I didn''t just have one bite, I bit his heart and liver one mouthful at a time, and then swallowed it all!"

    "Ha... Hahaha... Now, his heart belongs to me alone, and even my mother can''t take it away! Ha... Hahaha..."

    Wanton laughter echoed in the bedroom, desolate and absurd.

 Chapter 55: The Lesson about Yin and Yang, Wang Xifeng Test her Feelings Skillfully

    Chapter 55: The Lesson about Yin and Yang, Wang Xifeng Test her Feelings Skillfully

    On the Northeast side of Rongguo Mansion, there was a plain Flower Parlor with Western glass windows.

    "Three two three four, five six seven eight, four two three four, five six..."

    Seeing Liwan shouting a beat in her mouth, she bent and lunged forward, raising her arms back and high at the same time as her head.

    Then she withdrew her lunge and folded her slender waist down at the same time.

    This simple whole-body exercise, coupled with her mature charm, was no less effective than a feast!

    Unfortunately, the audience that was present was only Jia Lan, who doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate. There is a suspicion of recklessly wasting God''s good gifts.

    Uh~

    To be exact, there was not even an audience because Jia Lan was also stretching his face and concentrating on broadcast gymnastics.

    After completing the whole body exercise of four periods and eight beats, Liwan and his son took a breath and then continued with the countings, "The seventh jumping set of exercise, ready - start! One, two, three, four, five, six..."

    Jia Lan made meticulous movements, and his boots stamped on the green bricks, making a rhythmic sound. Seeing that it was the third quarter, he suddenly found that his mother was just gesturing with her hands, but her feet were motionless. He immediately pursed his lips and shouted, "Mom, how can you be lazy again? Hurry and start moving your legs too, or I won''t continue anymore!"

    Hearing this, Liwan had to move frequently to the beat. Although the range of action was not large, the front and back of her body were already moving up and down.

    In fact, in the beginning, Liwan was very resistant to this strange way of exercising.

    But Jia Lan insisted on taking her to exercise together. Considering that her son was asking out of filial piety, and after practicing this broadcast gymnastics for half a month, Jia Lan''s physical condition did improve, at least he has been eating proper meals and sleeping well at night.

    So to prevent Jia Lan''s enthusiasm from going down, she had to endure feeling ashamed and exercise with her son three times a day in the morning, noon, and evening.

    After several days of practice, Liwan has gotten used to it. It was only that, this set of exercises was really...

    "Ah!"

    A sudden exclamation interrupted Liwan''s thoughts. Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com

    She hurriedly crossed her arms in front of her and then looked over to the origin of the sound with shame. However, she only saw the servant girl Suyun covering her mouth, looking like she wanted to laugh but dared not.

    ¡ª¡ªDividing line¡ª¡ª

    When she arrived at Wang Xifeng''s yard, she saw that she was lying on her side on the couch outside, listening to Zhou Rui''s nagging. She was covered with a cloak made of snow fox skin, which seemed lazy, but her eyes were still pretty and evil, and when looked at from a distance, she was like a female leopard lying in the snow.

    Seeing Liwan come in from the outside, Wang Xifeng got up, but she was not in a hurry to come down from her couch. Instead, she joked with a smile, "I was just going to have you invited, but I didn¡¯t think that you were here before I called. Come over and listen to what other strange cases the Second Master of the Sun Family has solved!"

    The two sisters-in-law often keep in touch thus, Liwan was not polite to her. She went to the low couch and pulled half of her fur over her leg.

    When reaching out, she happened to touch a cold jade-like tenderfoot, and Liwan couldn''t help but advise, "You really should take the time to learn ¡°Aerobics,¡± if you exercise every day, you won''t be so cold."

    "Don''t torment me!"

    Wang Xifeng gave her a white look and said, "It''s fine for Sister Lin and the other young people. At my age, if I go to learn that strange thing, won''t I be laughed to death by the servant girls and daughters-in-law?"

    Liwan still wanted to persuade, but Wang Xifeng simply stretched out her long leg and said, "Alright, alright, don''t you love the story of Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun¡¯s verdict? Listen properly!"

    When it comes to the six words, "Love that Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun the most,¡± several of Liwan''s jade-like toes scratch her legs, making Liwan flustered and short of breath. Only then did she know that the clues of her absurd thoughts had been seen by this Wang Xifeng!

    For a time, let alone persuading her again, she couldn''t even muster the courage to move her jade foot away.

    But she didn¡¯t realize that her cowardly retreat actually confirmed the speculation in Wang Xifeng''s heart!

    Just like that, the two of them lay on the couch with their thoughts, listening to the picturesque scene of Zhou Rui and telling the case of the Heavenly Hound eating heart. He had to exaggerate the story at the interesting part, making Sun Shaozong more and more different from ordinary people.

    When the story went into the part about the box of tools, it exposed the shocking feelings of sin.

    He saw a woman running in a panic outside, shouting at the top of her voice, "Big Madam, Second Madam, something big has happened! The Old Second Master pressed Young Master Bao to the ground and slapped him in the face, even his wife cannot stop him!"

    Wang Xifeng and Liwan were stunned and hurriedly asked why Baoyu was beaten.

    "It seems that it''s because the Young Master of the Qin family has just died!"

    For Qin Zhong?

    Thinking of the case of the Heavenly Hound eating heart earlier, Liwan immediately understood what kind of ¡°Principle of Yin and Yang¡± was Jia Zheng talking about today.

 Chapter 59: Jia Yucun is Annoyed by the Public and Private Royal Gift of Bullfighting Outfit

    Chapter 59: Jia Yucun is Annoyed by the Public and Private Royal Gift of Bullfighting Outfit

    In the Yangxin Hall, the white-haired Superior Emperor sat in the middle, the Empress Dowager and Emperor Guangde sitting at his side. Another place down, the Imperial Princess Consort, and Prince Zhongshun were sitting side-by-side.

    They spread their wings like geese and occupied the main position due north, while countless bead curtains hung between the columns on both sides, which were shadowy and he didn''t know how many concubines and maids were hidden behind.

    He has to say that sometimes, it''s not a good thing to feel too sensitive.

    For example, Sun Shaozong felt that there was a pair of hungry eyes peeping at him through the bead curtain now. In between these eyes, there were some of the sights that seemed to have been lingering between his legs for a long time!

    Well, the Emperor and the Supreme Emperor were getting older and older. He didn¡¯t know how long the women in the Palace haven''t gotten to see a young energetic man. Now, they were all hiding behind the bead curtain and were not afraid to be seen. Naturally, they were desperate to look!

    It''s okay if there were some young and beautiful concubines in it, but if they were all like the Empress Dowager, having white hair and wrinkled skin...

    Just a little thought of this possibility, Sun Shaozong felt like there was a mountain on his back!

    Fortunately, he was used to making reports and speeches at the beginning. Even if he was nervous, he could still keep his face in order, telling the case of the "Heavenly Hound eating heart.¡±

    The Supreme Emperor listened very attentively, and from time to time, he had to ask a few questions. The Imperial Princess Consort and Prince Zhongshun also occasionally raised some questions. Only Emperor Guangde and Empress Dowager Niu didn''t say a word, where they were like two clay-bodied wood sculptures.

    At the end of the case, the shocking un-rightful relationship between Vice-President Ge and his son broke out. Although the audience around had known this for a long time, they still could not help but sigh.

    Sigh~ ViiSiit  for latest novels

    The Supreme Emperor also sighed a few times with regret and praise, "You can solve such a tortuous and absurd case in half a day, no wonder you have earned such a great reputation in a short time. I hope that you can work hard in the future, and live up to the name of ¡°Divine Judgement¡± given to you by the people."

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly knelt and said respectfully, "I would follow the instructions of the Supreme Emperor, and I will never dare to slack off!"

    "That''s good, that''s good."

    After listening to this story for a long time, the Supreme Emperor was a little tired, leaned back loosely, waved his hand to Guangde Emperor, and said with a smile, "Reward with a banquet. It''s rare to see this intrepid body, don''t starve him."

    Emperor Guangde nodded slightly and was ready to send a message to set up the banquet.

    But Sun Shaozong was being watched for a long time, and even the ¡°object¡± under his crotch was starting to have a layer of goosebumps. He was eager to slope off his feet immediately. How would he be willing to stay and eat any Royal banquet?

    He quickly arched his hand and interjected, "Your Majesty and the Supreme Emperor, before I entered The Palace, I met a civilian woman who stood in the way and shouted injustice. It seemed that there was a hidden truth in her words, so I promised to rush to Daxing County as soon as possible to review the case. Because this case consists of threatened lives, I don¡¯t dare to delay in the Palace for too long."

    After hearing this, there was no other reaction from others. The Guangde Emperor even nodded with satisfaction. But the Empress Dowager Niu''s old face sank, hoarse voice sneered and said, "If it was a major case that involves human life, you should have reported it long ago. Why do you wait until this time?"

    Tch!

    This old woman must have been dissatisfied with her nephew''s death, so she deliberately picked on him!

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly and modestly said, "I''m just lucky. It''s nothing..."

    "Haha, you have solved strange cases many times, and it''s not just luck, right?"

    Jia Yucun laughed, came forward to hold Sun Shaozong''s arm, and said earnestly, "I have never had the chance to meet the Emperor since I came to Beijing. I originally thought I could finally show my ability in front of Your Majesty this time, but who knows... Sigh!"

    He sighed with disappointment and said, "I lost my mind for a moment, and I was so confused that I was angry with you. I hope you won''t take it to heart."

    Sun Shaozong really couldn''t tell whether his words were sincere or whether he showed his acting skills in front of him for the sake of his interests.

    However, considering the current situation in the Central Judicial Office, the two were indeed getting more benefits from sticking together and would lose it all if they separated.

    So he also lowered his voice with a smile and said, "What are you talking about? You feel unhappy, and if you don''t put out your anger at your family, do you still want to complain in front of others? Besides, there¡¯s nothing to take into account with brothers, right?"

    Jia Yucun changed into a smiling look again, pointed to the carriage behind him, and said undoubtedly, "In that case, how about going to Dingxiang Restaurant with me to get drunk? First, celebrate that you have got a bullfighting suit, and second, let me complain about my grievances!"

    "This..."

    If there was nothing important, Sun Shaozong would certainly not refuse, but he just said in front of the Emperor that he would investigate an unjustified case. How could he go to accompany Jia Yucun to get drunk now?

    So he hurriedly brought the cause and effect together.

    However, after hearing this, Jia Yucun''s face changed greatly, and he paused and said, "How can you be so reckless, my dear brother? The Daxing County Magistrate himself just returned, but his parent-in-law in the Jiangnan Zhen family is not easy to provoke! Especially the Zhen family and the Rongguo family have been in marriage for generations. If you offend him, aren¡¯t you even offending the Rongguo family?"

    The Zhen family and the Jia family have been in marriage for generations?

    Wouldn¡¯t that be called the Zhen-Jia or Jia-Zhen?

    Just realizing that the names of the two families were interesting, Jia Yucun had deceived him, padded his feet, and bit his ears. "Since there is both human and material evidence, it''s better for you to check it casually. Just say that there is no doubt about this case. Anyway, in your name of ¡±Divine Judgement,¡± others dare not question it casually, so as not to lose the face of the Zhen''s son-in-law."

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong''s face suddenly sank, and he blurted out a retort, "Are we supposed to let two innocent people get killed in vain for his face?!¡±

    "Keep your voice down, why are you shouting?!"

    Jia Yucun looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to this side. Then he said with a straight face, "I am telling you this because I treat you as my friend. In this officialdom, forget about other matters. But the most taboo thing is to offend your backer and benefactor! If you get on the bad side of the Rongguo Mansion because of several lower-status common people, in case you encounter a dilemma in the future, who else will help you...¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked at him for a while, suddenly smiled with a rustle, and then reached out and gently dusted the bullfighting suit.

    Jia Yucun was puzzled at first, but then he seemed to understand something. He frowned and said, "Are you indicating to get the Emperor''s support?"

    "No."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said with a smile, "I mean, if it''s just for the face of his son-in-law, it''s useless to give up two innocent lives. How can I have the face to wear this bullfighting suit in the future?"

 Chapter 60: The Case of the Dismembered Body in Daxing County [Part 1]

    Chapter 60: The Case of the Dismembered Body in Daxing County [Part 1]

    Seeing Jia Yucun got on his carriage and went off angrily, Sun Shaozong also gets into a rage that he didn''t bother to go home to change his vest. He rode across the market on his horse wearing this coquettish yellow and bright red and went straight to Daxing County Yamen.

    When he arrived at the gate of the County Yamen, the two Yamen guards on duty thought he was some Royal relative, and they were trembling to come forward to greet him.

    Sun Shaozong kicked off his horse and reported his surname, "I¡¯m the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate in the Criminal Department of the Central Judicial Office. At present, there is a case that I want to discuss with the Magistrate of your County. Who can help me report it?"

    As soon as the two Yamen guards heard that it was the "Divine Judgement Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun,¡± they dared not neglect it, and immediately separated one person and rushed in to report it.

    Not long after, he saw the middle gate open, and seven or eight officials rushed out. The leader was about fifty years old, and his face was full of wrinkles.

    At the sight of this man''s appearance, Sun Shaozong felt a little unhappy at first. Although he had never met Wang Qian, the Daxing County Magistrate, he also knew that the other party was a gallant young scholar. How could he look like such a rural old farmer?

    Although the Daxing County Magistrate was also in the sixth grade, Sun Shaozong was at least the upper official of the Yamen. Now he was here to denounce him publicly for his crimes. It was unreasonable for Wang Qian to not come out to meet him personally!

    At this time, he saw the ¡°old farmer¡± official quickly step down the steps, bowed deeply in front of Sun Shaozong, and said in fear, "Greeting to the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate, I¡¯m Shen Dan, the County Deputy Governor of Daxing County."

    Wang Qian sent Shen Dan to come forward to meet him. Did he want this old man to be the scapegoat?

    If so, this guy was so shameless!

    As a local Magistrate, he was first abused by using torture, and then became a coward when the situation becomes critical. He doesn''t know why the Zhen family chose him as a son-in-law? Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com

    Sun Shaozong thought like this and felt a little more sympathy for the Old County Deputy Governor in front of him. He came forward to help him up personally and asked genially, "Lord Shen, don''t need to be so polite. Anyway, where is your County Magistrate?"

    "This..."

    Shen Dan hesitated for a while before he said, "Lord Wang left Beijing on leave eight days ago because his mother was seriously ill."

    Left Beijing on leave eight days ago?

    Now it''s the fifth day of February. Didn''t Wang Qian leave on the 28th day of the first month?

    So...

    Who knows, after waiting for a long time, he saw a scribe carefully holding the file, as well as two pieces of oil paper with blood stains, and there was no more following.

    Sun Shaozong''s face suddenly sank for a few minutes. He turned to stare at Shen Dan and asked, "Are these the only evidence? Also, where is the dead body? Where is it buried?¡±

    Shen Dan was so frightened from head to toe. He hurriedly bowed like a shrimp as if it were a turtle with his neck shrunk and said in a trembling voice, "Reply... Reply to Your Lord, it''s inconvenient and unsightly to put the body in the County, so... so I sent it to the leased farmstead with rental allocated for the relief of the needy for temporary storage."

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong was about to get angry, he hurriedly pointed to the volume and said, "My Lord, there are official documents for autopsies in the volume. The records on it are quite detailed. It''s not necessary to look at the body..."

    Before he finished speaking, Sun Shaozong sneered, "If everything was subjected to the autopsy documents made by the corpse examiner, what''s the use of you as the Chief Judge? Fine, let¡¯s put the body of the dead aside, but where are the other exhibits?"

    Shen Dan touched the cold sweat on his forehead and said, "Report back to Your Excellency, this case... This oilpaper bag is the only evidence in this case, and no other evidence has been found."

    "Ha... Haha... An oil paper bag as evidence! Has not found any other evidence!" Sun Shaozong laughed angrily and gritted his teeth. "Let me ask you, where was the rest of the body found except the head?"

    "It was... It was dug out of the wasteland outside the back wall of Butcher Hu''s house."

    "Then let me ask you again, how can Butcher Hu dig a big pit enough to bury the body now that the weather is so cold that the ground is frozen? Does he have a pair of pangolin claws?!"

    "This..."

    Shen Dan said inexplicably, "My Lord, if he wants to bury the body, he will naturally use a hoe or a shovel..."

    SLAM!

    Sun Shaozong slapped on the table and said angrily, "Then why is there no hoe, shovel, or other tools here in the hall? Especially in the first month, these tools are put idle. You just need to have someone check whether there are recently used traces on them, which is enough to prove whether the body was buried by Butcher Hu!"

    "This... This, this..."

    Shen Dan stuttered for a while, he was lost in words. Finally, he had to bend his knees and kneel, bowing his head to the ground. He cried, "Forgive me, My Lord! I have a seventy-year-old mother and young..."

    "It''s useless to talk about these!"

    Sun Shaozong waved impatiently and said, "If you want to atone for your sins, hurry to get the body back for me. Remember to bring it all back. If there is one part missing, I will take your skin and flesh for the count!"

 Chapter 61: The Case of the Dismembered Body in Daxing County [Part 2]

    Chapter 61: The Case of the Dismembered Body in Daxing County [Part 2]

    After sending Shen Dan to the leased farmstead with a rental allocated for the relief of the needy outside the city to carry the body, Sun Shaozong himself was not idle but immediately let someone escort Butcher Hu and followed him to his home.

    After arriving at Butcher Hu''s house, he first checked the ironware in his house, and then went to the place where the body was buried in the back, and searched it carefully.

    The result could only be said to be nothing usual.

    After all, five or six days have passed, and the Yamen guards have not done an excellent job in protecting the crime scene. He didn¡¯t know how many visitors have been to the burial ground. Only ghosts could find clues!

    As for the hoe and shovel, although there was no trace of being used, Sun Shaozong was not sure whether these inferior iron materials would produce new rust within a week.

    Therefore, he could only escort Butcher Hu back bitterly.

    Back in Daxing County Yamen''s inner hall, as soon as he entered the door, he saw a bed board placed in it. Although it was covered with white sheets, it still vaguely exuded a rotten smell.

    Without saying a word, Sun Shaozong came forward and lifted the whole white sheet, and immediately exposed the body pieces that were lying in rows below. In addition to the internal organs that had begun to decay, they were also spread out on the body pieces in a mess. It was horrible to watch!

    So in the inner hall, there was a sound of exhalation at first and then retching by the body smell.

    "If you want to vomit, go out and vomit."

    Sun Shaozong gave a faint command, and his eyes first fell on the head placed in the middle. He saw that most of the bun on the head had been burned away, and only a short section remained on the scalp.

    Did the murderer ever intend to burn the corpse to destroy the trace? But how can burning the corpses lead to only the hair being burned?

    Full of doubts, Sun Shaozong turned his attention to the only calm official at the scene, "Are you the corpse examiner?"

    The petty official hurriedly bowed, "Daxing County, Wang Gaosheng, greetings to the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate."

    "Cut the crap. Take out all your tools and have another examination of the body with me!"

    Sun Shaozong''s previous inspections were all of bodies that had just died, so there was no need to prepare any protective measures, but this rotten corpse was different. He was unable to predict how many moldy bacteria were hidden in the body. He didn''t want to die before he succeeded in solving the case.

    Naturally, the corpse examiner didn''t dare neglect when he heard the words. He hurriedly took the full set of equipment for the autopsy, dressed themselves up like a ¡°pig butcher,¡± and finally presented two pills, saying that as long as they were placed in the interlayer of the mask, they could ward off evil spirits and poison.

    His observation is not detailed enough?

    Wang Gaosheng was very dissatisfied but didn''t dare to speak out because of Sun Shaozong''s identity and reputation.

    But how discerning was Sun Shaozong?

    Don''t mention if he were to cover his mouth and nose, even his whole face was covered. Sun Shaozong could also see his dissatisfied mind.

    So he simply ensemble out the back part of the dead woman, pointed to the trace on it, and said, "There are scratches left on the chest and back of the body, but if you carefully observe them, you will find that these scratches are very disordered, and there are almost no linear scratches!"

    Almost no linear scratches?!

    Wang Gaosheng hurriedly leaned over to have a closer look. Sure enough, he found that the traces on her back were disordered, and the most common linear scratches were missing!

    But if the murderer was not the person who pulled the mill, then why did he pull the dead around in circles?!

    Being puzzled, he heard Sun Shaozong say, "When I looked carefully earlier, the inside of the body''s mouth was stained with a lot of flax thread. It can be seen that she had been blocked by something like linen for a long time."

    "Moreover, the body spots are mostly concentrated on the chest, and the formation is quite symmetrical, which shows that the victim has not been moved for several hours after her death."

    "In addition, I found more than one eczema on her body. It can be concluded that she was bound to her limbs and imprisoned in a place where the sun could not be seen and was imprisoned for quite a period of time. Otherwise, she would not have so much eczema!"

    "For some reason, the murderer probably didn''t come to visit her for a long time. She was hungry and cold, perhaps to call for help, or perhaps to let the murderer hear the news, so she twisted and struggled desperately on the ground, leaving a lot of disorderly scratches."

    "But her struggle was doomed to be in vain because the murderer never appeared. So, she could only slowly swallow her last breath in the despair of hunger and cold."

    "It wasn¡¯t until a long time after her death that the culprit arrived at the scene and untied her up, ready to transport her out and bury her."

    Everyone was made a little creepy by his flat and indifferent description, except for one person, Wang Gaosheng!

    After Sun Shaozong finished his narration, Wang Gaosheng couldn''t help questioning, "Your Excellency, your speculation seems to ignore the most important point. That is, there are no traces on the limbs of the body! Since she struggled desperately before her death, how can there be no traces left?!"

    In the face of Wang Gaosheng''s doubt, Sun Shaozong smiled and said firmly, "This is the most brilliant move the murderer has done. He wiped out all the trace marks on her limbs!"

 Chapter 62: The Case of the Dismembered Body in Daxing County [Part 3]

    Chapter 62: The Case of the Dismembered Body in Daxing County [Part 3]

    Wiped out all the trace marks on her limbs?!

    Wang Gaosheng felt inexplicable. According to common sense, the self-healing function will disappear after death, so all the scars on the body will freeze. If the culprit wants to erase them, the culprit may have to wait until they are completely rotted.

    Besides, he really couldn''t think of any other way.

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong didn''t let him guess. He slightly raised his chin and motioned, "Try to join her arms together again."

    Wang Gaosheng immediately identified her left arm, which was cut into two sections, and then carefully spliced them together to form a new arm with almost no cracks.

    After joining them up, Wang Gaosheng couldn''t help but distinguish, "My Lord, this fracture fits perfectly, which shows that the culprit''s knife technique is ruthless. Therefore, I suspected that Butcher Hu had killed him in the beginning."

    "The murderer is not just cruel."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "What really shows his exquisite knife technique is actually the trick he made at the fracture."

    The trick he made at the fracture?

    Wang Gaosheng was confused and separated the broken arm again. He looked carefully for a moment, but he couldn''t see anything strange at all.

    "If you really can''t see it, you might as well touch the bone of the upper half of the broken arm first!"

    As soon as Wang Gaosheng gritted his teeth, he simply took off his gloves and fumbled carefully on the cross-section of the bone.

    At first, his eyes were full of confusion, but gradually, the confusion turned into horror. Finally, he couldn''t help shouting, "The... The fracture groove on this bone is carved!"

    However, the bone spurs and grooves at the original fracture at first glance don''t look strange, but if he were to touch them carefully, he would find that they were a little too round, especially the inner side of those grooves, which really didn¡¯t looked like natural fractures!

    "That''s right!"

    Sun Shaozong said in a deep voice, "Not only that, some muscles were secretly removed from the broken limb, making the fracture thinner than originally and closely fitting with the fracture below. So if you don''t observe it carefully, it''s difficult to find that a finger-wide section of this arm has actually been removed!"

    Hearing this, Shen Dan, Zhou Da, and others couldn''t help but take a breath, not only sighing at the evil mind of the murderer but also at Sun Shaozong¡¯s uncanny ability to judge.

    However, after Wang Gaosheng was excited, he couldn''t help but have some doubts, wondering, "Taking so much trouble just to hide the fact that this woman had been tied up before, is it a little too cautious?"

    Sun Shaozong sighed and immediately ordered, "Deputy County Magistrate Shen, send someone now to inquire about those famous carpenters in the east of the city who have lived alone for a long time."

    "I''ll do it now!"

    After Shen Dan was ordered to leave, Zhou Da was still a little confused. He leaned forward and looked at the wooden thorn curiously and inquired, "My Lord, how can you conclude that the murderer is a famous carpenter with this small wooden thorn alone?"

    "The color, density, and pattern of this wood can be seen as superior wood at a glance. This quality of wood, let alone ordinary people, even ordinary carpenters dare not process it wantonly. But look at this wood thorn, it is a triangle as a whole, with two knives in the front and one knife in the back. The lines are extremely smooth, and the person is obviously used to dealing with precious wood!"

    "That''s why I concluded that the murderer must be a famous carpenter!"

    After these words, Shen Dan led a young Yamen servant back to the inner hall and introduced him to Sun Shaozong, "My Lord, Li Sanbiao''s father is the most famous old carpenter in the East City. Any carpenter-related matters cannot be concealed from his family."

    Li Sanbiao had obviously already been explained. Before Sun Shaozong asked, he bowed down and said, "Report to the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate, it''s not difficult for any famous craftsman to get a wife. I''m afraid only Carpenter Zhang, who has a name in the East City, is still not married!"

    "Carpenter Zhang?"

    "Yes, because he is good at carving all kinds of statues and Buddha statues, he got such a nickname. This Carpenter Zhang''s face was burned when he was a child, and he can be frightening in the daytime, so no girl is willing to follow him."

    Since he looked so scary, no one must dare disturb him at ordinary times. In this way, he has a better chance to commit a crime!

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "Do you know where Carpenter Zhang lives?"

    "This..."

    Li Sanbiao scratched his head and said, "He should not be at home now."

    "What?!"

    Shen Dan was surprised and suddenly shouted, "Did that guy flee in fear of crime?!"

    "No, no, no!"

    Li Sanbiao hurriedly explained, "In fact, recently, large families in the city have been competing to build other homes, and all craftsmen with some skills have been wanted! He seems to have gone..."

    With that, he wrung his eyebrows and thought for a while. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and said, "That¡¯s right, he went to work in the Jia family of the Rongguo Mansion!"

 Chapter 63: The Study of the Second Master Lian is Full of Battle, Wang Xifeng wants to See Wonders

    Chapter 63: The Study of the Second Master Lian is Full of Battle, Wang Xifeng wants to See Wonders

    On that day, Sun Shaozong strolled in the garden of Jia Mansion in the East Wing, and he felt the mansion was super extravagant. However, when he followed Zhou Rui, the housekeeper of the Rongguo Mansion, into this ¡°Provincial courtyard,¡± he found that he was inexperienced and ignorant.

    The landscape decoration was better, not to mention that this area alone was more than ten times larger than the Jia Mansion''s garden!

    In particular, the two rockeries in the middle were facing each other in the distance across a pool of clear spring water. Visually, they were at least 40 meters high! ViiSiit  for latest novels

    Sun Shaozong was surprised, not to mention several Yamen guards. Their eyes widened and they had already thrown their business away.

    However, Zhou Rui had long been used to these delicacies. He entered the yard and without further ado, he first shouted to a young servant of Jia''s family who served as the supervisor, and asked anxiously, "Have you seen the Fourth Master Qin?"

    The young servant hurriedly pointed to the top of the mountain opposite and said, "The Pavilion on the Dongfu Mountain is about to rebuild the ¡°pillar,¡± and the Fourth Master Qin is probably supervising it."

    Zhou Rui glanced at where he pointed. He probably felt that the place was too far away and he didn''t bother to continue looking for Jia Qin. He changed his words and asked, "Is there a carpenter named ¡°Carpenter Zhang¡± among the carpenters we invited?"

    Sun Shaozong saw the young servant looking confused on the side, and hurriedly added, "This Carpenter Zhang was scalded on his face when he was a child, so he had a scar on his face."

    The young servant suddenly got it, patted his thigh, and shouted, "I thought who should it be? It''s that stubborn donkey!"

    Immediately, he reached out again and pointed to the rockery in the distance, saying, "The pattern on the pillar is carved by him. He is waiting for the Fourth Master Qin for the acceptance check on the mountain."

    Zhou Rui was speechless for a moment, so he had to turn around and smile bitterly at Sun Shaozong. "I''m afraid I will need to trouble you guys to follow me up the mountain, Second Master Sun."

    Sun Shaozong''s attention was on the word "Stubborn donkey" and asked, "What is the meaning of the word "Stubborn donkey" you just mentioned?¡±

    "There is no meaning to it."

    He only heard that young servant continue to say, "A few days ago, the Fourth Master Qin saw that the sculpture on the corridor was behind schedule, so he detained several carpenters and let them eat and live on the construction site temporarily until the sculpture was carved. However, ¡°Carpenter Zhang¡± refused to agree and made a fuss to go home. In the end, he annoyed the Fourth Master Qin and suffered a whipping, and this is how he admitted defeat."

    No wonder the woman died of hunger and cold, it turned out that...

    Sun Shaozong was silent for a while, and then he raised his chin at the east rockery and said, "Let¡¯s go up and get him!"

    Thus, a group of people went their way and arrived at the foot of the East Mountain. When they were about to climb the steps, they saw more than a dozen people scramble down from the top of the mountain, including the Jia family servants in green uniforms and some craftsmen carrying all kinds of equipment.

    Zhou Rui stopped a servant he was familiar with and asked. This was how he knew that ¡°Carpenter Zhang¡± had just climbed to the top and looked from far. In fact, he had seen a group of Yamen servants coming from below. He knew that he was doomed, so he simply made it double-or-quits. He climbed up and kidnapped Jia Qin with a carving knife, and then drove everyone down the mountain by threatening Jia Qin''s life.

    This was really what he¡¯s afraid of!

    Boom! Boom!

    Several pillars in the back ran over the debris of the railing, and all of them were bumping and jumping. They didn''t know how many railings had been destroyed for a time!

    Seeing this, everyone looked at each other, but their faces were pale.

    Not only did everyone look pale on the stone steps, but the women on the colored boat also screamed in horror.

    Liwan, in particular, was more concerned than others. Seeing that Sun Shaozong at this time was hard to escape, she suddenly had a ridiculous idea in her heart, Is it true that I¡¯m fated to mourn for my husband''s death? Otherwise, why are the two men about whom I have been concerned about dying young?!

    Being shocked and ashamed, she pinched out a circle of bruises on Wang Xifeng''s arm.

    However, Wang Xifeng couldn''t care less about crying out in pain at this time. Others were worried about the safety of Sun Shaozong and others, but she was thinking about the deaths of these people. What consequences will there be?

    It''s fine for the others, but Sun Shaozong was now famous and highly valued by the Emperor. Even Jia Yucun in the Palace had sent a letter at noon, asking the Rongguo Mansion to be on good terms with him.

    If he were to die in this Provincial courtyard, Wang Xifeng, the head examiner, was most likely to be the first to bear the consequences!

    Thinking of this, Wang Xifeng couldn''t help complaining about Sun Shaozong, secretly scolding him for overestimating his strength, plunging himself into such a desperate situation, and even implicating others...

    At this time, Ping''er suddenly shouted excitedly, "Young Second Madam, hurry look over! I''m afraid the Second Master Sun is going to... I''m afraid he''s going to play "Raising Steel Blocks with a Spear!¡±

    Raising Steel Blocks with a Spear?

    Then he will need a spear first, right?

    Wang Xifeng looked up suspiciously, only to see Sun Shaozong pedaling and kicking on the hillside. In the blink of an eye, he removed two thick and thin stone sticks from the railing, holding them in his hands and sweeping from left to right, and he did not dodge to come up front with the rolling pillars!

    Seeing that the front pillar rolled and jumped, Sun Shaozong gave a big shout and used his chest to hit it, holding his two stone sticks and putting them under the location near the left of the pillar, and then suddenly lifting them!

    With a whoosh, the wooden pillar rose about ten feet high and tumbled down the cliff on the right!

    Sun Shaozong then did the same thing again, taking advantage of the moment when the rolling logs bounced up, and he lifted them one by one to the bottom!

    Seeing that he was so powerful, everyone in the audience, regardless of distance, was dazzled!

    In particular, Liwan, who was originally pale, suddenly rose like a furnace, and her protruding and defined body trembled like a pendulum. If she hadn''t been holding Wang Xifeng, she would have collapsed wet in the bow.

 Chapter 64: Exhibition of Extraordinary Power, Sun Shaozongs Raise Steel Block with a Spearâ€

    Chapter 64: Exhibition of Extraordinary Power, Sun Shaozong''s ¡°Raise Steel Block with a Spear¡±

    On that day, Sun Shaozong strolled in the garden of Jia Mansion in the East Wing, and he felt the mansion was super extravagant. However, when he followed Zhou Rui, the housekeeper of the Rongguo Mansion, into this ¡°Provincial courtyard¡±, he found that he was inexperienced and ignorant.

    The landscape decoration is better, not to mention that this area alone is more than ten times larger than the Jia Mansion''s garden!

    In particular, the two rockeries in the middle are facing each other in the distance across a pool of clear spring water. Visually, they are at least 40 meters high!

    Sun Shaozong was surprised, not to mention several Yamen guards. Their eyes widened and they had already thrown their business away.

    However, Zhou Rui had long been used to these delicacies. He entered the yard and without further ado, he first shouted to a young servant of Jia''s family who served as the supervisor, and asked anxiously, "Have you seen the Fourth Master Qin?"

    The young servant hurriedly pointed to the top of the mountain opposite and said, "The Pavilion on the Dongfu Mountain is about to rebuild the ¡°pillar¡±, and the Fourth Master Qin is probably supervising it."

    Zhou Rui glanced at where he pointed. He probably felt that the place was too far away and he didn''t bother to continue looking for Jia Qin. He changed his words and asked, "Is there a carpenter named ¡°Carpenter Zhang¡± among the carpenters we invited?"

    Sun Shaozong saw the young servant looking confused on the side, and hurriedly added, "This Carpenter Zhang was scalded on his face when he was a child, so he had a scar on his face." ViiSiit  for latest novels

    The young servant suddenly got it, patted his thigh, and shouted, "I thought who should it be? It''s that stubborn donkey!"

    Immediately, he reached out again and pointed to the rockery in the distance, saying, "The pattern on the pillar is carved by him. He is waiting for the Fourth Master Qin for the acceptance check on the mountain."

    Zhou Rui was speechless for a moment, so he had to turn around and smile bitterly at Sun Shaozong. "I''m afraid I will need to trouble you guys to follow me up the mountain, Second Master Sun."

    Sun Shaozong''s attention was on the word "Stubborn donkey" and asked, "What is the meaning of the word "Stubborn donkey" you just mentioned?¡±

    "There is no meaning to it."

    He only heard that young servant continue to say, "A few days ago, the Fourth Master Qin saw that the sculpture on the corridor was behind progress, so he detained several carpenters and let them eat and live on the construction site temporarily until the sculpture was carved. However, ¡°Carpenter Zhang¡± refused to agree and made a fuss to go home. In the end, he annoyed the Fourth Master Qin and suffered a whip beating, and this is how he admitted defeat."

    No wonder the woman died of hunger and cold, it turned out that...

    Sun Shaozong was silent for a while, and then raised his chin at the East rockery and said, "Let¡¯s go up and get him!"

    Thus, a group of people went their way and arrived at the foot of the East Mountain. When they were about to climb the steps, they saw more than a dozen people scramble down from the top of the mountain, including the Jia family servants in green uniforms and some craftsmen carrying all kinds of equipment.

    Zhou Rui stopped a servant he is familiar with and asked. This is how he knew that the ¡°Carpenter Zhang¡± had just climbed to the top and looked from far. In fact, he had seen a group of Yamen servants coming from below. He knew that he was doomed, so he simply made it double-or-quits. He climbed up and kidnapped Jia Qin with a carving knife, and then drove everyone down the mountain by threatening Jia Qin''s life.

    This is really what he¡¯s afraid of!

    Boom! Boom!

    Several pillars in the back ran over the debris of the railing, and all of them were bumping and jumping. They didn''t know how many railings had been destroyed for a time!

    Seeing this, everyone looked at each other, but their faces were pale.

    Not only did everyone look pale on the stone steps, but the women on the colored boat also screamed in horror.

    Liwan, in particular, was more concerned than others. Seeing that Sun Shaozong at this time was hard to escape, she suddenly had a ridiculous idea in her heart, ¡°Is it true that I¡¯m fated to mourn for my husband''s death? Otherwise, why are the two men who I have been concerned about dying young?!¡±

    Being shocked and ashamed, she pinched out a circle of bruises on Wang Xifeng''s arm.

    However, Wang Xifeng couldn''t care about crying out in pain at this time. Others were worried about the safety of Sun Shaozong and others, but she was thinking about the death of these people. What consequences will there be?

    It''s fine for the others but Sun Shaozong is now famous and highly valued by The Emperor. Even Jia Yucun in The Palace had sent a letter at noon, asking the Rongguo Mansion to be on good terms with him.

    If he were to die in this Provincial courtyard, Wang Xifeng, the head examiner, is most likely to be the first to bear the consequences!

    Thinking of this, Wang Xifeng couldn''t help complaining about Sun Shaozong, secretly scolding him for overestimating his strength, plunging himself into such a desperate situation, and even implicating others...

    At this time, Ping''er suddenly shouted excitedly, "Young Second Madam, hurry look over! I''m afraid the Second Master Sun is going to... I''m afraid he''s going to play "Raising Steel Blocks with a Spear¡±!"

    ¡°Raising Steel Blocks with a Spear?¡±

    Then he will need a spear first, right?

    Wang Xifeng looked up suspiciously, only to see Sun Shaozong pedaling and kicking on the hillside. In the blink of an eye, he removed two thick and thin stone sticks from the railing, holding them in his hands sweeping from left to right, and he did not dodge to come up front with the rolling pillars!

    Seeing that the front pillar rolled and jumped, Sun Shaozong gave a big shout and used his chest to hit it, holding his two stone sticks and putting them under the location near the left of the pillar, and then suddenly lifted them!

    With a whoosh, the wooden pillar rose about ten feet high and tumbled down the cliff on the right!

    Sun Shaozong then did the same thing again, taking advantage of the moment when the rolling logs bounced up, he lifted them one by one to the bottom!

    Seeing that he is so powerful, everyone in the audience, regardless of distance, is dazzled!

    In particular, Liwan, who was originally pale, suddenly rose like a furnace, and her protruding and defined body trembled like a pendulum. If she hadn''t been holding Wang Xifeng, she would have collapsed wet in the bow.

 Chapter 68: A Few Words that Explain a Childlike Innocence

    Chapter 68: A Few Words that Explain a Childlike Innocence

    Seeing a round thing fall out, Jia Baoyu''s footsteps stopped and subconsciously looked at it.

    When he saw a half-charred head ¡°lying upwards¡± on the ground. In the broken neck full of grimy blood and carrion, a milky trachea was sticking out, gently swaying with the cold wind in early spring, as if waving to him!

    Jia Baoyu''s eyes immediately straightened, his gasp murmured a few times, and fell backward like a wooden stake. Behind him was the stone step, if he falls hard, he could even knock his brains out!

    Fortunately, when Sun Shaozong saw the head fall to the ground, he knew it was bad. He hurried to the front and grabbed Jia Baoyu, which didn''t made him fall into a bloody scene.

    As soon as Jia Baoyu was helped up, he heard the muffled sound had turned into a disorderly biting sound. Sun Shaozong immediately tore off the sachet around his waist, pinched his mouth open, and forcibly stuffed the sachet in.

    First, it was to prevent Jia Baoyu from biting his tongue, and second, the sachet was filled with refreshing traditional Chinese medicine, which was right for his symptoms at this time.

    When he determined that Jia Baoyu would not be in danger for the time being, Sun Shaozong turned back and scolded, "What are you guys still standing there?! Hurry up and gather the body, and put it properly in the coffin!"

    Several Yamen guards, like being pardoned, hurriedly picked up the head and stuffed it back into the quilt, carefully raised the board, and hurried down the steps.

    At this time, Jia Lian finally dared to get close, watching Baoyu''s limbs twitch and his eyes turn white. He immediately stamped his feet and shouted, "Baoyu?! Baoyu?! We told you not to show off, but you have to... Baoyu! At least open your eyes and answer me!"

    After shouting for a while, he found that Sun Shaozong had been rubbing Baoyu''s chest and philtrum, and couldn''t help wondering, "Erlang, do you know medical skills?"

    Of course, it couldn¡¯t be considered a medical skill, but Sun Shaozong has been a criminal policeman for more than ten years, and he still knows some first-aid methods.

    Not long after, he saw Jia Baoyu slowly turn awake under his rubbing, looking around blankly, but there was no slightest focus in his eyes.

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly pulled the sachet out of his mouth, raised three fingers, and asked, "Tell me what number is this?!" ViiSiit  for latest novels

    Baoyu stared at his fingers, stunned for a while, and his eyes gradually flashed some look. Weakly, he said, "Number three... Three fingers."

    As long as one understands what was regarded as important to them, a stubborn donkey can also be fooled into a pug!

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    He had sent Jia Baoyu, who constantly addressed him as ¡°Second Brother Sun,¡± and seeing that it was getting late, Sun Shaozong hurried his horse back to his mansion.

    When he was arriving near the Sun''s Mansion, he saw a dozen servants waiting at the door. Seeing him ride back, they all shouted with joy, "The Second Master is back!"

    "The Second Master came back in his bullfighting suit!"

    "Second Master..."

    Another person picked up a firecracker with a pole and set it off, crackling in the middle of the street. Looking at the long, endless string, he didn¡¯t know how many firecrackers were connected in one place.

    This was not a surprise expectation of Sun Shaozong, as the "bullfighting suit" could not be granted easily in a year. It was an exception to give him, a six-grade Assistant Prefectural Magistrate this time. With his big brother''s temperament, it will be strange if he didn¡¯t celebrate it for once.

    When he got off the horse, another batch of servants came forward to congratulate him.

    Sun Shaozong only chose the dignified one to respond a little, and then went straight into the mansion.

    As soon as he crossed the threshold, he heard a burst of laughter from inside. He then saw Sun Shaozu happily welcome him, took him in his arms, patted his back, and said proudly, "My good brother, you have made me proud today!"

    With that, he took two steps back, looked up and down at Sun Shaozong for a while, and said, "It''s really the saying, ¡°Clothes make the man. The Buddha by Gold.¡± When the task of the three-grade commander is completed, I can also get such a suit to wear!"

    His words reminded Sun Shaozong of his worries.

    To up his rank recently, his big brother has become a fortune god spreading money all over the street. The money usage that Sun Shaozong knows costs no less than 30,000 or 40,000 silver taels!

    But he¡¯s just a broken settlement that had just been granted the rank of nobility halfway. Where did he get these many family properties?!

 Chapter 69: The Possession of Wolfâ€™s Intelligent Beads, Jia Qingtian Offers Weighty Advice

    Chapter 69: The Possession of Wolf¡¯s Intelligent Beads, Jia Qingtian Offers Weighty Advice

    There were many people in front of the mansion, so it''s inconvenient to ask questions.

    So Sun Shaozong endured his doubts and laughed with his brother.

    It was not until he entered the inner hall and waved all the servants back with an excuse that he kept his smile and asked straightforwardly, "Brother, what was our family originally like? I''m afraid there are only a few people in the 4 to 9 cities who don''t know. You''ve only been granted the rank of nobility for seven or eight years, and you sprinkle money like water. I''m afraid it''s a little inappropriate if the words got spread?"

    "Inappropriate?"

    Sun Shaozu was stunned for a moment, he then realized what he meant, and said with a nonchalant smile, "Don''t worry, our money is earned in the right channel, not to mention someone gossiping about it. Even if the Ministry of Revenue, Official Qing, were to come to the door, I am completely honest!"

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong was still hesitant after saying that, he simply told the origin of the family¡¯s properties.

    It turned out that four years ago, a sworn brother of Sun Shaozu followed the supreme government official in charge of military affairs, Wang Ziteng, from nine provinces to the south to settle the sea trouble and take charge of the anti-smuggling and anti-piracy matters along the coast of Guangdong and Guangxi.

    Since the Two Guangs have just been developed, and were still barbarous and remote at this time, to avoid the dissatisfaction and negligence of the border troops, Wang Ziteng specially requested to allow the navy of the Two Guangs to seize 10% of the stolen goods and sell them on their own to replenish military funds.

    The navy of the Two Guangs sold ordinary goods directly to the locals. However, it was not very cost-effective to sell some rare "foreign goods" to indigenous.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozu''s sworn brother simply packed a boat full of rare objects collected and sent them to the Capital, asking Sun Shaozu to sell them.

    In the beginning, Sun Shaozu thought it was trouble. Unexpectedly, in just three days, these "foreign goods" were snatched by the dignitaries in the Capital and sold for more than 60,000 silver taels. As a "Chinese,¡± he also got a share of more than 4,000 silver tales of dividends.

    After this battle, both sides felt that this was a good deal, so every three to five months thereafter, Guangxi and the Guangdong provinces would send some of the rare items to Sun Shaozu to sell in the Capital, and the scale was getting larger and larger.

    By last autumn, thirteen large ships had come from the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. This time alone, Sun Shaozu made a huge profit of 60,000 silver taels!

    "Big brother."

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help frowning and said, "It was just on a small scale before. Do you really believe that these things are worth more than one million silver taels? Are the items spoils of war?"

    "Of course not!"

    Sun Shaozu laughed and showed off triumphantly, "So after the deal last autumn, I gave this hot potato offer to Prince Zhongshun¡¯s Residence. Otherwise, why do you think I dare to compete with Prince Beijing''s brother-in-law for the fat and deficient position of the Commander?"

    No wonder Steward Zhou of the Prince¡¯s Residence said that he often went to the residence for business, it turned out to be for this matter!

    The next morning, he yawned at the Yamen and saw many people gathered outside the gate. Among them, a young woman was kneeling in front of Jia Yucun¡¯s carriage, crying about something. A weeping beauty dressed in mourning clothes, it was Hu who shouted injustice yesterday.

    In mourning clothes? Did Zhou Liang die that day?!

    Sun Shaozong shuddered and immediately wore off his tiredness.

    He rolled over and dismounted, then quietly gathered in the circle. He was hearing Jia Yucun''s righteous words, "Muddled officials harm the citizens, even doing it to such an extent! Our office can''t sit idly by for any reason! Hu, you take our official''s name and post it to the Supreme Court to report. If the Supreme Court refuses to accept the case, I will go to His Majesty to speak frankly!"

    After speaking, Jia Yucun arched up at a 45-degree angle with a face of integrity and contempt for power.

    Hu''s tears of gratitude ran down her face. She was kneeling on the ground and kowtowing endlessly, "Thank you, Justice Bao!"

    After the servant handed Jia Yucun''s official post, Hu thanked him again, grabbed the official post, and hurried away.

    When Hu went off, Jia Yucun came leisurely down from his carriage, smiled at Sun Shaozong, and said, "Since my good brother arrived long ago, how can you hide in the crowd and watch my joke?"

    Joke?

    Combined with his words yesterday, the scene just now was indeed absurd.

    But after hearing the praises all around, how could Sun Shaozong still smile?

    He just came forward and silently arched his hand, but he didn''t know what to say.

    Jia Yucun was very free and easy. He took him into the Yamen gate under the eyes of the people. Seeing no one around, he said with a little pride, "How is it? Although I¡¯m not as popular as you today, I still managed to get the name of Justice Bao?"

    With that, he didn''t wait for Sun Shaozong to respond and said straightly, "If this case really involves Wang Qian, I rather don''t want the name of Justice Bao. But what about you, brother? This will make you fall into being a deadly enemy with Wang Qian just because of a person of lower rank!"

    "In officialdom, you should be cautious and give priority to stability. It''s not a long-term plan to be reckless like this, brother!"

    Facing Jia Yucun''s earnest words, Sun Shaozong could only remain silent.

    Although this remark was not correct in the three outlooks, it can be called ¡°wisdom¡± in officialdom.

    It¡¯s just that...

    In his previous life, he could adhere to the bottom line of being a man. Now that he has transmigrated into the damn ancient times, was it possible that he would associate with corrupt officials instead?

 Chapter 70: The Get-Together of the Same Year

    Chapter 70: The Get-Together of the Same Year

    Probably influenced by Jia Yucun''s words, Sun Shaozong was a little depressed for several days. He looked at those files in a daze every day and was unable to review a few cases from morning to night.

    During this period, Shen Dan, the Deputy County Magistrate who was careless with a human life case, was unexpectedly dismissed, but he did not bear any criminal responsibility for it.

    Listening to the following officials'' comments, saying that in the case of Shen Dan, as long as he was willing to curry favor with authority for personal gain after the event, he can recover his position in three or two years. This was how Jia Yucun recovered the Jinling Magistrate title after he was dismissed.

    However, seeing that Shen Dan was only able to get the small official title of a Deputy County Magistrate, he may not be able to get the financial capacity and determination.

    Another thing that surprised Sun Shaozong. Since the death of Hu''s husband, Zhou Da has been taking time off to help with the aftercare at her home. He was so busy with her and also posted a lot of money into it.

    At first, Sun Shaozong thought that he and Zhou Liang might be some kindred relatives. Later, he learned that there was no such thing at all. The reason why Zhou Da was so busy in and out for her was that he had taken a fancy to Hu''s courage to maintain one''s virtue or integrity and planned to take her as a concubine after her filial piety period was over.

    Sun Shaozong specially sent someone to inquire and determined that Zhou Da had not taken advantage of his power to bully people and forced her to be his concubine. It seemed that Hu had no resistance to the marriage, so he left it to them.

    After all, for ordinary women these days, it was an excellent result to be able to marry an official as a mistress when they remarried.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    On the ninth day of February, Sun Shaozong had muddled along and fooled around for most of the day. Seeing that there was no urgent task for him to deal with in the Criminal Division, he didn''t bother to wait for the dismissal of the Yamen [off-duty time] and went home early.

    When he arrived at his yard, he saw Ruan Rong practicing embroidery in the parlor. Several semi-finished designs had been placed in the dustpan with silk threads. It could be seen that she had practiced for some time.

    However...

    Looking at the crooked neck pheasant in the middle of the embroidery, Sun Shaozong had to say that Ruan Rong was not made for needlework.

    "Why did you suddenly think of learning this recently?"

    He easily grabbed the embroidery bandage and threw it into the dustpan. After carefully confirming that Ruan Rong had no embroidery needles, pendants, or other things on her, Sun Shaozong picked her up and put her on his leg.

    He then rubbed his chin around her hair like a waterfall and said with a smile, "It''s not like our family can''t afford to hire a sewing woman. Do you need to make an effort to do it?"

    Sun Shaozong looked closely again, and the signature was indeed written with the words "Jia Zheng."

    Since it was Jia Zheng who invited him, it has nothing to do with Daiyu''s birthday.

    Does Jia Zheng want to thank him for his son himself?

    After thinking about it, he felt that that shouldn¡¯t be it. With Jia Baoyu''s usual style, he will definitely take care of Lin Daiyu first. If it¡¯s not about him, where is the word "thank you?¡±

    Unable to think of Jia Zheng''s purpose for the moment, Sun Shaozong was too lazy to continue to ponder. He put the invitation on the table and casually opened the second invitation. The content of this invitation was much more. It could have had four or five hundred words, and it was written with gold powder stained with vermilion. While looking at it, it crackled down with gold powder.

    For fear of reading slowly and having this invitation would first get *¡°self-destruct.¡± Sun Shaozong hurriedly skipped the prefix of the parallel construction of pairs of four and six-character sentences and roughly browsed the content.

    After reading it, he frowned unconsciously.

    It was because this invitation was not issued in his name but in the name of all martial scholars in Guangde''s eighth year that Sun Shaozong was invited to attend the same year''s get-together in the Capital on the evening of February 12.

    The so-called same year means being admitted to the civil service [besides the examination of the liberal arts, there was another origin system for the examination of selecting military officers] in the same year. They may not be familiar with each other very well. It''s just that newcomers wanted to use a name to build their network.

    And because ¡°Sun Shaozong¡± who had just won the title of martial official to become a civil servant, had offended Prince Yizhong not long ago, he had to flee to the Country of Qian Xiang to avoid disaster, and there was no intersection with these people.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong rummaged through his memory fragments and only remembered about two or three names, but he still couldn''t match their looks!

    Taking part in such a party full of strangers, coupled with the invitation full of gold powder, Sun Shaozong thought with his ass and knew that the scene must be boring and embarrassing.

    It¡¯s just that...

    He was rising in power now. Both as a civil servant and military general who established meritorious service, he could be regarded as the most outstanding person among martial scholars for transferring. If he didn¡¯t show his face, he would inevitably fall into a supercilious review.

    Sigh~

    In the end, it''s still the four words ¡°connection and favor!¡±

    It seems that in recent days, he should have started to collect information about these same-year people so as not to make any jokes when possible.

 Chapter 72: The Green Cloud is Particularly Domineering

    Chapter 72: The Green Cloud is Particularly Domineering

    "Sister Lin''s complexion looked ruddy at your birthday party this time. I heard that ever since you practiced the set of fitness exercises, you have been eating well for your three meals."

    "En."

    "The widowed granny is always a little evasive to me for some reason. Could it be that she is looking down on me?"

    "Oh."

    After coming out of the Rongguo Mansion, Sun Shaozong was resting on Ruan Rong''s lap and was full of thoughts about the evening party. The nagging Ruan Rong naturally went in through his left ear and out from his right ear, and he only responded casually.

    When talking about things in this world, one really doesn''t know if they don''t check it. However, once checked, they will be surprised!

    Guangde recruited a total of 127 martial scholars in the eighth year. It was only a year and seven months since the list was published, but there have been many "capable people,¡± those who embezzled military grain, those who were captured alive by Japanese pirates, those who provoked civil commotion, and those who flirted with good family women...

    In a year and a half, more than a dozen people were sacked, and four were sentenced to be beheaded. It could definitely be called the best of martial scholars in the past!

    Of course, this was not without positive figures. For example, Xu Tai, who ranked second in the first class Imperial examination, became a County Magistrate in a County on the southeast coast because he became a civilian. When he encountered Japanese pirates coming ashore and looting last autumn, he led strong citizens to fight back the Japanese pirates, killing and capturing 17 real Japanese pirates, more than 100 fake Japanese pirates, and capturing three warships.

    Xu Tai became famous for this, and now he has been promoted from the fifth grade Chief of a Prefecture to the highest rank in the same term [because the low-level military position was really not worth much when compared with civil servants thus, always has to subtract the first and second grades before calculating].

    However, when it comes to real power, Xu Tai, the Prefecture Magistrate, only ranks second.

    It was recognized that the one with real power was not the number one in national civil examinations, not the number three in the national civil examinations, and it was definitely not Sun Shaozong, who was the "Divine Judgement Assistant Prefectural Magistrate.¡± It was Zhu Peng, who was No. 9 in the second class at the beginning. He was also transferred to the civil service and was holding the post of an eighth-grade official in charge of reconnaissance and audit work, and in addition, the official responsible for supervision in the Department of Political Integrity in the Ministry of Revenue.

    If one was speaking solemnly about official rank, this official in the Ministry of Revenue was naturally far inferior to the Prefectural Magistrate.

    However, the Ministry of Revenue of this official office was directly led by the Minister of Commerce, and it has the right to assess the merits and demerits of the Ministry of Revenue and audit its accounts. It has a proper position of inferiority and weight. Through the control of the Department of Political Integrity, the influence could even be radiated to the whole country.

    Under normal circumstances, not to say a military scholar who has been transferred to the civil service, without any connections, one didn¡¯t need to think of the position even if the person was a civil scholar.

    The reason why Zhu Peng was able to take up the post of the Official in the Ministry of Revenue Affairs was that he married the only daughter of Wang Guangzu, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Affairs, while he was waiting for the election of an official position. Wasn¡¯t it a matter of time as he has gotten the favor of the ¡°Heavenly officials¡± and got a position of inferiority and weight?

    It was for this reason that Zhu Peng was almost being respected in the same year of scholars in the Capital, both civil and military. Even this so-called same-year party was organized by him.

    However...

    There was a rumor that the Minister''s daughter used to hang out with a manservant, and was already pregnant before she got married, so she had to give up her original engagement and marry this "cheap" Zhu Peng, who had no background.

    Sun Shaozong was wondering whether the official hat on Zhu Zhao''s head was the "color of forgiving.¡± It was at this time that he was suddenly pinched by two slender jade fingers and rotated 90 degrees painlessly.

    "Ouch! Don''t, don''t, don''t, turn it again and it will fall off!"

    Sun Shaozong gave an exaggerated cry, raised his head to meet Ruan Rong''s dissatisfied eyes, and said with a smile, "What''s the matter? Where did I offend my wife again?"

    Just in doubt, he heard a high-pitched voice outside, "Is it Brother Shaozong''s carriage in front?"

    Sun Shaozong picked up the curtain of the carriage and looked around, and he saw five or six riders standing horizontally in front of the carriage. The tall and handsome man who led was holding a gilt whip in his hand. He sat lazily on the horse, inclined to despise the carriage, and his face was full of arrogance.

    What kind of bird man was this?

    Sun Shaozong was looking at him and frowning. He heard the guy laugh a few times and said with teasing, "Brother Shaozong, you are so forgetful that you probably don''t recognize me, Zhu Peng?"

    Zhu Peng?

    Sun Shaozong looked at the big red cap clasp and tassel on his head and automatically imagined it as miserable green. At the same time, he stretched out his hand to press on the shaft, jumped out of the carriage lightly, arched his hand, and said with a smile, "Brother Zhu is so rich and powerful that I naturally dare not recognize you casually. What advice does Brother Zhu have that you stopped my carriage?"

    Zhu Peng howled over his horse and then turned over and dismounted. He then said casually, "It¡¯s not a piece of advice. Brother Sun is the guest of honor today. I''m afraid it''s inappropriate to be late, so as the host, I specially came to meet you first. Since I happened to meet you on the way, how about we head over now?"

    Coincidentally?

    Looking at the direction this guy came from, he knew that he had already been to the Sun Mansion, and then he waited, especially on the road he would pass through. What ¡°coincidence¡± could it be?

    At present, there was still an hour or so before the party starts. Sun Shaozong was not interested in accompanying such an arrogant bird to the restaurant to warm up the atmosphere.

    So he lightly refused and said, "It¡¯s so kind of Brother Zhu. I should have followed your suggestion, but there are still women in my carriage, and I''m afraid it''s inconvenient..."

    Before he finished speaking, Zhu Peng blurted out with bright eyes, "Is the woman in your carriage the red-haired concubine brought back by Brother Sun from the Kingdom of Qian Xiang?"

    If it''s just a familiar friend, that¡¯s still alright, but how can he, a nobody, ask such a thing?

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong''s face immediately sank. Zhu Peng also knew that he was being reckless, but he didn''t apologize. Instead, he laughed and changed the topic, pointing at his back and saying, "Brother Sun can accompany your female family member back to the house first. I''ll leave a good horse here for you to ride instead of walking."

    Seeing that this guy was so entangled, Sun Shaozong was raging at the bottom of his heart and walked around him with a calm face toward his attendants.

    One of the healthy servants quickly turned over and dismounted, handed over the reins to Sun Shaozong, and said, "Lord Sun, you can ride my horse."

    Sun Shaozong ignored it, put his hands on the horse''s back, and then suddenly pressed down!

    "Whinnied!!!"

    He then heard the Bluish White Horse hissing miserably, kneeling on his knees, and couldn''t stand up for a moment!

    Sun Shaozong pushed again with one hand, and the big black horse next to him kicked sideways for a few steps and fell on the roadside with a bang.

    In the dull eyes of several attendants, Sun Shaozong turned around and arched his hands at Zhu Peng, laughing, "My bones are heavy and tight. I''m afraid your horses can''t handle my weight. I''d better go back to the house and change my mount. It is not too late to head over to the banquet then."

    With that, he got in his carriage and went off.

    Seeing his carriage disappear at the corner of the street, Zhu Peng finally came to his senses. Looking at the Bluish White Horse that still couldn''t stand up, he couldn''t help muttering, "This guy didn''t take some miraculous medicine in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang, otherwise, how could he get so much stronger than two years ago?"

 Chapter 73: The â€˜Big Surpriseâ€™ in the Get-Together of the Same Year Party

    Chapter 73: The ¡®Big Surprise¡¯ in the Get-Together of the Same Year Party

    In fact, not only Zhu Peng has this question, but also Sun Shaozu, his eldest brother, has long found that Sun Shaozong''s strength has more than doubled in the past year in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang!

    This obviously couldn¡¯t be explained by the reason of ¡±physical development.¡± ViiSiit  for latest novels

    Sun Shaozong secretly recalled it for a long time, but he still didn''t get the point. Finally, he could only blame it on the unique welfare of transgressors. Compared with those golden fingers who can summon strong generals across the times, or simply digitize everything, his extra strength was nothing.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    When Sun Shaozong returned home, he idled for more than half an hour. Seeing that the same year''s party was about to begin, he left for Tongfu Restaurant outside the city with Ruan Rong''s warning to "eat more and drink less.¡±

    Although this restaurant was a little famous, it was not a top-ranking restaurant in the industry. The reason why they chose to have dinner here was simply that this Tongfu Restaurant was the property of Wang Bingxian''s family, which was the fourth in the second class.

    In the beginning, because he was a merchant, Wang Bingxian was once discriminated against. After moving to a civilian position, he waited for the election for more than half a year and still failed to fill the real vacancy. Finally, he entrusted Zhu Peng and got to fill the eighth-grade official in charge of livestock and livestock products in the Department of Pastoral Affairs under the jurisdiction of Taipu Temple.

    Frankly speaking, this decree was actually issued by the ¡°Horse Master¡± who helped release the horse to the Court, but Wang Bingxian was still grateful and became Zhu Peng''s lackey from then on.

    The journey was quiet.

    When Sun Shaozong arrived at the door of Tongfu Restaurant, he saw two huge lanterns hanging on the railing on the second floor with the words "The restaurant is in full swing.¡± This meant someone made a block booking, in this case, it was the same-year martial scholars. If outsiders see the sign, they would know that the restaurant was not open for business today.

    When Sun Shaozong arrived, several men were chatting with each other in front of the door. Seeing that it was him, they all greeted each other and called ¡°Brother Nian¡± one after another.

    Because it was the party from the same year that the martial scholars gathered, all the people present were big men. Even those who were slightly inferior could also be called "short and strong.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was more comfortable in it than usual. He scribbled down the names of several people and found that most of them held military positions in Patrol Camp, Urban Defense Camp, or one of the three battalions of the Imperial Guard Army, Shenji Camp, and that only Wang Bingxian became a civilian.

    But it was not Wang Bingxian who was in charge in front of the door but a sixth-grade Lieutenant named Zhu Hu.

    Sun Shaozong inquired with the others, beating about the bush, and knew that Zhu Hu was Zhu Peng''s cousin.

    However, compared with Zhu Peng, who has a full head of ¡°green color,¡± this Zhu Hu was obviously more human. He spoke with a conniving demeanor. Although he mainly greeted Sun Shaozong, he has not snubbed the others for this reason.

    After a few more words of conversation and laughter, Zhu Hu bowed in a circle and said with a smile, "Brothers, my brother has been waiting inside for a long time. Why don''t we go in and continue our conversation inside?"

    Naturally, everyone agreed, and all were courteous enough to offer one another the chance to enter the room first. Finally, Sun Shaozong and Zhu Hu were at the forefront.

    "Brother Sun."

    Zhu Hu walked side by side with Sun Shaozong, but lowered his voice and said, "My brother offended you earlier. For the sake of being the same year, don''t take it to heart."

    Sun Shaozong laughed and said perfunctorily, "How dare I quarrel with your brother? If I offend the minister of personnel for this, will I still have a future?"

    Sun Shaozong was at least a Riding Vice Lieutenant of the fifth grade in the Capital and an Assistant Prefectural Magistrate of the sixth grade. Regardless of his civil and military official positions, he was a leader to the public, and he just has a title down in private. Now in this public, he was still so arrogant, it¡¯s domineering!

    Sun Shaozong laughed. After coming forward and greeting the people, he sat down on the table beside him and said leisurely, "Since today is the same year''s party, it has nothing to do with the dignity of officialdom. Let''s just talk about age. This main seat is more suitable to invite the other respected Brothers Nian to take up the seat."

    This statement not only made it clear that it did not give Zhu Peng face, but it was also said to be watertight and people couldn¡¯t find any fault in it, which formed a sharp contrast with Zhu Peng''s wanton perversity.

    With these words, they distinguish his relative superiority and inferiority to Zhu Peng in their hearts.

    So some brave men also came to sit at the main table where Sun Shaozong was.

    .

    However, due to Zhu Peng''s father-in-law, there were still a few who didn¡¯t dare to not give him face after all.

    Therefore, only six or seven people were sitting at Sun Shaozong''s table, most of whom were from the Patrol Camp, making it far less lively than Zhu Peng''s.

    Zhu Peng''s face calmed down again. He laughed and said, "Brother Shaozong is not comparable to others. Anyway, when the big surprise I prepared for you appears later, you must watch carefully and don''t let me down."

    This guy has mentioned "big surprise" twice now, which made Sun Shaozong curious.

    Just wondering what his ¡°big surprise¡± would be, he saw that the workers of the restaurant brought wine jars and bowls and put them on the five round tables respectively.

    Zhu Peng changed his pride earlier, stood up, took the initiative to divide the wine bowl, filled the wine jar one by one, and finally raised his wine bowl and said in a loud voice, "Brothers, for today''s greetings, cheers!"

    With that, he covered it with his left sleeve, looked up, and dried the bowl of rice wine in one go.

    Seeing this, everyone rushed to pick up their wine bowl, raised it, and drank wildly.

    Sun Shaozong was naturally no exception. He looked up and poured the Shaoxing rice wine into his mouth. Before he could swallow it, he suddenly heard a crisp clang, followed by Zhu Peng''s shriek, "The wine... It''s poisonous!"

    Poof!

    Sun Shaozong opened his mouth and sprayed it all over the table. Turning to the main seat, he saw that Zhu Peng had staggered and fallen to the ground.

    "Third Brother, Third Brother? Third Brother?!"

    Zhu Hu hugged his shoulder and shouted a few times. He slowly turned back and said, in a pale, trembling voice, "He... He''s dead!"

    The fck!*

    This shouldn¡¯t be the ¡°big surprise¡± he was talking about, right?!

 Chapter 74: The Poisoning Event at the Same Years Party - Part 1

    Chapter 74: The Poisoning Event at the Same Year''s Party - Part 1

    "Don''t panic, everyone. Try to stay where you are and don''t move about, so as not to damage the evidence on the scene! The brothers sitting at the door, please call the servants outside and let them guard over all the people in the restaurant, so as not to let the murderer escape!"

    Although it was the first time in his second life that Sun Shaozong had seen someone get poisoned and die in front of him, his excellent professional qualities allowed him to step out and control the scene immediately.

    In this sudden situation, people tend to follow blindly, not to mention the death of Zhu Peng. Sun Shaozong should have been respected at the scene, so most people acted according to his words.

    Just a few of them were on Zhu Peng''s table, so it was hard to calm them down. Some of them tried scratching their throats and retching. Some people agitatedly grabbed Wang Bingxian and asked him why he entertained guests with poisoned wine!

    "Don''t worry. There should be no poison in the wine."

    As Sun Shaozong walked toward the corpse, he said, "If the wine was poisoned, the people on the table should all be dead."

    He said that regardless of the reaction of those people, he squatted beside Zhu Peng''s body and carefully analyzed it.

    Zhu Peng''s pupils and muscles were tight, his limbs were severely twisted, and there was a small amount of milky foam vomit at the corners of his mouth

    Judging from these signs, he really died of acute poisoning. As for the type of toxin, it couldn¡¯t be distinguished by a pair of naked eyes.

    In addition, Zhu Peng''s facial expression was extremely distorted, which may have caused acute asphyxia after poisoning, which also led to his indistinguishable expression before his death.

    Moreover, Zhu Peng spilled a handful of wine on his chest and left sleeve. It seems that he already had a toxic reaction after drinking half of it and accidentally spilled the remaining poisoned wine on his body.

    After checking the condition of the corpse, Sun Shaozong pulled another piece from the table skirt [the silk ornament on the edge of the table], carefully picked up the broken two pieces of wine bowl fragments, put them beside the candlestick, and looked carefully. He found that there was some milky white colloidal residue on the bottom of the bowl.

    He let Zhu Hu hold the wine jar, poured some rice wine onto the fragment, shook it slightly, and then saw that the milky residue had melted into half.

    .

    Seeing this, Sun Shaozong frowned deeper.

    "Brother Sun."

    A shop assistant immediately fell to his knees and shouted in a panic, "I was wrong! I went to the wine jar and wine bowl in the back kitchen with other people. How can I poison the bowl in full view of the public?"

    The shop assistant''s reasoning was much clearer and more organized than that of Wang Bingxian.

    However, someone in the crowd immediately refuted, "You may have poisoned other people on the way when they were unprepared! It was a mess at that time. Who would have noticed what you did on the way?"

    When they heard this, they were all deeply convinced.

    Zhu Hu''s face became a little gloomy again, and he was waiting to be asked whether he had been instructed by Wang Bingxian.

    However, the assistant in the shop hurriedly discriminated and said, "I was wrong, Lord! The wine jar weighs at least ten kilos. In addition, there are 15 wine bowls on each table. It''s already very hard for me to hold the wooden tray in my hands. How can I free my hands to poison the young master?"

    As it was a gathering of martial arts scholars, there was no preparation of the wine pot or anything. They were all directly put into the 10 kilos wine jar, in addition to the wooden tray and wine bowls. He¡¯s afraid that everything weighs more than 20 kilos.

    In particular, it was difficult to balance the wine jar and the wine bowl when walking. It was indeed impossible to spare hands and feet on the way to secretly put the poison in Zhu Peng''s bowl.

    While the people were thinking in silence, the smart shop assistant seemed to recall something and hurriedly said, "Report to all Lords, I know who was the one that put the poison!"

    He then got up and pointed to Wang Bingxian''s servant and said, "It''s him, it must be him! When the young master shouted at all the people in the back kitchen for a lecture, I saw him sneak into the back kitchen!"

    The servant''s face suddenly changed, and he shouted, "Don''t cast malicious words on me. It''s the master who asked me to guard the back kitchen door to see who would sneak into the back kitchen! I didn''t even go in at that time. How could I poison the bowl?"

    This case was a turning point!

    The people focused again on Wang Bingxian, but after seeing his face change, they finally said, "Yes, I indeed asked him to guard the back door! Because a few days ago, I suddenly received an anonymous letter, which said that as long as I was willing to call out all the people in the kitchen that day, someone would take the opportunity to teach Zhu Peng a lesson!"

    Speaking of this, he quickly distinguished himself and said, "I didn''t know that man would poison him. I thought he just wanted to punish Zhu Peng!"

    Zhu Hu did not pay attention to his discrimination, but just wrung his eyebrows, waited for the previous young servant to finish his words, and asked, "You said you were at the door at that time. Have you ever seen someone sneaking in?"

    "Yes, yes! I did see a man sneaking into the kitchen!"

    As he said this, the young servant padded his feet and wandered around the crowd. Suddenly, he was surprised and pointed to someone in the corner and shouted, "It''s him, it''s him! I saw him sneak into the back kitchen with my own eyes. He must have poisoned the bowl!"

 Chapter 75: The Poisoning Event at the Same Years Party - Part 2

    Chapter 75: The Poisoning Event at the Same Year''s Party - Part 2

    Following the guidance of the young servant, the crowd saw a thin man with a bent back on the last seat in the southwest, and he was shrouded in the shadow of others.

    "Jiang Yunhe? How could it be you?"

    Seeing the man''s appearance, Zhu Hu could not help but blurt out a question, "My third brother is running around for your recovery now, but why did you poison him?"

    "Ha... Ha... Haha..."

    Before the words were finished, Jiang Yunhe laughed bitterly and wildly, "Recovery? Run around for my sake? Hahaha... Spit! I was blind at the beginning to believe this son of a bitch''s lies. In the end, I was cheated by him and lost all of my money. I even got a heavy debt for no reason!"

    "A few days ago, I went to ask him for an explanation, but he didn''t even want to show his face. He only asked the servant to give me a hanging of copper money, saying that it was a reward for me to play a clown and amuse him these days!"

    "Not to mention that. He even thinks about my children. He wants to take them in as playthings in his mansion!"

    "Ha... Ha... Yes, I poisoned his wine bowl, but he also asked for it! He should die, this mother f*cker should have died long ago!"

    He roared and hissed, and his bent body gradually straightened up. It was only at this time that the people realized that the man who was still depressed a moment ago was also a broad-shouldered, thin waist, eight-foot-tall man!

    Jiang Yunhe was indeed unlucky enough. He practiced martial arts hard for many years and finally got a job. As a result, he was first put in prison, and then he was cheated of all his savings by a person of the same year. Finally, he was inexplicably saddled with a pile of heavy debts. Who should be blamed for this?

    Therefore, all the people were silent. Even Zhu Hu did not know for a moment whether he should come forward to seek "justice" for Zhu Peng.

    "So it was you who put the poison in!"

    At this time, a man pointed to Jiang Yunhe''s nose and said angrily, "If you want to kill Zhu Peng, just do it. Why did you implicate me?"

    This person was none other than Wang Bingxian.

    When the people heard this, they remembered the "anonymous letter.¡± It seems that Wang Bingxian was indeed taken advantage of.

    "Ha..."

    However, Jiang Yunhe gave a strange smile and sneered at Wang Bingxian, saying with disdain, "Wang Bingxian, you really can bring suit against the victims! Look, what is this?!"

    He then took out a handkerchief full of words from his arms and threw it at Wang Bingxian.

    Wang Bingxian was about to take it, but Zhu Hu grabbed the handkerchief first and read it from beginning to end.

    It turned out that this was also an anonymous letter. It was full of angry words. First, Zhu Peng was scolded, and then it was revealed that Zhu Peng was eyeing Jiang Yunhe''s twin children and intended to borrow the debt collector''s hand to bring the seven-year-old sister and brother into his mansion as a plaything!

    After a change of tone, the anonymous person said that he hoped to work with Jiang Yunhe to get rid of Zhu Peng, who was inferior to animals. He also gave a bottle of poison and an action plan with the letter.

    To say that it was an action plan, the plan was very simple.

    However, he said that before the gathering party of the same year, he had to find a way to attract the people in the kitchen. Jiang Yunhe just has to sneak in and smear the poison on the wine bowl next to the 30-year-old wine of the ¡°top scholar.¡± At that time, someone would naturally send the poisoned bowl to Zhu Peng.

    When Zhu Hu finished reading this "anonymous letter,¡± Jiang Yunhe sneered, "I was only half convinced, but the next day someone came to my house and forced me to sell my son and daughter to repay my debt! It was because Zhu Peng had gone too far that I risked my life and decided to follow Wang Bingxian''s plan..."

    "As for the reason for choosing the second bowl..."

    Sun Shaozong turned his eyes to Jiang Yunhe and asked with a smile, "Maybe it''s because the poison is a little conspicuous in the light. Brother Jiang is afraid of being discovered in advance, so he has no choice but to put it in the second bowl. Brother Jiang, did I guess it right?"

    Jiang Yunhe nodded and said, "That''s true! It doesn''t seem much outside, but when it''s reflected by the stove beside it, the poison looks very eye-catching. So I had to exchange the poisonous wine bowl with the one below."

    After a pause, he added, "Because it was written in the letter that someone would naturally bring the poisoned wine to Zhu Peng at that time, I thought there was an insider on the table. Who knew that Zhu Peng would take the initiative to divide the bowls? At that time, I thought it must have hurt others!"

    "Haha, that''s why I said that the person behind the scenes was not careful!" Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "Just because of this unexpected situation, the mastermind behind the scenes had no choice but to temporarily change his plan and took the initiative to put the poisoned bowl in front of Zhu Peng."

    "Wait!"

    Zhu Hu exclaimed in astonishment, "Isn''t it my third brother who took the initiative to divide the bowl?! Do... Do you mean..."

    Sun Shaozong firmly said, "Yes! It was Zhu Peng himself who planned all this behind the scenes! Because at that time, no one except him could accurately select the wine bowl coated with highly toxic liquor! And only he could guide Wang Bingxian and Jiang Yunhe so accurately and force them to join hands to poison!"

    "What?!¡±

    "How can this be?"

    "Did Zhu Peng commit suicide?"

    "Did he spend so much effort just to die at the hands of Wang Bingxian and Jiang Yunhe?"

    There was an uproar in the hall, and everyone felt unbelievable. But in addition to this speculation, there was no way to explain what had just happened!

    Wang Bingxian and Jiang Yunhe were also confused for a while.

    The two people couldn''t help asking, "Why... Why did he do this?!"

    Sigh~

    This time it was not Sun Shaozong who responded, but Zhu Hu around them.

    Zhu Hu sighed and said, "You all should know what happened to my younger brother in recent years. On the one hand, he became more arrogant and vented all his discontent with others. On the other hand, he felt guilty about it. Sometimes he mentioned it to me, and he often said that he had been hit by an evil influence and always couldn''t control himself doing evil things."

    "At that time, I already felt that he was living a miserable life, but I didn''t expect that he would finally... Unexpectedly..."

    This time he said half of it, but all the people present understood what was not said.

    It was only because Zhu Peng could not bear the condemnation of his conscience that he finally came up with this crazy plan to let himself die in the hands of the two people for whom he was most sorry in his life.

    It has to be said that this is a ridiculous farce!

    "Since Brother Zhu thinks that it was your brother who committed suicide."

    However, just when everyone thought that the truth had been revealed, Sun Shaozong said with a smile, "I still have some doubts here, and I need to ask Brother Zhu for some advice!"

 Chapter 76: The Poisoning Event at the Same Years Party - Part 3

    Chapter 76: The Poisoning Event at the Same Year''s Party - Part 3

    Were there still doubts?!

    From the initial conspiracy of poison to the present absurd suicide, the twists and turns of the period and the strange changes have already overwhelmed people. But Sun Shaozong even said that there were still doubts now?!

    In addition to being shocked, the people could not help but open their mouths and urge Sun Shaozong to quickly publish the so-called "doubtful points!¡±

    Sun Shaozong pointed two fingers out and said, "In fact, when I inspected Zhu Peng''s body, I always cared about two details. First, he deliberately used the sleeve of his left hand to cover up when drinking while he was alive, Second, the wet marks on his front and cuff."

    "It''s an ancient ritual to cover up with sleeves when drinking. Nowadays, only women and acid drinkers who respect the ancient will do so." Sun Shaozong glanced sideways at the corpse on the ground. "I''m afraid that this Brother Zhu is neither of them."

    Most people were pondering along his way, but some people raised their conjectures, "Maybe... Maybe he didn''t want people to see him drinking the poisoned wine?"

    "It is also reasonable in this speculation." Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "However, if we conjecture together with the wet marks on his front, I''m afraid the result will be different. Come, please take a look at Brother Xu''s clothes first."

    As he said this, he signaled at Xu Shouye. Xu Shouye immediately stepped forward and raised his arms to show the crowd his royal blue gown.

    The people around also looked closely and found that the front and back of his clothes were wet, and there was a faint smell of wine.

    "When I found Brother Xu''s clothes are the same cloth as Zhu Peng''s earlier, and the styles are not much different, I asked him to help me do a little test."

    When Sun Shaozong said this, he arched his hand to Xu Shouye, "Brother Xu, please excuse me."

    Before he finished speaking, he suddenly picked up half a bowl of wine and poured it on Xu Shouye''s right shoulder. The wine quickly soaked Xu Shouye''s sleeve and dripped down the sleeve.

    What was he doing?

    When the people were looking confused, Sun Shaozong pointed at Zhu Peng''s body again and said, "You brothers might as well choose several people to come forward and have a look at the wet marks on Zhu Peng''s front. What is the difference between them and those on Brother Xu''s right arm?"

    As soon as they heard this, several people enthusiastically came forward and commented on the corpse. They also grabbed Xu Shouye''s sleeve and looked from head to tail.

    .

    "Doesn''t it seem to make any difference?" ViiSiit  for latest novels

    "Yes, if there is any difference, it is that there is more wine on Xu''s sleeve and less spilled on his clothes."

    "But this... Shouldn''t it be any different?"

    Hearing the chatter of these people, and all of them were words of doubt. Xu Shouye couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Without saying a word, he grabbed the clothes on his left shoulder and tore them open. He was half angry and half disdainful and said, "What¡¯s the point of always looking at the outside? Look at the inside too!"

    Inside?

    The people looked at the white tunic that appeared on his shoulder and squatted down next to the corpse again. They opened Zhu Peng''s collar and looked at it. As expected, they found a difference!

    The layers of clothes on Zhu Peng''s chest have been soaked through, but the inner robe on Xu Shouye''s shoulder is only slightly wet.

    But...

    "What can this prove?"

    "Maybe Zhu Peng''s underwear is more absorbent!"

    Seeing that these guys were still clinging to their mistakes, Xu Shouye huffed with disdain. He poured out half a bowl of wine and handed it to a person beside him. He said, "Here, slowly pour it on my left shoulder. Remember not to be too fast!"

    Although many people have already guessed this point through the experiment just now, when they heard Sun Shaozong reveal the truth, they could not help but change their face color.

    "He... He... You said he didn''t drink that bowl of poisonous wine?" Jiang Yunhe could not help questioning, "But... But he has been poisoned?! Besides, why would he do this?!"

    They then heard Sun Shaozong say, "How was he poisoned to death? I probably already have an idea. As for the reason why he did this..."

    Speaking of this, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed to Zhu Hu, saying, "Then we should ask Brother Zhu!"

    When he suddenly pointed at him, Zhu Hu was shocked. He immediately said, "Brother Sun, don''t tease me. If it wasn''t for your demonstration just now, I would have thought that my brother took poison to kill himself. How could I know the purpose of what he did?"

    Clap~ Clap~

    Sun Shaozong clapped his hands and said, "Brother Zhu is good at acting. Even at this time, he still has no flaws."

    This remark was equivalent to directly pointing out that Zhu Hu was the murderer.

    Therefore, in the astonished eyes of the people, Zhu Hu finally lowered his face and sneered, "I don''t know if there is any proof that Brother Sun is targeting me like this. Besides, my third brother and I have been brothers since we were young. What''s the reason to kill him?!

    "I don''t know the reason yet. As for this evidence..."

    Sun Shaozong spread out his hand and pointed to the corpse and said, "When Brother Zhu was pretending to ask questions earlier, I took the opportunity to carefully examine the corpse with Brother Xu, but I did not find any obvious traces on the corpse."

    "Therefore, I infer that the killer may have used small things such as poison needles to pierce the hair-covered places such as the back neck, so there was no trace left."

    "I further studied the situation at that time and felt that it was unlikely that the killer would have the opportunity to collect the poison needle again or throw it into some secret place under the full view of the public. Considering this kind of blood-thirsty thing, I was afraid that no one would dare to hold it in the palm of his hand for a long time, so I searched around the body carefully with Brother Xu."

    "As expected, I found this poison needle under the table!"

    He picked up a handkerchief from the table, carefully showed a steel needle to the people, and then rushed to the door and said, "Come on, bring me the thing I want!"

    With this order, someone immediately brought a half-big pig.

    Sun Shaozong wrapped the poison needle in a handkerchief and gently poked the pig''s buttocks. Only a few seconds later, he saw the pig lying on the ground, his limbs were twitching and his mouth was foaming. Not long after, his eyes rolled upwards, and there was no sign of life.

    "How?"

    Sun Shaozong shook the poison needle at Zhu Peng and asked, "Brother Zhu, what do you have to say now?"

    At this time, all the people had already believed 80% and only waited for Zhu Hu to bow down and confess his guilt and then tell the inside story.

    Unexpectedly, Zhu Hu didn''t even look at the poison needle, but he looked up and burst into laughter, "Ha... Ha... Hahaha, it''s really giving a dog a bad name and hanging him! Sun Shaozong, you said I left the poison needle under the table. What evidence is there?"

    "If there is no evidence, but just a random guess, how can I not doubt that it was you who saw through my brother''s act of pretending to be poisoned and killed him with a poison needle while examining the corpse, and tried to frame me?"

    He has to say that this guy was a cruel character who didn¡¯t shed tears without seeing the coffin!

    Moreover, his counterattack could not be said to be totally unreasonable.

    But...

    Sun Shaozong also laughed and shook his head and said, "Brother Zhu is not only good at acting but also has a sharp and tight tongue. It''s a pity that some of Brother Zhu''s habitual moves have already exposed a mountain of hard evidence. You really can''t argue!"

    As he said this, he pointed to Zhu Hu''s waist and said, "When Brother Zhu is nervous, you subconsciously hold the jade clasp on your belt three times. But every time you touched the jade clasp, your body and expression would suddenly stiffen, and you would quickly release your hands. Brother Zhu, are you afraid that you will touch the residual poison on it?"

 Chapter 77: The Truth of Being Cuckold and the In-Laws of Wolf and Leopard

    Chapter 77: The Truth of Being Cuckold and the In-Laws of Wolf and Leopard

    Staring at Sun Shaozong, the uneven color on Zhu Hu''s face gradually faded away, replaced by a bitter smile of helplessness and admiration.

    He reached out his hand to untie the jade clasp and threw it on the round table beside him. He sighed and said, "Brother Sun''s name of the ¡°Divine Judgement¡± was indeed true. I¡¯m willing to bow down."

    This was a confession!

    There was a loud commotion in the hall, and the man who usually made friends with Zhu Hu stamped his foot and said, "What are you doing, Brother Zhu? Although Zhu Peng has been domineering since he married, he has always believed very much in you. Is it because he has done something wrong to you secretly?"

    Zhu Hu shook his head and said with a sad smile, "It''s not that he''s sorry to me, but that I''m sorry for him. The child in his woman''s belly was actually... mine!"

    Although he did not say who the "woman" was, who in the audience did not know that it was Minister Wang¡®s daughter who was now six or seven months pregnant.

    The first child was someone else''s child, but he didn''t expect that the second child was also someone else''s child. Zhu Peng can really be called the leader of the green hat!

    The uproar around was even louder. In the chaos, he heard someone scold angrily, "Zhu Hu, you are usually dignified, but I never thought you would make such a beast..."

    "I don''t want to!"

    Zhu Hu burst out a roar and suppressed all the voices of the people. He then smiled bitterly and said, "I have no interest in that woman at all. I was drunk and was dragged into bed by her in a muddle!"

    "Since then, I have been worried all day for fear that this matter would be known by my third brother, but the woman seems to be a person who has no fear. She often meets me at home and even secretly provokes me!"

    "More than two months later, my third brother suddenly came to me and said... Said that the woman was pregnant with his flesh and blood! At that time, my heart dropped and I secretly asked the woman. It was really the evil seed I planted that day..."

    While he was talking, he felt regret, shame, and fear...

    All these negative emotions rushed into Zhu Hu''s face, making him look like a late manic patient.

    When he mentioned Zhu Peng again, he did not call him "my brother" or "third brother.¡±

    "After that, I was even more worried. Until one day, Zhu Peng suddenly thought of the plan of ¡°killing two birds with one stone.¡± He said that he could not only get Brother Sun''s beauty but also take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of two people who were in his way!"

    ¡°He even had a plan at that time. If Sun Brother could not find out the ¡°real murderer,¡± he could take the opportunity to ridicule and suppress Brother Sun and prevent Brother Sun from challenging his dominant position in the same year."

    "If Brother Sun finds out about Wang Bingxian and Jiang Yunhe, he can also use Brother Sun''s hand to kill them!"

    When Wang Bingxian and Jiang Yunhe heard this, they all gnawed their teeth.

    Sun Shaozong, however, smiled and interrupted, "Since this is the case, Zhu Peng should have prepared some backers. Otherwise, Wang and Jiang, these two brothers, will certainly have a bad ending, but he will also bear the name of being unkind and unjust."

    "We really can''t hide anything from Brother Sun."

    After this matter, no one in the world would dare to marry her. Reluctance was a punishment.

    At least Sun Shaozong thought so at that time, until...

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    More than four months later, at the temporary martial arts training ground of the Jia Mansion.

    "Second Brother, help me!"

    Xue Pan rushed to Sun Shaozong agitatedly and cried out in shock, "A matchmaker... Came to my door earlier just now and proposed marriage to me!"

    Sun Shaozong stepped half a step back without any trace and frowned, "Is that woman ugly?"

    Xue Pan thought carefully, then shook his head vigorously.

    "Then why are you in a panic?"

    In Sun Shaozong''s view, a woman who wanted to marry a notorious double plug like Xue Pan was already a virtue of the Xue family''s ancestors. What''s more, she¡¯s not ugly.

    Xue Pan said anxiously, "But... She¡¯s fated to mourn for her husband''s death!"

    It turned out to be a second marriage. No wonder this guy was unwilling.

    Sun Shaozong lightly patted him on his shoulder and said, "Don''t worry, it''s all superstition."

    At the same time, what he thought in his mind was that the woman had better kill him and help the world get rid of a scourge!

    Xue Pan was even more anxious, "But... Other than fated to mourn for her husband¡¯s death, she still has an affair!"

    This problem was a little...

    Sun Shaozong said, "Which family is she from? With such a reputation, how dare she come to the door to propose marriage?"

    Generally speaking, women with such a reputation were either alone or married away from home. How dare they come to the door to propose marriage?

    Xue Pan said sadly, "You also know. She is the only daughter of Minister Wang, the official of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs!"

    What the~

    This... This is really a fish looking for fish, a shrimp looking for shrimp, and a turtle looking for a big bastard!

 Chapter 79: Eat Melon and Hear a Case

    Chapter 79: Eat Melon and Hear a Case

    Sun Shaozong was fighting with himself about whether he should ask Jia Lan for some "details.¡± He then heard Jia Huan and Jia Yin shouting outside the door, "We have finished picking the watermelon, Master. Are we going to put it on the stone table under the corridor or send it to the practice ground?"

    "Put it outside."

    Sun Shaozong replied casually, and waved at the two teenagers on the stage who had been caught by the word "watermelon" and had their minds attracted away. He said, "Stop for a moment, those who want to eat watermelons can go outside to get them."

    All the teenagers and boys cheered at the news, but no one dared to rush out. Instead, they all focused on Jia Baoyu until Baoyu was the first to go out and get three watermelons, the rest of the people rushed out.

    The reason was that more than a dozen of these boys are either Baoyu''s cousin or his nephew. They were much inferior in status and age. Therefore, he was the mainstay of everything and dared not rush ahead of him.

    Sun Shaozong secretly speculated that this situation should be intentional by the Jia family, and the purpose was nothing more than to cultivate Jia Baoyu''s ability to lead others.

    But as for the actual effect...

    Don''t mention it.

    "Second Brother Sun."

    Jia Baoyu handed the watermelons to Sun Shaozong and Jia Lan respectively. He asked shyly, "What clues have been found in the recent case of ¡°sinking a corpse in a pool of accumulated water?¡± It is said that this matter has become so huge that it even alerts the Emperor!"

    In the beginning, he was scared by the head of the intelligent child and fell ill. It took him more than two months to recover. The Jia family was so worried at that time. In particular, Old Lady Jia, Madam Wang, and Lin Daiyu cried for a long time for this reason. Their tears would be enough to take a bath.

    After this incident, Jia Baoyu suddenly strengthened his courage and became even more fascinated with the investigation of criminals. Not only did he pester Sun Shaozong every time he went to his house, but he also bought many legendary novels, such as Justice Bao¡¯s case and Di Renjie¡¯s case, in private.

    Sun Shaozong casually put the watermelon on the tea table, and while continuing to drink the sour plum soup, he said lazily, "The corpse has turned into white bones in the Capital, and many parts of the bones have been kicked away by elephants in confusion. So far, they have not been able to figure it out at all. How can it be so easy to solve the case?"

    When it came to the discovery of this "sunken corpse case,¡± it was really dramatic.

    Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes at him and said, "How are there so many corpse-hiding cases in the world? Besides, can''t you expect others to be better?"

    Jia Baoyu was unwilling to record the result in his notebook and asked again, "How about the case in the City of Nan..."

    "Are you finished?"

    Sun Shaozong put the sour plum dessert on the table and said angrily, "I''ve been busy with cases all day in the Central Judicial Office, and it''s not easy to rest for a day. Can''t you let me be at peace? You have bought a lot of ¡°storybooks¡± to solve the cases. Finish the books first before coming to me!"

    Seeing his frown, Jia Baoyu was not afraid. He only said with a smile, "The cases you are dealing with are real. How can they be comparable to those who make up nonsense? Besides..."

    He looked at Jia Lan with a red face and whispered in Sun Shaozong''s ear, "What''s more is that the ¡°storybook¡± looks like a case-solving novel, but it''s actually a matter of men and women. The day before yesterday I received a book called ¡°The Strange Case.¡± It turned out that it was full of dirty words, even with embroidered images!"

    Although Jia Baoyu was young, he has more beautiful young girls than Sun Shaozong and if the content of the storybook makes him blush when he mentions it, it must be quite...

    Sun Shaozong''s face immediately sank and scolded, "How can you see such things when you are young? If your uncle finds out, he will peel your skin!"

    Jia Baoyu was startled by him. He thought that he was going to report to Jia Zheng. He hurried and begged for a few words.

    Unexpectedly, Sun Shaozong''s words changed, and he continued, "Bring them all to me in a moment. I''ll take them back and destroy them for you, so as not to cause any trouble!"

    Baoyu was speechless for a while, but he still let Mingyan take the books and hand them over to Sun Shaozong.

    Sun Shaozong, with the help of "nature calls,¡± flipped through the pages and found that there were indeed pictures and texts, and there were even some extreme exchanges of posture. He felt even more "annoyed.¡±

    So when he returned to the practice room, he announced that today''s practice had ended ahead of schedule. He then was ready to go home and carefully destroy these high spirits'' ¡±drugs,¡± so as not to poison the innocent youths of the Jia Family who "start to have sex at the age of 10¡± and "forcibly robbed ladies at the age of 12.¡±

    Who knew that just after arriving at the second door, two people jumped out from the slant, one from the left and one from the right, that sandwiched him in the middle!

 Chapter 80: Xue Baochai Listens from the Other Side of the Wall, Sun Shaozong Reveals the Secret

    Chapter 80: Xue Baochai Listens from the Other Side of the Wall, Sun Shaozong Reveals the Secret

    In the northwest of the Rongguo Mansion, Yiran Xuan.

    Since they moved out of the Lixiang courtyard, the three members of the Xue family have lived here. Although it was not as quiet and independent as the original Lixiang courtyard, it has since been far away from the residence of Jia Zheng and Jia He, and there were fewer restrictions. Therefore, it was quite to Xue Pan''s taste.

    Because the weather was really hot and stuffy, Xue Baochai had some problems with her pregnancy. Therefore, she has been recuperating at home for the past few days and has never gone out.

    That afternoon, she took a nap on her inner couch for half an hour. In a trance, she heard someone shouting in the yard, "It''s the first time you''ve come to my yard, Second Brother. You''ll have to stay a little longer today!"

    Baochai knew it must be his elder brother who always makes trouble and has invited some bad friends home again. He was always noisy, and she was afraid that she would not have peace for a while.

    So Baochai simply propped herself up with her lotus root-like arm and sat upright from the couch.

    Crash!

    When the maid Ying¡¯er on duty heard the news, she immediately picked up the curtain and went into the room. On the one hand, she came up to serve on Baochai to wash herself up. On the other hand, she said excitedly, "Lady, guess who our uncle brought back?"

    If he¡¯s an ordinary friend, Ying¡¯er would not be so excited.

    Recalling the words "Second Brother" and "the first time," Xue Baochai''s heart first moved. She then frowned and asked anxiously, "Is it Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun, the person he invited?"

    "My lady is really smart. You got it right on the first guess." Ying¡¯er said with a smile, "Besides Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun, Official Feng is also here. I just saw that Lord Sun is so unwilling that he seems to have been forcefully invited by our uncle and Official Feng."

    As soon as the words were finished, Baochai suddenly stood up from the couch, ignoring the plain-colored silk stockings hanging on the armrest. She put two of her snow-white feet into her shoes and hurried out.

    "Lady? What are you..."

    Ying¡¯er was startled, hurriedly put the jade comb back into the dressing box, and hurried out.

    The master and the servant entered the flower hall from the side door, one after the other. The man''s straightforward chatter and laughter were immediately heard in her ears. Ying¡¯er felt like a drum beating when she heard it, for fear that they would hear something shameless.

    However, due to Baochai''s great prestige in daily life, she did not dare to stop her. She could only follow Baochai behind the panel and secretly ponder in her heart, the eldest lady of the family has always been very stable. When she heard that Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun came to the door, she could not wait to come and see. Could it be that...

    At the thought of this, Ying¡¯er''s heart leaped wildly again, but this time it was from excitement rather than shock. The servant girls in the Rongguo Mansion don¡¯t know that the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun was a master who was used to "loving people" besides "solving cases like a God and having a great future.¡±

    He then sighed again and said, "Besides, even if I''m willing to help, do you think that an old cunning fox like Minister Wang can''t see the subtlety? In case the Wang family becomes angry, it''s not good for your Xue family either."

    "It doesn''t matter if we benefit from it!"

    Xue Pan didn''t care and said, "I''d rather be a eunuch than marry this woman!"

    "Hehe..."

    Sun Shaozong glanced askance at him and said, "With the bold and unrestrained style of the Wang''s family daughter, do you think people will care if you are a eunuch? Maybe she will be happy to have an excuse to seduce others!"

    Xue Pan immediately withered again. He filled himself with a few cups of yellow wine and suddenly hit the wine cup on the table. He angrily said, "Then I will simply run the f*ck away from home. When nobody can find me, how can she get married?!"

    Bang!

    Before his voice fell, they saw that the panel in the north flickered and stopped again.

    "Who''s there?!"

    Xue Pan shouted and then stood up to check.

    Sun Shaozong''s eyes are sharp. When the panel was shaking just now, he saw four embroidered shoes hidden inside. Although one of them was plain in color, it was decorated with several bright cat''s eye stones. It was not something that a servant girl or a maid could have had.

    He guessed that it was Xue Baochai who was hiding behind. Although Sun Shaozong has always wanted to meet the lady of the red chamber, if Xue Pan pulled her out from behind the panel, it would be embarrassing.

    So he hurriedly pushed Xue Pan back to his seat and said with a straight face, "Big head Xue, it doesn¡¯t matter even if your mother is here. Have you ever thought about why your sister insists on marrying you to Wang''s family daughter?"

    Xue Pan was full of anger thus, he didn''t think about it and said, "My sister always thinks that I¡¯m useless. She just wants to get a useful relative!"

    However, Baochai was angry that he hadn''t taken responsibility earlier, so she accidentally bumped into the panel. Now, hearing this, she felt hurt. She felt that her kindness had been fed to the dog.

    When she¡¯s in despair, Sun Shaozong said, "Is your big head filled with glue? If the Wang family really wants to marry into your family, the first thing that will be affected is your sister''s reputation. I''m afraid it will be difficult for her to find a proper marriage in the future!"

    "For a woman who hasn''t come out of the cabinet, this kind of relative is something to avoid. How can it be ¡°useful?¡±

    "I think there must be something hidden in it. Your mother and sister probably hid it from you because they were afraid that you might do something stupid on impulse."

 Chapter 81: Sigh, My Beloved is not a Good Match, Reading the Novel at Night

    Chapter 81: Sigh, My Beloved is not a Good Match, Reading the Novel at Night

    Baochai hid behind the panel and listened to Sun Shaozong''s eloquence. He understood her thoughts better than her elder brother, who had been together with her for more than ten years. After listening to him persuading Xue Pan to have a talk with her mother and not to hurt the relationship of their kindred family, she felt even more mixed emotions.

    Seeing that Xue Pan had been convinced, the master and the servant quietly returned to their West chamber boudoir.

    When Ying¡¯er saw Baochai staring at the lower bed for a long time, she did not think of taking a seat. Her lotus''s pink cheek was also changing from happiness and sadness emotions. She didn''t know what she was thinking. She built her courage and said, "Lady, I didn''t expect Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun to understand your thoughts better than my uncle."

    This hit Xue Baochai''s heart. She first bit her red lips, then shook her head slightly. She murmured, "Although I am a good person, it is a pity that I am not a good match."

    "How could it be?"

    Ying¡¯er stared into her eyes in disbelief, but she couldn''t care about her dignity anymore. She said, "In terms of family background, ability, future, and personality, the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun is a first-class candidate. Even the Second Master of the mansion... Is only a little more literary talented than him. How can he not be considered a good match?"

    For a moment, she was in a hurry, but she almost belittled even Baoyu. Fortunately, she realized in time and hurriedly changed her words.

    When Baochai saw Ying''er''s impatient appearance, she could not help but sneer. She poked at the tip of her nose and joked, "Look at your anxious appearance, are you sure you are not the one having a crush on Lord Sun? Do you want me to talk to my brother in the evening and ask him to send you to Lord Sun''s Mansion as a concubine?"

    "What are you talking about, Lady?"

    Ying¡¯er hurriedly bent down and knelt and said, "I have followed you since I was a child. I will only go wherever you go. How will I give you up and attach myself to others?"

    "Get up, get up. It''s just a joke. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡± Baochai said, pulling Ying¡¯er up from the ground. She could not help sighing, "I said that Lord Sun was not a good match, because of his beautiful concubine from the Kingdom of Qian Xiang. The relationship of ¡°falling in love at first sight and following each other for thousands of miles away¡± could not be covered by the title of a legal wife. In the future, no matter who enters Lord Sun''s house, I''m afraid there will be a fight between dragons and tigers."

    Earlier, behind the panel, Baochai did have some feelings, but she was not really Ruan Rong after all. She would not care about her moment of emotion and act towards it. On the contrary, at just this moment, she had already pressed the slightest emotion she had to the bottom of her heart.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    Let alone the people in Yiran Xuan.

    Liwan listened with a smile and was about to coax him for a few words when she heard Jia Lan''s "Eh" and reached out and fumbled on Liwan''s sleeve and asked, "Mom, what''s hidden in your sleeve? It feels hard."

    Shit!

    It was only then that Liwan remembered the book of the "strange case" in her sleeve. She quickly pulled her arm away and said with a strong smile, "It''s nothing. It''s the Buddhist Scripture from your grandparents. If you don''t mention it, I''ll forget it. I''ll go and put it away before I come back to talk to you."

    She then hurried to the inner room.

    Who knew that just as she started walking towards her inner room, she heard Jia Lan say behind him, "Master Sun also gathered a sleeve of books and went back today. They are all detective scripts bought by Uncle Bao. They said that they should be taken back and destroyed, so as not to bring any disaster. Mom, how can this detective script still bring disaster?"

    Why could scripts brought disaster?

    Liwan didn''t know about it, but when she thought of the "real thing" in her sleeve, which was both illustrated and written, she naturally understood it.

    She could not help but rejoice that she had not rushed to send it to Baoyu. Otherwise, the tail of her hand would have jumped into the Yellow River.

    It¡¯s just that...

    She went into her room and took out the book of the ¡°strange cases.¡± However, her mind was cold, and a whimsical thought came up, they said that Sun Erlang was good at calculating. Could he have left the book somewhere, just waiting for her to pass by...

    Once this idea occurred, it seemed to take root in her heart, and it could not be removed anymore.

    The idea of destroying the book was unknowingly thrown away.

    At night, Liwan rubbed the book and hesitated for a long time on whether she should open it. After all, she opened the cover with trembling hands and began to read the embroidered image word by word.

    In this big and deep courtyard, no one knows what she looked at and did in the dark.

    The next morning, Suyun, the maid, took out the two sheets in the inner and outer rooms and washed them several times. She was tired and sweaty, but she refused to let others touch it.

 Chapter 82: The Death List

    Chapter 82: The Death List

    When Sun Shaozong finished guiding Xue Pan and came out of the Rongguo Mansion, it was already the beginning of the ancient twelve-hour time [6:00 PM].

    When he got on the carriage, he leaned on the pillow, squinting his eyes, and getting rid of his drunkenness for a while. He suddenly remembered that there were several books by "Liu Bei" on his sleeve. He took them out and looked at them but he could not find the book of the ¡°strange cases¡± with pictures and texts.

    Could it be that he left it in Xue Pan¡¯s courtyard?

    Sun Shaozong had the intention to turn back as he saw he hadn''t gone far yet, but on second thought, he had just pretended to be a life teacher for half a day, if he were to turn around and ask for "Liu Bei...¡±

    This also affects his image, right?!

    So he gave up the idea and decided that even if Xue Pan came to his door afterward, he would never admit it.

    However, without this most classic book, the others are dull and tasteless. In any case, Sun Shaozong was also nurtured by the age of the internet. Ordinary and shoddy things can''t get into his eyes.

    So he simply threw the books into the corner and closed his eyes again.

    The journey was quiet.

    About half an hour later, seeing that the front was not far from the Sun''s Mansion, the coachman chose a corner with a back seat, carefully reined in the reins, and reported back, "Second Master, we are about to reach home. Do you..."

    Sun Shaozong immediately picked up the carriage curtain and got out of the carriage. Seeing that there was no one left or right, he trotted a few steps, reached out his hand to hold on to the outer wall of the Sun Mansion, and flipped into the mansion conveniently.

    After he had flipped over the wall, the coachman calmly lifted the curtain with a hook, exposing the empty carriage to the public. Only then did he drive the carriage to the gate of the Sun Mansion.

    As soon as they got close, they saw two stone lions with six umbrellas on the left and right. Under the umbrellas, there could be 40 or 50 people, men, and women, old and young, rich and poor. Seeing the carriage approaching, they immediately swarmed over.

    "I¡¯m wronged, Master. I¡¯m wronged!"

    "Master, my family only had one son for six generations!"

    "Master, please be merciful. My husband didn''t mean to kill people!"

    "If my grandson dies, I won''t live either!"

    "Daddy, I want Daddy, I want Daddy!"

    Men shouting, women shouting, old people crying, and little ones making noises were like setting up a stage in the street to sing a big disturbance to heaven!

    The coachman didn''t panic. He turned aside slightly and gave up the empty carriage behind him. He shouted, "Everyone, everyone, let''s make way. Hey! There is no one in the carriage. It''s useless for you to stop me!"

    It took him a full quarter of an hour to get back to the mansion, not to mention how the coachman unloaded to feed the horse.

    "The Second Master must be joking."

    Zhao Zhongji could not laugh or cry and said, "The Second Master of the Feng family has been paralyzed for more than half a year now. How can he remarry? It''s the Feng family''s eldest brother who has no children under his knee. Seeing that his family is going to have offspring, he asked Master Feng to appoint the heir to one''s uncle as well as to one''s father. This time, the eldest brother came forward to arrange for his marriage."

    There were such good things?!

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly asked, "Is the lady he¡¯s going to marry this time also considered a legal young mistress?"

    "Of course!"

    Tch!

    He has earned it!

    People should know that these days, one can only find concubines in lowly places among the common people. Only by marrying a proper wife could the person look for it in the official arena. It seemed that from now on, Old Feng was also the master of having ¡°two wings flying together.¡±

    "Do you know which family he is going to get married to?"

    "It''s said that she is the daughter of the government clerk of the Ministry of Rites and Ceremonies. She is also a famously talented woman." Zhao Zhongji smiled and joked, "Looking at the meaning of the Feng family''s eldest son. They probably want to take the opportunity to change the family style."

    Although the government clerk was only a subordinate of the ninth grade, he was after all an official of the Ministry of Rites and Ceremonies. He was barely equal to Feng Xin, who was now a Lieutenant of the sixth grade in the patrol camp.

    Sun Shaozong then said, "Go and help me draw up a list to see if there are any suitable gifts in our mansion. If not, I''ll find a way to exchange them from outside."

    Only then did Zhao Zhongji take orders and leave.

    When Sun Shaozong returned to his courtyard alone, he saw several servant women chatting outside. He was discontented and shouted, "Why are you guys all outside? Who is serving your Madam?"

    Qiu Lian, the head servant girl, hurriedly bowed down and said, "It was Madam who said she wanted to be quiet, so..."

    It was said that Ruan Rong wanted to be quiet, but Sun Shaozong didn''t want to listen to what she said below. He walked straight into the inner room. However, he saw Ruan Rong biting her pen in a daze in front of the desk, with a letter dripping with ink in front of her.

    Sun Shaozong quietly came close to her, lowered his head, and looked at it. He immediately understood. He put his hand around Ruan Rong''s fragrant shoulder and said softly, "What¡¯s the matter? Are you getting homesick?"

    Ruan Rong shook her head and said, "The death day of my mother will be in another month, but I......"

    No wonder.

    "Then I''ll arrange for someone to go to the Kingdom of Qian Xiang tomorrow." Sun Shaozong said this, and he saw Ruan Rong shake her head again. He hurriedly said, "It''s not just for you. The Old Lady Niu also has a letter to send."

    He then said in a soft voice, "When I get a higher official position, I will ask for leave to accompany you back to your hometown. How about it?"

 Chapter 85: Jia Yucuns Staged Shift in Politics in Yamen and Sun Shaozong Heard Good News at Home

    Chapter 85: Jia Yucun''s Staged Shift in Politics in Yamen and Sun Shaozong Heard Good News at Home

    Initially, Sun Shaozong thought Wang Xifeng would definitely encounter another nail with Jia Yucun.

    However, facts have proved that he still underestimated Jia Yucun''s political skills!

    Two days later, Liu Chongshan, who was in the middle of treatment, dragged his sick body to the government office and removed Yu Tianbao''s name from the "autumn execution list".

    Everyone thought that he had received great benefits from the Yu family. Only Sun Shaozong vaguely guessed that Liu Zhizhong was dragged into the "Boat of the Rongguo Mansion" by Jia Yucun!

    Since then, Jia Yucun''s influence in the government has completely overwhelmed Han Anbang, the Governor of the government. Moreover, Governor Han of the government did not know that Liu Zhizhong had betrayed him and even cheered for him to rally.

    Not to mention how the Infernal Affairs of the government were staged.

    Sun Shaozong endured another six or seven days, and Wanping County finally handed in its "autumn execution list.¡± He spent another two days reviewing the list, and then hurriedly submitted it to the Ministry of Justice.

    He then asked Cheng Rixing to write two notices, one on the bulletin board of the government office and the other on the door of the Sun''s Mansion, so that those complaining about their grievances could be completely put out of their minds.

    However, when Sun Shaozong returned home with the notice, he found that there were no people outside the gate, and even the umbrella had disappeared.

    In the beginning, Sun Shaozong thought that those who had been wronged had gotten the news, so they left on their own.

    But after entering the door, he found that the six umbrellas were all piled up in the corner, and they were smashed by people!

    "Liu Quan, come here!"

    He shouted out to the gatekeeper at the top of his voice. Just as he was about to ask what had happened, he saw that Liu Quan''s face was red with palm prints. He frowned and asked, "Were you beaten by the Big Master?"

    This "Big Master" naturally refers to Sun Shaozu, his elder brother.

    He destroyed the umbrellas and slapped Liu Quan. If it had been done by an outsider, there would have been a lot of trouble in the mansion. Thus, it must have been Sun Shaozu''s actions.

    Liu Quan shrunk his neck and said with a bitter face, "I don''t know why the Big Master got angry today. When he came back, he drove all those who were complaining away. I went up to persuade a few words, and then I was slapped by the Big Master."

    If he doesn¡¯t mention it, that¡¯s fine. However, once mentioned, Sun Shaozu''s chest heaved like a bellow when he raised it. He gnashed his teeth and cursed, "It''s Wei Rusong, the son of a bitch! General Feng holds a wine banquet today, and Wei Rusong said in front of everyone that... That I''m a man with no child!"

    Just this?

    Sun Shaozong was speechless, "You are a recognized General in the patrol camp. With his empty words, it can''t hurt that hair of yours. Why are you so angry?"

    "That''s not what he said!"

    It seemed that Sun Shaozu could hardly speak. He paced back and forth for a few steps before he stamped his foot fiercely and said with hatred, "What that son of a bitch means is that... That I can''t have a son!"

    Tch!

    No wonder.

    Sun Shaozong was a child who was born when their parents were old. He¡¯s 16 years younger than his elder brother. He¡¯s now 20 years old, which means that Sun Shaozu¡¯s already 36 years old.

    Seeing that he was going to be in his forties soon, there was still no child under his knee.

    If he was someone who¡¯s not into women, it''s all right. But he was a hungry ghost with tons of beauty beside him. Almost all the beauties in his family have been touched, but he still has no harvest.

    If he was not in a hurry, he must be lying with his eyes open.

    Therefore, in recent years, this matter has become Sun Shaozu''s untouchable scale. This time, he was ridiculed by his competitors in front of his colleagues and superiors. It was not surprising that he would be furious.

    As he spoke, Sun Shaozu''s anger flared up again. He walked a few steps to the door, pointed to the outside, and cursed, "What''s the use of raising these naughty hooves who can''t lay eggs? I''ll just sell them all to the kiln tomorrow!"

    Before the words were heard, there was a cry outside.

    Sun Shaozong had no choice but to go forward and console. "You are currently at your prime age, Brother. It¡¯s not like you are incapable of doing it. Who knows that the time will come..."

    "Second Master, Second Master, great joy, Second Master!"

    Just as he was saying this, Wei Licai, the old housekeeper, rushed into the courtyard and shouted at the top of his voice, "Concubine Ruan has just been diagnosed to be pregnant. We have a future for the Sun''s family!"

 Chapter 86: Enter the Ancestral Hall, a Perfidious Person Pray for a Son

    Chapter 86: Enter the Ancestral Hall, a Perfidious Person Pray for a Son

    I have only been able to be a father after two lifecycles.

    It was reasonable to say that Sun Shaozong should be overjoyed, but... The news came at a bad time!

    He was neither happy nor sad standing there. It was really embarrassing.

    At this time, he saw his elder brother rush into the yard like an arrow, holding on to the old housekeeper''s shoulder with his hand, and shaking it vigorously. "Uncle Wei! Is my brother''s concubine really pregnant? Won''t it be another false joyous occasion?"

    Look at what this means. In the past, the concubines in this mansion must have "make a false report about the military situation.¡±

    "Big Master!"

    The old housekeeper¡¯s wrinkles have melted away, and regardless of the clatter of his shoulder being pinched by Sun Shaozu, he said happily, "All the four doctors invited by our family have taken their pulse. Pearl is not so real! It''s true that she¡¯s pregnant!"

    These four doctors were originally prepared for those old men and women who were complaining about their grievances. However, they did not expect that they would make such a good diagnosis.

    Sun Shaozu then let go of the old housekeeper, raised his head, and laughed, "Hahaha... The ancestors really are a blessing. My Sun Family finally has a descendant!"

    He then called his servants to clean the ancestral hall, saying that he would burn incense to worship his ancestors and tell the ancestors the good news of the day.

    Sun Shaozong was relieved to see that his elder brother was overjoyed and did not seem to have any resentment at all. He went forward and advised, "You''d better let the concubines go down to clean themselves up first. Otherwise, what''s the matter with all the people coming and going?"

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozu glanced back at his concubines, and then kicked them over twice while saying furiously, "What are you guys still doing here, a bunch of useless trash? Hurry up and put on your festive clothes and go to Concubine Ruan to congratulate her!"

    The concubines were granted amnesty, and they hasten, to disperse like birds and animals.

    Sun Shaozu thought of another thing and hurriedly warned, "Remember to have a good wash. You are not allowed to use any perfume or cosmetic powder. Otherwise, if you smoke my precious nephew, I will cut you alive!"

    After dismissing the concubines, he asked the old housekeeper to take silver and reward the four doctors with 100 taels of silver each. The servant women in Ruan Rong''s yard were also rewarded according to their status.

    If the old housekeeper hadn''t stopped him, he would have invited the midwife and nanny to stay at the mansion in advance.

    He was ten times tenser than Sun Shaozong.

    "Erlang!"

    Before he could finish, Sun Shaozu suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist. He said solemnly, "I have something to ask you for help with."

    Hearing what he said seriously, Sun Shaozong felt a clack in his heart. Shouldn¡¯t it be that he wanted him to transfer his child under him, right?

    This...

    This was his first child in two lifecycles, how could he give it up?

    He was finding solutions, thinking about how to politely refuse, but Sun Shaozu said, "Since my sister-in-law is bearing a child, she can''t serve you for the time being. Why don''t you pick two concubines from my yard first, and you can use your strength for me?"

    Only then did Sun Shaozong realize that he was actually looking for him to "borrowed son!¡±

    "If you don''t like the people in my yard, you can buy two clean prostitutes now! You can look at the body and appearance according to your mind!"

    It could be seen that his elder brother was really sincere and wanted to facilitate this.

    But the problem was that Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t like any of the fox spirits in his yard, and he had no interest in the prostitute!

    Besides, he could not pass the hurdle in his heart.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong said, "You are only thirty-six years old now, and you still have a lot of time to ¡± cultivate,¡± Brother. At present, you are being anxious for nothing. If the news spread, our family''s reputation..."

    "Don''t worry about it. I''ll choose the one with a tight mouth!"

    "That''s not what I meant!"

    Sun Shaozong gritted his teeth and made a heartless promise, "Otherwise, when you are in your forties and there are still no children under you, and there are more sons around me, how about adopting one for you?"

    Sun Shaozu was stunned when he heard this. He suddenly took him in his arms, beat him on the back like a drum, and sobbed, "Good brother, I really love you!"

    He then said excitedly, "Let''s go! There''s nothing left or right now. Let''s go and pick some suitable prostitutes first, and we''ll have more young nephews!"

    Sun Shaozong, "......¡±

 Chapter 88: Who Said He Must Solve the Case If a Person Dies?

    Chapter 88: Who Said He Must Solve the Case If a Person Dies?

    Great~

    It seems that they would be unable to see the wet bride.

    "Brother Lian, please wait in the carriage. I''ll go and have a look."

    Sun Shaozong said as he took the oil paper umbrella from the hook and jumped out of the carriage. He was waiting to go forward to investigate.

    Suddenly, the curtain of the carriage opposite was lifted, and two strong men in coir raincoats, holding long swords came out of it. They then dragged out a crying little woman.

    That woman was a beauty, especially at this time when she was crying, she could make people love her helplessly upon seeing her!

    Jia Lian had been hiding in the carriage, but when he saw the woman, he was more courageous. He stuck out his head and shouted boldly, "Don''t be afraid, young lady. We''ll come to save you!"

    It''s a shame that he has the face to say "we.¡±

    Besides...

    Sun Shaozong has no intention of saving at all!

    Instead, he arched his hand and said politely, "I¡¯m Sun Shaozong, the Cavalry Deputy Lieutenant of the Dragon Guards in the State of Zuo. I wonder if you both are on a business trip. If you are on a business trip, please show me your identity pendant and seal to avoid any misunderstanding."

    The two men had listened to Jia Lian''s call and were on guard. At this time, hearing Sun Shaozong''s self-report, they hurriedly put the long sword back in the scabbard and bowed with their fists, "Greetings to the Cavalry Lieutenant, I¡¯m Shen Lian [Jin Yichuan], the leader of Royal Guards."

    With these words, he quickly took out his identity pendant and threw it to Sun Shaozong for examination.

    However, Sun Shaozong had already seen the unique official clothes of the Dragon Guards under their coir raincoats. In this Capital, only a few people dare to impersonate the Dragon Guards to kill people in the street.

    Seeing that the identity pendant was not forged, Sun Shaozong threw it back to the two men and asked them casually, "May I know what crime this woman committed?"

    Shen Lian and Jin Yichuan looked at each other. It was said that all the work of all the Dragon Guards was Imperial business and should not be disclosed to outsiders. However, considering that Sun Shaozong was a real boss and that he was currently in the limelight, they could not afford to offend.

    So Shen Lian had to reply vaguely, "This woman''s husband''s family is involved in a rebel case."

    Rebel case?

    Sun Shaozong was trying to figure out what the case was and heard Jia Lian say happily, "In this case, won''t this woman be sent to the institution to train musicians and singers in the future? Please inform me at the Rongguo Mansion at that time. I will be very grateful!"

    However, right after Feng Xin reached the door of his mansion, he did not care about the rules. He hurried the horse into the tent and wiped the rain off his face with his sleeve. He said in a rough voice, "It''s heavy rain today. I''m drenched even before my wedding!"

    All the guests in front of the door laughed when they heard the words, but the two brothers in charge of the carriage behind them were unhappy. They both looked like scholars and did not like the vulgar style of Feng Xin. It was also common sense.

    Seeing their faces, Feng Xin hurriedly restrained himself. He bowed with a smile on his face and asked the guests to make way for the sedan chair to enter.

    The crowd forced him to say some auspicious words, and the women who were good at words stepped forward and asked for a large amount of money. The guests blocked the door and spread out left and right.

    When Feng Xin hurried his horse to the door, someone immediately presented a soft bow and three red arrows.

    He stretched his bow, drew an arrow on the horse, and was about to shoot at the door of the sedan, but he suddenly caught sight of Sun Shaozong and Jia Lian. His hands trembled. The arrow went out askew, and it hit the nose of his brother-in-law from the Kong family!

    Although the "killing evil" arrow had no arrows and was wrapped in a layer of a red velvet rope, it still hurt that his brother-in-law screamed in pain, and he almost turned over.

    How would Feng Xin still care about this?

    He hurried down from the saddle and ran to Sun and Jia. He bowed with a smile on his face and said, "Oh my God! How do I dare to ask the Second Master Lian and My Lord to wait outside?"

    When Jia Lian saw the scene just now, he had already laughed and gasped. He covered his stomach while giggling. Naturally, he didn''t care about him.

    Sun Shaozong silently pointed to his brother-in-law and said, "If you don''t go there and make amends, your brother-in-law is afraid to return with his sedan chair."

    Feng Xin, however, turned his back on his brother-in-law and said carelessly, "With you two here, how will he turn over?"

    He then shouted at the door, "Quan Fu, are you blind? Please invite Mr. Lian and Mr. Sun to the main guest table!"

    He must have told him earlier. At the order, the housekeeper immediately brought two young men with umbrellas and greeted Sun and Jia. The two men behind him shouted hysterically, "The Second Master Lian of the Rongguo Mansion and the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun of the Central Judicial Office have arrived!"

    There was a sudden silence in front of Feng''s Mansion, only the sound of the rain pouring down.

    Sun Shaozong originally wanted to make a few polite remarks, but he could not say anything anymore when they looked at them with awe. He had to ask Bao Er and his coachman Zhang Cheng to hold the gift, and he entered the front door of Feng''s Mansion without squinting.

    When entering the door, Sun Shaozong unconsciously glanced back and saw that the eldest son of the Kong family was holding Feng Xin, and it seemed like he was happily trying to get information from Feng Xin about what they were doing there.

    Tch!

    The character of the literati is indeed...

 Chapter 89: The Ruyi Cake Contains Hidden Feelings

    Chapter 89: The Ruyi Cake Contains Hidden Feelings

    Rumble~

    The deafening thunder made the heavy rain pour even harder.

    Zhou Da stepped on the water that was more than half a foot deep and hurried into the small courtyard of the east wing of the Criminal Division. He saw that Zhao Wuwei was commanding a group of Yamen servants to repair the roof of the west wing.

    There were more than ten sandbags under the eaves of the house. They were probably ready to use sandbags to temporarily block the water when it overflows the threshold of the auxiliary room.

    For the time being, there was no place to take shelter. The clerks in the west wing, together with the governor, Lin Delu, had to wrap up their official documents and seal letters to take shelter from the rain in the corridor of the main room. Looking at the mess, they were a group of refugees.

    By the way!

    At the thought of refugees, Zhou Da remembered that he had something important to do. Ignoring Lin Delu''s embarrassment, he hurried to the front door of the main room, took off the coir raincoat and bamboo hat, threw them on the ground, and rushed in.

    "Spit! A small man intoxicated by success!"

    Lin Delu looked at his back and spit maliciously, but his face was full of envy.

    After all, the main house was relatively high, and people were often asked to repair and maintain it, so it was still dry inside. When Zhou Da entered, Sun Shaozong was sitting behind his official table, looking at the case and sipping tea. It was very different from Lin Delu outside.

    .

    "Your Excellency."

    Zhou Da arched his hands and carefully took out a document from his arms. He handed it to him and said, "This is the reply from the left town governor of the Dragon Guards. The two Imperial guards were indeed acting under orders at that time."

    Sun Shaozong glanced through the reply and found that in addition to confirming that Shen Lian and Jin Yichuan were performing official duties, they also clearly pointed out that they were ordered to investigate and confiscate the Imperial merchant He family by the Internal Affairs Office.

    Sun Shaozong had heard about this He family before. Originally, they only take an inconspicuous seat among the Imperial merchants. In recent years, while the situation of the Xue family was much worse than before, they suddenly emerged, and there was a faint sign of monopolizing the business.

    However, they were involved in the case of Prince Yizhong, and their family was ruined.

    This was a good opportunity for the Xue family. If they could fill in the blank left by the He family, they have a chance to regain the throne of the Imperial merchant again.

    However, with Xue Pan''s brain capacity, it''s not easy for a vulture to eat rotten meat. Maybe before he could eat the fat meat of the He family, he was pecked blindly by other birds.

    "Your Excellency."

    Sun Shaozong was thinking about the He family''s affairs, and Zhou Da reported, "The government has just got the news that Governor Han and Prefectural Magistrate Jia have been recruited to the Ministry of Work. They are likely discussing the Yongding River flood this year. Please make preparations."

    Wang Yan, the Minister of the Ministry of Work, was also the Governor of the river course, so he asked Governor Han and Jia Yucun to go to the Ministry of Work to discuss the flood prevention of Yongding River.

    It was because Jia Baoyu was favored by Old Lady Jia that Sun Shaozong wanted to ask him for help first. If he had known that Jia Baoyu was ill, would Sun Shaozong be so patient to face these playful children? He would go to have a drink with Jia Lian!

    But since he had gathered them, he couldn¡¯t just announce the dissolution without doing anything.

    If that were the case, wouldn''t the elders of the families who brought the children in the rain eat Sun Shaozong alive?

    He had no choice but to be patient and let the boys come forward to practice the routine, and then give praise and criticism one by one.

    As he was teaching, he saw a boy coming in and calling Jia Lan out.

    Sun Shaozong would have vented his anger if he were someone else. But when he saw Jia Lan, who was always clever and sensible, he closed one eye. It was as if he had not seen him.

    Jia Lan went out for a moment, then folded back a small and exquisite food box and respectfully sent it to Sun Shaozong. He said that it was a snack prepared by his mother for Sun Shaozong.

    Since it was not the first time that Liwan had brought food, Sun Shaozong did not refuse. He immediately opened it and found that there were several glutinous rice steamed Ruyi cakes inside.

    The snack seems simple this time. Maybe it''s because it''s raining hard and it''s hard to prepare the ingredients.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t think much either. He first twisted one and fed it to Jia Lan. He then put the food box on the tea table beside him and ate a few.

    When Sun Shaozong reached out to twist the small plate of Ruyi cake, he felt a piece of paper.

    Why is there a note on the dessert plate?

    Sun Shaozong subconsciously wanted to have a look, but he suddenly remembered Liwan''s widowhood. He quickly and carefully folded the note in his palm, covered it with his sleeve, and quietly opened it for a look.

    ¡±Everlasting longing for each other, the night is cold, and the lonely figure is sad. It''s hard to see and think, and the night is long.¡±

    This...

    Looks like a love poem?!

    Liwan even wrote a love poem for himself?!

    Sun Shaozong only felt that his heart was thumping. He glanced around and saw that the teenagers were not paying attention to his side. He then unfolded the note and read it carefully several times.

    Yes, this was indeed a love poem full of deep sorrow!

    He thought about the few times they saw each other, it seemed that she often stealthily looked at him. As long as their eyes met, she would be flustered and hurriedly look away...

    Was this pretty widow secretly in love with him?!

 Chapter 90: Recognize the Sense of Propriety, and Temporarily Avoid the Case of Lovesickness

    Chapter 90: Recognize the Sense of Propriety, and Temporarily Avoid the Case of Lovesickness

    Having something hidden in his heart, he felt more and more slack during the practice.

    However, Sun Shaozong was initially not very serious, and the room was full of half-grown children, so no one could see any flaws.

    When the practice had finally come to an end, he called Jia Lan over as if nothing had happened. He said in a pun, "Lan¡¯er, go back and tell your mother that I appreciate her kindness, but don''t send ant snacks in the future, so as not to waste her effort and feelings."

    Sun Shaozong was proud to learn that a beautiful widow of noble status had a secret love for him. But he was not lecherously reincarnated. How could he have lost his mind for the sake of mere beauty?

    If she¡¯s a pretty widow from a small family, it''s all right. If both parties have grown feelings for each other, he can take her into his mansion as a concubine. It''s just nice that his elder brother has been urging him to take concubines recently. Even Ruan Rong has mentioned it twice.

    But what was Liwan''s identity?

    The eldest daughter-in-law of the Rongguo Mansion!

    If he wanted to take her home, she must be his legal wife!

    If he had a secret affair with her, once the matter was found out by others, he would be an enemy of the Jia family, fighting to the death!

    Sun Shaozong never thought of marrying a widow as his legal wife, nor did he think of fighting with the Jia family to the end for a woman with whom he didn''t even have more than a few words!

    So he did not hesitate to decline.

    Jia Lan looked at the Ruyi cake left in the box and thought he understood Sun Shaozong''s meaning. He said in a crisp voice, "So Master didn''t like to eat this. I''ll tell my mother when I go back and ask her not to send this kind of cake next time."

    "That''s not what I mean."

    Sun Shaozong would like to say more in detail, but it''s not easy for Sun Shaozong to say to a 17-year-old child, "Your mother wants to seduce me, but I don''t want to."

    "In short, you can copy what I said just now to your mother."

    Jia Lan responded cleverly and then came out of the martial arts hall with the food box.

    Three young men were waiting outside, both in coir raincoats and umbrellas.

    Wang Xifeng was leaning on the soft couch and pounding her back. Hearing this, she sat up straight. Her eyes were locked on Ping''er''s face. She sneered, "How can it be? You wrote him some sour love poems, and you have sent your heart over too?!"

    If it was another servant, she¡¯s afraid that they would have been scared out of their wits.

    But Ping''er had been with Wang Xifeng for so many years, and she could see at a glance that she was playing a trick on people. So she pursed her small mouth, twisted her waist, turned her back to Wang Xifeng, stomped her feet, and said, "Madam is joking with me again! If you really don''t like Ping''er, you might as well send me to Shuiyue Nunnery to be a nun!"

    "Even if I wanted it, I''m afraid our Second Master Lian won''t allow it."

    Wang Xifeng made another sour remark and then came back to the main point. He said with disdain, "What kind of gentleman? Spit! There isn¡¯t anyone who doesn¡¯t have affairs. He refused to come here just because he was afraid of getting into trouble. If it was a pretty widow from a small family, he would have enjoyed being in bed early!"

    "Besides, I don''t expect to get him in at once. The days ahead are long, and I''m not afraid he won''t take the bait!"

    She then explained, "Take twenty taels of silver to Zhou Ren and tell him that anyone who dares to gossip will be skinned alive!"

    Not to mention how Zhou Ren took the silver and swore to heaven in front of Ping''er.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    Sun Shaozong waited for the other boys to leave, wrapped the paper in stone, and threw it into the well at the base of the west wall to destroy the evidence. Only then did he come out of the "martial arts hall.¡±

    He originally wanted to go to Jia Lian''s yard to talk to him. He asked Bao Er, who was in charge of the reception, and found out that Jia Lian had been invited by Xue Pan to listen to music in Yiran House.

    When he arrived at Yiran House, he heard the 4-stringed Chinese lute clanking in the yard, mixed with the sound of rain. It didn''t seem messy at all but added some lingering meaning.

    This music professionalism...

    Sun Shaozong looked in and found that the one playing the 4-stringed Chinese lute in the pavilion was indeed Yun''er from the Jinxiang Courtyard. Besides her, Jia Lian, Xue Pan, Feng Ziying, and another handsome young man he didn''t know were sitting there.

    Unwilling to stir the song, Sun Shaozong waited outside the courtyard for a while. After the song was finished, he laughed and went into the courtyard, "You guys are enjoying. It''s a gloomy rainy day..."

    But before he could finish, the Young Master''s face suddenly changed color, and he slammed the wine cup in his hand on the table. He said agitatedly, "So you invited him too! If I had known this, I would never have come to ruin my mood. Farewell!"

    As he said this, he got up and walked out. As he walked, he still clenched his teeth and glared at Sun Shaozong angrily.

 Chapter 93: Explaining Jealousy and Accepting Zhen Yinglian

    Chapter 93: Explaining Jealousy and Accepting Zhen Yinglian

    Xiangling came to the west gate of the Rongguo Mansion with a paper umbrella. When she saw Xue Pan and Sun Shaozong standing side by side in the doorway, her feet slowed down a little, but she quickly picked up her pace again into the entrance a moment later.

    Seeing that she had collected the paper umbrella first, she went up to Xue Pan and said, "I¡¯m afraid that I will no longer be able to serve Master in the future. Please take care of yourself, and don''t let Madam and the Lady worry anymore."

    As a concubine who was sent away by Xue Pan, this showed that she was a woman who valued friendship by saying these words in front of her new Master.

    Unfortunately...

    "Do I need you, little hoof, to teach me how to behave?"

    Xue Pan waved his hand like a fly and said impatiently, "Get on the carriage, go. Don''t keep Second Brother waiting!"

    Hearing that he was still so heartless, the expression on Xiangling''s face suddenly darkened. She lowered her head and waited to take the luggage from the servant.

    However, a strong arm took the lead, picked up the two bags of luggage, put them into the carriage, and then placed his arms in front of her.

    "Get in the carriage."

    Although both of them let her get on the carriage, the difference between the two was more than a mile.

    Xiangling hesitated slightly. Only then did she carefully put the catkin in Sun Shaozong''s hand and got on the carriage.

    "Farewell."

    Sun Shaozong turned around and arched his hand at Xue Pan, and then followed her into the carriage.

    When he opened the curtain, he saw that Xiangling was wrapping a pair of embroidered shoes with cloth and putting them carefully in the corner. He knew she was afraid of polluting the carriage, so he laughed and said, "There are women in charge of washing in our Mansion, so there is no need to be so careful."

    After hearing the words "our mansion,¡± Xiangling could not help but feel embarrassed. But she still said, "It''s easier to wash a small piece of cloth than to change a whole mattress. Besides, Master can sit comfortably when the carriage is cleaner."

    She¡¯s indeed a person who knew how to serve.

    Sun Shaozong felt more and more that Xue Pan had no visions... No. If he had no eyes, he wouldn''t have robbed Xiangling with him.

    The sound of rain on the roof completely covered up the unspeakable and indescribable matters that happened inside the carriage.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    At the Sun Mansion, East Courtyard, Ruan Rong revolved around Xiangling three times, looking straight at her that Xiangling was trembling and at a loss. She then gave a smile and said, "I told Master that you are clever and sensible. I didn''t expect that he managed to ask for you. Well, let''s take it as it comes."

    She then called the servant girl and said, "Shi Liu, take Sister Xiangling to the West Wing room to settle down."

    Xiangling then stepped down as if she had been granted amnesty.

    When she came out of the room, Ruan Rong gave Sun Shaozong a pinch with her eyes and said with a faint smile, "My Lord has endured this for a long time. You can finally have it your way today."

    Women were fickle animals!

    A few days ago, she advised Sun Shaozong to take someone into the mansion to get through the pregnancy. But now...

    Sun Shaozong smiled and went up to her waist and said, "Why, are you jealous?"

    "Jealous?"

    Ruan Rong''s small mouth curled, and she immediately said, "Furong, go and help clean up the West Wing room. Make a wedding room for the Master this evening!"

    "Wait!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly stopped the servant girl with no eyesight and said with a smile, "How am I in a hurry? Let her serve in your yard first. When your jealousy goes down, we''ll then decide whether to take her in."

    Ruan Rong glanced at him again and said coldly, "What if my jealousy never goes down?"

    Sun Shaozong said without hesitation, "Then let her be an ordinary servant girl all her life!"

    "Bah!"

    Ruan Rong spat fiercely but smiled, "It''s not me who will be in a different position in the future. I''m not the bad guy! You can take her in whenever you like, as long as you don''t be lovey-dovey in front of me!"

 Chapter 94: There is Only One Person Left for the Holding of Court Meeting

    Chapter 94: There is Only One Person Left for the Holding of Court Meeting

    In the evening, Sun Shaozong of course did not go to the "Western Wing wedding room." Instead, he spent another night outside the main room. After Ruan Rong became pregnant, the two separated temporarily, mainly because she was afraid that Sun Shaozong would accidentally hurt the fetus in her stomach if he slept dishonestly at night.

    A night without a word.

    But Sun Shaozong said that before dawn the next day, a servant girl came to report that someone had sent a message in the middle of the night, asking him to go directly to the river Governor''s Yamen without going to his Yamen for the morning call today.

    Sure enough, Zhou Da was right!

    The riverway Yamen was located in the outer city, which was quite a distance from the Sun''s mansion. Therefore, Sun Shaozong hurriedly washed up, simply filled his stomach, went inside to inform Ruan Rong, and hurried out of the courtyard.

    Unexpectedly, just after leaving the yard, he ran into Sun Shaozu, his eldest brother.

    Seeing his solemn face, Sun Shaozong thought that he had heard that he was going to fight floods and participate in the rescue mission, and that he was going to exhort him on the things to be careful of. So he quickly assumed the posture of brotherhood and waited.

    Unexpectedly, his big brother came up, and only asked, "The one you brought back yesterday is a good one to raise?"

    Sun Shaozong, "......¡±

    His elder brother has gone crazy wanting a "son!"

    After a few wordless perfunctory remarks, Sun Shaozong was able to get away. He called Zhang Cheng to prepare the carriages and went straight to the outer city in the rain.

    When he arrived at the riverway Governor''s office, it was more than a quarter of an hour before morning [7:00 a.m.]. He thought that he should have come earlier because of the heavy rain. Unexpectedly, he was led to the back hall by petty officials. He saw that there were almost no empty seats on the chairs on both sides.

    Sitting upright in the middle was naturally Wang Yan, the Minister of Public Work and the Governor of the river, whom Sun Shaozong had met once.

    Jia Yucun was sitting at the right head, and not far behind him were Zhao Rongheng, the salt and Iron General Judge who also led the river work, Xu Huaizhi, the Magistrate of Wanping County, and others. After Sun Shaozong greeted Wang Yan, he quietly sat in the empty seat between Zhao Rongheng and Xu Huaizhi.

    Since then, several more groups of officials have arrived. At least those above the seventh grade still had a seat, and those below the seventh grade could only wait in the corridor.

    At 7 a.m. sharp, Wang Yan, who had been silent for a long time, cleared his throat and asked in a loud voice, "Are all the people who should be here today present?"

    A green-robed official with a roster immediately appeared in the lower part of the hall and bowed to say, "Report to the Ministers of the Hall. A total of 127 civil and military officials from the Ministry of Public Works, Riverway, the Central Judicial Office, Patrol Camp, and Urban Defense Camp have been summoned for this meeting. Now 124 people have been present. Two others have reported being sick. Xu Mingtang, the Embankment Ambassador of the Yongding River, is missing!"

    The civil official hurriedly said, "I initially thought that the Lord had killed himself, but later I found that even if the stool on the ground was placed upright, it was still a foot away from the toe of Lord Xu!"

    When they heard this, they could not help but be in another uproar.

    Wang Yan''s face also darkened a little. This deliberate act of pretending to commit suicide must be to hide something and Xu Mingtang happened to be the Ambassador of the Yongding River...

    "Your Excellency."

    At this moment, Zhao Rongheng, the General Judge of the Salt and Iron, suddenly stood up and recommended, "Since there is a murder case, why don''t you let Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun go to investigate?"

    Wang Yan''s eyes suddenly brightened, and he hurriedly turned to the Central Judicial Office''s side to arch his hands and said, "I''m afraid I have to trouble you, Comrade Sun!"

    Hearing this case, he knew that the water was deep. Sun Shaozong didn''t want to get involved at first, but how could he refuse Wang Yan when he said the word "trouble" in the honor of the Minister of Public Works?

    He had to give Zhao Rongheng a horizontal look, arch his hand, and said, "Since Your Excellency has given the order, I will go to see what happened."

    With these words, he let the petty officials lead the way and rushed to the crime site.

    All the officials inside and outside the hall, seeing that it was the "Divine Judgement" who had personally taken the initiative to solve the case, wished they could come over and have a look at it with their own eyes. But Wang Yan had a dark face there, who dared to try their luck?

    Not to mention how people are itching.

    Sun Shaozong followed those petty officials through the courtyard and went to a cross courtyard in the northwest corner.

    Seeing that this pattern was even more open and bright than the Department of Criminals, Sun Shaozong asked curiously, "What is the rank of this Lord Xu?"

    It was still the thin clerical official who took the initiative to dispel his doubts and said, "Most ¡±River Embankment Ambassadors¡± are from the fifth grade, but because the Yongding River is close to the Capital, it is not comparable. So our Lord Xu is from the fourth grade, and the position is only below the River Governor and Commander."

    Tch!

    No wonder people were willing to be officials in the Capital. This small tributary of the Yongding River, however, was more precious than the big rivers when it touched the edge of the Capital.

    While talking, he reached the door of the room. The thin clerical official pushed the door open and saw a rope noose hanging high on the beam in the middle...

 Chapter 95: Ask Trifles and Implicated in an Ongoing Case

    Chapter 95: Ask Trifles and Implicated in an Ongoing Case

    He said that when he opened the door of the house, he saw a rope noose tied in the middle of the beam. There was only a square stool underneath, and there was no trace of the body.

    The thin petty official quickly explained, "Because the window was not closed overnight, there was a lot of rain in the room, so we all untied the body off the rope and carried it directly to the inner room."

    With these words, he wanted to take Sun Shaozong inside to see the corpse.

    "Don''t hurry."

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and went to the square stool. He squatted down and surveyed carefully. At the same time, he asked, "Has this stool been moved?"

    "Nope. When everyone untied the corpse, they stepped on another chair."

    The thin petty official said, pointing to the chair full of muddy footprints on the left.

    Sun Shaozong squatted on the left and right sides of the square stool, fumbled carefully for a while, then lifted the stool and compared it to the height of the other chair not far away. He then got up and walked toward the inner room.

    However, when he was halfway there, he was attracted by a food box in front of the window. He looked up and said, "Where did this food box come from? Have you ever sent food to Lord Xu?"

    "No, no, no!"

    The thin petty official hurriedly said, "This is what Lord Xu brought from home last night!"

    "Oh."

    Sun Shaozong nodded noncommittally, and then he finally started into the inner room.

    The body of Xu Mingtang was lying on the couch against the east wall. He was wearing a brand-new official robe, his legs were tight, his neck was cut in a ring, his eyes were wide open, his tongue was stiff, his face was blue and green, and he had obvious symptoms of subcutaneous bleeding.

    After simply examining the body, Sun Shaozong had a conclusion in his heart, but he patiently asked the thin petty official, "Did Lord Xu build the River Embankment on a large scale when he took over the office?"

    "Of course, it has been repaired. Lord Xu has always been diligent. When he repaired the River Embankment, he did everything himself. He also won the commendation of the Minister."

    "That''s it."

    Sun Shaozong nodded noncommittally and then asked for some details about Mingtang''s family. The petty officials also reported truthfully one by one, which could be said to be a fluent reply. There was no formality between ordinary petty officials in the face of senior officials.

    When asked later, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but praise him, "Sir, I think you must be a great help to Lord Xu, but I don''t know your name yet. What''s your daily job?"

    Sun Shaozong suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Ye Xingmao. "I''m afraid we''ll have to ask Mr. Ye!"

    Ye Xingmao was stunned, and then he hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Don''t joke with me, Lord. How can I know why Lord Xu behaves like this?"

    "Don''t you know?"

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said with a laugh, "I asked you about Xu''s family just now, but you answered like a stream. How can you evade it now?"

    When Ye Xingmao heard this, he cried out, "Lord, I do know a little about Xu''s family, but as for why he wanted to die and pretend to be hurt by others, how can I know?"

    He then knelt on the ground and begged Wang Yan, "Minister, I am wrong. Please return me the justice and decide for me!"

    When Wang Yan and Jia Yucun heard this, they were also confused. After looking at each other, Jia Yucun urged, "What is the relationship between this petty official and this case, Brother? Just say it straight and stop beating about the bush!"

    "I didn''t beat around the bush."

    Sun Shaozong reluctantly threw out his hand and said, "Let me ask you two Lords, do you often invite the Accountant in the Yamen to your home as guests? Even when you are not at home, you will let them come and go often?"

    "Of course not!"

    Wang Yan and Jia Yucun answered in unison. When they looked at Ye Xingmao again, they were more suspicious.

    When Sun Shaozong didn''t ask, they didn''t pay attention, but when he asked, they immediately remembered that it was taboo in the official arena to have intimate contact with the Accountant in private!

    Not to mention ordinary officials, even those bold and resolute corrupted officials would never act like this!

    Seeing that things were bad, Ye Xingmao hurriedly shouted, "I am wrong. I seldom go to Lord Xu''s house..."

    Before he could finish speaking, Sun Shaozong said with a smile, "Yes, you haven''t been to Lord Xu''s house very much. I''ve already confirmed this with someone just now. But that''s why I''m even more curious. How do you know all these trivial things about Lord Xu''s family?"

    "It¡¯s... It''s Lord Xu and me..."

    "You want to say that Lord Xu told you, right?" Sun Shaozong added, "But I have just asked. Lord Xu only returned home once last night in the past five or six days. After he came back, he hurriedly closed the door and ordered not to interrupt."

    "But you just casually said that the doorkeeper of the Xu family had a cold two days ago, and others have replaced it."

    "Mr. Ye, are you trying to say that you can figure things out by guessing?" At this point, Sun Shaozong''s eyes were sharp, and he sneered, "Or do you intend to tell honestly why you put spies in Lord Xu''s house?! What forced him to drag you into the water by pretending to be killed?!"

 Chapter 97: Getting a Sheeps Reporting on Lugou Bridge

    Chapter 97: Getting a Sheep''s Reporting on Lugou Bridge

    After confirming that Wang Yan would secretly report the matter to the Court, Sun Shaozong, as instructed by him, announced in the back hall that Xu Mingtang had committed suicide because of family discord.

    At that time, the atmosphere in the back hall was indeed very relaxed. Sun Shaozong could not guess how many people pretended and how many believed that Xu Mingtang committed suicide for trivial matters at home.

    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wang Yan arranged the "defense" on both sides of the river in one go and urged the people to call up their troops and take up their posts immediately.

    In return, Sun Shaozong''s "involved section" was arranged near Lugou Bridge, next to the official road. It was very convenient to transport goods at ordinary times. Needless to say, if anything happened, it was much easier to escape than others.

    Therefore, Zhou Da and Zhao Wuwei, as well as several officials of the Ministry of Public Works and the Riverway, were very happy.

    Sun Shaozong was the only one who lived on the North Embankment and cared about the South bank. He thought that tens of thousands of people might be affected by the flood in a short time. However, he could only look at the ocean and sigh. He was helpless. He was depressed every day.

    Although he never thought he was a good man, he could not treat human life like Jia Yucun, and even sacrificed thousands of human lives to keep his position.

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    July 17.

    The rainy weather that lasted for more than half a month finally came to an end this morning.

    The rising sun broke through the clouds, and in less than an hour, it showed the power of the autumn tiger. The heat made everyone on the embankment "threw down their armor" directly and countless "flags" were flying at the head of Lugou bridge.

    Standing at the bridgehead, he looked up and saw nothing but clothes, hats, shoes, and socks drying in the sun. Not to mention the stone lion, he couldn''t even see a few stone railings.

    With the sun shining, they all came and went naked without concern. There was happy laughter and cheerful voices all over the dikes. Even the supervisor, who carried a whip all day, seemed friendlier.

    Driven by this happy atmosphere, Sun Shaozong could not help but feel lucky. He secretly said that the river was only slowly rising these days and that there was still a long way to go from the warning line on the stone carving. Could it be that Xu Mingtang made a mistake in extrapolating and miscalculating this year''s disaster?

    The black horse''s four hooves rose and stirred the people up and down all the way. At least four or five people could not dodge it and were knocked head-on. Sun Shaozong ignored it. Seeing that he had reached the bridge, he shouted with all his might: "Stop that ¡±Sheep reporting brave soldier!¡±

    It turned out that this man, who was floating down the river with a sheep''s skin bag tied to him, was an important means of transmitting water information in ancient times. Moreover, because of its great danger, soldiers who were charged with the task of summoning information could be said to have a narrow escape, so they would only use it in an emergency.

    When Sun Shaozong shouted, the naked patrolmen on the River on the bridge were flustered. They waited until Sun Shaozong arrived and still couldn¡¯t put the hook rod into the water.

    Seeing that the sheep reporting brave soldier had already entered the bridge hole along the fast-flowing water, Sun Shaozong quickly jumped off his horse and grabbed a thick and long looper. He ran to the other side in a few steps, hanging the looper on the water. When the man on the sheep rushed out of the bridge hole, he stopped him violently and shouted, "Hold on!"

    Before the roar fell, he lifted the man out of the water together with the sheep''s skin bag with a violent shout from both hands!

    Carefully putting it on the bridge, Sun Shaozong immediately threw away the shaft and jumped on it. He nervously helped the man up and asked, "How are you? Can you hold on?!"

    "Still... Still alive."

    The man''s face was puffy, and his whole body was cold. As soon as he opened his mouth, his yellow teeth clattered, but he still insisted, "Hurry... Find the supervisor... The supervisor of the river here. I have an urgent... Urgent..."

    As Sun Shaozong untied the rope around his waist, he said, "I''m the river embankment supervisor here. If you have any urgent news, just tell me!"

    The man found that the man who rescued him was a blue-robed official.

    So he struggled to take out the bamboo stick covered with fire paint from the interlayer of the sheep''s skin bag and handed it to Sun Shaozong tremblingly, "Sir, the upstream... The upstream mountain collapsed. I don''t know... I don''t know when a barrier lake was formed. It was discovered by the patrolman the day before yesterday. Now the lake embankment may collapse again at any time. Please inform the Governor as soon as possible. Make preparations early!"

    Damn!

    No wonder the water was rising so slowly, it was due to the "natural reservoir" in the upper stream!

    If the dammed lake could resist the flood and flow back, that¡¯s fine. But if it collapses in the middle...

    Sun Shaozong shuddered and hurried to take the bamboo stick. He entrusted the man to the patrolman on duty on the bridge. He then got on his horse again and sped away toward the "flood control center" where Wang Yan was.

 Chapter 100: Shoulder Heavy Responsibilities and Inspect the Imperial Examination Held in Autumn

    Chapter 100: Shoulder Heavy Responsibilities and Inspect the Imperial Examination Held in Autumn

    Early on August 5th.

    Sun Shaozong turned over and dismounted in front of the Yamen, but what he thought was still the fierce battle of yesterday afternoon.

    He didn''t have pleasure for more than a month, and he ate a lot of tonics. It was just when the dragon was strong and fierce and Xiangling was a flatterer and had potential. The smoothness and satisfaction of this were not to be mentioned to outsiders.

    But what''s rarer was that although Xiangling had battled her bones were crisp and her muscles were soft, seeing the sunset outside, she still insisted on washing herself and went to the front yard to welcome Ruan Rong back in person.

    In the evening, she took the initiative to move Sun Shaozong''s bedding back to the soft bed outside the main hall, without any intention of being spoiled.

    Tch!

    It''s a pity that Xue Pan was willing to give such a sensible person away!

    "Your Excellency, please stay here."

    Sun Shaozong was preparing to go to the Criminal department to see if there had been any suspicious or wrongful cases recently.

    Unexpectedly, he was stopped by the petty officer who was in charge of taking attendants for the morning call and told him, "The Governor told me yesterday that if you arrived, I would ask you to go to the back office first."

    Han Anbang invited me?

    Does he want to ask if the disaster on the South bank will affect the Central Judicial Office?

    This was the proper meaning of the question.

    Sun Shaozong originally wanted to write a note and submit it to Han Anbang. Since Han Anbang has invited him, he might as well go and dictate it first.

    With this in mind, he walked through the courtyard and went to the courtyard of Han Anbang, the rear Yamen.

    The scribe asked for a report. Soon, Han Anbang came out with a smile on his face. He stood on the steps and said with an arch, "Assistant Prefectural Magistrate Sun did not refuse the hardship and danger of supervising the sentencing of the criminal. You are really a model for our generation!"

    This remark was obviously a compliment, but secretly it harbored evil intentions.

    The reason was that when Sun Shaozong wanted to go to the South bank to supervise the execution, Jia Yucun tried his best to dissuade him and broke up unhappily.

    At this time, Han Anbang said that he was a "model of our generation." It was clear that he was tit for tat with Jia Yucun and provoked the relationship between them.

    It''s a pity that his effort would be in vain.

    Although Sun Shaozong was drifting away from Jia Yucun, he had no intention of defecting to Han Anbang at all.

    Damn!

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but yell in his heart.

    Needless to say, Jia Yucun, an old fox, must have been afraid of being involved in the fraud case of the Provincial Examination, so he sold Sun Shaozong without hesitation!

    How could he, the subordinate, refuse the offer mentioned in which the first and second leaders of him cast the trap?

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it. He said with an arched hand, "If this is the case, I can only do what I can. But I also have to tell you the ugly things first. If there is any trouble caused by the supervision of the Provincial Examination, please..."

    "Haha..."

    Before Sun Shaozong could finish speaking, Han Anbang laughed and said, "My brother is always smart and capable. I believe you can keep a good balance and let me and Prefectural Magistrate Jia live in peace!"

    MMP!

    This forced people to sell coolies, and he didn¡¯t want to take any responsibility at all. If he didn¡¯t care about the laws, Sun Shaozong would have killed him with one punch!

    He left the rear Yamen angrily.

    After returning to his small courtyard of the Department of Criminals, Sun Shaozong first called Cheng Rixing to ask him about the fraud in the Imperial Examination.

    Cheng Rixing has been a successful candidate in the Imperial Examinations for more than ten years. The reason he was only willing to serve as a protege and a private adviser, but not as an official was because he was unwilling, he wanted to fight for a meritorious reputation as a scholar.

    Therefore, he took the exam every three years, which absolutely remained unchanged!

    When Sun Shaozong asked about the fraud, he said that everything from ink, paper, inkstone, shoes, hats, clothes, and socks to tattoos of pigeon blood, nothing was weird!

    After talking for a long time, Cheng Rixing suddenly wondered, "Why did Master suddenly think of asking this? Do you have relatives at home who want to participate in this year''s Autumn Examination?"

    "There are no relatives."

    Sun Shaozong said helplessly, "It''s me who needs to be the Inspector of this year¡¯s Autumn Examination, so first..."

    "Congratulations, Master!"

    Before he could finish, Cheng Rixing bowed happily to the end, "Although the Inspector can''t compare with the Instructor [Chief Examiner], he has recently been included in the honorary name of the room officer who divides the room for reading papers [examiner]. After the Master supervised this subject, you must be able to add some help to the scholars and you won''t be crowded out by scholars everywhere like today!"

    It sounds like...

    A real benefit!

 Chapter 101: On Imperial Examination, the Rich Servants Bullying Yucun

    Chapter 101: On Imperial Examination, the Rich Servants Bullying Yucun

    To avoid the Mid Autumn Festival, the custom of the Autumn Examination in the Great Zhou Dynasty began on August 19th and ended on August 27th.

    During this period, there were three consecutive examinations, each lasting three days, for a total of nine days and seven nights.

    Generally speaking, the examiner and associate examiner would be determined in mid-July, and the appointment of examiners in each room would not exceed late July at the latest.

    Sun Shaozong only got the news today. He was already late in receiving the news than the others, not to mention that he was still a true "newcomer¡± to the Academy.

    Therefore, he did not care about anything for a while. He first closed the door and instructed the servants not to attend to any guests as he studied the rules clearly and secretly.

    "Master, as an Inspector, you do not need to take part in transcribing and marking papers. Therefore, there is no need for Master to worry too much about fraud. What Master should pay attention to are those scholars who have brought in cheats in secret."

    "In previous years, the inspection was not lax. The dry grain steamed bread had to be broken into pieces. Even the nostrils, ears, and eyes were searched, but it was still difficult to stop cheating."

    "To add a little hope, the people are showing what they have, each showing their ability to cheat!"

    "Cheating on clothes, shoes, and hats, or the four treasures of study, has been a common practice since ancient times. In recent years, new tricks have emerged in an endless stream, such as swallowing wax pills, tattooing with pigeon blood, stuffing bamboo tubes in the anus and intestines, and asking people to make fake skin. They have thought of all kinds of tricks!"

    "In the Taizu Dynasty, there was even a man who would sneak into the place where local Imperial Examinations were held half a year in advance and buried notebooks in the latrines, only to have them dug up for use during the examination!"

    "There¡¯s still something like that?"

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but wonder, "How was he discovered?"

    "He buried too deep!"

    Cheng Rixing sighed, "He squatted inside for half an hour. When he came out, he was covered with soil. As a result, he was found on the spot, which made a lot of noise. Later, when the exam was opened, the toilet was newly dug."

    Sun Shaozong was speechless for a while, but he couldn''t help asking, "What happened to the man who dug the pit?"

    "What else?"

    Cheng Rixing spread out his hands and said, "At that time, an adult suggested that since he liked to dig holes in the toilet, his merits and reputation should be removed, and he should be punished as a night waste messenger for three years."

    The so-called "night waste messenger" was a laborer who went door to door along the street every morning and called people out to pour their poop and urine.

    This should be considered asking for mercy, right?

    After hearing about Cheng Rixing''s many cheating methods, Sun Shaozong felt that he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. Just as he was about to continue to ask, he heard that there was someone outside saying, "Lord Sun, the Governor asked me to send you the list of candidates for your perusal."

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong suddenly saw a light in his eyes and said happily, "Since there is such a rule, why didn''t you say it earlier?!¡±

    Cheng Rixing quickly cried out, "It''s not that I didn¡¯t mention it, Master. It''s really that this method has been banned. It''s useless even if you know it."

    "Why? This method should be very practical."

    "At that time, after the completion of that subject examination, dozens of people were infected with venereal disease. The common people called that subject examination ¡±the subject of cutting off children and grandchildren,¡± which aroused scholars'' enthusiasm, and this method was completely abolished."

    Alright. This reason was really strong. If it were Sun Shaozong, he would definitely oppose it!

    He called several scribes to arrange the directory into different categories, but Sun Shaozong was not interested in reading it. After a moment''s hesitation, he simply proposed, "Saying with words with no practical movement is useless. Why don''t we go to the place where the Imperial Examination is held first and investigate it on the spot? Then we can adapt measures to local conditions."

    Cheng Rixing naturally has no opinion.

    So Sun Shaozong ordered people to prepare a carriage, called Zhou Da and Zhao Wuwei to accompany him, and prepared to run to the examination hall.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as they got out of the Criminal Department, they bumped into Jia Yucun¡¯s subordinate officials. He said that Sun Shaozong had been invited to discuss the matter.

    Although he¡¯s unhappy with Jia Yucun''s betrayal, he still had to go on the summons of his supervisor.

    So Sun Shaozong asked Cheng Rixing and others to wait in the gatehouse and hurried to the yard of Jia Yucun.

    He often went to this courtyard, and he didn''t need people to tell him anything. He went directly into the living room and saw Jia Yucun walking back and forth with his hands on his back with a face of indignation.

    Which big play was he going to sing?

    Seeing the acting skills of this old fox, Sun Shaozong would not believe his exposed emotions.

    So he just acted like he didn''t see it. He bowed forward and said, "I wonder what I can do for you with your summon?"

    Jia Yucun took a few more steps, then suddenly turned back and asked, "Do you know the steward of Rongguo Mansion?"

    The steward of Rongguo Mansion?

    "You mean Lai Da?"

    "Yes, it''s this guy!"

    Jia Yucun gnashed his teeth and scolded, "He¡¯s just a lowly bastard. How dare he come and threaten me just now. It''s outrageous!"

 Chapter 105: Public is Not As Good As Private, Private is Not As Good As Secret

    Chapter 105: Public is Not As Good As Private, Private is Not As Good As Secret

    ¡±The dawn breaks in the east and the long night ends.¡± It means the truth has been brought into daylight.

    Seeing that the sky was already getting bright outside, Sun Shaozong would need to go to the Yamen for the morning call soon, so he carefully pulled his arm out of Ruan Rong''s neck.

    He hasn''t seen Ruan Rong for more than half a month. Ruan Rong had a lot to say. But the first day, Sun Shaozong got drunk, and the next day he had sex with Xiangling. Although Ruan Rong personally arranged this, she was still a little jealous. Visitt  for the latest updates

    So it was not until last night that the two had the opportunity to talk to each other.

    They were talking from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. until Ruan Rong fell asleep with Sun Shaozong''s arm on her back. Sun Shaozong naturally did not want to move, so he had to sleep with his innerwear on for fear that he might accidentally crush the child.

    The quality of the night''s sleep need not be mentioned.

    When he crept up from the bed and was about to go outside to wash up, he heard Ruan Rong murmur behind him, "When did I fall asleep? Why didn''t you wake me up?"

    Unexpectedly, he woke her up.

    Sun Shaozong straightened his back, stretched his muscles, and said, "It''s about midnight. I think you slept soundly, so I didn''t wake you up. But I slept with one eye open last night for fear of accidentally hitting my son."

    In fact, at the very beginning, Sun Shaozong insisted on calling the child "daughter" to avoid putting pressure on her, until Ruan Rong asked him half-heartedly, "Am I not worthy of having the eldest son?"

    Sun Shaozong realized that the pressure on Ruan Rong at present was not just *"son preference." He quickly changed and called for his son.

    While Sun Shaozong was complaining about his suffering, he turned back to look at Ruan Rong. However, he saw her leaning on her side, caressing her slightly raised belly, and her lazy face was full of tiredness, attachment, and the love of a new mother.

    Somehow, Sun Shaozong suddenly became excited.

    "Who made you so strong? I''m afraid any one of your arms and legs could not bear it." Ruan Rong said, but then said, "Forget it, you''d better go to the West Wing for the night so that you can have a good sleep at night."

    "Don''t take it to heart. I have to talk more with my son. What if he doesn''t get close to me after he is born?"

    Sun Shaozong laughed and stretched out his hand as if to touch Ruan Rong''s stomach, but when he placed his hand down, his angle was a few inches off.

    Snap!

    Who would have thought that Jia Yucun came to the rescue first, and then Sun Shaozong repeatedly solved strange cases, which won the favor of the Emperor? Now he has skipped Governor Liu and become the ¡±patrol envoy¡± directly, which seemed to be a sign of dominating the Criminal Division!

    What''s more, Zhou Da, who used to be his direct subordinate, started to rise in rank?!

    At present, Lin Delu was both jealous and hateful, almost regretting.

    "So you have a helping out of goodwill."

    As Sun Shaozong said, he brought forward a paper note he prepared before and said, "If that¡¯s the case, I have something here that I want you to deal with. Here is a woman on the note. Go to the Criminal Department and check carefully to see if you can find her family."

    Lin Delu picked it up carefully. He saw that there were details written on it, such as "Although he was about sixteen years old," "Suspected to be near Jinling," and "There is a rogue mark about the size of a grain of rice in the middle of her eyebrow." It was not at all uncertain with all these details. Thus, he has set his mind on it.

    At the same time, he couldn''t help being curious and inquired, "My Lord, I don''t know who this woman is."

    "This is my new concubine. It''s also an act to rely on the public service for my matters."

    .

    Sun Shaozong didn''t mean to hide anything, but he added, "If you don''t think it''s appropriate, then..."

    "No, no, no!"

    Lin Delu hurriedly put his hands on the rattle and said firmly, "It''s appropriate, very appropriate! Since My Lord has a love for your concubines, I will do my best to help your concubine find her family. I will never stop until I succeed!"

    The so-called ¡±Public is not as good as private, private is not as good as secret¡± was to handle this kind of half-public and half-private job, to be the ¡±person¡± of the superior.

    When Lin Delu happily goes to the Criminal Department, Sun Shaozong calls Cheng Rixing to discuss the matter of sending people undercover to fish out the dealers.

    Cheng Rixing proposed several candidates. Sun Shaozong was deliberating here. Suddenly someone sent an invitation card outside, and it was Jia Lian who got several jars of Shaoxing aged wine and invited him to come and taste it.

    Jia Yucun just told him a moment ago, and Jia Lian sent someone to invite him after. It''s really a coincidence.

    So when Sun Shaozong heard this, he ¡±doubted¡± the invitation on the head of Mr. Lai. He thought about the matter of ¡±taking the plan as it is¡± and answered vaguely, saying that he would go to the Rongguo Mansion to visit when he took a rest four days later.

 Chapter 106: The Chaos Starts

    Chapter 106: The Chaos Starts

    The 10th day of August.

    Seeing that the Mid Autumn Festival was coming, and the construction of the courtyard for a home visit was coming to an end, the Rongguo Mansion was busy all over the place, not to mention the one who had errands, even the idle and lazy people have to pretend they¡¯re busy.

    However, Liwan had nothing to do with all this because she could not be favored by Madam Wang. She had no real power in her hands as the Eldest Mistress in the family. If she really had to calculate it, she was afraid that she could afford the words "rich, noble, and idle" more than Jia Baoyu.

    That morning, Liwan was sitting in front of the Buddhist shrine and meditating on the Sutra when someone outside smiled like a silver bell and said, "Whoa, Eldest Madam, your posture looks so dignified, like the Guanyin. I didn''t recognize you at first glance."

    Liwan looked back and saw Ping¡¯er standing outside the door. She quickly got up and welcomed her. She smiled and said, "If I worship the Buddha at will, I will become the Goddess of Mercy. Then, if your Master gives orders all day long, isn''t he going to be Wu Zetian?"

    She talked and laughed, and then pulled Ping¡¯er into the door.

    Ping¡¯er refused. She slightly avoided sideways and smiled, "Aunt Lai sent a parrot to the Old Lady. The little beak was very pleasing. The Old Lady asked people to call all the children to have a look. Now that the Second Master Bao has arrived, only you are left."

    Hearing that it was Jia''s mother who invited her, Liwan naturally did not dare to snub her. She hurriedly called Suyun, the eldest maid, and followed Ping¡¯er out of the yard.

    Unexpectedly, after leaving the courtyard, a servant girl was waiting outside, and it was Wang Xifeng''s second-class servant girl, Sister Shan.

    "Huh?"

    Liwan suddenly wondered, "Why did she send two here at the same time?"

    "She just came back from the other side of the yard and happened to bump into me, so she joined us."

    Ping¡¯er perfunctorily replied, which was not a big deal, so Liwan didn¡¯t go into it.

    The four of them were talking and laughing all the way. Seeing that they were in front of the two doors, Ping''er suddenly stopped and said, "Ah! Look at my memory, my Second Madam asked me to take a cloak. I forgot everything!"

    With these words, Liwan, the Master, and the servant were asked to wait here for a moment, and then she went to fetch the cloak in a hurry.

    Liwan watched Ping¡¯er''s back disappear around the corner, wondering why she didn''t let her Sister Shan run errands, but she had to work herself, but suddenly she was pulled at the corners of her clothes.

    Looking back, she saw that Suyun''s eyes were like autumn water and her cheeks were like a flying rainbow. She secretly pointed to the flower bed beside and whispered, "That book was found here, Eldest Madam."

    This little hoof!

    This person was none other than Wang Xifeng''s servant girl, Sister Shan.

    And her sudden voice made both sides embarrassed immediately.

    In particular, the Master and servant of Liwan did not know what to do, but Zhou Rui, the steward, suddenly appeared behind Sun Shaozong. He pointed at Sister Shan and shouted, "What are you talking about? Lord Sun is the guest invited by Second Master Lian. Is he someone you can shout at?"

    He then apologized to Liwan and said, "I''m a little slow here and bumped into the Eldest Madam. Please forgive me."

    When Liwan got to this step, she leaned over and forced a smile. "It''s okay," she said. "We are waiting here too and bumped into Lord Sun."

    With these words, she led Suyun and Sister Shan back to one side and motioned for Sun Shaozong to go first.

    Although she still had the shyness about lowering her head in her heart, Sun Shaozong didn''t want to stay any longer, so he had to pretend that nothing had happened and walked with Zhou Rui to a flower hall in the east.

    Liwan peered at his back, and she was very disappointed.

    "Eh, what¡¯s wrong with Eldest Madam?"

    At this time, she heard a strange saying, "How can you turn so red in the twinkling of an eye?"

    Only then did Liwan discover that Ping''er had arrived some time ago with a food box in her hand, in addition to a scarlet cloak.

    Afraid of Ping''er''s careful inquiry, she hastened, "Why did you go for so long? Hurry, don''t let the old Lady wait for so long!"

    With that, she couldn¡¯t wait to pull Ping''er with her.

    "Don''t be in a hurry, don''t be in a hurry!"

    Liwan hurriedly turned aside again, handed the box forward, and said, "I have a job to tell you, Sister Shan, please take it to the Second Madam later. Don''t delay!"

    The kind-hearted Sister Shan answered solemnly. Her eyebrows were rather solemn and excited. It was not as simple as giving a food box.

    It''s a pity that Liwan was now bent on covering up the embarrassing situation, so how could she still observe the others?

    While waiting for Sister Shan to take the food box, she urged Ping¡¯er to go to Jia''s mother with a cascade of sounds.

 Chapter 107: The Count of Baltic, Adding Legs to ones Sketch of a Serpent

    Chapter 107: The Count of Baltic, Adding Legs to one''s Sketch of a Serpent

    "Erlang!"

    He followed Zhou Rui to the front door of the flower hall and saw Jia Lian waiting on the steps.

    "Second Master Li..."

    Sun Shaozong had just arched his hand. Before he had finished greeting, someone behind him shouted, "Second Master, Second Master! There is an accident on the other side of the courtyard. Someone..."

    Maybe the person saw that there was someone present, and the shouting stopped suddenly.

    He then saw a sweaty servant boy running to Jia Lian''s ear and whispering to him. Jia Lian''s face changed a few times. Finally, he scolded, "Are these despicable b*stards going to rebel?!"

    He then apologized to Sun Shaozong and said, "I have something urgent to deal with here, Erlang. You should wait here for a moment, and when the matter is over, I will punish myself with three cups of wine first!"

    With that, he called Zhou Rui and hurried away.

    This was really...

    Sun Shaozong was silent in front of the flower hall. He then walked in and saw that the round table in the middle was already full of feasts for the banquets.

    .

    He went up to pick up a jar of wine, looked at the outer package a few times, and then poured himself a bowl of wine, and found that he had indeed drunk it before.

    As a result, he became more and more convinced that the saying ¡±found a good aged wine¡± was just an excuse. Jia Lian called himself to help the Lai family pass through the examination.

    But he didn''t know that when Jia Lian came back later, Lai Da would follow him along. This method of putting somebody else¡¯s trick to one''s own use would achieve its best result if the main lead was present.

    When he was thinking about how to deal with Lai Da when he was present, and what to say if Lai Da was not present, he suddenly felt that someone was snooping outside.

    Sun Shaozong did not know anything. He glanced at the corner of his eye and saw a servant girl carrying a food box outside the flower hall, walking back and forth like she was walking through the city gate. A pair of peach blossom eyes kept looking around the flower hall.

    This servant girl...

    It seemed to be the one who stopped Liwan just now.

    This food box...

    It seemed to be the same as the one with the hidden love poems.

    This couldn¡¯t be...

    Sun Shaozong secretly complained. Didn''t he refuse last time? Why was this pretty widow still entangled?

    He pretended not to see it, but he was afraid of being seen by others. Although he has a clear conscience, if such things could be said clearly, there wouldn¡¯t be so many rumors in the world!

    When Sun Shaozong was in a dilemma, he found that someone was peeping outside, looking out of the corner of his eye, the person was hiding in the flowers, and it wasn¡¯t very clear.

    Because when Liwan lowered her head, being shy, there was obviously some affection in it. Sun Shaozong never thought it was a trap set by others.

    So he just thought it was the servant girl who had come back and wanted to see how he would deal with it.

    Thinking like this, he didn''t care too much.

    At the same time...

    In a quiet yard not far away, Mr. and Mrs. Lai were listening to a person reporting back.

    "... Sister Shan left the food box and left right after. Lord Sun took the food box in, and I didn''t know what he saw, he started to daydream."

    Wang Xifeng was the most well-informed Master in the Rongguo Mansion.

    But compared with the Lai Da couple, Wang Xifeng, on the other hand, was one notch behind them. Let''s just say today. Since Sun Shaozong entered the door of the Mansion, everything he did in detail was under the supervision of Lai Da and his wife!

    After listening to the latest progress, Lai Da waved his hand to let the trusted servant boy leave.

    The husband and wife looked at each other, and Lai-Zhang could not help wondering, "What is Second Madam Lian plotting today? How come I don¡¯t understand it?"

    "Hmph!"

    Lai Da sneered and said with disdain, "What else could it be? It''s just some beauty trick. Isn''t that how she killed Rui¡¯er in the East Mansion?"

    Lai Zhang''s eyes widened when she heard and said, "You... You said that the Second Madam was going to seduce Sun..."

    "Of course not!"

    Lai Da said, "If that''s the case, why should she let Ping¡¯er lead the Eldest Madam to meet with Sun?"

    After a pause, he sneered again, "I heard people say a few days ago that the Eldest Madam often gave food to the Martial Training Ground. I thought she was helping Lan¡¯er, but now it''s not that simple!"

    "You mean..."

    "The Eldest Madam must have an affair with Sun. The Second Madam Lian sensed something and wanted to make Sun listen to her!"

    As Lai Da said with confidence, he suddenly thought of something. He pushed his wife and said, "Go home quickly and get the ¡±Southern Xinjiang Wedding Wine¡± and ¡±Reiki Tiger Pill!¡±

    Lai Zhang was stunned, but she began to wriggle and said shyly, "How can you..."

    "Again your head!"

    Lai Da said angrily, "The Second Madam Lian is still young. If she doesn''t add some spice to Sun in this broad daylight, where will there be a scene for her to catch?"

 Chapter 109: The Former Tiger and the Latter Wolf, but in the Cave the Cause and Effect are Rounded

    Chapter 109: The Former Tiger and the Latter Wolf, but in the Cave the Cause and Effect are Rounded

    Sun Shaozong was dizzy and stumbled. He unexpectedly bumped into a woman and took her into his arms.

    The woman was surprised at first, and then she struggled desperately.

    But how could a weak woman be worth Sun Shaozong''s strange strength?

    In a short time, he tore half a row of buttons away, revealing a large area of white and greasy skin.

    The woman was so eager that she suddenly lowered her head and bit Sun Shaozong on the arm!

    The bite was very painful, and Sun Shaozong woke up a little. He was stunned, and hurriedly let go of the woman. He explained awkwardly, "I''m sorry, I''m not..."

    How could a woman listen to that?

    As soon as he covered the spring in her chest with his hands, she ran away quickly!

    She ran away, but Sun Shaozong stood there and became confused for a while, but how could he know where to go?

    After a while, he slapped his cheeks hard and walked unstably towards the pond not far away, intending to jump into the water directly to suppress his overwhelming desire.

    Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, the woman who had just escaped ran back in panic!

    What did that mean?

    Sun Shaozong''s head was confused like a paste, but his hands were not slow at all. His ape-like arms stretched out gently, and he held the woman back.

    He was about to climb up and down the mountain and wade across the water, but the woman said shyly, "Let me go! Steward Lai will bring someone to find us when he sees us. I''m afraid there won¡¯t be any good if we are caught!"

    It turned out that she had just run out for a short while when she saw Lai Da coming up with some servants. How dare she let others see her with untidied clothes?

    So she had to turn back.

    Did housekeeper Lai bring people here?

    Sun Shaozong had a flash of ideas in his head. Was this the trap Lai Da set for him?!

    But if so, why did the woman take the initiative to remind herself?

    In doubt, he then carefully looked at the woman''s face and said, "Why is it you?!"

    It turned out that the woman who had gone back was not someone else. It was Wang Xifeng able helper Ping¡¯er!

    Even if Lai Da wants to play the ¡°badger game,¡± he didn¡¯t have to pull her into the water, did he?!

    However, before she was moved for long, Sun Shaozong turned back and held a huge lake stone in his arms!

    Bump!

    Sun Shaozong retreated into the cave, put down the lake stone gently, and covered the cave tightly, with only wisps of light shining into the cave.

    In the dark, the feeling of being hotter and hotter came up again. He wrapped her up and made her almost breathless.

    "Don''t... Don''t do that, Lord Sun..."

    Ping¡¯er was about to refuse, but Lai shouted outside, "Send two people over the rockery to see if Lord Sun has gone there!"

    Then came the sound of footsteps from just outside. Ping¡¯er closed her mouth quickly, and her heart beat faster and faster with the sound of footsteps, almost bursting out.

    Then she heard the two boys outside asking, "Did you see anyone?"

    "Can¡¯t you see it yourself? If Lord Sun were here, given his big body built, you would have seen it in one glance."

    "Then why are you still lingering here? Go, go."

    Then there was the sound of footsteps going away. Ping''er felt a little relieved. However, the sound of footsteps suddenly stopped, and one of the boys said suspiciously, "Hey, do you think the rockery is a little different from before?"

    Hearing this, Ping''er''s soul almost left her body. She subconsciously reached out to protect her heart but found that only a claw had already climbed on it, and there was no intention to abdicate.

    This enmity and sin!

    Ping¡¯er angrily pinched the back of his hand, but the magic claw rubbed more enthusiastically with strength...

    At this time, another boy said impatiently, "Are you stupid? What''s the difference between these heavy stones? Hurry up, don''t waste your time!"

    The sound of distant footsteps sounded again, but this time it never stopped.

    Hearing this, it finally calmed down, and Ping''er finally put her heart back into her stomach.

    However, she soon found that it was not the time to relax. She had just patronized outside, and Sun Shaozong had stripped most of her clothes!

    When her senses returned, she tried to struggle again, but there wasn¡¯t a place to run. She was blocked in the cave by hundreds of pounds of big stones now, where could she escape?

    Forget it~

    Think of it as the retribution for fabricating those two love poems.

    Seeing that there was no escape, Ping''er sighed and reluctantly gave up the struggle, leaving Sun Shaozong to do things in the dark.

    This was exactly, ¡°Born in a fairy cave, with unlimited scenery on the dangerous peak.¡±

 Chapter 110: The Fake Feelings had Deceived a True Insider

    Chapter 110: The Fake Feelings had Deceived a True Insider

    In the evening.

    Looking around at nobody, Sun Shaozong, with the help of the cover of the flower bed, walked out of the rockery, bending his waist.

    He carefully removed the Taihu Lake stone and wiped his hands on the hem of his shirt. Then he took out a pleated skirt from his arms and handed it to Ping¡¯er.

    He explained carefully, "I stole it from Yiran Pavilion. When you finish, remember to leave it nearby, so that they may think it was blown away by the wind."

    Ping''er had just tidied up her clothes and hairpins. She took the pleated skirt and put it on her body. She then stretched out her hand on Sun Shaozong¡¯s palm and let him help her out of the cave.

    She could not help feeling as if she were separated from the rest of the world as she gathered her broken hair with her hands and looked at the half-moon in the sky.

    "Can you hide it if you go back like this?"

    Sun Shaozong stammered aside, "Why don''t I talk to Brother Lian and ask you to return with me..."

    "Never!"

    Before he could finish, Ping''er shook her head firmly and said, "Second Master Lian is different from Master Xue. Even if the women around him are not close to him, they can''t be remembered by others."

    Sun Shaozong naturally knew this.

    He just slept with her in a muddle-headed way. When she learned the truth, she said, "Let bygones be bygones" magnanimously. But he couldn''t be unresponsive here, could he?

    That''s why he insisted on asking Jia Lian for Ping¡¯er.

    Now, Sun Shaozong was relieved to hear Ping¡¯er say so.

    However, he didn''t dare to show it on his face. Instead, he looked at Ping¡¯er with a reluctant expression and hesitated.

    However, after ¡°meeting each other openly¡± in the cave, Ping''er complained only about Wang Xifeng and Lai Da. She could not say anything about Sun Shaozong, who was also the victim.

    At this time, Sun Shaozong''s face was filled with the expression "in a despondent mood.¡± Compared with Jia Lian''s usual heartlessness, she could not help but feel something strange.

    Even if Ping''er turned around after the event and wanted to use the jade pendant to involve him, he could get away by acting dumb.

    But...

    Compared with the old fox Jia Yucun, Sun Shaozong still lost. If he hadn''t checked with Ping¡¯er in the cave and found some clues, he was afraid that he would have fallen into Jia Yucun¡¯s plot again.

    The old fox had already given a heads-up in front of Lai Da. He said that Sun Shaozong had fallen out with him completely. At present, whenever there was any mistake or embarrassment, he would plant it on him.

    With these words, even if Sun Shaozong tried to explain himself, Lai Da would only believe that he was prevaricating and provoking.

    Sigh~

    Officialdom was not so easy to mix!

    Sun Shaozong sighed and came to a flower bed, laid down in it without saying a word, and rolled around. After getting up, he casually hit it. He then ran to the flower hall with weeds.

    Now, several hours later, Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu couldn¡¯t still be here. However, because Sun Shaozong has not been found, there were still two servants left.

    Seeing him come in with a disheveled face, the two young servants hurried to greet him and made a fuss, "Lord Sun, you... How did you get this?!"

    "It''s nothing. I drank more liquor at noon and fell asleep in the flower bed accidentally." Sun Shaozong said vaguely, and then asked, "Where are Brother Lian and Brother Bao? It''s time for me to say goodbye to them."

    Seeing that he was in such a mess, he still spoke with a big tongue. The two boys naturally believed in him. They hurriedly asked Sun Shaozong to sit down in the flower hall holding back their laughter. They then separated one person to invite Jia Lian.

    Not long after, he saw Jia Lian coming in a hurry. Seeing Sun Shaozong with withered leaves, he couldn''t help laughing. Pointing at Sun Shaozong, he said, "Oh Erlang, Erlang, you always call yourself a magnanimous man, but you didn¡¯t think that there would be a day when you would be in such a mess."

    Sun Shaozong felt relieved when he saw him gloating. He smiled bitterly and said, "I don''t know where Brother Bao got the wine. It''s so powerful. I''ve only drunk a few bowls before I''m drunk. If it were changed to an ordinary person, wouldn''t he be drunk to death?"

    He then smacked his lips again and said with a look of aftertaste, "But I enjoyed my sleep. You might as well have a bowl of it to try so that you can have a good aftertaste, Second Brother Lian."

    "I wanted to."

    Jia Lian also put his hands together and said, "But when I was busy looking for you, I didn''t know who accidentally spilled the wine jar. Now there is not a drop left."

 Chapter 111: Begin with Word of Blood

    Chapter 111: Begin with Word of Blood

    It was said that there was not a drop of wine left. Sun Shaozong felt relieved and more sure that this was Lai Da''s work.

    After all, according to Wang Xifeng''s original plan, there was no need to add insult to injury and do such a self-inflicted evil thing. As for why Lai Da gave himself the pills, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t understand.

    Maybe he had prepared other seduction candidates, but it was messed up by Jia Baoyu?

    This was not a problem that must be clarified immediately, so he temporarily pressed it to the bottom of his heart when Sun Shaozong did not understand it for a moment. He would wait until he found other clues later.

    Seeing that the sky was getting dark, Sun Shaozong greeted Jia Lian to return.

    Jia Lian tried his best to keep him. After repeatedly being refused, he sent Sun Shaozong out of the Rongguo Mansion.

    When he arrived at the gate of the Rongguo Mansion, he saw that no one was paying attention to him, thus he suddenly came up and asked, "Erlang, the young lady of the He family, do you still remember?"

    Wasn''t it the Young Madam of the He family of the Royal Merchant? The matter was so overwhelming in the beginning that the two people caught up with the arrest scene. Sun Shaozong naturally won''t forget it so soon.

    But...

    Why did he suddenly mention her again?

    "What''s wrong with her?"

    "I just don''t know how she is. That¡¯s why I''m worried!"

    Jia Lian said anxiously, "It''s been more than a month. It''s said that the He family has all been killed. Why don''t they send her to the Entertainer Department? Could it be that someone in the Dragon Guard is greedy and has detained her?"

    After a pause, he said with a smile, "You are also a Cavalry Captain over there, Erlang. You can help me inquire about what''s wrong."

    Tch!

    This guy was thinking about other people''s wives. Thinking of when would she be "on the shelf" in the department of Entertainment, but he didn¡¯t know that there was already a fire in his backyard.

    Sun Shaozong was speechless, but he answered with a promise that he would definitely ask someone to inquire carefully.

    Jia Lian was happy to let him go.

    The next morning, when he arrived at the Yamen, Cheng Rixing took the initiative to find him and reported the results of the undercover operations.

    Cheng Rixing suddenly knew that it was Lai Da who had offended Sun Shaozong. The "I''m very satisfied with the wine you sent" was actually slang to warn the other party.

    Because he couldn''t guess what was fishy about it, he didn''t dare ask again, so he was obedient and left the room.

    However, when he got to the door, Cheng Rixing also remembered something and hurriedly turned back and said, "Oh right, Master, there was a murder in Fengzui Lane last night."

    "Oh."

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong''s eyebrows tilted, and asked, "Is there anything strange about this case?"

    Since he served as the Inspector, all the cases in the office have been handled by Liu Chongshan, the Governor, without disturbing Sun Shaozong. Therefore, if there was nothing strange about it, Cheng Rixing would not take the initiative to mention it.

    "A drunkard was stabbed in the heart." Cheng Rixing said, "It''s strange that the murderer wrote the word ¡±Divine Judgement¡± with the blood of the dead on the drunkard himself!"

    The murderer wrote the word "Divine Judgement¡± with blood?

    Was the murderer trying to provoke him?!

    Sun Shaozong''s face showed a trace of anger. At the beginning of modern times, he had also met a maniac who deliberately provoked the police. But it was the first time he was ¡± identified by name¡± by the murderer who wanted to provoke him.

    If it were another time, he should take the case, go in person, and bring the clown to justice.

    But now...

    Before his day off, he had just applied to the upper authorities to renovate the Imperial Examination hall in advance. The reason was that the rain was too heavy this year, and many rooms have become dilapidated. It naturally took more time to renovate than before.

    Now that the above approval has come down, he would go to the Imperial Court to break ground after the Ministry of Revenue allocates the funds. At this time, how was he allowed to investigate homicide cases?

    He should know that this was not a modern society where ¡°human life is as important as heaven,¡± but an age when ¡°All things are inferior but only reading is superior!¡±

    If the Autumn Examination was delayed by solving a case, even if one hundred murderers were finally caught, in the opinion of those officials, it couldn¡¯t be used to atone for it.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong hesitated for a while before he asked, "Who is pursuing this case?"

    Cheng Rixing replied, "It should be Daxing County that is investigating."

    Then they can''t intervene. Wang Qian of Daxing County was conceited. If he couldn¡¯t wait to intervene when the case had just happened, he must be unwilling.

    "Let them investigate it first. If Daxing County has not found anything after the Autumn Examination, I will take the initiative to take over."

 Chapter 112: The Second Victim

    Chapter 112: The Second Victim

    August 16, 2010 in Guangde.

    A sudden heavy rain in the second half of the night completely extinguished the grievances of the officers for several days. Those who had complained about *"The Master moved his mouth and the subordinates broke their legs by running errands" *before, all changed their words and praised Sun Shaozong now, saying that he has forethought and foreseen everything with divine accuracy.

    If Sun Shaozong had not applied to start the construction ahead of time, even if it was raining, the attendants would not be able to rush to repair.

    In contrast, if he can''t enjoy the Mid Autumn Festival safely and stably, it''s not a big deal.

    However, Sun Shaozong was also lucky. He only saw that the Imperial Court was too dilapidated to be renovated, so he made the decision to start the construction ahead of time. However, he never thought it would be right, and that he could avoid the heavy rain.

    The attendants were relieved, but he and Jia Yucun could not rest. They arrived at the Imperial Court early morning in the rain and led the people to carefully check the situation in the examination room to avoid any further trouble when the Ministry of Rites sent people to check tomorrow.

    Fortunately, the situation at the site was fairly good. Although there were room leaks, they were basically attached to the wall seams, which would not affect normal use. After all, they were all made of thin boards, and the requirements could not be too high.

    After the inspection, Sun Shaozong was discussing the order of day and night duty with Jia Yucun in the temporary thatched hut when he saw several Yamen runners coming hurriedly.

    "Reporting to the Prefectural Magistrate and the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate that the floating bridge has been built in Hebei. The victims of the disaster started to cross the river this morning. The Governor asked the two Masters to return to the government to discuss matters quickly!"

    Fine~

    This is even more lively.

    Jia Yucun smiled bitterly and could not help twirling his beard and said, "Even I begin to doubt whether you can predict things not, Brother."

    In the beginning, all the bridges on the Yongding River were destroyed by the flood. In addition, the water has not receded, making it difficult for ordinary boats to cross. Therefore, the victims have been blocked on the south bank, and it¡¯s not a matter that the Central Judicial Office needed to worry about.

    But once these victims crossed the river, the Central Judicial Office was duty bounded. It was necessary to send most of the officers to maintain order so as not to affect the good life of the people in the Capital.

    In this way, if he wanted to repair the Imperial Court in the rain, it would not be possible to rely on the Central Judicial Office alone. He has to ask for help from above, and then he still has to be scolded for being "short-sighted" and "mend the fold after the sheep have been stolen.¡±

    Therefore, Jia Yucun has such a saying.

    Sun Shaozong smiled, but he was too lazy to explain anything.

    The two returned to Yamen by carriage. Jia Yucun, an official of the government, was naturally one of the leading roles in this play.

    Sun Shaozong, as the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate of the Criminal Department, was now also the Inspector of the Autumn Examination. He has nothing to do with dealing with the victims.

    So he had nothing to do in the inner hall of the back Yamen. Hearing everyone in the hall pass the buck, he cursed the Hebei Officials for being shameless and deliberately allowing the victims to cross the river.

    "Ding Renlu, greetings to the Master."

    The petty green-robed official also came forward to salute and then told Sun Shaozong about the latest progress of the case.

    However, it was said that the disaster victims from Hebei Province poured into the territory of the Central Judicial Office. Although it made the city jittery, many people cheered for it, such as the trafficker of human beings in the city, the brothels, and the bachelors who couldn''t afford wives.

    After all, after the disaster, selling daughters was the most common thing, but some things could not be overcome. It was also common to sell wives and daughters at a low price.

    Chen San''er, a lame man in the east of the city, was a member of the bachelor army.

    Therefore, after hearing the news, he hurriedly took the copper money from his family and prepared to go to the rice shop to buy some food to save up.

    But when Chen San''er hurried out of the house with money and rushed to the nearest rice store in the rain, he unexpectedly met a corpse on the way!

    At that time, Chen San''er was so scared that he could not buy any rice anymore. He hurriedly went to report.

    "The dead man was a rascal, and he was also a ruthless and dark-hearted person. He was also famous nearby."

    "The cause of death was being pierced by a sharp weapon. According to the shape of the wound, the lethal weapon should be a single knife."

    "At the beginning, I didn''t think about the case of ¡±blood word,¡± but when I was doing an autopsy, I found a blood stain on the lining of the clothes, which could be vaguely identified as two characters."

    "Although the handwriting is indistinguishable after being soaked in rain, we speculated that it should be related to the case of ¡±blood word.¡±

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong suddenly asked, "When was that drunk killed? In the evening of the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, or in the morning of the tenth day of the Lunar New Year?"

    "Well... according to the analysis of the grave, he died around 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., probably in the morning of the 10th day of the Lunar New Year." Ding Renlu said, a little embarrassed, "As for the rascal who died this time, because he has been soaking in the rain for a long time, it is still impossible to infer when he died.¡±

    "So there should be no mistake."

    Sun Shaozong said in a deep voice, "Any maniac who takes the initiative to provoke the Government will often set some goals for himself, such as... Killing a person every five days!"

    "Since he wants to challenge the Government, he will naturally leave a clear mark.¡±

    "And the mark on that rascal was obviously written by the murderer around 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., that is, before the rain."

    "In that case!"

    Wang Qian''s face became deeper and deeper, and he angrily said, "Is that guy going to continue killing people on August 20?!"

 Chapter 113: Make Inspection Rounds in the Autumn Examination

    Chapter 113: Make Inspection Rounds in the Autumn Examination

    August 21, Guangde, the last day of the Central Judicial Office Autumn Examination.

    Although Sun Shaozong did the invigilation for the first time, he also knew that the final sprint stage was the time when fraud was more prevalent.

    So even though he had not slept well for four consecutive days, he still put on a vigorous posture and walked around the examination room.

    "I passed, I passed the exam! Hahaha... I am the Master of a successful candidate in the Imperial Examinations at the Provincial Level, I am going to be an official! Hahaha..."

    Suddenly, a fit of crazy laughter came from afar.

    Sun Shaozong paused a little and waved to his back. At once, several soldiers and men ran to the place where the voice came from, and soon there was a noise of shouting and fighting.

    "Let go of me! You dare to be rude to me. I will report to Your Majesty. I will report..."

    But soon, the riot returned to dead silence, and then the soldiers dragged the scholar out of the examination room, who was unconscious like a dog.

    "According to the old rules."

    Sun Shaozong said calmly, "First, pour cold water twice. Then, slap him a few times to frighten him. If he still wouldn''t wake up, bolt him to the west shed."

    The pressure of the Imperial Examination was much greater than that of a college entrance examination. In addition, the conditions in the examination room were bad, so it was not uncommon to drive one or two people mad.

    Like Fan Jin who went crazy after passing the exam and still managed to wake up, it was a blessing of all ancestors.

    In fact, being crazy in the examination room was a matter of a lifetime, and there were many people there!

    These were also due to the weakness of their hearts. Those who fail because of accidents were more likely to be stimulated.

    For example, those who were caught in a fire, those who drank raw water from the examination room and suffered from dysentery, and those who collapsed suddenly and were buried below.

    A South-born scholar gossiped that they still had a test in the examination room yesterday, suddenly, they were bitten by poisonous snakes and insects.

    And because they were not allowed to leave the examination room once they entered, there was no timely treatment at all. They had to watch those poisoned candidates wail and die.

    Anyway, in the final analysis, it was a saying, ¡°It is not easy for a scholar!¡°

    However, this was just their own feeling. If Sun Shaozong wanted to evaluate it, these unreasonable scholars were just bitches. Apart from being punished during the exam, which one of them was not treated better than the common people?

    This was strange.

    However, Sun Shaozong thought about it a little and then guessed that it was probably the case of the ¡±blood character¡± murderer again.

    According to the rules, unless summoned by the Emperor, examiners were not allowed to leave during the Autumn Examination.

    However, it''s okay to talk with people outside under the supervision of Yamen Runners across the gate, especially about a serious case of human life. He didn¡¯t have to worry about others thinking it the wrong way.

    So Sun Shaozong hurried to the front door of the tribute court, only to find that besides Su Xingfang, the Magistrate of Daxing County, there was also Jiang Laoqi, the Captain of Wanping County''s captors.

    The purpose of these two people, as Sun Shaozong had expected, was precisely for the ¡±blood word¡± case!

    That day, after listening to Sun Shaozong''s analysis, people in Daxing County cast a big net to capture the murderer on August 20, but they got nothing in the end.

    At that time, Wang Qian complained that Sun Shaozong''s analysis was nonsense.

    But this morning, someone found that Lin Zongmao, the street patrol constable of Wanping County, was killed in the alley in front of his home. The word "Divine Judgement" was written in blood on his chest, and he was also stabbed to death by a single knife.

    It was reasonable to say that Wanping County should be responsible for this case.

    However, Xu Huaizhi, the Magistrate of Wanping County, reasoned that Daxing County had already filed a case for this, and they should be handled together to find the murderer easier.

    In addition, two Daxing County people have died, and only one Wanping County person has died. Naturally, Daxing County should be given priority, and Wanping County should be supplemented.

    Therefore, it appeared that the Magistrate of Daxing County took the murdered Constable of Wanping to investigate the case.

    "After our preliminary investigation, there should be no relationship between the three victims."

    Su Xingfang smiled bitterly through the doorway and said, "In addition, no useful clues have been found at the scene, so we have no way to find out. To avoid more dead people, we have to trouble you again."

    Indeed, the most feared thing in a case investigation was this abnormal random homicide!

    Especially in ancient times when science was underdeveloped, it was even more difficult to find the murderer.

    However, in general, such planned, continuous, and random homicides often have their own internal relevance despite the seemingly illogical appearance.

    As for this case...

    Sun Shaozong went over the general facts of the case in his mind and suddenly asked Jiang Laoqi, "Captain Jiang, how was the dead constable patrolling the streets reviewed among the folks."

 Chapter 114: The 4th Victim

    Chapter 114: The 4th Victim

    "Well..."

    Hearing Sun Shaozong ask Lin Zongmao about his review, Jiang Laoqi said hesitantly, "My Lord should know that those who work in our industry will inevitably offend many people, so his reputation is naturally...¡±

    This guy obviously wanted to cover up for Lin Zongmao, but Sun Shaozong naturally understood what he should have understood in his hesitating remarks.

    He then put out three fingers and said slowly, "The first dead man was a drunkard who liked to act in bad ways of a drunken man, the second dead man was a famous little rascal, and the third dead man was a captor whose reputation was not very good."

    "Your Excellency means..."

    Hearing that Sun Shaozong had used three negative comments in a row, Su Xingfang also came back to him and blurted out, "He killed all the villains?!"

    "Even if it is not a villain, it is at least an abomination." Sun Shaozong shrugged his shoulders and said, "Maybe he thinks he is acting on behalf of heaven."

    After a pause, he said, "Another thing is that he is constantly adding difficulties to himself!"

    "Increasing the difficulty?"

    "Yes!"

    Sun Shaozong explained, "The first deceased had poor physical quality due to years of drinking, not to mention his social status."

    "The second dead man was a rascal with some brute force. As for his social status, he was a bit reluctant."

    "The third victim was a street patrolling constable, he should be armed with weapons at ordinary times, and his social status is stronger than that of the rascal."

    "It can be seen from this that each time he chooses a target, it will be more difficult to deal with than the last one."

    Hearing Sun Shaozong''s analysis here, Jiang Laoqi''s face completely collapsed, and he said in a trembling voice, "Then shouldn¡¯t I... Am I in trouble?!"

    "You?"

    Sun Shaozong looked at his chicken-like physique and said silently, "Don''t worry, if my speculation is correct, you should be very safe!"

    Jiang Laoqi was relieved when he heard those words.

    However, Su Xingfang still frowned and said with a wry smile, "So it is very likely that the murderer will attack the court commander."

    "It''s possible, but I''m afraid it''s more dangerous..." Sun Shaozong suddenly frowned when he said this, and then said, "I''m afraid he''s still a general of four battalions and one guard. After all, every time he increases his difficulty, not only the identity of the victim but also the victim''s ability to resist."

    It turned out that Sun Shaozong was in the middle of the conversation when he suddenly remembered his big brother. His reputation seemed to be no better, and he was also a fierce general in the army, famous for his force, which fully met the target of the murderer!

    However, he was a fourth-grade official, and there were guards following him in and out. The murderer should not raise the difficulty so high at once, right?

    Sun Shaozong has good eyesight. From a distance, he could see that the people were a team of Dragon Guards, and the leaders seemed to be old acquaintances, Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian.

    After spending more than half a month in Hebei, Sun Shaozong got along well with them like three brothers.

    So a few days ago, when Jia Lian asked about the Young Mistress of the He family, Sun Shaozong found the brothers.

    It turned out that Jia Lian was right. The Young Mistress of the He''s family was detained by the town caretaker [fourth grade] of the Royal Guards of the Inspector and became his sixth concubine.

    The south and north of the Dragon Guard were all secret service institutions directly belonging to the Emperor. Even with the power of the Rongguo Mansion, it was impossible to imagine taking food from the tiger''s mouth, so Jia Lian had to give up.

    Wait!

    Why only Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian?

    Where''s Jin Yichuan?

    Don''t the three of them always move together?

    Could it be that...

    An ominous omen flashed in Sun Shaozong''s heart, and Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian had arrived at the door with a dozen dragon guards.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong standing in the doorway, they hurriedly swung off their horses, rushed to the front of the steps, and fell on their knees with a splash. With tears in their tiger-like eyes, he said sadly, "My Lord, Yichuan... Yichuan has passed away!"

    Is Jin Yichuan really dead?!

    Although he had expected it, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help being surprised and asked, "Was it the ¡±blood character¡± murderer who did it? Was it also a knife that killed him?!"

    "Your Honor is wise!"

    Lu Jianxing sobbed, "My brother was stabbed to death by a villain!"

    It was a fatal blow!

    Sun Shaozong could not help taking another breath.

    The three Lu Jianxing brothers are known as the ¡±three detectives.¡± Although their force was not as strong as that of Sun Shaozong, who has the bonus of the golden fingers, they were still rare experts!

    .

    In addition, their vigilance was many times stronger than that of ordinary people because they have been dealing with the business of stealing money and killing people all year round.

    If Jin Yichuan was stabbed to death with a knife and had no ability to fight back, then the murderer''s skill was...

 Chapter 115: The Blood Word Misgiving [Part 1]

    Chapter 115: The Blood Word Misgiving [Part 1]

    On August 27th, in the Northern Town of the Dragon Imperial Guard.

    "The deceased''s arms were bent inward and his hands were grasping, but there was no cut in the palm of his hand. It can be inferred that he had tried to stop the penetration of the murder weapon with his hands, but he lost consciousness before he could finish the whole movement."

    "Therefore, it can be further inferred that this attack must be very sudden!"

    "The footprints on the scene are a little messy, so he can''t judge the location of the murderer''s surprise attack."

    "However, judging from the depth of footprints and the distance between steps, the killer should be between five feet three inches and five feet five inches tall. He is either overweight or muscular."

    "Shoes are common laminates. Judging from the clarity of lines, they should be a new pair of shoes."

    "The ¡±blood character¡± was written in blood with the finger. After careful comparison and observation, it can be determined that it came from the same person."

    "But depending on the degree of the strangeness of the strokes, either the hand is not the habitual one, or the murderer does not often write. I prefer the former personally."

    "Lord Sun, is there any omission in my sayings?"

    These inferences were not made by Sun Shaozong, but by Qin Kejian, the Commander of the Northern Imperial Guard.

    After noon, Sun Shaozong had a hard time waiting for the scholars to leave the Imperial Examination hall. He hurried to the Northern Town of the Imperial Guards to check the files transferred from Daxing County yesterday and the bodies of the victims.

    As a result, Qin Kejian''s reasoning was heard in the morgue of the Criminal Investigation Department.

    Qin Kejian was the person sent by the Northern Town of the Imperial Guard to investigate the case. He has also been serving as a detective for many years, and he has solved many cases. It¡¯s just that the cases investigated by the Northern Town of the Imperial Guard were usually not publicly publicized, so he has never been famous.

    At a young age, Sun Shaozong was not only famous a hundred times more than him, but also held a higher official position. Qin Kejian inevitably felt uncomfortable.

    If Sun Shaozong was only the Assistant Prefectural Magistrate of the Criminal Department, Qin Kejian might not even let him enter the morgue. But Sun Shaozong not only held the official title of Dragon Guard but he was also valued by Eunuch Dai.

    Therefore, Qin Kejian could only try to overwhelm Sun Shaozong in the professional field.

    However, in the face of Qin Kejian''s aggressive eyes, Sun Shaozong just smiled and applauded, "Lord Qin''s analysis is wonderful, but what Lord Qin speculates about the identity of the murderer?"

    "Regarding this..."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "This man is a bit conceited, but his reasoning ideas may not be wrong."

    Lu Jianxing was stunned, frowned, and said, "What do you mean, do you also suspect that an acquaintance committed the crime?"

    "Your Excellency."

    Shen Lian held his hand and said, "To be honest, my brother has been around in the Jianghu for a while, so he is more alert than my Big Brother and me. Even the brothers in the Criminal Investigation Department may not be able to trick him into killing him at night."

    After a pause, he said, "What''s more, Qin Kejian has also found out that everyone in the Criminal Investigation Department has a clear alibi."

    "As long as you are careful, you can forge a witness."

    Sun Shaozong said this, but he added, "Of course, this is just a direction of suspicion, or maybe the murderer is a top expert who is good at assassinating. What we need to do now is to confirm the attitude of the murderer when he killed!"

    "Attitude when killing?"

    Shen Lian said suspiciously, "How can we confirm this?"

    "Wounds, handwriting."

    Sun Shaozong explained, "The emotions when committing crimes are different, and there will be differences in strength, angle, and plan. As long as it is carefully observed, maybe we will be able to find out any clues."

    "Maybe?"

    "Of course, it¡¯s maybe. Who is sure there is no clue before the investigation?"

    Sun Shaozong said and then ordered, "Shen Lian, go find two corpse examiners; Lu Jianxing, help me put on the clothes with blood characters for the victim, and remember to match the blood stains on his innerwear as much as possible. Well, forget about the one soaked in rain."

    Hearing this, Lu Jianxing immediately followed Sun Shaozong''s instructions.

    Shen Lian loved to ask why. He frowned and said, "Why is that, Lord? Isn''t it easier to check the handwriting when the clothes are put together?"

    Sun Shaozong also explained, "The ¡±blood character¡± was deeply inked. It can be seen that the murderer used some strength when writing. The human body is not a piece of white paper but has muscles and bones. Therefore, when clothes are pasted on it, the same strength may not leave the same mark!"

    "By the way, it''s better to find the person who found the body and put it back the same way as it was when it was found."

 Chapter 116: The Blood Word Misgiving [Part 2]

    Chapter 116: The Blood Word Misgiving [Part 2]

    Tch!

    This is a bit awkward.

    Sun Shaozong was stunned in front of two swollen and decayed corpses. He remembered that the antiseptic methods were not up to standard these years. After ten or a half months of storage, the corpses had naturally rotted and deteriorated.

    Not to mention the drunk and Lin Zongmao, even Jin Yichuan''s corpse tends to develop a giant view.

    Therefore, the practice of covering the body with clothes to restore the scene has obviously failed.

    "Uh..."

    With Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian, they stared at each other for a while. Sun Shaozong also had to temporarily change his mind, "I''d better find some people who are similar to the dead and put on these three sets of blood clothes."

    So half an hour later, there were three unlucky men on the ground and in the corner, posing in various distorted positions.

    One moment Sun Shaozong took off their clothes and looked at them carefully, the next moment he stretched out his finger and gestured at their chest, which only made the three people''s hair stand on end...

    To be exact, two people were creepy. The other one seems to enjoy it. It seemed that he was either a guy or a double plug!

    He couldn¡¯t help it. In recent years, men''s pets were popular in wealthy or royal homes, which was more effective than in previous dynasties.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong could only try his best not to be surprised.

    But Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian were standing beside them, holding their breath. After Sun Shaozong had looked at them twice, they couldn''t help asking, "Do you... do you see anything strange, My Lord?"

    Sun Shaozong did not answer, but cut off one piece of clothing from each of the three, let Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian take it in their hands, and then wrote on it with thick ink on their fingers, and then carefully observed the penetration of the back of the cloth.

    After half a while, he finally said, "The word ¡±blood¡± outside looks no different, but Jin Yichuan''s innerwear is obviously less stained with blood than the two previous victims."

    "I''ve just tried it. The permeability of the three clothes is almost the same, and Jin Yichuan''s is even better."

    "The blood stain on the outer layer did not decrease significantly, this difference occurred because the killer''s writing speed was much faster than the previous two times." ViiSiit  for latest novels

    "So..."

    Shen Lian interjected, "That guy really had extra emotions when he faced Yichuan?!"

    "However, the heart wounds of the first three victims should be relatively smooth. The murder weapon should have been pulled out quickly after piercing the heart."

    "In addition, the wound on Lord Jin''s heart is slightly larger than that of the other three people. If it is the same weapon, it was likely stirred hard after it was pierced."

    .

    Stir hard, draw slowly, and change the writing speed...

    Sun Shaozong smacked his lips, took off his gloves and masks for dissection, and threw them into a copper basin beside him.

    He frowned and said, "Whatever the reason, when the murderer attacked Jin Yichuan, his mood fluctuation should be far greater than that of facing other victims. According to common inference, the possibility of an acquaintance committing a crime is great.."

    This case was a bit like Agatha Christie''s ABC Murder. To clear her suspicion, she first attacked innocent strangers and finally killed her real target.

    But...

    Sun Shaozong always felt that there was something strange about it.

    If it was to clear the suspicion, the murderer could adopt more covert tactics, such as sneaking an attack from behind. In this way, Qin Kejian would not suspect that an acquaintance committed the crime from the beginning.

    Moreover, if it was an acquaintance, what would be the motive?

    Jin Yichuan''s job was to confiscate the property and exterminate the family. If the murderer has an obvious motive, he should not let the murderer approach him with a weapon and not be on guard.

    "So the first three victims are just a cover?" Shen Lian hurriedly said, "His real purpose is to get rid of his suspicion of killing Yichuan?!"

    "Maybe." Sun Shaozong said, "Anyway, you should check secretly to see if anyone has forged an alibi."

    After a pause, he said, "If necessary, you can try to cooperate with Lord Qin. He should not give up his inference so easily, and most likely he is secretly investigating too."

    Hearing this, Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian knew that Sun Shaozong was ready to leave.

    They bowed to each other and said actively, "Thanks for your help! You have worked hard in the Imperial Examination Court for many days. Please go back and have a rest. When we find out something, we will go to your door and bother you again."

    "It''s not a bother."

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "I have some relation with Yichuan. What''s more, the investigation is my duty. People can''t be revived after death. Please accept my sorrow."

 Chapter 117: Visitors From Jinling

    Chapter 117: Visitors From Jinling

    For this Autumn Examination, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t enter his home for more than ten days.

    After leaving the Northern Town of Dragon Guards, he was naturally eager to return.

    He gallops the horse all the way.

    At the gate of the Sun Mansion, he saw Wei Licai, the old housekeeper, and Zhao Zhongji, the second housekeeper, waiting outside the gate, but there was no sign of his Elder Brother.

    Sun Shaozong was somewhat puzzled, so he hurriedly called Zhao Zhongji to inquire about it. Only then did he know that his Elder Brother had been transferred to look after the victims outside the city and had not returned home for six or seven days.

    "I worked a little hard this time, but it was not in vain."

    Zhao Zhongji said happily, "He has gotten more than a dozen beautiful women back. Everyone in charge of our Mansion has a share, and the Second Master''s room was stuffed with eight at a time!"

    This Elder Brother was really a thief!

    But...

    He clearly warned him not to let women pass by during Ruan Rong''s pregnancy. Why did he make such a mistake?

    Besides, didn¡¯t he already have Xiangling?

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong was ready to go back to the backyard to see what was going on. If Ruan Rong didn''t like the new arrivals, he would send them to another courtyard to settle down. If it doesn¡¯t work, he can learn from the Jia family and simply ask someone to teach them to be an entertainer.

    To his surprise, Zhao Zhongji ran after him again and said, "Second Master, in the afternoon, Uncle Xue sent an invitation to his home for dinner on the sixth day of September."

    Sun Shaozong stopped for a moment and asked, "What is he inviting here?"

    Zhao Zhongji was also not sure, "It was probably a celebration of moving to a new house because the address on the invitation was not Rongguo Mansion, but Xue Mansion on Zijin Street."

    Celebration of moving to a new house?

    In this way, the marriage between Xue Pan and the Wangs should have been finalized. Otherwise, there was no need to move out of Rongguo Mansion in such a hurry.

    "Is there anything else? You might as well finish!"

    "Yes, yes!"

    Zhao Zhongji then said, "There is also the hometown of Jinling. Yesterday, they sent some local products."

    Sun Xi wanted to be polite. Sun Shaozong waved his hand again and said impatiently, "Okay, I''m very tired of invigilating the examination in the Imperial Examination hall for a few days. I don''t want to talk to you about it. It''s settled."

    He then said, "Steward Zhao, take Sun Xi down to have a rest. This month, he will receive another regular payment from our house, which is around your monthly salary."

    Zhao Zhongji agreed and went forward to take Sun Xi down, who was so grateful.

    After they left, Sun Shaozong went to the backyard by himself.

    Ruan Rong had been waiting for a long time. It was not convenient for her to welcome him out, so she sent Xiangling as a representative and led a group of beauties to wait at the gate of the yard for a long time.

    Most of them are strangers, they were the eight beauties Zhao Zhongji said.

    But...

    This was too embryonic, wasn''t it?

    The younger one was only eight or nine years old, and the older one was only eleven or twelve years old. Was it possible that his Elder Brother had prepared a group of cloud spare tires for himself?

    Sun Shaozong was speechless when Xiangling welcomed him with joy and said with a deep salute, "Master, you are back. My sister has asked me more than a dozen times!"

    "What about you? Do you miss me?"

    Sun Shaozong smiled. Seeing Xiangling''s pretty face, he couldn''t help but want to hug her and make love to her.

    But on second thought, he had just come out of the morgue and said, "Get me the bathtub ready. I want to wash up and get rid of the bad luck and mildew!"

    After a pause, he said, "Go and report to Concubine Ruan. Tell her that I will go and see her after I finish washing."

    The servant girls were in a hurry, so they put the bath bucket in the west wing room. Xiangling led two girls aged 11 or 12, to wait on Sun Shaozong to take a bath and change clothes. After his whole body was completely refreshed, she escorted him to the main room.

    No wonder the ancients said that gentleness was the tomb of heroes.

    That night, Sun Shaozong had a long talk with Ruan Rong in the middle of the night, talking about family affairs. In the second half of the night, he fought with Xiangling in the west wing until he was exhausted.

    He forgot about the Autumn Examination, the murder case, and the bureaucratic strife!

    Unfortunately, this gentleness could only escape for a while, not for a lifetime.

    The next day, just after noon, Sun Shaozong was sleeping with Xiangling in his arms. He heard the servant girl report that Feng Xin paid a visit.

 Chapter 119: Fake the Inference [Part 1]

    Chapter 119: Fake the Inference [Part 1]

    Sun Shaozong had more confidence in the news that Feng Xin accidentally revealed.

    However, if he wanted this detail to play its role, he had to choose a suitable opportunity.

    Fortunately, it''s not urgent. There would always be an opportunity.

    "Your Excellency."

    Sun Shaozong was pondering, when he saw Feng Xin leaning forward and asked, "I heard that you went to investigate the ¡±blood character serial murder case¡± yesterday?"

    Sun Shaozong said strangely, "Why, are you also interested in this case?"

    "I''m not interested in the case, but I heard that Jin Yichuan is very fond of collecting human skins!" Feng Xin said, "It''s said that he even sleeps with human skin. He almost takes that thing as his wife. Is this true, My Lord?"

    Jin Yichuan did have a knack for skinning and cramping, but that was to extort confessions by torture, so he shouldn''t have such a perverse hobby... Right?

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "What kind of bullshit is this?! Where did you hear that?"

    "On the streets! The 49 cities have spread this rumor all over their country, and that''s not all!"

    Feng Xin broke his finger and said, "It''s said that he once got a small fortune from a pregnant woman and caused her miscarriage to make contributions. Another time, he lost a martial arts contest and falsely accused someone of keeping restricted items, resulting in exterminating everyone in his family."

    Hearing that Feng Xin was so familiar with every saying, Sun Shaozong''s eyebrows grew tighter and tighter.

    Jin Yichuan has only been dead for three days now. He was working with the Northern Dragon Guards. It was supposed that the information would be blocked relatively tightly. How could there be so many rumors?

    Besides, such absurd and strange rumors, would anyone believe them?

    "Why not?"

    Feng Xin said doubtfully, "Aren''t all the dead ahead worse than each other? The captor can forcibly occupy people''s ancestral houses, wives, and daughters. Jin Yichuan has done more evil than he seemed, right?"

    The dead were the worse ones than the others?

    This remark was like a clairvoyant''s, which immediately gave Sun Shaozong a new idea!

    He had never understood before how the murderer used the ABC murder strategy to kill Jin Yichuan, but he did not bother to cover up the suspicion of an acquaintance.

    Was it possible that the murderer killed the first three people, not to hide his identity, but to use calculating moves to let Jin Yichuan die?! Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    The more he thought about it, the more likely it was. Sun Shaozong simply got up and said, "Old Feng, I have something urgent to go to the North Town Dragon Guard. I won''t keep you today!"

    "What''s more, the murderer could have used the previous three cases to avoid being suspected of being an acquaintance, but he did not do so."

    "Does that mean that he doesn''t care about our investigation of Yichuan''s relatives and friends?"

    Sun Shaozong wrote in the paper again, ¡°The murderer was not Jin Yichuan''s acquaintance.¡±

    Finally, he picked up the paper, dried the ink on it, and reorganized it again, "Therefore, it can be inferred that the murderer was a person who was not familiar with Jin Yichuan, but for some reason would not arouse Jin Yichuan''s vigilance."

    "This man has recently forged a deep hatred with Jin Yichuan for some things."

    "But this hatred is not explicit but hidden, even indirect, so Jin Yichuan himself did not know it."

    "Therefore, the murderer launched a series of actions with the intention of letting Jin Yichuan die in disgrace, and he also provoked me with great arrogance."

    With these words, he took up his pen and wrote down the words ¡±some reason¡± and ¡±some things,¡± and then drew a circle on the words ¡±some reason.¡±

    He then continued, "It is impossible to infer the exact cause of the hatred, but Yichuan lost his vigilance against an unfamiliar person for whatever reason, we can give it a guess now."

    As he spoke, he wrote down the words ¡±intimate¡± and ¡±power.¡±

    "I think the reason is probably not beyond these two words. First, the word "intimate"..."

    "Your Excellency."

    Lu Jianxing reminded, "Yichuan is an orphan."

    "I know he is an orphan."

    Sun Shaozong shrugged his shoulders and said, "Besides, even if his relatives are not familiar with him, they will also be suspected. The word "intimate" refers to the relatives of the people close to him, such as their parents, wives, and children. They are not familiar with Yichuan, but they can..."

    "Your Excellency."

    Lu Jianxing also said, "My parents died early, and I have no wife or children at home."

    Shen Lian also arched his hand and said, "I''m also an orphan, and I haven''t married yet."

    Fine~

    The three Lonely Stars together are a perfect match!

    Sun Shaozong ticked off the word "intimate" and said, "Let''s talk about the word "power"..."

 Chapter 120: Fake the Inference [Part 2]

    Chapter 120: Fake the Inference [Part 2]

    ¡°Power?¡±

    Qin Kejian, who had been silent for a long time, heard that Sun Shaozong wanted to say the word "power,¡± but suddenly sneered. "If Lord Sun refers to the two captains of the Detective Department, you will be disappointed. They were the first ones to be excluded after I took over the case!"

    With that, he glanced at Lu Jianxing and added, "Of course, the two brothers were also excluded from suspicion. Otherwise, I would not discuss the case with them."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "I have just said that the murderer may not be Jin Yichuan''s acquaintance, but why should Lieutenant Qin still stare at the Detective Department? Is there no one with ¡±power¡± beside the Detective Department?"

    "Outside the Detective Department?"

    Qin Kejian murmured to himself for a while, then suddenly changed the color of his face and blurted out, "You... Are you suspicious of the two Lords who have the merit of suppressing and pacifying the previous war?!"

    Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to reply, he again violently shook his sleeve and angrily scolded, "Absurd! This is absurd!"

    "It''s ridiculous. Anyway, I won¡¯t dare to doubt the two governors." Sun Shaozong said, "If Jin Yichuan can survive, he will not believe it too."

    The left one dare not doubt, and the right one will not believe, who knew that he was implying a meaning opposite to what it says.

    For a moment, not only did Qin Kejian look livid, but even Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian were somewhat uncertain. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    After all, the suspected people now are the top leaders of the whole Northern Town of the Dragon Guard Department, the fourth-grade town Envoy, and the fourth-grade town Inspector.

    If he offended these two people, he¡¯s afraid that the Northern Dragon Guards would be like a rat in the street and get scolded by the citizens in the future!

    By contrast, Sun Shaozong was much more relaxed. For one thing, he now held a temporary post in the Central Judicial Office, and for another, he was still under the protection of Dai Quan, so he didn¡¯t have too many restrictions.

    And again...

    "Lord Qin is responsible for supervising this case. I¡¯m just speculating about it. It''s up to Lord Qin to decide whether to investigate or not."

    In other words, the heavy burden was put on Qin Kejian¡¯s shoulder, which was quite like the meaning of ¡±I''m only responsible for lighting the fire, you should carry the blame, or you should die.¡±

    Tch!

    Is my reasoning completely wrong this time?

    Sun Shaozong was inevitably shaken by these many doubts. After all, it was just a barely kneaded reasoning, and it was normal to have problems.

    He then discussed it with the three people again. Seeing that it was still pointless, he had no choice but to return with frustration.

    Arriving at the Northern Dragon Guard Gate, Shen Lian suddenly grabbed the reins when he saw that Sun Shaozong was about to mount his horse. He lowered his voice and asked, "Do you have a suspect in your heart, Lord?"

    "Well..."

    Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, but he said frankly, "I did have some doubts, Your Inspector."

    "You doubt our Inspector? Why?"

    "Because of the young wife of the He family."

    Sun Shaozong shrugged his shoulders and said, "Your Inspector did not hesitate to break the rules of the Detective Department for her, which shows that he was very obsessed with her. If the young lady wanted revenge, she might be able to persuade him to do it!"

    "But we were sent by the Emperor!"

    Shen Lian frowned and said, "Besides, the in-charge was my Elder Brother that day, and I was the main one when she was arrested. If she wants to take revenge, it will never be Yichuan''s turn!"

    "That''s why I didn''t say it."

    Sun Shaozong reluctantly held his hand and said, "After all, until now, there are still many mysteries in this case that have not been solved, and I only got involved in it halfway. At present, I can only put forward some assumptions and can''t get the actual evidence."

    After a pause, he smiled bitterly and said, "Even if Yichuan is the last victim, I''m afraid it will take another two days to determine."

    Shen Lian quietly loosened the reins.

    Sun Shaozong also got on his horse and ran back the way he came. He needed to return to the government office tomorrow to work. There was no progress in the case currently. He''d better go home and have fun as soon as possible to relax.

 Chapter 122: How Can We be Selfless in Judging Official Affairs

    Chapter 122: How Can We be Selfless in Judging Official Affairs

    The Lema Xie Street.

    In the Liu Er alleyway of the western city, two brothers accidentally killed their father who had persuaded them to make peace, because of a fight over four or six coins. The sentence given to the elder brother was to be hanged in prison and the younger brother, he was exiled to Guangxi, however, he wouldn¡¯t be able to return even if he was pardoned.

    On the Street of the Imperial College, there was an evil man who let his dog hurt people but later refused to repent of his death. He refused to kill the dog with a stick. At the request of the scholar of the Imperial College, he was taken into custody in the kennel for three months. He was allowed to eat and live with the dog and was not allowed to leave without permission.

    In Rouge alleyway, a shrew set fire to the brothel, causing more than ten men and women to run naked on the street and three people to be seriously injured. It was sentenced that the woman was charged to the office of the parish and her husband was compensated for all the losses.

    Tch!

    Minister Liu''s recent judgment was arbitrary.

    If a dog bit a person, lock the dog owner in the dog cage and let him eat and sleep with the dog for three months. A good woman set fire to the brothel, so she was sent to be a prostitute...

    It seemed that he hadn''t left yet, but his heart was no longer here!

    The cinnabar pen that Sun Shaozong put forward wordlessly wrote a big "refutation" on the judgment of the case of ¡±the shrew burning the brothel.¡±

    It was then noted at the top that the woman has a hot temperament, and such judgment would cause her to commit suicide. So Sun Shaozong put a note on the case, To avoid material disputes, please revise the sentence as appropriate.

    The victim might feel relieved after hearing this judgement, and it would also be passed on as an interesting story when others knew it.

    But since that woman dared to set fire to the building, she must be a face-saving and fiery master. If she was sentenced to enter the Department of Entertainment. Wasn¡¯t she forced to kill herself?

    If she really found a rope to hang herself, public opinion would probably have to be one-sided and condemn the Central Judicial Office for killing the chaste martyr.

    How could Sun Shaozong succeed in the position of Minister if Minister Liu''s deployment and promotion to other countries were affected by this?

    In the end, Minister Liu still lacked some composure in his work.

    Sun Shaozong, "regardless of age,¡¯ cast the rejected case aside and was about to continue to review other files when Cheng Rixing knocked at the door and said, "It''s time to choose for your lunch, Master."

    "Come in."

    Sun Shaozong threw away the case in his hand and saw a small official holding a tray near the door. He smiled and said, "This main dish is oily today, Master. If you don''t like it, I will ask someone to make another one."

    This was to let others know that he has moved from the ¡±cold kang¡± to the ¡±hot stove.¡±

    Not to mention how Lin Delu went around flaunting the hot soup in his hands.

    However, Sun Shaozong thought of another private matter after this, so he took advantage of lunch to listen to Cheng Rixing and said, "Mr. Cheng, is there one of the ¡±literary dealers¡± we caught at the beginning called the drunken vagary boxer, Ni Er?"

    Cheng Rixing listened to his question about Ni Er and immediately said, "Is he really a relative of yours?"

    It turned out that after the arrest of Ni Er, he kept shouting about having conflicts arise between people on one side and said he was a relative of Sun Shaozong.

    Seeing that this guy looked like a rascal, Zhao Wuwei only believed half of it, but he still didn¡¯t dare to make decisions without authorization, so he hurried to find Cheng Rixing for instructions.

    After hearing the story, Cheng Rixing asked him to take care of Ni Er.

    In this way, if Sun Shaozong mentioned it later, there would be no mistake. If Sun Shaozong did not mention this matter, he would severely punish the rascal who pretended to be an official.

    "He is now still in prison. Fortunately, he has not suffered any punishment."

    Cheng Rixing said, "If he is really a relative of yours, I¡¯ll let Zhao Wuwei let him go quietly. Anyway, this case is the job of the patrolling envoy. The file list has not been handed over to the mansion."

    "It''s not a serious relative. It''s too cheap to let him go." Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "Just give him a name for his meritorious prosecution, so that he can avoid being sent to the army. Give him a serious flogging to treat it as a lesson!"

    Cheng Rixing agreed, but he thought Zhao Wuwei should keep an eye on him and prevent him from offending his Master¡¯s relatives.

    While they were eating and talking, they suddenly heard a great commotion outside, and screams and noises came and went.

    What happened again?

    At any rate, this was also the place where the government was in charge of the punishment, but it looked like a marketplace now!

    Sun Shaozong led Cheng Rixing to go out and have a look, but all the people were pointing and looking at the sky.

    He also looked up curiously, only to see something rolling in the air, with a big rattan basket hanging underneath...

    Have hot air balloons existed in recent years?!

 Chapter 123: 5 Auspicious Symbols Falling on Mount Huang, Idiot Scholar Before Refugee Camp

    Chapter 123: 5 Auspicious Symbols Falling on Mount Huang, Idiot Scholar Before Refugee Camp

    "Back up! Back up!"

    "I¡¯m talking about you! You should kneel far away!"

    Mount Wuhuang in the south of the city.

    Although the name of the mountain was bright, it was a steep and barren slope. Because of the lack of water in the nearby Shaolin, few people were interested in it.

    However, today is an exception. Not only the whole town turned up in the 49 cities, but also many refugees from outside the city rushed to join in. This small barren mountain was besieged.

    It was the birth of the first hot air balloon in the Great Zhou Dynasty and its sudden crash caused such a spectacle!

    Of course, this was just Sun Shaozong''s idea.

    The official statement on this matter was, ¡±The auspicious omen comes from heaven and congratulates the Emperor on his ascendancy to the throne for ten years.¡± Otherwise, why didn¡¯t the auspicious omen went away and fell on Mount Huang?

    Unexpectedly, this extremely nonsense statement really bewitched many people.

    At the foot of the mountain, there was a vast area of people kneeling. Those who chanted Buddhism, worshiped Taoism, eulogized the monarch, and begged for a son spoke in harmony.

    Sun Shaozong''s immediate task was to lead the officials of one prefecture and two counties to set up a warning line at the foot of the mountain to prevent someone from bumping into the auspicious omen on the mountain.

    On the mountainside, there was a second defense line composed of Warrior Camp. Not to mention ordinary people, even court officials like Sun Shaozong were not allowed to approach at will.

    To tell the truth, Sun Shaozong was not very interested in the hot air balloon. It was not a Zeppelin airship. A glance from afar showed that it was a crude thing. What''s so strange? Visitt  for the latest updates

    But he wanted to know whether people were sitting in the hot air balloon, or whether there were transmigrated people on it!

    Although, it might not be a good thing to have two striders in the same world, Sun Shaozong still has some vague expectations.

    "What¡¯s wrong?"

    While Sun Shaozong was looking up at the top of the mountain, someone laughed and said, "Lord Sun wants to have a look at the big Kongming Lantern?"

    Kongming Lantern?!

    Sun Shaozong was stunned when he heard that the principles of these two things were indeed similar, so it was appropriate to call the hot air balloon a large Kongming Lantern.

    It¡¯s just that...

    Although the refugee camp was a mess, Sun Shaozong rode on a horse with a sword and with a valiant figure. Thus, no one dared to stop him.

    So he made his way to the gate of the military camp without any obstacles. Sun Shaozong was just about to explain his intentions, but he saw a young man on the road who was kowtowing to the ground with his head. He cried out, "Please be merciful, General, and give Ying¡¯er back to me!"

    Seeing that his forehead was blue and purple and that there were also dried blood stains, it was obvious that he had been kneeling for some time. The soldiers guarding the camp gate turned a deaf ear to him.

    This manner...

    Was it his Elder Brother who robbed his woman?

    "Lord Sun?!"

    At this moment, he saw a surprised person welcome him out and said, "Are you coming to visit my General?"

    This man seemed to be a Lieutenant under his Elder Brother. Sun Shaozong couldn¡¯t remember his exact name.

    He raised his chin at the young man, who kowtowed. Sun Shaozong asked, "What''s the matter with this man?"

    The Lieutenant glanced at the young man and said casually, "This guy keeps insisting that the woman my General bought in the morning was his childhood sweetheart. He was clamoring to ask the General to return the woman to him. If he didn''t have the reputation of a scholar, I would have sent someone to chase him away."

    Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows and said, "A childhood sweetheart? Is there an engagement?"

    Before the Lieutenant could speak, the kowtowing scholar shouted in a hurry, "Although there isn¡¯t any engagement, I have been in love with Sister Ying¡¯er for long, taking heaven and earth as evidence, and..."

    Before he finished, Sun Shaozong urged his horse to enter the military camp.

    If there was an engagement, he might still need to consider it. But how could the relationship he has received privately in these years compare with the contract of selling herself in exchange for real gold and silver?

    However, Sun Shaozong was not heartless after all. After entering the gate, he lowered his voice and said, "If this boy kneels until tomorrow morning, let him go to my house to pick the person up."

    The Lieutenant hurried and agreed.

    But Sun Shaozong said strangely, "By the way, Your Majesty has allocated a lot of money for disaster relief. Why are there still people who sell children and women?"

    The Lieutenant hurriedly explained, "You might not know. After this disaster, there are often epidemics. The young brother of the woman''s family was infected with the epidemic and had no money to ask the doctor for treatment, so she had to sell her daughter to save her son''s life."

    Tch!

    It turned out to be a pot that favors boys over girls.

 Chapter 124: The Night is Messy

    Chapter 124: The Night is Messy

    August 30.

    Sun Shaozong was in the Government office, but his heart had already flown to the Northern Dragon Guard. Whether Jin Yichuan was the last victim in the blood word case, would be decided tonight!

    He finally survived his work time in the office. Sun Shaozong was going to visit the Northern Dragon Guard to inquire about the truth.

    But he suddenly received a report from his family that Sun Shaozu had returned to the city to take a rest. He has now set up a banquet in the mansion, waiting for him to go back and drink till they drop.

    After a moment''s hesitation, Sun Shaozong sent Zhou Da to the Northern Dragon Guard and instructed him to inform him immediately if there was any news.

    Back in the Mansion, his Elder Brother waited impatiently and was playing with a newly purchased servant girl at the wine table.

    The servant girl was about thirteen or four years old. She was sprinkled with amber wine. The front of her white skirt was wide open, and her green innerwear, embroidered with a mandarin duck, was rolled up halfway. She let his Elder Brother''s beard curl up like a steel brush.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong come in, the servant girl immediately became flustered. She was determined to struggle, but she didn''t dare. Her anxious eyes were red for a moment.

    "Big Brother."

    When Sun Shaozong saw this, he had no choice but to tease, "Why don''t you take away the wine and replace it with two kilos of goat milk? It will save you from wasting your time."

    "Haha..."

    Sun Shaozu then raised his head and pinched the servant girl on the tip of her heart. He laughed, "You are a full-grown man, but you don''t know that a hungry man will always be hungry. I can''t play with women in the military camp. I''ve been vegetarian for more than ten days, and I''m almost suffocated!"

    With these words, he still let go of the servant girl.

    The servant girl was able to cover her chest and rushed out of the living room like a frightened rabbit.

    Sun Shaozu immediately stared at her and scolded, "This unruly little bitch doesn''t know how to greet the Second Master! Come on, catch up and beat her up..."

    "Forget it, forget it."

    Seeing that he was about to turn his back on him, Sun Shaozong hurriedly advised, "It''s only been a few days since you bought her. It''s inevitable to forget the rules."

    "That''s why I have to use the whip to keep their memory long!"

    Sun Shaozu said, but he ignored the servant girl. He mentioned the wine jar and poured one for Sun Shaozong. He said mysteriously, "Erlang, do you know who fell on Mount Huang that day?"

    Last time in the military camp, the two brothers guessed for a long time without getting to the point. But today, his Elder Brother seemed to have heard something.

    At the same time, he asked vaguely, "How many times have you been poked today?"

    Xiangling wants to break away, but how could she?

    She smiled and said, "Not many times. I just want to finish embroidering the handkerchief."

    "What about after embroidering? I guess your hand will be tied into a sieve before you finish embroidering the handkerchief."

    As Sun Shaozong said, he simply took her into his arms and muttered, "Since you have heard from your family, you should be happy. Why are you so restless all day?"

    "I... My mind is in a mess as soon as I am free."

    Although Xiangling didn''t point out what she said, Sun Shaozong also knew that she was ¡±homesick.¡±

    She hadn''t heard from them for more than ten years. All she thought about was all the good stuff about her family. But once she got the news, she was worried about the gain and loss. She was afraid that there would be a tragic event involving the children wanting to support their parents, but parents couldn¡¯t wait for this day.

    These two days, Sun Shaozong also said all the comforting words, but he was too lazy to say anything at the moment.

    He lowered his head and pecked at her silver dollar-like earlobe. He said with a smile, "How about I add another shift tonight to keep you busy for a while?"

    Hearing what he said in front of the servant girl, Xiangling suddenly blushed with shame, and her plump and tight body twisted in Sun Shaozong''s arms, but it stirred up his desire.

    He didn''t care about others in the room because he was drunk and had a good rub.

    When he was in high spirits, he would not leave his feet idle. He made the water splash and it was all over Ying¡¯er chest.

    When Ying''er finally cleaned and dried his feet, her front was wet. Seeing that their feet were still reluctantly hanging outside, she squatted in front of the bed and waited, not knowing whether to retreat or enter.

    "You can go down first... First."

    Fortunately, although Sun Shaozong was drunk, Xiangling was sober, and when she caught some free time, she hurriedly gave an order.

    Ying''er then hurriedly walked out with the foot wash basin in her hands. When one foot in the door and one foot out the door, she heard the sound of moaning everywhere.

    She closed the door tremulously, leaned against the wall, held the tip of her heart, and did not know how long she had been eavesdropping. She then went outside and poured the footwashing water like she was stepping on cotton.

    Patter~

    Just after the water in the basin was poured clean, a stone suddenly fell in front of her. Ying¡¯er, who was shocked, gave a low cry and looked around, but there was no movement.

    When she looked around, she suddenly found that there was a note wrapped around the stone!

 Chapter 125: The Disgruntled Woman and the Infatuated Man

    Chapter 125: The Disgruntled Woman and the Infatuated Man

    Ying''er, take care of yourself. I will save you as soon as possible!

    ¡ª¡ªChunsheng.

    Tch!

    He hasn''t heard anything for several days. He thought the scholar had given up. Unexpectedly, he sneaked into the mansion!

    Sun Shaozong crumpled the note in his hand and looked up and down at Ying¡¯er savorly.

    The girl seemed to be kneeling there, but she tried her best to hold up a pair of plump chests. Her collar was also loose, revealing a large attractive white skin. It was obvious that she had already been ¡±prepared.¡±

    This Ying¡¯er is fifteen years old this year. She was the oldest of several servant girls. Now she seemed to have the most intention!

    After looking at it for a long time, Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows and said, "Since he is your childhood sweetheart, and he is so affectionate and loyal to you, how can you betray him?"

    It turned out that this note was handed to him by Ying''er in the morning.

    Hearing the word "betrayal," Ying¡¯er''s delicate body trembled. She quickly threw her head to the ground and said decisively, "Since I came to the Mansion, I only have the Master and Madam in my heart. What he wants to do is his business, but I dare not deceive the Master." Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    Sun Shaozong smiled noncommittally and muttered to himself, "The thief stole into my mansion. How dare him!"

    He then waved, "You can go down first."

    Ying¡¯er quickly got up and twisted her small waist out of the room. From beginning to end, she never thought of helping ¡°Chunsheng¡± to say anything.

    Hehe~

    There was a saying in the drama that "the infatuated young lady is a traitor.¡± Who would have thought that there weren¡¯t less fickle and insincere women in this world.

    Xiangling had been quietly grooming on the side, but now she said, "The girl was teased by the Master yesterday. I''m afraid she was thinking of climbing high. If she had a private relationship with the poor scholar who suffered a disaster, how can she compare with being a Concubine in our family?"

    "So it''s my fault?"

    Sun Shaozong stared at her and asked, "If it were you, do you want to be a Concubine or elope with a poor scholar?"

    Xiangling deliberately pondered for a while, and then laughed. "It depends on whether you are a poor scholar or a rich man."

    Sun Shaozong also laughed. He got up and left the west wing room, but immediately asked someone to find Zhao Zhongji, the second housekeeper, and shouted, "How did you act as a housekeeper? How did you let the thieves in?!"

    "Own... Brother?!"

    Xu Chunsheng felt as if a blow had struck him. He stumbled. He would have collapsed to the ground if he hadn''t been caught. He then said, "But you... But you clearly..."

    Ying''er didn''t wait for him to finish saying, and then said coldly, "Xu Chunsheng, please don''t talk nonsense anymore. You have polluted my innocence for no reason. What good can it do to you?"

    Xu Chunsheng stared at her for a while, only to see that the girl next door who used to wear a cloth hairpin had already changed into a pink skirt of thin silk. Although the color was better than in the past, there was no tenderness between the eyebrows.

    "Sigh!"

    Xu Chunsheng finally sighed and said, "I was wrong. I shouldn''t have bothered you."

    Then he earnestly begged Sun Shaozong, "Please take good care of Ying''er, My Lord."

    This was really a seed of infatuation.

    But...

    "I don''t need you to teach me how to behave."

    As Sun Shaozong said this, he waved his hand like a fly again, "Send him to the government and lock him up first. Then let Master Cheng write a document and ask the Hebei academic officer to take back his official title, and then punish him!"

    Hearing this, Xu Chunsheng suddenly changed his face color again and said, "Lord, I''m just being rude for a while, and I haven''t done anything. How can you break my career?!"

    This fright, however, was still above the talent!

    Because the only way out for a scholar was to pass the Imperial Examination for an official. If he was indeed deprived of his official position, his future fate might not be better than that of ordinary victims outside the city!

    Sun Shaozong, however, ignored it and turned around and entered the Western Chamber.

    Ying¡¯er followed closely and closed the door neatly, but he still heard Xu Chunsheng crying out, "Lord, Lord, you can''t do this! You can''t do this!"

    This Chunsheng was indeed worthy of sympathy.

    But that was when it happened to others. When it came to himself, Sun Shaozong would not be merciful.

    If Xu Chunsheng was bypassed lightly this time, who knows if there would be Wang Chunsheng and Song Chunsheng coming to steal the beauty from their families in the future?

    Sun Shaozong was not interested in that green-colored hat!

    However, this farce made him understand some doubts in his mind.

 Chapter 126: Resolute Qin Kejian

    Chapter 126: Resolute Qin Kejian

    Half an hour later, at the Northern Dragon Guard.

    Sun Shaozong hurried to the door of the Detective Department. He was waiting to go in and talk to Qin Kejian, Lu Jianxing, and the others. Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped up the steps, several strong guards stopped him.

    "Lord Sun, please stop." Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    The leader of the small official bowed and said, "No one is allowed to enter or leave the Detective Department without Lord Qin''s order. Please don''t put us in a difficult position."

    As Zhou Da has never sent back any news, Sun Shaozong thought it was calm last night, but it seemed not so now.

    "Where''s Zhou Da?"

    Sun Shaozong looked at him and said in a deep voice, "Is he under house arrest in the Detective Department?"

    "It¡¯s not considered house arrest."

    The small official continued, "Lord Qin just asked Inspector Zhou to cooperate."

    "Cooperate?"

    Sun Shaozong sneered, "The man who detained my people didn''t even give me a heads up. Your Detective Department is really awesome!"

    While talking, he lifted his leg and rushed in.

    "Your Excellency, stop!"

    "Don''t put us in a difficult position!"

    The gate guard didn''t expect Sun Shaozong would rush in without saying a word. Because of his identity, he didn''t dare use his weapons, so he had to stretch out his hand to stop him.

    However, four people with eight arms were riding on Sun Shaozong, but they seemed like praying mantes. Instead of stopping Sun Shaozong from moving forward, they were forced to go backward!

    "My Lord, why are you here?!"

    As soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw Zhou Da coming out of the west wing room. He looked surprised, but he didn''t seem to have been abused.

    Sun Shaozong shook his shoulders and threw the four Dragon Guards to the east and west. He then frowned and asked, "What happened? Why did Qin Kejian put you under house arrest here?"

    "Well..."

    Zhou Da looked at the four Dragon Guards for a moment and hesitated. He replied, "Lord Qin went to surround and seize the murderer of Lord Jin. To prevent the news from leaking, he asked me to wait here."

    Qin Kejian has found out the real murderer?!

    This surprised Sun Shaozong. So far, he has only vaguely guessed the motive of the murderer. He hasn''t found any strong evidence, and he didn¡¯t want to be preempted by Qin Kejian.

    "So this was the case."

    Qin Kejian continued, "Ding Xiu was not a good person at all. He saw his Younger Martial Brother''s rise in the Dragon Guard, but he was still wandering in Jianghu. As time passed, he became so angry that he set up a poisonous plan to let his Younger Martial Brother die!"

    A reasonable inference!

    It even sounds more reliable than the speculation in his heart.

    But Sun Shaozong always felt that there was something wrong. He subconsciously asked, "What evidence is there?"

    "Evidence?"

    Qin Kejian snorted and said, "It''s an unforgivable crime that the two of them killed the real Jin Yichuan! As for his case of killing four people, when he is arrested and interrogated for the first time, everything will be revealed by then!"

    As expected, just like himself, it was just a deduction without evidence for the time being.

    Sun Shaozong could not help thinking about the object of his suspicion.

    "Two Lords."

    At this time, Shen Lian suddenly said, "That Ding Xiu used a Palace Guards saber. The saber is nearly five feet long. It is good for chopping and is good at piercing, but it is not suitable for stealing..."

    "Shen Lian!"

    Qin Kejian roared fiercely, stared at Shen Lian coldly, and said, "Are you questioning my speculation?"

    Shen Lian was stunned by him, but then straightened up and said to Qin Kejian, "I''m not questioning you, but I don''t think we should let go of any doubts!"

    "Haha... What a doubt!"

    Qin Kejian laughed several times and suddenly said, "Come on, take Shen Lian down!"

    A group of strong men from outside immediately rushed in. Clattered out their blades, and they surrounded Shen Lian like a fan.

    "Your Honor!"

    Seeing this, Lu Jianxing quickly bowed and said, "Although Shen Lian offended you, he did it out of public interest, not intentionally..."

    "Out of public interest?"

    Qin Kejian sneered, "This time, I set an ambush on all sides. Ding Xiu should have been unable to get away, but he escaped. I didn''t know where a mistake had occurred, but someone had leaked it!"

    "Shen Lian!"

    "Even if my inference is wrong, Ding Xiu is also an Imperial criminal. How dare you protect him privately?!"

    As he said this, he saw that Sun Shaozong seemed to want to speak, so he said ahead of him, "Lord Sun, I just suspected that Shen Lian was shielding Ding Xiu and temporarily suspended him from his post pending trial. It''s not a direct conviction. According to the rules, I''m afraid it''s not your turn to intervene."

    After saying that, Sun Shaozong was not given the chance to contradict him, and he raised his voice and said, "Come on, send Lord Sun off!"

 Chapter 127: â€˜Horse Hammer and Battle Dingxiu

    Chapter 127: ¡®Horse Hammer'' and Battle Dingxiu

    When he came, Sun Shaozong was only 60% sure of his inference, but after Qin Kejian ¡±invited¡± him out of the Northern Dragon Guard, it rose to 90%!

    Yeah~

    This time, he did not resist at all. He was obediently ¡±invited¡± out of the Detective Department by the North Town Magistrate.

    As for the reason...

    As a special investigator, Qin Kejian was obviously frightened.

    Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian might be involved in the case of Jin Yichuan''s impostor, even though their positions were low and their duties were shallow. At that time, they would not be able to protect themselves, let alone continue to investigate the case.

    Therefore, it was only a waste of time to stay in the Northern Detective Department.

    To tell the truth, Sun Shaozong hesitated before leaving the Northern Detective Department, wondering whether he would simply give up pursuing the case.

    After all, according to the current situation, even if Jin Yichuan did not mention the killing of an official who pretended to be an official, he could hardly bear the word "innocent." At best, it was a case of retribution.

    For a person who was not ¡±innocent,¡± it was not a good deal to fight with a powerful murderer!

    So Sun Shaozong''s heart was shaken.

    It¡¯s just that...

    That guy didn''t write anything else, but he left the word *"Divine Judgement" after killing someone. This murderer was clearly challenging him. If the murderer was not caught, Sun Shaozong''s mind would be incomprehensible!

    Hu~~~

    At this moment, a loud whistle suddenly came from the roadside!

    Unconsciously, Sun Shaozong followed the source of the sound and saw a strong man, like a Japanese ronin, standing on the roof of a grocery store diagonally in front of him. On his shoulder, he was carrying a long knife in both hands.

    Ding Xiu?!

    As soon as the name flashed through Sun Shaozong''s mind, he saw the man give him an evil smile, then turned around and jumped into a remote alley.

    Is there any trap set?

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong did not hesitate and hurried his horse over.

    When he entered the alley, he saw that it was empty and that there was no trace of Ding Xiu.

    But this alley was four or five hundred meters long. Ding Xiu wouldn¡¯t be able to escape that fast.

    On top!

    Sun Shaozong was about to look up when he saw a cold streak coming through, cutting both the head of a man and the head of a horse!

    Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t even think about it, and he rolled down from the horse''s back with his shoulder tilted. As soon as he rolled over and stood firm, he saw a horse''s head rolling to the ground, and the hot horse blood gushed out of the cavity for about ten feet!

    Looking at that Ding Xiu, he has been fooling around in the alley.

    "Your saber technique is good."

    "So you want to get revenge for Jin Yichuan?"

    "It''s not revenge."

    Ding Xiu cocked his mouth and said, "Naturally, only I can kill my Younger Martial Brother. If someone else steals my business, the person will naturally have to pay me some ¡±interest!¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be seen that this idiot was still double-faced!

    But...

    "Someone?"

    Sun Shaozong added, "So you don''t think I killed him now?"

    "If you were the murderer, why would you be asking now?"

    Ding Xiu said angrily, "Needless to say, I was taken as a scapegoat!"

    After a pause, he added, "This morning, a group of Dragon Guards came here inexplicably. They insisted and claimed that I killed Ding Xian. I thought I could not escape. When I was going to fight my way out, someone suddenly let me escape!"

    "At that time, it was the Dragon Guard who gave me a note saying that your fault was held by my Younger Martial Brother, so you designed to kill him!"

    Planting and framing?

    Is this the meaning of Qin Kejian or the murderer?

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "So you believe it?"

    "It''s doubtful." Ding Xiu shrugged his shoulders and said casually, "I was in a bad mood. Thus, I plan to kill first before investigating."

    This idiot is really...

    However, only such unscrupulous people were not afraid of the real murderer behind the scenes.

    Sun Shaozong thought like this and said, "If you really want to know how Jin... Ding Xian died, you might as well go and check first. When the He family of the Imperial Merchant searched and confiscated their property, what is the relationship between the rickshaw driver who died in the hands of your Younger Martial Brother and the Young Madam of the He family?"

    "The rickshaw driver? The Young Madam of the He family?"

    Ding Xiu said inexplicably, "What nonsense? It shouldn¡¯t be that you are saying that my Junior Brother was actually killed by a woman, do you?"

    "That woman is now the Concubine of Qian Ning, the Inspector of the Northern State. I heard that Lord Qian was fascinated by her."

    "You mean..."

    Ding Xiu frowned and said angrily, "Why the hell should I do such a dangerous thing?!"

    Sun Shaozong was about to give him a reason, but he saw this guy raise his head and said, "You should give some benefit, right?"

    This idiot...

    Sun Shaozong was speechless and suddenly kicked the dead horse in front of Ding Xiu. He said, expressionless, "Drag it to the butcher''s shop and sell it. All the money belongs to you."

    With that, he left the alley without looking back, leaving Ding Xiu and the horse''s blood all over the floor.

 Chapter 128: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [Part 1]

    Chapter 128: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [Part 1]

    After leaving the alley that day, Sun Shaozong waited for four or five days in a row but still did not hear a word from Ding Xiu.

    On the fifth day of September, when he was working in the government office, Qian Ning, the Northern Town Detective Department Secretary, suddenly sent an invitation.

    The invitation said that his concubine Chen [He Family''s Young Madam] had brewed good wine and wanted to invite Sun Shaozong to have a taste. It was also on behalf of the Northern Town Detective Department to thank him for his ¡±help in investigating cases¡± these days.

    This was definitely putting on a show of force!

    But...

    This was also a good opportunity. Sun Shaozong has been suspicious of Qian Ning for so long, but he has never seen the true face of Lord Qian.

    There was a saying that ¡±knowing oneself and the enemy will prevent us from getting defeated in a hundred wars.¡± Anyway, being idle was also idle. Thus, he plans to just go to see and experience. This was the ¡±elegant demeanor¡± of Lord Qian.

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong left the Yamen ahead of schedule in the afternoon, went home to change into civilian clothes, asked Zhang to prepare the carriage, and went straight to Qian Ning''s Residence.

    After arriving at Qian Ning''s mansion, Sun Shaozong became more and more sure that this guy wanted to show off or provoke him. It was because, until he followed the chamberlain of Qian''s Mansion to the flower hall in the backyard, he didn''t see Qian Ning coming out!

    "Master."

    The old housekeeper, who was over half a hundred years old, bowed outside the flower hall and said, "Lord Sun is here."

    "Yo! He really came! Haha..."

    A burst of unbridled laughter came out of the flower hall. "Then please invite Lord Sun in!"

    This was not the truth of hospitality!

    The old housekeeper looked back at Sun Shaozong awkwardly. He was about to say something, but Sun Shaozong walked in.

    Entering the flower hall, he saw dozens of palace lanterns, which were as bright as day. In front of the central round table, a couple of dogs and men were entwined.

    Although the man was more powerful, there was nothing strange about him.

    It was the woman who wore a colorful palace dress, half draped and half open. Her white jade-like shoulder was shining like porcelain under the candlelight. The goose-yellow bra propped up two plump balls, and then rose and fell with exaggerated breathing as if she could not bear the weight.

    Looking down, the woman''s feet were not even wearing inch strands. Her snowdrop-like feet were coiled on the man''s knees, and those toes were smeared with purple cardamom. They were playfully hooked up. There were still some wet traces on them, but he didn''t know whether it was wine, soup, or the man''s saliva.

    Seeing this scene, Qian Ning on the other side was unhappy. Obviously, this was not arranged by him. Of course, this guy might also be acting.

    Chen then gently opened her lips and continued, "Speaking of it, this is the second time I have met you, but I don''t know what happened last time. Do you still remember?"

    Heavy rain, headless bodies, dragon guards, gorgeous women...

    If he could forget all this, then that would be weird!

    Sun Shaozong nodded, then Chen asked again, "Someone said that I am a woman who makes people think of bed at first sight. What do you think?"

    Between these two questions...

    Was there any connection?

    Sun Shaozong only frowned and was waiting to be questioned, but suddenly his leg was heavy. It was Chen who cocked up her jade foot and frivolously put it on his leg!

    The white marble-like soles of the feet were slightly stained with some dust, which seemed like a pearl covered with dust. People could not help but want to reach out and hold it to sweep all the dust away.

    "Rushuang! What are you doing?!"

    Qian Ning suddenly slammed the table. The shaking cups and plates were a mess. Seeing that he was full of jealousy, he didn''t seem to be acting.

    "Hahaha..."

    Chen Rushuang smiled casually, and then continued, "Some people just think about it, but others really do it, and the first one is my elder brother!"

    With this, the flower hall seemed to be quiet for a while.

    Both men looked at Chen Rushuang and listened to her continue to say, "I was only twelve years old that year. At first, I was afraid and angry naturally but as soon as I tasted the sweetness of it..."

    Speaking of this, Chen Rushuang smiled charmingly. "It''s not the kind of sweetness you think!"

    "Since then, my brother has been obedient to me. No matter what requirements I have, he tried his best to meet me. That is why I have the opportunity to go out and see the outside world."

    "At that time, I often dressed up as a man, went hunting in the countryside with my brother, went fishing by the river, went to the poetry club to talk with those talented people, and even went to the brothel whorehouse to meet those best quality women!"

    "That''s why I got to know Zhang Lang."

    Speaking of this, she smiled at Sun Shaozong charmingly and said, "It was the man who was killed by Jin Yichuan in front of you that day."

 Chapter 129: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [Part 2]

    Chapter 129: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [Part 2]

    It was indeed like that.

    On that day, the Dragon Guards broke into the He mansion. Although they killed three people and seriously injured six or seven, they were sure that Jin Yichuan was the one who started it.

    So Sun Shaozong asked Ding Xiu to investigate the relationship between the coachman and Chen Rushuang. But unexpectedly, Ding Xiu had not heard from Chen Rushuang, yet Chen Rushuang confessed first.

    It seemed that today''s dinner was not as simple as trying to provoke him.

    "Enough!"

    At that moment, Qian Ning said fiercely, "You''ve only had a few cups. Why are you so rude in front of Lord Sun? You disgraceful thing, get back now!"

    Chen Rushuang glanced back at him and said with a smile, "Why are you worried, Master? I didn''t mention the matter of you killing Jin Yichuan..."

    Clang!

    Before Chen Rushuang could finish his words, Qian Ning overturned the table and cursed bitterly, "What a bitch! I think I have treated you well, but you are so cruel to me. What a vigorous woman!"

    Chen Rushuang seemed to have prepared him from turning hostile. As soon as the round table was lifted, she went into Sun Shaozong''s arms like a cat. Sun Shaozong was even more honest and unkind. He put a backhand on her waist and firmly fixed her two pink arms. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    "Lord Sun!"

    Seeing this, Qian Ning was annoyed that there were blue veins on his forehead, and he gritted his teeth hard in his mouth. He asked word by word, "Do you want to cover up on this bitch?"

    "Cover up?"

    Sun Shaozong shrugged and said, "Your Excellency is saying too seriously. Since she is framing you, why don''t you just wait for her to finish talking and then deal with it? In any case, the truth cannot be fake, and false can''t be true."

    Qian Ning stared at him for a while with a gloomy face, but he really became silent and sat back in his chair heavily.

    Seeing this, Sun Shaozong was not satisfied but became more and more vigilant.

    The guy''s chest heaved like a bellow, and his face turned purple. He was in a state of uncontrollable anger, but he sat back obediently.

    Sun Shaozong raised his hand as if to applaud, but he changed his mind halfway. He took advantage of the situation and smiled. "If you go to Xuanmiao Nunnery, you must also be as kindhearted as a Bodhisattva too!"

    This Xuanmiao Nunnery was famous in the Capital. Its most distinctive feature is ¡±contribute their body.¡± It was for those ¡±Buddha worshiping¡± dignitaries and nobles to experience the beauty of ¡±wine and meat going through the intestines and Buddha sitting on the legs.¡±

    This was clearly a taunt, but Chen Rushuang only glanced at Sun Shaozong and then continued, "Who knew, after I offered my thoughts, Zhang Lang refused in every way. Finally, I was so angry that I told him all my actions with others!"

    "I thought he would despise me like Lord Sun, but after hearing this, he cried. He said it was not my fault that those shameless men hurt me. He knelt and begged me not to belittle myself anymore..."

    Speaking of this, the tears in her eyes could no longer be hidden, and they slid down her cheeks. But she still smiled and asked, "Lord Sun, do you think he is stupid?"

    This time, Sun Shaozong didn''t answer. Instead, he leaned lazily on the chair, squinting his eyes, and looked comfortable.

    When Chen Rushuang saw that he didn''t answer, she went on, "I was so embarrassed that I didn''t pay any attention to him for months. Until that day, a group of Dragon Guards broke into the He Mansion and accused the He¡¯s of treason."

    "Everyone in the He family panicked. My boastful husband would just fly around his father and cry. He had no idea at all."

    "My father-in-law is a person that killed decisively in the market normally, and many people were killed. At that time, he carried a sword that could chop off hair easily. He killed himself six times, but he couldn''t cut the skin on his neck."

    "Seeing this, I knew that the He family was over, and I was... finished too!"

    "But at that moment, Zhang Lang suddenly stepped forward and took me out of the He Mansion at risk. He also got a carriage ready to take me out of the city."

    "I asked him where he was going to take me."

    Speaking of this, Chen Rushuang once again smiled and asked, "Lord Sun, do you want to guess how he answered?"

    This time, Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, then guessed, "Is it the end of the world?"

    "No."

    Chen Rushuang shook her head forcefully as if to break her snow-white neck, and then said word by word, "Before he could speak, Jin Yichuan beheaded him!"

    After a pause, she added with a smile, "By the way, there was an official called ¡±Justice Divine Judgement¡± who stood opposite and looked on coldly. Later, he even asked the dog thieves of the Dragon Guard if they needed help. Do you think it''s funny?"

 Chapter 130: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [Part 3]

    Chapter 130: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [Part 3]

    When Chen Rushuang said, ¡±Isn¡¯t it funny?¡± Chen Rushuang laughed with tears in her eyes.

    "Sigh!"

    Sun Shaozong sighed and said helplessly, "In fact, I wanted to say that I arrived after the death of the brother ¡±cockroach,¡± but it''s meaningless to say these things at the moment. Let''s talk about your seventh intimate friend?"

    "My seventh intimate friend?"

    Chen Rushuang casually wiped her face with her sleeve and said, "Why, you still want to know how Lord Qian killed Jin Yichuan and others?"

    "Actually, it''s not a big deal. Since Zhang Lang died, I vowed to let Jin Yichuan die in disgrace, so I took the opportunity to bewitch Qian Ning and help me get rid of him..."

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve misunderstood, Lady Rushuang."

    Sun Shaozong suddenly interrupted her, shook his head, and said, "The brother ¡±cockroach¡± is at most your soulmate, but it can''t be called an intimate friend, so Lord Qian should be the sixth, and what I want to know is the person who is behind Lord Qian."

    After a pause, he added, "More accurately, it is the person who helped you poison the wine!"

    Sun Shaozong had wondered why Qian Ning would sit back quietly and let Chen Rushuang tell the cause and effect of the case.

    The moment Chen Rushuang broke free from his shackles, he suddenly realized that the wine was drugged. Instead of taking the initiative to sit back, Qian Ning had no choice but to sit back quietly!

    Unfortunately, he realized this a little late.

    But it couldn¡¯t be blamed on Sun Shaozong''s carelessness. Who would have thought that Qian Ning would dare to poison the wine with a grand treat?!

    As for Chen Rushuang...

    Sun Shaozong also didn''t think that Qian Ning would give things like overpowered drugs to her.

    Who would have thought that Chen Rushuang not only got the overpowering drug but also managed to take Qian Ning down?

    Considering Chen Rushuang''s current identity, there must be another accomplice hidden among them, namely the so-called Seventh Lover.

    "Hahaha..."

    Chen Rushuang covered her mouth with a small smile and then applauded, "Lord Sun is really a smart man. Yes, I do have another lover, and I fell in love with him after I arrived at the Qian Mansion."

    "Damn you, bitch!"

    Qian Ning held his breath for a long time. Hearing this, he finally couldn''t help cursing.

    Chen Rushuang smiled even more happily. She came forward and gently stroked Qian Ning''s cheek. She murmured, "You can¡¯t blame me, Master. Who told you not to help me kill Lord Sun, and you were an official of the Dragon Guard?"

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong thought of it like a lightning flash and shouted, "Be careful!"

    In an emergency, he didn''t even have time to explain who he was reminding.

    But Ding Xiu still understood!

    He did not hesitate to stretch out his hand and block Chen Rushuang in front of him.

    Hiss~

    At the same time, a dark steel nail suddenly popped out of the jade buckle on Qian Ning''s belt and nailed it on Chen Rushuang''s shoulder in a flash!

    The place should be Ding Xiu''s heart!

    After Ding Xiu escaped a disaster, he did not look at Chen Rushuang but pushed her directly into Qian Ning''s arms to prevent another steel nail from shooting out. He then went forward carefully and took off Qian Ning''s belt.

    Pak~

    He conveniently used the belt to slap Qian Ning in the face and said with a smile, "Well done, Old Qian, it''s really hard for you to endure such a long time before taking action."

    Judging from the situation just now, Qian Ning must have been aware that he was poisoned, so he decided that Chen Rushuang still had a helper. Otherwise, he should have shot Chen Rushuang with a concealed weapon from the start.

    Qian Ning''s body trembled, and Chen Rushuang slowly fell to the ground.

    In this short period, the woman who was just as beautiful as a flower and as venomous as a snake turned out to be black as ink, with dark brown blood flowing from her mouth. It was obvious that the steel nail was coated with poison!

    Why was it so hard?

    Sun Shaozong looked at the dying woman and couldn''t help feeling sorry.

    At this time, Chen Rushuang raised her head and hissed, "Pro... Promise me, kill... Kill them!"

    Damn!

    This vicious woman!

    Sun Shaozong''s little sadness immediately turned into nothing.

    Ding Xiu shrugged his shoulders and said, "Don''t worry. Since I have collected all the silver, I will help you handle it properly."

    Chen Rushuang then closed her eyes with relief and dropped her head, completely silent.

    "Sigh, she was once a talented woman with such love and justice. It''s a big loss."

    Ding Xiu muttered, got up, and put the long knife on his shoulder. He smiled at Sun Shaozong and said, "Lord Sun, for the sake of reminding me just now, why don''t you choose your way to die?"

 Chapter 131: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [End]

    Chapter 131: The Dinner Banquet of the Qian Mansion [End]

    Hearing what Ding Xiu said, Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes and asked, "Am I an enemy of you?"

    "Of course!"

    Ding Xiu nodded without hesitation. "I vomited several mouthfuls of blood the day you beat me, and I never forgot!"

    "You made a sneak attack first, okay?!"

    Sun Shaozong said speechlessly, "Besides, didn''t I let you live that day? In addition, I saved your life today. These two lives together, how can they be more valuable than those blood?"

    "What you said is logical too.."

    Ding Xiu pretended to be embarrassed and pulled out his ear. He pointed to Chen Rushuang on the ground and said, "But I have received money from others and promised to take your life. I can¡¯t fail to live up to promises, right?"

    "Bah!"

    Sun Shaozong scorned and said, "I also gave you a horse. Haven''t you also not sent any news back? How do you still have the face to say, ¡±fail to live up to promises¡±?!"

    He then said, "Let''s stop talking. If you want to kill me, just give me a shot. If you don''t want to kill me, kill Lord Qian and run away."

    When Ding Xiu heard the words, his face was a little angry. Without saying a word, he cut Sun Shaozong in the neck with his sword. When he was about to cut Sun Shaozong by the neck, his hand changed position again, and his saber slipped past Sun Shaozong''s ear.

    He slowly takes back his long saber. Seeing Sun Shaozong''s face was not afraid but showed such a smile, Ding Xiu couldn''t help spitting and scolding, "Shit, I hate you so much. You are at your death, but you don¡¯t know how to give some benefit!"

    Sun Shaozong just smiled and didn''t answer.

    Among the three people present, including Chen Rushuang, the one who was most likely to let him go was Ding Xiu.

    So Sun Shaozong just started to warn.

    Now it seems that the bet was right!

    "Good man, good man!"

    At this time, Qian Ning shouted, "As long as you kill Lord Sun, I will guarantee you a lifetime of prosperity and wealth!"

    Sun Shaozong sneered, "With Qin Kejian''s hurry nature, even if there is no evidence, he will also buckle this shit on your head. You''ve killed four anyway, and what''s so strange about killing three more?"

    Ding Xiu''s face broke down, and he said dispiritedly, "What benefit do I have if I let you go? Will you help me get rid of the crime?"

    "Of course not!"

    Sun Shaozong said without concealing, "I will tell the truth, otherwise the suspicion of killing the senior members of the fourth grade will fall on me."

    After a pause, he said, "But I can help you get rid of the charge of killing Jin Yichuan and others."

    "How can you get rid of it?"

    "Simple!"

    Sun Shaozong said with confidence, "First, you should leave a blood poem on the wall to show that you are an upright man. The senior officer of the fourth grade is killed without hesitation. But it was not you who killed him. Don¡¯t plant the blame on you!"

    "Remember that the more arrogant the words are, the better. You''d better leave a few more blood fingerprints so that people can be sure that you did it. In this way, you can also kill Qin Kejian. By the way, he¡¯s the guy who planted you and led people to round you up!"

    "After you escape from Qian''s Mansion, don''t forget to make some noise, so that the servants in the mansion can come to check. The bigger the noise, the better, because the more people come, the safer I am!"

    "At that time, I will naturally tell the cause and effect!"

    Ding Xiu looked at him up and down and sighed. "It¡¯s so difficult for you to be so young but so cunning. This is not going to clear my name. It''s obvious to excuse yourself!"

    Sun Shaozong shrugged, "If you don''t think so, I have no objection."

    "Alright."

    Ding Xiu sighed again and said with a straight face, "The only problem at the moment is that I can''t write poems, I don¡¯t even know words!"

    Sun Shaozong was stunned, then frowned and said, "But didn''t you say that the people of the Dragon Guard gave you a note?"

    Ding Xiu said angrily, "Don''t you know that there are people who read family letters for generations on the street? I cut the note into several sections and ask them to read it separately. Naturally, I know what it means."

    Sun Shaozong was silent. The two of them stared at each other for a while. Finally, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to say, "Go ahead. I''ll find another way to wash the crime away."

    Ding Xiu did not show any affectation. He walked out of the flower hall. After a while, he heard the noise in front of him. Then there was a noise of footsteps from outside...

 Chapter 132: The Double Ninth Festival

    Chapter 132: The Double Ninth Festival

    For Sun Shaozong, the Double Ninth Festival in Guangde in the past ten years has been a day of "to be delivered from oppression.¡±

    Because of the murder of Qian Ning, he was detained in the North Town Detective Department for three days. If Dai Quan had not spoken for him in the Palace, he might have had to ¡±cooperate in the investigation.¡±

    But on the Double Ninth Festival, Sun Shaozong was held in his arms by his Big Brother when he had just left the gate of the North Town Detective Department.

    A hundred pounds of strength hit his back and tons of inquiries about his well-being.

    Only then did he know that after he was detained in the North Town Detective Department, his Big Brother immediately asked for a long vacation and stayed outside the North Town Detective Department all day and night.

    Although Sun Shaozong was deeply moved, this North Town Detective Department was not the place to talk after all, so he only told his elder brother that he was not abused, and the two brothers left to return to Sun Mansion. Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    "The Second Master is back!"

    "The Second Master has returned to the Mansion~!!"

    When they got outside the Sun Mansion, they didn''t wait for the carriage to stop steadily.

    Wei Licai, the old housekeeper, burst into tears and rushed under the wheels.

    Sun Shaozong was so scared that he jumped out of the carriage and held the old housekeeper in his hand. Before he could speak, the old housekeeper reached up and down and said nervously, "Second Master, are you hurt? Let me see!"

    He then stamped his foot and scolded, "Zhao Zhongji, why are you so stupid? Why don''t you take that soft sedan chair out?"

    Zhao Zhongji winced at his scolding and went to the door, wanting to ask someone to bring the sedan chair out.

    "Come back!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly stopped him and smiled at the old housekeeper. "Don''t you think I''m doing well? I''m an Assistant Investigator in the North Town Detective Department, and it¡¯s not like I broke the King''s law. I eat and drink every day, and I''m getting fatter."

    His Big Brother also came down from the horse and assured the old housekeeper that he was relieved. He then told Zhao Zhongji to send all the doctors away to avoid misfortune.

    Later, Sun Shaozong, witnessed by dozens of servants, stepped over a flaming brazier and finally entered his home.

    It''s no wonder that the family members were so fussy. In the eyes of the world, the North Town Detective Department was no different from Hell and the scene of bloody slaughter. However, it''s considered light to be involved in the case and get skinny and cramped. Any simple crime could cause the punishment of confiscating the property and killing the members of an entire family!

    When he entered the Mansion, Sun Shaozong was going to have a chat with his Big Brother in the living room. But just after walking around the screen wall, he saw two servant girls, Shi Liu and Fu Rong, looking around at the side door.

    After seeing Sun Shaozong, Ruan Rong and Xiangling soon appeared behind the side door.

    "Brother."

    Sun Shaozong carefully picked Ruan Rong up and said with a smile, "Go and see what father-in-law wrote in the letter!"

    "Let me down, let me down!"

    Ruan Rong pretended to struggle a few times, but she had already attached her hands to his heart.

    Xiangling looked back and felt envious, but she knew her position and dared not be jealous.

    So she swaggered to the backyard, but Sun Shaozong stopped suddenly, looked at the flower bed nearby curiously, and asked, "People enjoy flowers and drink wine in the Double Ninth Festival. Why did you pull all the flowers up?"

    There were only pits in the garden. There was no flower or grass.

    "I''m going to change it into chrysanthemums."

    Ruan Rong said with her mouth twitching, "Who knew that you had an accident when I just shoveled away those peonies and roses, who in the whole family have the mind to buy and tidy the chrysanthemums?¡±

    To celebrate the Double Ninth Festival, they need to shovel hundreds of flowers and plants and replace them with new chrysanthemums.

    If he thought about the victims outside the city who were naked, it was really the red-lacquered doors of wealthy homes where there were frozen bones on the great meat dishes and wine!

    However, although he sighed with emotion, they should not skip the festival because of the victims, right?

    Sun Shaozong then said, "If you want to enjoy the flowers, let''s go to find a suitable place in the morning. You''ve been at home for several months, and it''s time to go outside and take a breath of fresh air."

    Ruan Rong was excited but hesitated for a moment. "Let''s see what my father wrote in the letter first."

    Right, if his father-in-law plays the trick of "cutting ties,¡± how could she enjoy the flowers?

    "Okay, let''s read the letter first."

    Sun Shaozong said, and he was ready to step forward.

    "Second Master, Second Master!"

    To his surprise, a woman rushed to the front and said out of breath, "Second Master Lian, Second Master Bao, and Master Xue of the Rongguo Mansion, as well as the small office of Shenwu General''s Mansion, and Master Feng [Feng Xin] of Fengzui Lane, have all come to visit you!"

    These guys were really well-informed.

    After Sun Shaozong hesitated, Ruan Rong struggled down to the ground, pushed him on his chest, and said, "Go quickly. Don''t let others wait long."

    "Then you can''t open the letter alone!"

    As Sun Shaozong said this, he gave Xiangling a signal and motioned for her to keep an eye on her, so that Ruan Rong could not open the letter alone and get any more stimulation.

 Chapter 134: Seeing Old Clothes Annoys New People

    Chapter 134: Seeing Old Clothes Annoys ''New People''

    Zijin Street.

    Originally, it was named because there was a Zijin Temple on the street. However, because of the pleasing name, quite a few rich businessmen have settled here recently. The word ¡±Zijin¡± has another meaning.

    More than ten years ago, the Xue family bought quadrangle dwellings here to settle down in the Capital.

    However, in these years, because Xue Pan''s father died young, Concubine Xue always liked to live with her sister and brother, hoping to look after them, so the dwellings remained empty for a long time.

    So before the Xue family moved here, they made a lot of repairs.

    It''s said that Xue Pan was the master. Considering his taste...

    At noon on the eleventh day, when Sun Shaozong arrived, he saw the golden door of Xue Mansion shining in the sun from a distance.

    When he got close, he saw Xue Pan standing on the steps in bright red, with a gold and a silver chrysanthemum pinned to his head. When the wave of the wind blows, the petals swing in the wind, which was unspeakable.

    "Second Brother!"

    Before the carriage stopped steadily, Xue Pan greeted him cheerfully and said with a grin, "You are here!"

    As he spoke, he reached out to help Sun Shaozong get off the carriage.

    Sun Shaozong took a step and jumped out for more than half a foot. He naturally avoided his help and looked up at the shining gate. He could not help saying, "Are you not afraid to attract a thief!"

    "Who dares!"

    Xue Pan stared at him, "If there is one, I will kick and explode his eggs first without the help of your Yamen Runner!"

    He then said proudly, "Let''s go, Brother. Let me show you around this rare place!"

    Sun Shaozong followed him up the steps. When they reached the gate, no one opened it.

    Swish!

    When he was hesitating whether to open it, Xue Pan blew a loud whistle, and the two gates opened slowly, revealing two... elephants hiding behind them?!

    To be exact, these were two little elephants who were more than one person tall. They were all washed and their bodies looked shining and had golden crowns on their heads. They look very cute.

    "Aung!"

    After the gate was slowly opened, the two young elephants rolled up their noses and gave a cheerful cry.

    "Well, isn''t it good to see?"

    As soon as they entered the door, Xue Pan introduced him to her, "This is the person I often tell you about, Sun Shaozong, the Second Brother Sun!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly bowed to the end and said, "Greetings to the Old Lady."

    "Please get up quickly."

    Concubine Xue seldom dealt with outsiders. Seeing that Sun Shaozong was one head taller and two circles stronger than her son, even if he bowed, he still brought out a sense of oppression that no one else had. She became more and more nervous.

    Fortunately, she recited her lines half a day in advance, and she didn''t stutter on the spot.

    She said, "My Wenlong [Xue Pan''s character is Wenlong] is useless. He usually only communicates with some bad friends and didn¡¯t think that he would be able to make such good friends with a young hero like Lord Sun. I hope that you will pay more attention to him every day. Don''t let him cause any more trouble."

    There was something else to say, but Concubine Xue suddenly noticed that Sun Shaozong was hunched down, and his eagle-like eyes were just staring at her towering chest!

    Concubine Xue was shocked and angry. She was not happy to talk to outsiders, but she was worried about her son. She just wanted to pass over a few words face-to-face. Who would have thought that Sun Erlang''s reputation was so great, but he was such a pervert and a rude lecher?

    If it were not for the fear of causing trouble, both of them would turn to the bad side. She wanted to leave with a straight face!

    But...

    It was she who wronged Sun Shaozong.

    Even if Sun Shaozong was so lecherous, he would not peep at Xue Pan''s mother in public.

    The reason why he was so tactless was that Concubine Xue was wearing the same clothes that he used to hide Ping¡¯er''s shame when he was in Yiran Pavilion!

    This was really a coincidence!

    Sun Shaozong sighed in his heart, but he suddenly found that Concubine Xue''s handkerchief had been twisted into a fried dough twists shape and that the well-maintained face was also a bit angry at this time...

    Oops!

    Sun Shaozhong found something wrong at that time. He quickly took his eyes off the clothes and wanted to explain something. But how would he dare to say something about indulging in secret relations with women?

    In a dilemma, Xue Pan said impatiently, "Mother, if you have nothing else to tell me, my second brother and I will go to the front to drink and enjoy the chrysanthemum."

    Concubine Xue took a deep breath, and then coldly threw out two words, "Go!"

    Tch!

    He was misunderstood!

    Sun Shaozong secretly complained, but he bowed and followed Xue Pan out of the living room.

 Chapter 135: Xue Baochai Tactfully Counsels her Mother for his Brothers Sake

    Chapter 135: Xue Baochai Tactfully Counsels her Mother for his Brother''s Sake

    Bang!

    As soon as the servant girl and the nannies left the room, Xue-Wang immediately brushed off several cups.

    The celadon from the official kiln of the Northern Song Dynasty was broken into eight pieces on the ground, and Xue Baochai, who had just entered, was shocked.

    After seeing clearly the angry look on her mother''s face, Baochai did not hurry to ask the truth. Instead, she shouted outside and said, "Sister Tongxi, I dropped a cup by mistake. Please send someone in to clean it up."

    With that, he went forward and pulled Xue-Wang into the room.

    Until the servant girl outside was busy cleaning and took away the fragments of the cup, Xue Baochai then said, half coquetry and half complaint, "Mom, they haven''t been far away and you have slammed the cups down. If this was leaked, how can my brother get close to Lord Sun in the future?"

    "Does such people..."

    Xue-Wang was so angry that she wanted to spit out Sun Shaozong''s rude behavior just now, but when it came to her words, she forced herself to hold back. She was a widow for many years, so how could she say such things in front of her daughter?

    She then changed her words stiffly, "You all praise that Lord Sun is unordinary. But today, I see that he is not as famous as those in the small Yamen of the Shenwu General''s family! Let Pan''er stay away from him in the future!"

    Xue Baochai knew that there must be a secret behind her, and she was busy showing her soft and hard ways to ask the truth.

    Xue-Wang evaded her for a few words, but when she saw that she could not defeat her, she had to say, "That guy''s eyes are good. He just... stared at me in front of your brother!"

    While talking, she turned the handkerchief into a fried dough twist with a red face.

    "What?!"

    Xue Baochai stared in amazement, paused, and then couldn''t help adding, "How could that be?!" Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    Xue Wang didn''t want to talk about it in detail, but when she saw that her daughter didn''t believe what she said, she was very angry.

    For a moment, she didn''t care about the taboos of decency. He raised his hand to hold half of her heavy conscience and angrily said, "I saw his thief move, looking straight here. Can it be fake?"

    Xue Baochai could not help but disbelieve the ¡±heavy evidence¡± before her eyes, so her evaluation of Sun Shaozong fell by half in an instant, and some disappointment still haunted her heart.

    However, after a moment''s hesitation, Xue Baochai, thinking of her current situation, said on behalf of Sun Shaozong, "It''s human nature to admire as a young man. Don''t mention others, doesn¡¯t my brother have the same problem? Even Brother Bao. At a young age, he already has... has..."

    Baochai breathed a sigh of relief. She then reasoned, "Mom, if you are annoyed by him, you can just not call him in to speak, but you should never let my brother know about it!"

    "Although Minister Wang promised to promote brother, how could he easily control the intrigues in the official arena?"

    "Our Uncles can advise a few words for us, but my brother is stubborn, and he may not follow the elders'' instructions."

    "Only Lord Sun, who can convince my brother and cut through the difficulties in the officialdom, is his best help in the future!"

    "Therefore, you must not indulge in temporary likes and dislikes, which will ruin the brother''s future."

    When Xue-Wang heard this, she was stunned for a long time. At last, she suddenly said, "Dear, do you like that Sun Erlang?"

    This time it was Xue Baochai''s turn to blush. She stamped her foot and said angrily, "What do you mean?! I was just... I was just planning for my brother. Why did I become... Besides, how could I like a rough man who wields knives and guns?!"

    Xue-Wang burst out with a smile, put out her hand, and poked a finger at her forehead. She said with a smile, "So you still like the weaker one, such as Baoyu?"

    "Mom!"

    Xue Baochai could not resist any longer. She threw her handkerchief to hide her face and left.

    After watching her daughter leave, Xue-Wang smiled on her own for a while again and then sat in front of the dresser.

    Looking at those red cheeks in the mirror, and thinking about her daughter''s words just now, she suddenly held her face, and a cherry-like little mouth gushed, "What a shame!"

    She didn¡¯t know whether this sudden remark was cursing others or herself...

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    When Sun Shaozong and Xue Pan arrived in the back garden, they saw a young man waiting for a long time in the sea of chrysanthemums. It was the Second Master Bao of the Rongguo Mansion.

    It turned out that Xue Pan had invited Jia Baoyu and Feng Ziying to accompany him yesterday, in addition to Sun Shaozong. Baoyu was a relative of the family, so he naturally arrived early, but Feng Ziying was late.

    "Second Brother."

    The three people made a few polite remarks to each other, and then listened to Baoyu''s conversation and asked curiously, "I saw that your flower beds were all bulldozed to the ground that day. I don''t know what the meaning of this new rule is?"

    Hearing that he asked about this matter on his own initiative, Sun Shaozong smiled bitterly. He was about to explain the reason, but suddenly he had an idea again, and he thought, why not turn the trick to his own use?

 Chapter 136: Basic Skills of Criminal Investigation

    Chapter 136: Basic Skills of Criminal Investigation

    Originally, Sun Shaozong planned to find a suitable opportunity to give Jia Lian the construction price list.

    Based on Wang Xifeng''s greed, knowing that there was such a directory, he would definitely compare it with the cost of his own garden. At that time, Lai Da''s act of filling his pockets would inevitably be exposed.

    However, there was an obvious loophole in this plan.

    If Wang Xifeng used to embezzle extensively when she was supervising the construction of the other courtyards, she and Lai Da would become afraid. In the end, they might only compromise with each other.

    For this reason, Sun Shaozong once considered sending the price list directly to Jia Zheng.

    Unfortunately, the Old Second Master of the Rongguo Mansion, who worked in the Ministry of Public Work, learned from those scholars and spent all day writing, ignoring the people''s livelihood and economy.

    If the price list was sent to him, it would be handed over to Lai Da for verification. At that time, not only would Lai Da not be defeated, but Sun Shaozong''s real intention would also be exposed.

    It was precisely because of this kind of concern that Sun Shaozong struggled for a long time and failed to send the price list.

    But...

    Today, he found a more suitable candidate, Jia Baoyu!

    Although Jia Baoyu was still young and has not participated in the management work of the Rongguo Mansion, he has strong support!

    The most important thing about the Lai family was that they were favored by the Old Lady. However, compared with Jia Baoyu, the favor of the Master and a Servant was obviously not of the same magnitude.

    In this case, Jia Baoyu belonged to the victim completely, and there was no possibility of associating with Lai Da and others. In addition, Baoyu has always been capricious. As long as he could arouse his interest, he didn¡¯t have to worry that he wouldn¡¯t investigate to the end.

    Therefore, after figuring out the gains and losses in his mind, Sun Shaozong followed the trend and said with a wry smile, "Isn''t the garden at home too small to grow many flowers and plants? Every year, to enjoy chrysanthemums in the Double Ninth Festival, each household has to fight hard to replace all the flowers and plants in spring and summer."

    After a pause, he sighed again. "This year, just after the old ones were shoveled, I happened to be locked in the Northern Detective Department. The people at home were so worried that they naturally didn''t want to change the flowers to chrysanthemums."

    If ordinary people listened to this, they would probably smack their tongues at the extravagance of the Sun Mansion.

    But how could such rich and noble idlers as Xue Pan and Jia Baoyu care about silver?

    When his big talk was blown out, he gained Daiyu''s admiration. But for several months, he had made no progress except reading some miscellaneous investigation scripts. Instead, he unlocked several new gestures through that script.

    In addition, Daiyu and Tanchun asked from time to time, and Jia Baoyu was inevitably anxious.

    So he took the initiative to come here today. In fact, he wanted to ask Sun Shaozong for an idea to see how he could achieve his goal.

    At this time, Sun Shaozong talked about the basic skills of investigating cases. He immediately became energetic, leaned forward, and asked, "Second Brother, tell me what basic skills are necessary for solving cases?"

    Although it was a bit off-topic, when Xue Pan was also heckling, Sun Shaozong bent his fingers and said, "Let''s not ignore the details. I think the most important thing in investigating cases is to keep the curiosity."

    "Stay curious?"

    "Yes, if you are not interested in the case, or even curious about the truth behind the scenes, how can you persevere in pursuing it?"

    Jia Baoyu thought about it carefully and agreed that this was reasonable. After another ¡°self-review," he said excitedly, "I don''t lack curiosity! Go on, Second Brother, what else?"

    "Second, having a keen eye is an observation ability. If you can find more information than others at the crime scene, you will be closer to the truth."

    "What''s more, it is necessary to accumulate enough knowledge, so that you won''t miss any important clues because of ignorance when facing complicated secret cases."

    "Finally, it is the ability to sort out information. If you can sort out a relatively clear context from the seemingly unorganized clues, you will get twice the result with half the effort in solving the case!"

    "Of course, there are many other abilities that need to be used, such as good memory, but I think they are less important than these four."

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong said, "In addition to the first one, the most basic of the remaining three is keen observation. If you can''t even collect information well, no matter how rich your knowledge is or how you can sort out clues, these skills will be useless."

    "I see!"

    .

    When Jia Baoyu heard this, his eyes were shining, and he did not hesitate to do everything. "In this case, it will be on me. Don''t worry, my Second Brother. I will find out for you clearly!"

    Weird kids were sure easy to fool.

    Sun Shaozong was secretly complacent, but he smiled genially and said, "For the first time you investigate alone, don''t hurry to set too high a goal. I had just collected some materials and prices, I will send them to you tomorrow for reference."

 Chapter 137: Mu Yas Female Collects Poems

    Chapter 137: Mu Ya''s Female Collects Poems

    After fooling Baoyu, Feng Ziying arrived a few moments later. The four of them talked, laughed, ate, and drank until the end of the Shen [5 p.m.].

    At the door, they teased the two little elephants and said some nonsense about, "getting together another day.¡± Then they boarded the carriage to say goodbye.

    After Sun Shaozong got on the carriage, he leaned on the pillow, but suddenly found that the angle of the pillow was slightly different from that when he got off the carriage, and there was a faint smell in the carriage

    Zhang Cheng, the coachman, was a law-abiding man. He never dared to come in and rummage about!

    Sun Shaozong was immediately awakened from the alcohol effect. He spread out his sleeve and wrapped his right hand. He then reached over and gently opened the pillow, and saw a dirty oil paper bag lying inside the apricot-colored cushion.

    If it was a trap, it should not be so weird.

    However, Sun Shaozong still tried to open it carefully. He untied the oil paper package, but he saw that there was nothing inside. Only a graffiti of a small man with a big knife, surrounded by four walls that was painted with charcoal.

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong immediately understood. It must be Ding Xiu who was trapped in the city and could not move forward or retreat. He wanted Sun Shaozong to find him and help him escape.

    But...

    Even if the Dragon Guard has extra staff at the city gate, it should not be difficult for Ding Xiu to get out of the city, right?

    But now that he has asked, he might as well give an idea at random.

    When he got home, Sun Shaozong drew a picture of a man carrying a load out of the city. He threw it into the carriage and told Zhang Cheng to tie two vicious dogs to the carriage. He then went back to the backyard.

    Arriving in the hall, Ruan Rong was leaning on the couch, caressing her bulging belly.

    Ordinarily, this point should be earlier than her nap time.

    Sun Shaozong was worried. He hurried forward and said, "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Is it because you were tired yesterday when enjoying the flowers?"

    Ruan Rong smiled, shook her head, and said, "I''m not so delicate. Now, come here and listen. The child is moving inside."

    "Really?!"

    Sun Shaozong hurried forward and put his ear on her belly. After a while, he cried happily, "It moved, it moved, the child indeed moved! Even your belly has been kicked up by him!"

    Xiangling ignored this and said, "I used to listen to Madam... Lady Xue talked about poetry with others, and I couldn''t help but envy her secretly. If I could have three points of her talent in my life, it would be worth dying..."

    Sun Shaozong covered her small mouth and said, "Why do you keep saying the word dying with you?"

    At first, it was just a joke to look for a female teacher, but Sun Shaozong was planning to do so when he saw Xiangling''s gaffe.

    With the financial resources of the Sun family, it''s not a big deal to ask a female teacher to teach his concubine how to read. Even if Xiangling couldn¡¯t learn anything, it''s just a diversion.

    If she could learn something from it, the children would not have to look for outsiders to help them study in the future.

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong reached out and took her into his arms. He leaned close to her earlobe and blew a hot breath. "It''s not difficult for you to learn poetry. As long as you can make me happy, I can invite ten of them for you, not to mention one woman."

    Xiangling naturally knows what he meant. She lowered her head in shame, and then suggested, "I can''t even recognize words yet. It''s a waste to invite a female teacher. Why don''t you let Ying''er come back and teach me how to learn thousands of words and hundreds of family names? It''s not too late to invite a female teacher by then."

    Sun Shaozong frowned when he heard the words. "Why did you suddenly mention her? Did she come to you and say something?"

    After Xu Chunsheng was disposed of that day, Sun Shaozong turned around and sent Ying''er to the house of his Elder Brother.

    Sun Shaozong had no interest in such a scheming bitch who was thoughtless and disinterested.

    Sun Shaozu was different though. As long as her figure and appearance are acceptable, she was always welcomed. Also, if she wanted to be a concubine, she has plenty of opportunities!

    But...

    It seemed that Ying''er didn¡¯t want such an opportunity.

    Although Xiangling heard that Sun Shaozong was unhappy, she bravely thought of Ying''er''s pitiful appearance and said, "She was ostracized from the Elder Master¡¯s room, so she wanted to..."

    ¡°What kind of mindset is this?!¡±

    Without waiting for her to finish, Sun Shaozong scolded, "If she comes again, let her serve the Elder Master wholeheartedly. Don''t think about some stupid stuff! Not to mention that she is just a servant girl now, even if she becomes a concubine in the future, it will not be her turn to decide!"

    This was not only for Ying''er to listen to, but also to warn Xiangling not to meddle in the trivial affairs in his Eldest Brother''s house.

    Xiangling did not dare to intercede with Ying¡¯er after she was scolded.

    To let her take his words in mind, Sun Shaozong slept in the living room of the main room that night. Not to mention how worried Xiangling was about her gains and losses that night.

    The next morning, Zhao Zhongji hurried to find Sun Shaozong. He said that a thief had sneaked into the mansion last night, and secretly stole the two dogs tied to the carriage...

 Chapter 138: There is a Lady Called Miaoyu

    Chapter 138: There is a Lady Called Miaoyu

    In the Central Judicial Office of the Criminal Department, East Chamber Courtyard, Sun Shaozong drew a picture of a small man digging a hole in the paper and then drew a big package beside him.

    After a moment''s hesitation, he drew a headless corpse holding a letter in the lower left corner, took the cinnabar ink pad, dyed the broken neck red, then folded it in half with satisfaction and put it in his sleeve pocket temporarily.

    Ding Xiu was a man who would sacrifice his life, but not money.

    The content of his second graffiti was not much different from the first one but there was a massive package on his shoulder.

    Obviously, it''s not impossible to get out of the city. It''s just impossible to take the stolen goods from Qian Ning''s Mansion out of the city, so he turned to Sun Shaozong for help.

    However, Sun Shaozong did not feel that he had an obligation to take risks to help him.

    Therefore, he resolutely urged Ding Xiu to bury the stolen goods and then thought about going out of the city. As for the dead body he was holding, it was a warning to him that if he dared to come and harass him, he would turn his face over and kill him.

    After finishing the reply to Ding Xiu, Sun Shaozong asked Cheng Rixing to find the local newspaper from the past six months and collect information about the Southwest Provinces.

    At the same time, without looking up, he asked, "How is it? Are there still rumors these days?"

    Cheng Rixing bowed and said, "Since Master has returned to the Yamen office, the rumors that falsely accused you of killing Qian Ning have naturally died down, but..."

    "But what?"

    "I''m worried that Zhao Liben and others might not be willing to stop." Cheng Rixing suggested, "In my opinion, Master might as well give yourself away these two days. Let Zhao Liben and others think that you have something to do with the case of Qian Ning. Let them be happy for a few days, and let them be disappointed and sad after the Big Feast!"

    This plot...

    It should be a typical act of "Masterkiller,¡± right?

    Unexpectedly, Cheng Rixing still has the talent to write online novels. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    But...

    "There''s no need to bother."

    Sun Shaozong did not hesitate to shake his head and commented, "A few clowns are not worth such a great enemy. Besides, if I still tangled with them when I was sure to win, it would make me narrow-minded."

    "You indeed have the tolerance of a Prime Minister!"

    Although Cheng Rixing failed, he did not feel embarrassed.

    "Don''t worry, Master. After I finish my work, I will ask my wife to consult with her."

    After Cheng Rixing finished speaking, he saw that Sun Shaozong had no other orders, so he went down to find Lin Delu to assign the task.

    After Cheng Rixing left, Sun Shaozong went through the local newspaper for half a day and finally concluded that the defense in the Southwest of the Zhou Dynasty was now loose on the surface and tight on the inside.

    On the surface, it seems that the Zhou Dynasty had no intention of guarding against the country of the Qian Xiang Kingdom, but there were two elites in Sichuan. If the border between Yunnan and Guizhou changed, he would rush to the battlefield immediately.

    Tch!

    It seemed that it was uncertain who was scheming!

    In this case, the ¡±family letter¡± need not be handed over to the Imperial Court in a hurry, so as not to leak the news, instead, his father-in-law would be punished.

    He might as well write another letter now to explore how deep his father-in-law being the ¡±Qian traitor¡± was.

    If it reaches the level of, "Cheering troops with food and drinks, and looking for an army adviser in the North,¡± it goes without saying that he must help him establish contact with the senior management of Zhou.

    However, if his father-in-law disclosed this information and only hoped that the Zhou Dynasty could make a gesture to scare off the main battle group of Qian Xiang, then it was unnecessary to make a connection.

    "Your Excellency, your Excellency!"

    When he was thinking about the situation in the southwest, he heard a loud shouting outside.

    Zhou Da''s pockmarked face then appeared in front of Sun Shaozong. After being stung by wasps, he had many pimples on his face, and no medicine could reduce them.

    "Your Excellency!"

    After entering the door, Zhou Da roared, "An Imperial Envoy came just now. He was here due to the matter of the intended framing of colleagues and scolding the Governor!"

    "Scolding?"

    Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows and asked, "Other than that, is there no punishment?"

    Zhou Da said, "Another thing is a deduction in this year''s salary! Then, nothing else."

    Hehe~

    It seemed that there was no need to play the role of the Masterkiller anymore. Zhao Liben was going to be unlucky. Since Governor Han had not collapsed, he naturally wanted to take the traitors to show his power, and Minister Liu would be released soon. Who else could be the only candidate to punish someone as a warning to others other than Zhao Liben?

 Chapter 139: Result Release for the Autumn Imperial Examination

    Chapter 139: Result Release for the Autumn Imperial Examination

    After leaving the note in the carriage, the movement in the stable stopped for two days. However, on the morning of September 15, something happened.

    This time, what appeared out of thin air was not graffiti but a whole bag of gold and silver. Needless to say, Ding Xiu used Sun''s Mansion as a "pit!¡±

    How could Sun Shaozong not figure out what the big bag was? It was from the Qian Ning Mansion. To avoid getting into trouble, he had to hide it all.

    As for whether to return it to Ding Xiu in the future, he¡¯ll leave the matter to the future.

    Because he had to deal with this bag of gold and silver, Sun Shaozong went out much later than scheduled. When he got to the Imperial Examination Hall, he saw that the street was already blocked by people.

    Zhao Wuwei led several Yamen runners to push and shove the people for a long time but failed to open a path.

    He didn¡¯t know how many people and scholars were hidden in the crowd. He did not dare to do anything randomly.

    Seeing this delay, Sun Shaozong hurriedly called Zhao Wuwei to the front of the carriage and gave orders in his ear.

    After getting the instruction from Sun Shaozhong, Zhao Wuwei suddenly stiffened his loins. He threw the wheels of a whip dance on the street as if they were on the ground and said loudly, "Lord Sun is here for the Autumn Examination Parade. Please don''t delay your future!"

    When the leader called out, it was much more useful than the sign of the Central Judicial Office. Although the Inspector was a temporary position, there was no binding force when the result was going to be released. But who dared to make a fuss in this situation?

    So they saw that the crowd made way for a passage more than two meters wide in a minute or so.

    The carriage of Sun Shaozong successfully reached the gate of the place of the Imperial Examination.

    Lin Delu and Zhou Da had been waiting outside the gate for a long time.

    As soon as Sun Shaozong got out of the carriage, Lin Delu immediately went up to him and asked for instructions, "Lord, the time is almost up. I''m afraid all the examiners and Lords here are all anxious for the release. What do you think..."

    After the examiners entered the Imperial Examination Hall, the front door of the hall was sealed to show that they were allowed to enter but not leave. Others could enter and leave through the side door, though.

    Only when the Central Judicial Office [or the Ministry of Rites] sent people to unseal the Imperial Examination Hall on the release day could all the examiners then come out.

    "Then begin to unseal now."

    Compared with those rich servants, their behavior was naturally much more polite, but their reactions after reading the list were ten times more intense than those of the rich servants.

    Some were ecstatic, some looked forward to self-glorification, some cried bitterly, some called the sky unfair, and some questioned if there was an inside story of a plot or a shady deal.

    Of course, most of them were left feeling dejected and staggered.

    If the scene was painted, there was absolutely nothing wrong with hiding the background and naming it the ¡±Tomb Sweeping Painting.¡±

    However, this was also normal. After all, more than 2000 candidates took the examination, but only 137 were successful. The admission rate was less than 1/18, so the losers naturally accounted for the vast majority.

    It was said that the admission rate in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas would even exceed 50 to 1, which was simply a death examination area.

    Looking at the scene in front of the screen wall, Cheng Rixing couldn¡¯t help sighing, "It''s so ugly in the face of fame and fortune. I really feel sad."

    Sun Shaozong looked at him scornfully and said to him that if he fell off the list at the Spring Examination next year, he might not be much better than those below.

    After waiting for about half an hour, he watched the crowd gradually dispersed. Although some candidates could not accept the fact that they were defeated, they shouted that there must be something behind the scenes, but they did not attract the approval of others.

    Sun Shaozong was also a little relieved, so he shouted to Zhao Wuwei and said, "Leave some people here to avoid any accidents in the afternoon."

    After saying that, he was ready to take Lin Delu, Zhou Da, and others back to the Yamen to do business.

    Unexpectedly, just getting on the carriage, before Zhang Cheng shook off his whip, he saw a splash from the opposite tavern and that someone had jumped off the building!

    "Sigh!"

    Seeing this, Cheng Rixing couldn''t help sighing again, "The word "fame" is really harmful."

    His voice dropped, but he heard someone in the tavern yell again, "Oh no, the candidate Master wants to jump off the building!"

    Hearing this, everyone was stunned. It''s common for the scholar who did not succeed in the exam to jump off the building and hung himself, but why did the scholar who successfully got on the list want to jump off the building?

    Sun Shaozong picked up the curtain of the carriage, jumped out of it quickly, and said, "Go with me to see what happened!"Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

 Chapter 140: Wenxin Pavilion Falling Incident [Part 1]

    Chapter 140: Wenxin Pavilion Falling Incident [Part 1]

    The falling incident occurred in a three-story restaurant named Wenxin Pavilion.

    When Sun Shaozong led people to the scene of the fall, he saw a body lying on its back, the back of its head hitting the stone pier where the flagpole was placed, it was a standard death.

    Seeing that someone had already died, Sun Shaozong immediately ordered, "Zhou Da, take someone to block the front and back doors of this restaurant. No one can enter or leave without my order!"

    "Lin Delu, go find out which room the deceased fell from, and protect the scene!"

    Zhou Da and Lin Delu were ordered to go. Sun Shaozong went to the body and squatted down to examine it carefully.

    The deceased was a young man around twenty-five years old. He was medium height, slightly fat, faired-skin, and lustrous, and his right hand was slightly calloused. He should have been writing for a long time. It seemed that he was also a pampered master.

    The dead man had a strong smell of alcohol. It seemed that he had drunk a lot before he fell from the building. But it could not be ruled out for the time being that the murderer might be suspicious.

    The deceased''s expression was relatively calm, his muscles were relaxed, his hands were naturally spread out, and he did not show the common grip of the person who slipped. The preliminary analysis showed that he should be unconscious or in a chaotic state of consciousness when falling from a building.

    There was no other wound on the dead person. Because of the violent impact on the back of his head, part of his skull had been severely deformed, enough to cover the traces of a secondary injury. Thus, it was impossible to judge whether he had been attacked before he fell.

    "Master."

    Cheng Rixing looked around curiously for a while, and could not help but express his opinion, "It seems that he fell after drinking too much. Five years ago, there was a case where a new scholar drowned after getting drunk." Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    "It''s possible."

    Sun Shaozong said, but he turned the body over carefully.

    A lot of brain plasma that had been blocked in the skull cavity suddenly poured out. The white juice oozed out, which made a sound of horror all around. Cheng Rixing ran away like a rabbit after seeing it.

    Sun Shaozong ignored him and continued to investigate carefully from head to neck.

    Suddenly, his sight stopped near the back of the dead man, and he bent his head and put his nose up again.

    Before he could smell anything, someone in the crowd screamed, "He... He''s eating that person''s brain!"

    However, considering that there were a large number of scholars around here, if he just hid it, it might cause the spread of messy rumors. If it made people panic, things would turn ugly.

    Moreover, after the Luming Feast tomorrow, there would be many people here who would become his own ¡±students,¡± and it was necessary to leave a profound impression in advance.

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong said solemnly, "There are many people among you who will set foot in the officialdom in the future. They would inevitably be involved in the cases of the criminal department. Well, I would make an exception today to explain the details."

    Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. They quickly raised their ears and held their breath.

    Sun Shaozong pointed at the body and said, "This man is full of alcohol. It seems that he fell from a building and died after being drunk."

    "But after preliminary observation, it can be found that his muscles are very loose, and his palms are spread out naturally without any signs of grasping."

    At this point, seeing that everyone around him was confused, he had to explain again, "When people are highly nervous, their skin will automatically tighten and harden, and people who fall, like drowning people, will always struggle to catch something."

    At last, someone suddenly cried out, "Your Excellency means that he was not nervous when he fell, and he never struggled?!"

    "Yes!"

    Sun Shaozong affirmed the man''s statement and added, "To be exact, he should have been in an unconscious state when he jumped. Of course, if he gets drunk, there is a certain probability that a similar situation will occur."

    "But after I turned the body over, I found a small trailing wet mark on his back waist, and it was confirmed that it was the mark left by the wine."

    At this time, someone wondered, "What is a trailing wet mark, My Lord?"

    "Well..."

    After a little meditation, Sun Shaozong made an analogy, "When people wipe things with a wet rag, they always leave wet traces like lines, which is called ¡±trailing.¡±

    "On the contrary, if there is a pool of water on the ground, cover it with a clean cloth, and then press it and drag it hard, the same trace will appear on the clean cloth."

    "If this mark appeared on the chest, it might have been caused by the victim''s carelessness, but now it is on the back!"

    "Therefore, I infer that it is very likely that the deceased was forcibly dragged to the window and pushed down after being unconscious or dead!"

 Chapter 141: Wenxin Pavilion Falling Incident [Part 2]

    Chapter 141: Wenxin Pavilion Falling Incident [Part 2]

    When listening to the story, the most unbearable part was probably the most exciting part, but suddenly there was no follow-up.

    This kind of behavior was called a ¡±Fragment dog¡± in modern times.

    Although there was no such statement in the Zhou Dynasty, the listeners who were stopped outside the Wenxin Pavilion after hearing half of the reasoning were just as itchy and hungry for details.

    Although no one dared to attack the warning line set by the Yamen Runners, various complaints come and go.

    There was also a group of ¡±father fighting party¡± inside, shouting slogans such as ¡±My father is Li Gang, the chief of the Ministry of Punishment,¡± ¡±My father is Wailang Li Erjiang, a ministry councilor of the Ministry of War,¡± and ¡°My brother is Li Zongrui, the education officer of the Entertainment Department,¡± intending to have the gatekeeper to let them pass.

    Not to mention how chaotic the following was.

    After Sun Shaozong entered the door, he asked the room where the deceased had been, and the waiter led him to the third floor.

    Lin Delu had been waiting at the entrance of the stairs for a long time. He leaned over to flatter him and led Sun Shaozong to the victim''s room. He reported, "Your Honor, the dead man is Su Kunmao, born in the Capital, and he was the 126th in the Imperial Examination this time."

    "In addition, there are seventy-two people in the inn. During the Autumn Examination, the guest rooms are charged according to the number of guests, so the guests live alone without servants."

    Because there were always some poor scholars before, to get a touch of the seniors'' knowledge, they collectively pooled their wallets to get a guest room, and then a group or even dozens of people ate dry food on the floor.

    The inns near the Imperial Examination Hall were very hectic, so they set the rule of charging per head during the Autumn Examination.

    "Don''t worry about others."

    Sun Shaozong stopped, stretched out his hand, and rowed from east to west. He ordered, "Call all the guests in these rooms, and remember to ask them to bring the round tables of the rooms with them."

    The third floor of Wenxin Pavilion was a standard L-shaped building with a north-south corridor and an east-west corridor.

    The staircase was located at the south end of the north-south corridor, while the east-west corridor was connected with the north end of the north-south corridor.

    As for Su Maokun''s room, it was located at the end of the east-west corridor and the whole Wenxin Pavilion, which was the most suitable room for a bird''s-eye view of the Imperial Examination Court.

    Sun Shaozong''s plan covers nearly 12 rooms in the entire East-West corridor.

    "Let them bring their round tables?"

    Lin Delu said in surprise, "Why is this, My Lord?"

    "Because the round table is the most important material evidence for this case. Remember, they must move them here themselves!"

    Sun Shaozong''s face did not change, and then he walked into Su Maokun''s room.

    This guest room was not very spacious. It was also divided into two rooms inside and outside by a wooden lattice, which made it even more narrow. It was estimated that Su Maokun might not have been used to living in such a place if it had not been for the ¡±civility¡± bonus.

    "So you two haven''t drunk?"

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong immediately ordered, "Come on, give me a careful sniff, and see if these two people have alcohol in their hands!"

    The scholar who lost the title was a little confused, but the man who won the title changed his expression and hurriedly explained, "What do you mean, Your Excellency? I did have a few drinks outside, but what does this have to do with Su Kunmao''s death?"

    "Really?"

    Sun Shaozong sneered, "Then open your mouth and let my Yamen Runner smell it. The smell of wine on your hands has not dissipated even though you smooth the ink and write letters to your family. The smell of wine in your mouth will not disappear first, will it?"

    The scholar was even more flustered but still tried to argue, "Even so, what can it prove? You can''t say that I killed Su Kunmao for such ridiculous reasons?!"

    "This alone will not work, but you will give yourself away."

    Sun Shaozong continued to sneer, "First of all, when I went upstairs, I asked the waiter. He was cleaning near the stairway before and after the crime. He didn''t see anyone coming in and going out of the east-west corridor, so the murderer must be among you seven."

    "Secondly, to make sure that the deceased was drunk and fell out of the window, he spilled some wine on the collar of the corpse. It was probably because of his hurry that some wine spilled on the pot handle, which naturally wetted the murderer''s hand."

    As Sun Shaozong said, he picked up the wine pot and showed the slightly reflective water stains on the handle.

    He then pointed to the window of the room and said, "What''s more, the window here is close to four feet high. It takes a lot of effort to throw the corpulent dead out, and my test earlier..."

    "Your Honor!"

    The scholar suddenly interrupted Sun Shaozong''s inference, pointing to Liu Xianglian, and said, "Isn''t he consistent with these three things? Besides, he is so powerful that it is as easy as a palm to throw Su Kunmao away!"

    "I did suspect him at first..."

    Sun Shaozong said, "However, in his testimony just now, there is one sentence that can prove his innocence."

    The scholar immediately roared again, "What sentence? Why didn''t I hear them? Besides, he clearly didn''t say anything special!"

    This was a very stubborn person.

    Sun Shaozong walked to the wooden wall somewhat reluctantly, bent his finger, knocked gently, and said, "The guest rooms here have been transformed, and the sound insulation effect of the wooden wall added behind is quite poor. If someone sings a song in the room, do you think it will spread to the next room?"

    "Yes!"

    As soon as Sun Shaozong finished his speech, a scholar who had been excluded immediately said, "I did hear Brother Liu singing a song in the next room, and it seems that he still sings..."

    A person beside him said, "It''s the ¡±West Chamber,¡± and it''s Cui Yingying''s lyrics!"

    "Look."

    Sun Shaozong applauded the new imperial examinee. "Now, you are the only one who meets all the conditions for suspicion."

 Chapter 142: At the End of the Yalu River, There is a Rising Crisis in the Central Judicial Office

    Chapter 142: At the End of the Yalu River, There is a Rising Crisis in the Central Judicial Office

    In modern times, these three pieces of evidence might not be conclusive, but they were enough to convict people in the Zhou Dynasty!

    Therefore, the new scholar immediately sat down like a deflated ball and murmured with a sad face, "I just wanted to discuss with him about going to the Luming Banquet together tomorrow, but this guy suddenly broke some news. I had an affair with my father''s concubine, and I was scared for a moment..."

    Tch!

    Recently, there have been a lot of cases caused by ethical tragedies. Could it be because of the "second spring phenomenon" caused by the warm autumn?

    Sun Shaozong was thinking at random, motioning Lin Delu to deal with the rest of the matters, and then he was ready to go downstairs and leave.

    However, just a few steps forward, Liu Xianglian stopped him.

    He then bowed his hands in admiration and said, "Brother, you really are worth the name of ¡±Divine Judgement!¡±

    Brother?

    Sun Shaozong was still a little puzzled. Hearing this, he quickly replied, "I don''t know where Brother Liu''s residence is?"

    "My father is Liu Chuanfeng."

    Liu Xianglian raised his arms and said, "When he was fighting against Gaoli, he once served as a vice vanguard under Your Majesty."

    His father''s deputy?

    It seemed that he was also ordered to commit suicide by the Yalu River.

    Although Sun Shaozong was a little confused about whether the two lost their heads together were friends who shared life and death, his liking for Liu Xianglian increased a lot.

    If it was an ordinary layman, they might have mentioned their relationship when they were listed as suspects. How could they wait until this time to reveal their identity?

    So Sun Shaozong talked with him in the corridor.

    It turned out that Liu Xianglian was a straightforward man despite his name and appearance. His temperament was quite similar to that of Feng Ziying but less domineering than that.

    Unfortunately, Sun Shaozong had to go back to the Yamen to do business before noon. He didn''t have time to talk deeply with Liu Xianglian, so he invited him to visit him at home after a few days. He also thought of calling Feng Ziying. They must have a close relationship.

    After leaving Liu Xianglian, Sun Shaozong went downstairs, and he saw that there were already many people around the gate. It was even more lively than when he went upstairs.

    As soon as he came down from upstairs, someone in the front film stretched his neck and shouted, "My Lord, My Lord! Have you found any clues again?!"

    "Yes, My Lord. Tell us more about it!"

    Isn¡¯t this the situation of chasing celebrities?

    When he arrived at the Eastern Chamber Courtyard of the Criminal Department, Cheng Rixing met him with a calm face and said in a low voice, "Master, that Miaoyu refused to go to your mansion to teach, and... Still..."

    His wife came to see him because of this.

    Sun Shaozong entered the hall silently and then asked, "Still what?"

    "She also made a sarcastic remark about you and General Sun, saying that if she was going to teach at your mansion, it would pollute her reputation!" Cheng Rixing said angrily, "Master, this little girl is so unkind. Do you want to teach her a lesson?"

    "Lesson?"

    Sun Shaozong looked at him thoughtfully and asked, "How are you going to teach her a lesson?"

    Seeing that he seems to be motivated, Cheng Rixing immediately felt confident and said, "Recently, that drunken vagary boxer, Ni Er, frequently came to my house and said that he wants to work for you, so he might as well handle this matter!"

    "Hehe."

    Sun Shaozong smiled noncommittally, and suddenly he asked, "How is my official reputation now?"

    "It is naturally excellent!"

    Although Cheng Rixing didn''t understand, he suddenly asked what this meant, but he immediately gave a thumbs up and said, "The name of Divine Judgement can be said to be famous throughout the Capital, and your reputation among the officials in the Central Judicial Office is absolutely second to none!"

    "In that case..."

    Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows, stared at Cheng Rixing coldly, and said, "She is a weak woman. Even if she doesn''t want to come to teach, she can refuse politely. Why should she offend me for nothing?¡±

    "This... This..."

    Cheng Rixing hesitated for a while. Under the pressure of the steel knife, he finally said, "It was my wife who said, "If you are liked by Master, you can become a concubine of his." The little nun became angry..."

    "Hmph!"

    Sun Shaozong snorted coldly and said, "It''s nothing if she doesn''t want to be a concubine. But you are the one who distorts and provokes me so much. Who do you regard me as? A high-ranking Yamen official who bullies men and women?"

    Putong~

    Cheng Rixing finally got down on his knees and said hurriedly, "Forgive me, Master. I lost my mind for a while. I didn¡¯t mean to damage your reputation!"

    Sun Shaozong waited for him to plead a few more words. He then shook his sleeve and said, "Get up, I will forgive you this time because it is your first time to commit an offense. If you dare to gossip in front of me next time, don''t blame me for not keeping you!"

    Cheng Rixing repeatedly said, "I wouldn¡¯t dare." He then got up from the ground and cautiously inquired, "Then the matter of inviting a female teacher..."

    "You are still in charge. Try to find an old and stable person, otherwise, the outsiders may think I am looking for beautiful women!"

 Chapter 143: Baoyu Inspects the Rongguo Mansion and Pingâ€™er Uncovers the Embarrassment

    Chapter 143: Baoyu Inspects the Rongguo Mansion and Ping¡¯er Uncovers the Embarrassment

    "Second Brother Lian, Second Brother Lian? Sister Feng!"

    It was noon. Ping''er was out, playing with needlework when she heard someone shouting in the yard.

    Looking out through the crack of the door, Jia Baoyu was standing there shouting.

    Ping''er hurriedly threw the dustpan onto the cushion with decorative and colorful embroidery, walked out, and smiled, "Stop shouting. The Young Master and Madam went to Tiejing Temple in the morning. I''m afraid they won''t come back until night."

    Hearing this, Baoyu was greatly disappointed.

    That day, when he received the ¡±mission¡± from Sun Shaozong, he wished he could find out immediately so that Second Brother Sun could look at him differently.

    Unexpectedly, his Uncle, Wang Ziteng¡¯s concubine¡¯s son, suddenly died of an emergency.

    Since there was no male host in the house, Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian took turns staying there for several days. He was so busy and sorrowful that he could not attend to Sun Shaozong''s errands.

    Those who died young these years have always had a plain funeral, so the funeral was only held for three days and was buried outside the city yesterday afternoon.

    After that, Jia Baoyu took a rest for another day. After a little relief, he excitedly came to check the accounts, but unexpectedly he didn¡¯t manage to find the one in charge.

    He frowned and walked out for a few steps. Suddenly, he remembered something. He turned back with a smile and asked Ping''er, "Sister Ping''er, are all the accounts of the construction of the visiting courtyard with you?"

    Ping''er was stunned when she heard it. Her expression seemed like the sun was coming out from the west. Otherwise, why would the slacker suddenly ask about the account books?

    "It¡¯s not that I want to check myself, but it¡¯s Second Brother Sun..."

    Jia Baoyu also knew this was not in line with his usual style, and he was afraid that Ping¡¯er would treat him as a ''laity''.

    So he hurriedly told the matter of Sun Shaozong who wanted to build his garden, but he was afraid that he would be deceived by unscrupulous businessmen, so he asked him to inquire about the situation first. Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    Ping¡¯er listened, but her heart was clear. She knew that Sun Shaozong''s building of the garden was fake, but with this scheming, he thought of harming through the hands of another!

    However, because of her bad luck that day, she also hated Lai Da deeply in her heart, and naturally, would not expose Sun Shaozong''s plan.

    "What?!"

    Hearing this, Jia Baoyu stared with astonishment, "We used Uncle Lin''s money to repair our garden?! How much did we use?!"

    Ping¡¯er reached out and scored a six.

    Jia Baoyu subconsciously guessed a number, "60,000 silver taels?!"

    But Ping''er shook her head and said, "It''s more than that. It¡¯s around 600,000 silver taels!"

    "60... 600,000 silver taels?!"

    Jia Baoyu was scared by the numbers. No matter how dandy he was, he knew what the concept of 600,000 was. Even if the Jia family was big, it wasn¡¯t big enough to earn that amount of money for decades!

    His first idea was to rush to the Old Lady and expose this terrible scandal!

    But then it occurred to him that if the Old Lady had not agreed, who would dare to make such an enormous expenditure?

    He¡¯s afraid that his father, mother, and even uncle have known long ago!

    Ping¡¯er looked at him standing for a long time, afraid that he would commit hysteria again. He quickly comforted him and said, "Actually, this silver is also the dowry that Uncle Lin prepared for his daughter. If you two get married in the future, this silver should be our family..."

    It¡¯s still fine if Ping¡¯er didn¡¯t comfort Baoyu. However, after she comforted him, Baoyu became more anxious and shouted, "What the hell is this?! Need not mention that Sister Lin and I haven¡¯t gotten married. Even if we really become a family, there is no reason why we would use her dowry without asking her!"

    Ping''er was startled by his cold outburst. She stepped back slightly but smiled bitterly, "It''s no use yelling at me. I didn''t spend the money."

    Jia Baoyu suddenly let off steam again and said, "I lost my mind. Please don''t blame me, Sister."

    Then he said with a straight face, "Don''t worry, Sister. Many people treat me as a fool. Only you are willing to tell me the truth. I am grateful. Even if I die, I will not betray you!"

    When Ping''er heard the words, she sighed, half moved and half intrigued, and said, "Since I have already opened my mouth, I''ll tell you all about it. In fact, our family has also appropriated a large amount of silver from the Xue family. I thought about it privately and concluded that one man might have promised two families!"

    One man promised two families?

    As if bitten by thunder, Jia Baoyu stumbled back a few steps, tripped over the threshold, and fell on all fours!

 Chapter 144: Childhood Friend Speaks Words from Heart

    Chapter 144: Childhood Friend Speaks Words from Heart

    Ping''er''s face turned white with fear, and she thought about what had happened to him.

    Fortunately, Baoyu turned around and got up again. He muttered out of his wits, "What a family of noble Lords and Dukes who have performed meritorious deeds. They were originally a bunch of bandits!"

    Ping''er was relieved. She went forward to help him wipe the dirt off his body, half complaining and half admonishing, and said, "Is this all you can say? If you still have a bit of kindness, don''t talk nonsense when you leave this door, just treat it like you have never known this matter!"

    "Don''t worry, Sister."

    Jia Baoyu reluctantly tugged at the corners of his mouth and gave a smile uglier than crying, "Even if I were dead, I would never involve you."

    With these words, he walked out of Wang Xifeng¡¯s yard like a corpse. He didn''t know where to go, so he just wandered around the house.

    "What''s wrong with you? Why do you seem to have lost your soul?"

    Suddenly, a laughing voice came into his ears. Jia Baoyu looked up and saw a master and a servant flashing in front of him. Who else could they be other than Lin Daiyu and Zijuan?

    At first sight, Lin Daiyu was in front of him. Jia Baoyu felt ashamed and wronged. He lowered his head slightly, and a few drops of ¡±golden beans¡± fell to the ground.

    "Ah!"

    Now Daiyu was shocked by him. She went up to him and asked softly, "What kind of crazy disease have you committed, or are you angry with that girl again? Wipe that tear quickly, or someone else will see it and think I have provoked it."

    The more comforting she was, the more Jia Baoyu cried.

    At last Lin Daiyu couldn''t stand it. She paused and said, "What are you doing here? Tell me about it anyway! I''m so worried!"

    After saying this, her eyes also become red.

    Seeing that she was going to cry, Jia Baoyu wiped his tears with his sleeve carelessly, pulled Daiyu behind the rockery without saying a word, and then asked Zijuan to go somewhere else.

    He then told Daiyu that the Jia family had misappropriated 600,000 silver taels from the Lin family for the sake of the construction. He only hid the statement that, "one man made deals with two families".

    After saying that, he swore again with gnashing teeth, claiming that he would fight to the death and would return the silver to Daiyu!

    Lin Daiyu listened for a moment in amazement and then saw that he swore to fight to the death for her. Her two thin eyebrows frowned slightly and said, "You didn''t spend the money. Who wanted you to pay back? Besides, you are not the type to work part-time outside, even if you were to sell yourself away, it¡¯s not worth much."

    Who knew that the word "sell" hit the heart of Baoyu!

    He then looked at Daiyu, and tears poured down again.

    Daiyu knew that there was a drama with, "one man making deals with two," but the thought of him being worried and sad for her, she felt very relieved and said, "Actually, you don''t need to tell me. I already knew about the silver."

    "You... Do you know this?!"

    Jia Baoyu was stunned and stopped crying.

    Lin Daiyu sighed again and murmured, "When I went south last year, there were still many treasures in the State of Yang, which were not inferior to the furnishings in this mansion. However, when I returned to the Capital, there were only two carts of worthless sundries..."

    Looking at his expression, Lin Daiyu knew that she had guessed wrong, but nodded, "She came back from the State of Yang with Second Brother Lian at the beginning. How could these secrets have been hidden from him? Just because she knew that her Dad''s silver had been emptied, Sister Rong sent me a pile of gold for my birthday."

    With that, she couldn''t help but stare at Baoyu and angrily said, "At that time, you said that Sister Rong was a village folk who would only send useless things!"

    Jia Baoyu scratched his head awkwardly, but suddenly said, "I see! Brother Sun asked me to check the account, in fact, he wanted me to find out the matter myself!"

    Lin Daiyu said suspiciously, "The Second Brother of the Sun Family asked you to check the accounts. What''s the matter?"

    Jia Baoyu quickly explained the causes and consequences.

    After hearing this, Daiyu shook her head and said, "I''m afraid it''s not that simple. Besides, he may not know that the silver has been misappropriated. As I see, he seems to be aiming at other matters."

    "For other matters? What other matters?"

    "Of course, it''s the good slaves in your family who eat people without spitting out bones."

    Lin Daiyu cocked her mouth and said disdainfully, "Sister Rong said that when the Sun Brothers were seeking gratuitous financial help from the Rongguo Mansion, they were wronged by many of your slaves!"

    "How could that be?"

    Jia Baoyu''s eyes widened, and his face was unbelievable, "The Sun family has been our family friend for generations. How dare they?"

    "Friends for generations?"

    Lin Daiyu sniffed, intending to take herself as an example, but fearing that Baoyu would make trouble, she hesitated for a moment and said, "Not to mention a family friend for generations, do you remember Jiao Da in the East Mansion?"

    "Is it the old man who likes to swear when he is drunk?"

    "Old man?"

    Lin Daiyu glared at him and said, "If he hadn''t given up his life and carried the Duke of Ning back from the battlefield, I''m afraid there wouldn''t have been any Ningguo Mansion at all!"

    "I heard that when he escaped back, he had no food to eat, and he was so hungry that he helped steal food for his Master. He had no water to drink. He drank horse urine himself and gave his Master half a bowl of water!"

    "When the Duke of Ning was alive, he was a little better than his son. But now what? Once he lost his dependence, even the second-class slaves of his family dared to trample him!"

    "When the Sun Brothers were down and out, in the eyes of your servants, I was afraid they were not as big as Jiao Da!"

    Lin Daiyu said this for a moment and then pulled back to the main topic, "I guess the Second Brother of the Sun Family probably got some news. He knew that your good slaves had made moves when they were repairing the garden, but it was not convenient to tell, so he tricked you, a fool, to stab the horse''s nest."

    "This is not a joke. In my opinion, you should pretend that you know nothing and don''t be serious..."

    ¡°No!¡±

    She still wanted to persuade, but Jia Baoyu was already furious. He gnashed his teeth and swore, "I will find out who dares to do this! Let alone the slave who is greedy for money, I want him to spit out everything!"

    The silver of an important person "making deal with two" has been coveted by a slave. No wonder he was so angry.

 Chapter 145: The Dispute in the Luming Banquet

    Chapter 145: The Dispute in the Luming Banquet

    On the 16th of September, the Luming Banquet was held.

    ¡°Be noble and clean, and do not admire nobility...¡±

    ¡±Blowing the flute and drum, and the General are everywhere. Showing how nice I am, asking about my well-being¡±

    In the cadence of chanting in the hall, Sun Shaozong suddenly found that sitting at the main table was not necessarily a good thing. It was embarrassing to start a conversation in front of hundreds of people!

    Especially for others, there was no place to hide...

    Fortunately, he was not that thin-skinned, otherwise, he would have been ashamed in the front row with people''s surprised and disdainful eyes.

    "After the starting ceremony, please take your seat!"

    Fortunately, this poem was not very long. A moment later, with a shout, all the examiners took their seats, respectively.

    "Sit down."

    Zhang Qiu, the host of the examiner''s ceremonial department, gave another order, and the people in the new Imperial Examination bowed with one voice. "Thank you for sitting down."

    As a result, his status as a ¡±teacher¡± was formally established.

    Sun Shaozong just sat down, and he hasn¡¯t gotten over the embarrassment. He heard a loud voice saying, "Assistant Magistrate Sun, I just saw your lips tremble, but I didn''t hear a word coming out. It should not be that you have never read the poem of "Luming" before, right?"

    With this sound, all eyes were focused on Sun Shaozong.

    Sigh~

    Sure enough, it came.

    Sun Shaozong sighed secretly. When he learned that he was assigned to the main table, the Deputy Chief of the Imperial Academy, Sun Yun was full of anger.

    At that time, Sun Shaozong guessed that this guy might create trouble at the table, and now it seemed that he expected it right!

    At this time, in addition to the Chief and Deputy Chief Examiners and Sun Shaozong, Jia Yucun and another official of the Ministry of Rites were also sitting at the table.

    The official of the Ministry of Rites did not care. Jia Yucun, Sun Shaozong''s boss, could not stand to be idle, neither feeling nor reasoning. He quickly smiled and took a glass of wine, saying, "Deputy Chief Sun, Shaozong was a Martial Scholar after all..."

    However, Sun Yun didn''t show any kindness. He interrupted him with a sneer and said, "Since he is a rascal who doesn''t know poems, why is he at the main table at the Luming Banquet?!"

    He has heard that the officials of the Imperial Academy were the most arrogant and they looked down on the local officials. Today, Sun Shaozong has finally seen it.

    Although Sun Yun was the Inspector Examiner, his official rank was only of six-grade, and Jia Yucun was four levels higher than him!

    Jia Yucun was certainly unhappy. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    However, Sun Yun''s words also expressed the feelings of many people, some even openly made a fuss.

    "Fourthly, there are many mosquito bites on you, obviously..."

    "What nonsense this is!"

    Before finishing the fourth saying, Sun Yun suddenly said, "How can these inexplicable things prove that I have desecrated the sage teachings?"

    "Please calm down, Deputy Chief Sun. Listen to me carefully."

    Sun Shaozong said carefully, "The marks on your chest should be caused by a woman''s scratching when she was naked; knee injuries and mosquito bites were caused by kneeling outside the door for more than half an hour."

    "It is speculated that yesterday, you had a war with your wife! Moreover, you have lost to the reasonings!"

    "Absurd, this is ridiculous! What does my family have to do with this?!" Sun Yun was obviously a little angry and got up from the table and glared at Sun Shaozong.

    But...

    He seemed to be just over one meter six. After standing up, his vision was still the same height as Sun Shaozong''s.

    "It has nothing to do with me."

    Sun Shaozong shrugged his shoulders. "You were naked and entangled with your wife, but your head was sprinkled with ink. I thought about it and thought that only after you returned to your mansion, you had annoyed your wife, who had been away for a long time, by having an affair with the servant girls in the study, who left these traces."

    After a pause, he spread his hand and said, "Of course, if you were chased by your wife, naked, from the backyard to the study, it would be better if I inferred that there was a mistake in my sayings."

    "You... You... You..."

    Sun Yun did not know whether to be angry or shocked. He pointed to Sun Shaozong, but he was shaking like a sieve.

    It¡¯s just that...

    This fellow was in a panic, but his eyes even showed some happiness.

    "Hmm."

    Sun Shaozong thought for a moment, and then suddenly said, "I''m sorry, it seems that I have made a mistake. It''s not a servant girl who you had a time with, but a servant boy. You had done this passionate thing in your study, how dare you say that you didn''t blaspheme the sage¡¯s teachings?"

    "You... You... You..."

    Sun Yun has several ¡±you¡± characters in succession, and he looked like he had seen ghosts, but he obviously confessed already.

    "Ha..."

    "Haha..."

    "Hahahaha..."

    Next, he didn¡¯t know which scholar couldn''t help control their laughter, and then the others burst into laughter as well.

 Chapter 147: Regather in The Jinxiang Courtyard

    Chapter 147: Regather in The Jinxiang Courtyard

    Sun Shaozong did not like to see brothel girls, all the dandies liked this. Even Liu Xianglian, whom he had just met, was also the leader of the romantic arena.

    Moreover, he had to admit that Yun''er, the girl in the Jinxiang Yard, was really a good player with an active atmosphere. With her presence, even the awkward atmosphere could be resolved by her.

    Therefore, on the evening of September 19, the banquet was set up in the Jinxiang Courtyard.

    In the afternoon of that day, Sun Shaozong met Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian early in the morning. He called Liu Xianglian on the way, and then the four riders went to the Baihua Restaurant to talk and laugh.

    Although Liu Xianglian was delicate, he also liked to wield swords and guns. Therefore, he had a good talk with Lu Jianxing and Shen Liantang along the way.

    At the gate of the Jinxiang Courtyard, Feng Ziying and Xue Pan in the distance were waiting on the steps for a long time.

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly urged the horse to come to the front. He quickly rolled over and dismounted, half complaining and half joking, "I¡¯m hosting today, but you two came so early. It seems that I¡¯m so rude!"

    "Why do you have to show etiquette with us, Second Brother?"

    Xue Pan laughed and grabbed the reins. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    Suddenly, he saw three people behind him get off the horse and looked curiously. Two big eyes were nailed to Liu Xianglian''s body, with his mouth open and no words left.

    Fortunately, Feng Ziying already came down the steps and said curiously, "Second Brother, these three are..."

    Sun Shaozong first pointed to Liu Xianglian with his hand and solemnly introduced, "This is Liu Xianglian, Younger Brother Liu. When he fought in Gaoli, Liu''s uncle was the Vice-Vanguard. He went to the battlefront with his father in Gaoli, and finally received an order along the Yalu River."

    As soon as Feng Ziying heard this, he knew that the relationship was different from that of others. He went forward to report his family name and talked with Liu Xianglian of the same age.

    After they saluted each other, Sun Shaozong then introduced Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian to Feng Ziying, and emphasized, "These two are first-rate in skill and ability in the Northern Detective Department, but unfortunately they have never been reused."

    Feng Ziying immediately knew that Sun Shaozong had brought two of them intending to recommend them.

    So he smiled and said, "Since Second Brother values people, I think they must be good."

    This time, there was no drama about asking about family backgrounds.

    Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian came forward to salute respectfully. He then just returned the salute openly.

    "Sit down properly!"

    Sun Shaozong scolded rudely, "When someone else goes to the toilet, you go to the toilet too! Do you think we are blind?"

    Feng Ziying was also unhappy, "Big Head Xue, you should change your bad habits. I will close my eyes if it was my random friends. How dare you provoke the Second Brother''s friends?"

    "I didn''t provoke him."

    Seeing Sun Shaozong''s unhappy face, Xue Pan dared not mention going to the bathroom anymore. He rubbed his hands together and said wrongly, "I just like him very much. If he agrees, I will make a move. If not, I wouldn¡¯t force giving my Second Brother''s face."

    "Force?"

    Sun Shaozong snorted and said, "Do you really think he is a weak scholar? You only took a few henchmen with you, but you all may not be his opponent!"

    "Just him? You must be kidding?"

    Xue Pan''s mouth was wide open, but he didn''t believe it.

    Sun Shaozong ignored him and continued, "Younger Brother Liu has a feminine look, but he is a man with lofty feelings. He hates others looking at him as a woman..."

    Xue Pan yelled again, "I just regard him as a man!"

    "Shut up!"

    Sun Shaozong stared, and Xue Pan quickly shrank his neck to make a quail shape.

    Sun Shaozong then said, "He just led you to the latrine. I''m afraid he''s already thinking about teaching you a lesson."

    Seeing that Xue Pan was still skeptical, Sun Shaozong was too lazy to say anything more.

    Only when Liu Xianglian returned to the courtyard, he said with a smile, "Xianglian, we just said that you have good martial arts skills, but Brother Xue doesn''t believe it. How about you show him a set to open his eyes?"

    Hearing this, Liu Xianglian first glanced at Xue Pan. Seeing his suspicious face, his look was different from the rude expression he had earlier. Thus, he guessed that Sun Shaozong must have said something.

    He then smiled and said, "Second brother has ordered, and I shall show a set! But..."

    His eyes fell on Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian and he said, "It''s said that it''s hard to play a set alone. Please have one Brother help me so that Second Brother can have a clear and lively look!"

 Chapter 148: Began to be Jealous and the Start of Being Ambitious

    Chapter 148: Began to be Jealous and the Start of Being Ambitious

    The moon rose above the sky.

    .

    There was still laughter in the Baihua Restaurant, but the music ended in the Jinxiang Yard.

    After seeing the drunk Xue Pan off, Feng Ziying, and Liu Xianglian who was shouldering, Sun Shaozong breathed heavily on the steps, and Lu Jianxing came up behind.

    "Your Excellency."

    He rubbed his hands and said rather awkwardly, "This wine was supposed to be my treat, but you have to pay for it. It''s really...

    Sun Shaozong raised his hand to stop Lu Jianxing''s polite remarks. He looked back at Shen Lian, and then at the famous prostitute Yun''er who had sent him out. He stopped talking for a while, and finally sighed, "Forget it, let''s go."

    As he said this, he went forward to untie the reins and rolled onto the horse. He turned the horse''s head and said, "Go back and wait for a few days. Brother Feng is an impetuous man. You must be able to hear about it before the end of the month."

    After saying that, without waiting for Lu Jianxing to respond, he rode away with a clip of horseback.

    Lu Jianxing''s face changed. He kept watching Sun Shaozong disappear at the end of the alley. He then turned around and reluctantly smiled, "Lady Yun''er, we brothers are leaving too."

    Yun''er greeted and said in a smooth voice, "Forgive Yun''er for not sending you far, My Lords."

    "It¡¯s fine Lady Yun''er, we..."

    Shen Lian hurriedly returned a greeting. He was about to say something, but Lu Jianxing had already pulled his back collar and dragged him into the alley.

    The mounts of the two men were also trained. Although they were not towed, they followed them step by step.

    Bump~

    In the middle of the alley, Lu Jianxing suddenly pushed Shen Lian against the wall, and the dust rustled. Visitt  for the latest updates

    "What the hell were you doing?!"

    Lu Jianxing''s deep voice was full of anger "Who said that we must seize this good opportunity before coming? Is that how you seize the opportunity?!"

    His chest oppressed Shen Lian and nearly bled, but he was not angry at all. He just said with a smile, "Brother, I missed it..."

    Crackle~

    Before he could finish, Lu Jianxing slapped again, Shen Lian''s mouth tore, and his long gown was stained with blood.

    "One hundred and eighty-eight silver taels, that''s exactly one hundred and eighty-eight silver taels! It¡¯s our three-year salary in just a meal!"

    "And I dare to say that if there were no Lord Sun and the others around, even if you could afford these 188 silver taels, I''m afraid you can''t invite Yun''er to come out!"

    "Listen to my advice, such a woman is not something we brothers can have in mind. Besides, our third brother has lost his life because of a woman. I don''t want you to follow his lead!"

    The last sentence touched Shen Lian.

    He was silent for a while, and finally nodded, "I got it, I promise you that I won''t be provoked by Yun''er again!"

    Lu Jianxing just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard, but he listened to Shen Lian and said in a deep voice, "But you also have to remember, brother, that I will not always be the Shen Lian today! One day, I will sit at the head of the hall and let those Yamen and nobles flatter like dogs!"

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    "Ah-choo!"

    With the strength of the alcohol, Sun Shaozong let his horse ride on its own in the night wind. Suddenly, his nose itched, and he sneezed.

    Maybe the women at home were talking about him.

    Thinking like this, he sped up and hurried back to the Sun Mansion.

    When he got to the backyard hall, Ruan Rong and Xiangling were showing each other some baby belly wear. They said speechlessly, "Why is the box full after making a few sets of inner belly wear?"

    When Ruan Rong was pregnant, the group of beauties in Sun Shaozu''s house had the extra task of embroidering belly innerwear in addition to being jealous. As a result, they accumulated hundreds of pieces in a few months.

    "Sister Lin just sent some in the evening." Ruan Rong laughed and said, "Regardless of the craftsmanship, my sister is a talented person, and this pattern is much more exquisite than ours."

    With these words, she took out a letter from the bedside and smiled, "Well, she complained about you in the letter, saying that you encouraged Jia Baoyu to stab a horse''s nest to retaliate against the servants of the Rongguo Mansion. Now that makes the Second Master Bao mad all day long."

    Tch!

    Unexpectedly, Lin Daiyu had a clue.

    But they both have the aura of the leading role. Why didn''t Jia Baoyu see the flaw?

    After taking the letter, he scanned it carelessly and found that Jia Baoyu had worked hard to check the accounts.

    He didn''t know that Jia Baoyu''s persistence was because he was angry about the "selling himself" money that had been cheated, or because Jia Baoyu really wanted to practice his basic skills in criminal investigation.

    He couldn¡¯t help but admire him. He thought he might really be a good material for criminal investigation. He might as well teach him something real in the future and see how he understands.

 Chapter 149: Han Anbangs Counterattack

    Chapter 149: Han Anbang''s Counterattack

    On September 20, Guangde, the Central Judicial Office Hall.

    Han Anbang, the Governor of the government, sat under the plaque with the mirror hanging high. On his left was Jia Yucun, the Magistrate of the government, and on his right was Minister Liu Chongshan.

    At the foot of the steps, it was not the Yamen Runner who was holding the court sticks, but Zhao Liben, Sun Shaozong, and Fu Yan.

    In addition to some differences in the pattern, this was somewhat like the posture of the later Kai Political Party Committee.

    Han Anbang looked around the hall. He didn¡¯t care how many people were actually convinced by him, he only said majestically, "You guys should know the reason I called you here today, right?"

    After a little pause, he asked himself again and answered, "Seeing that the Emperor¡¯s Day is approaching, our office has not been fully prepared yet. If this goes out, I''m afraid it''s not easy to explain it to the superior."

    Yeah~

    Today, all the senior officials in the office were called together for a meeting. What they wanted to discuss was the Emperor¡¯s Day in the middle of next month, that was, how to celebrate the Emperor''s birthday.

    As the saying goes, "There is no small matter in the family of Imperial," the birthday of Emperor Guangde, who has been enthroned for ten years, was naturally a major event.

    Had it not been for the Autumn Examination and the resettlement of refugees, which distracted more than half of the efforts of the Central Judicial Office, the matter would have been on the agenda as early as the beginning of September.

    Seeing that Jia Yucun finally came to the office today, Liu Chongshan felt that he had something to rely on and rushed back to join in the excitement. Han Anbang held the meeting in a hurry to arrange the tasks and responsibilities.

    Jia Yucun stated, "This year''s Longevity Day is different from previous years. It must be a lively event!"

    "Fortunately, the Ministry of Rites and the Taichang Temple took the lead in organizing the Longevity Day ceremony. It doesn''t require us to worry too much about it. Our main responsibility now is to ensure that no mistakes will occur during the Longevity Day!"

    "Yes!"

    Han Anbang then hurriedly said, "Therefore, after each of you has taken a job, you should not be negligent, and you must ensure that everything is safe. If that person dares to neglect his duty, then don¡¯t blame me for being merciless!"

    It has to be said that although Han Anbang has lost momentum, it was not difficult for him to defeat anyone depending on his status as the leader.

    For example, at present, he was the first to hand over the security around the Imperial city to Zhao Liben in the name of rich experience. This was a tough job, and it was not exposed.

    Sun Shaozong frowned more deeply and arched his hand. "Your Honor, I had a conflict with Captain Qiu''s son at the beginning. I''m afraid it''s not easy to take over this position, so please..."

    "Ah~"

    Han Anbang shook his head and said, "This time you and Captain Qiu are sharing the worries of the saints and contributing to the country. How can a mere misunderstanding be a reason to decline? Besides, what kind of character does Captain Qiu have? Will he abandon the public because of his private affairs?"

    He then waved his hand again and said, "It''s unnecessary to discuss this matter. You just need to do your best."

    Damn!

    This guy was really good at changing his face. He was enthusiastic a while ago and wanted to win him over. These days, when he saw that there was no effect, he tripped up again!

    However, Sun Shaozong could also guess the reason he took him as the second one to vent.

    .

    As the saying goes, ¡±Once but not twice.¡± Zhao Liben has been reorganized in front of him. If he tried to vent his anger on Jia Yucun¡¯s people again, Jia Yucun would never back down.

    But Sun Shaozong was different.

    In recent days, Han Anbang has already found out that Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun were far apart from each other. Although Jia Yucun would not frame him up publicly, he would never help him out!

    As expected, in the next discussion on prevention and control, Han Anbang deliberately put a lot of responsibility on the head of the Five Cities Army and Horses Department on the pretext that the government was short of staff and had to be distracted from dealing with refugees outside the city.

    In addition to Sun Shaozong''s arguments, Jia¡¯s side was silent.

    Fu Shi even said something to prevent Sun Shaozong from declining, showing his sense of existence.

    Sun Shaozong was so angry that he gnashed his teeth. He wished he could come here and tear the room of foxes into pieces.

    Unfortunately, officialdom was not a real battlefield after all, and it was not allowed for him to mess around.

    He had no choice but to go to the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Department with the regulations drafted by the Central Judicial Office.

    The only thing to be thankful for was that there were two of his same-year colleagues in the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Department. After he went there, he would still be able to survive.

 Chapter 150: Steal a Little Leisure from the Rush of Business

    Chapter 150: Steal a Little Leisure from the Rush of Business

    The night deepened.

    As soon as Sun Shaozong entered the hall, he untied the collar of his official uniform.

    Ruan Rong, who was leaning on the couch, saw it and said, "Fu Rong, Shi Liu, hurry and help the Master change his clothes!"

    Two servant girls immediately came forward to serve.

    Sun Shaozong did not say a word but raised his hand to compare himself with his throat. Xiangling, who came in a hurry, quickly offered another cup of cool herbal tea.

    Sun Shaozong did everything at once. He then took a long breath and scolded, "Damn it, the soldiers and horses in the five cities are losing their standard. They quarreled for a whole half day and refused to get me another cup of tea."

    Xiangling covered her mouth and said with a smile, "Tomorrow I will make a big pot of herbal tea for you so that you can take it and have enough."

    "Two pots!"

    Sun Shaozong casually doubled it, walked over, and laid on the same couch as Ruan Rong.

    Ruan Rong, looking at his wilting appearance, was not as vigorous as usual. She could not help feeling distressed and said, "Isn''t it just a defense plan? Why have you been quarreling for about six to seven days without any result? I see you are ten times more tired than working in the Yamen every day!"

    "Not really."

    Sun Shaozong reached out and pinched Ruan Rong''s calf. Seeing that it was a little more swollen than yesterday, he kneaded it for her. He said, "I thought I was going to argue with a group of soldiers. However, the top officials on the other side were all old officials, and they picked words with me!"

    At this point, he laughed and said, "It''s a bit troublesome, but it''s better to make it clear to the drum in front of the gong than to play some dirty tricks behind his back. You know, I once offended the son of Captain Qiu."

    Before going to the Five Cities Army and Horses Department, Sun Shaozong was worried that Captain Qiu would take revenge himself.

    Who knew that after he went there, he didn''t even see Qiu Ying. Only a group of Old Officials were there and started challenging him.

    "That''s true."

    Ruan Rong nodded, took advantage of the situation, gave the other leg to Xiangling, and then said with concern, "When will the argument be over?"

    "It should be fast."

    Sun Shaozong said, "The general direction has been settled. Now it''s all about the details. Besides, we have to leave some mercy at last, so that Governor Han and Mashal Qiu can come forward and make a final decision."

    Sun Shaozong closed his eyes and squinted for a moment. When he had enough energy, he found Ruan Rong asleep, and there were no maids in the room. Only Xiangling leaned on the foot of the couch, holding a collection of poems in her hand, and was staring at it intently.

    Sun Shaozong grabbed the book and threw it on the bed, "What book do you want to read at night? Be careful not to damage your eyes. Go and tidy the inside so that your Sister Ruan can have a rest."

    Xiangling answered quietly. She went inside and arranged the bedding. She then came out and made a gesture to Sun Shaozong.

    Sun Shaozong then picked up Ruan Rong on his back and carefully sent her to the inner bed.

    After waiting for a moment at the bedside, and seeing that she had no sign of waking up, he crept out of the room.

    Arriving in the outer hall, Xiangling had climbed onto the couch, bowed her hips like two full moons, and was reaching for the anthology that had fallen between the cracks.

    Sun Shaozong scolded her and said, "What are you doing here? Let the servant girls help to take it out in the morning."

    Xiangling cried out, protecting her hips and biting her lower lip, and knotted, "I just saw half of that poem. If I don''t finish reading it, I''m afraid I won''t be able to sleep soundly all night."

    Looking at her tangled and charming appearance, Sun Shaozong immediately put his hand into her arms and said with a smile, "Can¡¯t sleep soundly. It seems that you have been neglected these days..."

    As he spoke, he rubbed her curves with both hands.

    Not long after, Xiangling was so soft that she was carried to the west chamber by Sun Shaozong. Poetry anthology, does that still matter in this situation?

    In the light shadow of the brocade tent, a jade arm was busy shaking, the golden foot was held high, moaning sounds came one after another, and a swallow was mumbling.

    The vows of alliance and sea, by her ears, the chatter was in love with the bees, and couldn¡¯t stop...

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong drank the soup and asked Zhang Cheng to carry two large pots of herbal tea. He rushed to the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Department in a manly manner.

    Because he was an ¡±old guest¡± who often came and went, the soldiers at the gate did not stop him or ask him anymore, so he was allowed to enter this important military area.

    Sun Shaozong was too lazy to look for someone to lead him. He knew his way and found the western living room.

    When he tried to enter the door, he suddenly felt something was wrong!

    According to the usual practice in the past, the subordinates like Lin Delu and Cheng Rixing would come ahead of time to work out the details to be discussed today with the soldiers and officials of the Five Cities Army and Horse Department.

    However, at present, it was surprisingly quiet. It seemed that someone was discussing it!

 Chapter 151: Private Use of Public Appliances

    Chapter 151: Private Use of Public Appliances

    If something was wrong, there must be a demon!

    Sun Shaozong stopped at once and walked away without hesitation.

    If there was any trap, it was natural to take the thirty-six measures. If it was just a misunderstanding, he would not lose anything if he left now.

    Sun Shaozong''s reaction was quick, but it was still too late.

    Just as he stepped forward, he heard someone inside raise his voice and said, "Since everyone has arrived, why should Lord Sun hurry to leave?"

    Before the words could be heard, hundreds of soldiers and men with swords and guns flashed out, each with big arms and big waists. It seemed that as long as anyone threw a cup as a signal, they would immediately attack and tear Sun Shaozong apart!

    When he heard someone speak, Sun Shaozong raised his arms with vigilance, but when he saw nearly a hundred soldiers with bright helmets, he relaxed again.

    Then, ignoring the eyes like double-sharp arrows, he turned back and walked into the living room.

    As soon as he entered the door, he saw a strong man with a leopard head and eyes. He was pestling at the door like a black iron tower. A dozen nearby soldiers lined up behind him, guarding a middle-aged man in a python robe and jade belt.

    This was...

    Needless to say, it must be the Commander of the Huben Battalion and the Commander of the right hall of the five cities'' Army and Horse Department, Qiu Ying, Marshal Qiu.

    Sun Shaozong came forward to salute. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    But when he took a step to the left, the strong man, like a black iron tower, immediately greeted him to the right. He went around to the right, and the man took another step to the right, holding his shoulder and sneering at him with sidelong eyes. Yes, this guy was half a head taller than Sun Shaozong!

    It''s the first time that Sun Shaozong has been looked down on since he transmigrated.

    After two attempts, he was blocked. He was too lazy to move forward. He bowed directly at the door and said, "Greetings to the Marshal."

    As if he hadn''t heard of it, Qiu Ying still sat on the grand master''s chair looking down.

    But the nearby soldiers on both sides shouted in unison, "Come near and answer!"

    Sigh~

    It seemed that there was no way to continue the discussion without solving this problem.

    "But for the past seven days, you have been quarreling with those who are not arrogant and impetuous and can speak well in defense. This can not be achieved by a good body alone."

    When Marshal Qiu said this, he observed Sun Shaozong''s expression a little. Seeing that Sun Shaozong did not show much color on his face, he concluded with satisfaction, "You are a rare General!"

    "How about becoming a Cavalry Captain in our Huben Camp? I guarantee that you will be promoted to the rank of General within three years. After six years, you will be able to go hand in hand with your brother!"

    It turned out that he was trying to recruit Sun Shaozong!

    And the terms of the offer were also really rich.

    With the current momentum of his Elder Brother, he would be a third-grade Commander after six years, and the Commander of Huben Camp was much more respectable than the Patrol Camp.

    But...

    Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, but politely refused, "Marshal, it was I who requested personally to be a civil servant in front of the Emperor, and it has been less than a year. If I return to the army..."

    After a pause, he shook his head and said, "It''s Marshal Qiu who praised me, but for the people who don¡¯t know, they will think I am running away from the position!"

    Although this was also a reason, Sun Shaozong''s biggest concern was that of General Feng Tang, a powerful general.

    Who knew that Feng Tang and Qiu Ying were on bad terms?

    If Sun Shaozong joined the Huben Camp, he would surely annoy Shenwu General Feng Tang. He should be fine, but his Elder Brother would inevitably be involved.

    "Sigh!"

    Qiu Ying sighed in disappointment and muttered, "I don''t know what''s wrong with you young people. You are good martial arts scholars, but you insist on being a civil servant!"

    Sun Shaozong just smiled but did not answer.

    Qiu Ying also had to change the topic, picked up the file again, and said, "I heard that you added several rules to the defense strip, which is a little fresh. Now that I have free time today, you can tell me why you arranged it like this."

    As for the arrangement of troops, Sun Shaozong was still at a half-baked level, even if he combined the memories of his past life.

    But when it came to maintaining public order and setting sentries, it was his old job!

    Pointing at the rules immediately, he spoke eloquently.

    Qiu Ying was more satisfied and more reluctant to give up. At the end of the day, he seemed to have made some important decisions.

 Chapter 152: The Jia Mansion in a Usual State

    Chapter 152: The Jia Mansion in a Usual State

    Not far from the west living room, Sun Shaozong ran into Lin Delu, Zhou Da, and others head-on.

    But when Sun Shaozong and Qiu Ying were discussing the rules, Lin Delu and others were not idle. They were all in another flower hall not far away, discussing with the soldiers and officials of the Five Cities Army and Horse Department. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    "Your Excellency."

    Lin Delu submitted the transcript of the negotiation and said with concern, "Are you all right?"

    "What can I do for you?"

    As Sun Shaozong said, he flipped over the transcript and found that their progress was much more than expected. Several details that were still difficult to plan for had been finalized, leaving only some insignificant differences.

    In addition, there were many concessions for the five cities in terms of soldiers and horses.

    According to the original expectation, these things would be up for discussion for at least an entire day, but now it only took half a morning.

    Seeing the surprise on Sun Shaozong''s face, Lin Delu hurriedly said, "I heard that it was Marshal Qiu who instructed that, for your sake, it¡¯s fine for the Five Cities Army and Horses Department to take up more responsibility."

    Tch!

    Marshal Qiu is really a schemer.

    If he had said this one day earlier, there would still be some important implications. If he said this later, it was completely meaningless.

    That was to say, it''s not a big or small deal!

    "Let''s go."

    He threw the negotiation record back to Lin Delu. Sun Shaozong told him, "After you go back, hand this thing over to Governor Han and tell him that I am sick and need to ask for two days'' sick leave."

    According to the rules, Sun Shaozong should have accompanied Han Anbang and walked the last mile.

    But Sun Shaozong was too lazy to look at his face, so he decided to take a leave of absence.

    Since he asked for sick leave, he naturally would not go to work in the Yamen again, so he left the gate of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Department, parted ways with Lin Delu, Zhou Da, and others, and returned to his mansion.

    "Second Master."

    Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly, "I will send someone to the Rongguo Mansion to deliver the post later, and I will go and inquire for you in the afternoon. Is this alright?"

    Since he was schemed by the Rongguo Mansion that day, he has never been to Jia''s Mansion again. He was going to resume normal contact after Jia Baoyu finished fighting with Lai Da, but seeing Ruan Rong like this, he was afraid that he had to go.

    So Sun Shaozong sent a message to the Jia Mansion, saying that he was free in the afternoon and was going to check the progress of the martial arts students these days.

    Who knew that the man who sent the letter came back in a hurry and said that the young men in the Rongguo Mansion were very ill, so he asked Sun Shaozong to go check on the students again in a few days.

    Now Sun Shaozong was sure.

    He hurriedly called Ruan Rong, recounted the response of the Rongguo Mansion, and then said, "Looking at the meaning of them, it should be the Rongguo Mansion¡¯s situation, and in seven cases out of ten, it was caused by Jia Baoyu''s investigation. At this point, it is appropriate to avoid them now."

    Ruan Rong was only worried about Lin Daiyu and several girls with whom she had a good relationship with, she did not care whether the whole Rongguo Mansion was good or bad.

    Therefore, after listening to Sun Shaozong''s words and saying Amitabha a few times, she felt a little relieved.

    She didn''t care about the right and wrong of the Rongguo Mansion, but someone else begged Sun Shaozong!

    That evening, Xue Pan came to the door with great enthusiasm, and his first sentence was not surprising, "Second brother, it¡¯s bad. Brother Bao is going to die!"

    Sun Shaozong was shocked by the lack of information.

    Could it be that Lai Da, seeing that the boat was about to capsize, didn''t stop at all and just killed Jia Baoyu?

    If so, he implicated him!

    So he hurriedly grabbed Xue Pan and asked, "What''s the matter? How is Brother Baoyu?"

    "Haiz!"

    Xue Pan paused and said, "I don''t know why, but he quarreled with his family, saying that he was going to starve and kill himself! At present, he hasn''t drank any water for two days, and he won''t listen to anyone''s advice. Even his most favored servant girl, Xi Ren, has been chased away by him!"

    How could he say that?

    Did Jia Baoyu find out the truth, and the Masters of the Jia family wanted to protect Lai Da, so they forced Jia Baoyu to go on a hunger strike?

    But now Baoyu has been making trouble for two days. It was reasonable to say that the attitude of the Jia family should have changed, right?

    Just as he couldn''t figure out what was happening, Xue Pan suddenly grabbed his arm and tugged at him, and said, "Brother, Brother Bao listens to you the most. Come with me to persuade him! If this continues, his body will not hold up!"

 Chapter 153: The Corruption Incident of Rongguo Mansion [Part 1]

    Chapter 153: The Corruption Incident of Rongguo Mansion [Part 1]

    Chapter 153: The Corruption Incident of Rongguo Mansion [Part 1]

    Sigh~

    In the end, he was pulled onto the pirate ship [carriage] by Xue Pan.

    Seeing that the carriage had already driven towards the Rongguo Mansion, Sun Shaozong also stopped worrying and tried to inquire, "Do you know what''s wrong with Baoyu?"

    Xue Pan, together with the pillow in the carriage, was pushed to every corner by Sun Shaozong, making him unable to stretch his legs.

    Hearing Sun Shaozong''s question, he grumbled bitterly, "How do I know? My family moved out of the Rongguo Mansion long ago. This afternoon, I went to play with Brother Bao and found out that something like this happened."

    "Think again! Didn''t you hear a word when you went here?" Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    "Well..."

    Xue Pan scratched his head and thought for a long time until the carriage ran more than six miles away. He then beat his thigh violently and said happily, "I remember, my Aunt seems to have said, "Whether that dog slave dies or not, it¡¯s none of my business. Why bother to tell me so much?"

    A slave died?

    Was it Lai Da?!

    "You were in the Rongguo Mansion just now, did you see Lai Da?"

    "I didn''t see him."

    Xue Pan said, and he was also surprised, "Yes, by right, as the main Steward, he should be present if something this big happens in the Mansion."

    It might be Lai Da!

    But what did Lai Da pulled out to make Baoyu so desperate?

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a while and suddenly remembered a person. He asked, "You just said that a servant girl was expelled? Do you know why, and where?"

    "Well... I don''t know."

    Xue Pan said with a bitter face, "I only heard that several maids have been driven away, among them, there¡¯s the Senior maid, Xi Ren. Oh right, there is also a girl named Qing Wen, who is very popular at ordinary times."

    Xi Ren, Qing Wen?

    These two seem to be Baoyu''s favorite servant girls.

    What on earth were they expelled for?

    Was it possible that Lai Da exposed their secrets before he died?

    No, that¡¯s incorrect!

    They¡¯re just two servant girls. What''s the big secret?

    Xue Pan listened reasonably, but he felt that there was something wrong. He was scratching his head and was at a loss. He heard Sun Shaozong say, "Since Brother Bao is fine, it''s best! But I came all the way here to visit, I can''t return without even seeing Brother Bao, right?"

    Xue Pan thought the same too and hurriedly said, "Second Brother, come slowly. I''ll go ahead and let some sisters avoid it."

    With these words, he went away hurriedly.

    Sun Shaozong and Lai Da looked at each other for a while and then said, "Head Steward Lai, I''ll go ahead first."

    Lai Da bowed and said, "Please help yourself, Lord Sun. If you have any issues, just let me know."

    He didn''t mean to stop him at all!

    Was it because he didn''t know that Baoyu¡¯s action of investigating the case was bewitched by himself?

    It was possible.

    However, Sun Shaozong always felt that this was not the case. He could vaguely feel that Lai Da''s presence here was actually a demonstration or a show-off.

    In short, there were too many mysteries at present. It needed to be solved one by one!

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong quickened his pace slightly. He reached Jia Baoyu''s yard and a group of beauties came out with lanterns. It was Lin Daiyu who was the first.

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly dodged to one side from afar, but he was still identified by Daiyu''s peachy-red eyes and was hardly glared at.

    There was also a girl with a plump body and white skin, who looked at Sun Shaozong carefully from top to bottom.

    Sun Shaozong vaguely remembered that, when he met Xue Pan for the first time, he had seen the girl from afar. It seemed that she was the one who helped Xue Pan up at that time.

    However, he was busy talking with Wang Xifeng at that time, and he didn''t look at her carefully.

    Was this Xue Baochai?

    But hasn''t the Xue family moved out?

    It''s a pity that on this big evening, it''s really hard to see the beauty of this female lead, who was as famous as Lin Daiyu in the classic novel, ¡±Dream of the Red Chamber¡± looked like.

    When he was feeling pity, the group of beauties had already gone away. Sun Shaozong hurriedly stepped into the yard.

    As soon as he entered the door, he saw two servant girls kneeling upright in the corner. It seemed that it was Xi Ren and Qing Wen.

    Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, resisted the urge to ask, and walked into the main room.

    It was as bright as day in the flower hall, and several servant girls were surrounded by a young man who was the Grand Master of Crime. Who else could he be, if not Jia Baoyu?

    In the beginning, Sun Shaozong only thought that the rich and idle people were hungry and that they were no different from refugees.

    But when he came closer, he found something strange. Jia Baoyu didn¡¯t look like he was starving at all, but rather he was angry.

    He was not so much filling his hunger as he was relieving his depression by overeating!

 Chapter 154: The Corruption Incident of Rongguo Mansion [Part 2]

    Chapter 154: The Corruption Incident of Rongguo Mansion [Part 2]

    "Second Brother!"

    Sun Shaozong was observing Jia Baoyu''s situation. Xue Pan came up to him again and said in a low voice, "Why do I feel that Brother Bao is a little weird? He was not like that when my sisters were here just now."

    Even he saw the difference, which showed that Sun Shaozong''s feeling was not wrong.

    He took a few steps forward and said, "Take the food away. You haven''t eaten anything in the past two days and nights. If you eat too much, your stomach will not be able to take it."

    In fact, those maids and nannies were already worried. They were afraid of provoking Jia Baoyu and didn''t dare to stop him.

    At this time, when someone said it, the servants tried to grab the food. Seeing that Baoyu didn''t mean to stop them, they rushed to take it away.

    When Jia Baoyu heard Sun Shaozong''s voice, he was shocked. He looked up hopefully and opened his mouth to greet him. Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    But then, he did not know what was coming to his mind, and his face appeared a little tangled and timid. He hesitated, and only shouted, "Second Brother."

    Sun Shaozong was puzzled when he saw this.

    He gave Xue Pan a signal, but unexpectedly, this fool was staring at him, and his face was unclear.

    Thus, he had no choice but to make it clear again, "Brother Baoyu and I have something to talk about, you guys can go down first."

    "Right, right!"

    Xue Pan then responded and hurriedly waved away like a fly, "Get out of here, don''t delay our Brothers talking!"

    After all, he was a Young Master, and he was always known for his insolence. The servant girls and nannies hesitated for a moment and hurried out of the room.

    Sun Shaozong just pulled a spring stool, sat down opposite Jia Baoyu, and said with a smile, "Tell me, what have you found out these days that you made such a big commotion?¡±

    After a pause, he added, "Your family has made such a big fuss that it is impossible to cover it up in the future. It is better to say it directly and save everyone from listening to rumors later."

    Jia Baoyu didn''t want to say anything, but after hearing what he said was reasonable, he had to frown and sighed. "In this case, our family is going to become the biggest laughing stock in the Capital."

    With these words, he came to know all his experiences these ten days.

    But Jia Baoyu said that day that he knew about the absurdity of "one man making deals with two families," and was prompted by Lin Daiyu. Knowing that her silver taels had been coveted by the slaves, he was furious and vowed to investigate the matter thoroughly.

    With the price list sent by Sun Shaozong and the method of distinguishing the authenticity of materials, Jia Baoyu did not hesitate to look into the case.

    However, it turned out that Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng were the first to be exposed on Wu Xindeng¡¯s list.

    In addition, there were also Old Lady Jia''s confidants, Madam Wang and Madam Xing''s hostels, Concubine Zhao''s Brother, Jia He''s servants, and Jia Zheng''s guests...

    So many people were the closest to several Masters in his family, and the silver tales involved were more than one hundred thousand!

    Now, it''s really a stone that stirred up thousands of waves!

    A plea of guilt, a cry of grievance, a cry of sensationalism, and a cry of exasperation...

    Jia Lian even used weapons to attack Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng, who was directly chased by him, ran around the mansion. According to Jia Lian''s own words, it was because Wang Xifeng borrowed his name to enrich her private pockets, that he was extremely angry.

    However, everyone else privately believed that the conflict between his wife and him was caused by the unequal distribution of stolen goods.

    In a word, the Rongguo Mansion played a scene of chaos in the Heavenly Palace at the same time!

    Seeing this, Jia Baoyu was also stunned, even though he was somewhat disheartened.

    In the beginning, he said that the Rongguo Mansion was a family of robbers, which was just angry words, but now it seemed that this was all right!

    In particular, Jia Baoyu found it hard to accept that even some of his favorite servant girls were involved, more or less.

    Just at this time, there was pressure from all sides to accuse him of making trouble out of nothing and stirring up many storms for nothing.

    In a fit of pique, Jia Baoyu went on a hunger strike and threatened to kill himself. He did not eat or drink for two whole days and nights!

    Hearing this, Xue Pan couldn''t help interrupting, "Why did you suddenly eat again?"

    "Well..."

    Jia Baoyu was at a loss for words, then forced to laugh, "After all, I still have my Grandmother and my parents in the hall. If they were to hold my funeral, wouldn''t it be extremely unfilial?"

    After a pause, seeing Sun Shaozong staring at himself with burning eyes, he twisted his neck uneasily and added, "Besides, I...... I can''t stand being hungry."

    "Haha, you little boy..."

    Xue Pan laughed and was waiting to comfort Baoyu. Unexpectedly, Sun Shaozong stretched out his hand and lifted him from the chair.

    Hearing Sun Shaozong''s unquestionable order, he said, "Go outside and watch carefully. Don''t let people eavesdrop!"

 Chapter 155: The Corruption Incident of Rongguo Mansion [Part 3]

    Chapter 155: The Corruption Incident of Rongguo Mansion [Part 3]

    Xue Pan disappeared behind the door, and Sun Shaozong looked back carefully at Jia Baoyu. Seeing that Jia Baoyu was even more worried, he suddenly asked, "Is that the last person who came to persuade you Lai Da?"

    Jia Baoyu was very excited. He looked at Sun Shaozong in amazement for a while, but he looked away in the end and said, "What do you mean by that? I..."

    "Don''t lie."

    Sun Shaozong calmly added, "I can tell this kind of thing clearly by asking your servant girl in the yard."

    Jia Baoyu closed his mouth awkwardly and then smiled again, "It''s the Head Steward Lai, but he didn''t really persuade me. It''s mainly because I figured it out myself, so..."

    "Brother Bao."

    Sun Shaozong interrupted him again, "There is a saying that ¡±explanation is to cover up, and cover-up is actually a confirmation.¡± Although theoretically, this is a bit subjective, it is appropriate to describe your current performance."

    Jia Baoyu froze again.

    Finally, he just threw himself on the table in anger, twisted his body, and shouted in a muffled voice, "Since you don''t believe what I said, I have nothing to say. Besides, I have ended my hunger strike now, so you don''t have to ask about it, must you?"

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong smacked his lips and simply got up to pace up and down in the room. As he walked, he said, "Since you don''t want to say, I might as well guess for myself."

    "You are frightened by the situation and have received complaints from all sides. You are afraid of pursuing it till the end, and with your temperament, you probably won''t make it clear!"

    "In this way, there will inevitably be some misunderstandings."

    "Because your Grandmother and mother are always spoiling you, after two days and one night of suffering, I''m afraid that all the people in your family are worried, no matter whether it is intended, there should be a great probability that they will say something like ¡±It''s just checking the accounts. If he is willing to do so, just let him be.¡±

    "Thus, someone can''t sit still!"

    "Of course, this person is also greedy for silver, and it is a lot of silver, at least not less than Second Madam Lian and Wu Xindeng."

    "To prevent the audit from continuing and eventually affecting himself, there are only two options before him."

    "First, you can never continue to audit the accounts; second, you can never dare to audit accounts again!"

    "The first way is not only to kill you but also to make the scene where you died at the hands of others. Since you refused to eat anything and a large number of people were watching at any time, it was really difficult to carry out the plan of killing you."

    "The second way, he only needs to have your shortcomings, which is enough to make you dare not to investigate again!"

    "As the head Steward of your family, Lai Da has held the Rongguo Mansion for more than 20 years. It is also common sense that he can hold such a shortcoming."

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong turned around and asked, "I don''t know if the speculation I said is right?"

    Jia Baoyu stared at him blankly, smiled bitterly, and said, "I can''t hide anything from you!"

    After a pause, he stood up again and gave a deep salute, earnestly saying, "Second brother, I beg you, can you leave this matter alone, can you?"

    "Of course, I can."

    So he decided to go in again to ¡±provoke,¡± but he didn''t dare after recalling Baoyu''s crazy appearance.

    Jia Baoyu had sent Xue Pan away. Finally, some of his fears were released. He hurried forward two steps and bowed to Sun Shaozong until the end. "Please teach me what to do now!"

    He then was very depressed and said, "It''s impossible to tell Grandmother. There are big ears and eyes all over the house, even here..."

    "If I do anything suspicious, he will immediately tell the story and destroy it together!"

    "To destroy together?"

    When Sun Shaozong heard these words, his heart was moved. It seemed that the shortcoming was still a double-edged sword. It seemed that not only the mansion of Rongguo Mansion would have bad luck, but Lai Da himself could not make a good deal of it.

    So he asked, "Does anyone else know this except Lai Da?"

    "Well..."

    Jia Baoyu pondered for a moment, shook his head firmly, and said, "There shouldn¡¯t be anyone who knows about it. He told me that ¡±extreme secrets cannot be known by a third party.¡± Even if this is just a dream, never talk about it!"

    It''s true!

    "In that case, it will be much simpler, as long as..."

    Sun Shaozong said, stretching his hand into his neck.

    "Kill... Kill... Kill him?!"

    Jia Baoyu sat back on the chair, his hands shaking tremendously, and murmured, "I... I..."

    Sigh~

    Useless fool!

    Sun Shaozong sighed and said helplessly, "Well, don''t get tangled up here. Lai Da has already been on guard against you. How can you, a half-adult, fight against him?"

    Jia Baoyu breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn''t have any ideas. He asked, "What should I do... how..."

    He was so flustered that he dared not say "kill" easily.

    If it wasn''t for the big grievance with Lai Da, if it wasn''t for the fact that he picked up the investigation himself, Sun Shaozong didn''t want to deal with Baoyu anymore!

    He asked angrily, "How come your mansion has rich servants who bully their Master, but no loyal servant to protect you? There are hundreds of servants in the Jia family. Is there anyone willing to die for your family without asking for any reason?"

    "Well..."

    Jia Baoyu suddenly thought of someone, nodded, and said, "There is a loyal person, but..."

    "At this time, what are you still saying ¡±but¡± for?!"

    Sun Shaozong snarled, "Try to give the man word of mouth. If you are not sure, don''t say it clearly!"

 Chapter 156: Gradually Decrepit and Behind the Times

    Chapter 156: Gradually Decrepit and Behind the Times

    Watching the figures of Sun Shaozong and Xue Pan, they disappeared into the darkness outside the door.

    Jia Baoyu sighed quietly and felt that his experience of more than ten years was far less than the breathtaking absurdity and twists and turns in recent days.

    After sighing, he turned to look at Xi Ren and Qing Wen. He saw two gorgeous women, who were as haggard as frosted eggplants.

    "Master"

    When Xi Ren saw him looking over, she hurriedly kneeled with her head down to the ground and sobbed, but she didn''t know what to say. She just whimpered.

    Qing Wen has an impatient temperament. She shouted, "Second Master, I don''t have much contact with my Uncle and Brother. Although they use your name for their actions, I never ordered them. Why do I..."

    Xi Ren hurriedly tugged at her and said in a low voice, "Don''t say anything. Be careful, he is crazy."

    Qing Wen then closed her mouth reluctantly.

    Jia Baoyu looked at them again for a while, and all kinds of things from the past came to his mind. On the one hand, he was reluctant to give up on them, on the other hand, he was somewhat disappointed. He felt that it would be better to get rid of them as soon as possible, to avoid looking at them in the future.

    Finally, he waved his hand and said, "Go back to your room and have a rest. My mind is a mess now. I really don''t know how to treat you."

    Qing Wen was still hesitating, but when Xi Ren heard that she could leave. She hurriedly picked Qing Wen up and walked to her house.

    After walking a few steps, Xi Ren couldn''t help turning back and whispering, "If you are unhappy, you can talk to Lady Lin."

    Sister Lin...

    Yes, of the hundreds of people in the mansion, she was the only one who, like herself, was the victim of being involved.

    Jia Baoyu felt a little warmth in his heart. He wanted to talk to Daiyu immediately, but when he thought of what he would do tomorrow, he couldn''t help sighing. He went back to his room and bolted the door.

    Although he was anxious, he did not sleep for two days and a night after all, so he laid in bed for a while and fell asleep soundly.

    Knock Knock Knock~

    Vaguely, he heard someone knocking at the door, but Jia Baoyu couldn''t get up. He shouted vaguely, "I¡¯m sleeping, don''t make any noise!"

    The knocking at the door stopped.

    It was quiet through the night.

    When the rooster crowed three times and the dawn broke, Baoyu got up in disorder and stumbled to the door. He was about to open the latch when he suddenly found that a piece of letter, which was made of rice paper, was stuck in the crack of the door with a piece of jewelry, with a pattern of two diagonally overlapping squares.

    Baoyu opened it suspiciously and found it was a piece of Li Bai''s "Difficult Travel." Looking at the beautiful script, it was clearly written by Lin Daiyu. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    So she came again last night!

    He repeatedly read the last sentence, ¡±Sometimes when the wind breaks through the waves, the cloud sail will help the sea.¡±

    Jia Baoyu''s eyes were red, and he almost burst into tears. He quickly wiped it with his sleeve, put the piece of jewelry, with a pattern of two diagonally overlapping squares close to him, and then opened the latch and shouted, "Come on, tell the front to get the carriage ready. I want to go outside to relax!"

    Jia Baoyu''s heart suddenly turned cold when he saw his old age. Yesterday, Sun Shaozong said that he had no power to bind a chicken. The old man in front of him might not be as good as himself!

    If he were a mature person, he would not take risks at this time but choose to take the long view.

    But Jia Baoyu has always been reckless, and he felt that since he arrived here, he had no choice but to shoot at the target!

    So he gritted his teeth and said according to the original plan, "A few days ago, when I heard about your old experience, I wanted to come and see. Can you tell me more about the war with the Old Grand Master?"

    That eventful period was what Jiao Da was most willing to mention, so he immediately smiled and said, "That''s great! Come here, Young Master, come inside with me. I''ll tell you from beginning to end!"

    Seeing this old man and young man enter the mansion, Lai Da hesitated but did not follow them after all. Instead, he called for two young servants to follow them far away. Don''t let Jia Baoyu cause any trouble.

    Jia Baoyu was dragged away by Jiao Da. He felt that his strength was getting heavier and heavier, and Jiao Da''s feet were also getting more and more staggered, so he quickly reached out to hold Jiao Da.

    "This body of mine is becoming more and more useless."

    Jiao Da laughed at himself and looked back at the two servants who followed them. Suddenly, he lowered his voice and asked, "Is there something you want to do?"

    Jia Baoyu was terrified at first. He was thinking how could this dying old man help himself to get rid of Lai Da? When his thoughts were far, he suddenly heard Jiao Da''s inquiry and blurted out his thoughts, "I want to kill Lai Da!"

    With that, he immediately regretted it again. Sun Shaozong clearly told him not to make things too clear.

    "Hehe."

    Just listening to Jia Baoyu¡¯s remark, a little clarity flashed in his muddy eyes, and then he lowered his voice and said, "Please wait for 15 minutes, and then ask Lai Da to leave. Then you can see how we kill him for you!"

    Jia Baoyu regretted it from then on. Suddenly, Jiao Da said that calmly. It seemed that Lai Da was just a piece of paper. He was even more regretful, lest the old man be confused and prone to mistakes.

    But he was not easy to question, so he just said, "Elder, why don''t you even ask the reason?"

    Jiao Da tried hard to straighten his chest and said, "When we followed the Grandmaster, we never asked who to kill, and why!"

    He then hunched back again and muttered, "Besides, I''m not deaf yet. The matter of you checking the accounts in the mansion and having caused chaos in people''s lives has gone to my ears."

    While talking, they had already arrived at Jiao Da''s residence, but the cramped house was dark and full of rotten old people''s style. Baoyu, who had always liked it clean, immediately shrank.

    "Go ahead."

    Jiao Da broke away from Jia Baoyu''s support and said at the top of his voice, "Since you think my room is dirty, then you don¡¯t have to listen to the story!"

    As he spoke, he scratched a few withered white hairs and walked slowly into the room.

    Looking at his slow movements. It seemed that time had frozen. Jia Baoyu''s uneasiness and regret have become more and more intense.

    "Second Master!"

    When the two servants heard the cry, they hurriedly came up and comforted, "Don''t pay attention to the ungrateful old man! If you want to know about the experience of the Old Grand Master and him, you can go to the teahouse to listen, and it''s all there!"

    Jia Baoyu stared at the dark room. He took a deep breath and said dispiritedly, "Come on, go to the fields with me, and then we''ll go back to the mansion."

 Chapter 157: A White-Haired Elder Holds a Sabre

    Chapter 157: A White-Haired Elder Holds a Sabre

    "Second Master, Second Master!"

    Sun Shaozong was exercising his muscles in the yard that morning when he saw Zhao Zhongji coming in a hurry. He shouted in a panic, "Here comes Second Master Bao from the Rongguo Mansion!"

    He then went up and lowered his voice and said, "The Second Master Bao is covered in blood. I didn''t dare to ask him."

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong hurriedly inserted the gold filigree ring knife back into the weapon rack and took a few steps to the front hall.

    Indeed.

    Jia Baoyu was standing in the center, his hands and body were covered in blood stains, and his happy baby face was even calmer.

    "You..."

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but blurt out, "Did you kill Lai Da yourself?!"

    If it were true, Sun Shaozong would be impressed with him.

    Jia Baoyu smiled bitterly and shook his head.

    "What about the blood?"

    Hearing Sun Shaozong mention the blood, Jia Baoyu''s eyes became a little confused, but he soon regained his clarity and said with a deep salute, "This is why I came to see you. In fact, just now..."

    More than half an hour ago, Jia Baoyu walked out of the gate step by step. He saw two carriages in front of him but saw no sign of the scorching. His heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

    The dying old man was indeed unreliable!

    At this moment, a shivering figure suddenly appeared behind the carriage that Lai Da was riding. He grabbed his sleeve and shouted, "Donkey, why are you walking so slowly? Your Grandpa Jiao''s legs are almost unbearable!"

    Seeing that he was hiding behind the car, Lai Da unconsciously glanced at Jia Baoyu. At first, he was suspicious, but then he was relieved. What tricks could this half-aged boy and an 80-year-old man do?

    So he asked rudely, "Jiao Da, what are you doing here?"

    "What? You want me to take you back to live in the Main Mansion?"

    Jiao Da listened slowly, but slowly shook his head and said, "I will only go back to the Rongguo Mansion. I will not go to your house."

    This stupid old bastard!

    Seeing that he could not even hear his words clearly, Lai Da was even more disdainful. He went forward and said loudly, "Nobody wants to take you home! I..."

    Before Lai Da could finish shouting, his charred body suddenly leaned forward and crashed into Lai Da''s arms!

    Lai Da''s expression froze in an instant, he then grabbed his big wrist and said aloud, "You... You..."

    When Jiao Da saw that he could still struggle, he tried his best to move forward, and the two fell to the ground.

    Let alone coming forward to help for a while, he was too scared and even fell back two steps.

    Jiao Da''s eyes flashed a little loneliness and disappointment, and he silently lowered his head to fight with that hand again.

    At this time, more than twenty people were standing at the gate of the grange, but they were strangely quiet.

    Everyone was in a state of panic. Looking at the old man with a white head that was riding on the body of Lai Da, trying to get up. Even the trusted people Lai Da brought, couldn''t think of stopping him.

    A moment later. Jia Baoyu suddenly took a half step forward, then another half step. Finally, he simply strode to the front of Jiao Da, with red eyes, biting his teeth, and stretched out his hand to break the palm of Lai Da.

    "Ha... Hahaha..."

    Jiao Da shook his wrist and suddenly burst out laughing. Seeing Baoyu trying to help him up, he pointed to the head of the dagger and said, "That''s something that the Grandmaster had rewarded me with. Boy, put it away for me first."

    Baoyu looked at the dagger that was wedged deeply into Lai Da''s heart. His legs were shaking, but he still slowly bent down, shook his hands, and yanked out the dagger.

    He recalled until this part.

    Baoyu took out a dagger from his sleeve, stroked it absentmindedly, and said, "At that moment, I regret it."

    .

    "Regret?"

    Sun Shaozong said strangely, "Regret killing Lai Da?"

    No!

    Jia Baoyu suddenly raised his head and gritted his teeth, saying, "I regret that I didn''t kill him! The legacy left by my ancestors should have been guarded by the children and grandchildren!"

    He and Sun Shaozong looked at each other for a while, then suddenly Sun Shaozong smiled and tapped Baoyu¡¯s hand on his shoulder, saying, "It''s not too late for you to understand now!"

    After a pause, he said, "Since Lai Da is dead, why did you come to me?"

    "Grandpa Jiao refused to hide."

    Jia Baoyu then remembered what was going on and hurriedly said, "Please try to find a way, and don''t implicate Grandpa Jiao anymore!"

    It was for this.

    Sun Shaozong turned his eyes and immediately asked, "How old is Grandpa Jiao?"

    Baoyu said with uncertainty, "He seems... He seems eighty-six years old."

    "That''s easy!"

    Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "According to the law of the Great Zhou Dynasty, anyone over 80 can be exempted according to the circumstances, except for those who seek to disobey."

 Chapter 158: Green Lattice Nunnery

    Chapter 158: Green Lattice Nunnery

    In the Rongguo Mansion, two housekeepers were killed after checking the accounts, and one was even killed by an eighty-year-old servant.

    The rights and wrongs of love and hatred among them were enough to make the future generation''s brains make up an eight o''clock ¡±dog blood drama!¡±

    In the Great Zhou Dynasty, things naturally heated up. In the end, even Emperor Guangde was shocked, and two orders were made for this.

    The first intention was to urge all the relatives outside to do what they could and not waste money on the matter of paying a visit to one''s parent''s or elder''s house. But it has been more than half a year since then, and the repair was almost over, so this intention was pure hindsight.

    Of course, the Rongguo Mansion and other outside relatives and aristocratic families have to apologize in fear.

    As for the second decree, it was inspired by the fact that the 86-year-old loyal servant swore to protect the Master and specially called the city''s elderly people over 70 years old to have dinner in the Palace on Emperor¡¯s Day.

    Of course, not all elderly people were qualified to enter the Palace to celebrate the Emperor¡¯s birthday.

    To prevent the elderly from being overjoyed, and passing away due to being too excited, turning a happy event into a funeral, the Ritual Department specially issued an official document, asking the Central Judicial Office to strictly check the customs and exclude all those who were ill. Only those who could be regarded as old and healthy could enter the Palace to participate in the birthday party.

    This was the standard of ¡±Once the Emperor opens his mouth, the workers have to be tired of handling the orders given.¡±

    After receiving the order, officials at all levels of the Central Judicial Office immediately began to search the city for doctors. Whether they were old and healthy or dying, it was up to the doctor to decide.

    In addition, this was also a preparation to shirk responsibility. If someone died in the Palace, they could turn the doctor into a scapegoat.

    When all the elderly in the capital have finally gotten a physical examination, the matter of arranging defense has come.

    So the officials of the Central Judicial Office had to work overtime.

    On October 13, all the matters from top to bottom were finally finished. Han Anbang and Jia Yucun were able to show their kindness and let everyone take turns resting for a day so that they could have enough spirit to prepare for Emperor¡¯s Day on October 17.

    Of course, these "people" refer to officials of high rank. Those petty officials and Yamen runners who were not in the ranks had no good fortune. They still have to run errands.

    Sun Shaozong was in the second batch of the rest list, which was on October 14.

    Since Ruan Rong has been pregnant for nearly seven months, she has become more and more nervous recently. She prayed to God and worshiped Buddha every day, hoping to have a son.

    To help her ease her mood, Sun Shaozong planned to take her and Xiangling out for recreation while taking advantage of his resting day.

    "Uh..."

    Sun Shaozong remembered that he had not seen Liu Xianglian before, so he casually said, "He is the son of my old friend. Recently, he has been very cordial to Feng Ziying. If I have the opportunity, let me introduce you."

    "Since he¡¯s a friend of yours and also a friend of the Feng family, I must get to know him well."

    Jia Baoyu said, raising his hand to make his way in, "Second Brother, how about going to another courtyard first?"

    "I was just going to look at your garden and see what it looked like."

    After talking and laughing, they entered the Grand View Garden.

    Baoyu pointed at the scenes one by one and explained why this place is called ¡±Winding roads leading to secluded places,¡± why it is called a ¡±Desire place,¡± what''s the means of naming ¡±a phoenix comes with grace to rest,¡± and what is the beauty of the ¡±Daoxiang Village.¡± All kinds of allusions came at random.

    "They say you don''t like reading, but I think they are mistaken."

    Sun Shaozong suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where does Uncle Jiao live now? Don''t forget to take me to say hello later."

    That day, he led Jiao Da to walk into the government office. On the way, Sun Shaozong talked with the old man very well.

    Jiao Da repeatedly sighed that if the children and grandchildren of the Rong-Ning Mansion could have 30 percent of Sun Shaozong''s ability, they would not be cheated by a group of gangsters.

    Jia Baoyu hesitated, shook his head, and smiled bitterly, "Uncle Jiao said he was from the East Mansion and said he would not move in. Now he is back in the East Mansion. However, looking at the face of the West Mansion, he has also been appointed as a steward, and two honest people have been assigned to serve him."

    This was not what Sun Shaozong expected. With great credit, if he had been willing to soften up, he would not have fallen into the present situation.

    "That''s right."

    Jia Baoyu suddenly pointed to a temple not far ahead and said, "A strange man is living in the Green Lattice Nunnery. Now that you are here, you can''t miss him."

    With that, Sun Shaozong went to the Green Lattice Nunnery and explained to the little nun who kept the door.

    Not long after, a young nun with long hair came out of the Buddhist hall. She was wrapped in green silk in plain white gauze, her eyes were vaguely like a picture, she held a green jade dust brush, and her feet were stepping on lotus soap boots.

    At a distance, it looked like the Goddess of Mercy.

    But Jia Baoyu said, "This is Lord Sun, the famous Master of the Capital. Brother Sun, this female bodhisattva is named Miaoyu. Buddhism, talent, and poetry are all first-class!"

 Chapter 159: Satirizes Miaoyu in the Green Lattice Nunnery

    Chapter 159: Satirizes Miaoyu in the Green Lattice Nunnery

    Miaoyu?

    Wasn¡¯t that the woman whom Cheng Rixing recommended?

    Sun Shaozong was surprised, but Miaoyu suddenly lowered her face, shook her sleeves, and said coldly, "It''s Lord Sun, my room is honored!"

    No matter which Buddhist sect, there was no such ceremony.

    Jia Baoyu just stared at it, but he didn''t know what the problem was.

    Sun Shaozong knew that the fake nun was still angry at Cheng Rixing''s joke, but he was too lazy to argue with her.

    He smiled and said, "I wanted to invite a female teacher for Xiangling that day, and someone recommended Miaoyu. Unfortunately, the messenger didn''t know what to do and said some nonsense, which led her to misunderstand."

    "I see."

    Jia Baoyu suddenly clapped his hands and said, "That''s fate!"

    He then smiled at Miaoyu and said, "In this case, why don''t you have a cup of tea with Second Brother Sun? How about meeting and getting to know each other?"

    Who knew that Miaoyu, after hearing this, lifted her white jade-like chin and sneered, "Lord Sun, if you and I didn''t meet in the Rongguo Mansion today, I don''t know whether it was a misunderstanding or not?"

    When she heard what Sun Shaozong said, it was totally different from what Cheng-Shi said. She didn''t think it was a misunderstanding but thought that Sun Shaozong was afraid of the power of the Rongguo Mansion, so she didn''t dare mention the matter of concubinage.

    So in addition to being angry, it also added some contempt to the person¡¯s heart!

    Although Sun Shaozong didn''t want to argue with the little girl, he was still ridiculed after a well-intentioned explanation, which made him a little angry.

    "Since you don''t think it''s a misunderstanding, then it''s not a misunderstanding!"

    He straightened up his chest, put on a grim smile, and said, "Brother Bao, don''t blame me for not giving you face. Today I have to strip this woman naked and take her home to be my warm-foot maid!"

    With that, the eagle''s eyes fell on Miaoyu''s chest with a big stab, and his big hands opened from side to side, and he rushed up to tear her clothes!

    "No, Second Brother!"

    Baoyu exclaimed.

    Then, he just heard her pointing, poking, and yelling, "Jia Lian! It''s okay for others to come here and humiliate me! You might as well touch your conscience that was bitten by the dog and think about it. Who did I stand in the way of now?!"

    Jia Lian was obviously in the wrong. He said, "Don''t yell. What are you yelling about? I just drank two more cups of wine when I was angry and lost my temper for a while, but I didn''t mean to."

    "Not on purpose?"

    Wang Xifeng was angry. He poked at Jia Lian''s chest with one finger at a time, and her mouth was even more ruthless, "Do you think I am only talking about today? Since these days, haven¡¯t you provoked those dirty and ugly people?"

    Because of the audit, she has been exempted from being the housekeeper''s hostess, so she has plenty of time to investigate Jia Lian''s affairs.

    Seeing that Jia Lian still had to retort, she spat viciously, "It¡¯s fine if it''s just a woman. But you are even doing the business of selling your ass. I¡¯m disgusted!"

    Tch!

    He remembered that when he was in the State of Yang, Jia Lian said that he didn''t love the style of "being straight." Unexpectedly, in just one year, he had broken his sayings!

    Jia Lian had just ¡°enjoyed with the boy¡± several times, but he was far from being as calm as Xue Pan.

    So when he heard this, he was very ashamed and angry. He waved his hands to Wang Xifeng and scolded, "How dare you talk nonsense, how dare you talk nonsense..."

    Wang Xifeng was not a person who was easy to bully. She immediately opened her teeth and paws, and said, "If you have the ability, you can kill me. Anyway, I don''t want to live!"

    Sun Shaozong watched from the side, but his heart was full of sneers. When Wang Xifeng was betraying him, did she ever think of today?

    Suddenly, he heard a hiss, and it was the movement of tearing!

    The clothes were torn?

    Sun Shaozong quickly stared at it, but he only saw that the collar was torn, which could not cover up the bareness inside. But he only saw a scene of a white body and two skinny ribs!

    Tch!

    It was Jia Lian''s collar that had been torn.

    It was uninteresting, but suddenly, someone behind him said, "This married couple is in such a situation all thanks to you, but you are still hiding here and having a good time watching the show!"

    Sun Shaozong was startled, looked back hurriedly, and saw a beautiful person in the bed of flowers...

 Chapter 160: Show Off Ones Mind, Pingâ€™er Take an Oath

    Chapter 160: Show Off One''s Mind, Ping¡¯er Take an Oath

    Sun Shaozong looked back and saw a woman in a green gauze skirt, who was smiling at him. Who else could she be other than Ping¡¯er?

    Sun Shaozong was so excited that he subconsciously took a half step forward, but Ping¡¯er immediately withdrew two steps in a panic, shook her head, and whispered, "Don''t be impulsive, if someone sees you, it''s not a kidding matter.¡±

    That was to say, in her flustered eyes, there was also a hint of eagerness.

    Sun Shaozong knew that she was just worried about being seen, and not really hiding from him.

    So he looked around a few times, then signaled to the rockery not far away, raised his chin, and said with a smile, "How about revisiting our old place?"

    With that, no matter whether Ping¡¯er agreed or not, he crept into the rockery first.

    When he stopped and looked back, Ping¡¯er followed him.

    When Ping''er came near, he pinched her hands and said teasingly, "I''m afraid I''ll have to kill you since I''ve been seen by the little lady!"

    As he spoke, his restless paws fell straight to Ping¡¯er''s chest.

    "Tch! What a heartless thing!"

    Ping¡¯er spat, put out her hands, pushed his two claws away, and said in accordance with his act, "If I hadn''t told the Second Master Bao about the money that Lady Lin had coveted in the mansion, do you think he could do things with his indolence?" Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    It turned out that there was such an episode.

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong felt that this ¡±nail¡± was indeed arranged very well. If it had not been for Ping¡¯er''s assistance, Lai Da might not have died!

    So he smiled and said, "I know that your heart is leaning toward me."

    He then went close to Ping¡¯er again.

    "Humph."

    Ping''er snorted coldly and said, "I know that you stinky men only think about women''s white bodies in their hearts. As for whose body it is, I''m afraid it doesn''t matter."

    Tch!

    Even Sun Shaozong tried to untie her collar, and she even cooperated with him on her side.

    So, apart from the mountain, the two real couples were like enemies. A pair of wild mandarin ducks were like glue!

    Sun Shaozong was searching for a cave that could be used when he stripped her of her autumn clothes. But he heard a cry not far away at this time, "Second Brother, Second Brother Sun? Where are you?!"

    Ping''er was shocked and pushed Sun Shaozong away. She hastily sorted her clothes and urged him to sort himself as well. "Clean up quickly. The Second Master Bao is here, don''t let him see anything!"

    Damn Jia Baoyu, what a bad time to come!

    Sun Shaozong, seeing Ping¡¯er''s determination, had to straighten his clothes and said angrily, "I''ll find another chance to talk with you."

    Ping¡¯er naturally understood what the word "talk" meant.

    First, she lowered her head with a red face, then she looked up and said, "Although I am not a chaste martyr, since you have me in mind, I will not let you down. From now on, I will never let Second Master Lian get close to me."

    She then put the gold pocket watch into Sun Shaozong''s hand and said, "Keep it for me first, and I will ask you for it when I think of a safe way."

    Although he was moved by her promise, Ping¡¯er¡¯s dislike of Jia Lian had already bloomed in her heart.

    In the past, all things have been ignored. Recently, Jia Lian has been greedy for money, but he has no one to take responsibility for. He blamed Wang Xifeng for everything. Not only was Wang Xifeng disappointed, but Ping''er felt the same way too.

    Wang Xifeng was alone with Jia Lian. Although he was cold-hearted, she didn¡¯t want to break away from Jia Lian.

    But there was Sun Shaozong for Ping¡¯er to compare. She naturally felt Jia Lian was worthless. So out of her feelings for him, she made such a promise.

    Sun Shaozong watched Ping¡¯er escape in a hurry, so he took the watch back into his pocket and chose the opposite direction to go around the rockery.

    Who knew that when he just came out of the rockery, he would run into a woman with a flustered look and untidy clothes? Who else could it be other than Wang Xifeng?

    Sun Shaozong was stunned at first, and then he guessed that Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian were probably also shocked by Baoyu''s cry, and they also hurriedly hid because of their untidy clothes and unkempt faces.

    Wang Xifeng ran into Sun Shaozong head-on. She was even more flustered. He just didn''t have time to hide, so she had to cover her collar and pretended to be innocent. She forced a smile and said, "How did Erlang get here?"

    "I wandered with Baoyu in the garden and got separated accidentally."

    As Sun Shaozong said this, his heart suddenly moved. Seeing that no one was around, he simply said to the point, "You left the wealth aside, but came to scheme on me to attract lawsuits. What''s the meaning of this?"

 Chapter 161: Life Mentor

    Chapter 161: Life Mentor

    Hearing Sun Shaozong''s words, Wang Xifeng was stunned at first, and then her eyes were full of vigilance.

    With one hand covering her collar and the other covering her mouth, she giggled and said, "Erlang has confused me. When did I ever cross paths with you?"

    As expected, like servants, like Master, which was also a sensitive party!

    "Of course, it''s a great kindness."

    Sun Shaozong shrugged his shoulders and said, "But if I say this rashly, I''m afraid you may not believe me. Why not..."

    He looked at Wang Xifeng''s haggard, but foxy face changed, and then continued, "Why don''t I make some efforts to help you get back the right to be the stewardess? Let''s talk about wealth again some other time, shall we?"

    Wang Xifeng''s face changed quickly when she heard his offer, but she still giggled and said, "Erlang, I no longer understand anymore."

    She was now in the Rongguo Mansion, which could be said to be disreputable. Not to mention the other people, Wang-Shi, her aunt, also complained a lot about her son Jia Baoyu, who protested with a hunger strike. Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    Under such circumstances, how could Sun Shaozong, an outsider alone, help her regain power?

    Therefore, she didn''t believe Sun Shaozong''s words at all!

    "Second Brother, Second Brother Sun?!"

    At this moment, Jia Baoyu''s cry came again. Wang Xifeng took the opportunity to nod her head and said, "Brother Bao is looking for you. I won''t delay Erlang''s visit to the garden."

    As she spoke, she swung around Sun Shaozong and hurried to the front yard.

    "Sister-in-law!"

    Sun Shaozong raised his voice slightly behind her. When Wang Xifeng looked back in surprise, he smiled again and said, "Let''s see if I can help you first and we shall talk about other things later."

    Wang Xifeng''s eyes flashed a little suspicion but finally sped up without saying a word.

    He sent her off with a peach-like buttock as if they could resist gravity, Sun Shaozong could not understand Jia Lian.

    How could the backyard of the boys be comparable to this kind of figure?

    The world of fags was really beyond ordinary people''s comprehension!

    Cough~

    Getting back, Sun Shaozong just pointed out the matter and said that he could help Wang Xifeng be in charge of the family expenses again. It was not idle nonsense.

    He was obviously trying to help Wang Xifeng, but secretly he was trying to help Ping¡¯er.

    After all, if Wang Xifeng was completely set aside or kicked out, Ping''er, as her right-hand man, would not be in a better position.

    "My mother knew that I didn''t like it, so she planned to take advantage of my prestige in the mansion this time to catch up on the big and small things in the mansion and to inherit the foundation of the Rongguo Mansion in the future."

    Sun Shaozong interrupted, "What do you think?"

    "Me?"

    .

    Jia Baoyu said more bitterly, "I don''t know what I really think. On one hand, I want to work hard, not to mention being worthy of all ancestors, or at least living up to Grandpa Jiao''s expectations."

    "But down in my bones, I''m tired of these mundane things, and I''m afraid I can''t do it well."

    "What are you afraid of?"

    Sun Shaozong scornfully said, "It''s just a matter of being a chamberlain when you are admitted to the Imperial Examination. How can it be harder than Uncle Jiao''s killing Lai Da? He is an old man and can kill others decisively. How can you be so lees bold as a young man?"

    This naturally meant to arouse Baoyu''s competitiveness.

    Unexpectedly, Jia Baoyu nodded without hesitation and said, "Of course, I can''t compare with Grandpa Jiao."

    Speechless...

    Is this boy not self-motivated, or does he have a certain sense of self-acknowledgement of himself?

    It seems that there is no hope for him to make his own judgment.

    However, it was also a good situation. He could have taken the opportunity to fulfill his promise to Wang Xifeng earlier!

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong reluctantly analyzed and said, "If you want to be a rich and idle person, you don¡¯t need my advice."

    "But if you want to take care of the affairs in the mansion, you will certainly offend the Young Second Master and Second Madam Lian. Are you sure you want to become enemies with them?"

    "Of course not!"

    Jia Baoyu did not hesitate to reply, and then he muttered in some dismay, "Actually, now Brother Lian and Sister Feng are hiding from me. I just saw them in the pavilion, and when I went near them after shouting a few times, they were gone."

    "Hehe."

    Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "If I were you, I would go to your old ancestor''s house to intercede for the second sister-in-law and give her a chance to know her mistake and change it!"

    "This can ease the estrangement between you, and also take the opportunity to stabilize the people in your mansion. Recently, the servants in your mansion have been in constant fear, right?"

    Seeing Jia Baoyu nodding, Sun Shaozong said with a smile, "As for making progress, who can guarantee that you will be able to pass the Imperial Examination? It''s just a matter of doing your best."

    "And if you really hate the Imperial Examination, you can just ask your Emperor Brother-in-Law to be kind and bestow an official position for you. By then, you can be happy and free!"

 Chapter 162: Foolish Xiangling was Surprised to Hear the News from her Mother

    Chapter 162: Foolish Xiangling was Surprised to Hear the News from her Mother

    In the front yard of the Rongguo Mansion, the Warm Pavilion, where Lin Daiyu lives.

    "Cluck..."

    Shi Xiangyun, with a straight smile, was out of breath, but she repeatedly asked, "What happened to Sun Hanlin? I heard that this man is usually the most arrogant, but I don''t know that he acted like this at home!"

    Ruan Rong raised her belly, shook her head, and said, "I haven¡¯t heard anything from my Master regarding what happened to him."

    Tanchun saw the opportunity and asked, "Sister Rong, has the Second Master of the Sun family ever seen the white elephant in the Department of Supervision? I heard from Brother Xue that the white elephant is more than three feet tall, and both of its teeth are the size of adults!"

    Ruan Rong could not help laughing at her round eyes and exaggerated gestures. "If it were really that big, wouldn''t it have been refined? Our Master said that the white elephant was not fully grown, and its size was smaller than the elephant next to it."

    "Brother Xue is really boasting!"

    Jia Tanchun got the answer here. Shi Xiangyun hurriedly asked, "Sister Rong, that guy in the blood character case a while ago..."

    "All right, all right."

    Li Wan separated these sisters and complained half-heartedly, "Sister Rong is pregnant, she can¡¯t stand your constant questioning. Let her have a rest. If you want to know anything, just ask Xiangling."

    When Sanchun and Shi Xiangyun heard the words, they quickly surrounded Xiangling and asked about Sun Shaozong''s experience.

    Even Lin Daiyu, at Ruan Rong''s suggestion, got together with the sisters.

    Only Li Wan and Xue Baochai remained with Ruan Rong.

    Needless to say, Li Wan was a mature married woman, and Xue Baochai deliberately avoided suspicion because of Xiangling''s original identity.

    Ruan Rong was also a little confused, so she wondered, "Why didn''t Lady Xue go to Zijin Street?"

    Xue Baochai smiled and said, "My brother and mother are busy preparing for the wedding. But I am useless and can¡¯t hope to be looked after by the Elders. So I can only come over to disturb my Aunt here."

    If someone else said this, Ruan Rong would not believe it, but Xue Baochai was always shrewd. She heard that she was in charge of many things in the family. How could she be useless?

    She uttered and suddenly felt dizzy. She turned her back and fell back.

    "Xiangling?!"

    "Concubine Zhen!"

    There was chaos in the Warm Pavilion. Fortunately, Xiangling was just surprised, and it didn''t matter much, so she soon woke up again.

    But when she woke up, she didn''t care about any manners or proprieties. She pushed the people away like crazy, grabbed the door, and ran out.

    Others reacted fast, but Yingchun had always been slow to react, so she was almost knocked over by her.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Second Lady."

    Ruan Rong had to make amends for her. "You know she was abducted when she was four or five years old, and now she hears that her biological mother has arrived. Of course, she is fascinated with joy, and she doesn¡¯t deliberately lose her manners."

    Yingchun and Xiangling were also familiar with each other. They didn¡¯t care about anything. At Li Wan''s command, the girls quickly helped Ruan Rong out.

    At the gate of the courtyard, a group of young ladies plus a pretty widow, who were not convenient to meet any foreign guests, handed Ruan Rong over to the nannies and servant girls at the door.

    Seeing Ruan Rong cross the threshold, Sun Shaozong''s tall figure flashed out beside her, carefully picked her up with his eyes always on her, and escorted her to the carriage.

    When the others saw this scene, they envied Ruan Rong for choosing the right man.

    Li Wan, however, was full of mixed feelings. For a moment, she was envious and sad, and then she replaced herself as the main character.

    She imagined that she was held tightly in those two iron arms, and her body began to feel hot and soft, just like a white steamed bun that had just come out of the pot, and the scent emanating from it would make people want to give a bite.

    Sun Shaozong, however, carefully put Ruan Rong in the carriage and got into the carriage at once, waiting for Zhang Cheng to drive the carriage out of the Rongguo Mansion.

    Looking back, Ruan Rong''s eyebrows showed some loneliness. He immediately guessed that she must have heard about Xiangling''s mother, and thought of her family in Kingdom Qian Xiang.

    So he quickly reached out and hugged her in his arms. He made a promise, "Don''t worry. When the child is a little older, I will take you to live in Kingdom Qian Xiang for a few months, so that the father-in-law can recognize his grandson."

 Chapter 163: An Important Personâ€ Arrived Unexpectedly

    Chapter 163: An ¡°Important Person¡± Arrived Unexpectedly

    Ruan Rong and Xiangling were sent to the gate of the backyard, but Sun Shaozong did not follow them. Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    One reason was to let Xiangling and her mother reunite alone first.

    As for the second reason...

    Xiangling''s mother was not alone this time. Several Young Masters of the Sun family in Jinling came together with her. It seemed that she relied on the help of the Sun family in Jinling to be able to find Xiangling so quickly.

    Since his Elder Brother was still on duty in the patrol camp, Sun Shaozong should attend as the host to look at his nephews first.

    They hurried back to the lobby and saw three handsome young people chatting with Zhao Zhongji and Sun Xi.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong coming in from the outside, it was obvious that the host had returned with his clothing and bearing. The three of them quickly got up and stood in a respectful row.

    Zhao Zhongji immediately introduced, "Let me introduce, this is our Second Master."

    The three of them then reported their family names according to their chronological identities and greeted him.

    The first to introduce himself was a young man with an honest face. He said with a deep salute, "I¡¯m Sun Chengye, greetings to Thirteenth Uncle."

    Sun Shaozong had done his homework with Sun Xi before and knew that Sun Chengye was the direct second son of the patriarch''s house, ranking third.

    But Sun Shaozong ranked 13th in the generation of Shao, so he mentioned him as the 13th Uncle and Sun Shaozu ranked sixth.

    In fact, Sun Chengye was 25 years old this year, four years older than Sun Shaozong.

    However, Sun Shaozong, who was already 30 years old in his previous life and used to be an official, did not feel uncomfortable when he saluted him.

    He also put on an elder manner and said with a smile, "It''s Sanlang from the Eldest Brother''s family. I''ve heard that you have great literary talent. You indeed passed your examination this year!"

    Sun Chengye replied with a few humble words of praise and made a slight move aside. A baby-faced thin bamboo pole immediately flashed behind him. He bowed and said, "I¡¯m Sun Chengtao, greetings to 13th Uncle."

    This was the eldest son of the third family, ranking seventh. He was only 19 years old this year, which was also a model of successful youth.

    Sun Shaozong was busy praising this promising youth again. Then Sun Chengtao retreated to the side, just like his brother.

    However, he was not as equanimous as Sun Chengye, and his eyes widened curiously. He looked back and forth at Sun Shaozong.

    Sun Shaozong was already immune to this kind of curious look.

    He stands calmly there, waiting for the last person to greet him. He wondered what his name would be. Unfortunately, these days were particular about being respectful, otherwise, if the name Sun Chengzong appears, it would be interesting.

    Thinking like this, Sun Shaozong felt a little apprehensive.

    After all, this was a famous and loyal minister in the history books. If there would be a voting on who was the most important person in the whole Ming Dynasty, he could definitely be among the best!

    However, after a moment, this fear was largely eliminated. After all, Yu Shaobao was still a little young now, and this period was not the Ming Dynasty, so he might not have had the opportunity to serve the country and have the dedication to shine on history.

    Anyway...

    How could an Uncle be respectful and fearful of his nephew¡¯s son-in-law?

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong also kept that respect and fear in his heart for the time being and only regarded them as the younger generation who came to join the family.

    "The yard has been prepared for a long time. I asked Sun Xi to rearrange it according to your southern habits. If there is anything else you need, just tell the servants around here."

    The three of them thanked each other respectfully.

    Sun Shaozong also said, "As for schoolwork, I can''t help you. I can help you introduce some new candidates who are my students. Although there are no outstanding people, it is not a problem to learn about the situation of the Capital through them."

    Hearing the word "students," Sun Chengtao and Yu Qian had strange faces.

    To tell the truth, if they hadn''t heard about it before they came here, they couldn''t believe that this 13th Uncle, as a martial arts official, had taken on a group of new apprentices.

    However, Sun Chengye kept his usual composure and bowed, "Thank you for your help, 13th Uncle. The Central Judicial Office is the best place under the Emperor. Scholars here must have something good to learn from. We will ask for their advice modestly."

    Whether it was modesty or not, Sun Shaozong, who was not vulgar, was unable to judge, but he knew that none of his students could compare to Shaobao!

    "In addition to these, I will also help you inquire about the main exam next year..."

    "Second Master, Second Master!"

    Just as he was saying this, Liu Quan, the porter, rushed in and reported, "Leader Zhao came asking for you outside the door. He said that there was a murder case. The Governor asked you to go and have a look."

    A homicide case?

    As soon as Sun Shaozong showed some embarrassment, Sun Chengye hurriedly said, "If you are busy..."

    "13th Uncle, can you take us to have a look?"

    Sun Chengtao hurriedly said, "I''ve heard that you can judge a case like a god. I didn''t expect to be able to see it the first thing I arrived!"

    Yu Qian was not arrogant and impetuous, but said, "The subject of criminality is also a compulsory topic in the Imperial examination."

 Chapter 164: The Sword Swallowing Event of the Old Man in the West City [Part 1]

    Chapter 164: The Sword Swallowing Event of the Old Man in the West City [Part 1]

    "Master!"

    Zhao Wuwei was waiting at the gate of the Mansion like a pug.

    Sun Shaozong asked expressionlessly, "What is the case? Why bother me when I am on my leave?"

    Hearing that his words were filled with unhappiness, Zhao Wuwei bent his back even lower and said carefully, "If it''s an ordinary homicide case, I won¡¯t dare to disturb you."

    "But the man who died this time was an old man who was scheduled to attend the Palace birthday banquet. The Governor was afraid that if the case was delayed, there would be rumors, so..."

    Tch!

    Before the birthday banquet, an old man who was scheduled to enter the Palace suddenly died. This matter was not big nor small, but it might alarm the Palace. No wonder Han Anbang was anxious to let himself go to investigate.

    To be exact, this position of an Assistant Prefectural Magistrate was a life of running errands. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    In the future, it would be his turn to dictate and give others a deadline to solve the case as the newly promoted Governor!

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong pointed back and said, "These are my nephews and nephew¡¯s son-in-law. They have just come from Jinling to prepare for the exam. Lead some captors and recognize them properly later. If there¡¯s any problem, they are able to take care of it immediately."

    Hearing this, Zhao Wuwei hurriedly nodded and bowed to Yu Qian and others and said, "Zhao Wuwei, greetings to the three Masters. If you have anything you need assistance with in the future, just call the patrol officials on the streets!"

    Yu Qian and Sun Chengye answered calmly, but Sun Chengtao showed a little disgust and did not look up to such flattering villains.

    When they got on the horse, Sun Chengtao saw that Sun Shaozong was carefully investigating the case. He pulled the reins and whispered to Yu Qian, "Brother-in-law, don''t they all say that our 13th Uncle is the reincarnation of Justice Bao? Why does he have such low-ranking officials around? What''s more, the words he briefed earlier, doesn¡¯t it mean using the public tools for private use?"

    Yu Qian said calmly, "If you don''t like it, you can speak frankly now."

    Sun Chengtao suddenly felt bitter and said, "How could I dare? Those two arms are even thicker than my waist. I¡¯m not stupid enough to annoy him."

    Yu Qian looked at him blankly and said, "Since you know he is an Elder, how dare you speak randomly to me?"

    Sun Chengtao has been reprimanded that he ducked aside.

    Yu Qian, however, rode a few steps forward to listen to the conversation between Sun Shaozong and Zhao Wuwei.

    "Such a big iron sword, straight into his throat! I don''t know what kind of hatred Old Man Xu has made with others that the murderer uses such a frightening technique."

    Sun Shaozong suddenly felt a chill all over his body and hurried his pace.

    When they got to the yard where Old Man Xu was, they saw four Yamen runners guarding the gate. Inside, there were only two or three captors searching for clues.

    As soon as Zhao Wuwei entered the courtyard, he rushed into it and shouted, "Come out! The Master will investigate the scene himself!"

    Several Yamen runners rushed out.

    "For murders like this, the most important thing is to protect the scene."

    As Sun Shaozong walked in, he explained to the three nephews, "So I specifically told them that if a case occurred indoors, no more than five people should go in to explore at the same time, so as not to accidentally destroy important evidence."

    When he got to the door, he stopped, pointed to the body lying on its back, and said, "Since it is not far from the actual crime scene, you guys should look from here first. If you can adapt, then you can enter after that."

    As he said this, he glanced at Sun Chengtao with a worried face and calmly added, "If anyone vomits, don''t blame me for going back and punishing you according to the family regulations."

    Sun Chengtao suddenly withered. Although family punishment was different everywhere, this method was common in their hometown and the Sun Mansion. He didn''t want to suffer that torture.

    Sun Chengye and Yu Qian answered respectfully.

    Sun Shaozong just walked into the house and saw that Old Man Xu was over 70 years old, but his hair was only gray. His skin and muscles looked firmer than those of ordinary old men. He was obviously a Master who regularly exercised.

    He was lying on his back with his eyes round, and his expression was strange, but there was no sign of struggle.

    The cause of death, of course, was the iron sword that was obliquely stabbed into his throat.

    The exposed length of the iron sword was about two feet. According to the standard length of the sword, it was 3¡¯3 feet for ordinary long swords, and the ones swallowed were about one and a half feet.

    However, judging from the dried-up bloodstains at the scene, the amount of bleeding didn¡¯t seem to be very large.

    There were many dry, foam-like traces left on the corners of the mouth.

    Tch!

    This case looks like...

    Sun Shaozong smacked his lips wordlessly, reached out and touched the iron sword, carefully examined Old Man Xu''s limbs, and then rose to wave. "All three of you come in and have a look, and then say your inference again."

 Chapter 165: The Sword Swallowing Event of the Old Man in the West City [Part 2]

    Chapter 165: The Sword Swallowing Event of the Old Man in the West City [Part 2]

    When Sun Chengtao was just outside the door, he was the noisiest and most detached. But when he entered the door and faced the old man who died with open eyes, he immediately fell silent.

    Sun Chengye was better, but his throat was wriggling. It was obviously a painful experience to swallow the iron sword from his brain.

    Yu Qian was silent for a while, and suddenly bowed to the body to the end and said, "Sorry for offending, sir."

    The brothers of the Sun family woke up just in their dream-like state and followed him to salute.

    "Finding out the truth is the greatest consolation for the dead."

    Sun Shaozong took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. He said, "It''s a quarter of an hour now. I''ll give you another quarter of an hour. You can check everything in the room at will, or ask the captains who were just responsible for checking the evidence. Okay, let''s start."

    Crackle~

    He snapped the cover of his watch and walked out.

    The three people in the room looked at each other. After a moment, they started to act separately. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    In the beginning, they did not go to check on the body.

    It was not until a quarter of an hour later that Yu Qian was the first one to approach.

    "It''s almost time."

    A quarter of an hour later, Sun Shaozong came in from the door and said, "Tell me, what do you see?"

    The three people made concessions to each other, but Sun Chengye was the first to speak. He bowed and said, "Uncle, isn''t there a little less blood flowing from the body''s throat?"

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "Don''t ask me. You can judge by yourself."

    "Noted, then I shall start."

    Sun Chengye then continued, "Last time, my servant accidentally bit his tongue, and he shed much more blood than the victim now. Since it was a fatal injury, it should not only be a small amount of blood."

    "Why did he kill himself in such a strange way?"

    Sun Chengtao was still in disbelief, but this time Yu Qian didn¡¯t answer his doubts. He arches his hands and says, "I''m afraid you''ll have to ask Uncle to explain."

    "It''s good to see that this is not a homicide. At least in the future, officials will not wrong people."

    Sun Shaozong said, waving his hand outside, "Come in and answer."

    Zhao Wuwei immediately ran in with a fist in his hand and said, "Just now, after listening to Master''s instructions, I visited several young children in the neighborhood. The old man had indeed performed tricks previously. They said that if they told the Master that they knew he performed tricks previously, he would not perform again, so only a few people in the neighborhood knew about it."

    Hearing this, Yu Qian suddenly said, "Was it... Was it that he was practicing the juggling of swallowing an iron sword, and he accidentally stabbed himself?!"

    Sun Shaozong nodded and said, "Yes, the skeleton of the deceased looks nothing, but after careful examination, you can find that there are some deformities. They should be formed by training. Usually, such people are not trained from childhood, or they are acrobats."

    "The deceased should be the latter."

    "But he has been cautious for decades and doesn''t want his neighbors to know his origin. I''m afraid he once worked as a trick performer as a part-time job."

    "As for the reason why he suddenly practiced juggling...

    "Two days ago, the Ministry of Etiquette issued a decree to let talented old men rehearse their own programs so that they could perform in front of His Majesty. Perhaps that''s why the deceased started his old career again."

    "Unfortunately, during the drill, there was an accident. According to my inference, he was probably in the process of swallowing the iron sword when he suddenly coughed violently, causing his throat to be injured by the blunt sword."

    "This was not a fatal injury, but the victim was so flustered that he sucked the blood upstream into the respiratory tract, resulting in acute asphyxia."

    Seeing that the three were all confused, Sun Shaozong explained, "That is to say, he choked to death with his own blood."

    With that, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "The etiquette department has caused this incident with the intention of flattering the Emperor."

    As expected, after the case was reported, Emperor Guangde immediately issued an order to punish the Ministry of Rites for three months of their salaries. The charge was that the Ministry of Rites did not know how to respect the elderly.

    As for rehearsals to amuse the Emperor, naturally, it was all over.

    However, Sun Shaozong had little to do with this. He went home in the evening to accompany Yu Qian and the three of them to eat a light Southern meal. In the night, Xiangling pulled him to practice some heavy posture that she would not cooperate on ordinary days...

 Chapter 166: This is Strictly Between Ourselves

    Chapter 166: This is Strictly Between Ourselves

    However, since Sun Shaozong accepted concubines, his Elder Brother gave him a new set of ¡±bed tools¡±. These included Burman bells, silver brackets, sulfur rings, peeping lamps, and candles which were all exquisitely carved. If he didn¡¯t know what they were for, they were also excellent for you to play it.

    After getting these things, it was not like Sun Shaozong was not curious, but Ruan Rong and Xiangling refused to cooperate. He was not like his Elder Brother. He just wanted to be frank regardless.

    Therefore, the object seemed to be cast aside and had no use at all.

    It was not until this day that Xiangling felt grateful, provided her charming body, and tried the tools, which made Sun Shaozong''s wish come true.

    All kinds of fresh and exciting parts were strictly between themselves!

    And at the same time...

    In Rongxi Hall, the main hall of the Rongguo Mansion, there was a secret conversation that was strictly between them.

    "Well, what did Sun Erlang find?"

    The questioner was Jia Zheng. He had thick bags under his eyes, tight eyebrows, and a few wisps of white hair on his temples, although they were covered, they were still exposed to the light. It seemed that he was more than seven or eight years older than when he had a drink and talked openly with Sun Shaozong a few months ago. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    "It seems that nothing has been found."

    Jia Baoyu bowed and said, "I don''t dare to test openly after all, so it''s hard to be sure."

    Speaking of this, he raised his head and said nervously, "How about you, Father? Did you get anything?"

    Jia Zheng shook his head and said, "Although Lai Da is a ruthless man, he has a solid foundation in his work. There is no trace left in the shop."

    He then smiled bitterly and said, "To tell you the truth, if Lai Da hadn''t happened to be found out, I really didn''t know that our shop had helped the He family smuggle gunpowder into the Capital!"

    "It''s lucky that the He Family Leader didn''t disclose this matter until he died, otherwise..."

    When Jia Baoyu heard this, he raised his head, wanting to say something, but his eyes fell on Jia Zheng''s mottled hair, and he swallowed his words back.

    He kept silent for a moment and then switched the topic directly. "Brother Sun suggested that I go to my Grandmother''s place to plead on behalf of Sister Feng so that I could avoid being on bad terms with my Second Uncle''s family. On the other hand, I could take the opportunity to pacify the servants at home."

    Seeing that the two little maids were wrapped in cotton balls, Sun Shaozong wondered, "Why is it very cold outside?"

    The two servant girls nodded their heads vigorously, and one of them said, "Housekeeper Zhao just asked the nanny whether we should light the Kang in the courtyard."

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong hurriedly ordered, "Go to ask Madam Rong later. She must be looked after diligently. It''s not funny to get caught in the cold."

    The servant girls answered with a crisp voice. Sun Shaozong then ordered, "Let Steward Zhao go to the warehouse to see if there is any good wool that can make big clothes. If not, let him go out and buy it quickly!"

    "When the time comes, find a tailor to make three sets of winter clothes for the three young nephews and Concubine Zhen''s mother. They have just come from the south, I''m afraid they haven''t gone through the winter in the north."

    The servant girls were busy again.

    Xiangling had just put on her coat at this time. Hearing this, she went forward and put her arms around his bare waist. The cat rubbed with him like a cat and sobbed, "To be able to follow you, is the greatest blessing of my life."

    Sun Shaozong slapped her on the hip with a backhand and said, "You will have more luck in the future, but you''d better put on your clothes first. I''m afraid you''ll have to stay in the guest room for some time."

    Hearing this, Xiangling immediately panicked and pulled her clothes to cover up.

    Looking at her cute and lovely appearance. Sun Shaozong hesitated a little and asked the servant girls to inquire about his Eldest Brother.

    After confirmation that his Elder Brother had returned from the military camp yesterday at midnight, he ordered someone to send a message to ask Sun Shaozu to accompany Yu Qian and others to breakfast. He accompanied Xiangling to meet Zhen Feng''s [Xiangling''s mother].

    He did some filial piety for Xiangling at the dinner table and promised to ask someone to help him find Zhen Shiyin [Xiangling''s father], who had become a wandering Taoist. Sun Shaozong ordered Zhang to set up a carriage and rush to the government office to be on duty.

    The wind, frost, snow, and rain had frozen Zhang Cheng badly, so when Sun Shaozong got off the carriage, he especially threw him money and asked him to go to the neighborhood to buy some alcohol to warm up.

    However, after entering the gate of the government, Sun Shaozong regretted it again.

    It was not that he was reluctant to give the money, but it was really the front yard of the government, which had set up several large pots of boiling hot soup to drive away the cold.

    Looking inside again, he found that more than twenty bald ladles were lining up in the hall of the government hall, burning incense and chanting sutras!

    Why did this Central Judicial Office suddenly become a monk temple?

 Chapter 167: Ask About the Common People and the Supernatural Beings

    Chapter 167: Ask About the Common People and the Supernatural Beings

    Seeing the faint voice of Zen singing in the lobby, Sun Shaozong grabbed a scribe and asked him carefully.

    Han Anbang was on duty last night. In the middle of the night, he heard that it was freezing rain outside, which made him uneasy. After all, the old man was afraid of the sudden cold and heat. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    The old men of rich and noble families should not have an issue, but the old men of poor families might not be able to take good care of themselves.

    Thinking of these things, Han Anbang worked out with the manservant, who was responsible for keeping the bed warm for a long time but was still unable to sleep peacefully.

    So before dawn, he sent the Yamen runner on duty to investigate around. Sure enough, he found that about ten old men who were scheduled to enter the Palace to celebrate the Emperor''s birthday had already fallen ill.

    The number of people was not too large, but he was afraid that some old man would not be able to get better and would be gone tomorrow. The death of the previous one could be said to have been an accident. But if there were more deaths, it would be a face slap!

    How many heads did Han Anbang have that he dared to hit Emperor Guangde in the face?

    So he was so anxious that he invited famous doctors in the city to come and serve him. He also asked for a prescription to nourish their yin and kidneys, prevent wind, and drive away the cold. He set up a big pot of stew in front of Yamen. When the stew was ready, he asked the Yamen runners to distribute it all over the city, so that no old men would fall ill one after another.

    Han Anbang still didn''t think it was safe enough, so he simply invited a group of bald people from a nearby temple to open an altar in the lobby of the Central Judicial Office, apparently to pray for the elderly but secretly to ask the Bodhisattva to keep his position.

    When the hearer told the cause and effect, Sun Shaozong could not help but sympathize with him.

    No wonder they say that the position of the head of the Central Judicial Office was difficult to handle. Even such freezing rain could trigger the crisis of losing his position!

    However, with sympathy, Sun Shaozong would not take the initiative to wade into the muddy affairs.

    After waving away the scribe, he quietly went to the Criminal Department''s courtyard, brewed a pot of tribute tea from the Rongguo Mansion, and slowly sipped on his tea, looking at the blue-glazed Northern official kiln in the rain. It was a pleasant feeling.

    "Master."

    Cheng Rixing came in with a smile and said, "Did you see Zhao Liben when you came?"

    "General Judge Zhao? What¡¯s wrong with him?"

    "Yesterday, the Imperial Secretary sent a message."

    Cheng Rixing gloated and said, "It is said that on Emperor Day, there will be a lucky sign coming from the front building so that we can live a happy life. We must not cause any trouble. After hearing this news, General Judge Zhao didn''t sleep well last night. Today, he simply suffered from a toothache, and half of his face is swollen like a steamed bun!"

    Zhou Da said with a smile, "I¡¯m just a scholar who passed the imperial examination at the county level, and I didn''t think I could make progress at first. But since I followed you, I have accumulated some credit. My mind has been active again unconsciously. Hehehe..."

    Sun Shaozong also felt that it was time to give this guy some real benefits when he saw his swelling face shaking.

    He has been following him for more than half a year, let alone the other matters. But his face was indeed a work injury, so he should have gotten some compensation.

    With this in mind, he pushed the old ginseng back to Zhou Da and said, "Take this to the front office and ask the famous doctors to use it on the old men as appropriate."

    "Your Honor, this..."

    Zhou Da said in a hurry.

    Sun Shaozong stopped his words with his eyes, and said angrily, "After following me for a long time, why haven''t you made any progress? If I want to recommend you for promotion, I need to find a suitable opportunity and reason. Now you can give this thing to the front, and everything will be ready."

    Zhou Da suddenly understood, took the old ginseng in his hands, and said with a smile, "I''ll find a way to change it tomorrow and send it to your mansion!"

    "That''s not necessary."

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "I felt your sincerity. It''s not easy for you to support your family and four concubines."

    In fact, the words imply admonition and warning.

    After Zhou Da''s appearance was destroyed, perhaps because of his inferiority complex, he bought two beautiful concubines at one go!

    Although this matter was nothing in the arena of officials, it still attracted some comments. They all said that Zhou Da gained a lot of benefits after he followed Sun Shaozong. That''s why Sun Shaozong made this insinuation.

    Unfortunately, Zhou Da didn''t know the true meaning of this sentence. Instead, he thought Sun Shaozong was concerned about himself, and he was moved to tears for a moment.

    He then fell to his knees with a puff and sobbed, "Your Excellency... Your Excellency is really like my secondary parent!"

    Great~

    Looking at this, if Sun Shaozong agreed, it meant that he would be recognized as his Godfather on the spot!

    It seemed that this guy could at most accelerate to eighth or ninth grade in officialdom. If he were to be promoted to a higher position, he would cause trouble for himself.

 Chapter 168: The Opportunity to Kill at the Birthday Feast [Part 1]

    Chapter 168: The Opportunity to Kill at the Birthday Feast [Part 1]

    "The auspicious omen has shown, the auspicious omen has shown!"

    "The Gods and Buddhas are blessing this great Dynasty!"

    "Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

    Sun Shaozong was speechless and admired the chaotic scene in front of the main gate of the Imperial Palace. Several hot air balloons were floating on the gate tower.

    The hot air balloon, which was clearly a tool used by political enemies to escape, was simply made by Emperor Guangde to sing praises for him!

    He even invented the method of drawing banners with hot air balloons without learning from others.

    From a distance, the red silk and gold characters spread in the wind, as if some new supermarket chain had opened to paying customers.

    Not to mention, the level of excitement was comparable!

    But this scene of universal celebration was not a good thing for Zhao Liben and his Yamen runners.

    At a casual glance, he could see the busy figures of the salt and iron officials.

    As for Sun Shaozong, his only task now was to guard hundreds of sedan chairs. After the birthday party, he would escort the old men home.

    Those ordinary old men actually didn¡¯t need to be escorted by him, but there were several senior officials in the Imperial Court. It would be too contemptuous for them to arrange for Yamen runners or scribes to escort them.

    The night was getting dark, and it was almost time to wrap up the happy occasion.

    Sun Shaozong stood up and said, "Please remember the names of the old people who are going to be picked up and send them off carefully! Inspector Zhou will call out their names three times later. If no one answers, don''t blame me for not being nice!"

    All the Yamen runners and sedan bearers were busy and agreed to the promise.

    Meeting and sending off two hundred old men celebrating the Emperor¡¯s birthday, the sedan bearers have practiced six or seven times. Besides, two Yamen runners have been assigned to take care of every ten sedan chairs. If they still made any errors in this task, they would really be hopelessly stupid.

    Sun Shaozong signaled again. Zhao Wuwei and some Yamen runners hurriedly asked the sedan bearers to solve their physiological problems first, so as not to delay the business.

    Sun Shaozong himself went to find Zhao Liben himself and asked him to clear up a large enough space on the west side of the main entrance of the Imperial Palace.

    When everything was ready, Zhou Da shouted at the top of his voice, "Lift the sedan chair!" More than 200 sedan chairs were put on the sedan bearer''s shoulders and they walked unsteadily towards the main gate of the Imperial Palace.

    At the main gate of the Imperial Palace, a group of sedan bearers, under the command of the Yamen runners, a sector was roughly displayed.

    Sun Shaozong cursed secretly in his heart, but he immediately straightened the horse''s head again. He rode towards the miscellaneous army and roared, "There is an ambush ahead, retreat quickly!"

    The forty or more Yamen runners who were in charge of guiding the way had seen Sun Shaozong, while the two opposite holding the lanterns of the Central Judicial Office were strangers!

    In addition, when Sun Shaozong turned into the intersection just above, he clearly didn''t see any teams.

    Therefore, those people either sprinted directly at the speed of the 100-meter race, or they had been lying in the dark for a long time, and only lit lanterns temporarily when the miscellaneous army on the opposite side appeared.

    And the combination of these two items was enough for Sun Shaozong to make the correct judgment!

    Hearing Sun Shaozong''s loud warning, the opposite team immediately became riotous, and then several people dressed as Dragon Guards stepped out of the crowd and said, "You are..."

    BuzzBuzz

    Without waiting to hear what those fools were asking, they heard the loud sound of the bow and string on both sides!

    They were ambushed on the roof!

    Sun Shaozong was shocked. He hurriedly hid in the stirrup and under the horse''s belly!

    Duh~

    At the same time, he heard a dull noise on the horse''s back. It was a sharp arrow nailed to the saddle!

    That was close!

    Fortunately, he escaped in time, otherwise...

    Sun Shaozong was glad, but suddenly he felt something sticky and hot running down his fingers to his wrist.

    Blood?!

    Sun Shaozong was surprised again. One should know that his saddle was not cheap, and it would be difficult to pierce it with a sword.

    There were only two possibilities for an arrow to pierce the saddle.

    First, the bow was extremely strong, second, the archer''s arm was also extremely strong. These two were armor-piercing cones that were only available in the army!

    However, whatever it was, it seemed that it was not good news for Sun Shaozong!

 Chapter 169: The Opportunity to Kill at the Birthday Feast [Part 2]

    Chapter 169: The Opportunity to Kill at the Birthday Feast [Part 2]

    ¡°It¡¯s the Breaking-Armor Troop.¡±

    The roar in front confirmed Sun Shaozong''s conjecture and completely erased all his hesitation, leaving only one thought in his heart. He cannot stay here any longer!

    That Breaking-Armor Troop was a limited supply item for the military.

    No matter where they came from, the forces behind these assassins were definitely not easy targets!

    And this matter obviously has nothing to do with him. Just now, he had loudly warned, which was already his way of doing justice.

    So Sun Shaozong tightened his horse''s belly with both legs, freeing up one hand and giving it a light or heavy push around the horse''s neck with the intention of keeping the horse close to the edge to avoid the miscellaneous army ahead.

    Unexpectedly, with this push, the sturdy black horse took two oblique steps and stumbled with a sudden thud!

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong reacted quickly and rolled over in time to avoid it. Otherwise, it would not be a person riding a horse, but a horse riding a person. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    However, he climbed over more than two miles with inertia and entered the attack range of several soldiers in the Huben Camp.

    He saw those military men shouting, ¡±Who''s there?¡±, but the guy in hand had already greeted them head-on!

    Sun Shaozong dodged and quickly shouted, "Don''t misunderstand me, we are on the same team.¡±

    Unexpectedly, before the words could be heard, a tiger-headed army man stumbled two steps and fell directly in front of Sun Shaozong!

    Hmm...

    What does it mean again?

    ¡°Your Excellency!¡±

    ¡°This guy wanted to kill the Captain.¡±

    ¡°Take revenge for the Captain.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was inexplicable, but the remaining few soldiers turned red in their eyes. Regardless of what he had just shouted, they raised their steel knives and surrounded him again!

    As Sun Shaozong saw the chaotic knife cleaving and vowing to dismember himself, he couldn''t help but feel some anger in his heart. He pulled off his fox skin cloak from behind and put it on his arm, dodged and held onto one of their arms, raised up, and pushed him forward, using the force to push the men who were rushing towards him. He couldn''t help but cross his arms.

    Just listening to the clanging of gold and iron, he held five of the steel knives steadily and threw them up in mid-air!

    Sun Shaozong took advantage of the situation and pounced forward, with his shoulder resting on the chests of the two military men. Immediately, the two military men broke their bones and tendons and then flew horizontally into the distance.

    At this moment, there was another commotion among the Dragon Guards in front of them. Someone shouted in panic, "There¡¯s poison on the arrow, there¡¯s poison on the arrow.¡±

    Damn!

    Captain Huben suddenly grabbed Sun Shaozong''s shoulder and said with all his might, "Prince Yizhong... the Prince is in the sedan chair. If he... if he doesn¡¯t escape, you and I... are both plagiarists... The crime of execution..."

    Without waiting to finish, he completely lost his vitality.

    Damn!

    A reasonable person indeed never pays off!

    Besides, why did they let Prince Yizhong out?!

    He cursed loudly in his heart, but Sun Shaozong still held up his body and rushed out of his hiding place. Everyone in the Huben Camp could recognize him. Shouldn¡¯t there be more people in the Dragon Guard who knew him?

    If he ran away, and the Dragon Guard survived this battle, he was afraid they would have to pull his whole family together to bear the burden!

    Therefore, even for the seven-month-old fetus in Ruan Rong''s womb, he could only give it a shot!

    However, after Sun Shaozong rushed into the battle group, he did not rush to take action. Instead, he quietly sneaked to his horse and threw the body of Captain Huben, pulling up two horse legs.

    Compared to human corpses, horse corpses carried more weight and could better avoid being injured by poisonous blades!

    With this horse in hand, Sun Shaozong added a bit of pride and thought that he must first distinguish himself from the enemy. So he looked up and roared, "Sun Shaozong from the Central Judicial Office is here, who dares to fight with me to the death?¡±

    With just one roar, four assassins pounced at him in the darkness!

    But Sun Shaozong''s response was extremely simple. No matter how many weapons were brought, what weapons were used, or what tactics were used, he only swung the corpse of the horse, and it was a sweeping blow!

    TouchTouchTouch

    Click

    After a biting crash, three of the four assassins flew out.

    And the remaining one, with its entire right arm like a seat belt, was slung between his waist and abdomen, holding five fingers of the weapon blade, and was stunned to be smashed into eighteen folds!

    How could that assassin have seen this, even though he was fearless of death?

    He was so scared that he forgot to shout, but after the next second, he didn''t have to shout anymore. Because the horse''s butt swung back and smashed his skull!

    In the blink of an eye, Sun Shaozong quickly killed four people, but without stopping for a moment, he searched for the assassin''s dense spot and rushed toward them.

    No matter what kind of expert he was, he rounded the horse hammer and sent out the unparalleled strange power. In addition to yielding and evading, the opponent would only have to endure death obediently!

    But those assassins were not fools after all. Seeing such a killing god rushed out, one of them shouted out, "Shoot the arrow, shoot the arrow now, and kill this monster!¡±

    Sun Shaozong''s heart sank to the bottom of the valley, and now it was time to gamble!

 Chapter 170: The Opportunity to Kill at the Birthday Feast [Part 3]

    Chapter 170: The Opportunity to Kill at the Birthday Feast [Part 3]

    Sun Shaozong was worried when he heard the assassin yelling, *¡±Shoot!¡± He quickly withdrew with the horse''s body into the Dragon Guards'' protection circle.

    But...

    As soon as he stepped back, dozens of Dragon Guards broke away, leaving only two or three kittens gritting their teeth beside him!

    Damn!

    These greedy fools!

    Sun Shaozong was so angry that he almost swore. These birdies didn''t think about it. Who could withstand the assassins'' assault if he was poisoned by arrows and lost his capacity for combat?

    If something were to happen to Prince Yizhong, who would live here?!

    Hiss!

    At this time, a sharp sound from the sky had suddenly arrived in the dark. Hearing the dense rain of arrows being shot, it seemed it was several times more than before!

    How many assassins are there?

    Besides, did they show mercy just now?!

    He wondered, but Sun Shaozong''s hand movement accelerated a bit, and the warm horse blood seemed to splash all over the street.

    However, the expected rain of arrows did not arrive as scheduled!

    "Hmm~"

    "What''s going on?!"

    "Who is shooting arrows at random!"

    Confused, the assassins on the opposite side screamed and roared.

    It turned out that all the arrows fell on the heads of the assassins just now. As a result, ten people were shot, turning like hedgehogs on the spot, and almost everyone else was injured!

    "Hahaha..."

    A shrill laughter rippled over the long street, "I wanted to catch more people alive, but since someone called for an arrow, how could I not take advantage of it?"

    The sound seemed to be...

    Dai Quan?!

    Is it Commander Dai?!

    While Sun Shaozong was thinking, someone in the Dragon Guard behind him exclaimed in surprise, "I¡¯m Liu Bangchang, a humble official guarding Prince Yizhong. Please help us quickly!" Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    Dai Quan gave a warm hand and smiled, saying, "Shaozong, get up first. You have done well today. You didn''t let me down."

    "Thank you, Your Excellency, for the praise. It¡¯s just that my position just fits the occasion."

    Sun Shaozong straightened up and stepped aside at Dai Quan''s signal.

    He then saw Dai Quan''s face darken and said with a sneer, "Liu Bangchang, do you have any resentment in your heart?"

    Liu Bangchang immediately kowtowed and bowed his head to the ground, saying, "I would never dare!"

    "Don¡¯t you really dare?"

    "No, no, no, I definitely have no sense of resentment!"

    Liu Bangchang put his buttocks half higher than his head, and said in a trembling voice, "I first neglected my supervisory duties, which led to the appearance of such wild rebels as Qian Ning and Jin Yichuan in the northern town Governor, and then inadvertently revealed the route of Prince Yizhong when returning to his residence..."

    "If you had not been very observant and set up a strategy to lure the enemy, he would have been dead long ago! Therefore, in my mind, you were also like a parent to me. How could I hold any resentment?"

    "Because of this, I¡¯m willing to fight to the death, to repay your kindness!"

    Just now, Sun Shaozong thought that Liu Zhenfu had some IQ deficiencies. Now, it seemed that he was not mentally retarded but rather clever!

    "Fight to the death?"

    Dai Quan snorted and said, "I''m afraid you want to dye your robe red with the blood of your servants, right?"

    "Your Excellency, I dare not..."

    "Don''t talk to me here."

    Dai Quan waved his hand like a fly and said, "Go back and tender your resignation, and I will protect your life in front of the Emperor!"

    "Thank you, Commander!"

    After Liu Bangchang stepped down with gratitude, Dai Quan turned his eyes to Sun Shaozong and said with a smile, "Shaozong, you are a smart man. How should you deal with this tonight? I don''t need to tell you again, do I?"

    "Don''t worry, Commander."

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly held hands and said, "I will keep my mouth shut and will never reveal anything to others!"

    "Hahaha..."

    Dai Quan laughed, stood up, walked to Sun Shaozong, and slowly extended his left hand.

    Sun Shaozong understood and quickly kneeled to lower his shoulders.

    Dai Quan patted him gently on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don''t worry, with me around, no one can take the credit from you! Besides, I am old now, and we will have to rely on young people like you to support the sign of the Dragon Guard in the future."

 Chapter 171: For the Offspring, The Person who Repays Good with Evil Remarry

    Chapter 171: For the Offspring, The Person who Repays Good with Evil Remarry

    Sun Shaozong thought that Emperor Guangde was taking advantage of the opportunity to make money when the entire He family was executed.

    It was not until the chaos of the birthday party that he finally knew that Prince Yizhong had been banned and had many cards in his hands!

    It was needless to say that the Northern Town Dragon Guards would not be absent from the Imperial Palace! He was afraid his remaining party was indispensable in the palace too.

    With such a great enemy lying beside the couch, Emperor Guangde could not kill him because of the protection of the Supreme Emperor.

    However, after the Emperor¡¯s Birthday Banquet, Sun Shaozong thought that there would be another bloody storm against the rescue operation that night. However, after several days of waiting, the court was calm.

    Not only that, but Emperor Guangde also gave many orders to bestow rewards, and the whole city was full of jubilant scenes.

    Among them, the most eye-catching one was naturally the thirteenth concubine in Enzhun Palace who would go home to visit her relatives on the fifteenth day of the first month next year.

    As for the inconspicuous intentions, there were many.

    For example, the news that Sun Shaozong was promoted to the office of Northern Town Dragon Guards¡ªafter the Emperor¡¯s birthday, the military post has been restructured¡ªhas attracted little attention from old friends and relatives of the Sun family.

    Of course, even if they noticed it, they might not care. After all, who didn¡¯t know that the position of the Central Judicial Office was already in his pocket?

    In contrast, a false name of the leader of the Northern Town Dragon Guards without real power was really nothing.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong did not celebrate.

    After a few days of peacefulness, Sun Shaozong went home in the evening and laid down on the couch in the hall with Ruan Rong as usual, chatting and massaging her swollen legs.

    While chatting, Sun Shaozong found Ruan Rong''s hesitation. After a little thought, he reluctantly promised, "If you have to go to the temple for a visit to feel secure, I will accompany you to worship when you take a rest next time." Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    "You promised."

    Ruan Rong covered her mouth with a smile but waved her hand to the servant girls on both sides. She said, "Go back to the room and have a rest. If I need anything, I''ll call you back."

    Shi Liu agreed and led several small maids out.

    Sun Shaozong was curious. He sat up straight and asked, "Why, is it not this that you want to tell me?"

    If she just wanted to talk about going to the temple to ask for a son, she didn¡¯t need to instruct the servant girls to leave.

    "That''s not what I want to say..."

    Sun Shaozong really didn''t know how to persuade him, so he had to put forward the statement of "prime age" again.

    "What bullshit! What prime age!"

    However, this time, his Elder Brother was angry. He slapped his hands and said angrily, "Uncle Wei''s remarried wife was just diagnosed to be pregnant earlier. How is that nothing to do with age!"

    The fck!*

    Housekeeper Wei was already 62 years old, but he was still so energetic!

    Sun Shaozong didn''t know what to say for a moment, but his Big Brother was suffering endlessly, "I just want a son? Why is it so difficult?!"

    "I will bring home five widows who have only had sons these years! One of them even had twins!"

    "To avoid the bad geomantic omen of our family, I have bought four mistresses, and I have bought all the houses from the southeast, northwest, and southwest!"

    "Taoist Zhang in the Qingxu Temple, Master Yuanzhen in the Zijin Temple, the Madonna, and Immortal Liu...... Which immortal did I not beg?"

    "Up to now, there¡¯s still nothing!"

    Sigh~

    He was saddened that his Big Brother had taken great pains for this, but it still didn¡¯t bore any results.

    It seemed that he had some congenital defects. Maybe he could find a way to put it in the future, but now...

    Sun Shaozong had no choice but to say, "Big Brother, didn''t we agree? You can adopt a child from my side..."

    "No!"

    However, Sun Shaozu shook his head and said, "Since that Wei bastard has taken the lead, people often tease me about it. I can''t take the reputation of ¡±unable to have sons¡± seriously and let them be happy!"

    At this point, he grabbed Sun Shaozong''s shoulder and said with burning eyes, "I''ve been thinking about it for a few days. Since you don''t like those vulgar beauties, I''ll go find the daughter of a rich family and marry her. Then we can steal a male child and substitute a female child, and substitute one thing for another..."

    Sun Shaozong smiled bitterly and said, "Big Brother, don''t......"

    "Don''t worry, I promise not to touch her!"

    "That''s not what I meant..."

    "It''s settled. Wait till I inquire about a woman who is taciturn and timid. I need to ensure that she won''t give away any information!"

 Chapter 172: Encounter at the Zijin Temple

    Chapter 172: Encounter at the Zijin Temple

    On October 25th, Sun Shaozong''s holiday came again.

    In the first half of the night, scattered light snow drifted. Although it was scattered, it did not stop. So early this morning, there was a thin layer of snow on the ground.

    Sun Shaozong was never willing to let Ruan Rong go out in this weather, but he had promised her a few days ago. He would go to pray to God and worship Buddha when he was on his off days. It would be extremely difficult to change her mind.

    Finally, they had to compromise and chose Zijin Temple, not far from their home as the destination.

    As usual, Sun Shaozong led several women to wrap the carriage with cotton mattresses.

    After that, he was about to go back to the backyard and help Ruan Rong out. On the way, he saw two servant boys pointing and laughing in the corridor.

    It was nothing at all, but the direction they pointed out was exactly the courtyard where Yu Qian and his three people lived.

    Sun Shaozong went up to him and asked with a smile, "What are you talking about so happily? You can share it with me. Let me have a good laugh too."

    The two servant boys were shocked at first, and then they became more daring when they saw that he was very kind.

    One of them was quick-witted and said with a laugh, "Second Master, isn''t it snowing? Steward Zhao asked us to sweep the snow in the east cross yard. However, several young Masters of the table protected them like precious beads and said that they would not sweep anything. Now they are holding the snow, touching and licking it, as if they had never seen the world before."

    "Really?"

    Sun Shaozong suddenly lowered his face, suddenly raised his voice, and said, "Call Steward Zhao to me!"

    The two servant boys knew that they had caused trouble, but they dared not disobey his orders. They had to split up to call Zhao Zhongji.

    When Zhao Zhongji arrived in front of him, Sun Shaozong pointed to the servant boys and said, "Tell Steward Zhao what you said just now, and remember that you can''t change a word."

    The servant boys had already been flustered. After stumbling over their words, he found that Zhao Zhongji didn''t say anything. He then came up to the two big mouths and kicked them into the snow!

    "You bastards!" Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    Zhao Zhongji raised his eyebrows, pointed at the boy''s nose, and scolded, "How dare you speak illy. When did fools like you come out of our house and behave like this? Are the matters of the Young Masters something you can really talk about?"

    He then wanted to add his fists and feet to them.

    Sun Shaozong raised his hand and stopped him. He said impatiently, "Well, I didn''t ask you to come here and watch you swing your fists. You should explain later, and don''t let them catch a cold because they are greedy for new things."

    Shi Liu took the orders and went out. She soon came back to report that Master Yuanzhen was the best person in the temple.

    Sun Shaozong heard about the reputation of Master Yuanzhen from his Elder Brother a few days ago. It seemed that he had some prestige in the Capital. If he could say a few lucky words, Ruan Rong would be relieved.

    So Sun Shaozong helped Ruan Rong out of the main hall, called a little monk to lead the way, and went straight to Master Yuanzhen''s meditation room.

    Who knew that just after passing the Mahavira Hall, he would run into several female members. It was Xue-Wang, Xue Pan''s mother, who led the way.

    It turned out to be a coincidence. Concubine Xue thought that there would not be too many people in Zijin Temple today, so she came to Master Yuanzhen to help her figure out a good time to get married. It would be best if she could change the woman''s dissolute temperament by taking advantage of the season.

    At that moment, she suddenly met Sun Shaozong. Although she was unprepared, Concubine Xue''s heart was beating wildly. She secretly thought, Did this cowardly maniac set up a spy at home?

    Otherwise, how could she have bumped into him here?

    Concubine Xue was relieved when she saw that Ruan Rong was pregnant.

    But Sun Shaozong did not know about her psychological activities.

    Seeing that he could not escape, the other side was an elder, so he gave Ruan Rong to Shi Liu and Furong to take care of. He bowed and said, "Greetings to Concubine Xue."

    Last time, it was just a coincidence. This time, naturally, he would not stare at Concubine Xue.

    After the brief greetings, he briefly introduced Ruan Rong''s identity and did not look askance throughout the entire time.

    It was reasonable to say that Concubine Xue should have been very satisfied with Sun Shaozong''s obedience to the rules, but she did not know why she felt so lost.

    She also thought that it was because he had a pregnant concubine beside him that he restrained his evil intentions. Or was it because she had been overworked recently and her face was a little gaunt and less charming than that day?

    If the former, that¡¯s fine. But if it was the latter...

    "Greetings to Concubine Xue."

    Just thinking about these things, Ruan Rong also came forward and nodded slightly.

    Concubine Xue then responded with a smile and said, "Since it''s a chance to meet here, why don''t I go with you to visit Master Yuanzhen, so that we can take care of each other?"

    Ruan Rong naturally had no reason to refuse, so she joined hands with Concubine Xue and led the maids and nannies into the Master''s meditation room, leaving Sun Shaozong alone waiting outside.

 Chapter 173: Wang Xifeng Missed Meeting the Mandarin Duck Because she was Greedy for Money

    Chapter 173: Wang Xifeng Missed Meeting the Mandarin Duck Because she was Greedy for Money

    In Zijin Temple, Sun Shaozong was standing in the snow complaining that ¡°Monks can see, but I can''t.¡±

    In Rongguo Mansion, Wang Xifeng was waiting for the biggest upset the next day. It was her mother-in-law, Xing-Shi, who came to cry about poverty!

    In terms of Jia Baoyu''s audit, it was natural that Lai Da and Jia Lian lost a lot. The former lost both money and people, while the latter lost their wealth and reputation.

    However, the person who felt the most uncomfortable after the audit was Jia She, the Big Master of Rongguo Mansion.

    In the beginning, Jia She and his wife naturally took money from the nunnery, but he was a serious Master after all, and had the reputation of an elder, so, until the end, Jia Baoyu and others did not dare to make it public.

    However, in private, the Old Lady in the mansion ordered the couple to return most of the money they coveted to the account.

    This was equivalent to Jia She''s own life. He was always a timely hedonist. He had spent 70 or 80 percent of the stolen money. How could he make up for it now?!

    He tried to beg for mercy and played tricks several times, but he almost made the Old Lady faint due to rage and accused him of disobedience and unfilial behavior.

    Without any help, Jia She had to scrape together and sell some precious items, which finally relieved the anger of the Old Lady, but they also owed a huge deficit.

    If someone else encountered this situation, he would have hidden at home for a while. Anyway, those creditors dare not go to the Rongguo Mansion to collect debts.

    But Jia She''s heart felt like it was filled with restless butterflies. If he didn''t go out for a few days, he would feel super uncomfortable!

    After a few days of silence, the Big Master Jia got in touch with a young widow near the gate of Chongwen. Showing the real means of "bluffing on one¡¯s big talk." He was bullshitting and penniless, but he promised to give someone a shop facing the street!

    Who knew that the little widow was also shrewd!? She didn¡¯t let it loose until she got to the shop. Thus, she also showed that kind of obsequiousness. The Big Master Jia was provoked, and he just wished that he could fight openly to rob the tax money of the Central Judicial Office!

    At this moment, he suddenly heard that his daughter-in-law had regained power. He was overjoyed and forced his wife to go over to the mansion and cry for poverty. He wanted to ¡±lend¡± some silver so that he could be ¡±eager for justice¡± in front of the little widow.

    Xing was also a bit eccentric. Knowing that Jia She asked for money to give to the prostitutes outside, she still headed over to the door and cried for poverty.

    In front of Wang Xifeng, she wept and said, "The Big Master has been rich and noble for half his life. When did he suffer from such poverty? Hurry and take hundreds of silver taels to him, otherwise, everyone outside will say that you and your husband are disobedient and unfilial!"

    Wang Xifeng pointed to the chair, where Xing had just sat, and said, "Sit down. I have something personal to tell you."

    As soon as Ping''er offered her a seat, she knew it was not something good.

    Therefore, she was too lazy to sit down. She said flatly, "Madam, if you have anything to do, just tell me directly. I can''t stand such a compliment."

    "Just sit when I offer!"

    Wang Xifeng rushed to her, pushed her to the chair, went back to her seat, and thought for a while. She then lowered her voice and asked, "What did you say about the mountains of silver that day? Are you entertaining me, or is it true?"

    In the beginning, Wang Xifeng didn''t believe this at all, but after the incident these two days, she became somewhat skeptical.

    Ping''er had told her about it for a long time. Although she didn''t know what Sun Shaozong meant, she was still insinuating and said, "Lord Sun is a capable man. He shouldn''t be like the men in our mansion. He doesn''t even talk big."

    "He said he would help you. Isn''t that all that matters?"

    "Moreover, regardless of whether his business is successful or not, it will not be wrong to inquire first."

    Since Wang Xifeng looked for her to discuss, she already had some ideas. After hearing what Ping¡¯er said, she made up her mind completely.

    So she put her hand on Ping¡¯er''s wrist and smiled, saying, "My precious Ping¡¯er, since you have said so, this matter will fall on you. Find a chance to ask on my behalf secretly when Sun Erlang comes to our mansion next time."

    Ping''er was previously worried that she could not find an excuse to meet Sun Shaozong privately. Hearing this, she was immediately happy!

    But she did not dare to show it and pretended to be very reluctant. She murmured, "I dare not. If someone talkative sees me and makes trouble in front of the Second Master, I can¡¯t prove my innocence even if I jump into the Yellow River."

    "You little bitch!"

    Wang Xifeng stared at her and said angrily, "I asked you to ask him something serious, not ask you to have an affair with him! What¡¯s wrong if the Second Master knew about it?!"

    Seeing Ping''er still didn''t nod, she said angrily, "Well, then I will help you keep an eye on him myself. I promise that no one with a black heart and a rotten gut can see it. Will that be fine now?"

 Chapter 174: On Ruan Rongs Grief of Gold and Jade

    Chapter 174: On Ruan Rong''s Grief of Gold and Jade

    Sun Shaozong waited in the snow for about half an hour before he saw Ruan Rong come out with Shi Liu and Furong, but there was no sign of Concubine Xue behind them.

    Knowing that the other party must have deliberately avoided him, he couldn''t help murmuring, ¡±Monk can see it, but I can''t see it.¡± Then he quickly replaced Furong to hold on to Ruan Rong and asked with a smile, "What did the old monk say?"

    "It''s Master Yuanzhen!"

    Ruan Rong glared at him angrily, then changed to a happy expression and couldn''t help saying, "Master Yuanzhen said that the baby I¡¯m carrying now will definitely let you get what you want!"

    Uh~

    Isn''t this the same as not saying anything?

    Sun Shaozong did not care whether the first child was a boy or a girl. Anyway, there were no policies about giving birth in these years, so they could continue conceiving.

    But seeing Ruan Rong''s smiling face, how could he say such disappointing words?

    Thus, he happily said, "Amitabha, with the words of the old... Master Yuanzhen, we just need to take it easy."

    He then said curiously, "It''s just a few words. Why does it take such a long time?"

    .

    "Concubine Xue is here. I can''t hurry to come out, so I heard her asking about the wedding date."

    "So Xue Pan''s wedding date has been fixed?"

    "Not yet, Master Yuanzhen asked the Xue family to go back after three days for deliberation. The best man has already been decided, and it was Feng Ziying and Young Master Liu."

    Tch~

    Asking Feng Ziying was understandable, but calling Liu Xianglian too...

    Isn¡¯t he afraid that the bride will run away with the best man halfway?

    Considering the nature of the Wangs, it was not impossible!

    When they were talking, they went out of the main gate of the Zijin Temple. Zhang Cheng had been informed and stopped the carriage under the steps.

    He talked about the different points with Ruan Rong, and Ruan Rong was shocked. She blurted out, "I always hear people talk about this ¡±golden and jade marriage¡± as a joke, but is it not true?!"

    Sun Shaozong said strangely, "What is this golden and jade marriage?"

    After listening to Ruan Rong''s explanation, he knew that Xue Baochai had brought a gold lock with two words carved on it since she was young, but they made up a pair with Jia Baoyu''s natural precious stone. Therefore, the saying "golden and jade marriage" came out.

    Now Sun Shaozong''s guess was more accurate. If there was no support from the elders, how could such matters related to women''s reputations spread all over Rongguo Mansion?

    "How can you say that?!"

    Ruan Rong punched the quilt and retorted, "Jia Baoyu and my sister have been congenial since childhood, and the Old Lady had constantly matched them up at the beginning. Why did she promise someone else?"

    Seeing that she was really angry, Sun Shaozong hurriedly took her shoulder, gently stroked the protruding belly, and comforted her." This is just a casual inference, and it may not be true. Besides, Brother Jiayu is only 14 years old. Who can tell the future?"

    Ruan Rong was worried about Lin Daiyu and insisted Sun Shaozong think of an idea to help her sister.

    Sun Shaozong actually had an idea. For example, spreading some rumors, which ruined their reputation...

    However, regardless of Jia Baoyu, Xue Pan regarded himself as a big brother in good faith and presented Xiangling as a clever and sensible beauty. How could Sun Shaozong do something like that to his sister?

    Finally, he had to smile bitterly and said, "No matter what happens to others, Lady Lin''s body and bones are the biggest obstacles between her and Brother Bao. If you don''t believe me, think about it carefully. Sister-in-law Lian and Li Wan, which one of them is not with the best figures and physique?"

    Ruan Rong frowned and began to nod.

    In fact, not only these two people but also Big Madam You in the East Mansion were only three years older than Li Wan because she was the second wife. Her body figure looked like a gourd, and she also walked, sat, and slept with great clarity. It could be seen that the Jia family must have some rules for selecting a daughter-in-law.

    With this in mind, she became more and more worried about Lin Daiyu and begged Sun Shaozong to think of a way to help keep Daiyu fit.

    "Do you really think I¡¯m a superhero?" Sun Shaozong said with a wry smile. "If I have a way, she also must be willing to do it herself. Let alone others, she must have stopped the aerobic exercises long ago, right?"

    "That was because she had started coughing since autumn, so she had no choice but to stop." Ruan Rong hurriedly said, "I will write back to ask her to pick it up again! Master, think of other ways, and I will write to her when I go back!"

    Could there possibly be a way to overcome this innate weakness?

    However, seeing Ruan Rong''s face full of hope, he had to pretend that he was thinking hard, but he had no idea where his mind had flown.

    "My Master."

    After a long while, Ruan Rong suddenly said suspiciously, "How can you pay so much attention to Sister Feng and the figure of Li Wan?"

 Chapter 175: Recommend Zhou Da and Fight for the Best in the Central Judicial Office

    Chapter 175: Recommend Zhou Da and Fight for the Best in the Central Judicial Office

    After returning from Zijin Temple, Sun Shaozong was on duty again.

    On the morning of this day, he simply dealt with the official documents that had accumulated. Seeing that there was nothing left after a while, he went to Jia Yucun with a long-written recommendation letter.

    In the past, Sun Shaozong used to come and go in the courtyard of Jia Yucun, but later their relationship became colder, and he rarely stepped into it except for necessary official duties.

    And the treatment that did not need to be informed was naturally canceled long ago.

    This time, he even waited outside the door for almost 30 minutes before the inferior officials finally allowed him inside.

    After entering the door, Jia Yucun was still smiling. Before Sun Shaozong could open his mouth, he rushed to apologize, "It''s a sin to make you wait! I also have my reason, please don''t blame me."

    Compared with Han Anbang''s fickle face, Jia Yucun was undoubtedly much better. Regardless of whether he has just been stumbling or not, it was difficult to take the opportunity to vent after his humble apology.

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong didn''t mean to break up with him, so he said with a fake smile, "You are busy, but I am still coming to disturb you. It should be me that asked you not to take this into account."

    "Brother, don''t you think it''s killing me?"

    Jia Yucun looked askew again and pretended to be angry, "You and I are always worthy of each other. Why are you so humble? Come on, sit down and taste the good tea I just bought!"

    After they were seated separately, Sun Shaozong picked up the teacup and sniffed it with an affectation, then put it back on the table again.

    He then took out the letter of recommendation from his sleeve and said solemnly, "I heard that the warden of our office was dismissed for extorting money the day before yesterday, but how could the position be unowned? So I came to recommend the Inspector of the Department of Criminals, Zhou Da, to be promoted to the post of warden!"

    "Although Zhou Da was born as a scholar, he has been diligent since he took office. He almost lost his life for business when investigating the Imperial Academy. Therefore, I think Zhou Da is worthy of this post."

    The warden of the Central Judicial Office was an official of the ninth rank. Compared with the unsophisticated Patrol Inspection, it was a first-rate job.

    In addition, punishment and prison have been integrated since ancient times. Zhou Da was promoted from the Department of Criminal to the Department of Prison, which was barely a professional counterpart.

    He learned that when Sun Shaozong recommended him to be promoted to the Department of Prison, this guy almost had some pretty snot blisters. But later, he was worried about the gains and losses. He was afraid that someone would rob him of the benefits of it.

    But after Jia Yucun listened to Sun Shaozong''s recommendation, he looked down at the letter of recommendation. He suddenly sighed and said helplessly, "Recently, I have always been estranged from you. Do you know why?"

    Jia Yucun¡¯s face slightly lost its color from his response, and he then frowned. "Why did Minister Liu participate in this?"

    "Haha, Elder Brother asked something strange."

    Sun Shaozong laughed and knocked on the recommendation letter, saying, "Minister Liu saw that he was going to be transferred. Before he left, he thought about his old feelings and recommended some old subordinates. Isn¡¯t that logical?"

    "Haha, what a person!"

    Jia Yucun also laughed, but he did not laugh sincerely. He stared at the recommendation letter for a few seconds, and then muttered, "It seems that Minister Liu still has a lot of old feelings."

    He focused on the word "old feelings", which was obviously seen through by him. Sun Shaozong used Liu Chongshan''s temporary defection to make him stand on his team for his promise of "not exposing old debts after his succession".

    But after a long silence, Jia Yucun still said, "What if I''m still not allowed?"

    Although the position of the warden was only in the ninth grade, it really was troublesome without the cooperation of the jailer if he wanted to enrich himself and his position!

    Therefore, Jia Yucun was really reluctant to give up this position to Sun Shaozong.

    "I can''t help you."

    Sun Shaozong shook his finger with a smile and said, "Recently, you broke with me by ¡±pretending¡± and abandoning Zhao Liben on Emperor¡¯s Day. Now you have to refute Minister Liu''s face..."

    "Don''t you know the principle of ¡±no more than three¡±?"

    "If you are so heartless, won¡¯t the officials around you be in danger?"

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong also put on a face of ¡±The sun and moon can testify to my sincerity,¡± and sighed, "It''s because you don''t want to do it, not because you can''t do it! I hope that Elder Brother can understand my pain. Don''t ruin the good situation for the sake of a few petty officials."

    He just heard Jia Yucun''s teeth clenched and his face turned black!

    But the old fox was an old fox after all, and it only took a moment to suppress his anger.

    He pointed to himself and Sun Shaozong, heartily laughed, and said, "I''m sorry to say behind Governor Han, but you are the only one who can compete with me in the future!"

 Chapter 176: Debate over the Imperial Way and the Cultural Society

    Chapter 176: Debate over the Imperial Way and the Cultural Society

    Although Han Anbang was a little narrow-minded and liked to do ruthless things, the important position of the warden was in the hands of Jia Yucun. It was more appropriate for him to give the position of the warden to Sun Shaozong¡¯s people. He was still able to understand it clearly. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    Therefore, the appreciation of Jia Yucun and Zhou Da was basically guaranteed.

    The only thing that Sun Shaozong didn''t trust was that if he got rich, he would amass wealth like his predecessor. So when he returned to the Criminal Department, he specifically called him over to frighten him.

    Zhou Da heard that the "promotion to the Prison Department" had been settled. He was pleased. Not to mention he pointed his nose up and cursed, it was fine even though he was threatened with a few words.

    So he made a good promise in front of Sun Shaozong and then walked out of the hall happily.

    "Brother Zhou, stop!"

    Just as he came down the steps, a man came up behind him.

    Zhou Da looked back and saw that it was Cheng Rixing who had called him. He bowed and said, "Private Advisor Cheng, what do you want to tell me?"

    Cheng Rixing smiled and said, "I just want to ask, what are the arrangements for the vacancy of the Clerks and Ministers?"

    The officials and envoys were all subordinate officials under the jurisdiction of the Prison Department. They were commonly known as prison leaders. This time, the fall of the prison leader was a nested case. Naturally, several prison leaders were also taken down.

    "Well..."

    Zhou Da knew that he had something to say. He then asked carefully, "The Assistant Magistrate didn¡¯t mention anything, could Private Advisor Cheng have any good candidates to recommend?"

    "Although it is not ¡±virtuous¡±."

    Cheng Rixing smiled and said, "I really have a suitable candidate here. It''s the drunken vagary boxer, Ni¡¯er, from Yunshui Lane. He is relative to the Master, and he also has a lot of methods for doing things. If you ask him to punish those slippery jailers, wouldn''t it save you a lot of trouble?"

    Zhou Da also knew about the drunken vagary boxer, Ni¡¯er.

    Although he has a relative relationship with the Sun family, people like Ni¡¯er couldn''t get in front of Sun Shaozong and Sun Shaozu, but he has been very close to Cheng Rixing in recent days. It was very important to help Cheng Rixing with some ¡±private affairs.¡±

    However, what Rixing said was true. One of the Sun family''s relatives was here to handle the difficult matters in front of him, he must be able to save a lot of energy in the Prison Department.

    It was just that...

    It turned out that two students of Sun Shaozong came yesterday to invite three of them to participate in the "Jade Pavilion Poetry Club." All three of them felt that this was a good opportunity to exchange ideas with local scholars, and they gladly went there.

    Who knew that Sun Hanlin appeared at the meeting? Everyone was flattering him, showing off, and targeting three of them everywhere.

    "My third brother and I are not as skilled as others, and we can''t say anything!"

    Sun Chengtao angrily said, "But Tingyi''s poems are obviously superior to those of Sun Hanlin in terms of style, but they are worthless! I was angry and retorted a few words, and he made a few sarcasms at me!"

    Sun Hanlin?

    Unexpectedly, this guy lost his face in front of himself and found trouble with several "younger generations".

    Sun Shaozong sneered and said to Yu Qian, "Let me have a look at the poems Sun Hanlin and you have written."

    Yu Qian smiled unconcernedly, "Poems are just like a little Taoist, and it''s not enough to be happy about winning or worried about losing. It''s Li Jingbin and Wang Zhefei who, knowing that Uncle and Sun Hanlin are not friendly, still encourage us to participate in the cultural conference of the Jade Pavilion..."

    Sun Chengtao was stunned beside him. Apparently, he hadn''t thought of this before. He hesitated and said, "Brother Li and Brother Wang may not... may not have some evil intentions? Besides, we have no evidence."

    Evidence?

    What evidence was needed for such a thing as "betraying and shaming the teacher"? Just a little possibility was enough!

    However, Sun Shaozong was too lazy to talk about these two inferior people and urged Yu Qian again to transcribe all of those poems.

    Based on Sun Shaozong''s ancient literature, it really was difficult to distinguish the difference between these poems. Besides, even if he were a martial artist, those scholars would not recognize him, even if they could comment on him.

    Fortunately, he asked Yu Qian to write it down, but it wasn¡¯t for himself.

    After drying the ink on it, he rolled it up and put it in his sleeve pocket. Sun Shaozong said, "In a few days, I will let people show these poems to Lord Wang, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. If they are suspected of relying on power to suppress talents...¡±

    Speaking of this, he sneered several times, "That Sun Hanlin, I''m afraid he will have no face to stay in the Imperial Academy."

    Since Sun Hanlin used his power to suppress Yu Qian, it was no wonder that Sun Shaozong brought out the great god, Minister Wang, and crushed him mercilessly.

    Of course, the premise was that Yu Qian''s poems were better than Sun Hanlin''s.

 Chapter 177: Ashamed, Marquis Jia En comes to sell his Daughter [Part 1]

    Chapter 177: Ashamed, Marquis Jia En comes to sell his Daughter [Part 1]

    When he had collected the poem, Sun Shaozong put on an elder''s face and earnestly said, "Although it is a good thing to exchange ideas with the local successful candidates of the Imperial Examination, you must not delay your own lessons."

    The three of them bowed.

    Sun Shaozong then took out another famous post and handed it to Sun Chengye, saying, "These Lords are likely to be the examiners next year. I have sent someone to buy the articles they wrote all their lives. You can read and ponder carefully when you are free."

    Understanding the preferences of the examiner was an important part of the Imperial Examination. Knowing the preferences of the examiner a few months in advance was more certain than others.

    So the three of them hurriedly thanked him respectfully.

    Sun Shaozong turned his face and stared at Sun Chengtao again and asked, "Do you like the servant girl called Yuhe in my Eldest Brother''s yard?"

    "Well... I..."

    Even though Sun Chengtao blushed, he saw that the servant girl was sensible and cute the day before, so he took the opportunity to tease her. Unexpectedly, it came to Sun Shaozong''s ears!

    This matter could either be big or small. If it were in his hometown, he would have to endure a meal of bamboo strips, and he would also have to kneel in the ancestral hall for half a day.

    He was hesitating to kneel and admit his mistake, but Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "It''s natural for young people to admire. What''s wrong with that? But it¡¯s best if you are not distracted at the moment. How about it, if you pass the Imperial Examination this time, I will give Yuhe to you!"

    Sun Chengtao was overjoyed when he heard that Yuhe had been selected from the refugee camp. Except for her younger age, her figure and appearance were all top-notch. If she was left in Jinling, their Uncles for sure wouldn¡¯t be able to bear to part with her!

    So he hurriedly bowed to the end, saying, "Thank you, Thirteenth Uncle and Sixth Uncle!"

    The implication was that they should be confident in successfully passing the Imperial Examination.

    Sun Shaozong smiled again and talked with them about their family affairs, then left the courtyard.

    The three people watched him leave, but Sun Chengtao couldn''t help saying, "Thirteenth Uncle is so young, but he looks like a more serious elder than Sixth Uncle."

    Sun Chengye immediately stared at him and said, "What do you mean by he looks like an Elder? Thirteenth Uncle is an elder! Shouldn¡¯t you hurry back to the room to revise your studies? If you dare to pick up on the servant girls in the mansion again, I will punish you on behalf of Third Uncle!"

    After leaving the three brothers'' courtyard, Sun Shaozong did not go back to his residence directly but went to the main courtyard of his Elder Brother first.

    Now that Sun Chengtao had been promised something, Yuhe would naturally be sent to the front. Otherwise, if his Elder Brother were to get excited and tried to pull her to bed in a muddle-headed way, it would not be a gift but deliberate congestion.

    Jia She jumped to his feet and glared at Sun Shaozu. "Now you want to settle the accounts with me?!"

    "I dare not."

    Sun Shaozu got up in a hurry, but he didn''t see much fear on his face. He said, "I mean, if I have this money, how can I let Uncle leave empty-handed?"

    Jia She glared at him and said, "You are in the patrol camp..."

    "I indeed made some money these years."

    Before Jia She got angry, Sun Shaozu said helplessly, "But a few days ago, to compete with Wei Rusong for the position of Commander, I almost emptied the whole savings. Now it''s a loss of power and wealth, and I can''t help you anymore."

    Jia She was hated by his daughter-in-law at home at first. Recently, he suffered a lot of stimulation from the little widow, which made him very angry.

    At this time, seeing Sun Shaozu like this, he dared to refuse him, who used to kowtow to him before. He was totally angry now!

    Pointing at Sun Shaozu''s nose, he said angrily, "It''s all right to coax others down with your words, but I..."

    "Uncle!"

    Who would have thought that Sun Shaozu stopped his conversation again, and then rolled up his sleeves?!

    This scared Jia She very much. The Sun family''s strength was handed down from generation to generation. If he really moved wildly, his first-rank general might not even be able to compare with half of his family''s arm.

    So when he did, he shrank back and said in a trembling voice, "My dear nephew, how can you be angry with me after we have been together for many years?"

    Useless!

    Sun Shaozu was contemptuous, but his face was still rough. He gnashed his teeth and said, "Don''t be afraid, Uncle. I''m not aiming at you. Prince Zhongshun¡¯s residence took my silver, but I failed to become the Commander! I was angry with his family, but I was afraid of the power of Prince Zhongshun..."

    With these words, he grabbed Jia She''s arm and angrily said, "Today, I have my Uncle''s help, and I have support. Let''s go to Prince Zhongshun¡¯s residence to get back the money! Don''t say one thousand taels, I can get five thousand taels!"

    Jia She was relieved when he heard that this was not about him.

    But the more he listened, the more worried he was. When he heard that Sun Shaozu was going to take him to Prince Zhongshun¡¯s residence to collect money, the more frightened he was!

 Chapter 178: Ashamed, Marquis Jia En comes to sell his Daughter [Part 2]

    Chapter 178: Ashamed, Marquis Jia En comes to sell his Daughter [Part 2]

    Prince Zhongshun was not someone who could be offended.

    Not only the Rongguo Mansion but also the Niu Family, with the support of the Empress Dowager. They have to be careful not to bump into Prince Zhongshun if they see him around!

    If he followed Sun Shaozu to collect money from the residence of Prince Zhongshun, wouldn''t he be finished?!

    Jia She thought of this, and he didn''t dare to agree to the request of the ¡±boorish fellow.¡± He hurriedly shook him off and screamed like he was fighting for his life, "Don''t be reckless, don''t do anything wrong. Let''s take a long view first!"

    After shouting ¡±take a long view¡± twice, Sun Shaozu still seemed determined to pull him to collect the debts. Thus, he quickly changed his mind and said, "Forget about me borrowing money from you."

    "Why, you don''t want to borrow silver anymore?"

    Sun Shaozu then stopped, frowned, and said, "Just by going to Prince ZHongshun¡¯s residence, there will be 5000 silver taels in the account. This is a good deal..."

    "What a good deal?!"

    Jia She swore at him, "If you want to die, go by yourself. Don''t take me with you!"

    With that, he rushed out angrily.

    Just as he arrived at the entrance of the hall, he suddenly stood still, turned his head, looked suspiciously at Sun Shaozu, and said, "Dalang, are you frightening me with Prince Zhongshun?"

    This straw bag was not entirely stupid!

    Sun Shaozu knew more about Prince Zhongshun¡¯s temper than he did. How would he dare collect debts from him?

    Besides, Prince Zhongshun was naturally his backer, which was more useful than holding tens of thousands of silver taels.

    For example, Jia She came to "borrow" silver under the name of Rongguo Mansion. Even if Sun Shaozu had been unwilling in the past, he was afraid that he would need to give him some silver to send him away.

    But now he has the confidence to be extremely stingy!

    Of course, if it were Jia Zheng who came here, then the situation would be different. It was because he had a daughter who was now an Imperial Concubine in favor.

    "What are you talking about, Uncle?!"

    Sun Shaozu stared and said wrongly, "Why don''t we go to Prince Zhongshun''s Residence now? Come on, get me a horse..."

    "Hmph!"

    Before anyone outside agreed, Jia She gave a cold groan and left the living room.

    "Well..."

    Jia She hesitated a little but thought about the unrivaled little widow, he still gritted his teeth and said, "Your sister will be 16 years old after the New Year. She has a good look and is the most clever and sensible. If I entrust her to someone else, I can¡¯t bear it. But our family has been friends for generations, and I know everything about you..."

    Although Sun Shaozu had long guessed that he was trying to be a matchmaker, he never expected that this guy would marry his daughter!

    Apart from others, Jia She''s current wife, Xing, and Jia Zhen¡¯s current wife in Ningguo Mansion, whom they had remarried, were all from small families. Because only such families were willing to give their daughters to be someone¡¯s widow!

    Now, Jia She was offering his daughter!

    .

    Although she was only a daughter of a concubine, she was also the daughter of the State Duke Mansion!

    Sun Shaozu was stunned for a moment, but when he thought about it, he suddenly realized that Jia She was not going to marry his daughter away. It was clear that he was going to sell her!

    So he carefully tried and asked, "Is it possible you want to give me your daughter?"

    "Well..."

    Jia She thrust out his belly and said in an official voice, "Although you are older than my daughter, you can be regarded as a good match. If you are willing to, it''s not impossible."

    Sun Shaozu''s reputation in dealing with women could be said to be half as good as his. Why did he have the face to say the word "good match."

    On the one hand, he said ¡±barely,¡± and on the other, he said that it was ¡±not impossible.¡± He was obviously waiting for the price!

    This straw bag really wanted to sell his daughter away!

    Sun Shaozu was extremely contemptuous, and then he flatly refused, "Uncle is kind to me, but I dare not delay my sister''s good life!"

    Are you kidding?

    The reason for his remarrying plan was to ¡±palming off substitute for the real thing.¡± How could the daughter of the State Duke Mansion accept such absurd things?

    If they were exposed, wouldn''t it damage the reputation of the brothers?

    "You!"

    Jia She didn¡¯t think that Sun Shaozu would reject his offer to marry his daughter to him without hesitation.

    He immediately wanted to leave!

    However, when he thought of the little widow of Chongwen Gate, the pretty appearance brought a little doubt in his hope, and his two legs were unable to move anymore.

 Chapter 179: Ashamed, Marquis Jia En comes to sell his Daughter [Part 3]

    Chapter 179: Ashamed, Marquis Jia En comes to sell his Daughter [Part 3]

    Jia She hesitated in the living room for a moment and then came with complete indignation.

    Because he suddenly realized that his tangled appearance had obviously made Sun Shaozu laugh!

    It was shameless to say that Big Master Jia was famous in the honorable circle, but this did not affect the degree to which he cared about his face!

    At the thought that he had been laughed at, especially by Sun Shaozu, Jia She''s old face turned like a pig''s liver.

    He slowly turned around and asked, "Sun Shaozu, you have just climbed the high branch, and you are now showing off in front of me, aren''t you?! Tell me, why is my daughter not worthy of you?!"

    This damned straw bag was endless!

    Sun Shaozu cursed in his heart, but it was far from the original Dream of Red Mansions at this time. Wang Ziteng and Jia Yuanchun died one after another, and the Rongguo Mansion was about to collapse. After all, he still had a lot of fears about the Jia family.

    So he could only scold in his heart? On the surface, he showed a sense of dignity, pretending to be aggrieved and saying, "Uncle, what are you talking about? I just don''t want to delay my sister''s future, let alone the others to gossip behind your back."

    But this could only deceive others. As an "enlightener" and "fellow man," how could Jia She not know Sun Shaozu?

    He always welcomed any pretty woman!

    When it happened to his daughter, this bastard refused again and again!

    Did he look down on himself?

    No...

    He must have looked down on him!

    Jia She became angrier and angrier after he thought about it. Now, for him, it was not only about marrying [selling] his daughter but also about his face¡ªeven the face of the Rongguo Mansion!

    "What''s the joke? Who dares to see the joke of Rongguo Mansion?!"

    So Jia She shook his sleeve and said with a sneer, "You are also a Senior General of the fourth rank. Why do you have to be so timid? Besides, whether my daughter will delay her future is up to me to say!"

    He was really a dog thing!

    Sun Shaozu had no choice but to make amends and said, "I don¡¯t dare to offend you. Please take a moment. I''ll go to the back and find a way to raise 1000 silver taels for you to solve your urgent needs."

    He really couldn¡¯t think of other ways, and he could only spend money to avoid disaster.

    If he had been so clever earlier, Jia She would have gone away happily after taking the silver.

    Although it didn¡¯t change anything to find out about these things, it was better to listen to Jia She''s worries than to do nothing and be angry here!

    As for Sun Shaozu...

    Since he said he would gather the amount, he couldn''t come out with the silver so quickly!

    Not to mention how Sun Shaozu was suffocating in the room.

    The two concubines had received the order, but they did not dare go back to the house to wear more coats and went straight to Sun Shaozong''s yard.

    It was not too late now. It was the time when Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong had a routine chat. Seeing two concubines in thin clothes coming in, they were all puzzled.

    When asked about their intentions, Ruan Rong was even more puzzled. Why did he ask about Jia Yingchun?

    But since it was the Big Master who asked, she naturally answered it properly.

    "Lady Yingchun..."

    Ruan Rong recalled for a moment and said, "Of course, she looks very outstanding, but she is a bit dull. She doesn''t talk much at ordinary times. Her sisters teased her but only laughed it off. She never quarreled with others. I heard that people secretly asked her to be a log."

    Stupid, taciturn, not quarrelsome?!

    Sun Shaozong was surprised, and secretly thought, Was this the standard set by Big Brother?

    It shouldn¡¯t be that...

    His Elder Brother wanted someone from the Rongguo Mansion?!

    This was bold!

    Sun Shaozong was in a panic, but he didn''t know that it was actually Jia She''s door-to-door sales, he was even forced to buy and sell!

    After a long pause, Ruan Rong continued, "It seems that this second lady is not favored at home. She is more timid than other ladies."

    At this point, she shook her head and said, "I can''t tell you anything. After all, the second lady is like a cuckold. She hasn''t said a few words to me. You might as well ask Xiangling again. She has some friendship with Jia Yingchun."

    The two concubines thanked her profusely and went to the west wing again. They heard a lot from Xiangling. How taciturn Jia Yingchun was, bullied by servants, and rejected by his father and his mother.

    They carefully kept this in mind and borrowed two old clothes from Xiangling. Then they went back to the main courtyard and told Sun Shaozu everything.

    In the beginning, Sun Shaozu didn''t care much, but he became more energetic when he heard about it. Finally, he couldn''t help opening the money box, and he didn''t hesitate to pull out a thick dozen, which was worth tens of thousands of silver notes...

 Chapter 180: The Case of Murder and Robbery in Chongwen Gate [Part 1]

    Chapter 180: The Case of Murder and Robbery in Chongwen Gate [Part 1]

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong originally planned to ask his Elder Brother about it, but when he inquired about it in the main courtyard, he knew that Sun Shaozu had gone to the Patrol Camp before dawn.

    He knew that his Elder Brother didn''t want to allow himself to oppose it. Sun Shaozong had to bear this matter in his heart and went to the Yamen to be on duty.

    At the gate of the government office, Sun Shaozong was waiting to call the guard to take his new horse to the stables, when he saw a group of people rushing out of the house. It was Jia Yucun who was the leader!

    Seeing Sun Shaozong outside the door, Jia Yucun was overjoyed. Without saying a word, he came up to Sun Shaozong and said, "You''re here at the right time. Come with me on a business trip!"

    Yesterday, he just had a conflict with him. He was so confused. How could Sun Shaozong do any business with him?

    At the moment, it was like taking root at the foot. No matter how Jia Yucun pulled it, it was still there.

    How smart was Jia Yucun?

    After a couple of tugs, he saw the scruples in his heart. He quickly stepped up to Sun Shaozong''s ear and whispered, "It''s really a serious business. A homicide just happened in Chongwen Gate!"

    Chongwen Gate?

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "There isn''t any important person living nearby, but there are many merchants."

    What could make Prefectural Magistrate Jia so nervous when ordinary people live or die?

    On the other hand, the thing that could make Jia Yucun so frightened must involve some great person!

    Jia Yucun hurriedly added, "The dead person is not an important person, but a little widow. But the only suspect at the moment is Jia She, the Big Master of Rongguo Mansion!"

    Jia She?!

    Sun Shaozong was surprised. Last night, Big Master Jia went to his house as a guest. Why did he become a murderer in a blink of an eye?!

    "Who reported the case?"

    Immediately, he hurriedly asked, "Are there any witnesses? Has the news spread?! Who is dealing with it right now?!"

    He asked these questions to find out what was behind Jia Yucun''s intention of pulling him to the scene.

    If no one knew about this, Jia Yucun would probably cover it up and create a scapegoat.

    If he went with him, he would feel uncomfortable if he joined them. If he was not willing to join forces with others and the matter was to be disclosed, with the current power of Rongguo Mansion, seven out of ten of the chances he would have to punish with "three cups of wine."

    It would only offend Rongguo Mansion in vain.

    Jia Yucun said, "Zhou Da has already taken someone with him, but no one saw that it was the Big Master of the Rongguo Mansion who killed her, and he didn''t admit it himself either. It was just that the neighbors saw him covered in blood, lying on the same bed with the little widow!" Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    Lying in a bed covered with blood?

    "How long did the little widow die?"

    This bastard must not have dared to go out of the alley, otherwise, he would have known that there were hundreds of people watching the activity at the entrance of the alley. They should all be taken back. It was estimated that even the Guangde Emperor would have to be alarmed.

    "Don''t worry, Uncle!"

    Jia Yucun quickly comforted him and said, "As long as we find out the truth, the rumor will be broken!"

    With that, he pointed to Sun Shaozong and said, "We have Shaozu''s younger brother here, he will be able to return your innocence!"

    When Jia She saw Sun Shaozong, he was very busy and said, "We must make a thorough investigation!"

    After saying that, he couldn''t wait and said, "Yucun, please escort me back to the mansion first. I don''t want to stay here for a moment!"

    This straw bag really didn¡¯t know how to see the current situation.

    At present, Jia Yucun¡¯s action has already been considered playing favoritism and committing irregularities. If he tried to escort the only suspect back into the public eye...

    Unless he didn¡¯t want his title!

    "Please calm down, Uncle."

    Jia Yucun smiled bitterly and said, "I''m afraid that Uncle should stay to help with this case..."

    But how could Jia She listen to persuasion?

    He jumped three feet high and shouted, "I didn''t kill people! Why should I stay?! What do you mean, Jia Yucun? Are you suspecting me?!"

    "No, no, no, how dare I!"

    Jia Yucun, the official of the government, depended on Rongguo Mansion, which was much more than the Sun family. In the face of such rude acts as Jia She, he had to grovel to persuade him and try to get Sun Shaozong together.

    "Uncle!"

    But how would Sun Shaozong jump into the muddy water with him?

    Preemptively, he said, "I will go to investigate the scene now so that I can return Uncle''s innocence as soon as possible!"

    To tell the truth, he was really curious about what deal his Elder Brother and Jia She had reached yesterday. Unfortunately, this was not the time to ask.

    Coming out of the east chamber, Sun Shaozong took Zhou Da and Zhao Wuwei to the hall room.

    After entering the door, he saw a half-naked female corpse lying on the bed, with her eyes facing the direction of the door.

    "Eh?!"

    After seeing the woman''s face clearly, Sun Shaozong suddenly exclaimed.

    It turned out that although the woman''s expression was a little grim because of her pain and fear before death, her facial features and temperament were a replica of Wang Xifeng!

 Chapter 181: The Case of Murder and Robbery in Chengwen Gate [Part 2]

    Chapter 181: The Case of Murder and Robbery in Chengwen Gate [Part 2]

    Looking at the dead woman, who looked like Wang Xifeng, Sun Shaozong was stunned for a long time. Then he subconsciously asked, "What''s the name of this woman? What''s her usual disposition? Have you ever inquired about this?"

    "Yes, I asked."

    Zhao Wuwei hurriedly came up and said, "This woman is called Lv Huiniang. I heard that she is very shrewd. She often ordered her husband around when he was still alive."

    Zhou Da added, "Her husband died of the epidemic when he was preparing for the summer Imperial Exam."

    Tch!

    This could also match the character. Did that mean that Jia She has a different dirty mind about his daughter-in-law?!

    Sun Shaozong''s inference was consistent.

    At that time, Jia Zhen in the east mansion was indistinct from his daughter-in-law, Qin Keqing. Although it was said by others that he was very spiteful, Jia She was secretly stirred up by his dirty thoughts and was envious of this "gathering together."

    However, his son, Jia Lian, although also a dissolute childe, was far less ambitious than Jia Rong, Jia Zhen''s son.

    In addition, Wang Xifeng''s temperament was not as easy to manipulate as Qin Keqing''s, and his father, Wang Ziteng, supported him. Jia She has no courage to force her, so he has to keep his mind at the bottom of his heart for the time being.

    But as the saying goes, ¡±A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a mistress, and a mistress is not as good as nothing!¡±

    This evil fire had been held for two years, and it became a heart disease for Big Master Jia. He was about to play out every once in a while, and he couldn''t bear it.

    Coincidentally, he saw this Lv Huiniang on the street a few days ago, and she was almost as beautiful as Wang Xifeng, especially with a pair of hanging red phoenix eyes that even provoked the soul of Jia She!

    This was also the biggest reason why he would rather sell his daughter yesterday and have a taste of the woman!

    However, Sun Shaozong was half emotional and half disgusted. He put this matter behind him for the time being and went to the corpse to start a careful exploration.

    First of all, the deceased was wearing a semi-new gown, but it was empty inside.

    Secondly, there were traces of lovemaking in her private place, but it was not very obvious. It seemed that their process was quite sloppy and hasty. Considering Jia She''s age and physical quality, this was understandable.

    Again, the fatal wound was stabbed into the chest with a dagger, resulting in massive bleeding and death.

    Finally, her left hand was on her chest, her right hand was stretched out, and her fingers were in a grasping position. However, there was no skin debris left on her fingernails. It seemed that she had tried to catch the murderer, but the murderer avoided her.

    This was probably what was found on the body.

    "Well..."

    Jia Yucun suddenly asked, "Captain Zhao, did those witnesses mention the gate?"

    "This has not been specifically mentioned."

    Zhao Wuwei said, "But according to their description, they should have broken into the house directly and not hit the door."

    "So it is."

    Sun Shaozong nodded and said, "The suspicion of General Jia is lesser."

    The word "lesser," however, made Jia Yucun want to know more and hurried him to find out all the things.

    "First of all, the robe is quite heavy and cumbersome, which is not easy to wear, and she clearly has a more convenient lining, which is enough to shelter from the cold in the house."

    "Normally speaking, since she has removed all her clothes, she has no reason to wear this rather cumbersome robe alone without a lining."

    "Unless she is in a hurry to open the door for someone!"

    "Only under such circumstances will she give up the lining with insufficient cold resistance and put on the robe directly."

    "The gate of the courtyard has not been locked, which also supported the speculation that someone else came here last night. Unless General Jia killed someone and created such a false image to make us suspect others."

    "But..."

    At this point, Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "Based on General Jia¡¯s identity, there are a hundred ways to cover up this matter. It is absolutely unnecessary to make it so well-known and self-defeating."

    Jia Yucun was overjoyed. "So Uncle isn¡¯t suspicious?!"

    "Well..."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "For the time being, I''m not sure. I can only say that General Jia''s suspicion is low. However, General Jia is still one of the important suspects until decisive evidence is found or the real murderer is captured."

    Jia Yucun was also concerned but confused. After listening to Sun Shaozong, he also knew that Jia She could not be released at this time, so he earnestly asked, "Dear brother, have you ever found any clues about the real murderer?"

    "Of course there are clues."

    Sun Shaozong said, raising his hand and pointing to the female corpse, "First of all, there is a lot of information on this corpse."

 Chapter 182: The Case of Murder and Robbery in Chengwen Gate [Part 3]

    Chapter 182: The Case of Murder and Robbery in Chengwen Gate [Part 3]

    Sun Shaozong led Jia Yucun to the corpse, pointed at the two long white legs exposed under her robe, and said, "Although this dress can keep out the cold if you only wear it to meet foreigners, don''t you think it''s too licentious?"

    "You mean..."

    Jia Yucun suddenly said, "The murderer is very close to this woman!"

    "That''s right."

    Sun Shaozong went to the bathtub again, pointed to the tea table in the corner, and said, "Please look here. According to my measurements, the deceased was about four feet eight inches [153.6 cm] tall, and her arm was about one foot nine [60.8 cm] long."

    "Therefore, when the deceased takes a bath, soap, perfume, and other objects should not be more than one foot eight inches [57.6 cm] at the farthest, otherwise it will be inconvenient to use them."

    "Especially in this early winter season, it may be possible to lean forward to get them, but no one should deliberately suffer from the cold and be placed in places that are not convenient for use!"

    "At present, however, the washing utensils on the tea table are all concentrated at about two feet [64 cm]."

    "Considering the angle of the mini table and the disorder of the washing utensils, it can be concluded that a person with an arm length of about two feet and two inches [70.4 cm] lying on his back at the edge of the tub placed the used washing utensils at random."

    "From this point of view, it was obvious that the last time the bath bucket was used was not by the deceased herself, but by another person who was very close to her."

    "I had also carefully observed that General Jia''s height is slightly higher than that of the dead, but the length of his arms is almost the same. There is still a certain distance between him and the dead."

    "In addition, General Jia did ¡±good things¡± with the deceased yesterday, so it was unlikely that he would bathe in the house of the deceased before that."

    Although it wasn''t the first time listening to Sun Shaozong''s reasoning, Jia Yucun still couldn¡¯t help admiring it.

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong''s inference had come to an end for the time being, he immediately concluded, "In this way, this woman might have already been in love with an adulterer. Yesterday, the adulterer came to meet privately and happened to meet Uncle here. He became angry with embarrassment and killed her and took the money away, but also intended to blame my Uncle!"

    He then asked with hope, "Besides, do you have any other clues? After all, Uncle has a special identity. If the case goes on for a long time, I''m afraid there will be rumors against you and me."

    "Considering the possible errors, the height of the killer is between five feet three inches [169.6 cm] and five feet seven inches [182.4 cm]. Even if the shortest five feet three inches is used, it is not common among women!"

    When Jia Yucun heard this, he was convinced. He quickly ordered Zhao Wuwei to say, "Did you hear what Lord Sun said? Don''t you hurry and investigate..."

    "No need!"

    Before he finished speaking, Jia She opened the curtain and walked in, gritting his teeth. "I have seen that little whore several times. She is the daughter of an escort from the nearby Shunfeng Escort Agency. She is very tall. I was going to let Huiniang call her and let me have a taste. Unexpectedly, this little whore did such things!"

    As he spoke, he looked at the face of Huiniang, who looked like his daughter-in-law and was full of regret.

    This Huiniang was the best substitute, except that she was shorter than Wang Xifeng. It was a pity

    Jia Yucun had also seen Wang Xifeng before. Seeing this, he understood immediately, but he was the Prefectural Magistrate, he couldn¡¯t let it look like he wasn¡¯t doing anything, so he ordered, "What are you people still doing here? Go to Shunfeng Escort Agency to arrest the murderer!"

    Without waiting for permission, he added, "If the suspect is willing to plead guilty on the spot, be sure to take her to the people at the entrance of the alley to prove General Jia''s innocence!"

    "Yes, Lord!"

    Zhou Da and Zhao Wuwei answered in a hurry, turned, and hurried out of the room.

    Just a few steps out in the yard, he heard Jia She yelling behind them, "The most important thing is the seven thousand taels of silver. If there is one or two less, I will charge it to both of you!"

    "Don''t worry, Master. We will do our best!"

    Zhou Da and the others turned back. They answered with servility, and they were able to escape.

    But Jia She was still regretting Huiniang just now. He cried out when they went out. However, he suddenly remembered, since Huiniang died, didn¡¯t it mean that he slept for free all night with the 1000 taels of silver that he had promised her?

    With this thought, Jia She smiled again and thought about how to spend the 1000 silver tales he had saved so that he could live up to the "good thing!"

 Chapter 183: Scheme

    Chapter 183: Scheme

    Zhou Da and Zhao Wuwei quickly returned with the stolen money, and not a single cent was missing.

    The Big Master Jia then hurriedly gave an excuse that the old men did not like to see and hear the murderer confessing and insisted on leaving the scene of the crime as soon as possible.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong could only miss it. [The long-legged wife of Shunfeng Escort Agency came to stay at midnight because of the fight with her husband], as well as a lamentable tragedy.

    That afternoon, at the Dingxiang Building, Jia She had many problems, but he was never stingy, so after the case was settled smoothly, he set up a banquet in the Dingxiang Restaurant.

    Sun Shaozong, Jia Yucun, Liu Chongshan, Fu Shi...

    More than half of the leaders of the Central Judicial Office came, and almost all of them were masters of flattery. In three to five sentences, they coaxed Jia She to grin like a Buddha.

    However, Sun Shaozong had always found it difficult to join in the happy atmosphere because, in addition to these people, there was Jia Lian, who came here after hearing the news.

    Thinking of Lv Huiniang, who was super similar to Wang Xifeng, and looking at the scene of ¡±fatherly kindness and filial piety,¡± Sun Shaozong felt very uncomfortable.

    Fortunately, he was not a young man who knew nothing, so he didn''t show his mind in front of everyone, but it was inevitable that he couldn¡¯t bring his mood up.

    "Erlang."

    After three rounds of drinking, Jia Lian raised his glass to Sun Shaozong across the table and said, "Thanks to you this time! Let''s have a drink!"

    In fact, according to Sun Shaozong, if Jia She was found to be the murderer, he should thank himself!

    But this was just what he was thinking in his heart.

    Thus, he also took up his wine glass and smiled. "You are being too polite. I have been hanging around with you in your mansion since I was young. Now that Uncle is in trouble, how can I stand by and watch?"

    As he said this, they had a drink each, and immediately a woman with a jug was nearby to help fill it. How could there be no woman to uplift the mood at the banquet set by Lord Jia?

    Jia Lian said half-jokingly, "Last time, Erlang said that he would check the martial arts of the brothers and nephews. However, a few matters occurred, and you haven¡¯t managed to check on them after that. Since then, those kids had stopped training. Shouldn¡¯t it be that you are annoyed by those monkey kids?"

    If he didn''t remind him, Sun Shaozong would soon forget his title of ¡±Teacher.¡±

    There was nothing to be said about this. After all, the Jia family invited several other instructors to teach martial arts on a daily basis.

    .

    However, since Jia Lian mentioned it, he has to respond. He said with a smile, "I¡¯ve been really busy recently. It''s not easy to go there and visit your big garden, and I neglected to head over to the training ground."

    After a pause, he said, "Please take my message back and tell them that on the first day of the next month, I will check their progress!"

    His Big Brother smiled grimly and said proudly, "I have been guarding against this move. If he dares to repent, I will show this letter to Prince Yizhong after finding a suitable opportunity in a few days."

    "He has always disdained these four kings and eight dukes. He will never let them off the hook if he has the chance to make them look ugly. By then, Prince Yizhong will come out in person. How dare that old dog turn back on his words!"

    This calculation of each other...

    "Even if it can be achieved, the daughter of Rongguo Mansion can''t be easily manipulated." Sun Shaozong advised, "I heard she is also a beauty. You''d better live with her in a down-to-earth way, Elder Brother. You might be able to have a child..."

    "Don''t worry!"

    His Big Brother did not wait for him to finish saying, but he vowed, "I have asked someone to inquire about it carefully today. That woman is the most taciturn and timid! I will have my way to let her be obedient!"

    "Actually, there is no need to take risks..."

    "Alright."

    Sun Shaozong still wanted to struggle for a while, but his Big Brother simply stretched his waist and said, "I''m going to take a bath and change my clothes. You can go back to your yard and have a rest."

    With these words, he was thrown out of the main courtyard.

    "Sigh!"

    Sun Shaozong sighed and was about to return to his yard when he saw Zhao Zhongji coming up to him and saying, "Second Master, Master Xue from Zijin Street is here."

    Xue Pan?

    What is he doing here at this time?

    Curiously, he went to the lobby and saw that Xue Pan was also glowing red, apparently, he was just getting off the table of wine.

    "Second Brother!"

    At the sight of Sun Shaozong, Xue Pan roared, "Are those poems you sent me this morning really written by your nephew''s son-in-law?"

    "Can I fool you?"

    Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes. Yu Qian was not a person who had transmigrated. Even if he wanted to copy the official documents, he didn''t have the capital!

    He then wondered, "What did your father-in-law say after he saw it?"

    "Nothing else."

    Xue Pan scratched his head and said, "The old man told me that he would ask the poet to come to his mansion tomorrow afternoon and that he would take him as his disciple!"

 Chapter 184: Returned to Jias Mansion at Invitation

    Chapter 184: Returned to Jia''s Mansion at Invitation

    It was unexpected.

    Originally, it was to teach Sun Hanlin a lesson. However, Yu Qian got into the eyes of the Minister!

    On that day, after Yu Qian had passed the examination, Minister Wang sent a message through Xue Pan that, as long as Yu Qian was able to pass the Imperial Examination, he would accept him as a close disciple in person.

    This was not something that could be compared with a real teacher, but it meant as a true descendant!

    Looking at this, if Yu Qian had not been married long ago, maybe Minister Wang would have left Xue Pan and hired him to be his son-in-law!

    Of course, this was a great pity for Minister Wang, but it was a great fluke for Yu Qian. Nobody could take advantage of Wang''s daughter.

    Now that they have made an appointment as Master and Apprentice, they should teach Sun Hanlin a lesson.

    Thus, in just two days, Sun Hanlin went from being a literary authority who was revered by a large number of people to a predicament where everyone reprimanded and disparaged him.

    Although he was still staying at the Imperial Academy, according to this trend, he was afraid that he could only seek to be released.

    Two days passed in such a hurry.

    But on the first day of November, Sun Shaozong went to Jia Mansion early as agreed to check the progress of the kids¡¯ martial arts.

    In addition, he took the task from his Big Brother. By the way, they should confirm whether Jia She was really ready to renege.

    However, after arriving at Jia Mansion, Sun Shaozong first completed Ruan Rong''s request to send Lin Daiyu a lot of body-nourishing supplements.

    Of course, as a male outsider, he could not easily enter the girls'' boudoir, so he had to deliver it to the gatekeeper near her gate.

    Although Jia Lian had this time extended an invitation, when he arrived at Rongguo Mansion, he discovered that Jia Lian was not there. Even Jia Baoyu, who should have been waiting at the Martial Arts Hall, was missing.

    After asking Zhou Rui, who was leading the way, he realized that the two brothers had gone to the mansion outside the city to check accounts with Jia Zheng.

    It was just a routine audit, so there was no need to stir people up.

    But two housekeepers died, and a lot of people were distributed in Rongguo Mansion just for the audit.

    Now, after the implementation of the "new policy," it was the first time to conduct an account inventory, so naturally, it should be more serious, and it would also deter those greedy people.

    With a sharp roar, he saw a man who was full of femininity spring up from the group of ladies. He raised his hips, twisted his eyebrows, and shouted, "Who told you to rebel in this garden? Don¡¯t you know that this is a different courtyard and was built only for the Imperial Concubine?!"

    A few half-aged children, who were cold and not ready for this scolding, were even more at a loss and cowered into a pile.

    It was a few young people who were not convinced and angry.

    Seeing this, Sun Shaozong got up and said, "Who is the brother in the East Mansion?"

    The East Mansion refers to the Ningguo Mansion. This courtyard was expanded after the gardens of Rong-Ning Mansions were opened.

    Sun Shaozong knew all the children in Rongguo Mansion. At present, he was a very handsome young child, but he was a stranger. He naturally belonged to Ningguo Mansion.

    Sure enough, the man looked at Sun Shaozong in disapproval and was full of doubts. The servant beside him quickly introduced him, "Lord Sun, this is Young Brother Qiang in the East Mansion. Brother Qiang, this is Sun Shaozong."

    After hearing this, Jia Qiang quickly saluted and said with a smile, "It was Uncle Sun. Forgive me for being so rude, but I didn''t see you just now."

    Sun Shaozong gave a salute and said simply that he had brought his martial arts children to the garden to practice. He then said, "I thought they were tired enough, so I let them rest for a while. Unexpectedly, they bumped into the girls around you."

    "It''s no rush."

    Jia Qiang smiled and waved his hand. "I''m just going to the waterside pavilion to rehearse with the newly bought entertainers in the mansion."

    It was a group of opera singers, no wonder.

    Sun Shaozong was moved by this thought. Since the group of servant girls was bought by his Big Brother, they have been idle all day. It was better to learn how to set up a theatrical troupe or something. It was also good for Ruan Rong to relieve her boredom.

    So he hurriedly asked for advice and said, "But I don''t know where the people who teach drama are from. My mansion is also thinking about raising a drama team. I have the people ready, but I don''t know how to teach them."

    "Uncle Sun asked the right person!"

    Jia Qiang smiled again and said, "I have always been in charge of the theatrical troupe in the mansion. I know everything. If you want to listen, I will tell you."

    "That¡¯s good..."

    "Lord Sun!"

    Sun Shaozong was waiting to answer, but he heard a shout from a distance.

 Chapter 185: Unable to Keep a Garden Overflowing with the Beauties of Springtime

    Chapter 185: Unable to Keep a Garden Overflowing with the Beauties of Springtime

    Sun Shaozong was about to ask Jia Qiang about the best way to build a theatrical troupe, but he suddenly heard someone shouting behind him.

    Looking back, it was a sweaty boy.

    "Lord Sun, I am looking for you!"

    The young man strode to the front and said out of breath, "My lord heard that you are here, so he sent me to ask you to come and talk."

    Jia Zhen over at Ningguo Mansion was a generation lower and could only be called "Master," so naturally, this Big Master they were referring to was Jia She, who he didn¡¯t doubt that it was for the matter of selling his daughter and was still a grateful owner.

    Sun Shaozong also received a request from his Big Brother to question him about the truth at the same time, so he had to put off getting the theatrical troupe.

    Jia Qiang was a sensible and clever person. Before Sun Shaozong could speak, he smiled and said, "Big Grandfather''s business is very important. If Uncle Sun really wants to hear about the way of the theatrical troupe, I will come to your door to tell you more about it another day!"

    "That''s great!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly arched his hands and said, "In this case, on the sixth day of the lunar month, I will hold a banquet at home and send an invitation to ask you over to the mansion to talk about it!"

    Jia Qiang has always been the best at socializing. He knew that Sun Shaozong and the Uncles of Rongguo Mansion were related. He also knew that the Sun brothers had a lot to do with their martial arts and their literary skills. He would certainly answer Sun Shaozong''s invitation.

    Sun Shaozong called several teenagers who were half-aged and told them to gather all the people together and to go back to the Martial Arts Practice Hall and wait for him. If he still didn''t go there by noon, they could be dismissed.

    After giving these explanations, Sun Shaozong moved to the southwest after the boy Jia She had sent. Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    The garden of Jia Mansion was indeed exquisite!

    After all, it was piled up by golden and silver mountains, and the expert of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Works was specially invited for guidance. It could be called "three steps, one scene, ten steps into painting." Moreover, it was different to appreciate from different angles, and what he saw and heard was also different.

    However, the disadvantage was that newcomers, after three or five rounds, tend to be confused and unable to distinguish between East and West.

    Even Sun Shaozong, who had a good sense of direction, after leaving the main road paved with bluestone slabs, made several turns on the tree-lined path and felt a little confused.

    She then returned to the door by herself.

    This time, Sun Shaozong did not hesitate to rush up the slope, sneaked in, and closed the two gates tightly.

    Before the door could be fully closed, his other arm rolled up her flat waist and forced its way to her bosom. He bent his head towards her bright red and moist lips and then printed them.

    Ping¡¯er also changed her attitude from refusing to welcoming when she first saw him last time, and her two pink arms actively climbed onto Sun Shaozong''s neck and stood on tiptoe, trying to meet him.

    A posture that couldn¡¯t be described in detail lasted for a long time, and then both of them let each other go.

    Ping''er shook out her handkerchief and wiped the broken silver thread between them. She said half-heartedly and angrily, "How sneaky, Second Master Sun! You started without even asking if there was anyone in the room."

    "I move more than my hands."

    Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "Since you said it''s inconvenient outside, it''s very convenient inside. If I don''t even have this insight, how can I solve many cases?"

    Speaking of the case, he suddenly remembered the case of Lv Huiniang a few days ago. He quickly explained the situation of that day, and then added to the story, "I was shocked to see your Second Madam lying there with her clothes uncovered."

    Spit!

    Ping¡¯er spat several times and said with disgust, "My Second Madam is not like that. Even if she has an affair, she can''t look up to the old man!"

    "Of course I know that. Otherwise, how can he find a fake?"

    Seeing that she was still siding with Wang Xifeng, Sun Shaozong hurriedly went back to make up for her, gathered her buttocks, and asked, "By the way, you just said that you were ordered by the Second Sister-in-law to ask me a few words? Is it a casual excuse, or..."

    Hearing his reminder, Ping¡¯er remembered the main business and hurriedly put her hand in the door. She said, "Let''s go inside and talk, it''s a cold day... Ah!"

    But before Sun Shaozong could finish hearing her speak, he held her in his arms and strode into the room.

    Ping''er was startled at first. When she found that he was walking in, his two claws swam everywhere on her body. Knowing that he had misunderstood her meaning, she quickly got up and said, "Second Madam is waiting nearby. Don''t make trouble!"

 Chapter 186: A Red Apricot Enters the Wall

    Chapter 186: A Red Apricot Enters the Wall

    Wang Xifeng is nearby?

    Sun Shaozong''s hand was sluggish, but he soon became active again. He said with a laugh, "Do you still want to scare me? If Second Sister-in-law is really nearby, why doesn''t she just show up in person? She can''t be deliberately trying to bring us together and listen to the corner."

    "Why would I trick you?"

    Ping''er was also full of love for spring, and her crisp voice in the past seemed to be blocked by some syrup, which was full of sweetness. "Don''t you think I want that? But Second Madam is really nearby!"

    She pulled out an arm and pointed to the earthen mountain facing the window. She said, "See the tent on the top of the mountain? That¡¯s where the Second Madam is guarding. If someone comes here, she will stop the person first, and then let the nannies withdraw the tent for warning."

    At this point, Ping¡¯er took a key out of her sleeve and said, "There is a small door in the southwest. If anyone comes here, I will slip out of the side door. You just say that you are wandering here."

    This was very well prepared!

    When Sun Shaozong came to the tent, he saw it. It seemed that the people in the tent were having a picnic, but it was Wang Xifeng who stood guard.

    But he and Wang Xifeng had met before.

    What¡¯s wrong with talking about the business in the open and letting several servants and nannies accompany her?

    "There wasn¡¯t a problem when they met in the past."

    Ping¡¯er listened to Sun Shaozong''s query and sighed helplessly. "But when they quarreled with each other a few days ago, the Second Master did a terrible thing himself without introspection and even blamed the Second Madam!"

    It turned out that Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng were at home again that day. When they were angry, they spoke all the nasty words!

    With this sentence, Wang Xifeng was so angry that he could not eat all day. Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    Since then, she has become estranged from men like Jia Baoyu, Jia Qiang, Jia Rong, and the other two houses. If it wasn¡¯t forced, she wouldn¡¯t say more.

    By this inference, she didn¡¯t like Sun Shaozong more because he was an outsider.

    After hearing the whole story, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help laughing and said, "I didn''t expect Brother Lian to be so romantic but also a jealous man!"

    After a pause, he laughed again and said, "If he knew your Big Master''s mind, I don¡¯t know how he would react."

    "How can those... Timber merchants agree?" Ping¡¯er said in a trembling voice, "If you use the name of the Master to... To threaten those timber merchants, that is a big no!"

    "Threat?"

    Sun Shaozong sniffed, "At that time, you don''t have to use the name of anyone else. As long as you put out the silver, those timber merchants will cry and shout and sell us good timber!"

    "Why... Why is this?"

    "To prepare for the establishment of the navy, Minister Wang has even come up with the idea of a tea monopoly. Do you think he will make both delivery and payment with those timber merchants? I''m afraid it¡¯s considered light to place pressure for a year and a half!"

    "Suppose a timber dealer can send two batches of timber to the seaside every year and only has the cost of stocking two batches of timber. Do you think he is willing to wait for a year in fear after sending these two batches of timber or take fewer profits so that it is cost-effective to ship two more batches as soon as possible?"

    "Only a dozen times a year is enough to double the principal!"

    "At that time, just select the best ones, so that it won''t damage the reputation of Minister Wang!"

    Of course, this was also due to the relationship between buying low and selling high. But first, it wasn''t so ugly, and second, the timber merchants wouldn¡¯t suffer losses, so they wouldn¡¯t attract too much jealousy and hostility.

    Ping''er pondered for a while, but she also thought it was promising. She was waiting to ask Sun Shaozong how he planned to divide the account and how to ensure that Wang Xifeng would not dump him and find someone else to cooperate with.

    At that moment, Sun Shaozong suddenly froze, jumped up from his chair, pointed to the opposite mountain, and said, "It seems that the tent has been torn down!"

    Ping''er was busy looking out of the window and saw the smoke on the top of the mountain, but why was the tent there?!

    "I... I have to go quickly!"

    She immediately became pale with fear. She hurriedly arranged her clothes and ran out. She just ran to the gate of the yard but stopped. She looked back and hesitated, "If Second Madam had your idea, she would go to find someone else..."

    Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "Don''t worry, she will choose me!"

    Seeing that he was confident, Ping''er was relieved, hurried out of the yard with her skirt, and went straight to the side door.

    After seeing Ping¡¯er off, Sun Shaozong also carefully tidied up and waited for the massively congested place to soften up so that he was ready to pretend that he had nothing to do with the incident and to leave this place.

    Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he saw two people pushing the door open and entering. They were the Master and Servant of Li Wan!

 Chapter 187: Reluctant to Part, Full of Affection

    Chapter 187: Reluctant to Part, Full of Affection

    Half an hour ago, on the slope.

    "From a distance, I thought there was a wildfire, but it was you who were enjoying here!" Li Wan said. Looking at the curtain that was being torn down, she doubtfully said, "Why? Now that I''m here, you''re leaving?"

    Since she had just appeared at the foot of the mountain, a group of women and servant girls began to nervously dismantle the curtain that had been temporarily put up to block the wind. That''s why Li Wan asked.

    "I was going back."

    Seeing Wang Xifeng holding the golden hairpin on her head, she complained bitterly, "My Second Master has been feeling dizzy for the past two days, and I''m going crazy because I''m so bored. So I came to this clean place to be free for a while. Unexpectedly, my head ached again after being blown by the mountain wind."

    This was not a bad thing to say to others. In front of Li Wan, it showed a little flaunting and demonstration.

    However, a few days ago, the disruption brought on by Baoyu''s audit altered a lot of things in Rongguo Mansion, and one of them was the relationship between Li Wan and Wang Xifeng!

    Because when Wang Xifeng fell out of power, Li Wan was very active and hoped to take the place of Wang Xifeng and become in charge of the family.

    Because Sun Shaozong intervened, the desire to seize class and power was completely defeated. On the contrary, Wang Xifeng became wary, and her relationship with Li Wan was not as close as ever.

    At this time, she realized that Wang Xifeng''s words had the vague intention of showing off her power and her man to Li Wan. She could not help feeling annoyed, so the two sisters-in-law stopped talking.

    After the tent was demolished, the maids and nannies put away the incense, the heater, and other things together, and they ran to the foot of the mountain separately.

    "Huh?"

    Not far away, Li Wan stopped, looked back suspiciously at the slope, and murmured, "There are many secluded and beautiful places in the garden. Why did she choose this place?"

    People who have secrets in their hearts always felt that others were unclean.

    In particular, Wang Xifeng had insinuated her mind. When Li Wan thought about this, she was worried and hoped to catch Wang Xifeng''s shortcomings to check and balance each other.

    So when she felt something was wrong, she immediately took Suyun back with her.

    It was probably out of a woman''s intuition that Li Wan happened to follow the winding mountain path to this lonely courtyard, blocking Sun Shaozong!

    "It¡¯s you?!"

    Two white hands, like rain, grabbed the latch, but she suddenly felt reluctant.

    It has been almost a year since they first met, and she secretly fell in love with Sun Shaozong. Although she met him in a dream all day and played the role play, it was the first time she had ever been alone with a lone man like today!

    If she missed the chance today and wanted to talk to him later, she was afraid she didn¡¯t know when that would be.

    Thinking like this, Li Wan held the latch in her hand, but she didn''t make a move for a long time. Finally, she forced herself to say, "Xiangling... Is Xiangling doing well recently?"

    Xiangling had a meeting with her a few days ago, and it was clear to her that she had a good life.

    She was obviously finding a topic.

    Sun Shaozong was speechless, but he had to answer seriously, "Xiangling''s mother is in my house now. The mother and daughter have a reunion with each other after many years, so naturally, they are very happy."

    Then, he couldn''t help beating around the bush and said, "By the way, Lan¡¯er is doing well today. He is more persistent than his uncle, Jia Huan."

    In fact, it was a roundabout reminder to Li Wan that she had already had a son.

    "Really?!"

    But Li Wan, hearing this, unexpectedly released the latch, turned back, and said, "This is all about Erlang''s good teaching. Actually, I often do aerobics too, and I feel much healthier recently."

    Looking at the exaggerated gourd figure in the cloak, this was really a picture!

    He even pictured Li Wan being completely naked...

    Cough!

    It was the picture of doing all kinds of postures meticulously. The fire he managed to get rid of has a trend toward resurgence.

    No!

    He must get away quickly!

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong said with a straight face, "Sister-in-law, Brother Lan is waiting for me in the Martial Arts Practice Hall. Do you think..."

    Even if Li Wan was no longer sensitive, she recognized that he wanted to leave as soon as possible, so she had to look at Sun Shaozong with a grudge and reluctantly turned to open the courtyard door.

 Chapter 188: Tapping on the Door with the Window Open

    Chapter 188: Tapping on the Door with the Window Open

    However, Li Wan''s small hands, which looked like scallions, had just grasped the long and thick latch, and before she could make any effort, someone outside suddenly said, "That side door is always locked. Why did it open today?"

    Then another person answered carelessly, "Why do you care so much? I can''t wish for it to open like this every day in the future. It will be easier to enter the Grand View Garden again."

    Two boys entered the Grand View Garden from the side door opened by Ping''er. They were close!

    Li Wan''s face immediately turned pale with fright. Although she didn''t do anything unusual with Sun Shaozong, as a dutiful widow, she stayed in a room with an outsider man [Suyun is not a ''bystander'']. She was afraid it would be impossible to explain that she was innocent!

    In her panic, she unconsciously stepped back half a step but forgot that there was a step in front of the door. As a result, she lost her footing and fell back!

    "Ah..."

    Sun Shaozong was quick with his eyes and hands. He rushed up and took her in his arms, then put his hand over her mouth. However, he still heard a half cry of surprise!

    This has caused trouble...

    Sun Shaozong was speechless, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t be in a panic at this time.

    Suyun, rushing aside, made a silent gesture and then lowered her voice and said, "Don''t worry. If they come and knock at the door, I will climb over the wall and walk around the back of the mountain. You just need to say that you are tired of strolling, so you stopped here for a rest."

    Eh?

    This reason seems familiar.

    As she spoke, he wanted to put Li Wan down. Unexpectedly, the pretty widow was in a panic, and she held his arm tightly.

    At that moment, the voices of those two people outside came in again.

    "What was that? Why did it seem like a woman was screaming?"

    "It sounds like a bird chirping to me. Where did the woman''s voice saying come from? You are not in spring now, are you?"

    "You''re just springing up! Can''t you tell whether it''s a person or a bird?"

    "Even if it¡¯s people, it¡¯s normal too. There are many female performers in the Grand View Garden, and they are all the forbidden assets of Brother Qiang in the East Mansion. They are something you can¡¯t get. You should hurry up. It''s not easy to take a shortcut. Look at you being so slow!"

    Hearing that the two people were talking and laughing, the three people in the courtyard were relieved.

    It seemed that there was a lot of psychological pressure to be a housemaid for widows.

    This was bare seduction, but this pair of beauties delivered themselves to him, was it to eat or not to eat?

    Eat it. Maybe there would be some consequences.

    If he leaves it...

    There must be a consequence!

    And if he leaves it, what was the use of his manly iron style?

    What kind of face would he have to make to face the others?

    Forget it~

    Let him be ridiculous again!

    Anyway, depending on the terrain around the yard, as long as it is not surrounded by both sides, he could surely escape safely!

    At that time, in any case, what was done was done. He didn¡¯t believe that the Master and Servant would fight for their lives and fame and die together with him!

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong gritted his teeth and held up the rear buttocks of both the Master and Servant with his backhand. The wind rushed into the house.

    He put them on the ground, then lowered his head and held Li Wan''s full lips. After a long time of careful comparison with Ping¡¯er, he said viciously, "Sister-in-law did not spoil my plan today but wanted to give me a good deed!"

    He then gently pushed Suyun and said, "Go inside first, open the window, and look at the southwest path."

    Suyun was still reluctant to part, but Sun Shaozong lowered his head and said something in her ear. She hurriedly ran into the back room like a rabbit.

    After Li Wan''s impulse, she hesitated again. Seeing Suyun go inside, she hurriedly loosened Sun Shaozong''s arm, stepped back in a panic, and stammered, "I... I..."

    However, at this moment, was there still something she could control?

    Without saying a word, Sun Shaozong came forward and teased Li Wan until she melted with his affectionate whispering. He then pulled her to the window, slightly opened a gap, found an angle where he could see the intersection, and gave Li Wan a few words.

    In the beginning, Li Wan hesitated, but when Sun Shaozong slapped her on the hip, she lowered her body tenderly and timidly, fell on the flower rack in front of the window, and tried to fold her body to 90 degrees, even 75 degrees...

    It was like, based on a poem, ¡°The cabin door opened by tapping on the small window, and I caught a glimpse of the lingering dream. There are not enough kinds of joys and sorrows. Don''t be surprised to guess if plum blossoms are sleeping soundly.¡±

 Chapter 189: Support

    Chapter 189: Support

    He was going to find Jia She but was lured by Ping¡¯er.

    He wanted to continue his relationship with Ping¡¯er, but unexpectedly, he had sex with Li Wan, both Master and Servant.

    The next day, when Sun Shaozong was on duty in the Criminal Division, he recalled all kinds of affairs in the Grand View Garden yesterday and still felt like he was in a dream.

    He has to say that this mature and open body was really unusual. It was said that women were made of water. Sun Shaozong thought it was untrue before, but now it seemed...

    "My Lord, My Lord?"

    While thinking about some indescribable things, he suddenly saw Zhou Da''s ugly, pitiful face. Sun Shaozong nearly lost it and hit him with his fist!

    He wiped his face heavily and separated reality from fantasy. He then asked angrily, "What''s the matter? Is there a murder case, or what news have you got in the Yamen?"

    "This..."

    Zhou Da''s eyes suddenly turned red after chatting for a while. He raised his hand and wiped them with his sleeve and said, "I¡¯m... I''m here to say goodbye to you. I¡¯m really reluctant to part with you. I wish I could stay with you forever and listen to your earnest instructions..."

    "All right, all right!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly interrupted him, saying, "Don''t you want to take up the post? Why are you acting like parting from life and death and reincarnation? Besides, the government prison is under our Criminal Department. If you have anything in the future, you can still come and report back!"

    "Don''t worry, My Lord!"

    Zhou Da bent his spine a little more and said respectfully, "No matter where my position is, I¡¯m your subordinate. I will definitely report to you immediately if I have any news!"

    Unexpectedly, when this guy was promoted to an official position, his EQ also improved. If he could continue to develop, there might be room for improvement in the future.

    What should be said has been explained before, so Sun Shaozong only gave a few high-sounding exhortations this time and then let Zhou Da go reluctantly.

    If he was a pretty widow like Li Wan yesterday, it was all right to be reluctant to part with him. But this fat man who has ruined his face and tried to be clingy...

    It was frightening.

    As soon as he tried to suppress the image that affected his appetite, he struggled to keep it at the bottom of his memory and saw Cheng Rixing coming in, offering a document with both hands. "Master, this is the official document of the Ministry of Public Affairs, the position of Inspection Zhou has been filled."

    "What?!"

    Sun Shaozong frowned when he heard this. He was still thinking about it. He took the opportunity to change Zhao Wuwei''s lifestyle. However, as soon as Zhou Da vacated the position, the upper-ups planted someone directly in it!

    This was a bit irregular.

    Commander Qiu sent his son here to be tempered because Sun Shaozong could hold him down. If he really made him feel like a Master, Commander Qiu would really come to ask for an explanation.

    After careful observation, Cheng Rixing confirmed that Sun Shaozong was not joking, so he was ordered to leave the room.

    But after a moment, he turned back and said hastily, "Master, your Elder Brother came to the gate of our office and said that you should go out to see him quickly!"

    His Big Brother¡ªwhat brings him to the Yamen?

    Yesterday, Sun Shaozong, who had left Li Wan both the Master and Servant after the war, came to Jia She to ask him about the marriage, but Jia She changed the subject again and again.

    As soon as he came home and talked to his Elder Brother, Sun Shaozu decided to go to the Residence of Prince Zhongshun today and ask the Prince to make the decision.

    So according to the time calculation, his Big Brother should be in the Zhongshun Residence right now. Why did he come to the Central Judicial Office?

    Feeling depressed, Sun Shaozong was already at his feet and rushed to the door of the government office at a meteoric pace.

    He saw his Big Brother on the horse, and there was a tall horse beside him. It was Sun Shaozong''s horse he rode this morning.

    "Hurry up!"

    When Sun Shaozu saw his brother coming out, he immediately waved and said, "Prince Zhongshun wants to see you, by the way."

    Prince Zhongshun wanted to see him?

    Sun Shaozong got on his horse and went hand in hand with his Big Brother to ask for the details. Only then did he know that he had a post delivered this morning. Soon after, a message came from the Royal Residence saying that the two brothers should come to visit before noon.

    Looking at this, it seemed like they were invited for a meal.

    Sun Shaozong asked with some vigilance, "Brother, is this not a bad banquet?"

    "How can it be?!"

    Sun Shaozu glared and said with a big grin, "The southern side just sent a large number of good goods to me a few days ago, which made the Prince earn a lot of money. He can¡¯t wait to praise me now. What kind of bad banquet will there be?"

    Sun Shaozong was relieved.

    Galloping all the way, they soon arrived at Prince Zhongshun Residence. To be honest, Prince Zhongshun''s Residence really didn¡¯t live up to the reputation of Prince Zhongshun. It was gray inside and out. He had no idea how long it had been unrenovated.

    In this regard, Sun Shaozu explained that the Prince liked real gold and silver and didn¡¯t care much about clothes, food, housing, or transportation.

    Just after getting off the horse in front of the stone lion, Sun Shaozong could not help seeing two figures. They were Feng Ziying and Liu Xianglian.

 Chapter 190: Put Jia Yingchun on a Resale

    Chapter 190: Put Jia Yingchun on a Resale

    At first glance, Sun Shaozong caught sight of the two men sneaking in front of the Prince''s Residence. He quickly grabbed his Big Brother and walked over with a frown. Just when he was about to ask, Feng Ziying and Liu Xianglian rushed to greet him.

    "Second Brother!"

    Feng Ziying smiled and asked, "Are you and Brother Shaozu going to visit the Prince?"

    Liu Xianglian, beside him, was also full of hope.

    "Yes."

    Sun Shaozong said suspiciously, "But what are you two doing here?"

    "To find someone!"

    "Find an expert!"

    It seemed that during Emperor Day, the largest theater in the Central Judicial Office also gathered together and invited famous actors from the Capital and Hebei to sing a big opera for three days.

    How could these two miss such a busy event?

    In those three days, both of them fell in love with an entertainer named Qi Guan.

    "Second brother, his figure, posture, and voice are amazing! Especially the song "Silang Visits His Mother," in which his high notes were so..."

    Liu Xianglian was so excited that he was about to sing in the street.

    "Stop stop stop!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly stopped him and said, "After all this talk, you guys still haven¡¯t told me what you¡¯re doing here."

    "To find Qi Guan!"

    Feng Ziying said in a crisp voice, "He is the main character of the royal theater. Where can we go and look for him other than here?"

    Just for an entertainer, they ran stealthily to the gate of the royal residence.

    It was also a shame that he didn''t see Xue Pan, otherwise, Sun Shaozong must have thought that these two goods came out with Xue Pan!

    At this time, his Big Brother suddenly stepped forward and said, "Is the person you guys were talking about Jiang Yuhan?"

    "Big Brother Sun."

    The two men hurriedly greeted first and then nodded like an old hen and said, "That''s him. I heard that he¡¯s called Jiang Yuhan!"

    "Then leave now!"

    "Hmm."

    Prince Zhongshun answered with a nonchalant voice. His lazy eyes turned around the two brothers and finally stopped at Sun Shaozong. He then said to his Big Brother, "Sun Shaozu, when you were fighting for the Commander in the past few months, it was my fault."

    Sun Shaozu hurriedly bowed down and said, "I dare not, I am incompetent."

    "What are you talking about? I can''t use your silver in vain."

    As the Prince said, he tapped his finger on the handrail, and immediately a eunuch came up with a document.

    Sun Shaozu hurriedly took it in his hand and carefully unfolded it. It was a vote made by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Military Affairs to promote him to ¡±trial commander.¡± He would fill the vacancy immediately.

    This was equivalent to enjoying the treatment of a three-grade Commander in advance, and he could fill the position immediately once there was a vacancy.

    "Thank you, Your Highness!"

    Sun Shaozu prostrated himself on the ground with tears in his eyes and said, "The title left by my father in the past, I have finally been worthy today. It''s really... it''s really..."

    He said it as if he could not control his emotions. He banged his head three times and choked, "Thank you for your kindness!"

    It really was a good acting skill!

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but give his Elder Brother tons of compliments. In addition to being slightly exaggerated, this level was not inferior to that of Jia Yucun, which was more in line with his reckless martial arts personality.

    Sure enough, Prince Zhongshun was very satisfied with his Big Brother¡¯s reaction.

    The Prince even bent down and raised him in person, patted him on the shoulder, and encouraged him, "What is this? As long as you are solid and do your job, you will live up to the expectations of Your Majesty and me, and you will certainly be able to sit in the position of the Commander of the city defense camp like your father!"

    Sun Shaozu put on a look of gratitude again and said a few words of gratitude to Prince Zhongshun. The three people then sat down again.

    "Your Highness, to tell you the truth, I¡¯m here to ask for something this time."

    After sitting down, Sun Shaozu saw that the atmosphere was just right, so he hurriedly told the Prince about Jia She''s intention to repent after he had received the bride price.

    "How could this happen?"

    Prince Zhongshun was really interested. He leaned forward and asked with burning eyes, "What evidence do you have?"

    "The existing documents are here, please have a look."

    His Big Brother took out the note, and immediately the eunuch sent it to Prince Zhongshun.

    Prince Zhongshun scanned it in a hurry and suddenly looked up and said, "Why don''t I give you twenty thousand taels of silver? How about you transfer Jia She''s daughter to me to become a maid in name but a concubine in reality?"

    The two brothers of the Sun family suddenly became dumbfounded!

 Chapter 191: Long-leg Lovers

    Chapter 191: Long-leg Lovers

    This was a big deal!

    Before entering the Royal Residence, Sun Shaozong was still talking about how Prince Zhongshun was fine with both males and females and had Liu Xianglian go as far as possible. Who would have thought that his Big Brother would be caught in a trap?

    "Your... Your Highness..."

    His Big Brother was shocked and tongue-tied for a moment. He didn''t know what to say for a while. His excellent acting skills went in vain.

    Sun Shaozong clenched his teeth next to him, stood up and arched his hand, and said, "Your Highness, it is written in the note that she will be married as the legal wife, let alone that this matter is not settled yet. Even if Jia''s daughter has entered the door of our Sun family, there is no reason to sell the wife who was married by the matchmaker to others!"

    When Prince Zhongshun heard this, his face suddenly sank, his body leaned forward slightly, and he stared at Sun Shaozu and asked, "Are you sure you don''t want to sell?"

    "Your... Your Highness, I... I..."

    His Big Brother was famous for his rudeness, but under the threat of Prince Zhongshun, he was trembling. He slid down the chair like noodles and grabbed the ground with his head in a puff. "I beg for your forgiveness, Your Highness. This... this is absolutely..."

    Although his body was not worthy of morale, he still had some backbone in his heart.

    "Hahaha..."

    Just before the word "absolutely" was out, Prince Zhongshun patted his thigh and said with a laugh, "I¡¯m just joking with you. Look at your awesome virtue!"

    "It''s not insulting to ask Jia She''s daughter to be a maid in name, a concubine in reality for me, but she is also the cousin of Princess Xiande. Even if she doesn¡¯t mind, I have to take into consideration other aspects, right?"

    Damn your joke!

    It was all right for others to say that, but you are a lawless and ridiculous Prince. Who dares take it as a joke when you say such things?!

    Sun Shaozong and Sun Shaozu both scolded in their hearts, but on the surface, they could only force a smile to cooperate, and praised a few words against their hearts, "Your Highness is really funny!"

    Prince Zhongshun laughed and said, "Besides, I don''t care about the charming beauty of the Jia family."

    That is, what you like is a charming man!

    Sun Shaozong was lying in his heart when he suddenly saw that Prince Zhongshun leaned forward and said with burning eyes, "It''s the little lady of the Wei family who has a strong appetite for me, especially those with two long legs. It can kill half of your life if you put them on your waist!"

    Prince Zhongshun stared at him and looked up and down for a while, then suddenly said with a smile, "If it was someone else, I really wouldn¡¯t give him this face, but it''s you who opened the mouth, call Qi Guan out!"

    This absurd Prince seemed to treat himself differently from others.

    It shouldn¡¯t be that different, right?!

    Think about his obsession with big, long legs...

    Sun Shaozong only felt a chill on his back, so he bowed to avoid the sight of Prince Zhongshun and said in a respectful voice, "Thank you, Your Highness."

    "You don''t have to thank me. It''s better than anything to finish the job assigned by Your Majesty!" Prince Zhongshun waved his hand carelessly, then asked again, "I heard that Qiu Ying sent his son to your Criminal Department?"

    Sun Shaozong himself just learned about this, but he has already...

    Was this ridiculous Prince paying attention to him for a long time?!

    Sun Shaozong''s hair stood on end, but he forgot to answer.

    Fortunately, Prince Zhongshun didn''t pinpoint him and said with a laugh, "You should train that boy well, if you can really make him more promising, maybe there will be a great job for you in the future!"

    Train Qiu Yunfei? Will have a promising job?

    What is this?

    But listening to this, it should not be a kind of job...

    When he spoke, he saw a young man with charming and gentle manners rushing in from the outside and didn''t greet Prince Zhongshun, but quickly yelled, "Who is Sun Shaozong, Lord Sun?!"

    This should be Jiang Yuhan, right?

    But he asked himself in such a hurry, what does it mean?

    Sun Shaozong was suspicious in his heart, but on his face, he said with a forthright smile, "I am Sun Shaozong. Are you Mr. Jiang?"

    "Sigh!"

    Then Jiang Yuhan exclaimed, looked up and down at Sun Shaozong a few times, then smiled and said, "Your Excellency Sun is indeed a valiant man! To tell the truth, I am going to rehearse a "Master Sun Case" based on your experience recently, but your Excellency happened to come to your door!"

 Chapter 192: The Entangled Heart Forever and Love for a Hundred Years

    Chapter 192: The Entangled Heart Forever and Love for a Hundred Years

    On the second day of November, in the east living room of Rongguo Mansion.

    Big Master Jia has golden presbyopic glasses on his nose, his round body leans forward slightly, his two fat and short arms lean on the desk, and his neck stuck out like a turtle. He stared at an emerald fan on the table with burning eyes.

    "It¡¯s good stuff, really good stuff!"

    For a long time, he shook his head and straightened his waist, carefully closed the fan, and put it into the box.

    He then was like an addict and threw his whole body into the armchair with a muddy face full of intoxication.

    .

    This fan was valuable only because of its material. Besides, it has the authentic work of Cai Xiang, a famous calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty. So it took Master Jia 1,700 taels of silver to bring this baby home.

    Redemption of the treasure of the collateral before and paying off half of the accumulated debt [the other half of the creditor''s identity is not high enough, and Master Jia is ¡±too lazy to pay back¡± the debt]. After buying this treasure fan, Jia She''s 7,000 silver taels from selling his daughter have now gone more than 80%, and the rest was just over 1,000 silver taels.

    But Jia She didn''t think he had anything to worry about. Since Sun Shaozu was willing to give 7,000 taels of silver to marry his daughter in Rongguo Mansion, another 10,000 or 8,000 taels of silver would not be a problem.

    Yes~

    In fact, Master Jia never thought of repenting the marriage.

    How would he be willing to give away such a rich son-in-law who was so willing to take out real gold and silver for others? The reason for pretending was just to increase the price!

    Ordinarily, Sun Shaozong was fooled away the day before yesterday. Sun Shaozu should also come to his door in person these two days. By then, would he open his mouth directly, or would he drag it slowly?

    These two options...

    It was really hard to choose!

    "Master, Master!"

    Master Jia was in deep thought when he saw the housekeeper, Zhou Rui, burst in from outside. He was out of breath and said, "Master, outside... people are coming... coming outside..."

    "People coming?!"

    Jia She jumped up from his chair and said, "Why are you here? Why don''t you invite them in?"

    As he spoke, he waved to the door, and immediately someone sent in two snack boxes.

    The chief official pointed at the snacks and said, "A box of ¡±Entangled Heart Forever¡± is for your house. The box of ¡±Love for a Hundred Years¡± is for you to send to the Sun Family."

    When Jia She heard this, he was dumbfounded. Prince Zhongshun only received some money. Was it necessary to intervene in such private matters personally?

    How would he know that it was Sun Shaozu¡¯s business route with an annual profit of more than 100,000 silver taels that was valued by Prince Zhongshun?

    "Why?"

    Seeing that Jia She was dumbfounded and didn''t mean to go forward to take the snack, the Chief Official raised his eyebrows again and said unhappily, "Is there anything wrong with the reward from the Prince?"

    "How is that possible?"

    Jia She then came to his senses and rushed forward to take it in person. He tried to pretend to be grateful and tearful and said, "I''m too happy. I don''t know what to do for a moment!"

    "That''s good."

    The Chief Official arched his hand and said, "Since that is the case, I will not bother you. I will only ask for a glass of wine when the family has fixed the date of the marriage."

    The date of the marriage?

    Even the time limit for marriage has been set!

    Is he marrying his daughter, or is Prince Zhongshun going to marry his daughter?!

    After seeing the Chief Official leave, Jia She became angry. He suddenly held up the two boxes of snacks but hesitated for a while, but he didn¡¯t dare to fall to the ground after all.

    He had no choice but to carefully put the snack next to his valuable fan and then picked up the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table. He smashed them in a flurry, and he finally fell on the chair, panting like a cow.

    However, the Chief Official was outspoken and full of confidence when he spoke. In addition to Jia She''s fierce reaction, there was something fishy about it, which could not be concealed from the slaves nearby.

    So it took only half a day, and the news that General Jia sold his daughter to Commander Sun of the patrol camp for 10,000 taels of silver spread at once.

    Jia Yingchun, the concerned party, naturally got the news.

    However, she just became more speechless, as if she had evolved from two pieces of wood to two stones.

 Chapter 193: Canâ€™t Hope to Incarnate into a Male

    Chapter 193: Can¡¯t Hope to Incarnate into a Male

    Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, Jia Tanchun, Jia Xichun...

    In addition to Jia Yingchun, the party concerned, Li Wan, who was "occasionally sick", and Wang Xifeng, who was busy with housework, all the beauties in Rongguo Mansion were gathered in Jia Baoyu¡¯s yard.

    Of course, even if nothing happened, they often gathered here.

    Jia Baoyu walked back and forth in the living room with his hands on his back. When he passed Lin Daiyu, he suddenly paused and said, "How can Big Uncle be so confused, leaving Second Brother Sun, and giving Second Sister to Commander Sun?"

    "Not to mention the age difference between him and Second Sister, but the fact that she will be married over as a continuation. It''s not a good match to spend her lifetime."

    He took a few more steps forward and said angrily, "I heard that he has a dozen concubines in his family. If anything is wrong with him, he will beat, scold, and even sell some to the brothel!"

    "If you offend Brother Sun, it seems that he is such a sentimental, widowed, cruel, and inhumane person that he is not even fit to carry shoes for my Second Sister!"

    After saying so many words in one breath, his chest heaved like a bellow.

    Xue Baochai was afraid that he would be too angry, so she quickly took a cup of tea and put it in his hand, and advised him, "Calm down, this marriage is promised by Big Uncle. What¡¯s the use of you shouting at the sisters?"

    Tanchun sneered aside and said, "I heard that Big Uncle received 10,000 silver taels from others, but he was still greedy, which attracted the people from Prince Zhongshun¡¯s'' Residence."

    "What?!"

    Jia Baoyu has recently been "very powerful," and few dared to gossip in his ear, so the information he received was vaguer than others.

    At this time, he heard that there was still such inside information, and immediately raged again, threw the cup on the table, and said angrily, "Isn''t this selling daughters? When did the Rongguo Mansion fall into this category?"

    "No, I have to go to find Big Uncle and talk some logic to him. Our family is not short of that 10,000 silver taels. It''s better to return it in full!"

    He then rushed out of the yard.

    "Come back!"

    "What''s your hurry?"

    "Don''t monkey around!"

    The women were shocked and came forward with all their hands and legs, finally stopping Jia Baoyu.

    Lin Daiyu then said angrily, "There is no shortage of silver in the mansion, but there is a shortage of silver for Big Uncle. What can you do by arguing with him like this, except to bring trouble to Second Sister?"

    But she was not only a little worried about the Sun family but also felt that there was no need to benefit from the Sun family.

    So in the past few days, she calculated her parents'' family, her husband''s family, and even Aunt Xue''s family several times to find a more suitable partner.

    However, Wang Ziteng was forbidden to do business with his family. His eldest brother, Wang Ren, was a wooden head who didn¡¯t know how to change.

    As for her husband''s family, if it had been before, it was fine. If she revealed this matter to the others, she would have to make up the deficit in the public account first.

    By the way, although the investigation of corruption cases has found nearly 300,000 silver taels, the deficit of the Rongguo Mansion was one million silver taels!

    Even if Daiyu didn''t mention the 600,000 silvers, she still owed the Xue family more than 100,000 silvers.

    As for the Xue family, just looking at their family''s business going downhill, the yearly profit could have been better year by year, and she knew that this lucrative business must not be handed over to his family.

    So after thinking about it, the Sun family was more suitable.

    Especially after the marriage between the two families...

    "Second Madam."

    While pondering the way to make money, Ping¡¯er came in and reported, "The Second Master just sent a message that he would come back for the night."

    "He still knows to come back!"

    Wang Xifeng bit her silver teeth and stroked her belly subconsciously. She thought it was not the right time for this fool to come back. He chose to come back at the time of her monthly menstruation. It seemed that she could only sleep in separate beds at night.

    In this way, when Jia Lian has enough rest at home, wouldn''t he have to go outside to play with other women?

    With this in mind, she looked at Ping¡¯er up and down. She said with a little reluctance, "It''s good for you. I''m not fit today. You can spend the night with the Second Master today. Treat it as a reward for the risk you took on that day."

    Unexpectedly, when Ping¡¯er heard this, she hurriedly said, "I think it''s all right. I''m not comfortable today. It''s probably due to me visiting the Big Madam and catching some cold, I dare not pass it on to the Second Master!"

    "How sick have you been?"

    Wang Xifeng said suspiciously, "Why didn''t I see it?"

    Ping¡¯er was more and more flustered when she stared at her. She bit her silver teeth and suddenly knelt in front of Wang Xifeng. She bowed her head and said, "How did the Second Master treat you recently? I feel the same too. My heart has... has turned cold, and... I am also a little tired of that matter."

    Hearing what she said ¡±sincerely,¡± Wang Xifeng also felt sad for a while, and sighed quietly, "Get up first. I hope God will bless us and let us sisters have a good man in the next life!"

 Chapter 194: Admire Oneself in the Mirror

    Chapter 194: Admire Oneself in the Mirror

    "Mother, mother!"

    Xue Pan rushed into the backyard in a panic. Concubine Xue, who was touching up, almost put the powder on her ears.

    She turned back and glared. She was just waiting to teach her son a few words and told him not to yell all day long.

    But Xue Pan, with a big hand, said with a shy face, "I heard that Mother has just made some headgear recently. Please give me a good pair of headgear so that I can take it as a gift!"

    Concubine Xue''s face was cold. She reached out and patted his open paw. She said angrily, "When is it? Do you want to take my dowry to attract bees and butterflies outside?"

    "Mother has wronged me!"

    Xue Pan immediately cried out, "It''s the Second Sister in Rongguo Mansion who is going to marry. I''m in a hurry to send her a gift!"

    "Yingchun is about to get married?"

    Concubine Xue knew that he was not compatible with her Uncle Jia Zheng but was congenial to Jia She. Therefore, since Jia Yingchun was about to get married, it was reasonable for them to send a congratulatory gift.

    So she got up from the dresser, took the key, and opened the box containing headgear. She checked inside, and wondered, "Who is the child of that family? Why did they order in such a hurry? There was no news in advance."

    "The man is also an old acquaintance."

    When Xue Pan got the news, he ran all the way crazy. He was really tired at the moment. Seeing his mother getting up to look for jewelry, he sat down at the dresser and said casually, "It''s Second Brother Sun''s Brother."

    "Big Brother of the Sun Family?"

    Concubine Xue''s movements stagnated, and her two willow eyebrows frowned slightly. She asked with uncertainty, "He seems to have been married? He seems to be very old..." Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

    Xue Pan replied, "Yes, Big Brother Sun is thirty-six years old this year. He is one year older than you. Isn''t it that his wife died several years before and he thought about remarrying?"

    Remarrying?

    The Young Lady of Rongguo Mansion is to be married to a Commander as a continuous?!

    Concubine Xue felt more and more ridiculous and asked a few more questions, but Xue Pan only heard of a general. How could he answer her?

    After asking many questions, Xue Pan became impatient and said angrily, "My sister is living in Rongguo Mansion. When you go see her tomorrow, you can ask me more questions. Now hurry to prepare the jewelry so that I can go to congratulate Big Uncle Jia She!"

    Concubine Xue also stopped talking and concentrated on choosing jewelry suitable for Jia Yingchun.

    Halfway through, he suddenly got stuck.

    In the beginning, it was Liu Xianglian who offered to invite Xue Pan in person.

    At that time, Feng Ziying didn''t pay much attention. Now, seeing Xue Pan''s confused face, she suddenly remembered that Liu Xianglian was most upset with Xue''s big head. How could he take the initiative to invite him?

    It was obvious that Liu Xianglian planned to keep Xue Pan in the dark and miss the party on the sixth day.

    "What''s wrong with Brother Liu?"

    When Xue Pan saw that he had no words left, he was puzzled and complained, "Why didn''t you tell me about this good thing?"

    Feng Ziying was waiting to explain when Jia Baoyu came out with a painting and calligraphy in his hand. Seeing that Xue Pan was coming, he hurriedly shouted, "Why did cousin come? Xiren, why don''t you hurry up to serve tea!"

    After the storm, he was not willing to drive away Xiren and Qingwen but only dealt with a few nannies and small maids with whom he was not very close.

    Xue Pan put the gift box on the table with a big smile and said, "I heard that Second Sister is going to be engaged. I specially asked my mother to choose a pair of headgear to add some dowry for her."

    Unexpectedly, as soon as the explanation was over, Jia Baoyu¡¯s facial color changed. He stared at the wooden box a few times and suddenly shook his sleeve and said, "You two can sit for a while, I will go to the washroom for a while."

    With that, he went away with a calm face.

    Xue Pan was confused by the rush of people coming and going. He scratched his head and said, "Old Feng, what''s wrong with Brother Bao?"

    "What else can it be?"

    Feng Ziying bent his finger on the wooden box and said, "It was obviously because he doesn''t like his Second Sister marrying Commander Sun. You also know that Commander Sun never had a good reputation with women."

    "What''s the big deal?"

    When Xue Pan heard about it, he immediately became careless and said, "In my opinion, Second Brother Sun is all right, but he is too soft on women. Men at home should learn from Big Brother Shaozu to be "real men"!"

    "Is it?"

    Feng Ziying rolled his eyes and said, "If your Sister gets married, do you want her to marry a ¡±real man¡±, or do you want her to marry somebody like Second Brother Sun?"

    "This..."

    Xue Pan immediately stopped talking.

 Chapter 195: Take Office in the Government

    Chapter 195: Take Office in the Government

    On the sixth day of November, Sun Mansion was very busy.

    Jiang Yuhan, Jia Qiang, Feng Ziying, and Liu Xianglian arrived at the invitation. Jia Lian, Jia Baoyu, and Xue Pan came uninvited. Together with two nephews and Yu Qian, they filled a big table.

    Jia Baoyu was still a little unhappy when he came. Later, he talked with Jiang Yuhan and left his Second Sister behind. He even went to the bathroom with Jiang Yuhan.

    But Xue Pan looked at Jiang Yuhan and Liu Xianglian sitting side by side, and his eyes seemed to be glued together. He hardly moved away from them, and his big face was full of restless hormones.

    Sun Shaozong was shocked at the banquet, so he didn''t dare to show more ugly actions. Otherwise, he would have jumped at it regardless.

    It didn¡¯t matter.

    At the banquet, Sun Shaozong, Jiang Yuhan, and Jia Qiang discussed the preparation of the opera troupe. Jiang Yuhan took the time to guide the singing, and Jia Qiang was responsible for helping to buy various implements, along with the regulations of the opera troupe, and worked out with Sun Shaozong.

    In return, Sun Shaozong also had to take the time to summarize the process of solving the case so that Jiang Yuhan could rehearse the "Master Sun Case."

    Jia Baoyu was also involved in this matter, so Sun Shaozong asked him to make a copy of it and read it carefully.

    As for Jia Qiang, since he was here to make friends, he didn¡¯t want anything in return.

    But after that day, the Sun family went through the process of "proper etiquette and preparations."

    Although Jia Yingchun was the daughter of a concubine and couldn¡¯t be valued by her parents, she was still the daughter of the state governor at any rate. There was no shortage of courtesy. This was mainly the task of his Big Brother and the second housekeeper, Zhao Zhongji.

    For this marriage, Sun Shaozong also had a vital preparation to complete, namely, to exercise in advance and spend the night in the study in the front yard, to avoid a lack of skills and inadvertently revealing flaws.

    To tell the truth, he has given up his struggle.

    At present, his Big Brother always praised Jia Yingchun for having an auspicious birthday. He would have a son if she married into the family. His Big Brother was so face-saving that he was not allowed to shrink from the battle.

    There was a good saying, ¡°Since we can''t resist, we should learn to enjoy.¡±

    Moreover, this matter initially belonged to the category of "enjoyment" as long as it was not disclosed.

    The four men carefully carried Qiu Yunfei to the front door of the hall. One of them arched his hand inside and said, "Who is Lord Sun? The Master asked us to hand the young man to Lord Sun in person."

    He really depended on him!

    Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes but didn''t bother to tell them that new officials should go through the examination before taking office. He pulled Qiu Yunfei up, held him in his hand like a chick, and waved impatiently. "Okay, you guys may go back to report."

    "This..."

    The four men stared at each other and said nothing for a long time. It was unexpected that Sun Shaozong took Qiu Yunfei into his hands.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t care whether they left or not. He threw Qiu Yunfei on the ground, pulled out the towel from his mouth, and asked, "Why did you delay until today, Inspector Qiu? Just now..."

    Spit!

    Before he finished speaking, Qiu Yunfei spat bitterly and roared with his neck stuck, "Sun, you can kill me now, or you can send me back home. If you want to order me around like a grandson, no way!"

    What kind of bullshit was he, the Official son? He was clearly a naughty rogue!

    However, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t know how many naughty people he had seen, and he would not take them seriously.

    After kicking him with all his feet in the air, he shouted, "Come on, drag this arrogant thing out, and make an example by giving him 40 big floggings!"

    Just as this command was called out, no one answered for a while. Zhao Wuwei even huddled in the corner, pretending to be a sand sculpture.

    It was the four strong men who carried the sedan chair who couldn¡¯t tolerate it. They then went forward and arched their hands and said, "Lord Sun, my Young Master¡¯s body is weak. I''m afraid he can''t withstand the beating of yours. Please also look up for the face of the Commander and take back the order."

    These four people were not only carrying sedan chairs but also Qiu Yunfei''s personal nanny!

    Sun Shaozong said with a smile, "Why, is this also the job that your Commander told you?"

    The man said calmly, "This is what my Madam has ordered."

    It was indeed ¡°a kind mother having spoiled kids!¡±

    Sun Shaozong cursed secretly in his heart, but Qiu Yunfei came back to his senses. He stretched his neck like an old turtle and shouted, "Son of a bitch, try touching me again! Let''s see if I will tear down your stupid Yamen!"

 Chapter 196: Died on the road

    Chapter 196: Died on the road

    Sigh~

    Looking at Qiu Yunfei, who began to splash again on the ground, Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly and then raised his voice and asked, "Zhao Wuwei, are there any bodies of people dying on the road left in the morgue?"

    "Yes, yes!"

    After being called, Zhao Wuwei naturally dared not continue pretending to be dead and rushed to report, "In this month, the Department of Health and Welfare has collected more than ten bodies who died on the road, and several of them had passed their 7th day.¡±

    Every winter, it was inevitable that some homeless or drunk people would freeze to death in the streets.

    Therefore, in the winter, the Department of Health and Welfare, which was affiliated with the Taichang Temple, would send people to collect these corpses, transport them to the Central Judicial Office for temporary storage, and then place them in the morgue for seven days, while waiting for the family to claim them.

    If no one came to claim the body after seven days, the official would present a straw mat and bury it in the mass grave outside the city.

    But...

    It hasn''t snowed heavily recently, but more than ten people have already died in a month. It seemed that the amount was a little more than they expected.

    Cheng Rixing explained on one hand, "There has been a disaster this year, after all, Master. Although the food price in the Capital has not soared due to The Emperor''s blessing, it is still nearly half higher than that in previous years. Those families with a poor family background might be unable to have a proper meal. It is also normal that they cannot survive."

    He looked at the dandy, who still has to be tied up to be an official, and then thought about those who died of coldness...

    Sigh~

    Sun Shaozong sighed and waved his hand like a fly. "Send this guy to the morgue, tie him to the bodies, and then let the undertaker tell him the whole process of decay and degeneration."

    "How dare you!"

    Qiu Yunfei was still there, shouting in an unholy way. His face turned green when he heard this. He choked his neck and shouted, "Sun, how dare you make me... Sobbing~"

    Sun Shaozong stooped down and then blocked his smelly mouth with a towel. Undoubtedly, he ordered, "Zhao Wuwei, if you can''t get people to the morgue in half a quarter of an hour, go home and eat yourself!"

    When Zhao Wuwei heard this, how dare he neglect his order?

    Of course, this was also because he had only listened to a general view of the process from the morgue official and begged them to stop. The whole process didn''t even reach a quarter of an hour, which was much farther away than the bloody section behind.

    Even so, when he was brought to Sun Shaozong again, Qiu Yunfei almost vomited all his viscera, withering away from his previous appearance.

    "Are you convinced?"

    Sun Shaozong held a cup of tea and asked, and when he saw that Qiu Yunfei ignored him, he added, "It seems that it is a no. Zhao Wuwei, send him back to the morgue for him to listen to the whole set of the process again, and then..."

    "Convinced, I¡¯m convinced! "

    Qiu Yunfei immediately cried out in a feeble voice, but the indignant tone made him hate Sun Shaozong rather than be convinced.

    Sun Shaozong had a bad relationship with him, so why would he care whether he hated him or not?

    He calmly said, "Now that he has been convinced, send him to the Experience Department first, check the official certificate, and then get the seal."

    Qiu Yunfei took two steps outside with the help of a personal servant. After all, he was angry. Suddenly, he turned back and stared at Sun Shaozong''s cup. He said darkly, "I just heard that the insect that just crawled out of the body was long and thin, dark brown, just like the tea you drink!"

    The boy even tried to disgust Sun Shaozong, but how could Sun Shaozong care about this ridiculous statement?

    After a leisurely drink, he added another cup to himself. He then said, "You really don''t learn. From tomorrow on, you will be on duty in the morgue. Whenever we receive a new corpse, you will do the autopsy."

    "You!"

    Qiu Yunfei straightened his chest in anger, waiting to be scolded, however, considering Sun Shaozong''s harsh eyes and what happened in the morgue today, he had to suppress his rage and gnash his teeth, saying, "Now that I have taken it all, how can you still tease me like this?"

    "Remember to call yourself a subordinate in the future."

    Sun Shaozong said, "I have already said that your duty as the Inspector of the Department of Criminal is to lead the Yamen to investigate the scene. If you don¡¯t even dare examine the body, you can simply go to the next step and submit a resignation document to Official Chen."

    Qiu Yunfei rattled his two rows of white teeth. Finally, he didn''t dare to say anything more. He stamped his foot and let his servants help him out.

    He didn¡¯t know what this guy said to Commander Qiu after he came home from the Yamen. When he appeared in the morgue the next day, his face was swollen like a pig''s head and was covered with various marks...

 Chapter 197: The Morgue Under the Spring Festival

    Chapter 197: The Morgue Under the Spring Festival

    The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month was the Lunar New Year.

    The goose feather snow, as promised, failed to stop people''s yearning and enthusiasm for New Year''s Day. The long street in front of the government office was still crowded with people, and their silver-amour outfits were covered with snow and had soon turned into mud.

    "Bullsh*t!"

    As soon as Qiu Yunfei jumped out of the carriage, a few mud spots fell on his buckskin boots. He gave a dirty scolding. The driver rolled up his sleeve to wipe it, but he had been pushed by him, and he shouted, "Don''t pay attention to me, hurry to drive the carriage to the back!"

    The man, naturally, didn¡¯t dare provoke him. He was busy and obediently led the carriage.

    Qiu Yunfei then stepped into the government and went to the morning call to report.

    "Yo, you came here early enough today!"

    The petty officer taking the attendance quickly presented the booklet with both hands, pointed to the top blank, and said with a smile, "You can sign here. I have recorded everything down, and I¡¯m sure that you will be the first one in our office!" Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    What kind of flattery has Qiu Yunfei not seen since he was young?

    Even an expression needed to be more. He pulled out his brush, signed his name, and left without saying a word.

    The petty official of the morning call enthusiastically sent him in, until he saw Qiu Yunfei''s back disappear behind the moonlit door and his face collapsed. He turned back and spat viciously, "How arrogant!"

    However, Qiu Yunfei walked all the way, and no matter how others saluted and greeted him, he ignored all of them, stepping on the creaking snow and heading straight to the backyard of the government.

    When he arrived near the morgue, his face became hotter. Before he entered, he shouted, "Lao Xu, look what I have brought you!"

    Lao Xu was the corpse examiner of the Central Judicial Office.

    At this time, he was sweeping snow in the yard. He was wrapped in a patched cotton-padded jacket, and was wearing bald boots under his feet, but his head was combed meticulously.

    Hearing Qiu Yunfei''s cry, his dull face flashed some doubts. He looked up and saw that Qiu Yunfei had rushed in from outside. He couldn''t help frowning, saying, "Didn''t you say you wanted to take a day off today?"

    "What day off! There are a bunch of relatives coming to the house at dawn, taking me as an excuse to talk nonsense. I''m tired of it. I''d better come here and hide in peace!"

    He then said indignantly, "My father is mad. He forced me to come here to do some stupid inspection. He asked me to practice and learn with Sun. How many things can I learn by guarding the f*cking morgue all day?"

    He leaned back in his chair and didn''t know what was in his arms. Suddenly, they heard two jingle sounds.

    "By the way, I have brought good things with me today."

    Qiu Yunfei sat up straight again, took out two celadon gourds from under his cloak, handed one to Lao Xu, and said proudly, "Here, the number one red wine aged for 60 years can stand tall in the glass!"

    Lao Xu was not polite. He reached for the green porcelain bottle, carefully pulled out the plug, and sniffed it hard. He looked intoxicated.

    Qiu Yunfei laughed and was about to make fun of him, but when he saw Lao Xu say nothing, he pressed the plug back.

    Qiu Yunfei could not help but frown, saying, "What''s wrong with you?"

    Lao Xu shook his head and said, "It snowed yesterday. I''m afraid we have no time to drink now. Let¡¯s wait until the evening..."

    "Lao Xu, Lao Xu! Come out to receive the bodies!"

    Before his voice fell, he heard someone shouting outside.

    Old Xu put the pot of wine in the corner and waited to receive the bodies. Qiu Yunfei ran out early and shouted with a straight face, "Son of a bitch, who let you come here to cry for your soul?! Why don¡¯t you hurry and send it inside!"

    The servants of the Department of Health and Welfare obviously didn''t expect that this guy would still have his duty in the morgue. One by one, they were busy smiling as they carried two frozen bodies into the morgue.

    Qiu Yunfei also followed casually. He looked at the two corpses and then cursed, "It''s another pair of alcoholics. This smell... Did they enter a jar of wine?"

    He was waiting to take the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone and record the origin of the two corpses, but he saw Lao Xu''s eyebrows locked on the lying body and constantly checking it as if he had found some big secret.

    "What''s the matter, Lao Xu?"

    This was the first time Qiu Yunfei saw Lao Xu have such an expression in front of a body. He quickly leaned up and asked, "Do you recognize these two dead ghosts?"

    Lao Xu shook his head and said positively, "Don¡¯t you always want to see Mr. Sun''s ability to solve a case? Today, there is a chance!"

 Chapter 198: The Eyes of the Law Are Like a Torch

    Chapter 198: The Eyes of the Law Are Like a Torch

    At the end of the year, the officials in the government would become more disorderly and impetuous. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Sun Shaozong was also unable to avoid the custom. When he was on duty in recent days, he was always absent-minded. However, it was not because New Year''s Day was coming but because Ruan Rong''s due date was fast approaching.

    He knew that giving birth to children was a barrier for women these days. If it didn¡¯t go smoothly, it would end up with one body and two lives.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong always had something in his mind. Even if he invited five labor women to be on standby at home, it couldn''t relieve him much.

    In addition, there was still no news from Wang Xifeng, which also made Sun Shaozong feel a little worried, wondering if this woman would give up on him and choose someone else to make a fortune together.

    During this period, he also went to the Rongguo Mansion twice to discuss the marriage, but Wang Xifeng and Ping¡¯er were the only women in their boudoir. If they didn''t take the initiative to deliver the message, it would also be difficult for him to deliver as well.

    Sun Shaozong, like Wang Xifeng, didn¡¯t want the Jia family to be involved in this business, so it was impossible to pass a word through Jia Lian.

    So after his two attempts, he could only continue to wait for any changes.

    This morning, Sun Shaozong finished his business early. He was just passing the time with his newspaper. Suddenly, a man burst through the door and rushed in like a wild monkey, but who could it be if it was not Qiu Yunfei?

    Just listening to his urgent roaring and urging, "Hurry, hurry, go to the morgue and have a look. Lao Xu found two dead bodies on the street..."

    "Get out."

    Sun Shaozong spat out two words and choked back what Qiu Yunfei was going to say.

    Qiu Yunfei glared at him for a while and saw that he didn''t even lift his head. His teeth were clenching for a moment, but in the end, he had to back out and close the door, and then he knocked a few times again.

    Sun Shaozong then put down his residence newspaper and replied, "Come in."

    Qiu Yunfei pushed the door in with a livid face. Although his face held rage, his words seemed to be a lot more regular, "Lord Sun, there are two bodies in the morgue that are not quite right. Lao Xu wants you to go and have a look."

    "Oh."

    Hearing that it was Lao Xu from the morgue who found something wrong, Sun Shaozong stood up and said, "I''ll tidy up first. Go outside and call Zhao Wuwei."

    Qiu Yunfei turned away without saying a word. When he was outside the room, he spat bitterly and muttered, "Spit What virtue!"

    Looking back, Cheng Rixing was looking at him awkwardly. He then glared and said, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and tell me who the hell is Zhao Wuwei!"

    After a moment, Sun Shaozong rushed to the backyard morgue with Zhao Wuwei and Qiu Yunfei.

    He was thinking like this when he heard Sun Shaozong explaining inside, "The exposed skin of these two people was severely frostbitten, but there was no sign of edema after frostbite on their face, hands, or even the trunk, which showed that they were frozen to death in a very short time."

    "It happened that their limbs and joints were very swollen, and it stretched their sleeves and trousers to be bloated tightly."

    "Generally speaking, the first cause of edema due to frostbite should be the bare hands and feet. It could only be inferred that their joints suffered trauma before frostbite."

    "From above, it could be concluded that they were frozen to death after their hands and legs were broken, it shouldn''t be difficult to deduce, isn¡¯t it?"

    Qiu Yunfei was not a fool. After hearing this, how did he not know that Sun Shaozong was saying this to him?

    Although he couldn¡¯t help but be convinced by this reasoning, he was still unwilling to bow to Sun Shaozong, so he shrank his neck as if he hadn''t heard it.

    Old Xu, the corpse examiner, didn¡¯t have such scruples. Seeing Sun Shaozong looking at it from the door and deducing about 70 to 80 percent of the causes, he couldn¡¯t help but admire him. "Your eyes are like torches. According to the results of the examination, these two people were indeed frozen to death after their limbs were broken and poured a whole body of wine."

    After a pause, he added, "But because the body was frozen stiff, the fracture marks were not too obvious, so the people of the Department of Health and Welfare mistook it for an ordinary death on the street and sent it to us."

    Sun Shaozong nodded and then asked, "In addition, have you found any other clues when you checked the body?"

    Qiu Yunfei couldn¡¯t help but be provocative at the side again. "Aren''t you like a torch? See for yourself..."

    Pa!

    Without waiting for Qiu Yunfei to finish speaking, Sun Shaozong, who had ignored him all this time, slapped him in the face with his backhand. Qiu Yunfei staggered underfoot and nearly fell on the corpse!

    "You..."

    He covered his face in amazement and said, "You... How dare you hit me?!"

    "If you were making a fuss privately, I naturally would not pay attention to it," Sun Shaozong said calmly. "But now that you have delayed the official business, I will have to punish you!"

    After leaving him in the morgue these days, Sun Shaozong tried to find out the determination and bottom line of Commander Qiu. As long as it was in the name of business, it was acceptable to beat him a few times.

    Old Xu on the side also said with relief, "Forget it. Anyway, Lord Sun didn''t use much strength, or your brains would have been beaten out."

    Qiu Yunfei couldn¡¯t laugh or cry. Were these words his way of comforting him?!

    He just wanted to argue with Lao Xu to let him know who was close to whom.

    Unexpectedly, after Lao Xu said this, he did not pay any attention to Qiu Yunfei but said solemnly, "Lord Sun, I indeed found a strange place just now, but it is difficult to confirm whether it is a clue."

 Chapter 199: Have a Hard Time at the End of the Year

    Chapter 199: Have a Hard Time at the End of the Year

    "According to the description of the people in the Department of Health and Welfare, it is very likely that the murderer threw the body by using the carriage, but because it has just snowed heavily, it is difficult to find clues at the scene of the body."

    "The wine spilled on the body is the most common Fenjiu in the tavern. Now it is New Year''s Day. I don''t know how much of this wine is sold in a day, so I can''t find out."

    "But I found something strange on the body."

    Lao Xu, the corpse examiner, said as he tore open their clothes covered in ice, exposing the two arms of the deceased, and then gave way to the side, saying, "Please have a look, Lord."

    Sun Shaozong came forward and looked at it carefully. Qiu Yunfei also put his head up, but he only saw the same edema in the two arms and didn''t see any difference.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong murmured, "The subcutaneous hemorrhage in the right arm is obviously more than that in the left arm..."

    Subcutaneous hemorrhage?

    What is that?

    When Qiu Yunfei was wondering, he saw Sun Shaozong stretching his hands on the two arms, kneading them each, and pulling up the legs of the deceased''s trousers, rubbing them for a while at the swelling area.

    After touching the first body, Sun Shaozong quietly went to the second body, stripped off his clothes, and did the same thing. Then he frowned and began to meditate.

    Qiu Yunfei was puzzled, so he went up and poked Lao Xu in the waist. He asked in a low voice, "What is subcutaneous hemorrhage? What do you want him to see?"

    "Look carefully."

    Lao Xu pointed to the two unicorn arms and explained, "The right arm of these two corpses are obviously more swollen than the left arm and legs, and the blood red spots exuded from the skin are also more than the latter..."

    Qiu Yunfei was more and more confused when he heard it. He stamped his feet hastily and said, "Just tell me what''s going on!"

    Lao Xu then concluded, "I suspect that the right arm of the deceased should have been hit many times by a blunt instrument rather than simply breaking the bone like other parts."

    Qiu Yunfei finally understood this but then fell into a bigger puzzle. He scratched his head and asked subconsciously, "What''s the purpose of the murderer?"

    He then suddenly heard Sun Shaozong saying, "You should ask what the killer did for him to kill them."

    Just after Sun Shaozong slapped him, Qiu Yunfei would not give him a good attitude. He sneered and said proudly, "Isn''t it all the same!"

    "Of course not."

    The title of "Lord Qiu" was not bad. It was more pleasant than any small official.

    For the sake of the sound of "Lord Qiu," Qiu Yunfei decided not to take him into account for showing off his wit in front of himself, but it was still necessary to show his official authority.

    So he yelled, "Now that you have seen the doorway, what are you still doing here? Why don''t you hurry to investigate the case?"

    "Yes sir!"

    Zhao Wuwei bowed and shouted to obey, but his eyes kept an eye on Sun Shaozong''s expression. If the judge showed slight displeasure, he couldn¡¯t care less about continuing to please the small government officials.

    But Sun Shaozong just said three words calmly, "You go too."

    Although he didn''t call his name, there was an inspector and a corpse examiner in this room. The former was more suitable for investigating the case.

    Qiu Yunfei was a little reluctant. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to investigate the case. In fact, he was eager.

    This so-called reluctance was mainly due to the fact that he didn¡¯t want to be ordered by Sun Shaozong.

    Sun Shaozong saw through the thought at the bottom of his heart and added, "If you don''t want to go, stay and help examiner Xu cut the right arm of the two corpses, and see if you can judge the murder weapon from the wound."

    "Go! Who said I wouldn¡¯t go!"

    Qiu Yunfei rushed out of the door like a single arrow and then turned back and said, "Zhao Wuwei [He pronounced it in the wrong tone], what are you doing? Why don''t you hurry with me to investigate the case?"

    Zhao Wuwei hurriedly stepped up and carefully said, "Your honor, my name is Wuwei [The correct pronunciation]."

    "What are you talking about? Hurry up!"

    Seeing that the two of them hurried off to investigate, Sun Shaozong looked back at the body on the bed, but there was still some dignity between his eyebrows.

    "Your Excellency."

    Lao Xu wondered, "Do you think there is anything strange about this case?"

    "I hope I''m being suspicious, but..."

    Sun Shaozong sighed as if to answer Lao Xu''s question, as if saying to himself, "If the murderer and these two people have no hatred for each other, we may have a bad year."

 Chapter 200: Five Dead Bodies in Three Days

    Chapter 200: Five Dead Bodies in Three Days

    As the saying goes, ¡°Good things don''t work, and bad things work.¡± Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    Sun Shaozong''s premonition came true!

    Although Qiu Yunfei and Zhao Wuwei followed the way and asked about the identities of the two victims in the labor market, they gained nothing except for bringing back a group of old and young people crying for the misery of their homes.

    Those two men were not completely without enemies. However, there was not much hatred between them, and it was not worth such a cruel killing.

    Second, their enemies were all working laborers. It might be possible for them to kill people, but it was sheer nonsense to say that they were willing to dump a jar of wine and rent a carriage to dump the bodies!

    These days, when New Year''s Day was approaching, the labor market was also bustling, and no one noticed whether the two laborers left by themselves or were employed by others.

    As for Sun Shaozong''s inference based on the body, there weren¡¯t any clues regarding a man with a disability in his right arm, which provoked Qiu Yunfei to say a lot of sarcastic things behind his back.

    Then...

    The next morning, there was another corpse in the morgue!

    This time, the victim was a beggar who was also frozen to death after his limbs were broken, and the injury to his right arm was also much heavier than that of other parts.

    The only difference was that the place where the body was dumped last time was in the southern city, and this time it was changed to the east city.

    "The two dump sites are about nine miles apart. It is almost certain that they were dumped by a carriage."

    "Given the scope of the deceased''s regular activities, there is a little overlap between the two laborers. It can be inferred that the possibility of hate killing can be ruled out, and it is very likely that it is a catharsis crime with no fixed target."

    Sun Shaozong muttered to himself that on the brief map of the Central Judicial Office, he marked the approximate positions of the two places where the bodies were dumped and then drew a circle with a radius of four and a half miles from the center point by using a straight line link.

    He then knocked the self-made charcoal pen on the map and asked, "Zhao Wuwei, leave the inner city and the outer city alone. In the range I roughly circle, how long will it take to check all the people with the right arm?"

    Zhao Wuwei looked at it carefully for a while, and his face looked like a bitter gourd. He said cautiously, "Report to Master. If I do my best, I will need three or four days, but now it is the end of the year, and people are busy..."

    Sun Shaozong also didn''t want to listen to his complaints. He asked directly, "Can we finish the investigation by the 28th?"

    Zhao Wuwei''s face became more bitter. He collapsed his shoulder and said, "This is really..."

    "Let''s talk about manpower."

    Qiu Yunfei listened for a long time, then suddenly interrupted, "There are many people in the city defense camp. They are my father''s old subordinates. I can send hundreds of people to help investigate the case every minute."

    "Your Excellency!"

    Early in the morning, Sun Shaozong just got off his horse at the gate of the government office when he saw Lin Delu come out hurriedly and shouted, "Two more died last night! They also broke their limbs and froze to death, and their bodies were dumped!"

    Another case?!

    Five people killed in three days!

    The murderer must be really crazy!

    Sun Shaozong walked in with a heavy face and asked, "Where was the body found? Has it been sent to the morgue?"

    "It''s still in the East City!"

    Lin Delu, carefully looking at Sun Shaozong''s face, said, "But it is not within the scope you have defined before."

    Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t respond at all. His delimitation yesterday was originally the general search scope. It could only be said that it was the most suspicious place at that time, and it was not certain that the murderer must have been within this scope.

    Lin Delu sighed a little relieved and said, "The bodies have been delivered, but..."

    "But what?"

    "But Your Excellency, please go back to the Criminal Department first. Governor Liu wants to see you first."

    Sun Shaozong''s feet suddenly stagnated. Since Liu Chongshan decided to be promoted, he has become superior by name. His reason was to let Sun Shaozong be familiar with the responsibilities of governance in advance.

    Now he suddenly summoned him...

    "Has this case been circulated outside?"

    "No."

    Lin Delu said with a wry smile, "Five dead bodies in three days, and all died tragically. You also know that the Central Judicial Office has never been able to hide things. Now it has been widely spread in the city."

    After saying that, he quickly added the words of flattery, "However, the people are not so worried. They all think that you can solve the case as soon as possible if you are here!"

    Tch!

    The expectations of the common people were both motivation and pressure!

 Chapter 201: Baked Bird in Hand Warmer

    Chapter 201: Baked ''Bird'' in Hand Warmer

    A pile of nonsense!

    Sun Shaozong made a four-word summary from the main hall of the Criminal Division.

    In fact, just before entering the door, he roughly guessed what Liu Chongshan was going to talk about.

    As expected, Liu Chongshan started with a standard official accent and then began to complain. In his words, he begged Sun Shaozong to solve the case as soon as possible. He didn¡¯t want to wait for things to become big and delay each other''s great prospects.

    To tell the truth, this nagging was really superfluous!

    Even if he didn¡¯t talk about these things, Sun Shaozong wanted to spend the New Year in peace and let him get out of there as soon as possible so that he could be the boss of the Criminal Division.

    However, Sun Shaozong didn''t want to talk to him for the sake of him leaving soon. He perfunctorily said a few words to Liu Chongshan, then quickly left and rushed to the backyard morgue.

    As soon as he entered the big yard, he saw Qiu Yunfei setting up a free chair in the yard, covered in a leather robe, holding a stove, and stepping on a charcoal basin, lazily basking in the sun.

    "How unlucky!"

    Before Sun Shaozong opened his mouth, the boy scolded first, then looked at the sky with an affectation and said, "Why did another fool come?"

    This boy really hasn''t remembered his lesson. Every time he met Sun Shaozong, he would provoke him.

    Sun Shaozong''s face sank slightly. "Why don''t you go there to host the autopsy?"

    "Autopsy?"

    When Qiu Yunfei heard the word "autopsy," his face was a bit darker than dark clouds. His eyes, nose, eyebrows, and mouth were all crumpled together. It seemed that he had just drunk two kilograms of vinegar. His teeth were sour, and he said, "What''s the use of an autopsy?! You were about to carve flowers on the body yesterday. Haven''t you found a hair?"

    "If you didn''t find it yesterday, it doesn''t mean you won''t find it today," Sun Shaozong said.

    Seeing the boy turn around to give an expression of ¡±Listen to your bullshit,¡± he said nothing, went up and picked him up like a chick, and walked into the morgue at a fast pace.

    "Let go! Let go of me!"

    Qiu Yunfei couldn¡¯t bear it. He wanted to fight back, but he was also afraid that if he annoyed Sun Shaozong, he would give him two hard shots of the fierce scene of hitting the galloping horse with a fist. He clearly saw his fists from the side!

    Therefore, he could only stretch his neck and squeak like a pestilent chicken.

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong went to another body and stretched out his hand to tear open the white sheet.

    The other dead man, a young man about twenty-four or five years old, looked slightly similar to the young man. He was probably his older brother from the same family.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong looking at the dead man''s crotch, Lao Xu hurriedly followed him and explained, "There is no trace of sperm spots on the pants of this dead man."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "People at this age should have married and had children, and their determination is naturally better than that of a young man."

    As he spoke, he suddenly shouted and said, "Inspector Qiu, go and bring in the fireplace you just held!"

    "What are you going to do with that?"

    Qiu Yunfei muttered in puzzlement but went out quietly and took the stove in.

    Sun Shaozong snatched it, but carefully placed it between the legs of the body, close to the unspeakable thing!

    "Damn it!"

    Qiu Yunfei immediately blew up and jumped to scold, "What''s wrong with you?! That''s what I used to warm my hands. How dare you take it to roast birds of dead people?!"

    With that, he would go forward and tear up with Sun Shaozong.

    "Shh!"

    Lao Xu hurriedly stopped him and said admiringly, "The Master wants to thaw it so that he can see if this man had any impulse before he died. Master Sun is indeed Master Sun. He¡¯s really smart!"

    Qiu Yunfei said angrily, "Damn your mother, what kind of smart move is this! That stove cost me more than 120 silver taels..."

    "A hundred taels of silver is nothing to you." Lao Xu advised again, "Besides, even if you take it back now, do you dare to use it?"

    "I..."

    Qiu Yunfei stopped talking for a while, and finally stamped his foot and said, "If you can''t find anything, I won''t give you a good look!"

    That was to say, after just being furious, he would not dare to fight with Sun Shaozong.

    So everyone was waiting, and the "Queer" gradually thawed under the baking stove...

 Chapter 202: One-Armed Devil

    Chapter 202: One-Armed Devil

    "Yes. Go for it if you like."

    From an unspoken ¡±eye,¡± he pulled out a thin wooden stick covered with a velvety soft cloth, put it in front of his eyes, and carefully looked at it for a while. Lao Xu nodded and said, "This sticky, dirty thing is really much more than normal."

    "In the future, just call this thing ¡±secretion¡± for short."

    Although Sun Shaozong proposed the method of inspection, he was not a pervert with some special hobbies, so when he needed to do it, he naturally gave it to Lao Xu.

    Seeing Lao Xu holding the unidentified liquid, Qiu Yunfei hid in the distance with disgust on his face. He questioned from the air, "Whatever it is, what''s the use of checking it?"

    "Of course."

    Sun Shaozong said positively, "Through this evidence, it can be basically determined that the two dead people had witnessed blood-ridden things before their deaths. That is to say, they were likely to have been seduced."

    "Seduction?"

    When Qiu Yunfei heard this, he was immediately refreshed and couldn¡¯t afford to be sick. He came up and said with a lewd smile, "Listen to this, did they go to the brothel before they died?"

    "It is possible."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "But I think it is unlikely to be a brothel."

    "Why?"

    "Because the place they can afford to spend is only some obscene brothels, and the women there don''t care about the foreplay of playing, dancing, and singing." Sun Shaozong explained, "It''s really necessary to make people feel good. At least there should be some happy traces on the body, but look carefully at these two people."

    As he said this, he pointed to the older dead man and said, "Apart from the sperm spots and secretions, are there any signs of intimate contact with women?"

    Qiu Yunfei was amazed. If he hadn''t seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears, he couldn''t believe that someone could analyze it from these clues.

    But because of his bad relationship with Sun Shaozong, he decided to pick the bone in the egg.

    Then he said with a lewd smile, "Lord Sun, how can you be so familiar with the things in those dirty kilns? Did you often..."

    Sun Shaozong interrupted him with his eyes and said, "If you dare to speak nonsense with me again, I will let you use your mouth to thaw it next time!"

    Thaw it with my mouth?!

    Qiu Yunfei''s face immediately turned pale green, and he stepped back half a step in horror, with a look of nausea and vomiting.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "The smell is not the wood itself, but the smell that has been smoked over the years! If I''m not wrong, it should be something from the altar or shrine of a temple, a Taoist temple, or an ancestral hall!"

    Temples, Taoist temples, ancestral halls?!

    "That sounds reasonable."

    After giving it some thought, Qiu Yunfei questioned, "But did not you just say that these two people were seduced by women before they died? Otherwise, the temples and Taoist temples..."

    "There are Kun Tao [female Taoist] in the Taoist temple and nuns in the temple."

    Sun Shaozong said categorically, "Plus the inference that the right arm of the mastermind is disabled, the target we are looking for now should be a one-armed god... no, one-armed devil!"

    "One-armed devil?"

    Lin Delu repeated the nickname and immediately cheered up. "Master, I will inform Constable Zhao of the news and ask him to focus on investigating those nunneries and Taoist temples with nuns!"

    Sun Shaozong hastily added, "Remember to let him start from the east and south cities!"

    "I understand!"

    Lin Delu arched his hand and went away in high spirits.

    Sun Shaozong, however, copied the tools used for dissection and said calmly, "Come on, see if there are any other clues."

    He still wanted to continue the autopsy?!

    Qiu Yunfei was dumbfounded and ran out, shouting, "Hmm, I''ll go to the temple with Constable Zhao to catch people!"

    When he ran into the yard, he saw that Sun Shaozong didn''t want to catch up with him. He was relieved and slowed down to go out of the yard. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his face. He looked up in surprise and saw countless snowflakes floating down.

    "No way, I only said it casually, the dark clouds really came!"

    Qiu Yunfei mumbled a few words and then quickly stepped out of the morgue.

    Behind him, Sun Shaozong came out and frowned at the falling snowflakes.

    The murderer committed the crime for the first time during a night of heavy snow. If there was no accident, he would not miss the snow today.

    At present, he could only hope that his reasoning this time would not make any mistakes.

 Chapter 203: The Brothers Cannibalize Each Other in Shuiyue Temple

    Chapter 203: The Brothers Cannibalize Each Other in Shuiyue Temple

    At night, a snowstorm was raging.

    Bang!

    When Qiu Yunfei kicked open the main room''s door, the heat surged out and was quickly invaded by the wind and snow, which only caused the official documents on the desk to be blown around.

    Cheng Rixing subconsciously held down a few of them. Seeing Qiu Yunfei''s face was nasty, he could no longer care about the official documents. He quickly apologized and said, "Official..."

    However, before he could finish the ceremony, Qiu Yunfei kicked the door of the inner room and burst into the room angrily, swearing, "Sun, no one dares to play me like this! What kind of one-armed devil? I''ve run more than 20 nunneries in a row, my legs are running thin, but I haven''t even caught a hair!"

    This time, Sun Shaozong ignored his rudeness and frowned. "You didn''t find any clues?"

    "Nothing."

    Zhao Wuwei, who followed in, carefully reported, "The Patrol Inspector took me and the others, and went through more than a dozen nunneries and Taoist temples, large and small, in the Capital. We screened the monks and Taoists, but there was no one with a right arm injury. Instead, there was an old nun with a left leg missing."

    After a pause, he saw that Sun Shaozong''s face was not very ashamed and annoyed, so he added, "Maybe the murderer didn''t hurt his right arm, just..."

    No.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head firmly and said, "After you left, I made a careful comparison and confirmed that the injuries on the dead were from the left hand. This is consistent with my previous inference, so there should be no mistake."

    "That''s the wrong place. The murderer is not in the temple at all!"

    As Qiu Yunfei said, he collapsed into the chair honestly and unkindly and groaned, "You just need to give orders. But we ran all over the city on this snowy day, and almost froze to death outside!"

    Although his attitude was still poor, his cape was wet, and the deerskin boots on his feet were covered by mud, which showed that he had really worked hard.

    So Sun Shaozong ignored this guy''s complaint, spread out the self-made simple urban map on his desk, and said in a low voice, "Zhao Wuwei, mark all the temples and Taoist temples you have checked on the map for me."

    Zhao Wuwei said with some embarrassment, "The eastern city and the southern city were inspected by the Inspector and me, while the western city and the northern city were handed over to the Captains of Daxing and Wanping Counties, so..."

    "All right, first mark the places you checked."

    Zhao Wuwei then agreed, picked up his brush, and marked them on the map one by one according to the search order in his memory.

    When Qiu Yunfei saw that they ignored him and were busy on the case, he rubbed his frozen earlobe with both hands, and couldn''t help sneering, "I have seen it myself, and I haven''t found anything wrong. What can you do on paper..."

    "Wait!"

    It turned out that this young man was Jia Yun, a close relative of Rongguo Mansion.

    "Ah!"

    Jia Yun screamed. After all, his body was still paralyzed. The pain was not very painful, but he was scared to death. He said in a mournful voice, "Fourth Brother, you have wronged me. That job was given by the Second Aunt. How can it be considered a robbery? Besides, I have recovered a lot of silver recently... Ah, Fourth Brother, spare my life!"

    "Son of a bitch, have I wronged you?! Have I wronged you?! Have I wronged you..."

    The man cursed and hit Jia Yun''s right arm bone with a broken tendon, then he gasped and stopped.

    With a sickly and crazy face, he approached Jia Yun and said with a sneer, "I wanted to kill a few irrelevant people first to earn enough money, but the Central Judicial Office has been watching. There is no other way now, I have to get rid of you ahead of time."

    "Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother!"

    Jia Yun curled up desperately, and his snot and tears were all over his face. He had long lost the appearance of that flirtatious dude, but his mouth was still a little organized. He cried out, "I¡¯m willing to help you escape from the city. I know a place, and the government will not check it... Ah!"

    Bang!

    Another pestle hit Jia Yun''s right arm, and the man disdained, "Who said I wanted to escape? Why would I want to escape?"

    With that, he leaned down and stared at Jia Yun with burning eyes. He bared his white teeth and said, "I just want to stay here now, watching you struggle like a maggot and finally freeze to death in the snow."

    Jia Yun finally got a little desperate, tried to hold up his neck, and yelled, "Don''t you fear being beheaded by the government when you act like this?"

    ¡°Beheaded? Hahaha..."

    The man laughed crazily a few times, then asked, "Do you want to know why I am not afraid of being beheaded?"

    Jia Yun hesitated a little, then gritted his teeth and nodded, but his response to him was a pestle!

    The man smiled proudly and said, "I''m going to let you die not knowing! Hahahaha..."

    Boom!

    At this moment, they heard a loud noise like thunder. The door of the room with the latch was papery and cracked into countless pieces!

    Then a tower-like figure stepped in and said in a deep voice, "Jia Qin, if you are really not afraid of death, you should come to me. What''s your ability to put your anger on others?"

    The candlelight flickered, and the man slowly turned around, holding a pestle in his left hand and hanging his right arm on his side. It was Jia Qin, the Fourth Master, whose arms had been broken by Sun Shaozong in the Grand View Garden.

 Chapter 204: Buddhisms "Pure Land", Understanding the Demons in Oneâ€™s Mind

    Chapter 204: Buddhism''s "Pure Land", Understanding the Demons in One¡¯s Mind

    Jia Qin, according to the original track of the ¡±Dream of the Red Chamber,¡° would become the head of the family temple after the parentage in the Spring Festival, and then become a "dominating head and gamble at night."

    Even more, someone wrote anonymously that Jia Qin''s duty was to manage the "nuns" in the Shuiyue Nunnery, but Jia Qin has turned this place into a ¡±dirty place to incriminate the thieves, drink wine, listen to music, and gather people to gamble!¡± The announcement was posted at the gate of Rongguo Mansion.

    At present, although Jia Qin has one less arm than in the original book, he has not lost his job as the head of the temple. On the contrary, he took the position a few months ahead of schedule for the reason of "being disabled on business."

    Although Sun Shaozong had not read the original book of The Dream of the Red Mansions, Jia Qin''s arm was broken by him. So when he heard that the steward of Shuiyue Nunnery was a close brother of Rongguo Mansion, he immediately thought of Jia Qin!

    He then followed them all the way there and finally saved Jia Yun''s life.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong enter with pride, a group of Yamen attendants lined up behind him and held three nuns in the middle. Jia Qin was not panicking at all. Instead, he gave a smile of relief and threw away the pestle.

    "It''s you again, it was indeed you again."

    He just shook his head and sighed, saying, "Every time I am in high spirits, you will appear and destroy everything I have."

    Sun Shaozong said calmly, "Not many, just twice."

    "Twice? Ha... Twice!"

    The smile on his face gradually grew ferocious, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Isn''t twice enough?"

    "Of course."

    Sun Shaozong nodded slightly and said, "Because you won''t live to see the third time."

    With that, he raised his hand, motioned for the Yamen men to come forward, and carefully lifted Jia Yun out of the room.

    "Send him to the doctor immediately."

    "Yes Sir."

    Several Yamen guards promised and carried Jia Yun away from the field. Unexpectedly, Jia Yun struggled to hold up his neck, glared at Jia Qin, and said, "No! I want to stay here. I want to hear what the killer has to say!"

    It seemed that there were still some tough bones among the Jia family''s children. UppTodated from

    Sun Shaozong waved to the government officials to stay for a while and then nailed his eyes like vultures to Jia Qin''s face, saying, "Tell me, why kill those five people and Jia Yun?"

    Jia Qin curled his lips in disdain. "It¡¯s just a few rough men, what reason do I need to kill them?"

    When he said this, he lifted his hand, untied his robe, and slowly pulled out his right arm from his sleeve. With almost every centimeter he pulled out, the muscles on his face would tremble.

    "So I put the medicine in the wine, which was the medicine I used to relieve pain, and then asked the nuns to come forward and persuade me not to drink."

    "Those men are also greedy for wine and lust. If they don''t drink the medicinal wine, I am just a cripple with three little nuns. How can I fight against two rough men?"

    Speaking of this, Jia Qin grinned crazily, "Haha... You don''t know! You must not know how happy I am when I watch those people screaming and finally freeze to death in the snow!"

    "All the pain in this body seems to disappear all at once! Hahaha..."

    He has gone crazy!

    Sun Shaozong sighed to himself, pointed to the nuns, and asked, "How did you make them willing to help you kill and discard the body?"

    "How is that difficult?"

    Jia Qin proudly walked towards one of the nuns.

    The Yamen men nearby all held their waist knives and retreated subconsciously, as if they were not facing a cripple but some monster.

    When Jia Qin came near, he squatted down and pulled the nun''s robe, slowly pulling it up.

    The nun''s body shook like chaff, but she closed her eyes with resignation and didn''t mean to resist at all.

    The monk''s robe gradually rose, and at the beginning, they could see the legs wearing the panties, but when it reached above the knee, her legs were exposed to the public, followed by the naked buttocks, private parts, and... Slightly protruding belly!

    "See?"

    Jia Qin said proudly, "All these nuns are pregnant. If they don''t help me kill and throw the body, I will..."

    "You bastard!"

    Suddenly, someone roared and interrupted Jia Qin''s speech. Qiu Yunfei clenched his fist and said with a grin, "Since they are pregnant with your flesh and blood, how dare you do this, how dare you do this..."

    "My flesh and blood?"

    Jia Qin laughed again, stretched out his hand, patted the belly lightly, and said, "The monks and rascals who have slept with them these days can''t even count the Buddha. God knows who the bastard is... Hahahaha..."

    In Jia Qin''s roar of laughter, Sun Shaozong silently grabbed Zhao Wuwei''s saber and cut off Jia Qin''s arm when the knife fell!

    He threw the knife back to Zhao Wuwei, and Sun Shaozong sneered, "Don''t you always want to cut it off? I will help you!"

    "No... No! No!!!"

    Jia Qin hissed and roared, trying to cover the bloody broken arm with his hand, but he could do nothing at all because what Sun Shaozong cut off was not the ferocious twisted right arm but his complete left arm!

 Chapter 205: Aftermath Matters

    Chapter 205: Aftermath Matters

    "Master, the place with the lantern in front is Shuiyue Temple!"

    The night was deep, and the wind and snow were raging. Even though he was shouting at his throat, Jia Zheng waited for the servant to repeat it, and then he squinted to look up the hillside.

    He saw that in the boundless darkness, two wind lamps struggled like duckweeds, even the plaque a few feet away couldn¡¯t be seen.

    "Come on, hurry up."

    Jia Zheng muttered to himself, regardless of whether Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian behind him heard him or not. He asked the servant to help him out of the carriage and roared up the stone steps.

    When Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian saw this, they jumped out of the carriage and followed them up. While climbing the stone steps, they could not help wrapping up their fur robes.

    "A-choo~A-choo!"

    Jia Lian had already slept, but now he was hit by the storm and couldn''t help sneezing twice in a row. He touched his nose and scolded angrily, "Jia Qin, I didn''t expect that he would dare to eat people when he usually puts up a fake self!"

    Obviously, it was Jia Qin''s case that made several wealthy and noble idlers come all night in the wind and snow.

    In front of the Shuiyue Temple, a servant rushed forward to knock on the temple door, but it took a long time for two Yamen servants to come forward and open the door.

    In the past, if they were hung outside the door for a long time, these slaves in Rongguo Mansion would have to slap the blind Yamen in the face to let them learn their lesson.

    However, this was different from the past. Even the two Masters were anxious all the way, so the servants were naturally less confident.

    So a group of people walked into the temple and hurried to the back hall under the leadership of the Yamen.

    Sun Shaozong had been waiting in the hall for a long time. When he saw the three people enter, he hurried forward to salute, "Uncle, Brother Lian, Brother Bao."

    "Dear nephew."

    While greeting him, Jia Zheng secretly looked at the situation in the hall. He was trying to find several prostitutes and the little bastard, Jia Qin. However, the first thing that came into sight was a few fat monks.

    "Nephew?"

    Jia Zheng was shocked and said, "How can there be so many monks in the Shuiyue Temple?"

    However, although he didn''t ask for anything, it didn''t mean that the following people would be willing to help Rongguo Mansion in keeping their secret.

    So Sun Shaozong said, "It''s just that it¡¯s the end of the year now, and the brothers are working hard for this case and can¡¯t even get time to spend with their families. It''s hard to avoid some complaints..."

    Jia Lian was used to taking the crooked way and immediately understood this. Knowing that Sun Shaozong wanted to ask for some benefits, he quickly agreed, "Erlang, rest assured, we at Rongguo Mansion also follow the rules. We will never let many officials work in vain!"

    "That would be the best."

    Sun Shaozong nodded with satisfaction, then added, "There are Jia Yucun and Liu Chongshan in the government office, and there is no fear of making mistakes when judging the case. There is only one person who needs your effort to beg for help."

    "Who?"

    "Him."

    Sun Shaozong pointed at the door with his chin and said, "Inspector Qiu."

    Inspection Qiu?

    Jia Lian frowned when he looked at the little official in the soap robe. How could a small official be treated so seriously?

    "Eh?!"

    At this time, Jia Baoyu was surprised and said, "Brother, is he not the son of Commander Qiu''s family in Huben Camp?"

    Is it Commander Qiu''s son?!

    How could Commander Qiu''s son work as a Patrol Inspector under Sun Shaozong?!

    Jia Lian was a little confused at that time, but when he saw that guy''s defiant reply, he knew that there was no mistake, so he rushed forward to flatter Qiu Yunfei. All kinds of flattery came for free when he opened his mouth.

    Now Qiu Yunfei was head over heels. After all, the flatterer was not someone else, but the legitimate son of Jia''s family. In terms of identity, the effect was naturally different from others.

    So when Jia Lian asked Qiu Yunfei to keep the matter secret, he immediately agreed, but he was short on the promise of vows.

    Jia Lian was relieved and invited Qiu Yunfei to come to Rongguo Mansion for a gathering two days later. Then he gathered with Jia Zheng and Sun Shaozong to discuss the specific aftermath of the case.

 Chapter 206: Happy News Come One After Another

    Chapter 206: Happy News Come One After Another

    "What a family of the wealthy!"

    Emperor Guangde threw aside the fold of secret information in his hand and slightly raised half of his mouth, but no one could tell whether he was angry or laughing.

    "Isn''t it true that the Jia family was the first of the eight dukes at the beginning, but now they are so unorthodoxly? Some days ago, when the slave bullied the Master, the nunnery raised another nest of young monks!"

    At this time, the one who dared to answer the question to the Emperor was Prince Zhongshun. He sat on the chair in a state of depression. It was clear that he didn''t do anything good last night.

    He said, "If it weren''t for the support of Imperial Concubine Xiande and Wang Ziteng, I think the two mansions of the Rong and Ning would have been removed from the four Prince and eight Ministers."

    He slightly raised his spirits, and then said with a laugh, "But Your Majesty chose Imperial Concubine Xiande to appease those meritorious nobles, isn''t it because she is not worthy in her family?" Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Speaking of this, he stood up and bowed in flattery and said, "Now it seems that Your Majesty is really like a torch!"

    "Hahaha..."

    Emperor Guangde also couldn''t help shaking his head and laughing, and then broached the topic, "What about the Sun brothers? I heard that you just arranged for Sun Shaozu''s new wife a few days ago."

    "Although the Big Brother of the Sun family is detailed enough, that''s all he has."

    Prince Zhongshun took advantage of the situation, took a cup of ginseng tea, and said, "His Younger Brother is really interesting. He is obviously a tough guy. He has been stable in the Central Judicial Office for more than a year. He has repeatedly solved strange cases, and there are not many mistakes in his daily work, which is much better than that of the official of the Imperial Scholar."

    "What is more important is that he is still young. If he is well cultivated, he will be useful in the future."

    "Let him gain more experience for a few years first before determining whether he can be useful in the future."

    Emperor Guangde shook his head slightly, but then raised his voice and called Dai Quan in and said, "Write down an edict on my behalf to Governor Liu Chongshan in the government to move to the post of Yunnan Superintend Envoy; Pass the position to Sun Shaozong in terms of his outstanding achievements, and promote him to Governor in the government; as for his position of the Assistant Magistrate, pass it to..."

    ¡ªDividing Line¡ª

    The promotion decree on December 28th undoubtedly added a little joy to the Sun Mansion.

    After the Spring Festival, it was the fifteenth day of the first month in a flash.

    While everyone was waiting for Imperial Concubine Xiande to return home to visit her parents, the expectations and anxiety of the Sun Brothers were more than ten times higher than theirs.

    The delivery today was busy because Ruan Rong was finally giving birth to a baby!

    Sun Shaozong and his Big Brother were in the yard. All of them were nervous and almost stepped down on the stone slab on the ground when they heard a loud cry.

    "The baby¡¯s born?!"

    Sun Shaozong, "..."

    In silence, Sun Shaozong carefully looked at the baby in the swaddling clothes. On the whole, it was not small among newborn children.

    However...

    The child¡¯s eyes were obviously closed, and he didn''t know where his Big Brother¡¯s comment of ¡±thick eyebrows¡± came from.

    To tell the truth, although it was his first child, Sun Shaozong was not as excited as he was. He just looked at the little thing with his mouth closed and his nose trembling, and his heart felt inexplicably relieved.

    So subconsciously, he reached out and was ready to take it from the arms of the babysitter.

    "Be careful, be careful! Don''t drop him!"

    The nanny didn¡¯t think it was a big issue, but dealing with his Big Brother was like dealing with a big enemy. He rubbed his hands and stamped his feet beside him, and even a few drops of cold sweat came out of his forehead.

    Sun Shaozong was too lazy to listen to him. Learning the posture of the nanny, he held him firmly in his arms and then tried to touch his palm with his fingers. Although the child¡¯s eyes were closed, his reaction was not slow. His small hand tightened, and he grasped Sun Shaozong''s finger.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t know what was going on, but his Big Brother beside him stared like a brass bell and said excitedly, "Look, look! Look at this boy, he is energetic. When he grows up, he will also be able to be civil and powerful!"

    Was there a relationship between strength in hand and being able to be civil and powerful?

    Sun Shaozong was speechless again. He originally wanted to take the child in to see Ruan Rong. It was obvious that his Elder Brother wouldn¡¯t leave his son. He simply leaned forward and said, "Elder Brother, hold him for a while, and I will go in to see Ruan Rong."

    "Me?"

    His Big Brother was startled, rubbed his palm hard, and stretched out his hand to hold it, but suddenly retracted and said, "No! I have to wash my hands first!"

    As he spoke, he turned around to look for water.

    Fortunately, there was nothing else in the delivery room, but there were enough hot towels.

    So the smart nanny handed him a set at once, and his Big Brother used it to clean. After cleaning his hands thoroughly, more than 800 times, he then came to hold the baby, trembling.

    Seeing that he was trembling all over, Sun Shaozong said helplessly, "Big Brother, if you don''t sit cross-legged on the couch, you might drop him."

    "That''s right! You''re smart, I didn''t think of it!"

    Sun Shaozu hurriedly threw off his boots and jumped onto the couch. He sat cross-legged and stared at the child in Sun Shaozong''s hand like a pug.

    Sun Shaozong was very careful and handed the child to him. Then he didn''t want to look at his expression and stepped into the room.

 Chapter 207: Promotion and Governance

    Chapter 207: Promotion and Governance

    On the 17th day of the first month, in the Criminal Department''s main hall, under the direction of Lin Delu, representatives from the Criminal Division gathered to congratulate Sun Shaozong.

    "Congratulations on your double happiness!"

    There should have been a handover ceremony, but Liu Chongshan was not very happy when he got the job of Yunnan Superintend Envoy, so he simply asked for sick leave.

    However, this was not a bad thing because if they flatter Sun Shaozong, they would have fewer scruples.

    The disadvantage was that it took about an hour to complete the whole process of his subordinates congratulating him. Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    Sun Shaozong also received a full set of seals from the officials in charge of governance, which gave him time to look at the pattern of the five main halls.

    In fact, it was not necessary to look at it. After all, he has never been here before. But at this time, when he looked at the layout of the furnishings, his mood was quite different.

    "Your Excellency."

    At this time, Lin Delu turned back from the outside and came forward with a smile, saying, "I rearranged everything according to your preferences a few days in advance. If you see anything else that needs to be added, you may as well order me to do so."

    "Alright."

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "Today, I have heard enough flattery. Tell me something useful. Do you know who will succeed in the position of Assistant Magistrate?"

    "I don''t know either."

    Lin Delu immediately shook his head, but then added, "But according to the rules, since you are promoted, your successor should be transferred elsewhere."

    External transfer?

    He hoped that the person transferred here would be someone who could work steadily.

    Lin Delu and others were clever, but they were not a good choice. They were not ready to investigate the case alone.

    As for Qiu Yunfei... Let''s not mention it.

    Sun Shaozong could also shoulder a lighter burden if the person taking over would be a veteran.

    "That''s right."

    Sun Shaozong remembered one thing and then explained, "I will not participate in the evening party, and you can preside over it. The silver will be taken from the private treasury first, and I will make up for it if it is not enough."

    "How can we spend money?" Lin Delu hurriedly said, "Just leave it to me."

    With that, he took out a white marble long-life lock from his sleeve and offered it with both hands, saying, "Your Honor has given birth to a son, and there is nothing to be taken out of me. Only this toy is a token of sympathy."

    Ascend!

    Sun Shaozong has been engaged in criminal investigations for more than ten years, but the job of a Judge was his first time. Naturally, he felt new, so he quickly asked, "What are these cases?"

    Lin Delu picked up two files from the table and said, "One is Zhang in Fengwei Lane, who accuses the Zhou family of colluding with traffickers and abducting his grandson at the Lantern Festival."

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "Since the two families are relatives, isn''t the grandson of the Zhang family the grandson of the Zhou family?"

    The Grandpa sued the Grandfather for colluding with traffickers and abducting his grandson?

    What''s with the mess?!

    "Master, there are two sons in the Zhang family. The daughter of the Zhou family married the eldest son, but the lost grandson is the child of the second son of the Zhang family."

    It sounded like a tongue twister.

    Sun Shaozong then said, "Bring the file, and I''ll read it myself."

    Lin Delu hurriedly presented the dossier, and Sun Shaozong looked at it at a glance. Then he realized that it was the elder brother of the eldest daughter-in-law who took the children of Zhang and Zhou to the Lantern Festival, only to lose the children of the second son of the Zhang family.

    Because the Zhou family was born to a daughter, which was not very popular, the Old Man of the Zhang family suspected that the Zhou family was colluding with the traffickers and wanted to break the bloodline of his Zhang family so that he could swallow the family property given to his granddaughter by the Zhou family.

    This matter...

    It looked like Old Man Zhang was making trouble for nothing.

    Throwing the file on the Kang table, Sun Shaozong said, "How did Lord Liu deal with such cases before?"

    Lin Delu reluctantly shook his head and said, "It''s just the word, ¡±harmony.¡± After all, the Zhou family is wrong, but it''s not illegal."

    "Then let it go first and let both sides calm down."

    Sun Shaozong also said, "In addition, let Zhao Wuwei arrange more people, and then check carefully to see if he can find the abducted child."

    That was the right thing to do, but Sun Shaozong himself knew that there was no hope. Even in later generations, kidnapping was still a problem, let alone at present.

    "What about the other case?"

    "It is an Old Man who accuses his son of disobedience and unfiliality."

    Disobedience and unfiliality?

    Sun Shaozong took the file and glanced at it. Seeing that the above actions were extremely vicious, he said flatly, "Send a few people to visit the neighbor''s house, and then inform the Old Man that I will go to the Court tomorrow... Hmm, the day after tomorrow!"

 Chapter 208: Courtesy and Reserve

    Chapter 208: Courtesy and Reserve

    In fact, the two cases that Lin Delu singled out have revealed the biggest difference between an Assistant Magistrate and a Governor.

    In the past, when Sun Shaozong was the Assistant Magistrate, he was often responsible for dealing with malignant criminal cases, but after becoming a Governor, the majority of civil lawsuits needed to be dealt with.

    Although, in terms of severity, civil litigation was not as good as criminal cases, and in terms of brilliance, it was far less than the former. However, the complicated relationship between them was often more complicated than the former.

    When Sun Shaozong was a policeman, he didn''t have any contact with this kind of business, but it was obviously less mature than his proficiency in detecting criminal cases.

    Now, as soon as he took over, he was inevitably a little nervous, so he postponed the trial for another day to make full preparations.

    Fortunately, in these years, the common people have been in awe of the government. It was not a problem to drag on for a year and a half to deal with any trivial matters. Unlike later generations, dragging on was easy to make big news.

    In addition, there was a difference. The Assistant Magistrate of the criminal would pay attention to the detection after the event, while the administration has more responsibility for prevention in advance. But the prevention and control of public security were also one of Sun Shaozong''s strengths, so he was not worried about this aspect.

    According to Lin Delu''s priorities, after handling nearly half of the official documents, Sun Shaozong stretched his muscles and bones and was ready to go to Han Anbang and Jia Yucun.

    The hidden rules of ancient officialdom were more important than modern ones.

    When he was just transferred to the post of Assistant Magistrate, he paid attention to the word "hospitality." The first time after taking over the office, he had to submit a post according to the rules to meet the three heads of the government. They were the Magistrate, the Governor, and the Minister.

    This was the most basic attitude of being a subordinate.

    Of course, whether the person was happy or not was another matter.

    However, after being promoted to Governor, the situation was quite different. First of all, the word "reserved" should be paid attention to. He should never rush to meet the two heads, as he did at the beginning.

    Otherwise, he would be suspected of flattering his bosses and would lose his "identity" and "dignity" in governance.

    So Sun Shaozong had to wait until noon.

    After leaving the Department of Criminal, he first went to Han Anbang¡¯s Courtyard. As usual, he didn''t receive any good attitude. Even a few polite words were hidden behind some hostility.

    There needed to be more than general prevention and control work. If a large-scale fraud were to occur, which would cause a fuss, Sun Shaozong, who was only a fifth-grade official, couldn¡¯t bear it.

    Jia Yucun naturally heard what he said, so he spoke feeling relieved, "You can rest assured. Your Majesty has attached great importance to the Spring Examination. The Department of Rites and the Imperial Academy will not dare act rashly."

    "Since that is the case, I¡¯m also confident."

    After that, they chatted about some official and private matters. Sun Shaozong saw that it was time for lunch. He then got up to leave.

    When he returned to the Department of Criminal, he saw the factotum sent from the canteen waiting at the door with the menu in his hand, apparently to flatter.

    After Sun Shaozong entered the door, he was ready to call them to order.

    However, Lin Delu came up and reported, "Your Honor, the Northern town of the Dragon Guards has sent someone and asked you to attend the session at 3 p.m. to meet the new Governor Lu Huilu."

    Has the new Governor also taken office?

    Sun Shaozong has been focusing on Ruan Rong and her children recently, and this was the first time he has heard about them.

    Speaking of his title, Inspector of the Dragon Guards, was just a name and had no practical duties. Even if a new official took office, there was no need to call himself for the session, right?

    This new Lord Lu¡ªwhat was his plan?

    Although he was puzzled, Sun Shaozong couldn¡¯t help but give face since the invitation had been delivered.

    So he told Lin Delu, "Since the Governor of the town asked me to go over to attend the session, I won''t eat lunch in the Yamen. If there is anything to do, just watch for me first."

    Lin Delu obeyed and helped Sun Shaozong send the kitchen workers away.

    Sun Shaozong simply tidied up inside again and then galloped back home. Since he was going to the session of the Northern Town of the Dragon Guards in the afternoon, he naturally had to change into the appropriate robe so that he wouldn¡¯t appear conspicuous in a group of Dragon Guards.

    When he came back home, Sun Shaozong rushed to the backyard and was waiting to cross the threshold of the moonlit door. However, he bumped into several women suddenly, and the leading pretty woman was none other than Ping¡¯er.

 Chapter 209: Adding Another Happy News

    Chapter 209: Adding Another Happy News

    Sun Shaozong was stunned when he saw Ping¡¯er face to face, but then he understood.

    Due to Ruan Rong''s status as a Concubine, the main hostess of Rongguo Mansion was naturally not able to visit in person, but Ruan Rong has given birth to the eldest son of the Sun family, and it was unacceptable to have no response.

    In particular, the Sun family and Rongguo Mansion were going to be directly related after the marriage. Wang Xifeng, as Jia Yingchun''s eldest sister-in-law, couldn¡¯t be less expressive.

    So she sent Ping¡¯er, a servant with half the status of a master.

    But when Ping¡¯er saw Sun Shaozong, she was also surprised. She was stunned for a while and then thought of retreating to one side. She respectfully greeted, and the two little servant girls in the back were also busy greeting.

    "Lady Ping¡¯er, don''t be polite."

    Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "Second Sister-in-Law is really thoughtful. She especially asked you to visit her."

    "Our second Madam told us that since the two families are going to get married soon, we should always come to visit each other often."

    .

    Ping¡¯er''s eyes flashed a little, but she still said earnestly, "To tell you the truth, the Second Madam wrote to the supreme government official in charge of military affairs a few days ago and specifically mentioned you."

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong suddenly realized that Wang Xifeng had not heard from him and had acted secretly. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    The way to make money in the final deal was to point to the help of the supreme government official in charge of military affairs. Wang Xifeng has made up her mind to do business with others without going beyond him.

    Since she mentioned him in the letter, she naturally wanted to choose him as a partner.

    However, looking at Ping¡¯er''s appearance, Wang Xifeng probably didn''t want to let him know about it. She probably saved the idea to take advantage of it in the future.

    After thinking through this section, Sun Shaozong was very calm. He laughed casually and said, "What did the Second Sister-in-Law write about me?"

    "Of course, she felt pity for you because you are so brave, but you didn''t have the chance to lead an army on the battlefield."

    "Brave?"

    Sun Shaozong laughed and said in a pun, "It''s all right for you, Ping¡¯er, to know that I''m brave. How can Second Sister-in-Law know too?"

    Ping¡¯er''s face suddenly turned red. Fortunately, the two servant girls were standing with their hands hanging down behind her, and they couldn¡¯t see her expression.

    "Well, you don''t have to serve here."

    Sun Shaozong held out his hand and said, "Go and get four hundred taels of silver, and send one hundred taels to Master Cheng and three young nephews each, so that they can buy some items before the Autumn Examination."

    After Zhao Zhongji was ordered to leave, Sun Shaozong opened his cup and said softly, "Big Brother, what are you doing with these golden powders?"

    "To write a post!"

    Hig Big Brother looked up from the rice paper, pushed the finished drafted posts in front of Sun Shaozong, and said, "Do you think the gold powder is more festive with vermilion, or pure gold looks magnificent? Also, the running script, official script, and regular script, which I can''t understand very well, you have to decide."

    Sun Shaozong opened one casually but could not help frowning. "Wei Rusong? Isn''t this guy the same as you? Why do you still invite him?"

    "Don''t worry, he definitely won¡¯t dare to come!"

    Sun Shaozu said with a grin, "My post to that son of a bitch is to let him know that the Sun family has a future."

    After a pause, he bit two rows of his steel teeth and said, "When the Jia¡¯s give birth to a son, I will have to go and invite him to the dinner banquet with gongs and drums, and see what other words that guy has then!"

    Sun Shaozong could only respond with silence.

    However, his Big Brother didn''t want to let him go. He put his hand around his shoulder and said with burning eyes, "I''m counting on you for this!"

    "No..."

    Sun Shaozong said helplessly, "Big Brother, no one can say anything about it. Even if I do what you say, I may not be able to..."

    "Second Master, Second Master!"

    As soon as the words were over, they saw a little servant girl rushing into the room recklessly and crying with a smile, "Great joy, Second Master, Concubine Xiangling just suddenly retched, and the two nannies said she might be pregnant!"

    Oh my...

    What?!

    Xiangling is also pregnant?!

    Sun Shaozong was stunned when his neck suddenly tightened again. He heard his Big Brother laughing and saying, "I knew you had the ability!"

 Chapter 210: The Background when Establishing Authority

    Chapter 210: The Background when Establishing Authority

    In terms of official rank, the Northern Dragon Guard Yamen was actually one head lower than the Central Judicial Office. Even the highest official rank in the Northern Dragon Guard Yamen, was only a senior official.

    However, when it came to real power, the Northern Dragon Guard Yamen, who controlled the power of arrest, trial, and rumor as the Emperor''s pro-army identity, was more than one step ahead of the Central Judicial Office.

    Therefore, the gate of the Northern Dragon Guard Yamen was much more spacious than that of the Central Judicial Office.

    In particular, today was the first time that the new Governor of the town has made a decision. The situation at the door was naturally different from the past. Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    Sun Shaozong was riding on the horse, and from a distance, he saw sixteen Dragon Guards lined up in front of the door. Each of them was majestic and had a tall body, standing on the stone steps with a saber, which was unspeakable.

    The Dragon Guards, who were guarding the gate, saw Sun Shaozong coming from a distance and hurriedly separated two people to greet him. One of them bowed his hand respectfully and said, "Are you Inspector Sun?"

    Although they were all wearing the same gowns, the cloud patterns on their shoulders were different. In addition, there were only a few thousand households in the Yamen. Sun Shaozong was the only one who didn¡¯t walk in the Yamen all year round.

    So it was not surprising that they couldn¡¯t recognize Sun Shaozong at a glance.

    Sun Shaozong got off his horse and said, "Yes, that¡¯s right. I have been ordered to come here on the request, but I don''t know where to wait."

    "Report back to Your Excellency, you can go directly to the conference hall."

    The man quickly and respectfully said, "The Governor hasn''t arrived yet, but Inspector Chen, who is in charge of the punishment, is waiting inside."

    Inspector Chen is in charge of punishment?

    Isn''t that the boss of the Detective Department?

    He remembered that he was also suspected at the time of the "blood character" case and later learned that Inspector Chen was working in the south, so there was no doubt.

    He threw the reins to the Captain of the Dragon Guard, who was coming up, and followed another man straight to the meeting hall.

    Before entering the door, it was quiet. He thought there was no one in it, but after crossing the threshold, he knew that there were not only a few people in it, it was a sea of people!

    Looking at the cloud pattern on their shoulders, it was estimated that the Dragon Guards above eighth grade were almost all here.

    Sun Shaozong pretended to be surprised and widened his eyes. "Listen to what you said, do you want to fight against me privately?"

    Chen Xingzhi opened his mouth and looked back and forth at Sun Shaozong''s majestic body, and he just snorted and turned away from him in the end.

    This guy was really flexible.

    Since Sun Shaozong had the upper hand, he didn''t chase after him. He picked up the teacup and looked at the people below.

    With these conversations, the Inspectors of the hundred households had basically arrived, but the Inspector of the two thousand households was still nowhere to be seen.

    While Sun Shaozong was meditating, he heard someone outside growl in a long voice, "Here comes the Governor!"

    Everyone stood up in silence. When a figure in a bright yellow Kylin robe flashed out, they all half kneeled and said in unison, "Greetings to the Governor!"

    .

    The figure in the Kylin robe calmly entered the conference hall and walked to Sun Shaozong and Chen Xingzhi, but paused a little. Then two people flashed out from behind him, half kneeling under Sun Shaozong and Chen Xingzhi.

    Damn right!

    As expected, he was taken as the background for establishing authority!

    Needless to say, these two were the other two Inspectors of the thousand households.

    The two Inspectors of the thousand households followed Lu Hui, the Governor of the town, but Chen Xingzhi, the most important one in charge of the punishment, waited here alone and was deliberately arranged under Sun Shaozong. The meaning of suppressing exclusion was simply beyond expression!

    Chen Xingzhi was not a fool either. His face turned black immediately. He held his two fat fists together and shook in circles. He didn''t know whether he was angry or scared.

    This scene was obviously the most important part of the whole conference. In addition, it was just a cliche.

    Seeing that all that was to be said had been explained, Sun Shaozong was waiting to leave the hall when he heard the Town Governor suddenly raise his voice, saying, "Well, except Inspector Sun, the rest of you may leave first."

    Eh?

    Did they prepare a sequel for him for this play today?

 Chapter 211: Met Baoyu when Running Errands

    Chapter 211: Met Baoyu when Running Errands

    After a moment in the spacious conference hall, only Sun Shaozong and Lu Hui, the Governor of the town, were left staring at each other.

    Sun Shaozong''s heart sped up as he watched Lord Lu''s face change from sunny to cloudy, from bright to dark, and secretly thought that his emotions were mixed. It shouldn¡¯t be that he wanted to arrange himself to carry out a suicide mission, right?

    If he dared to ask, should he just refuse, or should he refuse resolutely?

    Sigh~

    At the very moment when Sun Shaozong was worried, Lord Lu finally sighed and said, "Old... I¡¯m indeed old. Seeing that Lord Sun is so young and promising, I can''t help recalling yesterday."

    As he said this, he shook his head again with great force and looked like the past couldn¡¯t be recalled.

    If Lord Lu were really old, his beard and hair would be gray, and his eyebrows would be piled high with fine lines.

    However, his body was still majestic and powerful, especially since there was a deep, visible scar above his left eye, which made him a little scary and exuded a frightening aura when he moved his eyebrows.

    Sun Shaozong listened to his sigh, but his heart was still defensive. He cautiously complimented him, saying, "You are wrong, Lord Lu. Since you have been entrusted with an important task by Your Majesty, you are still young!"

    "Haha..."

    Lu Hui laughed, raised his hand, pointed at Sun Shaozong, and said, "Don''t flatter me. I don''t want to beat around the bush with you. To be frank, I want you to take the new post of Internal Affairs Supervisor and clean up the bad atmosphere in our Northern Town of the Dragon Guard Yamen."

    "You have nothing to do with all the people in the yamen. It''s the most suitable position for you."

    Internal Affairs Supervisor?

    Wouldn¡¯t that be called "Eunuch" for short?

    Although this was not a suicide mission, it was also the most easily offending job.

    Sun Shaozong quickly stood up and said, "Lord, it is not proper to set up a post of Internal Affairs Supervision without a reason. The discipline of the Northern Town Dragon Guard Yamen has always been supervised by the Southside Dragon Guard Yamen." UppTodated from

    "The Southside Dragon Guard Yamen?"

    When Jia Baoyu saw Sun Shaozong looking over, he quickly waved his hand through the window again and then turned his head to give an order, and the carriage drew up slowly.

    When he came near, Baoyu jumped out of the carriage quickly and walked around Sun Shaozong several times. "My Second Brother today is a bit more powerful than usual. I almost didn''t recognize you when I saw it from a distance just now."

    When he jumped out of the carriage, the curtain was lifted, and there seemed to be a woman sitting inside.

    Did he kidnap Lin Daiyu out?

    Sun Shaozong thought this way, then smiled and asked, "Heard from Lady Ping¡¯er who told your Sister Rong that your house is singing a big opera today. Why do you have time to hang out?"

    Jia Baoyu curled his lips in disdain and said, "The scenes ordered by Brother Zhen were very noisy and flustered. I couldn''t stand it. I thought that Xiren was just going home to visit her family, so I simply went to her home and sat down. I ran into you while on my way back."

    With that, he smiled again. He took out an emerald Maitreya Buddha from his sleeve and put it in Sun Shaozong''s hand, saying, "This is what I prepared for my little nephew. I came out earlier in the morning, but I didn''t know that Sister Ping¡¯er went to your house, or she would take it with her."

    The statue of Maitreya Buddha was charmingly naive, and the jade color was verdant, which was very gratifying.

    "Then I''ll take it."

    Sun Shaozong took the jade Buddha away and invited him, "Would you like to go to my house and meet your little nephew?"

    "Forget it."

    Baoyu hurriedly shook his head and said, "My little nephew was just born a few days ago. I''m afraid he can''t meet me."

    He then added, "But I heard that a new restaurant was opened near Chongwen Gate. The cook in the restaurant had good skills in marinating venison. Since I happened to meet you today, why don''t I call my cousin, brother Feng, and Brother Liu out and have a taste together?"

    These people all gave generous gifts to each other. According to the rules, Sun Shaozong really should invite them to get together alone.

    At that moment, Baoyu picked it up, and Sun Shaozong said with a smile, "Since that is the case, let me host tonight. It''s just to celebrate the birth of your little nephew, and thank you for your kindness."

    Jia Baoyu was going to fight as the host, but as soon as he heard this, he also knew what he meant, so he chirped, "Then I will go to inform several brothers now, and you should go home and change your clothes, or I''m afraid that the cook will be too scared and forget his ancestral skills."

    Sun Shaozong laughed and asked where the restaurant was. Then he got back on his horse and said goodbye to Jia Baoyu.

 Chapter 212: Banquet

    Chapter 212: Banquet

    Because it was unavoidable to drink at night, Sun Shaozong changed his clothes and asked Zhang to get on the carriage.

    After reaching Chongwen Gate, the sky was getting dark.

    "Lord Sun."

    As soon as Sun Shaozong got off the carriage, a servant came up and rubbed his hands. "Our Second Master Bao was afraid that all the good seats would be robbed, so he asked me to come and book a private room first."

    It seemed that Jia Baoyu had made progress. If he were his past self, he would never have been so thorough.

    Sun Shaozong only nodded and followed the boy into the restaurant named "Luming Pavilion."

    At this time, it was time for dinner, and the scattered seats were almost full. Many scholars were wearing square scarves in them, which he thought was also the delight of the shop''s name.

    However, the guests on the first floor couldn¡¯t afford to eat venison, and the sign was clearly marked with various specialties of venison meat.

    He didn¡¯t know what it meant.

    Thinking about these things, Sun Shaozong followed the boy up the stairs and went to the private room on the second floor facing the street.

    As soon as he entered the private room, he first saw a large screen, on which several sika deer stepped on the artemisia grass, raised their heads to hiss, or even lowered their heads to eat artemisia, which clearly depicted the scene in the Book of Songs.

    After bypassing the screen, a large round table was placed in the center. The cups, plates, and wine were all ready, but Baoyu and others were not seen. Obviously, they were later than Sun Shaozong.

    Seeing that there were still several menus on the table, Sun Shaozong curiously picked up one, twirled it, and looked carefully. However, he saw that many dishes were written in small script on the front and a pair on the back, which was quite suitable.

    When the boy saw Sun Shaozong looking at the menu, he asked with a smile, "Lord Sun, do you want to order?"

    Sun Shaozong closed the menu and threw it back on the table. He said, "Ask for the restaurant''s signature dishes. Choose five or six meals to prepare first, and the rest will come later."

    The boy agreed and went downstairs in a hurry.

    These days, guests in the private rooms brought along their personal slaves, so as long as they didn¡¯t take the initiative to look for them, the servers wouldn¡¯t rush in and disturb them.

    Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "Is it true that I am a little intolerable in your eyes? As long as you don''t bring the boy named Wei in front of me, I don¡¯t care about your relationship privately."

    As he spoke, he extended his hand to the inside and said, "Come on, everyone, sit down and talk."

    If possible, Sun Shaozong naturally didn''t want his friend to have anything to do with the Wei family. But the Wei family was also a generation of meritorious nobles and had been friends with Rongguo Mansion for several years. How could he easily break them off?

    Moreover, Wei Ruolan was now the Brother-in-Law of Prince Beijing. Rongguo Mansion, as a member of the four kings and eight princes, was even less likely to turn against him.

    However, they were relieved to see Sun Shaozong''s careless behavior, so they sat around the table, laughing and talking. Only Xue Pan sat alone and said nothing.

    Now Sun Shaozong was a little puzzled. He used to be the noisiest guy. How could he be unusually quiet now?

    "Don''t worry about him."

    Feng Ziying gloated and said, "The special day of Big Head Xue is coming soon. He is so happy that he can''t talk anymore."

    No wonder he was so depressed. It turned out that the marriage date with Wang''s daughter was fast approaching.

    "Get out of the way if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!"

    Xue Pan glared at him and then said to Sun Shaozong weakly, "Second Brother, that day is scheduled for the ninth day of March. If you are free, come and have a look at it. If you are not free, I won''t be bothered anyway."

    When they heard this, they couldn''t help but laugh.

    Sun Shaozong picked up the hot wine that the boys had just brought, filled Xue Pan with a glass, and said, "I should have said that this result is true ¡±retribution¡± according to your usual misdeeds. But looking at your virtue now, I don''t want to say anything. Come on, let''s get drunk today!"

    "Yes! Don''t go back until you get drunk!"

    After drinking with him, Xue Pan stared at him and shouted, "Who dares to cheat today?! I will be the first to not agree with you!"

    Apart from Sun Shaozong, all of them were rich and noble people. They have no serious business to do. Why would they care if they drank or not?

    Even Jia Baoyu slapped the table, shouted, and told the boys to change the bowl into a big one quickly.

 Chapter 213: The Court Trial on the Disobedience Case [Part 1]

    Chapter 213: The Court Trial on the Disobedience Case [Part 1]

    On the morning of the next day, Sun Shaozong was confused. He felt that his head seemed to have been chopped off by someone. He sat on the soft couch for a long time and realized that he had spent the night in his study last night.

    "Come!"

    He raised his voice and shouted. As soon as the curtain of the door was picked, Xiangling came in with two small servant girls.

    "Ah! Be careful, Master. Don''t catch a cold."

    When Sun Shaozong stepped on the quilt under his feet and sat on the couch wearing only a baggy single coat, Xiangling screamed and rushed forward to wrap the quilt around Sun Shaozong.

    "How did you come here?"

    Sun Shaozong rubbed his eyebrows but angrily shouted, "Now that you are pregnant, you should have a good rest. What can you do coming here in the morning?"

    Xiangling smiled, covered her belly, and said, "Look at what you said, how can I be so delicate..."

    "I said you are!"

    Sun Shaozong said without a doubt, but carefully pulled her to the bedside, sat down, and said, "Isn''t there someone else serving? Just watch at the side."

    With that, he put on his deerskin boots and got out of bed. Together with the two little servant girls, he wore the clothes neatly and covered them with a dark blue official robe.

    After finishing dressing up, he was thinking about going out for a breath of fresh air to refresh his brain, but suddenly he remembered another thing.

    So he hurriedly pulled the drunken clothes off the clothes rack at the head of the bed, pulled out an amulet from the sleeve, handed it to Xiangling, and said, "When I came back yesterday, I saw that the Guangyuan Temple was still lit, so I let Zhang Cheng go in and ask for an amulet."

    With that, Sun Shaozong scratched his head a little awkwardly and said, "I was supposed to ask for it myself, but I have something on at that time. If you feel insincere, then wait for the next time..."

    Before the words were finished, Xiangling grabbed the amulet, held it in the palm of her hand, and said with a smile, "Don''t need to bother, Master, I like this one!"

    The Master was drunk last night, and he could still remember to ask for an amulet on the way. In the view of Xiangling, this intention was already "sincere."

    After washing up, Sun Shaozong led Xiangling back to the backyard, had breakfast with Ruan Rong, and announced that all the major and minor events in the family would be handed over to Shiliu and Furong for the time being. He then got on the carriage and rushed to the government.

    The pen, ink, paper, and inkstone flew around with all kinds of official documents, and the two captors were shocked. The bookcase was half an inch thick, and it was difficult to cut it with an axe.

    This was not new to Zhao Wuwei, as he had been with him for a long time, and still seemed calm. While calling the two subordinates to tidy up the official document again, he said with relief, "Master, calm down. Now that this heartless thing has been accused of disobedience, you just have to impose a heavy death sentence on him."

    "Nonsense!"

    After Sun Shaozong vented his anger, he regained some sobriety and glared and shouted, "Now that we haven''t interrogated clearly, how can we decide his death penalty in advance?!"

    After a pause, he asked, "How was the relationship between Hu Jingsheng and his father before he got married?"

    "This..."

    Zhao Wuwei hesitated a little. A constable behind him immediately said, "I heard that the relationship between father and son was not very good. Hu Jingsheng refused to inherit the breakfast stall at home for two years. In the end, the breakfast stall was resold by him."

    "What did Hu Jingsheng do for a living?"

    "He¡¯s a second shopkeeper!"

    Zhao Wuwei answered very quickly this time, "He took the money from the seller and bought a share in a grocery store. Now he works as a second shopkeeper for others in the store, and his life is not bad."

    "What about his wife?"

    "She¡¯s very shrew-like! I heard that there are famous unruly people in that area. She never loses when quarreling with others!"

    Sun Shaozong also questioned a lot of details, and some of the questions, Zhao Wuwei and others were also vague. However, in general, according to the consistent style of the two couples, the abuse of the elderly could almost be determined.

    In modern times, this was an ordinary civil dispute, and the punishment was nothing more than forcing the son to pay a certain amount of alimony.

    However, it was not so simple to put it in the Great Zhou Dynasty. After all, filial piety was the most important thing in these years. Once the crime of disobedience was committed, Hu Jingsheng would be executed prematurely or even exiled for thousands of miles.

    Since it involved human life and was the first case since he took over the position, Sun Shaozong naturally had to deal with it carefully.

    Even though he had made a judgement in his heart, he pointed out a few vague places one by one and then sent Zhao Wuwei and others out to keep inquiring so as not to be confused.

 Chapter 214: The Court Trial on the Disobedience Case [Part 2]

    Chapter 214: The Court Trial on the Disobedience Case [Part 2]

    On the 19th of the first month, fine snow drifted, and the weather was freezing.

    Just after the Lantern Festival, the streets were inevitably bleak and weak after the carnival, but outside the lobby of the Central Judicial Office, it was crowded with people.

    The men, women, and children, old and young, with their shoulders and hands folded, stomped their feet, but they still couldn¡¯t bear to move. They all stretched their necks, widened their eyes, and looked straight into the lobby.

    "Here, here, here comes the Heavenly Master!"

    Suddenly, everyone shouted, but he didn¡¯t know who started it. If it weren¡¯t for Uncle Qin, the gatekeeper, who was quick in his eyes and hands and threw the whip at the clean street, it would be hard to say that there were a few stupid people with frozen heads who rushed directly into the lobby.

    It was Sun Shaozong, the new Governor, who caused such a stir.

    There were few entertainment activities these days. The rich and powerful people could still find some ways to kill time, but not the people who were in a state of "hunger and thirst" all year round. Therefore, some bad stories and some bad jokes could also be spread from mouth to mouth.

    Now they suddenly heard that Sun Shaozong, such a god of justice, was going to hold a court trial. Who didn¡¯t want to see it?!

    So it resulted in thousands of people shouting, cheering, and blocking half of the street. Fortunately, the government''s deterrent force was strong enough this year. Otherwise, the farce that would impact the government would happen every minute.

    Sun Shaozong walked out of the back hall, and when he saw the excitement outside the gate, he couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised and complacent.

    When he was in modern times, he cracked more than ten times as many cases as today.

    But it was his first time being so warmly sought after.

    After stabilizing his mind, he stood upright and sat down under the plaque hanging in the mirror. Seeing that Lin Delu was also sitting in the jury''s seat, he took up the wooden brick and made a heavy fall on the case. He said aloud, "Rise!"

    Zhao Wuwei hurriedly followed and shouted, "The Master has orders, please come forward to the court and ask questions!"

    "Mighty!"

    With the long and powerful sound, twelve water and fire sticks were beating on the ground at the same time, until the three members of the family were brought in and kneeled in front of the hall, which was a temporary end.

    Hu Jingsheng and his wife were quite rich, especially the little woman, who knew that she was going to be questioned in court today. She dressed up and raised her beauty from five to seven points.

    After seeing the appearance of these three people, Sun Shaozong scowled and asked, "Who is in the hall? Tell me your name!"

    "I¡¯m Hu Dazhu¡ª"

    "I¡¯m Hu Jingsheng¡ª"

    "I¡¯m Hu-Lin¡ª"

    "Greetings to the Justice Lord."

    There were also a lot of questions, but Sun Shaozong was too lazy to follow the rules. In addition, these rules were just conventions rather than regulations.

    "It is worthy of the name of divine judgement!"

    "Bah~ What''s the general verdict? Now we need to call him the Governor!"

    The loud cheers caused Hu-Lin to lose it. How could she have thought that the Lord was so detailed that he could find out all the layout in her yard?

    "Hu-Lin, I will ask you again!"

    Sun Shaozong also asked, "Your father-in-law said in the complaint that you couples always beat and scold him, especially you, this vicious woman, who used to slap him on the face several times. What''s the reason?"

    Hu-Lin, who was exposed to sophistry, was also a little flustered at this time, but she still said stiffly, "Lord, how can you take his empty words seriously?"

    "What empty talk?!"

    With a sneer, Sun Shaozong picked up the gavel, patted it gently, and said, "Come, take the witnesses, Grandma Liu and Old Man Zhang!"

    Not long ago, he saw a pair of old people coming in from outside. They were shaking and were trying to kneel.

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "Now that you are old, you don''t need to kneel. Then, repeat what you said."

    "Lord Justice, I went to talk to Brother Hu because of some unimportant issues that day, and I saw a red palm on his face! I asked him, but he wouldn¡¯t say more, but it was hit by a woman," the Old Man said.

    Grandma Liu also hurriedly said, "I have seen it once! The palm print is small, and it is designated by his daughter-in-law!"

    There was another uproar outside the lobby, and the voices of "poison woman" and "bitch" continued to be heard.

    Pa!

    Sun Shaozong controlled the fuss, knocked lightly, and said in a deep voice, "Hu-Lin, what else do you have to say now?"

    Hu-Lin was a little flustered at first, but then gnashed her teeth and stuck her neck, disdaining to say, "How many years have these two old people been friends with my father-in-law? They might collude with each other to slander me. What''s so strange about it?!"

    "You... You..."

    "What a shameless little hoof!"

    "My family is unlucky. It''s really unlucky!"

    Not only Granny Liu, Old Man Zhang, and Old Man Hu were stamping their feet there. Even Lin Delu, who was on the jury''s side, couldn¡¯t sit still. He stood up, arched his hand, and said, "Your honor, such a cruel and vicious woman, it seems that it is impossible not to lynch!"

    Outside the lobby, someone shouted, ¡±Kill this girl,¡± ¡±Let her ride a wooden donkey,¡± ¡±Soak her in a pig cage,¡± and so on.

    "Wait a moment!"

    However, before Sun Shaozong made a decision, he heard someone in the hall yell, "Here is a reply!"

 Chapter 215: The Court Trial on the Disobedience Case [Part 3]

    Chapter 215: The Court Trial on the Disobedience Case [Part 3]

    Outside the hall, there was a passionate demand for the "punishment" of Hu-Lin. Suddenly, a large crowd in the hall heard, "Wait a minute, I have something to say!"

    Everyone looked at it, but who else could it be other than Hu Jingsheng?

    "Something to say?"

    Sun Shaozong then turned his attention back to Hu Jingsheng and asked aloud, "What''s the matter? Come quickly."

    "This..."

    Hu Jingsheng looked around a few times and said with a pale face, "Lord, can you... Let others avoid it first?"

    Looking at the expression of this guy, it really seemed that there was something hidden.

    Sun Shaozong hesitated a little, then ordered, "Somebody, take Hu Jingsheng to the back hall."

    With that, he left the table and went to the back hall.

    Lin Delu and the scribe who was responsible for recording the case were also busy packing up their things and followed in a hurry.

    Seeing this, the crowd outside the lobby was very discontented. Fortunately, Hu Jingsheng was not a rich man, and no one doubted that he would bribe Sun Shaozong privately.

    But when they came to the back hall, Sun Shaozong sat down on the armchair and waited for Hu Jingsheng to kneel. He then said, "Well, now you can put the so-called love affair together."

    "This..."

    However, Hu Jingsheng struggled again and finally put his head on the ground and said in a sullen voice, "This situation has advanced now, and I dare not cheat on the Lord. It''s not us who are unfilial, it''s really... It''s really that Old Man who is not a thing!"

    Not a thing?

    Sun Shaozong hesitated in his heart, leaned forward slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Please explain your words more clearly."

    "Yes."

    Hu Jingsheng buried his face on the ground like an ostrich, but he was really desperate. He gritted his teeth and said, "After I got married, we were good to the Old Man. But the Old Man was getting worse. How could he be so obsessed with my wife and often do evil deeds to her? We were really angry, and that''s what happened later!"

    It was indeed raked ash!

    This was really a reversal of the plot. As the saying goes, ¡±filial piety is the first, and all evil of lecherousness comes number one.¡± If Father Hu really did something wrong with his daughter-in-law, the couple''s response to this is not excessive.

    But...

    "Do you have evidence?"

    "Yes!"

    Tch!

    This was really a continuous reversal, and another case has come out again!

    After stopping Hu Jingsheng''s "bullshit" and "nonsense," Sun Shaozong asked Old Man Hu to explain the matter carefully.

    It turned out that Old Man Hu went to the toilet at noon one day. Because he was old, he shook for a long time before urinating on his shoes. He was recalling the ferocious years of being able to "peep ten feet away" in his heart. Suddenly, he heard a group of men and women whispering outside the wall, which was full of shameless words.

    Old Man Hu unconsciously pricked up his ears, but when he listened carefully, the woman turned out to be his daughter-in-law!

    He couldn''t think much at once, so he took his pants off and went out to see them.

    Unexpectedly, the daughter-in-law twisted her waist and ran back without seeing the man.

    Although he couldn¡¯t catch the real bastard, the Old Man was on guard.

    So a few days later, Hu Jingsheng went outside the city to buy groceries. The Old Man was tossing and turning in bed and couldn''t sleep. He always felt insecure.

    As a result, in the middle of the night, when he was in a trance, he heard some noise coming from the hall. The Old Man quickly put on his clothes and came out of the east wing. He then probed under the window of the hall for a moment, and sure enough, he heard the woman''s repressed moan coming from inside.

    Even when the Old Man was angry, he came up and knocked on the door.

    After a long time, he saw that the woman had opened half the door of the room and stuck her head out in disheveled clothes.

    The Old Man asked her what she was doing in the house, and he was ready to rush in.

    However, the woman was really fierce and tight. She pulled her collar up and showed her snow-white arm. She then quarreled, she said that she missed Hu Jingsheng so much, and she tried to pleasure herself. Unexpectedly, she was heard by some "dirty heart and rotten intestines."

    He also asked the Old Man if he wanted to see with his own eyes how she gave herself pleasure.

    After all, Old Man Hu was a man who wanted a face. Seeing this, he retreated for a few minutes. He didn''t dare go in and look for it. He only stayed in the yard for a night, trying to block the traitor.

    When Hu Jingsheng heard this, he couldn''t help nervously asking, "You... Did you block him?!"

    Old Man Hu shook his head. Seeing his son''s face suddenly change, he hastily added, "Brother Xu called me to go over early that morning. Maybe that wild man ran away at this time."

    "So I went to catch the adulterer again, and this time I didn''t listen to what the evil woman said and broke in directly. Who knows, you were in there!"

    "Because I didn''t catch her act, I didn''t say it clearly."

    The plot went in two directions.

    The wrong place was also between Hu-Lin and the Old Man...

    "Somebody, bring the Hu-Lin family to me!"

 Chapter 216: Of course I forgive her!

    Chapter 216: Of course I forgive her!

    "You have been wronged, My Lord!"

    "Since marriage, I have been as good as honey with my husband. How can I even be a little extraverted?!"

    "It is clear that the Old Man was rejected by me. When he became angry, he turned on me!"

    Hu-Lin, unlike her husband, had to bury her face in the ground before she would tell the truth.

    After entering the inner hall, she made a general understanding of the current situation, and then she put out her full chest and cried out like a lady in distress.

    Sun Shaozong had expected this, so he didn''t listen to her at all. He just looked at her with eyes like vultures.

    He saw that although the woman was standing in a straight and upright manner, her eyes were flickering, and she swallowed a mouthful of saliva from time to time, which was obviously trying to suppress the tension or panic in her heart.

    It seemed that it was not the wrong words that could be used to wipe out the forbidden words!

    It was just that...

    After all, this inference needs evidence to support it.

    When the Yamen guards came to visit and investigate two days ago, they heard a lot of evil deeds about this woman, but there was no comment on her. It could be seen that this woman either hid deeply or broke off with the adulterer after Old Man Hu broke into the door.

    "Your Excellency!"

    Thinking about the clues, Lin Delu listened to Hu-Lin''s eloquence and couldn¡¯t help arching his hand and saying, "Lord, it''s better to use torture! Under the pain, I don''t believe this evil woman will not confess!"

    Obviously, he also preferred the confession of Old Man Hu.

    "I¡¯m wronged, Lord! I¡¯m wronged!"

    As soon as Hu-Lin heard that there was torture, her voice suddenly rose a few times, "That Old Man polluted my innocence without any evidence. How can you torture me?"

    Hu Jingsheng also kowtowed to one side, pleading, "Please look at everything. My wife is a straightforward woman and will never deceive you!"

    What a straightforward woman!

    Sun Shaozong sneered a few times and then said, "Don''t worry, I will ask someone to bring up the evidence so that you, husband and wife, can be convinced."

    As he said this, he shouted at Zhao Wuwei and said a few words in his ear.

    At this time, Shi Yongzeng got up from the ground in confusion and said, "Old Man Hu, I was just fascinated by that woman for a moment. I haven''t been to your house since you smashed the door that day. Their disobedience and unfilial behavior have nothing to do with me."

    At this time, the truth was completely revealed. It was this woman who was playing tricks, but she met a man who was lacking in heart...

    "Shi Yongzeng! I''m going to kill you!"

    However, no matter how heartless, Hu Jingsheng finally understood at this time. With a loud roar, his canthus was about to crack, and he was ready to jump on and tear with Shi Yongzeng.

    Zhao Wuwei and the two captors were beside him. How could they tolerate him being reckless?

    Pulling his head and feet together, they dragged the man back to his original place.

    Hu Jingsheng saw that he couldn¡¯t reach the adulterer, so he transferred his rage to Hu-Lin, gnashed his teeth, and said, "What a wicked woman! You really cheated me so hard!"

    "Husband..."

    Seeing such a situation, Hu-Lin unexpectedly added drama to herself. She covered her belly with tears and said in a sad voice, "If you are going to fight and kill me now, I have no complaints. It¡¯s just a pity that my baby... baby... Sob sob sob"

    Hu Jingsheng was really a heartless man. He knew it was a temporary intention at first sight, but he really believed it.

    Seeing his face change a few times, he suddenly turned around and kowtowed to Old Man Hu like garlic. "Dad, I know it''s wrong! That woman also knows it''s wrong! I just beg you to spare her this time for the sake of your grandson!"

    What the hell...

    There¡¯s such a development?!

    Sun Shaozong was silent while watching, but he had to admit that he had caught the key point of the case by mistake.

    Since the beginning of time, people have disregarded the alleged instances of disobedience and corruption. If Old Man Hu was willing to withdraw the case in court, the couple really didn¡¯t have to pay any price!

    So for a moment, all the focus was again on the thin Old Man again.

    .

    But he stared at his son with wide eyes and said, "You... You... You..."

    Hu Jingsheng thought that he was asking his own opinion and hurried to kowtow to the ground, saying, "For the sake of the child, I certainly forgave her!"

    Poof...

    Before he finished speaking, he saw that Old Man Hu spewed blood and fell on his back.

 Chapter 217: Big News

    Chapter 217: Big News

    Everyone was shocked to see that Old Man Hu suddenly vomited blood and fell to the ground.

    Among them, Sun Shaozong was the quickest to respond. He quickly said, "Zhao Wuwei, hurry, assist Father Hu!"

    Then he told the others to go to the doctor.

    However, when Zhao Wuwei came to see Old Man Hu, he was a little dumbfounded. He looked up and exclaimed, "Lord, he... he is not breathing!"

    He is not breathing?!

    Before the voice fell, Hu Jingsheng and his wife rushed up and shook the Old Man''s body with great force, crying, "Dad! Wake up, Dad!"

    "Dad! You can''t die, Dad!"

    "Dad!"

    "Dad!"

    Hearing their cries was heartbreaking. If looking at this scene alone, others must think that this was a pair of filial sons and daughters.

    However, everyone in the hall knew that they were not crying because of Old Man Hu but because of their sad ending.

    His father died in court because of disobedience and conviviality. No matter how this pair of stupid men and women explained it, no one would believe it. They were afraid to die!

    "Somebody!"

    Sun Shaozong stood up solemnly and shouted, "Take this criminal, along with the body of Old Man Hu, to the lobby. I will announce the sentence on the spot!"

    After a busy time, the onlookers were a little surprised when they saw that there were living people and dead people.

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong immediately asked Lin Delu to come forward and publicly state what had just happened in the inner hall. Everyone suddenly began to scold the couple for being inferior to animals and praise the Lord for his divine judgment.

    After the Court had completely recovered, Sun Shaozong also finished writing the verdict, put the official seal in the center, and announced the sentence aloud, "The Hu Jingsheng and Hu-Lin couple were disobedient and unfilial, and caused their father Hu Dazhu to die in shame and indignation, which is really a heinous crime and unjustifiable! My official sentence for these two people is to be hanged according to the law at 3:00 pm tomorrow!"

    Then Hu Jingsheng collapsed into a mess of mud, and Hu-Lin cried and cried for injustice, but who paid attention to her?

    After a pause, Sun Shaozong added, "Shi Yongzeng had an affair with a married woman. I sentence him to two years according to the law, and 90 sets of flogging. It will be executed immediately!"

    To tell the truth, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help feeling a little lacking in heart when he announced these judgments. Fortunately, no one saw anything wrong.

    He threw down a nine black-headed bamboo sticks and took advantage when Shi Yongzeng was flogged in court. Sun Shaozong took up the official seal, stamped the oral statement, recorded it, sentenced one by one, and handed them to Lin Delu, who said, "Let someone make three copies, two of which are to be submitted to the Magistrate and the Minister, and the other is temporarily stored in the name of the sentence department for the reference of the later term of the sentence."

    Lin Delu agreed, but he couldn''t help saying, "Your Excellency is so kind. From my position, that wicked woman should be cut to pieces, and even if she is poor, she should be cut in half!"

    Combined with Qiu Yunfei''s expression of gloating before, Sun Shaozong has also guessed what position Wei Ruolan was recommended for.

    His heart sank, but his face was indifferent. "Not only that, but I also know that Lord Zhao wants Wei Ruolan to take over from me, right?"

    "How do you know that?!"

    Qiu Yunfei widened his eyes and said, "You were investigating a case just now. How could you get the news so soon? Besides, since you know this, how come you haven''t responded at all?"

    Sure enough!

    Sun Shaozong, of course, didn''t respond at all. In fact, the reaction in his heart was gone!

    With regard to the current relationship between the Wei family and the Sun family, if he said that Wei Ruolan didn''t come to him, he wouldn''t think a fool would believe it!

    He just didn¡¯t know if this was the intention of the Wei family or if someone was deliberately planning to make trouble for themselves.

    A small Yamen has enough trouble, and here was another Prince''s brother-in-law

    Wait!

    Thinking of this, suddenly a light flashed in Sun Shaozong¡¯s head. He quickly put on a curious look and looked up and down at Qiu Yunfei.

    Qiu Yunfei was shocked when he saw his stare. He stepped back half a step and asked, "What are you doing?"

    "Nothing."

    Sun Shaozong shook his head but asked back, "I ask you, is the position of a Governor bigger, or the Magistrate?"

    Qiu Yunfei disdained and said, "Of course, it''s the Governor! You just got promoted. You don''t even understand this?"

    Sun Shaozong asked again, "Then let me ask you again, is the position of the Magistrate bigger, or an Inspector?"

    Now Qiu Yunfei finally had some aftertaste. He frowned and said, "Why? Do you want to use me as a gunner?"

    Sun Shaozong laughed and went into the hall without saying a word, leaving only Qiu Yunfei to think more and more.

    A fifth-grade official and a sixth-grade official could be compared.

    But a sixth-grade official and some Inspector...

    Damn it!

    They were all Masters with roots and titles. Why was Wei so much higher than himself...

 Chapter 218: I Dare not Ask, Its My Wish

    Chapter 218: I Dare not Ask, It''s My Wish

    Finally, the exposure of this case was far greater than that of a private investigation.

    It took only a few days to finish the trial in the disobedience case. Of course, the sentence ¡°she was forgiven¡± has spread all over the streets and become the most popular derogatory word in and outside the Capital this spring.

    However, Sun Shaozong didn''t have time to pay attention to this. After the recommendation letter from Imperial Historian Zhao was submitted, he never received a reply from the Imperial Court. Therefore, the position of Assistant Magistrate has remained vacant.

    This caused Sun Shaozong to suffer. The job of the Governor and Assistant Magistrate was on his shoulders. In addition, he accumulated official business during the Spring Festival, and he was really busy. He couldn''t even pay attention to the routine of one day off after five days of work.

    In this way, he was busy until the end of the month and took care of all the things in the Criminal Division.

    So without saying a word, Sun Shaozong immediately asked for a three-day rest, ready to recuperate at home.

    While Xiangling had been pregnant for more than two months, Ruan Rong was in confinement. Sun Shaozong couldn¡¯t touch either side now and could only sleep alone in the study.

    This was precisely what his Big Brother was thinking. Recently, he has been rushing to urge the Rongguo Mansion for marriage. He just changed the invitation letter a few days ago and then went to find a monk and Taoist priest to calculate the marriage date.

    On the 29th of the first month, Sun Shaozong slept in his study until the sun was up. He then got up from the soft couch and called the little servant on duty to come in and serve him.

    After cleaning up, he was ready to go to the backyard to play with his son.

    Unexpectedly, just after walking a few steps, a servant came up behind him. He said that Xu Shouye and Xu Baihu from the patrol camp came to visit. Now, Chamberlain Zhao was talking with them. He has to decide whether to see them or not.

    The door-to-door visit of Xu Shouye and Xu Baihu?

    Sun Shaozong thought for a while and then suddenly got up. The reason why Xu Shouye came to visit at this time was obviously due to the matters of the same year''s party.

    After all, the gathering of the same year in the previous two years was scheduled in February, and this year was no exception.

    Last year, there was a shit-stirring stick like Zhu Peng, who had to rush to be the host. This year, Sun Shaozong''s family was the only powerful one. According to the current practice, it was natural that he should be the initiator.

    However, Sun Shaozong has been tired of official business recently and has been busy enjoying family life in his spare time. How could he remember such a thing?

    At present, Xu Shouye''s visit has woken him up.

    With such thinking, Sun Shaozong hurriedly returned to the front hall.

    "Brother Sun has three happy news in ten months. You make others envy you!"

    "It is naturally not a good thing."

    Xu Shouye shook his head and said, "He just offended Inspector Wang of the Nine Provinces. What good can he get in the Capital this time?"

    He offended Wang Ziteng?

    Although Wang Ziteng held the title of "Commander of the Nine Provinces" and could mobilize officials of all sizes in the coastal provinces, he was only able to control military power rather than civil affairs. How could Xu Tai, a small local official, have a conflict with him?

    "Sigh This Old Xu is also a troublemaker!"

    Xu Shouye, half complained and half admired said, "Years ago, he even wrote a letter saying that Commander Wang''s anti-Japanese strategy was conservative and was blindly optimistic about the situation. In the long run, it would only waste the national strength and would be difficult to eradicate the Japanese invaders."

    Tch!

    Xu Tai is really brave!

    Since Wang Ziteng held the military power of the nine provinces, although there were not many decent troops on the southeast coast, he could still be regarded as the leader of the officials in the frontier. It was too late for ordinary local officials to ingratiate them. How did he dare denounce them like this?

    Hearing this, Sun Shaozong also vaguely guessed Xu Shouye''s purpose, he said, "Brother Xu, are you asking me to protect Xu Tai?"

    He revealed Xu Shouye''s intent. He rubbed his hands and said, "I shouldn''t have forced you, but among the people Xu knew, I''m afraid you are the only one who can exert some power."

    He paused, then quickly continued, "We have no control over the Court''s decision. I just believe that a man like Xu Tai should not be humiliated by those who are attached to power!"

    Sun Shaozong naturally understood what he meant. As the saying goes, ¡±It¡¯s easy to meet the king of hell, but the little devils are difficult to deal with.¡± Wang Ziteng himself might not care much about this matter. Even if he really has a grudge, he would also put on a good face due to his identity.

    However, if some villains knew about it, they would step on Xu Tai to rise in rank.

    For example...

    People like Jia Yucun!

    But even if it was just dealing with those snobbish people, he was afraid that it wouldn''t be an idle job...

    Sun Shaozong carefully pondered for a while and suddenly laughed aloud. "Brother Xu, when Xu Tai arrives in the Capital, how about you and me head over to meet him outside the city?"

    Xu Shouye was immediately overjoyed and hurriedly grabbed his fists and said, "I dare not question, this is my wish too!"

 Chapter 219: The Agreement Between the Brides and Grooms Families on the Date of the Wedding

    Chapter 219: The Agreement Between the Bride''s and Groom''s Families on the Date of the Wedding

    The reason why Sun Shaozong was willing to come forward to defend Xu Tai was that he was able to take a tense situation calmly and lead the team in pursuing the Japanese invaders after being attacked.

    Second, as mentioned earlier, Sun Shaozong has become the leader of the same year, whether he wanted to or not. If he didn¡¯t pay attention to Xu Tai at this time, he would lose his responsibility and backbone as the leader.

    Sun Shaozong has always had enough of these two things.

    But after Xu Shouye was happy, he suddenly remembered another thing and said, "Brother Sun, should we invite some more people of the same year then, so that we can build up our momentum..." UppTodated from

    "Never!"

    Without waiting for him to finish, Sun Shaozong shook his head like a rattling drum and said, "You and I welcome each other with ease. That''s the friendship between us in the same year. If we gather people to meet him with great fanfare, we will be suspected of demonstrating power to Commander Wang. If we really provoke Commander Wang to take the hard way, we will not only fail to save Xu Tai but also get him killed."

    "Right, right!"

    Xu Shouye suddenly fell into a daze and bowed in fear. "Thank you for your advice! Fortunately, I came to see you first, otherwise, I would be confused and hurt that Old Xu!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly lifted him up and said with a smile, "You don¡¯t have to be so courteous. Brother Xu is considerate... Cough Brother Xu''s eagerness for justice is really our model."

    He had intended to say ¡±considerate and warm-hearted,¡± but he felt that these words were also ¡±filthy¡± to represent him, so he changed his words halfway.

    Immediately, Sun Shaozong requested, "I heard that Brother Xu was stationed at the water transport terminal recently. This news is much better than mine, so I can only ask you to inquire about Xu Tai''s schedule to the Capital."

    "Just leave it to me!"

    Xu Shouye hit his chest, answered, and asked about the party in the same year.

    Sun Shaozong was too busy in the government office and had to prepare his son''s monthsary banquet, so he had no time to rest. He put the date of the party at the end of February and said that he would announce the time and place of the party in the same year after the monthsary banquet.

    The two chatted again, but Xu Shouye declined the invitation to have lunch together and got up to leave.

    After seeing Xu Shouye off, Sun Shaozong went to the backyard to play with his son a little, according to the original plan. He also took time to investigate how Shiliu and Furong did as housekeepers.

    By the way, he was going to name his son ¡°Sun Chengyi¡± to commemorate his former self.

    In the evening, Sun Shaozong went to the East courtyard as usual to visit his three nephews who were preparing for the exam.

    "There are many excellent inkstones, but can that thing be picked up by children? Besides, if the baby was injured, what would you do?" his Big Brother growled.

    Sun Shaozong was really speechless.

    Forget it.

    Anyway, he earned all the money himself. How he used it depended on his willingness.

    "Big Brother."

    With such thinking, Sun Shaozong wisely opened the topic, "You asked Chamberlain Zhao to call me here not only to ask me to see this bald pen, right?"

    "Of course not."

    Sun Shaozu took down the bald pen, took out a red card, and handed it to Sun Shaozong, saying, "Tomorrow you take this thing to the Jia family and set the wedding date earlier so that I can hold my son as soon as possible!"

    As he said this, he was full of longing and said, "When the three brothers grow up together, they can take care of each other."

    Sun Shaozong took the invitation, hesitated for a while, and still tried his best to say, "Big Brother, have you heard of the case I tried recently? The old man is 42 years old and still able to have a son..."

    "Later, the unfilial son made him so angry that he died!"

    His Big Brother said angrily, "In my opinion, this bitch was born too late! If she was born young and strong, he would have taught him a lesson!"

    There was such an explanation...

    Sun Shaozong had nothing to say. He silently opened the post of the "invitation" and, as expected, the wedding date was set for March, and it was also the day of the Imperial Examination on March 18.

    But in this way, if one of the three nephews and sons-in-law passed the examination, wouldn''t it be too late to attend the wedding?

    In response, his Big Brother''s explanation was, "Don''t worry about that much. Let her get a touch of civility first so that she can have a son in the future who is good at martial arts and civil studies!"

    Hehe~

    Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t think he had the face to call him ¡±literate and versatile.¡±

 Chapter 220: Making Waves

    Chapter 220: Making Waves

    Ping''er was startled by a number of insignificant movements as the day broke.

    She slightly raised her body, and with the purring of the spring cat and the creaking of the bed, it became accustomed to her ears.

    They were making waves again!

    Ping¡¯er secretly spat in her heart. Knowing that the movement wouldn¡¯t last long, she hurriedly put on her clothes and mixed hot water and towels for preparation.

    Sure enough, she hasn¡¯t even packed up here, and she heard Wang Xifeng yelling and saying, "Ping¡¯er, Ping¡¯er! Go and fetch some water!"

    "Coming!"

    Ping¡¯er agreed, hurried forward with a copper basin and towel, and opened the inner door with her hips.

    As soon as she entered the door, she saw Wang Xifeng hanging the curtain on the golden hook with her arm. On her delicate body, like snow satin, only a lotus-colored Shu embroidery innerwear was covered. When her shoulders were spread out, the two mandarin ducks embroidery on the top were bulging, as if something was waiting to break out.

    "Ah, Second Madam, be careful not to catch a cold!"

    Ping¡¯er rushed forward to take her place. While hanging the curtain on the golden hook, she hurriedly advised, "You can either lie down first or put on your clothes quickly. Today is a cold day..."

    "What are you afraid of?" Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    However, Wang Xifeng did not appreciate it and said with some resentment, "That''s how I can put out the fire in my heart!"

    She didn¡¯t have to ask. It must be that the mood was ruined by Jia Lian halfway.

    But this was what she asked for.

    Since the two people officially made up after the year, she didn¡¯t know where Wang Xifeng learned the "folk prescription". Every day, before dawn, she would show her woman¡¯s side and have a round with Jia Lian to make sure he had no spare time to fool around with other women.

    But Jia Lian''s body and bones were not made of iron. At first, he was eager for freshness and pleasure, and he was able to go on for a long time. However, after that, it went from bad to worse, and now it could only be said that it was a vain job.

    At the moment, listening to Wang Xifeng''s complaints, Jia Lian was like a salted fish. He lay there without saying a word and wrapped his quilt again.

    "Hmph!"

    .

    Wang Xifeng grunted bitterly. She cleaned up the mess under the service of Ping¡¯er and dressed up again. She was asking what food was cooked in the small kitchen today when someone outside pressed her voice and asked, "Sister Ping¡¯er, Sister Pinger, have the Second Master and the Second Madam gotten up?"

    "I¡¯m awake, if there¡¯s anything, come in and talk."

    It was going to be Lin Daiyu''s 13th birthday soon. Ruan Rong was still recovering from her birth, so she could only ask Sun Shaozong to bring the birthday gift in advance.

    Sun Shaozong was going to go to the two doors on the west side to find a woman and a servant girl to send the gifts in.

    Who knew that just after arriving at the intersection of the two doors, behind the moonlit door on the right, a charming figure suddenly flashed out¡ªwho could it be other than Ping¡¯er?

    Sun Shaozong was delighted. Seeing that no one else was around, he stayed up to talk with her. Unexpectedly, Ping¡¯er winked but dropped her hand and stepped aside.

    When Sun Shaozong saw this, he guessed that there must be someone else behind her. He quickly changed his face and prepared to meet Wang Xifeng or Jia Lian. However, he followed Ping¡¯er closely and came out of the moon door, but it was a small figure.

    "Eh?"

    When the little man saw Sun Shaozong, he was also surprised. "Teacher, why are you here?"

    It turned out that this was not someone else but Jia Lan, Li Wan''s only son. In a sense, this was Sun Shaozong''s "cheap son."

    But how could he bump into a place with Ping¡¯er?

    Cough

    Sun Shaozong cleared his throat, looked like a teacher, and said, "I came to your house to do something important. What''s the matter with you? How can you run around without studying in school at this time?"

    "Reply to Teacher''s words."

    Jia Lan arched his hand solemnly and said, "The Old Lady just sent a message that the Empress in the palace gave us some lantern riddles to guess."

    Ping¡¯er smiled and added, "Suyun accidentally sprained her foot while playing with Lan¡¯er and was bumped by me, so she asked me to give him a ride."

    I see.

    This Suyun was really a cranky person. Before he was ready that day, she came onto him in a hurry, and then cried out in pain later...

    Spat, spat, spat~

    How could he have such things on his mind in front of a child?

    After suppressing his dirty thoughts, Sun Shaozong said again, "Okay, I¡¯m going to go to the courtyard, you can just leave Lan¡¯er to me."

    "That''s great."

    Ping¡¯er answered in a crisp voice and then bowed her head, saying, "I am free today, and I am going to find a ¡±quiet place¡± in the garden to have a good rest."

 Chapter 221: The Birthday Present

    Chapter 221: The Birthday Present

    Ping¡¯er''s words clearly meant something.

    The remote places in other courtyards referred to the small courtyard where they had a tryst that day.

    Well~

    It seemed that he had to return to the old location again today.

    It was only necessary to find a suitable reason to enter the courtyard for the Imperial Concubine.

    When he was thinking about it, his sleeve was suddenly pulled, and he looked down. Jia Lan asked seriously, "The front is the Old Lady courtyard. Do you have anything you would like me to convey? I can go in and say."

    Seeing his small appearance, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help laughing and patting him on the top of his head, saying, "There''s nothing from me. After entering, just call out your Uncle Bao."

    "I see."

    Jia Lan agreed to it, and then he jumped his way into the courtyard.

    Sun Shaozong waited for a while outside the door again and saw Jia Baoyu hurrying out. He yelled, "Second brother, I heard that Brother Wei is going to take your place as the Assistant Magistrate, is that true?"

    Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to respond, he stamped his foot again and said, "What is this? Since the two families don''t deal with each other and avoid each other, why do they have to make you two tear each other apart?"

    Although Jia Baoyu and Sun Shaozong had a good relationship recently, he and Wei Ruolan have also known each other since childhood, so he was the last person who would like to see the two people fighting against each other.

    But if things were as simple as he thought, there would be less hatred in the world!

    Sun Shaozong didn''t think much about it but said with a smile, "Why do you mention him? Here, this is a birthday gift from my family. Help me hand it to Lady Lin later."

    He then put the gift box into Jia Baoyu''s hand.

    Jia Baoyu thought it was a little too big at the beginning. Unexpectedly, when the box fell into his hand, it was surprisingly heavy. He nearly twisted his waist and hurriedly changed into two hands to hold it. He was surprised. "What''s in it? How can it be so heavy?"

    "The Duan inkstone of the previous dynasty, as well as dozens of gold engraved with the word "blessing," was originally made by our family for the monthsary banquet. By the way, I also filled some for Lady Lin, to give her a gift on her birthday."

    He originally wanted to give the gift to Zijuan, who was baking in the corridor for the time being, but considering the gloomy look of Daiyu on Xue Baochai''s birthday a few days ago, he simply opened the curtain and held it directly into the hall.

    Facing the curious eyes of the crowd, he smiled and said, "Brother Sun is here to send birthday gifts. Here, this big gift-heavy box. I don''t know what is in it. Sister Lin, open it quickly for everyone to see."

    As he spoke, he dropped the box on the kang table next to Old Lady Jia.

    Lin Daiyu hurriedly stopped him, stamped her feet, and said, "What do you want to see of the gift Sister Rong gave me? Give it back to me!"

    Baoyu was afraid that her strength was weak and she might accidentally drop something again, so he refused to let go of it and said, "Be careful, be careful. Second Brother said that there were many gold beans in it, so don''t spill them!"

    He just said that he didn''t know what was inside, and now he talked about the golden beans. In addition, the two people held a box tightly with four hands and pulled it, so everyone couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    .

    Shi Xiangyun was quick and joked casually, "Just a few golden beans, are they worth both of you guys grabbing onto them?"

    With just this sentence, Daiyu''s face turned a little black.

    Jia Baoyu knew that when Xue Baochai''s birthday was celebrated the other day, she was angry with Shi Xiangyun. Now, fearing that something would happen again, he hurriedly said, "The golden beans are just ready for Sister Lin to give to others. The real gift is an excellent inkstone from the previous dynasty."

    In fact, he didn''t see the quality of the inkstone but expected that Ruan Rong''s current position in the Sun family wouldn¡¯t be stingy, so he directly boasted for her.

    Lin Daiyu was the most thoughtful and immediately knew why he was so eager.

    She was already very happy on the inside, but on the surface, she still looked angry. She grabbed the gift and pretended to be angry. "Keep your mouth closed! The excitement of guessing the gift my sister sent me has been ruined by you!"

    Jia Baoyu was full of complaints, and the clouds were scattered that day.

    He asked his Grandmother to leave again and was ready to accompany Sun Shaozong to see the opera troupe.

    "Grandmother, I have written the riddle this time, and I will send it back to the palace." Then he made a face at Jia Huan and said, "Third Brother, you didn''t guess the riddle you sent last time. This time you have to use your strength."

    Jia Huan raised his face and looked angry.

    Jia Baoyu was laughed at, then walked out of the yard bitterly and led Sun Shaozong straight to the provincial courtyard.

 Chapter 222: Visit Pingâ€™er but meet Miaoyu

    Before the first lunar month, the scenery of the provincial parental home was inevitably monotonous, so it was not worth repeating.

    At the Lixiang Courtyard, more than ten young girls were laughing and making noises. Seeing Jia Baoyu leading Sun Shaozong in, they hurried forward and greeted ¡±Second Uncle Bao, Second Uncle Bao¡± and said some auspicious words carefully around him.

    There was only a slim woman in the middle of the room. She only stepped forward, gave a simple salute, and then hid in the corner.

    This was nothing, but Jia Baoyu pointed at her first and said, "I know this one. Her singing is excellent. Even the Empress has praised it! What''s her name... Lingguan, yes, it''s Lingguan!"

    As he said this, he waved and said, "Lingguan, please sing a song for Brother Sun quickly and let him listen to it!"

    In fact, the female playwright of this family was lower than the slave of that family, who had children. Jia Baoyu told her to sing for the guests, which was a reasonable thing.

    However, Lingguan twisted her body and said with a little bit of a smile, "I''m hoarse and can''t sing!"

    How did that pretty voice sound so hoarse?

    Baoyu has never been treated like this, especially in front of outsiders, so his baby face was red and full of rage.

    If it was someone else who was to make him angry, even if he didn''t beat the person up, he would have scolded them with a few words at least. But when Jia Baoyu saw the brightly-colored woman, he lost three points of his anger. To put it nicely, he was a person who knew how to cherish women, at worst, he was a "ladies¡¯ man."

    In particular, the eyebrows, eyes, and facial features of Lingguan at this age were also similar to Lin Daiyu, and he became more and more confused about what to do.

    There was an older actor next to him. She came up and whispered, "Don''t take her actions into account. Just wait a moment. When the Second Master Qiang comes and asks her to sing, she must sing!"

    Jia Baoyu was puzzled and asked where Jia Qiang went.

    Sun Shaozong was listening, but he knew that this was accusing Lingguan of that age, accusing her of being spoiled because of her unusual relationship with Jia Qiang. Even Jia Baoyu, such a serious master, was completely ignored.

    Tch

    This small domestic theatrical troupe has to fight openly and secretly!

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong didn''t have to listen to her singing today. He didn''t care about the calculation between a group of young girls, so he casually said, "If she doesn''t want to sing, just choose a few people to sing. Let me see what''s wrong. That¡¯s enough."

    Sun Shaozong also said with a smile, "I''m afraid the drink was a secondary reason."

    He then shook his sleeve and said, "Go quickly. I''ll walk around here."

    Jia Baoyu didn¡¯t doubt his words and then solemnly greeted him. He then hurried away with the boy.

    After seeing him off, Sun Shaozong walked around casually and circled several times. After confirming that there was no one nearby, he followed the foot of the remote hillside all the way.

    Seeing that the courtyard door on the top of the slope was half open, Sun Shaozong hurried into the courtyard.

    After entering the door, he saw a slim figure with her back to him, and he was ready to call out Ping¡¯er''s name.

    However, when the words came to his lips, he suddenly felt that it was wrong because the woman''s large sleeves fluttered and it was a patchwork dress!

    It¡¯s not Ping¡¯er?!

    At this time, the woman also heard the movement and looked back at Sun Shaozong in disbelief. She looked back at Sun Shaozong, but she was surprised and yelled a cry of surprise. She stepped back a few steps and folded her hands in front of her chest. Her face, which was originally quite dusty, was more full of vigilance.

    "It''s you! You... What do you want to do?!"

    It turned out that the woman in the patchwork was the nun Miaoyu, who had very long hair.

    Sun Shaozong had already begun to retreat after seeing that she was not Ping¡¯er. Seeing her appearance like that of a wolf guard, he immediately left the courtyard without saying a word.

    "Hey, don''t go!"

    He didn¡¯t know what Miaoyu was thinking. When she saw him turn around to leave, she ran after him and shouted.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t want to pay attention to her, but as soon as he came out of the courtyard, he saw a figure coming in a hurry. He saw that she had reached the slope, but who could it be if it wasn¡¯t Ping¡¯er?

    Oh no!

    If he lets Miaoyu catch up with Ping¡¯er, it might cause some misunderstandings. Then...

    Sun Shaozong''s heart flashed. He hurriedly made a sign to Ping¡¯er to leave quickly, turned around and turned back to the courtyard, and asked aloud, "What do you want?"

 Chapter 223: Useless Mercy

    Chapter 223: Useless Mercy

    So Miaoyu hurried forward a few steps, unexpectedly running into Sun Shaozong, who had turned back into the courtyard. She quickly took a few steps back until she was at a safe distance from him, and then cautiously stopped.

    Hearing Sun Shaozong''s loud questioning, she bit her white teeth and suddenly put her palms together and bowed, saying, "Amitabha, after hearing what Second Master Bao explained to me that day, I realized that I had wrongly accused you, Your Excellency. I beg you to forgive me and not to lower yourself to my level."

    Using a Buddhist phrase and referring to herself as "I" twice, it was unclear whether she could really be considered a Buddhist nun.

    However...

    Sun Shaozong had already seen through her.

    "Hmph."

    He coldly snorted. "Alright, if you have something you want me to help with, just say it. Don''t try to deceive me with such a fake attitude."

    Miaoyu''s reluctant apology revealed that she had another motive.

    "Your Excellency really has good insight."

    Although she was exposed, Miaoyu didnt seem to mind. She bowed again with her palms together and said solemnly, "To be honest, I stopped you to plead for mercy for my fellow nuns in Shuiyue Monastery. Although they have committed various sins, they were ultimately forced into it and can be forgiven."

    Sun Shaozong didnt expect that she was going to plead mercy for the nuns in Shuiyue Monastery. Werent nuns supposed to be enemies?

    "Haha, what an excuse for their sins."Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    He laughed and then said seriously, "Have you not heard the saying, forgivable love, unforgivable sin? Since those nuns have become accessories to murder, they will naturally be punished by the law."

    When Miaoyu first saw him, she was like a startled bird, but now she stood tall and spoke confidently.

    "Even if their sins are unforgivable, their unborn children are innocent. The Buddha said that saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. Moreover, it is not necessarily only one life. Your Excellency, please show mercy and spare them from being killed."

    "You don''t need to worry about this."

    Sun Shaozong sneered, "The Great Zhou Law clearly stipulates that pregnant women who commit serious crimes will not be punished until after giving birth. Those nuns are only under house arrest, not imprisoned."

    Seeing Miaoyu''s delighted expression as she recited Buddhist prayers, he added, "But don''t be too happy yet. The real trouble is yet to come."

    "What trouble?"

    "People who are going to die often take extreme actions." Sun Shaozong smiled darkly. "You will know then."

    With that, he went on the road without turning back.

    "Extreme acts..."

    Miaoyu chewed on these words repeatedly. At first, her face showed some flinching, but it didn''t take long for her to look firm again. Miaoyu struggled in her heart.

    After Sun Shaozong walked out of the distance, he started to worry again. Now that the remote courtyard has been targeted by Miaoyu, how could he have a private meeting with Pinger?

    He wandered aimlessly for a while and suddenly heard several shouts coming from afar, and it was calling for him.

    "Governor Sun, Governor Sun!"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly followed the voice to meet him. When he got close to the shouting man, he was stunned. He saw that the man was slim and good-looking, with a right arm tied to his waist. He was speechless and awkward when walking.

    "Are you... Jia Yun?"

    It turned out that this man was none other than Jia Yun, who had been severely injured by Jia Qin.

    "It''s me."

    Seeing Jia Yun kneeling on his knees and kowtowing with his head, he said, "I have always remembered in my heart since I was saved that day. I just didn''t dare to go to the door and just heard that my Godfather wanted to come here to talk to you, so I took the initiative to ask for the job so that I can thank you personally!"

    Sun Shaozong wondered and asked, "Godfather? Who is your Godfather again?"

    Jia Yun stood up and said, "Uncle Bao doesn''t disdain me. He has recognized me as his Godson. Now I''m helping him with some chores."

    Tch!

    He was clearly a few years older than Baoyu, but now he recognized Baoyu as his Godfather.

    This was really

    Sun Shaozong reached out and held him up without saying anything, but he didn''t know what to say. In the end, he just said, "It''s really hard for you."

    When Jia Yun heard it, his eyes immediately turned red. He quickly lowered his head to cover it up and then forced a smile. "Please follow me to the front yard, and don''t let my Godfather wait for a long time."

 Chapter 224: Never-Ending Trouble

    Chapter 224: Never-Ending Trouble

    One world, one dream. This sentence was a perfect description of the street where the imperial examination was held on the ninth day of February. Whether they were commoners or high-ranking officials, everyone had only one dream at this moment, to pass the imperial examination.

    As soon as Sun Shaozong got out of his carriage, he saw an old man with white hair who refused his son''s help so as not to waste his energy. The old man trembled as he held a bamboo basket and ran to the entrance of the place where the imperial examination was being held.

    Seeing the old man''s exhausted and frail appearance, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but sigh. Indeed, parents'' hearts are the most compassionate.

    The son, who knew how to behave, was moved to tears. He caught up to his father, knelt in front of him, and kowtowed as if crushing garlic, crying out, "Father, you are already sixty-eight years old, and your health has not been good in the past two years. Let''s not take the exam this time!"

    "No way!" The old man shook his head resolutely. "Even if I have to take the exam until I''m eighty-six, I will pass the imperial examination. Even if I die, I will die inside the examination hall!"

    Um~

    The plot seemed to be different from what he imagined.

    Sun Shaozong awkwardly withdrew his gaze and patted Sun Chengye''s shoulder, reminding him, "Don''t panic when you go in. First, organize your room carefully, and then read the questions carefully."

    Sun Chengye tightly pursed his lips and nodded vigorously. Sun Shaozong was afraid that he would twist his neck with too much force.

    Sigh~

    With only this poor ability to regulate his emotions, Sun Chengye would have a hard time passing the exam this year.

    "Thirteenth Uncle, don''t worry!" Sun Chengtao still looked confident, patting his chest and saying, "Just wait and see! I can''t guarantee I''ll be the top scorer, but I will definitely pass the second-level examination!"

    Oh~

    With such impatience and anxiety, it was hard to say if he could pass the exam.

    Yu Qian arched his hand and said, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle."

    Indeed, it was still the same

    Sun Shaozong watched the three people enter the Imperial Gate. When he looked back, Wang Zhe''s carriage was long gone.

    Naturally, he had no reason to stay here any longer, so he told Zhang Cheng, Sun Xi, and others to drive out of Imperial Examination Street slowly.

    When he arrived home, before the carriage stopped, he heard a man outside yelling loudly at his throat, "Brother Sun, Brother Sun, you are back!"

    With this shout, Sun Shaozong hurriedly picked up the curtain and replied, "Brother Xu, is Xu Tai already here?"

    "Xu Tai''s boat should arrive at Datong Bridge Pier this afternoon!"

    Xu Shouye shouted, went straight ahead, and pulled the reins. When the black horse stopped, he jumped off the horse, poked his head, and said, "But according to the information I just heard, Lao Xu was also accompanied by two Water Masters of Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

    "They were called in the name of escorting, but they were actually sent as escorts. It was said that Ma Xingyi, who was on guard there when he passed the State of Xu, also wanted to meet Lao Xu on the dock for a while, but was blocked by the two Water Masters!"

    Ma Xingyi was the No. 1 martial artist in Guangde for eight years and the only one of the top three who didn''t give up martial arts and followed the law, so he was half a step ahead of others and was promoted to the post of fifth-grade Military Officer.

    If it hadn''t been for Sun Shaozong, he would have joined Xu Tai in calling that subject a civil and military duo.

    But when he saw Xu Shouye in a state of anxiety, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help laughing. "When they were in the State of Xu, they just passed by and naturally had a way to stop Lao Xu from getting on the boat. But when they arrived in the Capital, could they still imprison Xu Tai on the boat?"

    "As long as they set foot on this land, do we still need to be afraid of what the two Water Masters can make?"

    "Just relax and go to meet Xu Tai with me this afternoon."

    After hearing this, Xu Shouye immediately calmed down and said with a beaming smile, "In that case, I will book a table outside the Dongbian Gate, and then the three of us will eat and talk!"

    With that, he didn''t go in with Sun Shaozong. He jumped on the horse and took it all the way.

    This young brother was really in a hurry to reincarnate.

    Seeing Xu Shouye hurrying away, Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly and said that the spring of the 11th year of Guangde was really troublesome.

 Chapter 225: Unexpectedly

    Chapter 225: Unexpectedly

    It was bitterly cold in the spring, and the porters on the Datong Bridge wharf were dressed in thin clothes. Some of them rolled up their sleeves and even worked bare-chested to handle the heavy loads.

    Sun Shaozong and Xu Shouye sat in a tea shed, watching the bustling scene with some restlessness.

    Xu Shouye rolled up his sleeves to reveal his tanned arms and said enviously, "Sometimes I really want to be like these people, working hard every day to earn money to support their families without having to think about anything else."

    His words seemed to imply some dissatisfaction with the current situation.

    Sun Shaozong was curious and asked, "Isn''t it said that this wharf is a top-notch job? Why are you complaining?"

    "It may be a good job, but it''s frustrating!" Xu Shouye drank a bowl of tea and chewed on the tea leaves. He said vaguely, "These officials from all over the country have to be dealt with carefully, even the wealthy servants can''t be easily offended. They are like the madams in a brothel, busy all day long."

    Sun Shaozong laughed and teased him, pointing to his stubbled face. "If the madams in the brothel really looked like you, they would have lost everything long ago."

    As they were talking and laughing, there was a commotion on the wharf. Two merchant ships that were about to unload their cargo suddenly withdrew their gangways and rushed to the side.

    Then a passenger ship swaggered in and moored in their place, with two flags waving in the wind. The big flag showed "Supervising and inspecting the nine provinces by imperial decree," and the small one showed "Governor''s office of the State of Funing."

    Sun Shaozong and Xu Shouye looked at each other and knew that Xu Tai had arrived. They quickly got up and went to greet him. As for the tea money, the servants would take care of it.

    From a distance, they saw two Naval Captains, one tall and one fat, holding horsewhips and coming off the ship. They shouted roughly and ordered the porters hired by the merchant ships to unload their goods from their ships first.

    Even if they didn''t care about the order of arrival, the Porters shouldnt have taken money from one party and unloaded goods for another.

    The foreman stepped forward and explained with a smile, but he was beaten several times with a whip. There was nothing he could do but accept it and carry down boxes of silk and satin from the ship.

    "They are so arrogant, no wonder they were able to stop Ma Xingyi," Sun Shaozong smiled and said to Xu Shouye.

    "Chief Xu?"

    The fat Captain was slow to keep up with Sun Shaozong''s quick thinking. He stared blankly for a moment before realizing what was going on. He saw Sun Shaozong raising his foot to kick him again and quickly turned and said, "Why are you standing around? Hurry up and call Chief Xu out!"

    The dozen or so sailors, now surrounded by twenty or thirty patrol soldiers, had lost their courage to fight back. Upon hearing this, more than half of them ran back to the boat, and a tall, skinny man was brought out from the cabin below.

    "Old Xu!"

    At the sight of the emaciated man, Xu Shouye couldn''t help but be shocked. He jumped onto the boat in three steps and grabbed the man''s arm, saying, "You You..."

    After a moment of hesitation, he turned back and glared at the fat Captain, cursing through gritted teeth. "Damn it, is this what you call an escort?!"

    Sun Shaozong was also angry at the sight of Xu Tai, who was known for his strength, being abused into such a sickly appearance. He raised his foot to give the fat Captain another kick.

    "Brother Shaozong, don''t be too hard on them," Xu Tai hurriedly said. "I look like this now because I was injured during the ninth year of Guangde, which has nothing to do with these two."

    Sun Shaozong let go of the fat Captain and pointed to the box that had been taken off the boat, instructing, "Remember to report it to the Ministry of War as military supplies."

    He then arched his hand towards Xu Tai from a distance and said with a smile, "Brother Xu, Shouye, and I have already arranged a good table of wine to welcome you."

    But Xu Tai shook his head and said, "I am a guilty man and cant accept such kindness from two Elder Brothers."

    Seeing the confused looks on Sun Shaozong and Xu Shouye''s faces, he sighed. "To be frank, Commander Wang personally met with me before I entered the Capital and analyzed the situation in the nine southeastern provinces. It was only then that I realized that I was an ignorant and arrogant fool who was living in my little world."

    Wow.

    Sun Shaozong and Xu Shouye were dumbfounded after hearing this. They had just been figuring out how to shelter Xu Tai from the storm, but they never expected him to have already surrendered!

 Chapter 226: Abide According to the Destiny

    Chapter 226: Abide According to the Destiny

    When Sun Shaozong and Xu Shouye looked at each other, they didn''t know how to face Xu Tai.

    On the other side, Jia Yingchun, who was to be married at Rongguo Mansion, was also in a dilemma.

    The original cause of the matter was that Jia Yingchun was moved to a corner of the western courtyard of Jia Shes house, where Cao Xueqin forgot about it and had to prepare for the wedding in a hurry on the ninth day of the lunar new year.

    Although she was not in favor of the family, after all, she still bore the name of a Young Lady, and there were a lot of things in addition to the small and valuable ones. She has always been good-tempered, and the people below were naturally happy to work for her.

    It took a long time to put things in order, seeing the people walking and scattering.

    After the preparations were done, the house was finally deserted again. Jia Yingchun was relieved, but suddenly heard the big servant girl Siqi yelling, "Ah, Second Lady, the two beads of gold and phoenix given by Concubine Ruan Rong are missing! Who took the opportunity to take them away?"

    Jia Yingchun immediately panicked again, thinking about the number of people just now. How could she find it easily?

    For a moment, she just felt numb and forced a smile. "Look carefully so you can find it," she said. "It might not have been taken by someone. Maybe it is where we left off earlier."

    In fact, in terms of appearance and figure, Jia Yingchun was second to none of the three sisters and might not even be inferior to Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. It was a pity that this dull and afraid character had naturally erased her color.

    "How can it be!"

    Jia Yingchun was a submissive person, but the big servant girl in her yard, Siqi, has a strong personality. She was also a big and powerful person. Not to mention the average woman, even the men were not as powerful as her.

    In addition, Siqi''s grandfather and grandmother, Wang Shanbao and his wife, were also the most trusted stewards around Madam Wang, so they developed a strong temper. She was able to take charge of 80 percent of the major and minor affairs in Jia Yingchun''s yard normally.

    At this time, listening to Jia Yingchun''s vague words, she knew that Jia Yingchun was about to let the matter go. She just stamped her feet angrily and said, "Those two golden phoenixes are your most precious jewels, Lady. I put them in a box this morning. How could they fall somewhere else?"

    With that, she said angrily, "Second Lady, you are going to marry soon anyway. Are you still afraid of offending anyone? If you ask me, we can simply get revenge and throw out all the bad things, so you can marry the Sun family happily and comfortably!"

    Jia Yingchun heard her speaking louder and louder, and her face was pale with fear. She quickly begged like a Buddha, "My Siqi, stop shouting. This is not like other places. What if I disturb the Master and Madam?"

    Now that Siqi has made the matter clear, without her agreement, how could she be willing to get up?

    So she knocked her head on the ground and said, "I don''t ask for anything else, but just for this once. For the relationship of our Master and Servant these years, let me live!"

    Jia Yingchun also broke down in tears after Siqi repeatedly forced her. She twisted her handkerchief and said sadly, "You only want to live for yourself, but... What about me? I can''t even care about my marriage. Why should I care about you?"

    After a pause, seeing that Siqi still refused to get up, she had to add another sentence, "Moreover, you have this big thing hidden in your heart. If I go to intercede for you to stay, once they find out about your matters, wont I be implicated too?"

    "As I say, our lives are all set by God. Don''t worry too much. Who knows that after marrying together with me to the Sun family, we will be able to enjoy our lives?"

    Seeing such a time, she still fooled her with a matter that had no indications. Siqi knew that no matter how much she begged, it was useless. In despair, she couldnt help but cry.

    Jia Yingchun finally sighed with relief after seeing this. She handed over the handkerchief in her hand and said timidly, "Cry quietly. Don''t alarm the Master and Madam. Otherwise, if they ask about the reason, we explain clearly."

    Siqi ignored her and cried even more.

    Jia Yingchun sighed and said, "I know you are aggrieved in your heart, but fate assigned you to me. If you can''t let the matter go, you can hit and scold me to release your anger."

    As she said this, she couldnt help brainwashing Siqi''s spirit and said with hope, "You have seen the Erlang of the Sun family, and they all said that he is a person who knows the limits. His brother may not be much worse. By then, I will ask to give you a Concubine identity..."

    Before she finished speaking, Siqi suddenly jumped up, broke open the door desperately, and rushed out regardless.

    Jia Yingchun was frightened and ran after her and asked, "What What are you doing?"

    "Ill go find those two golden phoenixes with beads!"

    Siqi left a sentence in hatred and ran straight away.

    "You... You..."

    Jia Yingchun ran after her for a few steps, but after all, she didn''t dare to follow her. In the end, she sighed with dismay and muttered, "Forget it, let it be fate."

 Chapter 227: Wei Ruolans Brilliant Official Career

    Chapter 227: Wei Ruolan''s Brilliant Official Career

    Although the reception on the pier turned into a complete farce due to Xu Tai''s unexpected change, ignoring the word "awkward," it was actually a good thing for Sun Shaozong from a practical perspective.

    Since Xu Tai had already conceded, there was no need to cover for him anymore.

    Sun Shaozong''s reason for welcoming Xu Tai could be guessed by anyone with a little bit of cunning, so even though the image of "supporting colleagues" and "fearless to power" was slightly discounted, it was still established without paying any price.

    In addition, Xu Tai''s reputation in the industry was completely ruined, which was also beneficial to Sun Shaozong in the situation where his identity was dominant in the same year.

    Although

    This "dominant position" was currently useless.

    On the second day, when Sun Shaozong arrived at the Yamen, the atmosphere was obviously a bit strange. From the gatekeeper to the clerk who checked the attendance, their attitudes were much more respectful than usual.

    After arriving at the Department of Punishments, all the officials from Lin Delu and below were queuing up to ask for his permission, no matter what trivial reasons they had. As long as they could say a few words to him, they turned back with relieved expressions.

    This was undoubtedly "taking sides!"

    However, Sun Shaozong didnt naively believe that the entire Department of Punishments, and even officials from other departments, were all his loyal supporters. In fact, the current trend was only due to the psychology of "conformity" and "risk avoidance."

    The psychology of conformity needed no explanation.Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    As for "risk avoidance"

    Although they didnt know who would win the struggle between Wei Ruolan and Sun Shaozong, based on the means Sun Shaozong had demonstrated over the past year, revenge against a few traitors who first sided with Wei Ruolan was an easy task.

    Especially since he was still the Governor of the Department of Criminal, while Wei Ruolan was just an Assistant Magistrate.

    Therefore, before Sun Shaozong showed signs of decline, even those with ideas had to keep their thoughts to themselves.

    However, in Sun Shaozong''s view, the lively scene at the moment was not a good thing because it indicated that, at least in the minds of many people, Wei Ruolan was his equal or even slightly stronger.

    Otherwise, even if everyone in the courtyard wanted to pledge allegiance, there would be no need to act hypocritically as they did at the reception and embarrass the "new Assistant Magistrate" before Wei Ruolan took office. This would be the true performance of taking sides, but it was not surprising.

    After all, the identity of Prince Beijing''s nephew was there, and with Sun Shaozong as a precedent, everyone had already prepared themselves for the idea of a military general transferring to become an Assistant Magistrate.

    By the way, Sun Shaozong was a bit confused at first, wondering why Prince Beijing, who had no real power, was so arrogant.

    Later, when his Elder Brother, who was looking for a bargain, carefully inquired, he found out that Prince Beijing''s biggest reliance was not his title but the Eldest Princess born of his mother, Empress Dowager Niu''s direct lineage.

    In other words, Shui Rong was Empress Dowager''s great-grandson and the nephew of Emperor Guangde!

    Based on this seniority, when Prince Zhongshun made jokes about Shui Rong''s wife, it was a disorderly act

    "My Lord!"

    With that, he bypassed Wei Ruolan and left.

    What a rude dog!

    Wei Ruolan always thought highly of himself. He could just randomly throw his temper toward Jia Lian and Feng Ziying. How could he stand Qiu Yunfei''s treatment?

    With a scolding in his heart, his face was a little black.

    But thinking of the purpose of his coming to the Criminal Division, he quickly adjusted his mind again. It was just a waste of time, depending on his family background. The only person who was worth taking seriously in the Criminal Division was Sun Shaozong!

    No!

    Even Sun Shaozong was just a stepping stone!

    What he had to do now was step on the bones of Sun Shaozong and embark on a brilliant official career that Sun Shaozong could never be able to achieve in his life!

    With such thinking, Wei Ruolan put his unhappiness behind him and walked towards the hall with a manly spirit. It was time to step on the face of Sun!

    Squeak~

    Just then, a small officer in a green robe with a fat stomach suddenly pushed the door out of the hall and said with a smile, "Are you the new Assistant Magistrate?"

    At this time, those who were still in Sun Shaozong''s yard must be running dogs under the door!

    Did he still need to give them a good face?

    Wei Ruolan put his hands back, looked up at the eaves at an angle of 45 degrees, pointed his nostrils at Lin Delu, and said proudly, "Its me. Is Governor Sun around?"

    "He is naturally here."

    When Wei Ruolan heard these words, he entered with pride.

    However, Lin Delu put his fat body in front of the door and smiled again. "The Governor has an order. He asked you to visit the Magistrate and the Minister first. After you come back, he can also concentrate on instructing you how to deal with the official business."

    "Do I need his guidance..."

    Wei Ruolan was immediately annoyed. He was just waiting to yell a few words, but he suddenly woke up. If he had a conflict with Sun Shaozong, he would have been fine. But if he fought with a dog in front of the door, wouldn''t he lose his identity?

    In particular, although the words made him uncomfortable, he couldnt find any fault on the surface. If he overreacted for a moment and the news spread

    "Hmph!"

    Thinking of this, Wei Ruolan simply flung his sleeve and left bitterly.

    Even if he stepped on his foot a moment later, the effect would be the same!

 Chapter 228: Mutual Encouragement

    Chapter 228: Mutual Encouragement

    After seeing Wei Ruolan leave angrily, Lin Delu''s face changed several times before he finally calmed down.

    To be honest, if he had a choice, he wouldn''t want to offend Wei Ruolan.

    Unfortunately, he had no choice at the moment.

    Turning back to the hall, Lin Delu bowed and said, "My Lord, as per your instructions, I have sent Assistant Magistrate Wei away."

    "Hmm."

    Sun Shaozong responded indifferently, then turned to Zhao Wuwei and instructed him, "Follow him and see if he stays long in the Minister''s office or if he''s having a good conversation with the Magistrate."

    Zhao Wuwei hurriedly obeyed.

    Lin Delu hesitated for a while and couldn''t help but inquire, "My Lord, who do you think Assistant Magistrate Wei will get closer to?"

    "Well it depends on how much ability and insight he has."

    "How much ability and insight?"

    "That''s right."

    Sun Shaozong extended three fingers and said, "He has only three options now. First, he can use his identity and ability to reconcile the conflict between Minister Han and Magistrate Jia. If he can gain the support of both, he can do whatever he wants in this prefecture."

    Lin Delu was surprised to hear this and couldn''t help but question, "After what happened with former Governor Liu, can Minister Han and Magistrate Jia still make peace?!"

    "Where there''s a will, there''s a way."

    Sun Shaozong said nonchalantly, "As long as enough benefits are offered, not only can they make peace, but they can also be closely bound together."

    "The disadvantage of doing this is that it is difficult and not something that an ordinary person can achieve."

    "As for the other two options, naturally, he can choose between Minister Han or Magistrate Jia. He can choose Minister Han to save face or Magistrate Jia to gain an advantage. Whether face is more important or an advantage is more practical, that depends on one''s personal opinion."

    Lin Delu thought deeply about the words advantage and face repeatedly, as if he had understood something. He couldn''t help but ask, "If it were you, My Lord, which option would you choose?"

    "Me?"

    Sun Shaozong laughed heartily. "I don''t have that good of a fortune to have a sister who married Prince Beijing."

    Saying this, he waved his hand and said, "Enough of these idle thoughts. Even if the sky falls, I''ll bear the weight. First, sort out the recent official documents and see which ones need to be reviewed by Assistant Magistrate Wei."

    The case had been praised as a great success outside. According to reason, it should have been Sun Shaozong''s pride and joy. After being belittled for no reason, how could he just admit defeat?

    This was completely different from the script he had designed earlier!

    What happened to his youthful enthusiasm?

    It took a while for Wei Ruolan to regain his composure. He thought to himself that at least the other party had admitted defeat, and although it didn''t make Sun Shaozong lose face as he had expected, it was still a gain.

    Thinking of this, Wei Ruolan said in a deep voice, "Our country advocates filial piety for nation-building, but Governor Sun lightly sentenced those two disobedient people. Such protection of two unfilial persons is extremely absurd."

    As expected, he brought up this point!

    In fact, Sun Shaozong had anticipated it earlier, as Lin Delu had pointed out the issue of lenient sentencing before.

    "So, why don''t you draft a statement and send it to me, and I''ll re-sentence it heavily?" Sun Shaozong said with a smile.

    This

    Did he agree to re-sentence it?

    As a newly appointed court official, shouldn''t he try everything to maintain his authority?

    Wei Ruolan was stunned again but saw that Sun Shaozong''s expression became solemn, and he said seriously, "Assistant Magistrate Wei, I have taken your advice to heart, but here I also have some heartfelt words to share with you."

    "The Central Judicial Office is not the military. When facing superiors, we cant be careless without etiquette. We are all martial officials, but if you behave as you did earlier and offend the Minister and the Magistrate, what will become of you?"

    Who offended the Minister and the Magistrate?

    He was clearly just targeting him on purpose!

    Wei Ruolan thought to himself, but in the government office, this reason couldnt be clearly stated.

    "Lin Delu!"

    Sun Shaozong shouted again and asked, "I heard that Clerk Chen writes well. Is that true?"

    "Indeed, many people come to ask for his handwriting every month," Lin Delu replied quickly.

    "Then go and ask him to write two scrolls for me, one with the words think carefully and be cautious and hang it in my room. The other with the words be humble and avoid arrogance and send it to Assistant Magistrate Wei''s room."

    As he spoke, Sun Shaozong solemnly bowed and said, "Assistant Magistrate Wei, let''s take this opportunity to encourage each other."

 Chapter 229: A Fake Nun Wants to Find Out the Real Lecherous Nun

    Chapter 229: A Fake Nun Wants to Find Out the Real Lecherous Nun

    February 11th, the 11th year of Guangde, early in the morning, four or five scribes gathered together in the corridor, eagerly spreading gossip.

    "Have you heard? Have you heard?"

    "Yesterday, Young Master Wei quarreled with Governor Sun right after he came!"

    "Really?!"

    "How did it happen?!"

    "Who won the argument?!"

    The well-informed scribe saw that the others were so interested and started the story. Only when someone threatened to go to the judiciary office to find out what really happened did he finally talk, "At first, Young Master Wei was provoking Governor Sun, accusing him of unjustly interrupting a case..."

    "What?!"

    "That''s ridiculous!"

    "Yeah, Governor Sun is a well-known Divine Judgement in our prefecture!"

    "Wait, wait!"

    The scribe continued, "Young Master Wei wanted to say that Governor Sun had judged too leniently on the case of disobedience."

    "That makes sense."

    "Indeed, those two animals got off too easily."

    "And how did Minster Sun respond?"

    "Haha, Governor Sun..."

    The scribe teased again, and when urged by others, he continued, "Governor Sun immediately acknowledged it, not only changing the verdict as Young Master Wei suggested but also asked Clerk Chen to write the words think carefully and be cautious and hang them in his Office."

    "What? Governor Sun just surrendered like that?!"

    Was he here to persuade him and Wei Rulan to reconcile?

    Given his character, it was possible

    Anyway, since he was here, there was no reason to avoid him.

    "Bring him in."

    The guard went to do as he was told, and Sun Shaozong waited for a moment before he went out to greet Jia Baoyu. They bumped into each other outside the gate of the Criminal Department, and Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "How come you came in by yourself, Brother Bao? I was just about to come out and greet you!"

    In fact, his meticulous planning was a last resort.

    As the "Imperial Uncle of the state," Jia Baoyu should have been greeted at the gate of the Yamen in person. But as a young boy, if he really went out to welcome him with great fanfare, he would undoubtedly leave the wrong impression of a sycophant who had no sense of propriety.

    Jia Baoyu didn''t think so much. He greeted Sun Shaozong and then stepped aside to reveal a slender woman who took off her hood and bowed with folded hands, saying, "Miao Yu here pays my respects to Lord Sun."

    "You..."

    Sun Shaozong was about to ask her why she had come, but then he remembered that he had promised her a few days ago to let her visit some pregnant nuns. So instead of asking, he joked, "As a nun, why do you need a bodyguard when you go out?"

    Miao Yu bowed again and said calmly, "Just in case, I asked Young Master Bao to come as a witness."

    This little nun was really straightforward.

    Originally, Sun Shaozong planned to randomly arrange a few people to accompany her to visit those nuns, but since Jia Baoyu also came along, he couldn''t be too casual. So he said, "Alright then, I''ll take you there to take a look. But when we get there, Brother Bao shouldnt follow us inside, to prevent you from staining your eyes and ears."

    Jia Baoyu hadn''t said anything yet, but Miaoyu frowned and asked anxiously, "Why? Is the environment where they are now very poor?"

    "If it''s just a poor environment, how could it stain your ears and eyes?" Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "Anyway, you''ll understand what I mean when we get there."

    Miaoyu saw that he didn''t want to explain further, so she didn''t ask any more questions.

    It was Jia Baoyu who couldn''t help but pat his chest and said, "Second Brother, there''s a saying that goes, After being apart for three days, one looks upon with new eyes. I have experienced so much now, so what can''t I see or hear?"

    Sun Shaozong thought about it and agreed. Although this matter was somewhat unsuitable for minors, Jia Baoyu could hardly be considered a "minor" in this regard.

    So he said decisively, "Alright, we''ll all go in and take a look later!"

 Chapter 230: Pregnancy Record of the Nun [(1)]

    Chapter 230: Pregnancy Record of the Nun [(1)]

    The three pregnant nuns were not imprisoned in the Yamen but in a secluded courtyard not far from the back gate.

    The Shuntian Prefecture prepared this courtyard specifically to temporarily detain prisoners who couldnt be detained in the large prison permanently.

    Apart from the three pregnant nuns, there was also a 74-year-old woman who was charged with poisoning and killing her neighbors, a family of six, after a land dispute.

    Sun Shaozong led Jia Baoyu and Miaoyu and wandered around until they arrived at the small courtyard. Pointing to five tiled houses lined up in the west wing, he said, "Those nuns are separately detained inside. Are you planning to see them one by one or...?"

    "Since we''re here, we naturally have to see them one by one."

    Miaoyu spoke and pondered for a moment before continuing, "Didn''t you say last time that they are all a bit extreme now? Let''s start with the most normal one."

    "Okay."

    Sun Shaozong nodded and took them to the first room on the north side. He gently pushed open the door, and a foul smell rushed over them.

    The three of them instinctively stopped in their tracks. Miaoyu quickly covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Didn''t you say that they haven''t been mistreated, My Lord? How can this be..."

    "Look carefully first."

    Sun Shaozong interrupted her and gestured for them to change their perspective to get a better view of the situation inside.

    Miaoyu and Baoyu walked over and looked inside. Although it was simpler than they imagined, they didnt see the filth they expected.

    Looking more closely, they saw a nun in a gray monk''s robe tied up tightly with coarse ropes on a black wooden bed in the center. The foul smell emanated from her.

    Isn''t this mistreatment?

    Miaoyu became annoyed again, but Baoyu frowned and said, "Second Brother, is this woman trying to commit suicide?"

    "Oh, Brother Bao''s observation skills have improved recently."

    Sun Shaozong complimented him casually and sighed helplessly. "This woman has been seeking death since she came here. The guards had no choice but to tie her up."

    Miaoyu was still somewhat dissatisfied. "But But she can''t be treated like this. At least she should be cleaned up!"

    "Cleaned up?"

    Sun Shaozong snorted, "Do you think it''s easy to clean a person who is desperately trying to die? Every time she''s cleaned, it takes at least four or five servants and a couple of hours. It''s already very difficult to do it once every two or three days."

    Miaoyu fell silent for a moment, hesitated at the door for a while, and in the end, she didnt dare to go in and speak. She could only ask with a stiff voice, "The other two, are they... are they as filthy as this?"

    "Classic?"

    The nun smiled and looked deep and distant. It seemed that she had gotten rid of all the troubles in the world. "The classics are just the records of the sages who have recorded their own understanding. After all, we are separated by one layer. How can we compare the communication between Buddha and Bodhisattva in person?"

    Communicate with Bodhisattva in person?

    Miaoyu said dubiously, "Did Elder Martial Sister ever communicate with Buddha and Bodhisattva in person?"

    "I did naturally."

    A little red blush appeared on the nuns face, and her voice was a little louder than that just now, "At the beginning, in the Buddhist Hall of the back hall of Shuiyue Nunnery, I was in a trance several times, and my soul floated out of my body. At that time, I saw the Bodhisattva, he... He was smiling at me!"

    As she said this, she couldnt help but stop to gasp for a while, and then held her heart and said intoxicatedly, "That kind of feeling... It seems my entire person is filled with boundless Buddha dharma."

    Hearing what she said so thoroughly, Jia Baoyu and Miaoyu were immersed in her speech.

    "Dharma?"

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong snorted at the door and said, "Im afraid it''s the lecherous monk who fills you!"

    Fill?

    A lecherous monk?

    Miaoyu was still a little perplexed, but Jia Baoyu blushed to the side and had already created the image that Sun Shaozong had described.

    "Shut up! What do you know about those who destroy and slander Buddha?!"

    The nuns face suddenly became violent, and she shouted at Sun Shaozong, "If you want to connect with the Western Blissful World, you must be in a state of infinite joy before you can do it!"

    As she said this, she stared at Jia Baoyu with drooling eyes again. "Second Master Bao is a person with innate wisdom. If I can have a good time with him, we will be able to reach the Supreme State together. I must not miss this great opportunity!"

    "You... You..."

    Miaoyu was no longer confused, and now she has come to understand it. She stepped back in shame and anger and scolded, "What are you talking about? What''s this... What Buddhism is this? It''s clearly evil!"

    Sigh~

    The nun sighed regretfully when she saw her fierce reaction. "You who are fated to practice Buddhism but are still in the shackles of the world without knowing it. It is a cruel thing."

    Then she looked solemn, lifted her monk''s robe, completely exposed the body without anything else to the public, and said her Buddha''s name, "Amitabha, it seems that only if I practice with the Second Master Bao first, can you just get lost?!"

 Chapter 231: Pregnancy Record of the Nun [(2)]

    Chapter 231: Pregnancy Record of the Nun [(2)]

    Seeing Jia Baoyu and Miaoyu frightened, like birds, they fled from the house in a panic.

    Sun Shaozong conveniently closed the door and ordered the female guard to lock it. Then he asked Miaoyu with a smile, "After seeing this one, do you think she is more normal than the person who is tired of living in front?"

    Miaoyu realized that Sun Shaozong had already seen through her careful thinking.

    But at this time, she ignored these things and calmed down a little. She then said, "She... How did she become like this?"

    Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "Isn''t this one of the best ways for your Buddhist disciples to manipulate people''s minds? The monks in the Tielan Temple are no exception."

    "The Nun was probably a pious believer. After being humiliated in the Buddhist temple, she refused to accept reality and was eager to get rid of the sin of blaspheming the Buddha. Therefore, she was fooled by the bald men in the Tielan Temple and took these heretical theories as a wise saying."

    Miaoyu was silent for a while and mumbled in confusion, "Since she was a pious Buddhist before, why did she end up like this?"

    Occasionally guiding Jia Baoyu as a tutor, Sun Shaozong already felt very troublesome. How could he be interested in guiding the fake nun?

    So after a showdown, he asked instead, "There is only one left. Do you still want to see it?"

    "Yes!"

    Miaoyu answered very quickly this time. After biting her silver teeth, she said firmly, "The more they are like that, the more I want to see how this last person looks!"

    Originally, she wanted to see the three nuns and decide whether to adopt their children, but after seeing the first two, her curiosity about the third nun far exceeded her original purpose.

    When Sun Shaozong saw that she was decisive, he led them to the southernmost prison door and told the female guard to open the iron lock.

    "Your Excellency."

    This time, the female caretaker seemed hesitant.

    "Don''t worry, I''m here."

    Sun Shaozong comforted her, so she opened the door lock and carefully pushed the door open. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Before she finished speaking, the young nun suddenly straightened up, raised her right hand, and hit in-between Jia Baoyu''s legs. In her palm, she was holding a hard ebony wedge!

    This happened in a second. How could Jia Baoyu react?

    The ebony wedge was about to stab the man in the most deadly place!

    At this moment, a big hand came first, grabbed the young nun''s throat, and she was pushed back slightly. The woman flew back and landed on the ebony bed.

    "Just a little, just a little more!"

    After the young nun fell on the bed, she immediately turned over and climbed up, pounded the bed board like crazy, and screamed, "I could almost kill him, kill him, and kill him! I almost killed the Second Master of Rongguo Mansion! Haha... I almost killed the Second Master of Rongguo Mansion! Haha..."

    Seeing that she was both depressed and ecstatic, Jia Baoyu''s face became paler.

    After a long time, he swallowed his saliva and said in an astringent voice, "Thank you... Thank you for your help."

    Miaoyu was also worried. She took Baoyu back two steps and asked in a trembling voice, "She... Why... Why..."

    Sun Shaozong spread out his hand and said, "The one in front is fooled at most. As for this one... I don''t know whether she is crazy or addicted to killing. She has already attempted several times to attack the guard."

    Miaoyu and Baoyu said in unison, "Killing... is killing addictive?"

    "That''s right."

    Sun Shaozong explained. "According to the confession of Jia Qin and the other two nuns after the first two coolies were stripped of their limbs, Jia Qin didn''t think about how to deal with them for a while. At that time, it was she who proposed to pour wine and throw them into the snow to freeze people to death."

    Gasp!

    Both Jia Baoyu and Miaoyu couldnt help but take a breath of cold air, especially when they thought of her poor and timid appearance just now!

    "Its more than that!"

    The young nun suddenly said proudly, "When those two fools were about to lose consciousness at the sight of me, I also peed on their heads. You don''t know how they looked at that time, hahaha... It was like a fairy brew of jade dew, desperately looking up to lick... haha... haha..."

    Until the door of the house was locked again, her wanton laughter continued to come from inside

 Chapter 232: Madonna

    Chapter 232: Madonna

    After coming out of the prison cell, Sun Shaozong saw Jia Baoyu looking dispirited and waved his hand in front of him, saying with a smile, "Hey, Baoyu, you''ve been acting like shattered bodies and souls. You won''t be scared by a few living nuns, will you?"

    Jia Baoyu sighed. "I feel that, except for their appearance, they are ten times more frightening than the corpse, especially the last one..."

    He clicked his tongue in fear but couldn''t help but question, "I have seen those wicked monks in the Tielan Temple before. They are just some mundane people who deceive the world for fame. How could they have turned three perfectly good women into this ghastly state?"

    "Can nuns also be considered perfectly good women?"

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t agree with this statement, but he didn''t want to argue with Jia Baoyu. He shook his head and said, "Under immense pressure, a person''s character will inevitably change to some extent, but there won''t be many who undergo such extreme and twisted changes."

    "But they are all... "

    "Don''t forget that there were more than a dozen nuns who were raped by those wicked monks in the Shuiyue Monastery. These three were the most affected, otherwise, Jia Qin wouldn''t have chosen them as accomplices."

    Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu''s mood improved slightly.

    However, Miaoyu next to him was still lost in thought and even forgot that she was in public. She subconsciously placed her hand on her chest, revealing a full and shapely curve beneath her patched clothes. Although she was not as full as Li Wan, she was more upright.

    It was worth noting that there were no shaping undergarments at that time, and unlike the Tang Dynasty, which was known for its boldness, where women liked to squeeze their breasts upwards, one could infer a person''s appearance from their silhouette.

    It was unexpected that this nun had something real under her flowing robes

    Sun Shaozong thought about these inappropriate thoughts but showed a bit of sarcasm on his face. "So, after seeing these three nuns, are you more hesitant?"

    "No!"

    However, Miaoyu shook her head firmly. "Since you said that one''s character is influenced by the company they keep, I believe that if they are willing to work hard, they can make the children they bear strive for goodness!"

    As she spoke, her pretty face, which was already shining with a porcelain-like soft light, suddenly emitted a maternal radiance.

    On the day a new official assumed office, the officials below would typically prepare the welcome banquet.

    However, yesterday, Wei Rulan lost face and was unable to vent his frustration. He left early, so the reception banquet had to be postponed until today.

    "My Lord," Lin Delu asked cautiously, "I heard that Minister Han will definitely be there tonight. Should we prepare something?"

    To flatter Wei Rulan, Han Anbang invested a lot of effort in supporting him. When Sun Shaozong took office, Jia Yucun attended his banquet to show his support. Now that Wei Rulan was enjoying even greater benefits, it was obvious that he would be given even higher treatment.

    "What is there to prepare for?

    After listening to Lin Delu''s words, Sun Shaozong stretched his body lazily and said, "Since Minister Han has come forward, I''m happy to take a break and go back to spend some quality time with my wife and children."

    Lin Delu became anxious immediately. "My Lord, if you don''t go, then what about us? Should we also..."

    He wanted to say, "Should we also not go," but he was afraid of the consequences and couldn''t bring himself to say it.

    "Don''t think too much, just go and eat and enjoy yourselves," Sun Shaozong said with a smile.

    "After all, he is a sixth-grade judge appointed by the Court. We must observe proper etiquette. As long as you don''t do anything against the country''s laws and norms while following him, it''s fine."

    "But what if..."

    Lin Delu was still hesitant. "What if someone who is not in a sound mind stands team with him..."

    "Stand team?"

    Sun Shaozong''s face became stern, and he rebuked, "We are all serving the country, so where does the word Standing team come from?"

    However, he continued, "Speaking of it, since the new year, everyone in our Criminal Department has been a bit slack. I think it''s time to catch a few typical cases and clean up the atmosphere."

 Chapter 233: The Inevitable and the Unexpected

    Chapter 233: The Inevitable and the Unexpected

    After another sleepless night, Sun Shaozong bent his fingers to calculate. This lasted for more than half a month, and he was finally about to lift the ban on his monk life. It could also unlock several exclusive positions for lactation. It was difficult to hold on just by imagining it in his mind.

    "Master~"

    It was really hard to hold on!

    After hearing this timid call, Sun Shaozong found that he had unconsciously put the little servant girl in charge of wearing boots on his thigh

    Amitabha, its a sin! Its really a sin!

    Although the servant girl was full of expectation and was somewhat flattering, Sun Shaozong still "couldn''t bring himself to" in the face of a 13 or 14-year-old girl, so he silently recited a few words of the heart-clearing mantra and then resolutely pulled out his right hand from the servant girl''s waistcoat.Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    In the past, when he wanted to suppress evil thoughts, he always silently imagined the appearance of Sister Feng in her mind. However, when he tried to do this recently, it was Wang Xifeng''s charming and charismatic features that came to mind.

    The result didnt only suppress the evil thoughts in his heart but also added fuel to the fire.

    So Sun Shaozong also had to do as the Romans did and found Ruan Rong to learn a few calming mantras instead.

    However, the effect of the calming mantras seemed to be getting worse, because every time he recited the mantra, he would think of the nuns in the Shuiyue Temple

    Sigh~

    In the end, it was still the reason for the increasingly weak will.

    This extravagant and decadent aristocratic bureaucratic life really made people degenerate more easily!

    While disdaining the extravagant and decadent life, Sun Shaozong wore his boots on the servant girl''s thigh. Sun Shaozong got up from the bed, and under the service of two servant girls, he simply combed and washed, and then went straight to Ruan Rong in the backyard.

    Children before turning a month old always slept more and woke up less. As usual, Sun Shaozong passed by early in the morning, and eight of the ten times his son was asleep. However, today, he was lucky. As soon as he entered the room, he saw his son staring into his eyes and spitting bubbles, and his two tiny hands were still weaving around.

    Sun Shaozong rushed up and put a finger in his palm. The little fleshy hand immediately grasped it tightly and shook it.

    While teasing his son, he casually asked, "I will sit in the government office for a while in the morning and then go to congratulate your sister on her birthday. Is there anything else you want me to convey?"

    However, he was afraid that he might still need some time to let the two people fight directly

    Well, he has plenty of time.

    After waving back the two men, Sun Shaozong simply handled a few official documents and walked out of the government office.

    As mentioned earlier, to avoid being alone in the Jia Mansion and being embarrassed, he specifically asked Jia Baoyu to invite Jia Lian and Jia Qiang to accompany him in advance.

    But when he arrived at Rongguo Mansion, Jia Baoyu welcomed him into the west living room with his hand, but there was no sign of Jia Lian and Jia Qiang.

    "Don''t be impatient, Second Brother. You will know whats going on later."

    Jia Baoyu left such a sentence and then went off in a hurry, like there was oil on his shoes.

    So in the spacious living room, Sun Shaozong was left alone, sitting at the table, watching the servants of the Jia family put dishes of delicacies on the table.

    He really shouldn''t have come!

    Sun Shaozong sighed secretly, picked up his chopsticks, and prepared to have a big meal first. Since no one was talking to him, he had to fill his mouth with delicious food.

    Just then, the curtain was suddenly lifted. Jia Baoyu came in first, holding the curtain with his hand, letting in a girl who looked like a weak willow.

    "Lady Lin?"

    Jia Baoyu unexpectedly brought Lin Daiyu!

    This surprised Sun Shaozong. He came to Rongguo Mansion many times. Although he had seen many women, he basically happened to bump into them. And now she was the first one to make the effort to look for him.

    He quickly got up and arched his hand. "Lady Lin has come intuitively. Is there anything you want me to convey to your sister?"

    Lin Daiyu shook her head slightly and said positively, "I took the liberty to come here. First, I wanted to offer a glass of wine to Lord Sun in person; second, I..."

    She bit the cherry lip slightly, and there was some lovely paleness in her crushed, bright red lips. Then she squeezed out the second half of the sentence, "Second, I also have something to ask you for advice alone."

    As she said this, she swept her eyes like autumn dew at her side, and Jia Baoyu retreated with knowledge and insights.

 Chapter 234: Willing to be a Wooden Fish

    Chapter 234: Willing to be a Wooden Fish

    As soon as Jia Baoyu left, the atmosphere in the room seemed awkward.

    Although he usually talked about Daiyu with Ruan Rong, they seemed to be quite familiar with each other and had been on a boat together for more than half a month.

    However, at that time, Lin Daiyu hardly ever left the cabin, so Sun Shaozong''s meetings with her could only be counted a few times.

    When he thought about it again, they even said no more than ten sentences.

    This kind of relationship seemed more awkward than that of a pure stranger. Sun Shaozong didn''t know what to say to her for a moment.

    Fortunately, Lin Daiyu came to the door on her own initiative today, and she didnt require him to start the conversation.

    So Sun Shaozong looked at Daiyu, waiting to hear what she was going to say.

    Daiyu was biting her lips, stirring her handkerchief again and again. After two minutes, her eyes wandered, and she asked, "Brother Sun, I heard you say to Brother Bao a few days ago, It might not be your turn to decide, but I don''t know what it means."

    On that day, when Sun Shaozong asked Jia Baoyu to deliver the birthday gift, Baoyu thanked him. It was true that Sun Shaozong had vaguely said this, but he unexpectedly told Lin Daiyu.

    Daiyu came to the door for this, obviously for the implied meaning.

    "Well..."

    Sun Shaozong hesitated a little but still spread out his hand and said, "The meaning of that sentence is what you thought it was."

    As soon as she said this, Lin Daiyu''s face turned pale, and her body shook like duckweed in the wind. The water in her eyes also tended to overflow out of her eyes.

    However, Lin Daiyu held back in the end. Although she was a girl who cried easily, she was always a strong one. It would be hard to see her crying, even if she were close to Baoyu.

    However, she couldnt bear it, and when she spoke again, she inevitably had a nasal voice, "I would like to ask... Brother Sun, why did you come to this conclusion?"

    The words "A weeping beauty, made people cannot help loving her upon seeing her" were really designed for Lin Daiyu at this time!

    Her low voice trembled slightly and seemed to be as straight as the heart. It made people feel that it would be a heinous crime to let the tears fall!

    But at the same time, he was also vaguely expecting the tears to fall immediately so that he could take the opportunity to appreciate her beautiful face! UppTodated from

    No!

    She then suddenly said, "You mean because I am weak and sick, so..."

    "That''s right."

    Sun Shaozong put his hands together and said, "Since we don''t consider the influence of the family, health has become one of the most important standards."

    "But..."

    Daiyu couldnt help protesting, "But Sister Xue also had some issues with her body since in the womb. But shes able to... shes able to... Besides, my body is much better now than before. I haven''t coughed much since the beginning of spring this year!"

    After all, she identified her "rival in love."

    However, Xue Baochai was also a sick girl, which was somewhat unexpected to Sun Shaozong.

    He scratched his head and stammered, "In fact, by saying health, I dont only mean being healthy, but also other..."

    "What else?"

    No matter how clever Lin Daiyu was, how could she know the truth? She stared into his eyes and waited for Sun Shaozong to announce the answer.

    it was really hard to mention this to a little girl!

    Sun Shaozong clenched his teeth, he simply went out of his way. His two hands were drawing in the middle of the air and drew a nasty gourd shape

    Lin Daiyu finally came to a sudden understanding. Li Wan, Wang Xifeng, You-Shi, and Qin Keqing flashed in her mind and finally fixed on Xue Baochai.

    After comparing these people one by one, she gradually lost the look in her eyes and murmured, "No wonder, no wonder they all said she was Imperial Concubine Yang..."

    Clatter!

    At that moment, the curtain of the door suddenly rose high, and Jia Baoyu rushed in from the outside, grabbed Lin Daiyu''s arm, and shouted, "No matter whether she is Imperial Concubine Yang or not, I''m not Emperor Tang!"

    "You know what I''m thinking! If my parents really want to force me to marry her for whatever reason, I''d rather go to the temple to become a monk and let the others inherit the family business!"

    Lin Daiyu was full of fear and suddenly heard his voice. Her frozen heart melted in half, but she refused to show it. "Who allowed you to eavesdrop outside? Besides, if you were a monk, wouldn''t you build another Shuiyue Nunnery so that you could put all your affectionate sisters in it!"

    Jia Baoyu smiled. "If I want to build, I will build another Longcui Temple. Then you will be like Sister Miaoyu, like an angel. Even if I can only be a wooden fish and be beaten thousands of times by you every day, I am happy to do so!"

 Chapter 235: Gourd and Pumpkin

    Chapter 235: Gourd and Pumpkin

    Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu''s eyes were relatively affectionate. There was nothing but him and her. It was just like the bloody eight o''clock drama.

    No!

    If it were placed in modern times, according to the age of the two people, this scene could only be broadcasted on the legal channel, and the title would be "An Early Relationship Destroys Two Families."

    Sun Shaozong was filling in the plot of the "Drama," and the two people over there finally woke up from their affection and thought of the cruelty of reality. Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    "Brother Sun!"

    Jia Baoyu subconsciously asked for help, "Now that you have talked about this, can you show us a clear direction?"

    Lin Daiyu, however, habitually resorted to herself. She bit her cherry lip, and she resolutely said, "I will definitely take good care of my body and practice that acrobatic every day!"

    As soon as this was said, Jia Baoyu was happy and worried. What pleased him was that Lin Daiyu was so cheerful, just for his sake. The worry was that she would be too hasty. Instead of being able to keep fit, it has the opposite effect.

    Sun Shaozong filled his brain with Lin Daiyu in the Barbie version of King Kong and suddenly felt a chill all over. He shook his head and said, "Let''s not say whether your physique will be able to take it, even if it can be filled up, it may not be a plump physique, it may also become so."

    He casually compared the round and rolling shapes and spread out his hand. "After all, a human is not made of clay. You cant figure out a shape as you wish and expect it to turn into a gourd. If worse comes to worst, it may turn into the shape of a pumpkin."

    Jia Baoyu, according to his gesture, couldnt bear to imagine it. If Sister Lin and other fairy-like women have the figure of a pumpkin

    No

    Never!

    He shook his head hard, drove the terrible fantasy out of his mind, and then bowed and said, "Brother Sun, this method is definitely not feasible! I wonder if there is another way?"

    "The other way?"

    Sun Shaozong put his hands together and said, "The simplest way is to become famous as soon as possible when you are young. It is better to become famous. Make the people in Rongguo Mansion dare not ignore your ideas."

    Jia Baoyu was silent for a moment and muttered to himself, "So we should still count on the words economics and career

    Shouldn''t he warn them again that "you must work hard to gain, but you may not necessarily gain even if you work hard," lest the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and finally it would be unbearable and lead to tragedy?

    Sun Shaozong thought with some regret, quietly opened the curtain of the door through a slit, and looked around obscenely.

    At the same time, a figure flashed out of the corner of the wall and flew in like a fly, straight into Sun Shaozong''s arms.

    "Ah!"

    The person gave a low cry and was struggling. When she saw that it was Sun Shaozong, she immediately relaxed. She just punched him lightly on the chest and said, "Let go, you scared me."

    This person was Ping''er, who just came to call them outside the window.

    Just now, Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu went out of the room, but they didn''t have any communication with Pinger. Sun Shaozong guessed that she might be hiding secretly, ready to say something to him after they left.

    After listening to Pinger''s petulant anger, Sun Shaozong smiled, lowered his head, and pecked her in the face, then released her slim waist, stepped back a little, and asked, "Are you finding me this time for the same matter as the last time?

    Pinger knew that it was not suitable to stay here for a long time. Although she had a thousand words in her heart, she could only pick up the most important words to explain. So she nodded hurriedly and said, "Recently, I heard the means of Madam. It seems that she is going to rely on the Second Lady to get together and do business with your family. But the partner she really chose is not you, but your brother."

    Wang Xifeng obviously still couldnt trust him, so she would rather let his Elder Brother be a middleman than cooperate with him directly.

    However, no matter how skilled she was, he was afraid she wouldn''t be able to think that his Big Brother married Jia Yingchun for

    "Is there anything else besides that?"

    Seeing Pinger shaking her head, Sun Shaozong suddenly laughed and said, "Why did you ask me to go to a quiet place that day just by telling me these words directly? Is it..."

    Pinger immediately blushed and stomped heavily. "There''s nothing else, I''ll leave first."

    With that, she ran directly out of the curtain.

    In the first month of the year, after listening to the "moans" for more than half of the month, Pinger was also a little itchy. So she asked Sun Shaozong to meet in a quiet place on that day, but was unexpectedly disturbed by Miaoyu.

    It was just that she couldnt bring herself to say it. So when Sun Shaozong mentioned it, she hid her face in shame and went away.

 Chapter 236: Lure the Tiger Out of the Mountains

    Chapter 236: Lure the Tiger Out of the Mountains

    Sun Shaozong has been busy for more than ten days since he returned after celebrating Lin Daiyu''s birthday.

    First of all, his son''s monthsary banquet took more than four days, from preparation to inventory afterward.

    On February 15, there were a lot of friends who attended, and the gifts were piled up in the living room, bringing tears to the face of the housekeeper, who said that he had not seen such a bustling atmosphere in the mansion in years.

    By February 18, after three examinations in nine days, the final examination of this year had finally come to an end.

    Yu Qian and Sun Chengtao just returned, but they seemed a little depressed and calm. But Sun Chengye locked himself in the house after returning to the mansion and refused to eat or drink.

    In the end, Sun Shaozu was annoyed. He kicked the door open, pulled him out of the room, and poured half a kilogram of alcohol. At that time, his whole person became a hundred times more "spiritual!"

    He was stumbling in the yard, and kept swearing. Thousands of words were blurted out. The entire time he was swearing, his words didnt contain a dirty word, which was amazing.

    Although Sun Shaozong didn''t understand who Sun Chengye was scolding at the end of the exam, his heart was filled with regret. Had he known that, when he was in the exam, he would have mixed some wine in a pot, wouldn''t he have finished the article splendidly?

    In the next few days, Sun Shaozong would also prepare for the party of the same year, choosing a day, booking a restaurant, posting, arranging seats

    First, he was busy and dizzy, and then he drank in the dark.

    When Sun Shaozong woke up at noon the next day, his only memory of the party was Xu Tai''s face full of shame. He said that he was ready to resign and apologize for his guilt. Who would ever think that Minister Wang was generous and even recommended himself to serve in the military department on the table, which was really the prime minister''s breadth of mind?

    In fact, it was also human nature in the officialdom to be attached to the dignitaries. When the Sun family was established, didn''t they go to the Rongguo Mansion every three or five days?

    But the problem was that Xu Tai wrote a letter to scold Wang Ziteng, and then he turned his face and held the other party to the sky again. This change was really fast, so it was no wonder that people found it hard to accept it in the same year.

    Especially at the beginning, he was famous for his fearlessness

    Not to mention the original book.

    The next day, on February 26, Sun Shaozong had just arrived at the government office and was about to go to the Criminal Department office to be on duty when he saw an officer of the government jump out of the corner, saying that Han Anbang had something to ask him and asked him to come to his courtyard to discuss it.

    With that, he shook his head and sighed. "It''s really hard for us to be the officials of the Capital!"

    Let''s be feisty.

    Sun Shaozong was so sour that he counted his fingers falsely. His eyebrows gradually wrinkled, and he hesitated. "Isn''t this inappropriate? You should know that my Elder Brother will get married on March 18. I''m his only brother, so I have to help him..."

    "Don''t worry!"

    Since Han Anbang came prepared, how could he not know this?

    Hearing that he didn''t want to, he patted his chest and promised, "Since you are going to work for our office, if there is any difficulty with your Elder Brother''s marriage, Magistrate Jia and I will help!"

    With that, he stood up and saluted, "This trip is related to the distance between our Central Judicial Office and the Governor''s Office. Sending others to go there cant seem to be enough weight. On the other hand, I can''t rest assured, so I can only ask for your favor."

    Hehe~

    Sun Shaozong couldnt help but sneer twice. It seemed that he couldnt reject this errand.

    He just didnt know what Wei Ruolan would prepare after he left.

    He sighed and said helplessly, "Since you have mentioned, I have no excuse anymore. Please issue an official certificate and send it to my Criminal Division Office. I can also become famous during this trip."

    "Of course, of course!"

    Han Anbang had prepared many means to force Sun Shaozong to leave the Capital.

    However, Sun Shaozong had already agreed to his orders before he could show them. He was naturally overjoyed, so he nodded hurriedly. "In a moment, I will have the official certificate sent to you, and the official documents sent by the Governor''s Office will also be transferred to the Criminal Division."

    This Minister Han still lacked some moral deeds. If he were the old fox, Jia Yucun, he wouldnt show his thrill.

    Sun Shaozong went out of the main hall. The first thought in his mind was not what Wei Ruolan had done, but what Xue Pan had said at the beginning, Second Brother can come to my wedding when you are free.

    He predicted it!Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

 Chapter 237: Playing Cat and Mouse

    Chapter 237: Playing Cat and Mouse

    "Your Honor, you have always been honest and upright as an official. Assistant Magistrate Wei can''t seize the opportunity to find your fault."

    "As I say, Assistant Magistrate Wei probably wants to win over people to his side after you leave the Capital, learn from the old wisdom, have a reputation first, and then gradually seize power..."

    After following Sun Shaozong for so long, Lin Delu has only learned one thing. This habit of forced analysis in advance was formed first.

    He frowned, looked grave, and pondered for a while, and then continued, "To hold some trivial faults of the officials below, it is not difficult, but it will provoke the anger of the people. In the end, it is not worth the loss."

    "In addition, if Assistant Magistrate Wei has made this move, you can also threaten them with this matter after your return. The officials below who are smarter should understand this."

    "So after I thought about it, he only has one way to go."

    After analyzing, he secretly scanned Sun Shaozong''s expression and saw that he was sipping tea slowly without changing his composure. His heart was greatly depressed.

    To tell the truth, regardless of the opportunity and future of meritorious service, the trembling days working with Sun Shaozong were far less relaxed and comfortable than when he was with Governor Liu.

    Of course, if Lin Delu really has to choose between comfort and the future, he would still choose the latter with clenched teeth.

    But he couldn''t tell the means of Sun Shaozong by looking at his face, so he had to follow his established rhythm and continued, "From my point of view, we''d better start strong first. Didn''t you say that we should catch some typical examples a few days ago, just to set an example..."

    "Not right."

    At last, Sun Shaozong opened his mouth, shook his head, and said, "If I have been in the office all the time, let alone setting an example, its valid even if I do nothing!"

    "But since I am about to leave the Capital for business, I must not rush out. Otherwise, if there is any mistake, I''m afraid there is no time to remedy it."

    After hearing this, Lin Delu quickly bowed and said, "Im thoughtless."

    As he said this, he looked at Sun Shaozong''s face habitually and inquired, "Then, according to your meaning..."

    Sun Shaozong didnt immediately speak but turned to his Colorful Cup thoughtfully until he completely scanned the pattern on it and then said, "Decentralize!"

    Lin Delu said in astonishment, "Decentralization? You... You are you going to delegate power to Assistant Magistrate Wei?!"

    "That''s right."

    Sun Shaozong smiled slightly and said, "He used this trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain because Im an unbeatable presence in managing the Criminal Department, which is not easy for him to start. In that case, I will help him before I leave."

    He was thinking about the climax when he heard that there was a report from a private advisor outside that Lin Delu had come to him.

    At that moment, Wei Ruolan''s face sank, because these days, the person who didn''t cooperate with him most was Lin Delu. Although Zhao Wuwei was also a bit arrogant, he was just a small constable, so he didnt even give a f*ck about him.

    Although disgusted, it was not to the extent of shutting Lin Delu at the door. However, he made an excuse to keep him waiting outside the door for a quarter of an hour.

    When Lin Delu entered the door, he saluted respectfully, immediately took out the discipline charter, and handed it to him with both hands. "Assistant Magistrate Wei, this charter was originally handed down by Lord Sun, and I wanted to present it to Lord Sun after drafting it. However, Lord Sun said that he would leave the Capital for business in a few days, so he let me hand it over to you for review."

    Wei Ruolan sat behind the desk with disdain. Until Lin Delu finished speaking, he nodded slightly, motioned to the private advisor who was listening to take over the charter, and respectfully sent it to the desk.

    The regulations of the Criminal Department to rectify the conduct and discipline?!

    At first, Wei Ruolan only glanced a little, but when he saw the content above, his eyes suddenly brightened. He held it in his hand and looked at it carefully. The more he looked at it, the more ecstatic his heart became. It seemed to him that it was no different from a pie falling from the sky!

    Only after the ecstasy was it replaced by confusion and vigilance.

    Anything was possible, but it was a bit strange that Sun Shaozong took the initiative to push the matter to himself!

    Just because he would be leaving the Capital for business?

    Impossible!

    This is impossible!

    There must be something fishy in this regulation!

    With that in mind, Wei Ruolan''s eyes turned fierce. He said in a deep voice and asked, "What else did Lord Sun say when he asked you to bring this charter?"

    Lin Delu said in a respectful voice, "Report back to Assistant Magistrate Wei, Lord Sun also said that you can modify anything that is not satisfactory in the regulations."

    Modify anything?

    Allowing himself to modify at will?!

    When Wei Ruolan looked at the regulations again, he began to hesitate more and more.

    Although this was likely to be a trap, if he could defuse the risks, it would also be a great advantage to put Sun Shaozong''s idea on the back burner!

    Should he take this risk?

 Chapter 238: Doesnâ€™t Indulge in Self-Admiration

    Chapter 238: Doesn¡¯t Indulge in Self-Admiration

    At first, Sun Shaozong thought that Wei Ruolan would hesitate for a few days until he pretended to take the bait.

    However, he obviously underestimated Young Master Wei''s eagerness to get revenge and the confidence he had accumulated over the years.

    Before leaving the office in the afternoon, Lin Delu came to report that Wei Ruolan had decided to replace Sun Shaozong and straighten out the discipline of the Criminal Department, but he didn''t mean to immediately publish the regulations and said that he should reconsider.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but laugh after hearing the word "reconsider." The key to this bait was the word "discipline." Now that the tone has been set, what effect could Wei Ruolan have even if he reconsidered?

    The Wei family seemed to be really incompetent! Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Now that the fish has been hooked, Sun Shaozong naturally has no worries. Seeing that the time was almost up, he left the government and rushed back home.

    After returning home, he called Zhao Zhongji and asked him to send someone to send a message to Xue Mansion on Zijin Street. He said that he would be visiting in half an hour and to tell Xue Pan not to go out at that time.

    This time leaving the Capital for business, he was sure that he couldnt catch up with Xue Pan''s wedding on the ninth day of March. Anyway, he should tell him in advance. In addition, he has to prepare a gift.

    After the matter was handed over, Sun Shaozong asked about the whereabouts of his Big Brother. Knowing that he had not returned yet and was likely to spend the night in the barracks, he went back to the backyard.

    In fact, he asked for the whereabouts of Sun Shaozu not only to tell him that he would leave the Capital for business soon but also to entrust him with the ability to freely summon Han Anbang. It was better to make him feel annoyed and backpedaled to see if he would dare to make a promise easily in the future.

    While there was still some time, Sun Shaozong called Xiangling and Ruan Rong together and told them he needed to go to Jinmen to participate in the listing ceremony of the Governor''s Mansion. He briefly said that Xiangling was pregnant now, and Ruan Rong had just given birth, so they just had a few days of harmony with him. Naturally, they were reluctant to part.

    However, since they were family members of an official, it was inevitable that they couldnt complain; they just had to accept it.

    After that, the three people sat and chatted.

    Because one was a new mother and the other was pregnant, most of them were talking about children. Fortunately, Sun Shaozong was also a new father, and it was not boring to listen to them.

    After about half an hour, Sun Shaozong took all the gifts and set off to Xue Mansion on Zijin Street.

    "Madam has seen him before."

    The woman smiled quickly and said, "It is Young Master Sun who is the ruler of the Central Judicial Office. Our Young Master Xue is most convinced by Lord Sun in the family. He finally came to the house, so he naturally wants to have a few drinks with him."

    It''s him!

    Although the number of times she met Sun Shaozong was far lower than that of Feng Ziying and the others, the two different experiences made Aunt Xue remember Sun Shaozong more deeply than others.

    Now he heard that this "playboy" had come to visit her home again. Aunt Xue felt like grass growing in her heart and had a lot of eager thoughts.

    Since last winter, when she lost her face in the Zijin Temple, she has made great efforts to maintain her beauty. Even her sister, Second Madam Wang, praised her for getting younger. Her skin and flesh were tight and smooth, almost catching up with Baochai.

    Now the "frivolous and dissolute" came here alone, without the scruples of his wife and concubine. If she showed her true face in front of him, she should be able to show her beauty and not make him show his indecent face, just like when they first met, right?

    With this in mind, Aunt Xue was not in a hurry to remove her makeup. After she sent the woman away, she went to the dresser to touch up, but she was still dissatisfied.

    So she changed into a light green lace skirt and saw that the beautiful woman in the mirror was dignified against the imitation of the Tang-style gauze skirt. The outfit showed three points of charm, so she left the dressing table with satisfaction.

    Although she was full of expectations, she didnt know exactly how to act so that she could have the opportunity to meet with the "playboy," to induce him and bring shame on himself.

    After all, Aunt Xue was just a kind of naive woman. She was not a smart girl. Otherwise, the Xue family wouldnt need to marry a dissolute woman to inherit the title handed down by her ancestors.

    Just like that, she didnt know how long she lingered in the room and was still helpless.

    She was hesitating to put out her absurd mind, then she suddenly heard the servant girl''s report in a panic outside, "Madam, Madam, Young Master Xue drank too much wine in the living room and is making a big fuss. He still kept saying bad things about the Young Madam. What should we do?"

    "Why is this evil man making trouble again?!"

    Aunt Xue was very angry at first, but then she couldn''t help seeing the light in front of her eyes. She quickly shouted and said, "Call up Nanny Zhang and Li Erzhu''s family, and come with me to bring him back to the backyard!"

 Chapter 239: Xue-Wangâ€™s first test for the Playboyâ€

    Chapter 239: Xue-Wang''s first test for the ¡°Playboy¡±

    Compared with Sun Chengye''s drunkenness that day and his thousands of words without a single dirty word, Xue Pan seemed much ruder. He almost put the "thing" in his crotch on his tongue and put it in every sentence he spoke.

    After scolding for a long time, he couldn''t help but cry at his desk.

    But no matter how many tears he shed, Sun Shaozong couldn''t feel any sympathy for what he had done in the past.

    He was thinking about whether to pinch his face and fill him with half a catty of wine so that he would completely stop when he heard noisy footsteps outside the door approaching.

    Sun Shaozong thought that it was the servant of the family. Hearing Xue Pan''s noise, he came to clean up the mess, so he continued to sit still.

    Unexpectedly, the figure outside the door flickered, and five or six servant girls, surrounded by a graceful lady, entered the hall.

    Her head was sparkling with emerald gold and jade, her black hair was as black as ink, her lips were red and her teeth were white. Her bright green dress, which imitated the Tang style, was fluttering with wide sleeves, and her long skirt was on the floor. It was tightly tied up at the chest and abdomen, and there was a white lotus in the center, which was blooming like a five-finger mountain and was lifted with a smile.

    This woman was not inferior to Li Wan in terms of her figure and appearance!

    And the mixture of her dignified and charming temperament showed a unique charm.

    Why did Aunt Xue come out?

    Sun Shaozong was shocked when he saw the woman. He then got up and saluted, "Greetings to Aunt Xue."

    "Don''t be polite, Lord Sun."

    Aunt Xue raised her hand slightly with a straight face, but her heart began to murmur. Why did this "frivolous and dissolute" guy only look at her once and didnt show an unrespectful expression?

    Could it be that he had drunk too much wine just now and felt dizzy?

    With such wild thoughts in her heart, she said with a little embarrassment, "So sorry, Lord Sun, Wen Long is really..."

    Speaking of this, she didnt know what words to use to describe her son. At last, she simply skipped the evaluation and said directly, "Somebody, help me bring him to the back."

    The women with big arms and round waists immediately came forward and helped Xue Pan with all their strength. But how would Xue Pan obediently allow them to do so?

    He couldnt say anything but tear away and struggle.

    But Sun Shaozong''s serious appearance, on the contrary, intensely stimulated Aunt Xue, who was in a period of high sensitivity to age and appearance.

    So this misunderstanding caused by clothes became more and more unpredictable amid more errors

    When Sun Shaozong came out of Xue Mansion and recalled Aunt Xue''s actions just now, he also felt slightly puzzled. No matter how good he was at reasoning and analysis, how could he guess Aunt Xue''s sensitive and absurd mind?

    So after puzzling over it, he simply forgot about it. Anyway, Xue Pan''s mother wouldnt have much to do with him.

    When he returned to his house, there was a man in the living room who had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Sun Shaozong coming in from outside, the man quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Greetings to Lord Sun."

    "This is not in the government. Don''t be too polite."

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand casually and sat down in his seat.

    The man didn''t dare to sit down after him but bowed again and said, "My Lord, according to the information that I have heard after Wei Ruolan was satisfied with the regulations of Lord Lin, he closed the door..."

    He was waiting to bring all the information he had heard, but Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "I asked you to come in private, but not to inquire about Wei Ruolan."

    The man was dumbfounded and then asked cautiously, "Do you have other tasks to hand over to me, My Lord?"

    "Yes."

    Sun Shaozong nodded and explained the things he had planned. Finally, he said, "If you want to do this, you may have to suffer some flesh and blood..."

    "Don''t worry, My Lord!"

    The man hurriedly said, "Even if I broke in pieces, I will never fail to live up to your trust!"

    "Haha, you don''t need to be broken to pieces."

    Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "Although you and our family are not serious relatives, it is also better than relatives. As long as you are willing to do the job properly, my Eldest Brother and I will never treat you unfairly. After this job is over, you can go to the government prison to be a clerk first, and I will pay you another reward when I have the opportunity in the future."

    The warden was the deputy of the prison warden. Although he was not an official, it was still a good position.

    Also, the prison has Zhou Da''s shelter on the top and Ni Er''s residence on the bottom. It has no affiliation with the sentence and was a good place to avoid disasters!

    So the man was overjoyed at the words, knocked his head on the ground, and thanked him more than ten times.

 Chapter 240: Power Without Authority

    Chapter 240: Power Without Authority

    Time flies, and in a flash, it was already the first day of March.

    Lin Delu hired an official ship early, and Sun Shaozongs Big Brother led the others to move all the furniture prepared by Ruan Rong and Xiang Ling onto the ship.

    After everything was cleared up, Sun Shaozong was about to embark on the boat and leave when he saw the smoke billowing on the dock and a line of six horses galloping towards him, starting with Wei Ruolan.

    Seeing him approaching, Wei Ruolan yanked at the reins and stood up, stepping on the snow under him. Just a few yards away from Sun Shaozong, he kicked and pedaled for half a turn, only to hit the ground with the sound of four hooves.

    He has to say that although this guy was a young man with eyes above the top, his riding skills were indeed unambiguous.

    Wei Ruolan threw off his horse and gave Sun Shaozong an arch of his hand with a spring breeze on his face. Im a bit late, it''s really impolite."

    As soon as he reached Sun Shaozong, he could tell that he was in a good mood, as his tone softened.

    Just then, he took out a roll of brocade from his sleeve and waved it in front of Sun Shaozong. He smiled and said, But I''m also doing this for official business. I''m sure Lord Sun won''t blame me. This is my newly drafted Rules of Conduct, which has just been announced in the Criminal Division. Would Lord Sun like to have a look again?

    It turned out that Wei Ruolan had been stuck in a dilemma for a long time after obtaining the discipline regulation, but ultimately he couldn''t bear to miss this great opportunity.

    But he was not a fool after all, and he naturally knew that there must be something fishy hidden in it!

    Therefore, after discussing with his private advisor, Wei Ruolan deleted the contents of the charter to make it more in line with his own interests. Faced with Lin Delu''s perfunctory delay, Sun Shaozong''s new charter was not announced until today, when he set off on his way. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    In this way, even if there was something fishy hidden in the regulations, Wei Ruolan was confident that he could handle it with the full support of Han Anbang before Sun Shaozong returned to the Capital. If Lin Delu and others wanted to make trouble, they would only seek their own destruction.

    In short, after everything was arranged properly, Wei Ruolan flew all the way to the dock in the name of "Bidding Farewell," but in fact, he came to show off!

    Seeing him proudly handing over the brocade, Sun Shaozong was not polite. He took it in his hand and took a glance at it.

    He could see that these regulations had been completely changed. In addition to the newly added and deleted rules and regulations, Wei Ruolan has also been given many additional powers. It could be said that as long as Han Anbang and Jia Yucun didnt intervene, he would firmly exercise the power of life and death in the Criminal Division!

    He believed that as soon as this regulation was published, the people of the Criminal Division would be in turmoil. Next, as long as Wei Ruolan took steps to straighten out the Criminal Division from top to bottom, the proper outcome would be a reversal of the situation.

    Everyone looked back and saw that he was coming. They quickly separated themselves and made way for the confused figure.

    Wei Ruolan clearly saw the person''s appearance, and his brow furrowed again. His name was Bao Yongmeng. He was the scribe in charge of the archives of the Criminal Division. Although he was only a humble and modest figure, he was among the first to "approach" him, so Wei Ruolan still had some impressions of him.

    When he read out the Rules of Conduct before, he was still jumping up and down to maintain order, full of the appearance of a small official achieving success. At present, his nose and face were swollen, tears were streaming, and there were many footprints on his uniform.

    "Your Honor!"

    When Bao Yongmeng saw Wei Ruolan at a glance, he immediately climbed up with two rolling bands. He cried in a mournful voice, You must return justice to me! I just saw that someone has violated the rules and regulations you just issued, so I kindly reminded him a few words. He not only doesn''t appreciate my good intentions but also punched and kicked me!''"

    "What?!"

    Wei Ruolan thought about Sun Shaozong''s last meaningful words on the dock before, and in his heart, he decided that the attacker must have been arranged by Sun Shaozong with the aim of destroying his prestige!

    With this thought, his face showed a murderous look. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Who on earth dares to be so rampant?"

    "Master, Master!"

    Without waiting for Yongmeng to speak, several private advisors had already flooded out of the hall, and they greeted him with various tongues, "Master, let''s bring him in and talk!"

    "Yes, yes, let''s lead him in!"

    Seeing these people speaking in unison and winking, Wei Ruolan also noticed something was wrong.

    Just as he was about to speak, Bao Yongmeng suddenly shouted at the top of his voice, "This person is not someone else, he is the Inspector of our Criminal Department, Lord Qiu Yunfei!"

    "Inspector Qiu scolded you for being worthless and said that if the rules of conduct and discipline got in his way, you were the same as dog shit!"

    No, he was still being tricked!

    When Wei Ruolan heard this, there was a buzzing sound in his head. He finally realized that the hand prepared by Sun Shaozong was not the one who attacked and abused people, but the pitiful Bao Yongmeng in front of him!

 Chapter 241: To Provoke and Fight Against the Wealthy

    Chapter 241: To Provoke and Fight Against the Wealthy

    Bao Yongmeng was naturally a chess piece arranged by Sun Shaozong.

    Although this guy didnt appear to be famous in the Criminal Division, his widowed sister actually remarried Wei Licai, the old butler of the Sun Mansion, as early as last autumn and was in high school now.

    On the surface, he has no basis or credentials, but in private, he was on Sun Shaozong''s staunch team.

    Originally, Sun Shaozong arranged for him to go undercover to investigate which people had turned to Wei Ruolan.

    Unexpectedly, the plan couldnt keep up with the change, and the other party suddenly resorted to a strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain. Sun Shaozong had to face the challenge and came up with a counterplot to ignite the conflict between Wei Ruolan and Qiu Yunfei in advance.

    However, Wei Ruolan thought through this section and felt ashamed and annoyed. He just wanted to kick Bao Yongmeng to death with a heartfelt kick!

    After all, he still has some sense. He knew that if he taught Bao Yongmeng a lesson at this time, it would only make people mistakenly believe that he was afraid of Qiu Yunfei. As a result, Wei naturally couldnt do anything, and no matter how big the power was, it was just a decoration.

    As everyone looked eagerly at him, he secretly clenched his teeth, but loudly ordered, "Advisor Qi, hurry to find Inspector Qiu. I want to personally confirm this matter!"

    Without waiting for Private Advisor Qi to agree, Wei Ruolan looked around again and said in a loud voice, "Now that the Criminal Department is in my charge, I will naturally find out the truth!"

    This statement indicated that he would be impartial and selfless. Still, it was a hint to Private Advisor Qi that he had not yet convicted Qiu Yunfei of the crime, so he shouldnt dare to offend him recklessly.

    Private Advisor Qi was also a master with a clear vision. Why would he dare to provoke a top-level government official like Qiu Yunfei?

    So he immediately understood and said, Master, Im going to invite Inspector Qiu over now to clarify this matter!''"

    When Private Advisor Qi hurriedly left, Wei Ruolan looked at Bao Yongmeng again. His eyes flashed fiercely, and he gritted his teeth and said, "As for you, let''s go in with me first..."

    "Er~!"

    Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, Bao Yongmeng fell back, foaming noisily in his mouth, flipping his eyes, and pawing his limbs, as if he had committed epilepsy.

    How dare this guy pretend to be crazy?!

    Wei Ruolan was trembling all over with anger. He wished he could lift him and slap his face thirty or fifty times to vent his anger.

    But he really couldnt beat this guy up now, so Wei Ruolan had to suppress his anger and ordered, Find a doctor for this guy, so I can see if he''s really sick or just pretending!"

    Wei Ruolan was already holding back the fire, and as soon as he heard that there was an outrageous noise outside, where they completely took the Rules of Conduct he had just issued as air. He angrily patted the table and shouted, Lets go and see what''s going on!"

    Immediately, a private advisor volunteered to go, but after half an hour, he returned to the room with a look of silence.

    Wei Ruolan''s face sank and he said, "What''s the matter?"

    "Master."

    The private advisor hesitated and said, "Private Advisor Qi went to the morgue to find Qiu Yunfei. He respectfully invited him to come over and talk, but he was slapped a few times in the face, and two of his teeth fell out..."

    What?!

    Before he could finish speaking, Wei Ruolan turned over the coffee table beside him and said angrily, "How dare this upright man try to bully me like this?"

    If Bao Yongmeng had been beaten and could still rely on Sun Shaozong, Private Advisor Qi wouldnt have been slapped in the face like a direct blow to Wei Ruolan. How could he contain his anger?

    Several private advisors saw that he was annoyed and quickly advised him with various tongues, Don''t be impatient, Master."

    "You must put the overall situation into consideration first."

    "Master..."

    "That''s enough!"

    Wei Ruolan waved his hand and gritted his teeth, saying, That poor resident surnamed Sun dares to use Qiu Yunfei as a raft. Do you think that I will be afraid of him?! Let me personally capture that guy and ask him for guilt. Lets see if he dares to jump out and make trouble in the future?"

    As he spoke, he walked out without any doubt.

    In Wei Ruolan''s opinion, since Qiu Yunfei could be subdued by Sun Shaozong, he was clearly a bully and a coward. His family background and identity were still above Sun Shaozong. In that case, he could follow suit and use him as a model for establishing authority.

    However, Wei Ruolan didnt know that the main reason why Sun Shaozong was able to subdue Qiu Yunfei was because of the strong support of Commander Qiu. If someone else bullied his precious son, how could Commander Qiu agree?

    And also, Madam Qiu was the master of protecting blindly!

    Therefore, the fight between the two of them was about to start, but there was going to be a lot of chaos and continuous ups and downs.

 Chapter 242: First Arrived at Jinmen due to Dispatch

    Chapter 242: First Arrived at Jinmen due to Dispatch

    Due to the smooth wind and water along the way, Sun Shaozong''s official boat set off from the Datong Bridge Wharf in the morning. Shortly after noon, it arrived near the Sancha Estuary of Jinmen Mansion.

    The name "Jinmen Mansion" was used after Emperor Guangde ascended the throne. Seeing that this place was increasingly prosperous due to the intersection of sea and river transportation from north to south, it was only in the second year of Guangde that this place was upgraded to a mansion and given the name "Jinmen," which meant the ferry and gateway to the capital.

    As for the Governor''s Yamen, it was not until the fifth year of Guangde that they moved from Chengde Mansion. UppTodated from

    As a newly emerging important northern town, Jinmen Mansion could be described as vibrant, but correspondingly, its management inevitably appeared somewhat loose.

    At least the level of filth on the Sancha River estuary wharf was more than one notch inferior to the Datong Bridge, and even more difficult to compare with famous Capitals such as the State of Yang and Nanjing, which were famous for their water transportation.

    Incidentally, the above comments were all made by Sun Shaozong after stepping on duck manure on the dock.

    After the official ship docked, Sun Shaozong didnt know for the time being how to arrange the accommodation, so he ordered the accompanying officials and attendants to wait on the ship and went to the Yamen of the Governor''s Mansion alone to hand over the sign.

    However, after arriving, it was not the official of the Governor''s office who came out to greet him, but Zhao Wutong, a fellow officer of the Jinmen Office.

    After talking with Zhao Wutong, he realized that although the Governor''s office had sent official documents to summon officials from all over the country, the reception task was handed over to the Chengbao Political Envoy, and the Chief Executive Officer turned his face and assigned the task to the Jinmen Residence.

    Sigh

    Zhao Wutong put his hands together and said with a wry smile, "There are a lot of mothers-in-law and grandmothers. We local officials have to take care of whatever is assigned."

    In fact, this phrase referred to the County Magistrate attached to Guo, but it was not impossible to use it in the Magistrate''s Yamen.

    "Lord Zhao complained, but you have complained to the wrong person."

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and said, "Don''t forget the sentence behind this, Evil is full of evil, attaching to the Capital city of Guo. You are the Governor and two divisions above us. Our mother-in-law and grandmother at the head of the Central Judicial Office have more lice than beggars!"

    As soon as they were joking, they left the Governor''s Mansion again and saw that two blue cloth sedan chairs had already been prepared outside the gate.

    Zhao Wutong gave way to the sedan chair in front of him and said, "Please, Lord Sun. I have booked two inns nearby in advance to accommodate you."

    It turned out that this Jinmen Mansion was still the place where the four battalions in the Capital trained soldiers. He wondered if his Elder Brother had ever been here to train soldiers. If so, he was afraid that he would inevitably harass the place with his temperament.

    However, when the two of them were talking loudly, someone naturally called out to the store owner and managed to let Sun Shaozong move in.

    Just after half a ring, the shopkeeper timidly stepped forward and said with a bitter face, Lord Zhao, the East Cross Courtyard was just occupied by someone at noon. Would you like to change another courtyard for this adult...''"

    "Hmm?!"

    When Zhao Wutong heard this, his face immediately sank.

    Although there was pressure from the Governor''s Mansion and the Third Division Yamen, he was also the Second Master of the Yamen at any rate. This time, he was acting in the name of the Governor''s Mansion. How could he have thought of subcontracting the inn and daring to sublet it to others without permission?

    In particular, this matter was done in front of Sun Shaozong. Wasnt it shameful?!

    So Zhao Wutong was immediately annoyed. He shook his sleeve and scolded, "Are you being dazzled by the money?! I have booked the guest room in advance. How dare you sublet it to others without permission?!"

    As he spoke, he raised his voice again and said, "Somebody, go and blow out those things that don''t have eyes!"

    The innkeeper stamped his feet anxiously and said, "Your Excellency, I can''t do it. This can''t be done..."

    But why would those Yamen officials pay attention to him?

    He rolled his arms and sleeves, carrying an iron ruler and a clean street whip, and went to the backyard to drive people away.

    "What a word!"

    At this moment, several valiant men burst out of the backyard, and the leader, with a sidelong smile, said, "Our men have been eating, drinking, and entertaining well in the Governor''s Mansion. Now we are staying at a bloody inn, but we met someone who wanted to make a fuss!"

    With these words, he pointed his nostrils at Zhao Wutong and snorted, "This adult is so powerful, are you someone of a high-ranking official? But when I look at the color of the official clothes, why does it look wrong?"

    Before the words fell, several young men around him burst into laughter.

 Chapter 243: Korean Mission

    Chapter 243: Korean Mission

    Just now, he heard that the reserved guest room had been occupied, and Zhao Wutong stood up.

    However, at this time, the man laughed at him in front of him, but his official prestige didnt increase but decreased. The reason was, of course, the sentence, Our men have been served well with good food, drinks and entertained in the Governor''s Mansion.

    This place was not far from the Governor''s Mansion. Whether this was true or not would be known as soon as someone asked. Since the other party dared to speak out in a big way, there must be no false statement. UppTodated from

    Would it be easy to provoke someone who could receive the generous treatment of the Governor''s office?

    Therefore, instead of being annoyed, Zhao Wutong''s attitude was more respectful, and without any embarrassment, he asked, "Where do you come from? Is it convenient to let me know?"

    Seeing that Zhao Wutong had asked for advice, the man raised his hand to stop the laughter of his subordinates, and lifted the coat with disdain, revealing a bright bronze waist token.

    When Zhao Wutong saw the waist token, his face suddenly brightened. He bowed and apologized. Turning back, he apologized to Sun Shaozong and said, "Lord Sun, I''m sorry. How about you condescending to live in the west courtyard for a while?"

    Sun Shaozong stood aside and observed coldly for a long time. Seeing that things had finally affected him, he chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Originally, Im fine to live anywhere, but now I have to live in this East Cross courtyard no matter what."

    As soon as the words were uttered, the owner of the bright waist token across the street suddenly turned somber, and the big men around him were shouting at each other with various tongues, "How dare you!"

    "I don''t think you want to live anymore!"

    "Hey, I really hit a snag today!"

    Another person, learning the tone of the leader''s voice just now, raised his nostrils and sneered, This adult is also such a great official. It seems that the color of your official uniform is not quite right, right?"

    The rest of the strong men listened and laughed again.

    Sun Shaozong was not upset, but he just smiled and said, I am not any high-ranking official, I am just a fifth-grade member of the Central Judicial Office, but I am also the Chief Inspector of the Northern Town of the Dragon Guard."

    When they heard that he was a fifth-grade official of the Central Judicial Office, several men were still laughing, but the person in charge had changed his color. When he heard the words Chief Inspector of the Northern Town of the Dragon Guard, the inn immediately became quiet.

    He saw those men one by one as if they had been given an immobilization method, staring and opening their mouths, but they couldn''t make a sound!

    However, there were only six people in the current thousand households under the official brand of Northern Town of the Dragon Guard, including four in the Capital, two in the State of Yang, and Deputy thousand households such as Wang Fenghua, who were already the highest Commander of the Dragon Guard in Shandong Province. It was reasonable to say that they were not allowed to leave their posts without reason.

    Could he tell him that he was going to the Capital to report his duties? Seeing the waterway that was only half a day away from the Capital, there was absolutely no need to stay at the Jinmen Mansion. Moreover, listening to what he said, he specifically made a trip to the Zhili Governor''s Mansion.

    This made it even more strange. Why did the Dragon Guards, who oversaw Shandong, visit the Governor of Zhili?

    Wang Fenghua glanced at Zhao Wutong in embarrassment when he asked about it.

    Zhao Wutong immediately said, "Lord Sun, I have to go to the Governor''s Mansion to meet other colleagues. I have to go one step ahead. I will leave two servants in the inn. If you have anything to do, just tell them."

    Sun Shaozong sent Zhao Wutong out of the door and then followed Wang Fenghua to the east yard.

    As Wang Fenghua asked his subordinates to brew tea, while pouring beans from a bamboo tube, he reported, Inspector, since the Imperial Court granted permission to open Dengzhou Prefecture in the second year of Guangde, serving as a port for the exchange of trade with the Korean state, our Shandong Department has been collecting information about North Korea. A few days ago, I suddenly heard a rumor

    Twelve years ago, the second expedition of the Great Zhou Dynasty led to the collapse of the territory of Korea. However, due to the sudden death of General Baoling Hou, the Commander of the army, he had to be hastily supported. He had always admired the veteran General Cao Minxiu of the Central Turk Dynasty as King and established the current State of Korea under the Cao family.

    In the spring of the second year of Guangde, Cao Minxiu sent an envoy to meet the new Emperor, agreed on the rule of paying tribute every three years, and begged for the opening of Dengzhou Prefecture as a port to facilitate mutual trade between the two sides.

    Although Cao Minxiu and the father and son of Cao Dongxu, who succeeded him in Guangde in the sixth year, were always respectful to the Great Zhou Dynasty, they were, after all, new vassals, and had undergone two bloody battles before, so the court was secretly wary of them.

    Therefore, there was a move by the Shandong Department of the Dragon Guards and were asked to inquire about North Korea in Dengzhou.

    A few days ago, Wang Fenghua suddenly received an urgent report from Dengzhou that the Korean tribute delegation was preparing to cross the Bohai Bay this year, so they rushed to the Capital via the Jinmen Mansion.

    At first, Wang Fenghua heard of this news and thought it was somewhat absurd. After all, North Korea always paid tribute by land, and its route was also determined by the Imperial Court. How could it be said it was changed?

    However, he sent his subordinates to Dengzhou for a tour, but when he returned, he reported that not only the Korean merchants but also the businessmen from the Great Zhou Dynasty, who were commuting between North Korea and Dengzhou, spoke with certainty about this matter.

    Now, Wang Fenghua didnt dare to neglect and was willing to report directly to the Northern Town Governor, but he was afraid that the news might not be true. He was so tired that he made a bad impression on the new Governor.

    If he didnt report it, and it happened that the North Korean delegation suddenly appeared at the Jinmen Mansion and the news from its own side leaked out, it would be a serious crime.

    After much deliberation, he decided to report to the Governor''s Office of Zhili first and ask the Jinmen''s Office to make preparations in advance. Anyway, even if this matter was purely a foul incident, Zhili and he were not affiliated with each other, so he couldnt be punished for lying about the military situation.

 Chapter 244: It Never Rains but It Pours

    Chapter 244: It Never Rains but It Pours

    After sending Wang Fenghua and his subordinates to the dock to help carry their luggage, Sun Shaozong leaned on the Grand Master''s chair and pondered Wang Fenghua''s report just now.

    After all, the local officials have somewhat of a shallow vision, and Wang Fenghua was only a fifth-grade official. He couldnt understand why the Korean delegation suddenly changed the waterway, which was also normal.

    However, when Sun Shaozong was in the Capital, he faintly heard some rumors. It was said that after Heishui Mohe and Mongolia were secretly linked, although he didnt dare to raise the flag to revolt, he had a direct confrontation with the Great Zhou Dynasty.

    However, secretly annexing other tribes or even posing as roving bandits to ransack border fortress people was a frequent occurrence.

    The level of harassment experienced by the Cao family in Korea during this time was significantly greater than that of the Great Zhou border. The tributary has now been converted into a waterway, possibly as a result of concern over being pillaged by the Heishui Mohe halfway. It was estimated that there was also an intention to force the Great Zhou to use force against the Heishui Mohe.

    After all, the proudest feat of the Supreme Emperor was to destroy Korea, which didnt obey the rule of the King and tried to re-establish foreign dependency on Korea.

    However, after only a decade, the Great Zhou Dynasty unexpectedly declined to a point where even the Korean tribute missions couldnt be sheltered. How could the Emperor have accepted this? How would Emperor Guangde feel?

    However, it was not so easy to use force against the Heishui Mohe.

    Most of the Heishui Mohe tribes were mountain tribes. When soldiers pressed the border, they hid in the mountains. Once the soldiers retreated, they immediately relapsed. To eradicate them, they must be prepared to fight a protracted war.

    However, at present, the Japanese invasion in the southeast has not been eliminated, the six countries in the southwest were ready to move, and there were gradually recovering Mongolian tribes in the north. In addition, with the domestic situation of having two days being opened, leading to a long war of encirclement and suppression, it might be wishful thinking to support a protracted war of encirclement and suppression.

    It never rains, but it pours!

    When thinking about it, he felt aggrieved for Emperor Guangde. The two generations of his father and grandfather have beaten all eight neighboring countries over and over again, and he could be as aggressive as he could be. However, when it came to him, they became wary of one thing and lost the other.

    "Your Excellency."

    Sun Shaozong was thinking of the Forbidden City when he heard a small official with a swollen face report from outside, Jia Shanyao, a hundred households from the Jinmen Mansion, heard that your excellency is here on business and is currently waiting outside."

    This Hebei province was adjacent to the Capital city. If there was any accident, the Town Governor could directly send people to handle it. Therefore, there were no thousand households arranged to be stationed in the town, and there were only one hundred households in Jinmen Mansion.

    This was also the reason why Wang Fenghua went to Jinmen Mansion and directly checked into the inn without contacting the local Dragon Guard.

    Yesterday, while eating crab at the banquet at Wangjiang Tower, he ordered some fresh lobster from the shop owner and prepared to have a good lunch today. This was also the only advantage of coming to Jinmen Mansion. Currently, in the Capital, there was no such thing as fresh seafood to eat.

    By the time they arrived at the Wangjiang Tower, the owner of the store had been waiting at the door for a long time and was able to operate the largest restaurant in the region. This owner naturally had connections. Therefore, he had long known the identity of Sun Shaozong, so he was treated with all kinds of hospitality.

    Even the lobster, which was heavily invested yesterday afternoon by fishermen who went out to the sea overnight to catch it, only a dozen one-foot-long lobsters were gathered from three boats. The chef personally fried the lobster for half a day, piling in ingredients, and the taste was naturally excellent.

    After catching up with Sun Shaozong''s "broad-minded" attitude, he spent about half an hour eating a messy and enjoyable meal.

    After a full meal, Sun Shaozong rinsed his mouth with the finest Tieguanyin. Holding his slightly protruding stomach, he was wondering what seafood would be suitable for tomorrow''s meal. He heard a commotion on the dock outside.

    Sun Shaozong curiously opened the window and looked out. He saw hundreds of government officials driving away the people on the dock, while at the center of the dock, three strange-looking ships were berthing.

    The people on board dressed strangely and tightly, but the big flag set up at the bow of the ship was in authentic Chinese characters.

    Korean tribute ship?

    Tch!

    The envoy group from North Korea paid tribute and indeed changed the water route. Next, it would be up to the Zhou Dynasty court to decide whether to save face or save money.

    However, in accordance with the behavior of Emperor Guangde in recent years, he would likely choose to endure temporarily. After all, he was not as young as Wei Ruolan to act when his brain was hot.

    Watching the guard of honor at the Governor''s Mansion approach and welcome the Korean delegation into the city, Sun Shaozong estimated that this week the Governor should have wanted to stabilize the delegation first and then sent someone to report to the capital.

    After all, the path of paying tribute to foreign countries and small countries has always been determined by the Imperial Court. It was better not to be at sea before. Anyway, in recent years, there has been no "territorial sea power" to speak of. Since they had set foot on the land of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was naturally up to the Imperial Court to decide how to go, how it would go, and how it could go.

    As for the reasons for stabilizing the mission

    In all likelihood, Governor Zhou would invite North Korean envoys to attend the listing ceremony on the ninth day of March.

    In the future, Lord Zhou would also boast that the King of Korea''s "close confidant" congratulated him on his promotion. Wasnt it enough for him to be proud for a lifetime?

 Chapter 245: The Grand Destroyer to Oneâ€™s Family

    Chapter 245: The Grand Destroyer to One''s Family

    As expected by Sun Shaozong, Governor Zhou sent people to report to the Capital while strongly inviting North Korean Envoy, Li Enxian to attend the listing ceremony on the ninth day of March.

    Since Li Enxian was sent to pay tribute, he was naturally familiar with the rules of the Zhou Dynasty. He knew that Governor Zhou would never dare let himself enter the Capital without the approval of the superior, so he also agreed to go with the tide.

    After a few days, it was the ninth day of the first lunar month.

    Early this morning, banners were displayed outside the Governor''s Mansion, and gongs and drums were blazing loudly.

    The team of dragon and lion dancers mingled with the women with wide sleeves and flowing clouds, but they didnt show any confusion. Among them was the roar of thousands of firecrackers, which made the people in the city feel uneasy.

    Not only was this true in front of the governor''s office, but businesses of some scale in the city were also required to dress in red, hang green in front of the door, and set off firecrackers to celebrate the grand event of being promoted by the Governor.

    How could the words great joy and success be used to purely describe all this?

    However, Governor Zhou''s reputation for "enhancing the prestige of our country" this time has not been questioned by anyone, especially the merchants in the city. To avoid being labeled as "stingy and misleading the country," they all gritted their teeth and threw the silver into the water.

    However, although the scale has increased, it was still extremely boring in Sun Shaozong''s eyes. Compared to the sound and light effects of modern society, these were nothing at present.

    As for the seats at the Governor''s Office

    How could the fried food from the big pot be compared to the exquisite cooking stove in Wangjiang Tower?

    Therefore, after arriving at the Governor''s Mansion, Sun Shaozong was listless and tense. All he thought about was that after the farce was over, he would immediately return to the Capital to determine the overall situation, lest Qiu Yunfei would lose his strength and indeed seize power from Wei Ruolan.

    Not to mention how bored Sun Shaozong was, huddled in a corner, daydreaming.

    It was said that Governor Zhou and the Korean Envoy, Li Enxian, stood side by side under the plaque that had not yet been unsealed.

    Since the upper echelons of North Korea also used Chinese characters and spoke Chinese, there was no obstacle to communicating with each other. Therefore, Governor Zhou pointed at the street performance and said something in a spirited manner. Li Enxian also nodded frequently, with a look of envy on his face.

    Regardless of whether he was polite or envious, Governor Zhou became increasingly proud.

    However, when the gongs and drums were loud and the lion dancers were on the table, how could they hear what they were shouting?

    The show continued as the lions grabbed the last hydrangea ball and tore it in both directions, revealing the last horizontal scroll, only to find that the words The Grand Destroyer to One''s Family were prominently written!

    Governor Zhou saw these words, and his chest burst into flames without restraint. He couldn''t be more dignified or reserved and pointed to the table and shouted, Take it off, take it off, quickly... Quickly take these traitors off for me! Traitors, traitors, these are a group of reckless traitors!"

    At the sight of him, his whole body trembled with anger, and the officials were busy shouting together. Only then did the officers and soldiers of the Governor''s Mansion reacted and rushed to surround the hundreds of people performing on the street.

    Seeing that there was chaos in front of the Governor''s Mansion, Zhao Wutong went pale and muttered something.

    Sun Shaozong poked him in the waist and asked, "This couplet satirizes Governor Zhou, right?"

    Zhao Wutong shook his head in shock and subconsciously explained, "This is a couplet that was split. The first couplet of not a righteous person, uses the strokes of ren; pretending to be like Lei Gong, uses the stroke of rain, and lack of three aspects uses the stroke of er. Adding together, the word refers to Ru.

    "In the second couplet, without a little conscience uses the stroke of gen, and when separated by the word mao, refers to the word Qing."

    "As for this horizontal endorsement..."

    Sun Shaozong interrupted him and said, "It''s not necessary to mention the horizontal couplet. I can see it''s a Zhou character."

    "The combination of the word Ru and the word Qing, it is exactly the word Zhou Ruqing!"

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but feel a little surprised because the name of Governor Zhou was Zhou Ruqing!

    The couplet implied his name and accused him of taking bribes, perverting the law, and losing all his virtue. Finally, he cursed his Zhou family with the words The Grand Destroyer to One''s Family. No wonder Zhou Ruqing was so angry that he completely ignored the presence of the Korean Envoy.

    He originally wanted to assert his authority over foreign countries, but now he has been disgraced and thrown abroad.

    As long as there was a shred of truth in what was written in this couplet, it was estimated that Zhou Ruqing would inevitably lose his position and be removed from office. Perhaps he really deserved the curse of "The Grand Destroyer to One''s Family!"

    He just didnt know who made this revealing couplet

 Chapter 246: City Lockdown

    Chapter 246: City Lockdown

    In the hall of the Governor''s Office, the four corners were decorated with a golden glow and a jubilant atmosphere, but the atmosphere in the hall at this moment was dull and peaceful, as if in mourning.

    A group of officials attending the listing ceremony stood closely in six or seven rows in the hall, almost everyone with a wooden face, and the close relatives of Zhou Ruqing in the front row were even more like heartbreakers.

    It was estimated that if Zhou Ruqing had changed his expression at this moment and immediately wept, everyone would be able to carry him to mourning without changing their expression.

    Looking up, two senior officials, the Chief Political Envoy and the Comfort Envoy, sat around Zhou Ruqing as if they were two Generals, their faces were darker than each other.

    This posture

    Should it be that there are no good people in Hongtong County?

    This newly established Zhili province was about to exterminate the family and bring good luck!

    However, Sun Shaozong was mixed in the crowd, just as he was thinking about the scene where the three senior officials were beheaded together, he suddenly heard a crash sound of armor and leaves banging wildly from outside.

    Immediately afterward, he saw the Captain of the Governor''s Office holding his saber and entering. He came to the crowd, bowed, and said, "Your Excellency, I have already sent the Korean delegation to another embassy for placement."

    He then went forward and whispered to Zhou Ruqing.

    After listening to his whispers, Zhou Ruqing remained silent for a while, then waved his hand and signaled the Captain to step down.

    After the Captain was ordered out of the hall, Zhou Ruqing stood up and paced back and forth behind the case. He looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle and said quietly, "It''s the so-called pure person who is self-clean, and the turbid person who is self-turbid! I ask myself whether I owe the Majestys grace or the people, even if there is too much sewage pouring down on my head, it will not damage my reputation in this world!"

    Hehe~

    If it were true that the innocent would be proven innocent, why were you panicking earlier?

    Not only did the lion dance team get caught, but even those who were watching the excitement nearby were also caught, which was clearly a mess.

    As Sun Shaozong was contemptuous, Zhou Ruqing turned sharply and stared at the officials standing in the hall with burning eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Whatever happens today, I must find out!"

    "This is not for my reputation, but for the face of our Great Zhou Dynasty!"

    As he spoke, he extended his hand and pointed out, his beard trembling, saying, "Those young people, acting as foreign envoys, were so unscrupulous in slandering important officials of the Imperial Court. If we don''t arrest them as soon as possible to set an example and make this absurd statement spread to our friends, its fine for me to suffer some grievances. However, how can we preserve the face of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

    What a good way to avoid the real and avoid the false!

    The couplet clearly revealed him to be corrupt, which caused him to feel angry and ashamed. At present, this mouthful of words has to be investigated to avoid this absurd statement being spread to others.

    Fortunately, although the Great Zhou Dynasty was a bit weak at the moment, it was not far from growing bigger. Otherwise, why didnt he rely on foreign forces to elevate his own status?

    However, it was precisely the so-called success or failure of a foreign country. He now talked about the absurd statement being spread to our friends, and the court would naturally investigate this case thoroughly due to these words in the future.

    "Report back to the Commander."

    Sun Shaozong naturally wouldn''t flinch easily, but bowed slightly and said, "My Elder Brother is scheduled to get married on the 18th of this month. I am anxious to return to the Capital..."

    "Lord Sun!"

    Upon hearing this, Inspector Zhang Yao couldn''t help shouting, "You and I are both appointed officials of the Imperial Court. How can we abolish private affairs for official reasons?"

    "Chief Provincial Judge."

    Sun Shaozong raised his head and looked at him fearlessly. "If it''s really a business, I will definitely obey. But at the moment, locking the city is too much just to prevent the secret troublemaker from escaping!"

    "Could it be that you are suspicious that I have something to do with them?"

    "If this is the case, please investigate me first. But after proving my innocence, please also let me return to the capital early!"

    "You really are..."

    Ever since Zhang Yao was promoted to the post of Sentencing Official, he has never been so contradicted by a fifth-grade official.

    He was so angry.

    "Lord Zhang!"

    Zhang Yao was about to argue with Sun Shaozong, but Zhou Ruqing came forward and stopped him, saying to Sun Shaozong with a gentle expression, Actually, I don''t want to let Lord Sun leave. I want to use his ability to investigate the case and arrest the culprit as soon as possible.''"

    As he spoke, he raised his voice again and said, "Someone, quickly draft a document, temporarily transfer Lord Sun from the Central Judicial Office to the province, and cooperate with the Department of Punishment and Investigation to investigate this case!"

    After someone took the order, Zhou Ruqing asked Sun Shaozong again, "How about it? It should be considered a serious business now?"

    After a pause, he smiled again and said, "Actually, Lord Sun doesn''t have to be too anxious. I believe that with Lord Zhang working with you, we can find out the truth in three or five days. At that time, Lord Sun will be back in the Capital before it''s too late."

    What a sly old thief!

    No wonder he could achieve the supremacy of a province. Indeed, he has the ability to guide a deer into a horse!

    Although he knew that they were afraid of transmitting the news back to the Capital, rather than really wanting him to investigate the case, Sun Shaozong could only respectfully accept the order at present.

    It was just that

    The North Korean envoys were in the city, and the Jinmen Mansion has now been put under a microscope. They couldnt hide for long even if they wanted to.

    Let''s see what kind of tricks these corrupt officials could play before the Court reacted!

 Chapter 247: The Law

    Chapter 247: The Law

    This Zhou Ruqing

    Was he crazy?

    Standing in front of the locked-down Wangjiang Tower, Sun Shaozong frowned and pondered for a while before turning around and returning.

    On the ninth day of the lunar month, soldiers from the Governor''s Office and the Surveillance Commissioner''s Office searched and arrested in every direction.

    After searching for two days, more than a dozen wealthy gentry in the city were captured, and two or three other officials were mixed among them. According to the information Sun Shaozong heard, it seemed that they were all in charge of the corruption of money and food.

    This posture didnt seem like searching for prisoners, but rather like taking advantage of the opportunity to collect money!

    However, he was going to be beheaded soon, what could he do by collecting these fortunes?

    Wait!

    Sun Shaozong suddenly paused and turned his head to look at the docks that had been depressed due to the ban. He saw countless ships of various sizes, densely packed on the shore, the most prominent of which, of course, were the three "wooden house warships" of the Korean Mission.

    His gaze rested for a moment on the wooden house warship, then turned to other large ships. Although most of them were inland ships, not a few could go to sea. A cursory glance revealed at least a dozen.

    And this was just where his vision could reach

    Sun Shaozong frowned a little tighter, slowly withdrew his gaze, and walked towards the inn again.

    But when Sun Shaozong returned to the inn where he was staying, he was wondering whether to order something to eat and have the waiter take it to the East Cross Courtyard or simply use it in this hall when he heard a loud noise in the West Cross Courtyard.

    A high-pitched voice exclaimed, "Why are you arresting me?! Although I am a fellow of the Cangzhou Government, the lion dance team was not invited by me!"

    There was a strange voice, "Lord Xiang, we are also under orders. If there is any grievance, it will not be too late for you to shout again when you arrive in the prison."

    Tch!

    The officers and soldiers of the Sentencing and Prosecuting Department unexpectedly came here to arrest people!

    It seemed that Xiang Yi, a fellow citizen of Cangzhou Prefecture, was arrested.

    Although Sun Shaozong was not familiar with this person, he vaguely remembered that since he arrived at the Jinmen Mansion, he had been staying in the inn and rarely went out. Even when he would go out, he always traveled with other people.

    He didn''t speak to Xiang Yi either, but with a calm face, he sneered at Ge Yan and said, I don''t know if what you just said was your own meaning or Lord Zhou''s?"

    Ge Yan held the horsewhip in both hands and tugged desperately, but in vain, like a dragonfly shaking a tree.

    He simply let go of his horsewhip in anger and shame. With a loud clatter, he pulled out half of his waist knife and said with a look, "Why, does Lord Sun want to disobey the order of the Governor? If not, quickly move away from me, otherwise, I will recognize you, but this steel knife won''t recognize you!"

    Sun Shaozong held the whip in his palm with his backhand and waved it like a fly, saying, "Since you are also acting under orders, let''s quit first. You guys dont have to bother investigating Lord Xiang. I''ll make it clear."

    "You..."

    "What are you?"

    Ge Yan stared, but Sun Shaozong condescended and shouted, "I have been ordered to cooperate with the Chief Provincial Judge in investigating this case and naturally have the right to interrogate any suspects. Why, do you want to disobey the order of the Governor?"

    This move treated him in his own way, but Ge Yan choked heavily and glared at Sun Shaozong for a while. Finally, he stamped his foot and said, Let''s go!"

    Seeing Ge Yan leaving with his people, he shrugged off the support of his servant and approached him with a slightly sheepish expression, saying, Thank you for your kind words just now, otherwise, I might be..."

    "Sigh I just went to the Governor''s Office yesterday to speak, hoping not to casually harm the lives of Cangzhou people, but unexpectedly caused a disaster of imprisonment!"

    "The way that Lord Zhou acted really made us disappointed."

    This Western Cross Courtyard was different from the Eastern Cross Courtyard. It was a quadrangle pattern, with at least three or four family members living in it. Although they didnt approach them at this time, they were also secretly spying in the corner.

    Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment and then said, "Lord Xiang, to avoid something like that happening again, why don''t you move to the East Cross Courtyard first and live with me?"

    Xiang Yi had been avoiding him, but at the moment, when he listened to his invitation, he couldn''t help but beg to agree.

    He quickly agreed, but still couldn''t help but complain in a low voice about the other colleagues in the West Cross Courtyard, saying that they usually call each other brothers and sisters. At present, they didnt even ask about his well-being.

    During the conversation, the two of them first arrived at the East Cross Courtyard. As for the luggage and other items, naturally, servants were responsible for carrying them.

    Seeing that no one else was visible around, Sun Shaozong immediately grabbed Xiang Yi and asked, "Lord Xiang, how many people in your hands can you trust and do things?"

    Xiang Yi was stunned for a moment, then cautiously asked, "I wonder what Lord Sun wants my people to do?"

    "Naturally, to help me verify whether my inference is true or not!"

 Chapter 248: Flee to Some Other Place

    Chapter 248: Flee to Some Other Place

    Escape?! You think that Zhou Ruqing is going to flee outside of the Great Zhou Dynasty?!"

    "That''s right!"

    "A corrupt official who is almost on the brink of execution doesnt care about a saber hanging around his neck. He only focuses on plundering the people''s wealth, even brazenly destroys the Court''s laws and regulations, and does not shy away from the eyes and ears of others..."

    Taken together, others might not be able to see what Zhou Ruqing had in mind due to the limitations of the times and the traditional concept of the homeland, but Sun Shaozong immediately thought of the word "Escape."

    After all, in the era in which he once lived, the escape of corrupt officials could be said to be the most common routine!

    In the face of such a mortal situation, Zhou Ruqing and others wanted to live, but they could only run away with money!

    Due to the fact that Jinmen Mansion was quite a distance from the land border, if he wanted to carry a large amount of gold and silver to escape, there were only sea routes available.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong only paid attention to the large ships that could sail to sea on the dock, hoping to find evidence of Zhou Ruqing attempting to escape.

    However, the number of ships exceeded Sun Shaozong''s estimate.

    But at the moment, he didn''t dare to act rashly and alert the enemy, so he had to send someone to secretly investigate. However, he could only rely on the two subordinate officials and a servant around him, and he didn''t know when the results of the investigation would come out.

    If there were still no clues, and Zhou Ruqing happened to escape to the sea, then it would be extremely difficult to find those involved.

    So on the way back, Sun Shaozong wondered where to find more people.

    In fact, there was no shortage of ready-made soldiers and horses. There were at least thirty to forty people in the local Dragon Guard hundred households who could be dispatched by him.

    The problem was that Sun Shaozong hadn''t even seen Jia Shanyao in person, let alone his usual relationship with the Governor''s Office. If Jia Shanyao himself was also involved, wouldn''t it be tantamount to asking him for help?

    He was in a dilemma when he happened to encounter this determination and was challenged by others. He also saw that he was upright and somewhat scholarly and had formed an animosity with the Governor''s Office. Therefore, he took up an idea. UppTodated from

    Unlike Sun Shaozong''s habit of being simple and obedient, almost every official''s travel these days was accompanied by a bunch of subordinates, and Xiang Yi was no exception.

    The officials who accompanied him, including his servants, were at least a dozen. As long as half of them could be trusted, they would be enough.

    After Sun Shaozong had simply analyzed his reasoning with Xiang Yi, Xiang Yi shook his head like a rattle drum and said, No, no, no! Those stupid men can''t even run errands at ordinary times. How dare you entrust these huge connections to them at this moment? If the news was leaked, wouldn''t I become a criminal forever?"

    Immediately, he gritted his teeth again and said, "If theres no other solution, I will dress up and go in person..."

    Sun Shaozong duly interrupted and said, "Although patrol ships are guarding the canals at both ends of the north and south, the direction of sailing is not blocked. As long as we can find a ship willing to sail, it will be much easier for us to leave Jinmen."

    "Right, right!"

    Xiang Yi added, "It''s better to be on a sea boat because, apart from Lord Sun and me, there are two colleagues who also intend to leave together. I''m afraid ordinary small boats cannot accommodate so many people."

    "You don''t have to ask one by one."

    Sun Shaozong added, "Nowadays, people in this city are in a state of panic, and no one knows if the next person to be confiscated will be themselves. According to my reasoning, there must be a maritime merchant who has the same thinking as us!"

    "So you just need to make sure that there are those ocean ships that have added supplies to the sea in the past two days, and it will be enough to report back."

    In a few words, the two men made a clear explanation and promised a heavy reward. Only then did they call out the three men under Sun Shaozong and send them out to inquire about the news.

    When everyone in the living room had dispersed completely, Xiang Yi suddenly felt as if he had a tough time and collapsed on the Grand Master''s chair, gasping for breath.

    After a while, he regained some strength but nervously inquired, "Lord Sun, can we really deceive the people in the Governor''s Office by doing this?"

    "It''s naturally not that easy to completely fool the past, so this is why we have to release false information." Sun Shaozong spread out his hand and said, "I''m going back to attend my Eldest Brother''s wedding, and you almost got caught in prison. It''s reasonable to be in a hurry to leave this place of trouble."

    "If Governor Zhou really intends to flee, he will not dare to delay for too long. I estimate that the maximum duration will be the day after tomorrow, which is their limit."

    "In this way, even if we escape tomorrow, we won''t have time to move to the Capital and ask for help."

    "So even if the Governor''s Office receives information, it should not pay attention to our inconsequential careful thinking, and naturally it will not alert the enemy."

    When Sun Shaozong said this, seeing that Xiang Yi had completely relaxed, he smiled again and said, "Of course, this is just my own speculation. If Governor Zhou is vigilant enough..."

    Halfway through, he paused.

    Xiang Yi immediately raised his heart to his throat again and asked after him, "If Zhou Ruqing was vigilant enough, what would happen?"

    "If Governor Zhou is vigilant enough, I''m afraid I can only go to the Governor''s Mansion and capture him alive!"

    As Sun Shaozong spoke, he burst into laughter.

    Xiang Yi thought he was joking, so he laughed along.

 Chapter 249: A Sudden Change of Circumstances

    Chapter 249: A Sudden Change of Circumstances

    The tradition in the old bureaucratic system has always been to handle official affairs and private affairs on a special basis. Moreover, this time, not only did he promise a great reward, but his life was also at stake.

    Therefore, several subordinate officials and a group of domestic servants were all working hard to drill around the camp.

    In the morning, people were scattered, and before noon, news began to spread.

    First of all, after a visit, it was discovered that someone had indeed privately stockpiled a large number of materials to be used for sailing, even pickled vegetables and grain were bought in considerable amounts.

    The whereabouts of these supplies were unknown at the moment.

    In addition, Sun Shaozong previously said that those maritime merchants were in danger of their own lives, and he casually found a reason. He told them that in recent days, nearly half of them were engaged in maritime trade among the families of bandits and gentry.

    Although the Jinmen Mansion was indeed located by the sea, its main economic lifeline was still dependent on inland river transportation. It could be said that among the ten people who made their fortune by shipping, it was not possible to find one or two who went by sea.

    Therefore, this ratio seemed extremely abnormal.

    Sun Shaozong quickly ordered people to follow this clue and conducted a deep investigation. The result was that not only the gentry but also the stewards and sailors who had been sailing all year long were found to have been captured from their homes, and many of them were also thrown into the standard prison.

    However, due to the matter of a group of uneducated people, it was far less attractive than the capture of the gentry and the old men, so there has not been much publicity before.

    While following this clue, he found out that the Magistrate''s Office was responsible for the execution of the sentence, but he received another message. It was just after midday when the Commander''s soldiers and horses sent the sailors in the prison, along with the families and maidservants of the powerful gentry, to the Governor''s Office.

    Upon hearing this news, Sun Shaozong''s face showed some dignity, and he asked in a deep voice, "Are there any elderly among those women?"

    The Xiang family servant who came to report back was also a standard gossip party, and he was quite clear about these details.

    So he hurriedly said, "I''ve heard that most of the hundred and ten are beautiful young women. Occasionally, there are a few middle-aged women who are still charming. As for those who are old and pale, I haven''t seen any of them."

    Indeed, that was right!

    This Zhou Ruqing''s work was really a chain of links, and he would never waste any resources!

    When the servant was sent away, Xiang Yi couldn''t help but wonder, Those sailors are all right. At this moment, what''s the use of them getting a group of women?"

    Sun Shaozong was silent for a while and then sneered, "Of course, it''s used as a petition!"

    Many of these sailors were involuntary. At present, Zhou Ruqing, relying on his official authority, could still suppress it, but once at sea, he might not be better than a salted fish in the eyes of the sailors as a rebellious Governor who has fled!

    Therefore, some means must be used in advance to force these sailors to have a home and not return, and they could only be tied together with him. As for the women who were escorted to the Governor''s Office, they were clearly the means prepared by Zhou Ruqing.

    Regardless of whether or not they were willing to take part in the bodies of these gentry''s family members or even cause a few more deaths, the sailors would have to obediently flee overseas with Zhou Ruqing.

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but curse. Compared to the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers in the Capital, these things were nothing, but they were enough to be looked down upon in the Jinmen Mansion!

    "Your Excellency."

    Speaking of the big news of the day, Jia Shanyao felt much more secure. Seeing Sun Shaozong''s silence for a while, he couldn''t help but remind him, "Should we send someone out of the city to deliver the news to the Capital?"

    Sun Shaozong glanced at him with a sneer and said, "Is there any use in passing on the news to the Capital now, other than passing on the responsibility afterward?"

    Jia Shanyao''s mind was pierced by him, and he was convinced.

    Sun Shaozong paced back and forth in the living room for a few steps and then asked, How many troops are there in the private army of the Governor''s Mansion?"

    "Originally there were only about thirty people, but after Lord Zhou was promoted to the Governor, he more than doubled his recruitment. Currently, there are about eight or ninety people, almost all of them are from Lord Zhou''s party, and they are most loyal to him!"

    As Jia Shanyao spoke, something suddenly occurred to him, and he quickly added, "I heard that during noon earlier, the Chief Provincial Judge also brought dozens of trusted people over. Together, there should be a hundred and thirty or forty people!"

    "If you include the courtyard guards, it is estimated that there will be no problem rounding up to 200 people!"

    Tch!

    Two hundred well-trained soldiers, armed with guns, bows, and crossbows, and four tiger crouching cannons

    "How many of you guys are good in battle?"

    "Hmm..."

    If Sun Shaozong had asked this question before, Jia Shanyao would surely have insisted that over forty brothers in the hundred households could and dared to fight!

    But now was not the time to brag and cover up, so he could only say, Although there are more than 40 people in the hundred households under the bid, there are only a dozen who can really fight, and those who dare to fight... maybe even less.''"

    Great~

    This ratio was close to twenty to one!

    Even Xiang Yi, who knew nothing about military affairs, lost the previous impassioned expression on his face, shaking his sleeve and stamping his feet, saying, "What can I do about this?"

    "Don''t worry."

    Sun Shaozong was calm and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, saying, We don''t have to attack head-on, as long as we can catch the thief by surprise..."

    "Your Excellency, Your Excellency!"

    Before he could finish saying, Catch the leader of the thief first, someone outside made another wailing and howling, The soldiers of the Governor''s Mansion are gathering in the street like they are running towards us!"

 Chapter 250: Slaughter

    Chapter 250: Slaughter

    After the shout from outside, the living room suddenly became as silent as death!

    Jia Shanyao''s spine softened, and he almost threw himself onto the ground again. Then he jumped up like a monkey and said urgently, My Lord, I don''t think it''s suitable to stay here for a long time..."

    "Shut up!"

    Sun Shaozong stopped him and waited for the shouting Xiang family servant to come in. He carefully inquired and made sure that there were only about twenty soldiers gathered at the gate of the Yamen and that they had not carried firearms or crossbows. His heart was relieved.

    No one would think that, given his reputation, just a few twenty officers and soldiers could subdue him unless he bragged about himself.

    Moreover, when Jia Shanyao and his four subordinates rushed over, they should have passed by the Governor''s Mansion. If Zhou Ruqing really intended to deal with Sun Shaozong, he wouldn''t have been unaware that there were five more Dragon Guards here!

    But since they were not here to arrest them, what would be the purpose of these soldiers?

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "Is the house of the other embassy of the Korean delegation also in this direction?"

    "That''s right. That''s where the other houses are..."

    In the middle of Jia Shanyao''s reply, his heart was already in a flash, and he said happily, "Yes, most of these soldiers and horses were going to arrest the North Korean envoy! If it weren''t for the presence of the North Korean envoy, Lord Zhou wouldn''t have been forced into a desperate situation. Now that they are going to raise the flag and rebel, naturally, the barbarian son surnamed Li will sacrifice first!"

    Revolt with flags?

    This Jia Shanyao was really capable of pondering.

    Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes secretly and said, "It''s not a troubled time right now, and this place is not the border beyond the Great Wall, far away from the Emperor. Relying on two hundred soldiers and horses to rebel, it''s better to hang your neck on the flagpole and die happily!"

    The reason why Zhou Ruqing sent someone to another museum was not to kill Li Enxian but to take him hostage so that he could take possession of the three Korean warships.

    With the help of firearms, bows, crossbows, and these three large warships, Zhou Ruqing would be able to cross the sea!

    He might be able to still go to the southeast coast and share a cup of soup with the Japanese invaders!

    Moreover, once he kidnapped Li Enxian, and even if there were any accidents, he could step back and act as a shield.

    But this wasnt the most serious matter!

    If Zhou Ruqing really wanted to succeed, the Court would be shamed, and needless to say, it would be difficult to predict how the Koreans would react.

    Sun Shaozong saw that he couldnt catch up with them, so he simply drove the two prisoners away and returned to the inn in the same way.

    This was a clear day, and the heads of the people who were cut off in the street were rolling, which couldnt be hidden from the eyes and ears of ordinary people. Therefore, the pedestrians on the road escaped completely. Only behind the doors and windows, and above the courtyard wall, a pair of curious and frightened eyes appeared.

    Since no one dared to approach, Sun Shaozong naturally wouldn''t waste his time on the way, so he interrogated the two prisoners as he walked.

    Those two people had already been scared out of their wits, otherwise, they wouldn''t have listened to Sun Shaozong''s roar and just knelt to beg for mercy.

    At this point, hearing him ask, they naturally didnt dare to deceive him at all.

    So when they arrived outside the inn, Sun Shaozong knew everything he wanted to know.

    The result could only be said to be extremely pessimistic. Originally, Sun Shaozong was also thinking that if the soldiers in the Governor''s Office were kept in the dark and didnt know Zhou Ruqing''s plans, it might be possible to use this to disrupt the military morale of the other party.

    However, after questioning, Zhou Ruqing had already made a statement to his soldiers at noon today.

    This team of soldiers was already fed with silver by him, and they often participated in various violations of the law and discipline, and they all knew the principle of both prosperity and loss.

    Therefore, except for a few people, the vast majority of them responded to Zhou Ruqing''s myth of "Escaping overseas and confiscating territories."

    Zhou Ruqing didnt embarrass those who refused to comply but ordered them to be temporarily imprisoned in the backyard, saying that they would be allowed to leave freely after they set off to sea at night.

    When soldiers saw Zhou Ruqing being so loyal, they even felt that he was treating them with kindness and was a worthy Lord to follow. They had originally been ambivalent, but only because they were afraid, they agreed to set off to the sea, adding a bit of willingness.

    Since then, Zhou Ruqing has been urging people to take strict precautions, while he has also obtained many young women from the Chief Provincial Judge Yamen, announcing that the predecessor could be played by his brothers in turn before night

    "They had already started?!"

    "This is not yet the case, because several of us have been ordered to trick the North Korean envoy into entering the urn. Captain Ge Yan personally promised that he would divide them... Divide the women again when we come back."

    Sun Shaozong was relieved. If more than a hundred innocent women were humiliated because he couldn''t help them, it would be really

    However, this was not quite the same as his previous speculation. Should it be that Zhou Ruqing was not prepared to provide those sailors with a layer of insurance before setting sail?

    "Those boat runners? Captain Ge Yan said that when the brothers finished tasting the soup, they would give them some leftovers. Later on, everyone will also be brothers in the same boots, so they can take care of each other when they reach the sea."

    Damn!

    These petitions were also divided into three, six, and nine levels, and the relationships were close to each other!

 Chapter 251: Go Straight to the Front!

    Chapter 251: Go Straight to the Front!

    When Sun Shaozong returned to the inn, he saw that the original guests inside had already dispersed completely, even the shopkeeper and the bartender had disappeared.

    Only Xiang Yi, Jia Shanyao, and others, who were awestruck and nervous, welcomed him into the backyard.

    After listening to Sun Shaozongs words and giving a general idea of what happened just now, Xiang Yi only expressed admiration, but Jia Shanyao slipped his beard, patted his horse, and said, "I heard that Your Majesty is unparalleled in bravery! Today, I indeed have an eye-opener..."

    "Come on, stop talking about this nonsense!"

    Sun Shaozong rudely interrupted him and gave Xiang Yi an arch, saying, "Brother Xiang, please take someone to collect some mats and ropes and come back. The more the number, the better!"

    Although Xiang Yi didnt understand the usefulness of collecting these things, he still generously agreed and led the people away with enthusiasm.

    Looking at his excited appearance, he was obviously fooled by the victory of "chopping melons and vegetables." He thought that the two hundred people from the Governor''s Mansion were not difficult to deal with.

    However, Jia Shanyao was born in the military, and although he had never been to the battlefield, he also knew the scale of long-range weapons. No matter how brave the Generals were, they wouldnt dare attack the strict military formation with a large number of firearms, bows, and crossbows of the enemy!

    Therefore, as soon as Xiang Yi left, he came forward and advised, "My Lord, Governor Zhou... I''m afraid that Zhou Ruqing won''t give up when he gets the news. I think we should first find a way to escape from the city, lest we are surrounded by them."

    After a pause, when Sun Shaozong took off his clothes at his own discretion, he didn''t have any reaction at all. He then analyzed and said, "At present, the Governor and the staff of the Chief Provincial Judge are all concentrated in the Governor''s Office, and there shouldn''t be many people holding hands on the city gate and dock. With your ability to escape..."

    "Escape?"

    Sun Shaozong took off his bloodstained cloak and stripped off all his clothes inside, revealing his majestic body cast in iron and copper. He sneered casually, "Did Lord Jia forget the four words duty to defend the country? If Zhou Ruqing really kidnaps the North Korean envoy and goes to sea now, it must be a big case that breaks the sky!"

    "At that time, the Imperial Court will lose face and the Holy One will burst into a rage. Who do you think will be taken as the scapegoat?"

    Speaking of this, he spread out his two strong arms and said casually, "Anyway, I have been fighting for a while, and I am not the local official of the Jinmen. If Lord Jia wants to leave, I will..."

    Putong~

    Before he could finish speaking, Jia Shanyao knelt on the ground, kowtowing like a clove of pestering garlic, imploring, "I''m confused, and I would like to ask you to guide me through the maze!"

    Previously, he was intent on escaping, but now, as Sun Shaozong reminded him, he realized that escaping would only result in total death!

    But staying in Jinmen Mansion was also a dead end, wasnt it?!

    Under Jia Shanyao''s stunned gaze, Sun Shaozong tried to pose a few poses and then carried the solid woof tables briskly for a few steps. Only then did he say with satisfaction, "Done! With this thing here, you don''t have to be afraid of being shot from the front with guns and crossbows!"

    He has seen a lot of anti-Japanese dramas and has probably figured out the origin of this thing.

    Yes, this was the landed tank used by the Eighth Route Army when it bombed the blockhouse!

    However, the type Eighth Route Army used was pushed by a few cars or carried by a few people, and could only protect the top of the head. It was also cumbersome, slow, and prone to terrain constraints.

    However, what Sun Shaozong did would not be a problem at all.

    Because of the power of improvement, he could even use this thing as a bulletproof shield!

    Once the landed tank was used to rush into the enemy''s formation and engaged in melee, those firearms and crossbows wouldnt be useful. Of course, to improve survival, Sun Shaozong still wore thick armor around his body.

    After the armor was also filled with water from the well, with all the equipment added up, the whole thing must have weighed nearly 400 kilograms now. Only those that were as huge as him could use this as individual equipment.

    Sun Shaozong put down the landed tank and arched his hand to Xiang Yi, who was equally stunned, saying, Brother Xiang, the officers and soldiers who are still staying in the Imperial Court, the Vassal Court, and the Prefectural Government shouldnt be Zhou Ruqing''s accomplices, at least not his confidants."

    "You might as well take these two prisoners over and reveal what Zhou Ruqing has done, and then use the phrase defending the land is a responsibility to force them to save themselves!

    Xiang Yi froze for a moment but shook his head like a rattling drum and exclaimed, "Just leave this matter to someone else. I want to stay and live and die with Brother Sun!"

    When Jia Shanyao heard it, a flash of light passed before his eyes, and he couldnt wait to offer himself.

    Unfortunately, Sun Shaozong spoke again and said, "Brother Xiang, please gather enough people and bring them over to support me. If it were changed to someone else, it''s not certain whether they will bring someone over."

    After hearing this, Xiang Yi wanted to persuade Sun Shaozong to join him in summoning people.

    Sun Shaozong was helpless and said, "At present, we have already alarmed the enemy. If no one comes forward to drag the troops of the Governor Mansion forward, it is estimated that Zhou Ruqing will have escaped to the ship before we can gather all the people."

    Xiang Yi thought it was the same reason, so he reluctantly clasped his fists and said, "Please take care, Brother Sun. I will live up to your trust!"

    As he spoke, he called out a few confidants and hurried off with the two prisoners.

    Jia Shanyao was looking at his back and admiring him when he saw Sun Shaozong holding the Eight Table in his hand and ordering someone to pour several barrels of well water on his armor. It was so cold that it was all over him, but he greeted him with great enthusiasm and said, "Let''s go, just go ahead with me!"

 Chapter 252: The Ugly Manner

    Chapter 252: The Ugly Manner

    In the Governor Mansion''s backyard at the Buddhist Hall, the sandalwood fragrance lingered around. Zhou Ruqing sat cross-legged in front of the Buddhist shrine, dressed in plain clothes with a silk scarf, lightly twisting a string of inky Buddhist beads in his hand. Coupled with his elegant facial features and grayish beard, he felt like an expert.

    Knock knock~

    At this moment, someone suddenly tapped a few times outside the door.

    "Come in."

    Zhou Ruqing responded and saw a few young women darting in from the outside, standing in a row in the Buddhist Hall, a little to the left and right of the door.

    He saw that all these women had their arms folded behind them, and their shirts, regardless of their thickness, were tightly tied to their bodies with fine hemp ropes, revealing their delicate bodies.

    "Uncle!"

    At this moment, the bearded Captain Ge Yan also came in from outside with a big grin and proudly said, "I have personally selected for a long time, and only then have I found such a few top-notch women. Their appearance and physique are needless to say, plus they are all virgins..."

    "Shut up!"

    Zhou Ruqing lowered his face and angrily shouted, "How dare you speak such a filthy language in front of the Buddha?!"

    What was wrong with Buddha? Hasn''t he played with nuns before?!

    Ge Yan was disdainful, but he could only pretend to be educated and bowed to listen.

    Zhou Ruqing reprimanded him a few more times before turning the conversation around and asking, Where is Chief Provincial Judge Hu? Did you send someone over to serve him?"

    Ge Yan grinned again and said, "Look at what you said, naturally, we have to wait for you to choose first until you have finished..."

    "Idiot!"

    Zhou Ruqing glared at him and shouted, "Chief Provincial Judge Hu was a fussy person. At this juncture, it''s better to hold onto him first! How can you annoy Chief Provincial Judge Hu for a few women?"

    He sent beautiful virgins over, but instead received a good scolding. Ge Yan was depressed, but he could only bow and said, Uncle, calm down. I will send someone to Chief Provincial Judge Hu now.''"

    As he spoke, he pushed and shoved the women towards the door.

    At this moment, he heard Zhou Ruqing quietly spit out, "The second from the left."

    Chief Provincial Judge Hu hurriedly stopped him and reminded him, This is not the time for recklessness. Let''s quickly report it to the Governor and see how he wants to deal with it!"

    Ge Yan only relied on his status as a nephew of the Governor and only dared to stand up in front of Chief Provincial Judge Hu in ordinary times. However, at present, what Chief Provincial Judge Hu said was true beyond a doubt, and he didnt dare act arbitrarily.

    Therefore, they had to go to the backyard Buddhist Hall in a resentful mood.

    Ge Yan forgot to knock at the door for a moment, so he burst into it and shouted, Uncle, something''s wrong..."

    Before he could finish his words, the scene in front of him stunned him on the spot.

    On top of the offering table, several plates of fruit were swept aside and replaced by a girl who was half-naked. The girl''s two white legs were hanging in the air, and one of them, a delicate and small lotus foot, was being held by Zhou Ruqing and being kissed and bit by him!

    Hearing the sound of knocking at the door, Zhou Ruqing looked up in amazement. He was drooling profusely, showing his infatuated ugliness, but he still had the majestic image.

    Seeing this, Ge Yan and Chief Provincial Judge Hu stood frozen at the door, but they didn''t know whether to enter or retreat.

    However, Zhou Ruqing was indeed worthy of being Zhou Ruqing. Seeing such embarrassment, in the blink of an eye, he adjusted his mind and let go of the woman''s salivating feet. He stood up solemnly and said, ''What''s the matter? Why is everyone so flustered?"

    Although his expression became serious, the saliva on his gray beard was still dripping down!

    This style was really

    Ge Yan didnt dare remind him, so he had to pretend not to have seen him. He bowed his body and boldly reported that Sun Shaozong had killed a dozen of their own soldiers in the street altogether.

    After hearing this, Zhou Ruqing frowned before ordering in a deep voice, "Chief Provincial Judge Hu, you will gather our troops later, and I will allocate you another 30 people to bring more bows, crossbows, and firearms..."

    Upon hearing this, Ge Yan became anxious and scrambled to say, "Uncle, let me go! I will definitely capture Sun Shaozong and tear him apart in front of you!"

    "Idiot!"

    Zhou Ruqing glared and angrily scolded, "Not to mention that Sun Shaozong has hands and feet, but he also has horses to take his place. He may not stay in the inn and wait for death. Even if you can take him, what''s the use for us?"

    "The most important thing at the moment is still Li Enxian. Only by taking him can we seize the three warships without a bloody sword!"

    "Chief Provincial Judge Hu, there is no time to delay. Immediately order your troops and horses to set off!"

    Speaking of this, Zhou Ruqing paused briefly and added with a murderous tone, "If that Sun dares to show up, just shoot him into a hedgehog!"

 Chapter 253: I Am Going to Fight Against 100 of Them

    Chapter 253: I Am Going to Fight Against 100 of Them

    Sun Shaozong walked out of the East Cross courtyard with the landed tank in his hand and glanced at the West Cross courtyard. Several furtive glances immediately flashed behind the door.

    In fact, when it came to manpower, there were also thirty or forty people in this courtyard across the west. However, compared to local officials, they were not responsible for guarding the land, and most of them were civil servants and domestic servants.

    It was fine to ask them to donate a few quilts, but if he were to ask them to follow him out desperately and fight along, it was impossible.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong didnt expect them at all. He just glanced at them and proudly walked out of the inn gate.

    Although Jia Shanyao didn''t want to go all out, all the thousand household officials in the hall personally took the initiative. As a local official under his command, he naturally had to be tough and follow closely.

    The four Dragon Guards he brought with him also rushed out, but their faces became worse and worse, more like going to mourn than going to the battlefield.

    The group of six people finally reached the T-shaped intersection. Sun Shaozong was relieved to see that the body on the ground was still there, without any sign of turning.

    If the second wave of troops from the Governors Office had passed by here, the corpses would have changed somewhat. Since there was no sign of being overturned at the moment, the North Korean envoy was naturally safe and sound.

    Of course, if the people in the Governor Mansion chose to take a detour, Sun Shaozong would have no way, after all, he wouldnt be able to separate himself. But when occupying an overwhelming advantage, who would be willing to sacrifice their proximity for the distance?

    Originally, Sun Shaozong was planning to go directly to the Governor''s Office to block the door, but this journey made him change his mind.

    The landed tank was, after all, a crude product, although the object in his hands lacked the shortcomings of being clumsy and slow, as well as being unable to shield the front.

    However

    It completely blocked his vision, he couldn''t see the road anymore!

    If a straight charge were possible, it would really be in the complex environment of the Governor''s Office, and this object might only be discarded like a chicken bone.

    Therefore, he had to wait for the enemy at this T-junction.

    Bang!

    Putting the landed tank on the ground, Sun Shaozong ignored Jia Shanyao and others'' surprised looks and went to the corner of the street where the wind blew

    He started to do a set of broadcast gymnastics!

    This was not to relieve psychological tension, but because after pouring well water into his armor, the effect was huge. Along the way, Sun Shaozong always felt like he was running naked in the ice cellar!

    If he had waited there quietly, he would have turned into a popsicle before the enemy arrived. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.comn it!

    If he had known earlier, he should have asked Jia Shanyao and others to each carry a bucket of well water, and it wouldn''t have been too late to pour it on when the enemy arrived.

    Thus, when Sun Shaozong finished this set of broadcast gymnastics, he was thinking about another set of military boxing when he saw a team coming up from the street corner, with several red tassels in their hands, while the others behind were all carrying short knives across their arms, with bows and fire guns.

    Just as Chief Provincial Judge Hu began to doubt life, someone nearby quickly reminded him, "Your Excellency, is it time to shoot?"

    "Shoot?"

    Chief Provincial Judge Hu was stunned and quickly said, "Shoot, shoot!"

    Bump, bump, bang, bang!

    Before the words fell, the explosion of beans like gunfire would rise and fall one after another!

    Although there were few professional musketeers here, the distance was only a dozen steps [20 meters], and the opponent was an oversized target. It was harder to miss than to hit.

    So the thirty lead bullets rained down on the thick bedding.

    As for the effect

    Apart from drilling a hole in the surface of the bedding, it was no different from raindrops!

    Sun Shaozong didn''t even change his pace at all, carrying a thousand kilograms of huge force and stepping on the still lingering smoke, straight into the rebel army!

    Boom!

    In a flash, five or six musketeers in the front row flew out!

    However, they were still lucky. After all, across a dozen layers of quilts, the impact has been mitigated an unknown number of times.

    The unlucky ones were the musketeers on both sides!

    Because Sun Shaozong crashed into the rebel formation, he immediately released the landed tank, drew two single swords from the table leg, and swung them casually, harvesting human life like a meat grinder!

    "Everyone, hurry and attack together!"

    "What are you afraid of? He''s only one person!"!

    "Kill him, kill him!"

    In the beginning, among the rebels, there were still shouts of murder.

    But when Sun Shaozong''s killing rose, the single sword with the rolled blade was thrown away, and he began to fight with the stick, the situation turned sharply downward!

    With a knife, all that gushed out was hot blood, but when they were hit by this stick on the head, the brain, the eyeballs, the skull, and even the chin with yellow teeth more than twice, their internal organs would turn into mush!

    Many people have never seen such a Shura scene, even in nightmares.

    So the sound of shouting and killing quickly turned into a howl of crying father and crying mother.

    With everything that was happening, many more rebels shouted adjectives such as monster and demon, and rushed away like wild rabbits!

 Chapter 254: The â€™Moderateâ€™ Officials

    Chapter 254: The ''Moderate'' Officials

    15 minutes later, Sun Shaozong stood amid a sea of corpses and blood, pulling out his sword... Well, holding up the stick, he looked around and saw that there were no more people on the long street who could fight.

    He threw away his blade and carried the landed tank to the corner of the wall, creating a simple harbor.

    This harbor was not only sheltering him from the wind. There were dozens of people lying in disorder on the ground, and there must be many undead people inside. If he tried to let his guard down and was shot back by someone who pretended to be dead, it would be truly blissful and tragic.

    After completing this safe harbor, Sun Shaozong began to check his physical condition.

    Due to the armor protection, there were only three of the dozens of knife wounds on his body, and the wounds were not very serious.

    In addition, Sun Shaozong was also shot with two crossbows and arrows!

    One was inserted into the shoulder blade of his left shoulder. According to the touch of the hand, the arrow should have been stuck in the bone, and whether it had been pierced or not was unknown.

    The other one tore a large, foot-long gash in Sun Shaozong''s right rib. Although it didn''t hit a vital point, it accumulated a bubble of hot blood in the armor. As soon as the arrow rod was removed, blood squirted out like a water gun. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    If the wound was not treated as soon as possible, with the medical level of these years, there might be life-threatening concerns.

    However, he was still lucky. After all, the armor was still awesome enough to resist the damage of guns and swords. In the face of the bow and crossbow shooting at close range, it was not strong enough to penetrate through. If any vital parts were hit, Sun Shaozong would have died long ago.

    Fortunately, the operation of firearms in these years was complex, and it was extremely difficult to reload ammunition in a chaotic array and aim at Sun Shaozong, who was traveling like the wind.

    Otherwise, like these two arrows, if he were hit at a close range, regardless of whether the shot was crucial or not, it might result in death.

    "Your Excellency, are you... are you okay?"

    Sun Shaozong was tearing down the mattress near the wound and was trying to find a way to bandage it. That was when he heard someone probing in fear and concern across the landed tank.

    It turned out that it was Jia Shanyao and others who had been staring around and forgot to even come forward to help. At this moment, they finally came together.

    In the past, they were in awe of Sun Shaozong''s official position. However, after watching the incredible battle just now, even if he was a common person, they would treat him with respect as if he were their ancestor.

    "Dont worry."

    Sun Shaozong replied and ordered, "Go find out if you have any cleaner clothes, and then collect all the weapons on the ground!"

    Eh?!

    Did he accidentally kill a third-grade official just now?

    Unfortunately, he didn''t recognize it at the time, and he didn''t have any special feelings

    Putting this regret behind him, Sun Shaozong added, My task is now over, and someone will naturally come forward to clean up the mess later."

    Someone would come forward to clean up the mess?

    Jia Shanyao pondered and also vaguely guessed something.

    As soon as he was about to speak for confirmation, he heard the sound of hooves at the T-shaped intersection. Immediately, a dozen knights turned out of the street corner, grabbed the reins, and observed from a distance for a while. The leader turned around and reported loudly, "Your Excellency, the rebels in the Governor Mansion have indeed been defeated!"

    As soon as the words were finished, several more horsemen rushed out of the street. The leader, wearing a flaming red official robe, was Vice Governor Lin, the leader of the three divisions!

    "F*ck you!"

    Jia Shanyao couldn''t help but curse and said, "The Vice Governor is here right now. He''s clearly here to take credit!"

    The other Dragon Guards were also indignant. Although they have not participated in the fight just now, they managed to organize the battlefield and naturally have the qualification to despise the owner, who was unable to exert any effort and wanted to pick up the ready-made credits.

    In fact, as early as sending Xiang Yi to seek support, Sun Shaozong knew that only when he demonstrated his strength enough to defeat Zhou Ruqing would those "moderate" officials who didnt participate in the rebellion, such as the Vice Governor, appear valiantly on the stage, and then, while proving his innocence, he would blame Zhou Ruqing for all the crimes.

    Indeed!

    As he spoke, he saw Vice Governor Lin riding his horse, dismounting, and trotting over to him. He courteously asked, Lord Sun, are you okay?! This time, it is all thanks to you, otherwise, I will still be deceived by Governor Zhou... Zhou Ruqing is so upset and crazy!''"

    *What a nice play of being deceived!

    Sun Shaozong sneered in his heart, but he took advantage of the situation and pretended to be weak and groaned, "I am afraid I have been hit by two crossbows and arrows, and I am unable to fight for the hundreds of innocent women in the Governor Mansion anymore. I can only rely on you to rescue them."

    Without waiting for Vice Governor Lin to speak, he reluctantly arched his hand and said, "Your Excellency has spared no effort to rescue these hundreds of women safely. None of them has suffered any damage. I will definitely report it truthfully and try to protect Your Excellency from the involvement of Zhou Ruqing!"

    Upon hearing him deliberately point out the words no one is damaged, and then vaguely threatening him with the word implicated, Vice Governor Lins face suddenly changed color, and was about to speak when he saw Sun Shaozong''s eyes roll over and directly fainted in front of him.

 Chapter 255: Deliberate Deception

    Chapter 255: Deliberate Deception

    Phew~

    Holding his nose and pouring half a bowl of medicinal soup into his stomach, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but exhale a long, warm breath.

    Upon returning from the street, he felt sore all over, with a dry throat and a lack of breath. Now, even his head was in a daze. Apparently, he caught a cold.

    He didnt know if the prescription prescribed by the famous doctor of Jinmen Mansion would work

    "Brother Sun."

    While smacking the strange smell in his mouth and thinking wildly, Xiang Yi picked up the curtain, frowned, and said, "It has been a while now, but there''s still no movement at the Chief Political Officer''s place. Do you think we should go and urge..."

    Sun Shaozong raised his hand to stop his words and rubbed his temples helplessly, saying, "Brother Xiang, we haven''t had much contact with that Zhou Ruqing. It is not difficult for the two of us to take him down. However, if we want to save those women completely, we must rely on Vice Governor Lin to come forward."

    Whether it was his knowledge of Zhou Ruqing or his bargaining power, Lin Tao, as a Political envoy, was clearly the best person to negotiate with. Moreover, to keep his official hat on his head, Lin Tao would definitely go all out.

    In fact, Sun Shaozong has already talked to Xiang Yi about this truth before.

    "That''s right, but..."

    However, Xiang Yi still hesitated for a moment, and he still approached Sun Shaozong and whispered, In case Vice Governor Lin has colluded with Zhou Ruqing...''"

    Before Xiang Yi finished speaking, there suddenly came a murmur of footsteps outside, followed by Jia Shanyao''s reprimand, "Who are you? How dare... You... You... You..."

    In the first half of the sentence, Jia Shanyao still had a somewhat condescending arrogance, but in the second half of the sentence, his voice became sharp and trembling, like a young widow who had been sexually abused.

    The two people in the room exchanged puzzled glances, and Xiang Yi strode out to see what was happening outside.

    However, just as he reached for the curtain, someone outside grabbed the curtain and rushed in.

    "You... You You..."

    When he bumped into this person, Xiang Yi immediately contracted the same problem as Jia Shanyao. After a long time of sharp and trembling you, he suddenly blurted out, So Lin Tao and you are indeed birds of the same feather!"

    Xiang Yi listened and couldn''t help but question, "Since Lord Lin hasn''t been in the same boat with you, why did he let you go about freely? And... still allowing you to dress up so neatly!"

    Not only was he neatly dressed, but Zhou Ruqing looked like he had just taken a bath, with his bright red official robe flowing all over his body, and he was feeling refreshed from his first-class silk.

    "Allowing me to go?"

    Zhou Ruqing seemed to have heard some jokes and laughed a few times, then straightened himself out and said solemnly, I am the Governor of Zhili, the head of the World Governor''s Government. Why do I need him to let me go?"

    Xiang Yi was dumbfounded when he heard this, but he only felt that his words were extremely absurd, and for a moment he didn''t know how to refute them.

    At this moment, Zhou Ruqing pulled out a memorial from his sleeve and casually handed it forward, saying, "This is a memorial that I drafted together with Vice Governor Lin and Magistrate Wang. Please also have a look and see if there is anything wrong with it, Lord Sun."

    Sun Shaozong hadn''t moved yet, but Xiang Yi grabbed it with a split hand and turned his eyes to scan the ten elements. However, the more he looked at it, the angrier he became. Finally, his whole body trembled with anger and blood filled his pupils!

    "These are just a bunch of nonsense!"

    He angrily rebuked, lifted the memorial above his head, and was about to throw it hard on the ground. However, Sun Shaozong extended his hand and said, Brother Xiang, may I?"

    Xiang Yi had to stop the momentum and resentfully handed the memorial to Sun Shaozong. But he was still not relieved and reminded him, "The absurd remarks above are really shameless. Brother Sun should only make jokes about it. Don''t get angry and hurt yourself when reading."

    Sun Shaozong took a close look at his hand and found that the various statements inside were indeed shameless and absurd!

    First of all, in this memorial, the mastermind who was about to defect to the sea today became the dead Chief Provincial Judge Hu, while Zhou Ruqing was intimidated by him and had to pretend to be on his side.

    As for the intention to hijack the North Korean envoy, it was not mentioned in the entire article.

    Not only that, but the previous battle on the street with one hundred enemies has also become a secret message from Zhou Ruqing. Sun Shaozong, who was among them, only took credit for fighting bravely and taking the lead!

    The following conversation turned into a monologue by Zhou Ruqing, expressing that although he was temporarily obsessed with wealth, he would never dare to abandon the Imperial Court and become an outsider, a lonely soul, and a wild ghost.

    In the end, he asked the Court to punish him severely to warn the World Governor of their determination.

    What a good way to turn black and white upside down and what a good method to make a deliberate deception!

 Chapter 256: Knowing the Advancement and Retreatment

    Chapter 256: Knowing the Advancement and Retreatment

    Seeing Sun Shaozong reading the memorial and looking up at himself thoughtfully, Zhou Ruqing calmly asked, "What do you think this memorial is, Lord Sun?"

    "It''s bullshit!"

    Xiang Yi once again rushed to scold and said, "It''s clear that you intended to kidnap the Korean envoy to escape with the stolen funds that were embezzled. It was only because Brother Sun sacrificed his life to stop you!"

    "As for Vice Governor Lin, he turned a blind eye to your various actions. When we went to ask for help, he repeatedly delayed sending troops, so it was clearly a case of futility!"

    "All these things show that you all are truly unworthy of being a Governor and a son of man!"

    "But you still have the audacity to say sneaky information and command us like that. Spat!"

    This perseverance, despite its long, quiet, and delicate appearance, has a strong foundation, with a thick stream of phlegm spraying out of it, which fell on Zhou Ruqing''s official hat!

    Zhou Ruqing was not upset either. He calmly took off the black gauze hat and placed it on the side of the tea table. He sighed and said, Lord Xiang, you have passed your thirties, but why are you so irritable?"

    Xiang Yi was waiting to answer back, but he heard him saying, "If we follow what you said and report today''s events truthfully, how many officials in Lin and this Zhili Province can be left alone?"

    "There is a saying that we should forgive others. Since I am ready to confess my guilt and Chief Provincial Judge Hu has already died with a vengeance, why do you two have to hold onto a small offense and insist on offending the officials of this province?"

    Xiang Yi was even more annoyed at his insincere argument. However, Zhou Ruqing insisted on killing himself, seemingly pleading with other officials in the province. Therefore, although he wanted to refute it, he didn''t know where to start at the moment.

    While pondering hard to find a breakthrough point, Zhou Ruqing said again, "Moreover, according to Lord Xiang, is it necessary to report the fact that someone intends to hijack the North Korean envoy so that everyone knows about it?"

    Xiang Yi said angrily, "What intention? It''s you..."

    "Lord Xiang!"

    Zhou Ruqing once interrupted him and asked sharply, "Do you know that the North Korean State, because of the repeated invasions of Heishui, and the Imperial Court was unable to prevent it, had started to hold a grudge against the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

    "If this matter is learned by the North Korean envoy, the North Korean State will definitely become even more estranged!"

    "At the moment, the North Korean envoy is not aware of it, and the Great Zhou Dynasty is already condemned to death. Why does Lord Xiang have to make this matter big?"

    "Is it not for the sake of merit, fame, and profit that Lord Xiang must fall into a dilemma between the Court and the people?"

    This glib and eloquent succession of blows really spooked Xiang Yi. He was not a person fishing for fame and reputation and naturally didnt want to put the Zhou Dynasty at a disadvantage for any credit.

    Therefore, after hesitating, he was shaken by what Zhou Ruqing said.

    "Hehe."

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong shook his head and said with a sneer, "Governor Zhou is indeed good at speech. It seems like we are making trouble out of nothing after hearing your statement that inverts black and white."

    "After all, I am still greedy, but what I am greedy for is not money, but power!"

    "Are you not greedy for money?"

    Xiang Yi couldn''t bear it when he heard this and said crossly, "If you weren''t greedy for money and just ran away overnight, how could you still have today?"

    Zhou Ruqing knew that he was referring to his actions in sending people around to hunt down the powerful gentry. He couldn''t help but spread out his hand with a bitter smile and said, "Without official status, I can''t get any more generous rewards. What can I do to secure my trusted ones? If the hearts of the people below are dispersed, my future fate at sea may not be better than pleading guilty and being punished."

    As he spoke, he said to Sun Shaozong, "Your Honor Sun, I have no more extravagant hopes now. If you have anything else to ask, just cross-examine me."

    Sun Shaozong and his sincere gaze met for a while, but he shook his head decisively and said, I have nothing to ask."

    Xiang Yi hurriedly said, "Brother Sun! You..."

    Sun Shaozong raised his hand to interrupt his speech, flipping the memorial in his hand and saying, "In addition, I will also return this memorial to the Vice Governor, who will submit it to His Majesty."

    "Brother Sun! This..."

    "But!"

    Sun Shaozong interrupted Xiang Yi''s words again and continued, "I will also draft another secret note, inviting Lord Lin, who is well instructed, to sign it together and then report the matter to the Northern Town of the Dragon Guards in its original form."

    After all, he compromised a bit and didnt prepare to fight with the officials of this entire government anymore.

    Sigh~

    After hearing this, Zhou Ruqing was silent for a while and then shook his head and sighed. "It''s a pity that you are indeed a person who knows how to advance and retreat timely. Unfortunately, I have no luck, and I won''t get to see the day that you become a top minister, Lord Sun.

    As he spoke, he staggered as he walked out.

    Sun Shaozong watched as he walked out of the gate of the East Cross courtyard, surrounded by officers and soldiers. Only then did he withdraw his gaze and smile at Xiang Yi, who was full of frustration, saying, "Brother Xiang, do you have something to ask just now?"

    "Of course, I have something to ask!"

    Xiang Yi angrily said, "Zhou Ruqing had just confessed and used the greedy money for disaster relief to bribe this Governor''s position. Brother Sun should have worked hard to straighten out the situation, why should you be merciful?"

    "Straighten out the situation?"

    Sun Shaozong laughed, shook his head, and said, "Brother Xiang, don''t look up to me. I also have one head and two shoulders, and I have more wives and children to support at home. I can''t afford to learn from Hai Rui!"

    As he spoke, he leaned back lazily and said, "It''s just a coincidence that we can beat Zhou Ruqing this time. As for those Masters who even have to be careful to ingratiate themselves with Senior Officials of the second grade, it''s better to wait for me to achieve the rank of a second grade or above before fighting against them."

    Xiang Yi couldn''t help feeling discouraged after hearing this. He sat down sullenly beside him, but suddenly asked, "Who is Hai Rui? Why don''t you dare to learn from him?"

 Chapter 257: On the Accusation and Private Affairs by Reputation

    Chapter 257: On the Accusation and Private Affairs by Reputation

    After being injured, he initially caught a cold. Later, he argued with Vice Governor Lin about some details of the memorial, and the argument didnt end until late at night.

    After leaving the Chief Political Yamen, Sun Shaozong felt his eyelids sink and he walked with a flutter. Finally, two lower-level officials helped him into the carriage. As soon as he leaned against the cushion, he completely lost consciousness.

    He didnt know how long it took for him to get back to the inn.

    In a daze, he felt several hands wandering around his body. He subconsciously grasped one of them with his backhand, with a delicate and smooth touch that clearly belonged to a young woman.

    How could there be a woman''s hand?

    And there''s more than one!

    Didn''t he return to the inn from the Chief Political Yamen?

    Sun Shaozong reluctantly lifted his eyelids, and in the dim light, he saw several strange and pretty girls sitting around him, stretching their white hands into the quilt and wiping his body with a dry cotton cloth.

    The three on the outside were just fine, but the two on the inside were wearing thin spring clothes. With only a thin band around the waist untied, a light pull on it, they could travel naked without worry, in the standard appearance of a maid for bed.

    "You... you are..."

    Sun Shaozong opened his mouth in disbelief and asked, but his voice was hoarse and deep, and even he felt harsh and tight.

    "Are you awake?!"

    However, hearing his deep voice, the women were all overjoyed. There was even someone who brought a bowl of ginseng soup and carefully fed it to Sun Shaozong with a spoon as they explained in a coquettish voice, "We are all sent by the Gentry of Jinmen Mansion to serve you to repay your kindness in saving our lives."

    Another person beside him added, "I originally gave away a lot of silver, but Lord Xiang refused, leaving only a few of us."

    I see

    Although Sun Shaozong might not have worried about the lives of these gentries, even if he didnt take action, it was inevitable that their wife and daughter would be insulted, which for some people was more terrifying than the grace of saving lives.

    Therefore, it was not uncommon to send a woman of wealth and silk as a reward.

    Now that he knew the origins of these women, Sun Shaozong took it easy. Anyway, he really needed someone to serve him now. If he didnt like them, he could just send them back after he recovered.

    He motioned to the woman to continue feeding more than half a bowl of ginseng soup, and when his throat became moister and his spirit and energy increased, Sun Shaozong then asked, What time is it now?''"

    "It''s nine o''clock in the evening now."

    The woman who was feeding ginseng soup was about to answer when someone rushed to her and said, "You came back in the middle of the night and have been sleeping soundly all the time, I have been worried!"

    The other girls were also busy nodding, posing as if they were worried.

    Nine oclock?

    Didnt that mean that he slept for a full ten or so hours?

    According to the calculation of time, if the Imperial Court were to send someone over immediately after receiving the urgent report, it should probably

    Things we have discussed?

    Sun Shaozong naturally knew what his Big Brother meant, but he hasn''t been in a hurry about it at all.

    While waiting to be explained, Sun Shaozu said sternly, "We would rather delay, but we must not force it. Otherwise, if we produce a sick child, what should we do?"

    "In addition, I also took the opportunity to take some precautions so as not to cause any further trouble if Lady Jia rushed into the matter."

    He has become more elaborate!

    It seemed that his Big Brother had been thinking much about this matter in his daily life.

    But

    "Big Brother."

    Sun Shaozong said helplessly, "I think it''s better to take a long-term view. Our brothers are all seeing an upward trend, so why risk losing our reputation..."

    "Reputation for bullshit!"

    Sun Shaozu glared and said angrily, "Who in that wealthy family lacks this kind of sneaky and insidious nonsense? Lets take Ningguo Mansion as an example, what was the reputation of their brother-in-law and the people in 49 cities?"

    "And Prince Zhongshun, who loves to mix men and women into a bed of nonsense, heard that when his interest rises, even the side concubine who has won the solemn decree has to roll with the actors in his royal residence!"

    "General Wu of the city defense camp bought a mistress two years ago, not far from the northwest of our house. Guess who he was raising inside? It''s his widowed niece and daughter-in-law!"

    "The Right Commander of the military department..."

    "Dali Temple..."

    His Big Brother was so familiar that he spoke of a dozen absurd things that he indignantly said, These people''s future has not been affected yet, let alone something that I volunteered to do?"

    The problem was that he didnt sign up for this

    Sun Shaozong thought this way in his heart, but he didn''t dare say it clearly. He only chatted and said, "We don''t have to follow that bad study, do we?"

    "What?"

    Sun Shaozu saw that he was still unwilling to obey and suddenly stood up and said, "Do you want me to kneel and beg for you?"

    Great~

    It seemed that this matter couldnt be discussed further.

    Even if Zhou Ruqing knelt for a year, Sun Shaozong wouldn''t change his mind, but it would be a big difference to change the mind of his Big Brother.

    Even if they didnt consider the upbringing of the original master, just the cost of eating and drinking in a year was all dependent on his Big Brother, who not only took care of everything in every way but also gave him anything he wanted!

    A man''s heart was made of flesh. At present, Sun Shaozong has regarded him as his own brother thus, how could he bear his kneeling?

 Chapter 258: To Be Married [(1)]

    Chapter 258: To Be Married [(1)]

    On March 14th, the night was dark.

    Pinger came out of the room with half a basin of warm water in her hand and casually splashed it absentmindedly. Unexpectedly, someone in the darkness uttered a whoops.

    "Who? Who''s there?!"

    Ping''er was startled and quickly took the copper basin to protect her.

    A timid figure appeared from under the porch and said, Sister Pinger, it''s me."

    "Second Lady?!"

    Pinger took a closer look. Who else could it be if it wasn''t Jia Yingchun who was about to get married?

    She hurriedly lifted the copper basin and greeted her, saying, Its so late at night, why did you come here by yourself? You didn''t even bring a lantern!"

    Jia Yingchun lowered her head slightly and hid the flustered look on her face. "There are only a few steps left and right, so there''s no need to bother anyone else. Sister Pinger, is my sister-in-law in there?" she asked.

    As soon as Ping''er looked at her, she knew that it was probably Siqi who had caused some trouble again. She wanted to say something to Jia Yingchun that she should never be caught by a servant girl.

    But her own identity was awkward, and she was neither a master nor a servant. Jia Yingchun was about to get married, and the Sun family would be there deciding for her.

    So Pinger hesitated for a moment, then pretended to be confused, sidled in, and smiled, saying, You can head in directly, Second Lady. Our Madam has been waiting in the hall for a long time."

    Jia Yingchun took a few steps inwardly when she heard the words but hesitated at her feet again. She turned around and whispered, I''ve delayed so long, is my sister-in-law angry?"

    It turned out that after dinner tonight, Wang Xifeng sent someone over and called her to come over to chat about family matters.

    Jia Yingchun received a greeting and originally wanted to call Siqi to head over immediately. However, after a thorough investigation, she realized that Siqi had left before dinner, and no one had seen her since then.

    This was not a rare event at first. After all, since that day when she was rejected for her confession, Siqi has been wandering around all day.

    However, this time it was different because another big servant girl, Xiuju, found that not only did Siqi leave, but also a significant portion of the clothes and jewelry in Siqi''s room were missing.

    Jia Yingchun got the report and thought about what she had said that day. She almost fainted from fear. After she recovered, she hurriedly urged the servant girl to search around.

    However, after everyone was searching around, she remembered Sister Feng''s appointment to talk to her at night. She couldn''t find a spare lantern for the moment, so she had to rush over in the dark.

    Although she was her sister-in-law, Jia Yingchun had always been afraid of Wang Xifeng, so she arrived half a step late and felt uneasy.

    Pinger knew that Wang Xifeng had called the Second Lady to come here today because she had something to ask for. Since she had something to ask for, she would never care about these trivial matters.

    As she spoke, she secretly signaled at the little servant girl who was pounding her legs, and the little servant girl immediately withdrew quietly.

    After the servant girl left the hall, Wang Xifeng clasped her hand around Jia Yingchun''s waist and said sternly, "Don''t underestimate yourself for this. I''ll add a dowry to you. I''m sure you''ll be a bit more valuable than all the other people''s possessions combined!"

    Upon hearing this, Jia Yingchun only felt puzzled and dubious. It was not uncommon for her sister-in-law to add some dowry to her. But to say that Wang Xifeng would be generous enough to add something valuable to herself, she had been incredulous from the very beginning.

    But Jia Yingchun didn''t dare to show it. She just pretended to be curious and said, What dowry will my sister-in-law add to me?"

    "A way to make money, one big way to make money!"

    Wang Xifeng proudly said, "I heard that Elder Master Sun has three good qualities in his life, one is lustful..."

    Speaking of this, she pinched Jia Yingchun''s tender little face and joked, "This one, you naturally are properly occupied."

    Then she said, "As for his second hobby, he is addicted to alcohol as much as his life. You have always been considerate, and I''m sure you won''t spoil the interest of General Sun."

    "As for the last good thing..."

    Wang Xifeng paused and wanted Jia Yingchun to ask a question. However, after waiting for a while, she saw that Jia Yingchun was just waiting in a daze, with no intention of asking.

    She secretly winked at this blind lady, and she continued saying, His last good deed is greed!"

    In fact, Sun Shaozu''s other hobby was greed for power. But to elicit her method, Wang Xifeng had to make a change for Sun Shaozu.

    "In my opinion, this one is the most important! Just imagine, if you can grasp the financial power of the Sun family like me, are you still afraid that you won''t be able to gain a foothold in the Sun family in the future?" Wang Xifeng said solemnly.

    If it were other women, they would have been moved right now.

    Jia Yingchun was silent for a moment, but she voiced up and said, How can I compare myself to my sister-in-law? It''s impossible, it''s impossible!"

    This baggy girl!

    Wang Xifeng was so depressed in her heart that she doubted whether she had found the wrong person.

    But thinking of Sun Shaozong''s cunning mind, if there was no one who could balance it, how could she rest assured?

    So she could only grit her teeth and say, "You can rest assured that if there''s anything you can''t do, I''ll naturally teach you. Just remember my advice and don''t make a mistake!"

    Even if she said it simply, it was still a problem for Jia Yingchun.

    But Jia Yingchun was also a person who wouldnt refuse people, so she hesitated a while and eventually accepted Wang Xifengs plan of a big shot at making a fortune.

 Chapter 259: To Be Married [(2)]

    Chapter 259: To Be Married [(2)]

    After being sent out of the hall by Wang Xifeng, Jia Yingchun''s heart was full of twists and turns.

    With Wang Xifeng''s eloquence, the beautiful future depicted was even more fascinating. However, even if Jia Yingchun was in her dream, she would have never thought of competing with men to win or lose or to discuss the pros and cons.

    So from the bottom of her heart, Jia Yingchun refused this dowry.

    But the words of refusal came to her lips, tossing and turning in her white teeth, but she couldn''t say anything.

    Moreover, Wang Xifeng did give her the chance to refuse.

    Sigh~

    She just wanted to marry someone and have a few days of peace, but why was it so difficult?

    "Lady." Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    Thinking about how to deal with this big plan to make a fortune, Jia Yingchun heard a greeting coming from diagonally down the hall. As Jia Yingchun looked around, Xiuju, carrying a lantern, rushed over and stood under the corridor, talking to Pinger.

    Jia Yingchun was overjoyed and blurted out, "Have you found Siqi..."

    She wanted to ask if Siqi had been found, but halfway through, she suddenly realized something was wrong. In case Siqi did something shameless, she should never let anyone know at the moment.

    Therefore, Jia Yingchun hastily and abruptly changed her words, "Is it that... That Siqi has something for me?"

    Xiuju was a clever person. She lifted the lantern in her hand and said in a crisp voice, "Yes, thats right. Sister Siqi has just received a few orders from the Old lady, and she is about to convey them to you, Second Lady."

    How clever was Pinger?

    She had seen that there was something hidden in the hearts of the master and servant, but she had always been personally considerate, so she pretended to be indifferent and said with a smile, I originally wanted to chat with you, Second Lady. Since there is something serious going on, I won''t delay your time."

    Yingchun solemnly said goodbye to her, and then, led by Xiuju, walked out of the courtyard door towards the east across the courtyard.

    "Lady."

    After walking more than a hundred steps and seeing no one around, Xiuju turned around and whispered, I haven''t seen Sister Siqi for a long time, I thought to report to you first. When I went back and took a look, youre not in the courtyard, but Sister Siqi came back by herself!''"

    Speaking of this, her voice lowered a bit and said nervously, "She came back, but she was unkempt and disheveled. Her clothes... Her clothes don''t seem very neat, like... They seem to have been rubbed by someone."

    Her clothes seemed to have been rubbed?!

    When Jia Yingchun heard this, she almost threw herself on the ground, biting her silver teeth and tugging at the corner of Xiuju''s clothes, and said in a trembling voice, "She... Did she say anything? Who has seen what she looks like?"

    Xiuju was obviously taking the initiative to avoid suspicion.

    Jia Yingchun also didn''t want to let her know too much, so she quickly nodded and answered. After crossing the threshold, she carefully closed the door of the room and then followed the sound of the water to the interior.

    When she entered the inner room, she saw a tall, plump figure sitting in the bathtub with her back to the door, clutching a towel in both hands, desperately rubbing against the delicate white body. Although she couldnt see what was going on ahead, her shoulders were already red.

    It was more like self-abusing than bathing!

    However, Jia Yingchun''s joy outweighed her sorrow at the sight of this situation, due to Siqis temperament. If she had truly given her body to her sweetheart, she would never have acted like this.

    Of course, this alone couldnt be completely reassuring, so Jia Yingchun took two steps forward and cautiously inquired, "You... You don''t..."

    Splash~

    Before Jia Yingchun could ask, Siqi suddenly turned around, and her body below her collarbone violently raised a large spray of water.

    Jia Yingchun unconsciously stepped back half a step and saw Siqi staring at her with a pair of red eyes, standing upright in the bathtub with a figure of 175 meters. She gritted her teeth and said, "Lady, you can rest assured. I haven''t given up my body yet! It''s up to you to decide who you want to give it to in the future!"

    This

    This was a full twist on what she had said to herself previously!

    Jia Yingchun was dumbfounded for a long time until the warm water on Siqi''s upper body dropped more than half from her foot. She then hesitated and said, "What happened? Did you encounter something..."

    "I didn''t encounter anything!"

    Siqi still ignored the rank and said agitatedly, There won''t be any more unidealized actions! Lady, you can rest assured. You don''t have to guard me like a thief anymore!"

    "I didn''t..."

    Jia Yingchun was about to explain her words, but it was clear that Siqi''s tears were pouring out in torrents. For a moment, she lost her composure. In the end, she only murmured, "You... If you need anything, just consult with me. Don''t ever... Don''t ever..."

    Until the end, she couldn''t get the words out, so she silently exited the door and ordered Xiuju to go in and watch her carefully, so as not to let Siqi catch a cold.

    Just like this, Jia Yingchun returned to the hall alone, remembering the appearance of Siqi just now, but with a sigh of relief in her heart.

    Because of the way she looked just now, it was clear that Siqi was in conflict with her sweetheart, even having the idea of breaking up with him. Although this was not a good thing for Siqi, for Jia Yingchun, it was really a relief, like a huge stone in her heart was now lighter.

    But

    This huge stone in her hearthow could she completely remove it easily?

    In the next few days, a new incident occurred on Siqi''s side!

 Chapter 260: To Die

    Chapter 260: To Die

    After a while, on March 15th, Siqi got up early in the morning for a simple wash and sat in front of the dressing table, stunned and lost in thought.

    Because she was the big maid next to Yingchun and usually had a hot temper, no one dared to criticize her. Regardless of whether they were happy or not, they could only share her work separately.

    So it wasnt until noon when Xiuju saw that lunchtime was up. Just as she was about to enter the room to inquire, she saw a woman flying outside, it was Qiutong, the eldest maid in Madam Xing''s room.

    Is Siqi in the room?

    Qiutong asked Xiuju, but she had already burst in. Seeing Siqi stunned in front of the dressing table, she doubted and said, "Why? Have you already known about the matter of your cousin Pan You''an?

    Siqi originally regarded Qiutong as if she were nothing, but after hearing the words Pan Youan, she suddenly jumped up and raised her arms, glaring at her eyes, posing as if she wanted to eat people. "Don''t mention him to me, he is him and I am me. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. Even if he suddenly dies someday, you don''t need to tell me!

    Qiutong choked and stared at her. They had been friends for a long time, so simple words like these shouldnt make her angry. But Qiutong''s temper has grown a lot since she climbed into Jia She''s bed.

    Therefore, seeing the tone and expression of Siqi, she also stamped her feet, turned her head in anger, and left.

    Siqi didn''t mean to stop her at all, but Xiuju couldn''t let Qiutong leave like this. She quickly joked and said, "Qiutong, why did you just come and leave now?

    Hmph~ Didn''t she just say

    Qiutong stamped her foot and while speaking to Xiuju, she loudly shouted to Siqi, "Even if Pan You''an is dead, there''s no need to come over and tell her that I''m here to report his funeral, so there''s no need to waste my saliva anymore."

    You... What are you talking about?!

    Before Qiutong could finish speaking, Siqi stumbled over and held onto the door frame, trembling, saying, "You said you... came... came to..."

    Seeing her appearance, Qiutong felt a bit more pitiful in her heart. She slowed down her tone and advised, "You should also restrain your grief and accord with inevitable changes. There are unexpected events and misfortunes. Who could have thought that Pan You''an was killed by someone for no reason?

    Putong~

    Before the words fell, Siqi fell to the ground and blacked out!

    Siqi

    Sister Siqi

    Xiuju and Qiutong rushed forward and helped her up with all their hands and legs. They both stroked her chest and pinched her philtrum and after a lot of twists and turns, Siqi finally regained her consciousness. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    You

    As soon as Siqi woke up, she desperately grabbed Qiutong''s wrist and forced a smile, saying, "You were just joking with me, weren''t you? He was fine... He was so healthy

    Although Qiutong was not shrewd, she had some experience in matters related to men and women. Looking at her actions, she immediately guessed that apart from their relationship as cousins, they were afraid of having some other involvement.

    So the leading Wanping County constable, Jiang Laoqi, quickly approached and smiled, saying, "May I ask if you are from Rongguo Mansion?

    Zhou Rui nodded and said yes without looking at Jiang Laoqi. His eyes wandered through the alley for a while before finally resting on Pan You''an''s body. He frowned and said, "What the hell is going on here? Has the murderer ever been caught?

    To be a constable in the capital, it was necessary to deal with such wealthy slaves. Jiang Laoqi naturally knew that they were the most respectable, but he didnt necessarily care so much about the lives of the people below.

    So he respectfully said, "Report back to you, after I carefully inspected the scene, it should be a case of murder and robbery.

    That little brother probably leaked something yellow and white somewhere and was followed around here, using a blunt tool to smash his skull and die.

    After that, the killer searched for valuable things on him again.

    Speaking of this, he bowed again and said, "Excuse me, are you planning to bring the body back or let us transport it back to the Yamen for further examination?

    In fact, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, corpses that died abnormally were generally temporarily preserved by the Officials. However, the rules were dead, but people were alive. This law naturally became meaningless in front of the wealthy and noble.

    However, Zhou Rui was taken off the topic by him, so he temporarily forgot to inquire about the true culprit and began to ponder the aftermath of the body.

    But Siqi on the side refused to give up and hoarsely pursued, "Where''s the murderer?! The murderer who killed Youan, when can you catch him?

    Don''t worry, Miss.

    Jiang Laoqi immediately patted his chest and said, "I will do my best to find out the real culprit as soon as possible.

    What he said was decisive, but how could Siqi fail to see that everything he said was false and that he didn''t actually promise anything?

    She disregarded his sayings, scolded him, and said, "I don''t want you to go all out. I just need you to tell me when will the real culprit be discovered and avenged for You''an?"

    So

    Jiang Laoqi''s face showed some awkwardness. If ordinary people had asked him about this, he might have been full of words and would have fooled them before speaking.

    But in the face of these wealthy family slaves, Jiang Laoqi didnt dare to act so recklessly.

    After a moment of hesitation, he carefully bowed to Zhou Rui and said, "May I ask who you are?

    Zhou Rui casually said, "Our Second Lady''s intimate maid, and also Pan You''an''s sister.

    He didn''t want to reveal that Pan You''an had an affair with Siqi, so he only said it was his sister and didn''t say that they were cousins.

    The Second Lady from your Mansion?!

    When Jiang Laoqi heard this, his eyes lit up and he quickly put on a bitter melon face and said, "Miss, I''m telling you that your Second Young Lady is about to marry off to the Elder Master Sun''s house. You''re her intimate maid, but you are begging us instead of Lord Sun. Whats the use of this?

 Chapter 261: Reckless Siqi Seeks to Report to the Prosecution Prefecture

    Chapter 261: Reckless Siqi Seeks to Report to the Prosecution Prefecture

    Sun Shaozong arrived in the Capital only yesterday evening and entered the city unobstructed due to the presence of a North Korean envoy nearby.

    It was already around midnight when he returned home, and he had planned to spend the night in his study without disturbing Ruan Rong or Xiangling.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as his luggage was placed, the two women who received the news of his arrival came running, crying, and asking for warmth. They almost stripped off his clothes and examined his entire body.

    So that night, Sun Shaozong naturally slept in the backyard hall.

    This sleep lasted until noon the next day. Seeing Sun Shaozong waking up lazily, Ruan Rong immediately called the maid, put the big tonic in front of him, fanned it out at the head of the bed, and fed it into his mouth.

    This meticulous treatment was almost as good as his son in swaddling clothes.

    As the saying goes, Material comforts lead to sexual desire.

    Sun Shaozong already had a good foundation, and his physical recovery ability was far superior to that of ordinary people. For the next two or three days, this persisted, and he was frequently tempted by the five maids while he was staying at Jinmen Mansion. At this time, he rubbed against Ruan Rong, which inevitably gave rise to some impulses.

    By the way, he didnt bring back the five women, but instead dealt with them on the spot and gave them to Xiang Yi. Despite his gentleman''s demeanor, he was a proper loner.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but want to hold on to Ruan Rong, but he was slapped away by Ruan Rong and earnestly persuaded, "You just got injured. You better rest for a few days, and it''s not too late to move on with that fancy thought when you are recovered.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong''s playful and smiling face still entangled, she said again, "Moreover, your nephews have gone to see the result of their examination, and when they come back, they will have to report to you. If they see us playing wild, how should I live?

    Sun Shaozong just took back his paws and chatted up. After spending half a month in Jinmen Mansion, he really forgot about the exam.

    Do they know I''m back?

    I visited them in the morning when I left home, but you were sleeping soundly at that time, so I didn''t let anyone call you up.

    Tch!

    It seemed that not only was it difficult to move, but he couldnt continue to lie in bed.

    Sun Shaozong ordered and asked Shiliu and Furong to serve him up.

    Sure enough, Ruan Rong was right. Just when he had just tidied up everything here, he heard from the outside that his three young nephews had come to greet him.

    Sun Shaozong asked someone to invite them in. This was when he saw Sun Chengye''s face full of frustration, even Sun Chengtao looked like a beaten eggplant and was looking listless.

    At first, Sun Shaozong thought he had also failed the exam. He comforted himself with a few words and realized that he had actually passed the exam but was ranked second to last on the list.

    This ranking was second to losing face, mainly due to the possibility of being placed in the third class of the same batch of successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations after the palace examination.

    As the saying goes, the same batch of successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations is like your wife. As successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations, when a higher ranking candidate was around, he naturally would be inferior by half.

    Therefore, someone as arrogant as Sun Chengtao was naturally unwilling to be a fellow candidate.

    Damn!

    He was worried for a moment, but the servant girl came to him for personal matters!

    Sun Shaozong was speechless in his heart, so he lost a third of his close relatives and gained some dignity. He asked in a deep voice, "What grievances does your cousin have to file?

    Report back to Lord Sun, my cousin was also a servant of the Jia family. Yesterday, he was out on business and was killed by a blunt weapon near Wumiao Street, and the murderer also took his belongings away.

    She knocked his head on the ground and said in a mournful voice, "Please take action and find out the true culprit who killed my cousin and stole goods!

    In Wumiao Street?

    After a moment of contemplation, Sun Shaozong recalled the place name and said, "It should be the jurisdiction of Wanping County. Why, did the officials of Wanping County not accept this case?

    They have accepted it.

    Siqi raised her head and said with tearful eyes, "But those captors are useless, and there is no guarantee that the real culprit will be found. That''s why I am here to

    Before she could finish speaking, Sun Shaozong pursued her again, asking, "When did this case happen?

    It happened last night.

    Last night?

    Pa!

    Sun Shaozong slapped the coffee table and angrily said, "Since it only happened last night, hasn''t Wanping County just accepted this case? How dare you conclude that they can''t investigate this case in such a short period of time? How dare you insult officials in front of me?

    With the increasing power of Sun Shaozong''s official position, only a few servants in the mansion dared to face Sun Shaozong''s angry gaze directly.

    But today, Siqi was bold. Upon hearing Sun Shaozong''s harsh scolding, she even straightened up without hesitation and looked at him, saying, "If I had said something wrong, you could punish me. As long as you can identify the villains who have harmed You''an, I will be willing to be your servant and serve you for generations to come.

    Pa!

    It was okay to serve for generations. With her identity, after marrying Jia Yingchun into the Sun Mansion, it seemed that she originally was to be a servant, wasnt it?

    While thinking about it, he heard someone outside the living room asking roughly and grandly, "If Erlang finds out the murderer for you, are you really willing to do anything?

    As he spoke, he saw Sun Shaozu walking in from outside.

    Since Siqi was chosen to marry as a servant girl of the Second Lady, he has naturally heard about the appearance of the Elder Master before.

    Seeing the newcomer with leopard heads and steel sideburns, Siqi quickly turned around and knocked her head onto the ground, saying loudly, "Reply to the Big Master, although I am a servant, I always keep my word.

    Okay.

    Sun Shaozu''s gaze was burning as he stared at Siqi and said, "Then I''ll decide for Erlang to handle this matter.

 Chapter 262: A Lucky Star or a Disaster?

    Chapter 262: A Lucky Star or a Disaster?

    Thank you very much, Master! Thank you very much.

    Seeing Siqi kowtow like pounding garlic, Sun Shaozong felt quite speechless in his heart.

    Sun Shaozu''s thoughts couldn''t be concealed from him. He just wanted to give kindness to Jia Yingchun''s close servant first and then start the tactic of borrowing body for birth in the future, so that it would be easier.

    It was really exhausting to have a son

    However, it was impossible to say how well it was done, so Sun Shaozong could only stand up with a bitter smile and ask, "Brother, why did you come back so early?

    Don''t mention it.

    Sun Shaozu walked over to him and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea, cursing, "Today when I arrived at the camp, the story of you killing the third-grade official with one to a hundred enemies in the Jinmen Mansion has been widely rumored, and everyone else is praising it. Only that b*stard, surnamed Wei, jumped out and sprayed feces.

    He still said no matter what job you do, you will definitely cause trouble. Whether you are a lucky star or a disaster, its hard to say.

    I had a verbal fight against that dog at that time, and then I didn''t want to stay in the camp for a long time, so I just came home.

    A lucky star? Disaster?

    Not to mention, he hasn''t paid much attention before. Now, hearing this, Sun Shaozong really felt that his recent luck was a bit strange.

    If it was about investigating cases normally, it was his job. However, the last time he went to the river government to fight the floods, a group of officials died suddenly. This time, he went to Jinmen Prefecture to celebrate the completion of the Governor General''s Office, but as a result, there was another great auspicious event of annihilation!

    When he was in the country of Qian Xiang, when he first crossed over, Ambassador Niu also died.

    And the same year''s gathering

    Was it true that he was possessed by Conan?

    Erlang.

    Sun Shaozong was pondering metaphysics when he heard his Big Brother probing over and whispered, Help her to solve this case. I asked someone to inquire, and Jia Yingchun listened to her effectively. Even Jia Yingchun is a bit afraid of her.

    As long as we can tame this little servant, the act in the future could ensure that we can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

    It was exactly what he guessed!

    To be honest, Sun Shaozong couldn''t bring himself to investigate the case for such a purpose, but since his Big Brother had spoken, he wouldnt change his mind again.

    So he sighed in secret and could only say, "Alright, I''ll take on this case. First, let''s talk about the deceased. Pan You''an, how is he doing in his daily life? Has he ever had any grudges against anyone? What is his relationship with you?

    Upon hearing the previous questions, Siqi opened her mouth and was about to answer, but upon hearing the last question, she hesitated again.

    Just as she was about to speak, Sun Shaozong sneered and said, "If you want the real culprit to get away with justice, just lie. But if you want to avenge Pan You''an, it''s best not to deceive me.

    Upon hearing this, Siqi gritted her teeth and said bluntly, "Reply to Your Excellency, I have already made a lifelong engagement with Youan. Yesterday evening, I had originally arranged for us to have a private meeting in another courtyard, and then we will run away together.

    To say that this woman was really a tiger, generally speaking, even if she wanted to tell the truth, she could still use more tactful wording, and by the way, she could also say a few words to express that she was not sincere in eloping with someone.

    He was almost taken to the ditch by his Big Brother, and now was not the time to contemplate these minor details.

    Sun Shaozong asked sternly again, "Does the rhinoceros horn trigger look very eye-catching?

    Siqi shook her head and said, "No, it was not. Although the texture of the trigger feels good, it looks like it is made of a piece of wood, but it looks gray.

    Sun Shaozong asked, "What is Pan You''an''s daily life like? Has he ever had any grudges against others?

    He was timid and has always been extremely kind to people! Not to mention who he has formed a grudge against.

    While Sun Shaozong was in the living room, he kept questioning Siqi about the case.

    On the other side

    In the Forbidden City and the Imperial Library, the two brothers, Emperor Guangde and Prince Zhongshun, were also discussing topics related to him.

    There was quite a mess in the Imperial case, and it was obvious that Emperor Guangde had become furious. Therefore, even Prince Zhongshun, who had always had no taboos, couldn''t help but be a bit cautious at this time.

    Sixth Brother.

    Emperor Guangde''s slightly emaciated body leaned back and leaned against the bright yellow cushion with a big airway, saying, "Forget about these b*stards. Tell me what should be done with Sun Shaozong?

    This

    Upon hearing this, Prince Zhongshun couldn''t help but furrow his brows and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Even if we only rely on the merit on the surface, he should receive a great reward. But this man is only in his early twenties now. If he really accelerates like a monkey, it won''t be a good thing for him or the Court.

    Speaking of this, he bowed again and said, "I received some news a few days ago. It was said that several Sun family members who were rushing to take the exam from the south had arrived, and one of their nieces and sons-in-law had been favored by the Minister of Personnel, Minister Wang, and wanted to accept him as an internal disciple.

    Wang Zhe wanted to accept him as an internal disciple?

    Emperor Guangde straightened up in surprise and said, "Is it still the niece and son-in-law of the Sun family?

    Yes.

    Prince Zhongshun said, "That Wang Zhe is famous for his ability to recognize talents, otherwise, you wouldn''t have appointed him as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Those who can be favored by him as successors must have outstanding qualities.

    As he spoke, he arched his hand and said, "I, congratulate Your Majesty on obtaining another talent.

    It was said to be congratulations, but neither of them had much joy on their faces.

    Normally, the more talents who governed the country, the better. However, if these talents were all tied up with relatives, it always made it difficult for those in power to rest assured.

    Especially since these two people were still so young

    Emperor Guangde stood up and paced back and forth a few steps before suddenly asking, "Did Sun Shaozong''s beloved concubine just give birth to a son a while ago?

    He was born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and I even had someone give a monthsary gift.

    Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangde raised his voice and said, "Prepare the edict to the Central Judicial Office, Sun Shaozong, who is loyal to the country and has repeatedly made remarkable achievements. He specially bestowed the title of ''Seventh-grade Cavalry Captain on his Eldest Son as a reward.

 Chapter 263: Be Bold in the Rules

    After carefully questioning the details of Pan You''an and sending Siqi back, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t rush to the scene of the murder.

    After all, he was sent out of the Capital on a mission. Even if the Zhili Governor General''s Office was empty now, he should return and hand over his official duties before dealing with other matters.

    Furthermore, he was a noble fifth-grade official. Wasn¡¯t it a great loss of identity after being warned by a small servant girl if he rushed to the scene in a frenzy to compete with the County Constable?

    Therefore, after Siqi left, he ordered someone to rush to Wumiao Street and instructed Jiang Laoqi to guard the scene and not recklessly destroy the evidence. At the same time, he asked Zhang Cheng to prepare the carriage and headed straight to the government office.

    There were no words spoken along the way.

    Upon arriving at the office, Han Anbang was not currently in the Yamen. He said he had gone to the Ministry of Revenue to argue for this year''s financial allocation.

    So Sun Shaozong went directly to Jia Yucun.Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Jia Yucun saw him coming and naturally welcomed him into the living room, arm in arm, as he had always been friendly.

    After the guest was seated, they first exchanged a few pleasantries with Sun Shaozong and then sighed. "Minister Han originally wanted to lure the tiger away from the mountain, but unexpectedly, you have made extraordinary achievements. With your lucky posture, I can''t say that in a few years, you will be my supervisor...¡±

    Hehe~

    It seemed like he was still looking forward to that scene, but after experiencing the Imperial Decree incident, how could Sun Shaozong still not know his passion for fame, fortune, and power?

    If that day were to come, it was estimated that Jia Yucun would appear respectful on the surface while secretly cursing him in his heart!

    After a few idle words, Jia Yucun laughed again and said, "You are injured. In a few days, it will be your Big Brother''s day of great joy again. In fact, there is no need to rush to the Yamen to hand it over. Your Criminal Department is as solid as gold, and even if you delay for some more time, there won''t be any mistakes.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could.¡±

    Sun Shaozong let out a bitter smile and said helplessly, "Last night, there was a young servant in the Rongguo Mansion who was killed, robbed, and thrown into the street on Wumiao Street. His relatives entrusted someone, and she begged my unmarried sister-in-law to come forward and make sure I found out the truth.¡±

    As he spoke, he spread his hands and said, "I can refuse to give a face to others, but this affection can¡¯t be refuted.¡±

    In front of Jia Yucun, Sun Shaozong naturally wouldn''t admit that he had been asked by a maid to investigate the case, so it casually fell on Jia Yingchun.

    Although Jia Yingchun might not have been aware of the matter of Siqi''s doorstep appeal until now, according to rumors, her timid temperament made her unlikely to take the initiative to deny such claims.

    Upon hearing what had happened, Jia Yucun couldn''t help but burst into laughter and said, "In that case, I will not keep you here any longer. You should hurry to handle the case so that your Big Brother can happily get married.¡±

    Sun Shaozong came out of the courtyard of Jia Yucun¡¯s and arrived at his own Criminal Department office. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw a bunch¡ªa group of forty to fifty officials¡ªfanned out under the leadership of Lin Delu.

    Upon seeing Sun Shaozong enter the door, he immediately bent down neatly and saluted, saying, "Congratulations to Lord Sun on returning! Congratulations to Lord Sun for your outstanding achievements again.¡±

    Obviously, he also harbored resentment towards Sun Shaozong, the initiator of the conflict.

    However, even though he didn''t feel well, he obediently bowed and showed some improvement.

    ¡°Let''s go to Wumiao Street.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said this and led everyone out in unison.

    When he arrived at the Yamen gate of the office, Qiu Yunfei was about to call for his servant carriage, but Sun Shaozong reached out and stopped him. Without a doubt, he pointed to his carriage and said, "Come ride with me in the same carriage. There are some things I need to explain to you on the way.¡±

    Qiu Yunfei opened his mouth as if he wanted to refuse, but after half a pause, he climbed into the carriage with a stiff face.

    Sun Shaozong also got into the carriage but was not in a hurry to speak. Instead, he flipped out the newspaper in his sleeve and looked at it with interest.

    Qiu Yunfei originally had a cold and aloof expression on his face, but after waiting for a while, Sun Shaozong still hadn¡¯t spoken. He fidgeted like a monkey and finally couldn''t help but sneer, "Now that I''ve lost face, that person surnamed Wei is also in vain, which can be considered going according to your thoughts.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong looked up and down at him with disdain on his face. As he looked at him, he became even more annoyed and sneered, "How much is your face worth? This is clearly losing your father''s face, the face of your Qiu¡¯s family.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    He was being stabbed in the lung by this sentence, and Qiu Yunfei¡¯s attitude immediately exploded, and he jumped up and crashed into the shed with a bang on the back of his head.

    He gritted his teeth but couldn''t ignore the pain and shouted. He only glared at Sun Shaozong and said, "What do you mean, surnamed Sun? Do you think you deserve to see the jokes of our Qiu family?¡±

    ¡°It''s not very interesting, I''m just reminding you that you''re actually asking for everything right now.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said calmly, "If it weren''t for your constant contempt for the royal law, how would I have had the opportunity to sow discord? If it weren''t for your disobedience and being held in check, how could Captain Qiu be unable to withstand the pressure and have to bow to Prince Beijing?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Do you think that everyone should follow the rules and behave recklessly? Only you can ask, as you like being arrogant and proud. Little do you know that such behavior is so foolish in the eyes of those who are willing to do it.¡±

    ¡°Imagine if Wei Ruolan were to target someone other than me but you, he would just be content to make you bow down. Don''t be naive.¡±

    ¡°He can just casually come up with some insidious ideas, which are enough to make you suffer and even lose your life.¡±

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong reached out and patted Qiu Yunfei on the shoulder, saying earnestly, "Although the rules and regulations of the royal family are often not as powerful as those of the aristocratic family, only by learning to wield power in the rules and regulations of the royal family can we always maintain power and wealth. Don''t forget, Captain Qiu will eventually grow old.¡±

    Qiu Yunfei thought for a moment, but suddenly turned his head and looked at the carriage roof at a 45-degree angle, saying, "What''s the use of telling me these things? I didn''t want to be a big official.¡±

    This proud attitude...

    ¡°Master, we have arrived at the place.¡±

 Chapter 264: Wumiao Street Murder Incident [(1)]

    Chapter 264: Wumiao Street Murder Incident [(1)]

    Because it had been more than half a day since the body was first discovered.

    Of course, the excitement of the public decreased, so when Sun Shaozong arrived, there were only a few old men and women standing at the entrance of the alley with nothing to do.

    This was also because the common people didnt know that Sun Shaozong would be the one to personally investigate the case, otherwise, with his recent celebrity effect of "Hundred People Slaying," this place would be completely blocked in minutes.

    The carriage straightened up at the entrance of the alley, and Jiang Laoqi greeted him with some people. The word flattery was as distinct as if it were engraved on his face.

    If it weren''t for Sun Shaozong''s power, it wouldn''t have been something that ordinary people could have resisted. It was estimated that Jiang Laoqi would have rushed over and personally made a guest appearance as a stepping stone.

    Of course, if he failed to be a stepping stone, existing flattery would be enough.

    But Sun Shaozong didn''t come here to listen to him flattering non-stop. After getting out of the carriage, he seemed as if there were no people around, and then he began to ask, "Where is the body? After investigating the scene, what have you found?

    Faced with experts like Sun Shaozong, Jiang Laoqi naturally didnt dare to be perfunctorily and quickly put up precautions.

    While guiding Sun Shaozong into the alley, he reported without much detail, "Report back to the Master. I immediately rushed over after receiving the report. At that time, many traces had already been covered up due to the people coming and going around here.

    However, after careful investigation, I still found that the body had been dragged. It should have been killed at the entrance of the alley before being dragged inside to throw the body.

    Because we haven''t found any trace of the murder weapon near here, we can only roughly judge from the wound that it should be blunt tools such as sticks, bricks, and stones.

    As he spoke, he came to the corpse and saw that it was a very handsome young man. Although he had been covered in a lot of soil from lying on his back, he should have been a very particular owner, looking at his underwear and clean places.

    Master, please take a look.

    Jiang Laoqi pointed to the shoulder of the corpse and said, "There are obvious signs of forceful pulling here.

    Indeed, there were many wrinkles on the shoulders of the clothes, which were then tilted upward. It was obvious that someone was pulling hard on their shoulders.

    He has a strong alcohol smell on his body. It hasn''t dissipated completely until now, but strangely, we have been questioning the people one by one in the nearby restaurant, but no one has any impression of him.

    At present, we can only suspect that he was eating meals in a nearby mansion.

    Besides, the pockets on the deceased''s body that could hold things have traces of being searched, so we suspect it was a murder for money.

    It was during the inspection that I discovered the mark of Rongguo Mansion on the inner lining of his clothes, so I sent someone to report.

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong was squatting in front of the body and starting to examine the situation. Jiang Laoqi quickly added, "Although the two hands of the body were stained with soil, the nails were clean. Obviously, without time to struggle, he was already unconscious.

    Before Sun Shaozong could answer, Qiu Yunfei rushed and said, "It must have been the murderer who killed him first. Later, someone discovered the body and took away his belongings.

    This speculation was quite reasonable, indicating that this kid was not completely brainless.

    Sun Shaozong carefully examined the body again, then stood up straight, turned around, and asked, "Who was the first person to find the body? Is it possible that he took the belongings from the deceased?

    This

    "It is unlikely because the body was found by two adults and three children. As a family, they probably wouldnt dare mess around," Jiang Laoqi said, shaking his head after he hesitated.

    In this way, the suspicion of discovering a person for the first time was indeed not significant, after all, if they searched for property in front of a child, it was not easy to conceal it.

    However, Sun Shaozong still instructed Jiang Laoqi to find the family and prepare for further questioning.

    Of course, this was just a precaution. The clue that Sun Shaozong truly valued was actually...

    Inspector Qiu, take a few people down the street and ask at each restaurant again. Remember to reveal your identity and family background, and you may speak in a domineering tone.

    Qiu Yunfei, however, didnt take his orders but was puzzled and said, "The Captors of Wanping County have already inquired them one by one. Why should we still..."

    Because someone is lying.

    Sun Shaozong reached out and pointed out with a sneer, "Before I came, I carefully questioned the relatives of the deceased. He didn''t have any acquaintances around here, so he probably came to the nearby restaurant to get drunk because he was feeling down.

    And just now, as I carefully looked at it, there were many restaurants and brothels on this street. I believe it must be very lively at night.

    Unless the killer is a bold and fearless person who doesn''t care about being seen when he does it, although this possibility is not non-existent, it really needs to be so bold that he doesn''t have to waste his energy dragging the body into the alley, just run away.

    Alternatively, by the time the deceased left the tavern, the streets had already become completely deserted. That is to say, at least after midnight.

    Since the deceased had been drinking until after midnight and only left drunk when the restaurant closed, how could the shop owner have no impression of him?

    Therefore, it can be inferred that either the shop owner is afraid of causing trouble and refuses to reveal the truth, or the shop owner himself is the murderer.

    Of course, the latter possibility is not very likely. After all, the deceased rarely leaves Rongguo Mansion, and after considering the possibility of financial motives, the probability of forming a deadly feud with the shop owners here is extremely low.

    That''s why I asked you to intimidate each one and find the liar.

    After listening to this analysis, Qiu Yunfei suddenly regained his composure and chuckled. "If you want to scare people, I''m the best at it! Wait and see, I''m sure that the careless shop owner will cry and tell the truth.

 Chapter 265: Wumiao Street Murder Incident [(2)]

    Chapter 265: Wumiao Street Murder Incident [(2)]

    Qiu Yunfei didnt boast as expected. In less than half an hour, he found the restaurant that Pan Youan had visited last night. Of course, the price was for most of Wumiao Street, which had caused a lot of anxiety and lamentation.

    Pan You''an once went to a restaurant called Huiyun Tower, which was about a hundred miles away from the crime scene.

    After listening to the report, Sun Shaozong carefully screened the surrounding environment and entered the restaurant.

    As soon as he entered the door, he saw a mess of smashed cups and plates inside. The shopkeeper and staff knelt on the ground, with two or three whip marks on each face.

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "Is this how you inquire about every restaurant?

    Of course not.

    Zhao Wuwei quickly leaned over and explained, "It was only after confirming that they had lied before that Inspector Qiu took a small punishment.

    Since he didnt beat up the people in each restaurant, but aimed at the target, there would be no problem. Beating and kicking suspects these days could be said to be a legitimate and reasonable move, even in public opinion, it could also be called political correctness.

    Sun Shaozong sat down on a stool and asked the wealthy middle-aged man who was kneeling at the front, "Are you the shopkeeper here?

    The wealthy middle-aged man quickly straightened his knees and kowtowed his head to Sun Shaozong, trembling in a voice, saying, "I am the shopkeeper of this Huiyun Tower. If I knew that this case was being investigated by you, I wouldnt dare to deceive you even if I have 10 heads.

    As he spoke, he banged his head and said, "Please forgive me this time. I won''t dare to lie anymore, I won''t dare to lie anymore.

    It seemed that besides Qiu Yunfei''s intimidation, Sun Shaozong''s reputation also played a significant role.

    But how could Sun Shaozong be patient with his words?

    Immediately, he said in a deep voice, "Stop talking about this nonsense. Whether I will hold you accountable for deceiving the Government depends on whether you are worthy of cooperating with the investigation.

    I will cooperate, I will definitely cooperate.

    Let me ask you

    Sun Shaozong stared at the shopkeeper''s face and asked, "When did the deceased come? Was he alone or had an appointment with someone else? When did he leave? Was there someone else by his side when he left?

    Report back to the Master.

    For these questions, the shopkeeper had already prepared the internal draft. At this moment, as soon as Sun Shaozong asked, he immediately blurted out and replied, "That gentleman came to our store alone around a quarter past eight in the evening. During this time, the waiter went to add more food and drinks several times, and no one else was with him.

    He probably came here to drown his sorrows in alcohol, drinking until almost four o''clock in the midnight. Our waiter urged him several times before finally inviting him out.

    When he left, the store had already run out of customers, so as soon as he left, we hurriedly closed up and didn''t know anything else.

    The people who argue should be the two, as for what the argument was

    I only heard two sentences clearly, Lick the buttocks and You want me. Just as a new customer ordered wine, vegetables, and dishes, I went downstairs to the kitchen.

    When I came back, there was no movement there.

    Licking the buttocks? You want me?

    Was this just two fags arguing?

    Did the person arguing with Pan You''an make an appointment here in advance, or did they have a temporary conflict?

    It was really difficult to judge based solely on this ambiguous statement.

    Seeing that there were no other details yet, Sun Shaozong then asked Liu Tiezhu to reminisce carefully.

    But Liu Tiezhu scratched his ears and cheeks for a long time but couldn''t think of anything else.

    Helplessly, Sun Shaozong had to make him think slowly while calling Xu Shengli to him and asking if there were any guests in the private room next to the D-room before and after the beginning of 9 pm.

    At that time, there were no more than half of the guests in the C-class room!" Xu Shengli firmly insisted. The deceased guest had just ordered the wine and dishes, and the next door had to settle the bill and leave. It wasn''t until after the second shift that two guests ate in the C-class room.

    In this way, the probability of Liu Tiezhu hearing wrong was extremely low, and it seemed that this argument was indeed true.

    It was just that...

    There were still too few clues here.

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a moment and then asked, "What kind of acquaintances were there on the second floor around 9 pm yesterday? The kind of acquaintances who you know have their roots and can be found easily.

    The waiter was busy and perhaps didn''t notice it, but the guests who ate on the second floor were not necessarily curious when they heard the noise of the quarrel, so Sun Shaozong asked about it.

    Unfortunately, the two waiters turned down this suggestion right away.

    There were indeed two familiar guests on the second floor at that time, but unfortunately, they both dined in the A-class room. It was precisely because Xu Shengli had a few more idle words with them that he didnt hear the argument in the D-class private room.

    After being stopped twice, Qiu Yunfei held back until now and finally couldn''t help but complain, "Everything that this b*stard said is useless. How can we investigate?

    Sun Shaozong glanced at him and said, "You don''t know how to investigate, just because you don''t have patience and are not careful enough.

    As he spoke, he stood up and walked towards the stairs, commanding, "Bring Liu Tiezhu and Xu Shengli up, and call on a few more Government Officials to go upstairs. Let''s try to restore the situation around the time of 9 pm last night.

 Chapter 266: Wumiao Street Murder Incident [(3)]

    Chapter 266: Wumiao Street Murder Incident [(3)]

    Huiyun Tower was a standard double-story building.

    In the hall below, there were sixteen scattered square tables.

    Upstairs, it was divided into two parts, a scattered hall area composed of nine tables, and a private area composed of two large, two small, and four compartments.

    From this pattern alone, it could be seen that Huiyun Tower mainly faced mid to low-end customers, such as Dingxiang Restaurant, which was often visited by officials in the Central Judicial Office. The private rooms would occupy over 70% of the space.

    It was precisely because of this that wealthy family slaves like Pan You''an had the capital to book a private room to drown their sorrows in alcohol.

    The D-class room was located at the northwest angle of the second floor, which was basically the most remote corner. But for those who wanted to drown their sorrows in alcohol, it was undoubtedly a geomantic treasure.

    After going up to the second floor, Sun Shaozong first observed inside and outside and then ordered the two waiters to discuss with each other and reproduce the scene of the scattered guests on the second floor around the time of last night.

    The captors in the Central Judicial Office and Wanping County were naturally responsible for playing the role of guests.

    There was an old man at this table who alone ordered half a catty of wine and two small dishes to eat.

    The place by the window was three young guests, who looked like candidates from other places rushing to take exams. Probably because the results were about to be released and they couldnt sleep, they procrastinated until around midnight before leaving.

    There are two guests here, one old and one young.

    This table is also for two

    No, it''s 1 guest

    Nonsense, it''s clearly two gentlemen.

    Due to the fact that there were only five tables of guests scattered outside at that time, the two of them remembered it quite well, but they couldnt decide on one of the tables.

    Liu Tiezhu insisted that there was only one guest, but Xu Shengli argued that two guests were dining there at the time.

    Master

    Xu Shengli saw that he couldn''t agree with Liu Tiezhu, so he simply went forward and reported, "At that time, Liu Tiezhu went down to fetch wine and dishes, but for some reason, he was delayed. Coincidentally, a guest arrived upstairs, and I was about to come forward to greet him. This is when I saw the guest at this table stand up and greet him, calling him over.

    Don''t talk nonsense.

    Liu Tiezhu also glared and retorted, "I''ve been up and down several times, and that guest has always been eating and drinking alone. Where did anyone else come from?

    Are you blind? The other guest is an extremely handsome young man. I can''t possibly remember wrong.

    You''re the one who''s blind. I''ve always served these scattered guests, and you think that I can''t remember the guests I served?

    Seeing the two of them arguing fiercely like cockfights, seemingly forgetting that they were in front of the official, Zhao Wuwei quickly scolded and separated the two, then asked Sun Shaozong how the guests at this table should simulate.

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a while, but spoke up and asked, "Regardless of the young man, what does the other guest look like? What does his occupation seem to look like?

    Xu Shengli nodded vigorously and said, "Youre right, Master. I originally wanted to come over and greet him to see if there were any more guests. Would they like to add some more wine and dishes?

    Coincidentally, at this moment, two old acquaintances came with friends, and there could be over a dozen people cheering. I was busy greeting them, and I didn''t pay much attention to the situation of scattered seats later.

    As expected, Sun Shaozong reached out and pointed to the A-class private room, asking Xu Shengli to sit inside for a while. Then, he asked Jiang Laoqi to call Liu Tiezhu, who was waiting in the kitchen, to go upstairs.

    Its you?

    When Jiang Laoqi was ordered to go, Sun Shaozong suddenly stood up and exclaimed to the empty D-class room, "Why are you here?

    As he spoke, he entered the D-class private room

    Who was inside?

    Wasnt there no one inside?

    Was it possible that Lord Sun had seen a ghost in this bright daylight?

    And it was still a familiar ghost?!

    The captors were looking at Liu Tiezhu with wild imagination when they saw him running up from below, standing dumbfounded at the stairwell entrance, glaring at the crowd.

    At this moment, someone gritted their teeth and said, "You! This flattering idiot!

    The sound behind gradually weakened, and only vague movements could be heard.

    Qiu Yunfei was hesitating whether to stick himself to the door and listen to it. The voice suddenly rose again, "Okay, fine, you want me to die, right? I

    After a sudden rise, the sound became blurry again.

    Qiu Yunfei finally couldn''t bear it anymore and leaned over to listen closely with his ear pressed against the door.

    Unexpectedly, at this moment, the room door creaked left and right. Sun Shaozong walked out from inside and asked Liu Tiezhu, "Did you hear anything similar to what you just heard?

    That''s right, that''s the movement.

    Liu Tiezhu quickly pecked like a little chicken with his head, saying, "So as soon as I heard it, I knew there was a commotion inside.

    It was indeed like that.

    Sun Shaozong muttered to himself and then sat back at the original square table with a seemingly enlightened expression on his face.

    Qiu Yunfei quickly followed and approached. With curiosity, he couldn''t care about putting up an arrogant manner. He poked his neck and said curiously, "Your Excellency, you... did you just encounter something spiritual?

    Get lost!

    Sun Shaozong glanced blankly and said with confidence, "Im simulating the interaction between the young man and the deceased during their lifetime. If what I expected is correct, this case is not far from the truth.

 Chapter 267: There Will Always Be Only One Truth!

    Chapter 267: There Will Always Be Only One Truth!

    Wasnt it far from the truth being revealed?!

    Everyone present was a bit dumbfounded. Except for Sun Shaozong''s startled and ghostly behavior just now, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it, right?

    Did Lord Sun just get clues from demons and ghosts?

    Sigh!

    Seeing everyone with big and small eyes and a puzzled expression, Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly. "Remember to see, think, and try more things in the future, otherwise, how can you become good Captains?

    Forget it. Let me go through the whole process from scratch and briefly explain the reasoning behind the case to you.

    Upon hearing that Sun Shaozong was about to sort out the case, the captors quickly gathered around anxiously. Although they might not necessarily be able to work and love the tasks they did, they were still much more concerned about solving the case than ordinary people.

    Cough~

    Sun Shaozong cleared his throat and said sternly, "First of all, it''s the body. Constable Jiang once inferred that the deceased was killed by blunt tools such as sticks, bricks, and stones. On this basis, through more careful observation, I identified the wound that should have been caused by blunt tools such as bricks and stones.

    So the question is, have you ever noticed anything abnormal at the wound on the body?

    Was there anything abnormal about the wound?

    Everyone looked at each other and unconsciously felt a bit embarrassed. Although they were also on the exploration site, how could their level of observation be comparable to that of Sun Shaozong?

    Furthermore, with their knowledge reserves, even if they really saw something strange, they might not be able to recognize it.

    Of course, some of them could still react after being prompted.

    For example

    That''s right! Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Qiu Yunfei jumped up and answered like a primary school student, "I once heard Old Xu say that if a brick or stone is smashed into a wound, it will inevitably be stained with some debris powder. But the wound seems quite clean, at least no stone powder is seen.

    Tch!

    This kid has learned a lot of skills by following the corpse examiner, Old Xu!

    Unfortunately, Old Xu was only able to wield his power freely in the morgue. As soon as he left, he was submissive and completely unable to exert his strength. Otherwise, pulling him out for investigation would be a good choice.

    That''s right.

    With regret in his heart, Sun Shaozong loudly affirmed Qiu Yunfei''s discovery and further added, "Generally, when bricks and stones are severely impacted, some powder and debris will always fall. Only stones that have been washed for a long time or repeatedly played with will be exceptions.

    Of course, this so-called exception is only under externally intact conditions. If fragmentation occurs after impact, the powder will naturally fall off too.

    Therefore, in Liu Tiezhu''s impression, the unscrupulous merchant had always been alone. Xu Shengli believed that the young man had always been with the merchant.

    The matter should have come to an end now. But after leaving the Huiyun Tower, the young man was in a state of anxiety. Perhaps he wanted to negotiate with Pan You''an again so that Pan You''an wouldn''t expose his actions.

    Alternatively, he was already preparing to inflict a cruel blow.

    Anyway, by midnight, Pan You''an was drunk and swayed out of the Huiyun Tower, and the young man followed up.

    Seeing no one on the left or right, to cover up his behavior of stealing and selling the owner''s property, the young servant killed Pan You''an with the inkstone at the entrance of the alley. Then, he threw the body into the alley and hurriedly fled.

    Then, around dawn, someone discovered Pan You''an''s body but didnt choose to report it to the authorities. Instead, the person stole his belongings from the body, leading to a misjudgment of killing and robbing.

    They could hear Sun Shaozong speaking as if he had seen the murder happen with his own eyes.

    The various details and clues used in it were all inquired about in front of everyone, making people feel as if they could do it as long as they worked hard.

    But everyone present was from a Constable background, how would they not be aware of the difficulty of cracking this headless murder case?

    Moreover, compared with previous cases, Sun Shaozong''s ability to see the truth in small details and connect and complete various clues becomes more divine and unattainable.

    They were afraid that, even if they worked hard for three more lifetimes, they might not be able to make it!

    Every time they heard his inference, they were amazed.

    Zhao Wuwei, after all, had been with Sun Shaozong for the longest time, so he was also the first to react. Listening to him chugging and flattering, Jiang Laoqi and others were then clear of the process and immediately came a wave of flattery.

    Alright, there''s no need to say these useless words.

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "Inspector Qiu, Constable Zhao, and Constable Jiang, you three should bring Xu Shengli and come with me to identify the true culprit.

    Identify the real culprit?

    Jiang Laoqi couldn''t help but exclaim, "Do you already know who the real culprit is?

    Pak!

    Before Sun Shaozong could answer, Qiu Yunfei slapped him on the back of the head and angrily scolded, "Do you have a pig''s brain?! Pan You''an is young and works as a book boy in a big house. How can he know outsiders?

    Even if he knows a few people, he can''t handle his own affairs, and how can he still care about the private affairs of other people?

    He yelled at Jiang Laoqi several times before he eventually opened his eyes. He widened his eyes and said, "So, that murderer... is also from Rongguo Mansion?

    That''s right.

    Sun Shaozong firmly said, "The murderer must also be a servant of Rongguo Mansion!"

 Chapter 268: Burial of Human Souls on Flower Graves

    Chapter 268: Burial of Human Souls on Flower Graves

    Sun Shaozong brought people to the Rongguo Mansion and asked Jia Lian to explain the reasons and consequences, only to hear that Jia Lian was both surprised and annoyed.

    Surprisingly, in just over a short year, many murderous and profiteering demons had emerged from his family. With just a brief thought, he felt a chill in his spine.

    What was more frustrating was that he just used Pan You''an recently and thought he was doing it flawlessly, but to his surprise, there was still a rumor of licking the buttocks coming out!

    Due to the severity of the incident, Jia Lian immediately ordered all the young servants in the mansion to gather in the front yard so that Xu Shengli could identify each one clearly.

    After the news spread, the nearby servants were all eager to rush towards the front courtyard, but one of them didn''t move forward but retreated, panicking and heading towards the provincial courtyard.

    He stumbled all the way and asked people. When he found the peach forest near the Qinfang Gate Bridge, he saw a pair of young men and girls in that corner, leaning on a flower mound, chatting, and laughing.

    Second Master!

    The young man let out a heart-wrenching cry, then flew over and knocked his head on the ground, shrugging his shoulders and howling mournfully, "Please, for the sake of our past relationship, save me!

    That young man was Jia Baoyu.

    Startled by the visitor, Baoyu took a nervous half-step backward. His feet softened before he realized that he had accidentally stepped on Sister Lin''s Flower Tomb. Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    He quickly apologized to the flower mound and then angrily scolded, "Mingyan! Have you caught a sudden panic? Many sisters are living in this courtyard now. If you accidentally collide with any one of them, can you bear the blame?

    Due to the decree of the virtuous concubine in the palace, it was a pity that the provincial family separation courtyard had been abandoned due to its huge cost. She asked Baochai and her sisters to move in and she ordered Baoyu to stay and study peacefully.

    So on February 22nd, except for Jia Yingchun, who was to be married, a group of beauties moved in. Therefore, Jia Baoyu has this saying now.

    But how could Mingyan not be so anxious at this moment?

    He quickly reached out and hugged Jia Baoyu''s ankle, wiping his runny nose and tears straight up. I cried out, "Second Master, my Second Master! Mingyan has been with you for so many years, and even if I haven''t done any good, I have worked hard, right?! I know you are the kind-hearted one, and I would like to ask you to show mercy and avoid my death.

    Just now, when Jia Baoyu heard him shout help, he thought this guy was losing money and wanted him to help him pay off his debt. However, looking at him now, it didn''t seem like that.

    If he had been begged by Mingyan for a few words before, Jia Baoyu would probably have agreed first without asking about his innocence.

    But after all these things in the past year, Jia Baoyu was no longer as careless and irritable as he was at the beginning.

    So he only lowered his face and scolded, "Did you cause some trouble again? If you were to tell me the truth, I might still help you. If you were to deceive me

    I would never dare to deceive you, Second Master!

    Mingyan looked up and said with a face full of grievance, "Last night, I had an appointment with a friend to have dinner at Huiyun Tower on Wumiao Street, but unexpectedly I bumped into Pan You''an in Second Master Lian''s yard.

    Upon learning that this guy had caused a lawsuit for human life, Jia Baoyu let go of it. However, he cried out loudly, saying that he accidentally made this big mistake to protect his reputation. Jia Baoyu hesitated for a moment.

    Let me ask you.

    At this moment, Lin Daiyu, who had been watching coldly by the side, suddenly asked with a stern face, "Are you talking about Pan You''an, the cousin of Siqi in the Second Sister''s room?

    Knowing that Jia Baoyu had always listened to Daiyu the most, Mingyan naturally didn''t dare to neglect her. He quickly nodded and said, "That''s the one.

    That''s not right

    Lin Daiyu twisted her handkerchief and sneered, "I have some impression of that person. He is usually the timidest and kindest person. He has always been bullied by others, and there is no one else who bullies him.

    Upon hearing Daiyu''s words, Jia Baoyu couldn''t help but feel some suspicions.

    So he pondered for a moment and also found some loopholes, "Since you took one step ahead and came out of the Huiyun Tower and waited until today to report to me, how could you have gone back alone to argue with him again?

    The more he said it, the more he felt wrong. This Mingyan has always been talkative, and it was not like him to ignore him, his backer, and go back alone to fight against him.

    Therefore, Jia Baoyu exclaimed in a deep voice, "Your words are not entirely untrue. How much truth or falsehood is there? Do you think it is good to deceive me?

    What did Mingyan know? Sun Shaozong had already figured out his case of stealing and selling inkstones, with only one mind to deceive Jia Baoyu and help him avoid death.

    At present, Lin Daiyu first pointed out a flaw, and then Jia Baoyu angrily scolded him. It was obvious that this black-and-white reversal of the game could no longer be fooled. He was extremely frightened, but at the same time, he was also angry and evil in his heart!

    It''s all your fault!

    He suddenly hugged Jia Baoyu''s legs and fiercely pulled into his arms, causing Jia Baoyu to stumble and fall onto the flower mound.

    Immediately, Mingyan threw himself again and rode on Jia Baoyu''s waist. He tightly grabbed Jia Baoyu''s neck with both hands and roared with a ferocious expression, "It''s all your fault! If it weren''t for you driving me out to suffer poverty and suffering, would I need to steal any inkstone?

    If I didnt sell that inkstone, how could I meet Pan You''an?

    It''s you, it''s you, it''s you! It''s all your fault!

    Today, even if I fight to the death, I will also hold you down together.

    The resentment he had accumulated for a long time erupted in a flash. How could a young man like Jia Baoyu be compared to him?

    No matter how hard Jia Baoyu struggled, the ten fingers on his neck continued to pinch tighter and tighter. Seeing Jia Baoyu''s struggle gradually weaken, he was about to die of exhaustion!

    At this moment, a small flower hoe suddenly hit Mingyan''s neck with its head, and it was shoveling flesh and blood!

 Chapter 269: Hongâ€™er

    Chapter 269: Hong''er

    Ah!

    Watching Mingyan cover his neck and roll back and forth on the ground, he couldn''t stop the blood from rushing out.

    Lin Daiyu''s small face turned pale with fear, and her whole body was as soft as if without bones. The small flower hoe in her hand also seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, making it difficult to control!

    But she still clung to the hoe tightly and remained vigilant, watching Mingyan to prevent him from jumping up and hurting Baoyu again.

    However, this concern was clearly unnecessary.

    Because Lin Daiyu was in a panic just now, her head was slightly tilted, and she didn''t hit Mingyan''s back neck with the hoe. Instead, she hit his neck and made a big cut on the left side, cutting off Mingyan''s carotid artery!

    So Lin Daiyu watched helplessly as Mingyan rolled from a moan to convulsions in his limbs and finally gradually lost his voice.

    Is he

    Dead?

    Did Mingyan die because of her?!

    Lin Daiyu only felt a blank in her mind, after all, no matter how precocious she was, she was just a thirteen-year-old girl.

    At this moment, an equally trembling hand grabbed the flower hoe and inexplicably snatched it away.

    This... This dog

    Just as Jia Baoyu was holding the flower hoe, he desperately squeezed out a smile that was even uglier than crying. With two belligerent expressions, he said, "Unexpectedly... He wanted to kill the Master but was... Killed with a hoe, and... He deserved it... He deserved it

    How clever was Lin Daiyu?

    She immediately guessed naturally that he didn''t want her to carry the reputation of killing him. Even if she killed someone to save him, as a young woman, doing so could still attract criticism.

    Brother Bao

    Lin Daiyu had tears in her eyes as she was about to say something, but Baoyu said sternly, "Hurry up and call Xiren to report to the front. Just say that this murderous slave was just planning to kill the Master and has already been killed by me.

    Seeing that what he said was beyond doubt, Lin Daiyu bit her cherry lips slightly and had to turn around and run towards the Yihong Courtyard.

    She was in a state of panic all the way, and when she arrived at the Yihong Courtyard, her heart was pounding fiercely. She struggled to cross the half-foot-high threshold, and suddenly it was dark in front of her. She couldn''t help but fall back on the steps.

    If it were other regular maids. Being stared at like this might even make them feel like walking with garlic.

    But Honger was calm and tight and entered the living room with a big, square gaze. She respectfully greeted Jia Lian and was about to inquire about the official position in the Central Judicial Office when she saw Sun Shaozong next to Jia Lian.

    Back then, she had also seen Sun Shaozong several times from afar and, naturally, wouldnt be unfamiliar with his massive and majestic figure.

    So Hong''er quickly bowed and reported, "Lord Sun, our Second Master Bao asked me to spread a message that Mingyan, who killed people and stole goods, had just attempted to kill Second Master Bao and had already been killed by him.

    What?

    Jia Lian jumped up in shock and said, "He... He killed Mingyan again?

    Previously, Jia Baoyu used his hand over Jiao Da to kill Lai Da, which was already unbelievable. Now, he has even personally killed his close [former] servant!

    This

    Was he still a precious lump in Rongguo Mansion? Clearly, he was a murderer!

    Although Sun Shaozong was also somewhat surprised that Jia Baoyu had killed Mingyan, the souls he held were nearly a hundred, so he naturally wouldn''t be as alarmed as Jia Lian.

    So he stood up and asked, "Lady, where is Brother Bao now?

    Your Excellency, you may just call me Hong''er.

    Hong''er took the opportunity to say her name before obediently answering, Our Master is currently in the peach blossom forest near the Qinfang Gate Bridge in the southeast corner of the provincial parentage courtyard!

    Jia Lian also regained his composure at this moment and hurriedly ordered, "Then why don''t you hurry up and lead the way?"

    Hong''er agreed, then leaned aside and led these two people, along with Qiu Yunfei and others, out of the east living room.

    The young men outside the door, after watching the group go away, burst into a loud uproar and chattered about Jia Baoyu''s killing of Mingyan, adding a touch of awe to their words.

    Not to mention how they discussed it all.

    When Hong''er led the crowd to the vicinity of the other courtyard, she saw a young man with half a shoulder hanging, wandering outside the gate of the other courtyard. Seeing her coming, he happily waved a handkerchief in the wind.

    Honger face changed several times, struggled for a while with mixed emotions, then turned a blind eye and led everyone into the other courtyard.

    The young man watched her leave in a daze, and the expectations on his face turned into various forms of helplessness. He wandered alone outside the gate, but he couldn''t bear to leave.

 Chapter 270: An Infatuated Person

    The wind blew, and Jia Baoyu, holding a hoe, stood under the half-withered peach tree, surrounded by a bloody corpse from afar. Looking up from afar, it really had a sense of photography.

    But...

    What was the use of the small mound just piled up next to the body?

    Sun Shaozong doubted and said, "Why, you don''t want to bury him here, do you?¡±

    Jia Baoyu was somewhat puzzled when asked, and only then did he suddenly realize it. He quickly shook his head like a rattle and said, "This is the tomb made by Sister Lin, used for burial.¡±

    Tomb?

    Sun Shaozong became even more speechless, and these two young scholars were really idle...

    However, after all, it was not bad to learn to show off romance in front of women.

    Just as he was making up his mind to learn some romances back at home, Jia Baoyu sighed again and said helplessly, "Since something like this happened today, I''m afraid this tomb won''t be used in the future.¡±

    What was so pretentious about this?Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

    There were plenty of places in the provincial courtyard, wouldn''t it be enough to have another one every two miles?

    Sun Shaozong was not in the mood to chat with him about these snowy months, so he used his chin to signal the corpse in the pool of blood and ordered, "Let Xu Shengli go and see if it was him last night.¡±

    Unexpectedly, when Xu Shengli saw the blood in this area, he was so scared that he lost his energy. He cowered and moved forward for a while, still a few feet away from the corpse.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up!¡±

    Qiu Yunfei looked impatiently beside him and simply kicked him in the butt.

    He was suddenly caught off guard. Xu Shengli stumbled and fell into the pool of blood, facing Mingyan, who was unable to close his eyes.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    He screamed like a woman, and Xu Shengli retreated as he rolled back, shouting, "It''s him, it''s him, it''s him! That''s the one who went to Huiyun Tower yesterday to meet that unscrupulous businessman, he was the one.¡±

    Since it has been determined that Mingyan was the murderer, the rest of the matter was naturally much simpler.

    He let Qiu Yunfei and the two captains go to the front yard to collect materials locally and get a simple stretcher to carry the body back. Although both the murderer and the victim were dead, the necessary procedures still needed to be done in the Yamen.

    After Qiu Yunfei and others took the orders, Sun Shaozong simply recorded a confession from Jia Baoyu.

    Sun Shaozong nodded and briefly introduced, "This guy stole the inkstone from the mansion to sell, but he was seen by Pan You''an. Because he was worried about the situation being exposed, he chose to kill people and silence them.¡±

    ¡°Just now he saw the official come to his door and intended to take Baoyu as a hostage, but instead, he was killed by Baoyu.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Siqi looked at the corpse in a daze for a moment, then suddenly bent and knelt in front of Sun Shaozong, choking, saying, "Your Excellency''s kindness is unforgettable to me. The oath I made before will never be changed in any way.¡±

    Listening to this...

    She seemed to have noticed that Sun Shazong¡¯s Big Brother''s agreement to let him take action was because he had a desire.

    It seemed that having a big chest might not be brainless!

    However, not long after Siqi left, Qiu Yunfei and others finally carried a stretcher. The two captains carried the head, pinched the feet, and carried Mingyan up. The group then gradually left the provincial courtyard.

    When they arrived at the big gate, they saw the young man with his arm hanging around the gate. Sun Shaozong stopped and greeted him. "Jia Yun, what are you wandering around here for?¡±

    Jia Yun quickly leaned over and bowed respectfully, then smiled and said, "Report to My Lord, I am just idling around. It''s just a casual stroll, just a casual stroll.¡±

    Strolling around?

    Sun Shaozong''s gaze twirled around his left hand, and the corner of his mouth tilted slightly upward. He said, "Did the handkerchief you just played with accidentally fall off of Hong¡¯er¡¯s, or did you have anything to do with her before?¡±

    Jia Yun saw that he couldn''t hide it, so he had to spread out her palm and jokingly said, "I just found it. It should have been Lady Hong''er who accidentally fell near here.¡±

    Looking at his mixed expression, Sun Shaozong could guess that he had some romantic stories with that Hong¡¯er. But now he has broken an arm, causing his ¡±value¡± to plummet, and Hong¡¯er has also cut off contact with him.

    However, it was also a common practice in the big house to ¡°follow the top,¡±* especially considering Jia Yun''s appearance. The two of them might not have had any actual contact, at least not as good as Siqi and Pan You''an.

    Thinking about Jia Yun''s broken arm, it could be considered that he has some relationship with him, and the impression of seeing him these few times was also quite good.

    Sun Shaozong patted him on his left shoulder and said with a smile, "When I see Brother Bao again another day, I''ll let him find you a good task. I can¡¯t just take your advantage, can I?¡±

    ¡°In a few years, you would have a rich family fortune, what kind of woman you can¡¯t marry?"

    Jia Yun was naturally overjoyed upon hearing this, with a thousand thanks in his mouth. However, the handkerchief in his hand remained tightly clenched, refusing to relax. This was clearly a lingering affection for Hong¡¯er.

    This guy could also be considered an infatuated person.

    It was just that Hong''er...

    Didn¡¯t seem to be an easy target of ¡±sentiment.¡±

 Chapter 271: Miaoyu Visits the Central Judicial Office Again

    Chapter 271: Miaoyu Visits the Central Judicial Office Again

    The private advisors around Wei Ruolan still have some abilities, and at least they have handled their official affairs in an orderly manner for the past half month.

    Sun Shaozong simply flipped through the copies of the transcribed official documents, and although there was not much to show off, he was victorious in terms of stability, which appeared to be the work of an elderly official.

    Of course, there was still an inevitable accumulation of official documents that must be handled by the government.

    Sun Shaozong originally planned to take advantage of his current presence in the government office to handle the important documents first, but after all, he was injured and had been running around investigating the case for a while. At this time, when he reviewed the documents again, he felt a wave of mental exhaustion.

    Forget it~

    It was better to take the official document back and talk about it tomorrow. It could also be used as a pretext to resume work for Cheng Rixing.

    By the way, after Sun Chengye''s downfall from the Imperial Examination this time, he realized that he had no face to show to the elders of Jiangdong and was ready to bring his wife, concubines, and family members to the capital. After studying for three years, he would take the exam again.

    However, in Sun Shaozong''s view, Sun Chengye''s biggest problem at the moment was his lack of psychological quality, not his lack of knowledge. Therefore, he intentionally recruited him to the office and became a private advisor.

    Learning some mundane affairs was second to none, it was mainly to help Sun Chengye experience the world and broaden his mind.

    Of course, this matter must not be urged, at least one must obtain the permission of their parents before seeking Sun Chengye''s consent.

    Seeing that it was getting late outside, Sun Shaozong took a cork box from the basket, swept in all the documents that needed to be processed, and stretched his waist greatly before preparing to leave the government office.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the room, Lin Delu hurriedly rushed in and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, Miaoyu from Rongguo Mansion is asking to see you outside.

    Why did this fake nun come back?

    Seeing Sun Shaozong somewhat puzzled, Lin Delu hurriedly added, "Actually, she originally wanted to ask for Assistant Magistrate Wei, but Assistant Magistrate Wei reported that he was sick at noon and went home, so

    After listening to Lin Delu''s explanation, Sun Shaozong realized that Miaoyu had not come to the Central Judicial Office for the second time but had already come more than ten times!

    Under the leadership of Sun Shaozong, after meeting the three nuns one by one, Miaoyu went back to calm down for two days before making another request to see him. Coincidentally, Sun Shaozong was busy preparing his sons banquet at that time, so Wei Ruolan came forward to receive her.

    It was said that Master Wei had a great conversation with this beautiful little nun and even made a decision, allowing her to enter and leave the house arrest at will.

    So from that day on, Miaoyu often visited the three pregnant nuns, and every time she went, she would give a big reward to the nannies for cleaning the body of the female nun who wanted to die.

    She, on the other hand, went to find the second seductive nun, who had fallen under the demons influence. She argued for half an hour and then went to the door of the third seductive nun, who was addicted to killing, to recite the scriptures of calming loudly.

    Finally, when the first nun had cleaned her body, she would turn back and chat with her for a while.

    Tch!

    This fake nun was really

    In modern society, relying on her persistence might not be as professional as that of a psychological counseling doctor, but being a neighborhood committee worker was fine.

    However, this reason was much more real than what she called influence. After all, if it really caused the nuns to die, it would still have some impact on Sun Shaozong''s reputation.

    So Sun Shaozong looked at her for a while and sighed helplessly. "After all, there are certain risks to doing this. I can''t let those handymen... for no reason.

    Without hesitation, Miaoyu said, "How much silver do you need? I''ll pay for it.

    This little girl

    Could it be that she had embezzled the public funds of the Longcui temple?

    It''s not all about money, either.

    Sun Shaozong smacked his lips and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Forget it, Abbess is merciful and generous in giving money, and it''s not easy for me to continue refusing.

    Alright, you can go back and draw up a plan, including how much silver you plan to donate, how many more people you need to send, and how long you hope they can take a walk every day. Simply list it out.

    We will make a final decision on what to do when you submit the statement to the Criminal Department.

    Miaoyu saw that he had agreed and then returned to his original position with satisfaction. She bowed and said, "Since that''s the case, I''ll take leave first.

    As she spoke, she walked out without hesitation.

    This fake nun was really hot and bustling, and she wouldn''t say any more nonsense.

    Your Excellency.

    Feeling deeply moved by Miaoyu''s fierce and resolute actions, unexpectedly, Miaoyu arrived at the door, but suddenly folded her snowy neck and asked with a burning gaze, "Don''t you have any prejudice against our Buddhist disciples?

    Sun Shaozong was stunned at the words, but when he was about to respond, she had already picked up the curtain and walked out of the hall.

    It was baffling!

    Wasnt it okay to hate monks?

    Sun Shaozong tossed his sleeve in displeasure, rolled up the cork box filled with official documents, and prepared to leave the government office.

    Master, do you really want to do what this little nun says?

    At this moment, Lin Delu, who had been standing next to him like a clay figurine, couldn''t help but remind him, "Those three nuns have all killed people. If we release them, there will be another accident.

    Who said I promised her?

    Sun Shaozong said carelessly, "Starting tomorrow, I will ask for leave to prepare for my Big Brother''s wedding. At that time, Assistant Magistrate Wei will naturally decide on the Criminal Department. Didn''t he have a good time with the little nun? Let him handle this matter."

    As he spoke, he also left the hall without hesitation, leaving only Lin Delu to exclaim, "Lord Sun is indeed the best. He casually prepared to set a trap for his opponent.

 Chapter 272: The Wedding, Seemingly Infatuated yet Heartless

    Chapter 272: The Wedding, Seemingly Infatuated yet Heartless

    Qiang<del class="chakra-text css-0">Qiang</del>Qiang<del class="chakra-text css-0">Qiang</del>Qiang~

    Just after the sound of noon, two young men dressed in red and hanging green, with the sound of brass gongs, opened the way in front. Behind them, Sun Shaozong rode a tall horse, dressed in a bright yellow bullfighting suit, and looked even more majestic and heroic!

    Looking at the back, there was a luxurious wedding sedan carried by eight people, carved with nine phoenixes chirping on top. On the fiery red sedan robe, there were four eternal embroidered balls hanging together and countless tassel-colored beads adorned below

    If they looked at the composition of this team alone, people might think that Sun Shaozong was getting married. But in fact, in these years, the groom never showed up in front of his mother''s family before the bride entered.

    It was said that in the early years, the Great Zhou Dynasty didnt follow such rules either. Instead, as in the previous dynasty, the groom personally went to the bride''s house to marry, and he was also required to undergo poetry and archery tests.

    But as the idea of male superiority and female inferiority gradually escalated, the groom gradually withdrew from the second line of the wedding procession and only needed to comfortably wait at home for the bride to come.

    Of course, according to Sun Shaozong''s speculation, in addition to the factors of male superiority and female inferiority, during the early days of the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, the imbalance in the proportion of males and females was caused by years of war, which might also be an important driving force behind this change. UppTodated from

    After all, rare things were precious!

    He heard that it was easy for men to marry a wife that year. If they were willing to accept a wife, it would be eye-catching, and it was from then on that it became popular to take over for their deceased brothers.

    Since Sun Shaozu was unable to appear, Sun Shaozong, his younger brother, naturally became the main force in welcoming the bride. After riding a horse and touring around the cities, he finally arrived at the Rongguo Mansion after showcasing the city''s storms.

    Just outside the black-painted gate, a colorful archway was erected early, and countless red hydrangeas and red lanterns hung on the wall. But according to Sun Shaozong''s understanding, it seemed that this was all the money from Rongguo''s official account, while Jia She was like an iron rooster.

    Because the groom didnt appear, there was naturally no gate-crashing rule.

    Therefore, as soon as Sun Shaozong got off his horse, his brothers and nephews, including Jia Lian, Xue Pan, Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, and others, welcomed him with a smile on their faces.

    The others were fine, but Xue Pan burst into laughter while feeling quite aggrieved and said, "My Second Brother came back from Jinmen Mansion and came for a visit. This action was really done improperly. We must supplement him with a feast today.

    Not only Jiefeng wine, but I will also add the wedding wine today.

    While Sun Shaozong was chatting and laughing with everyone, he couldn''t help but feel a bit puzzled. Even Xue Pan, who was not considered a serious relative, came to welcome the guests. But where did Jia Baoyu go?

    As he walked in hand with Jia Lian, he quietly asked, and Jia Lian showed some embarrassment.

    It turned out that after killing Mingyan that day, Lin Daiyu fell ill and her body temperature fluctuated for two or three days. Even now, she still hasn''t seen any improvement in a daze.

    In the past few days, Jia Baoyu has been taking care of her day and night, refusing to leave even if necessary.

    In the morning, Jia Lian called out to him twice but was impatiently rebuked by him.

    Upon hearing Jia Lian''s words, Sun Shaozong felt a bit speechless.

    Should he say that Jia Baoyu was infatuated or ruthless?

    What''s up?

    Feeling scared, Li Wan stepped forward and took her hand, saying with a smile, "Isn''t it a bit scary? In fact, that''s how couples live their lives.

    Because she thought she cared about Sun Shaozu''s age, she explained again, "I heard that although the groom is getting older, his body and bones are very healthy. A woman needs to find someone with a strong body and bones when finding a husband, so she can count on him in the future.

    When she used to say these things, there was always a lot of resentment, but now she couldn''t help but think of something. Her face turned red and her tight and sturdy thighs were tightly intertwined in one place.

    Jia Yingchun, after all, lacked experience and didnt see anything wrong with her. She only thought that she was thinking of her husband, who had passed away at an early age, and suddenly became silent.

    She felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to comfort Li Wan, but for a moment, she didn''t know how to comfort her.

    Faced with a dilemma, Qiu Tong suddenly lifted the door curtain and twisted her snake-like waist to enter. Upon seeing this pitied Madam and Young Lady, she quickly bowed and greeted them one by one.

    Okay.

    Before she could greet everyone, Wang Xifeng quickly said again, "Did the Old Lady come to urge again?

    Exactly.

    Qiu Tong said in a crisp voice, "Madam, it''s getting late. Please leave early, Lady.

    Before she could finish speaking, Li Wan reached out and pinched Jia Yingchun''s buttocks. Jia Yingchun let out a painful cry, which reminded her of her previous confession and quickly held her face in a mournful expression.

    Wang Xifeng then swung the fan and ordered, "Go back and report. Just say that your Second Sister can''t bear to part with her family. Let us try to persuade her again.

    Qiu Tong agreed and twisted her snake-like waist out of the door again.

    Once she was gone, Wang Xifeng turned around and joked to Yingchun, "Second Sister, don''t worry, and take care of those tears. If you can''t cry when you get on the sedan chair, it will be tough

    The Sisters in the room laughed again.

    Li Wan thrust into her waist and pretended to be angry and scolded, "Why are you laughing? You must have such a day sooner or later.

    As she spoke, she spread out her palm again and smiled. "My Second Sister usually doesn''t show her body figure. Today, after I pinched, I realized that you indeed have a good body for bearing children. No wonder General Sun insisted on marrying you.

    Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng pretended to come and pinch it, which made Yingchun super embarrassed.

    So, Qiu Tong invited her three times according to the rules, and then Jia Yingchun, surrounded by everyone, left the small courtyard in the western chamber.

    Seeing a group of unmarried women outside the gate, along with the widowed Li Wan, they had to stop.

    Wang Xifeng took Jia Yingchun''s arm and whispered, "Good Sister, don''t forget the dowry I gave you.

 Chapter 273: The Spring Night is Not Yet Here, Cold Words Come First

    Chapter 273: The Spring Night is Not Yet Here, Cold Words Come First

    Get off the sedan chair~

    With a rhythmic shout from the bridesmaid, a pot boiled outside the Sun Mansion.

    Due to the arrival of many colleagues in Sun Shaozu''s army, all of them were rough men with large arms and round waists. The deafening noise of the men almost caused the roof of the house to be lifted.

    Their three nephews wouldnt return until the evening, as they are currently participating in the palace examination.

    However, Feng Ziying, Liu Xianglian, and Jiang Yuhan had all arrived and were already chatting with Jia Lian and Xue Pan, who were responsible for sending off the wedding.

    There were also Feng Xin, Xu Shouye, Lu Jianxing, Shen Lian, Lin Delu, Zhou Da

    In short, those who have a slightly closer relationship with Sun Shaozong have mostly come to congratulate them.

    In addition, there were several highly respected individuals, such as Feng Tang, Feng Ziying''s father, the Baoling Marquis, Shi Nai, and the chief official of the Zhongshun Prince''s Mansion, who was waiting inside and didnt follow the groom out to welcome the bride.

    Sun Shaozu, who was dressed in red and hanging green, was urged and pushed by his colleagues. With a blushing face, he took a bamboo pole and lifted the sedan curtain. Two women next to him immediately stepped forward and helped out Jia Yingchun, guiding her towards the main entrance of the Sun Mansion.

    At the same time, the firecrackers also crackled and exploded, and someone took a large handful of copper coins and scattered them among the onlookers.

    Jia Yingchun, as the protagonist for the first time in her life, enjoyed this highly anticipated treatment, and for a moment, her hands and feet were sore and her heart trembled.

    Fortunately, the two women next to her were both experienced, reminding her all the way to cross the threshold and the brazier. Otherwise, relying solely on her own, even without the covering on her head, she might not have been able to walk steadily to the backyard.

    It wasn''t until Jia Yingchun sat on the bed filled with jujube born osmanthus that the people around her were replaced by the familiar big maid Xiuju when she gradually regained some strength.

    But her heart raced again. She unveiled half of the red cap, scanned around, and said urgently, "Xiuju, where has Siqi gone? She... Shes not going to cause trouble again, right?

    Lady... Madam, just rest assured.

    Xiuju changed her calling awkwardly, taking out the things she needed for the evening from her package and comforting herself, saying, "Since Sun... since Second Master found out the real culprit for Pan You''an, Sister Siqi has treated herself like the Sun family. How could she have caused trouble on this joyful day?

    This white silk, I''ll put it under the pillow first. Madam, don''t forget it at night.

    After putting the pillow back in place, Xiuju continued, "The Elder Master just sent someone to call her, probably to explain something.

    As she spoke, she placed a pair of embroidered shoes with high soles and short edges at the head of the bed. Although they looked like a pair of shoes, they actually contained some exquisite pictures for the newlyweds to use for enlightenment.

    Fine.

    Seeing that this servant girl was cheerful and had already laid the groundwork, Sun Shaozu restrained his fierce Zhang Fei posture and said seriously, "The immortal who calculated that I must marry a noble daughter to give birth to a son has also instructed some auxiliary formulas. Only by doing everything according to his instructions can I break the fate of this Evil Lone Star.

    As he spoke, he took out a few pages of paper from his sleeve and handed them to Siqi.

    Here you go.

    He solemnly warned, "You must look carefully and urge your Young Lady to follow the instructions above. If she dares to harm my good deeds... Hmph!

    The Old Lady Jia also trained Siqi, so she could also recognize some words. She took a few pages of paper in her hand and roughly scanned them first.

    The regulations above were extremely detailed, including what Jia Yingchun would eat, drink, and even use to sleep. These have extremely strict regulations that were carefully calculated and designed at first glance.

    Siqi''s heart also added a bit of solemnity. Although she recently had a disagreement with Jia Yingchun, they were still a Master and Servant in the end. She didn''t want Jia Yingchun to be confused that she had lost her husband''s favor.

    So she looked more carefully again.

    However, upon careful consideration, Siqi discovered something wrong because the writing on it was too detailed. If they followed suit, it wouldnt be impossible.

    But the newlyweds'' time for that thing was completely squeezed out!

    Although she has not personally experienced it, she also knew that without doing that thing, she would never have a child!

    So she couldn''t help but question and say, "Elder Master, if we follow the instructions above and start doing them from the time of your marriage, when are you going to do it with Madam?

    What''s so urgent about the bridal chamber?

    Sun Shaozu couldn''t help but scold, "If you miss the immortal''s prescription, even a hundred times in the bridal chamber, it will be useless.

    But if you keep... always..."

    After all, Siqi was not ashamed to be too straightforward. After a moment of hesitation, she carefully reminded him, "The white silk that my Madam had may not be suitable to be left empty for a long time.

    Don''t worry about it.

    Sun Shaozu said nonchalantly, "At that time, I will check it myself. If I say it has fallen red on top, who dares to say it hasn''t?

    As he spoke, he stood up from the stone bench and said unquestionably, "Let''s stick to this prescription for a month and see how it works. You can go back and tell your Young Lady that I bought her at a high price to have a son! If she can''t give birth to a son, even if I sleep with her ten thousand times, it won''t be worth the silver.

 Chapter 274: The Secret Prescription for a Son

    Chapter 274: The Secret Prescription for a Son

    Is that what the Elder Master said?

    After listening to Siqi''s report, the first person to react was not Jia Yingchun, but the big maid Xiuju, who was on the side.

    She was shocked while clenching her collar, her eyes wide open, and she said incredulously, "Madam hasn''t even finished the marriage procedure at the hall yet. Why... Why does he say it so mercilessly?

    Although Jia Yingchun didn''t say anything, looking at the delicate figure in the big red auspicious dress trembling slightly, she knew that her heart was also restless and tense.

    Without mercy?

    With a disdainful pout, Siqi retorted, "If he were to say this in front of my Second Lady... in front of Madam, it would be truly heartless! Now, it''s better to speak clearly in advance than to have someone speculate about it.

    As she spoke, she took out the few pages of paper from her sleeve and handed them to Jia Yingchun, saying, "The Elder Master is probably not coming tonight. Madam, you might as well take a look at this prescription first. We''ll have to follow suit in the evening and not make any mistakes.

    Jia Yingchun was stunned for a while before reaching out and taking the piece of paper into her hand. However, she was not in a hurry to look but looked up with a hesitant expression.

    Xiuju saw her cherry mouth under the cover moving incessantly but didn''t utter a whole word for a while. She couldn''t help but step in and ask, "Sister Siqi, if Madam doesn''t give birth to a son and a half-daughter in the future, would the Elder Master really be impolite?

    Think of the positive in everything first.

    Siqi interrupted her words with a hint of sarcasm, saying, "Isn''t that what Madam does normally? Since the Elder Master cares most about children, once our Madam gives birth to the eldest son, we will have a saying in this mansion.

    After a pause, she gave an example and said, "Forget about anything else, let''s just talk about Concubine Ruan in the Second Master''s house. I heard that since giving birth to a son, she has been in charge of this mansion. Even the concubines in the Elder Master''s house go to her every month to collect their expenses. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Xiuju originally furrowed her brows tightly, but when she heard Siqi talk about Ruan Rong, she suddenly stretched out and showed a hopeful look in her eyes.

    If Madam Wang has always been a benchmark for girls in the Rongguo Mansion, Ruan Rong''s current life was undoubtedly the dream of servant girls and concubines!

    Xiuju couldn''t help but come up with the idea that if she could lead Jia Yingchun to have the eldest son of a concubine, could she also have unlimited scenery like Ruan Rong?

    If she really did this, wouldn''t she become the coquettish hoof of that fox seducing the Master?

    She was startled by this bold idea and hastily made some self-criticism, but as soon as this evil idea sprouted, how could it be so easy to eradicate it?

    There was nothing to do, and Xiuju could only hold it to her heart first, pretending to share her worries with others. She frowned and said, "But I heard that in recent years, Elder Master has been burning incense and worshipping Buddha everywhere, and he has received many women who match the eight characters and are easy to have children. There are even a few women who have given birth, but they still havent been able to have a child or so.

    Body shaping could increase attractiveness for men by improving flexibility while making it easier to unlock more postures. Could this be considered a secret prescription for seeking children?

    Jia Yingchun heard that what she said was reasonable and knew that this would be the thing to determine whether she would be happy or worried for the rest of her life. She looked at the prescription and didnt care if it was effective or not, so she didn''t have to be shy and carefully jotted down a few postures before preparing to start practicing.

    It was just that she was wearing a phoenix crown and accessories, with a hard strap tied in a bow on her back waist, making it difficult to move freely, let alone do yoga.

    After trying several times, she couldn''t even pose in the simplest position and almost dropped the phoenix crown to the ground.

    Forget it.

    Upon seeing this, Siqi had to advise, "It''s better to wait until the evening when we finish the ceremony. Madam, take off this outfit and try again, just memorize the posture on it for now.

    Knock Knock~

    At this moment, there was a sudden knocking sound outside the door. Yingchun, who was frightened, quickly covered up her face again. Then, the woman said happily, "Lady Siqi and Lady Xiuju, come out and take a look! The house has sent out the bounty, and we, who have just come over with the dowry, can still receive a double share.

    Xiuju has always been a financial fanatic. As soon as she heard that there was a double reward to receive, she quickly stepped forward and opened the door.

    Siqi remained calm and asked suspiciously, "Isn''t this wedding red packet given when we just entered the door? How come there is a reward to receive again?

    The old woman held a small ingot in her hand and couldn''t close her mouth with joy, saying, "I heard that there has been a decree. The eldest son of the Second Master in this mansion is given the title of Cavalry Captain. Both the Second Master and the Elder Master are overjoyed, so they have issued a large reward heavily.

    Ruan Rong''s eldest son unexpectedly received a reward from the Emperor.

    The three people in the room looked at each other but in different moods.

    Meanwhile, in the front hall, Sun Shaozong seemed to be laughing heartily. Although it was an old custom of all dynasties to give rewards to wives and children when there were no rewards available for a moment, he couldn''t help but mutter.

    Generally, those who have conferred a title would be the legitimate Eldest Son or the legitimate Second Son. But now, the title was given to the Eldest Son of a concubine, which appeared somewhat strange.

    Furthermore, Sun Shaozong himself didnt even have a legitimate title yet. Was it necessary to skip himself and directly bestow a title on his son?

    But no matter how confused he was in his heart, he didnt dare to show it in public. Not because he was afraid of being seen by someone spreading it to Emperor Guangde, but because he was worried that Ruan Rong would know and think he valued the difference between the legitimate and concubine.

    So Sun Shaozong could only pretend to be overjoyed and perfunctory, with sincere or fake greetings to the guests.

 Chapter 275: Having a Son is Indeed Different!

    Chapter 275: Having a Son is Indeed Different!

    The sun has risen.

    Sun Shaozong yawned and entered the hall. Without saying a word, he fell onto the bed, his face full of helplessness.

    Ruan Rong was originally sitting in front of the dressing table. Seeing his virtue, she couldn''t help but feel both heartbroken and amused. She stepped forward and poked him lightly on the forehead, saying coyly, "This body has only recovered for a few days, did you just start drinking with others?

    As he spoke, she carefully pinched and rubbed his forehead and then asked with concern, "Why don''t we let the kitchen make a bowl of awakening wine soup for you?

    Sun Shaozong''s tired appearance was not the result of yesterday''s wine competition, but the real reason was not convenient to tell Ruan Rong, so he had to follow her and said, "Isn''t this happy news? Our son has been honored as a Cavalry Captain, aren''t you happy?

    Unexpectedly, Ruan Rong shook her head without hesitation and said, "Instead of letting you gamble his life like this, I would rather he would use his true abilities to earn honor and create his own in the future.

    Upon hearing her sincere words, Sun Shaozong''s heart was also filled with comfort. He held onto her gentle face with his backhand and was about to say a few words when he suddenly smelled a hint of powder and was curious in his heart.

    Because their precious son didnt like the smell, she hadn''t used makeup for a while. Why did she put on one today?

    Just as he was wondering, he heard the bead curtain pick up outside, and then came the crisp voice of Xiangling, "Sister, I have already packed up. When should we go there?

    Upon hearing this, they seemed to be about to leave.

    Looking up at the door, he noticed that Xiangling, who had walked in, had also put on some light makeup and especially wore a loose skirt, slightly covering her bulging lower abdomen.

    What are you guys doing?

    Of course, were going to visit the hostess.

    Ruan Rong stood up and tidied up the hem of her skirt, then smiled and said, "Now that the Eldest Madam has married in, not to mention we are just concubines. Even if we are legal Madams of yours, we should go over and greet the Eldest Madam.

    Seeing the nanny carrying the child, also wrapped in a small cloak, revealing only a half-pink face and a pair of big black eyes, Sun Shaozong felt a bit speechless in his heart.

    He knew what his Big Brother said to Jia Yingchun yesterday. The one holding the child and the other holding the belly were said to be going to visit the Elder Madam, but why did he feel like it was a demonstration?

    Besides, they were all specially dressed up

    Of course, we need to dress up.

    Ruan Rong naturally said, "The bride is a noble person from the Rongguo Mansion, and it is a good time for us to inherit the radiance of the rain and dew for the first time. If we go by with disheveled hair and dirty faces, wouldn''t we lose your face?

    Inherit the radiance of the rain and dew?

    Hehe~

    This made Jia Yingchun''s heart even colder. Imagine how these concubines would have been so unresponsive if they hadn''t become accustomed to it in their daily lives.

    At this moment, a woman outside hurriedly arrived at the door and said, "Concubine Ruan and Councbine Zhen from the Second Master''s house have come to visit the Elder Madam. Can I let them in now?

    Before she could finish speaking, she saw Sun Shaozu jump up from that chair and ask with energy, "Has our Cavalry Captain also come together?

    As soon as the woman nodded and said yes, Sun Shaozu strode out and cautiously picked up the child. As he walked, he made faces, completely devoid of the impatient arrogance he had just shown.

    When he arrived at the door, he didn''t say anything about going in. He just tilted his neck and said, "Come out and welcome them. I''ll take this little monkey cub to the study for a walk.

    Looking at Ruan Rong and Xiangling walking into the courtyard, surrounded by several maids and nannies, and the women kneeling in a black and magnificent manner on the ground, Jia Yingchun felt the importance of children even more.

    Since Sun Shaozu had given an order, she naturally had to quickly step forward to welcome them. Fortunately, she was already a submissive person. If she had the temperament of Wang Xifeng, after entering the door as the hostess and being asked to greet the two concubines, she was afraid that she would have to make a fuss.

    As she welcomed them out, Ruan Rong hurriedly took a few steps and greeted them. With a smile on her face, she said, "This is not worth it! How dare we bother the Elder Madam to welcome us?"

    Xiangling, after all, was pregnant, so she fell behind slowly. She was about to bow but was stopped by Jia Yingchun.

    Jia Yingchun looked at her bulging lower abdomen and envied, "I heard you are pregnant, you can save all the rules.

    Looking at Xiangling''s bulging lower abdomen and thinking about the child being carried to the study by Sun Shaozu, Jia Yingchun sighed deeply. These were all brothers of the same mother, why was the younger brother able to have children easily?

    If her husband could be like him, why should she be so worried?

    After all, Xiangling has lived in Rongguo Mansion for several years and was familiar with Yingchun.

    At this moment, seeing her staring at her belly and losing her mind, she turned her hand and grabbed her wrist, whispering, "Second La... Madam, don''t be impatient. Since there is a fairy who determines that you are the one that is going to bear a child, you will be pregnant sooner or later.

    Seeing Xiangling''s concern, Jia Yingchun smiled timidly and said shyly, "I''ll take your lucky words in. Let''s

    She had originally planned to invite the two of them in to speak, but when she saw the room full of beauties, she hesitated again.

    Ruan Rong saw it and asked, "Madam, do you still have something to tell them?

    As soon as Jia Yingchun shook her head, Ruan Rong immediately raised her voice and ordered, "The Madam has nothing for you guys to serve here. You may return and rest first.

    With just one command, the concubines rushed out, without any hesitation.

    Sure enough~

    The one who would give birth to a son was different.

 Chapter 276: Protect the Cared Ones

    Chapter 276: Protect the Cared Ones

    When Sun Shaozong woke up again, it was already noon.

    Seeing Shiliu and Furong had already arranged their meals, he simply wiped his face again with a handkerchief and casually asked, "Why, sister-in-law didn''t ask you to stay for lunch before coming back?

    I looked at her expression as if she meant to ask us for lunch.

    Ruan Rong waited for Sun Shaozong to sit in the main seat and then welcomed Xiangling to sit. She picked up her chopsticks and first helped Sun Shaozong and Xiangling with some stewed deer hooves. Then she continued, "But a tall and strong servant girl whispered to her a few words, and she awkwardly changed her mind. Maybe there''s something urgent.

    Sun Shaozong knew what Jia Yingchun needed to do urgently. It was just about practicing a beginner''s yoga posture based on the Seeking Children Secret Prescription that his Big Brother concocted.

    Thinking about several of these postures and using Jia Yingchun''s slightly plump body to display them, it was really a bit imaginative.

    What are you thinking, Master?

    Ruan Rong was puzzled and said, "Should it be that these dishes are not to your taste?

    How could it be?"

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly took a few bites of bluestem rice with a guilty heart and then picked up a pair of fat but not greasy deer tendons with chopsticks. Only then did he blurt out his words and said, "I was just thinking, yesterday I was very busy, and I didn''t ask about the situation of Tingyis and Chengtaos palace exams.

    It''s best to come back with a champion.

    Upon hearing the word palace examination, Ruan Rong also became interested and said with a smile, When the time comes, let Yi''er first follow Sister Xiangling for enlightenment, and then study with Tingyi for a few more years. Isnt it easy to score a 1st rank by then? UppTodated from

    Xiangling quickly waved her hand and said, "I''ve only been studying for a few days now. How dare I delay our Cavalry Captain?

    Bah~ It''s just a false name, why do you keep mentioning it?"

    Ruan Rong spat in her mouth, but the corner of her face couldn''t hide it and burst into a smile.

    Just as Sun Shaozong was talking and laughing, the scene in the main courtyard hall was somewhat disharmonious.

    Jia Yingchun has already practiced the eleven most basic postures of yoga in the fourth group, and in addition, she has done half a set of soothing gymnastics to flex her body. At this time, she was already sweating profusely from exhaustion.

    If she were to rely on herself, she might have already collapsed on the ground and couldn''t move.

    But with Siqi on the side, eyeing her eagerly and claiming to be thinking about her future, Jia Yingchun could only grit her teeth and persevere.

    This beginner''s move was not too difficult for ordinary young women, but Jia Yingchun''s body was delicate and expensive.

    No matter how inferior the treatment was to others in daily life, there were very few things that required her to do personally. In addition, her plump skin was no less than that of Xue Baochai and Wang Xifeng, but her height was only slightly inferior. Therefore, when performing various movements, it was always difficult to maintain balance in the center of gravity.

    Fortunately, Xiuju has been taking care of her carefully, otherwise, the drama of hitting a big stone on her chest would have been staged several times.

    Second Master.

    Zhao Zhongji hurriedly welcomed him and said cautiously, "Minister Wang is in a state of anger. Do you think we can wait until later

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and strode to the East Cross Courtyard door. With one foot inside and one foot outside, he chuckled and said, "Minister Wang has come here with great pleasure. Our family is blessed.

    Minister Wang reluctantly returned the greeting, but his face remained as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.

    Sun Shaozong was increasingly puzzled by what Yu Qian had done, which made Wang Zhe so angry that he disregarded his identity and came to scold him.

    So he cautiously probed and said, "Your Excellency seems to have an angry expression on his face. What extraordinary things did my unworthy nephew do?

    Extraordinary things? Hmph!

    Wang Zhe rolled his sleeve behind him and angrily said, "You might as well ask yourself what he wrote in the game theory volume of that palace examination.

    Game theory?

    Upon hearing these two words, Sun Shaozong''s heart thudded. Originally, he thought it was the two masters and disciples who had a disagreement, but since it was the game theory, it would inevitably involve the political situation of the court!

    This kid was usually steady and reliable. It shouldnt be that he suddenly made a big move during the palace examination, was it?!

    Sun Shaozong shifted his gaze to Yu Qian, and his heart cooled again. He speculated that there was no mistake.

    Im sorry, Thirteenth Uncle.

    He saw Yu Qian respectfully kowtowing his head to Sun Shaozong, but his face was solemn, "I have accumulated some melancholic anger in my heart, and I really couldnt tolerate it any longer. But this was solemnly my own actions and I will never implicate you and the Minister.

    Spat!

    As soon as the words were finished, Minister Wang spat at Yu Qian and said, "I''m not dead yet. It''s not your turn to handle anything.

    He saw him shuffling around the yard a few times and then raising his chin, saying, "Don''t expect the top and second armor of this palace examination. Prepare to become a fellow successful candidate.

    After finishing speaking, he turned around and walked outside. Seeing the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to Sun Shaozong, saying, "Don''t worry, this should not involve your brothers.

    Before Sun Shaozong could react, the old man turned his back and went away.

    Tch!

    This old man was indeed a protector.

    This could be seen in his attitude toward his daughter. Fortunately, Yu Qian got married long ago!

 Chapter 277: Invest in the Future

    After helping with the marriage of Jia Yingchun, Sun Shaozong rested at home for another day before resuming his daily routine of working life.

    And this time, when he arrived at the government office again, Wei Ruolan didn¡¯t avoid it. However, when he met Sun Shaozong, his face lost a bit of sharpness and a bit of melancholy.

    Sun Shaozong naturally remained friendly and tight. After giving him a few words of encouragement, he assigned several tasks that were difficult to complete and couldn¡¯t be postponed.

    So in the next few days, the six Private Advisors under Wei Ruolan were so busy that even Wei Ruolan had to endure and personally review the official documents and files. Naturally, they couldn''t spare any time to find trouble for Sun Shaozong.

    After a few peaceful days, on the 24th afternoon, Sun Shaozong finished his official duties and was teasing Xue Pan''s parrot when he saw Cheng Rixing hurriedly enter from outside, looking startled.

    Sun Shaozong placed the slender wooden spoon used to feed the birds on the nearby shelf and casually asked, "Why, what big deal has happened again?¡±

    ¡°There... There''s no big deal.¡±

    Cheng Rixing hesitated and said, "It''s just that there were two families who had a conflict over their homestead near Shicha Lake. Yesterday evening, they fought and died on the spot. A young student, Qiu Jianxiao, and Constable Zhao had been investigating for most of the time, but they couldn''t figure out who killed him. They were afraid and would ask you to raise the Court and make a clear decision.¡±

    Tch!

    This kind of muddled death method in the melee made it most difficult to identify the true culprit after the fact, and if there was no unexpected evidence, it might only be a loss of money.

    He was afraid that those who died were wealthy, but those who killed were the impoverished proletariat.

    As Sun Shaozong thought, he quickly ordered, "Notify Qiu Yunfei to organize the case file and inquiry records and quickly transcribe a copy for me.¡±

    ¡°Ask Constable Zhao to send more personnel and quietly keep an eye on the people to see if there are any who are afraid and have the intention of escaping. Also, ask Lin Delu to send a few clerks to check the property status of both sides.¡±

    When Cheng Rixing answered one by one, Sun Shaozong waited for a moment. Seeing that he had no intention of continuing, he smiled and said, "After taking the Palace Exam for half a month, you can''t be separated from me? If you have anything to say, just let me know.¡±

    The words were spoken lightly and cleverly, but the listener had to weigh them carefully.

    Therefore, after Cheng Rixing''s face changed a few times, he sneaked out and locked the door before returning cautiously, saying, "Master, rumors are circulating outside at the moment that your niece''s son-in-law''s strategy during the Palace Examination was quite offensive, causing His Majesty to be furious and even lifting the table in the Imperial Study.¡±

    This matter has indeed spread!

    After Minister Wang angrily left that day, Sun Shaozong called Yu Qian into the room and carefully questioned him.

    As for the results of the interrogation...

    Sun Shaozong was speechless for a moment. Should he say that Yu Qian had no political consciousness, or was he too politically aware?

    In the strategy of the Palace Examination, he extensively listed several counts, denouncing the Court''s two expeditions to Goryeo, which resulted in the depletion of national strength and the current state treasury being empty and powerless to subdue the barbarians.

    Although it might seem that he was talking about the decision made by the Court, in reality, every sentence was alluding to the Supreme Emperor!

    When Cheng Rixing bowed and retreated out, Sun Shaozong picked up the wooden spoon again but had no intention of continuing to play with the birds. He was pondering what to do to pass the time so that he could endure until he returned home when he saw Cheng Rixing turning back.

    ¡°Master, there''s a Dragon Guard outside who says he is Jia Shanyao, the hundred household Inspector from Jinmen Mansion.¡±

    Jia Shanyao was here?

    Has he been transferred to the Capital, or was he responsible for escorting Zhou Ruqing into the Capital?

    Anyway, no matter what the situation was, it was always important to meet.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong ordered, "Bring him in."

    Not long after, Jia Shanyao rushed in, and the one who nodded and bowed to lead the way was not the factotum or servant in the Criminal Division, but Zhao Wuwei, the Constable.

    Wasn¡¯t this guy...

    Sun Shaozong''s heart moved, but his body remained motionless. He sat steadily behind the desk and waited for Jia Shanyao to come forward and pay his respects. He then reached out his hand and supported him weakly, saying, "Get up and speak.¡±

    After Jia Shanyao got up, he asked, "Why did you come to the Capital and not stay at Jinmen Mansion?¡±

    ¡°Report to the Lord.¡±

    Jia Shanyao respectfully said, "I was ordered by the Superior to escort the culprit into the Capital. As I set out in the middle of the night, I arrived at the Capital by noon. After sending the culprit to the Governor of the North, I rushed over to greet you.¡±

    Departed in the middle of the night?

    Handing over the culprit to the Northern Dragon Detective Department?

    Sun Shaozong furrowed his brows and waved to Cheng Rixing and Zhao Wuwei to step out. Then he asked, "Who is the prisoner you are escorting?¡±

    If the culprit was Zhou Ruqing, he should have been placed in the custody of Dali Temple, and there was no need to leave in the middle of the night.

    Jia Shanyao didn''t say it clearly just now, he was just concerned about the presence of others, and Sun Shaozong himself was considered a high-level official of the Northern Dragon Detective Department, which was not a shocking secret.

    So when Sun Shaozong asked, he bowed himself and said, "To be honest, it is Zhao Wutong, the Officer of Jinmen Mansion, who I¡¯m escorting."

    "Zhao Wutong?"

    Upon hearing this name, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be slightly surprised and said, "Is he also involved in the corruption case of Zhou Ruqing?¡±

    ¡°It was exactly the opposite.¡±

    Jia Shanyao said with a wry smile, "After a lot of investigation and undercover investigation, Zhao Wutong is the person who changed the couplets and exposed Zhou Ruqing!"

 Chapter 278: Yingchun Returning Home [(1)]

    Chapter 278: Yingchun Returning Home [(1)]

    Time, luck, and destiny.

    On the way home, Sun Shaozong remembered Zhao Wutong''s experience and still couldnt help feeling a little sorry.

    Was it wrong to risk exposing his boss'' corruption?

    Of course it was right, it was even a great achievement!

    But the tragedy was that Zhao Wutong put this matter before the foreign envoys, which made the Court lose face greatly!

    Although this might not be Zhao Wutong''s original intention, what the Court cared about was the result. So it was reasonable to secretly send people to investigate and accuse him of a crime.

    However, Zhao Wutong has made great contributions to exposing the corruption case in Zhili. It should be no problem to save his life. As for whether he could keep his official position, it depended on how they determined the nature of the matter.

    It could only be said that this guy''s luck could have been better!

    Feeling deeply during his journey, he saw a carriage parked outside the Sun Mansion, which seemed familiar to him, but it was not a property of the Sun family.

    Sun Shaozong called for the gatekeeper, Liu Quan, and pointed to the carriage, asking, "Whose carriage is this?

    Report to the Second Master.

    Liu Quan hurriedly said, "The servant girl next to the Eldest Madam of Rongguo Mansion suddenly arrived in a carriage and was chatting with our Eldest Madam in the backyard.

    Madam Xing sent someone to find Jia Yingchun?

    He didnt know what to say

    Sun Shaozong originally planned to wait until the next afternoon, when his Big Brother returned from his shift outside the city, to know what the Xing family had sent the maid for. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Unexpectedly, not long after returning to the backyard, Jia Yingchun sent a nanny to deliver a message, asking Sun Shaozong to decide on behalf of his Big Brother, allowing her to return home early tomorrow morning.

    This returning home referred to the fact that after the bride has married into another family, she must return to her parent''s home to visit them on a certain date. Firstly, to express her gratitude for not forgetting her upbringing, and secondly, to narrate her situation at her husband''s house.

    According to the rules, the groom also needed to accompany the bride, but the main purpose was not to accompany the bride but to bring all the gifts and rewards to the matchmaker at the luncheon on the day of returning home.

    The popular date for returning home at present was mostly chosen on the third, fifth, or seventh day. However, this was usually the case for families who were not very particular, and those with some status were accustomed to returning home after a month.

    The Sun family and Rongguo Mansion, in any case, both belong to some status, so the date of their return home was also set for the month. How could this suddenly be brought forward?

    Especially during this time when his Big Brother was on duty outside the city.

    After careful questioning of the nanny, Sun Shaozong realized that it was not Jia Yingchun who wanted to go ahead, but Jia She, who suddenly fell ill. He specifically asked Madam Xing to send a servant girl to send a message, saying that he wanted to see her daughter as soon as possible so as not to leave any regrets.

    What could Jia Yingchun do if her father said so?

    Therefore, they could only send someone to discuss the matter of an early return with Sun Shaozong.

    It''s not necessarily to sell it away.

    If her temperament had been changed to that of a powerful hostess, she should have made a fuss by now. But Jia Yingchun just said softly, "We won''t be able to use it for a while. Let''s go to the pawnshop to pawn it first. When we have more money, it won''t be too late to redeem it again.

    When we have more money?

    Siqi angrily said, "We don''t have any gold or silver items in our dowry. Just this piece of jewelry is worth some silver, so how can we have more money after pawning it?

    Moreover, if this matter spreads, what should we do?

    Would the Elder Master be willing to carry on the reputation of forcing the bride to sell headgear just after getting married?

    Jia Yingchun could only think of this solution. After hearing a series of questions about this matter, her heart was in a state of anxiety, like a bitter yellow lotus.

    Others'' parents were always putting gold on their daughters, leaning toward themselves.

    But Jia Yingchun felt helpless and couldn''t help but be teary-eyed. Suddenly, she heard a woman outside exclaiming joyfully, "Lady Siqi and Lady Xiuju, come out quickly to pick up something.

    The three people in the room were stunned at the words.

    Immediately, Siqi hurriedly led Xiuju to the main entrance. They saw the nanny who was sent to inform Sun Shaozong. She was waiting outside the door with two male servants, and all three of them were holding a stack of gift boxes in their hands.

    Siqi was surprised and said, "What are these?

    The nanny said happily, "They were all sent by the Second Master. You two should hurry up and pick them up.

    Siqi and Xiuju just picked up the heavy gift box in their hands and delivered it together with the woman.

    When Jia Yingchun saw these many gift boxes, he was also somewhat puzzled and quickly asked, "These things

    The woman hurriedly said, "The Second Master said to let you take a look first. If there is anything else that needs to be prepared, let me go over to him and convey again.

    Ah!

    At this moment, Siqi curiously opened one of the boxes but couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. It turned out that there were ten golden ingots engraved with blessings, rewards, and longevity inside!

    Xiuju saw it and quickly opened the other boxes, only to find that they were all filled with high-quality medicinal herbs. The boxes could be worth five to six hundred taels of silver.

    These... These

    Jia Yingchun became even more at a loss. Although she held the position of a wealthy and noble woman, she had never used even a small amount of silver on this box in her lifetime!

    Siqi was the first to regain her composure and quickly asked the woman, "What did you say to the Second Master? Why did he prepare so many things?

    The woman stared straight at the ingot and swallowed her saliva, saying, "What else can I say? I just follow what you asked me to deliver. By the way, the Second Master asked what Madam''s expression looked like, is there something wrong?

    I said that I didn''t manage to see Madam, but Lady Siqi seems a bit annoyed and I don''t know who she was annoyed with.

    The Second Master listened and seemed to understand something. He turned around and asked someone to bring these things over.

 Chapter 279: Yingchun Returning Home [(2)]

    Chapter 279: Yingchun Returning Home [(2)]

    Watching the woman leave the courtyard, the master and servants stared around the gifts for a while, but this time it was Xiuju who was the first to regain her composure.

    That''s great!

    She stretched out her finger, twisted up a gold ingot weighing ten taels, and held it in her sparkling white palm, saying happily, "With these things, Madam won''t have to worry anymore when she returns home tomorrow.

    However

    Jia Yingchun felt a bit uneasy and bit her sexy lower lip, which was neither thin nor thick. She hesitated and said, "How could the Second Master suddenly send these many things over?

    What else is there that you don''t understand?

    Siqi had already figured it out and said, "What kind of person is the Second Master in our family? No matter how bizarre a case is, he always managed to solve it, let alone the dandy Big Master.

    He must have listened to that woman''s words and became suspicious. He also heard that I was quite angry, so he simply asked someone to send these things over.

    Right, thats right!

    Xiuju held the golden ingot in her hand and quickly interrupted, "I heard that the Second Master is the most considerate. It must have been he who guessed our Madam''s difficulties, and in heartbreak, he sent someone to deliver these many things.

    Under her excitement, she casually spoke, but there was some ambiguity in her words, especially the words considerate and heartache. How could they be used between them?

    Before Jia Yingchun could react, Siqi glared and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? This is a good thing, but what you''re saying is a bit unpleasant.

    Xiuju also knew she had said the wrong thing, so she put the gold ingot back in place with a hint of humor. Her eyes turned and she suddenly chuckled again. "I''m afraid it''s not me who said the wrong thing, but Sister Siqi who''s feeling guilty. That day you came to this mansion alone, and with just a few words, the Second Master took action to investigate the case.

    In my opinion, you must have given a generous return

    As she spoke, she forcefully pinched the chest of Siqi and then chuckled as she ran, saying, "That''s why when the Second Master just heard that you were upset, he sent these many things with great pain.

    You

    Siqi was suddenly pinched by her, and as she listened to the chaotic arrangement in her mouth, she immediately pounced with anger and said angrily, "You little hooves are getting more and more reckless! I see that you''re thinking about Second Master in your heart, but you''re going to make the situation worse for me.

    The two of them chased and frolicked inside and outside, but they didn''t notice Jia Yingchun looking at the gifts on the table, already feeling a bit dazed. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    One night without a word.

    But the next morning, the master and servant three packed up quickly. They also asked the nanny to hold more than half of the medicinal herbs and eighty taels of gold ingots and hurried to the vicinity of the stable. They saw that the carriage was already prepared.

    However, the number of carriages exceeded expectations. Originally, Siqi had instructed them to prepare two carriages, one for their master and servant, and the other to carry them four.

    However, at present, there were four carriages lining up in a row.

    What''s going on here?

    The master and servant were puzzled when they saw Ruan Rong, who was also leading several maids and women, rushing over with large and small bags. They greeted from a distance and said, "Madam, I heard that Sister Daiyu was sick a few days ago and I was just looking for an opportunity to go and visit her. Today, I heard that you are going to return home early, so I asked the Second Master to be with you as a companion.

    Seeing that she had brought more supplements than her own, Jia Yingchun had no opinion, but Siqi was clearly a bit unhappy.

    Just then, these displeasures withdrew from her face when she saw Sun Shaozong''s figure.

    Now Sun Shaozong was like a divine being in her heart, and she naturally didnt dare let Sun Shaozong see her dissatisfaction with Ruan Rong.

    But when Jia Yingchun saw Sun Shaozong, she felt a bit flustered. Although, as a Sister-in-law, she would have to spend time with this young Brother-in-law in the future, she suddenly ran into him and still didn''t know what to do.

    When Ruan Rong saw him on the side, she quickly comforted her and said, "The Elder Master is not at home, and it''s not easy to delay the matchmaker''s gift. So the Second Master is also going to come over today and settle the gift with the matchmaker.

    As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and quickly called for a Shiliu to bring over a big red brocade bag. She stuffed it to Siqi and said, "This is something that the Second Master forgot to deliver yesterday. You can bring it with you for your Madam to use as a reward for others.

    When Siqi opened her mouth to ask, she saw a small bag of golden beans, each of which was about one or two silver coins in value.

    The master and servants were both comforted but felt a bit awkward. The comforting thing was that the Second Master was indeed someone who knew how to appreciate people, and he thought everything through carefully for Jia Yingchun.

    As for the awkward situation, it was not the Elder Master who didnt manage to accompany his wife back, but Ruan Rong, a foreign woman and a concubine, who acted as she pleased without considering the feelings of Jia Yingchun, the Big Madam in this mansion.

    But she couldnt blame Ruan Rong for this. After all, when she visited her yard the day before, Ruan Rong mentioned that she wanted to hand over all the keys to Jia Yingchun.

    However, before Jia Yingchun could react, this matter was rejected by Sun Shaozu, who said that Yingchun needed to rest and maintain her health so that she could inherit the family''s bloodline and couldnt manage any household chores.

    After the three masters and servants, along with Ruan Rong and others, got into the carriage, Sun Shaozong also walked over, turned over, and mounted his horse, shouting, "Let''s go to Rongguo Mansion!

 Chapter 280: Yingchun Return Home [(3)]

    Chapter 280: Yingchun Return Home [(3)]

    Lin Daiyu used a hoe to kill Mingyan that day, and when she turned around, she became seriously ill due to excessive palpitations.

    If she were to follow her previous sickly physique, she would have died prematurely.

    Fortunately, over the past six months, she first exercised at the urging of Ruan Rong. From January on, she listened to Sun Shaozong''s analysis and practiced diligently every day.

    Although the time was not long, she managed to make her bones and muscles stronger and barely managed to get through this disaster.

    On the morning of March 25th, although Lin Daiyu still had weak limbs and a pale complexion, her body temperature had returned to normal, and she could finally lift her body and lean against the soft cushion to chat with Baoyu.

    Just before he could say a few words to herself, Xi Ren hurriedly arrived and said, "The Old Eldest Master felt unwell yesterday and specifically called for Lady Yingchun to return early. The girls have already gone to say hello, and the Old Lady asked you to head over too.

    Jia Baoyu hesitated after hearing this, but Daiyu hurriedly urged, "For the sake of my illness, you even missed the big wedding of Second Sister. Even if Second Sister is kind and doesn''t pick on your etiquette, I am very sorry in my heart. If you still refuse to show up at the moment, wouldn''t I have even less face to see Second Sister in the future?

    A few days ago, Jia Baoyu was completely tied to Sister Lin. After Daiyu''s condition improved these days, he often felt sorry for Jia Yingchun when she recalled it.

    Therefore, with Lin Daiyu''s advice, Baoyu also took the opportunity to get up and carefully instructed Zijuan and others before reluctantly leaving the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

    Jia Baoyu went to the East Cross Courtyard to visit his Elder Uncle Jia She first. Only then did he know that he just caught a cold occasionally. Yesterday, he drank some medicine and he looked fine today.

    Especially with a few golden ingots in his hand, the corners of his mouth couldn''t stop tilting upward.

    It didn''t matter to see him. After Baoyu greeted him, he went to Madam Xing again. Before he could enter the door, he saw that there were many sisters gathered, and there was no shortage of big servant girls of high status. On the contrary, Madam Xing was not one of them.

    Baoyu looked around outside the door for a while, but when he was about to enter, he felt a bit timid.

    In a moment of hesitation, Shi Xiangyun had already caught him with her eyes. She slapped and joked, "Everyone, go out and see if the sun is rising from the west. Otherwise, how could Brother Bao be willing to come out of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion?

    With her slightly biting and charming voice, everyone turned their attention to Jia Baoyu. Seeing his embarrassed appearance outside the door, they couldn''t help but laugh like silver bells.

    Jia Baoyu was even more ashamed, but he gritted his teeth and ran up to Jia Yingchun, bowing to the end, "It''s my fault. You can beat and scold me, just don''t remember it in your heart, Second Sister.

    Wang Xifeng, Xiangyun, Yuanyang, and others were all teasing around, saying that he must not be lightly spared.

    Jia Yingchun, however, had already panicked and hurriedly stepped forward to hold Baoyu up. With a timid smile, she said, "I am very happy that you can come today. What else is there to say?

    Upon hearing that she had no intention of blaming himself, Jia Baoyu felt even more ashamed and couldn''t help but express concern, saying, "Sister, how are you doing at the Sun family?

    Naturally, it''s very satisfying. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    Before Jia Yingchun could speak, Wang Xifeng beside her rushed to answer, "She has only been married for a few days, and she has brought back all these piles of things, big and small.

    She pointed to the gift box on the coffee table and exaggerated, "You didn''t see it just now. Siqi took a bag of golden beans, and it seemed like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers. If it weren''t for me that drove people out, these few rooms would have been overturned by the bounty slave.

    On the other hand, when Su Yun saw Sun Shaozong, she had already become jelly, and she couldn''t tell who was holding whom. She tightly clamped her legs and slowly moved for a long time before finally getting close to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong naturally saw the master and servant and, after listening to Li Wan''s words in the corridor, how could he not know her thoughts?

    Difficulties arose unconsciously in his heart.

    At first, he thought it was a one shot deal, but surprisingly, it involved applying for after-sales service.

    If he intentionally didnt go to the appointment, he was afraid that Li Wan wouldn''t be able to wait in that grand garden for a long time and then turn around to continue pestering him. But if someone with bad intentions saw a flaw, wouldn''t it be even more troublesome?

    Furthermore

    The appearance of the master and servant just now was truly heartbreaking!

    Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, Sun Shaozong called for Shiliu through the door and explained that he planned to walk around casually. If Ruan Rong asked, let her wait for a moment longer.

    After finding this excuse, Sun Shaozong appeared to be casual and circled half a circle before following a remote path and heading straight toward the Grand View Garden.

    Since Jia Yuanchun lived here when she returned home, the door was usually kept closed, and few people were to visit.

    However, as soon as Sun Shaozong arrived nearby, he saw the arch bridge in front of the gate, where the master and servant stood smartly, pointing and pretending to admire the scenery.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong indeed rushing over, Li Wan''s heart was about to fall back into her belly. She took a few steps and then, with a trembling voice, spoke out,You little brat, you used to torture me in my dreams. Today... I can finally see you again today!

    As soon as she saw him, she was about to throw herself into his arms. Sun Shaozong quickly whispered, "This is not the place to talk, why not

    He looked up at the locked Grand View Garden and then said, How about I take you inside and take a look at the dragon bed of the Imperial Concubine?

    He said to take a look, but how could Li Wan not know what he meant?

    It was absolutely necessary, and she accompanied him, leaning over the wall and inclined toward the street.

    There was a poem saying,

    With a touch of limited red walls, there is a gentle and distant countryside in the dark.

    The bathroom is filled with joy and no moral attendants, while the wall clothes hide the beauty secretly.

    The lotus house has long forbidden idle butterflies, and the tung tree has recently settled in a small phoenix.

    Today, it is clear that melancholy has turned, and the peaks are like snow shining through the window.

 Chapter 281: Intoxication and Disillusionment

    Chapter 281: Intoxication and Disillusionment

    The lights were shining and the night was vast.

    As the wheels rolled, the carriages made of high-quality elm wood rippled slightly in the night, with a small amplitude but dense and even, a bit like the process of decanting red wine.

    Jia Yingchun, who was leaning into the carriage, was really drunk.

    Her cheeks blushed and her starry eyes were half open and half closed, but she couldn''t figure out whether it was the few cups of wine at the dinner party that made her dizzy or the satisfaction brought by the praise of the stars and moon all day.

    Alternatively, the latter might have a larger component.

    After all, she has drunk wine several times but has never become the focus of attention like today.

    This intoxicating feeling

    How good would it be if it could continue?

    Thinking of this, she quietly stroked her lower abdomen. Whether she could achieve her wish depended on whether her belly was competitive or not.

    It should be possible, right?

    After all, the immortals all said that she had the destiny of having children, otherwise, the Elder Master wouldnt have inspired others to marry her.

    Thinking like this, her blush thickened a bit.

    Ah choo~

    At this moment, a loud sneeze suddenly came from outside the carriage, which startled all three people in the carriage. Siqi lifted the curtain and saw the tall horse leaning forward. Sun Shaozong was rubbing his nose resentfully.

    It''s the Second Master.

    Siqi turned around and whispered, "It looks like he has been infected with some cold.

    Did the Second Master catch a cold?

    Upon hearing this, Jia Yingchun immediately remembered that everything she had experienced today was actually due to Sun Shaozong''s thoughtfulness and care.

    If it weren''t for him seeing her difficulties and silently preparing these many things, what was waiting for her in the Rongguo Mansion today would only be blame and embarrassment!

    With such thoughts, she felt an impulse to lift the curtain and convey her gratitude to Sun Shaozong.

    It was just that

    This idea went through Jia Yingchun''s mind thousands of times, but she never dared to put it into reality.

    Not to mention how Jia Yingchun''s heart turned a thousand times.

    But Sun Shaozong sneezed several times along the way, and he knew in his heart that he had accidentally caught a cold while responding to the call and working hard in that other courtyard.

    Jia Yingchun hesitated in panic two times, but before she could speak, tears welled up first.

    Elder Master

    At this moment, Siqi knocked her head on the ground next to him and loudly said, "You can''t blame the Madam. It''s because we didn''t supervise her strictly, so..."

    Boom!

    Without waiting for Siqi to finish speaking, Sun Shaozu kicked the chair, and it flew back like a shell, crashing into the coffee table in the corner, destroying it together.

    This scene scared Xiuju to death. If she had just kicked herself down with such great strength...

    No!

    As long as he used half of his strength, she might not be able to survive!

    Lack of supervision?

    Sun Shaozu twisted his eyebrows, raised his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "With just the excuses of lack of supervision, do you think you can run from the punishment?

    Jia Yingchun and Xiuju were already limping to the ground, but Siqi still respectfully said, "I promise there will never be another time.

    Spat!

    Sun Shaozu didn''t wait for her to finish speaking before spitting all over her face. He clenched his fists the size of a vinegar bowl and said in a hateful voice, "This prescription emphasizes one go at a time. If it stops in the middle, it will never have any effect in the future.

    Didn''t I remind you to take good care of your Madam and make her follow this prescription daily? Is that how you keep an eye on my behalf?

    As he spoke, he raised his leg and aimed it at Siqi, intending to follow the same approach. However, when he saw that Siqi didnt dodge but instead straightened her chest to greet his kick, Sun Shaozu couldn''t bear it. Finally, he stomped his foot heavily and cursed, "If this silver floats in the water, I will not spare you!

    Before he could finish speaking, he had already swung his sleeve out of the hall and cursed, "I don''t know if there is any way to remedy the situation.

    After he left for a long time, Siqi silently helped Jia Yingchun up, but then reached out and untied the button on her front.

    Yingchun sobbed and asked, "What are you... What are you doing?

    Naturally, we need to practice the secret prescription of child seeking.

    If that Immortal might think of a remedy that could redeem our missed practice for once, but we missed two times..."

    Yingchun shuddered and hurriedly reached out to unbutton her clothes.

    So soon after, a familiar scolding voice came out of the room again, "If you can''t do this posture well again today, how can you explain it to the Elder Master?

    Learn from the way Second Master rode his horse today.

    Yes, that''s it!

    Your chest

 Chapter 282: European Style

    Chapter 282: European Style

    When Sun Shaozu walked out of the courtyard, his face suddenly dissipated into a clean and proud expression.

    Humming a small tune to the study, he saw Sun Shaozong holding a cup of hot tea and passing the time with the newspaper he sent yesterday.

    He sat across from him confidently and said, "I was thinking that it would take some time to get started, but I didn''t expect the opportunity to come so soon?

    As he spoke, he reached out and patted Sun Shaozong heavily on the shoulder, "Just wait and see, I''ll make her obedient in a few days.

    Looking at the proud expression of his Big Brother, Sun Shaozong could only express that the world was vast, and indeed there was nothing unusual. Was it necessary to appear so happy about wearing a green hat on himself?

    Anyway, his Big Brother seemed to have gone crazy, and no amount of persuasion was useless, so he could only silently respond.

    Besides

    Although this might seem like a bit of a blow to the three outlooks, compared to Jia Yingchun, who was his Elder Brother''s woman, and the fate of never having a son, it might be even better.

    In fact, Sun Shaozong''s idea of being much better far underestimated the level of brutality of his Big Brother. In the original novel, Jia Yingchun was mistreated to death by him shortly after marrying him!

    Erlang.

    Just as he was thinking, his Big Brother leaned his head over again and said with a lewd smile, "Are you interested in Siqi?

    What?

    Siqi.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong feeling somewhat puzzled, his Big Brother excitedly compared the mounds on her chest and asked, "The one who is very plump, are you interested in her?

    No! Absolutely not.

    Sun Shaozong quickly and resolutely shook his head.

    Was he joking?

    Siqi was indeed a rare broad-minded type in these years, but her shoulders were much wider than other women''s, her facial features could only be said to be average, and her skin was slightly rough, which didnt meet Sun Shaozong''s aesthetic taste of fair skin, beautiful appearance, and good quality.

    For Sun Shaozu, Sun Shaozong was at most a civilized spectator and had no intention of playing games.

    And

    Big Brother

    Sun Shaozong doubted and said, "Are you interested in her? In terms of color, she may not be as good as those Concubines in your room, right?

    But seeing his Big Brother was exaggerating and comparing the mounds on her chest, he said, "Isn''t that enough? What color do you want?

    Second Master.

    At this moment, someone suddenly raised a voice in the courtyard and asked, "May I ask if the Elder Master has ever come to your place?

    Listening to the sound, it seemed that it was Siqi who came over!

    It turned out that Jia Yingchun was holding back her nervousness and completed the five basic yoga postures, but she was still in great fear and anxiety.

    Siqi comforted her with a few words, but not only did it have no effect on Yingchun at all, but Xiuju on the side kept dragging back and saying pessimistic and disheartened words. So Siqi gritted her teeth and volunteered to find Sun Shaozu, hoping to explain the situation to them.

    Sun Shaozong recognized the voice of Siqi and raised his eyebrows at his Big Brother, saying, "Here, yours

    He also imitated the appearance of his Big Brother just now, using his hands to compare the mounds, and then continued, "Here you go. Do you want me to avoid it and free up this study for you?

    No need.

    His Big Brother stood up in high spirits and chuckled. "You don''t have any experience. If you want to ride such a fierce horse, you naturally have to enjoy it in the wild.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but roll his eyes again and secretly said that he had enough experience, he even caught a cold as a result.

    But Sun Shaozu proudly arrived at the door, and after a moment of contemplation, he changed into a face full of anger. He then strode out of the study and raised his chin at Siqi, unquestionably saying, "Come with me.

    Siqi naturally didnt dare to object, so she followed him to the corner of the garden.

    Seeing that it was already a dead end ahead, Siqi was somewhat puzzled. Unexpectedly, Sun Shaozu grabbed her with a backhand!

    While searching the mountains and seas, he gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! I paid a lot of money to marry your Young Lady. If she were also a Master who couldn''t lay eggs, wouldnt I be ridiculed for not being able to have children and as a big loser?

    In the beginning, Siqi struggled twice, but soon she let it go and even felt that she could use her own body to extinguish Sun Shaozu''s anger, which was also cost-effective.

    So she stood up and cooperated, while politely saying, "Elder Master, this is due to the poor supervision of the maidservants today. You cant blame the Madam. When you find a remedy from the fairy, I promise that the Madam will never make any mistakes again.

    The remedy?

    Sun Shaozu, however, still gritted his teeth and was furious, saying, "What remedy?! The Immortal had already said that once this secret prescription for seeking children begins to be practiced, it must not be stopped for thirty days. Otherwise, my Evil Lone Star''s fate will take advantage of it, and she will need to practice for another ten years without giving birth to a single child.

    Upon hearing what he said was so serious, Siqi couldn''t help but feel a chill in her heart. In her already gasping voice, she trembled a little more and said, So... what should we do?

    What should you do?

    Sun Shaozu sneered and said, "The Immortal can''t remedy it, but I just thought of a way to remedy

    As he spoke, he whispered a few words into the ear of Siqi, and she was stunned.

    But by the time she regained consciousness, she had already had no spare energy to pay attention to others'' affairs.

 Chapter 283: Combine Threats with Inducements

    Chapter 283: Combine Threats with Inducements

    Based on the poem:

    The good rain knows the season, but it happens in spring.

    With wind, the spring rain sneaks in the night. Silently, it moistens everything.

    The clouds on the wild path are black, and the fire on the riverboat is bright.

    When it is dawn, the damp soil will be covered with red petals and countless colorful flowers in the streets and alleys.

    On the second day, when the sky was about to light up, it suddenly began to drizzle like silk.

    Siqi walked out of the garden with a zigzag step, and the uncleaned dust on her body was enveloped in the drizzle and spread into patches of mud.

    Especially at the knees, even with heavy ink, it seemed like mud was flowing down, and the original color of the fabric could no longer be seen.

    Along the way, she was caught by the early maid and nannies gossiping about her.

    If a typical woman had just lost her virginity in the wilderness and been criticized like this, she might have been ashamed to cover her face and run away.

    But Siqi was different. She raised her chest high without saying anything, and her feet slowed down even more. With a plump and strong body of 1.78 meters, she suddenly seemed like, When the attendant lifts the delicate and powerless, it is only when the new grace is bestowed.

    Therefore, before returning to the main courtyard, the news that she was taken by Sun Shaozu last night had already spread throughout most of Sun Mansion.

    Among them, there was also a nanny who hurriedly reported the matter to Jia Yingchun.

    So when Siqi walked into the courtyard door, there was a troubled and uneasy face of Yingchun who welcomed her.

    Just seven days after getting married, the husband took in the accompanying maid and caused a stir throughout the whole family. For the new daughter-in-law, it was not good news at all.

    Moreover, Jia Yingchun has not slept with her husband yet but instead has been snatched ahead by a servant girl.

    But it happened that Siqi went to Sun Shaozu to speak up for her, so Jia Yingchun couldn''t find any reason to blame Siqi.

    The contradiction and entanglement in her heart could be imagined.

    Sister Siqi

    Sun Shaozu then marched into the hall with his hands on his back. He gave Jia Yingchun, who had just risen from the ground, a glance of disdain. Seeing her face with tears on it, with a sense of pity for her, he sneered and said, "What is it? Hasnt Siqi already told you about the matter?

    Jia Yingchun nodded in fear and took the opportunity to hide her melon seed face in her chest.

    Sun Shaozu sat down on the chair with a golden knife-like face and said in a deep voice, "Since you have returned to the secret prescription for seeking children, there is no difference between you and those cheap concubines outside who cant lay eggs. We can have fun together at night, and let them see what difference this Young Lady of the government has from others when she waves on the bed.

    When Jia Yingchun heard this, it was just like five thunderbolts thundering!

    The tears that had just been wiped away suddenly poured down in torrents, and she knelt softly on the ground, pleading, "Elder Master! Please forgive me, for this... this... this is absolutely impossible

    Whether it is possible or not, depends on what I say.

    Sun Shaozu gritted his teeth and said, "I married you just to have children and pass on the family bloodline. Now that I have lost money, I can only charge some interest. It''s refreshing.

    At this point, Jia Yingchun''s heart was filled with death. No matter how timid and obedient she was, she was still a Young Lady from the Rongguo Mansion. How could she bear such humiliation?

    Putong~

    At this moment, Siqi also knocked her head to the ground and said urgently, "Elder Master, what the Evil Lone Star said that day may not be true! Perhaps in the future, our Madam

    Speaking of this, she seemed to have little confidence in herself, so she changed her tone and said, "Even if it doesn''t work out, Madam is the most virtuous person. You can adopt a nephew and leave it to my Madam to take care of, and Madam will definitely take care of it as if it were her own!

    Upon hearing this, Jia Yingchun felt as if she had come to terms with their desperate situation. She quickly kowtowed and said, "Siqi is right, I will definitely..."

    Spat~

    Before she could finish speaking, she heard Sun Shaozu spit in anger and cursed, "If I were willing to adopt, would I still pay a lot of money to marry you? I married you just to make those bastards who gossip behind their backs know that I also am capable of having children!

    Now, because you went to your parent''s house early to show off. Not only will my son not be born, but others will also ridicule me as a big deal.

    However, you still have the face to talk about being a good wife and mother, raising kids of others

    Jia Yingchun was being scolded by him with such fierce words that tears streamed down her cheeks. She was stunned by Sun Shaozu''s scolding, but there was hardly a word left.

    Jia Yingchun waited for a long time and finally couldn''t help but look up and saw Sun Shaozu staring at her with a thoughtful expression on his face.

    Jia Yingchun quickly lowered her head again. That was when she heard Sun Shaozu''s command, saying, "Siqi, you go outside to guard, don''t let those coquettish hooves get close.

    When Siqi was ordered to withdraw, Sun Shaozu pretended to hesitate for a while before lowering his voice and saying, "I have come up with a remedy after hearing Siqi bring up the topic of adoption! If you agree, I promise to let you have a pleasant future and never suffer any more injustice.

 Chapter 284: Be Accessory to the Tyrantâ€™s Crimes

    Chapter 284: Be Accessory to the Tyrant''s Crimes

    Was this considered to aid the tyrant in his tyranny?

    No!

    This was also for the sake of the Madam, otherwise, with her temperament, how could she survive in this family?

    But

    Squeak~

    Siqi was being questioned by her own conscience at the door when the door behind her suddenly opened, and Sun Shaozu walked out valiantly. He gave Siqi a look and said in a loud voice, "Come the hell out now!

    These Concubines all thought it was the Elder Master and Madam who had caused a conflict, which one was not eager to see Jia Yingchun as a joke?

    Therefore, regardless of whether inside or outside, they all supported their ears and squinted their eyes, exploring every move in the hall.

    Upon hearing this shout, more than twenty Concubines surged out like a tidal wave, with one autumn wave rippling and one seductive eye fluttering in disorder. Unfortunately, Sun Shaozu responded to them with a sharp shout, "Pack up your bags and return to where you came!

    All the Concubines couldn''t help but be taken aback. The clever ones speculated that the couple must have reconciled again, so they quickly and silently went to pack their luggage. The motionless one couldn''t react for a moment and stared at Sun Shaozu in a daze.

    Slap!

    Sun Shaozu slapped the front Concubine casually and then snapped, "What''s wrong? Does what I said now not work anymore?

    Bang!

    The remaining Concubines immediately scattered, packed their luggage properly, carrying large and small bags, and fled out of the main courtyard like refugees.

    After these people had run out of sight, Sun Shaozu also strode to the door and turned around with a meaningful glance at Siqi before crossing the threshold and soaring away.

    In Siqi''s heart, there were mixed emotions, but Xiuju looked inexplicably. She quickly walked around in the east and looked in the west, and she saw that there were only three of them left in the courtyard. She approached Siqi in confusion and said, "Sister Siqi, how did that happen just now?

    How am I supposed to know?

    Siqi glanced at her angrily, turned around, pushed the door, and walked in.

    Just then, Jia Yingchun was sitting on the ground, her gaze still fixed on the chair that Sun Shaozu had just sat on, but there was no focus in her pupils.

    Madam

    Madam, what''s the matter with you?

    Siqi and Xiuju quickly stepped forward to help her onto the chair, stroking her chest and pounding her back. After a lot of busy work, Yingchun responded like a dreamy person, "Don''t worry, I... I''m fine.

    Xiuju had no idea what was going on. Seeing her appearance, the little heart that had just been relieved raised to her throat and asked if there had been another disaster.

    Siqi, however, was well aware and hesitated for a moment. She realized that she had already given her body to Sun Shaozu, and there was no way back. As instructed by Sun Shaozu, she first reprimanded Xiuju and said, "Don''t talk nonsense.

    Madam

    Although Siqi obediently stood still, she questioned, "You always say you wanted to think again. But didn''t it end up in nothing? The problem is the Master''s temper, how could you keep dragging it on? Anyway, you still have to agree sooner or later, why don''t I go and help you deal with it now?

    After a pause, she sneered again and said, "Or is it true that you plan to let those fox spirits trample and spoil over you? Will you live a miserable life?

    As she spoke, she felt the strength in Jia Yingchun''s hand gradually lighten a bit. So, Siqi calmly pulled away her ten green fingers one by one, and then, under the complex gaze of Yingchun, she strode out of the courtyard.

    In an hour

    The front hall of the Central Judicial Office.

    Pak!

    Sun Shaozong gave a heavy slap on the wooden plate and said solemnly, "In summary, the death of young He Bin was all caused by the private struggle between the Bai and Wang families for one foot of greed. Now that his mother, widow, and younger brothers livelihood are helpless, how can you bear it?

    Therefore, this official''s judgment was as follows: Anyone who participated in this private struggle two days ago shall be fined three taels of silver per person and shall be compensated to the family of He Bin. If there is no silver to pay, they shall be sentenced to two years of lowly service.

    Bai ceded one room in the western chamber; the suspected culprit, Wang, ceded two rooms in the eastern chamber, three rooms in total, to the He family''s mother and son, who shared the expenses of the repair of the courtyard.

    Do you have any objections?

    As he spoke, Sun Shaozong''s eagle-like eyes patrolled the faces of everyone in the hall.

    This was obviously a move of hitting 50 floggings each, and the Bai family even considered themselves the bitter masters. Now they have to pay the price of a room, so naturally they were not convinced.

    It was just that

    The head of the Bai family looked at his tearful younger sister and then thought about how his nephew had suffered misfortune for his own sake. The words disagree came to his lips, but he couldn''t continue.

    The others were only fined three taels of silver, which was not enough to cause any injuries, so it was inevitable.

    Okay.

    Sun Shaozong waited for a moment, but when he saw no one defending themselves, he said solemnly, "Since you have no objections, Assistant Magistrate Wei, have them sign in court.

    Being arbitrarily instructed by him, Wei Ruolan, although feeling uneasy, had to take orders to act.

    After everyone in the hall signed their names one by one, Sun Shaozong picked up the wooden plate and threw it heavily. The court session is adjourned.

    When he arrived at the back hall, Sun Shaozong was about to instruct Wei Ruolan to organize and archive the files in this case. However, he saw Zhao Zhongji coming in from outside, nodded, and said, "Second Master, the Elder Master said that we will have a family banquet tonight. He wanted to have a few drinks with you and asked you to go back early tonight."

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong let out a thump in his heart.

    Although his Big Brother had already given him a prompt last night, how could he have thought that he would come so quickly?!

    For a moment, his heart pounded uncontrollably like a drum, hesitating, uneasy, struggling, resisting, yet faintly giving rise to a little bit of unexpected anticipation!

 Chapter 285: The Riot in Southern Xinjiang

    Chapter 285: The Riot in Southern Xinjiang

    Twelve candlesticks were lit in the outer living room, shining brightly everywhere.

    There were only two tangerine lanterns in the room, which wrapped the gauze around the tramp bed and slightly plated a layer of warm color.

    At this moment, Jia Yingchun sat in the warm color, staring at the imitation Tang-style palace skirt spread out on the bed, dumbfounded.

    This kind of dress, which she had only seen before with Aunt Xue, seemed extremely elegant and beautiful, but slightly less dignified and was most suitable for women with plump physiques and fair skin.

    At this moment, the dark gold tulle skirt on the bed brought its enchanting side to the extreme, with a deep V-shaped collar that, if worn inside, would definitely be exposed to the outside.

    But without it... Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    There were also those two sleeves, almost as thin as cicada wings, even if they were stacked together at this time, the pattern of the mattress below could still be clearly seen.

    Revealing one''s arm was still the second-best thing. If one forgot for a moment and raised their arm...

    In the middle, there was a large, red wide band that was enough to wrap the entire lower abdomen, supporting it upwards and compressing it downwards, making it easier for the entire body to show an S-shaped curve.

    The only decent thing was the long skirt that reached the ground.

    How could such clothes...

    Here he comes, here we go.

    At this moment, Xiuju rushed in with a fuss and patted her chest, trembling, saying, "The Second... Second Master has returned from the Yamen.

    Siqi, who had been silent by the side, immediately got up and picked up the dark gold thin gauze skirt from the bed and gave it to Jia Yingchun''s arms. Undoubtedly, she said, "Put it on.

    Jia Yingchun''s delicate body trembled, and she looked up at Siqi with a pleading face. Her cherry-like mouth trembled a few times, but she couldn''t say the word refuse after all.

    Sigh~

    Siqi sighed and went forward to untie the buttons on her clothes without hesitation. She advised, "Since you have already agreed, you will have to change them sooner or later. Do you want to wait until the Elder Master and Second Master are having their meal outside before changing your clothes?

    Jia Yingchun, with a hint of tears in her voice, said wrongly, "I have never... never promised..."

    Indeed, until now, she has never explicitly stated that she would agree to act according to Sun Shaozu''s wishes.

    It was just that

    She has never resisted, at least not fiercely.

    For example, while she was wrongly discerning, she subconsciously straightened her body to cooperate with the Siqi, who helped her unbutton her clothes.

    Xiuju glared at a pair of apricot stone eyes next to her, and as she saw Yingchun''s clothes falling off one by one, two red clouds gradually flew up from her slightly baby-fat oval face.

    This was not because Xiuju had any lesbian tendencies, but because she thought of her tasks later, she couldn''t help but feel some empathy.

    What are you doing foolishly?

    Siqi was busy, but her mouth was not idle either. She angrily scolded, "Hurry up and tidy up yourself as well. The set of clothes there was left for you.

    You didnt hear of it before, right?

    Sun Shaozu laughed and said, "Today I will teach you the tactics. The six riots in southern Xinjiang are affair,borrowing eggs/sperms,transferring houses,pawning wives,renting husbands, and enclosure.

    As he spoke, he briefly explained the other five riots separately. They were naturally all extremely absurd behaviors.

    In the end, he only left behind the matter of borrowing egg/sperm and sighed. "As the saying goes, There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no heirs is the greatest. The rest is just fine. Only this riot was reflecting me. If we can avoid the pain of having no descendants, we can only..."

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozu suddenly stood up and vaguely said, "Siqi, help me go to the courtyard for the toilet.

    Siqi remained silent and helped him walk towards the door.

    When one of his feet stepped inside and one foot outside the door, Sun Shaozu suddenly turned back and said with a burning gaze, "Erlang, in fact, I haven''t touched a finger of your Sister-in-law since she entered the door! As for whether or not to touch in the future, it all depends on how you are today.

    Oh gosh

    He was indeed in an acting school!

    Watching Sun Shaozu staggering away, Sun Shaozong could only silently praise him.

    Inside, the two hearts of the master and servant almost jumped out of their stomachs and looked at each other, all four eyes filled with fear and withdrawal.

    Outside the house, one understood the situation and pretended to be confused and the other was confused but pretended to understand, and there was a stalemate for about a quarter of an hour, still in an awkward silence.

    The breathing of the master and servant there became increasingly urgent, and Sun Shaozong had already noticed it.

    But

    What would happen if he continued to drink like this awkwardly and they still refused to show up?

    Although Sun Shaozong was driven by his Elder Brother to become the seed man, he had no intention of using force.

    So he awkwardly froze for a moment, and then his heartbeat retreated. He hesitated and muttered, "Why hasn''t Big Brother come back yet? I''ll go and urge..."

    Bang!

    Before he could finish speaking, he saw Jia Yingchun being pushed out and stumbling to her feet, right in front of Sun Shaozong!

    Hmm

    Unexpectedly, his Big Brother still has such a hobby!

    That imitation Tang-style gauze skirt and Jia Yingchun, who was fair, beautiful, and plump, could be said to be a perfect match!

    Especially her shy and desperate appearance made up for the overly enchanting flaw of this outfit. It could be said that it was both bold and somewhat reserved, and the romantic atmosphere was wrapped in a hint of spring love, which was truly doubtfully charming!

    At this glance, Sun Shaozong felt his mouth was a little dry and his heart pounded like a deer. As for the slightest intention of going away just now, he had already been thrown into the clouds.

    Just as the big eyes stared at the small ones, she retreated again. Sun Shaozong didn''t know for a moment whether he should continue pretending to be ignorant or simply expose everything.

    At this moment, a pretty girl rushed out of the room like a whirlwind, and this girl only wore Well, it seemed like she was wearing a thin gauze skirt outside, but without looking at it carefully, one couldnt tell.

    He saw the girl rushed to the door in one breath, slammed the door tightly, and quickly fastened the crossbar before turning around. She gasped heavily. "The Elder Master... The Elder Master had instructed before, Second Master will spend the night here today and try the six riots of Southern Xinjiang.

 Chapter 286: An Intruder

    Chapter 286: An Intruder

    On the second day, just as the crowing of chickens broke dawn, Sun Shaozong sneaked out of the main courtyard and rushed to the door of the study with a meteor shooting along the remote alley.

    Knock knock~

    Coming.

    Gently tapping a few times, she heard a lazy reply from Siqi inside. Shortly after, she opened the door with her hair down, allowing Sun Shaozong in.

    But she marched back to the main courtyard with a fanatical gait.

    Silently pushing open the door and taking small steps inside, the bead curtain rang, and Jia Yingchun nervously asked, "Who... Who''s outside?

    It''s me.

    Siqi answered and lifted the light veil curtain. She saw Yingchun and Xiuju lying side by side in the bed, their faces still flushed and sweating profusely. She thought it was just before dawn that they had another time in bed.

    Seeing Siqi entering, Jia Yingchun''s blushing became even more intense, and she hugged the blanket and wanted to sit up.

    Siqi took a brisk step forward, pushed her back, and then, in Yingchun''s surprised gaze, lifted the bedding underneath and placed a spare pillow under her body.

    Just listening to her righteous words of persuasion, "Madam, don''t just focus on happiness and forget the original intention of what we did.

    She lifted the blanket and looked at the mess. Jia Yingchun was in an awkward mess, unsure of how to deal with it. She then heard the nearby Xiuju whispering, "Good sister, you can also help me cushion one too.

    This morning, Sun Shaozong was admonished by his Big Brother to keep going,keep working hard, and give birth to a noble son early. It was only when he rode out of the mansion in a carriage that he barely gained some peace.

    There were no words from him along the way.

    When Sun Shaozong arrived at the government office, he was about to go to the gatehouse for the morning call. Inside the fence with wooden signs of silence and avoidance, suddenly a person flashed out and stepped in front of Sun Shaozong, bowing and saying, Lord Sun, I have been waiting here for you for a long time.

    This person was dressed in a deep blue official robe, with a slender figure and cold and stern facial features. He appeared somewhat refined, but upon closer inspection, he exuded a hint of gloom. He was the proud disciple of Jia Zheng, the Land Tax Judge of the Central Judicial Office, Fu Shi.

    This man has always been proud of himself as a scholar and relied on the kindness of Jia Zheng. He didnt take Sun Shaozong seriously. Even if Sun Shaozong was promoted to the position of a fifth-grade official, he still didnt take him seriously.

    But now this guy was suddenly so attentive. If it weren''t that the sun was coming out from the west, it would be for something else!

    He said, Who is it?

    Sun Shaozong secretly increased his vigilance in his heart, but his face showed a rebellious look. He raised his head slightly and pointed his nostrils at Fu Shi, saying, "It turned out to be Judge Fu. I wonder what official business you have to discuss by waiting here for me."

    How How could you know about this, Lord Sun?

    Upon hearing this, Ma Chunfeng was immediately shocked. Only five or six people in his mansion knew about the letter sent by the kidnappers, and they were loyal servants who had been used for several generations. It was impossible to spread this matter to the outside world!

    Since it wasn''t leaked from his own family, how did Sun Shaozong learn about it?

    Could it be he

    The old man muttered in his heart, and when he looked at Sun Shaozong again, he showed some vigilance and hostility.

    Upon seeing this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but laugh and cry. "Youre not suspecting me to be connected to those thieves, right, Deputy Ma?

    Of course not.

    Ma Chunfeng immediately denied it, but then said suspiciously, "But I have never mentioned this matter to anyone else. How did Lord Sun learn about it?

    Of course, it was guessed.

    Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said, "Since those thieves have threatened you not to try to use the power of the government, they will surely deliver this news to your mansion as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be a long delay. If you report the case in advance, it will only ruin their plan.

    Also, during the day, there are many people around and it is difficult to escape. It is speculated that the thief brought news to your mansion during the night.

    Ma Chunfeng nodded repeatedly as he listened, then dispelled the doubts in his heart.

    Just as he was about to apologize, he heard Sun Shaozong say again, "And since you didn''t come yesterday and only dressed up like this today to ask for my help, Im afraid that you have already paid a ransom to that gang of thieves.

    It''s just that those thieves have collected ransom but still refuse to let your son go, isn''t it?

    Exactly.

    Upon seeing that it was only a few words of effort, Sun Shaozong deduced the matter to be about 80 percent. Ma Chunfeng admired it in his heart and quickly gave a deep salute, excitedly saying, "Your Excellency truly deserves the name of Divine Judgement. Now, my son can be considered saved.

    Sun Shaozong dodged the ceremony and shook his head, saying, "I can only guarantee to do my best.

    After a moment of hesitation, he gave Ma Chunfeng a preventive shot and said, "Forgive me for being blunt. You shouldn''t have given the ransom so quickly. Those thieves are not willing to let him go according to the agreement at the moment. If they still have something to ask for, its fine. However, if they have nothing else to ask for..."

    Although he only mentioned it briefly and didnt fully explain it, Ma Chunfeng was not a fool.

    After a moment of contemplation, his face suddenly changed. He raised his hand and slapped himself, then stomped his chest and said, "I''m really old and confused! If there were any ups and downs with Jueer, I... I wouldn''t live anymore.

 Chapter 287: Spring Outing Kidnapping Incident [(1)]

    Chapter 287: Spring Outing Kidnapping Incident [(1)]

    Although the kidnappers didnt follow the rules first, Ma Chunfeng didnt dare to break the kidnappers'' rules.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong, who was not good at summoning a large team of people, only secretly sought out Qiu Yunfei and Zhao Wuwei to join Ma Chunfeng and Fu Shi and quietly left the back door of the government office.

    Along the way, Sun Shaozong naturally didnt waste his time. He took the same carriage as Ma Chunfeng and carefully questioned the incident.

    Two days ago, on March 25, the Eldest Young Master of the Ma family, Ma Yingjue, took his wife and concubine out of the city for a spring outing early in the morning. Fi?ndd new updates at novelhall.com

    They didn''t go to any scenic spots, only frolicking on a small hillside.

    For their lunch, Ma Yingjue roasted a lamb leg, which was somewhat undercooked. He then started to have a stomachache in the afternoon and went to the grass for convenience four or five times, but the situation still couldn''t be alleviated.

    When he got into the bushes again for convenience, everyone didn''t care. But after a long time, they realized that they had lost his trace.

    At 9:00 pm last night, someone wrapped a stone in a paper strip and threw it into the Ma Mansion across the wall. The night patrol servants quickly picked it up and gave it to Ma Chunfeng.

    After reading the content of the note, Ma Chunfeng finally confirmed that his son had been tied up by a group of strong men.

    Because it was only a request for five hundred taels of silver, which was not much for the Ma family, he didnt report the case but quietly delivered the silver to the designated location, outside the city gate, on an empty donkey cart.

    After putting the silver on, the butler in charge of delivering the money whipped the donkey''s buttocks a few times and allowed it to run around with all its hooves.

    Speaking of this, Ma Chunfeng smiled bitterly and said, "I originally intended to send someone to secretly follow the donkey cart, so that I could follow the path and find the strong man who kidnapped Jueer. However, the person who was sent followed far away and found that the donkey had found a vegetable field and refused to move.

    Those useless servants thought there was something wrong. After carefully checking before they arrived at the carriage, they found that the silver placed on the shaft had already disappeared.

    Since the plan to track the donkey cart failed, Ma Chunfeng naturally hoped that the kidnappers would take the money and release his son according to the agreement.

    However, until the latter half of the night, there was still no movement!

    Ma Chunfeng was so panicked that he asked Fu Shi to try building the connection and ask the famous Sun Shaozong to come forward and investigate.

    Sun Shaozong had listened to Ma Chunfeng''s general explanation and before he could carefully figure it out, the carriage had already stopped near Ma Mansion.

    Ma Chunfeng led the crowd around the backyard and specially selected an unusual side door to enter to avoid the eyes and ears of the servants at home.

    After entering the door, they naturally followed the remote path.

    Ma Chunfeng led the way ahead, but they suddenly ran into a woman with a thin spring shirt behind the rockery.

    Seeing that the woman was in her early twenties, tall and slender, with a slight touch of makeup, her appearance was still quite charming. However, her mouth was slightly larger. She was surprised, and her mouth was wide open in an O-shape. She immediately lost her face color.

    As soon as the nib of the pen fell on the paper, the ink blackened half of the thin strip of paper!

    Fu Shi was a bit dumbfounded at the time, and with this stunned effort, the remaining notes turned black.

    Puff~

    Others were concerned about his face and forced to suppress their laughter, but Qiu Yunfei didnt care about any of these.

    With a chuckle, he leaned back and patted the table, saying, "Judge Fu, your posture is really impressive.

    Fu Shi''s face turned red, but he didnt dare to argue with Qiu Yunfei. He had to explain awkwardly, "This paper is really... It''s really of bad quality.

    Qiu Yunfei sneered and said, "How come the kidnappers can write these many petty characters? Are you not as strong as the kidnappers?

    Fu Shi was immediately speechless.

    But Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "It''s not that Judge Fu''s skill is not enough, but rather that this kidnapper is used to writing on such bad paper.

    Upon hearing that he had spoken for himself, Fu Shi felt a sense of relief and felt that this martial artist was not completely incompetent, at least he was a righteous and upright person.

    Qiu Yunfei has been skilled lately. Upon hearing Sun Shaozong''s special information, his eyes turned a few times and he suddenly said, "So, there must be a poor scholar among the kidnappers.

    Thats right.

    Sun Shaozong shook the note and said, "Since the words are neat and smooth, he must be writing with his left hand, it shouldn''t be difficult to achieve the title of a scholar.

    But he is also accustomed to using inferior pen, ink, and paper and obviously failed to achieve great fame in the Imperial Examination.

    As the saying goes, Poor scholars are successful candidates in the Imperial Examination at the county level, rich scholars are successful candidates in the Imperial Examinations at the provincial level. This was not only because the scholar could directly become an official, but also because the scholar had a quota of 100 acres of fertile land under his name and didnt need to pay taxes to the Court.

    Therefore, as long as one fell victim to the Imperial Examination, there would immediately be people who would voluntarily become slaves with their families, hoping to avoid the pain of taxation.

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong suddenly changed his tone and said, "However, these are not the most important things at the moment. What I want to know most at the moment is why Ma Yingjue went out for a spring outing.

    Why did he want to go for a spring outing outside the city?

    This question made everyone present felt a bit inexplicable. This outing was just an outing, why was there a why?

    Ma Chunfeng was puzzled and said, "I don''t know what Lord Sun means by this.

    For a spring outing, one naturally needs to find a day when the flowers bloom," Sun Shaozong sneered. "But on the 25th, it was a cloudy day, and the temperature outside was very low, so it was not suitable for a spring outing.

    He had a firsthand experience with the temperature that day.

 Chapter 288: Spring Outing Kidnapping Incident [(2)]

    Chapter 288: Spring Outing Kidnapping Incident [(2)]

    Since late March and early April were usually the days for spring outings, before Sun Shaozong raised any doubts, no one thought there was anything wrong.

    But hearing him say so, there were indeed many doubts.

    If it were a busy official who only had time to go out and play on that day, it would be usual. However, Ma Yingjue was only focused on taking the imperial examination and had no serious job at all.

    Since that was the case, why did he choose to go on a spring outing on a gloomy and cold day?

    The crowd began to doubt and gradually turned their attention to Ma-Fu. After all, among the people present, only she had gone out for an outing with Ma Yingjue, and were the closest couple to each other. It would be natural for her to address this doubt.

    This... This

    Ma-Fu shyly pursed her mouth, and it really showed some charm.

    But at present, no one cared about any amorous feelings, especially Ma Chunfeng, who urgently said, "My dear Daughter-in-law, did you ever find anything wrong with Jueer when you went hiking that day?

    This... This

    Ma-Fu stuttered twice again but still had a shy expression.

    Ma Chunfeng became even more annoyed and immediately couldnt wait to speak out and scold.

    Inspector Qiu, Constable Zhao!

    Sun Shaozong suddenly rushed to command, "You two, go out first.

    Although Qiu Yunfei was somewhat reluctant, he obediently left the study with Zhao Wuwei.

    After the two of them left, Sun Shaozong kindly said, "Madam, both Lord Ma and Judge Fu are your close relatives. As the person in charge of this case, I cant avoid it. But I can swear that no matter what you say today, without your consent, I will never pass it on to others.

    As he spoke, he made a solemn oath and then urged, "Madam, don''t you want to save Young Master Ma as soon as possible?

    Ma Chunfeng and Fu Xian were also helping out, and seeing that they couldn''t make excuses, Ma-Fu had to confide in the truth and said, "If there''s anything wrong with it, it''s about two days ago, I''m talking about on the 23rd. When the Master suddenly became... A bit excited

    He only favors me once every ten or so days, but on that day, he even asked for me twice in a row.

    Ma Chunfeng heard that everything she said was about her inner privacy and had nothing to do with the disappearance of her son. He frowned and wanted to urge her to say something useful.

    Sun Shaozong quickly stopped with his eyes and gently pursued, "Then what? What else is wrong?

    When Ma-Fu was encouraged, she bit her lower lip and said, "The next day, I ate three tonics in a row, all of which were for tonifying... I thought he would have... At night."

    Who knew he slept in the study at night?"

    I was afraid that I might get cut off by some coquettish hooves, so I sent someone over to take a look. Unexpectedly, the Master went to bed alone early.

    Sun Shaozong immediately asked again, "When was the last time he went hiking outside the city?

    About... three years ago.

    After a brief recollection, Ma-Fu firmly said, "Three years ago, it seems that the Master also went for a spring outing outside the city due to his failure in the exam.

    Also on March 25th.

    Wait, it seems like it should be a few days earlier.

    What was wrong with him at that time?

    Sun Shaozong sped up the questioning, but Ma-Fu remembered for a long time before shaking her head and saying, "Theres nothing wrong. It''s just that after coming back from the outing, his mood improved a lot.

    Did he ever leave midway?

    Hmm

    While Ma-Fu was pondering, Ma Chunfeng, who was beside her, frowned. "Lord Sun, why are you only asking about the matter three years ago? You should know that Jueer was kidnapped by a strong man two days ago.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said solemnly, "Although the Young Master has just been kidnapped, I suspect that this case is actually a serial case.

    A serial case?

    Ma Chunfeng was a bit confused again. Why did this kidnapper still have a serial case? Was it true that his son had been kidnapped twice? Three years ago and now?

    How could this be possible?!

    That''s right.

    At this moment, Ma-Fu had already recalled the details and quickly said, "The Master did leave for about an hour, but he took two servant boys to hunt.

    He went hunting with two servant boys?

    Sun Shaozong quickly pursued and asked, "Where are these two young servants now? Can you call them over and let me ask a few questions?

    Ma-Fu immediately shook her head and said, "I''m afraid it won''t be possible. Not long after returning from the outing, those two young servants redeemed their deeds at the same time and left the Ma Mansion together. They have long disappeared.

    Upon hearing this, even if Sun Shaozong didnt explain anything, Fu Shi and Ma Chunfeng had already noticed something wrong.

    The close servant was one of the most intimate servants of the owner. It was reasonable to say that occasionally one wanted to go out to make a living, but when both chose to resign at the same time, if there were no tricks involved, he was afraid that no one would believe it!

    Lord Ma.

    Ma Chunfeng was finding it difficult to make sense of the relationship between the kidnapping case and the information his Daughter-in-law had disclosed. He heard Sun Shaozong sneered and said, "I''m afraid after rescuing your son, he won''t be able to return home for the time being because we have other cases in the Central Judicial Office now that we need to carefully interrogate him.

 Chapter 289: Spring Outing Kidnapping Incident [(3)]

    Chapter 289: Spring Outing Kidnapping Incident [(3)]

    Take Jueer to the Central Judicial Office to interrogate a case?

    Although Ma Chunfeng had a faint premonition in his heart, he couldn''t help but burst into anger when he heard Sun Shaozong saying so.

    He entrusted Sun Shaozong to investigate the case to save his son, not to send him to the Central Judicial Office to have his head cut off!

    So the old man shook his sleeve and shouted with his beard and hair all open, "Lord Sun, I can''t understand what you''re saying! How dare you conclude that Jueer is related to the case three years ago?

    The first few sentences were quite imposing.

    But the final sentence, related to the case three years ago exposed his true thoughts. Sun Shaozong just mentioned that Ma Yingjue was involved in a case but didnt specify that it was a case that occurred three years ago.

    Sun Shaozong sneered and chuckled. "Based on Lord Ma''s experience and what Young Madam had just said, is there anything unclear? That night, the Young Master clearly imagined his wife as a woman who was constantly resisting, and the final act of choking her throat..."

    Zhao Wuwei.

    He suddenly lifted his breath and called out, and Zhao Wuwei rushed in and bowed, saying, "Master, whats your instruction?

    Sun Shaozong still stared at Ma Chunfeng and asked calmly, "Let me ask you, are there any women who went out for the spring outing who disappeared at the end of March three years ago?

    Yes.

    Zhao Wuwei immediately nodded his head after a moment''s memory, "The daughter of Northern City locksmith Zhang, who was 15 years old, fell behind because of her greed for scenery when she was traveling with her sisters. Since then, she has disappeared."

    It wasn''t until more than ten days later that several wild dogs dug up her body from the ground and confirmed that she had been killed by someone.

    Sun Shaozong kept pursuing, "Did she get choked to death by someone?

    Yes.

    Is the killer a left-handed person?

    That''s right, that''s what Lao Xu said at the time. It''s just that there were too many people going out for a spring outing during that time, and it''s been more than ten days since the body was discovered, so it''s impossible to trace it.

    As the two of them asked and answered, Ma Chunfeng''s face became increasingly ugly. However, as a father, how could he accept the fact that his son had once killed a civilian girl?

    So when he finally heard it, he still stuck his neck and sneered, "So what? Can ambiguous words prove that Jueer is the murderer?

    I can''t prove anything yet.

    Sun Shaozong spread out his hand and said, "But the word suspicion is always undeniable, right? That''s why I said I want to take him back to the Central Judicial Office to speak and explain, rather than directly arresting and bringing him to justice.

    You!

    Another one died?!

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly entered the door to check, but saw Ma Chunfeng lying on his back by the desk, with a small patch of blood accumulating on the back of his head, already lifeless!

    Based on the preliminary estimation of the situation at the scene, the old man fainted in panic, and then the back of his head coincidentally hit the bottom of the copper candlestick. As a result

    Oh gosh!

    He remembered that not long ago, he only said that if his son were gone, he wouldn''t be alive either. Who would have thought it would be a prophecy?!

    Sigh~

    Sun Shaozong sighed and patted the stunned Fu Shi on the shoulder, helplessly saying, "Judge Fu, I still need to go to the murder scene to investigate. This matter of the Ma Mansion, I''m afraid only you can take charge of it.

    As Fu Shi nodded silently, Sun Shaozong secretly pondered and immediately sent someone to closely monitor the Ma family''s assets to see if Fu Shi would take the opportunity to enrich his personal wealth.

    If Fu Shi hadn''t done so, it would have been better. If he had truly swallowed this fat bait, the faction structure of the Central Judicial Office would have to be adjusted again in the future.

    When Sun Shaozong brought Qiu and Zhao to the front hall, he saw Private Advisor Qi, who was in charge of murder cases under Wei Ruolan, waiting inside with several constables.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong coming out, Private Advisor Qi was obviously a bit dumbfounded. However, he obediently stepped forward and gave a deep salute. Even Wei Ruolan had to lie dormant in front of Sun Shaozong, and the people next to him didnt dare to be arrogant in front of Sun Shaozong either.

    Private Advisor Qi, there''s no need to be too polite.

    Sun Shaozong nodded slightly, which was considered a return of greeting, and then asked, "I heard that Ma Yingjue, the Young Master of this mansion, died in Gulou Alley. I don''t know if it''s true.

    It is indeed so.

    Private Advisor Qi replied honestly, "I received a report this morning that three male corpses were found in Gulou Alley. I will immediately take someone to..."

    Wait.

    Sun Shaozong quickly interrupted him and said, "You mean, besides Ma Yingjue, there are two other male corpses at the scene?

    After receiving a positive answer from Private Advisor Qi, Sun Shaozong immediately asked Zhao Wuwei for the portraits of the two young servants and presented them to Private Advisor Qi.

    Can you carefully recognize that, besides Ma Yingjue, the other two deceased people are from this portrait?

    After squinting his eyes and recognizing for a while, Master Qi exclaimed in surprise, "How could there be portraits of those two deceased people in your hands?

    Well~

    The person involved in this case has died completely!

 Chapter 290: Arrogant, Show-Off, Night Walk in Brocade

    Chapter 290: Arrogant, Show-Off, Night Walk in Brocade

    Gulou Alley was located in the northwest of the outer city, in a relatively remote location. In addition, the terrain was high and uneven, so there were not many residents, mainly the locals. Last year, a portion of Hebei disaster victims with small family assets moved in.

    In places like this, public security was naturally not very good, and everyone was accustomed to sweeping the snow in front of their doors, paying little attention to irrelevant people.

    Therefore, last spring, there was also a tragedy where an elderly man who lived alone drowned in his own water tank, only to be discovered in the middle of summer.

    The reason why this case received a report early was that someone wrote the six bloody words self-inflicted guilt cant live on the door of the murder scene.

    My Lord, since I didn''t know in advance that you would personally handle this case, I have ordered someone to lift the body after inspecting the scene

    Private Advisor Qi was leading the way in front and explaining the situation in detail, but when he arrived in the courtyard, he turned around and saw no sign of Sun Shaozong.

    He quickly turned back and saw Sun Shaozong outside, his eyes burning at the blood words on the door panel.

    Your Excellency?

    Private Advisor Qi quickly explained, "I have carefully observed that these blood characters are all written with non-habitual hands. It may not be easy to identify the true culprit by relying on handwriting. The only thing that can be confirmed at the moment is that the culprit has a certain level of calligraphy skills.

    This statement coincided with Sun Shaozong''s previous speculation.

    Sun Shaozong nodded, and after carefully examining it, he followed Private Advisor Qi into the courtyard.

    As soon as he entered the gate, he saw three corpses lying under the dilapidated western wall. One of them was covered in white cloth, while the other two were unobstructed.

    The reason for this difference was, naturally, the identity of the three. As the son of an official, even if Ma Yingjue died, his treatment was different from that of the two young servants.

    However, at first glance, there seemed to be little similarity between the two young men and the portraits painted by Ma Chunfeng during his lifetime.

    This was mainly because both corpses died from poisoning, with a dark and bluish complexion, ferocious and twisted facial features, and a considerable degree of swelling. It might be exaggerated to say that they were completely disfigured, but it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to distinguish their original appearance.

    Only those who were proficient in on-site exploration and knew how to use facial contours and the proportion of facial features to restore the basic appearance of the deceased could see the connection between the two.

    From this, it could be seen that the professional level of Private Advisor Qi was quite good.

    Your Excellency.

    Private Advisor Qi led the crowd to the corpse, first lifting the white cloth and pointing to the young deceased man on the stretcher with wide eyes and mouth open. He introduced, "This is Young Master Ma. When I checked his corpse, I found that the boots were marked with the name Changlong and the date of shipment. That''s how I traced his identity.

    He pointed to the blue and purple fingerprint on Ma Yingjue''s collar as he bent down cautiously to remove it. "According to the investigation, Young Master Ma should have died from suffocation caused by choking," he said.

    Sun Shaozong took out the note from his sleeve and handed it to Private Advisor Qi, saying, "This is the extortion letter sent by the murderer to the Ma family on the 25th.

    After Private Advisor Qi glanced at it a few times, he explained, "It''s obvious from this note that there are signs of curly hair branching at the tip of the pen, indicating that an old brush is being used.

    Furthermore, based on the analysis of paper and ink, the quality of this brush will not be as strong as that.

    Also, the door panel is rotten and mottled, with an extremely rough surface, and the difficulty of writing should even exceed that of inferior coarse paper. But I have only carefully observed that the messy marks are significantly less than the former, and there is almost no depilation.

    This is a new pen, and it is of excellent quality.

    Considering the killer''s expertise in calligraphy and the long-term use of inferior study treasures, it is reasonable for him to have a strong and urgent desire for these things.

    Private Advisor Qi held the note and listened to Sun Shaozong''s analysis of this wave. He couldn''t help but sigh that his observation was indeed meticulous, but...

    My Lord, even if that''s the case, you can''t conclude that he bought the Four Treasures of Study from a familiar shop, can you?" Private Advisor Qi questioned. "If he chooses an unrelated shop, wouldn''t we be in vain?

    Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "The reason why I made such a judgment still stems from those six blood characters.

    As he spoke, he turned around and pointed to the door, asking, "What was your first impression of those six blood characters when you saw them?

    Arrogant.

    Private Advisor Qi blurted out, "The murderer is clearly provoking the government.

    That''s right.

    Sun Shaozong nodded and said, "If it weren''t for these six words, perhaps we would have to wait until the body was highly decayed before the neighbors would discover it. By then, there would naturally be much less useful information.

    But the murderer chose to risk writing six blood characters on the door so that the government could know in the first place that three people had died here, three people who deserved it.

    This is both arrogant and boastful.

    Such a person who is arrogant and likes to show off, but has long been depressed and frustrated; has a proud hand in calligraphy, but can only afford the cheapest pen, ink, paper, and inkstone..."

    Perhaps sometimes he will be shy and unable to afford stationery. Even if the shop owner doesn''t mock him for it, he may have accumulated a lot of resentment in his heart.

    When he suddenly received a large windfall and was eager to retaliate against his past life, do you think he would choose to go on a night trip in the Royal Guards and specifically look for an unfamiliar shop?

    So my inference should be around 70% accurate.

 Chapter 291: Whereâ€™s the Murderer

    Chapter 291: Where''s the Murderer

    The carriage puller let out a sigh and kicked and stepped forward a few steps, then steadily stopped outside the Huichun Building.

    Sun Shaozong got out of the carriage and stood unsteadily. The Old Lady, whose face had been coated with an unknown amount of powder, hurriedly welcomed him out. With a big mouth, she exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Hello! You are really magnificent and powerful.

    As she spoke, she wrapped a fan around half of her face and pretended to smile mysteriously, saying, "Our Huchun Building loves such a majestic person normally.

    Before she could finish speaking, Sun Shaozong suddenly threw over a golden object.

    The Old Lady''s hands were sharp and her eyes were quick. She grabbed the thing in her hand and glanced happily, but her eyeball almost popped out of her eyes. Her mouth grew bigger and bigger, and she was about to burst out of her throat a scream.

    You''d better not shout out.

    Sun Shaozong said calmly, "I''m here to find a man, but if that person has escaped due to you, I don''t mind taking all the women here back.

    The Old Lady trembled and returned the thing with both hands, finally blurting out a whole sentence, "Don''t worry, Your Excellency, I will not shout. I will definitely not shout.

    When not wearing official robes, it was indeed more convenient to use the waist token of the Dragon Guard Thousand Household Inspector.

    Sun Shaozong casually took the waist token into his arms and instructed with an expressionless expression, "Qin Rushuang, what I''m looking for is the guest in her room. Lead the way ahead.

    The Madam quickly agreed and carefully guided Sun Shaozong into the living room.

    After entering the door, he felt a heat wave mixed with a hint of powder and oil rushing toward his face. As it was only afternoon and not yet the peak of the brothel''s business, there were only a few scattered tables of guests sitting in the hall, holding some pretty women in their arms, teasing and chatting there.

    Although Qin Rushuang might not be considered the top brand of the Huichun Building, she was different from these mediocre and vulgar fans and naturally wouldnt pick up customers downstairs.

    Therefore, the Old Lady led Sun Shaozong up to the second floor and faintly heard someone in a room on the west end chanting a poem loudly, "In the past, King Chen had a banquet of peace and music and drank ten thousand cups of wine and indulged in banter! What does the Master mean

    It seemed to be Li Bai''s "Jiang Jin Jiu."

    Sun Shaozong pointed to the room and said, "Is it this room?

    The Madam nodded vigorously.

    Sun Shaozong strode closer and waited for a moment. After the person had finished reading the last sentence, Let''s share our eternal worries, he pushed the door and burst in.

    Just in front of the round table in the center of the room, there was a man and a woman in their thirties, dressed as scholars, with wild but slightly changing eyebrows and eyes.

    The woman

    The case three years ago has already been investigated by our official," Sun Shaozong interrupted. "Just focus on this case.

    Your Excellency is indeed worthy of being called Divine Judgement.

    Scholar Li let out a bitter smile and continued, "After I learned about this, I originally wanted to report it to the government, but those two thieves quickly came to their senses and developed a desire to kill and silence me.

    Helplessly, I had to pretend to be a snake and persuade them to deceive Ma Yingjue out of the city. I tied him up to extort a large sum of money and comforted them. Anyway, Ma Yingjue felt guilty in his heart and will never report to the government afterward.

    Those two thieves had their minds set, so they pretended to help Ma Yingjue harm another good family woman for fun according to my plan, and they deceived him out of the city and bound him.

    But what they didn''t expect was that I had a killing intention and wanted to send these three shameless thieves back together.

    So I suggested again last night that before letting Ma Yingjue go, we should celebrate and then secretly poison the two thieves in the glass and strangle Ma Yingjue alive.

    Speaking of this, he couldn''t help but sigh and say helplessly, "Although I had thought that you might find out the truth, I didn''t expect you to come so quickly.

    After listening to his words, Sun Shaozong smiled slightly, raised his hand, and slowly applauded, and his mouth exclaimed loudly, "A good story, it''s indeed a good story, with three false parts mixed in seven true parts. Indeed, it''s the essence of storytelling.

    Story?

    Scholar Li finally showed some nervousness and smiled stiffly. "Why would you say this? I have a dead end on both sides, why should I still lie to you?

    Two words.

    Sun Shaozong sneered and said, "Cover up! You want to cover up your accomplices, or rather the mastermind of this case.

    Your recent statement may seem very reasonable, but there are two fatal loopholes in it.

    Firstly, I had someone investigate you and you usually live in seclusion and rarely socialize with others, especially looking down on the vulgar scoundrels hanging around on the street.

    Since that''s the case, how could you possibly hang out with those two people and coincidentally hear their biggest secret?

    As for the other loophole, it was also my initial suspicion that there were other culprits behind the scenes, which was the poison you used to kill the two young men.

    Colorless and tasteless, it can quickly melt into wine and kill people in a very short time.

    This is by no means comparable to ordinary goods like arsenic.

    If you are a wealthy and powerful Master, you can easily find this poison. However, you are just an ordinary poor scholar, and it was only seven or eight hours after you received the ransom

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong leaned forward slightly and stared fiercely at Scholar Li, saying, "Speak up, who is the person behind you?

 Chapter 292: Sorry, Itâ€™s Not a Crime Due to Sexual Assault

    Chapter 292: Sorry, It''s Not a Crime Due to Sexual Assault

    The windows on the west side of the second floor parted on the left and right, causing Zhao Wuwei to look up and see a living arm stretching out from inside, taking a flower innerwear that had been aired outside, and quickly taking it back.

    Zhao Wuwei''s eyeball seemed to have been pulled in by the white arm and then caught by the window edge, but it couldn''t be pulled out for a long time.

    Qiu Yunfei extended his leg on the shaft of the carriage and kicked him lightly on the back of his waist, cursing, "Isn''t it just an arm? Look at your achievements! Don''t say you are my subordinate in the future, I can''t afford to lose to that person.

    Zhao Wuwei was kicked and stumbled forward, covering his waist and smiling casually. As he was about to flatter him, he suddenly saw Sun Shaozong''s burly figure and walked out of the Huichun Building.

    Master.

    He quickly welcomed him and asked obsequiously, "Master, can we now close the net?

    Sun Shaozong casually thrust the pair of "Jiang Jin Jiu" into his hand and ordered, "Tomorrow, remember to frame it for me and hang it in the main living room of the Criminal Department.

    At this moment, Qiu Yunfei also approached and curiously asked, "Your Excellency, what did Scholar Li say? Is there really someone behind the scenes in this case?

    Yes, there is.

    Sun Shaozong said helplessly, "But Scholar Li only knew that he was tall and burly, and the rest..."

    According to Scholar Li''s explanation, several days ago, due to the lack of interest in his writing stall for several consecutive days, he couldn''t even afford the worst quality paper and ink.

    That evening, Scholar Li''s hands were itching tightly for a moment, so he broke a willow branch and randomly rowed in the yard. While enjoying himself, he suddenly heard someone behind him eating and laughing.

    Scholar Li turned back in shock and saw a masked man in black clothes and robes standing not far behind him, holding his shoulders.

    To be honest, Scholar Li was also a brave person. Although he didnt look like a good person, he didnt panic or lose his composure. Instead, he straightened his back perfectly, indicating that if he wanted to seek wealth, he had found the wrong person.

    The man laughed again and after a while, he suddenly asked Scholar Li if he wanted to make a fortune and change his current predicament.

    Scholar Li was a principled and impoverished person, so he immediately stated that although he was poor and didnt always have money for the next meal, he would never seek unjust wealth.

    The man laughed again for the third time when he heard this and then told Scholar Li the secret of Ma Yingjue and two young men killing a civilian girl three years ago when they were hiking outside the city and explained in detail the murder plan he had formulated.

    Sun Shaozong explained, "If you observe more closely, you will find that the areas on her face that lack rouge and toner are mainly concentrated in areas such as her chin, cheeks, and nose, but there are no traces on her forehead.

    As he spoke, he pulled the stocky Zhao Wuwei over and made him stand face to face with Qiu Yunfei before continuing, "For example, if you were the mastermind behind the burly figure and Constable Zhao was Ma-Fu, would you kiss all the other parts but only let her forehead go?

    Qiu Yunfei and Constable Zhao, who were full of stubble on their faces, glared wide and suddenly said, "I got it now. That woman''s adulterer, like Lao Zhao, is a dwarf. It takes some effort to kiss her forehead, so he has to give up.

    And since Scholar Li said that the person behind the scenes is a tall and burly figure, naturally the two cant be the same person.

    Pushing Zhao Wuwei aside, Qiu Yunfei fell back into a contemplative mode.

    Sun Shaozong, however, didnt want to continue delaying here. He turned around and explained to Zhao Wuwei, "Wait until Scholar Li comes out of there, and then bring him back to the government office.

    Wait for him to come out?

    Zhao Wuwei hesitated and said, "Master, shouldn''t we go in?

    At least he took his life to avenge an unrelated woman," Sun Shaozong said casually as he quickly got into the carriage. "Besides, he has already paid for his prostitute, so let him have a good time first.

    Seeing him get into the carriage, Qiu Yunfei quickly climbed onto the carriage shaft, sitting side by side with the driver, Zhang Cheng.

    Just as he was about to command the departure, he suddenly remembered something again. He took out two golden leaves from his arms and threw them into Zhao Wuwei''s arms, jokingly saying, "Go and wrap up the little girl''s skin that was just stretched out. After finishing the serious task, you can come and have a good time too. See you back at the government office.

    This kid has learned how to win people''s hearts.

    Sun Shaozong gave a knowing smile in the carriage, and then his face darkened again. Although he had not revealed it just now, he had some immature inferences about this case.

    The reason behind this case was likely neither hate killing nor love killing!

    From Scholar Li''s description, Sun Shaozong felt that the burly masked man had no grudge against Ma Yingjue and others.

    As for the reason why he formulated this plan and chose Scholar Li to execute it

    At present, Sun Shaozong couldnt infer, but he vaguely felt that this guy might be involved in other cases in the future!

 Chapter 293: Opening Hearts to Each Other

    Chapter 293: Opening Hearts to Each Other

    When the evening lights were lit, in the living room of Sun Mansion''s backyard, twelve candlesticks were lit brightly again.

    Seeing the various delicacies densely spread on the round table, Jia Yingchun moved slightly uneasily and said to the kitchen assistant who was still serving the dishes, "There are too many of them. There are only three people in my courtyard, how can I finish this much food?

    Madam, you can just pick any delicious dishes you like.

    The woman smiled and said, "When the Elder Master went out at noon, he told us that you had caught some cold on the day you returned home and asked the kitchen to make more nourishing dishes. We wont dare to go against the Elder Master''s wishes.

    As soon as she heard that it was Sun Shaozu''s intention, Yingchun immediately didnt dare say anything more. She silently waited for the two women to lay down the last thick soup and politely withdrew, which was when she breathed a sigh of relief.

    Wow~

    Xiuju lifted the curtain and approached with a slightly strange posture. Looking at the hot and hard dishes on the table, she couldn''t help but exclaim, "Today''s meal is so sumptuous, I''m afraid it''s the same as when I spent the New Year at Rongguo Mansion before.

    Siqi cleaned the ivory chopsticks that the Madam had brought back and then placed them in front of Jia Yingchun. She commented, "In terms of cooking skills, they are not as good as Rongguo Mansion, but the cooks in our mansion are more than willing to use good ingredients. If these good ingredients were to go through the hands of that wicked woman in the Liu family, I''m afraid it would waste more than half of them for personal use.

    The Liu family was the female steward of the small kitchen in Rongguo Mansion. She was usually the most adept at catering to people, like Baoyu, whom she was always trying to please and take care of. A Lady like Jia Yingchun, who wasnt favored by anyone, was restricted from everything.

    Therefore, Siqi hated her the most normally and has long been holding back from fighting her.

    As for now...

    Unfortunately, the Liu family didnt come over as dowry servants!

    Siqi thought of the Liu family and couldn''t help but secretly express her anger for a moment. When she regained her composure, she saw that Yingchun was still staring at a table of delicious food in a daze.

    So she forcefully thrust the chopsticks into her hand and urged, "Hurry up and eat. If you can get pregnant with a son, these are considered nothing. Even if you want gold and silver, the Elder Master is willing to give them to you.

    Upon hearing her mention getting pregnant with a son, Jia Yingchun remembered the morning pillow thing and blushed again. She quickly lowered her head and picked up a few chopsticks, then she called out, You two, sit down and eat together, too.

    Although only a few chopsticks were missing, it also indicated the vast difference between the master and servant.

    Siqi didn''t say anything, but Xiuju was already waiting for this, eagerly begging for the food and enjoying it.

    The three of them all came out of the big house, so they naturally had a standard way of eating without speaking.

    Before the words fell, the door was opened by Xiuju from inside.

    Siqi unconsciously walked in and saw Sun Shaozong sitting in front of the dressing table with a golden knife, placing Jia Yingchun on his lap and whispering something to her.

    When Yingchun saw Siqi enter, she lowered her head coyly but didnt intend to rise from Sun Shaozong''s lap. This was more daring than her usual timid behavior.

    It seemed that she not only gave up her body yesterday but also her heart.

    Siqi pretended not to see anything and asked expressionlessly, "Second Master, can you still stay here tonight?

    Naturally.

    Sun Shaozong nodded without hesitation and said, "Recently, there have been some official documents stored in the study, so it has long been forbidden for others to approach at will. In addition, I have locked the door. As long as I hurry back before dawn, I am not afraid of being discovered.

    Upon hearing this, Siqi didn''t have much to say. However, Yingchun showed some difficulty and hesitated for a moment before blushing and whispering in his ear.

    Sun Shaozong chuckled a few times upon hearing this, reached out to her nose, and softly said, "Don''t worry, I just came here today to talk to you, there''s no other meaning.

    As he spoke, he also bit her in the ear.

    When she vaguely heard words like heart to heart and not body to body, she saw Jia Yingchun''s starry eyes full of emotion.

    It seemed that the Madam was completely trapped.

    Siqi couldn''t help but let out a sigh, but it was normal. Jia Yingchun has an easily satisfied temperament and was in a state of panic. However, when she met a man who was used to being considerate, she naturally had no resistance and fell into it.

    Just thinking about the awkward Sister-in-law relationship between the two, Siqi didn''t know whether to celebrate or feel sorry for her.

    Forget it, let''s just muddle through first!

    With this thought in mind, Siqi quietly retreated again. As she was about to close the door, he heard the sweet and innocent voice of Xiuju coming from inside, "If you are interested, I can still bear it, Second Master.

    This innocent thief!

    Siqi hurriedly entered again and forcefully dragged her out.

 Chapter 294: The Chaotic Matters in a Mansion Was Difficult to Settle Down

    Chapter 294: The Chaotic Matters in a Mansion Was Difficult to Settle Down

    Pippa, Pippa~

    It was early morning when a burst of firecrackers woke up Jia Yingchun. She turned her head to look at the sunken mark on the pillow next to her, feeling both comforted and somewhat disappointed.

    After a while, she finally broke free from this chaotic mood and shouted, "Siqi, Xiuju

    Squeak~

    "Madam, you were probably awakened by the sound of that firecracker? I heard that the young nephew of East Courtyard passed the Imperial Examination. The servant who reported the good news came to your door early in the morning, beating gongs and drums," Xiuju added with a smile shortly after pushing the door in.

    Jia Yingchun also heard about this matter from Sun Shaozong yesterday, but it had nothing to do with her, so she didn''t pay much attention to it. She just asked Xiuju to assist her in changing and washing.

    As she was tidying up her headdress in front of the mirror, she heard Siqi outside saying in surprise, "It''s bustling outside. Why did Concubine Ruan come to our courtyard? What''s up with finding our Madam?

    Ruan Rong is here?

    Jia Yingchun felt a bit flustered in her heart, as if she had become a thief and had been summoned by the bitter master.

    Madam, don''t panic.

    Xiuju looked indifferent and reached out to insert her hairpin. She chuckled and said, "She doesn''t know anything. Even if she knows, can she still turn the tide?

    Don''t talk nonsense, be careful not to... Don''t let it out.

    Jia Yingchun scolded her anxiously and then stroked her swollen chest, stabilizing her lively heart for a while. Only then did she lift her skirt and greet her with a graceful expression.

    Ruan Rong had already sat down and was holding a tea cup while talking to Siqi.

    Seeing Jia Yingchun come out from inside, she quickly stood up and smiled. "I heard that you caught a cold two days ago. I didn''t dare to visit because I was breastfeeding my child. Now, looking at your face color, it''s even more rosy than before. I think you have recovered, right?

    Although she knew she was just complimenting her, Jia Yingchun couldn''t help feeling a bit ashamed when she thought of the reason for her rosy complexion, and her words naturally lacked confidence.

    Fortunately, she was a dull and taciturn person previously, and Ruan Rong didn''t notice any flaws.

    After the two guests took their seats, Ruan Rong smiled again and said, "Actually, I came to see you as I have something to discuss with you. When the Seventh Young Master saw the new maid that the Elder Master had bought, it was to his liking. The Second Master made the decision and promised him that he would send the person to his yard when he passed the Imperial Examination.

    Second Master, Second Master, it was only two days and you are all mouthfuls of the Second Master. Forget it, I''m too lazy to meddle in these affairs.

    Siqi stamped her foot in frustration and angrily left the living room.

    After all, she had a criminal record before, and Jia Yingchun was afraid that she would do anything else, so she called Xiuju to persuade her.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as Xiuju was called out here, she saw Siqi fold back from outside and urgently urged, "Xiuju, quickly remove two or three pieces of the headgear from the wedding and add them to Madams head.

    Yingchun and Xiuju were both puzzled, but they heard her stomp her feet and say, "Hurry up! The Second Madam Lian has come to visit. Since she had already made a splash on the day of returning home, we shouldn''t let her underestimate us at home.

    It turned out that Wang Xifeng had arrived.

    Although Jia Yingchun was somewhat reluctant, both Siqi and Xiuju were active and tight, so they had to hurriedly add some jewelry and powder.

    When the person in the mirror became even more radiant, Siqi then went out to greet Wang Xifeng and asked someone to invite her to the backyard to speak.

    The master and servant waited for a moment at the door, and then they saw a tall and graceful figure coming in leisurely. From a long distance, they smiled like silver bells and said, "There were two groups of people in your mansion who reported good news early in the morning, but I didn''t expect you to come at the door, right?

    As she approached, she looked up and down at Jia Yingchun again and spoke loudly, "Wow. I haven''t seen you for a few days now, and you have become more and more radiant, especially with your moistened face. It seems like you have been a bride again.

    Although she knew she was joking, Jia Yingchun still felt a bit guilty and replied with a smirk, "You are making fun of me again, Sister-in-law. Come in and talk quickly.

    She guided Wang Xifeng and Pinger into the courtyard.

    Seeing that although the layout was not as exquisite as her own, it was even more spacious than her courtyard, Wang Xifeng, who had to excel in everything, felt a bit sour in her heart.

    Originally, according to her temperament, she would say a few words to show off her authority, but when she thought about her intention to come this time, she forced herself to endure it again.

    After the guests were seated in the inner room, Wang Xifeng shouted, "Pinger, go out and have some personal talk with Siqi and Xiuju. I''ll call you in if there''s anything else.

    At first glance, there was something private to say, and the three maids naturally had to obediently retreat.

    As soon as they left, Wang Xifeng simply went forward, grabbed the fragrant shoulder of Yingchun, and said with a smile, "I just said that I was an unwanted guest, and it was not a fraud. You were home that day, and I didn''t have time to be alone with you. Today I finally had a chance to interrogate you!"

    As she spoke, she pinched her rosy face again and forced her to say, "Tell me, when are you going to use the dowry I gave you?

 Chapter 295: Prison Litigation Review

    Chapter 295: Prison Litigation Review

    When the Sun Mansion was in a state of chaos, Sun Shaozong was also not idle as the Minister of Punishment.

    It was about to enter April, and the Prison Litigation Review in the middle of the year arrived as scheduled. Last year, it was Governor Liu who took charge of this matter, and this year, it was naturally Sun Shaozong''s turn.

    Yesterday, when he came to the government office, he was preparing to conduct a tour around the place. He was unexpectedly delayed due to the Ma Yingjue case. It was now the 28th, he had to check and fill in any gaps.

    So he arrived at the Inquisition Department early and summoned Lin Delu and various officials to conduct a surprise inspection.

    Fortunately, according to the inspection results, the official handling of each room of the Criminal Department was not bad. This was also thanks to Wei Ruolan''s blessing. This guy used to hold the "Rectification Program" as the Imperial Sword Envoy, which scared the people below in panic and didnt dare to make any mistakes.

    Even the accumulated malpractice has been completely cured.

    The only thing that made Sun Shaozong dissatisfied was the prison under the control of Zhou Da.

    This guy probably knew that he had already reached the pinnacle of his life by being promoted to the eighth-grade prison official, so he was relaxed.

    Normally, the affairs in this prison were left to the care of the officials, Bao Yongmeng and Minister Nier, who only indulged in extravagance and pleasure every day.

    And Nier and Bao Yongmeng, relying on their relationship with the Sun family and not being restrained by their superiors, have been acting recklessly in recent days. They have only paid off the prisoners'' food. In the female prison, they have even set up a separate private room with various types of makeup and clothing inside. One could tell by looking at it that it was not a serious way!

    Sun Shaozong''s face darkened as he inspected the area.

    Later, Zhou Da and the three of them were all trembling with fear. Seeing Sun Shaozong pull a stool and sit down at the entrance of the cell, the three of them immediately knelt with a thud.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t look at them with a straight eye but only asked Lin Delu beside him, "Look at the torture tools in this prison, are they a bit old?

    Hmm

    Lin Delu didn''t know what he meant by this, let alone carefully examine the old and new tools of torture. He could only vaguely say, "It seems that Im a bit careless in maintenance, but the tools of torture can still be used.

    Can it work?

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "Why does it look like it cant be used anymore?

    As he spoke, he didn''t wait for Lin Delu to respond again before he spoke up and ordered, "Official Zhou, go and pick up a few pieces for me to see.

    Zhou Da quickly got up, picked up a few commonly used torture tools, and carefully presented them with both hands.

    Sun Shaozong glanced and saw that there were three types, a whip, a clamp, and a soldering iron. He nodded and said, "Each of you chooses one. Let me demonstrate it to you, and let me see if these things are really useful.

    Xue Pan''s promotion to the Communication Department?

    Minister Wang''s efficiency was not a joke!

    Or rather, this green hat was not worn for nothing.

    Taking the invitation and flipping through it, Sun Shaozong casually asked, "Where did Assistant Magistrate Wei go? Have you ever sent a post to him?

    I have never sent any posts to Assistant Magistrate Wei.

    The servant apologized and said, "When we went out, our Lord specifically explained that you are the only one in the Central Judicial Office to invite, and we won''t invite anyone else.

    It was obvious that he was on Sun Shaozong''s side, trying to help push out Wei Ruolan.

    It was inappropriate.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and shook the gilded post in his hand, saying, "It would be fine if it were in other places. Since it is a banquet held at Dingxiang Tower, inviting me over to drink but leaving out Wei Ruolan, isnt that deliberately offending him? Your Master has just entered the officialdom and started to cause himself so much trouble..."

    As he spoke, he said unquestionably, "Go back and ask your Master to write two more invitations, one for Assistant Magistrate Wei and one for Inspector Qiu. Tell him that if he doesn''t follow suit, I won''t join the fun tonight.

    The servant listened to him thinking about his Master, thankfully responded, and hurriedly returned to report to Xue Pan without mentioning it.

    He had sent away the servants of the Xue family, and Sun Shaozong then called his own servants closer and inquired about the ranking of Yu Qian and Sun Chengtao in the palace examination.

    Regardless of Yu Qian''s rank, based on the strategy of secretly belittling the Emperor, he was undoubtedly the third tier.

    However, Sun Chengtao''s ranking was somewhat unexpected. He had originally thought he would be at the bottom of the exam and was determined to become a fellow successful candidate of the Imperial Examination, but unexpectedly, he barely ranked in the last position in the second tier.

    He must be showing off now.

    That''s right.

    The servant had already finished reporting, but suddenly remembered an unrelated matter and casually mentioned, "When I was going out, I ran into the convoy of Rongguo Mansion. I heard the Second Madam Lian from Rongguo Mansion come to visit our Elder Madam.

    Wang Xifeng went to her yard?

    After some thought, Sun Shaozong guessed that her trip was definitely for the timber business.

    Unfortunately, yesterday he was busy talking heart-to-heart with Yingchun and forgot to remind her about it. Otherwise, he could have asked her to agree first. The two brothers would sing the double reed and try to negotiate with Wang Xifeng as much as possible.

 Chapter 296: Fight at the Head of the Bed and Reconcile at the Tail of the Bed

    Chapter 296: Fight at the Head of the Bed and Reconcile at the Tail of the Bed

    |Xue Mansion on Zijin Street|

    A maid of seventeen or eighteen years old walked silently down the corridor to the left of the main room and carefully pressed her ear to the window edge. Listening to the commotion inside, she knew that the pair of enemies inside were still fighting.

    So she quickly stepped forward and patted the door, saying, "Master, Master! Lai Fu has returned from the Central Judicial Office and said that Lord Sun has some instructions.

    After listening to these shouts, the movement inside didn''t weaken but became even more intense.

    But the servant girl was not in a hurry either. She took a slight step back and waited outside the door honestly.

    As expected, after half a sound, the door of the room creaked left and right, and Xue Pan was seen naked, carrying pants in his left hand and a whip made of cotton cloth in his right hand. He bravely emerged from inside and asked, "Where is Lai Fu?

    After the couple got married, they started fighting every day. At first, everyone in the mansion was a bit worried, and Madam Xue even advised Xue Pan several times.

    After a while, everyone realized that these two were actually a pair created by heaven and earth. In one moment, they fought fiercely, and then, in a blink of an eye, they were like glue on the bed. They truly used their own actions to interpret what was called fighting at the head of the bed and recoiling at the end of the bed!

    Therefore, after seeing Xue Pan''s appearance, the little maid was not surprised at all, she acted like she had not seen anything. She said, "Master, Lai Fu is waiting at the front hall right now.

    Tell him to wait for me, I''ll go over right now.

    Xue Pan closed the door with his backhand and heard the couple speaking to each other inside, "Wash your body thoroughly. I''ll make you unable to walk for three days after I come back.

    Spit! Even if you tie a chopstick to your thingy, I can also make it soft for you.

    Xue Pan tidied up everything and hurriedly arrived at the hall. Before he could enter, he saw his Sister''s intimate maid, Yinger, leaning down and waving a handkerchief at him.

    Was it that this little girl had opened her mind and remembered the benefits of her Master Xue?!

    Thinking so, Xue Pan quickly approached with a smile on his face. Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned the corridor, he saw not only Yinger hiding behind the wall but also his Sister, Xue Baochai, present.

    Xue Pan quickly took away the rippling expression on his face and said with a smile, "Sister, you managed to come home now. Why didnt you accompany our mother behind but come here?

    She was Xue Pan''s biological Sister, and her first consideration was, naturally, the interests of the Xue family. As the party involved, Lord Sun unexpectedly said the same thing.

    Compared to her Older Brother, this kind of person was truly worth it, and even compared to Jia Baoyu, who has grown slightly recently, he might be much stronger.

    Thinking about the increasing intimacy between Brother Bao and Daiyu recently and the growing distance between them, perhaps...

    Hahaha.

    Just as she was thinking about something, Xue Pan laughed and walked around behind the screen, proudly saying, "Did you hear what Lai Fu just said? Second Brother is really a good friend, and you don''t have to worry about anything at all.

    As he spoke, he hesitated again and said, "It''s just that Qiu Yunfei and Lao Feng

    Since you said to not worry, why are you worrying for Lord Sun again?" Baochai covered her mouth and smiled. "These things are up to Lord Sun. You just need to arrange a good banquet.

    After that, she carefully advised, "Since you have obtained a serious official position at the moment, like your former friends, if you can have less communication, you should have more friends with leaders like Lord Sun. That''s the right thing to do.

    Of course, this is nature.

    Xue Pan nodded his head and said proudly, "I said I wanted to have a family relationship with my Second Brother. Otherwise, how could I have sent him Xiangling first and invited my mother to meet him?"

    At the front, it was just fine, but at the back, it reminded Baochai of what Madam Xue had said before. So, the newly elevated level of favoritism immediately plunged a large part, and the vague idea that had arisen suddenly passed away.

    She had intended to briefly mention this matter to her Brother so that he wouldn''t be confused and let Lord Sun collide with her mother again.

    Remembering that their mother had already said she would never see Sun Shaozong again, she felt that there was no need to go too far and instead let her Brother have a grudge against Sun Shaozong.

    So when the words came to her lips, she changed her tone and said, "Brother, don''t patronize the banquet. You should also prepare Aunt''s birthday gift in the next few days, so as not to lose your etiquette.

    When she talked about their Aunt''s birthday, Xue Pan suddenly wilted a lot. Uncle Wang Ziteng was always dignified, and this Aunt was also a meddler. She couldn''t help but murmur a few words that time, which was really annoying.

    But since his Younger Sister had mentioned it, he had to respond weakly.

 Chapter 297: The Nightmare Magic, First Encounter of the 5 Ghosts

    Chapter 297: The Nightmare Magic, First Encounter of the 5 Ghosts

    After lunch, Sun Shaozong went to Wanping County to take a quick look around, and it was only 3:30 pm.

    When he returned to the mansion, it was still early for Xue Pans banquet. However, if he were to go to Daxing County for another inspection, he might arrive late at the banquet.

    While Sun Shaozong was contemplating his next course of action as an official, Cheng Rixing hurried in to report, "Your Excellency, something has happened! Just now, Lord Lin received a report saying that Chen Zhu, the Right Councilor of the Office of Transmission, was killed by his son using a flower pot!"

    Right Counselor of the Office of Transmission? Wasnt that Xue Pan''s immediate superior? Sun Shaozong quickly asked Cheng Rixing to call Lin Delu in and inquire about the case details.

    It turned out that Chen Bo, the legitimate eldest son of Chen Zhu, had suddenly become insane due to some unknown reason recently. At first, it was just making a fuss for two days. Today, at noon, when Chen Zhu went to visit, he suddenly picked up a vase on the shelf and smashed his father''s brain! The maids and servants present at that time were all dumbfounded, until Chen Bo, holding half of the vase and shaking to leave, a few servants rushed forward and tied him up in various ways.

    Chen Bo tried to escape, saying that he wanted to sweep away the demons in this world and return the world to a prosperous future.

    Tch!

    A crazy son killing his father, this was truly a tragedy. However, since many witnesses have witnessed it firsthand, there was nothing to investigate in this case. So Sun Shaozong casually ordered, "If that''s the case, then let Assistant Magistrate Wei... Forget it, let me personally go."

    Although the Office of Transmission was an idle Yamen, the Right Counselor was still a fifth-grade official, a major case of violating human ethics.

    Therefore, the Punishment Department should at least send an official who could handle it.

    Originally, Sun Shaozong intended to hand it over to Wei Ruolan to handle, but on second thought, he had just asked Xue Pan to post a post to Wei Ruolan. There was inevitably a suspicion of saying one thing and doing another. Therefore, he changed his mind temporarily and decided to personally come and arrest Chen Bo.

    There was no mention of mental illness at the moment, especially the unforgivable act of patricide. So he called on Qiu Yunfei, Zhao Wuwei, and about ten captors and helpers, and rushed to the Chen family in a lively manner. The head of the family died unexpectedly, and the Eldest Young Master became a father killer.

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "Even if he suffers from heartless madness, killing his father is still an unforgivable crime! I..."

    The butler cried out in shock, "Your Excellency! Our Young Master is not suffering from heartless madness, but has been harmed by that wicked woman!" as he raised his bloodied face.

    Sun Shaozong''s heart moved. The wicked woman you mentionedis it the biological mother of your Young Master?"

    "Exactly! He angrily said. "Although I don''t have any evidence, that woman normally loves to make friends with monks and Taoist priests. She must have invited people to cast a spell, which caused the Young Master to be neither human nor ghost."

    Upon hearing these words, Sun Shaozong lost interest. He thought he would tell some secrets, but he didn''t expect it to be a set of gods, ghosts, and demons.

    Although Sun Shaozong once shook his position on atheism after crossing over to this era, after more than a year of continuous criminal investigations, he has re-determined that there was no strange power in the world.

    So he waved his hand and ordered, "Someone, bring Chen Bo out for me."

    The butler suddenly became anxious and leaned forward, shouting, "Your Excellency..."

    "Shut up!" Sun Shaozong sternly rebuked, "If you can provide any evidence, it''s alright. It''s just random speculation now. How dare you obstruct the government''s arrest of the culprit? Hurry and retreat quickly. If not, I will blame you for obstructing the law and arrest you together!"

    The butler said something more, but the other healthy servants were all worked up this morning and pulled him aside. So Zhao Wuwei immediately led a group of people to capture the culprit, and soon, he brought out a colorful young man from inside.

    This young man was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a dull expression that carried a hint of madness. His eyes were red and swollen, his pupils were dilated without focus, and his body was struggling hard.

    He only twisted his head around desperately, feeling dizzy when looking at him. This look was more like a lot of ecstasy than being crazy!

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but feel some doubts again, so he spoke up and said, "Where is your Young Master''s room? First, take me over to have a look.

 Chapter 298: Is it War or Peace

    Chapter 298: Is it War or Peace

    As the sun set, it was time to go to the banquet.

    Wei Ruolan paced back and forth in the living room of the Criminal Department Courtyard, feeling restless and confused.

    Although he was currently in a dormant period, he was still very attentive to Sun Shaozong''s every move. He even knew earlier about the invitation sent by the Xue family to Sun Shaozong.

    So when the servant of the Xue family returned and sent him and Qiu Yunfei a post, how could Wei Ruolan not know? This was the intention of Sun Shaozong.

    So he felt a difficulty in his heart.

    If he went, looking at Xue Pan''s initial attitude, he knew that Sun Shaozong must be the most respected person at the banquet. That group of people surrounded him with stars and moons, preferring to use themselves as foils. Thinking about it, he felt uncomfortable all over.

    If he didnt go, compared to Sun Shaozong''s attitude, it would appear that he was too narrow-minded, and lost his impression in the circle of the four major families.

    The more he thought about it, the more anxious Wei Ruolan became. He stormed his foot and shouted, "Private Advisor Qi, come in with me first.

    Due to his close relationship with Prince Beijing, this Private Advisor Qi naturally has a very different status from other advisors.

    Therefore, after entering the door, he didn''t wait for Wei Ruolan to ask and he arched his hand and advised, "From my perspective, Master shouldnt only go to the banquet but also be at the banquet and try to ease the conflict with Lord Sun as much as possible.

    What do you mean by that?

    What about easing the conflict, to put it bluntly, was he trying to just let Wei Ruolan voluntarily bow down to Sun Shaozong at the banquet?!

    How could Wei Ruolan accept this suggestion?

    Even if he was a bit annoyed, he swung his sleeves and wanted to scold Private Advisor Qi.

    Unexpectedly, Private Advisor Qi rushed to remind him, "Don''t forget, Master. Recently, your mother has been planning to arrange for the marriage of you and the Baoling Marquis family. At this critical moment, it''s not advisable to fight against Sun Shaozong and lose both ways.

    Upon hearing this, Wei Ruolan''s words were paused and he immediately choked back.

    This marriage could be said to be another strategic alliance between the Wei family after marrying their daughter to Prince Beijing.

    Naturally, the goal was to inherit the political legacy of the Baoling Marquis''s previous generation and solidify the Wei family''s recently attained affluent status.

    That witch, that witch must have come.

    Steward Liu blurted out, but under the cold gaze of Sun Shaozong, he had to mutter, "I was protecting the Young Master at that time and didn''t send anyone here to guard. I really don''t know who came in.

    That was to say, everyone in this mansion has the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos to remove the things pressed under the blanket.

    And now that more than three hours have passed, as long as the killer was not mentally disabled or had another plan, the evidence might have already been destroyed.

    Tch!

    It seemed that they could only do their best and obey fate.

    Constable Zhao.

    Yes sir.

    Zhao Wuwei quickly arched his hand and couldn''t help but inquire, "Your Excellency, should we go and arrest that witch now?

    Bullshit! Cough Nonsense. Now that there''s no evidence at all, how can you arrest someone indiscriminately?!" Sun Shaozong angrily scolded. "You stay here and take someone to carefully search around the Chen Mansion, focusing on finding those objects with big palms, sweet scents, and human shapes.

    When Zhao Wuwei obediently obeyed, Sun Shaozong pulled up the bedding and the mat underneath, stuffed them into his arms, and ordered, "Also, take this thing to the pharmacy to see if they can distinguish something from the smell emanating from these traces.

    Hmm

    Zhao Wuwei furrowed his face and hesitated. "I''m afraid it''s..."

    I asked you to give it a try, but I didn''t say you had to find out anything.

    Sun Shaozong glared and waited for Zhao Wuwei to step down. He called Qiu Yunfei and sent Chen Bo back to the government office together. They then took off his official robe and changed into casual clothes, hurriedly rushing to the Dingxiang Tower for the banquet.

    When they arrived at the Dingxiang Tower, they saw that although the banquet had not yet been held, everyone who should have come had already arrived, including Jia Baoyu, Jia Lian, Jia Qiang, Feng Ziying, Liu Xianglian, and Jiang Yuhan, as well as several famous prostitutes from the Capital. A large table was filled with people.

    Wei Ruolan was also among them!

    However, what Sun Shaozong was curious about was not him, but Jia Rong, the Young Master of Ningguo Mansion, who even joined in the excitement.Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

 Chapter 299: Drunk and Heard the Ghostly Trace

    Chapter 299: Drunk and Heard the Ghostly Trace

    There were many weirdos in the aristocratic family, and as the Eldest Grandson of the Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong was even more obvious.

    It was needless to say being greedy for beauty, lustful, and indulging in debauchery was a common problem among the younger generation of the Jia family. The Eldest Son has no authority over the Second Son, but he has a good point, which was the word filial piety!

    Let us talk about the woman named Qin whom he previously married. It was said that she was a gorgeous and charming woman with an excellent temperament, and everyone in the family praised her.

    If ordinary people had such a great woman, they would have treasured and protected her all day long.

    Unfortunately, Jia Rong was a selfless person who gave Qin''s filial piety to his father, Jia Zhen. The father and son somehow sucked it up, causing Qin to perish in just two years.

    Now that the bones of Qin were not yet cold, Jia Rong married another woman, Hu, still showing that he was a filial so!''

    It was said that every night, Hu was rushing. After accompanying Jia Rong, she has to go to Jia Zhens place. After accompanying Jia Zhen, he also has to coax Jia Rong. Thanks to the father and son being both old and weak, they were useless goods. Otherwise, if Hu were to conceive a child, she really wouldn''t know how to judge seniority. Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

    Such a figure attracted headlines, it was more than enough to talk about it regularly. So why did Xue Pane invite him to the banquet?

    Wasnt this the toe of a toad that didnt bite and responded to people?

    But then again...

    Xue Pan''s reputation didnt seem to be much better, especially since he just married Wang''s daughter. Perhaps the two heroes cherish heroes, and the bastard loves mung beans?

    Sun Shaozong was full of imagination, and everyone at the table saw him arrive. They were all busy getting up to greet him, and even Wei Ruolan was no exception.

    Second Brother.

    Erlang~

    Brother Sun.

    Lord Sun.

    According to the distance of the relationship, there were all kinds of greetings.

    After Sun Shaozong responded one by one, most people then met with Qiu Yunfei on the side again. Although he was in the Criminal Department and basically ran errands for Sun Shaozong, who would dare ignore the background of this small official outside?

    Sun Shaozong was stunned and quickly pursued, "Are you guys also discussing similar things just now?

    Yes, we are.

    Then, he heard Jiang Yuhan''s interface and said, "I only heard from the nobleman of the Royal Mansion yesterday about a similar matter. Just now, I have just finished telling everyone, but unexpectedly, you brought another one with you.

    As he spoke, he also briefly told Sun Shaozong the evil stories he had heard.

    It turned out that half a month ago, the cousin of a Concubine of Prince Zhongshun suddenly went crazy for some reason. He either fell asleep all day or chased and attacked others with sharp weapons. After seeing many doctors, he couldn''t improve his condition.

    There was no choice, and his family had to tie him to the bed, relying solely on maids and servants to serve him. However, within a few days, he passed away in a daze.

    It was later claimed that he was cursed by ghosts because he was too conceited in his day-to-day activities and unintentionally offended some experts.

    Everyone has already heard it once, but at that time, it was only a bizarre talk. Now, when listening to something similar, they couldnt help but feel a bit chilly. The time now was far from the Ghost Festival, how could it be that there were curses one after another?

    And those who were cursed were all officials and their families.

    Others are just listening, but Jia Rong was the timid master. He couldn''t help but shrink his neck and asked, "Lord Sun, they all say you can judge yang by day and yin by night. I wonder what preventive measures can be taken against this curse?

    Although Sun Shaozong didn''t look up to this guy, he couldn''t show himself too clearly in front of so many relatives. So he shook his head and smiled. "This is just a random transmission from the people in the market, how can we take it seriously? Besides, this method of preventing curses has long been passed down by our ancestors.

    Jia Rong was stunned at the words and inexplicably said, "What method is it? Why haven''t I heard of it?

    What else could it be?

    Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "It''s just being a good person and not doing bad things, and the sound of knocking on the door in the middle of the night shouldn''t startle you. This ghost story is often fabricated out of thin air. As long as you don''t have a guilty heart, what curse are you afraid of?

    As he spoke, he raised his glass high and said, "Stop talking about this. Come on, everyone, let''s drink a full glass first. Congratulations to Brother Xue on filling his official position.

    Everyone responded with a loud response, so Jia Rong couldn''t ask again, otherwise, wouldn''t he appear to have done a lot of harm?

    Afterward, as the banquet gradually deepened, everyone forgot about this episode. However, although Sun Shaozong didn''t mention it, in his heart, he felt that it was no coincidence that these two events had happened one after another.

    So when the scene ended, he went alone to find Jiang Yuhan, preparing to inquire about the identity of the cousin of the Concubine on that side to investigate the case together with Chen Bo.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked near Jiang Yuhan''s carriage, he saw Jia Baoyu holding hands with him, saying goodbye to each other, and Jiang Yuhan''s left hand even covered Jia Baoyu''s face, gently caressing.

 Chapter 300: The Capital under the Night

    Chapter 300: The Capital under the Night

    On the mid-day of the month.

    The carriage of Prince Zhongshuns Mansion was thick and wide, resembling the background of a stage play. While the carriage driver sat proudly on the shaft, dressed in a blue coat and a small hat, it looked as if he was covered in bright yellow.

    In this thick and arrogant corner that couldnt be touched temporarily, at that moment, there was a pair of people, forming a pair of shadows in the moonlight and darkness.

    He only saw two people with good looks!

    A voice that was delicate and tender, caressing and gentle, although it still carried a playful tone when rebuked, a frown that held spring, a face that looked like an autumn moon, and an eye that looked like an autumn wave. Although sometimes angry, it seemed like a smile, which was angry and affectionate.

    That delicate hand was like a flower, brushing through...

    Puke!

    He couldnt take it anymore.

    When Sun Shaozong saw this scene, the first thing he thought of was an alpaca. Yes, his heart seemed to be racing with countless grass-mud horses!

    He already has fairies like Sister Lin out there, and now he even has an affair with a cross-dresser?!

    What about the agreed relationship between life and death?!

    Has it already gone to waste with the chrysanthemums?!

    After living in this era for nearly two years, Sun Shaozong''s kindness towards men''s preferences for the same sex has become less discriminatory. After all, there were too many examples around him that couldnt be discriminated against.

    But a few days ago, Jia Baoyu even swore a solemn oath to Sister Lin, and the next moment...

    Oh dear

    Oh, my god

    That Jiang Yuhan even took off his pants!

    Are they going to have a battle here?!

    This

    Uh

    It turned out that he had untied the sweat scarf that was tied to his pants and given it to Jia Baoyu, who also untied his own one and gave it back to Jiang Yuhan.

    This was equivalent to two men swapping leather bands on their underwear.

    Sigh~

    It was disgusting!

    Sun Shaozong retreated two steps in disgust and decided to quietly leave here first and then look for opportunities to inquire about the details of that household from Jiang Yuhan in the future.

    However, as soon as he turned around and strode forward, not too far, he heard someone greet him, "Lord Sun, please stay.

    Sun Shaozong stopped to follow the sound and saw Wei Ruolan rushing up with a twisted expression.

    Looking at his flushed face. For a moment, Sun Shaozong thought he was about to confess to him!

    Looking back helplessly, he saw that the carriage of Prince Zhongshuns Mansion was no longer in sight. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Jiang Yuhan was not ready to give you another ride?

    Feeling the sarcastic tone in Sun Shaozong''s words, Jia Baoyu said awkwardly, "I have prepared my own carriage.

    Hiss.

    Sun Shaozong sneered, "Even the sweat scarf has been changed. What''s the point of changing a carriage?

    He had originally planned to wait for an opportunity to uncover this matter in the future, but since Baoyu took the initiative to find him, it would be better to be today than to collide with it.

    When Jia Baoyu heard him mention the exchange of sweat scarves, he immediately panicked, bowed, and said, "Good Brother, don''t misunderstand me. I just... I just got to know Brother Jiang at first sight and pitied him for being a handsome man but being treated as a plaything by the prince

    A plaything?

    Sun Shaozong interrupted his words with disdain and said, "You really have a big heart. Have you ever seen a man who let a plaything and his wife fool around?

    Prince Zhongshun clearly regarded him as flesh in his heart. It''s okay to make friends, but if you get too intimate..."

    Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu couldn''t help but angrily say, "Brother Jiang is also a man. How could he become the flesh of a man''s heart? Besides, has the Prince ever asked for his opinion?!

    Haha.

    Although this boy has grown a bit, once he met a high-looking man of both genders, he immediately returned to his true nature as a playboy.

    Do you think Prince Zhongshun needs to reason with him?

    Sun Shaozong said, "Besides, when you see that bearded man on the street, will he take off his pants and exchange sweatshirts with another man?

    "In the final analysis, you just dislike the old age of others. If Prince Zhoungshun was changed to a graceful, handsome man, would you still feel that they are not compatible?"

    Although Baoyu blushed with shame, he still felt a bit dissatisfied and resentful.

    Originally speaking of this, Sun Shaozong was no longer prepared to delve deeper into the conversation, but the thought of Lin Daiyu being truly pitiful... Currently, she only has Jia Baoyu to count on.

    So he said again, "Even now, I might as well tell you the truth. Jiang Yuhan''s ability to stand out in Prince Zhongshuns Mansion is not only due to his singing skills but also his male and female appearance.

    Those who were trampled on by him as stepping stones, those who were harmed by him lost their lives or even had a worse life than deaththere are too many to say, there are more than ten.

    This

    Jia Baoyu''s face suddenly changed color and he hesitated, saying, "Brother Jiang is like a jade. How could... How could..."

    Believe it or not.

    Sun Shaozong spread his hands and sneered again. "But if you continue to socialize with Jiang Yuhan, don''t blame me for telling Lady Lin about this.

    No! Never.

    Jia Baoyu suddenly became anxious and quickly bowed and begged, "Good Brother, please spare me this time. I will never have any private dealings with Brother Jiang again in the future. Please..."

    If he wouldnt socialize privately, did he still want to socialize openly?

    This kid was really a person who didn''t shed tears until he saw the coffin!

    Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly and said weakly, "Wait for two days, you can come to the Central Judicial Office, and then I''ll show you the real self of Jiang Yuhan.

 Chapter 301: The Daily Life in the Backyard of Sun Mansion

    Chapter 301: The Daily Life in the Backyard of Sun Mansion

    Leaving Dingxiang Tower, the carriage passed by the night full of moonlight back to the mansion; it was already around ten o''clock in the evening.

    The lights in the mansion have mostly gone out, but the Second Butler, Zhao Zhongji, has not slept yet.

    As soon as Sun Shaozong got out of the carriage, he quietly gathered up and said that in the evening, Jia Yun, a subsidiary of the Jia family, had come to meet him with a gift and waited in the living room for half an hour before leaving.

    The last time Sun Shaozong returned home with Yingchun, he said a few good words on behalf of Jia Yun. At that time, Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu promised to arrange a job for him. Now it seemed that they had already fulfilled their promise, so Jia Yun prepared the gift for his mansion.

    Looking at Jia Yuns obedience temperament, Jia Yun was a pity

    After speaking with Zhao Zhongji, Sun Shaozong hesitated slightly at the fork in the road and walked towards his own courtyard. He would definitely not be able to remain loyal, but he could still maintain his love for the new and the old.

    When he arrived at the courtyard, he saw that the lights were still on in both the western chamber and the hall.

    Sun Shaozong went first to the window of the western chamber and gently tapped on the edge of the window. When the sound of Xiangling''s inquiry came from inside, he raised his voice and ordered, "What time is it now? Hurry up and rest; it''s not too late to read your poem again tomorrow.

    Xiangling reluctantly agreed, and immediately a little maid entered the room and extinguished the lantern.

    This bookworm

    When she first got pregnant, she had already restrained herself for two months. Seeing her stomach getting bigger and bigger, she resumed her old ways and spent the whole day holding poetry in her hands.

    He heard the movement in the courtyard and saw Shiliu, dressed in clothes, coming out of the hall.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t speak either. He opened his arm towards her, and Shiliu immediately returned. Soon, she took out a lantern and shone it back and forth on him. She was reciting words. She was humming a nursery rhyme to dispel ghosts.

    Generally speaking, if there were children under the age of one at home and adults returned late, they should first remove the dirt from their bodies.

    Although Sun Shaozong was an atheist, he naturally didnt deliberately challenge such conventions.

    Therefore, obediently waiting for Shiliu to finish working, he picked up the curtain and went in. However, he was not in a hurry to find Ruan Rong but ran to the west room where his son was located first.

    After entering the door, he saw the nanny and child sleeping on the bed and another night maid sleeping on the floor in the corner.

    Although Sun Shaozong tiptoed to the bed, the nanny was still startled. This was also a necessary quality for the night nanny; otherwise, if the child woke up and she was still sleeping soundly, what was her use?

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong had arrived, the nanny quickly and silently saluted with her mouth.

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand to indicate that she didn''t need to move and then leaned forward to look at his son sleeping inside. He saw that the boy was sleeping soundly with his fists raised and smooth breathing; the soft part of his head was also slightly undulating.

    Perhaps sensing his father''s prying gaze, the little guy suddenly, with his eyes closed, shook his head, and his pink mouth clicked open and closed.

    Upon seeing this, the nanny quickly lifted the clothes she had already covered up, pulled out a swollen granary, and stuffed it into the child''s mouth.

    Not to mention how Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong transitioned from a family feud to a battle in bed.

    The candlelight in the main courtyard hall continued to shine until around midnight. Although Jia Yingchun didn''t say anything while sitting by the bedside, who couldn''t tell that she was waiting for Sun Shaozong to come?

    Just after 11 pm, Siqi came in with a yawn from outside. Seeing that the threads on Yingchun''s clothes had not moved, she couldn''t help but scold and say, "Xiuju, are you blind? It''s already late; why don''t you hurry up and serve the Madam to rest?

    As she spoke, she said to Yingchun, "After all, the Second Master also has a family. No matter how much he adores you, he cant come to accompany you every day.

    Yingchun''s face showed a blush of shame, and she hastily defended herself, "I just wanted to tell the Second Master about the matter entrusted by Sister-in-law, and I didn''t mean anything else.

    Siqi said, "Madam, don''t wait anymore. Tomorrow morning, I''ll find an excuse to go find the Second Master and tell him about this.

    At this moment, Xiuju came in holding a copper basin for washing. Upon hearing Siqi''s words, she felt a bit reluctant to get up. She placed the copper basin on the shelf, waiting for Yingchun to come forward and wash, and with a hint of hostility, she said, "Don''t bother Sister Siqi; I''ll go tell the Second Master. It will be the same too.

    You are going to inform the Second Master?

    Siqi gave her a contemptuous glance and sneered, "If you were to meet the Second Master, I''m afraid you wouldn''t have opened your mouth, but your two coquettish hooves.

    You, you

    Xiuju was so embarrassed that she stormed away.

    What are you trying to say?

    Siqi sneered and said, "Don''t think that if you climb onto the high branch of the Second Master, you can act highly in front of me. If you mess around and ruin the reputation of the Madam and Second Master, lets see who can spare you.

    Since giving up her body to Sun Shaozong, Xiuju has had the desire to compete with Siqi in her heart.

    But it shattered her mind when she was caught between the guns and the stick, and when she saw that Siqi was holding her chest and arms open with a reckless demeanor of being ready to fight till the end, she immediately became timid.

    Okay, thats enough.

    Jia Yingchun quickly became a peacemaker on the side and said, "Siqi, why don''t you go back to the Western Chamber and rest? Just let Xiuju here to serve.

    Siqi didn''t refuse, and with a twist of her buttocks, she left the hall.

    When she walked away, Xiu Ju stamped her feet angrily and said, "She just relied on the strength of her arm, she bullies people like this.

    After last night''s heart-to-heart communication, Yingchun was a bit more cheerful than usual. Upon hearing her complaints, she couldn''t help but tease and say, "Second Master also has two arms of strength. When he bullies you, why don''t you complain about something too?

    Madam!

    Xiuju was too shy, so she stepped forward and laughed with her into a mess.

 Chapter 302: The Master was Starved to Death After Teaching the Disciple

    Chapter 302: The Master was Starved to Death After Teaching the Disciple

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong broke free from his body entanglement with Ruan Rong and got up from bed. With the help of Shiliu and others, he had a simple breakfast and went to the west chamber to kiss his son, who was crying loudly. Only then did he prepare to be on duty in the Yamen with satisfaction.

    But as soon as he arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he saw a tall and sturdy figure welcoming him, bowing and greeting him, saying, "Greetings to the Second Master.

    Sun Shaozong then stood still and casually asked, "What happened? Does Sister-in-law have any instructions?

    Siqi respectfully said, "Actually, it''s the Second Madam Lian from Rongguo Mansion. Yesterday, she entrusted the Madam to discuss a business with our mansion. I should have discussed this matter with the Eldest Master first. However, the Eldest Master has been on duty recently, and my Madam is afraid of delaying the business, so she asked me to inform you first.

    As she spoke, she briefly recounted what Wang Xifeng had said about the timber business. It was some repeatedly used trick of Sun Shaozong but with some modifications made to the details, as the Sun family lost a third of their profits out of thin air.

    In fact, the reason Wang Xifeng wanted to negotiate this business through Jia Yingchun was not to deceive Sun Shaozong but to privately reach a deal with his Big Brother. In the case of the Sun brothers, this idea was also unrealistic.

    Her idea was that no matter how much her Brother or Sister-in-law said, they were much closer to each other than her Brother-in-law. As long as she maintained the key relationship with Jia Yingchun, it wouldnt be difficult to exclude Sun Shaozong from the core circle.

    As for asking Sun Shaozong to help or something, Wang Xifeng couldn''t help but beg for it.

    However, she did not realize that Sun Shaozong had become Jia Yingchun''s closest person, not to mention his Big Brother and Sister-in-law. Even his father, Jia She, was much worse than him.

    Sun Shaozong naturally knew about Wang Xifeng''s plan for a long time, but in order not to expose Ping''er as an insider, he pretended to ponder for a while before sneering and saying, "Second Sister-in-law indeed has a good plan! You go back and tell your Madam that this matter will be decided after I discuss it with Big Brother!

    After sending away the somewhat confused Siqi, Sun Shaozong temporarily forgot about this matter.

    He was originally anxious about this matter because he was worried that Wang Xifeng might not be interested. Now that Wang Xifeng has taken the initiative to attack, it was better to leave her to ponder for a while first, so that she wouldnt think he has no other choices and would take them for granted.

    Anyway, the most important part of Yingchun had already been cleared by him, and even if Wang Xifeng tried any scheme, it was ultimately in vain.

    When Sun Shaozong hadnt sat for long, Zhao Wuwei calmly approached him and reported the latest progress in yesterday''s Chen Zhu case or rather, the current situation of no progress.

    After a thorough search, Sun Shaozong didn''t even find a trace of what he had explained, but he solved several cases of petty theft.

    In addition, after the mat was sent to the pharmacy, except for some eyesight from looking at a retard, it also received nothing.

    Seeing that there was no progress in either direction, Sun Shaozong asked again, "Concubine Su usually has dealings with those monks and Taoist priests. Have you ever questioned them?

    If it were true, as Sun Shaozong suspected, that what was pressing under the mattress was some kind of hallucinogenic poison, it would be difficult for a woman like Concubine Su to plant it alone. Therefore, there was a high possibility that her accomplice was among the frequent monks and Taoists.

    Sun Shaozong was a bit puzzled at first, but then suddenly remembered someone. He suddenly said, "Are you talking about Miaoyu the nun? She comes often, but she''s not looking for me, but someone else.

    As he spoke, he reached out and pointed towards the east courtyard.

    Brother Wei.

    Guessing the person Sun Shaozong was referring to, Baoyu was immediately taken aback and furrowed his thick eyebrows, muttering, "Brother Wei and Sister Miaoyu are implicated in one place. Perhaps it''s a bit inappropriate?

    Upon hearing him say this, Sun Shaozong''s heart was moved and he quickly pretended to be calm with a smile, saying, "They are in love with each other. Why does it even cause you to worry?

    Even if they are both willing to, I won''t allow it.

    Jia Baoyu immediately shook his head like a rattle drum and said, "The Wei family has been busy lately. They are arranging for Sister Xiangyun as a wife for Brother Wei. How can he hang out with Sister Miaoyu so often at this time?

    If it were a common pursuit of flowers and willows, Jia Baoyu might not care, but Miaoyu was also a serious Official Lady and couldnt be a Concubine to anyone!

    Upon hearing his words, Sun Shaozong suddenly realized that the Wei family was planning to arrange a marriage with the Shi family!

    In the beginning, the Shi family had revealed some rumors that they wanted to marry the Sun family. Although Sun Shaozong thought that Shi Xiangyun was too young and pretended to be deaf and dumb, he knew the benefits of marrying Shi Xiangyun.

    No wonder last night, Wei Ruolan suddenly demanded peace. At this crucial moment, naturally, stability was over everything!

    After clearing up the matter, Sun Shaozong immediately put on a look of righteous indignation and said angrily, "Is there such a thing?! That Xiangyun girl, whose parents died in childhood, is the most lonely. I never expected to meet such a half-hearted young man when he is discussing marriage now.

    As he spoke, he sighed and said, "Unfortunately, she doesn''t have serious parents or brothers; otherwise, she wouldn''t have ignored this.

    Xiangyun and Baoyu are also childhood sweethearts, and their relationship might not necessarily be inferior to that of their true siblings.

    It was precisely because Sun Shaozong knew this that he deliberately used words to provoke Baoyu. Despite his desire to provoke him, he went to the East Cross Courtyard to find Wei Ruolan and said that as long as there was a stir, the marriage between the Shi and Wei families would naturally become intertwined.

    Unexpectedly, Jia Baoyu''s face changed a few times. Suddenly, he solemnly bowed to Sun Shaozong and said in a deep voice, "I will definitely find Brother Wei to inquire about it in the future. Please don''t spread this matter to others, so as not to cause any trouble.

    Sun Shaozong, "...

    This was really the saying that the Master would starve to death after teaching the disciples. If it weren''t for Sun Shaozong waking him up several times, how could he have thought so comprehensively?!

 Chapter 303: Every Family Has a Skeleton in the Cupboard

    Chapter 303: Every Family Has a Skeleton in the Cupboard

    After serving as his advisor for so long, Sun Shaozong had always had a downcast attitude toward Jia Baoyu. At present, he couldn''t help but choke on a single sentence he said and was stunned for a moment.

    And he almost lost it; that made Baoyu almost catch his expression!

    Fortunately, at this moment, Cheng Rixing hurried back with several volumes in hand.

    Master, I have already found what you want.

    As he spoke, he bowed to Jia Baoyu and said, "Second Master Bao, we haven''t seen each other for some time, right?

    Cheng Rixing used to be a protege of the powerful who stayed with his benefactor like a parasite at Jia Zheng''s side, but now he worked as a private advisor under Sun Shaozong. Although his status has not been very high, he has a certain influence on the host family.

    Therefore, Jia Baoyu didn''t dare to put on a manner. He quickly returned the greeting and casually smiled. "Why do you seem to be in a hurry, Master Cheng?

    Its all because of you.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong finally regained his composure and calmly took over the few volumes, saying, "Let''s go in and talk.

    As he spoke, he walked straight into the room.

    Upon seeing this, Baoyu immediately remembered his purpose and quickly followed in with an apologetic smile.

    After entering the door, Sun Shaozong picked up a volume of files and quickly flipped them over on the desk. After a while, he pointed to the text on a certain page and said, "Here, come and take a look.

    Jia Baoyu had already been extremely curious and quickly approached to carefully examine the situation.

    But on that page, it was written in regular script, In the spring of the eighth year of Guangde, Hong Guan''er, a performer from the Princes Residence, fell into a well and died. After investigation, it was purely an accident and there was no secret information.

    As soon as Baoyu finished reading this paragraph, Sun Shaozong immediately turned to the next page and pointed to the top row, saying, "Look at this again.

    In the summer of the eighth year of Guangde, Xi Guan''er, a performer from the Princes Residence, suddenly died due to an emergency, and there was no secret investigation.

    And here.

    In the autumn of the eighth year of Guangde, Zhang Shi, a musician from the Prince''s Residence, hanged himself and found no secret information.

    In half a year, three lives were lost in a row, and there were no secrets found three in a row!

    Jia Baoyu''s hair stood on end as if he had understood something, but he couldn''t think it through. Therefore, he asked in a stern voice, "What''s the connection between this... and Brother Jiang?

    He originally thought that Sun Shaozong would continue to analyze like before, but to his surprise, Sun Shaozong shook his head and calmly uttered three words, "I don''t know.

    Sigh~

    Sun Shaozong sighed and handed over the other two volumes, gesturing for Jia Baoyu to look through them on his own.

    However, Jia Baoyu didn''t need to look through it. He only saw the six characters Rongguo Mansion and Ningguo Mansion on the cover of the dossier, and his eyes were already wide open!

    It took him a long time to tremble and reach out his hand, gripping a corner of the cover of the Rongguo Mansion file. The thin piece of paper seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in his hand, trembling and struggling for a long time, but it remained motionless.

    Alright, since you''re afraid to read, don''t read.

    Sun Shaozong patted him on the shoulder again and said helplessly, "Actually, these dark and private matters are indispensable in any big house. Not to mention you and me, even the Emperor from ancient times to modern times, we can only turn a blind eye to these things.

    After a few words of relief, Baoyu felt relieved, but he didnt dare touch those two volumes anymore.

    Sun Shaozong poured two more cups of tea, handed him one, and said, "Let''s suppress the shock. This tea is still from Uncle

    Who knew that before he could finish a sentence, he heard the commotion outside.

    Im wronged, My Lord.

    Please return justice to me, Lord Sun.

    Lord Sun...

    Upon hearing this news, it seemed that a group of women were shouting grievances outside.

    The problem was that even if someone shouted grievances, they should have shouted outside the office door. Why did they run into the courtyard?

    One should know that the courtyard of the Criminal Department was not open to anyone!

    Sun Shaozong was puzzled and quickly placed the teacup on the table, leading Baoyu out of the room.

    Upon arriving in the living room, he saw Cheng Rixing also holding the curtain and looking out curiously.

    Sun Shaozong then asked, "Private Advisor Cheng, what''s going on outside?

    Cheng Rixing glanced at them again, then turned around and said, unsure, "Master, I took a look at those women who were crying out for injustice; they were like the female jailer in the house arrest facility.

    Why did the female jailer in the house arrest come here to complain?

    Sun Shaozong first felt inexplicable and then suddenly realized that Miaoyu had just arrived; perhaps it was because of he

 Chapter 304: Mourning and Revealing the False Compassion of a Nun [(1)]

    Chapter 304: Mourning and Revealing the False Compassion of a Nun [(1)]

    When it came to the emotions of this young man, they would come and go quickly.

    Just now, due to his first encounter with the dark side of society, Jia Baoyu''s emotions were extremely low. In the blink of an eye, he heard that the female prisoner was shouting injustice outside, and he immediately became excited again.

    He was rubbing his hands and preparing to go out with Sun Shaozong to clarify right and wrong. Unexpectedly, Sun Shaozong hesitated a bit and turned his head back inside.

    Baoyu was momentarily dumbfounded and hurriedly chased in, only to see Sun Shaozong sitting back behind the table, blowing the tea stems floating from the celadon cup with a leisurely appearance.

    Second Brother.

    Jia Baoyu became increasingly puzzled and exclaimed, "There are people shouting grievances outside. Why do you act like you have nothing to do?

    Sun Shaozong smiled slightly, lowered his head, and took two sips of tea before calmly saying, "Why are you in a hurry? The people who should be here at the moment are not all here yet. How can you tell right or wrong by just listening to one family''s words?

    Besides, there are over a hundred people from all levels of the Criminal Department. Do they still need me to personally attend to everything?

    Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Rixing came in and reported, "Master, Lord Lin has come forward to inquire about the situation with those female prisoners.

    Although this statement confirmed Sun Shaozong''s view, as soon as Baoyu heard that he had already started questioning, he sat restlessly and looked at Sun Shaozong''s expectant expression.

    Sun Shaozong waved helplessly and said, "If you want to listen, go out and listen. Don''t create trouble with me.

    Thank you very much for your understanding, Second Brother.

    Baoyu arched his hand with a smile, and then he darted out like a monkey.

    When he reached the courtyard, he saw several women who looked like mud monkeys kneeling in front of Lin Delu, crying and complaining. Their bodies were sticky and greasy, and he didn''t know what they were contaminated with.

    Lin Delu saw that it was Jia Baoyu coming out from inside, so he stood up and saluted. Baoyu quickly frowned, gestured to him not to speak up, and quietly approached to listen.

    He then heard the women complaining, "I said this was not appropriate, but the Young Abbess insisted on letting those three prostitutes out. Moreover, she has the warrant of the Assistant Magistrate.

    When the lewd nun came out the first two times, she was honest and even talked and laughed with us.

    Who would have thought that this time, when she saw an opportunity, she wanted to harm someone?"

    Thanks to my quick hand and eyes, I hugged the lewd nun around my waist, and that''s how the Young Abbess didn''t get hurt.

    We saw the lustful nun struggling fiercely, scratching and biting recklessly, so we came forward together to help. We didn''t know how it happened, but the lustful nun suddenly had a miscarriage.

    Such a big child; it fell to the ground with a flesh-like thud, and the amniotic fluid and blood were splashing.

    Before the arrival of the person, the scolding sound of carrying a gun and a stick filled everyone''s ears, and he said, "You guys have neglected your duty, causing that nun to die without saying anything. Even Lady Miaoyu almost encountered an accident! If I dont punish you severely, it would have been an extralegal leniency. How dare you come to the Criminal Justice Department to turn black into white?

    As he spoke, Wei Ruolan approached with a murderous aura. He looked at the woman on the ground coldly and said, "Do you think I would not dare to kill you?

    He shouted to kill her, and behind him were several healthy servants swinging their horse whips with a clattering sound. They were scared, and several female prisoners kowtowed like garlic, saying, We don''t dare.

    Wei Ruolan raised his eyebrows again and pointed to the door, shouting, "Since you dont dare, why don''t you get out of here.

    With this sound, three out of the five female prisoners got up and ran out, while the remaining two refused to leave. Instead, they banged their heads and turned their mouths over to plead, "Please forgive me! I cant lose this job! Please forgive me!

    Just looking at the appearance of not knowing death," one knew there must be hidden feelings behind it.

    But when the temper of Young Master Wei Ruolan rose, could he care about it so much?

    Seeing these two women, his threat turned into a breeze in their ears. He immediately rolled up his sleeve and ordered in anger, "Someone, tie these two wicked women and send them to prison for custody.

    The left and right attendants suddenly agreed, carrying a whip and waiting to pick up the person.

    Brother Wei, I think we should

    Wait a minute.

    Baoyu saw that the two women were pounding their heads and bleeding blood, and his heart felt a bit unbearable. As he was about to plead for their mercy, Sun Shaozong suddenly lifted the door curtain and exited the hall. He asked in a deep voice, "I don''t know what charges you would impose on these two people, Assistant Magistrate Wei.

    Wei Ruolan had already guessed that Sun Shaozong would definitely be unable to resist appearing, so upon hearing his questioning coldly, he was not very flustered.

    He tilted his nose slightly and sneered, "Isn''t this accusation obvious? Of course, it''s corruption and dereliction of duty that led to the early death of the prisoner in charge.

    Is there any evidence?

    The body of that lewd nun is material evidence, and Lady Miaoyu is the testimony.

    Not to mention, Wei Ruolan''s mouth was still quite sharp, and there was not a trace of disadvantage in the dialogue.

    At that moment, a woman suddenly walked in outside the gate, dressed in a peach-patterned lady''s skirt with a blue background and a cherry red tie, with a butterfly knot on her slender waist. She appeared playful and bright.

    The only thing that was not very appropriate was the chest. The two tightly raised mounds, with Sun Shaozong''s sharp eyes, even showed some indescribable details.

    And this woman was not someone else, but the witness, Miaoyu!

    Seeing her as if she were walking with the willows, timid and trembling, she didnt look like a nun. She clearly looked like a female swordsman who was accustomed to tapping fat and sucking marrow!

 Chapter 305: Mourning and Revealing the False Compassion of a Nun [(2)]

    Chapter 305: Mourning and Revealing the False Compassion of a Nun [(2)]

    Miaoyu was usually the most joyful and clean, but now that she has been contaminated with many impurities, how could she tolerate it?

    Naturally, she replaced her clothes as soon as possible.

    It was also the first time Jia Baoyu seeing Miaoyu dressed up as a layman.

    Especially the ready-made clothes she bought temporarily were slightly smaller, which could only wrap around the real material, making her original worldly temperament instantly bright and charming to the extreme.

    It was precisely this strong contrast that added a unique flavor to her already stunning appearance.

    Others were just fine, but Baoyu saw that her face was pale and timid, not as free and easy as before. He immediately fell into the old habit of loving and cherishing jade again. He calmly approached her and asked with concern, "Good sister, you were scared

    As he spoke, he stomped his foot again and said, "If I had known about this disaster earlier, I would have taken a few steps to protect you.

    Although Miaoyu was still in shock, upon hearing his sincere words, she still smiled and said, "Since it is a disaster, how can it be easily avoided?

    Jia Baoyu still had a few words with her, but Wei Ruolan beside him couldn''t wait anymore. He raised his voice and urged, "Lady Miaoyu, please expose the faces of these naughty women normally.

    As he spoke, he gave Sun Shaozong a sidelong glance and sneered, "It also saves you from being suspicious and playing the role of the Heavenly Master over there, Lord Sun.

    Miaoyu had originally seen two female prison guards with a mournful and miserable appearance and hesitated a bit. However, upon hearing Wei Ruolan''s urging, her heart hardened again.

    Lord Sun.

    As she met Sun Shaozong''s scrutinizing gaze, she firmly raised her head and lifted her cherry lips, saying, "I swear in the name of Buddha, every word spoken today is true. Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    Before I went to the house arrest, they would wash the child''s body every few days. But since I asked them to wash the child, if I didn''t give them enough money, they wouldn''t do anything.

    Afterward, these women often cleverly claimed bribes, and when there was slight discomfort, they were full of foul language and sarcastic remarks...

    It''s unjust!

    When the two prison guards heard this, they immediately called out injustice and said, What position are we in? How dare we speak foul language to the Young Abbess? This is really a great injustice!

    Miaoyu gave her both a slanted glance, and her tone became even colder. "How much difference can there be between pointing mulberry leaves, cursing locusts, and directly insulting them?

    Not to mention these old stories, during today''s visit to the prison, as I only donated half a string of copper coins, you gathered together and said some sour words, regardless of the whereabouts of the wise and virtuous nun. That''s what happened later.

    Speaking of this, she said with some righteous indignation, "Although the child wanted to murder at the beginning, she was quickly restrained, but you guys didn''t give up and rushed forward to kick her.

    I clearly told you to stop immediately at that time, but you kept venting on her until... Until her stomach

    Speaking of this, she couldn''t help but recall the situation where the fetus, who was pinkish but was covered in dirt, pus, and blood, was forced into her arms, and for a moment, she felt a tumultuous sensation in her stomach.

    It is naturally not fake.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "I have never said that they are not innocent. But are they the only ones responsible for today''s loss?

    If that smart child has been locked up in the cell all along, how could there be a chance of deliberately hurting someone? How could there be..."

    Lord Sun.

    Sun Shaozong was talking incessantly on the steps, but below, Miaoyu couldn''t help but plead in a coquettish voice, "Don''t forget, this matter was originally approved by you.

    I approved it? Haha.

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and then lowered his face and asked, "Why dont you tell me, how did I approve it?

    You asked me to draft a statement and hand it over to the Criminal Department before making a final decision.

    In the beginning, Miaoyu was filled with righteous indignation, but by the time she reached the words make a final conclusion again, her momentum had already declined to the bottom. She didn''t think much at the time, but now, after careful consideration, she didnt have proof of him agreeing to this statement.

    Ha

    Sun Shaozong gave a fake smile and said with a burning gaze, "I originally wanted to consult one or two to see if it was feasible, but I didn''t promise to comply.

    Moreover, I have never seen this statement afterward, let alone who exactly approved it.

    Speaking of this, he suddenly raised his tone and said angrily, "You are an outsider, and its fine if you have no idea how serious this matter is! But as an official of the Criminal Department, this person regards national laws as a joke and is the culprit behind this case.

    Assistant Magistrate Wei!

    He turned his gaze to Wei Ruolan and said solemnly, "Since you have the intention to thoroughly investigate this case, remember to bring this person out and punish them heavily together with these prisoners.

    I... I

    Wei Ruolan''s small white face, now swollen with the color of pig liver, seemed to not know how to refute it.

    As Miaoyu saw that she was about to implicate him, she quickly straightened her chest and said, "I wrote this statement, and the person who allowed it was also out of kindness and good deeds. If you want to pursue it, only punish me.

    Sun Shaozong silently watched the two mounds on her chest for a while before shaking his head and sighing. "The biggest problem with your statement is that you didn''t take these prisoners into account equally.

    Imagine, you''ve caused them so much extra trouble, but the money you''ve given them is getting less and less. How can they not complain?

    You can be kind to the three insane nuns in all possible ways, but how can you not treat these prison guards with even the slightest bit of care?

    After all, you just acted according to your preferences and have nothing to do with any compassion.

 Chapter 306: Spring Outing

    Chapter 306: Spring Outing

    He didnt know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

    The case of one corpse and two lives for the smart child had just erupted, and the next moment, he welcomed the Inspector from the Ministry of Justice. The corpse was still under house arrest, making it difficult to conceal.

    Wei Ruolan''s identity was not comparable to others, and the two doctors had scruples and didnt dare to delve deeper. Otherwise, this single malady alone would be enough for him to have a good drink.

    But word of his carelessness and vulnerability to women''s charms slowly got out across the Capital.

    The historians'' attitude towards this rumor was currently unknown to Sun Shaozong, but Wei Ruolan''s reputation as a young hero has at least been compromised.

    And the name of Miaoyu also spread along with this rumor, saying that she had false compassion, sighed about her good intentions and bad deeds, and was also infatuated with her beauty and talent.

    There was even an unnamed, sour scholar who wrote a judgment and gave it to her. It went as:

    If you want to be clean, you may not be empty in the clouds. Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    Poor gold and jade quality, eventually sinking into the mud.

    It was said that after reading this poem, Miaoyu felt as if she had been slapped in the face, and she was so depressed that she was thinking about it the entire time without eating for several days.

    After dealing with two consecutive days of the prison litigation review, on the second day of April, Sun Shaozong got up early from Yingchuns bed and quietly went into his study to discuss with his Big Brother how to sing the double reed, to gain more benefits from Wang Xifeng.

    It wasn''t until dawn that he bid farewell to his Big Brother and hurriedly went to the backyard.

    Knowing that they were going to have a spring outing today, several little servant girls packed up early in the morning and were sitting around the pavilion in the Northwest Angle, chirping and laughing.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong coming in from outside, they hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

    Learning to sing opera has its advantages, and their voice was noticeably more pleasing than before.

    Of course, the maids in this courtyard have all been eliminated, and the ones who truly have a talent for singing no longer have to serve people. He has already set aside a separate courtyard for their daily practice.

    When Sun Shaozu got married a few days ago, it was at a concert where a few little girls and Liu Xianglian sang on stage. It was probably a self-deprecating identity. Jiang Yuhan easily wouldn''t sing a concert outside.

    But when he entered the hall, he saw Xiangling with a big belly chatting with Shiliu. Sun Shaozong approached her and gently touched her lower abdomen, jokingly saying, "I don''t know if this bulging thing is a child or a belly full of talent.

    Shiliu covered her mouth and said, "The child may be a literary and musical star who can write poetry.

    Bingo!

    Instead, a sharp arrow suddenly shot out of the forest, directly nailing the rabbit to the ground.

    But

    Listening to this voice, she was also a woman!

    Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong looked curiously and saw a handsome horse breaking out of the forest, on top of which was a handsome female knight.

    Sun Shaozong took a glance and his gaze was drawn to the legs of the female knight. As she was riding a horse for hunting, she was wearing close-fitting pants, revealing her crazy long legs without reservation!

    In terms of length alone, Siqi might be able to compete with this woman in terms of height, but with the stunning lines and contours of her legs, Siqi was out of reach.

    Besides, this woman''s facial features were also first-class, and Ruan Rong in Sun Shaozong''s arms could say that each has its own victory.

    After the woman jumped out of the forest, she roared after more than ten riders, which showed it was an army of women!

    One of the riders picked up the wild rabbit, and the army women cheered for a moment. However, the long-legged woman didnt react at all. Her narrow phoenix eyes only circled back and forth on Sun Shaozong.

    After a long time, she suddenly aimed at Sun Shaozong and pulled the bowstring around. With a hollow shot, she led the group of women without saying a word and roared into the forest.

    Tch!

    If it had been just speculation before, with this false arrow, Sun Shaozong could already determine the identity of this woman. Besides the Princess Consort of Prince Beijing, the Sister of Wei Ruolan, who other long-legged young woman had this aura and wished she could shoot him to death with one arrow?!

    Speaking of the old rascal Prince Zhongshun, he still has some foresight. If the legs of Princess Consort Wei were wrapped around his waist, it would be

    What bad thing are you thinking?

    Ruan Rong felt some restlessness behind her and couldn''t help but become coquettish and angry.

    Uh

    Sun Shaozong lightly scratched his head and then chuckled again. "It''s nothing. It''s just that I suddenly remembered a strange anecdote about Imperial Concubine Yang and Emperor Tang on horseback. Why dont we find a place where no one is around, and I''ll tell you a good story?

    Bah~ Don''t fool around.

    Upon hearing this, Ruan Rong knew it wasn''t a good idea. She nudged him on the ribs and scolded, "Why don''t you hurry up and find some decent prey? Sister Xiangling is still waiting.

 Chapter 307: Gift Packs

    Chapter 307: Gift Packs

    The wheels rolled and walked, meandering towards the sunset.

    The carriage, which had been under the sun all day, was filled with the smell of sunlight. Sun Shaozong rested on Ruan Rong''s thigh, placed his hand on Xiangling''s lower abdomen, and felt the joyful rhythm of life. His whole person felt lazy as if he were about to melt away.

    Master.

    Ruan Rong tore apart and reorganized Sun Shaozong''s bun while curiously inquiring, "Have there been any results from that recent curse case?

    Since she became pregnant with her son last year, her interest in solving cases has greatly diminished. When asked about the curse case, she was more interested in the affairs of gods and ghosts than curious about the progress of the case.

    What can the outcome be?

    Sun Shaozong didn''t even bother to lift his eyelids and muttered, "Currently, Cheng Rixing, Lin Delu, and others have advised me to just close the case. Anyway, the Chen family has already recognized it.

    He originally intended to start with another curse case and conduct a joint investigation.

    Unexpectedly, yesterday afternoon, he finally took the time to inquire with Jiang Yuhan and found out that the daughter-in-law of the concubine had escorted the body back to their hometown in the south for burial three days ago.

    How could this person be investigated together when the building was empty?

    In addition, the Chen family''s case appeared to have solid evidence and facts on the surface. The murderer has already gone crazy and wouldnt actively argue about anything. Therefore, Lin Delu and others advised Sun Shaozong to simply close the case.

    To be honest, not every case by Sun Shaozong must be brought to light; after all, even in the modern era of advanced technology, murder cases must be solved was just a slogan, not a 100% fact.

    But he always felt that this case might not stop

    Theyre fighting, theyre fighting!

    Soldiers are fighting on their own.

    Sun Shaozong was pondering the case when he heard a commotion outside.

    Ruan Rong curiously opened a gap in the curtains and saw many people bustling around the city gate not far ahead.

    As soon as the road ahead was blocked, the driver controlled the carriage and slowly stopped by the roadside. The male servants, who were riding horses to guard the two sides, immediately stepped out of the crowd and rushed to the front to inquire about the situation.

    Not long after, someone replied, "Second Master, it was the officers and soldiers guarding the city who had a conflict with the people of the Shenji Camp. They didn''t fight but pushed each other at the city gate.

    It was indeed related to Shenji Camp again.

    As soon as Sun Shaozong heard that there was a fight, as a soldier, he estimated that it couldnt be separated from the Shenji Camp. In the past month or so, there has been a conflict between Shenji Camp and the other three major camps, which has caused Minister Han a lot of trouble.

    After investigation, naturally, its root cause was closely related to the series of reforms promoted by Emperor Guangde.

    Following the changes in military ranks and titles last autumn, Emperor Guangde recently took a sudden initiative to elevate the position of the Shenji Camp in the Capital''s four battalions. It was said that it would at least be on par with the Huben Camp and might even leap to become the leader of the Forbidden Army.

    This was not like ordinary criminal proceedings, where one was properly sandwiched between the two ends.

    I guess it''s almost settled.

    He then heard Sun Shaozu saying, "When I went to the Prince''s Residence earlier, Prince Zhongshun leaked some information, saying that the Shenji Camp was going to be brought to Jinmen Mansion for reorganization and that some new firearms would need to be replaced in batches.

    Speaking of this, he carefully glanced outside the door and confirmed that there was no one around. Then he lowered his voice and said, "I also heard that these new firearms were obtained from Prince Yizhong. It took a lot of effort to imitate more than a hundred.

    Tch!

    It was estimated that the Guangde Emperor picked up a stroke of luck during the hot air balloon incident.

    Engaging in business, upgrading technology, developing firearms...

    The actions of Prince Yizhong were like those of the protagonist of the ordinary traveler.

    Unfortunately, he learned the main character''s series of skills and tricks but didnt have the luck of the Dragon. In the end, he made a fool of himself and even gave a super big gift package to Emperor Guangde.

    He didnt know what technological level the new type of firearm was at, but regardless of its level, it would take at least two to three years before it could be officially put into use on the battlefield.

    At that time, they could catch up with Wang Ziteng''s Southeast War

    By the way

    As he was daydreaming, his Big Brother suddenly changed his tone and said, "I heard from Siqi that the little girl from the Shi family also looks excellent. Instead of taking advantage of the little forgetful bastard from the Wei family, how about we take action first?

    As he spoke, he frowned and winked at Sun Shaozong, the meaning being self-evident.

    Sun Shaozong''s face suddenly collapsed. Shi Xiangyun''s appearance and background were naturally not to be chosen. It was said that she was lively and cheerful, but the problem was that she was younger than Lin Daiyu, and she was not even thirteen years old at the moment!

    Such a little girl, it was really

    What?

    Marry home first, raise for two years, eat, live, and peel?

    Is he joking?

    It was already on the tip of his tongue; how could Sun Shaozong still hold back?

    He was not the kind of person with a strong willpower, who could be strict with himself without legal constraints!

    So it was best not to trouble himself.

    However, as soon as Sun Shaozong was about to plead, he heard footsteps outside. Immediately after, Zhao Zhongji reported that three young nephews had something to ask for.

 Chapter 308: Boiled Frog in Warm Water

    Chapter 308: Boiled Frog in Warm Water

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong arrived in the main hall of the Criminal Department.

    A courtyard with two entrances is enough, as long as one can move in as soon as possible. The location should not be too remote. If it is near the Northwest of the inner city, it would be best.

    Lin Delu transcribed Sun Shaozong''s repeated requests one by one on paper, carefully confirmed them, and then patted his chest and said, "Don''t worry, My Lord. We, the people in the Criminal Department, will be able to find a suitable house.

    Last night, Sun Chengye, Yu Qian, and Sun Chengtao went to talk to him about buying a property.

    Sun Chengye has decided to stay in the Capital for the exam and was preparing to pick up his family to come to the capital. He would naturally not be able to stay with his uncle at that time.

    As for Yu Qian, although he was somewhat vague, Minister Wang had leaked the news and stated that he would secretly help him stay in the Capital to serve. Therefore, Yu Qian was also preparing to bring in his family and settle in the Capital.

    As for Sun Chengtao

    He had no intention of buying a house in the Capital, but it was highly likely that he would move to Sun Chengye''s house.

    Sun Shaozong and his Big Brother symbolically retained a few words and then asked them in detail about their requirements for buying a house.

    His Big Brother was mostly on duty outside the city, with the majority of soldiers in his hands. It was naturally more convenient for Sun Shaozong to inquire about the situation in the city.

    So when he arrived at the Yamen early this morning, Sun Shaozong called for Lin Delu and briefly repeated the request, so that the clerks below could help pay attention.

    But when Lin Delu hurriedly went to the East Cross Courtyard and conveyed Sun Shaozong''s latest instructions, Cheng Rixing waited for the opportunity to enter the inner room.

    Master.

    He then heard him saying, "Have you ever heard of the incident where Second Master Bao was scalded? Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    Jia Baoyu got burned?

    Sun Shaozong quickly asked, "When did it happen? Is it serious?

    I heard he was burned on the night of the first day of the lunar new year, but it''s not very serious. It''s just that his face was burned with lamp oil, and I don''t know if it''ll leave any scars now.

    Cheng Rixing spoke with a hint of regret and an unbearable expression on his face.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t feel any impatience. On the contrary, he even felt that if Jia Baoyu really broke his appearance, it might be great news for Lin Daiyu. At least in the future, there wasnt a need to worry anymore. This guy was like a teddy, flirting between men and women.

    Of course, this could only be a thought in his heart, but it was not easy to comment on this.

    Moreover, he didn''t know about this matter, but now that he knew about it, he couldn''t help but pay a visit.

    So Sun Shaozong ordered the duty attendants to go to Sun Mansion to collect some nourishing herbs, as he prepared to leave the office early in the afternoon to visit Rongguo Mansion.

    Fu Shi''s eyes were wide open with anger, and only after a while did he squeeze a word out of his teeth, Speak!

    Sun Shaozong said, "Actually, it was my distant nephews who gained fame and wanted to settle down in the Capital.

    I believe that you have a wide connection on normal days, so I would like you to help pay attention and see if there are suitable secondary courtyards that can be moved in as soon as possible. The location should not be too biased; it will be best if the location is in the northwest of the inner city.

    He kept talking about the purchasing indicators here, but Fu Shi became more and more confused as he listened. He collected the evidence of his shortcomings so hard to ask him to help keep an eye on the house?

    Wasnt this too absurd?

    If he directly asked for two houses, Fu Shi thought it would be more reliable!

    So Fu Shi couldn''t help but question, "What... What the hell do you mean?

    Sun Shaozong was puzzled and said, "Am I not clear enough? Or is it that you are not willing to help even with this small favor?

    I

    Fu Shi stared at Sun Shaozong as if he could tell what kind of tricks he was playing, but how could he see through Sun Shaozong''s calm and confident face?

    Besides, paying attention to the house was not a big deal, especially since it was just a matter of paying attention and not saying that he definitely must help find the house. It was not a big deal to deal with it in person, but to work behind the scenes without effort.

    With such thoughts in mind, Fu Shi said, "If it were just such a small matter, I wouldn''t refuse.

    After speaking, he couldn''t help but ask again, "Is there anything else besides that?

    After receiving a positive answer, Fu Shi hurriedly left with a sense of relief.

    Sun Shaozong, on the other hand, only saw him leave the courtyard of the Criminal Investigation Department before a cold smirk burst out on his lips.

    Although the matter of Fu Shi''s embezzlement of the Ma family''s land could be considered a pretext, if he wanted to use it as a basis to blackmail him to betray Jia Yucun and become Sun Shaozong''s henchman completely, it might still be a considerable loss of weight.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong prepared to cook frogs in warm water, arrange some trivial matters for him first, and then gradually...

    Dong Dong Dong, Dong Dong, Dong Dong!

    Suddenly, a dull drumming sound came from ahead, and the smile on Sun Shaozong''s lips suddenly collapsed.

    Since he was promoted to the position, the drum of grievances in this government office has repeatedly sounded. If there were any major cases, he could naturally resolve them, but most of them were civil disputes that involved mutual disputes, which was really annoying.

    But since someone has beaten a drum to complain, how could he ignore it?

    Sigh~

    He sighed and shouted, "Private Advisor Cheng, go and gather all the people and prepare the court for questioning.

 Chapter 309: The Magic of the Nightmare Where the Siblings Meet the 5 Ghosts [(1)]

    Chapter 309: The Magic of the Nightmare Where the Siblings Meet the 5 Ghosts [(1)]

    Sun Shaozong spent most of his time sorting out a confused lawsuit, he couldnt even have a decent lunch.

    When Sun Shaozong returned to the back office and saw that it was getting late, he left Lin Delu to handle the files and hurriedly left the office carrying seven or eight packs of supplements.

    When he came, he only rode a horse alone as it was convenient, but now, with all these burdens, it was not as convenient as a carriage.

    Hanging the large and small packages around the horse''s neck and looking at them trembling made people uneasy, so naturally, he didn''t dare to soar at speed.

    Traveling, meandering along the way.

    When he arrived at Rongguo Mansion, he explained his intention to the doorman on duty, who immediately let Sun Shaozong in.

    However, they didnt lead him to the provincial courtyard but instead took him to Rongxi Hall to find the Old Second Master, Jia Zheng.

    At first, Sun Shaozong didn''t pay much attention, only thinking about Jia Baoyu whose face was burned, and didn''t want to see outsiders.

    Unexpectedly, after a few pleasantries with Jia Zheng, when he asked about Jia Baoyu''s situation, the Old Master Jia Zheng''s face showed some awkwardness and he joked, "This little brat just got a hot burn, and it''s not a big deal. I had just sent someone to call him, so I guess he should..."

    Master, Master!

    At this time, he saw a young servant running over like a fly and stumbled over a big horse at the door. His mouth was full of blood, and in the blink of an eye, it overflowed!

    But the little servant didn''t even bother to wipe it, and he roared out, "Something big has happened, something bad has happened! The Second Master Bao is suffering from some hysteria and insists on seeking death. The maids and women cant stop him.

    What?!

    Jia Zheng suddenly jumped up and exclaimed in surprise, "Didn''t he sleep well all afternoon and haven''t woken up yet? Why did he suddenly get hysteria again?

    Although the young man''s mouth was full of blood, he didnt dare to pause for a moment. He quickly replied, "I don''t know; I have been ordered to come in. You asked to invite the Second Master Bao here. So Lady Qingwen asked me to wait outside and woke the Second Master up.

    To my surprise, I was waiting outside, and I heard Lady Qingwen shouting inside. When I heard the unbearable commotion inside, I didn''t care much and wanted to go in and help. Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

    He exaggeratedly compared the size of a watermelon and said, "Who knew that as soon as I entered the door, I saw the Second Master holding such a large square of inkstone, and he insisted on smashing it on his forehead.

    I desperately grabbed the inkstone, but the Second Master broke into the yard again, hitting the stone pier with his head. Fortunately, the women and maids all came out, and finally, held down the Second Master.

    How could Jia Zheng be calm after hearing this?

    He immediately rushed forward a few stepsone step inside and one step outside the door. Suddenly, he remembered Sun Shaozong was there, so he turned around and forced a smile, saying, "I''ve made a joke today. I''m afraid

    The people of Jia Mansion breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately there was one who believed in ghosts and gods, claiming that evil must have been the source of Baoyu''s actions!

    So at that moment, everyone spoke in various words, some stating to invite Witch Duan to escort him, some saying to invite witches to dance, and some recommending Zhang Zhenren from the Jade Emperor Pavilion, all of which were noisy and varied.

    After quietly observing everyone for a while and recording their words and actions, Sun Shaozong broke the silence and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Baoyu may not have been poisoned by some evil force, but by someone else."

    When he wrapped Baoyu in a blanket just now, he faintly smelled the faint, sweet fragrance from Baoyu. Therefore, at this moment, he already had 90% confidence in his heart. This was the third case of the Five Ghost Curse!

    At first, it was silence, and then there was a tenfold uproar.

    If one was poisoned by evil, it could be inferred as a natural disaster, but if one was truly poisoned, it would be a disaster!

    For a moment, everyone''s suspicious gaze fell on Concubine Zhao and Jia Huan.

    If anyone in the Jia family wanted to harm Baoyu the most, it was naturally none other than her mother and son, let alone the burn on Baoyu''s face, which was already a few days ago. It was Jia Huan''s masterpiece!

    Moreover, Concubine Zhao has just received a lot of scolding for this, so she has more motivation to take action.

    Brother Sun

    Just as everyone was skeptical, Lin Daiyu burst out with tears in her eyes and said urgently, "Who caused the poison? I''m not in a hurry to investigate at the moment. On the other hand, since you said that he was poisoned, do you know how to rescue Baoyu?

    Old Lady Jia and Madam Wang were also awakened by her words and hurriedly began to plead, asking him to quickly use his means to save Baoyu.

    This...

    Sun Shaozong scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "I just know that there were two people who were once driven to death and crazy by this poison. As for how to detoxify..."

    When Lin Daiyu heard driving one death, one madness, her body swayed like duckweed, and at the sight of it, she couldn''t bear but fall to the ground.

    Later, Li Wan quickly hugged her around her waist and stared at Sun Shaozong with a pair of peach blossom eyes, asking, "Master Sun, do you have no other solutions?

    Hmm

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a moment and hurriedly said, "The poison should be on the precious jade bed right now. As long as we find out the real culprit behind the scenes, we can always find a way to save him.

    With just one sentence, Madam Wang seemed crazy and rushed toward Concubine Zhao, cursing and saying, "You cheap hoof who should be killed by thousands of knives, why don''t you take out the antidote?

    Her reaction seemed to be impatient for the interrogation and she hurried to convict the crime to Concubine Zhao ahead.

 Chapter 310: The Magic of the Nightmare Where the Siblings Meet the 5 Ghosts [(2)]

    Chapter 310: The Magic of the Nightmare Where the Siblings Meet the 5 Ghosts [(2)]

    Madam Wang hated Concubine Zhao and her son the most, but she always hindered Jia Zheng''s favor, and was not convenient to use her means.

    However, when she saw her precious son act like this today, she didn''t even care about Jia Zheng''s face anymore.

    With open teeth and flapping claws, she rushed forward and first made a few blood marks on Concubine Zhao''s face!

    When Concubine Zhao screamed "injustice" and hurriedly covered her face with her sleeves, Madam Wang took advantage of the situation and forcefully tore at her front. She cursed and said, Cheap hoof, how dare you still have the face to block me? How dare you block me?! I will pull out your dirty heart and intestines today!

    The dirty heart and rotten intestines were not yet visible to everyone, but the two white and greasy things in the apricot-yellow innerwear had already dazzled the men''s eyes.

    Especially at this moment, Jia Zhen and Jia Rong from the East Courtyard also rushed over upon hearing the news.

    These two people both have lecherous personalities. Once they saw the women''s white arms, they forgot the moral principles of human relationships. Seeing this rare scenery at present, they had no regard for their identity or seniority.

    They stood on the steps at the entrance of the courtyard with their four eyes staring at the light bulb, drooling from a high position.

    This scene almost turned Jia Zheng upside down in anger. He was stomping his feet and didn''t know what to shout about, when suddenly someone rushed up next to him, hugging his thigh and crying uncontrollably. It was Jia Huan, the son-born of Concubine Zhao.

    Jia Tanchun knelt and cried tearfully, "Although Concubine Zhao is foolish, she wouldnt dare to do such a thing. Please investigate this matter.

    Although she had never been close to this biological mother, at a critical moment, she knew exactly what a close relative was.

    In addition, Old Lady Jia poked her crutches indiscriminately; Madam Xing and Jia She were stirring up the flames. A group of younger generations and maidservants stopped, advised, cursed, and cried. This place was even more chaotic than an inferior kiln!

    After all, Sun Shaozong was an outsider. Seeing this large group of people being noisy and unable to intervene, he pulled his eyeballs out of Concubine Zhao''s chest and resolutely entered the hall.

    The living room was messy, with scattered brushes, ink, paper, and inkstonesclearly a masterpiece of Baoyu''s initial madness.

    However, in addition to this, there were several women''s intimate small clothes that were mixed with the black ink strip, and it was unknown where Baoyu took them from.

    Sun Shaozong glanced at him with a fleeting glance. Just as he was about to delve into the interior to investigate, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Looking back, Li Wan and Lin Daiyu followed closely in, accompanied by Suyun and Zijuan, two big maids.

    Brother Sun

    Although Lin Daiyu had already turned into tears, her heart was not at all confused. When she entered the door, she choked and asked, "You''re here to search for that poison, right?

    Thats right.

    When he picked it up, Sun Shaozong felt it was a bit heavy in the middle, not as light as the four heads. With a slight twist in his hand, he found that the paper man had something like sand in his stomach.

    It was estimated that these small particles were the main culprits causing Chen Bo, Jia Baoyu, and others to go crazy.

    After careful examination, Sun Shaozong confirmed that there were no other anomalies. He took the pillowcase and wrapped it in three layers, then examined the five blue-faced ghosts one by one. However, they were all ordinary, thick pieces of paper, and there were no surprises at all.

    Obviously, these things were just a cover-up to deceive people.

    However, it could still be considered as evidence, so Sun Shaozong also wrapped it up together, which led to Lin Daiyu and others returning to the courtyard.

    At this moment, the noisy scene in the courtyard finally came to an end.

    He saw Concubine Zhao, with disheveled hair and clothes, kneeling in front of Old Lady Jia, Jia Zheng, and Madam Wang, accepting questioning from everyone. To be precise, she was resisting death and arguing.

    Seeing this, Sun Shaozong strode to Jia Zheng''s side and shook down the paper man and paper ghost on the ground, saying, "This was found on the Baoyu bed. If my expectations are not wrong, the paper man with the eight characters of Baoyu''s birthday should have hidden poison in his stomach that can drive people crazy.

    When everyone saw these things, they were all frightened again. Immediately, Qingwen, the big maid next to Baoyu, hurriedly pointed out and said, "Concubine Zhao came to our courtyard this morning and said she came to compensate for Third Young Master Huan, but I didn''t expect she had done so many harmful things.

    You shameless scumbag and pest! Return my Baoyu quickly.

    Upon hearing this, Madam Wang couldn''t help but go forward and tear Concubine Zhao''s hair. Old Lady Jia was also there, leaning on a dragon head cane and shouting, What a rebel, you evil bitch!

    Jia Zheng had just watched Concubine Zhao''s tearful tears and hesitated a bit. At this moment, he didnt dare to cover up for her anymore and only looked at her with his gloomy old face.

    Hahaha

    At the sight of another chaos, suddenly a woman''s wild laughter came from outside the courtyard, followed by several crazy shouts, "Kill, I want to kill! Hahaha... I want to kill

    Although the voice was slightly out of shape due to its high pitch, everyone was familiar with it. Therefore, someone blurted out, "This voice seems like... It seems like the Second Madam.

    Jia Lian''s face suddenly changed, and he took a few steps to grab the door. Just as he was crossing the half-foot-high threshold, he collided head-on with Pinger and several servant girls!

    His body stumbled when he was hit, and he immediately became angry. He spoke up and cursed, "Are you guys blind?!

    Oh no!

    Unexpectedly, Pingers voice was louder than his, and she screamed, "Second Madam suddenly went crazy too. She picked up a knife from the small kitchen and was clamoring to kill someone.

 Chapter 311: The Magic of the Nightmare Where the Siblings Meet the 5 Ghosts [(3)]

    Chapter 311: The Magic of the Nightmare Where the Siblings Meet the 5 Ghosts [(3)]

    The Second Madam wanted to kill someone?

    Jia Lian was taken aback by the sound, and before he could react, he saw that Wang Xifeng was already chasing him outside the door.

    She wore a wooden hairpin slanted across her head, and her tall and plump figure was only wrapped in a thin gauze skirt of the nature of a nightgown. The peach-red thin gauze rippled with her pace, revealing what was supposed to be revealed and what was not, and showed 50 or 60 percent of the scenery.

    How dare a shameless slut come out like this?!

    Jia Lian only looked ashamed and angry, stomped his foot fiercely, and then waited to greet this woman with a few angry words before driving her back to avoid making a fool of herself in front of his family.

    Just as the foot took half a step outside, his body stiffened on the spot again.

    Not only was Wang Xifeng dressed improperly, but she was also holding a bloody, sharp knife in her hand!

    As Jia Lian came out, Wang Xifeng thrust the knife into the air and shouted crazily, "Kill, kill, kill! I want to kill, I want to kill! Hahaha... Hahahaha

    She used to be seductive with evil energy, but now her charm has increased by eight points, and her evil energy has more than doubled. Especially when her single eyelid triangular eyes looked at Jia Lian, it was like looking at a lamb waiting to be slaughtered!

    Jia Lian''s legs and feet were softened by fright, and a few drops of blood were shed on his face; even his soul was scared away. How would he dare to come forward and scold her?

    As soon as he crawled back to the yard, he screamed uncontrollably, "Oh no, this wicked woman is going to murder her husband.

    He fled, and behind him, Wang Xifeng spread her long legs and chased after him like a whirlwind. She shouted Kill, kill, and her sharp knife kept chopping and stabbing as if she were about to unload Jia Lian!

    Seeing such a scene, the courtyard was even more chaotic.

    Stop her, stop her!

    Take her knife, take her knife first!

    What is this all about?! What kind of mess is this?!

    Old Lady Jia, Madam Wang, Jia She, and Jia Zheng all shouted. Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com

    There was also the loyal servant who tried to restrain Wang Xifeng. But she didn''t care who it was, and she stabbed them first. The servants were all injured with flesh and blood; how could they restrain her?

    It turned out that just as Sun Shaozong was helping, Wang Xifeng suddenly ran into his arms like a wild beast, biting into his left breast with one bite and twisting his neck desperately to tear him apart!

    Although Sun Shaozong''s muscles were often described as cast in iron, he was not made of iron, especially in fragile areas such as his left breast. Even when he felt the pain, he still grabbed Wang Xifeng''s back collar with his backhand and forcefully pulled her away!

    Hiss~

    They then heard a crisp crack. Wang Xifeng''s tall and plump body was still hunched in Sun Shaozong''s arms, but the peach-red nightgown was gaped open, revealing a piece of the ivory-like pink back!

    Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, father and son, looked at each other and only felt that this trip was truly worthwhile. The scenery from before and after was worth the ticket price. Of course, it would be best if they could get more spring glory.

    Jia She''s heart of having an affair between father and daughter-in-law was also plopping. He secretly hated Sun Shaozong for not pulling off more cloth so that he could carefully compare his daughter-in-law''s delicate body with the little widow of Chongwen Gate.

    Only when Jia Lian saw this scene did he angrily jump up and grit his teeth, scolding, "Sun Erlang, what are you doing?! Hurry up and let your Sister-in-law go.

    He just shouted back and jumped back and forth, watching Wang Xifeng still holding the bull-eared sharp knife in her hand. He didnt dare to approach even half a step.

    But when Sun Shaozong saw that he had torn Wang Xifeng''s clothes, he was also embarrassed and couldn''t handle it. He was holding onto the half piece of silk and couldn''t throw it away or put it back.

    But he couldnt allow her to continue biting him like this, couldnt he?

    So Sun Shaozong shook his right hand suddenly, shaking off the sharp knife from Wang Xifeng''s hand. Then he reached out and squeezed Wang Xifeng''s throat open, gently pushing her outward.

    Don''t!

    Unexpectedly, as soon as she gave it a push, Pinger suddenly screamed, "No, no, no, stop moving first, Lord Sun.

    Subsequently, even Jia Zheng, Jia Lian, and Madam Wang spoke up to Sun Shaozong not to push Wang Xifeng away in a hurry.

    It turned out that the nightgown was already loose, and with just one pull from the scriptures, there were signs of fragmentation. If Sun Shaozong pushed Wang Xifeng out, the nightgown would fall like a landslide!

    If she were pushed away, 80% of that delicate body would be viewable at a glance!

    Therefore, the crowd quickly stopped him and waited for Zhou Rui''s wife to lead a few women and cover them all with bedding before allowing Sun Shaozong to continue his actions.

    Only in this way, no one else could see any spring light. Even though Sun Shaozong was reluctant, every inch of Wang Xifeng''s skin was already seen by him...

 Chapter 312: Asking for Secret Information and Bought Out Lady Madao

    Chapter 312: Asking for Secret Information and Bought Out Lady Madao

    A quarter of an hour later, in the courtyard of Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian, Sun Shaozong was about to enter the hall when he saw Jia Lian''s face full of jealousy on the side, unable to cover it up. He stopped and arched his hand at him, saying, "Why don''t you go inside and take a look, Second Brother? As long as you don''t inhale too much of that medicine, it shouldn''t be a big problem.

    After just looking at Wang Xifeng''s body, he turned around and wanted to flip her bed again. No wonder Jia Lian was so jealous.

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    Even though he was jealous, Jia Lian shook his head like a rattle at the thought that he might go crazy like Wang Xifeng and Baoyu after entering. "Erlang, even if you go in and search for the poison, you are a Star Constellation Descending to Earth. You are not afraid of such evil spells, but my body and bones may not be able to resist them.

    Although Sun Shaozong has always emphasized that the two were not evil but poisoned, seeing the blue-faced and white-haired paper man, most people still thought of the gods and ghosts in their heads.

    Since Jia Lian had such an attitude, Sun Shaozong was too lazy to push any further. Just as he was about to lift the curtain and enter, he heard a side member saying, "Let me lead you in, Lord Sun.

    As he spoke, he leaned over to Jia Lian and whispered a few words in a low voice.

    Jia Lian quickly nodded and praised, "No wonder she loves you the most normally. You are indeed loyal to the Lord.

    Since he had already agreed, Ping''er first lifted the curtain and entered the living room.

    Sun Shaozong also quickly followed in, and when the curtain fell, the two of them looked at each other, but it was as if a single spark would start a big fire!

    If it were to be said that the two of them colluded and became adulterers, it was actually before Li Wan, but to this day, there has only been the relationship of a one-night stand.

    Especially for Pinger, it was inevitable to hear a moaning sound every three to five times, and the restlessness in her heart was far greater than that of Li Wan.

    After all, Pinger was a cautious person. Even if she was excited, she didnt dare to directly rush forward to comfort the pain of love. She only nibbled her lower lip and trembled, saying, "Sun... Lord Sun, come with me.

    The tone was lingering and resentful, and the voice was ambiguous and sweet as if weaving an invisible web that would tightly wrap Sun Shaozong, never letting him escape.

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong''s heart trembled, and the evil fire that had just subsided fired up again.

    Pinger''s slender waist swayed freely, her hips and legs swayed.

    When Sun Shaozong and his companions went back and forth, it took about an hour. However, when they returned to the Courtyard, Jia Zheng was still dawdling inside.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong, at the request of Madam Wang, went to visit Baoyu and Wang Xifeng first. Fearing that the spirits in the inner room would not dissipate, both of them set up bunks in the living room.

    When Sun Shaozong walked in, he didn''t know who had pulled out the cotton wool from their mouths. He heard one of them shouting kill, kill, kill, and the other was shouting I''m going to die, with questions and answers, it was like a duet.

    Anyway, being idle was also being idle. Sun Shaozong carefully examined Baoyu''s pupils, mouth, and body''s response to external stimuli.

    The results of the inspection were better than expected. At least much better than that of Chen Bo.

    This was probably because both of them were secretly plotted during their nap, which couldnt be longer or more toxic than being affected all night.

    To briefly explain this situation to Old Lady Jia and Madam Wang, although they didn''t fully understand, they couldn''t help but recite Amitabha Buddha.

    At this moment, Yuanyang, the big servant girl next to Old Lady Jia, suddenly came in and reported that the Old Second Master had finally come out of Xiren''s house.

    So the crowd hurriedly went out again to welcome him.

    When they arrived at the courtyard, they saw Jia Zheng with a black face and glared angrily at Madam Wang. Then, gritting his teeth, he said, "I have already asked clearly. Lady Madao, Baoyu''s godmother, is to blame for all of this trouble. She wanted money from this stupid woman before telling her to do this outrageous thing."

    As he spoke, he couldn''t help but glare at Madam Wang again and said, "I told you earlier not to provoke these pretenders, but you insisted on identifying a Godmother for him. Now, are you happy to recognize such a person who repays kindness with malice?

    Madam Wang heard that it was actually Lady Madao who caused harm by practicing magic. She was both ashamed and angry in her heart, but she didnt dare to refute and contradict again. She only said urgently, "Since it was Godmother Ma... that Lady Madao who did it, you should send someone to take her away quickly, so that Baoyu and Lian''s daughter-in-law can return to their rightful place as soon as possible.

    Do I still need you to teach me what to do?

    Jia Zheng shook his sleeve, walked forward, and arched his hand at Sun Shaozong, politely saying, "Dear nephew, I shouldn''t have bothered you again. It''s just that the witch is not easy to deal with; I''m afraid I can only favor you

    Old Lady Jia and Madam Wang also rushed forward and spoke politely to him, clearly believing that only the Master of the Star Constellation Descending to Earth like him could hold onto Lady Madao.

    This has been said more than a dozen times, not because of evil but because of poisoning, but they still...

    Sun Shaozong was speechless in his heart. Seeing that he couldn''t get over the science popularization, he didn''t bother to explain further. He carefully inquired about the residence of Lady Madao and asked Jia Zheng to allocate six or seven brave and meticulous servants. He then stormed out of the Rongguo Mansion and went to catch Lady Madao, who pretended to be a god and ghost.

 Chapter 313: "Being Possessed"

    Chapter 313: "Being Possessed"

    Dark, cramped, and dilapidated

    30 minutes later, when Sun Shaozong got off the carriage, he faced a decadent small alley, especially the tiles on the wall that protruded out long, further creating a sense of oppression that People have to bow their heads under low eaves.

    If one were to say that Lady Madao was quite famous, why did she live in such a place?

    My Lord, you might see that this place is so inconspicuous.

    Zhou Rui leaned forward and explained, "Actually, the entire alley has already been occupied by Godmother Ma... Ahhh~

    He raised his hand and slapped himself lightly on the mouth before continuing, "It''s already been bought by that bitchy Lady Madao. The one inside is called a unique cave.

    As he spoke, Zhou Rui lowered his voice slightly and said, "I also heard that this old witch bought seven or eight young and beautiful people while there was a flood last year, just like a happy and carefree fairy every day.

    With his description, Sun Shaozong''s mind suddenly conjured up some unattractive images.

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    This disgusting sensation!

    Sun Shaozong shuddered and quickly expelled the image from his mind. Then, with a big wave of his hand, he said, "Let''s go; follow the instructions I gave you before.

    Zhou Rui also followed suit, and then two servants got into the alley first.

    Sun Shaozong moved forward and Zhou Rui followed closely. They were then followed by five or six healthy servants carrying whistles.

    As Zhou Rui had said before, all the gates of the courtyard had been blocked along the way, except for the two vermilion-painted gates at the end of the alley, which fortunately maintained their original appearance.

    Seeing the door in front of him, Sun Shaozong led Zhou Rui and others to stop. He first asked the two servants to come forward and knock on the door, shouting, "Godmother, Godmother Ma! We are from the Rongguo Mansion, and we don''t know what evil has happened to Second Brother Bao. We want you to come over and take a look.

    After shouting, there was no sound inside. The two servants were waiting to shout again, but Sun Shaozong had already realized that something was wrong. He immediately ran over and kicked his foot in the middle of the two gates!

    Bang!

    The thick bolt of the bowl broke in response, and the door parted from side to side like a piece of paper. With a loud bang, it inserted into the wall, causing even the gatehouse to shake and drop countless tiles.

    Before the dust settled, Sun Shaozong took a step and rushed in. Standing on the steps, he looked around and saw a long corridor next to the outer wall. Inside, there were twenty or thirty oil lamps of various sizes, but no one was visible.

    Sun Shaozong carefully looked at the courtyard wall again and saw that it was level with the front and back of the gatehouse. His heart immediately became clear and he quickly called out to Zhou Rui and ordered, "Where is the back door in this house? Take me over quickly.

    Just as he was walking in that alley, he felt a bit uneasy. At first, he thought it was because the space was too cramped, but now he thought that it was actually because someone was secretly spying on them!

    Hes chasing us... catching up

    Old Immortal quickly cast the spell.

    This thief is so bold.

    As Sun Shazong got closer and closer, the young men panicked again. This time, even Lady Madao lost her composure. In a panic, she aimed the lantern at Sun Shaozong and was about to bluster a few words, but Sun Shaozong refused to listen to her nonsense.

    Arriving close, he lifted his arm and rolled his sleeve around, sweeping the small lantern out of the old witchs hand. With the opportunity, he pushed the matron around and stepped on her sandy dog-like belly, sneering, "Say, where is the antidote hidden?"

    Before Lady Madao could speak, he warned without looking up, "Everyone stands still; otherwise, don''t blame me for hurting her.

    The young men hesitated for a moment, and Zhou Rui and the others regained their composure, followed suit, and rushed them to a place under strict supervision.

    At this moment, Lady Madao turned her cross-eyed eyes a few times and said in a sharp voice, "Only I can create the antidote... Ouch! Spare my life, My Lord!

    Sun Shaozong exerted a strong force under his feet and she let out a few shouts like a toad when he stepped on her. He then sneered, "If you want to lie in front of me, Sun Shaozong, you may still think about it! I suggest you better understand before you speak, otherwise..."

    Upon hearing the words Sun Shaozong, Lady Madao''s thoughts in her heart turned into bubbles. Her withered lips trembled a few times, and she finally confessed honestly, Theres... There''s no cure for this being possessed spell.

    Sun Shaozong''s eyebrows stood up and he scolded, "Even at this moment, you still dare to pretend to be mystifying with me.

    No, no, no.

    Lady Madao quickly explained, "The name of this poison is being possessed! It was originally refined by me and Master Fuyun for cultivation, but who would have thought it was some deadly thing.

    Listening to Lady Madao''s words, it turned out that although she was a deceptive trickster, she also longed for the day when she could truly cultivate some magic. Especially in recent years, she has become successful and even more eager for immortal magic that could last forever.

    As the saying goes Birds of the same feather flock together. Last year, she met the classic Fuyun Taoist priest of Xuanzhen Temple, both of whom were obsessed with becoming immortals and achieving the Tao. They worked together to build an alchemy furnace, hoping to refine the legendary ascending elixir.

    As a result, the silver flowed into it like flowing water and unexpectedly produced a strange set of poisons. However, after smelling the concoction, the old Taoist Fuyun and the two pyrotechnic boys went crazy and refused to recognize anybody. They were sent back to the Xuanzhen Temple and died in a few days.

    Lady Madao narrowly escaped the disaster because she was in charge of logistics.

    Initially, Lady Maao was terrified to come into contact with the poison that the Old Fuyun Taoist had refined. However, over time, she learned that the poison would not release any aroma if it was kept in a cool environment. Only when it was heated to a certain temperature would it release the sweet aroma that could drive people crazy.

    Just as Lady Madao, who was both an alchemist and a beauty buyer, was struggling to make ends meet, she began to have a twisted mind.

    So she designed a set of Five Ghost Nightmare Magic, which utilized the gradual increase in temperature when a person slept on a mattress, thereby activating the mechanism of the poison, specifically seeking wealth and killing in that wealthy household.

    Although she was familiar with the use of this poison, she didnt know the reason why it caused people to go crazy, let alone how to treat it.

 Chapter 314: The Witch Doctor Monk and the Little White Mouse

    Chapter 314: The Witch Doctor Monk and the Little White Mouse

    Ah~

    Firstly, there was a mournful scream, and the startled migratory birds scattered on the State of Zilng. Then, there were several excited cries.

    It worked, it really worked! He can feel the pain now!

    I said this method could work, right?

    Quickly, draw a simple picture of the dosage of the medicinal herbs and the acupoints pierced by the golden needle.

    What''s so exciting about it? The person just knows it hurts but hasn''t completely woken up.

    Besides, do you really dare to use this method for the Imperial Uncle?

    It''s my turn; it''s my turn. I''ve been wanting to try this ancient recipe for a long time.

    No, no, no, no, my medicine soup is the right remedy.

    Let me just..."

    Om, ma, ni, ba, mi, hum.

    Supreme Tai Yi Saves the Bitter Heavenly Master..."

    I invite Erlang God

    I see it! I see his soul

    What a sin!

    Sun Shaozong was upstairs in Zhuojin Tower, listening to the chaotic arguments and gradually vague howls below, and he couldn''t help but let out a faint sigh.

    On that day, it was confirmed from the mouth of Lady Madao that there was no so-called antidote for the being possessed poison. The Jia family then gathered a large number of Imperial Physicians, famous doctors, eminent monks, high priests, witches, and divine men to carry out joint research activities to drive away evil spirits and treat diseases in this provincial courtyard.

    In addition, the Central Judicial Office has also contributed a unique guinea pig to these elites, Chen Bo, who accidentally killed his own father after being poisoned and went insane.

    Although, from the perspective of modern people, Chen Bo should be innocent, giving him to Jia Baoyu and Wang Xifeng for medication was truly a lack of humanitarian spirit.

    But

    Who cared about patricide these days?

    Besides, he only had a few days left to live, so by trying to treat him like this, maybe he would have a chance to wake up.

    Moreover, making a person who was already poisoned a guinea pig was much more humane than letting Jia Mansion concoct a few more poisoned individuals. With Jia Baoyu and Wang Xifeng''s identity and status, this was not an unfounded concern!

    In the end, it was still Chen Bo who ruined his path. He accidentally killed his own father. Now there was no support at all, and people naturally had to be crushed and squeezed.

    Uncle.

    Sun Shaozong''s heart sank and he quickly quickened his pace, rushing into the living room that served as a temporary experimental field.

    After entering the door, Chen Bo was quietly lying on the bed, with no sound left.

    Your Excellency.

    Bao Yongmeng, along with several prison guards, approached and whispered to report, "Chen Bo had just woken up for a while, but then he quickly stopped breathing.

    Damn~

    Indeed, he was dead!

    Although Sun Shaozong had already prepared mentally, he couldn''t help but sigh that this guy was really unlucky. He got poisoned in a daze and, inexplicably, killed his father. He finally woke up, but he didn''t even understand where he was, so he started groaning again.

    But

    The biggest question right now was whether the recent treatment was considered successful or a failure.

    Sun Shaozong asked this question and saw the house full of ghosts, snakes, and gods staring at each other with big and small eyes. After a while, someone said confidently, "Should... be successful?

    Of course it was successful!" The other one was much more confident than him, patting his chest and swearing confidently, "My prescription is the most effective, and naturally it will cure the disease.

    Bullshit!

    Someone next to him immediately retorted, "It was your prescription that killed him. He clearly came to his senses because it was his last gasp.

    No! He died because you first used a messy prescription.

    Nonsense! It''s you.

    Shut up; if it weren''t for the clearing of the heart mantra in this room, how could he wake up?

    How dare how dare you covet the credit of Bodhisattva.

    You cursed him to scatter his soul.

    It''s you

    I

    Damn it!

    This was the worst-case scenario!

    Sun Shaozong was so irritated by them that he didn''t know who to listen to when Jia Zheng, Jia Lian, and others rushed in upon hearing the news.

    However, in the end, these witches, doctors, and monks still reached a unified consensus, that was, they still needed more guinea pigs to verify each other''s right and wrong, wins and losses!

    So that night, in the prisons of the Ministry of Justice and the Central Judicial Office, several death row inmates quietly disappeared.

 Chapter 315: Continuation of Anterior Edge Deformation and Constriction

    Chapter 315: Continuation of Anterior Edge Deformation and Constriction

    On the seventh day of April, Yuanyang, the most favored maid beside Old Lady Jia, hurried into the Yihong Courtyard through the night.

    First, she went to the Eastern Chamber to investigate the situation of Baoyu. When she saw that his girls and maids crowded together, and even a few female officials from the palace were waiting in the room, almost unable to get a foothold. There was nothing to worry about, so she went to the Western Chamber room again.

    This was the temporary residence of Wang Xifeng. That day, the siblings both had a scene. To avoid not taking good care of them after separation, Old Lady Jia decided to let each of them occupy the east and west wing rooms of the Yihong Courtyard.

    As for that room, currently, no one dared to approach it recklessly.

    At the end of the Western Chamber, there were mostly nannies and stewards wives. Originally, Li Wan should have been watching here, but last night in her yard, she gave excuses of being sick and didnt stay there.

    Since there was no serious master present, Yuanyang went straight to find Pinger to speak.

    Seeing Ping''er''s face tinged with exhaustion, upon asking, she realized that she had been guarding for four full days. Although she had slept and eaten without any delay, her mental state was exhausted.

    Due to their recent relationship normally, Yuanyang bluntly advised, "Even if you are loyal to her, you have no reason to ignore your own life or death. Why don''t I stay here tonight and watch over them? You can go back and rest for a while.

    I wouldnt dare to trouble you.

    Ping''er shook her head like a rattle and smiled. "The Old Lady can''t do without you for a moment. I wouldnt dare to snatch you away from her. You''d better go back and serve her obediently.

    The Old Lady is the most considerate. She knows that I am guarding the night for you, and there is no need to say anything.

    No need, I..."

    Don''t be polite to me.

    The two of them were arguing with each other here. Suddenly, another person walked in from outside the door and said, "Alright, you two don''t have to argue anymore. I''ll just stay here tonight and watch.

    The two ladies followed the sound, and it turned out that Siqi had walked in.

    When she learned that evil forces had attacked Baoyu and Wang Xifeng, Jia Yingchun became extremely agitated. She heard Sun Shaozong''s command to temporarily reside in the Rongguo Mansion and couldn''t find comfort for a moment. She sat and stood restlessly every day.

    Seeing that this was not a big issue, Siqi decided to seek leave from Sun Shaozu and the three servants also returned to Jia Mansion to visit. Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com

    Jia Yingchun was now living with Xichun, and Xiuju was waiting by her side. It was not inconvenient to let Siqi replace Ping''er to spend the night.

    TL/ Note: Did all the women relate to Sun Shaozong in one place now?

    Upon seeing her, Sun Shaozong hurriedly walked downstairs and opened the door to welcome her in.

    Because he had always been thinking about good things, Sun Shaozong deliberately didnt let anyone serve him in the building. Therefore, after leading Pinger in, without hesitation, he rubbed her delicate and naive body into his arms.

    As soon as they arrived at the staircase, he had already stripped off Pinger''s coat.

    When they stepped up the stairs, her lotus green innerwear also flew to the bedside like a butterfly.

    Immediately after, two figures, one black and one white, rolled onto the bed, tumbling over the river and shaking the earth!

    Before dawn the next day, Ping''er reluctantly left Zhuojin Tower again and headed towards Yihong Courtyard without any worries.

    Seeing the corridor bridge near the Yihong Courtyard, suddenly a person flashed down and blocked Ping''er''s path. This person with shaved shoulders and waist, willow eyebrows, a pretty face, and some frost hanging on his oval facewho could it be if it were not Yuanyang?

    Ah~

    Pinger patted her chest and said angrily, "What are you doing? You almost scared me to death.

    But Yuanyang forcefully pulled her to a deserted corner and then spoke harshly, "I scared you? You scared me to death! I never expected you to dare to do such a damn foolish thing.

    Upon hearing her words, Ping''er let out a thud in her heart, feeling a bit uneasy, but still forced a lucky smile and said, "What are you talking about? I dont understand.

    Can''t you understand?

    Yuanyang suddenly took out a bunch of keys from her sleeve and sneered, "Is this yours?

    Although Ping''er has always held onto this set of keys, it belonged to Wang Xifeng.

    Yesterday, upstairs in Zhuojin Tower, Pinger noticed that the key was missing. However, at that time, all the clothes had already been stripped off, and where else could she bother to look for the key?

    Just as Yuanyang sneered again, "Yesterday I chatted with Siqi for a while and suddenly found that the key had fallen by the bedside of Second Madam. I was afraid you were in a hurry, so I volunteered to deliver the key to you. Unexpectedly, I saw a rare person halfway through

    Ping''er was completely flustered and trembled. "What have you seen?

    Of course, I see everything.

    When you turned off the light, I was about to call you! When you hid in the flowers, I was hiding behind a nearby tree! How did you get in, and when did the light on the second-floor blow? I can see for sure.

 Chapter 316: Confessing Oneâ€™s Heart, Yuanyang Encounter an Insulting Person by Mistake

    Chapter 316: Confessing One''s Heart, Yuanyang Encounter an Insulting Person by Mistake

    After listening to Yuanyang''s words, Ping''er realized that she had caught sight of her romantic scene last night!

    For a moment, it was like a thunderbolt, and every part of her delicate and naive body trembled with fear. Her legs, which had been fluttering due to the fierce battle, were even limping.

    Be careful.

    Seeing her about to collapse to the ground, Yuanyang quickly reached out to help her and scolded without a mouth, "You''re scared now. How could you not think about the consequences before doing that shameless thing?

    Although Yuanyang still didn''t say any good words in her mouth, this subconscious gesture of support gave Ping''er some support in her heart.

    She knew Yuanyang''s character well, and if she really wanted to expose her, she would never waste these words with herself, let alone take the initiative to help herself.

    My good Yuanyang.

    Pinger clenched Yuanyang''s wrist with her backhand and said with a smile on her face, "I know you have always had a kind heart as a Bodhisattva, and you can''t bear to harm my life, right?

    Originally, Yuanyang intended to scare Ping''er with a straight face and a few more words, but she was forced to stop pretending when she realized her words had exposed her innermost feelings. She hurriedly paused and said, "You''re still laughing! Is this a joke? Fortunately, I saw it this time. If someone else knew about it, how could you still be alive now?

    After a pause, she couldn''t help but question, "And since you''ve never been the one with an ulterior motive, how come... is it that the surnamed Sun used some dirty tricks

    Seeing that she didn''t really mean to report and that there was a lot of protection in her words, Pinger put her heart back in her stomach, but at the same time, she couldn''t help but say the truth. Plus, the secret had been hidden in her heart for a long time, and she couldn''t help but want to share it with others.

    It was indeed a scheme, but it wasn''t me who was calculated; it was Lord Sun.

    So she let out a slight sigh and briefly explained how Wang Xifeng and Lai Da had set up the game and how Sun Shaozong had stumbled and achieved good things with herself, just like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube.

    Finally, she said, "Although Lord Sun was foolishly plotting that day, he still decided to go find the Second Master and take me home to become a Concubine. It shows that he is responsible.

    But as you know, our Second Master is a cautious and jealous pot. If we''re going to make a scene, I''m afraid neither side will be able to please us. That''s why I tried my best to refuse.

    As she spoke, a look of regret or helplessness appeared on her face.

    Ping''er couldn''t help blushing at her reaction and quickly said angrily, "I mean, men are inferior to women. They always have to show their abilities outside to be considered a man who stands tall and upright.

    For example, although Lord Sun and I may not be able to get together often, we often hear about how powerful he is outside, which makes it hard to express in our hearts.

    These words happened to be what Yuanyang wanted to hear. She was already a very strong person and looked down upon the Masters in the mansion, who had no skills and only focused on women.

    However, this didnt conflict with her favoritism towards Baoyu, because in the eyes of many maids in the Rongguo Mansion, Second Master Bao, who was born with the title of jade, must be a Master who could honor his ancestors in the future.

    The logic is fine.

    Therefore, Yuanyang had no psychological burden and blurted out, "Second Master Lian is still quite good. If he were like the Old Elder Master, making jokes outside all day and coming back to make fun of women, even if he invited me to become a wife, I would rather die than obey.

    But after finishing speaking, she got embarrassed again and said, "But when did you end up with him like this? I saw it, and if someone else knew about it..."

    The frightened and trembling appearance of Yuanyang seemed like she was the one who had an affair.

    Pinger couldn''t help but hold her in her arms, learning from Sun Shaozong last night, biting into her silver earlobe and jokingly saying, "If you''re really worried about me, why don''t you help me look out in the future, and I will spare no effort to show you more rare things.

    Pooh, pooh, pooh~

    Yuanyang''s heart was stirred up and she quickly pushed Pinger away. She stamped her feet and said coquettishly, "I''m worried about you, but you always say shameless things. I''m too lazy to bother you anymore. The Old Lady is still waiting for me to serve her.

    As she spoke, she hurried towards the front yard.

    She was so embarrassed and worried that she hurried back to serve Old Lady Jia. Inevitably, she was in a panic. When she saw that she had left the Provincial Courtyard and arrived at a place near Moon Gate, she bumped into a man.

    Yuanyang stumbled a few steps and finally stood firm. Then she heard the person across from her scold in a harsh and malicious voice, "Whose little dog with no long eyes... Eh, its you?

    The person scolded halfway and recognized that it was Yuanyang in front of her. He immediately changed his face, with a pair of turbid eyes only sweeping around her face and chest, especially when she saw that Yuanyang''s cheeks were blushing, revealing a charming look he had never seen before.

    He couldn''t hold back his ape-like mindset any longer. He stretched out his thin paw and chuckled, "Look at your blushing little face; are you hurt somewhere? Come on, let me help you rub it.

    Speaking about the devil. It was not other people who leaked the light in front. It was the old, disrespectful Jia She.

 Chapter 317: Hardly One Wave Has Subsided When Another Rises

    Chapter 317: Hardly One Wave Has Subsided When Another Rises

    Pinger pretended to have nothing to worry about and hurriedly entered the Yihong Courtyard. While rushing to get to the west wing, she coincidentally met Madam Wang coming out of the east wing.

    She quickly stopped and respectfully greeted her, "Second Old Madam.

    Madam Wang looked at her, half asleep, before giving her a tired smile and saying, "It''s Pinger. It''s hard to see you running around these past few days. If there''s someone as sensible as you in Baoyus room, I can relax.

    Madam Wang didn''t pay much attention before until she served day and night these days, and only then did she realize that more than half of the big maids in Baoyus room were not virgins! Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com

    But Baoyu was only 14 years old now; how could he withstand such a storm?

    Therefore, Madam Wang was distraught and couldn''t help but endure it temporarily at this critical moment.

    At this moment, she bumped into Pinger and remembered her usual behavior of adhering to her duties and never competing for favor or flattery. She couldn''t help but express her feelings.

    But how did Madam Wang know? Although Ping''er didnt compete for favor and flattery in front of Jia Lian, yesterday she gave up and offered up her delicate body on Sun Shaozong''s bed!

    However, even if there were no such personal affair, Pinger wouldn''t have responded to her words. Otherwise, wouldn''t it appear that she had the heart to switch to Baoyu''s yard?

    So Ping''er laughed and said, "I dare not take in the praise from you falsely. Regarding appearance and temperament, Xiren and Qingwen in Second Master Bao''s house are ten times better off than me.

    Better off? I think they are too promising.

    Forget about Xiren. When Pinger talked about Qingwen, Madam Wang was even more unhappy that a big maid was instructing everyone, and she was even more imposing than a serious master!

    She didnt have an identity yet. If she really became Baoyu''s concubine in the future, wouldn''t she be another Concubine Zhao?!

    However, this was not easy to argue with Pinger, so Madam Wang waved her hand and said, "Alright, go and serve your Madam. If there''s anything you can''t handle, don''t forget to have someone tell me.

    After Ping''er obediently responded, Madam Wang led a group of servant girls and nannies out of Yihong Courtyard and headed straight to the lobby of the front yard. After several consecutive days of live experiments, it was finally time to see the results!

    In half an hour, there were around seven to eight people scattered sitting in the Rongxi Hall, mostly the legitimate relatives of the three generations of the Rongguo Mansion, with the only exception of Sun Shaozong being the official representative.

    In fact, Sun Shaozong didnt want to participate in this family meeting. However, Jia Zheng repeatedly invited him, so he couldn''t resist it and had to come and accompany him.

    He was reminiscing about the recent two consecutive nights of bowel battles on the Zhuojin Tower. In a deep voice, he heard Jia Zheng saying, "The methods that should be tried are almost done now. There is news from the State of Ziling that there is a 70% chance that they can be cured..."

    70%?

    Sun Shaozong reluctantly muttered; in fact, according to his intentions, 70% was not low.

    Moreover, those witches, doctors, monks, and Taoist priests, in order to shirk their responsibilities in the future, would definitely revise their success rate downward, so the actual success rate might be over 80%.

    Just looking at what Madam Wang meant, she definitely wouldnt agree with this statement.

    Therefore, after a moment of reflection, he changed his approach and said, "Actually, I have been trying to figure out for the past two days whether Chen Bo was killed or whether the poison gas attack was irreparable. After all, the first few poisoned people also died after being crazy for some time.

    Although this statement didnt explicitly indicate his attitude, the meaning inside was simple and easy to understand. Who could guarantee that if they dragged on further, they wouldnt be poisoned and die?

    There was a moment of silence in the hall, and Old Lady Jia suddenly gave another swipe of the dragon''s head crutch. She said decisively, "Let those people prepare, and we will start expelling evil spirits and treating diseases at noon today.

    Jia Zheng immediately stood up and responded. Madam Wang hesitated for a moment but ultimately didnt stop him.

    At this point, Sun Shaozong felt that this should have nothing to do with himself and was waiting for the scene to end. However, Old Lady Jia smiled at him and said, "Brother Sun, I''m afraid I''ll need to trouble you for something.

    Yes, thats right

    Jia Zheng quickly followed suit and said, "According to several Masters, it''s best to invite someone with big energy to protect when expelling evil spirits and treating diseases. I''m afraid this person must be you, nephew.

    They were really using all kinds of tricks

    Sun Shaozong was speechless, but he couldn''t help but remember that the way he used to detoxify seemed to involve the process of taking a medicinal bath.

    Wasnt this saying

    Don''t worry, dear nephew.

    It was about seeing Sun Shaozong''s inner concerns that Jia Zheng hastily added, You only need to take care of Baoyu alone. We have hired someone else to take care of Lian''s daughter-in-law.

    Damn!

    Sun Shaozong was filled with excitement then was immediately doused with a deep chill, but he didnt dare to show it. Instead, he pretended to be relieved and said, "Since that''s the case, I naturally will listen

    Master!

    Just at this moment, Zhou Rui hurriedly arrived outside the door and exclaimed, "Two hundred households Inspector from the Northern Detective Department have arrived, and they say there is an urgent matter they need to report to you personally.

 Chapter 318: Making Trouble

    Chapter 318: Making Trouble

    The hundred households of the Northern Dragon Guard may be arrogant and domineering in the local area, but in the Capital, especially in front of top nobles, there was still some room for improvement.

    Therefore, when Sun Shaozong rushed to the front hall, he saw Jia Shanyao and another hundred households waiting respectfully there. When the maid came forward to serve tea, she served in fear.

    Watching Sun Shaozong step in, the two of them quickly knelt on one knee and clasped their fists, saying, "Greetings to Inspector Sun; Im Jia Shanyao [Yang Licai].

    Sun Shaozong didn''t bother to respond and walked straight toward the main position. The two of them also moved their knees and changed direction.

    After sitting firmly on the main seat, Sun Shaozong reached out and falsely supported himself, ordering, "You both can get up.

    The two of them just got up from the ground.

    Sun Shaozong had heard about Jia Shanyao''s stay in the Capital for a long time, so he naturally didn''t need to inquire about anything. Therefore, he asked him, "I just heard from the steward of JIa Mansion that you have an urgent matter to report; I wonder what it is?

    Just as they exchanged glances, Yang Licai hurriedly went to the door to guard.

    This

    It seemed that there was something confidential and important.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but solemnly listen to Jia Shanyao''s low voice, saying, "Have you ever heard of the recent installation of new firearms in Shenji Camp?

    This matter was still a secret a few days ago, but as for now... Although it might not be well-known, as long as it was slightly related, everyone already knew about it.

    People like Sun Shaozong, who had certain channels, even knew that the new type of firearm was originally designed by Prince Yizhong himself, but it was tragically cheaper than Emperor Guangde.

    Of course, there was no need to disclose these details to Jia Shanyao.

    Sun Shaozong only nodded and said, "I heard we''re going to Jinmen Mansion to install them one by one. Is there something wrong with that batch of firearms?

    If there was a problem with the firearms in the Shenji Camp, it was also the Five Cities Army and Horse Division that was in a hurry, not the Dragon Guard.

    Only when there were safety and quality issues with the firearms produced and preserved by the Military Ordnance Bureau, would it be the turn of the Dragon Guard to investigate.

    Your Excellency is indeed a clever person.

    Jia Shanyao flattered and said anxiously, "I don''t know what happened to the Gunpowder Bureau. Unexpectedly, they lost two new firearms. I also heard a steward die.

    At the sight of this battle, how could Sun Shaozong not know that Dai Quan had taken the opportunity to provoke and demonstrate against Eunuch Xia, who controlled the Southern Detective Department?

    Oh gosh, the national treasures are lost and they are still thinking of competing for power and profit. These Eunuchs are really not a good thing!

    Even though Sun Shaozong was reluctant, he didnt dare show any signs in front of the people. Instead, he extended his arms and gave a faint command, "Get changed.

    Jia Shanyao and Yang Licai immediately stepped forward and draped the bright yellow bullfighting suit over Sun Shaozong. Then, from nowhere, they obtained a precious sword inlaid with gold and jade and carefully tied it to Sun Shaozong''s waist.

    After dressing Sun Shaozong neatly, the two of them took a few more steps back, then rolled over and knelt, clasping their fists on one knee and saying, "Greetings to Inspector Sun.

    As soon as the words were finished, the first row of thirty soldiers and men in the square all said, "Greetings to Inspector Sun.

    Next up were the second, third, and fourth rows.

    Indeed, they deserve to be called the imperial army, and they were freaking good at making a scene!

    Although there was a hint of forcing a donkey to dance at this moment, Sun Shaozong pressed the sword on his waist and looked at the hundreds of powerful soldiers, all prostrating themselves at his feet. However, his heart was also surging uncontrollably.

    While hesitating whether to say anything, the hundred households who had put on his bullfighting uniforms respectfully said, "The Governor has been waiting in the front hall for a long time. Please move.

    Well~

    As soon as others finished paying respects to him, it was his turn to greet the big shots.

    Sun Shaozong was a bit disappointed in his heart, so he loudly ordered, "Everyone, get up and wait.

    After speaking, he walked alone through the military formation and entered the hall.

    This time, Governor Lu Hui did not sit on the golden chair but instead placed a table and two chairs at the entrance.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong coming in, he smiled and asked, "How do you feel?

    Sun Shaozong patted the precious sword on his waist and shrugged. "It''s a bit lighter, not very convenient.

    Hahaha.

    Although the answer was incorrect, Lu Hui was actually more satisfied because it proved that Sun Shaozong had not been fooled by the recent grand scene.

    After laughing for a long time, he finally said with a straight face, "Eunuch Dai has no other advice for you, just one

 Chapter 319: The Reserve

    Chapter 319: The Reserve

    The Gunpowder Bureau was located in the Southeast of the Capital.

    Built by the mountains and rivers, with high walls and deep trenches on the outside, there was no shortage of clothing, food, housing, and transportation. There was even a small market, more like a town, isolated from the world by heavy soldiers, rather than an arsenal workshop.

    At noon this day, in the supervisory office located in the center of the town, more than twenty officials stood in the center of the lobby with their hands tied, but no sound was heard. Even the essential breath was slowly sucked in and gently exhaled.

    Looking further inside, the three main people of the Gunpowder Bureau were also sitting in the hall, from left to right, Lv Yuan, a thousand households Inspector from Shenji Camp, Zhu Shan, a fourth-grade supervisor, and Luo Jing, a hundred household Inspector from the Southern Detective Department.

    These three were all consistent figures in the Gunpowder Bureau, and if they came together, there wasnt anything they couldnt do!

    But right now

    Bam!

    As if unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere, Lv Yuan slapped the table and jumped up, standing up with a thousand layers of meat patties on his stomach and shouting, "What the hell is wrong with you guys? When I ask you to be silent, each of your mouths is shooting bullets with ideas. Now that it''s really at a critical moment, why are you all mute?

    I''m telling you, if this thing gets big, none of you will be well.

    After just a few words, he really exerted his strength and after speaking, he hissed and gasped for breath. It took him a while to calm down.

    However, until he regained his breath, there was still a dead silence in the hall. Even the two hundred households Inspector, who usually bowed to Lv Yuan, were still observing their noses and hearts without any reaction.

    You

    Enough.

    Lv Yuan gritted his teeth and was about to give a few more scoldings when he heard Supervisor Zhu Shan say in a deep voice, "Let''s all wait outside. If there''s anything else, we''ll call you in.

    The officials below, as if granted amnesty, quickly bowed down and retreated.

    Lord Zhu, you

    Lv Yuan grumbled in dissatisfaction, seeing Zhu Shan''s face as heavy as water, just like the gunpowder piled up in the warehouse. In a state of instant explosion, he could only sit back in his chair with suppressed anger.

    Inspector Lv, please be calm and not be impatient.

    At this moment, Luo Jing, dressed in a black dragon-swallowing cloud robe, said calmly, "We all don''t want anything to happen, but since things have already happened, what can be changed if you scold the people below?

    Next to him, Luo Jing was extremely proud and secretly said that heroes had similar ideas. This Imperial Envoy took over the defense of the Shenji Camp as soon as he arrived and obviously also wanted to target Lv Yuan, a foolish creature!

    So he eagerly arched his hand and urged, "Your Excellency, since the Imperial Envoy has orders, we didnt dare to delay.

    At this moment, Zhu Shan had already reacted and quickly sent someone to call out the officials outside. The sedan chairs and horseback riders hurriedly rushed to the Gunpowder Bureau Treasury.

    As soon as he reached the warehouse to the east, he saw a group of powerful and majestic Dragon Guards, who surrounded the warehouse tightly with their waist swords.

    Yuu~

    Luo Jing was the first to hold onto the reins and dismount, charging toward one of the Generals. With a hint of disdain, he said, "I wonder which brother or uncle is leading the team? Could you please go and report and say that Luo Xiaoqi is here to greet the Imperial Envoy.

    Seeing his undisclosed relationship with the Imperial Envoy, Lv Yuan''s old face became even more resentful. He flipped over a few times, but he couldn''t get off his horse.

    He was conscious of losing face, but suddenly heard the General impatiently saying, "What kind of Xiaoqi or Xiaopa? The thousand households Inspector has ordered, except for Supervisor Zhu Shan and the Shenji Camp thousand households Inspector Lv Yuan, no one is allowed to enter.

    Although Luo Jing hit a nail, he was not angry but happy.

    What he was most afraid of was that it was a newcomer who couldnt take charge of the matter. Now that he heard it was a thousand households Inspector, he naturally didnt have to worry about these things.

    So Luo Jing quickly and happily asked, "I wonder if it''s Inspector Zhou, Inspector Zhao, or Inspector Song leading the team?

    What about Inspector Zhou or Inspector Song?"

    The General, however, angrily scolded, "Inside is Inspector Sun, the Governor of the Northern Detective Department, leading the troops.

    North... North North... Northern Detective Department?

    At that time, Luo Jing was dumbfounded and blurted out, "This Gunpowder Bureau is directly under the jurisdiction of the Inner Court. What is it related to your Northern Detective Department?! Why are you

    What''s up?

    Before he could finish speaking, he saw Jia Shanyao coming out of the room, staring at him with a gloomy expression and asking, "Are you dissatisfied with Inspector Sun, or do you think that Eunuch Dai, an elderly man, shouldn''t have taken on this job at all?

    Luo Jing was immediately scolded and speechless. Not to mention Dai Quan, Inspector Sun inside, could also determine his life and death prospects. Therefore, how could he dare to question anything more after the momentary impulse passed?

    At this moment, when Lv Yuan heard this, he grinned at the corner of his mouth behind his ear and laughed loudly, kicking off his horse. He arched his hand and said, "Lv Yuan, a thousand households Inspector in the Shenji Camp, requests to meet the Imperial Envoy.

 Chapter 320: Searching for the Lost Guns [(1)]

    Chapter 320: Searching for the Lost Guns [(1)]

    Hardwood gun stock, typical flint firing machine, semi-enclosed rear compartment, front-loading, and a gun body length of about 1.3 meters. With a 20-centimeter-long bayonet, the total length was about 1.5 meters, and the overall weight was around 4.5 kilograms.

    The bullets were still lead shot type but have been improved to paper shell packaging, and the amount of excitation and firing powder has been allocated in advance, greatly improving the loading speed.

    Ordinary soldiers could approximately fire twice per minute, while skilled musketeers could increase to three or even four shots.

    The effective killing range exceeded 250 meters, and the precise scope was about 80 meters.

    If left at the beginning of the 18th century, this could only be said to be a standard smoothbore gun, and nothing was surprising about it.

    But now it was the beginning of the 15th century!

    So without a doubt, this was a powerful weapon that exceeded the times!

    Looking at more than 200 Flintlock mechanisms in the warehouse, Sun Shaozong felt like he had opened the door to a new world. When the large-scale assembly was completed, there was no doubt that the military strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty would reach another level!

    At that time, not to mention conquering the world, there would always be no problem subduing the four barbarians too.

    Carefully putting the rifle back on the shelf, Sun Shaozong suddenly turned around and said straightforwardly, "Tell me about the situation before and after the crime, as well as your speculation about this case. As long as it is related to this case, tell me everything.

    Under the scorching gaze of Sun Shaozong, Zhu Shan, the Supervisor of the Gunpowder Bureau, and Lv Yuan, the thousand households Inspector in the Shenji Camp, both felt somewhat puzzled. This Inspector Sun looked cold and stern; how could he suddenly become fanatical after taking a few glances at the new type of firearm?

    But how would they know that Sun Shaozong, as a passerby, saw the Flintlock mechanism at the beginning of the 18th century and mass-produced it in the land of China at the beginning of the 15th century, filled with excitement and ecstasy?

    This kind of national treasure must not be left to wander!

    If Sun Shaozong had only driven ducks onto a perch before, he was now full of power and would love to immediately retrieve those two muskets!

    Although Zhu Shan and Lv Yuan were a bit puzzled, since the Imperial Envoy had already spoken, the two of them could only pour beans out of a bamboo tube and tell the whole story once.

    After the successful imitation of this new type of firearm, Emperor Guangde was greatly satisfied, personally named it Megatron, and greatly favored the Gunpowder Bureau.

    The Emperor attached such importance; how would others dare be careless?

    Therefore, after the small-scale mass production of the Megatron Gun, it has been stored in the most heavily guarded warehouse, and in this warehouse, from top to bottom of the entire Gunpowder Bureau, only four people could enter and exit at will.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong''s face in doubt, Lv Yuan hurriedly said, "You may not know something. From the previous Emperor''s first expedition to Korea to the summer of Guangde three years ago, the weapons supervisor has been under Prince Yizhong."

    And this gunpowder situation is also due to the strong efforts of Prince Yizhong, which led to the current situation.

    At that time, Prince Yizhong was skilled in being socially active, which captured a group of confidants.

    However, it turned out that in the initial campaign against Korea, apart from being ambushed by the enemy, the quality of military equipment was worrying, even far inferior to what the Koreans used, which was also one of the reasons for the defeat.

    Therefore, at that time, Prince Yizhong, who had the identity of a prince, voluntarily recommended himself to be in charge of the Military Equipment Bureau and carried out drastic reforms.

    In the following eight years, he not only led the improvement of many manufacturing processes and the unified refinement of measurement units but also invented assembly line operations, causing a qualitative transformation of the entire military supervision during his control period.

    The spring steel used in modern firearms today is one of the essential achievements obtained through the use of new processes and smelting at that time.

    It is precisely because of this kind of achievement that Prince Yizhong''s prestige in the military academy was unparalleled, and he had secretly gathered many confidants.

    Although he was imprisoned two years ago and had his entire arsenal cleaned up, to ensure the normal operation of the arsenal, it was not easy to catch them all in one fell swoop, so there must be some missing fish.

    Lv Yuan finally said helplessly, "Due to the close ties between the Shenji Camp and the Gunpowder Bureau, there are also quite a few people who are deceived by it. Therefore, it is impossible to guarantee their innocence.

    Tch!

    This Prince Yizhong has indeed done a lot of great things. No wonder he had been imprisoned for over a year, and there were still so many martyrs who were obsessed and wanted to rescue him.

    Compared to himself, as a transmigrator, it seemed a bit

    After shaking his head slightly and putting the inexplicable sense of shame behind him, Sun Shaozong asked again, "Are there any officials in this Gunpowder Bureau who were promoted by Prince Yizhong when he was in power?

    There should be no more?

    Zhu Shan and Lv Yuan shook their heads at the same time, and Zhu Shan further added, "Actually, since the summer of the third year of Guangde, the officials in this Gunpowder Bureau have gradually been replaced. After Prince Yizhong was imprisoned, the old people were almost uprooted.

    But some lower-level officials have stayed behind. However, the changes in the craftsmen are not significant, and they cant be near the warehouse.

    Sun Shaozong repeatedly asked a few questions and felt that there was not much information available, which led Lv Yuan to invite Du Ning''s body out and tried to restore it to its original appearance to conduct a more detailed investigation of the scene.

 Chapter 321: Searching for the Lost Guns [(2)]

    Chapter 321: Searching for the Lost Guns [(2)]

    It would take some time for the corpse to be transported from the Yamen to the warehouse, so Sun Shaozong first investigated the crime scene.

    This warehouse was approximately 25.5 meters long from east to west and 11 meters wide from north to south. The main gate was located in the middle of the east wall. As for the south wall, there were two air windows with mesh iron fences.

    On the left side of the gate was a public case with pens, ink, paper, and inkstones on top, as well as three small booklets with wooden covers.

    Sun Shaozong flipped through it and found that one of them was a record of Du Ning''s daily inventory check, while the other recorded the time and purpose of others entering and leaving the warehouse.

    In the final booklet, some important to-do items were recorded.

    For example, on the page of March 27th, Zhu Shan''s important instructions on conducting artillery maintenance half a month in advance were recorded. Yes, this warehouse had always been used to store trial-type artillery before the introduction of new firearms, and until now there have also been several big guns placed at the bottom of the warehouse.

    As for the right side of the gate, there were four specially made lanterns hanging and some slogans labeled fire and theft prevention.

    Sun Shaozong picked up a lantern and carefully examined it a few times. He found that it was made of double-layer copper mesh. They couldnt burn anything outside, even if the candles inside fell off the base and got blocked by these two layers of copper mesh.

    "Which lantern did Du Ning use last night?"

    It''s this one.

    Zhu Shan hurriedly took out another lantern from under the official case and presented it to Sun Shaozong with both hands.

    Sun Shaozong, however, was not in a hurry to pick it up. Instead, he turned his head and looked at the four hooks on the wall, frowning and saying, "The person is dead. Did you deliberately change the lanterns?

    There''s no other way.

    Zhu Shan smiled helplessly and said, "The most important rule in our Gunpowder Bureau is to replace any damaged lanterns in important warehouses with new ones as soon as possible according to the regulations drafted above. Otherwise, it will be a crime of dereliction of duty.

    It was estimated that this system was also established by Prince Yizhong at the beginning.

    Sun Shaozong took over the lantern and found that only the copper mesh on the outside was slightly deformed, while the inside was intact.

    After carefully observing for a while and asking about Du Ning''s height, he raised the lantern at the beginning to a height of about 1.2 meters, then released his palm and let it land freely.

    Kuang~

    The lantern hit the bluestone floor, rolled only one and a half times, and then staggered to a stop. Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    This

    After exchanging glances with Lv Yuan, Zhu Shan hesitated and said, "According to regulations, it is natural to check both in and out. However, when entering the door, only external objects are checked, and when coming out, a thorough body search is done.

    "That is to say, if he brings something in, nobody will find it," Sun Shaozong remarked right away.

    This... should be..."

    Zhu Shan hesitated and nodded.

    Someone

    Sun Shaozong immediately gave an order and instructed, "Conduct a careful look and see if there is anything in this warehouse that shouldn''t have been here.

    Jia Shanyao and the four Dragon Guards quickly responded and then called out a team of people from outside to carry out a carpet-like search according to Sun Shaozong''s instructions.

    Sun Shaozong himself was not idle either; he squatted down in front of the body and carefully examined it.

    This Du Ning was around forty years old, with a very thin figure but a big cake face. In addition, there were obvious black circles around his eyes, and it was estimated that his sleep condition hadnt been very good recently.

    The corpse lay on its back with its head south, feet north, and feet about half a meter away from the southern gun rack.

    The fatal wound was a blood hole the size of a copper coin in the heart. As for the murder weapon, it was naturally the bayonet delivered with the body.

    By the way, a separate bayonet holder was also left on the gun holder, while the third gun holder only had a musket without a bayonet. Obviously, the killer had stolen two complete muskets, including the bayonet.

    Both hands of the deceased showed irregular, curved shapes, and there were recently rubbed cocoons and blisters at his mouth. The blisters had begun to swell, and it was estimated that they had not been subjected to the same friction in the past day or two.

    In addition, the cuffs of the deceased''s hands were stained with splashing blood.

    Looking down, there was no abnormality in the legs.

    The biped

    This is

    When checking the sole of the deceased''s left foot, Sun Shaozong suddenly saw a light in his eyes. He saw a semi-transparent object the size of a sesame seed sticking to the heel of that foot!

 Chapter 322: Searching for the Lost Guns [(3)]

    Chapter 322: Searching for the Lost Guns [(3)]

    After staring at the bloodstain on the sleeve for a while, Sun Shaozong stood up and immediately ordered, "Someone, go tie up that Luo Jing for me and put him under temporary custody.

    Yes sir!

    Yang Licai, who had been waiting at the door, immediately pressed his waist knife and left the warehouse.

    Inspector Sun.

    Upon hearing that he was about to take Luo Jing, Lv Yuan immediately became excited and said happily, "Are you suspicious that Luo Jing did this? This guy is such a daredevil

    Zhu Shan felt that there was something strange about the matter. Although Luo Jing was a bit domineering regularly, Zhu Shan didn''t believe that he had the courage to do it.

    In addition, he had heard before that between the Northern and Southern town Governors, there was often a tendency for the same party to engage in dissent.

    Inspector Sun.

    He couldn''t help but cautiously inquire, "Is it really Luo Jing who did this?

    Of course not.

    Sun Shaozong first gave a negative answer and then said, "However, he carries supervisory responsibilities and allows spies in important positions to lurk in the Gunpowder Bureau for many years without being investigated. This crime of dereliction of duty is always unavoidable.

    A spy in an important position?

    Zhu Shan was taken aback and then turned his skeptical gaze to Lv Yuan. Currently, in this Gunpowder Bureau, it could be said that Lv Yuan held important positions, except for him and Luo Jing.

    Unexpectedly, with this glance, he found that Lv Yuan was also scanning towards him with a skeptical gaze; his emotions were also doubting him.

    You two don''t have to doubt each other

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong pointed at Du Ning''s body and said, "The spy I''m talking about is not someone else, but this guy on the ground.

    What?!

    It cant be?!

    Zhu Shan and Lv Yuan were both stunned and couldn''t help but question, Inspector Sun, if Du Ning is really a spy, who killed him?

    Sun Shaozong, on the other hand, put on his lips and said, "Of course, it was this guy on the ground who did it.

    After all, Zhu Shan was smarter and immediately said, "Are you saying that Du Ning died of suicide?

    That''s right.

    Sun Shaozong nodded and said, "There are currently two flaws that can prove my inference.

    Firstly, the lantern he used that day. After repeatedly testing it to make the external copper mesh look like that, at least a considerable amount of force must be exerted. That is to say, this lantern was voluntarily thrown to the ground by Du Ning, rather than simply dropping it.

    This

    As Sun Shaozong was about to explain, Jia Shanyao cautiously approached and chatted up, "Your Excellency, I am incompetent and have not found anything strange.

    He didn''t find anything strange?

    Sun Shaozong was slightly stunned and then muttered to himself, "That''s right. Since this is a military factory, it shouldn''t be difficult to get some easily disassembled tools.

    As he spoke, he waved his hand at Jia Shanyao and said, "Forget it; I just didn''t think carefully. Let the brothers go out first.

    Jia Shanyao was somewhat inexplicable, but he still took orders and coaxed out all the Dragon Guards who had been transferred in.

    After the warehouse quieted down, Sun Shaozong led the crowd to the middle of the southern gun rack and pointed to several of them, saying, "Take down the muskets and bayonets on top. Take a closer look at these racks and see what''s different from the others.

    Jia Shanyao and Lv Yuan immediately stepped forward and quickly took the muskets and bayonets off the shelf.

    Jia Shanyao didn''t realize anything was wrong, but Lv Yuan only picked up a musket and without realizing it, he frowned. "Why is it so loose?

    Whats loose?

    Jia Shanyao was holding a musket in his arms in confusion, flipping over and over several times, but he couldn''t find anything loose there.

    I''m talking about shelves.

    As Lv Yuan spoke, he reached out to grab the empty gun rack and shook it vigorously, only to see that the rack swayed slightly.

    Eh

    Zhu Shan moved forward to adjust another shelf as soon as he realized something was off. He then declared with assurance, "Someone should have reloaded and unloaded these shelves, and they were done by a novice."

    That''s right.

    Lv Yuan nodded and said, "This gun rack has just been made, and it can never be so loose. Our Gunpowder Bureau is a military camp and has the strictest requirements for craftsmanship.

    But he immediately became confused again and asked, "Who is this person who did this? Why did the person dismantle this thing?

    Of course, it''s to create a cover-up.

    Sun Shaozong said as he pointed to a less obvious mark on the table and said, "If you take a closer look, there are as many as seven or eight slight scratches on the table, which is the same as the number of loose shelves.

    The three of them quickly gathered together to search and they indeed discovered many scratches.

    It''s glue! It should have been something like fish bladder glue used to glue the loose frame directly onto the table.

    Zhu Shan spent several years in prison and quickly determined the origin of these traces.

    That''s right.

    Sun Shaozong continued, "However, one of the shelves was not glued to it, but was hidden by Du Ning. It wasn''t until last night that it was wedged back onto the table along with the other shelves.

    As he spoke, he extended his hand to the opposite gun rack and said, "On the other side, there are similar marks. Therefore, those two guns didnt disappear out of thin air last night but had already been stolen before last night.

 Chapter 323: Godâ€™s Way is Higher than Manâ€™s

    Chapter 323: God''s Way is Higher than Man''s

    This kind of deception, which expanded the distance to cover up individual deficiencies, might seem worthless after being put bluntly, but in practical applications, it was still very deceptive.

    Especially on this day, the warehouse with a designated name was already lacking in lighting. Unless repeated inventory checks were conducted, it was almost normal to be deceived. It was a bit farfetched to blame Luo Jing for acting in vain. Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

    It was just that

    He was a hundred households Inspector of the Southern Detective Department and even worshipped Eunuch Xia as his god-father.

    Sun Shaozong unexpectedly took on the task of Eunuch Dai, and if he didn''t take Luo Jing for an attack, who else could he take?

    Now Zhu Shan has only sought self-protection and naturally had no intention of speaking for Luo Jing.

    After Lv Yuan added insult to injury, he cautiously inquired again, "According to the clues discovered by you, Inspector Sun, Du Ning is related to this gun theft case, and there should be no mistake, but how did those two guns get out?

    That''s right.

    Upon hearing this, Lv Yuan also hurriedly said, "There is a team of [12] officers and soldiers guarding the entrance all year round. If one or two of them have problems, it may still be possible, but so many people are not all his accomplices, are they?

    That''s precisely why he''s trying to create a cover-up.

    As Sun Shaozong spoke, he led the crowd to the body and pointed to the calluses and blisters on Du Ning''s hands, saying, "This mark is clearly freshly ground. However, just moving a few wooden frames shouldn''t have caused a blister on one hand.

    Lv Yuan looked closely at it for a while and said with uncertainty, "It looks like the marks left by those new apprentices when they first started learning crafts.

    It''s definitely not a heavy job like swinging a sledgehammer.

    Zhu Shan added to the side, "If that''s the case, there should be more calluses on the fingers, which is more like polishing and cutting cast iron parts.

    At the end of the conversation, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in Zhu Shan''s mind and he exclaimed excitedly, "I got it. He used his daily inventory check to break down the gun into parts and transport it out. It probably took him several days before and after; no wonder he used a cover-up.

    That''s right.

    Sun Shaozong nodded and said, "I just realized that the wooden frames that were passively tampered with were re-fixed with some fresh sawdust, which is very similar to the material of the gun stock.

    As he spoke, he reached out and pointed to the air window, saying, "Additionally, there are traces of recent friction from hard objects on the iron fence of the air window.

    If my expectations are right, the disassembled parts should be thrown out through the gaps in the air window first and then transported away by Du Ning''s comrades in the guards.

    "He can prevent the possibility of being discovered by others during a body search in this way."

    At this point, naturally, no one would doubt Sun Shaozong''s reasoning ability, so both Lv Yuan and Jia Shanyao were inspired and unanimously requested to interrogate the officers and soldiers responsible for guarding the warehouse.

    It was just the fat meat of the Gunpowder Bureau; although it was already on his lips, if he couldnt find those two firearms back, he was afraid he might not be able to swallow them.

    Seeing the large team of people preparing to be ordered, Sun Shaozong flipped over and mounted his horse. Just as he was about to command to move, several horses suddenly rushed towards him, dressed in Dragon Guards on both sides. The leader among them was a young Eunuch.

    And this young Eunuch, to Sun Shaozong, looked a bit familiar, as if he had seen him beside Dai Quan several times before.

    So Sun Shaozong quickly raised his voice and asked, "May I ask what instructions Commander Dai has?

    The Eunuch recognized Sun Shaozong, urging his horse forward while shouting at the top of his voice, "His Majesty has instructed you, Inspector Sun, to immediately take down Du Ning, the Deputy Supervisor of the Gunpowder Bureau, without any delay.

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong was stunned. He turned around and looked at the body tied to the cart. He immediately threw off his horse and went up to help the young Eunuch hold the reins. He chased after him and asked, "Did His Majesty already know that Du Ning was the mastermind behind the gun theft?

    The Eunuch was also taken aback upon hearing this, and immediately smiled and said, "So you have found out the truth and indeed deserve the name of Divine Judgement. I wonder where Du Ning is now?

    Here, his body is lying on the car.

    Sun Shaozong casually pointed and saw the young Eunuch''s face suddenly change. He quickly explained, "He committed suicide last night intending to cover up the truth. Eunuch, how did His Majesty learn that he was the culprit in this case?

    These few words were hard to understand.

    So the little Eunuch was stunned for a long time until Sun Shaozong asked him for the third time, he then whispered in Sun Shaozong''s ear, "Actually

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong was speechless and looked back at the body of Du Ning. He couldn''t help but sigh in his heart. This is really a clever calculation, but in the end, it only caused his life!

    To be honest, this Du Ning was indeed a remnant party, but it was not a remnant party of Prince Yizhong, but a remnant party of Goryeo!

    At that time, Goryeo and the Great Zhou Dynasty were in a state of tension, and many spies proficient in Han culture were selected to secretly infiltrate the hinterland of the Great Zhou Dynasty, waiting for an opportunity to spy on intelligence.

    Later on, Goryeo was destroyed, and these spies became rootless duckweed. Most of them gradually forgot their original tasks and regarded themselves as ordinary people of the Zhou Dynasty.

    However, some people have extended their loyalty to Goryeo to North Korea, and Du Ning was one of them.

    Last month, he accidentally heard that the North Korean delegation had arrived in the Capital, and it was rumored that the North Korean state seemed to have a sense of disobedience. Du Ning''s heart for serving the country was immediately ignited.

    So he secretly bribed a guard who owed a large gambling debt and smuggled out two muskets. He also took advantage of the opportunity to present the official documents and quietly sent them to the North Korean embassy.

    To ensure that this matter wouldn''t leak out, he even directed a suicide farce!

    However

    This Du Ning risked his life not to steal the military and national treasure, but was handed over to the court by the North Korean envoy!

 Chapter 324: Medicinal Bath

    Chapter 324: Medicinal Bath

    Stepping on the sunset as he walked out of the palace, Sun Shaozong remembered the face of the North Korean Envoy, and his heart was still filled with mixed emotions.

    Was it wrong, as a North Korean Envoy, not to collude with the remnants of the previous dynasty?

    Was it wrong for him, as a tribute envoy from a foreign country, to actively avoid fighting with the sovereign country?

    As for Du Ning''s life and death...

    The remaining sins of the previous dynasty were the deaths of hundreds, and what was the connection with him, the North Korean Envoy?!

    And that new type of firearm, wasnt that something only the useless would use? Using this thing to exchange for the favor of the sovereign state was simply beyond value?!

    Therefore, in the eyes of the North Korean Envoy, Lee En Hyun, not only did he not do anything wrong, but he also made great contributions!

    Emperor Guangde was greatly pleased and bestowed numerous rewards of wealth and silk, as well as a considerable number of bows and crossbows, and permitted North Korea to continue paying tribute by sea, Lee En Hyun felt that his trip had already achieved great success.

    At that time, Sun Shaozong stood by and watched him cry continuously. He was so excited that he was almost about to shout, It''s the greatest honor to be a big dog working for the Great Zhou Dynasty. He really didn''t know how to roast.

    However, this couldnt be entirely attributed to Leei En Hyun''s short-sightedness. After all, the firearms of the early 15th century were already weapons that were discriminated against; perhaps even Emperor Guangde didnt know what kind of sparks those new firearms would burst out once they were installed on a large scale!

    Among the people present, it was probably only Sun Shaozong who knew what Li En Hyun had missed.

    And this feeling of witnessing history but not being able to reveal it to anyone at all...

    It was frustrating!

    Forget it~

    It was not his turn to worry about this national matter at the moment. He wanted to go home and see his son first. He felt strange not being able to see him in the past few days.

    With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong untied the reins and waited for him to turn over and mount his horse, but suddenly he heard someone shouting from diagonally down, "Lord Sun, have you already finished your official duties?

    Sun Shaozong followed the sound and saw two servants from Rongguo Mansion approaching with smiles on their faces.

    What are you doing here?

    Sun Shaozong said strangely, "How are your Second Master Bao and Second Madam Lian''s conditions? Are they better now? Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    Greetings to Lord Sun.

    He saw that she greeted and went forward to try the water temperature in the extinguished bucket, then lifted the curtain and ran out.

    Not long after, the curtain was lifted again, and four maids carrying Baoyu walked in, led by Qingwen and Lin Xiaohong, the one Jia Yun was thinking about.

    The next two were the sisters in Madam Wang''s house, who were called Jinchuan and Yuchuan.

    Baoyu was not tied to his limbs on the stretcher and looked drowsy. He must have taken drugs or something.

    He then saw the four maids carrying Baoyu to the flameout bathtub and looking at each other a few times; they all showed a hint of shame.

    Finally, Qingwen bit her silver teeth and took the initiative to unbutton Jia Baoyu''s collar, while the other three followed suit.

    Seeing them divide by two and peeled Jia Baoyu clean, and then laboriously helped him into the bathtub, Sun Shaozong finally couldn''t help but guess, "Should it be that you four are going to serve him physically in the tub later?

    The other three lowered their heads and didn''t answer, but Qingwen said, half proud and half disdainful, "The Masters have said that only women who have no leakage can approach Second Master Bao and Second Madam Lian.

    A body without leakage?

    Sun Shaozong suddenly felt a bit unbelievable. Qingwen was also a sharply pointed beauty in the Yihong Courtyard. In terms of her physique and appearance, she was still on top of Xiren and Sheyue, and she was also favored by Baoyu normally. How could she remain chaste and motionless?

    Was she unwilling to submit, or...

    Splash~

    Hey, you should be more careful.

    As he was pondering over some of the things, he suddenly heard Qingwen''s coquettish expression. Sun Shaozong fixed his eyes on her, and it turned out that when Baoyu entered the water, Lin Xiaohong couldn''t grasp her power and immediately stirred up the water, only splashing water on Qingwen''s face.

    Qingwen quickly pulled her handkerchief and went to wipe the medicinal water on her face, but for a moment, she didnt pay attention to her clothes, which were also soaked in water. The already thin blue veil collapsed and immediately showed a rich appearance.

    Eh?

    So this job has some benefits besides unbearable scenes!

    Sun Shaozong was immediately refreshed, and the subsequent treatment process didnt disappoint his expectations. Although no similar accidents occurred again, as time passed, the hot, sticky, and greasy medicinal steam gradually soaked into the clothes of several servant girls.

    In the end, it was said that they were still with their clothes on, but were tightly wrapped around them In addition to adding some atmosphere, it couldnt be blocked

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325

    Lord Sun, are you all right?

    Lin Xiaohong timidly presented a handkerchief, and Sun Shaozong wasn''t polite to her. He grabbed it and quickly covered his nose.

    The hot liquid was blocked, but it also made his brain feel a bit hypoxic, and the veins near his temples were jumping wildly, giving Sun Shaozong the illusion that his head was about to explode.

    Previously, Sun Shaozong thought it was too exaggerated that the male protagonists in the anime would easily spray nosebleeds when they saw beautiful women. However, after sitting cross-legged and suffering for over half an hour, he also shamefully sprayed.

    The clothes he was wearing were the thickest in the entire room, and the medicinal aura had a stimulating effect on blood circulation. In addition, the four young and beautiful maids were even more undressed than they were before

    Under the triple stimulation, even the Buddha couldn''t stop his fire, let alone a mortal like Sun Shaozong.

    Your Excellency, are you feeling hot?

    When Lin Xiaohong saw Sun Shaozong took the handkerchief, she walked over and brought her fan, tightly gripping it with both hands and vigorously inciting it in front of Sun Shaozong.

    This was a bit cooler, but the problem was that her clothes were even thinner!

    Especially when the fan shook, her delicate and curvaceous body also rippled like duckweed. As a result, the temperature on Sun Shaozong''s body surface disappeared and suddenly surged into his nostrils!

    Ah~

    Seeing his nosebleed suddenly covering half of her handkerchief red, Lin Xiaohong panicked and lowered her body. While observing Sun Shaozong''s nose, she whispered with concern, "Lord Sun, are you... are you okay?

    This angle

    Take a glance!

    However, even though Sun Shaozong''s head was drowsy, he still faintly sensed something wrong. This little girl, shouldn''t she be deliberately teasing him?!

    Just as he thought of this, he heard Qingwen angrily scold and said, "Xiaohong, where are you selling your looks? Come over and help me change the medicinal water.

    To maintain a relatively suitable temperature in the bathtub where Baoyu was located, the maids needed to scoop up some hot medicinal water from time to time and then scoop back the excess cold water to heat it.

    That was why Qingwen had this urge.

    After a pause, Qingwen couldn''t help but add, "If you feel like you''ve been wronged in our mansion when Second Master Bao wakes up, I''ll ask him to send you to Sun Mansion.

    Second Master!

    Qingwen was immediately overjoyed and couldn''t look around anymore. She quickly rushed to the bathtub and exclaimed excitedly, "Second Master, are you awake?! Are you feeling better?

    I... I

    Jia Baoyu repeated several times before finally asking in a daze, Who are you? I... Why can''t I remember?

    He didnt even know his personal maid anymore?

    This kid has started to lose his memory?!

    Sun Shaozong just had a heartbeat, but Qingwen was slapped with a blow. Tears welled up and she rushed up to embrace Jia Baoyu, crying, "You heartless man, who always loves to manipulate others, but how can you... how can you

    Fortunately, the plot of this book was not so dramatic.

    It was also a pity that Baoyu didn''t really lose his memory as some book friends expected.

    He just had a memory disorder, and in the midst of Qingwen''s crying and howling, he quickly woke up and quickly grabbed Qingwen''s shoulder.

    Good Qingwen, its my bad. Don''t you cry anymore. Look at me; I am fine now.

    Seeing him speak and act like this, just like usual, no longer looking crazy and bored, Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "Anyone, hurry up and ask outside. When can Brother Bao get out of here?! If you keep soaking him in it like this, he will be cooked in no time.

    What he really wanted to ask was when he could get out of this big steamer.

    The other three maids all surrounded Baoyu with joyful expressions, with no intention of going out to spread the word. Only Lin Xiaohong obediently arrived at the door and leaned out to report the situation inside.

    And Sun Shaozong''s command also startled Jia Baoyu. He looked over in confusion and asked, "Second Brother Sun, why are you here? Where the hell is this place?

    Where else can it be? Of course, it''s your home.

    Sun Shaozong responded angrily and heard a commotion outside. Immediately after, Madam Wang, along with Xiren, Sheyue, and others, rushed in and pushed Qingwen aside, holding Baoyu in her arms and shouting My dear for a while.

    Seeing this scene, Sun Shaozong knew that the treatment had come to an end, so he quickly went out quietly and refreshed himself in the night breeze!

    When Sun Shaozong put on his spare clothes and walked out of the meditation room again, he saw Madam Wang waiting outside with gratitude on her face. As soon as she saw him come out, she gave him a greeting and then silently thanked him.

    Just as Sun Shaozong was tired of dealing with it, Madam Wang suddenly threw out a sentence, "I heard that you are quite interested in Qingwen. Why don''t I send her over later so that she can serve you all night?

 Chapter 326: Drive Away Diseases and Create Resentment

    Chapter 326: Drive Away Diseases and Create Resentment

    However, it was not until the latter half of the night that the maids followed Baoyu back to the Yihong Courtyard to settle down. But they didnt dare to sleep in the main room and only managed to make ends meet in the east and west rooms.

    The next day, before dawn, Xiren, Qingwen, Sheyue, and others surrounded Jia Baoyu and carefully questioned him. After confirming that there were no abnormalities except for some mental distress, it was finally considered over.

    At this moment, Madam Wang coincidentally came to visit her son, and all the maids withdrew and left the Eastern Chamber room for the mother and son.

    Qingwen thought that the days in this east wing room wouldnt last any longer, so she went into the main room on her own and planned to tidy it up briefly. When she moved back in the future, she wouldn''t panic.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as she pulled out a feather duster from the heart-shaped jar in the corner, someone tiptoed into the living room behind her.

    Qingwen thought it was Sheyue and Qiuyen who had come to haunt her, so she pretended not to know. When the footsteps approached, she suddenly turned around, held up the feather duster, and screamed.

    Ah!

    The visitor was indeed startled, and she tapped her chest like a heart twister. She blushed and said, "What are you doing? I came to inform you with kindness, but you still scared me.

    Qingwen didn''t see Sheyue or Qiuyen, but rather Caixia, the big maid next to Madam Wang. She felt a bit embarrassed and hid the feather duster behind her with a smile, saying, "Good sister, how will I know it was you?

    She quickly changed the topic; she curiously said, "You said you wanted to give me some information; I wonder what kind of news it is?

    You still dare to laugh

    Caixia gave her a pale look and turned around to see no one outside. Then she said with a tone of expression, "Yesterday, Jinchuan learned the exact conversation between you and Lord Sun and reported it to the Madam. She suggested to Lord Sun to send you over to serve him all night.

    What?!

    Upon hearing this, Qingwen felt like a thunderbolt hit her, dropping the feather duster in her hand first, and then she fell backward in front of her.

    Hey~ You... Qingwen? Qingwen?

    Caixia hurriedly helped her up, pinching her philtrum and caressing her chest, finally causing Qingwen to wake up. With the first sentence, she gritted her teeth and said, "Even if I were dead, I would never yield to that surnamed Sun.

    Okay.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    As soon as Caixia saw that she had just regained her strength, she immediately spoke harshly and couldn''t help but laugh or cry, "Even if you were willing, Lord Sun wouldn''t want it! He refused the Madam''s kindness at that time, saying that it was just a joke that couldn''t be taken seriously. He said that A gentleman doesn''t take advantage of others.

    Upon hearing this, Qingwen finally calmed down.

    She broke away from Caixia''s support, straightened her waist again, and silently recited "Amitabha," but she suddenly wondered, "Jinchuan gets along well with me normally; how can she harm me for no reason?"

    What''s so hard to figure out?

    Caixia snorted disdainfully and said, "Although Jinchuan was serving in the Madam''s room, her heart had already flown to Second Master Bao. When you and Qingwen were almost kicked out years ago, you didn''t know how happy she was behind your back and had been waiting to replace you.

    Although that matter was suppressed, her desire to climb high was not suppressed.

    So you mean...

    Wang Xifeng didn''t think that Ping''er had such courage. At this moment, upon hearing about her discrimination, she immediately believed 80%.

    So she turned all her anger towards the biggest suspect, stomped her foot heavily, and said with hatred, "Hurry up and call that dirty and unfaithful person to me. I''m not dead here, yet he''s thinking about my private savings.

    Ping''er naturally knew who she was talking about, so she had to go out and call for the Master.

    Who knew that just as she was stepping outside, someone in the living room replied, "What are you shouting about? I''m here.

    With that voice coming in, who else could it be but Jia Lian?

    She saw him holding a mahogany box in his hand and reluctantly explaining, "You''ve been crazy these past few days. If I don''t put away the silver, wouldn''t it be a bargain for outsiders?

    Wang Xifeng saw the wooden box and didnt care what he said.

    She pounced and grabbed the wooden box in his hand. She neatly lifted the lid and flipped it over, and then her eyebrows stood up again. She stared at Jia Lian and asked in a deep voice, "Why are there eight gold ingots missing from here?

    Is there any need to ask?

    Jia Lian innocently spread his hand and said, "For your illness, how many people and things have been alarmed? What kind of thing is there that money cant be used?

    What kind of bullshit are you talking about?

    However, Wang Xifeng was even more annoyed and slammed the wooden box heavily onto the bed, thrusting her chest and scolding, "I have already asked Ping''er. This treatment is all shared from the public account; where is there a need for my private money to be used?

    Look at you, you''re in a hurry again, aren''t you? What she said was the big expenses, and what I''m using is for the small expenses.

    Jia Lian muttered and talked about many trivial accounts.

    But Wang Xifeng has been in charge of the accounts of Rongguo Mansion for many years, and she obviously knew which expenses needed to be incurred and which expenses were falsely reported. How could he deceive her?

    Mustering up her unforgettable glib teeth, she tore them apart one by one, while also condemning Jia Lian for being inferior to a dog''s excrement.

    How is this considered your private savings?

    After a series of ups and downs, Jia Lian finally became angry with embarrassment and choked, shouting, "To extort some taels from our house, you always calculate the expenses all day long. How dare you say that these were your private savings? Where do you get the face to say that?

    You... You

    Wang Xifeng leaned back in anger and pointed to the door, shouting, "Get out of here!

    Sure! This place was where you got crazy, even if you beg me, I wont stay!" Jia Lian was so firm this time that he didn''t look back and left the hall without another word.

    Seeing him walk without hesitation, Wang Xifeng felt even more sorrowful as her plump body tilted towards the bed as she burst into tears.

 Chapter 327: "Good Work"

    Chapter 327: "Good Work"

    Although Jia Mansion was not very stable, Rongxi Hall was peaceful.

    Jia Zheng woke up in the morning and heard that his son, nephew, and daughter-in-law had already turned better. He immediately felt relieved and took Sun Shaozong with him to drink a few cups of tea instead of wine.

    It was said that after three rounds of tea, the two were discussing Baoyu''s illness and the recent political situation in the court when they saw Lin Zhixiao coming in and reporting that everything was already prepared, waiting for Sun Shaozong to set off.

    Sun Shaozong immediately stood up and arched his hand, saying, "Uncle, stay here. You can have Steward Lin see me off.

    Ah~

    Jia Zheng quickly followed suit and stood up, pretending to be dissatisfied, saying, "If it weren''t for your presence, how could Baoyu survive this calamity? It doesnt matter taking a few steps, even if you ask me to personally drive you home, is also reasonable.

    After a few more polite words, the two of them walked out of Rongxi Hall shoulder to shoulder.

    When they arrived ahead, they saw a carriage that was already ready to stop, but the one sitting on it was Jia Yingchun''s master and servant.

    In the beginning, the masters and servants also came under the guise of seeking medical treatment. Now that Jia Baoyu and Wang Xifeng have recovered, it was not natural for them to continue staying at their mother''s house for a long time. Therefore, they packed their bags and prepared to return to the Sun family with Sun Shaozong.

    Seeing someone leading Sun Shaozong''s horse diagonally down in front of the carriage, Sun Shaozong was ready to turn over and mount his horse to bid farewell and leave.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    Teacher.

    At this moment, a childish voice suddenly spread to everyone''s ears, and they immediately saw Jia Lan rushing towards him, with two servant girls behind her who couldn''t catch up.

    When he saw Jia Zheng also present, the little guy quickly stopped his steps and gave a curt-like gesture, saying in a crisp voice, "Greetings to Grandfather.

    In recent years, it has been emphasized that gentlemen hold their grandchildren but not their children. In addition, Jia Lan lost his parents at a young age, which led to a certain degree of affection from Jia Zheng.

    Seeing him sweating profusely as he ran, Jia Zheng quickly picked him up and took a pinch of his pink face. He also felt sorry and said, "Why are you running so fast? Cant you two stop him?

    The two maids were stuttering, unsure of how to explain it, but Jia Lan rushed and said, "It''s not their fault. I''m afraid I won''t be able to send the teacher off in time, so I just took a few steps ahead first.

    As he spoke, he scratched his little head and said with some embarrassment, It''s not that I came late on purpose. It''s really that I saw Uncle Huan crying on the way. I stopped and comforted him a few words, and I was a bit late.

    Li Wan would never tell her several-year-old son about the dirty things that Concubine Zhao did, but the two maids beside Jia Lan were both well aware, so they had a difficult time speaking just now.

    But why was his Big Brother asking this?

    He was a General from the patrol camp, not from the Shenji camp. What was his concern with this new type of firearm? Did it have anything to do with him?

    Sigh~

    Sun Shaozu sighed and helplessly said, "It''s all because of the word backup that caused a commotion. Yesterday, Prince Zhongshun called me to go and say that the Commander of the patrol camp is currently out of action. However, there has just been a shortage on the Shenji Camp side, and asked if I would like to transfer to Shenji Camp as an assistant.

    Was there such a good thing?!

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong was overjoyed and hurriedly advised, "Go ahead, of course! Brother, despite the current situation of the Shenji Camp, in a few years, even the Huben Camp may be in danger.

    As he spoke, he explained the benefits and usage of the firearm to his Big Brother one by one.

    Hig Big Brother has been in the military for many years and, naturally, has some insights. After listening to Sun Shaozong''s explanation for a while, he hit the nail on the head and said, "This thing has its advantages and disadvantages compared to a crossbow, but with the two advantages of easy training and durability, it is enough to replace a crossbow player.

    Theres more to it.

    Sun Shaozong added, "Nowadays, it''s just starting to be produced, so the cost is higher. When it''s mass-produced in the future, the price will be much cheaper than the commonly used longbows in the military.

    Then this business will be stable!

    Sun Shaozu waved his fist excitedly and said, "Tomorrow I will tell the Prince that I am willing to go to the Shenji Camp to fill the gap.

    As he spoke, he suddenly slapped Sun Shaozong on the shoulder again and said with a burning gaze, "However, in this way, I''m afraid you''ll have to work hard lately.

    Work hard?

    Sun Shaozong was inexplicably mentioned by him, and what did this matter have to do with him?

    How will it not be related?

    Sun Shaozu glared and scolded, "If I go to Shenji Camp, it will take me at most two to three months, and I will have to go to Jinmen Mansion to lead a team for training. If you don''t get her pregnant as soon as possible, who knows if I will delay until the year of the Ox

    Sun Shaozong, "...

 Chapter 328

    Chapter 328

    On the tenth day of April, it was the day of reckoning.

    According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, local governments and counties open offices every five days to release lawsuits and accept various civil lawsuits.

    As for criminal litigation cases, they were all cases of immediate prosecution and trial, otherwise, if there were a murder case on the first day of the first lunar month and the investigation and interrogation were only conducted by the government on the fifth day, wouldn''t it have been a big mistake?

    Of course, some facts were present, and homicide cases with little urgency would also be postponed until the release date for trial.

    For example, in today''s case

    Your Excellency, I just had an affair with that woman, but I never thought of harming anyone''s life. Please make a clear decision, Lord Qingtian!

    Report to the Lord; after careful investigation by the corpse examiner, it was found that the deceased accidentally stumbled and died due to a collision with a pillar, not due to external forces.

    At first glance, this seemed to be a case of an affair leading to the accidental death of his husband.

    But if that were the case, Sun Shaozong wouldn''t have to be embarrassed. Although there was indeed an element of infidelity in this case, the person who died was not the woman''s husband, but the woman''s son!

    The general process of the entire case was as follows:

    Li was a widow for four years, with only a seventeen-year-old son under her.

    Before, she used to spend all day wandering around her son, and she didn''t think much of it. However, since her son found a job last year, he went out early and returned late every day, and he rarely communicated with his mother when he returned. Li suddenly couldn''t find any spiritual support.

    At this moment, Cobbler Wang at the end of the street took advantage of the opportunity and hooked up with her, which became a good thing.

    If this cobbler Wang has a family and a business, it was indeed an affair with the Li, and this case was easy to say.

    However, Cobbler Wang was also a widower and had some genuine feelings for Li. He had even asked someone to propose marriage to Li. Li naturally had no objections, but her son was angry and immediately beat the matchmaker out, ordering his mother and Wang not to come back again.

    Li''s lips agreed, but privately she didnt sever her relationship with Cobbler Wang, and he was still half-hidden in collusion.

    The eight neighboring families, knowing the reasons behind it, all turned a blind eye and didn''t consider it a shameful thing. They only lamented that Li''s fate was not good and that she had such an unreasonable son.

    But three days ago, Cobbler Wang went to have an affair with Li again. Unexpectedly, Li''s son returned home early and blocked him inside.

    Li had no choice but to let Cobbler Wang hide in the wardrobe.

    Unexpectedly, shortly after Li''s son entered the door, he smelled the foul smell of Cobbler Wang''s feet, so he followed suit and pulled him out, tearing him apart.

    It was just that

    Dad, Dad

    I want Daddy! I want Daddy

    Dad

    The crying Dad trio outside the door, the eldest only nine years old and the youngest only four years old, if he were to punish Cobbler Wang to be exiled for two thousand miles, how should these three children survive?!

    How about

    Castrate him?

    However, not to mention that for most men, it was even more painful than death, and the survival rate of adult men after being castrated these days was only about 70%.

    Cobbler Wang was so unlucky that he didnt look like one of the 30%.

    This case was much more complicated than investigating!

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but scratch his ears and cheeks in embarrassment, but he also had to scrutinize his image as the Great Master of the Blue Sky, especially when the stars he boasted about were descending to earth or the reincarnation of Justice Bao, he couldn''t

    Wait a minute~

    Sun Shaozong suddenly came up with a crooked idea. Although this method didnt conform to the rules of the royal law, he had never been such a principled person, especially when things were urgent and he couldnt manage many taboos.

    Since he had made up his mind, Sun Shaozong immediately spoke again, "The situation in this case is complex, and it is difficult for me to decide at the moment. To avoid delaying other lawsuits, I will postpone the retrial of this case for five days.

    Your Excellency.

    How could Li agree, banging her head and waiting to continue shouting grievances.

    Pa~

    Sun Shaozong, without hesitation, gave a startled slap and shouted, "The court is closed.

    The Yamen attendants in the two corners of the hall began to leave, and Cobbler Wang hurriedly withdrew. Sun Shaozong followed closely and went to the back hall. Li muttered a few times reluctantly but had to go home.

    When Sun Shaozong returned to the back hall, he immediately called on Zhao Wuwei to remind him and finally explained, "Tell that Wang to be honest, I have given him the opportunity to exonerate himself. If he doesn''t show his confidence, don''t blame me for sentencing him to a palace sentence.

 Chapter 329: Use a Corpse to Resurrect a Dead Soul

    Chapter 329: Use a Corpse to Resurrect a Dead Soul

    Splash~

    Pouring a basin of facial wash into the ditch on the street corner, Li stared at the gurgling stream for a while before holding the wooden basin step by step and moving it back.

    Since her son''s accidental death, it seemed that a large piece had been dug out of her chest, leaving nothing to fill. She has no interest in anything, and dressing, washing, and cooking every day were just due to the inertia of life over the years.

    The only thing that still lingered in her heart was the word revenge.

    However, to be honest, when there was no one in the quiet night, Li also asked herself whether the death of her son was a greater sin for Cobbler Wang or a greater sin of her own because she couldn''t resist loneliness.

    The answer seemed obvious

    But what Li wanted was not the answer, but the words peace of mind!

    The only way to make her feel at ease at the moment was to hold Cobbler Wang and atone for it together, at least according to Li.

    So an insignificant woman was just so amazing... Spat It was scary!

    Li walked back a few steps, holding the wooden basin, and saw three middle-aged women in the corner chatting together, seemingly lowering their voices. In fact, they wished everyone in the street could hear them.

    If it had been in the past, Li would have joined them early and gossiped together.

    But now

    She didn''t squint and even deliberately adjusted her path to avoid the three women as much as possible.

    Although she could avoid the people, the content of the discussion was too much to avoid, and it spread to Li''s ears.

    Have you heard that the eldest of the Cobbler Wang family has difficulty breathing in the middle of the night and woke up speaking nonsense after? He didn''t even look like a person anymore.

    Li had long heard about the illness of Cobbler Wang''s eldest son. It was said that he returned from the Yamene one day and developed a high fever at night. After seeing several doctors, his condition didnt improve.

    Not only was he speaking full of nonsense, but he was also almost like a different person. At a young age, he''s talking about wanting to marry the daughter of Lady Tian, who has already ordered half a piece of cloth at home, ready to invite Matchmaker Liu to go ask for matchmaking.

    Li''s footsteps suddenly paused.

    Before her son died, wasn''t it precisely because he was thinking about Lady Tian?

    And on the second day of the ninth lunar month, her son even took half a cloth and came home, saying that he wanted to ask Matchmaker Liu to come and talk about matchmaking.

    That''s right, that''s right; that''s not the strangest thing.

    She heard that the child''s appearance had changed, and there was an inexplicable crescent-shaped birthmark on his left buttock.

    A crescent-shaped birthmark on the left buttock?

    Li''s hands trembled, almost throwing the wooden basin on the ground. Wasnt there such a mark on her son''s buttocks too?

    But Li took this opportunity and crawled into the room with a cat''s waist.

    She saw the eldest son of the Cobbler Wang sitting cross-legged on the Kang, with a hairstyle and eyebrows that were four or five times similar to her son!

    The son of the Cobbler Wang was not like this before!

    Li was even more excited. She went up and hugged the child in her arms, reached out, and took off his pants. When she saw the familiar crescent-shaped birthmark on his buttocks, she immediately cried out with a loud moan, "Oh, my dear!

    At this moment, Cobbler Wang and the Yamen attendant also chased in, and at the sight of this scene, they all felt a bit dumbfounded. Cobbler Wang was even more furious and said, Are you crazy? This is my son, why

    Mother~

    Just then, the son of the Cobbler Wang called out, "I want to eat the pea puree cake you made yourself."

    Although this tone might seem a bit stiff and unfamiliar with the genuine appearance, how could Li still have the time to carefully distinguish this?

    Tears poured down from her face, and she hugged the child without letting go, shouting, "My dear son, I will never let you leave my side again.

    Cobbler Wang was even more annoyed. He threw himself forward and shouted, Hey! You, crazy woman, hurry up and let go of my son

    Wait, wait

    Just as he charged forward, he was stopped by the Yamen guard. He pulled him to the corner of the wall and said with a tone of expression, "Mr. Wang, your son was clearly out of breath last night, but when he regained his strength, he looked like this. Was he... Was he using a corpse to resurrect a dead soul?

    What?

    Cobbler Wang lost his facial color in shock and immediately roared angrily, "That little beast has been blocking me while living. Even when he dies, he harms my son! I... I... I''m going to find a wizard and expel this ghost.

    As he spoke, he twisted his body and was about to rush out.

    No!

    Li hurriedly left the child behind and grasped Cobbler Wang in his arms, crying and shouting, "Even if the mage took him, your son wouldn''t survive. I beg you, please show kindness

    Spit!

    Cobbler Wang spat at her all over her face and angrily said, "Who is it that keeps arguing for revenge all day? Now you''re talking about being kind now?! If I don''t take him, my son will die for nothing.

    Li was speechless, but she refused to let go.

    The commotion was raging between the two, and the Yamen attendant on the side said calmly, "This is a big deal. Why don''t you both take a step back? This child will still be considered the child of you two. He will still call you father and call her mother.

    No way!

    Cobbler Wang was annoyed and said, "She''s trying to pull me to death together. Why should I even split my son with her?

    Li''s heart was agitated and she couldn''t help but blurt out, "I can just stop the suing! As long as you don''t find a wizard to take him, I... I won''t sue.

 Chapter 330: The Final Verdict

    Chapter 330: The Final Verdict

    Bring the plaintiff and defendant to the court.

    With the sound of neat tapping from both sides, Yamen Zhang, who was responsible for guarding Cobbler Wang, led him and Li to the hall.

    Pa!

    After the two of these men and women knelt in court, Sun Shaozong patted the wood on the table and said solemnly, "Li, you just asked the government servant to report another situation. Now that I have been asked to the court for questioning, hurry and tell the situation altogether.

    I

    Although Li had already made a wise decision at Cobbler Wang''s house before, she felt a bit uneasy again when the wind blew along the way, always feeling that this matter was not so down-to-earth.

    Pa~

    Upon seeing this, Sun Shaozong immediately hit the wood again and scolded, "Since you applied for an early trial, why are you hesitating now?

    Next to him, Yamen Zhang hurriedly urged, "The Master asked you; hurry up and reply.

    Then he lowered his voice and reminded, "In front of the Master, don''t you dare to say anything about borrowing a corpse to revive a soul. Otherwise, if the Master summons the child in the hall with his thunderbolt eyes, dont you think he will stare it out of his wits with just one glance?

    This statement was clearly for the sake of Li, but in fact, he was afraid that Li would reveal the truth.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    If it were true, and according to tradition, Sun Shaozong naturally needed to investigate the matter of borrowing a corpse to revive a soul, then how could this play continue?

    However, Li had long heard that Lord Sun had descended from the stars and reincarnated as Justice Bao. He was most adept at avoiding all evil spirits and retreating from the gods. Now, with the reminder from Yamen Zhang, she was awestruck and forgot about her anxiety just now.

    So she kept busy and said, "Reply to Your Excellency, I had harbored resentment before, so I spoke nonsense without hesitation. That day when Cobbler Wang honestly went to my house, it was not some kind of affair, but to discuss marriage with me.

    Yes!

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong breathed a sigh in his heart but pretended to be skeptical and said, "Discussing marriage? Do you have any evidence of this?

    Yes, I do!

    At the end of February, I once entrusted a matchmaker to come and ask for a marriage. The neighbors all know about this, and you only need to send someone to ask.

    Li and I have already fallen in love, but due to her son''s opposition, we have never made up our minds. That night, I went to find her, urging her to marry me as soon as possible.

    Unexpectedly, her son suddenly returned and saw me in the room, so he couldn''t help but pounce and fight.

    Due to my affection for Li, I didnt fight back. I only wanted to escape home. I didnt think that he would fall dead accidentally when chasing after me.

    Yes, Im convinced.

    Originally, the lightest exile was two thousand miles away, but now all he needed to do was suffer forty blows and mourn for Li''s son. How would Cobbler Wang disagree?

    Pa!

    Seeing that Li was also silent and had no intention of defending herself, Sun Shaozong once again sounded stunned and shouted, "Lieutenant Zhao, stay here to supervise the execution. Thats all for today.

    When Sun Shaozong led Sun Chengye back to the back hall, he saw that a thin layer of sweat had already seeped from his nephew''s forehead. He didn''t look like a jury, but rather like he had been interrogated.

    Without realizing it, he chuckled and said, "I just asked you to take notes in the trial, and you don''t need to exert any strength. Why are you so nervous?

    Sun Chengye reluctantly smiled and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief. He forced a smile. "I don''t know why this is happening. Although I was nervous when I was in Jinling, I didn''t act like this.

    Unexpectedly, this kind of effect still existed when one wasnt accustomed to the local environment.

    Seeing his appearance, Sun Shaozong couldn''t blame him. So the conversation changed, and he said, "Do you know the most crucial reason why this case can be turned into a minor one today?

    This question was easy for Sun Chengye; after all, he has been responsible for overseeing this case since he took office three days ago, and the details inside have long been clear to him.

    So he immediately arched his hand sincerely and said, "Naturally, it''s all up to you to come up with this clever plan of borrowing a corpse to return the soul, so as not to let the Cobbler Wangs family perish.

    Unexpectedly, Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "Think carefully again.

    That isnt right?

    Sun Chengye was stunned for a moment, and then he tentatively asked, "Isnt it because of Corspe Examiner Xu''s technique to change the shape of Cobbler Wangs son? If it weren''t for his skillful hands, it would have been difficult for him to dress up that child like the son of Li.

    Sun Shaozong interjected, "What I''m asking is the key to making this case smaller, not the methods we use.

    The key?

    What was the key?

    Sun Chengye was completely bewildered and couldn''t figure out what this meant for quite a while.

    Sigh Just knowing how to read was indeed impossible...

    Sun Shaozong sighed and finally explained the answer, "The key to making this case a big deal small is that Li''s husband was originally from outside and had no clan relatives in the capital. Otherwise, if another bitter lord came out to complain, wouldn''t our play have been ruined?

    After saying that, seeing Sun Chengye suddenly feeling a bit confused again, he explained, "I just wanted you to know that when you act as an official, you must adapt to local conditions. If you mistakenly get the wrong person, the so-called clever plan will become a self-inflicted insult.

 Chapter 332: Encountering Sister Feng by Chance

    Chapter 332: Encountering Sister Feng by Chance

    After leaving the Yamen in the afternoon, Sun Shaozong sent Zhang Cheng and Sun Chengye back to the mansion, but he rode alone to Mingyu Square in the west of the city.

    In two days, Sun Chengye''s son and daughter would be arriving in the capital. Sun Shaozong, who was the Grandfather, should prepare some gifts anyway.

    Yesterday, Sun Shaozong went to the treasury and searched, but couldn''t find any suitable items. When his eldest son, Sun Chengyi, was born, his Big Brother gave his nephew all the things in the treasury that were suitable for children.

    Right now, it was not good to take things from his son

    He has no choice but to go out and exchange.

    These days, the gifts given to children when they meet were usually gold and silver toys or jade pendants. After all, southern children were heirs of poetry and books, so giving gold and silver directly might seem tacky.

    When it came to jade artifacts, Mingyu Square in the west of this city was naturally the best choice.

    From affordable land stalls specifically designed for the general public to top-notch items that were no less valuable than the Imperial Treasures, it could be said that as long as he brought enough money, he was never afraid of not being able to find the desired jade.

    When he arrived at the gate plaque of Mingyu Square, he saw dozens of vendors lined up on both sides of the entrance, using red ropes to lift the jade objects they wanted to sell high. The red ropes were tied with colorful knots, and there were also a few copper bells mixed in the middle. When the wind blew, the bells rang crisply, which was truly pleasing to the ear.

    Sun Shaozong naturally looked down on the cheap jade artifacts in these small stalls, but some of the knots were exquisitely tied. He could consider buying them back for Ruan Rong.

    In front of the archway, he kicked off his horse and immediately saw a white servant [temporary worker] on duty there. He respectfully took the horse to take care of it and asked Sun Shaozong if he wanted a guide.

    This was the advantage of being a local official. With over thirty square cities in the Capital, he could enjoy leadership treatment wherever he went.

    After politely refusing the courteous guidance of the white servants, Sun Shaozong entered the Mingyu Square with large sleeves and bought more than ten knots from the vendors before wandering towards the experts.

    He walked around four or five stores, but he didn''t find anything he could agree with. The main reason was that he couldn''t negotiate the price. Although Sun Shaozong was also used to being extravagant, how could he give children such expensive gifts these days? Otherwise, it would ruin their lives and blessings.

    Although Sun Shaozong was an atheist, he still kept a distance from such unfortunate things.

    So he could only continue to wander.

    As Sun Shaozong was about to step in, he was stopped by a waiter at the door. He bowed his body politely and said, "Sorry, we have a female customer in our store. I''m afraid it won''t be convenient for you to enter for the time being.

    Not all female customers have the qualification to clear the shop, especially for such a large storefront. Obviously, it was the family of the official relatives who came to the store.

    A few days ago, while taking advantage of the gap in sowing, Sun Shaozong explained this matter to Jia Yingchun in its entirety. How could his estranged brother and sister-in-law be compared to his emotional brother?

    Therefore, Yingchun immediately expressed her attitude, saying that everything was at Sun Shaozong''s command.

    Sun Shaozong asked her to write a letter to Wang Xifeng, saying that the Sun family was not very interested in this business, and asked Wang Xifeng to think of other ideas.

    This was naturally playing hard to get, trying to force her to give up some benefits. Seeing her anxiously calling for Sun Shaozong to come in and ask questions, he knew that the letter would have a good effect.

    Upon hearing the question from Wang Xifeng, Sun Shaozong smiled and said, My Brother is preparing to be transferred to Shenji Camp recently. If this happens, it may take at least a year or two to get busy. When I see that the business is laborious and requires tons of money but the benefit is a small profit, its normal not to be interested.

    Before Wang Xifeng could respond, he pretended to be magnanimous and said, "Although this business was proposed by me, it happened at one time or another. Since my Brother is currently lacking in skills, Sister-in-law may as well find someone else to cooperate with.

    What he said here was lightweight, but inside, Wang Xifeng almost bit two rows of silver teeth.

    Actually, because Xue Pan recently married the daughter of Minister Wang and took on the position of Office of Transmission, Wang Xifeng also wanted to join forces with the Xue family to swallow this piece of fat.

    However, when Aunt Xue went back to talk about it with Xue Pan, Xue Pan said that Sun Shaozong had mentioned this business before, so he was no longer particular about it and couldnt rob Second Brother Sun of his money.

    Besides the Xue family, the Wang family was unable to participate due to family rules. As for the Jia family, if Wang Xifeng was able to accumulate wealth from the public account, would she still need to work so hard?

    So, after thinking about it, the Sun family was still the most reliable partner. There was no other way, let alone the name of Rongguo Mansion. Wang Xifeng has only a few personal relationships that could be contacted.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong''s words fell into her ears, full of sarcasm.

    If there were no one in the four fields, she might have rushed out early with a gun and a stick to relieve the recent depression in her heart.

    But right now...

    Ping''er listened carefully for a while before speaking on her behalf again, "I wonder what Lord Sun thinks the two families should cooperate to make your Brother agree?

    Hmm

    Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said, "With such a large family business in your house, even you can handle it without any leakage. Why should you ask me about this small business?

    As he spoke, he confidently rushed to the shopkeeper and said, "Do you have jade pendants for children, preferably more elegant ones, and the price should not be too high?

 Chapter 331: The Immortal Powder

    Chapter 331: The Immortal Powder

    The two of them chatted in the back hall for a while, and when Zhao Wuwei finished his sentence and came in to report, he instructed him to pass on the message to Cobbler Wang, *In the future, try not to let the child be alone with Li.

    After all, that woman is prone to extremes at first glance. If she sees any flaws afterward, she may make crazy moves anytime. If possible, it''s best to move quickly and stay as far away as possible from Li.

    Zhao Wuwei was ordered to go, and Sun Shaozong then took Sun Chengye back to the Inquisition Department.

    Master.

    As soon as he entered the living room, Cheng Rixing welcomed him and held up a document in front of Sun Shaozong, saying, "This is a document sent by the Ministry of Justice just now.

    The official document sent by the Ministry of Justice?

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and glanced briefly; it turned out to be a meeting notice, asking him to come to the Ministry of Justice at 9:00 am tomorrow to participate in a special meeting on rectifying the recent scattered phenomena of immortals.

    This Immortal Powder was a soft drug derived from the Wushi Powder of the Wei and Jin dynasties, which was circulated in the public several years ago but it didnt form a trend.

    It wasn''t until the end of last year''s autumn festival that this Immortal Powder suddenly became popular among the fallen scholars, and it became even more popular after the beginning of spring this year.

    It was said that if there was no preparation for the Immortal Powder as a modifier for the cultural festival held in the Capital nowadays, it would be a shame to say it out.

    At present, this trend has also spread to the elite circle. Although it has not yet fully spread, those who like to pursue fashion are already deeply involved in it.

    Since April, there have been frequent incidents of naked running caused by excessive use of the Immortal Powder and the difficulty of dealing with heat and dryness, and there have been many people who have even died.

    Because of the increasingly serious situation, the wise and always correct Emperor issued a decree yesterday, ordering the relevant departments to immediately carry out a special rectification movement to eliminate potential safety hazards in infancy.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    The special meeting led by the Ministry of Justice this time was precisely to implement the will of Emperor Guangde.

    In addition to the Ministry of Justice, which was responsible for overseeing the overall situation, the Imperial Medical Bureau, which was responsible for providing technical support, and the Central Judicial, Criminal Department, which was responsible for taking the blame, the General Affairs Department was also specially invited to attend and listen, preparing to compile the meeting minutes into a copy as one of the alternative news items for the residence newspaper.

    After roughly browsing through this official document and pressing it onto the official case inside, Sun Shaozong then asked, "Private Advisor Cheng, did you ever write out the articles of association that I asked you to draft yesterday?

    After reviewing the articles of association drafted by Cheng Rixing and proposing a few suggestions for modification, Sun Shaozong left the Criminal Department and arrived at the courtyard where Jia Yucun was located.

    Due to his effective tax collection, Jia Yucun has recently received recognition from the above and even received a personal summons from Emperor Guangde. Although there has been no mention of collective first-class merit in recent years, with this recognition as the foundation, there would always be praise in the year-end performance evaluation.

    Therefore, the officials below were also excited, and their words and actions seemed a bit more energetic than usual.

    Of course, the morale of the Criminal Department was not inferior, and even better, after all, the achievements made by Sun Shaozong over the past year could be considered a vehicle carrying capacity.

    According to reports, the two pillar industries of finance and taxation in the Criminal Department have achieved double harvests. Nowadays, the Central Judicial Office was thriving. Unfortunately, Minister Han clearly didnt think so. Since Jia Yucun was recognized, he has been feeling anxious all day.

    However, it was said that Sun Shaozong was welcomed into the living room by Jia Yucun, and after a few polite remarks, Sun Shaozong immediately said, "Your Excellency, I have just received an official document, and tomorrow I must go to the Ministry of Justice to discuss the matter of being summoned to the court for prosecution. I''m afraid I can only trouble you to represent me for the matter of Ascension and Announcement.

    This is my job; how can I mention the word trouble?

    Jia Yucun shook his head and smiled, but then said, "Actually, if you didnt come here to find me, I would also go looking for you later. Old Master Zhen from Ningguo Mansion will celebrate his 40th birthday on that day. He specifically asked me to invite you to a banquet.

    The Sun family has always been friendly with the Rongguo Mansion, and there was no involvement with the Ningguo Mansion. Why did Jia Zhen quietly ask Jia Yucun to invite him to a birthday banquet?

    Sun Shaozong became suspicious and planned to find any excuse not to attend. Unexpectedly, Jia Yucun had already figured out his thoughts based on his observation, and quickly rushed to say, "I already promised this in front of Brother Zhen, you must give me this face

    Giving face?

    Isn''t that thing already torn apart?

    Nowadays, the two of them were not on the same side anymore, but at least they were fighting openly and secretly.

    But Jia Yucun kept his eyes open and told lies like this, and Sun Shaozong couldn''t easily prevaricate, especially if he were to refuse. Not only would he betray Jia Yucun''s feelings, but he might also offend Jia Zhen.

    Forget it, Ill just handle it casually.

    Anyway, it was just a matter of eating, listening to music, and flattering the main lead, and it wouldn''t take much saliva.

    With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong made an appointment with Jia Yucun to go to Ningguo Mansion to celebrate their birthday on April 17th.

 Chapter 333: Considerate and Disappointed

    Chapter 333: Considerate and Disappointed

    Due to some delay in Mingyu Square, he returned home much later than usual.

    Sun Shaozong went to the back house first, handed over the purchased knots and pendants to Ruan Rong for collection, and told her to keep an eye on the East Cross Courtyard for two days. If she found any things that were lacking, she should quickly fill them in so that Sun Chengye wouldn''t be embarrassed to speak up.

    Afterward, he went to Xiangling''s yard again and tasted the poems, lyrics, and songs that Xiangling had recently tried to create. Whether he understood them or not, he would praise them endlessly. Xiangling didn''t expect him to have this cultural literacy, but with his achievements, she couldn''t help but want to showcase it in front of him.

    After handling these many trivial matters, Sun Shaozong quietly sneaked into Jia Yingchun''s courtyard under the guise of handling official duties in his study, it was almost past 9 p.m.

    After knocking at the door for a long time, she saw Siqi open the door from inside and casually asked. It turned out that two maids were serving Jia Yingchun to take a shower inside. Unfortunately, Sun Shaozong didnt dare to forcefully knock on the door outside, so it was not until then that they heard the sound before opening.

    Upon hearing that Jia Yingchun was taking a shower inside, Sun Shaozong''s eyes lit up and he hastily sent Siqi back to the Western Chamber. He honestly and rudely broke in, regardless of how embarrassed his Sister-in-law was, and indulged in sexual activity.

    There was a poem saying:

    The fragrance of powder and sweat moistens the strings of the instrument, while the spring delights and melts the soft rain cream.

    After taking a bath, the place where the husband touched felt cool like purple grapes.

    This time, the clouds and rain stopped and the red phoenix dispersed, but it only stirred the ground and made the bed muddy, even if it was difficult to make it through the night.

    Without any choice, Sun Shaozong had to hold Jia Yingchun horizontally from under him. He waited for Xiuju to replace all the bedding on the bed with new ones and then placed a pillow at her waist, carefully placing her on the bed.

    Xiuju checked again with a lamp and found no omissions, so the two of them were able to lie down firmly on the bed.

    As for Xiuju, although she had already shared a considerable portion of the firepower, she was only a servant girl. Therefore, after serving the two of them to rest, she went to the outer room on her own.

    When there were only Jia Yingchun and himself left in the room, Sun Shaozong then explained to her in detail the incident of Wang Xifeng''s accidental encounter with him at Mingyu Square today.

    He reminded her again, "If she wants to share some of the things she has with you, you can only say that you can''t decide. Anyway, you''ve never been a person who makes up your mind.

    When Wang Xifeng returned to the Rongguo Mansion, she originally intended to use the birthday gift as a pretext to give Jia Lian a step-down, so as not to keep the couple from constantly struggling like this.

    As a result, Pinger was sent to the study to inquire, but Jia Lian went to the East Mansion early and said he wanted to help Jia Zhen and Jia Rong decorate the house in a good way.

    Wang Xifeng hesitated for a moment and simply went to Ningguo Mansion, preparing first to assist Jia Zhen''s remarried wife, You-Shi, and then waiting for the opportunity to reconcile with Jia Lian.

    Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the backyard of Ningguo Mansion, she saw that You''s eyes were red, as if she had just cried.

    This surprised Wang Xifeng because You-Shi had always been a broad-mindeded person; otherwise, she wouldn''t have been able to tolerate Jia Zhen and his son''s absurd and dirty affairs. Why did she look unbearable now?

    Was there anything more difficult to accept than a father-son reunion?

    Being curious, Wang Xifeng instructed Pinger to call out all the maids around You-Shi and then spoke a few words of courtesy. Seeing You-Shi''s eyes flickering with tears, Wang Xifeng went straight to the topic and said, "Arent we close friends? If you have any concern, you can keep it from others, but how can you keep it from me?

    Although these words clearly beautified the relationship between the two, You''s heart was desolate, and she was about to find someone to pour out a lot of bitterness. Thus, she also sobbed along with her words, "You know everything about our family. I had already opened my mind, so as long as they don''t involve me, I dont care anymore.

    Today, my stepmother heard that the Master is going to have a big party for his 40th birthday this year, so she brought her two sisters over to help. Unexpectedly... Unexpectedly, the Master and Ronger were taking notice of them

    Now the father and son, along with your Second Master Lian in the family, are circling the sisters like wolves, saying not to let them leave.

    Our Second Master Lian is also here?

    Wang Xifeng originally wanted to inquire about some romantic gossip to satisfy her curiosity, but she didnt expect that Jia Lian also had a share.

    She was so angry that she couldn''t help but crush the teacup in her hand!

    She had the intention of making a big fuss, but this place was not her own after all. In the end, she could only stand up and stomp her feet and say, "That''s it; let this heartless person die at your house. I''ll go back and wait for widowhood.

    As she spoke, she disregarded You-Shi''s request and left without looking back.

 Chapter 334: Poor Parents

    Chapter 334: Poor Parents

    The next morning, the Immortal Powder Special Rectification meeting was convened. With the cooperation of invited officials from various departments, it was successfully held in the Ministry of Justice''s hall under the direction of the Ministry of Justice.

    The first session of the meeting was naturally a celebration of Guangde''s achievements.

    Perhaps because the person from the Office of Transmission Department was present, representatives from various government offices appeared extremely enthusiastic in this process, posing in various kneeling and licking positions, almost all of which were about to make the flattery swollen.

    However, Sun Shaozong keenly discovered that the secretaries sent by the Office of Transmission Department had only touched the ink once from beginning to end, clearly pretending to be practitioners of official media who didnt record the praises thrown. Their ideological consciousness was a bit low!

    After singing praises and praising virtues, it was finally time to argue...

    Ah bah, it''s time to discuss the main topic.

    The prescriptions for making Immortal Powder have been spread everywhere. If they wanted to root out the problem from the source, they must list several common herbs as contraband. The Imperial College of Medicine, however, was adamantly against this option, so the discussion was over before it had a chance to get far along.

    Since the source couldnt be cut off, it was natural to find ways to prevent and control it for the user.

    However, in terms of specific prevention and control policies and the allocation of responsibilities, Xu Liang, the left attendant of the Ministry of Justice, and Sun Shaozong had a long and friendly exchange, but they were unable to reach a consensus.

    At first, Xu Liang put on the face of his superiors and wanted to forcefully shift the blame to the Criminal Department. At that time, the Criminal Department was only responsible for supervision, which was a typical example of taking credit and not causing trouble.

    After several invalid defenses, Sun Shaozong had to take out two petitions and fought back against this person.

    As a former Criminal Police Captain, he was naturally aware of the dangers of drugs. Therefore, after the first appearance of the Immortal Powder in January this year, Sun Shaozong submitted two letters to the Ministry of Justice, requesting that the Immoral Powder be listed as a prohibited drug and explicitly prohibit trading it.

    The middle level of the Ministry of Justice, however, disregarded both petitions, leading some to surmise that Sun Shaozong wanted to go the other way and persecute the literati.

    After all, this Immortal Powder was first popular at literary gatherings, and some people really hit it off. They have sprayed out a few good poems that could make literary thoughts flow better. A mere martial artist even dared to question it?

    Nowadays, the situation has been reversed with the will of Emperor Guangde, and these two rejected petitions have naturally become bargaining cards for Sun Shaozong.

    Of course, if it weren''t for Xu Liang''s excessive strength and determination to use his power to overpower others, he wouldn''t have played these two cards. After all, the Criminal Department was also one of the dual supervisory departments. Who would be willing to confront his superiors if he had nothing to do?

    Ruan Rong glanced at him and took the opportunity to extend her snow-white arm forward. Sun Shaozong immediately understood and gently pulled her up, placing a pillow and mattress behind her.

    He then leaned against the end of the bed, covering his legs with a blanket. Only then did Ruan Rong continue to say, "Today I met and realized that the eldest son of the Third Young Master''s family was a rabbit with a beak. Xiangling came back and started muttering. I just coaxed her for a while before I fell asleep.

    Rabbit mouth?

    Sun Chengye''s son has a congenital cleft lip?!

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be surprised. He had never heard anyone mention it before.

    Immediately, he quickly pursued and asked, "How did Sister-in-law handle it? Are there any mistakes?

    If it weren''t for this kind of accident, he wouldn''t be worried about Jia Yingchun getting lost, but now...

    At first, I was a bit flustered

    Ruan Rong shook her head and said, "But the Eldest Lady is really kind-hearted. I helped to make a few excuses, and she took advantage of the gift-giving opportunity, adored the child, and looked at the meaning of the Third Young Lady. She is quite grateful.

    That''s good.

    Sun Shaozong breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart couldn''t relax.

    If it were in later generations, a congenital cleft lip could still be repaired through surgery, but at the moment, it was a lifelong imprint that must be carried, especially on the most prominent facial features.

    A basic requirement of the Imperial Examination was correct facial features. Although it didnt need to be handsome, an image like a rabbit''s lips was definitely excluded.

    In the Jinling Sun family, which claimed to have passed down their family through poetry and books, this alone was enough to make people sigh with regret.

    Now, considering that Sun Chengye wanted to move to the Capital, there might also be reasons for this child, regardless of whether it was out of goodwill or malicious attention, it was a heavy burden for the Sun Chengye couple.

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong instructed, "Tomorrow morning, remember to prepare that gift for me. Add another small dagger, the one my Big Brother kept for Yi''er to use when capturing items during his 1st birthday.

 Chapter 335: The Key to a Formation

    Chapter 335: The Key to a Formation

    | April 17th |

    The heavens probably didn''t like Jia Zhen very much, so it started to drizzle in the second half of the night. By dawn, the rain had not subsided but had become even denser.

    It was not advantageous to be tall. Sun Shaozong carried an oil-paper umbrella to the front yard, and the skirt and hem of his clothes were already wet.

    Zhang Cheng, dressed in a coir raincoat, was waiting under the corridor. As soon as he saw Sun Shaozong coming, he quickly rushed to the front of the carriage, spread a leather cushion on the ground, and lifted the carriage curtain with a waterproof cover.

    Sun Shaozong rubbed the soles of his shoes on the leather mat first, and then casually hung his umbrella on the barb at the top of the carriage. He quickly jumped onto the carriage and was about to instruct Zhang Cheng to get up on the road, but he heard someone outside shouting, "Second Brother, Second Brother, wait for me.

    Looking through the sound, Xue Pan rushed in from the side door without even using an umbrella, holding his head, and then ran to the carriage with splashes of water. He smiled heartlessly and said, "I just ran into Jia Yucun and heard that you are also going to Ningguo Mansion to celebrate Jia Zhens birthday today. Let''s go together, and it''s easy to chat and relax on the way.

    As he spoke, he crawled into the car with a big grin.

    Your shoe

    Sun Shaozong glared before he got out of the car and rubbed the soles of his shoes.

    When this guy crawled back into the carriage, thick-skinned, Sun Shaozong had to shrink back and make some space for him.

    Xue Pan was impolite. After sitting steadily in the car, he raised his voice and ordered, "Lao Zhang, let''s go.

    The two of them weighed over four hundred pounds, and it took a lot of effort just to get the carriage moving.

    When the wheels rolled and left the side door of Sun Mansion, Xue Pan''s golden carriage was parked outside the door without anyone greeting him, so it quietly followed behind.

    I heard you caught a cold a few days ago.

    In the carriage, Sun Shaozong looked up and down at Xue Pan a few times and saw that he looked rosy. He then said, "Now, it seems that you have recovered.

    Don''t mention it

    Coincidentally, Jia Zhen was about to celebrate his 40th birthday, so he invited many middle and lower-level generals from the four battalions and one guard to take the opportunity to break this Yin spirit pattern.

    Among them, it was necessary to find a person with an extremely strong Yang spirit to serve as the most important member of the formation!

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong felt a sense of relief, but he couldn''t help feeling a bit depressed. How could each one of them use himself as a Yang tool... Hmm, as a weapon?

    In the end, it was still because people these days always associate cases with gods, ghosts, and evils. Therefore, experts like Sun Shaozong in solving cases naturally became experts in exorcism and ghost hunting in the eyes of the general public.

    At this moment, Xue Pan suggested, "In my opinion, you might as well take the opportunity to strike him hard. You can''t just help him with these tactics in vain, can you?

    Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes without hesitation and pulled the topic aside.

    Near Ningguo Mansion, two young servants dressed in bamboo hats greeted Zhang Cheng and had a few questions and answers before allowing the carriage inside. Not everyone was qualified to ride in, and most carriages and sedan chairs could only park outside the wall.

    Hahaha.

    The carriage had just stopped at the designated location, and without waiting for Sun Shaozong and Xue Pan to come down, they saw Jia Zhen hurriedly coming out of the hall. From afar, he smiled and arched his hand, saying, "Brother Sun, thanks for coming. Our family is shining with a bright appearance.

    Sure enough, he had to ask for help; otherwise, he didnt need to be polite to Sun Shaozong as he held a second-class title.

    But

    Wasnt this bright from Ningguo Mansion already stripped away by him?

    With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong also got off the carriage with Xue Pan and politely courted him.

    Jia Zhen was obviously hesitant when he saw Xue Pan around, but when he remembered something, he smiled again and said, "To be honest, since I saw your case-solving method in the Yihong Courtyard that day, I have wanted to make friends with you. Theres still some time before the birthday banquet. Can you accompany me to the backyard for a chat?

    As he spoke, he smiled at Xue Pan and said, "Brother Xue, come with me too. I heard that you and my son, Ronger, have done some great things recently, and I am just thinking of listening.

    Upon hearing this, Xue Pan had a hint of conversation on his face, and it was clear that this so-called great thing was not a good thing.

 Chapter 336: Third Sister You

    Chapter 336: Third Sister You

    No wonder the last time Xue Pan held a banquet at Dingxiang Tower, he specially invited Jia Rong to attend. It turned out that the two had already been secretly colluding.

    He didnt know how these two shared the same bad taste

    Sun Shaozong was very curious in his heart, but it took work to inquire in front of outsiders. He could only follow Jia Zhen to the back of the house.

    Due to the continued rain and the fact that the three of them had not brought any rain gear, they naturally had to detour along the corridor. They walked for more than 30 minutes and suddenly saw a unique and elegant hall in front of them, which felt somewhat detached from the world.

    They then heard Jia Zhen''s proud introduction and said, "Our ancestors built this flower hall in their later years. Although it is not as grand and dignified as the Rongxi Hall in the Western Prefecture, there is also a unique world in it.

    What''s with that

    Xue Pan couldn''t listen to anyone being sarcastic. With his mouth open, he was about to ask, but his eyes suddenly widened like light bulbs. At the corner ahead, several women were approaching, each with a slender figure and picturesque eyebrows and eyes.

    There was a tall and slender girl among them, dressed most differently from others.

    Today was the birthday of the head of the Ningguo Mansion. Even if she didnt wear bright red, she should at least choose a warm color. But she was wearing a long snow-satin white dress, with only some light blue dye on the corners. Her long hair was wrapped in ebony hairpins, and her whole body was like ink, without any impurities.

    At first glance, this outfit might seem incredibly plain, but coupled with her seductive features, it added a touch of spring charm!

    Even Sun Shaozong, who was in contact with his black and magnetic eyes, couldn''t help but want to tear open the innocence and see what a charming scene she was all about.

    At this moment, the few women across from each other had already seen Jia Zhen and the others. The petite woman who led the women felt a bit flustered and wanted to turn back, but it was too late.

    There was no choice but to lead the beauties behind her, and with lowered eyebrows and drooping heads, they dodged to one side.

    There were a few women behind her, all with quail-like shoulders, except for the tall and seductive girl who refused to bow her head. Instead, she raised her snow-white neck and looked at Sun Shaozong and Xue Pan with interest.

    Confronted with Sun Shaozong''s scrutinizing gaze, she raised her eyebrows and lips, as if in the dark autumn wave or jokingly mocking. The more elusive it was, the more it made people want to explore.

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong still had some composure. If it had been replaced with Xue Pan on the side, he might have shown all sorts of ugliness again.

    When the three of them approached, the petite woman led by them quickly gave a greeting and said softly, "Master.

    Mmm

    Jia Zhen responded with a vague response and casually said, "This is my wife.

    It turned out that the petite woman at the beginning was Jia Zhen''s new wife, You-Shi.

    In Rongguo Mansion before, he heard that she had a nickname called "Deaf and Mute Madam He thought she would be like Xing-Shi, the remarried wife of Jia She, an elderly woman.

    Now, seeing her true appearance, she turned out to be a young woman in her twenties, not tall, but in excellent proportion, and with soft and delicate eyebrows and eyes, belonging to the standard little bird-like figure.

    Greetings to Sister-in-law.

    The fck~*

    This Jia family was really full of licentious talents!

    If he had known this reaction earlier, Sun Shaozong wouldnt have stopped Xue Pan. To be honest, he was quite curious about the superiority and inferiority of Qin Keqing, who was famous for her extraordinary beauty during her lifetime, compared to this Third Lady You.

    As they spoke, the three of them had already arrived near the flower hall.

    Following the eaves to the door, they lifted the curtain and entered. The pattering rain outside suddenly became much quieter, but strangely, there was another sound of a first-class murmuring stream taking its place.

    But how could there be a stream in this room?

    Jia Zhen saw a suspicious expression on their faces and proudly said, "Follow me, two wise Brothers, and take a look at the uniqueness of this flower hall.

    As he spoke, he led the two of them to the left compartment, only to find a pond made of blue stones inside, and the bottom was bubbling with water bubblesclearly a spring hole!

    And the gurgling sound of the stream was the water in this clear spring pond, flowing out of the house through ceramic pipes.

    Splash~

    Sun Shaozong was still surveying the clear spring, but Jia Zhen pulled open the nearby cabinets to reveal several exquisitely carved battleship models.

    He carefully picked up a ship and threw it into the clear spring. There were many sailors the size of peanuts on the deck, making various movements with the current.

    Taking a closer look, it seemed to be practicing military formation!

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but praise, "This thing is exquisitely made.

    Jia Zhen smiled proudly and took another battleship into the water. As soon as the two battleships collided in the water, they suddenly bounced apart. Immediately after, he heard the rumbling and muffled sound in the cabin, with several drums hitting in a row!

    Immediately, the sides of the ship''s sides naturally opened up, revealing many bronze cannons the size of nail caps!

    Jia Zhen reached out and turned one of the warships 180 degrees.

    This time, the two battleships quickly gathered together, and the sailors on top all pressed against the connected ship''s sides as if they were about to engage in a fierce docking battle!

    Xue Pan rubbed his chest aside and was stunned, saying, "Well... How did this thing turn alive?

    After pondering for a while, Sun Shaozong guessed that the hull of the ship should have been filled with magnets. But with the current technology, being able to achieve such precision could definitely be called a masterpiece!

    At this moment, Jia Zhen proudly said, "My ancestor once served as the commander of the world''s naval forces and experienced dozens of naval battles, big and small. These battleships are modeled after the flagship he used to ride on back then.

    Tch!

    He took a look at these ferocious battleships armed to the teeth and then took a look at Jia Zhen''s overly alcoholic demeanor. It was a shame that he still dared to mention his ancestral authority!

 Chapter 337: Panic at Night, the Sisters Turn Against Each Other

    Chapter 337: Panic at Night, the Sisters Turn Against Each Other

    This birthday banquet lasted until 9 p.m. when it was considered a drunken feast.

    At this point, the rain outside had already stopped, and everyone had left the banquet in groups of three or five.

    However, unlike the guests beside him, Sun Shaozong left the banquet and didnt go out by carriage. Instead, he was led by the servants of the Ningguo Mansion and walked around toward the backyard.

    As for the purpose...

    Of course, it was in the designated place by the expert, using oneself as the eye of the formation, to pull the gathering of the Yang spirit on today''s birthday and break through the pattern of too much Yin in one fell swoop!Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    Did this sound very mysterious and supernatural?

    To put it bluntly, it was just asking Sun Shaozong to sleep in the backyard for a night. Jia Zhen boldly took out an Eight Treasure Glass Mirror as a thank-you gift.

    The so-called Eight Treasures Glass Mirror was a mercury mirror with a palm size, embedded in a pure silver frame, and six gemstones of different colors.

    To be placed in later generations, the most valuable gemstones must be those six, but the technology of silver coating in the eye water was not yet up to standard, resulting in an extremely low yield of mercury mirrors, which could be said to be priceless.

    Therefore, the small side of this palm could be worth at least three to four hundred taels of silver, and with those few gemstones, a price of five hundred taels was not too high either.

    If he spent a night here, he could earn the *Eight Treasure Glass Mirror.. If he didnt agree to this deal, how could he explain it to Ruan Rong when he returned?

    Therefore, when Jia Zhen mentioned it, Sun Shaozong readily agreed.

    Now that the banquet has dispersed, he naturally has to act according to the agreement.

    Sun Shaozong followed the servant and circled for a long time before finally arriving at a small courtyard not far from Jia Zhen''s yard.

    It was said that this used to be Jia Qiang''s yard. Later, due to rumors outside that there was some unclear relationship between the two of them, Jia Zhen then arranged Jia Qiang elsewhere to avoid suspicion.

    From this point of view, he should be a firm heterosexual; otherwise, with his bad reputation, there was no need to avoid anything.

    Lord Sun.

    The servant pushed the door of the main room open, and with a rippling smile on his face, he said, "Please go in and enjoy yourself. I won''t bother you anymore.

    At this moment, two more women cautiously entered the courtyard. Seeing Third Lady You''s sneaky appearance, the petite and delicate woman in front of her couldn''t help but lower her voice and stomp her feet angrily, saying, "If it weren''t for the leakage of Second Sister, I wouldn''t have known you came here. Were you crazy or not? What will you do if you are seen by others?

    Upon hearing this commotion, the Third Lay You looked back in surprise; it turned out that You-Shi and the Second Lady You had come over.

    If she had had some reverence for this nominal Elder Sister in the past, after the past few days of experience, she had completely seen through You-Shi''s external strengths and internal weaknesses, and that reverence had turned into contempt.

    So she greeted her with a big grin and said nonchalantly, "My Brother-in-law said we can go wherever we want in this mansion, and he didn''t say there are any places we can''t go. Besides, I just want to see how Lord Sun drives away evil spirits.

    Seeing the generous demeanor of Third Sister You, she even took out Jia Zhen to suppress others, causing You-Shi to tremble uncontrollably and her hands and feet to be cold for a moment.

    But she also knew this little girl, always wanting to eat soft instead of hard and it was not the time to get into trouble with her at this time. So she could only suppress her anger and plead, "Is it okay if I beg you? Just calm down and don''t make it difficult for me.

    Don''t make it difficult for you?

    Third Sister You, Feng Mu, with a sharp grin, said, "When you were watching our sisters being teased by his father and son, did you ever think about how we felt?"

    As she said this, Third Sister You became angrier when she remembered the embarrassing situation of the two sisters these days, so she couldn''t help raising her voice several times, "Now, you want us to understand your difficulties. What a shame!"

    I... I

    You-Shi''s statement was indeed somewhat unreasonable.

    As she hesitated, she suddenly heard a spirited shout from the hall asking, "Who? Who''s outside?

    You-Shis face immediately turned pale with fear and she hurriedly came forward to grab Third Lady You''s arm, even pulling and urging her, "My good sister, let''s go back and talk about anything else.

    Seeing her extremely flustered appearance, Third Sister You felt a sense of humor in her heart. She clasped You''s arm with her backhand and forcefully pushed towards the door of the hall, smiling, "Sister, stay and block him. Second Sister and I will take our leave first.

    As she spoke, regardless of what You-Shi did, she grabbed the Second Lady You and ran out of the yard.

    She unexpectedly pushed You-Shi, causing her petite and delicate body to involuntarily step back four or five steps. As soon as she saw it, she was about to stand on her heels. Who could have imagined that she was stepping on a pool of accumulated water, her feet were slipping, and she suddenly sat down on the stone steps in front of the hall door with a splash?

    This crazy girl!

    You-Shi was furious and was about to get up and chase after the little hoof, tearing her fiercely. Suddenly, a thick voice behind him exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you come back again?

 Chapter 338: What is She Doing here

    Chapter 338: What is She Doing here

    Damn it!

    Listening to the thick sound, the steady footsteps were getting closer and closer, and You''s heart was pounding like a drum. How could this be explained if Lord Sun saw her?!

    In a state of panic, she forcefully supported her hands on the steps and was about to climb up and escape.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as she straightened her petite and delicate body, she felt a piercing pain on her ankle, and her body stumbled, causing her to stumble again!

    As soon as her ideas flashed, she was already on the verge of collapsing. Suddenly, a large hand inserted into her armpit, and with a slight upward force, she stabilized her delicate body.

    At first, You-Shi''s heart relaxed, and then she panicked again because the big hand passed through her armpit and a considerable length of five thick fingers leaked out. He could cover her chest without any obstruction, as long as he bent with the flow!

    What does this look like?!

    You-Shi was in a state of panic and waited desperately to break free from the support of his big hand. Unexpectedly, before she waited for the big hand to break off, Sun Shaozong carried her up physically. She then heard Sun Shaozong helplessly say behind her, "Your companion is really not particular enough; how could they run away without even giving you a hand?

    Same goes for you; I don''t need you to warm up the bed. Do you need to be so flustered?

    Warm the bed up?

    You-Shi was momentarily taken aback and then suddenly woke up.

    Jia Zhen was also aware of the fact that she had sent two servant girls to take care of the bed, and when she was just outside, she had seen two figures dimly emerging from the courtyard door. These two figures corresponded to each other. How could she still not know that Sun Shaozong thought she was the servant girl who came to take care of his bed?

    For a moment, You-Shi was both ashamed and grateful. If she could walk away in such a muddled way, she would avoid a huge embarrassment.

    So she lowered her head and said in a sullen voice, "Excuse me, Lord Sun, I can leave on my own.

    Sun Shaozong did not doubt her presence, and upon hearing this, he immediately withdrew his big hand.

    You-Shi was overjoyed and rushed out hurriedly. However, her left foot fell on the ground, causing a burning pain in her ankle. She struggled to take a few steps, but they became slower and more lame.

    She didn''t know when she would be able to leave this courtyard, but suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. As soon as her waist tightened, she was surrounded by Sun Shaozong''s outstretched hand. With that big hand like a fan on her lower abdomen, it felt like a soldering iron. It was so hot that You-Shi almost screamed!

    The bone on your ankle is probably misaligned.Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong said behind his back, "If you walk back like this, maybe your entire foot will be ruined.

    Therefore, although she had a husband, she was also like a widow.

    If a typical woman has ulterior motives, she would naturally choose someone who looked handsome and heartwarming; But if a woman was a widow, she often placed more emphasis on practical benefits. Heart to heart was important.

    When he thought about Li Wan, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but feel a little confused and secretly pondered that Jia Zhen had been instructed by the expert to eat vegan and worship Buddha in the Buddhist hall at night.

    And this You-Shi secretly came; she must have already concealed it from others.

    Thinking about it, it was a good time to steal valuable things!

    As for psychological burden or something

    Sleeping with someone else''s wife, Sun Shaozong might feel morally guilty, but sleeping with Jia Zhen''s wife should be considered acting on behalf of heaven, right?

    So he tentatively said, "You have also been ordered to take care of my bed, so why don''t I treat you and leave you here for the night? I promise you can get down and leave before dawn.

    When he was at the police academy, he also learned some simple bone-setting techniques, and judging from You-Shi''s appearance, it seemed that she was not seriously injured. The so-called idea of being disabled was just his casual nonsense.

    Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, You-Shi in his arms struggled like she was struggling for her life, and her mouth trembled, saying, "I can''t do it, I can''t do it.

    Seeing her so agitated that he completely disregarded the injuries on her feet, Sun Shaozong suddenly became confused again. What is this woman doing here?!

    Seeing her struggling really hard, Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment and had to let go, "Okay, okay, just treat that I didn''t say anything. You can find a way to walk back on your own.

    You-Shi gasped in shock for a while, about to take a step outside, but the sharp pain from her ankle made her hesitate again. After a while, she hesitated and said, "Really... Will my leg really be disabled?

    Theres more to it.

    Sun Shaozong gambled, "Maybe it will rot too.

    You-Shi was so scared that her delicate body shook and she silently lowered her head for a while, even sobbing.

    This was really

    Sun Shaozong was completely speechless. What exactly was this woman here for?!

    Sigh~

    He sighed and said sternly, "Otherwise, I''ll help you in and straighten the bones. You can leave anytime you want. I promise not to stop you, let alone spread this matter.

 Chapter 339: Night Talk

    Chapter 339: Night Talk

    Although Sun Shaozong spoke righteous words, how dare she believe a man''s promises out of thin air, even though she has been immersed in this dirty land for a long time?

    But considering the serious consequences of walking back like this, she couldn''t refuse.

    Being in a dilemma of indecisiveness, she felt another tightness in her waist, and then her body flew like a cloud, crossing the steps and threshold.

    When You-Shi reacted and wanted to struggle desperately, her petite and delicate body had already been placed on the Grand Master''s chair. Then Sun Shaozong''s scolding voice came into her ear, "Be honest! If I were to do something to you, even if you struggle desperately, what can you do?

    As he spoke, the majestic figure squatted in front of You-Shi and lifted her slender and symmetrical right leg without hesitation.

    You-Shi only felt a slight sensation on his feet, and the apricot-yellow high-heeled embroidered shoes fell to the ground with a snap. Then there was a cool sensation. Even the cloth socks were violently pulled off!

    And just as the coolness had risen, a large hand suddenly wrapped around a small heavenly foot without any obstruction. The warm body temperature meandered up along the arches and ankles of the feet, but when it reached the chest, it was already extremely hot, and it burned the heart that had been frozen for years, making it soft and lively.

    Don''t... Don''t

    She muttered shyly twice, and the two blushes on her cheeks quickly spread to her neck.

    Two arms extended forward as if to stop Sun Shaozong''s frivolity, but halfway through, she suddenly remembered something and quickly covered her face with her backhand.

    Turning over and over in her heart, she comforted herself with just one sentence, He doesn''t know who I am! He doesn''t know who I am! He doesn''t know

    Was this to deceive oneself or a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure?

    Even if he didnt know her identity, seeing her like this, he should be suspicious.

    Moreover, when Sun Shaozong just placed her on the chair, he had already seen her bright red face!

    Forget it~

    She should just do whatever she liked.

    Sun Shaozong silently withdrew his gaze from her face, pinching the arch of her foot and gently turning it. He said, "If you feel the pain, just tell me.

    However, as the whole circle turned, how would she dare to say anything?

    Helplessly, Sun Shaozong could only roughly infer the misaligned bone from her body''s stress response and then carefully groped on her ankle while recalling the bone-setting knowledge that had not been used for a long time.

    After a while, Sun Shaozong grabbed the delicate arches of her feet again and said sternly, "It may hurt a bit. Why don''t you bite your handkerchief first to avoid screaming and causing trouble to others?

    At this moment, You-Shi finally began to believe that he was truly going to help her heal the wound. Although she was feeling uncomfortable all over, she cleverly parted her hand and fumbled to pull out her handkerchief from her waist. She clumped it up and stuffed it between two rows of silver teeth.

    She should prepare well in advance.

    As she spoke, she couldn''t help but get excited and decided that Sun Shaozong wouldn''t spread the truth, and simply poured out all the grievances she had suffered over the years.

    And between these words, it was inevitable to mention the premature Qin Keqing.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but wonder, "I wonder if your younger sister is better in appearance than this Qin-Shi?

    Men are indeed lascivious!

    You-Shi gave Sun Shaozong a resentful glance, but she still replied seriously, "If we only talk about appearance, the two of them are actually different, but Qin Keqing was born with a gentle and noble aura. If it weren''t for accidentally discovering later, I wouldn''t have believed that someone like her would be with my Master.

    In this way, Qin Keqing was even better.

    Tch!

    The words She was originally a beauty; how can she be a thief'' really reflected the life of Qin Keqing.

    Was she voluntary or forced to do nothing?

    This

    You-Shi hesitated for a while and said in an uncertain tone, "Perhaps there are both. Although my Master is absurd, he has really put his heart into her.

    So, what did Jia Rong think? His two wives were both taken over by his father, could he be willing?

    Brother Rong

    You-Shi shook her head and said, "I can''t see through what he thinks.

    So

    This

    The two of them had questions and answers and instead talked about many of the secrets of the Ningguo Mansion.

    Although Sun Shaozong satisfied his curiosity, You-Shi also experienced a kind of comfort that she had never been before. How could anyone have listened attentively to her reveal the secrets and hardships in her heart over the years?

    She forgot to leave as soon as possible.

    Second Brother

    Just at this moment, a drunken voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Haven''t you slept yet? Then I''ll just come in

    Before the words fell, the two doors of the room were heavily pushed open!

 Chapter 340: Extra Benefit

    Chapter 340: Extra Benefit

    Bam~

    The two wooden doors collided with the wall separately, and the movement was not significant, but in an instant, it startled You-Shi''s stomach!

    She instinctively wanted to jump up and dodge, but it wasn''t too late. After eating this fright, her bones were already crispy all over her, but where did she use her strength to tremble and tremble?!

    What should they do?

    What the hell should she do?!

    You-Shi was eager to get into the crack in the ground when she saw Sun Shaozong suddenly getting up to pounce on her without hesitation, grabbing her into his arms.

    The palm-sized melon seed face was tightly pressed against the sturdy chest muscles, with a pungent masculine aura and a clanging heartbeat like a drum beating, instantly leaving You''s mind blank. She couldn''t even understand why Sun Shaozong was so reckless when someone broke in!

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong angrily scolded, "Big Head Xue, why don''t you even knock on the door?

    It turned out that the drunken intruder was not someone else but Xue Pan, like Sun Shaozong, who stayed in the backyard of Ningguo Mansion.

    But Xue Pan came in with a big grin and saw Sun Shaozong holding a petite woman in his arms. He chatted up and said, "So you are having a good time inside, Second Brother. This is my fault.

    If it were changed to someone else, it would be wise to exit with knowledge and interest after saying this.

    However, how could Big Head Xue have such self-awareness?

    Saying no, he walked unsteadily across from Sun Shaozong and rooted himself in the Grand Master''s chair. He complained without any reason, This Jia Rong is really not a thing. I''ve only been playing around with him for a few days, and he started to act arrogant in my face!

    Seeing this guy looking like he was about to pour out a lot of bitterness, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to adjust his sitting posture and laid You-Shi horizontally on his leg, holding her pink back with one hand and pretending to caress her hair with the other, but in fact, he covered her face.

    After all this was done, he followed Xue Pan''s words and said, "Is there anyone else who can be more arrogant than you? This is strange! Speaking of which, what the hell you and Jia Rong have been up to lately? I don''t think Jia Zhen''s face this morning is a good thing.

    Werent these two bastards doing some refinement thing?

    What can the father and son do? They just revolve around women!" Speaking of this, Xue Pan exhaled two rough hues from his nose and angrily said, "It wasn''t much at first, but it was Jia Rong who had a crush on Yuner from the Jinxiang Building and wanted to exchange ideas with me.

    Yuner from the Jinxiang Building has been taken care of by Xue Pan since last summer. Although she might not be considered a serious outside mistress, without his consent, Yuner never dared to have an affair with anyone.

    However, upon hearing him use the word exchange, it was clear that there was no long-term relationship between him and Yun''er. It was estimated that as long as benefits were given, he would not hesitate to sublet her to others.

    As expected, Xue Pan continued, "I''ve been playing with Yun''er for most of the year. Although I haven''t had enough fun yet, I''m not reluctant to let others take a share. But Jia Rong has never had much friendship with me, so naturally I can''t take advantage of him in vain.

    At first, that guy said he wanted to supply me with silver, but later he couldn''t get that much money, so he wanted to exchange his wife, Hu-Shi

    For the sake of being a kiln girl, they needed to exchange two women who had been married, and it was estimated that only Jia Rong would be able to do such a thing!

    Xue Pan continued, "Although the appearance of Hu-shi is still acceptable, she has been used up by those father and son. I heard that even Uncle Jia She, Second Brother Lian, and Jia Qiang have used her before. My Yun''er only entertained the Old Feng and Liu brothers before. It''s really a big loss, so I didn''t respond.

    This was really...

    The serious Madam of Ningguo Mansion received more customers than prostitutes. Was Jia Rong marrying a wife or raising a family of prostitutes?!

    Furthermore, Xue Pan drank a few cups and didn''t have a limit in his mouth. Could this be leaking out in front of the servant of the Ningguo Mansion?

    Fortunately, the one in his arms was not a true servant of the Ningguo Mansion; otherwise, this matter wouldnt have been widely known in the blink of an eye?!

    What''s so scary about this... Hey, Second Brother, please be gentle.

    Xue Pan didn''t take it seriously and waited for a few more heroic words, but Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but come forward and grab his collar, carrying him out like a little chicken.

    Arriving at the gate of the courtyard, he placed him on the ground and kicked him on his fat buttocks, urging him, "Hurry up, so that your mother won''t miss you at home.

    Xue Pan groaned for a while, and seeing that he couldn''t resist Sun Shaozong, he had to angrily go to the front courtyard.

    Watching him disappear in the corner of the corridor, Sun Shaozong breathed a sigh and then had a headache again. No matter how heartless You-Shi was, she was afraid to be deeply shocked by what they had just said. It was estimated that she was now in despair.

    He was a nameless and indiscriminate person. First, he helped her cure her feet, then turned around and wasted his lips and tongue to comfort her.

    If he had known, why not let her limp back?

    Sun Shaozong was filled with bitterness in his heart, but he could only return to the main room and thought of a few soothing words outside the door. It was either unexpected or light and powerless. In modern times, he should have read more useless essays.

    Forget it; just adapt to the situation after entering.

    With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong lifted the curtain and entered the interior. Unexpectedly, as he had just stepped forward, he realized that something had tripped over his feet. He lowered his head and looked down, only to find a high-heeled embroidered shoe in apricot yellow!

    This

    Wasnt this the one You-Shi was wearing on her feet?

    When he just brought her in, did he accidentally rub it off?

    Sun Shaozong suspiciously picked up the still-warm embroidered shoe and took two more steps forward. Turning around the panel, he saw another bright red dress lying on the ground!

    And not far away were another embroidered shoe and two stockings!

    This

    Sun Shaozong swallowed his saliva and looked up at the bed. He saw several close-fitting clothes hanging on the head of the bed, as well as a mint-colored mandarin duck innerwear. The brocade quilt was wrapped in a curvaceous and exquisite ball, clearly resembling a human figure!

    This was really...

    Sun Shaozong hesitated and reached the bed. He carefully lifted a corner of the bedding, and as expected, he saw a woman who looked like a white sheep. With tears in her eyes, she raised her head and said in a coquettish voice, "Didn''t you want me to warm the bed? What are you waiting for now?

    Seeing her pearly and rainy appearance, Sun Shaozong still didn''t know why. She was extremely disappointed and aggrieved and she simply gave up on herself?

    It was just whether one should push the boat with the current or take advantage of others'' danger.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong hesitating, You-Shi suddenly lifted one leg and hooked her slender foot around Sun Shaozong''s neck. She said coquettishly, "Isn''t it true that you, like Xue Pan, look down on me as an extra?

    This was deadly!

    Although Sun Shaozong had a thousand pounds of great strength, he was still affected by this soft jade fragrance. With just a moment''s effort, his majestic body was hooked into the bedding.

    At night, as the word goes:

    For example, often hanging on to one''s heart, striving like moving onto one''s shoulders?

    If the enemy was willing to ask questions, they must hold them in our hands, lift them on our arms, or put them on our shoulders, look at us with a high silver lamp, think about our hearts and enjoy ourselves, and play high and heartily.

 Chapter 341: Stealing Away Her Love

    Chapter 341: Stealing Away Her Love

    The sky was dimly lit.

    Sun Shaozong sat up with the blanket in his arms. Seeing the empty space next to him, he habitually looked towards the dressing table. Sure enough, Ruan Rong was still looking in front of the mercury mirror.

    Using all his Yang energy to exchange for this palm-sized mirror, Ruan Rong''s top priority every morning was to dress up.

    In the beginning, Sun Shaozong couldnt help but complain a few words. However, he had been used to it for seven or eight days.

    Cough

    With a dry cough, Ruan Rong was startled and quickly called for Shiliu to come in, serving Sun Shaozong to dress and wash.

    When he finished dressing up, Xiangling also rushed over from the west room and the three of them had breakfast together. Because Xianglings delivery date was approaching, Sun Shaozong specifically advised her to read fewer books, especially to write less poetry, so as not to waste her effort.

    Xiangling was originally heartless and obsessed with the art of poetry, and she couldn''t let go of it all day. It wasn''t until she met Sun Chengye''s rabbit-mouthed eldest son a few days ago that she restrained herself a lot.

    After breakfast, Sun Shaozong went to the government office as usual.

    When he arrived at the office, before he got out of the carriage, he heard several heartbreaking cries coming from the front of the office.

    Spare my life, My Lord!

    I was wronged.Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com deceived by others.

    It turned out that there were five station cages lined up outside the main gate of the government office, all of which were vendors who committed crimes against the wind after the ban was issued and still secretly concocted the Immortal Powder for sale.

    To serve as an example, Sun Shaozong sentenced them to stand in a cage for two days and two nights yesterday afternoon and then added a sentence of five to eight years in prison, depending on the severity of the situation.

    At present, although they were screaming sadly, how could Sun Shaozong sympathize with a few drug dealers?

    First, without turning a blind eye, he nodded at the gatehouse and then went to the Criminal Office.

    There was another scene at the door of the Criminal Division. Several flatbed trolleys were parked in front of the courtyard, and a dozen laborers in single clothes were carrying sacks inside without stopping.

    Because Sun Shaozong was stationed in Rongguo Mansion under orders, Wei Ruolan took over the investigation of this case.

    It was estimated that Wei Ruolan was unable to find any clues and couldn''t help but ask Sun Shaozong for help, which was why he invited Han Anbang to be the middleman.

    Indeed, there were people in the court who were good officials!

    After thinking through this section, Sun Shaozong immediately stood up and arched his hand, saying, "It''s all my fault. I originally wanted to train Assistant Magistrate Wei''s ability to investigate cases alone, but I never expected this case to be so troublesome. Even now, I haven''t been able to uncover anything.

    Uh

    Han Anbang''s original intention was to launch a surprise attack first. When Sun Shaozong spoke up to distinguish, he would be charged with abolishing his official duties for personal reasons, neglecting stability and unity, and then taking advantage of the situation to burden the case on his shoulders.

    Who would have thought that Sun Shaozong would react so quickly, and there was no impulse or impatience from young people at all? He first took responsibility without hesitation, and then politely pointed out that Wei Ruolan was in charge of this case.

    Han Anbang couldn''t pick out the flaws in his words, so he felt a bit stunned for a moment. After a while, he said with a straight face, "Since that''s the case, after you go back, it''s better to discuss it with Assistant Magistrate Wei and resolve the case as soon as possible, so as not to stir up discussions outside.

    As he spoke, he picked up the tea bowl with a posture of sending off the guest.

    He was almost becoming a hollow senior official, yet, still putting up a good fight. It seemed that this Central Judicial Office would be under the control of Jia Yucun sooner or later.

    Sun Shaozong left with a malicious resignation, and it only took him 15 minutes to return to the Criminal Department.

    Seeing that Cheng Rixing had already returned, following the principle of not bothering the two leaders in one matter, he ordered him to go again and have Wei Ruolan come to discuss the case with relevant information about the heart stealing case.

    Master.

    Cheng Rixing heard this, but he was not in a hurry to start. Instead, he cautiously reminded him, "Assistant Magistrate Wei has been against you several times, and now he has suffered it on his own. Why bother helping him?

    No one else will care who took on this case.

    Sun Shaozong said helplessly, "As long as they hear that the Central Judicial Office is investigating the case, they will definitely think of me. Besides, six people have already died; we can''t just let it go.

    This was the dilemma of the towering tree that caught the wind. If Wei Ruolan were to be deposed due to personal reasons, it might ultimately damage Sun Shaozong''s reputation.

    As he spoke, he waved his hand again and said, "Go; remember to call Private Advisor Xing along with you.

 Chapter 342: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [(1)]

    Chapter 342: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [(1)]

    On the sixth day of April, in the evening, two men, and four women; a total of six outsiders rented an independent small courtyard behind the Longsheng Old Store.

    After nightfall the next day, the shop assistant, Zhou Bajin, followed the usual practice and went to the backyard to ask if they needed hot water. However, he found that the courtyard door was wide open and there was no light inside.

    Zhou Bajin was worried that they had encountered a thief, so he quickly called for Shopkeeper Zhao to come to the store and come inside together with lanterns to check.

    Unexpectedly, they found that all six guests were lying naked on the ground, with holes in their chests and their hearts cut out!

    Even though Shopkeeper Zhao fainted from fear, Zhou Bajin still called for the help of the guests in the neighboring courtyard before carrying him back to the front.

    With this delay, the matter naturally couldn''t be covered up.

    When Zhao Wuwei received the report and arrived overnight, it was unknown how many people had entered and exited the scene, leaving behind a lot of vomit.Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    After on-site inspection, it was confirmed that all six of them had traces of being bound on their hands and feet, and there were multiple injuries on their bodies, indicating that they had been severely beaten during their lifetime.

    The fatal injury was when their chest was opened and their heart was removed.

    Given this detail, after taking over the case, Wei Ruolan pointed fingers at the possibility of revenge and instructed Private Advisor Qi to conduct a more detailed investigation.

    However, this careful investigation didnt have much effect; the case has become complicated and confusing!

    Upon hearing Private Advisor Qi''s bitter smile, he said, "Initially, I asked the people in the inn to determine who had entered and exited the inn before and after the incident. However, everyone agreed that those six people were still alive before the evening.

    Since entering the door, it has been Private Advisor Qi who has been speaking. Wei Ruolan only occasionally responded, obviously feeling that seeking help from Sun Shaozong would greatly lose his face.

    Theyre still alive before the evening?

    Sun Shaozong furrowed his brows and picked up the case file before questioning, "But the autopsy report clearly states that they died between 7:00 am to 11:00 pm; how could they still be alive in the evening?

    After a pause, he hesitated and said, "Could it be that the body was once subjected to some manipulation that led to a misjudgment of the time of death?

    I found it weird too.

    Private Advisor Qi spread his hands and smiled bitterly. "But after several days of investigation, I didn''t find any trace. Besides, the person in charge of the autopsy is Old Xu from our office. If there''s something fishy, he should be able to detect it.

    Not to mention Old Xu''s professional qualities, Private Advisor Qi was also a Senior Official of the Criminal Department. Since he has already been interfered with, it was reasonable to say that he was unlikely to be fooled.

    Also

    Taoist Li, who travels around the world: To rebuild the temple, I want to earn some incense money in this Capital. In the past half month, I have visited dozens of inns in the western city. If you don''t believe me, you can go and inquire.

    Due to the fact that guests may not be inside during the day, the alleys are often used for morning, noon, and evening divination.

    That evening, before I could explain the matter clearly after I entered, a chubby man pushed and shoved me out. If it weren''t for the help of a shop assistant, I might have been injured by him earlier.

    The Shopkeeper Zhou Bajin: I helped the old Taoist out, and after about 15 minutes, the shopkeeper instructed me to go around the houses and see if the guests wanted to use hot water at night. Unexpectedly, I found

    What? You said they died in the morning? How could this... Be possible?! This is impossible!

    Next door Zhang Kai: This is impossible! Unless the woman who is arguing with me is a demon!

    Zhang Kai''s wife: Dead... Dead people, can they also... Do things like that?!

    Manager Zhao: Your... Your Excellency, don''t joke around. I... I clearly heard that the woman was arguing with the guest next door!

    Wandering Taoist Li: No wonder that chubby man insisted on driving me out. It turned out that he was turned into a fierce ghost! I forgot to open my divine eyes at that time, otherwise..."

    Assistant Zhang Ergou from a nearby restaurant: My Lord, you... I can''t understand what you''re saying. Only living people need to eat; dead people... Dead people... cant eat, right?

    The confession came to an end there.

    But this content was really... It was incredibly bizarre!

    Six people who had already died in the morning even had interactions with these many people in the afternoon!

    Moreover, the last time Taoist Li and Zhou Bajin saw the deceased was only 15 minutes before and after the discovery of the body. Looking at the timing, not to mention the murdering and heart-digging of six people, even if the murderer only stripped their clothes off and took away their luggage, it would be difficult to achieve it, right?!

    Upon seeing Sun Shaozong finish reading it, Private Advisor Qi beside him quickly added, "Based on the investigation these days, Zhou Bajin grew up in the City of Xi when he was young and worked as a clerk in Longsheng''s Old Store for four years. He has never left the Capital before.

    Manager Zhao has had three generations of business owners in Longsheng''s Old Store and has never left the capital before.

    The Zhang Kai couple next door is from Jinmen Prefecture. They came to the Capital for the first time to visit his sister, who got married two years ago. They temporarily stayed at an inn because they had a grudge against their brother-in-law.

    Taoist Li is a member of the Cangzhou Prefecture in Hebei Province. Six years ago, he became a monk at Qinglong Temple in the State of Tong and traveled to the Capital half a month ago, earning a living by helping others by observing their appearance.

    The restaurant waiter Wang Ergou, originally from Bao''an Prefecture, Hebei Province, has been living in the Capital since the disaster last year. He was only hired by the restaurant a few days ago as a waiter.

    After listening, Sun Shaozong remained silent for a while before saying, "What do you mean is that there is no connection between these witnesses, let alone hiding on behalf of each other?

    Exactly.

 Chapter 343: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [(2)]

    Chapter 343: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [(2)]

    After Sun Shaozong understood the general situation of the case and carefully read the autopsy report several times, he decided to go to the scene for a thorough investigation and interrogation.

    Although Wei Ruolan never spoke much, when Sun Shaozong left, he also quietly followed him. It was obvious that he was also quite interested in this case in his heart.

    Longsheng Old Store was located at the end of the Alley, west of the Capital, which was originally considered a bustling area, but now...Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    Due to the recent rumors of evil spirits digging hearts, the streets around here have become noticeably deserted, and it was said that every restaurant and store was even more deserted at night.

    If the people continued to be in such a state of panic, it was estimated that even the girls in the brothel would be forced to be out of the industry!

    When the group arrived at the prosperous old shop, they saw a constable leading five servants, shouting and munching on the case. There was also a pair of poker cards on the table next to them, with a carefree appearance, almost calling the kiln girl to have a good time.

    It was okay with the others, but Wei Ruolan was quite angry when he saw this. After all, this job was assigned to him.

    Wei Ruolan didn''t think about it and stepped forward and kicked over the table, angrily saying, "Son of a bitch! I''ve been working tirelessly to investigate the case all day, but you guys are so happy and carefree here.

    Unexpectedly, the constable and the servants knelt on the ground in panic, shouting, "Spare our lives, My Lord.

    Now Wei Ruolan was even more annoyed. As he was about to give these inconspicuous things a lesson, he heard Sun Shaozong exclaiming, "Manager Zhao, have they ever paid for this table of wine and vegetables?

    Shopkeeper Zhao said in fear, "Report back to the Lord; the others and I cant leave the shop now. These things are bought by the officials themselves and have nothing to do with this small shop.

    Sun Shaozong nodded and then turned his gaze to the constable. He said in a deep voice, "Although you didn''t take the opportunity to extort, how dare you drink or gamble for pleasure during your time on duty?

    The constable quickly knocked his head on the ground and trembled, saying, "I lead my brothers to guard here day and night. I am really worried every day, so during the night guard, I secretly bought some wine to strengthen my courage. Later, when I saw no one supervising, I... Became more daring

    The words no one supervising made Wei Ruolan and Private Advisor Qi feel a bit embarrassed, so it was not easy to attack these government officials again.

    Sun Shaozong first asked Lin Delu to write it down and handle it according to his discretion after returning. Then he instructed them to gather all the witnesses.

    Nowadays, in this inn, except for those related to the case, everyone had already scattered away, so in just a moment, everyone was gathered in this hall.

    Among them, Shopkeeper Zhao and Taoist Li were the oldest, probably in their early fifties.

    Zhang Kai and his wife were around thirty years old, and it seemed that they had some wealth.

    Sun Shaozong then asked Zhang Kai''s wife, Taoist Li, and Manager Zhao several questions in turn, and the two of them answered each of them fluently. Only Manager Zhao hesitated and claimed that he didn''t remember very well because of his age.

    After asking one by one, Sun Shaozong asked Zhou Bajin to lead him to the back to carefully inspect the small courtyard where the six people stayed.

    The first thing to check was the crime scene, which was the living room in the main room. Even after more than half a month, a foul smell still emanated from the ground, and the bloody scene at that time could still be imagined.

    Next to the east room next door, the bedding was in a mess; although it had been covered in dust, there were still traces of someone lying on it.

    Then

    In short, there was not much difference between the traces on the scene and the witness testimony, which could be said to be quite consistent.

    However, according to the autopsy report, they clearly died in the morning, how could they possibly order, eat, cheer, argue like living people?

    After completing this round, Wei Ruolan finally couldn''t hold his patience as he saw Sun Shaozong pondering silently. He then chased after him and asked, "Did you notice anything, Lord Sun?

    The words were both sarcastic and gave him a hard time, but there was also a hint of hope. Perhaps even he couldn''t figure out whether Sun Shaozong could solve more cases or not.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head first, then nodded, and finally said slowly, "I didn''t see anything, but it''s equivalent to seeing something.

    The clouds and mountains were shrouded in mist!

    Wei Ruolan exchanged glances with Private Advisor Qi, who then smiled bitterly and said, "I am really confused at the moment. If you really find anything, please do not hesitate to give me advice, Lord Sun.

    Sun Shaozong asked in response, "What do you think is the most bizarre and peculiar aspect of this case?

    Private Advisor Qi said without hesitation, "Of course, it''s the corpses that have been dead for a long time yet have done many things.

    But then he hesitated again, "But the confessions of Zhou Bajin and others corroborate each other, and there is nothing suspicious.

    To be honest, I never used to believe in ghosts and gods in this world, but now

    As he spoke, Private Advisor Qi shook his head in confusion.

    Haha.

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and said, "Of course, this is not a ghostly event, but a carefully planned murder case. But it''s precisely because this plan was so carefully formulated that it actually revealed its flaws.

 Chapter 344: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [(3)]

    Chapter 344: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [(3)]

    Because the plan was formulated too carefully, it exposed its flaws?

    Wei Ruolan looked confused as he listened. Private Advisor Qi seemed to have guessed something, but he couldn''t believe it. After a while, he hesitated and said, "Your Excellency, are these witnesses all... all in a gang?

    Of course.

    Sun Shaozong firmly said, "At the beginning, when they answered the question, it was no different from the confession made half a month ago, and I felt that there was something fishy going on.

    Later on, they were able to answer all the trivial details fluently, and I was certain that there must be some tricks involved. There are certainly people who never forget, but dont you find it strange to encounter so many of them all at once, Private Advisor Qi?

    It is indeed a little strange.

    Private Advisor Qi hesitated and said, "But they really don''t have any connection with each other. Besides, not everyone is like this. Isn''t that why Manager Zhao was vague?

    Hehe.

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and said, "He is not the only one who is vague, but also the only witness who did not personally see the deceased on the afternoon of April 7th.

    The only witness who didnt see the deceased on the afternoon of April 7th?

    Private Advisor Qi was thoughtful, but Wei Ruolan sneered, "Are you confused? Isn''t there another Zhang-Zhou here? She just heard some noise next door. How can we say that Manager Zhao is the only one

    Wait.

    Private Advisor Qi suddenly interrupted his words with excitement and said excitedly, "I understand your meaning. Assuming that all the witnesses except for Manager Zhao were conspirators, it wasn''t some horse-faced deceased who was talking to Zhang Kai at that time, but his wife Zhang-Zhou.

    That''s right.

    Sun Shaozong sneered and said, "Since Zhang-Zhou could hear the moans coming from the next door, wouldn''t she be able to hear the more intense arguments behind her? Even if she didn''t rush over to help out, she shouldn''t have hidden in the room without any reaction, right?

    Your Excellency is absolutely right.

    Private Advisor Qi nodded heavily in agreement, but then he frowned and said with a bitter smile, "The problem is, there is really no connection between these five people. By inference alone, we cannot prove their conspiracy to murder.

    That''s right.

    Wei Ruolan also interjected, "This is not a joke, but a heinous case of killing six people at once. How can a few strangers trust each other? And how can they be interconnected?

    Sun Shaozong smiled slightly and asked, "Did Assistant Magistrate Wei forget the judgment you made in the first place? The one who can make five strangers conspire to kill is naturally the words unite against the enemy.

    Sharing the same hatred and fighting together?

    Yes, ''sharing the same enemy and fighting together.

    Sun Shaozong was overjoyed and quickly asked, "So you should know what kind of trouble has happened to his family?

    How should an adult know there has been a disaster in his family?

    Shopkeeper Zhao was puzzled and said, "I never want to mention this to anyone

    What are you talking about?

    Wei Ruolan scolded impatiently from the side, "Tell me what kind of trouble has happened to his family?

    Shopkeeper Zhao was so scared that he shrank his neck and quickly told the story of the Zhou family in detail.

    It turned out that at the Shangyuan Lantern Festival six years ago, Zhou Bajin''s father took Zhou Bajin and his younger brother to go shopping for the festival.

    Due to Zhou Bajin''s playfulness and causing trouble, he accidentally knocked over someone else''s stall. Zhou''s father was busy apologizing to the stall owner and forgot to take care of his young son. As a result, Zhou Bajin''s younger brother was kidnapped by two women from other places, and there was no news from then on.

    After Zhou''s father returned home, he almost fought with his wife. In the end, he ran away in anger and traveled around the world to search for his young son. From then on, there was no news!

    Zhou''s mother lost her son and husband one after another, also accumulated depression, and passed away two years later.

    Later, Shopkeeper Zhao took in Zhou Bajin, who was only fourteen years old at the time, and recently made him the boss of this prosperous old store.

    Although they have only heard about the past of the Zhou family and couldnt determine the situation of others, the truth was already evident.

    Smack~

    Wei Ruolan slapped the square table and gritted his teeth, cursing, "They deserved it! Good killing!

    Shopkeeper Zhao was startled by him again and quickly kowtowed, "I haven''t deceived you; please spare my life.

    Alright, alright, Assistant Magistrate Wei is not talking about you.

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand with a heavy face and said, "You go down first.

    After Shopkeeper Zhao withdrew in fear, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but sigh and say, "Nowadays, only these unscrupulous traffickers can make people from all sides share the same hatred and risk their lives.

    Forget it.

    Wei Ruolan suddenly stood up again and said, "No matter how the case ends, I will write to His Majesty to pardon them.

    This guy still has some consciousness in his heart.

    If you want to request for them to be pardoned, then forget it. The law of this dynasty does not encourage revenge by blood." Sun Shaozong shook his head and then said, "However, leniency is what the question should mean.

 Chapter 345: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [The Truth]

    Chapter 345: Longsheng Old Store Mysterious Event [The Truth]

    ¡°Cries I originally lived in Cangzhou Prefecture. Five years ago, during the Dragon Boat Festival, I took his grandson to watch the lion dance on the street. Unexpectedly, I was provoked and stopped by those villains. I took advantage to argue with them and they kidnapped my good grandson.¡±

    ¡°I lost my grandson and didn''t dare to go home to see my wife and children. So I wandered around for more than a year, but there was no news at all.¡±

    "Later, I was seriously ill in the State of Tong and almost lost my life. It was all thanks to my friends in the temple who gave me medicine that I managed to survive. Since then, I have become a Monk."

    ¡°Although I became a monk, I... in my heart, I haven''t forgotten my family for a day! Cries¡±Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    Sun Shaozong and others were waiting for Zhang Kai''s wife and sister in the Longsheng Old Store. Upon inquiry, it was true that the only daughter of the Zhang Kai couple was also abducted four years ago.

    In this way, three out of the five people have a common grudge, which was enough to prove the possibility of mutual shielding in their confessions.

    So Sun Shaozong made a decisive decision and re-examined Zhou Bajin, Zhang Kai, and others. He first pointed out the suspicion that their memories were too profound and then revealed the hidden story of their relatives being kidnapped and sold.

    Who knew that the mention of ¡±relatives being kidnapped¡± immediately turned the scene into a ¡±grievance gathering!¡±

    Taoist Li couldn''t control his emotions. Tears poured out of his past. Wang Ergou, a waiter in the restaurant over there, refused to be outdone. He banged his head against the ground and cried, "My Lord, Lord Qingtian! Although my family was hit by a disaster, there was still some money around me. I originally wanted to go back home to live in peace when the flood subsided."

    ¡°Who would have thought that those thieves taking advantage of me going out to buy food, forcibly took away my wife and daughter.¡±

    ¡°I chased them all the way to the State of Zhuo and heard that a woman had thrown herself into the river. Her appearance and physique resembled those of my wife, so I hurried over to identify her.¡±

    ¡°Cries It turned out to be my wife.¡±

    ¡°My wife used to be famous for her talent and appearance from all over the country, but... she was so tormented by them that she didn''t have a good piece of meat all over her body, and... she was soaked in the river again... for three days and two nights, and she doesn¡¯t even look human anymore.¡±

    Listening to the two of them talking about each other being more and more tragic, let alone Zhang Kai, his wife, and Zhou Bajin, the three of them felt the same way. Even Shopkeeper Zhao on the side was also in tears.

    Wei Ruolan stomped his feet several times and cursed, even saying that those six people were not enough to die, so it was cheap to just dig out their hearts.

    Although Sun Shaozong and Private Advisor Qi also felt pity for them, they were both Senior Criminal Officials and had seen countless human tragedies, so they could barely hold onto it.

    After the crowd suffered a bit and their emotions stabilized slightly, Sun Shaozong spoke up and said, "According to what you and others have just said, these evil thieves have not only kidnapped and sold young children multiple times but also committed homicides. If you discover their whereabouts, immediately report them to the government, and these evil thieves will surely die.¡±

    As he spoke, he took a slight moment forward and asked in a deep voice, "You could have punished them openly, but why did you spend so much effort and kill them without permission?¡±

    The five people knelt on the ground, looking at each other. Finally, Zhou Bajin angrily said, "Those evil thieves have someone behind them to support them. We ordinary people, without hard evidence in our hands, how can we sue them?¡±

    ¡°That''s right.¡±

    Zhang Kai replied, "I heard that many wealthy families love to buy beautiful boys and girls from their hands for... to provide... Cries My poor daughter...¡±

    Seeing these two people vying to plead guilty, Sun Shaozong named them again and said, "Zhou Bajin, for now, start from scratch and explain to me carefully.¡±

    ¡°Half a month ago, I suddenly heard that these six evil thieves were coming to our Longsheng Old Store to rest. So I called everyone together in advance and prepared some pills.¡±

    It turned out that those six people had just arrived at the store and stayed for a while when Zhou Bajin used pills to confuse them.

    Zhang Kai crossed the wall at night and tied them up with ropes. Together with his wife, Zhou Bajin, Taoist Li, Wang Ergou, and others, they transported their clothes and luggage overnight to prevent anyone from discovering their true identity afterward.

    Then, Zhang Kai and Zhou Bajin took turns interrogating them, hoping to force them to tell where the family members who had been kidnapped had been sold.

    As a result, apart from Wang Ergou''s wife and daughter, the six of them still had some impressions, for the other young children, they only remembered the approximate prefecture and county, forgetting even the buyer''s surname, making it impossible to find them at all.

    Zhou Bajin was furious for a moment, and according to the original plan, he stabbed them one by one through their hearts with a dagger. Then, Zhang Kai, who had once been a butcher, pulled out the six black hearts.

    Afterward, Wang Ergou self-directed and performed a play about ordering meals and brought the wine and vegetables to the courtyard. He also took out six hearts in a food box and fed them to nearby wild dogs.

    To add to the illusion that the six were still alive, Zhang Kai and his wife sang a double reed while pretending to be bothered by the noise coming from the adjacent room.

    Finally, Taoist Li came up with another trick and turned this case into a ¡±supernatural event!¡±

    When Zhou Bajin mentioned this, Sun Shaozong sneered and said, "So, you are the mastermind of this case? Then let me ask you, how did you know they were coming to settle in Longsheng Old Store? As a senior shop waiter, how did you go out of the Capital to contact people without being discovered by the Shopkeeper?¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Shopkeeper Zhao quickly chimed in and said, "Zhou Bajin is definitely not the mastermind. He has never been out of the Capital recently, and I dare to guarantee me life for this.¡±

    ¡°Shopkeeper! You... You...¡±

    ¡°He is indeed not the mastermind!¡±

    Zhou Bajin exclaimed anxiously, while Zhang Kai beside him proudly said, "I am the real mastermind. Everything is planned by me, and you can''t imagine how happy it was when I personally took out the hearts of those beasts! Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°It''s not my husband!¡±

    Unexpectedly, Zhang Kai was laughing uncontrollably, but Zhang-Zhou screamed again, "It''s a masked man, a tall masked man. He came to us and tried to lure those six evil thieves into the inn! All of this is his idea; he''s the real mastermind.¡±

    ¡°You scumbag, how dare you bite the hand that feeds you?!¡±

    Zhang Kai was furious when he heard that his wife had told the truth, and he was about to go up and fight while cursing. But several ground-level government officials had him securely restrained.

    ¡°A tall masked person?!¡±

    Sun Shaozong and Private Advisor Qi looked at each other, but at the same time, they thought of the masked man who had just appeared in the ¡±Youth Outage Case!¡±

 Chapter 346: Provoke

    Chapter 346: Provoke

    | April 27th, Ningguo Mansion |

    It was during the midday nap every day that You-Shi laid on the bed, but she couldn''t sleep, and she tossed and turned.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    After that beautiful night, she was quite flustered for a few days, and every time she thought of her impulsive behavior that night, she was filled with regret and fear.

    However, as time passed, the atmosphere in the mansion remained calm, without any rumors spreading. As a result, the sense of panic gradually subsided, and instead, it was the unforgettable taste that filled her heart.

    With a little anxiety, taboos, and never-befriended bravery and heartiness, You-Shi felt a bit difficult to restrain every time she recalled it.

    Today, there was no exception.

    She tossed and turned on the bed for a while, suddenly lifting a slender and symmetrical leg, her crescent-like arched back as if to capture his majestic and burly body from the air onto her bed.

    After a while, although You-Shi came back to her senses without success, her palm-sized melon seed face had already turned red and cooled down in the pillow for a long time before finally fading away.

    Afterward, she locked the door tightly, changed the small clothes that were next to her, and sat in front of the bronze mirror for a while, and she never felt the urge to sleep again.

    So You-Shi pushed the door and prepared to call out the maid and nanny to chat with Wang Xifeng or Li Wan in the Western Mansion. Unexpectedly, a shout reached her lips, but suddenly she heard some intermittent words coming from outside the door.

    ¡°Lord Sun... Secretly...¡±

    You-Shi''s delicate body trembled fiercely, and the hot and dry heat left on her instantly turned into cold. She was filled with only one thought, her affair with Sun Shaozong had been exposed!

    For a moment, she only felt that the sky and earth were spinning. She reached out to support the wall, but still couldn''t hold her figure. She stumbled forward a few steps and suddenly heard another servant girl outside the door exclaiming, "Really? Who could have been so bold as to dig someone else''s heart out and intentionally hang it on the drum of the Central Judicial Office?¡±

    ¡°You don''t know that, do you? I heard that this case involves five strangers, under the command of a masked person.¡±

    ¡°So the six dead people are all heartless traffickers? They really deserve it...¡±

    After listening to these, You-Shi could be considered to be climbing out of the gate of hell again.

    While she was feeling fortunate in her heart, Sun Shaozong''s mood was not very good.

    Also...

    This masked person may still be a ¡±perfectionist,¡± so after Sun Shaozong solved the case, the hearts, which were initially made into a specimen and preserved for over half a month, were used as a demonstration prop without hesitation by him!

    ¡°Uncle.¡±

    Just as he was writing these clues on paper, he saw Sun Chengye coming in, saying, "It''s almost time to go back to the mansion, shall we...¡±

    Sun Shaozong realized that it was already evening before he knew it.

    He threw away the ghostly talisman-like rice paper, stood up, stretched his lazy body out, and then said to himself, "If there is one, there will be two, and if there are two, there will be three. As long as this guy keeps committing crimes, he will always be caught and gone sooner or later.¡±

    Sun Chengye hesitated for a while and couldn''t help but say, "The people outside are all hoping that you won''t catch him.¡±

    Tch!

    This idea was understandable.

    The uncle and nephew both left the government office and discussed in the carriage how Sun Chengye''s son should exercise his muscles and bones to achieve success in the military in the future.

    This was a suggestion put forward by Sun Shaozong a few days ago when he gave a gift for the first meeting. After discussing it with his wife, Sun Chengye found that this was a good idea. Even if he couldn''t achieve success in the military, it would always be good to strengthen his body and health.

    When they returned to the mansion, the two of them said goodbye.

    Sun Shaozong was about to go back to the backyard to tease his son, but Zhao Zhongji came up and reported that it was around noon when the Second Madam of Rongguo Mansion came specifically to invite the Elder Madam, Jia Yingchun, to go to Qingxu Temple to pray on the first day of next month.

    It was said that to avoid bad luck at home, even the Old Lady Jia had to come forward this time personally, and the old and young men of Rong-Ning Mansion had to come forward too.

    Since Jia''s mother was going and Wang Xifeng came to invite her, Jia Yingchun naturally couldn''t refuse.

    ¡°The Elder Master was supposed to accompany her, but in the afternoon, as he was about to be on duty at the camp outside the city, he suddenly remembered that there were important official duties on the first day of the lunar new year. Therefore, he asked me to inform you to escort the Elder Lady to the Qingxu Temple.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was not very interested in this kind of spiritual ceremony, but Wang Xifeng came specifically to invite Yingchun; did she only want to burn incense at the Taoist temple?

 Chapter 347: Qingxu Temple

    Chapter 347: Qingxu Temple

    | May 1st |

    As the sky darkened, there was a commotion in the front courtyard of Sun Mansion.

    Jia Yingchun needless to say, Ruan Rong heard that she was going to Qingxu Temple to pray; she also made a fuss about going. In addition, the maid and nannies next to the two of them were packed with five carriages.Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

    In addition, there were several small actors from that troupe who somehow gained access from Sun Shaozu''s connections and also chattered and occupied a place in the team.

    So when they went out, seven carriages lined up in a row. Sun Shaozong rode a tall horse to lead the way, and behind him, Zhao Zhongji led several healthy servants, driving donkeys, mules, and horses to and fro in unison. It was really bustling.

    The Qingxu Temple was located within the inner city, and there was not much distance.

    In about half an hour, the Sun family''s team arrived at the nearby Qingxu Temple and saw the open space in front of the mountain gate, which had already been surrounded by colorful coarse cloth. A dozen or so high-sounding middle-aged Taoists were posing at the only entrance, waiting for their grand visit.

    Sun Shaozong raised his horsewhip, and someone nearby had already come forward to greet him. It was said that the Second Young Lady, who had just married in the Rongguo Mansion, had arrived. The Taoists immediately dispersed, and a special informant came forward to lead the convoy inside.

    At this time, the people of Rong-Ning Mansion had not yet arrived; only a few young servants who were standing in front of each other were checking and filling in the gaps inside and outside.

    This was already expected by everyone in the Sun Mansion. If Jia Yingchun arrived late after Jia''s mother arrived, she would have missed the courtesy of being a younger generation.

    It was precisely because Old Lady Jia had not arrived that the scene of the Qingxu Temple had not yet been cleared. Therefore, after the seven carriages were parked in the corner, all the female relatives obediently waited in the carriage. Only a few elderly women got out of the carriage and, together with the male servants, criticized the Taoists of the Qingxu Temple.

    Sun Shaozong dismounted and took out a pocket watch from his sleeve pocket. He looked at the time and saw that it had just passed 8 am. He estimated that the convoy of the Rong-Ning Mansion would take some time to catch up.

    He asked Zhao Zhongji to set up a Maza and read the palace newspaper that was only sent out yesterday evening.

    To be honest, the content of this issue of the palace newspaper was quite unexpected to Sun Shaozong. The ¡±Immortal Powder Project,¡± personally ordered and supervised by Emperor Guangde, only occupied a piece of tofu in the second edition; on the contrary, it was the ¡±Longsheng Old Store Heart Stealing Case¡± that appeared in the fourth position on the front page.

    However, compared to the intricacies of the case, the content in the palace newspaper focused on criticizing the practice of holding slaves in wealthy families, indirectly condoning the rampant use of human traffickers.

    Should it be that...

    Did Emperor Guangde intend to suppress the trend of slavery?

    This was not something new, as many kings in history have issued similar laws.

    However, this kind of thing has always had policies and countermeasures. In terms of current customs, at most, it was to reduce the number of people buying and selling young slaves. It was simply unrealistic to completely ban it.

    Sun Shaozong bowed his hand and sincerely praised him, then chatted with the Old Taoist a little. Suddenly, the nearby bell tower was filled with music, and someone came over to report that the sight of Rongguo Mansion had already arrived nearby.

    Upon hearing the words, the old and young quickly joined hands to welcome them out.

    Outside, they saw several colorful sedan chairs leading the way, with carriages and horses driving one after another and servants echoing from front to back, but they couldn''t even see the mains.

    Oh great~

    The Emperor had just posted in the palace newspaper and revealed his intention to suppress the slave storage trend. The Rong-Ning Mansion had exposed its wealth on the street.

    ¡°Brother Sun.¡±

    ¡°Second Brother.¡±

    At the forefront of the team, Jia Baoyu and Xue Pan were leading the way. Seeing Sun Shaozong and Taoist Zhang welcoming them from afar, they quickly dismounted and greeted them.

    Seeing that they were only focused on chatting with themselves but somewhat indifferent to Taoist Zhang beside them, Sun Shaozong quickly called for the two of them to come forward and salute.

    At this moment, a cheerful person rushed over from behind and also dismounted to approach; it was Jia Zhen, the Commander of this ceremony.

    After a few days of not seeing each other, the Master of Ningguo Mansion seemed to be more energetic. After meeting Sun Shaozong, he praised without a word, "My brother''s night at my yard was indeed very effective. Since then, I have never dreamed of Rong''s wife again.¡±

    Uh~

    Sun Shaozong really didn¡¯t know how to respond to this.

    Fortunately, without waiting for him to answer, the previous eight-lifted sedan chair had already arrived at the door. Taoist Zhang exchanged a few words with Old Lady Jia through the curtain and then asked all the idle people in the temple to retreat and invite the women of the Rong-Ning Mansion in.

    After all, Sun Shaozong was a foreign man and could only wait at the door, chatting casually with Jia Zhen, Baoyu, and Xue Pan.

    Unexpectedly, after a while, there was a commotion inside, and for a moment, the voices of women shouting and killing were all heard.

    Everyone looked at each other in astonishment and hurriedly entered the room to investigate the truth. It turned out that there was a young Taoist who was cutting lanterns. Somehow, he bumped into Wang Xifeng and was slapped by her, causing everyone to turn upside down. As he was about to flee, he was surrounded by servants who were scolding him with all their hands.

    Taoist Zhang felt a bit embarrassed when he saw this, and it was not enough to plead, nor was it enough to sit here and watch.

    Fortunately, when Old Lady Jia heard the news, she quickly stepped forward to control the crowd, which eliminated a disturbance invisibly.

 Chapter 348: A Storm of Jealousy Added More Suspicion

    Chapter 348: A Storm of Jealousy Added More Suspicion

    ¡°Let the Young Taoist go.¡± Old Lady Jia, surrounded by female relatives, arrived at the entrance of the mountain. She saw Yingchun leading Ruan Rong and several intimate maids waiting happily under the steps.

    The Old Lady immediately burst into laughter and looked back at them, saying, "These two girls have a very honest temperament. I was originally worried that she would suffer some hardships when she got married, but now, looking at this, she got married to the right person.¡±

    Jia Yingchun was both pleased and panicked when she heard this, and she didn''t know how to deal with it. Wang Xifeng next to her chuckled and said, "With the beauty of Second Sister, even if she wasn¡¯t born in our family, anyone who marries her will treat her as a treasure. You don¡¯t have to worry, Old Lady.¡±

    A burst of laughter amused everyone, and Li Wan hurriedly pulled Yingchun into the queue next to her. Immediately, Lin Daiyu stepped forward and called for her God-Sister to come and speak.

    The crowd then passed through two mountain gates and arrived at the center of the main hall.

    Jia Yingchun chatted casually with Li Wan along the way, but secretly, all her thoughts were focused on Wang Xifeng.

    A few days ago, Wang Xifeng went to Sun Mansion to invite her to pray. However, she actually drafted a new partnership agreement and asked Yingchun to pass it on to the Sun Brothers for review. She also urged that if there were no problems, the business would be arranged as soon as possible.

    She couldn''t wait any longer. Currently, the southern side was already open to purchasing wood, and if she continued to delay, she would miss out on many opportunities to make a fortune. Whenever she thought of a large amount of silver slipping through her fingers, Wang Xifeng felt uncomfortable and couldn''t sleep all night.

    Of course, Jia Lian''s newly renovated infidelity was also an important reason for her sleeplessness.

    However, Sun Shaozong and his Big Brother carefully studied for a while and found that the regulations listed were indeed much fairer than last time. However, there were still some minor details and ambiguous loopholes left.

    The two of them listed these flaws and worked out a modification plan, allowing Jia Yingchun to carry it with her, ready to take the opportunity to show them to Wang Xifeng.

    Therefore, when entering the main hall, everyone else was thinking of showing off in front of Jia''s mother, but only Jia Yingchun was watching Wang Xifeng closely.

    Coincidentally, Jia Lian led several healthy servants and brought in fragrant oil to offer. They didn''t know what Wang Xifeng had to tell him; she specifically bowed to the Old Lady and went to the adjacent side hall with Jia Lian to speak.

    Upon seeing this, Jia Yingchun hurriedly entrusted Li Wan to restrain Siqi and Xiuju and quietly followed her over.

    She was originally planning to wait for her second brother to leave and discuss the matter with her Sister-in-law. However, as soon as she arrived at the gate of the side hall, she heard Wang Xifeng cursing loudly inside, "Are you crazy? Where are you looking with your two thieves'' eyes earlier? Is that red-haired girl someone you can think of?¡±

    At present, in this pure and humble view, only Ruan Rong could be called ¡±Red-haired foreign girl!¡±

    Did her unprofessional Brother want the Concubine of the Second Master?!

    Jia Yingchun was startled and didn''t care about her manners or rules. She quickly leaned over to the hall door and listened carefully.

    This statement was not unreasonable, especially since Jia Yingchun and Sun Shaozong were not just in a relationship as Brothers and Sister-in-law. Her Brother now coveted Sun Shaozong''s Concubine, and if Sun Shaozong found out...

    Thinking like this, Jia Yingchun nodded hesitantly.

    Wang Xifeng was afraid that she might not be reliable enough, and she even coaxed and scared her a little before asking, "By the way, are you coming to find me for that business?¡±

    Jia Yingchun immediately remembered the primary matter, quickly took out the revised statement, handed it to Wang Xifeng, and recounted the explanation she had heard lying in Sun Shaozong''s arms.

    After listening and reading, Wang Xifeng compared her original text and realized that she understood it clearly. Therefore, she greatly admired the business skills of the Sun Brothers.

    Moreover, even after such a long delay, there was no room for further entanglement in any minor details.

    Therefore, Wang Xifeng looked at her again and confirmed that there was nothing inappropriate. She then said, "I will have Ping¡¯er transcribe two copies and then let her send them over with the fingerprint. We will finalize this matter thoroughly. Then, you must urge your Master and Second Master to quickly dispatch someone to bring the silver to the south; otherwise, it¡¯s hard to tell how much business will be delayed.¡±

    Jia Yingchun was fully satisfied, and the two of them joined hands to leave the side hall.

    After calling Ping¡¯er back to the main hall, they heard the Taoist smiling and chanting, "The day before yesterday, I saw a young lady at a house who was fifteen years old and had a good appearance. I thought my son should also seek marriage soon. If this Young Lady looks smart, intelligent, and rooted in family background, she is also worthy.¡±

    ¡°But I wonder what you think, Old Lady? I don¡¯t dare to act first and report afterward. Therefore, I would like your opinion before I decide.¡±

    The Old Lady was indispensable, but the people beside her were anxious.

    Especially Baoyu, who wanted to interrupt but couldn''t get in, anxiously scratched his ears and cheeks and fidgeted, grabbing his eyeballs to gouge out Taoist Zhang''s old face.

    This was not originally related to Wang Xifeng, but she knew that her Aunt [Mrs. Wang] had already made up her mind about Baoyu¡¯s marriage, so she quickly went forward and made jokes, causing everyone to burst into laughter and thus suppressing the matter of the marriage proposal.

    She took advantage of the situation and begged Taoist Zhang for a ¡±naming talisman¡± on behalf of her only daughter, Qiao Si''er.

    That Taoist was also joking. He bought a big tray to come in and said he wanted to bring out the ¡±spiritual treasure jade,¡± and went outside to open up the vision of the young Taoists.

    Upon hearing this, the Old Lady quickly ordered Baoyu to remove the ¡±spiritual treasure jade¡± and place it on a tray.

    Taoist Zhang carefully placed a python bundle on it again, and then he personally carried it out with a sharp eye-like expression.

 Chapter 349: Due to the Kylin of the White-Headed Double Star

    Chapter 349: Due to the Kylin of the White-Headed Double Star

    Sun Shaozong and Xue Pan were in the shade, holding the iced plum juice they had brought home, complaining about the hot weather coming ahead of time, when they saw Taoist Zhang coming out with a big tray and beckoning the young Taoists to pass it on.

    Xue Pan couldn''t help being curious, so he left the plum juice aside to join in the fun. After looking at it for a while, he was disappointed again. He turned back and complained to Sun Shaozong, "What a wonderful treasure! I thought it was to show off the psychic jade of Brother Bao!"

    That jade, Sun Shaozong has also played with it several times, and apart from the halo he was born with, there was nothing unusual about it.

    Therefore, after listening to Xue Pan''s explanation, he was too lazy to join the fun.

    Unexpectedly, he didn''t join in the fun. But Taoist Zhang circled to let his disciples and grandchildren watch, but he came straight over to him.

    Sun Shaozong quickly pulled Xue Pan up to greet him and heard the Old Taoist saying happily, "These little disciples have seen that ¡±spiritual treasure jade,¡± but they have rarely been generous enough to offer these many preaching tools as a congratulatory gift.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Lord Sun has just given birth to a young master recently. You might as well choose a few samples to make a plaything for the child first, which can be considered as my offering of others to you.¡±

    Xue Pan chuckled as he listened, covering his stomach and saying, "You Old Taoist with an ox nose, what you say about offering other people gifts is really fresh and tight.¡±

    Sun Shaozong quickly glared at him, but Taoist Zhang didn''t take it seriously. Holding the plate, he chuckled and said, "Red lotus and white lotus roots are originally a family. Since all disciples of Buddhism aspire to the ¡±Tao,¡±'' it¡¯s fine for me to recite ¡±Buddha¡± casually.¡±

    This Old Taoist was really interesting!

    Sun Shaozong looked down at the objects in the tray as he saw that the affection was difficult to resist. He saw that there were also gold ornaments and jade rings inside, some with blessing words. They were all made of pearls and jewels, jade carvings, and gold carvings, totaling as many as thirty to fifty pieces.

    He also couldn''t choose carefully, so he casually picked up two golden ones and joked, "Since you have said so, I have to choose two affordable ones.¡±

    Taoist Zhang saw that Sun Shaozong had only selected two items, and he advised him to take a few more. However, Sun Shaozong refused to take any more, and the Old Taoist had no choice but to hold onto them all at once.

    At this time, there was a message coming from inside, saying that the female members had already arrived upstairs, waiting for the Master and Brothers to arrive, and then drawing lots in front of the shrine to start the play.

    To be honest, Sun Shaozong was also puzzled. Why did this praying ceremony still required singing in the Taoist temple for three days?

    Wasn¡¯t Taoism most fond of being quiet and doing nothing?

    As Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, and others entered, they saw the front of the stage spread out like a fan, and everyone else had their places to go. Sun Shaozong and Xue Pan, on the other hand, accompanied Jia Zhen and Jia Lian to the main seat.

    Today, for some reason, Jia Lian''s expression always seemed a bit strange. Xue Pan inquired curiously, but he hesitated and refused to express himself as if he were hiding something unseemly.

    In addition to the mat in front of the stage, there were two small buildings in each building, which were inclined at an angle of 45 degrees to the stage, and there was only a corridor about ten feet wide in the middle.

    At this moment, a group of beauties upstairs were laughing and making a scene, especially the actors raised by the Jia and Sun families. Although they were joking, they actually had a lot to compare with each other.

    Seeing that Lin Daiyu still had a pretty black face, he joked again, "Second Brother Sun chose a golden and emerald Kylin, which looks great.¡±

    ¡°A Kylin adorned with emerald gold?¡±

    Next to her, Xue Baochai suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Shi also seems to have a golden and emerald spotted unicorn. It is said that it was left by her mother, but I don''t know if it looks like that of Lord Sun.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Baoyu immediately became interested and said strangely, "She lives in our house every three to five days. How come I have never seen her before?¡±

    Next to her, Tanchun smiled and said, "Sister Bao has a heart; she remembers everything.¡±

    Lin Daiyu beside her was in a state of anger and also regarded Xue Baochai as her top rival. "She is limited in other aspects, only paying the most attention to what others bring.¡±

    This was a stark mockery.

    Fortunately, Xue Baochai was a tolerant person who didn''t hear her and didn''t argue with her, disrupting the harmony.

    But after Baoyu heard that Shi Xiangyun also had a unicorn, he couldn''t stop scratching his head. Finally, he simply went downstairs and shamelessly borrowed the unicorn from Sun Shaozong and handed it to Xue Baochai for identification.

    Xue Baochai was more surprised when she saw this, "This is the same as Sister Xiangyun''s, but it''s a little bigger!"

    Tanchun spoke quickly and blurted out next to her, "Isn''t it just one male and one female?¡±

    At this moment, Lin Daiyu also forgot to be sour and jealous, and her beautiful eyes flowed. She murmured, "If it''s one male and one female, and Brother Sun says it''s fated, isn''t that what he means...¡±

    Although she didn''t say everything, everyone knew that she was saying that Sun Shaozong and Shi Xiangyun were fated.

    ¡°Hmm... It may not necessarily be a couple...¡±

    Jia Baoyu reluctantly tugged at the corner of his mouth and said somewhat awkwardly, "Maybe it''s a brother or sister, or a father or daughter.¡±

    The others didn''t say anything, but Lin Daiyu sneered at him repeatedly.

    Jia Baoyu felt guilty when she saw it, so he had to smile and say, "I... I''m going to give it back to Second Brother Sun. Whatever it is, it''s definitely not related to me.¡±

    In fact, he has more affection for Shi Xiangyun.

    Nowadays, he felt uneasy and just felt that someone who has been close since childhood suddenly got involved with others and might even be even closer than himself, which was a bit difficult to accept for a while.

 Chapter 350: Predestined Relationship

    Chapter 350: Predestined Relationship

    The Gong rang on the stage, but before ¡±Han Gaozu¡± appeared, he saw Jia Baoyu coming down from upstairs and slowly approached him. He slowly took out the unicorn and held it in his palm to look and see, but he still couldn''t bear to hand it over.

    Seeing him have various expressions stored on his face, his emotions and desires were mixed, which was a bit more complicated than those who sang fancy looks. Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but laugh and said, "How did you get this? If you like this thing, just take it. I got these two things because of you.¡±

    Jia Baoyu was overjoyed at the words and then remembered Lin Daiyu''s contemptuous sneer. He immediately shook his head like a rattle, gritted his teeth, and put the Kylin in front of Sun Shaozong. With a tight face, he said, "Since Second Brother is lucky with the law of fate, how can I take it away? I only hope Second Brother can treat it well, and don''t give it to anyone else recklessly.¡±

    Law of fate?

    This came out of nowhere. If it were for a confused person, it would have been confusing.

    But Sun Shaozong has always been a shrewd person. After a moment''s thought, he tentatively asked, "Isn''t it that a relative in your family also has a similar object around her?¡±

    ¡°Sure enough, I can''t hide anything from you, Second Brother.¡±

    If he really returned it to him, Baoyu wouldn¡¯t be as entangled as before. Seeing that Sun Shaozong guessed 70 or 80 percent, he pretended to be mysterious and said, "But I can''t tell you about this person. If there is fate, you will know about it in the future.¡±

    After a pause, as if comforting himself, he muttered, "With your current position, it doesn''t seem like a bad thing for her.¡±

    Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to speak, he returned upstairs with a sense of relief.

    This self-proclaimed person was even trying to sell a joke!

    Sun Shaozong silently watched Jia Baoyu return upstairs, then turned his face and placed the Kylin in front of Xue Pan, asking if he had seen anything similar before.

    Xue Pan looked at it for a while, then shook his big head a few times, saying that he had never seen anything similar before.

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong felt a little helpless. Although there were many beauties in Rongguo Mansion, only Xue Baochai and Shi Xiangyun could make Jia Baoyu reluctant to part with them and were qualified to use the word "fate."

    Although Lin Daiyu also met the conditions, how could Jia Baoyu be willing to return it to Sun Shaozong if it was truly an object carried by Lin Daiyu personally? It was estimated that no matter what fate, he would force him to give this thing over.

    At present, Xue Pan said that he had never seen the unicorn, so there was only one qualified person left, Shi Xiangyun.

    When the three of them saw Sun Shaozong, they were all surprised and hurriedly greeted him. After greeting, the round-faced girl and Xiren prepared to retreat the same way.

    Unexpectedly, Qingwen refused to leave at this point and took two steps forward, then bowed again, saying, "That day, I spoke rudely and angered you, Lord Sun. Later, you generously spared me. After that, I often think of it and feel ashamed and tense in my heart.¡±

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand indifferently and casually said, "It¡¯s just a few small things that are not worth worrying about. In the future, just remember that trouble comes out of your mouth.¡±

    Qingwen had never paid much attention to ¡±dignity¡± and was accustomed to speaking without any restraint. However, with a casual remark that day, she almost caused a terrible disaster, and it gave her some lessons.

    So she solemnly agreed and the three of them withdrew together.

    After listening, the round-faced girl couldn''t help but mutter to herself, "Lord Sun is not a person who focuses on lust.¡±

    It turned out that the round-faced woman with a bee waist and a shaved shoulder was not someone else, but the big maid Yuanyang next to Old Lady Jia. Originally, due to Ping''er''s personal affair with Sun Shaozong, she didn''t have much regard for him in her heart.

    But now, after hearing about Qingwen''s experience, his impression of Sun Shaozong has changed a little. At least compared with Jia She, Jia Jing, Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, and other demons, Sun Shaozong was more or less particular.

    Xiren was the most adept at judging people''s faces. Seeing her muttering appearance, she knew that there must be some other story behind it, so she also came to question Yuanyang.

    But Yuanyang knew the importance of it, so she naturally didn¡¯t dare to speak out about Ping''er''s affairs, so she only perfunctorily.

    The two of them were laughing and joking below when someone suddenly called Yuanyang over to serve Old Lady Jia. Only then did Yuanyang take the opportunity to escape.

    Not long after, the female relatives of the Rong-Ning Mansion came out from inside, leaving the mountain gate. At the foot of the mountain, they each boarded sedan chairs and carriages before allowing the male servants and Taoist priests to come and greet them.

    When the procession bustled out of the mountain gate, the seven carriages of Sun Mansion naturally parted ways with the Rong-Ning Mansion, and Xue Pan also led his team off.

    When they arrived at Sun Mansion, they received news from Old Lady Jia''s envoy that she would be too lazy to go tomorrow and let Yingchun decide on her own whether to go or not.

    Jia Yingchun knew Sun Shaozong was busy with his official duties and had to go to Xue Mansion to celebrate his birthday on the third day, so she quickly declined.

    So this noisy Taoist ceremony, with only half a day''s effort, declared an early end.

 Chapter 351: Matchmaking, 0 Miles Away

    Chapter 351: Matchmaking, 0 Miles Away

    Cheng Rixing, Liu An, Sun Xi, Han Mo...

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong was in the Department of Criminals, sketching a list of names when he saw Cheng Rixing coming in from outside and reporting, "Master, there is a message from Magistrate Jia that there is a shortage of manpower. He hopes to temporarily transfer some skilled figure painting scribes to go over there.¡±

    ¡°Insufficient manpower?¡±

    Sun Shaozong said strangely, "Why are there so many leftover women this year?¡±

    In the recent official affairs handled by Jia Yucun, it was necessary to use portrait painting, which was the ¡±blind date conference¡± held by the local government around the Dragon Boat Festival every year.

    At the beginning of the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, to alleviate the population crisis caused by years of war, a policy of forced marriage was implemented. At that time, regardless of gender, if they were still unmarried after the age of 18, the local government would come forward and force them to marry.

    Today, as the population has gradually increased, this policy was no longer as strict as it was originally, but it has not been completely abolished.

    According to current regulations, both men and women who have reached the age of 21 and were still unmarried must pay a special ¡±single tax,¡± and the amount of tax paid would increase year by year with age.

    If they could afford to pay taxes, they could naturally continue to be leftover men and women with peace of mind. If they couldn¡¯t afford it, they must participate in the official annual ¡±matchmaking conference.¡± If they failed to ¡±pair up¡± for two consecutive sessions, they would undergo unconditional forced marriage in the third year.

    And the idea of a blind date conference, of course, couldn¡¯t be like in later generations, allowing hundreds of couples to flirt with each other on-site.

    Generally, a woman''s appearance was simply depicted, marked with the eight characters of family background and birth date, hung in a specific place, selected by the man independently, and then communicated with each other through official media.

    Of course, scholars with great achievements or officials appointed by the legitimate court could ignore this law.

    When Sun Shaozong was curious about why there were so many leftover women this year that even painters were not enough, Cheng Rixing helplessly said, "It was all because of the flood last year. Many men of the same age in the city took the opportunity to negotiate marriages.¡±

    ¡°In addition, prices have increased significantly since the previous year, making it difficult for people to make a living. How can they afford to pay extra taxes? Therefore, the number of women participating in blind dates this year has increased by nearly twice compared to previous years.¡±

    Tch!

    This was causing a fire at the city gate to harm the fish in the pond!

    Who would have thought that a flood in Hebei had even affected the ¡±marriage market¡± in the Capital?

    However, the flood did indeed benefit many singles in the Capital.

    As for the leftover women...

    The common people of the Capital didn¡¯t have the habit of picking a son-in-law among the disaster victims. Unless it was those talented scholars who had achieved great success, how could a scholar like a gentleman look up to the leftover daughters of ordinary people''s families?

    Since that was the case...

    If it took three or two years for merchants to operate and exchange for a hundred-mile Lord...

    ¡°Have I ever deceived you with empty words?¡±

    Sun Shaozong saw that he was already moved, so he further revealed, "Moreover, this business also involves a high-ranking official of the second grade. If you manage it properly, you probably won''t be stingy about being a smooth-sailing person on that side.¡±

    A second-grade officer?!

    Cheng Rixing''s eyes flickered and he suddenly bowed and said, "Since you value it so much, I will do my best to repay you.¡±

    Seeing him agree, Sun Shaozong breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. As long as he had decided on the role of overall control, it would be easy to arrange for the candidates to assist from the side.

    Cheng Rixing has been tidying up his home recently. He estimated that he might need to...

    ¡°Uncle, Uncle!¡±

    Sun Shaozong was telling Cheng Rixing the date of his southward journey when he saw Sun Chengye running in panic and trembling, "There''s news from the house arrest center that a nun is having a miscarriage.¡±

    A miscarriage was a premature birth, which was also extremely dangerous in ancient times.

    However, Sun Shaozong was not as nervous as he was about the fate of a promiscuous nun, so he calmly asked, "Is it the older one or the younger one?¡±

    If the month was large and the expected delivery date was the end of May, it was not too risky to have a delivery.

    For those with small months, it wouldn¡¯t be until early July, the due date for childbirth was over two months away, so the risk would be much higher.

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Sun Chengye''s words were immediately lost. As soon as he heard that the female prisoner in the house arrest center was having a miscarriage, he panicked and came over to report. How could he have cared about these details?

    He still lacked physical training.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head helplessly and said, "In the future, don''t panic. Let''s first clarify the matter before we speak.¡±

    As he spoke, he then ordered, "Send someone to notify Zhou Da and have him personally go over and watch, trying to save both mother and child safely. If there is danger, protect the child first.¡±

    Anyway, the two nuns were sentenced to a delayed death penalty. Even if they saved their lives temporarily, they would also die in autumn, so the natural selection was to protect their children.

    When Sun Chengye was ordered to go, Cheng Rixing reminded him, "Your Excellency, should you inform Longcui''an and Fayuan Temple? After all, after this child is born, it will be handed over to them.¡±

    Tch!

    He didn¡¯t know if Miaoyu, after experiencing the initial shock, was still willing to adopt these villains again.

 Chapter 352: Seeking Peace, Where is the Peace?

    Chapter 352: Seeking Peace, Where is the Peace?

    | Longcui Temple |

    Jia Tanchun, the Third Young Lady, carefully folded up her sleeves to reveal her white bright wrist. Then she picked the writing brush made of brownish rabbit hair and wrote a poem named "Xijiang River Moon" on the paper.

    Seeing that the ink was full, thick, and condensed without dispersing, there was a faint fragrance that filled her nose. As Tanchun poured some warm water into the pen wash, she praised and said, "I heard you have a unique fragrance, but I didn''t expect you even to have such expertise in ink making.¡±Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    ¡°My Master is an expert in this field. I just learned a little bit, and now, relying solely on the willingness to use good materials, I have managed to pile up a few pieces that are worth using.¡±

    Miaoyu said it with disapproval and then went up to look at Jia Tanchun''s calligraphy carefully. After a while, she suddenly shook her head and said, "How can you get more and more angry when you have been to my temple recently?"

    Jia Tanchun''s action of washing her pen stagnated, and then she laughed as if nothing had happened, "Yesterday, I went to watch a play in the Qingxu Temple and it was noisy all day and my mind has become impetuous."

    Miaoyu let out a secret sigh when she didn''t want to express her feelings, so she stopped asking any further questions.

    In Rongguo Mansion, Jia Xichun, the Fourth Young Lady, contacted Miaoyu most, followed by Daiyu, Baochai, and others, while Jia Tanchun and her were at most nodding acquaintances and had little contact in the past.

    It wasn''t until after the ¡±Five Ghosts Nightmare¡± incident when Concubine Zhao was imprisoned in a small ancestral hall to recite scriptures and atone for her sins that Tanchun suddenly became interested in the Longcui Temple, coming and going almost every day, and gradually getting to know Miaoyu.

    Speaking of it, it was really difficult for her. Her biological mother did such a thing; not only did Mrs. Wang''s attitude became much more distant, but the people below also increasingly took her for granted. Tanchun was also a strong person who refused to show timidity in front of others.

    Thinking about these things, Miaoyu couldn''t help but let out a deep sigh. She took out a wooden fish made of vermilion lacquer and red sandalwood from the closet, sat cross-legged on the bright yellow futon, and said, "I want to recite the ¡±Peace Mantra¡± for 30 minutes. Do you want to join me?¡±

    ¡°Of course...¡±

    ¡°Is Abbess Miaoyu inside?¡±

    Jia Yingchun was waiting for the answer when she suddenly heard a woman shouting at the top of her throat outside, and she was a bit surprised. "Why are there laymen coming to this temple?¡±

    Miaoyu also furrowed her brows and calmly got up. She took a brush and went out. Seeing the woman probing outside, she folded her hands and said, "What do you want calling me out?¡±

    ¡°I dare not be unrespectful.¡±

    The Old Lady quickly returned a salute, rubbing her hands and jokingly saying, "How would I give you any advice? It''s Lord Sun from the Central Judicial Office who sent someone to say that the merits you have calculated in advance are about to be born.¡±

    When it came to words such as ¡±merit¡± and ¡±birth,¡± the woman was frightened, obviously thinking it was something about gods and ghosts.

    However, upon hearing this, Miaoyu immediately realized that it must be the lecherous nuns in the house arrest center who were about to give birth!

    But seeing Sun Shaozong''s calm and gentle demeanor, as if his sharp and harsh comments were not from his mouth, Miaoyu couldn''t help but sarcastically say, "If it weren''t for the arrival of Liaochi Master, I might not have been fortunate to see you being respectful here, right?¡±

    She was right this time; how could Sun Shaozong personally come to visit the house arrest center for the news of premature birth due to a promiscuous woman?

    The reason he appeared here was due to the face of an idiot monk.

    After being exposed by her as a ¡±snob,¡± Sun Shaozong was not angry either. He only smiled slightly and said, ¡°I haven''t seen you for many days, Abbess; you have gained some self-awareness.¡±

    This was satirizing that Miaoyu''s identity was not enough, and it was not worth his personal welcoming.

    If it were in the past, Miaoyu would have continued to confront him with a few sharp words. However, she only gave a cold snort and asked, "I wonder where the mother is now? What''s the danger?¡±

    ¡°Well, they have already been moved to the hall, and two more midwives have been invited. Is there any danger at the moment, it''s still...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s born; it''s born.¡±

    As Sun Shaozong was speaking here, he saw a large and round female prisoner running out of the hall, shouting at the top of her voice, "She has given birth to a girl.¡±

    "Amita?bha."

    After hearing that a baby girl was born, Master Liaochi recited the Buddhist name and slowly got up from the ground. He led his four disciples to the two of them. He first saluted Sun Shaozong and then smiled at Miaoyu, saying, "Are you Miaoyu, the Buddhist nun of Longcui Temple?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    Miaoyu pretended to be a nun in front of others, but in front of Master Liaochi, she obediently called herself ¡±little girl.¡±

    "Amita?bha."

    Master Liaochi recited the Buddhist name again and said solemnly, "You have great compassion. If you can take care of this child, I will feel at ease. But all sentient beings have their aspirations, and you don¡¯t need to force the child to become a monk or a nun in the future. Just guide her to be upright and follow fate.¡±

    ¡°I will sincerely follow your teachings, Master Liaochi.¡±

    Miaoyu respectfully responded.

    Sun Shaozong, on the other hand, couldn''t help but mutter, ¡°Before Taoist Zhang proposed to adopt a child, why didn''t Fayuan Temple come forward and take care of everything?¡±

    However, he also had a ¡±greatly benefited¡± look on his face, and Miaoyu respectfully sent Liaochi Master out before turning back to inquire about the situation of the promiscuous nun and the baby girl.

 Chapter 353: Baby Girl

    Chapter 353: Baby Girl

    A pointed skull, red to black, and wrinkled skin, with a thick layer of creamy yellow scab sticking to the top of the head but not a few hairs visible. Instead, there was a thin layer of black hair growing on the pointed ears.

    "Ami... Amita?bha!"

    Seeing the appearance of the newborn, Miaoyu widened her beautiful eyes and was so surprised that she almost mispronounced her Buddhist name.

    After a while, she turned her head stiffly and said expectantly, "This child... This child was born; it seems like it''s a bit... different from others, right?¡±

    ¡°Different from others?¡±

    Sun Shaozong sneered disdainfully and said, "Have you ever seen any newborn babies?¡±

    Without waiting for Miaoyu to reply, he explained, "A baby who is not yet fully born and has been soaked in amniotic fluid for a long time will have some wrinkles on their skin. This color is also due to suffocation during childbirth, and it will gradually return to normal in a few days.¡±

    ¡°But... But the black hair on her ears...¡±

    ¡°Have you never heard of the words ¡±fetal hair has not receded?¡± Some children may have fetal hair at birth, and when time goes, it will fall off on its own.¡±

    ¡°So... What about the white one on her head?¡±Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    ¡°That''s a layer of scab. After washing her head a few times, it will clean it up.¡±

    ¡°But her head is... soft...¡±

    ¡°Many children are soft at birth and almost hard at the age of one.¡±

    After answering many of Miaoyu''s questions in a row, Sun Shaozong sneered, "Why, do you still want to return the child now?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±

    Miaoyu immediately denied it, "I never meant that!¡±

    ¡°So why are you delaying?¡±

    Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows and instructed the woman holding the baby girl to say, "Give this child to Abbess Miaoyu. What will happen to her in the future is not related to the Central Judicial Office.¡±

    ¡°This... This...¡±

    Seeing the woman coming forward and offering the ugly baby with an arch in her hand, a foul and bloody aura rushed toward her face. It was with great determination that Miaoyu didn¡¯t hide her face and fled.

    But if they want her to hold on to this baby girl...

    At the end of the sentence, she suddenly let go and screamed.

    It turned out that, although she claimed to be a poor nun, her chest was indeed not poor. The baby girl, following her nature, rubbed against her and held her in one mouthful, desperately sucking on it. Although she was separated from her clothes, she also scared Miaoyu.

    So her hands trembled, and the baby girl fell straight to the ground!

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    Sun Shaozong saw it from behind but didn''t have time to push away Miaoyu. With a brisk step, he leaned forward and hugged the baby with both hands, firmly catching it while also touching Miaoyu''s buttocks!

    Ah~

    Miaoyu''s panicked soul also flew away. Subconsciously, she waited to wriggle and struggle, but was fiercely scolded by Sun Shaozong, "Be honest! Are you really planning to kill her, so you won''t have any trouble in the future?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±

    Miaoyu didn''t dare to struggle anymore, but her shyness didn''t diminish in the slightest, especially as her buttocks were tightly wrapped in his sturdy arms, and the scorching breath of Sun Shaozong''s was all over her neck, which made her almost wish she could find a crack in the ground right away.

    In fact, at this moment, Sun Shaozong could have called for the midwife to come over and help take the child over first.

    But he didn''t have such an intention. Instead, he held the child and measured his arms from her buttocks to her chest, then solemnly ordered, "Why are you still staring? Hurry up and hold the child steady!¡±

    Although Miaoyu couldn''t help but feel ashamed, she obediently reached out to pick up the child. Unexpectedly, at this very moment, someone suddenly roared angrily, "Sun Shaozong! In broad daylight, are you crazy? Hurry up and let go of Miaoyu!?¡±

    It turned out that Wei Ruolan had just heard about Miaoyu going to the house arrest center again, so he couldn''t help but come over.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the door, he saw a woman who was pure in his heart was hugged by Sun Shaozong from behind, making a scene of indecency from buttocks to chest!

    Wei Ruolan was so angry that he couldn''t help but let out a roar.

    Who knew that with this roar, before Sun Shaozong could speak, Miaoyu panicked and exclaimed, "Don''t let go, don''t let go! I''m not ready yet.¡±

    Miaoyu was naturally afraid that the baby girl would fall if she missed again.

    But what child did Wei Ruolan see from behind?

    Upon hearing this, he felt as if he had been hit by a heavy stick and staggered back a few steps, pointing to the two of them and trembling, "You... You..."

    With a heavy stomp, he turned his head and ran out of the house arrest center.

    Only Sun Shaozong, Miaoyu, and the child were left wrapped together like sandwiches.

 Chapter 354: The Prison Shrine Sings the Sun Public Case"

    Chapter 354: The Prison Shrine Sings the ¡°Sun Public Case"

    The next morning, Sun Shaozong got up from the bed in his study and felt his shoulders ache.

    Pulling open the collar to look, he saw that the neat row of teeth marks had already become red and swollen. He couldn''t help but secretly scold this fake nun. He kindly saved her life, but in the end, she bit him back.

    Speaking of it, this fake nun''s strength was not strong, but her teeth were really sharp and her mouth was tight. Yesterday, his shoulder was bitten and bleeding, making it difficult for Sun Shaozong to find Ruan Rong or Jia Yingchun to linger on. He could only stay in the study alone to nourish himself.

    He was used to the service of the maids and was not used to washing by himself. In addition, he has some difficulties on his shoulders, which was even more frustrating.

    Fortunately, it was agreed today that he would go to Zijin Street to congratulate Xue Pan on his birthday, so Sun Shaozong didn''t have to rush to the government office for work.

    So he dawdled around until around 8 a.m. when he finally finished packing up.

    After leaving the study, he was about to return to the backyard to have breakfast with Ruan Rong and Xiangling when he saw Zhao Zhongji rushing over. From a distance, he greeted him, "Second Master, Mr. Liu and Mr. Jiang from Prince Zhongshun''s Mansion are here. They are now having tea in the front hall.¡±

    Liu Xianglian and Jiang Yuhan are here?

    These two people were both acting enthusiasts, and although their sexual preferences were vastly different, their relationship was extremely close. Therefore, it was not uncommon for them to come together hand in hand. They had already arranged to meet at Xue Pan''s place in the afternoon, but how could they have come to his mansion early in the morning?

    Sun Shaozong instructed Zhao Zhongji to pass on the message to the backyard, and then hurriedly went to the front hall to attend to the guests.

    ¡°Brother Sun.¡±

    ¡°Second Brother.¡±

    ¡°Brother Jiang, Xianglian.¡±

    When he arrived at the front hall and greeted each other, Sun Shaozong saw that both of them had uncontrollable excitement on their faces. He wondered, "What kind of good thing did you meet that you couldn''t hold back until noon and come over to tell me in advance?¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    Liu Xianglian chuckled and said, "Second brother is really accurate. We came here with great news to share with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    The three of them rode horses and carriages all the way to Zijin Street.

    From a distance, they saw a flatbed trolley parked in front of the gate of Xue Mansion. The red things on it seemed to be piled up into hills, but when they looked closely, it turned out to be firecrackers produced by "Ci Sui Shop."

    As they got closer, Feng Ziying greeted them with a loud laugh and pointed to the firecrackers in the carriage, saying, "Big Head Xue has always been the most lively one. Today, I will give him the most lively and loud dry land thunder, which cost me three hundred taels of silver.¡±

    Liu Xianglian was also a lively person. As soon as he heard this, he immediately got off his horse and pulled Feng Ziying, saying, "Let me put the words here first. I must be the one to light up these firecrackers; no one is to compete with me.¡±

    Feng Ziying chuckled and said, "Don''t worry, don''t worry. When we spread it out and light both ends at the same time, we''ll have a lively celebration.¡±

    As he spoke, he took a thread of incense with a thickness of four feet from his servant''s hand and gestured to Liu Xianglian, "Use this for fun then, so as not to accidentally burn your clothes.¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked at the firecracker in the carriage; his heart was speechless and tense. If a spark landed on it, it would instantly blow down the door of the Xue family!

    ¡°Eh...¡±

    But when he swept around, he suddenly became surprised and said, "The guests have almost arrived; how come the main character is nowhere to be seen?¡±

    Feng Ziying quickly explained, "He was out earlier on. Isn''t it just that he just led Brother Baoyu and his precious sister in to meet the Old Lady first? We don''t need to be polite to him; just go to the living room and get seated.¡±

    As he spoke, he arrived at the door and slammed it heavily.

    The two vermilion-painted doors slowly parted to the left and right, revealing two sturdy figures with a splash of gray.

    ¡°Didn''t you say you haven''t been domesticated?¡±

    Sun Shaozong became speechless and said, "Why did you bring these two little elephants out again to show off?¡±

    It turned out that the two little elephants that Xue Pan had bought from Sichuan had gained a lot of height over the past six months. Originally, they only reached Sun Shaozong''s shoulders, but now they were about two meters tall.

    Feng Ziying spread his hands and said, "If there''s something good that doesn''t show off, can he still be called Big Head Xue?¡°

    Everyone burst into laughter and then gathered around the two little elephants to chat before finally arriving at the living room with a smile.

 Chapter 355: Amidst the Excitement, There Was a Sense of Surprise

    Chapter 355: Amidst the Excitement, There Was a Sense of Surprise

    As mentioned earlier, Xue Pan led Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai to the back house and met Aunt Aunt Xue and his wife, Wang.

    After the mutual salute, the others also arrived. Wang had been ¡±peaceful¡± in the backyard for a long time, but when she saw a young and handsome man like Baoyu, she couldn''t help but fall into a delusion again.

    Regardless of the presence of his own man, she stared intently at Baoyu and couldn''t close her legs.

    Xue Pan was immediately annoyed and casually dragged Wang into the room. Soon after, he heard the commotion, with the couple cursing in the middle:Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    ¡°Stinky woman, today I''m celebrating my birthday, and how dare you look at another man in front of me?¡±

    ¡°Spit! Your ugly face has nothing; why don''t you tear it apart and pull it down?¡±

    ¡°You bitch, I will let you know my prowess today!¡±

    ¡°Ouch! You''re such a ruthless thief, I... I''ll fight with you today!¡±

    Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai were outside. They just looked at each other and wanted to go in and try to persuade them. But Aunt Xue was an experienced woman who was holding the two of them and comforting them.

    ¡°They...¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry about them.¡±

    Aunt Xue said, "Those two people are crazy. The more the others try to persuade, the more they can''t stop. Let them make a scene by themselves. Wait until..."

    At the end of the conversation, Aunt Xue suddenly stopped talking. She got up in a hurry and said, "Baoyu, your Brother Xue can''t get away for a while. Why don''t you go ahead and make arrangements for him? Don''t let anyone say we lack the manner of attending guests!"

    Pushing and shoving, Jia Baoyu was rushed outside the door.

    Although Baoyu was curious about why his Aunt was so anxious, as a cousin, it was also his duty to entertain friends for Xue Pan. Therefore, he didn¡¯t delve into it and just went to the front hall.

    Aunt Xue watched Baoyu go away. She was just relieved when she saw Baochai coming out of the room with a red face and shaking her handkerchief. She said strangely, "Why don¡¯t you give them a few pieces of advice? What does this look like? I... I will return to my room first!"

    When Aunt Xue saw her daughter like this, how could she not know that she had been hit by the scene?

    While secretly cursing these two enemies, they were indeed the demon kings in her life, she hurriedly called out to the nanny to fetch a new set of clothes in Xue Pan¡¯s yard.

    She didn''t dare to leave quickly because she was afraid someone would recklessly break into this absurd matter, so she became accustomed to hearing nothing at the door.

    When they arrived outside the mansion, they saw about ten servants sweating profusely under the poisonous sun to spread the firecrackers.

    Upon seeing it, Xue Pan angrily cursed and said, "Damn it, it¡¯s fine normally. But I''m celebrating my birthday today; how dare you work so slowly? Do you think our family has no family rules?¡±

    As he spoke, blowing his beard and glaring, he was about to punish them with the rules, but the frightened servants knelt on the ground.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just calm down on this great day?¡±

    Sun Shaozong helplessly reached out and pressed him down, urging, "Although the firecrackers on Lao Feng''s carriage are not tightly intertwined, how could it be so easy for this old man to spread them out completely?¡±

    Upon hearing the Second Brother speak, Xue Pan restrained his temper and stared at the work on the steps with copper bell-like eyes.

    The servants below saw this and quickly got up, working tirelessly to accelerate their progress.

    Even so, it took another 30 minutes to fully unfold the firecracker along the southern wall. From east to west, it could be over forty meters long!

    Baoyu and Liu Xianglian lit the cap at the top of the incense candle, held it up like a torch, and ran to the east and west, shouting at each other and igniting the lead together.

    Boom and rumble!

    The 200,000 sound of firecrackers was much more powerful than the earthquake in later generations, and the rumbling motion was continuous as if there were rolling thunder on the ground.

    It was just that...

    The rising smoke and dust were also extremely strong. At first, Sun Shaozong and others were still watching at the door, but gradually they couldn''t stand it and had to retreat to the courtyard.

    Seeing the smoke rising and covering most of Zijin Street, even Feng Ziying, the initiator, couldn''t help but chuckle. Fortunately, before setting off firecrackers, they had informed the nearby patrol in advance; otherwise, it would be misunderstood as a fire.

    When the firecracker was finally released, everyone''s ears were buzzing, rubbing their ears and grinning as they walked towards the living room. Suddenly, they saw two women running over as if flying, and from a distance, they opened their mouths and shouted something.

    The crowd couldn''t hear clearly. They only waited until they got closer and carefully identified each other before finally understanding what they were shouting, "Oh no, those two elephants in the backyard are rampaging like crazy, and even the elephant driver''s arm was broken by them!¡±

    ¡°Now that the Madam, Old Lady, and the Lady are all trapped in the house, afraid that they will break in!¡±

    Upon hearing this, everyone turned pale with shock.

    "Damn it, how could they still be surprised by the firecrackers after such a long distance? Could it be that those two elephants have thousand-mile eyes and ears?" exclaimed Xue Pan, stamping his feet furiously.

    Feng Ziying, feeling embarrassed, turned to face the situation. He then heard the woman shake her head and respond, "It is not the firecrackers that startled them; it is the pussy dog that Madam raised. Who could have thought that such a big guy would be frightened by the dog''s barking?"

 Chapter 394: Unworthy of Being Whipped and Punished in Various Ways

    Chapter 394: Unworthy of Being Whipped and Punished in Various Ways

    In fact, in recent days, because Jia Baoyu has made great progress, Jia Zheng has rarely scolded him. How could this long-standing inertia easily be dissipated?

    Therefore, upon hearing that his father had called him to visit the Rongxi Hall, Jia Baoyu''s baby face immediately collapsed.

    With his collapsed face, he rushed outside, asking the woman who was passing the message, "I wonder who is the distinguished guest that father wanted me to accompany.¡±

    Before the woman could reply, he couldn''t help but speculate recklessly, "Isn''t Jia Yucun from Xinglong Street here again?¡±

    The woman hurriedly said, "This time it''s not Magistrate Jia, but a strange face. I heard that he came to our house and directly asked to see you.¡±

    ¡°Strange face?¡±

    Jia Baoyu was confused, but since he was asked to see him directly, it was impossible not to go.

    So he turned back to the lotus root pavilion and apologized to Sun Shaozong and Yu Qian, saying, "Unfortunately, a guest suddenly came to the mansion and asked to see me. I''m afraid I''ll have to temporarily excuse myself, so please forgive me.¡±

    As he spoke, he urged Jia Lan to prepare for the school entrance examination and rushed to Rongxi Hall without hesitation.

    As soon as Baoyu left, others only paid off, but it made Li Wan very anxious. As a widowed housewife, it was inconvenient to meet an outsider, so she specifically entrusted Jia Baoyu to take care of her son.

    Who knew this Little Uncle was so unreliable?!

    Thinking that her son was now isolated and without a serious elder to accompany him, she hurriedly turned around, hoping to stick on her beard and pretend to be a man, so that she could replace Baoyu outside.

    Upon seeing this, Lin Daiyu quickly comforted her and said, "Don''t panic, sister-in-law. Since the guest was attended by the Old Second Uncle, it¡¯s definitely not a friend of Brother Bao. He should come back just by saying a few words.¡±

    As she spoke, she instructed Zijuan, "Go out the back door and wait near the Rongxi Hall. If Brother Bao comes out, urge him to come back as soon as possible. So he won¡¯t miss out on the important matter of Brother Lan''s apprenticeship.¡±

    Seeing Zijuan hurriedly leaving, Li Wan listened attentively for a while and found that although her son didn''t answer very fluently outside, at least his words were quite appropriate, without any hint of panic. Her heart gradually breathed a sigh of relief.

    Listening to Yu Qian''s progress in the exam and some insightful questions, he suddenly fell silent.

    Li Wan knew that it was a critical moment, and her heart was pounding wildly with panic. She couldn''t help but grip half of her chest and was pinching hard with pain. Suddenly, she saw Zijuan go back and forth. She panicked outside and exclaimed, "Lady, Lady! Something big has happened; I don''t know why the Old Second Uncle wanted to beat Second Brother Bao.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the women in the water pavilion suddenly became uproarious. Apart from Li Wan, who else cared about Jia Lan?

    They were all busy rushing out, asking questions with all their tongues.

    It turned out that when Baoyu arrived at the Rongxi Hall, he saw a thin and tall fifth-grade official sitting at the top with his father accompanying him, his eyebrows cold and his eyes extremely disdainful.

    Anyway, Jia Zheng was also the biological father of the Imperial Concubine, and he could barely call himself the ¡±father-in-law¡± of the Emperor. How could a mere fifth-grade official dare to be so rude in front of him?

    Jia Baoyu was puzzled when he saw Jia Zheng jump up and scold fiercely, "Damn you servant! Why aren¡¯t you studying at home? How can you do these lawless things again? Since Qi Guan is someone who was favored by Prince Zhongshun, how can you provoke him out without reason and not go home for six or seven days?¡±

    It turned out that the thin fifth-grade official was not someone else, it was Zhou Mo, the chief historian of Prince Zhongshun''s Residence.

    After Jiang Yuhan returned to the residence that day, he argued with Prince Zhongshun, and in the end, he flew away without a trace for six or seven days.

    According to his original intention, Sun Shaozong really didn''t want to get involved in the private affairs between Jia Zheng and his son. However, the pitiful greetings of Sister Lin forced him to go, which was not that he was cherishing such beauty begging. It was that there was no suitable reason to refuse.

    So he had to pretend to agree with emotion and said sternly, "Don''t worry, Lady Lin. Since it''s Brother Bao who''s in trouble, I, as an Older Brother, can''t just sit back and ignore. I''ll go over and see why this happened.¡±

    He spoke of generosity, but in reality, he only said to ¡±take a look¡± without promising to manage it.

    After speaking, Sun Shaozong hurriedly rushed out of the water pavilion and headed straight for Rongxi Hall.

    Sun Shaozong hurried to the Rongxi Hall and heard Jia Zheng''s roar from the flower hall on the west side. "After the storm last year, I thought you had made progress, but I didn''t think you had really made ¡±progress.¡± It turned out to be your ability to cause trouble!"

    ¡°What kind of person is Prince Zhongshun? His favorite male entertainer, how dare you... How dare you...¡±

    Tch!

    Originally, he only thought about Liu Xianglian and Jiang Yuhan getting too close, but for a moment, he forgot about Jia Baoyu.

    Moreover, compared to Liu Xianglian, the ambiguous relationship between Jia Baoyu and Jiang Yuhan truly touched the taboo of the royal family. Although Prince Zhongshun was not stingy in sharing beauty with others, he voluntarily rewarded it. If others were to spy on his forbidden territory without reason, how could he be willing to comply?

    Now, using the excuse of Jiang Yuhan''s mistake to find Baoyu, it was not considered unfair to him.

    With this thought in mind, Sun Shaozong had already arrived at the entrance of the flower hall and looked inside. He saw Jia Zheng snatched over the water and fire stick as he saw that the two young servants were not hitting hard enough. Gritting his teeth, he hit Baoyu''s buttocks heavily with a stick!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Baoyu immediately let out a scream and cockfighting also raised his neck high.

    Upon seeing this, Sun Shaozong took a step and wanted to go in and dissuade him.

    But on second thought, he realized that Jia Baoyu also owed some lessons, and if he could take the opportunity to correct his sexual orientation, it would be a good thing.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong stopped and sat down to see Baoyu being beaten seven or eight times in a row.

    The disciples of Jia Zheng in the room, seeing that he had been beaten hard, rushed forward to persuade him.

    Jia Zheng, however, refused to listen. He kept scolding, "Ask him if his activities can be forgiven or not! It was always you who spoiled him and came here to persuade on behalf of him. Must he be spoiled to kill the king and father tomorrow so that you won''t intercede for him?¡±

    Upon hearing this, everyone knew that Jia Zheng was in a hurry, so they didn¡¯t dare to persuade him anymore. Instead, they silently wanted to move and ask for help.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong saw that he had beaten Baoyu more than a dozen sticks, so he strode inside and reached out to protect him. He knowingly asked, "Uncle is lenient, but I don''t know what great trouble Brother Bao has caused; how could you be so merciless?¡±

    Those disciples were just paying off. After all, Sun Shaozong was a guest and a well-known official in the officialdom. Although Jia Zheng was full of anger, it was not easy to vent his anger on him.

    He had to explain it in detail but was too shy to say it.

    So Jia Zheng gritted his teeth and said, "Dear nephew, don''t ask too much. I gave birth to this little beast, and even if I killed him today, it''s none of your business.¡±

    As he spoke, he lifted the water and fire stick and aimed it at Baoyu''s head, smashing it down!Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

 Chapter 395: A Storm of Jealousy Generates Waves and Ripples Again

    Chapter 395: A Storm of Jealousy Generates Waves and Ripples Again

    Seeing Jia Zheng''s eagerness to attack, he disregarded the fact that he was hitting Baoyu head-on. Sun Shaozong was also intimidated. Without waiting for the water and fire stick to fall, he quickly grabbed it with his cross arm and took advantage of the situation to grab it in his arms.

    Shoo~

    As Sun Shaozong poked the stick on the ground, he said solemnly, "Look at your posture, Uncle. I''m afraid I have to take Brother Bao back to the Yamen and torture him severely.¡±

    Jia Zheng was forcibly robbed of his ¡±weapon blade,¡± and his heart was filled with shame and anger. Suddenly, when he heard Sun Shaozong''s words, he couldn''t help but be stunned on the spot and said in amazement, ¡°You want to take him back and torture him severely? Why?¡±

    ¡°Is this unknown?¡±

    Sun Shaozong spread out his hands and said with a natural expression, "Although Brother Bao has all kinds of mischievous qualities, disobedience, and unfilial behavior are determined and unafraid. Nowadays, he has provoked such righteous and immoral acts of killing people, setting a fire, looting money, and lusting outside...¡±

    ¡°Since he has committed such a major case, as the ruler of the Central Judicial Office, I should have taken him back for questioning.¡±

    During his speech, disregarding Jia Zheng''s reaction, he tore the rope off Baoyu''s body and pretended to roar, "Let''s go back to the Yamen hall with me.¡±

    Jia Baoyu was shocked, he raised his pale baby face and looked at Sun Shaozong with a confused gaze. Then he trembled and said, ¡°Second Brother... Indeed, you have become a ghost in the underworld!¡±

    Feeling this kid just passed out in pain. When Sun Shaozong broke the rope, he finally woke up and turned around. Coincidentally, when he heard the word ¡±trial,¡± he thought he had arrived at the underworld to judge the merits and demerits of his life.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but cry and laugh when he heard his nonsense. He angrily scolded, "Wake up quickly, you''ve only been hit by more than a dozen boards. Why are you talking nonsense?¡±

    ¡°So I''m not dead yet?¡±

    Jia Baoyu suddenly straightened up and then fell back like a salted fish, crouching on the bench and saying, "It hurts.¡±

    This kid was really a skilled killer; he cried out in pain, but something was wrong with him as he sang it in rhythm.

    Originally, Jia Zheng had been foolishly entangled by Sun Shaozong and had lost all his energy. However, when he sang this song, he immediately thought of the ¡±Qi Guan¡± again. He was so angry that he grabbed another water and fire stick, swung it around, and waited to be drawn on Baoyu''s buttocks.

    Sun Shaozong felt helpless and was about to stop him again. However, someone had already rushed in from outside and grabbed the board, crying, "Please be merciful, Master¡±

    The person who came was Madam Wang.

    As soon as Jia Zheng saw that she had arrived, he blew his beard and glared at her, stomping his feet and saying, "That''s it! It seems that you two, mother and son, must make me rage today before I can rest.¡±

    Madam Wang held the board tightly and cried, "Although Baoyu should be beaten, you should also take care of his health. Moreover, on this scorching summer day, the Old Lady has never been comfortable. It is fine for you to kill Baoyu. However, if the Old Lady gets angry about this, it will be too late for you to regret it.¡±

    When Jia Zheng heard her mentioning the Old Lady, his heart grew even more angry. He sneered repeatedly and said many things about ¡±being a kind mother and a defeated child.¡±.] He also gave up the water and fire stick, picked up the rope on the ground, and shouted to kill Baoyu.

    Madam Wang refused to comply. While protecting Baoyu, she even started to cry for Jia Zhu, saying that if her eldest son were still alive, she wouldn¡¯t care if a hundred Baoyu died.

    At this moment, Li Wan and the other girls also rushed over and heard her cry Jia Zhu''s name. Although she had already moved to another love in her heart, she could only follow and burst into tears.Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    This had already become a mess, but the Old Lady came outside and scolded Jia Zheng for a long time. She also shouted that she would take her grandson back to Jinling''s hometown, so as not to get in the way of Jia Zheng.

    When Wang Xifeng sent him around, he took advantage of the situation and handled some trivial matters. He gasped and sweated profusely, so he took off the apricot-colored wrinkled skirt and the small clothes inside and prepared to take a shower before lying back in bed.

    Unexpectedly, he had just inserted a leg like a white jade pillar into the bathtub filled with petals and suddenly heard Xiao Hong report outside that Baoyu had been beaten to death. Even the Old Lady was startled.

    Upon hearing this, did Wang Xifeng still feel in the mood to bathe?

    She hastily shouted at Ping¡¯er to fetch a bath towel, wrap the warm water on her legs and some fine sweat on her body, and then change into a new one from inside out. She hurriedly rushed to the flower hall.

    After meeting Baoyu, Wang Xifeng breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that although he had been beaten to the skin and flesh, it had not hurt the root cause.

    However, as she relaxed, she suddenly discovered a strange thing happening both inside and outside of here. She couldn''t even see a trace of Jia Lian!

    It was said that Jia Lian was handling household matters in the front yard, so he should have received the news earlier than herself. How come he still hasn''t been seen even though she has already arrived?

    Wang Xifeng became suspicious and took the opportunity to scan outside. Seeing even Sun Shaozong standing in the corner, but no trace of Jia Lian could be seen, the suspicion turned into a deep sense of unease.

    But now it was not easy for her to withdraw, so she had to turn back.

    As soon as she entered the door, she saw several maidservants and women trying to help Baoyu get up. She immediately angrily shouted and cursed, "Things that don''t have long eyes! Don''t you take a look? Can Brother Bao still walk now? Hurry up and lift out that rattan drawer spring stool.¡±

    A few sturdy women hurriedly carried the stool out of the room and used it as a temporary stretcher. They carried Baoyu to Old Lady Jia''s room.

    As she continued on the way, Wang Xifeng couldn''t help but scan around. However, until Jia Baoyu was properly placed, she still couldn''t see the figure of Second Master Lian. Was it because Second Master Lian was doing something treacherous? Otherwise, how could he have yet to receive any news?

    With such thoughts, Wang Xifeng''s heart became increasingly agitated, coupled with the rush of the way, a fragrant sweat seeped out of her body, and her pink cheeks were even fiery red.

    Everyone else paid attention to Jia Baoyu, but the big maid, Yuanyang, had the sharpest eyes. Seeing Wang Xifeng, it seemed that she was not right, so she quickly whispered to Old Lady Jia.

    ¡°Daughter-in-law Lian.¡±

    Old Lady Jia then wiped away her tears and complained, "You haven''t recovered from this illness yet. What are you doing here with us? Hurry up, help your Madam back to rest.¡±

    If it were a different day, Wang Xifeng would probably try to stay in charge.

    But now she only wanted to find out what shameful pickle Jia Lian was doing, so she pushed the boat with the tide and let Ping¡¯er and Xiaohong hold her and walk out of Old Lady Jia''s yard.

    Outside, Wang Xifeng pushed Xiaohong aside and ordered fiercely, "Go! Bring Zhou Rui and his wife to me, and say our family has recruited thieves. Let him prepare sticks and ropes and go with me to take the thieves.¡±

    Previously, the couple had a conflict, and Ping''er had to persuade them with a few words. However, her heart was already tied to Sun Shaozong, and she was annoyed that Jia Lian had a conflict with Sun Shaozong the day before yesterday.

    Therefore, instead of discouraging her, Ping''er reminded her, "In recent days, Xing''er has been leading someone to replant fruit trees in the garden. He has not been with the Second Master, but the matter of the Second Master can¡¯t be concealed from him.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng ordered Zhou Rui not to rush over and to first go to the Grand View Garden to tie up that Xing''er.

 Chapter 396: The Evil of the Peach Blossom

    Chapter 396: The Evil of the Peach Blossom

    Sun Shaozong saw Jia Baoyu being carried elsewhere so he hurried back to the Lotus Root Pavilion.

    After entering the door, he saw that Yu Qian and Jia Lan still had an ongoing conversation, and the atmosphere seemed very harmonious. This was a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Tingyi.¡±

    He came forward and rubbed Jia Lan''s tiny brain, laughing smugly, "Well, does this child catch your eye?¡±

    Yu Qian also smiled but avoided answering, "Thirteenth Uncle, it''s getting late now. Should we also...¡±

    Was this a polite refusal?

    Was there still anything else to test?

    Sun Shaozong pondered in his heart but didn''t want to force anything. He quickly called out the big maid Suyun from the next door, entrusted Jia Lan to her care, and then walked out of the water pavilion with Yu Qian.

    About a mile away, Sun Shaozong suddenly stopped and said sternly, "Tingyi, there are no outsiders present now. What do you think in your heart? Can you give me a thorough understanding?¡±

    ¡°Uncle, to be honest, this child is intelligent and obedient. I like him very much, but...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unfair; I¡¯m wronged!¡±

    Before he could finish saying, they suddenly heard someone in the nearby peach forest crying and howling, ¡°This is a great injustice! Most of those rascals lost their lives because of this. How dare I even corrupt silver from the garden repair?¡±

    Looking through the sound, he saw Zhou Rui leading several healthy servants and driving a colorful and bound servant out of the courtyard. This servant was no one else and was the most favored Xing''er by Jia Lian''s side.

    Just listening to Zhou Rui angrily scolding and saying, "What are you shouting about? The Second Madam only said to take you over to ask questions but didn''t say she wanted to inquire about the embezzlement of silver. Is there a ghost in your heart when you''re so blatant?¡±

    Seeing this group of people pushing and shoving away, Yu Qian pointed to their backs and sighed. "Although the child is good, he may not be able to learn anything good with the style of Rongguo Mansion. When he grows a few more years, he may not be able to learn anything good.¡±

    So he was worried about this.

    However, there was indeed some truth to this concern. Jia Lan was indeed intelligent and obedient at his age, but it was also difficult to predict what he would become in the future. Yu Qian was not a private school owner, and accepting an apprentice was a lifelong matter, so naturally, he needed to consider the long-term effect.

    But Sun Shaozong also made a promise in front of Li Wan; how could he just sit back and let this matter go wrong?

    So he quickly distinguished and said, "Just now, Brother Bao was called out, and he was beaten by the Old Second Master [Jia Zheng]. I see what he meant, and he should be determined to rectify the atmosphere in the Mansion. He is a well-known upright person, and if he makes up his mind...¡±

    Before Sun Shaozong could finish speaking, Yu Qian shook his head and said, "The Old Second Master has assumed to rectify in vain, but in fact, he is indecisive and can¡¯t clearly reward and punish others. His beloved Concubine almost poisoned his legitimate son and niece''s wife, but he only knows how to protect them, causing complaints from the whole family.¡±Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

    Speaking of this, he waved his sleeve disdainfully and said, "How can we talk about self-cultivation and family management like this?¡±

    Unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t have much contact with the people of Rongguo Mansion, but he had already seen through the essence of Jia Zheng.

    Since he had already commented on Jia Zheng, Yu Qian was no longer prepared to hide it. He simply discussed Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian, saying, "As for Jia Baoyu, although he has some talent, he is also a lazy and accustomed young man. Even if he is aroused by the desire to make progress for a while, I¡¯m afraid he will find it difficult to persevere.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention Jia Lian. He has been immersed in debauchery and wealth all day, and even his wife and concubines are difficult to balance. If it weren''t for the shadow of his ancestors, these people would be worthless.¡±

    He commented on three out of the four male masters in Rongguo Mansion but didn¡¯t mention Jia She.

    The two of them had already decided on their plan, and then they got up and continued their journey.

    Along the way, Yu Qian couldn''t suppress his surprise and told the story of Li Shouzhong. It turned out that Lord Li was the most famous scholar in Jinling City during his lifetime, such as Yu Qian, Sun Chengye, Sun Chengtao, and others who had all grown up on their own.

    It was said that many people initially believed that Lord Li would be able to enter the Palace as a Minister after the age of fifty. Unfortunately, Lord Li passed away young, before the age of forty.

    As they spoke, the two had already left the Grand View Garden and arrived in the front courtyard of Rongguo Mansion.

    It was reasonable to say that someone should have come forward to guide the way out, but today the mansion was chaotic, and the two of them walked along without anyone paying attention to them.

    Just like this, as they were walking near a remote courtyard, they suddenly heard someone inside shouting, "You bitch! You stole the Master away, and you''re going to kill the Master''s wife! You guys forgot about the vine, and you guys all thought why am I still alive, right? Come on, I''ll let you kill me; I''ll let you kill me clean.¡±

    Listening to this movement, it was clear that Wang Xifeng was catching traitors!

    Seeing that his previous speculation was right, Sun Shaozong immediately stopped, and Yu Qian next to him also stopped. With a look of disgust on his face, he shook his head and said, "The style of the Rongguo Mansion is really unattractive. If it weren''t for the sake of Lord Li...¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, he saw the courtyard door crash open, and a ragged woman with bare feet rushed out as if flying.

    ¡°Stop that bitch.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up, hurry up!¡±

    Afterward, Zhou Rui led several healthy servants, holding sticks and ropes and shouting to kill, but they didn¡¯t seriously pursue.

    The woman was scared out of her wits when she heard the shouting of murder from behind. She accidentally stumbled and fell, and the unfinished dress peeled off completely. She didn''t dare to pick it up either, so she just covered the front with her belly pocket, pouted out a white buttock that looked like a grinding wheel, and quickly left.

    Yu Qian was stunned and couldn''t help but shake his head, saying, "This is really... This is really...¡±

    Before he could say anything, Jia Lian''s angry roar came out of the yard again, "Get out of my way! I can''t even live these days anymore. I''ll give her a slash today, and I''ll pay for my crimes later.¡±

    ¡°Second Master, don''t act recklessly.¡±

    ¡°Second Master, be careful.¡±

    ¡°Second Master!¡±

    Inside, there was another commotion, and many men and women were shouting. Soon after, Wang Xifeng rushed out in panic, with a pale pink face and fiery red cheeks. Her footsteps were even more ethereal and powerless. She only took a few steps outside the door and stumbled and limped to the ground.

    And at this moment, Jia Lian rushed out of the door, holding a precious sword in his hand and shouting with a tone of expression, "What bitch, don¡¯t you want to die? What are you running away from now?¡±

    How could Sun Shaozong sit idly by and ignore the sight of him chopping the sword and barbs indiscriminately, although he might not dare to harm Wang Xifeng?

    He hurried up with an arrow step and protected Wang Xifeng behind him, arched his hand, and said, "Which one of these is causing trouble, Second Brother?¡±

    Unexpectedly, Jia Lian had only become angry with embarrassment and borrowed alcohol to spill the beans. It could be seen that Sun Shaozong came forward to protect Wang Xifeng, and the new and old grudges surged up in his heart!

    He then heard his cracked canthus roar and say, "What a bitch! No wonder you were so reckless just now and your emotions have been relied on outside! Alright, well, if I don''t chop you two adulterers apart today, I will no longer be named Jia!¡±

    As he spoke, he lifted the three-foot three-inch sword and aimed it at Sun Shaozong, distracting him and stabbing it!

 Chapter 397: The Cuckold Jia Lians Act of Violence

    Chapter 397: The Cuckold Jia Lian''s Act of Violence

    Seeing Jia Lian wanted to stab him with this sword, Sun Shaozong felt very funny in his heart.

    Not to mention that his physique was capable of defeating hundreds with just one enemy. Even when he was a criminal police officer in his previous life, such a soft and slow sword wouldn¡¯t have hurt him at all.

    So he remained calm and composed, waiting for the tip of the sword to reach his chest before calmly avoiding it. He then bent his finger on the sword and bounced it, only to hear a clang sound. The decorative thin sword almost bent in half, and then, with a click sound, it broke in two!

    Jia Lian held up the bare hilt of the sword as if it were a clay-shaped wooden tire, in shock. For a while, he couldn''t remember to retract his arm.

    Sun Shaozong reached out and patted him lightly on the shoulder, helplessly saying, "Second Brother Lian, I just happened to pass by. Did you misunderstand me for shouting and killing like this?¡±

    ¡°You, I¡¯m not finished with you today.¡±

    Unexpectedly, this slap brought Jia Lian back to life. He was so angry that he threw the sword handle onto the ground and pretended to pounce on Sun Shaozong.

    He was just waving his teeth and claws there, but suddenly he felt his neck tighten, and then he felt empty under his feet. He was grabbed by Sun Shaozong and carried directly into the air!

    Jia Lian became increasingly annoyed, punching, kicking, and cursing in mid-air, but how could his small arms and legs reach half a hair of Sun Shaozong?

    On the contrary, his body was hunched like a monkey, swaying back and forth in Sun Shaozong''s hand, looking like a disobedient child. Being taught a lesson by an adult was indescribable and ridiculous!

    Zhou Rui and the others next to him all wanted to laugh but they didn¡¯t dare to, they just blushed in embarrassment.

    Seeing Jia Lian playing monkey tricks in mid-air, relying on his bad behavior, he refused to give up on anything.

    ¡°Sigh What a trouble.¡±

    Sun Shaozong reluctantly shook his head and sighed, carrying Jia Lian to the entrance of the small courtyard. Amidst the inexplicable gaze of the crowd, he lifted Jia Lian''s body and placed him on the top of the gate building, then arched his hand and said, "Second Brother Lian, please stay calm on top. I have something else to do, so I''ll bid farewell first.¡±

    After speaking, he left with Yu Qian.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Jia Lian stood up and waited to scold again. Unexpectedly, his foot suddenly slipped and almost fell upside down from above. He quickly hugged the kissing beast in the corner of the roof, and the scolding turned into a panicked scream. "You dogs, why don''t you go and move a ladder to save me.¡±

    Although he held the kissing beast in his arms, trembling with laughter, they couldn''t see any threat at all.

    But the two broken swords on the ground were still there, and Li Wan and Jia Tanchun didn''t dare to be careless. Therefore, after a brief discussion, they ordered their nanny to support Wang Xifeng and also to run towards Old Lady Jia''s yard.

    Speaking of it, Wang Xifeng and Jia Baoyu really have a close relationship. The last time they were poisoned, they were together, and this time they suffered a disaster together again.

    When the person was sent to Old Lady Jia''s place, there would naturally be another chaos.

    After finally settling Wang Xifeng, Old Lady Jia carefully inquired about the reasons and consequences. She was so angry that she almost lost her breath and exclaimed, "How dare he?! Go get that dirty seed here!¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, she saw Jia Lian carrying a lush green object and breaking in with a curtain. He cursed profusely. "What about that slut? Where have you been hiding her?¡±

    Everyone stared closely, and it turned out that he accidentally rubbed a head of moss while holding the kissing beast on the door.

    Old Madam Wang and Madam Xing were both in the room at this moment. Seeing him so rampant, they quickly stopped him and cursed, "You filthy seed! Are you going to rebel? Didn''t you see the Old Lady here?¡±

    After Jia Lian knew that Old Lady Jia was getting older, she always cherished them, the grandchildren, and never said a word of importance. Therefore, he was not afraid at all and instead tilted his eyes and retorted, "It''s all because the Old Lady used to spoil her. She''s so rampant, and now she''s even hooked up with outsiders to murder her husband.¡±

    After hearing this, the others didn''t know what to do, but Li Wan couldn''t help but cry out for Sun Shaozong, holding her handkerchief and stepping out in public, saying, "How did Brother Lian say that? Lord Sun specially brought Yu Hanlin to visit Brother Lan at our house today. How can he have any connection with Sister Xifeng?¡±

    As he spoke and thought about Jia Lan''s apprenticeship, it was possible that, due to this misunderstanding, the circle of her eyes would become red.

    Old Madam Wang quickly took her in her arms and helped out, saying, "Speaking of it, if it weren''t for the Sun family''s Erlang, who arrived in time, Baoyu might have been killed by his cruel old man earlier. They have been helping our family these two times. How can they spare any time to pay attention to the trivial matters of yours as husband and wife? You must have been thinking nonsense.¡±

    Hearing his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law both spoke in unison to protect Sun Shaozong, Jia Lian''s jealousy surged in his heart again, and he muttered, "He said it was a help, but who knows what evil intentions he had in his heart?¡±

    ¡°You are foolish!¡±

    At this moment, Old Lady Jia couldn''t help but scold and said, "The two families have been friends for several generations, and now we are related in marriage. It''s time for us to take care of each other. Are you going to have to turn your relatives into enemies to give up?¡±

    Seeing that Jia Lian was still going to talk back, Old Lady Jia angrily said, "I know you don''t keep us in your eyes either. Someone, go and call the Old Master over.¡±

    As soon as he heard that she was going to call Jia She to come over, Jia Lian staggered and ran out.

 Chapter 399: The Mansion Was in a State of Restlessness

    Chapter 399: The Mansion Was in a State of Restlessness

    Returning from the Rongguo Mansion with Yu Qian, Sun Shaozong called for his two nephews to share lunch in the front hall. Then, at the table, he focused on discussing Sun Chengtao''s whereabouts and staying issue, which was unexpected. As expected, he was not able to pass the Imperial Examination.

    Another thing, as expected, was that he really wanted to seek exile and also planned to go to the old, young, border, and poor areas to change his fate.Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

    Of course, this idea was unanimously suppressed by everyone at the table.

    Considering his nature of detachment, Sun Shaozong finally decided to find him a County position near Jiangnan, which would be convenient for the Jinling family to take care of him at any time.

    When Sun Shaozong was full of wine and food, he returned to the backyard and just wanted to strip off his robe, pants, and boots. He laid on a cold mat and drank a bowl of chilled sour plum soup to relieve the annoying summer heat.

    Ruan Rong quickly stopped him and pointed to the western chamber, saying, "Xiangling is taking a shower in the room. It''s almost time for her to finish washing. You might as well go and help her with those two servant girls who are weak in strength. They¡¯re not very reliable.¡±

    ¡°Didn''t you send her two strong women?¡±

    Sun Shaozong asked in confusion, but he had already walked out.

    Ruan Rong then raised her voice and said, "Those two women broke the rules this morning, and when I got angry, I kicked them all out. I''ll ask Chamberlain Zhao to find two more honest and steady people tomorrow.¡±

    All kicked out?

    Sun Shaozong was a bit puzzled. Those who could choose to serve pregnant women were usually relatively stable elderly people in the mansion. Besides, Xiangling''s temperament was not picky, so why did the two women suddenly broke the rules?

    But since Ruan Rong didn''t mean it explicitly, he didn''t ask in detail.

    Outside, he first instructed the little maid who was feeding the parrot under the corridor to lock the courtyard door, and Sun Shaozong then arrived in the western chamber.

    Listening to the constant splashing of water inside, it was obvious that Xiangling was still taking a shower. He then bent his fingers and knocked on the door a few times, loudly commanding, "It''s me; open the door quickly.¡±

    As soon as the two maids inside heard the voice of the Second Master, they didn''t ask Xiangling, and they quickly came forward and bolted down the door.

    Sun Shaozong pushed the door in and saw Xiangling holding her shoulders in the bathtub with a shy and timid expression. He waved his hand and said, "I¡¯m here, it''s fine. You two can go out.¡±

    The two little maids obediently withdrew and kindly closed the door.

    Xiangling then timidly asked, "Why did you come? I''m afraid my bones are... I''m afraid it''s inconvenient...¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes and took out handkerchiefs, fragrant pancakes, and other items. He explained, "Your Sister Rong is afraid that those two little maids won''t hold you steady, so she asked me to come over and serve you well. Where else they haven¡¯t cleaned up? Let me show you my skills.¡±

    How did Xiangling dare deserve the word ¡±serve?¡±

    Sun Shaozong saw that she was still unwilling to speak, so he walked forward and rubbed her from head to toe, then wrapped her in a bath towel and put on a loose robe.

    Xiangling''s heart was warm and boundless, but she was picked up by him at the waist and inexplicably left the wing room, heading straight towards the main room.

    Because Siqi had bitten down the words ¡±dignity and propriety¡± and refused to let go, Ruan Rong was only a Concubine, and it was difficult to argue with her. In the end, she had to follow her advice and demote the two women.

    ¡°Second master, you haven''t seen it.¡±

    Speaking of this, Shiliu angrily said, "When that little hoof left, her eyes were so high in the sky, let alone our Concubine. I''m afraid she didn''t even pay attention to you.¡±

    If Siqi didn¡¯t dare to take him seriously, Sun Shaozong was determined not to believe it.

    But this little brat was really a master who could stir up trouble!

    Jia Yingchun''s temperament couldn''t control her, and she was now considered a Half-Concubine. She also knew some tricks that couldn''t be passed on, so she acted more ¡±rightfully.¡±

    ¡°Master.¡±

    Seeing Sun Shaozong frowning and not speaking, Ruan Rong quickly comforted him and said, "It''s not a big deal. She took control, so let''s just let it go. There''s no need for us to be separated from the Elder Lady over these small matters.¡±

    Making them both feel separated?

    The last person in the world to be separated from Jia Yingchun was probably Sun Shaozong.

    But naturally, he couldn''t express his words clearly, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "She probably just arrived at our house, and she''s still a bit uncomfortable with this. When Big Brother comes back from the military camp tomorrow, I''ll ask him to write a letter and bring Siqi''s parents to our house, so that she can reunite with her family. She should also calm down.¡±

    This statement clearly meant good to Siqi, but secretly it meant to use her family members as a lever to restrain her.

    In addition, this way, it could also avoid the carefree and reckless act of betraying the privacy of the Sun Brothers when Siqi was punished in the future.

    Ruan Rong has been managing the mansion for two years, and her emotional intelligence has long been developed. So she immediately knew the truth. She was waiting to praise Sun Shaozong for his clever plan.

    Unexpectedly, Shiliu took the lead and said happily, "That''s right! Get her family over here and send some despicable tasks randomly. See what she will look like in the future.¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong immediately lowered his face and sternly scolded, "Is this something you can discuss?! Go find Zhao Zhongji and get your punishment according to our family rules yourself.¡±

    Of course, the aura of Siqi needed to be suppressed, but Shiliu has also jumped up too happily recently, so she naturally needed to be suppressed as well.

    Shiliu was still waiting for a few words, but Ruan Rong had already drunk it out.

    When Shiliu left, Ruan Rong said again, "Don''t worry, Master. When Siqi''s parents arrive, I will arrange some noble tasks for them, and I will never let her pick a fault.¡±

    This was the proper principle for governing a family.

    Only those who held onto their hands but didn¡¯t speak could be called a shortcoming. If they only knew revenge, how could there be a cessation in the future?

 Chapter 398: Love and Sorrow Bury the Root of Trouble

    Chapter 398: Love and Sorrow Bury the Root of Trouble

    After Jia Lian left, Old Lady Jia and her two Daughters-in-Law discussed the matter, but their anger remained lingering. Coupled with Baoyu''s occasional moans inside, Old Lady Jia kept complaining about the restlessness of the house.

    As she was speaking, Ping¡¯er came out to report that Wang Xifeng had already regained consciousness and drank some nourishing decoction [prepared for Baoyu]. Now she looked quite energetic.

    Upon hearing this, Old Lady Jia quickly took everyone to visit Wang Xifeng.

    After entering the door, she saw Wang Xifeng leaning on the couch with tears in her eyes, no longer seeing her usual lively and crisp voice. She couldn''t help but burst into tears, hugging Wang Xifeng and comforting her.

    Wang Xifeng was also filled with grievances, so she took the opportunity to cry again.

    Old Lady Jia waited for her to cry until she was tired and then handed her handkerchief over. She smiled kindly and said, "Alright, alright, it makes you feel much happier when you cry. In fact, according to me, this matter is not a big deal!¡±

    ¡°A child is like a greedy cat, but our mansion doesn¡¯t lack beautiful women. He spends his days wandering around in this pile of powder, and it is inevitable. Who didn''t encounter situations like this when we were young?¡±

    After a pause, she said again, "It''s not right for him to be jealous indiscriminately, but isn''t it also because he loves you? If it''s an unrelated woman, how can he feel like someone has poked a tube in his lungs?¡±

    Madam Xing and Old Madam Wang also followed the persuasion.

    Wang Xifeng forced herself to show a bitter smile, but secretly her heart had already cooled.

    Due to similar words, Jia Lian had said them many times a few days ago. Unexpectedly, after just coaxing her to relax, he fooled around with Bao Er¡¯s wife behind his back, and his words were even more derogatory towards her.

    Although Wang Xifeng also knew that this had some intention of pleasing Bao Er''s wife, but what kind of person was Bao Er''s wife?

    She was just a somewhat beautiful, foolish woman. To please her, he casually insulted her. Wasn¡¯t it just a sign that Jia Lian''s previous small intentions and hospitality were all deceitful?!

    Thinking about him not only pursuing her with a sword but also stubbornly biting back and accusing her of having an affair with Sun Shaozong, Wang Xifeng felt even colder in the bone. Those past marital relationships had also been completely shattered.

    Upon hearing Old Lady Jia''s words about being jealous and not being jealous again, a sudden thought came to her, Rather than repeatedly carrying these suspicions out of thin air, it would be better to sit down and make him a complete cuckold!

    However, this idea only flashed by and was once again suppressed by Wang Xifeng in her heart.

    When Old Lady Jia saw Wang Xifeng also showing a smile, she hurriedly said, "Don''t worry, I''ll ask him to compensate you tomorrow. Stay here with me today and rest well. Don''t send him a word; we''ll let him be ashamed of himself.¡±

    The crowd burst into another burst of laughter.

    Upon hearing this, Ping''er nearby hurriedly called out to Xiaohong [Lin Hongyu] and instructed her to go home and pick up a few clothes to change and wash, as well as the soup and medicine that Wang Xifeng has been using recently.

    Xiaohong took the order and left Old Lady Jia''s yard, rushing towards the back.

    When she almost reached Wang Xifeng¡¯s yard, someone rushed up behind her. The person shouted her name.

    Xiaohong stopped and followed the sound, only to see Jia Yun, who had lost his arm, smiling happily as he approached.

    In addition, the promise of ¡±a hundred times better than Ping''er¡± was exactly what Lin Hongyu had always hoped for in her heart!

    So she hesitated for a moment.

    Who was Jia Lian?

    Accustomed to wandering around in the beauties, although drunk and dazed, he could also see Lin Hongyu''s struggle and heartbeat. So, he honestly and unkindly wrapped her in his arms and called her ¡±wife¡¯ or ¡±my dear¡± incessantly.

    Lin Hongyu was born as a servant of the Rongguo Mansion, and how could she ever be so ¡±elevated¡± by a legitimate master?

    For a moment, her delicate and naive body softened, as if she had been pushed halfway and coaxed into the study by Jia Lian.

    Bang!

    Just as the door of that room was heavily closed, Jia Yun outside also punched the wall heavily!

    Just now, he saw that Lin Hongyu was being teased by Jia Lian. He was thinking about how to help her out without causing trouble. Who could have thought of a few words, and Lin Hongyu was moved by Jia Lian''s thoughts?

    Remembering his secret love and obsession over the past few months, Jia Yun''s eyes were filled with hatred, and he stormed into the courtyard in anger. When he arrived at the door of the study, he raised her foot and waited to kick it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t~¡±

    Unexpectedly, there happened to be a coquettish cry coming from inside, like cold water splashing on his head, which restored Jia Yun''s sanity.

    What could he do even if he broke in?

    With such thoughts, Jia Yun no longer had the intention of kicking the door, just touching the golden hairpin in his arms, but he was unwilling to leave like this.

    While hesitating, he heard Lin Hongyu saying inside, "Please be gentle, it¡¯s... It''s still my first time..."

    He then heard Jia Lian chuckling and saying, "You''re complaining that the strength I used now is too light, but in a moment, I¡¯m afraid that you will ask me to make it harder.¡±

    Then came the sound of fabric tearing.

    ¡°Second Master, don''t tear it apart.¡±

    He heard Lin Hongyu urgently said, "I''ll take it off myself...¡±

    After a slight rustle, Jia Lian exclaimed, "You are indeed a beautiful woman. Hurry up, and separate that leg; let me enter...¡±

    At this moment, Jia Yun felt like a knife was stabbed in his heart, and with a sudden force in his hand, the golden hairpin stabbed his forearm, causing his blood to gush.

    It was precisely because of the piercing pain that he finally gritted his teeth and staggered away, full of resentment!

 Chapter 400: A Chaotic Situation

    Chapter 400: A Chaotic Situation

    The next day, when he arrived at the Criminal Department, it took about two hours for Sun Shaozong to dispose of the case files, complaint papers, and various internal documents submitted in these two days.

    Just as he was preparing to stretch his muscles and bones, he met with the subordinates of Wei Ruolan and brought a brief report on recent verification operations, as well as about the ten arrest warrants.

    It was natural to say that the wanted orders were all human traffickers identified through this investigation. Therefore, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t even look at them, approved them, and then sent them to the Ministry of Justice for nationwide arrest.

    But...

    Relying solely on the victim''s recollection and description, the wanted warrant drawn might not have some accuracy, so it could only be said that they were doing their best to obey fate.

    As for the verification briefing, Sun Shaozong had to carefully distinguish word by word and line by line because the combination of Wei Ruolan and Qiu Yunfei was truly a double-edged sword.

    If he could make good use of it, he could be called being swift and resolute, achieving twice the result with half the effort. If he couldn¡¯t control it, their reckless behavior style might cause some trouble for the Criminal Department.

    Especially this action to verify the storage of slaves has already affected the interests of all parties and couldn¡¯t tolerate carelessness.

    He just wanted to take a closer look, but it was not an easy task.

    Because the weather was really too hot!

    The morning was still better, but as soon as the afternoon passed, the temperature began to skyrocket. Towards noon, the room was like a steamer, damp and sticky, making people restless from inside to outside.

    Therefore, before Sun Shaozong could turn over a few pages, sweat trickled down and couldn''t be wiped with a handkerchief.

    Even if the buttons of the official robe were opened, the folding fan was shaken up and down, and two bowls of mung bean soup were poured in, the sticky dryness still couldn''t be suppressed.

    Last year they just had a flood; wasn¡¯t there another drought?

    It was so hot that Sun Shaozong couldn''t bear it. He had to leave the briefing and called for someone to bring a bucket of well water, ready to make do with wiping his body and to relieve the scorching heat, so that he could continue to handle his official duties.

    Who knew he had just unlocked the door and was removing his clothes, he heard someone outside smashing the door loudly.

    ¡°Lord, Lord! I have something important to report to you.¡±

    He thought it was either Qiu Yunfei or Wei Ruolan who acted recklessly. Unexpectedly, when the person outside the door spoke, it was Lin Delu''s voice.

    If this guy didn''t have a hundred thousand urgent matters, he wouldn''t have dared to come and smash the door.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong hurriedly dressed in his official robe and opened the door to let him in. Then sat back in the courtroom and asked calmly, "Lord Lin, what''s the matter with you in such a hurry?¡±

    And with the power of Prince Zhongshun, there was no need to collaborate with others.

    Or could it be that after Prince Zhongshun realized the power of this, he simply threw the pot at Prince Beijing and wanted to see his joke?

    It seemed that it was not right either. He has already exposed the interests in this matter to Prince Zhongshun. Even if he wanted to pit Prince Beijing, Prince Zhongshun should first communicate with him to prevent this matter from leaking out, right?

    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t sit idly by and watch Prince Beijing make things bigger. If any news leaked from his side, wouldn''t he also bear the charge of not reporting the truth and harboring malicious intentions?

    Or perhaps it was Prince Beijing, like Prince Zhongshun, who also fell in love with this ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± and wanted to take the opportunity to accumulate wealth?

    ¡°Your Excellency?¡±

    Sun Shaozong had a headache, but Lin Delu was anxious to wait. He couldn''t help but cautiously inquired, "As you see, should we still care about this matter?¡±

    Well...

    Sun Shaozong hesitated momentarily and then said, "You check it first; don''t make any public statements.¡±

    Lin Delu nodded first, but then hesitated and said, "But Assistant Magistrate Wei''s side...¡±

    That¡¯s right!

    Assistant Magistrate Wei was aware of the fact that he wanted to investigate the matter of ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells.¡± However, the problem was whether he had disclosed this matter to Prince Beijing, but he had no way of knowing.

    If Prince Beijing knew he was trying to cut off his financial path, it would be difficult to predict how he would react

    This was making a scene!

    He was originally planning to deal with a few unscrupulous merchants, but who would have thought that there were two great white sharks underwater?!

    But now it was difficult to ride a tiger, and it was already too late to retreat.

    Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment and ordered, "Go back now, record all the information you have found concisely, and then follow me to a place after we end work.¡±

    Since it was already difficult to ride a tiger, he was afraid that they could only walk one way in the dark!

    If the inference just now was not wrong¡ªPrince Zhongshun was not aware of Prince Beijing''s actions and was ready to give up this plan¡ªthen he should not sit idly by and continue with this crazy plan.

 Chapter 401: The Battle of The Savage Five and Yue Fei

    Chapter 401: The Battle of The Savage Five and Yue Fei

    Prince Zhongshun¡¯s Residence was ahead.

    Sun Shaozong kicked off his horse and led the reins to the foot of the West Wall. He tied a loose buckle on the stone ring that tied the horse. When he looked back, he saw the Lin family''s carriage quietly stopping by the roadside, but Lin Delu had no intention of getting off.

    ¡°Lin Delu? Lord Lin?¡±

    He called up twice and saw that there was no response inside. He impatiently lifted the curtain of the car, but to his surprise, Lin Delu was kneeling in the car, trembling as if pursuing his buttocks and sifting through the trash.

    ¡°Lord, spare my life! Lord, spare my life!¡±

    Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to ask, Lin Delu wept and said, "I just found out some clues; there''s no intention of going to report it! For the sake of me working diligently, please spare my life.¡±

    In the beginning, Sun Shaozong was somewhat inexplicable. Upon second thought, he suddenly realized.

    The relationship between Prince Zhongshun and Prince Beijing was that of nephews, and ordinary people were unaware that they had hidden disagreements. They naturally thought that Prince Zhongshun would cover up for him, so when they arrived at the door of Prince Zhongshun''s Residence, Lin Delu panicked.

    Sun Shaozong was a bit speechless in his heart, and he couldn''t explain it carefully in front of the coachman. Besides, looking at his soft appearance, he was probably a pig teammate who was going to drag his feet when he entered.

    So he simply reached out his hand and ordered, "It''s not as you think. Just give the evidence you''ve compiled to me, and you''ll be waiting outside.¡±

    Lin Delu, as if granted amnesty, quickly took out a booklet from his sleeve and was about to offer it with both hands. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his hand retreated and refused to hand it over.

    Sun Shaozong immediately caught a glimpse of his thoughts and angrily scolded, "Stupid, these are not the original documents! If they were destroyed, what''s the use of them?¡±

    Lin Delu thought about it the same way. Even if Sun Shaozong wanted to destroy the evidence, he should first destroy the files and documents in the Yamen.

    So he quickly handed the pamphlet in both hands to Sun Shaozong, apologizing and saying, "This is not what I meant. How dare I...¡±

    Sun Shaozong was too lazy to listen to his cover-up. He grabbed the booklet with his hands and swaggered to the front of the residence.

    After all, he has been here several times, and he could barely be considered a familiar face. Therefore, before Sun Shaozong could share his name, someone greeted him and asked him why he came.

    When it was heard that Sun Shaozong had something important to report to the Prince in person, the servant invited him to the side hall to wait and then reported it layer by layer.

    After waiting for another two-quarters of an hour, the steward of the Royal Residence came in, guiding Sun Shaozong towards the back courtyard. This time, it was not the location of the wine pool and meat forest, but a more spacious courtyard.

    Far away, Sun Shaozong heard the clanging sound of gongs and drums in his ears. As he got closer, he heard someone shouting, "You, Yue Fei! Take an attack of a spear from me, Zhang Yide.¡±

    ¡°Liu Bei, if it comes to battlefield battles, how can you be the opponent of my iron gun.¡±

    ¡°Yue Yun, don¡¯t think about leaving!¡±

    ¡°Zhao Zilong...¡±

    What the hell was this?

    Liu Bei Led the Five Tiger Generals to Fight the Yue Family Army in the Commentary Version?

    It seemed that there was no such thing as ¡±Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong¡± these days, right?

    Sun Shaozong only listened with a confused head, and as the steward walked forward a few steps, he could already vaguely see the scenery on the stage.

    He stretched his neck out of curiosity and looked around a few times, but unexpectedly, he was stunned.

    It turned out that on that stage, about ten actors were all heavily dressed, wearing hairpins and tassels, carrying weapons in their hands, and riding boots on their feet. However, the one who was dressed in white was completely naked! a distance, it looked like there were more than a dozen carnivorous insects with colorful faces, chattering and stirring together!

    This scenery...

    Compared to the wine pool and meat forest of that day, it could truly be called the difference between heaven and earth!

    From afar, he started feeling nauseous. As he approached, he saw Prince Zhongshun lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket like a man.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t dare to take a closer look, and as he was five or six steps away, he quickly bowed and said, "I, Sun Shaozong, have seen the prince.¡±

    Prince Zhongshun''s gaze was locked on the stage without even looking at Sun Shaozong. He responded vaguely and suddenly raised his hand to slap the man''s buttocks in his arms several times, shouting, "Good~ Good singing!¡±

    What a unique way of applauding.

    Liu Bei and others naturally followed suit.

    After the six victorious people went off, Zhou Mo waved his hand again on the stage, and a dozen palace guards rushed out of the courtyard, dragging the six people who played the role of the hero of Yue Fei out like a dead dog.

    Looking at their mournful and silent appearance, it was obvious that they were not only expelled from this small courtyard!

    At this moment, Prince Zhongshun shifted his gaze to Sun Shaozong and asked in his usual lazy tone, "What''s the matter? A few days ago, you just gave me a big lecture, and now, are you here to teach me a lesson again?¡±

    ¡°I dare not.¡±

    Sun Shaozong quickly bowed and said, "It''s actually Lord Lin under my command. By chance, he got some news about ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells.¡± Because the news was unbelievable and shocking, and I didn''t know what to do, so I had to come back and harass you, Your Highness.¡±

    As he spoke, he told him that Lin Delu had found something, and took out the booklet from his sleeve pocket, holding it up with both hands above his head.

    Prince Zhongshun heard that it was now Prince Beijing¡¯s Residence that was bidding up the price of ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shell.¡± His expression didn¡¯t change for a moment, and he remained silent for a while. He then slapped the man in his arms on the buttocks and ordered, "Go, bring that booklet to me.¡±

    No matter how he slapped before, the man in his arms didn''t show any reaction.

    But now, upon hearing this command, the man trembled violently and slowly rose from the arms of Prince Zhongshun. His shoulders seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight, and his neck was even stiff and messy. After twisting for a long time, he finally turned around and walked barefoot, slowly moving to Sun Shaozong.

    After reaching out to take the booklet, he realized that Sun Shaozong had never raised his head, and then he breathed a sigh of relief in secret.

    Just as he was about to turn around and escape back to the soft couch, he suddenly heard Zhou Mo''s eerie way of saying, "Haven''t you always been worried about your good friend''s injury? How come now, in front of Lord Sun, you haven''t even asked?¡±

    The man paused at his feet and gave Zhou Mo a resentful glance. Looking back, he saw that there was no expression on the face of Prince Zhongshun, so he hesitated and said, "Lord Sun, I wonder how badly Second Master Bao was injured?¡±

    Sure enough, it was him!

    Upon hearing this sound, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but let out a deep sigh in his heart. It turned out that the man who was both used as a blanket and a meat drum by Prince Zhongshun was Jiang Yuhan, who used to be proud in his daily life!

    Although he had long known that he was the male favorite of Prince Zhongshun, he suddenly encountered this scene and was still in an awkward mess.

    Especially in the ¡±martial arts drama¡± just now, it was clear that the actors were superior and inferior, but in reality, every knife and shot was like hitting Jiang Yuhan in the face and poking him in the heart!

    If possible, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t want to have any communication with him at this time.

    But since Jiang Yuhan took the initiative to ask, he could only tell the truth, "Although Brother Bao suffered a dozen or so severe injuries, fortunately, he was not harmed to the root. I think he will be able to recover after half a month of recuperation.¡±

    ¡°Ah~¡±

    Jiang Yuhan let out a faint sigh and said, "It''s all because of me, this despicable person, who has implicated him. I would like to trouble you for one thing. When you meet Brother Bao the next time, just say that I... Just say that ¡±Qiguan¡± shouldn¡¯t cling to your authority, and I have no face to see you again in the future.¡±

    Tch!

    This was to break off ¡±friendship¡± with Jia Baoyu!

    This was truly positive news for Jia Baoyu and even the Jia family.

    Sun Shaozong naturally agreed without hesitation.

    Jiang Yuhan then handed the booklet to Prince Zhongshun himself and obediently climbed onto the bed, snuggling up even more than a woman.

    Prince Zhongshun took the booklet and roughly flipped through it, then said expressionlessly, "Alright, I have understood this matter. You go back and remind him not to speak up. In about ten and a half days, it should be cleared.¡±

    Upon hearing this, it seemed that Prince Zhongshun had made some decision. Sun Shaozong also thought that if it were only ten days or so, the situation might not be as bad as before, so he quickly bowed and retreated with great interest.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    As soon as Sun Shaozong left the courtyard, Zhou Mo came down from the stage and retorted, "Sun Shaozong clearly can¡¯t trust you. He still sent someone to investigate. If it weren''t for this, how would he...¡±

    Prince Zhongshun raised his hand to stop his words and casually said, "As long as he is doing things for the sake of the court and His Majesty, even if he can¡¯t trust me, what¡¯s the big deal?¡±

    Zhou Mo still felt unwilling, but seeing that Prince Zhongshun seemed to have a different opinion of Sun Shaozong, he didn¡¯t dare to make any further slanders.

    However, when he saw Prince Zhongshun shaking the booklet again, he said, "Moreover, he has clearly brought us wealth and can also teach Shuirong (Prince Beijing) a lesson. I haven''t had time to reward him yet. How can I blame him?¡±

    Zhou Mo was puzzled and said, "What do you mean, Your Highness?¡±

    Prince Zhongshun chuckled and said, "Don''t you always feel that those ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± are piled up in the warehouse, which is really heartbreaking? Now that Shuirong is hoarding, why don''t we...¡±

 Chapter 402: The Daily Life of the Sun Mansion [Continue]

    Chapter 402: The Daily Life of the Sun Mansion [Continue]

    When Sun Shaozong came out of the Royal Residence, he saw a naked figure curling up at the foot of the stone lion on the left side.

    Those lost actors were indeed kicked out of the Residence!

    The other few people should have already dispersed, and the rest of them, who were unconscious, were probably stunned by Guan Yu''s knife.

    Tch!

    It seemed that within this ¡±Yue Family Army,¡± there was not much unity, and even comrades who had gone through life and death together could be abandoned like shoes.

    Sun Shaozong glanced at the actor a few times and hesitated. He went straight to Lin Delu''s carriage, intending to order him to take him to the medical clinic for treatment. Although it was currently in the midst of summer, camping on the streets might not be a big deal. However, if the injury worsened as a result, he might die in front of the residence, fearing that it would be considerable trouble.

    Unexpectedly, he arrived at the front of the car and was about to say something when he saw Lin Delu sneaking out of a remote alley across from him. As he ran over, he exclaimed, "Your Excellency, I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here.¡±

    As he approached, he rearranged his hem and explained casually, "I just couldn''t find a restroom, so I had to be disrespectful once in that alley.¡±

    This guy''s clothes were very neat, but he had to tidy them up in front of him, and the word ¡±disrespectful¡± might be unknown.

    However, it was also human nature to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, so Sun Shaozong was too lazy to reveal his little thoughts. He turned around and pointed to the thoughtless ¡±high pet¡± and ordered Lin Delu to take him to a nearby medical clinic for treatment. He then went to the west wall, untied the reins, flipped over, and rode away.

    No words along the way.

    At home, the lights were already shining brightly. Sun Shaozong left his mount for the gatekeeper to take care of and was about to go to the backyard to see if his Big Brother was at home. Suddenly, he saw the bright lights in the front hall, and there was a faint commotion.

    He suddenly remembered that he had originally planned to see off Cheng Rixing, Liu Quan, and others tonight.

    Hurrying a few steps into the living room, he saw two tables arranged inside. One was bustling with about ten people, while the other only had his Big Brother drinking with Cheng Rixing. Although it was a farewell banquet, they still had different levels of honor and inferiority.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong coming in from the outside, everyone got up to salute. Only his Big Brother was as steady as Mount Tai. He said, "Why did you come back at such a time, Erlang? Come on, come and drink with Magistrate Cheng of the County!"

    Hearing the word "Magistrate Cheng of the County," Cheng Rixing blushed with joy, but he didn¡¯t dare to show off.

    Sun Shaozu immediately pretended to be angry and said, "What''s the matter? Erlang and I came out to protect you. Can there be any trouble for a mere Magistrate of the County? Is it not the same if "Magistrate Cheng of the County" is called sooner or later?"

    Next, Liu Quan, Sun Xi, and others all shouted "Magistrate Cheng of the County" in a hubbub, only to make Cheng Rixing dizzy and full of modest words, and his smile couldn¡¯t be closed in any case.

    It seemed that as long as his Big Brother was present, even if he missed this farewell banquet, the effect of winning people''s hearts wouldn¡¯t be much worse.

    With this in mind, Sun Shaozong also stepped forward and poured himself a full cup. He held it high and said, "Come on, everyone, congratulate Magistrate Cheng of the County!"

    "Congratulations to Magistrate Cheng of the County!"

    Below were all the servants of the Sun family; naturally, they all made a resounding promise.

    Cheng Rixing''s hands and feet trembled with excitement. After finally drinking a glass, he bowed with tearful eyes, saying, "I, who am going to Jiangnan, will surely fulfill the trust of the two adults.¡±

    Afterwards, both guests and hosts enjoyed themselves.

    When the drunken man dispersed and the wreckage was cleared up, the two brothers each held a wake-up wine soup and sat down under the picture of a pine and crane in the middle.

    Sun Shaozong blew open the ginger shreds floating in the bowl and carefully sucked them away. He felt as if the ginger spiciness had pressed them from his throat to his stomach, and some sweat was seeping out of his forehead. He then casually opened his mouth and said, "Brother, a lot of people in our mansion left at once. Should we fill in a few?¡±

    Because he didn''t want to wake Ruan Rong up, Sun Shaozong had originally thought about staying all night on the outdoor couch.

    Who knew that as soon as there was some commotion, Ruan Rong raised her voice and asked, "Furong, has the Master returned?¡±

    Sun Shaozong just picked up the curtain and saw that she was already dressed and sitting up. He called for Furong to come in and light a lantern, saying strangely, "How come you haven''t slept soundly at such a time? Isn''t it something in your heart?¡±

    ¡°It''s nothing.¡±

    Ruan Rong shook her head, but then sighed faintly, "It''s my father''s birthday soon. It''s been a long time since I heard any news. It''s really......¡±

    It has been more than half a year now, and there has been no news of Qian Xiang''s nationalization. Even the servant sent by Sun Shaozong to deliver the letter has never returned. Sun Shaozong has also pondered whether there might have been any mishaps with Ruan Liangshun.

    However, these thoughts naturally couldn¡¯t be expressed to Ruan Rong. Therefore, he sat down side by side with Ruan Rong on the bed, hugging her slender waist and softly saying, "I estimate that there may have been some natural or man-made disasters on the way. You should write another letter tomorrow and send it back to Qian Xiang Kingdom. It''s good that the messenger can also go south with Cheng Rixing and others.¡±

    ¡°This... is it too troublesome?¡±

    ¡°There''s no trouble.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said, "I feed these servants to eat and drink well normally; isn''t it just for the sake of command?¡±

    ¡°Then I''ll write the letter now.¡±

    Ruan Rong got up with joy, and due to the hot weather, she didn''t even bother to wear clothes. She was only wearing a small coat and her long legs were bare, which were deceiving frost and snow. She went to the table and dug out pens, ink, paper, and inkstones.

    As Sun Shaozong watched her write on the desk with her flesh visible, she raised her buttocks high. He couldn''t help but feel a lot of dryness in his heart and leaned over to put his paw on it. He chuckled and said, "You should mention to my father-in-law in the letter how lovely we are so that he doesn''t think I''m bullying you.¡±

    Feeling the restless swaying of his paws, Ruan Rong quickly sidled away and chatted, "I''m afraid the Master will have to endure it for a while. It''s a bit inconvenient for me today.¡±

    Oh great~

    As soon as he got excited, he bumped into the exemption token!

    Sun Shaozong returned to bed dejected and was about to call for Furong to come in and take care of him for a while. However, he heard Ruan Rong say again, "Master, first keep your spirits up. After tomorrow, someone will bring Second Lady You to the Mansion. It''s not too late for you to be in good spirits.¡±

    She finally took the initiative to mention this matter. It seemed that home letters were really worth writing!

    Sun Shaozong was secretly pleased in his heart, but he couldn''t show it on his face. He only said, "What comes one day early and one day late? Everything is up to you.¡±

    Spit!

    Ruan Rong spat and said, "I haven''t mentioned this for a long time. I''m afraid you have already blamed me in your heart, right?¡±

    As she spoke, she took out a few letters from the drawer and threw them into Sun Shaozong''s arms, saying, "This is from Sister You. Master, please take a closer look and see if I am the one who is good at picking sour and jealous, and can''t tolerate anyone at all.¡±

    Sun Shaozong took it over and took a glance at ten lines at once under the lamp. It turned out that since the Wangjiang Tower reunion, Ruan Rong had been helping Second Lady You decorate her new house and changing the style of Xiangling''s mother''s small courtyard to prevent them from getting into a fight with each other.

    In the letter, Sister You praised Ruan Rong even more. She addressed Sister Ruan Rong and called her very affectionately.

    After seeing it, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but become more and more fond of Ruan Rong, so he disregarded it and went clinging to her again. When Ruan Rong refused with a shield, he blushed and begged for some tricks, such as using delicate hands to make shuttles and savoring the essence.

 Chapter 403: The Beggar Neighbourhood Administrative System

    Chapter 403: The Beggar Neighbourhood Administrative System

    After more than a month of hot weather, it finally rained again!

    The farmers who relied on nature for their livelihood were overjoyed. Even the officials in the Central Judicial Office were looking a bit happier than before.

    Sun Shaozong was feeling a bit disheartened when he arrived at the Yamen after struggling with Ruan Rong late at night.

    Fortunately, he had already finished handling his official duties around 80 percent yesterday, and now there was nothing urgent. Therefore, Sun Shaozong simply set up a leisure chair under the corridor, listening to the rain and closing his eyes to recuperate.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

    He was wandering between taking a nap or not, but he heard someone hurriedly stepping on the rainwater into the corridor, hovering around for a while, and then entering the hall to talk to Sun Chengye.

    Not long after, the person hurriedly stepped on the rainwater again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    After seeing off the person, Sun Chengye also went to the corridor. Just as he was about to call out, he heard Sun Shaozong lazily asked, "Minister Han has sent someone here. Is there any urgent business or is there another meeting?¡±

    It turned out that just now, he had already squinted his eyes to see who the person was; he was just too lazy to pay attention to them.

    Sun Chengye hurriedly said, "It''s still a matter of ¡±verifying of slaves.¡± Nowadays, the merchants in the city have been roughly screened, and it will be the turn of officials and families. Therefore, the Minister hopes first to summarize the experience and lessons, discuss the merits and demerits, and see if there are any areas for improvement.¡±

    After all, he was still afraid that the subordinates might not know the severity of the situation below and they might offend any prominent figures who shouldn¡¯t be offended.

    However, this was also just right. After this round of investigation, Sun Shaozong summarized some experiences and lessons and was prepared to discuss them internally before presenting them to the court.

    So he stood up, stretched, and instructed Sun Chengye to take out his coir raincoat and headed towards the inner hall on his own.

    Who knew that when he reached the inner hall, he saw that it was empty, with only a petty official and a scribe standing behind the door?

    Seeing Sun Shaozong come in from outside, the young official quickly bowed and said, "Reporting to Lord Sun. Because Magistrate Jia disliked the stuffy heat in this room and would waste the good rainy weather, he decided to discuss the matter in the backyard pavilion instead.¡±

    Tch!

    This was really casual.

    Sun Shaozong had no choice but to turn back.

    Halfway, he collided with Wei Ruolan and led him to the backyard.

    On the way, the two of them had nothing to say. As they saw the pavilion approaching, Wei Ruolan suddenly asked, "Lord Sun, what progress has been made in the ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± incident you mentioned the day before yesterday?¡±

    This was not a rare question, but it was really difficult for Sun Shaozong.

    Even if Prince Zhongshun didn¡¯t explain, Sun Shaozong wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to reveal the news to Wei Ruolan.

    Now that they were about to find out about officials at all levels, it was time for stability. How would they dare let the big guy still do anything they like?

    Sun Shaozong also recognized this point and took the initiative to mention it, causing Wei Ruolan to suffer a considerable loss.

    However, after Sun Shaozong''s first proposal was almost unanimously approved, he took out a few pages of thin paper from his sleeve pocket and shook it open, saying, "Besides, after these days of investigation, I found that 30% of the kidnapped slaves and maidservants were kidnapped by beggars or those dressed as beggars.¡±

    ¡°In view of this, I have made a brief statistical analysis. Over the years, beggars in the city have committed various crimes, and it has been found that the proportion has been increasing year by year. Moreover, the probability of gang crimes is far higher than that of ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I am preparing to report to the court and try out the Beggar Neighbourhood Administrative System in our Central Judicial Office.¡±

    ¡°Beggar Neighbourhood Administrative System?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Han Anbang furrowed his brow and questioned, "Let''s not say that this matter has nothing to do with the slave verification. Just relying on the fact that beggars have no fixed residence, I''m afraid it won''t be convenient to implement the Neighbourhood Administrative System, right?¡±

    The so-called Neighbourhood Administrative System was a system of sitting together where the government took the initiative to organize the people into various groups. Once one of them was convicted, the entire group would be implicated.

    Therefore, to avoid being implicated by the same group of people, the public would spontaneously supervise each other.

    However, those were all things that needed to be done between neighbors, and a highly mobile group like beggars didn¡¯t seem to be suitable for such operations.

    ¡°You seem somewhat unaware, Minister.¡±

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "Although many beggars are wandering around the city nowadays, more of them are fixed in a certain area to beg, and even there have been beggars who exploited other beggars.¡±

    ¡°This generation was originally fond of leisure and disliked work, but now they have formed a gang. If they are not brought under the jurisdiction of the government as soon as possible, it will inevitably lead to disaster over time.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I hope that the beggars who beg on fixed streets will be organized into the Neighbourhood Administrative System, and the government will come forward to designate a group and then be designated to their respective areas. If there are beggars in the area who cause trouble, regardless of whether they should be punished or not, they will be punished together.¡±

    This was equivalent to sharing a portion of the responsibility of the government with the beggars. If it were replaced with ordinary, good people, this would be too strict.

    But these days, beggars were already discriminated against by the government and the public. Since they could reduce the responsibility of the government and didn¡¯t need to spend any expenses, who cared if beggars were unjust?

    Therefore, everyone inquired about some details separately, such as whether the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled should receive certain amnesty and preferential treatment, or how to distinguish between criminals impersonating beggars as a disaster.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong answer fluently, it was obvious that he had been deliberating for a long time, and everyone expressed their support.

    Jia Yucun took the opportunity to propose, "Since that''s the case, why don''t we jointly sign our names on Lord Sun''s memorial to attract the attention of the court?¡±

    As he spoke, he bowed and saluted Sun Shaozong, half true and half false, and said with a mischievous smile, "If those beggars can''t bear this idea because of your wise idea, and they are all starting to rely on themselves to work hard, this edification skill, as a brother would be disrespectful to decline.¡±

    The sound of ¡±wise idea¡± made Han Anbang''s face turn a bit black, and Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but secretly wonder. Was it because Han Anbang still didn''t know that he was about to be demoted to another place?

 Chapter 404: Pleasure

    Chapter 404: Pleasure

    The sky was dimly lit.

    Hong Jiu squatted in a ditch near Shanxi Lane, regardless of whether the stream of water flowing through thousands of households was dirty or not. He stretched out his arm and used a broken clay jar to scoop up one after another, scrubbing from head to foot.

    The skin that had been rubbed was almost torn, and it was reflected in the green stream. He gathered his messy hair neatly and realized that he had already looked like a dog. Only then did he straighten his back with satisfaction.

    Of course, this was just that he was satisfied with himself. In fact, his messy and tattered clothes, no matter how much he washed them, he couldn¡¯t escape his identity as a ¡±beggar.¡±

    That was right, Hong Jiu was a beggar and one of the most famous beggars near Shanxi Lane.

    The reason he could become a ¡±famous beggar¡± was because he was lazier than others, but relying on his eloquent and clever mouth, he could always have a good harvest and live a hundred times more nourishing than others.

    ¡°Brothers Jiu, Brothers Jiu!¡±

    At this moment, two little beggars flew over like flies. Before they could get close, one of them, aged fourteen or fifteen, picked up a broken bowl covered in a wooden board and proudly said, "Brother Jiu, listen to this voice; it''s lovable.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it?¡±

    Hong Jiu couldn''t help but be overjoyed when he heard the words. He strode forward to meet the two of them, staring at the broken bowl with burning eyes as if he were looking at a treasure trove.

    ¡°Of course! Brother, if I take action, can there still be a runner?¡±

    The little beggar boasted and carefully opened a gap, only to see a magpie poking its head out of the bowl, shouting incessantly, Chirp, chirp.

    ¡°With it, we can all work together.¡±

    Hong Jiu laughed and reached out to grab the magpie out of the bowl. He then tied it with a straw rope and hugged it in his arms. He raised his hand and said, "Let''s go; let me take you both to pleasure.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The two little beggars both cheered and followed Hong Jiu through the streets to reach an inconspicuous courtyard door.

    Hong Jiu stopped and made a silent gesture. He then took out the flower magpie in his arms, stroked its feather, and murmured, "Good buddy, you should work hard today. Otherwise, if I can''t get the wedding money, I will have to sacrifice you.¡±

    During the conversation, the two little beggars had already squatted side by side in the corner of the wall. Hong Jiu was also polite and climbed onto their shoulders to the top of the wall, placing the magpie on the wall and pressing the straw rope tied to the magpie under the tiles.

    After setting up the mechanism, he laid down on the wall and looked inside a few times. He saw a few red double happiness stickers on the window of the inner room and jumped down with joy. He smiled and said, "Er Zi, you really are capable. You''re indeed marrying today.¡±

    Er Zi rubbed his shoulders and proudly displayed, "Isn''t that right? I heard this Old Lady say with my ears, can there be any fake?¡±

    The little beggar next to him also competed for praise and said, "These are all easy to me. If I hadn''t discovered two beautiful girls hidden in this house first and had high-ranking officials come to visit them now and then, would you have come specifically to inquire about the news?¡±

    ¡°But you said she was from ¡±another mansion¡± at that time. If it weren''t for me investigating and understanding, then the sister would have been a concubine to be married, wouldn''t you have missed it?¡±

    ¡°Alright, enough.¡±

    Seeing the two of them arguing, Hong Jiu scolded with some impatience, "Before the magpie calls out, you two scumbags started to argue endlessly.¡±

    Two little beggars quickly stopped talking.

    But after a while, they heard a few chirp from the wall, with a voice sharp and loud.

    Hong Jiu''s eyes also lit up, and he quickly gestured to the two little beggars to avoid them. He then took out a pair of bamboo boards from his arms and waited for the magpie to chirp a few more times before coming to the door:

    After a pause, he sneered again and said, "But I came today not for any money, but to establish rules for you and let you know who is the boss of Shanxi Lane.¡±

    As he spoke, he waved his mallet and said, "Brothers, give this bastard some lessons.¡±

    At this command, nine beggars immediately trapped Hong Jiu and surrounded him, and they saw sticks like rain, chicken soup flying, and several white flour buns rolling back and forth on the ground.¡±

    Although Hong Jiu''s mouth was sharp and his eyes were lively, his body was notoriously thin. One-on-one, he was not an opponent, let alone being bullied more than he was.

    In the blink of an eye, he was knocked down to the ground, but he insisted on protecting the two little beggars, gritting his teeth and not saying a word!

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    The Deaf Boss saw that he was almost done, so he called off his subordinates and searched Hong Jiu''s arms to take away the silver coins. Only then did he proudly say, "Little thief~, I will teach you to be good today, and when you get the silver money in the future, remember to send it to me. I don''t want all of it from you, just in the ratio of 80 to 20 percent.¡±

    As he spoke, he stepped on Hong Jiu''s spine again and sneered, "If you don''t want to hand it to me, that''s okay. If I find out about you once, I''ll break one of your fingers. When all ten fingers are broken, I''ll disable your bloody dog paw.¡±

    After speaking, he saw Hong Jiu lying on top of the two little beggars in a state of bloodshed, still silent. The Deaf Boss couldn''t help but feel angry again.

    With a signal, a subordinate immediately stepped forward and fixed Hong Jiu''s left hand on the ground.

    The Deaf Boss lifted the mallet in his hand and said with a cruel smile, "Since you broke the rules for the first time today, I will leave a mark and a long memory for you first.¡±

    The two little beggars were already frightened and started crying, pleading in a sharp voice, "Deaf Boss, please forgive our Brother Jiu this time.¡±

    Spit!

    The Deaf Boss disdainfully spat thick phlegm on Hong Jiu''s body and cursed, "What is he? How dare you call him Brother Jiu in front of me?! Just for this, and I will leave a mark on him.¡±

    As he spoke, he swung the stick around and was about to hit Hong Jiu''s tail finger!

    Clang~

    At this moment, Nanny Wu suddenly pushed the door open and saw the mess outside. Hong Jiu was pressed down on the ground and she quickly called out, "What are you doing? Release that person quickly!¡±

    If it were to be replaced by an ordinary beggar and be scolded like this, their hearts would have been afraid long ago.

    Who knew that the Deaf Boss was so arrogant that he turned his head and pointed a stick at Nanny Wu, cursing, "Old Baba, whose pants are not securely fastened, and let you leak out?¡±

    A few beggars around burst into laughter when they heard the words.

    Nanny Wu instinctively shrank back when she saw the large number of them, but then remembered something again. She stood up straight and jumped out, crossed her waist, and cursed, "What a dog that doesn''t have long eyes! My Second Lady is going to marry the ¡±Divine Judgement Lord Sun¡± today. If you cause trouble for the happy day, be careful, the Sun family will skin you alive.¡±

    As soon as the Deaf Boss heard the words the ¡±Divine Judgement Lord Sun,¡± even his spine softened. He didn¡¯t dare to shout anymore. He apologized several times and then flew away like a fly.

    His men, however, were reluctant to part with the rewards on the ground. They scrambled to pick up buns and chicken, and then they went off with the Deaf Boss.

    At this moment, Hong Jiu also got up with the help of his two younger brothers and arched his hand at Nanny Wu, saying, "Auntie''s kindness in saving lives is unforgettable to Hong Jiu.¡±

    ¡°You sound like someone who has read a book, but why do you have to be a beggar?¡±

    Nanny Wu murmured. Seeing his head broken and bleeding, she couldn¡¯t bear it after all. So she turned back and took some buns again and sighed, "The good chicken soup has been spoiled, and now only these buns are left."

    Hong Jiu was once again grateful, and when Nanny Wu returned to the courtyard, he didn''t rush to leave. Instead, he gritted his teeth and climbed up to the wall, releasing the magpie and limping away.

 Chapter 405: Two Happy Events Come One After the Other

    Chapter 405: Two Happy Events Come One After the Other

    After Nanny Wu gave Hong Jiu a few more buns, she turned back to the courtyard and saw the curtain of the main room was lifted. Third Lady You looked curiously and asked, "Nanny Wu, what''s the matter with all this noise outside?"

    ¡°It''s nothing, a few beggars are fighting.¡±

    Nanny Wu couldn''t help but complain, "These despicable bastards are really turning around. When I went out and scolded them, they tried to scold me back. If it weren''t for bringing out the name of Lord Sun, I wouldn''t have been able to scatter them.¡±

    Upon hearing that several beggars were causing trouble, Third Lady You immediately lost interest and put down the bamboo curtain, then turned around and returned to the inner space.

    At this moment, Second Lady You had already changed into a pink lucky outfit and was organizing her makeup in front of the mirror.

    Seeing the emerald on her end, at least a hundred taels of silver were needed, Third Lady You couldn''t help but feel a little jealous. She leaned closer and rubbed against her, saying, "Sister, don''t forget to lend this jewelry to me after a while.¡±

    ¡°Go away.¡±

    Second Lady You pushed her aside half truthfully and half falsely, jokingly saying, "I don''t know who said that ¡±with the precious sword given by my lover, even the mountains of gold and silver are not worth looking at.¡± Now, how can you care about my head jewelry?¡±

    A few days ago, Liu Xianglian came to her door and dropped an ancestral sword, saying that it was a pair of males and females, which happened to be a love token.

    Third Lady You received this sword as if she had obtained a precious treasure. Simply put, it was ¡±easy to seek priceless treasure, rare to have a lover.¡± Even gold and silver mountains couldn¡¯t be more precious than the precious sword given by the lover.

    Now being stopped by her sister''s words, Third Lady You raised her eyebrows and pulled out her sword from the wall. She held it in her hand and sang, "Ha! What a mischievous little woman! Now that the Great King is holding the sword, say it, will you let me borrow it or not?¡±

    ¡°Be careful not to scratch my clothes.¡±

    Second Lady You quickly hid behind and scolded, "You are about to get married soon; why are you still being childish?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Third Lady You secretly curled her lips and said to herself, What is there to be so anxious about for a pink auspicious dress? When I get married, I will put on a bright red wedding dress; that''s hot and festive?!

    Not to mention the auspicious dress dedicated to a concubine; the gold, jade, and emerald on her sister¡¯s head was truly eye-catching.

    Therefore, Third Lady You put down her sword and went forward for a while to be obsessed.

    She finally got her sister''s promise to lend her this headpiece of jewelry on the day of her wedding. Third Lady You was full of joy and was waiting to continue her efforts. She simply begged for some precious jewelry too, so as not to be too shabby after marriage.

    Unexpectedly, Old Lady You hurried in from outside. Seeing this situation, she quickly poked her forehead and scolded, "You heartless thing, get up quickly; don''t mess up your sister¡¯s makeup.¡±

    As she spoke, she carefully scanned Second Lady You again and repaired all the subtle flaws. Then she smiled and said, "Good girl, from today on, we can count on you as reliable support. After you pass the door, you must strive hard, at least giving birth to a son.¡±

    Without waiting for Second Lady You to be shy, she hurriedly urged, "The auspicious time is almost here. You should quickly take another inventory and see if any items should be taken with you that haven''t been brought yet.¡±

    As they spoke, the mother and daughter counted the peach branches wrapped in red thread, the happy money given to sedan bearers and matchmakers, and so on.

    Confirming that nothing was missing, Old Lady You just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Third Lady You pull out a handkerchief from under her pillow. She chuckled and said, "Sister, don''t forget, there''s something very important hidden here.¡±

    Upon seeing the bloodstains on the handkerchief that resembled falling plums, Second Lady You immediately blushed and jumped up to grab it in her hand. She angrily said, "What are you flipping through your house, little child?¡±

    Third Lady You curled her lips and said, "You just said I''m getting married soon. Why are you talking about being a child now?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    Jia Yingchun covered her mouth and sneered, "When I woke up this morning, I didn''t feel much, but now I don''t know... Nauseous...¡±

    Speaking halfway, she couldn''t help but retch again.

    Only then did Second Lady You realize that she didn''t just dislike herself in that way. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, she suddenly heard Ruan Rong say happily again, "Madam, this is similar to when I was pregnant. Xiangling, is it the same as yours?¡±

    Xiangling nodded fiercely on the side and said, "It doesn¡¯t count on what we say. Let''s invite the doctor to come and take a look.¡±

    Jia Yingchun couldn''t tell whether she was happy or worried. Being able to conceive a child was naturally a good thing, but how should she handle her relationship with Sun Shaozong in the future?

    She had a lot of worries here, and Siqi and Xiuju were vying to pass messages in the front yard. Suddenly, everyone forgot about Second Lady You completely.

    It was Ruan Rong who saw that she had been kneeling on the ground, but there was no way out, so she helped Jia Yingchun sit back in place and smiled. "Madam, since she brought you luck, it¡¯s not appropriate to hang her here, right?¡±

    Jia Yingchun regained her composure and smiled apologetically at Second Sister You, saying, "I was feeling unwell for a while and neglected you. Get up now.¡±

    When Second Sister You got up, she pointed at Ruan Rong and Xiangling and said, "Greetings to the two sisters.¡±

    Shiliu rushed forward and handed the tea left by Xiuju to Second Lady You.

    Second Lady You held the tea ceremony and greeted. First, she met Ruan Rong and then Xiangling. After both of them had eaten the tea, Jia Yingchun promptly greeted them and said, "Someone, please send the bride into the bridal chamber.¡±

    The two women outside just stepped forward and helped Second Lady You to the Sun Shaozong courtyard.

    The new house arranged for her was also located in the west wing, adjacent to Xiangling''s house, which also has three rooms inside and outside. Although it was decorated, it was slightly better than Xiangling''s house because Xiangling was a gift, and in terms of status, it couldn¡¯t be compared to being carried in a sedan chair.

    Second Lady You was sitting on the bed covered with dates, peanuts, longans, and curtains, feeling uneasy and afraid to move around. She didn''t know how long she had been waiting, but suddenly she heard the faint sound of firecrackers in front of her, but it was a hundred times more lively than the sound she had when she went out.

    Thinking about it, could the Eldest Lady really be pregnant?

    Suddenly, there was a hurried sound of footsteps outside, and then Sun Shaozong pushed the door in. He got drunk and approached her, looked at her up and down a few times, and said with a chuckle, "You''re lucky. This is what Big Brother rewards you.¡±

    As he spoke, with a flick of his sleeve, he heard a ringing sound, but six golden objects fell.

    Seeing the six gold bars weighing heavily on the bed, at least one of them weighed around ten taels, which could be converted into silver and not be as large as six hundred taels. Second Lady You was stunned and trembled for a long time, saying, "How can this... How can I be granted these?¡±

    ¡°How can''t you be granted? Since you happen to catch up with the matter, it''s your luck.¡±

    As Sun Shaozong had already tasted her from head to toe, he wouldn¡¯t be polite. With a hint of alcohol, he chose the most important part to ravage.

    Unexpectedly, after tossing and turning for a while, she still stared at the six gold bars in a daze.

    Sun Shaozong simply grabbed two and stuffed them around her collar. The cold and hard thing slowly slid down her delicate and smooth skin, and the icy thing made Second Sister You shudder several times.

    But after the shiver, she felt the heavy weight of the gold bar, and Second Sister You felt as if she had a lump of charcoal fire in her heart, her burning breath becoming heavy.

 Chapter 406: Blessings and Misfortunes are Interdependent

    Chapter 406: Blessings and Misfortunes are Interdependent

    The rising sun rose in the east, and there was no cloud for a thousand miles.

    Hong Jiu hobbled down the street with a dog beater in his hand, but his heart was as gloomy as the night before the rainstorm.

    Originally, he had not recovered from his injury and shouldn¡¯t have gone begging on the streets. However, the beggars had never had overnight wealth. During these seven or eight days of recuperation, he relied on a few small beggars to beg for leftovers and come back hungry all day. Hong Jiu couldn''t bear it anymore.

    Therefore, he was ready to find a feng shui land, use his ability of sweet talking, and beg for some tinkling treasures to satisfy his stomach.

    Who knew that when he reached the street with a dog beater and didn''t even have time to think of a suitable place, he found someone following him, peeking at him, and it was the Deaf Boss''s subordinates!

    Was this damn Boss really going to drive everyone away?!

    Hong Jiu was filled with frustration and anger, and he wished to just turn around and fight against the evil beggar. However, as he just turned around and measured the other person''s size, he wisely gave up the idea of seeking death.

    What should he do?

    It was impossible to fight; he was limping and there was no way he could get rid of the opponent.

    This was really

    ¡°Ouch~¡±

    His mind was in a mess, and he didn''t pay attention. Suddenly, a person rushed out of the alley in front of him, and with one elbow, he pushed Hong Jiu all over the place!

    After catching up with five or six strong men, Hong Jiu was about to run away in his thinned, fast boots that were the size of a clay pot without thinking. His soul flew out of fear, and he quickly rolled to the bottom of the south wall. Only then did he stop in shock.

    When Hong Jiu got up from the ground, he saw the tall and thin man who had knocked him over, surrounded by the strong men chasing after him. He greeted him with his fists slapped in the face and cursed in his mouth, ¡°Bastard! Don''t you go and inquire about where our Silver Hook Gambling House is! How dare you steal something from us?! You are indeed looking for death.¡±

    ¡°Don''t talk nonsense to him! Where''s the thing? Where''s the thing? Hurry up and hand it over!¡±

    ¡°Brother Dong, it seems that the thing is not on him! Say, where the hell did you hide it?¡±

    Nearby was a morning market selling vegetables, and now it was a time of high crowds. The crowd heard that a thief had been caught, so everyone gathered around and shouted, joining in the excitement.

    ¡°Who stole your things?¡±

    The tall and thin man saw this and jumped three feet high and shouted at the top of his voice, "Heaven and earth have a conscience; I am speaking the truth... Ouch.¡±Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com

    As soon as he spoke, he received another slap in the face. The tall and thin man covered his face and quickly changed his mind. "How can something I bought in real gold and silver be considered stolen?¡±

    He wished he could fly and ran back to the ruined temple to carefully confirm. However, he saw the Deaf Boss''s subordinates standing not far away, and they were also listening in a daze.

    No way!

    If the Deaf Boss''s subordinates see a flaw when they rush back like this, they might immediately seize their chance!

    Just carrying the idea of entering the mansion three times bigger in his heart, did Hong Jiu still have the interest to beg for food? So he decided to stroll around the street and wait until noon to go back and see what happened.

    He was leaning on a bamboo stick, wandering around. At first, he felt hot in his heart, and he didn''t feel tired. However, as he walked, the scorching sun made him sweat like rain.

    Seeing that it was inevitable to suffer from heatstroke again, Hong Jiu hesitated whether to find a cool place to rest for a while, but suddenly, he heard the commotion of chickens flying and dogs jumping in the nearby alley.

    First, a man was shouting and cursing in the yard, "What a poisonous woman; you are indeed trying to murder your husband.¡±

    Spit!

    Immediately after, another woman screamed, "You thief, you are not my husband. Now that you are living in my house shamelessly, you must be trying to deceive my property.¡±

    The man exclaimed again, "Okay, fine! You poisonous woman still dares to talk like that. I... I must take you off today.¡±

    After listening to these words, Hong Jiu felt a bit fresh. He always traveled through the streets, and he has heard many other people''s marital arguments. However, the woman insisted that her husband was fake, but allowed him to live at home, which was the first time he had ever encountered.

    He was also tired on both sides, so he simply sat down at the entrance of the alley and first took off the cloth shoes with exposed toes. He knocked off the sand inside the wall and then rolled up the pants, revealing two gray and white furry legs.

    When all this was sorted out, Hong Jiu was about to prick up his ears and listen to the corner of the wall, but suddenly he heard a mournful and high-pitched scream coming from the courtyard, "Ah~¡±

    Hong Jiu was so scared that he had goosebumps all over his body. He didn''t know what was going on inside, but he heard a loud crash. The door of the house opened, and a cute little woman stumbled out. Her green sleeves were covered in bloodstains!

    This...

    Hong Jiu instinctively climbed up from the ground, trembling and holding onto the dog beater, step by step retreating.

    Unexpectedly, the little woman was even more panicked than him. When she walked out the door, she saw a beggar carrying a bamboo stick and staring at herself with wide eyes. Her feet softened and she collapsed on the ground, crying and wiping tears, saying, "I... I just wanted to scare him, not intentionally kill him.¡±

    ¡°Kill... Kill...¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hong Jiu took two more steps back and turned around at the entrance of the alley. He screamed, "Murder! Murder! Someone has murdered her husband!¡±

 Chapter 407: Suspected Murder Case [(1)]

    Chapter 407: Suspected Murder Case [(1)]

    | Central Judicial Office, main hall of the Criminal Department |

    After yawning heavily, Sun Shaozong picked up his pen with drowsy eyes. He was about to drop it on the official document but suddenly forgot what comments to write.

    As he pondered and finally remembered some features, he only heard a click, and the thick ink had already fallen onto the official document.

    Damn it!

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly took a soft cloth to dip it in. Fortunately, he was using high-quality ink from the State of Hui, which stuck to the paper. After using the soft cloth to absorb the ink, only a piece of ink about the size of a chess piece was left, which didn¡¯t stain the original words of the official document.

    Seeing this, Sun Shaozong breathed a slight sigh of relief in his heart, but he had no intention of continuing to review the official documents. So he washed the wolf hair pen thoroughly, put it on a mountain-shaped pen holder, and walked to the window to scoop out the water from the copper basin. He rubbed his face several times.

    So and so, he was finally refreshed.

    Sigh~

    These days, he has been indulging in debauchery and has finally the sign of excessive indulgence!

    It seemed necessary to exercise some restraint, otherwise, if there were any mistakes, it was not fun.

    Speaking again, Second Sister You was really a natural beauty. Her tall, plump, and snowy satin white body was like a tailored one for men, and Sun Shaozong was always carefree and unable to extricate himself.Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com

    Moreover, she was willing to obey all kinds of tricks and loved to be obsessed with being charming and naive, actively inviting battles. She was not as shy as other women, so in recent days, Sun Shaozong has rarely been able to sleep soundly.

    In addition, there was also a need to spare time to ¡±comfort¡± Ruan Rong. This kind of sweet pain was not enough for external humanity, which was not to be told.

    Fortunately, Jia Yingchun has already confirmed her pregnancy. Otherwise, his Big Brother would have been pushing for ¡±planting¡± every day; even if it were a hard-hit body and bones, it would have been difficult to sustain her.

    ¡°Uncle.¡±

    Just as he was thinking about some things he shouldn¡¯t have, he heard Sun Chengye reporting outside, "The notice for the trial implementation of the beggar system has been written. Would you like to take a look first?¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Sun Shaozong walked up and opened the door, took the notice with ease, glanced at it in ten lines, then shook his head and said, "It would be better to be more straightforward in wording. How many beggars can understand this elegant thing?¡±

    Sun Chengye quickly arched his hand and said, "I shall go and draft a new one.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said, "First post this notice outside the mansion door, and then draw up another simple one so that the Yamen Servants in the mansion can memorize it. Call on the beggars to read it directly.¡±

    After Sun Chengye agreed and went out to explain the posting of the notice, Sun Shaozong sat back behind the case and prepared to continue issuing official documents.

    Due to the fact that beggar Hong Jiu happened to hear about the incident, Xu-Shi couldn''t deny it and had to confess the act of killing her husband. Therefore, there was nothing worth investigating and questioning in this part of the case.

    The only oddity was that Xu-Shi insisted that the deceased was a fake, not the real Song Changgeng.

    This statement was strongly refuted by Song Changgeng''s Uncle, who believed that she had woven such a ridiculous lie to alleviate the charges.

    But...

    If she wanted to make up a lie to exonerate herself, shouldn''t she use such a bizarre excuse?

    Sun Shaozong looked at this exploration record and couldn''t help but fall into contemplation.

    It was said that Hong Jiu, who happened to be involved in a human life lawsuit, was also taken as a witness to the Central Judicial Office.

    Because Qiu Yunfei saw that he was a rootless beggar and was afraid that he might disappear without paying attention, he simply ordered someone to temporarily detain him and Xu-Shi in the lobby.

    In the beginning, Hong Jiu was frightened and felt weak all over. He knelt in the hall and didn¡¯t dare to even breathe.

    But after kneeling for more than half an hour, Hong Jiu couldn''t continue as he saw that it was already past mealtime and his stomach was growling with hunger. However, no one came to inquire.

    He peeked left and right and saw that the Government Officials were all outside and no one was paying attention to him. He simply tilted his body and collapsed onto the ground, grinning and rubbing his knees.

    After rubbing for a while, he found that there was still no one to interfere. His courage increased a bit as he rubbed his knees and peeked at the nearby Xu-Shi.

    He saw Xu-Shi kneeling on the ground in a daze, her skirt torn apart by relatives of the Song family, revealing half of her white porcelain-like arm. However, she couldn''t even remember to cover it up.

    Tch tch tch!

    What a fair and charming woman! How could she be so determined to murder her husband?

    Hong Jiu stared at the white porcelain-like arm, drooling for a long time, but suddenly realized that Xu-Shi''s cherry mouth was constantly opening and closing.

    What was she muttering about?

    Hong Jiu couldn''t help but be curious and cautiously moved towards Xu-Shi. After listening for a long time, he finally recognized that Xu-Shi was repeating the phrases ¡±He''s not my husband¡± and ¡±He''s not Song Changgeng.¡±

    How could she still say that even now?

    Hong Jiu was a bit speechless at first, but upon closer inspection of Xu-Shi''s appearance, it didn''t seem like she was lying. Hong Jiu has always been quite complacent. If he couldn''t tell the appearances of others, even his skillful mouth would be like rootless duckweed, unable to scratch the itch of others.

    But if she wasn''t lying, should it be that...

    Was the person who died really not her husband?!

 Chapter 408: Suspected Murder Case [(2)]

    Chapter 408: Suspected Murder Case [(2)]

    ¡°Get some wet towels and put them on the shelf, ready for the Master to wipe his sweat later.¡±

    ¡°Put two chilled sour plum soups on the case.¡±

    ¡°Remember to ice a few watermelons in the well; our Master would prefer this one.¡±

    There was still some time before 1 p.m., but the Yamen attendants were already busy in the lobby, sweating profusely one by one, but their faces were filled with the joy of surviving the disaster.

    On the contrary, there were a few shirtless and wandering idle people in the hall, their faces as black as ashes from the bottom of a pot.

    As soon as he saw the mess outside being tidied up, the Yamen attendant went to the side hall and knocked on the wall with an iron ruler. He shouted in a loud and grand voice, "You guys, wake up! Hurry up, put on your clothes, and come out on duty.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Boss Li.¡±

    ¡°Hasn''t the time arrived yet? Why are you urging us?¡±

    ¡°Oh my goodness, isn''t this goddess weather going to heat people to death?¡±

    The side hall was filled with complaints, and the ¡±idle people¡± cursed and slowly put on soap robes and square scarves. They also took water and firesticks from under the wall and angrily left the side hall.

    Originally, these were all unlucky people on duty today. No wonder they were so carefree just now, but no one envied them.

    One should know that this Yamen servant''s soap robe was made of coarse cloth, which was much hotter than the silk texture of the official uniform. Especially when they stand in two places, they might not be able to move for a moment. The taste of it was unbearable.

    When they arrived in the lobby, Boss Li urged them again, "There''s a bucket of well water at the door. Let''s go wash our faces and wake up from the nap. When we go through the hall, give some energy. If anyone dares to show off or make a mistake in front of the Master, don''t blame me for not showing mercy.¡±

    The Government Officials responded weakly and placed their water and fire sticks on the silent plaque, then rolled their arms and sleeves to wash up.

    There was still a distance from the bucket of well water, and two Yamen attendants suddenly stood still, their four eyes shining brightly. How could there be any hint of weakness?

    When the lobby was just being decorated, Xu-Shi was taken outside again. At this moment, she was sweating from the scorching sun, and her lush green dress had already soaked through most of it. It was tight and wrinkled, wrapped in the unique, seductive curves of a young woman.

    Moreover, half of her sleeve was torn off, revealing a white porcelain-like arm, like a peeping leopard in a tube, like a leaf knowing autumn. It became more and more imaginative, only filling the spring light at the bottom of the skirt with a thousand charming thoughts.

    So and so, how could they still need any well water?

    The Government Officials stood up one by one in high spirits and chattered loudly, ¡°How could such a beautiful little woman murder her husband?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! How many ugly women have murdered their husbands these days?¡±

    ¡°Brothers, if the Lord uses torture, later on, you need to hold onto me first. I''ve never seen such a delicate white woman before.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the way! It''s been set that I''ll be in prison today.¡±

    Speaking of the commotion in the room, they unknowingly insulted Xu-Shi several hundred times with their eyes. Only then did everyone, under the urging of Boss Li, reluctantly returned to the lobby.

    Due to this delay, as soon as Sun Shaozong had just taken his place in front, he strode out of the back hall and sat down behind the case. He then waited for Qiu Yunfei and Sun Chengye, each holding a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, to reach the audience seats. He then gave a sudden shout, "Someone, bring the plaintiff and defendant to the court.¡±

    Wei<del class="chakra-text css-0">Wu</del>

    The Yamen Guards, who were just covered in obscene faces, immediately shouted out righteously.

    Amidst the tinkling sound of gongs and drums, seven or eight people, male, female, old, and young, all appeared to be filled with righteous indignation. It was obvious that it was Song Changgeng''s Uncle''s family.

    Before these few people could kneel in disorder, the two Yamen guards escorted Xu-Shi in again.

    As he spoke, he signaled at Sun Chengye.

    Sun Chengye immediately spoke up and said, "According to the laws and regulations of this court, killing one''s own husband should be punished by hanging, execution, and waist cutting as appropriate.¡±

    After a pause, he made a summary, ¡°All are executions punishment!¡±

    Upon hearing these words, Xu-Shi suddenly fell limp to the ground but then suddenly bounced back, disregarding the sudden tremors in her chest. She urgently said, "Your Excellency! I have evidence, I have evidence.¡±

    ¡°Because this thief knows everything about my family and his appearance seems different from my husband''s, I didn¡¯t suspect that he was a fake until last night.¡±

    Speaking of this, Xu-Shi struggled a little before finally gritting her teeth and saying, "It wasn''t until last night when I shared the bed with him that something suddenly happened. My husband''s object was very thick and short, but he had a slender one...¡±

    ¡°Even if we haven''t seen each other in four years, that object... Wouldn''t have changed in length or thickness out of thin air.¡±

    As soon as these words were spoken, there was a sudden uproar in the hall. Not to mention the Tian family; even the Yamen attendants on both sides couldn''t help but whisper.

    No wonder she had previously concealed such private matters. If it weren''t for the moment when her life was at stake, who would have told anyone else?

    ¡°What a bitch.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was waiting to stop the commotion of the people under his command. Suddenly, someone jumped out from behind Tian Dahai, but this time he was a young man in his early twenties. He heard him speak harshly and scold, "You have already killed Brother Changgeng; how can you still trample on him like this?¡±

    ¡°Brother Changgeng has been home for over two months now, and you are a serious couple. How did you only discover something strange last night?¡±

    ¡°Besides, you bitch secretly colluded with many men while Brother Changgeng was away. You measured those objects all day, and I''m afraid you won''t remember what Brother Changgeng looked like, will you?¡±

    ¡°You... You... You...¡±

    ¡°Xu-Shi.¡±

    Xu-Shi''s face blushed with embarrassment and anger, and as she was about to argue for a few words, she heard Sun Shaozong ask in a deep voice, "Don''t pay attention to this person''s foul language. First, tell me, what is the difference between what you just said and what it usually looks like?¡±

    ¡°What is the usual appearance?¡±

    Xu-Shi was stunned for a moment before realizing what this meant. She blushed and shook her head, saying, "It doesn''t seem to make much difference, but when he went to bed...¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and said in half-genuine anger, "Now that Song Changgeng is dead without evidence, but you''re talking about the way he looked when he went to bed?! Isn''t it because you wanted to exonerate yourself, so you deliberately amused me?¡±

    ¡°I dare not, I dare not!¡±

    Xu-Shi was intimidated and grabbed the ground with her head, crying out, "It was really because I realized something was wrong last night that I argued with him.¡±

    She wept and cried out for injustice here, but everyone in the Tian family spoke loudly and praised the ¡±Heavenly Master.¡± ¡°Your divine eyes were like lightning, and you could see through this poisonous woman''s sophistry at a glance.¡±

    Pa~

    As the two sides were arguing and entangled, Sun Shaozong suddenly hit the wooden block and said solemnly, "Xu-Shi, you said it was not right to argue with him. Did you mention the matter of ¡±impersonation¡± in your words at that time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±

    Xu-Shi seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and hurriedly said, "When I was arguing with him, I mentioned this several times and happened to be overheard by a beggar outside the door. If you don''t believe me, just ask that beggar and you''ll know.¡±

 Chapter 409: Suspected Murder Case [(3)]

    Chapter 409: Suspected Murder Case [(3)]

    ¡°Bring witness Hong Jiu.¡±

    With a rhythmic shout, Hong Jiu trembled and arrived at the entrance of the lobby. He saw both sides were filled with officials like wolves, and in the middle sat a fierce Lord, his legs feeling a bit softer.

    In addition, as his old injury didn¡¯t heal, he tried several times but was stunned that he couldn''t cross the one-foot-high threshold, and his face was covered in oil and mud with embarrassment.

    He was about to hold onto the door frame and try again, but suddenly he felt a strange gaze.

    Wandering, helpless, eager, and begging!

    These complex emotions, combined with Xu-Shi''s delicate face, transmitted an invisible force that made Hong Jiu easily cross the threshold and, step by step, walked steadily to Xu-Shi''s side. He bent his knees and knelt, saying, "I, Hong Jiu, have you seen the Heavenly Master.¡±

    Even his voice was a bit louder and clearer than usual.

    ¡°Hong Jiu.¡±

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong solemnly asked, "What did you hear and see outside the door of Song Changgeng''s house? Quickly and truthfully tell me about it.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hong Jiu''s heart was moved. Thinking about the way Xu-Shi had muttered to himself before, he hurriedly said, "Report to Lord Qingtian; I happened to pass by. When I heard this woman say that her husband was a fake, I found it very interesting, so I leaned in and listened to it a few times.¡±

    ¡°At that time, the man kept saying he wanted to drive her out of the house, but for some reason, he suddenly let out a scream. Then the woman came out in a panic and saw me without covering herself, crying and shouting that she didn''t mean to kill the counterfeit.¡±

    Although his statement was mostly true, his position completely leant towards Li-Shi.

    Li-Shi was overjoyed. Tian Biao, the youngest son of Tian Dahai, couldn¡¯t help but jump out and question loudly, "Her house is not a Congee shed. How could you just happen to catch up with her when she killed people?!"

    As he spoke, he spoke harshly, with a forced tone, "Say, were you bribed by this little slut and conspired with her to harm Changgeng''s life?¡±

    If Xu-Shi were to be questioned with such sharp words and expressions, he was afraid that she would immediately hesitate and become speechless.

    But Hong Jiu has always made a living through his mouth, and without hesitation, he kowtowed and shouted, "I am wronged, My Lord. I have never had any connection with this woman. Even if I am injured, no one will buy me as an accomplice in murder.¡±

    Tian Biao snatched the words again and said, "Perhaps your injury was just a moment ago?¡±

    ¡°Is it a new injury or an old injury? It''s easy to tell at a glance.¡±

    Hong Jiu lifted his trouser legs and said, "Speaking of it, the injury I have has something to do with you, My Lord.¡±

    As he spoke, he spoke in a few words about going to the You family to beg for some food and being surrounded by evil beggars. In the end, he kowtowed and thanked him, "If it weren''t for being saved by the servant of your beloved concubine, I would have been a true Nine Fingers Hong now.¡±

    ¡°After that, I stayed at home for several days until today and came out to beg for food. Unexpectedly, I was also targeted by the Deaf Boss''s subordinates, so I didn''t dare to ask for anything seriously and had to wander around aimlessly.¡±

    ¡°If you don''t believe me, please send someone to find the Deaf Boss''s subordinates, and they will know that they have always followed me before the murder occurred.¡±

    He was used to singing the song "Lotus Falling," and even though he was so used to it, he didn''t give Tian Biao a chance to interrupt.

    After listening to these words, Sun Shaozong also didn¡¯t hesitate. He picked up the wooden block and said in a deep voice, "Since the case is particularly suspicious, let''s postpone the trial and take Xu into custody first.¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Tian Biao jumped up and said, "This bitch has already personally admitted that she killed Changgeng. Why do you still want to...¡±

    ¡°Someone.¡±

    On the other hand, almost everyone in the Tian family wished to kill Xu-Shi, especially Tian Biao, who seemed aggressive but secretly showed a sense of panic and shortness of breath. It was suspicious.

    After briefly explaining this analysis to Qiu Yunfei, Sun Shaozong said, "If it is confirmed that there has been a dispute or conflict of interest between Xu-Shi and Tian families before, you should immediately send more personnel to investigate the movements of several male members of the Tian family before Song Changgeng returned home.¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Qiu Yunfei scratched his head and said, "It''s probably difficult to detect anything; after all, it''s been over two months.¡±

    Sun Shaozong shook his head again and said, "If it''s only once or twice, of course, it''s difficult to trace any clues, but it''s not easy to fully integrate one person into another''s life in a short period.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the person behind the scenes, before the counterfeit person begun to take action, will inevitably contact them frequently. As long as we find out who has been missing for many days and conduct further investigation, we will definitely gain something.¡±

    Speaking of this, Sun Shaozong hastily added, "By the way, while the body is still fresh, quickly select a few skilled painters to copy his appearance, so that it won''t be difficult to verify at the time.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Qiu Yunfei couldn''t bear it anymore. He left behind the sentence ¡°I''ll handle it now,¡± and rushed out like the wind.

    However, he quickly turned back like the wind, put on his official uniform, and finally left the inner hall again.

    Tch!

    Only half a year has passed, and this dandy was even more dedicated to his work than himself!

    When Hong Jiu left the hall of the government office, he remembered the fair and plump appearance of Xu-Shi when she bowed to him and thanked him. His heart couldn''t help but feel a bit reluctant to part with her.

    He secretly prayed to Xu-Shi for justice, but when he turned around, he suddenly felt melancholy again.

    Even if Xu-Shi could truly redress her wrongs in the future, she wouldn¡¯t marry a beggar just because of this kindness; no matter what, they might be from two different worlds.

    But then again, if he could be like the Deaf Boss, with ten beggars under his command, earning 78 taels of silver a month and owning their homestead, even if they were beggars, he wouldn''t necessarily need to live alone.

    Just as he was thinking about something he didn''t have, Hong Jiu glanced coldly at the notice board on the west wall and immediately remembered Sun Shaozong''s last sentence. He then ran over, scanning the notices one by one.

    ¡°Geerdi Luojie, a merchant from the Western Regions, died of the epidemic in the autumn of the eighth year of Guangde and left behind some goods. Those who were familiar with him could contact his family on his behalf.¡±

    Definitely not this.

    ¡°Shen Wansan was not a clerk in this government office, but rather an impostor of the Jianghu fraud. To prevent the public from being deceived by him, we hereby announce...¡±

    That''s not it either!

    ¡°Yang Bo and Huang En from the East China Sea are magnificent, and there are imperial kilns for firing...¡±

    ¡°The daughter of the missing official in the Jiaofang Division...¡±

    ¡°Beggar System...¡±

    ¡°Recruitment for leased farmstead...¡±

    Wait!

    Hong Jiu''s gaze turned back and fixed on the notice of ¡±Beggar System.¡± He read the content over and over again, and his breath gradually grew heavier.

 Chapter 371 - The Impoverished Family

    When Sun Shaozong was reluctantly sent out by the mother and daughter of the You family, the sky was already full of stars outside.

    Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but feel some shame in his heart. For a woman, he delayed the plan to personally send the ¡±Swordsman¡± to the Supreme Court, which was truly inappropriate.

    Feeling remorseful, he untied the reins and rolled over to mount his horse without hesitation, heading straight to Jia Shanyao''s house. It was too late to correct his mistake now, so it was better to just let it be.

    When he arrived at Jia Shanyao¡¯s mansion, he revealed his identity as the Thousands Household Dragon Guard Inspector to the gatekeeper. The other party naturally didn¡¯t dare to neglect him and quickly led Sun Shaozong into the living room, then flew to the backyard to report.

    Not long after, he saw Jia Shanyao rush into the living room in a disheveled attire. It was indeed Sun Shaozong in front of him, and he quickly knelt on one knee and said, "Greetings to Inspector Sun.¡±

    Following, he humbly inquired, "I wonder if you have any commands coming here?¡±

    ¡°Get up first and speak.¡±

    Sun Shaozong pulled him up from the ground and smiled. "How can I speak to the host when you are kneeling on the ground?¡±

    After Jia Shanyao stood up in fear, he then said, "Actually, it''s not a command; it''s just a personal matter that I want you to handle.¡±

    Private matters?

    Jia Shanyao was overjoyed. He often said that a wife was not as good as a concubine, and a concubine was not... Well, ¡±ten public officials were not worth one private matter.¡± Only those who could handle private affairs for their superiors could be considered their own!

    So he quickly knelt on one knee again and said in a clanging voice, "Despite your orders, I will do my best to fulfill my duties.¡±

    ¡°One, two, ha!¡±

    At the beach, two sturdy men shouted slogans and threw a naked figure from the yacht. Seeing the man throwing someone into the water in a ¡±flat falling¡± style, he panicked and kicked his feet. They then crossed their waists and raised their heads at the bow of the boat, laughing recklessly.

    The naked person who fell into the water struggled a few times and suddenly realized that there was something wrong with his feet. His feet stabilized in the mud of the river, and he realized that the river was only three feet deep. It was only as deep as his chest.

    A surge of confidence immediately passed through his legs. After being heated and flavored, it sprayed out of his mouth, "Damn it! I''m just a little unlucky, and you guys are treating me like this. When my luck turns around one day, I''ll bring someone to overturn this bloody boat and make you all be the food of the turtle!¡±

    Gambling on boats was not a unique novelty in later generations. In fact, there were underground gambling stalls long ago. To avoid government censorship, the gambling location was specially set on the ship.

    And this man obviously lost his shirt and started making noise on the boat before being thrown into the water by the casino thugs.

    When the two Chinese characters on the ship heard the drowning dog dared to bark, one of them picked up a bamboo pole and pretended to hit it on his head.

    No matter how timid Zhang Hua was, he couldn''t help but burst out cursing, but the next second, his eyes lit up again.

    It turned out that the talking Dragon Guard raised his hand and held out a silver ingot weighing thirty taels. He shook it in front of him and said, "If you''re willing to write a divorce letter, this silver will be yours.¡±

    It was indeed a path of good luck!

    Zhang Hua was overjoyed and was about to nod his head like a rattle drum, but on second thought, he shook his head again and pretended to be perplexed, saying, "My lady is indeed a beauty, and thirty taels may be...¡±

    Ding~

    The Dragon Guard''s wrist trembled, and another ingot of silver ingot rolled out of his sleeve, colliding with the original ingot and making a pleasant and melodious sound.

    Sixty taels of silver! Just one resignation letter; it was all his.

    ¡°This... This...¡±

    Zhang Hua''s body trembled with joy, but his greed was even stronger. He still shook his head and said, "My lady who hasn''t passed the door is really drifting...¡±

    A stupid person!

    Unexpectedly, the Dragon Guard immediately turned his back and cursed, "Since you''re not willing, then let''s just forget about it.¡±

    As he spoke, he put away his silver and wanted to lead his companions away.

    ¡°No, no, no!¡±

    Zhang Hua quickly changed his tone and said, "I mean, that woman, she''s not as beautiful as these sixty taels of silver! Could you please bring me to write a letter of divorce?¡±

    He was really a...

    The two Dragon Guards were extremely disdainful of him, but for the sake of a job, they still found him a tattered shirt and personally led him to the nearby chief village¡¯s house, writing an official certificate of resignation.

    They then forced Zhang Hua to rummage through the boxes and cabinets to find the original match-making letter and burn it to the ground. Only then did they leave the silver and hurriedly leave.

    After the two Dragon Guards left, Zhang Hua held the silver and kissed it again and again. Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly ran to the beach.

    ¡°Lady Qi, Lady Qi! I have silver again. Hurry up and bring the boat over, so that I can go up and make a profit!" He shouted from a distance.

 Chapter 372 - The Ethics of Ningguo Mansion

    On the afternoon of May 14th, the sudden rain stopped and the sky was cleared.

    The stagnant water dripped from both sides of the corridor in the back of Ningguo Mansion, pounding on the bluestone slab, not to mention having any melody, but the sound made people feel comfortable both physically and mentally.

    Of course, it also depended on the mood.

    At least Jia Rong hurried into this corridor, and upon hearing the tinkling sound, the dryness in his heart not only didn¡¯t decrease but also increased a bit.

    Seeing a woman cleaning up the mud accumulated in the corner ahead, he covered his nose and asked in a muffled voice, "Do you know where the Master is resting now?¡±

    The woman saw that it was Jia Rong who was asking; she quickly lifted her tools and rubbed her hands several times before hesitating to speak. In the end, she awkwardly lowered her head and refused to say a word.

    If a random person gave such a strange response to the owner''s inquiry, she was afraid they would have to be scolded heavily. After all, knowing was knowing, and not knowing was not knowing. Was there any reason not to answer the owner''s question?

    But after all, this was the backyard of Ningguo Mansion, and it was not the first time Jia Rong had received such a response. Therefore, she immediately realized and quickly changed his direction, heading straight to his wife Hu''s boudoir.

    As expected, when he arrived at the small courtyard, he saw that all the maids and nannies had disappeared. When he entered the flower hall, his ears were immediately filled with moaning sounds.

    Jia Rong lifted the curtain and carefully looked inside. He saw that his father and his wife were in a fierce battle, and although he was very anxious, he didn''t dare to go in and disturb them. He had to endure and wait in the flower hall.

    Fortunately, it didn''t take long before the clouds were scattered and the rain was resting inside, and then there was the sound of rustling clothes.

    Jia Rong quickly approached the bead curtain again and respectfully said, "Father, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.¡±

    ¡°Come in and talk.¡±

    Jia Zhen''s tired voice was heard inside. Jia Rong immediately lifted the curtain and entered the room. He saw him leaning against the head of the bed, covering his bony ribs with an inner lining. His two bare fur legs hung down along the head of the bed, stepping on a pair of embroidered shoes with thick wooden soles.

    Meanwhile, Jia Rong''s wife, Hu-Shi, was still in bed, holding onto a thin quilt and revealing her two snow-white arms. She had no intention of getting up to welcome her husband.

    ¡°Father, don''t worry.¡±

    Jia Rong was not willing to do so, so he already had a good idea on the way. At this moment, he hurriedly said, "I heard that this matter was the Third Sister You who first took a liking to Liu Xianglian who instigated to get married. The Second Master of the Sun family may not necessarily know your feelings towards the Second and Third Sisters.¡±

    ¡°From my perspective, he would choose to be on good terms with our Rong-Ning Mansions.¡±

    ¡°After all, he would still require the title of the Rongguo Mansion as his support.¡±

    Jia Zhen thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That''s indeed such a reason! Since that''s the case, I''ll first find an opportunity to tear things apart with Sun Erlang and see how he chooses.¡±

    As he spoke, Jia Zhen couldn''t help but scold the Third Lady You, saying that she had been crazy a few days ago, and now it seemed that she was indeed a restless wave hoof!

    Jia Rong waited for him to vent his anger and then cautiously reminded him that tomorrow was the day when the Prison God Temple would sing the "Sun Public Case." At that time, Sun Shaozong would definitely come as a support, which was a good opportunity to have a showdown with each other.

    Jia Zhen responded with ease again, and when he looked at his son again, he looked much more pleased than usual. So he generously pointed to the bed and said, "I have just warmed up the body for you. At this moment, you can enjoy it. Remember to ask her to take the medicine after completing the task, so as not to cause any indecisive things and disrupt the order of generations.¡±

    It was a shame that he still has the face to say ¡±disrupting the order of generations.¡±

    Jia Rong was already used to it and thanked his father for his ¡±thoughtfulness,¡± and he stayed in bed and acted while it was hot.

    Who knew that Hu-Shi obediently listened to this for a long time, but at this moment she couldn''t help but ask, "Father-in-Law, I have been taking medicine today and every day. When... When will I be able to inherit our family?¡±

    ¡°When?¡±

    Jia Zhen tossed her sleeve impatiently and said, "You two are in your prime of youth. What''s so urgent about this? Let''s talk about it later.¡±

    As he spoke, he walked straight out of the room.

    Jia Rong didn''t care what Hu''s mood was, and he stripped off his clothes and became obsessed with her with all his heart. The angry Hu cursed incessantly, but instead, he became more impulsive.

 Chapter 373 - Valiant and Powerful Family Atmosphere

    Early the next morning.

    Jia Zhen and his son packed up quickly and bravely, leaving the entrance of the mansion. Just as they were about to rush to the ¡±Wangjiang Tower¡± to make a deal with Sun Shaozong, they saw several carriages surging out of the Rongguo Mansion, and the scene was very lively.

    Jia Zhen asked someone over and realized that because Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu had both appeared in this play, many people in the Rongguo Mansion were also clamoring to join the fun.

    It was needless to say Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu, even Jia Huan, who has been neglected recently, as well as the nobody, Jia Cong, and even the second eldest grandson Jia Lan, were in the queue.

    Upon hearing the report, Jia Zhen remembered that when he celebrated his birthday a few days ago, not everybody supposed to be there was there, and his heart became a bit jealous.

    But Jia Rong''s eyes twirled beside him, and he suddenly exclaimed with joy, "Father, this matter is quite easy to handle now.¡±

    Seeing Jia Zhen unable to understand his intentions, he quickly explained, "Since the Yihong Courtyard incident, Second Sister was taken advantage of by Sun Shaozong, and Uncle Lian has been jealous of him in his heart. Now that Uncle Lian has just started to think about the Second Sister, if he knows that Sun Shaozong is coming to steal the one he took a liking to, how can he let Sun Shaozong off?¡±Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Jia Zhen frowned and said, "Encourage him to take a head start?¡±

    Seeing Jia Rong nod, Jia Zhen shook his head again and said, "It''s not right, it''s not right! If we do it this way, isn''t your Second Sister be a benefit to Second Master Lian?¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? We need to be a middleman for him, so we can taste the soup first and then send the Second Sister over. Isn''t that enough?¡±

    Jia Zhen still felt a bit reluctant upon hearing this.

    But he was even more afraid that his start would be unfavorable and he would lose the face of Ningguo Mansion. Therefore, after careful consideration, he still squeezed out a smile and stepped on the servant to get off the carriage, shouting and saying, "Second Brothers Lian, come and talk.¡±

    Jia Lian had already seen the carriage of Ningguo Mansion and thought it was Jia Rong inside, so he didn''t take it seriously. Now, seeing Jia Zhen coming down from above, he quickly greeted him with a smile and said, "It¡¯s rare for you to be interested in coming out for a walk, Brother Zhen.¡±

    ¡°Interested?¡±

    Jia Zhen''s face turned pale and he smiled bitterly. "The others have bullied us both, yet you don''t listen or ask. If I don''t come out again to seek justice, won''t the faces of our Rong-Ning Mansions all be trampled on like mud?¡±

    Jia Lian was stunned and said in surprise, "Where do these words come from, Brother Zhen?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    Jia Zhen looked left and right, pulled him to the carriage, and then dispersed each other''s servants before lowering his voice and saying, "A few days ago, on my birthday, didn¡¯t you take a liking to my Second Sister?¡±

    Jia Lian''s thoughts have never been a taboo in front of Jia Zhen''s father and son, and he noticed that they were also ordinary. Therefore, Jia Lian only chuckled and said, "It depends on Brother Zhen''s willingness to part.¡±

    ¡°What good is it for me to be willing to give up?¡±

    Jia Lian followed the sound and saw the two standing with their hands down, guarding the entrance of a magnificent private room. On top of their heads, a half-moon-shaped relief was adorned with the three gilded characters ¡±Guanlan Pavilion.¡±

    This ungrateful bastard has such great authority...

    Jia Lian sneered disdainfully, raised his head, and pointed his nostrils at the two people, asking, "Let me ask you, is Sun Shaozong inside?¡±

    The two of them glanced at each other and raised their heads proudly, "Is this something you can ask?¡±

    Even the servants of the Sun family were so arrogant and domineering!

    Jia Lian was already in a rage, and he had just been praised by Jia Zhen. How could a few servants be allowed to act recklessly in front of him?

    Without even thinking about it, he raised his hand and pointed at the two people, shouting, "Take them down, so that they can grow and remember their lesson.¡±

    The wealthy slaves of the Rong-Ning Mansions were already rubbing their fists and palms on the side. Upon hearing this, they immediately rushed over and, without saying a word, pressed down on the two, swung their whip, and kicked them, fearing that slowing down would result in losing points in front of their Master.

    The two gatekeepers didn''t expect that the other party would start fighting without saying a word, and they were surrounded by a group of people. Even though they suffered a big loss, they refused to give in and shouted, ¡°How dare you fight with us?¡±

    ¡°Ouch! You guys... Do you guys don''t want to live anymore?¡±

    ¡°How dare you talk back?¡±

    Anyway, no matter how big the commotion was, Jia Lian was to take responsibility. Thus, Jia Zhen also fiercely said on the side, "Hit, hit, hit! Hit their teeth down one by one, and I''ll see if these two things that are blind still dare to talk back.¡±

    The wealthy slaves of Rong-Ning Mansions received orders and were about to strike harder when the two of them screamed in unison, "There are assassins, there are assassins!¡±

    With this shout, suddenly, from the nearby Private rooms upstairs and downstairs, over thirty people were surging out, each holding bright weapons in their hands. They shouted one after another. ¡°Escort, hurry up and protect!¡±

    ¡°Protect the Prince...¡±

    ¡°Don''t let the assassin go...¡±

    Prince?

    Assassin!

    Escort?!

    Jia Lian and Jia Zhen looked at each other, feeling cold from head to toe. They suddenly remembered that although they were performing here, the singing troupe of Prince Zhongshun¡¯s Mansion was playing!

    Was it not Sun Shaozong inside, but...

 Chapter 374 - As Cheap As a Dog

    Jia Lian and the others guessed it right. The guest hosted in the Guanlan Pavilion was Prince Zhongshun, who came specifically to support the audience!

    Of course, Sun Shaozong was indeed inside, just honoring and accompanying.

    When he heard that there were assassins outside, Sun Shaozong was also scared at first, thinking that there was really some chaotic party coming to assassinate the Prince.

    So he quickly got up and protected the two people at the table.

    Unexpectedly, someone cried and shouted, ¡°Misunderstanding, it¡¯s a misunderstanding, we are from Rongguo Mansion... Ouch~¡±

    ¡°Spare our life! We are the Ningguo Mansion...¡±

    ¡°I am Jia Lian from the Rongguo Mansion; I¡¯m not...¡±

    ¡°I am General Wei Lie, Jia Zhen...¡±

    It was Jia Lian and Jia Zhen outside?

    How could these two people be treated as assassins?

    Sun Shaozong wondered in his heart that others were also skeptical. Prince Zhongshun gave a glance and immediately a guard from the Royal Palace approached, carefully opening half of the door.

    As soon as the door opened, two people with broken heads, bleeding noses, bruises, and swollen faces rolled in from outside, crying on the ground and shouting, "Please make the decision for us, Your Highness.¡±

    It turned out that it was the two gatekeepers who rushed in to report.

    Upon seeing how miserable his servant had been beaten, Prince Zhongshun¡¯s face immediately turned black and asked, "What the hell is going on? Tell me the truth!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, we were guarding outside when they suddenly saw a dozen people storming up the second floor, all carrying whips, and casually questioned them.¡±

    ¡°Who knew those people wouldn''t give their names and surnames, but instead asked if Master Sun was in this private room.¡±

    ¡°I naturally dare not casually reveal the situation inside, so I told them that this matter is not something they can ask.¡±

    ¡°Who knew that without speaking, they instructed his subordinates to surround us and others.¡±

    ¡°Then there was a person who self-proclaimed that he was Jia Zhen, who said he was going to knock out our teeth and pull out our tongues.¡±

    ¡°Although we are willing to die, today we are guarding the door for you, Your Highness. How can we be so humiliated?¡±

    ¡°Please make a clear decision.¡±

    The two of them spoke and gave a rough idea of the matter. Prince Zhongshun also knew that Jia Lian and Jia Zhen might have come to find Sun Shaozong, but they accidentally collided with their slaves.

    This could be said to be a misunderstanding.

    Prince Zhongshun has always been a protector, and the servants who guarded his door have been beaten into such a state. How could he care about any misunderstandings?

    Thus, he slapped the table and angrily said, "What a disappointing display Rong-Ning Mansions, you have insulted me!¡±

    Pa Pa Pa Pa~

    With a few punches, he exclaimed, "Bring that Jia Zhen and Jia Lian in for me... No, let them both crawl in and talk.¡±

    ¡°The Prince has an order; let Jia Zhen and Jia Lian crawl in and answer.¡±

    Prince Zhongshun laughed and then shouted, "Drag out all those anti-thieves and chop them off!¡±

    The Captain of the Guard was ordered to go out, and soon there was a sound of pushing and shoveling outside.

    Seeing that if this continued, a dozen or so servants had to die. Suddenly, another person on the table stood up and arched his hand, saying, "This all started with me. If you want to punish me, you should punish me first. Please be merciful and spare the lives of those servants.¡±

    As soon as this person spoke, Jia Lian and the three of them were stunned. Because the one who spoke was not others, it was Sun Shaozong, whom they wanted to teach a lesson during their trip!

    ¡°What''s that?¡±

    Prince Zhongshun looked at Sun Shaozong playfully and smiled. "Why do you still want to intercede for them?¡±

    If there were no consequences, Sun Shaozong wouldn''t bother to care about the lives of those wealthy slaves!

    But these dozen or so people were serving Jia Lian and Jia Zhen by their side, and most of them have roots in the Rong-Ning Mansions!

    If they were really killed all at once, how could the Rong-Ning Mansions let go of this matter? They might not dare to do anything to Prince Zhongshun, but it was certain that they would turn against the Sun family and become enemies!

    Not to mention whether the Sun family would carry the reputation of being ungrateful, just looking at Jia Yingchun''s face, Sun Shaozong could only bravely plead.

    So upon hearing the question from Prince Zhongshun, he bowed again and said, "Your Highness, I...¡±

    ¡°Please show mercy, please show mercy!¡±

    Sun Shaozong was just about to drum up his tongue like a spring when he heard someone shouting from outside and ran downstairs. But no one dared to stop him along the way.

    Sun Shaozong looked back curiously, and it turned out that it was Jia Baoyu and Jiang Yuhan who came together. This shows Jiang Yuhan''s popularity in the Royal Palace, and naturally, no one dared to stop him.

    Just as Jia Baoyu knelt, he sincerely kowtowed three times and said, "Jia Baoyu has kowtowed to the Prince! These slaves who offended the Prince were originally unforgivable, but since they have all followed the ancestors to pacify the chaotic times with the founder of the Dynasty, I dare to ask Your Highness to spare their lives.¡±

    This statement could be considered courteous, at least ten times better than the performances of Jia Zhen and Jia Lian.

    Prince Zhongshun didn''t want to continue to forcefully kill those slaves for a while, but he didn''t want to let it go. His eyes turned and he suddenly laughed and said, "Since the Imperial Uncle has pleaded so much, what else can I say? Someone, punish those slaves with thirty floggings each and then let them go.¡±

    Jia Baoyu was overjoyed and then stood up and said, "Since that''s the case, I thank Your Highness on behalf of my sister.¡±

    The Imperial Uncle''s pleading was accepted.

    There was nothing wrong with him doing something like that. The Younger Brother of the Imperial Concubine was called an Imperial Uncle, and he could barely afford it.

    But Sun Shaozong let out a secret sigh and reached out his hand to guide Prince Zhongshun, saying helplessly, "Brother Bao, you haven''t come over to greet the National Uncle yet?¡±

    Greet the National Uncle?

    Jia Baoyu was stunned at the words.

    The middle-aged man who had been sitting next to Prince Zhongshun suddenly sneered and said, "I dare not, in front of Imperial Uncle Jia, how dare I, Zhao, be called the National Uncle.¡±

    Zhao?

    National Uncle?!

    Jia Baoyu awkwardly widened his eyes, regretting that he could recognize the name of this Imperial Uncle in front of others, but he couldn''t admit it in front of this person!

    It was because the middle-aged man was the Younger Brother of the Empress of the Dynasty, the Uncle of the Crown Prince, and the only legitimate National Uncle in the world!

 Chapter 375 - The Ouxiang Pavilion Independent Poetry Society

    On the fifteenth day, all the Brothers in Rongguo Mansion went to Wangjiang Tower to have fun, while the girls stayed at home.

    Just after eight o''clock, the beauties from various courtyards gathered in the ¡±Ouxiang Pavilion.¡±

    The Ouxiang Pavilion was covered by the pond, with windows on all sides, winding corridors on the left and right for communication, and also crossing the water to connect with the shore. Behind it, was a bamboo bridge to connect, which was the coolest normally. Therefore, since entering the summer heat, it has become the gathering place for everyone.

    Li Wan, the initiator of the rally, saw that Lin Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun, Jia Tanchun, Jia Xichun, and other sisters had arrived, but Xue Baochai was nowhere to be seen. She pinched her slender waist and pretended to be angry with Shi Xiangyun. "You little girl, what about the person I asked you to invite? How can you let this situation occur?"

    Shi Xiangyun was making a scene with Tanchun. Upon hearing this, she quickly raised her hand and made a gesture of surrender. However, she said, "My good sister-in-law, you can''t blame me for this. Sister Bao is plump and timid. When I went to call her, she happened to be taking a shower, so she told me that she would arrive later; it''s almost time for her to arrive.¡±

    During the conversation, Xichun suddenly pointed out of the window and said, "Sister-in-law look, isn''t Sister Bao here?¡±

    Everyone was busy looking out of the window when they saw Xue Baochai in a thin gauze skirt with goose yellow sleeves and a celadon oil paper umbrella on her shoulder. She was curling up and down from the bamboo bridge, and her figure swayed as if she were startled by a swan, or as if she were following the wind with a willow. Her eyebrows were elegant and dignified, without any hint of coyness.

    Watching her stunning appearance, the girls suddenly became a bit immersed in her beauty.

    It wasn''t until Xue Baochai approached that Li Wan reacted and quickly welcomed her in. She grabbed her white jade-like wrist and chuckled, "You are supposed to be punished for coming a little late, but seeing your ¡±lovely¡± appearance, I shall waive your punishment.¡±

    The girls also laughed in the back. Xue Baochai came in and greeted. She apologized, "I''m afraid of the heat, but I didn''t want to delay the interest of the sisters."

    ¡°You didn¡¯t delay, no worries.¡±

    Shi Xiangyun was very friendly with her. She immediately took her by the arm and sat down on her bamboo bed. "Why did sister-in-law call us here for?"

    Xichun was also curious and asked, "Yes, what is the reason you called us here?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Li Wan extended her hand to Tanchun and said, "I''m afraid it would be more suitable for Third Sister to say it herself.¡±

    All the women breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but Jia Lian and Jia Zhen were relatives, and they didn''t seem to be favoring each other. They quickly began to ask, after all.

    But the woman only heard some rumors; how did she know what exactly?

    After being closely questioned, she said, "I only heard that it''s related to the Second Master Sun from the Central Judicial Office, and I don''t know about anyone else.¡±

    It was related to Sun Shaozong?

    Now Li Wan immediately raised her heart to her throat again, unable to even ask questions. She was in a hurry, but she heard Shi Xiangyun whispering to her side, "I heard that because of the matter that the second sister-in-law was acting crazy that day, her body was accidentally looked at by Lord Sun. Brother Lian was very angry. Could it be because of this, he had a conflict with Lord Sun?¡±

    Shi Xiangyun, an outsider, has heard some rumors before, but how could Li Wan not know about it?

    Therefore, her heart became increasingly anxious, fearing that Sun Shaozong would turn against Rongguo Mansion and that she might never have the opportunity to see him again.

    So Li Wan bit her silver teeth and simply ran forward to the courtyard, saying, "I''ll go see how Lan¡¯er is doing.¡±

    At the same time...

    Wang Xifeng was also leading her nannies and maid, rushing to the front yard in a lively manner. However, unlike Li Wan, she was not only anxious but also had a hint of secretly liking Jia Lian''s jealousy. He even started fighting with Sun Shaozong, which proved that he still deeply loved her in his heart.

    If she had known he cared so much about this matter earlier, she should have followed him a few days ago, and she wouldn''t have...

    Seeing that it was not far from Jia''s mother''s yard, Wang Xifeng walked a little faster, and she had already thought of countless tender words to comfort Jia Lian''s injured body and mind.

    At this moment, she heard two women debating outside the courtyard, "I don''t know what that Second Sister You looks like, who caused our Second Master Lian to be so indifferent. For this shameful hoof, not only did he have to go and find Lord Sun desperately, but he even dared to beat those servants of Prince Zhongshun.¡±

    ¡°You don''t know that, do you? I heard that when Big Master Zhen of the East Mansion celebrated his birthday, Second Master Lian glanced at that Second Lady You and didn''t pay attention to Second Madam for several days after returning.¡±

    Upon hearing the words, Wang Xifeng paused, and her soft fingertips turned into a hundred rounds of steel!

 Chapter 376 - Going with the Logic or Helping the Close Relative?

    Wang Xifeng''s heart turned cold, and her single eyelid narrowed slightly. After carefully distinguishing them, she saw that the two talkative women in front of the door were not the powerful figures around the Old Lady Jia, but just ordinary rough maids.

    She raised her hand and shouted, "Someone, give these two inconspicuous things a lesson.¡±

    Behind her, there were already maids and women rushing forward, grabbing two talkative women and bowing from left to right. Then, a slapping sound came right after.

    Wang Xifeng felt that it was not enough to relieve her hatred and ordered to slap them again. Ping''er hurriedly said, "Madam, after all, it''s at the entrance of the Old Lady yard. If we really want to stir up trouble, I''m afraid it''s not very suitable.¡±

    Wang Xifeng then gave up and spat at the two women''s faces before biting her silver teeth and entering the courtyard.

    Before they could get close to the hall, they heard a familiar, loud voice yelling, "Second Brother is usually honest, but today, how come he lost all the truth? That Second Lady You found Second Brother Sun by herself; how could it be that he stole love from him?!"

    Listening to this silly voice, who else could it be if it was not Xue Pan?

    It turned out that in the Wanghai Tower, Jia Lian accidentally offended Prince Zhongshun; When Jia Baoyu rushed over to plead, he was schemed by Prince Zhongshun and accidentally offended National Uncle Zhao.

    Afterward, allowing Jia Baoyu to apologize, he spoke like a wheel many times, and National Uncle Zhao only had a cold face and didn''t respond.

    Being helpless, the Jia family had no choice but to return to Ning-Rong Mansions with a dozen or so injured soldiers.

    At that time, Sun Shaozong saw that Jia Zhen and Jia Lian were filled with resentment, and he was worried that after they returned home, they would blame him. Therefore, he specifically asked Xue Pan to come over so that he could share some of the blame with himself first.

    Listening to the current situation, it was obvious that Sun Shaozong guessed it right!

    Jia Lian knelt with a bruised nose and swollen face, listening to every word of Xue Pan''s protection for Sun Shaozong. He couldn''t help but feel angry and straightened his body, choking his neck in anger, asking, "Big Head Xue! What benefits have you gained from Sun Shaozong? How come every word you say is helping him?¡±

    Xue Pan''s ox eyes widened and he was about to retort when he saw the curtain of the door lift. Wang Xifeng stepped in from outside and sneered, "No matter who he was talking on behalf of, let me just ask you, is what Wenlong said true or false?¡±

    Jia Lian saw Wang Xifeng arrive and immediately tried to reprimand him. He became angry again. He stood up from the ground and met Wang Xifeng''s eyes with an ironclad face, saying, "What if it¡¯s the truth, and what if it''s the false?! I was deceived by Sun Shaozong''s trick outside and was humiliated in public! I¡¯m home now; would you still help him continue to humiliate me?¡±

    After all, Wang Xifeng still had some marital feelings in her heart. When she saw him speak with a piercing expression, she was obviously extremely embarrassed and angry in her heart. She couldn''t bear to say anything more for a moment.

    But Xue Pan and Jia Baoyu next to him shook their heads and said, "Where did the trick come from? Prince Zhongshun suddenly arrived, and this matter...¡±

    ¡°Baoyu.¡±

    Jia Lian tilted his head and stared at Jia Baoyu with a burning gaze, asking, "Am I your Brother, or is that Sun Erlang your Brother?¡±

    Jia Baoyu immediately wilted. If he were to reason about this matter today, his heart would naturally leaned more toward Sun Shaozong. However, these days, it was customary to help the relatives, no matter the truth of the situation.

    Old Lady Jia suddenly smashed the dragon head cane onto the ground and scolded, "You kneel for me.¡±

    As she spoke, she shouted to Baoyu and Wang Xifeng to get up.

    Wang Xifeng had nothing wrong with her, and it was not easy to kneel here with her husband. So she got up and stood behind Old Lady Jia with Li Wan.

    Jia Baoyu refused to stand up and shook his head, saying, "Old Lady, that National Uncle was offended by me. Of course, I should be punished together with my Second Brother.¡±

    ¡°Good grandson.¡±

    Old Lady Jia said kindly, "If you weren''t trying to save the lives of those people, how could you have fallen into their trap? It''s not your fault for this. Don''t demand yourself anymore; get up quickly.¡±

    Jia Baoyu still refused.

    At this moment, someone outside the door suddenly laughed and said, "Although Brother Bao has offended the National Uncle, he has also made Prince Zhongshun let bygones be bygones. If you come to terms with him, you will naturally be meritorious without fault.¡±

    As he spoke, a tall and burly figure crossed the threshold and strode into the hall. With a hearty bow, he said, "Greetings to the Old Lady.¡±

    Old Lady Jia quickly stood up and gave a hand. "Good child, get up, get up quickly.¡±

    Sun Shaozong took the opportunity to stand up and said, "I came a few steps late. I was originally planning to take advantage of the situation, but my friends Jiang Yuhan and Brother Bao took the lead. Now that Prince Zhongshun is no longer in great anger, it is the National Uncle Zhao who we need to be careful when dealing with.¡±

    After a pause, he said again, "National Uncle Zhao comes from a humble family, so he is most afraid of being looked down upon. However, on the contrary, as long as the Elder or Second Master comes forward and lowers his stance to give him face, 80% of the misunderstandings can be eliminated. However, it must be done quickly, otherwise, the news will spread to the harem and the results will be unpredictable.¡±

    Upon hearing Sun Shaozong''s words, it was in line with her thoughts. Old Lady Jia couldn''t help but praise, "No wonder Lord Sun became famous in the officialdom in his weak coronal year. This meticulous thought has made my two grandchildren blush.¡±

    Jia Baoyu had already admired Sun Shaozong''s abilities, so naturally, he wouldn''t feel anything.

    But when Jia Lian heard this, his heart was uncomfortable and tight.

    And Sun Shaozong was about to talk about Jia Lian next.

    He bowed and said, "Thanks for your praise. It''s just that I have something unknown and I hope to ask Second Brother Lian for a clear understanding.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned around and arched his hand at Jia Lian, saying, "Second Brother Lian, I asked myself that I have never offended you before. Today, you angrily found Wangjiang Tower, and I wonder what happened?¡±

    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Jia Lian couldn''t help but jump up from the ground with a jerk and his eyes widened. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Why are you still asking me?¡±

 Chapter 377 - Unreasonable

    ¡°You still dare to ask me why?¡±

    Jia Lian''s beard and hair were all fizz and he said in a hateful voice, "I clearly saw Second Lady You first. You snatched over without saying a word, and you didn''t take me seriously!¡±

    ¡°Second Brother, is this what you mean by my act of stealing your love?¡±

    Seeing Jia Lian nodding, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but sneer and say, "Then let me ask you, Second Brother, have you ever expressed your feelings to the Second Lady You?¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Jia Lian originally thought that Sun Shaozong would also use ¡±Second Lady You''s willingness¡± to block his mouth. However, after preparing a speech, what came up was this question.

    Even though he was a bit hesitant, he immediately said, "Although I haven''t expressed my feelings, Brother Zhen has come forward to help me.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and interrupted Jia Lian''s words, then asked back, "Does Second Brother Lian think this is credible?¡±

    Before Jia Lian could respond, he exclaimed, "Brother Xue!¡±

    Xue Pan immediately responded and patted his chest, saying, "Brother Zhen once told me that he wanted to include Second Lady You in his room, but he never mentioned that Second Brother Lian also liked her.¡±

    In fact, from the bottom of Jia Lian''s heart, how could he believe this? It was just a casual cover-up!

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong and Xue Pan teamed up to poke him, and his face turned even redder.

    "The Sisters of the You family only said that Elder Brother Zhen forced them hard but didn''t mention the matter of yours." Sun Shaozong held his hands together and said, "To be honest, if you show your feelings first, how could Second Lady You volunteer to join me with your status?"

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    Without waiting for Jia Lian to speak, Wang Xifeng couldn''t help but scold from behind.

    And this coquettish scolding made Jia Lian''s face a bit gloomy again.

    Sun Shaozong shrugged and said, "This is a misunderstanding. Second Brother Lian only needs to ask me a question and everything is clear, but how could you bring the domestic slaves over and act indiscriminately?¡±

    ¡°Not to mention that the two families are now relatives; just based on our old friendship, you shouldn''t be like this.¡±

    In fact, when it came to this, Sun Shaozong suddenly felt a little guilty and secretly asked if Jia Lian was coming to him so recklessly because he knew he had stolen Ping''er?!

    At this moment, when Old Lady Jia saw that the matter had been discussed, she quickly ordered, "Lian¡¯er, it''s clear that you''re not right about this matter. Why don¡¯t you hurry and apologize to Lord Sun quickly?¡±

    Jia Lian''s chest heaved violently, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but suddenly lowered his head and spat fiercely on the ground, saying, "Spit! Is he worthy of me, Jia Lian, to apologize?¡±

    At this moment, Jia Lian was still a bit wild just now, holding his head and repeatedly saying, "Dad, Dad! Listen to me explain.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! It''s all right for you to offend Prince Zhongshun, but not National Uncle Zhao! You are really killing me!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, no, that National Uncle Zhao is... Ouch... Listen to my explanation! That National Uncle Zhao...¡±

    How would Jia She listen to him explain?

    Just by focusing on his mouth, he wanted to step on it!

    ¡°Ouch~¡±

    Jia Lian let out a scream with several cuts on his lips, and he squirted blood out with pleasure.

    Seeing this, Old Lady Jia quickly shouted, "Master, stop it! Are you really going to kill him?¡±

    ¡°Killing it would be a great relief!¡±

    Jia She kicked again despite his anger. Then he turned around and smiled at Sun Shaozong. "My good nephew, I heard that you are appreciated by Prince Zhongshun. It seems that I can only ask you to go and deal with it now."

    The cruel beating just now really brought out a bad breath for Sun Shaozong.

    So it was the first time that he saw Jia She to his liking and quickly returned a greeting, telling the truth, "Uncle, don''t do that. It''s really fine for Prince Zhongshun."

    ¡°What''s the matter then?¡±

    Jia She was also outside. After hearing something, he thought Sun Shaozong was trying to push the matter away. He asked, "Are you still angry with this little beast, fighting with you for a woman?"

    Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to respond, he quickly turned around and kicked his son in the thigh, shouting, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and kowtow to the Sun family''s Erlang to compensate.¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡±

    Jia Lian, with a mournful expression and unclear words, explained, "Actually, Prince ZHongshun has long been... Ouch~¡±

    Jia She withdrew his second leg and said angrily, "You won''t listen to me anymore, will you?!"

    Jia Lian saw that he couldn''t tell him apart, so he shamelessly changed to a kneeling position and bowed to Sun Shaozong. "Erlang, it''s my fault to make all the mistakes. In fact, I know you''re trying to save someone, but my heart is full of uncontrollable bitterness. After telling the story today, I will not act like this again.¡±

    Tch!

    Wasn¡¯t that quite clear?

    The act just now, he was lacking someone to teach him a lesson!

 Chapter 378 - Love Bloom After Staying Together for a Long Time

    | Ningguo Mansion |

    ¡°Ouch~¡±

    As he was applying the medicine, Jia Zhen suddenly straightened his back from the bed and cursed angrily, covering the bruise on his forehead. "You can¡¯t even apply the medicine well. What''s the use of you? Get out of here, get out of here!¡±

    The skin has already broken; how could it be painless when applying medicine?

    Although You-Shi felt aggrieved in her heart, she had long been accustomed to being treated like this by Jia Zhen, so she hurriedly placed the medicine bottle in her hand by the bedside and then bowed out.

    Clash!

    As soon as she stepped out of the door, she heard a crisp sound coming from inside.

    Looking back, Jia Zhen swept the medicine bottle onto the ground, gritting his teeth and roaring, "This matter can''t just be done! Rong¡¯er, you should immediately take the You family mother and daughter to our mansion. Tonight, I will gather those two little hooves together to see if Sun Erlang still has the face.¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    As soon as Jia Rong showed a hint of embarrassment, Jia Zhen hit the pillow with her hand, hitting it right on his forehead and cursing in his mouth, "What a little beast! Are you going to disobey me?¡±

    Jia Rong was beaten, but he didn''t dare to reach out to cover. He quickly knelt on the ground and said, "It''s not that I refused to obey. It''s really because Sun Shaozong is very cunning. I''m afraid he might have been guarding against our move at the moment. If he accidentally caught us, wouldn''t it be extremely bad?¡±Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    Jia Zhen glared like a toad and said, "So, according to you, we can¡¯t take revenge?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no; what I meant was that we should consider the long term and think of other ways.¡±

    As Jia Rong was speaking, a sudden flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he exclaimed, "Yes, yes! Let''s try to bribe that Zhang Hua and let him accuse Sun Shaozong, who bullies others and forcibly seizes others'' women.¡±

    ¡°Forcible seizure of women?¡±

    Jia Zhen repeated the words in his mouth several times and frowned, "But hasn''t Zhang Hua already written down the official certificate of resignation? If we go to file a lawsuit now, I''m afraid we won''t be able to file it.¡±

    ¡°The lawsuit can¡¯t be brought out, but as long as there is some noise and rumors spread, it is not difficult to damage Sun Shaozong''s reputation.¡±

    ¡°I have a candidate here who has literary talent and a moral character. Even if he can''t come to give advice every day, it''s still good to set up a master-apprentice relationship first.¡±

    Sun Shaozong never casually mentioned this matter. He and Li Wan had a few dark moments of spring, but although they still couldn''t mention their long-term relationship, at least they were much closer than others.

    Especially Jia Lan was indeed clever and amiable, so Sun Shaozong intentionally invited this child to worship under the Qian family.

    Upon hearing this, Li Wan naturally couldn''t help but be overjoyed. She quickly bowed and said, "Then I shall trouble you with this matter.¡±

    After all, there was a difference between inside and outside, and Li Wan was also a widow. Therefore, after saying these few words, the two of them had to bid farewell reluctantly.

    Just after leaving Li Wan, he didn''t take a few steps before someone caught up with him.

    ¡°Dear nephew, please stay.¡±

    This time, it was not others who caught up, but it was the Elder Master Jia She who had just taken revenge on behalf of Sun Shaozong.

    Seeing him coming up, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help wondering what he was going to say.

    So when Jia She came near and asked curiously, "Uncle, what¡¯s the matter of you coming to me?"

    Jia She breathed a few times and glanced around furtively. Then he opened his muddy eyes and mysteriously asked, "My dear nephew, have you ever heard of pottery, pearls, gold, and shells?"

    ¡°Pottery, pearl, gold...and shell?¡±

    ¡°That''s right, pottery, pearls, gold, and shells.¡±

    Jia She said, "Pottery, pearl, gold, and shell were with several gold threads, forming a pattern of copper coins on the shell. It is said that keeping them at home is the best way to make money. Some people bought several by chance a few days ago, and the price has increased dozens of times in three or five days!"

    As he spoke, he leaned his old face toward Sun Shaozong and whispered, "I have found a way to buy dozens of pieces of pottery, pearl, gold, and shell. However, I am struggling with the lack of silver. Why don''t you and I, our two families, work together to buy them first? After making a big profit, how about sharing the benefits?¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked strange upon hearing this, but he felt that no matter how he looked at it, it was like a financial fraud.

 Chapter 379 - Pottery, Pearls, Gold, and Shells

    After asking Jia She carefully, he found out that the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells were originally carried by Merchant Hu from the Western Regions. Because there were money patterns on the shells, he was very pleased to see them.

    Therefore, as soon as it entered the market, it was highly sought after, rapidly appreciating from one or two taels of silver per shell to over twenty taels of silver per shell, becoming a true ¡±golden shell.¡±

    It was said that Merchant Hu¡¯s inventory of over a hundred pieces has already been sold out. Currently, these pieces of pottery, pearls, gold, and shells could be said to have a price but no market.

    Fortunately, Jia She found another way to buy a large number of pieces of pottery, pearls, gold, and shells, which was an astonishing 500 pieces!

    "My dear nephew, the other side wanted to partner up with Rongguo Mansion, so they offered 15 taels of silver." Jia She said, dancing excitedly, "You know that at present in the shop, it can be worth at least 28 taels of silver, and if we acquire these 500 gold shells, it will be a net profit of more than 6000 taels of silver!"

    Nowadays, there are only over a hundred golden shells on the market, which have suddenly been released four or five times. It was probably right to halve the price, right?

    Jia She also noticed that Sun Shaozong didn''t think much of it. He thought that he didn''t appreciate the profit of thousands of taels of silver. Then he said, "What they mean is that if I can reduce the amount, I might get ten taels of silver. At that time, if we pay five thousand taels of capital, we can make a net profit of nearly ten thousand taels of silver!"

    Looking at this, Jia She probably wanted to get a large rebate and estimate the price offered by the other party, which was six or seven silver, or even five silver.

    If the acquisition price was like this, there was a real possibility of making a profit. Of course, provided that there were only these 500 pieces of inventory on the market.

    And what Sun Shaozong suspected the most was precisely this part!

    Just seeing Jia She''s excited appearance and questioning that he was deceived might not wake him up, but he might become angry.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t speak up directly but smiled and said, "This is indeed a good deal, but with these five thousand taels of silver, I can¡¯t be the master. I still have to go back and discuss it with my brother, so that we can discuss it.¡±

    Jia She thought the same. His son-in-law had to make up his mind about a large amount of money. But when he thought of his lovely daughter, he had a clear idea. He said, "Well, let''s talk to him first when you go back. I''ll go to him when I have time to talk about it in detail!"

    Just then, Yuanyang came to him and said that Jia Zheng was back. The Old Lady asked Jia She to go back and discuss the matter of going to the National Uncle''s house to make amends. Sun Shaozong took the opportunity to leave and get away, leading Xue Pan back to Wangjiang Tower.

    When Jia She was walking back, he was thinking about pottery, pearls, gold, and shells. When he saw Yuanyang''s waist, her hips were plump and turned upward. When she was moving forward, she constantly raised arcs at the bottom of her skirt. Every shape made it a little difficult for him to control himself.

    ¡°Yuanyang.¡±Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com

    Jia She hurried a few steps. He wanted to walk with Yuanyang, but he couldn''t bear the scenery at the bottom of the skirt. He followed her with a smile and said, "How about asking my mother for you to marry over when I earn the money for the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells?"

    Yuanyang''s body stiffened, but immediately she quickened her pace and flew into Old Lady Jia''s yard.

    ¡°This little hoof is still ashamed, hahaha.¡±

    Qiu Yunfei immediately turned around and exclaimed, "What are you waiting for? Close the door.¡±

    At this moment, his younger brothers finally knew who the newcomer was. Faced with fierce men like Sun Shaozong, who were truly enemies of a hundred, how would they dare to shout?

    So the two, who had just climbed up from the ground, hurriedly came forward and closed the door.

    Sun Shaozong then asked, "Have you heard of pottery, pearls, gold, and shells in recent days?¡±

    ¡°Pottery, pearls, gold, and shells?¡±

    Qiu Yunfei scratched his head and said with some uncertainty, "It seems like someone has mentioned this thing before, but I can''t remember exactly what happened.¡±

    ¡°Then go and inquire...¡±

    Sun Shaozong was about to tell him to inquire about it and see if there were any other dandies involved besides Jia She.

    Who knew that as soon as the conversation started, the wealthy slave next to him asked with a radiant expression, "Do you also want to buy pottery, pearls, gold, and shells?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was stunned and said strangely, "Why do you know about this?¡±

    ¡°To be honest with you...¡±

    The slave said proudly, "There is a steward in our mansion who has a way to buy this thing. I also spent 37 taels of silver to buy 12 of it and kept them at home waiting to make money.¡±

    It was indeed a scam!

    Sun Shaozong waited to ask again, but the slave took the initiative to sell and said, "Your Excellency, if you want to buy, you should make it early. In the past few days, the price has changed day by day. I heard it has already been shot to five taels of silver per coin.¡±

    ¡°Five silver per coin?¡±

    Sun Shaozong questioned, "Isn''t it said that it has already risen to twenty-eight taels?¡±

    ¡°Hai!¡±

    The wealthy servant sighed and said, "That''s the best-looking item you''re talking about. Where can we servants afford to play with it? The best-looking item is at this price! I heard there are also average-looking items on the street, and you can buy one for a few coins.¡±

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong originally thought that those scammers were just trying to cover up a few illiterate dandy kids by creating these pottery, pearls, gold, and shells, but now it seemed that this matter was much larger than expected!

 Chapter 380 - The Gap

    Financial speculation, tulip foam, drumming while the others pass around a spray of blossom (a drinking game)...

    Sun Shaozong''s head was spinning with these words, leaning against the railing on the third-floor balcony with a puzzled expression on his face.

    Even if it was artificially manipulated, it should still fall under the category of ¡±economic investigation,¡± which was not the same as the criminal cases he excelled in, and the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty didn¡¯t seem to classify such financial speculation as illegal activities.

    The only thing to be grateful for was that, at present, it was still in the stage of combining the rule of man and the rule of law. If the court believed that it was an obstacle to the State, even if it was not prohibited by law, it should still be handled as a special case.

    But what Sun Shaozong was most worried about was that there was no one behind the scenes in this matter. It was purely spontaneous speculation by the public. If this were the case, those who gave up their old roots and lost their wealth wouldn¡¯t know who to seek compensation for the losses.

    Fortunately, this thing has just emerged, and it shouldn¡¯t be like the 17th-century Dutch ¡±tulip incident,¡± which caused thousands of people to go bankrupt and plunged the entire country into crisis.

    ¡°Second Brother.¡±

    On the balcony, holding the heart of the Forbidden City, Feng Ziying came over with a glass of wine and said, "Since it was just a misunderstanding, you have personally explained it to Rongguo Mansion. What else is there to worry about?¡±

    After a pause, he said sternly, "Besides, if Second Brother Lian refuses to let go, the Brothers will never stand idly by.¡±

    Feeling that Sun Shaozong had a ¡±''melancholic¡± expression on his face, Feng Ziying thought he was worried about the conflict between him and Ning-Rong Mansions, so he spoke to relieve him.

    ¡°Jia Lian doesn''t represent the entire Rongguo Mansion; why would I be worried about him?" Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes silently and said, "I''m pondering over a public case. The recently popular ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± is really... Sigh What''s the use of telling you this? Why did you have to come alone when you''re not drinking downstairs?¡±

    Feng Ziying heard that it was a public case, so he didn''t bother to inquire. He only raised his glass and said, "Jiang Yuhan just finished half of the song and went into the room to propose a toast to the brothers. He specifically asked about you, so I came over.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong realized that he was in a hurry and almost forgot that he was here today to listen to Jiang Yuhan singing.

    So he quickly went downstairs with Feng Ziying and apologized for a few words to Jiang Yuhan.

    Jiang Yuhan was also a person with clear eyebrows and eyes, so he naturally wouldn''t blame anything. He just tried his best to persuade him not to miss the climax of the afternoon again.

    Speaking of the entire script of the "Sun Public Case," only three cases solved by Sun Shaozong were intercepted.

    The first half of the plot starts with ¡±Autumn Wei Falling from a Building Case¡± and it ended with ¡°Carpenter Splitting the Body Case.¡±

    The second half of the story was about Sun Shaozong''s wise resolution of the ¡±Heavenly Dog Case,¡± which led to him being summoned by Emperor Guangde and was given a bullfighting uniform by the Emperor.

    The drama, conflict, and suspense of the entire script were well arranged, and the plot of the final bestowal of the bullfighting uniform was the most popular grand finale at the moment.

    Sun Shaozong''s only concern was that Jiang Yuhan had portrayed himself as too girlish; after all, the tone of Kun was already known for its ¡±gorgeous, graceful, and delicate performance,¡± coupled with Jiang Yuhan''s magnetic voice, which was even more feminine than a woman''s.

    However, after reading the second half of the story, Sun Shaozong realized that he was too worried. Jiang Yuhan''s reputation as a famous entertainer in the Capital was truly not fake!

    ¡°Since you won¡¯t allow me to go, how can you still say it to be so tempting?¡±

    Ruan Rong glanced at Sun Shaozong and suddenly changed the conversation, jokingly saying, "I heard that the Young Master of Ning-Rong Mansiosn had a conflict with you today over the sake of that Second Lady You. However, I wonder what kind of beauty she is, and many people are thinking about it. Why don¡¯t you bring her back, so that I can follow and broaden my horizons?¡±

    Tch!

    A few days ago, she kept saying that she didn''t care. Upon hearing that the Second Lady You was being sought after, her words began to sour.

    Sun Shaozong muttered silently in his heart, but his face was wide open and he said, "It''s not easy. I''ll bring her here another day, so you can have a look.¡±

    Although Sun Shaozong understood in his heart that he was deliberately teasing himself, Ruan Rong couldn''t help but chuckle and cover her mouth, saying, "What a beautiful woman; how can you be like talking about an animal?¡±

    Sun Shaozong said without hesitation, "It''s not all up to you whether she''s used as a person or as a beast.¡±

    Seeing Ruan Rong laughing happily, the half-covered thin shirt loosened a bit, revealing a dazzling whiteness.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but become interested and reached out to grab her two white wrists. He chuckled and said, "It''s not necessarily a good thing to always take medicine. Why don''t I use some other means to help you sweat?¡±

    Ruan Rong looked at Sun Shaozong''s face and didn''t know if he had the idea of ¡±treating people with warmth.¡±

    Immediately, a blush appeared on her face, but she pushed Sun Shaozong''s paws aside and said coquettishly, "Master, don''t act recklessly. If I harm you and catch a cold, how can you welcome that beautiful woman back to the mansion in two days?¡±

    The two of them pushed for a while, but Sun Shaozong ultimately failed. Ruan Rong instructed Shiliu to deliver the food to the study, so he had to go.

    When Sun Shaozong arrived at his study, he first filled his stomach alone. Seeing that it was getting late, he locked the courtyard door and the room door, and through the windows and walls, he became familiar with the traffic and sneaked into the middle of the main courtyard.

    He crouched on the wall and made a noise twice, and Xiuju heard it and quickly came out to greet him.

    Confirming that there were no outsiders inside, Sun Shaozong climbed over the wall and swaggered into the main room. He saw Jia Yingchun coming forward with a greeting and timidly said, "I heard that my Brother made a mistake and collided with you today...¡±

    He had guessed that upon hearing this news, she would feel uneasy, so Sun Shaozong came at night to comfort her with a few words.

    ¡°He is him; you are you. Even if he collides with me, you don''t have to be so worried.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said, taking advantage of the situation, and chuckled, "Besides, you are the clearest about my body bones, and it''s also something he can ¡±collide¡± with.¡±

    Although this ¡±collision¡± was not that ¡±collision,¡± Jia Yingchun secretly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Sun Shaozong''s words. She was willing to explain and let the two families patch up their relationship again so that Sun Shaozong wouldn''t hold grudges against her Brother.

    But when the words came to her lips, she was afraid that she would offend Sun Shaozong, so a thousand words turned into one sentence, "Second Master, do you want to... Do you want to stay here overnight?¡±

    Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t answer either, but only extended his arms horizontally.

    Jia Yingchun quickly stepped forward with joy, took off his coat for him, and then walked arm-in-arm into the room, lighting red candles, scattering tents, and abandoning the charming and naive figure all over him.

 Chapter 381 - Better Eat Without Meat than Hide Without Shells

    The sky was yet to be brightened.

    Wu Lu, the newly promoted butler of the Ningguo Mansion, arrived at the Jia Rong Courtyard without considering seeking permission. He immediately shouted under the windowsill.

    ¡°Young master, something big happened! Yesterday, the people we sent to bribe Zhang Hua, were tied to the stone lion outside the gate with their bare buttocks and were fed mosquitoes all night.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, a voice of vicissitudes spread from inside. Then, with a creaking sound, the door parted left and right, and Jia Zhen emerged disheveled, tying his pants and belt while angrily saying, "How could this be? Could it be that Zhang Hua did it?¡±

    In his eagerness, he even mistakenly wore Hu''s pants.

    Wu Lu didn''t dare to look too much, so he quickly replied, "I heard that Lord Sun had already sent someone to ambush at Zhang Hua''s house. As soon as our people arrived, they were taken seriously by the other party. I heard they also recorded a confession.¡±

    ¡°Useless bastards.¡±

    Jia Zhen roared angrily and turned back to the house, drinking and cursing, "Didn''t you say this strategy is definitely going to work? How could it be that Sun Shaozong got hold of it instead?¡±

    As he cursed, Jia Rong also walked out of the room, holding a pair of pants in his hand and awkwardly saying, "Dad, look at this...¡±

    ¡°Useless bastards!¡±

    Jia Zhen grabbed the pants with a split hand and hurriedly entered the inner room. Shortly after, he heard him panting and changing his pants on the bed in the inner room, while angrily questioning, "The idea was from you. Now that Sun Shaozong has taken control of it, I may not be able to protect you if he bites back.¡±

    This was not yet a major crisis, he was already thinking about getting rid of the relationship.

    Fortunately, Jia Rong had also become accustomed to it and humbly said outside the door, "Father, calm down. If Sun Shaozong really wants to bite back, he should have directly handed the person over to the Supreme Court, wouldn''t it be more appropriate? Since he has sent the person back, there must be no intention of causing a complete uproar.¡±

    After a moment of silence inside, Jia Zhen appeared dignified and sneered, "So, Sun Erlang is still afraid of the prestige of our Ningguo Mansion.¡±

    If he was truly afraid of Ningguo Mansion, how could he dare tie people naked outside?

    However, Jia Rong didn¡¯t dare to say these words, he only followed Jia Zhen''s tone and said, "Although Sun Erlang is already timid, we have a shortcoming evidence on his hand after all, and it''s not easy to intimidate him. In my opinion, it''s better to let Qiang¡¯er come over.¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Jia Zhen shook his robe sleeves and reluctantly said, "Just spare him this time.¡±

    It was clear that they were the defeated ones and wanted Jia Qiang to be a middleman to apologize on their behalf, but the father and son were so eloquent that they could say they wanted to let Sun Shaozong off.

    Not to mention how the father and son called Jia Qiang over to explain.

    Sun Shaozong got up before dawn and had Xiuju help him with simple grooming. He then climbed over the wall and window back into his study.

    As the sky gradually brightened, he went to the East Cross Courtyard and mentioned the matter of accepting Jia Lan as an apprentice to Yu Qian.

    When he heard that he was to accept the legitimate grandson of Rongguo Mansion as an apprentice, it was highly recommended by Sun Shaozong. It was not easy for Yu Qian to refuse, but he was also hesitant to accept the apprentice, especially since he was his first disciple.

    So he made an ambiguous response first, only saying that he would wait until the Imperial Exam was completed and let him see the child before making a decision.

    After coming out from the east courtyard, Sun Shaozong visited Ruan Rong in the backyard again. Seeing that she was no longer sick, he promised to take her and Xiangling to the Wangjiang Tower to listen to the opera tomorrow.

    After breakfast, Sun Shaozong stormed to the Criminal Office, calling for the companionship of Wei Ruolan, Lin Delu, and others. He also ordered all the officials under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Office, around two to three hundred people to stand in the courtyard.

    Sun Chengye moved a grandmaster''s chair and placed it on the steps of the main entrance. Sun Shaozong sat upright on top of it, which made Sun Chengye ask on his behalf, "Your Excellency is here today to ask if anyone has ever heard of ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells?¡±

    The officials below whispered in unison.

    There was indeed a response from someone who said they knew about it.

    Sun Chengye then ordered loudly, "Don''t panic, everyone. Anyone who has heard of this thing, please stand in front and speak.¡°

    He then heard the scribe''s eloquent words, "The real golden shells are all pure white, and the gold thread that makes up the coin pattern is a brilliant bright gold; while the inferior golden shells are of mixed colors, and the gold thread that makes up the coin pattern is even dim and even the pattern is very blurry.¡±

    ¡°As for the top-notch ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells,¡± not only is its color more transparent, but in the coin patterns, even some words can be faintly displayed.¡±

    As he spoke, he spread his hands and said, "Unfortunately, I haven''t brought the golden shell here, otherwise I could have carefully distinguished it for you.¡±

    Unexpectedly, as his voice fell, someone suddenly shouted behind him, "You didn''t bring it, I did.¡±

    As the crowd surged to the left and right, Qiu Yunfei arrived late carrying a cloth bag. As he approached, he shook it off and opened it, only to find that there was nothing else inside, only three shells.

    ¡°After Your Excellency instructed me yesterday, I sent someone to find three ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± worth thirty taels of silver.¡±

    Although the people this kid interacted with were not good, their work efficiency was still decent.

    Sun Shaozong then raised his chin at the scribe and said, "Since we already have something, I would appreciate it if you could distinguish it for me.¡±

    The scribe didn¡¯t refuse either, and his eyes lit up as he approached. He carefully took three golden shells and quickly discarded one of them, which was impure in color.

    And the other two, he carefully distinguished them in his hand for a while, and then he took one in one hand. He first held the right one in front of Sun Shaozong and said, "Your Excellency, this golden shell is all fair, with clear and transparent gold threads. It is very different from that gray one, and at first glance, it is undoubtedly genuine.¡±

    Immediately, he showed another one to Sun Shaozong and excitedly said, "As for this one, its color is delicate and transparent, as if it were ivory. There is also a faint ¡±treasure¡± character on the left side of the money pattern, which is truly a rare ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± in the world.¡±

    When he introduced them, Sun Shaozong also carefully looked at these two shells. To be honest, their appearance was indeed good. It seemed that they belonged to seashells, and the gold thread did vaguely form a copper coin pattern.

    But...

    The so-called ¡±treasure¡± character, if it weren''t for the official''s unwavering promise, Sun Shaozong wouldn¡¯t realized that it was a written word.

    Seeing the excited expression on the scribe''s face, Sun Shaozong curiously inquired, "I wonder how much silver you think this ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± can be worth?¡±

    ¡°Fifty... no, sixty taels!¡±

    The scribe spoke confidently and said, "If it''s me, as long as it''s not higher than sixty taels, even if it''s selling iron and smashing the pot, one should also include it in the pocket.¡±

    ¡°Sixty taels?¡±

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "Isn''t it that the market price of this thing is around twenty-eight taels?¡±

    ¡°That price only comes with a vague word." said the scribe.

    ¡°If the word ¡±treasure¡± could be clearer, it wouldn''t be a problem if the price exceeded a hundred taels.¡±

    It¡¯s price is over a hundred taels?

    Lin Delu¡¯s eyes widened and was speechless for a moment, saying, "This shell with strange patterns needs a hundred taels of silver to exchange for? Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency, that''s not right.¡±

    As soon as the scribe heard someone criticizing the value of ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells,¡± he couldn''t care about any dignity or inferiority at the moment. He looked up and continued, "The rule of using shells as treasures has existed since ancient times, that''s why there is the saying of ¡±treasure.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, these golden shells are only found by the banks of Mandala Lake in the Western Regions. How difficult is it to transport them to the Capital?¡±

    ¡°Therefore, it''s not just me. Nowadays, many elites in the city hold them in high regard.¡±

    ¡°For example, in the home of a member surnamed Li in the eastern city, there is a top-notch ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± that has a clear ¡±Zhou¡± character on it. In fact, it is a treasure of our Great Zhou Dynasty. I heard that someone is asking for 500 taels of silver, but he refused to part with it.¡±

    ¡°An old Hanlin in the Hanlin Academy even exclaimed, ¡°It''s better to eat without meat than to hide without shells.¡±

    ¡°A hundred taels of silver in exchange for such a ¡±treasure,¡± what¡¯s not a big deal?¡±

    After hearing him say so many things in a fit of breath, including Lin Delu, many people looked at the golden shell again, and it really gave them a golden feeling.

 Chapter 382 - The Second Enlarged Standing Committee Meeting

    After dismissing the clerks and government officials, Sun Shaozong led Wei Ruolan, Lin Delu, and Qiu Yunfei into the hall and sat behind the case with a heavy face, without saying a word for a while.

    Others just paid off, but Qiu Yunfei was restless. He made a few grimaces at Wei Ruolan there, gritting his teeth. Seeing the latter ignore him, he became even more bored.

    So he broke the silence in the hall and said broadly, "Your Excellency, aren''t you a bit jittery with imaginary fear? Last time, making a big investigation of the ¡±Immortal Powder,¡± after all, it''s something that can harm people''s lives, but this time it''s just a plaything. Is it worth stirring up the crowd like this?¡±

    Just a plaything?

    If it were just a mere plaything, it would be easy to handle!

    However, what Sun Shaozong cared most about during his recent inquiry was not that ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± were used in casinos as a medium to have channels for circulation between the market, but rather the scribe''s eloquent remarks.

    It could be traced back to ancient customs, with some gentry eye-catching it, and even the great scholars of the Hanlin Academy saying, ¡±It¡¯s better to eat without meat than to hide without shells.¡±

    At this point, the ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± has clearly developed a set of theories that could make some people believe in its ¡±intrinsic value,¡± and with the theory as its foundation, it greatly increased its deceptive and infectious power.

    Even in modern society with developed information, there are still many people who are blinded by this deceptive theory, let alone the ancient people who have never been exposed to the ¡±financial foam!¡±

    Therefore, if they just sit and watch it spread, the consequences would be truly incalculable.

    Thinking of these, Sun Shaozong slowly shook his head and said, "Whether or not I worry about the situation for nothing, take some precautions in advance to prevent the situation from getting out of control, there will always be mistakes.¡±

    ¡°But Your Excellency...¡±

    Lin Delu hesitated and said, "Buying and selling such playthings is not an act explicitly prohibited by the court. If our Criminal Department has come forward to prohibit it, I''m afraid it''s an act without any justifiable reason.¡±

    Wei Ruolan also questioned, "There are still many similar items on the market, and no one has ordered the prohibition of such toys in all Dynasties. It''s probably not appropriate for you to be the pioneer of all Dynasties, is it, Lord Sun?¡±

    Even Qiu Yunfei couldn''t help but curl his lips and said, "That pottery, pearls, gold, and shells only sold for five hundred taels of silver. I saw a cricket jar the size of a palm earlier, which costs a thousand taels.¡±

    Tch!

    Although Sun Shaozong had long anticipated that everyone might not agree with his own opinions, he couldn''t help but waver in the face of the unanimous opposition and question himself, Perhaps I was really too concerned?

    Besides, wasn¡¯t that cricket, cockfighting, and other playthings that have skyrocketed in value as well?

    But he didn''t have any social problems arising from this.

    But...

    After all, Sun Shaozong was used to hearing the danger of financial foam. Even though he didn¡¯t know the cause and result of its formation, he was naturally more alert than others.

    Therefore, after hesitating several times, he still insisted, "I don''t mean to ban it explicitly, I just want to send someone to investigate first and see what channels this item is circulated through, whether someone is secretly manipulating it, and how many people are involved in it.¡±

    Wei Ruolan immediately asked, "What if there is no one behind the scenes to manipulate it, but the people spontaneously like it?¡±

    ¡°If it''s unmanned...¡±

    Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment and then said decisively, "If there are a large number of people involved, we should also find ways to remind the people not to overestimate the value of this item, let alone listen to the saying ¡±only rise but not fall¡± and blindly hoard this item.¡±

    Wei Ruolan clearly didn¡¯t agree with this approach but was too lazy to argue with Sun Shaozong. So he arched his hand and said, "Since you have made up your mind, there is no need to discuss it with us anymore. I still have official duties. Goodbye.¡±

    Sun Shaozong immediately explained on the side, "The reason why the court has appointed us to conduct inspections in the Central Judicial Office, rather than being led by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Household, may also be intentional in controlling the scope and not wanting to expand the situation, causing anxiety among the gentry and nobles.¡±

    During the conversation, the two exchanged glances over the case, both showing a hint of clarity.

    If Emperor Guangde really had the intention to crack down on the slave hoarding trend, he wouldn¡¯t have disclosed the direction of the situation in the Palace Newspaper in advance and could have ordered the Dragon Guard to conduct a secret investigation before conducting the arrest.

    Nowadays, this grandiose delegation of tasks to the Central Judicial Office was clearly intended to ¡±knock the mountain and shake the tiger,¡± rather than a thorough investigation and punishment.

    Obviously, Jia Yucun had already seen through this point, so he opened his mouth and spoke for the gentry and nobles, saying something beneficial and free, to gain a good impression among them.

    And how could Sun Shaozong make him specialize in something so beneficial?

    Han Anbang''s political consciousness was almost halfway off. Seeing these two people singing in front of him, although he felt a bit inappropriate, he habitually sang the opposite tone, "The words of the two Lords are not exactly right. Although the gentry and nobility are the cornerstones of the court, the will passed down by the cabinet must not be attended carelessly.¡±

    Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun immediately stood up and arched their hands, saying, "You are right.¡±

    In their heart, they have some disdain for this guy''s emotional intelligence.

    Especially when it came to discussing details, although Han Anbang might have played the opposite role, he had absolutely no ¡±toughness¡± to speak of and didn¡¯t dare to point his finger at those aristocratic nobles.

    So the outcome of everyone''s discussion was to first make an example of merchants with poor reputations, and then gradually expand to the noble families of the gentry. If at that time, there were still people who were foolish enough to put their handles on the surface, then they couldn¡¯t blame the Central Judicial Office for not turning a blind eye.

    Finally, Han Anbang shamelessly said, "In the last ¡±Immortal Powder¡± case, our Central Judicial Office handled it properly and made some good reputation. This time, the ¡±checking of slave¡± must not be slacking at all, it must be more appropriate than last time.¡±

    Bah~

    The last time the ¡±Immortal Powder Special Rectification¡± campaign was launched, it was a joint effort between the Department of Criminal, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Punishment. At that time, Han Anbang was afraid of not being able to do so, but now he was putting gold on his face.

    But...

    His habitual pursuit of credit offended even Wei Ruolan. The two, who contributed the most to the ¡±Immortal Powder¡± project were Wei Ruolan and Qiu Yunfei.

    Sun Shaozong coldly observed, and indeed saw a hint of displeasure in Wei Ruolan''s face. Although it might not necessarily lead to a complete confrontation with Han Anbang, it was inevitable that he would become estranged.

    It was no wonder that Han Anbang turned into an unpowerful leader!

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    When the meeting was over, Sun Shaozong was waiting to lead Wei Ruolan back to the Criminal Department, but Jia Yucun approached and asked with a stern face, "I heard you had a conflict with Second Brother Lian yesterday.¡±

    Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said, "Actually, it''s not a conflict, it''s just a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great to be just a misunderstanding.¡±

    Jia Yucun''s face softened slightly, and he said, "Although you have already connected with the towering tree of Prince Zhongshun, don''t forget the root. Especially since your family and Rongguo Mansion have become in-laws, it''s time to support each other.¡±

    Eh?

    Although this was a criticism, there was a hint of ¡±showing kindness¡± inside, but the two have been going their separate ways for more than half a year now. Why did Jia Yucun suddenly show kindness to himself?

    Was it possible that something had happened in this government office that he had not noticed before?

 Chapter 383 - The Sensible Ones

    Jia Yucun''s sudden gesture of kindness left Sun Shaozong completely suspicious for most of the day and even secretly sent someone to search for Fu Shi to try to ask, but unfortunately, he still couldn''t detect anything.

    His information was more minor than his political enemies, it was a big taboo in officialdom!

    Therefore, after dispersing the government office, Sun Shaozong went straight to Zijin Street and prepared to have Xue Pan go to inquire with Minister Wang about any recent personnel changes in the Central Judicial Office, especially regarding Han Anbang and Jia Yucun.

    To his surprise, he arrived at Xue Mansion and waited in the front hall for a moment. However, he heard from the steward of the Mansion that Xue Pan was listening to the opera in the Wangjiang Tower and had not returned to the Mansion yet.

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong prepared to bid farewell and leave.

    To his surprise again, the steward tried his best to let him stay, saying, "Lord Sun, our Master comes back every day after dark, and I''m sure it''s no exception today. If you don''t have anything urgent, you might as well stay for a while. Otherwise, when the Master comes back and hears that I haven''t kept you, I''m afraid he will have to be furious.¡±

    With Xue Pan''s foolish and domineering temper, it was likely that he would get angry about it.

    It was still early, so Sun Shaozong stayed and gossiped with the idle steward who had nothing to do.

    Since it was in the Xue family, the focus of discussion naturally couldn¡¯t be separated from the ¡±Elephant Rebellion,¡± and Sun Shaozong was indeed a bit curious about the fate of the two elephants.

    ¡°Originally, according to the Master''s intention, we were going to cut those two elephants to pieces. But our Lady said that those two elephants were also forced by ¡±people¡± and not the main culprit. Therefore, we only let the Master kill the dog and found another elephant man to domesticate them.¡±

    Upon hearing the steward mention the Lady, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but recall the scene of that day, carrying Xue Baochai running madly.

    It was said that Xue Baochai has the appearance of the ¡±Imperial Concubine Yang,¡± but when he first met her that day, Sun Shaozong only thought she was tall and symmetrical, far from Li Wan¡¯s corpulent posture. It wasn''t until she bounced around on his back that he realized that she was soft and flabby as if she were as soft as cotton!

    Coupled with the clotting that could be broken by blowing bullets, it must be captivating to be pressed under his body.

    At the same time as Sun Shaozong was fantasizing, there were also people sitting and struggling in the Xue family''s house.

    This person was none other than Xue Pan''s mother, Aunt Xue.

    Just now, she heard a response from someone saying that Sun Shaozong was visiting and he was currently waiting in the hall for the Master to return. Aunt Xue''s heart has been filled with many thoughts and distractions.

    Since Sun Shaozong sacrificed his life to save her on that day, her view of Sun Shaozong has changed a lot, and she even had the idea of recruiting him as a son-in-law.

    After all, Jia Baoyu now seemed to have made it clear that he would marry Lin Daiyu. With his stubborn nature, even if her Sister, Old Madam Wang was in charge, Aunt Xue felt hopeless. Wasn¡¯t it a waste of youth if her daughter kept fighting like this?

    Although Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t have the aura of the ¡±Imperial Uncle,¡± he was also a young and talented person who was famous in the officialdom, and it would be a perfect match with her daughter.

    Especially her son was very convinced of him. If they could truly connect with marriage, she wouldn''t have to worry about Xue Pan''s mistakes in the future.

    Considering these many benefits, how could Aunt Xue remain unmoved?

    It was just that...

    When she mentioned it to her daughter that day, Baochai brought up the old story again and had some doubts about his character.

    This left Aunt Xue deeply troubled because she couldn''t make it clear whether Sun Shaozong had revealed his true side or she had misunderstood during their first meeting.

    From the subsequent meetings, it could be seen that there was a great possibility of misunderstandings. But the first time they met, Sun Shaozong''s impolite appearance was vividly remembered by Aunt Xue now.

    Therefore, both mother and daughter agreed.

    ¡°If Young Master Liu comes to find me, it wouldn''t be considered as going out casually, right?¡±

    Sun Shaozong ignored her, turned his head, and said to the Second Lady You, "Tomorrow morning, you should dress up more plainly. Perhaps I will send someone to pick you up to the Wangjiang Tower to listen to the play. At that time, both of my Concubines will be around. Please be careful and keep good relationships. In a few days, I can also officially take you back to the mansion.¡±

    If this was told to the Third Lady You, he was afraid it would cause some trouble.

    But the Second Lady You was a soft-tempered person, especially since she had already handed over her body to Sun Shaozong for internal and external ¡±examination¡± that day. At this time, her heart was set on marrying into the Sun family, and she naturally obediently followed Sun Shaozong''s instructions without any further words.

    Seeing her being so clever and sensible, Sun Shaozong was very satisfied in his heart. He casually took a prepared gold hairpin from his sleeve pocket and handed it to the Second Lady You, saying, "I didn''t see much decent jewelry from you that day. Take a look at this hairpin first. If you think the style of the carving is decent, I will bring a pair of headpiece jewelry over in a few days. When I lift you into the door, it will also look more beautiful.¡±

    Second Lady You saw that the hairpin was full of weight and embedded with a lot of agate jade, and she was immediately delighted. What style of carver should she still consider?

    She had already glued her tall and plump body to Sun Shaozong''s arm. If it weren''t for Sun Shaozong''s composure, he was afraid he would have caught her inside and played a game without caring.

    Speaking of her gentle and timid temperament, Second Lady You was a bold and reckless person who didn''t pay attention to ¡±rules and propriety¡± between the beds. In the future, once Xiangling gave birth, it was better to gather them together and enjoy flying wings together.

    If he kept daydreaming like this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave.

    With a firm heart, Sun Shaozong pushed Second Lady You away. He strode out of the courtyard, flipped over his horse, and ran a long distance. Looking back, he could still see Second Lady You standing outside like a stone watching her husband.

    She was indeed a clever person!

    Sun Shaozong had arrived at the mansion. He heard Zhao Zhongji report that Jia Qiang from Ningguo Mansion had arrived and was currently speaking to his Big Brother in the living room.

    Upon hearing that it was Jia Qiang, Sun Shaozong guessed in his heart that the Ningguo Mansion meant to be submissive and seek peace. After all, Jia Qiang was the most smooth person and never spoke harshly.

    As expected, when he arrived near the front hall, we heard his Big Brother burst into hearty laughter inside, clearly having a pleasant conversation with Jia Qiang.

    However, after entering the door, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be stunned, because, in addition to his Big Brother and Jia Qiang, there were five or six women in the room, all of whom were Concubines of his Big Brother.

    ¡°Brother, this is...¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡±

    Sun Shaozu chuckled and pointed at Jia Qiang, saying, "Although Brother Qiang is young, his skill is really impressive. He can tell the depth of a person¡¯s appearance, and he just guessed correctly a few times without fail.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was speechless for a while and didn''t want to take on this conversation. He immediately asked, "Brother Qiang, did you come here today to make a statement for your Uncle?¡±

    ¡°I can''t hide it from you.¡±

    Jia Qiang bowed with a smile and said, "Actually, we are all relatives. Why bother making each other look shameless? In my opinion, marrying the Second Aunt of the You family is a great thing. Since then, the two families can become closer, isn''t it better than anything else?¡±

    As he spoke, he took out a pair of jade rings from his sleeve and said with a grin, "This is a gift I prepared for my Second Aunt. Now that everything is going on like this, it''s not convenient to see her. I''ll just ask you to deliver it on my behalf.¡±

    He was also a ¡±sensible¡± person!

    Unfortunately, Ningguo Mansion would be passed to Jia Rong in the future, otherwise, if Jia Qiang would become the head of the family, there might still be a chance to revive the family''s reputation.

 Chapter 384 - In Straitened Circumstances

    A sleepless night.

    When the first ray of sunshine in the morning slanted into the boudoir, the Sisters of You family were busy in front of the dresser.

    First, they dyed the thick but not glamorous rouge with a fine halo on their lips, and used the pen tip to outline a pleasing curve; They then took out some apricot powder, broke it, and ground it into a fine powder, mixed it with some warm water, and evenly applied it on their face.

    The eyebrows, the eyes, the temples, they were all finely polished, striving to be exquisite in every aspect, yet appearing plain and not charming.

    It was not an easy task to expertise the scale of this. Fortunately, Third Sister You has always been skilled in this field, and with her skills, dressing up could be considered twice the result with half the effort.

    But when they finally were at the part of choosing clothes, Second Lady You had some disputes.

    But with the help of her Younger Sister, the Second Lady You propped up a long dress that was all snow satin white and only slightly dyed with light blue at the corners. She took a few steps back and posed in front of the bronze mirror, and her pretty face suddenly turned red. She shook her head decisively and said, "This dress won''t do, let''s change it."

    "Why not?"

    Third Sister You said in dissatisfaction, "It was you who said you wanted to dress up plainer that I lent you this dress. Isn''t this dress not plain enough?"

    At first glance, it seemed quite innocent

    Second Lady You blushed and said, "But when you wear this skirt on me, it''s a bit too tight. If you don''t believe me, look.¡±

    As she spoke, she leaned over and showed to her sister, only to see the slender waist drooping and the back hem of the skirt bulged with two plump contours. Although it couldn¡¯t be called a perfect moment, it was even more alluring in the hazy air.

    Second Lady You straightened herself up again and went to unbutton the collar, saying, "I''d better wear my own one, at least it fits better.¡±

    Unexpectedly, Third Lady You stopped and clasped her wrist. She curled her lips and said, "They can¡¯t help to see how festive you''re wearing. How can they even care about what you¡¯re wearing? I just want to show off your buttocks, so they won¡¯t bully you recklessly relying on their children.¡±

    How would Second Lady You be willing to listen to her absurd and heretical remarks?

    She insisted on changing the skirt, but Third Lady You stopped her. The two sisters were making a lot of noise here. Old Lady You came in with a bowl of chicken soup. Seeing this, she quickly scolded, "Calm down, you are all going to leave the cabinet soon. How can you still make such a fool of yourself?"

    As she spoke, she drove away Third Sister You and placed the chicken soup on the dressing table. She pinched her earlobe and urged, "I asked Nanny Wu to stew an old hen before dawn. You should drink some while it''s hot so that you don''t have time to eat.¡±

    Second Sister You looked at the chicken soup, but her face was embarrassed. She hesitated and said, "It was not easy for my sister to put rouge on my face. If I drank the chicken soup, she would have to start again..."

    ¡°Don''t be afraid, my good daughter. I have already prepared here.¡±

    As Old Lady You spoke, she took out a reed pole from her sleeve and inserted it into the chicken soup. She proudly said, "As long as you are careful with it, you won''t be afraid of affecting your makeup.¡±

    Second Lady You was relieved and picked up the reed pole to stir up the chicken soup. When the heat subsided slightly, she pursed her tender red lips and sucked in without revealing it.

    After drinking about half a bowl of chicken soup, she became increasingly uncomfortable with the tight and narrow skirt on her body and was about to change her clothes first before continuing to drink the remaining chicken soup.

    Only Xiangling could see it next to her, with a hint of unbearable expression on her face. However, in front of Jia Yingchun and Ruan Rong, she didn¡¯t take the initiative to rescue Second Lady You.

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    At this moment, Ruan Rong let out a loud reprimand, and all the maids stopped snickering. However, Siqi not only refused to restrain herself but also laughed loudly as if demonstrating dominator.

    ¡°Siqi!¡±

    Jia Yingchun quickly reprimanded her and wanted to explain a few words to Ruan Rong, but after all, her identity was different, so she could only give her an awkward and apologetic smile.

    Although Ruan Rong was dissatisfied with Siqi''s behavior, she couldn''t care about her. She had to pretend that nothing had happened and walked forward to hold Second Lady You. She comforted her softly and said, "There are no outsiders in our room, so you don''t have to be ashamed like this. I''ll have someone pick up two clothes and change them with you in a moment

    As she spoke, she pulled Second Lady You to the balcony and instructed the maid to take a chair, allowing Second Lady You to sit next to her.

    Ruan Rong didn¡¯t pity Second Lady You, but rather for the sake of Sun Shaozong''s face. After all, Second Lady You would be carried into the mansion as a Concubine in two days, and if she was allowed to be ridiculed by the servants at this time, Sun Shaozong might not have a look good on his face.

    As Second Lady You borrowed a chair to cover up her ¡±shame,¡± which could be considered as a relief and she quickly thanked Ruan Rong without any hesitation.

    Ruan Rong saw that she was submissive and thanked her sincerely, unlike a seductive woman who used to be jealous of others. She breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

    As someone who had just passed by, she was reminding Second Lady You of some rules for being a Concubine, but suddenly she heard a loud clatter from the next door. It turned out to be a cup and plate that someone had dropped!

    Ruan Rong immediately forgot about Second Lady You and jumped up, exchanging glances with Jia Yingchun, who was also standing up straight.

    Seeing the ¡±Elder Madam¡± clenching her cherry lips and not intending to give an order, Ruan Rong had to step in and order, "Shiliu, quickly go to the next door to inquire and see what happened between the Big Master, the Second Master, and the Old Master Jia.¡±

    It turned out that besides Sun Shaozong, his Big Brother also came to make a scene today. If it weren''t for this, Jia Yingchun wouldn''t have come alone.

    When he heard that all the Sun family brothers were here, Jia She hurried over to prove that the Sun and Jia families had not been separated by the conflict of the previous two days.

    That was why Jia Yingchun and Ruan Rong were so nervous when they heard the sound of something falling next door.

    Shiliu took the order and hurriedly went to the next door to inquire about the news. Shortly after, she returned to report and said, "Old Master Jia seems to have been deceived by some unscrupulous merchant. Now he is very angry and has smashed his wine glass, urging our Second Master to quickly take someone to catch that merchant.¡±

    It turned out that after Jia She arrived, he mentioned the business of ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± in a few words, urging Sun Shaozu to bring out the silver quickly and make a big profit while he was in the market.

    Sun Shaozong listened and asked what the quality of those ¡±golden shells¡± was, whether they were of top quality or medium quality.

    But Jia She was stunned by this remark. He only knew that someone had made a lot of money selling ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells.¡± He wanted to make a fortune, but he didn''t know anything about it.

    After listening to Sun Shaozong''s brief explanation of the difference between the three kinds of golden shells, Jia She realized that he had met a traitor who was ¡±shoddy.¡± He was immediately upset. He smashed his glass and urged Sun Shaozong to catch him.

    Sun Shaozong might not have done as he wanted if he had changed his routine. But now Sun Shaozong was also pursuing the ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± issue, so he hit it off with Jia She. When he asked the merchant''s name and whereabouts, he called several soldiers nearby to get him.

 Chapter 385 - The Mastermind

    The door was opened, and two white servants came in carrying a middle-aged man and pushed him heavily onto the ground. They arched their hands and reported, "Your Excellency, the culprit has arrived.¡±

    Sun Shaozong raised his hand to signal the two of them to step aside and looked down at the so-called ¡±unscrupulous merchant.¡± He saw that this person was in his early thirties, with dark skin and a thin body, wrapped in a coarse cloth garment. He looked more like a laborer in a black coal kiln than a wealthy merchant.

    The ¡±unscrupulous merchant¡± fell heavily, but he didn¡¯t dare to cry out for pain. He quickly got up and grabbed his head and said, ¡°Master Qingtian is clear. I have always followed the law and have never done anything harmful!¡±

    Pa!

    Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to speak, Jia She slammed the table and shouted angrily, "You are a traitor! How dare you say ¡±obey discipline and law¡± when you cheated me?"

    At this time, the black and thin profiteer saw Jia She. He was stunned for a long time, and then he said "What''s the meaning of your words, Old Master Jia? How would I have the courage to deceive you?!"

    ¡°How dare you say you haven''t lied to me?¡±

    Jia She was more and more annoyed with what he said. He simply stood up, walked to the front with his stomach, kicked the thin and black merchant all over, pointed at his nose, and scolded, "What are the qualities of those five hundred pottery gold shells? Don''t you know in your heart? How dare you fool me? Saying that I can earn a fortune with these!"

    The thin and black merchant, seeing his eyebrows raised like this, didn''t dare to get up. He only looked up at the sky, and like a turtle, stretched out his neck and cried, "You really wronged me. The golden shell has now risen to five taels of silver, and I¡¯m only asking for four taels of silver. Isn''t this possible for you to make a fortune?¡±

    ¡°As for the quality...¡±

    ¡°I have never told you that those are top-notch ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells.¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, Jia She kicked him up again and scolded, "How dare you continue to talk nonsense? Hurry and shut up!"

    The black and thin merchant was beaten with a heart full of grievances, and he didn''t know what he had said wrong.

    While the Sun Brothers were listening, they couldn''t help sneering. Although Jia She was now scolding one profiteer after another, he might be a hundredfold greedier than this black and thin businessman!

    But after all, he was also considered an Elder, and it was not easy for them to embarrass him in public. So after waiting for him to kick a few more feet, Sun Shaozong said, "Uncle, please be calm and don''t be impatient. Let me ask him a few questions, okay?¡±

    Jia She knew that he was exposed and his face was a little hot, but after all, he was used to being "bossy." Turning back, he said, "Don''t listen to his nonsense! This guy is clearly "shoddy" and insists on selling me the shell for ten taels of silver!"

    The use of the word ¡±insisted¡± was really clever!

    Sun Shaozong was not currently considered poor, but he could never imagine how an ordinary businessman with no background ¡±insisted on selling things¡± to the Old Elder Master of Rongguo Mansion.

    And what Jia She said at the beginning seemed to be 15 taels of silver and a golden shell, right?

    He was speechless for a moment, but after all, he slept with his daughter and Sun Shaozong couldn''t argue with him about these things. He smiled helplessly and said, "Don''t worry, Uncle. I''m not asking about these trivial matters, I''m just a little curious about the origin of the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells.¡±

    When Jia She heard this, his wrinkled old face suddenly lit up, and a series of voices urged him, "Yes, yes! Hurry up and ask about the origin of the golden shell, and let''s send people to collect some of it. Isn''t it better than being a second dealer?"

    ¡°There was no choice but to sell those golden shells to others at a low price.¡±

    ¡°Because the person who bought the golden shell seemed to know each other well, I kept it secret at the time that I¡¯ll only be able to sell those inferior goods fully, but secretly left behind 500 pieces of slightly better quality.¡±

    ¡°As expected, after summer, not to mention ordinary golden shells, even the prices of those defective products have doubled and gone up.¡±

    ¡°I think he has a plan and wants to take advantage of it to make a fortune, but...¡±

    At this point, the thin black businessman looked depressed again and peeped at Jia She.

    Someone was indeed manipulating this matter!

    Sun Shaozong''s spirit was lifted, and since there was a ¡±mastermind,¡± the Criminal Investigation Department once again thoroughly investigated this matter, which made it much more legitimate.

    It was just that he didn¡¯t know who the mastermind was, but in just a few days, it had created such momentum that even some gambling houses in the Capital could endorse this golden shell.

    ¡°Let me ask you.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was wondering about the identity and background of the ¡±mastermind," but Jia She hurried to ask, "Now if I send someone to collect some golden shells near the lake, can I still have time to sell them?"

    ¡°This..¡±

    The black and thin merchant hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "The quantity of these golden shells is limited, let alone most of the gold wires on the shells are disorderly and not even considered any golden shells. If we go to purchase them now, we may not be able to find too many.¡±

    Jia She immediately sat back in his chair like a deflated ball.

    Sun Shaozong saw that Jia She was no longer interested, so he ordered the guard to take the thin black businessman to the Criminal Department to transcribe the confession again. He also told Lin Delu and others to focus on the identity and background of the "Mastermind."

    Clang!

    At this moment, they could hear the sound of a gong outside, the "Sun Public Case" act was about to officially begin.

    The first person to appear was not the protagonist ¡±Sun Shaozong,¡± but rather Liu Xianglian and several scholars. Seeing them sing in the background, they began to engage in a rhythmic ¡±argument.¡±

    Everyone was drawn to it, while also waiting for Jiang Yuhan to speak up and raise his voice.

    Unexpectedly, at this moment, the door of the room was suddenly pushed open heavily by someone. Jiang Yuhan, dressed in a theatrical costume, burst in and called out anxiously, "Brother Sun, please take a step to speak.¡±

    How could he still have leisure to talk to himself at this moment?

    Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t neglect and quickly followed Jiang Yuhan out of the private room. However, when he saw Jiang Yuhan reaching out and gripping his wrist, he excitedly said, "Something''s wrong, Brother Sun! Zhu Er, who played the carpenter, was stabbed to death by someone just now.¡±

 Chapter 386 - The Murder Incident of the Royal Residence Drama Troupe [Part 1]

    When it was said that someone died in the royal troupe, Sun Shaozong naturally didn¡¯t dare to snub him. He hurriedly went back to apologize to Jia She and his Big Brother, and asked Jiang Yuhan to lead him to the scene.

    Speaking of it, Sun Shaozong has not been on the scene since the ¡±Longsheng Old Store Heartbreaking Case¡± was cracked. As soon as he entered the working state, he felt a sense of nostalgia.

    However, at the moment of seeing the scene of the murder, most of the nostalgia dissipated.

    Outside the row of simple thatched sheds, there were seven or eight actors with heavy makeup, each of whom had different heights, and sizes, and each one covered their noses with their hands.

    As for the reason...

    ¡°Zhu Er was killed while going to the restroom?¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±

    Jiang Yuhan also took out his handkerchief and whispered, "Just now, when someone went to the restroom, as soon as the door of the second restroom in the east was opened, I saw him lying inside, bloody and out of breath for a long time.¡±

    As he spoke, he raised his voice and ordered, "Get out of my way and let Lord Sun investigate.¡±

    The actors hurriedly retreated to the side and cast awe and anticipation at Sun Shaozong. During the rehearsal, Jiang Yuhan gathered many of Sun Shaozong''s case-solving experiences for everyone to speculate about his characters. There were many people in the royal theater troupe, so they became fans of Sun Shaozong''s reasoning.

    But Sun Shaozong''s expression was expressionless. When he arrived at the second restroom in the east, he glanced inside and breathed a deep sigh of relief. It was a famous tavern in the Capital, and the hygiene of the restroom was much better than expected.

    The entire latrine was about two meters long and 1.5 meters wide from north to south, with a thatched shed for shade and rain protection. It was surrounded by a painted wooden wall, and the ¡±tunnel¡± in the middle was tightly covered by a wooden board with a long handle nailed to it, so that when someone entered the toilet, they could easily move it away.

    In addition, there was a grand master''s chair in the corner, with circular holes in the seat, resembling an ancient version of the toilet.

    At this moment, Zhu Er''s corpse sat slumped on the grand master''s chair with round eyes, wearing only plain white underwear, and a dagger was inserted in his heart. If nothing unexpected happened, this would have been the fatal injury suffered by the deceased.

    Sun Shaozong inspected the door lock of the toilet and saw no signs of forced damage to it. He then walked in and reached out to lift the wooden board that was pressing against the tunnel.

    An indescribable breath suddenly rushed out!

    Sun Shaozong held his breath and lowered his head to glance at it, then quickly pressed the wooden board back.

    Afterward, he came to the body of Zhu Er and carefully examined it.

    This Zhu Er was about thirty years old, with a short stature and a white face. He leaned back on a chair and his arms naturally fell on the outside of the armrest.

    If so, this person''s skills should be quite agile.

    But...

    Agility seemed to be a basic skill for actors, so it couldn¡¯t be taken as too important evidence.

    Sun Shaozong pondered in his heart and carefully pulled the deceased''s body outward to make some gaps and examine the situation behind the deceased.

    The first thing to check was the back of the head, which, except for some floating dust, didn¡¯t show any signs of collision or severe friction.

    If the murderer had covered his mouth with his hand, it was reasonable to infer that the deceased should have made a move of leaning back and avoiding.

    Was the inference of covering the mouth with a hand incorrect, or was it because the victim struggled and did not touch the wall?

    Based on the accumulation of blood in the deceased''s abdomen, it could be concluded that he was attacked while sitting in a chair, and with just a slight struggle in this position, he would knock down the wall behind him. That was to say, there was a problem with the inference of covering his mouth with his hand.

    There were clearly some friction marks on the wall behind the deceased''s head.

    Could it be that he had something behind his head at that time?

    While constantly speculating on clues and questioning himself, Sun Shaozong carefully examined the murder scene inside and outside, more than twice.

    Being accustomed to inertia, simulating the scene of the murderer committing the crime in his mind. Suddenly, someone outside respectfully said, "Your Excellency, it was only after repeated questioning that I learned that Zhu Er, who had suddenly died, was accustomed to cheating, playing tricks, and shifting blame to others. Therefore, he didn¡¯t get along well with many people in the theater troupe.¡±

    ¡°In addition, Zhu Er once made a big joke on the stage due to unbearable abdominal pain. From then on, whenever the play started, he would first go to the restroom, and no one in the theatrical troupe was not aware of this.¡±

    This statement was concise.

    Sun Shaozong looked back curiously and saw a person standing outside the toilet, It was Su Xingfang, the Magistrate of Daxing County.

    ¡°Are you also here to listen to the opera, County Magistrate Su?¡±

    ¡°To be honest with you...¡±

    Su Xingfang smiled shamefully and said, "I have been here for three days now, and I don''t know how many official duties have been delayed due to this. I know in my heart that it shouldn''t be like this, but I really can''t bear to miss such a wonderful show.¡±

    This person usually looked sharp and capable, but surprisingly, he was also a playwright inside.

 Chapter 387 - The Murder Incident of the Royal Residence Drama Troupe [Part 2]

    Sun Shaozong went out of the restroom, led Su Xingfang a long way, and then took a few deep breaths of fresh air into the flower bed in the corner before asking, "County Magistrate Su, how many people have been to the restroom before the play?¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Su Xingfang smiled bitterly and said, "Due to the lesson of Zhu Er, everyone in this theater is used to going to the restroom before the show starts. I just casually asked, and a dozen people claimed to have been there, let alone the chaos backstage at that time. Even if someone falsely claimed not to have been there, I may not be able to detect it.¡±

    Tch!

    It seemed that ¡±urination¡± has existed since ancient times.

    After a moment of contemplation, Sun Shaozong asked again, "County Magistrate Su, besides those who have a grudge against Zhu Er, have you ever asked who in this troupe has a close personal relationship with Zhu Er?¡±

    ¡°Have a close personal relationship with him?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Sun Shaozong turned his head and said, "When I was just investigating, I found that the deceased did indeed use a latrine, which means that the murderer couldn¡¯t have broken in and killed him in front of his locked toilet door.¡±

    ¡°And he was killed sitting in a corner, and if he was suddenly attacked at the moment of opening the door after entering the toilet, it is unlikely that this situation would occur, especially since there are not many signs of struggle around him.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I infer that it was probably at the end of his business, or about to end, that the murderer opened the toilet door, killed him, and then left.¡±

    ¡°But the toilet is a very private place, and if it weren''t for someone who has a close relationship with the deceased or has agreed with them in advance, it might be difficult to knock on the door and enter.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Upon hearing this, Su Xingfang felt reasonable, but on the surface, it was even more difficult. After a while, he hesitated and said, "According to the investigation, the closest person to Zhu Er in the Royal Theater troupe is the leader Jiang Yuhan. Zhu Er is the son of Jiang Yuhan''s mentor, so he has always been under his protection.¡±

    This was not surprising to Sun Shaozong. A person with an unattractive personality couldn¡¯t only gain a foothold in the Royal Theater troupe but also gained a significant role. How could he not have anyone to rely on?

    But...

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said decisively, "The culprit should not be Jiang Yuhan. His every move in this Wangjiang Tower has attracted much attention. It is unreasonable to choose to attack at this moment.¡±

    Moreover, with Jiang Yuhan''s position in the Royal Theater Troupe, he could have killed Zhu Er without even letting people realize it. There was no need to make such a big fuss.

    As he spoke, he excused himself from Sun Shaozong and asked him to stay outside for a while with Su Xingfang before hastily entering the interior.

    Not long after, he heard Jiang Yuhan roar inside, "At that time, I will plead with the Prince personally; it won''t be your turn to punish me, Lord Zhou.¡±

    Immediately after, he saw two wealthy slaves in blue clothes and small hats, leaving the backstage in a state of confusion. After a slight pause outside, they lifted their chests and noses high again and returned triumphantly.

    At this moment, Jiang Yuhan came out again and invited the two of them in.

    Sun Shaozong also knew that this matter couldn¡¯t be delayed, so as he walked inside, he roughly informed Jiang Yuhan of the speculation of ¡±acquaintances committing crimes¡± and asked him if he knew who in the theatrical troupe had a close personal relationship with Zhu Er.

    ¡°This...¡±

    Jiang Yuhan slowed down and said awkwardly, "To be honest, Zhu Er is also my informer in the theatrical troupe. He often reports to me about other people''s affairs but seldom mentions himself, so I don''t know who he is intimate with."

    This was a typical case of black under the light.

    As they spoke, the three of them had already entered, but they saw over thirty men and women, all dressed in moon-white underwear, standing in a state of anxiety.

    Jiang Yuhan explained, "Just now, I saw what you mean. It seems that there is some clue related to underwear, so I asked them to take off their costumes and coats so that you can check it easily.¡±

    Due to the scorching summer heat, the white lining of that month was all made of silk, which was particularly thin when wrapped around their bodies. Even if the male actors were indifferent, those female actors who showed curves and hidden flesh didn¡¯t dare to raise their hands. This showed that Jiang Yuhan''s strict laws and regulations were indeed true.

    In fact, these days, most folk actors were played by men, while the domestic team was mainly composed of women. Only those who were ¡±free from details¡± and reckless, like Prince Zhongshun, chose to mix men and women.

    Sun Shaozong roughly scanned these people once, but suddenly frowned and said, "Brother Liu, what are you doing inside?¡±

    It turned out that Liu Xianglian had also lined up among them with a big smile.

    ¡°Brother Sun, have you forgotten?¡±

    Liu Xianglian said confidently. "I''m also hanging around in the theater now, so I''m naturally one of the suspects.¡±

    When others encountered this kind of thing, they pushed it out like crazy. But this guy was catching up and joining the fun!

    Sun Shaozong was too lazy to pay attention to him, so he said solemnly, "Before the play, who has ever been to the restroom? Take a step forward.¡±

    As soon as this statement was uttered, nine men and five women stood out in unison.

 Chapter 388 - The Murder Incident of the Royal Residence Drama Troupe [Part 3]

    This number was indeed quite small.

    After waiting for a moment, Sun Shaozong saw that no one had stood up and no one had reported or exposed him. He then asked, "So who was it that first discovered Zhu Er''s body?¡±

    ¡°Reply to Your Excellency.¡±

    One of the female actors, whose face was covered in oil, immediately said, "I discovered it, but I went with Jinsuo at that time. When I opened the door and saw the dead person, she was right next to me.¡±

    A skinny girl nearby nodded hastily and said, "That''s right, Sister Jinzhu is indeed with me.¡±

    Sun Shaozong then took the opportunity and asked, "Besides these two women, who else went to the restroom with others?¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°The three of us went together.¡±

    This time, three greasy and crooked sissies stood up in response.

    They supported each other by saying that they were just urinating, and they solved it by talking and laughing. When they returned, they were also inseparable.

    Sun Shaozong then asked, "Have you three ever knocked on the door of the second toilet in the east?¡±

    ¡°Reply to Your Excellency.¡±

    One of the sissies said wryly, "Since we are all urinating, we are too lazy to knock on each door. We found that the first toilet in the west was empty, so we all solved it together.¡±

    Eww~

    Originally, it wasn''t a big deal, but being mentioned by these three sissies made people feel goosebumps all over their bodies.

    However, in this way, five people were temporarily excluded, leaving six men and three women, provided that the others didn¡¯t conceal the situation of going to the restroom.

    Sun Shaozong then inquired with Jiang Yuhan again and said, "Brother Jiang, I want to call out a few young ladies to carefully examine if there are scratches on their bodies. I wonder...¡±

    Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, more than half of the six men and three women panicked.

    Jiang Yuhan listened to him speak like this, but he didn¡¯t dare to raise himself as much as he had just scolded the two wealthy slaves. He only distinguished with an ironclad face and said, "Don¡¯t accuse me, Lord Zhou. When did I disobey the Prince''s orders?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Lord Zhou pretended to be surprised and widened his eyes, then said, "Eight out of ten must be the two dog slaves who heard wrongly, in that case...¡±

    As he spoke, he suddenly turned his face and shouted, "Haven''t you heard Captain Jiang say that he wouldn¡¯t dare to disobey the Prince''s orders?! You shameful and despicable bastards, how dare you procrastinate here. Do you want me to skin you alive?!"

    Upon hearing this sound of cursing, all the actors quickly glance at Jiang Yuhan''s face. Although he had a black face, he didn¡¯t make a sound to stop him, so they hurriedly scattered away, packing their bags and preparing to return to the mansion.

    Who knew that Lord Zhou was still not satisfied? He stepped forward and kicked over a female actor, then stepped on her chest with his sharp boots, rubbing them while sneering, "The Prince''s command is for you guys to return to the mansion immediately. Aren''t you lowly bastards unable to understand human language?¡±

    The actors were busy and abandoned their belongings, ignoring the thin clothes and spring lights. They bowed and walked out.

    Jiang Yuhan watched as Lord Zhou was so arrogant and domineering, shouting one after another and trembling all over with anger. However, due to the advice of Prince Zhongshun, he didn¡¯t dare to intervene.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong suddenly reached out and blocked the actors, saying, "Everyone else, you can take them away, but the culprits who the Central Judicial Office caught on the spot, I''m afraid it''s not convenient for you to bring them back to the Royal Residence.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuhan''s eyes lit up. Although he still had to explain this matter to Prince Zhongshun, as long as the true culprit could be identified in advance, it could prevent the troupe from being severely humiliated by Lord Zhou!

    So he quickly asked, "Brother Sun, what have you found out?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lord Zhou furrowed his brows and said with a tiger face, "Lord Sun, the matter of your Big Brother in the Shenji Camp at the Ministry of War was settled by me. This matter...¡±

    ¡°Please forgive me, Lord Zhou.¡±

    Sun Shaozong arched his hand at him and said frankly, "This is also my responsibility; I really can''t shirk it.¡±

    Then, with a bitter smile, he spread his hands and said, "Besides, what was playing today is the ¡±Sun Public Case.¡± If I can''t figure it out, wouldn''t it make people laugh when the news spreads?¡±

    If it were someone else, even if a reasonable explanation was given, Lord Zhou might not necessarily give the other party face.

    But these Sun Brothers were also valued by the Prince, unlike Jiang Yuhan, and were involved in the authority competition at the Palace. Therefore, it was difficult for Lord Zhou to tear apart his face from him.

    Therefore, after a moment of contemplation, Lord Zhou snorted and said, "Since that''s the case, I will give you a face. If you can identify the culprit in person, I will also bear some blame in front of the Prince and entrust this offender to the Central Judicial Office for punishment.¡±

    After a pause, he sneered again and said, "If Lord Sun can¡¯ identify the culprit or provide sufficient evidence, the responsibility lies within me. I''m afraid I can only offend you.¡±

 Chapter 389 - The Dream of the Theatrical Troupe Has Ended

    In fact, if Lord Zhou relied on the power of the Royal Residence and acted recklessly, Sun Shaozong would have no way out of him.

    Therefore, upon hearing his words, Sun Shaozong also breathed a deep sigh of relief in his heart. He arched his hand and smiled, "In fact, if I can identify the true culprit, I also need to thank you for your help.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    Zhou Changshi was stunned by what he said and inexplicably said, "I just arrived and haven''t done anything. How could I help you, Lord Sun?¡±

    ¡°Who says you haven''t done anything?¡±

    Sun Shaozong pointed solemnly at his feet and said, "Didn''t you just kick this real culprit to the ground?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Lord Zhou tilted his body to one side and staggered back a few steps. He looked at the female actress in surprise and couldn''t help but question her as she laid trembling on the ground. It didn''t seem like she was a ruthless murderer, so he couldn''t help but say, "Lord Sun, you didn''t just randomly speak out, did you? How could this be? I just randomly kicked a person and she turned out to be the real culprit?¡±Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    ¡°Lord Zhou, don''t be humble.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said solemnly, "Actually, I didn''t suspect her until she was kicked and overturned by you.¡±

    As he spoke, Sun Shaozong suddenly stepped forward and clasped the woman''s wrist, then slowly pressed her left palm upwards onto the ground, explaining, "I suddenly realized that she had made a strange reaction, and it was this reaction that gradually made me feel enlightened.¡±

    As he spoke, he saw that the female actress''s face was first filled with fear, and then her facial features suddenly tightened, as if feeling something extremely painful. With a desperate effort in her left hand, she broke free from Sun Shaozong''s oppression.

    ¡°Yes, that''s the reaction!¡±

    Sun Shaozong straightened up and sneered at the woman, "At that time, you got a kick in your lower abdomen, but the back of your left hand only hit the ground lightly. If you were an ordinary person, your first reaction would naturally be to protect your lower abdomen, but you immediately raise your left hand high and then realize the pain in your lower abdomen.¡±

    "That is to say, the pain that that light knock caused you is even greater than the force of Lord Zhou''s foot."

    ¡°This is unreasonable.¡±

    Therefore, after closely examining the back of your hand, I discovered that there was no evidence of trauma, swelling, or fractures and that the only unusual redness there was what would have resulted from friction or scratching.

    ¡°Since that''s the case, where did your intense pain come from?¡±

    ¡°At that time, a sense of inspiration flashed in my mind and suddenly connected the clues I had discovered before.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuhan was overjoyed and quickly shouted, "Hurry up, go and get a few needles. I want to see if this lowly maid dares to claim justice in front of ironclad evidence!"

    At this command, several actors immediately fled to find their sewing bags.

    Jiang Yuhan took a sewing needle and was about to personally remove the thorn from her flesh. However, the actress''s psychological defense had already collapsed, and she covered her face and said in a mournful voice, "He forced me, he forced me!¡±

    ¡°I... I just... I just wanted to play the ¡±main character.¡± Zhu Er promised to recommend me to the troupe leader, but that dog thief... that dog thief tricked me of my body, instead, he let that slut Jinbao be benefited.¡±

    At this point, she suddenly put down her hand, her bloodshot pupils searching back and forth in the crowd, gritting her teeth and saying, "It''s okay if it''s someone else, but everyone in the theater knows that Jinbao and I are the worst at dealing with each other! Since he''s playing with me like this, don¡¯t blame me for being cruel.¡±

    As she spoke, her gaze fell straight on a slender woman, and she resentfully said, "Unfortunately, I killed that adulterer, but I couldn''t kill you.¡±

    The female actress, who was called ¡±Jinbao,¡± felt goosebumps when she saw her, and when she saw the gaze of others looking at her, she also showed some disdain. She quickly distinguished and said, ¡°Jinfeng! Don''t speak nonsense. I have nothing to do with Zhu Er, how could it be... How could it be...¡±

    Spit!

    Jinfeng spat disdainfully and sneered, "I''ve already admitted to the murder, but you''re still hiding it here. Do you think I''m stupid?¡±

    ¡°You may have made a mistake.¡±

    Jiang Yuhan suddenly sighed faintly and said, "Looking back now, Zhu Er did indeed praise you in front of me in a roundabout way. You have been studying and practicing hard recently, and your singing skills have improved a bit. However, I have been observing secretly for a long time and still think that Jinbao is more suitable to play the role of the Concubine in the Ge Mansion.¡±

    The venom on Jinfeng''s face immediately solidified. After a while, she trembled and said, "So, he... He didn''t lie to me.¡±

    Jiang Yuhan nodded silently.

    Jinfeng''s face changed a few times and suddenly screamed again, "No, I don''t believe it! Zhu Er is your trusted confidant. If he said a good word for me, how could you still raise Jinbao? He must have deceived me; he must have deceived me!¡±

    Cough.

    Seeing her hysterical appearance, Sun Shaozong cleared his throat and said unkindly, "I don''t know if he deceived you, but the paint is all peeling off in pieces, and it''s unlikely to leave any paint on the wooden thorns.¡±

    As he spoke, Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said, "So if you were to firmly believe that it was a wooden thorn that you rubbed against somewhere else, this case is tough to solve.¡±

    ¡°You! You! You!¡±

    Jinfeng suddenly jumped up from the ground and pointed at Sun Shaozong. Suddenly, her eyes rolled, and she fell like a wooden pile.

 Chapter 390 - Extravagant Orgy

    Indeed, there must be something to hate for poor people!

    Upon seeing the woman faint when agitated by Sun Shaozong¡¯s words, he couldn''t help but sigh to himself and then ordered, "County Magistrate Su, could you please take this woman to the Daxing County Government and admit a new confession after she wakes up?¡±

    Su Xingfang was originally impressed by his method of solving the case, but suddenly heard this and quickly declined, saying, "How can this be done? Since the case was personally solved by you, how can I handle it in Daxing County?¡±

    ¡°No need to say more; just follow suit.¡±

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and signaled that Su Xingfang didn¡¯t need to push the task to him. He then turned his head and bowed to Lord Zhou, saying, "Since I have detained the culprit, if I implicate you in being scolded by the Prince, I would feel sorry for it. Why don''t I accompany you to report to the Prince together?¡±

    Lord Zhou''s success in Prince Zhonggshun''s Residence was certainly not that short-sighted. After a moment of contemplation, he guessed that he was probably afraid of him gossiping in front of the Prince, so he had to personally go and explain.

    Sun Shaozong''s words not only sounded grandiose, but he really wanted to follow him to the Royal Residence, and he could indeed shoulder the responsibility for him.

    Therefore, although Lord Zhou secretly cursed in his heart, he agreed.

    So Su Xingfang called for the domestic slaves and took away the murderer Jinfeng. Jiang Yuhan and Lord Zhou urged the actors to quickly pack up. Since there have been a murder cases, this play would definitely not be able to be sung today. As for whether to sing it in the future, it depended on the meaning of Prince Zhongshun.

    As for Sun Shaozong, he went upstairs and explained the cause and effect with his Big Brother and Jia She first, and shouted Ruan Rong for a few words, telling her not to forget to send Second Lady You home.

    ¡°Since you have already experienced it...¡±

    Ruan Rong said with a smile on her face, "Why don''t you just carry the person back to our mansion, so you don''t have to worry about it back and forth.¡±

    Tch!

    This Second Lady You was indeed a careless person. With just a little effort, she even got caught up in this matter.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t cover it up, only chuckled with a shy face and said, "I''m just greedy for her body. Since I''ve already taken control, what else is there to worry about? Being carried back today or later, you can decide for me.¡±

    Spit!

    Ruan Rong spat and said, "If your words are heard, I''m afraid I don''t know how sad she will feel.¡±

    She spoke up for Second Lady You''s grievances, but her face covered with powder couldn''t help but exude a hint of joy.

    Nowadays, most women didn¡¯t expect their husbands to spoil them alone, so as long as they received more favors than their wives and concubines, they were satisfied.

    Sun Shaozong saw her small appearance of anger and joy, and he couldn''t help but hold her in his arms and played around a few times. He also agreed to ¡±burn the midnight oil¡± at night and then he went downstairs.

    When he arrived downstairs, he saw the actors and the aristocratic slaves of the Royal Residence, wrapped in large and small packages of belongings. However, how could they leave immediately?

    However, since he had already captured the culprit, Lord Zhou had no choice but to take them as a threat, so he simply climbed onto the horse and invited Sun Shaozong to walk with him.

    Although Jiang Yuhan was still busy, Sun Shaozong had just discovered the true culprit, which was considered the end of benevolence and righteousness. At this time, it might be better to appear distant so as not to get involved in the internal struggle between Lord Zhou and him.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong willingly obeyed and also untied the reins, flipped over and mounted the horse, and began to tug at the reins of Lord Zhou.

    Lord Zhou was not only a serious scholar but also a ¡±Chief Steward of the Royal Residence¡± who was accustomed to serving people. His words were witty, but his rebellious nature was unintentionally revealed, which made Sun Shaozong unable to get close to him.

    While chatting about interesting things about the Capital, Sun Shaozong had a sudden idea in his heart and blurted out, "I wonder if Lord Zhou has ever heard of the ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells?¡±

    He saw Lord Zhou''s expression suddenly freeze, hesitating for a while, and then laughed and said, "How could I not know about the recent rumors of ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells.¡±

    This expression...

    He indeed guessed correctly!

    Sun Shaozong suddenly thought it was difficult to determine how many people in the Capital could promote the ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shell¡± and were extremely greedy for money, but Prince Zhongshun was one of them.

    That was why he suddenly asked to explore and unexpectedly, he hit it with just one blow!

    Just confirming that Prince Zhongshun was behind the scenes, Sun Shaozong didn''t know whether to be grateful or depressed.

    If someone else set up the game, by just reporting the danger to the court could take it down.

    But since this was done by Prince Zhongshun...

    Even if it was reported to the court, the unlucky one might not be Prince Zhongshun!

    ¡°Lord Sun, Lord Sun?¡±

    When Lord Zhou saw Sun Shaozong suddenly became silent, he was puzzled and asked, "Is there anything strange about this ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells?¡± Otherwise, how could you be so distracted when you mentioned it?¡±

    Sun Shaozong returned a salute and he watched as Zhou Mo entered the courtyard door. He stood still outside for a moment, then heard the sound of water gurgling inside, accompanied by the laughter of a young woman like a silver bell.

    As he was listening attentively, he saw Zhou Mo hurriedly coming out of the room again and whispering, "The Prince is enjoying himself inside. Lord Sun, please remember ¡±not to look unless necessary.¡±

    Upon hearing his words, even if he had not yet witnessed them with his own eyes, Sun Shaozong could roughly guess what the scene was inside. His Big Brother held an undisclosed meeting in the backyard, and even if Sun Shaozong had never participated, he would still have seen it.

    He nodded hurriedly, followed Zhou Mo step by step, and entered the small courtyard.

    Around the two screen-like rockeries, he saw a mist rising in front of him, faintly emitting a strong aroma of alcohol!

    Pa Da Da~

    As he was sniffing the scent of the wine, he saw something flying out of the misty area and landing with a snap not far from the two of them. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a feather and a shuttlecock.

    Immediately after, the mist flowed and a tall and robust woman rushed out, resembling Siqi in size but a Western woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a high nose.

    The woman was completely naked and walked with cat-like steps, trembling three times at a time. She bent down to pick up the chicken feathers and shuttlecock and calmly returned to the mist.

    The entire process was like two big men, Sun Shaozong and Zhou Mo, completely non-existent.

    ¡°This was the prostitute of the Hu, whom the Prince just spent a lot of money on.¡±

    Zhou Mo stared at the back of the blonde woman and whispered, "I heard it was a top-notch product trained by merchants from the Western Regions. The Prince has been in poor love lately, and even Leader Jiang has never been this close to him. Lord Sun, you must not be disrespectful to her in front of the Prince.¡±

    Tch!

    Wasn¡¯t she just a white woman?

    He had seen it before when he was cleaning up pornography in the Police Department of the modern days!

    Sun Shaozong was very dismissive, but when Zhou Mo spoke, his voice became dry, and he was clearly provoked by this prostitute.

    As they spoke, they were already close to the mist and saw five or six more naked women, including the prostitute of the Hu, kicking shuttlecocks by the pool.

    However, Sun Shaozong''s gaze didn¡¯t fall on them.

    It was not that Sun Shaozong was a ¡±no disrespect¡± gentleman, but that there was another scene in the pool that caught his attention.

    On the rockery to the west of the pool, there was a small ditch paved with fine pottery, and some translucent amber liquor was flowing rapidly in the ditch.

    The liquor was obviously just steamed, and the flowing room emitted steaming heat.

    But this hot air was not enough to make the fog diffuse here. What stirred up the fog in the sky was the tall, longevity peach ice sculpture at the end of the ditch!

    The turbulent liquor fell on the longevity peach, immediately emitting a large amount of water mist.

    The longevity peach has been repeatedly washed away by the liquor and has already cracked dozens of deep ravines, with murmuring streams slowly flowing into the pool through these ravines. The temperature was neither cold nor hot, making it suitable for bathing and cooling in this hot summer season.

    This was clearly the legendary extravagant orgy!

    This absurd Prince was indeed someone who could enjoy it!

    ¡°How is it? Is my pool nice?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was still watching when he heard the lazy voice of Prince Zhongshun from the pool.

    Looking closely, it turned out that he was lying on his back in the middle of the pool, on a small island made of fine sand. Two women were comforting him in every way possible, and the tray floating next to him was filled with various food and other items.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t look much either, and he quickly bowed and said, "The boundary of Your Highness is naturally like a fairyland on earth.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    Prince Zhongshun laughed and slightly moved his finger. The woman on his body quickly picked up an iced grape and fed it to him with her mouth.

    Prince Zhongshun chewed on grapes while lazily asking, "What do you think of this new prostitute I bought?¡±

    Of course, Sun Shaozong knew that he was referring to the blonde and blue-eyed prostitute of the Hu.

    Just as the Prince said, he didn¡¯t dare to make such frivolous comments, so he said ambiguously, "Those who can enter the eyes of Your Highness are naturally good ones.¡±

    ¡°Although she was a good one, she was also a fierce one who was not obedient no matter how many times she rode.¡±

    As soon as Prince Zhongshun raised his head slightly, another woman opened her mouth wide and approached, swallowing all the peels and grape seeds that Prince Zhongshun had spit out.

    Prince Zhongshun then continued, "Why don''t you make this fierce horse surrender for me?¡±

 Chapter 391 - The Consciousness of Being a Dog

    Make her surrender?

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t tell if it was a joke or a genuine desire to give him a romantic gift.

    Speaking of the absurd nature of Prince Zhongshun in his daily life, this wonderful performance of ¡±making her surrender¡± naturally would require him to call on friends and gather around!

    Even if Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t mind performing ¡±training¡± in front of people, Prince Zhongshun was still a standard double plug. If he would get turned on and wanted to train him...

    Eww~

    After all this imagination, Sun Shaozong felt a chill all over him.

    It was just that...

    What Prince Zhongshun was currently saying was ¡±please¡± help him to make the prostitute surrender.

    If he refused directly, wouldn''t he not give him face?

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a moment and bowed in the envious gaze of Zhou Mo, saying, "The Lord has given orders. I shouldn''t have refused, but this prostitute of yours is tall and strong. In a hurry, I am not sure if I can tame it. If Your Highness can allow me to bring it home and tame it, I will...¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡±

    Before Sun Shaozong could finish speaking, Prince Zhongshun patted the woman''s buttocks in his arms and burst into laughter, "You are cunning; I¡¯m just giving you a try. Do you still want to deceive my prostitute back?¡±

    After laughing for a long time, he regained his lazy tone. He casually asked, "I heard that in the Wangjiang Tower, Qiguan received my oral edict, but intended to disobey and disrespect. I wonder if this is the case?¡±

    Sun Shaozong managed to muddle through and just breathed a sigh of relief. Upon hearing this, he immediately raised his heart to his throat again.

    To be honest, there was suspicion of betraying Jiang Yuhan.

    But if he were to cover it up for Jiang Yuhan, Zhou Mo would be on the side, watching intently. Could he listen to his nonsense?

    He didn¡¯t dare to hesitate for too long in this dilemma.

    Therefore, as soon as Sun Shaozong gritted his teeth, he bowed again and said, "Actually, I was just in time to find the culprit as soon as possible. That''s why I advised Brother Jiang to slow down for a moment. As for disobeying your orders, he never dared.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡±

    Prince Zhongshun playfully uttered, and after passing through the thick clouds, they became even more elusive.

    Sun Shaozong was on tenterhooks for a long time before he heard him saying quietly, "The more favored you are, the more you should listen to your master''s greetings. Even dogs know this truth, but how can anyone always be confused?¡±

    The problem was that, after enjoying countless favors and scenery, Jiang Yuhan might not even be willing to treat himself like a dog!

    Sun Shaozong roasted in his heart and listened to the lazy question of Prince Zhongshun asking, "Zhou Mo, have we identified almost all the people in our Mansion?"

    Zhou Mo''s heart moved and he immediately bowed and said, "Report to Your Highness that the servants from all levels in the mansion have been verified and identified, but the theatrical troupe has not been included in this verification due to its special circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Since the entire household has been investigated, it''s not bad to add another theatrical troupe," said Prince Zhongshun calmly.

    This was equivalent to handing over the power of life and death from the theatrical troupe to Zhou Mo!

    Upon hearing this, Zhou Mo was naturally overjoyed and eagerly responded. He rubbed his hands and wanted to take the opportunity to give Jiang Yuhan some lessons.

    ¡°Erlang of the Sun family.¡±

    Arranging the matter of knocking on Jiang Yuhan, Prince Zhongshun then turned his attention back to Sun Shaozong and said calmly, "In the blink of an eye, it was not easy to find the culprit. I will reward you.¡±

    Sun Shaozong sighed and said helplessly, "If the Hu Merchants leave, the price of the golden shell will quickly plummet, and the losses to the people may not be too much.¡±

    ¡°But if the enthusiasm of the people for this item does not subside and instead continues to drive up the price of the golden shell, it will inevitably involve more people.¡±

    ¡°At that time, the influence of this ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± may expand to a level that even the initiator may not dare to believe.¡±

    ¡°But after all, shells are just shells. When some people finally realize that these useless things cannot match the exaggerated skyrocketing price, this castle built by ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shells¡± will inevitably collapse.¡±

    ¡°Things that were originally priced lower than gold will quickly become worthless.¡±

    ¡°How many people will be ruined by this matter?¡±

    ¡°Two or three thousand? Four or five thousand? Or tens of thousands?¡±

    ¡°And let''s not say it''s ten thousand people; even with just three thousand, I''m afraid it''s also a big disaster.¡±

    Sun Shaozong let out these words in one breath, especially the thousands of numbers, which finally made Prince Zhongshun and Zhou Mo change their color.

    Prince Zhongshun was still frowning and pondering, but Zhou Mo couldn''t help but scream, "Sensational, you''re clearly sensational! Just a mere plaything... How could a mere plaything... How could it...¡±

    Although he tried his best to deny Sun Shaozong''s words, halfway through, he clearly lacked confidence.

    ¡°Sun Shaozong.¡±

    For the first time, Prince Zhongshun called Sun Shaozong''s name directly and leaned forward slightly. He pushed the upper body of the woman next to him into the water, but the woman only dared to raise her head as hard as she could, let alone call for help. She didn¡¯t even breathe in the air.

    ¡°What is the basis for your speculation just now?" Prince Zhongshun asked in a deep voice.

    Sun Shaozong respectfully said, "This matter is purely due to my deliberation. If we discuss the basis, it is only a matter of speculating about the people''s hearts. However, a Vassal must guard against the slightest danger. As long as there is a possibility of endangering the country, I should remind the court and His Majesty.¡±

    After a pause, he added, "Your Highness has always been loyal to the country, and I believe you will also be able to appreciate my thoughts.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Prince Zhongshun''s face darkened a bit and he stared at Sun Shaozong intently for a while.

    Until the woman next to him was about to drown, he suddenly lazily laid back and calmly ordered, "I will report this matter to His Majesty on your behalf. You should focus on managing the Criminal Department.¡±

    As he spoke, he waved his hand like a fly.

    Sun Shaozong let out a deep sigh of relief and quickly bowed down, saying, "I will obey your orders and go back to rectify the prison now.¡±

    As he spoke, he arched his hand at Zhou Mo, then took seven or eight steps back before turning around and heading away.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    After watching Sun Shaozong leave, Zhou Mo couldn''t help but exclaim angrily, "We have been planning for a long time, and we are about to close the net. Is it because of his nonsense that we have to give up this great opportunity?¡±

    Prince Zhongshun didn¡¯t even glance at him and then waved his hand in the wind.

    Zhou Mo had no choice but to withdraw angrily.

    When only a few naked women were left around, they heard Prince Zhongshun sigh, "The more favored you are, the more you should listen to your master''s greetings...¡±

    When he said this before, it was full of the authority of the superiors.

    At this moment, there was a hint of helplessness and unwillingness.

    After a while, Prince Zhongshun suddenly kicked the panting maid into the wine pool and cursed angrily, "I can''t believe the fairy tale of the bird in the cage!¡±

 Chapter 392 - The Footsteps of the New Era

    When Sun Shaozong left the Royal Residence, he was fortunate to have survived.

    After walking for a distance, he became dissatisfied and complained that Prince Zhongshun was too stingy to let him bring the ¡±Prostitute of the Hu¡± home to tame.

    Fortunately, there was also a top-notch ¡±Southern Xinjiang Lady¡± available at home, so there was no need to envy that absurd Prince too much.

    Halfway through the journey, Jiang Yuhan and his troupe of attendants and servants were seen meandering along in several carriages, but Liu Xianglian was still mixed in.

    ¡°Brother Sun.¡±

    Seeing Sun Shaozong''s figure from afar, Jiang Yuhan couldn''t wait to raise his voice and asked, "What did His Highness say to you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Sun Shaozong hesitated until he got close before whispering a reminder, "Lord Zhou was ordered to verify the background and character of the troupe. Looking at him rubbing his hands, you may need to be mentally prepared enough to succeed.¡±

    Jiang Yuhan''s face suddenly darkened, disregarding the presence of Liu Xianglian and the coachman. He gritted his teeth and said, "It''s just that I didn¡¯t give him some face. Why does he want the domestic slaves to humiliate me like this?¡±

    At this moment, he was not as heroic as he was on the stage, just looking at his tone and demeanor. He was completely a deep woman complaining about the man''s treachery.

    In fact, what made Prince Zhongshun the most angry was Jiang Yuhan''s disobedience to his oral orders.

    However, Sun Shaozong also had to bear some responsibility for this matter, so it was not convenient to mention it. He only casually comforted and said, "The Prince only ordered people to rectify the theatrical troupe, but he didn¡¯t punish you. Obviously, he still has great faith in you. Brother Jiang, you just need to be steadfast and obedient, and this matter will pass.¡±

    Jiang Yuhan''s face was still as heavy as water, and after a while, he held back a sentence, "I would rather he throw his anger at me alone.¡±

    As he spoke, he arched his hand and said, "Brother Sun, no matter what, I would like to thank you very much for your generous help. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely repay you.¡±

    Jiang Yuhan was usually a shrewd person, but now he has developed a small temper. He didn¡¯t know if he was holding onto a pet or being blinded by emotions.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so courteous.¡±

    Seeing that he didn¡¯t listen to his persuasion, Sun Shaozong returned a greeting and no longer said anything to him. Instead, he turned his gaze to Liu Xianglian and angrily scolded, "Brother Jiang returned and will return to the Royal Residence at the command of the Prince, but why did you join in the excitement? Hurry down and return with me.¡±

    Seeing Liu Xianglian straighten his chest as if he wanted to share something, Sun Shaozong immediately added, "Isn''t it that you don''t want to know where Third Lady You is now arranged?¡±

    Liu Xianglian immediately breathed a sigh of relief and bid farewell to Jiang Yuhan. He then led his horse behind and then walked alongside Sun Shaozong.

    He didn¡¯t know how far he had walked out, but Liu Xianglian suddenly sighed in a mournful voice and said, "Brother Jiang may not be willing to bow down to the Prince this time, but I don''t know if he can withstand this disaster with such a strong command.¡±

    Recently, Sun Shaozong has always suspected that this guy has already been broken. Otherwise, how could someone who was originally quite straightforward become so sentimental?

    At first, Sun Shaozong didn''t want to get into trouble, but the boy repeated it over and over again. Although the lyrics were also changed twice, the core connotation was still worried about Jiang Yuhan''s safety.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but roll his eyes and said, "Is the household matters of Prince Zhongshun something you can care about as a mere showman? Besides, in my opinion, even if Jiang Yuhan refuses to give in, the Prince may not be willing to punish him, but it is more likely that he will vent his anger on others.¡±

    As he spoke, he lightly whipped Liu Xianglian''s leg with a whip and solemnly warned, "Remember to keep less in touch with him recently, so as not to be implicated and suffer from innocent beatings.¡±

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Liu Xianglian pulled out his chest and said angrily, "How can I, Liu Xianglian, do such behavior that undermines my friend''s loyalty?¡±

    ¡°Is this called showing loyalty? You''re clearly looking for fun.¡±

    If he acted recklessly but ultimately failed to succeed, or if he failed to drive Jia Yucun away despite failing to achieve his desired promotion, he would have a deadly grudge against Jia Yucun!

    At present, although the two of them were also at odds in terms of face and heart, there was still room for a third. If Sun Shaozong continued to struggle tirelessly, he might not be able to negotiate a bargain. After all, except for the Criminal Department, which was operated by him as an iron bucket, most of the other departments were under the control of Jia Yucun.

    It was impossible to suddenly jump to the third level. It was not worth the loss to get involved in this matter recklessly. He would have to wait and see how it would change first.

    With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong naturally ignored Xue Pan''s instigation and had to explain to him not to act recklessly, so he hurriedly rushed to the original private room.

    After entering the door, he found that in addition to Jia She, there were a large number of martial artists, most of whom were the colleagues of his Big Brother in the patrol camp. Even Xu Shouye, Feng Xin, Lu Jianxing, Shen Lian, and others were among them.

    ¡°Erlang.¡±

    ¡°Brother Sun.¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    ¡°Lord Sun.¡±

    Seeing Sun Shaozong come in from outside, more than a dozen people came forward to greet him with various names, depending on their distance and status. They only caused Sun Shaozong to be in a hurry.

    It took him a while to handle it, and he couldn''t help but wonder, "Why are you all here? Are you also here to see the play?¡±

    A General surnamed Liu said with a big grin, "Erlang guessed wrong this time. In fact, we have all received the news and come to congratulate your Elder Brother on his promotion to the position of Commander.¡±

    Another General surnamed Wu said in a muffled voice, "Unfortunately, Lao Sun was transferred to the Shenji Camp as the Commander, so he won''t be able to swing horses in the same pot with us in the future.¡±

    The military order to transfer to Shenji Camp has finally arrived!

    Sun Shaozong breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. There had been no news for a long time, and he was worried that his Big Brother would be deceived by Prince Zhongshun again.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozu exclaimed reluctantly, "Lao Wu, what you''re saying is so outrageous! Why can''t I just go to Shenji Camp and grab some food and drink at your house?¡±

    The crowd burst into laughter, and General Wu even pointed to Sun Shaozu and cursed with a smile, "Today is the day for promotion. You don''t want to hold a banquet to entertain us, but you want to go to my house for free food. You are becoming more and more calculating.¡±

    Sun Shaozu was naturally not a stingy person. Even when he called the shop owner, he ordered over forty hard dishes.¡±

    Sun Shaozong also invited Feng Ziying, Xue Pan, Liu Xianglian, and others together, bustling until around 4 p.m., which was considered a drunken break.

    He had sent everyone away, and with the help of Sun Shaozong, his Big Brother got on the carriage step by step with his tongue wide open.

    As soon as the curtain of the car hung down, his Big Brother''s muddy eyes immediately shone with a dazzling expression. He reached out and grabbed Sun Shaozong''s wrist and exclaimed, "Erlang guessed correctly that day. This Shenji Camp is going to be extravagant.¡±

    As he spoke, he pretended to be mysterious and asked, "Do you know how many Commanders have been appointed to Shenji Camp today?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was puzzled and said, "Isn''t there only one person missing? Has another Commander also been replaced by someone else?¡±

    ¡°It''s not a replacement, it''s an addition.¡±

    Sun Shaozu extended four fingers and exaggerated, "From now on, there will be four Commanders in the Shenji Camp, front, back, left, and right. This is the only one in the four camps and one guard, and even the Huben Camp has been defeated.¡±

    Although the number of Commanders has doubled, the number of soldiers and horses in this Shenji Camp might not necessarily follow suit. However, this special treatment undoubtedly demonstrated the importance that the court attached to new firearms.

    It seemed that the Great Zhou Dynasty was ready to enter the era of hot weapons four hundred years ahead of schedule!

 Chapter 393 - Miserable Wretch

    Since that day, Wang Xifeng has cried heavily in the arms of Old Lady Jia. When she returned home, she was both ashamed and aggrieved, and that night she was bedridden with a cold.

    Jia Lian was really a lowly person. Originally, when Wang Xifeng rushed to get close to him, he took all the kindness as nothing. However, now Wang Xifeng was disheartened and became indifferent to him. Instead, he rushed to play the role of a twenty-four filial piety.

    Wang Xifeng, who had been waiting for several days without being undressed, was neither happy nor angry, and she didn¡¯t know how many times she cursed.

    But that morning, Jia Lian took a nourishing tonic and sat at the head of the bed, fed Wang Xifeng spoonful by spoonful. Suddenly, he heard a report from the outside that Lai Wang was going to the ancestral house in Jinling to check accounts, and he just came to say goodbye to Second Madam.

    Jia Lian threw the soup spoon into the bowl and cursed, "What an ignorant dog slave! Second Madam is currently ill; how can she have leisure to see him? Let him kowtow a few times in the yard and it''s considered a farewell.¡±

    The little maid saw that he was a bit annoyed, so she obediently stayed out to spread the word.

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Wang Xifeng sat up straight with strong support and said unquestionably, "First, let him wait outside, wait for me to change clothes, and then call him in to speak.¡±

    As she spoke, she gave Jia Lian another shove and said angrily, "You said you wanted to manage the house for me, but you are always hiding in this room. What''s the matter? Hurry up to the front and keep an eye on him, so that those cheap bastards won''t cheat and play tricks.¡±

    Jia Lian stood up and looked at Wang Xifeng suspiciously for a while. It wasn''t until the servant girl arrived outside that he lowered his voice and said, "You''re in a hurry to send me out. Aren''t you trying to get those moneylenders again?¡±

    In fact, under the guise of going to Jinling to audit accounts, Lai Wang was actually partnering with the Sun family to run a timber business.

    However, Jia Lian didn¡¯t even want to hear the word ¡±Sun¡± nowadays, so Wang Xifeng was happy to make him misunderstand and sneered, "Why? If you don''t think the money from the loan is clean, don''t use it in the future.¡±

    Jia Lian, like her, was also a master who was accustomed to being extravagant. How could he only use those ten taels of silver per month?

    Therefore, upon hearing Wang Xifeng''s words, he was too busy to laugh and said, "Look at you. I haven''t said anything yet; why did you cut off my desire? Forget it, I won¡¯t ask you about these things, I shall just obediently go ahead and handle household chores. Is that all right?¡±

    As he spoke, he got up and bent over exaggeratedly, lengthened his voice, and sang in a rhythmic voice, "I''m going now, My Wife.¡±

    Then he paired himself with gongs and drums and went all the way with a resounding sound.

    Wang Xifeng was so amused by him that she couldn''t help crying or laughing. She couldn''t help but curse twice and then called for Ping''er to come in and let her serve her in a pleated apricot-colored dress.

    As Ping¡¯er shouted in the hall, Lai Wang hurriedly entered and knelt to respectfully bid farewell.

    ¡°I have already told you all the errands you need to do.¡±

    Wang Xifeng leaned on the couch and said in a low breath, "When you get to the south, you should consult with the officials around the Supreme Master when encountering any problems. The people sent by the Sun family, you should use them as normal, but you should be on guard in secret.¡±

    She usually spoke with a crisp and refreshing expression. Now that her body was weak, it added some lingering charm, and with a hint of hoarse voice. It seemed like countless small hands, tickling through his ears to his heart. The person who tickled was soft all over; only one part was hard!

    Lai Wang unconsciously clamped his legs. Due to being guilty in his heart, he didn''t dare look up at Wang Xifeng''s face. He only hesitated and said, "Madam, the Second Master just had a grudge against Lord Sun, and we¡¯re partnering with the Sun family to do business behind his back, is that alright?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Wang Xifeng suddenly straightened her waist, and her tone returned to its usual sharp tone. She angrily scolded, "Who do I want to partner with in business is my business; when is it your turn to gossip?.¡±

    Upon hearing this playful and sinister tone, he was all softened and quickly kowtowed, "I dare not, I dare not.¡±

    However, Wang Xifeng gave a sharp reprimand twice, which made him gasp for breath. Her chest heaved violently, almost bursting at the seams.

    Ping''er quickly stepped forward to help her pat her back and explained on her behalf, "Actually, our Second Madam doesn''t want to get involved with the Sun family at this time. It''s just that the matter has already been arranged and we have already informed the Supreme Master in a letter. It''s too late to make any changes now.¡±

    But as soon as the three of them stepped onto the bamboo bridge, Shi Xiangyun, who was watching at the door, flew up to Li Wan and Jia Lan, waving her handkerchief and gesturing, "Yu Hanlin looks even bigger than Lord Sun, with a blue face and fangs like bronze bells.¡±

    ¡°Stop it.¡±

    Jia Tanchun caught up with her and pushed her, saying angrily, "It''s already this time. You''re scaring Lan¡¯er. Yu Hanlin is clearly a humble gentleman; what kind of monster are you describing?¡±

    ¡°With heaven and earth conscience.¡±

    Shi Xiangyun immediately vowed and said, ¡°Where am I trying to scare him? I''m just joking with him to make him less nervous.¡±

    ¡°Your joke is really...¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright! If you keep talking, you should be caught.¡±

    The two of them were still waiting to discuss, while Xue Baochai hurriedly dragged them to the next room, while Lin Daiyu and Jia Xichun also quickly followed and hid inside.

    Li Wan hastily reminded her son a few more words, and as she heard the footsteps approaching, she could only reluctantly avoid them temporarily.

    When she arrived inside, he saw Shi Xiangyun holding Jia Tanchun''s slender waist and laughing to herself, "How come when I mentioned that Hanlin, Third Sister was so anxious? Isn''t it that you are thinking...¡±

    ¡°Don''t talk nonsense.¡±

    Xue Baochai stopped her again and whispered, "Yu Hanlin is Lord Sun¡¯s niece''s husband. I heard that his son is three years old.¡±

    Shi Xiangyun spat out her lilacs and said, "Don''t worry, Third Sister. I''m just talking nonsense.¡±

    ¡°It''s nothing.¡±

    Jia Tanchun was quite free and easy, and she said without any hesitation, "To be honest with Sister Yun, his heroic strategy in a recent article is what I really like. In terms of broad-minded and magnanimous demeanor, there is probably no comparison with it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is not an ordinary person.¡±

    Xue Baochai also chimed in and said, "First, a strategy theory angered the Emperor, falling from the first tier to the bottom of the third tier. Then, it gained the favor of the Minister of Personnel, Minister Wang, and was accepted as a disciple.¡±

    ¡°Now he has passed the Hanlin exam again. Even if he is the top scorer in his undergraduate studies, he may be three points inferior to his style.¡±

    ¡°If it weren''t for Lord Sun''s invitation, others might not have been able to invite him.¡±

    Jia Xichun couldn''t help but mutter in a low voice while listening to her sisters'' endless praise, "This person has good knowledge, but he has a bit of courage. He even dares to criticize the Grand Emperor.¡±

    Jia Tanchun immediately refuted, "It¡¯s good to be bold; otherwise, without any responsibility, what kind of man is he considered?¡±

    Shi Xiangyun nodded and said, "That''s right. I think Brother Bao should learn from others.¡±

    Shh~

    At this moment, Lin Daiyu suddenly made a silent gesture and whispered, "Don''t even talk; Yu Hanlin has already started to test Lan¡¯er.¡±

    Upon hearing this, all the women held their breath and listened attentively to the movements outside, especially Li Wan, who was uneasy and almost tore the handkerchief to pieces.

    In the audible silence, they heard Yu Qian''s soft voice outside say, ¡°I wonder if you...¡±

    ¡°Second Master, Second Master Bao.¡±

    Just as he heard three words, someone outside the door shouted at the top of their lungs, "The Old Second Master called you to Rongxi Hall to receive guests.¡±

 Chapter 410: The Unwitted Hong Jiu

    Chapter 410: The Unwitted Hong Jiu

    Leaving the Government Office, Hong Jiu was confused and lost in thought. Walking under the poisonous sun, he didn''t feel the scorching heat at all, and all he thought about was the notice.

    Undoubtedly, once the ¡±Beggar System¡± described above was officially implemented, the beggars'' world in the Capital would inevitably undergo earth-shattering changes. Evil beggars like the Deaf Boss who sat on the ground and shared the spoils would definitely receive...

    The greatest benefit, right?

    After all, how could senior officials knew the character and talent of beggars?

    Wasn¡¯t it time to appoint the most powerful and able to submit to the court for flattery, and then appoint that person as the security chief?

    As long as a wealthy and powerful owner like the Deaf Boss was willing to spend money to clear up connections, wasn¡¯t the beggar''s bodyguard in Shanxi Lane just like his bag?

    Originally relying on force, the Deaf Boss has already ridden on everyone''s heads and acted recklessly. If he were to regain his official status and become a true beggar leader, wouldn''t small beggars like himself be more willing to let their flesh run wild in the future?!

    Although the original intention of the government seemed to be to prevent evil beggars from causing trouble to the public through the Beggar System, there would definitely be requirements in this regard when appointing the Security Leader. The question was, could beggars be considered ordinary people?

    Anyway, every time the population of the Capital was counted, they didn''t even include beggars. Since they weren¡¯t even counted as people, the officials naturally didn''t bother to take care of the shameful behavior of beggars.

    Thinking of this, Hong Jiu felt as if he had been blocked by something, feeling extremely suffocated and uncomfortable.

    ¡°Brother Jiu! Brother Jiu!¡±

    ¡°Brother Jiu, you''ve come back.¡±

    In a trance, Hong Jiu suddenly heard two shouts of surprise. He took a closer look and he found himself in a daze. He had returned to the Chenghuang Temple, where he usually lived.

    The Chenghuang Temple was very small. It only has one main hall. And because a pregnant woman who was abandoned by her husband once hanged herself in the temple, it has become a well-known evil temple that has been abandoned for many years.

    Now there were only Hong Jiu and three other little beggars, who had no place to settle down and had to bravely live in it.

    Seeing Er Zi and Black Head were present and came out of the Chenghuang Temple, his face was overjoyed. Hong Jiu couldn''t help feeling warm. At least in this world, some people missed him.

    ¡°Don''t worry.¡±

    Hong Jiu grabbed one hand and smiled, "I''m just...¡±

    ¡°Something big has happened.¡±

    Unexpectedly, the two little beggars were vying to say, "Brother Jiu, you just went out a little while ago, and Niu''er was injured.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Niu''er has shed a lot of blood. I don''t know what bit her, and she can''t explain it herself. She''s just crying incessantly.¡±

    ¡°I said I wanted to help her look at the wound, but she scolded me.¡±

    Upon hearing the words of the two little beggars, Hong Jiu couldn''t help but change his face. Without thinking much, he quickly rushed into the dilapidated temple but almost collided with a girl.

    This girl was exactly Niu¡¯er, but at the age of thirteen or fourteen, her figure was slightly higher than that of Er Zi and Black Head. At this moment, her eyes were swollen like peaches, and her face was washed black and white with tears as if she had drawn a mask for singing on it.

    ¡°Brother Jiu.¡±

    Seeing Hong Jiu coming in from outside, Niu''er exclaimed with both joy and grievance. Just as she was about to pounce into Hong Jiu''s arms and cry, she suddenly remembered something and quickly held onto her feet, tightly gripping her legs.

    Hong Jiu saw a crimson glow between her legs, and his heart was also in a panic. He quickly grabbed her and asked with concern, "Niu¡¯er, how did you get hurt? Did you get bitten by a snake? Or...¡±

    He guessed several times in a row, but Niu''er just shook her head and said nothing.

    Hong Jiu became increasingly anxious and he repeatedly urged her to speak the truth.

    Niu''er couldn''t resist being forced, so she shyly glanced at Er Zi and Black Head first. After the two of them stepped back a little, she leaned her foot against Hong Jiu''s ear to say something.

    Flipping open the rags on the three outer layers, many colorful things were exposed, including colorful small stones, faded half ribbons, and leg stones made of sheep bones.

    Almost all of the junk was picked up by Hong Jiu and others, but he didn¡¯t think that she was so precious to preserve the items.

    However, at this moment, Hong Jiu couldn''t help but sigh. He reached out and searched inside to find the golden shell, trembling his eyes. He widened his eyes and carefully scanned.

    Words, words, words...

    Be sure to have words!

    As long as it was said to be a top-grade pottery, pearls, gold, and shells, then he no longer has to worry about the bullying of the Deaf Boss, let alone lead three children to live such a precarious and secretive life!

    At this moment, Hong Jiu''s heart was extremely eager.

    However, after tossing and searching for a long time, he never saw any golden patterns similar to the text.

    Sure enough, he thought too much of himself...

    Hong Jiu let out a despondent sigh and was about to put down the shell when suddenly four big eyes, dribbling wildly, were staring at the shell and pounding fiercely. It turned out that Er Zi and Black Head had come back with water.

    ¡°Brother Jiu.¡±

    Black Head exclaimed curiously. "What''s there to see in a broken shell? It looks like you''re about to get into it.¡±

    Er Zi also followed closely and asked, "Is this something of value?¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Hong Jiu was originally very disappointed, but on second thought, even a medium-quality golden shell was worth a lot of silver. What was there to be disappointed about?

    So he laughed and ostentatiously said, "You''re right, kid. This shell is not simple; it''s pottery, pearls, gold, and shells from the Western Regions. It''s the most powerful one to prosper a family. Just this one can sell for 826 silver coins.¡±

    He then heard someone doubly question, "Can this thing really be worth 826 silver coins?¡±

    ¡°How can there be any fakes? I''ve checked it carefully.¡±

    Hong Jiu was smug and suddenly realized something was wrong because the questioning voice was not from a few small beggars around him but rather from outside. Moreover, the sound sounded very familiar, as if...

    ¡°Deaf... Deaf Boss...¡±

    Just as Hong Jiu exclaimed in surprise, the Deaf Boss, with five or six subordinates, stormed in and grabbed the shell. He put it in his hand, glanced at it a few times, and then sneered, "For the sake of letting me make a profit today, I will be merciful and only break two of your fingers.¡±

    Great compassion would only be merciful by breaking two fingers. If it weren''t for this shell, wouldn''t he have killed him?!

    Hong Jiu hurriedly said, "Deaf Boss, what are you doing this for? I haven''t offended you in the past few days.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    The Deaf Boss smiled grimly and put his face before Hong Jiu, gritting his teeth and saying, "Look at it yourself, f*ck. Open your dog''s eyes and have a good look.¡±

    Actually, there was no need to take a closer look. Hong Jiu has also noticed something strange. The Deaf Boss''s face was unusually red and swollen, as if there were several palm marks printed on it.

    Who was so bold as to dare to slap him?!

    Hong Jiu was puzzled in his heart but was pushed against the wall by the Deaf Boss with one shoulder and pinched his neck with a sneer, saying, "How dare you dog, bring the poor Master of the Central Judicial Office to my house, causing me a lot of trouble? Can you tell me, this great kindness, can I not repay it well?¡±

    Why did the official of the Central Judicial Office beat the Deaf Boss up just to inquire? Wasn¡¯t this a rush to cause trouble for oneself?!

 Chapter 411: Accidentally

    Chapter 411: Accidentally

    Hong Jiu was secretly complaining, and Deaf Boss was impatient to continue bullshitting with him again. He ordered in a rough and atmospheric voice, "Come, two people, hold down this bastard for me.¡±

    At his command, two subordinates immediately stepped forward and pressed Hong Jiu to the wall.

    ¡°Brother Jiu.¡±

    ¡°Let go of Brother Jiu.¡±

    Er Zi and Blackhead screamed in panic, trying to come up and stop them, but they were already forced by other people with sticks and couldn''t get close at all.

    At this moment, Deaf Boss took out an iron hammer and smiled grimly. "I''ve been slapped three times. I was supposed to break your three fingers, but for the sake of that shell, I''ll spare you one.¡±

    As he spoke, he pulled Hong Jiu''s left hand and pressed it against the wall.

    How was Hong Jiu willing to obediently submit?

    He desperately clenched his fist and refused to extend his fingers.

    Upon seeing this, Deaf Boss rubbed the hammer against Hong Jiu''s face and said with a gloomy smile, "Since you are clenching your fist, I can only start smashing it from under the root, hurting your palm. Don''t blame me for my lack of justice.¡±

    As he spoke, he used a hammer to compare it to the joint where his fingers and palms intersect. When he swung it, he would smash a bone, break a tendon, and break it!

    ¡°Wait, wait first.¡±

    At this moment, Hong Jiu suddenly let out a roar.

    ¡°Hahaha.¡±

    Deaf Boss immediately burst into laughter, gave him a sidelong look, and smiled, saying, "What''s wrong? It¡¯s too late to admit defeat to me.¡±

    As he spoke, the iron hammer had already swung around and greeted him!

    Unexpectedly, Hong Jiu shouted again, "I''m going to see the official.¡±

    Bang!

    He then just heard a muffled sound. The hammer hit a solid knot, but at the last moment, it slightly deviated from the direction and hit the wall, only to see dust flying and a big piece of wall skin falling off!

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Deaf Boss pressed his face to Hong Jiu''s forehead and said with a fierce expression, "Did you dog have a crazy heart? The officials are all busy with their affairs; how can they have time to see such vulgar things like you? Moreover, even if you see the officials, will they be concerned about the conflict between the beggars?

    Although his ear and mouth were extremely disdainful, he didn''t dare to hammer him. Obviously, suffering from the Yamen runner''s hardships, also made him more afraid of the government.

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood, Deaf Boss.¡±

    Hong Jiu endured the nauseating smell of his mouth and forced a smile, saying, "It''s not that I''m going to see the official; it''s that the human life lawsuit hasn''t been completed yet. The official asked me to come over again in the evening. Although the official may not care about us beggars, if I go there bloody, I''m afraid it won''t be easy to explain.¡±

    Deaf Boss listened to this and looked at him with half a doubt, but finally took a step back.

    Just as Hong Jiu breathed a sigh of relief, he smiled harshly and said, "Hong Jiu, don''t think you can intimidate me by bringing out the Official Master! I''m warning you, don¡¯t you dare to talk nonsense in front of the Official Master. If I suffer any more, I will repay you twice.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced at Er Zi and Blackhead twice. Suddenly, he reached out and pointed at Niu¡¯er, saying, "I''ll take this little girl back as a guarantor. If you dare to have a crooked mind, I''ll take her first.¡±

    Hong Jiu''s heart suddenly rose to his throat. Deaf Boss was also known for his lustful and promiscuous behavior. If Niu¡¯er were brought back with him, she might reveal her true face. At that time...

    So he said urgently, "Deaf Boss, this may not be possible.¡±

    ¡°Not possible?¡±

    Deaf Boss pretended to be surprised and opened his mouth wide, then slapped Hong Jiu heavily on the face. He grabbed Hong Jiu''s cheek and sneered, "You inconspicuous dog, when will it be your turn to make the decision here?¡±

    However, since the three evil beggars were suspicious, how could they believe his evasive words?

    First, he started to coax him, then they simply pushed him, insisting on forcing him to report in.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Hong Jiu struggled desperately and suddenly heard a shout of anger. When he looked up, he saw a Yamen runner already rushing towards him, with both hands resting on his sword, as if ready to go out of his body and hurt someone at any time!

    The three evil beggars immediately fled in fear. Hong Jiu wanted to run away too; it was just that his old leg injury had not healed, so he couldn''t escape.

    So he had to desperately squeeze out a smiling face and servilely say, "Don''t misunderstand me. I''m just......¡±

    Before he could explain it clearly, the Yamen attendant blurted out and asked, "Are you a beggar named Hong Jiu?¡±

    Hong Jiu was stunned and exclaimed in surprise, "How do you know my name?¡±

    ¡°Come with me.¡±

    The Yamen attendant, however, didn¡¯t explain to him. With an unquestionable gesture of his hand, he walked towards the main entrance of the government office.

    Hong Jiu felt uneasy, but he didn''t dare to disobey the orders of the official, so he had to timidly follow behind.

    The Yamen attendant didn¡¯t stop at the front of the government office and directly led Hong Jiu inside. He turned around and found a small room nearby, shouting, "Zhao Tou''er, that beggar named Hong Jiu has indeed come.¡±

    There was no sound coming from inside until the Yamen attendant shouted a few more times before hearing a grunt. Then the door was pushed open heavily from inside, and a man with a horse-like face and bare arms came out from inside. He looked at Hong Jiu a few times with drowsy eyes and suddenly laughed and said, "Okay, kid, you''re really brave. It is worth our Lord''s advice.¡±

    As he spoke, he reached out and lightly patted Hong Jiu''s shoulder twice.

    With only these two strokes, Hong Jiu''s bones were mostly crispy. After this horse-faced man used such insidious techniques as bone melting and soft palms, Hong Jiu had already recognized his identity!

    Chief Constable Zhao Wuwei of the Central Judicial Office!

    Although in Sun Shaozong''s eyes, Zhao Wuwei was just a lackey and still a relatively inconspicuous one around him.

    In the hearts of beggars like Hong Jiu, Zhao Wuwei, who was in charge of thousands of attendants in the Capital, including the ones in the County Government, was undoubtedly a luxurious figure!

    Being praised by such a big shot patting his shoulder, Hong Jiu had only experienced it in his dreams before, but now encountering it in reality, how could he not be overjoyed?

    Zhao Wuwei was also a straightforward person. He dismissed the gatekeeper and immediately explained to Hong Jiu, "Wait until I put on my clothes; let''s go and see the Lord.¡±

    As he spoke, he burrowed back into his chamber without hesitation.

    ¡°See... See the Lord?¡±

    Hong Jiu swallowed saliva outside the door, and with fear, he asked, "Is it... is it Lord Sun?

    Although he had already met Master Qingtian in court before, he was at the trial. With his lowly identity, how could he bear it?!

    ¡°Of course, it''s our Lord Sun.¡±

    Zhao Wuwei''s ears were good, and he casually replied, "Since you have the courage to volunteer, I''m afraid this great opportunity won''t run away.¡±

    Volunteer?

    What great chance?!

    Hong Jiu chewed these words over and over several times, and suddenly a light flashed in his mind!

    ¡°Do you mean...¡±

    Master Sun suggested him to read the notice in the hall, in fact, he wanted him to volunteer and take on the position of the beggar''s bodyguard?!

 Chapter 412Chapter of Security Hong

    Chapter 412Chapter of Security Hong

    Hong Jiu still managed to see Sun Shaozong.

    Although he wanted to set a typical example, just being a Beggar Leader was obviously not qualified for Sun Shaozong to personally teach him. At least until he proved his abilities and values, Sun Shaozong wouldn¡¯t waste too much time on him.

    Therefore, Hong Jiu waited for half an hour in the Criminal Department, only to receive Sun Shaozong''s instructions, which were relayed by others, ¡°Within a month, there must be a change in Shanxi Lane.¡±

    It was this simple sentence that brought about a tremendous change in Hong Jiu''s life trajectory from then on!

    Before entering the gate of the government office, he was still a beggar who was easily bullied by others. However, by the time he walked out of the gate, he was already... Well, he seemed to be still a beggar, only with the title of "Security Chief" added at the end.

    The title of ¡±Beggar Security¡± might not sound very glamorous, but when it came to real power, it was much stronger than average security!

    From the date of taking office, all beggars who have not reported to the Security Chief and have jointly formed a mutual agreement were not allowed to beg near Shanxi Lane, Dou''er Alley, or Lianpeng County.

    If a beggar knowingly committed an offense, the Security Guard could choose to drive him away or, if necessary, request the assistance of the Patrol Officer to drive him away.

    Just this one, Hong Jiu, was indisputable and has become the actual ruler of hundreds of beggars in the Shanxi Lane area! And there were still rulers endorsed by official violent agencies!

    Not to mention, he also has the right to report any unstable factors within his jurisdiction to the local government at any time.

    Of course, after becoming the head of the beggar, Hong Jiu had a heavy burden on his shoulders. He not only had to restrain all beggars in his jurisdiction from committing crimes but also had an obligation to assist the government in searching for key criminals.

    In short, as Hong Jiu walked out of the government office with the appointment document in his hand, he felt like he had never been before. If it weren''t for the three evil beggars surrounding him, he might have suspected that he was dreaming!

    ¡°Hong Jiu.¡±

    One of the evil beggars shouted, "What are you doing in there? Why did you come out only half a day?¡±

    Another short and sturdy beggar simply snatched away the commission certificate and scanned it over and over again, exclaiming, "What kind of thing is this? I saw you holding it so preciously, and I thought it was a silver receipt.¡±

    Having been deprived of the commission certificate, Hong Jiu was startled and wanted to pounce and compete. However, he immediately thought of his current identity, suddenly changed his mind, and said calmly, "Silver note? This thing is much more valuable than a silver note.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    As soon as the short and strong beggar heard this, he quickly carried the commission letter into his arms. He looked up and saw two companions staring at him, and he said confidently, "What are you looking at? I''ll keep it for now, and then go back and show it to Deaf Boss.¡±

    As he spoke, he gave Hong Jiu another shove and ordered him to honestly follow him back, leaving Deaf Boss to vent his anger.

    Hong Jiu sneered repeatedly in his heart but didn¡¯t resist at all. He obediently followed the three of them back the same way.

    As mentioned earlier, Deaf Boss controlled nearly a hundred beggars in the Shanxi Lane area and could earn at least six or seven taels of silver per month, so he has already set up a house.

    Due to the small size of this house, as soon as he walked near the front of the door, he heard the moaning sound in the hall rising higher and higher.

    Seeing seven or eight people lying at the foot of the wall outside the windowsill listening to the movement inside, the short and strong beggar with the commission certificate also approached with a mischievous expression on his face and asked with a lewd smile, "Why is Deaf Boss being so hyper today? Starting at broad daylight?¡±

    ¡°Is he getting a huge sum of money?¡±

    Someone replied, "I didn¡¯t know where Deaf Boss got a shell and sold it for the full amount of 827 silver! As soon as he was happy, he called in his familiar prostitute, Li Jiaojiao from the Spring Warm Pavilion, and said he would invite everyone to a banquet tonight.¡±

    The short beggar turned his head and tilted his mouth towards Hong Jiu, gloating, saying, "Well, isn''t the bitter master right here?¡±

    As he spoke, he took out the commission from his arms and proudly said, "It''s not just the shell, but our Brother Hong Jiu is very righteous. He went to the Central Judicial Office and rushed to pay tribute to Deaf Boss again. He said this thing is even more valuable than silver coins.¡±

    Who knew he had just drawn out the commission letter here, and before he could show off, he heard Deaf Boss inside shouting, "What kind of treasure? Come in and show me.¡±

    It turned out that this guy, knowing that his subordinates were listening to the wall outside, deliberately pressed Li Jiaojiao in front of the window to play tricks. Coincidentally, as soon as he let out his energy, he heard from the outside that his subordinate had snatched some treasure from Hong Jiu''s hand.

    If it were a normal day, he might not take this statement seriously, but as soon as he tasted the sweetness of ¡±pottery, pearls, gold, and shell,¡± he couldn''t help but feel a bit excited.

    When a group of evil beggars outside heard this, they were all excited and crowded around the ¡±commission letter.¡± They saw that Li Jiaojiao was shirtless for a moment and was rushing towards the bedside with a pale expression.

    Without waiting for everyone to carefully scan, she had already pulled her clothes over her chest and stomped her feet in a coquettish tone, saying, "You dead ghost, why don''t you wait for me to put on my clothes before calling them in again?¡±

    But she didn''t know that with this stomp of her foot, it even gave up a lot of spring light.

    Seeing other people also feeling a bit restless, Hong Jiu immediately sneered and said, "If you can read, go to the entrance of the Central Judicial Office and take a look, and you will see a notice of ¡±Beggar System.¡± Starting from next month, all beggars in the Capital will be bound by the Securities.¡±

    After a pause, he cocked his nose and said proudly, "By the way, I''m not a genius. But I''m the first one in these cities to take the position of Chief Security.¡±

    The room was quiet again, and Deaf Boss''s face was changing to a shade of black, even the thing under his hips was beginning to droop.

    However, after a while, he suddenly raised his chest high again and sneered disdainfully, "Even if you do some bullshit job as the Head Guard, what can you do? I have land and a house now.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned around and grabbed Li Jiaojiao into his arms, then continued, "... I have a woman too; why would I want to still be a damn beggar?!¡±

    Although this was a tough statement, none of his henchmen who supported him have earned enough money. They would still rely on begging for a living in the future!

    Hong Jiu''s gaze twirled around Li Jiaojiao''s chest, and after arriving at a far worse evaluation than Xu-Shi, he smiled again. "You have a good plan, but besides being in charge of beggars, my position must also report any wrongdoing to the government.¡±

    As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows and jokingly said, "Deaf Boss, you probably do a lot of things stealthily, do you? Do you want me to report to the Magistrate and take you to the Yamen for questioning?¡±

    Deaf Boss''s face suddenly changed again. It would be okay if he were just doing normal things stealthily, but he was also implicated in several dirty matters behind his back. How could he dare go to the government to be tortured?

    However, this guy was really tough. He bit his teeth and pushed Li Jiaojiao away, saying, "Okay, I''ve recognized the defeat! There''s no need to alarm the official. How can you let me go? I will obediently follow suit.¡±

    This guy was really easy!

    Although Hong Jiu had a deep hatred for Deaf Boss, he couldn''t help but develop some admiration. Originally, he only wanted to have painful revenge, but now he had some different thoughts.

    As he walked through his heart, he smiled and said, "Didn''t you just say that if you lose one of your three fingers, you''ll be surnamed after me today? Our Hong family can''t afford this, so it''s best not to eat your words and become fat.¡±

    Deaf Boss understood what Hong Jiu meant, clenched his fists, and was silent when he saw the short and strong beggar holding a hammer and rushing in like a fly. He rushed towards Deaf Boss and shouted, "Boss, I have found the hammer for you.¡±

    Deaf Boss looked at the hammer, his forehead veins trembling a few times, and finally said in a sour voice, "Give it to Chief Hong.¡±

    ¡°Chief... Hong?¡±

    How could the short and strong beggar know that with just such a short amount of effort, the situation has completely reversed?

    Holding the hammer, he was dumbfounded, with a puzzled expression on his face.

    At this moment, a tall and thin figure suddenly flashed out from the slanted corner, snatching the hammer and presenting it to Hong Jiu with both hands. He smiled and said, "Chief Hong, please use it.¡±

    What a base person who steered the wind!

    Hong Jiu gave a faint ¡±like¡± in his heart, slowly taking the hammer and then flicking his chin at Deaf Boss. ¡°Deaf Boss, let''s start now.¡±

    Deaf Boss knew that he couldn''t escape today. He gritted his teeth and crouched down, putting his hands on the ground and saying, "Come on! Chief Hong, which finger is pleasing to your eyes? Just drop it.¡±

    ¡°Cool.¡±

    Hong Jiu gave a thumbs-up but didn''t continue to speak nonsense with him. He lowered his waist and lifted the hammer high, smashing his right thumb!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Li Jiaojiao screamed uncontrollably beside him, and Deaf Boss''s heart trembled. He couldn''t help but close his eyes.

    However, after the hammer fell, the anticipated sharp pain that pierced his heart didn¡¯t come as expected.

    Deaf Boss was puzzled and suddenly heard Hong Jiu burst out laughing and said, "You are indeed a man! For the sake of your courage, I might as well point out another clear path for you. Now that I am the new Head of Security, I am short of a few capable leaders, and I wonder...¡±

    Putong~

    Before he could finish speaking, Deaf Boss had already knocked his head on the ground and said in a silly voice, "Chief Hong, just call me Tiezhu in the future.¡±

    Without waiting for Hong Jiu to speak, he knelt with a loud thud, all of whom said in unison, "I am willing to serve you.¡±

    Hong Jiu didn''t expect that it would be so easy to recruit these people.

    Watching them kneel on the ground one by one, their faces full of flattery, and thinking back to their proud and arrogant appearance, Hong Jiu drifted away. In his heart, he couldn''t help but give birth to some enlightenment to gain power, which was indeed a good thing!

 Chapter 413: Taking the Government as a Medium

    Chapter 413: Taking the Government as a Medium

    Not to mention how Chief Hong enjoyed the pleasure of power in the beggar''s den.

    When Sun Shaozong was about to end his work, he finally received the latest inquiry record.

    As expected, there was already a conflict of interest between the Tian and Xu-Shi family.

    Tian Biao and his elder brother Tian Hu served as shopkeepers and accountants, respectively in Song Changgeng''s tea shop. In recent years, the accounts have been quite unclear, so Xu-Shi has been trying to take over, but they have been rejected by the Tian family under the name of Song Changgeng.

    However, once Xu-Shi remarried with their shop, it would be ineffective to use the banner of Song Changgeng. At that time, the Tian Brothers would definitely be swept out by the long-standing feud of Xu-Shi.

    Of course, this could only prove that they have a motive to commit the crime.

    As for whether the Tian family, to turn the situation around, found someone who resembled Song Changgeng to impersonate him, it depended on Qiu Yunfei''s subsequent investigation results.

    Gathering the inquiry record with the original case file, Sun Shaozong saw that the sunset was already slanting outside. Sun Shaozong stood up and added some water to the parrot in the corner, ready to greet Sun Chengye and go home together.

    Unexpectedly, when he arrived outside, he found Jia Zheng, dressed in an official robe, sitting on top of the guest seat, holding a teacup!

    ¡°Uncle.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was slightly stunned and quickly saluted before complaining about Sun Chengye, saying, "When did you arrive, Uncle? Why don''t you just let me know? I''ll go out and welcome you.¡±

    Before Sun Chengye could speak, Jia Zheng smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Don''t blame him. I''m afraid I''ll delay your official duties, so I told him not to go in and report.¡±

    Sun Shaozong originally made a gesture. Upon hearing Jia Zheng''s words, he directly exposed this issue and curiously said, "Uncle, how come you have time today to be a guest in my Criminal Office? Is there something you need to entrust me to do?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Jia Zheng hesitated, and Sun Shaozong immediately realized that there was something difficult to say. He quickly instructed Sun Chengye to go back to the mansion first, then locked the door, and then returned to Jia Zheng. He bowed and said, "Uncle, if you have any instructions, come through all channels.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it''s not a serious matter.¡±

    Jia Zheng smiled bitterly at his serious demeanor and sighed, "You''ve seen the situation that day. I was just trying to teach that rebellious son a lesson, but it almost caused a big disturbance.¡±

    ¡°Since then, I have been sick for several days in a row, and I have come to understand. I can''t teach or manage these bastards well, so why don''t I send them away to not feel upset?¡±

    ¡°What you mean is...¡±

    Especially, it was still a sudden thought of Jia Zheng. If he agreed but got turned down by the Xue family, wouldn''t it be awkward?

    Jia Zheng was also kind, and it was inconvenient to refuse directly. Therefore, Sun Shaozong had to delay and apologize, saying, "Uncle, I''m afraid we need to report this marriage matter to my Elder Brother before making a decision. Besides, my Aunt loves Sister Xue like a precious treasure. You should also ask her what she feels first.¡±

    Jia Zheng was not a fool after all. Upon hearing what he said later, he immediately furrowed his brows and muttered, seemingly chewing on the word ¡±Lin.¡±

    After a while, he stood up and apologized, "I took the liberty. It''s not too late for me to go back and inquire more about it before you mention it to your brother.¡±

    Eh?

    Listening to him, it seemed like he hadn''t given up on matchmaking yet!

    So respectfully, Jia Zheng was sent out of the office, and Sun Shaozong began to mutter in his heart.

    If Jia Zheng could persuade Madam Wang and Aunt Xue to marry Xue Baochai to him, should he agree? Or should he refuse?

    Speaking of it, Xue Baochai was superior to Second Sister You in terms of color, physique, and temperament. She was also generally weak and boneless, but he wondered how she was in bed...

    Thinking about these things, Sun Shaozong walked back to the Sun Mansion without hesitation.

    As soon as he kicked off his horse, Zhao Zhongji greeted him with a hint of nervousness and said, "Second Master, I don''t know why the Elder Master is upset. He is waiting in the study now. He asked me to tell you to meet him immediately after you come back.¡±

    His Big Brother was upset?

    Since Jia Yingchun became pregnant, he has been so happy that he even chuckled and almost dislocated his chin. He has been making a fuss all day, wishing he could immediately hold banquets and announce to the world that he also has a son.

    Why was he suddenly annoyed again?

    Whoever his Big Brother was angry with, he wouldn''t blame himself. Sun Shaozong didn''t hesitate to go to the study, pushed the door, and walked in.

    ¡°Big...¡±

    Unexpectedly, before he could finish shouting ¡±Big Brother,¡± he was stunned on the spot.

    It turned out that in the study, there was a tall and strong woman kneeling on the ground, naked and white, with several thorns tied behind her. If it wasn¡¯t the big maid, Siqi, who else could it be?

 Chapter 414: To Serve with Great Punishment

    Chapter 414: To Serve with Great Punishment

    When he saw Sun Shaozong push the door in, Siqi hunched up in embarrassment and hurriedly wrapped her arms around her chest, but even so, she still couldn''t stop him.

    This scale was indeed different

    Cough~

    This was not the time to judge!

    She was probably pleading guilty in this way, right?

    But how could it be?

    Was it possible that the incident that caused a stir in the kitchen a few days ago has finally been heard by his Big Brother?

    Just as he thought of his Big Brother, he saw Sun Shaozu come out of the room. At first glance, he saw Siqi hunched down and covering her chest with her hand. His face immediately darkened, and without saying a word, he stepped forward and kicked Siqi!

    ¡°How dare you cover?¡±

    ¡°Damn little maid, didn''t I say you should kneel here and not move a single finger?¡±

    When it came to this foot, Sun Shaozu didn''t use much strength, but he couldn''t hold onto the thorns that were already tied to the back of Siqi. With this foot, several wooden thorns immediately pierced into the flesh, causing Siqi¡¯s expression to be in pain and the veins on her forehead to jump wildly.

    But even in this way, she gritted her teeth and didn''t let out a cry. Instead, she propped herself up and obediently straightened her spine. Her hands trembled and hung on her side, not daring to cover them up anymore!

    Tch!

    His Big Brother''s technique of teaching women was still as fierce as ever.

    Although his Big Brother certainly wouldn''t mind, Sun Shaozong quickly averted his gaze from Siqi and said helplessly, "Big brother, what happened? What are you making a fuss about?¡±

    Sun Shaozu couldn''t help but say, "This lowly maid has been harassing our family with all the tricks in the Rongguo Mansion. Why didn''t you tell me and cover it up for her instead? If it weren''t for the fact that I happened to hear someone mention this today, I would still be in the dark!

    As he spoke, he reached out and scooped up a rope in front of Siqi, and he pulled it out of the ditch into his arms. Siqi''s face turned blue and her eyes turned white.

    Sun Shaozu didn''t care and said angrily, "I originally wanted to lead this lowly maid around your yard, but I was afraid of scaring my big nephew, so I just gave her a beating here. You can just relay this to Xiangling.¡±

    This...

    Seeing Siqi''s eyes roll white as she was being strangled, Sun Shaozong hurriedly grabbed the rope and pulled his Big Brother aside, not knowing whether to cry or laugh, saying, "Didn''t you originally have a crush on her? How come you don''t show any affection now?¡±

    ¡°Besides, it was just a conflict between the two women. Although she may seem domineering, it depends on her status. She is a first-class maid and has served you before. She can barely be considered a half-master, it¡¯s natural to teach two nannies a lesson.¡±

    Spit!

    Sun Shaozu spat on the legs of Siqi and sneered, "Goddamn Master! Only those who can inherit the lineage of our Sun family can be called Masters. Such lowly people are nothing more than playthings. I can use them for fun normally, but if it gets in the way, it is not a pity to smash them into thin pieces.¡±

    It has to be said that his Big Brother was the true stallion. To be merciless, one must first talk about relationships, but here he only recognized the uterus.

    But unfortunately, he also has a physiological defect and couldn¡¯t have children at all.

    Sun Shaozong sighed in his heart and was waiting to persuade his Big Brother a few more words. After all, this Siqi was also Jia Yingchun''s close maid. If she got injured, it would also hurt Jia Yingchun''s face, especially now that Jia Yingchun has just become pregnant, it was a crucial time.

    Sun Shaozong immediately put the evil fire in his voice behind him and flew over, circling his son twice. He exclaimed joyfully, "Yesterday, he still couldn''t sit, but today, he can play with me. It''s truly my son, and his body and bones are much stronger than those of others.¡±

    Upon hearing his boastful expression, Ruan Rong and others burst into laughter. Sister You quickly got up and wanted to get out of her chair.

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand at her, took off his boots, and sat cross-legged on the mat, teasing his son with objects such as a rattle.

    After a burst of laughter, before Sun Shaozong could mention what had just happened, Ruan Rong first reminded him, "I heard that the Big Master was upset today. I wonder what happened? I was thinking of coming over and asking later, whether it''s a business or a private matter, so I can share the burden for you.¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry, I just came back from Big Brother''s side.¡±

    Sun Shaozong first laughed and wiped his son''s snot, then extended his hand outside. Immediately, a servant girl came forward and wiped it clean with a handkerchief, and then continued, "It''s not a big deal to talk about it. It''s just that Siqi was making trouble in the kitchen a few days ago, and somehow it got to his ears.¡±

    ¡°Originally, Big Brother was going to bring her naked and apologize to Xiangling, but he was afraid of scaring Yi''er, so he called me into the study and slapped her in front of me.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Ruan Rong hurriedly sat up straight and said, "Why didn''t you stop him? Now that the Elder Lady has just become pregnant, it''s important not to humiliate her dowry maid like this. In case it makes her angry...¡±

    ¡°How could I not have stopped?¡±

    Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said innocently, "But Big Brother just whipped a few whips with thorns and was about to put on a ¡±personal weapon¡± to continue beating. I can''t stop this, can I?¡±

    At first, Ruan Rong was a bit puzzled, but she suddenly realized what he meant. She couldn''t help but lift her leg and kick Sun Shaozong falsely and she spat angrily, "How can you say this nonsense? Yi''er is still right in front of us.¡±

    Without waiting for her to retract her legs, Sun Shaozong clasped her lifeless feet with his backhand and said with a tone of expression, "How dare you even kick the Master? Is there no royal law of respect and inferiority yet? It seems that you also want to taste the great punishment of serving.¡±

    As he spoke, his fingers twirled back and forth on her feet, causing Ruan Rong to blush.

    Even if her eyesight was no longer good, Sister You next to her knew that she should avoid it for now, so she quickly got up, helped Xiangling, and happily went away.

    When the wet nurse also carried Sun Chengyi back into the room, in the blink of an eye, only Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong were left in the pavilion.

    ¡°They are all clever ones...¡±

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and climbed onto the carefree chair.

    He thought Ruan Rong would struggle and he was ready to take her back to the hall. However, she hesitated for a while but only spat while covering her collar and saying, "Why are you just pestering me when your new lover has run away?¡±

    Although she might be coquettishly in her mouth, her heart clearly followed.

    Sun Shaozong was overjoyed and secretly said that taking in newcomers and engaging in benign internal competition would indeed bring some benefits!

    If it weren''t for the desire to compete with the Second Sister You these days, how could she be willing to follow such wild pleasures?

    As the saying goes, ¡±Opportunity is never lost, and it will never come again when it is lost.¡± Sun Shaozong was full of love words, coaxing Ruan Rong to have a scene with him on that carefree chair.

    It was precisely:

    The shedding color has trembled, and the tentacle heart is getting busier.

    Who knows the fragrance within a skirt?

 Chapter 415: The Song of Yilin

    Chapter 415: The Song of Yilin

    Since taking on the task that day, Qiu Yunfei has been leading a group of patrols in the Shanxi Lane area day and night to track down clues.

    But for several days, there was no news at all. His initial enthusiasm had already been wilted by the scorching heat of June.

    In fact, the scorching heat didn¡¯t matter, it was mainly because he was looking for a needle in a haystack, with no wind or grass stirring all day when investigating the crime scene. With the situation where there was always a sense of excitement, it was different.

    If it weren''t for boasting in front of Sun Shaozong that he would have found clues, he probably would have left this matter to Zhao Wuwei.

    However, this afternoon, Qiu Yunfei had been busy for most of the day in vain and was walking weakly on the street. Suddenly, he saw a person in front of him stop and recoil, taking a few steps back. Suddenly, he turned around and ran towards the way he came from.

    Qiu Yunfei looked around and found that there was no one else nearby except himself and a few patrolmen under his command.

    Something was wrong.

    There must be a problem with this guy!

    Otherwise, how could he start to run when he saw an official?

    Thinking of this, Qiu Yunfei suddenly felt refreshed and thought to himself, even if it had nothing to do with the case he wanted to investigate, if he could catch a thief or something, it would be considered that he didn''t come out in vain today!

    So he shouted and chased after him.

    ¡°Stop! That guy in front; I¡¯m talking about you! Stop now!¡±

    The man trembled a few times when he heard Qiu Yunfei''s roar, but he obediently stopped.

    Qiu Yunfei took a few steps to approach and looked up and down at the person, only to find that he was a disabled person with missing arms, but he was dressed very well, clearly not a person lacking money.

    Because during the first investigation ever in his life, the murderer was an extremely vicious one-armed man, Qiu Yunfei not only showed no mercy towards this person but also raised his broomstick eyebrow and asked in a foul voice, "What are you doing? Why did you run away when you saw an official?¡±

    He saw the one-armed man nodding and bowing with a smile and saying, "Many noble people in the government forget things; I''m afraid you won''t remember me. I¡¯m Jia Yun from Rongguo Mansion. When I was in Shuiyue Temple, the government even saved my life.¡±

    ¡°Jia Yun?¡±

    Qiu Yunfei twirled a few times in his mind, vaguely giving him a faint impression, but he still scolded, "Even if it''s from Rongguo Mansion, what''s the matter? You Rongguo Mansion also had bad people before! Tell me, what were you sneaking up on just now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Jia Yun hesitated momentarily and saw that Qiu Yunfei was about to command his subordinates to take him down. He quickly pointed not far ahead and smiled awkwardly. "I originally wanted to sit in that ¡±Xinyue Pavilion,¡± but unfortunately I ran into you guys of the government office. I was afraid of being recognized by the government, so I turned and ran away.¡±

    ¡°Xinyue Pavilion?

    Qiu Yunfei followed his expectations and immediately felt disgusted, as if he had eaten a fly. He spat fiercely and cursed, "Has the Rongguo Mansion broken the Feng Shui? The Rongguo Mansion can be considered a General rank; how could it have given birth to a bunch of dead rabbits like you?!¡±

    As he spoke, he impatiently waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and get lost.¡±

    It turned out that the sign of Xinyue Pavilion still had the monogram ¡±Female image acted by young male¡± printed on it, and it specifically referred to male prostitutes. Obviously, this was a brothel that managed male pet businesses!

    Although in today''s culture, male prostitute restaurants were not taboo, running to this place for leisure in the daytime and even meeting ¡±acquaintances¡± was naturally awkward.

    Although Qiu Yunfei ordered Jia Yun to get out of the house quickly, he didn¡¯t relax his guard. Instead, he stood still and watched Jia Yun enter the door of Xinyue Pavilion. He then cursed a few times and led his subordinates on their way.

    ¡°Lord Qiu.¡±

    Unexpectedly, as soon as he took a few steps forward, he was stopped by someone head-on.

    Qiu Yunfei stopped and looked up and down at the newcomer. He had a delicate face and was wearing a navy blue long shirt. He seemed familiar to him, but couldn''t remember where he had seen him before.

    ¡°You are...¡±

    The person quickly bowed and smiled, "I''m Hong Jiu! The one during the Xu-Shi murder case, the one you personally questioned.¡±

    The fake nanny covered her mouth and chuckled a few times before whispering in Jia Yun''s ear, "I''m joking. If I encounter a rude person who turns a blind eye to this "Song of Yilin¡± after entering the door, I''m not interested in spending too much time with him.¡±

    If he were to show this action to those ¡±heroes¡± who welcome men, it would be a gift of color and soul.

    Although Jia Yun came here, he was truly a pure man inside. For a moment, he only had goosebumps all over his body, but he didn¡¯t dare to show any flaws. He only forced a smile and said, "But I don''t know who can be the master here?¡±

    It was just that¡ªhow could he conceal the countless fake nannies who read men, despite his forced smile?

    Immediately, suspicion arose, and he stepped back and said, "Isn''t it that you''re here for fun?¡±

    As soon as this was said, a muscular man quickly rushed over.

    ¡°Don''t misunderstand.¡±

    Jia Yun hurriedly explained, "I came this time to learn something from your brothel.¡±

    The fake Nanny picked the orchid finger and joked, "Is there someone who came to our place and didn¡¯t come for the top 1?¡±

    ¡°I... I didn''t mean that...¡±

    Jia Yun was embarrassed and scratched his cheeks, saying, "In fact, my family has two young servants who were ¡±beautiful.¡± However, they have grown a lot of beard recently and even hooked up with my concubine. It''s disappointing.¡±

    ¡°I heard that your place has a way of making people''s beards fall off, and even that ¡±object¡± can no longer cause trouble, so I came here specifically to request this method to go back and use it on my two young servants.¡±

    ¡°So that''s what happened.¡±

    The fake nanny felt relieved after hearing this. There were indeed many people in this world who were unwilling to share their male pets with others, so they only used their family servants to make a fuss.

    But how could those ordinary servants compare to the fake nannies specially trained in the ¡±Male Prostitute House?¡±

    Over time, there would inevitably be problems like this and that.

    It was just that...

    The fake nanny raised ¡±her¡± orchid finger again, covering her mouth and laughing, "Sir, you are a good playmaker, but this method is what we rely on to eat in the Capital. If you learn it, how can we...¡±

    Halfway through, Jia Yun took out a full twenty taels of silver ingot from his arms and tossed it back and forth in power.

    The fake nanny¡¯s eyes immediately widened and ¡±she¡± quickly changed ¡±her¡± tone. "Although it''s what we rely on to eat, how can we refuse if you are so sincere, sir?¡±

    As he spoke, he gave a signal to the muscular man.

    The muscular man immediately turned around and went back, not long after, folding back with two small porcelain bottles.

    ¡°Sir.¡±

    The fake nanny snatched it and held it in front of Jia Yun as if offering a treasure. "Feed them one pill a day and eat it for two months. I guarantee they will be even more girlish than women.¡±

    Jia Yun reached out to take it, but the fake nanny shrank back, ¡±her¡± gaze fixed on the silver ingot.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Jia Yun simply threw the silver ingot to the muscular man on the side and reached out to pick it up. This time, the fake nanny was so happy that ¡±she¡± stuffed it directly into his hand, frowned, and said, "After taking this medicine, if you can drink a few cups, the medicine will work even faster.¡±

    Jia Yun quickly pursued, "If it were mixed in the food, wouldn''t it be ineffective?¡±

    ¡°You can rest assured, not to mention mixing in the food. Even if it¡¯s cooked in a pot, the effect is only strong and not weak.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jia Yun''s face finally burst into a satisfied smile, but amidst that smile, there was a hint of chilling gloom!

 Chapter 416: Bitter Sweet

    Chapter 416: Bitter Sweet

    The sun was setting.

    The poisonous sun that had ravaged for most of the day left only a red afterglow.

    Coupled with the heavenly beauty, a gentle breeze was brought in. Sun Shaozong set up a leisurely chair under the corridor and ate the watermelon he had just pulled out of the well. The restlessness and depression that accumulated throughout the day immediately dissipated.

    However, as it was about to fall into the night, lying down like this in the Yamenn was not a long solution.

    Besides, Jia Baoyu sent a post this afternoon to thank Sun Shaozong for saving his life half a month ago. Coincidentally, Sun Shaozong also wanted to inquire about whether there was any further information on Jia Zheng''s matchmaking, so he agreed to go to Rongguo Mansion for a banquet after he ended his work at the government.

    But now...

    What was Qiu Yunfei doing, wasn¡¯t he just taking people to identify the body? How could it have been delayed for so long without coming to report back?

    As he was thinking about it, he saw Qiu Yunfei rushing in like a gust of wind. Seeing Sun Shaozong cooling off outside, he immediately shouted at the top of his voice, "Your Excellency, I have recognized it. Lady Wen has already recognized it! The one who died is indeed Wen Shijie, not Song Changgeng!

    It was indeed an impostor!

    In this way, only the final revelation of the case remained.

    Sun Shaozong immediately ordered, "Since that''s the case, immediately send someone to arrest the Tian Brothers and bring them to justice, so that Lady Wen can identify them again. Let''s see if it was Tian Hu or Tian Biao who came to conspire with her brother in the first place.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    ¡°When I brought Lady Wen back, I had already had someone take the Tian brothers to the morgue¡ªthey had just identified the body, and by the way, I had already finished questioning the process of the case.¡±

    As he spoke, he took out a booklet from his sleeve and presented it with both hands, saying, "Here is the confession of Tian Biao.¡±

    Tch!

    This kid was tough on errands.

    Sun Shaozong took the confession and looked at it.

    It turned out that due to the flood last year, Wen Shijie, who resembled Song Changgeng in appearance, had no choice but to take his sister Wen Shishi to the Capital and lived a precarious life.

    About six months ago, Wen Shijie met Tian Biao on the street, which caused a misunderstanding,

    Then Tian Biao had the idea of ¡±impersonation.¡±

    At first, Wen Shijie heard that he was going to impersonate someone else''s husband and take possession of Xu-Shi''s property. He immediately scolded Tian Biao and refused to associate with him.

    However, not long after, Wen Shijie''s sister, Wen Shishi, fell seriously ill. Watching her sister suffer from a serious illness, he was unable to seek medical treatment for her. Wen Shijie''s heart was torn like a knife every day, and in the end, he had to respond to Tian Biao''s request.

    Great, the Central Judicial Office was almost in time for the matchmaking anyways.

    However, since Hong Jiu has made great contributions, this small matter was nothing, after all, the crime of defending oneself and killing the thief was to be punished by a fine, and there was no need to continue detaining Xu-Shi.

    So Sun Shaozong simply waved his hand and said, "Since you have all agreed, let''s just fulfill his wish. I will now issue a decree to release Xu-Shi.¡±

    Outside the office, Hong Jiu was also bulging his tongue like a spring, chatting enthusiastically with Xu''s cousin.

    Originally, after receiving Qiu Yunfei''s promise, he couldn''t help but be overjoyed. Later, he felt a bit awkward waiting for Xu-Shi on his own, especially since a lone man and a widow seemed awkward to speak to.

    Therefore, Hong Jiu specially ordered someone to invite the cousin of Xu-Shi and he boosted his credit by recounting it.

    In this way, even if he couldn''t seize the opportunity to speak to Xu-Shi, he could still spread it to Xu''s ears through his cousin''s mouth.

    After hearing these words, Xu''s cousin naturally couldn''t find a way to thank him, and he also thought that Hong Jiu was a good man. After a while, the two of them became besties.

    At this moment, a weaker figure curled up, but who else could it be if it weren''t Xu-Shi?

    Seeing her face look a bit haggard, but showing even more pity in her eyes, Hong Jiu''s heart couldn''t stop pounding wildly, and he instinctively took a few steps forward.

    Unexpectedly, upon this welcome, a brilliant and dazzling smile appeared on Xu''s face, and she even picked up her pace with her skirt!

    Was it true that Lord Qiu had already informed her of his merits, so she also secretly agreed to be with him in her heart?!

    Thinking of this, Hong Jiu''s excited heart almost jumped out of his mouth, hesitating whether he should show off his chivalrous demeanor or act like an iron man''s tenderness.

    Unexpectedly, a person suddenly shot up from behind and exclaimed excitedly, "Susu, I knew you were wronged.¡±

    Who was this?

    Just now, it seemed like he was standing next to Cousin Xu. Wasn¡¯t he also a cousin of Xu-Shi?

    As he was speculating about the identity of this person, Xu suddenly burst into tears and sobbed, calling out, "Master Zhou, I almost thought I would never see you again in this life.¡±

    As they spoke, the two hugged tightly together!

    Master Zhou?

    Shouldn''t he be Scholar Zhou, who once discussed marriage with Xu-Shi?!

    In an instant, Hong Jiu''s heart, which jumped into his throat, quickly slid down the esophagus again and fell into his stomach.

 Chapter 417: The More One Gets, The More One Wants

    Chapter 417: The More One Gets, The More One Wants

    | Rongguo Mansion, Daguan Garden, Lotus Champs |

    Qingwen was absent-minded and placed several river lanterns on the bamboo bridge. Seeing that one of the wick was slightly skewed, she inserted a three-foot-long red nail and carefully straightened the wick.

    Then she stared at the wick, dumbfounded and stunned.

    Later, when Qiuwen and Biyue met, she knew that she had been feeling unhappy recently so she didn¡¯t dare to come forward to provoke her. She only led a few small maids and silently placed hundreds of river lanterns on both sides of the main bridge.

    ¡°It¡¯s finally done.¡±

    After about half an hour, Qiuwen couldn''t help but shout and moan, pounding her back, half genuine and half fake. "This is really the master using his mouth and the servant ran, and broke her leg.¡±

    Due to Jia Baoyu''s desire to entertain Sun Shaozong in the Peach Blossom Forest at night and feeling that the scenery was lacking, he suddenly had a whim. He ordered someone to prepare a batch of river lanterns on the upstream bamboo bridge. They would be set off one after another at the dinner party, and then let them flow down the river, which could be considered as a small charm.

    It was just his sudden whim, and it cost ten taels of white silver, and the maids had been busy for a long time.

    Qiuwen was complaining, but heard Qingwen''s faint sigh and said, "As maidservants, what are we afraid of when we run off our legs? We''re afraid of after running off our legs, but we''ll still have to bear the complaints of the Masters.¡±

    Qiuwen turned her back to her and spat out her tongue, but she didn¡¯t dare to speak at all.

    Half a month ago, Jia Baoyu received that scolding. Madam Wang felt heartbroken and didn''t want to argue with Jia Zheng. She then spread all her evil anger on several big maids in the Yihong Courtyard, accusing them of neglecting guidance and causing Jia Baoyu to develop many disorderly habits.

    It was common for the Master''s family to vent their anger towards the maidservants in the big house. Originally, it was not much, it was just that Madam Wang was not pleased to see Qingwen, so most of the words with guns and sticks were aimed at her.

    Although Qingwen was a servant girl, she was full of pride and was fiercely mocked. Although she didn¡¯t dare to speak up to refute, she refused to say more.

    What was Madam Wang''s identity?

    How could a petty servant girl be resentful in front of her?!

    If it hadn''t been for Yuanyang, who happened to come over to visit and said a few good words for Qingwen, she would have been kicked out immediately!

    Due to this matter, Qingwen''s temper has been getting hotter lately. If it weren''t for Baoyu, how would anyone else provoke her recklessly?

    When Qingwen saw that the autumn patterns were wilting, she didn''t know how to respond. She then drilled into the tip of an ox''s horn and thought to herself that the three of them, Xiren, Qiuyen, and Biyue, had a romantic relationship with Baoyu before. She was only mixed up inside and was considered an unknown outsider.

    Thinking like this made her feel uncomfortable in her heart.

    Jia Baoyu blushed and smiled awkwardly. "I''m almost worried here. Why is Sister Bao still making fun of me?¡±

    Ying¡¯er chuckled and said in a crisp voice, "Second Master has misunderstood our Lady. Our Lady heard that you were in a bad situation, so she quickly asked someone to carry something to come and rescue you.¡±

    ¡°Don''t talk nonsense; what kind of rescue is needed?¡±

    Xue Baochai waved a fan behind her and pointed to some women who were carrying bamboo baskets, saying, "It''s just a coincidence that your Brother Xue has just sent some baskets of shrimp crawlers over. I wanted to give them to Sisters, but now I can lend you a helping hand."

    After a pause, she said again, "Although this thing is not expensive, it is not common in the Capital. Besides, I have heard my Brother say that Lord Sun loves seafood the most, and I think this thing should also be to his taste.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu hurriedly ran over and opened the bamboo basket to check. He saw that it was densely packed with flapping skin shrimp, nestled in ice cubes, and looked extremely fresh.

    He was overjoyed immediately and turned around to grab Xue Baochai''s gentle face. He blurted out, "Sister, you are a living Bodhisattva who saves lives. Today, I accept your kindness and I will repay you in the future. Thank you, Sister.¡±

    Although she was a cousin, she was suddenly held by Jia Baoyu. Xue Baochai couldn''t help but blush, so she stomped and spat, "Spit You don''t have a gatekeeper in your mouth. You are speaking nonsense again.¡±

    This shy spat immediately exuded a myriad of charms.

    Jia Baoyu looked at her face as if it were a silver bowl, her eyes as if they were water apricots, her lips were not spotted but red, and her eyebrows were not painted but green. She had a different charm than Lin Daiyu. When he thought about the saying of the golden jade, he was stunned for a moment.

    Xue Baochai was even more uninterested when he looked at her. She was about to pull out her hand, but she didn''t move. Amid this dilemma, she suddenly heard Qingwen exclaim, "Ah! Lady Lin, when did you come?¡±

    Jia Baoyu immediately felt as if he had been electrocuted and hurriedly threw away Xue Baochai¡¯s hand.

    Looking back, he saw Lin Daiyu standing not far away, with a joyful smile on her face. A few slender, jade fingers twisted her handkerchief into folds.

    ¡°Sister Lin... Lin, I just...¡±

    ¡°I didn''t come at the right time.¡±

    Jia Baoyu expected to explain clearly, but Lin Daiyu didn''t even look at him; she only smiled and said to Baochai, "Otherwise, with Sister Bao shining like the Buddha''s light, she would just be able to transform a foolish swallow.¡±

    Xue Baochai shook her head and said with a smile, "He''s talking nonsense. Why did my Sister even joke about Bodhisattva too?¡±

    Lin Daiyu covered her mouth and chuckled. "What is a Bodhisattva? If you give him a few more baskets of crabs, I''m afraid even the Tathagata Buddha will be possessed.¡±

    The two of them were talking and laughing, with Jia Baoyu sandwiched in the middle, but feeling like he was on pins and needles.

 Chapter 418: The Night in the Rongguo Mansion [(1)]

    Chapter 418: The Night in the Rongguo Mansion [(1)]

    When the evening lights were lit, Wang Xifeng came out of the bathtub, wrapped her delicate body in a dark purple robe, and was carried by Ping¡¯er to the outer room. She lazily leaned back on the bed, and immediately a maid brought several dry towels to dry her beautiful hair carefully.

    Another maid came forward and picked up two long legs that looked like towering white jade pillars, waiting to be carefully kneaded.

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    However, Wang Xifeng shrank her legs into her robe, leaving only two tender lotus root-like feet exposed outside. She casually ordered, "You guys, go down first and wait.¡±

    Four maids and two nannies immediately bowed outside the door.

    When there was no one, Wang Xifeng changed her color again. Ping¡¯er immediately came forward and closed the door, then came back and asked in a low voice, "Madam, what private matter do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°It''s not a big deal either.¡±

    Wang Xifeng sighed and said helplessly, "The Old Eldest Master let out some hint at noon, saying that he would beg his wife for Yuanyang as a Concubine in a few days but I knew that she was a proud Master, so I''m afraid he may not be willing to follow this. At that time, there will be another uproar...¡±

    Ping¡¯er and Yuanyang were best friends. She once heard that she thought Jia She was inferior to the pig and dog, so she became nervous and asked, "What do you mean, Madam?"

    Wang Xifeng lowered her voice and said, "You go tell Yuanyang that if she is willing to obey, then forget it. But if she is not willing, quickly find a suitable owner and seek favor from the Old Lady to get married. Otherwise, when the Old Elder Master discovers this matter, she won''t be able to get away so easily.¡±

    If it were a servant girl next to her, it might still be difficult to ask the Master for a marriage, but Yuanyang was the most favored one in front of the Old Lady. In terms of speaking, she might be even closer than the granddaughters like Yingchun and Tanchun, who were born from concubines.

    Therefore, as long as Yuanyang made up her mind, it was not difficult to ask Old Lady Jia for a marriage.

    Upon hearing this, Ping¡¯er hurriedly prepared to seek information from Yuanyang.

    ¡°Come back.¡±

    But Wang Xifeng stopped her again and ordered, "Take out one of the chiffon gauzes that the Empress gave you two days ago and take it with you.¡±

    However, Ping¡¯er was somewhat puzzled. The silk gauze, also known as the dragon gauze, was a tribute from the South China Sea and was the most precious, costing over a hundred taels of silver per piece.

    If it weren''t for the few horses bestowed by the Imperial Concubine Xiande two days ago, even families like Rongguo Mansion might not have been able to obtain them.

    Since it was awarded by Imperial Concubine Xiande, the Old Lady naturally had the first share, so there was no reason to send it to her again.

    It could be said that it was given to Yuanyang.

    How could she afford this precious item of a hundred taels of silver, which was for the maid, Yuanyang?

    ¡°It is not a reward for Yuanyang.¡±

    Wang Xifeng noticed Ping¡¯er''s hesitation before frowning and saying, "It''s been more than half a month since Wang Nan went south, but there hasn''t even been a single word back. Coincidentally, the Second Master Bao is going to entertain Sun Erlang today. You bring the gauze over and say you entrust him to bring it to the Second Lady. By the way, you can also ask about the situation in the south.¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Although Ping¡¯er was eager to meet Sun Shaozong, Jia Lian had repeatedly played around with sourness and jealousy. As his ¡±person,¡± how could she openly associate herself with Sun Shaozong again?

    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±

    Upon seeing Ping''er''s hesitation, Wang Xifeng immediately straightened up her delicate figure, disregarding the trembling spring light in her robe. She angrily scolded, "If he dares to act recklessly, I will stay in the ancestral hall and see how he will explain to the Old Lady then.¡±

    Ping''er saw that she was angry, so she didn¡¯t dare to say anything further. She quickly took a piece of silk gauze from her private warehouse and went outside to have the little maid help hold it, hurriedly heading to the outside of the courtyard.

    ¡°Then choose someone outside.¡±

    Without hesitation, Ping¡¯er urged, "Choose a poor scholar with good character and good knowledge. First, become a scholar''s wife. With the dowry you have accumulated over the years, you may be able to contribute to an Imperial Candidate in a few years.¡±

    After a pause, she said again, "But you must choose someone tough. The Old Elder Master''s reckless nature may not be willing to give up just because you have married someone. In time, he may even come to the door to intimidate and lure.¡±

    ¡°You said it lightly...¡±

    Upon hearing this, Yuanyang couldn''t help but smile bitterly and say, "We sit in this deep courtyard all day long and observe the sky. Where can we find any scholar master with good knowledge, good character, and tough bones? Besides, if there is such a person, I''m afraid they''ve already decided on someone else. How could it be my turn?¡±

    Ping''er thought about it the same way. If it weren''t for being constantly influenced by the crooked melons and split dates in this mansion, how could the maids treat Jia Baoyu like a heavenly being?

    So they didn''t know what to do for a moment.

    The two of them looked at each other in silence for a while, and Ping¡¯er looked back thoughtfully. Her gaze swept over the silk gauze held by the maid, and she suddenly exclaimed with joy, "Yes, I have a way here. I can ensure that you will find the right husband.¡±

    As she spoke, she whispered a few words in the ear of Yuanyang.

    Just as Ping¡¯er was whispering to Yuanyang, in the study outside, Jia Lian was drinking alone, looking at the silver pot on the table, which was already empty.

    ¡°Zhao''er? Zhao''er?¡±

    Jia Lian shouted twice but didn''t see the close servant Zhao¡¯er come in. He immediately became angry and thought to himself that these slaves were becoming more and more disrespectful. Previously, Xing¡¯er had been punished, and now, Zhao¡¯er had just taken the position, he was slacking off!

    ¡°An inconspicuous dog.¡±

    He cursed and was about to go out and shout, calling Zhao''er back to scold. When he saw the curtain of the door lift and a person sneaked in from outside, he smiled and said, "Second Uncle, don''t blame him. I coaxed him to another place.¡±

    As he spoke, he placed two small wine jars on the table and exaggerated his patting on one of the jars, saying, "Authentic tribute wine was just given to me by my Godfather. But what is my position and how can I afford to enjoy such precious items? After thinking about it, I came to send it to you, and is not considered a waste.¡±

    Upon hearing what he said was pleasing, Jia Lian pointed out his finger and cursed with a smile, "You are indeed a good worker. No wonder everyone in the kitchen praises you.¡±

    Immediately, he straightened his spine and said sternly, "Come on, what do you want to ask me to help you with?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put it this way.¡±

    Jia Yun raised his eyebrows and angrily said, "It seems like I have some thoughts...¡±

    As he spoke, he gritted his teeth and politely sat across from him. His face was gloomy and he said, "To be honest with Second Uncle, I empathize with you, and that''s why I want to be closer to you.¡±

    ¡°Empathy? What empathy?¡±

    Jia Lian was somewhat puzzled.

    But seeing Jia Yun pull the empty sleeve again, he gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle, think about it. If it weren''t for the Sun who casually injured Jia Qin''s arm back then, how could I have done this for nothing? Now even the woman I love is rushing to surrender to someone else.¡±

    Jia Yun''s pursuit of Xiao Hong was all about acting in secret, and after Xiao Hong colluded with Jia Lian, he naturally wouldn''t reveal this matter.

    Therefore, Jia Lian didn¡¯t doubt at all and immediately cursed in unison, "Isn''t that right! There weren''t such bad things in our mansion earlier; it was all instigated by that surnamed Sun.¡±

    ¡°That''s right, that person surnamed Sun is really not a thing!¡±

    Jia Yun agreed and slapped open the seal of the tribute wine, giving Jia Lian a full one while he drank another jar himself.

 Chapter 419

    Chapter 419

    In the Grand View Garden, by the Peach Blossom Forest, more than a dozen red candles with thin arms reflected the pavilion like daylight.

    Sun Shaozong and Jia Baoyu sat opposite each other in the pavilion, and on the stone table in front of them, there were more than a dozen different flavored dips.

    At the edge of the stone table, in two oval plates that were half a meter long, there were dozens of fully bearded and fully tailed shrimp lying quietly, but they had stripped off their armor.

    Steamed, fried, salt and pepper, spicy...

    Almost all conceivable cooking methods have been tried on these skinny shrimp and placed on the plate in groups of six.

    Whenever the two of them picked up one, a servant girl would immediately come forward and refill it, and to achieve this, there were a dozen or so little servant girls in the peach forest, fighting desperately against the ferocious hard shell.

    In addition to the maid in charge of watching the River Lantern, this simple banquet that appeared to only have one main course was attended by over twenty people, all of whom were young and beautiful teenagers. Because, according to Jia Baoyu, the things that were peeled off from the dead fish''s eyes were difficult to swallow.

    Although he sneered at Jia Baoyu''s statement, Sun Shaozong was enjoying the service, and he had no sense of guilt as an exploiter.

    Indeed, he has become increasingly depraved.

    After Sun Shaozong drank and ate, he began to insinuate and inquire about Jia Zheng''s matchmaking. However, seeing Jia Baoyu''s bewildered appearance, it seemed that there had been no rumors of this matter.

    After Jia Zheng came back, did he just put down his banner and stopped working?

    Originally, Sun Shaozong was quite conflicted in his heart, and he was quite in a dilemma about this marriage. However, now that it was quiet and silent, it made him feel lost.

    After secretly slandering Jia Zheng, he suddenly remembered Jiang Yuhan''s entrustment and hurriedly said, "By the way, I met Brother Jiang at the Royal Residence a few days ago. He...¡±

    ¡°How is Qiguan now?¡±

    Jia Baoyu quickly gathered up and looked at Sun Shaozong excitedly.

    ¡°He has been punished by the Prince, but is still good.¡±

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a moment and used a slightly gentle expression, "I heard the meaning in his words; he wanted to forget you in the Jianghu from now on.¡±

    Sun Shaozong hid in Jia Yingchun''s house for a night yesterday. Naturally, she knew that she had not heard a word recently and sent it to Wang Xifeng, let alone buying the Taihu Lake stones.

    Therefore, it was immediately guessed that what Wang Xifeng wanted to inquire about was the progress of the ¡±timber business.¡±

    It was just that...

    Why didn''t Ping¡¯er find another excuse to say that he wanted to build a rockery?

    Feeling skeptical, Sun Shaozong casually replied, "In fact, our servants in the mansion arrived in Jiangnan half a month ago. Yesterday, they sent a letter back saying that they had ordered many good stones and the price was also reasonable, so I''m afraid we can only disappoint the beauty of our Second Madam.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Ping¡¯er said again, "Since that''s the case, then I shall trouble you to pass on the things to the Young Lady, Lord Sun.¡±

    As she spoke, she turned around and greeted Sun Shaozong, and immediately someone held the silk gauze in front of him.

    After Sun Shaozong received the item, Ping¡¯er then led the maid to bow and leave.

    Just as she didn''t walk far, she didn''t know what she had said to the little maid, and the two of them went their separate ways and walked away from each other.

    Sun Shaozong peeked at the Pavilion and saw clearly that there was a rockery made of the Taihu Lake stones in the direction of Ping¡¯er

    He immediately felt like a mirror in his heart, and with patience, he circled with Jia Baoyu for a few words, then excused himself and hastily left the banquet.

    Just as he circled in a moderate circle and approached the rockery, he found that the entrance was actually in the opposite direction, and there was also a dense bamboo forest in the middle. If he wanted to pass around, he would have to waste a lot of legs and feet.

    But how could there be a lot of time to waste now?

    Although the mountain and stone were steep, they were only seven or eight meters high. Without hesitation, Sun Shaozong rolled up his sleeves and climbed up with both hands and feet.

    When he reached the top, he saw a small Pavilion in the middle of the mountain and stones. Inside the pavilion, a woman was standing faintly, stretching her neck, and looking down the mountain.

    Sun Shaozong felt hot in his heart and quietly covered it up. Suddenly, he grabbed her in his arms and held half of her earlobe in his hand, saying, "Wait for a moment.¡±

    Before the word could be spoken, Sun Shaozong had already realized that it was incorrect.

    The waist of this woman in his arms was incredibly slender, even better than Ping¡¯er''s rough waist, and the touch on her chest was a whole circle smaller!

 Chapter 420: The Night in the Rongguo Mansion [(3)]

    Chapter 420: The Night in the Rongguo Mansion [(3)]

    Damn it!

    Wrong person!

    Sun Shaozong grabbed the woman''s chest and abdomen and suddenly realized something had gone wrong. But how could there be any other women in the small Pavilion on the mountaintop on this big night?

    Was it also a someone sneaky couple waiting for her lover for a private meeting?

    This was really rare!

    Fortunately, he secretly hugged her from behind and didn''t reveal his identity just now. As long as he knocked her out first and then ran away, it was fine.

    As Sun Shaozong''s thoughts turned, his movements were not slow either. He immediately pushed the woman in his arms towards the stone table in the center of the small pavilion, firmly controlling her with his body, and then raised his hand to the acupoint on the back of her neck, preparing to knock her out.

    Unexpectedly, at this moment, the woman suddenly trembled and exclaimed, "Master Sun, don''t misunderstand me. I... I''m not Ping¡¯er.¡±

    Did she recognize his identity?

    And listening to this, she even knew about his affair with Ping¡¯er!

    Sun Shaozong''s brain suddenly became somewhat inadequate.

    For a moment, he was stunned and saw that the woman was struggling fiercely, especially when the buttocks hit him a few times on the leg. Suddenly, he realized that this posture could easily cause misunderstandings, as if it was about forcibly achieving ¡±pleasure.¡±

    So he shrank back, but still suppressed the woman''s slender waist, calmly asking, "Who are you? Why are you here? How do you know the relationship between me and Ping¡¯er?¡±

    The woman felt Sun Shaozong take a half step back and no longer hold onto her body tightly. Only then did her nervousness subside and she quickly said, "I am Yuanyang next to the Old Lady, just now...¡±

    The original idea that Ping¡¯er had come up with was to entrust the matter of choosing a son-in-law to Sun Shaozong to handle. Anyway, Yuanyang were already insiders, and doing so was not considered revealing their secrets.

    And if she could marry her off as the situation went, it could also be considered as removing one of her worries.

    She shared this idea with Yuanyang, who was straightforward. Not only did she not show any emotion, but she took the initiative to request a meeting with Sun Shaozong.

    One was to express gratitude to Sun Shaozong in advance. Second, she also has some demands in her heart and wanted to share them in person.

    When Ping¡¯er brought back the silk gauze, she let Yuanyang wait on the mountain first and guard at the foot of the mountain, so that Sun Shaozong wouldn''t dare to come forward and speak recklessly when he saw someone outside.

    Ping''er watched her figure disappear on the winding mountain path and couldn''t help but wonder, "What''s wrong with her? When the sky falls, she looks calm, but how come...¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Sun Shaozong had already grabbed her slender waist, and when a misunderstanding thought had just occurred, he became even more fiercely obsessed.

    Ping''er immediately forgot everything and eagerly welcomed him.

    For a long time, the two of them pulled a silver thread on their lips before hearing Sun Shaozong chuckle and say, "I just climbed up from the back mountain, and I didn''t see clearly in the dark. I thought she was you, so I jumped up from behind and casually touched her. I''m afraid I scared her.¡±

    Ping¡¯er extended her clove tongue and deftly cut off the silver saliva, then blushed and spat. "Spit! I''m afraid it was just because you saw it clearly that you deliberately touched it, right?¡±

    ¡°How could it be? She''s not as good as you.¡±

    The two of them flirted a few times before Sun Shaozong finally said, "It may not be difficult to help her find a suitable family, but after she gets married, who can guarantee that she will remain as secretive about our affairs as she is now?¡±

    Ping¡¯er hurriedly said, "You can rest assured that Yuanyang has always been the most righteous and will never...¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "If someone asks her, she may be able to hide it, but if she marries a satisfactory husband and falls in love, she may not be able to keep it to herself.¡±

    Seeing that Ping¡¯er still wanted to refute, he asked again, "For example, if I force you to inquire about the private affairs of sister-in-law Lian, can you keep it from me?¡±

    As he spoke, he bit into Ping¡¯er''s earlobe and blew hot air straight into her ear.

    ¡°This...¡±

    Ping¡¯er''s delicate body suddenly softened, and she felt a little uneasy under the influence of others. But on second thought, she wondered, "But my Sister, I can''t watch her fall into the hands of the Old Elder Master, right?"

    After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and said, "Why not? I warned her; let''s help her this time.¡±

    She was still a kind-hearted woman.

    Fortunately, Sun Shaozong also had a secret case. He said with a smile, "Since she is your Sister and has helped us keep the secret, how can I watch her fall into the fire without helping?"

    ¡°But she doesn''t have to get married to get away from this disaster. At the moment, there''s a good chance that she can leave Rongguo Mansion.¡±

    As he spoke, he whispered a few words in Ping''er''s ear.

 Chapter 421: Yuanyang Seek a Living in the Sun Mansion

    Chapter 421: Yuanyang Seek a Living in the Sun Mansion

    Two days later, on June 15th, the people in the Old Lady courtyard were complete, as it was a solemn day of incense and fasting. Madam Xing, Old Madam Wang, Wang Xifeng, Li Wan, and others were present, including Jia Baoyu, Xue Baochai, and Lin Daiyu.

    The older ones were telling Buddhist stories in the main hall, while the younger ones were all getting into the blue gauze cabinet, chattering about poetry and songs.

    When everyone was chatting, they suddenly saw Hupo, the maid, come in from outside and report, "Old Lady, Sister Ping¡¯er is in the courtyard and said she wants to report something to the Elder Madam and Second Madam.¡±

    If Ping''er only reported to Wang Xifeng, it wouldn''t be a strange thing. However, along with the Elder Madam, Xing-Shi puzzled Old Lady. So she asked casually, "What''s so serious that she needs to report to them?¡±

    Hupo hurriedly said, "I heard the Second Lady has sent a message and wants to exchange some effective maids and servants with us in our mansion.¡±

    This sounded fresh again. Since Jia Yingchun''s family was at the Rongguo Mansion, it was reasonable for her to ask for one or two servant girls.

    But what did this ¡±exchange¡± meant?

    Old Lady Jia became even more curious but it was about her granddaughter, and there were no outsiders present. Therefore, she ordered, "Go and call Ping''er in, I want to hear what kind of ¡±exchange¡± she wants.¡±

    Hupo was ordered out and soon led Ping¡¯er in.

    After seeing Ping''er, Old Lady Jia curiously inquired, "What words did the Second Lady sent back? Why do you say you want to ¡±exchange¡± some maids and servants with the family?¡±

    ¡°Returning to the words of the Old Lady.¡±

    Ping''er respectfully said, "As the Second Lady suggested, the Sun family didn¡¯t originally have a serious hostess, so there were not many maids and nannies who could be used. During the flood last year, she bought a batch of twelve or thirteen-year-old maids back.¡±

    ¡°Recently, due to Lord Sun finding a profitable business, he has sent more than a dozen family members to the south to keep an eye on it. As a result, even the servants and strong men in the mansion are feeling a bit worn out.¡±

    ¡°Catching up with the Central Judicial Office for verifying the origin of the domestic slaves, and the Second Master of the Sun family is working in the government office, it''s even worse to hire people to fill it up recklessly.¡±

    Everyone knew that she had something to say privately and wanted to share it with Yuanyang, so they quickly bowed down and retreated. Even Jia Baoyu and others were notified and hurriedly left the Old Lady Jia''s yard.

    When there were only Old Lady Jia and Yuanyang left in the room, the Old Lady came down from the Kang and gave Yuanyang a hand. She kindly said, "Get up first, what are the wrongs and grievances? You can just tell me, how come you have to start such a mischief?¡±

    Hearing her words was like an Old Grandmother trying to coax a disobedient grandchildren. Yuanyang''s eyes immediately turned red, and she looked up at the Old Lady reluctantly, almost changing her mind.

    However, considering that she would continue to stay in the Rongguo Mansion, it was highly likely that she would fall into the hands of Jia She. However, Sun Shaozong promised to allow herself to slowly find the right husband, and Yuanyang''s heart turned hard and choked, saying, "I don''t dare to deceive the Old Lady. The Old Elder Master has stopped me several times and teased me. The other day, he even announced that he wants me to be the seventh concubine...¡±

    ¡°He also said that if I were not willing, he would call my father from Jinling and force me to marry him.¡±

    As she spoke, she knocked her head on the ground and said decisively, "This matter is something that I absolutely refuse to comply with, but I don''t want it to cause you and the Elder Master to be separated. When I was in a dilemma, this happened to be the reason.¡±

    ¡°Old Lady, please be kind and allow me to serve at the Second Lady''s house.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Old Lady Jia trembled with anger all over her body and muttered, "I have only such a reliable person left, and that unfilial son even dares to calculate.¡±

    She then pulled Yuanyang and said, "Get up now; I''ll take care of this for you. Why do you need to hide at the Second Lady''s house?¡±

    Yuanyang refused to get up and only kept kowtowing, saying that she didn¡¯t dare to break the mother-son relationship.

    Seeing that she was very determined, Old Lady Jia thought about going to Jia Yingchun''s place. When Jia She eased his idea about Yuanyang, she might not be able to get her back.

    Therefore, with a long sigh, she shook her head and said, "Well, since you are determined to serve the Second Lady, then you can help her manage her family and not lose the face of our Rongguo Mansion.¡±

    Upon hearing Old Lady Jia''s permission, Yuanyang was both pleasantly surprised and reluctant to part ways. She quickly kowtowed a few times and cried uncontrollably, "I thank the Old Lady for your grace. If there is an afterlife, I will be a cow and a horse, and I will also serve the Old Lady again.¡±

 Chapter 422: The Crazy Shell [(1)]

    Chapter 422: The Crazy Shell [(1)]

    On June 16th, just after 3 am, in a flower hall in the inner courtyard of Prince Beijing¡¯s Residence, Shuirong, a rare figure, laid alone on a soft couch. Although his eyes were closed, he was tossing and turning, unable to sleep soundly.

    Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps came to Shuirong''s ears. He immediately sat up straight and asked in a loud voice, "Why? Has it already been counted?¡±

    The visitor was originally cautious and afraid of disturbing him. At this moment, as soon as Shuirong asked, he quickly flew up to him and said happily, "Congratulations, Your Highness. Out of the more than 20000 golden shells that Manager Liu intercepted yesterday, 17% were of medium quality, and even more than 10 were of high quality.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Shuirong was overjoyed and didn''t care about his untidy clothes. He got out of bed and said, "Thanks to my Brother-in-law''s advice, I''m afraid I don''t even know that there is such a way to collect money in the world.¡±

    The person on the opposite side of the relationship was not the other person; it was Wei Rusong, who was once interrupted by Sun Shaozu.

    Seeing the courtesy of the Prince, Wei Rusong hurriedly dodged to the side, waved his hand, and said humbly, "I dare not take credit for this. If it weren''t for Manager Liu from the mansion who thought of intercepting the merchants who were trafficking in pottery, pearls, gold, and shells outside the city, we wouldn''t have been able to get a share from you, Your Highness.¡±

    It turned out that when Wei Ruolan, his younger brother, learned about pottery, pearls, gold, and shells, Wei Rusong began to take advantage of the situation to make a profit. However, when he sent someone to conduct market research, he unexpectedly discovered that Prince Zhongshun¡¯s Residence was the mastermind behind Sun Shaozong''s speculation.LaaTest novels on (

    At that time, Wei Rusong was in a dilemma.

    The cheapness of Prince Zhongshun was not easy to gain. If he made a small fuss, it was just a matter of paying it back. If he accidentally crossed the border and offended Prince Zhongshun, wouldn''t it be an overjoyed tragedy?

    But since it was Prince Zhongshun behind the scenes, did it not prove that this pottery, pearls, gold, and shells were profitable?

    It was not easy to catch a divine opportunity; how could they miss it?

    After hesitating repeatedly, Wei Rusong finally found his Brother-in-law, Prince Beijing. The others were afraid of offending Prince Zhongshun. But Shuirong, who had the Eldest Princess as a backup, was not afraid!

    As expected.

    After hearing this emotional and reasonable relief, Shuirong''s heart immediately calmed down and immediately ordered eagerly, "Then send someone to spread the news outside and strive to carry the middle-grade golden shells to thirty taels of silver per piece by the end of the month, and the lower grade ones to no less than twenty taels of silver.¡±

    ¡°Noted, Your Highness.¡±

    Wei Rusong responded with a tone of expression and said, "Actually, in the evening, I had already sent someone to bribe a beggar. Tomorrow, he will start to boast.¡±

    ¡°The beggar probably doesn¡¯t need a long time before he picks up the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells and makes a fortune overnight. Not only can he buy a woman in the mansion, but he can even buy the identity of the Beggar Security position, and the news will spread throughout the city. By then, this pottery, pearls, gold, and shells will naturally have a big surge.¡±

    As he said this, he laughed bitterly again, "Speaking of it, the beggar is still in the memorial archway set up by Sun Erlang. I''d like to see how his Beggar Security system can continue to be implemented after the news spreads!"

    ¡°This...¡±

    At first, Shuirong nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. But upon hearing it, he couldn''t help but smile bitterly and said, "Brother, Ruolan has suffered from Sun Shaozong''s actions several times before. I think this person is a powerful character. Now that our situation is good, why do you still bother to provoke him? In case something goes wrong...¡±

    ¡°You worry too much, Your Highness.¡±

    Wei Rusong shook his head disdainfully and said, "That Sun Erlang looks like a strong suit, but he''s actually just a dog kept by Prince Zhongshun. Even if he dares to cause trouble for us, how dare he rebel against Prince Zhongshun''s thoughts?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Shuirong also felt that this statement was reasonable.

    After all, a few days ago, Sun Shaozong was still sending people to investigate the matter of the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells, but suddenly he gave up. According to common sense, he was obviously afraid of the power of the two Royal Residences.

    Therefore, he didn''t take it seriously and stretched out his waist, yawning and saying, "Since everything is in the hands of you, Brother-in-law, I will go take a nap first and make up for it.¡±

    Wei Rusong bowed slightly and said confidently, "Your Highness, please go to the backyard to rest. I guess by the time you wake up from your dream, the high-quality golden shell will have already crossed the threshold of fifteen taels.¡±

 Chapter 423: The Crazy Shell [(2)]

    Chapter 423: The Crazy Shell [(2)]

    Early the next morning.

    As soon as the fiery sun rose from below the horizon, Hong Jiu carried a birdcage and walked into the Xiankelai Restaurant. He sat in the middle with a big appearance and ¡±bumped¡± the bird cage onto the table.

    While the parrot was chirping wildly, Hong Jiu also shouted in a rough and atmospheric voice, "Where are the people? Where have you all died to?¡±

    The Xiaolong Bao made by the restaurant could also be called famous in the entire Capital. Therefore, many old customers came to visit them early in the morning. Seeing Hong Jiu''s style, they couldn''t help but glance at him.

    The more attention he received from the crowd, the more arrogant Hong Jiu''s attitude became. He put one leg on the bench, tilted his neck, and was ready to shout again.

    At this moment, a shop assistant rushed over as if flying, wiping the table and laughing, saying, "My guest, do you want to...¡±

    However, as soon as this polite remark began, the waiter''s face suddenly changed, pointing to Hong Jiu and exclaiming, "You... Aren''t you the beggar Hong Jiu who lives in a nearby dilapidated temple? How could you dress up like this today?¡±

    What a flamboyant expression!

    Hong Jiu sneered at this guy''s acting skills in his heart, but he straightened his chest and said fiercely, "Of course, it''s me, Master Hong Jiu.¡±

    As he spoke, he took out a piece of broken silver weighing five taels from his sleeve and slapped it on the table with a sneer, saying, "Last month, you were still insulting me. You said the Xiaolong Bao in your restaurant; even if you were to feed the dog, you wouldn''t give me one. Today, I want to see if I can buy a few of your Bao to taste with this real gold and silver.

    The shop assistant looked at the silver on the table and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Where did you get this silver? Shouldn''t it have been stolen or robbed?¡±

    Who the hell chose this ¡±actor?¡±

    With his flawed appearance, how dare he have the courage to compete with me!

    Hong Jiu''s heart was full of slander, but he raised his nose to the sky and sneered disdainfully, "What kind of character am I? Can I go steal something from someone else? To tell you the truth, I am a good person and have good rewards. If I pick up something, I can casually sell it for over three hundred taels of silver.¡±

    The shop assistant, like a repeater, quickly handed over another line, "What can be so valuable? Are you just boasting big?¡±

    ¡°Boasting?¡±

    Hong Jiu glared and said, "You''re not a deaf person. Haven''t you even heard of the name pottery, pearl, gold, and shell? I found pottery, pearls, gold, and shells last year. A few days ago, I heard that this item could be exchanged for money, so I took it out and asked someone. I didn''t expect it to be some high-quality shell, and one was exchanged.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Before Hong Jiu could finish speaking, someone among the guests jumped up and said urgently, "Did you pick up a high-quality golden shell?¡±

    As expected, someone jumped out and questioned him, and Hong Jiu immediately patted his chest and said, "The real gold and silver have already fallen into my pocket. Can this still be fake?¡±

    Unexpectedly, the guest shook his head and sighed, "A beggar is indeed a beggar; it''s insightful! How can you sell that high-quality golden shell without five hundred taels of silver now? You sold it for three hundred taels of silver, it''s really... Sigh¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hong Jiu immediately jumped up in a fit of anger, posing as if he were furious and cursing loudly, "How could this plagued Wang Dahu deceive me?! No, I have to find that bastard.¡±

    As he spoke, he picked up the bird cage and ran out regardless.

    But this morning, he lost six coins of silver. If it continues to fall...

    ¡°Let''s go.¡±

    The guest waved his hand and said, "Go home and bring the golden shells I have saved. Let''s also go to Honglu Temple and have a look.¡±

    As soon as the two of them left, the remaining diners in the restaurant were also somewhat absent-minded, thinking about finishing their meal quickly so that they could go to Honglu Temple to see the excitement. In addition, the two of them simply left the Xiaolong Bao and quickly followed them out.

    Half an hour later, at Prince Beijing¡¯s Residence, Wei Rusong, with a livid face, paced back and forth in the flower hall. In the early morning, he had just boasted in front of the Prince. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, someone publicly smashed the idea!

    If this golden shell''s price was ruined, how could he explain it to Shuirong?!

    ¡°Lord Wei.¡±

    Just as he was feeling anxious, he saw Steward Liu hurriedly enter the mansion and bowed to report, "We have also received news from Prince Zhongshun''s Residence. Several Stewards were eagerly inquiring about who the person selling the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells at Honglu Temple was.¡±

    ¡°What''s the point of asking about this at the moment?¡±

    Wei Rusong had originally hoped that Prince Zhongshun would use thunderous tactics to suppress the suddenly emerging troublemaker, but unexpectedly, he waited for such vague news.

    Steward Liu smiled bitterly and said, "I''m afraid it''s not their fault. I heard Prince Zhongshun followed His Majesty down to the Palace for summer vacation yesterday, and there''s no one in charge at home. Who dares to make decisions recklessly?¡±

    So this was the case; no wonder...

    However, in this way, the burden of maintaining the price of the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells completely fell on the head of Prince Beijing¡¯s Residence.

    Steward Liu watched as Wei Rusong was deep in his thought and couldn''t help but urge, "Lord Wei, why don''t we call out the Prince and invite him to...¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Wei Rusong paused and shook his head, saying, "This is not the time to hesitate. If we continue to delay like this, the price of the pottery, pearls, gold, and shells will plummet.¡±

    As he spoke, he gritted his teeth. He ordered decisively, "Immediately have someone bring all the silver and buy all those golden shells! At the same time, spread the rumors that the Noble Family plans to build a longevity mountain with pottery, pearls, gold, and shells as a birthday gift to the Emperor.¡±

    Steward Liu said, ¡°This...¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    Wei Rusong glared and said, "If we can''t stabilize the momentum right now, all the 90000 golden shells we bought will ruin our hands! Besides, as long as we can stop the momentum and raise the price of the golden shells again, even if we buy them for fourteen taels of silver, we can still earn a lot.¡±

    ¡°But if, after all the purchases, the momentum still can¡¯t be stabilized, wouldn''t it be...¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡±

    Wei Rusong waved his hand confidently and said, "The Summer Palace is only half a day away from the Capital. What else is there to worry about after Prince Zhongshun returns from the palace?¡±Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com

 Chapter 424: The Crazy Shell [(3)]

    Chapter 424: The Crazy Shell [(3)]

    It was almost noon.

    Being half asleep and half awake, Shuirong heard a crisp sound from the compartment. He got up from the bed in a daze, pushed open the door, and looked out. Unexpectedly, before he could see clearly what was happening in the hall, he was first reflected with a green color.

    In the small hall, a graceful woman was kneeling on the ground, dedicated to burning and melting a section of wax. The brilliant green light was emitted by the burning of the wax.

    ¡°My beloved.¡±

    Shuirong couldn''t help but smile bitterly and said, "How many times have I said that if you accidentally burn yourself, I will be sad? Just hand over such rough work to the maidservants.¡±

    This woman was naturally Princess Consort Wei.

    She turned a deaf ear and blew out the candle on the table. She then took a piece of mink skin, dipped it in the melted wax, and carefully wrapped the two bowstrings.

    After tying the mink skin tightly with a ribbon, she stood up and gave a greeting. She calmly said, "I want to take care of the things I use myself, so I can feel more secure in my heart.¡±

    Seeing her wearing a light pink biker on her upper body and riding pants on her lower body, with a heroic and handsome appearance that didn''t make her eyebrows stand, she was born with a sense of happiness. The protruding parts, however, were tense and full of various styles.

    Especially when he saw the two slender legs tightly overlapping, Shuirong felt a sense of dryness rising in his lower abdomen. He wished he could take the place of the black horse in the stable and let her ride ¡±freely¡± on him.

    Unfortunately, Princess Consort Wei came from a reserved identity and refused to engage in any daytime sexual activities. Therefore, Shuirong could only clamp his tail and come forward to please her, asking, "Is this ¡±rosin wax¡± that I ordered someone to burn still useful?¡±

    ¡°This ¡±rosin wax¡± is naturally excellent.¡±

    Wei-Shi first gave a thumbs up, but then said sternly, "It''s just that the Royal Residence is currently struggling and owes a lot to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Therefore, this item is equivalent to gold, and I always feel uneasy when using it.¡±

    She deliberately advised Shuirong not to be too extravagant and wasteful.

    But upon hearing this, Shuirong laughed and said, "My beloved, don''t worry about it. Now that my Brother-in-law and I are partnering to run a business, we can earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in just a few months. What will a few pieces of rosin wax be?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Wei-Shi was about to inquire more about it, but suddenly remembered something and quickly changed her mind, saying, "By the way, my Brother just sent someone over to spread a message, saying that when you wake up, there are some things that need to be reported in person.¡±

    Shuirong laughed again and said proudly, "Maybe there''s some good news again. Let me go and meet my Brother-in-law first. When I come back, I''ll tell you about this great deal.¡±

    As he spoke, he gave Wei-Shi a peck on the face and ran out as if fleeing.

    He happily went all the way to the flower hall, but after seeing Wei Rusong''s face somewhat uncertain, Shuirong''s heart suddenly became a bit uneasy. He quickly pursued and asked, "Brother, is there something unexpected?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    After a moment of hesitation, Wei Rusong pretended to be fine and spread out his hand, saying, "It''s not a big deal, but some inconspicuous things want to make a windfall.¡±

    As he spoke, he briefly recounted to Shuirong about the situation where someone near Honglu Temple was selling high-quality golden shells, as well as his subsequent countermeasures.

    Finally, he said lightly, "Even with just two thousand medium-quality golden shells, he won''t be able to make any waves. As long as we handle them properly, we may be able to take advantage of the situation and make another surge.¡±

    Shuirong was infected by Wei Rusong''s relaxed attitude and felt that it was no big deal. It was only about two thousand high-quality golden shells. It was like the five hundred in Jia She''s hand. It was the stock that a merchant had withheld.

    Unexpectedly, this day''s great kindness even brought trouble. Starting from May 25th, he secretly sent a servant to purchase pottery, pearls, gold, and shells, but he was often intercepted by people on official roads, taking away pottery, pearls, gold, and shells with half-grabbing and half-buying.

    Four times before and after, over 50,000 golden shells disappeared.

    After a long investigation by Prince Zhongshun, he was unable to identify the person behind the scenes. Now he has to go to the Palace to escape the heat, he didn¡¯t have time to settle this. Therefore, he had written a request to Shuirong to investigate on his behalf.

    When Shuirong saw this, his handsome and already black pot bottom face, tried hard to lift his head and gritted his teeth, asking, "Steward Liu, how many vendors have been intercepted in our Residence since the 25th of last month? How many gold shells have we received?¡±

    Although Steward Liu saw that his face was not right, how would he dare to deceive him?

    Busy and respectful, he replied, "Report to Your Highness, since the 25th of last month, a total of seven merchants have been intercepted and more than 60000 gold shells have been obtained.¡±

    Before he could finish listening, Shuirong kicked Steward Liu backward and angrily roared, "Damn fool, you''ve been fooled for so long, and you haven¡¯t even noticed anything?!¡±

    Shuirong has come to understand that more than half of the golden shells he recently bought were the inventory of Prince Zhongshun!

    Adding in the more than 2000 medium-quality golden shells he bought at the market price before, he unknowingly had already been taken 60000 taels of silver by him!

    But why did Prince Zhongshun do this?

    Abandoning hundreds of thousands of taels of profits to pit oneself with these 60000 taels of silver? Wasn¡¯t this behavior too strange?!

    Unable to understand, Wei Rusong picked up the letter from the ground and quickly scanned it. Then he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Damn it! We''ve always forgotten about the variable of His Majesty.¡±

    ¡°His Majesty?¡±

    ¡°Yes, His Majesty.¡±

    Wei Rusong smiled bitterly and said, "Apart from His Majesty, who else can make Prince Zhongshun give up the silver he easily obtained and personally come forward to clean up the mess? It must be because His Majesty, after inquiring about this matter, felt that it was harmful to the people, so he ordered Prince Zhongshun to rein in the situation on a cliff.¡±

    As he spoke, he shook the letter in his hand again and said helplessly, "However, Prince Zhongshun was unwilling to invest in us, so he had his idea on us and deceived us with money to fill his gap.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, we thought we had a plan and were able to pick up a big bargain with him without any risk, but to our surprise, he played with us in applause.¡±

    Halfway through the conversation, he saw Shuirong swaying a few times, almost falling to the ground.

    Wei Rusong quickly stopped speaking and reached out to help Shuirong. While waiting to inquire with concern, he heard Shuirong gritting his teeth and saying, "This old thief is really deceiving people too much.¡±

    During the conversation, a trace of blood seeped out of his mouth.

    Upon seeing this, Wei Rusong realized that he was extremely angry and hurt his heart. Therefore, he hurriedly said, "Prince, please take care of your health. It''s just a meager 60000 taels of silver. Since I came up with this idea at the beginning, I should have come up with the silver.¡±

    He was taking care of everything here, but someone outside the door reported in a panic, "Your Highness, something big has happened! Zhou Mo, the Head Steward of Prince Zhongshun''s Residence, led someone to surround and beat up Steward Chen of our Residence and even pointed out that he was delaying their job by blocking the way. He wanted to drag him to see the official in the Central Judicial Office.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Shuirong immediately straightened his back and said in a resentful voice, "Okay, great! He took my silver and even sent someone to knock on me. It''s really... Really..."

    As he spoke, two red tides suddenly appeared on his face, and then his throat trembled, and he burst out with a whoosh of blood!Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

 Chapter 426: A Stark Contrast Between 1 Reverse and 1 Obey

    Chapter 426: A Stark Contrast Between 1 Reverse and 1 Obey

    Coming out of Wang Xifeng''s courtyard, Xiuju still sighed deeply in her heart.

    Although it has long been rumored that Caixia was not as close to Baoyu as others, but rather closer to Third Brother Huan, who could have imagined that after Concubine Zhao''s downfall, she would still remain steadfast towards the mother and son?

    Such behavior could truly be called sharing weal and woe.

    However, in Old Madam Wang''s view, this was a blatant betrayal, so no wonder Caixia''s name appeared on this exchange list.

    As she walked forward absentmindedly, she suddenly heard a commotion in the nearby flower bed. Xiuju turned her head in surprise and saw a figure suddenly darting out of the bushes, inexplicably dragging her in!

    Xiuju was so scared that her soul was completely shattered. She was about to scream desperately when she heard the person whispering in her ear, "Sister, don''t be afraid; it''s me, Jia Baoyu.

    ¡°Bao... Second Master Bao...¡±

    Xiuju widened her eyes and looked at Jia Baoyu in disbelief. It wasn''t until she was led into a narrow lane that she suddenly regained her composure. She pushed Jia Baoyu to a halt and shook her head in confusion, saying, "No, it''s too late, it''s too late.¡±

    Too late?

    Jia Baoyu inexplicably looked up at the sky and said, ¡°It''s not even noon yet; why is it too late?¡±

    But seeing Xiuju covering her chest with both hands, she hesitated and said, "If it had been before, I would have longed for your favor. But now that I have somewhere I belong, I am truly...¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Jia Baoyu couldn''t help but cry and reached out to the distance, explaining, "I heard that Uncle was waiting in front, afraid that you might accidentally bump into him and cause trouble for Second Sister. That''s why I came around and stopped you.¡±

    It turned out that Jia She had been making trouble in the mansion for several days, but he couldn¡¯t change the minds of his mother and Yuanyang, so he moved his mind to Jia Yingchun. He thought he couldn¡¯t defeat his mother, but it would not be a problem to ¡±control¡± his daughter.

    Coincidentally, he heard that Xiuju had arrived home, so he led someone to guard near the intersection of the second gate, preparing to stop Xiuju from passing messages and asking his daughter to refuse to take in Yuanyang.

    Upon hearing Baoyu''s explanation, Xiuju was both embarrassed and afraid. She followed Baoyu around seven times and crawled out of the side door of Rongguo Mansion.

    Outside, she saw two carriages already waiting under the wall. One was the carriage that Xiuju had taken when she arrived, and the other was Jia Baoyu''s commonly used carriage.

    Xiuju couldn''t help but doubt and say, "Second Master Bao, are you...¡±

    Jia Baoyu spoke confidently and said, "Of course, I''m going to plead with Second Sister. Even if I have to kneel and kowtow a hundred times, I''ll have Second Sister return Qingwen.¡±

    As mentioned earlier, the end of June and the beginning of July each year were the days when the Central Judicial Office would submit the list of autumn executions to the Ministry of Justice, and this year was no exception.

    Last year, Sun Shaozong replaced Liu Chongshan, who claimed to be unable to work due to illness, and presided over the autumn audit of the Central Judicial Office. This year, he was promoted to Governor, and naturally couldn''t escape this disaster.

    Jia Baoyu has been obsessed with torture in recent years, and he was naturally not unfamiliar with this autumn verdict. Therefore, upon hearing Zhao Zhongji''s explanation, his heart suddenly began to awaken.

    Just as he was about to apologize to Zhao Zhongji, he heard Zhao Zhongji chat up, saying, "Second Master Bao, there are still many people standing in front, especially a few elderly people. It may not be easy to pass by carriage, why not...¡±

    At this moment, Jia Baoyu realized that Xiuju had already gotten out of the front car and was waiting by the roadside with a handkerchief covering her face.

    Although he was a dandy, he had never been a showy person, so he quickly jumped out of the carriage and walked towards the nearby gate under the protection of Zhao Zhongji and others.

    However, as he walked past the front door to enter the mansion, he saw an old man with white hair kneeling long, a young girl crying, and a fierce warrior shouting with a broken heart...

    Jia Baoyu was originally an easily empathic person; how could he tolerate seeing this?

    Immediately, he stopped and hesitated to ask, "Look at them crying like this; if there really is any injustice...¡±

    ¡°Second Master Bao, speak with caution.¡±

    Zhao Zhongji didn''t care about his dignity and quickly covered Baoyu''s mouth.

    Unexpectedly, he was still one step late. The young girl immediately approached on her knees and hugged Jia Baoyu''s left leg, crying out, "Young Master, my father is wronged! I beg you to save my father''s life. Even if I were to be a bull and a horse in the next life, I would never forget your great kindness to my father.¡±

    Your father?

    Why was there still a father running out here?

    Jia Baoyu was feeling inexplicable, but he heard Zhao Zhongji scolding them, "What nonsense are you talking about little hoof? This is our Brother-in-law, and he is on par with our Second Master Sun.¡±

    Upon hearing these words, Jia Baoyu suddenly realized that the woman thought of himself as Sun Shaozong''s son.¡±

    Apart from crying and laughing and looking at the girl''s tearful appearance, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of compassion. Just as he was about to inquire about her grievances, he heard Zhao Zhongji said again, "Besides, your father publicly killed the seller and his wife for a few pieces of pottery, pearls, gold, and shells, and then voluntarily surrendered himself afterward. How can there be any grievances?¡±

    The girl was momentarily speechless when asked, but after a while, she burst into tears and said, "My father is a good person, a good person! How will we know that the golden shell that he just bought with all my family assets would become worthless in the blink of an eye? How could he... How could he?¡±Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

 Chapter 427: Since Ancient Times, Filial Piety and Relationships Have Been Difficult to Complete

    Chapter 427: Since Ancient Times, Filial Piety and Relationships Have Been Difficult to Complete

    After finally entering the Sun family''s door and taking his seat in the front courtyard living room, Jia Baoyu was still hearing the mournful sound in his ear, so he didn''t notice that Xiuju lied about going to the back house to report, but, after leaving the living room, she went straight to Sun Shaozong''s courtyard.

    Because Xiuju has been with Jia Yingchun for so many years, she knew that once her owner encountered difficulties, she would only be hesitant and unable to come up with any serious ideas.

    Rather than making Jia Yingchun feel embarrassed in vain, it would be better to report it directly to someone who could make up his mind!

    It was said that Sun Shaozong had been drinking with his Elder Brother all morning and finally managed to ¡±flatten¡± him, and his stomach had already been filled with alcohol.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t go to Ruan Rong''s place for lunch as usual, but instead went to Second Sister You''s room and prepared to engage in some popular sports while enjoying the wine.ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels

    That Second Sister You has a gentle temperament, but she was very open-minded in sexual matters. Sun Shaozong only teased a few words, and she understood his meaning. She and Sun Shaozong both rolled into the red tent and in a moment, they peeled off naked, one black and one white.

    Seeing that he was about to regain his composure, he suddenly heard a timid voice from a servant girl outside, saying, "Second Master, Sister Xiuju from the Elder Madam''s house is here. She said she must report something urgent to you.¡±

    Why did she choose to come here at this time?

    Sun Shaozong''s stomach was filled with a sinister fire that had become an internal injury, but it was not easy to take this statement as a byword. After all, he was not that short and powerless, and he needed to have fun in time before paying attention to it. He was afraid that he would have delayed the serious matters earlier.

    Therefore, he had to command Second Sister You to wait in bed first, and if it weren''t for any urgent matter, it would be okay for him to come back and ¡±fight¡± until dark.

    ¡°Second Master.¡±

    Seeing Sun Shaozong coming out of the inner room, Xiuju quickly approached to salute, and then, taking advantage of the little maid''s lack of attention, cast a resentful look. Recently, due to Jia Yingchun''s pregnancy, she naturally couldn''t find any pleasure with him.

    But this gruesome appearance should never be revealed in front of people.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong''s gaze was sharp, and Xiuju lowered her head with a straight stare. Then he asked, "Does Sister-in-law have some orders for you to be in a hurry over to see me?¡±

    ¡°Reply to the Second Master''s words.¡±

    Xiuju hurriedly said, "It''s not that the Elder Madam has any instructions. There''s a troublesome matter coming to our door, and I don''t know what to do with it. That''s why I came to ask you to come up with an idea.¡±

    As she spoke, she told Sun Shaozong about how she went to Rongguo Mansion to inquire about the truth and coincidentally met Jia Baoyu and went back to the mansion with him.

    When Sun Shaozong heard that there were the names of Qingwen and Caixia on the register, he couldn''t help but be surprised. It was reasonable for Caixia. However, Qingwen had always been one of Jia Baoyu''s heartthrobs, so how could he be willing to send her to the Sun family?

    But...

    If Jia Yingchun had a disagreement with Old Madam Wang about taking care of Jia Baoyu''s thoughts, it would probably not be appropriate.

    Having been in a dilemma for a while, Sun Shaozong couldn''t make up his mind and had to first inquire about the relationship between Jia Baoyu and Qingwen and then decide whether to make a decision.

    Jia Baoyu was a bit dissatisfied and suddenly heard Sun Shaozong ask about Jia Zheng''s whereabouts and couldn''t help but wonder, "If there were no accidents, he would have taken office by the end of the month, but what does this have to do with my mother? My mother has always been a virtuous assistant, and she will never have any resentment because my father seeks to be released from the Capital.¡±

    Sun Shaozong gave a silent slap on the forehead and said in frustration, "Aren''t you studying the reasoning of criminals lately? Why are you still so ignorant? I''ll ask you again, how should Concubine Zhao, who is locked up in the ancestral hall, be handled when he is going south to take office?¡±

    ¡°Of course...¡±

    Jia Baoyu was about to answer that she would continue to be locked up in the ancestral hall, but after more than a year of ups and downs, he was no longer a fool.

    With the attitude of Old Lady Jia and Old Madam Wang''s hatred towards Concubine Zhao to the bone, if there was no protection from Jia Zheng, she might fall ill in a few days!

    Jia Zheng has sheltered Concubine Zhao for a long time, and his emotions towards her were obviously different from those of his Concubines. Would he let Concubine Zhao stay in the Capital and wait for her death?

    Based on this calculation, wasn¡¯t Jia Zheng going south with Concubine Zhao to take office?!

    Thinking of Concubine Zhao, who almost poisoned herself, wanting to follow his father and have a happy life in the south, Jia Baoyu couldn''t help but feel some resentment for a moment and bit his two rows of silver teeth with a clattering sound.

    Sun Shaozong saw Baoyu''s appearance and knew that he had already figured out the secret in it. He sighed and said, "How can the betrayal of those around him compare to the sentimentality of those next to him? Now the two are in one place, the bitterness in your mother¡¯s heart is far beyond your imagination.¡±

    ¡°And now she''s venting her anger on Qingwen. I¡¯m afraid she''s already using Qingwen as a substitute for Concubine Zhao. If you try to confront her at this moment, do you know how she''ll feel in her heart?¡±

    How would she feel?

    Her husband openly favored the Concubine, who intended to take her the main position and his intimate confidant servant girl, and secretly colluded with the Concubine''s son. However, at this moment, her biological son also wanted to fight against her for the sake of a servant girl...

    To describe it as hopeless shouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration at all.

    Thinking of this, Jia Baoyu was filled with confusion and fear. He felt sorry for his mother''s situation and was unwilling to let her feel sad anymore; on the other hand, he couldn''t bear to part with Qingwen.

    After a long battle between heaven and man, he suddenly remembered that there was still a ¡±life mentor¡± standing in front of him. He eagerly asked, "Second Brother, in your opinion, what should I... do now?¡±

    ¡°I can''t make up my mind about this matter.¡±

    Sun Shaozong patted him on the shoulder, saying quietly, "Since ancient times, filial piety has been difficult to achieve. Whether you choose to be filial to your mother or choose to be a devoted man to your servant girl, you can only make your own choice.¡±

    He said he couldn''t make up his mind, but in his words, he pointed out the identities of the two. Nowadays, even swaying between his mother and wife could be considered unfilial, let alone Qingwen being just a servant girl.

    Therefore, Baoyu carefully chewed on the words ¡±love and filial piety are difficult to reconcile¡± a few times, and his face showed a look of sadness and desolation. He bowed and said, ¡°Second Brother, just pretend that I haven''t been here today. Goodbye.¡±

    As he spoke, he walked out dejected, and the figure behind him showed a hint of melancholy.

 Chapter 428: The Heavenly Hound Swallows the Sun [(1)]

    Chapter 428: The Heavenly Hound Swallows the Sun [(1)]

    The matter of the autumn review had been going through a lot of trouble for half a month, and it was not until the sixth day of July that they finally sorted it out.

    Sun Shaozong, who had long been annoyed by it, naturally ordered people to carry items such as registers, case files, and portraits early in the morning and submit them to the Department of Personnel of the Ministry of Justice.

    Unexpectedly, Lin Delu took someone away for a while but then brought the things back intact. It was said that the Ministry of Justice had stated that the Central Judicial Office was now under the jurisdiction of Zhili Province, and according to regulations, the list of autumn judgments should be submitted to the Zhili Inspector''s Office.

    This damn bureaucracy!

    Why did they never think of informing the Zhili Inspector when they were assigning tasks?

    However, since the Ministry of Justice has already set the tone, any complaints would be of no use.

    Helpless, Sun Shaozong also had to inform Han Anbang that he was planning to personally go to Jinmen Prefecture in two days and settle the matter as soon as possible according to the rules. After the county officials submitted the list of autumn decisions to the higher-level Yamen, the chief officials had to be ready to accept inquiries at any time, so Sun Shaozong had to stay at least two to three days in Jinmen Prefecture to complete it.

    That was not a big deal, but Xiangling''s birth date was in the middle of the month. If he happened to miss it...

    ¡°Your Excellency! Delivery, delivery, she is about to give birth...¡±

    Just as he was thinking of this, he saw Zhou Da burst in shouting.

    Going to give birth?!

    Sun Shaozong jumped up behind the table and went straight to the stable to lead his horse home. However, as soon as he took his steps, he suddenly felt something was wrong. If Xiangling was about to give birth, why would it be Zhou Da to come and report?

    So he paused and glared at Zhou Da''s pockmarked face, frowning and saying, "Who''s going to give birth?¡±

    ¡°The sluts in the house arrest facility...¡±

    Zhou Da naturally said, "I just heard what the prison officer said and quickly came over and reported to you.¡±

    He had been busy for most of these months and had really forgotten all the ladies in the house arrest center.

    But...

    ¡°The lewd nun under house arrest was about to give birth; why are you so eager to report to me?¡± Sun Shaozong said speechlessly. "You should find the midwives and invite all the monks and nuns. If it''s a female baby, then send it to the nunnery, and if it''s a male baby, then send it to the temple. Can''t you handle this small matter?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no.¡±

    According to the traditional saying, lunar and solar eclipses represented the boiling of resentment in the world. As a rule, it was necessary to re-examine the prison system and wash away the people''s grievances.

    This also meant that most of the labor achievements of the Criminal Department over the past half month would be wasted. In the coming period, they would need to re-review and draft the list of autumn judgments, and after the re-review results were reported, to show solemnity, it might even be necessary to call back for a third retrial!

    He was afraid it would take more than a month for this matter!

    Thinking about the old and young people guarding his doorstep every day, Sun Shaozong felt as if something had been blocked in his heart, and he felt depressed and helpless.

    Wasn¡¯t this solar eclipse happening only once in hundreds of years? Why did he catch it?

    Feeling depressed, Sun Shaozong walked over with a black face and kicked Lin Delu, who was still banging on a copper basin. He shouted, "What kind of banging are you doing? Hurry up and send someone to notify the two counties of Daxing County, and send more patrols on the street to be on strict guard, so that no one can take advantage of the chaos and make trouble.¡±

    Lin Delu, seeing his gloomy face, didn¡¯t dare to distinguish anything and hurriedly covered his buttocks.

    Other officials, upon seeing this, naturally withered and scattered like birds.

    Then Sun Shaozong ordered someone to call for Qiu Yunfei and Zhao Wuwei and asked them to summon the officials of the government office to patrol the streets.

    When the arrangement was almost complete, the sun was also swallowed by the Heavenly Hound, and according to this progress rate, the entire solar eclipse process would last for about an hour.

    At present, returning to the room to continue reviewing official documents was obviously inappropriate. Therefore, Sun Shaozong simply put on a full set of official attire and led Wei Ruolan and Lin Delu to the lobby, ready to handle any unexpected situations at any time.

    Sun Shaozong had a gloomy face, and Wei Ruolan''s complexion was even worse. As the Brother-in-law, Prince Beijing, he had received more than a hundred times more criticism in recent times than Sun Shaozong. If it weren''t for Shuirong''s hard work, he might have been dismissed from his position long ago.

    However, although the official position was preserved and the marriage was basically finalized, the two Marquises'' matters occurred. They were afraid that if they continued to discuss the marriage with the Wei family at this time, they would anger Prince Zhoungshun, so they unilaterally put an end to it.

    The two upper officials were both pale and iron-faced, and Lin Delu was even more imposing next to them and didn¡¯t dare to take a breath.

    The three of them sat like this for about half an hour. Seeing the sky getting darker outside, they suddenly saw a person rushing in and shouting, "Your Excellency, it''s a disaster, it''s a disaster!¡±

    He thought someone was causing trouble on the street, but upon closer inspection, the person who came was Zhou Da. Sun Shaozong unconsciously said, "What''s the matter? What''s wrong with the house arrest?¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency is indeed wise.¡±

    He saw Zhou Da panting heavily as he transformed and changed color, "That bastard... That bastard really gave birth to a monster...¡±

 Chapter 429: The Heavenly Hound Swallows the Sun [(2)]

    Chapter 429: The Heavenly Hound Swallows the Sun [(2)]

    Did the lecherous nun in the house arrest give birth to a monster?

    After hearing this, Sun Shaozong became increasingly speechless. Taking advantage of the situation, he picked up the wood and slammed it onto the table. He angrily scolded, "What nonsense, this blue sky is white... Cough Where did this saying come from?¡±

    Zhou Da was startled and quickly said, "This is not a lowly remark. It was spoken by the Masters of the Fayuan Temple themselves. Moreover, the child was not born for three full hours, but only when the Heavenly Hound swallowed the sun. Moreover, he had two teeth in his mouth as soon as he was born. What else could it be if the child was not a demon child?¡±

    ¡°Now the masters are about to surpass that little monster, lest he grow up to be a disaster.¡±

    ¡°Nun Miaoyu from Longcui Temple, however, was stuck in front of the door and refused to let her enter. The two sides are now in a state of chaos.¡±

    ¡°It''s really difficult to handle, so I have to report it to you, My Excellency.¡±

    Tch!

    A newborn baby has teeth, which was generally due to an excess of calcium in the mother''s body, leading to early development. In modern society, the probability of this happening was about one in two thousand, but in ancient times, the probability was much lower.

    It was estimated that most people have never seen or heard of this, so it was not surprising to be identified as a ¡±hetero.¡±

    If it were for a different day, it would be fine for Sun Shaozong to come forward and explain.

    But right now...

    The Heavenly Hound swallowing day had not yet ended, and people were already in a state of panic. It was easy to associate the two with such a rare baby.

    Especially the parents of this child, who have already violated the court''s laws and broken the rules and regulations

    This was really troublesome!

    As for his true intention, Sun Shaozong naturally didn¡¯t want to watch a baby, just because he was born with two baby teeth early, innocently lost his life.

    But if he were to step forward and protect this child, in the future, it wouldn¡¯t be rare for someone to criticize him for catching up with an un-superstitious Emperor. If he met someone who asked about ghosts and gods, it might be a big disaster!

    Hesitating between conscience and self-protection, Wei Ruolan suddenly stood up and asked with concern, "Have those monks ever hurt Lady Miaoyu?¡±

    ¡°When I came out, they had not taken any action.¡±

    Zhou Da said with uncertainty, "But the dispute was fierce at the time, and I don''t know about it now...¡±

    Before Zhou Da could finish speaking, Wei Ruolan had already marched out of the court.

    Seeing Wei Ruolan leave the table, Lin Delu and Zhou Da glanced at each other and cautiously asked for instructions, "Your Excellency, look at this...¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Wei Ruolan''s face turned red and he didn''t want to entangle himself with an old woman about this topic. So he glanced around a few times and hurriedly said, "Where''s Lady Miaoyu? Why is she missing?¡±

    As soon as he shouted, he heard a faint voice coming from the Buddhist niche, "I... I''m here...¡±

    Everyone looked around, and they saw a chubby monk lying in front of the small Buddhist niche. As for Miaoyu... It seemed like she was being crushed by the monk!

    ¡°What a shameless bald thief!¡±

    Wei Ruolan was worried that there was nowhere to vent. He stepped forward and pulled the monk up, slapping him twice on the back.

    After finishing the fight, he suddenly realized something was wrong and tried the fat monk''s breathing in confusion, then his face changed greatly.

    At the same time, Miaoyu finally struggled to sit up, but before she could straighten her slender waist, she heard a crisp clang and a small dagger fell from her patchwork clothes!

    ¡°Eh? What is this?¡±

    Miaoyu looked down in confusion, but the first thing that caught her eye was the sticky bloodstain on her chest!

    Not only her chest but also the entire patchwork robe was almost soaked in blood and turned red. Even without touching the nostrils, just looking at the amount of bleeding showed that the fat monk was already dead.

    ¡°Murder... Murder...¡±

    After a moment of silence, the midwife screamed out loud, followed by several monks who also lost their composure.

    ¡°Junior Jiexian? Junior Jiexian!¡±

    ¡°How could this be, how could this be?¡±

    ¡°It''s a demon! It must have been a demon who manipulated Nun Miaoyu and killed Junior Jiexian!¡±

    ¡°Let''s quickly kill this demon and avenge Junior Jie Xian!¡±

    Seeing the agitation of the four monks, they stood up and wanted to end the baby''s life. The lecherous nun on the bed didn¡¯t dodge, but laughed loudly and said, "This child is the reincarnation of Joyful Bodhisattva, evading evil spirits and not adhering to all laws. How can you fake monks do anything about it?¡±

    She was really crazy...

    Sun Shaozong was speechless and shouted, "Everyone, stop!¡±

    As he spoke, the eagle''s gaze echoed and twirled around the crowd. He then reached out and pointed out, "Our official has only been guarding outside, and no one else has come in or gone out. Therefore, the murderer who killed this monk is among you.¡±

 Chapter 430: In a Dilemma

    Chapter 430: In a Dilemma

    ¡°The murderer is among you.¡±

    As soon as this word was spoken, the room immediately fell silent.

    Sun Shaozong didn''t wait for them to react either. He picked up the dagger and glanced at it briefly before waving his hand and saying, "Except for the mother and son on this bed, everyone else will be taken down for separate questioning. It is important to understand your every move before comparing them with each other.¡±

    Lin Delu and Zhou Da were busy at the back, greeting the female prisoners outside the door to come forward and pick up people.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    At this moment, the leading monk suddenly folded his palms and asked with a heavy, watery expression, "I dare to ask Lord Sun, what is your intention to leave this demon mother and son alone? Is it because you also want to protect them?¡±

    Listening to the sound, he realized that he was the monk who let out a shout in the darkness, causing the chaos.

    Sun Shaozong looked up and down as he inquired, "I wonder how to address you?¡±

    The monk gave a slight salute and said with a hint of arrogance, "I¡¯m the First Master in the Discipline Hall of Fayuan Temple.¡±

    It turned out that he was in charge of the rules and regulations in the temple; no wonder he kept thinking about eliminating demons and guarding the way.

    Sun Shaozong slandered from the bottom of his heart and took the opportunity to spread the dagger in his palm, sneering, "Although the house arrest center is not comparable to a serious prison, the prisoner would never have hidden such a weapon, which can eliminate her as a suspect.¡±

    The monk still said solemnly, "Since she is the mother of demons, how can she be treated with common sense? Perhaps...¡±

    Perhaps your head!

    Seeing that the Monk was all focused on leaning towards demons and ghosts, Sun Shaozong didn''t bother to talk to him too much. He raised his voice and ordered, "What are you waiting for?! Hurry up and ask the monks out for questioning.¡±

    How would Lin Delu and Zhou Da dare neglect the orders when they heard this?

    Without considering summoning a few more female prisoners, they quickly came forward and grabbed the monk, dragging him out, and so on. The monk, who was guarding against anger, continued to scream one demon after another.

    The other monks were self-conscious, and without waiting for the female prisoners to start, they all obediently followed out.

    Seeing the female prisoners swarming with each other, Sun Shaozong quickly stopped the last two and said to Wei Ruolan, "Since you are involved, Assistant Magistrate Wei, I''m afraid you need to cooperate in recording a confession too.¡±

    Knowing that this was the rule for questioning, Wei Ruolan didn¡¯t refuse but coldly ordered the two women to first find a clean outfit for Miaoyu to get changed, and then he protected Miaoyu and walked out.

    Oh well~

    In fact, Sun Shaozong was quite supportive of this doctrine, but now it was not the time to discuss the Joyful Bodhisattva.

    After a moment of hesitation, he took Miaoyu out of the house arrest and called for two female prisoners to guard the door. He then led her to a secluded place and said sternly, "Do you really want to save this child?¡±

    Miaoyu naturally nodded without hesitation.

    Sun Shaozong, however, was still a bit uneasy and further confirmed, "Even if you need to personally venture, you still have no regrets or complaints?¡±

    This time, Miaoyu didn¡¯t answer immediately and lowered her head in contemplation, without saying a word for a long time.

    Indeed, it was still false compassion!

    Sun Shaozong was feeling a bit discouraged. Just as he was about to pat and scatter with her, he saw Miaoyu biting her silver teeth and suddenly reached out and unbuttoned her collar!

    One should know that this outfit was originally borrowed temporarily, and it was very fluffy on Miaoyu''s body. With her unbuttoning in two, her garment also collapsed, revealing a swollen apricot-yellow belly pocket.

    This...

    Where on earth did she misunderstand?

    He was talking about personal adventure, not about personal sacrifice!

    Sun Shaozong had a heart to explain, but his eyes fell on her innerwear, and his tongue refused to obey the command.

    Until Miaoyu removed her clothes and covered her chest with two tender lotus root-like arms, he finally cleared his throat and said, "Hey, it seems that you really want to save the child. Since that''s the case, I won''t joke with you anymore.¡±

    As he spoke, Sun Shaozong took two steps forward and accidentally stepped on the clothes. He said sternly, "Come over; this matter is of great importance, and we must not let anyone else know.¡±

    Miaoyu hesitated for a moment, then leaned sideways and obediently followed.

    Tch!

    Although the timing was a bit wrong at the moment, this commanding perspective still reminded Sun Shaozong of the line that, ¡±When viewed horizontally, mountains formed on both sides, with different heights and distances...¡±

 Chapter 431: Site Clearance

    Chapter 431: Site Clearance

    Watching Miaoyu hurriedly leave the arrest house, Sun Shaozong finally regained his composure and returned to the scene of the murder, hoping to search for some clues.

    The first thing to be examined was, naturally, the body of the virtuous preceptor.

    It has to be said that this monk was really plump, with a height of about 1.6 meters and a conservatively estimated weight of around 230 kilograms. No wonder Miaoyu was pressed down by his body and couldn''t break free for a while.

    His fatal injury was on the right side of his neck, with a 25-degree oblique upward wound that ran from above the throat below the earlobe, cutting through the throat and carotid artery, causing massive bleeding and suffocation to occur simultaneously.

    From the perspective of the wound, the killer should have launched a surprise attack from the rear, so there were no blood stains on his body.

    In addition, it shouldn''t be difficult to recognize this Junior Monk in the dark. With his fat body, as long as there was slight contact, it was not difficult to recognize him.

    After inspecting the wound, Sun Shaozong immediately pulled out the dagger again, tested the sharpness of the blade, and found that it was just an ordinary item.

    In this way, the person who killed this Junior Monk should be tall and strong.

    Tall was due to the oblique upward angle of the wound, while strong was due to the fat on the deceased''s neck, which was as thick as a circle of flesh pads. It was not easy to cut off both his throat and arteries at the same time.

    But...

    Sun Shaozong carefully recalled that it seemed that among the other four monks, including the First Master of the Discipline Hall, three were tall and burly people.

    Of course, Wei Ruolan also met these two conditions, but he had no motive to commit the crime, and he rushed in at the right moment. Even if he was impulsive, it should have been a direct injury, and it was unlikely to use this method of backstabbing and throat-cutting.

    While organizing his thoughts, he carefully examined the corpse.

    When the investigation reached the waist, a palm-sized gourd was found on the layers of excess flesh. The gourd was wrapped around half of the waist with a red rope, and a cork was stuck in its mouth. With a gentle shake, the inside made a loud noise.

    Sun Shaozong pulled out the cork, twisted the gourd, and poured it into his palm. He saw several orange-yellow pills the size of peanuts rolling out of the gourd.

    This...

    Should it be a pill?

    Was it possible that this Chubby Monk had some serious illness during his lifetime, so he must carry pills with him to save his life?

    Just as he was thinking about it, the lecherous nun, who had been resting in bed for a long time, suddenly spoke up and said, "Bring me that pill, and let me have a look.¡±

    Sun Shaozong turned his head and saw the lustful nun with a burning gaze approaching, his face urgent and unable to wait.

    After a moment of hesitation, Sun Shaozong took one and immediately grabbed it with his hands. He held it in his palm and sniffed and licked it, then suddenly chuckled and said, "Cluck, cluck I can''t believe that the disciple of Master Lechi is also a believer of the Joyful Bodhisattva!¡±

    Believers of Joyful Bodhisattva?

    Sun Shaozong had a clear understanding in his heart and blurted out, "Is this medicine used as an aphrodisiac?¡±

    Squeezing forward in a frenzy behind them, the few people in the row involuntarily approached.

    Seeing these hundreds of people pushing forward, Zhou Da''s pockmarked face trembled with fear, trembling as he questioned, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± He couldn''t help but shrink back.

    With his retreat, those ordinary people took even greater steps!

    Seeing that relying on Zhou Da was no longer possible, Sun Shaozong immediately stood up and came out of the room, shouting angrily, "Bold and mischievous! Are you trying to break into the government prison without permission? Are you trying to rob the prison and fight against it?¡±

    As he spoke, he greeted them with his head held high and his chest held high. His towering figure, coupled with a bright blue official uniform, immediately forced the crowd to roll back.

    In addition, many people recognized Sun Shaozong''s identity and hastily threw away the ¡±weapon¡± in their hands.

    But naturally, some people didn''t give up, mixing in the crowd and shouting, "Master Qingtian, you are always invincible to all evil spirits. We ordinary people can''t withstand the famine. Please have mercy on us and take that demon away.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Sun Shaozong let out another shout, casting his sharp gaze in the direction of the voice, and coldly said, "Is this son reincarnated as a demon? The court has its own public opinion, how can you judge him?¡±

    The noise on one side was suppressed, but on the other side, a gentle tone came from the other side, "Your Excellency''s words are not accurate. Although we are mortal beings with our naked eyes, the Master at Fayuan Temple has personally declared that the child is a reincarnation of a demon. How can this still be false?! Please don''t mistake yourself; quickly hand over the demon, so that the Masters can surpass it as soon as possible.¡±

    As if waiting for these words, the First Master led a few Juniors out of the nearby room and stood solemnly under the eaves.

    These playwrights!

    Sun Shaozong cursed deeply in his heart and said with a stern expression, "I don''t care if it''s Fayuan Temple or Fahai Temple. It''s not as big as the court''s law and we officials have said. What should be done about this matter, the court will make a public opinion. How can you comment on it?¡±

    As he spoke, he turned back to the entrance of his cell. Amidst the inexplicable gaze of everyone, he grabbed the iron door and slammed it!

    The people outside just heard a crash!

    The iron gate was forcefully torn down by Sun Shaozong, while at the same time, all five cells were shaken, and the tiles on the roof fell with a clattering sound, causing several monks to flee with their heads in their arms.

    Bang!

    Sun Shaozong took a few steps forward and pounded the large iron gate onto the ground, breaking several stone bricks in response!

    ¡°I count to three. If anyone dares to act recklessly in this prison area, no one can blame me for shooting you all under the pretext of robbing and opposing the prison.¡±

    As he spoke, he strode forward three more steps and said in a loud voice, "One!¡±

    Before the words fell, the people across the street had already turned around and retreated like a tide, at a speed several times faster than when they arrived!

    So in the blink of an eye, there was only a mess left in the courtyard, and there were no more half of the troublemakers!

 Chapter 432: Accidental Emergence

    Chapter 432: Accidental Emergence

    After all, he was still too careless!

    After scaring away the troublemakers, Sun Shaozong immediately gathered the people from the arrest house center and others to have a head count. As expected, there was no kitchen helper named Liu among them.

    And before his disappearance, Liu had even brought tea to the Junior Monk.

    In addition, Sun Shaozong was also keenly aware that the string of red sandalwood rosary beads that the Junior Monk had originally worn on his wrist had also disappeared.

    He didn¡¯t need to ask; it must have been the First Master who took the opportunity to bewitch Liu, so he quietly slipped out of the arrest house and spread the news. It was also because Sun Shaozong couldn''t make up his mind before and didn''t think carefully enough, which gave the First Master a chance to take advantage of the situation.

    Presumably, soon after, the monks of Fayuan Temple would arrive upon hearing the news. These monks were different from ordinary people; they were organized, with backgrounds and ideological armed forces, and fighting them would definitely be much more troublesome.

    But...

    If handled properly, these monks would also be the best audience, able to make perfect witnesses for their plans to change pillars.

    Of course, it all depended on the progress of Miaoyu, and if things didn¡¯t go according to his wishes, the child''s fate would have to be blamed.

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong''s face was filled with awe. He gazed at the First Master for a long time before sneering and saying, "Do you know how serious it is to incite the people to besiege the prison?¡±

    The First Master had just seen Sun Shaozong''s unparalleled divine power, and at this moment he couldn''t help but feel a little scared. However, upon hearing Sun Shaozong''s questioning, he still stood on his neck and said, "I am thinking of all the living beings in the world and taking the action of eliminating demons and defending the way. What is the crime?¡±

    Tch!

    This monk was quite righteous.

    Sun Shaozong''s face was even more ferocious, and he stared straight at the First Master until his feet were soft. He then spoke out and ordered, "Lock these monks in one place, Zhou Da. You can personally watch outside the door, and no one is allowed to approach at will.¡±

    ¡°In addition, gather all the female prisoners in the institute and let them supervise each other. If there is another one who dares to go out without permission, I will severely punish them together.¡±

    Since it was discovered that someone in the arrest house center had leaked the news, Zhou Da''s heart was filled with anxiety, fearing that it might affect him. Now, at the command of Sun Shaozong, he had to personally guard several monks to perform meritorious deeds, and he quickly responded with joy.

    First, he led several monks to the rest rooms and instructed the prisoners to find any cell they wanted; even if it was for urination, they would take care of it inside the cell.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong called out to Lin Delu again, first demanding the confession of the interrogation and then instructing him to go to the street to retrieve Qiu Yunfei and Zhao Wuwei. He ordered them to lead the government officials to block the street intersections on both sides so that no more people would come and provoke him.Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com

    After everything was arranged properly, Sun Shaozong looked up at the sky and saw that the sun had already revealed half of its face, indicating that the eclipse had also come to an end.

    However, the subsequent impact of this solar eclipse might not be easy to pass, especially at the moment when ¡±there are two rulers,¡± Emperor Guangde and Emperor Taizong, stand side by side, and it was unknown what kind of trouble would arise in the court as a result.

    After a while of sighing, Sun Shaozong moved out the tables and chairs on his own, and in the middle of the courtyard, he read through the confession just now. No matter what the outcome of the child was, a major case of human life was still to be solved.

    According to the First Master, this task was not originally his responsibility, but the master of ceremonies was not in the temple, so he took over this task temporarily.

    And the four monks accompanying him were all temporarily assigned to him by the master of ceremonies rather than being designated by himself.

    So this was how it was.

    The suspicion of the First Master has been greatly reduced; after all, it was originally a temporary replacement mission, and the accompanying personnel were not designated by him. The solar eclipse couldn¡¯t be predicted in advance. Thus, carrying a dagger with him and coincidentally having the possibility of killing the Junior Monk was not completely non-existent.

    But logically speaking, with so many coincidences stacked together, it was always somewhat farfetched.

    And the next focus was, naturally, the actions of everyone in the darkness.

    The problem was that, although they couldn¡¯t prove their innocence on their own, he didn¡¯t have any evidence to prove that one of them was the murderer.

    Tch!

    It seemed that it was still necessary to delve deeper to see if there were any interests and motives for killing among several monks before continuing to make a judgment.

    Just as he was thinking of this, he heard the people outside the yard sizzling and shouting.

    At first, Sun Shaozong felt a sigh of relief in his heart, but then he furrowed his brows. Originally, he thought it was Qiu Yunfei and Zhao Wuwei had arrived, but upon closer inspection, the sound of horse hooves actually increased.

    Only Qiu Yunfei and Zhao Wuwei were qualified to ride horses to patrol the streets among the constable officials, but the hooves of these horses rumble at least more than twenty in size!

    Were the monks from Fayuan Temple here?

    These guys were ostentatious, with dozens of people galloping into the inner mansion together. Compared to those monks who drove luxury cars to show off their wealth in later generations, they might even surpass them.

    Sun Shaozong''s heart was full of slander, and he was too lazy to disturb others. He got up and went out alone to welcome them.

    Although these monks were aggressive and had organized backgrounds and great support, they held the sign of ¡±laws¡± in their hands, and it was not a problem for them to compete with them morally.

    As for using force...

    With Sun Shaozong''s current strength level, as long as the opponent didn¡¯t use remote weapons, a hundred or ten people might not be enough for him to move his muscles and bones!

    The only thing to worry about was the prolonged standoff with those monks, which might startle the court. If any big shots from the court came and supported these monks in their demonic defense, Sun Shaozong would have no serious reason to stop them.

    But...

    Where was Miaoyu? She shouldn¡¯t be delayed for so long.

    With thoughts in his heart, Sun Shaozong walked out of the arrest house with his chest high and prepared for a verbal battle!

    However, as soon as he left, he couldn''t help but be stunned.

    Because the person who jumped down from the horse was not the monks from Fayuan Temple. They were a group of Dragon Guards!

    What were the people of Dragon Guard doing here?

    Was it that the Town Governor Liu Hui, wanted to use this opportunity of the eclipse to make some big moves?

    Just as he was thinking about it, he saw one of the Dragon Guards, holding a whip and casually arched his hand. He stared at Sun Shaozong with a sharp stab and asked, "May I ask, are you Inspector Sun?¡±

    This attitude...

    It was not respectful.

    Sun Shaozong''s gaze turned to his shoulder, and he saw that he was just a Deputy of a Hundred Households with three gold lines and one silver line, three levels behind his own Captain of Five Bars.

    Reasonably speaking, as an Inspector of a Thousand Households, even a colleague at the same level should be afraid of him for more than three points. However, this person was just a Deputy of a Hundred Households, but his attitude was somewhat rebellious and domineering.

    ¡°May I check...¡±

    ¡°Are you from the Southern Detective Department?¡±

 Chapter 433: Emergency Filing

    Chapter 433: Emergency Filing

    ¡°Are you from the Southern Detective Department?¡±

    Upon hearing Sun Shaozong''s blurted question, the Deputy of a Hundred Households slightly raised his lips and said, "I, the Deputy of the Southern Detective Department, Chu Liang, greetings to you, Inspector of a Thousand Households."

    Tch!

    This was troublesome!

    After the abdication of the Supreme Emperor, the Northern Detective Department, which was responsible for monitoring external officials, was naturally handed over to Emperor Guangde. However, the Northern Detective Department, which was responsible for the internal defense of the Imperial City, was still controlled by the Supreme Emperor''s confidant, Xia Bingzhong.

    In the beginning, it was just a matter of time. In recent years, with the increasing strength of Emperor Guangde''s wings, there have been more and more disagreements between the northern and southern prefectures, and now the situation was as hot as water.

    A few days ago, Sun Shaozong led a team to snatch food from the Tiger Mouth and snatched the Gunpowder Bureau from the subordinates of the Southern Detective Department. At this critical moment, the people of the Southern Detective Department suddenly appeared, and naturally, they were not respectful!

    Sun Shaozong raised his vigilance with peace of mind and asked calmly, "I wonder what Deputy Chu''s intentions are for bringing these many people to my Central Judicial Office arrest house center?¡±

    Chu Liang raised his hand and gave a distant salute towards the direction of the Palace, saying, "I have been instructed by the Supreme Emperor to assist the eminent monks of Fayuan Temple here and bring the evil that has emerged to justice.¡±

    As he spoke, he saw his subordinates parted to the side behind him, revealing a shiny bald gourd. Sun Shaozong had also met him once, and it was the First Master of the Zhike Courtyard who had followed Master Lechi at the time.

    And the red sandalwood rosary beads that the First Master was holding in his hand¡ªweren''t they the ones that he bribed the kitchen helper with?!

    The First Master noticed Sun Shaozong''s gaze and fell on the red sandalwood prayer beads. He immediately pronounced his Buddhist name and said, "Amitabha, I was just following my Master as a guest in the Palace. Unexpectedly, I received a token from Junior Brother Jiechen and summoned the female benefactor to inquire about it. Only then did I realize that a demon had emerged in this place.¡±

    Damn!

    The emotional Xu-Shi didn¡¯t go to Fayuan Temple, but went directly to the Palace to move reinforcements!

    No wonder it was not the monks who came, but the people from the Southern Detective Department.

    This change was beyond Sun Shaozong''s expectations, and in the face of the Imperial Edict, it was impossible to use the ¡±law¡± as a shield to delay time.

    Unfortunately, Miaoyu couldn''t come back in time.

    Shouldn¡¯t it be that...

    He has to watch the child lose his life in vain because of two prematurely grown teeth?!

    Sun Shaozong was hesitating here, but Chu Liang had already urged loudly, "I have the Imperial Order with me, which can¡¯t be delayed. I would like to ask Inspector Sun to lead the way and lead me to meet Master Jiechen first, and then we will surpass that demon together.¡±

    Confluence with caution and anger.

    Sun Shaozong''s face darkened and he asked, "I wonder if it was also the intention of the Supreme Emperor to first join forces with Jiechen and others?¡±

    This...

    The Supreme Emperor naturally wouldn''t be so meticulous, and Chu Liang didn''t dare to spread words recklessly. Therefore, after hesitating for a while, he said, "The Supreme Emperor only ordered me to assist the high Monks of Fayuan Temple in beheading demons and eliminating them.¡±

    ¡°Since that''s the case...¡±

    Sun Shaozong immediately sneered at the precept and said, "Having this Big Master is enough. As for Jiechen and others, they are suspected of killing their fellow disciple, Jiexian, so they are temporarily unable to contact outsiders.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the First Master immediately became anxious and instinctively approached a few steps to distinguish, "What evidence is there for your words? According to Benefactor Xu, it is clear that the Junior Brother was harmed by that demon. How could he...¡±

    ¡°Master, be cautious.¡±

    Sun Shaozong snapped and said sternly, "My verdict has always been based on the Royal Law of the Court. In the Laws of the Zhou Dynasty, there is no reason why, after a major human life case, we don¡¯t investigate the truth and the culprit, but instead blame the demons.¡±

    However, Sun Shaozong remained silent and grabbed Miaoyu''s small hand before Jienian, Chu Liang, and others could catch up. He quickly glanced at her.

    When Sun Shaozong saw many fresh wear and tear marks on her hand and even a few small wounds that had not closed, he quickly whispered again, "Has it been sent out?¡±

    When asked, Sun Shaozong was filled with anticipation, but when he saw Miaoyu shaking her head, his heart suddenly became cold!

    This was the worst situation!

    It turned out that Sun Shaozong''s original plan was to have Miaoyu go to the morgue in the backyard of the government office and retrieve a baby''s body. It was also a coincidence that someone happened to find an abandoned baby suffocated the night before yesterday in the bustling southern district of brothels.

    Although it could be concluded that the body of this baby wouldn¡¯t be claimed by anyone, according to the rules, it should still be placed in the morgue for seven days before being buried.

    If it had been in the summer of previous years, the baby''s body would have naturally been shrouded in scars and even begun to decay.

    But last winter, to slow down the decay rate of the body and avoid missing any evidence, Sun Shaozong deliberately froze a lot of ice and stored it in the newly excavated cellar of the morgue.

    After being refrigerated for just two days, there should not be any obvious marks.

    Coupled with various teeth collected by Lao Xu and fish bladder glue used to bond the broken bones of a corpse, it was not difficult to forge a baby corpse with teeth.

    And with Lao Xu''s always cold-faced, hot-hearted, and most disdainful personality towards ghosts and gods, as long as he told him the truth, even if he refused to help, he would pretend to be deaf and mute and let Miaoyu did things. After all, no one would have thought at that time that this matter would be so serious as to alarm the Supreme Emperor!

    After finding a way to replace the real baby with the corpse, Sun Shaozong dealt with the fake version of the ¡±demon¡± in front of the people and the Monks of Fayuan Temple, and the entire plan was considered completed.

    The hardest part of this plan was to face the terrifying situation in the morgue.

    That was why Sun Shaozong asked her if she dared to personally venture into danger.

    But now it seemed...

    To save the baby, this Miaoyu was a bit too bold!

    Looking at the marks on her hand, it was obvious that she had just climbed over the wall and replaced the live baby with a dead one. Unfortunately, the live baby has not been able to be sent outside yet!

    What was even more unfortunate was that he didn''t oppose the idea of Jienian and Chu Liang setting fire to the courtyard just now due to a momentary mistake. If he wanted to retract now, wouldn''t it be a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure?!

    After the fire broke out, regardless of where the child was hidden, there were only two outcomes.

    One was to be burned alive!

    Secondly, due to crying in the fire or being exposed due to Miaoyu''s unwillingness, he was to be killed by the monks!

    And once the second situation occurred, it would also be associated with the crime of deceiving the Supreme Emperor!

    If they had reached this point, Sun Shaozong would have had to use emergency records to throw Miaoyu out as a replacement ghost and falsely accuse Wei Ruolan!

    Anyway, everyone in the Criminal Department could testify, and Sun Shaozong has always been sincere about Miaoyu, but it was Wei Ruolan who often went with her.

    The first person to stand up and protect Miaoyu and the baby just now was Wei Ruolan. From beginning to end, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t clearly express his intention to protect the baby.

    In contrast, even if Miaoyu''s words were chiseled and she said she had acted under Sun Shaozong''s instructions, it was not difficult for Sun Shaozong to argue that she was deliberately slandering himself to protect her lover.

    This was also the reason why Sun Shaozong dared to entrust this plan to Miaoyu at the beginning.

    But...

    This emergency filing was indeed somewhat shameless, and Sun Shaozong would never have wanted to use it unless he had been cornered.

 Chapter 434

    Chapter 434

    Sun Shaozong made up his mind and immediately calmly separated himself from Miaoyu.

    Almost at the same time, Chu Liang led his subordinates and rushed in like a swarm of bees, stunned by the ferocious and wild laughter of the lecherous nun.

    ¡°Go and take a look.¡±

    Chu Liang raised his hand and immediately grabbed two subordinates from both sides, waiting to check on the situation of the mother and son.

    Just before they could get closer, the mother and son collapsed on the bedside, her wild smile gradually solidified, and the baby in her hand also fell to the ground.

    Upon seeing this, the two Dragon Guards quickly rushed up to test the mother and son''s breathing and pulse and then turned around at the same time to shake their heads at Chu Liang.

    Obviously, both mother and son have lost their lives.

    Chu Liang furrowed his brows slightly, and his gaze fell on Miaoyu again. He opened his mouth in a deep voice and asked, "Who are you? How could this mother and son be like this?¡±

    Miaoyu pinched the corner of her clothes and shook her head in a panic, saying, "I, Miaoyu, I... I don''t know what happened. I originally wanted to see how the child was doing, but when I walked in, I saw the mother and son holding the child on the bed, like a clay body made of wood...¡°

    ¡°I was just about to ask her what happened when she suddenly chuckled and chewed her tongue and committed suicide

    This was a bit different from the plot originally designed by Sun Shaozong. He didn''t expect that this lecherous nun would even chew her tongue and commit suicide to cover up her ¡±Joyful Bodhisattva¡± in her heart!

    However, Sun Shaozong followed his original plan and calmly approached, observing falsely before sighing. "Although this lecherous nun was already crazy, who could have imagined that she would accidentally cover her child and flesh to death.¡±

    As he spoke, he turned around and spread his hands at Chu Liang, saying, "The mother and son''s corpses are here. What to do with them is up to you to decide, Deputy Chu.¡±

    Chu Liang did not doubt that Sun Shaozong would use the trick of changing a civet cat for a crown prince. Moreover, the main purpose of this trip was not to kill or eliminate demons.

    So he casually asked a few questions about the lecherous nun''s usual situation, and then looked at Monk Jienian and asked, "Master Jienian, do you think these two corpses should be burned together with the courtyard, or...¡±

    ¡°Amitabha Buddha.¡±

    The Monk recited the Buddhist name and solemnly said, "As a demon that has emerged at this historic moment, how could it die so easily?¡±

    Sun Shaozong''s heart tightened, thinking that the monk had noticed some flaws. Unexpectedly, the monk pointed to the body of Jiexian and firmly said, "It must be that after being secretly harmed by this demon, Jiexian Junior Brother still held onto the idea of killing and eliminating demons. He chose to die with this demon at the cost of his soul.¡±

    As he spoke, he couldn''t help but look up and let out a long sigh, "What a virtuous and magnificent person.¡±

    ¡°Once we return to report, we must request the Supreme Emperor to bestow special honors on the Junior Monk, in recognition of his achievements in eliminating demons and defending the way.¡±

    After being stunned for a long time, Chu Liang reluctantly smiled and said, "This... There may be some misunderstanding among them.¡±

    ¡°There is naturally a misunderstanding.¡±

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and walked over to Monk Jiexian. He unbuttoned his robe and fiddled with the red gourd, asking, "I wonder if Master Jienian recognizes this thing?¡±

    At the sight of the gourd, Jienian''s expression, which was originally high, suddenly collapsed. The muscles on his face twitched slightly, and he forced himself to calm down and said, "How do I know about the objects that are close to Jienian Junior Brother?¡±

    ¡°That''s really a coincidence.¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked back and pointed at the mother and son on the bed, saying, "I didn''t know what this was, but the lecherous nun recognized this object and its name was ¡±A haste woman moans.¡± It was said that even if a chaste martyr takes this object, her heart will inevitably shake and she can¡¯t control herself.¡±

    As he spoke, he sneered at Jienian and said, "I wonder why a noble monk who would even sacrifice his soul to kill the mother and son would carry this thing with him?¡±

    Jienian was tongue-tied when asked, but how could he answer?

    He could only secretly curse Jiexian for being licentious and immoral in his heart, and even when he came out to do serious errands, he didn''t forget to bring such things with him, which ruined his clever plan in vain.

    ¡°Deputy Chu.¡±

    At this moment, someone suddenly arrived at the door and bowed down to report, "We found a pile of dry firewood nearby, and now it has been piled outside the courtyard. I dare to ask when to light it?¡±

    Without waiting for Chu Liang to respond, Jie Nian quickly flipped his sleeve in anger, shouting, "Hurry up and light the fire, burn this courtyard and that mother and son together to clean it up.¡±

    ¡°Burn the courtyard?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Miaoyu, who had been hanging her head all along, suddenly raised her head, her two beautiful eyes staring around, and blurted out, "No, this courtyard can¡¯t be burned!¡±

    In just one sentence, everyone''s gaze was attracted, with a hint of suspicion and scrutiny in their eyes.

    It seemed that he still needed to use emergency filing!

    Sun Shaozong let out a deep sigh in his heart and was about to step forward at any time to clear his connections. However, he suddenly heard someone in the courtyard raise their voice and said, "Lady Miaoyu, since the mother and son were from a Buddhist sect, they should be buried by fire. I don''t think there''s anything wrong with them.¡±

    As she spoke, she saw Wei Ruolan coming in from outside and softly saying to Miaoyu, "For the sake of the nuns in Shuiyue Temple, you have done enough. Why don''t you just let them return to dust and settle down peacefully?¡±

    Miaoyu stared at him in a daze for a while and finally breathed a sigh, declaring her Buddhist name and heading outside.

 Chapter 435: The Spirit of the Rule of Law

    Chapter 435: The Spirit of the Rule of Law

    Watching Miaoyu''s receding figure, Sun Shaozong''s heart itched and was unbearable for a while.

    Others were unaware, but he knew that Miaoyu would never give up on stopping the fire to burn the arrest house just for a few words of persuasion. Based on her relieved expression, he inferred that Wei Ruolan had probably secretly sent the child out of the arrest house!

    Although it was uncertain whether Miaoyu pleaded with Wei Ruolan for help, Wei Ruolan discovered her actions and took the initiative to assist Miaoyu in saving the child.

    But right now...

    What a great opportunity to settle with Wei Ruolan!

    As long as the ¡±emergency filing¡± was activated, he could be charged with deceiving in minutes!

    At that time, even if he can¡¯t let the Wei family lose power, at least excluding him from the Criminal Department wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    But...

    Sun Shaozong still couldn''t break through the bottom line, just watching Miaoyu leave the door of the arrest house. Of course, being able to come up with this idea was enough to prove that he was increasingly lacking the bottom line.

    Was it possible that the relationship with Jia Yucun has improved recently, so he has been infected again by him?

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Just as he was about to take his gaze back from the courtyard door, he saw a swarm of Yamen servants rushing in from outside, led by Qiu Yunfei and Lin Delu.

    As soon as he entered the courtyard, Qiu Yunfei exclaimed, "You really caught me off guard. There are indeed some maniacs who want to take the opportunity to cause trouble, and I took them out on the spot.¡±

    During his speech, he realized that many Dragon Guards were standing in the courtyard, which was somewhat inexplicable. Sun Shaozong had already welcomed them and loudly ordered, "Lord Lin, please immediately gather the people around you outside and remember to ask them to bring their water buckets.¡±

    Qiu and Lin were stunned again. Didn''t he say to block the people from approaching? How can they summon people again in the blink of an eye?

    They then heard Sun Shaozong''s explanation, "That demon mother and son have already passed away, but the First Master of Fayuan Temple said that this place has been infected with evil spirits. Although gathering the power of the Monks of Fayuan Temple can suppress this evil spirit, how can we leave a hidden danger here since we are guarding one side for the court?¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I have decided to follow the advice of Master Jienian and set fire to this house arrest along with the evil and lecherous nuns to avoid causing harm to the people around the public.¡±

    This statement was not the same as what Miaoyu thought in her heart.

    Although Miaoyu was an idiot, she was not stupid. After a moment of contemplation, she understood Sun Shaozong''s caution, so she smiled apologetically and whispered, "It was me who was reckless. Please rest assured that I will strictly abide by the rule of not spreading it out.¡±

    After a pause, she said seriously, "Even if Lord Wei asks, I will never mention your name.¡±

    Sun Shaozong really didn''t care what she said to Wei Ruolan. But he was curious about what she thought when she ventured over the wall before.

    So with a calm face, he whispered, "When you climbed over the wall and replaced the baby, you should have seen the Dragon Guard at the door, right? Do you know that you almost committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor just now?¡±

    Miaoyu smiled slightly and said calmly, "As long as I can live up to my true intention, why bother with the crime of deceiving?¡±

    This answer...

    It was really stylish.

    However, Sun Shaozong looked down on others the most, so he pursued, "So how can you be sure that the child is definitely not a demon that has emerged? If it harms the people nearby, how should you deal with it in the future?¡±

    Sun Shaozong knew clearly that the child''s knowledge of tooth growth was due to excessive absorption of calcium, leading to early development. However, how could Miaoyu, a fake nun who had been growing up in a temple since childhood, have such knowledge?

    So Sun Shaozong was curious before; how could she be certain that this child was not reincarnated as a demon?

    Who knew that Miaoyu remained silent for a moment after hearing the words and then calmly said, "Even if that child is truly a reincarnation of a demon and is one of these beings before committing a crime, how can he be executed without teaching him because of the karma he has not yet committed.¡±

    Great.

    What a statement in the spirit of the rule of law!

    As a former Criminal Police Officer, it was reasonable to say that Sun Shaozong agreed with both hands.

    However, if it could really be confirmed that the child was reincarnated as a demon, he would probably cut it to death without saying a word. Although he has not yet committed any evil, who would know if there would be any relatives or friends among the people he would kill in the future?

 Chapter 436: The Beginning of Chaos

    Chapter 436: The Beginning of Chaos

    Due to some delay in speaking to Miaoyu, Sun Shaozong returned to the Criminal Department when the sky had already darkened.

    He was about to shout for Sun Chengye to return to the mansion but received news that Han Anbang and Jia Yucun had been summoned to the Palace for discussion an hour earlier.

    No wonder there was such a commotion in the arrest house center, but there was no one from the government office coming to inquire. The Governor and the Magistrate were not at home, so who dared to intervene in his affairs?

    Since it was a meeting in the Palace, there must be a will to convey when they come back. Therefore, it was not easy to leave the government office at the moment.

    After asking Sun Chengye and seeing that he didn''t intend to go home first, Sun Shaozong sent someone home to report and instructed the kitchen to prepare a standard meal of eight dishes and two soups, to be set up on the table in the outer room for the two of them to chat over wine.

    The two of them first speculated about the impact of this solar eclipse on the political situation of the court, but since there was no precedent to follow in their country, they couldn''t figure it out after guessing for a long time.

    So the conversation changed and they started talking about personal matters around them.

    The first thing to discuss was naturally the matter of Sun Chengtao''s release. As there were no suitable vacancies in the Zhejiang area, he had to retreat and seek a position as a seventh-grade County Magistrate at the border of Raozhou Prefecture between Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

    Next was the house purchased by Sun Chengye and Yu Qian, which has now been renovated almost completely. According to Sun Chengye''s intention, he planned to move in early next month to avoid causing trouble for his two Uncles.

    ¡°I''m afraid it may be a bit inappropriate at the beginning of next month.¡±

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "It looks like it''s the Mid-Autumn Festival. What''s wrong with you suddenly moving out? Let''s wait until the bustling Mid Autumn Festival is over.¡±

    Sun Chengye thought it was logical too, so he followed Sun Shaozong''s advice and decided to postpone moving out until the end of August.

    ¡°That''s right.¡±

    Sun Shaozong suddenly remembered something again, picked up the wine jug, and helped Sun Chengye fill his glass. He asked, "I''ve been busy reviewing the autumn decision for a while, but I''ve forgotten about Tingyi''s apprenticeship. I don''t know what he''s thinking now, whether to accept it or not.¡±

    Sun Chengye raised his buttocks and bowed his body until Sun Shaozong put down the wine jug before settling down again and saying, "Harvesting is necessary, but since seeing each other that day, there has been no news from Rongguo Mansion. Tingyi has just been given the title of Copy-Editor of the Hanlin Academy, so it''s not easy to rush to take the nephew of Imperial Concubine Xiande as an apprentice.¡±

    Tch!

    Or...

    What other hidden secrets were there?

    Sun Shaozong was speculating recklessly here when he saw Jia Yucun turn his head and arch his hand over the official case, saying, "On the side of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, I''m afraid I''ll have to trouble Lord Sun to communicate and coordinate. Be sure to bring some stable and capable troops over to avoid any unnecessary mistakes.¡±

    Nowadays, the Young Master of the Deputy Commander of the Five Cities Army and Horse Division was working under Sun Shaozong''s command, so this task naturally belonged to him.

    Subsequently, others also led different factions, and in addition to maintaining public order in the Capital, controlling public opinion was also a top priority.

    However, in this regard, it was not yet the turn of the Central Judicial Office to take the lead. If there were no accidents, Emperor Guangde would issue a decree of self-punishment in the next two days and then announce a general amnesty for the world.

    Throughout the entire meeting, except for the initial nonsense, it was almost all Jia Yucun who was commanding, while Han Anbang sat upright behind the case, like a clay-based wooden sculpture, with no intention of competing with him.

    It seemed that he probably already knew that his position as the Minister was long over, so he simply gave up resisting.

    When Jia Yucun finished and arranged the prevention and control tasks, Sun Shaozong then spoke up and said, "Your Excellency, since His Majesty wants to grant amnesty to the world, what should we do with the list of our Office''s autumn review?¡±

    Han Anbang curled his mouth and forcefully threw out a sentence, "Just ask Magistrate Jia.¡±

    This attitude...

    It was estimated that even if he reached a certain place, he might not be able to survive long!

    ¡°The list of autumn reviews...¡±

    Jia Yucun furrowed his brow and said in surprise, "Didn''t you already send the list of the autumn verdict to the Ministry of Justice in the morning, Lord Sun?¡±

    Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said with a wry smile, "They have returned it again. It is said that our Central Judicial Office has now been transferred to Zhili Province. This list of autumn judgments should be submitted to the Office of the Prosecutor''s Office.¡±

    After hearing this, Jia Yucun pondered and said, "Since that''s the case, Lord Sun may as well suppress the list first. You won''t be able to leave the Capital in the next few days. After this ¡°Heavenly Hound swallowing the sun¡± solar eclipse is over, if the court hasn''t issued a clear order to clear the prison lawsuit, it''s not too late for you to send the list to Jinmen Mansion.¡±

 Chapter 437: If Something Goes Wrong, There Must be Something Wrong

    Chapter 437: If Something Goes Wrong, There Must be Something Wrong

    Later, after discussing many details with Jia Yucun and others, it was already midnight when Sun Shaozong returned to his mansion.

    He was thinking about making ends meet in his study for the whole night. Tomorrow morning, he could also go to the Military and Horse Department of the Five Cities to borrow people and horses when he saw Zhao Zhongji scurrying out like a night owl. He came forward and respectfully said, "Second Master, the Elder Master specifically instructed me to tell you to go and find him in the flower hall to talk to.¡±

    It was already late at night his Big Brother was still waiting for him to come back. And he has specified something to discuss with him. It was likely related to today''s solar eclipse.

    This was really a coincidence. Sun Shaozong was full of wild thoughts and was just trying to find someone to vent his anger.

    Therefore, he asked Zhao Zhongji for a lantern and rushed alone to the flower hall in the northwest corner of the backyard.

    This was the place where Sun Shaozu placed his Concubines nearby. As he walked along, he saw a red lantern hanging high at the entrance of the side rooms on both sides. Only a few of the side rooms were black and without any light.

    According to Sun Shaozu''s rules, if he hasn''t rested in the mansion yet, more than a dozen Concubines must stay up late with him, except those who came to the moon and hang an exemption card.

    It was estimated that these ten or so women have been suffering again tonight.

    When he stepped into the flower hall, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be stunned, because the hall was densely packed with large wooden boxes, roughly speaking, with at least thirty.

    His Big Brother, with a dignified face, sat on a box in the center. Seeing Sun Shaozong coming in, he didn''t speak and only raised his hand and threw a copper key.

    The key looked like it was used to open these wooden boxes.

    Sun Shaozong was also curious about what was inside, so after catching the key, he chose the outermost box, turned on the lock, and lifted the lid of the box. However, he saw a bunch of silver ingots neatly arranged inside the box.

    Sun Shaozong picked up a bumpy one, which should be fifty taels of official silver. The box was divided into two layers, about forty ingots, and there should be two thousand taels of silver per box.

    Wasn¡¯t there sixty or seventy thousand taels of silver in this room?

    Sun Shaozong''s expression immediately became solemn, frowning and asking, "Brother, where did this silver come from?¡±

    Just as his Big Brother sighed, he said quietly, "Prince Zhongshun gave it.¡±

    From Prince Zhongshun?!

    Since Emperor Guangde ascended the throne, he has been diligent and cautious due to the control of the Supreme Emperor. It was not until he established himself in the past two years that he gradually revealed his governing philosophy.

    But this new reform policy has only just begun, and there should be no major fallacy that could seriously endanger the throne of Emperor Guangde.

    ¡°Big Brother.¡±

    Unable to figure it out, Sun Shaozong simply raised another urgent question, "If the Supreme Emperor and His Majesty really make a scene of war, how should we deal with ourselves then?¡±

    ¡°Should... Shouldn''t it be like this...¡±

    Sun Shaozu sucked his teeth and scratched his head, then decadently patted the box next to him and sighed, "These dozens of big boxes are being carried home. What else do you think we have to choose from?¡±

    As he spoke, he gritted his teeth again and said with a ferocious expression, "If we really get that share, we would have to sacrifice our lives and fight for magnificent wealth.¡±

    Seeing Big Brother''s statement, Sun Shaozong felt a bit more at ease.

    Although it might not be possible, if the time came for the Supreme Emperor and Emperor Guangde to face each other in battle, people who held military power like his Big Brother but were not an irreplaceable high-level military general, the most foolish approach would be to use both ends of the spear.

    Especially the two brothers, who first offended the Empress Dowager''s family and were on par with the wife and clan of Prince Beijing, would be the targets of liquidation if Emperor Guangde and Prince Zhongshun were to suffer a complete defeat.

    Therefore, at that time, it was necessary and only possible to exert oneself!

    Fortunately, no matter how one looked at it, the chances of victory on the side of Emperor Guangde should be even greater.

    In this way, the two brothers chatted until dawn and had a simple breakfast before splitting up and going to the Five Cities Army and Horse Division and Shenji Camp.

    Because Sun Shaozong had a familiar face at the Five Cities Military and Horse Division during last year''s Birthday Banquet, and now that he had a relationship with Qiu Yunfei, he was naturally brought to the presence of Commander Qiu smoothly.

    When he saw Qiu Ying, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be intimidated again. However, he hadn''t seen him for more than a month, and it seemed that Commander Qiu aged more than ten years old.

    If he suffered from a malignant disease and gradually aged within a month, he might still be able to recover. However, he was afraid his aging would happen overnight!

 Chapter 438: Remove the Roots Completely

    Chapter 438: Remove the Roots Completely

    An old fox was indeed cunning!Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.coming out of the Military and Horse Division of the Five Cities, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but sigh in secret. Just then, taking advantage of the opportunity to negotiate official duties, he repeatedly spoke and tried to figure out what was causing Commander Qiu¡¯s hair to turn white overnight.

    Regardless of how Sun Shaozong provoked him, either Commander Qiu remained silent or talked to others, but in the end, he didn''t even reveal a word.

    But...

    His cautious attitude further proved that the things hidden behind him were not insignificant.

    What exactly was it?

    Holding the documents and official credentials issued by the Military and Horse Division of the Five Cities, Sun Shaozong walked down the steps with a restless spirit, preparing to take a carriage to rush to the government office and hand over the transfer of troops.

    Unexpectedly, the coachman Zhang Cheng hurriedly welcomed him and said in a trembling voice, "Second Master, something big has happened! I heard that last night, the Crown Prince''s ¡±dragon root¡± was bitten off by someone.¡±

    Someone bit off the Crown Prince''s ¡±dragon root?¡±

    Sun Shaozong stirred up the spirit, quickly pulling Zhang Cheng aside to inquire about the truth.

    It turned out that Zhang Cheng was thirsty just now, so he went to a nearby tea stall and asked for a large bowl of herbal tea.

    Just as he was drinking, he heard someone talking about it next to him, vividly telling the story.

    It was said that three years ago, when Prince Yizhong was imprisoned, his favorite Concubine, Li-Shi, claimed to have died unexpectedly. However, secretly, she was sent to the Crown Prince''s Residence using the exchange strategy.

    It turned out that the Crown Prince had heard of her beautiful name for a long time and wanted to take care of her by his side.

    Who knew that although this woman came from a worldly background, she was a resolute person? She refused to obey any coercion or inducement and instead wanted to die several times.

    In the end, the Crown Prince lost his patience and instead resorted to a domineering force, which lasted for more than two years. As Li-Shi refused to comply, he had to use some tools to assist during this period.

    After the eclipse yesterday, the Crown Prince felt uneasy and couldn''t help but go to find her for entertainment.

    Who knew that when he was in high spirits, he used up the object in Li''s mouth, which prevented her jaws from closing, but something went wrong. As a result, Li''s two rows of silver teeth were ruthless, biting off the Crown Prince''s dragon root!

    (EN: OMG! XD That must have hurt alot.)

    ¡°Second Master.¡±

    Seeing that there was no one else around, Sun Shaozong immediately lowered his voice and asked, "Did you call me over to discuss this matter for the assassination of the Crown Prince?¡±

    If the news of the Crown Prince''s downfall were only spread at the level of Prince Zhongshun and Commander Qiu, Sun Shaozong, a mere fifth-grade official, would naturally not be eligible to participate.

    But now that this news has been widely circulated, was there a more suitable candidate than Sun Shaozong to quickly uncover the clues?

    As expected, Yang Licai lowered his voice and said, "I''m not sure if it''s for the Crown Prince''s case, but the Pacifer indeed asked you to go back to discuss the matter after receiving the order.¡±

    He said that he was not sure, but after hearing it, there was no doubt.

    So Sun Shaozong instructed Yang Licai to wait outside the government office first until he had completed the handover of his official duties and reported it clearly to Minister Han before returning with him to the Northern Detective Department for deliberation.

    Sun Shaozong and Yang Licai split up while he pondered how to investigate the ¡±Dragon Root Case¡± while walking toward Minister Han.

    On the surface, the biggest suspect in this case was naturally the remaining party of Prince Yizhong. After all, the perpetrator was Prince Yizhong''s favorite Concubine.

    But Sun Shaozong always felt that this matter was not that simple.

    Since the person imprisoned by the Crown Prince was Prince Yizhong''s beloved Concubine, and it was known that Prince Yizhong''s remaining followers had been lurking in the Capital waiting for opportunities to cause chaos, how could he not prevent it?

    Was the ¡±political review¡± of the Crown Prince''s Residence fraudulent?!

    While pondering the intricacies of this, suddenly someone in front of him raised his voice and said, "Inspector of the Thousand Household, please stay.¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked up, and it was two small officials of the Dragon Guard, guarding the gate of the office courtyard like two generals.

    ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°I am a lowly person who accompanies the nobles in the Palace to deliver orders.¡±

    One of the small officials said this, turned around and looked furtively, then lowered his voice and said, "I''m afraid we need to change the owner of this courtyard.¡±

    Tch!

    Last night, the court ordered the Central Judicial Office to control public opinion, and in the blink of an eye, rumors began to spread, and it was indeed necessary for someone to come out and carry the blame.

    It seemed that from today on, the era of Han Anbang has come to a complete end.

 Chapter 439: To Rest with the Country

    Chapter 439: To Rest with the Country

    The person who tampered with the dragon root has confessed that he claimed to have been blackmailed and bribed by Prince Yizhong

    The people who spread the news around have also caught and was also confirmed that they were the remnants of Prince Yizhong

    Due to Han Anbang''s sudden dismissal and investigation, Sun Shaozong forwarded the official document for the allocation of troops to Jia Yucun and rushed to the Northern Detective Department in a lively manner.

    Along the way, he was still pondering how to investigate the ¡±Dragon Root Case.¡± However, as soon as he arrived at the inner hall of the Northern Governor''s Office, Lu Hui, the Pacifier, said the two sentences mentioned above.

    At first glance, it seemed that this case could already be closed.

    But Lu Hui''s ferocious expression, with a mocking expression, made it clear that this was not the case.

    Sun Shaozong pondered momentarily and shook his head, saying, "What a clever plan to use a knife to kill someone. Unfortunately, the force was too strong. Since it was the remaining party of Prince Yizhong who planned this matter, how could he be so careless when spreading rumors afterward? Isn''t this a waste of his last glimmer of life?¡±

    If it were to be said that after putting in a lot of effort, it was finally discovered that it was the actions of Prince Yizhong, Sun Shaozong might have been skeptical, but in just a few days, the rumormonger was caught and easily confessed that it was Prince Yizhong¡¯s orders.

    This meant someone deliberately planted and framed him.

    Or Prince Yizhong has a group of loyal fans.

    Later on, of course, this was a joke. Prince Yizhong was engaged in a struggle for power and profit, not street hip-hop. If there were such a group of brainwashed remnants, they should have been arrested long ago.

    But when Lu Hui heard Sun Shaozong''s words, he slightly raised the corner of his mouth and sneered, "No matter who is behind the scenes in this matter, since they dare to attack His Majesty with their ideas, they should be prepared to be annihilated.¡±

    After a pause, his gloomy gaze fixed on Sun Shaozong''s face and he exclaimed, "Inspector Sun?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°No matter what means you use, you must uncover the person behind the scenes and give His Majesty the truth.¡±

    ¡°I will definitely do my best.¡±

    Sun Shaozong solemnly promised, but in his heart, he was quite skeptical. It was important to trace the mastermind behind the scenes, but at present, if Emperor Guangde wanted to turn the situation around, relying solely on a so-called truth might not be helpful.

    Speaking of this, the man couldn''t help but express some pride on his face, "It''s just that the heavens have eyes, but when we were about to take action, there was an eclipse. Now I want to see what other way he can save the defeat.¡±

    The bold and unrestrained middle-aged man smacked his lips, shook his head, and said, "To be honest, if it weren''t for your Big Brother, who spent a lot of money to bribe the maid in the Imperial Study, I wouldn''t have expected him to be so wilting normally that he would have been holding back to kill all of us, the Four Princes and Eight Ministers.¡±

    Speaking of this, he couldn''t help but feel uneasy again. He leaned closer to the elegant person and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother, after all, that fatuous gentleman has been preparing for so many years. If we fight to the death of a fish and the net is broken, will we...¡±

    The following words were a bit unlucky, so he stopped and didn''t continue.

    However, the refined person had already understood what he was worried about, so he calmly placed the wine cup on the table and sneered, "That''s exactly why I chose to start this matter recently. The unconscious Crown Prince was blinded by Prince Yizhong''s firearm, and his mind was focused on holding the Shenji Camp in his hand. Therefore, many people were transferred from the city defense camp and patrol camp.¡±

    ¡°Nowadays, in the city defense and patrol camps, the noble sons who are close to the Supreme Emperor have the upper hand. However, there are not many new firearms available in the Shenji Camp for a while. So, even if he wants to break with the Supreme Emperor, how can he have enough capital?¡±

    ¡°Isn''t Huben Camp still there?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡±

    Upon hearing the words ¡±Huben Camp,¡± the refined middle-aged man couldn''t help but burst into laughter and shook his head, saying, ¡°It was his intelligence that led to his mistake. Because Huben Camp had the responsibility of guarding the Imperial Palace and was the only elite field warrior in the Capital, he chose the old and steady Qiu Ying to sit at that position to avoid being drawn in.¡±

    ¡°But precisely because Qiu Ying always seeks stability and was not clear enough in his actions, he will never help that fatigued ruler deal with the Supreme Emperor. Of course, the reverse is also true. If the Supreme Emperor wants to take action against this fatigued ruler, Qiu Ying may not obediently obey.¡±

    ¡°However, since this fatuous monarch has lost his descendants and coincides with the warning of the heavens, why does the Emperor need to resort to force? Just promote public opinion between the court and the public, and force the fatuous monarch to choose one of several Princes or Imperial Grandsons to inherit the throne, that''s all.¡±

    ¡°Prince Zhongshun has no children under him and has always been notorious, so it is not within the consideration of establishing a Crown Prince.¡±

    ¡°Prince Yizhong, not to mention that even if we didn''t act under his name this time, he would never be able to rise again.¡±

    ¡°And of the remaining two, Prince Zhongxin and Prince Yishun, one is your Brother-in-law, and the other is a relative of your biological daughter. What''s there to worry about?¡±

    As he spoke, the elegant middle-aged man filled another glass of wine and lifted it high, saying, "Come, let''s have a drink together.¡±

 Chapter 440: The Chess Player

    Chapter 440: The Chess Player

    The Crown Prince''s Residence was located in the northwest of the inner city, just a few blocks away from the Sun family.

    As this was a case investigation under the identity of an Inspector of the Thousand Household, the Dragon Forbidden Guard, Sun Shaozong, especially went home and changed into a five-bar Swallowing Cloud Robe, and led Yang Licai and others to investigate the Crown Prince''s'' incident.

    However, when he arrived at the Crown Prince''s Residence, his first task was not to investigate the truth but to pay respects to the Cabinet Scholar, Xu Furen, in such a heinous case, which naturally had to be presided over by important officials in the court. Sun Shaozong was, at best, an Assistant Investigator.

    In fact, if it were only for official positions, his ranking in the team might not necessarily be able to squeeze into the top five.

    Therefore, after Sun Shaozong reported, he waited outside for half an hour before he could see the face of Cabinet Scholar Xu, the elder.

    The expression on Cabinet Scholar Xu''s old ¡±respected face¡± seemed to be even worse than that of Commander Qiu. If it weren''t for his sparkling eyes, it would be perfectly appropriate to describe him as a dying man.

    It was understandable. The occurrence of a ¡±solar eclipse,¡± which was considered a curse of heaven, required one or two rulers to take the blame and resign.

    Originally, there were six members of the Communist Party of China in the Cabinet, and Cabinet Xu was only one of the candidates, which might not have led to him becoming a scapegoat. However, now that the Crown Prince was in trouble, Cabinet Xu was the first to bear the brunt. It was because he still held the title of the Crown Prince¡¯s Imperial Preceptor?

    It was estimated that the memorial to impeach him for his incompetence in teaching, which resulted in the Crown Prince''s moral conduct being ashamed, has long been piled up in the imperial case of Emperor Guangde.

    Compared to a few months ago, when he presided over the Imperial Examination and scouted students, his spirited appearance really made people feel the unpredictable power of heaven and the impermanence of life.

    Although Cabinate Xu might fall at any time, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t dare to show any disrespect at the moment. He walked forward with a formal bow and said, "I¡¯m Shaozong, the Inspector of the Northern Town Detective Department and the Governor of the Central Judicial Office.¡±

    Before the ceremony, Cabinet Xu had been carefully scrutinizing Sun Shaozong. However, after Sun Shaozong stepped forward to greet him, he lowered his gaze and rubbed the back of his chin. He said gently, "If I remember correctly, you¡¯re only twenty-two years old now, right? At the age of twenty-one or two, you are already holding important military and political positions and have earned this great reputation. It''s not easy; it''s really not easy.¡±

    ¡°When I was twenty-two years old, what was I doing? Did I study next to Master Qingtian, or did I already reside in my father-in-law''s house, struggling for a position as a scholar without success?¡±

    ¡°Sigh Master Qingtian''s followers are mostly young and ambitious, but it was only at the age of twenty-eight that I reluctantly won the Imperial Examination.¡±

    This old man was chattering about his bitter memories and sweet thoughts. Has he already completely accepted his fate?

    Sun Shaozong bowed and said, "You are the exact saying of ¡±It never rains but it pours.¡± Those young people who achieved great success in the past are now far away from you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    Cabinet Xu raised his hand and pointed at Sun Shaozong, chuckling, saying, "You are really a talkative person. No wonder His Majesty is so fond of you that he even intends to transfer you to the Crown Prince and train you as a future Assistant Minister.¡±

    Did Emperor Guangde still have such ideas?

    No wonder Prince Zhongshun has asked several times about training Qiu Yunfei. He was testing himself for the Emperor to see if he had the ability to supervise the progress of the dandy!

    ¡°Unfortunately, if he had transferred you to the Crown Prince earlier, perhaps there wouldn''t have been today''s disaster.¡±

    Hehe~

    This sounds good, but if he was transferred to the Crown Prince and failed to avoid the disaster of ¡±root cutting,¡± he was afraid that he would be the first to bear the blame!

    ¡°That''s right.¡±

    Cabinet Xu seemed to suddenly think of something, frowning and asking, "I heard you had a conflict with Duke Yongyi when you just returned from Qianxiang Country.¡±

    In the beginning, due to the assassination of Niu Yongxin, the brave and resolute Niu Jizong once wanted to kill Sun Shaozong, but later encountered difficulties in front of the Emperor and stopped speaking.

    But why did Cabinet Xu mention the Niu family at this moment?

    Sun Shaozong was skeptical and spoke briefly about what had happened at the beginning.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    After listening, Cabinet Xu nodded first and then shook his head in regret, saying, "Unfortunately, what a pity.¡±

    With these aimless sighs, Sun Shaozong''s appetite was successfully aroused. He then suddenly spoke up and said, "Lord Sun has always known for the name of ¡±Divine Judgement.¡± How can we thoroughly investigate this case? I don''t think there''s a need for me to come and make noise.¡±

    Upon receiving this greeting, a sixth-rank official wearing a light blue official robe immediately came in from outside, bowing to listen to the instructions.

    Cabinet Xu pointed to this person and said, "This person is Liu Luanwei, the Magistrate of the Attendant Mansion. He handles all the affairs of the Crown Prince''s Residence normally. If you have any questions, just ask him.¡±

    Did Emperor Guangde want to fight against the Niu family, or even fight against the Empress Dowager and the Supreme Emperor, or did they want to hold onto some ¡±unnecessary¡± tricks to force the Supreme Emperor to make concessions?

    If it were the former, it would still be worth dying to bite the Niu family, perhaps even earning a dragon''s merit.

    If it were the latter, if the two families reached a compromise, their pawn would probably become an abandoned one. If the Niu family moved to anger at that time, Emperor Guangde might not necessarily come forward to defend himself.

    Damn it!

    The struggle in the court was really overwhelming, especially with these big shots who wanted to force others to become pawns but also refused to speak clearly!

    That''s it!

    He has already reached this point, so why not just follow his ideas and achieve a surprise victory?

    Even if one ultimately fails, one could still be considered one of the chess players, not a piece at the mercy of others!

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong immediately inquired about Liu Luanwei and said, "Magistrate Liu, I wonder if the Li family is still well now?¡±

    Liu Luanwei was not accustomed to this jumping way of speaking. He was stunned for a moment before hurriedly saying, "Li-Shi was locked up in the backyard. When the Crown Prince woke up this morning, he ordered to kill her to vent his anger, but he was stopped by Cabinet Xu.¡±

    ¡°Can you take me to meet her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Since Your Excellency is one of the designated investigators, naturally you can meet whoever you want.¡±

    Liu Luanwei spoke and led Sun Shaozong to the backyard.

    It was said that she was locked up in the backyard, but it was actually in a secret room surrounded by a rockery in the backyard.

    As soon as he entered the door, he saw several eunuchs gathered around a square table, discussing something with a worried expression on their faces.

    Seeing Liu Luanwei leading Sun Shaozong in, these eunuchs didn¡¯t mean to stand up and greet him. Instead, they shouted impatiently, "Magistrate Liu, why did you bring someone here again? You have been here five or six times now.¡±

    It seemed that these eunuchs were not the attendants of the Crown Prince''s Residence: otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have treated Liu Luanwei with such an attitude. Even if he were a person of guilt, he would still be the Chief Steward of the Attendant Mansion. It was not a problem to deal with several attendants on the spot.

    As expected, in the face of the reprimands from the eunuchs, Liu Luanwei approached with a smile and said, "This adult is different from the previous ones. He is Governor Sun of the Central Judicial Office, ordered by His Majesty to help with the investigation.¡±

    Eh.

    The title of Sun Shaozong was much more useful than that of Liu Luanwei. The eunuchs stood up and looked at him curiously, stuttering strangely, "I heard that there was a ¡±Divine Judgement Sun¡± in the Central Judicial Office. Today, we caught up. Anyway, let''s see what kind of ¡±Divine Judgement¡± method you have.¡±

    If it were a different day, Sun Shaozong might even have to play fair with them, but now it involved the dispute over imperial power, and the Sun family''s small boat might capsize at any time. How would he still be impatient to spend more time scolding a few eunuchs?

    Therefore, his face sank, and he rudely exclaimed, "Ridiculous! I am investigating the case according to orders. Who are you? How dare you interfere with my investigation of the case without my permission?¡±

    Those eunuchs, seeing his attitude like this, were all red-headed and embarrassed, and their voices were sharp as they waited to argue with Sun Shaozong.

    However, Sun Shaozong didn''t wait for them to speak up and said, "I am now holding the position of the Inspector of a Thousand Households in the North Town Detective Department. If you have any dissatisfaction, you can go to Commander Dai to report after returning to the Palace.¡±

    In one sentence, the young eunuchs immediately stopped their flags and drums.

    At this moment, the people who were sent to the Crown Prince''s Residence to be responsible for guarding the prisoners naturally have support. But even so, could they still be compared to the power of Dai Quan, who was the head of the palace?

    Upon hearing that Sun Shaozong had mentioned Dai Quan, they looked at each other a few times and had to walk out with drooping heads.

    Liu Luanwei was quite insightful. Seeing Sun Shaozong''s demeanor, it was obvious that he wanted to interrogate the culprit alone. Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to speak, he quickly followed the eunuchs out of the secret room.

    When the iron door disguised as a stone slowly closed, Sun Shaozong''s gaze fell on Li-Shi, who was locked on the south wall.

    At this moment, Li-Shi was being tightly fastened to the wall with five chains, probably to prevent her from committing suicide, and there was also a special layer of soft cushion pasted on the wall.

    In addition, she wore a delicate mouthpiece on her mouth, which prevented the two rows of silver teeth from closing.

    However, the gap between Li''s teeth was also too small. If this was the style commonly used by the Crown Prince, then the caliber of this Crown Prince might be...

    No wonder it was bitten off with just one bite!

 Chapter 441: A Series of Skills and Tricks

    Chapter 441: A Series of Skills and Tricks

    This was not the time to mourn deeply for the Crown Prince''s small caliber weapon.

    Sun Shaozong''s gaze shifted slightly upwards and fell on Li''s pair of watery eyes. Li''s original appearance was impeccable as the favored Concubine of Prince Yizhong and a woman of worldly descent.

    But after all, she had been imprisoned for three years and had no freedom in this tiny area. Her skin was inevitably pale and flabby, and her beauty was only six or seven out of ten.

    Only her pair of eyes remained brilliant and dazzling. When facing Sun Shaozong, not only did they not show any hesitation, but instead they showed contempt and mockery, as if the person who was locked on the wall and unable to move was Sun Shaozong.

    After staring at Li-Shi for a while, Sun Shaozong finally spoke up and said, "The attendant has already admitted that he was instructed by Prince Yizhong parties to act on that ¡±tool.¡±¡±

    Li''s expression suddenly changed, and her body suddenly moved forward, with several iron chains rattling.

    It seemed that, as Liu Luanwei said on the way, she still didn¡¯t know this news.

    When the noise subsided, Sun Shaozong said again, "The people who spread the news of the Crown Prince''s decapitation have also been caught. They all claim to be the remaining followers of Prince Yizhong.¡±

    Sobs!

    Li shook her head like a rattle drum, muttering vaguely in her mouth,, her saliva splashing all over, and a silver thread slowly dripping down her chin, dripping profusely onto her skirt.

    Seeing that she was so agitated when she heard unfavorable news about Prince Yizhong, Sun Shaozong became even more curious about this sorrowful ¡±senior traveler.¡±

    One should know how many years older Prince Yizhong was than Emperor Guangde, and now he was already in his 60s. However, no matter how he looked at Li-Shi, she didn¡¯t exceed 25 years old.

    What was it that caused a young and beautiful woman to have a lasting affection for half-century-old people until death?

    ¡°The current situation was extremely unfavorable for Prince Yizhong, so you must live and live well.¡±

    Sun Shaozong approached without hesitation and took off the towel from Li''s mouth, continuing, "Otherwise, they would all agree and this charge would definitely fall on Prince Yizhong. His Majesty is already afraid of Prince Yizhong, and coupled with this bloodthirsty feud, even if the Crown Prince appears, he may not be able to save him.¡±

    Li-Shi first closed her mouth, swallowed a mouthful of saliva vigorously, and then frowned at Sun Shaozong for a while, questioning, "Who are you? What did that remark just now mean?¡±

    ¡°Later on, the Prince often went to Yanfang Pavilion to chat with me.¡±

    ¡°Every time he utters shocking words, sometimes he is innocent like a child.¡±

    ¡°He once wrote a hundred poems about drinking, but when he woke up, he pretended that it was someone else''s work. He was just picking up people''s teeth and wisdom.¡±

    ¡°The tight-fitting clothes he designed for women in the Pavilion became popular in the Capital in just ten months.¡±

    ¡°He elevated me to the throne of the flower queen in the Capital, and without hesitation, he gave me the deed of identity.¡±

    ¡°On that day, he said to me, "From today on, you will be free.¡±¡±

    ¡°In this lifetime, I don''t want to get out of his cage again.¡±

    At first, Li-Shi was somewhat reluctant, but later on, she forgot about Sun Shaozong in front of her. Her voice was all lingering and reminiscent, with tears rolling in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks.

    If anyone else listened, they couldn¡¯t help but be moved by the plot.

    However, Sun Shaozong became increasingly speechless as he listened. Prince Yizhong, who was copying poetry, making innerwear, and raising the flower as the head of the Pavilion, he definitely read a lot of online articles!

    Upon seeing Li finally finish confiding and the process of getting to know Prince Yizhong, Sun Shaozong took out his pocket watch and looked at it. It had already been about 30 minutes, so he stood up and picked up the towel. He apologized and said, "I''m sorry; I''m afraid I might have to continue to put this in your mouth.¡±

    Li-Shi thought he was going to put on the towel for herself, and she didn''t pay much attention. Instead, she continued to immerse herself in reminiscing.

    Unexpectedly, after Sun Shaozong put the towel on her, she still refused to stop. Instead, he forcefully stuffed three fingers into her mouth, two fingers tightly pressing against the base of her tongue, and his middle finger scratching back and forth on the tonsils.

    What was this supposed to be?!

    Li was inexplicably surprised and felt a fit of nausea. The soup and water that had been forced into her stomach at noon stirred for a while, and finally, she couldn''t help but vomit it out, dirtying most of Sun Shaozong''s ink dragon-swallowing cloud robe!

 Chapter 442: The Emperors New Clothes

    Chapter 442: The Emperor''s New Clothes

    Boom!

    Watching the iron door of the secret room slowly open, Liu Luanwei quickly leaned forward with a flattering shoulder and respectfully listened, "Did Lord Sun ask anything?¡±

    Who knew that halfway through the conversation, Sun Shaozong''s face turned to iron and blue as he emerged from inside? The wallowing cloud robe was sticky and covered in something disgusting. In short, the sour smell was hard to stop and made people feel nauseous.

    ¡°My Lord, this is?¡±

    ¡°Bad luck, really bad luck.¡±

    Sun Shaozong angrily said, "I¡¯m beating around the bush, forcing her to speak recklessly. However, this woman was so agitated that she suddenly vomited.¡±

    As he spoke, he couldn''t help but feel a little nauseous. He covered his nose and said in a muffled voice, "Liu Luanwei, is there any place near here where I can wash myself?¡±

    The eunuchs couldn''t help but gloat at these words.

    ¡°Yes, there is.¡±

    Liu Luanwei, however, didn¡¯t dare to neglect it and endured the suffocating breath, whispering, "There happens to be a bathtub near here. I''m sorry, I''ll take you over.¡±

    ¡°It''s not urgent.¡±

    Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "Could you please send someone to summon our carriage driver so that I can entrust him to pick up some clothes after washing?¡±

    Liu Luanwei naturally wouldn''t refuse such a small matter. He quickly called out several servant girls from nearby, one of whom was assigned to lead Zhang Cheng in, while the others surrounded Sun Shaozong in the bathtub in the southwest corner of the back garden.

    Although this bathtub was exquisitely decorated, a small fountain was created in the middle by some unknown technique. However, compared to the wine pool and meat forest in the Prince¡¯s Zhongshun Residence, it was still more than one point inferior.

    Sun Shaozong took off his official robe by the bathtub and handed it over to the maids to scrub it first. After waiting for Zhang Cheng to deliver, he whispered a few words and finally went down to the pool to scrub himself.

    Those servant girls also wanted to help, but at this critical moment, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t dare to grow branches out of bounds and refused one by one.

    He soaked in the pool for about half an hour, and it wasn''t until Zhang Cheng brought the spare official robe that Sun Shaozong dressed neatly again.

    ¡°Lord Sun.¡±

    Almost as Sun Shaozong was packing up, Liu Luanwei appeared from somewhere and respectfully said, "Would you like to continue investigating the case or have dinner first?¡±

    ¡°It''s natural to continue investigating.¡±

    Sun Shaozong touched the sturdy small porcelain bottle in his sleeve and exclaimed, "Let''s go and accompany me to trial the Li-Shi again.¡±

    ¡°Do you still want to go to trial Li-Shi?¡±V/\Issi?T  for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce

    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    Sun Shaozong''s face darkened and he said, displeased, "Do I look like someone who would give up halfway?¡±

    ¡°Emetic.¡±

    Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t conceal any further this time.

    ¡°Emetic?¡±

    ¡°That''s right, using this thing ensures that you keep retching and vomiting for the next two to three days, whatever you eat.¡±

    Sun Shaozong paused for a moment and then said word by word, "It''s like being pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Are you... Are you crazy?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Li-Shi widened her eyes and blurted out a question. "These tricks, let alone the Imperial Physician, may not even be able to conceal them from those few eunuchs responsible for guarding me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted.¡±

    Sun Shaozong took the opportunity to sit at the square table and said, "If only a few people could see through this method, wouldn''t I, as the initiator, be waiting for someone to kill me?¡±

    Li felt like she was facing an unreasonable madman and couldn''t help but laugh or cry, saying, "Since you know this trick can''t be hidden from others, what''s the point of doing this?¡±

    ¡°This is why you are ignorant.¡±

    Sun Shaozong took out his pocket watch and looked at it, saying, "There''s still some time left and right before the drug takes effect. How about I tell you a story?¡±

    Without waiting for Li''s consent, he said, "Once upon a time, there was a king who was very fond of fancy clothing. One day, two swindlers volunteered and said they could make an article of magical clothing that only smart people could see.¡±

    At first, Li sounded inexplicable, but later, her expression gradually became solemn.

    In the end, Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said, "The king''s new clothes can still keep hundreds of officials and people quiet, let alone the child you have in your belly, which is related to His Majesty''s imperial power, the national fortune of the Zhou Dynasty, and even the billions of people in the world.¡±

    ¡°At present, among the hundreds of officials in the court, although there are many who want to profit from chaos, those who hope for peace in the world still make up the vast majority.¡±

    ¡°As for the citizens, it''s just a lively and novel story about the royal family.¡±

    ¡°The Prince''s Concubine was forcibly occupied by the Crown Prince, and after three years of hardships, she finally bit off the Crown Prince''s dragon root in one fell swoop. However, she unexpectedly discovered that she was pregnant with the Crown Prince''s flesh and blood. Is there anything more bizarre and absurd than this story? If they don''t believe this; what else can they believe?¡±

    ¡°Therefore, even if someone dares to risk the great injustice of the world and expose the truth of this matter in the face of His Majesty''s thunderous anger, they will only be submerged in the voices of those who pretend to be confused.¡±

    ¡°Unless...¡±

    ¡°The Supreme Emperor wants to face His Majesty in battle, leaving behind an eternal curse of father-son violence.¡±

    Li-Shi was stunned for a long time after listening to these words and she finally regained her composure after a long time. She asked with a complex expression, "What about me? Why should I cooperate with your trick and help that Foolish Emperor... and that shameless Crown Prince?¡±

    ¡°Didn''t I say that? This is a bargaining chip for you.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said with a serious expression, "A chip that allows you to bite off the dragon root of the Crown Prince, not only to continue living but also to help Prince Yizhong continue his life.¡±

 Chapter 443: It Canâ€™t Be Said

    Chapter 443: It Can¡¯t Be Said

    15 minutes later, the iron gate rumbled again.

    ¡°Bad luck, it''s really bad luck.¡±

    Still the familiar line.

    The sour and decaying atmosphere emanating from the secret room also became strong again.

    The expression on Liu Luanwei''s face suddenly became slightly subtle. He hesitated and looked inside a few times before tentatively asking, "Your Excellency, is it possible that Li-Shi... vomited again?¡±

    Sun Shaozong covered his nose and didn¡¯t respond to Liu Luanwei''s question. Instead, he turned his gaze to several young eunuchs and questioned suspiciously, "Is it because there was something wrong with the food you gave her? Otherwise, how could she vomit one after another?¡±

    ¡°How could this be possible?¡±

    He suddenly made several eunuchs cry out, saying, ¡°Before we feed that lowly maidservant the food, we must all taste it one by one! If something happens, it should be us who suffer with her!¡±

    ¡°Besides, when we were just guarding her, we didn''t see anything wrong with her. It was you who came twice, and she happened to...¡±

    ¡°What happened after I came?¡±

    Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows and stared at the eunuch, questioning, "Do you still want to blame me for this?¡±

    Under his fierce gaze, the young eunuch, although somewhat dissatisfied, didn¡¯t dare to express his doubts in the end.

    Sun Shaozong sneered a few more times and shook his black python-like sleeve without distinguishing between east, west, north, south, or even Liu Luanwei on the side. He chose a small path and left on his own.

    Liu Luanwei quickly followed behind.

    A few eunuchs watched as the two of them drifted away. Just now, the ¡±straightforward¡± one couldn''t help but take the first few steps and spat viciously, ¡°Spit! What''s so proud of being such a bully?!¡±

    Looking back, he saw several companions still standing outside the door. Liu Luanwei immediately gathered his chest and screamed softly, "Why are you all fooling around? Don''t you hurry in and clean up the filth that Li-Shi vomited. I''ll go to the kitchen to see if there''s anything light and delicious so that she won''t cause us any more trouble.¡±

    As he spoke, he also swaggered away.

    ¡°Spit! What a bully.¡±

    Little did he know that as soon as he left, the remaining three eunuchs all cursed. The four were all temporarily transferred from the Palace, not affiliated with each other, and of similar rank. Naturally, they could only distinguish between high and low based on their background.

    The three of them stood silent at the same time. If there were more ¡±dragon bloodlines¡± at present, it would undoubtedly be most advantageous for Emperor Guangde, so this speculation might be true.

    ¡°But that doesn''t make sense.¡±

    However, after a while, the skeptical one couldn''t help but question, "If that''s what the above means, why would he choose this lowly maid? You know His Majesty and the Crown Prince both want to cut her into countless pieces. I¡¯m afraid she is also unwilling to give birth for the Crown Prince...¡±

    ¡°Yes, leaving the Crown Princess and all those Royal Concubines, he chose this lowly maid.¡±

    ¡°Is it true that she has...¡±

    ¡°Isn''t it that coincidental?¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    They spoke with each other but didn¡¯t dare to utter the word ¡±pregnant¡± or completely deny the possibility.

    In the end, Cheng Jin hammered his voice firmly and said, "Alright! This matter is not something we can get involved in. We''ll just pass this matter to Cabinet Xu and let him decide.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the three of them all agreed, so they drew lots and selected an unlucky person, hurriedly heading towards the front hall where Cabinet Xu was located.

    After Sun Shaozong left the secret room, headless flies wandered around in the back garden, and only then did he stop his steps when he saw an open area with no one in the four fields.

    Looking back at Liu Luanwei, who looked like a pug, with a faint sigh, he said, "As a close courtier of the Crown Prince, Magistrate Liu was originally considered promising, but unexpectedly, you encountered such unexpected disasters for no reason. Ah, it was fate''s will.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Liu Luanwei''s heart was filled with anxiety. He didn''t believe that Sun Shaozong had chosen such a remote place just to say a few useless nonsense.

    Therefore, he quickly increased his vigilance and said with a cautious and bitter smile, "Perhaps I should have had this disaster in my life.¡±

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and chuckled. "Even if it''s a fate destined by heaven, if you spare no effort to fight for it, how do you know that there is no life in this destiny to survive and turn danger into safety?¡±

    This seemed to be urging oneself to make a desperate effort.

    Liu Luanwei speculated in his heart, but how would he dare to listen to the instigation of strangers?

    He was hesitating about how to politely excuse himself so that Sun Shaozong wouldn''t make any difficult demands, but when he saw Sun Shaozong taking another big step, he didn''t look back and greeted him. He said, "Let''s go; accompany me to Cabinet Xu''s place for a casual meal first, and then continue to investigate this case!"

 Chapter 444: The Critical, Combo, and Fatal Strike

    Chapter 444: The Critical, Combo, and Fatal Strike

    When Liu Luanwei led Sun Shaozong to the front living room, he saw that it was cold and quiet, without a hint of fireworks. There were only two high-ranking officials in red robes sitting at the banquet without saying a word.

    The one who turned red to purple was naturally Cabinet Scholar Xu Furen and the other was not a stranger either. It was Xu Liang, the Left Attendant of the Ministry of Justice, who had presided over the ¡±Immortal Powder Special Rectification Meeting.¡±

    This time, Xu Furen was responsible for taking the overall picture and truly leading the investigation team, which was Sun Shaozong and Xu Liang.

    Seeing the solemn atmosphere in the hall, Liu Luanwei hesitated a bit, but Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t show any hesitation. He stepped over the threshold and arched his hand, saying, "Greetings to Cabinet Xu and the Left Attendant.¡±

    Liu Luanwei had no choice but to follow in and salute.

    After the two of them had seen each other, Cabinet Xu waved his hand and calmly signaled that they didn''t need to be polite.

    On the other hand, Xu Liang was full of hope and asked, "Governor Sun, I wonder if you have ever found any clues?¡±

    ¡°For this...¡±

    Sun Shaozong was pondering how to use his words and phrases, only to hear a faint sound of footsteps coming closer. Then he saw a young eunuch guarding the secret room appear outside the hall door.V/\Issi?T  for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce

    ¡°Report to Cabinet Xu, the offending woman, Li-Shi, has vomited several times since the afternoon. Just then, when the maidservants tried to feed her, she vomited a mess again.¡±

    The sharp voice only made Cabinet Xu''s face tense, and he couldn''t help but blurt out, "Has that criminal woman ever had diarrhea besides vomiting?¡±

    As expected, he was the master of aging and becoming refined, and he immediately caught the key difference between food poisoning and vomiting during pregnancy.

    Although Xu Liang slowed down for a while, upon hearing Cabibet Xu''s question, he suddenly realized it and locked his gaze tightly on the eunuch.

    ¡°This has never happened.¡±

    The eunuch shook his head and said, "She just vomited and didn''t have any symptoms of diarrhea.¡±

    Attendant Xu''s face turned pale and he lowered his head to ponder.

    Cabinet Xu frowned but seemingly casually glanced at Sun Shaozong before raising his voice and asking, "Besides, what else happened when you were guarding the secret room?¡±

    This time, it was the young eunuch''s turn to sneak a glance at Sun Shaozong. However, seeing the presence of Sun Shaozong being as stable as a chair, he hesitated for a moment and remembered speculation about ¡±the order from above.¡± So he didn¡¯t dare to mention that Sun Shaozong had gone in twice, and both times he had experienced Li''s vomiting. He only shook his head and said, ¡°Apart from this, there has been no other abnormality.¡±

    Cabinet Xu was also silent, like a pair of clay and wood sculptures with Attendant Xu, with only two pairs of eyes shining brightly.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong turned his gaze to Liu Luanwei, as if expecting something or silently urging him.

    After receiving a ¡¯critical, combo, and fatal strikes,¡± Liu Luanwei finally collapsed to the ground with his knees flaccid.

    ¡°Why?!¡±

    Who on earth did he provoke?!

    Liu Luanwei wanted to jump up and loudly scold, exposing the devilish tactics and malicious thoughts of the three people in front of him!

    Not to mention, he was just a guilty person right now. Even during normal times, it was not difficult for Cabinet Xu, Attendant Xu, and Sun Shaozong to work together to kill all the people in his family!

    No matter how hard he tried to argue, he was afraid it would only be a futile outcome.

    The only thing that could change the situation was...

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen.¡±

    Liu Luanwei almost cried in a mournful voice and said, "As I said... Perhaps... Maybe... Maybe... She¡¯s... She¡¯s pregnant.¡±

    After finally spitting out the words ¡±pregnant,¡± his forehead was already covered in fine sweat.

    Hiss~

    The three people in the hall took a cold breath together, all with a look of ¡±shock¡± on their faces.

    Sun Shaozong was even more incredulous and questioned, "Magistrate Liu, please be cautious. How could such a coincidence happen in the world? That criminal woman bit off the dragon root of the Crown Prince, but now she is pregnant with the dragon bloodline of the Crown Prince. Even in street dramas, I dare not make up such a strange story.¡±

    Be careful, you bastards!

    You clearly caused all this!

    Liu Luanwei''s heart was filled with frenzied slander, hoping to pounce and bite Sun Shaozong to death. However, since he had already boarded this pirate ship, he could only grit his teeth and walk into the dark.

    So he trembled and said, "Dear Lords, although I am not sure if Li-Shi is pregnant, in the months before the incident, the Crown Prince did indeed favor Li-Shi multiple times and didn¡¯t allow her to drink contraceptive pills.¡±

    As he spoke, Liu Luanwei knocked heavily on the ground and said, "This matter is closely related to the unification of the Zhou Dynasty. Even if there is only a glimmer of possibility, you adults should be cautious in dealing with it.¡±

    ¡°Your words are very reasonable, Magistrate Liu.¡±

    Upon seeing Liu Luanwei preaching, Sun Shaozong immediately bowed with a dignified voice and said, "Please make a decisive decision and quickly verify the truth. We must not lose the bloodline of the state or destroy the foundation of the Zhou dynasty due to a moment of carelessness.¡±

 Chapter 445

    Chapter 445

    ¡°Please make a decisive decision and quickly verify the truth. We must not lose the bloodline of the state or destroy the foundation of the Zhou dynasty due to a moment of carelessness.¡±

    Indeed, it was terrifying for later generations!

    Looking at Sun Shaozong''s impassioned expression, Cabinet Xu couldn''t help but let out a deep sigh in his heart.

    At first glance, this might sound like just following Liu Luanwei''s instructions, but in reality, it blocked the opportunity for Cabinet Xu to shift the blame onto Emperor Guangde in advance.

    Although the greatest reliance on imperial power to complete this plot of turning a deer into a horse was the deterrence of imperial power, if imperial power was directly used to promote this plot, the pattern would have been properly completed, and there was even a possibility of being defeated as a result!

    Due to the mutual restraint between Emperor Guangde and the Supreme Emperor, as well as the inherent anomalies, they have been relegated to a weak position in terms of power and couldn¡¯t cover up the sky with one hand.

    If the ¡±pregnancy test¡± was presided over by Emperor Guangde, the ¡±anti-imperial faction¡± would likely take the risk again and try their best to break through the fraud that was personally carried out by the Emperor.

    At that time, the prestige of Emperor Guangde would inevitably plummet. It could be said that the future imperial system couldn¡¯t control it, and even the throne might be on the brink of collapse. How could they deter those who exposed the scam?

    On the contrary, if the officials below find out the ¡±truth¡± and then report it to Emperor Guangde and the Supreme Emperor, even if someone risked the world''s great injustice and successfully exposed this scam, Emperor Guangde was just being ¡±deceived¡± by the petty criminals. Perhaps his reputation would decrease, but he would not endanger the throne.

    And when Emperor Guangde was free, he would inevitably retaliate against these people!

    Except for those like the Niu Family and Prince Beijing who have the support of the Supreme Emperor, who could resist this thunderous anger?

    Such a loss-making business naturally won''t have many people willing to participate.

    How many storms could arise with just a few powerful individuals at that time?

    So this conspiracy to turn a deer into a horse must rely on the deterrence of imperial power, but it was not suitable for imperial power to lead and promote. At least until it was confirmed that Li-Shi was pregnant, it couldn¡¯t be related to Emperor Guangde.

    In this way, the person who was pushed to the forefront of the storm became Cabinet Xu, who was in charge of this case!

    No wonder he looked at Sun Shaozong''s impassioned expression and couldn''t help but feel a feeling that the ¡±younger generation will surpass the older¡± in his heart.

    In Cabinet Xu''s heart, he didn''t mind taking some risks. With his current power and reputation, even if these ulterior motives were punctured in the end, it would only result in losing his position and being dismissed. Anyway, he was supposed to take the blame, so why not fight?

    So Cabinet Xu sighed in his heart, but a look of awe rose on his face. He slowly got up from the Grand Master''s chair and loudly ordered, "Attendant Xu.¡±

    ¡°Yes Sir.¡±

    ¡°You immediately mobilize people to isolate both inside and outside. Without my order, no word or phrase can be spread outside.¡±

    ¡°I will not fail to fulfill your trust, Cabinet Xu.¡±

    ¡°Governor Sun.¡±Ne/w novel chapters are p/u/blished on

    ¡°Yes Sir.¡±

    Since Liu Fang asked in person, he had already received a definite letter.

    However, Sun Shaozong still shook his head firmly.

    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    Liu Fang sneered and said, "Do you still want to sophistry? Someone, let Su Ning, the steward of the Crown Prince''s Residence, come in.¡±

    With this greeting, a plump steward of the Royal Residence immediately flashed out of the room. He knelt and said, "Reply to Your Excellences, I have witnessed with my own eyes that Lord Sun, under the leadership of Magistrate Liu, has entered the secret room twice, each time alone with the lowly maid Li-Shi.¡±

    ¡°Haha... Haha.¡±

    Liu Fang chuckled a few times proudly and asked, "Governor Sun, what else do you have to say now? Like you, there shouldn''t be any hidden conspiracy among them, right?¡±

    No wonder Liu Fang was so proud. Originally, he had thought up some tricks to force Sun Shaozong to show off his skills. However, in the end, it was so easy and effortless.

    ¡°I naturally have nothing to say.¡±

    However, Sun Shaozong remained calm and even the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, showing a hint of disdain. He then raised his finger to Steward Su and shouted, "Yang Licai, what are you waiting for?! Hurry up and take this person with me.¡±

    As soon as this was said, Liu Fang was shocked. Even Yang Licai was momentarily stunned. In front of so many high-ranking officials, how could Inspector Sun remain so calm?!

    ¡°How dare you, Sun Shaozong?¡±

    Liu Fang immediately angrily scolded, "How dare you speak recklessly in front of Cabinet Xu and Officer Zhao? Is it because you want to rebel?¡±

    ¡°I''m afraid it''s you who speak recklessly, right?¡±

    Sun Shaozong also sneered repeatedly. "The Dragon Guard is an internal guard directly under His Majesty, and I''m appointed to investigate this case. According to the law, I only need to report to His Majesty. Don''t say that you, Lord Liu, are just a Young Minister of the Supreme Court. Even if you are promoted to a high official in the Ministry, you shouldn''t ask me about my actions in a random manner.¡±

    ¡°And this person!¡±

    As he spoke, he reached out his hand and pointed at the Steward Su, saying, "Without any official position, he secretly spied on the internal guards who were ordered to investigate cases. He was clearly a malicious person, so I ordered someone to take him down and interrogate him. Why, is there any mistake?¡±

    At this moment, Yang Licai finally realized this and quickly brought someone forward to hold down the fat man tightly, then dragged him out like a beast.

    ¡°Lord Liu, Lord Liu, help me! Lord Liu, help me! Liu... Help...¡±

    Until the pig-like voice gradually faded away, Liu Fang finally regained his composure and gritted his teeth, pointing at Sun Shaozong. He was so furious that he couldn''t say a whole sentence for a while.

    After a long period of stalemate, Zhao Rongheng finally came out to make a comeback, and he sat back with a pale face.

    This guy was really working hard; he tried to get ahead of others, but fortunately, he had the upper hand in the subsequent pregnancy test. This idea couldn¡¯t be said to be wrong, but unfortunately, he picked on the wrong opponent and overestimated his abilities, resulting in a disheveled face.

 Chapter 446: Husband and Wife, Father and Son, Brothers

    Chapter 446: Husband and Wife, Father and Son, Brothers

    | Ningshou Palace. |

    The youngest architectural community in the palace, which has been in use for less than ten years, was owned by the most powerful elders in the palace.

    It was almost midnight.

    The main hall of Ningshou Palace was still brightly lit, with more than a dozen internal attendants distributed inside and outside the hall door, each of them resembling clay carvings and wooden sculptures, afraid to make any sound.

    The only exception was eunuch Xia Shouzhong from the imperial harems.

    He stood closest to the imperial case in the hall, sometimes looking at the Emperor sitting on the dragon chair and sometimes looking out of the hall. Although his feet were as motionless as the roots of an old tree, his heart was as restless as ants in a hot pot.

    For over ten years!

    It has been over ten years, and since then, Xia Shouzhong has never seen the Supreme Emperor close his eyes and contemplate in the dragon chair.

    However, before abdicating, the Supreme Emperor would silently contemplate every difficult and decisive event, ranging from a moment to just one or two hours.Re?a? latest cha/p/ters on

    But today, the Supreme Emperor has been sitting for half a day!

    He was almost eighty now, and even if he was well-maintained regularly, how could he withstand such ups and downs?!

    Xia Shouzhong deliberately advised with a few words but ultimately didn¡¯t dare to exceed his duty. While feeling anxious, he saw a light outside the hall from far to near.

    Xia Shouzhong was immediately overjoyed. In the quiet of the night, even if Emperor Guangde came, he would make people report first. Nowadays, only Empress Dowager Niu could drive in without reporting.

    As expected.

    After a moment of effort, an elderly woman walked slowly into the hall, leaning on a cane.

    ¡°Ouch~¡±

    Xia Shouzhong let out a gasp of surprise as he quickly stepped forward and cursed with hatred, "You inconspicuous dogs, don''t you know how to serve the Empress Dowager?¡±

    This old woman was naturally Empress Dowager Niu, but when she turned her head towards Xia Shouzhong, she signaled that he didn''t need to come forward to help, and then she climbed the imperial stairs without hesitation.

    Although this imperial staircase was only on the third floor, it still made her breathing appear a bit heavy. After a short rest, she finally arrived at the imperial table.

    However, she didn¡¯t disturb the closed eyes and contemplation of the Supreme Emperor. Instead, she gently leaned the cane against the imperial table, poured the already cold residual tea, and picked up the purple clay pot, trembling to fill a glass.

    Ka~

    When the purple clay pot was placed back in the tray, it accidentally knocked and eventually startled the Supreme Emperor. He slowly lifted his eyelids and fixed his gaze on the steaming tea cup. After a while, he finally reached out his dry palm.

    Phew

    Seeing this, Xia Shouzhong breathed a sigh of relief and secretly praised that the Empress Dowager''s face was indeed greater.

    Unexpectedly, the Supreme Emperor''s movements suddenly accelerated. He swung up his sleeve and vigorously brushed it, sweeping the teacup, along with the tray underneath, onto the ground!

    Clang!

    As the teacup shattered on the ground, it seemed that all the attendants inside and outside the Ningshou Palace had been hit with an arrow on their knees simultaneously, and then they all kneeled!

    Only Xia Shouzhong hurriedly roared up the imperial rank and said with concern, "Your Majesty, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Get lost.¡±

    However, his concern was blocked by a hoarse roar before it could fully burst out of his throat.

    Xia Shouzhong paused and hesitated as he looked towards Empress Dowager Niu.

    Empress Dowager Niu was calm and tight, only using her chin to move outward and calmly commanding, "You all go down.¡±

    Xia Shouzhong then led his attendants and exited the main hall of Ningshou Palace like a tide.

    When only the husband and wife were left in the hall, Empress Dowager Niu supported the imperial case and walked around to the Supreme Emperor. She leaned against him and sat on the dragon chair, still persuading in a calm tone, "If Your Majesty has any discomfort, just vent it. Why bother venting your own body?¡±

    ¡°Hehe...¡±

    On the wrinkled old face of the Supreme Emperor, a hint of mockery appeared, and he murmured, ¡°¡±Whitehead is as new as ever, and it''s as old as ever.¡± I never imagined that it took me until I was nearly eighty years old to understand the true meaning of these words.¡±

    As he spoke, he patted the arm of the dragon chair lightly with his dry palm and sneered, "You are seventy-six this year, am I right? Although you are nine years later than Wu Zhao, you still have time to compete.¡±

    Wu Zetian ascended to the throne at the age of 67, and the words of the Supreme Emperor clearly accuse Empress Dowager Niu of wanting to learn from Wu Zetian''s plan to usurp the throne and establish herself as the Emperor.

    Faced with such accusations, Empress Dowager Niu only frowned slightly and sighed, "It turns out that Your Majesty is suspecting the assassination of the Crown Prince, which is related to me.¡±

    As he spoke, his face darkened, and he solemnly said, "Actually, it''s not just the Crown Prince who has lost his virtue. I''ve heard that there are many unscrupulous people among the descendants of this family nowadays, including those who bully men and women, those who spoil concubines and destroy wives, those who raise prostitutes, and those who set up other homes.¡±

    ¡°I heard that there are still some people who have an affair with women outside and dare not be included in the royal family list even after giving birth. It''s annoying and hateful.¡±

    ¡°This kind of shameful behavior should be well managed by the Emperor.¡±

    After hearing this, Emperor Guangde''s eyes flickered slightly, but on the surface, he stood up and responded solemnly, saying that he would let people secretly investigate the words and deeds of the clan''s children and punish those who were not worthy.

    ¡°I heard that the Crown Prince was assassinated, and I haven''t been calm for a day and a night. I believe the Emperor feels the same as me," said the Supreme Emperor. "Now that this good news has come out, you should rest earlier to avoid overwork and injury to your body.¡±

    At this point, he suddenly remembered something and quickly pursued. "By the way, did you ever find out the person behind the assassination of the Crown Prince?¡±

    Emperor Guangde hesitated a bit and said, "Nowadays, many shreds of evidence have faintly pointed to Second Brother.¡±

    ¡°It won''t be him.¡±

    Without hesitation, the Supreme Emperor firmly said, "This is of no benefit to him. If his remaining parties had such skills, they would have saved him long ago.¡±

    Upon seeing this scene, Emperor Guangde knew that it was impossible to take advantage of the situation and kill Prince Yizhong.

    So he nodded and said, "I think the same way too. I have ordered Xu Furen to continue investigating the culprit behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°Well, this matter must be thoroughly investigated and the traitor must be completely executed.¡±

    The father and son spoke a few more words before Emperor Guangde stood up and retreated.

    After seeing off Emperor Guangde''s departure, Empress Dowager Niu, who had been silent beside him, suddenly said in a faint voice, "Even if it is from your clan relatives and children, it is not your descendants after all.¡±

    ¡°So what do you want me to do?¡±

    The Supreme Emperor suddenly stood up and looked down at Empress Dowager Niu from a high position. He fiercely demanded, "Pierce this lame lie, drive him completely to the corner, and then face my son in battle! Play a great play that is more exciting than the change of treason, to leave a lasting reputation in history and become a joke for those sour and corrupt literati?¡±

    After finishing this statement in one breath, the Supreme Emperor''s chest rapidly undulated and he reached out to hold onto the imperial table before collapsing on the dragon chair.

    Empress Dowager Niu remained silent for a long time before suddenly slowly closing her palms and reciting the Buddha''s name with low brows and pleasing eyes. "Amitabha, God bless the Emperor to find out the true culprit as soon as possible, so that our Niu family will not suffer unjustified injustice.¡±

    As soon as Emperor Guangde arrived outside the walls of the Qianqing Palace, he collided head-on with Prince Zhongshun.

    ¡°Go, all down.¡±

    Prince Zhongshun drove away all the accompanying attendants like flies, carrying a lantern and walking side by side with Emperor Guangde. He lowered his voice and said, "Did the old man ever see any flaws?¡±

    ¡°Flaws?¡±

    Emperor Guangde sneered with a calm face and said, "My father has seen everything in his life. How could such a trick be concealed from him?¡±

    ¡°So he...¡±

    ¡°Listening to his means, he should acquiesce.¡±

    Emperor Guangde sneered and said, "However, he secretly marked a boundary for me. The ¡±Imperial Grandson¡± must be found from the royal family.¡±

    Seeing two eunuchs in front, Prince Zhongshun paused for a moment until he entered the palace before nodding and saying, "I should look for it from the royal family. The old man is quite reasonable this time.¡±

    ¡°Being reasonable?¡±

    Emperor Guangde sneered and said, "It''s just a matter of conscious wrongdoing, unwillingness to punish the old godly woman, and even less wanting to leave behind the stigma of father-son cruelty. It''s just a temporary compromise.¡±

    As he spoke, he gritted his teeth and punched the beam-column, saying in a hateful voice, "One day, I will exterminate the nine clans of the Niu family.¡±

    Prince Zhongshun followed him and cursed the Niu family a few times, but then changed his tone and praised, "I never expected that the Sun family, Erlang, had such courage and insight at such a young age. If he hadn''t made this decision in time, we would have been much more passive in a few days if this matter had spread.¡±

    As he spoke, he hesitated and said, "This kid is so bold and young, and he has already become famous in the Capital city. If he really establishes his foothold in the court in the future, it may not be a blessing for the court.¡±

    Emperor Guangde shook his head and said, "Since ancient times, I have only heard that newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. When he settles down and has children and grandchildren, the edges and corners will be almost polished. Besides, children and grandchildren will have their children and grandchildren too.¡±

    He originally intended to say ¡±children and grandchildren have their own blessings,¡± but when he thought about the current situation of the Crown Prince, he couldn''t help but feel dejected.

    At this moment, Prince Zhongshun suddenly took out a booklet from his sleeve and respectfully presented it with both hands. "Your Majesty, please take a look at this thing.¡±

    Emperor Guangde took the pamphlet with some confusion and flipped through it, only to find that all the records above were examples of having a baby at an old age over fifty years old, and even two special cases of seventy years old and rare.

    ¡°Your Majesty has had a strong foundation since childhood; how can you still not compare to these folk people?"Prince Zhongshun timely advised, "But your Majesty has a deep relationship with the imperial Sister-in-law, and you rarely spoil other concubines normally. If you find a few good and meticulous cultivators, you may be able to give birth to another prince.¡±

    Although Emperor Guangde didn¡¯t respond, he repeatedly rubbed the booklet. It was obvious that he was moved.

 Chapter 447

    Chapter 447

    Although slightly lipped, it extinguished Liu Fang''s aura and increased his prestige.

    After Sun Shaozong sat down on the last chair, he inexplicably felt a little uneasy, and this feeling of unease came from Zhao Rongheng''s ancient and undisturbed face.

    Just now, when Zhao Rongheng stepped forward to help Liu Fang, Sun Shaozong thought he would take advantage of the situation and attack him a few times. After all, as one of the leaders of the speech official, his mouthgun skills should at least be at the level of ¡±proficiency.¡±

    However, Zhao Rongheng only advised Liu Fang to be calm and even apologized on behalf of Liu Fang. Throughout the process, there was no trace of anger, and even Cabinet Xu sitting in the middle seemed to be a bit less calm than him.

    This calmness was truly extraordinary!

    Should it be that...

    He didn¡¯t want to stand out for Prince Beijing?

    Wasn¡¯t it said in the public that Prince Beijing¡¯s, Shuirong, was actually his illegitimate son with the Eldest Princess?!

    Or...

    What magic weapon did he have to win, which was why he was so calm and composed?

    Sun Shaozong was scratching his heart with a hundred claws here, but Cabinet Xu had already turned to Qin Ming, the envoy of the Imperial Clinic, and solemnly bowed his hand and said, "Please, Envoy.¡±

    ¡°I dare not accept such a big honor.¡±

    Qin Ming stood up and returned a salute, also with a solemn expression on his face. "Sharing the worries of the country is my duty as a vassal.¡±

    Before the words could be finished, four imperial physicians stood up in the hall and said in unison, "We were originally sharing the worries of the state.¡±

    The sound of ¡±sharing worries for the country¡± made Sun Shaozong feel relieved. He secretly believed that the Imperial Doctors sent by Emperor Guangde to treat his son''s injuries were all staunch ¡±royalists.¡±

    And this was also an important basis for Sun Shaozong to dare to call a deer a horse!

    However, while the attention of the public was focused on the five imperial physicians, Sun Shaozong subconsciously turned his gaze to Zhao Rongheng.

    And...

    He found a hint of mockery in the corner of Zhao Rongheng''s mouth!

    Oh no!

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Almost as Sun Shaozong exclaimed in his heart, Zhao Rongheng finally spoke slowly and said, ¡°This matter is of great importance. Why don''t we recommend another famous doctor and consult with Doctor Qin and others?¡±The? source of this conte/nt n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

    It was such a simple approach?

    If that was the case, he overestimated him just now.

    No!

    Even if Li was truly pregnant, it shouldn''t be Wang Kun''s announcement with a smile on his face!

    Should it be that...

    Did he unexpectedly have a temporary reversal?!

    ¡°Imperial Censor Wang.¡±

    Zhao Rongheng clenched his teeth and asked word by word, "Have you diagnosed it?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, the diagnosis is already clear.¡±

    Wang Kun, however, had no intention of changing his mind and still held his head high, saying, "I dare to guarantee with my head that Li has a two-month-old fetus in her womb.¡±

    At this moment, Qin Ming also regained his composure from shock and immediately approached, agreeing, "Not bad; Li-Shi is indeed pregnant with a dragon bloodline.¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of her pulse, it is likely that it is a boy.¡±

    This was truly a blessing for the court and a blessing for the common people.

    With the appearance of the imperial physicians one by one, the statement that Li was pregnant was nailed to death. Zhao Rongheng''s angry beard trembled and his face turned pale, but because Wang Kun was personally recommended by him, he couldn''t say a word of doubt.

    ¡°Wang Kun.¡±

    At this moment, Liu Fang couldn''t help but jump up and pointed at Wang Kun, cursing loudly, "Are you crazy? Thanks to Zhao''s appreciating talent, he is preparing to betroth his daughter to you! How dare you...¡±

    It turned out that Wang Kun was Zhao Rongheng''s soon-to-be son-in-law; no wonder he had a confident appearance.

    ¡°Lord Liu, be cautious of your words.¡±

    Wang Kun interrupted Liu Fang''s accusation with a righteous expression. "We were both sent by the Emperor''s orders. We shouldn¡¯t talk about any personal affairs. Moreover, what the Minister values must be my ability to report to the country''s security and prosperity, rather than the devilish and evil tactics of causing chaos.¡±

    ¡°You... You...¡±

    Liu Fang was so annoyed that he rolled his eyes, but where could he come up with a rebuttal?

    *The ancients sincerely didn¡¯t deceive me. "One who upholds justice enjoys much support and those who do not have justice on their side will get little help!¡±

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but feel a sigh on the side. Although he had long anticipated that the various officials in the court would inevitably lean towards stability and unity, he didn¡¯t expect to see the power of ¡±political correctness¡± so quickly.

    At this moment, seeing that the overall situation had been settled, Cabinet Xu stood up and summarized, saying, "Since everyone has no objection, please wait here for a moment. I and Doctor Qin will enter the palace and report to His Majesty and the Supreme Emperor in person.¡±

    As he spoke, he solemnly explained, "Your Excellency Sun, I will leave the safety of Li-Shi to you.¡±

 Chapter 448: His First-Class Merit

    Chapter 448: His First-Class Merit

    | Crown Prince''s Residence. |

    Since she has already ¡±conceived a dragon bloodline,¡± it was naturally impossible to lock Li-Shi back into that dark secret chamber.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong ordered someone to find a relatively closed courtyard in the back of the Crown Prince''s Residence, and after calling for servants to clean it briefly, he set up internal and external sentries in advance, which ¡±invited¡± Li-Shi inside.

    Seeing that the arrangements were in place, Sun Shaozong remembered the group of Dragon Guards under his command who had not even had dinner before, so he thought about finding Liu Luanwei to catch the autumn breeze.

    Who knew that after searching inside and out, Liu Luanwei couldn''t be found? Before cleaning the courtyard, he was clearly in charge of directing it. How could anyone disappear in the blink of an eye?

    During the moment of doubt, a young eunuch appeared outside the courtyard door. He peeked inside a few times and then raised his voice and shouted, "May I ask who is Sun Shaozong, Lord Sun? His Highness has asked you to come over and talk, Lord Sun.¡±

    ¡°The Crown Prince was invited?¡±

    Why did this broken root, Prince, who was not healed yet came to ask for me?

    Sun Shaozong was suspicious in his heart, but he didn''t dare to slack off at all. He quickly instructed Yang Licai to take three generals and guards by Li''s side, and then welcomed him out to report to his name.

    After following the eunuch, he hurried to the Crown Prince''s residence in the north and saw a spacious courtyard with countless bright red lanterns.

    Not only that, Sun Shaozong followed the eunuch to the hall and saw that the servant girls who came in and out were all dressed in red and purple. If it weren''t for their bitter melon faces, it would seem like there was something happy happening.

    Uh~

    If the incident of Li''s pregnancy were singled out and mentioned separately, it would be considered ¡±gratifying and congratulatory.¡± However, as a victim, the Crown Prince wouldn¡¯t be celebrating with lights and decorations, right?

    At this moment, the eunuch who was leading the way whispered, "After Lord Sun enters, pick the auspicious words and say, Your Highness is now... Now it''s quite taboo...¡±

    Tch!

    This was called ¡±hiding one''s ear and stealing the bell,¡± avoiding illness and medical treatment.

    Was it possible for him to ¡±keep his roots¡± after hearing too many auspicious words and getting used to the festive atmosphere?

    He waited here for a moment and let the maid in to report.

    Sun Shaozong was muttering inwardly. The eunuch bowed, lifted the curtain, and took small steps into the interior. Not long after, he heard a roar coming from inside. "Get in! Hurry and let that dog get in here!¡±

    Then, with a ¡±crash¡± sound, the eunuch who was leading the way bumped open the bead curtain and rushed out in confusion. He made a curmudgeon and said, ¡°Lord Sun, His Highness ask you to come in and speak.¡±

    Can this attitude also be considered ¡±please?¡±

    However, Sun Shaozong had already guessed faintly why the Crown Prince called him over.

    And this speculation, after he entered the interior, became certain that Liu Luanwei was trembling and kneeling in front of the window with his black hat tilted back, revealing the bruises on his forehead.

    The Crown Prince suddenly shrugged as if he were about to sit up, but then his face twisted and he fell, showing his teeth and saying, "You... You chose that... that lowly maidservant for this bullshit reason?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Sun Shaozong immediately denied it and then spread his hands with a bitter face, saying, "The reason why I chose her is because I have no choice but to confirm that the woman who has been intimate with you recently is the only person I can contact alone, and that is Li-Shi.¡±

    The Crown Prince was stunned by the words, but then he angrily said, "Then why didn¡¯t you find me?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Sun Shaozong arched his hand again and said, "If it weren''t for my recent adventure of ¡±saving the Emperor''s grandson,¡± would Your Highness be willing to summon me alone?¡±

    The Crown Prince immediately became speechless and asked himself if Sun Shaozong had not engaged in the act of accusing a deer as a horse to show his identity as a royalist party. He had just ¡±been assassinated and cut off his roots,¡± just like a frightened bird, how could he have allowed strangers to be alone with him?

    Especially with Sun Shaozong''s notorious reputation outside.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Sun Shaozong took two more steps forward and said earnestly, "Although I come from a martial arts background, I also know the truth that ¡±If the ruler is not meticular, he will lose his courtiers; if the courtiers are not meticular, he will lose his virginity; if the situation is not meticularly handled, he will be harmed.¡± At this critical moment, I dare not make any mistakes.¡±

    ¡°If Your Highness believes that I have done something wrong, just punish me. Don''t let it cause you to feel depressed or hurt yourself.¡±

    The Crown Prince looked at his ¡±sincere¡± gaze for a while before finally taking a long breath and lying down flat on the bed, apparently convinced by Sun Shaozong.

    However, he still muttered reluctantly, "Do you want me to let that lowly maid go like this?¡°

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s not too late for a gentleman to seek revenge.¡±

    Sun Shaozong immediately advised, "Revenge does not need to be rushed for a moment. It is Your Highness''s top priority to be able to succeed to the throne.¡±

    ¡°If you can conquer the world with great power and strive for the remaining power of a lifetime, why worry about a hundred years from now if the relatives in the Capital do not compete to claim the title of Your Highness''s blood?¡±

    The Crown Prince heard many comforting words all day and night, but their sum was far less than these few words of thought for him!

    Feeling agitated for a moment, the Crown Prince reached out and grabbed Sun Shaozong''s wrist. He couldn''t help but say, "I blame you wrongly. If I can face the situation smoothly, you should be given a first-class merit.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was also inexplicably excited on his face, but his thoughts were...

    Eww~

    His hand was wet, and it seemed as if it was tightly clenched. Coupled with the look of a grudge, shouldn''t it be that after the root was cut off, it immediately changed its sexual orientation?

 Chapter 449: Visit the Rongguo Mansion Again

    Chapter 449: Visit the Rongguo Mansion Again

    Three concubines need to be comforted. Sun Shaozong couldn''t spare a moment to pay attention to a small servant girl, especially if it was still someone else''s favorite.

    So it wasn''t until the next morning, when he was about to leave, that he suddenly remembered this matter.

    So he quickly asked someone to call Qingwen.

    ¡°Second Master.¡±

    Although Qingwen respectfully called out the Second Master, her expression showed some stiffness. It was obvious that this arrogant servant girl was still angry about yesterday''s incident.

    It was no wonder that she has always been conservative in this regard. Even Jia Baoyu, her sweetheart, has never taken advantage of her. However, yesterday she was just replacing the wet nurse to coax the child, and her pure and white body was visible.

    How could she not be upset?

    ¡°Yesterday I was in a hurry to take care of the child, but I didn''t expect you to be waiting in that room." Sun Shaozong casually explained and said, "Coincidentally, I''m going to visit Rongguo Mansion today. Have you ever had any messages to pass on to Brother Bao?¡±

    The previous words didn''t make Qingwen react much, but as soon as she heard the words ¡±Rongguo Mansion and Brother Bao,¡± her stiff face immediately dissipated. She pinched her handkerchief several times and hesitated to speak. Finally, she carefully considered each word and said, ¡°If he asks about me, just say that I am doing well.¡±

    This was sentimental.

    It was clear that she wished to return to Baoyu''s side immediately, but only when Baoyu asked could she give such a painless explanation.

    However, Sun Shaozong just wanted to be a favor along the way, so as not to leave a heart knot in yesterday''s incident. Seeing that she had nothing else to say, he went to the front yard and called for the coachman, Zhang Cheng, to drive to Rongguo Mansion.

    In fact, it was reasonable to say that Sun Shaozong should go to the Yamen first today and handle his accumulated official duties properly.

    However, half a month ago, he was planning to visit Rongguo Mansion and urged Jia Zheng to quickly handle the matter of Jia Lan''s apprenticeship so as not to delay his ¡±son''s¡± studies after Jia Zheng was released.

    Now that half a month has passed, Jia Zheng might leave the Capital and take office at any time. How could Sun Shaozong dare to delay further?

    When he arrived at Rongguo Mansion, Sun Shaozong told Jia Zheng about this matter, and it left Jia Zheng both disappointed and ashamed.

    Disappointed, he originally thought that Sun Shaozong was in a hurry to come to see him because the Crown Prince or His Majesty had something to say that Sun Shaozong had to secretly convey.

    To his shame, he neglected to take care of Jia Lan''s mother and son, and it was not as comprehensive as an outsider thought.

    ¡°Hmph!¡°

    Sun Shaozong was about to paraphrase Qingwen''s words when he heard a cold hmph from before and instinctively followed the sound. However, not far away, under the weeping willow, he saw a seductive woman wearing red makeup and powder on her face.

    Sun Shaozong took a closer look and then asked with some uncertainty, "Is that Second Brother Lian?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    When the man let out another proud snort, he ignored Sun Shaozong and twisted away.

    This...

    Although Jia Baoyu used to love putting on makeup and wearing red clothes, it could be said that his demeanor was still his true nature, but now, Second Master Lian...

    If it weren''t for his Adam''s apple, Sun Shaozong would have thought that the person in front of him was someone from a kiln who impersonated him!

    ¡°Second Brother Lian has been... Lately...¡±

    Looking at Jia Lian''s swaying figure, Jia Baoyu was also full of strangeness. He intended to cover up a few words for Jia Lian but hesitated for a while, but he hadn¡¯t figured out where to start.

    ¡°Someone fell into the water, someone fell into the water!¡±

    ¡°Come on, come on, come on!¡±

    At this moment, in the corridor next to the pond, someone suddenly screamed. Sun Shaozong and Jia Baoyu looked out from afar and saw the waves surging in the pond as if someone were struggling with their hands and feet!

    ¡°Oh no!¡±

    Baoyu let out a loud cry and was just about to rush over to see what was happening. Sun Shaozong, like a fierce tiger pouncing on food, rushed to the pond like a flying tiger. Without saying a word, he jumped into the water with a splash.

    When Jia Baoyu rushed to the corridor, panting heavily, Sun Shaozong rescued the drowning person.

    ¡°Thank you, my Second Brother.¡±

    Jia Baoyu gave a breathless thank you and looked at the drowning person''s face, but couldn''t help but exclaim out loud, losing his voice and saying, "Jinchuan! How could it be... How could it be her?¡±

 Chapter 450: The Transformation

    Chapter 450: The Transformation

    Upon hearing Jia Baoyu''s exclamation, Sun Shaozong realized that the drowning person he had saved was another big maid named Jinchuan by Old Madam Wang''s side.

    Needless to say, this must be a victim implicated in the cold war between the couple again.

    Due to the timely rescue, Jinchuan only swallowed a few sips of the pond water. Therefore, after landing, she quickly woke up and covered her face with sobs, saying, "Why... Why should you save me? Let me die... And I won''t be kicked out by my Madam for nothing.¡±

    Sure enough, she was indeed implicated.

    Jia Baoyu quickly comforted her and said, "Good sister, what are you talking about? Don''t say that your Madam may not have such thoughts. Even if she does have such thoughts, I will persuade her to change her mind.¡±

    Jinchuan refused to believe him and continued to cry, "If the Second Master can persuade the Old Madam, then Qingwen... How could Qingwen... be sent to the Sun family?¡±

    This remark hit Jia Baoyu''s sore spot. He hesitated and didn''t know how to deal with it, so he habitually turned to Sun Shaozong for help.

    But how could Sun Shaozong intervene in such household matters?

    Therefore, he avoided Jia Baoyu''s gaze in advance.

    And on this side of the pond, he suddenly noticed someone peeking at him in the bushes.

    Sun Shaozong glanced for a moment with a corner of his eye and vaguely recognized that the person was not someone else. It was Jia Lian, who had just left, who had gone and returned and was hiding in the dark to spy. Was he trying to plot his own evil thoughts?

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but secretly increase his vigilance.

    But...

    He guessed wrong this time.

    It was said that Jia Lian hid in the bushes and kept watching Sun Shaozong, Baoyu, Jinchuan, and others go away. After stopping in place for a long time, he finally walked towards his courtyard, feeling lost.

    Along the way, he muttered to himself, "Why didn''t I notice it before? It''s really... really..."

    He didn''t know if it was an illusion, but Jia Lian''s cheeks, which had been smeared with powder, seemed to be a bit rosy again.

    Seeing his courtyard, he pushed open the door of his study and was almost tripped by the threshold, feeling restless. As soon as he stabilized himself, he was suddenly slapped on the buttocks.

    Looking back, he saw his close servant, Zhao''er, hiding behind the door with a playful and smiling face.

    He originally wanted to find a suit of clothes for Sun Shaozong to change into as soon as possible, but to his surprise, Xiren searched all over the house but couldn''t find a suitable pair of clothes and shoes.

    Seeing that he was about to return in vain, he casually said, "If Big Master Xue was still in our mansion, I could borrow a piece of clothing from him, but now...¡±

    This reminded Xiren that there were no other men in the Grand View Garden except for Baoyu and Jia Lan, so everyone was searching in the front yard, and no one had been to Xue Baochia¡¯s place yet.

    ¡°Lady Xue and Ying''er love to take care of some needlework in their daily lives. Now that the weather is gradually getting colder, they have probably made new clothes for Master Xue.¡±

    Speaking of this, Xiren couldn''t help but feel embarrassed. If it had been made by Ying¡¯er, it would have been okay. But if it was made by Xue Baochai...

    After all, she was a Lady from a wealthy family. How could she casually dress a man of a different surname with her handmade clothes?

    Qiu Wen and Sheyue didn''t think so much. As soon as they heard that Xue Baochai might have suitable clothes, they rushed to the Hengwu courtyard with Xi Ren.

    After explaining to Xue Baochai one by one, Xue Baochai smiled generously and said, "If it was someone else, I might be uncomfortable. Lord Sun is my brother''s close friend and has saved my mother and me. What are some clothes worth?¡±

    As she spoke, he instructed Ying¡¯er, "Go and fetch the new set of clothes you made for the Master and have Sister Xiren take them back for duty.¡±

    Ying¡¯er rummaged through the boxes and cabinets and soon gathered together a complete set of clothes, hats, and shoes. Although Sun Shaozong was a bit more generous than Xue Pan, he could still use them with ease.

    So all the maids were grateful and went back to the Yihong Courtyard happily with clothes.

    It was said that Sun Shaozong got the clothes and shook them open just as he was about to wear them. Suddenly, he heard a crisp ¡±snap¡± sound, and a letter fell out of the clothes.

    Sun Shaozong curiously shook his head and looked closely. It was originally a family letter written by Xue Baochai to his brother. Throughout the article, he advised him to restrain his temper and even if he could not continue his career development, he should take advantage of Minister Wang''s advice to reorganize the family business.

    In the end, she hastily mentioned that the clothes were sewn by herself in her spare time. If any areas didn''t fit, he should ask her Sister-in-law to help make the necessary changes.

    Tch~

    After reading the earnest words of ¡±hoping my brother to become successful¡± and thinking about Xue Baochai''s gorgeous appearance and figure, sewing the delicate clothes, Sun Shaozong suddenly remembered the matter of Jia Zheng''s matchmaking. He told him to wait for his news, so why didn''t there be any further explanation?

    Eh...

    At this moment, Xiren outside suddenly exclaimed, "Why are Lord Sun''s clothes missing? Did either of you put them away?¡±

 Chapter 451: Three Monks Have No Water to Drink

    Chapter 451: Three Monks Have No Water to Drink

    This was strange. The clothes that were hanging out in the yard were still in chaos.

    Until Sun Shaozong took his leave, Baoyu was still rubbing his hands and declaring that he wouldn¡¯t give up until the thief was discovered.

    In fact, if Sun Shaozong had to personally investigate, it was estimated that the case would be solved in just a few minutes. What was lost were only a few pieces of clothing, and it was likely that it was the act of a thief from the Rongguo Mansion. Sun Shaozong naturally didn''t want to go into a big fight about it.

    When he left Rongguo Mansion, the sky was already covered with dark clouds and thunderous waves. After walking out of just two streets, it rained cats and dogs.

    Originally, Sun Shaozong was still thinking about going to the homesteads owned by Sun Chengye and Yu Qian to prepare two suitable housewarming gifts in advance. However, since the weather was not perfect, he had to give up his original plan and return home without hesitation.

    He got off the carriage and walked back to the house along the corridor. However, halfway through, he saw a dozen servants from the mansion shouting and making noise in the mud, braving the rain.

    Sun Shaozong was puzzled and stopped in the corridor. Just as he was about to take a closer look, he saw one of the servants dressed in a coir raincoat quickly approaching him. He picked up his bamboo hat in the corridor and showed a clean oval face, which was Yuanyang, who had just been assigned to Yingchun''s side.

    ¡°Second Master.¡±

    She reported in a crisp voice, "Because during the Double Ninth Festival last year, there were no chrysanthemums in our mansion, so the Elder Master specifically instructed us to arrange them in advance this year. However, we just planted a batch yesterday, and it rained heavily today. Now we have to dig them out and temporarily pile them up in the corridor pavilion. We will replant them tomorrow.¡±

    Yuanyang has quite a sense of respect for the Masters, unlike Qingwen, who thought of herself as a temporary tenant with Sun Shaozong.

    ¡°Actually, these flowers and plants are not worth much silver.¡±

    Sun Shaozong explained, "You people are busy working in the rain; don''t get caught a cold.¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry, Second Master.¡±

    Yuanyang hurriedly said, "I had already asked Siqi to bring two rough women and boil a large pot of ginger soup to ward off the cold. I also prepared towels, hot water, and clean clothes to ensure that nothing went wrong.¡±

    After all, she was the first big maid who served the Old Lady Jia. Being able to stabilize Siqi was an unexpected pleasure.

    Seeing that she was well organized, Sun Shaozong didn''t ask any further and went to the Second Sister You''s room. He spent half a day fooling around, and in the evening, he washed and dined at Ruan Rong''s place, sharing his feelings for the night.

    Early the next morning.

    A slow horse with four hooves wrapped in straw and coarse cloth, treading on the muddy ground, carried Sun Shaozong and Sun Chengye out of the side door of Sun Mansion.

    Sun Shaozong first mentioned that Jia Baoyu would bring Jia Lan to the door tomorrow to hire Yu Qian as his teacher. However, he saw that Sun Chengye was feeling a bit down in spirit and couldn''t help but wonder, "What''s wrong with you? Have you encountered any difficulties in the past half month? Didn¡¯t I instruct you, if you encounter any indecisive matters, put them on hold temporarily aside?¡±

    However, how could Lin Delu possibly find out the truth about a case that even Sun Shaozong couldn''t solve for a moment?

    So it was unclear and delayed for a few days, with no progress at all. Coupled with the constant pressure from Fayuan Temple, Lin Delu and Wei Ruolan discussed and had to let the monks go back to the temple first. And if clues were discovered, they would be sent back to the Yamen for questioning.

    Who would have thought that not long after these monks returned, Jie Chi, who hit the midwife with a wooden basin, was inexplicably strangled to death in his meditation room.

    Since he died in the Fayuan Temple this time, the suspicion of Wei Ruolan was ruled out. Therefore, after receiving the report, Wei Ruolan led the investigation.

    This investigation was on May 6th, but before they could fully understand the cause of Jie Chi''s death, the same suspect, Monk Jie Ming, was nailed to death by iron chisels outside the mountain gate of Fayuan Temple.

    Now even the abbot, Master Zhichan, couldn''t sit still. He went to the government office to have a heartfelt conversation with Jia Yucun, urging the Central Judicial Office to solve the case as soon as possible, so as not to panic the people in the temple.

    This foolish Zen Master was the Master who frequently visited the palace of the Supreme Emperor. It was said that even the Empress also paid tribute to him. Jia Yucun was now at a critical moment of ¡±wanting to accelerate,¡± how would he dare to offend this foolish Zen Master?

    However, Prince Beijing was behind Wei Ruolan, so he also couldn''t afford to offend him.

    Therefore, he promised to solve the case as soon as possible, but on the other hand, he didn''t rush too much. He has been worried for the past two days and even lost his hair. If this continued, perhaps he would become a ¡±monk¡± instead of being the Minister.

    ¡°In my opinion, after you arrive at the government office today, Magistrate Jia will definitely entrust this case to you for investigation. Do you want to push or respond? Please prepare early.¡±

    Tch!

    Sun Chengye was indeed lacking in experience. He should have told himself earlier about such news.

    If Sun Shaozong had known the current situation, he would have only taken a day or two off and continued to hide in the Crown Prince''s Residence. After seeing enough of Jia Yucun and Wei Ruolan''s appearance, he would then come out to clean up the mess.

    But now...

    He has been to Rongguo Mansion before. Didn¡¯t it seem too deliberate not to go to the office for a walk?

    Anyway~

    Left and right in the Crown Prince''s Residence, apart from boasting and gossiping... Well, it might be more appropriate to use wrangling here.

    Anyway, he was in a leisurely panic at the Crown Prince''s Residence, and now he could go and solve this unsolved case and change his mood.

 Chapter 452: The Beginning

    Chapter 452: The Beginning

    ¡°Mrs. Fan?¡±

    Sure enough, Sun Chengye predicted it right. As soon as Sun Shaozong arrived at the government office and had not yet settled down in the Criminal Department, Jia Yucun hurriedly arrived.

    Saying things like ¡±I was waiting for you to arrive, like a long drought waiting for rain,¡±¡±This case is complex and rare, and it can¡¯t be solved without you,¡±¡±I just lost a Minister in the Central Judicial Office, and there can be no more mistakes,¡± he said a lot.

    Although Sun Shaozong had already made up his mind to investigate this case, he deliberately hesitated for a long time. After hearing him flattering and saying it again and again, he reluctantly agreed.

    Afterward, Sun Shaozong summoned Wei Ruolan and others to inquire about the investigation process of this case and whether any useful clues had been found.

    And the key clue given by Wei Ruolan was the word ¡±Mrs. Fan!¡±

    The so-called ¡±Mrs. Fan¡± was a bad habit left over from the Xiangguo Temple of the Northern Song Dynasty. It was said that at that time, some monks used prostitutes as their wives and called them Mrs. Fan.

    ¡°What you said is already an old habit.¡±

    Qiu Yunfei curled his lips aside and said, "This Mrs. Fan now is not referring to prostitutes, but to women from good families who have an affair with monks.¡±

    Private Advisor Qi added on the side, "Actually, this is the legacy left by the Mongolian Tartars when they stole the Central Plains. The Mongols are extremely strict with our people in the Central Plains, but they treat the monks with great courtesy. Therefore, some lawless people entrust themselves to the Shaman and do all kinds of evil under the name of monks.¡±

    ¡°At that time, many temples had a considerable amount of land and were not like ordinary families who had to pay heavy taxes. Therefore, these evil monks often used this as bait to lure those desperate tenants to sacrifice their wives and daughters for sexual humiliation in exchange for the qualification to rent temple property.¡±

    ¡°And these women are collectively referred to as Mrs. Fan.¡±

    Upon hearing Private Advisor Qi''s explanation, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but question, "Such a bad habit can only be cured in those remote places, but the Fayuan Temple is located at the foot of Imperial and is the most famous temple in the Capital. How dare they dare to take the great injustice of the world and do such a vulgar thing?¡±

    Wei Ruolan shook his head and said, "This is not what Fayuan Temple meant, but what Monk Jie Xian did privately.¡±

    It turned out that Monk Jie Xian was originally a wandering son from the suburbs of the Capital, and he loved sleeping flowers and willows the most in his life. Later, for some unknown reason, he went to Fayuan Temple to shave and become a monk.

    At first, he was quite normal and there was nothing out of place.

    But since the beginning of spring this year, there have been rumors circulating in the temple that this Monk Jie Xian has secretly engaged in the business of pimps, often serving as a matchmaker for the monks in the temple, introducing young women and daughters from good families, and promoting the true essence of joyful Zen to the public.

    This rumor naturally attracted the attention of the Discipline Academy. However, the head of the Monastery Reception, the disciple of the Lechi Master, Jie Nian, confirmed that this matter was purely fictitious and saved Monk Jie Xian.

    He was indeed a proud and innocent young man!

    Sun Shaozong sighed in his heart, but his face was inexplicable. "What child? Is Assistant Magistrate Wei talking to me?¡±

    Wei Ruolan''s proud expression stiffened and he then blushed with embarrassment and annoyance.

    Just as he was about to say something unpleasant, Qiu Yunfei and Private Advisor Qi had already sorted it out and urged them to rush to the Fayuan Temple to investigate the case.

    Wei Ruolan had to swallow his words again and, with a constipated expression, and walked out of the courtyard of the Criminal Department.

    When they arrived at Fayuan Temple, they saw the place in front of the mountain gate cold and deserted, with only a few believers worshipping at the gate.

    Although it rained yesterday and the road was not very easy to walk, despite the reputation of Fayuan Temple in the Capital, it shouldn''t be left with only a few believers. It seemed that people who were concerned regarding the matter that three monks had died in a row had dealt a significant blow to the reputation of Fayuan Temple.

    Everyone climbed up the tons of steps and saw a magnificent temple nearby. Several knowledgeable monks had already welcomed them with their palms folded, but Sun Shaozong suddenly stopped and squatted on the ground to observe.

    ¡°Did Jie Ming monk die here?¡±

    After the repeated scouring of rainstorms last night, the blood on the ground has disappeared, but the chisel marks made by the iron chisel are still clearly left on the bluestone slab.

    ¡°That''s right.¡±

    Private Advisor Qi also crouched aside and said, "The two-foot-long, thumb-thick iron chisel pierced through Jie Ming''s chest and heart, leaving shallow marks on the ground.¡±

    Sun Shaozong reached out and touched the shallow chisel marks, then looked up at the magnificent temple door not far away. After pondering for a while, he asked again, "During the autopsy, did you find no other scars, let alone any signs of being bound or drugged?¡±

    ¡°No, except for some cotton thread found in his mouth, there were no other scars, and no overpowering drug was tested. From the analysis of the blood stains on his hands, he should have been awake at the time.¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, after repeated exploration, it has been determined that there are no signs of the body being moved. This is indeed the scene of the crime.¡±

    Speaking of this, Private Advisor Qi couldn''t help but smile bitterly and said, "This is also the reason why I¡¯m confused. Since he is awake, why did he not fight to the death? You should know that the iron chisel is not very sharp, and it is difficult to pierce the heart with a single blow without hitting it hard with a hammer.¡±

    ¡°And if the murderer holds the iron chisel in one hand and the hammer in the other, how can he still suppress the deceased?¡±

 Chapter 453

    Chapter 453

    Sun Shaozong stroked the slightly rounded dent, and his heart was also filled with doubts.

    According to the autopsy report, the penetrating wound in the chest of Jie Ming was indeed caused by repeated chiseling, which basically confirmed the inference of Private Advisor Qi, ¡±one hand holding an iron chisel, one hand holding a hammer.¡±

    Why didn''t Jie Ming resist?

    Or...

    When the murderer attacked, Monk Jie Ming was still unconscious. Although he woke up due to severe pain, he was no longer able to turn around and only had time to desperately grab the iron chisel in his chest?

    How was he transported out of Fayuan Temple while he was in a coma?

    Sun Shaozong was pondering here, but the two knowledgeable monks who greeted him couldn''t bear it anymore. They bowed together and said, "Amitabha, did you Lords come over with new clues?¡±

    ¡°Is this also something you can ask?¡±

    Qiu Yunfei twisted their eyes and scolded, "Go ahead and quickly summon the two of them, Jie Chen and Jie Xiu, to the main hall.¡±

    ¡°Let them wait in the martial arts room.¡±

    Sun Shaozong stood up and patted the dust off his hand, then interrupted, "I am going to visit the meditation room of Jie Zhi and Jie Ming first.¡±

    The two little monks looked at each other, and one of them immediately turned around and entered the temple.

    The remaining one said calmly, "Then all of you, follow me.¡±

    It was said that big stores bully customers and this temple''s reputation was no exception. Even the little monk who watches the door has a good temper. After being shouted at by Qiu Yunfei, they refused to call him ¡°Lord.¡±

    However, after more than half a month of investigation, none of the hairs were found. Instead, two more monks died. No wonder the people of Fayuan Temple were dissatisfied with the Central Judicial Office.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong used his gaze to stop Qiu Yunfei''s impulse to get angry and led everyone silently into the Fayuan Temple.

    As the first treasure temple in the Capital, Fayuan Temple naturally covered a considerable area. After entering the gate, they head west and pass through the main hall, side hall, bamboo forest, rockery, pond, and small bridge. The little monk then pointed to the front rows of houses and said, "Uncle Jie Zhi lives in the second row, and Uncle Jie Ming lives in the third row. I wonder which one you want to see first?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong turned around and looked at the main hall hidden in the bamboo forest. He measured it slightly in his heart and found that there was at least one mile away from the meditation room to the main gate, and there was also a Taoist wall in the middle to block it.

    ¡°Was there any other entrance or exit in this meditation room besides the courtyard gate just now?¡±

    While listening to Private Advisor Qi''s explanation, Sun Shaozong searched around and didn''t find anything. There was only a stack of manually transcribed scriptures on the desk, which looked about twenty pages long.

    The handwriting on the top ten pages was messy, but when he turned to the back, the handwriting gradually became neat again.

    At the end of the scripture, there were also the words ¡±Jie Ming of Fayuan Temple, transcribed on July 14th, the eleventh year of Guangde,¡± which was also the day before Jie Ming was killed.

    Private Advisor Qi saw Sun Shaozong flipping through the scriptures and said, "This must be the scripture that Monk Jie Ming copied to seek peace of mind. Therefore, the initial copying was chaotic and disorganized, but later he gradually settled down and wrote it neatly.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was noncommittal to his inference, but he took the stack of scriptures to the door and placed them outside in the sunlight to repeatedly examine them.

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Qiu Yunfei curiously approached and followed suit, but couldn''t see anything. He couldn''t help but wonder, "You''ve been looking so carefully; what''s so rare?¡±

    ¡°Rare but not rare.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said calmly, "These scriptures were not written on the same day but were divided into several days to complete. In addition, he did not become more calm as he wrote but became more restless as he wrote. The reason why his handwriting became neat afterward was not related to the scriptures themselves.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Private Advisor Qi quickly gathered up and asked Sun Shaozong for the scripture. He followed his example and carefully screened it line by line, word by word.

    Not long after, he let out an ¡±oops¡± and said regretfully, ¡°It was indeed not written on the same day! I was really careless. I even flipped through it twice. Seeing that it was just an ordinary scripture, I didn''t think much. Who could have thought that... ¡°

    On the side, Qiu Yunfei still couldn''t figure out what was going on. He wondered, "How do you know that this scripture wasn''t written in a day? Besides, even if you know it wasn''t written in a day, what''s the use of it?¡±

    ¡°Please take a look inside.¡±

    Private Advisor Qi naturally didn¡¯t dare to neglect him and quickly pointed to the scripture to explain. "Although there may not be much difference at first glance if you look closely in the sunlight, you can still vaguely distinguish some differences in the ink color between the words. These color differences should be caused by re-studying ink writing after a considerable period of separation.¡±

    ¡°And in these areas of color difference, the neatness of the upper and lower text is also greater than in other areas, and it is obvious that the text above the color difference is more chaotic, indicating that he is indeed getting more and more upset as he writes, so he has not been able to copy this scripture several times in a row.¡±

    ¡°As for knowing the usefulness of these...¡±

    ¡°Since it was not the function of copying scriptures, then Monk Jie Ming must have encountered something that suppressed his anxiety.¡±

    ¡°As long as we can figure out what exactly caused his emotional changes next, we may find clues to solve the case by following the example.¡±

    As he spoke, he arched his hand in both shame and admiration, saying, "Your esteemed ability is truly making me embarrassed.¡±

 Chapter 454: The Fourth Monk

    Chapter 454: The Fourth Monk

    In the meditation room of Jie Ming, there was no information worth paying attention to except for that scripture.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong led everyone to leave the meditation room of Jie Ming and walk around to the second row of houses. Although it was also a double room, the environment here was undoubtedly better than the third row.

    Rank was ubiquitous.

    When they arrived outside the meditation room of the Jie Chi, they saw that the head of the discipline, Jie Chen, and Monk Jie Xiu had been waiting for a long time.

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong had led the team to arrive, Jie Chen''s face suddenly darkened a bit. However, Jie Xiu hurriedly welcomed him, leaned forward, and asked, "I dare to ask you all, has the culprit who killed Jie Ming been found out?¡±

    Private Advisor Qi and Wei Ruolan were both a bit embarrassed when asked, but Qiu Yunfei confidently said on the side, "How is it so easy to find out the real culprit?! But don''t worry, today, My Lord in charge of governance personally came forward and discovered an important clue in just a moment. It won''t be long before the truth is revealed.¡±

    ¡°Found important clues?¡±

    The voice of Jie Xiu''s surprise trembled a bit, and he folded his palms and recited the Buddhist name, saying, "Amitabha, if Jie Ming in the underworld knows...¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, Sun Shaozong suddenly asked, "When was the last time you saw Jie Ming?¡±

    Jie Xiu was stunned when asked, holding his palms together for a while before answering, "On the morning of July 14th, I met with Jie Ming during morning classes, and after that...¡±

    He shook his head and said with a lost expression, "After that, when I saw him again, he was already nailed to death in front of the mountain gate.¡±

    ¡°So what was his mood when you saw him? Was he more anxious than a few days ago, or...¡±

    ¡°Emotions?¡±

    Jie Xiu tried hard to recall for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Because we didn''t say a few words before we parted ways, I can''t tell if he''s more anxious than before.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t find any mistakes in his words. Only by investigating in secret could he determine whether he was telling the truth.

    Sun Shaozong nodded noncommittally and saw that Zhao Wuwei had checked the seal and pushed the door open. He shouted, "Master Jie Chen, could you please tell me about the situation when the body was discovered?¡±

    ¡°The first person discovered was Jie Yi, who shared the same room as Jie Shi. That night, he was ordered to lead two young monks to guard Monk Jie Xiu, who had violated the rules. Therefore, he didn¡¯t return to the meditation room until dawn to prepare for morning classes.¡±

    However, this was also normal. The responsibility of the Monastery Reception was originally to welcome and send, and it was most closely related to the rolling world of mortals. Therefore, the probability of the monks in the Monastery Reception falling was naturally higher than that of other monks.

    Moreover, the first monk in the Monastery Reception, Jie Nian, might not necessarily be clean himself. If the upper beam was not straight and the lower beam was also crooked, the results could be imagined.

    Sun Shaozong was investigating the scene while pondering the case. The monk who had been asked these questions couldn''t hold back his temper and said in a deep voice, "Actually, no matter how much you ask, I''m afraid it''s a waste of effort.¡±

    Sun Shaozong stopped and raised his eyebrows in surprise, saying, "What do you mean?¡±

    Jie Chen said without hesitation, "In my opinion, this case is clearly the demon''s lingering soul, wanting to kill us to vent his anger! Moreover, we all have circumstantial evidence, and we can''t be the true culprit who killed three people. Isn''t it absurd for several adults to pester us so hard?¡±

    Great~

    Sun Shaozong thought he could say anything useful, but it was the saying of a demon harming someone again!

    Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes in silence, too lazy to pay any more attention to him, so he spoke up and ordered, "Constable Zhao, go find the first memorial of the Monastery Reception, and say that I have some questions and want to inquire about him.¡±

    Seeing that Sun Shaozong was still stubborn, he couldn''t help but snort coldly and looked out of the window with a black face. Obviously, he didn''t want to waste any more time talking to Sun Shaozong.

    Zhao Wuwei replied and was about to call for Master Jie Nian to come over. Suddenly, someone outside shouted in panic, "Officer, Officer! It''s not okay, it''s not okay! Master Jie Nian has been bitten to death by a wild dog.¡±

    With this one sound, there was a sudden uproar inside and outside the meditation room. Sun Shaozong took a few steps and grabbed the little monk who reported the news. He spoke harshly and asked, "Where is Jie Nian now? How do you know he was bitten to death by a wild dog?¡±

    ¡°Near the Gongde Forest in the back mountain! I saw, with my own eyes, Uncle Jie Nian lying motionless on the ground, with blood on his neck and several wild dogs fighting around his body! He is definitely... Definitely be killed by those wild dogs.¡±

    ¡°Amitabha.¡±

    At this moment, Jie Chen also followed and recited the Buddhist name, saying, "It seems that I guessed correctly. This is indeed caused by demons transformed by the solar eclipse.¡±

    Were demons causing trouble?

    Sun Shaozong let out a chill in his heart and gently pushed the little monk who reported the news away. He ordered, "Let''s go; take me to see what this Heavenly Hound looks like.¡±

 Chapter 455: The Gongde Forest Mystery

    Chapter 455: The Gongde Forest Mystery

    The so-called Gongde Forest was not a real forest, but hundreds of merit steles built along the mountain.

    This merit stele recorded the good deeds of the believers of the Fayuan Temple over the years. Of course, ordinary good deeds couldn¡¯t be on the list. At least, they needed to have the merits of building bridges and roads, distributing Congee on a large scale, or inviting eminent monks to pray for common citizens.

    It took about 370 years to finally accumulate so much.

    Due to the fact that these hundreds of merit steles were as dense as trees from a distance, the monks in the temple often referred to them as ¡±Gongde Forest¡± mainly to boast about the great achievements of the Fayuan Temple when explaining to guests.

    Originally, this place was also considered a scenic spot of Fayuan Temple, and believers often came here to admire the achievements of their predecessors. However, recently, due to the impact of continuous murder cases, relatively remote places like Gongde Forest have naturally become rare.

    If it weren''t for the regular inspection time, even Little Monk Xuan Ci wouldn''t have had the leisure to come here for a stroll.

    And it was during the inspection of Gongde Forest that Xuan Ci heard wild dogs barking fiercely. Being curious, he followed the sound and found Monk Jie Nian lying on the ground, with blood on his neck, and six or seven wild dogs around him, seemingly competing for this ¡±meat.¡±

    How could Xuan Ci have seen this scene before?

    Immediately frightened, he ran back to the temple in one breath and was about to report. Suddenly, he remembered the officials of the Central Judicial Office were here to investigate a case in the temple. Therefore, he continued to inquire and found the meditation room.

    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t report to the prison first, so when Sun Shaozong and others arrived, the site was still well preserved. Of course, this so-called good condition didn¡¯t include the body that was bitten by the dogs.

    Indeed, it was Monk Jie Nian!

    When he asked to burn down the house arrest facility, how powerful was he?

    Who would know that his body would be abandoned in the open space in the center of the stone monument just half a month later, to let wild dogs trample and bite!

    When Sun Shaozong was still more than ten steps away from the body, he stopped his steps. When others saw him stop, they naturally followed suit and stood still.

    However, Monk Jie Chen still strode forward and shouted, "Get out of here, get out of here! You damn demon dogs.¡±

    Those wild dogs were already accustomed to bullying and being afraid of force. Seeing these many people gathering around them, they had already developed a sense of retreat, but the reason they didn¡¯t immediately flee was just that they were reluctant to part with the fat on the ground.

    At present, listening to Jie Chen''s loud scolding and threatening look, they quickly ran without a trace with their tail between their legs.

    During the process of climbing forward, there was a mark of about one meter or more in the middle, which was a slight backward sliding with the toes on the ground.

    It was impossible to imitate such traces in the process of walking backward, and it was also impossible to accurately cross this distance of over one meter and step on the shoe print before slipping.

    So this slip mark has completely ruled out the possibility of stepping on the footprints and falling back!

    This footprint was undoubtedly belonging to Jie Nian himself!

    How on earth did the murderer kill Jie Nian and then leave without leaving any footprints?!

    Was it possible that the aerial passage was erected using ropes?

    Sun Shaozong looked up at the stone tablets on both sides of the north and south direction, about fifteen meters apart, and loudly ordered, "Search carefully around the scene to see if there are any other traces! Especially on these merit tablets, don''t miss an inch.¡±

    With this command, Wei Ruolan, Private Advisor Qi, Qiu Yunfei, and Zhao Wuwei were divided into two groups, each leading several government officials to conduct a carpet-like search.

    However...

    Half an hour has passed, and the search scope has expanded to a radius of fifty meters, but no abnormal traces have been found!

    How could this be possible?!

    The possibility of stepping down on footprints has been rejected, and the use of tools such as ropes was also approaching zero.

    The same for the possibility of using long-range weapons to attack

    During the carpet-like search by everyone, Sun Shaozong carefully confirmed that the fatal wound of Jie Nian was that his throat was cut with a sharp blade and then repeatedly cut, creating the illusion of being bitten to death. Of course, there were indeed wild dogs who had bitten the body later on.

    Repeatedly cutting and creating illusions was definitely difficult for long-range weapons to achieve.

    How on earth did the murderer do it, after killing Jie Nian at close range, and then leaving without any trace?!

 Chapter 456: The Fushou Festival

    Chapter 456: The Fushou Festival

    Since Sun Shaozong was unable to identify the mechanism arranged by the murderer, he carefully examined the surrounding area of the body as much as possible without damaging the scene of the crime.

    After confirming that no details were missing, he picked up Jie Nian''s body and left the center with the footprints of his arrival.

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Just as he placed the body on the door panel, Qiu Yunfei immediately approached and asked, "How did the murderer kill? Have you figured it out?¡±

    He then lowered his voice and said, "Isn''t it really that he was bitten to death by a wild dog?¡±

    Sun Shaozong gave him a silent glance until Wei Ruolan, Private Advisor Qi, and Zhao Wuwei gathered around him. Then he said, "Let''s talk about the results of our official investigation first.¡±

    ¡°The deceased''s legal name is Jie Xian, and he is the first member of the Monastery Reception of Fayuan Temple. Judging from the stiffness of the body, the time of death is approximately between 8 am to 10 am.¡±

    ¡°The fatal wound was on the neck of the deceased, which was a transverse wound about two and a half inches from left to right. Based on the cross-sectional area of the wound and the damage to the cervical spine, it seems that the weapon used was a firewood knife, which is a one-handed weapon that is conducive to chopping.¡±

    ¡°After the death of the deceased, the murderer tried to create the illusion of being bitten to death by wild dogs on the wound of the deceased.¡±

    ¡°The posture of the five fingers on the deceased''s right hand is very disharmonious. It is highly likely that someone forcibly broke open the deceased''s fingers and took something away after death.¡±

    ¡°There is an inconspicuous fresh scratch on the inner lining of the deceased''s right arm sleeve, which seems to have been caused by some sharp object, but the force and speed are not very fast. It should be a mark left by accidentally removing a sharp object from the sleeve pocket.¡±

    ¡°Except for the footprints of the deceased himself, no other footprints were found at the scene. Additionally, due to a fall that occurred midway, a fault of about four feet appeared in the middle of the footprints. Therefore, it is impossible to transport the deceased to the scene to commit the crime and then step back on the footprints to leave.¡±

    ¡°And there are no traces of ropes ever erected on the stone tablets on both sides...¡±

    At this point, Sun Shaozong stopped and silently waited for everyone to digest this information or raise their questions.

    Wei Ruolan listened and only frowned and pondered on the side, while Private Advisor Qi and Qiu Yunfei almost simultaneously approached and examined the body of Jie Nian.

    This was not that Sun Shaozong couldn¡¯t be trusted, but rather that some details were ultimately based on seeing.

    After all, he often went to Lao Xu''s place to learn. Qiu Yunfei''s autopsy techniques were more proficient than those of Private Advisor Qi. He quickly completed the examination of the fatal wound on his neck and began to look through the gestures in his right hand and the scratches on his sleeve.

    ¡°Amitabha Buddha.¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, he heard someone proclaiming the name of Buddha. Immediately after, a dozen monks crowded out from behind the merit monument in the southeast. The leader was not someone else, but Master Lechi with five willows and white beards.

    Behind Master Lechi, the little monk followed suit and was so excited that his face turned red. He was Monk Xuan Ci who first discovered the body of Jie Nian, and when he saw the crowd to conduct an expanded search, the little monk saw that no one was paying attention to him, so he called for someone from the temple again.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°Abbot.¡±

    Jie Chen and Jie Xiu quickly approached to salute.

    Master Lechi walked over to them and reached the corpse of Jie Nian, silently hanging his head for a while. His lips, almost covered by his white beard, trembled a few times, as if to say something, but suddenly his feet softened and fell!

    Thanks to the monk behind him who was quick to help him with his eyes and hands; otherwise, he could have gone straight to the Western Paradise at his ancient age.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Abbot!¡±

    However, even so, Master Lechi still had his eyes closed and his attention was not focused, and the anxious monks were in a chaotic state.

    Amidst the chaos, someone called out, "Master is in this state now. The Fushou Festival on the first day of August will be missed.¡±

    ¡°That''s natural! Quickly send someone to notify the palace, saying that Senior Brother Jie Nian died unexpectedly, causing physical and mental damage to his Master. It''s impossible to host the Supreme Emperor''s longevity party.¡±

    ¡°Would this be disrespectful to the Supreme Emperor?¡±

    ¡°I can''t care so much! Three monks died in the temple, and the government hasn''t even said a word. Even Senior Brother Jie Nian is dead now. If the Supreme Emperor wants to blame us, he can¡¯t blame us either.¡±

    Upon hearing this, everyone in the Central Judicial Office had already lowered their faces.

 Chapter 457: An Immature Inference

    Chapter 457: An Immature Inference

    When they heard this, everyone in the Central Judicial Office had already lowered their faces.

    The monks wanted to push off the Fu Shou Festival of the Supreme Emperor, although they had thought on behalf of Master Lechi; more importantly, they were taking the opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction with the Central Judicial Office.

    In normal times, they might not be able to achieve their wishes.

    But at present, the Supreme Emperor was holding back his evil anger due to ¡±household matters.¡± If he took advantage of the situation and reduced his anger, it wouldn¡¯t be a pleasant situation if he were to punish the people in the Criminal Department one by one!

    Of course, Sun Shaozong might be an exception; after all, he has just come out of the Crown Prince''s Residence, and no matter what, it couldn¡¯t be blamed on him.

    But how could Sun Shaozong, as the Chief Official of the Criminal Department, be left out alone at this time?

    So without hesitation, he stepped out of the crowd and forced the monks to calm down with a cold and stern gaze. He then said solemnly, "Now, due to the Crown Prince case, Your Majesty and the Supreme Emperor have been restless all night, and the court is in a mess. The Fayuan Temple has always been under the protection of the royal family. Now won¡¯t you think of praying for the Crown Prince, but instead, you want to stir up the Supreme Emperor Fu Shou Festival? What is your intention?¡±

    Originally, the monks wanted to borrow the name of the Supreme Emperor to exert pressure on the Central Judicial Office, but unexpectedly, Sun Shaozong turned the tables.

    At present, a monk said angrily, "We naturally don''t want to ruin the Fu Shou Festival of the Supreme Emperor. However, after half a month of investigation, more monks have died, but there is no explanation from the Central Judicial Office until now.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Sun Shaozong snorted and interrupted the person''s accusation. His gaze flashed around, and he sneered, "I ordered the temporary detention of five people, including Jie Chen, on that day until the truth about Jie Xian''s death is found out.¡±

    ¡°However, I was ordered to go to the Crown Prince''s Residence to investigate the imperial case, and you went to the Central Judicial Office to make a fuss and even saved Jie Chen and others, which is why the murderer was able to continue to act aggressively. Now that you are unwilling to reflect on your actions, why do you want to blame me for this crime?¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, I only took over this case again today. What about the previous ¡±half a month¡± and what does it have to do with me?¡±

    This statement was not completely irrefutable, but Sun Shaozong''s aura was enough to make up for those omissions, making the present monks speechless, and there was no complete response for a while.

    ¡°Amitabha Buddha.¡±

    At this moment, Monk Lechi suddenly recited the Buddhist name and raised his head, trembling. His wrinkled eyes drooped, and two tears the size of beans squeezed out. He muttered to himself, "I never thought, I never thought you and I had been apprentices for over thirty years, but today... Sigh¡±

    He looked up with a long sigh and barely straightened up, saying, "Fortunately, Lord Sun has personally come here now. It won''t be long before we can find out the truth and uphold justice.¡±

    As he spoke, he clasped his palms and said solemnly, "Your Excellency Sun, everything is up to you.¡±

    The old monk''s ¡±awakening¡± was just right!

    With Sun Shaozong''s eyesight, it was also difficult to distinguish whether he had just been dizzy or fake dizzy. Therefore, he could only respond with a courtesy, "Master, there''s no need to be too polite. This is my job, and I will do my best to arrest the murderer as soon as possible.¡±

    Upon hearing the words, Lechi repeatedly nodded and ordered all the disciples in the temple to open the convenient door to help Sun Shaozong solve the case as soon as possible so that Jie Nian and others could avenge their grievances.

    All the disciples were a bit embarrassed, but it was not easy to report the recent incident, so they had to answer with a muffled head first.

    Sun Shaozong, of course, wouldn¡¯t be polite either. On one hand, he ordered someone to temporarily block Gongde Forest and prevent anyone from approaching at will, especially near the crime scene, where people were required to be stationed day and night. On the other hand, he held a chicken feather as an arrow and took this opportunity to conduct a thorough investigation inside the temple.

    Of course, in addition to abstaining from contemplating the actions before death, an investigation should also be conducted into the matter of ¡±Mrs. Fan.¡±

    However, the monks in the temple were very taboo about the matter of ¡±Mrs. Fan,¡± and apart from the well-known ¡±rumors,¡± nothing new has been discovered.

    It was a disciple of Jie Nian who provided an unknown piece of information, whether it was useful or not.

    ¡°A letter?¡±

    Private Advisor Qi further questioned, "What is the basis for your inference? It can''t be imagined out of thin air, can it?¡±

    ¡°Based on...¡±

    Sun Shaozong spread his hands and said, "I was just choosing between two. If the culprit is between the only remaining Jie Chen and Jie Xiu, I would prefer that Jie Xiu is the culprit.¡±

    ¡°After all, from all the collected data, it seems that the relationship between Jie Chen and Jie Nian can only be described as dangerous or evil. If Jie Chen invites in a person and Jie Nian is always cautious, he may not easily take risks alone.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, if it is Jie Xiu who has already ¡±cleared the suspicion,¡± the cautiousness of Jie Nian towards it will not be so heavy. As long as Jie Xiu has an appropriate bait, he should be able to deceive him into committing crimes in the Gongde Forest.¡±

    ¡°If Jie Xiu were the murderer, it would be difficult to explain Jie Shi''s death; after all, he was being guarded by three monks at the time and had no opportunity to commit the crime.¡±

    ¡°But what if he''s not the only culprit?¡±

    ¡°What if he has another accomplice?¡±

    ¡°Jie Xiu and Jie Ming, as close friends, have been monks in the Fayuan Temple for over ten years together. Their relationship is not ordinary, and if Jie Xiu is the main culprit, and if he wants to find someone to conspire with, Jie Ming is naturally the best choice.¡±

    ¡°After making the above inference, I focused on questioning the temperament of these two people normally.¡±

    ¡°Jie Xiu is the best at adapting to circumstances, but he also likes to dig into the corners of an ox, and he is often a bit jealous and holds a grudge.¡±

    ¡°Jie Ming has a relatively simple mind. When impulsive, he disregards the consequences, but later on, it often leads to regret and makes the opposite choice as at the time.¡±

    ¡°When the two of them get along, he always prioritizes being absolutely obedient.¡±

    ¡°Based on their temperament and relationship, I have made the following inference.¡±

    ¡°First of all, Monk Jiexiu doesn''t know why, whether it''s acting on behalf of heaven or trying to clean up the door; in short, he has developed a killing intention towards Jiexian and others and even dragged Jieming into the water.¡±

    ¡°On the day of the solar eclipse, he may have already set a plan to, with the assistance of Jie Ming, take the opportunity to kill Jie Xian.¡±

    ¡°Unexpectedly, the plan could not keep up with the changes, and a solar eclipse occurred midway. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so Jie Xiu simply killed Jie Xian in the darkness.¡±

    ¡°Afterward, he deliberately violated the rules by having a verbal fight to create an alibi and have Jie Ming kill Jie Chi.¡±

    ¡°Following this logic, we should continue to infer that the next step is for Jie Ming to create an alibi and then get Jie Chi to kill Jie Nian.¡±

    ¡°However, at this moment, the old habit of Jie Ming has been committed. He regrets participating in this killing game and wants to quit, and may even want to surrender.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, at this point, Jie Xiu was already in a position where he couldn¡¯t turn back. He has always been a master who loves to take unnecessary pains to study an insignificant problem. Thus, he simply fooled Jie Ming out of the temple and took the opportunity to kill him.¡±

    ¡°Jie Ming may not have expected to take action against him during the martial arts recess. He was momentarily stunned, or for other reasons, he didn¡¯t have time to resist.¡±

    ¡°As for why Jie Chi made a troublesome scene of Jie Ming¡¯s murder, I haven''t figured it out yet, using an iron chisel to nail him to the ground.¡±

    ¡°In short, Jie Chi used some trick again today to deceive Jie Nian into the Gongde Forest and then killed him in some way, intending to fabricate the illusion of a demon dog killing people.¡±

    After listening to Sun Shaozong''s lengthy and extensive discourse, everyone remained silent for a long time before Private Advisor Qi nodded first and said, "Your Excellency Sun''s inference can indeed make sense, but...¡±

    He hesitated at this point and seemed embarrassed to point out Sun Shaozong''s omissions.

    Sun Shaozong immediately took the initiative to intervene and said with a bitter smile, "After all, the inference can only remain as an inference, and the most important key evidence is missing. Therefore, even if the logic is reasonable, it is difficult to convict based on this.¡±

 Chapter 458: The Clues Are Naturally Formed, and They Are Obtained by Chance

    Chapter 458: The Clues Are Naturally Formed, and They Are Obtained by Chance

    The night was approaching.

    Sun Shaozong frowned as he got off the carriage and headed towards his backyard while still pondering the serial murders at Fayuan Temple.

    The murderer was undoubtedly a bold and meticulous person who had committed several crimes without leaving any trace, especially in the last one. Until now, Sun Shaozong has not figured out how the murderer killed Jie Nian at close range without leaving any footprints.

    Although when leaving Fayuan Temple, he already decided to send more personnel tomorrow to expand the scope of searching for the murder weapon, the murderer shouldn¡¯t risk returning to Fayuan Temple with the dagger of caution and the murder weapon after killing. Therefore, it was highly likely that he abandoned the murder weapon in the nearby mountains and forests.

    But even if they could find the murder weapon, what could they do?

    Nowadays, fingerprint identification technology was very rough, and it was difficult to compare even if it was slightly blurry. Unless there were obvious traces, such as blood fingerprints, it couldn¡¯t be done accurately at all.

    And compared to the murder weapon, the killer''s technique was the most crucial.

    ¡°These bright yellow ones should be planted in the outermost circle, next to those yellow and white ones! Don''t get them in the wrong position; otherwise, any flower will wither if you make such a fuss again.¡±

    Sun Shaozong was rushing towards the backyard in a daze when he heard a calm and crisp voice coming from outside the corridor. He instinctively followed the sound and saw Yuanyang standing on a gravel-paved path, commanding a group of servants to replant chrysanthemums.

    Although the weather was getting colder now, afterheat was not just for fun. How could the newly transplanted flower seedlings withstand a whole day of exposure to the sun?

    So choosing to plant in the evening was the most correct choice.

    Today, Yuanyang has taken off her coir raincoat and happened to be wearing a narrow-waisted floral pomegranate skirt, making her tight waist appear even more awkward to grip. Her breasts and buttocks, which were not originally plump, also appeared particularly enchanting and graceful amidst the willow waist.

    In terms of the slender waist and limbs, among the women that Sun Shaozong had experienced, perhaps only the mistress of the Ningguo Mansion, You-Shi, could be compared to her. However, You-Shi was originally a petite figure, while Yuanyang was a tall figure, which was naturally even more rare.

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but turn his gaze around Yuanyang a few times before reluctantly taking it back. He only glanced at half of it, but his gaze suddenly froze and fell straight onto the open space near the flower bed.

    Sun Shaozong simply grabbed her arch and held the thick embroidered shoes in his palm to carefully observe.

    On the inch-thick wooden base, an elliptical flower was carved using relief techniques, and the veins of the footprints and petals were precisely caused by the varying depths of the grooves above.

    This shares similarities and differences with the patterns on the soles of later generations. The difference was that the patterns on the soles of later generations were designed to prevent slipping, while the patterns on the bottom of these embroidered shoes were purely for beauty.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    At the same time, Yuanyang¡¯s jade feet were gripped with a big hand like a cattail fan, and Yuanyang couldn''t help but exclaim, determined to break free from the constraints, but how could it withstand Sun Shaozong''s brute force?

    Feeling ashamed and annoyed for a moment, she didn''t know what to do, but suddenly she felt a slight sensation on her arch. Sun Shaozong took the initiative to let go and stood up thoughtfully, saying, "Is it that the murderer used a method that was a mixture of the genuine with the fictitious?¡±

    After muttering a few words to himself, he turned a blind eye to Yuanyang and ran towards the mansion door with enthusiasm. From afar, he shouted, "Hurry up, quickly put the carriage back on, and take me to Fayuan Temple! Also, send someone to notify the Yamen, and have them send Jie Xiu and Jie Chen to Fayuan Temple.¡±

    When Yuanyang watched him go away, she didn''t know whether to be grateful or ashamed. Looking back, she saw the servants in the mansion looking at her with a stern expression on their faces. She couldn''t help but fork her waist and stomp her feet, saying coquettishly, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and plant the chrysanthemums. Otherwise, if we delay like this again, no one will get to eat tonight.¡±

    When everyone saw that she had become domineering, they hurriedly and nervously rushed around.

    However, when no one noticed her, Yuanyang stood back on the path with a straight face, but her heart became increasingly restless, feeling as if her left foot was warm and had been branded with something.

    That night, Sun Shaozong made a mistake while busy, and the scene of holding herself in his arms and massaging recklessly was still lingering in her mind.

    Spit~ Spit~ Spit~

    She specified that she was being led astray by Ping¡¯er; otherwise, how could she keep thinking about these shameless things?

    Yuanyang spat three times in her heart, trying to suppress the chaotic thoughts in her heart, and regaining her composure to command the scene.

 Chapter 459: Tracing

    Chapter 459: Tracing

    During the day, the Gongde Forest in Fayuan Temple was solemn, especially the Buddha statue reliefs on the stele, each with a solemn and dignified appearance, showcasing a scene of Buddhist purity.

    In the night, when he was in the midst of it, he could see the stone tablet, and he felt that there was only a little difference between the graveyard.

    Especially from time to time, a few wild dog barks were coming from nowhere, and those with less courage might not dare to go deep into them.

    Sun Shaozong''s courage was unquestionable, so when he arrived at Fayuan Temple, to rush, he simply walked past the temple gate. He walked directly around the back of the temple without even picking a lantern and quickly entered the Gongde Forest.

    Although it was difficult to discern the location in the darkness, Sun Shaozong easily found the scene of the murder by following the only light of the fire.

    The several Yamen guards guarding this place were originally sitting around the campfire on the ground when they saw Sun Shaozong suddenly appear and hurriedly climb up to salute.

    It was not easy to be on duty in the wilderness on this big night. Sun Shaozong had originally intended to encourage them with a few words to demonstrate his consistent people-oriented style, but as soon as he approached, he smelled a sour and foul smell of alcohol.

    Obviously, these guys were just gathering around and secretly drinking alcohol.

    He was so speechless that he didn''t bother to waste any more time. He only gave a straightforward command and said, "Get me a torch.¡±

    The Yamen officials knew they had violated the rules and were already timid, afraid that Sun Shaozong would blame them. Upon hearing that he had not pursued them, they immediately felt pardoned and competed with each other to grab a torch. They lit a torch made of bark and rosin and respectfully delivered it to Sun Shaozong.

    Sun Shaozong took the torch and circled the scene to find the footprints he had stepped on during the day. Only then did he cautiously reach the location of Jie Nian''s lying corpse and lean down to carefully examine the dog paw prints on the ground.

    Previously, Sun Shaozong roughly inferred from the flower relief on the soles of Yuanyang¡¯s shoes that the killer might have used a similar technique to carve the shape of a dog''s paw on the soles of the shoes. After committing the crime, he drove the nearby wild dogs over and hid his footprints in a mixture of fish and eyes.

    This technique, if there was only one dog paw on each sole, mixed with numerous messy dog paw prints, was naturally indistinguishable.

    However, the claws of ordinary wild dogs were much smaller than the soles of human feet. If only one dog claw were carved, the killer would be like stepping on stilts, which was difficult to maintain balance. Moreover, on the wet and slippery ground after rain, the difficulty of committing the crime was simply outrageous.

    And once a loophole was discovered by Jie Nian, he could be killed in minutes!

    Sun Shaozong''s spirit was lifted, and he originally intended to immediately investigate and explore with the torch, but he almost burned his finger before realizing that the torch had already burned less than a foot long.

    ¡°Give me a new torch quickly.¡±

    So he hurriedly asked the Yamen attendant behind him for an unused torch, lit it with an old one, and then searched the ground inch by inch.

    Not long after, Sun Shaozong discovered some fresh sawdust among the footprints.

    The murderer was indeed a cautious person, even splitting the dog paw print shoe into pieces before discarding it!

    Rubbing the solid and heavy wood shavings, Sun Shaozong looked up at the dense jungle not far away and immediately dispelled the idea of searching for fragments and murder weapons. Not to mention whether they could be found with the ignited torch while going in. If he accidentally ignited a mountain fire, it was not for fun.

    So he carefully put away the fragments and carefully searched nearby.

    This time, it took him about two-quarters of an hour to discover two threads that had been stepped into the mud in the middle of a footprint.

    These two thin threads were only about the thickness of the hair, slightly curved, and presented a dark yellow color. They were only half the length of a nail cap, but Sun Shaozong carefully squeezed them out of the mud and carefully examined them in front of him for a while; his expression was like he found a treasure and burst into laughter.

    Unfortunately, the identity of the Yamen attendant around him was too low, and no one came up to ask, ¡±Why are you laughing?¡± This greatly reduced his surprise.

    So after laughing a few times, Sun Shaozong raised his hand and said firmly, "Let''s go; follow me to the temple to identify the real culprit.¡±

    As the saying goes, ¡±cleverness is often mistaken by itself.¡± If the murderer didn¡¯t set up a mechanism and attempted to link the death of Jie Nian with the demon and only discarded the murder weapon after killing, Sun Shaozong might not have been able to catch him.

    But for now...

    If Sun Shaozong''s expectations were not bad, just a simple examination could reveal the true culprit!

 Chapter 460: Nowhere to Hide

    Chapter 460: Nowhere to Hide

    When Sun Shaozong arrived at the Fayuan Temple, not only were Jie Chen and Jie Xiu already brought over, but also Wei Ruolan, Qiu Yunfei, and Private Advisor Qi had been waiting in the hall for a long time.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong''s dusty entrance from outside, Qiu Yunfei stepped forward and widened his eyes, saying curiously, "Your Excellency, you''ve had two Buddhist monks brought back to the temple in the middle of the night. Have you found any important clues?¡±

    They all said not to scold the monk, a bald man in front of them. He was so daring. He shouted in the temple, and many monks were angry at him.

    But...

    Whether they were happy or not...

    As long as they solve this serial case, were they still afraid that they would sue to the Supreme Emperor for a few words of ¡±bald donkey?!¡±

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong was also too lazy to correct Qiu Yunfei''s statement, and the corner of his mouth was slightly tilted. He smiled and said, "You guessed it. I have discovered a key clue. If my inference is correct, just a simple examination can determine who the culprit is.¡±

    ¡°Really? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Amitabha Buddha.¡±

    Without waiting for Qiu Yunfei to ask again, Master Lechi behind him had already stepped out of the crowd and proclaimed the Buddhist name, "I dare to ask Lord Sun, how do we verify it? As long as we can make the culprit show his true form, everyone in my temple will follow.¡±

    ¡°There''s no need to be so serious.¡±

    Sun Shaozong smiled, and his gaze fell on Jie Xiu and Jie Chen, then slowly moved down and stopped on their dark blue single shoes. He then lifted his hand and pointed, "Just ask the two Masters to take off their shoes and socks, and you''ll know at a glance.¡±

    Just to take off their shoes and socks to find out?

    Everyone was somewhat puzzled. Could he tell who the killer was by looking at their feet?

    Jie Chen couldn''t help but sneer and chuckle. "Your Excellency wouldn''t think that the murderer has two dog claws, right?¡±

    However, despite mocking in his mouth, he still bent down to take off the cloth shoes on his feet.

    However, what Monk Jie Xiu said was not entirely unreasonable. Based solely on some sawdust, it was indeed impossible to determine who the culprit was. Even if a complete wooden clog was found, it seemed that it could only confirm Sun Shaozong''s inference but couldn¡¯t prove who the culprit was.

    ¡°By relying solely on some sawdust, it is not possible.¡±

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong took out another handkerchief from his sleeve pocket, carefully spread it out, and showed it to the crowd. "But when combined with these two hemp threads, it is enough to reveal the true culprit without a doubt.¡±

    Hemp thread?

    The crowd became even more puzzled. Qiu Yunfei, Wei Ruolan, Private Advisor Qi, and even Master Lechi personally stepped forward to take a look, only to see that they were just two small ordinary hemp threads. It seemed that the shape had fallen from a certain hemp rope, but where was there anything strange?

    ¡°What a joke.¡±

    Jie Xiu raised his head and sneered, "Two pieces of hemp thread and a few pieces of sawdust have been so captivated by Lord Sun. I''m really curious now. What kind of ironclad evidence can you see from these two thin threads?¡±

    Faced with his aggressive attitude, Sun Shaozong became increasingly confident and grinned, "To put it simply, it''s very simple.¡±

    ¡°The texture of this sawdust is tough and sturdy, and it should be made of wood such as red sandalwood, which is used to carve Buddha statues. Although it is locally sourced in the temple and reduces the risk of purchasing wood outside, the weight of this pair of wooden clogs is much heavier than that of ordinary wooden clogs.¡±

    ¡°Especially the killer widened and lengthened the wooden clogs to try to separate the three dog claws as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, such a pair of heavy wooden clogs are meant to be worn to commit murder. How can they be as loose as ordinary wooden clogs? Naturally, they must be tightly bound to their feet.¡±

    Sun Shaozong reached out two fingers and said, "The murderer has two options. One is to simply make a pair of shoes [boots with wooden clog soles].¡±

    ¡°However, although shoes are convenient to wear and use, the difficulty of making them is somewhat high. Moreover, with too many materials used, it is easy to expose flaws. Besides, why bother making a pair of shoes that will be thrown away after use?¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the killer chose the second plan, which was to make ordinary wooden clogs and then wear a few more hemp ropes and tie them to their feet for reinforcement.¡±

    ¡°However...¡±

    Sun Shaozong''s smile turned cold at the corners of his mouth, and he stared at Jie Xiu''s feet, saying, "Walking with such heavy wooden clogs firmly tied to their feet, the drop force is incomparable to ordinary wooden clogs. Even with single shoes on their feet, they will inevitably leave scars.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I have concluded that as long as you take off my shoes and socks, the murderer will have nowhere to hide.¡±

 Chapter 461: The Truth is Being Revealed When the Shoes Are Removed

    Chapter 461: The Truth is Being Revealed When the Shoes Are Removed

    After listening to Sun Shaozong''s seemingly simple yet mysterious inference, everyone''s gaze fell on the feet of the two of them, Jie Chen and Jie Xiu.

    Jie Chen was straightforward and firm, supporting the disciple beside him. With a few strokes, he removed his shoes and socks and lifted his pig''s hoof with a sour and rotten odor.

    ¡°Look, look carefully! Look at my poor monk''s feet and see if there are any marks on them.¡±

    The people who were choking with the smell were all stunned, and even Sun Shaozong couldn''t resist it. He covered his nose and briefly looked at him, then hurriedly asked him to wear it back.

    Then, all eyes focused on Jie Xiu alone, but he turned pale and didn''t make any movements for a long time.

    Now everyone naturally became suspicious, and Monk Lechi angrily scolded, "Stop taking a break; quickly take off your shoes and socks!¡±

    Jie Xiu gritted his teeth and bent down to remove his shoes and socks, revealing two feet with several red and swollen marks. However, amidst the exclamation of everyone, he loudly protested, "Even if there are marks on my feet, what can I do?! Don''t forget, the night Jie Chi was killed, I was punished for kneeling in the hall until dawn; how could it be...¡±

    ¡°Your trick has already been exposed by our Lord.¡±

    Qiu Yunfei disdainfully interrupted his words and sneered, "Monk Jie Nian is your accomplice. He killed Jie Chi that day, but afterward, you two had a disagreement, so you nailed Jie Nian to death outside the mountain gate.¡±

    Most people in the Central Judicial Office were aware of this inference, but the monks in the hall heard it for the first time and immediately became heated.

    ¡°That''s right, that''s right. Jie Nian has always been obedient to Jie Xiu.¡±

    ¡°But after all, this is murder...¡±

    ¡°So what? When Jie Nian''s temper rises, let alone killing at night, he even dares to kill you during the day.¡±

    ¡°Amitabha.¡±

    Seeing the chaos in the main hall, Monk Lechi shouted a Buddhist name, suppressed everyone''s discussion, and then narrowed his eyes to question Jie Xiu. "Jie Xiu, is what Lord Qiu just said the truth?¡±

    Jie Xiu opened his mouth and deliberately continued to defend, but upon seeing Sun Shaozong''s confident appearance across from him, he felt that no matter how cunning he was, it would no longer be helpful.

    So he simply smashed the jar and roared in anger, "That''s right, I killed them all! But so what?! I''m doing justice for heaven; I''m cleaning up the shameless scumbags of the Buddha who violated the rules.¡±

    Speaking of this, he could no longer care about his superiority or inferiority. He gritted his teeth and pointed at Monk Lechi, saying, "I didn''t want to kill them like this. It was you, you all, who were indiscriminate and secretly biased towards Jie Nian, that forced me to come up with this plan.¡±

    ¡°She is also someone with a husband and children now. Once this matter is leaked, how do you let her and her family deal with it?¡±

    ¡°By then, no matter how big the world be at that time, I''m afraid there won''t be any more place for her to go.¡±

    ¡°Instead of that, it would be better for me to personally remove these evils. Firstly, let them atone for their sins with death, and secondly, they can also protect her well.¡±

    ¡°Amitabha.¡±

    At this point, he folded his palms and recited the Buddha''s name, revealing a dignified aura of treasure. He said grandly, "The Buddha said, ¡±If I don''t go to hell, who goes to hell?¡± I''m just doing what a monk should do.¡±

    Intimidated by the piety on his face, all the monks were stunned and speechless.

    At this moment, Sun Shaozong laughed and said, "So, if you eliminate your closest friends, you are also following the meaning of Buddha, am I right?¡±

    Upon hearing him talk about this, Jie Xiu''s face turned into a solemn and ferocious expression, and he raised his neck and hissed, "I don''t want to; I didn¡¯t want to kill him! But he... But he didn¡¯t understand the principle of eliminating evil! He wanted to let go of Jie Nian, the mastermind behind the scenes, and pull me out of the Capital together.¡±

    ¡°Seeing that I refused to agree, he even threatened me with surrendering to the government.¡±

    ¡°I am also forced to do it, so I just...¡±

    ¡°So you killed him?¡±

    Sun Shaozong said curiously, "But even if you want to kill him, there''s no need to go to great lengths to pierce his heart with an iron chisel; is there any special significance in doing so?¡±

    Seeing Sun Shaozong, he didn''t care how he should defend himself but was curious about his killing techniques and what kind of mystery he was hiding.

    Jie Xiu''s aura couldn''t help but weaken a bit, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I had made up my mind to write blood letters next to his body, taking the opportunity to lure suspicion toward Senior Jie Chen.¡±

    ¡°But I didn''t expect... I didn''t expect that when Jie Nian found out that I was about to kill him, he didn''t even show any resistance at all, but instead looked like he was about to be released with ease.¡±

    ¡°So after I killed him, my heart became inexplicably flustered, and I forgot to write the bloody words.¡±

    Damn~

    No wonder Sun Shaozong pondered hard and couldn''t even guess the purpose of Jie Xiu''s actions. The emotional plan was only halfway through and ended in misstep!

 Chapter 462: Old Madam Wangs Little Scheme

    Chapter 462: Old Madam Wang''s Little Scheme

    | Daoxiang Village. |

    This, of course, didn¡¯t refer to the dim sum shop of later generations, but Li Wan¡¯s residence in the Grand View Garden.

    Unlike the magnificent winding roads in other places, this Daoxiang Village was surrounded by pastoral farmhouses, giving it a picturesque suburban atmosphere. Therefore, Li Wan gave it the nickname ¡±Daoxiang Village.¡±

    This morning, because Baoyu had already led Jia Lan to the Sun family early in the morning, the girls in the garden had nothing to do, and they were afraid that Li Wan would be anxious to wait at home alone, so they all gathered in this Daoxiang Village to chat and have a good time.

    Li Wan sat on a black pottery mound, initially responding to the crowd with a few words. However, as she waited and waited, her son didn¡¯t return. It was inevitable that she became restless, and her words gradually diminished.

    Xue Baochai was always considerate. Seeing that she was silent and forced to laugh, she was already in no mood to greet the sisters. She then stood up and pointed out to the outside with a smile, "When I just came here, I saw that the grapes on the shelf were ripe. This is the first time grapes have grown in the garden. We can''t let the old farmer eat alone. Let¡¯s hurry and pick it, and we Sisters can also have a taste together!"

    ¡°I, I, I, I''ll go pick it!¡±

    Tanchun was the first to answer, and Daiyu and Xichun also joked that they wanted to go together. So the three of them begged Li Wan for scissors, fruit plates, and other things and went to the courtyard with a smile.

    At this moment, Xue Baochai stepped forward and lightly touched Li Wan''s shoulder with a white jade-like wrist. She comforted her in a soft voice and said, "Sister-in-law, don''t worry. Since Lord Sun made peace from it, I think it''s mostly because Brother Bao was greedy for the wine and delayed.¡±

    Li Wan didn''t even know that Sun Shaozong was trying his best to promote this matter. There shouldn''t be any twists and turns in Jia Lan''s apprenticeship. As a mother, she was worried about her son, and it couldn''t be erased.

    So she took Baochai''s with her backhand and said with a wry smile, "I naturally know that. I just can''t wait for a definite message, to have a sigh of relief in my heart.¡±

    During her speech, she only felt that Baochai''s little hands were warm, delicate, and weak without bones. Even the brocade that was treasured by Imperial might not have such a delicate touch.

    For a moment, Li Wan had some ulterior impulses. She wished she could tightly embrace the jade-like person around her and learn from Sun Erlang''s ¡±rude¡± methods.

    It was just that Xue Baochai was not Suyun after all, and she couldn''t tolerate the ¡±manipulation¡± of rubbing and flattening. Even if she made some intimate moves, she needed to find a suitable reason first.

    But for this reason...

    It was ready-made!

    Sigh~

    Li Wan suddenly let out a faint sigh and took the opportunity to encircle Xue Baochai''s slender waist. She whispered, "Don''t talk about me anymore; let''s talk about yourself. Although the Madam has already made up her mind, these young men and girls are constantly struggling with each other. If there were any unforeseen circumstances...¡±

    Although she didn¡¯t fully clarify, Xue Baochai naturally knew who this ¡±young man and girl¡± referred to.

    So Xue Baochai shook her head slightly and said firmly, "Sister Lin is not someone who doesn''t know how to love herself.¡±

    She only mentioned Lin Daiyu but didn''t mention Jia Baoyu at all. Obviously, she wasn''t very confident about the self-control ability of Brother Bao.

    Then she smiled again and said, "Sometimes there must be in life, and when there is no time in life, do not force it. If these two people can truly achieve good results, I will only be happy for them.¡±

    ¡°In front of me, what are you talking about?¡±

    Li Wan sneered and said half truthfully, "Let me listen to your heart; was it as indifferent as you say?¡±

    As he spoke, she pressed the cloud-like hair all over Xue Baochai''s forehead, and her left ear was even more impartial, pressing it against half of the round edge.

    Ah~

    Xue Baochai was startled and was about to dodge, but her waist had already been tightly grasped by Li Wan. How could she break free in a moment?

    Feeling Li Wan rubbing back and forth on her chest, not as if she wanted to listen to any heartfelt feelings, but as if she wanted to bury her face in her belly, she couldn''t help but blush and say, "Sister-in-law, don''t do this. It made me itch.¡±

    But Li Wan didn''t raise her head and said, "Itch is right; it proves that you didn''t tell the truth just now.¡±

    The voice was faintly muffled; it turned out that she had already buried her mouth and nose in Xue Baochai''s chest. As she spoke, the hot breath from her mouth penetrated through layers of fabric, causing Xue Baochai to have small bumps all over her body.

    Xue Baochai felt extremely ashamed and deliberately pushed her away, but Li Wan was also a woman and had always been good friends with her. How could she act recklessly due to some absurd actions?

    Jia Zheng frowned and questioned, "What exactly did you mean by that just now?¡±

    ¡°It doesn''t mean anything else.¡±

    Old Madam Wang hesitated and said, "If your eldest sister wins and gives birth to a Prince, the situation in our family will be very different, especially if Baoyu is her younger brother.¡±

    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    Jia Zheng glared in surprise and asked incredulously, "Do you think that Niece Xue is not worthy of Baoyu again?¡±

    ¡°At the moment, it seems like a good match, but if... but if...¡±

    Although Old Madam Wang couldn''t say everything completely, her meaning was clear.

    At present, in this situation, once Jia Yuanchun was fortunate enough to give birth to a Prince, the future of the Jia family wouldn¡¯t only be dominated by power but would also become the leader of the nobility like the Niu family.

    At that time, Jia Baoyu would also become a serious uncle of the state, and with the Xue family''s background, it seemed a bit out of class. Therefore, Old Madam Wang had been thinking about it for the past few days and had the idea of ¡±having the best of both worlds.¡±

    ¡°If you haven''t finished speaking to the Sun family''s Erlang yet, why don''t we delay a bit equivocally?" She said, "If the eldest sister can give birth to a Prince, it''s better to push the boat and arrange a marriage between the two families. Sun is also one of the few young talents in the world, and he''s not much worse than our family''s Baoyu. I think my younger sister won''t object too.¡±

    Children were indeed the best in their family, even though Sun Shaozong, a leading figure of the young generation, was still inferior to her son in Old Madam Wang''s eyes.

    If, after two years, the eldest sister still hasn''t given birth to a Prince, then she could promise Baoyu to arrange Baochai for his marriage.

    It has to be said that Old Madam Wang''s little plan was exceptional.

    Jia Zheng was dumbfounded when he heard this, and after a while, he shook his sleeve and said angrily, "You really take over all the good things in this world! Just by speaking over here, it will cause Sun Erlang to delay for two years. If the Baochai was promised to our family at that time, how will I explain it to Sun Erlang?¡±

    ¡°Sun Erlang is now of the fifth rank, and his Big Brother is also accelerating in his career. If we end up on their bad side due to the malicious calculation to harm his family for your sake, isn''t it not worth the loss?¡±

    Old Madam Wang, with her divine presence, stood still despite Jia Zheng''s harsh words.

    It wasn''t until Jia Zheng''s reprimand came to an end that she put on the look of a clever person with a great plan and said, "It''s not easy. When you talk to him about marriage, you just tell him your niece, and never mention Baochai''s name again.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng was momentarily stunned, unsure of the differences between this statement and the previous one.

    But looking at Old Madam Wang''s face full of color, she suddenly realized and blurted out, "You... Do you mean to use Daiyu to offset it then?¡±

    In terms of subdivision, Xue Baochai could be considered the niece of Old Madam Wang, while Lin Daiyu was the niece of Jia Zheng. Of course, Xichun could also be considered Jia Zheng''s niece. However, Xichun''s identity was one notch short, and she was not destined to become the mistress of the Sun family.

    Old Madam Wang nodded and said, "Didn''t you still defend Lady Lin against injustice last time? Sun Erlang doesn''t seem to have insulted her, does he?¡±

    ¡°As for Sun Erlang, with the appearance of Lady Lin, even Baoyu is difficult to resist. Are you afraid that Sun Erlang will be unwilling?¡±

    He originally thought that she wanted to use Lin Daiyu as a supplement, but when she said so, it seemed like she had the best of both worlds.

    Jia Zheng was stunned and stared directly at Old Madam Wang, to whom he had been married for thirty years, like he had only recently met her.

    After a while, before shaking his head and saying, "Even if Sun Erlang is willing, how can your precious son be willing to do it? Daiyu has always had an idea; I''m afraid she may not comply.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    Old Madam Wang said decisively, "The words of a matchmaker are the orders of our parents. We can¡¯t manage the marriages of others. Can''t we still decide on Baoyu''s marriage? If Lady Lin and Baoyu can''t make it, it''s for her sake to make plans early.¡±

    As she spoke, seeing Jia Zheng still disagreeing, Old Madam Wang''s tone became much stronger, and she said with a stern face, "You want to take the harmful spirit southward, until I can''t control this? Can''t I even make decisions for my son now?¡±

    In this matter, Jia Zheng ultimately felt guilty and felt that regardless of whether Xue Baochai or Lin Daiyu, being able to marry a young and talented person like Sun Shaozong was much better than marrying his son.

    So he finally let out a deep sigh and said, "Alright, I''ll just follow your example this time. Before I leave, I''ll go to the Sun family and bother about it again, and finalize this matter with ambiguity.¡±

    After speaking, he glared again and said, "But don''t change your mind in the future.¡±

 Chapter 463: Murder a Person with a Borrowed Knife

    Chapter 463: Murder a Person with a Borrowed Knife

    No, not right!

    This was not the time for wild thoughts!

    Sun Shaozong quickly put aside his thoughts, carefully pushed the cabinet door open a gap, and raised his left eye to look out.

    He saw a young man wearing a bright yellow python robe, led by the attendant, enter the inner room.

    In terms of appearance, this young man could be described as imposing.

    But the python robe on his body appeared too plump; even though it was tied around his waist with a jade belt, his upper and lower ends were still loose, making people couldn''t help but think of the words ¡±a snobbish social climber.¡±

    But the young man didn''t feel anything wrong, so he bowed and said with a strong sense of pride, "Younger brother, Wu Chengxun, have met His Highness.¡±

    ¡°Greeting? Haha... Hahaha...¡±

    The Crown Prince lay on the bed, gritting his teeth and raising his head with a sneer, leading the attendants hurriedly to cushion him with a pillow. Unexpectedly, he was scolded by him, and the servant fled in confusion.

    After cursing the maid away, the Crown Prince sneered and said, "Do you want to see my joke, or you can¡¯t wait to take over from me and sit as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty?¡±

    ¡°I dare not!¡±

    Wu Chengxun quickly bent his body 90 degrees again and exclaimed wrongly, "I, although overjoyed after receiving the will of the Holy One, was not happy to be crowned Prince. I am glad to finally be able to me you.¡±

    As he spoke, he lifted his head and tried to squeeze out an inexplicable expression of sadness, "I heard that you had been assassinated a month ago. I was anxious. I wished I could come immediately to share the joys and sorrows with you, but due to the rules, I was not allowed to enter.¡±

    ¡°Haha... Hahaha...¡±

    The Crown Prince burst out laughing a few times, then his face sank again, and he said in a hateful voice, "Are you a fool? You and the Niu family have always had the same nostrils to vent out anger, and at the moment, I''m afraid you can''t wait for me to die early to replace me...¡±

    Upon hearing this, Wu Chengxun hurriedly threw himself to the ground with a loud thud and exclaimed, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I dare not have such thoughts! I and National Uncle Niu have only a few connections, and there is no intention of forming a clique with him for personal gain.¡±

    ¡°Forming alliances for personal gain?¡±

    The Crown Prince sneered again and said, "You have become the son-in-law of the Niu family; do you still need to form a clique for personal gain?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Alright, you don''t have to explain anything anymore.¡±

    The Crown Prince stared fixedly at Wu Chengxun and said word by word, "Even if my father agrees, I will never let the son-in-law of the Niu family sit on the throne of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.¡±

    As he spoke, he suddenly waved his sleeve and shouted, "Get out! Get out of here!¡±

    ¡°I really...¡±

    ¡°Get out of here! Get out of my residence.¡±

    Prince Xinyang still wanted to try to explain, but would the Crown Prince be willing to give him a chance? He shouted and cursed several times, making him reluctantly retreat.

    When Sun Shaozong hid in his wardrobe and witnessed the departure of Prince Xinyang, his face was filled with various expressions of reluctance, and he suddenly had some immature speculation about the thoughts of Emperor Guangde.

    Just as he was about to push the door and leave to tell the Crown Prince what he had in mind. Unexpectedly, he took a moment to move forward and pushed open a few innerwear, but it surprised Sun Shaozong!

    He saw a black and purple lace cut-out bra hanging in the middle of the innerwear!

    This...

    It should be said that Prince Yizhong invented bras a few years ago, and it was not surprising to find them in the wardrobe of the Crown Princess.

    The problem was that Prince Yizhong invented this thing for brothel women to wear!

    Especially after several extraordinary lingerie shows, this item has become the exclusive artifact of brothel women and has always been circulated among brothels. Not to mention a lady from a wealthy family; even ordinary women from good families often kept it a secret.

    Among the few women that Sun Shaozong experienced, only the Second Sister You stole a pure white set and not only dared not let anyone know but also dared not wear it openly. Only in the dead of night would she take it out as a sex toy.

    However, in Sun Shaozong''s opinion, her all-inclusive style was not as interesting as the innerwear.

    It was the one in front of him.

    The main theme was black in the night sky, while the hollowed out and lace are dazzling deep purple. The translucent cicada wing gauze and silk delicate fabric symbolize passion and were unrestrained, full of temptation and mystery. Unexpectedly, under the dignified and virtuous Crown Princess, there was still such a sexy side hidden!

    In addition, based on the volume calculation, the Crown Princess appears to be between a D-cup, while the shape was similar to...

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°It naturally starts with the python robe on Prince Xinyang.¡±

    Sun Shaozong adjusted his posture slightly to make them all feel like they were talking to him and then continued, "Now that the decree has just been issued, it must be too late to make the python robe. According to common sense, Prince Xinyang should come here wearing old clothes.¡±

    ¡°However, he insisted on wearing the old python robe of Prince Yishun, which didn''t fit well. However, Prince Yishun didn''t stop him either.¡±

    ¡°It can be seen that not only Prince Xinyang but also Prince Yishun was overwhelmed by this sudden beauty and couldn''t wait to showcase this honor.¡±

    ¡°When I peeked in and saw that when Prince Xinyang left, his face was full of unwillingness. I''m afraid he wouldn''t just give up the fight for the throne like this.¡±

    ¡°Lord Sun.¡±

    The Crown Prince suddenly impatiently interrupted Sun Shaozong''s words, "What are you talking about all this time? He won''t give up easily. You don''t have to say that, and I know that too, but what is the meaning of my father?¡±

    With this patience, it was estimated that being an Emperor would also be a fatuous ruler!

    Sun Shaozong muttered inwardly but could only make his words more understandable. "Report to Your Highness; in my opinion, Prince Xinyang will likely clear his relationship with the Niu family.¡±

    ¡±Clear ties with the Niu family?¡±

    The Crown Prince was confused and inexplicably said, "Since he is the son-in-law of the Niu family, does this relationship mean that one can separate it?¡°

    The Crown Princess beside her suddenly blurted out, "What do you mean, Wu Chengxun will choose to divorce his wife?¡±

    Sun Shaozong nodded first, then shook his head again. Then, under the puzzled gaze of the Crown Princess, he said in a deep voice, "The means by which Prince Xinyang will clear his relationship may be even more brutal.¡±

    Speaking of it, things were also unpredictable. If the Supreme Emperor led the establishment of the Crown Prince, the Niu family would definitely be the most important support for Prince Xinyang. But now he suddenly received the favor of Emperor Guangde, and his relationship with the Niu family has become a stumbling block for him to inherit the Great Rule!

    And what Emperor Guangde wanted should be precisely this effect.

    However, simply divorcing one''s wife might not satisfy Emperor Guangde''s hatred. Even if the entire family of the Niu family couldn¡¯t be destroyed yet, it was not a problem to kill the daughter of the Niu family with a knife first!

    Even if Prince Xinyang didn¡¯t have such thoughts, there would surely be someone ¡±kind¡± who would remind him at that time.

    No!

    In fact, the words of the Crown Prince just now were enough to make Prince Xinyang resent the Niu family.

    Should it be that...

    When Emperor Guangde was planning, he already took into account the Crown Prince''s reaction?

    ¡°Even more intense?¡±

    The Crown Princess chewed these words several times, and a look of horror appeared on the rosy lotus face. However, after a moment, she couldn''t help but question, "Qi-Shi has already given birth to offspring for Wu Chengxun. He... Doesn''t he even care about the relationship between husband and wife?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said in a deep voice, "But the Holy One probably knows.¡±

    Since Emperor Guangde would choose the father and son of Prince Yishun and use this strategy of killing two birds with one stone, he should have at least seven or eight percent confidence.

    The Crown Princess remained silent for a while before saying softly, "I heard that His Majesty has granted permission for Cabinet Xu to resign the position of the Crown Prince''s Grand Master. Cabinet Xu has a relationship with His Highness as a mentor and disciple, and it should have been for His Highness to come forward and give him a farewell.¡±

    ¡°However, Your Highness''s injuries have not yet healed, and it is inconvenient to move. I''m afraid we can only ask Lord Sun to come forward and express his sympathy for His Highness.¡±

    ¡°Noted.¡°

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong knew that it was the Crown Princess who intended to see off the guests, so he quickly bowed down and left.

    The Crown Princess once again condescended and escorted him outside the door. Only then did she return to the interior and solemnly say, "Your Highness, Lord Sun is truly a rare talent with both civil and military abilities. Please do not hesitate to win over him, so that you can rely on him as an arm in the future.¡±

    ¡°Do I still need you to teach me?¡±

    The Crown Prince curled his lips in disdain and said, "With these wise eyes, I have long seen that Lord Sun is a pillar of talent.¡±

    Wisdom?

    If there were any shrewd eyes, they wouldn''t have let people hide in the wardrobe recklessly!

    She wondered if Lord Sun had discovered that.

    Thinking of this, the Crown Princess''s face was hot again, afraid of revealing any flaws. She quickly pretended to be angry and stomped out of the room.

 Chapter 464: Thick Foundation

    Chapter 464: Thick Foundation

    | On the first day of August. |

    Within the Capital, there were thousands of people in the alleys and at the entrance of the vegetable market.

    The 629 people implicated in the ¡±Dragon Root Case,¡± regardless of age or gender, all died under head knives. Even a few days later, the long street seemed to still be filled with uproarious cries of injustice.

    On the seventh day of August, autumn rain continued.

    Sun Shaozong walked out of Xiangling¡¯s room early in the morning and reluctantly left the house. Until the carriage stopped outside the government office, he was still thinking about his daughter, who had just turned ten days old.

    On July 27th, Xiangling successfully gave birth to a daughter. Originally, she looked quite healthy, but unexpectedly, on the first day of August, she suddenly developed a low fever, which lasted intermittently for four days.

    This tiny baby, unable to take medication, could only use physical cooling methods, but could there be any results?

    Watching his daughter''s chubby little face, she soon lost her shape, and Sun Shaozong began to feel sorry for her. He guarded her all day without saying anything and even, for the first time, invited Taoist Zhang, who was humble and upright, to his home for a ritual.

    This was mainly Ruan Rong''s idea. She suspected that it was the unjust ghost of the ¡±Dragon Root Case¡± that caused trouble to the children. Although Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t believe in ghosts and gods, when the disease was urgent and he sought medical attention, he couldn¡¯t care much about it.

    Strange to say, that Taoist had a magical act, and the child''s illness improved. In the past two days, not only did the low fever have subsided, but her appetite was much better than before.

    It was precisely because of this that Sun Shaozong had the leisure to take orders and prepare to submit the list of autumn dues to the Jinmen Mansion. As early as August was almost over if he didn''t send the list again, he might not be able to catch up with the comments of autumn dues.

    Of course, Sun Shaozong would choose to go to the Jinmen Mansion for official work at this time because he had been increasingly close to the Crown Prince recently. Since he accidentally saw the Crown Princess'' intimate clothes that day, the Crown Prince sent people every three to five days to comfort him. A few days ago, he even sent a whole cart of tonic medicine to the child.

    When he arrived at the government office, he ordered someone to move the list of the autumn verdict to the carriage and then went to the courtyard of Jia Yucun to apply for the certificate of a clerical officer sent this time.

    With the complete collapse of Han Anbang and the vague speculation that Sun Shaozong played a crucial role in the ¡±Dragon Root Case,¡± Jia Yucun became increasingly enthusiastic about Sun Shaozong and no longer had his usual collusion.

    This time, there was no exception.

    When Sun Shaozong arrived at his courtyard, he had already been waiting at the door. Before Sun Shaozong could come forward and salute him, he hurriedly welcomed him and asked with concern, "Dear Brother, after Taoist Zhang''s treatment, has the niece''s condition been repeated?¡±

    The look in his eyes, the trembling beard, and the subtle expressions on his face seem to have improved again!

    As Sun Shaozong pretended to be moved, he bowed and said, "Your Excellency, thanks for your concern. She¡¯s now all right; otherwise, I would not have gone south to Jinmen at this time.¡±

    ¡°That''s good, that''s good.¡±

    Jia Yucun breathed a sigh and, holding hands, invited Sun Shaozong into the hall.

    After the guests were seated and the fragrant tea was laid down, Jia Yucun held back and said sternly, "Actually, I thought you should have gone to Jinmen Mansion for a while now.¡±

    Upon hearing him mention official matters, Sun Shaozong quickly stood up again and said, "I have been delayed in submitting the list of autumn decisions due to family matters. It is indeed...¡±

    Sigh.

    Jia Yucun shook his head to interrupt his speech, lightly patted his chest, and said disapprovingly, "Ask yourself, who is selfless in this world? I have no intention of blaming you, just standing from the perspective of those who have come over, trying to remind me of something.¡±

    Sun Shaozong saw the seriousness of what he said and knew that he had been trying to make good on himself recently to firmly take over the position of the Minister. He shouldn¡¯t be aimless.

    So he also put away his official tone and solemnly arched his hand, saying, "Please give me your advice, Brother.¡±

    ¡°Advice? I can''t even say so.¡±

    He then heard Jia Yucun''s inappropriate answer; he said, "You used to sail north with me and naturally knew that I was an official in Jinling Prefecture. Do you know how many officials in Jinling Prefecture have been transferred to the Capital this year?¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Sun Shaozong was asked inexplicably, how could he know about the transfer of officials from Jinling Prefecture?

    However, Jia Yucun didn''t want him to answer either. After a brief pause, he continued, "In the past year, a total of seven officials have been transferred from Jinling to the Capital city. There are two officials above the sixth grade and five officials below the sixth grade, each with six literary and one martial arts.¡±

    As he spoke, he reached out and tapped lightly on his black hat, calmly saying, "What was the promotion of these seven people? When did they arrive in the Capital for their assignment? What family members did they bring? Whether they had a difficult livelihood in the Capital or had a family, their character, appearance, talents, preferences...¡±

    ¡°I remember everything clearly and dare not forget it at all times.¡±

    ¡°Similarly, if encountering any difficulties in the Capital, I am naturally one of the candidates they come up with for help. Although I may not be the first choice, I will never be ranked lower.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong had roughly guessed what Jia Yucun was about to impart his own experience. In summary, it could be summarized in two ways; ¡°Forming a party!¡±

    It was obvious that Jia Yucun regarded officials from the Jinling officialdom as natural party members. Although not everyone might be able to follow his wishes and obediently adhere to his banner, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to win over most of them with his innate advantages.

    Immediately, he bowed and said, "Indeed, it''s better to listen to your words than to read for ten years. This Sun has been taught today.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    Jia Yucun chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "It''s just some empirical talk. If it weren''t for you who hasn''t served as a local official, you might have already become familiar with it. Why should I bother?¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up and solemnly saluted, saying, "I used to be an old man with shallow eyelids. It''s ridiculous to insist on competing for power and profit in the Central Judicial Office.¡±

    ¡°Now, in retrospect, if I were to share the same boat with you, what would a mere Central Judicial Office be?¡±

    Just listening would be enough. If it weren''t for securing the position of the Minister at the moment, how could he have made every effort to show favor to Sun Shaozong?

    However, the idea of cultivating power in the Jinmen Prefecture did have some feasibility. If the Sun family wanted to develop and grow in the court at present, what was missing was not the upper-level relationship but the foundation of the middle and lower levels.

    Especially a few days ago, before Jia Zheng left, he revealed a message with a hint of jealousy; ¡°The Emperor is highly likely to grant Sun Shaozong the position of Left Counselor of Zhili Political Envoy.¡±

    Although this Left Councilor was only from the Fourth Rank, he was also considered a pivotal figure in the Political Affairs Department. He could not only inquire and comment on any government affairs in Zhili Province but also assess the authority of local officials.

    Although Sun Shaozong''s main task in the future might still be to oversee the Criminal of the Central Judicial Office, with this position of Left Counselor, participating in the affairs of Jinmen Prefecture would be justified.

    As expected, his Big Brother would be stationed in Jinmen Prefecture to train soldiers before the end of the year, and there would also be a lot of involvement with Jinmen Prefecture at that time.

    As long as the operation was done properly, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for one to sing a white face and the other to sing a red face and seize the opportunity to win people''s hearts.

    Also...

    Listening to the meaning behind Jia Zheng''s words, it seemed that he still wanted to match Xue Baochai with him.

    If he could marry the Xue family and take advantage of Xue Pan''s father-in-law, Minister Wang''s tiger skin of the Ministry of Personnel, he would be twice as successful in handling affairs as Prince Zhongshun¡¯s. It would be extremely useful to use it to deceive people, but trying to win over people seems to be lacking in value.

    ¡°My good brother? Good brother?¡±

    As he was pondering over what he had, he heard Jia Yucun''s puzzled call. Sun Shaozong then remembered that he had not yet responded to his kindness and quickly stood up and bowed to the end, saying, "What Brother said is exactly what I wanted! Brother, now that spring and autumn are in full swing, a third grade is to be confirmed. Although I am not talented, I can easily change into a red robe this year.¡±

    ¡°How can the prospects of you and me be limited by just the Central Judicial Office? Instead of fighting against each other for petty gain, we work together and compete with others in the court in the future.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jia Yucun immediately looked very excited. He stood up and took a few steps forward, lifted Sun Shaozong, tightly clenched his wrist, and with tears in his eyes, he said, "Dear Brother...¡±

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t cry like that, so he had to turn around and tremble, saying, "Brother...¡±

    Eh?

    Does this script seem familiar?

    It seems like it has been staged before.

    Bang!

    Sun Shaozong was roasting in the bottom of his heart while trying to pretend to be excited, but the door of his room was suddenly pushed open heavily. A small official rushed in hurriedly and cried excitedly, "My Lords, something... something..."

    ¡°Get out of here!¡±

    Jia Yucun saw this great ¡±lyrical atmosphere¡± was unexpectedly disturbed by him. He angrily rebuked him.

    To his surprise, the petty official refused to obey his orders. Instead, he swallowed hard and shouted, "Something big has happened!¡±

    It seemed that he couldn''t even care about his dignity or future. Jia Yucun and Sun Shaozong glanced at each other and asked in unison, "What''s the matter? Come quickly?¡±

    ¡°Yes... It''s Assistant Magistrate Wei.¡±

    They then heard the young official excitedly say, "Assistant Magistrate Wei took advantage of his rest yesterday and went out of the city with his friends for autumn hunting, but he was careless... careless...¡±

    Upon hearing him stumbling again, Jia Yucun couldn''t help but chase after him and ask, "What happened to Assistant Magistrate Wei?¡±

    The petty official shook his head like a rattledrum and stuttered, "No... It wasn''t Assistant Magistrate Wei who had an accident; it was he who accidentally shot the son of Duke Yongyi... to death.¡±

    What?!

    Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun were immediately stunned.

 Chapter 465: Mountain Encirclement

    Chapter 465: Mountain Encirclement

    The water here was very deep!

    According to the information that the young official heard, the eldest son of Prince Yongyi, Niu Jizong, was escorted to incense by his mother when he was walking back to the city at the foot of Tiewang Mountain. He was then shot in the throat by a sharp arrow flying from the roadside forest and died instantly.

    The arrow shaft was carved with the word "Wei", and its material and shape were the same as those left in Wei Ruolan''s arrow pot. Even Wei Ruolan''s personal servant admitted that the arrow was shot by his master accidentally, so it flew out of the forest and killed Young Master Niu by mistake.

    But several noble sons who were hunting with Wei Ruolan also confirmed that his arrow''s strength was moderate. It was reasonable to say that even if he could pass through the dense forest, he could never shoot Young Master Niu from a distance of more than fifty steps to death. Therefore, it was believed that there must be something strange in this.

    Anyway...

    This case was not just an accident, it was likely a continuation of the ¡±Dragon Root Case¡± and even a retaliation from Emperor Guangde.

    So, the matter with Prince Xinyang might just be a cover-up. He used a seemingly cunning tactic to attract the attention of the Niu family of the Xinyang Princess Consort, but instead killed the Niu family''s son to vent his anger!

    Even better, both the Wei family and the Niu family were the backbone of the ¡±Later Party,¡± and even if the Niu family suspected that it was ordered by Emperor Guangde, there was no place to seek justice.

    Moreover, if such a thing happened, the Wei family would inevitably become estranged from the Niu family. If the Niu family insisted on severely punishing Wei Ruolan, even Prince Beijing might fall out with the Niu family.

    But these were all afterwords.

    For Sun Shaozong, the most important thing at the moment was...

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Sun Shaozong solemnly clenched his fists and said, "There seems to be something strange about this case. Lord Wei is also the second deputy of our Criminal Department. How can I ignore it? I hope to temporarily postpone my trip to Jinmen and start investigating this case first, so that...¡±

    ¡°Absurd!¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, Jia Yucun''s old face darkened and he angrily scolded, "Because Lord Wei is your deputy, you should avoid suspicion in both emotions and reason! Not only you, but all levels of the Central Judicial Office should avoid suspicion.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No need to say more.¡±

    Sun Shaozong wanted to say something more, but Jia Yucun shook his sleeve and unquestionably ordered, "The court has its own public opinion on this case, why should you intervene recklessly? Now that the official documents are all ready, why don''t you go to Jinmen Mansion quickly to submit the list to avoid missing the autumn verdict.¡±

    As soon as he spoke, he had already issued an expulsion order, and Sun Shaozong reluctantly left the living room.

    He could only see that the young official sighed deeply in his heart. Lord Sun and Lord Wei were not in harmony, but unexpectedly at a critical moment, Lord Sun was still willing to provide such protection.

    But he didn''t know that as Sun Shaozong walked out, he secretly praised Jia Yucun as a playwright with clear eyebrows and eyes.

    How could Sun Shaozong not know the reason for avoiding suspicion?

    The performance just now was just a way of using Jia Yucun''s advice to break through this barrier and naturally stay out of it.

    And Jia Yucun''s response was not only just right but also plucked up the entire Central Judicial Office being involved in this matter.

    After leaving the Magistrate''s courtyard, Lin Delu had already handed over the official documents. He had originally planned to follow him to Jinmen Mansion, but now that Wei Ruolan had made a mistake and there was no one in charge of the execution, Lin Delu naturally had to stay in the Capital.

    Sun Shaozong brought the official seal and escorted two large boxes of directories and atlases to the dock. Just as he was about to board the ship and head south, he saw a dusty person approaching, kneeling on both knees and crying, "Second Master, I... I have finally seen you again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±

    After seeing this person''s face clearly, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be surprised because he was one of the servants he sent to Qianxiang Country a few months ago to deliver a letter to his Father-in-law, Ruan Liangshun.

    Sun Shaozong looked up and saw no signs of anyone else around him. He couldn''t help but urgently ask, "Why is it just you? What about the others? Was there an accident on the way, or was it the Ruan family?¡±

    ¡°Report back to Second Master.¡±

    ¡°The road was fine, but upon inquiring at Qinglin Mansion, I realized that the Ruan family had already been in trouble. For some reason, the Old Master Ruan had offended the Prime Minister of Qianxiang Kingdom, Ruan Fuzhong, and was sent to prison in early June.¡±

    ¡°We got the news and were ready to come back to report it. Unexpectedly, as soon as we left the city, we caught up with a group of officers and soldiers from the Qianxiang Kingdom, and without any reason, they attacked us with swords, wanting to kill us.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, I have some martial arts skills and have always been accustomed to walking on mountain roads. That''s how I managed to escape.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but furrowed his brows. His Father-in-law was one of Ruan Fuzhong''s henchmen and even had some relatives relationship with Ruan Fuzhong. Now he has been sent to prison, was it...

    ¡°Besides the Yuan family, are there any other high-ranking officials from the Qianxiang Kingdom who have recently been convicted and questioned?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±

    The servant repeatedly mentioned several names, and according to Sun Shaozong''s knowledge, at least half of them belonged to the ¡±Measure the financial resources of Qiannan and win the favor of Great Zhou Dynasty¡± leading party.

    Obviously, this was a cleansing campaign against the ¡±Clearing up the people who are close with the Zhou¡± within Qiannan. It seemed that the day when Qiannan declared war on the Great Zhou Dynasty was already imminent.

    It was indeed for this matter!

    Subsequently, Lu Hui looked at Sun Shaozong again and said, "As a result, I didn¡¯t send anyone to notify Inspector Sun to come, but I did not know...¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "I have other important matters to report, and the matter involves court secrets. I dare not delay for a moment.¡±

    It was related to court secrets?

    Upon hearing these words, Lu Hui immediately turned his gaze back to Shi Mingchong, who was also quite witty. After saying a few words, he walked out of the living room.

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    After Shi Ming rushed out, Sun Shaozong didn''t rush to report the intelligence of the Qianxiang Kingdom. Instead, he frowned and said, "Isn''t the Southern Detective Department too arrogant this time? Even if they were responsible for organizing this case, there''s no reason to gather all the spies we secretly arranged to investigate.¡±

    The Southern Detective Department''s actions are clearly suspicious of the case of ¡±the eldest son of the Niu family was killed by an arrow,¡± and the Northern Detective Department was behind the scenes.

    Wasn¡¯r this a blatant attempt to tear apart their face?!

    Has the Supreme Emperor''s favoritism towards the Niu family reached such a point?

    ¡°No.¡±

    Lu Hui shook his head and said, "Calling the spies back for self-investigation was not done by the Southern Detective Department but at the command of Commander Dai.¡±

    It was the meaning of Dai Quan?

    Was it to clear up the relationship and prevent others from suspecting the Northern Detective Department?

    Wasn¡¯t this the saying of ¡±a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure?¡±

    With Dai Quan''s shrewdness and ability, he probably wouldn''t have done such an act of adding insult to injury.

    Should it be that...

    The death of Niu Jizong was not arranged by Emperor Guangde, so Dai Quan suspected that someone had made unauthorized claims?

    Or was it simply a suspicion that someone intends to provoke a more intense conflict to profit from it, so they were busy ordering the Northern Detective Department to conduct a self-inspection?

    But if it weren''t for Emperor Guangde''s intention, who would have acted?

    The biggest beneficiary of provoking the conflict between the Supreme Emperor and Emperor Guangde seemed to be the Niu family, but the Niu family was not willing to use their painstakingly cultivated eldest son as a sacrifice, right?

    Was it Prince Zhongshun and Prince Yishun who played tricks?

    But where did those two idle Princes come from with the ability to play games?

    It has to be said that this case was complicated and confusing.

    He then heard Lu Hui saying, "Let''s not talk about this for now. Didn''t you say there is something confidential about the court that needs to be reported to me?¡±

    Sun Shaozong then restrained his doubts and bowed to report, "It''s like this, a Concubine of mine is from the Qianxiang Kingdom...¡±

    Just as Sun Shaozong reported the latest developments in Qianxiang Kingdom, two people were whispering in a luxurious study.

    The elder spoke first and said, "With this petition, it''s enough for us to break with the Niu family and fall to Your Majesty''s side.¡±

    The handsome young man was a bit uneasy and hesitated, saying, "It''s just that Erlang has to ruin his future and marriage because of this. It''s a pity.¡±

    The elder interrupted his words, and said decisively, "It is the saying that one must endure hardship before becoming a master. Moreover, in the current situation, there is no need to worry too much.¡±

    ¡°Besides, the companion has already committed suicide since he returned to the city. Apart from you and me, even Erlang doesn''t know what the situation is! As long as he bites to death that he was framed by someone, with the protection of the Prince and the evidence of various noble families'' children, can the Niu family still kill him to vent their anger?¡±

    Sigh~

    The handsome young man sighed and said, "Everything arises from greed! If it weren''t for the loss of heart and mind of the Niu family, how could I bear to kill that Niu Yizong?¡±

    As he spoke, he remained silent for a while and waved his sleeve with a hint of interest, saying, "Well, it''s too late to say anything more now. Could you please arrange it for me, Brother? I want to go to the Supreme Court to meet Erlang.¡±

    When the elder was ordered out of the living room, the young man lost his soul and sat in front of the glass mirror.

    Looking at his haggard face in the mirror, he muttered to himself, "Don''t say it''s the Niu family, I''m afraid even my Brother-in-law couldn''t guess. It''s the Elder who secretly instructed him to kill Niu Jizong''s son to vent his anger.¡±

 Chapter 466

    Chapter 466

    August 13th.

    Just after five p.m., the sunset slanted.

    Ping¡¯er hurriedly entered the main room holding a two-foot-square gift box. She listened attentively to the bedroom door for a moment and could smell the sound of gasping inside, so she didn''t disturb her.

    She just put the gift box on the coffee table first, took out the feather duster from the porcelain bottle, and started the cleaning routine every morning.

    After about a quarter of an hour, suddenly Wang Xifeng in the room called out, "Ping¡¯er? Ping¡¯er! Come in and help me.¡±

    Ping''er quickly put down her work and pushed the door into the bedroom.

    There was a blanket lying flat in front of the window, and Wang Xifeng was sitting naked on it, her snow-white spine reflecting the sunset. Her two-round legs, like jade pillars, were forcefully stretched open like a figure eight. Her delicate and charming body leaned forward, with a pair of pink arms desperately reaching toward the edge of the blanket, but due to two sturdy obstacles, it was still difficult to achieve her wish.

    Ping''er quickly grabbed Wang Xifeng''s hands and carefully pulled her down. Seeing her pain and fatigue, she was sweating profusely all over her body. She couldn''t help but advise, "The prescription also said we should follow the steps according to our abilities. You are too anxious, Madam. What if you hurt your body?¡±

    After marrying Jia Lian for nearly ten years, the two of them only have one daughter; how could Wang Xifeng not be anxious?

    Especially recently, for some unknown reason, Jia Lian has cut off contact with those beauties. Even the two previously favored servants have been sent outside.

    Although Jia Lian didn¡¯t seem to have much interest in paying public grain, and his quantity and quality have repeatedly reached new lows, his performance still left Wang Xifeng overjoyed and half-hearted in reviving his old relationship.

    Just in time for Jia Baoyu to obtain the ¡±secret recipe for seeking a son¡± from Sun Shaozong, Wang Xifeng took the opportunity to transcribe it and practiced diligently every morning and evening, hoping to have a successful son.

    At this moment, facing Ping¡¯er''s persuasion, Wang Xifeng only held her breath and silently maintained her body''s balance. It wasn''t until two minutes later that she gasped and straightened out her slender waist, shaking her head and saying, "What do you know? It was not easy for the Second Master to restrain his mind; he may resume his usual behavior any day. If I don¡¯t follow the usual steps, how can I catch up?¡±

    ¡°Since I knew he might relapse one day, how could I easily reconcile with him?¡±

    Ping''er couldn''t help but let out a faint sigh in her heart.

    As Jia Lian spoke, there was a strong aroma mixed with it. He entered the room, holding a square gift box in his hand, which was the one that Ping¡¯er had picked up early in the morning.

    ¡°Isn''t it going to be August 15th soon?¡±

    Wang Xifeng didn''t panic either; holding her handkerchief and pointing to the gift box, she helplessly said, "Second Sister has sent many gifts to me. Although they have all been cut off by the Old Master and Madams, it''s not good for me as a sister-in-law to not have any actions.¡±

    ¡°At the moment, our family is very tight, so I have to make up for it with the rewards from the palace.¡±

    Although the two couples have already reconciled, Wang Xifeng didn¡¯t dare let Jia Lian know about the private transaction with Sun Shaozong. If she let him know, wouldn¡¯t the silver have to be divided again?

    After hearing this, Jia Lian still raised his eyebrows and asked, "So, are you going to send something to the Sun family?¡±

    Without waiting for Wang Xifeng to respond, he said, "Since that''s the case, add a gift to the Sun family Erlang and congratulate him on his promotion for me.¡±

    As soon as this was said, Wang Xifeng and his servants couldn''t help but feel a bit stunned. He made a fool of himself in front of Sun Shaozong twice. Wasn¡¯t he already deeply hating Sun Shaozong? Why did he suddenly send a gift to congratulate Sun Shaozong on his promotion?

    Seeing both of them staring at him in a daze, Jia Lian''s face showed a strange blush and he stomped his feet angrily. "Why? It was you who advised me to make peace at first, but now I have taken the initiative to show my affection to Sun Erlang, but you are not willing to do so?¡±

    He stamped his feet with a coquettish expression that was three points more twisted than a woman, making Wang Xifeng even more stunned.

    Ping¡¯er has long been accustomed to strange things. In recent days, besides being restrained in front of Wang Xifeng, she has seen more of Jia Lian''s ¡±smoking and flirting¡± appearance.

    Therefore, he quickly identified Wang Xifeng and said, "Second Master, you misunderstood. If you have the intention of recoiling past grievances with the Sun family, why wouldn''t Madam be happy?¡±

    ¡°Of course¡±

    At this moment, Wang Xifeng also reacted and quickly ordered, "Ping¡¯er, hurry up and take out the ¡±Golden Bell and Glass Pagoda.¡± Tomorrow, under the name of the Second Master, send it to the Sun family together.¡±

 Chapter 467: Mountain Encirclement

    Chapter 467: Mountain Encirclement

    The water here was very deep!

    According to the information that the young official heard, the eldest son of Prince Yongyi, Niu Jizong, was escorted to incense by his mother when he was walking back to the city at the foot of Tiewang Mountain. He was then shot in the throat by a sharp arrow flying from the roadside forest and died instantly.

    The arrow shaft was carved with the word "Wei", and its material and shape were the same as those left in Wei Ruolan''s arrow pot. Even Wei Ruolan''s personal servant admitted that the arrow was shot by his master accidentally, so it flew out of the forest and killed Young Master Niu by mistake.

    But several noble sons who were hunting with Wei Ruolan also confirmed that his arrow''s strength was moderate. It was reasonable to say that even if he could pass through the dense forest, he could never shoot Young Master Niu from a distance of more than fifty steps to death. Therefore, it was believed that there must be something strange in this.

    Anyway...

    This case was not just an accident, it was likely a continuation of the ¡±Dragon Root Case¡± and even a retaliation from Emperor Guangde.

    So, the matter with Prince Xinyang might just be a cover-up. He used a seemingly cunning tactic to attract the attention of the Niu family of the Xinyang Princess Consort, but instead killed the Niu family''s son to vent his anger!

    Even better, both the Wei family and the Niu family were the backbone of the ¡±Later Party,¡± and even if the Niu family suspected that it was ordered by Emperor Guangde, there was no place to seek justice.

    Moreover, if such a thing happened, the Wei family would inevitably become estranged from the Niu family. If the Niu family insisted on severely punishing Wei Ruolan, even Prince Beijing might fall out with the Niu family.

    But these were all afterwords.

    For Sun Shaozong, the most important thing at the moment was...

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Sun Shaozong solemnly clenched his fists and said, "There seems to be something strange about this case. Lord Wei is also the second deputy of our Criminal Department. How can I ignore it? I hope to temporarily postpone my trip to Jinmen and start investigating this case first, so that...¡±

    ¡°Absurd!¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, Jia Yucun''s old face darkened, and he angrily scolded, "Because Lord Wei is your deputy, you should avoid suspicion in both emotions and reason! Not only you, but all levels of the Central Judicial Office should avoid suspicion.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No need to say more.¡±

    Sun Shaozong wanted to say something more, but Jia Yucun shook his sleeve and unquestionably ordered, "The court has its own public opinion on this case, why should you intervene recklessly? Now that the official documents are all ready, why don''t you go to Jinmen Mansion quickly to submit the list to avoid missing the autumn verdict.¡±

    As soon as he spoke, he had already issued an expulsion order, and Sun Shaozong reluctantly left the living room.

    He could only see that the young official sighed deeply in his heart. Lord Sun and Lord Wei were not in harmony, but unexpectedly, at a critical moment, Lord Sun was still willing to provide such protection.

    But he didn''t know that as Sun Shaozong walked out, he secretly praised Jia Yucun as a playwright with clear eyebrows and eyes.

    How could Sun Shaozong not know the reason for avoiding suspicion?

    The performance just now was just a way of using Jia Yucun''s advice to break through this barrier and naturally stay out of it.

    And Jia Yucun''s response was not only just right but also plucked up the entire Central Judicial Office being involved in this matter.

    After leaving the Magistrate''s courtyard, Lin Delu had already handed over the official documents. He had originally planned to follow him to Jinmen Mansion, but now that Wei Ruolan had made a mistake and there was no one in charge of the execution, Lin Delu naturally had to stay in the Capital.

    Sun Shaozong brought the official seal and escorted two large boxes of directories and atlases to the dock. Just as he was about to board the ship and head south, he saw a dusty person approaching, kneeling on both knees and crying, "Second Master, I... I have finally seen you again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±

    After seeing this person''s face clearly, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be surprised because he was one of the servants he sent to Qianxiang Country a few months ago to deliver a letter to his father-in-law, Ruan Liangshun.

    Sun Shaozong looked up and saw no signs of anyone else around him. He couldn''t help but urgently ask, "Why is it just you? What about the others? Was there an accident on the way, or was it the Ruan family?¡±

    ¡°Report back to Second Master.¡±

    ¡°The road was fine, but upon inquiring at Qinglin Mansion, I realized that the Ruan family had already been in trouble. For some reason, the Old Master Ruan had offended the Prime Minister of Qianxiang Kingdom, Ruan Fuzhong, and was sent to prison in early June.¡±

    ¡°We got the news and were ready to come back to report it. Unexpectedly, as soon as we left the city, we caught up with a group of officers and soldiers from the Qianxiang Kingdom, and without any reason, they attacked us with swords, wanting to kill us.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, I have some martial arts skills and have always been accustomed to walking on mountain roads. That''s how I managed to escape.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but furrowed his brows. His father-in-law was one of Ruan Fuzhong''s henchmen and even had some relatives relationships with Ruan Fuzhong. Now he has been sent to prison, was it...

    ¡°Besides the Yuan family, are there any other high-ranking officials from the Qianxiang Kingdom who have recently been convicted and questioned?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±

    The servant repeatedly mentioned several names, and according to Sun Shaozong''s knowledge, at least half of them belonged to the ¡±Measure the financial resources of Qiannan and win the favor of Great Zhou Dynasty¡± leading party.

    Obviously, this was a cleansing campaign against the ¡±Clearing up the people who are close with the Zhou¡± within Qiannan. It seemed that the day when Qiannan declared war on the Great Zhou Dynasty was already imminent.

    It was indeed for this matter!

    Subsequently, Lu Hui looked at Sun Shaozong again and said, "As a result, I didn¡¯t send anyone to notify Inspector Sun to come, but I did not know...¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "I have other important matters to report, and the matter involves court secrets. I dare not delay for a moment.¡±

    It was related to court secrets?

    Upon hearing these words, Lu Hui immediately turned his gaze back to Shi Mingchong, who was also quite witty. After saying a few words, he walked out of the living room.

    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±

    After Shi Ming rushed out, Sun Shaozong didn''t rush to report the intelligence of the Qianxiang Kingdom. Instead, he frowned and said, "Isn''t the Southern Detective Department too arrogant this time? Even if they were responsible for organizing this case, there''s no reason to gather all the spies we secretly arranged to investigate.¡±

    The Southern Detective Department''s actions are clearly suspicious of the case of ¡±the eldest son of the Niu family was killed by an arrow,¡± and the Northern Detective Department was behind the scenes.

    Wasn¡¯t this a blatant attempt to tear apart their face?!

    Has the Supreme Emperor''s favoritism towards the Niu family reached such a point?

    ¡°No.¡±

    Lu Hui shook his head and said, "Calling the spies back for self-investigation was not done by the Southern Detective Department but at the command of Commander Dai.¡±

    What was the meaning of Dai Quan?

    Was it to clear up the relationship and prevent others from suspecting the Northern Detective Department?

    Wasn¡¯t this the saying of ¡±a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure?¡±

    With Dai Quan''s shrewdness and ability, he probably wouldn''t have done such an act of adding insult to injury.

    Should it be that...

    The death of Niu Jizong was not arranged by Emperor Guangde, so Dai Quan suspected that someone had made unauthorized claims?

    Or was it simply a suspicion that someone intends to provoke a more intense conflict to profit from it, so they were busy ordering the Northern Detective Department to conduct a self-inspection?

    But if it weren''t for Emperor Guangde''s intention, who would have acted?

    The biggest beneficiary of provoking the conflict between the Supreme Emperor and Emperor Guangde seemed to be the Niu family, but the Niu family was not willing to use their painstakingly cultivated eldest son as a sacrifice, right?

    Was it Prince Zhongshun and Prince Yishun who played tricks?

    But where did those two idle Princes come from with the ability to play games?

    It has to be said that this case was complicated and confusing.

    He then heard Lu Hui saying, "Let''s not talk about this for now. Didn''t you say there is something confidential about the court that needs to be reported to me?¡±

    Sun Shaozong then restrained his doubts and bowed to report, "It''s like this; a concubine of mine is from the Qianxiang Kingdom...¡±

    Just as Sun Shaozong reported the latest developments in Qianxiang Kingdom, two people were whispering in a luxurious study.

    The elder spoke first and said, "With this petition, it''s enough for us to break with the Niu family and fall to Your Majesty''s side.¡±

    The handsome young man was a bit uneasy and hesitated, saying, "It''s just that Erlang has to ruin his future and marriage because of this. It''s a pity.¡±

    The elder interrupted his words and said decisively, "It is the saying that one must endure hardship before becoming a master. Moreover, in the current situation, there is no need to worry too much.¡±

    ¡°Besides, the companion has already committed suicide since he returned to the city. Apart from you and me, even Erlang doesn''t know what the situation is! As long as he bites to death that he was framed by someone, with the protection of the Prince and the evidence of various noble families'' children, can the Niu family still kill him to vent their anger?¡±

    Sigh~

    The handsome young man sighed and said, "Everything arises from greed! If it weren''t for the loss of heart and mind of the Niu family, how could I bear to kill that Niu Yizong?¡±

    As he spoke, he remained silent for a while and waved his sleeve with a hint of interest, saying, "Well, it''s too late to say anything more now. Could you please arrange it for me, Brother? I want to go to the Supreme Court to meet Erlang.¡±

    When the elder was ordered out of the living room, the young man lost his soul and sat in front of the glass mirror.

    Looking at his haggard face in the mirror, he muttered to himself, "Don''t say it''s the Niu family, I''m afraid even my brother-in-law couldn''t guess. It''s the Elder who secretly instructed him to kill Niu Jizong''s son to vent his anger.¡±

 Chapter 468

    Chapter 468

    It was approaching the Mid Autumn Festival.

    Yuanyang''s mood was quite complex.

    Originally, relying on the support of the Eldest Madam and the halo of the top maid of the Rongguo Mansion, she quickly stabilized the situation in the Sun family, and even the cunning and eccentric stab like Siqi was suppressed.

    Seeing that the situation was improving, who could have thought there was another stir?

    That day when she was planting flowers, she was scrutinized by the Second Master holding her ankles, causing many people to look at her. Although it turned out that the Second Master was indeed investigating a case and didn¡¯t intend to flirt, the rumors in the backyard continued unabated, causing Yuanyang to become extremely annoyed and unable to return any further attacks.

    If Sun Shaozong, like Jia She, openly harassed her, it would be easier for her to follow her strong character.

    Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t intentionally flirt but discovered important clues during the investigation process. He was momentarily lost in thought, and if she started making trouble just because of this, it would seem like a big fuss.

    But those gossips could catch the wind and shadow; she couldn¡¯t just ignore them, right?

    Yuanyang sighed in frustration and was about to regain her composure and continue checking the payment for the Mid Autumn Festival purchase when she saw Xiuju come in from outside and say with a smile, "Sister, put away this matter first. Sister Ping''er just brought a gift from her Second Madam and is currently asking to talk to you.¡±

    In the beginning, in the Rongguo Mansion, being best friends with Yuanyang were Ping''er and Xiren. Therefore, when she heard that Ping''er had arrived, Yuanyang simply tidied up the account books, then trimmed her temples in front of the bronze mirror, and followed Xiuju to the courtyard.

    Coincidentally, Ping''er was also coming out of Jia Yingchun''s house, and she met her, like honey, they stuck together and chatted like they couldn''t fully express enough.

    Finally, Yuanyang noticed that the little maid behind Ping''er was holding a slender box, which stopped the conversation and said in surprise, "Whose is this for? Why did you take it out?¡±

    At first glance, that box was not something that servant girls could exchange with each other. However, if it were a gift for the Master''s family, it should have been handed over to Jia Yingchun as well.

    ¡°It''s a congratulatory gift from Second Master to Left Councilor Sun.¡±

    As Ping¡¯er spoke, she pushed the boat along the river and asked for the gift, apologizing, "I should have given it to the Elder Madam as well. However, the Second Master has a few words that he instructed me to explain clearly in person. I''m afraid it would be helpful if you could take me to see Lord Sun.¡±

    And with every step taken, her left ankle felt faintly hot, as if it had been tightly locked and held in one''s hand for a closer look.

    As she hesitated, she saw the distance gradually widen from the two in front. With a bite of Yuanyang''s silver teeth, she was about to accelerate her pace when he saw Sun Shaozong turn around and smile, "Thank you, Yuanyang. Please wait here for a moment and let me have a few personal words with Ping¡¯er.¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, he boldly took Ping¡¯er''s small hand and led her into the grape trellis in a corner of the courtyard to see Ping¡¯er''s obedient appearance. However, what else could he care about?

    While the one he was holding was clearly the gentle hand of Ping¡¯er, Yuanyang seemed to have been pinched by someone with a suppressed redhead and a swollen brain, panting for no reason.

    After a while, she hugged her chest and nervously looked back. After confirming that there was no one else around, she still felt uneasy. So she gritted her teeth and even hid in the bushes by the roadside.

    After hiding, she felt that something was wrong. If someone found her in the middle of the road, she could still find ways to explain it. But now, if someone saw this hidden and exposed appearance, she might not be able to prove her innocence even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

    When she returned to the middle of the road to guard, Yuanyang couldn''t muster the courage. After hesitating in the bushes for a long time, she suddenly became angry and resentful. It was clear that Ping''er had an affair with the Second Master, so how could it be that she was in a dilemma instead?

    Upon this thought, Yuanyang involuntarily shifted her attention to the grape trellis, and in an instant, the frantic movement filled her ears.

    However, in addition to the expected movements, there was also a hint of the creaking and twisting movements of iron objects constantly rubbing against each other.

    This seemed to be...

    The swing?!

    As the saying goes:

    Trapped on the swing to relieve the skirt, giving guidance.

    Seeing guests come in and leave with a smile, I rub my hands against the plum blossom reflecting the middle door.

 Chapter 469: Crown Princess, Princess Consort

    Chapter 469: Crown Princess, Princess Consort

    The Mid Autumn Festival had just passed, and the drizzle was sweeping.

    Sun Shaozong climbed up the stairs and absentmindedly crossed the threshold of the Crown Prince''s Residence.

    Although the ¡±Crown Prince case¡± has now reached a stalemate and no clues could be traced to identify the true culprit, the establishment of the special task force has not been revoked. Therefore, after returning to the Capital, Sun Shaozong should have come over to take action in both emotion and reason.

    In the past seven or eight days, the situation in the front courtyard of the Crown Prince''s Residence has improved a bit. The fallen leaves and weeds that had originally accumulated have been cleaned up completely, and in addition, the green stone slabs have just been washed away by the rain, making them look extremely clean and tidy.

    ¡°May I ask, are you Lord Sun?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was standing in the doorway, looking at the situation in the courtyard. Suddenly, a short and chubby man flashed out of the gatehouse and trotted towards him. He flattered himself with a slanted shoulder and reported, "I am the Chief of the Attendant Mansion, Wang Dexiu. I was just transferred a few days ago to serve the Crown Prince and all the adults.¡±

    The Chief Clerk only held a seventh-official position, but those who could be pushed into the Crown Prince''s Residence at the forefront of this storm might not be ordinary people.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t dare to be too negligent. He gave a slight salute and smiled, saying, "Lord Wang has been waiting at the door all morning. Are you specifically waiting for me?¡±

    This was just a casual joke, but unexpectedly, Wang Dexiu nodded his head and said sternly, "The Crown Prince heard that you have returned to the Capital, and specially appointed me to meet you here. He said that whenever you arrive at the residence, he will summon you.¡±

    Tch!

    After hiding for over half a month, he didn''t expect the Crown Prince to still be so passionate.

    This was not in line with Sun Shaozong''s desire to avoid suspicion.

    Fortunately, when he went to the government office two days ago, it had already been negotiated. After the holiday, Jia Yucun would submit a letter to the court, citing the shortage of manpower in the Central Judicial Office, and officially recall Sun Shaozong to the government office.

    This was not all an excuse, but a fact of the Central Judicial Office.

    Nowadays, the position of Minister has always been vacant. Sun Shaozong has been seconded to a special task force, and Wei Ruolan has been detained in the Supreme Court. Even if he could be released from prison in the future, it was unlikely that he would continue to serve as a judge. Relying solely on one Magistrate and two Judges to support the overall situation of the Central Judicial Office, it was indeed a bit tight.

    Anyway, this project team was also in a stagnant state, and it probably wouldn¡¯t take a few days. It should be natural to withdraw and leave. For now, he should try his best to please the Crown Prince for a few more days.

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong slightly raised his chin and was about to ask Wang Dexiu to lead the way. But they ran into a servant, coming all the way. He couldn''t help but gasp, saying, "Your Excellency, the Beijing Princess Consort has come to meet His Royal Highness and is currently waiting at the west side door. This...¡±

    ¡°Beijing Princess Consort?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Wang Dexiu opened his pupils and stomped his feet anxiously, saying, "Are you stupid?! How could you have the Princess Consort wait outside the door? This...¡±

    Cough.

    Sun Shaozong interrupted his words with a dry cough and said sternly, "It''s unusual now. Everyone in this residence is not allowed to enter or leave without permission. Even if the Beijing Princess Consort is here, you should first inform His Highness and then wait for His Highness to make a decision.¡±

    In the beginning, Wang Dexiu was intimidated by the name of the Beijing Princess Consort. Upon hearing Sun Shaozong''s words, he immediately woke up and slapped himself in the face with ease. He sneered and said, "Look at me. In a moment of urgency, I forgot the rules of the residence; I''ll report it to His Highness now.¡±

    As he spoke, he hastily took a few steps forward and suddenly remembered something. He turned around with a smile and said, "Please accompany me.¡±

    This flustered appearance shouldn¡¯t have been deliberately disguised by him.

    It seemed that his judgment just now was wrong. This guy was stuffed into the Crown Prince''s Residence without any background or ability but was just being pushed onto the stage.

    Since Sun Shaozong had reached such a conclusion, he naturally didn''t want to spend too much time talking to a small Chief Clerk. He raised his head and signaled to Wang Dexiu to lead the way ahead, then silently followed him to the back of the house.

    As he walked, he was naturally not idle in his heart, thinking to himself about the long-legged and fierce Princess Consort coming all of a sudden to see the Crown Prince and what her intentions were.

    What was certain was that her visit this time must be related to the case of Wei Ruolan, but it seemed that this case had little to do with the Crown Prince, right?

    Besides, even if there was a real connection, the Crown Prince would love the Niu family and Shuirong to have the relationship of a dog biting a dog. He would rather watch the excitement next to them. How could he intervene or simply favor one side?

    Or...

    What chips did the Wei family bring to persuade the Crown Prince to take action to protect Wei Ruolan?

    Since it was a random guess out of thin air, it was naturally difficult to guess what the outcome would be. Therefore, when he arrived at the Crown Prince''s yard, Sun Shaozong was unable to come up with a solution.

    When he arrived at the door, Wang Dexiu waited for someone to report. However, several internal attendants regarded him as if he were nothing, and they flattered and gathered around Sun Shaozong, expressing their joy without any hesitation.

    The Crown Prince was puzzled and said, "Is there anyone in this world who is better at investigating cases than you, Lord Sun?¡±

    ¡°I''m not the one investigating the case, actually...¡±

    Sun Shaozong briefly informed the Crown Prince of the fact that Beijing Princess Consort had voluntarily come to visit and was currently waiting outside the west gate.

    The Crown Prince, however, frowned when he heard, saying, "What is this fierce woman doing here, instead of asking Shuirong to get Wei Ruolan out at home?¡±

    Immediately, he raised his head and said, "No matter what, since she voluntarily came to see, I would have to give her this face. Lord Sun, please go and block all the people she brought outside the door, and then order someone to search her carefully.¡±

    Blocking the attendants of Beijing Princess Consort outside the door would have been enough, but it seems a bit excessive for someone to search on her.

    Sun Shaozong was about to persuade one or two, but he heard the Crown Prince sneer and say, "My Imperial Uncle is usually close to me. Since this shrew has shamed him, I naturally got to seek justice for him.¡±

    So he wanted to fight against injustice for Prince Zhongshun.

    Judging from the Crown Prince''s appearance, he knew that persuasion was useless. The little lady from the Wei family has long harbored hostility towards the Sun family, and no matter how much he offended her, it wouldn¡¯t become worse.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t insist too much and bowed out of the inner room, conveying the meaning of the Crown Prince briefly. He called for two eunuchs and four palace maids and rushed forward towards the west door.

    Arriving at the western gate, a luxurious carriage was parked outside, with eight female soldiers in leather armor standing by. Even the drivers of the carriage were women with large arms and round waists.

    The number of people...

    Wasn¡¯t Prince Beijing already heavily in debt?

    ¡°By His Highness''s decree...¡±

    Sun Shaozong arrived at the carriage and raised his voice in a neutral tone, "Except for Princess Consort, no one else is allowed to enter the residence.¡±

    Halfway through, the women''s army began to raise their voices, so Sun Shaozong had to raise his voice and continue, "As the assassination case has not been investigated, no one entering the Palace is allowed to bring an inch of iron. Therefore, if Princess Consort wants to visit His Highness, you may have to suffer some injustice.¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, the curtain of the carriage suddenly lifted, revealing a mischievous expression and saying coldly, "When did the guard dog of the Crown Prince''s Residence change?¡±

    She was indeed a shrew!

    Sun Shaozong and she have met on both sides together. The first time she falsely shot an arrow with a bow, but this time she belittled him as a watchdog.

    Sun Shaozong''s gaze fixed as he was waiting to retort. Suddenly, someone behind him spoke up and said, "These two attendants have just been transferred from the palace, and it''s normal for you not to know them, Sister.¡±

    Looking back, the Crown Princess, dressed in a graceful long dress, curled up in the company of several palace ladies.

    As she approached, the Crown Princess solemnly expressed great blessings to Sun Shaozong and said in a soft voice, "Sister Wei is an old acquaintance of our Palace. Please kindly accommodate her and avoid her body search.¡±

    Her stance proved that Sun Shaozong was not falsely preaching the imperial edict but rather targeted. Secondly, to highlight the respect for Sun Shaozong, as for the gatekeeper, it could only fall on the two young eunuchs.

    ¡°I dare not.¡±

    Sun Shaozong quickly bowed and said, "I sincerely follow the instructions of the Crown Princess.¡±

    One lowered his head and the other slightly bent. He was already in a commanding position, especially Sun Shaozong, who had an unusual elevation. From the collar, he immediately caught a glimpse of a tempting whiteness and a sapphire blue outline of her innerwear.

    He wondered if this innerwear was once placed in the wardrobe that day...

    With this thought in mind, the gaze naturally slowed down and was caught by the Crown Princess, causing her to blush. She glanced at Sun Shaozong with embarrassment and anger and then managed to suppress her anger, turning her head to greet Wei-Shi.

    He didn''t know what they were whispering, and they joined hands and entered the Crown Prince''s Residence.

    Speaking of this, the Crown Princess and Wei-Shi walked away arm in arm, but it was true that each of them had their victories; one was handsome, and the other was graceful and dignified...

    Well, this was not the time for him to have such thoughts.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and put all those inappropriate ideas behind him. He then hung it up from afar, preparing to wait for Beijing Princess Consort to meet the Crown Prince before inquiring about her intentions and what her chips were to convince the Crown Prince to save Wei Ruolan.

 Chapter 470: Changing Sides

    Chapter 470: Changing Sides

    Sun Shaozong was following the Crown Princess and Princess Consort from afar, and as they approached the small courtyard where the Crown Prince was recuperating, he suddenly saw someone blocking his path. Looking at his short and chubby figure and flattering expression, who else could it be other than Wang Dexiu, the Chief Clerk of the Attendant Mansion?

    ¡°Thank you very much, Lord Sun, for informing on behalf just now.¡±

    Wang Dexiu gave a deep salute first, then pointed in the direction of the front yard and said, "When you were just ordered to meet Beijing Princess Consort, someone in the front yard sent a message saying that it was Steward Zhao from your family who brought a young woman along. It seems that there is something urgent to report.¡±

    Zhao Zhongji brought a young woman over?

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong felt somewhat puzzled. As the Crown Prince''s Residence was not far from the Sun family, Zhao Zhongji encountered an indecisive situation, and it was not a strange thing that he ran over to report it to himself. But what happened to the young woman?

    Although he also owed some promiscuous debts outside, they were all people with family, and they didn¡¯t dare to come to his door on a sunny day.

    His heart was filled with suspicion. Coincidentally, he had to wait for Beijing Princess Consort to leave before he could continue to inquire with the Crown Prince. Currently, he was idle, so he went to see what Zhao Zhongji was up to.

    Sun Shaozong thanked Wang Dexiu and hurried to the front yard.

    Due to the fine rain-like mist, it drifted around when blown by the wind. Even walking in and out of the corridor, the people who walked still felt a sense of dampness.

    So when he arrived near the gate, Sun Shaozong first took out his handkerchief from his sleeve pocket and wiped away the rain from his face before entering the gatehouse with a straight face.

    As soon as he entered, he saw Zhao Zhongji sitting stiffly in the corner, obviously restrained by the Crown Prince''s Residence, hunched down, his hands resting on his knees, and stiff like a clay-carved wooden sculpture, with only a pair of eyes twirling nervously.

    Compared to him, the young woman appeared very calm and sat across from Zhao Zhongji, completely free from the embarrassment of being alone with the man.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was momentarily taken aback by the woman''s appearance and then suddenly stood up and blurted out, "Are you also here for Wei Ruolan?¡±

    He saw the woman standing up and gave a salute to Sun Shaozong, but it was not a common greeting. Instead, she folded her hands and pronounced the Buddha''s name, "Amitabha, indeed, everything can¡¯t be hidden from the eyes of Lord Sun.¡±

    It turned out that this woman was not someone else; it was the fake nun Miaoyu of Longcui Temple.

    However, she didn''t wear the iconic patchwork dress today but instead wore a plain white wide-sleeved flowing fairy skirt. Her hands were as white as jade, and her two weak cicada-wing sleeves fluttered in front of her. Coupled with her usual cool demeanor, she showed a more extraordinary demeanor.

    This changes...

    Even if Wei Ruolan could escape a disaster this time, he might not be able to return to his original position. If it turned out bad, his future might be ruined.

    In this way, the marriage with the Shi family would naturally end without any trouble.

    Wasn¡¯t it because the fake nun felt like she had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation, so she even changed her outfit so that she could marry the Wei family smoothly in the future?

    Sun Shaozong was daydreaming in his heart and asked Zhao Zhongji with a straight face, "Why did you come over with Abbess Miaoyu?¡±

    As early as Sun Shaozong entered the door, Zhao Zhongji had already jumped up. However, seeing that Sun Shaozong''s attention was all on the woman, he stood in the corner without speaking.

    At this moment, when Sun Shaozong asked, he quickly bowed and reported, "This girl has arrived at our mansion. She first asked to see the Eldest Madam and then mentioned that she wanted to see the Second Master. As the Eldest Madam has instructed, I happened to have something to report to you too, so I brought her along.¡±

    With Jia Yingchun''s delicate and evasive nature, if she knew that Miaoyu was trying to cause trouble for him, she wouldn¡¯t agree to let her come. It was estimated that this fake nun might not have told her the truth.

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong swung his sleeve and Zhao Zhongji obediently retreated outside the door.

    ¡°Let''s talk.¡±

    Sun Shaozong sat down on the main seat and casually poured himself a cup of hot tea. He said calmly, "Why do you believe that I can save him, and why do you believe that I will take action to save him?¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency, you have a reputation for divine judgment, and this case has many mysteries. As long as you are willing to personally take the initiative, you will definitely...¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Seeing Miaoyu''s empty words, her words were not persuasive, and she was even unclear about the most basic court system. Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but interrupt her words and shook his head, saying, "Let''s not talk about the mystery in this case. As Wei Ruolan''s boss, I should have avoided suspicion as a rule, and I can''t participate in this case.¡±

    ¡°But there is always an exception.¡±

    Miaoyu argued, "Even if the court doesn''t allow you to participate in this case, you just need to investigate in secret and find some evidence, and then give it to the investigators; won''t it be fine?!"

    To take the risk of offending the Supreme Court and the Criminal Department, secretly investigate the evidence, and then to give the credit to others...

    After sending Zhao Zhongji away, Sun Shaozong estimated that the Crown Prince should have done almost everything, so he rushed to the backyard without stopping.

    As soon as he arrived near the lane outside the courtyard, she saw Beijing Princess Consort walking out of the courtyard, surrounded by two maids.

    Sun Shaozong was about to dodge to the side, but he heard Beijing Princess Consort take the initiative to greet him and say, "Master Sun, stay.¡±

    As she spoke, she quickly approached with her long legs, saying a blessing, and then forced out a smile to apologize, saying, "I have offended you so much just now. I hope you can forgive me.¡±

    This disdainful and respectful attitude...

    Did the Crown Prince grant her request and prepare to send him to intervene in the case; that was why she was busy trying to please himself? Or has the Crown Prince already rejected her, so she urgently sought attention and begged him again?

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t determine for a moment whether it was the former or the latter, so he just bowed and replied calmly, "How dare I?¡±

    The smile on Wei''s face stiffened, and Sun Shaozong could even hear the sound of her two rows of silver teeth clicking. However, after a moment, she still forced a smile and said, "You are young and promising, and your future is limitless. The saying of an enemy should reconcile and not be made, so naturally there is no need for me to intervene. As long as you can handle everything fairly, the Palace and the Wei family will definitely have something in return.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince has already granted her request.

    But he wondered what the chips she sacrificed?

    With the current condition of the Crown Prince, she couldn¡¯t be selling her beauty, right?

    Thinking wildly in his heart, but on the surface, he still bowed with neither humility nor arrogance.

    Wei-Shi finally gave up persuasion and angrily led his two servant girls away, seeing that he was not easily painted.

    Speaking of it, her palace dress was originally loose and baggy, but now it has been soaked in a lot of rain and dew, making it look much closer to her. From behind, he could see the outline of two peach-like petals, trembling with the tense pace, like a ripe fruit, sending out a signal of hope to be picked on the branch.

    It seemed that she not only gave birth with a pair of long legs but also her buttocks.

    ¡°Lord Sun.¡±

    As he watched the ¡±ripe fruit¡± gradually recede, another maid walked out of the courtyard and greeted him, ¡°His Highness has instructed you to come in and speak.¡±

    Sun Shaozong withdrew his gaze as if he had nothing to do and followed the attendant inside.

    When he arrived at the Crown Prince''s bedroom, he saw the Crown Princess not avoiding him but standing at the head of the bed with dignity and grace. Seeing Sun Shaozong come in from outside, she first nodded habitually, and then her face showed some blush.

    ¡°Greetings to both Your Highnesses.¡±

    ¡°Don''t be too polite.¡±

    The Crown Prince looked very excited, and before Sun Shaozong finished his salute, he rushed to say, "That shrew came this time to bow down to me.¡±

    After listening to his ups and downs, Sun Shaozong realized that Shuirong had really used all means to save Wei Ruolan, his brother-in-law.

    Not only did Wei promise the Crown Prince through a letter condemning those officials who were linked to the solar eclipse and the Crown Prince''s immorality, but they also pointed out suspicions about the Niu family.

    They also promised to personally come to the door and bow down to Prince Zhongshun.

    In the future, they guaranteed that they would only follow His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

    ¡°That old...¡±

    Cough

    As the Crown Prince was speaking, he almost blurted out the words ¡±old devout woman¡± without hesitation. Fortunately, the Crown Princess was there and interrupted his false words promptly.

    He suddenly changed his tone and said, "The Empress Dowager probably wouldn''t have dreamed that her beloved grandson would stab the Niu family in the back.¡±

    No wonder the Crown Prince was so proud.

    Just like the Imperial Grandson whom Sun Shaozong concocted, many people in the court suspect that the Niu family was behind the scenes. However, due to the love between the Empress Dowager and the Supreme Emperor, no one dared to pierce this layer of window paper without evidence.

    The exception was Shuirong, Prince Beijing, as even if the Empress Dowager got too angry, she couldn¡¯t bear to use her only biological grandson for punishment.

    However, upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong suddenly had a thought in his heart. Isn''t that the eldest son, Niu Jizong, really killed by Wei Ruolan?!

 Chapter 471: Nothing Exceeds Three

    Chapter 471: Nothing Exceeds Three

    When Sun Shaozong heard about this case, his first reaction was that someone was playing the game behind the scenes. He not only designed the Wei and Niu families but also wanted to take the opportunity to provoke a conflict between Prince Beijing and the Niu families. Analyzing various leaked details, this was not like an ordinary accident.

    Not long after, upon learning of the chips presented by Beijing Princess Consort, Sun Shaozong had a new idea.

    Perhaps...

    The eldest son of the Niu family was really killed by Wei Ruolan!

    The purpose was still to provoke a conflict between the two families, to completely draw a line with the Niu family.

    Anyone with a clear eye can see that the ¡±Dragon Root Case¡± in the desperate struggle failed to let the imperial court stand by, and the Niu family, the biggest stakeholder, might not be able to escape the consequences of settling accounts in the autumn.

    Now, only the Empress Dowager was holding up on top of everything. Seemingly calm and peaceful. But who knew how many more days could that 70 or 80-year-old lady last?

    If Empress Dowager Niu passed away, a major purge against the Niu family and its followers was inevitable!

    Therefore, it was not uncommon for Prince Beijing and the Wei family to have the idea of severing ties with the Niu family and moving closer to Emperor Guangde''s side.

    After all, the blood relationship between Shuirong and Emperor Guangde was far beyond the relationship with the Niu family, and his reputation as the head of nobility was also a good help for Emperor Guangde and the Crown Prince.

    Sun Shaozong had never thought of this before; it was because the Wei family and Prince Beijing had a stake, and to completely cut off from the Niu family, they even sacrificed Wei Ruolan!

    But thinking about it, how could anyone be trusted if it weren''t for the Wei Brothers personally being involved in this situation? How could the situation completely turn the tables on Prince Beijing and the Niu family?

    ¡°Lord Sun.¡±

    Seeing Sun Shaozong pondering silently for a long time, the Crown Prince couldn''t help but feel uneasy and said, "Do you think there''s anything wrong with this?¡±

    ¡°It''s not inappropriate.¡±

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "But I have some doubts. Perhaps the death of the Niu¡¯s family eldest son was really an intentional action by the Wei Brothers.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    The Crown Prince was startled, and the Crown Princess was even more surprised as she covered her small mouth. She immediately felt something was wrong and quickly lowered her arms to stand upright.

    The Crown Prince exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean it is an international act by the Wei? Why did he do this? Does he not want to live anymore?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, to preserve one''s own family.¡±

    Sun Shaozong explained his brief and concise explanation to the two of them just now and finally said, "The reason why I thought so is because the first condition offered by Beijing Princess Consort was to express their position and completely break with the Niu family.¡±

    ¡°One needs to know that Your Highness''s attitude is certainly important to what will happen to Wei Ruolan in the future, but the attitude of the Niu family is even more important. By initially stating that they will completely break with the Niu family, won''t it further anger the Niu family?¡±

    ¡°If it is really for the sake of Wei Ruolan, shouldn¡¯t they first come up with some secret chips?Even if they were to wait for the release of Wei Ruolan, it¡¯s not too late to express their position, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°But they just offered.¡±

    ¡°Either they are in a daze, or...¡±

    Sun Shaozong gave a slight pause here, hoping to let the Crown Prince take advantage of the situation and continue the conversation. At least to let him appear less foolish, so as not to become too important.

    Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince widened his eyes on the bed, but he was waiting for the next message with no intention of taking over.

    He has quite a big head, but why didn¡¯t he have a long brain?

    Sun Shaozong felt helpless and was about to continue speaking when he heard the Crown Princess blurt out from the side, "Or they had already made up their mind to break with the Niu family! By contrast, the fate of Wei Ruolan is a secondary matter.¡±

    It was indeed a waste!

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but once again feel aggrieved for the Crown Princess and nodded, "This is also my speculation.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the Crown Prince let out a cold snort and angrily said, "That Shuirong has such a cunning plan. I thought he had resorted to me because he had no choice! If I had known this earlier, I shouldn''t have agreed to that shrew. How could I continue watching her play?¡±

    In fact, Beijing Princess Consort might not necessarily be acting. After all, she was Wei Ruolan''s biological sister and naturally hoped to rescue Wei Ruolan from the prison. However fierce her temperament was, she was ultimately just a lady, and she wouldn¡¯t pay attention to the twists and turns in it.

    Perhaps it was because her brother and husband had deceived her that she made a trip on behalf of Shuirong, as he was currently still under a three-month ban.

    However, there was no need to explain these words to the Crown Prince.

    Sun Shaozong clasped his fists and arched his hand, saying, "As a matter of fact, this play still needs to continue. However, Prince Beijing was indeed the best person to expose the suspicion of the Niu family. Moreover, as the head of the prestigious family in name, if he can truly follow His Highness''s lead, it will be helpful to establish a reputation.¡±

    But...

    If the fake nun was not afraid, what was so scary for a big man like Sun Shaozong?

    He lifted his leg onto the shaft, adjusted his buttocks, and sat next to Miaoyu. He smelled the faint scent of sandalwood on her body and looked at her seemingly calm and composed appearance, but in reality, he was constantly worried. Suddenly, a thought arose in his heart.

    *The most suitable ¡±method¡± for this fake nun must be ***! *

    Although Miaoyu didn¡¯t have the same telepathy, she had always been paying attention to Sun Shaozong and naturally could feel the sudden obscenity of his gaze.

    Her delicate body trembled slightly, and subconsciously she was about to retreat, even fleeing outside the carriage.

    Just thinking of the decision she had just made, Miaoyu bit her silver teeth and tried to hold back her discomfort. She sat down and pretended not to care, saying, "I wonder what you are thinking about, Lord Sun? If you are willing to take action, I will never be stingy... stingy with my skin.¡±

    As she spoke, her face, which pretended to be calm, had already turned red as blood.

    This...

    Did she treat his previous words of procrastination as waiting for a price? So she was planning to sacrifice her body to help?

    He remembered during the solar eclipse; she misunderstood his meaning too, and now...

    Sun Shaozong was quite speechless, but last time it was because the time and place were not suitable that he decisively declined her sacrifice.

    At present, there was great potential in the vast sea and sky. As long as he falsely agreed that he would plead for Wei Ruolan in front of the Crown Prince. Then, let the Crown Prince come forward to protect him; he could then ¡±unlock¡± the position that used brainpower.

    With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong''s gaze unconsciously wandered back and forth on Miaoyu.

    If it were normal times, Miaoyu would inevitably shy away from his gaze, but now that she was willing to use her body as a bargaining chip, it was naturally difficult to dodge again.

    Therefore, she gritted her silver teeth tightly, not only lifting her crispy chest but also raising her snowy neck, presenting a cool and shy face to Sun Shaozong without hesitation.

    Tch!

    This fake nun was indeed a rare creature!

    Sun Shaozong gave a deep praise and suddenly leaned back against the carriage, lazily asking, "I don''t understand. Since you want to marry Wei Ruolan, how dare you use your body as a bargaining chip repeatedly?¡±

    ¡°Don''t speculate recklessly, My Lord.¡±

    Upon hearing him say this, Miaoyu sneered and said, "I have already promised the Buddha in this life and will never remarry as a woman. The reason why I wanted to save Lord Wei is just because I remembered that he had risked danger and saved that child.¡±

    ¡°As for repeatedly using my skin as a chip...¡±

    Miaoyu let out a bitter smile and asked, "Apart from this skin, I probably don''t have any chips that can impress you.¡±

    This was quite true.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and sneered, "You still have some self-knowledge, but this time you are lucky. The Crown Prince has promised Beijing Princess Consort to come forward and protect Wei Ruolan, so it''s better to leave your skin to the Buddha.¡±

    Miaoyu was stunned for a moment and stared into Sun Shaozong''s eyes for a while. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "Your Excellency Sun is indeed a gentleman.¡±

    Spit!

    Sun Shaozong spat and said with a hint of anger, "Gentleman or whatever, let someone else take it. I just haven''t reached the point where I''m going to use lies to deceive women''s bodies. If there''s anything else I can ask for next time, I won''t be polite to you at all.¡±

    After a pause, he added, "And it''s the kind of person who never takes responsibility after sleeping.¡±

    Miaoyu only lowered her eyebrows and smiled lightly, with a relaxed smile in her body and mind.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    Sun Shaozong gave an order, and when the carriage slowly stopped by the roadside, he picked up the driving curtain and pointed outside, saying, "Alright, I have serious matters to deal with right now, so I won''t send you back to Rongguo Mansion.¡±

    Miaoyu didn''t say much either. She walked lightly out of the carriage and gave Sun Shaozong a deep salute.

    Until the carriage got back on the road, Sun Shaozong looked out through the gap in the car curtain, and she was still silently reciting the scripture with her palms folded by the roadside.

    Unfortunately!

    It was rare for someone who fit **** to just let it go for nothing.

    Next time!

    If there was still a chance next time, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to swallow her beltbone and let her know that things never exceed three times!

 Chapter 472

    Chapter 472

    The clouds scattered, and the rain rested on the grape trellis.

    Sun Shaozong picked some leaves and carefully wiped the swing frame before sitting on it with Ping¡®er in his arms.

    Seeing that Ping¡¯er was still lost in the lingering charm, he took care of her and helped her gather her upper clothes and took out a handkerchief to help her clean up the aftermath.

    However, as the handkerchief was wiped on her body, Ping''er woke up from her loss of consciousness and quickly held onto Sun Shaozong''s big hand, saying in fear, "I should have done this myself. How could I dirty your handkerchief?¡±

    Sun Shaozong kissed her cherry lips and blocked all the remaining words, then unquestionably helped her clean up the traces.

    After tidying up, Sun Shaozong rolled up the handkerchief covered in filth and was about to take it back into his sleeve pocket. However, it was snatched away by Ping¡¯er, and she hid it in her arms. She blushed and said, "It''s inconvenient for you to hold this thing. It''s better to wait for me to wash it clean and find a chance to bring it back to you.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Sun Shaozong nodded and chuckled in a pun, "After you wash it clean, I will continue using it next time.¡±

    Ping¡¯er became increasingly ashamed, especially through the dense vines, where she could vaguely see Yuanyang hiding in the nearby bushes. Although it might not be possible to see clearly, the wild movements just now couldn¡¯t escape her ears.

    Unable to suppress shame, Sun Shaozong patted her bare thighs and urged her, "First put on your clothes; don''t get caught in the cold again.¡±

    Ping¡¯er hurriedly put her clothes on her body, and when everything was ready, Sun Shaozong took the opportunity to hook her into his arms and lazily said, "Alright, the main task has been completed. If you have any other matters at the moment, please let me know.¡±

    Ping¡¯er took the opportunity to pillow on his chest and said in a coquettish voice, "Actually, it''s nothing. My Madam heard that there¡¯s a profit earned, and she can''t help but think about putting it in her pocket. So she sent me to discuss with you and see if we can get a bonus before the end of the year.¡±

    ¡°Sure enough, she¡¯s a... Cough"

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong originally intended to say that Wang Xifeng had long hair and short knowledge. However, since he was speaking to a woman, it would be better not to use this saying.

    So he pretended to clear his throat and continued, "Your Madam doesn''t need to even think about it. Although the timber business started in early July, Marshal Wang''s side has been purchasing timber since March.¡±

    ¡°So there are not only accumulated inventory here but also some small merchants who are unable to pay their debts and can''t afford it. They voluntarily transferred their debts, which is why the profits are so abundant.¡±

    ¡°Although the profits in the next few months will not decrease, they will never be as windy as they were at first. After all, when there is a way to get money, and I''m afraid it''s not just us who will get the news.¡±

    ¡°If we don''t accumulate more Capital quickly, we can¡¯t attract more sources of goods in the future, and this profit may further decline.¡±

    Now that Ping¡¯er''s body and mind have been subdued, she naturally listened to everything he said, pecking at the rice like a chicken that has reached its peak and solemnly saying, "I will speak clearly to my Madam when I go back and advise her to endure for a while.¡±

    However, Sun Shaozong felt a bit inappropriate. He pondered for a while, then shook his head and said, "With your Second Madam''s shortsighted and greedy nature, I''m afraid she may be unable to endure this for so long. Just return and report that after your ultimate argument, I reluctantly agreed to advance a portion of the bonus.¡±

    Anyway, his Big Brother just retrieved a sum of silver from Prince Zhongshun, which should be enough to send Wang Xifeng away.

    Ping''er obediently responded and then reached out to the gift box on the ground, saying, "This ¡±Golden Bell and Glass Pagoda¡± was a congratulatory gift from Second Master Jia Lian. He said he was going to make peace with you. He even planned to come and deliver the gift personally, but Second Madam stopped him.¡±

    Originally, she mentioned Jia Lian and referred to him as ¡±Second Master,¡± but now she openly calls him by his name.

    A gift from Jia Lian?

    Sun Shaozong frowned and looked at the gift box; his heart turned a few times, but he couldn''t guess the purpose of Jia Lian''s actions. Remembering last month when he went to Rongguo Mansion, he was still full of hostility towards himself.

    By the way!

    Remembering the scene when he went to Rongguo Mansion last time, Sun Shaozong quickly informed Ping''er about Lin Hongyu stealing her clothes from the Yihong Courtyard that day and took the opportunity to inquire whether it was Lin Hongyu''s intention or who had instructed her.

    ¡°Did Xiaohong steal your clothes?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Ping''er was also surprised. Seeing that Sun Shaozong was not joking, she pondered and said, "If it were really her theft, it probably wasn''t from her original intention. A few days ago, this little hoof approached Jia Lian and wanted to become a concubine.¡±

    ¡°It''s just that Jia Lian has suddenly regained his temper recently, and as a result, he has been sidelined. However, Xiaohong still revolves around Jia Lian all day, and I guess it''s probably because of Jia Lian''s instigation.¡±

    Jia Lian sent Lin Hongyu to steal his clothes, then turned around and sent a gift to seek peace?

    What kind of medicine was sold in this gourd?

    Was it because two direct conflicts have suffered losses, so he wanted to numb himself first and then resort to cunning revenge?

    After seeing Sun Shaozong back at the West Cross Courtyard, Qingwen suddenly realized that there was something wrong with this small garden, which was mostly planted with fresh vegetables and fruits for several masters in the mansion to taste, so there was no scenery inside.

    What did Sun Shaozong do in the small garden for no reason?

    Being curious, she hid behind the weeping willow to see if anyone would secretly meet Sun Shaozong. However, after a short wait, she saw Yuanyang coming out from inside!

    Watching her face flush and her chest fluctuating, how could Qingwen not guess what was happening inside?

    After listening to Qingwen''s words, Yuanyang also knew that she had been misunderstood and wanted to explain something, but if she wanted to take herself out, she had to confess Ping¡¯er!

    However, Ping¡¯er was Jia Lian''s big maid, and the severity of this problem was more than a hundred times more serious than an ordinary maid colluding with the Second Master in the mansion.

    Therefore, when the words reached her lips, Yuanyang could only stop talking.

    ¡°Alright, you don''t need to explain anything, Sister.¡±

    Qingwen saw her appearance and felt even more ¡±clear¡± in her heart. She shook her handkerchief and said, ¡°Just pretend I didn''t see anything just now. I still have some things to do, so let me take a step ahead first.¡±

    As she spoke, she swayed her slender waist and headed straight towards the front yard.

    ¡°Qingwen, Qingwen!¡±

    Yuanyang chased after her and shouted a few words. Firstly, she didn¡¯t dare to speak loudly, and secondly, she was afraid that leaving Ping''er in the garden would cause further trouble. Therefore, she could only watch Qingwen drift away.

    This was really a big trouble.

    Forget it; there have been many rumors circulating about this mansion, and Qingwen has always been arrogant, so she shouldn''t have said anything about it.

    She thought so, but after calling out Ping¡¯er, Yuanyang couldn''t help but feel embarrassed and angry. She rushed forward and pushed and pulled with her, saying angrily, "It''s obvious that you''re cheating, but now I''m the one who suffers.¡±

    Ping''er had already heard Qingwen''s words and knew that she was feeling aggrieved, so she just laughed and resisted. However, amidst this pushing and pulling, a handkerchief was pulled out of Ping¡¯er¡¯s skirt.

    ¡°Give it back to me quickly.¡±

    Now Ping¡¯er was really anxious, blushing, and rushing forward to compete.

    But Yuanyang looked at her anxious appearance, and how would she return the things to her?

    As she turned her back to dodge, she spread out the handkerchief and sneered, "I want to see what kind of precious handkerchief it is, which can make you secretly hide in your arms?¡±

    However, as soon as the handkerchief was unfolded, there was nothing strange inside; instead, there were many sticky filth on the hands.

    Yuanyang couldn''t help but be taken aback, and Ping¡¯er quickly seized the opportunity to snatch the handkerchief away and took it back into her arms with great care.

    ¡°What is this... What is this?¡±

    Yuanyang looked at her and didn''t dislike any dirt at all. Her curiosity grew even more intense, so she put her hand under her nose and sniffed hard.

    Cluck, cluck

    Upon seeing the situation, Ping¡¯er couldn''t help but smile and roll back. It took her a while to pull over Yuanyang and explain a few words in her ear.

    ¡°What!¡±

    Yuanyang immediately exclaimed in surprise, intending to take out a handkerchief to wipe it, but was really unwilling to let her personal belongings get contaminated with such filth. In the end, in a fit of anger, she simply wiped them all onto the weeping willow.

    After repeatedly rubbing against it for a long time, the little hands were all red, but she still felt dirty. She couldn''t help but scold again, "Thank you for taking these things with you.¡±

    Ping''er laughed beside her with a stomachache but couldn''t help but suppress it. She said in a muffled voice, "I''m sorry, but when you have someone in your heart, you''ll know that it''s already late. Let''s hurry back to the Elder Madam''s yard.¡±

    As she spoke, seeing Yuanyang still practicing iron sand palms on the tree, she added, "You must as well take a fragrant sponge, so that you can scrub it clean...¡±

    Before the words fell, Yuanyang rushed towards the back house in a panic.

 Chapter 473

    | Sun Mansion Hall. |

    Hong Jiu sat precariously on the last chair, his legs particularly tight, tightly gripping his crotch.

    The delicate little maid who was originally responsible for making tea would come up every half a quarter of an hour to remove the leftover tea and brew fresh hot tea. At first, Hong Jiu felt that if he couldn''t drink it cleanly, he seemed sorry for the busy work of others. So he drank several cups in a row and had already filled his two kidneys.

    The first time he came to this prestigious official family, the one in charge of serving was a young girl. Hong Jiu was already a bit timid, so he was too embarrassed to ask where the restroom was.

    However, more than half an hour has passed, Sun Shaozong''s shadow has not yet been seen, and Hong Jiu has almost endured it to the limit.

    Thinking that the little maid was about to come in and change tea again, he stood up with his legs, barely squeezing out a smile on his face. As soon as the footsteps approached, he couldn''t wait to ask, "Excuse me, may I ask the wash...¡±

    At the end of the sentence, a majestic figure walked into the hall.

    Putong!

    Hong Jiu immediately suppressed his urination and the rest of his words and quickly knelt on both knees, knocking his head heavily on the ground. He respectfully said, "I, Hong Jiu, I''ve seen the Heavenly Master.¡±

    Sun Shaozong listened to half of the conversation and thought he was waiting anxiously, wanting to know when he would be back. Therefore, he didn''t pay much attention, so he sat down on the throne. Only then did he lift his hand and order, "Get up and speak.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡±

    Hong Jiu turned around with both hands and feet, then kowtowed his head to Sun Shaozong. Only then did he carefully climb up and stand in the center of the living room with his head down and ears down.

    Hong Jiu, who held this position, couldn¡¯t afford a seat in front of the Fourth Grade in the hall. Sun Shaozong also didn¡¯t want to speak too much nonsense, so he only waited for him to stand firm and asked directly, "I heard you have something urgent to report to me in person.¡±

    ¡°Report back to the Master.¡±

    When it came to business, Hong Jiu regained some shrewdness and quickly bowed down, saying, "I have something urgent to attend to. I must report it to you in person.¡±

    ¡°Recently, there have been many outsiders in the Capital, some of whom dress up as beggars and wander around in private. Since I have taken on the job of security, I naturally dare not let them break the rules. Therefore, I sent people to invite them over to inform the situation in our Capital."

    ¡°Who knew those people were all good at martial arts? They beat up the people I sent and then disappeared completely.¡±

    ¡°I vaguely felt that something was wrong, so I contacted several other securities and rediscovered these people. I also secretly monitored and investigated them, hoping to find out their details so that I could inform the government in advance.¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought that the investigation turned out to be a big secret.¡±

    ¡°A big secret?¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked at him as he spoke, both excited and frightened. He couldn''t help but also develop some interest. He leaned forward slightly and raised his chin, saying, "What is the big secret?¡±

    Hong Jiu looked furtively outside the door a few times before turning back and lowering his voice. "Those people are actually the remnants of the White Lotus Sect.¡±

    The remaining members of the White Lotus Sect?!

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but be surprised. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was great chaos in the world, and the White Lotus Sect was also one of the forces. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty ultimately ruled the country, because the White Lotus Sect was the political power of ***** and could most demagogue people, there were still many loyal and remaining factions lurking in the dark and ready to stir up trouble.

    Seventeen years ago, that was the year when Sun Shaozong''s father bravely crossed the Yalu River and was allowed to commit suicide due to his defeat. Taking advantage of the army being annihilated and the country disgraced during the Great Zhou Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect raised a banner against him in Shaanxi, Gansu, and other places, plundering counties and causing chaos and enslaving countless people.

    In just two months, the tens of thousands of rebels held hostage by the White Lotus Sect were annihilated by the surrounding army guarding against the Mongolian Iron Cavalry, and the sect leader and saint were also sent to the Capital, resulting in execution.

    For more than ten years, the remaining members of the White Lotus Sect still appeared from time to time, making the court feel like a formidable enemy.

    But...

    The White Lotus Sect generally operated in Shaanxi and Gansu, occasionally entering the boundaries of Henan and Shanxi, and appearing in the Imperial City at the feet of the Emperor; it was still the first time in history.

    Were these guys trying to take advantage of the unstable political situation and get a big deal in the Capital?

    Tch!

    In the southwest, there were the Qianxiang Kingdom and Zhenwa Kingdom ready to make a move; in the southeast, there were pirates at risk, and in the north, Black Water was blatantly cutting off the trade routes between North Korea and the Zhou Dynasty.

    At present, another White Lotus Sect has emerged in the Capital, this situation was really...

    Sun Shaozong quickly got up to greet him, but then he saw him pull out a gold post from his sleeve and offer it with both hands, saying, "Second brother, I will get married next month, 13th. At that time, you can''t break the promise as Xue Big Head did.¡±

    ¡°I''ve been thinking about it for a long time.¡±

    Sun Shaozong accepted the post with a smile and bent his fingers to flick his hand, saying, "Besides, I helped set this day. Not only will I be there, but even my Elder Brother will be there. I will then assign you a generous gift.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Liu Xianglian was about to bow and thank him, but Sun Shaozong added, "I''ll give it along with the portion that hired you as a Private Advisor.¡±

    Liu Xianglian suddenly lowered his face and said in a casual tone, "Second Brother, I''m really annoyed with this case...¡±

    ¡°What annoyance is there?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was willing to give him a chance to refute, waving his hand and saying unquestionably, ¡°This matter has been settled. After the big marriage, I will give you three more days to prepare. On the morning of September 17th, if I don¡¯t see your figure in the Criminal Department, I will send a sign to the Yamen to bring you back!¡±

    Liu Xianglian sighed for a while, but after all, he didn¡¯t dare to say more. After a while, he took the initiative to open the topic and invited Sun Shaozong to visit Xue Pan on Zijin Street with him.

    ¡°Visiting Xue Pan?¡±

    Sun Shaozong doubted and said, "Why do you want to visit him? Did he have some emergency?¡±

    Liu Xianglian gloated and said, "Not an emergency, but someone beat him up.¡±

    It turned out that two days ago, Xue Pan was giving a banquet in the Baihua Building. He left the banquet and went to the bathroom midway, but he didn''t come back for a long time. A fellow diner found the thatched cottage and saw him writhing in feces and urine.

    Afterward, according to Xue Pan, as soon as he arrived in the restroom to prepare for convenience, he was caught in the head with a urinal, and his limbs had their joints removed, so he couldn''t struggle out of the restroom.

    ¡°That guy felt embarrassed and hid at home, refusing to see anyone. It was only yesterday when I heard someone talk about it that I realized there was such a thing.¡±

    Listening to Liu Xianglian''s tone, he was afraid visiting was just an excuse. He wanted to see Xue Pan''s excitement.

    However, while Sun Shaozong was amused, he developed some vigilance in his heart. He frowned and muttered, ¡°Although the Xue family brothers have poor martial arts skills, they can still rely on their strong physical strength to maintain their strength. Even if three or five people are against them, the opponent may not be able to do anything about them. However, the other party easily removed the joints of his limbs, which is probably not something that ordinary people can do.¡±

    As he spoke, he nodded and said, "Indeed, it''s time to visit this kid to avoid any further trouble.¡±

    The person took off Xue Pan''s limbs and abandoned him in the restroom, only to humiliate him without actually intending to hurt Xue Pan.

    Could Xue Pan''s temperament be the one willing to suffer losses?

    He guessed he was already holding back to retaliate!

    If he didn''t have any clues, it was fine. If he stumbled upon some clues and forced the other party to panic, they might not even be lenient.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong felt it necessary to come and help him so as not to lose his life in confusion.

    Moreover, Sun Shaozong had another matter to ask for the help of Minster Wang to go to Jinmen Mansion through Xue Pan. Sun Shaozong conducted an on-site investigation and found that he had made great progress.

    Xiang Yi needless to say, Sun Shaozong showed a slight hint of meaning, and without hesitation, he took over everything.

    And the political envoy, Su Mingchong, was even more affectionate towards him. Before Sun Shaozong could express himself, he rushed to express his desire to contact more in the future and even entrusted several relatives and friends in the Capital to take care of them.

    Obviously, it wasn''t just Sun Shaozong who wanted to use Su Mingchong''s power to cultivate a foundation in the Jinmen Mansion, but Su Mingchong also liked Sun Shaozong, a potential stock. Therefore, the two of them could be said to hit it off at once.

    After all, Sun Shaozong couldn¡¯t stay in Jinmen, so he must find a suitable person to represent his interests in Jinmen.

    However, this candidate was not very easy to find; after all, the Sun family has always been working in the military, and there were not many serious civil servants around. Yu Qian and Sun Chengtao have just been appointed to official positions, so it was not possible to be transferred to Jinmen for the time being.

    Lin Delu could barely count as one, but his chin was looking forward to further development in the Capital, and he was afraid he didn''t have the heart to go to Jinmen Mansion to develop again.

    After much thought, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to set his mind on his students. Of course, it wasn''t the garbage from Jia Mansion''s martial arts school, but rather a few successful candidates who recognized Sun Shaozong as Master last autumn.

    Most of these people fell behind in the Spring Festival and naturally would continue to take the Imperial Examination in the future. However, one of them, Xiong Guang, was in the third tier of the same subject as Yu Qian and has not been able to fill the gap yet due to a lack of knowledge.

    Although there was not much communication between Xiong Guang and Sun Shaozong, there was a layer of distinction between teachers and students, which would make it much easier to balance in the future.

    Therefore, after Sun Shaozong returned to the Capital, he took the time to inspect Xiong Guang and prepared to recommend him to the Zhili Inspector''s Office through the channels of Minister Wang.

 Chapter 474: Blinded

    Chapter 474: Blinded

    The rain and fog that lasted for a day not only did not stop the next day but instead gradually merged into a rain curtain.

    Sun Shaozong finished handling many trivial matters in the early morning and carried his dedicated coir raincoat to the corner gate of the front yard. He was about to hang the coir raincoat on the strap behind the carriage so that Zhang Cheng could use it at any time.

    Unexpectedly, just at this moment, a group of people suddenly came meandering along. Xiuju holding flower umbrellas led the way in front, followed by Yuanyang and Caixia, left and right, embracing Li Wan¡¯s mother and son, and then followed by Su Yun and other maids and nannies from Rongguo Mansion.

    Seeing that it was too late to avoid suspicion, Sun Shaozong threw the coir raincoat at Zhang Cheng''s disposal and greeted it with great fanfare. Without waiting for Li Wan to approach, he bowed and said, "It''s not easy for you to come, sister-in-law. Why don''t you stay for a few more days?¡±

    Seeing his majestic figure from afar, Li Wan¡¯s heart was already restless, as if carrying a furnace of steel making charcoal fire. She wished she could immediately melt the crude iron billet into her cavity and perform a spicy ritual.

    When Sun Shaozong shouted out ¡±sister-in-law,¡± Li Wan couldn''t help but think of the old song from the past. For a moment, her delicate body, which tasted the essence of food, immediately ¡±moistened¡± to her bones.

    Fortunately, she was still holding Jia Lan''s small hand at this moment, with her son''s sea-calming needle pressing down so as not to let out the surging spring spirit.

    Just taking a few steps forward, she forced a nonchalant return and said, "To be honest, Master Yu assigned a lot of homework yesterday, and I didn''t have all the books involved at home. So I wanted to buy them early to avoid delaying Lan¡¯er''s homework.¡±

    At this moment, Jia Lan also obediently stepped forward and respectfully said, "Lan¡¯er has seen the Teaching Master.¡±

    How sharp were Sun Shaozong''s eyes?

    He saw the bright color on Li Wan¡¯s face just now. He was afraid that if he provoked her a few words casually, she would accidentally show flaws. So he bent down and smiled, "What did you learn yesterday, Lan¡¯er?¡±

    ¡°Replying to the Teaching Master''s words, yesterday the Master mainly talked about the principles of understanding and gradual progress in reading. He also pointed out several beginner''s books and asked me to go back and study them in order.¡±

    After replying like a young adult, Jia Lan suddenly looked up and smiled, "Although my Master taught me the teachings of sages, I will not ease to practice martial arts, and I will not fall behind. Because in the future, I will become a good official who is both civil and military, like you.¡±

    This child was really a clever one!

    Sun Shaozong chuckled and rubbed his small head with his hand, saying, "In two days, your Second Uncle will invite me to be a guest. How about teaching you some other martial arts skills then?¡±

    Jia Lan obediently responded, and Li Wan beside him was even more dazzled. She couldn''t help but blurt out, "Then in a few days, I will confine Lan¡¯er at home and wait for Erlang to come.¡±

    This...

    Did she misunderstand something?

    Forget it; it was not the right time to explain now.

    With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong followed the rules of etiquette and sent the mother and son out of the door. Turning around, he was about to take a carriage to go out, but he saw a person kneeling in front of the carriage, stunned.

    Sun Shaozong frowned and looked over, but saw that the woman was not someone else. It was Caixia, the big maid next to Old Madam Wang. He heard that ever since she had come to the Sun family, she had always been cautious in her words and actions. She was neither as distant as Qingwen nor as inclusive as Yuanyang. What was the trouble today?

    ¡°Caixia, what are you doing?¡±

    Yuanyang next to her was also taken aback at the sight and approached to help Caixia up. However, Caixia forcefully threw her away and knocked her head into the shallow water, causing splashes of water.

    When she lifted her head again, her forehead was already bruised and swollen.

    Caixia disregarded it and looked up and begged, "Please be kind to me, Second Master. Please take me to see Second Master Bao together.¡±

    Tch!

    Sun Shaozong''s brow furrowed even tighter; he knew about Qingwen¡¯s relationship long before. But didn''t Caixia promise her heart to Third Brother Huan? Why was she thinking about going to see Jia Baoyu?

    Did she suddenly change her taste and stop being childish?

    Besides, didn''t Jia Baoyu come here a few days ago? She stayed in Jia Yingchun''s house for half a day. What was there that she couldn''t say in one breath and insisted on seeking to plead after the fact?

    However, these were not important. What was important was that Caixia''s actions had already exceeded the duty of servants and violated the rules of the mansion!

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong lowered his face and sneered, "I don''t want to know why you want to see Baoyu. I only ask you, are you a member of our Sun family or a servant of Rongguo Mansion now?! Do you think that after serving Old Madam Wang for a few days, you can be so reckless in my house?!¡±

    Since he became a Governor and began questioning in court, Sun Shaozong''s official power and evil spirit have been increasing day by day. At this moment, a thunderous outburst erupted, instantly causing Caixia''s face to turn pale with fear.

    Therefore, when Yuanyang got up, she couldn''t stand firm and instead slipped under her feet. ¡±Ouch,¡± she exclaimed and fell forward, bumping her head into Sun Shaozong''s arms.

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Sun Shaozong reached out and wrapped his hand around her waist, righting her delicate body again. Without looking at her rosy face, he got into the carriage and ordered Zhang Cheng to whip the horse and leave.

    Yuanyang watched the carriage go away and then saw no one peeping around. Suddenly, she spat with a blushing face and whispered, "Pretending to be a gentleman. He still secretly takes advantage of me.¡±

    As she spoke, her small white hands instinctively protected her buttocks.

    But the shame in the curse was more than the annoyance, all like the inexplicable smell of anger when Jia She harassed her at the beginning.

    Sun Shaozong was twirling his fingers in the car, savoring the touch he had just had, secretly praising that although Yuanyang was born fair, her skin and flesh were tight and sturdy, not like a pampered woman. It must be...

    Along the way, pondering many lustful thoughts and fantasies, Sun Shaozong had to calm down for a while before getting off the carriage as if he had nothing wrong.

    ¡°Second Brother.¡±

    Liu Xianglian had already arrived, but he had made an appointment to meet Sun Shaozong at the Xue family''s door. Only then did he have the patience to pass the time in the tea shop across the street. Seeing Sun Shaozong get off the carriage, he immediately flew up close and said eagerly, "Let''s hurry; let''s also see what that big dung beetle looks like.¡±

    This gloating-like expression.

    Sun Shaozong gave him a silent look and scolded, "Later when you see him. Don''t keep making fun of him. Don''t forget that you are getting married in a few days; Brother Xue will be there. At that time, there will be revenge and resentment.¡±

    Liu Xianglian restrained a lot.

    When the two of them arrived at the door side by side, the steward of the mansion had already received news and hurriedly welcomed them out. Knowing Xue Pan''s relationship with the two of them, he didn''t even take them to the front hall and directly led them to the back house.

    At this time, the pavilions that were ravaged by elephants were naturally renovated, and the golden and magnificent places were even more magnificent than before. Especially when moistened by the rain, they became increasingly rich and imposing.

    However, according to Sun Shaozong''s knowledge, the sales of the Xue family have gradually declined in recent years, and they have borrowed from the Rongguo Mansion for hundreds of thousands of taels of Capital. Although it might not be considered a hollow mansion at the moment, their finances were also becoming increasingly limited.

    For today''s plan, they should first open up resources, reduce expenses, and revitalize the family business. However, the Xue family has instead invested their silver in such a face-saving project. Looking back at the young man they met in Jinmen Mansion a few days ago, this comparison was truly a world of clouds and mud.

    When he saw Xue Pan''s small courtyard not far ahead, Sun Shaozong suddenly let out a ¡±Eh¡± and frowned and stopped walking.

    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±

    Liu Xianglian said strangely, "Why don''t you walk forward, Brother?¡±

    Sun Shaozong ignored him and instead approached the steward of the Xue family, saying, "Is it true that Brother Xue has contracted some kind of epidemic? Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have welcomed us out long ago.¡±

    Liu Xianglian suddenly realized that when the two of them entered the door just now, there was already a doorman rushing in to report. According to Xue Pan''s temperament, when he learned that Second Brother Sun and himself were coming, he should have been out by now. How could they arrive at the door without any movement?

    So he also hurriedly inquired about Xue Pan''s condition.

    The steward smiled bitterly and said, "You¡¯re right. After being assassinated that day, our Master came back with intestinal disease and couldn''t stop for several days. If it weren''t for the improvement now, I wouldn''t dare to take you two over to meet.¡±

    The so-called intestinal disease, diarrhea, was also considered a type of plague in ancient times. Therefore, if it had not improved, one would not dare to see outsiders indiscriminately.

    Upon hearing that Xue Pan had improved, Liu Xianglian finally calmed down and couldn''t help but joke, "This Old Xue really has an inexplicable bond with the restroom.¡±

    Sun Shaozong gave him a sideways glance, then he bowed his head and entered the small courtyard.

    ¡°Yo~ It turns out that Lord Sun and Young Master Liu have arrived. I wondered why the magpies were chirping so loudly today?¡±

    As soon as they entered the door, they saw Wang-Shi welcoming them with a pair of big, watery eyes, greeting Liu Xianglian directly.

    This woman was really...

    Sun Shaozong didn''t know what to say about her, so he heard Xue Pan in the room scolding and saying, "Are you selling coquettishness? Why don''t you quickly invite the Second Brother and Brother Liu in?¡±

    Wang curled her mouth and then twisted her water snake waist to lead the two people in.

 Chapter 475: The Second Master Sun and The Second â€˜Masterâ€™ Lian

    Chapter 475: The Second Master Sun and The Second ¡®Master¡¯ Lian

    After an agreement was made with Liu Xianglian to visit Xue Pan again the next day, Sun Shaozong led Hong Jiu to the Northern Detective Department and infiltrated the Capital with the White Lotus Sect''s rebellion, intending to find the news of the White Lotus Saint. He reported it to the Pacifier, Lu Hui.

    Due to the involvement of the famous White Lotus Sect Rebellion, Lu Hui naturally attached great importance to it and immediately decided to personally launch the control measures to capture the White Lotus Sect Rebellion, internal correspondence, and the reincarnated Virgin Mary. Sun Shaozong was also temporarily asked to assist, and he helped to participate in the action plan for most of the day before he was able to escape.

    By the time they returned from the Northern Detective Department, the street was already dark.

    When reaching outside the door of Sun Mansion, Coachman Zhang Cheng pulled the reins. The horse puller kicked and stomped to a stop, and two young servants rushed out of the doorway, spreading several coarse cloth blankets from the steps to the front of the carriage.

    Sun Shaozong lifted the curtain and got out of the car. He twitched his nostrils against the misty rain and mist and suddenly sneezed heavily.

    Was there someone talking about him?

    Sun Shaozong rubbed his nose and stepped on a blanket as he entered the mansion. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw Zhao Zhongji greeting him again. He couldn''t help but stop and said, "Speak up, what''s the matter?¡±

    It was a busy day; even in the evening, he didn''t stop a bit.

    ¡°Answer to the Second Master.¡±

    Zhao Zhongji quickly bowed and said, "Second Master Bao sent a post this afternoon, inviting you to visit Rongguo Mansion in three days.¡±

    Jia Baoyu wants to treat him again?

    Was there any reason for this?

    After all, he was about to set up a full moon banquet on the 27th, and he would definitely invite Jia Baoyu to the banquet. If there was no reason, Jia Baoyu didn¡¯t need to choose to host a banquet at this juncture.

    But...

    It seemed that invitations given to oneself were usually collected by Ruan Rong. Why did Zhao Zhongji notify him today?

    Upon hearing Sun Shaozong''s question, Zhao Zhongji quickly explained, "The Elder Madam of Rongguo Mansion has arrived at our house, and the Elder Madam has specially invited Concubine Ruan to accompany her. Therefore, I haven¡¯t got the chance to forward this invitation to Concubine Ruan.¡±

    It turned out that Yu Qian was resting today and specifically called for Jia Lan to come to learn. As this was the first time her son had ¡±gone out to study,¡± Li Wan couldn¡¯t feel at ease and simply followed him in the name of a close relative.

    Later, due to the continuous drizzle that never stopped, Jia Yingchun tried her best to keep guests, and both mother and son lived in the Sun family.

    However, Jia Yingchun was now pregnant, and it was inconvenient to entertain guests, so she specifically called for Ruan Rong to accompany her.

    Tch!

    Just thinking about it, it was really lively. His old lover was leading his cheap son here, his sister-in-law was trying to keep guests with his child, and the one responsible for entertaining her was also his son''s biological mother.

    However, they were not clear about each other and the tricks involved.

    Thinking about that scene, Sun Shaozong felt that it was enough to shoot an eight o''clock bloody drama.

    Shaking his head and dispelling the image in his mind, Sun Shaozong casually reminded Zhao Zhongji to take out some precious medicinal herbs that nourish the body from the treasury so that he could take them to the Xue family tomorrow. Since it was under the guise of ¡±visiting,¡± at least there should be the action.

    When Zhao Zhongji answered this matter, Sun Shaozong followed the corridor to his courtyard.

    As expected, the east room of the main room was dark, and it was obvious that Ruan Rong was still stuck in Jia Yingchun''s courtyard and had not returned. She seemed to have some opinions about Li Wan, and he didn''t know what they were chatting about at the moment. The conversation didn''t end at such a time.

    Since Ruan Rong was not there, Sun Shaozong simply turned into the west chamber and quietly crawled to the south end, hoping to see if his daughter was asleep before going to talk to Xiangling.

    Who knew that after entering the door, he saw a small person holding onto his daughter''s cradle, but who else could it be if it weren''t his son, Sun Chengyi?

    If saying that the genes of the Sun family were not built, just seven months old, this stinky guy was able to stand up on his own, and he could even walk a few steps unsteadily now.

    However, if he wanted to walk from the main room to the east wing, he was still in a state of weakness. Obviously, he was carried over by Qingwen next to him.

    ¡°Second Master.¡±

    Seeing Qingwen protecting the child with one hand, she bowed to Sun Shaozong with a greeting and explained, "The young master is making a fuss about playing with his sister, but the wet nurse has been coaxing him for a long time and refuses to sleep, so I have to bring him over.¡±

    At this moment, Sun Chengyi also saw his father and raised his head in a milky voice, shouting, "Hello... Hello.¡±

    ¡°It''s sister, not hello.¡±

    Jia Yun felt a chill in his heart as he hurriedly pretended to be haughty and lowered his voice to ask, "Second Uncle, have you already thought of something to show him?¡±

    Jia Lian shook his head and said, "When has it been? Not to mention the fact that the two families are still in-laws? I really want to make peace with Sun Erlang now. There really isn¡¯t...¡±

    At this point, he suddenly became vigilant and lowered his face, which was covered in powder. He scolded, "What''s the matter? Are you still wanting to find trouble with Sun Erlang?! I advise you to quickly let go of this thought; otherwise, even if Sun Erlang can tolerate it, I will definitely not spare you.¡±

    As he spoke, he flashed two rows of teeth, as if as long as Jia Yun agreed, he would pounce and bite.

    This attitude really confused Jia Yun.

    At first, he deliberately approached Jia Lian for the convenience of taking advantage to avenge his love. Secondly, it was also to investigate Jia Lian''s movements and promptly alert Sun Shaozong.

    Who knew that Jia Lian not only had no intention of retaliation but also deliberately defended Sun Shaozong?

    This...

    What the hell was going on here?

    Was it possible that this guy sensed something and was deliberately testing himself?

    Jia Yun thought about it this way and then cautiously smiled and said, "Uncle, here are only you and me. Do you need to deliberately speak ironically? Everyone in this mansion knows that you have a bad relationship with that Sun, and you can¡¯t wait to...¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    Jia Lian slapped heavily on his chest and angrily scolded, "Is my mind that small? Besides, I was also jealous at the time, and Sun Erlang had been merciful. I''m not unknowable. After coming back to my senses, how could I still have any grudges?¡±

    Jia Yun was even dumbfounded when he heard it, especially when Jia Lian spoke of ¡±Sun Erlang,¡± which was incredibly affectionate. It didn''t seem like he was the enemy before, but rather...

    Love affair fever?!

    Jia Yun thought of these words and was immediately crushed by him fiercely. He secretly spat at what kind of person he was and continued talking with Jia Lian, which was considered insulting, let alone thinking so dirty.

    But...

    The coquettish expression around Jia Lian''s eyes and eyebrows was indeed like those nostalgic women in the mansion. When talking about Jia Baoyu, it was no different!

    However, Jia Yun''s uncertain appearance caused him to misunderstand again. He couldn''t help but tug at Jia Yun''s empty sleeve and said urgently, "You must not act recklessly! In fact, Sun Erlang didn''t harm you, but instead saved your life and begged for a fat job on your behalf. If you were to repay the kindness, you wouldn''t do such a thing.¡±

    After hearing these words, Jia Yun couldn''t help but shiver and exclaimed in his heart that he couldn''t be wrong. This ¡°semi-eunuch¡± really has a crush on Lord Sun!

    Upon careful consideration, there were actually signs of this.

    He remembered before that he had a hot fight with those delicate young men and even intended to be his subordinate. However, since Lord Sun visited the mansion, he suddenly changed his appearance and had no interest in those delicate young men anymore!

    But this matter...

    Should he remind Lord Sun?

    He should hold on longer before telling, so that he wouldn¡¯t make a mistake and make Lord Sun feel disgusted.

    Just thinking of this, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist. However, Jia Lian couldn''t wait for his response, so he simply grabbed the soft flesh on his waist and gave it a hard squeeze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you respond to me when I talk to you?¡±

    Jia Lian was angry and said casually, "As long as you don''t have any illusions and retaliate against Lord Sun recklessly, I won¡¯t treat you unfairly! If you have anything you want, just mention it to me.¡±

    I want Xiaohong!

    Jia Yun almost blurted out the truth, but fortunately, he was not such a reckless and hasty person. He patiently perfunctorily said, "What are you talking about, Second Uncle? Since you are so generous, how dare I still refuse to let go?¡±

    ¡°That''s good, that''s good.¡±

    Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief and anxiously instructed a few words before sending Jia Yun out of the door.

    When the latch was re-inserted, Jia Lian couldn''t wait to take out a spacious casual coat from the cabinet and gently rubbed it in his hand. His face turned red, and he muttered to himself, "Erlang, do you know that I just saved you from a disaster?¡±

 Chapter 476: See a Visitor Out

    Chapter 476: See a Visitor Out

    Although there was an ambulatory between the east and west wing rooms and the main room, to avoid blocking the sun, the ambulatory was just the width of two people standing side by side. If it was a gentle rain, it would be fine. Now the rainstorm was pouring and the wind was blowing, and the narrow eaves couldn¡¯t be blocked.

    ¡°Yo!¡±

    Wang-Shi let out an exaggerated exclamation, probing her head and complaining, "It only took me a few words to come in and the rain is so heavy.¡±

    As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up and she happily suggested to her Mother-in-law, "Since God is keeping guests, it''s better to invite Lord Sun and Lord Liu to have lunch at our house before leaving.¡±

    This statement was originally taken for granted, but when it came out of Wang''s mouth, it always appeared to have a bad motive.

    Therefore, Aunt Xue ignored her and waited for Ying¡¯er to hastily retrieve two paper umbrellas. She then propped up one of them, which was yellow, and covered her side like a shield, and walked towards the hall against the wall.

    Wang narrowed her mouth towards her back and quickly opened her umbrella, following her step by step.

    As the two of them entered the hall one after the other, Sun Shaozong had already heard the commotion and led Liu Xianglian to greet them, bowing and honoring them before they even put the paper umbrella away.

    ¡°Two wise nephews, there''s no need to be too polite.¡±

    Aunt Xue quickly threw the paper umbrella to the ground and reached out to falsely support it, saying, "It''s rare for you to come and visit Wenlong in such weather.¡±

    ¡°It''s too late when it poured, otherwise we should have come earlier.¡±

    As Sun Shaozong spoke, he straightened his waist and stroked his gaze from bottom to top, only to suddenly realize that there was a palm-like wet mark on the fiery red bra.

    This...

    Could it be that she accidentally got it when she came over just now?

    But everything else on her body was fine. Why was it that only the lower part of her chest was wet, and she even got it right above her heart, covering half of her chest?

    Should it be that Xue Pan''s dead father, whose head was already green?

    No!

    Even if she wanted to have an affair with someone, there was no reason to specifically go to her son''s yard to do so.

    It seemed like it was just a coincidence.

    Thinking recklessly in his heart, Sun Shaozong didn¡¯t show any signs on his face and respectfully welcomed the mother and daughter into the room.

    They saw Xue Pan leaning on the bed, although he didn''t have enough breath, he still exclaimed excitedly, "Mother! Just now I heard Second Brother say that the Jinmen Mansion has great potential. Aren''t you always accusing me of not doing my job? Today, I''ll make a serious decision and move 30% of our people from Jiangnan to Jinmen Mansion first.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue immediately was put in a difficult position. According to her daughter''s wishes, her family was not suitable for having too much interest in the Sun family until the imperial rule could be determined.

    Sun Shaozong had a big heart and with a slight effort, he straightened Aunt Xue''s plump and moderate body, then hurriedly withdrew his claws.

    Fortunately, Aunt Xue was facing everyone with her back at this moment, and all of this happened suddenly, and no one noticed the mystery.

    But these actions couldn¡¯t be concealed from others, how could they be concealed from Aunt Xue, the party involved?

    Especially with the last effort, Aunt Xue couldn''t help but let out another coquettish cry, and her oval face turned red for the most part. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she instinctively raised her hand to cover it tightly.

    Seeing her restless appearance, Sun Shaozong was afraid that he might reveal any clues and quickly asked, "Aunt, are you okay? How did you fall?¡±

    ¡°I... I''m fine.¡±

    Aunt Xue suddenly regained her composure and stroked her hand on her chest, nervously avoiding Sun Shaozong''s gaze. She turned her head and angrily said, "What''s wrong with you? Why are you pushing me?¡±

    Afterward, Wang leaned out from behind the curtain, and no longer saw her usual domineering demeanor. She said, "I... Just now, across the curtain, I didn''t expect you to stop at the threshold...¡±

    It turned out that she had just followed behind, with all her eyes over Liu Xianglian''s back. Seeing the curtain hanging down and blocking her view, she hurriedly stepped forward and lifted the curtain, wanting to follow outside.

    Coincidentally, Sun, Liu, and the two of them stopped at the porch, and Aunt Xue had to stop with one foot inside and one foot outside the door. As a result, they were hit from behind by Wang, and their left foot hit the threshold, causing her to lose her balance and fall forward.

    Aunt Xue saw that she softened and didn''t criticize much, so she had to turn around and give a greeting and say, "Thank you very much for your help just now.¡±

    Being thankful, however, she didn¡¯t dare to look Sun Shaozong in the eye. She only felt that her left chest was hot and swollen, like a cage drawer, steaming white bun. The heat poured into her head along the veins, muscles, and bones, and her cheeks were red and swollen like a chest.

    Seeing this, how could Sun Shaozong dare to stay for a long time?

    Quickly returning to the room, he picked up the two oiled paper umbrellas, which were not considered women''s styles. He forcefully gave Liu Xianglian one and hurriedly left. Seeing Xue Pan''s small courtyard and the corridors connecting the front and back, Sun Shaozong breathed a little sigh of relief.

    ¡°Second Brother.¡±

    At this moment, Liu Xianglian suddenly sighed and said, "Aunt Xue''s life has been quite difficult...¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    This endless sentence made Sun Shaozong feel uneasy again. He secretly said, It can¡¯t be that this kid has seen anything, can he?

    He then heard Liu Xianglian saying, "Look at how angry she has become just now. Her face has turned red, but she dare not blame that wealthy and noble woman, Wang. It''s not easy to provoke her.¡±

    As he spoke, he boasted and said, "Just like me, marrying someone with no background and great beauty is then the right thing.¡±

    Sun Shaozong, "...¡±

 Chapter 477: The Mother-Daughter Talk

    Chapter 477: The Mother-Daughter Talk

    The west side of the small courtyard.

    Watching them flirting with each other, she led Sun and Liu into the main room. Aunt Xue gently lowered the curtain and turned back to explain awkwardly, "Although your Sister-in-law is not very proper in her behavior, she is also a kind-hearted and righteous person. She has been guarding your brother without any hesitation these days and has not despised him at all.¡±

    Xue Baochai was sitting on the marble Arhat bed in the middle, wearing a honey-colored brocade bikini, lined with a lotus blue gauze skirt, while taking advantage of the neatness, she also outlined the concave and convex figure very brilliantly.

    She received a letter from her mother yesterday afternoon, and she only realized that her brother had been in trouble again. So she hurried over early in the morning, but before she could chat with her brother, someone outside reported that Sun Shaozong and Liu Xianglian had arrived.

    Therefore, the mother and daughter had to shelter in this western room temporarily.

    Although ¡°all evil and lewdness are at the forefront¡± this was already a violation of the great taboo of being a wife and daughter. However, Baochai was the main force in marrying Wang-Shi at the beginning, so how could she comment on Wang-Shi''s achievements and faults now?

    So when Xue Baochai heard that her mother was trying to cover up for her Sister-in-law, she just smiled and didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she got up and pulled her mother to Arhat''s bed and sat opposite each other across the Kang table with glossy ganoderma and red sandalwood.

    As she was sitting idle at home, Aunt Xue, according to her preferences, wrapped herself in a simulated Tang palace outfit, a fiery red bra, and a glass-colored robe. She made the proud pair look as white as jade instead of jade, and as smooth as cream.

    Compared to Xue Baochai on the opposite side, although she lacked some youthful colors, she also has a more mature and alluring charm.

    After being pulled down by her daughter, she leaned her plump and moderate body against the cushion, frowned, and whispered, "Good daughter, do you think Lord Sun will stand up for your brother and arrest that damn thief?¡±

    Baochai picked up the small purple clay pot on the tea table, poured a cup for her mother, and when she put the pot back into the tea tray, she said slowly, "In my opinion, it¡¯s alright not to catch the thief."

    ¡°Not to catch it?¡±

    Aunt Xue was taken aback by the words and immediately sat up straight. She leaned forward slightly and covered the teacup. She couldn''t help but say, "Why is this so? How can your brother''s suffering have been endured in vain?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t suffer for nothing.¡±

    Xue Baochai said helplessly, "My brother is at least the Son-in-law of the officials in the Ministry of Personnel. Who dares to trouble him recklessly in his spare time? It must be because my brother didn''t know where he offended some enemy that someone came to teach him a lesson.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the man secretly came to seek revenge, but he still acted with great discretion. He never really hurt my brother. His intestinal illness was purely accidental, and it must not have been his intention.¡±

    ¡°It shows that the other party harbors scruples, but when they can''t bear it anymore, they angrily took risks.¡±

    ¡°Even if he didn''t intend to hurt your brother, this pain is still caused by him.¡±

    Aunt Xue felt a bit annoyed when she saw her daughter speak up for the thief. Her chest was heaving, and she could hear the jingle of the kang table. It turned out that the towering tea cup was trembling and constantly hitting the tray.

    Aunt Xue hurriedly collected her body before continuing, "We should find the culprit and sort things out.¡±

    Xue Baochai just shook her head and said, "Mom, don''t be impatient. In fact, if it''s just these considerations, I wouldn''t want my brother to suffer this humiliation for nothing. Think carefully. When my brother was attacked, he held a banquet in a different hall in the Baihua Building, with strong servants guarding the door outside and servants serving him inside. However, the other person enters without difficulties, obviously not comparable to ordinary strong people.¡±

    ¡°Also, his humiliation has not harmed my brother''s life or body. If it really brings up to the court, it will only be a punishment of some silver. Even if he invites the Second Brother of the Sun family to take him down, what benefit can it bring?¡±

    ¡°It can''t be said that he will only add new hatred to old hatred, which makes him even more angry. He may even take another risk, not be able to restrain himself and harm my brother''s life.¡±

    ¡°My son...¡±

    After hearing this, Aunt Xue couldn''t help but lean forward and grip Xue Baochai''s white wrist.

    Ignoring the splashing of water in the teapot, wetting his fiery red chest, she trembled and said, "So, isn''t this person provoking? Then... Then I have to quickly stop your brother, otherwise, according to his temperament, he will definitely take action against the Erlang of the Sun family.¡±

    As she spoke, she stood up and left the table.

    ¡°Mom, what''s the fuss?¡±

    Xue Baochai lowered her head and pondered for a while, but in the end, she shook her head and said, "It''s best not to get too close to the Sun family at the moment, and it''s not too late to make plans again when the dust settles on the matter of the imperial family.¡±

    She always made up her mind, and Aunt Xue didn¡¯t really care about business or anything. Therefore, upon hearing this, she turned over this article with slight regret.

    Afterward, the two of them got together again and had a casual conversation, discussing trivial matters related to the palace.

    As they chatted, it was natural to mention the fact that Imperial Concubine Xiande, Jia Yuanchun, was nominated as a ¡±seeded player.¡±

    Aunt Xue lowered her voice and whispered, "A few days ago, when she went to Rongguo Mansion, your aunt was still covering up and refused to reveal the truth to me. In your opinion, is there any reason for this?¡±

    This...

    Xue Baochai hesitated and didn''t know how to comment on this matter. Coincidentally, when the door curtain was lifted, Wang stormed in from outside, shaking the water she had touched from nowhere. She said in a coquettish voice, "Mother and sister, that silly guy is making a fuss about having a few drinks with Lord Sun, and I can''t persuade him. What should we do about it? You should quickly come up with a plan.¡±

    As soon as Aunt Xue heard this, she jumped up and repeatedly said, ¡°How can this be done?'' As she spoke, she wanted to find her and dissuade Xue Pan from mischievous harm to his body.

    Xue Baochai, however, didn''t take it seriously and shook her head and said, "If only Young Master Liu was here, perhaps we would have to go over and persuade him. But since the Second Brother of the Sun family is also here, he won''t let him act recklessly.¡±

    Wang was not only a fickle leader but naturally disliked Xue Baochai''s obedient appearance. Relying on the strength of her family, she has always loved to confront Baochai head-on.

    At this moment, as she spoke confidently, she immediately exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "Oh, my dear. You sound like a worm in Lord Sun''s stomach. I wondered how much you can figure out about the thoughts of your Brother Bao.¡±

    Xue Baochai knew her temperament well enough, so she wasn''t upset. She just said calmly, "Brother Bao has a pure and kind heart. Everything he thinks is on his face and his lips, why bother to speculate?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Wang snorted and could only make a few more sarcastic remarks. Aunt Xue quickly became a peacemaker, taking advantage of the situation to open up the topic and inquire about what Sun and Liu had just said to Xue Pan.

    ¡°They didn''t say anything important either.¡±

    Wang said nonchalantly, "At first, that silly guy was making a fuss about revenge, but it was the first time I''ve seen him so obedient when he was scolded by Lord Sun, drooping his head in a few words.¡±

    ¡°Later on, Lord Sun said that he would secretly send someone to investigate to find out the other party''s background and the grudges between him and the foolish guy. It''s not too late to decide what to do about it.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue couldn''t help but turn around and look at her daughter, thinking to herself that the Sun family''s Erlang really went well with her daughter.

    With this mutual understanding and his son''s respect for the Sun family''s Erlang, if it weren''t for Jia Baoyu in front, recruiting him to become a quick son-in-law would be an excellent choice.

    But now...

    Seeing that Jia Baoyu has the opportunity to become a legitimate national uncle, she naturally had to wholeheartedly tie him down. Even the previously prepared ¡±test¡± was abandoned.

    Just as she was thinking of this, she saw Ying¡¯er also sneak in from outside, bowing with beads of water hanging on her temples and saying, "Madam, the Elder Master asked you over and talk.¡±

    ¡°Call me over to talk?¡±

    Aunt Xue was stunned at the words and said in surprise, "Lord Sun, have they already left?¡±

    ¡°Not yet Madam.¡±

    Ying¡¯er shook her head and said, "I heard it''s about discussing the business of our family in Jinmen Mansion.¡±

    Opening a business in Jinmen Prefecture?

    Aunt Xue couldn''t help but glance at Baochai again and saw that her daughter was also looking at her. She quickly shook her head and said, "Your brother is still recovering these days, and I have never mentioned Brother Ke''s words to him.¡±

    Xue Baochai only hesitated, and told her, "In that case, you might as well give a general answer first. When we return to the shop, it''s up to us for the final say."

    Aunt Xue agreed and picked up the curtain to go outside with Wang, only to see the wisps of western rain turning into pouring rain at some point.

 Chapter 478: Unnecessary is Enough

    Chapter 478: ''Unnecessary'' is Enough

    The petition of Prince Beijing could be described as stirring up a thousand waves with one stone.

    Although the court was originally filled with undercurrents, it still maintained its surface calmness. However, this piece of paper had torn apart the cover cloth.

    The quickest responders were naturally those who relied on chewing their tongues and playing with their pens to make a living. In just half a day, impeachment memorials were piled up on the cabinet desk like a hill.

    As the old saying goes, ¡±Ten thousand people beat the drum, the wall falls and everyone pushes.¡± Among these dozens of memorials, no one spoke for the Niu family, all of which echoed the remarks of Prince Beijing and, impeached and criticized the Niu family.

    For a moment, it seemed as if the noble head, Prince Beijing had also become the leader of a clear current.

    However, in the face of this snowy memorial, Emperor Guangde only said, ¡°Catching the wind and shadows is not enough to rely on,¡± and then issued an order to extend the ban on Prince Beijing for one month, completely ignoring it.

    On the contrary, Empress Dowager Niu refused to let go and repeatedly issued a decree urging Emperor Guangde to thoroughly investigate her own family. She also insisted on resigning from all official positions except for the feudal title of nobility conferred for meritorious service to all her nephews and threatened that if suspicion was not cleared for a day, the Niu family would never step into the court.

    Under such circumstances, Emperor Guangde finally dispatched several trusted ministers to ¡±assist¡± the Niu family in verifying their innocence.

    Verify innocence?

    Sun Shaozong repeatedly chewed on the words on the residence newspaper, chuckled a few times, and casually threw the newspaper to Yang Licai. He also grabbed a pair of chopsticks and poured half a pot of his lamb wine with the sour and spicy dried bamboo shoots on his plate.

    This was a small restaurant located in the northwest of Qingxu Temple. There was nothing new about the food and drinks nearby, but this sour and spicy dried bamboo shoot was extremely appetizing and refreshing, making it a unique dish in the southern city.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong taking his time and picking up a plate of dried bamboo shoots, feeling bored and fidgeting with the chopped cornus with his chopsticks, Yang Licai couldn''t hold back his temper and tilted his shoulder while holding the newspaper, saying, "Your Excellency, why don¡¯t I go and urge them...¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and placed his chopsticks on the plate.

    The shopkeeper of that small shop has been looking at the counter for a long time. When he saw Sun Shaozong put down his chopsticks, he quickly ran up and smiled, saying, "Are you still satisfied with the dried bamboo shoots in our shop?¡±

    Sun Shaozong smiled and said, "If I were not satisfied, I wouldn''t have visited your house three times in just four days.¡±

    The shopkeeper''s face immediately turned red with joy. He took out a small note from his sleeve and presented it to Sun Shaozong with both hands. He respectfully said, "Since you like it, it''s better to hand it over to the cook in the mansion. If the chef has any questions, just ask me.¡±

    ¡°What''s this?¡±

    Sun Shaozong looked at the prescription and said, "Do you recognize me?¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency, when you raise a court for questioning, I was almost there at all scenes.¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Yang Licai''s words were immediately blocked. If it were really easy to distinguish the true spies from these five people, how could he judge Sun Shaozong''s ¡±Diving Judgement¡± ability?

    ¡°These are all elites brought back by Pacifer Lu from the south. If spies can blend in without being detected, they are naturally not easy to distinguish. If there was no circumstantial evidence at present, how can they be distinguished?¡±

    As Sun Shaozong spoke, he stepped back and said, "So from the beginning, I was prepared not to detect any spies.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    Yang Licai couldn''t help but say, "If you can''t identify the spy, how can you explain it to the Pacifier?¡±

    Sun Shaozong suddenly sighed and stopped his steps again. He turned his head and asked, "I didn''t even get confused. Why did you confuse between the Central Judicial Office and the Northern Detective Department?¡±

    Without waiting for a response from Yang Licai, he strode into the front hall again.

    Not to mention how inexplicable Yang Licai was looking at his back.

    Sun Shaozong entered the hall and gave a detailed and appropriate account of the investigation over the past few days to Lu Hui. Finally, he took out the roster painted with vermilion and presented it with both hands, saying, "Your Excellency, please take a look.¡±

    Lu Hui took the roster and spread it out in his hand, checking the names of the five people back and forth several times, his face becoming increasingly gloomy.

    One Trial Thousand Households, two Hundred Households Inspectors, and two Generals.

    The first three were the commanders of this operation, and the other two had sneaked into the inn alone to spy on the enemy situation - both of whom were close confidants cultivated by Lu Hui during his time in Jiangnan.

    Sun Shaozong continued to report, "I am not familiar with these five people, so it is difficult to distinguish them clearly at the moment. I am afraid I can only invite you to come forward and check it personally.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    With these cold words, the booklet was thrown onto the ground by Lu Hui, and he said in a stern tone, "Since we can¡¯t clear the suspicion, let''s put them all together in the dungeon. When we clear the suspicion, it''s not too late for me to personally apologize to them. If we can''t clear the suspicion forever, I''m afraid they can only blame for their bad luck.¡±

    Indeed, as he expected!

    Sun Shaozong sighed in his heart but pretended to hesitate and said, "I''m afraid it''s...¡±

    ¡°Inspector Sun.¡±

    Lu Hui straightened his body and interrupted Sun Shaozong''s words, saying calmly, "Please note that this is the Northern Detective Department, not the Central Judicial Office. In our place, these words are enough.¡±

 Chapter 479

    Chapter 479

    <section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

    After handing over his duties at Lu Hui''s place, he left the gate of the Northern Detective Department alone. Sun Shaozong turned around and looked at the plaque with red letters, black background, and gold frame on the lintel, and couldn''t help but sigh in secret.

    Although he had anticipated the outcome early on, Lu Hui''s decisive killing still gave him a hint of coldness - it should be noted that these were all members of Lu Hui''s old team who started in Jiangnan, with all the merits, hard work, and love.

    In the future, when it camed to the matter of the Northern Detective Department, it was better to try to avoid mixing in as little as possible.

    Sun Shaozong shook his head and turned down the steps.

    ¡°Second Master.¡±@@@@

    Zhang Cheng quickly put the whip under his armpit, reached out his arm, and lifted the curtain of the car, then carefully asked, "Should we go to the Qingxu Temple or...¡±

    ¡°I''m on a mission, go back to the mansion.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng was overjoyed and put down the curtain of the carriage to pick up his whip. With a crisp sound of a crack, the horse pulling the carriage hissed a few times and then galloped along the long street.

    It was not surprising that Zhang Cheng was so happy. To investigate the mole of the Northern Detective Department, Sun Shaozong stayed in the Yamen for three nights in a row - he was fine, his identities were there, so he didn''t feel aggrieved. However, Zhang Cheng was just a carriage driver, and his life was not so comfortable.

    Especially in this Northern Detective Department, it was not as solemn as anywhere else. During the day, it could still be said to be solemn, but at night, it could only be described as gloomy. Especially in the dead of night, one could often hear a few mournful screams, which scared Zhang Cheng who couldn¡¯t sleep soundly all night.

    Upon returning to the mansion, it was said that his Elder Brother, Sun Shaozu happened to be at home. Sun Shaozong was not busy returning to his backyard but instead went to the inner hall to find him to talk to.

    Since the ¡±Dragon Root Case,¡± the training progress of Shenji Camp has greatly accelerated. Sun Shaozu was basically stationed outside the city, and it had been a long time since the brothers were able to meet at home.

    However, when Sun Shaozong excitedly arrived at the entrance of the inner hall, he had to stop his steps again, because there were several clusters of white flowers in the hall, surrounded by a black, and shiny big man, breathing softly.

    Great~

    It seemed that before dinner, the two brothers were unable to speak seriously.

    Sun Shaozong retreated quietly and walked west along the corridor, only to see clusters of chrysanthemums blooming in the flower beds on both sides.

    After Sun Shaozong returned to his small courtyard, he had a lively time with his children, wives, and concubines. After chatting for a long time, Ruan Rong suddenly remembered something and quickly rummaged out a red and gilded post from the cabinet, handing it to Sun Shaozong.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    Sun Shaozong casually opened it and took a look, and it was still an invitation from Jia Baoyu, inviting him to go to Rongguo Mansion for a drink in two days.

    Due to suddenly taking on the task of investigating spies, Sun Shaozong had just sent someone to refuse Baoyu''s banquet two days ago. Why did he turn around and send the post again?

    Moreover, it was already August 23rd, and two days later it would be the 25th. The monthsary banquet with his daughter was also about to be held. It seemed that Jia Baoyu''s invitation this time was indeed not about drinking.

    He had just pondered for a moment, but before he could figure out anything, he was interrupted by his son''s chirping. Looking down, he saw this little guy sitting on the bed, his teeth and claws flapping, his eyes fixed on the hot metal post.

    Sun Shaozong then pinched a corner of the post and teased him, saying, "Seeing this post, I think of something serious. A few days ago, when we went to Xue Pan''s house with Brother Liu, the family heirloom jade pendant on his waist disappeared. He likely went to a certain pawn shop.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, send someone to ask from house to house and redeem the jade pendant from the pawnshop, and then send it along with five hundred taels of silver to his house so that he won''t lose all his family assets for the sake of marriage.¡±

    Ruan Rong grabbed the gilded post and took out the handkerchief of the mandarin duck brocade, wiping the gold powder stained on her son''s hand clean. Then she wondered, "Why should you give the silver and send the jade pendant together? Young Master Liu is also a person who can¡¯t bear to lose his face, how would he want to let people know that he needs to rely on selling his pendant to prepare for the wedding?¡±

    Sun Shaozong said helplessly, "If we don''t first expose this matter, do you think he will accept those five hundred taels of silver?¡±

    During the conversation, he also put his body on the bed and rested his head on Ruan Rong''s thigh. He grabbed it with his backhand and climbed down the slender waist, saying, "Don''t mention these trivial matters. Just now, I went to the back to talk to my Elder Brother and watched him hold an undisclosed meeting in the hall.¡±

    Spit.

    Feeling the thief¡¯s fingers scraping lightly at her sensitive spot, Ruan Rong blushed and spat, patting Sun Shaozong''s palm open and cursing a few times. Turning back, she beckoned Qingwen in to carry the child to the wet nurse''s room.

    </section>Notes<section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

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 Chapter 480: Chapter 480: Internal Correspondence

    Chapter 480: Chapter 480: Internal Correspondence

    <section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

    The rain was pouring down in torrents.

    Inside the carriage, Sun Shaozong leaned against a soft cushion, his right palm hanging in front of him with his fingers parted, as if holding up something huge. His expression was subtle and mixed with three ripples.¡±

    Outside, Zhang Cheng let out a loud cry, and the carriage suddenly slowed down before stopping under the rain curtain.

    Although the speed was not very fast at first, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help leaning forward unexpectedly. He frowned and was about to ask what was wrong, but Zhang Cheng had already raised the curtain of the car and reported, "Second Master, it was the people of the Dragon Guard who stopped the way.¡±

    In fact, there was no need for him to report, Sun Shaozong had also seen several Dragon Guards blocking the way ahead.

    Seeing that the carriage had already stopped, several Dragon Guards rolled over and dismounted, kneeling like fans in the mud and water. They all said in unison, "Your Excellency, Pacifer Lu has instructed you to quickly return to the Northern Detective Department for deliberation.¡±

    Lu Hui was in a hurry to summon him, was there some big trouble again?

    This was really a tumultuous autumn!

    Sun Shaozong leaned his head out of the car and loudly ordered, "Let someone familiar with the matter come up here, let the others go ahead.¡±

    Without hesitation, a small general jumped onto the shaft of the carriage and sat side by side with Zhang Cheng, poking its head into the carriage. Without waiting for Sun Shaozong to ask, it detoured, "I only heard that it was the errand of Qingxu Temple was ruined, causing the Pacifer to be furious. I don''t know anything about the rest.¡±

    Did the mission fail?

    Sun Shaozong nodded calmly until the small general obediently withdrew from the carriage, which unconsciously furrowed his brow.

    The place where the White Lotus Sect''s followers settled was near the Qingxu Temple. If not unexpected, it should be a mistake in this matter.

    But logically speaking, it shouldn''t be!

    The action plan for the followers of the White Lotus Sect was formulated by Sun Shaozong and Lu Hui after repeated deliberation, and in the initial stage, it was mainly focused on surveillance. Even if there were still some flaws, they shouldn¡¯t be exposed so quickly.

    Furthermore, the beggars under Hong Jiu''s command had continuously investigated for several days before, and even those unprofessional beggars could be undetected. It was unreasonable that the mission failed after replacing them with the elite of the Dragon Guard...@@@@

    Wait!

    Was it because the beggars had already exposed their flaws? So after the Forbidden Guard took over, they coincidentally caught up with the original breakthrough plan of the White Lotus Sect?

    It was not right either.

    If that were the case, when Hong Jiu withdrew from his post the afternoon before yesterday, the White Lotus Sect would have taken action.

    Lu Hui shook his head and said, "I asked someone to come over for you wasn''t because of these things. When the beggars were monitoring before, the White Lotus Cult members didn''t react too aggressively. It''s unreasonable that after we replaced the elite of our Northern Detective Department, they showed off overnight.¡±

    Seeing that Lu Hui had almost made the matter clear, Sun Shaozong took the opportunity to explore and ask, "Are you suspecting that there are also spies of the White Lotus Sect lurking inside our Northern Detective Department, Your Excellency?¡±

    The Northern Detective Department was not as diverse as the personnel of the Central Judicial Office. The minimum staffing of the Dragon Forbidden Guard was also a ninth-grade official, and because it was a secret service agency, the internal review was very strict. If the Northern Detective Department were also infiltrated by the remnants of the White Lotus Sect, there may be few safe places in this court.

    Unexpectedly, Lu Hui still shook his head and met Sun Shaozong''s surprised gaze. He said softly, "What worries me the most is that we don''t have any internal correspondence of the White Lotus Sect in the Northern Detective Department.¡±

    Worried that there was no insider of the White Lotus Sect in the Northern Detective Department?

    These words...

    Sun Shaozong pondered for a while, then suddenly said, "Are you suspecting that there are other forces behind the scenes, deliberately arranging internal correspondence to pass on information to the White Lotus Sect?¡±

    Lu Hui finally nodded this time and said sternly, "Along with the guards Hong Jiu and others, there are seventeen people who know the inside story of this operation and have the opportunity to pass on information to the outside. Most of them are the people I brought back from the south.¡±

    No wonder Lu Hui suspected that there was someone behind this matter!

    The sphere of influence of the White Lotus Sect has always been in the northwest, and it was reasonable to set up some agents in the Capital. However, it was quite incredible to say that they could extend its hand to the south as it was still a secret service organization such as the Dragon Guard

    However, in this way, the situation becomes even more complex.

    What was the conspiracy of the forces secretly assisting the White Lotus Sect?

    Did the person want to make peace with the White Lotus Sect, so as to submit a petition; Or did the person want to use their hands and push the boat along the river to achieve their goals? Or did they want to borrow the situation of the White Lotus Sect to cause trouble, divert the attention of the court, and seize the opportunity to plan some conspiracy?

    ¡°Pacifer!¡±

    Sun Shaozong was frowning and pondering when he saw Yang Licai rushing over again with great strides. He saluted him and couldn''t wait to say, "Prince Beijing has just issued a memorial, questioning the Niu family''s involvement in the Crown Prince case.¡±

    Tch!

    The speed of Prince Beijing was quite fast, it seemed that there was indeed a plan in place!

    </section>Notes<section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

    Hello everyone! We hope you enjoy this chapter.

    Please continue to show your love and support by subscribing to our novel''s Patreon. ????

    You may also leave a review and ratings on Novel Updates. ???? ???? ???? ???? ????

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    </section>

 Chapter 481%20part1

    Chapter 481%20part1

    <section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

    Zhang Cheng tightened his reins and waited for the horse pulling the cart to slowly stop by the roadside. Then he turned around and said in a respectful voice, "Second Master, we have arrived at the Yamen.¡±

    Sun Shaozong asked in a daze in the carriage, "Which Yamen did you go to?¡±

    ¡°The Central Judicial Office.¡±

    Zhang Cheng was a bit speechless and quickly said, "Weren¡¯y you coming to handle the accumulated litigation today?¡±

    Sun Shaozong gave a vague answer inside again, and after a while, he leaned out his head drowsily, yawning and slowly getting off the carriage.

    Yesterday, he was just planning to have some imitation exercises with Ruan Rong. However, by chance, he played two extra matches with Second Sister You and Xiuju. Even for someone as fierce as him, he inevitably entered the Sage''s time.

    He patched up a hole in the gatehouse and walked deep and shallow to the Criminal Department. He took a wet towel and rubbed it on his face, which was enough to make him feel better.

    Sigh~

    Having too many women, was really troublesome!

    Xiuju was fine. Since Jia Yingchun became pregnant, she has been vegetarian for several months and really needed to be comforted.

    But the scene with Second Sister You was caused by Sun Shaozong''s momentary carelessness. Originally, he only wanted to privately give her some personal money to help Third Sister You buy some dowry, so as not to make the marriage too shabby.

    Who would have thought that as soon as Second Sister You saw the yellow and white object, she couldn''t help but cry out, entwined her delicate and naive body, and displayed all kinds of charm. Sun Shaozong, who was a tough guy, couldn¡¯t even resist.

    He had no choice but to dip those few ingots of silver into the dew.

    Just as he was thinking about the fantasies, Sun Chengye carried a pile of case files into the interior and spread them out on the public case from east to west according to the urgency level.

    Sun Shaozong lifted his spirits and carefully reviewed the case files on the table twice. He first removed those with insufficient evidence or questionable circumstances and threw them back to Sun Chengye. He ordered, "Let Qiu Yunfei and Zhao Wuwei carefully investigate these cases again. Since they have the intention of getting promoted, why are they still so careless in handling them?¡±

    According to common sense, even if Wei Ruolan lost his official position, it was not the turn of a non-mainstream prosecutor to step over and replace him. But who wouldn¡¯t make Qiu Yunfei an ordinary prosecutor?

    This guy was still wearing the rank of a fifth-grade cloud cavalry captain, and he also had Sun Shaozong and Wei Ruolan, both of whom were appointed to a civil position from the military position and served as the General Judge of the Central Judicial Office. His promotion this time could be considered traceable.

    Of course, the most important thing was that this guy had a father who was a Commander as the backup.

    Once Qiu Yunfei was successfully promoted to the position of General Judge, the remaining position as a prosecutor wouldn¡¯t be surprising and would be given to Zhao Wuwei cheaply. Therefore, it was now the time for the two of them to work hard.

    Sun Chengye was busy collecting the several outstanding cases and preparing to hand them over to Qiu and Zhao later, Sun Shaozong had already searched out several more cases and pushed them in front of him, saying, "Let''s trial these cases today. Send someone to call the bitter master and the defendant all to the government office, and whichever case has the relevant people first, let''s start with that case first.¡±

    Sun Chengye quickly nodded and went outside to arrange two things one by one.

    After about half an hour, Sun Shaozong heard the sound of ¡±thumping thumping¡± outside and immediately changed his official robe to top. He stepped out of the crime department and headed straight to the lobby of the front courtyard.

    In the lobby, three groups of government officials had already been lined up on both sides and Sun Chengye, the juror, had been waiting for a long time in the back office. As soon as Sun Shaozong arrived, he picked up a curtain and went outside, shouting with ease, "Master, ascend please.¡±

    After stepping on authorized sound to bring the case to justice, Sun Shaozong lifted the hem of his official robe and sat solemnly on the chair. He took a startled and heavy slap on the table and said, "Bring the plaintiff and defendant to court.¡±

    Then he picked up the lawsuit placed on the table and glanced at it, the first lawsuit was the case of the owner of Xinglong Alley, Ruyi Spice Shop, accusing the shop assistant, Lu San of committing murder and injuring others.

    The owner of this spice shop was truly a maverick, and his name was Bu Shiren. I wondered how his parents gave him that.

    Not long after, the plaintiff and defendant both knelt in the lobby but only Bu Shiren¡¯s appearance which looked sharp-tongued with monkey cheeks, his head entwined like an Indian, and a touch of cinnabar color on the center of his forehead, which didn''t seem to have seeped out from inside, but rather painted later on.

    As for the defendant Lu San, he looked like he was an honest and responsible person.

    After a brief glance, Sun Shaozong spoke in an official tone and asked, "Bu Shiren, do you have any evidence to accuse Lu San of committing murder and injuring others?¡±

    ¡°Return to the words of Master Qingtian.¡±

    Bu Shiren knelt on the ground and looked up with a smile, saying, "That Lu San smashed my head with a vase in broad daylight. All the other staff in my store can testify to this.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lu San''s simple and honest eyebrows and eyes suddenly erupted in anger. He knocked his head heavily on the ground and exclaimed, "Master, it''s not that I intentionally committed the crime. It''s that he was a bastard, he owed me half a year''s wages and even insulted my parents in his words. That''s why I was too angry and took action.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said, throwing the wood again, and continued, "Lu San, the case of your public murder is now over. However, it is natural for you to repay the debt. After pouring night incense every morning, you may as well go to the spice shop to ask for wages. Remember to be reasonable and dignified, and not to act recklessly.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the smile on Bu Shiren''s face immediately froze.

    He ran a spice shop, and if an overnight incense dealer was blocking the door all day to collect debts, how could he still do this business?!

    ¡°Master, I''m afraid it''s...¡±

    ¡°The Master''s judgment is fair, the judgment is fair!¡±

    This time it was Lu San''s turn to kowtow with a smile on his face, and he said in the words of Bu Shiren just now, "No wonder everyone said that you are the Heavenly Master.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Sun Shaozong said calmly, "Since both of you have no objections, then this case is settled.¡±

    ¡°Master, Master...¡±

    How could Bu Shiren be willing to do such a thing?

    ¡°You can''t do this, I''m running a spice shop, how can I withstand...¡±

    Pa!

    Another thunderous sound interrupted Bu Shiren''s crying, and Sun Shaozong said in a deep voice, "You are a mischievous person. When I asked you just now, you said you were very satisfied, but what are you saying that ¡±I can¡¯t do this?¡± Is it that you deliberately made a fool of me?¡±

    He then raised his voice and ordered, "Someone, fork out this troublemaker for me.¡±

    Four Yamen attendants immediately flashed out from the left and right, using water and fire sticks to make a temporary ¡±stretcher¡± and prepared to take Bu Shiren outside.

    Bu Shiren became increasingly flustered and thought of his future predicament. Finally, he exclaimed in his heart, "Master, please forgive me, I will just give him the wages.¡±

    As soon as he spoke this, he felt a pain in his ribs and couldn''t help but turn his head and spit at Lu San. He said in a malicious voice, "I''ll take this money and exchange it for your hard labor of pouring two years of incense. It''s worth it.¡±

    Lu San glared at him angrily and was about to retaliate when he heard Sun Shaozong say, "You just mentioned that this case has nothing to do with demanding wages. Now that you are willing to give him the wages, it must be a sign of forgiveness for Lu San. Therefore, I will take it lightly and allow him to use 30% of his salary as a punishment for his crimes.¡±

    Bu Shiren was dumbfounded again, where did he mean to forgive Lu San?

    Wasn¡¯t he lying with his eyes open?!

    He said urgently, "Master, don''t misunderstand me. I haven''t forgiven Lu San.¡±

    ¡°What''s that?¡±

    Sun Shaozong frowned and said, "Isn''t it that you''re not planning to pay back the wages? Why are you so repetitive?¡±

    Sun Shaozong once again exclaimed, "Lu San, since that''s the case, then you can temporarily serve in labor until you receive ¡±forgiveness¡± from your boss, and then you can negotiate the return of silver.¡±

    ¡°This, this, this...¡±

    ¡°The Master''s judgment is fair, the judgment is fair!¡±

    Lu San parroted his tongue again and said, "No wonder everyone said that you are the Heavenly Master.¡±

    Even though he gritted several teeth at Bu Shiren''s hatred, he could only say with a mournful expression, "I¡¯m willing to... Willing to ¡±forgive¡± him, and send him the wages when he returns.¡±

    </section>Notes<section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

    TL/ Note: The name ¡®Bu Shiren¡¯, has the same pronunciation as ¡°not a human¡¯. It sounds like a scolding verb.

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    </section>

 Chapter 482

    Chapter 482

    <section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

    The red sun slanted westward.

    Sun Shaozong reviewed the confession of a pair of incest aunts and nephews without error, handed it back to Sun Chengye for collection, and poured two sips of refreshing strong tea before he exclaimed, "Next one!¡±

    ¡°Thirteenth Uncle.¡±

    Sun Chengye quickly whispered a reminder, "The eleven cases you previously selected have now been closed.¡±

    ¡°Have I finished all the cases?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was momentarily taken aback and then breathed a sigh of relief. After a whole day of trial, although he had not encountered any difficult cases, the dispute, which was constantly being sorted out and chaotic, was still enough to make his head ache.

    Rubbing his slightly painful brow, he stood up and swung his sleeve. Sun Chengye immediately shouted promptly, "Dism...¡±

    Unexpectedly, before he could finish, he heard the sound of injustice outside the door.

    These eleven cases have all been concluded, why was there still someone playing drums outside the door?

    Did he happen to have another major case?

    Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong quickly took his seat again after the case was brought to justice and instructed the Yamen to bring the person who had hit the drum to court.

    Not long after, two Yamen attendants with strange faces led one person in. It turned out to be a teenager of eleven or twelve years old.

    The young man was brought to this court, facing dozens of eyes, but he was not afraid at all. He knelt obediently, held up a piece of paper with both hands, and said in a crisp voice, "Report to Lord Qingtian, I, Li Xian, have some injustice to report to.¡±

    Sun Shaozong gave a glance and immediately someone came forward to take the petition and submit it to the public case.

    Sun Shaozong picked up the paper and scanned it with confusion. However, he saw that the boy was not only trying to seek justice but also to report Magistrate Xu, Xu Huaizhi of Wanping County!

    The general process of the incident was as followed, this young man, Li Xian, and his father Li Sheng, were originally from Dengzhou City, Henan Province. Due to his mother''s illness, she passed away two years ago. Thus, he went to the Capital with his father Li Sheng to make a living.

    A few days ago, Li Sheng opened a rice shop, and due to a temporary shortage of turnover, he was preparing to borrow 100 taels of grain silver from his friend Chen Xu to tide over the difficulties ahead.

    The two had originally agreed to meet at the Li family''s rice shop in the evening.

    Unexpectedly, in the evening, Li Sheng waited in the shop, but Chen Xu didn''t come with the silver. In a hurry, he led his staff to find the Chen family.

    Unexpectedly, only Chen Xu''s wife Chang-Shi was at home, and Chen Xu''s figure was not seen, according to Chen Xu''s wife Chang-Shi, Chen Xu had already gone out with the silver.

    In this way, Li Sheng and Chang-Shi searched together for three days, but they still couldn''t see him dead or alive. They had no choice but to report the case to the government, hoping to use the power of the government to find Chen Xu.

    Who would have thought that Xu Huaizhi, the Magistrate of Wanping County, didn¡¯t know how to investigate the case, but he believed that Li Sheng had an affair with Chang-Shi and that they had collaborated to assassinate Chen Xu, and sentenced Li Sheng and Chang-Shi to severe punishment in the court.

    Putting this paperback on the table, Sun Shaozong raised his voice and said, "Li Xian, do you have any evidence that your father and Chang-Shi confessed to false charges under torture by Wanping County?¡±

    ¡°Reply to My Lord.¡±

    Without any stage fright, Li Xian straightened his waist and arched his hand, saying, "If it weren''t for being forced into action, why has it been four days since my father and Aunt Chen confessed, but Wanping County has never found Uncle Chen''s body?¡±

    This statement really hit the nail on the head. Since Li Sheng and Chang-Shi have already confessed, why continue to conceal the whereabouts of the body? Therefore, there must be something inappropriate in this!

    Moreover, Xu Huaizhi''s case went wrong not once or twice.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong immediately ordered someone to take his famous post and go to Wanping County Yamen to interrogate Li Sheng and Chang-Shi in court.

    Thinking that someone would come to collect the bill tomorrow, Li Sheng couldn''t help but call out to the remaining waiter in the rice shop, Zhou Feng, and hurriedly found the Chen family along the way.

    ¡°At that time, I was afraid that Brother Chen didn''t want to lend the money, so he deliberately broke the promise. Therefore, I even played a trick and specifically asked Zhou Feng to come forward and call.

    ¡°Unexpectedly, after Chen''s wife opened the door, she said that Chen had already brought money out early in the morning.¡±

    ¡°We were in a hurry and searched together along the way, but to our surprise, there was never a trace of Brother Chen. Later, we had no choice but to report to the Wanping County Government.¡±

    "However, I don¡¯t know how the County Magistrate investigated it. He said that I had an affair with Chen''s wife. After assassinating Chen, we ran to the county government and played the trick of a robber acting like a cop. He also tortured me so much that I had to be forced to admit it."

    ¡°In recent days, the County Magistrate has been asking me where I buried Chen''s body, but I... I have never harbored any evil thoughts towards Brother Chen, how can I know where his body was buried?¡±

    Speaking of this, Li Sheng cried uncontrollably with grievances.

    Sun Shaozong calmly pondered his words in his heart and then ordered someone to bring Chang to the court. He inquired, "Chang, Li Sheng said he was beaten and forced to admit by Wanping County, but you haven''t received any punishment yet. How could you confess your guilt?¡±

    ¡°Answer... answer the Master''s words.¡±

    Chang-Shi timidly said, "The tragic situation of Brother Li''s punishment has been seen by me. I... I don¡¯t want to suffer from this, so I have to rush to admit it.¡±

    For a timid woman, this was understandable.

    Sun Shaozong nodded and asked, "What did you do that night?¡±

    ¡°Answer the Master''s words.¡±

    Chang continued timidly, "That night after my husband went out with the silver, I waited at home until I heard someone shouting outside and went to the door to inquire, only to realize that my husband had disappeared.¡±

    Chang''s account was simply too simple, and there was not much information to analyze at all.

    Therefore, Sun Shaozong first asked in detail about Chen Xu''s departure time and clothing, and then calmly set up a trap, "What did Li Sheng say when he called for the door? Is there anything strange about his expression when you go out and see him?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Li Sheng wanted to open his mouth to speak, but Sun Shaozong suppressed it with a sharp gaze.

    Chang frowned and recalled for a while, then shook her head and said, "It wasn''t Brother Li who called for the door. It seems like a clerk in his store who called to talk outside. As for the expression...¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Before Chang could finish speaking, Sun Shaozong suddenly chased after her, "You said the shop assistant called you over to talk? How did he shout? You should learn it carefully.¡±

    Chang-Shi was somewhat puzzled, but she replied, ¡°He kept his voice down and shouted in a man''s tone, ¡±Is Chang home?¡±¡±

    Then she said again, "That''s how he shouted. I answered in the courtyard, and the waiter asked, ¡±I have an appointment with Master Chen today, but why is he so late?¡±¡±

    ¡°I said that my husband had already gone out, and it was only then that Brother Li spoke outside.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong looked at Li Sheng again. Li Sheng quickly pecked like a chicken with his head, saying, "It''s true.¡±

    Sun Shaozong immediately sneered and muttered, "This thief has indeed shown signs of his actions.¡±

    </section>Notes<section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

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 Chapter 484%20part1

    Chapter 484%20part1

    <section class="" data-sentry-component="RichText" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">

    The next day, the You-Shi came to their door as expected.

    However, she only wandered around Jia Yingchun and Third Sister You''s yard, but she had never been to Second Sister You''s house. Therefore, Sun Shaozong couldn¡¯t find the opportunity to put the sisters together and appreciate their beauty.

    Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it was August 25th.

    Due to taking leave in advance, Sun Shaozong didn''t have to go to the Yamen to order or report to the Crown Prince''s Residence. He slept with Ruan Rong in his arms until it was about 9 a.m., and then lazily got up.

    Outside, Qingwen had already tidied up, but she pretended to have nothing to do and took on some household chores, bustling around in the living room.

    Seeing Sun Shaozong coming out of the room, Qingwen''s movements stagnated, but she immediately lowered her head and got busy without even looking at Sun Shaozong.

    But what was Sun Shaozong''s sharp gaze?

    With just a brief sweep, it was evident that the girl was stiff all over her body, and her silver dollar-like ears were constantly monitoring Sun Shaozong''s movements.

    This girl was really stubborn.

    Silently shaking his head, Sun Shaozong exclaimed, "Since we''ve all packed up, let''s go.¡±

    Speaking, regardless of whether Qingwen agreed or not, he walked out of the hall without hesitation.

    Qingwen''s movements were once again sluggish, holding onto a cloth and hesitating. Shuliu next to her grabbed her and said in a sullen tone, "What kind of energy are you putting on when you think about what you''ve been hoping for all day? Do you still want the Second Master to be outside, waiting for you to go back to the house and fix your makeup?¡±

    Qingwen''s pretty face sank, and she wanted to open her mouth to retaliate, but she didn''t want to miss the opportunity. After a while, she bit her silver teeth and quickly chased after him.

    Spit!

    Shiliu took the opportunity to throw the rag at the servant girl under her, spat fiercely through the door curtain, and sneered, "Look at that flirtatious energy.¡±

    In this way, Qingwen followed Sun Shaozong step by step to the front yard, only to see three carriages standing side by side in front of the corner gate.

    Feeling puzzled, the two figures, Siqi and Xiuju, flashed out from the slanted lower corner and said in a crisp voice, "Second Master, the Madam is already on the carriage. She said that once you are ready, you can set off at any time.¡±

    It turned out that when she heard that Sun Shaozong was going to Rongguo Mansion as a guest, Jia Yingchun was moved. She had not returned to his parent''s home for half a year since Baoyu¡¯s poisoning. Although she was not close to Jia She and his wife, she really missed her sisters at home.

    Therefore, she sent someone to discuss with Sun Shaozong and planned to take advantage to follow him back to her mother''s house.

    At first, it should be handled by Yuanyang. But Yuanyang came to the Sun Mansion to avoid Jia She. Now, how was she willing to send sheep into a tiger''s mouth?

    ¡°Let''s go then.¡±

    Sun Shaozong swung his sleeves and got into the leading carriage without hesitation. Xiuju had to accompany Jia Yingchun in the carriage, and the last carriage was naturally Qingwen and Siqi.

    In addition, there were two rough envoys, both on the left and right, who were not afraid of showing off, so they climbed onto the shafts of the two carriages behind them and sat side by side with the coachman.

    When three carriages rushed out and meandered towards Rongguo Mansion, whether it was their first meeting or not, the carriage driver on the carriage started chatting. Instead, Qingwen and Siqi were indifferent to each other in the carriage.

    Although they have known each other for a long time, they were both proud and eager hosts. How could they possibly get along with each other?

    Especially since Qingwen entered Rongguo Mansion halfway through, she had already had a gap with the family maids that had been in the mansion since young, it was just that she had been with Xiren for a long time, so she didn''t say anything about it.

    It was normal for Qingwen, her mind was not on the Sun Mansion, so she naturally didn''t care much about the attitude of Siqi.

    However, Siqi was the servant of the Elder Madam who was married over, and she felt that she was more than ten times stronger than a lost dog like Qingwen, who was kicked out by her Mistress. How could she tolerate Qingwen pretending to be aloof in front of her?

    So halfway on the way, Siqi couldn''t help but sneer and say, "They all said you listened to the tone in the Second Master''s room and not the announcement. I thought it was someone else''s nonsense, but today, I''m afraid it''s true.¡±

    Qingwen didn''t argue with Shiliu just now because she was afraid of missing the opportunity to meet Baoyu, but now that she was on the way, how was she willing to let Siqi take the verbal lead?

    Therefore, Qingwen also said coldly, "You take your sunny path, I cross my single wooden bridge, and we are not in the same direction. I am good or bad, what''s bothering you?¡±

    Where could Siqi stand on this?

    She straightened her chest like a papaya and sneered viciously, "I''m afraid your single wooden bridge won''t get through, and if you turn around, you''ll have to compete on the Yangguan Road.¡±

    She was not a person with literary talent, and the way she played the words made her feel awkward. So she immediately added, "You only think that Second Master Bao is a long-term lover, but don''t forget the fate of Qian Xue, she has been with Second Master Bao since childhood. For some trivial matters, he just throws her out, isn¡¯t he? I haven''t seen him try to turn this matter around.¡±

    This remark pierced Qingwen''s soft side. Although she tried her best to cover it up, she couldn''t help but reveal some worries about gains and losses.

    Upon seeing this, Siqi immediately felt proud, as if she had won a battle. She took advantage of the situation and stretched out her strong body, occupying most of the carriage.

    When the carriage arrived at Rongguo Mansion, Ping''er, and several maids were waiting in front of the corner gate, welcoming Jia Yingchun into the East Cross courtyard like stars and moons.

    As soon as he crossed the black-painted threshold, Siqi opened the purse with only silver threads embedded in the eight treasures and poured out a dozen yellow, orange, and golden beans. With a calm expression, she said, "This is the first our Madam come back ever since her pregnancy, please bear with us more. These little things are for you guys.¡±

    As the saying goes, ¡±You become who you spend your time with.¡± Madame Xing and Wang Xifeng were both masters of wealth, and these soldiers and generals around them were often slaves who were open-minded about money.

    After the audit scandal, the amount of food and fuel available in the mansion was greatly reduced, and everyone was already ¡±hungry.¡±

    At this moment, they were staring at the yellow, orange, and golden beans. Each one weighed at least two or three coins, and when converted into silver, they were afraid it would be as much as five taels. They were all smiling and came forward in a stack of voices to thank and appreciate the reward.

    Ping¡¯er couldn''t help but cry and laugh. She lightly punched her chest of Siqi and spat, "You little hoof, you are really making a big fuss. If you really want to be a wealth-dispersing girl for your Madam, you should also celebrate in front of the wives and Elders. What''s the situation with spreading gold as soon as you enter the door?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, everyone is happy.¡±

    Siqi smiled playfully and grabbed Ping¡¯er''s slender waist. She grabbed a few golden beans and put them into her hand, saying with a smile, "I know you don''t like these, so let''s keep them for reward.¡±

    Without waiting for Ping¡¯er to refuse, a burst of laughter came from the two alleyways, "It was not that a relative has come, but rather a money-scattering girl! Let me talk about it first. If there isn¡¯t a part for me, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    Stepping on the crisp words, Wang Xifeng was greeted with a dazzling array of flowers, adorned with numerous pearl hairpins and pendants on her head. Her colorful embroidered skirt was adorned with some rose-colored palace ribbons, and upon closer inspection, it was truly overwhelming.

    The maidservants and nannies quickly gathered their colors and greeted them respectfully.

    Jia Yingchun also took a few steps and let out a short call ¡±Sister-in-law.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so polite to me?¡±

    Wang Xifeng quickly stepped forward to help her up, looked at her slightly raised lower abdomen, and exclaimed, "There is indeed a blessing. When my great nephew is born, I wonder how the Sun family will cherish you?¡±

    She then took her arm and said, "Go see the Old Master and Lady first, and then go to find the sisters in the garden behind to play."

    Everyone else was behind, but couldn''t tell anything from their expression.

    But Jia Yingchun caught a hint of disgust and disdain when Wang Xifeng mentioned the word ¡±filial piety.¡±

    Although Jia Yingchun had long known that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were secretly fighting, Wang Xifeng''s uncontrollable disgust was still the same as the first time she had seen them.

    Wasn¡¯t it the master and wife who have taken any unusual actions?

    Jia Yingchun couldn''t help but feel a bit uneasy, but on second thought, she was carrying thousands of taels of silver with her, so she should have been able to be safe and comfortable anyway.

    So she skipped this conversation and took advantage of the distance between the two of them on both sides, whispering, "Didn''t you ask Ping¡¯er to come a while ago and want to share some dividends in advance?¡±

    Wang Xifeng was recalling Jia She''s disgusting words a few days ago. Hearing Jia Yingchun mention the dividend, a flash reflected in her eye, and hurriedly lowered her voice. She asked, "What''s the matter? Haven¡¯t your Master and Second Master made up their minds yet?"

    Jia Yingchun nodded and said sternly, as Sun Shaozong had taught her in advance, "Originally, our Lord would never agree to this matter, but Second Master advised him that since both sides are relatives, we can¡¯t follow the rules of ordinary buyers and sellers, and we should also...¡±

    She stopped speaking and touched her slightly raised lower abdomen.

    Wang Xifeng was also a person with many clear eyebrows and eyes.

    Immediately, she suddenly smiled and said, "So I still got caught in the light of my big nephew, am I right?¡±

    As she spoke, she couldn''t help but ask, "But I don''t know how much dividend the Sun family Erlang wants to share first. To be honest, I¡¯m really tight these days.¡±

    Jia Yingchun shook her head and said, "I only know that the Second Master brought silver with him today. As for how much money there is, I never had the opportunity to ask.¡±

    Wang Xifeng only felt an itch in her heart and couldn''t bear it. She wished she could immediately leave Jia Yingchun and secretly search for Sun Shaozong to retrieve the silver.

    At this moment, she saw a servant girl hurriedly walking out of it. She reported from a long distance, "Second Madam, the last time Grandma Liu came back, she also brought several bags of mountain goods.¡±

    ¡°It''s really a gathering.¡±

    Wang Xifeng smacked her lips as she was about to instruct Ping¡¯er to beat someone, but Jia Yingchun rushed and said, "Was it the old lady who came last time? It''s not easy to come all this way carrying things. Sister-in-law, hurry and take a look. We''re all around our own yard, so I won''t get lost.¡±

    Wang Xifeng chuckled and said, "Becoming the mistress is different. I haven''t seen you so eloquent before, forget it. Anyway, it''s also a heartfelt gesture. I''ll go deal with it.¡±

    As she spoke, she ordered Ping''er to wait by Jia Yingchun''s side and hurriedly returned to the west courtyard.

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 Chapter 485

    Chapter 485

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    Without mentioning how Jia Yingchun used the money to bribe Jia She and his wife, Sun Shaozong entered Rongguo Mansion from the corner gate in the southwest, and before he took a few steps, he first enjoyed a "face-changing" drama.

    Jia Baoyu welcomed him with a spring breeze on his face, first bowing and greeting him. However, before he could pronounce it clearly, he suddenly saw Qingwen on the side and was overjoyed. He changed his words and shouted ¡±Qingwen,¡± waiting to do some skin kissing.

    Just taking two steps forward, he suddenly hesitated and stopped his pace. He turned back and looked around stealthily, only to see several servants standing not far away. He immediately looked at Qingwen like deflated balls, wilting and hesitant to speak.

    This series of small actions, let alone Qingwen''s heart cooling off, even Sun Shaozong was speechless. He couldn''t help but step forward and lightly punched Jia Baoyu on the shoulder, and angrily scolded, "After Uncle goes south, you can also be considered the top living man in Rongguo Mansion. Who is this hypocritical self that you are showing to?¡±

    His strange power, even if it was just a gentle touch, made Jia Baoyu show his teeth and rub his shoulders with a bitter smile, saying, "Second Brother, be merciful. My little shoulder is not as strong as yours. It can¡¯t withstand your punches.¡±

    Speaking a pun, Jia Baoyu took the opportunity to glance at Qingwen again. Although she was expressionless, her gaze towards him showed concern. He quickly pretended to be indifferent, swung his arm twice, and then grinned foolishly at Qingwen.

    Qingwen breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately lowered her gaze and stopped looking at him.

    Jia Baoyu''s smile shattered, and he wanted to inquire about Qingwen''s recent situation. However, he remembered his words in front of his mother and ultimately didn¡¯t dare to reveal his thoughts in front of others. He was in a hurry and could only scratch his ears and cheeks.

    Was he planning to perform a mime after just changing his face?

    Sun Shaozong couldn''t bear to see such a look, so he exclaimed, "Seeing that your niece is about to pass her full month old. Is there anything you can''t tell me at my banquet that you have to post again and again?¡±

    ¡°This... haha...¡±

    Jia Baoyu chuckled and said, "Second Brother, let me play a trick first, let''s take a walk. This place is not the place to talk, let''s go to my Yihong Yard first..."

    At this point, his smile suddenly stiffened again, and he awkwardly changed his tone, "It''s better to go to the Lotus Root Pavilion first and have a few cups of hot tea.¡±

    What the hell was this kid talking about?

    Sun Shaozong''s heart was filled with suspicion, and he remembered the incident where he almost fell for Lai Da''s conspiracy. He unconsciously increased his vigilance.

    However, this time he was too cautious. In fact, Baoyu''s dilemma was entirely due to Qingwen.

    The three people were wandering in the mountains and water all the way. When they saw the Lotus Root Pavilion nearby, they were about to step onto the winding bamboo bridge. Suddenly, they saw a lovely girl waving in the Pavilion. She raised her handkerchief and said in a loud voice, "Second Elder Brother, you are really mischievous. Our sisters are playing around here. How can you bring Lord Sun here?"

    As Jia Baoyu watched as Shi Xiangyun came out of the room, he suddenly stopped and saw a few familiar figures standing behind the pearl curtain. He quickly bowed from afar and turned back with a bitter smile, saying, "Second Brother, I''m afraid this Lotus Root Pavilion is not available. Why don''t we go to the Red Fragrance Garden instead?"

    Sun Shaozong looked at him with a strange expression and frowned, "What the hell are you doing? You''ve posted twice in a row, but why aren''t you even prepared for a place to entertain guests?¡±

    "This..."

    Seeing Sun Shaozong spoke bluntly, Jia Baoyu immediately became troubled and instinctively glanced at Qingwen.

    Qingwen has been with him for many years, and even if it couldn¡¯t be said that they have a heart-to-heart relationship. Just by looking at Jia Baoyu''s appearance, she knew that he was avoiding her presence, so it was not easy to make it clear.

    Immediately after being sad, she almost shed tears when she thought about her expectations for this day.

    But she has always been strong, how could she cry in front of Jia Baoyu?

    She quickly covered up the sadness on her face and bowed to Sun Shaozong, saying, "Second Master, let me go over and greet the girls."

    After speaking, without even looking at Baoyu, she walked straight onto the bamboo bridge.

    Her calling of Second Master was calling someone else!

    Jia Baoyu stared at her in a daze, until Qingwen was welcomed into the Lotus Root Pavilion by Shi Xiangyun. It was then that he withdrew his gaze with a sense of disappointment, but his heart felt as if a piece had been gouged out, feeling empty and uncomfortable.

    ¡°Can we talk now?¡±

    Sun Shaozong was not in the mood to accompany him here, sighing and groaning, and then asked, "What the hell are you doing?¡±

    Jia Baoyu looked mournful and shook his head, saying, "It''s really hard to say. I''m in a hurry and confused mood, but...¡±

    In fact, Jia Baoyu had already prepared a banquet in the Yihong Courtyard, and this temporary change of place was not for anything else, but because of his nonsense in front of his mother.

    It turned out that after seeing off Jia Zheng from the Capital a month ago, Jia Baoyu returned to report to his mother when she thought about the bitch Zhao who accompany her husband south to enjoy themselves. On the contrary, she was alone guarding an empty room here, and couldn''t help but feel sad and shed tears in front of her son.

    Jia Baoyu couldn''t bear to see anyone else''s tears, let alone his biological mother crying.

    At present, panicked, he approached and promised his mother everything that should be said but not said. Among them were the words of never letting Qingwen step into the Yihong Courtyard again.

    So when he saw Sun Shaozong bringing Qingwen to the banquet, he immediately panicked and had to temporarily treat Sun Shaozong in the Lotus Root Pavilion. Who would have thought that the Sisters would be here?

    Upon hearing Jia Baoyu reveal the truth one by one, Sun Shaozong couldn''t help but laugh and cry. Seeing his regretful expression, he couldn''t help but sneer and say, "What''s bothering you was this? Since we can''t let her go back to your Yihong Courtyard, why don''t you just buy another house to keep her? One day, you''ll move out of the garden and pick her up no later.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu''s face turned red and he shook his head like a rattle, saying, "No, no! Raising a woman before getting married. What would this be like if it were spread out? Moreover, if it were discovered by my mother, wouldn''t it be another sin?¡±

    As he spoke, he bowed to the end and said, "Could you please bear with her first? Let me think about it slowly.¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it just about taking in a maid? What was there to think about?

    Besides, due to the uproar of Jiang Yuhan, Jia Baoyu had already been rumored to be gay, so what else could be said about him?

    Sun Shaozong sighed and said helplessly, "There are so many beauties by your side. You are exactly the saying, ¡±A man who is full doesn¡¯t know the hungriness of a beggar.¡± but she can only hope for you. How can you let her be in a difficult state and endure? If it is delayed for a long time, even the best love will be in vain."

    After a moment of silence, Jia Baoyu smiled bitterly and said, "I indeed hurt her; let''s not say that for now. How about Second Brother accompany me to Yihong Courtyard for a few drinks?"

    Sun Shaozong brought Qingwen to the door, hoping to get rid of this burden by the way. Seeing Baoyu''s disheartened and lazy appearance, he knew it would definitely be hopeless. He had to temporarily put this matter aside and went to the Yihong Courtyard with Baoyu to borrow wine to relieve his worries.

    Qingwen was welcomed into the Lotus Root Pavilion by Shi Xiangyun, and when she saw Li Wan, Baochai, Daiyu, Tanchun, Xichun, and others waiting inside, she quickly gathered her energy and said a circle of greetings to the women.

    ¡°Get up, get up.¡±

    Li Wan stepped forward to help her up, looked up and down a few times, and sighed, "This pitiful energy has decreased a bit compared to before."

    With just one sentence, Qingwen almost shed tears.

    She hurriedly lowered her head and said perfunctorily, "This is the first time I served the young master, I was afraid of not doing well. I always had a string in my heart, and I couldn''t sleep soundly at night, so I looked thinner.¡±

    There were several women present, each with a clear eye and a clear heart. Who knew why she was in this state?

    Shi Xiangyun was the most kind-hearted. She couldn''t help but step forward and take Qingwen''s arm, laughing and saying, "Let''s make do with it for a while. Second Brother has always treated you and Xiren as flesh and blood, and can he still let you suffer at the Sun family? I''m afraid in a few days, we''ll have to carry you back to Yihong Yard.¡±

    Cough.

    At this moment, Lin Daiyu suddenly coughed dry and interrupted Shi Xiangyun''s words.

    Due to her preference for Xue Baochai in her heart and her dislike for Lin Daiyu''s sharp teeth and sharp mouth, Shi Xiangyun has always been fond of fighting against Lin Daiyu. At this moment, when she saw her blocking his words, she couldn''t help but pout her lips and blurted out, "What? Sister Lin doesn''t want Qingwen to come back and divide the thoughts of Second Brother?¡±

    Lin Daiyu''s pretty face turned cold and she sneered, "I just coughed and you fell into such a big suspicion. If I accidentally catch the wind cold that day, won''t I be unjustly killed by you immediately?"

    "What coughed? You''re clearly..."

    The two women bickered here. Qingwen looked at Lin Daiyu''s eyes but gradually became suspicious. She secretly said that the sisters in the yard, Sister Lin had the greatest influence on Jia Baoyu. But she had once offended her with her temper before...

    Could it be that Jia Baoyu''s attitude just now was all due to her?

    If it was in the past, she wouldn¡¯t have doubted Lin Daiyu''s intentions just because of this small matter.

    And how could Lin Daiyu, with her delicate seven orifices, not see the suspicion on her face?

    She stomped her foot angrily and said, "Forget it, just treat it that I can''t tolerate anyone and I stop you from coming back.¡±

    As she spoke, she shook her handkerchief and left the table.

    Li Wan quickly stopped her and advised, "What is this for? We agreed to have a good gathering with our Second Sister. Now that our Second Sister hasn''t arrived yet, why are you leaving already?¡±

    Daiyu didn''t respond and insisted on leaving.

    The commotion was raging, but Xue Baochai let out a sigh and said, "Lady Yun, this time it''s your fault. You misunderstood Sister Lin''s kindness."

    As she spoke, she took Qingwen''s hand and said softly, "There are some things that we can''t talk nonsense about, but Sister Lin has no intention of excluding you. I can assure you of that."

    Although the words were not clear, Qingwen could also hear that the matter between herself and Baoyu had indeed had another twist, and it was likely the involvement of Old Madam Wang; otherwise, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai wouldn¡¯t have been so taboo.

    So she said her greetings to Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun respectively, bitterly saying, "I am a humble servant, and I am not worth for the two ladies to get into a fight. It is truly a sin."

    Shi Xiangyun quickly helped her up, while Lin Daiyu''s expression was unbearable. After hesitating for a while, she couldn''t help but persuade her, "If it''s impossible, you might as well think of another way out.¡±

    Qingwen smiled sadly but didn¡¯t respond to this statement.

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 Chapter 486 - Grandma Liu Enters the Grand View Garden [Part 3]

    Jia Baoyu''s emotions would always come and go quickly.

    Well, just after drinking a few cups of wine with Sun Shaozong and chatting about some strange stories both inside and outside the Capital, he put aside his worries.

    He presented several articles to Sun Shaozong and proudly stated that he had anonymously invited his master to read them. He said that although it might be difficult to pass the Imperial Examination, he was able to achieve the title of a scholar with ease.

    "Second Brother, when I become a scholar next year, don''t forget what you promised me!"

    The position of this master was repeatedly declined by Liu Xianglian, but Jia Baoyu couldn''t forget it.

    However, this was also normal. After all, Sun Shaozong sent Liu Xianglian on a legitimate mission, while Jia Baoyu only intended to put on a good name and embark on a legitimate investigation journey.

    The purpose was different, and the level of expectations was naturally vastly different.

    Sun Shaozong smiled and was about to ask him to stop talking shamelessly so that he could not find a way to cry when he fell behind the list. Suddenly, he saw Xiren leading a little servant girl in and said in a crispy voice. "The Old Lady had asked someone to pass the message, and invited the masters and sisters to meet the guests."

    "Guest?"

    Jia Baoyu was puzzled and said, "What kind of guest is worth calling everyone out?"

    At this time, the little servant girl who followed in interrupted with a smile, "It''s an old lady from the countryside. Her name is Grandma Liu. She seems to have some relative''s relationship with the Second Daughter-in-law. I don''t know how she was being fond of the Old Lady. She said that her brothers and sisters had never paid attention to the folk sufferings, so she might as well call everyone to gain experience."

    Upon hearing that it was an old lady from the countryside, Jia Baoyu couldn''t help but curl his lips and say, "If I want to know about any folk suffering, why don''t I ask Second Brother Sun, who is a high-ranking official? Why do I have to listen to a village woman gossip and gain insights?"

    As he spoke, he shook his sleeve and said, "You go back and report to my Grandmother. Just say that I have important guests here to entertain, so I won''t go and join in the fun."

    The little maid agreed and followed Xiren out.

    Jia Baoyu then brought up the matter of the Imperial Examination again, even saying that he had been studying poetry and books hard lately and was almost becoming a bookworm. If he hadn''t thought about going to the scene with Sun Shaozong to solve the case, he might have lost his temper long ago.

    He just talked and talked, but now Sun Shaozong was a bit absent-minded and couldn''t help but wonder, "Second Brother, is there something? Is there something on your mind?"

    "Uh..."

    Sun Shaozong suddenly regained his composure and quickly concealed himself, saying, "It''s nothing. Just when I heard you talk about solving cases, I thought of several unsolved cases in the Yamen, and I was a bit distracted for a moment."

    Jia Baoyu finally felt relieved as he knew that the reason why Sun Shaozong''s mind was not in line was due to his contemplation of Grandma Liu.

    Before transmigrating, the most familiar character in the entire Dream of the Red Chamber was Grandma Liu. After all, the proverb ¡±Grandma Liu Enters the Grand View Garden¡± was heard by him from a young age.

    At this moment, upon hearing the background story of this proverb, it was vividly displayed in front of Sun Shaozong, and he couldn''t help but feel a dreamlike feeling.

    However, Jia Baoyu heard that there were several unresolved cases in the government office, and his heart suddenly became itchy and unbearable, pestering Sun Shaozong to inquire about the truth.

    Sun Shaozong was so entangled by him that he had no choice but to gather his energy and pick up the one that could be said but didn¡¯t harm much, and use it to relieve Baoyu¡¯s curiosity.

    Just as it was mentioned that there was a headless female corpse in the county government office, a case of two families claiming it popped up. Just then, the little maid turned back and approached, saying, "Master Bao, the Old Lady heard that Lord Sun is here with you, so she asked you and Lord Sun to come over and talk together. She even said that we are all relatives and there was nothing to avoid in front of the elderly."

    Jia Baoyu still felt a bit reluctant upon hearing this, but Sun Shaozong was a bit eager to see what kind of person the legendary ¡±Grandma Liu¡± was.

    So he stood up and pretended to ask, "I wonder if my Sister-in-law is also where the Old Lady is?"

    "Yes, she¡¯s there!"

    The little maid nodded hastily and said, "She came out of the Old Master''s courtyard and went to pay her respects to the Old Lady. Now, she is chatting with Lady Baochai, Lady Shi, and others in the green gauge cabinet."

    "That''s it."

    Sun Shaozong turned back and said seriously, "I really should go and take a look. After all, this is the first time my Sister-in-law has returned to her mother''s house after getting pregnant. If she neglects her body for a moment, this can¡¯t happen."

    Upon hearing these words, Jia Baoyu had no choice but to get up and go with him to Jia''s mother''s place.

    There was nothing to say along the way.

    When it came to Old Lady Jia''s house, after going up to pay their respects, he never saw the legendary Grandma Liu. Baoyu casually checked and found out that she had been taken down by Ping''er to take a shower and change clothes, and was about to return soon.

    As she was speaking, Jia Yingchun came out of the green gauge cabinet and met Sun Shaozong. Sun Shaozong, as her younger uncle, reminded her to take good care of herself.

    In fact, before coming, Sun Shaozong also secretly explained this to Jia Yingchun. Now, mentioning it in front of others made Jia Yingchun felt a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, she has been the mistress for half a year, and now she has made great progress, which was enough to cover up.

    At this moment, Wang Xifeng also came out from inside and joked with a smile, "Just now when I was saying, you were still preventing me. What''s going on now? Not to mention that your husband is worried, and even your younger uncle is afraid that you are not careful enough. You are just like a treasure!"

    There was no other meaning to this statement, but the speaker had no intention and the listener had an intention. Jia Yingchun''s heart skipped a beat, and her redhead and swollen face drooped down, burying it directly into her increasingly strong chest.

    Sun Shaozong was afraid of being exposed, so he quickly laughed and said, "Second Sister-in-law''s words are true. My brother is almost forty years old, and he finally got this baby, so naturally he is very careful."

    Wang Xifeng giggled coquettishly, her red phoenix eyes rolling around, but she was pondering how to distract others and demanded the dividend from Sun Shaozong.

    Just before she could come up with an idea, Ping''er outside the door had already led Grandma Liu in.

    The Grandma was dressed in silk and satin, making it difficult for her to walk smoothly. She grinned and revealed her yellow teeth, saying repeatedly, "It''s a waste of money. How can I afford to wear such good clothes like this, an Old Lady?"

    "Isn''t that clothing meant for people to wear? As long as it fits well, it won''t cost anything!"

    Old Lady Jia greeted her with a smile and called for Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and others to come out and meet Grandma Liu one by one.

    Every time someone was mentioned, Grandma Liu would bow repeatedly, saying things like "fairy descending to earth" and "reincarnation of immortals," which made everyone laugh and laugh.

    After introducing the young master and young lady from Rongguo Mansion, Old Lady Jia pointed to Sun Shaozong and said, "This is our relative. He is now serving as the Governor of the Central Judicial Office and his name is called Sun Shaozong. I believe you have also heard of his name."

    Although Grandma Liu didn''t know what the Governor was when she heard the three words "Sun Shaozong," her eyes widened and she bent down to kneel in front of Sun Shaozong.

    Sun Shaozong was quick-witted and quickly reached out to help her. He smiled and said, "Now that we are not in the court, I don''t dare to let you kneel in front of me."

    "You¡¯re worthy, you¡¯re worthy!"

    Supported by Sun Shaozong''s hand, Grandma Liu''s hands and feet trembled with excitement as she said, "Who doesn''t know the name of Master Sun?! It''s said that you reincarnate with the Dragon Diagram and will also become the King of Hell in the future. Unexpectedly... Unexpectedly, you are also a relative of this mansion!"

    When the others heard the rumors that Sun Shaozong would become the King of Hell in the future, the audience couldn''t help but burst into laughter.

    Sun Shaozong also didn''t realize it. She was a master whom he had seen before, and he didn¡¯t find this old lady vulgar. He helped her sit in the lower position and Grandma Liu kept declining.

    Others were just watching the excitement, but only Old Lady Jia looked at a few youngest who kept a respectful distance from Grandma Liu. Only Sun Shaozong treated her warmly and sincerely, without the appearance of a wealthy family being superior.

    In these two comparisons, she couldn''t help but sigh a few times, hoping that Jia Yuanchun could find a man in the palace.

    Grandma Liu sat down anxiously and exchanged a few words with Old Lady Jia before regaining some energy. She searched her heart and soul and picked up the interesting thing, using vulgar language to vividly explain it.

    How could Jia Baoyu and others ever hear these words?

    Consciously speaking better than the books spoken by those blind gentlemen, one by one laughing back and forth, forgetting the initial impatience.

    Sun Shaozong, on the other hand, heard that the old lady''s words were clear and organized, and when it came to the hearts of old people, he also had a vague understanding. It was not as crude and vulgar as it seemed on the surface. He knew that she was deliberately hiding her awkwardness to show off her cleverness in front of others, but he didn¡¯t point it out. He just laughed along with everyone.

    Although Grandma Liu was a villager, she was born with some knowledge. Moreover, she was old and had experienced both the ups and downs of life. Seeing Old Lady Jia happy, these brothers and sisters also love to listen. Even if there was nothing to say, they would try to make up something to say.

    She said, "We grow crops and vegetables in our village every year, in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, in the wind and rain, there is a sitting space where we make a resting pavilion on the ground every day. We have never seen anything strange."

    "Just like last winter, when it snowed for several days in a row and the ground was buried three or four feet deep. I woke up early that day and heard the sound of firewood outside before leaving the house. I thought someone must have stolen firewood and peeked through the window, but it wasn''t from our village."

    Old Lady Jia then said, "It must be that the passing guests are cold. When they see the ready-made firewood, they want to draw some and take it back for the fire."

    Grandma Liu smiled and said, "It was not a guest either, so it''s strange to say, what kind of person was it? But it turns out to be a very beautiful little girl of seventeen or eighteen years old, with a slick head, a big red coat, and a white silk skirt¨C-"

    Just as she was about to say this, she suddenly heard people outside arguing and said, "You irrelevant person, don''t scare the Old Lady."

    Upon hearing this, Old Lady Jia and others quickly called for servants to come in and inquire.

    A maid replied, "There was a fire that broke out in the stable of the southern courtyard, it''s irrelevant. We need people to be rescued."

    Old Lady Jia, the most timid, heard these words and quickly stood up and out of the corridor. She saw the southeast still shining brightly with flames.

    Old Lady Jia was directly threatened. She recited Buddha''s words and quickly ordered people to burn incense in front of the Fire God.

    At this moment, Old Lady Wang and Old Lady Xing also rushed over and comforted Old Lady Jia, saying that the fire had been put out. The Old Lady should return to the room and sit down.

    However, Old Lady Jia waited until the flames had completely extinguished, and only then did she and the supported maid, walk inside one by one, reciting Amitabha Buddha.

    Everyone followed suit and entered, and Sun Shaozong was also preparing to follow when he saw Old Lady Wang break out from inside again, her face embarrassed and hesitant.

    Sun Shaozong said strangely, "Auntie, what do you need to instruct?"

    Old Lady Wang hesitated, "I shouldn''t have bothered you, my dear nephew, but the fire was burning a bit strange, and I happened to have you as a guest at my house..."

    "There is indeed something suspicious!"

    Before he could finish speaking, Jia Baoyu pulled out the curtain and excitedly said, "It''s a small matter. Why bother Second Brother to take action? I''ll go investigate and understand the situation!"

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 Chapter 487 - Grandma Liu Enters the Grand View Garden [Part 4]

    Seeing Jia Baoyu coming out with a curtain, patting his chest, and offering himself, Old Madam Wang''s expression stiffened. She immediately forced a smile and said, "You had just read some messy storybooks, how can you solve the case? Don''t act recklessly, let the Sun Erlang investigate this matter."

    If it were for Jia Zheng''s words, even if Jia Baoyu was not angry, he might not dare to argue anything.

    Since his mother had spoken, he couldn''t help but flatly argue, "Mother, don''t underestimate me. If it''s a big case of murder and smuggling, I may not help, but now it''s just a burning stable case. What''s so difficult to investigate?"

    Old Madam Wang was still waiting to persuade, but Sun Shaozong snatched a smile and said, "Since that''s the case, I''ll just slack off and wait for you to come back victorious."

    Jia Baoyu was inspired and even patted his chest, only letting Sun Shaozong sit for a moment and come by himself.

    Seeing that she couldn''t stop it, Old Madam Wang reluctantly called out two stewards and accompanied Jia Baoyu to investigate the case in the southern courtyard stable.

    The male servant of Baoyu''s left the banquet, and Sun Shaozong didn''t want to go back in again to listen to Grandma Liu''s gossip with the beauties, so he also greeted Old Madam Wang and said he wanted to go to the nearby water pavilion to pass the time.

    After bidding farewell to Old Madam Wang and stepping out of Old Lady Jia''s yard, Sun Shaozong''s warm smile on his face disappeared without a trace, and he sighed to himself a few times, The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn''t stop.

    He didn''t have much interest in the house fight in the Rongguo Mansion, but he didn''t expect to be implicated multiple times. A few days ago, Caixia''s plea couldn''t be ignored. Just now, Old Madam Wang clearly wanted to use the hand of an outsider to ¡±expose¡± something!

    Fortunately, Jia Baoyu took the initiative, otherwise, it would have been difficult to refuse.

    While lamenting the hidden secrets of this large mansion gate, Sun Shaozong strolled along the shaded path toward the central water pavilion. Passing by a nearby rockery, he couldn''t help but stop. This was the boundary where he and Ping''er had first intersected, and now he realized that more than a year had passed.

    "Good Sister-in-law... you... can¡¯t..."

    "Can¡¯t do that!"

    As he was reminiscing about the universe in that cave, he suddenly heard a woman pressing her throat and panicked as she refused in the rockery community.

    What?

    In this blue and white sky, Uncle and Sister-in-law were having an affair here?!

    Being curious, Sun Shaozong tiptoed closer and looked behind the rockery, only to see two people kneeling on the ground, their four arms tightly intertwined, even tighter than a couple''s bowing.

    However, these two people were not Uncle and Sister-in-law, at most they could barely be considered as a pair of Sister.

    It turned out that the two people who worshipped each other were Xiren, the top maid by Jia Baoyu''s side, and Jia Tanchun, the third girl from Concubine Zhao in this mansion.

    Although there might not necessarily be any infidelity between sisters, judging from their expressions, it was obvious that it was not for the sake of a man or woman.

    As expected, Xiren hurriedly said, "Third Lady, please get up quickly and don''t ruin my life!"

    Upon hearing Jia Tanchun plead again, "Good sister, no matter how unworthy Third Brother Huan is, at least he is also a master. I only ask you to go and hint on Second Brother. Even if you find any shortcomings, you must leave him a way to survive!"

    Tch!

    It seemed that he guessed right. The fire in this stable was indeed closely related to Third Brother Huan.

    It was Jia Tanchun, who heard that her mother and younger brother were not on the same path as her, and often only turned to Old Madam Wang and Baoyu. Now it seemed that he couldn¡¯t let go of the bloodline of his mother and fellow countrymen.

    She was also smart and worried that if she went to find Jia Baoyu, it would fall into the eyes of those with intentions. So she first found Xiren and then Xiren came forward to persuade him.

    In fact, there was no need to persuade. With Jia Baoyu''s soft nature, if he knew that the wildfire was related to Jia Huan, he would definitely help cover it up.

    Since it was still a continuation of the Jia Mansion feud, Sun Shaozong naturally didn''t bother to pay attention and quietly retreated to the shady path, preparing to continue walking toward the water pavilion.

    "What did Lord Sun see?"

    At this moment, a slightly trembling voice entered Sun Shaozong''s ear.

    Looking through the sound, he saw Ping¡¯er holding a handkerchief in her hand and standing behind her with a shy face.

    Seeing her blush all over her face that couldn¡¯t be concealed, Sun Shaozong was initially puzzled. Later, seeing her gaze occasionally drifting towards the rockery, he suddenly realized it.

    It was estimated that she saw himself approaching the rockery to look around, thinking that he was reminiscing about the situation of that day, so she couldn''t hide her embarrassment.

    If it were a deserted territory, Sun Shaozong would have to joke a few words, but the pair of "sisters" behind the rockery could come out at any time. How could he dare to act recklessly?

    So he asked seriously, "Did Lady Ping''er come specifically to find me?"

    Ping''er, looking at him like this, also felt alert and handed the handkerchief in his hand forward. With a reserved and polite tone, she said, "I just picked up a handkerchief on the road. It doesn''t look like it''s something from our mansion. I dare to ask, was it something left by you, Lord Sun."

    Sun Shaozong took a glance and saw that it was exactly the object he had used after doing good on the swing frame. Thinking about the pleasure of that day, his heart couldn''t help but shake. He quickly gathered his mind and took the handkerchief. He arched his hand and smiled, "Where did it fall? I didn''t expect it to be picked up by you, Lady Ping¡¯er. Thank you very much!¡±

    "It¡¯s a small matter, how can it be considered a thank-you gesture?"

    "Otherwise, this handkerchief is different from the others."

    Sun Shaozong said solemnly and nonsensely, "There is a lot of "contamination" on it, and it can¡¯t be lost."

    Listening to him deliberately emphasizing the word "contamination", Ping''er felt even more embarrassed. She quickly greeted and didn''t dare to disturb the adult''s pleasure, and she hurriedly returned to her original path.

    Sun Shaozong held the handkerchief in his arms and continued walking forward as if nothing was wrong.

    But after the two parted ways, Ping''er lowered her head and walked forward for a while, finally suppressing her embarrassment. She let out a deep breath and was about to accelerate her steps, returning to the Old Lady Jia courtyard to wait for orders. Suddenly, someone flashed in front of her!

    Ping''er stopped to take a closer look at the person and couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise, "Second... Second Master?"

    It turned out that it was none other than Jia Lian, the Second Master of this mansion, who was blocking the way!

    And today, Jia Lian was also different from before. Not only has he not applied any makeup, but his movements were extremely simple and neat. At first glance, he could even be called extraordinary. Unfortunately, his peach blossom eyes, which were overflowing with spring water, still exuded countless charms.

    He stared eagerly at Ping''er and excitedly asked, "Where did you find that handkerchief? Why didn''t you inform me first?"

    As the male host, he could naturally ask every move of Ping¡¯er.

    But this attitude...

    Ping''er felt a chill in her heart, and she thought to herself that he might have noticed something.

    However, she was also clever, with no signs of panic on her face, only a slight hint of surprise, "I found it at the entrance of the Grand View Garden. I thought it was a high-quality handkerchief, not a common style in our family. It should have been something left behind by Lord Sun. So I searched all the way, and naturally didn''t dare to disturb you and Second Madam."

    "You... you!"

    Jia Lian''s face suddenly flashed with some ferocity, as if realizing that Ping''er had done something heinous and immoral. However, just as Ping''er was in a state of panic, he suddenly felt like a deflated ball and said helplessly, "If you pick up something from Sun Erlang in the future, especially something close to him, please let me know!"

    Seeing Ping''er feeling a bit puzzled, he quickly added, "So I can also personally return it to him!"

    This added insult to injury not only didn''t make Ping¡¯er feel relieved but also made her feel more like he was nagging.

    However, Ping''er also had a secret in her heart, so she naturally didn¡¯t dare to continue to investigate. Seeing that he had a regretful expression on his face and had no words left, she bowed and said, "If Second Master doesn''t have any task, I''ll go to Second Madam''s place to serve her first."

    Jia Lian casually waved his hand, feeling as if she had been granted amnesty. Just as he was about to pass by, he suddenly frowned and said, "No, something¡¯s wrong! You looked down and looked like you lost your mind just now, but for what? Shouldn¡¯t it be that..."

    He looked up and down at Ping''er in surprise and blurted out, "Did you actually secretly take a liking to Sun Erlang?"

    This statement was like a bolt from the blue for Ping''er. Immediately, her heart almost jumped out of her mouth, and her legs were even softer, almost unable to support her body.

    Thanks to her courage, she managed to suppress the turmoil in her heart and blushed as she said, "What''s wrong with you, Second Master? You... you wronged me! If I had ulterior motives, I should have been going for Baoyu. Second Lord is so young and handsome, how could it be..."

    Ping''er was eager to clarify the connection, and for a moment, she was somewhat unscrupulous, directly offering sacrifices to Jia Baoyu, the popular lover in the mansion, as a shield.

    Spit!

    Unexpectedly, upon hearing these words, Jia Lian suddenly became angry and said indignantly, "Baoyu, a half-year-old child who always smears makeup on male and female faces, is just deceiving you, ignorant women! If you want to climb up, it''s still Sun Erlang, a brave and resolute man who can be called a man!"

    Ping''er was stunned when she heard this. Although she agreed with this statement in every way, it seemed that Jia Lian was better than Jia Baoyu in terms of male and female appearances now.

    Wasn¡¯t he cursing himself in this way?

    However, Jia Lian was completely unaware of anything wrong and praised Sun Shaozong in a few more words. Seeing Ping''er staring at him in a daze, he suddenly realized that this woman was foolish and couldn¡¯t fully comprehend Sun Erlang''s charm.

    So he waved his hand and said angrily, "Go and take care of your Second Madam. Don''t stand in my way!"

    It was inexplicable!

    Just now, it was clear that he had taken the initiative to block his way, and now...

    However, Ping¡¯er couldn''t afford to worry about all of this at the moment. With a greeting, she flew away as if a beast was chasing her.

    Jia Lian watched as her curvaceous figure gradually disappeared on the shady path, half jealous and half disdainful, sneering, "A foolish woman with no vision has ruined this innate daughter''s body in vain!"

    During the conversation, he turned his head to look at the water pavilion in the distance, his gaze gradually becoming blurred. After a while, it seemed like something suddenly came to mind, with a hint of joy on his face. He murmured, "Back then, Big Head Xue had a misunderstanding with Erlang, and it seemed like he had given him a gift..."

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