Cross the river pawn

The county government office is divided into front and back. The government office is in the front, used for handling official business, and the residence is in the back.

After the Qingluan Guards arrested Li Hongwen, the current magistrate of Fengtai County, they imprisoned his whole family in the back house of the county government office. They did not make any big move to fight, they just kept him in their respective rooms and were not allowed to go out.

Li Hongwen was imprisoned in his study.

While Zhou Feilong and Qi Xuansu were fighting in the front office, Li Sanxin and his party walked slowly along the corridor to Li Hongwen's study. At this time, two Qingluan guards were on duty in front of the door. After arriving at Li Sanxin, he immediately saluted respectfully, and then opened the locked door at Li Sanxin's signal.

Li Sanxin asked the others to stay outside and entered the study alone.

The furnishings in the study room are very simple, with only one desk, two chairs and one bookshelf. The bookshelf is filled with all kinds of books. However, except for the four treasures of the study, pen washers, pen holders, paperweights and other items, there are no desk clearance items on the desk. , is really poor, and is not consistent with the status of a county magistrate.

At this time, Li Hongwen, the magistrate of Fengtai County, was sitting behind the desk. He was wearing a seventh-grade court dress. He seemed to be at an age when he knew his destiny. He had a clear face and three long beards. In terms of appearance alone, he was in line with the common people's expectations of honest officials and loyal ministers. Imagine.

Li Sanxin picked up the chair leaning against the side wall with one hand, placed it opposite Li Hong's desk, and then sat down in the subordinate's seat.

Li Hongwen lowered his eyes, indifferent to Li Sanxin's arrival, and had no intention of getting up.

Li Sanxin put the tureen in his hand on the case and said: "According to Daxuan law, although you are a dismissed member, you are still an official until you are convicted. Although I am an imperial envoy who has been ordered to handle the case , but it’s not easy to call him by his first name, so for the sake of emotion and reason, I still have to call him Mr. Li.”

Li Hongwen still didn't speak.

Li Sanxin didn't take it seriously and continued to talk to himself: "Master Li is an official of the imperial court, and I am also an official of the imperial court. Working with the same emperor, the word 'loyalty' is important. Master Li considers himself a loyal minister." , but now there are rebels who have entered the county government office and want to rescue Mr. Li, I wonder what Mr. Li’s explanation is for this?"

This sentence was no less than a blast of thunder that resounded in Li Hongwen's ears. He suddenly looked up at Li Sanxin and said in a deep voice: "What a good colleague and gentleman, if you want to say the word 'loyalty', don't mess with it." The party came to deceive me, but I, Li Hongwen, have always been a loner. I would like to ask you, you and the Qingluan Guard Qianhu Station behind you, who are you loyal to?"

"Of course it's the imperial court." Li Sanxin raised his voice slightly and raised his hands in the direction of the capital. "Li and Qingluan Guard have always been loyal to the imperial court."

Li Hongwen sneered: "The court? You know it in your heart!"

Li Sanxin's face turned gloomy, he stood up quickly, and said solemnly: "What do you mean, Mr. Li?"

Li Hongwen was not afraid: "Whose order did you Qingluan Guards follow this time to arrest Li? I'm afraid it's not His Majesty's imperial order, but the Imperial Master's order. You said that I formed a clique for personal gain. How dare you ask me about my alliance?" Who is the party? And what are their selfish interests? I'm afraid they just want to incriminate themselves."

Li Sanxin suddenly smiled, sat back on the chair again, and then said: "Okay, Mr. Li finally made the move."

Li Hongwen's expression changed: "What do you mean by this?"

Li Sanxin took a sip of the already cold tea in the bowl and said in a deep voice: "Master Li, you made an unfounded fabrication to frame the court. Do you know how Daxuanlu convicts you?"

Li Hongwen said solemnly: "Why should we be afraid of just one death?"

"If you want to seek death, a foot of white silk, a sharp knife, or a glass of poisonous wine, what can't be done? If Mr. Li doesn't have it, our Qingluan Guards have it, and we promise not to take any of it."

Li Sanxin said in a low voice: "Master Li, why do you need to use these words to prevaricate me? In fact, we can talk about it."

Li Hongwen said with a solemn expression: "At this point, you said we could have a talk. Do you really think I am a three-year-old?"

Li Sanxin said in a low voice: "This is a matter of life and death for Mr. Li and his family."

Li Hongwen remained silent.

Li Sanxin continued: "Before I came to Fengtai County, Mr. Qianhu told me that as long as Mr. Li is willing to hand over that thing, we can talk about it. Mr. Li's life cannot be saved by Mr. Qianhu. But Mr. Li The lives of a whole family, including a thousand adults, can still be saved. It's just a matter of adding or subtracting a few entries in the file. Even if one is sentenced to confiscation and exile, it is better than having the whole family executed."

Li Hongwen asked: "What if I refuse to hand it over?"

Li Sanxin sighed helplessly and stood up from the chair again: "If Mr. Li is unwilling to talk, Mr. Qianhu will also give an explanation."

Li Hongwen looked at Li Sanxin.

Li Sanxin said softly: "Then please ask Mr. Li's family to stay in Fengtai County. I hope Mr. Li will consider it carefully or not."

"There's no need to think about it." Li Hongwen looked firm and refused flatly, "I won't give it to you."

Li Hongwen's eyes flashed with a stern look, he said no more, turned around and left Li Hongwen's study, waving his hand.

The Qingluan guards who were originally scattered around immediately came to him and waited for instructions.

Li Sanxin was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "God has the virtue of a good life, and Qianhu adults also have a kind heart."

Several Qingluan guards did not speak, waiting for the next words.

Li Sanxin paused for a moment, the expression on his face became gloomy, and then he continued: "But there are always some people who don't understand the kind heart of Lord Qianhu and are stubborn." This is not the first day of public service. The Qingluan guards understood in their hearts that Master Baihu was going to kill someone.

A leader of the Qingluan Guard General Banner said softly: "Please give me your instructions."

Li Sanxin closed his eyes and said softly: "Li Hongwen knows too many things. If he really wants to be sent to prison, it will involve a lot of things and it will be a bit troublesome. Therefore, whichever is the lesser of the two evils, let's let him Let him stay in Fengtai County."

Qingluan Wei Zongqi's face became solemn, and he understood that the "stay" in the minds of hundreds of families was not just to stay, but to let him stay forever.

Li Sanxin continued: "Li Hongwen has many old friends from the same age. If this matter is not done cleanly, true to the truth, and arouses discussion between the government and the public, it will be very detrimental to us, so according to the old rules, we will not see anyone alive..."

Qingluan Wei's general banner immediately answered: "You will not see your body even if you die."

Li Sanxin opened his eyes, looked at Qingluan Wei General Banner, and lowered his voice slightly: "In addition to him, there are also his family members. No one will be spared. They must be killed cleanly."

Qingluan Guard Chief Banner said solemnly: "Yes!"

Li Sanxin looked at another Qingluan Guard, Xiaoqi, who looked like a white-faced scholar, and ordered: "Prepare the case file and put the charge of killing the county magistrate on the rebels, saying that the rebels attacked Qingluan Guard and obstructed the handling of the case. , kill people and silence them. It just so happens that many brothers have died in Qianya at this time, and they are all blamed on the rebels. This time we must make a solid case without any omissions."

The Qingluan guard Xiaoqi said quickly: "Please don't worry, sir."

Li Sanxin waved his hand.

All the Qingluan guards immediately dispersed.

Soon, the sounds of footsteps, doors opening, knives being drawn, and cries and screams before death were heard in the back house.

Li Sanxin turned a deaf ear to this and stood under the rain eaves, looking at the rain curtain outside, still holding the bowl and sipping tea.

Rainy days are indeed a good time to kill people.

When Li Sanxin finally drank the last remaining tea, a person came from the front office to the back office.

Although the visitor was soaked from head to toe, there was no trace of blood, either from others or his own.

He held a "thin tiger knife" in his right hand, and a dead human head in his left hand.

The young man wearing a bamboo hat threw his head and said: "This Lord of the Trial Hundred Households does not want to talk to me, so I can only kill him. I wonder if this Lord is willing to talk to me?"

Li Sanxin lowered his head and looked at the head that rolled down to his feet. Zhou Feilong's dead eyes, which had never been closed, were staring at him.

But since you have joined the profession of Qingluan Guard, you have no fear of ghosts and gods. You can't do anything to me while you are alive, let alone after you are dead?
So Li Sanxin raised one foot and crushed the head of the colleague who had been chatting and laughing with him not long ago, and then scraped the sole of his boot, which was stained with filth, on the edge of the steps.

After he finished doing this, he raised his head and looked at the person who came, narrowed his narrow eyes, and praised softly: "Good method."

The visitor was indifferent, showing no trace of joy or anger.

An extremely hard-to-detect worry flashed deep in Li Sanxin's eyes.

Of course, a common man is not worth mentioning, but if this common man is an innate person, then no one can despise him. Why do the powerful families in the capital spare no effort to win over these masters?
In addition to doing some shameful work, it is not to protect his own children.

If Li Hongwen had a master who could compare to the person in front of him, then when they came to get him, the situation would not be like this.

But Li Sanxin is just worried, not to mention afraid. He is not a loser like Zhou Feilong. At a young age, he can go from a sixth-grade trial to a hundred households, and he will even be promoted to a full sixth-grade hundred households very soon. Households naturally have their own unique features.

Li Sanxin spoke again, and his voice suddenly became much deeper: "Why did you come here alone to kill my brother Qingluan Wei?"

Qi Xuansu said: "You should understand that you are following orders."

"I understand, of course I understand." Li Sanxin nodded, "We are all in control of ourselves, and there is nothing we can do about life and death, so please take action."

Qi Xuansu stopped talking nonsense, stepped on the bluestone ground under his feet to create a circle of spider web-like cracks, and swept forward.

Li Sanxin smiled faintly and threw the tureen he had been holding in his hand with his wrist, and it disappeared in a flash.

The next moment, the tureen appeared directly in front of Qi Xuansu.

I saw this flying tureen spinning non-stop, as if it was spiritual, circling around Qi Xuansu, forcing Qi Xuansu to stop rushing forward.