comeback [rebirth]

When passing by the gate of Qu Mansion last time, Cen Yuan saw a not so peaceful scene, which indirectly became the trigger for him almost making a mistake.

Although thinking this way is a bit of a suspicion of "exoneration", but at the moment, he is still a bit "evil" - he doesn't even like the road outside the gate of Qu's mansion.

The wooden carts that were originally on the street had long since disappeared, and there were no other people around. The soldiers sent by Lou Yuanbai had already surrounded Qu Mansion inside and out, and even a few stray dogs in the nearby alleys The cats were pulled out together.

The search was not completely completed, and the courtyard of the Qu Mansion was still echoing with sounds from all around.Qu Hongbo, the magistrate of Qingjiang County, was being detained in the middle of the main hall, his gray mouse-like face was ashamed, and the same flattery as always.

"Hey, Second Highness, what do you mean..."

Cen Yuan walked into the main hall, ignored him at all, and only accepted the brochure handed over by others.

"Your Highness, here are the books used to record the date and time of ships entering and leaving the port." One person said, "The book in your hand is from the first half of May."

Cen Yuan let out a "hmm", opened the booklet and found the record on May [-]th, and compared it with other ship records on the same date and time, and found that there was no difference.

"Second Highness." The county magistrate of Nagqu shouted again in a shrill voice, "Lao Zhang is responsible for many things on the pier, including these record books. There are so many copies every month, how can the lower officials have them?" Time to look at it one by one, the county government has no place to put it here, just to save a file. If there is something wrong with the content, it is more reliable for you to find Lao Zhang."

Cen Yuan turned a deaf ear and asked, "What about the sailing records of each ship?"

"Here." The officer in charge pointed to a corner of the pile of books and replied: "There are a lot of voyage records, and only the ones from May have been moved, and the rest are still in the library."

Cen Yuan didn't look through it, but only asked: "Are the numbers and serial numbers of the ships the same?"

"According to the instructions, we first checked the records of ships sailing on the [-]th and [-]th of each month, and they all matched, and judging from the content, there was no problem in the outbound voyage to the north, but on the return journey..."

Cen Yuan nodded to show that he understood, and did not let him continue.

Magistrate Qu mourned over there when he heard the words: "Oh, the weather at sea was indeed not very stable in those days. If I knew it would be like this, I should have gone to the pier to prohibit the boat from going out. But it was a waste of food and grass, and it was a knife About the ups and downs, my officer—"

"Do you still have the previous route map?"

Cen Yuan was really annoyed and interrupted him.

"Keep it, of course it is." County Magistrate Qu replied immediately, struggling to get up, but because his hands were tied behind his back, he couldn't move his body, so he could only wink at the soldiers next to him: "This little brother... big brother, can you help untie this rope?"

The soldiers stood up straight, without moving their eyes, until Cen Yuan asked the county magistrate Qu that the location of the route map was in the study, and then said after receiving the order: "Yes!"

Not long after, he returned to the main hall again and handed over the searched route map to Cen Yuan.

"Just this one?" Cen Yuan asked casually before opening it.

Magistrate Qu immediately laughed and said, "What you said, Second Highness, naturally there is only one, and even if there are others, the route is the same."

The corners of Cen Yuan's lips curled slightly, and he smiled mildly, and then unfolded the paper in his hand.

The current route map that was just confiscated has been completely engraved in Cen Yuan's mind. He compared the two routes with the one in front of him. He was silent for a moment, and then flicked a corner of the paper with his finger.

With the sound of "Teng", the smile on Magistrate Qu's face froze immediately following his movement, and he stared blankly at Cen Yuan.

The latter said lightly: "This drastic revision of the route, the result is that the revised route will take half an hour longer than the original one. Isn't it superfluous?"

"Second Highness, you can tell the lower officials what you said, and there is nothing wrong with the lower officials." The smile on the county magistrate Qu's face became lively again, and he replied: "Prime Minister Duan personally carried out this adjustment of the route, and the lower officials , including the county magistrates of several other counties, just follow suit, how dare you make irresponsible remarks.”

Cen Yuan didn't respond, he just handed the route map back to the soldiers and asked them to put it away together, then he finally bypassed Magistrate Qu, brushed off his sleeves, and leaned on the table directly opposite him.

"The original route has been implemented for so many years, so why change it?" Cen Yuan acted as if he had never understood anything, and his eyes fell on Qu County Magistrate motionlessly.

The latter smiled apologetically, took two steps forward, and said, "Well, I know the official. At first, in April, the Prince of Chu came to rent a few merchant ships, and held a singing and dancing banquet at sea. The day ended in the morning. Not long after, the prince said that the sea is crowded and accidents are prone to occur when ships sail at the same time, so he proposed to the imperial court to modify the route."

Cen Yuan said calmly: "But after modifying the route, the chances of ship accidents have increased instead."

"Alas." County Magistrate Qu looked sad, "The wind and rain have no eyes, the wind and rain have no eyes! When God decides, when will we intervene?"

As if he had heard some big joke, Cen Yuan lowered his head and lowered his eyes, and suddenly parted his mouth and smiled.

"Master County Magistrate." He walked up to Magistrate Qu and knelt down, and when he raised his eyelids, he happened to look into the other's eyes. His eyes were still slightly curved, but there was no trace of a smile on them.

He said softly, "You didn't even think about meddling."

His words were so light that they seemed to have no weight at all, and they disappeared into the air lightly, but County Magistrate Qu opened his mouth, only to find that his throat was suddenly astringent, as if there was a feeling of fear stuck in his throat, almost He couldn't even make a sound.

On the contrary, Cen Yuan's gaze was still very quiet, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and raised his hand in front of County Magistrate Qu, as if he wanted to straighten his front for him.

However, County Magistrate Qu was startled and quickly took half a step back.

Cen Yuan's hand was hanging in the air like this, but he was neither angry nor annoyed, he curled up his fingers and took them back.

The sky outside was getting darker and darker, and even the light in the main hall became very cloudy, as if it was about to rain.

The soldiers in the main hall pressed their hands firmly on the sword hilts at their waists, and did not make any movements while looking ahead, but in silence, they felt that the air in the main hall seemed to be grinding into a roaring sound from above. The knife was hanging on the head of Magistrate Qu in the middle of the main hall, precariously.

"Master County Magistrate." Cen Yuan stood up, walked around Magistrate Qu and took two steps, looking at the sky outside the house.

"Since just now, you have always said, 'The weather is unstable' and 'the wind and rain have no eyes'." He said slowly, "It seems that all the success is due to God's eyes and good weather, and all accidents It all stems from the unexpected wind and rain, because the sky is angry and people suffer."

Magistrate Qu didn't even dare to turn his head at this moment, and stammered, "But...but it's indeed..."

Cen Yuan suddenly interrupted him: "How funny, you blame the sky, but you also want to call yourself the sky."

It was clear that the house was still very quiet, but County Magistrate Qu seemed to have heard thunder. Suddenly, he crawled to the ground with his back arched, like a mouse fleeing in the dark.

If someone who didn't know the cause and effect could see it, it would be Cen Yuan who was aggressive at this time. He looked away from the outside of the room and didn't look at the other party. He just walked around the room for a few steps and stopped by a table.

He put one hand on the table, tapped the mahogany tabletop slowly with his fingers, and made a steady and regular sound - "duk, duk, duk".

The sound made by the mahogany percussion is deep and dull. Normally, it would be a reassuring and calm sound, but now to Magistrate Qu, the sound is like a brick pressing on top of his head. Almost equivalent to the sound of a bell ringing at noon.

He murmured: "No, I didn't..."

"You have." Cen Yuan immediately continued, "You regard yourself as the sky above the Qingjiang River, whether it's a dock, a ship, or any ordinary people in the county, all people and things are under your control. The pawns in your hands. The wharf carrying vitality has become a stage for you to satisfy your selfish desires, and the souls of the common people have become a stepping stone for you to realize your ambitions."

"I do not have……"

"Since the establishment of the pier, you have secretly hidden soldiers, smelted weapons, and rebuilt old ships that should have been destroyed on islands that you accidentally discovered in the sea. You care about human lives and treat the people as ants. Those who benefit use them and those who do harm kill them. Yes. Have you ever thought that each of them has their own parents and their own family members. They may have traveled long distances to Qingjiang just to survive in safety, or they may have lived in Qingjiang for a hundred years, but because of your order, their families were destroyed and their bones Nothing!"

"..."

"You restricted the personal freedom of your soldiers, coaxed them to become your soldiers, Qu Hongbo. You prepared your troops and hid for several years in order to revolt, realize your greater ambitions, and one day point your sword at Chang'an!"

"I do not have!"

County Magistrate Qu was so excited that he slammed his hands on the ground, making a "bang!" sound.

"I didn't want to cover the sky with one hand!" He said anxiously, "It's Prime Minister Duan——"

Cen Yuan raised his eyebrows, even stopped the movement of his hands, and his passionate tone instantly calmed down:

"Oh? It's Prime Minister Duan?"

County Magistrate Qu turned half-turned and looked at Cen Yuan, his breath was short of breath, and he was trembling slightly as if his hands on the ground could no longer support his weight.

"Everything is due to Duan Xiang... and Zhao Taishou's instigation..."

"I just follow their orders to manage the pier...to prevent others from discovering the abnormality..."

"The people who really miss that day are them..."

Cen Yuan was about to answer a question, when a soldier came in from outside the house, went straight to him and saluted with fists in his hands: "Second Highness, Commander, please go."

After entering the Qu Mansion, Yan Xuan and him split into two groups. When he came to the main hall to deal with Qu County Magistrate, Yan Xuan went to the other houses that were still being searched.

Cen Yuan nodded in response, glanced coldly at the man on the ground, then turned and left without saying anything.

·

After walking out of the main hall, Cen Yuan asked, "Where is he?"

Even the tone sounds much more relaxed.

The soldiers led the way in front of him and said: "The commander is in the southwest wing, which is the bedroom of the second son of the Qu family."

Second son?

Cen Yuan thought about it, and it should be the young master Qu Ping that he met on the road in front of the Qu Mansion that night.

The southwest wing is a bit far away, located in the corner of the whole Qu Mansion, they walked for a long time before arriving.

When he walked into the room, Cen Yuan happened to hear Yan Xuan ask: "Mr. Qu seems to have researched medical skills?"

Young Master Qu was about to answer, when he heard the sound of footsteps, he looked towards the door, and after seeing someone coming, he replied: "Research is not so much, it's just a matter of interest, just reading a few medical books in my spare time, that's not enough. .”

Yan Xuan didn't say a word, and put down the things in his hands when he saw Cen Yuan coming.Cen Yuan glanced at it, and saw what seemed to be some medicine bottles, and there were a few medical books behind them.

He didn't know much about medicine, and he didn't even know what kind of medicine was in the medicine box in his house. He didn't go to the class to get an ax right now, and asked directly: "What's the matter?"

Yan Xuan motioned him to look at the things on the table.

This wing room doesn't look big, and it also has a bedroom and a study room, so it's a bit crowded.Facing the door is a set of tables and chairs divided into left and right sides. A lamp is lit on the table, and the light is very bright, just reflecting a locked box and a piece of paper being spread out above.

Cen Yuan stepped forward to take a look, and soon found that it was also a flight map.

—but unlike any he had seen before.

"It was the route used to transport soldiers a few years ago." Yan Xuan said.

Cen Yuan observed again following his words, and found that the route above was indeed very close to the two islands that were already full.

"What about this one?" Cen Yuan patted the box next to him, the lock on the box had already been unlocked, so he opened the lid directly after asking.

When he saw the contents inside, Cen Yuan was taken aback: "Letter paper?"

It's just different from the letterheads found in the basement of the island just now. There are a lot less letterheads in this box, and the paper has obvious traces of being rolled up. It should be letterheads delivered by carrier pigeons.

These letterheads did not record the age, so Cen Yuan casually flipped through a few. According to the content, he guessed that these should be the letterheads that Magistrate Qu used to contact Zhao Yu.

At this moment, that young master Qu spoke again: "A year ago, I secretly captured the carrier pigeons they used, and soon those carrier pigeons would fly to this yard first. Every time I would take their letter paper, Write a fake copy and put it up."

He sighed as he spoke, and seeing Cen Yuan reading the letterhead, he walked back to the desk and stroked an open picture scroll on the table with his fingers.

Where others could not see, his eyes were soft and deep, and he didn't have the slightest appearance of being drunk at the gate of Qu Mansion before.

The content on the drawing paper happened to be covered by various pen holders, Cen Yuan didn't go around to look, but continued to read the letter paper.

"This route map too?" He asked at the same time.

"Yes." Young Master Qu read it seriously, but it didn't prevent him from answering Cen Yuan's question: "The records of the ship were processed when they were handed over to my father. The real situation is only the people on board. Only then did I know, in the end I had to settle for the next best thing, and stole it out before my father destroyed the route map, and went in with a fake one as well."

"None of them found out?"

"I like calligraphy and painting, and things like imitating handwriting... Although it may be inappropriate to say this, it is indeed something I can do casually for me."

After finishing speaking, Young Master Qu took a deep look at the content of the painting for the last time, sighed softly, then carefully rolled up the scroll, and walked towards the bookshelf with him.

Cen Yuan glanced at him after hearing the footsteps, he didn't pay much attention just now, only then did he realize that Young Master Qu's right leg was a little lame, and it would make some discordant sounds when dragging on the ground.

It turned out that he was not walking unsteadily because he drank unconscious that night, but that leg was just like that.

Young Master Qu took out a wooden box from the bookshelf, opened it, put the scroll in it, and closed it again.

As if sensing Cen Yuan's gaze, he took the initiative to say, "If Your Highness wants to ask about my leg, it was discounted by my father before."

He looked at Cen Yuan and smiled, but he couldn't tell whether the smile was a wry smile or a self-deprecating one, or just a sigh of helplessness.

"I'm his youngest son, and I have a big brother and a big sister." Young Master Qu said, "For my father, all he cares about is whether he can lose face or not, and whether it can bring him benefits. Big brother will help him To make money, the eldest sister can link rights for him, and I, probably like my name, are mediocre enough."

After all, he paused: "So these..."

He lightly set his eyes on the wooden box in his arms: "In his eyes, these things are shameful."

Cen Yuan thought that the "those things" he was referring to were books and paintings, and he had no intention of digging into other people's scars, so he quickly brought the topic back to the letterheads in his hand.

"Then why did you only start intercepting these letters a year ago?"

Just at this time, the officers and men who searched the house finished searching other places, and turned to the last bookshelf, Master Tongqu said, "Please put down the wooden box in your hand."

Hearing this, Young Master Qu tightened his hands holding the wooden box instead: "This is my most precious personal thing, and I have given all the other evidence to you."

The soldier was about to say more, but Cen Yuan stopped him: "There is no need there."

"But..." The officer was obviously a little embarrassed, and cast a questioning look at Yan Xuan, and seeing the latter shook his head at him, he immediately said: "Yes."

After speaking, he left next to the bookshelf.

Young Master Qu said: "Thank you."

The question just now was interrupted, Cen Yuan wanted to ask again, but before he could open his mouth, Master Qu said: "Your Highness, do you have someone you love?"

Cen Yuan's hand flipping through the letter paper suddenly paused, and he cast his eyes on Yan Xuan like an instinctive reaction.

The light blew away the turbidity in the air, and in a clear and bright space, the two briefly looked at each other.

But soon, they each looked away, and Cen Yuan couldn't help but raised his hand and squeezed his earlobe, which was a little hot, and said sincerely: "Yes."

After answering this sentence, he forced himself to focus on the business, and re-read the last few letters, waiting for Master Qu's next words, but the moment he turned to the last letter, the whole The person was stunned immediately.

"This is……"

On the other side, Young Master Qu had already put the wooden box back on the bookshelf, walked slowly to Cen Yuan's side with his weak right leg, and glanced at the letter in his hand.

With just one glance, he immediately sighed.

"At that time, I went to the famous Qingbaolou for the first time to relax my mind. It was also at that time that I met Yu'er for the first time and fell in love with her."

"I know the rules of Qingbaolou, but I was afraid that it would be too abrupt to propose marriage to her directly, and I was also afraid that this injured leg would scare the other party, so I could only go to Qingbaolou silently every day to wait for her to come on stage."

"But after that, she never performed again. Once I couldn't help but ask Xiaoer, I realized that she was shy and not good at expressing herself in front of everyone. That day might be her only and last performance." A show."

"At that time, I thought that my fate with her was over. The fate is deep, but it's all destined. No matter whether I complain or mourn, I can't change the red thread in Yuelao's hand."

"Unexpectedly, when I went to Guangbai Street by chance after a while, I ran into her by chance."

I don't know if it was because of standing for a long time that made Young Master Qu's injured leg a little unbearable, he supported the edge of the table with one hand, and slowly sat down on the stool.

"A year ago, I told my father that I wanted to marry Yu'er, and as expected, I was opposed. But not long after, when I prepared the money and clothes to elope with Yu'er, she suddenly disappeared."

"I asked my father if he said something serious, but he kept ambiguous to me. He only said that Yu'er abandoned me, and told me to give up this heart quickly."

"Fortunately, within a few days, I accidentally found the carrier pigeon, shot it down with a stone, and found this letter."

Cen Yuan silently glanced at the contents of the letter again.

The person who wrote the letter said that he had found a suitable candidate named Cui Yu'er, and he would send him to Beijing soon.

Young Master Qu looked at his hands, and suddenly sneered, as if mocking his father, but more like mocking his incompetent self.

"I don't know what method my father used. I resisted and went to Chang'an to look for it, but in the end I returned without success."

"I'm a cripple with a crippled leg, unable to protect my beloved, and no matter what I do, I'm like a gnat and a tree. All that's left, I seem to be patiently waiting for a predestined person, waiting for him to uncover this town. I will wait for the day when he lets me and Yu'er meet again."

"So I thought at the time, under this vast and gray sky, this may be the only thing I can do, who is so useless."