Delong

Chapter 125 Going to the Forest (4)

"Do you think the same as I do?"

Li Ding, who was helping with the mud, brought over a jar of mud mixed with straw, put it down, looked at Zhang Xing and asked.

"Where is it the same?" Zhang Xing, who was about to plaster with a trowel and bricks, asked blankly, and then suddenly saw Yueniang coming over with a basket of eggs, but came to ask Yueniang again. "What do you do with eggs?"

"It's very strong when it's hit in the mud." Yueniang said convincingly.

"Take it back...it's not like building a city wall." Zhang Xing was speechless with a trowel in his hand. "Should I let Fourth Master Li use an awl to top it up after the brick is completed, and kill me if it goes in, or kill him? If you have the time, cook some egg custard for us."

Yueniang curled her lips, and could only go back to the kitchen with the eggs.

"I don't know who I learned from, what a prodigal." Zhang Xing began to formally build the wall while complaining. "Since it is hiding gold, it must be simple and tattered. Who will show such a hard chicken coop?"

"I guess I thought of it myself." Li Ding looked back at the kitchen. "The little girl is very studious. The books, paper and pens you bought for her were not wasted. Last time you came to ask me for words."

Zhang Xing shook his head, but remembered the topic at the beginning: "What did you just say? What do you think the same?"

"The case of Governor Ma." Li Ding said seriously. "The case itself is not worth mentioning. It doesn't matter if you kill spies for love or revenge, but I'm afraid that Dugong Ma is the confidant of the old mansion of the saint. This incident has diverted the saint's attention to Dongyi..."

"Sanzheng Dongyi?" Zhang Xing sighed. "Is this saint so desperate for face?"

"This matter must be decided by the sage, but it is definitely not his business alone." Li Ding hesitated. "From the perspective of the Ministry of War, the army actually maintained a certain degree of enthusiasm for the conquest of Dongyi, and they all felt that it was a crime other than war. However, many officials below the Nanya government thought that the conquest of Dongyi was right...then It's me, and I also feel that Zheng Dongyi is fine."

"Conquest of Dongyi is of course no problem, it is even necessary." Zhang Xing thought for a while, knocked a brick in half, and simply answered. "This world is so big, there is absolutely no reason to leave only a small corner of the land to disunify. Anyone with a little ambition and a little idea will agree to conquer Dongyi... The only problem is that if you lose twice in three years, should you or not?" So urgent? And how did you lose the first two times? Have you learned a lesson? If you lose the third time in a daze, you won’t dare to enlist next time, right?”

"We definitely can't be in a hurry...but we don't care about it." Li Ding looked at the other party and asked, the dark circles under his eyes were very obvious under the sun. "As for the lesson, what do you think is the lesson?"

"The failure of the first conquest was obviously because our saint was very happy, but he wasn't the only one, he went too far up and down... I have seen Lai Zhan'er Lai Gong, it's not incompetent, but he also fought with the saint I also believed in the false surrender of the Dongyi people, and lost my teacher and humiliated the country." Zhang Xing kept building walls, and kept talking. "The second time I personally participated, I thought about it the most... One is that the Dongyi people have grown up and dare to fight; the other is that internal troubles have emerged. The powerful are only for the private interests of the family, the local tyrants are alienated, and the people are heavily taxed. , This caused Yang Shen to misjudge and set off a rebellion, so if you are not at home, how can you fight against the outside? Three things...God's will is unpredictable!"

"I understand the first two... What is the unpredictable will of God?"

"Let me ask you, is the customs and customs of the Northern Wilderness a little bit worse than that of the Central Plains, or the customs and customs of Dongyi is a little bit worse than that of the Central Plains?" Zhang Xing, who was just laying bricks, suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

"Beihuang." Li Ding hesitated for a moment, but still gave a sincere answer.

This is the truth.

Not to mention Li Ding, but Zhang Xing, a fake Northerner, knows after reading a few books that the counties and counties in the Northern Wilderness exist in name only, but in fact they implement the system of demon guards and the hereditary system of military aristocrats. It's like the transition from tribe to military feudalism, and then mixed with the struggle of theocracy and imperial power at the same time. Anyway, it's a mess, and there will be troubles from time to time, and it's far from the folk system of the Central Plains.

In stark contrast is Dongyi. Because of the geographical location and the development of navigation technology, counting from the death of the protagonist in "Li Yue Biography", people have been going there from the east, Jianghuai, and Jiangdong for thousands of years. While fleeing and migrating, exchanges have never been interrupted, so the customs, race, and culture there are almost the same as those in the Central Plains.

As for the political system, although it is very different, it is actually because the Dongyi people adopted some old systems in the south when the north and the south were confronting each other, plus a little bit of their own political traditions.

"It's indeed Beihuang." Zhang Xing asked without raising his head. "However, why does everyone think that no matter how poor and backward the Northern Wilderness is, it is also their own family, and even though the Northern Wilderness has always been against the center, they are always willing to admit that they are part of the Central Plains Dynasty? On the contrary Dongyi is stubborn here, has always been hostile to Wei, and even fought against each other?"

"Of course it's because no matter how backward the Northern Wilderness customs are, that's where the Hei Emperor was born and started his family, and no matter how close Dongyi is, it's also a branch of the remaining divisions of the monster clan, and it's a place that the Central Plains dynasty of the human race has never experienced." Li Ding was silent for a long time before giving this answer, and at the same time he also understood Zhang Xing's meaning, so his words appeared to be cautious. "You mean to say that this matter is related to the unification of the world, and Dongyi's climb up is a remnant of the demon clan, and it is likely that several supreme beings will be involved, so the real dragon gods, and even the supreme beings themselves will take action to interfere with Dongyi's survival? What exactly did you see that day? Could it be that the real dragon god dared to go to the battlefield and slaughter mortals in person?"

"I didn't see it with my own eyes... but I saw that when they were retreating, the two gentlemen who divided the mountains and avoided the sea seemed to be fighting directly." Zhang Xingyi said. "So, true dragon gods can't directly touch mortals?"

"It's not that you can't touch it, but that after you touch it, you are basically cramped by Heidi and Baidi." Li Ding was slightly relieved. "I believe that with the lessons learned from the past, even the real dragon who protects the country and the border will not directly interfere in the battle. At most, it will rise the water or cause an earthquake according to its own ability. Even so, I guess it will cost a lot Yes... As for the supreme level, it’s not nice to say that the Empress Chidi failed to keep Dongchu back then, so why can she keep Dongsheng? Lord Qingdi and Empress Chidi have some ideas and attitudes, don’t they also have The Black Emperor and the White Emperor? What's more, above the Supreme, there is still a faint will of God that cannot be violated."

Zhang Xing seemed to feel that something was wrong, but after thinking about it, it seemed logical, so he nodded again: "It makes sense... Actually, I discussed some things with Sima Zheng the night before yesterday, and I felt that it was man-made, not God's will." Absolutely, otherwise it would not be called God’s will.”

"That's the truth." Li Ding nodded. "However, what you said may not be wrong, it's just that the place where it is reflected may not be on the battlefield, but elsewhere..."

"Are you talking about the Supremes' attitude towards Wei?" Zhang Xing came to his senses.

"I've been thinking, why do the princes object to His Majesty's building a big golden pillar?" Li Ding said sincerely. "I'm afraid this thing about the center of the world is a bit overstepped... The four supremes check and balance each other, but what about this matter?"

"I don't think the supreme beings are so stingy... It's more like the princes know in their hearts that a certain saint in a certain court is not virtuous enough to stand up to the center of the world. The intentions of the gentlemen are not willing to believe, and they insist on proving it with all their strength." Zhang Xing finally put down his trowel and sneered. "Tell me, if this is the case, the Great Golden Pillar or the Tongtian Pagoda will collapse once and for all, and if the wind blows and the grass is turbulent, it will not be able to stand anyway. Will the hearts of the world be dissipated by then?"

"A tower is formed by its potential, and a tower is determined by its potential. Some things are complementary to each other." Li Dingruo thoughtfully. "So, it's not easy to say whether it's because people's minds are scattered and they lose power, so that the pagoda can't stand up, or if the tower's failure to stand up makes people's hearts more scattered."

Zhang Xing nodded perfunctorily, and went straight to sawing wood, without any intention of in-depth debate.

In fact, this is the daily life of him and Li Ding. When two people are together, nine out of ten they are talking about it. From the supreme to the saint, no one can escape the complaints of the two of them, but the two of them basically rely on guesswork. , few reliable.

"I understand."

Zhang Xing had just sawed off a piece of wood with the help of the other party, but suddenly came to his senses, and then raised his head to stare at the person in front of him.

"What?" Li Ding, who was still pressing the board, was surprised for a moment.

"I understand why I care and don't care about these things anymore." Zhang Xing suddenly understood. "Actually, things are trivial in themselves, but that sage can't stand up to the fact that any trivial matter can be turned into a big one, and Da Wei is a thing that is strong on the outside but hard on the inside, and can't stand the tossing of big things at all..."

"I see." Li Ding also smiled. "Madugong's case involves Dongyi, and then it may be the three conquests of Dongyi; the imperial examination is essentially a matter of arbitrariness for talents, and then it may be a repeat of Yang Shen's old incident; as for the dispute between Nanya and His Majesty , This is an ongoing major event. Once the golden pillar is repaired, it will cost a lot of manpower and material resources to shake the foundation of the country... In fact, for me, you have been promoted and served as an actual dispatch of Fulongwei. Power and responsibility have increased, and they are closer to the inner circle, so even ordinary things are a little timid, for fear that an accidental incident will spread from me, and I will bear the consequences for nothing."

"It's ridiculous." Zhang Xing shook his head again and again. "If the things I handled turned into big things in the end, it would be the result of that sage's own actions. Is it wrong for me to do what I have to do? Why should I worry about it? The world of Great Wei, he himself Don't worry, I worry about a ghost?"

Li Ding also shook his head, feeling absurd: "You just need to figure out what's going on, the cause and effect of the matter is really not on your side."

"So, how to settle the case of Dugong Ma?" Zhang Xing began to hastily build the roof of the chicken coop. "Does Li Silang have an explanation?"

"You escaped so quickly, there should be support." Li Ding thought for a while and handed over the hammer. "But Dongdu is so big, it's hard to find even if there is support..."

"Speaking of support, she is a concubine who is favored by the Duke, and she is usually pampered, how did she get information about the target?" Zhang Xing began to hammer the nail on. "Therefore, there must be a communication channel, or some accidents or emergencies before, let her know the existence of the respondent... It's just that it was earlier, and was ignored by the investigators."

"Or, someone didn't think too much when helping to deliver the news, but after Ma Dugong died, he knew that something big was going on, so he didn't dare to speak." Li Ding added slightly.

"I still have to go to Duke Ma's mansion to interrogate the close people who usually surround this concubine's room." Zhang Xing held the hammer high, and wanted to make a final decision, but when he saw Yueniang coming out with two bowls of egg custard, he simply Throw the hammer, go straight to wash your hands, and come over to eat soup.

"Don't the old criminals know this truth?" Picking up the spoon, Zhang Xing scooped up a spoonful of egg custard, and felt something was wrong again.

"If you know it, you know it, but first, the matter is too urgent and you escape too quickly. You should go to find someone first, and then come back for interrogation if you can't find it. Second, what is the status of Dugong Ma? How can you be willing to get involved in things? You are not afraid to ask any unnecessary secrets?" Li Ding laughed again and again. "Do you think that everyone is as fearless as your family inspection? It's you, before you figured it out, you were looking forward and backward."

Zhang Xing finally nodded, but took advantage of the situation and put down the egg custard.

"What's the matter, isn't it delicious?" Yueniang asked seriously.

"No," Zhang Xing gestured to the chicken coop in the distance. "It's a bit small, there's too much gold, I'm afraid it's stuffed too much... But our yard is so big, it's not appropriate to raise too many chickens."

Yueniang also became uneasy.

"Forget it." Zhang Xingfu picked up the bowl again. "Hurry up and eat. After eating, go and hand over the case first, and then come up with a solution."

That's it, let's not gossip, let's just say that that night, Zhang Xing waited for about an hour in Ma Dugong's luxurious mansion, and finally got an accurate answer: "Beishi silk and satin shop?"

"Yes." Qin Bao answered with awe. "We interrogated them one by one, and the time dragged on to within three months. One of the maids said that around the end of the year, that Dongyi woman went to visit Beishi, and when she came back, suddenly a guard got a reward of five taels of silver. Then I found the guard. The guard said that he was just helping to send in the silk that he bought that day. After delivering it, he got five taels of silver inexplicably. Send it directly to her other courtyard. After asking other people, I will know that since then, this Dongyi lady has often bought silk from this shop, and bought a lot... This is the most obvious and repeated internal and external traffic recently. matter."

"Arrest the silk shop immediately." Zhang Xing crossed Bai Yousi who was holding a long sword, and without hesitation turned back to look at the Fu Longwei behind him. "Investigate clearly."

Several Fu Longwei glanced at Bai Yousi and left in a hurry.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi continued to wait at Duke Ma's mansion, but they waited until late at night, only to receive a piece of bad news - the businessman who was taken out of the bed and sent here was a native of Dongdu with a clean family background However, the source of silk and satin is from the Southwest rather than Dongyi, and there is no Dongyi person in the entire store, and the store also claims to know nothing.

Things froze again, under two months, everyone just came to see Deputy Changjian Zhang.

But Zhang Xing thought for a while, and suddenly realized: "Go and check the driver or the person delivering the goods! Ask the maids, guards, and shopkeepers, is the delivery car their own car or hired a car dealer from Beishi? Is it a specific driver? Come see it off? Is there any chance to meet that Dongyi woman?"

Everyone was stunned, and immediately turned around to do it, and this time, after only a moment, the news was confirmed.

"The driver of Dunhuafang, with an Eastern accent, claims to be from Dengzhou, but his actual origin is unknown. He has worked in Tai'an car dealership for three years. He usually pulls goods in Beishi. After the Chinese New Year this year, he specializes in delivering delicate goods such as silk. Most of the silk that this silk shop sent to Duke Ma's mansion was sent by him, and the guards always asked him to carry the silk to the backyard directly after receiving orders, and dared not delay or stop it." Qin Bao came to report again. "I used a Dengzhou accent with the shopkeeper of the silk shop, and he said it seemed different... This is his home address in Dunhuafang."

As he spoke, Qin Bao handed over a piece of paper.

Zhang Xing took it and turned to look at Bai Yousi.

Bai Yousi was silent for a moment, and did not pick up the paper, but looked up at the moonlight, and ordered without hesitation: "Go and arrest people! I'll go first, and Zhang Xing will arrange the follow-up."

As he spoke, he jumped up and disappeared into the night sky.

Of course, Zhang Xing had nothing to say, and immediately assigned people to meet Bai Yousi all the way, clean up the place all the way, and testify to witnesses.

And at dawn, the so-called Dongyi noble girl was arrested and brought to justice, and she confessed that she was dissatisfied with being a concubine with the eunuch, and she was dissatisfied. , and put it into practice by poisoning, but he didn't want to be easily arrested.

So far, within three days of the incident, the case was quickly closed.

In the morning of the next day, the sage happened to know the news about Dugong Ma from the eldest princess, and came to ask about it in person, but he was moved by the fact that he quickly executed the two Dongyi suspects in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and did not raise the issue like someone who was worrying about the sky. Dongyi.

It is said that the only unnecessary action of the saint at that time was to scold Duke Gao, thinking that he was not kind enough to spread false rumors about his colleagues.

It can only be said that after this case, Bai Yousi and Zhang Xing established themselves in the willow forest of Xiyuan in one fell swoop, but Gao Dugong got carried away with his complacency and fell for nothing.

However, the times are also the situation, and the development of things is always unexpected.

"How to say?"

Three days later, just three days later, the summer hadn't even arrived yet, and Zhang Xing, who was building a fish pond at home, received another public visit from Bai Yousi.

"Didn't Your Majesty want to repair the big golden pillar of the center before?" Bai Yousi answered blankly. "My father officially entered the palace today to face the saint, and wrote a letter saying that the Tongtian Tower is extremely dangerous, and the Ministry of Industry can only do so, so it is not appropriate to start a new major project..."

"Isn't this expected? There have been several conversations." Zhang Xing answered calmly. "And then? His Majesty is furious?"

"Your Majesty is not furious, but extremely dissatisfied." Bai Yousi remained expressionless. "Then at this moment, Gao Jiang, the governor of the Beiya, suddenly stood up and asked the Beiya foundry department to supervise the construction of the central golden pillar... His Majesty is very happy, saying that the governor of the Beiya is loyal, why not let the Beiya From the beginning of the preparations, let's come up with a strategy to try... Just now Zhongcheng entered Ziwei Palace, let's see if he can stop the saint."

Zhang Xing hesitated to speak, but he had nothing to say, so he lowered his head to make a fish pond with peace of mind.

PS: Thanks to the new lord, gently de drifting past the master... I am grateful!good afternoon.

(End of this chapter)