then Li Sao

After Luo Ping went to work in Dali Temple, he was very busy all day.

There is a cabinet full of files to be processed, and some will come in after the review, and it seems that it will never decrease.Even someone like him who has already seen the outcome of the case cannot feel relaxed.

However, in the eyes of others, his efficiency in solving cases is already jaw-dropping.Moreover, people gradually discovered that this person was vigorous and decisive, and he was not at all as humble as his appearance.

In a serial murder case that has been raging in the capital for two years, Luo Ping went back to the old files, interrogated a few seemingly insignificant witnesses, and ordered the arrest of the murderer.

Originally, Dali Temple Minister's attention had been on a few bandit gangs in the outskirts of the city, but he never thought that Luo Ping had brought back a frail woman.

There was a little Cheng who didn't believe it, and questioned: "Those who died were all strong and strong adults. The woman you captured was just a singer who had no strength to restrain a chicken. How could she kill her?" kill them?"

Luo Ping said: "Killing is different from fighting. Fighting requires strength and vigor, but killing doesn't have to take so much effort. No matter how strong a man is, there will always be times when he relaxes his vigilance, especially in front of a woman who is with him. , there will be more flaws."

His tone was indifferent, and the people listening to him were not as indifferent as he was.It was still a young official with no human experience. He blushed and glanced at the woman who had just been escorted to court. He only saw her back, but he could tell that she was a beautiful and pleasant woman.

Turning his face quickly, he looked at the boss in front of him in a daze: This person is obviously the same age as him, and he should look like a young child, how can he be shameless when talking about such things...

Luo Ping didn't care what he was thinking, and immediately went to the hall to assist the minister of Dali Temple in solving the case.

The woman pleaded not guilty to death in the hall, crying until pear blossoms rained down on me, and I felt pity for the case.In the end, Dali Siqing had no choice but to order someone to put her in a prison temporarily, announcing that she would be retried at another day.

At this moment, Luo Ping got up and bowed, and asked the Minister of Dali Temple to let him torture the prisoners.After repeatedly asking him not to extract a confession in violation of the regulations, the Minister of the Temple agreed to his request, but sent the little Chengzheng to assist and supervise him.

That night, Xiaocheng ran out of the cell in a panic, muttering curses such as "devil" and "inhumanity". After running not far, he leaned against the corner and vomited.

When Si Qing asked him about it, he just shook his head and said that Luo Ping did not violate the rules, nor did he use excessive punishment.

On the second day of retrial, the woman had completely changed her appearance, her eyes were dull and her complexion was blue and yellow, only when she saw Luo Ping, her eyes showed resentment and fear.

She confessed to her murder and charged her simply. The minister of the temple convicted her, and the case was closed.

An official who knew the details of the torture that night said that Luo Shaoqing seemed gentle, but in fact he had a heart of stone. It was true that he was upright and fair, but the methods were too sinister and vicious. I am afraid that the blood flowing in that skin was cold. of.

These rumors spread to the emperor, who only made a smile.

The emperor said: "Luo Qing is a man, I know it well. Since Dali Temple Minister said that there is nothing wrong with him, it must be that those words are passed on by some small-minded people, so it is not credible."

It was Zhou Tang who didn't believe these rumors even more.

He no longer went to sweep Hexuan these days, Luo Ping was no longer there, and that place had no meaning to him.

He took all the pens, inks, papers and inkstones, tables and chairs, and the small bowl for drinking tea back to Fudong Palace. He read and studied by himself every morning, wandered in Chaoyang Palace in the afternoon, and practiced in the bamboo forest in the evening. It's very fulfilling, and I only go to Luoping when I have no books to read or when I have questions to solve.

Zhou Tang never ostentatiously entered Dali Temple to find someone.Dali Temple is different from the Imperial Academy, the layout is not so many twists and turns, there are no pavilions, pavilions, rockery and lotus ponds that literati prefer, all the buildings are square and regular, and there is no decoration in the big courtyard. Anyone who walked up could see clearly. Zhou Tang didn't want to take the risk of exposing his close relationship with Luo Ping. He still remembered the warning that Luo Ping buried in the bamboo forest.

So when he wanted to see Luo Ping, he piled three small stones on the back door of Dali Temple. After Luo Ping saw it, he would come to a dwelling outside Dali Temple at noon and meet him there.

On this day, Zhou Tang waited anxiously in the room, saw his wife came in behind the door, ran over and took his sleeve, squinted his eyes and said with a smile: "Little Master, is this what we call cheating?"

Luo Ping stumbled and looked at him dumbfounded: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Oh, by the way, you still need to say this about having an affair. Cough, dead ghost, do you miss me?"

"..." Luo Ping stroked Zhou Tang's hand holding his arm, and said helplessly, "Xiao Tang, what kind of messed up book did you read?"

"Why is it so messed up? I was reading Mr. Xu's latest book "Red Apricots Out of the Wall". Now all the young masters and ladies in the capital are reading it. I saw it at Henger's yesterday."

Luo flattened his face: "You and His Royal Highness the emperor are too young to read this kind of book."

Zhou Tang curled his lips: "It's just a joke, little master, why are you so rigid."

Luo Ping knew that he was very curious, so he didn't want to blame too much, he just persuaded: "Most of Mr. Xu's books are mainly pornographic, it's not that you are not allowed to read, but it's just not the time..."

"Oh? So you've seen it too, Mr. Zhou?" Zhou Tang was in high spirits. "I heard that you solved a serial murder case a while ago. It was a woman who seduced several strong men and killed them one by one? That woman Is Hong Xing also out of the wall?"

This is the version Zhou Tang heard from Rue Xiang. Rue Xiang mainly emphasized how Master Luo judged the case with arrogance, while the version he heard from other places talked about how Lord Luo was cold-blooded and ruthless.

Of course he doesn't believe that the little master is cold-blooded and ruthless, but he really wants to know how those rumors came about, did the little master offend someone and deliberately slander him?

Luo Ping glanced at him indifferently: "What do you want to ask me, don't beat around the bush."

Zhou Tang paused, and hurriedly said, "Don't get me wrong, I don't believe a single word those people say about you, I just want to ask, how did you force that woman to confess..."

Luo Ping sat down and looked at the paper that Zhou Tang brought. On it was the question he asked last time and the answer Zhou Tang gave.

He didn't speak, and Zhou Tang didn't dare to say more, just sat aside and waited for him to speak.

Luo Ping was very satisfied with the answer given by Zhou Tang, and circled a few places with a Chinese ink pen and said: "The idea here is very good, you have made a lot of progress."

Zhou Tang was very happy to be praised by the young master, and didn't want to bring up the case again, but Luo Ping brought it up again in the end.

He sighed and said: "Five years ago, the woman's family was murdered, her father and brother were dumped in the wilderness, and her sister was raped to death. The murderer was the five murdered men. In the past two years, that woman has been thinking hard to avenge her family, and she will not hesitate. She seduced her body and killed those people one by one. However, just two months ago, after she killed the last person, she found out that she was pregnant. She killed the thief's child. I found her clues , is the doctor who performed her abortion three days ago."

Zhou Tang nodded, but he still didn't understand why the little master was said to be cold-blooded and heartless.

Seeing that he was still puzzled, Luo Ping didn't intend to hide it, and continued: "That day in court, my evidence was insufficient, and she refused to confess, so I had no choice but to extract a confession."

"Did you burn her with tongs?" Among the punishments Zhou Tang knew, he felt that this was the most painful.

Luo Ping shook his head: "No, I did not punish her."

Zhou Tang breathed a sigh of relief, that's right, his little wife is so gentle, how could he hurt a weak woman? Sure enough, those people are talking nonsense.

"I got her aborted fetus from the doctor, set up a pot in front of her, put the little piece of meat in it and cooked it. If she doesn't confess, I will let her eat her own baby go inside."

Zhou Tang froze on the spot.

"...Little Master, are you joking?"

Luo Ping smiled, and gave him a new assignment on the paper: "In the past few days, you should read "Warring States Policy" carefully, and stop reading Mr. Xu's book."

Zhou Tang kept thinking on the way back, what kind of person the little master is.

How could the person who gave him a warm hug, the person who would soft-heartedly accompany him to sleep, and the person who led him forward step by step, have the heart to leave such evil on his hands?He is obviously such a clean person.

Hearing Luo Ping tell the story himself, Zhou Tang didn't feel any fear.At that moment, what he experienced was a piercing pain.Luo Ping's indifferent smile seemed to have slashed his heart abruptly.

What kind of past can make a person hide his humanity.

Isn't such a human heart painful?

Zhou Tang thought for a long time, and finally sorted out his thoughts.

He thought that he had no right to judge whether what the little master did was right or wrong.

Because the little master may not be a good person, but he is the best person in this world who treats him well.

He only hopes that he will grow up quickly, and that he will be cruel instead of him when he encounters the crimes that he has to do in the future, and he will bear it on his behalf.

His little wife is always clean.

----

Three years later.Dali Temple.

Luo Ping leaned over the desk, picked up the pen, and wrote it again, as if hesitating about something.

The young man who was waiting for him was quite surprised, he rarely saw this person so hesitant: "Siqing, what's the matter with this case?"

Luo Ping shook his head: "Nothing."

He said it was nothing, but his brows kept frowning, and the young man was a little worried: "Is there something wrong with them?"

"No one's right, I can't make up my mind." Luo Ping put down his pen and smiled, "Yuan Xu, can you make me a cup of tea? I'm sorry, I always ask you, Shaoqing, to make tea for me." , it’s just the tea made by other people, I’m really not used to it.”

"That's because no one knows you want to drink such strong tea! Really, don't you think it's hard if you're so tired that you have to drink strong tea to refresh yourself!" Yuan Xushu said to him, but he still made tea for him honestly. went.

When the tea was served, he saw that Luo Ping was still fascinated by the dossier, and persuaded him: "Siqing, this case is not in a hurry, if you find it difficult, think about it in a few days."

Luo Ping took the teacup and took a sip: "Okay, I see."

Knowing that he didn't listen at all, Yuan Xu sighed helplessly.

He didn't know this person before, seeing that he was ruthless in judging cases, he thought he had a heart of stone, and he had secretly opposed him for a long time, but after getting along for a long time, he gradually realized that this person had a very soft heart.

It's just that he made himself into a rock to hide his heart.

three years.

In three years, Luo Ping has been promoted from a sixth-rank editor to a third-rank Dali Temple Minister.

Xiao Chengzheng, who called him an "inhuman devil" back then, has become his most powerful assistant, taking his place as the young minister of Dali Temple.

In three years, the situation in the court changed drastically. The emperor appointed the eldest son Zhou Feng as the crown prince, and the courtiers began to reconsider who to support as the successor.

Concubine Wan Gui, who was once the most favored, was cast into the cold palace because she formed a party with her courtiers in private and intended to interfere in politics.Now the most favored in the harem is Taishi Ma's daughter, named Concubine Shu.

Three years...

Luo Ping thought, the only thing that hasn't changed a lot is probably his Xiaotang.

Even though the child who was still hiding his strength in Fudong Palace had grown up enough to deal with the vortex of power in the palace, it still made him very worried.

Gently tapping on the file in front of him, Luo Ping hesitated.

It's time, it's time for the emperor to discard his pawn.

Over the years, the emperor has used him as an official of Dali Temple who has been blessed by the Holy Grace to eliminate many gangsters who hindered the prince.

Occasionally, he also wrote a letter to plead for someone, but he himself knew that it was just a show. In the last life, the emperor ignored his pleadings.

Now this dossier should be the last case he takes over.

He will write the complaint for this huge unjust case created by the emperor himself, just like in the past.

He will give the emperor a reason, a reason to completely expel him from officialdom.

Only in this way can he be free and go to his side when that child needs him most.

only……

If he is dismissed now, that child will have to stay alone in the palace for a year.

I don't know if he can survive this turbulent year.

When Zhou Tang heard the news just now, he thought he heard it wrong.

He caught Rue Xiang and checked again and again, then ran to Chaoyang Palace to inquire, and got the same result.Then he went to Luoping's mansion again, but there was no one there.He still didn't believe it, and finally rushed straight into Dali Temple.

A young minister named Yuan Xu from Dali Temple told him, "It's true. Minister Luo Si was dismissed."

"Why did this happen?" Zhou Tang asked urgently, even though he had listened to no less than five versions, he still wanted to confirm it again, to confirm that it was not true.

"The minister of the temple wrote a complaint for a case, which touched the emperor's rebellion. The emperor was furious in the Zhenyang hall. We thought that the minister of the temple was going to be beheaded for the crime. Fortunately, the emperor mercifully let him dismiss from office for ten years, saying He was too young and reckless to come back ten years later."

"Ten years..." Zhou Tang's mind went blank.

Ten years, ten years without Luo Ping, how will he spend it?

After the shock, intense anger surged into his head, and he heard the sound of the strings of his reason snapping.

ten years!

Didn't the man say he would never leave him!Didn't that man say that he would guard him until he got his own country!Didn't that person give him a warm embrace yesterday!

Why did you break your promise...

why leave...

His little wife...where did she go?

Yuan Xu was also taken aback when he saw the seventh prince's sky-falling expression.

He was also very sad when Si Qing left. After all, he was the person he got along with day and night, and he was the boss who loved to drink the tea he made the most. But how could this prince in the deep palace be sadder than him?Why do you feel as sad as if your father died?

"Uh..." He didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only quickly finish what he wanted to say, "Your Highness, the Si Qing said before leaving, if you come to him, I will tell you that he has left a place for you in Saohexuan. one..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw the Seventh Prince running away like a gust of wind.

Yuan Xu was stunned for a moment, and wondered where Sao Hexuan was, is there such a place in Mocheng?