Judge of the Lamp

Chapter 27 The Ambiguous Lord Sui
Why did Mrs. Sister-in-law kill Brother Tong?
Could it be because of what happened last night?

"Brother, that jar..."

"Big brother, I missed that jar of medicine!" Tong Qingqiu said heartbroken, and Xu Zhiqiong looked bewildered.

What medicine?

That's what happened.

When my sister-in-law was cooking in the morning, she accidentally burned a blister on her hand.

Tong Qingqiu prepared a pair of scald medicine for his wife and wiped it on.

It was okay at first, the burn didn't hurt anymore.

In the afternoon, my sister-in-law developed a rash all over her body, which was extremely itchy.

Tong Qingqiu realized that she had caused trouble.

He didn't dare to admit that he had made the wrong medicine, and said: "My lady, the weather has been cold and damp recently, I think you have a damp-cold syndrome, my husband will give you another medicine..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mrs. Sister-in-law beat him up, then boiled a pot of boiling water and soaked in the bathtub all afternoon.

At dusk, my sister-in-law's wife soaked off a layer of skin, and the rash finally faded away.

Judging from her momentum, Tong Qingqiu realized that the lady was going to kill someone, so she hid in Xu Zhiqiong's house.

After listening to Tong Qingqiu's description, Xu Zhiqiong was very aggrieved: "This, this is sister-in-law no, no, it's obviously a disease of dampness and cold, why, how can you falsely accuse elder brother of taking the wrong medicine?"

Tong Qingqiu was extremely moved: "What brother said is true!"

Xu Zhiqiong said: "Brother, brother, do you still have your medicine, can you give me some?"

Tong Qingqiu was taken aback: "What do you want to take the medicine for?"

"I, treat the burn."

The two looked at each other for a long time, Tong Qingqiu said: "Are you trying to harm someone?"

Xu Zhiqiong was furious when he heard the words: "Elder brother, what did you say, I am an honest person, how can I hurt others' thoughts, what my elder brother said is too, too hurtful, I will go to my sister-in-law for comment!"

Xu Zhiqiong was about to go out when Tong Qingqiu hugged him.

This kid has learned badly and knows how to catch Tong Qingqiu's vitals.

"Forget it, I'll give you a can, you should use it carefully, don't get it on yourself, a little bit of it will kill you!"

It can be very itchy if you touch it a little, this medicine is definitely useful, if you want some, it won't hurt you!
When things were settled, Xu Zhiqiong mentioned what happened last night:

"Brother Tong, you don't have to worry about what happened last night."

Tong Qingqiu is an astute person, he must have heard the big commotion last night, and must have been secretly protecting himself.

Xu Zhiqiong brought up this matter to tell Tong Qingqiu that the matter has subsided, so please don't say anything about it in the future.

Unexpectedly, Tong Qingqiu was confused: "What happened last night?"

Brother Tong is a straightforward person, and he won't show off in front of Xu Zhiqiong. He really doesn't know what happened last night.

He only remembered that he and his wife went to bed early last night.

"I went to bed early last night and didn't pay attention to the movement outside. Did someone bully you?"

went to bed early last night?
Last night, Big Brother Tong held up the thorn and knelt at the door, waiting for his wife to punish him, so he didn't sleep early at all.

But judging from his expression, Tong Qingqiu was not lying, and he had no need to deceive Xu Zhiqiong.

He doesn't remember.

Why don't you remember?
Reminiscent of the situation of the two maidservants last night, Xu Zhiqiong made a bold guess.

The two maidservants completely forgot about the black dog and pulled out a flower cake seller.

Their situation may be the same as Brother Tong.

Their memories have been tampered with, and their memories have been tampered with by the Taoist priest.

This is the way the Taoist priest helped me solve my worries!

He can actually tamper with other people's memory, how powerful is he!

Seeing Xu Zhiqiong's erratic eyes, Tong Qingqiu said eagerly: "You're telling me, what happened last night?"

If you want to say it's okay now, Tong Qingqiu will definitely not believe it!

But if the truth is told, there will be big troubles.

The Taoist priest has repeatedly told him not to disclose the affairs of the Taoist sect to anyone.

Xu Zhiqiong pondered for a moment and said: "Yesterday, I, I passed the big exam, but I offended my classmate Yu Shan, who is the son of Yu Shangshu from the Ministry of Criminal Affairs. As an errand, no one, no one can help me."

Xu Zhiqiong lied casually, and he lied very naturally, without flaws, which can be regarded as a rare talent.

Tong Qingqiu was furious when he heard the words: "He dares! Does Daxuan have no kingly law? He can't cover the sky with one hand? At worst, just go to the Ministry of Punishment. He doesn't care if you go to other places to work!"

"Me, our dean also said so."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"So I said, don't worry about it."

While talking, someone knocked on the door suddenly, and Tong Qingqiu almost got under the bed in fright.

Xu Zhiqiong asked, "Who is it?"

A deep voice outside the door replied: "Zhiqiong, I'm here to see you."

It's the dean Lin Tianzheng!

Xu Zhiqiong hurriedly tidied up his clothes and greeted him outside the door.

Seeing the dean, Xu Zhiqiong saluted repeatedly, the dean smiled, looked into the room again, and smelled the breath of Onmyoji.

Tong Qingqiu didn't hide, in front of the Fourth Grade Killer, hiding was useless, on the contrary, he lost his identity.

It was true that the lady was not nearby, Tong Qingqiu tidied up her clothes and went out of the house, bowed her hands and said: "Tong Jin has seen Dean Lin."

Jin is Brother Tong's name, and Qingqiu is his nickname.

In Daxuan, after a man becomes an adult and crowns himself, his parents will give him an alias, that is, a nickname. It is very impolite for adults to call each other by their own name.

But when addressing yourself, you must not call yourself by your name, but call yourself by your first name to express your humility.

Is Zhiqiong the name of Xu Zhiqiong?
No.

Xu Zhiqiong's name is Xu Zhiqiong. He is only nineteen years old (false age), and he can only perform the crown ceremony at twenty years old. There is no word yet.

Even if the crowning ceremony is performed, he is a poor boy whose parents have both died, who can give him a name?

Dean Lin looked at Tong Qingqiu, and said with a smile: "Tong Qingqiu, a sixth-grade sorcerer, I have heard about it for a long time. I heard that Yin Yang Si Taibu invited you to become an official, but you refused."

Taibu, in charge of the Department of Yin and Yang, ranks third.

The Department of Yin and Yang, an important institution of the Daxuan court, all official positions are held by Yin and Yang practitioners, and its functions are similar to the penance workshops of the Mohists.

The Penance Workshop focuses on science, and the Yin Yang Division focuses on metaphysics. Of course, this is Xu Zhiqiong's personal understanding. In this extraordinary world, it is difficult to define which one is dominant, science or metaphysics.

Tong Qingqiu shook his head and said: "The official career is not what I wanted, but I have let down Tai Bu's good intentions."

The sixth-grade cultivator of the Yin-Yang family is called a sorcerer, and the Yin-Yang family is one of the hundreds of heretical schools. The biggest difference from the Four Directions lies in the upper limit of practice.

The Four Directions are blessed by the true gods. Taking Baihu Shadao as an example, the personality of the White Tiger True God is above the first rank, and it is an existence beyond the rank. This also means that the white tiger cultivator can practice up to the first rank and become a star that transcends the world.

And the Yin-Yang Family is blessed by the Shuangxing Shuangxing, the Shuangxing Shuangxing is the star official, and the rank of the star official is the second rank, which is still below the constellation. The upper limit of the Yin Yang family is still in the realm of mortals.

The upper limit is the third rank, Tong Qingqiu is the sixth rank, the cultivation base of the sixth rank is very rare in the Yin Yang family, no wonder Tai Bu invited him to be an official several times.

After a few words of politeness, Lin Tianzheng said something serious, he wanted to take Xu Zhiqiong to meet a friend.

Tong Qingqiu understands this kind of thing, and Xu Zhiqiong also understands it. Lin Tian just wants to take Xu Zhiqiong out to socialize and help him expand his contacts.

Lin Tianzheng said to Tong Qingqiu: "Warlock Tong, would you like to honor me and have a little gathering with us?"

It seems like a sincere invitation, but it is actually a polite remark, so don't take it seriously.

Tong Qingqiu quickly saluted and said: "I still have important matters at home, so you don't need to be polite, the two of you can do whatever you want."

Xu Zhiqiong went out to eat with Lin Tianzheng, and Tong Qingqiu then took refuge in Xu Zhiqiong's house.

As the dean of Wuche Academy, although Lin Tianzheng has no real power, he is still a third-rank official. It stands to reason that when he goes out, he has to ride a horse and sit in a sedan chair, and he has to be accompanied by servants.

But Lin Tianzheng didn't like ostentation, followers, and red tape.On weekdays, he wears casual clothes, walks alone, rides a horse when the road is far away, walks near the road, and walks on the street, like a hale and hearty old man.

Although Dean Lin advocates simplicity, when third-rank officials go out to eat, they still have to choose a place. In the capital, only restaurants of this level, such as Fengle Building, Huixian Building, Baxian Building, and Xiyicheng Building, are worthy of a third-rank restaurant. member's identity.

The place to eat today is the Fengle Building. The Fengle Building has three floors, a main building, and four auxiliary buildings. The fifth floor faces each other. It can accommodate more than a thousand guests.

It was time for dinner, and the waiters were dressed neatly, standing in front of the door to welcome the guests. Seeing Lin Tianzheng walking in, one of them hurried up to meet him: "You two guests, have you booked a table yet?"

Lin Tianzheng nodded: "It's booked, the third floor."

There are three floors of Fengle Building, and each floor has different grades. In the lobby on the first floor, a casual meal costs about five taels of silver.

The private seats on the second floor cost about ten taels per seat.

In the private room on the third floor, there are at least thirty taels per seat.

Thirty taels, [-] yuan.

Those who can go to the third floor to eat are not ordinary people, so the waiter hurriedly led the way: "Guest officer, please come inside, I don't know which table you ordered?"

Lin Tianzheng shook his head and said, "I don't remember, it was ordered by Sui Shilang of the Ministry of War."

The clerk hurriedly saluted: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you come with me."

The two followed the buddy to the private room, and there were two attendants standing in front of the door, who hurriedly saluted Lin Tianzheng when they saw Lin Tianzheng.

Sui Zhi, the servant of the Ministry of War, heard the movement, and hurried out of the private room, cupped his hands and saluted, "Principal, I agreed to pick you up from the residence, but I blame my disciple for being late."

Sui Zhi used to be a student of Wu Che Academy, met Lin Tianzheng in private, and always claimed to be a student.

Lin Tianzheng smiled and said: "There is no need to be formal between you and me, Zhiqiong, I have met Master Sui."

Xu Zhiqiong saluted Sui Zhi with a naive face, but did not speak.

Seeing Xu Zhiqiong's dull appearance, Lin Tianzheng smiled wryly: "This kid is dull, don't bother with him."

Sui Zhi smiled and said: "The dean is out of touch, I just like this straightforward temperament, Zhiqiong, raise your head, let me take a good look!"

Xu Zhiqiong sniffed his nose and raised his head.

Sui Zhi sighed: "Like, really like, looks like, looks like, exactly the same as his father."

Sui Zhi was Xu Rende's comrade, Xu Zhiqiong remembered this matter.

After some politeness, the host and guest are seated, and the attendants order the waiters to serve the food.

Xu Zhiqiong experienced the luxury of this world for the first time. There are chilled squid (sashimi), hand-washing crab (drunk crab) with ten flavors, three-cooked and three-fried oven-roasted chicken, and the most delicious one is a Argali head lottery.

Sheep head sticks are not toothpick mutton, but mutton rolls. Take a sheep's head, only shave the little meat on the face, slice it into meat rolls, and cook carefully.

Then take the raw shallots, cut the leaves of the shallots, and peel off all the layers of the shallots, leaving only the heart of the shallots as thick as leeks, and eat them with the meat rolls.

Only ten sheep's heads can make a plate of sheep's head lottery. Xu Zhiqiong started to eat and drink, and Lin Tianzheng frowned while eating.

"Zhiqiong, please behave yourself, you don't know etiquette!"

Courtesy?

Just thinking about etiquette, wouldn't this feast be ruined?

I am a fool, why should I pretend to be reserved when I encounter such a table of delicacies?
Sui Zhi liked it, and poured a glass of wine for Xu Zhiqiong himself: "Eat slowly, don't choke, eat tonight."

Lin Tianzheng didn't move his chopsticks much. Today's purpose is not to eat, but to get Xu Zhiqiong to join the army.

"Killer Daoerlang, when you make contributions on the battlefield, Zhiqiong will be entrusted to you from now on."

It was rare for Lin Tianzheng to say that, as the servant of Sui Zhi's military department, it was too easy to arrange a low-level officer for Xu Zhiqiong.

But I didn't expect Sui Zhi to be in trouble: "Principal, it's not that the disciple didn't agree. You also saw it on the day of the big exam. This kid's talent is extraordinary, and the Secretary of the Imperial City also fell in love with him. Zhong Shen is a celebrity in His Majesty's eyes. He Disciple can't compete with the person he likes."

Lin Tianzheng's face sank when he heard this.

What does it mean to be unable to compete?
Wu Che Academy educates [-] students every year, Xu Zhiqiong is just a poor boy with no foundation, if Sui Zhi really wants it, how can Zhong Shen fight him with his face?
Obviously he didn't want to do this favor!

Seeing the dean's displeasure, Sui Zhi quickly tried to persuade him: "Dean, the Imperial City Division is a good place to go. With Zhiqiong's talent, he will definitely be able to go to Wuwei Camp. Wuwei Camp has a high salary and a decent status. You don't need to leave the capital, and you don't have to go to Wuwei Camp." The military camp is suffering, and now Beiman is ready to move, Zhiqiong is an orphan, I am also worried..."

"That's all!" Lin Tianzheng got up suddenly, and said to Xu Zhiqiong, "You stay here to have a drink with Lord Sui, and I'll change clothes!"

Changing clothes is a euphemism for going to the bathroom.

With his usual temper, Lin Tianzheng dropped his chopsticks and left, but today he wanted to make a good future for Xu Zhiqiong, he didn't want to offend Sui Zhi, and he went outside to get some air and calm down his anger.

While Lin Tian was leaving the private room, Sui Zhi looked at Xu Zhiqiong carefully, and murmured: "Good boy, my good boy."

Xu Zhiqiong was taken aback for a moment, why are these words so boring?

This Lord Sui doesn't have any special hobbies, does he?

Xu Zhiqiong put down his chopsticks, wiped his greasy hands, and said, "I'm full."

"Silly boy, how could I have the heart to let you go to the battlefield to fight for your life." Sui Zhi smiled ambiguously.

Getting tired of it, Xu Zhiqiong's whole body tensed up.

Sui Zhi poured another glass of wine for Xu Zhiqiong: "Going to the Imperial City Division is for your own good, whether it is Wuwei Camp or the Yamen in charge of lamps, no matter where you are, you must remember that life and death are judged based on the principles of good and evil. , at any time, never forget your true heart.”

Xu Zhiqiong's expression was numb, and his heart was trembling wildly.

The judgment of life and death depends entirely on the principles of good and evil. This is what the Taoist priest said, and this is the judge's original intention.

How could he know the judge's true heart?

He is also a judge?
That's why he kept speaking for himself in the examination room?
Sui Zhi silently looked at Xu Zhiqiong, quietly observing his reaction.

Xu Zhiqiong sniffed his nose and said, "What is a verdict of life and death?"

(End of this chapter)