The Red Mansions Across the Four Seas

Chapter 367 Finding the Whistleblower

Zhili Province, located in Baoding, Zhili Governor's Yamen, known as the first Yamen of the Dade Dynasty.

Saying this, although a bit exaggerated, is not without reason.

The architectural layout of the Zhili Governor's Office not only inherited the characteristics of the previous government offices, but also was influenced by the architectural layout of the royal palace and even the residential building regulations.

The entire Zhili Governor's Office building faces south and is 42 feet wide from east to west.It is about 70 meters long from north to south.

The whole building is divided into east, middle and west roads.There are gate, instrument gate, lobby, second hall, mansion, upper house and five entrance courtyards, with left and right side rooms and ear rooms, all of which are small hard mountain buildings.

Outside the gate of Zhili Governor's Office, there are Yuanmen, Zhaobi, flagpole, Laoting and Drum Pavilion, a pair of stone lions, east and west class rooms, and ancillary buildings such as a fort outside Xiyuanmen for daily timekeeping and memorials.

The semi-enclosed pattern formed by these buildings and the majestic atmosphere created give people a sense of foreboding, mysterious and daunting.

The building on the middle road is located on the central axis of the supervisory office. The main buildings in the gate are the gate, Yimen, Jieshifang, lobby, second hall, inner house gate, official residence, Shangfang, Houku, Yimen and so on from south to north. Ancillary buildings such as wing rooms, side rooms, and corridors of the northern halls.

This is the third time Jia Min has come here within three days.

Now, he has passed the gate of the inner house and arrived at the official residence.

The official residence, generally called Santang, is the place where the governor of Zhili works, reads and writes daily.

Going further inside is Sitang, where the governor's family lives.

At the third hall, Jia Min stayed for a while and then came back.Came to a wing of the East Road building.

He has been paying attention to that person, and he is now in this wing.

Five or six minutes later, the man came out, stopped for a while in front of the door of the signing room that was the first to enter the courtyard, and then went into the house.

As soon as this person entered the house, there was a sound of reprimand from the signing room.

After about ten minutes, the man came out dejectedly.Then I went to Paotai Mountain outside the gate, sat down blankly, looked into the distance, and didn't know what I was thinking.

This fort is used to tell the time every day.If there is a memorial, I will pay my respects here, and then send it out from here.

His name was Guo Qisheng, and he was originally from Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture.Been here for 14 years.

Although he is only 32 years old this year, he looks similar to someone in his fifties.

It seems that the polishing of the years and the vicissitudes of the world have left wrinkles on his face.

After sitting alone on Paotai Mountain for half an hour, he stood up.

It was already past four o'clock in the evening, and the officials and servants in the yamen came out one after another.

Some rode horses, some sat in sedan chairs, and some walked.

At the end of the day's official duties, they went home one after another.

Although Guo Qisheng stood up, he didn't move.It was not until no one came out from the yamen that they started to leave.

Jia Min followed him about 60 meters away. After walking for about twenty minutes, he saw him enter a small courtyard with three rooms.

Jia Min has already scouted out the front, back, left, and right sides of the house.

This house is Guo Qisheng's home.

It is said to be home, but only Guo Qisheng lives alone, and he has no other family members.

Jia Min turned around, and after a while, he arrived at a restaurant.I bought a jar of wine, four pig's trotters, three catties of sauced beef, two catties of pork head meat, and ordered a fat sausage and a belly slice.Add a few side dishes.

After packing, he carried the things and walked to Guo Qisheng's house.

This Guo Qisheng was a key person that Jia Min discovered when he checked the information about the Xinyou case that Wei Ruolan had given him.

In terms of name and physical characteristics, they are highly suspicious of the whistleblower who reported the Nanwei Examination case back then.

On the [-]th day of the first lunar month, after receiving the imperial decree, Jia Min was deprived of his fame and job, and stayed in Yeduju for a while, then went to Liujiazhuang to drink with Fang Xiucai.

Fang Xiucai, Tong Xiucai, Wang Tongsheng and others put wine together to comfort Jia Min, and during the dinner they mentioned Cong Xiucai who was far away in Bukui.

According to Wang Tongsheng, he had heard rumors that it was this Guo Qisheng who reported the cheating case in the Nanwei Examination.

Before returning to Lujiazhuang's hometown, Jia Min first went to Guojiabao in Daxing County, which is Guo Qisheng's hometown.

His parents and two brothers still live there today.

According to people in the Guojiabao, the Guo family did have a man named Guo Qisheng.It's just that I went crazy more than ten years ago, and I haven't seen this person since then.

However, according to a tofu maker, he saw this Guo Qisheng coming home a few years ago, and it is said that he was working in the governor's yamen of Zhili.

Jia Min followed this clue and found it here.

After asking Ning'er to inquire about it, there was indeed such a person in the governor's yamen.

Now, Jia Min is going to have a drink with Guo Qisheng and talk about what happened 14 years ago.

When they came to Guo's house, the door was already closed.

Jia Min put the food and wine on the wall, jumped lightly, and entered the courtyard.

The house was already lit, the door was open, smoke was coming out, and a fire was being lit in the stove.A hazy figure was chopping vegetables on the table.

Seeing someone coming, he greeted him.

"Who are you? How did you get here?"

"I'm here to help you, and I specially asked you to have a drink and reminisce about the old days."

"I don't know you, you go."

Guo Qisheng's tone was full of vigilance.Although it was dark and his face could not be seen clearly, Jia Min caught the nervousness in the vigilant voice.

"Guo Qisheng, this is not the way to treat guests. If you miss this meal, I'm afraid you will regret it for the rest of your life. Guojiabao's parents are still looking forward to your return. They are eager to see through."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm from Bukui, Hua Yusheng asked me to say hello to you."

"Sound of flower rain?"

"And Cong Xiucai, back then, you were all high-spirited young men who pointed out the country, inspired writing, and now Hua Yusheng is still exiled in Bu Kui, Cong Xiucai is there to accompany him, and the victims of the Xin Youke investigation case, Don't you think you should do something for them?"

"Look at you. You live like a dog. In the yamen, everyone looks down on you. Anyone can reprimand you. Are you willing to leave your hometown and live a lifetime away from your parents and relatives?"

Guo Qisheng fell silent.

Without waiting for him to reply, Jia Min went into the back room by herself and began to place wine and food on the table.

"I have prepared all the food and wine. Bring some bowls and chopsticks. You and I will talk slowly. I won't embarrass you. If you figure it out, I will give you some advice. If you can't figure it out, I will leave after drinking. , as if I hadn’t been here.”

Guo Qisheng hesitated for a while, then went to get the bowls, chopsticks and wine glasses.Jia Min poured the wine, and Guo Qisheng sat down nervously.

"Come on, let's have a toast for today's acquaintance."

Guo Qisheng didn't say anything, and followed suit with a drink.

"Come here, brother Guo, eat food. This is your home, don't be cautious. Alas, here alone, it's hard to return home. The two elders are waiting at home, and the brothers are worried about you. I don't know when, the Luo family will come to silence you. Yes, it's really pathetic."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Bu Kui guerrilla Jia Min. However, that is a thing of the past, and now I am a grassroots."

"Bu Kui guerrilla Jia Min? But Jia Min and Jia Huaiyuan who led [-] government soldiers and defeated [-] prairie cavalry in South Wendura?"

"It's not talent, but that happened in the past. Now the Holy Majesty is my official, and this matter has almost spread all over the world, don't you know?"

"I do know. It's just..."

"You don't have to rush to find out why I'm here. Since I found you here, I will break up with you slowly. Let's drink first. After drinking, the conversation will be harmonious."

Drinking can shorten the distance as soon as possible, create a harmonious atmosphere, and let the other party gradually relax their guard.

There was nothing to do at night, the night was long, Jia Min was patient, and finally asked Guo Qisheng to speak.

Sure enough, after drinking the wine, Guo Qisheng gradually became more talkative.

Jia Min kept chatting with him, and was not in a hurry to get into the topic.The two chatted while eating.

"Brother Guo, do you know? I was the first to make this high-quality wine. The wine you and I drink from the Hu's wine shop is the recipe I taught them."

"I've heard about this. It is said that the launch ceremony was unprecedentedly grand. A bottle of wine sold for more than 100 taels of silver."

Zhili is very close to the emperor, so it is not surprising that such a sensational news has reached Zhili.

"It's true that it sold for more than 100 taels of silver, but it was a gimmick, mainly relying on the words of Ji Dashi. Otherwise, who would buy a bottle of wine for more than 100 taels of silver?"

"This is the brilliance of Brother Jia. Even when we heard it at the beginning, we all admired it. It is said that Brother Jia's poems are also unique in the world, especially the song "Poppy", which is even more amazing. .It is well-deserved that I am No.1.”

"Brother Guo won the award, but it was just a random graffiti. It is said that Brother Guo's poetic sentiment was also very good. Cong Xiucai still talks about it so far."

"Oh, the past is unbearable to look back on."

"I also know that brother Guo must have had some unavoidable reasons for doing such a thing back then. But it was short-sighted. Although he got some benefits at the time, he used the rest of his life to repay the evil debts he owed back then. Yes. It's really embarrassing."

"Brother Jia knows everything?"

"Even if you don't know everything, there are nine out of ten chances. If you want people not to know, you have to do nothing. No matter how careful the plan was, it would have exposed your flaws. Even when you were studying in Jinling, I am an outsider. Know everything?"

Jia Min started beating Guo Qisheng now.

He didn't bring out everything he knew all at once, but he just used this method to shake Guo Qisheng's nerves.

In fact, Jia Min's understanding of the details of this matter is still quite limited.Saying this, there are many elements of mystification.The purpose is to give the other party the illusion that he already knows a lot.

Sure enough, Guo Qisheng's defensive line began to loosen.

"Hey, one mistake will cause eternal hatred."

(End of this chapter)