Chapter 205

Two hundred and twelve, Hard to Pass the Beauty's Gate

In a high pavilion, three people were chatting secretly.

"Ouyang Lianghan? That sounds a bit familiar. Isn't he some gentleman of integrity praised by the literati?"

After quietly listening to Boss Li's account and review, and taking out a stack of densely written letter materials to flip through, Wei Shaoxuan suddenly looked up and asked.

"This fellow is interesting. He plays the Liu family and the local gentry of Dragon City in the palm of his hand. It quite suits my taste... So, Liu Ziwen died at his hands?"

"Well..."

Boss Li hesitated for a moment and spoke some of his inner thoughts:

"Sixth Su Su Xiaolang, I feel Liu Ziwen's death is a bit complicated. There might be hidden secrets behind it." "If it wasn't Ouyang Lianghan who did it, then who did?"

Wei Shaoxuan paused and asked with a smile: "Was it Wang Lengran, or Shen Xisheng? Wait... Liu Zian?"

"I have passed through Jiangzhou several times before and inquired about it. It doesn't look like Magistrate Wang did it." Boss Li shook his head: "Whether it was Shen Xisheng or Liu Zian, I don't know."

The sword light rushed out of the box like a fighting bull. Qiu Yi:?

Looking up at the moon and thinking hard, Liu Zian frowned and pondered:

The sword hilt was inlaid with jade, agate, and pearls, and hung with an exquisite sword tassel interwoven with colorful ribbons.

When Magistrate Diao took out this sword and turned it to place it under the sunset outside the window, it became clear that it was a short sword resembling a dagger.

Magistrate Diao leaned against the railing by the window, playing with the short letter-sword in his hand. He raised his hand to throw it: Not long after, he returned to the Plum Blossom courtyard, pushing the door open under the sunset glow. Boss Li sighed slightly:

"Why did the Su Fu call you? What instructions were there?"

Several fishing boats loaded with fish returning late slowly docked at the "golden location" that had been strangely left empty. The fishermen who had worked hard all day on the boats had happy faces. In the past, these "golden berths" would have been occupied by others long ago; how could it be their turn when they returned late?

There was also a large crowd gathered on the shore by the pier.

Liu Zian quickly caught up with Tu Xiangzhen's pace, following behind him, slowing his pace, hugging his waist sword, and sighing:

There was faint movement on the street downstairs outside the window. Magistrate Diao walked to the window and took a look, and the interested expression on his face faded away.

Not having penetrated Boss Li's hints, Magistrate Diao gritted his teeth, looking at the young magistrate who was a Metropolitan Graduate and had started his career in the local government as a Grade 7 official.

Ye Weilai was not there.

Beside Yan Liulang, who was bowing his head to take orders, raised his hand to receive the sword, but after waiting for a long time, he did not see Tu Xiangzhen hand over the letter-sword.

Boss Li said goodbye politely and walked into the Plum Blossom Garden.

Boss Li looked at the pitch-black dots on the river in the distance that were gradually getting smaller, without speaking. Magistrate Diao was full of worry, muttering dejectedly:

"My goodness, my son actually whored and drank with the great-grandson of Emperor Wen Huang of the Tang Dynasty! This encounter is enough to brag about to my grandson."

I don't know if it was because of Boss Li's intervention, but Mistress Miao Zhen's complexion didn't look too good. At this moment, I saw a sword inserted diagonally in the box.

But Boss Li silently pulled his arm away, his expression calm, and shook his head.

"Previously, the Liu family was always managed by Liu Ziwen, who communicated with us. My father had people investigate Liu Ziwen; he was very sensible, and his desires were very clear. After so many years of cooperation, there was a guarantee of trust. But now he died suddenly, and Liu Zian replaced him to lead the Liu family to cooperate with us... This is not a good change."

The sword blade lying in the sunlight reflected the cold light into the room. As the person holding the sword turned and moved, the cold light flashed everywhere in the room.

A daughter of the Li family has just grown up.

The exposure of the identities of Su Dalang and Su Xiaomei made Boss Li, who was in the dark, a bit stunned, realizing it only after the fact.

Magistrate Diao suddenly turned his head and said seriously to Qiu Yi: Tu Xiangzhen said suddenly.

What a "we will meet again."

"Yes! Third Su Su Xiaolang." Tu Xiangzhen said respectfully, cupping his hands.

He couldn't help but choke up, and for a moment, sorrow arose from within... Hey, this Grade 8 official position is not worth doing anyway! "Lianghan," "Nephew Lianghan..."

The Peng Lang Ferry, which was usually busy during the day, cooled down, like a red-hot coal extinguished by water.

Boss Li was silent for a moment, "His personality is very cautious and patient. Just look at how he dealt with Ouyang Lianghan..."

"... As for Tu Xiang, for now, he still seems quite honest."

"I really didn't expect that Dalang's family was actually the deposed family of the Prince of Xunyang. Doesn't that mean Dalang has the blood of Emperor Wen Huang of the Tang Dynasty flowing in him?"

"Not interesting. Sister Mistress Miao Zhen is not very capable, being bluffed by a weak scholar. Now the good show is gone. However, the Saint actually sent Wang Lixian a jade arch; it seems there is some significance to it..."

Docked with ferry boats returning, as well as merchant ships passing by and stopping temporarily.

Looking at the back of Boss Li, who was like a different person compared to when he stood up to help in the afternoon, the Li father and son were puzzled and sighed endlessly...

His body remained motionless, as if lost in thought. Magistrate Diao's mouth was stuck.

Then he kept watching them board the ship and leave the pier.

Subsequently, the Third Su Su Xiaolang of the Wei family seemed to turn his head and say something to Qiu Yi.

Magistrate Diao was distressed and couldn't help but say: "Why didn't the Su Fu keep the female envoy? The official dinner was already prepared. Tu Xiang let them stay for a meal and rest in Dragon City for a few more days; sightseeing would also be excellent..."

This box seemed to have a mechanism inside, which was very exquisite.

With a series of complex movements from Magistrate Diao, there was a "click," like an iron chain slowly lowering the city gate of a majestic pass, and the sword box opened in response.

"Su Fu, speaking of which, is it too presumptuous for me to call him Dalang now?"

Several boatmen who had just returned couldn't help but turn their heads curiously to look at the huge sails slowly moving away on the river.

In fact, the Persian merchant had also heard a little about the complex situation between the legitimate and illegitimate children of the Wei and Liang families in the Ming government, but he was not qualified to discuss it. It was best to be deaf.

Magistrate Diao's laughing words sounded, and his gaze was cast casually out the window, but he stopped abruptly halfway through.

The man with the box on his back took off the sword box and handed it to Magistrate Diao. Representing the Ming government, he went to deliver a gift.

I saw that magnificent official ship breaking through the golden water waves under the sunset, moving away from Dragon County without looking back, with the red sun as the background.

It immediately attracted the attention of the three people in the pavilion. Qiu Yi crossed his arms and nodded:

No, I should call her Li Guoer, or...

He finally understood the subtle abnormalities shown by the junior sister, his mentor Xie Xun, and the Wei family before. Wei Shaoxuan looked at Boss Li and pondered:

She was standing on tiptoe flipping through books behind Boss Li's bookshelf. The high pavilion fell into silence.

Boss Li had just arrived at the entrance of the Plum Blossom Garden when he met two familiar figures guarding the door.

A sigh suddenly sounded from the front row of the crowd, making the atmosphere among the government office staff freeze.

"Hey."

Beside Yan Liulang and Qiu Yi followed Magistrate Diao's gaze.

Seeing him, the father and son were immediately happy and sincerely pulled Boss Li to eat at the Wei family's place, as usual.

Liu Zian was stunned and stepped forward to report:

Fishing songs sang late. There was movement in the study.

However, the pier that was usually crowded was now empty in the center.

It was Wang Lixian and Su Dalang. "Ouyang Rong."

Beside Yan Liulang looked curiously and showed an expression of sudden realization. Wang Lixian and Su Dalang immediately looked embarrassed.

He frowned slightly, turned his eyes, and saw a peach-red beauty figure vaguely in the study. Boss Li's mouth twitched slightly.

"Let's go, it's fine. Everyone go home. Come to work as usual tomorrow. As for that Wei family on Luming Street..."

"... Just pretend you didn't see it. They are just commoners; you don't need to treat them specially."

Still no one paid attention to him.

"After so many years, Ouyang Rong is still a county magistrate here; it's not entirely without reason."

"Valuing them is better than offending them. At worst, they'll just treat us like a fart. It's said that a Grade 7 official is in front of the Prime Minister's gate, let alone this is a Grade 8 female official by the Saint's side. I don't know how many grades to add. Hey, what should we do now?"

The things that happened today were indeed very unexpected to me.

"Being honest now doesn't mean being honest in the future. Go and investigate it, and investigate it together with the death of his elder brother Tu Xiangzhen."

"What kind of person is Liu Zian?"

Turning his head to look at the tightly closed door, Boss Li shook his head gently and muttered something. "How could I be dissatisfied with the Su Fu? It's mainly because of today's events... Hey."

Tu Xiangzhen, like the fishermen, watched the fleet carrying Mistress Miao Zhen and other Luoyang palace envoys go further and further away, standing at the very front of the crowd seeing them off at the pier.

Beside Yan Liulang:...

"For the sake of the deposed Prince of Xunyang's family, we ended up offending the Luoyang envoys. I don't know what they will say about us in front of the Saint..."

It is rumored that the Mohist sword box is one of the top sword-nourishing objects in the hearts of sword cultivators in the world. The material of the box naturally gathers Qi, and it is applied with ingenious mechanical techniques to achieve miraculous effects such as nourishing sword Qi, washing the sword body, and restraining sword light.

"Why does the Magistrate always sigh? Are you dissatisfied with the Su Fu? If so, just say it."

"You can use that pawn buried in the Liu family to investigate whether there was any fratricide. Before taking the Ding sword, you must ensure that all hidden dangers are eliminated..."

Tu Xiangzhen interrupted Tu Xiangzhen's words and waved his hand casually:

Liu Zian, who had rushed over from the official residence in the afternoon, turned his head and frowned:

"Go and notify Tu Xiangzhen that I have arrived. Take it, and by the way, return Liu Ziwen. This short sword is not bad; it kills without staining a drop of blood. I hope the Ding sword he hands over in the end will also satisfy me this much..."

For the last few sentences of the Third Su Su Xiaolang of the Wei family, I pretended not to hear them at all.

I glanced at the letter-sword in my hand, straightened my clothes solemnly, and went downstairs.

A moment later, Beside Yan Liulang looked up cautiously and found that Qiu Yi was also looking at Tu Xiangzhen just like him.

In an instant, Boss Li's footsteps paused, and his body stopped in place.

"Third Su Su Xiaolang? Third Su Su Xiaolang?" He couldn't help but call out twice.

As for why she didn't say it earlier after getting familiar... Boss Li thought about it after the fact and found that the junior sister had actually hinted at it all along, but he had ignored it.

In the high pavilion, Magistrate Diao lowered his head, paced around a dozen times, then stopped at one moment, muttering in a daze: "How can there be such a beautiful woman in the world? I haven't even seen one in the palace..."

Boss Li stood with his hands in his sleeves, his expression calm, without turning his head to look at the sighing Magistrate Diao.

The latter caught it with one hand, placed it horizontally in front of him, put two fingers together, and gently stroked the warm and moist box wood. Even though he had examined this sword box more than once, he still showed appreciation and admiration on his face.

Boss Li patted the old magistrate's thin shoulder gently, took the lead to leave, and left a sentence: Magistrate Diao:...

But he didn't mean to blame the junior sister. After all, when she first arrived, the two of them weren't very familiar.

"Third Su Su Xiaolang knows his limits." "Ah? I'm here."

It was a young girl with a plain face, with a bright red plum blossom-shaped makeup on her forehead, sitting obediently on an embroidered stool, holding the purple thin veil she had just taken off. Not far in front of her, a palace painter was painting solemnly.

Boss Li, who was walking in front, nodded: "Third."

Fine, you are noble, you are amazing.

At the moment, Qiu Yi and Magistrate Diao, just the two of them, went to get the sword alone, naturally carrying it with the Mohist sword box as agreed.

The short sword was luxurious.

In the afternoon at the entrance of the Wei family, after the highly skilled old palace painter finished depicting Su Guoer's plain portrait, Mistress Miao Zhen left without a word with the painter and the palace maids.

Magistrate Diao laughed softly.

Not long after, the painting at the entrance of the Wei family ended.

At that time, Boss Li just stood in place, bent his waist slightly, and bowed, without saying a word. Qiu Yi, who was watching coldly from the window, turned his head and looked at Tu Xiangzhen.

Seeming to have completely confirmed that the official ship had entered the river and would not return, Tu Xiangzhen, who was squinting and looking into the distance, nodded gently, turned his face, and looked at the withered wood-like wrinkles on Magistrate Diao's dark face, full of the vicissitudes of life spent trapped in the grassroots bureaucracy.

Finally, after boarding the ship's deck, he turned slightly, looked down at Tu Xiangzhen on the pier below, and only left a sentence: "Magistrate Ouyang, we will meet again."

I saw that the Third Su Su Xiaolang of the Ming government, who had originally been leaning against the railing by the window, had changed to a standing posture with his hands down at some point, his head sticking out of the window, staring intently at the street in front of the Wei family below.

Your Highness?

Boss Li strongly suspected that when the junior sister followed her mentor Xie Xun to Longcheng County to worship Buddha and finally stayed to assist him, it was actually mainly to protect the Tu Xiang family.

Under the sunset glow.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Su Fu?" At this moment, Liu Zian said sideways:

Boarded the ship and left directly, without lingering at all.

The government office staff gathered at the pier looked at each other, obeyed the order helplessly, and left one after another.

This sword was the last letter-sword that Wei Shaoxuan had entrusted him to send to the Prince of Wei's mansion in Luoyang. It had been sharpened and tasted blood, and it was also a signal to take the sword.

"Ouyang Rong, can't you see? That Grade 8 female official is just doing her job and doesn't care about personal feelings. Eating and giving gifts are useless. Tu Xiangzhen, don't do those flashy things; it will only make people look down on the Su Fu and us."

"Foster father, anyway, this time we hitched a ride on the palace envoy's ship, and we arrived in Longcheng in a few days." Magistrate Diao turned his head and explained with a smile: "Just in time, I'll investigate carefully to see if there are any interesting tricks hidden."

On the night road back to the Plum Blossom Garden alone, Boss Li stopped from time to time to look at the brightly lit direction of the Wei family in the distance.

Just one word was passed back.

Not long after, Liu Zian, who was muttering around Boss Li, was driven back to the official residence. Last time, it seemed that the strange purple mist in Boss Li's merit tower had wiped away the mark on the Mirage Beast mask. The old blood vomited by the Yuzhi female immortal seemed a bit serious, and she was still in a coma, her breath as thin as a thread.

Standing by the window, Magistrate Diao thought about it, and by the way, watched the movement outside the Wei family's door for a while. He shook his head as if he felt it was boring.

"What if we change the gift slightly? After all... we are all relatives. Foster father, I still feel I have an obligation to give a birthday gift."

It was the Su family's younger sister, Su Guoer.

Even if a mortal sword was placed in it for nourishment, it could become very different, unlike a mortal weapon. Thinking of this, I was a bit silent.

"I don't know why, but I always have a hunch that Wei Shaoxuan's death has a lot to do with Liu Ziwen. I hope I'm wrong. Tsk tsk, speaking of which, I have this inexplicable hunch. I don't know if it's because I quite understand the feeling of being a younger brother to Tu Xiangzhen. After all, I also have several harmonious elder brothers."