Aspirations

Chapter 70
It was not until the carriage of Xia Xiang and Lian Ruohan disappeared at the end of the official road and could no longer be seen, Xiao Jia reluctantly retracted his gaze, turned around and said, "Sir, why don't you see Xia Xiang? Wen Changju is the third prince. I have restrained myself a little, and I am no longer single-mindedly struggling with Xia Xiang."

Behind Xiao Jia, Li Dingshan stood.Li Dingshan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Xia Xiang's disappearance of the official road, with a hint of melancholy.

"Jia'er, you're still thinking too much about the officialdom." Li Dingshan shook his head slightly, walked safely, turned around and left, "Although the third prince has damaged a Wenchangju, the foundation has not been shaken in the slightest, and Xia Xiang is really serious. The decision to take office is also the result of the intervention of the third prince. Xia Xiang blocked the way of the third prince, will the third prince let him go? Hehe, the third prince has never been a character who would admit defeat."

"How could Xia Xiang block the way of the third prince? He is just a county magistrate of the seventh grade." Xiao Jia followed Li Dingshan step by step, looking back from time to time, the mountains and waters were far away, the sky was high and the earth was wide, and Xia Xiang had already gone far.

"Let's not say that Xia Xiang used a trick to bring down Wen Changju. In the eyes of the three kings, although Wen Changju is of great use, he is not a great talent. It is only said that Xia Xiang borrowed the fraud case of Wenchang Examination to let King Qing and Jian Wang take advantage of the situation. But for, they joined forces to stand on the opposite side of the three kings, and this alone made the three kings very dissatisfied and would not tolerate Xia Xiang." Li Dingshan didn't know whether to be thankful for Xia Xiang's extraordinary wisdom or reluctant to let him go as soon as he shot. After stirring up the situation in all directions, he shook his head slightly and smiled helplessly, "In the past, the three princes were in power, and although King Jing, King Qing, and King Yun were dissatisfied, they didn't act. The key is important, and it can win the hearts of scholars, so King Jing asked King Jian to come forward, and King Qing also changed his previous ignorance of world affairs and made a bold move."

Xiao Jia nodded slightly, silently shocked.She considers herself to be above business, her mind is flexible and witty, and she is superior.It would be great if she was a man, she could study to gain fame and enter the officialdom, and she could also help Xia Xiang.

"Xia Xiang is so good at judging the situation and assessing the situation. If he stays in the capital, if he gets along with King Qing and King Jian, and is respected by King Jing again, there will be more variables in the event of the third prince." Li Dingshan is very clear that this time In the imperial examination, Xia Xiang finally won a big victory. Although he and Song Chaodu pushed the results behind the scenes, it was more about Xia Xiang's own strategizing. Without Xia Xiang's plan, nothing could be accomplished. The prince can think clearly, "What's more, with the help of Xia Xiang, Mr. Jin Jia cured the emperor's illness with the medicine bed and medicine chair, and the emperor recovered, and the third prince's succession to the throne will be a long way off. He doesn't hate Xia Xiang to death. "

"Your Majesty is healed?" Xiao Jia was delighted, "Your Majesty is flourishing in spring and autumn, and it may be unknown if there will be another dragon child. By then, not only the third prince, but all the ideas of princes' succession to the throne will be lost, don't they all? Blame Xia Xiang?"

"The emperor's illness is not completely cured, but it has improved a lot." Li Dingshan stood still, and put on a cool awning in his hand to look into the distance. The mountains in the distance are stacked, the woods nearby are lush, and between the near forest and the distant mountains, the red dust is rolling The place is going to Beijing, "Not necessarily. His Royal Highness King Jing has no hope of inheriting the throne, and seeing the king is even more hopeless. King Qing and King Yun are the three kings' rivals. However, the two are not sure of winning the third king, so the emperor is like a king. Being able to give birth to a dragon son and having someone to succeed to the throne is always better than the succession of the third prince."

"Yes, yes." Xiao Jia nodded again and again, trying to understand the link, "The emperor has a prince, the prince succeeds, and several princes can still sit on the throne of princes safely. If the third prince succeeds, several princes will succeed. The lord is afraid that he will not escape the scrutiny... But sir, I don't understand, since the emperor is in good condition, why did he not take power and let the third prince and Hou Pingpan control the government?"

"This is also what I am puzzled by. The Sacred Heart is unpredictable, and the power of heaven is impermanent." Li Dingshan frowned slightly and thought for a moment, "Hou Pingpan's new law won the emperor's heart, and the third prince's policy of governing the state was also deeply loved by the emperor. Approval. The two joined hands to control the government, which is also a situation caused by the emperor's acquiescence. If it is said that the emperor was blinded by the two before he fell ill, it would be excusable. After this illness, it should be seen that the two have wolf ambitions, why haven't the emperor been seen Action?"

A fast horse galloped, it was Xie Jianhua.

Xie Jianhua came to Li Dingshan, turned over and dismounted, and bowed his hands: "Sir, my lord, please return quickly."

"Is something wrong?" Li Dingshan noticed something unusual from Xie Jianhua's expression.

"I heard that the Ministry of Officials appointed Cao Yongguo as the Minister of Rites." Xie Jianhua didn't know what happened, but only vaguely heard King Jing and King Jian talking about it.

"Cao Yongguo?" Li Dingshan pondered for a while and understood a little, "Who proposed it?"

"I heard that it is the noble book of the Ministry of Rites." Mantuo went to Zhending with Xia Xiang to take office, Xie Jianhua was greatly relieved, "It was said that the noble book recommended Cao Yongguo to serve as the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Personnel also approved it and reported it to the office. , the emperor changed his post as the Minister of Rites."

In the blink of an eye, the car had been running for several days, and it was already hundreds of miles away from Beijing. Xia Xiang was drowsy in the car at this time, and Lian Ruohan didn't find it funny to see him dozing off. He wanted to use a feather to rub his nose. , I felt it was inappropriate, but I couldn't hold back my curiosity and fun. After several trials, I finally made up my mind. When I wanted to start, suddenly there was a neigh of horses outside the car, and the car suddenly stopped.

Xia Xiang woke up suddenly and opened the curtain: "What happened?"

Lian Ruohan almost broke out in a cold sweat, and patted her chest quietly, but luckily she was not found by Xia Xiang. She secretly hid her feathers and looked out: "What's wrong?"

A faint smile flashed in Xia Xiang's eyes, pretending not to see Lian Ruohan putting away his feathers, his eyes fell outside, and he was suddenly stunned - in the street outside, people were kneeling on the ground.

Xia Xiang got out of the car in a hurry, his feet just landed on the blue brick ground, Xiao Wu stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, it's fun to go to the city."

Shile is more than [-] miles away from Shangjing, and after passing Shile and heading south for several tens of miles, it is sure.Pei Shuozhang, Lezhi County of the city, has quite a literary talent in his articles, but it's a pity that his official voice is mediocre.

It was not Xia Xiang's carriage that the people knelt down to worship - although Xia Xiang's carriage was luxurious, it was obviously not an official carriage - the people knelt down and worshiped a blue official sedan chair.

"Pei Xianzun, you have to decide for the little people."

"Xianzun, the common people have been wronged."

"Xianzun Mingjian, Xiaomin did not kill, it was Dong Duan who framed Xiaomin."

"Xianzun, Yan Sun is bloody, and I, Dong Duan, have behaved upright and pure. I have been taught by sages and read the book of Confucius and Mencius. How could I have framed others? I don't want to be seen by my brother and the small people, in order to prevent the matter from being exposed, in order to block the public's mouth, the two conspired to murder my brother and Ma Xiaosan and his wife, and hope that the county will uphold justice for my brother and avenge the small people!"

Ma Xiaosan?Xia Xiang was startled, why did he seem to have heard this name before?He separated the crowd and took a closer look. Among the crowd, there were two corpses lying on the ground, a man and a woman, all around Pentecost.There were no obvious scars on their bodies, and their clothes were covered in mud.

Xia Xiang is the magistrate of Zhending County, a neighboring county, and the territory of Shile County. He has no responsibility or power to intervene. In order to avoid being impeached for crossing the line, the best way is to turn around and leave without asking. One more question.He saw at a glance that although the curtain of the official sedan was not opened, he could guess without thinking that the person sitting in the sedan was none other than Pei Shuozhang from Lezhi County.

It's just that Xia Xiang only glanced at the two people lying on the ground, and was immediately stunned on the spot - the two were none other than the wonton stall couple he met at the entrance of the Cao Mansion!

Ma Xiaosan had the friendship to send letters to him, and Xia Xiang was grateful to Ma Xiaosan and his wife. When he first arrived in the capital and was unaccompanied, Ma Xiaosan and his wife gave him family-like care. He never forgot where the couple went. Where, I didn't want to see the two of them again, and turned into two corpses.

In addition to being shocked, Xia Xiang couldn't help but feel a bit regretful and sad.

There were three people kneeling on the ground, two men and one woman.The man on the left has a handsome face, and is in his early twenties. His clothes are white washed, but clean and tidy. He kneels on the ground, his back is straight, and his attitude is neither humble nor arrogant.

There is a woman in the middle, with a beautiful face and quite a bit of beauty, but her chin is too pointed, too charming and not dignified.A pink dress, although valuable, looked cheap and gaudy on her body.Although he bowed his head in sincerity and fear, his eyes turned to and fro, scrutinizing everyone secretly.

The woman on the right is a man in his thirties, with a handsome appearance, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a square face like a knife, three parts handsome and seven parts mighty, with a generous and elegiac air.

Although the laws of Daxia are strict, officials are very sympathetic to the people, and they usually do not have to kneel when trying cases.Now several people knelt down on the street and carried out the body, obviously wanting to block the road and shout grievances.

Among the people watching, one was eating melons and said, "Well, I've been kneeling for a long time, and I haven't seen the county magistrate getting off the sedan chair. The county magistrate must not care about it."

"It's enough to eat your melon, do you want to talk more?" A woman next to me twisted the people who eat melons, "Pei Xianzun is the master of Qingtian, he has his own reason not to get off the sedan chair, and you are only worthy of eating melons. How can the ordinary people know that the county honorable is wise?"

"Madam, you don't know anything..." The melon eater smirked and wiped his mouth, "Pei Xianzun has been the county magistrate of Shile for three years, and this year is the year of the Ministry of Personnel Assessment, and suddenly there is a murder case. I am tired of dealing with the official voice carelessly, and I am afraid it will be difficult to take a step up."

"Guanren, do you think Dong Li and Yan Sun have an affair?" The woman also picked up a piece of watermelon and said while eating, squinting at Dong Li, who was kneeling between Dong Duan and Yan Sun, "Dong Li's appearance is also considered dignified, how can she have the temperament of sloppy Yanghua? Knowing people, knowing faces, but not hearts, Dong Xian is the same, but the family has a lot of wealth, but he died early, and he really doesn't enjoy his life."

The melon-eating man smiled with disdain on his face: "Do men and women have an affair? Bah, it's not enough to kill Dong Xian when a couple eats things inside and out, but also kills Ma Xiaosan Niu Er Niang, It's not an exaggeration to cut a thousand knives!"

"Why did Mr. Dong Li kill Dong Xian? Was it Dong Xian who committed suicide by jumping into a river? Official, isn't it a shame for you to say this?" , If a woman dislikes her husband, she can leave. Dong Li's dissatisfaction with Dong Xian, is it possible that she will die in the Dong family?"

The melon-eating man dodged the melon-eating woman's eagle-claw skills in a flash, and smiled contemptuously: "Who won't let her get away? Such a shrewd and flamboyant woman, it would be shameful to keep it, if it was me, I would have written it long ago. The book is divorced. Dong Xian is too soft-hearted, and he likes Dong Li so much that he is reluctant to divorce her. If he is too soft, he will end up being killed. It should not, it should not be. Dong Li and Yan Sun colluded Together, eat Dong Xian's and use Dong Xian's, and kill him in the end, not killing this pair of dogs and men is beyond heaven."

Xia Xiang was at a loss. The people who died on the ground were Ma Xiaosan and Niu Erniang. How could the melon-eating man and the melon-eating woman say Dong Xian?He couldn't hold back his doubts, and crossed his hands to the melon-eating man: "This brother knows Dong Xian and Dong Duan brothers? The person lying on the ground should not be Dong Xian himself... What happened? thing?"

The melon-eating man looked at Xia Xiang up and down, and seeing Xia Xiang dressed in ordinary clothes, he couldn't help but feel a little contempt, and grinned: "I hear your accent is a foreigner? You don't know, this Dong Xian is from the city. A wealthy businessman in Lecheng, his family is rich and the land is rich, but he has not read any books. He is a rich man. Later, he married a lady named Dong Li as his wife. Dong Li is not only literate, but also proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. It is said that Dong Xian spent eight lifetimes of good fortune before marrying a good lady."

The melon-eating man got excited, picked up another piece of watermelon, bit it down, and the juice splashed all over Xia Xiang's body.Xiao Wu could see clearly, and he took a step forward to push the melon-eating man away.

Xia Xiang shook his head and smiled, stopping Xiao Wu.Looking back, Lian Ruohan also came to the front, standing behind him, standing indifferently, ignoring everything in front of him.Mantuo rode on the horse, but did not dismount. After a few glances from a distance, he did not take a step forward, and he was not interested in the matter at all.

Maybe they are used to seeing injustice, Xia Xiang's heart moved slightly, Mantuo is indifferent by nature, children of the rivers and lakes, presumably are also familiar with life and death in the world, so it is not too much.Lian Ruohan was born in a wealthy and noble family and has never been bullied, humiliated or treated unfairly, and has no sympathy for the suffering of the people. Therefore, the last time Lv Dongdong threw himself into the river, her unusually calm handling was also a direct result of her perseverance. Performance.

The melon-eating man glared at Xiao Wu with slanted eyes, and then continued: "Dong Xian is a businessman, and a businessman is a businessman. He often goes out to do business, either going south to Quanzhou to buy goods, or north to Mobei to sell goods, there are seven Yue is not at home. Originally, Dong Li's family was still a good woman, and she kept herself at home. Later, after being introduced by Dong Li's family, Dong Xian reused Yan Sun, a childhood sweetheart of Dong Li's childhood friend, as the accountant, and there was a big problem... "

Not to mention, the melon-eating man has the potential to be a storyteller. Not only does he talk non-stop, but he also knows how to put it in and out. The melon-eating woman gives him a grin and angrily: "Dead ghost, you are playing again. Your mouth is too rude. Back then, when you proposed marriage at my house, you opened your mouth and didn't stop, and the whole family was stared at by you. My father fell in love with you at the time, and he insisted that I marry you... …”

The melon-eating man gave the melon-eating woman a tender and sweet look: "Ma'am, what kind of person is my king first? It's definitely not something in the pool. When the situation arises, it will turn into a dragon. It's just that the time has not come yet."

Xia Xiang chuckled: "Brother Wang, what's the big problem?"

Wang Xianke also realized that he was off topic, and he smiled: "It's a big problem, but it's actually a small problem. It's nothing more than the affair between men and women, and it's just a slap in the face. , the two childhood sweethearts have no guesses. They were originally a pair made in heaven in the eyes of outsiders. Mr. Zhang, he couldn't help but miss home, so he took his wife and daughter home to visit relatives, and he reunited with Dong Li's. However, Dong Li also married Dong Xian as his wife, and both of them felt that their fate was impermanent, and they had no fate. "

Xia Xiang nodded and said, "Since we have fate and no share, we should live in peace and abide by our duties, and we should not have any unreasonable thoughts."

"Yes, who said it wasn't?" Wang Xianke shook his head deeply, "Actually, Yan Sun has lost to Dong Li's family, but then again, Yan Sun did not abandon Dong Li's family. , the two have nothing to regret, but Dong Xian was too gullible with Dong Li's words, and led the wolf into the house, making Yan Sun the accountant. Yan Sun had an affair. Of course, neither of the parties would admit it, but Dong Duan was aware of it, but he also suffered from no evidence. Dong Duan told Dong Xian about this, but Dong Xian did not believe it. No, not long ago, Dong Xian just came back from Quanzhou, and he took in a couple. Well, they were also a poor couple. They went to Quanzhou to find their lost son, but they still didn't find their whereabouts. They were displaced and had nowhere to go. Bring the two back to take care of them..."

As Wang Xianke was talking, his eyes suddenly turned red: "Heaven is pitiful, Yan Sun, who has suffered thousands of swords, can kill Dong Xian, but even a pair of old people will not be spared.

(End of this chapter)