The Laughing Usa of the Red Chamber

"Looking at the river, I miss you, I miss you, and I don't see you. There is nothing to do. I am fighting with the long sky and autumn waters, but I don't see what to do."

Gently plucking with ten fingers, the fifty strings fluttered up and down, the sound of the piano was melodious and clear, and the dozen or so boys in tight clothes in the small study were fascinated by it, and two or three of them closed their eyes and shook their heads.

Seeing this, Ji Mingli smiled slightly, kept his hands down, and whispered again: "I miss you and admire you, I don't see you coming back, I miss you... Mu Xi..."

"Sir, sir! You played it wrong!" A boy in the front row suddenly shouted.

Ji Mingli slowly opened his eyes, and said with a smile, "Zhao Yang, you know again?"

The little boy who was called Zhao Yang blushed, but still nodded a little triumphantly: "Mr. has played it many times, I remember it!"

Ji Mingli blinked: "Mister is wrong, be good, don't tell the dean."

"Sir, you're ashamed—" the children below said in unison.

"Heh, you dare to shame me? Mr. Zhou will study the Ming Jing later, you little bastards can ask for blessings." Ji Mingli put on his piano bag with a low laugh, and walked out very chicly.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" screams erupted one after another in the bookstore.

Ji Mingli pursed his lips to hold back a smile, and when he looked up, he saw Du Ruoqing standing at the entrance of the academy in a stone blue dress, with bright eyes slightly raised.

"Teach a seven or eight-year-old child to think about the emperor's gift? Ji Mingli, you are very good!" Du Ruoqing folded her arms and looked indifferently.

Ji Mingli blinked innocently, and said with a smile: "I only know these songs, so why not teach them? Otherwise...you support me?"

His low and ambiguous words, coupled with those deep black eyes drooping slightly, seemed very intriguing, but Du Ruoqing said with a blank expression: "Before you say this, pay this month's rent first." .”

Ji Mingli lost his face and compromised: "I will teach Chu Feng tomorrow."

Du Ruoqing bent her lips imperceptibly, turned and walked outside.

"Ruoqing, wait for me, how about we go grocery shopping? Make fried small yellow croakers tonight!"

"You can?"

"When, of course."

……

The black sauce, the black fish, use the tip of the chopsticks to pick apart the scorched skin, inside is a layer of dried and yellowed fish, exuding a strange smell of vinegar, go deeper, pick it up, and a small section of undercooked fish will be brought out between the chopsticks. of fish intestines.

Du Ruoqing looked up at Ji Mingli, who had a face full of ashes, fell silent for a while, and then glanced at Suyun.

Su Yun understood, picked up the plate of fried black fish, thought hard for a while, and decided to poison the wild cats in the back alley.

Ji Mingli took the wet handkerchief and wiped his hands and face clean, and looked at the dozen or so delicious dishes on the table, "It's been a while since I've cooked them, raw hands."

Du Ruoqing nodded, and said comfortingly, "It's okay, the first time is raw and the second time is cooked... Fish money is used to keep accounts."

Ji Mingli: "..."

"Speaking of which, we have been away from Beijing for more than a year, and we don't know what Beijing is like now." Ji Mingli took a piece of tofu mixed with sweet sauce, and said vaguely while chewing.

This person doesn't look like a prince now, but he looks more pleasing to the eye. Du Ruoqing used the rim of the cup to cover her, curved her lips into a smile, and quickly returned to her original appearance.

"Just say that there is no wave and no waves, would you believe it? The east wind will overwhelm the west wind, and the west wind will start all over again."

Ji Mingli took a sip of tea, glanced at the frivolous and willful "Youth Tour" hanging on the wall, and said half-sourly: "Yes, isn't your brother Shen the Dongfeng? Don't say that this Jiangnan is as good as he is." Pinch, I’m afraid it’s almost the same elsewhere.”

The Department of Supervisors is really a sharp weapon. In just two years, it has cleared up the chores such as rewards and punishments for most of the officials in the court, and it is on the right track. Regulations, will the scope be covered below the third-rank officials?

"Since ancient times, heroes have been born from youth, and I am not as good as him." Du Ruoqing smiled slightly, looked at the words, and sighed: "Lingyun overlooks the mountains, people walk like ants, black silk knots, black clothes loose, a glass of thin wine laughs in the sky. This Such courage, but he alone."

Ji Mingli pursed his lips, wanting to tear up the words 366 times.

"However, there are also disadvantages. Brother Shen has gone so smoothly all the way, and he was still a teenager, so I'm afraid he can't stand the setbacks." Du Ruoqing sighed softly, "I hope I'm thinking too much."

Ji Mingli snorted and said, "When the third nephew takes that seat, who can give him any setbacks? Speaking of which, the third nephew of our Ji family has the best life in the lifetime..."

As he spoke, he also sensed something was wrong, and looked up at Du Ruoqing.

Du Ruoqing smiled slightly, "Starting tomorrow, the meal payment will also be recorded."

☆☆☆☆☆.

When he became an official in the same year, some people were still struggling for qualifications in the Imperial Academy, while others had already soared into the sky. Qi Xiaozhi was the best among them. A few years ago, the minister of the Dali Temple was dismissed. The merit has been promoted to three levels in a row, and it is in its place.

The so-called three fires for a new official to take office, the first one in his hands is not enough to establish his prestige, but it happens to involve the concubine's natal family. If the son is not happy, how can he, a third-rank official, make this sandwich cake?

Whoever said so-and-so will come, Qi Xiaozhi is about to open the hall here, the yamen servant sends a message, the eldest son has arrived.

Qi smiled and wiped his face, looked at Ji Yuanyi, who was passing through the courtroom, and then glanced at Qi Fukang, who was shrunk into a quail, and took a deep breath, "Please sit next to the prince, the official business is here." Body, sorry for the inconvenience."

Immediately, a yamen servant moved tables and chairs to the side, and served tea, Ji Yuan also smiled slightly: "Uncle Qi is polite, you are an elder, so there is no reason to welcome your nephew."

Qi Xiaozhi's ears turned red, it was normal to be called "uncle" from Yulin, but the boy's tone seemed to be from Mingyin...

No matter what, he was a little relieved, since this prince started talking about marriage with him, it didn't look like he was here to cover up criminals.

Qi Xiaozhi coughed a few times, slapped the gavel, and said coldly: "Qi Fukang, are you convicted?"

Qi Fukang was terrified by the punishment in prison, and made a confession earlier, but now he saw Ji Yuanyi, he could only find the backbone, and raised his head: "You beat me up! I don't accept it! I'm not guilty!"

Qi Xiaozhi raised his eyebrows, "Bring the plaintiff."

Soon, an old couple in shabby clothes was brought up, looking much calmer than last time.

The case is very simple. This Qi Fukang is a deputy commander of Masili, a soldier in the five cities. During the night patrol, he bumped into the youngest daughter of a family in the east city. Seeing the sex, he seized her by force. The woman was so hot that she ran to the base of the city wall at night He was hit to death, and because the ordinary yamen couldn't handle it, he was transferred to Dali Temple.

This is not a suspenseful case, and it is not his turn to take care of it, but this Qi Fukang was a soldier before and saw blood, and his mental skills are good. After waking up, he made some false testimony next to the corpse, and the next day was as usual At some point, no one could connect the patrolman with the deceased for a while, if it wasn't for Qi Xiaozhi's hands, I'm afraid this case would be in the unsolved case room.

Qi Xiaozhi sighed, "You two will tell us what happened in the three hours before the deceased's death."

The old man patted his wife on the back tremblingly, and said slowly while thinking about it, the master who was a full-time recorder still had time to choose the tip of his pen.

"Are you sure it's the alley in Lijia Lane?" Qi Xiaozhi asked suddenly.

The old man nodded, "It's late at night, and there's a curfew. This is the way Lan Ya delivers water to his uncle on weekdays. After walking for many years... she's about to go out... Her cousin is also doing well..."

A few low sobs sounded, Qi Xiaozhi sighed slightly, looked at Ji Yuanyi's face, but saw nothing but peace.

After the yamen servants were sent to appease the old couple, Qi smiled and patted the gavel, his eyes were bright, "Qi Fukang, I ask you, where are you at the hour of the day on the eighteenth night of February?"

"I, I'm eating wine in the Fish and Goat Restaurant!" Qi Fukang swallowed, looked at Ji Yuanyi, and shouted courageously, "It takes three hours to watch the night, and it's so cold, who can wander around? I am Regulars there!"

Qi Xiaozhi smiled slightly, "Yuyang Restaurant... Heh, my yamen servant here is also a regular customer, Ma Nianfeng, tell him when the Yuyang Restaurant opens?"

The tall yamen servant standing beside him grinned and said, "The store opens at noon and closes at Shenshi. It is said that our usual food is delivered, and we have never gone in."

Qi Fukang was covered in cold sweat immediately, and couldn't help trembling and looking at Ji Yuanyi, his eyes showed pleading looks.

This Qi Fukang is the distant cousin of the eldest concubine Qi Wanxi, but he has not been out of five clothes, and the relationship is considered close. Because Qi Wanxi always said that the eldest son treated her very well when he returned to Ning, he decided that Ji Yuan must be here. save him.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan also hooked his lips, as if watching a good show, then turned his head away and said with a smile to Qi: "Master is really right, Uncle Qi solves the case like a god, my nephew admires it."

Qi Fukang's eyes widened, and when he was about to say something, Qi Xiaozhi glanced over, and several yamen servants rushed up to hold him down, and gagged him.

"Your Majesty is very polite. If your Majesty has no objection, the case will be closed." Qi Xiaozhi looked at the new confession.

Ji Yuan also nodded.

After more than a month of deeds, sentencing, and closure of the case, Qi Fukang's family property was confiscated and he was executed after autumn.

Ji Yuan also looked at the collapsed look on Qi Fukang's face, and squinted his eyes happily.

"Is there something else to do, Prince?" Qi Xiaozhi frowned indistinctly. He was most afraid of dealing with these mysterious people and would get a headache.

Ji Yuan was also not annoyed, and said with a smile: "Thank you Uncle Qi for the matter of Qi Fukang, but there are such scum in the family of my nephew's wife, it is really disturbing, my nephew has a cheeky face, please pay more attention to Uncle Qi Go to the Qi family, and if you find anything, please let Uncle Qi know."

Qi Xiaozhi squinted his eyes, a little confused about what Ji Yuanyi meant. When it comes to information, how can his yamen, which is a criminal prison and adjudicating cases, compare to the palace of the prince?

Ji Yuan also saw his question, but only smiled slightly, his black eyes were as deep as night.