Ming Dynasty 1566

Chapter 113

Everyone was silent again.

King Yu seemed to have made his final decision: "I'll write a letter from Eunuch Lu and ask Feng Bao to send it. Whether he will help me or the Yan family and his son, it's up to God."

In a blink of an eye, it is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month again.Since Jiajing moved to Xiyuan, every year from the first day to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, he has to retreat and practice.In the 40th year of Jiajing, after killing Zhou Yunyi, the supervisor of Qin Tianjian, he retreated for half a month from the first day of the first lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, praying for the heavy snow.This year, except for the altar Luotian Dajiao that was set up on the first day of junior high school, it was only in the second year of junior high school that he started to retreat.It's time for him to leave the customs today.

Just as Yan Song expected, in previous years, Lu Fang served him in the abode on single days, and Chen Hong served him in the abode on double days.This year, due to the omission of worship on the first day of junior high school, Lu Fang was on duty on the second day of junior high school, Chen Hong was on duty on the third day of junior high school, and Chen Hong was on duty again on the fifteenth day of junior high school.This day is the most important day.After leaving the customs, Jiajing's first decree became the key to the fate of countless people.

Chen Hong stood outside the pair of doors of the abbot, looking extremely nervous and excited.In front of him was an open flame of sandalwood in a copper tripod, on which sat a huge copper kettle.As long as the copper chime sounded inside, he would carry hot water to warm the hands and feet of Long Live God and iron his face.

With a sound of "珰", the copper chime rang!

Chen Hong was shocked, and quickly picked up the copper pot. Feeling a little flustered, he stood at the door and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he congratulated loudly: "My slave wishes the master long live Close!" Zhu Ba, lightly pushed open the door, and walked in with the copper pot.

The hot water in the copper pot was poured into the golden basin on the shelf. Chen Hong was older than Lu Fang, so he seemed to be more agile in doing these tasks.He picked up a pure white Songjiang cotton face towel, spread it out and soaked it in hot water, lifted it up and twisted it lightly until the water in the face towel was just enough not to drip, and walked quickly towards Jiajing who was on the futon with both hands in his hands. , unfolded the face towel and wrapped Jiajing's hands like dry sticks, holding them half loosely and half tightly, which are called warm hands.In this way, Chen Hong ran back and forth, using a total of seven facecloths to hold Jiajing's fingers for fourteen days, and finally the hands became soft and warm.

He picked up the water from the copper pot and poured it into another golden basin, took another larger piece of pure white Songjiang cotton cloth face towel, dipped it in the water, twisted it lightly, walked up to Jiajing and held it in front of Jiajing.

Jiajing took the face towel, spread it out, and covered his face.This name is called open face.

After a while, Jiajing handed him the face towel.Chen Hong took it and put it back into the golden basin.Pour the remaining hot water in the copper pot into a silver basin and bring it to the ground in front of Jiajing's futon, then take off his socks for him, and put his feet into the hot water.

"On the first day of the first lunar month, do you have an explanation for the fact that so many people refused to congratulate me?" Jiajing's feet were soaked in hot water, and his golden mouth opened.

"Yes." Chen Hong took out a strip about two fingers wide from his sleeve, and offered it up.

"Whose note?" Jiajing held the note in his hand and asked Chen Hong first.

Chen Hong lowered his head: "Return to the master, Long Live Lord, Yan Ge old Yan Song's performance."

Jiajing took another deep look at him, and hastily opened the folded note to read it.

Standing there, Chen Hong's skeleton began to tighten.

Sure enough, Jiajing slammed the strip on the ground: "Wow! You're bullying the sky!"

Chen Hong fell to his knees: "Master Long Live, please don't get angry and hurt the immortal body."

Jiajing stared at him closely: "What time is it?"

Chen Hong: "Master Long Live, now Shen Shi is not here."

Jiajing: "It's only three hours before the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. Go, gather the people who are appointed to the punishment department and the governor, and divide them into three groups. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, arrest them immediately!"

"Yes!" Chen Hong's answer trembled a little, and then he asked tentatively, "Who are you going to take, Master Long Live?"

Jiajing's eyes flashed: "We'll talk about it later."

Chen Hong: "Yes. The slave will play the master Long Live again. Should the slave report this to Eunuch Lu?"

Jiajing was silent for a while, squinting at Chen Hong: "Should Lu Fang still know about this?"

"Yes!" Chen Hong answered Hong Liang well.Then he kowtowed, retreated to the door, turned around and strode out.

Jiajing looked at his back, which was full of energy, and the light in his eyes slowly faded away.

A Beijing proverb goes: "On the [-]th day of the first lunar month, snow lights up the lanterns, and on the [-]th day of the eighth month, clouds cover the moon."

Because the snow fell too much in the twelfth lunar month in the 40th year of Jiajing, except for two light snowfalls on the seventh and eighth day of the 41st year of Jiajing, it was rare that there was no snow until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.The clouds in the sky are also thinning, and the moon can still be seen from time to time.This makes the lamp markets in many places in the capital more prosperous than ever.Yandai Xiejie is one of the few side streets in Beijing. Not far from Shichahai is the most prosperous Lantern Market in Beijing. Although it is blocked by a corner and the lights cannot be seen here, you can see the brightly lit street when you look up. The sky, and colorful fireworks flying up into the sky.

At the time of Xupai, most people went to watch the lanterns. Only a few women, old people and children on the streets of Xiejie lit firecrackers, set off "fire" and "two kicks" in front of the doors with red lanterns hanging everywhere. .The "Fire" lit on the ground is emitting flames, and not far away, the sky is also falling colorfully, interspersed with a bang, "Er Kick" roared into the air on the street and made another sound, what a happy word Amazing!Both adults and children understand that if you have been crazy for one night, you will "take it easy" tomorrow.

Suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps. Before the adults and children setting off fireworks and firecrackers on the street could recover, they saw two teams of officers and soldiers appearing at the same time from the corners at both ends of the street.

"Go in! Everyone go into the house!"

"The government has official business! Everyone avoided it!"

After all, there was no holiday, and the team officers leading the troops at both ends were quite polite, just yelling loudly.

Those women and old people were so frightened that they hurriedly hugged and pulled their children into the door, and all the doors were closed.

The two teams of officers and soldiers blocked Yandai Xiejie with a few steps.Then a team officer led a group of soldiers to the gate of the house with the "high house" lantern hanging on the door and stood still.

Then, a group of officers and soldiers came rushing from the east protecting a sedan chair carrying eight carriages.

The sedan chair stopped at the gate of the Gaofu residence, and when the pole of the sedan chair tilted, it was Yan Shifan who came out!

Half an hour ago, he received a message from Chen Hong, knowing that he was about to arrest someone, just in case, he personally went out and brought the officers and soldiers of the Criminal Department to arrest Gao Hanwen and Yun Niang!
The team officer at the door immediately slammed on the door knocker: "Open the door! Open the door!"

At this time, Yun Niang was holding a bowl of Lantern Festival and had just walked to the door of the front hall, when she was suddenly stunned by the knocking of the door knocker.

Gao Hanwen was sitting by the desk in the front hall. Hearing the knock on the courtyard door, he slowly put down the book in his hand and looked out the door.After the setback in Zhejiang, he sat in the prison for several months. At this time, Gao Hanwen no longer had the youthful demeanor at that time. He had grown a lot of beards under his chin, and his eyes were a little darker. , a little more indifferently.

There was a yelling sound from outside: "Ministry of punishment and Dali Temple! There is a case to ask you, Mr. Gao, open the door quickly!" Then the door knocker slammed again.

"Here we come!" Yunniang tried her best to control the fear in her heart, she carried the bowl to the desk, and when she put it down, some soup still splashed out.

"Is the firewood and oil ready?" Gao Hanwen stood up slowly, looking deeply at Yunniang.

Yun Niang nodded.

Gao Hanwen: "I'll go see them, you wait for me in the backyard room."

Yun Niang grabbed his hand: "Mo Qing, I really shouldn't have come with you back then, I'm an ominous person..."

"What did you say!" Gao Hanwen's eyes were a little creepy.

Yun Niang lowered her head, tears filled her eyes.

Gao Hanwen looked away: "My great trouble is because of my body. Go and wait for me, don't light the fire before I come."

"I'll wait for you." Yunniang wiped her tears and looked deeply at Gao Hanwen, then turned and walked out of the front hall and back door.

At this moment, the gate of the front yard was knocked open with a bang!
A team officer led a group of soldiers to swarm in, and immediately spread out and stood around the courtyard.

Yan Shifan walked in and stopped in the courtyard. He saw that Gao Hanwen did not come out to greet him, but stood in the middle of the room in the front hall, looking at him from a distance.

Yan Shifan: "Everyone go out and lock the door."

"Yes!" The team officer waved his hand, led the group of soldiers out again, and closed the courtyard gate from the outside.

Only then did Yan Shifan slowly walk into the front hall, and stood in front of Gao Hanwen, his feet nailed to the brick floor like cast iron, motionless, just staring at him.

Gao Hanwen also looked at him quietly.

"Master Gao, how do you explain the words 'repay virtue with resentment'?" Yan Shifan asked suddenly.

"A gentleman has virtue, but a villain has no virtue." Gao Hanwen's answer was very short.

"You are a villain!" Yan Shifan roared, "I recommend you to be the magistrate of Hangzhou, a seven-rank inspector of the Imperial Academy, but you colluded with others to corrupt my strategy, so that the imperial court's policy of changing rice to sang country failed. You even colluded with those people years ago Someone secretly fiddled with a book of scriptures to deceive the emperor! Take my bowl and smash my pot! You still have the face to tell me that you are a gentleman!"

Gao Hanwen: "Master Yan, I, Gao Hanwen, am a Jinshi of the second list. I have served as the magistrate of Hangzhou and served in the Imperial Academy. What I eat is the salary of the imperial court, not the meals of your Yan family."

Yan Shifan never expected that this Gao Hanwen would be so powerful, and he was shaking with anger: "Fuck, two jinshi! A businessman's leftover geisha will be married into the family as a baby. You lost everything! Tell me, where is that geisha Shen Yishi now!"

Yan Shifan's words were like punching Gao Hanwen in the heart!
Gao Hanwen slowly closed his eyes, and a raging fire suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, like a raging fire burning in Shen Yishi's piano room!

Gao Hanwen opened his eyes immediately, and the flame disappeared.But at this moment, Gao Hanwen's face turned pale.

Yan Shifan thought that his move had hit a vital point in his heart, so he softened his tone: "I know I was wrong, but I will be able to turn around. I came here in person today, just because I recommended you at the beginning, and the emperor also took you for my sake. Released from the imperial prison. Tell me, did Shen Yishi give that geisha the scriptures of Zhenren Zhang? As long as you tell the truth, I will protect you if I don’t."

Gao Hanwen suppressed the breath in his heart, and said lightly: "I don't have any geisha here, only Gao's wife. As for the scriptures that Mr. Yan said, Gao doesn't know, and it has nothing to do with my wife. The real Zhang came to the world, The scriptures were entrusted to the concubine to present to the emperor, and all the ministers put up a congratulatory form. If Mr. Yan wants to say something else, he can ask King Yu and the concubine."

"Don't tell me about King Yu!" Yan Shifan roared again, "I tell you, King Yu and the princess were also deceived by you, and the crime of deceiving the king cannot be found on the prince and princess. You and the people behind you If we want to look at King Yu and Princess Wang, we will not dare to investigate, that would be wrong. The people from the Supervisor of Rituals who will be appointed to the Department of Criminal Affairs and the Department of Zhenfu have all waited. When they arrive, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng None of those people can escape!"

Gao Hanwen still said unhurriedly: "Master Yan forgot what day it is today."

"Aren't people arrested on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month?" Yan Shifan stared at Gao Hanwen again, "I even killed someone on the first day of the first lunar month. Come!"

A team officer ran in.

Yan Shifan: "Search! Find that woman for me!"

"Slow down." Before the team officer could respond, Gao Hanwen immediately stopped him.

Yan Shifan immediately raised his hand, stopped the team officer, and looked at Gao Hanwen: "Just figure it out, call that woman out, and make it clear, I can forgive you."

"My wife is in the main room in the backyard now, but she can't cry anymore." Gao Hanwen said calmly, "Because the room is full of firewood and oil. Lord Yan, your people are always Go, it will be a big fire immediately. It will be a pile of ashes in less than half an hour. She is dead, and I will go to the Metropolitan Procuratorate with you. I can also go to see the emperor with you. "

Now it was Yan Shifan's turn to turn pale, and he gritted his teeth for a long time: "Okay, you are ruthless!"

The team officer was also there in a daze, but he had to ask: "Mr. Xiaoge, do you still want to go to the backyard?"

Yan Shifan kicked over: "Are you going to set fire? Go to command the yamen, and send some water trucks right away!"

"Yes!" The team officer hurried out.

The sound of the order came from the front yard, and several officers and soldiers rushed to the gate of the front yard immediately.

Gao Hanwen sat down calmly on the chair.

Yan Shifan's face was full of viciousness, he sat down on the chair in front of the brazier, pulled out a folding fan from his sleeve, and slapped a few times towards the brazier, but the flame in the brazier was still not strong, Yan Shifan He simply threw the folding fan into the brazier, the fan ignited, he stretched out his hand, and it started to warm up.

(End of this chapter)