Lie down and eat melon in the protagonist group

Chapter 24 Search
Ling Cen was startled, and when he saw Ji, he went straight to Li Guanqi's bedroom next door. He quickly pulled Ling Dang down and asked her quietly: "If I silence myself, will eldest sister chop me up?"

"..." You really dare to think about it. As expected of the male protagonist in the dark novel, he is not a big man, but he is cruel and ruthless.

Ling Dang kindly reminded, "He is very skilled in martial arts, you can't beat him."

"I know how to poison and bring down a cow casually." Ling Cen patted his chest.

"He has superb medical skills." Ling Dang poured cold water on him.

"Where are you from? How can you embody the ambition of others?"

Ling Dangpi smiled but said, "How about I ask your fifth brother to come over and say a few words of authority?"

"...You don't want to open any pot." Ling Cen gritted his teeth.

Since the last time Ling Huai showed his identity as his brother in front of him, he said some words that were neither salty nor cold, and each sentence was a bit majestic. At first glance, it seemed that he had a lot of majesty, but it actually destroyed the majesty he had been able to show off in the past. Got clean.

It also left him with sequelae: whenever he heard the word "prestigious", he would react with fear, and he would unconsciously go through his mind before uttering a sentence. And those words that cannot be said out loud make you feel uncomfortable, and if you hold them in for a long time, you will feel bad.

He is not a turtle. He can tolerate anger for a while, but never for a lifetime. Therefore, he has realized a truth. If he cannot understand it, then he is playing dirty tricks.

In the past, Ling Cen didn't look down on his brother Ling Huai. Although Ling Huai had a good reputation as a literary star in the academy, a gentleman smiled when he mentioned him, and fellow students also wanted to make friends with him. He was as polite and distant as a gentleman, but he also kept a low profile and stayed alone. With such a solitary brother, Ling Cen selfishly felt that he was embarrassing himself.

Ling Cen always thought that he did not take Ling Huai to play with him, and that he left him alone. However, after Li Guanqi was surrounded and beaten by a group of people in front of the academy gate, Ling Cen realized later that Ling Huai clearly disdained to pay attention to him and looked on with cold eyes, feeling comfortable.

Ling Cen held the pen, with a look of loneliness in his eyes, and curled his lips and said, "Fifth brother was not like this before."

Ling Dang studied the ink in circles without raising his head, "So what was he like before?"

"Everything I did before, he would do it with me."

"You should reflect."

"Why do you need to reflect? I don't." Ling Cen Hu Hua vented his anger, "In the beginning, when my classmate invited me to play, when did I not call him? It was because he had to read Nao Shizi's bad book and refused to come no matter what. Is love coming? Come, who cares?"

"Acen is good at making friends outside. He responds to every call and is surrounded by people." Ling Dang took out a page of paper, took out a pen, and drew a circle. A few strokes in the circle outlined a little match figure. .

The tip of her pen landed on the circle, and dense black dots appeared on the paper. "This is your interpersonal circle. Everyone inside and outside the circle is fawning and flattering. How can you squeeze in with Ah Huai's temperament? You are so shameless." You squeezed in, but the flowers are becoming more and more charming, and you are like a spring breeze among them, so how do you know that you won't be left out in the cold?"

"Any ordinary person cannot avoid clichés, that is, self-esteem is the most valuable thing to the outside world, but it is self-harm in private. Therefore, it is difficult for someone to bear the cold treatment for many years. In order to maintain self-esteem and maintain oneself, it is the best choice to stay outside the circle. Do I have it? a?"

Ling Cen was dissatisfied, "He is my fifth brother, how could I neglect him for the sake of outsiders? Fourth sister, your painting is really ugly."

He took up the pen and scrawled out the stick figures in the circle, tracing out the appearance of the little man. There was a mole on the left eye of the little man. After he retouched it, he added six different portraits of the little man.

"This is my circle." Ling Cen grabbed the paper and showed it in front of her eyes with a smile on his face.

"I can't tell you are still a master of painting." Ling Dang took it and took a closer look, and couldn't help but laugh, "The eldest sister has a golden abacus, the second brother is holding a red tassel gun, why is the third sister holding a stick?"

Ling Cen said proudly, "You must be blind, that's a French stick."

It's difficult to expose him, so I won't expose the embarrassing story of him almost being served by a French stick at this time.

Ling Dang pointed at the little man in the painting, "Then why am I holding the cat?"

Ling Cen smiled maliciously, "Take a closer look, hehe, it's a big cat, it's a female."

Secretly calling her a tigress? !
Can this be tolerated? !

Ling Dang Dang gave him a fist on his head.

Ling Cen put his head in his hands and cried.

"Ah Huai is holding a book, oh, that's awesome. He drew a snake on himself and spit out letters." Ling Dang smiled knowingly when he saw Ling An in the painting, "Xiao Qi also didn't forget to eat steamed buns."

Ling Cen said: "He is the greediest in the family."

Ling Dang collected the painting and left, "It belongs to me."

It snowed in the twelfth lunar month, the sky and the earth were completely white, and everything was empty.

The room where medicinal materials were stored in the family has long been emptied. The grain fence in the cellar was not known to have become as thin as the floor. The small warehouse on the second floor of the main hall was locked. The valuable items that used to be piled up were hidden under the ground. There were only a few gold and silver utensils in it that were of no use.

"Leave early tomorrow morning." Ling Qiong put on the inner shirt that Ling Jing had specially sewn for her. She had banknotes sewn inside the shirt, and layer by layer she added all kinds of small emergency items such as coats, small pills, and jade plaques from the trading company. The things are all tightly sewn between the layers. "Since Ji is with me, I will leave the house to you."

"Take care." Ling Jing had a thousand words in her heart, but she couldn't say a word at the moment. She choked for a long time before spitting out the words, "take care," which weighed as much as a thousand kilograms.

"Don't cry." Ling Qiong hugged her, wet her shoulders, and stroked her hair gently, "Don't send her away just in case it scares others. Just treat me as if I'm away to discuss business, but my return date is uncertain. You and the children live a normal life. . You don’t have to worry about the business of the Chamber of Commerce. Let those old foxes mess around and turn it into a mess. Someone will come out and take advantage. I don’t know where the officials sent by the court to investigate the case are now. I’m worried that they can’t find me. If I cause trouble for you, I'm afraid my family will..."

Ling Jing pushed her away gently, "I can save it. You will be fine if you stay at home with me. Trust me. You can go to Ganzhou City with peace of mind and don't worry about it."

Ling Qiong wiped away the tears on her cheeks with her index finger, "It will be quiet at home during the New Year this year, so I will pack more New Year's money to make the children happy. I will pack your share in a big one when I come back."

"Yes." Ling Jing burst into tears, but forced a smile, "If you are lucky enough to meet your second brother and Master Xu, wish us a happy New Year and wish you peace."

"Okay." Ling Qiong's eyes were red and moist, and she had to pretend to be relaxed and comfort Ling Jing, "Look at you crying. Okay, stop crying, the house will be flooded by you. It won't be beautiful if you keep crying, come on , give your sister a smile, you look good when you smile."

Before dawn, Ling Qiong and Ji had already left the city on horseback.

Ling Jing stayed up all night, leaning against the window and sitting until daybreak.

As the New Year approaches, the academy has a holiday, and every household is busy buying new year's goods, hanging new peaches, and sweeping the kang to pay homage to their ancestors.

Coming out of the ancestral hall after kowtowing, Ling Cen caught up with Ling Jing and asked, "Where did eldest sister go to discuss business? It's been almost a month since I left home. Why don't you even get a letter?"

Ling Jing didn't look sideways, "Are you short of money again?"

"No. I'm just worried about big sister asking casually." Ling Cen touched the back of his neck and slowed down with a stern look on his face.

The maids passed through the corridor holding vases of peonies, and when they came forward they nodded and saluted. Ling Cen took out a flower, put it under his nose and took a whiff. The fragrance was astonishing.

"Fourth sister, wait a minute." Ling Cen pinched the flower, ran behind Ling Dang, and tied a hairpin in her hair, "Hey, put a flower in it."

Ling Dang frowned when he heard that the tone was wrong.

Ling Cen smiled and changed his words, "Hey, it's only fitting that you stick it on a beauty's head."

Ling Dang rolled his eyes and then hummed, took the flower and put a hairpin on his bun, "It's not as nutritious as yours."

Ling Huaixing stepped forward, bumped him away with his shoulder as he passed by, and said with a smile, "You're blocking the road, Mr. Hua Liu."

Ling An, who was at the back, was led by his mother-in-law to follow her. He looked up at the flower on Ling Cen's head and said, "I want it too."

Ling Cen happily picked the flowers and placed them on Dai Ling'an's head. He squatted down and carried him on his back, running with his legs on the corridor, "Let's go, carry Seventh Sister to the sedan chair."

"Sixth Young Master! Be careful! Slow down!" The old lady chased after him and was out of breath. Hearing the mother-in-law's shout, Ling Jing stopped, turned around and looked at Ling Cen, who was wearing a swallow in the corridor, and said loudly: "If you drop Xiao Qi today and break her face, watch your skin carefully."

As soon as he finished speaking, a concierge boy rushed to Ling Jing in a panic. He was so angry that he didn't dare to rest. He quickly replied in one breath: "Third girl, the official from the Yamen barged in and wanted to see the boss by name. girl."

Before the boy could even make a sound, the policemen and policemen had already opened the way into the third hall with knives.

"Who is Ling Qiong?" The leader, Dama Jindao, walked up to Ling Jing and glanced at the master of the Ling family who was surrounded by maids and women. He said arrogantly, "A nobleman from Kyoto is asking."

Ling Jing was neither humble nor arrogant, "The eldest sister went on a business trip and has not returned yet, and no letter has been sent back home. The daughter of the common people is worried that something happened to the eldest sister on the way, and she is planning to go to the government to report the case and find her."

The leader gave her a scornful look, obviously not believing it. He was very official and showed off his full aura, and he was too lazy to pretend to be false. He raised his hand and clasped it down, "Search for me."

The servants filed in holding the hilts of their knives.

Upstairs and downstairs, in the front yard and back yard, I searched through boxes and cabinets, and my home, which was neat and happy just now, suddenly turned into a mess.

The maids screamed in surprise, the government servants yelled rudely, vases and porcelain were shattered on the floor, tables, chairs and benches made a clanging sound and were all knocked upside down.

Even An Yushi's window lattice and door leaf were not spared. They were either hanging precariously on the frame, or they were kicked by the government officials until the door and wall fell to the ground.

What should be destroyed and what should not be destroyed are completely ruined. It is like being a petty official and entering a private house without making some big noise and making the people frightened. It is difficult to show their official power.

"I searched carefully several times, but couldn't find it."

The leader furrowed his brows after listening to his subordinates' replies, and then looked them over again. The servants shrank into a ball in fear, but the few young masters remained calm and calm.

He asked Ling Jing not very cheerfully: "Are you the only ones in the family?"

"Yes."

"You, take a walk." The leader raised his chin at Ling Jing, turned around and walked out with the knife in hand, "Take it away."

The two detectives immediately stepped forward and grabbed Ling Jing's shoulders, pressed her down hard, and pushed her forward. Ling Jing was tripped several times and almost rolled to the ground.

Seeing this, Ling Dang couldn't help but take a step forward. He immediately flashed a long white-edged sword in front of him. The officer yelled: "Get back!"

Ling Huai quickly pulled her back with quick eyes and hands, held her in his arms and comforted her: "Don't worry, Third Sister will be fine."

Ling Cen, who had always been noisy, stayed true to his duties at critical moments. He placed Ling An in front of him, clasped his hands in front of Ling An's neck, and moved closer to him to prevent him from moving around and hitting the blades of the government officials surrounding them.

The yamen servant walked across the hall and courtyard, like a long snake winding out of the gate.

Ling Cen pulled Ling An forward and said, "Fifth brother, fourth sister."

The servants gathered around them one by one, talking and making a lot of noise.

Ling Huai's eyebrows sharpened, his anger dropped to his dantian, and he shouted coldly, "Quiet!"

The sound is like a chime, floating in the corridor eaves, clearly reaching the ears.

Ling Huai's jade face is as beautiful as snow, and his voice is three feet colder than ice. "With the third sister gone, there will be no master and no rules in this family? How could I ever allow you to be so presumptuous?!"

The three hall courtyards were as silent as cicadas for an instant.

"Mr. Chuuai."

"I'm here." The confidant who always followed Ling Jing's side bowed and nodded.

"Take the maids to tidy up the house, especially the girls' boudoirs. Check the gold and silver jewelry according to the book. If it is damaged or lost, check and register them one by one, and then hand them over to me for review."

Ling Huai arranged the household affairs in an orderly manner and carried out cleaning and inventory according to their respective duties.

"Throw away desks, chairs, stools, door and window cabinets, dishes, tea cups and other consumable household items when they are broken. Urgently needed utensils need to be registered and handed over to the general manager for purchase." Ling Huai looked at the boy who was bending down and looking down, " The concierge is responsible for guarding, and no matter who he is, he must hold the foyer sign before he can enter or leave."

Ling Huai stood in front of the steps under the eaves and said loudly: "From now on, we will thank guests behind closed doors and implement door restrictions. No drinking, no making noise, no gathering in groups to spread gossip, and those who go out are not allowed to talk to each other. If you violate the rules, your monthly payment will be halved. A hundred sticks can pull out tongues."

All the servants of the Ling family were standing in the courtyard, with their upper bodies bent and their foreheads exposed. Ling Huai glanced at them casually, and suddenly with a sarcastic look on his face, he wrote lightly: "And if you don't believe it, you can give it a try. It will serve as a warning to the monkeys." I am convinced. Let’s all be gone.”

The servants dispersed in a busy and orderly manner.

Ling Cen asked: "Then what should we do?"

Ling Huai said: "Speak less and watch more. Wait."

After this incident, Ling Dang vaguely knew where Ling Qiong was now, what she was doing, and why Ling Jing was taken away.

She looked at Ling Huai, who happened to turn to look at her. He nodded imperceptibly, confirming her suspicion.

After getting the answer, Ling Dang was still worried. The snow on the tiles would not melt, and this winter was even colder than previous years.

"Oops!" Ling Cen was startled, "I have to go back to the courtyard first to see how Li Guanqi is doing, and my Gu!"

He handed Ling An into Ling Dang's hands and ran away.

Ling Huai led Ling Dang towards the main hall, "It's cold, go back to the house first."

A piece of snow fell from the eaves tiles and clattered onto the stone steps of the courtyard. A pair of exquisitely crafted velvet embroidered shoes stumbled on them, leaving a delicate shoe mark.

Ling Jing was escorted into an open hall separated by a landscape screen. A row of long scrolls hung on the door in front of the screen, protecting the room. The leader of the yamen pressed her shoulders and forced her to kneel down.

"Replying to your lord, we have been brought here."

"Is this Ling Qiong? The big shopkeeper of Lingyun Chamber of Commerce." A male voice came from behind the scroll. Listening to his voice, it was estimated that this person was over thirty years old.

But this voice sounded familiar to Ling Jing's ears.

Xia Yun.

Lin Yiheng, the current prince's confidant and adviser, is a regular servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and also serves as a lieutenant general.

Since Xia Yun is here, Prince Lin Yiheng must also be there.

As for why the prince didn't show his face or make a sound, it was probably because he was still young, his voice and appearance were still immature, and his green face couldn't stand up to an old man who worked outside Kyoto.

Besides, he was still patrolling privately incognito.

Not to mention that this trip was specifically to investigate corruption and bribery, so how many people's interests would be involved. It would be easier to conduct a secret investigation and pick weak targets than to offend a wealthy family in a big way.

Unfortunately, the Ling family is the weakling who made a fortune as a refugee from scratch.

(End of this chapter)