Chapter 453: 241. Two Fires

241. Two Fires

At the entrance of the Huaiye Lane mansion.

Under everyone's expectant gaze, Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze was silent for a while and opened his mouth to Li Su Xian:

"In that position, plan for that matter. With the Prince here, it is the blessing of the people of Prince Xunyang. Tomorrow, this humble servant will visit Lady Official Rong Zhen and ask the Lady Official to come and see. She is an envoy sent by His Majesty to Prince Xunyang City, as if His Majesty came in person, and will certainly not sit idly by and let His Majesty's holy name be damaged.

"Prince, Shizi, Senior Clerk Yuan, walk slowly and don't send."

Li Su Xian looked somewhat disappointed, Li Su Dalang and Yuan Yuan Huaimin wanted to speak but stopped,

And from the moment they went out, Li Su Guoer's clear eyes stared straight at the calm face of the weak crown young man who she and her father had repeatedly persuaded to accept calmly not long ago, as if wanting to see some clues from it.

Hearing this at the moment, she was also somewhat silent.

Just as everyone turned around and prepared to leave.

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze suddenly turned his head and called Yan Yan Liulang.

He asked a question that had nothing to do with the matter of the old woman of the Wang family with a calm face:

"Have the renovation matters of the Xicheng Gate been finished by Yan Liulang and Commandant Chen?"

Yan Yan Liulang was stunned and immediately shook his head:

"No, there is still a tail, Brother Chen is staying there to preside over the renovation..."

He answered patiently.

Yan Yan Liulang remembered the matter of the Xicheng Gate renovation. It was the second day after the Master and Miss Chenjun Xie returned from the front line of Hongzhou, when Jiangzhou Senior Clerk Yuan Yuan Huaimin found him and Chen You and issued the administrative order.

Later, he vaguely heard that this matter was actually privately proposed by the Master, who was idle in the position of Jiangzhou Commandant, to the new Senior Clerk Yuan Yuan Huaimin, and was also adopted.

It's just that Yan Yan Liulang didn't expect that the Master would ask him directly tonight, or over a certain superior. However, Senior Clerk Yuan and the Master have a good relationship, so it must be fine.

In fact, the renovation of several city gates in Prince Xunyang, including the Xicheng Gate, was not proposed for the first time. It was already on the agenda of the Jiangzhou main hall when the Master first took office. It was considered an old tune.

It's just that later, all the manpower and material resources of the Jiangzhou main hall were invested in the Prince Xunyang Grottoes at the Double Peak Tip... At the moment, the construction of the Prince Xunyang Grottoes is suspended and changed to the more time-saving and labor-saving Xingzi Workshop Great Buddha. The Jiangzhou main hall can be considered to have spare energy to repair these old city gates.

Maybe this is also the reason why the Master, after leaving the position of Senior Clerk, still keeps it in mind and does not forget to exhort the new Senior Clerk to pay attention to this major livelihood matter.

"Good." Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze nodded gently after listening, turned his head and explained to Li Su Xian, Li Su Dalang, and others who had curious expressions:

"Old city gates are also an old problem. Many people have reacted to this before. The previous Jiangzhou main officials all felt it was troublesome and didn't spend time and effort to seal the gates for renovation, mainly because it was easy to affect the flow of people in and out.

"A few days ago, when I returned from the front line, I found that some bricks and tiles on the top of the city gate were indeed old, and there was a possibility of loosening, falling, and hurting passers-by. It happened that Commandant Yuan also paid attention to this resolution, and the two of us hit it off, so it is better to repair it.

"For the specific strategy, I asked Senior Clerk Yuan to ask Commandant Chen You for advice. He has presided over city defense for many years and is very familiar with the city gates everywhere. He should be able to come up with a suitable plan... This can be considered the last practical thing this official can do for Prince Xunyang City, the last bit of residual heat. As for the rest of the important matters, I have to trouble the Prince and Senior Clerk Yuan to worry more in the future."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze said with a smile and waved to send them off.

Everyone could see that the matter was actually fine, but regarding the demolition of the Wang mansion related to the statue making at Xingzi Workshop, Brother Tan's attitude was obviously somewhat distant and polite, and he avoided talking about the lively movement on the side of Qingyang Hengjie.

Don't know if he was blaming everyone for their thousands of dissuasions and obstacles when he stood up... Li Su Xian looked ashamed, wanted to speak but stopped, and Yuan Yuan Huaimin and his party looked helpless.

Even if they had thousands of words, they had to leave one by one.

Chenjun Xie Ling stayed for a while, accompanied Zhen Zhen Shuyuan to talk for a while, and finally left reluctantly.

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze watched them leave, turned around after a while, and walked towards the back kitchen.

In the back kitchen, he accompanied the female family members to wash dishes and plates together. In fact, these things didn't need him to do at all.

But Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze was idle anyway, so he might as well listen to the gossip of the little girls in the back kitchen while washing dishes.

On the way, Zhen Zhen Shuyuan asked curiously:

"By the way, Brother Tan, what is the market price of pork today? Why haven't you mentioned it recently."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze smiled and said nothing.

The group of female family members didn't ask any more questions.

Soon the moon was in the middle of the sky, and it hid quietly in the clouds.

Moonlit courtyard, people settled down.

Yinbing Studio, in a pitch-black main bedroom, Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze, who was sleeping in his clothes, got up, turned his head to cover the quilt for Ye Ye Weilai, whose sleeping face was deep, and turned to walk to a desk.

He bent down to light the oil lamp, sat down in front of the desk, and sat withered for a while.

The desk seemed to have not been cleaned for many days, and Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze also exhorted Ye Ye Weilai not to move it randomly.

Silent for a moment, he pulled out a drawing from under a pile of poetry collections and literary collections that were randomly placed on the desk.

He took out one, lowered his head and examined it under the lamp for a while, and not long after, put it back to its original owner and stuffed it under the book pile.

The young man blew out the lamp and returned to the bedroom.

The moonlight outside the window fell on the drawing, and he could vaguely see a headless Buddha sitting with his back to the cliff.

If there was someone with sharp eyes, he would find that the drawing also marked the dimensions of this headless Buddha.

It was the detailed drawing of the headless Buddha carved in stone that had been suspended from construction in the Prince Xunyang Grottoes... all designed around the dimensions of the Buddha provided by Rong Zhen and the Imperial Observatory.

At this moment, whether it was in the Prince Xunyang Grottoes in reality, or on the drawing with detailed dimensions at the moment.

The Buddha's neck was empty.

It seemed to be waiting for the distant Buddha head to return to its place.

The next day, Jiangzhou main hall.

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze was rarely not late.

This made Yuan Yuan Huaimin and other colleagues somewhat unaccustomed.

However, seeing Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze walking with Rong Zhen, everyone was relieved.

The two often traveled together recently.

After listening to Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze, Rong Zhen asked directly:

"Qingyang Hengjie? Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze, do you want to intervene?"

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze shook his head gently, "Lady Official is more suitable to go."

"You know it's good. Now it's the cusp of the storm. If you are impulsive, it's over. His Majesty is watching every move you make. Jiangzhou Commandant, you cannot intervene in the affairs of the Senior Clerk and the Governor.

"This palace knows about this matter, and I will go and see it later. Your state now is quite good, pure-hearted and few desires, no storms, and no such troubles..."

Looking at her serious pretty face, Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiangze smiled.

After a while, watching Rong Zhen's back hurry away.

Night.

In the alley where most people have moved out of Qingyang Hengjie, there is a carriage parked.

Except for a few nail households, Qingyang Hengjie is almost empty, and the atmosphere should be quiet.

But the adjacent Chengtiansi Temple is being built overnight, naturally coming with a lot of noise.

"Governor Wang, what did Master Lin and the others say?"

In the carriage, Pei Pei Pei Shisan Niang just returned, and Shen Shen Bingqiang asked impatiently.

Pei Pei Pei Shisan Niang sighed:

"Governor Wang, Master Lin let us look at it, and we must see it moved out before tomorrow. It is the final deadline."

"Look at it? How to look at it?"

Shen Shen Bingqiang frowned and asked back unhappily.

This evening, Wang Wang Lengran, Lin Cheng, and Prince Prince Xunyang and his son, Lady Official Rong Zhen, and others came to Qingyang Hengjie again to visit and persuade the old woman of the Wang family.

That Lady Official Rong Zhen has been coming often since the day before yesterday. She has a bad attitude towards Master Lin, Governor Wang, and others. The two masters are very patient, and even Pei Pei Pei Shisan Niang and Shen Shen Bingqiang are humble in front of this cold palace-dressed girl with unfathomable background.

However, on the matter of the old woman of the Wang family being a nail household, including Lady Official Rong Zhen, everyone was in vain and returned without success.

The only good news is that the old woman of the Wang family didn't recognize the wrong person again, but she sat alone and withered throughout the whole process, ignoring outsiders, muttering something, and everyone couldn't understand.

Anyway, Shen Shen Bingqiang, has no patience, listening to her muttering.

"This old man doesn't care. She has signed the house deed, and the house is sold to me. Now the house is ours, not hers. This old man is kind-hearted, and finally limits her to move out within one day, otherwise it is illegal residence in this old man's property. No matter how old she is, there is no reason to fight the lawsuit to the Golden Throne Hall!"

Shen Shen Bingqiang waved his hand with impatience, and after a while, don't know what he thought of, a trace of ruthlessness appeared on his fat face, and he sneered in a low voice:

"Or we should do it once and for all, find someone to finish this old immortal thing tonight, President Pei, what do you say? This old man also knows a few people who have life cases, let them come, just give a placement fee after it's done..."

"No, absolutely not!"

Pei Pei Pei Shisan Niang raised her head and hurriedly dissuaded.

Seeing the anxious look in the noble woman's eyes, the short, fat merchant with horizontal flesh on his face curled his lips and hummed:

"No? Heh, this old man said, if she dares to refuse to leave and live in this old man's house, this old man will do it. This is called righteous expulsion of thieves, expelling old thieves, see who is afraid of whom, relying on the old to sell the old, still giving her face, right? If you provoke this old man again, tomorrow I will call someone to put her in a sack and sink her into the river. This old man hasn't done it before..."

Just as Shen Shen Bingqiang released his ruthless words, some noise suddenly came from not far away.

Shen Shen Bingqiang and Pei Pei Pei Shisan Niang looked over curiously, only to see a fire rising in the direction of a familiar mansion not far away!

"This is..."

While the two looked suspicious, someone on the street was fetching water, running and shouting:

"Not good, not good, it's on fire, the old woman of the Wang family's bedroom is burning! The old woman is still inside!"

Shen Shen Bingqiang was stunned.

Pei Pei Pei Shisan Niang looked at him with suspicious and surprised eyes.

Shen Shen Bingqiang wiped his face hard, a bit stuttering:

"Not... not this old man, damn it, this matter is done too ruthlessly! Not afraid of big trouble? Or can it be suppressed, damn, really black, these officials are dirtier than us who sell private salt!"

"Be careful!"

Pei Shishanniang scolded, looking into the distance at the firelight, her face serious as she said:

"But you are right, something big is about to happen..."

Something big had indeed happened.

Last night, the Wang family residence caught fire. The location of the fire was the Buddhist hall bedroom of Old Madam Wang. According to the preliminary investigation results from the Jiangzhou Cishi Prefecture early this morning...

It was this white-haired old madam herself who, either accidentally or intentionally, knocked over an oil lamp, causing the Buddhist hall bedroom to catch fire and burn.

The old madam naturally could not escape, becoming a curled-up charred corpse under the cold morning sun, lying near the plaque dedicated to the old master of the Wang family inside the Buddhist hall...

The curled-up charred corpse was wrapped in white cloth and, under the cold or pitying gazes of onlookers, was carried out of the main gate by the Wang family's sons who were crying and wailing.

Regarding this rapid investigation result, the officialdom of Prince Xunyang City was silent.

Inside, however, undercurrents were surging, and no one knew how many suspicions and guesses were circulating.

For a whole day, the atmosphere in Prince Xunyang City was as usual, but anyone with a discerning eye knew that this atmosphere was extremely strange.

Also on that same day, starting from the morning, the thirteen holdout households that had been deadlocked and refusing to move on Qingyang Heng Street began to loosen up one after another.

They took the initiative to find Pei Shishanniang, Shen Shen Bingqiang, and others to discuss the sale of their houses, each one of them being extremely honest.

Pei Shishanniang and Shen Shen Bingqiang had complex expressions as they exchanged a glance.

In the morning, Li Su Xian, Li Su Dalang, and the female official Rong Zhen and others also rushed to the scene at Qingyang Heng Street in Xingzi Ward at the first opportunity to check the specific situation.

Lin Cheng and Wang Wang Lengran received them in a businesslike manner, showing no expression throughout the whole process.

Li Su Xian also had no expression. Li Su Dalang glanced sideways and discovered that his father, who was usually gentle and weak, had his cheeks slightly puffed out, his gums gnashing with a clattering sound, yet under the shadow of the giant Buddha standing in the distance, he lowered his head slightly, as if "not daring to speak loudly for fear of startling the heavenly beings."

Rong Zhen also had a cold and gloomy face as she walked into the ruins of the fire inside the Wang residence.

However, soon, on that very afternoon, when the group of officials led by Li Su Xian was inspecting, another incident occurred.

A drunken, frail young figure appeared at the statue construction site beside Xingzi Lake. Perhaps because the giant Buddha was being built in a race against time, with the scene bustling and noisy, no one noticed or stopped him throughout the process.

This Wang family's third son, Wang Yu, a scholar of the prefectural school who had always been cowardly and taciturn, was dressed in plain white mourning clothes. Along the scaffolding, he swayed left and right as he climbed to the right shoulder of the unfinished giant Buddha, poured oil all over himself, lowered his head to drop a fire starter, and jumped down from the high place in front of everyone.

When he was seen by the first person on the scene, he had already become a ball of fire in mid-air.

Accompanied by the wailing in the fire, a moment later, only a heavy sound similar to a "bang" was heard, and the earth under their feet shook twice.

This sound was like the dull thud of a sack falling heavily at a wharf.

It was also like the sound of a lump of dough being rudely slapped onto a chopping board by a rough cook.

The sound echoed not far behind Li Su Xian, Yuan Yuan Huaimin, and other officials who were inspecting,

Blood and fire splattered.

The wailing stopped abruptly.

Yet it seemed as if it hadn't left, lingering in everyone's ears in the form of some distant echo.

Li Su Xian, Li Su Dalang, Yuan Yuan Huaimin, and other officials all turned their heads in astonishment one by one.

The atmosphere of the entire scene fell into a brief dead silence.

A cold, palace-dressed young girl figure who was investigating at the Wang residence not far away also appeared rapidly at this fresh accident scene.

Rong Zhen, along with Li Su Xian and other officials, stared at the large pool of blood and remains on the ground.

A moment later, Rong Zhen, Li Su Xian, Yuan Yuan Huaimin, Pei Shishanniang... everyone on the scene slowly turned their heads.

Their eyes all looked at the person who was originally walking at the very front leading the team in charge of the Xingzi Ward statue construction.

Amidst the gazes from all directions that were either shocked, suspicious, angry, or fearful.

Lin Cheng shook his head expressionlessly:

"I state again, it was not me."

(End of chapter)