In the capital, in the hall of Dongji Office outside Dong'an Gate, Lin Shangli took out the Xihong Longjing tea that Xiao Chen had brought back from Hangzhou and brewed a full pot.
After the old eunuch placed the teapot on the table, he wisely stepped back.
Opposite Lin Shangli sat Wang Changlian, the Minister of Rites.
Today, Lin Shangli specially invited Wang Changlian here.
There is only one reason. Today, Xiao Chen will return from Gongchang Mansion.
Lin Shangli was endlessly worried about Xiao Chen's condition.
Although he did not blame Xiao Chen for this matter, he knew in his heart how fatal and low-level this mistake was.
In the capital, there were many high-ranking officials in the court who had good relations with Xiao Chen, but the one who really got along like a family was Wang Changlian, the Minister of Rites.
I invited Wang Changlian here just to have a good talk with Xiao Chen about why this situation happened.
In the future handling of cases, this kind of mistake must not be made again.
Picking up the teapot and pouring a full bowl, Lin Shangli pushed it towards Wang Changlian with a smile on his face: "Master Wang, please."
"Okay, okay, Mr. Factory Master, please fill it up for me too." Wang Changlian raised his left hand, flicked his two fingers in front of the table, and said politely.
Although his relationship with Xiao Chen is extraordinary, Wang Changlian has never been to the Dongji Office.
He turned to look at the portrait of Yue Fei hanging on the wall above the table, and nodded slightly: "Is this portrait of Yue Wumu requested by the factory owner to be hung here?"
"Haha, yes." Lin Shangli nodded and chuckled, "Yue Wumu served the country loyally, and hanging his portrait here is to encourage people in Dongchang to always take Yue Wumu as a role model and put the court first in everything.
Loyal to the court and loyal to the emperor."
"The factory owner has good management. Since the establishment of Dongchang, the cases he has solved have alarmed the government and the public. All these achievements are inseparable from the factory owner's strict management."
"Where is it? Mr. Wang is drinking tea." Ling Shang Li picked up the tea bowl in front of him and raised his hand towards Wang Changlian.
"Invite the factory owner." Wang Changlian also picked up the tea bowl.
There was a sound of footsteps outside.
Xiao Chen was followed by Duan Tianming and Du Shaoqin, who strode in.
Seeing Wang Changlian sitting in the seat, he was surprised and nodded hurriedly.
After patting his sleeves several times, he knelt down on one knee and said, "I'm here to see you, Lord Factory."
"Well, get up."
Xiao Chen and the other three slowly stood up.
"Gongchang's disaster relief has ended?" Lin Shangli asked with a smile.
"The disaster in Gongchang has been completely alleviated, and the victims have basically returned to the fields. Xiao Lizi followed the people from the Ministry of Industry and stayed in Gongchang Mansion to assist in the construction of local water conservancy projects." Xiao Chen reported word for word.
"Okay, okay, little Lizi has finally found what he likes to do. As long as he is willing, he can always follow the people from the Ministry of Works to the construction site."
"Gongchang Magistrate Wang Kuan, Dingxi Marquis Wang Rong, caravans and other properties that were confiscated. Except for the cost of water conservancy construction left for Gongchang Prefecture, all other properties have been transported back to the capital and will arrive tomorrow." Xiao Chen
Said again.
"Okay, I'll put it in the Dongchang yard when it comes back tomorrow. After the court convicts all the cases, let the Ministry of Household Affairs come over to hand over the property."
"Yes." Xiao Chen responded.
Lin Shangli raised his head, looked at Duan Tianming, and Du Shaoqin, and said slowly: "You must be very tired after traveling thousands of miles back from Gongchang. You should go down and rest first."
"Yes." The two of them saluted Lin Shangli again, turned around and walked out of the hall.
Outside the gate, Du Shaoqin stopped and looked at Du Shaoqin: 'The factory owner kept Xiao Chen here to hold him accountable?'
Duan Tianming shook his head: "Didn't you see that Mr. Wang, the Minister of Rites, is also here?"
"Of course I saw it."
"In the past few days, I always feel that Xiao Chen seems to be absent-minded. For such a big mistake, the factory owner must ask for a reason. If I am not wrong, Mr. Wang of the Ministry of Rites must have been specially invited by the factory owner.
"The factory owner must have sensed Xiao Chen's strange behavior and wanted to work with Mr. Wang to enlighten him." Duan Tianming thought for a moment and said in a low voice.
"It's okay to ask, as long as you don't punish Xiao Chen."
"This matter involves too much, so there will be no punishment, but the factory manager will definitely get to the bottom of it. Okay, this is not something you and I can control. I am really frustrated with Gongchang Mansion and his party.
When we arrived in the capital, we smelled the aroma of meat on the street and wanted to rush in immediately for a full meal. How about we take this opportunity to go out and have a good meal?"
Looking at Du Shaoqin, Duan Tianming winked.
"Xiao Chen is training, and we go out to drink and eat meat. Is this a celebration? Isn't it authentic?"
"What's the matter of celebrating? That old guy from Dingxihou was finally killed. Isn't it worth celebrating? Let's go, let's say goodbye to my mother-in-law." Pulling Du Shaoqin's sleeves, the two of them walked towards the nearest tavern.
In the hall, Lin Shangli pointed to the seat next to Xiao Chen and said, "Sit down, you must be tired after running all the way."
"Yeah." Xiao Chen walked to the chair next to Wang Changlian and sat down.
"Dingxi Hou, what happened that allowed him to escape?" Lin Shangli asked gently.
"The Marquis of Dingxi poisoned his son Wang Kuan to death, and his wife, Wang, also gave him poison, and then wiped her neck and committed suicide. The subordinates abandoned them as promised to Wang.
Corpse wilderness. Who knows..." Xiao Chen's words became lower and lower.
"Promise to Mrs. Wang? Wife of Marquis Dingxi? You were never like this before. How could a woman's words influence your decision?" Looking at Xiao Chen, Lin Shangli asked in confusion.
"Because this Wang is very knowledgeable and reasonable, which is very different from ordinary people. She did not protect Marquis Dingxi. Even after knowing the crimes committed by Marquis Dingxi, she was even more reasonable and tactfully accused him."
Before Xiao Chen could speak, Wang Changlian on the side interrupted with a smile: "Xiao Chen, how old are you this year?"
Xiao Chen was stunned: "Twenty-four years old, why do you ask this?"
"Although you are a purple-clad captain of the Ming Dynasty, in the final analysis, you are still just a child." Wang Changlian laughed.
Lin Shangli on the other side was also a little puzzled.
"What does Mr. Wang mean?"
"Does the factory owner know that Xiao Chen has never seen his parents since he was a child, but he grew up eating the food of hundreds of families?"
"I know this."
"The more knowledgeable a woman is, the more maternal she is. If I am not wrong, this Wang family reminds Xiao Chen of his own life experience. Women are originally weak, but it is enough for her to wipe her neck and commit suicide in front of Xiao Chen.
It shows how strong she is. For a woman who is both well-educated and extremely strong-willed, Xiao Chen did not suspect her behavior, which was normal. This shows that although she seems cold, Xiao Chen actually has a tender side of his own, which is towards
The desire for family affection.”
Wang Changlian said with a smile.
"But as it turned out, I was trapped by others and made a huge mistake." Xiao Chen's face was filled with embarrassment.
"It's not your fault. It shows that you have a kind side in your heart. At least, you are not wary of those who seem to be reasonable." Wang Changlian laughed.
"This is called a lesson learned. A woman's benevolence will only harm you." Lin Shangli said seriously.
Xiao Chen was silent for a moment and straightened his waist: "Actually, the reason why I believe her is because she easily handed over the thing I was looking for in Dingxi Houfu."
"What do you need to look for so hard?" Lin Shangli frowned.
Just ransack the house. All the armaments hidden by Marquis Dingxi have been found. Is there anything else that can be found in his mansion?
"A false imperial edict, together with the fake jade seal that forged this false imperial edict."
"What? Fake imperial edict, fake jade seal?" Lin Shangli and Wang Chang both exclaimed at the same time, and couldn't help but look at each other, as if asking if they heard correctly.
There are fake things in the world.
But the imperial edict and the jade seal are actually fake?
This was the first time the two of them had heard such remarks.
"This matter is not trivial. Please tell me in detail." Lin Shangli said.
Xiao Chen stood up, raised his fists, and bowed to Lin Shangli and Wang Chang respectively: "Two adults, before that, I have something that I would like to hear your objective comments on."
The two couldn't help but look at each other again.
What happened to Xiao Chen now? It seemed like he had a huge secret in his heart.
