son-in-law

Chapter 1258: Leaves Fall and Branches Grow Again (I)

"The young man with a flowered cloth covering his face?"

"Very fierce... and very beautiful..."

"... he doesn't follow any rules of the underworld..."

"...still uneducated?"

In the yamen room, when the two outlaws were halfway through their conversation, Zuo Wenxuan felt as if he knew this person.

On the other side, the brother and sister, whose bodies had not yet been bandaged, looked at each other. Yue Yun slammed the table and stood up.

"Asshole! I know who that person is—"

He was about to run outside, but Zuo Wenxuan was startled and stood up: "Stop him! Yinping, stop your brother—"

He was so nervous that his saliva was about to spit out. The detectives in the yard almost drew their knives. Yinping also stood up suddenly, rushed over and grabbed his brother's shoulders.

The brother and sister turned around and saw Zuo Wenxuan pointing at Yue Yun.

"You, you, you have a lawsuit that has not been settled yet. You have to follow us back to the Ministry of Justice. You can only leave after you have cleared your name. Tell me what you know and I will handle it. And... these two people, leave them to me too. I want to take them away!"

"I'm responsible for this matter, please don't make any more trouble."

Zuo Wenxuan came back from the southwest. After seeing the Jurchens' army formation, he felt that there would be no more major events in the world. He usually looked calm, but this time he was in a state of panic and even stuttered. Fortunately, he found an excuse to cover up that he was worried about Yue Yun's recklessness. After a while, he saw Tie Tianying, who had just finished his initial treatment, in a room filled with fishy and medicinal smells.

The old man was wrapped in bandages, leaning against the bed, his face pale, but his eyes were still clear. With Zuo Wenxuan's martial arts, he couldn't tell for a moment whether the situation was serious.

"Master Tie."

"Wenxuan is here."

When the two sides met, Tie Tianying's words seemed a little weak, and he panted slightly, "How is the waiter?"

"Everything went according to plan. I heard about the old man's situation and rushed over immediately. How does the old man feel? Is the injury serious?"

"I can't die." Tie Tianying spoke slowly while leaning on the bed. He paused for a moment after each sentence before continuing. "It has been confirmed that the person behind the scenes was my colleague in the Six Gates, Jinyan Qianling, Fan Zhong. I failed to keep him. I miscalculated and held you back..."

"This one……"

Zuo Wenxuan shook his head and was about to speak when he heard another sentence from the other end.

"The people arranged by Wenxuan have already gained their trust, right?"

Zuo Wenxuan looked forward, and in the slightly dim room, Tie Tianying was looking at him weakly and playfully. There was silence in the room for a long time, and Zuo Wenxuan frowned and bowed.

"Actually...it wasn't my arrangement..."

He said this with some reservation, and Tie Tianying nodded.

"It seems that at least you have an idea in mind, so the few blows I slashed at were not in vain..." He closed his eyes slightly and recalled the scene at that time. "Although I haven't fought with people from the southwest for many years, the knife has already hit him. After all, I can tell that this man's swordsmanship is from the Ba Dao. His military kung fu is different from the military kung fu you learned. He can reach this level of skill because he inherited the Ba Dao martial arts. Moreover, he was angry at the time and saw me using a southwestern swordsmanship, so he wanted to kill me. It can be seen that this person has a deep connection with the Liu family, but he is not one of the disciples who came with you..."

Tie Tianying has reached the level of a master in martial arts, and is particularly sensitive to the enemy's emotions in life-and-death battles. This time, he was stabbed several times and almost died, but he finally digested these key messages. Zuo Wenxuan frowned slightly and was speechless for a moment. Although both parties were in the same camp, they were also trusted by their superiors and entered the core of power, but the old man's words at this time actually contained quite serious questions.

For a long time, the young people of the Zuo family who returned from the southwest had a special and transcendent status in the southeastern court. Many people actually had no doubts about their abilities. But one accusation that most people have always held is whether the Zuo family's loyalty is to the Wu Dynasty or to the Black Flag in the southwest.

Even Zuo Duanyou, who was highly respected at the time, was regarded by many as disloyal to the Wu Dynasty for sending a group of children to the Xiaocang River for tempering. His flexible views on Confucian legal system were often criticized by some conservative Confucian scholars. These young people from the southwest seemed to be working hard for the Wu Dynasty and looking for a way out, but if one day the southwest really fought and clashed with the Wu Dynasty court, where would these young people stand? It is hard to say.

At the lower levels of the court, such discussions were heard all the time, but at the higher levels of the court, strangely enough, the person who was most confident and open-minded about the whole matter was the Emperor Junwu. He often told people that the current affairs had not yet been dealt with, so how could he take care of so many things? It was simply groundless worry.

In fact, Zhou Pei, Li Pin, Tie Tianying, Cheng Zhouhai, Wenren Buer and other people in the audience had all been worried about this matter. This time, if it was said that in addition to the members of the Zuo family, there were also some intelligence personnel from the southwest that the court was not aware of, and the Zuo family was secretly in contact with them, then this deception of the court would be a very dangerous situation. If they were accused, the matter could be serious or minor.

Tie Tianying was in charge of the Imperial City Division as a deputy envoy. These problems in the city were actually within his jurisdiction. He did not get angry on the spot and even made a few remarks, which showed great respect and trust in the Zuo family.

The room was silent for a long time, and Zuo Wenxuan sighed: "This matter... I will report it specifically to His Majesty, old sir, rest assured, there will be a reasonable explanation."

Tie Tianying nodded, then took a breath.

"...If a spy wants to infiltrate the enemy, it would be better to spread the news of my death. But in this situation, I can't fake my death. Wenxuan may agree?"

"I don't have such an idea. If people think that the assassination attempt was successful, it would be a loss for us. Moreover... this person just came from the southwest recently and he didn't have any mission. He has a erratic personality and I may not be able to command him. This time it was probably a coincidence. I hope you can forgive me. Someday... Wenxuan would like to ask for help, begging you... to show mercy..."

"I can't promise you." Tie Tianying squinted his eyes and looked at him, then closed his eyes and leaned back. "In the past, the grudges between me and Ba Dao were for different masters, but they were all trivial matters in the martial arts world. Killing each other is not worth mentioning. But now, Tie Tianying's life belongs to the Wu Dynasty court, and it cannot be abandoned lightly. This man has ruthless swordsmanship and first-class skills. I am seriously injured today. If he takes advantage of the situation to kill me, I can't promise to hold back. I hope Wenxuan will forgive me."

"I am forcing him. I will warn him not to cause trouble for Master Tie again."

"...He has the legacy of Tyrant Blade, so his identity must be extraordinary." There was silence in the room for a while. Tie Tianying lay there with his eyes closed, then he slowly spoke again, "Tell him that I won't cause him trouble for today's matter. It's a matter for another day. The world is peaceful. I welcome him to come and learn from him... I have a lot of experience that I want to tell him."

After being stabbed several times and attacked by Fan Zhong and Tun Yun, Tie Tianying had been holding back when he spoke so much. At this point, his voice gradually became lowered, and Zuo Wenxuan roughly understood the severity of his injuries. He immediately bowed and said "yes".

After saying goodbye and leaving, Zuo Wenxuan only felt the veins in his forehead throbbing.

The turmoil in Houguan County and today's response is a big deal for the court; the injury of Tie Tianying as the Imperial City Director is also a big deal; the hint he made about the Zuo family's collusion with the southwest is also a big deal... These matters have their own importance, but even Tie Tianying probably wouldn't have thought that the identity of that rude little thief is probably the most difficult issue of all.

In previous encounters, Zuo Wenxuan even advised him not to mess around, and to try to suppress the hatred between him and Tie Tianying and just talk nonsense. Who knew that this guy suddenly appeared in the killing game of a group of masters, and even chopped Tie Tianying half to death... He was a little careless before, and at this moment, Zuo Wenxuan suddenly felt that he could not hold back.

The problem is, it was obviously you, an old man, whose martial arts were poor, that couldn't stop that little bastard from getting hacked half to death, which greatly disgraced the court. How come it turned out to be my problem...

Thinking about it, I felt unlucky. Everything was originally fine, but it was all because of that bastard who caused trouble...

Why not ambush him and capture him next time we meet...

But that guy is as smart as a monkey in this regard, and it's impossible to surround him...

Oh shit……

The sun was high in the sky and it was almost noon. There were still many things in the city that needed to be dealt with. After leaving the government office in Jiuxian Mountain, Zuo Wenxuan began to think about all this in his heart...

On the other hand, Dingtai Teahouse.

The riots in the city gradually intensified, and then gradually subsided. However, as time went by, the noise of the people in the streets rose again. Sitting in front of the window, Qu Longjun looked calmly at the middle-aged man across the tea table, and there was an inexplicable confusion in his heart.

Chengzhouhai.

Qu Longjun naturally knew who he was.

His current position in Fuzhou is the envoy of the Imperial City Department, in charge of the secret service, but in fact he has held numerous other positions. If we trace back further, he is a disciple of Qin Siyuan, a key figure who assisted the current emperor in ascending the throne. Due to the chaos of the current situation and the emperor's trust, he is basically sent to any place where there is a difficult matter. His real power is not inferior to that of the six ministers, and is almost equivalent to that of a deputy prime minister.

Of course Qu Longjun knew that he was here to cause trouble.

But this person, whose stomping foot could make the whole Fuzhou tremble, suddenly appeared in front of her and chatted with her for a long time. She couldn't figure out the reason behind this.

The whole mood is actually somewhat similar to that of Zuo Wenxuan, the think tank on the other side. He knew there would be an accident, but he didn't expect such an accident to happen suddenly. This is too unexpected.

Of course, she was now playing the role of a rebellious martial arts master. Even if she was confused, she could only respond expressionlessly. As the other party sat down, the two first chatted about some topics in the green forest, and then aimlessly turned to the knowledge in the world in books, talking about their views on famous mountains and rivers, and also talked about a few poems. Qu Longjun was talented and learned, but after talking for a long time, she didn't know what the other party's purpose and focus were.

Seeing that the riots in the city were gradually subsiding, she took a sip of tea and changed the subject.

"With all the commotion in the city today, isn't it time for Master Cheng to take care of it? How come you still have time to come here for tea?"

Cheng Zhouhai smiled.

"Young Master Long, you won't believe me if I tell you this. I'm just a figurehead in the Imperial City Division. The actual work is handled by the old man Tie Tianying. The situation in the city today was led by the young men of the Zuo family, and Tie Tianying cooperated with the Ministry of Justice. I'm not sure how it was done. Haha, I'm happy to have some free time. By the way, Tie Tianying is a very powerful man. Young Master Long, you'd better be careful in the future and don't fall into his hands. If you do that, I won't be able to save you..."

These words were joking, but also meant to warn others. Qu Longjun thought about it and did not respond.

"I've heard for a long time that Master Cheng is full of wisdom and is the most difficult to deal with among the bigwigs in the southeast. Since you don't care about this matter, maybe it means that the chaos here is not the key to the problem?"

Cheng Zhouhai turned the teacup around: "He has many clever tricks and is the most difficult to deal with... Where did Young Master Long hear that?"

"There is no real evidence for the rumors. Do you think that is true, Master Cheng?"

"Let's take it as a compliment, but when it comes to the crux of the matter... Young Master Long thinks, what exactly is the problem in Fuzhou now?"

"Could it be... money?"

Cheng Zhouhai laughed on the opposite side, but after a moment, his expression gradually became solemn under the sunlight.

The two parties sat at separate tables. In fact, Cheng Zhouhai was more than thirty years older than Qu Longjun. His eyes were clear, but he was in a high position, so his solemn expression showed an extremely intimidating majesty.

"Money is one explanation, but the struggle for power is a life-and-death struggle. Last year, there were many bloody murders of entire families. The so-called gentry families in Fujian are not as closely connected as everyone imagines. If there is any confrontation, it was often just one city or one place, pretending to obey but secretly disobeying. But it has developed to this extent today, and everyone has spontaneously sent people to Fuzhou City to cause trouble for the court... Cheng couldn't help but wonder, who is the one who is pulling them together behind the scenes..."

"...Not Chen Shuangran and Pu Xingui?"

"When the Chen and Pu families were still in existence, they didn't have this ability. Now, they are just pawns on the stage, and generals on the battlefield. They can't convince the top families in Fujian to risk their lives and take action at this time... To connect with each other and set up such a big game, the lobbyist behind the scenes must have an extraordinary status. This status..."

Cheng Zhouhai looked at Qu Longjun and said, "For example, those who come from the Central Plains, the Fair Party, or the Southwest can accomplish something... Young Master Long, do you agree?"

"..." Qu Longjun didn't know whether the other party's words had any hidden meaning. At this moment, he just looked at him with a cold gaze.

“Hahahaha.” Cheng Zhouhai laughed and stood up. He looked at the sky and said, “It’s noon now. I still have some things to do. I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll take my leave now.”

Qu Longjun frowned.

She hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "Why did Master Cheng tell me this?"

"Haha." Cheng Zhouhai patted his clothes casually, "As I said before, the two young men were doing good deeds in Yinqiaofang. I passed by a few days ago and took a look. Today, I happened to meet you, so I couldn't help but come over to make friends. We just chatted for a few minutes."

Qu Longjun was still puzzled: "...With Mr. Cheng's status, would he be interested in us Jianghu people?"

Cheng Zhouhai sighed, "I had a friend in the past. When he was interested in the people of the underworld, I also asked him the same question. Now the world has changed, and it is sad to think about it... Of course, it is also because the court is different now. In the past, the Wu Dynasty had to manage the whole world. I probably didn't have the mood to look at some minor matters of the underworld. Now I have to manage only the two places of Fuzhou and Guangdong. I usually walk around in Fuzhou City. In fact, it is not a small matter, but it is not a big matter either. When the two young heroes drove away the murderer Ni Po in Yinqiaofang that day, I was nearby. I can't just pretend that nothing happened. Does this solve your doubts?"

Of course not. But the other party was talking so contentedly that Qu Longjun was too lazy to talk to him. He saw that the man finished talking casually and was about to leave. Finally, he suddenly turned around and asked a question:
"By the way, Young Master Long, have you ever been to the southwest?"

Qu Longjun looked up and blinked. The two of them, one standing and one sitting, stared at each other for a long time.

"...Been there."

"it is good."

Cheng Zhouhai smiled, turned and left, and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

……baffling……

Qu Longjun recalled everything in the conversation over and over again.

Many of Cheng Zhouhai's words seemed to have a specific meaning, but all of his words were left halfway, making people feel as if they were in a maze and confused.

This man is the top leader in the Imperial City Bureau. He ignored the huge chaos in the city and suddenly came to chat with her. He talked about everything under the sun. Is he so free?

He ordered not to fall into Tie Tianying's hands. It seems that he heard the rumor that his brother was looking for revenge on the other party?
It must be a big deal for the other party to come and chat with him in his identity. Qu Longjun had already prepared himself mentally, and even thought that after the conversation, the real intention would be revealed and he would arrest him. In the end, nothing happened.

Also, the key to the Fuzhou issue is that someone is behind the scenes connecting the various clans? Why did he tell me this? I just picked a topic randomly, why did he go to such lengths?

Do you think that Xiaolong and I did it? This speculation is too outrageous... And if you really suspect it to this extent, why did you just mention it and not take action? You should have taken action anyway.

...rubbed his forehead.

Everything about it doesn't make sense.

After all, my cultivation was too low. I could usually talk about military affairs and current affairs in front of Xiaolong, but now that I have met a real big shot, I can't handle it at all...

She thought about all this in her mind. Although something was amiss, she was not in a hurry to leave the window of the teahouse. After a while, a disguised figure walked by the road below the teahouse. Qu Longjun made an agreed gesture to that side, and the figure left immediately, walked around, and then came back to signal her to go down.

The person who came over at this time was naturally Ning Ji, who had finished his work and escaped from the search. Qu Longjun went downstairs and took a closer look. He pursed his lips in pain. He saw that Ning Ji's head and face were covered with bruises and small wounds, and he looked like he was beaten black and blue.

"……What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, just some minor injuries. What happened to you?" Ning Ji said, "I looked around, luckily no one should be watching you."

"A strange thing happened..."

The two walked forward, and Qu Longjun whispered the whole process of meeting Cheng Zhouhai in the morning, including some key words and the confusion that followed. Ning Ji frowned.

"Cheng Zhouhai, my father... He once heard from Mr. Ning that he is the most ruthless and difficult person among the young emperor's people... Why is he talking to you about this..."

"I just can't figure it out even if I think about it over and over again. But when I think about it carefully, although he was talking to me this morning, he actually regarded the two of us as companions. So I think, Xiaolong, do you have any connection with him?"

"Origin... I, I grew up in Xiaocang River, then lived in the southwest, and just recently came out! There, there is no origin. As for my father... my father is just a sweeper... a sweeper, he... should... not have any origin... and, my father is not here..."

The two of them walked through the long street. When Qu Longjun mentioned the word "origin", Ning Ji became nervous and spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.

As for Cheng Zhouhai, he had never seen him, so he naturally had no impression of him. But as for the relationship between his father and Cheng Zhouhai and his gang, he was really confused. There were too many possibilities, and he didn't know where to start to speculate. Because he had been beaten before, his scalp was painful and itchy.

She shook her head and made several assumptions. With Qu Longjun's intelligence, she could certainly see some of the concealment in Ning Ji's words, but she had already regarded him as a person to be entrusted with her life, and knowing his pure and kind nature, she did not ask about the ambiguity.

This sudden appearance of a character is like a complex, huge mystery...

It was already noon, and the two walked forward. When they reached a street with few pedestrians, Qu Longjun changed the subject and asked in a low voice what Ning Ji had done and seen today. Putting aside the sudden appearance of Cheng Zhouhai, this was the real business.

Ning Ji was a skilled martial artist. In Qu Longjun's memory, this was the first time he was beaten into such a state, except for the time when he met Jiang Ning again. It was obvious that it was not easy for him to deal with Chen Shuangran today.

The other party was a woman with a vicious mind. Qu Longjun gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and told himself in his heart that if he had the chance, he must avenge Xiaolong.

On the other side, Ning Ji's eyes became serious. After a moment, he raised his fist in the air and gnashed his teeth. But unexpectedly, the first person he cursed was not the little bitch who was making trouble in the dark in Fuzhou City.

"Fuck bastards... the Zuo family's puppies, they are ungrateful, fickle, and sell out their country for personal gain... They are to blame for what happened this time—"

He was so angry that he was uttering idioms.

Many years ago, an old author and old friend told me that he published a new book under a pseudonym, which surprised me. This friend was also an accomplished author in the past. Of course, I won’t reveal the specific pseudonym, but the quality should be guaranteed. I recommend it here, and those who are interested can take a look. This book is "My Father Liu Xuande".



(End of this chapter)