Yan Zhengsu came to offer condolences in person, but this was very unexpected. The prefect personally came to mourn the eldest son of the Lin family, which also affirmed the status of the Lin family in Hangzhou. In any case, the current Lin family is no longer an ordinary businessman's family. In addition to Lin Bonian's identity, they had just been rewarded by the imperial court not long ago, and it was already gilded.

After Yan Zhengsu finished worshipping and everyone in the Lin family answered the salute, Yan Zhengsu invited Lin Jue to come to the courtyard to speak. In the Jiangnan Grand Theater last time, Lin Jue almost knocked Wang Ye and Yan Zhengsu out of the door, but in Yan Zhengsu's expression, Lin Jue didn't see the slightest unhappiness.

"Lin Jue, the old man was shocked when he heard the news, I didn't expect your Lin family's son-in-law to have such an accident, this is really regrettable."

"Life and death are fateful, and there is no way to do it. Thank you to the prefect for coming to pay my respects, my eldest brother has a spirit after his death, and it is time for him to have a light on his face. Lin Jue said lightly.

Although Yan Zhengsu listened to Lin Jue's tone politely, it was extremely distant and unfamiliar, and he knew that the mustard in Lin Jue's heart was still there. After sighing, he said softly: "Lin Jue, I know that you still resent us in your heart for the matter of Guishan Island. The old man is actually very self-blaming, although he is here to mourn Brother Ling today, but another purpose is to tell you about it. I've pretty much figured out what happened. ”

Lin Jue frowned, as if he was not interested in knowing.

Yan Zheng said solemnly: "The old man is not excusing himself, in fact, the old man has not done what he promised, and I am also very uneasy." But I'm still going to let you know what happened. Originally, I couldn't tell you too much about these things, but I don't want you to misunderstand, I don't want you to think that the old man has deceived you and is a person who has no promises, so I still have to tell you. ”

Lin Jue said softly: "Lord Yan is too worried, in fact, I never think that Governor Yan is a person who does not believe in his words. Lord Yan is a good friend of my teacher, and just by being able to become close friends with my teacher, I believe that Lord Yan is not a person who does not believe in his word. I knew someone had to do it. ”

Yan Zhengsu nodded and said, "It's rare that you trust the old man so much, which makes the old man feel even more guilty." After the incident, I went to the court to inquire. Yesterday, I got the news that someone was indeed obstructing this matter. I thought it was the idea of the privy envoy Yang, because the Chuzhou army that went to Guishan Island was ordered by the Privy Council, but now I found out that the matter was not caused by the privy envoy Yang. Someone ran to persuade the Holy One, and asked the Holy One to change our plan and say that we should kill the first evil in order to get rid of the trouble. Let the people of Guishan Island leave the cottage and settle outside the island to avoid regeneration. Only then did the Holy Lord issue a holy decree for the privy envoy Yang Jun to do so. ”

Lin Jue was stunned and said, "Who is that who entered the speech?" ”

Yan Zhengsu pondered for a moment, smacked his lips and said, "That's it, let me tell you, it's Prime Minister Lu Zhongtian." In his reply to me, the Holy One said that it was his idea. ”

Lin Jue was stunned, and sighed after being silent for a while: "Victims, the people of Guishan Island have become victims of the court battle." ”

Yan Zhengsu also sighed: "Do you also see this? Hey, I didn't think it through beforehand, so I should have guarded against this a long time ago. The grievances between Prime Minister Lu and the prince continued, and this time the people on Guishan Island were indeed the victims caught in the middle. I'm angry, and to be honest, I'm angry. ”

Lin Jue sighed and said, "Lord Yan, thank you for telling me this, this matter has passed, so there is no need to mention it again." Anyway, it has come to this, and the dead cannot be resurrected, so it can only be so. ”

Yan Zhengsu looked at Lin Jue and said, "This official is just worried that you have made an enemy again." The gang on Guishan Island hate the official and the prince, and they hate the court. I'm afraid this matter will also implicate you. The people on Turtle Hill Island fled by hundreds, and I'm afraid they're not good for you. You have to be careful. ”

Lin Jue sneered: "How can I be more careful? They are coming to take my life, and it is only right that they will come. In order to help us suppress the bandits, the brothers of the tall village lord and the brother of Guishan Island raised their heads to help us, how much strength did the tall village lord do? Dozens of good hands died on the island, what are they for? It's just that I hope to get reconciliation from the court and live in peace. I patted my chest and vouched for my life that they could do it, but what did they get? Slow to say that they came to kill me, even if they didn't come to kill me, I wanted to send them to the door and let them kill me. This will remove the guilt I feel about them. ”

Yan Zheng sighed: "Your feelings are understood, but after all, ...... After all, they are bandits. There is some truth in the reason why the saint was persuaded by others. The matter is now out of control, and I heard that Gao Muqing went north with a few hundred people, and word came from Gyeonggi Road that they had found their traces in the area of Funiu Mountain. As soon as they appeared, they attacked the county seat of Shannan, burned the county government and killed more than a dozen officials. Funiu Mountain is not far from the capital city of Bianliang, and they are not planning to gain a foothold there. That's not good. If it goes on like this, it will be a great disaster. The court will not give up. ”

Lin Jue frowned and sneered, "What did the adults tell me about this? The court seeks benevolence and gets benevolence, isn't this the result of the court's troubles? ”

Yan Zhengsu frowned and said: "You can't say that, no matter what, it is not tolerated by national law to fall into the grass again, go against the imperial court, kill the court officials, and disturb the law and order of one party." Although the thing is that we are wrong first, we should not go back to the old path because of this. ”

Lin Jue sneered and was silent.

solemnly said: "You...... I have a good relationship with the tall village owner, and the news that they went to Funiu Mountain in Henan, did you know in advance? ”

Lin Jue smiled and said, "What? It turns out that Governor Yan is here to ask about the crime today, so what does he know? Does Lord Yan want to cure me of the crime of being a bandit? Take me to torture me to see what kind of person Lin Jue is, and whether he will succumb to the severe punishment of adults. ”

Yan Zhengsu frowned and said, "What are these words?" How did I say that you were a bandit? I just don't think it should end this way. You have a relationship with the lord of Gao Dazhai, can you persuade her, don't fall into the grass again, and go against the court. Is this the way out? ”

Lin Jue smiled and said, "Lord Yan, I really admire you, you can still make such a request at this time." Lord Yan wants me to persuade Gao Muqing to surrender again, are they? Do you think I'll be willing? Do you think Gao Muqing and they will still believe me? Don't you take everyone for fools? Gao Muqing, whose fault is it that they are bandits again? Yan Zhifu, such words will never be mentioned again, Lin Jue does not want to be a person who does not believe in his words again. I don't want to send those people to the chopping block anymore to be slaughtered. ”

Yan Zhengsu frowned and said: "Lin Jue, don't be swayed by personal emotions, they are bandits, and they are against the imperial court, after all, they are seeking their own death." If they make such a fuss, how can the court spare them. If you can get rid of your old suspicions, it may be a way out. Don't forget your identity, you are not a bandit, you are a subject of the Great Zhou, how can you speak from the position of a bandit? ”

Lin Jue sneered: "I am speaking from the conscience, it is naturally good that I am a common person of the Great Zhou, but I am also a person." What caused the whole thing, and who was the first to break his promise? I don't have much idea about the court, but your wishful thinking will end up costing them their lives. Doesn't your conscience hurt? ”

Yan Zheng looked at Lin Jue in a daze for a long time, and sighed: "As an individual, I naturally understand your words, but as a court official, I can only say that their only way to survive is to surrender, not to take revenge for that incident." At this point, everything must be based on the overall situation, and sometimes personal emotions must not override the overall situation, and personal decisions must not go against the interests of the imperial court. As a subject of the Great Zhou, loyalty to the imperial court was the most basic criterion. ”

Lin Jue said: "I am a righteous man, only righteousness, not loyalty." I'm just a grass farmer, and when I became an official, adults were talking to me about these things. What the adults said is the overall situation, that is the overall situation of the imperial court, what does it have to do with me? There must be a cause and an effect, the fate of Gao Muqing's group should be decided by themselves, they chose to continue to fight against the court for the bandits, and they also knew the consequences. I had interfered with their choice, but they were slaughtered. Now I will never say a word again, because everyone's fate should be chosen by themselves, and the result will naturally be borne by themselves. Lord Yan, I respect you, you are an upright official and a good official. But I hope that Lord Yan will not let my respect for you disappear, and if Lord Yan mentions this matter to me again in the future, then don't blame Lin Jue for being rude. ”

Yan Zhengsu was silent for a moment, and then sighed and said, "That's it, the official doesn't mention it." This is also the personal meaning of this official, and this official is actually ...... I just don't want them to be surrounded and suppressed by the imperial court to death. What you said also makes sense, everyone's path is their own choice, and everyone is also responsible for his choice. ”

Lin Jue arched his hand and said, "Thank you Lord Yan for your understanding." ”

Yan Zhengsu said: "If something like this happens in your family, it will definitely be chaotic for a while." But I hope you don't slack off because of that. Autumn is coming, you want to enter the office, but you can't waste your studies. Brother Dun wants you to go to high school, and you don't want to disappoint him. ”

Lin Jue said: "I can save it." ”

Yan Zhengsu nodded and said, "Then, this official has resigned." Let's do it for ourselves. ”

……

After three days of silence, Lin Ke was solemnly buried. In the morning, Lin Boyong supported the sick body, and cried bitterly with the coffin under the support of everyone, the sound of gongs and drums and suona started, and the magic weapon in the hands of the Taoist monk was chaotic and sounded, and in the midst of a cry that shook the sky, the coffin went out and went out of the city for burial.

The streets were full of people watching the funeral, and they all smacked their tongues as they watched the long procession of funerals. Not to mention the large coffin carried by eight people in the golden silk nanmu, the pair of mourning flags and paper horses in front and back of the procession, the high-rise buildings and pavilions tied out of reed colored paper, the pomp and circumstance composed of hundreds of Taoist priests and monks, the team of dozens of people supporting the spirit, and the funeral crowd of hundreds of people afterwards, this is the most pompous scene they have ever seen.

Someone with a heart calculated an account for the Lin family, and the cost of this pomp alone was more than 3,000 taels of silver, not counting the coffin of the precious golden silk nanmu. The pomp and circumstance of the three-day banquet at home all add up to a staggering figure. A funeral of the eldest son of the Lin family is enough for hundreds of ordinary people to live a year of prosperity.

However, no amount of silver can be exchanged for the life of the eldest son of the Lin family. Looking at the appearance of Lin Boyong, the head of the Lin family, who was supported by people and walked away on the coffin, the people were concerned about the tragedy of the white-haired man sending the black-haired man, but at the same time, they were inexplicably happy. The rich family lives a life of luxury and enjoyment, if it is like the Jiangnan Grand Theater played in the injustice of Dou E, 'enjoy wealth and prolong life', it is really unreasonable. Although my family is poor, but I am healthy, it is also a kind of comfort and balance.

In the afternoon, Lin Ke's coffin was buried in the ancestral tomb of the Lin family on the western slope of Wansongling in the south of Hangzhou. After returning to the city, almost all of them were relieved, although their faces were still sad. In the past few days, the people in the house have been busy in the dark. It's okay to be busy, but the atmosphere in the house is depressing, and there is still a lot of trouble between the sons. In addition, the head of the family fell ill again, and the family was gloomy, as if the Lin family was about to fall apart. Now that Linko's funeral is over, it's finally over.

In the evening, after the guests who participated in the funeral left, the Lin family finally quieted down. In front of the house, white lanterns fluttered in the twilight with black cloth, and messy paper money and white flags were scattered all over the ground. Although the air was quiet, it seemed that the sound of chanting and sermons that had permeated the front court of the Lin family for several days was still echoing in his mind. It gives people a bleak and eerie feeling.