After a few cups of tea, someone came from outside to report, "Father-in-law, people from the county government are here."
The prince said calmly: "Call in and talk."
Two men in soap clothes came in. The older one looked sophisticated, while the younger one looked a little raw. However, the prince recognized one of them, Xu Qian, who was wearing official uniform.
Xuchang was originally from the county government, so he was quite decent. As soon as he came in, he smiled and saluted the prince.
As for Xu Qian, who was wearing official uniform that didn't fit him well, he was a little more reserved. He deliberately pretended to be ignorant of the world and reluctantly saluted the prince.
Eunuch Wang's face was indifferent. He looked at Xu Chang first, and then his eyes fell on Xu Qian with piercing eyes. He said, "You must also know the matter. If you find out, we will give you a big reward. If you can't find out..." Eunuch Wang
He picked up the tea cup, played with the tea lid carelessly, and continued in a very calm tone: "Don't leave if you can't find out."
Xu Chang said hurriedly: "Yes, yes."
Xu Qian could clearly feel the murderous intent in Wang Gonggong's tone. This was a life-and-life matter, and Wang Gonggong was definitely not joking.
Eunuch Wang was lying on the chair, his eyes half open and half closed, and said: "Why are you still kneeling? Stand up and talk."
After hearing the words of the prince, everyone stood up one after another as if they had received an amnesty. Many people could not help but secretly look at the two guards, and they were very disapproving of them, especially the head of the inner palace, Zhang Qin, and the accountant.
Jiang Kun looked at Xu Qian and his son with almost mocking and ridiculing eyes.
Although the servants in the county government can show off their power to ordinary people, in the eyes of these senior officials, accountants, and purges in the palaces of princes and father-in-law, the father and son are just low-level servants.
What do you think? Even if you want to catch a thief, just let the guards do it. Why do you need to hire a few cheap servants?
Xu Qian felt that the people in the hall were looking at him unkindly, but he didn't care.
Xu Chang was an old official and was more familiar with this kind of situation. He bowed to the prince and said: "Eunuch, since this scroll was stolen last night, the father-in-law's house is heavily guarded, and ordinary thieves are naturally excluded. The villain feels that this
It must be the work of a domestic thief."
Wang Gonggong sat comfortably on his pear wood chair and said with a straight face: "Since he is a domestic thief, how should we investigate him?"
Xu Chang said: "It's easy. Those who can come in and out of this place must have some status in the government. Just gather everyone here, and then the villain will search their bedrooms one by one. Maybe the thieves will be able to find out.
That’s where the truth is revealed.”
Eunuch Wang looked at the people in the hall and said indifferently: "This is a way. It turns out that he is a public servant. Everyone has gathered here. You go down and search them one by one."
Xu Chang quickly said yes, winked at Xu Qian, and left quickly.
Seeing that the Xu family father and son were gone, Wang Gonggong took some time to rest, slowly picked up the tea cup on the table and took a sip. He looked at everyone coldly: "Who stole this painting? It's best to be honest."
Tell me, if you are really found out by the official, don’t blame our family for being ruthless, we will give you a chance, don’t be disrespectful."
There was silence in the flower hall, no one dared to make a sound, only a few breaths could be heard.
When the prince saw no one answered, he smiled and leaned back on the chair again as if he didn't care, tapping his fingers.
In fact, Eunuch Wang was not nervous at all. The boy named Xu only said that if he did as he said, he would be able to get the banner back. However, even if Eunuch Wang said that, he believed him for now, but it only involved himself.
It's hard to calm down.
He was even vaguely guessing in his mind what tricks the father and son could come up with, including treasure maps and searching everyone's rooms. Do they think that the thief who really stole the original would hide the scroll under his own
In the bedroom?
What has the prince not seen in the world? He believes that the person who stole his calligraphy is definitely not an ordinary thief. Such a person is so thoughtful that it is a joke to search the bedroom to find the original.
He remained calm, but sneered in his heart: "I hope this boy named Xu doesn't only have the skills of a three-legged cat. If not, we won't be able to find the writing frame, so we will deal with him today."
It took some effort to search more than a dozen bedrooms. It took half an hour before the two businessmen finally came back.
Everyone couldn't help but look at the pair of businessmen. Seeing that Xu Chang and Xu Qian were both happy, some people couldn't help but think: Could it be that something was really found?
Xu Qianxing said hurriedly: "I found it, please take a look, father-in-law." He held a broken piece of mounting paper in his hand and respectfully sent it to the father-in-law.
Eunuch Wang quickly accepted it, took the mounting paper in his hand and rubbed it for a closer look. After a moment, he furrowed his brows and said calmly: "This fragment is somewhat similar to the mounting paper with the words."
Xu Qian said: "It was found in the guest house of a cleaning lady named Lin."
The whole hall was in an uproar.
Everyone's eyes were either gloating, worried, or complicated about a mid-level Confucian scholar wearing a Confucian shirt.
Be a thief."
Some people disagreed and looked at the two guards coldly, thinking that Mr. Lin's character was quite good. If he said that he usually likes to take advantage, some people would believe him. But if Mr. Lin dared to be a thief, some people would not believe it.
He just shook his head and looked at the Xu family father and son with more contempt.
"A lowly servant is a lowly servant. It's just a fragment of a calligraphy frame, but he actually used it to offer treasures. It's probably because the princes and father-in-law pushed too hard, and they were doing something behind the scenes."
In the spotlight, Mr. Qingke Lin suddenly frowned and said to the prince quickly: "Students are good people, how could they do such sneaky things? Please tell me." Then he looked at Xu Qian with disdain,
Full of disdain, he said: "You want to frame me with this piece of writing that is difficult to distinguish between true and false? You must be responsible for what you said yourself. Mr. Lin is a person with a good reputation. You are talking nonsense.
Be careful when the time comes and I will sue you for slander."
There was a threat hidden in the words, and Xu Chang felt a little guilty. When he learned that the other party had a reputation, his arrogance was suddenly poured with cold water and disappeared without a trace.
Xu Qian saw this and didn't blame the old man for being timid. In fact, having fame in this era is indeed different from ordinary people. He looked at Lin Qingke fearlessly and said: "Since you said it wasn't you, then let me explain this."
What happened to the fragment of the painting? Why is it in your bedroom?"
Lin Qingke's smile became even colder and he said coldly: "Why did it appear in Lin's bedroom? How do I know? Lin rarely comes to this flower hall, so how could he steal that calligraphy? Besides, Lin was in the room last night.
I have never been out of my house to study. You said this calligraphy was stolen last night, so Lin is still able to fetch things from the air. Can he fetch things from the flower hall in the bedroom? "
Lin Qingke's words were quite clear and revealed the crux of the problem. Since he didn't go out last night, there was no way to talk about the so-called word theft.
Xu Qian couldn't help but ask: "You said you have never been out, who can testify?"
Lin Qingke's face changed slightly, and he hesitated. He had never been out, so where could he find someone to testify?
Lin Qingke had no choice but to say angrily: "I am a scholar, how can I lie to you? After dark, I went back to the bedroom and never came out again. In the prince's house over the years, Lin was already used to going to bed early.
, you are a little bitch, do you still want to frame Lin?"
Wang Gonggong squinted his eyes and watched Lin Qingke and Xu Qian bickering, but he couldn't help but feel suspicious of Lin Qingke in his heart. He stared at him coldly. This gaze contained a suffocating power, which made Lin Qingke reveal himself.
There was a bit of panic.
As for the other people in the hall who heard Lin Qingke scolding Xu Qian for being a cheap servant, they felt a little relieved. In their hearts, a cheap servant is a cheap servant. People who are usually worse than dogs in front of them actually entered the room and interrogated him like a human being.
Fierce, what are they?
Zhang Qin, the head of the inner palace, showed this even more obviously. She just looked at Xu Qian out of the corner of her eyes and looked down upon him.
The accountant Jiang Kun, who was standing next to Zhang Qin, lowered his head, as if he had thought of something. He observed the expression on the prince's face, as if he wanted to say something.
After hesitating for a long time, Jiang Kun suddenly said: "Lin Qingke is lying. He said he was studying in the house last night, but I clearly saw him wandering around the flower hall at midnight last night. I happened to get up at that time and saw him there in a daze.
I lingered and even said hello to him."
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole hall was in an uproar.
Everyone looked at Jiang Kun in shock. Jiang Kun continued: "If I tell a lie, the sky will strike like lightning!"
Lin Qingke had previously dismissed it. Although he found something in his bedroom, it did not mean that he had stolen the banner. However, Jiang Kun suddenly stood up and corrected him, which made him panic.
Xu Qian took the opportunity and said: "Mr. Lin, do you have anything else to say? The fragments found in your room are physical evidence. Someone just proved that you appeared near the flower hall last night. There are both witnesses and physical evidence. Do you still want to deny it?"
"
Lin Qingke was stunned, his shoulders were trembling slightly, and he must have understood the seriousness of the problem, so he quickly looked at Eunuch Wang as if pleading, and said: "Eunuch, they are talking nonsense, they... he is talking nonsense, the students are from innocent families.
, and he had already fallen asleep when he was young, so how could he still be wandering outside? How could he say hello to Jiang’s accountant... Normally students have no enmity or grudge against Jiang’s accountant, but...but..."
Jiang Kun interrupted Lin Qingke in a calm tone and said: "Brother Lin, what are you talking about? You and I know very well what happened last night. It's obvious that you are audacious because you listened to the rumors and were motivated by interests, so you did this.
He took the risk and did such a crazy thing."
Lin Qingke could not argue and was speechless for a moment. At this time, the prince looked at him coldly, which made him feel frightened and his face turned horribly pale.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Xu family father and son rushed forward with an iron ruler and a lasso. Lin Xiao knelt on the ground and closed his eyes, just waiting to be captured, but there was no movement for a long time. He felt a little strange and glanced secretly.
After taking a quick look, he found that these two 'servants' were actually rushing towards Jiang Kun.
What kind of fame is this...?
Jiang Kun noticed that the two guards were coming towards him. He was stunned at first, and then shocked. Seeing that Xu Chang had already bullied him, he hurriedly backed away, his hands just happened to reach the coffee table behind him, and he picked it up casually.
The tea cup on the coffee table was thrown at Xuchang.
Xu Chang didn't expect Jiang Kun to react so quickly and couldn't avoid it. Fortunately, Xu Qian beside him reacted quickly and was furious. This guy actually dared to hit his own father. I, a noble time traveler, didn't dare to lay a finger on my father.
, it really makes no sense.
He quickly reached out to block it, and the teacup banged with a muffled sound, and then bounced away. Xu Qian's forearm was hit by this, and heartbreaking pain spread throughout his body.
This time, Xu Chang was completely angered. He rushed toward Jiang Kun like a furious King Kong, and collided with Jiang Kun like a hungry tiger attacking a sheep. Jiang Kun stumbled and was knocked to the ground. He was about to fight back, but behind him
Xu Qian endured the pain and rushed forward, and together with Xu Chang, pinned him to the ground.