Judge of the Lamp

Xu Zhiqiong ate three pancakes and two bowls of porridge with a plate of pickled cucumbers and shepherd's purse.

Xia Hu said: "I wanted to go back to the capital to punish the wicked, so I borrowed Chengfeng Building to buy you some bacon. I'm afraid you won't be able to swallow such rough porridge and rice."

"This porridge is sweet and sweet. I'm used to hard times too. How can I be so talkative?" Xu Zhiqiong wiped his mouth, stretched his waist, and looked at his wife with a smile.

Xia Hu's cheeks were slightly red, and she complained: "What are you looking at, eat and drink enough, and go to Changshi Hall to rest."

Xu Zhiqiong shook his head and said, "I won't go to the Changshi Hall tonight, I'll just rest here with my lady."

"I'm not ashamed," Xia Hu said angrily, "This is a Taoist place, how could you be allowed to mess around."

"Why is this reckless, we are spreading branches and leaves for the Taoist sect."

Xia Hu gave Xu Zhiqiong a push: "The more you talk, the more shameless you become. Hurry up and leave, don't tell anyone to gossip."

Xu Zhiqiong looked around and said: "Who is anyone gossiping? Only you and Zhuo Ling'er are the sixth-rank Zhonglang. Zhuo Ling'er has gone to the Yin Division, and there is no one around here."

"Why is there no one?" A man's voice came from outside the door.

Xia Hu exclaimed: "Don't mess around, Brother Qian is here."

Xu Zhiqiong lowered his eyes, pushed open the door, and saw Qian Limu standing in the yard.

"Brother Qian, it's so late, we'll talk about things tomorrow."

Qian Limu smiled and said, "Since we know it's late, let's go to Changshi Hall to rest."

Xu Zhiqiong said: "My little brother is injured and needs my wife's care tonight, so I will stay overnight in the Zhonglang Hall."

Qian Limu shook his head and said: "That's not right, Xia Zhonglang is a girl's family, if you let you live here, wouldn't it ruin his reputation?"

Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile: "We are a decent couple, how can we ruin our reputation?"

Qian Limu shouted: "Xia Zhonglang, are you and Ma Changshi a serious couple?"

This torture echoed for a long time in the sky over the punishment department.

Xia Hu was so ashamed that she didn't know where to hide, she wished she could step forward and stop Qian Limu's mouth.

Xu Zhiqiong lowered his face and said, "Brother Qian, what are you doing all this for?"

Qian Limu laughed and said: "Brother, I have lived in Changshitang for several days. I am not willing to monopolize such a good place in Changshitang, so I have to drag you to live with me no matter what!"

Xu Zhiqiong smacked his lips and said, "A total of ten Zhonglang Halls have been repaired. If you don't want to live in the Changshi Hall, you can stay in the Zhonglang Hall temporarily."

"That won't work. I'm a dignified official. What does it look like to live in the Zhonglang Hall?" Qian Limu smiled deeply, "Brother, you let judges, big and small, live in the Punishment Division, and you didn't live in it for a day. But what does this look like, Chang Shi should live in Chang Shi Tang, Chang Shi should set an example, just come with me!"

Xia Hu said from behind: "What does the Changshi Hall look like? I want to see it too!"

"Okay!" Qian Limu smiled, "Xia Zhonglang will follow along, and go to the Changshi Hall to open your eyes!"

Xu Zhiqiong shook his head repeatedly and said: "I can't go, I can't go right now, brother Qian, let's live in Changshitang tonight."

The gate from the Zhonglang Pavilion to the Changshi Hall is always locked, and no one else is allowed to enter.

Qian Limu unlocked the door and walked in with Xu Zhiqiong.

"There are 28 Changshi halls. I live in the second one to the north. Brother, you can choose one too."

Xu Zhiqiong knew that Qian Limu had resentment in his heart, so he could only stay with him in Changshi Hall for one night tonight.

"I'll live on the east side." Xu Zhiqiong chose the third one on the east side. This long history hall is more or less complete.

"Brother, it's good to have a rest." Qian Limu cupped his fists and left.

Xu Zhiqiong stood at the door, hesitating for a while.

Or go to Marquis Mansion.

If you feel that the Marquis Mansion is not safe, you can go to Yuyao Palace.

If you feel that Yuyao Palace is not suitable, you can simply go to Zhonglangyuan to sleep for a night.

Xu Zhiqiong deliberated for a long time, and finally entered the Changshi Hall.

Qian Limu really should have grievances, he is not a judge of Qiancheng Kingdom, but also lives in the Qiancheng Punishment Department, I am Shi, the chief of Qiancheng Punishment Department, and I should really set an example.

Xu Zhiqiong pushed open the gate of Changshi Hall and entered the courtyard.

There are triple courtyards in the front and back of Changshi Hall, and triple courtyards on the left and right.

The courtyard wall in the front yard is complete, but the yard is full of ruins, and there are no complete rooms, so it is not suitable for living for the time being.

According to Gongshuban, there are six main rooms and sixteen side rooms in the main courtyard, but all of them have collapsed now, and the location of these houses can be roughly judged from the gravel and rubble on the ground.

The situation of the East and West Courts is basically the same as that of the Main Court.

The only option left is the backyard.

There is a complete house in the backyard. Gongshu Pan promised that this house will not collapse within a year.

Stubborn~Xu Zhiqiong pushed open the door.

bang!The door fell to the ground.

Xu Zhiqiong lifted the door panel and wanted to reinstall it, but there was another bang, and the other door panel fell off.

Forget it, ignore it.

The house was divided into inner and outer rooms, Xu Zhiqiong stood in the outer room, looked up at the roof, and saw the deep night sky.

This roof is a bit serious.

Xu Zhiqiong went into the back room, took off his outer shirt, put it on his body, huddled in a corner, and fell asleep.

A gust of cold wind blew through the cracks in the brick wall and hit Xu Zhiqiong.

Xu Zhiqiong shivered, in this situation, it was not easy to fall asleep, and it was difficult for Brother Qian to live for so many days.

Xu Zhiqiong wanted to distract himself with other things as much as possible, but the first thing that came to mind was those eyes, the red eyes of the giant snake.

Through Master's Nie Jingtai, he searched for the source of the snake skin, but not only destroyed the Nie Jingtai, but also cost himself half his life.

That snake has a very high status, above me and above the mirror of Master's evil.

Could it be that this snake has a higher personality than Master?

If it is higher than the master, it is a god, or an existence close to a god.

If we only consider from the scope of true gods, which true god is related to snakes?
The one with the most direct connection is Xuanwu True God, whose image is a combination of a snake and a turtle.

Of course, we can't make a conclusion on this, and the image of the giant snake has a deep connection with the black dragon.

But this piece of snake skin has remained in the underworld for a long time, and the inkstone that appeared with it is also a magic weapon with the characteristics of the underworld, so Xu Zhiqiong is more inclined to see a part of Xuanwu True God in the mirror.

The reason for his physical problems was that he looked directly at the true God.

But the question is, what is shown in the mirror is the current situation of Xuanwu True God, or a certain projection in the historical period?
If it is just a certain projection in history, it also has such a powerful force?

There is another unbelievable thing, why did I recover so quickly after I returned to the Punishment Department after being severely injured?
Just because he was hit by Wu Si?
This old man's method of beating people is very clever. He has killed many people, and now he has saved me. What is his origin?
Jiang Mengyun and I went to the underworld, but didn't do anything. As soon as he came back, he went to discuss things with Wu Si. What is the origin of this woman?
There is another key thing that must not be forgotten, the matter of Nie Jingtai must not be admitted, otherwise Master will never let it go.

Xu Zhiqiong felt ashamed that the little black room he had been relying on, the little black room that could reappear in time, was just ruined by himself.

However, it seems that the magic eye also has the same function, but Xu Zhiqiong has not yet mastered the method of using it.

He can't trust Shen Shuliang, and he doesn't want to tell him about the magical eye, maybe he can find a way from that stone eye...

A gust of cold wind blew, and Xu Zhiqiong sneezed several times.

When I have money, I have to repair the Changshi Hall. Didn’t the Gongshu Ban promise to send a customer service over?Why hasn't anyone arrived yet?
Xiu Chang Shitang didn't know how much money he would need to use. Hong Zhenji was about to beat Hong Zhenkang during this time, so he had to find a way to get a sum out of Hong Zhenkang's hand.

……

Hong Zhenji really knocked a sum of money from Hong Zhenkang.

Xu Zhiqiong asked him to deal with Hong Zhenkang, but Hong Zhenji couldn't do anything serious yet. Hong Zhenji found an excuse, and said that when Hong Zhenkang paid tribute to Tu Nu, he had corrupted ink and demanded strict punishment, forcing Hong Zhenkang to spit out 80 taels of silver.

Is Hong Zhenkang really greedy?
Perhaps there is a point that paying tribute to Tunu often requires tax collection in advance. Tunu needs 500 million, and all places compete to fulfill their filial piety, and sometimes they can collect 700 to [-] million.

For Tunu, one tael cannot be less, but Hong Zhenkang accepted the remainder first. It was all the wishes of the states and counties, and it was not easy to give it back to others.

Hong Zhenkang would never have admitted this kind of thing if it had been done in the past. Tu Nu only collected money without giving a receipt, and there was no proof of how much money he had collected.

But now, Hong Zhenkang didn't dare to be tough. He realized that the attitude of the god was wrong, and he might be implicated in the mansion outside the city.

Hong Zhenji just wanted to take advantage of the trend, Hong Zhenkang didn't want to cause trouble, so he gave the money, and the matter ended here.

Unexpectedly, Hong Juncheng called Hong Zhenji to Yushu Pavilion, and severely reprimanded him.

"Zhenji, I entrust the safety of the country to you, but you are so perfunctory to me!"

Hong Zhenji hurriedly kowtowed and said, "My brother has no skills. I have been staring at King Lu these days, but I really can't catch him."

"When will I want you to catch him? I want you to get rid of this scourge for Qiancheng!" Hong Juncheng coughed and panted for a long time with some excitement.

Hong Zhenji just took the opportunity to change the topic: "Shenjun, you must take care of your health!"

Hong Juncheng waved his hand and helped Hong Zhenji up: "I know that my body won't be able to last for a long time. I'm about to discuss with you about the establishment of a reserve."

When Hong Zhenji heard this, his heart trembled back and forth.

In Qiancheng Kingdom, it is a life-and-death test for the courtiers if the god-lord proposes to establish a reserve under any circumstances.

Hong Juncheng asked: "Zhenji, who do you think I should appoint as the reserve?"

Here comes the test!

It stands to reason that the eldest son of the emperor, Hong Huaxiao, died, and the second son of the emperor, Hong Huayun, should be appointed as the heir.

But Hong Zhenkang stands behind Hong Huayun. If Hong Huayun is mentioned in this situation, I am afraid that Hong Juncheng will suspect that I have colluded with Lu Wang.

If Hong Huayun could not be mentioned, then the third prince, Hong Huaheng, would be left, and the remaining princes would be killed by Hong Juncheng himself.

But is it appropriate to mention Hong Huaheng?

Hong Zhenkang stands behind Hong Huayun, so I must stand behind Hong Huaheng?
Not to mention that the emperor hates the faction of the prince and the ministers the most, even if he doesn't care about it, if the second prince takes the throne in the future, how will I live my life?
Fortunately, Hong Zhenji's brain turned quickly, and he immediately thought of the correct answer: "The gods live forever, and they will guard the land of Qiancheng forever. Why are you so eager to establish a reserve?"

Hong Juncheng sighed and said: "In the mortal world, one's lifespan will eventually come to an end, and it's nothing more than a few words of flattery from others. What do you say is endless life?"

Hong Zhenji quickly kowtowed: "My brother's words are from the bottom of my heart."

Hong Juncheng hurriedly helped him up: "I know your intentions, but the matter of establishing a reserve is imminent.

Huayun's mind is very heavy, the city is too deep, and he fears that he will not be able to accommodate the country and the people.
My family respects the etiquette, and the father will continue to the son, which is in line with the ancient etiquette. "

Hong Zhenji looked at Hong Juncheng in astonishment.

Looking at Hong Juncheng's yellow robe, looking at Hong Juncheng's crown, looking at the vacant throne after Hong Juncheng got up.

He's lying, he must be saying something nice, he's trying to lie to me.

A little air quietly got into Hong Zhenji's nose.

Hong Zhenji looked at the yellow robe, crown and throne again.

A little saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.