The river surrounds the city, the night is late, the city wall is towering, on the towering city wall, there is a little fire, the outline of the city extends in the rear, faintly, there is the bell of the ancient temple ringing.

There are only dim dark yellow lights in the courtyard, and next to the stone tables and stone benches are towering ancient trees, which shake gently when the night breeze caresses, and the air seems to be white mist. When the tree moved, he looked up to see that the shadows of the trees were building, obscuring half of the indifferent starlight, and in the early morning, which was as cool as water, the bluebird of memory returned.

He just sat there with his hands on his lap and thought about all sorts of things.

"Xianggong ......"

"Eat......"

“…… Trimmed the clothes......"

"The concubine wants to be a trickster......"

“…… How can they do such a business! ”

“…… After all, it's family. ”

In the air, there seemed to be a smell of burning small wooden buildings, and when it snowed, she walked in the snow, dragging her pot-bellied body back and forth...... "Xi'er...... The big boy ......"

Between him and Su Tan'er, he has experienced a lot of things, including the intrigue of the shopping mall, the joy when the situation is settled, and the struggle between life and death, but when he raised his head, the things he thought of were extremely trivial. Eating, mending clothes, her proud face, her angry face, her angry face, her joyful face, the way she held the child, the way she got up from the tub without anything, the way the two of them were alone...... trivial and trivial, and many things have been derived from this, but most of them have nothing to do with Tan'er. Those are all things that are close to him, or in the recent period of time in Beijing.

I'm going to focus on the north, and I'd like you to help with the south......

I trust you the most......

"Uncle...... Uncle......"

A soft voice sounded from behind, and when she turned her head, Juan'er stood timidly under the eaves.

Ning Yi looked at her for a moment, his face softened. Said: "...... Don't go to sleep yet. ”

"Uncle, you...... Don't worry about Miss, Miss knows how to water...... It doesn't have to be a problem...... It must be fine. ”

The air was still flowing in the night, but it was as if the people had suddenly disappeared. The illusion faded after a moment: "Hmm. Ning Yi responded.

"I'm not worried." "Not so worried," he said...... Wait for news. ”

Ning Yi couldn't see anything on his calm face, so that Juan'er didn't know what to say for a while. After a while, she said: "That, I wish Biao and my son ......."

She said something to Ning Yi, Ning Yi listened quietly, nodded to indicate that she knew, and soon after, Juan'er left from under the eaves, and only Ning Yi was left in the courtyard. He sat in front of the stone table, I don't know when. Suddenly, with a wave of his hands, two fists smashed on the stone table, and the stone table cracked into several pieces and rolled around, Ning Yi sat there, and then didn't move again.

In this misty night, there are different scenes inside and outside the Ning Mansion. As the master, Ning Yi sat in the courtyard, and no one dared to disturb him. The two courtyards next door, the candle shadow is shaking. There are many people who are talking about something in a depressed and intense way. Through the layers of high walls, looking from the street outside the Ning Mansion, this house is so quiet that it seems to have entered another world, and in some shadows and corners, there are three or three squatting catchers.

"How's it going?"

A figure hurried into a small house nearby. The lights were on in the room, and Tie Tianying was holding the giant sword, closing his eyes to recuperate, but when the other party approached, he had already opened his eyes. It was one of the seven chief arresters of the Criminal Department. Yoo Kyung-hwa, who is in charge of Gyeonggi in one place.

"There has been no movement. How many people did you bring in? "Iron Sky Eagle Road.

"I have more than 20 people under my command, in addition, the Kaifeng Mansion, the City Patrol Division and other places have been ready to greet them, if necessary, within two hours, more than 500 people can be mobilized......"

"What's the use of that?"

"If it's really useless, you and I will simply turn around and run. The City Patrol Division and the Kaifeng Mansion are useless, so they can only alarm the Taiwei Mansion and the Military Department...... It's really that big, does he want to rebel? That's not all. ”

"Naturally, things won't come to that extent, but I'm not sure what this person thinks. I'm afraid that he doesn't care about it and wants to take revenge. ”

Liu Qinghe pushed open the window and looked out: "The wife is like clothes, the demon in his heart is really attacking, and his methods are vicious and vicious, and I have seen it." But the family is big, and he won't be so reckless, this is a person who does big things. ”

"What I'm afraid of is not that he provokes him, but that he wants to find you and me, and find Zong Feixiao for revenge. Now although the Right Prime Minister's Mansion has fallen, he is left and right, the Taishi Mansion, the Guangyang County Palace, and even the Lord Wang have all wanted to win him over, and even heard that the current saints know his name. Now that his wife has an accident, he wants to vent, if it stops, you and I may not be able to bear it. You also said that this person is ruthless, and even if he will not launch it openly, he will not be able to prevent it. ”

"His wife may not be dead, she is still looking for it." Liu Qinghe said, "If he is really dead, I will take three steps back from him." ”

"What I'm afraid of is that even if he doesn't die, he will take revenge." Iron Skyhawk closed his eyes and continued to recuperate, "You didn't see him when he went crazy. ”

"I've seen it in Kyori too."

Liu Qinghe looked out and replied casually, when the Seven Buddhas of Fang were escorted to Beijing, the three chief arresters of the Criminal Department were involved, namely Tie Tianying, Zong Feixiao and Fan Chong, who arrived later, but Liu Qinghe had also seen Ning Yi's methods to deal with those martial arts people in the capital, so he said so.

Then, it was quiet here.

Inside the Ning Mansion, which was quiet in the night through several high walls, the discussion of a group of people came to an end for the time being, and the people brought some food up, and someone took pastries and meals to satisfy their hunger - this is the benefit they can have at any time in Zhuji - a figure went to the small courtyard where Ning Yi was, it was Zhu Biao.

He stopped under the eaves, looked at the figure sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, opened his mouth and said a few words, but the other party did not react, he raised his head and said a few words. The figure on the stone bench turned around, looked at him coldly, and said a few words to him, as if to reprimand.

The cold wind of the night swept away the words in the darkness. In the capital, nearly a million people gather, live, come and go, buy and sell, socialize, love, and all kinds of ** and thoughts are intertwined with light or dark. On this night, there was a small area of tension in various parts of the capital, but it was not related to the overall situation of the capital's safety, when such a towering tree as the right minister collapsed. Small-scale friction, small-scale vigilance can occur at any moment. There are courtiers and eunuchs below the emperor, and there are staff and managers below the courtiers, and then there are all kinds of idlers who do things, there are heads of the criminal department and the yamen, and there are black and white people. The words of the master made thousands of people at the bottom nervous, but it still couldn't talk about big things.

There was a slight white mist on the horizon, and when the fish belly white appeared in the eastern sky, the city seemed more and more peaceful and quiet, Tie Tianying opened his eyes, and looked at the Ningfu mansion that was not moving, and there were not even many people entering and leaving, his eyes were serious, and many people breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll have to keep an eye on it today." Side. Liu Qinghe said.

Iron Aquila nodded.

Nothing happened. On this morning, Tie Tianying got the news of Ning Mansion through his connections, and he only said that the owner of Ning Mansion had not slept all night, but was just sitting in the courtyard, or walking around, as if thinking about his wife. But other than that, there was no big movement.

The day is April 26.

In the evening. Ning Yi's car came out of the back door, and Liu Qinghe and Tie Tianying rushed over. Stopping the car, Ning Yi lifted the curtain and threw his hand at them.

"Mr. Liu, Mr. Tie, is there something wrong?" He didn't have much smile on his face, and he was a little tired. But as if showing kindness, Tie Tianying looked at him with serious eyes, as if trying to read his thoughts from the other party's face. Liu Qinghe arched his hand: "It's nothing, it's just that after the Jurchens go, Jingzhong is not very peaceful." I happened to meet it, I want to ask Mr. Ning where he is going? ”

"The prison of the criminal department, see the right minister, is it okay?"

"Oh, of course you can, Mr. Ning, please."

Liu Qinghe smiled kindly and raised his hand.

*****************

Waking up from his drowsy sleep, Qin Siyuan smelled the smell of medicine.

The sound of decoction sounded in the cell, and the old man opened his eyes, and Ning Yi was sitting not far away. Compared with the prisons in other places, the prisons of the Criminal Department are mostly occupied by convicted officials, and the environment is much better than that of ordinary prisons, but Ning Yi must have spent a lot of thought to be able to send all kinds of things in.

He took a small fan and fanned it by the fire, and through the small window, it was the last rays of the evening when the sun fell.

"Liheng is here."

"Say you're sick, come and see."

"It's a lot of work to be able to bring in all the stoves, right?"

"If the relationship is enough, the carriage can drive in, and if the relationship is not enough, there may not be anything here. You're like this, you have the right not to use it, and it's invalid when it expires. ”

"Huh." The old man laughed, and there was silence in the cell for a moment, "I heard about what happened to you over there. ”

Ning Yi, who was sitting there, nodded: "Yes, Tan'er fell into the river." ”

"Since the news has not yet been confirmed, you don't have to worry too much, if you don't find anyone, there will be a turnaround."

"That's a tough woman, don't worry. Otherwise, if I insisted on going north, they would have to worry about death. Ning Yi smiled.

The old man also smiled: "Liheng empathizes, and he starts to feel guilty in his heart, right?" ”

"A little." Ning Yi nodded, "But the world is like this, when one party goes out, the other party always has to worry......" He paused, and then said: "I thought back to a lot of things last night, most of them were Tan'er's, and there were also days when I was in Jiangning and ran and played chess every day. Old man, if you hadn't come up and I hadn't come up, wouldn't you have to worry about coming? ”

The old man, who had sat up on the edge of the bed, smiled, his eyes were complicated and kind. Ning Yi's question doesn't need to be answered, they are all strong people, so this can only be regarded as a sigh, not a question.

"What are you going to do next?"

"There are some things to adjust, and it's not easy for me to go."

"Kang Hyun still has some skills."

"Master Cai, Lord Tong...... There are other people like this, I wanted to go left and right, and finally get out and hug the thighs of the princess's mansion, but things are getting more and more complicated......"

"Liheng, you already expected it, didn't you?"

"I expected that there was always a way to break the situation, but it was really getting harder and harder." Ning Yi tilted his head, "Even the one in the palace, he knows my name...... Of course I have to thank him, a few days ago, someone reported the bamboo record and my name, and the one in the palace told others that there is a problem with the right phase, but you should not climb too widely, this Ning Yi Ning Liheng. There is a great merit in Xia Village, you investigate the case, don't beat everyone at once...... Well, he knows me. ”

"Jane is in the emperor's heart, where ......" Qin Siyuan's eyes were complicated, looking at Ning Yi, but there was no joy.

Ning Yi smiled: "What do you think...... What the hell did that guy think? ”

Qin Siyuan shook his head: "...... Don't speculate. ”

The young man by the fire laughed again. This smile is much more meaningful.

In the sound of puff, After a while, Qin Siyuan said, "Then you don't plan to leave?" ”

"In about ten days, your case should be decided."

"yes." The old man sighed, "It's no fun to drag it out any longer." ”

"I stay in the capital, and there are at least some things that can be done." Ning Yi thought for a moment, "After you leave." I'll help you pass on the book, and that's what I promised, and that's all I promised. ”

"Yes, from this one, the old man can also look at ......"

"It's just three thousand miles, go south, the south is a little hotter, and the fruit is good. As long as you pay more attention, eat 300 lychees a day. I can't live a long life. I'll escort you there. ”

The cell was quiet again.

After a while, I only heard Ning Yi say: "Old Qin, looking back, you have tried your best all the way here, but it has always had no effect. Blackwater Alliance, you're on your back. Hopefully, the rest of the people could cheer up, they didn't. After you recovered, you worried about the Northern Expedition, and you did the opposite, offended so many people, and sent the soldiers to the north. But they can't fight, the first battle of Bianliang and the first battle of Taiyuan, always desperately trying to struggle out of a road, finally there is such a road, no one goes. Everything you do ends up going to zero, and people are beaten with stones and people are splashed with dung. What does it feel like in your heart? ”

The gray-haired old man sat there and thought for a while.

"Old man...... It hurts. His words were low, but his eyes were calm, and he only stated in a low voice, "For what may happen to them in the future...... The heart is like a knife. ”

His answer was sincere, without the slightest hint of sarcasm, and Ning Yi nodded. Not long after, the medicine was cured, Ning Yi poured it into the bowl, and the old man suddenly asked, "What about Liheng?" ”

"Huh?"

"Liheng...... And what does it feel like? ”

The eyes of the two looked at each other, some inquiring, and some calm.

"A man earns his life." Ning Yi paused, "I'll leave the book for you." ”

He cooled the medicine bowl and handed it to Qin Siyuan, and the food box was also placed on the side. The two chatted for a while, and soon, Ning Yi said goodbye and left.

The sunset has long since dissipated, and the city is full of splendor and crowds.

***************

There are unknown lines that rise from different places and extend in different directions.

Some orders are given within the bamboo mark and are only digested internally. Near Bozhou, whether it is the Six Doors or the forces of Zhuji, they are all looking for people down the river, and the rain is still falling, which increases the difficulty of finding people, so there is no result for the time being.

On 27 April, about 500 miles away from Bianliang, on the post road in Chengshan County, near Runing, a convoy carrying goods northbound was slowly moving forward. The convoy consisted of six carts, and the entire caravan escorting the goods was about thirty people, dressed in different costumes, among which several men with weapons had fierce faces, and at first glance they often walked on the road.

In recent months, a large number of caravans have been rushing to Beijing, in order to fill the gap in the supply of goods, but also make the trade road extremely prosperous. This team saw the opportunity and was ready to enter Beijing to make a fortune.

The driver of the second cart of the convoy waved his whip, and he was a one-armed man, wearing a hat, and he could not see any expression. A woman's figure was lying on her side on the car, she was wearing a light blue floral skirt belonging to the Miao people, and under the skirt was a pair of blue embroidered shoes, she put her legs together, curled up, pillowed her head on several boxes, and covered her head with a veiled hat. The long box under her head tossed and turned with the car, and she didn't know how she could fall asleep with her seemingly weak body.

Soon a galloping horse came from the front, and immediately the knight came to a halt as he passed by.

The knight dismounted, spoke a few words to one of the caravanserans, and then was led over, and beside the second carriage, he handed a note to the one-armed man. There seems to be the word "want goods" in the words. Before she knew it, the girl in the back had sat up, and the one-armed man handed her the note, and she looked at it.

Among the caravans were a few people from the core, and because of the information just now, everyone was a little at this time. Someone behaved in disbelief. But most of them seemed happy.

Unexpectedly happy.

The girl in the flower skirt in the car sat there and thought for a while, and finally called a man with a knife next to her, handed him a note, and gave him a few orders. The man immediately turned back to pack his bags, and soon rode his horse and galloped away in the direction of his return. He will travel nearly 1,000 miles south in two days, and his destination is a village called Lanhuan Dong in the mountains of Miaojiang.

The convoy continued on its way, and in the evening it was pointed out at a roadside inn. The girl with a veil and hat walked up a nearby hill, behind. A man followed her with a rectangular suitcase.

As the sun set, the girl stood on the hill and took off her hat. Her eyes looked in the direction of the north, and the brilliant sunset shone on the side of her face, and on that side of the face, there was a complex but clear smile. The wind blew, blowing the dust and grass through the air, like dandelions in the spring hyacinth. In the glorious glow, everything becomes beautiful and peaceful......

It was also the evening of April 27. In a small town near Bozhou, a man and two women walked into the town.

The rain has stopped, and the streets of the town are muddy after the rain. The man and the woman were dressed plainly, and one of them looked like a peasant in the mountains, humble and honest. is a little rustic, and the other woman has a calm and generous temperament even if she is wearing plain patched clothes. She talked to the two of them while leading them forward, and eventually. They found a shop to buy cloth.

The woman at the head said a few words to the shopkeeper of the cloth shop, turned back to the pair of men and women outside the door, and the shopkeeper immediately welcomed them in warmly.

The woman had already walked into the back of the shop and wrote down a message, which was soon passed out to the north.

Bianliang, April 27 has passed, and in the Criminal Department, Liu Qinghe and others looked at the feedback information, whether it was Zhuji, Wuruiying, or Ningfu, there was no movement, and they were more or less relieved.

On April 28, the news of Su Tan'er's safety first came to Ning Mansion, and then, several parties who paid attention to this side also received the news one after another.

In the evening, Zhu Biao walked into the courtyard where Ning Yi was, and in the room, Ning Yi sat behind the desk and looked down at things, drinking tea slowly, just like a few days ago. He knocked on the door and waited.

"Brother Ning, the boss lady is fine, are we just ...... Continuing to get ready to go? ”

Ning Yi glanced at him: "...... Am I old? ”

"Huh?"

"I feel a lot older this morning, you see, am I like fifty, sixty, or seventy now?"

"Brother Ning, you should be ...... Of course not old. ”

“…… So why do you want to be in charge of my house lately? ”

Ning Yi asked like this, Zhu Biao was speechless, and then saw him raise his head: "What did you just say?" ”

……

In the Criminal Department, Liu Qinghe let out a long breath, and then said something to Fan Chong, the chief arrester who hurried back from the side, with a smile on his face, Fan Chong also smiled and nodded. On the other side, the thoughtful Iron Sky Eagle still had a gloomy face, and then he went out without saying a word.

The royal palace of Guangyang County. Tong Guan recruited his cronies, Li Bingwen, who is now in charge of the Wurui Battalion, and asked a lot of things in detail.

In the palace, Zhou Zhe looked at the big eunuch Wang Chongguang below, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

He smiled with a little regret and sarcasm. Then he bowed his head and took care of other political affairs.

He has big things to do, and it is impossible for his eyes to stay on the small things of a pastime.

After a small obstacle, a part of the city is still running as usual, and the eyes of the big people are back to the main topics of the national economy and people's livelihood.

After that, there were three heavy rains, the sky changed, after the rain was cloudy or sunny, there were thunder and lightning in the rain across the sky, outside the city, the Yellow River roared and rushed, between the mountains and fields, cars drove and walked by, and the people who left here gradually returned. After entering May, the trial of the traitor Qin Siyuan in the capital has finally come to an end, the weather has completely become hot, midsummer is approaching, and many torments before it seem to be in such a season, as for the end.

Bamboo notes, on the form that people value, fall back...... (To be continued......)