At the end of the first lunar month, Nanchang was warmer than Nanjing, but the earth dragon was still burning in the stall, making the entire water pavilion as warm as spring.
Shen Liben and Xiong Qitai, wearing only single clothes, sat at both ends of the soft couch contentedly, chewing carefully prepared betel nuts and talking in a low voice.
"What are you doing here, sir? You have to get to the bottom of your humble position." Xiong Qitai asked anxiously.
"I don't intend to hide it from you," Shen Liben's posture was like a loose "too". But he enjoyed his current state very much. When he was in Nanjing, his whole body was too tight and depressed.
It was only when I came to the province that I felt what it was like to be an official again.
"I was sent by Prime Minister Hu. He has two intentions. One is to let me properly handle the case of Liu Lian falling into a well while drunk..."
"Oh?" Xiong Qitai listened obediently and understood after hearing what Shen Liben said. "What do you mean, Mr. Hu Xianghe, just insist that he fell into a well while drunk and died?"
"What do you mean by me and Prime Minister Hu?" Shen Liben said expressionlessly: "You are already the governor of a province, why are you so inferior?"
"Yes, my subordinate is indeed inferior," Xiong Qitai said with a smile, "but it's also because I treat you with an innocent heart!"
"Yes. I have realized your sincerity, but there are some things that can be done but cannot be said. If you talk too much, you will be wrong." Shen Liben educated his old subordinate in an old-fashioned way.
"In this humble position, please remember your teachings." Xiong Qitai hurriedly sat up straight and accepted the teachings.
"First tell me what's going on in this case, and does it have anything to do with you?" Shen Liben asked in a deep voice.
"..." Xiong Qitai thought for a moment, and then slowly said: "Your Excellency just taught me that there are certain things that I can't do but I can't say, and I can't admit that I've done them."
"You learn quickly." Shen Liben laughed and scolded, very satisfied with Xiong Qitai's answer.
Although he was the one who originally instructed Xiong Qitai to deal with Liu Lian, he never said that he asked Xiong Qitai to kill Liu Lian, so naturally he would not admit the debt. He was just happy that Xiong Qitai was playing tricks on him.
However, some things should not be taken lightly. He asked seriously: "Where is the person who did it now?"
"He is no longer in Nanchang. Don't worry, sir. No one can find him." Xiong Qitai said confidently.
"You have a missing person in your yamen, can you still keep it a secret?" Shen Liben frowned and asked, "That's too hasty!"
"Don't worry, sir. We were having a New Year's dinner at Cao Shenzheng's house that day. His family only had one cook and two servants, so they couldn't handle it at all, so we hired a dozen or so cooks and waiters from Hexiang Tower." Xiong Qitai knew that no one was there. He could eavesdrop, but he still lowered his voice with a guilty conscience:
"The person who did it dressed up as a servant and mingled among them. When people from Hexiang Tower asked, he said he was from Cao Shenzheng's family; when people from Cao Shengzheng's family asked, he said he was from Hexiang Tower. Immediately after he succeeded, He jumped over the wall and ran away without anyone noticing."
"No one really noticed?" Shen Liben asked softly: "There is no beginning or end left?"
"Don't worry, Deputy Inspector Feng is one of our people. Inspector Zeng Tai is just a decoration. The real handling of the case depends on Deputy Inspector Feng." Xiong Qitai said: "After the incident, he has already cleaned up the scene. Even if Bao Zheng is reincarnated, there will be no clues."
"Well, it's quite thorough." Shen Liben nodded slightly, then his eyes gradually darkened, and he stared at Xiong Qitai and said: "We and Prime Minister Hu just wanted to ruin Liu Lian's reputation, but we never wanted his life. You Why do you want to do this?"
"My lord, Liu Lian is very withdrawn. Apart from official duties, he spends all day studying in his room. He has no personal relationships with us, and he never communicates privately with the local gentry. If he hadn't been drinking Chinese New Year wine, he wouldn't have accepted it. Any banquet simply cannot be Taoist anymore." Xiong Qitai said helplessly:
"He has two guards from Prince Chu's Mansion following him at all times. Even if we want to frame him, we have no chance, let alone drag him into trouble."
"Similar to Liu Bowen, it's abominable to not get enough oil and salt." Shen Liben spat.
"So if we want to stop him from engaging in pornography, we have no choice but to adopt this strategy." Xiong Qitai swallowed his saliva and said: "Otherwise, after the spring starts, he will forcefully introduce the Lijia system, and then the whole province will be in chaos!"
"You would go to this extent for official business?" Shen Liben still didn't believe it and looked at Xiong Qitai suspiciously: "Is there anything else you are hiding from me?"
"No, how could it be? What time has it been? How dare I hide anything from you?" Xiong Qitai said with a strong smile: "I also received a message from the Secretary of the Central Bookseller last time, urging me to take action quickly. How can I dare to delay it any longer? We can only use this simple and crude method."
"Do you know that you are seeking death?" Shen Liben said bitterly: "Then Liu Lian was personally sent to Jiangxi by the emperor. He is also the eldest son of Liu Bowen and the senior brother of the King of Chu. How could you harm such a person's life? ?You are breaking the whole sky!"
"Sir, please calm down. I really had no other choice at that time. Besides, this was done flawlessly and there was no trace of me." Xiong Qitai insisted.
"Naive, do you think that the Emperor and the King of Chu will let you go without evidence? When did the old Zhu family ask for evidence for their murders? It is enough to cast suspicion on you!" Shen Liben slapped the armrest of the soft couch and cursed. Said: "You are so stupid!"
"I wouldn't doubt it because of my humble position. There is no direct conflict of interest between me and Liu Shenzhen. And who would have thought that a powerful vassal in the province would do such a thing to his subordinates who participated in politics?" Xiong Qitai shook his head vigorously.
"Have you never quarreled with him? Doesn't he know where the biggest resistance to his implementation of the yellow book comes from?" Shen Liben said with a dark face: "He has two guards, but those two were sent to him by the King of Chu. As long as someone accuses you in front of the King of Chu, Zhu Laoliu will ride a giant panda and rush to Nanchang to chop off your head!"
"Sir, don't worry, those two guards can't return to Beijing." Xiong Qitai suddenly whispered.
"Why, you did something to them too?!" Shen Liben was shocked. There was really nothing that Xiong didn't dare to do.
"It happened that they were not in the Yamen at that time," Xiong Qitai hurriedly explained: "Killing them outside can not only pretend that they are fleeing in fear of crime, but also make others suspicious of the King of Chu... After all, those Tianhuang nobles , moody, treating human life as nothing, who knows if Liu Lian accidentally annoyed him and made him slap him to death with his backhand? "
"Hmm..." Shen Liben was doubtful about this statement. He looked at Xiong Qitai suspiciously. He always felt that this guy was hiding something from him, but he couldn't find out. He had to suppress the doubts in his heart and asked again: "What about those pornographic books? They weren't destroyed directly, were they?"
This is the second purpose of his coming to Nanchang.
"My subordinates are not that stupid. If they burn the yellow books at this time, wouldn't they be trying to cover up the truth?" Xiong Qitai said with a smile: "After Liu Lian's death, I ordered people to pack all his documents and books into boxes and seal them."
After a pause, he smiled slyly and said: "Of course, some silverfish and booklice were accidentally mixed into those boxes containing pornography..."
