Minister

128【Seven years of Jiankang】

While following Shen Yang, Wei Chi sneaked a look at the window in the corner of the room. Seeing that the time was almost up, Mr. Shen refused to call it a day.Wei Chi made up his mind to sue for an 'early leave', but the two inmates were there in the case hall, and they were tortured, screaming so horribly that she couldn't speak.

"You guys started biting when you were full and greedy?" Shen Yang suddenly interrupted the chief interrogator, and slammed the table.

"Lord Wei, look, this is the official from the Ministry of Rites. I asked them what they said, but they are going to ask me back?" Shen Yang turned his head and said to Wei Chi.

"Hmm... yes..." Wei Chi was taken aback.

It was only then that Shen Yang realized that Wei Chi had slipped away just now, and he was contemptuous and disgusted for a moment: "...Master Wei's complexion is very bad. If there is something uncomfortable, I will let the imperial doctor come and see it for you."

Wei Chi was already bored in his heart, and the violent temper suddenly came up: "Master Shen, I really feel a little uncomfortable as an official, can I go back now?"

Although Shen Yang was only over forty years old, Wang Yunyi's generation had to be courteous when they saw him, but he didn't expect that this younger generation would talk back in front of everyone.

Although all the officials are high-ranking, there are some who are not afraid of Dongchang, but there are probably none who are not afraid of the Beizhen government secretary, Shen Yang was almost so angry that he cursed.

Before Shen Yang opened his mouth, Wei Chi stood up impatiently: "The interrogation has been going on for three consecutive days, and it has not stopped overnight, but there is no useful confession... What do you think Master Shen should do?"

The Jin Yiwei in the room all looked at Master Wei in disbelief.

Just as Shen Yang was about to speak, Wei Chi had already packed his things: "There's no need to ask the imperial physician, I'll just go back and take a shower and change my clothes before coming over. Mr. Shen might as well let everyone rest and start again at night."

"My lord, look at this... okay?"

Shen Yang was taken aback by the question: "Master Wei...what did you say?"

"Xiaguan said, Xiaguan will be back in two hours." Wei Chi raised his head to meet Shen Yang's gaze.

"Okay..." Shen Yang held back a breath.

Wei Chi didn't say any more, he saluted, bypassed Shen Yang and walked out.

Everyone in the room, including the two criminals, held their breath.

Shen Yang walked to the case table, took a look at the statement, and tore it up.

"grown ups……"

"Interrogation! Call Tan Youzhi in and let him continue the interrogation!" Shen Yang threw the shredded paper on the ground and slammed the door out.

Wei Chi left the yamen of Beizhen Fusi, got on the sedan chair and started urging her, the bearer almost ran to take her to the mansion.The groomed horse was already waiting at the door, Wei Chi came over and took the reins and was about to leave.Yiqing stopped him: "My lord, it's getting dark, it may rain today, it's not suitable for you to go out at this moment."

Wei Chi didn't care to talk to him, grabbed the reins, beat the horse and ran out.

The weather was dull and hot and humid, with large dark clouds pressing against the north of the city walls.Wei Chi didn't know what time it was, but rushed out of the city desperately.When he arrived at the north city gate, the officers and soldiers guarding the city stopped him. Only then did Wei Chi realize that he forgot to change his clothes. He went out of the city in official uniform to perform official duties, and he had to read official documents.

"It's a private matter. I forgot to change my official uniform." Wei Chi said truthfully.

The soldiers guarding the city only knew that he was a fifth-rank official by looking at his clothes, but they didn't know him, so they didn't dare to let him go, so they saluted: "My lord, please wait, the villain will go ask the officer and come back to you."

The soldiers guarding the city were about to ask, but they saw that the official immediately took off his official uniform and threw it into his hand: "Take it!"

"My lord!?" The soldier was shocked.

The man had already run away for half a mile.

"Which family is this?" The soldier thought that this should not be an offense to others.

The people around were also talking about it.

It was only a quarter of an hour's journey from the North City Gate to the ferry where Sol Hahan boarded the boat. Wei Chi whipped him hard. There were not many pedestrians, but they were all taken aback by this strangely dressed man.

"You're crazy!" The man who moved the goods on the shore had a bad temper and cursed after being almost bumped into by Wei Chi.

Wei Chi ignored him and just searched on the river: "Where's the boat from Monan?"

The boatman smoked a dry cigarette coldly: "Let's go early... this young man... this is Cao'an, if you have nothing to do, go farther, don't hinder them from moving the goods. What are you looking at?" The boatman yelled at those who moved the goods : "It's going to rain, hurry up for me, I don't want to get drenched like a wet chicken."

A sharp chill suddenly mingled with the sultry weather, and a fishy smell mixed with mud and sand rolled up from the ground.

"It's going to rain, move quickly! Move quickly!" A shopkeeper came down from the boat and urged.

The boatman also had to stand up to help, and everyone yelled and ran, but the heavy rain still poured down.Now no matter how much the shopkeeper yelled, it was useless. The laborers rushed into the cabin laughing and laughing, wiping the rain with their sleeves.

"That idiot is still standing there!" Someone pointed to the bank and smiled.

"Monan's boat left long ago, and it's almost time to reach the next bay!" The shopkeeper had seen the world, and felt that this person must have an extraordinary background: "Young master, go back quickly, it's raining heavily!"

It's... the next bay?

Wei Chi suddenly thought of something, lifted the reins and ran downstream.

The earth was quiet, as if shocked by the thunder.Wei Chi felt as if he was the only one left at this moment, the cold rain and wind separated the world of mortals from her... There is only sadness that cannot be contained between heaven and earth...

Counting from the water transport ferry coming out of the north gate, there are eighteen river bends downstream. After crossing these river bends, the water of the canal flows into the Beicha River.

It takes an hour to reach the first bay, and three days to Beichahe.

Wei Chi thought to himself...it's okay, it's just the first one.

It was raining heavily, and there was only one horse, carrying a person on its back, galloping northward.

The rain was already very heavy, as if it had accumulated all the sweltering power before and wanted to settle it with the world at once.The river water began to become cloudy, except for a few merchant ships, most of them docked.Suddenly a thunderbolt exploded overhead, and no one knew which passenger or the boatman was not careful, and a roll of pink silk slipped from the merchant ship into the river.The overturned river water spreads it out and kneads it together, looking from a distance like the clothes of a drowning man floating on the river.

Wei Chi urged the horse, hoping to see a corner of the boat on the stormy river.

Wait for me!

Wei Chi didn't come back after two hours as promised, Shen Yang cursed, and even Tan Youzhi and others were also angered.The interrogation was still going on that night, and heavy punishment was used. One of them couldn't stand it and passed out.

After Shen Yang scolded him, he regretted it a bit. After all, he was provocative first, and it might not be unreasonable to spread it. Mr. Shen touched his chest and thought, there is no need to haggle with a fifth-rank kid, let's just let it go.

As a result, the next day, Mr. Shen found that his reassurance last night was all superfluous - this person surnamed Wei actually asked for leave!

Shen Yang dropped his teacup and went directly to the palace to complain.

It's sick leave, what's the fuss about it?The palace thought that Mr. Shen had always looked down on Mr. Wei, and Mr. Shen was one of the most famous people after all, so in order not to lie, he sent someone from the Imperial Hospital to look at it.

As a result, the people from the Tai Hospital came back and said that they were really sick.

Shen Yang had nothing to say for a moment, so he could only remember his revenge first, and then settle it later.

Seeing that Shen Yang was angry, Hu Yanglin didn't dare to persuade him, and then thought that Wei Chi was really ill, so he was worried and anxious, so he changed his clothes and went to look for him alone after his shift.

"Master Hu?" Yiqing saluted, "My lord is about to drink medicine...you sit down first."

"What's the disease?" Hu Yanglin put down the gift, very anxious.

"It's raining, and I have typhoid fever." Yiqing looked at the medicine and handed it to Zhu'er.

Wei Chi was sleeping in the back room, and when he heard someone talking outside, he asked Chen Hu, "Who's here?"

"It's Master Hu."

"Please come in."

Zhu'er led Populus euphratica in, served Wei Chi to drink the medicine, and retreated.

Hu Yanglin came up and held Wei Chi down: "Just lie down and talk to me, don't sit up."

Wei Chi's face was pale: "It's very hot, I want to sit down."

"Don't be willful, you just have to cover your sweat right now." Hu Yanglin forcibly covered Wei Chi with a thin quilt: "What's wrong with you? I heard from Yiqing that you got caught in the rain. Didn't you go home on leave?"

Wei Chi closed his eyes weakly: "...I just want to say goodbye to her."

Hu Yanglin thought of her.

"Did you see it last?"

"...No." Wei Chi choked up a little: "I went too late... In this life... we can't meet again, right?"

"... Maybe we will meet one day... Why don't you pay attention to your body?" Hu Yanglin touched Wei Chi's forehead, it was very hot.

"..." Wei Chi smiled helplessly: "It's been a long time since I've been sick like this, and no matter how much I suffered in Monan back then, nothing is harder to bear than this rain... Why is she so fragile this time. "

Hu Yanglin really wanted to tell him that Shen Yang had already filed a complaint in the palace, and he was very angry. Although not many people knew about this matter, the emperor knew about it...but he couldn't say it.

"Wei Chi, that day the guard at the north gate knew that I knew you, so he sent someone to secretly bring your official uniform over. Don't worry about other things, take care of your illness. I will take care of you. good."

"...Am I particularly embarrassed now?"

The paleness on Wei Chi's face was replaced by flushing: "Why do you do this to me? I just want to send her off... but I just want to send her off... to send her off..."

Hu Yanglin quickly grabbed Wei Chi's hand: "Stop talking, you're talking nonsense..."

"...you...don't blame me...please."

"Do not blame you!"

"I beg you……"

Hu Yanglin wiped the sweat off Wei Chi's face with a face towel: "Sleep well...she won't blame you."

Mr. Wei was ill for three days, and finally got better. The people in the court didn't know what he did, but Wang Yunyi knew, because the officer at the north gate belonged to his faction. Wei Chi's official uniform was handed over to Hu Yanglin.

"Is the young man emotional? Fortunately, he didn't catch up? Or is he going to run away?" Wang Xieshan laughed.

"It's not enough to run away." Wang Yunyi recently noticed that Wang Xieshan was in a good mood, which must have been brought about by the emperor's bad luck.

"Yo...Young man, you can really do it!" Wang Xieshan couldn't believe that Wei Chi's concentration was so good that such a beautiful woman would not be tempted.

"Brother...you don't know him well enough." Wang Yunyi didn't explain too much, just smiled: "I heard from the people inside that Shen Yang went to file a complaint. How could he know that Mr. Wei is really sick this time, too hospital They all sent people there. I don’t know how the court will discuss this matter, what the emperor will think.”

"How capable is Wei Chi? How could the emperor ask for crimes for him and Shen Yang? People in the court only know that Master Shen has been torturing officials and dragging Wei Chi to him day and night. Live. Tsk... Everyone will think that he is avenging himself."

"Can this also be classified as something done against our royal family?"

"It's not like we're overthinking it," Wang Xieshan said with a smile, "Master Shen doesn't know Wei Chi well, so why drag him to do something for more than eight hours every day? Some of them suppress Wei Chi and ask for credit from the emperor." mean?"

"It's a pity that after the flattery came out, he smashed his heel..." Wang Yunyi rarely heard his brother joke: "Wei Chi may want to remember this matter. Master Xiao Wei is not a good person, poor..."

"But what's going to happen with this case?"

"The Sanfa Division and the Beizhen Prefecture Division have been tossing around, and now it's finally Dongchang's turn, and the Monan people on the table have also left... The emperor is always willing to do so, and he will definitely use the knife."

"Will the emperor touch Wei Chi?"

"Wei Chi should have nothing to do with this matter, and even if he does it, he won't be able to make a tael of silver... Your Majesty won't do this, so let's just wait and see."

If Wei Chi could have heard the conversation between the two Lord Wang earlier, maybe he would not be anxious about working with Shen Yang in the future.On the second day before she recovered from her illness, the details of the case were notified to the government and the public, and the whole world was in an uproar. Then the two servants and their statements were transferred from the Beizhen government secretary to Dongchang.

Dongchang, the most interesting place, finally stood at the front of the stage. Huang Gui was gearing up: "Isn't it just a few officials and a few untouchables? Don't let us in Dongchang use our abilities and smash the palace!" The signboard!"

Chen Xing was worrying about the list of jurors—it couldn’t be missing, and it couldn’t be too many. Who?

Or Wei Chi?Chen Xing asked Shen Yang.

Shen Yang thought about it, the emperor is wise!

When Wei Chi arrived at the East Factory, he was still coughing. Huang Gui welcomed him in with a smile: "Master Wei has worked hard lately..."

Wei Chi quickly saluted, Huang Gui let Wei Chi into the inner room with an expression that we are not outsiders: "This matter won't drag on for too long."

"Eunuch Huang means...?"

"Why did the two servants suddenly speak so hard this time? It's not that the surname Lin walked around a bit. Since he knew he couldn't escape, he wanted to leave a way for his family and children. The emperor knew in his heart who should be arrested. Those who can be caught can be counted. Master Shen has tired you out some time ago, this time our family will not... They are all brothers in the palace. Let's go through the motions, Mr. Zheng gave face to his stubborn temper, Mr. Shen doesn't know what kind of gamble he is playing at the moment, Mr. Wei, don't worry about it..."

Wei Chi felt that these words were somewhat incomprehensible.

"Cough... the prisoner's family members have all gone to Dongchang now, but our family remembers Master Wei's instructions about that young master, and the family is taking good care of it."

"Mr. Tan has been locked up in Dongchang for interrogation. Is he... innocent?"

Huang Gui almost spit out his tea when he heard this sentence: "My honest man, Mr. Wei! Why are you still committing crimes? Can't you see what the emperor means in this case? When you arrive at Dongchang, what confession do you have? Can't ask? Huh?"

Wei Chi suddenly realized that what King Yan gave him was a bank note, and he hadn't done anything recently, so Eunuch Huang naturally expected that the money was to save that unlucky Tan family. 3 taels is not much, but it is not much.Those who dare to tie their heads on the waistband of their trousers to get money are probably the few.Wei Chi originally thought that this case involved so many things that money might not be able to solve it.But now I know that with Huang Gui, there is nothing money can't solve.

Back then, the emperor appointed Huang Gui to personally train the King of Yan, and the King of Yan was able to stay alive until now... He is so familiar with Huang Gonggong's taste, how much did he spend on it?

It's not alarmist to say that Xu Ru's involvement in corruption in the officialdom is widespread, but he has only his own power, and even if he is exhausted, he can't push down such a huge beast.

And Lin Xiao... the matter of the two servants that Eunuch Huang just said... really wants to leave a way out for the descendants... Or is it that Mr. Lin gave more?

Wei Chi didn't dare to continue thinking about it.

"Thank you, Eunuch Huang, for your suggestion," Wei Chi said with a smile, "I'm seeing that family now... I wonder if it's convenient or not?"

"Why is it inconvenient?" Huang Gui clapped his hands and called an internal officer to come up: "Take Mr. Wei to the backyard later."

The 'backyard' is actually a prison cell. This place is different from the Beizhen Prefecture. No matter what, the Beizhen Prefecture has to take into account the public opinion of the government and the public. That's why Master Shen kept Wei Chi by his side. He was afraid that these civil servants would talk nonsense when they went out. .Dongchang is not afraid, it is not a judiciary in the first place, it acts according to the emperor's will, and many of the orders are oral orders, so it can almost act arbitrarily.

People are beaten to death by beating people, and people die when they die, and there are no confessions.

It's just that Dongchang generally doesn't care about the cases of ordinary people, so ordinary people are just afraid, while officials are more afraid of the Jinyiwei and imperial prisons of Beizhen Prefecture, and have almost no contact with Dongchang.Dongchang is often hidden in the dark, and the cases they want to take on are always somewhat unclear. Ordinary people can't meet them, and if they do, don't treat yourself as a human being.

One can imagine the feeling of a small family like the Tan family entering Dongchang.Wei Chi thought that his family was weak, and now it was just a pair of parents and a girl in her teens, and he had no other relatives in the capital, so the Du family came to take care of him.Although I may not be able to achieve any step, but at this moment it is really necessary to do some consolation.

Dongchang's revision method is also very strange. It doesn't put the punishment room where the prison cell can see it like Beizhen Prefecture, so that people can hear screams every day, and it's not good to live for nothing.The courtyard of the East Factory is very closed. You can see each other, but you don’t hear each other. Maybe you saw the person in the room opposite you go out today, and then come back in a bad way, or maybe you don’t know why and never came back... ...Whether it was released or it ended, no one knows.Wei Chi walked in this alleyway, looking at the prisoners staring at him in horror on both sides, he felt that this kind of horror... was incomparable to other places.

The internal officer didn't speak, but respectfully brought Wei Chi to the south cell, where the Tan family was imprisoned.Wei Chi took off his black cloak and handed it to the inner officer, then walked in.

Tan's parents were old, and when they heard the sound of the door lock, they were so frightened that they shrank into a corner and did not dare to move. Tan also retreated instinctively, but when he took a closer look, it was Wei Chi.

"This is Lord Wei!" Mrs. Tan was surprised and delighted.

"Lord Wei?" The two old men looked at each other.

Wei Chi hurried forward to salute: "I am a friend of General Du."

Only then did the two old men breathe a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Master Wei, thank you General Tang and General Yang... This family has survived for a long time thanks to the care, otherwise we have no relatives and no reason, how can we survive?"

Wei Chi looked around: "How are you doing?"

Mrs. Tan hurried over to reply: "At the time, Mr. Wei was taking care of the Criminal Department. When we arrived at Beizhen Mansion, it was General Hu who kept sending us letters. Mrs. Tang often used clothes for us."

Mrs. Tan was so thin that only a bone remained, and Wei Chi was full of guilt: "Don't worry, I'm here to supervise the case now, and I won't let your brother be wronged. The two elders are getting old, and they still have to work hard for you." Take care of it, and you should also pay more attention to your body...Where's your...bracelet?" Wei Chi was surprised.

"I..." Tan's eyes were red, and she was very embarrassed.

Wei Chi felt that he was talking too much, so he quickly comforted her: "Is there any shortage of food?"

"No shortage……"

"..." Wei Chi was silent for a long time: "It's not easy for a girl to support a family and encounter such a big thing... Don't think too much, and don't force yourself, we will definitely do our best For that." Wei Chi took out a purse from himself and stuffed it into Mrs. Tan's hand: "Don't laugh at me, I like sweets, I didn't expect to come in today, so I didn't take anything else, you can eat this, It won’t hurt so much after eating.”

When Wei Chi walked out of the cell, he found that the road under his feet was not paved with the usual blue bricks. I don't know who made such a design - the corridor was covered with yellow fine sand, and there was no sound at all when walking on it.The silence in the backyard is suffocating, as if people are waiting hopelessly for the death that will come at an unknown time.People in other cells around looked at Wei Chi blankly, as if they were also drowned by the yellow sand.

Wei Chi paused, thinking of Saul Hahan, thinking of the overflowing river that day, his desperate and guilty shouts, as well as the distant sky and the ship's side that he couldn't see.

'You are the one who never looks back...'

"Master Wei?" The inner officer stopped and saw Wei Chi looking back at the cell: "My lord, they can't see you."

Wei Chi still waved in the direction of the Tan family.

"Let's go..."