Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 610: Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone
Since the news of the Imperial Lecture was spread, many talented people in the capital gathered. In addition to the four chief ministers specially summoned by the emperor, the other officials in the court, those scholars with outstanding literary reputations, often personally convened poetry clubs and literary gatherings. In their opinion, if there were no incidents caused by Zhang Shou from time to time, then this Imperial Lecture before the canonization of the crown prince would definitely be the biggest event in the Yongchen period.
And because of this grand event, the Ruiqi Battalion patrolled the inner city of the capital almost all day long. In addition, in the outer city where all kinds of people mixed, the position of the military commander of the Nancheng Bingmasi was suddenly promoted to the fourth rank, and even the name was changed from Nancheng Bingmasi to Wucheng Bingmasi, which directly governed the Nancheng Bingmasi and the other four city Bingmasis. As a result... the Shuntian prefectural government and the Wanping and Daxing county governments were idle.
But it is not necessarily true that they are really idle. After all, Lin Lao Hu, the head of the fast squad of Shuntian Prefecture, and the other three squads of police officers had just taken a private job from Zhu Ying and a group of playboys two days ago, and the cause was traced back to Chu Kuan, the seal holder of Silijian.
When he heard that Zhu Ying had directly blocked the outer yamen of the Imperial Household Department, even though Lin Lao Hu knew how powerful the Zhu family was, he was still worried about being implicated. Even after he heard that Chu Kuan had led everyone in the Imperial Household Department to retreat, and later said that he was willing to apologize in front of the emperor, he was still very nervous. It was not until two or three days passed and no one caused trouble for him and his men that he felt relieved.
On this day, he accepted the invitation of Zhang, the captain of the Wanping County Court, and came to drink. The two were old acquaintances. In the past, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was a third-rank official, while the magistrate of Wanping County was a sixth-rank official. Although they were both captains, there was a distinction between the upper and lower ranks. Now, the four major counties in the country, Daxing, Wanping, Jiangning, and Shangyuan, have all been changed to the fifth rank. Lin Laohu couldn't help but tease Captain Zhang.
"As the saying goes, rising water lifts all boats. Your county lord has been promoted to the fifth rank, and you, the captain of the police, are much more valuable than usual. If there is anything in the future, it will be your turn to take care of me! Alas, although Wang Datou and Qin Guogong have different personalities, they are both difficult to serve, much more difficult to deal with than your county lord."
Captain Zhang smiled bitterly, "How can my county lord be easy to serve? He worked hard to get this position, and now he has been summoned by the emperor to receive instructions and promoted to the fifth rank. He is so excited that he came up with many new ideas. If he hadn't been stopped by a few advisers, he would have dared to implement them!"
It is said that the best way to quickly close the distance between two people, besides wine and women, is to scold the boss, not to mention the friendship between Captain Zhang and Lin Lao Hu, so they complained while drinking, and drank to their heart's content. But when the two were drinking, they suddenly heard anxious shouts from outside the thick quilted door curtain: "Master Zhang, Master Zhang! It's not good, it's not good!"
It was a common problem for policemen that they would get a headache when they heard the word "bad". Moreover, Captain Zhang and Lin Lao Hu were drunk at the moment, so they were furious when they heard this. He raised his wine glass and wanted to smash it, but when he saw Lin Lao Hu snatch it away and wink at him, he remembered that he had not only the county magistrate above him, but also a bunch of current officials who he could not afford to offend, and he sighed dejectedly.
However, the next moment, as if he had noticed that there was no response from the room, the man outside actually rushed in rashly. He glanced at Lin Lao Hu, not treating him as an outsider, and said angrily, "Master Zhang, Master Lin is here too. The emperor, the empress dowager, and several other ladies, as well as princesses and other nobles, have all gone to the Xinglong Tea House in the outer city!"
At this moment, Lin Lao Hu and Captain Zhang sat opposite each other, and the only reaction of the two was...no reaction. Such a big thing, they didn't know anything about it beforehand! The emperor suddenly went out, even if there was no imperial procession, wouldn't he have to notify all the important government offices in advance, secretly guard, and deploy three layers of guards inside and outside? Not to mention the empress dowager, concubines, and a bunch of princesses!
Knowing that today was the final of the Imperial Chef Selection Contest, they had asked Lu Sanlang, who had organized the event from beginning to end, in advance. Lu Sanlang only said that if the emperor came out, he would always notify your government office. Later, when there was no news, they did not take it to heart. Who knew that this was actually an excuse... No, it was very likely that the smooth-talking little fat guy really didn't know!
The two looked at each other, and finally Captain Zhang asked in a dry voice, "Is this a message from Xinglong Tea House, asking us to be on guard or something?"
"No... it was because the Queen Mother made a lot of noise when she led people out of the palace. After they arrived at the Xinglong Tea House, the news could no longer be covered up. That's when Third Master Lu hurriedly passed on the message that the Sharp Cavalry Battalion had been arranged, and that the Fifth City Military Command was under the command of First Master Zhu himself, so nothing would go wrong. The county and prefectural governments only needed to maintain law and order, and not to mobilize a large force to rush over."
Although the man outside the door spoke as if it was very relaxed, Lin Lao Hu and Captain Zhang looked at each other, and neither of them felt that this situation where it was better to have less trouble than more was very relaxed - after all, the sudden centralization of the Five Cities Army now also meant that the arrogant and powerful generals they faced in the past - or the scattered soldiers - had now become a solid group.
The future Duke of Zhao now personally controls the Five Cities Military Department. How can this be compared with the bunch of local tyrants and old soldiers in the past?
After sending away the informant outside in a bad mood, the two brothers drank alone. Although their immediate superior, County Magistrate Shen, was promoted to the fifth rank, and the most difficult boss above Lin Lao Hu, Wang Datou, became a top noble like Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan, and they both seemed to be the most proud people in front of the emperor, both of them felt that the situation in the capital had suddenly changed.
"It's been a decades-old pattern, but it changes so suddenly. I really don't know how I'm going to live in the future!"
Drinking wine, eating hot pot, and complaining, the two people's topics soon began to wander wildly. When the three or five points of alcohol turned into seven points, a voice that spoiled the mood came again: "Master Zhang, Master Lin, it's bad!"
This time, Lin Lao Hu was so angry that he smashed the table directly: "Why is it bad again!"
The person who came in was not the same person as before. He was frightened by Lin Lao Hu's attitude. He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Dr. Zhang from the Imperial College and Miss Zhu from Duke Zhao's Mansion sent someone over!"
When he heard those two names, even Lin Lao Hu's scalp went numb. These days, Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying finally didn't bother Shuntian Prefecture Government very often. Last time, they cleaned up the outer city because of the flower-shooting gang, and the aftermath was left to Wanping County Government. Not only was he relieved, Song Tuiguan was relieved, and even Qin Guogong, who seemed to be indifferent, was also relieved.
But now, Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying suddenly sent someone to Wanping County Government? This is obviously another incident! And he took the initiative to come here to drink...
As expected, Lin Lao Hu immediately saw his old brother's sharp eyes fixed on him. Knowing that it would be wishful thinking for him to escape at this time, he simply said, "After such a drink, it's a good time to go out for a walk. Let's go and take a look together. If it's tricky, we can discuss it together!"
After hearing what Lin Lao Hu said, Captain Zhang finally forced out a smile - it would be fine if there were no problems, but if there were, of course it would be better to share the joy with others than to enjoy it alone... It would be real if everyone had a headache together!
However, when he and Lin Lao Hu arrived, they learned that County Magistrate Shen was actually personally receiving Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying and their party in the second hall, and that it was not only the perfect couple who came, but also three scholars. Their last bit of hope was immediately dispelled.
Sure enough, when they arrived at the entrance of the second hall, they just happened to hear the explanation of the cause and effect. When they heard that an inexplicable strong man had knocked a candidate who was going to Beijing for an imperial examination into the water in front of Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying, and then tried to harm him after he fell into the water, and even pretended to drown when Zhu Hong went to save him, Lin Lao Hu and Captain Zhang could not help but look at each other in bewilderment.
Is that stupid guy really that brave?
Zhu Ying got the most stable carriage from the Duke of Zhao's mansion for Zhu Hong and Zou Ming, who had fallen into the water. She lit a stove inside and even invited a doctor to escort them over. Zou Ming was weak and had some signs of fever, but when he talked about the scene of being knocked into the water, he still managed to keep his spirits up and recounted the incident from his own perspective.
Zhu Hong had the experience of going down to the river in winter in previous years. He had washed himself and drank ginger soup before, so he looked normal now. After explaining the details, he also reported that he had already packed up the wet clothes and all the belongings, which naturally brought praise from County Magistrate Shen.
After praising him, Magistrate Shen saw Zhang Shou nod and order someone to bring the evidence over, so he shouted, "Come here, call Zhang Bu'er. Oh, and ask him to bring two meticulous coroners who are good at verifying objects!"
"Your Excellency, I'm here. Captain Lin from the government office is here with me. He used to be the best coroner." Captain Zhang pulled Captain Lin in without saying anything. Although he had cleaned up in a hurry, he still smelled of alcohol. If he didn't bring Lin Lao Hu with him, he was afraid that he would be blamed by the county magistrate.
Seeing Lin Lao Hu, a familiar face, Zhang Shou couldn't help but smile, and Zhu Ying laughed even more: "Captain Lin, what kind of nose do you have? You can smell everything! Did they know we were coming and wait here on purpose?"
If I really had this ability to predict the future, I would definitely not come!
Lin Lao Hu sighed in his heart, but he had to force a smile on his face. But before he could greet or compliment her, Zhang Shou said, "Since the person has been sent, we should not care about it anymore. But Yingying and I went to Shichahai on a whim today, and these three young men who will take the exam next spring had already agreed to visit Shichahai in winter. If this is not an accident but a premeditated plan..."
"Then the biggest possibility is that they were targeting them. However, they all said that they had just arrived in the capital for a few days and were not familiar with the people there, let alone offending anyone. Therefore, this case is difficult to investigate. County Master Shen and Captain Lin and Captain Zhang may have to work harder."
It turned out to be a very difficult unsolved case. Not only did Magistrate Shen feel a headache at this moment, but Lin Lao Hu and Captain Zhang also couldn't help but secretly groan, especially when they learned that the person who knocked someone into the water had regained consciousness but remained silent. The two of them exchanged glances.
After receiving Lin Lao Hu's hint, Captain Zhang said without hesitation: "If this criminal refuses to confess, we will have to torture him!" There is no brave man under Sanmu. If torture is not an option, can we persuade him to confess with kind words?
Zhang Shou had long been accustomed to the simple and rough interrogation mode these days, and he had no intention of fighting for the human rights of the criminal suspects, but there were so many doubts in this matter... or rather, so many complaints, that he couldn't help but give a few reminders.
"I didn't notice him knocking someone into the water before, but I heard from Zhu Hong that he suddenly showed up at full speed, and then he ignored the three of them and rushed over, knocking Master Zou into the water, as if he had gone mad... So, after Zhu Hong told me about this in the store, I also used some means to interrogate him, but I didn't get any valuable information."
This time, Lin Lao Hu and Captain Zhang understood everything. Zhu Hong's so-called method was nothing more than violent interrogation. If such a smart man from the Duke of Zhao's mansion couldn't figure out the truth in a short time, then it would definitely not be easy for them to find out the whole story!
Even if Wanping County Government has always had a complete set of torture instruments, it would still take a lot of time!
Just when County Magistrate Shen was having a toothache, a faint voice suddenly came from outside: "What do you want to ask, young master?"
Zhang Shou was slightly stunned when he heard the voice, but Zhu Ying was immediately delighted: "Oh, Ah Liu is here! I heard from my father that Uncle Hua was the best at getting confessions from people, and Ah Liu must have this ability too!"
As soon as Zhu Ying said this, a voice came from outside the door, "Then I'll go." Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. Ah Liu had obviously taken the Fourth Prince to the Jiangdu Palace to watch the fun and eavesdrop, but he didn't expect that someone would catch on so quickly and come here! Thinking about it again, the Yinding Bridge where he and Zhu Ying went before was not far from the Jiangdu Palace, so it was not surprising that Ah Liu rushed over after hearing the news.
I just wonder... if that reckless kid from the Fourth Prince came along!
No matter County Magistrate Shen or Captain Zhang and Lin Lao Hu, no one would ask such a stupid question as whether Ah Liu had the ability or not - they wished that Ah Liu really had the ability so that they could solve their biggest problem. And if not, with this kid who was said to be very familiar to the Emperor and the trusted generals of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion involved, if they really couldn't find out, there would be more people to take the blame.
But the three scholars including Zou Ming were confused at this time. Zou Ming couldn't help but ask: "County Master, is this appropriate?"
Previously in the store, the Zhaoguo Mansion guard who saved him personally interrogated the prisoner, which could be considered an emergency measure. But now in the Wanping County Court, an outsider is interrogating the prisoner, which seems unreasonable, right?
But when he asked this question, he found that everyone was looking at him, even his two companions. He couldn't tell the difference between these looks, he just felt like he was being despised, and he was immediately very depressed.
Fortunately, Lin Lao Hu had heard about Zhang Shou's habit of collecting young talents, so he explained with a smile on his face: "Mr. Zou, some people will not give up until they see the Yellow River, and some people will not cry until they see the coffin. It is not so easy to pry open the mouths of these people."
Zou Ming didn't believe it at first, but soon, he heard the same flat voice from outside: "That guy said that because he failed the exams many times, he believed the rumors and wanted to castrate himself and enter the Imperial Household Department so that he could take revenge on those examiners in the future. Who knew that the Imperial Household Department only accepted its own people and no outsiders at all? He was desperate and wanted to kill a few candidates who came to Beijing to die together!"
