Great Qing Xiangguo

Chapter 46

Gao Shiqi was surprised: "What is he doing here so late?" He told Yu Ziyi to go out and hide quickly, and hurried to the gate to meet the guests.

Chen Tingjing had already got off the sedan chair and was waiting outside the door. Gao Shiqi scolded the porter a few words, and then said: "Oh, Mr. Chen, how dare you bother you to come down to the humble house? You can give me an order, and I will come to the door and wait for the order!"

Chen Tingjing smiled and said, "Shi Qi, you're welcome, I've been wanting to visit your house for a long time."

Gao Shiqi respectfully invited Chen Tingjing to have tea in the living room, while Liu Jing and Ma Ming stood outside the living room.Chen Tingjing took a sip of tea, and Gao Shiqi exchanged pleasantries: "I don't know if Mr. Chen came to the humble house, what can you tell me?"

Chen Tingjing smiled and said, "Why did you come to see me? I heard that Shiqi has collected many rare treasures, can you open my eyes?"

Gao Shiqi shook his head and said: "Master Chen really made a joke, where do I have any rare treasures? Okay, please go to the study."

The antique shelves in the study room are filled with antiques of various colors, and calligraphy and paintings are also inserted in the Jun porcelain vases on the desk.Gao Shiqi opened a wooden box, took out a scroll, and slowly unfolded it. It turned out to be the "Picture of Emperors of Past Dynasties" written by Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty.

Chen Tingjing turned on the lamp to look carefully, and was full of praise: "Shiqi, you still said that there are no rare treasures. There is no such a good thing in the palace!"

Gao Shiqi hurriedly said: "Don't dare to say that! I dedicated all my favorite things to the emperor, and the ones I kept for myself are all unattractive."

Chen Tingjing looked at Gao Shiqi, and suddenly said: "I want to see Jing Hao's "Kuang Lu Tu"!"

Gao Shiqi was startled, but immediately calmed down, and said with a smile: "Ting Jing has no memory, I dedicated "The Picture of Kuang Lu" to the emperor, and you are also present! The emperor even let you read it!"

Chen Tingjing shook his head, looked at Gao Shiqi with a smile, and didn't utter a word.Gao Shiqi's expression slowly changed, and he asked tentatively, "Ting Jing, maybe that "Picture of Kuang Lu" is a fake?"

Chen Tingjing didn't say much, just said: "You know better than me!"

Gao Shiqi still pretended to be confused: "If it is really a fake, I will lose face! The world says that I am an expert in appreciating antiques, but I was deceived by traitors!"

Chen Tingjing smiled and said in a low voice: "No one above can fool you, but you can fool the emperor!"

Gao Shiqi turned pale with shock, and said, "Huh? Master Chen, this is not for fun! It is a serious crime to deceive the emperor, and he will be beheaded!"

Chen Tingjing smiled coldly and said, "Shiqi also knows how to be afraid!"

Gao Shiqi was speechless for a while, and asked cautiously: "Master Chen has made it clear, what exactly do you want to do?"

Chen Tingjing didn't answer Gao Shiqi's question, but said: "The "Kuang Lu Tu" you gave to the emperor is only worth two taels of silver, while the real one in your hand cost 2000 taels of silver."

Gao Shiqi was resentful in his heart, but his face seemed to be fine, and he said with a smile: "Master Chen, have you been staring at me secretly?"

Chen Tingjing also smiled and said, "I didn't stare at you, it's fate. Fate always brings us together."

Gao Shiqi laughed and said: "Yes, fate! What a fate! Lord Chen, since you know everything, I might as well tell you. I have presented many treasures to the emperor, both real and fake. They are too valuable , I can't bear it. I, Gao, have been poor since I was a child, and I am afraid of being poor. It is not so easy to give away the money I get, even if he is the emperor."

Chen Tingjing and Gao Shiqi have been officials in the same dynasty for more than 20 years. He knew that he was not a good person, but he never thought that this person would be so bad and courageous.Chen Tingjing still had a smile on his face, and said, "Shiqi is really straightforward today!"

Gao Shiqi said: "Brother Ting Jing, it's not that I'm being straightforward, it's just that I'm sure of you. To tell you the truth, I know you dare not report this matter to the emperor."

Chen Tingjing looked away from Gao Shiqi's face, and asked with a smile, "How can you see that?"

Gao Shiqi calmly greeted Chen Tingjing to drink tea, and then said slowly: "Our emperor is a man of gods, both civil and military, and knows everything. If the emperor can't even distinguish fake paintings, he will What is a god? Brother Ting Jing, you are not going to tell the emperor that he is not a god, are you?"

Chen Tingjing sipped his tea slowly, and sighed: "People in the world say that the current emperor can only produce one in a thousand years, but I think you, Gao Shiqi, can only produce one in 3000 years."

Gao Shiqi cupped his hands and said, "It's a great honor to be praised!"

Chen Tingjing put down his teacup, looked at Gao Shiqi with a smile and said, "You are not afraid that if you miscalculate, I really reported to the emperor?"

Gao Shiqi shook his head vigorously, and said: "No, no, you won't. Mr. Chen is very experienced in his actions, and he will not lose the big because of small things. This is one of them; Your Majesty will not allow anyone to see through his incompetence, so Mr. Chen will Don’t dare to risk yourself, this is the second.”

Chen Tingjing laughed a few times, as if deeply moved, and said: "Shiqi, I admire you, you really counted me dead. But, let me tell you, I will not bring this matter to the emperor, not because I'm afraid, but it's not worth it."

Gao Shiqi asked, "How do you say it?"

Chen Tingjing breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "It's just a few fake calligraphy and paintings, and a few fake porcelain vases, which can neither mislead the country nor the monarch. I can't afford to mess around with these trivial matters and ruin the harmony between the monarch and his ministers."

Gao Shiqi beat Haha loudly again, and said: "Master Chen is loyal and patriotic, and Gao admires it! But it's the same anyway, I know you won't say it."

Chen Tingjing smiled, and said again: "If I don't say it now, it doesn't mean I won't say it forever. The world is changing and unpredictable!"

Gao Shiqi asked: "Master Chen always speaks straightforwardly, why is he so mysterious today? Is there something wrong?"

Chen Tingjing said, "Shiqi, I want to help you."

Gao Shiqi said: "Master Chen has always cared about me, Shiqi is very grateful. But I'm fine, it seems that I don't need your help?"

Chen Tingjing said: "You don't want me to help you?"

Gao Shiqi became a little anxious, and said, "Sir Chen, speak directly."

Chen Tingjing said: "Yu Ziyi, your fellow from Qiantang, he will spoil your affairs!"

Gao Shiqi pretended to be confused: "Yu Ziyi? Gao knows that there is such a person."

Chen Tingjing smiled and said: "Shiqi, you don't have to hide it, you and I know each other well. Then Yu Ziyi openly lobbied Tingtong to bribe you, he is harming you!"

Gao Shiqi knew that Chen Tingjing had seen through everything long ago, but he refused to admit it: "It turns out that Yu Ziyi was playing tricks in the middle?"

Chen Tingjing said: "If the matter is put on the table, you Gao Shiqi asked for bribes first, then refused bribes, pretended to be clean, and framed Zhongliang!"

Gao Shiqi pretended to be ashamed, and said: "Master Chen is serious! I was also kept in the dark! If that's the case, you can take the bank note back. Oh, I asked you to take the bank note back a long time ago."

Chen Tingjing smiled and said: "No, you still keep the banknote yourself. It's your own banknote anyway, so why bother? You just have to pay back the IOU issued by Tingtong. Tingtong has a salary, and my Chen family There is also a family of wealth, no shortage of money, and no need to borrow money from others."

Gao Shiqi said: "It turned out that Mr. Chen deliberately brought up "The Picture of Kuang Lu" to give me a bad reputation, and told me not to expose the matter of Tingtong's bribery to the emperor. It's not worth it. I didn't want to make trouble at the beginning. Big."

Chen Tingjing said: "No, don't turn things upside down. Tingtong didn't intend to offer bribes at all, someone forced him!"

Gao Shiqi nodded hurriedly and said, "All right, all right, I'll ask Yu Ziyi to pay back the IOU, and then return the bank note to Yu Ziyi!"

Chen Tingjing smiled and said, "I just need the IOU. Do you hold the banknote yourself or hand it over to Yu Ziyi? It's none of my business."

After Chen Tingjing said his goodbyes, Gao Shiqi followed the etiquette and sent them outside the gate.The two laughed and chatted for a moment, then parted ways, just like two best friends.Gao Shiqi watched Chen Tingjing's sedan chair walk into the darkness, his expression gradually turned into hatred.Back in the living room, Mrs. Gao greeted her: "Master, I'm listening next door, this Master Chen is quite powerful!"

Gao Shiqi said: "Hey! He's amazing, I'm even better than him! He Chen Tingjing is better than me in learning, has a higher literary name than me, and has a higher official position than me, but so what? I'm even more advanced than him in the South Study Room! I don't believe it Can't beat him!"

Mrs. Gao persuaded: "Master, don't get angry, think about the matter clearly first. Listen, Master Chen seems to be looking for trouble with Yu Ziyi, I'm afraid it's for you!"

Gao Shiqi said: "You think I'm a fool? Chen Tingjing only talks about Yu Ziyi, but he actually wants to punish me. He should investigate! I just want him to investigate!"

Gao Shiqi suddenly shouted loudly: "Come on!"

Gao Daman came in and asked, "What is the master's order?"

Gao Shiqi said, "Ask Yu Ziyi to come here."

Not long after, Yu Ziyi and Kuang Xiaomao came in.Gao Shiqi closed his eyes and said, "Ziyi, return Chen Tingtong's IOU overnight, and then do what needs to be done!"

Yu Ziyi nodded in agreement, and went out with Kuang Xiaomao.

Gao Shiqi went back to the study, still playing with his treasures.Mrs. Gao came over to have a look, seeing that the master had no intention of resting, she didn't dare to persuade him, so she quietly retreated.In the middle of the night, Gao Daman yawned and came to the study, saying that Kuang Xiaomao had come.Gao Shiqi looked very irritable, and said: "It's almost dawn, what is he doing here?"

Gao Daman said: "Kuang Xiaomao said that the master told him to answer overnight."

Gao Shiqi said: "When do I want him to answer something? This dog slave, let him in."

Kuang Xiaomao was led in by Gao Daman, and knelt down on the ground: "Return to Mr. Gao, the matter is settled."

Gao Shiqi was surprised: "What has been done?"

Kuang Xiaomao said: "The young one, according to Master Gao's order, killed Zhu Qi!"

Gao Shiqi was terrified, and burst into anger: "Ah! You are so bold! When did I let you kill people? Come on! Take the murderer Kuang Xiaomao to the police!"

Gao Daman ran out and yelled a few times, and after a while several servants rushed in, and tied up Kuang Xiaomao in two or three strokes.Kuang Xiaomao was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he yelled at Mr. Gao for a long time, saying, "Yu Ziyi said this is your order!"

Gao Shiqi was furious: "Bold! You kill someone and still dare to spit blood and falsely accuse me!"

Kuang Xiaomao knelt on the ground and begged bitterly: "Master Gao, I am loyal to you! Please forgive me!"

Gao Shiqi didn't even look at him, he just said: "You killed someone, how can I spare you?"

Kuang Xiaomao said: "It's Yu Ziyi who is harming me! If he didn't say it was your order and gave me the guts of a leopard, I wouldn't dare to kill anyone!"

Gao Shiqi turned his face and asked, "Really Yu Ziyi asked you to do it?"

Kuang Xiaomao nodded and burst into tears: "He said that this is what Mr. Gao meant."

Gao Shiqi told the left and right: "Let go of him first. You all go down, I want to find out!"

Gao Daman and his family all went out, Gao Shiqi walked back and forth for a long time, stopped and said: "I am really blind! I didn't expect Yu Ziyi to instigate you to kill people, and planted on me!"

Kuang Xiaomao was still tied up, unable to wipe away the tears on his face, his face was filthy, and said: "Master Gao, I have been tricked by Yu Ziyi, you must save me!"

Gao Shiqi looked up to the sky and sighed: "Human life is at stake, how can I save you? Do you want me to hide the case and not report it? I am an official of the imperial court!"

Kuang Xiaomao kowtowed vigorously, lost his hand to support him, and rolled on the ground three or two times: "Master Gao, you can save my life anyway, I am willing to be your cow and horse for this life!"

Gao Shiqi bowed and lifted Kuang Xiaomao up. He looked very compassionate and even shed tears: "Little Mao, Xiao Mao, what did I tell you? Just do your business well, why kill people?"

Kuang Xiaomao said: "Yu Ziyi said, Mr. Gao, you live in Zhu Qi's house, and Chen Tingjing wants to investigate. He said that as long as Zhu Qi is killed, everything will be settled."

Gao Shiqi snorted, and said, "Zhu Qi's complaint, what does it have to do with me? I bought this house from Yu Ziyi, and if I want to sue, I just sue Yu Ziyi. Kuang Xiaomao, you are so confused, you let Yu Ziyi What a joke! You have a murder case in his hands, and you have to obey him for the rest of your life!"

Kuang Xiaomao begged: "Master Gao, I am confused for a while, please help me!"

Gao Shiqi lamented, and said: "You don't use your brain! I am a scholar, a court official, and I serve the emperor every day. How could I ask you to kill people?"

Kuang Xiaomao regretted endlessly: "The little one doesn't have a brain!"

Gao Shiqi asked: "Let me ask you, how much is the business in Yu Ziyi's hand worth?"

Kuang Xiaomao said, "At least 30 taels."

Gao Shiqi said again: "I helped him with his business, and some gossip outside said that I got benefits from him. Have you heard how I split the bill with him?"

Kuang Xiaomao said, "I've never heard of it."

Gao Shiqi sneered, "You are his housekeeper, and you haven't heard a word of it?"

Kuang Xiaomao replied: "I dare not say it."

Gao Shiqi asked: "I ask you myself, but I dare not tell you?"

Kuang Xiaomao lowered his head and said, "I dare not say, I only know that Mr. Gao has nothing to do with Yu Ziyi's business."

Gao Shiqi nodded: "Okay. Kuang Xiaomao, I will save you. Get up."

Gao Shiqi personally untied Kuang Xiaomao and helped him up.But Kuang Xiaomao knelt down again, kowtowed for half a day, and said, "I thank Master Gao for his kindness in rebuilding."

Gao Shiqi asked: "How much money did Yu Ziyi give you?"

Kuang Xiaomao replied, "The monthly salary is five taels of silver."

Gao Shiqi said: "Yu Ziyi's family property of 30 taels is already yours!"

Kuang Xiaomao hastily cupped his hands and bowed his head: "I don't dare! Although Yu Ziyi said that he transferred the family property to my name, it is not mine!"

Gao Shiqi stared at Kuang Xiaomao: "Do you really want to die?"

Kuang Xiaomao knelt down again: "The little one was so frightened that he didn't understand Master Gao's meaning!"

Gao Shiqi lowered his voice and said, "Yu Ziyi's family property belongs to you, and Zhu Qi was killed by Yu Ziyi!"

Kuang Xiaomao couldn't help but groaned, and kowtowed: "Master Gao, from now on, this little head will be yours, Mr. Gao!"

Gao Shiqi said again: "For the 30 gold from now on, I will get eight and you will get two!"

Kuang Xiaomao's eyes lit up immediately: "Ah? Mr. Gao, you are my ancestor! Good! Let him argue with Yu Ziyi, let the government spank you, I will follow Mr. Gao's orders!"

Gao Shiqi burst into tears again: "Oh! Yu Ziyi has been with me for many years. Although I am an imperial official, I don't dislike his background and status. It can be said that I feel like a brother! I didn't expect that he would order you to kill someone for a business. You still want to frame me! I have a headache in my heart!"

Kuang Xiaomao also cried, and said, "Lord Gao, you have a bodhisattva's heart!"

(End of this chapter)