When they came out of Shopkeeper Li's house, everyone was in a very low mood.
The reason why everyone was depressed was that they found nothing in the Li Family Courtyard. Xiao Chen was depressed because he knew that the reason why shopkeeper Li spent all his money to build such a luxurious courtyard was for his father-in-law.
Filial piety is infinite. It is rare for someone like Shopkeeper Li to spend all his money to build a yard for his father-in-law.
What's more, he didn't build it for his parents, but for his father-in-law.
This is not only a kind of filial piety, but also a deep feeling for that unruly woman.
In the Ming Dynasty, women seemed to be just accessories to men. Look at the emperor, and then look at those high-ranking officials, which one has only one wife?
Shopkeeper Li's financial resources are not the first in the Ming Dynasty, but he is definitely in the top ten.
He was a "real" rich man, but he didn't have three wives and four concubines like others, which made Xiao Chen look at him with special eyes.
But there was one thing that made Xiao Chen very puzzled.
Why did shopkeeper Li have to build the courtyard to imitate the imperial garden? Does this mean that shopkeeper Li himself or the woman wanted to build it?
Shopkeeper Li is just a businessman, so it stands to reason that he is unlikely to enter the palace.
If that's what the woman meant, it means that shopkeeper Li's father-in-law must have been in the palace.
People who have entered the palace should be people who have made meritorious service to the court, either civil servants or military generals. So, who would dare to hunt down such a person with outstanding meritorious service? And force him to commit suicide by jumping into the river?
Shopkeeper Li said that his father-in-law was just a businessman who was being hunted by gangsters who wanted to seize property. This was obviously illogical.
Does a businessman need to commemorate him with a miniature version of the imperial garden?
Moreover, although shopkeeper Li's wife didn't speak nicely, her attitude was clearly condescending. She knew that she was from the government, but she didn't even bother to look up.
This is not an act, it is a manifestation of a sense of superiority that has been cultivated since childhood.
In other words, she must have grown up in a family of high-ranking officials, so she had no regard for ordinary government officials.
Although during this trip, Xiao Chen did not find any information related to the behind-the-scenes attack on Wei Liang, the magistrate of Gu'an, nor the whereabouts of the prince, but he had a faint feeling that he seemed to have touched a big secret.
As for what the secret is, he himself can't tell clearly.
When they returned to the Gu'an County Government Office, the captain of the Shenji Service had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Xiao Chen coming in, he hurriedly clasped his fists and saluted.
"Brother Xiao."
"Why are you here? Where is Liu Rufeng?" Xiao Chen couldn't help but asked in shock.
"I haven't been able to wait for Brother Xiao to summon the fireworks. Liu Qianhu asked me to come into the city to see if you have any other arrangements?" the captain said.
"Oops." Xiao Chen slapped his forehead, "You can't even drink a sip of water outside the city. Why didn't I tell you to camp where you are and send people into the city to purchase food?"
"Liu Qianhu couldn't wait for your order and has already set up camp on the spot. However, the subsequent arrangements still need your instructions," the captain said.
Xiao Chen turned around, looked at Duan Tianming and said: "Purchase some food and accommodation supplies and send them to Liu Rufeng with this brother. We may have to stay in Gu'an City for a few more days. Don't let the brothers outside the city starve.
Cold."
"How many days will the items be delivered?" Duan Tianming asked.
"Let's send it to you for three days first. If you need to continue to send it in the future. After you go, tell Liu Rufeng to hide it and don't disturb the people passing by. Wait for the call at any time."
"Yes." Duan Tianming cupped his fists and saluted, turned and left.
The captain of the Shenji Opera also hurriedly followed closely.
Walking to the edge of Wei Liang's bed and sitting down, Xiao Chen called to Wei Liang's wife, who was dozing on the side: "Sister-in-law, you go and rest for a while. I will take care of County Magistrate Wei for a while."
Hearing Xiao Chen's voice, the woman staggered and hurriedly straightened her body. She opened her red eyes and stood up a little embarrassed when she saw Xiao Chen.
"The official is here to handle the case. How can I let you take care of me? I should do it."
Wei Qi, who was behind Xiao Chen, also walked up, looked at the woman and said, "Sister-in-law, just go and have a rest. You probably haven't slept a wink since my brother's accident. Now that we are back, you can go and rest for a while."
Come and replace us."
Glancing at Wei Liang, who was lying motionless, a trace of worry flashed in the woman's eyes: "I'm afraid he will be hungry when he wakes up, and the bone soup is always hot. Then you can watch for a while, and call me when your elder brother wakes up."
"Well, I will definitely call you when brother wakes up." Wei Didian nodded.
The woman turned around, glanced at Wei Liang on the kang again, and slowly walked into the back room.
In the capital city, Jinyiwei Prison, Dongchang Changgong Lin Shangli and the Ministry of Punishment Shangshu Li An were each lying on a small bed with their eyes half closed.
"Mr. Factory Master, do you think Xiao Chen has found the whereabouts of the prince?" Li An asked quietly from the side.
"I haven't received any news about the prince's whereabouts. However, Xiao Chen left the capital with the elite of the Shenji Army and went to Gu'an City." Lin Shangli said.
"Gu'an? Is that Gu'an County that has always relied on the imperial government for relief?" Li An opened his eyes, supported the bed board with his hands, and sat up slowly.
The poor in Gu'an County are not at all poor, and they live off the government's relief every year. It is said that not only do they have no food to eat, but they also have to pay for the seeds sown in spring every year.
Originally, no matter how poor a place like this was, Li An would never know about it.
It was because of hunger that a major food robbery occurred. Several people were killed. Finally, the case was handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for trial. Only then did Li An know that there was such a poor place in Ming Dynasty.
"Yes, it is the poorest place in the entire Ming Dynasty." Lin Shangli said with a chuckle.
"Could it be said that those men in black kidnapped the prince to Gu'an?"
"Xiao Chen hasn't reported back the news yet. I can't answer this at the moment, Mr. Li."
"Oh, I thought Xiao Chen went there because he had some news." Li An slowly lay down again, putting his left leg on his right leg and stretching it straight, "Let's just spend time here.
When Xiao Chen brings the prince back, we can see the light of day again."
"Dongchang owes Mr. Li a favor this time. If he doesn't take over the prince's affairs, Mr. Li should be out enjoying the flowers and outing at the moment, right?" Lin Shangli said softly, covering his head with his hands.
"Yes, Dongchang owes me a favor this time. How are you going to repay me after the factory owner goes out?" Li An turned sideways and asked with a smile.
"If Mr. Li commits a crime in the future, I will not torture you. How about this reward?" Lin Shangli also said with a smile.
"The factory owner really likes to joke. I, Li An, am a cautious official. How could I make a mistake and fall into the hands of the factory owner?"
"Is that what Mr. Li means, that he was careless this time and ended up in the Jinyi Guard's prison?" Lin Shangli said with a faint smile.
"It's not this time. This time it's because my skills are inferior to others. The Crown Prince was kidnapped in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice. I should be responsible. So, I stayed quietly in the prison and didn't blame anyone." Li An smiled.
stand up.
In the past few days, for Li An, being imprisoned in the prison was as if the sky had collapsed and he was almost in despair.
After Lin Shangli's enlightenment, he also thought about it.
For this matter, whether the emperor wants to blame him, he can blame him, or whether he wants to not blame him, or he can completely absolve him. It all depends on the emperor's mood and how he wants to deal with himself.
Instead of spending the day in a depressing mood, it would be better to live so carelessly and comfortably now.
Anyway, the matter has already been solved. Even if the prince is finally found, the emperor still has the final say as to whether he is responsible or not. Whatever he does, he will just be slaughtered.
"You said, if you didn't agree to Xiao Chen and take the prince to the Ministry of Justice, wouldn't this happen?" Lin Shangli asked with a smile.
"That's not possible." Li An shook his head, "Brother, how can I not help if I ask? Besides, with Xiao Chen's skills, he wouldn't have spoken to me if there was nothing he could do. Brother, I ask you for help in times of crisis.
, it shows that the other person regards you as a brother. At this time, you must help him no matter what."
"Hahaha..." Lin Shangli laughed, "When did you two become brothers? I remember that at the beginning, you signed a petition with hundreds of officials to take off his purple clothes."
"We don't know each other without fighting, so we became brothers. Hahaha..." Li An also laughed.
