first minister

wrong?

Cao Yuting looked at Xia Jingyun doubtfully, "Master Hou, what's wrong?"

Xia Jingyun pursed his lips, "Don't you think this is a bit unreasonable?"

Yelu Caiqi couldn't help but said: "The thing about strange power and chaos of gods is the biggest violation of common sense! Besides, you yourself said that there is this legend today, why don't you believe it now?"

Xia Jingyun shook his head, his expression a little more solemn and serious than the previous indifferent look, "That's different, I'm just telling you an anecdote today, it doesn't mean that I think this story is true. At the same time, there is still something unreasonable about the Yang family’s affairs.”

He looked at Cao Yuting and said, "You are also a capable minister and official, well versed in the ways of the world. If there are really mummified corpses, disembowelling, and cannibalism, there must have been such cases in Guangyang County in the past few years, or even decades. The dossier."

Cao Yuting's expression immediately changed, "I'm going to order someone right now."

Xia Jingyun waved his hand, "No need. I've seen it in Zhoucheng. There are no cases like this among the backlog of unsolved cases in Guangyang County over the years."

He immediately continued with Cao Yuting's admiring eyes: "What's more, if it's about killing people and picking hearts, what's the explanation for the concubine? Is it possible that spirits also want male love and female love?"

Yelu Caiqi subconsciously wanted to retort: ​​"How do you know?" But when he thought about it, it seemed a bit nonsense, so he gave up in frustration.

"So, I'm more inclined to think there's something hidden behind this matter."

Having said this, he simply stood up and said, "But what is the truth? Let's go to the Yang Mansion to see. Things should not be delayed, otherwise things will change!"

Chen Fugui and Cao Yuting naturally had no objections and immediately stood up.

Yelu Caiqi glanced at the sumptuous and tempting meal with nostalgia, and finally, driven by curiosity, he followed them to the Yang Mansion with a half-full stomach.

In the Yang Mansion, white flags fluttered, the sound of crying was faint, and the scene was bleak.

When they walked to the door, everyone could still hear the chanting and singing inside.

Upon hearing the news of Marquis Jianning's arrival, Yang Yuanwai, wearing white uniforms, hurried out to greet him with a sad and somewhat fearful expression.

Xia Jingyun didn't put on any airs. He said a few words of comfort in a warm voice and then entered the house.

Since there was a memorial tablet in the main hall, the group went to the side hall and sat down.

Cao Yuting was well informed and took the initiative to ask about the situation without Xia Jingyun opening his mouth.

Yang Yuanwai wiped his tears, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault! If I could have taken it seriously earlier, my Ping'er might have been able to survive. Hey, it's all my fault, this old fool!"

You are really old and confused. If you don't look at the current situation, why should you sigh? Cao Yuting muttered in his heart, but he also understood the pain of losing a child, so he just reminded him gently: "Yang Yuanwai, this matter What does it have to do with you?"

Yang Yuanwai cried twice, and seemed to realize that now was not the time for him to wipe away his tears. He recovered a little and said: "The thing is like this. That day when the dog went out for an outing and passed by Qingsong Ridge, the concubine who was traveling with him came. It was said that she was a little anxious, in this barren mountain, so I had to let her go to the woods to solve the problem."

"She came out soon, but her expression was a little unnatural, and her original sweet talk was gone. She sat there silently and in a trance. The child didn't take it seriously at first, but his accompanying guards reminded him I heard the rumors about Qingsong Ridge, and I was immediately frightened to death."

"After the child came back, he quickly came to me and told me about the matter. But I scolded him on the spot."

Speaking of this, Mr. Yang's expression once again showed an uncontrollable look of regret, "I told him, where are there so many strange things that disturb the gods? If there are such things, why haven't they been heard of in these decades? ? It is clear that his concubine was frightened. As a husband, he should be gentle and comforting to ease her heart. This is the way to be a husband."

"The child listened to my words and took it seriously. He stayed in his room that night. Who knew? Who knew?"

Mr. Yang became excited again and cried: "Who would have thought that he would actually encounter an accident!"

After hearing this, Cao Yuting glanced at Xia Jingyun without leaving any trace, then turned to comfort Yang Yuanwai in a warm voice.

Yelu Caiqi, on the other hand, looked at Xia Jingyun without hesitation, as if his eyes were saying, "Look, is it okay?" People didn't believe it like you before, but now they regret it.

Xia Jingyun was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Executive member Yang, I would like to take the liberty to ask, how is your relationship with this concubine?"

Mr. Yang was stunned when he heard this, and then he subconsciously showed anger. Then he realized that the person facing him was Jianning Hou, a killer of a wealthy family. He immediately lowered his eyebrows and said submissively: "If you go back to Jianning Hou, Quanzi and his wives and concubines are not different from each other on weekdays." He, otherwise he wouldn't have listened to the little old man and went to comfort him."

Xia Jingyun added: "After the incident, is there anyone in your house who has left the house?"

Seeing that Xia Jingyun still didn't believe it, Mr. Yang was a little helpless, but he didn't dare to hide it at all, "There are indeed many people who have left the house. As long as they are not born in the family, they have already left. After all, what happened It’s not easy for a villain to stop me. What’s more, the mystery of this matter is that if it weren’t for the inheritance of our ancestors, the villain would have to avoid it at all costs.”

"Come on, don't panic. I didn't ask an immortal master to do it today. I hope I can protect the safety of my family."

Cao Yuting opened his mouth to persuade, not only to wipe out the situation for the leader, but also with some sincere persuasion. After all, the support of a wealthy family such as the Yang family will also help him to govern here in the future.

Yelu Caiqi also wanted to say a few words of comfort, but due to his identity, he could only cast a look of relief.

But Xia Jingyun continued to ask like an iron-headed boy who didn't understand the style and reason: "Where are the guards of the Young Master? Are there any people who have left the house?"

Yang Yuanwai finally couldn't help but said: "Marquis Jianning, the dog was unfortunately killed. The whole family is sad enough. I hope Marquis Jianning will show his noble hand and restore peace to my family."

After saying that, he stood up, knelt on his knees, and when he kowtowed, his hat fell down, revealing a few strands of white hair, which was both desolate and desolate.

Yelu Caiqi couldn't bear it any longer, "Master Hou, the pain of losing a child has not passed, why do we have to create complications and make each other miserable?"

Xia Jingyun glanced at this little girl speechlessly, and wanted to say that you have nothing to do with me, so you don't need to worry about her!

But his morals were tied up, and he couldn't be too tough. He stepped forward and helped Mr. Yang up, "Exceptor Yang, unless I want to cause trouble, if your son is really harmed by others, how can you think like this?" Wouldn’t it allow the murderer to go free and the son to be unjust?”

Master Yang was shocked, "Jianning Marquis, what do you mean?"

Xia Jingyun said solemnly: "I now suspect that your son was murdered."

Chen Fugui's face immediately became solemn. He naturally believed everything Xia Jingyun said, but Yelu Caiqi, who was not convinced by Xia Jingyun yet, pursed his lips speechlessly.

Master Yang looked shocked. He glanced at Marquis Jianning and then at Cao Yuting. When Cao Yuting nodded to him, he sighed softly. Regardless of whether he agreed or not, he didn't care if the superior said this. Maybe he would contradict me again, so he had no choice but to say: "According to what Marquis Jianning said, it would be great if this matter could be clarified. Many of these guards have indeed left."

"For example, the one who reminded your son to pay attention to the rumors in Qingsong Ridge?"

Mr. Yang was stunned for a moment, "He seems to have left too."

Xia Jingyun immediately looked at Cao Yuting and said, "Mr. Cao, you immediately gather people to find those who have left Yang Mansion in the past two days. These people have only left recently, and they are all locals. They must not be able to leave." It’s too far away, so it should be easy to find. As for the list, please ask Yuan Yang to provide it to you, and send some capable people to help! Focus on finding the people who are traveling with you that day.”

Cao Yuting naturally obeyed Shangguan's instructions, and immediately took the order and took Yang Yuanwai out.

After there were no outsiders in the room, Yelucai Qiqi finally said, "I recognize you as your father. Why do you have to take the risk of making others dislike you? Do you have to do this?"

Xia Jingyun smiled slightly and ignored her.

It was Chen Fugui who whispered: "Princess, if such a case occurs, people here will definitely be panicked. Someone may take the opportunity to cause trouble in the future and cause even greater trouble." Yelu Caiqi suddenly realized that it was a matter of ghosts and gods. It has always been easy to be taken advantage of by ambitious people, and this happened to her in Daliang.

She looked at Xia Jingyun and felt a little ashamed. She still thought of him as innocent.

But if Xia Jingyun knew what she was thinking, he would tell her, in fact, you still think of me too simply.

Ordinarily, based on his experience, he is the one who should believe in the stories of these ghosts and gods, but this time, in his opinion, there were too many mistakes and it was too unreasonable.

Not allowing ghosts and gods to spread is only one aspect. The other aspect is that the Yang family is the most important family in Guangyang County. If this problem can be solved, the Yang family can be completely pulled into Cao Yuting's chariot, which will affect the entire Guangyang County. The situation in Yang County has received another huge boost.

And another fundamental reason is that it's okay if we haven't met him. Now that he has met him, as a court official, how can he let the murderer go unpunished like this.

For now, I just hope that my judgment is correct and everything goes well.

He stood up and said, "Let's go, they will be busy for a long time, let's go back and rest first!"

Returning to the governor's house, Xia Jingyun looked at Yelu Caiqi and said with a smile: "Miss Yelu, don't be afraid. This matter is definitely not a matter of ghosts and gods. Just rest in peace."

Yelu Caiqi hummed, but when he lay on the bed, Yelu Caiqi tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. He didn't know whether it was because he was afraid of the alarming rumor or worried about the consequences of Xia Jingyun's actions.

Or maybe it was simply not enough.

This also made the maid she brought to bed with her not sleep well. If she didn't know that no one else was around, the movement would be like the young lady entering the bridal chamber with her uncle.

Hey~ The maid shivered, and continued to sleep with the quilt between her legs.

The next morning, Xia Jingyun woke up feeling refreshed and saw Yelu Caiqi with a depressed look on his face. Their eyes met. Yelu Caiqi felt a little embarrassed and left in a hurry with his head lowered.

Xia Jingyun smiled, and while escorting Yelu Caiqi around the city, he was busy with official duties. When the sun was about three o'clock in the morning, he saw Cao Yuting returning in a hurry.

"Master Hou! We have a clue!"

Cao Yuting looked tired and couldn't hide his excitement, "Accompanied by the steward of the Yang family, we found everyone, except for the bodyguard beside the Young Master of the Yang family!"

The suspicion was confirmed, and Xia Jingyun breathed a sigh of relief, "Immediately search for his whereabouts. If what I expected is correct, he and the concubine have fled and been hiding now, but they will not be far away together. From his relatives, friends, The Car and Horse Shop, Rice and Noodles Trading Company and other places will find clues and arrest the two of them as soon as possible!"

In fact, Cao Yuting had already ordered the arresters to do this, but when he heard the words, he had a look of surprise on his face, nodded repeatedly, and hurried away.

Xia Jingyun's wait was not too long. After Cao Yuting's officials interrogated the guard's parents, relatives, and friends, they also visited the Car and Horse Trading Company and other places, and soon found clues from them. People captured.

When they saw the arrival of the police, the man and woman who were standing next to each other were frightened to death.

He was brought back to the Yamen, and not long after, he told the whole story.

It turns out that the young master of the Yang family is a philanderer, and his body is not very good. This flirtatious and beautiful concubine often stays alone in the empty house, and is unbearably lonely. She often hooks up with the strong and bold guard.

The thunder in the sky stirred up the fire in the earth, and the two people, deeply in love, thought about how to stay together forever. However, the Yang family was so powerful that as concubines, it was almost impossible to leave.

But one day, the guard heard an old man chatting about the legend of ghosts and monsters in Qingsongling. Suddenly, he had a plan in mind. He secretly planned it for many days. Finally, when it was time for the Young Master of the Yang family to go on an outing, the beautiful concubine tried his best to please her and asked to go with him. Young Master Yang also took her with him.

Passing by Qingsong Ridge, the beautiful concubine who had received the order in advance pretended to be anxious and went to the forest beside the road. When she came back, she pretended to be deceived. The guards fanned the flames, which indeed aroused the suspicion of Young Master Yang. And then, as expected, this man had no independent opinion. The young master went to find Mr. Yang, but Mr. Yang did not disappoint them and firmly refused to believe this.

That night, they first stun Young Master Yang with medicine, secretly sent the concubine out of the house, and then sent the guards back, assassinated Young Master Yang, dug out his heart and liver, and pretended to be a ghost.

Because of the previous foreshadowing and the confirmation of rumors, almost everyone had no doubts.

Then the guard came to the rescue openly, and when the incident happened, he resigned as a guard in the name of fear, and left with Young Master Yang's heart and soul, without even revealing any flaws.

When the yamen and everyone in the Yang family found the heart and liver of Mr. Yang, which was mostly eaten by wild beasts, in a forest based on the confession, the mistress of the Yang family fainted on the spot.

The truth is revealed. The two of them cannot escape the consequences of being executed according to the law, and naturally there is no need for any methods and dojos in the Yang Mansion.

Yang Yuanwai came to the governor's house and knelt down in front of Xia Jingyun with a plop.

"Hey, what do you mean? You can't do it, please get up quickly!"

Yang Yuanwai's eyes were dim with tears and he spoke in a trembling voice, "Marquis Jianning, if it weren't for your great wisdom, the dog would have been wronged and died without justice. Your great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten by me, Yang Yihong!"

"This is all my duty, there is no need to do this!"

"No, no, no! Marquis Jianning, I was short-sighted and questioned you back then. I hope you have more, don't argue with short-sighted people like me!"

Yelu Caiqi:? ? ?

What about criticizing mulberry trees and locust trees?

Xia Jingyun shook his head and said: "Young Master Yang really doesn't need to be polite. Under the circumstances, I completely understand your mood. You really don't need to pay too much attention."

Yang Yuanwai stood up and said, "Jianning Marquis, Mr. Cao, I don't dare to say anything else. I, the Yang family, will do my best to cooperate with the New Deal. As long as you have instructions, please just say it. If the Yang family hesitates for a moment, you will be ashamed." The high righteousness towards Marquis Jianning makes the dog’s soul find no rest in heaven!”

Xia Jingyun smiled and said: "Serious words, serious words."

At this moment, Cao Yuting finally realized the profound meaning of Marquis Jianning's actions, and looked at him with heartfelt admiration.

In the past, those miraculous stories were all hearsay, but now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he finally understood that for someone to become a central minister at this age was not just based on the nepotistic relationship between him and Her Majesty the Queen Mother.

When the polite remarks were over and all the necessary expressions had been made, Cao Yuting left with Yang Yuanwai. Yelu Caiqi looked at Xia Jingyun and asked, "Are these all part of your plan?"

Xia Jingyun smiled slightly and said, "It doesn't matter. First of all, he is a citizen of Daxia. Even if he is not the head of the Yang family and is just an ordinary citizen, I will still act in the same way. As for the rest, I will just do it as I see fit."

Yelu Caiqi stared at him blankly, flashing through his mind his alertness when he heard the news yesterday, his decisiveness in going to Yang's house, his calmness in the face of questioning, and the way Yang was crying with gratitude just now.

For the first time, she felt that the Marquis of the Southern Dynasty had a different kind of charm in his face and figure, which was completely different from that of the strong man in Daliang.

"Miss?"

While resting in the room, the maid waved her hand in front of the dazed Yelucaiqi, "Miss!"

"Ah?!" Yelucaiqi came back to his senses, "What's wrong?"

The maid came closer and looked around, with a gossipy look on her face, "Why do I feel like you are unconscious? Could it be..."

Seeing the maid's teasing yet meaningful smile, Yelucaiqi felt panicked for no reason, "Don't talk nonsense, how could I be happy?"

"Are you homesick?" The maid suddenly pointed at her, guessing her inner expression, and said proudly: "Are you homesick? When she came out, she said she would never miss home, but it turned out that she was only ten years old I just thought about it!"

Seeing the maid's complacent look, Yelu Caiqi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sighed: "I can't hide anything from you!" (End of Chapter)