Jia Cong and Liu Xiaoqi found Qiu Sheng, an acquaintance of Monk Wen Kong, in a small house next to Wengshan Po. Jia Cong smashed a large section of the investigation report into his head and revealed the bottom. Qiu Sheng was stunned for a moment and his face turned cold: "Brother Zhou, this is
What does it mean?"
"Nothing." Jia Cong said, "I want to ask Brother Qiu to verify a guess. Does the Wu family in Cangzhou know who the biological father of Monk Wen Kong is?"
Qiu Sheng said calmly: "Brother Zhou has nothing to do with it." He turned around and was about to close the door, but Liu Xiaoqi took two steps forward and got stuck between him and another door.
Jia Cong said "Oh": "That means you don't know. If you know, depending on how familiar you two are, you should feel sad for him or the vicissitudes of life for half a second. How did those monks break up with you? Wu
The noble concubine was framed by other concubines in the palace... The other concubines are not capable, so let's be framed by the queen, and be replaced by a civet cat for the prince, or a phoenix and a dragon."
Liu Xiaoqi said: "You have to rely on some tricks to be believed. The script is nonsense. It is difficult for a child to change his concubine in the Forbidden City to reach heaven. I guess they are saying that the son of Concubine Wu has a bad character, so the Emperor ordered him to be sent to Longevity.
He became a monk in a Zen temple. You see, his master became a monk because of him, so the temple specially made this child a disciple of Yuan."
"Anyway, the reason why many seniors in the temple entered the temple can be used as a reason. At worst, the origins of two or three people will be mixed up." Jia Cong looked at Qiu Sheng with a smile, "right."
Qiu Sheng looked uncertain, and after a long time he said: "Brother Zhou is not afraid of death by making arrogant comments about the rights and wrongs of the Tian family?"
Jia Cong snorted: "Their Tian family has crawled out of the ashes, so no one is allowed to say anything?"
As expected, Qiu Sheng blurted out as if he had been struck by lightning: "You are talking nonsense!"
Jia Cong looked at Liu Xiaoqi: "Let's do this. Let's talk to Master Chen and ask Brother Qiu to listen next door. If he still can't accept the reality, he will talk to Master Yuan again and ask Brother Qiu to listen next door. Well,
Just talk to them and discuss why the late emperor chose Concubine Wu to remove her ashes. After all, Concubine Wu is Mr. Wu Tianzuo's biological niece, so I don't believe that he just grabbed any concubine in the palace and stripped her."
Qiu Sheng looked at the two of them for half a day and suddenly said: "I heard that Master Kong suddenly contracted a strange disease and passed away. It was fate that the two masters accompanied him to the north to find a miracle doctor. Isn't this true?"
"Of course it's not true," Jia Cong said, "Because the large-scale cuckold wholesale case of Monk Wenfa and his disciples has made new progress, they are all in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment."
Qiu Sheng was shocked: "What big case? Didn't Wenfa go to jail for having an affair with a noble family member? What does it have to do with the two masters?"
"Eh? You are so familiar with Wen Kong that you don't know about this at all?" Jia Cong said in surprise, "Not only Wen Kong, but also many monks from Wanshou Temple are involved; there are also countless female relatives who have had adultery, covering half of the capital.
All the powerful people have green heads." Qiusheng Baber staggered.
Liu Xiaoqi then said: "Master Wenkong, you don't have to worry, it's good. In a year and a half, if you return to secular life and become a scholar or doctor, you won't know your origins in this life."
Jia Cong said: "If you two are destined to meet again, please ask Brother Qiu not to tell him his life experience, and just treat him as an ordinary abandoned baby."
Qiu Sheng looked at Jia Cong and said, "Brother Zhou must be no ordinary person."
"Well, no."
Qiu Sheng lowered his head and thought for a moment: "I can't believe it."
Jia Cong nodded: "It's understandable. We will arrange for people to interrogate those two old monks. You will understand if you hear it with your own ears."
Qiu Sheng shook his head and said after a while: "...No need. I believe it is true." He sighed sadly. "He is a first-rate figure."
Jia Cong comforted him: "When he loses the smell of the incense burner and lives a free and good citizen, he can still be a first-class god." But the topic changed, "You called Wu Rui, right?"
Qiu Sheng said calmly: "Brother Zhou is from the imperial court."
Jia Cong frowned: "Am I important to the imperial court? I think Brother Qiu and Wen Kong are both people who love poetry. Literary young people have a kind of innocent kindness. Therefore, I thought that although you are a little cowardly, you are still
He can be considered a good person, at least he has a general understanding of right and wrong. You have to admit that Wen Kong's life experience is not only embarrassing, but also dangerous. He is worse than an abandoned baby. It is best for him not to know anything, rather than mistakenly thinking that he is the Supreme Emperor.
It's okay with Concubine Wu's son, right?"
There was a slight hesitation between Qiu Sheng's brows. Jia Cong said: "If he mistakenly thinks that he is an unlucky prince, he will want more. For example, to restore his mother's reputation and restore his own status as a prince. Then he will go
Search for evidence. Either you can’t find anything and you feel aggrieved; or you can find your true identity.”
Qiu Sheng thought for a while, nodded and said, "That's right. It's better to be an abandoned baby."
"Then we have reached a consensus on this point." Jia Cong said, "There are very few people who know about this matter. If everyone doesn't say it, he will never know it in his life. However, now there are still Wu family in Cangzhou who mistakenly think that they are hiding in the capital.
I have a dragon son. I also ask Brother Qiu to make a hard trip to Cangzhou and tell Mr. Wu Rui about this. For the sake of Wenkong’s lifelong happiness and the Wu family’s reputation, I also ask him and the Wu family not to look for or disturb Wenkong anymore.
If we meet by chance in the future, don't let Wen Kong know that he is their grandson. Just think that Concubine Wu has given birth to a daughter."
Qiu Sheng thought for a long time and said, "I'd still rather...hear with my own ears the two masters Chen Lioyuan admitting this matter."
"No problem. Are you free this afternoon? We'll make arrangements right away."
Qiu Sheng asked softly: "Where is he?"
"The bandit's den." Jia Cong said with a smile. That day, Wen Kong was captured in a sack and sent to Panlong Mountain. After questioning him for half a day, the bandits said they had arrested the wrong person. However, they could not let him go, so they stayed on the mountain as a prisoner.
Okay, by the way, I asked the gentleman from the revolutionary party to teach him some concepts such as freedom and democracy. "Not far from Beijing. Now he has returned to secular life - his monk's robes are broken and he can only wear ordinary clothes given by the bandits. Vegetarians are not allowed on the mountain.
, there is no one to shave his head, and there is no wooden fish to read or knock for him. The Buddhist precepts have been broken very little, and he has learned a lot of common sense. The two of you have a deep friendship. When he is recruited and comes down, he will definitely come to see Brother Qiu to reminisce.
.”
Qiu Sheng was startled and said sadly: "...that's fine."
It will be easy to deal with later. When Liu Xiaoqi personally went to the Penal Department to trap the two old monks, Qiu Sheng heard clearly from the next door. Although he had already guessed that the matter was true, Qiu Sheng was still dumbfounded and remained silent for a long time. He rested for two days
Later, this man hurried to Cangzhou.
All the way to the Wu family mansion next to Donghai Academy, Qiu Sheng took a post and asked to see Mr. Wu Rui. Wu Rui had also discussed with his father for a long time these days, guessing what happened to the Wanshou Temple. However, their whole family was literati, and they had no money in their hands.
I was working hard. Suddenly I heard that Qiu Sheng was coming again, and I was busy asking him to come in.
Qiu Sheng went into the study to see the gift, and with tears in his eyes told him about Wen Kong's life experience. Wu Rui was dumbfounded and almost fell down. After a while, he suddenly felt that his limbs were cold, his eyes were dizzy, and he fell softly on the back of the chair.
Qiu Sheng hurriedly stepped forward to massage his chest, and pinched the man for a long time before he came to his senses. After a long time, he shed two lines of tears. Qiu Sheng did not dare to leave his side, and just stood there weeping with him. He felt hot again.
He fed him a few mouthfuls of tea.
Wu Rui waved his hand, was stunned for a long time, and asked hoarsely: "How did those two old monks go to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, and how did you know about it? Tell me in detail from the beginning."
Qiu Sheng then started talking about "Zhou Sheng" visiting him. He ended by saying: "Brother Zhou and Brother Liu never said where they came from. The student guessed that they must be important figures to the regent."
Wu Rui thought for a while and said, "How do you know this Zhou Sheng?"
Qiu Sheng hurriedly said: "Last time, the students were anxious to hear about Master Kong's sudden illness and forgot to mention him. The students met this man at Wanshou Temple on the 15th day of the first lunar month." Then he talked about what happened that night.
"I don't know why, but the students quite trust this person."
Wu Rui asked him to write down the poem written by Zhou Sheng that night. He picked it up and read it and said: "Actually, it doesn't really fit the situation. It should be modified based on the old one." After reading it again, "It also has a romantic meaning. According to this
Judging from poetry, this Zhou Sheng’s skills are quite solid.”
Qiu Sheng smiled bitterly and said, "Sir, when did this happen?"
Wu Ruidao said: "I just thought he had studied." He put down the poem and said, "So, Liaochen and the others were imprisoned because the monk who listened to the law seduced the female family members of the house?"
Qiu Sheng said: "That's what Zhou Sheng and Liu Sheng said."
Wu Rui snorted, "It's weird for me to believe this! They're fooling you. They are 10% aware of what happened inside the Wanshou Temple. They just don't know how much they found out." After thinking for a moment, he murmured, "It's a big deal...
...It’s not going to be easy.” Qiu Sheng was so frightened that he didn’t dare to move. Wu Rui calmed down and said, “You go out first and I’ll think about it myself.”
Qiu Sheng said "yes" and withdrew. Just as he reached the door, Wu Rui called out again, "Come back." Qiu Sheng hurriedly turned back and said, "Sir."
Wu Rui asked: "You just said that you believed in Zhou Sheng for some reason. Think about it, why."
Qiu Sheng did not dare to sit down, so he stood in front of the case and thought for a long time, and said: "What this man said is reasonable. On the Lantern Festival, he talked about the third grandmother of that family... We all felt that it was unfair earlier, but we didn't pay attention to it.
I wondered what was unfair. It wasn’t until I heard what he said that I realized that the third grandmother’s natal family was not the same as herself. She was framed by her natal family and her husband’s family, and even Wen Kong and my uncle were accomplices. Furthermore,
Although they sent Master Wenkong to a bandit den, they were able to erase his original identity. After he was recruited and brought down from the mountain, he would be a different person and would no longer have anything to do with the Wanshou Temple. As for him, his life experience was really unknown.
good."
Wu Rui nodded: "I thought so just now. There is no doubt that Zhou Sheng is the regent's confidant." He stood up, "You have been in a hurry on the road, go to the guest room to rest." Qiu Sheng agreed and left. Wu Rui sat alone.
After waiting for more than half an hour, I got up and walked to the backyard.
Wu Tianzuo is a great Confucian from Cangzhou who is famous all over the world. Now he is only about sixty years old. He teaches in the academy every day and usually only lives in a secluded courtyard behind the Wu family. When Wu Rui arrived, Wu Tianzuo had just returned from the academy and was sitting and eating.
Tea. Seeing his son come in with a bad look on his face, he frowned slightly: "But I didn't sleep well last night."
Wu Rui said, "Thank you for your concern, father. My son had a good sleep last night." He sent the serving boy out. Wu Tianzuo felt a vague sense of foreboding in his heart. Wu Rui stepped forward and knelt down, tears falling from the corners of his eyes.
Wu Tianzuo was shocked: "What happened? But what happened to the kid Wen Kong? Get up and talk."
Wu Rui choked with sobs and said: "The child is quite good." He did not get up and repeated what Qiu Sheng said one by one. He lowered his head and remained silent.
Wu Tianzuo stood still like a clay Buddha. I don't know how long it took, but the old man sighed: "I told your uncle a long time ago not to take any imperial examinations, not to take the imperial examinations. He just didn't listen." Wu Rui was stunned.
After a while, the old man went on to say, "Later I said that there was a lot of food for him in the family, so I just wanted to be an idle official and have a career! He still didn't listen. In the end, he wanted to send his daughter to the palace.
He didn't even tell me! I got the news and even went to Beijing at night without stopping him." Nai sighed again and slapped the case hard, "If he just stayed in the academy and taught, how could these things have happened! If he had a child, it would damage the Wu family's reputation and even harm the Wu family's reputation.
The late Emperor has been saddled with...such an infamy."
Wu Rui was stunned: "Father, please forgive my son for being stupid... How did the late emperor get a bad reputation? I heard from the two old monks that the emperor was a little too presumptuous at that time, and the late emperor wanted to punish him, so he did... wait...
Things are coming."
Wu Tianzuo sighed: "You are still young and don't know. Once a person gets older, he is like a child. When he is young, he will weigh the overall situation and make choices with patience. When he is old, he is not good at controlling himself, and many things will be done by his temper. And it is easy.
I want to be confused. The older I get, the more this happens. Wasn't the late emperor a wise king when he was young? He did a lot of stupid things when he got older. This is human nature. The emperor is also a human being, and the emperor will also grow old. When he gets old, he will inevitably become confused. Then
It’s no wonder that the late Emperor is responsible for what happened.”
Wu Rui was stunned for another long time: "If you can't blame the late emperor, then... you can't blame my niece."
Wu Tianzuo shook his head: "Of course I don't blame your niece. She is a weak woman, living in a deep palace, and can't help herself with food, clothing, and sitting. That's why I said, blame your second uncle. If he didn't take the imperial examination, he wouldn't have this problem. If he didn't
It doesn't matter if he doesn't go in and fight for promotion, and it doesn't matter if he doesn't send his daughter to the palace."
Wu Rui said in a low voice: "Second uncle has only learned a lot, so how can he not take the imperial examination? He is naturally ambitious and willing to do practical things, and Shangguan is not blind. It would be strange if he did not get promoted. Besides, his father did not allow him to take the examination back then.
If you refuse to tell him the reason, how can he be convinced?"
Wu Tianzuo slapped the case and said: "Of course it's because of me that I didn't tell him. Only the eldest son can know about the rules passed down by your great-grandfather. Since he is my younger brother, he just needs to be obedient. But he insists on going his own way, which is why he has the result today.
.”
Wu Rui lowered his head. After a while, he said: "Even if I don't have my niece, there will be at least other concubines. Since the late emperor is old and confused, he usually knows how to remove ashes."
"That has nothing to do with my Wu family." Wu Tianzuo said, "Even if the late emperor has to bear this infamy, it is not because of my Wu family's daughter. In the future, when I go underground to see your great-grandfather, my grandfather and great-grandfather can also
Feel at ease."
Wu Rui opened and closed his mouth, and finally said "yes". After a long time, he asked: "Wanshou Temple has been targeted by the traitor Jia Cong, and our family is also exposed."
Clues. What to do next.”
Wu Tianzuo was silent for a long time and said: "Nothing will happen at the moment. We will keep unchanged in response to all changes. Let's see what Jia Xie wants."
Wu Rui responded "yes" again, lowered his head and rolled his eyes.