Start with detective Li Yuanfang

Chapter 242
Li House.

In just over a year, this place has explained what rise and fall, honor and disgrace, and the ups and downs of officialdom are explained here.

From crowded, to crowded, and back to crowded.

Tonight, all the horses and carriages were parked in front of the mansion, and the servants greeted the visitors excitedly, feeling proud.

Above the main hall, Li Jingxuan with white beard and hair stood in front of the door, unassumingly, welcoming the guests in person.

When all the guests arrived, he sat back at the main seat, raised his wine glass, and said in a loud voice: "Everyone come here tonight, I am a commoner, I am very frightened, let's drink first as a respect!"

He called him a commoner, but how many of the visitors dared to regard him as a real commoner. Except for a few people who sat upright and returned the salute, the others stood up hastily, drained the wine in their cups, and shouted in unison: "Mr. bold!"

Li Jingxuan laughed, and the old and deep wrinkles on his face stretched out. He seemed to be really bold, and waved his hand: "Today we only talk about romance, no matter what else, everyone, please feel free!"

A number of beautiful concubines walked into the hall and began to dance, attracting the attention of some guests.

However, some people still kept their eyes on the vicinity of the main seat, watching the interaction of several purple-robed officials, looking forward to whether they could go up and show their faces, which would be valued by the nobles.

Among this group of purple-robed officials, the one with the highest status is undoubtedly Wei Chengqing, the current celebrity in front of Empress Wu, the servant of the household department.

This old man, who was transferred by the local governor to be the Minister of the Sixth Department, had a flushed face and was full of energy. He looked a few years younger, and it was obvious that he had passed the time very comfortably.

At this time, he was admiring the graceful figure of the concubine Ji in the middle, and said with a smile: "It's still the charm of Beijing, which is more pleasing to the eye, and it suits my eyes!"

Li Jingxuan had an idea in his mind, he waved his hand slightly, and immediately his servants arranged for a carriage, preparing to send the beautiful concubine to Wei's residence.

Wei Zhenxuan sat under Wei Chengqing, had a panoramic view of everything, said a few words in a low voice, and Wei Chengqing's smile became more obvious: "Mr. Li, you are polite."

Li Jingxuan waited and waited, but he didn't get what he should say. It seemed that the matter was over in just five words, so he could only take the initiative to say: "Wei Shilang has worked hard in disaster relief recently, and it is also the old man's favor to have Meiji's company." I feel a little better."

Wei Chengqing's eyelids twitched slightly: "I thought Li Gongqing was spending his time away, but now it seems that although he is in the wild, his heart is in the court. You still care about disaster relief?"

Li Jingxuan said flatteringly: "Although the old man has no official position, but living in Chang'an, he also has the merits of Minister Wei's peace of mind, how can he not be grateful?"

Only then did Wei Chengqing wave his hands casually: "It's just a matter of duty, so there's no need to say such things."

Li Jingxuan said in a low voice: "If Wei Shilang is not busy with official duties, he still wants to have a feast with Wei Shilang."

This is about Wei Yuanzhong, Minister of the Ministry of Rites. When Li Jingxuan was in charge of Zhongshu Province, Wei Yuanzhong was his confidant.

Wei Chengqing finally turned his head around: "Gong Yi, Li Gong, I understand, but if you have something to ask, you might as well speak up."

Li Jingxuan hurriedly said: "I also hope that Wei Shilang will speak a few words of kindness for the old man in front of the queen."

Wei Chengqing frowned: "What do you call Tianhou?"

Li Jingxuan was stunned, and immediately said: "Please Wei Shilang, please speak a few words of kindness for this old man in front of Tianhou!"

Wei Chengqing nodded, and suddenly said loudly: "The two saints are coming to court, and they are in harmony with God's will. The Queen of Heaven is destined to be the Queen of Heaven, so there must be no mistake!"

The hall fell silent for a while.

Even the dancing concubine Ji's steps were slightly confused, and the faces of many guests changed drastically, but no one dared to come forward to argue.

All over the ruling and opposition parties, the voices for the Empress are getting louder and louder, and there are naturally many people who are dissatisfied.

Especially Yushitai, I don’t know how many books have been played, but there is no news, and just a few days later, the supervisor Yushi was accused and sent to prison.

The woman's revenge came quickly and fiercely, and the two factions of support and opposition were already at war.

Li Jingxuan pursed his lips, he actually didn't like Empress Wu very much, and felt that this woman was greedy for power and might become a disaster in the future.

But he was deeply hated by Li Zhi, Shilin Qingyu was ruined once, and he was stigmatized as a spoiled son and abused his wife. If he wanted to come back to power, the prince would not accept him, so he had to seek refuge with Empress Wu who had no taboos.

Ever since, Li Jingxuan got up resolutely, came to the center, and bowed in the direction of the Daming Palace: "The Queen of Heaven's hope lies in the world, and what she achieves lies in the community. She assists the country in governing, and is a pillar of the country. Let me wait and respect the Queen of Heaven!"

The faces of all the guests were slightly ugly, but they still raised their wine glasses: "To the Queen of Heaven!"

Naturally, Wei Zhenxuan also toasted, but with some contempt, he said in a very soft voice: "Uncle, I, Webster, do not lack the support of officials at all. Why should I associate with this notorious Li Jingxuan?"

Wei Chengqing has a different view: "This person should not be underestimated. The power he left behind is nothing small. Since he is willing to run for the Queen of Heaven, why should we refuse?"

Seeing Li Jingxuan worshiping again and again, bowing his knees, Wei Chengqing showed even more seriousness: "If he can bend and stretch, it's hard to guarantee that this person won't pay respects again. I was a little negligent just now..."

"Wei Chengqing insulted me too much!!"

When the song ended and the guests were sent away one by one, Li Jingxuan returned to the middle hall, his facial features suddenly became ferocious, his face was livid with anger, he immediately took out a roll of registers and recorded Wei Chengqing's name on it.

The servant kept silent and did not dare to step forward, otherwise he would see a row of names.

The first person is empty, the second is Li Jingxuan's wife Wang, and the third is Li Yuanfang.

Yes, Li Jingxuan's second hatred was the reconciliation of his wife Wang, which was a huge blow, and he even directly turned against the Shandong gentry.

The most embarrassing thing is that after he was demoted to a commoner, he wanted to retire and return to his hometown, but found that he couldn't go back.

Li Jingxuan's original ancestral home was Qiao County, Bozhou. Later, he joined the clan of the Li family in Zhao County, and the genealogy also passed away. If he is old now, where will he go back?

It is impossible to go to the Li family in Zhaojun, but when you return to your hometown, you will inevitably look at your fellow villagers. Don’t you dislike this place and want to climb high, why do you come back?
Li Jingxuan had no choice but to stay in Chang'an, but he waited for a turning point, and immediately he firmly grasped it.

After his wife, Mrs. Wang, there were officials from various ministries, even literati, who remembered everything clearly in the small book.

Li Jingxuan looked at the rows of names, showing deep-seated hatred: "Wait! You wait! It won't be long before the old man will return to his phase and revenge!"

He ground his teeth, waited until the ink was dry, and put the roster close to his body: "Come here!"

The seven or eight sons who were waiting outside walked up to the hall, knelt down and gave the most solemn salute: "Greetings, my lord father!"

Li Jingxuan looked at the sons born to these concubines, and there was no joy in his brows, but a bit of disgust.

The beheading of his legitimate son Li Sichong in the downtown area was his greatest pain. The remaining sons were all concubine sons. Not to mention the low status in the family, it was difficult to replace the family when they went out. Except for friends, decent people would not recognize them.

But now Li Jingxuan has no choice but to use these concubines' sons, who are related by blood after all, and can share honor and disgrace: "During this period of time, you must promote the Queen of Heaven everywhere. If anyone opposes the Queen of Heaven, as long as you can suppress it, you must spare no effort ,do you understand?"

A group of concubine children suddenly became excited, gearing up, full of anticipation: "I will obey the orders of my lord father!"

Li Jingxuan exhorted: "Because my father has not yet recovered his aspect, some people should not be provoked. You must also learn to choose targets. For example, those who come from poor families, if they have no backing, they will be dealt with severely. That's it..."

The concubines looked at each other, excited.

This posture of bullying the weak and fearing the strong is too obvious, and the Li family was the toughest in the past, even the Shandong gentry wanted to curry favor, how prominent, but now it is too much!

Li Jingxuan sneered: "What? Can't bear the warmth and coldness of this kind of favor? If the Queen of Heaven can't gain power this time, you will always be like this for the rest of your life, acting according to other people's faces!"

The concubine immediately nodded again and again: "Please rest assured, Father, I will definitely do it!"

All the sons retreated, only the last one stepped forward, and said in a low voice: "My lord, Twelve Lang is still in Chang'an Prison, can you rescue him?"

Li Jingxuan was stunned: "Twelve Lang? Oh, it's Shouyi!"

When Li Sichong's case happened, Li Shouyi was still taking the imperial examinations, and later he was thrown into the Chang'an county government office for interrogation after being slapped with a big pen by the sage.

But Li Jingxuan didn't care about this son, if he didn't mention it, he would almost forget it, so he nodded at this moment: "Don't worry, when the old man regains his aspect, we will see who dares to interrogate the old man's son!"

……

Chang'an County Government.

In an ordinary prison cell, Li Shouyi was catching lice.

After catching it for a long time, he didn't catch one. When he was just in prison, he yelled and was mad with anger, but now he just leaned against the cold wall, staring blankly at the front, silently in a daze .

At this moment, the prison opened, and Ming Chongyan walked in.

The jailer who was waiting specially went forward, rolled up his forearm, revealing the plum blossom mark.

After the two sides exchanged glances tacitly, the jailer led Ming Chongyan to the cell.

Ming Chongyan took a look at Li Shouyi, smiled happily, and waved his hands.

The jailer carried the food box, opened the cell door, and walked in: "Prisoner Li Shouyi, eat!"

Although the exquisite diner hasn't opened it yet, the aroma inside has already made Li Shouyi swallow his saliva involuntarily, and said in a hoarse voice, "Zui Jinzhao's burning tail banquet?"

Ming Chongyan waved his hand to let the jailer leave, and smiled in a low voice: "As expected of the young gentleman of the Li family, you have a good eye, these are the most delicious dishes in the burning tail banquet, eat them while they are hot."

Li Shouyi first looked at him in fear, then walked over slowly and opened the food box.

When the steaming hot dishes in the food box appeared in sight, Li Shouyi couldn't help it anymore, grabbed them with both hands, and started to devour them.

If there was no porridge to drink during this period, he might have choked to death.

Ming Chongyan watched silently from the sidelines, and waited until all the good food and wine had been eaten, before he said slowly: "Pimpedao's master has a very close relationship with your father and brother. If I had known that Mr. Xiaolang was imprisoned here, I would have known that Mr. Xiaolang was imprisoned here. I'll take care of you!"

It's not uncommon for a high-ranking family to have a relationship with monks and Taoists. Li Shouyi was so excited that he was almost ecstatic: "Can the priest save me? My father will definitely repay you!"

Ming Chongyan shook his head: "Doesn't Mr. Xiao Lang know that your elder brother has already been beheaded in the downtown area, and your father has also been dismissed? He doesn't seem to have any intention of saving you..."

Li Shouyi ate his fill and gained strength. He couldn't bear it any longer, and simply yelled: "That old man only has his son in his eyes, and now he doesn't even keep his son. Obviously, he doesn't care about the life and death of my son!"

Ming Chongyan said sincerely: "My father is a good family teacher. In fact, your imprisonment was ordered by His Majesty himself, and he couldn't save you even if he wanted to."

Li Shouyi became angry: "Then after all, I still want to be here, why are you here?"

Ming Chongyan said sincerely: "Give Xiao Lang a good meal, and you can go on the road with peace of mind."

Li Shouyi's expression changed drastically, and he trembled all over: "You're going to kill me... are you really going to kill me?"

Ming Chongyan waited for him to sigh: "If Mr. Xiao Lang is really not reconciled, there is actually another chance, I wonder if you can grasp it?"

Li Shouyi was stunned, then suddenly knelt down, kowtowed desperately, and wailed: "The Taoist priest save me! As long as the Taoist priest can save me, I am willing to do anything! I haven't reached the crown yet, and I haven't married a wife yet." , I really don’t want to die!!”

Ming Chongyan looked down at him, full of disdain, and waited for Li Shouyi to cry to the extreme, then bent down, leaned into his ear, and said quietly: "I heard that Li Sichong once hid the armor privately, and Li Jingxuan also acquiesced , can you tell me where those armors are hidden?"

(End of this chapter)