Chapter 279 Gusu Lin Family

When Chen Heng and others' carriages arrived at the city gate, the place was already full of guarding officers and soldiers. Such a big thing happened in Zhen Mansion, and Ma Dayin, who lost his beloved son, would naturally not sit idly by and watch the murderer go unpunished. No matter what kind of morality Mao Daqing had, this matter involved the dignity of the court. The arrest warrant must be required.

Because this city gate is closest to Suzhou and Hangzhou, there are also the most carriages waiting to leave the city. Except for the carriage of the Zhejiang Governor, Ma Dayin, who was worried about being held accountable by the Ministry of War, did not give face to anyone at all.

Although he knew that the people sitting in each car were officials from Jiangnan, he still asked his soldiers to check them one by one. Ma Dayin's only son had just died, who would be willing to touch his bad luck. Everyone was speechless, so they had to stop the carriage and let him search slowly.

From behind the curtain, Mao Daqing was also very nervous when he peeked at this scene. He subconsciously clenched the broken knife in his hand, but kept loosening it. In his heart, he didn't want to embarrass Chen Heng and Liu Xianglian. The former has a good reputation as an official, and the latter has shown mercy to him.

But if the soldiers really search him, should he use the Chen family as a shield? Mao Daqing was very conflicted and couldn't make up his mind.

Chen Heng saw that he was at a loss, and was afraid that Mao Daqing would get confused and draw his sword to threaten Liu Xianglian to turn around. He immediately comforted him, "Don't panic. I said I can take you out of the city, and I will definitely take you out. I just hope that the warrior who enforces justice will not be a person who doesn't keep his word."

"How can I be such a rat." Mao Daqing retorted angrily.

Chen Heng snorted as a response. After giving several instructions to Liu Xianglian, who was driving outside the curtain, he told him to just follow the team. About half an hour later, Ma Dayin heard that there was a suspected murderer in the south of the city. He gave up everything in the east of the city and rushed to the south of the city.

The incident happened suddenly, and the Jinling government office had not yet drawn the appearance of the criminal. Among the officers and soldiers, only Ma Dayin had met Mao Daqing. He hurried to the south of the city to confirm the authenticity of the news, which made the Chen family in the carriage feel relieved.

Finally, it was the turn of the Chen family's carriage. The guarding officers and soldiers looked at the shape of the carriage. Seeing that it was a local carriage in Jinling, they knew that the person in the carriage was not a big shot, so there was no intention to let it go easily.

Seeing these people surrounding him aggressively, Liu Xianglian immediately pulled the reins to stop the horse and said according to Chen Heng's instructions: "The person in the carriage is the magistrate of Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture - Mr. Chen."

The officials were happy when they heard it. What county magistrate who doesn't know the county, is he as high-ranking as our Ma Zhihuishi? Liu Xianglian said confidently: "You bastards, don't cause trouble for yourselves. Go and call your leader. If he says he wants to check, let him come and check it himself."

Oh, is that the request? That's easy to handle. The officers and soldiers in armor and armed with guns looked at each other, and immediately sent a soldier to ask for help from the higher authorities. After all, he was a civil servant of the imperial court. After passing the buck layer by layer, several small leaders dared not take the responsibility, and instead implicated the deputy commander left by Ma Dayin.

"What county magistrate or not, just investigate directly. This is a major case that has reached the sky. If he really has the ability, he can just write a memorial to the emperor to sue us." The man came over cursing, glanced at Liu Xianglian who was sitting in the front of the car, and shouted, "Get off the car, Jinling Guards are ordered by the prefectural governor. Search the whole city and arrest the imperial criminals."

Liu Xianglian didn't pay much attention to him, just sneered, gave up half of his footing, and threatened: "The family of the lord was frightened today. Deputy commander, you must be more careful when you search. If something happens, I'm afraid you can't bear it."

The deputy commander glanced at him and sneered. He stepped directly onto the car and was about to lift the curtain. Suddenly, a male voice came from inside, "Zijuan, take this thing to him to see."

"Yes, sir."

What are you looking at? The deputy commander was suspicious, and his strength was weaker. He slightly lifted a corner of the curtain and saw a pair of women sitting side by side here. One of them was holding a bright and golden thing, facing him, which was very dazzling.

He took a closer look and jumped off the front of the car like a startled wild cat, half-knelt on the side of the road, and shouted repeatedly: "I see you... I see you..."

Good guy, the deputy commander's contrasting behavior stunned the officers and soldiers around him. The leader knelt down, and a group of people also knelt down in confusion. Seeing this scene, Liu Xianglian, who was holding back his anger at the head of the car, looked arrogant.

The thing in Zijuan's hand was naturally the Jin Wang Order that Li Xian left for Chen Heng. This time when he came to Jinling, Chen Heng was worried about something happening, so he brought it with him. It was useless to a gangster like Mao Daqing. But to people like the deputy commander, it was like a royal sword.

Seeing that the deputy commander thought for a long time and couldn't find a suitable title for himself. Chen Heng was too lazy to talk nonsense with him. The most important thing now was to get his family out of danger. He immediately asked: "Deputy commander, do you still want to check it yourself? Do you want me to take my wife out of the car to make it convenient for you?"

"I dare not." The deputy commander waved his hand and explained. Although it was not the prince Li Xian who came in person, the person holding this token was equivalent to Li Xian guaranteeing him. If he insisted on searching, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the prince in public?

This pot is too big, and the one who died was not his own son anyway, so why bother to carry it. Thinking of this, he winked at the officers and soldiers who were kneeling beside him.

Who knew that these soldiers were still confused and couldn't understand the hints from their superiors. The angry deputy commander went forward and beat and scolded him, "You have no vision, why don't you let Lord Chen pass."

The officers and soldiers woke up as if from a dream, and then they stood up and ran to remove the roadblock.

Liu Xianglian sat back in his seat with a little pride, pulled the reins and bowed to the deputy commander, saying, "Your Excellency has made a wasted trip."

"No problem, no problem." The deputy commander, who was humble and humble, felt a little unlucky and was eager to send away the plague gods. "The roadblock has been opened, please pass quickly, Master Chen."

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After leaving the city in such a swagger, Liu Xianglian whipped his horse whip and galloped as soon as he got to the official road, catching up with a section of the road. Liu Xianglian stopped the car by a forest until he could no longer see Jinling City behind him and there were no other outsiders around.

"Mao Daqing." Liu Xianglian turned around and lifted the curtain, saying to the person inside in an annoyed voice, "You get off here."

Mao Daqing, who was sitting in the car, looked around at the Chen family and said, "It was Mao who was reckless today and disturbed your family. I will remember this favor and will repay you in the future."

Chen Heng was afraid that he would get entangled with this person again, so he said directly, "No need. I don't know you and you don't know me if I leave this place."

Mao Daqing also knew that he had offended Chen Heng, so he stubbornly clasped his fists and saluted. He jumped off the car and trotted towards the nearby mountains and forests. Liu Xianglian sat in the front of the car, spitting at Mao Daqing's back as he left, and turned to Chen Heng in the car and asked, "Sir, do you want me to catch him back now?"

Chen Heng thought about it and sighed, "Forget it."

Since Mao Daqing kept his word, he didn't want to make things difficult for him. If he really wanted to catch him back, it would still be a hassle to escort him back. Now that they were in the wilderness, it was more important to find a place to rest.

They walked for a long time before Mao Daqing came out from behind the tree. After all this time, this black man was still a rough but careful man. He was actually worried that Chen Heng would set a trap behind his back, and was hiding in the dark to observe the situation.

Seeing that Chen Heng had no intention of framing him, Mao Daqing felt relieved, but he couldn't help but sighed. This is good, I owe the Chen family a lot of favor.

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Mao Daqing's departure finally removed the big stone from everyone's heart. Chen Heng was worried about Daiyu's situation, and he deliberately walked slowly on the way back to comfort Daiyu. When passing through Suzhou, he took Daiyu back to the Lin family's ancestral home.

Although it was called the ancestral home, it had not been lived in for a long time. Lin Ruhai and Jia Min only left a few old servants of the Lin family here to look after it. This ancestral home has produced four marquises of the Lin family and was built when the Lin family was at its most prosperous. Although the houses and scenery are not as good as those of Jia and Zhen, they are much better than those of ordinary wealthy families.

Unfortunately, Daiyu has never lived here and has few memories of her ancestral home. Lin Ruhai and Jia Min got married in the capital. After the marriage, Lin Ruhai came out of the Hanlin Academy and became a doctor of Lantai Temple, so Daiyu was also born in the capital. Then she followed her parents to Yangzhou for a temporary stay and spent her entire childhood in Yangzhou.

They rested here for one night, worshipped the ancestors of the Lin family, and gave some silver money to the old servants who were guarding as a reward. After doing this, the Lin family had no other relatives to visit. The Lin family was sparsely populated, which can be seen.

That night, the couple walked into the Lin family's library and were shocked by the vast sea of ​​books here. Both of them were people who cherished and loved books, and they immediately picked a few books and took them to the room to appreciate them slowly.

In between reading, Chen Heng and Lin Daiyu chatted about the Zhen Mansion. The topic inevitably turned to Baoyu's letter. Chen Hengzhen didn't take the initiative to mention this matter. It was Daiyu who was worried that her husband would think too much, so she spoke about the content of the letter herself.

"What?" Chen Heng said in disbelief after listening to Daiyu's story, "You said that the couple wanted to buy a shop and settle down in Songjiang Prefecture? Why would he leave the Jia Mansion and come to our place instead of living there?"

Seeing her husband's astonishment, Daiyu tilted her head and thought, "It should be to settle the accounts of the Maritime Affairs Bureau. Husband, you don't manage the family, and you don't know how difficult it is to maintain the expenses of a Duke's Mansion. Tea, rice, oil, salt, and everything else are indispensable, and the clothing business must be stylish and decent."

"I heard that when my grandmother first got married, she had to change four or five sets of clothes a day. Unless she found a piece of clothing that she particularly liked, she rarely had more than one piece of clothing."

Today is different from the past. At that time, the old Duke of the Jia family was still alive, and they were really rich and powerful. The current Jia family has long been in decline, so why are they still poor and particular. Chen Heng rolled his eyes, turned a page of the book, and then said, "So Baoyu was embarrassed to ask me for help, so he wrote to you. Want to open some shops in the city?"

"No." Chen Heng shook his head and sneered, "How can a few shops balance the accounts and keep their family safe and wealthy? Humph, I'm afraid they have set their sights on me and want to test the waters from you."

"Who told you that you have the Midas touch?" Daiyu smiled and put down the book, holding a cup of tea and walked to her husband, saying gently, "I didn't agree to this matter because I was afraid of causing trouble to you. I originally thought that after the birthday banquet at the Zhen Mansion, I would let cousin Lian come to discuss it with you himself, but who knew that this would happen."

Chen Heng nodded when he heard this. This matter was indeed not easy to handle, and it was even more difficult to guess the emperor's intention. Li Zhi pardoned the nobles and gave them an extra year to make room. This inevitably made Chen Heng wonder what Li Zhi was thinking. Was he trying to catch the big one and let the small one go, or was he going to settle the score later?

Husband and wife are birds of a feather. As long as the wife is smart and virtuous, she will definitely be the best candidate to trust. Chen Heng told Daiyu about his concerns. The two sat together, thinking about their response to the Jia family.

It is said that if a good wife is at home, everything goes smoothly. This Daiyu was very smart, and she really thought of some things that Chen Heng had ignored in the past.

"Your Majesty probably wants to lend some helping hand to my husband."

After hearing Daiyu's words, Chen Heng, who had already put down the book, showed some doubts and asked, "What do you mean by this, Madam?"

"My lord, think about it, we are in Songjiang City and don't know the specific situation of the capital, but Cousin Lian and the others must know it clearly. A dead camel is bigger than a horse, even if they are usually more confused. But in terms of trying to figure out the holy intention, if His Majesty hadn't revealed it, They would never dare to bring their ideas to our husband."

Lin Daiyu's well-founded remarks made Chen Heng nod frequently. After being prompted by his wife, he wanted to understand another thing.

"I asked you before why your majesty used Brother Du like this. He first asked him to go over and check the accounts privately. When that failed, he demoted him to Songjiang Mansion." Chen Heng laughed and said, "It seems that your majesty has given up his mind. Brother Du’s relationship with the nobles. Now that His Majesty has chosen a villain to be stuck in the Maritime Administration of Songjiang Prefecture, it’s time for our family to make some fools of themselves and coax these nobles.”

He couldn't figure out the order in which Li Zhi used Du Yunjing before, but this time he connected them one after another. Thinking about Du Yunjing's dejected appearance after being demoted to Songjiang, I couldn't help laughing.

"I think this Du Yunjing is in a state of good fortune and does not know how blessed he is. I am afraid that by the time he gets through this, he will be able to achieve great success."

Lin Daiyu may not have been confused, but she still came up to have fun and asked her husband the reason for his words. The couple whispered sweetly for a while before Chen Heng realized Daiyu's plan and hurriedly hummed: "If you want to use this to let me borrow the donkey, my temper is not easy to get rid of."

Daiyu laughed, raised her hand and patted Chen Heng's body, and said angrily: "You are such a person. It was Sister Baochai who begged me to ask that question that day. If you are angry, just tell her."

"She is not my wife." Chen Heng shook his head proudly and said with a smile, "I can't control her."

The couple chatted and laughed for a while, then called Zicuckoo to add candles and light the lamp again. Chen Heng pointed to the "Yunlin Stone Book" he had just read and shared with Daiyu: "Look, Madam, the method of stacking stones in this book is really interesting. The mountain starts from the left and tilts to the right, with the back horizontally. Ashlar pattern.”

"The rocks on the rockery are undulating, like a rocky rock facing the river. I deliberately cut off a corner, spread river mud, and planted duckweed. Then plant some dills on the rockery." Chen Heng thought about the scene when the spring breeze blew through the rockery. He was full of praise and said, "It is said that Gusu people are proficient in landscape stone techniques. Judging from the elaboration of this book, it is indeed extraordinary."

"If your husband likes it, wouldn't it be great if we could do the same thing at Qingzu Pavilion when we return to the capital?" Daiyu sat beside her, folding her hands under her chin, and the yellow candlelight illuminated half of her side. Chen Heng was fascinated by his face. The latter thought for a while and said to his wife: "Before returning to Songjiang tomorrow, I will accompany you to visit Taihu Lake."

"This... I'm afraid it's not good." Daiyu was looking forward to it, but she was also worried that it would delay Chen Heng's official duties in Songjiang.

"It's okay, we just need to hurry up. Everyone needs to take care of us, and we need to take care of our little family." Chen Heng patted Daiyu comfortingly, "After this time, I don't know when I will come out next time. There are so many beautiful places in the world. , I’ll see as many places as I can with my wife.”

Hearing this, Daiyu couldn't help but smile with joy. He began to urge Chen Heng to go to bed early and rest early, so as not to delay tomorrow's trip.

Chen Heng had no choice but to put down the book, followed the other person to the bed, and fell asleep hugging each other.

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The next day, the weather became cloudy for a while. By the time the Chen family drove to Taihu Lake, the water was clear and clear. We rented a small boat at a nearby pier and waited for the boatman to unmoor the boat. After leaving the Huxiao Bridge, we gradually entered the depths of Taihu Lake.

I saw that the water and sky here were the same color, and the waves were magnificent. There are also dots of sails and dense gulls. It makes people feel happy to see it. Daiyu is in high spirits and sighs at the beauty of heaven and earth. He also told Chen Heng about Su Dongpo's famous saying, "Today we know what it is: when the ear hears it, it becomes sound, and when the eye encounters it, it becomes color. It is really the endless treasure of the Creator."

"Great mountains and rivers are what my wife and I are suitable for." Chen Heng said, taking the fishing rod from Liu Xianglian's hand, and said proudly, "When I catch a few Taihu fish for my husband, I will also let my wife taste the delicious food." ”

It's a pity that Chen Heng's skills are not good and he calls himself fierce. After fishing for half a day, I was still empty-handed. In the end, the boatman couldn't stand it anymore, so he took a few fishing nets and gave them to the guests as a gift to the tourists.

Playing like this until the afternoon, Chen Heng saw Daiyu's expression of unsatisfied interest and decided to stay one more night. But the latter advised: "The matters in Songjiang are still waiting for my husband. Having this half-day free time has made me happy for a long time. My husband does not need to worry about me. We can have a good time when our husband becomes an official in the future."

Chen Heng naturally saw his wife's thoughtfulness. He smiled and nodded, also listening to the other person's ideas, and said "Hello" softly.

As the sunset glowed, the Chen family on the carriage continued to run in the direction of Songjiang Mansion.

Ahhhh, here I come, here I come.