Aspirations

Chapter 83 Taiyuan Wang Clan
"Could it be that after meeting Liu Xie and the two for a long time, Brother Li only knew that the two were distinguished and had a lot of history, but he didn't know that the two were really the most wealthy and wealthy?" Xia Xiang remembered what Li Heng said just now. It was the first time he saw Liu Xie and Li Heng. Li Heng only heard their names for the first time, and it took two years for him to know their wealthy status and business. , I couldn't help being stunned in my heart. If Liu Xie and the two were really the people of the third prince, they would hide it so deeply that they could make the officials of Zhending Palace know nothing, which is really amazing.

"That's right." Li Heng nodded again and again, "After the banquet, although the names of Liu Xie and the two were circulated among the dignitaries, no one knew who Liu Xie and the two were, only that Liu Changting lived in In a very inconspicuous house in the west of the city on the Hutuo River, the yard is not big and luxurious, and it is no different from ordinary houses. Xie Huagai lives in the north of the city, which is also an ordinary house. The two live in seclusion, even if they go out. It is also a light car and a simple follower. Usually, I rarely communicate with the powerful, so long after the banquet, no one knows why Liu Xie and the two were greeted by Cui Fuzun. I don't know if it's fake or not, he kept saying that he had only met Liu Xie and the two of them a few times, and he didn't know why they were so highly respected by the Cui Fu, and he didn't dare to ask more."

"Two years later, I was drinking with Xu Heguang once. After Xu Heguang got drunk and said a lot of nonsense, he suddenly mentioned Liu Xie and the two. He pretended to be mysterious and said that he also just knew that Liu Xie and the two were businessmen. He couldn't tell how rich he was. Anyway, Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan together are not as good as one Liu Changting. And Xu Wangshan, Ma Qingyuan and Liu Changting together are not as good as one Xie Huagai. Later, someone wanted to ask It's clear, but Xu Heguang didn't want to talk about it anyway, he just said that he only knew this."

Li Heng smiled meaningfully: "I originally thought that Xu Heguang was selling out, but I didn't know until yesterday that Xu Heguang really didn't know the origins and identities of Liu Xie and the two. It was also a coincidence. When sentencing Zheng Hao to eat, he accidentally mentioned Liu Xie, and Zheng Hao not only knew the two, but also revealed their true identities."

"Zheng Hao?" Xia Xiang was pleasantly surprised, "Zheng Hao, a new jinshi?"

"It's this person. I almost forgot that he and Brother Xia are Jinshi in the same department. Could it be that Brother Xia knows Zheng Hao?" Li Heng's eyes were a little blurry, obviously he was incapable of drinking.

"There was a relationship once." Xia Xiang smiled slightly, Li Heng was warm and hospitable, and regardless of his relationship with Lian Ruohan, he just said that he was a good person, but one thing was that he was too good at drinking and drinking Not big, "When I left Beijing, he came to see him off. I wanted to invite him to come to Zhending with him. He has something to do in the capital for a few more days. I don't want to have come to Zhending, but it's very fast."

In fact, Xia Xiang also knew in his heart that it wasn't Zheng Hao's speed, but that he and Lian Ruohan were driving along the carriage, stopping and going, delaying time.

Li Heng nodded and continued: "Zheng Hao said that Liu Changting's real name was Wang Changting, and he was a member of the Wang family in Taiyuan. He changed his surname to Liu and lived in seclusion in Zhending City, engaged in the business of medicinal materials."

Liu Changting was originally Wang Changting, after the Taiyuan royal family.From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, the Taiyuan Wang family was very prominent, and it was listed as a high-ranking family with five surnames and seven clans together with the Longxi Li clan, the Zhaojun Li clan, the Qinghe Cui clan, the Boling Cui clan, the Fanyang Lu clan, and the Xingyang Zheng clan.The surname Wang derives from the title, which means "the descendant of the emperor" or "the queen of the royal family", which is very noble.It's just that although the surname Wang and the other four great families are listed as the high sect of five surnames and seven clans, the inheritance time is very short, and it was destroyed in only three hundred years.

Xia Xiang's heart moved: "Change Wang to Liu, and Liu Xie are side by side, which makes people suspicious. If Wang Xie is side by side, I'm afraid it will remind people of the emotion of 'in the old days Wang Xie Tang Qianyan flew into the homes of ordinary people'."

"Brother Xia said it." Li Heng laughed, "Li is not talented. Although his surname is Li, he is only a side branch of the Li family in Longxi. As a member of the Wang family, Liu Changting does not take Wang's surname as his surname. I am not reconciled to the decline of the surname Wang. When the surnames Wang and Xie were prominent, the four great families of Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Li were unparalleled in strength. When the surnames Wang and Xie fell, the four great families were still high. Daxia established a country. Since then, although Taizu has deliberately suppressed the expansion of the four great families, pushed the imperial examinations, and made countless ordinary people enter the court and become powerful and powerful, although the four great families have been hit a lot, they are still a hundred-footed worms. In their respective spheres of influence, the richest one. Today, compared with the four major families, the Wang Xie family has almost disappeared."

"So, Xie Huagai is the queen of the Xie family?" Xia Xiang agreed with Li Heng's statement that the Wang Xie family was as famous as the four great families in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but declined rapidly in the early Tang Dynasty. No such powerful figures have appeared. It can be said that the Wang Xie family has been submerged in the long river of history.

"Yes, Xie Huagai is from the Xie family." Li Heng took another drink to himself, "Compared with Liu Changting's business of medicinal materials, Xie Huagai's business is scary."

Lian Ruohan has been brooding with her cheeks up, suddenly her eyes lit up, she thought of something, and said, "The medicinal herb business is indeed very profitable, Liu Changting lives in a secluded place in Zhending and rarely travels far, but he is able to make a lot more than Xu Wangshan and Ma Qingyuan together. He also needs a big business. It can be seen that there are people running for him outside, and it can also be seen that there are people behind him. He is just a puppet. Xie Huagai's financial resources are the sum of Xu Wangshan, Ma Qingyuan and Liu Changting. Xu Wangshan is like a mountain of gold and silver. Ma Qingyuan’s fertile fields are full of fertile fields, and Liu Changting is as wealthy as the country, and a business that can make more money than the business of the three of them combined, unless…”

"Unless what?" Xia Xiang is not a businessman, and he knows only a little about doing business, far less proficient than Lian Ruohan.

"Unless it's for the imperial court, and it's still a major event, such as doing business in furs, horses, iron ore, and carriages..." Lian Ruohan's eyes flashed a stern look, "If that's the case, Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, It has a lot of history.”

Xia Xiang was also quite surprised: "Leather goods can make bows and arrows, iron ore can be used to make weapons, horses can train war horses, and carriages can be transformed into chariots... Is Xie Huagai really doing these businesses?"

Li Heng nodded and said, "Ms. Lian is really right. Xie Huagai is in the business of furs, horses and iron ore. Zheng Tongju didn't say whether there was a horse-drawn carriage business, and I didn't dare to ask any more."

Xia Xiang nodded thoughtfully, he didn't know much about Zheng Hao, and he didn't know Zheng Hao's person and origin.However, Zheng Hao told Li Heng the true identities of Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, and he was afraid that it was intentional.After thinking about it again, I was shocked. Liu Changting was in the business of medicinal materials. Medicinal materials can cure and save people, and they can also harm people. Of course, they can also be used in the military.Thinking of Xie Huagai's business again, what Liu Xie and the other did were suspicious and interesting.

Li Heng left, Xia Xiang was not sleepy, and even Ruohan had something to say, so the two went to the study and continued to drink tea.

"Little Lady Lian has Lu Zhiyue, a well-known family member, as a friend in Zhending, and Li Tuiguan of Zhending House as a help. This official is a small county honor, so I'm afraid she can't help Lian Xiaozi." Xia Xiang was deliberately angry, and wanted to know how many connections she really had.

Lian Ruohan just smiled faintly: "Xia Xianzun is joking, how dare a little girl ask Xia Xianzun to help? I just really admire Xia Xianzun's style."

Xia Xiang coughed, Lian Ruohan was not fooled, so he had to continue beating: "I don't know anything about this officer, I hope Lian Xiaozi will make it clear. Li Heng claims to be not a member of the Li family among the four great families, and Lu Zhiyue is obviously one of the four great families. The members of the Lu family in the aristocratic family. It really defines the place of the family. So far, there are the surnames Lu, Li and Zheng from the four major families. There is only one surname Cui. If it is Liu Changting and Xie Huagai, several great aristocratic families that have been passed down for thousands of years are about to gather together."

"Listen to the meaning of Xia Xianzun, Zheng Hao is a member of the Zheng family in Xingyang?" Lian Ruohan remained calm.

"Mostly." Xia Xiang actually didn't know whether Zheng Hao belonged to the Zheng family in Xingyang, but after listening to Li Heng's words, he could conclude that Zheng Hao was by no means from an ordinary family. Looking at the whole truth, almost no one knew about Liu Xie. Zheng Hao revealed the identity of the two in one sentence. If he was an ordinary person, who would believe him?
You know, even Ruohan doesn't know the identity of Liu Xie.

"No wonder the third prince asked Xia Xianzun to come to Zhending to take office." Lian Ruohan smiled, "It turns out that Zhending is so fun."

"Fun?" Xia Xiang laughed dumbly, it was definitely more dangerous than the Longtan Tiger Cave he imagined, and was about to say a few more words when suddenly Mantuo rushed in.

Although Mantuo was indifferent, he also knew the etiquette, but this time he didn't make a sound to the newspaper. He came in directly and came to Xia Xiang with a solemn expression and whispered a few words in Xia Xiang's ear.

"Really?" Xia Xiang was shocked and stood up immediately.

Mantra nodded.

"Go to the county government immediately, and arraign the Fu Ke overnight!" Xia Xiang turned around and left without saying a word, "Lian Xiaozi, this official has something important to do, I'm sorry."

Lian Ruohan got up and said, "I wonder if the little girl can listen to Xia County Zun's trial?"

Xia Xiang thought for a moment, then shook his head and rejected Lian Ruohan: "This case is a murder case, it's inconvenient for even the little lady to listen in..."

"Madam, Xia Xianzun is too ruthless and unjust. It's just a trivial matter of watching the case. He doesn't allow, hum, to waste the lady's care for him." Looking at the backs of Xia Xiang and Mantuo hurriedly leaving, Ling'er was so angry that her chest was heaving, her eyes were spitting fire, and she wished to burn Xia Xiang and Mantuo to ashes, "Don't let him live in idleness, anyway, he has always been wary of the lady."

Even Ruohan was also very angry, she thought that even if Xia Xiang didn't let her listen, she would at least refuse politely. I started to help you secretly from time to time, and when you came, I will take office and help you protect you everywhere, but you are so good, and you treat me like this. In the future, when I have the opportunity, I will definitely pay you back ten times a hundred times. I will make you bow your head in front of me. , Obediently admit defeat, and follow my orders."

When Linger started to listen, she waved her right hand as if she was the enemy of the same enemy. When she got to the back, she felt something was wrong. When Lian Ruohan finished speaking, her right hand was raised in the air and stood there blankly. He smiled: "The lady's words didn't seem to be angry with Xia Xianzun, but because Xia Xianzun didn't like the lady and didn't listen to the lady and was dissatisfied."

"Nonsense." Lian Ruohan gave Ling'er a guilty conscience, "How can I be dissatisfied with Xia County Zun? He is an official, I am a citizen. He is him, and I am me."

"Ma'am, don't blame Ling'er for being so talkative, I'm afraid that you have been with Xia Xianzun for a long time, and if you have feelings for Xia Xianzun, you will be in big trouble." Linger's mind is clear, how can she not see Lian Ruohan's love for Xia Xianzun Although Xiang was angry, he also had the demeanor of a long-term relationship with his son and daughter, and he couldn't help worrying, "Xia County can't be as high as a lady's daughter."

"If you talk nonsense again, be careful to punish you for returning to the county." Lian Ruohan's cheeks were slightly hot, her heart was pounding like a deer, and she forced herself to remain calm, "You must not talk about the body of a thousand gold in the future, only the princess is the body of a thousand gold, be careful to be heard by others. Go and punish you for a treason."

"Yes, Ling'er doesn't dare." Ling'er lowered her head in fear, but a sly and smug smile flashed in her eyes.

"Why does the lady want to audit the case of Fu Ke?" Ling'er knew that Lian Ruohan was quiet and not someone who was curious about everything, so why did she have to audit a case that had nothing to do with her?

"Xia Xianzun acted with foresight. The case of Fu Ke and Dong Xian seems to have nothing to do with Zhen Ding, but no one knows what happened behind it. He asked Mantuo and Xiao Wu to investigate secretly, and he must have discovered something. Lian Ruohan suddenly laughed again, "It's okay, he won't let me sit in, so I can wait for the news with peace of mind."

"Why didn't Xia Xianzi let Lady Lian listen in?" When approaching the county office, Mantuo, who was silent along the way, suddenly asked, "Miss Lian is sincere to Xia Xianzun."

"It's true, it's just..." Xia Xiang shook his head and wanted to say something but sighed, "If you don't mention her, try the case of Fu Ke first."

At the entrance of the county government office, lanterns hang high, and two government officials are watching the night.One of the two was named Tie Xiaoqi and the other was named Wan Daba. When they saw the Xia County Zun suddenly appeared, the two panicked and hurriedly greeted the Xia Xian Zun.Xia Xianzun kept his footsteps and hurriedly entered the gate.

The two of them wondered. Xia Xianzun entered through the gate of the county government late at night. Could it be that the Xianzun didn't live in the house of the county government?Think again, what urgent business is there late at night?
Not long after, the county commander Ma Zhanguo and Caitou Ding Ke also came with flying horses.The two had just helped Ma Zhanguo and Ding Ke tie up their horses when Xu Heguang's carriage arrived.

Zhending is a large county, and horses are not uncommon, and they are all big horses.

What happened, how did everyone startle?The two did not dare to ask if they wanted to, so they had to cheer up and never sleep again.

After a while, several arresting officers with chains all over their bodies, Fu Ke, appeared, and the two of them understood what was going on. It was Xia Xian Zun who wanted to examine Fu Ke at night.Thinking of this festival, the two suddenly shivered. It is said that when Bao Qingtian tried to judge the underworld during the day and the underworld at night, could it be that Xia Xianzun also had such a great ability?
When the two were wondering and astonished, they saw Xiao Wu also rushing over.Both Xiao Wu and Man Tuo were celebrities in front of Xia Xianzun, Tie Xiaoqi and Wan Daba knew it well, they exchanged a look, and rushed forward to meet them.

Tie Xiaoqi smiled vividly and kindly, and stepped forward to slap the dust on Xiao Wu's body: "Xiao Dutou, what's the big deal, why does Xia Xianzun want to judge people overnight?"

Xiao Wu walked fast with his head down, and was shocked when Tie Xiaoqi slapped the dust, he stopped, looked at Tie Xiaoqi vigilantly, and said, "Don't call me Dutou, call me Xiao Wu That's enough. Yes, Xia Xianzun wants to arraign the prisoner overnight."

Wan Daba rolled his eyes and asked, "Xia Xianzun has been exhausted by the traffic and horses all the way, why didn't he take a rest early, and the prisoner's trial tomorrow will not delay things."

"The trial at night has the benefits of trial at night." Xiao Wu looked around, except for the lantern at the entrance of the county government office, it was pitch black. In the depths of the darkness, there were shadows of trees shaking, which added a bit of eerie feeling. He scratched his head. Scratching his head, "At night, ghosts and ghosts are running around everywhere, and the judge and Lord Yan want to arrest them and bring them to justice. Xia Xianxun tried the case at night, and the bad guys were frightened."

Xiao Wu said casually, but he didn't expect Tie Xiaoqi and Wan Daba to really take it to heart.The two added their own judgments based on the legend of Bao Qingtian who judged people during the day and judged ghosts at night, and made up a ballad: "The day judges the yang and the night judges the yin, Xia Xianzun is a god."

What the two of them never thought was that a folk song they casually made up would spread all over the streets and alleys of Zhending in the future, and even spread to the capital.

This is a later story, let's not mention it for the time being, just say that Xia Xiang and Mantuo came to the hall, and just sat down, Ma Zhanguo and Ding Ke escorted Fu Ke to the hall.

Although Ma Zhanguo was puzzled, he did not dare to ask more.Fu Ke had just fallen asleep and was brought to the hall after being awakened. He was angry and wanted to say something stubbornly, but Ding Ke kicked him on the crook of his leg, where he could stand still, and fell to his knees with a plop. land.

Ding Ke can handle countless cases. Seeing that Xia Xianzun deliberately tried cases in the lobby, he understood a little in his heart. It must be Xia Xianzun's investigation. The lobby is the place where criminal cases are tried and can be sentenced to life and death.The case was tried in the second court before, but now it is transferred to the lobby, Xia Xianzun must have a plan.

Fu Ke refused to accept it and wanted to stand up, but suddenly there was a huge pain in his back, but he was hit again - it was Ma Zhanguo who slapped his back with a knife.

At this time, Xu Heguang also arrived in a hurry.

It is rare for Xu Heguang today to use the excuse that Xia Xianzun had just assumed office, to stay in the county government office under the guise of his wife Xu Wang's permission not to go home, so he happily came to Shi Ranran's house in the outer room.

Shi Ranran is a girl from the south of the Yangtze River, and has a gentleness that northern women do not have. Xu Heguang is very infatuated with this girl.However, Hedong Shi was not allowed to take concubines in his family, so he had to go through the secluded paths, secretly taking Shi Ranran as an outer room, and doing everything possible to find opportunities to meet her every month.

I didn't want to lie down today, and before I could wait for a moment, I was called up, saying that the county magistrate had something important to try overnight.If it wasn't for Ma Zhanguo asking his personal entourage, Gu Congzhong, to come to find him, if it was someone else, he would still not be able to find where he is.

Xu Heguang hurried to the county office while secretly complaining about Xia Xianzun's troubles.Along the way, he still couldn't understand why Xia Xianzun suddenly wanted to try the case in the middle of the night. Could there be some clues?
(End of this chapter)