The Qiu family, a family of fourth-grade military officers, is a middle-class official family in the capital. Qiu Tianyin, the commander-in-chief of the left camp of the Imperial Guard, was also considered a middle- and high-level general in the Imperial Guard.

"Cry, cry, cry, you know how to cry, you cry to death and Pan'er can't come back to life!"

In the back room of the enemy's family, Qiu Tianyin looked at him in front of him The wife, who had been crying for a long time, cursed in a very depressed tone.

"Master, you must avenge our Pan'er. Pan'er can't die in vain. We must let the evildoer of the Xue family pay for our Pan'er's life. Wow, oh, oh, I'm pitiful. Pan'er..."

"Don't worry, Pan'er's death will definitely not be in vain! Prince Zhongshun has agreed, and will definitely supervise the Ministry of Punishment to handle the case impartially. With Prince Zhongshun here, even if the Xue family has With such a huge background, don’t even think about getting rid of your guilt. I will definitely let that Xue Pan pay for our Pan’er’s life!

Okay, you go down and let me be quiet.”

Just when Qiu Tianyin was tired and driving his old wife away, he suddenly saw the housekeeper rushing over. When he saw him, he shouted: "The master is not good, then Jia Lian, the Marquis of Zhenyuan of Jiajia, is calling... "

"What!?"

Qiu Tianyin immediately stood up and walked outside, asking the housekeeper what was going on.

"Replying to the master, the second master was ordered by the master to receive guests in the outer courtyard. Suddenly, Jia Lian came with people, saying that he came to pay homage to the master. The second master kept in mind the master's instructions, and all the guests in the old capital The four major families and their relatives and friends refused to receive him, so they persuaded him to leave.

But not only did Jia Lian ignore the second young master, his soldiers directly blocked our door. . The second young master doesn’t dare to make his own decisions, so he came here to ask the master to make the decision.”

“You bastard!”

Qiu Tianyin was furious.

Speaking of his order not to allow the Xue family and their relatives and friends to enter, the main reason was that many people were entrusted by the Xue family to come to intercede, which made him take the trouble. He simply ordered all families who were close friends with the Xue family to stay away. This would indeed save a lot of trouble.

But this Jia Lian actually dared to do this. He felt that Jia Lian was relying on his family background and official rank, and did not take his enemies seriously at all.

Angrily walked to the outer courtyard, and saw the second son jumping at the gate from a distance, cursing: "Jia Lian, don't think that you are a marquis and dare to act wild in our enemy's house. This matter I must ask my father to report it to Prince Zhongshun and the imperial court to punish you for the crime of wild rebellion..."

Hearing his son's shouting voice, Qiu Tianyin couldn't help but look at the housekeeper: This Is that what you call "good words and advice"?

His steps involuntarily slowed down, suppressing his anger.He pressed down, straightened his appearance and walked over.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw two rows of armored officers and soldiers in neat uniforms and solemn expressions lined up on both sides of the door. Surrounded by invisible officers and soldiers, several tall horses stood, led by a young man wearing a black crown and colorful clothes, with a face like a bright moon and eyes like new stars.

He just rode so demurely on the white horse, and he gathered boundless power into his body, making everyone who looked at him feel ashamed.

Qiu Tianyin felt a shiver in his heart, secretly thinking that this person could achieve such a reputation and be entrusted with important tasks by His Majesty. He is really not an easy person to deal with!

"What happened?"

"Father, you are finally here! This is the man. Not only did he break into my enemy's house without permission, but he also had his son beaten. Wow Oh, father, you must make the decision for me."

Qiu Tianyin, who was pretending to be careless at first, saw his son looking at him pitifully, with a slap mark on his face. , the anger that had just been suppressed was on the rise again.

Do the people from these four major families really think that their enemies are weak and can be bullied? !

Staring at his son and telling him to step back, Qiu Tianyin looked at Jia Lian and asked in a deep voice: "May I ask Lord Zhenyuan, what does this mean?"

When Qiu Tianyin looked at Jia Lian, Jia Lian also saw him. Jia Lian has only been in the court for a short time, and he has been away on business all year round, so he still doesn't know many officials in the court, especially military attachés like Qiu Tianyin.

Seeing his tall stature and steady eyes, he knew that this person was not a drunkard. It was no wonder that he came from a poor family, curried favor with Prince Zhongshun, and then moved to the fourth rank of officialdom.

After hearing the other party's question, Jia Lian replied calmly: "Master Qiu, are you asking about the second young master? Oh, this is my kind intention.

The second young master just now He was too excited and spoke rudely. It would be fine if he just spoke rudely to me. I and Mr. Qiu are officials in the same court and belong to the same colleagues, so I will not care about the younger generation.

However, the two young masters are indiscriminate. In between words, he said that the enemy is a loyal and shun prince. If I don’t retreat, the enemy will report to the loyal and shun prince’s house what will happen to me?

I thought to myself, Mr. Qiu, as a person The general of the Imperial Guard is responsible for the safety of the Forbidden Palace and has a heavy responsibility. Even if he really wants to recognize his master, it should be His Majesty. How can he change his identity to someone else?

Therefore, I am planning for your future and life and death. , just let someone slap the second young master, and warn him of a momentary slip of the tongue. If Lord Qiu feels that I have done something wrong, I would like to apologize to Lord Qiu."

Jia Lian is riding on the horse, very polite Hand over. But his polite gesture made Qiu Tianyin's heart skip a beat.

What a show of force! Why couldn't Qiu Tianyin understand the meaning of Jia Lian's words? This meant that the owner of his enemy's family was disloyal, implying that King Zhongshun formed a clique for personal gain and had evil intentions!

But he really didn’t dare to ignore it. If others said this, Qiu Tianyin would not care about it, but Jia Lian would not.

It is rumored that this son is a close associate of the emperor. If he uses this as an excuse to slander him in front of the emperor, he may not be loyal and obedient to the palace. His enemies will only make a mark in the emperor's heart.

So he slapped the second son with his backhand, and then said to Jia Lian: "What Marquis Zhenyuan said is absolutely true. The dog is young and ignorant, and speaks lies. He should be taught a lesson. Although my enemy is Zhongshun, The reason for our friendship with the prince is because Prince Zhongshun was kind to him when he was in decline.

As for the ignorant people who say that the enemy is a member of Prince Zhongshun, it is really nonsense. Let’s talk. I, Qiu Tianyin, can eat the emperor’s salary and be loyal to the emperor. How can I not understand the duties of the emperor and his ministers? Thank you for your understanding of what happened today.”

Qiu Tianyin said and bent down deeply. After bowing, he waited for him to stand up, but said expressionlessly: "I just don't know why the Marquis came here today? To be honest with the Marquis, things have not been going well for my enemy's family recently, and the dog has lost his son. If The Marquis has no other instructions, so please forgive me for not having time to receive him..."

Before Qiu Tianyin finished speaking, he saw Jia Lian dismounting from his horse, casually waving his hand and saying: "No need to say more, Mr. Qiu. Li, I also know about the eldest son of your house, and I would like to ask Master Qiu to express my condolences.

Speaking of which, I am an old friend of the eldest son. Knowing that he is unfortunate, I am very sad. This time I also came here specifically to pay homage to express my condolences."

Jia Lian said, took the three hundred silver ritual gifts from Xue Baochai behind him, put them in Qiu Tianyin's hands, and patted them He shook his shoulder in relief, and then walked towards the door.

Qiu Tianyin opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say for a moment. He didn't think that Jia Lian couldn't hear his thank you, and why did he say that he and Pan'er were old friends? Humph, if Pan'er really had a friendship with this person, he wouldn't have taught that evildoer of the Xue family to be beaten to death!

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Tianyin thrust the sacrificial gift into his son's hands and followed Jia Lian. He wanted to see what Jia Lian wanted to say when he came here. If he came to intercede for the Xue family, he would teach him what it means to kill someone to pay for his life, and to pay back his debt!

　……

The arrival of Jia Lian caused quite a stir among the enemies.

It’s just that because of what happened at the door, even Qiu Tianyin was “very polite” to Jia Lian. The rest of the Qiu family did not dare to confront him again, but secretly looked at the most important person in the country with curiosity. The famous young marquis.

Qiu Tianyin stood outside the mourning hall, watching Jia Lian helplessly.He hurriedly walked to his son's coffin and bowed three times. Then he took three sticks of incense from the attendant and inserted them into the incense burner reverently.

Seeing this behavior, Qiu Tianyin almost began to doubt whether his unlucky son really had a deep friendship with Jia Lian during his lifetime!

The hostility towards Jia Lian in his heart has subtly decreased a lot. It's not that he really believed Jia Lian's words, but it's really difficult for people like Jia Lian to create life-or-death hostility.

So when Jia Lian came out of the mourning hall, Qiu Tianyin paid his respects and said straight to the point: "Since the worship of the Marquis has been completed, I will not keep the Marquis anymore. If you have any other instructions, I would like to ask the Marquis to speak.

But the official has something to say first. If the Marquis is also here to intercede for the Xue family, I will forgive the official for being disrespectful."

Faced with Qiu Tianyin's ugly words, Jia Lian's expression did not change, and he was even a little surprised: "Master Qiu, why did you say this? Since ancient times, it has been said that murder must be paid with life, and debts must be paid with money. It is a natural and right thing to do. How can I do this for Xue?" I beg for mercy!"

A few steps away, Baochai, who was dressed as a maid, had a slight expression on her face, but she didn't say anything.

Qiu Tianyin was also stunned, "Then Master Hou, this is..."

"Oh, but I really have something important to discuss with Mr. Qiu when I come here. Talk."

Jia Lian glanced around and said, "Master Qiu is not going to talk to me here, is he?"

Qiu Tianyin hesitated. After cupping his fists, he waved his hand: "Please."

Arriving at the main hall, Qiu Tianyin asked someone to serve tea. He originally wanted to let Jia Lian speak first, because he was not sure about Jia Lian's purpose. But who would have thought that Jia Lian didn't seem to be in a hurry, and even had the time to comment on his enemy's tea and tea-making techniques. After all, Qiu Tianyin's patience ran out and he was the first to speak:

"We Ming people don't say anything. Secretly, I also ask the Marquis to express his intention. If there is anything my enemies can do, please give me your instructions. But if the Marquis still comes to intercede for the Xue family, please refrain from talking. "

While speaking, Qiu Tianyin involuntarily glanced at Baochai standing beside Jia Lian again, secretly secretly saying that the rumors were true, this Zhenyuan Marquis was really a romantic marquis. There are rumors that the reason why he refused the Queen Mother's offer of marriage was because he was worried that after marrying the eldest princess, he would no longer be romantic and would let down all the beauties.

Now it seems that it is not groundless. I don't know what he wanted to do when he brought such a beautiful maid to his enemy's house today.

Jia Lian took a sip of tea, then put down the tea cup and said with a smile: "Although I am not here to plead for the Xue family, what I said is indeed related to the death of Mr. Ling? ”

That’s true! hatredTianyin said coldly: "Oh, I wonder what Lord Marquis wants to say?"

Jia Lian smiled and clapped his hands. After a while, Qiu Tianyin saw Jia Lian's personal guards and tied up a person.

Qiu Tianyin glanced at Sun Shaozu, who was staring at Jia Lian on the ground and could not speak due to the stuffing in his mouth, and asked in surprise: "Who is this person?"

Jia Lian smiled Said: "This officer's surname is Sun Shaozu, and he is also one of the main culprits who caused the misfortune to the young master. But because of his cunning, he absconded first on the day of the incident. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers of our Bingma Division had already paid attention to this person, so they could not let him go." The officer is at large.

Today, I am also preparing to personally escort him to the Ministry of Punishment for severe interrogation. I can’t bear to think that Mr. Qiu sent a white-haired man to a black-haired man because of the drunkenness and trouble. , then he was brought here along the way, so that Mr. Qiu could vent the pain and anger in his heart."

Looking at Jia Lian who was speaking seriously, Qiu Tianyin sneered and said: "Is it possible that Mr. Hou is an official now? He is a three-year-old child. He thinks that if he just picks a slave to take the blame, the subordinates will believe him?"

"Slave, he is not a slave. This Sun Shaozu was originally an officer in Datong Prefecture, Shanxi. Last year, he was drunk and He was dismissed after beating his boss.

Speaking of which, the Sun family is a family of military officers, and their ancestors were also high-ranking generals in the army. They even happened to serve under my ancestors. Speaking of which, Sun Shaozu is still an upright member of our Jia family. Disciples.

As for taking the blame? Haha, although my Jia family and the Xue family are family friends, if I, Jia Lian, are willing to sacrifice my family friends and disciples in the Rongguo family for a Xue family dude, I'm afraid if I tell you, Master Qiu may not believe it."

Sun Shaozu, who was pale due to excessive blood loss, felt hatred in his heart when he heard Jia Lian's words. He still can't figure out when he offended Jia Lian so much that he admitted that he was a disciple of Rongguo Mansion, but at the same time wanted to kill him at all costs.

If it is said that he is taking the blame for Xue Pan, but Jia Lian started to deal with his Sun family last year! Could it be that Jia Lian had some foresight and knew whether something would happen to Xue Pan this year?

Qiu Tianyin was also confused. He believed that Jia Lian's identity would not make up an arbitrary identity. If this person really comes from a family of military officers and is not a slave of the Jia family or the Xue family...

"The Marquis said that he was the main culprit in murdering my son. How can I prove it?"
< br />"It is not difficult to ask for proof of this matter, and I will not seriously treat Mr. Qiu as a child and deceive Mr. Qiu with lies that can be easily exposed. When Mr. Qiu Pan was killed, the witnesses who were present There are a lot of people, Lord Qiu only needs to find a few witnesses to confirm, and then he will know that what I said is true.

If Lord Qiu can trust me, I have sent people to bring Jinxiang to Jinxiang before. The old bustards of the courtyard are numbered togetherInvite a turtle slave who was present at the time and wait outside the door. Master Qiu invites them in to find out the truth and falsehood upon questioning. "

Qiu Tianyin pondered for a moment and said: "The official appreciates the good intentions of the Marquis. But there is no need to go to such trouble, the official has his own way of verification. "

With that said, Qiu Tianyin ordered the housekeeper: "Go and call Zhang Rang! ”

The housekeeper left in response, while Jia Lian took a sip of tea silently, frowning and not knowing what he was thinking.

After a long while, an arm and a head were The man dressed as a bandaged servant was brought by the housekeeper.

"This was my son's personal servant before he was alive. He had been at the scene on the day of the incident. If this person really killed my son He must know the main culprit...Does Mr. Hou understand what I mean? "

Qiu Tianyin looked at Jia Lian and saw that Jia Lian just smiled casually. He just turned around, pointed at Sun Shaozu and said solemnly to the visitor: "Zhang Rang, do you recognize this? people? "

The visitor walked up to Sun Shaozu, looked at him carefully for a long time, and suddenly said loudly: "It's him, it's him! Master, he is also the person next to the dog thief Xue Pan. Apart from Xue Pan, this person was the most vicious that day! At that time, the slave was protecting the uncle at the door. Xue Pan led several people to come to trouble the uncle. The slave wanted to protect the uncle, but this man punched the slave on the head and beat the slave to pieces on the spot. I failed to protect the uncle..."

When Baochai heard what the boy said, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Although Baochai also had a detailed understanding of the incident that day, But her eyes have never been on Sun Shaozu.

Since Sun Shaozu was not arrested, she, Aunt Xue and others thought that Sun Shaozu was just present and did not take action like Feng Ziying and others.< br />
Therefore, although Baochai knew that Jia Lian had the idea of ​​​​using Sun Shaozu to take the blame for his brother, he did not know what the chances were, let alone whether his enemies would accept this trick. Now it seems that this Sun Shaozu was really not innocent.

How could Baochai know that in order to curry favor with Xue Pan, Sun Shaozu naturally tried his best to show off and almost did not regard Xue Pan as his father. In that situation, of course he took the lead and only wanted to What a good win in front of Xue Pan!

Qiu Tianyin did not expect this. Although he also knew that Xue Pan was not the only one who beat his son to death that day, but when he thought about it, others The participants were just Xue Pan’s followers and servants, so naturally they wouldn’t care.

What he wanted was just for Xue Pan’s death.

At this time, he knew that Sun Shaozu was indeed He was one of the participants that day. Thinking that Jia Lian had revealed his identity from the beginning, Qiu Tianyin already roughly understood what Jia Lian meant. skyYin said: "Thank you Lord Marquis for arresting the murderer of my son. Everyone in the enemy family is very grateful to Lord Marquis. But...

Even if this person also participated in beating my son that day, It doesn't mean that he is the main culprit. Who doesn't know that Xue Pan is the real murderer of my son? As the saying goes, every injustice has its owner and its debtor has its owner. It is a matter of my son's life and death. If the subordinate listens to one side of the story and lets the real murderer go free, it will only I'm afraid that my son will find out and die with his eyes open."

Qiu Tianyin didn't want to offend Jia Lian, let alone let Xue Pan go, so he used euphemistic but clear words to block Jia Lian's next words.

Jia Lian nodded and said: "Master Qiu is right. I have no intention of excusing Xue Pan. What I said just now is that this person is one of the principal culprits."

Qiu Tianyin’s eyes showed gratitude. I have some admiration for Jia Lian. To be fair, if he were the other party, he would not be able to be so calm and talkative without being intimidating in his high position.

Jia Lian waved his hand and asked someone to take Sun Shaozu down, and continued: "To be honest, when Sun Shaozu was an official in Datong Mansion, he was a domineering and evil person. Last year His family fortune suddenly declined, and he wandered to the capital, where he met Xue Pan by chance.

This Xue Pan was only seventeen or eighteen years old. He was young and had nothing to do, and he was easily deceived by others. And this Sun Shaozu was in embarrassment, so he tried his best to please Xue Pan, hoping to take advantage of Xue Pan's power to stand up.

I was not present when the incident occurred, and I did not dare to make a rash judgment on the situation at that time. But Lord Qiu, just imagine, no matter what you say, Young Master Ling is still a slut, and Xue Pan is just a dandy, addicted to wine and sex, bloated, and very stupid.

Such a person, How could he be the opponent of the eldest son Qiu after drinking wine? Let alone beat the eldest son to death. I am afraid there are some strange things in this that ordinary people ignore."

Baochai heard this Jia Lian's critical words for Xue Pan, even though he knew that Jia Lian deliberately showed weakness in front of Qiu Tianyin, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. It turns out that in the eyes of outsiders, my brother is really so miserable. Even the second brother Lian looks at him in this way.

Qiu Tianyin is not a fool. He knows that Jia Lian must be pleading for the Xue family in a roundabout way. But even so, he felt that what Jia Lian said was somewhat reasonable.

It is common for young men from aristocratic families to have conflicts and make trouble after drinking. If it weren't for deep hatred, who would really kill him? That's why he was so angry when he learned that his son had been beaten to death, and vowed to make the Xue family pay with blood.

But now I look back and think about Jia Lian’s words, combined with the Sun Shaozu I just met. This man is so powerful. If he was one of the doers that day, I’m afraid it is really possible that he could He was the culprit who caused his son's death.

Seeing that Qiu Tianyin did not speak, but his eyes were obviously thoughtful, Jia Lian said: "I know that with the relationship between the Jia and Xue families, no matter what I say, I am suspected of being glib in front of Master Qiu. . Well, that day, Sun Shaozu was not the only one who went to Jinxiangyuan to have a drink with Xue Pan and others. There were also several princes and princes, including Mr. Feng Ziying and Mr. Feng from the Shenwu General Mansion.

I We have already sent someone to invite Mr. Feng, so why not let him tell Mr. Qiu face to face what happened that day? I believe that after Mr. Qiu understands it, he will have a clearer understanding of the cause of Mr. Ling's death. Presumably this is what Mr. Qiu wants to prevent Mr. Ling from dying unexplained."

After speaking, Jia Lian sent someone to invite Feng Ziying in. Qiu Tianyin raised his eyebrows but did not refuse.

Feng Ziying was naturally invited by Jia Lian. After meeting Qiu Tianyin, he told in detail how they and Xue Pan met in Jinxiang Courtyard and what happened during that time. Of course, the key point was how Sun Shaozu curry favor with Xue Pan and how he learned about Qiu Panqiang. Dian Yun'er then encouraged Xue Pan to find trouble.

In short, it is Feng Ziying’s task to define Sun Shaozu as the culprit.

"Xue Pan was very drunk that day. Although my nephew, Wang Ziwen, Chen Yejun and others tried their best to dissuade him, Sun Shaozu tried his best to encourage him. We couldn't persuade him, so we could only watch. Sun Shaozu took Xue Pan upstairs.

I couldn’t say for sure what happened next because I had never seen it with my own eyes. But when I heard about the incident and hurried over, Mr. Qiu was already angry. Jue, at this time, except for Xue Pan and his two young men who were present in a daze and were taken away by the Shuntian Mansion's yamen, Sun Shaozu had long disappeared."

Feng Ziying Finally said this.

Qiu Tianyin listened silently, and suddenly said to Feng Ziying: "If I remember correctly, during the three years of Ningkang, you had a fight with my son in a restaurant, and my son was seriously injured. It took half a month before I got out of bed."

Feng Ziying looked ashamed: "In front of Uncle Shi, my nephew did not dare to lie. When he was young and energetic, he made a big mistake. Afterwards, my father once said He punished his nephew severely, and once said that if it hadn't been for Uncle Shi's generosity, he might not have been able to escape from prison.

My nephew still remembers Uncle Shi's forgiveness, and I vowed not to fight anyone over trivial matters again. Now I have joined the service of Lord Zhenyuan and am determined to be a person like Uncle Shi and my father in the future."

Qiu Tianyin waved his hand, " You don’t have to please me. At the beginning, the two of you were just quarreling with each other. You both had your own injuries, so I naturally didn’t take it to heart. General Feng is a hero of all ages and a powerful minister in the court. I don’t dare to compare with General Feng. , if you can be like the old general in the future, crossing the battlefield and making contributions to the country,It doesn't count as an insult to the Feng family. "

Jia Lian realized at this time that the Feng family and the enemy family seemed to have some friendship. No wonder Feng Ziying and Qiu Pan knew each other.

But what did Qiu Tianyin say about the younger generation? The son's verbal quarrel has hurt each other, so he doesn't take it to heart... I'm afraid that both families are generals, and his son has never beaten Feng Ziying, so he is embarrassed to say more.

But he listens to the hatred Tianyin suddenly asked: "Did you just say that you joined Zhenyuan Hou's tent?"

Although he asked Feng Ziying, his eyes looked at Jia Lian. Jia Lian said: "That's right, Mr. Feng has outstanding martial arts. , who is also a general, had previously volunteered to serve as the martial arts instructor in the newly established firearms camp of this lord, and the results were very good.

I cherish the talents of Young Master Feng and have already reported to the court that I am preparing to appoint Young Master Feng as the Chief of the Musket Battalion under my command. "

Qiu Tianyin twitched the corners of his mouth, thinking to himself, no wonder Feng Ziying left her good father alone, but came to curry favor with Jia Lian. It really has benefits.

Damn it , I have worked hard for most of my life to be promoted to the fourth-rank imperial guard captain. This guy immediately worked for the fifth-rank Qianzong. He is only two small steps away from me!

Qiu Tianyin said nothing. Feng Ziying glanced at Jia Lian and quietly retreated.

And Jia Lian was not in a hurry. He came here just to stabilize this enemy. Only this enemy did not stare at Xue Pan. If you don't let go, or even resolve the conflict, the rest of the matter will be easier to handle.

Therefore, this can also be said to be the most important part of rescuing Xue Pan.